First achieve immortality, then cultivate immortality.

"Four late-stage Qi Refining cultivators robbing a rogue cultivator together, did they expect things to go wrong?" Xu Mu said calmly.

He didn't rush to make a move, but instead popped two Qi-restoring pills into his mouth to recover his magical power.

"We were blind to your greatness. Please forgive me this time, senior. I will never dare to do it again." Chen Jianlin knelt on the ground, clutching his severed arm, and begged repeatedly.

"Tell me, how did you pinpoint my location?" Xu Mu asked calmly.

This is a very important issue. If it's not resolved, we might be surrounded again next time.

"I, we, that was... that guy surnamed Huang who can read qi, and he tracked us down based on the traces you left behind." He pointed to one of the corpses that died first.

"Observing the qi?"

Xu Mu thought for a moment, and realized that this seemed to be a technique of Qimen formation.

He leaves traces when he flies on his sword, which are generally undetectable by cultivators, but can be seen by those who have learned the art of observing qi.

This was his oversight; he was so focused on running away that he didn't pay attention to hiding.

"Then how did you manage to block my way in advance?" he asked again.

"The communication talisman... we had an ambush set up. They were chasing from behind, and I stopped you from the front," Chen Jianlin quickly explained.

"You're quite skilled at this teamwork. You must have robbed quite a few people," Xu Mu sneered.

"This was ordered by the Valley Master, not something I wanted to do. If you kill me, the Valley Master will definitely find out, and you won't be able to escape either," Chen Jianlin quickly explained, while making threats.

Without saying a word, Xu Mu flicked his finger, and the flying sword sliced ​​off his head.

"If I don't kill you, will you let me go?" Xu Mu rolled his eyes.

He didn't believe that the Valley Master of Nanlian Valley would risk damaging his reputation for such a paltry profit.

Most of the time, they acted on their own initiative, picking on the weak and making this kind of shady money.

However, just to be on the safe side, he didn't bother to rest. He quickly cleaned up the battlefield, searched the four people for their storage bags, and then fired a fireball at each of them to completely destroy the evidence before leaving immediately.

Once he left the mountains and hid in the mortal world, even if the people of Nanlian Valley wanted to settle scores with him, they wouldn't stand a chance.

If the spoils this time are substantial enough, he won't come near here again for the next five years.

Five years from now, when we need to buy youth-preserving pills for the two sisters or buy spirit stones, we'll consider whether to come here again.

"Sigh, I just wanted to farm, sell goods, and do some small business, why did it have to turn out like this?"

Xu Mu was quite helpless; there was no way to avoid this trouble.

This time, he used the "sharp sword technique" that he had honed for sixteen years, and with the element of surprise, he managed to kill two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators in an instant.

If the other side had more people, I'm afraid I would have been in grave danger.

His strength is still a bit lacking, which makes him feel somewhat insecure.

Next, he'll have to "sharpen his sword" again. It all depends on whether the four people's storage bags can make up for his losses and replenish his combat strength. Otherwise, he'll suffer a huge loss.

……

It was already afternoon when we left Dalian Mountain.

After spending a night in the Southern Valley, we came out, and the round trip took exactly two days.

Back at the foot of the mountain, the horse was still tied to the tree, standing beside it leisurely chewing on grass.

"Let's go home."

Xu Mu instantly transformed back into his youthful self, untied the ropes, and mounted his horse.

The chestnut horse glanced at him sideways, then slowly started walking until Xu Mu gave it a nudge, at which point it began to run.

Xu Mu did not delay, traveling day and night, rushing home to avoid being chased and also because he was eager to get home.

The transaction process in Nanren Valley is fast, but the journey takes a lot of time.

The good news is that, being so far away, even if the people of Nanlian Valley wanted to find him, they wouldn't be able to.

……

After another three months of travel, they returned to Bishi Village.

Xu Mu transformed into an old Taoist priest, leading his horse into the village. As soon as the villagers saw him, they all bowed and greeted him.

Xu Mu nodded with a faint smile.

Because he often comes down the mountain to collect manure, he has become much more familiar with the villagers over the past two years.

However, he still maintained a distance to avoid getting too involved in worldly affairs.

Upon arriving at Zhang Xiucai's house, Zhang Xiucai, along with his wife and second son, hurriedly came to greet them.

His second son is now thirteen years old, growing more and more handsome, and is also eager to study, developing the temperament of a young scholar.

Upon seeing Xu Mu, he respectfully bowed and said, "Greetings, sir."

Xu Mu stroked his beard and nodded with a smile.

Some time ago, Zhang Xiucai said he wanted his son to become his apprentice, but he refused.

He didn't say much at this point, but led the horse over and said to Zhang Xiucai, "I'll leave this horse with you here for the time being, for at least two years, and at most four or five years."

As he spoke, he took a money pouch out of his sleeve.

When he left the capital, the emperor gave him five thousand taels of silver, as well as dowries for his two sisters, so he was not short of money.

Scholar Zhang quickly waved his hand and said, "Taoist Master, you mustn't be so formal. It's just a horse. We have an idle stable here. Just feed it some hay. Leave it to me. There's no need to be so polite."

"Yes, Daoist Master, please rest assured," Madam Zhang quickly replied.

Seeing their reaction, Xu Mu nodded and took the money back.

"Thank you very much then." He cupped his hands in thanks.

"No problem, no problem." Zhang Xiucai smiled and agreed repeatedly. He was so happy that he couldn't possibly refuse.

"Is the Taoist priest going back now? Why don't you stay for a meal before you leave?" Madam Zhang said warmly.

"No, I have important business to attend to back on the mountain."

Actually, it's just that I have two young wives at home, and I don't want them to wait any longer.

After saying that, he took his leave.

They left their horse with Zhang Xiucai, saving them the trouble of constantly going to Taoshan County to buy and exchange horses.

I might need to visit the Immortal Cultivation World Marketplace from time to time, so I'll keep this horse for now.

……

Inside Whale Valley, Li Zhiyuan and Li Zhihua sat at a stone table fiddling with the strings and sheet music, looking utterly bored and neither of them felt like talking.

Li Zhiyuan closed her eyes and played the piano, the music carrying a melancholy longing.

Li Zhihua also picked up the flute and played it softly. The sound was mournful, like weeping and lamenting, like resentment and longing.

Xu Mu heard the sound from afar, smiled, and then flew into the valley on his sword and landed.

"I'm back."

Upon hearing this, the two sisters immediately opened their eyes and looked over. One opened her mouth and the other bit her lip, both bursting into tears and unable to speak.

"Young Master!"

"Young Master!"

The two immediately ran over and threw themselves into Xu Mu's arms, bursting into tears of joy.

Xu Mu smiled and patted their hair: "Have you been having a hard time lately? You seem so sad."

"No, this is terrible!" Li Zhihua cried as she hugged his waist tightly.

"Without you, young master, every day feels like a year. Loneliness locks my heart, and food tastes bland." Li Zhiyuan's face was covered in tears as she tightly hugged Xu Mu's neck.

Xu Mu smiled gently and stroked their hair and backs to comfort them.

"Alright, you'll get used to it. Here, you'll have plenty to eat and drink, and it's far from the hustle and bustle. There's nothing to worry about. You two sisters can take care of each other, so just wait for me to come back. Don't miss me so much that you get sick."

"No! I'm not used to it at all. Without you, young master, even the best place feels empty." Li Zhihua rested her head on his chest, as if she wanted to burrow into his body and be with him forever.

"Will you be going out often in the future, young master...?" Li Zhiyuan buried her face in his neck, her voice filled with fear.

"No, no, I'll definitely spend more time with you in the future," Xu Mu patted their backs and comforted them gently.

"Um!"

The two wept with joy, holding him tightly in their arms.