Proving one's path through killing—this kind of merit is poisonous!

Chapter 9 Tracking
Congratulations, host, on unlocking the mission: thwart the evil cultivator's conspiracy.

This task consists of several smaller tasks, and you can get generous rewards for completing them!
Mission Three: Slay the Evil Cultivator
Rewards: The cultivation technique "One-Word Mantra" and the "Poison Scripture" (fragmentary scroll)

Gu Jinhe stopped in her tracks.

This system has endless tasks.

She wanted to leave Niujiao Village as soon as possible.

But this reward is way too generous...

want to!

After facing this idea, Gu Jinhe hesitated for only a moment before making a decision.

Having been reborn, and with a substitute puppet and an invisibility talisman by her side, she can do whatever she wants!
Moreover, if she stands further away and waits until they are both badly injured, she can go out and finish them off, which might allow her to complete the system mission.

Thinking of this, Gu Jinhe took out an invisibility talisman from her purse.

She held the invisibility talisman in her hand, wondering how to use it, when the written instructions for using the talisman appeared in her mind.

Invisibility Talisman: Can conceal one's form and aura, but is useless against cultivators above the Golden Core stage.

Time limit: two hours

How to use the talisman: Infuse your spiritual power into it and recite the words on it.

Gu Jinhe did as instructed.

First, he sensed his own spiritual power, then formed hand seals to infuse the spiritual power into the talisman, and then said, "Hide!"

The talisman exploded instantly, transforming into a pale blue stream of light that surged toward Gu Jinhe, enveloping her entire body.

A few breaths later, Gu Jinhe looked down at her transparent hands and knew that the invisibility talisman had taken full effect.

She felt comforted and smiled.

It wasn't for the invisibility talisman, but because she discovered that she had just uncovered a new function of the system!

But when she thought that the invisibility talisman would only last for two hours, she decided not to delay any longer.

Holding the knife hidden behind the tree in her hand, Gu Jinhe felt her lost sense of security return.

So she changed direction and headed towards Wang Mazi's house, which Chen Qiao had mentioned.

South of the village...

The direction is easy to find, but the road is really difficult to travel!

Gu Jinhe frowned as she looked at the thick layer of yellow mud on the soles of her shoes.

At this moment, I wish I could fly on a sword like those two people just now.

She sighed and tried to speed things up!

……

After Cui Qingyuan and Pei Qing arrived in the village, they stood still one after the other and sheathed their swords.

The village was in chaos at the moment. The villagers had just put out the fire at the Gu family's house, and they were all covered in soot and dirt. No one noticed the two of them.

Cui Qingyuan looked around and finally walked toward an old man sitting not far away.

"Grandpa, what happened in this village?" Cui Qingyuan asked gently.

The old man was quite old, and he only saw a blurry figure walk in front of him, and then his ears started to ring.

He raised his hand impatiently and said in a hoarse voice, "Who's yelling like that? Don't you know I can't hear you?"

Cui Qingyuan was stunned, unsure how to react.

A middle-aged man with a face covered in ash was carrying a wooden bucket home when he happened to pass by them and couldn't help but laugh out loud when he saw them.

He stopped and said to Cui Qingyuan, "Little one, don't ask him. He's old and can't hear clearly."

After saying that, he looked at the two of them, puzzled: "By the way, where did you come from? I've never seen you in the village before?"

The village was tiny, and he knew everyone in every household. Hearing this, Cui Qingyuan immediately changed his tune, saying, "Uncle, we are disciples of the Qingyun Sect, here to find our junior brother. Do you know where he lives?"

"Qingyun Sect?" Why does that sound so familiar?

After thinking for a while, he suddenly realized and pretended to slap his forehead: "You're asking about the immortal, aren't you!"

Cui Qingyuan and Pei Qing exchanged a glance, then nodded and said in unison, "Yes."

The middle-aged man sized them up and, seeing that their otherworldly appearance seemed genuine, and knowing that there were guards at the village entrance so that ordinary people couldn't get in, he realized that they were not faking it.

Moreover, who would dare to fake an immortal?
Thinking about all this, he believed what they said.

Furthermore, since many people in the village already knew where the immortal lived, there was no need to hide it.

After a flurry of thoughts, he spoke again with a newfound respect in his voice.

“Two immortals, you should head south from here until you reach the last house. Then cross the mountain behind that house, and you should be able to find that immortal.”

Chen Qiao and Li Qiu were the ones who suggested this road, but when asked more questions, they said they didn't know anything about it, nor did they know who they were guarding against!
Confirming that he wasn't lying, Cui Qingyuan thanked him and then walked to Pei Qing's side.

Perhaps knowing they would leave after getting the answers, the middle-aged man immediately cupped his hands in farewell and was about to kneel down to see them off.

But as soon as he bent his knees halfway, he found himself frozen, unable to kneel down no matter how hard he tried.

He looked up and saw Pei Qing standing not far away, extending his right hand.

Pei Qing simply raised his right hand slightly, and he immediately straightened up.

This……

This is magic!

The middle-aged man's pupils contracted sharply, his eyes filled with unconcealed awe.

Taking the opportunity, Cui Qingyuan reminded him, "We Qingyun Sect disciples keep a low profile, so you don't need to go to such lengths. Besides, we've come here secretly with a mission, so please don't reveal our whereabouts."

"Yes, yes, yes." The middle-aged man broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this. He quickly lowered his head and whispered his assurance, "Don't worry, esteemed immortals, I won't tell anyone if they ask."

But after waiting for a while without anyone responding, he cautiously looked up, only to find that the two people in front of him had already disappeared.

"Appearing without a trace and disappearing without a trace, truly worthy of being called an immortal!"

The middle-aged man placed the wooden bucket he was carrying on the ground, then devoutly closed his eyes and clasped his hands together.

Another elderly woman passing by saw him doing this and couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"

The middle-aged man immediately said, "I'll tell you, I just saw a fairy..."

But then he stopped talking.

He seemed to have promised the two immortals something, but he couldn't remember what he promised!
He couldn't remember, so he stopped thinking about it and continued talking to the old woman: "Sister, let me tell you, I just saw immortals, two of them..."

……

Gu Jinhe walked for half an hour at top speed before finally reaching Wang Mazi's house from the mountain.

She leaned against the door and rubbed her legs, which ached from walking too much.

This body had suffered from long-term malnutrition, and she could only use her spiritual power to increase her speed for half an hour before she couldn't keep it up...

The system truly deserves credit for enabling me to reach the second level of Qi Refining.

But she can't rely entirely on the system for her future cultivation!

With this in mind, another idea began to sprout in Gu Jinhe's mind—

It seems she still needs to find a way to improve her physical strength!

After resting for a while, she got up and went to the back mountain.

Looking up unintentionally, he saw two flying swords standing in the air, and on the flying swords were Cui Qingyuan and Pei Qing.

Gu Jinhe subconsciously stopped in her tracks, and only dared to continue forward after they had flown far away...

(End of this chapter)