Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 269: Chapter 269: Exposed

The group followed the river.

The gorge stream roared as Bai Mo, his interest piqued, leisurely parted flowers and searched through the grass.

The others, however, were in no mood to search for flowers.

They had traveled for several miles, yet they still hadn’t managed to shake Qi Long and his men.

Occasionally, they would see them toss a body into the stream. The corpse would bob on the surface once or twice before the current swept it away, leaving no trace behind.

Qin Wen scanned the bushes ahead, then shifted his gaze to the opposite bank.

"What are they doing? Where did they find so many people to kill?"

By now, none of them dared to approach the riverbank, relying on the lush vegetation for cover as they moved.

The scar-faced man squinted, staring at the opposite bank for a moment.

"Judging by their clothes, they must be Dao Slaves."

He thought for a moment, then added pensively:

"I’ve long heard that this Qi Long has mastered a kind of sacrificial ritual, offering blood and life force to the mountain’s Demon Beasts in exchange for them guiding him to medicinal herbs."

"That’s why whenever the powerful families in the city need to find herbs, they go to him. He never fails."

"Could it be..."

Qin Wen’s expression flickered as he looked at Bai Mo.

"We’re in the same place, following the same river... This can’t be a coincidence, can it?"

Bai Mo straightened up and was silent for a moment before replying:

"I’m afraid it’s very likely."

"The Azurewater Jade Flower that Liu Yaozi saw is at its peak blooming time. With so many people on this mountain, it’s not surprising that someone else spotted it."

The tall, burly man—the one who had received a bottle of Righteous Qi Pills from Bai Mo—gazed at the scene on the opposite bank and suddenly gasped.

"Those Dao Slaves... could they be from the Yan family, the great mining clan in the city?"

"My family used to live right across from them before we moved. Looking at the style of their clothes, it’s a perfect match!"

As the others turned to look at him, the burly man explained:

"I heard that the fourth young master of their family was buried in a collapse at the Fire Cloud Ore mine some time ago. He wasn’t rescued until a full two days later."

"Even with his cultivation, the kid nearly died. Rumor is he was also afflicted with fire poison."

Bai Mo’s eyes lit with understanding. "That explains it."

"If used correctly, the Azurewater Jade Flower can easily expel a simple fire poison."

As they continued on, they saw Qi Long once again begin to throw bodies into the stream.

Qin Wen turned his head and saw that the Dao Slave being thrown in was slightly plump—clearly, he had lived well. He might have even been a supervisor at the Fire Cloud Ore mine.

"This won’t end well," Qin Wen said.

"The Yan family is desperate to save him; they must have given Qi Long an absolute order!"

The burly man hurried forward a few steps and said urgently:

"Then we just have to beat them to it."

"Does Qi Long really dare to chase us all the way out here? We’ll just lead him into the jaws of a Demon Beast!"

He gritted his teeth.

"Let me tell you, the Yan family is the reason my family had to move. There’s bad blood between us. I wouldn’t mind causing them a little trouble!"

Bai Mo, however, wasn’t worried about the people on the opposite bank.

"A Demon Beast tempted by such a meager blood offering is unlikely to be anything impressive."

"If that beast actually finds the flower, it certainly won’t lead Qi Long to it. It’ll claim it for itself."

"Our real competition is the local Demon Beasts."

If Qi Long had no other tricks up his sleeve, he would be just as lost as anyone else here.

Another half-day passed. Finally, as they were walking, a Demon Beast attacked.

It was a half-grown, boar-like Demon Beast with forked, blade-sharp tusks, and it charged at them, its breath a foul stench.

Its bristles carried a greenish tint—whether from grease rubbed off tree trunks or natural coloration, it was hard to say—providing excellent camouflage.

Unfortunately for the beast, Bai Mo detected it the moment it drew near.

With a single word of warning from him, Qin Wen reacted instantly.

He brandished two short blades, crossing them in front of himself in a flash.

CLANG!

One of Qin Wen’s short blades was knocked from his grasp as he was sent flying backward, only stopping when he slammed into a tree trunk.

But the Demon Beast’s momentum was broken. The moment it faltered, the burly man leaped forward and grappled with it.

As they struggled, he plunged a dagger into its abdomen.

SQUEAL!

A piercing shriek rang out as the Demon Beast thrashed wildly.

In an instant, a sickening crack echoed from the burly man’s arms as his shoulder was dislocated.

However, the other men had already lunged forward.

They wore Soft Armor, unafraid of the beast’s coarse bristles. As they latched on, they plunged their own iron spikes and daggers into its flesh.

In less than ten breaths, the Demon Beast no longer had the strength to move.

"Go!"

Qin Wen ordered decisively, rubbing his lower back.

Without a word, the men pulled out a black sack, shoved the Demon Beast inside, and two of them hoisted it up to carry as they left.

Sure enough, they hadn’t even gone a full li before the trees and bushes behind them began to shake violently, indicating something was approaching.

But the black sacks used by the Demon Hunting Team were custom-made by artisans in the city, smoked with pine resin and soaked for long periods in plant-based oils.

With the prey stuffed inside and the opening tightly secured, not a single whiff of blood could escape.

’They’re all professionals, indeed.’

Bai Mo was deeply impressed with the skills of these dozen or so men.

They were truly worthy of being handpicked by Qin Wen.

The courage to unhesitatingly throw themselves at a Demon Beast was not something everyone possessed; a single glance told him they were all seasoned veterans.

"KREEE!"

A sharp cry suddenly pierced the air. Moments later, a massive eagle took flight from the opposite bank.

Its wingspan was enormous, at least thirty percent wider than that of an ordinary eagle.

To be swooped upon by such a creature, talons first, would truly feel like a dark cloud descending from above.

The burly man saw it and immediately began to curse loudly.

"No wonder Qi Long operates in these mountains like a fish in water. The bastard has too many tricks up his sleeve."

An eagle that dared to fly free in the Celestial Barrier Mountain was, by definition, no ordinary beast.

They watched as it circled twice in the sky before beginning to dive and climb repeatedly right above their heads, refusing to leave.

Everyone’s expression immediately turned grim.

"It must be a remnant of the Qi family’s heritage."

One of the men drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and let it fly.

The arrowhead streaked through the air, flashing with a blue-green light. It was clearly coated in poison.

The meat of avian beasts was rarely sold in Immortal Arrival City.

Such agile flying creatures were difficult to capture, and they were notorious for causing trouble in the mountains.

Worse, they barely had any meat on them, making them a universally detested target for any Demon Hunting Team.

Therefore, the poison on the arrow was meant to be lethal, with no thought given to recovering the body.

The instant the arrow was loosed, the eagle in the sky faltered.

Its eyesight was superior to anyone present.

The men had assumed it would dodge, but at the critical moment, a bronze artifact suddenly materialized and clamped down over the eagle’s head.

The eagle panicked. It froze for a moment, then tried to flee haphazardly to the side.

THWIP!

Even so, the arrow pierced its wing, leaving a hole.

The men were stunned. They watched it flap about erratically before it finally plunged helplessly into the stream, where it was swallowed by the current.

"Well, I’ll be damned!"

The burly man was dumbfounded.

"What the hell was that!?"

Qin Wen shot him a look. "Don’t ask. Just hurry up and move."

The other party had obviously detected their presence.

Qi Long’s thirty-odd men were all experts, their equipment was exceptional, and they were extremely disciplined.

If a real fight broke out, their group of a dozen or so would be no match for them.

Everyone understood this, so they didn’t dare to linger. They quickly packed up and hurried away.

Meanwhile, on the opposite bank, Qi Long’s face was dark as thunder.

One of his subordinate Cultivators, who had run a li downstream along the river, finally returned.

"Brother Qi, your eagle didn’t surface."

"You’ll just have to raise another one!"

THUD!

A fist slammed into a tree trunk, sending leaves showering down.

Qi Long swept a cold gaze over the men present.

"For them to appear here, at this specific time... it’s highly likely their goal is the same as ours."

"Go and find out who those people are and where they come from!"

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