After staying only one day in Liancheng, Li Yushan set off on the road again with Mo Tiange.
Mo Tiange didn't know where he was going, only seeing him press a jade piece about two fingers wide against his forehead, closing his eyes in deep thought. She was curious but didn't dare ask. However, when Li Yushan put the object away, he noticed her expression and smiled. "You've never seen this before, have you? This is called a jade slip. Like bamboo slips, it's used by cultivators to record information. You read or write with your Divine Sense. Here, give it a try."
Perhaps because he was in a good mood, he didn't scowl at her at all, instead greeting her with a smile. Li Yushan pressed the object to her forehead and said, "Try it. Separate a wisp of your Divine Sense and enter the jade slip. This doesn't require Spiritual Power."
Mo Tiange was still very unfamiliar with the use of Divine Sense, normally only using it to sense if anyone approached her small hut, and she was still wary of Li Yushan. However, she didn't dare refuse Li Yushan either, so she tentatively separated a wisp of her Divine Sense. As her Divine Sense touched the jade, it was instantly submerged, and then a model of a mountain appeared in her mind. It was more like a mountain range than a single mountain—it was extremely long. A few points were sporadically marked on it, some labeled with sects, some with marketplaces, and so on. This broadened her horizons immensely.
Li Yushan put away the jade slip and said, "This is Kunwu Mountain. The Spirit Veins in our Tianji Region are different from elsewhere. It's said that in other places, Spirit Veins are scattered and distributed, but only in our Tianji, the largest and most important Spirit Vein is the Kunwu Mountain Range. Other Spirit Veins are only sporadically distributed and are far from comparable."
Mo Tiange had some understanding of this as well. Kunwu Mountain was enormous, so most Loose Cultivators would go there to cultivate. Could it be that Li Yushan was also heading to Kunwu?
Li Yushan had already said, "For us Loose Cultivators, Kunwu is still the best. With such a large Spirit Vein, there are some places without sects or cultivation families. Cultivating on a Spirit Vein is far better than in the mortal world." As he spoke, he addressed her gently again, "You see, staying in your mortal home is not as good as following me. Cultivating will be much faster than you practicing alone."
Mo Tiange didn't know what scheme he was plotting now—no longer coercion but enticement. Perhaps he thought that if she listened to him, it would be more convenient in the future?
How could she know that Li Yushan's behavior was simply because he thought she was still young and certainly had no firm opinions. By mixing kindness and intimidation like this, she might gradually come to obey him. Especially yesterday, when he saw Mo Tiange didn't have an extreme reaction, he felt it was very possible. Since he intended to keep her by his side long-term, an obedient Cauldron was always better than a disobedient one.
Seeing that although she was sullen, she had no other reaction, his mood improved even more. He spoke to her again, "When we reach Kunwu, we'll find a place to cultivate properly. If you behave obediently, I'll take you to try and join a sect. If you can enter a sect, you could say your future would be bright."
A look of longing appeared on his face. Turning his head, he saw Mo Tiange still had a dazed expression and unconsciously frowned, thinking that analyzing benefits with a child—where would she understand? He couldn't help feeling somewhat angry, snorted, turned his head, and ignored her again.
However, Mo Tiange wished for nothing more. Enduring her anger towards Li Yushan was already making her feel very uncomfortable.
The carriage continued forward, and Li Yushan began meditating to cultivate again. The space was so small that Mo Tiange didn't dare take out the Liuli Bead to cause trouble again. After thinking it over, she continued to take out the book Li Yushan gave her yesterday and kept flipping through it.
This book was clearly not made of paper; it seemed more like it was made from the skin of some beast, soft to the touch and making no sound when turned. Presumably, things in the cultivation world were certainly very different from the mortal world. Even without using jade slips, this paper wasn't ordinary paper either.
Glancing at Li Yushan again and seeing he wasn't paying attention to her, she felt relieved and slowly turned the pages.
Actually, some spirit herbs existed in the mortal world as well, like ginseng and lingzhi, but they needed to be very old to be useful. Moreover, in the cultivation world, these could only be considered low-grade spirit herbs.
Turning page after page, her hand paused.
Yuxin Flower, usable after growing for ten years. One of the ingredients for Soul-Dazing Powder. Its pollen can cause the flow of Spiritual Qi to slow. For low-level cultivators, it can cause Spiritual Qi to temporarily become unable to circulate.
She looked up at Li Yushan, saw he was cultivating with his eyes closed, and then carefully read it again. There were pictures and explanations, but no solution. Hesitating for a long time, she continued flipping through the book. Since it introduced functions, perhaps she could flip to something that could counteract this state.
Holding onto this hope, she carefully went through them one by one.
Suddenly, she felt a fluctuation of Spiritual Qi. This fluctuation wasn't because someone nearby was cultivating, but rather the feeling of Spiritual Qi colliding over a large area. Just as she was puzzled, Li Yushan opened his eyes, then revealed an excited expression. "Someone is engaging in Dharma Combat here."
Mo Tiange was somewhat surprised. They hadn't left home long, yet they had already encountered cultivators, and they were engaged in Dharma Combat. However, why was Li Yushan so excited? Wasn't he afraid of being caught up in it?
Thinking this, she heard him order the carriage to stop, then command the coachman to wait here, pulling Mo Tiange out of the carriage.
"Follow closely. Right now, your Spiritual Qi can't circulate; only I can protect you, understand?" After saying this, he didn't wait for her answer and slowly walked towards the source of the Spiritual Qi fluctuation.
Since confirming she had no ability to resist, Mo Tiange had faced his threats and inducements with an appearance of fear and not daring to speak. Li Yushan had gradually grown accustomed to her silence. For him, as long as she was obedient, it was fine.
The two of them, one in front and one behind, hadn't walked far when they clearly heard sounds.
Sometimes dull, as if two streams of Spiritual Qi collided; sometimes sharp, as if weapons clashed.
Suddenly, a streak of bright light cut across the sky—a very dazzling ball of fire. Only then did Mo Tiange see two people floating in the sky. Both wore Daoist robes, but the styles were vastly different. One wore green, the other blue.
That ball of fire was precisely what the green-robed person released. Under the green-robed person's control, the ball of fire pounced towards the blue-robed person. The blue-robed person, however, held a sword horizontally, blocking it, and actually deflected the fireball back.
Li Yushan's expression changed, and he turned to leave. "Quick, let's go. This isn't idle business we can meddle in."
Mo Tiange roughly understood that these two people had extremely high cultivation levels, but she couldn't figure out why Li Yushan had been so excited at first.
The two people flying in mid-air seemed to have discovered their presence. The green-robed person coldly snorted, flicked his hand, and a ball of fire came towards them.
Li Yushan hurriedly pulled her into a frantic run.
Mo Tiange was also startled and quickly followed, not daring to look back even once.
That ball of fire suddenly chased after them but veered off, striking beside them. Li Yushan broke out in a cold sweat, not daring to stop, and hastily made himself scarce.
The two of them ran for a while, finally returning to the carriage. Ordering the coachman to hurry on, Li Yushan looked utterly terrified.
After a long while, calming his breathing, he said, "Do you know what cultivation level those two people just now were at?"
Mo Tiange shook her head.
He snorted lightly and said, "Those were two experts at Qi Refining Level 8. Killing us would be effortless. If they weren't busy with their Dharma Combat and couldn't be bothered with us, we'd probably be ashes by now." After saying this, a look of longing appeared on his face again. "If only I could cultivate to that realm, I'd have a chance to enter a cultivation sect."
After speaking, he grew nervous again, no longer paying attention to Mo Tiange, sitting in meditation to regulate his breathing, occasionally turning his head to look around.
Mo Tiange, however, was thinking at this moment: if only she had such cultivation, then she could trample Li Yushan underfoot... She secretly clenched her fists. She must endure. One day, she would cultivate to that realm, and then...