"Brother Wang Ping, what are you still looking at? We should head back. It's been seven days since we came out, it's time for us to go back and have a good rest."
On the shore of the black reef beach was a swarthy, ordinary-looking youth clad in blue. He was staring blankly at an enormous bloodied corpse.
Hearing his friend's call, he turned around to look at his gleeful companion. Shaking his head with a regretful expression, he said, "It's nothing, I just feel that it's a waste not to bring the corpse of such a large mid-grade tier-1 demon back home!"
As soon as Wang Ping finished speaking, the companion who had called out to him, a rough-looking middle-aged man clad in black, seemed to have been aroused by his words as he sighed.
"Hai, who wouldn't say that!"
"But what can we do?"
"Low-level itinerant cultivators like us have to spend over ten years of hard work, risking our lives fighting demon beasts just to afford an ordinary storage bag, let alone those magical arrays that can preserve demon beast corpses!"
"Without an array to seal the spirit energy within the corpse, even if we were able to bring the corpse aboard the ship, most of its spirit energy would have already dissipated before we return to Golden Pearl Island. By then, all our efforts will have been in vain!"
With that, he shook his head and urged Wang Ping. "Alright, there's no need to look anymore. You won't get any benefit from looking other than feeling a heavier heartache. Let's hurry up and leave. When you get more experienced in the future, you will no longer dwell on these things, like me."
"He Meng is right, Wang Ping. As long as you follow us out to hunt a few more times, you will soon get used to it."
Standing beside the rugged He Men, was another middle-aged male with a face as red as a date. He also spoke up and advised Wang Ping, a companion whom he was working with for the first time.
Listening to his two companions' advice, Wang Ping seemed to have understood something. He cupped his fists and bowed to them. "I understand. Thank you for your advice, Boss Gu and Second Brother Meng. Let's go."
Seeing this, the forthright He Meng instantly chuckled and said, "Hehe, that's right. Come, come, let's quickly sail back. My eighth concubine is about to give birth, and I want to witness my son's arrival to this world!"
With that, the three of them left the reef beach and headed toward the boat docked at the shallow bay on the other side of the island.
After walking for not more than two thousand feet, they entered a dense forest. All of a sudden, the blue-clothed youth, Wang Ping, stopped walking as if he had just remembered something.
He touched his waist and his expression changed slightly. Looking apologetic, he said to Gu Feng and He Meng. "Boss Gu, Second Brother Meng, you guys go wait for me on the ship. I might have left the Charm of Peace that my mother gave me when she was still alive on the reef beach. I need to find it."
Upon hearing this, the red-faced Gu Feng immediately said, "Since it's something that auntie left for you, you definitely have to retrieve it. Do you want us to help you search for it?"
Wang Ping revealed a hint of gratitude, but he hurriedly waved his hand and declined. "I appreciate Big Brother Gu's kindness, but I feel bad troubling you with such a trivial matter. The Charm of Peace is very recognizable, and I should be able to find it quickly."
"Alright then. Remember to come back fast, Wang Ping. If you really can't find it, we can help you look for it."
Gu Feng nodded his head and made no further insistence. After reminding Wang Ping, he left with He Meng.
Watching Gu Feng and He Meng leave, Wang Ping's eyes flashed and he quickly returned to the reef beach by the sea.
On the reef beach, the skinned and bloodied corpse of the Waterwolf Beast was still lying on the ground.
Returning to the corpse of the Waterwolf Beast, Wang Ping first formed a hand seal to cast a low-grade tier-1 spell, "Heaven's Eye," to sharpen his eyesight. Then, he looked around and scanned his surroundings.
After making sure that no one was watching from the shadows, he quickly reached into his pocket and took out a palm-sized silver clamshell.
He held the silver clamshell and stuck it to the corpse of the Waterwolf Beast. Afterward, he injected some Dharma powers into the silver clamshell.
Suddenly, a miraculous scene occurred.
With the Dharma power that Wang Ping injected, the silver clamshell opened slightly, revealing a tiny crack. Next, it shot a beam of silver light at the corpse of the Waterwolf Beast. The corpse, which was initially twenty feet long, then shrunk to the size of a rice grain and flew into the clamshell.
Wang Ping looked as though he was already used to seeing such a scene.
He put the shell away and took out a white clamshell with a red string tied to it from his pocket. Tying this shell to his waist, he left the reef beach in large strides, heading for the ship that was docked at the bay on the other side of the island.
Not long after, a fifty-foot-long ship sailed out from the side of the uninhabited island, heading straight for Golden Pearl Island which was around two to three hundred kilometers away.
Golden Pearl Island was where Wang Ping was born and raised, it was a large island where millions of people resided.
Their ship sailed for nearly a day before safely returning to White Sand Bay, the southeast coast of Golden Pearl Island, stopping at the dock of White Sand City.
After reaching the shore, Wang Ping, Gu Feng, and He Meng ate a hearty meal at White Sand City's famous Sea Gazing Tower. Then, they returned to their respective cultivation grounds.
As Wang Ping had yet to marry, his cultivation ground was not located in White Sand City like that of Gu Feng and He Meng. Instead, it was located in the White Gull Mountains, which was over 30 kilometers northwest of White Sand City.
The White Gull Mountains was by no means a blessed ground. The main reason why Wang Ping chose to practice here was that the mountains here were high and the forests were dense. People rarely came here too, making it a suitable place for cultivation and to hide his secrets.
After parting with his two companions, he used the low-grade tier-1 spell "Light Body Technique" to ease his travel. In less than two hours, he was able to rush from White Sand City to his own courtyard which he had built in the depths of the White Gull Mountains.
The courtyard was built atop a two-hundred-foot-tall mountain that stood in the depths of the White Gull Mountains. Back then, Wang Ping had spent over a month using Dharma spells, splitting the mountains, and retrieving rocks to build the place; it was very sturdy.
The courtyard's walls were ten feet tall and spanned two to three acres. Apart from a few stone houses, there were also some fruit trees and vegetables planted inside.
Roar!
Wang Ping had just opened the door to the courtyard when a pleasantly-surprised howl of a wolf was heard from within the place.
Then, a Green-Black Giant Wolf —which was even taller than a human—stood up and pounced into Wang Ping's arms. Its two front claws rested on his shoulders, and it excitedly stuck out its tongue to lick his cheeks.
Wang Ping hurriedly stretched out his hand to block the saliva-coated tongue before lightly pushing the enormous wolf away. He chuckled. "Alright, alright, I know you've been holding it in for the past few days. Now that I've returned, I surely did not forget about your treats."
The Green-Black Giant Wolf seemed to understand Wang Ping's words. It immediately wagged its tail excitedly and circled around him while letting out a low growl.
Wang Ping closed the courtyard's door and walked straight to the largest stone house in the courtyard.