Once inside the mountains, Liu Xiaoyuan finally realized how difficult it was to traverse the pathless forest; every step was fraught with difficulty.
In the past, every household in the village burned firewood, and there were hardly any shrubs or thorns in the mountains. Now that everyone's living conditions have improved and fewer people are cutting firewood, these shrubs, clumps of small trees, and thorns have become obstacles on the road ahead.
Keep your eyes fixed ahead, or you'll get scratched by thorns if you're not careful.
A torn piece of clothing is a minor issue, but if you get a scratch on your face or arm, besides the pain, you'll also have a long red scratch.
Fortunately, it heals quickly in the summer and will be fine in a couple of days, but it would be best to avoid getting scratched by thorns.
Moreover, it is summer now, and there are venomous snakes in the mountains. If a venomous snake is hiding in the bushes or under thick pine needles and suddenly attacks you, it is absolutely impossible to defend against.
Therefore, when walking in the mountains, one must be extremely careful with every step. Some even carry a long branch and tap the ground in front of them every two steps. This is called "beating the grass to scare the snake." If there is a poisonous snake ahead, it will naturally be startled. This trick is especially useful in thick, dense grass.
Liu Xiaoyuan and Zhao Haonan were both martial artists, but they still had to be careful in the mountains. After all, being bitten by a poisonous snake or scratched by thorns was no laughing matter.
Therefore, the two were not moving very fast. After walking for nearly fifteen minutes, Liu Xiaoyuan and Zhao Haonan finally heard other noises.
Liu Xiaoyuan listened carefully and heard that the sound was coming from his left. Looking around, he saw the bushes swaying, and it was clear that someone was walking inside. They were about a hundred meters away from each other. As for whether it was a man or a woman, old or young, he couldn't see clearly at all because the trees blocked his view.
"Brother Zhao, should we wait for this person?" Liu Xiaoyuan asked.
Zhao Haonan said, "No need. Even if you're kind enough to wait for him, he might not appreciate your kindness. Let's go on our way!"
To be honest, after walking for more than ten minutes, Liu Xiaoyuan had been wanting to ask Zhao Haonan what he was looking for in the mountains, but as soon as he asked, he would immediately give himself away, so he had to suppress his doubts.
"By the way, Brother Liu, could it be that you have already reached the Transformation Realm? Because I can't tell your level at all, and I can't sense any martial arts aura from you," Zhao Haonan suddenly asked.
Liu Xiaoyuan hadn't expected Zhao Haonan to suddenly ask this question, and his mind raced as he tried to figure out how to answer it.
If he admitted to being a master of internal energy transformation, what would Zhao Haonan think? He would definitely choose to part ways with him, because no one would choose to stay with a stranger who is many times more skilled than themselves.
If they actually find what they're talking about in the mountains, Zhao Haonan will definitely think he's going to kill them to silence them and keep the thing for himself.
Moreover, this is in the mountains, overgrown with shrubs, a natural killing ground, so there's no need to worry about being seen.
"Brother Zhao, you flatter me too much. Actually, I'm just a nobody who hasn't even stepped into the realm of internal strength yet. Alas! I wonder when I'll be able to enter the gate of internal strength. I suppose Brother Zhao is already a master of internal strength? We are truly envious," Liu Xiaoyuan said immediately.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Haonan smiled and nodded, saying, "Brother Liu, you guessed correctly, I am indeed a master of internal energy. By the way, Brother Liu, why can't I sense any martial arts aura from you, nor can I discern your level of cultivation? Why is that?"
After asking that question, Zhao Haonan, who was walking in front, deliberately stopped and turned around to look at Liu Xiaoyuan.
This reason had already been thought of when Liu Xiaoyuan revealed that he was at the Ming Jin realm.
Liu Xiaoyuan said, "To be honest, Brother Zhao, my family has a secret manual. After practicing it, you can hide your martial arts aura and cultivation level so that others can't find out. Of course, it doesn't mean you can hide it from everyone. For example, you can't hide it from experts who are much higher than you in martial arts."
Liu Xiaoyuan was talking complete nonsense, but Zhao Haonan believed him.
Because in Zhao Haonan's view, nothing is impossible in this world. Ordinary people think that flying over rooftops and scaling walls is just nonsense, but they can actually do it.
Therefore, Zhao Haonan chose to believe Liu Xiaoyuan's words.
Upon learning that Liu Xiaoyuan was a novice at the Ming Jin realm, Zhao Haonan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, before entering the mountain, Zhao Haonan had already realized that he could not see through Liu Xiaoyuan's cultivation level.
Zhao Haonan didn't dare to ask at the time because it would be too abrupt. If he asked about someone's cultivation level as soon as they met, and the other person was really a master of the Transformation Realm, he might slap him to death if he got upset. Who would he complain to then?
Zhao Haonan breathed a sigh of relief. He no longer had to worry about finding what he was looking for being stolen by someone else. Maybe he could even keep it all for himself!
After listening to Liu Xiaoyuan's words, Zhao Haonan asked, "If I may ask, Brother Liu, what is the secret manual that you passed down in your family?"
Damn it, I haven't even gotten a single word out of you, and you're already trying to get information out of me. Besides, what you just said was complete nonsense. Where am I supposed to find the name of a secret manual for you? Do you expect me to say that our ancestral manual is the Nine Yin Manual?
Thinking this, Liu Xiaoyuan smiled and said to Zhao Haonan, "Brother Zhao, my father repeatedly told me not to talk about this with others. Telling you about it today has already put me in a difficult position. Please don't make things difficult for me anymore."
Liu Xiaoyuan's acting skills were already high, and the lies he told were particularly convincing, so Zhao Haonan actually believed them.
However, despite believing Liu Xiaoyuan's words, Zhao Haonan had already set his sights on the secret manual he had mentioned.
Although this manual is not a peerless martial art, it can effectively conceal the aura and realm of a martial artist. While this ability is generally useless, it can achieve remarkable feats when truly needed.
"I'm sorry to have put you in such a difficult position, Brother Liu. I'm truly sorry!" A greedy glint flashed in Zhao Haonan's eyes, gone in an instant, but it did not escape Liu Xiaoyuan's notice.
You, Zhao Haonan, I thought you were a good person before. It seems the old saying is true: you can know a person's face but not their heart!
"Brother Zhao, there's no need for that. I was just saying. Please keep this a secret for me." Liu Xiaoyuan pretended to be pleading.
Zhao Haonan quickly cupped his hands and assured him, "Brother Liu, rest assured, this matter is only known to you and me, and no one else will know about it!"
"Then thank you very much, Brother Zhao!" Liu Xiaoyuan said, feigning concern.
You, Zhao Haonan, are an expert in acting, but I, Liu Xiaoyuan, am the ancestor of acting!
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(End of this chapter)
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