Chapter 35: The Gaunt Old Taoist

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Though they were merely clusters of flame, when they struck the ground, they rumbled so heavily that the entire cave shuddered. Such power left Jiang Min extremely satisfied; if she could not close in on her enemy in the future, she could simply unleash this Meteoric Fire Rain technique.

Only, each time she cast the spell, a faint pain would throb in her dantian.

This was the lingering injury from when she had pulled out the peach branch last time. Even though she had promptly taken restorative elixirs, the wound had not fully healed. It was nothing serious and would recover in time, but the persistent, stabbing ache was still rather bothersome.

“I’ll head to the mortal lands first, enter the mountains to search for fierce beasts and spirit herbs. If I stumble upon some healing elixirs, that would be ideal.”

Jiang Min had no intention of heading straight to the lands teeming with monsters to hunt them down.

She was only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining and had no experience fighting such creatures. It would be wiser to start with ordinary wild beasts and practice her skills step by step. The road ahead must be taken one step at a time.

Besides, the spirit herbs she needed didn’t necessarily have to be bought with spirit stones. Since she was already venturing into the mountains, why not search for them herself? She had purposefully purchased and memorized tomes such as the Compendium of Spirit Herbs. If she did encounter any, she would surely recognize most of them.

Jiang Min packed her things, ready to leave the cave, and found the little Grass still curled up, trembling inside her collar, pressed tightly to her chest, shaking even more obviously. Her heart softened, and she gently patted the little Grass, coaxing, “There, there, my precious. Don’t be afraid, nothing’s going to burn you.”

The little Grass turned away, refusing to acknowledge her.

It was angry.

Did she understand? It was angry!

Hmph!

Burying itself deeper into Jiang Min’s arms, the little Grass balled up tight, wanting nothing to do with this wicked woman. And yet—why did it smell such a rich, fragrant aura of spiritual energy? So delicious, so enticing…

“I promise, I won’t scare you again. Come on, won’t you talk to me? Please, pretty please?”

“I have something tasty in my hand, don’t you want to come out for a look?”

A single blade of grass cautiously poked out from her collar, hesitated, and brushed up against something hard and fragrant—it was a spirit stone! Without hesitation, it coiled around the stone, pulling it into her collar, embracing it with all its leaves, happily absorbing the spiritual energy within.

Seeing that a single spirit stone had appeased the little Grass, Jiang Min smiled in delight. She rose, gathered her illusion array disc, and departed to seek a suitable place to enter the mountains.

She walked for several days.

Suddenly, she saw ahead a mountain valley with flowing water, scattered homes, patches of farmland, and gentle wisps of cooking smoke rising into the sky. The mountain village was built beside a stream, and in the distance, a simple Daoist temple clung to the mountainside, half veiled in mist, exuding an otherworldly aura.

A few villagers hurried toward the temple. Though they were far from Jiang Min, her cultivation allowed her to hear their conversation clearly.

“Xu Dazui hasn’t returned yet. He’s probably already been eaten by that tiger.”

“What if the tiger comes down the mountain and eats us? What will we do then? Only Daoist Qingfan can subdue it. Let’s hurry and ask him for help, so our village can know peace again.”

“Daoist Qingfan? The Xu family village? A tiger?”

Jiang Min’s interest was piqued. She decided to see how this so-called Daoist Qingfan would handle the situation. She had her own ideas about subduing a tiger beast—it would make a good trial for her skills.

At that moment—

In front of the Daoist temple, many villagers gathered around a thin, white-haired old Daoist, their faces full of pleading.

“Daoist Qingfan, please subdue that tiger! It can even breathe fire, only you have the powers to deal with such a monster!”

Amid the crowd, a woman fell to her knees before the old Daoist, kowtowing repeatedly, her voice breaking with sobs:

“Daoist, please save my Dazui! He might still be alive, just waiting for you to rescue him. Please, please, please! My family… we can’t lose Dazui…”

All the villagers were begging the old Daoist, every one pleading for him to subdue the tiger beast and restore peace to the Xu family village.

“Rest assured, I will deal with that brute. You can all be at ease!” The old Daoist’s face was grave as he made his promises. He seemed to be of great age, his form thin and frail, his face deeply wrinkled, though his eyes still shone with a lively spirit.

But the villagers continued to urge him.

“Daoist, then please go quickly! A life is at stake!”

“Yes, what if there’s still a chance to save Dazui? Don’t waste any more time!”

The old Daoist’s eyelid twitched. He was, after all, just a minor cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refining. With half a foot already in the grave, how could he contend with a tiger demon that was clearly a monster? Still, he had already sent word to his former brothers in the Dao, asking them to come and subdue the beast. But it would take them some time to arrive.

Seeing the villagers refusing to leave, the old Daoist could only say, “I’ll go now. You all wait here for news.”

He turned and headed up the mountain, hoping to appease the villagers for now and praying his fellow Daoists would arrive soon. If he truly encountered the tiger demon, his meager skills would not be enough.

He made his way deep into the mountains. After crossing a ridge, he was already short of breath. Even though he was a cultivator, his elderly body could barely handle such exertion.

“Oh, these old bones, they’re going to be the death of me…”

“Who’s there?”

The old Daoist was holding his waist and catching his breath when his expression suddenly sharpened. With a grip of his right hand, a long mace appeared.

He looked toward a tree that would take several people to encircle, and from behind it stepped a slender, lively young girl. Yet the old Daoist dared not lower his guard, for the ethereal air about her was nothing an ordinary mortal could possess.

“May I ask, fellow Daoist, who you are?”

Fellow Daoist?

Jiang Min found the title intriguing and smiled, cupping her fist to him. “Greetings, Daoist. I mean no offense; I was simply passing through the Xu family village when I heard rumor of a tiger demon. I wanted to ask about its whereabouts.”

She had already heard that the beast could breathe fire—what else could it be but a monster?

“You want to subdue the tiger demon?” The old Daoist was taken aback, then said seriously, “Are you sure? That tiger is extremely fierce, and has only appeared in the mountains recently. You’d need to be at least at the fourth layer of Qi Refining and know some spells to handle it.”

“In that case, would you point me the way?” Jiang Min’s words made her intentions clear: she wanted to see for herself.

If she could defeat the tiger demon, she’d accomplish her goal of practicing her skills. If the beast proved too strong and she couldn’t win, she could simply flee—she had a speed talisman ready at all times.

The old Daoist saw her confidence but also her youth. After a moment’s hesitation, he pointed toward a remote valley. “The tiger demon has been appearing there. It’s only been in the village a few days, but it has already devoured several villagers. My skills are limited, so I’ve asked several fellow Daoists to come help, but the journey is long and it will take them time to arrive.”

“According to villagers who escaped, the tiger can breathe fire and is much larger than an ordinary tiger. It must be a fire-attribute monster. If you encounter it, be extremely cautious.”

Jiang Min nodded with a smile. “Thank you for pointing the way, Daoist.”

She was about to turn and go search for the tiger demon’s trail when the old Daoist frowned and said, “Never mind, I’ll go with you. It’s safer that way.”

“Actually…” Jiang Min wanted to refuse, but the old Daoist continued to mutter, “The terrain in these mountains is complicated, and there are many traps set by the villagers. You’re not familiar with the area—it would be difficult to get around. Just follow me. But my cultivation is weak and I may not be able to protect you if we’re in danger. Life and death are your own responsibility. I must make that clear.”

Jiang Min wanted to say she could manage on her own.

But the old Daoist, having said his piece, strode forward without giving her a chance to decline.

He looked so aged and feeble, struggling for breath with every step, nothing like a vigorous cultivator, yet he insisted on leading the way. In the depths of the wild mountains, there were no real paths—just steep slopes and tangled trees. The old Daoist walked ahead, clearing a way with his long mace, signaling Jiang Min to keep close behind.

Suddenly, the old Daoist halted, his expression growing heavy.

“There…”

Ahead, the undergrowth was spattered with fresh, still-wet blood, and the ground was littered with torn clothing and bloodstained bones.

“I recognize this garment—it belonged to Xu Dazui.”