Chapter 4083 — Now We're Rich

Wei Zhao looked at her deeply, and said with meaning, "Captain Xiaotao, unless this knot in your heart is untied, even if you become a wandering cultivator, you will never truly be free and at ease."

"Maybe. But other than that, what else can I do?" Huang Xiaotao shook her head helplessly, then changed the subject, forcibly rousing her spirits as she addressed the group, "All right, enough idle talk. Let's get back to business. From past experience, barring the unexpected, it will take us three days of flight to reach the Hucai Tianwu Mountain region. So everyone, rest and build up your strength. I will handle steering the spirit bird, and if we run into danger, I'll notify you."

Chen Muzhuang and Cong Zhima were long accustomed to this. They exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and one after another sat down in meditation.

"Fine, then we'll be counting on you, Captain Xiaotao." Wei Zhao nodded and did not press further about her grudge against that Su Zhaohe. He too sat down to cultivate. He had only just broken through to the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, and these three days would be just right for consolidating his realm.

The journey was smooth and calm throughout. Three days later, the four of them entered the territory of Hucai Tianwu Mountain without incident.

As far as the eye could see, lush and verdant growth resembled a primeval forest, and the mountain ranges soared into the clouds, stretching unbroken into the distance. Even compared with the back mountain of the Sandie Pavilion, this place was at least as vast, if not more so. The faint but unmistakable aura of mystery and power that seeped from within was enough to inspire dread.

Huang Xiaotao steered the spirit bird down to an open patch at the edge. After directing the bird to take to the skies again and stand by, she turned and warned Wei Zhao and the other two, "Everyone, stay alert and careful. Although we are only on the outskirts here, we cannot rule out encountering powerful spirit beasts. A single careless moment could cost you your life. Understand?"

"Understood!" Wei Zhao and the other two answered in unison.

"Good. Then I'll assign tasks now. Junior Brother Chen Muzhuang, you will be in charge of vigilance and lookout. I will be responsible for holding off the nearby spirit beasts. As for you, Brother Ling Yi, for now you'll go with Junior Brother Cong Zhima to gather spirit herbs," Huang Xiaotao instructed.

Division of labor and cooperation, that was the essence of a trial team. The more abundant the spirit herbs, the more spirit beasts there generally were. Without someone specifically assigned to keep watch and hold the beasts off, recklessly going to gather herbs in a place this dangerous was simply courting death. Only through sincere cooperation among the few of them could they gather the herbs and withdraw safely.

As captain, Huang Xiaotao's word was law, and none of the three objected. They immediately set about their respective tasks. To avoid arousing suspicion, Wei Zhao did not leave at once either, but followed them and earnestly went about the mission.

Hucai Tianwu Mountain, with its unique setting of sea on two sides and mountains on the other two, together with its rarity of human presence, had given rise to extraordinarily rich spirit herb resources. Wealth is sought in peril, and that was precisely why, knowing full well how dangerous it was, so many trial participants were still willing to come here and take the risk.

Working together, they avoided the dangerous areas where spirit beasts gathered early on. The four of them passed their first day without wind or peril, and the role Wei Zhao played in it all was that of a laborer responsible for carrying and digging up spirit herbs, with no technical skill required whatsoever.

Yet he had no complaints. Huang Xiaotao and the others had been to Hucai Tianwu Mountain several times before and knew the place fairly well. By following them, Wei Zhao could familiarize himself with the surrounding environment all the faster.

"Ten li ahead, there's a spirit herb thicket. A rough visual estimate puts the total number of spirit herbs there at a hundred stalks at least!" Chen Muzhuang gathered everyone together and shared the intelligence.

The group was instantly delighted. A thicket of over a hundred spirit herbs was a treasure rarely seen. If they could successfully gather it all, perhaps half of this mission would be completed ahead of schedule.

"Then... did you spot any powerful spirit beasts nearby?" Huang Xiaotao was delighted, but she did not let it cloud her judgment.

Chen Muzhuang shook his head. "Not for now. From past experience, there are certainly spirit beasts around, but there shouldn't be many, at most one or two. Perhaps they just happen to be out patrolling their territory at the moment."

Beside him, Cong Zhima nodded in agreement. "Right, right. There definitely won't be too many spirit beasts, otherwise Senior Brother Chen up there would surely have spotted some traces. With only one or two spirit beasts, this is practically spirit herbs delivered right to our door, Captain Xiaotao!"

Seeing the eager, expectant looks the others fixed on her, Huang Xiaotao did not hesitate for long, and decided on the spot, "All right, we can't let this chance slip. Since we've run into it, let's take the gamble. Junior Brother Chen Muzhuang, you approach from above and carefully monitor every movement around. Junior Brother Cong Zhima and Brother Ling Yi, you two go gather. I'll keep watch at the side for you and hold off any spirit beasts that might appear."

"Right!" the others answered in unison, and without another word set to work.

The journey passed without incident. Wei Zhao followed Cong Zhima quickly toward the spot Chen Muzhuang had indicated, and what secretly filled Wei Zhao with doubt was that along the way, to say nothing of powerful spirit beasts, they did not see even a single ordinary small wild animal. The situation was truly somewhat odd.

If Wei Zhao had been acting alone, given his cautious nature, he might first have found a nearby spot with a broad field of view and observed for a while before doing anything.

But now they were operating as a team, and Wei Zhao was merely an outsider temporarily brought in, with no right to speak. He could only quietly heighten his vigilance and keep following them.

Soon, Cong Zhima and Wei Zhao reached the spirit herb thicket. Looking out, the whole area before them was covered in all kinds of high-quality spirit herbs, as plentiful as cabbages going for a pittance, scattered everywhere across the ground.

"Brother Ling Yi, we're rich now!" Cong Zhima could not help swallowing hard. If all these spirit herbs were gathered and brought back, even if they failed to complete that bounty mission, just selling these herbs alone would be worth at least a thousand spirit jade. Split evenly, his share would be at least two or three hundred. That was a huge sum!

With that, Cong Zhima hurriedly set about gathering, but Wei Zhao was not so impatient. Instead, he took his time and looked around.

Suddenly, beneath the shade of a tree not far from the spirit herb thicket, a strangely shaped fruit tree caught Wei Zhao's attention.

The tree was only a little taller than a man, utterly inconspicuous amid the surrounding dense forest of giant trees dozens or even hundreds of zhang tall. Its trunk was crooked and twisted, and there was no telling whether it had grown so gnarled and misshapen because it had been unable to absorb sunlight for years on end.

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