[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain":3,"chapter-notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-61":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Notes on Cultivation at Wulong Mountain",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2272966,4440,"Chapter 61: Spreading the Net","notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-61",61,"\u003Cp>Hou the steward was very straightforward, immediately buying all eight jars of Ling Wine Zhuyeqing, muttering about why Liu Xiaolou had been so delayed, saying the sect’s senior disciples had gone without alcohol for several days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time he volunteered to pay with spirit stones, as he had no silver left on him. Liu Xiaolou glanced again at the departing Hou Zhishi and felt a chill run down his scalp—he quickly agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only Hou Zhishi who recognized him had arrived—could he still continue this business? Liu Xiaolou had no confidence. So first, get the spirit stones in hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One spirit stone for two jars of Zhuyeqing was the usual price, but of course not now. For the eight jars before him, Hou the steward paid six spirit stones, and Liu Xiaolou made no attempt to haggle. In barely half a month, starting with seventy or eighty taels of silver, he’d turned it into six spirit stones—he was satisfied, yet he feared that haggling over price might delay things, and that Hou the steward’s elder brother, Hou Zhishi, might return. That would be disastrous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Hou the steward was instructing his servants to carry off the wine, Liu Xiaolou presented the pheasant. The steward indeed loved it, lifting it repeatedly in delight: “Never seen this wild game before—where’d you hunt it? Is it tasty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou smiled politely: “I happened upon it while passing through Wuling Mountain, so I took it as a treat for you, steward. This beast was clever, almost sentient—I chased it for two days before finally catching it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the words “sentient,” Hou the steward grew even happier, praising it endlessly, refusing to let go. When two servants came to take the pheasant, he swatted them away with a single hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seizing his good mood, Liu Xiaolou ventured: “Just now, a Hou Zhishi was here inspecting goods—is he your elder brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou the steward chuckled: “You mean him? Yes, that’s him. He doesn’t handle procurement—he just came for a stroll. No one knows why he suddenly showed up; said the sect elders summoned him and a few others overnight. What’s this pheasant called? Ah, use your name—Green Feather Pheasant. I’ll have it for dinner tonight, to welcome my elder brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, he pulled out a bracelet of pure gold beads, weighing roughly three or four taels, and tossed it to Liu Xiaolou: “Here, consider it a gift!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Hou the steward left, Liu Xiaolou fell into deep thought, then turned to Zuo Gaofeng and Tan Ba: “This Hou steward’s elder brother is a patrol Zhishi of Qingyu Sect, tasked with inspecting the mountains and capturing bandits...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Ba asked: “You want to curry favor with his brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Gaofeng turned pale: “Trouble’s coming!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Ba still didn’t get it: “What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Gaofeng, while packing his own specialty goods, explained: “Leave quickly! Didn’t you hear Hou the steward? His brother was summoned overnight by Qingyu Sect elders—overnight! All the patrol Zhishi were summoned!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now even Tan Ba understood: “Right... why would they do that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Gaofeng said: “Doesn’t matter why—they’ve moved, so we retreat for now. Qingyu Sect may be generous, but no need to risk it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou added: “I know Hou the steward’s brother. Just now, he seemed to be strolling, but kept glancing at people’s faces—he wasn’t inspecting goods, he was inspecting people!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Gaofeng had already packed everything, two large bamboo baskets slung over his shoulder. He peered around, saw the Ghost Dream Cliff still bustling, seemingly unchanged, then said: “We leave one by one, quietly. Xiao Lou, you go first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou said: “You two go first—I’ll warn Longshan Sanren and the others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Ba said: “I’ll stay with Xiao Lou. You go ahead, Brother Zuo.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Gaofeng sighed: “Xiao Lou’s so loyal—we can’t be heartless. Let’s warn everyone one by one, have our fellow cultivators leave one at a time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No time to waste. Liu Xiaolou first approached Longshan Sanren, whispered in his ear: “Sanren, something’s wrong—take shelter for a few days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Longshan Sanren paused, said nothing more, swiftly packed up, and shuffled down Ghost Dream Cliff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next was Lingling Ke—he bolted like a rat, abandoning two unsold beehives, and ran off immediately, leaving bystanders staring in confusion. Liu Xiaolou was furious, thinking: Wei Brother was right—this guy truly isn’t decent. Next time anyone helps him, they’re a grandson!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came Huang Ye of Jade Maiden Cave, the Ma brothers of Five Sons Peak, Jiang Feihu of Flying Tiger Cave, Zhang Shihua of Stone Flower Valley, Old Hu Du of Gourd Mouth—none were close to Liu Xiaolou, but since they were all fellow cultivators from Wulong Mountain, he warned each one in turn, roughly one every few minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All were cultivators; their instinct for danger was etched into their bones. No need for explanations—they left calmly, none as disgraceful as Lingling Ke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guzhang Mountain’s Seven Heroes were numerous and loud; Liu Xiaolou didn’t warn them directly, only instructed Qingjie to tell them last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having warned his own circle, Liu Xiaolou nodded to Tan Ba and Zuo Gaofeng, then left without ceremony, descending first. As he looked back, Ghost Dream Cliff remained bustling—among nearly two hundred stalls, the loss of a few dozen was unnoticeable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After descending, Liu Xiaolou waited at Tian Bo’s house. Occasionally, a Wulong Mountain cultivator hurried past. By afternoon, even the Seven Heroes of Guzhang Forest came down, carrying heavy loads, their departure unmistakably noisy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Gaofeng and Tan Ba didn’t come down this path—they must have taken another route—but they were gone, for Liu Xiaolou had told Qingjie to warn the Seven Heroes only after Zuo and Tan had left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, Liu Xiaolou relaxed. Even if Qingyu Sect turned hostile, they’d only catch outsiders—unrelated to Wulong Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked briskly along the Wuchao River back to Wuchao Town, returned to his secluded courtyard, and settled down to resume cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again, the seventh point on the Pericardium Meridian—Daling Point. Half a month ago, he’d stalled halfway due to lack of spirit stones. Now, with six spirit stones in hand, he resumed his breakthrough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep into the night, someone suddenly pounded on the gate. Liu Xiaolou recognized the knock at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened the door—Qingjie slipped inside, glancing nervously outside before shutting it. Her face was drenched in sweat, her chest heaving, barely able to breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong, Qingjie?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pant... something’s happened...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t panic—take your time...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not panicked—I’m just exhausted from running... Xiao Lou, you don’t know—right after sunset, Ghost Dream Cliff was surrounded... Pant... Qingyu Sect sent over a hundred people, arrested everyone, then sorted them—those of us without cultivation were released, the rest...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happened to them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t know yet... but... it was brutal.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1120,"2026-06-19T23:11:25.549Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","13e56d5754bcbed1220d6ae0eaa1c988075a3d0ce852be795ff6381139d0a582","notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-62","notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-60",638,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnotes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-cover.jpg"]