113: Back to Yellow Maple Valley! Planning! Taking precautions!

Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen: Return to Yellow Maple Valley! Planning! Precautions!

One day later, the familiar outline of the Taiyue Mountain Range came into view.

Lu Qiu did not return to Chixiao Cave directly; instead, he changed direction and flew toward the Yellow Maple Valley Market.

He found a quiet private room in a tea house, and after sitting down, he took out a specific communication Talisman, whispered a few words, and injected magic power to activate it.

The Talisman turned into a streak of faint light and vanished into the depths of the market.

About fifteen minutes later, there was a soft knock on the door of the private room. Lu Qiu waved his hand to remove the simple sound-insulating Restriction, and as the door opened, a steady figure flashed in—it was Zhao Wen.

“Master!” He hurriedly bowed in greeting.

Lu Qiu nodded slightly and gestured for him to sit.

Without wasting any words, he went straight to the point. “I have come this time to give you a new task.”

“Please give your orders, Master.” Zhao Wen's expression turned solemn.

“Use all your channels to secretly inquire about and collect any treasures, Medicinal Pills, spirit Materials, or related Pill Formulas and secret techniques that help Yao Beasts recover from injuries or replenish their Origin. There is no limit on rank or type; as long as it is effective, both information and physical items are acceptable, but ensure it remains discreet. Do not attract attention. Pay special attention to items that have miraculous effects on high-level Yao Beasts,” Lu Qiu said in a deep voice. The injury of the Bloodline Flood Dragon was currently one of his primary concerns.

Although Zhao Wen did not know the specific reason, he replied without hesitation, “Yes! This subordinate understands! I will certainly do my best to search!”

“Go then. If you lack Spirit Stones, message me at any time. If there is urgent news, you may also come directly to Chixiao Cave,” Lu Qiu waved his hand.

“This subordinate takes his leave!” Zhao Wen accepted the order and quickly withdrew.

After Zhao Wen left, Lu Qiu set up a Formation in the private room to block detection and Divine Sense scans before finally relaxing completely.

With a thought, he communicated with the gray spatial bead.

With a flash of light, the Bloodline Flood Dragon—still only a foot long, dark red all over, and curled up like a sleeping little snake—appeared on the table in front of him.

For the past month, to avoid the potentially repeated Divine Sense scans from the Tianxing Sect Core Formation Cultivator Core Formation, Lu Qiu had kept the Bloodline Flood Dragon inside the spatial bead. He hadn't even dared to use his Divine Sense to observe it too much, fearing even a sliver of aura might leak.

Now, having finally returned to the relatively safe sphere of influence of the Yellow Maple Valley, he dared to take it out for a careful inspection.

The Bloodline Flood Dragon was still in its deepest state of hibernation, its aura so weak it was almost undetectable. If not for the unbreakable master-servant connection, one might even think its life force had been extinguished.

Upon closer observation, he could feel the weight of its heart-stopping injuries—the cracks on the Demon Core nearing a breaking point, the near-total depletion of Essence Blood, and the new wounds on its Primordial Spirit left by the Spirit Shocking Thorn, superimposed on its old injuries.

“Injuries on top of injuries... If not treated soon, it might truly damage its foundation and affect its future potential, or it might never wake up again.” Lu Qiu frowned slightly.

Although he previously had the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis as a trump card to fight an Early Stage Core Formation Cultivator and held the full version of the Inverting Five Elements Array refined by Xin Ruyin, he might not necessarily have lacked the power to deal with or even counter that Core Formation if they had truly clashed.

But he did not dare to gamble.

The background and methods of a Core Formation Cultivator were difficult to predict. Who knew if the opponent carried powerful Magic Treasures or Talismans bestowed by their Sect?

What if the commotion of the battle attracted other Tianxing Sect Cultivators, or if another Core Formation Elder was nearby?

At that point, the best outcome for him would likely be being forced to use that precious ten thousand mile teleportation talisman to flee for his life, or he might expose even more of his hidden cards.

For the sake of safety, lying low and hiding was the best choice.

“The priority now is to find a way to treat its injuries.”

Lu Qiu collected his thoughts and took out an ancient-looking green Jade Slip from his Storage Pouch—the qingyang elixir analysis.

This was a comprehensive classic on Medicinal Pills he had obtained in his early years, containing many ancient formulas and Alchemy insights, including several Pill Formulas specifically for Yao Beasts.

He sank his Divine Sense into the Jade Slip, searching carefully through the vast ocean of Pill Formula information.

Time passed slowly. He skipped many ordinary or low-rank Pill Formulas, finally stopping at a corner labeled “Healing Chapter.”

[beast essence spirit replenishing pill]

[Effect: Specifically treats Yao Beasts suffering from physical decline, dissipated life force, and weakened strength due to heavy injuries, damaged Origin, or depleted Essence Blood. It can repair physical damage, nourish the Demon Core, replenish Origin Essence Blood, and awaken dormant life force.]

[Main Ingredients: thousand-year crimson blood essence vine, earth spirit ganoderma over five hundred years old, three-hundred-year dew condensation grass... plus several auxiliary medicines.]

[Refining Requirements: Requires a Rank 3 or higher Alchemist. Must be refined slowly over a long period using Earth Fire or Pill Fire. Temperature control must be extremely precise; avoid impatient, intense fire.]

[Note: This pill is extremely gentle with long-lasting medicinal power, making it especially suitable for the gradual recovery of heavily injured and weakened Yao Beasts. However, the thousand-year crimson blood essence vine is difficult to find and can only be encountered by chance.]

“thousand-year crimson blood essence vine...” Lu Qiu's gaze fixed on the main ingredient requirement, and his brow furrowed again.

thousand-year spirit herb was already precious, and this Crimson Blood Essence Vine was even more specialized—a rare material for refining certain blood-path pills or high-level healing pills, almost never seen in ordinary markets.

Pill Formulas using it as a main ingredient were even rarer.

“It seems I will have to find Junior Brother Han.” Han Li's face flashed across Lu Qiu's mind.

With Han Li's ability to mature Spirit Medicine using the Heaven-Palming Vial, he never lacked various rare, high-year Spirit Medicines.

Trading with or purchasing the thousand-year crimson blood essence vine from him was undoubtedly the most likely and fastest path.

Having made up his mind, Lu Qiu quickly left a message for Zhao Wen before leaving the market, riding his Escape Light, and quietly returning to Chixiao Cave.

The Immortal Cave's Restrictions opened, and the familiar Spiritual Qi and faint fragrance of flowers greeted him.

“Husband Lu, you're back.” Xin Ruyin, who had been waiting in the hall, immediately came forward, her clear eyes full of joy and concern.

She keenly noticed a hint of travel-weariness and fatigue between Lu Qiu's brows.

Lu Qiu stepped forward, gently pulled her into his arms, smelled the fragrance in her hair, and felt the peace within the Immortal Cave. His tightly wound heart finally relaxed completely.

“Yes, I'm back. Everything went smoothly,” he said softly. He did not mention the dangers of the Panlong River, only tightening his embrace.

Xin Ruyin did not ask much either; she just hugged him back gently and patted his back. “It's good that you're back.”

That night, the long-awaited reunion was naturally filled with tenderness and passion.

The spirit spring gurgled and the red candles flickered, keeping the frost and schemes of the outside world at bay... The next day, the first light of dawn appeared.

Lu Qiu finished his morning lessons by the spirit eye spring, sank his mind, and routinely inspected the re-organized Opportunity information for the day.

[white information: Twenty miles southeast of the outskirts of the Taiyue Mountain Range, in the depths of an abandoned mine shaft, a small amount of Refined Iron Ore remains in a rock crevice.]

[white information: At the third stall on the East Street of the Yellow Maple Valley Market, an old man will be selling three twenty-year-old common Blood-Stopping Grasses at noon today, at a price slightly below market value.]

[white information: ...]

A series of white information followed, trivial in content and low in value.

Lu Qiu shook his head, not surprised.

He had been active in the vicinity of the Taiyue Mountain Range and Yellow Maple Valley for a long time. With the information gathering ability of his Golden Finger, he had already scavenged most of the Opportunities suitable for his current cultivation.

Now, it was becoming increasingly difficult to easily obtain valuable silver or even golden Opportunities here.

“The 'wool' of the Taiyue Mountain Range has been plucked almost clean.” Lu Qiu thought to himself, “I still need to go out and travel.”

He examined his current situation:

He had just broken through to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage not long ago, and his Realm was completely stable.

The Great Evolution Art had successfully broken through to the Third Layer, and his Divine Sense was comparable to an Early Stage Core Formation Cultivator.

The Spirit Shocking Thorn had also been practiced to the sixth layer, its power greatly increased.

He also had potential spirit pets like the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis, Bloodline Flood Dragon (though heavily injured), Purple Crystal Sable, Illusion Spirit Butterflies, Ice Soul Snake, and Wind Thunder Falcon fledgling.

His overall strength was enough to look down on the Foundation Establishment Stage and even contend with Early Stage Core Formation Cultivators.

In the short term, whether it was magic power Cultivation or Divine Sense abilities, he had reached a relatively stable period where rapid Breakthroughs were difficult.

Continuing to sit in the Immortal Cave for bitter Cultivation wouldn't yield much.

Traveling outside would allow him to search for new Opportunities and use his Golden Finger to “find treasures” in a wider world; on the other hand, it could also temper his Heart-Nature, increase his knowledge, and accumulate a foundation for future Breakthroughs.

More importantly... Lu Qiu's gaze became profound as he looked outside the Immortal Cave, as if piercing through the mist of the Taiyue Mountain Range to see the more distant future.

“In a few years, it will be the Demonic Path's invasion.”

According to the original plot, the time when the Six Demonic Sects would invade the State of Yue and start a massive war in the Heavenly South cultivation world was not far off.

At that time, the Seven Sects of Yue would find it hard to resist, and this place would surely fall into bloody war, lives would be lost, and the cultivation order would collapse.

Even a major Sect like Yellow Maple Valley would find it hard to stay out of it, either migrating or fighting to the death, with countless Disciples dying.

When the nest is overturned, are there any whole eggs?

Although Lu Qiu had some strength and trump cards, in the face of a Sect war where even Nascent Soul old monsters might take action, he was still as small as an ant.

Staying in the State of Yue would be high risk with too many variables.

“The best way is naturally to find that Ancient Teleportation Formation in advance and head to the Chaotic Star Sea!”

The Chaotic Star Sea was a vast sea area rich in resources!

Yao Beasts roamed there, treasures were everywhere, the distribution of Sect forces was very different from the Heavenly South, and it had unique Cultivation methods and Opportunities.

With his Golden Finger, in such a new world with abundant resources and more Opportunities, he could definitely develop much faster than being stuck in the State of Yue!

“I must make preparations in advance.” Lu Qiu's eyes showed the light of calm and determined thought.

Finding the specific location of the Ancient Teleportation Formation, collecting the rare Materials needed to repair it, planning the timing and route of departure, and arranging the whereabouts of Xin Ruyin and Xiao Mei... each of these things required time, resources, and planning.

Bitter Cultivation in seclusion wouldn't solve the imminent survival crisis.

Only by taking the initiative, making good use of the next few years of buffer, taking precautions, accumulating strength, and clearing an escape route could he carve out a stable world in the future storms!