Chapter 315
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Chapter 315: Trouble
Having come to a realization, Wang Chen cast aside his distractions and opened his heart to drink and chat with Li Yian.
No matter what her intentions were in getting close to him, as long as he remained sincere and steadfast, he had nothing to fear.
Among all the female cultivators Wang Chen had encountered in the past, Li Yian was undoubtedly the most special.
First of all, she was truly beautiful.
After a few cups of Hundred Flower Brew, a light flush appeared on her charming face, her eyes becoming watery and bright, sparkling as if they could speak, shyly captivating even before she uttered a word.
However, she drank with abandon, leaving no drop in her cup.
As the drinking continued, she insisted on playing drinking games with Wang Chen.
Wang Chen had no idea how to play these games.
Li Yian was persistent, so he had no choice but to bring out a legendary drinking tool from his previous life—the bluffing dice.
The rules of the bluffing dice game were simple and fun.
Wang Chen’s storage bag was rich in supplies, so creating a dice cup and dice was no problem at all.
Once Li Yian understood how to play, her interest grew immensely, and she immediately started playing with Wang Chen.
Neither used their magic power or divine sense, relying entirely on luck and skill like ordinary people.
Wang Chen thought he would achieve a complete victory.
At first, he indeed won a few rounds against Li Yian, but once she fully grasped the rules, Wang Chen ended up losing far more than he won, ultimately winning nothing.
Li Yian brought out two jars of Hundred Flower Brew, and Wang Chen managed to drink one and a half by himself.
With his current Purple Palace cultivation level, he was already feeling overwhelmed!
“I don’t want to play anymore.”
Li Yian put down the dice cup and took out another jar of Hundred Flower Brew from her storage bag. “You’ve lost too much; I don’t have any wine left.”
The female cultivator playfully pouted, her eyes glimmering with emotion that could make even iron-hearted Wang Chen momentarily falter.
Disaster!
Having earned this new evaluation from Wang Chen, Li Yian opened the jar and raised it to her ruby lips to drink deeply.
Transparent liquid spilled from the corners of her mouth, trailing down her pointed chin, leaving wet marks along her slender neck, eventually disappearing into the high collar of her robe.
This scene left Wang Chen momentarily stunned.
He felt as if he was watching a scene from a movie in his previous life, although their appearances bore little resemblance.
Noticing the strange gaze from Wang Chen, Li Yian giggled, set down the jar, and lightly touched her red lips with her delicate finger before pressing it against Wang Chen’s lips.
With a gentle swipe, she twirled around and darted out of the black toad tent.
As Wang Chen came to his senses, he heard her voice echoing in his ears: “Thank you, fellow traveler, for keeping me company with drinks.”
What a captivating enchantress!
Wang Chen was certain that the other party had not employed any seduction techniques on him.
Li Yian’s allure was more akin to a formidable talent ability, subtly influencing his spirit without inciting any sense of wariness or aversion.
This was truly remarkable.
Wang Chen lowered his head—his expansive robe could barely contain his emotions!
That very night, he found himself dreaming.
It was a bizarre and vivid dream.
Upon awakening the next morning, Wang Chen questioned whether he was still ensnared in the dream.
However, as he rejoined the group on their journey, the hostile glances from those around him swiftly brought him back to reality.
The mountain-crossing team Wang Chen was part of traveled exclusively during daylight hours, setting up camp as evening fell.
To ensure safety, the campsite was confined to a small area, with everyone pitching their tents in close proximity.
Furthermore, the weakest member of the group had at least a Qi Training ninth level cultivation level, ensuring that even the slightest disturbance would be noticed.
It was undeniable that the previous night’s event, where Li Yian had visited Wang Chen’s tent to drink, had not gone unnoticed.
Those cultivators who held a favorable view of Li Yian naturally regarded Wang Chen as a rival.
Wang Chen found this situation utterly exasperating.
Women truly are the root of all trouble!
Despite the palpable hostility, no one dared to confront Wang Chen directly.
The rules of the Mountain Crossing Society were explicit; infighting within the team was strictly prohibited. Anyone who dared to stir trouble would be expelled to fend for themselves, and the ten ferrymen leading the group were not to be trifled with.
Moreover, the Purple Palace cultivators who might have had the standing to challenge Wang Chen were not fools; even if they considered him a target, they would bide their time until after the group had left the Yulong Mountain Range.
Crucially, there was more than one Purple Palace cultivator vying for Li Yian’s favor; with so many competitors, no one wanted to risk letting a third party benefit from their conflicts!
Thus, despite being deliberately isolated, Wang Chen’s journey remained smooth and uneventful.
On the ninth day of their mountain expedition, as the group traversed a narrow valley, a band of monsters obstructed their path.
Over a hundred wolf-headed humanoid creatures, mounted on wild boars with menacing tusks, brandished metal spears and glared menacingly at the mountain-crossing team.
The atmosphere instantly became fraught with tension.
Many cultivators began to form spells with their hands or discreetly retrieved talismans or magical tools, preparing for battle.
Before entering the mountains, everyone was aware of the lurking dangers within the Yulong Mountains. Not only Purple Palace cultivators, but even Golden Core or Yuan Ying cultivators could potentially meet their demise.
While great beasts and beast kings typically refrained from attacking cultivators below the Golden Core level, the mountains teemed with countless magical beasts, rendering a mere party of three hundred insignificant.
For the past eight days, however, they had encountered no significant trouble.
The ferrymen of the Mountain Crossing Society were intimately familiar with the mountains and adept at guiding the group to avoid danger in advance.
Their journey had proceeded smoothly.
Yet, no one allowed themselves to become complacent, assuming the remainder of the trip would be equally safe.
Indeed, trouble had finally surfaced!
However, to everyone’s astonishment, the leading ferryman signaled for calm.
He rode his mountain-steeding rhino forward to negotiate with the monsters.
In full view of the group, this high-level Purple Palace cultivator produced a storage bag and handed it to the monster leader.
The monster leader opened the storage bag, inspected its contents, and displayed a satisfied expression, muttering something in a language that was clearly not human.
Yet, the ferryman understood it perfectly.
Once the negotiation concluded, the "Wild Boar Knights" turned and swiftly disappeared into the dense forest.
The leading ferryman gestured, indicating it was safe to proceed.
Fascinating!
Having witnessed the entire negotiation, Wang Chen realized that the Mountain Crossing Society essentially functioned as a specialized security service for routes through the Yulong Mountain Range, protecting cultivators en route to the West Sea Spiritual Realm.
The ferrymen were, in essence, the bodyguards.
This escort service did not rely on brute force in the Jianghu; they depended on connections and relationships!
They clearly had arrangements with the monsters in the mountains, exchanging protection fees for safe passage.
Thus, charging three thousand for a Purple Palace escort and ten thousand for a Qi Training one was genuinely not exorbitant.
However, after dealing with the monsters, the ferryman’s expression turned grave, showing no signs of relief. Upon rejoining the group, he said in a deep voice, “Recently, Evil Spirits have been sighted in the mountains; everyone must remain vigilant!”
The Yulong Mountain Range was a domain inhabited by magical beasts and monster cultivators, and any Evil Spirits daring to roam there must be extraordinary.
The sense of security that everyone had just regained now hung precariously once again!
