The weather was gloomy, with the temperature much lower than the previous day. As the strong wind from the north howled through the long gorge, the thick clouds drifted along with it.
At such times, Yu Ci always felt as if he were standing by the banks of a mighty river, watching the gray-white waves surge and overlap, rushing forward. This sight would instantly broaden his mood, washing away any lingering thoughts of melancholy.
When a person focuses intently on something, time always seems to pass quickly, regardless of the outcome.
In the blink of an eye, Yu Ci had already stayed in Sky Rift Valley for nearly half a month. The weather was getting worse and worse, and Yu Ci suspected that the first snowfall of the year could start at any moment.
The work of collecting Dragon Fish Grass had come to a halt. Or rather, it had not even begun in the past half month.
Only now did Yu Ci realize how lucky he had been to discover such a vast medicinal field filled with Shrimp Whisker Grass and Dragon Fish Grass. Such a find was truly a stroke of fortune, not something one could seek out at will.
In Sky Rift Valley, the Shrimp Whisker Grass had inevitably withered. This peculiar herb temporarily transferred its vitality to the parasitic trees, leaving behind only dried stalks with no medicinal value. It would not recover until the next spring.
At this time, the locations where Shrimp Whisker Grass parasitized were relatively easier to find. Evergreen trees were one thing, but those deciduous trees that shed their leaves particularly late were likely the hosts for these herbs. Experienced herbal collectors would mark these trees in hopes of a bountiful harvest when spring arrived.
Yu Ci was doing the same thing, but he was particularly focused on areas showing signs of large-scale parasitism. Only in such places could natural Dragon Fish Grass be found, allowing him to exchange them for merit points.
This winter, it was certain that he would be spending it in Sky Rift Valley.
As a strong gust of wind passed, pushing the cloud river away, Yu Ci let out a breath and slid down the cliff wall. Just before his speed reached a dangerous level, he grabbed a nearly dried branch beside him. The branch groaned under the strain.
Yu Ci remained still, having already confirmed his target's location before watching the clouds and waves. Ten zhang (about 33 meters) away, hidden in a crevice of the cliff wall, was a grayish-brown "Hidden-molt Snake". This famous venomous snake of Sky Rift Valley had a small, noticeable protrusion on its triangular head. It did not hibernate, was highly aggressive, and preferred ambushing its prey. Even an elephant-like beast would collapse instantly if bitten by it—truly a terrifying creature.
However, as Yu Ci stared at the venomous snake, he was not thinking about the danger but rather the reward: "Hidden-molt Snake molt, thirty merit points!"
Just as he had told Old Daoist Zhou, it wasn't only Dragon Fish Grass that could be exchanged for merit points. The cultivators of the Rifting Earth Sect released a large number of notices every year, requesting the collection of various herbs and minerals, many of which were found near Sky Rift Valley. Although most of these small items were only worth one or two, three or five merit points, and anything above ten was rare, they could accumulate into a substantial income—if one could find them.
The Hidden-molt Snake before him was one such example.
The Hidden-molt Snake has a notably long lifespan, with some reportedly living over three hundred years. Its longevity is believed to be attributed to its peculiar habits. Every year, this snake sheds its skin twice. After shedding, it buries the molted skin underground, only to dig it up and consume it when the next shedding season arrives. It is said that this practice helps the snake accumulate energy to complete its next shedding, and so the cycle continues, year after year.
Because of this, the molted skin of the Hidden-molt Snake holds significant medicinal value, especially for those that have lived for over two hundred years. The molted skin of these old hidden-molt snakes is considered top-quality for refining medicinal elixirs, making it highly valuable.
On the reward board of the Hall of Collective Merit, a sect cultivator offers thirty merit points for collecting such "old snake molts." This is a higher price than even natural Dragon Fish Grass and represents the most lucrative reward Yu Ci had come across during his collection efforts.
The old hidden-molt snake in front of Yu Ci was at least two hundred and fifty years old, crafty and experienced. During its shedding period, it had moved from its usual habitat, two thousand zhang deep in the valley, to a crevice just over a hundred zhang from the top of the gorge, ensuring that no natural predators could find it.
Unfortunately for the snake, its luck had run out. Its every move had long been under the surveillance of the Divine Map. Yu Ci had calculated that it was the shedding season for the "Hidden-molt" and had been observing the snake's territory through the Divine Map. He quickly noticed this unlucky creature climbing unusually high. From that moment, the fate of this "old Hidden-molt" was sealed.
The old hidden-molt snake had already found the spot where it had buried its previous molt. It twisted its body and used the small protrusion on its head to dig into the soil, finally unearthing the molted skin, now a deep black color, half a foot deep. Yu Ci, watching the display on the Divine Map, silently calculated:
"With this molt, I've accumulated one hundred and forty merit points. The harvest is decent, but most of the obvious targets have been found. Opportunities may not come again!"
With a sigh, Yu Ci made his move. The ten-zhang distance was covered in a few swift steps along the cliff wall. The Hidden-molt Snake, known for its alertness, only had time to twitch before the sword Qi slicing through the crevice cut it in half.
Ignoring the still-twitching halves of the snake, Yu Ci took out the jade medicinal hoe gifted by Ye Tu and began widening the two-finger-wide crevice. With a few swift motions, the crevice was expanded to a foot wide, and Yu Ci used the hoe to reach in and hook out the molted skin.
At that moment, his brows furrowed as the Divine Map, which had been glowing in front of him, suddenly dimmed. A moment later, the sound of flapping wings passed through the clouds overhead.
"So fast!" was Yu Ci's first thought.
"Not this thing again!" was his second.
As this thought crossed his mind, a sharp voice shouted from above, "That's my snake!"
To his surprise, the voice had a childlike tone, which puzzled Yu Ci. When he looked up, the wind from the flapping wings brushed against his face, and the voice cried out again, "You owe me my snake!"
This time, the voice was tinged with tears.
The large bird circling above Yu Ci was one he had seen before. It was a blood vulture, a fierce and powerful creature native to the valley. However, this particular blood vulture had clearly been tamed. In fact, Yu Ci was not unfamiliar with this very bird.
Before and after his arrival in Sky Rift Valley, he had been remotely monitored by two birds of prey controlled by someone. One was the falcon that "greeted" him, and the other was this blood vulture. But today, it wasn't here to monitor him; it had passengers—more than one.
As the blood vulture circled for the second time, the people on its back jumped down. There were two of them, one large and one small. The larger one held the smaller one, their bodies seemingly weightless as they floated down and landed on a protruding rock about two zhang away.
Yu Ci observed the newcomers. The older one, a man with an ordinary face and short stature, appeared to be in his thirties or forties, exuding a sense of sharpness. Yu Ci could tell that this person was highly skilled, far surpassing himself, likely at the mid to upper levels of Divine Connectivity—meaning he had already formed a Yin Spirit.
Yu Ci's certainty stemmed from what he had previously seen through the Divine Map: a dispersal of light waves within this man's brain, a clear sign of Yin Spirit achievement. This knowledge had been gleaned from observing Lu Yang and Kuang Zheng, two stewards of the Sun Light Sect, and later confirmed through extensive practice at the Heart Prohibition Monastery.
The difference between achieving Yin Spirit and not doing so is vast. Without a Yin Spirit, one's cultivation progresses slowly, accumulating over years. But once a Yin Spirit is formed, the latent potential within the soul is rapidly unleashed, propelling one's cultivation forward at an incredible pace, leaving those without a Yin Spirit far behind.
In recent experiences, Yu Ci was confident he could defeat cultivators without a Yin Spirit with a seventy percent success rate. However, when facing someone at the mid or higher levels of Divine Connectivity, he had no such confidence.
While Yu Ci was scrutinizing the other, the other was also examining him. Their gazes met, and the newcomer cupped his hands in greeting:
"Greetings, fellow Daoist."
Though the man's face was rugged, his tone was friendly, not unpleasant. Yu Ci smiled in return, "You must be a fellow Daoist from the Thousand Spirit Gate. Greetings."
The man was momentarily taken aback, realizing that Yu Ci wasn't someone to be trifled with, and promptly greeted him again, "I am Cheng Rong of the Thousand Spirit Gate. May I ask for your esteemed name, fellow Daoist?"
"Not at all, I'm just a wandering cultivator, Yu Ci. Greetings, Daoist Cheng."
While Yu Ci's words were polite, he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. Earlier, when gathering information, the name Cheng Rong wasn't exactly well-known, but it was certainly familiar. His status within the Thousand Spirit Gate was akin to that of Kuang Zheng in the Sun Light Sect, holding a fairly high position.
For someone of this stature to appear in person, it was bound to cause trouble—or at the very least, be a hassle. Moreover, there was a little one next to him, glaring at Yu Ci with puffed cheeks.
The so-called "little one" was actually a small, delicate girl, about eight or nine years old, with her hair tied in braids. She wore a lake-green dress that complemented her skin, which was as smooth as mutton fat jade. Her eyes, like painted black dots, were misty with tears, making her look even more adorable.
Seeing this, Yu Ci smiled and asked, "And this young lady is…?"
The little girl didn't want anyone else to speak for her and responded loudly. Then, she eagerly accused Yu Ci, "You killed my snake! You owe me!"
"Your snake? You raised it?" Before figuring out Cheng Rong's intentions, Yu Ci didn't mind bantering with the little girl for a bit. He asked with interest, "I didn't see any collar or anything on it."
The little girl, Shi Xin, emphasized again, quite righteously, "I placed a Soul Binding Curse on this Hidden-molt Snake! I was waiting for it to help me dig up the molted skin, but you went ahead and killed it without knowing right from wrong! You owe me!"
"Ninth Miss, you mustn't be disrespectful to your elders."
Cheng Rong sternly reprimanded Shi Xin and then turned to Yu Ci with a smile, "This is my sect master's youngest granddaughter, ninth in rank. She's been pampered and spoiled, so she may not understand proper manners. I hope you don't take offense, Fellow Daoist."
The little girl, scolded, hung her head in dejection and stopped speaking.
When Yu Ci had heard the girl announce her name earlier, he had guessed that she must be from a prestigious family. Now that it was confirmed, he smiled but was also somewhat surprised. The chief steward of the Sun Light Sect, Lu Yang, held a position possibly even higher than Cheng Rong's in the Thousand Spirit Gate, yet he wasn't as close or as strict with Jin Huan's grandnephew as Cheng Rong was with this girl.
Even among influential outsiders, there was a clear difference. This could be partly due to family upbringing, but it also suggested that Cheng Rong's status might not be as ordinary as it seemed.
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