The roar was very close to the wooden house; the bushes not far away shook violently, and the sound of chains tightening could faintly be heard.
Li Jing pulled his red sun bow, and a golden light suddenly appeared, transforming into an extremely sharp arrow.
This arrow was condensed from magical power and could pierce through metal and stone with ease, but his cultivation was not high, giving him only three opportunities.
Slowly approaching the bushes, a large figure suddenly burst out, a pair of huge tiger eyes fixed intently on him.
Li Jing was startled, the bowstring in his hand loosened, and the golden arrow shot out, striking the figure.
"Roar!!!"
A tiger's roar echoed through the forest, and the large body struggled fiercely, the surrounding grass and trees turning into scattered debris.
After being startled, Li Jing immediately composed himself and quickly looked, and by the moonlight, he finally saw the figure's appearance.
This Yao Beast resembled a tiger, but its stripes were a greenish-gold color.
"Wind Chasing Tiger!" Li Jing exclaimed. This was a Low Grade First-tier Yao Beast, extremely powerful. A Qi Refining First Level Cultivator would surely die if he encountered it.
The appearance of this Wind Chasing Tiger here was likely because it had carried away the previous Utility Disciple.
Upon closer inspection, the Wind Chasing Tiger's hind leg was caught in a huge beast trap, and an iron chain was tied to a large tree. The Wind Chasing Tiger struggled violently, the chain clanging, and the tree's branches and leaves swayed incessantly, indicating its immense strength.
"You beast!"
Li Jing roared. This Wind Chasing Tiger appearing here now was probably to eat him. Now that it was caught in a beast trap, this beast must die today!
The red sun bow was drawn taut again, the bowstring like a full moon. The Wind Chasing Tiger bared its fangs, its blood-red mouth open, staring at Li Jing with extreme ferocity.
With two cold laughs, the red sun bow hummed, and the golden arrow shot out again, instantly piercing through the Wind Chasing Tiger's eye socket.
One arrow blinded the Wind Chasing Tiger and pierced the back of its head, but unexpectedly, the beast was still not dead and began to struggle in its death throes. Even the iron chain connected to the beast trap seemed to be on the verge of breaking.
Li Jing hurriedly continued to draw his bow like a full moon, just about to shoot another arrow, when with a 'snap,' the Wind Chasing Tiger unexpectedly broke free and lunged at his head with its blood-red mouth open.
A foul, fishy stench assaulted him, and the blood-red mouth was so large it seemed capable of swallowing his head whole.
"Buzz!"
The bowstring vibrated, and the golden arrow shot through, entering the Wind Chasing Tiger's mouth and then exiting through the back of its head.
Li Jing's magical power was completely exhausted, and a wave of weakness swept through his body. The Wind Chasing Tiger's massive body, carried by inertia, crashed onto him.
Pushing the Wind Chasing Tiger away with great effort, Li Jing gasped for two breaths. The Wind Chasing Tiger hadn't bitten him to death, but he was nearly crushed to death by it!
Barely standing up, Li Jing's face showed delight. Yao Beasts were treasures from head to toe; their fur could be used to refine talismans and Magical Artifacts.
Their bones could be used to brew wine or to refine Low Grade First-tier Magical Artifacts.
The tiger penis and tiger kidney were even better items; selling them at the market would surely attract numerous Cultivators!
"I'm rich!"
Li Jing's eyes blazed with excitement. This Wind Chasing Tiger could definitely sell for over a hundred Spirit Stones, far more valuable than other Low Grade First-tier Yao Beasts.
Plucking two tiger teeth, Li Jing planned to use them to refine a Magical Artifact. The rest he would sell, which should earn him a good amount of Spirit Stones.
Blood, like mercury, was still flowing from the Wind Chasing Tiger's wound. Li Jing unceremoniously bent down and drank greedily.
Soon, he felt his whole body burning, his skin flushed red, and his manhood stood erect. He put away the Wind Chasing Tiger's corpse and hurried back to his wooden house to sit in meditation and refine the tiger blood.
An hour passed, and Li Jing exhaled a puff of steaming white Qi from his nose, his skin finally returning to normal.
"It's not far to Qi Refining Second Level!"
A smile appeared on Li Jing's face. He could probably breakthrough in another month or so of Cultivation.
"Tomorrow, I'll go inquire if there's a market nearby."
Li Jing mused.
He might as well see if he could buy a cow to bring back. After all, with his small arms and legs, it wouldn't be easy to cultivate all the fields.
No longer dwelling on it, Li Jing ate his spirit rice and took out the Spell given by the Sect to begin comprehending it. His current strength was low, and there might still be Yao Beasts lurking in Cuiwei Mountain.
He was able to take down the Wind Chasing Tiger tonight thanks to the beast trap left by the previous Disciple. If it weren't for him, he would have met with disaster tonight and fallen into the abyss.
The night passed without incident.
As the sun rose, the carriage started.
Li Jing woke up groggily, stretching comfortably. His depleted magical power was replenished.
After a quick wash, he planned to find Yan Jian and others to ask if they knew about any markets.
Yan Jian looked somewhat shifty-eyed and insatiably greedy. Li Jing didn't really want to interact with him, but fortunately, his cultivation was not high, only Qi Refining Third Level. As long as he wasn't ambushed, escaping wouldn't be an issue.
Moreover, he was a Disciple of the Cloud Mist Mountain Li Family. Although he had been driven out, the Family's prestige was something to be used.
The Li Family had a Golden Core Late Stage Old Ancestor, and ordinary people wouldn't dare to provoke him. Once it was discovered that someone dared to harm a member of the Li Family, the consequence would be an unending vendetta.
Stepping into the morning light, Li Jing walked down the mountain. Yan Jian was closest to him, on the adjacent peak called Songfeng Mountain. He could even see the old man with his old arms and legs cutting grass there while he worked.
Just as he reached the foot of the mountain, an old Daoist walked towards him. This person was dressed in rags, his beard was unkempt, and his face was scarred. Wasn't this Yan Jian!
"Fellow Daoist Yan!"
Li Jing greeted him, watching him warily, wondering why this old man was at the foot of his mountain so early in the morning.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Li!"
Yan Jian's wrinkled face broke into a smile, giving him a rather amiable feeling.
"I saw a Fellow Daoist coming here. Are you perhaps looking for me? What matters brings you here?" Li Jing asked, puzzled. He hadn't even gone to look for him yet, but he had come looking for him instead.
"Cough, cough." Yan Jian coughed twice before continuing, "To be honest, I'm looking for a Fellow Daoist because I want to invite you to go to Songfeng Market with me to buy some things."
Li Jing's heart stirred. This worked out perfectly. He was just about to ask where the market was, and unexpectedly, Yan Jian himself came to ask him to go to the market together.
However, he wouldn't agree so easily. If the other party harbored ill intentions, wouldn't he be walking into a trap like a fool?
With this thought, Li Jing narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "I wonder how Fellow Daoist got news of Songfeng Market. If you say so, I wouldn't dare go."
Yan Jian pouted, "You brat, what are you afraid of? I, this old Daoist, won't eat you. This news was told to me by the person on the mountain next to mine. He has been here for three years and naturally knows. This Songfeng Market is also established by the Sect."
Then Yan Jian told Li Jing the location of Songfeng Market.
"Haha, then Fellow Daoist Yan, let's go together. It just so happens that we'll pass by Fellow Daoist Huang's peak on the way, and we can inform her to come along as well."
Li Jing chuckled, not fully trusting Yan Jian. It was a good thing that Huang Yan was on the way; he could call her to come along, which would significantly increase their safety.
"Very well. We Utility Disciples should stick together so we won't be bullied by those old foxes."
Yan Jian nodded and didn't object, perhaps also seeing Li Jing's concern about being robbed and killed.
Then the two headed towards Songfeng Market. The mountain road was extremely rugged and difficult to travel, and even with a Cultivator's stamina, it was quite exhausting.
"Fellow Daoist Yan, I see you have injuries on your body. How did this happen?"
Li Jing glanced at the scars on Yan Jian's face and asked with some confusion.
"Alas, don't mention it. I, this old Daoist, wanted to cut some wood to repair my wooden house, but unexpectedly, a Low Grade First-tier Yao Beast, an Iron-Crested Eagle, was hiding in the tree. The injuries on my face were all from that beast's claws." Yan Jian smiled bitterly, inhaled sharply, and touched the wound on his face, saying, "I'm just going to the market to buy a Medicinal Pill to treat my injuries."