"Go to Minggu?" Ling Yuxiu hesitated for a moment and said, "The ancestral grandmother of the Si family said that Minggu is extremely dangerous. Even the experts from Tian Sheng Jiao and the great shamans and witch kings from Lou Lan Huang Jin Gong explored it and suffered heavy casualties. How much more so for us?"
Qin Mu's resolve remained firm. He said, "That place might be connected to my origins. No matter what, I have to go there. This is my personal matter, unrelated to the Saint Cult or to you all. I can go alone."
He stood up and left the Duzao Factory, calling for Long Qilin. Long Qilin was sleeping outside the factory and quickly got up upon hearing him, shaking off his drowsiness. "Is it the second day already? Is it time to eat?"
Qin Mu leaped onto his back and said gruffly, "It's not the second day! All you do is sleep and eat—what's the point of having you? We're heading to Qing Men Guan!"
Long Qilin yawned, flames forming under his feet as he dashed northwestward. "Teach Main, you've gained weight. You're at least two hundred jin heavier than before."
Qin Mu was furious. "Nonsense! I've lost a lot of weight lately from forging swords, and the swords in my bag add only about a hundred jin at most. It's clearly you who's gotten fatter!"
Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang rushed out after him, only to see Long Qilin already soaring into the sky and traveling over ten li away.
Ling Yuxiu frowned. "Even if we go, we should make thorough preparations first. That cowherd is being too reckless, underestimating the dangers of Minggu."
Si Yunxiang rubbed her backside again; Qin Mu's slap had been so hard that both cheeks still stung. She said, "Tian Sheng Jiao isn't short on experts. Ever since I was kidnapped by Long Jiaonü last time, Yutian Wang and Shitian Wang have been uneasy—they're probably nearby. Don't worry; if there's danger, they won't just stand by. But it's a pity..."
She trailed off, lost in thought, then suddenly added, "If the Saint Teach Main dies in Minggu, the Saintess could naturally take over as Teach Main. Too bad I didn't go with him to Minggu—otherwise, the Saint Teach Main would really end up dead there..."
Ling Yuxiu became alert and sneered, "You little fox spirit, if you dare plot against the cowherd, I'll break your legs and make your body spell out the character 'chu'!"
Si Yunxiang giggled. "You little flirt, I've had my eye on you for a while too. You strut around with your big chest, getting in the way and blocking my chances to make a move."
The two girls locked eyes, finding each other insufferable, and turned away, heading off in opposite directions.
Si Yunxiang's gaze flickered as her Qian Si Jian quietly unfurled, slithering like tiny spirit snakes into the ground and stealthily approaching Ling Yuxiu.
At the same time, the Jiu Long Bing behind Ling Yuxiu extended its form, its dragon scales shifting silently into position, claws extending sharp blades as the dragon-shaped spirit weapons quietly flew toward Si Yunxiang.
"I've had enough of you!"
The two erupted almost simultaneously, unleashing fierce and deadly attacks on each other. Ling Yuxiu's dress was sliced by the Qian Si Jian emerging from underground, barely dodging the deadly entanglement, while Si Yunxiang danced like a butterfly, evading the Jiu Long assault.
Ling Yuxiu flipped through the air, slamming her palm onto the ground. A terrifying surge of vital energy erupted, shaking the earth with a rumble as a stone pillar burst forth, forcing Si Yunxiang to leap into the sky.
Ling Yuxiu sprang up in a few steps, grabbing the Jiu Long Bing. Thunder and fire gathered into the Jiu Long hammer, which she smashed down.
"I said I'd make you spell out 'chu,' and I won't go back on my word!"
Si Yunxiang giggled as her Qian Si Jian struck from behind Ling Yuxiu, the silver threads swelling like thin snakes and slashing toward her head. "How do your skills compare to Fo Zi's? I'll make you spell out 'tian' by chopping off your head!"
In the Duzao Factory, many disciples from Tian Gong Hall came out and looked up, witnessing the fierce battle in the sky. Suddenly, Si Yunxiang was blasted down, startling the disciples and leaving them unsure whether to intervene.
Then they saw Si Yunxiang vanish and reappear behind Ling Yuxiu, striking her and making her spit blood.
"This... we should just ignore it," one Xiangzhu said. "It's a matter of jealousy and rivalry. Helping either side would be hard to explain to the Teach Main. Let's pretend we saw nothing."
Everyone nodded and dispersed.
Long Qilin's speed was impressive, and by evening, they arrived at Qing Men Guan. The atmosphere there was tense. The commanding general, Bian Zhenyun, was an old acquaintance of Qin Mu's and hurried to greet him. "Divine Doctor, what brings you here?"
"I'm planning to pass through Qing Men Guan and head to Minggu." Qin Mu explained his purpose and added, "It's getting dark, so we can't enter Da Ru yet. We plan to rest here for the night. General, how are things at the border lately?"
Bian Zhenyun shook his head, his expression grave. "The situation isn't good. Over the past few months, Man Di Guo has been reinforcing their troops, and there are now many strong warriors from Lou Lan Huang Jin Gong. I heard that their envoy, Qian Kang, secretly returned to the grasslands, so it seems Man Di Guo plans to attack Yan Kang while it's weak. Just a few days ago, I spotted some people who looked like they were from Lang Ju Xu Guo while observing the barbarian stronghold opposite us. Recently, their scouts have been active, roaming between the two passes and acting arrogantly. I'm afraid..."
He looked worried and continued, "I've already sent urgent reports to the emperor. If the barbarians attack, Qing Men Guan alone won't hold them off. Qin Divine Doctor, I should send experts to escort you to Minggu, but I simply can't spare the manpower."
Qin Mu laughed. "The general must prioritize the bigger picture, so don't worry about me. I'm just going to Minggu, not the grasslands, so I won't clash with the barbarians."
As night fell and darkness encroached, Qin Mu gazed across and saw lights blazing in the enemy camp a hundred li away, as bright as day with a massive force stationed there.
In the morning, Qin Mu got up, washed, ate breakfast, and fed Long Qilin. Bian Zhenyun saw him off at the pass, saying, "Divine Doctor, I can't accompany you further, or the enemy might launch an attack. I'll have our scouts follow from a distance to protect you. Stay safe."
Qin Mu thanked him and rode on Long Qilin's back toward the neutral zone known as the Duck's Tongue Strip.
Behind him, scouts from Qing Men Guan on various spirit beasts followed at a distance. When they reached the center of the Duck's Tongue Strip, figures suddenly appeared from the opposite side—strange-dressed riders on grassland spirit beasts, likely scouts from Man Di Guo.
The two sides spotted each other and immediately clashed, with sword pellets and blade pellets flying everywhere, clanging against one another.
The Qing Men Guan scouts quickly opened several gourds, releasing roaring clouds and mist that blanketed over ten li, limiting visibility to just a dozen zhang.
Both sides lost sight of each other in the fog, bringing an unexpected quiet.
Qin Mu activated his Qing Xiao Tian Yan, piercing through the mist to find their way. Long Qilin carried him forward through the clouds toward the rear of the Duck's Tongue Strip.
"The emperor has indeed followed my advice, turning clouds and mist into weapons. With so many troops from Man Di Guo, breaking through Qing Men Guan will be tough for them."
The Duck's Tongue Strip stretched for a thousand li, part of Da Ru, serving as a barrier between the two countries at night.
Entering Da Ru, the greatest danger was the darkness. As a native abandoned one from Da Ru, Qin Mu knew the key risks and scanned around for ruins or stone statues.
If he couldn't return to Qing Men Guan before nightfall, he'd have to spend the night in Da Ru, so he needed a safe place to stay.
The Duck's Tongue Strip was eerily quiet, with no birds or beasts in sight along the way.
Qin Mu's face grew serious; the absence of any living creatures meant there were no safe spots here. At night, even Da Ru's spirit beasts couldn't survive in this area.
He passed a lake, its waters a deep blue like a gem, perfectly still without a ripple.
It was a dead lake, devoid of any fish or shrimp.
"There's nowhere to hide from the darkness in this lake."
Qin Mu steadied himself and pressed on. Unaware, Long Qilin led them into increasingly rugged mountains, where a canyon appeared before them.
Riding on Long Qilin's back, Qin Mu saw trees growing chaotically in the canyon, sprouting from the cliffs and defying gravity, stretching horizontally to cover the sky above.
It felt like entering an upside-down, chaotic world, where the cliffs seemed like the ground.
The massive trees were ancient, some so thick that dozens of people couldn't encircle them. Their roots twisted like coiling dragons, and beneath them, ghost fires and phosphorescence revealed the bones of giant beasts—some beasts Qin Mu couldn't even identify.
Strangely, these skeletons clung to the cliffs, not the valley floor.
Leaves fallen from the trees didn't drift to the bottom but landed on the cliffs, leaving the canyon oddly clean without any debris.
Long Qilin accidentally bumped a floating boulder, which spun away and hovered in the air.
Ahead in the valley path, more boulders floated, varying in size.
"Teach Main, have we entered Minggu?" Long Qilin asked in his deep voice.
Qin Mu nodded. "We should be in the vicinity of Minggu. But the lack of other creatures here is unsettling..."
He had just spoken when voices echoed from ahead: "...You always insist on eating them raw, but I prefer them cooked, about seven-tenths done—grilled over fire until the oil drips, tender inside. Some people have come these past few days, and they tasted great, but you had to eat them raw. Look, you've dirtied yourself."
"Seven-tenths done isn't tasty; it lacks freshness. Better to grill it just enough to burn off the fur, then eat while it's still squealing—that's the most delicious..."
"Nonsense, seven-tenths done is best... Shh, quiet, more people are coming."
Qin Mu activated his Ying Huo Huo Hou Zhen Gong, transforming into the form of Yinghuo Xing Jun—a bull-headed figure with a human body and feet treading twin dragons. Long Qilin carried him forward cautiously to the source of the voices.
The sounds had come from here, but Qin Mu saw no one, only a large bonfire on the cliff with a great shaman from Lou Lan Huang Jin Gong roasting on it. The shaman, with profound cultivation, was still alive but too weak to move, weakly opening his eyes to glance at Qin Mu and Long Qilin.
Whoosh.
The leaves rustled, and two massive white-furred bats hung down from the trees, heads below and feet above, right in front of Qin Mu. These bats were incredibly muscular, arms crossed over their chests, with white light in their eyes, like flickering white flames.
Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat; these were rare and terrifying variants, their demonic aura replaced by a god-like presence—they were likely descendants of gods or demons.
"Not humans." One bat retracted into the treetops. "What a disappointment. I thought it was more of those humans."
The other bat also withdrew. Qin Mu quickly said, "Fellow daoists, greetings!"
The leaves rustled again as the two bats hung down once more, arms still crossed, speaking in unison: "Greetings! But we won't share; we caught it ourselves! If you're capable, catch your own in the valley—there are more."
Qin Mu hurriedly smiled. "I eat vegetarian; I've been one since birth."
The bats relaxed, and Qin Mu asked, "I'm new here, fellow daoists. Is this valley safe at night?"
One bat laughed. "No wonder you look unfamiliar. The valley is very safe."
Qin Mu sighed in relief and thanked them. The bats retracted, hanging upside down by the bonfire on the cliff, waiting for the shaman to cook.
"That ox seems to have Yinghuo's bloodline, but it wouldn't taste good. Humans are better—tasty and juicy." One bat stared at the fire.
The other chuckled roughly. "Then why didn't you warn him? You know how dangerous the valley is..."
