A sage master under the pine tree imparted the Dao and taught longevity.

Along the mountain path, the summer breeze carried the fragrance of grass and trees. Although Chen Chuan was carrying heavy objects, he still walked lightly thanks to the power of the talisman and soon returned to the territory of the Great Wilderness Mountain.

Just as I rounded a bend in the mountain road, I suddenly heard an urgent cry from behind: "Immortal Master, please wait! Immortal Master!"

Chen Chuan stopped and turned around, seeing a villager in blue stumbling towards him. By the time he reached him, he was panting heavily, supporting himself on his knees, and said, "Immortal Master... we've finally found you. I'm from Qingxi Town. The village head has been sending people to search for you in the mountains for days, hoping you could come down for a visit, saying he has important matters to discuss."

Chen Chuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He recalled the help he received from the village chief Wang Huai'an when he took on a disciple, and since they had some mutual respect, he nodded and said, "I will first go back to the temple to settle some supplies, and after a short rest, I will head to the town. You go back and tell the village chief to wait for me."

The villagers were overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you, Immortal Master! We will go back and report immediately!" With that, they turned around and hurried down the mountain.

Chen Chuan watched them leave, then picked up his pace and continued on his way. Before long, he saw the green tiles and flying eaves of Songjian Temple hidden behind ancient pines.

As soon as he entered the temple, he saw Shu'er peek out from the kitchen. Seeing the supplies in his hands, she skipped over to greet him: "Master! You're back! You bought so many things!"

Chen Chuan chuckled to himself, thinking to himself that this girl was indeed very carefree. She had just cried her heart out yesterday, but today she was acting as if nothing had happened.

He went into the kitchen and took out all the supplies from the storage bag.

Xiao Jin also stopped his practice upon hearing the sound, got up from under the pine tree and walked over. His gaze fell on the animal skin package in Chen Chuan's hand, and his nose twitched slightly, as if he had smelled the aura of spiritual flesh. A sense of anticipation welled up in his heart, and he bowed and said, "Master."

Chen Chuan said gently to Shu'er, "This is top-grade spiritual meat. Roast it today and let your junior brother nourish himself."

Shu'er picked up the heavy spirit meat and said, "Okay, Master! I'll make sure it's delicious!" With that, she turned and left with the spirit meat.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Xiao Jin, Chen Chuan urged him to continue his cultivation under the pine tree.

He then went into the main room, took out a yellowed leather scroll, and unfolded it on the wooden table.

This scroll is a map of the Great Wilderness Mountains, recording the location of every spring, cave, and valley in the Great Wilderness Mountains.

After searching for a while, Chen Chuan frowned slightly.

"There is indeed no suitable place to gather the energy of metal..."

……

Inside the kitchen, Shu'er carefully unhooked the spirit beast skin, revealing the bright red spirit meat inside. Then she found a thin-bladed knife and cut the spirit meat into thick slices.

In the open space of the courtyard, she found a few sturdy pine branches, set up a simple grill, lit the pine branches, and the fire burned gently.

Shu'er laid the slices of spirit meat one by one on the grill. With a soft "sizzle," the oil from the meat seeped out as it heated up, dripping onto the pine flames and releasing a faint fragrance.

Holding long chopsticks, she gently turned the spirit meat from time to time. When one side was roasted to a golden-red color and slightly charred, she flipped it to the other side. The spirit meat between the grills gradually turned an enticing caramel color, and the oil between the muscle fibers sizzled and dripped into beads.

The refreshing spiritual energy, mixed with the aroma of roasted meat, spread freely in the courtyard, drifting to the pine trees, making Xiao Jin's mouth water, and even disrupting his breathing rhythm.

Once the spirit meat was roasted until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, Shu'er took some fine salt and mortal spices, sprinkled a little on it, placed the roasted spirit meat on a bamboo plate, and then sliced ​​several dishes of stir-fried spirit vegetables. She brought them to the stone table under the pine tree and called out, "Master! Junior Brother! Time to eat!"

Chen Chuan and Xiao Jin responded and came over. Xiao Jin couldn't hold back any longer. He picked up a piece of spiritual meat, blew on it gently, and then took a big bite.

The crispy pork skin carries the fragrance of pine branches, is tender and juicy, melts in your mouth, and its rich flavor slides down your throat into your stomach, turning into a warm current that slowly flows into your dantian.

Xiao Jin ate with great relish, shaking his head and swallowing large mouthfuls without even speaking. In no time, he had devoured the entire plate of spirit meat, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

Chen Chuan also took a piece of spirit meat to taste. The spiritual energy of the top-grade spirit meat was indeed rich and pure, far superior to that of the middle and lower grades. It was fresh and fragrant, and the spiritual energy slowly seeped into his limbs and bones, even relieving some of the fatigue from drawing talismans and refining pills recently.

He sipped slowly, feeling a warmth in his lower abdomen and a sense of comfort throughout his body. He glanced at Xiao Jin, who was wolfing down his food, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Shu'er sat to the side, and seeing the two of them enjoying their meal, she was also filled with joy.

After the meal, Shu'er went to clear the dishes. Chen Chuan nodded to Xiao Jin and said, "Xiao'er, you have eaten spiritual meat. You should quickly regulate your breathing and consolidate your spiritual energy. Your teacher will go down the mountain for a while."

Xiao Jin quickly stood up, bowed, and replied, "Disciple obeys. Master, please take care on your journey."

Chen Chuan straightened his Taoist robe and left Songjian Temple, heading towards Qingxi Town.

The sun was setting in the west, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys of Qingxi Town. The villagers bowed respectfully to the immortal, and Chen Chuan responded with nods all the way. Before long, they arrived at the residence of the village chief, Wang Huai'an.

The servants at the gate had already received instructions, and upon seeing him arrive, they hurriedly bowed and welcomed him in: "Please come inside, Immortal Master. The village head has been waiting for you for quite some time."

Chen Chuan followed the servants into the mansion. Upon reaching the main hall, he saw Wang Huai'an fidgeting anxiously. Seeing him enter, Wang Huai'an hurriedly stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said urgently, "Immortal Master, you've finally arrived! Today's events have truly caused me great anxiety!"

Chen Chuan raised his hand in a gesture of support, saying, "Village Chief, there's no need for such formalities. May I ask what brings you to seek me out?"

Wang Huai'an dismissed his attendants, then looked worried and sighed, saying, "Immortal, you may not know this, but a few days ago, a series of accidents happened in my town. Hunters who went hunting in Woniu Mountain have disappeared one after another, neither alive nor dead. This has frightened the villagers so much that they dare not go up the mountain."

He paused, his tone becoming even more fearful: "The other day, I was really worried, so I took a dozen or so strong young men from the town, armed with weapons, to investigate up the mountain. When we reached Black Wind Valley in Woniu Mountain, we stumbled upon a monster eating people! The monster resembled a bear, but was several times larger than an ordinary black bear, with bluish-black fur and sharp claws and teeth. Our ordinary iron weapons were completely useless against it!"

"Of the dozen or so able-bodied men, five or six were killed, and we barely escaped with our lives. That monster is truly ferocious; if it isn't eliminated, it will surely become a great scourge in the future. The villagers of my town will never dare to go up the mountain to make a living again!" Wang Huai'an said, his face showing fear, bowing repeatedly. "Immortal, your supernatural powers are vast! I beg you to take action, eliminate this monster, and save the villagers of my town from this disaster! I will certainly repay you handsomely!"

Chen Chuan's eyes darkened slightly as he pondered, "Tell me in detail about the monster's attack patterns and any unusual phenomena that occurred during its attacks."

Wang Huai'an thought carefully and said, "That monster was not good at magic and relied only on brute force. Its claw attacks were extremely fast, and we had no time to dodge. Apart from that, there were no other strange phenomena."

After hearing this, Chen Chuan had already made a judgment in his mind. Relying on brute force to attack, without any special techniques or methods, such cultivation was nothing more than embryonic breathing.

He was a Qi Refining Level 2 cultivator, so dealing with such a demonic beast was more than enough for him.

Moreover, this monster has been harming the villagers and causing havoc in the area. Since he has encountered it, there is no reason for him to sit idly by.

With this in mind, Chen Chuan nodded in agreement: "Village chief, there is no need to worry. This monster is nothing special. I will take action to eliminate it and restore peace to Qingxi Town."

Upon hearing this, Wang Huai'an was overjoyed and repeatedly bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you so much, Immortal Master! Thank you so much, Immortal Master! I will prepare generous gifts immediately, and I will certainly repay you handsomely when you return from exorcising the demon!"

Chen Chuan's thoughts raced, and he waved his hand, saying, "There's no need for such a generous gift. I'm only doing this to eliminate demons and protect the villagers. You just need to tell me the exact location of Black Wind Valley. Once it's done, you can borrow a few of my villagers."

Wang Huai'an didn't care what use Chen Chuan had for the villagers, and hurriedly said, "Black Wind Valley is behind Woniu Mountain. Go northwest for about half an hour. There's a crooked old pine tree at the entrance of the valley, which is very easy to spot!"

Chen Chuan noted the location and then stood up, saying, "I will stay at your residence tonight. Just to be on the safe side, tomorrow morning, gather the local militia, take your weapons and gongs, and come with me to capture that monster."

Wang Huai'an stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Immortal Grandfather!"