Chapter 197 Guhu Town (1)
Twelve high and low mountains protrude from the edge of the vast earth, like a string of pearls inadvertently embedded in the earth by someone. Although the distance between the mountains and the sky is so far, the clouds and mist completely cover the mountainside.
The perpetual fog should have brought months of flooding and occasional landslides to Guhu Town. Instead, under the scorching sun of the Feiyi disaster, Guhu Town has become moist and livable. The rice paddies that stretch down the mountainside are emerald green, and the rustling of rice paddies fills the air.
But it wasn't the rice paddies that attracted Luo Xuanyi to Guhu Town. She stood at the foot of the mountain, the reassembled figure bearing only a passing resemblance to the previously wanted portrait. Her face, now more simple and kind, gazed up at the mist-shrouded peak.
Of course, she also sealed the Midie Sect tracking mark that she had allowed Yang Zongchun to leave on her. This is the benefit of knowing the other party's actions, so that she can seize the initiative according to her own ideas.
Luo Xuanyi withdrew her gaze and took out the map in her arms again to examine it carefully.
According to the map previously obtained from Longlan City, the rice in Guhu Town is not for sale. The latest map simply states "Twelve Towering Cloud Mountains - low-grade spiritual herbs and low-grade demon bones, purchased in bulk."
Low grade means one to three grades. Although there is no more specific information on the map indicating which spiritual herbs and monsters they are, it is enough for Luo Xuanyi.
Luo Xuanyi's previous experiment with refining the main flag required a large amount of living souls and flesh, supplemented by herbs and bone materials. The flag bones were her own will-o'-the-wisp, interwoven with dead energy. Formation flags required less stringent materials than the main flag, so they were best obtained in large quantities and at a low cost.
Now Luo Xuanyi has the living souls and corpses of 20,000 people in Xiaohe City. What he lacks is herbs and bones. Guhu Town can produce both of these. It is also located on the southern border of Longlan City and is remote. It is really a great place to live in seclusion and refine the formation flag.
After all, it will take some time for the hidden chess pieces to take effect, not to mention that the ghost Buddha is still a mystery. Luo Xuanyi will not deliberately let herself walk on the edge of the cliff to test it. She is used to letting others try.
Therefore, what Luo Xuanyi should do at this stage is to stay away from the center of the vortex, concentrate on improving his own strength, and at least start to truly enter the formation.
However, Guhu Town, a small town on the edge of Longlan City's jurisdiction, was a place with a large trade in spiritual herbs and demon bones. It was likely that there were monks or shops like large exchanges stationed there, allowing for rapid information exchange. Before she could fully understand the specifics of the town's trade in herbs and demon bones, Luo Xuanyi had no intention of wreaking havoc. She had plenty of money; if it couldn't buy anything, that was another matter.
Luo Xuanyi carefully rolled up the map and put it away. She lowered the bamboo hat she'd picked up from Xiaohe City, her gray robe slightly stained by dust, giving it a dark and understated look. She walked around the corner of the mountain, onto the ridge between the rice paddies, and along the dirt road towards the town.
From time to time, a figure would rise from the rice fields on both sides, but his face could not be seen clearly because he was buried in the lush rice leaves, and he did not seem to have much interest in Luo Xuanyi.
Luo Xuanyi walked while looking at the rice fields with regret.
I wonder how much vitality the paddy fields can provide, and how they compare to wheat fields? Unfortunately, it's not a good time to conduct experiments right now. Luo Xuanyi had no choice but to turn her gaze back to the road. She saw a middle-aged farmer climbing up the ridge of the paddy field, his back to Luo Xuanyi.
He had two bamboo baskets hanging from his back, water dripping from the cracks. His skinny body was covered in a patched linen shorts, and he had no straw sandals on his feet. His muddy feet stepped on the dirt road, and soon the mud on them dried and fell off with his steps.
He looked like someone from Guhu Town. Luo Xuanyi put on a familiar smile and quickly caught up with the farmer, calling out, "Brother in front, please stop."
Although Luo Xuanyi could definitely be considered the farmer's elder in terms of age, she still used this young girl's face without any psychological burden. After all, people would always instinctively let down their guard against young and innocent fellow tribesmen, even if these children in their eyes were no kinder than adults.
The farmer paused hesitantly, as if unsure if Luo Xuanyi was calling him again. But upon hearing her pleading voice, he turned back. His face was tanned the color of a pine tree trunk, and beneath his thick, honest eyebrows lay a pair of eyes that were numb and attentive.
"Girl, are you calling me?"
Luo Xuanyi nodded, raised the front of her bamboo hat a little, and showed a sincere look in her eyes: "Brother, are you from Guhu Town? I, Xuanyi, am going to the town to do some business. Why don't you come with us?"
The farmer was silent for a moment, his lips pursed as still as stone, and he simply nodded. He turned and continued walking along the dirt road without asking Luo Xuanyi anything.
She didn't even get his name. Luo Xuanyi wasn't discouraged. Although she had never encountered such people, it didn't stop her from speculating and interpreting the farmer's behavior. She walked a few steps to the farmer's side and walked side by side with him, chattering like an innocent girl, asking questions all the way, trying to pry him open.
"Brother, are you growing rice? Is this your field?"
"no."
"Whose field is this then?"
“…”
Luo Xuanyi changed the subject and decided to get closer to him first. But she soon realized that if she talked about daily topics, she would have no topics to talk about.
She has no common sense, no normal life. Her life is full of lies and deception, which obviously cannot be used to make an excuse.
After holding it in for a while, Luo Xuanyi finally asked, "What's in that basket you're carrying? Is it a toad?"
The farmer finally raised his eyes from the ground and glanced at Luo Xuanyi. His eyes seemed to say, "This is a little girl without common sense." He finally said a little more: "It's not a toad, it's a snail in the field."
"Oh, it's snails." Luo Xuanyi pretended to understand. For the first time, she realized how bad she was at speaking. "Um... are snails for eating?"
The farmer raised his head slightly, a smile flashing in his eyes: "Of course, it will be delicious if you add some spicy food."
What's spicy? Luo Xuanyi wanted to ask, but wisely kept her mouth shut. Considering the deliciousness, she could probably deduce it was something added to food, but unfortunately, Taoist Hua Shen didn't have a recipe in his inventory.
This seemed to be common knowledge among the righteous. She was worried that asking would expose herself, but she felt uncomfortable because she didn't know the meaning of the new words.
I'll find someone to search his soul and learn from him next time, she thought to herself. She felt that her clumsiness had actually made the farmer relax his guard, so she simply continued to ask him about these everyday topics.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
