Chapter 202

After the four divine officials left, the Xiao Xiao Shimei finally let go of the sword hilt, but she still had a serious expression on her face.

Lin Jue also relaxed and looked at Luo Seng:

"I didn't expect Lord Luo to have served as a County Commandant."

"There's nothing to talk about."

Luo Seng put down his long saber and sat cross-legged on the spot.

"Five years ago, I went to the capital, intending to join the army. Relying on the reputation of my ancestors, there were quite a few people beckoning to me. However, the current imperial court is corrupt; the Imperial Guards in the capital are only accessible to the children of noble families in the city. Once you leave the capital, the armies are either eating empty rations or are private soldiers who only take orders from someone. Staying inside is meaningless. After several twists and turns, I thought that since I couldn't join the army for the time being, being a martial officer and protecting a region's peace wouldn't be bad; after all, this saber and this martial art cannot be left idle, so I went to Wanan County and became a head constable."

He paused as he spoke, shaking his head with a contemptuous smile:

"After two years, I became a County Commandant. I thought it was because a noble person felt I had ability and promoted me with discerning eyes; it turned out to be just the same old crooked and sordid business. I couldn't stand it, so I simply resigned."

Lin Jue nodded repeatedly as he listened.

He was, after all, from a family of military lineage; if he didn't have so many aspirations and ambitions, it would have been very easy for him to become an official and live a good life.

In fact, looking at the past and present, among those poets and scholars in poetry who were full of displacement and frustration, eight or nine out of ten of their so-called displacements were going to different places to serve as officials, and their so-called frustrations were not being able to become high officials and realize their ideals and ambitions. In fact, when they came to the capital, just relying on their ancestors' names, they could become officials.

Even if they wandered the world, no matter where they went, they could at least become a registrar, a clerk, or a military advisor.

That was just how it was.

However, Wanan County was one of the two counties of the capital and not a small city; the County Commandant was a martial officer second only to the County Magistrate and the County Vice-Magistrate. Being able to become a County Commandant in such a short time also showed his ability.

Being able to discard it at will also showed his bold and free spirit.

It was no loss that the divine beings feared him.

He also saw Luo Seng lean back and lie on the dry grass, glancing at the lamp beside him. Seeing that it was pitch black all over, with a thin lamp pillar on a circular base, topped with a lamp holder with nine lotus petals, he couldn't see anything strange about it other than its antiquity. Remembering what had just happened, he said casually:

"The Daoist's lamp is also extraordinary."

"This is a night-watch lamp; lighting it can keep watch for us."

"Such immortal treasures are rare. It seems the Daoist has had many fortunes in the past five years." Luo Seng said, "Since that's the case, there is still half the night left, so let's get some more sleep. Don't worry; if those few divine officials come again, I will go and meet them myself."

"Lord Luo is overthinking."

Lin Jue also smiled:

"Although my Xiao Xiao Shimei and I have not been practicing the Dao for long, thanks to the earnest teaching of our Master and Third Shixiong Brothers, we are not afraid of those few divine officials."

"That's the best."

Luo Seng didn't say much more and closed his eyes directly.

At this moment, he had stubble on his face and looked somewhat weathered, sleeping while holding his saber. He didn't know how much his martial arts had improved compared to five years ago, but he looked even more reassuring than he did five years ago.

The night passed without incident.

The next afternoon, on a small hillside.

Several people looked into the distance.

Ahead were rolling mountains, with miasma flowing between the mountains like water; the exposed peaks were covered with dense forests, which were a brilliant golden-red in this season.

Occasionally, the miasma would dissipate, and there would often be reflections below, as if there were water.

There were a few houses faintly visible ahead.

Just then, a thin, hunched middle-aged man came from afar carrying a bundle of firewood; he was clearly stunned when he saw them.

"May I ask if this is the territory of the former Kuze County ahead?" Luo Seng asked.

"Yes."

The middle-aged man answered blankly.

"Is there a large snake with horns inside?"

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

Although the middle-aged man didn't know what they wanted to do, seeing that Luo Seng's question was very crisp, he couldn't help but answer.

"Have you seen it?"

"I've seen it! It eats people! Every once in a while, it comes out once, and it wants to eat people!"

"Are there many?"

"I don't know..."

"What does it look like?"

"It's thicker than a house beam, and when it coils up, it looks like a small house, with a horn on its head."

"Do you know how to find it?"

"I don't know! You can't get in, you can't get in; there is miasma inside, and there are demons, no one dares to go in..."

"Many thanks!"

Luo Seng threw out a small string of coins, about ten wen, which landed just right on the woodpile, and then he walked forward.

"Many thanks."

"Many thanks!"

The two Daoist priests also brushed past him.

Truly crisp and clean.

"You can't get..."

The middle-aged man still wanted to warn them, but before he could finish, they had already walked far away down the slope; looking at them, they were truly heading toward Kuze County.

How can one get into that place?

The middle-aged man couldn't help but be stunned.

Only that female Daoist priest looked back at him frequently.

"This place is so close to Kuze County, and there are so many demons inside, as well as man-eating snakes; why do they still live here? Why don't they move out?"

"Where outside is there no man-eating snake?" Luo Seng said, using his scabbard to push aside the bushes blocking the road to leave space for the horse to pass. Then, while leading the horse into the mountains, he untied the spear shaft hanging on the horse's back, took out the spearhead, and attached it while walking.

The miasma ahead turned into fog, rushing toward them.

"I have a few Heart-Protecting Pills here; after taking them, it's not easy to be confused by the miasma." Lin Jue took out a small bottle, poured out a few small pills, and distributed them to them.

"Many thanks, Daoist!"

Luo Seng took the pill and put it into his mouth.

This pill didn't have much taste, but with his keen five senses, he clearly felt his head cool down and felt much clearer. When the miasma hit his face again, he only felt it as cool as ordinary water mist.

"Good pill!"

Luo Seng couldn't help but praise it.

"This was refined by my Third Third Shixiong; we don't have many left, so if we finish them, we'll have to refine them ourselves." Lin Jue said.

"Truly the authentic teachings of a famous master."

Luo Seng felt more and more fortunate in his heart for inviting them to accompany him.

Even if they couldn't perform other spells and couldn't help deal with that horned snake, this Heart-Protecting Pill alone was a huge help.

Then they gradually walked into the depths of the mountain marsh.

In the thick fog, a corner of Kuze County appeared in their eyes.

This place had rolling mountains and marshes everywhere; wherever there was low ground, there was bound to be accumulated water, but wherever there were valleys, they were covered with towering trees, unharvested by anyone, growing wantonly; walking among them, they were truly tiny.

"Third Third Shixiong..."

The Xiao Xiao Shimei said quietly: "There are so many spiritual plants here, no less than on Mount Yishan!"

She was sharper than Lin Jue in finding spiritual plants.

Nothing else, just practice makes perfect.

"I see them." Lin Jue answered, "No need to rush; pick them if it's convenient, and forget it if it's not. We have more important things to do."

"Understood."

"Fuyao."

"Ying?"

"See if there are any traces of a large snake crawling on the ground around here." Lin Jue paused, "But you can't be too far from us."

"Wu!"

In Luo Seng's slightly surprised eyes, he saw the fox jump lightly and soar straight up.

That was a white shadow that went almost straight up, truly light and graceful; if the miasma and mountain fog were thicker and the vision more blurred, it would almost be like a white smoke rushing straight to the sky.

There was a bit of immortal air in the etherealness.

The group continued forward.

The white shadow jumped back and forth between the branches, as light as an elf in the mountains, carefully examining the ground below.

It was unknown how long it had been since anyone came here; grass and trees were overgrown, and branches were intertwined. It was difficult enough for people to walk, and the horse was even larger, making it even harder to walk.

There were also often spider webs blocking the road, and often poisonous insects lurking.

Sometimes they also encountered some animals in the mountains, and even some that had gained intelligence; they were all accustomed to the miasma and were very curious about these outsiders.

The group tried to bypass them whenever possible, and if they couldn't bypass them, they tried their best not to disturb them.

Therefore, they walked very slowly.

Coupled with having to wait for Fuyao to explore the surroundings, they walked even slower.

This actually made it convenient for the Xiao Xiao Shimei to collect spiritual plants.

"There is a ball-bead tree here! It can be used to refine Sandalwood Pills!"

"There is one here too!"

"This lingzhi also has spiritual aura!"

"This one is old!"

"This one has been gnawed on..."

Ever since she left Mount Yishan, she had rarely seen a place with so many spiritual plants.

And in this process, she was also extremely excited.

Every time she picked one, she added a bit of joy.

When she was on Mount Yishan before, she often brought spiritual plants back for her Third Third Shixiong while building roads outside. At first, Lin Jue thought that the two of them were nourishing the pill-fruit tree together and that she also wanted to contribute, but after a long time, he discovered that she probably found her own pleasure in this process.

It even felt a bit addictive.

So much so that although she had never learned alchemy, she remembered the few pill recipes stored in the Fuqiu Temple clearly.

In this way, this miasma-filled, abandoned land, which was full of crises and which ordinary people dared not enter at all, had instead become her paradise for collecting spiritual plants.

"Slow down..."

Just as Lin Jue finished speaking, a small black dot suddenly flew from afar.

Almost at the same time, a scabbard reached out from the side.

With a slap!

The scabbard easily knocked away the black dot.

It was also at this time that the Xiao Xiao Shimei, who was looking for spiritual plants all around, raised her head; in the distance, another white shadow brushed back, returned to Lin Jue's side, and looked into the distance.

Lin Jue first lowered his head to look at the small black dot, seeing that it was a very common pinecone, and only then raised his head to look ahead.

There were a few strange monkeys there.

The strange monkeys looked like macaques, large in size, strong in build, with arms longer than their knees and a pair of white ears on their heads, staring at them.

Although they were also strange monkeys, they were different from those outside Danxun City.

"Zi~"

A sour sound rang out from the side.

Luo Seng had already pulled the bowstring.

"Third Shixiong Luo, wait!" Lin Jue stopped him and looked at the monkey group ahead, "They have no malice; it's just that we entered their territory, and they want us to leave."

Luo Seng didn't say anything, simply slowly retracting his bow.

"These monkeys are smarter than the ordinary birds and beasts in the mountains; perhaps I can ask them where that horned snake is."

"How to ask?"

"Practitioners of the Dao have their own spells."

Lin Jue said so and took a step forward.

But he saw that the group of strange monkeys, despite being born tall, were very timid, or perhaps they were intimidated by Luo Seng's malevolent energy; seeing that the pinecone they threw couldn't hit them and that the Daoist was walking toward them instead, they were actually scared into retreating and fleeing in all directions.

However, their speed was extremely fast!

Some were in the trees, climbing like the wind; some were on the ground, running upright, and when they ran, they were also like the wind; some could even run by stepping on thin grass and bushes.

Lin Jue couldn't help but be stunned.

Seeing this scene, he remembered—

Aren't these Xinxin?

Even the Xinxin, which had gradually disappeared in the depths of Mount Yishan, were actually still living in a group in this miasma-filled place!

Lin Jue couldn't help but widen his eyes.

You must know that among the pills refined by the Second Third Third Shixiong, the one he and the Xiao Xiao Shimei ate the most, liked the most, and was also the most precious, was this Divine Travel Pill.

Also called Xinxin Pill.

Usually, they were reluctant to use it.

At this moment, there were still a few pills in his bosom, which were also given generously by the Second Third Third Shixiong who took care of the two younger ones.

It wasn't that this pill was very profound or difficult to refine, but that the pill required the hair or bones of a Xinxin, and this kind of exotic beast was becoming harder and harder to find nowadays.

Lin Jue couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised.

This trip could be considered a huge profit.

He couldn't help but turn his head and look at the Xiao Xiao Shimei.

"What's wrong, Third Third Shixiong?"

The Xiao Xiao Shimei also read his meaning from his slightly bright eyes, but she was very puzzled and looked forward.

In her heart, her Third Third Shixiong had seen the world, unlike her who was so useless; he rarely showed such an expression.