txolops Chapter 167 Outside Jiangfeng Town
Chapter 167 Outside Jiangfeng Town
After an unknown amount of time, Du Fan left the tavern, carrying a wine jug in his hand. The gloom on his face had not dissipated at all; on the contrary, it had become even more intense.
As he wandered aimlessly through a narrow alley, pondering his next move, his expression suddenly shifted, a look of surprise flashed across his face, and then he felt a chill run down his spine, quickening his pace and striding forward.
"Huh? This person has spotted us. Quite remarkable. Shall we continue with our previous plan?"
After Du Fan left, the space where he had been standing suddenly rippled, and two figures could be vaguely seen: a petite woman and a gaunt old man.
The person who spoke just now was that woman; her voice was soft and delicate.
"This person is not only quite skilled, but also at the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage, just like you and me. His spiritual sense is probably no weaker than ours. Let's not make a move immediately, but get to know him first and then observe how things develop."
"Of course, if the opportunity arises, the two of us will still follow the original plan, joining forces to kill this person and share the treasures in his storage bag."
A glint of light seemed to flash in the eyes of the gaunt old man, and he spoke in a very low voice, his lips barely moving.
The woman nodded without speaking, and then the two figures disappeared again. Soon after, there was no sound at all.
……
After half an incense stick's time, Du Fan had left Jiangfeng Town and arrived at a mountain not far from the town. The mountain was not large, only a hundred feet high, but it was covered with lush and verdant trees.
Du Fan stopped halfway up the mountain, turned around, and faced a void, saying in a deep voice:
"Fellow Daoists, we have been following you here. May we ask what brings you here? Now, please show yourselves."
The void that Du Fan had been scanning distorted and rippled, revealing two figures, an old man and a woman, who were none other than the two cultivators who had followed Du Fan from Jiangfeng Town.
The old man was dressed in a gray robe, his hair was half white, his eyes gleamed, and he had a smile on his face.
The woman appeared to be around twenty years old, wearing a bright green dress, and her hair was styled in a butterfly-shaped bun, making her look quite charming and lovely.
Although this woman is not tall, she is very voluptuous, with a subtle allure between her brows. Coupled with her beautiful face, she is enough to make most men's hearts flutter.
The woman looked at Du Fan with a charming smile, appearing innocent and adorable.
"Haha, I admire this fellow Daoist's strong spiritual sense. However, please don't misunderstand, we have no ill intentions whatsoever." The old man laughed and said, his words relatively gentle.
Faced with this bizarre scene, Du Fan remained calm, his eyes slightly narrowed as he coldly scrutinized the two individuals. He did not lower his guard in the slightest despite the old man's words. After a moment, he said calmly:
"I don't care whether you two have any ill intentions, this is a warning. If you continue to follow me, don't blame me for being impolite."
"Oh, fellow Daoist, how can you be so heartless? I have some things to tell you that I think you would be very interested in. That's why I hurriedly followed you here, wanting to tell you something. Aren't you just letting me down by acting like this?"
The woman covered her mouth and giggled repeatedly, her voice soft and pleasant to the ear.
Du Fan glanced at the woman, frowned, and said coldly, "If you two have something to say, then say it directly. I don't have much time."
"My name is Zhou Kai, and I am a rogue cultivator. We have no ill intentions. When we met you in Jiangfeng Town, we had the intention to befriend you. However, that is not a place for cultivators like us to talk, so we followed you here."
Three days later, a small exchange meeting will be held at Suguo Mountain, organized by two inner disciples of Hanshan Sect.
"The Cold Mountain Sect is a medium-sized sect, and its inner disciples must possess many valuable items. I presume you are also a rogue cultivator, and such an opportunity is extremely rare for us rogue cultivators. That is why I have come here to invite you to participate."
The gray-robed elder said no more, stepped forward, cupped his hands to Du Fan, and smiled as he spoke.
"A small exchange meeting? I have no interest in that. Please leave, fellow Daoists." Du Fan shook his head and declined directly.
Du Fan's straightforward answer surprised the old man and the young girl slightly.
When Du Fan stepped onto the mountain, they had already given up their idea of killing and robbing him. He had obviously discovered them, but he still dared to come to such a remote place, which meant he must be quite confident in his supernatural abilities.
Faced with such a person, given their years of experience and caution, they were unwilling to provoke him easily. However, it would be a pity to let him go so easily. That's why they brought up the exchange meeting. If they would meet again in the future, they would have a chance to make their move.
Moreover, they had a hunch that the cultivators appearing here, unless they were disciples of the Cold Mountain Sect, were almost certainly rogue cultivators.
As a rogue cultivator, one's cultivation resources are inevitably relatively scarce, and there is a lack of exchange of spirit stones and treasures. This group of cultivators will mostly not refuse things like exchange meetings.
Du Fan's reaction at this moment left Zhou Kai, who had been calm and composed, somewhat bewildered, and the woman's originally smiling face froze.
Zhou Kai's expression changed slightly, and a sharp glint began to flash in his eyes. Just as he was considering whether to make a move immediately, a thought struck him, and he tentatively asked:
"Fellow Daoist, have you come here in search of someone or something?"
"Fellow Daoist Zhou, what do you mean by that?"
Du Fan, who was about to walk away, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, looked at Zhou Kai, and asked.
"That's right. In these informal, small-scale exchange meetings, things are very casual. It's not just about exchanging goods; information can also be traded. If you, fellow Daoist, were to participate, you might even gain something."
Seeing this, Zhou Kai felt relieved, smiled slightly, and spoke.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou, if I agree to participate in this small exchange meeting, what are the conditions?" Du Fan's eyes flashed, and after a moment of contemplation, he asked again.
"Fellow Daoist need not worry about this. These small-scale exchange meetings are spontaneously organized by Qi Refining stage cultivators and have no connection with other forces. Therefore, there is no threshold. As long as you are a cultivator, you can participate."
Zhou Kai did not hide anything from Du Fan's question and answered it all in detail.
"Yes, thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Zhou. I will attend the exchange meeting in three days." Du Fan nodded, his expression softening slightly, and cupped his hands to Zhou Kai as he spoke.
"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be so polite. We are both rogue cultivators, so we should take care of each other. By the way, how should I address you, fellow Daoist?" Zhou Kai laughed and waved his hand. Then, as if remembering something, his expression turned serious, and he spoke.
"My name is Du Fan," Du Fan said calmly.
"So it's Fellow Daoist Du. Alright, see you at Suguo Mountain in three days." Zhou Kai greeted Du Fan, then turned around with a smile and headed back the way he came.
The woman in the green dress gave Du Fan a charming smile, twisted her waist, and with a gentle sway of her long skirt, she followed the old man away.
"This trip is somewhat risky, but... we still have to go." Du Fan muttered to himself, stroking his chin with one hand long after Zhou Kai and the other man had left.
After about half an incense stick's time, Du Fan left the mountain and returned to Jiangfeng Town by the same route. He found an inn and went inside.
Upon entering the guest room, Du Fan immediately patted the storage bag at his waist. A flash of green light appeared, and he held it in his hand. It was a jade pendant about the size of two fingers, a forbidden magical artifact that he had purchased from the treasure pavilion when he left the sect.
The restriction contained in this jade pendant is of the sensor type. Within a certain range, it will issue an alarm as long as someone approaches. However, its defensive power is very weak, and a cultivator at the second level of Qi Refining can easily break through it.
However, this magical tool is not expensive, costing only a hundred or so spirit stones. Moreover, it does not have any strict requirements for setting up, is easy to operate, and can be used without mastering complicated incantations. It also does not consume any spirit stones, so it is quite practical for Du Fan.
Du Fan slowly channeled a small amount of magic power into the jade pendant, and the pendant immediately emitted a bright green light, quickly spreading out a green halo.
Seeing this, Du Fan breathed a sigh of relief. This was the first time he had used this item, and he hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. With a surge of energy, he poured some more magic power into the magic item, and the green halo gradually expanded as more magic power was poured in.
When the protective aura enveloped the entire room, Du Fan took a deep breath, instantly severed the magical power within his body, and placed the jade pendant on the table beside him.
He himself sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, drank a drop of ginseng essence oil, and began to circulate his internal energy to refine it.
On the morning of the third day, Du Fan left the silver in his room and then flashed out of the second-floor window, leaving the inn. Before long, he left Jiangfeng Town and sped towards Suguo Mountain.
Du Fan knew the location of Suguo Mountain. He had passed by it when he was traveling by carriage to Jiangfeng Town. Coincidentally, this mountain was not far from where he had encountered the bandits, so Du Fan had a deep impression of it.
Du Fan unleashed his full speed, and even without the speed-enhancing talisman, he was still much faster than the carriage he had been traveling in. In just a few hours, he was already a short distance from Suguo Mountain.
After arriving at Suguo Mountain, he spread his divine sense and instantly understood half of the mountain. At the same time, five figures were also imprinted in Du Fan's mind.
Du Fan did not set off immediately, but stood there pondering something. After a short while, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he strode toward where those people were.