Chapter 3: Magical Beast Mountain Range

"It's nothing!"

Yan Qingshan shook his head and smiled at the girl. His injuries had naturally healed long ago, but he had been keeping the wound wrapped, pretending to recover, simply because he was afraid of arousing suspicion.

After all, his previous injuries were quite severe. If he suddenly made a full recovery, wouldn't that be a blatant sign that he had a secret?

While Yan Qingshan was talking to Xiao Yi Xian, the staff of the Thousand Medicine House had also arranged for the recruitment of mercenaries. The reason these mercenaries were so enthusiastic was not only because the herb gathering activity was safer than hunting magical beasts and the rewards were not small, but also for other reasons.

The Thousand Medicine House was the largest pharmacy in Qingshan Town. Being able to establish a good relationship might come in handy someday.

…

In the silent forest, a large group of people walked quietly, pairs of vigilant eyes constantly scanning the dark places among the surrounding trees, hands tightly gripping the weapons at their waists, ready to deal with any sudden situation.

As veteran mercenaries who had been in the Magical Beast Mountains for many years, although many of them were cooperating for the first time, they could maintain basic tacit understanding, and in the exchanges of glances, they could recognize signals of danger and safety from each other's eyes.

"Where are we now?"

Yan Qingshan sat on a simple carriage, looking down at the map. As the leader of the herb gathering team and a "patient," his treatment was naturally the best.

"It seems to be here. We are following this route, right?"

Xiao Yi Xian was next to the carriage. Hearing Yan Qingshan's words, she came over to compare the map and pointed to one of the many red lines on it. Yan Qingshan compared it with the route in his memory and could roughly determine the location, but he just needed to confirm it with someone.

"There are quite a few cliffs on this route!"

Yan Qingshan glanced at the markings on the map and said naturally, his eyes scanning left and right, deepening his impression of the surroundings, especially the steep cliffs near the route.

"It seems so. Mountain roads with many cliffs are more difficult to travel, and there won't be many grassy valleys with a lot of herbs growing. But didn't Brother Qingshan choose this road?"

Xiao Yi Xian looked around, somewhat puzzled as to why Yan Qingshan would say such things.

"Is that so? Maybe I'm confused. Xiao Yi Xian, how do you feel about this trip..."

Yan Qingshan laughed it off, not continuing the previous topic.

Xiao Yi Xian lowered her head somewhat embarrassed, "It's alright! I also want to thank Brother Qingshan, otherwise I would have been really overwhelmed!"

"It's nothing, isn't mutual help what we should do? Xian'er!"

Yan Qingshan raised an eyebrow, changing to a more intimate form of address without leaving a trace. Without waiting for Xiao Yi Xian to respond, he turned his attention back to the map, starting to mark the map of the Magical Beast Mountains outside Qingshan Town.

There was no need to rush with Xiao Yi Xian, this little beauty who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Since the "meat" was right beside him, taking it slow would be more interesting.

Yan Qingshan smiled inwardly and put his mind elsewhere, looking at the scattered markings of cliffs on the map, feeling a little bitter in his heart, "Indeed, I was too naive."

This small map was only a part of the outer perimeter of the Magical Beast Mountains near Qingshan Town. Just the large mountain peaks marked on it numbered over a hundred, and there were many more large and small mountain peaks not on the map.

The Magical Beast Mountains had countless peaks and vast regions. The outer perimeter alone had eight different entry routes near Qingshan Town, and these routes had many forks leading in all directions. Each time they gathered herbs, they not only had to go to the originally discovered herb fields but also had the responsibility of exploring new routes.

The valley where Yan Qingshan and the others had found a large amount of Yellow Lotus Essence last time was a place they had just found, but they didn't expect there to be so many wild wolves and a small pack formed by more than ten first-rank magical beast wolves. Although they eventually killed the wolf pack, the team suffered heavy losses.

Among these numerous routes, cliffs were standard for every route, varying in size. If they were to search one by one, it would take forever.

Yan Qingshan's head ached a little. Reality was indeed not like novels. In novels, finding a bit of opportunity only took two or three chapters, and even if he knew there were opportunities in the outer perimeter of the Magical Beast Mountains, he probably wouldn't see any results for several months.

However, he had to do it, because this was the closest place to him where he had a chance to obtain high-rank cultivation techniques and combat skills.

…

In the Magical Beast Mountains, a team of nearly a hundred people was moving slowly. At the center of the heavy guard was the herb gathering team from the Thousand Medicine House. Surrounded by the crowd, Yan Qingshan was methodically arranging everyone's work.

Standing beside him was the white-skirted girl Xiao Yi Xian, who stood slightly upright, listening and remembering carefully, occasionally stealing glances at his side profile.

When he turned his head, she would look away, gently wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, panting slightly, looking very hot.

Yan Qingshan noticed her little movements and found them very interesting. With the help of Dawn's analysis, he had arranged the herb gathering team skillfully and reasonably in recent days. Not only were the people from the Thousand Medicine House impressed, but even the mercenaries who saw him spoke with respectful tones.

The girl beside him, as the original leader of the team, was even more impressed by him in recent days, almost idolizing him.

The girl turned her head shyly, her cheeks flushed, coupled with her soft and beautiful face, making her look quite endearing. Her eyes slightly dodged his gaze, yet she secretly observed him. Wasn't that the typical first reaction of a girl seeing her idol?

Yan Qingshan patted the wooden board of the carriage where he sat cross-legged, wanting Xiao Yi Xian to come over and rest, "Xian'er, come over and sit for a while!"

Xiao Yi Xian shook her head and said, "No need, Brother Qingshan, I'm still alright."

The sun was high in the sky, the scorching sun shining down, and under the blazing sunlight, the people on the way almost immediately felt their lips and tongues dry, and their mouths parched.

A bald mercenary, dripping with sweat, came to the side of the carriage, "Qingshan, it's too hot today, and there's another herb field ahead. Although it hasn't been three months since the last harvest, we should take a break."

This bald mercenary was named Mangba, the leader of a mercenary team in Qingshan Town, and his cultivation as a five-star Dou Practitioner was quite good.

Due to some connections, he was basically among the guard mercenaries every time the Thousand Medicine House's herb gathering team went out. Last time, he had carefully escorted the still breathing Yan Qingshan back to the Thousand Medicine House, and could be considered his savior.

"Uncle Mangba, then let everyone hurry a little and rest in the woods ahead!"

Yan Qingshan glanced at Xiao Yi Xian, who was sweating beside him, handed over a pot of clear water, and nodded to Mangba. The scorching sun was indeed uncomfortable. The mercenaries wore heavy armor, which made them hotter and more prone to sweating and dehydration than the herb gathering team, greatly affecting their combat effectiveness.

"Alright! Alright!"

Mangba replied and turned to inform the other mercenaries. Everyone was thrilled to hear that they could rest in the woods and quickened their pace to continue forward.

The Magical Beast Mountains were full of dangers. Along the way, the team had encountered three waves of magical beasts and several groups of wild animals.

However, with the protection of the many mercenaries, everything was still alright. There were not many injured, and their injuries were not too serious, healing after a little bandaging.

The large group of mercenaries approached the woods, making quite a bit of noise, which was intentional. In the Magical Beast Mountains, the safest place was actually the small paths that these mercenaries had gradually created by traveling through the mountains for a long time. The weeds were very short and sparse, hardly hiding any dangers.

Although the woods on both sides of the mountain road were dense and shady, they were definitely home to wild animals and even magical beasts. Every time they entered the woods, they had to be careful.

Just like now, a team of strong mercenaries deliberately made a lot of noise as they entered the woods, and soon encountered an attack.

"Everyone be careful, it's the Red Ice Snake, three on the left, five in the middle, two on the right, and four following behind..."

Yan Qingshan warned the mercenaries loudly. Dawn had activated the warning detection function as soon as they started moving.

Due to his strong perception, after comparative analysis, he easily identified the type and trajectory of the attacking magical beasts, and accurately reported the data within his line of sight.

Several illusory crimson shadows arrived with a whoosh, swooping down from the treetops.

Red Ice Snakes, first-rank magical beasts of the ice element, are quite common in the outer areas of the Magical Beast Mountains. They excel at using ice cone attacks, and the ice contains cold poison. If the poisoned are not treated in time within half a day, the cold poison will freeze the blood in their bodies, leading to death.

These Red Ice Snakes seemed to be a group, and this forest should be their habitat. They hid in the canopy, hanging from the tree trunks, and when the mercenaries below made noise, they decisively attacked, shooting out cold poison ice cones like lightning.

The attacks of first-rank magical beasts were no small matter. Even though these mercenaries had anticipated an ambush before entering the forest, they didn't expect it to come so quickly and fiercely. Two mercenaries were caught off guard and poisoned by the cold, their faces turning pale, and they fell down helplessly, their bodies emitting cold white air like ice sculptures.

The sudden attack by the many Red Ice Snakes naturally attracted more attacks from the mercenaries. With their combined efforts, only two or three of the thirteen or fourteen Red Ice Snakes managed to escape at the rear, leaving behind a ground of Red Ice Snake corpses, about twenty or thirty segments.

After these dozen or so Red Ice Snakes were dealt with, the two mercenaries who were seriously injured by the cold poison and several others who were unfortunately injured in the battle were sent to the herb-gathering team, where Yan Qingshan and Xiao Yi Xian treated them with corresponding remedies.

"Bandage them up, and give these two some Yellow Lotus Essence powder. Help them move around to activate their bodies, to avoid leaving any hidden injuries."

Yan Qingshan briefly examined the symptoms of the injured and gave corresponding treatment methods. Since Yan Qingshan had to pretend to be still recovering from his injuries, he couldn't do it himself. Naturally, the apprentice stepped forward to help and treat these mercenaries. This was also an opportunity for these apprentices.

On the other side, Xiao Yi Xian was doing it personally, treating the other mercenaries with a smile on her lips, carrying an inviolable sense of sacredness.

The high status and prestige that this girl would enjoy in Qingshan Town in the future were inseparable from her character and behavior.

While Yan Qingshan bandaged and treated the injured, apart from some mercenaries surrounding the herb-gathering team to be vigilant, the other mercenaries went to continue clearing the way, and a few others were assigned to collect the corpses of the Red Ice Snakes.