Jiang Xun walked over at a measured pace, his gaze first landing on Sang Linger, then on the two unfamiliar youths beside her.
Their eyes held the habitual scrutiny of Cultivators, as if they were sizing up a tool.
Finally, his eyes rested on the middle-aged man with a black robe and long beard, who was bowing slightly and smiling obsequiously at Sang Linger's group.
Fragments of memory instantly clicked into place; this Immortal was named Xue Sheng, the nominal top administrator of Yunshan Town.
Beside him, the tall, cold-faced Qin Lin swept his gaze over Jiang Xun as if looking at a roadside pebble, then immediately withdrew it and said to Sang Linger:
"Is this the one?" His tone was flat, tinged with a hint of disdain.
The other, thinner youth, Han Chen, was more direct. He crossed his arms and looked Jiang Xun up and down, noting his faded coarse clothes, a smirk unhidden on his lips:
"Junior Sister Linger, this 'guide' you found—I hope he doesn't end up feeding the Yao Beasts himself before we even get deep into the mountains, or we'll have to deal with the mess."
Sang Linger said irritably, "That's none of your business."
No matter how incompetent the person she found was, she wouldn't let others criticize her choice.
If these two hadn't been randomly assigned to her, she wouldn't have wanted to travel with them at all.
"The Sect only gave vague clues for this trial's location. In these vast mountains, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack," Sang Linger said, her almond eyes glaring at the two.
"That's why we need a local to lead the way and save time."
"What could a Mortal possibly know? I doubt he'll be of any use."
Han Chen chuckled, his voice carrying his usual lazy mockery:
"Just treat him like a talking beast of burden. It's fine if he can just recognize the path and carry the luggage. You can't seriously expect him to identify Spiritual Plants, can you? What a joke."
While the three conversed, the Immortal who was unreachable in the eyes of the townsfolk held out a green jade talisman to Sang Linger with both hands, his face plastered with a nearly fawning smile:
"Fairy, this is the Trial Jade Talisman. It has been prepared for you."
Jiang Xun walked straight to a spot three paces in front of Xue Sheng and stopped. He lowered his eyes, cupped his fists, and bowed deeply, his voice clear and fearful:
"This lowly one, Jiang Xun, greets Immortal Master Xue."
This appearance was perfectly in line with his status.
Sang Linger curled her lip as she watched from the side, muttering softly, "Where's that stubbornness from last night? He certainly knows how to be respectful now..."
Only then did Xue Sheng shift a sliver of his attention from the three 'honored guests.'
The habitual smile on his face remained unchanged, but his eyes swept over Jiang Xun with a condescending indifference, as if he weren't looking at a person, but at a piece of medicinal herb that grew decently well, but was nothing more than that.
He nodded slightly, his tone businesslike and mild, yet laced with a warning:
"These are honored guests from the Immortal Sect who are here to find some things in the nearby mountains. Since you are familiar with the paths, lead them well and serve them carefully."
"If anything goes wrong..." He paused, leaving the sentence unfinished, but the meaning was self-evident.
"Yes, this lowly one understands. I will surely do my utmost and wouldn't dare be the least bit negligent."
Jiang Xun kept his head down, answering quickly and smoothly, his humble tone almost sinking into the dirt.
Sang Linger seemed satisfied. She took a misty green jade talisman engraved with cloud patterns from Xue Sheng and tucked it into her robes, then jerked her chin at Jiang Xun:
"Enough talk, lead the way. Is the place you mentioned far?"
"It's quite a trek into the mountains." Jiang Xun stepped aside and gestured in the direction.
The group of four left the Deacons Office and headed toward the foothills, where the mist was even thicker.
Jiang Xun walked at the front, his steps steady.
The mountain path grew steeper, and the forest grew denser.
The three Cultivators clearly didn't take this journey seriously. They chatted among themselves, revealing quite a bit of information in their conversation.
Jiang Xun pricked up his ears and learned that the three were fellow Disciples but belonged to different masters.
Their coming to the Yunqi Mountain Range to search for Spirit Medicine was a Sect trial.
The content of the trial was to gather Spirit Medicine; the higher the grade, the higher the evaluation would naturally be.
Furthermore, the trial seemed to be open only to Disciples at the Foundation Establishment Stage.
"Hey, guide." Qin Lin, walking to Sang Linger's left, suddenly turned his head, his cold gaze landing on Jiang Xun's face.
"Are you sure that place you know really has what we're looking for? Don't waste our time."
Jiang Xun immediately bowed slightly, his face putting on a perfectly calibrated expression of uncertainty mixed with an effort to remember:
"To answer the Immortal Master, this lowly one doesn't dare guarantee it. I only heard my late father mention that in a mountain hollow, he saw a very unusual flower, and there was even a Yao Beast guarding it.
As for whether it's what the Immortal Masters are looking for, this lowly one really..."
Qin Lin nodded. If a Yao Beast was guarding it, then it must be a Spirit Medicine of some grade.
While responding, Jiang Xun carefully tried to fish for information, his tone filled with exaggerated awe and well-timed ignorance:
"The three Immortal Masters have such vast Divine Abilities, why not just... um, fly over on swords? That would be so much faster and save you the trouble of this arduous trek."
Hearing this, Sang Linger turned her head and explained in a "you really are ignorant" tone: "The entire outer perimeter of the Yunqi Mountain Range is covered by the 'Cloud Lock Spirit Grand Formation' laid down by the Sect in the early years.
"Walking on the ground is fine, but once you fly high, you'll immediately be trapped by the thick fog and lose your way. In serious cases, it might even trigger the Formation's Restrictions. Otherwise, why do you think those Yao Beasts with some cultivation rarely fly out?"
Beside her, Han Chen sneered and took over, his contempt unmasked:
"Why bother telling him this? A mere Mortal—what does he know about Formations? Being able to lead the way for us is a fortune he's accumulated over several lifetimes."
Sang Linger wrinkled her nose but didn't respond to Han Chen; she truly disliked the arrogant, show-off attitude of these two.
Han Chen seemed to want to display the Sect's prestige, or perhaps he simply wanted to intimidate Jiang Xun, as he continued in a condescending tone:
"Kid, just lead the way. Being able to serve my Xuanxiao Immortal Sect is a blessing from your ancestors.
"If the Sect hadn't established a town here for protection, you Mortals would have been gnawed down to the bone by the beasts in the mountains long ago. How could you have such a peaceful life today?"
Hearing the words 'Xuanxiao Immortal Sect,' Jiang Xun recalled that in the game, there was indeed a mid-tier Sect called the Xuanxiao Sect, but it was in the Eastern Region!
Could it be that his current location was in the Eastern Region?
Jiang Xun bowed even lower, his face squeezing out an expression of profound gratitude, his voice even trembling with a bit of "excitement":
"Yes, yes, yes! What the Immortal Master says is true! It's all thanks to the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect and the protection of you Immortal Lords that we commoners can have a way to live and enjoy a few days of peace!
"I always thought Immortal Master Xue in town was the most supreme figure, but after meeting you three today, I finally understand what it means for there to be a heaven beyond heaven and Immortals beyond Immortals!"
His blatant, almost clumsy flattery unexpectedly softened the hard lines of Qin Lin's face.
Qin Lin actually twitched the corner of his mouth, his tone carrying some disdain:
"Xue Sheng? He's nobody. He's just someone with mediocre Aptitude and no hope for the Great Dao within the Sect, so he was sent out to a remote place like Yunshan Town to be a deacon and collect resources for the Sect."
Han Chen also snorted, adding with a sense of superiority as if looking down at an ant:
"Do you think this Yunshan Town is unique? Let me tell you, this tens-of-thousands-of-miles-long Yunqi Mountain Range—any place with output or Mortal settlements—is under the jurisdiction of my Xuanxiao Immortal Sect.
"Towns and villages like this are scattered like stars on a chessboard, more than a hundred of them. The output of all living things in the entire mountain range is under the Sect's control."
More than a hundred Yunshan Towns?!
Jiang Xun kept his head down, echoing them submissively, but he was secretly horrified!
In his game memories, the "Xuanxiao Sect" was merely a mid-tier Sect in the Eastern Region. While not weak, it certainly didn't have such a terrifying scope of influence and control!
Controlling over a hundred resource production points and indirectly holding the lives of millions of Mortals... This scale was comparable to some of the Demonic Path giants that dominated an entire region in the late game!
Was the game information incomplete?
Or had some kind of deviation occurred in this world?
Maintaining his humble and fearful expression, he didn't stop and led the three deeper into the forest.