"Are you looking for some spirit herbs?" Nan Xiang asked curiously, sitting down beside Chu Ling Wei.
"Xiang'er," Nan Jin immediately stopped his sister from prying into others' private affairs.
Chu Ling Wei smiled and nodded, "Yes, we are looking for a Shou Yuan Guo, preferably one that is fifty years old."
Shou Yuan Guo is a type of spirit herb used to refine elixirs that increase lifespan. Different aged Shou Yuan Guo, when refined into elixirs, grant varying amounts of extended life. A fifty-year-old Shou Yuan Guo can add ten years to one's lifespan.
Shou Yuan Guo is highly sought after by many, making it very difficult to find a fifty-year-old specimen. Nan Xiang nodded; Grandpa Yu's lifespan was nearing its end, and Shou Yuan Guo was what they needed most right now.
"What kind of spirit herbs do you need? If you need anything, we can exchange it then," Nan Xiang offered, suggesting they could trade what they each required.
"We can accept any spirit herbs."
Nan Xiang and her companions were rogue cultivators without a sect, so they had to earn their cultivation resources themselves. They frequently entered various forests to search for spirit herbs, spirit fruits, and spirit beasts, obtaining items from them to trade for spirit stones, which they then sold. Rogue cultivators had to work much harder than sect disciples, constantly facing danger, yet they were often the strongest in combat.
"If you find a Shou Yuan Guo, can I exchange other things with you for it?" Chu Ling Wei suggested.
Nan Xiang didn't answer immediately but looked at Xia Shi Xun. It seemed that Xia Shi Xun was the true decision-maker of their small group.
"Of course, if we encounter a Shou Yuan Guo, we will keep it aside for you first," Xia Shi Xun agreed. It was going to be sold anyway, so it made no difference who they sold it to.
"Then I thank you in advance," Chu Ling Wei smiled.
"You don't seem to be from around here?" Xia Shi Xun straightened up. Seeing that Chu Ling Wei spoke without reservation, he casually probed, essentially trying to gauge their background. Entering the Thin Sea Forest meant constant danger to one's life, and understanding others' backgrounds could help them make quick arrangements if danger arose. For them, it was a form of security.
"Yes, I grew up in the territory of the Xuan Xin Sect. We came here to look around."
"Is what happened at the Xuan Xin Sect true then?" The incident at the Xuan Xin Sect was the talk of all cultivators on the Xuan Tian Continent, especially Chu Chang's cultivation being crippled and his expulsion from the sect a few days prior, which had caused a huge stir.
"It should be true," Chu Ling Wei nodded.
"I can't believe Chu Chang wouldn't spare his own brother. How cruel and wicked!" Nan Xiang exclaimed in disbelief, finding him truly terrifying.
"Who's to say? There are many wicked people in the world, and most of them are never discovered," Chu Ling Wei sighed. "Take An Yue for example, a cultivator at the Hua Tian realm, who would come to harm people."
An Chen's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing Chu Ling Wei's words.
Nan Xiang nodded emphatically, "The path of cultivation is fraught with danger at every step."
"Nan Xiang, do you know which sect's territory the Thin Sea Forest belongs to?" Chu Ling Wei changed the subject.
"The Thin Sea Forest doesn't belong to any single sect. It lies right between Mount Zhao Yang and the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, but it's not within their territorial range," Nan Xiang explained, having lived here since childhood and knowing the area well. "However, both Mount Zhao Yang and the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect have sect outposts here."
"And some other sect outposts too," Nan Xiang added after a moment's thought.
"Really? I didn't notice?" Chu Ling Wei was surprised. She hadn't seemed to notice any sect outposts here. If there were, perhaps there were cultivation academy outposts as well.
"Not just anyone can know about sect outposts. You need an identity token to find them." Xia Shi Xun could tell from Chu Ling Wei's reaction that she was likely a disciple of some sect, on her first external trial, and unaware of even the most basic things.
Chu Ling Wei turned to look at Yu Qing Hong. He didn't even lift his head, continuing to eat the spirit beast jerky in his hand. Alright, she truly didn't know about this. It seemed she needed to brush up on her general knowledge.
"Our sect is very small and has no outpost," Chu Ling Wei offered as an excuse. Nan Xiang understood, knowing that disciples from small sects often lived difficult lives.
"Little girl, this jerky you made is delicious," Yu Qing Hong said, finishing the last bite of jerky and nodding in satisfaction.
"If Grandpa Yu likes it, you can have more. I made a lot," she said. The jerky in her storage bag was made from the meat of first and second-tier spirit beasts. The meat had a slightly bitter taste that no one wanted. She had specifically added a lot of seasonings to remove the bitterness, making it worthless to her.
"Then I won't be polite," Yu Qing Hong truly wasn't.
"Grandpa Yu, your health is not good. If you eat too much, you won't sleep well tonight," Chu Ling Wei reminded him, truly worried he might eat all of Nan Xiang's jerky and draw suspicion from others.
Yu Qing Hong sighed, "Alas, in the past, I only had cultivation and no chance to eat. Now that it's come to this, if I don't eat more, I might not have another chance."
Chu Ling Wei: "..." Where was the kind and gentle old grandpa he was supposed to be?
"Grandpa Yu, this is the jerky I made. Take it and eat slowly," Nan Xiang said, pausing for a moment at Yu Qing Hong's words. Feeling sympathetic, she took out a small storage pouch and handed it to him.
"Okay, thank you," Yu Qing Hong said with a smile, accepting Nan Xiang's storage pouch. He then looked at Chu Ling Wei, "Wei Wei, we can't just take the little girl's things for free."
"I know," Chu Ling Wei took out twenty low-grade spirit stones from her pocket and stuffed them into Nan Xiang's hand. "Nan Xiang, please accept these. Consider them as us buying food from you."
"This won't do, how can this be..." Nan Xiang blushed and quickly refused.
"There's movement."
Just then, Xia Shi Xun suddenly stood up, his relaxed demeanor vanishing, replaced by intense alertness. His action alerted everyone. Chu Ling Wei quickly shoved the spirit stones into Nan Xiang's hand and stood up, scanning their surroundings.
There was nothing.
"There's nothing there at all?" Song Qing muttered softly. Everyone checked their surroundings using their own methods, finding nothing. Chu Ling Wei frowned; she hadn't detected anything either.
"Fellow Daoist Xia, can you tell us what you discovered?" The area was full of danger, and they couldn't afford to be careless.
"Yes, Fellow Daoist Xia, please tell us carefully about your discovery so we can prepare early. Although it's safe here, we can't guarantee that danger won't strike, especially in the Thin Sea Forest," An Yue said, approaching with a grave expression.
"I seemed to sense a strange aura just now, and it disappeared very quickly," Xia Shi Xun said, staring into the depths of the Thin Sea Forest. He was convinced he hadn't misperceived it. Someone had definitely appeared near them just now.