Ultimate True Lord

This house was the Wen family's usual resting place. It wasn't particularly nice, but it was kept quite tidy. The stone walls and wooden roof were solid, the doors and windows were intact, and there was always firewood and coarse grains, as well as several clean earthenware jars inside.

In the corner, there was even a small water tank for cooking and drinking at this fixed resting place.

The group lit a fire in the open space in front of the house, heated up the wheat cakes and cornbread they had brought, and ate a simple lunch with some cold water.

Jiang Ming ate the warm wheat cake slowly, occasionally taking out a piece or two of smoked jerky and stuffing it into his mouth, secretly making plans in his mind.

Once he finishes this job safely, he can go find that one-armed old martial arts master and get the technique to enhance his Red Sand Palm.

If I practice for another ten days or so, my cultivation speed will increase by 50%, and my current predicament of practicing so slowly will be completely changed.

After a quick meal and a short rest, the group picked up their bamboo baskets and headed into the mountains.

Although the mountain path wasn't particularly rugged, the forest was dense, and the original trail was covered with weeds and thorns. Armed with machetes, the group cleared a path through the thick foliage.

An hour passed before the herb-gathering team finally arrived at a place with abundant medicinal herbs in the middle section of Qingya Mountain.

The men dispersed, taking out tools to gather herbs in the surrounding area. Meanwhile, the three guards in the group spread out to guard the perimeter, glancing around every now and then.

Jiang Ming found a secluded open space and began practicing the Wind-Sweeping Step by himself. As he moved, his feet constantly stomped and drew circles on the ground, and between his rises and falls, he exuded a swift and agile aura.

Because he needed to be constantly aware of his surroundings, he chose to use the gliding walk, which doesn't require a specific location, to pass the time.

Moreover, the Wind-Sweeping Step was indeed very helpful to Jiang Ming. Lightness skill trains the legs, and faster leg speed gives one an advantage whether one wants to fight or escape.

Time flies, and dusk is falling.

The group didn't plan to return to the cabin at the foot of the mountain, as it would take an hour to walk down, and the mountain path was even more dangerous in the dark at night. So they decided to set up camp there for the night.

First, everyone sprinkled realgar powder around the camp to repel snakes and insects before lighting a fire to cook.

The three Wen family guards were already acquainted, and they huddled together, chatting and laughing in hushed tones, creating a lively atmosphere. Jiang Ming sat alone by the fire, no one approaching him to speak, making him seem out of place, as if he were being deliberately isolated.

He didn't mind. After finishing his dry rations, he looked at a dark-skinned herb-gathering uncle with calloused hands not far away and casually asked him a question.

"Uncle, if you want a red herb, where should you look in these mountains?"

The uncle wiped his mouth and replied honestly, "The red peony has absorbed all the essence of the mountains and forests, and it is very wild. It can only grow in the deep mountains where there are few people. It cannot be grown in ordinary places at all."

"In the middle section of Qingya Mountain, you can only occasionally find one or two of them; they are a rare find."

Jiang Ming nodded and noted it down. That night, the guards took turns keeping watch, and nothing happened. The next day, as dawn broke, everyone got up to pack and continue gathering herbs.

At noon, as everyone was engrossed in gathering herbs, Jiang Ming suddenly stopped.

A faint sense of being watched emanated from the depths of the forest, eerie and unsettling, making his heart tighten. He immediately looked up in that direction, but saw only the swaying of dense foliage, not a single person in sight.

Jiang Ming strode to the side of the guard Lin Fei and said in a deep voice, "Brother Lin, something's not right in the woods to the west. Come with me to take a look."

Immediately, the two men, armed, ventured into the forest to investigate, searching through several nearby bushes, but ultimately found nothing.

After separating from Jiang Ming, Lin Fei immediately approached another guard, lowered his voice, and muttered dismissively.

"I knew this young man Jiang was too young and inexperienced. He makes a big fuss over the slightest thing. He's really making a mountain out of a molehill."

In the distance, deep in the bushes of the forest, two dark figures huddled among the branches and leaves, secretly alarmed.

"This kid's senses are too sharp. He almost detected us from this far away. Luckily, we hid quickly."

Another person chimed in, lowering their voice: "That's right, he doesn't look very old, but he's quite wary."

After a moment, he asked, "By the way, when are we going to make our move? We can't just stay here forever."

"What's the rush?" his companion whispered back. "The third leader ordered us to wait until this evening. We'll make our move when they've gathered enough herbs and are off guard. That way, we can take care of them all and seize all the herbs at once."

"We can just resell it to Guang Sheng Pharmacy and make a sure profit."

The two dark figures remained hidden in the bushes for a few more moments, and only after confirming that there was nothing else amiss did they quietly slip away. They hurried through the trees and into the depths of the dense forest to report the situation to the third leader, Ren Lie.

The herb-gathering team worked in the mountains until late afternoon, filling their baskets to the brim with a bountiful harvest before packing up their tools and calling it a day.

The group slowly descended the mountain path, and an hour later, the outline of a small house at the foot of the mountain appeared in the distance.

It was getting late, and as was customary, the group planned to rest there for the night, sorting and bundling the medicinal herbs they had collected over the past two days, before setting off back to the city early the next morning.

As the sun set, Jiang Ming pushed open the wooden door with a creak.

Just as he was about to step inside, his gaze suddenly sharpened and fell on the threshold of the room.

That was a thin layer of lime powder that he had deliberately sprinkled when he closed the gate before going up the mountain. Now, two unfamiliar footprints were clearly imprinted on it.

Jiang Ming's aura deepened slightly, and he instantly became alert.

Behind him, Lin Fei strode closer. Seeing him standing motionless at the door again, he asked casually, his tone tinged with impatience, "Brother Jiang, what's wrong now?"

……

……

As evening fell, the sun set and the crescent moon rose in the sky.

Tonight, the sky is clear and cloudless, and the cool moonlight shines across the mountains and forests. Although not as bright as during the day, it is still enough to see the road ahead.

Ren Lie, the third leader of Black Stone Village, led six ruthless bandits to the dense forest near the hut. The group crouched low and slowly approached.

A subordinate approached Ren Lie and whispered a flattering message.

"Boss, you're brilliant! Just sneak into the hut and put a sleeping potion in the water tank. As long as they drink the water or use it for cooking, the potion will take effect and they'll all pass out. We can take them down without bloodshed."

"The Wen family's guards are not weak either. If we really fight head-on, we might lose men. It's not as safe as this."

"Yes, yes, the boss is truly brilliant!" The other bandits echoed in hushed tones.

Their eyes were filled with greed for the medicinal herbs and silver that were about to be obtained. They even breathed very softly, for fear of disturbing this sure thing.

Ren Lie chuckled softly, his tone full of smugness: "Of course, I'm not one of those reckless brutes who just charge in headfirst. Judging by the time, the drug should be taking effect soon. Follow me, let's go!"