Seeing the battle was over, one of the tall water buffalo walked over.
"Water Buffalo Elder." Yuan Liang stepped forward and greeted it respectfully.
This buffalo was one of Elder Huo's spirit beasts, usually working in the fields.
"Not bad, I'm quite pleased with your performance. You truly do us proud here on Bamboo Peak." The water buffalo walked over and patted Yuan Liang's shoulder.
After saying this, the three water buffaloes transformed into a puff of smoke and disappeared.
Yuan Liang took a Revitalizing Qi Pill, and his breathing quickly steadied, with his aura gradually growing stronger.
"Greetings to the three of you," Dong Meng approached and bowed to them.
"We're all disciples of the Great Love Sect. This is Nie Zhengyu, and this is Xiang Dun," Yuan Liang introduced.
"So it's Daoist Nie and Daoist Xiang," Dong Meng responded politely, clearly well-mannered toward everyone.
"Thank you, Daoist Dong Meng, for your assistance. Otherwise, these two black bears attacking together would have been quite troublesome, and we might have failed our mission," Yuan Liang expressed his gratitude.
This was merely polite talk; the three of them actually had a few tricks up their sleeves left.
"So this was your mission." Dong Meng didn't say much more. She had come down the mountain herself to complete a secret mission.
It was just that she was unfamiliar with the area, hesitant to descend during the day, and had now run into this incident on a rainy night while looking for a place to stay.
"I know a bit of charm-crafting; the bear hides of these two black bears look pretty good. Could you possibly part with them?"
"Of course," Yuan Liang smiled. "If there's anything else you'd like, Daoist Dong Meng, feel free to take it."
While the bear hides were valuable, they didn't compare to the help Dong Meng had provided.
Dong Meng shook her head and declined further requests.
Xiang Dun, who had grown up with his parents in the wilderness, was quite skilled at skinning animals. His two fingers were sharper than a butcher's knife, and in no time, he had the hides off both bears perfectly.
Dong Meng accepted the bear hides and, after a courteous farewell to Yuan Liang and his companions, disappeared into the depths of the forest.
When your psychological resilience isn't strong enough, it's best not to get too close to the people of the Great Love Sect, or you may find yourself gradually adopting their ways.
"Old Nie, would you like the bear bones and bear whip?"
Nie Zhengyu looked confused. "What would I need them for?"
Yuan Liang smirked, "For boosting your Yang energy, of course."
"Get lost!" Nie Zhengyu shot a kick at Yuan Liang, who swiftly dodged.
Yuan Liang knew that Nie Zhengyu had practiced boy training techniques since childhood; as long as he remained chaste, his cultivation would progress faster.
"Make sure to keep these two black bear carcasses as evidence for completing our mission." Yuan Liang pulled out his identity jade, brushed his thumb over it, and both black bear bodies were stored within the jade.
"Come on, that mother black bear made quite a disturbance when she came, knocking over many trees. Let's follow the trail she left; we should be able to find their lair."
These two black bears had occupied Pine Mountain for years, so they must have a den.
The rain didn't affect the three of them. Any simple rain-warding charm could keep them dry.
Following the trail of fallen trees and cracked boulders, they soon found the black bears' lair.
It was a three-meter-high cave, pitch-black inside, making it impossible to see anything.
"Does anyone have a torch?" Xiang Dun asked, thinking that there could be traps inside that they couldn't see.
He had read in books that such strange caves were the perfect places for traps, like accidentally stepping on a loose stone and triggering arrows from both walls, turning you into a pincushion.
Or, suddenly releasing toxic gas to poison intruders.
Or even having a rolling boulder crush them.
"Who would go to the trouble of rigging their home with traps? Do they not want an easy way to get back inside?" Yuan Liang was exasperated, feeling that Xiang Dun's thoughts always wandered to strange places.
But in any case, having a torch would make the exploration more atmospheric.
Pouring rain outside, the three of them inside, torch in hand, finding treasure—just imagining it was thrilling.
"Who carries a torch around with them?" Nie Zhengyu quipped. As cultivators, they had fire control techniques; who needed a torch?
"Keep an open mind." Yuan Liang said, pulling out a piece of bamboo, and with a spark, the entire stalk caught fire. It seemed it would burn for quite a while.
Holding the flaming bamboo, Yuan Liang walked confidently in the front, with Xiang Dun and Nie Zhengyu following closely behind.
There were no traps as Xiang Dun had feared.
Only a beast's den.
The traders' rare treasures, scholars' classical texts, warriors' martial arts manuals…
These items didn't need to be turned in to the sect; they counted as the three's loot.
"Antiques and artifacts…" Among the three, Nie Zhengyu was the most knowledgeable and took charge of identifying the origins of these items.
"A teacup from a hundred years ago, not worth much."
For cultivators, a century was like a brief blink of an eye. In their homes, almost anything could be centuries old.
In the cultivation world, antiques were among the least valuable items.
"A rusty iron knife? What did the black bear keep this for, chewing on it?" Nie Zhengyu shook his head.
Yuan Liang thought to himself, "Don't underestimate a rusty knife—one slice, and you'd get tetanus, believe it or not."
"Hm? There's a letter here… written to the black bear?"
"Who would send a letter to a black bear? Hasn't this black bear always stayed hidden from cultivators, never letting them know of its existence?"
The three couldn't figure it out. With the black bear's cautious behavior, no outsider should have even known it existed.
"Read it out loud. What does it say?"
Nie Zhengyu cleared his throat and began to read in a melodious tone, "It's been a while since we've met. How have you been?"
Yuan Liang and Xiang Dun sandwiched Nie Zhengyu in the middle, reading the letter's contents directly.
"You read too slowly."
"Alright, I'll speed up. Back up, you two."
Nie Zhengyu pushed them away and continued, "Being overly cautious isn't necessarily wrong."
"But in these turbulent times, only those who take risks can seize opportunity."
"Purify your bloodline and transform into a legendary fierce beast. Only then will you have a foothold in this chaotic era."
"I humbly suggest that you, Black Bear, join me in Changping Prefecture, where we can hunt cultivators as prey and pursue great ambitions together!"
"This letter bears my insignia. Brother Black Bear, feel free to bring it to Changping Prefecture to find me. I will vouch for you as an officer."
"Sincerely, Li Xintian."
The letter wasn't long, but it revealed a wealth of information.