This Sword Cultivator is Somewhat Dependable

"Big brother, that kid is slick as an eel. I did as you instructed and provoked him, hoping to force his hand, but not only did he not expose any weaknesses, he also made me lose face," Mu Shan complained bitterly in a low voice to the cultivator beside him.

Anyone overhearing their conversation would be extremely surprised.

For the cultivator Mu Shan called "big brother" was also a Demon Hunter, by the name of Wu Xinyuan.

From their conversation, it was clear that the two shared a deep connection.

Yet until then, Wu Xinyuan and Mu Shan had always pretended to be strangers who had never met before.

Wu Xinyuan’s brow furrowed, and a contemplative look appeared in his eyes.

Mu Shan, grinding his teeth in resentment, said, "Big brother, I know you are cautious, but he’s just a greenhorn. How capable could he be?

At most seventeen or eighteen years old, he might not even possess the cultivation of the fourth or fifth layer of Qi Refinement—an overestimation on our part. Why fret over him, as if he could really stir up any trouble!"

Mu Shan, feeling that he had lost face in front of Lu Qingshan, was now filled with hatred towards him. He wished he could flay and debone Lu Qingshan right then and there. Seeing Wu Xinyuan still hesitant, he hurriedly urged him on.

After hearing Mu Shan’s words, Wu Xinyuan thought carefully and felt that perhaps he was being overly cautious.

While cultivators have techniques to preserve their youth and thus their age cannot be judged by appearance...

That usually applies to high-level cultivators.

For Qi Refining Cultivators, their apparent age is typically their actual age.

A youth who looked as if he barely had a beard could not be very formidable. He probably just had some luck and found a Cultivation Technique to practice, barely achieving the cultivation of the first or second layer of Qi Refinement before daring to venture out.

Years of walking on thin ice had made him somewhat jumpy.

Wu Xinyuan chided himself inwardly.

"Big brother, when do we plan to make our move?"

Wu Xinyuan hesitated for a moment, then decided, "Let’s do it tonight, lest we leave things to chance."

Throughout the day, he had already gathered all the necessary details.

The Lin Family’s accompanying cultivators totaled eleven. Besides Lin He, who possessed the cultivation of the eighth layer of Qi Refinement, the rest were minor cultivators below the fifth layer of Qi Refinement.

Then there was the Lin Family’s young miss, Lin Yao, who had always stayed inside the carriage and never once showed her face.

Though Lin Yao had never appeared in public and was quite mysterious, Wu Xinyuan knew her age—barely eighteen.

At eighteen, how high could her cultivation be?

On the Demon Hunters’ side, there were ten in total—eight of whom were his own men.

The lowest among these eight had the cultivation of the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, and he himself, with the tenth layer, was more than enough to overpower everyone present.

Of the remaining two Demon Hunters, one had been thoroughly investigated, a mere fifth layer Qi Refining Cultivator, of no concern. The other was that young cultivator whose background was unknown.

With such a huge disparity in strength and the element of surprise on their side, the victory would surely be theirs with a swift attack.

Wu Xinyuan felt assured in his heart, confident of his success.

...

Although to cultivators, the difference between day and night was not significant...

The black rhino still needed to rest after pulling a cart full of ore.

Lin He carefully surveyed the terrain and chose a wind-sheltered slope without signs of Demon Beast habitation as their campsite.

Calling it a campsite was really just forming a circle with the carts.

Soon, under Lin He’s orders, Lin Family cultivators held formation flags and began to set up a Guardian Formation around.

Once any Demon Beasts invaded, the Guardian Formation would instantly emit a warning.

After setting up the formation, the cultivators leaned against the carts to catch some sleep.

The route chosen by the caravan had been traveled by others before, and even if there were Demon Beasts, they had been cleared out, so it should have been very safe in theory.

However, if one were to embrace this thought and act recklessly in the Wilderness, such people often ended up dying horribly.

Low Grade Demon Beasts didn’t have a strong sense of territory, often wandering in search of prey.

So even if a place was completely safe yesterday, there’s no telling if one or two Demon Beasts might appear today.

So this journey might seem calm, but everyone was on edge, always on high alert for the slightest rustle of wind or grass.

Not just the Black Rhinos needed rest; in fact, the cultivators themselves were mentally drained and needed rest as well.

Wu Xinyuan, holding a pouch of Spiritual Wine, approached Lin He and greeted cheerfully, "Manager Lin, I have a jar of Spiritual Wine here, it has a revitalizing effect. Would you like to take a few sips?"

Lin He, with a smile, waved his hand to politely refuse, "No, thank you, Spiritual Wine isn’t cheap. Fellow Daoist, you should keep it for your own enjoyment."

It was only proper to be wary of cultivators who were not familiar.

Lin He dared not drink the wine carelessly.

Wu Xinyuan didn’t seem to mind Lin He’s polite refusal and turned to leave.

At that moment, Mu Shan came over from the side, slapped Wu Xinyuan on the back, and shouted, "Look at you, Wu Xinyuan, that’s not very nice, just asking Manager Lin and not us. What, do you look down on us Loose Cultivators?"

Perhaps because the action was too sudden, it startled Wu Xinyuan.

The water pouch in Wu Xinyuan’s hand slipped and fell to the ground.

The Spiritual Wine spilled from the pouch, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.

Wu Xinyuan, looking at the spilled Spiritual Wine, felt a pang of heartache and complained to Mu Shan, "This pouch of Spiritual Wine costs five First Grade Spirit Stones, and now it’s all wasted."

Mu Shan promptly offered an apology with a gesture of courtesy.

Lin He sniffed the air filled with the scent of the wine and expressed surprise, "What kind of Spiritual Wine is this? Such a rich fragrance."

A vicious gleam flickered in Wu Xinyuan’s eyes, "This wine is called ’Meng Po Soup.’ When the old fool reaches the Netherworld below, he can drink to his heart’s content!"

Lin He’s expression changed dramatically upon hearing this, "You..."

Wu Xinyuan laughed coldly, "Realizing it only now? Then it’s too late!"

As he spoke, Lin He suddenly stiffened, and a shimmering green light flashed across his face.

[Green Vine Gu]: A First Grade Gu Insect that emits a strange and unmistakable scent of wine.

Special Effect: Once it parasitizes a cultivator, it can release the poison of the Green Vine, rendering the parasitized cultivator unable to use their Spiritual Power for a period of time.

Among First Grade Gu Insects, the Green Vine Gu is considered quite powerful. The Spirit Banning effect is essentially lethal to Lower Grade cultivators who have limited means at their disposal.

But the flaw of this Gu is also quite obvious; Green Vine Gu naturally carries a strong scent of wine, which makes it difficult to use except in special circumstances.

With the slightest caution, a fragile poison Gu like the Green Vine Gu, which cannot approach a cultivator, would be ineffective.

But Wu Xinyuan, using the aroma of the Spiritual Wine, covered up the Green Vine Gu’s own scent, catching Lin He entirely off guard.

Wu Xinyuan was a Gu Cultivator.

A Gu Cultivator is a branch of Beast Cultivators. Due to the devious nature of Gu Insects, Gu Cultivators’ methods are particularly insidious and hard to guard against.