An Unexpected Disaster, the Reasons for Internal Strife

Chapter 61 An Unexpected Disaster, the Reasons for Internal Strife

After Zhou Chun chased Guo Dahu away, he caught up with him not long after.

Guo Dahu is at the tenth level of the Qi Refining stage and has several decent magic weapons. His strength is even greater than that of the bandit cultivator he killed in the Red Rock Mountains when he first obtained the [Moon Blade Meteor Wheel].

However, his strength is now vastly different from what it used to be, far surpassing what it was back then.

After the two fought for half an hour, Guo Dahu was shattered by the [Moon Blade Meteor Wheel], which shattered two of his magical artifacts and brought him down.

After killing Guo Dahu, Zhou Chun collected his belongings and burned the body on the spot.

When he rushed back to Liu Qingshan's side, he saw that the bald, burly man had also turned into a pile of minced meat, probably killed by the rock turtle's "falling rock technique".

Liu Shiyun has also arrived at the scene.

It was only because the rock tortoise didn't recognize her and wouldn't allow her to get close to Liu Qingshan that she could only anxiously wait for Zhou Chun to return from dozens of feet away.

When they saw Zhou Chun return, both father and daughter looked at him expectantly.

"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Liu, Guo Dahu has already been executed."

Upon seeing Liu Qingshan looking at him, Zhou Chun understood his meaning and immediately smiled and stated the result.

He then put the rock tortoise into his spirit beast bag and nodded to Liu Shiyun, indicating that she could come over.

"Phew, then I can rest assured!"

Upon hearing Zhou Chun's words, Liu Qingshan immediately breathed a sigh of relief and put his worries to rest.

Then, they hurriedly thanked Zhou Chun, saying, "Fellow Daoist, my father and I are deeply grateful for your life-saving grace. Please accept our bow!"

After saying that, he pulled his daughter Liu Shiyun down to kneel down and kowtow to Zhou Chun.

"It's not that bad! Fellow Daoist Liu, why would you go to such lengths!"

Zhou Chun waved his hands repeatedly, unwilling to accept such a grand gesture.

But Liu Qingshan insisted on kowtowing three times with his daughter.

Just then, a streak of azure light suddenly flew above the forest, revealing the figure of a Taoist priest in azure robes.

The Taoist priest hovered in mid-air, without a single magical artifact beneath his feet.

This alone tells us that he is at least at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Before Zhou Chun and the others could even pay their respects to the Taoist priest in blue, the priest, his face grim, looked at them and said, "Did you set this fire? Do you know the severity of the crime of setting fire to the mountain outside the market?"

Upon hearing this, the group's expressions changed drastically. Liu Qingshan quickly explained, "Senior, please understand. It was not that I intentionally set the fire. It was because I was attacked by villains, and the fire got out of control during the struggle!"

Zhou Chun quickly stepped forward to testify on their behalf, saying, "Senior, please be wise. I am Zhou Zhengchun, a shop assistant at the Spirit Beast Shop in the market. I happened to be hunting spirit pets in this area today, and I can testify for Fellow Daoist Liu and his daughter!"

Unexpectedly, the Taoist priest in green robes snorted coldly upon hearing their words, "Hmph, even so, the fire was started by you. For that alone, you cannot escape your guilt!"

Without giving the three a chance to argue, he waved his hand and sent out three beams of azure light that landed on them, forming azure lotus marks on their bodies.

This is a marking spell; once marked, the caster can find the target within a hundred miles at any time.

After marking the three people, the Taoist in green robes immediately moved and flew towards the area ravaged by wildfire.

"You will all return to the market town now. After I extinguish the wildfire, I will then determine your guilt!"

Hearing the cold, impersonal command, Zhou Chun and the other two exchanged uneasy glances.

This is truly an undeserved disaster!

But to be honest, it was really bad luck.

Generally speaking, to avoid being caught red-handed like they were, those bandits and cultivators would not make their moves too close to the market.

Moreover, bandits usually give up and leave if they fail to succeed within fifteen minutes after making a move, so as not to be caught by the patrolling cultivators in the market.

Guo Dahu and his men succeeded in their ambush by taking advantage of Liu Qingshan's relaxed state of mind after entering this "safe zone".

Although the ringleaders have been killed, the consequences of arson have still fallen on Liu Qingshan and his daughter.

After exchanging glances, Liu Qingshan immediately looked at Zhou Chun with a serious expression and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, rest assured, the fire appeared because of me. I will definitely make this clear to that senior and will absolutely not let you be implicated!"

"Ah! Now is not the time to talk about this. Let's go back to the market and treat Fellow Daoist Liu's injuries first!"

Zhou Chun sighed, waved his hand with a rather depressed expression, indicating that they would talk about it later.

Immediately, he collected the belongings left behind by the bald, burly man after his death, and then escorted the Liu father and daughter to the market.

Upon returning to the market, Zhou Chun took the father and daughter directly to the Spirit Beast Shop and explained the situation to the shopkeeper, Zhou Jiasheng.

Upon learning that Zhou Chun might get into trouble for rescuing the Liu father and daughter, Zhou Jiasheng frowned deeply.

However, being worldly-wise, he didn't say anything to Zhou Chun's face, but only offered a few words of comfort before letting Zhou Chun take the people to rest in the backyard.

Upon arriving at the backyard, Zhou Chun waited for Liu Shiyun to bandage Liu Qingshan's wounds and administer healing pills. Then, Zhou Chun took the opportunity to ask the two why they had been betrayed by their companion.

"Alas! I'm not afraid to admit it, Fellow Daoist Zhou, but Guo Dahu and his companions have known me for over ten years. The reason we've turned against each other is because of a medicinal valley we unexpectedly discovered during our search for herbs!"

Liu Qingshan let out a long sigh and immediately recounted the details.

It turned out that this time, when the group of independent cultivators who had known each other for many years went to search for herbs and minerals in a certain mountain as usual, they suddenly discovered a very secluded valley where many valuable spiritual herbs grew.

However, wherever medicinal herbs gather in the wilderness, there are bound to be demonic beasts accompanying and guarding them.

The valley was inhabited by a group of powerful Emerald Crown Flying Serpents, the two strongest of which possessed an aura comparable to that of a cultivator at the twelfth level of the Qi Refining stage.

Although Liu Qingshan and his companions were quite strong, they were far from enough to deal with such a group of highly venomous demonic snakes.

Therefore, they did not dare to disturb the group of demonic snakes, but instead went to Red Cliff Market together to find one or two more powerful teammates and prepare magic weapons and talismans to deal with the emerald-crowned flying snakes before removing the snakes and collecting herbs.

Unexpectedly, Guo Dahu and his two companions harbored malicious intentions on the way and secretly joined forces to try to kick Liu and his daughter out of the game and silence them.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun's expression shifted, and he couldn't help but look at Liu Qingshan and ask, "But what good will it do them to kick you and your daughter out of the game? Without you, Fellow Daoist Liu, it will be even more difficult for them to eliminate the snake and gather the medicine. In that case, they'll probably have to invite outsiders to share the spoils!"

"this……"

Liu Qingshan suddenly glanced at his daughter, Liu Shiyun, hesitated for a moment, and then said in a low voice, "This is because my daughter discovered the Medicine Valley first. According to our rules, whoever discovers a spiritual object gets an extra 10% of the benefits. Perhaps they don't want my daughter and me to get the lion's share!"

"Is that all?"

Zhou Chun frowned and gave Liu Qingshan a deep look, realizing that the other party was not telling the truth.

Liu Qingshan lowered his head immediately when he was stared at, not daring to meet his gaze, clearly feeling guilty.

Seeing this, Liu Shiyun did not want her father and her savior to become estranged.

She immediately said in a clear voice, "Father, there's no need to hold back. Since Fellow Daoist Zhou was so righteous in helping you under those circumstances after only a brief encounter, it shows his character and integrity. What's wrong with telling the truth?"

Before Liu Qingshan could respond, she bowed to Zhou Chunfu and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, please forgive me. It was not that my father intended to keep it from you, but this matter involves my daughter's reputation and privacy, which is why he had reservations."

Then he revealed another reason that Liu Qingshan had not mentioned.

It turned out that on the way back to the market, Liu Shiyun was bathing in a hot spring with Aunt He when Aunt He discovered that she was actually born with "Mysterious Yin Charm Bone".

According to He Sangu and her father after their falling out, this female cultivator with the innate "Mysterious Yin Charm Bone" is the most sought-after by high-level cultivators who practice dual cultivation techniques. She is the best dual cultivation vessel, and her value is much greater than that of the many spiritual herbs in the Medicine Valley.

So she used this to persuade the other two to decide to capture the Liu father and daughter and then send Liu Shiyun to an underground auction house.

After explaining the reason, Liu Shiyun's pretty face under the veil was already flushed with embarrassment. It was clear that although she had mustered up the courage to talk about such a private matter, she still couldn't face it with composure.

After hearing her reasons, Zhou Chun also looked embarrassed.

He immediately bowed to Liu Shiyun and said, "I was rash just now. Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Liu, I will keep this matter to myself and will never spread a single word about it!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shiyun quickly returned the greeting, saying, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, you are too kind. If my daughter were in your shoes, she would also ask for the reason. This is not your fault."

"It's good that Fellow Daoist Liu understands."

Zhou Chun breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of that Aunt He, I also have some doubts. Why did the other guy go so crazy after I killed her? Even if they were cultivation partners, that's a bit too much!"

Hearing this, Liu Qingshan sighed softly again, "Alas, Wang Ben was also a pitiful person!"

"He was originally a woodcutter in the mountains. He entered the Daoist path by obtaining the cultivation techniques from a deceased rogue cultivator. He cultivated until the fourth level of the Qi Refining stage before realizing the dangers of the turbid evil energy. By then, his mind had already been deeply affected by the turbid evil energy, and he would go mad and lose his mind if subjected to severe stimulation!"

"Although he and He Sangu were not officially a couple for dual cultivation, they had probably already practiced together in secret. When he learned that Fellow Daoist Zhou had killed He Sangu, how could he not go mad on the spot!"

So that's how it is?

Zhou Chun nodded slightly, finally resolving a doubt in his mind.

There are actually quite a few rogue cultivators like Wang Ben whose minds have been affected by the turbid and evil energy in the cultivation world.

Compared to others, Wang Ben is probably better off; at least he can still enter and leave the market normally when he is not provoked.

Many rogue cultivators who were deeply affected by the turbid and evil energy, although they did not die, were completely turned into madmen and demons. Once they appeared outside the market, they would be killed on the spot to prevent them from harming others.

(End of this chapter)