264: Chapter 263: Brothers Meet 264: Chapter 263: Brothers Meet Hou Niao slowly disappeared in the mist, leaving silence all around.
In the mountain forest, the birds and beasts seemed to have vanished as well, but he had a feeling that these creatures were quietly observing this unfamiliar intruder.
In mountain forests within human territories, there usually weren’t any Great Demons.
Even if there were, they typically had some form of link to the human world.
In Xionger, humans and demons lived in relative harmony, which is why he dared to venture into the mountains alone.
When traversing such forests, the most important thing was not to provoke the hostility of the mountain beasts; he was not an Upper Cultivator, and he did not possess the kind of aura that would make mountain beasts stay far away.
Therefore, a single misstep could easily lead to misunderstandings.
Luckily, his previous experience in Jingyang Mountain had taught him how to keep the mountain beasts quiet, ensuring they did not perceive him as a threat.
He tried his best to restrain his perceptions, as animals were very sensitive to these things; the tenser you were, the tenser they became, which could eventually force both parties into confrontation.
What reassured him was that he could control himself, and it seemed the mountain beasts could control their emotions as well.
Just like the beasts on Jingyang Mountain that had grown accustomed to the blind old man, this greatly facilitated his search.
The first day, spanning only half a day, brought no discoveries; since the mountain wasn’t very high and the mountain beasts quite friendly, he decided to spend the night on the mountain.
This was a challenge to his courage and a part of his growth process.
He didn’t light a fire, which wasn’t a great idea other than perhaps to embolden himself and scare away the timider mountain beasts.
For the really fierce and temperamental ones, the light of the fire might incite their emotions and draw unnecessary gatherings, in which respect he was already an experienced hand.
He just let himself merge into the night, blending slowly into the colors and contours of the mountain.
When you become one with nature, the mountain beasts start to see you as part of nature too.
Apart from looking a bit odd, you pose no threat.
The next day continued smoothly.
Having spent a night among them, he had gained confidence in the local fauna and acted more naturally and relaxed, even greeting the mountain beasts he occasionally met head-on.
It must be said these creatures were quite spiritual; they could always accurately distinguish whether your intentions were good or evil, and so, they lived in peace with him.
While getting along with the mountain beasts went well, he found no trace of human cultivators.
There were no details to prove the presence of cultivators in the area.
This only confirmed one thing: either the villagers were mistaken, or the cultivator’s Realm was very high, at least above Tongxuan, which explained his fruitless efforts.
Once Cultivators could fly, finding any trace of them from the ground became nearly impossible.
However, he made some unexpected discoveries; Chicken Mountain had numerous hidden springs.
Although not as numerous as those in Anhe within Jingyang Mountain, there were still many, including several hot springs—their white steam merging with the mist to create a denser shroud.
Midway up the mountain, he found a large cave entrance with no human footprints, only the hoofprints of various sized mountain beasts; this was the first place he found suitable for a Cultivator to use as a Cave Mansion, so he went in to explore.
An hour later, he emerged, unable to probe any deeper; the cave was too deep.
If he had insisted on exploring further, he surely would have missed his appointment with his senior brother.
Besides, he didn’t find anything suspicious anyway.
On the third day, he began his descent, declaring his task a failure.
This was a common occurrence in their adventures over the past few months, just as he didn’t expect Tideng Monk to actually find something in the ancient well.
It wasn’t for lack of effort; it was just that they set a limit on their own efforts.
Any higher, and they wouldn’t bother.
There was a small village at the foot of Chicken Mountain called Crowntop Village—that was where he and Xiang Zhiwen had agreed to meet.
He arrived a day early, a sign of respect for his senior brother.
He didn’t enter the village, but waited on a small mound outside instead.
He was looking forward eagerly; not only had it been a while since he’d seen Xiang Zhiwen, but he was also eager to hear news about his friends from Yinling.
These were the only brothers he had who were truly tied to his life and death since he had entered the path of Cultivation.
Initially, he thought Xiang Zhiwen wouldn’t arrive until the next day, but as the night deepened, Hou Niao felt a vibration on the ground—his deep cultivation of the Hesitation Skill alerted him to the approach of someone under the cover of darkness, and the rhythmic beat of Sword Yu Step left him certain of who was coming.
He stood up and shouted into the dark, “Hey, which Daoist has come to Xionger?
Announce yourself quickly and state your purpose!
Are you sneaking around at night to avoid bridge and road tolls?”
A figure approached quickly in the darkness, leaping up with a sword glow aimed right at him.
Hou Niao parried with his sword, neither side yielding in the brief, blazing exchange that followed.
After a few clashes, they sheathed their swords.
Xiang Zhiwen laughed and scolded, “Man, you’ve grown tough.
Old man like me couldn’t even hold you back.”
The two men walked arm in arm up to the mound; Hou Niao took out some special delicacies and wine from Xionger that he had prepared earlier, and they sat down to catch up.
Xiang Zhiwen looked unchanged, only his eyes and brow seemed a bit more profound.
“Little brother, I heard you’ve been doing well in Xionger?
Even set those local demons straight?
You really stir things up wherever you go, never able to sit still, huh?”
Hou Niao laughed, “Just daily stuff, small skirmishes really; nothing serious.
I see brother looks energetic; are you one step closer to Tongxuan now?
What brings you to Xionger in search of opportunities?”
Xiang Zhiwen sighed, “One step closer?
I was one step away three years ago and I’m still one step away now.
If I can’t find a breakthrough, I’ll be stuck at this step for the rest of my life.
Three years ago, I felt ready, you had just arrived and were at the Essence Building Realm, and now we are on the same starting line.
So, nowadays, what bothers me the most is hearing that you’ve made progress again!”
Hou Niao wanted to laugh, but he also felt the harsher side of Cultivation; every level claimed many, and behind every successful Cultivator were stacks of fallen bones.
Out of a hundred people who feel the Pulse, sixty or seventy could induce Energy for Cultivation, forty or fifty might reach the Essence Building and nurture the Elixir, twenty or thirty are lucky enough to achieve Fasting, but only about ten make it to the Bridge Connection phase.
But this last step is also the most difficult; the challenge significantly increases.
According to the Quanzhen Sect’s statistics on their disciples, less than three would successfully ascend to the Upper Realm of Tongxuan.
Most people would fall at this hurdle, never becoming true Cultivators.
That was the case for Xiang Zhiwen, for him, for Tideng, and for Zhi Sun.