The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 665 - 377 Confrontation
She suppressed her anger and sadness deep into her heart, telling herself that there would be plenty of time in the future.
When Ning Xiaoxian passed through the Black Tiger Territory once again, it took a lit bit more effort because the earlier earthquake had woken the creature up. Fortunately, the Concealing Breath Technique she learned from Changtian was extremely effective, allowing her to return to the waterfall and poolside without any incidents.
To her surprise, just as she stepped into the water, a large head suddenly surfaced from underneath, spouting a column of water just like a whale, giving her quite a shock. However, upon closer inspection, her fear turned into joy.
The eyes were larger than her own head, with several obvious scratches on the forehead, it was indeed the Canglong.
Having tasted the benefits of the Spirit Pill she gave, the creature had been patrolling around, unwilling to leave. It seemed to be waiting for her. Although not a demon, its intelligence seemed rather high.
Ning Xiaoxian had only waded two steps into the water when Canglong obediently swam over, lowered its proud head, and even tilted it awkwardly, probably to let her grip its cheek so that she could exert force? It had none of the pride you’d expect from an Ancient Strange Beast. She chuckled, momentarily lightening the gloom brought on by the Ba Snake matter, and then she climbed onto Canglong’s massive body. With a swift dive, the creature carried her swiftly back into the depths.
The return journey was like rowing with the current, Canglong swam even more effortlessly, more than twice as fast as before. With this speed, she was certain she could return within the assigned time.
Next to the Forest Palace of Hidden Stream, in front of the temporary residence of the Immortal Bandits, a subtle tension lingered in the air.
"Go check again, has she finished her seclusion?" Fu Yunzhang frowned and gestured to one of his subordinates. He Lao Fourth stood up and volunteered, "I’ll go take a look." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
He sauntered past Ning Xiaoxian’s room, glanced over casually with a hint of urgency in his eyes, then entered the hall where everyone was gathered and sighed, "Miss Ning is still in seclusion, but judging by her hand movements, this batch of Elixir is nearing completion."
"The ground has trembled several times tonight, and she’s still in the mood to refine Elixirs! Now look, we have to wait for her to finish before we can make the trade." A bandit complained loudly, echoing the sentiment of the crowd. He Lao Fourth sat down, picked up his dry pipe, and as he blew smoke rings, he sneered, "Look at her and then at yourselves! Do you know why she’s an Alchemy Master at such a young age? It’s because of her calm composure, regardless of chaos, and her urgency in cultivating at every possible moment. And you? You’ve lived for hundreds of years and still haven’t even entered the threshold of the Void Refining Stage!"
"Boss Fu leads us through hard-fought heists for what? It’s so that our descendants, Independent Immortals, can advance more swiftly and smoothly in our cultivation. But look at you, seeing a hard-working young lady and you just stand there making snide remarks. What is that? That’s being envious of others because you feel insufficient!" He Lao Fourth spoke with the tone and expression of someone fed up with incompetence.
As the undisputed second in command among the Immortal Bandits, he now pointed his pipe stem accusingly at each person; those pointed at all hung their heads in shame.
Nobody knew just how frantically worried He Lao Fourth was: "Granny, Grandma, please come back quickly. The people from Hidden Stream have already come to prompt us twice, I can’t take the pressure, if you don’t show up soon, the jig is up!" He had long been won over by Changtian, so of course, he knew about Ning Xiaoxian’s secretive venture to find the True Form of Ba Snake, and now he was standing in for his mistress.
Everyone had underestimated the efficiency of Hidden Stream’s work. Even if the ground had shaken several times that very night, Hidden Stream had not delayed their preparation of the goods. Hence, half an hour before dawn, they had already sent the goods over, which also showed how unwelcome outsiders were to Hidden Stream; they couldn’t wait to see them off.
Most of the goods in this shipment were raw materials needed for Alchemy, including precious herbs and parts of demon beasts, such as Poison Liquid from the Flying Centipede, shed skin of the horned viper, and so on. In previous trades, it was Qing’er who inspected these items for their age and quality, but this time she wasn’t present, so this task fell to Ning Xiaoxian. He Lao Fourth only had a superficial knowledge of Alchemy and wasn’t fit for the job.
However, after twice visiting the place, these Immortal Bandits found that the Granny was still refining Elixir! The ground had shaken eight or nine times that night, and no one knew when the next tremor would come. Everyone was hesitant to even enter a deep Breathing Meditation for fear of being caught unawares, yet there she was, daring to light the furnace and refine Mortal Medicine. One really didn’t know whether to say she had too much nerve or too little sense.
