All the bandits present trembled and turned their heads together to look. Even Fang Zhou was surprised. Among a pile of single-digit numbers, a four-digit number suddenly popped up.
Under the astonished gaze of everyone, Li Dahong tightly covered her mouth, her face flushed red, but it was no use. Everyone heard the five thousand taels burst from her lips.
How impressive, no wonder the big sister who ate coarse food for her sisters could save five thousand taels in this godforsaken place.
The bandits stared at Li Dahong with fiery eyes, and their mouths even uttered "damn it" and "damn your father" and other such endearing words of comfort. This passionate sisterly bond was truly touching.
Ling Xiaoyue picked out a few honest bandits and sent them to their hideout to fetch Li Dahong's private savings.
To prevent the bandits from running away with the money, Ling Xiaoyue placed a curse on them. If they dared to escape, they would die from the curse taking effect.
Although Fang Zhou felt that Ling Xiaoyue was bluffing, these bandits obviously took her seriously. They were frightened pale and hurriedly ran back.
The bandit's den was quite far from this valley, and it took a considerable amount of time for them to return. When they came back in the twilight, they brought a bag containing the five thousand taels found in Li Dahong's room.
"My money, my money!"
Li Dahong looked at the bag of money and wept bitterly. It was something she had saved up over many years, and now it was all gone in an instant.
Decades of hard work, all lost as if returned to the days before liberation.
"Please leave some for me, I beg you."
Li Dahong cried out to Fang Zhou, her voice hoarse and strained, her expression filled with immense pain.
Fang Zhou felt a bit guilty, as if he was the real bandit robbing someone's hard-earned money.
"Ah, I'm too soft-hearted. I'll leave you some," he said.
Fang Zhou reached into his pocket, pulled out a copper coin, and tossed it in front of Li Dahong.
Li Dahong, in a daze, picked up the copper coin from the ground and cried even louder.
Ling Xiaoyue was delighted; she hadn't expected such a large haul from a small bandit group. She used a technique to store the money away in her sleeve, grinning from ear to ear.
Fang Zhou watched with envy. He desperately wanted to learn this technique, but Ling Xiaoyue, the miser, refused to teach him.
"Given the great virtue of Heaven, seeing how pitiful you all are, I will spare you this time," Ling Xiaoyue said.
After taking the money, Ling Xiaoyue was in a good mood and mercifully let the bandits leave without saying a harsh word.
But Fang Zhou felt that Ling Xiaoyue was definitely not this kind-hearted. She was likely fishing – letting this group of bandits go, waiting for their return as another source of income. What a ruthless woman.
The bandits were extremely grateful to Ling Xiaoyue and Fang Zhou. Supporting each other, they left, and the tearful and devastated Li Dahong was also helped away by her sisters.
"Let's go, my apprentice," Ling Xiaoyue said as she lay down again, humming a tune and crossing her legs. The unexpected windfall had put her in a fantastic mood.
Fang Zhou pondered for a moment and asked, "That technique you used to gather the money..."
Knowing what Fang Zhou wanted to ask, Ling Xiaoyue closed her eyes and replied, "Oh, what's the rush? You can't learn it now. When you reach the right cultivation realm, I will naturally teach you."
"Hmph! I see you're just making excuses," Fang Zhou muttered to himself, and then patted his horse to follow the others.
Not long after the two horses had set out, faint screams suddenly echoed from behind them.
Fang Zhou was startled and quickly looked back, only to see the bandits, who had climbed up the mountainside, being swept away by a mysterious black wind, their screams echoing in the distance.
"What is that?!"
Fang Zhou turned to look at Ling Xiaoyue and saw her sit up from her horse, her face calm. "Daring to eat people in front of me, quite the audacity!" she said.
She toss the wine jug in her hand. The wine jug turned into a black light and shot toward the black wind on the side of the valley.
Upon being struck by the jug, the black wind instantly dispersed, and the bandits caught within were thrown out.
The wine jug then whizzed back into Ling Xiaoyue's hand.
Just as Fang Zhou thought it was over, a gust of black wind suddenly blew in their faces, making it impossible for him to open his eyes. Both the Sixth Generation and Five Five were blown back repeatedly.
The entire valley was blown into a storm of flying sand and stones, with the rising dust obscuring the sky and sun.
Ling Xiaoyue sat motionless on horseback, but the gusty black wind finally caused her clothes and hair to flutter slightly.
In the vague shadow of the black wind, a massive ghostly head appeared, both its length and width exceeding three meters. Its mouth was wide open as it lunged towards Fang Zhou and Ling Xiaoyue.
"Cover your ears."
Upon Ling Xiaoyue's warning, Fang Zhou hurriedly raised his hands to cover his ears.
He saw her lips part slightly, and the next moment, a thunderous roar erupted from her mouth.
"Scram!"
This shout was like thunder from the heavens, causing both horses to kneel down in shock. Fang Zhou felt as if his head was splitting open, his eardrums almost shattered.
The sound waves rolled out, instantly dispersing the approaching ghostly head. The surrounding black wind was also swept away completely, and the sky cleared of dust, revealing a bright moon and sparse stars.
Fang Zhou stared at Ling Xiaoyue, his hearing recovering after a while.
This was the second time he had seen Ling Xiaoyue take action, but her might this time far exceeded the last. This was not a battle he could participate in.
Fang Zhou had thought that after this period of cultivation and improvement, the gap between him and Ling Xiaoyue should have narrowed somewhat, but it seemed the gap was only widening.
No, he had never known just how powerful Ling Xiaoyue truly was. This seemingly 'bargain' master remained an enigma in his eyes.
How could he possibly surpass her at this rate?
"What's the matter, apprentice? You look terrified."
With her hands on her hips, Ling Xiaoyue proudly said, "Were you captivated by your master's invincible posture? Don't be so shocked; this is just basic for me. Under my guidance, you will be just as impressive in the future."
Ling Xiaoyue's smug appearance brought Fang Zhou back to reality, and he responded irritably, "Captivated my ass; you almost shattered my eardrums!"
"Ha ha, don't be shy. I can see the admiration in your eyes," she teased.
"About that five thousand taels…"
"You ungrateful apprentice!"
Fang Zhou climbed up the slope of the valley and found that the bandits were either dead or seriously injured. Few survivors remained among the scattered limbs and bodies.
He remained silent, not out of sympathy for the bandits, but reflecting on how he might fare in their situation. Could he resist that black wind?
Deep down, he had an answer. Facing that black wind, his fate might not differ much from these bandits.
It was a stark difference in power that couldn't be bridged by a few skills.
Fang Zhou had thought he was already quite strong, but this was clearly one of the greatest illusions in life.
Upon questioning a surviving bandit, he learned that the mountain range had been haunted by demons since the beginning of the year, usually appearing at a certain time to prey on humans.
The bandits had been delayed today, and thus had drawn the attention of the demon.
Fang Zhou returned to Ling Xiaoyue's side, and the master and apprentice set off again. The demon did not reappear; its fate was unknown.
"What was that thing?" Fang Zhou asked Ling Xiaoyue. "It seemed powerful. What realm was it in?"
"A well-cultivated mountain demon," Ling Xiaoyue yawned, casually saying.
"It's probably just touching the threshold of the Entering Innate realm. If it lives for another few decades, it might become a great demon of that realm. But I've severely wounded it, so who knows if it can reach that stage."
This was somewhat unexpected for Fang Zhou. He had thought the monster was at least in the Entering Innate realm, but it was only at the threshold. It would need decades more of cultivation to achieve the Entering Innate realm.
He had thought that reaching the Entering Innate realm was quite ordinary, but now realized his judgment was off. The Entering Innate realm was not weak at all; it was his perspective that was limited.
Thinking of this, Fang Zhou could not help but feel a sense of urgency. This world was so dangerous, and the monsters could eat people at will. He was so weak, and he could only walk around safely under the protection of Ling Xiaoyue.
He had to work harder on his cultivation, as Ling Xiaoyue was not very reliable, having already lost one disciple.
In the end, he would have to rely on his own strength to truly stand firm.
Seizing the moment, Fang Zhou continued to cultivate on horseback, not wasting a single second.
As night deepened, the master and apprentice found an old, rundown Earth Temple beside the mountain path and decided to rest there for the night.
After gathering some twigs and starting a bonfire, Fang Zhou saw Ling Xiaoyue lie down on a pile of straw.
"My apprentice," she said, "tonight is the full moon, and I need to meditate all night. Guard for me and don't wake me under any circumstances, or I may fall into a state of Qi Deviation."
Fang Zhou, seeing Ling Xiaoyue speak so seriously for the first time, asked in surprise, "Really?"
Ling Xiaoyue gave him a disdainful glance. "Would I joke about this?"
Fang Zhou was somewhat worried, wondering if Ling Xiaoyue had been injured in the battle with the mountain demon.
Before he could ask further, he saw that Ling Xiaoyue had already closed her eyes. She seemed to be in a deep sleep, her breath barely noticeable.
Fang Zhou had no choice but to give up.
Soon, light footsteps sounded outside the Earth Temple. Someone was approaching.
Turning his head toward the entrance, he saw a dark-skinned young woman walk in.
Upon seeing Fang Zhou and his master, the girl paused slightly and then bowed to Fang Zhou, saying, "I am Han Li of the Qingyun Sect. I'm just passing by this place. Please, allow me to stay here for a while."