chsdbacks Chapter 126 It's all the same who tricks you to death
Chapter 126 It's all the same who tricks you to death
As soon as Lin Yan and his two companions entered the camp, someone noticed them.
To be precise, they noticed the military officer's robe Lin Yan was wearing.
A tall, thin man carrying a longbow was the first to approach, a smile plastered on his face. "Hey, sir, you're from the government, right? Third-rank cultivation?"
Lin Yan glanced at him. "What is it?"
"We brothers want to go into the inner circle to hunt Ironbone Lizards, and we're just missing someone who can carry the load." The tall, thin man pointed to his two companions behind him, one a bald man wielding a ghost-head saber, and the other a short, stocky man with a short sword at his waist. "If you don't mind, sir, how about we team up? Don't worry, you'll get the lion's share of the spoils."
Before Lin Yan could speak, a young cultivator in leather armor squeezed in from the side, carrying a long spear. He spoke loudly: "Sir, why don't you team up with us? Two of our team members are at the peak of the second rank. They're both experts. If you take us into the mountains, we guarantee you won't suffer any losses."
"Two peak second-grade cultivators?" Yang Tie suddenly asked.
The young cultivator chuckled and scratched his head. "A second-rank cultivator can roam freely on the outer perimeter, but once you get to the inner perimeter, it's not enough. That's why we're looking for someone more capable to lead the team."
As they were talking, three or four more people gathered around, each offering their own recommendations.
Some claimed they knew how to set traps, others said they recognized medicinal herbs and could lead the way, and still others simply patted their chests and said they were willing to take a smaller share of the spoils, just to learn from the experience.
Lin Yan frowned.
He hadn't expected his military officer's robe to be so eye-catching.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Cultivators from the government are different from independent cultivators. They have higher-level cultivation techniques and more abundant resources, and their strength is usually much stronger than that of independent cultivators of the same level.
In the eyes of these independent cultivators, being able to get on the good side of an official cultivator would greatly increase their safety when entering the mountains.
"The three of us are enough." Lin Yan raised his hand to interrupt the others' self-recommendations, leaving no room for discussion.
The few rogue cultivators immediately showed disappointment on their faces, but they didn't want to force Lin Yan to do anything, so they muttered something and dispersed.
Just as Lin Yan was about to step into the mountain, his sleeve was pulled.
"Brother Lin, may I speak to you in private?"
Yang Tie pulled Lin Yan to a crooked tree at the edge of the camp, and Wu Meng followed.
"I think we can bring a few people along," Yang Tie said bluntly.
Lin Yan remained silent, waiting for Yang Tie to continue.
"These mountains are teeming with monsters and fraught with danger. The three of us are all at the early stage of the third rank. If we encounter monsters that we can't handle, having more people will be a greater help." Yang Tie glanced at the rogue cultivators in the camp. "If things get critical, we can abandon them and get away."
"Besides, look at them. Even if we don't take them along, they'll find another team to join. It's the same who gets screwed over. Rather than letting them die in vain, we might as well..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
Wu Meng, who was listening nearby, did not refute. "Yang Tie is right, boss. I've seen a lot of this kind of thing when I was in the mountains. Those rogue cultivators who dare to come in at the second level are gambling with their lives. It doesn't matter who leads them. At least it's more reliable if we take them with us."
Lin Yan also looked back at the rogue cultivators in the camp.
Some of these people may be after money, some may be after cultivation resources, some may simply want to try their luck and gamble big, and others may simply be looking for thrills.
"OK."
Back at the camp, the few rogue cultivators from before hadn't gone far and were standing in front of a food stall eating flatbread.
"You guys," Lin Yan called out to them.
The tall, thin boy was the first to react. He tucked the sesame seed cake into his arms and ran over. "Sir, you've come to your senses?"
"What's your name?"
"Old Seventh Sun, mid-stage second-rank cultivation, skilled with a longbow, familiar with the mountains, has been in there three times." The tall, thin man spoke fluently, revealing all his secrets in one breath.
Lin Yan then looked at the two people who had followed behind him.
The bald man wielding the ghost-head saber patted his chest. "My name is Xue Li, and I'm at the peak of the second-grade True Qi Realm."
The short, stocky man with a short sword at his waist also reported his name: "Shi Gan, mid-stage second rank."
"You can team up with me, but there are two conditions. First, you must follow my instructions after entering the mountains. If I say we must retreat, we must retreat; if I say we must take a certain path, we must take that path. If anyone doesn't listen, then you're on your own. Don't blame us if something happens to you."
"No problem!" Old Seven Sun readily agreed.
"Secondly," Lin Yan held up his second finger, "the spoils will be distributed as follows: the three of us will take 70%, and the three of you will take 30%. Those who want to come can join us, and those who don't will not be forced."
Sun Laoqi turned around and looked at his two companions.
Xue Li scratched his bald head, somewhat hesitantly saying, "This... 30% is a bit low, isn't it..."
"Alright," Shi Gan spoke first. "Thirty percent for now, thirty percent for now. It's better to follow a few officials than to blindly stumble around with some rogue cultivators."
Seeing that he had already agreed, Xue Li didn't say anything more and nodded.
Lin Yan turned to Sun Laoqi and said, "Tell me what you know about the mountains, the more detailed the better."
Sun Laoqi cleared his throat, squatted down, picked up a twig, and drew a simple map on the ground.
"The Cangwu Mountains are divided into three layers. The outer layer is the territory of first and second-grade demonic beasts, mostly in groups, but as long as you don't provoke them, you'll generally be fine. Third-grade demonic beasts start to appear in the inner layer, and occasionally you can even encounter fourth-grade ones. When we get to that place, we have to be extremely careful and avoid the demonic beasts." He pointed to a certain spot. "I've never been into the core area, and no one has ever really been inside. We only know that there are ancient restrictions that prevent those above the third grade from entering. But there's a rumor... that the legacy of the previous Liang Ai Emperor is inside. Whoever can obtain it will rise to the top in one step. Once they reach the fifth grade, they can sit on equal footing with the current emperor."
Lin Yan had heard this statement more than once.
The countless treasures inside, coupled with the inheritance of a fifth-grade spiritual cultivator, would indeed be a meteoric rise to power if one could obtain them.
The group decided to stay at the camp for another half day to replenish their supplies before setting off into the mountains after noon.
The stall selling pills was filled with bottles and jars. Sun Laoqi haggled with the stall owner for a long time and finally bought ten bottles of wound medicine, spending four hundred and eighty taels of silver.
Shi Gan bought several packets of beast-repelling powder from an old pharmacist. It had a pungent medicinal smell and was said to be able to drive away low-level demonic beasts.
By the time everything was ready, it was past noon.
Lin Yan glanced at the position of the sun, then, without further delay, led the five people out of the camp and headed towards the entrance of the mountain range.
The entrance is located in a narrow crevice between two low hills, no more than three zhang wide, with a gravel path that has been compacted by people over the years, making a creaking sound when stepped on.
Lin Yan looked inside; the mountains were layered upon each other, shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see how far away they were.
He took a deep breath, stepped onto the gravel path, and was the first to head into the mountain.
Five people followed behind.