The manpower sent to track down Yu Qing and the other two was truly limited. They searched back and forth, spreading out to look, and the searchers themselves became scattered.
To avoid losing one another, they could only designate a distant mountain as a rendezvous point, then spread out to search, finally gathering at the designated spot, and after gathering they would designate another spot and spread out again.
They searched for a long time without finding any trace. The personnel from all three sides knew they had probably lost them, but there was nothing for it. They were the ones who had lost the targets, so they had no choice but to keep searching.
It was truly humiliating. They were only three small fry, yet a group of Xuan-level cultivators had failed to keep them in sight, had let them escape right under their noses. How shameful.
The mistake had already been made, and they could not compound it further. They sent people to report to the leaders of the three powers…
The searchers gathered and dispersed repeatedly, carrying on until the sun had set and only a trace of light remained in the sky. Qin Jue, standing on a mountaintop and gazing around, sighed, utterly frustrated, feeling that he had been too careless himself.
He had finally extracted the targets from the main force, his plan was about to succeed, he was about to complete the immortal’s test, yet somehow he had let the targets escape. This frustration truly had no outlet.
He knew that night had fallen. If they could not find them during the day, searching at night would be like looking for a needle in the ocean.
As his gaze swept around, it suddenly paused. On the opposite peak, against the last light in the sky, a flash of white sleeves fluttered.
He looked closely, slightly startled, then flew down the mountain and hurried to the opposite peak. Upon landing and looking, yes, it was exactly the white-clad immortal he had seen in the cave. He immediately bowed with excitement and respect, saying, “This junior pays respects to the immortal.”
His heart grew even more reverent. He had been running around, yet she could find him at any time. That was not something an ordinary person could do.
The white-clad immortal stood barefoot, her long hair flowing, her sleeves fluttering.
Facing the last glow on the horizon, there seemed to be a trace of obsession in her deep, affectionate eyes.
Her gaze moved slightly, then she asked aloud, “How many days has it been?”
Qin Jue knew what she meant. Five days had passed since she had given him the test, and he had yet to complete it. He immediately lifted the hem of his robe, knelt again, and pressed his forehead to the ground, pleading, “I beg the immortal to give this junior more time!”
The white-clad immortal seemed to recall something, and a look of grief and anger appeared in her affectionate eyes. “It is not entirely your fault. The person you seek is too cunning. He is someone who uses every trick in the book, who deceives and swindles. Being tricked by him is nothing to be ashamed of. That you managed to lure him away from the main force is already no small feat. Having observed you, all signs indicate that you are capable. Therefore, this seat can give you one more chance.”
Qin Jue was overjoyed to hear this, nearly moved to tears, and kowtowed repeatedly. “Thank you, immortal. Thank you, immortal. This junior will do his utmost!”
The white-clad immortal turned around and looked down at him. “He is already far from you. Searching like this, you will never find him. Watch closely. Remember well. This seat will point you a path, give you one last chance.” She waved her hand toward a direction.
Qin Jue, kneeling on the ground, lifted his head and turned to look in the direction she pointed.
“In that direction. They have already left the forested area and are at least a hundred li away. Go. If you deviate along the way, this seat will guide you. Find them, complete your test. If you can still fail even with this, then give the opportunity to someone else.”
Qin Jue immediately expressed his gratitude with joy. “Thank you, immortal. With such guidance from the immortal, this junior will surely live up to your expectations.”
The white-clad immortal said blandly, “Go.”
“Yes.” Qin Jue kowtowed once more, then rose, stepped back a few paces, and resolutely turned to descend the mountain, rushing in the direction the immortal had indicated.
For him, this was somewhat a blessing in disguise.
If he could find A Shiheng and those three thanks to her guidance, he would actually save himself some trouble. He would no longer need to divert the watchers sent by all three powers, after all, making too many moves could easily arouse suspicion.
Now it was perfect. Everyone was scattered searching. No one would see what he did. Having become separated from the others would be easy to explain later…
Yu Qing and the other two had indeed slipped out of the forested area and were making their way across an undulating grassland.
The moon had also risen, hanging high in the sky, bright and clear, and the crescent had widened considerably.
The three senior and junior brothers each held a peach in their hands, eating as they walked, looking around as they ate.
The peaches had already been divided. Mu Aotie had put his trousers and clothes back on.
There were exactly twenty-four peaches, eight for each person.
They had nothing much on them. Along the way they had gathered some vines to weave simple net bags, and hung the peaches on their bodies.
After feeling they had escaped danger during the day, the three had each eaten two peaches on the road first.
Once their full stomachs had settled, the three each ate another two. They did not rush to refine the spiritual energy in their bodies, treating it as storing stamina for their bodies.
Now, in the middle of the night, the three were eating their second peach, with only two peaches left hanging and swaying on each of them.
There was nothing for it, they really did need to eat them quickly. If they ran into someone, if the people from the three great powers discovered them, carrying these things so far would be hard to explain.
As feared, just as they reached the front grassy mound, Mu Aotie, crouching to observe ahead, suddenly tensed and gestured for silence behind him. Up ahead on the grassland, there seemed to be five or six people from the three great powers patrolling around.
After observing for a while, Mu Aotie retreated and pointed in a direction for his two accomplices, then led Yu Qing and Nan Zhu toward the lower ground on the other side of the grassy mound, moving forward while crouching.
Yu Qing could not help poking his head out for a look. After confirming, he could not help cursing softly, “What is going on? How did those three groups get here too?”
Nan Zhu was also puzzled. “Are they here to chase us?”
Yu Qing shook his head. “I can understand them looking for us, but Little Cloud Space is so large. For them to find this place so quickly would mean our tracks have been discovered. If that were true, they would not need this arrangement. With thousands of people casting a net, we could not escape at all.”
The three senior and junior brothers could not quite figure out what was going on.
This was already the third time they had encountered them on the way, the third time they had been forced to change their route.
After confirming they had shaken off the danger, the three continued walking while gnawing on the unfinished peaches in their hands.
“Do not just focus on eating. Keep your eyes wide open.”
Nan Zhu admonished them in his capacity as senior brother.
The situation was obvious. Those three groups had discovered they were missing and would certainly search extensively. Having searched the vicinity, they would naturally expand the search range.
Their plan was also clear. First avoid the nearby search areas of the three groups, hide as far away as possible. When the other side began to expand the search range, they would slip back into the areas already searched, and return to the peach grove to eat peaches and cultivate.
What the three did not know was that after they changed course and moved away from the danger of discovery, the five or six people from the three great powers on the grassland began to writhe, and in the moonlight transformed into terrifying creatures covered in slime. They were exactly the ghost foetuses they had seen in Guan Fengyang’s ancient tomb…
The three senior and junior brothers walked on, pointing out geographical features to memorise for their return journey.
They walked without stopping. In the end the three did not know how long they had walked, only that the moon had moved from one side of the night sky to the other.
They also picked up their peaches again to eat.
When they had almost finished eating the last large peach, the three stopped together and stared blankly ahead.
A lake had suddenly appeared, a tranquil lake so vast its boundaries could not be seen, reflecting the star-filled sky and the crescent moon hanging at the edge.
A gentle breeze blew. The grass moved. The lake rippled.
“Uh…” Nan Zhu hiccupped first, then raised his hand to point at a tall grassy mound not far from the lakeshore. “That mound rising abruptly by the lake, why does it feel somewhat abnormal?”
It did look somewhat abnormal.
The three walked together toward it. Before they reached it, there was suddenly a crunch under Mu Aotie’s foot.
The three stopped and looked at each other. Mu Aotie crouched down and quickly scraped with his hands, pulling out a row of ribs.
Continuing to scrape, he soon exposed an iron-black skeleton from beneath the surface. It was human bone, of normal size.
The three looked at each other in dismay. This was different from the giant skeletons they occasionally saw. Having travelled so far in Little Cloud Space, this was the first time they had seen a normal person’s skeleton.
Who the deceased was, they had no way to trace, nor any heart to trace.
They rose and let it be. What drew their eyes again was still that towering grassy mound. It rose too abruptly by the lake, showing no transitional slope. At first glance it seemed man-made.
The three walked again. After a few steps, there was another crunch under Nan Zhu’s feet, making the three stop once more.
Nan Zhu kicked at the ground with his foot. Sure enough, another skeleton was exposed.
The three did not want to dig out this skeleton either. They continued on, ignoring any further crunches underfoot.
Standing before the towering grassy mound, Mu Aotie grabbed a handful of grass and pulled it out roots and all with a rustle. He looked at the roots and found nothing unusual.
Shing! Yu Qing suddenly drew his sword and stabbed it into the mound. The sandy sound produced by the thrust was clearly abnormal, with a metallic scraping feeling.
Yu Qing immediately exerted force to lever his sword.
Pff! Grass flew, soil flew, and shiny things were scattered out.
Nan Zhu bent down to pick up the shiny things. They were golden-yellow metal granules, their texture and feel somewhat familiar. The three looked at each other.
Nan Zhu immediately pressed the metal granule with his thumb, then looked up in astonishment and said, “Gold!”
Yu Qing and Mu Aotie hurriedly crouched to pick up the metal granules, wanting to examine and verify them with their own hands.
Meanwhile Nan Zhu had turned to scrape at the grassy mound.
By the time Yu Qing and Mu Aotie looked back, large swathes of golden things had already been exposed inside the mound.
Nan Zhu was still there scraping away excitedly.
The two junior brothers slowly stood up, staring dumbfounded as they looked up at the entire tall mound. Yu Qing said in shock, “My heavens, is everything piled inside here gold? How much gold must there be? This counts as a mountain of gold, does it not? We have struck it rich!”
Mu Aotie threw cold water on the excitement. “We cannot carry it out.”
“…” Yu Qing was speechless. After a moment’s thought, it seemed they really could not carry it out. He sobered up somewhat.
The fatty had not sobered up, displaying the mannerisms of a poor man.
What was exposed was all gold sand. Nan Zhu, flushed with excitement, had already thrown himself onto it and rolled around. The gold sand, which had lain here unknown for how many years, flowed with a rustle, nearly burying Nan Zhu.
Yu Qing sheathed his long sword, preparing to circle the mound to estimate how much gold was there. Who would have thought that as soon as he came around this side, his gaze was drawn to a building by the lakeshore.
Because of the angle just now, it had been blocked by the grassy mound and he had not seen it. Now he saw it. It was a house, and a very intact one at that.