Chapter 810: Chivalrous, Righteous, and Adorably Naive
With all sorts of delightful scenarios playing out in her mind, Liu Ruyan hummed twice in satisfaction before drifting off into a contented sleep.
Sometime deep in the night, she felt a weight settle over her body. A man's deep, magnetic voice murmured against her ear.
"Yanyan, turn over."
'If you tell me to turn over and I just do it, wouldn't I lose face?' Liu Ruyan snorted inwardly and, in a fit of playful defiance, turned over twice.
Two days and one night later, at the entrance to the Qinling Mountains, stood Qin Family Village.
It was clearly midday, yet a thick, oppressive blanket of grey cloud smothered the sky. The weak, watery light that filtered through made the entire village appear as if it were already dusk.
Qin Family Village was perched at the very mouth of the mountain range, serving as both the final checkpoint for those venturing into the Qinling Mountains and their last chance for supplies.
Though the mountains were treacherous, they were also a treasure trove of rare medicinal herbs and valuable timber, holding significant economic promise. This promise also attracted poachers, who frequently hunted the black bears, tigers, and other beasts that roamed the peaks.
In years past, the people of Qin Family Village had made their living digging for herbs and hunting in the mountains. But too many had died, nearly turning it into a village of widows. Over time, it transitioned into a transit station, its residents content to provide supplies for outsiders while rarely venturing into the dangerous depths themselves.
Of course, if the price was high enough, some were still willing to act as guides.
The prerequisite was, one had to pay a great deal more.
"Fifty thousand for a guide? Why don't you just rob me?!"
A sweet, crisp girlish voice rang out from a corner of the village.
Lin Qingqing planted her hands firmly on her hips, her cheeks puffing out in a frustrated pout as she glared at the old, farmer-like man before her.
She and her master, Chen Yuhua, had come to Qin Family Village to prepare for their journey into the mountains in search of spiritual herbs. While their strength meant they had no fear of venomous insects or fierce beasts, they were utterly unfamiliar with the terrain.
The Qinling Mountains stretched for hundreds of miles from east to west, a natural barrier dividing the north and south of the country. They were incredibly vast. Hiring a guide who knew where rare herbs might be found would save them from wasting precious time.
Lin Qingqing had volunteered for the task of finding one, but she never expected this seemingly honest and simple old farmer to demand fifty thousand yuan the moment he opened his mouth.
Her family was an ordinary one; saving fifty thousand in a year was a difficult feat. Fifty thousand just for a guide? Wasn't that far too much?
The demand made Lin Qingqing feel that the old farmer was deliberately trying to bully a young girl and fleece her for all she was worth.
"Girl, you're wronging this old man!" the farmer complained, his face a mask of grievance. "Go on, ask around! The deep parts of the Qinling Mountains are crawling with venomous insects and savage beasts, not to mention the areas filled with poisonous miasma. Who in their right mind would be willing to go? If it wasn't for this old man needing to save up for his grandson's betrothal gift and a house for his wedding, do you think I'd agree to walk into the depths of those mountains to die?"
He shook his head, his voice raspy. "Besides, most people have never even been that deep. How easy do you think it is to find a guide who knows the way? This old man used to be an herb gatherer; I know the terrain. Is fifty thousand really too much to ask for that knowledge?"
Lin Qingqing was about to argue further when Chen Yuhua spoke, her voice as cool and indifferent as ever.
"Fine. I will give you fifty thousand."
In this life, she was the eldest young lady of Jiangbei's Chen Clan. Money was of little concern.
Though she possessed the ability to forcefully search his soul for the information she needed, Chen Yuhua had no desire to casually bully an ordinary person with whom she had no quarrel. Even if the morals and laws of the Secular World could no longer restrain her, she still had her own principles.
The old man's expression brightened instantly, but then Chen Yuhua spoke again.
"However, you will not be our guide. You will simply mark on this map the dangerous and rarely visited places in the Qinling Mountains, as well as the areas where medicinal herbs are known to grow."
Hearing this, the old man's face fell, and he tried to persuade them. "The Qinling Mountains are treacherous. Without a guide who knows the land, you'll most likely not come back alive, even with a map. This old man has a wealth of experience. It would be better if I went with you."
"That won't be necessary," Chen Yuhua stated flatly.
She was simply trying to save time by avoiding a blind search, narrowing her focus to areas where spiritual herbs were likely to grow.
As for danger?
Though she was currently only at the twelfth layer of the Qi Refining Stage, in the Secular World, she was invincible. No danger could possibly stop her. In the mortal realm, she was unrivaled.
This was not mere confidence; to her, it was a simple statement of fact.
, besides searching for potential spiritual herbs, Chen Yuhua had another objective: she was looking for a spatial passage to the Xuanhuang World.
She had never been there, but fragmented records in some of the Secular World's ancient texts led her to a powerful speculation. This planet had once been home to powerful Cultivators, but due to the gradual thinning of spiritual energy and the dawn of the Age of Dharma Decline, they had abandoned this world, migrating to other planes where spiritual energy was abundant.
The Xuanhuang World was one such place.
Chen Yuhua intended to go there as well. If not for the severe resource limitations of this world, her strength would be far greater than it was now.
To reach the Xuanhuang World, a spatial passage would be required. Even after a thousand years, remnants of such a passage would surely remain. Through various inquiries, she had also pieced together that every so often, Cultivators from beyond would enter this world to recruit promising new talents.
While the old man was hunched over, marking the map, a noisy commotion erupted from the center of the village.
"Kid, I just touched your woman a couple of times. You dare to bare your teeth at me?"
"Apologize, or I'll call the police and have you arrested!"
"Heh heh, kid, you dare talk to me like that? You really don't want to live!"
Hearing the ruckus, everyone nearby turned to look.
They saw a young man shielding a young woman behind him, glaring furiously at several tall, burly men whose arms were covered in crude tattoos.
Seeing this scene, the surrounding villagers of Qin Family Village quickly averted their gazes. Those who were nearby hurried away, avoiding the confrontation as if it were a venomous snake.
Lin Qingqing asked the old man curiously, "Grandpa, what's going on over there?"
The old man sighed, lowering his voice. "Those are the village bullies. They rely on their numbers to act tyrannically, and no one dares provoke them. Their leader, Qin Erhu, even studied martial arts for a few years. They say he can kill a black bear with his bare hands."
"The police don't do anything?" Lin Qingqing found it unbelievable. This was the modern age; how could a few petty thugs not be dealt with?
"They care, of course they care," the old man sighed, then changed the subject. "But Qin Family Village is right at the entrance to the mountains. If they slip into the Qinling range, who can catch them? The police can't just stake out the place every day, can they?"
"Hmph, then I'll uphold justice!" Lin Qingqing's eyes lit up.
She had long dreamed of being like the heroines in television dramas, roaming the martial world with a sword and fighting for the common good. But she never had the skills. Then, after accidentally encountering danger while climbing a mountain, she was rescued by Chen Yuhua. Now, she too was a small Cultivator at the second layer of Qi Refining.
Dealing with a few petty thugs? Wouldn't that be a piece of cake?
"Master Chen, let me handle this," Lin Qingqing looked at Chen Yuhua, her pretty face filled with eager anticipation.
"Alright." Chen Yuhua nodded gently. It would be good for Qingqing to gain some practical experience. With her watching over the girl, nothing could possibly go wrong.
Seeing that the burly, tattooed men were about to lay hands on the young couple, Lin Qingqing giggled, her figure flashing as she appeared before them. She struck a pose and delivered a gentle rebuke.
"Halt! In broad daylight, under the clear sky, don't even think about causing trouble!"
But the diminutive Lin Qingqing, standing all of five feet tall, looked anything but imposing. Despite her best efforts to keep her pretty face stern, her declaration only seemed to make the thugs more excited.
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