Chapter 107 Experiencing Trips and Acquaintances

"Yuancang City and Xianxiao City feel about the same." Song Yin walked down the street in her magic robes. Having gone out for training, she had changed out of the Xianxiao Sect disciple's robes and put away her identity token, making her look like a rogue cultivator rather than a disciple of a sect.

Although the planned training was actually a vacation, she still arranged some other things for herself, such as collecting spiritual herbs that were not found in the Eastern Continent.

"I've been in a good mood since I came out. What are you thinking about?"

Shi Heming: "It's been a long time since we've been alone together. This trip feels like we've gone back to when we first joined the sect."

Song Yin: "It's alright. Haven't we always been in the sect, going to secret realms together, and competing together?"

“That’s different.” Shi Heming’s tone was inevitably tinged with resentment when he mentioned this. “We promised to be best friends when we were little, but then you got Xia Xining too. She was with us when we went to the secret realm and the competition, and she was even with us when we returned to the mortal realm.”

Uh... I think so.

"But a person can't have only one friend in their life. I have other friends besides you, and so do you, don't you?"

Shi Heming's tone made it sound as if he was calling her a heartless man, so she quickly tried to appease him.

Shi Heming said slowly, "I know, you told me about this back then. It doesn't matter how many friends you have, but..." He looked down at Song Yin, the turmoil in his heart finally coalescing into one sentence.

"I want to be best friends."

He still remembers what Lu Feizhou said back then about fighting and grabbing.

We have to thank him for what happened back then; through these interactions, the two gradually became acquainted. Only after getting to know him did we realize that Lu Feizhou was a sociable person who made friends wherever he went and was very popular.

He also asked why he insisted on being friends with him.

To everyone's surprise, Lu Feizhou said, "Making friends is just a matter of reason. Wherever I, Lu Feizhou, go, I will make new friends, and it's more lively with more friends. In time, no matter where I go, I will have my old friends."

Over the years, the two have occasionally exchanged letters. It must be said that Lu Feizhou has indeed taught Shi Heming many things that he did not know much about.

Unfortunately, Song Yin didn't know this, otherwise she would have grabbed Shi Heming's shoulders and shaken him vigorously: "Don't try to learn everything!"

Song Yin coughed lightly twice, "Alright, alright, you'll always be my best friend."

Not satisfied with the satisfactory answer, Shi Heming pressed on, asking, "What about Xia Xining?"

Song Yin: "You're my best friend, so Xia Xining is naturally my best sister."

Shi Heming: "..." Tsk, why ask such a redundant question.

Song Yin didn't show it on her face, but she was thinking a lot in her heart.

If Shi Heming hadn't kept quiet, she would have suspected that he had feelings for her. Whenever she had such doubts, he would restrain his words and actions.

I'm really afraid that he'll use the same way he asked for the title of best friend to ask for even more.

Thankfully, this guy only said best friend.

Shi Heming naturally changed the subject: "You said you were going out to train, I thought you would go to explore some ruins or secret realms." Many cultivators choose to train like this, which not only can improve their strength, but also bring some rewards if they are lucky.

The Brahma flower has already been cultivated; it's no harm in telling him a little.

Song Yin: "I have another purpose for this training, and it is definitely not to find an opportunity to break through or anything like that."

Instead of asking about the purpose, Shi Heming asked, "Why did you choose Yuancang City as the first stop?"

“Yuancang City has a kind of spiritual herb that I need, which only grows in the Southern Continent. Since I had decided to go out and train earlier, I didn’t ask anyone else to come to the Southern Continent. Instead, I thought I would come and buy it myself, and pick out some other spiritual herbs while I was at it.” Song Yin calculated that she would need two more spiritual herbs to make the Soul-Returning Pill.

To prevent the oven from exploding, she needs to prepare more.

"We've arrived at Immortal Plant Shop, a famous place in the Southern Continent that sells spiritual herbs."

Song Yin entered first. The interior was grand and imposing. On the first floor, many spiritual herbs floated in designated areas, which anyone who wanted to buy could take down themselves. Many staff members were constantly restocking, and some popular and cost-effective herbs were often sold out as soon as they were restocked.

"Are you buying or selling spirit herbs? If you're selling, turn left on the first floor; if you're buying, spirit herbs are available on floors one through seven, feel free to choose. If you can't find the spirit herbs you need, just let us know."

Song Yin: "Thank you for the reminder. I'm buying spirit herbs. I'll call someone if I need them."

"Okay, no problem." After saying that, he called to the next new customer.

Song Yin said to Shi Heming, "I need to buy the Formless Immortal Silk Grass. Please keep an eye out for it for me."

Shi Heming: "Okay." He looked down at his feet. What a powerful formation! He sensed it the moment he stepped in. The person who could set up such a powerful formation must have a very high level of cultivation.

On the first floor, Song Yin saw many spiritual herbs that were very expensive in the Eastern Continent but very cheap in the Southern Continent. What was she waiting for? Of course, she should stock up on them.

It wasn't until she reached the fifth floor that Song Yin spotted the Formless Immortal Silk Grass in a corner. It was four hundred years old and in good condition, so Song Yin took it.

By this time, Song Yin had already selected quite a few items and paid the bill, thus completing her primary objective in coming to Yuancang City.

"We have the Formless Immortal Silk Grass, but we're still missing the Rising Sun Flower. This thing only grows in the Western Continent. We'll use the teleportation array to go to the Western Continent in a few days." Song Yin put all the spiritual herbs into her spatial storage.

"The next plan is to try the culinary skills of Yuancang City's food cultivators."

Shi Heming: "I knew you would say that, so I asked around at Xianzhifang and found out which restaurant was the most popular."

Shi Heming not only asked which restaurant was the best, but also found out the location, and took Song Yin there directly.

...

For several days in a row, I lived in Yuancang City according to the rhythm of Song Yin.

On the fifth day, the two set off for Xizhou to search for and purchase the Shengyang Flower.

They sent the message directly to Fanye City in Xizhou.

As soon as she stepped out of the teleportation array, Song Yin saw a familiar figure appear in the teleportation array next door.

Wang Hong clapped his hands at the people behind him, "Everyone, stay close. Remember the materials each of you needs to acquire? This is my first mission after being released, and it must be completed perfectly."

"Yes, young master, I understand."

Wang Hong lifted his foot and walked out of the teleportation array. He turned his head and saw a familiar face staring straight at him, its gaze following his steps.

He himself opened his eyes wide in horror, shocked that people associated with the nightmare had appeared in Fanye City.

Song Yin: "Wang Hong, it's been decades. Your father released you?"

One sentence instantly transported Wang Hong back decades. After that Wanfa Exchange Conference ended, he rushed back to the Casting Sect, found his father, and then launched into a long tirade of complaints and grievances, all implying that his father should get revenge for him.

When his father asked him about Xia Xining's identity in the Immortal Cloud Sect, he directly told his father his guess, saying that Xia Xining was just an ordinary disciple.

So his father took him to the Immortal Cloud Sect, and after meeting the sect leader Yan, he directly asked him for a disciple named Xia Xining.

That day was the darkest moment of his life.

All he remembered was that when Sect Leader Yan asked him why he wanted Xia Xining, he exaggerated and said some bad things about Xia Xining. Then Sect Leader Yan said that she could not decide whether Xia Xining stayed or left, and that she had to ask her master's opinion first.

Xia Xining actually has a master?

The moment I learned that she had a master, I panicked for a moment, but I quickly composed myself.

As a result, when Master Xia Xining arrived, he faced the pressure of the Immortal Firmament Sect's inner sect elder, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, and immediately fell off his chair, vomiting blood.

His father also had a furrowed brow and a grim expression.

The matter was not over yet. Xia Xining's situation directly alarmed the patriarch of the Immortal Firmament Sect. The Mahayana stage patriarch appeared with Xia Xining, and the moment Xia Xining called the Mahayana stage patriarch "Grandmaster," he felt that his death was imminent.

There has never been a darker moment than that day.

real.

After Xia Xining recounted the events, the gazes directed at him felt like knives.

Then, Xia Xining's friend Song Yin was called over. Song Yin's appearance immediately ignited the scene because she revealed that she had used a magic weapon to ambush Xia Xining when Xia Xining was about to undergo the tribulation of lightning after breaking through to the Golden Core stage.

When the truth came out, he was nearly killed on the spot. In the end, it was only after his father offered a huge sum of compensation that the patriarch of the Immortal Cloud Sect spared his life.

After returning to the casting workshop, he did not live the leisurely and carefree life he once had. Instead, he was confined by his father for decades.

Recalling the past again, Wang Hong still couldn't help but feel terrified.

He immediately turned around to face the front, leaving his entourage behind and striding away.

Song Yin mischievously called out, "Hey, don't go! We're practically acquaintances, we haven't even caught up yet."

Upon hearing this, Wang Hong took even bigger strides, almost as if he were about to fly away.

Seeing this, Song Yin burst out laughing from behind, it seems that what happened back then left an indelible shadow on him.

"Let's go buy the Sheng Yang Qi Hua first."

After finding out which store sold the Shengyang Qihua, Song Yin went in and asked directly.

"It's really unfortunate, sir. Our Sheng Yang Qi Hua was just bought up by two alchemists this morning," the shopkeeper explained first, then pointed to other spiritual herbs in the shop, "Would you like to take a look at some others?"

Song Yin: "Do you know where I can still buy Sheng Yang Qi Hua?"

Shopkeeper: "It's strange, all the rare Sunflowers have been sold out recently. I heard that some cultivators have been buying large quantities of them."

Song Yin: "I see. Do you know where I can pick them?"

The shopkeeper kindly reminded him, "The Rising Sun Flower is not easy to pick; it's usually guarded by Thunder Sun Birds. Judging from your demeanor, you should also be a pill cultivator. If you want to pick it yourself, it would be safer to bring a few sword cultivators with you."

"Could you tell me the exact location where the Sheng Yang Qi Hua (a rare flower) grows?"

The shopkeeper didn't hide anything and told the truth: "Starting from Fanye City and heading west, there will be a mountain called Linfeng Mountain. It is surrounded by poisonous gas all year round. The cultivators who sell us Shengyang flowers pick the spiritual herbs from there."

He had his own ulterior motive in telling Song Yin the exact location: "If you have any extra Sheng Yang flowers, you can sell them to us. We will definitely not rip you off."

Song Yin: "It depends on the situation. If we can collect enough, we'll sell it to you."

The shopkeeper beamed with joy, "Hey! No problem! To be honest, Linfeng Mountain is the most dangerous place around Fanye City. It is rich in resources, but for hundreds of years people have died in the mountains, and even their corpses have been swallowed by monsters, making it difficult for them to be buried."

He pointed across the street, “Do you see those two sword cultivators carrying spirit swords over there? You two can go find them. Xuan Ling and Feng Liang are both sword cultivators from the five major sects. They have many years of experience collecting spirit herbs in Linfeng Mountain. With their protection, you will be much safer.”

Following the shopkeeper's direction, Song Yin looked across the street.

"I bought the Detoxification Pill from your stall, how dare you try to renege on it?" The female cultivator had a fiery temper and was easily angered, slamming her hand heavily in front of the stall owner's face.

The stall owner remained calm. "The Detoxification Pill is a Grade 3 pill, which requires a Golden Core stage cultivator to refine. I am not a cultivator. Take a closer look. What I sold you is the Detoxification Pill; I didn't use any other pills to counterfeit it."

The female cultivator drew her sword, "I'll kill you, you liar! We wanted top-grade detoxifying pills, but you sold us inferior ones. Now that people are poisoned, it's all your fault!"

The male cultivator grabbed the female cultivator's wrist, "Junior sister, calm down. Don't hurt people with your sword so easily in Fanye City."

The stall owner quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, this fellow Daoist is right! What's the point of fighting and killing? Harmony brings wealth."

"You should have expected that my pills are cheaper than elsewhere, which means their quality is definitely not as good as those from established brands. Besides, I don't sell fake pills, which makes me more conscientious than other stall owners."

"How about this, I'll compensate you with another detoxifying pill?"

The female cultivator said to the stall owner, "Nothing less than a top-grade Detoxifying Pill is acceptable." Then she turned to her senior brother and said, "Senior brother, you were poisoned because of him, how can you still favor him! It's also my fault for being greedy and buying his pills."

“I still have some contribution points left, so why don’t I go back to Wuji Sect now and exchange them for a high-grade detoxification pill for you?”

Stall owner: "The premium Detoxifying Pill isn't priced like it is now; you have to spend spirit stones to buy it."

The female cultivator was in the late Foundation Establishment stage, and the male cultivator was in the early Golden Core stage; neither of them had a higher cultivation level than me.

Song Yin withdrew her gaze and said to the shopkeeper, "Thank you for the reminder, shopkeeper, but the two of us are enough. Farewell."

After saying this, Song Yin and Shi Heming left, flying directly on their swords to Linfeng Mountain.

The shopkeeper sighed and said loudly to the two people across the street, "Stop arguing, both of you. The Sheng Yang Qi Hua is selling well lately, and I need to buy a large batch. Xuan Ling and Feng Liang, are you going or not?"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Ling immediately replied, "Go! We'll go! Uncle Zhang, just wait for us to bring back the spirit herbs. However, my senior brother was poisoned last time he went to Linfeng Mountain, so I need to get him detoxified before we can go."

Feng Liang: "My poisoning isn't too severe, so there's no need to waste contribution points on detoxification pills. I'll save them for you to get your natal sword."

The shopkeeper sighed and beckoned to the two of them, "Come here first."

Xuan Ling and Feng Liang went over, and before they could even ask what was wrong, the shopkeeper handed them a small porcelain bottle.

"There are three top-grade detoxifying pills inside. Consider it an advance payment. One will be used to detoxify Feng Liang now, and the remaining two will be used in Linfeng Mountain. You will need to gather more spiritual herbs for me in the future, so please take good care of yourselves first."

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang." Xuan Ling, who had a fiery temper, softened instantly.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang. We will definitely bring you the Shengyang Miracle Flower."

After watching the two senior and junior disciples leave, the shopkeeper thought to himself, "I must not let my child choose the path of sword cultivation."

The reason is simple: being a sword cultivator is too poor!

Following the innkeeper's instructions, Song Yin and her companions headed west.

The two stopped when they flew near the mountains shrouded in purple mist.

Song Yin: "This should be Linfeng Mountain. I didn't expect that poisonous gas would cover the entire mountain."

The fog only covered Linfeng Mountain; other mountains in the distance were unaffected by the toxic gas.

Some distance from the road leading into the mountain, many people were wandering around the mountainside. Most of them were sword cultivators, and there were also some other cultivators who had set up stalls there.

Song Yin couldn't help but sigh. There were so many people selling things. It seemed that there were many treasures such as spiritual herbs and demonic beasts in Linfeng Mountain that attracted cultivators. Otherwise, these people would not have set up their businesses at the entrance of Linfeng Mountain.

Upon seeing people arrive, some stall owners immediately surrounded them enthusiastically to introduce their goods.

"Are you two planning to enter the Forest Sealed Mountain? The mountain is filled with poisonous gas, so you'll definitely need antidotes. I happen to have some second-grade detoxifying pills here. Would you like to buy two? They're only twenty mid-grade spirit stones."

"Linfeng Mountain is not only surrounded by poisonous gas, but also teeming with demonic beasts. Judging from your attire, you two don't seem to be sword cultivators. That's when we need skilled sword cultivators to help you overcome all difficulties. You can hire me to clear the way for free!" The sword cultivator rubbed his hands together.

"If you find the pills too expensive, you can take a look at my talismans. They are second-tier miasma-avoiding talismans, designed specifically for the miasma in the mountains, forming a special barrier that can filter out poisonous gas and keep it out! One talisman costs only five mid-grade spirit stones."

"Fellow Daoist, please take a look at my formation..."

"Fellow Daoist..."

"Fellow Daoist!"

Song Yin: "Stop, stop, stop. Thank you all for your kindness, but we don't have any spirit stones, so we don't need any of these."

Twenty mid-grade spirit stones could buy ten Detoxification Pills, yet he still has the nerve to say he's selling two Detoxification Pills.

And those talismans, they're only second-tier, you can buy three or four for five mid-grade spirit stones.

As soon as Song Yin said she wouldn't buy anything, the scene fell silent, and the group dispersed.

Some people muttered, "Judging by his clothes, I thought he had some kind of spirit stone, but he's just a poor guy like me. He's probably here to make a fortune in the Forest Sealing Mountain."

“You’re right, but don’t you know how many people have gone into the forest and never come out, and their bodies have never been found?” someone nearby chimed in.

The crowd dispersed, and the road was cleared instantly.

As Song Yin walked, she said, "I never thought I could do business down the mountain."

Shi Heming took out several talismans from his spatial storage and handed them to Song Yin. "Here you go, these are third-tier poison-repelling talismans. They can not only defend against poison gas, but also directly dispel poison gas around you."

Song Yin took out a bottle of detoxifying pills. "A top-grade third-rank detoxifying pill. Take it without worry."

The two exchanged a smile, affixed talismans to their bodies, took detoxifying pills beforehand, and stepped into the mist-shrouded Linfeng Mountain.

The Linfeng Mountain, shrouded in poisonous fog, is like a monstrous beast with its jaws wide open, using various resources to lure prey into its depths.

Not long after Song Yin and her group entered Linfeng Mountain, two more people arrived at the foot of the mountain.

"Ah, it's Fellow Daoist Feng and Fellow Daoist Xuan. Are you gathering spiritual herbs in the mountains again? Do you need any help? It's free," said the sword cultivator who recognized the two.

Xuan Ling: "Come on, you say it's free, but we still have to use pills and talismans to detoxify and prevent poisoning for you. In the end, the spiritual herbs you pick are still yours, and you can sell them for a lot of spirit stones. You're really trying to make money off me."

The pill seller sneered from the side, "They've been picking spiritual herbs in Linfeng Mountain for years, and you still want to fool them? By the way, Fellow Daoist Feng, are you really unwilling to share the place where you buy spiritual herbs at high prices? We've known each other for so many years."

Feng Liang wasn't buying into emotional appeals: "If I tell you, what about me and my junior sister?"

Seeing that there was no hope, the man waved his hand, "Alright, hurry up and go, a man and a woman went in just now. If you go any later, they might pick all the spiritual herbs you're looking for."

Upon hearing this, Feng Liang and Xuan Ling took the detoxifying pill and immediately accelerated their entry into Linfeng Mountain.

Song Yin and Shi Heming had been inside for a while. The visibility in the forest was low due to the poisonous creatures. The tall, straight trees grew close together, making it impossible to see the sun.

The birdsong that used to rise and fall in the woods is much less frequent here.

To travel smoothly through the mountains and forests, one must use one's spiritual sense to determine direction.

Song Yin: "There are no traces of the Shengyang Flower around the foot of the mountain, so we have to go further up and go deeper."

Shi Heming sensed something was wrong with his divine sense, his eyes flickered, and he withdrew his divine sense. "Someone has come in."

Song Yin also instantly withdrew her divine sense.

When traveling, especially in this kind of environment, they can't guarantee that everyone they meet will be a good person.

"Senior brother, although Uncle Zhang gave us detoxification pills, the spirit stones will be deducted from our earnings. We need to find more spirit herbs or demonic beasts to take out this time, otherwise we will have to use up detoxification pills every time we enter Linfeng Mountain, which is too wasteful of spirit stones."

“Last time I came to Linfeng Mountain, I remember there was a place near a mountain spring where there were only unopened Sheng Yang Qi Hua flowers. So we went to the mountain spring to see if there were any that had already bloomed.”

"Sigh, in the end, it's because natal swords cost too many spirit stones. If all else fails, let's not buy high-level spirit swords and just try our luck in a secret realm. Senior Sister Xu obtained an unclaimed high-level spirit sword in a secret realm last year and then contracted it into her natal sword."

"The dangers in the secret realm are no less than those in Linfeng Mountain. Although Linfeng Mountain does not have the unclaimed spirit sword found in the ruins, we have the advantage of being familiar with the mountain and can safely exit it each time. Last month, about ten people perished in Linfeng Mountain, so we must be careful this time as well."

Song Yin and Shi Heming concealed their presence, hiding in the shadows. The poisonous fog that blocked their view now became an excellent hiding place.

It turned out that Xuan Ling and Feng Liang were recommended by the shopkeeper. Song Yin gave a look, signaling them to follow.

Xuan Ling and Feng Liang proceeded cautiously. They knew that someone had entered the mountain ahead of them, so they subconsciously assumed that the person ahead of them was moving faster than they were.

Little did they know, Song Yin and Shi Heming had been secretly following behind them all along.

Who is it?

The two senior and junior disciples walking ahead suddenly drew their swords in alert.

A sharp, cunning voice followed.

"Please calm down, both of you. I have already gathered enough spiritual herbs and am heading down the mountain. There is no conflict of interest between us and you. As you know, the airspace above Linfeng Mountain belongs to the high-level Thunder Sun Birds. If we fly up, we will disturb them. We can only get out on foot."

"Junior sister, sheathe your sword and let him go down the mountain."

Xuan Ling did not sheath her sword, but instead turned the blade away from the stranger and said, "You can go now."

"Hehe, thank you both."

Without time to search in the space, Shi Heming directly drew a concealment talisman in the air with his hand and cast it on himself and Song Yin.

They were too close to the people coming down the mountain and risked being discovered.

Xuan Ling: "There seems to be a very subtle fluctuation of spiritual energy."

Feng Liang: "It's probably the lowest-level monster. Let's keep going."

After walking for about an hour, Song Yin and Shi Heming finally found a place with a mountain spring.

Song Yin transmitted her voice: "Luckily, they led the way. This place is so winding and it would be hard for us to find it. There are many rare flowers in Shengyang. We'll pick them from the other end and avoid them."

Shi Heming transmitted his voice: "Where there are many rare flowers of the Rising Sun, there are also many Thunder Sun Birds. These bird-like monsters are skilled in using thunder and fire magic, so be careful."

Xuan Ling, who was picking rare flowers of Shengyang by the mountain spring, wanted to wash her face with the spring water as usual, but she found something was wrong when she put her hands in.

"Senior brother, look how murky the spring water is. It used to be crystal clear, but today we can't even see half the depth."

Feng Liang walked over and put his hand into the spring water to sense it. "The spiritual energy is chaotic. Someone has probably been here and stirred up the spring water."

Xuan Ling: "Did this person fall into a mountain spring? The water is too murky; I can't even wash my face."

Song Yin, who had already reached the other end to pick the rare flowers of Shengyang, selected the ones that had already bloomed and put them into the box.

Following the blooming Sheng Yang flowers, we encountered something resembling a barrier as we continued forward.

"Hmm?" Song Yin stopped picking and stood up to examine what was in front of her.

"It looks like a barrier, but it's not a barrier."

Shi Heming walked over, raised his hand to examine it, and said, "It's not a barrier, it's an array."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Wang Hong: That day was the darkest day of my life. If I could go back, I would definitely keep a low profile. These past few decades have been too difficult; I almost died in solitary confinement. [Clown]

Song Yin: Serves you right! [Sunglasses]

-

[Empty bowl]