The white-browed old man beside him reminded him, "Sir, our Master Wu is a cultivator; he would never cheat you."

Upon learning that the old man before him was a cultivator, Chen Changshou quickly apologized, "Immortal Master, please forgive me, I was overthinking things."

Wu Qingliu shook his head. "This house-protecting talisman is good, but if it can't be sold, it's worthless. Our Treasure Pavilion also has to take the risk. We can only offer a maximum of eight hundred taels."

"Eight hundred taels it is."

Chen Changshou's mouth was practically crooked from grinning. He never expected that the talisman Qin Luo casually drew would be so valuable. He used to doubt the cultivators at Longhu Temple, but now he found it all laughable.

The white-browed old man handed Chen Changshou a silver note containing eight hundred taels of silver. Wu Qingliu stood up and asked, "Old sir, could you tell me which immortal master created this talisman?"

"Qin Luo of Longhu Temple".

"Dragon and Tiger Temple?"

"Qin Luo?"

Neither Wu Qingliu nor the white-browed old man had heard of it.

Where is Longhu Temple located?

"The abbot of the Longhu Temple on Luoxia Peak next to Baiyun Town is named Zhang Fulong, who is Qin Luo's master."

"Thank you, sir."

After seeing Chen Changshou off, Wu Qingliu stared at the house-protecting talisman, finding it increasingly extraordinary. "Old Xu, give me that five-hundred-year-old fire spirit mushroom. I'm going to visit the Dragon Tiger Temple now."

The white-browed old man's eyes widened. "Elder Wu, that spiritual herb was what you used to establish your foundation."

Wu Qingliu didn't care. His eyes were firm. "I am a rogue cultivator. I have been cultivating for decades but have not been able to establish my foundation. If I can get guidance from an expert, it will be worth far more than the value of this spiritual herb."

The white-browed old man brought out a fire lingzhi mushroom packaged in a sandalwood box; one could feel its warmth even through the box.

Wu Qingliu picked up the sandalwood box and left in a hurry. He walked swiftly and disappeared into the city in the blink of an eye.

...

Sunset Peak, Dragon and Tiger Temple.

Wu Qingliu arrived at the Taoist temple. The plaque that read "Dragon and Tiger Temple" was somewhat worn. He walked up to it with excitement and knocked on the door, but after a long time, there was still no response from inside the temple.

"Is the Immortal Master not at the Taoist temple? Or is my sincerity insufficient?" Wu Qingliu lingered in front of the Taoist temple.

Deep within the Taoist temple.

The sound of snoring came from the room.

Zhang Fulong had just finished eating and was fast asleep, so he didn't hear Wu Qingliu knocking on the door at all.

...

Deep in the Ziyun Mountains.

The mountains are covered with tall trees.

The surrounding area was overgrown with weeds. There was originally no road here, but after Qin Luo walked through, a wide road appeared in the mountains. He walked steadily, clearing the way through the brambles.

Why is it so quiet here?

Qin Luo was somewhat puzzled.

Master once said that monsters roamed the depths of the mountains, but now that we've arrived at the depths of the Purple Cloud Mountains, we've only seen small animals along the way and haven't seen any monsters.

Purple clouds float over the distant mountains, never dissipating, which is why the Purple Cloud Mountains are named as such.

Two years ago, when Qin Luo first started cultivating, the entire mountain range was shrouded in purple clouds. During that time, he also saw cultivators riding swords and traveling to the depths of the mountains.

"There must be something good deep in the mountains."

Qin Luo continued forward, wanting to find out more. If he sensed any danger, he would leave immediately.

He walked into a peach grove.

The tree was laden with bright red peaches.

In the backyard of Longhu Temple, there is a larger and older peach tree, but that peach tree only blossoms and does not bear fruit.

Qin Luo reached out and picked a big, red peach from the tree. He wiped it with his hand, then put it in his mouth to taste. "These peaches are quite sweet. I can take some back with me."

Ooh ooh ooh—

The calls of monkeys echoed through the mountains and forests.

Qin Luo looked up and saw many apes standing on trees in the distance, watching. These apes had brown fur, were muscular, and had wary eyes.

A giant ape, ten feet tall, roared to the sky. Upon hearing this, the surrounding apes scattered and fled. The giant ape looked at Qin Luo from afar, its fear evident in its eyes.

The tall ape turned and disappeared into the woods.

Qin Luo could understand the monkeys' conversation; the tall monkey had just ordered the other monkeys to stay away from the area.

Am I scary?

Qin Luo chuckled self-deprecatingly and continued walking forward, only to find deep ravines in the mountains.

The crisscrossing ravines were not formed naturally; Qin Luo was certain that this place was created by the destruction of a powerful being.

Qin Luo leaped lightly across the ravine, but stopped shortly after. Before the valley lay a skeleton, its body as white as jade, its skull shattered.

"Jade Bone, it seems he is a cultivator."

Qin Luo's eyes narrowed slightly. Even cultivators had perished here; there must be some powerful figures in the mountains.