It was not a beautiful painting, nor was it a famous one. It was a map, and with a closer look one could see it was a full map of the Kunling Mountain area.
He had been troubled by unfamiliarity with the place not long ago, and now seeing the map, Yu Qing wanted to go in for a closer look, but it was impossible. The owner was not present, and with so many eyes watching he could not trespass.
Looking back at the group around him, Yu Qing moved to Zhan Yunqi’s side and asked casually, “Mr. Zhan, didn’t you say this is a forbidden zone of Kunling Mountain? Why is it so deserted, as if there is no one here?”
Zhan Yunqi smiled, “If it were bustling with activity, it would not be called a forbidden zone.”
Yu Qing asked curiously, “A forbidden zone cannot be left without people to watch over it. If it is like this, wouldn’t any disciple be able to enter freely?”
Zhan Yunqi, “Are the guards at the entrance not watching?”
Yu Qing immediately pointed around, “What if someone climbs over the mountain to get in?”
“There are naturally disciples on duty watching all around. Otherwise what do you think these duty rooms are for?” Zhan Yunqi raised his chin toward the rooms on both sides, then added, “This Spirit Valley has nothing of value. It is simply a place where spiritual energy gathers abundantly under the Spirit Gathering Array, an excellent place for cultivating spirit plants. It is designated as a forbidden zone to avoid unnecessary disturbance. Some unique techniques for cultivating spirit plants are also not convenient to show to outsiders. That is all. Otherwise we would not have let you in for a tour.”
The implication was clear to everyone. This forbidden zone had nothing of value, not worth outsiders risking to sneak in.
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie could not help but glance at Yu Qing a couple more times. They had been fellow disciples for many years and knew each other well. They felt that their fifteenth brother’s concern was probably a bit fishy.
Just as everyone continued to wait idly, when no one was paying attention, Nan Zhu elbowed Yu Qing and gestured toward the Spirit Valley with his eyes. What did you mean by asking all that? Haven’t we already come in?
Yu Qing shrugged indifferently, as if he had just asked casually. At the same time he tilted his head toward Baili Xin, reminding him to pay more attention to that woman, wanting to know what that woman was really up to.
No need for reminding, Nan Zhu had already noticed. Baili Xin’s Qiu Dragon Bow was not slung back behind her but held in her hand the whole time. Her gaze also seemed to be constantly alert to the surroundings. Those who did not know her might think this was just how a great archer was, but to those of them who had been in contact with her for some time, it naturally felt abnormal, as if she was ready to draw an arrow and shoot someone at any moment.
What made Nan Zhu even more uncomfortable was that Baili Xin always seemed to subconsciously move closer to Yu Qing’s side. Combined with holding a bow in her hand and being secretly vigilant, it made her look like Yu Qing’s bodyguard.
It also made him look at Yu Qing with some displeasure. Fortunately Yu Qing clearly showed no interest in Baili Xin, but he still felt uneasy in his heart.
But what could he do? Currently he had no relationship with Baili Xin whatsoever, no qualification to criticize her at all. He could only signal with his eyes to Yu Qing, not to fuss with women.
Yu Qing immediately rolled his eyes.
Just as everyone was wondering how much longer they would have to wait, Lu Youming returned. With him was a slovenly old man wearing his shoes like slippers, with messy hair still carrying grass, not knowing where he had just crawled into. His face also seemed not to have been washed for a long time. His dirty clothes swayed with a pair of large sleeves. His eyes were quite spirited though. A gourd hung at his waist, not as large as Nan Zhu’s.
The slovenly old man was none other than the person in charge of Kunling Mountain’s Spirit Valley, named Yan Yao.
As soon as the person arrived, Zhan Yunqi immediately cupped his hands and greeted, “Uncle Yan.”
Yan Yao grunted, stood before the crowd and swept his eyes over them, then turned and entered the house, tossing out one sentence, “One by one, come.”
“Yes.” Zhan Yunqi bowed to receive the order, then said to Ke Ran, “You come first.”
“Alright.” Ke Ran agreed and followed him into the house first.
Actually there was nothing else. It was indeed just registration. This was the rule for entering the Spirit Valley. Even Kunling Mountain disciples were no exception. After writing down the identity of those entering and leaving, the palm was pressed into ink paste, leaving a palm print on the register page.
After Ke Ran went out, another person went in, one after another. Even the disciple Zhan Yunqi had brought along was among them. Finally it was Zhan Yunqi himself.
After finishing, Yan Yao also came out, waved his hand for Lu Youming to take the guests for a stroll, then swaggered off again himself.
Lu Youming extended his hand to signal everyone to follow, leading the guests to continue along the path.
Before they even reached the end of the mountain pass, everyone suddenly felt a refreshing sensation between breaths, a lightness in both body and mind. All were cultivators, and with this feeling they immediately knew what was happening.
Xiao Changdao was already exclaiming in surprise, “Such rich spiritual energy!”
Many people nodded in agreement.
But even richer spiritual energy lay ahead. When they reached the end of the pass, the view suddenly opened up, and a valley appeared before everyone’s eyes.
It was an egg-shaped valley, wider in the middle and narrower at both ends, like a basin.
A faint mist drifted within the valley.
Under this bright sun, there was still mist drifting and not dispersing. Everyone realized that this was not mist. It was spiritual energy so dense it was visible to the naked eye. All could not help but marvel.
Lu Youming, watching from the side, smiled slightly. He liked seeing guests looking like country bumpkins who had never seen the world.
There were steps leading down to the valley floor. The group followed him down again.
Walking in the valley, all kinds of exotic flowers and strange grasses greeted them from both sides. Some names were ones the guests had never seen before, truly opening their eyes the moment they arrived.
Nan Zhu exclaimed, “This Spirit Valley is simply a splendid garden of exotic flowers and strange grasses.”
Lu Youming smiled and shook his head, “These are nothing special. They are actually just decorations. When occasional guests come, it cannot be too shabby. Putting out some flowers and plants serves as a landscape to welcome guests. Actually the greatest function of the Spirit Valley is to accelerate the growth of spirit plant seedlings. Most of the seedling stock for Kunling Mountain’s spirit rice cultivation comes from here. Of course, some exotic flowers and strange grasses are not entirely decorations. Some are also for breeding, keeping seeds on hand to prevent extinction.”
Everyone nodded repeatedly as they listened, following him who explained and introduced all along the way. They had truly broadened their horizons, with all kinds of spirit plants dazzling to the eye.
On the surrounding hillsides, small houses were scattered here and there, all for the disciples guarding the Spirit Valley to take turns on duty. This kind of place was after all a forbidden zone of the sect. The combination of visible and hidden sentries was unavoidable.
In front of one of the small houses, an elderly man with snow-white beard and hair, along with snow-white clothes, stood with hands behind his back. He looked almost ethereal, that aged appearance, that clothing and bearing truly like an old immortal. He looked down from above at the group of guests entering the valley.
This person was named Huan Yushan, the great elder of Kunling Mountain, and also the person with the highest seniority in Kunling Mountain. Even the sect leader had to respectfully address him as “Senior Uncle.”
Within Kunling Mountain, the Spirit Valley had basically always been under the responsibility of his lineage.
Yan Yao, who came to his side, took out the register from his sleeve, opened it to the right page, and presented it with both hands, “Master, excluding the two sect disciples who are accompanying guests, including that Ke Ran you mentioned, there are nine guests in total.”
The master and disciple, one clean and neat with extraordinary bearing, the other slovenly and dirty, truly a sharp contrast.
Huan Yushan took the register and looked through it. After reading it from beginning to end, his brows furrowed.
Yan Yao, observing from the side, asked tentatively, “Master came personally. Could there be some problem with these guests?”
Huan Yushan did not see any problem either. He slowly closed the register and handed it back, “It is normal to say it is normal, and abnormal to say it is abnormal. It is normal for guests to come to the Spirit Valley. But for the Grand Affairs Bureau to get involved in arranging this, to arrange these people to tour the Spirit Valley, that is somewhat abnormal. For the Grand Affairs Bureau to bother with this, and for it to be personally arranged by Xiang Lanxuan, the identities of these guests are probably not as simple as registered.”
Yan Yao pondered, immediately asking, “Should we take any measures against them?”
Huan Yushan waved his hand slightly, sighing, “The Grand Affairs Bureau’s affairs, is that something our Kunling Mountain can get involved in? If we really get drawn into something we shouldn’t, do you think the Grand Affairs Bureau wouldn’t dare to terminate the existence of our thousand-year-old sect? Any rash move could be taken by the Grand Affairs Bureau as our Kunling Mountain not knowing our place. It is still that saying, it is normal for guests to come to the Spirit Valley, but the identities of these guests are clearly not enough for Xiang Lanxuan to personally get involved in arranging.”
Yan Yao asked in alarm, “Master means, they might be coming for that secret?”
Huan Yushan, “The sect leader does have this worry, but also feels it is unlikely. If the Grand Affairs Bureau knew that secret they would have directly intervened long ago, without going around in such circles. Also, for Xiang Lanxuan to have reached today, with her mind, she would not know that such arrangements would arouse our suspicion. Thinking it over and over, perhaps we are indeed overthinking. Perhaps the Grand Affairs Bureau really does have other intentions, perhaps they are brewing something among these guests, maybe it has nothing to do with our Kunling Mountain.”
Yan Yao nodded with a sigh, fully understanding why the sect leader and his master felt uneasy. The so-called great array in this Spirit Valley that gathered the efforts of generations of ancestors to collect spiritual energy was pure nonsense. It was not that Kunling Mountain’s spirit plant techniques were superb, but that this Spirit Valley was originally a naturally formed treasure land of spiritual energy.
The reason for saying it was a great array gathered by generations of ancestors was to cover up the existence of the treasure land.
Once this secret leaked out, a feng shui treasure land would naturally be occupied by the capable. It could very well bring a disaster of extermination to Kunling Mountain.
Previously they did not move against you because they thought this thing could not be used without Kunling Mountain.
The reason the forbidden zone was occasionally open to outsiders was actually also a form of disguise.
Actually there was no choice. If you kept it too tightly sealed it would instead arouse suspicion. The tighter you covered it the more people would want to see. This was human nature. The key was that you couldn’t cover it completely. For example, this time Xiang Lanxuan spoke up. Could you not open it?
So this secret, even within Kunling Mountain, the number of people who knew it across generations could be counted on one’s fingers. Even the disciples working in this Spirit Valley basically did not know.
Within the Spirit Valley, nourished by abundant spiritual energy, the beauty of the fresh flowers, the emerald green of the grass leaves, that kind of lustrous vitality was beyond description by words.
When the group following Lu Youming, who introduced things all along the way, reached two trees in the middle of the valley, Yu Qing and his three fellow disciples were all stunned. Then they quickly looked around at the Kunling Mountain disciples faintly visible, and their expressions actually showed some panic.