Zhou Li glanced over and deduced that this group had at least sixteen people, nine horses, and a practitioner of no low rank. Based on the nearby wheel tracks, he determined that the group had set off not long ago, at most half a shichen.
Actually, on flat ground, half a shichen would be enough for these horse-riding practitioners to gallop tens of miles. Alas, the treacherous terrain of Spirit Vulture Mountain didn't allow even winged horses to fly over its ravines and gullies.
Moreover, these people cherished their horses as if they were their lives and certainly wouldn't do something like tying their horses below and climbing up by themselves. Therefore, they must be just halfway up the mountain at most.
But Zhou Li was different. The Ten Thousand Spiders Poison Scripture he'd cultivated may have been rated as only Lower Third Rank, but its versatility was ridiculously high. It was fully equipped for poisoning as well as stealth, and in the later stages, it could even produce a spider's sense to anticipate danger.
Of course, these were matters for the future. Currently, Zhou Li could only mimic the form and some special abilities of spiders. After once again imitating the Helan Spider, he began to crawl through the bushes with strange postures, quickly ascending the mountain.
The scenery of Spirit Vulture Mountain could actually be called beautiful according to the world's standards, but its geographical location was embarrassingly awkward.
Shangjing itself was not a particularly rich place, and the weather was unstable. Hailstorms and thunderstorms were common, so scholars and poets were not too keen to visit for leisure. Consequently, the beauty of Spirit Vulture Mountain remained obscured.
After passing through a peach grove, Zhou Li followed the marks left by the carriage toward the upper reaches of the Wei River. Just as he was about to reach the banks of the Wei River, his mind stirred, for the Bidiao in the sky had sensed something unusual.
Finding a dense thicket, Zhou Li dove in without hesitation. Without a sound, his figure disappeared amidst the lush greenery.
This was a feature of the Helan Spider—agile, changeable, and suitable for stealth. After concealing his own figure, Zhou Li closed his eyes, holding the Ten Thousand Vermillion Spirit Ling Zhu Sphere in his hand and began to communicate telepathically with the Bidiao.
Suddenly opening his eyes, the vast field of view took over Zhou Li's gaze, and what was once a colorful world turned into a monochromatic one. But it was this monochromatic view that easily allowed Zhou Li to see every blade of grass, each flower and water droplet, sixteen men and sixteen horses on the mountain.
Sixteen men and sixteen horses?
Upon seeing the number of horses with the horse bandits, Zhou Li was stunned. He hadn't expected to miscalculate the number of horses, but he couldn't imagine how they managed to control the hoof prints to exactly nine horses, leading to his estimation error.
It wasn't until he saw the rested horse bandits shoulder their horses.
Fuck!
Zhou Li, sharing Bidiao's vision, was almost cursing with a bird's beak, simply staring at those horse bandits who were carrying their horses and slowly moving forward. After a moment, he came back to his senses and couldn't help but express his astonishment.
The Horse-loving Bandits were truly terrifying.
Zhou Li had known before that these horse bandits cherished their horses, giving them some of their cultivated Spirit Qi to let them share in the spiritual light.
But he hadn't expected these people to actually carry their horses up the mountain to prevent them from slipping on the cliff edges. This was akin to carrying a car to avoid a tire burst—you could say their acts were beyond human, but it was also an expression of their love for their horses.
If you think they're normal, then you may need to consult a psychiatrist.
For a while, Zhou Li was hesitant. According to his plan, the group of Horse-loving Bandits would be leading the horses up the mountain. He could then follow them at a distance and track them to the so-called Pool of Rebirth.
But considering their current pace, Zhou Li now had more than enough time to borrow a set of pots and pans to cook four dishes with soup and even prepare some rice.
"Fuck, I'm hungry."
With this thought in mind, Zhou Li subconsciously touched his stomach. But he forgot he was in control of the Bidiao, and the bird almost lost its balance and fell.
Seeing this, Zhou Li quickly ended the telepathic connection, grudgingly listening to the Bidiao's crude swearing in his mind. After communicating briefly with the Bidiao, it continued to circle high in the sky, keeping watch over the group of Horse-loving Bandits, while Zhou Li...
He went down the mountain and set up a pot to start cooking at the foot of the mountain.
I'm really fucking hungry.
It had been two days since Zhou Li had been lurking in the Grand Building until now. During these two days, he hadn't eaten anything but a few baked cakes, so he decided to eat first.
Due to some special reasons, Zhou Li had previously survived in the wilderness for a while. So on his way back to the foot of the mountain, he caught two wild hares and casually plucked a generous bunch of shepherd's purse from a molehill.
After collecting the greens, Zhou Li hummed a tune, picked up the pot left by the Horse-loving Bandits, and went to the banks of the Wei River to fetch water.
After filling a pot with clear spring water to his satisfaction, Zhou Li stood up, ready to go back to the stove to start cooking. That's when he heard an unusual gurgling sound. Immediately grabbing the pot with one hand and a cloth bag with the other, he turned around and stared intently at the upriver direction.
Then, he saw a girl with snowy hair standing barefoot in the middle of the river, looking at him expressionlessly.
Zhou Li fell silent. He glanced at the girl's delicate feet like jade in the rushing water, then at the clear and cool spring water in his pot. Taking a deep breath, he tossed the pot aside.