Who Let Him Cultivate?!

Lu Yang arrived at the sesame seed cake stall again.

The seller making the sesame cakes was a Senior Sister adept in refining techniques. From leavening the dough, relaxing it, kneading it, to shaping it, her skills were honed to perfection.

She meticulously rolled the dough into numerous tiny balls and, harnessing strength from her fingers, wrists, arms, down to her torso, fashioned them into round cakes.

Her precise motions followed some inherent principle. It was more than simple kneading; it was like a form of exercise to coordinate her body movements. Laying the uncooked pancake base on her anvil, she strikingly hammered it with a heavy iron mallet. The loud clanging echoes intertwined with the sprinkling of sparks against the ground, burning small holes into its surface.

The pancake base was exposed to extreme heat, followed by sudden cooling in water that bubbled fiercely then cooled into a delectable sesame cake.

Witnessing the entire process, Lu Yang was thoroughly impressed. Indeed, the Hundred Refinement Peak ingeniously married gastronomy with the art of

refining.

“I’ll take a sesame cake,” he said.

The cafeteria was indeed offering the items at a steal. He eyed several items that were essentially works of art. Had he more contribution points to spare, he would have bought them all.

The next morning, as agreed, Lu Yang rendezvoused with the others at the entrance gate of the Seek Dao Sect.

■■We were waiting for you,” Meng Jingzhou waved as he spotted Lu Yang. Behind him stood a horse carriage, the same one that had brought them to the Seek Dao Sect. Also accompanying them was the same old horse.

The only switch was that instead of Eldest Senior Sister Yun Zhi, Man Gu was accompanying them.

Man Gu, an avid student, was studying while waiting. He was wrapped in a voluminous scholar’s robe that enveloped his muscular frame, giving him the appearance of a well-built scholar.

-We’re not using the flying boats?” Lu Yang had prepared himself to board one. Even though his Shrinking Ground Into Inches was reliable, he knew it couldn t stand up to the speed of a flying boat.

He had put studying Shrinking Ground Into Inches’ on hold focusing solely on mastering Shrinking Ground and Inches.

Meng Jingzhou patted the carriage beside him proudly, “This carriage of mine is a rare treasure. It is encapsulated by the Array Method and even though we would feel like the carriage is moving at a normal pace, outside observers would only see us move as swiftly as a flying boat.”

Meng’s explanation made sense. Considering Meng Jingzhou’s family home was in the Imperial City, it wouldn’t have been feasible to reach the Seek Dao Sect with a horse, step by step, which could take more than a year.

The carriage must have used Array Method to speed up during the initial part of the journey. It must have slowed down only when reaching the vicinity of the Seek Dao Sect as a sign of respect.

The carriage Lu Yang saw initially was already reduced to a slower speed. As the trio boarded the carriage, the interior was as roomy as ever. It was only today that Lu Yang began to fathom the immense value of this carriage.

-So, where are we heading, and what exactly is our mission?” asked Lu Yang curiously.

-Oh, 1 didn’t tell you? We’re going to a place called Qinghuai County. It would be best if Man Gu explains it to you in detail since he found the mission in the

first place.”

Man Gu inserted a bookmark, shut his book, and started explaining at his leisurely pace.

“1 heard about it on one of my previous missions, from a passenger on a flying boat. He was a merchant leader who knew many things that common humans did not. He relayed a tale that was circulated among the traders. It seems quite

plausible.”

-The area between Qinghuai County and Yanjiang County is engulfed by vast rolling mountains. Merchants who wished to cross over needed guidance from local hunters.”

“A terrifying existence has emerged within these forests and compelled the hunters to abandon their livelihoods…”

As night enveloped them, heavy rain began pouring. Patches of trees blockaded the moonlight, the rolling thunder echoed in their ears as puddles of mud formed on the ground, revealing no stable ground to step on.

About seven or eight people, with ropes tied around their waists, were connected in a single line to prevent anyone from slipping off the mountain face unintentionally.

The furious rainstorm bombarded them relentlessly. Even if someone fell and screamed for help, they would barely be audible.

Clad in raincoats, walking sticks in hand, and carrying baskets on their backs, they tread carefully with each step, cautious of any sinkholes on the unstable ground.

The freezing rain left their faces messy and muddy. When they looked up, the dense curtain of falling rain obscured their line of sight. Their only option was to follow the lead of the most senior hunter.

-Be careful with your footing- the rain can make the mountain path very slippery!”

-Don’t stop even if you’re tired. You need to push on. We are almost there. If you stop now, it will be tough to summon the energy to continue!”

“I…I can’t go on… Help me! I’m slipping!

One of them lost his footing, unable to find leverage, and began to slide towards the edge of the pathway.

The traders sensed something off from the tension at the tail end of the rope. They realised that someone had fallen behind and hurriedly ceased their movements, trying frantically to pull him up.

“All Yue, hold onto the rope tight. We have to pull in sync!

“I can’t…” Ah Yue was dangling off the face of the cliff, a sisal rope was tied around his waist to prevent him from falling.

He was both tired and famished, unable to muster any strength to climb back with the help of the rope.

The senior hunter had years of experience under his belt. He calmly coordinated the group while also assisting in pulling up the rope.

“Some of you hold onto that giant tree. We must prevent the rest of the group from sliding off!”

■The others should wrap the rope around your wrists. On my count of one, two, three, everyone pull at once!”

“One, two, three, pull!”

“One, two, three, pull!”

After a painstaking struggle, they finally hoisted Ah Yue back onto the path.

The group was left staggering from exhaustion.

However, the senior hunter did not relax. He calmly examined Ah Yue asking, “Ah Yue, how exactly did you slide off? Did you feel a push?

Ah Yue shook his head blankly, unable to comprehend why the senior hunter asked such a question. He had, of course, slipped off on his own. Could there be someone who wished him harm?

-Old Sun, what do you mean by this?” the merchant leader, Qi Wu, inquired. He faintly felt that something was amiss from the hunter’s questions.

Old Sun shook his head and pointed ahead to a derelict temple, “Let’s press on. We’ll talk when we reach the Mountain God Temple.

The pouring rain was no time for discussion, Qi Wu nodded and encouraged everyone to push onto the Mountain God Temple for some shelter.

Once they arrived at the Mountain God Temple, they disregarded their appearances, took off their raincoats, flopped onto the ground, panting heavily for breath. They quickly checked their baskets to ensure that the rain hadn’t damaged their goods. Otherwise, the journey would be in vain.

“Thank goodness. Luckily Qi Wu had the foresight to wrap the goods in waterproof cloth.”

The Mountain God Temple wasn’t much, but it was spacious. The dusty, time-worn statues of three Mountain Gods sat enthroned in the center. The surroundings were laden with dirt and droppings, and the signs bearing the names of the gods were missing. Gifts sacrificed to the gods were eaten by the animals long ago. Both the temple doors were missing, and the windows were shattered, allowing the cold wind to rush in.

However, none of this mattered to the group; every spot with cover was a good spot.

Qi Wu fetched some goods from his bag to offer to the three Mountain Gods in gratitude for conferring them shelter from the rain.

The three Mountain Gods were sculpted out of clay. Their craftsmanship was not particularly distinguished, but each had its unique distinguishing features. The central god held a gentleman’s sword and emanated an aura of righteousness. The one on its left, draped in a scholar’s robe, held a book and was on the literature side. The right side one drawn in a martial arts position, portrayed a sense of pure masculinity, ranked and positioned systematically.

“May the Mountain Gods bless our journey,” said Qi Wu.

Qi Wu always had the feeling that the three Mountain Gods had supernatural spirits and were alive in some way..