Hahahaha!
...
「Several days later.」
The Southern Border, in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
The great Sun hung high in the sky, the air hot and humid. Towering ancient trees blotted out the light, and vines like monstrous pythons coiled and dangled from their branches.
Colorful, poisonous mushrooms were everywhere.
Centipedes, scorpions, and other poisonous insects rustled and scurried about.
"Be careful of the air here. The heavy moisture forms a mildly toxic miasma. If an ordinary mortal ca here, they would be reduced to a pile of dry bones in less than half a day."
Wu Yuanji warned.
Qin Xuan and Qin Xin nodded slightly.
The three of them concealed their Demonic Qi and disguised themselves as Loose Cultivators from the Central Plains who had co to purchase rare dicinal ingredients, blending into a border village called Black Tooth Village.
The village was dense with bamboo houses, and the air was thick with the slls of dicinal herbs and the stench of insects.
The corpses of dried poisonous insects and clay pots steeping in stinking, pitch-black liquids were a common sight.
The Cultivators here dressed completely differently from those in Daqian.
The n mostly wore short, coarse cloth jackets of blue and black, revealing their lean, dark arms.
Their bodies were covered in strange tattoos of insects and birds, and they carried bamboo baskets and leather pouches of various sizes at their waists, from which one could faintly hear the squirming of living things.
The won, by contrast, wore slightly more vibrant colors, primarily deep blues and purples. They wore intricate, layered silver ornants on their heads that jingled as they walked, and their skirts were embroidered with poisonous insects and flowers.
Their wrists and necks were also adorned with all sorts of brightly colored trinkets.
"A hundred years ago, I ca to the Southern Border with Lord Dark Fla Blood Prison Demon Monarch. The powers here aren’t organized into Sects like in Daqian. Instead, they consist of various Gu Villages and Gu Races, clinging to the mountains and scattered about like a starry array."
"The larger villages occupy Spirit Veins and have populations in the tens of thousands, with their Village Chiefs often being powerful Gu Cultivators. The smaller tribes, on the other hand, are content in their own corners, passing down their unique Gu Techniques."
"They form alliances with each other, but more often they compete and conquer. The fighting is constant as they vie for rare Gu Insects and spiritual lands."
Wu Yuanji said, "We need to find out what’s going on inside the Ten Thousand Gu Sect as quickly as possible, especially any clues about the Golden Core Heart Gu."
"Senior Brother Wu is right."
Qin Xuan’s gaze swept across the noisy market, and he quickly identified three promising targets.
He gave a aningful look and whispered to the two beside him.
"Miss Qinxin, I’ll have to trouble you to sound out that vendor. Be careful of the insects on him."
Qin Xin nodded slightly. Her cold, beautiful face showed no emotion, but as her pale hand brushed back a lock of hair from her temple, a faint, unusual fragrance wafted from her.
She gracefully drifted toward a stall run by a skinny young man with shifty eyes.
Her elegant posture, so out of place in the rugged surroundings, instantly drew the eyes of Ayan and many other nearby Miao People.
"Master Wu," Qin Xuan said, turning to his other companion.
"That Pharmacist over there might be interested in so of the Blood Loan Money Shop’s rare resources."
"As for , I’ll provide cover for you both!"
Wu Yuanji chuckled, a sharp glint flashing in his narrowed eyes.
"Don’t you worry, Master Qin. As long as it’s a living thing, it has a price. This old man will be right back."
Straightening his silk robes, Wu Yuanji ambled toward the old woman who was grinding herbs by herself, looking every bit the affable rchant.
As for Qin Xuan, he fixed his gaze on the village patrol guards.
With a flicker of his will, the True Sun Fire inside him trembled slightly, and the scorching aura of a new Foundation Establishnt Cultivator erupted outwards.
The Patrol Captain, Balrog, who had been striding forward, stopped abruptly, a look of shocked suspicion on his fierce face.
"HISS!"
The Fire Poison Scorpion on his shoulder grew agitated, its stinger-tail thrashing about and making soft "KLAK KLAK" sounds.
To a Gu Cultivator who relied on sinister, yin-aligned Gu Insects, this scorching solar presence was like a torch suddenly lit in the darkness—blindingly conspicuous.
"Halt!"
Balrog’s eyes bulged like bronze bells as he instantly locked his gaze on Qin Xuan.
"Who are you? Your scent... it’s not right. What are you doing in my Black Tooth Village!"
The mont he spoke, Balrog waved a large hand, and several village soldiers imdiately surrounded them.
The Qi Cultivation Peak soldiers glared maliciously, and all sorts of rustling, crawling sounds ca from the bamboo baskets at their waists.
anwhile, Qin Xin had already reached the skinny young man’s stall.
She extended a slender, jade-like finger to pick up an ordinary Tier One Spirit Plant Flower, her voice crisp and pleasant, yet carrying a subtle, enchanting allure.
"This Bone-rotting Flower... its age seems a bit lacking. Young man, do you have any of a higher quality?"
The Seven Emotions Silk Entwining Technique, unique to the Holy Sect’s Joy Altar, was silently activated.
Like invisible threads, it gently plucked at the other party’s heartstrings.
Ayan, captivated by Qin Xin’s beauty and aura, felt an inexplicable urge to confide in her.
"Fairy, you have a keen eye! It’s just that high-quality goods are so rare... How about you take another look?" Ayan was so anxious his mouth went dry, and he scratched his head in frustration.
Qin Xin’s eyes glimred. While she appeared to be looking at the flower, she was taking in Ayan’s every reaction from the corner of her eye.
"You don’t have any? Then never mind."
Playing hard to get, Qin Xin said with disappointnt, "I am just a rchant from Daqian, new to this place and unfamiliar with the local customs. Could you perhaps tell about them, young man?"
"Fairy, don’t be in such a hurry to leave! I, Ayan, promise to tell you everything I know, holding nothing back."
Ayan swallowed hard and licked his dry lips. "What would you like to know, Fairy?"
Qin Xin smiled sweetly.
...
Elsewhere, Wu Yuanji had already sat down on a small stool across from the herb-grinding old woman and was affably handing over a small jade bottle.
"Venerable elder, please take a look at this. It’s Purifying Heart Jade Dew, a specialty of Daqian’s Cyan Cloud Sect. It’s wonderfully effective for balancing dicinal properties and calming agitated Gu Insects."
"My humble na is Wu Liangcai. I run a small business, and I most enjoy making the acquaintance of experts such as yourself."
The old woman raised her murky eyes and glanced at Wu Yuanji.
She then looked at the bottle of Purifying Heart Jade Dew, her nostrils flaring slightly. She did not take it imdiately, her voice raspy as she spoke.
"Outlander, the goods of the Southern Border are not so easily bought and sold."
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