Outside Bluestone Town, there was an unnamed bamboo forest. Zhao Qian first heard of this place three months ago, in the Yunze Black Market.

It was a gloomy, rainy day. He had just exchanged his remaining few Spirit Stones for a bottle of inferior Healing Pills. As he emerged from the alley, he was stopped by an old man wearing a bamboo hat.

“Want to get rich?” the old man’s voice was hoarse.

Zhao Qian almost slashed him with his sword right then and there. In the Cultivation World, eight or nine times out of ten, an opening remark like this was followed by a trap.

But the old man’s next words gave him pause.

“Silver Moon Grass.”

Zhao Qian’s sword stopped. Silver Moon Grass, he had seen it recorded in a dilapidated Compendium of Spiritual Herbs: it took a hundred years to mature, and when refined into a pill, it could wash the marrow and temper the body, offering a tremendous chance to improve one’s Spiritual Root.

“You’re probably thinking, would such a good thing ever fall into your lap?” The old man grinned, revealing a few yellow teeth. “You’re right, it wouldn’t. But this stalk is different.”

The old man told him that this Silver Moon Grass grew in a naturally formed terrain of dormant spiritual energy, which was why it had not yet been discovered by any major powers. The reason he knew about it was because thirty years ago, he had personally witnessed the phenomenon of that bamboo forest glowing on a moonlit night.

“Why are you telling me?”

“Because I’m about to die.” The old man rolled up his sleeve, revealing a black line spreading from his wrist to his shoulder. “Bone-Corroding Curse. There’s no saving me. I’ve guarded it for thirty years, and I don’t want to let it rot in the ground.”

Zhao Qian hesitated for three whole days. What finally made up his mind was not the temptation of opening a Spiritual Root, but a more realistic reason: his Cultivation Base had been stuck at Peak Foundation Establishment for 20 years, and he had been unable to break through.

The Moonlight Power contained within the Silver Moon Grass itself, even if not refined into a pill, could be directly refined and absorbed, which was enough to help him charge at the Golden Core bottleneck.

He found two rogue cultivator friends who were equally desperate. The three of them scraped together the last of their wealth, bought some Healing Pills, and rushed all the way from Yunze Market to Bluestone Town.

Following the strange fragrance, they found this bamboo forest, only to discover that the Silver Moon Grass still needed a day and a night to fully mature.

For that day and night, they guarded the bamboo forest without taking a single step away. What Zhao Qian didn’t know was that the old man actually had ulterior motives.

Lai Li’an settled the bill and led Su Wan’er out of the inn.

The early morning Bluestone Town was shrouded in a thin layer of mist. There were not many pedestrians on the street yet. A few breakfast stalls had just been set up, and the bamboo steamers were puffing out vast white steam.

Su Wan’er followed behind Lai Li’an, her footsteps much brisker.

She was very full from that bowl of noodles.

Although the noodles had clumped together, and the broth was merely seasoned with lard and chopped green onions, it was the most delicious meal she had eaten in over a decade.

The two walked along the main street toward the outside of town. Passing by a stall selling steamed buns, Lai Li’an’s footsteps paused slightly, but he held back and did not buy any.

He was already full from the bowl of noodles just now.

Besides, the look in Su Wan’er’s eyes when she looked at him was already complicated enough; he didn’t want to add to her confusion.

Outside the town, the distant mountains were shrouded in a faint layer of azure mist, looming indistinctly.

Lai Li’an continued walking forward.

Neither fast nor slow, his pace was unhurried.

Su Wan’er followed behind him. She hesitated for a moment before speaking up.

“Senior, those three people last night…”

“Hm?”

“This junior sensed their auras heading toward the back of the town, and they never returned.” Su Wan’er weighed her words carefully. “This junior feels… they weren’t coming for us, but rather looking for something.”

Lai Li’an didn’t stop walking, but his heart stirred slightly.

Looking for something? He pondered for a moment before replying indifferently, “Pay it no mind.”

Su Wan’er obediently acknowledged and said no more.

The two walked for about two hours. The sun gradually rose, the mist dissipated, and the sky became a clear, washed blue.

Lai Li’an walked in front. On the surface, he looked completely calm and unbothered, but his mind had not rested for a single moment.

Three cultivators appearing in a small mortal town, this matter was not that simple.

Although there was no strict boundary between the Cultivation World and the Mortal Realm, cultivators usually wouldn’t easily step into places where mortals gathered. It wasn’t that they looked down on mortals, but rather that the spiritual energy in the mortal realm was too thin, offering no benefits for cultivation.

Those three people sneaking into Bluestone Town in the middle of the night were definitely not here for sightseeing.

Lai Li’an thought of two possibilities.

One was that they were just passing by. Cultivators traveling would occasionally stay at mortal inns, which was quite normal.

But if they were just passing by, why would they sneak around downstairs before dawn? They could have just checked in openly.

The other possibility was that they were looking for something.

What could be worth a cultivator coming to a small mortal town to find? A treasure, a rare heavenly material, or something else?

Lai Li’an’s heartbeat accelerated slightly, but he quickly calmed down.

No matter what it was, it had nothing to do with him.

The most important thing for him right now was to maintain the quality of Su Wan’er’s fantasies, stabilize his Cultivation Base first, and wait until he had enough strength before thinking about anything else.

Treasures and the like were best ignored.

After walking for about another hour, Su Wan’er, following behind, suddenly frowned. Her Spiritual Sense quietly spread out, and her expression changed slightly. She hurriedly stepped forward and called out softly, “Senior!”

Hearing her voice, Lai Li’an stopped, turned to look at her, and asked calmly, “What is it?”

“Up… up ahead… it’s the aura of those three cultivators from last night!” Su Wan’er’s Spiritual Sense was sharp, and she had already locked onto their position. Her face was slightly anxious. “We unknowingly walked right up behind them. Just ahead is a bamboo forest, and they’re inside!”

Lai Li’an was taken aback. He subconsciously looked up and indeed saw a lush green patch not far ahead, which was exactly a densely packed bamboo forest.

He felt slightly embarrassed. He had been so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he hadn’t paid attention to their route, blindly wandering right into them.

Should they take a detour? The thought had just arisen when he suppressed it. In front of Su Wan’er, he had always maintained the image of a calm, composed, and unfathomable senior expert. If he were to hastily turn back now, wouldn’t that expose his cowardice?

It would make it seem like he was afraid of those three cultivators. Where would his demeanor as an expert be then?

In a split second, Lai Li’an steadied his mind. His face remained completely unruffled, as if he had anticipated this all along. He simply nodded faintly. “It matters not.”

Since they were already here, there was no reason to run away. They were just three Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Hadn’t he killed a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator with a single punch before? Why should he avoid them now?

Seeing his calm expression without the slightest hint of surprise, a look of admiration suddenly welled up in Su Wan’er’s eyes: Senior is truly unfathomable! He must have sensed the traces of the cultivators long ago. Walking forward like this is definitely not a blunder; he must have a well-thought-out plan! To think she was actually worried, she was truly being shallow.

Ding!

Hmm? Why did this little girl generate Fantasy Points again? He hadn’t even done anything. However, the fact that this little girl could actually detect the location of those three people did surprise him a bit.

Lai Li’an took a deep breath and made a decision.

“We go west.”

Su Wan’er was slightly taken aback, internally guessing Senior’s intentions. An expert like Senior certainly wouldn’t stoop to coveting other people’s opportunities; perhaps he had some other plan in mind.

She didn’t ask any further questions and simply nodded, “Yes, Senior.”

After walking for about the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, the two arrived at a bamboo forest.

The bamboo forest was vast, with densely packed bamboo stalks blotting out the sky and the sun. There was only a single winding path, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, meandering within it.

The moment Lai Li’an stepped into the bamboo forest, he suddenly felt a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy.

If his current Cultivation Base hadn’t reached Peak Foundation Establishment, he wouldn’t have noticed it at all.

Su Wan’er obviously felt it too. Her footsteps paused slightly, and she looked at Lai Li’an, hesitating to speak.

Lai Li’an didn’t say anything, simply continuing forward. Deep within the bamboo forest, the spiritual energy fluctuations were becoming more and more obvious.

His expression remained calm, but he slowed his pace slightly.

Right at this moment, a faint sound came from ahead; it was someone talking.

Lai Li’an stopped in his tracks and listened closely.

Su Wan’er also stopped. Her Spiritual Sense was sharper than Lai Li’an’s, and she quickly locked onto the source of the voices.

“Senior,” Su Wan’er lowered her voice, “those three people are up ahead.”

Lai Li’an nodded, then took a few steps forward.

He walked unhurriedly, his gray robe brushing gently through the bamboo forest.

The view ahead suddenly opened up. In the clearing stood a dilapidated stone pavilion, and inside that pavilion stood three people.

One of them had thin eyebrows and narrow eyes, looking to be around 40 years old, while the other two were much younger, in their early 20s.

Hearing the footsteps, all three turned their heads simultaneously.

Three lines of sight landed on Lai Li’an, then swept over Su Wan’er behind him.

The middle-aged man frowned slightly, his gaze lingering on Lai Li’an for a moment as if sensing his Cultivation Base.

Peak Foundation Establishment. His frown deepened; this was considered quite a good Cultivation Base among rogue cultivators.

Then, his gaze shifted to Su Wan’er: Late Foundation Establishment.

Two Foundation Establishment Cultivators, one man and one woman, appearing in this barren, wild bamboo forest. Was it a coincidence, or were they here for the same thing?

The man’s hand quietly gripped the Magic Tool at his waist, but a friendly smile appeared on his face.

“Two fellow Daoists,” the older man cupped his hands in greeting, “may I ask where you came from?”

Lai Li’an stopped in his tracks, his gaze sweeping lightly over the three of them.

The System Panel popped up.

Lai Li’an breathed a slight sigh of relief in his heart.

As long as it wasn’t a Golden Core, this would be easy to handle.

His expression remained unchanged as he replied indifferently, “Just passing by.”

Zhao Qian’s gaze circled Lai Li’an’s face a couple of times, trying to find a flaw in this expressionless face, but he found nothing.

This face was as calm as a pool of still water, causing Zhao Qian to feel a slight sense of unease.

A rogue cultivator at Peak Foundation Establishment facing three cultivators of the same realm should at least be somewhat vigilant, even if not afraid. Yet this person stood there without showing the slightest emotion.

This casualness was either an act, or he truly did not take them seriously at all.

Zhao Qian leaned towards the former, but that woman was also at Late Foundation Establishment; her strength could not be underestimated.

If they really started fighting, the outcome would be unpredictable.

Moreover, they hadn’t come here to fight.

The smile on Zhao Qian’s face deepened a bit.

“So you’re just passing by,” Zhao Qian chuckled. “I am a rogue cultivator named Zhao Qian, and these two are my companions. May I ask how to address you two fellow Daoists?”