Inside Weigu Valley, Mo Junqian was completely focused on fighting the magical beasts, unaware that four people were secretly spying on him from a distance.
It took some effort to repel the magical beast, which was only a low-level beast with not much spiritual power, but it still took quite a bit of time. It was already dark and time to go by.
The female cultivator who had previously competed with Mo Junqian for the Heavenly Vault Grass had long since disappeared, but he didn't care. He sat down on the ground, circulated his energy for a while, and prepared to leave.
Just as he stood up, the female cultivator from before suddenly reappeared and said to Mo Junqian in a low voice, "Your skills are quite good. Why don't we cooperate? It will make obtaining the Heavenly Vault Grass much easier."
Mo Junqian looked at her, somewhat amused: "What do you have that makes me want to cooperate with you?"
You didn't contribute when we were playing World of Warcraft, but now you're talking about cooperation. It's obvious you have ulterior motives.
The female cultivator didn't mind and continued, "Even if you have the ability to repel the demonic beasts on your own, it will take a lot of effort. It's impossible to get enough Sky Grass in such a short time of three days. If we join forces, it will save a lot of time. Moreover," the female cultivator moved closer and said, "I have a wood spirit root and can understand the meaning of trees. It will be very convenient for me to move around in this vast Wei Valley."
Seeing that Mo Junqian hesitated, the female cultivator added fuel to the fire: "You should think it through. Trials are not gambling. If you lose this time, the next one will be five years later."
Mo Junqian glanced at her, his gaze deep and unfathomable: "You're just trying to get me to protect you, aren't you?"
The female cultivator neither agreed nor disagreed.
After thinking for a moment, Mo Junqian agreed.
He didn't want to lose, and he couldn't afford to lose.
The two walked side by side in silence until the female cultivator spoke first, introducing herself: "My name is Lingyin, from the Desolate Continent."
"Mo Junqian." A cold voice came from behind.
“Mo Junqian… his surname is Mo…” The female cultivator repeatedly chewed on the surname Mo, her expression thoughtful.
After walking for half an hour, they had killed several poisonous snakes and repelled several magical beasts along the way, and had made quite a harvest. Lingyin's wood spirit root was indeed as she had said, possessing the wonder of connecting with the forest.
In the middle of the night, the two of them, who hadn't eaten all day, were getting hungry. So they grabbed a rabbit, started a fire, and roasted it on a tree branch.
The firelight illuminated Mo Junqian's handsome profile. His expression, focused intently on roasting the wild rabbit, was less cold than usual. Lingyin looked at his profile, her eyes flickering with the firelight, lost in thought.
A group of people approached from a distance, seemingly drawn by the firelight. Mo Junqian looked up—it was him again?
Han Jinliang was clearly surprised that the two of them had such a coincidence and had met again, but he didn't stop and came forward to say hello.
“Young master, it’s truly fate that we’ve met again.” He also noticed Lingyin beside him and cupped his hands in greeting, “Greetings, young lady. My name is Han Jinliang. Are you with this young master?”
Lingyin nodded slightly in response.
Han Jinliang smiled and said, "I wondered why you didn't join me earlier. It turns out you already had a partner. It's a pity I didn't come sooner and missed out on a good partner."
His words were well-chosen, and his smile was humble and polite, showing no trace of the embarrassment or resentment he had felt after being rejected. Anyone unaware of the situation would have truly believed that was the case. His high emotional intelligence even impressed Mo Junqian.
After Han Jinliang finished his one-sided reminiscing, he and the group behind him set up camp nearby and rested. Some people caught wild game, while others were responsible for starting a fire. Everyone had been walking all day and was exhausted and hungry. They didn't even have the strength to talk, and the atmosphere became quiet for a while.
Mo Junqian couldn't sleep in front of a group of strangers; at most, he would close his eyes to rest, but his spiritual consciousness remained clear at all times.
Gradually, even the sound of the fire stopped. Mo Junqian opened his eyes and saw that Lingyin and Han Jinliang were asleep. Perhaps they were too tired, or perhaps they lacked experience in the martial world, so they were all unprepared.
Mo Junqian put his brocade pouch and the bag containing the Sky Grass into his bosom, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes again.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Mo Junqian suddenly opened his eyes, looked around warily, and after finding nothing, relaxed and took a deep breath.
The morning mist in Weigu Valley had not yet dissipated, and the view in the distance was somewhat hazy, with the first rays of dawn appearing, giving it a desolate feel.
Mo Junqian was immersed in this desolation, and no one knew who he was thinking of. His eyes became deep, and the indifference in his eyes softened a little.
Unfortunately, someone was oblivious and shouted, waking everyone up.
"Who! Who stole my Heavenly Grass!" A plainly dressed, ordinary-looking male cultivator suddenly jumped up and shouted, pointing at several people next to him.
"Which of you stole my Sky Grass! Tell me, was it you?!" His face was flushed, and he pointed wildly with his hands. Finally, he grabbed one of them by the collar and pulled him up.
The man was still asleep when the noise jolted him awake. He instantly became furious and shoved the other man away, yelling, "Are you crazy? Who stole your things!"
The male cultivator stumbled back several steps after being pushed, then rushed forward and started fighting with the other man, shouting, "You're the closest to me! Last night you told me to keep an eye on the Sky Grass. You saw me put them in my arms, but they're gone this morning. Who else could have stolen them if not you!"
As the two wrestled and even used their spiritual power to attack each other, no one around stepped forward to stop them. Everyone was checking their belongings to see if they had been stolen, and a hint of vigilance appeared in their eyes.
Mo Junqian looked around and found that Han Jinliang was not there.
Lingyin was woken up, opened her sleepy eyes, rubbed them, muttered a few curses under her breath, and slowly got up to get ready, asking as she did so, "What happened over there?"
Mo Junqian lowered his head to straighten his robes without looking up: "Someone's things have been stolen."
Lingyin pouted: "This is really a place of trouble. We'd better leave as soon as possible to avoid getting into trouble."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone said sarcastically, "You two are in such a hurry to leave, could it be that you've done something wrong and have something to hide?"
As soon as he said that, the surroundings fell silent, and the two people who were still fighting suddenly stopped.
Mo Junqian didn't want to argue with them, but Lingyin didn't want to be wronged for no reason. She shouted, "What do you mean by that? Did you steal that guy's things and frame us? Your framing skills are not very good. Anyone with eyes can see that. There are so many of you. If we make even the slightest noise, it's impossible that no one would hear us, let alone steal anything. It's more practical to take advantage of our proximity!"
Lingyin twirled a strand of hair between her fingers, smiling slyly: "It's all your fault for sleeping like logs, not even being able to keep an eye on your own things, what idiots!"
The man was so angered by Lingyin's sharp tongue that he turned red in the face, gasped for breath, and couldn't utter a single word.
At this moment, Han Jinliang returned from a distance and was still a little confused by the situation: "What happened?"
Upon seeing the person in charge return, the male cultivator whose belongings had been stolen immediately ran to Han Jinliang and cried out, "Young Master Han, my Heavenly Sky Grass has been stolen! Not a single one is left! It must be him, he stole my Heavenly Sky Grass! You must help me!"
Han Jinliang looked at the grown man who was pleading with him for help with snot and tears streaming down his face, and his expression darkened. He immediately said, "Since you believe he stole your things, do you have any evidence?"
The male cultivator spoke in a tearful voice, his words slurred: "I...I just woke up this morning and found the thing was missing. It...it was in my arms last night, and last night he told me to keep an eye on the Sky Grass, and he even watched me put it in my arms. How could he not have stolen it!"
The person he had been suspecting couldn't help but curse and almost lunged at him again, but luckily someone nearby stopped him. He shouted, "I must have had the worst luck in the world! I shouldn't have reminded you yesterday. You're like a dog biting Lü Dongbin, not recognizing a kind heart!"
Han Jinliang couldn't stand it any longer, and his tone turned cold: "Since you have no evidence, then it's a frame-up. How can I help you?"
Seeing that even Han Jinliang wouldn't help him, the male cultivator blurted out in desperation, "I don't have any evidence, but what if he stole it? What if the item is on him? No, I have to search him!"
The atmosphere instantly became tense. The male cultivator who was suspected suddenly opened his eyes wide, clenched his fists, veins bulging, and gritted his teeth as he stared at him, almost as if he wanted to pounce on him and bite him.
Han Jinliang's expression turned serious, and he said to him, "You'd better think this through. If the item wasn't taken by someone else, you'll be responsible for your actions."
The male cultivator was clearly convinced of his idea and insisted on searching him.
Han Jinliang acted as an intermediary, patiently persuading the suspected male cultivator, and it took him a long time to convince him.
The brocade pouch and the cloth bag containing the Heavenly Vault Grass were taken out one by one and laid on the ground. The male cultivator threw himself on the ground, pawing at the ground with his hands, muttering, "Impossible...it can't be...it can't be..."
There were very few items, easily countable at a glance, which everyone present understood. Yet, the male cultivator still examined each item carefully, not missing a single detail.
After searching until the very end, they still couldn't find the Sky Grass. The male cultivator sat on the ground in a daze, looking utterly incredulous.
Han Jinliang looked at his dazed expression without a trace of sympathy, his tone icy: "My friend, they really didn't steal your things. Perhaps you just forgot where you put them. Look for them again. As I said before, you have to take responsibility for your actions. Forgive my bluntness, but you can't stay with us anymore. Please leave as soon as possible."
The male cultivator remained seated, showing no reaction whatsoever.
Han Jinliang ignored him, turned around and called the rest of the people to prepare to leave. He nodded slightly to Mo Junqian and the other two to say goodbye, and then turned and left with his men.
After watching the farce unfold, Mo Junqian and Lingyin exchanged a glance but said nothing.
Lingyin looked at the person sitting on the ground, lost in thought, and felt a little sorry for him. She turned to Mo Junqian and said, "Why don't we help him?"
Mo Junqian shook his head: "You can help him once, but you can't help him for a lifetime. Even if you get enough Sky Grass, the Qingyun Sect won't want someone with such a fragile heart."
Lingyin nodded: "That's true, then forget it. But you seem to know a lot about the Qingyun Sect?"
Mo Junqian: "Naturally, the Qingyun Sect is the number one sect on the continent, and everyone aspires to be a part of it."
It's just not as wealthy as you might think.
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