Chapter 43: Entering the Mountain

Everyone in the shop had initially thought this white-haired youth was just a naive newcomer, but they now realized he was a fearsome dragon crossing the river.

The unconscious brute on the floor was someone they recognized—a Four-Star Dou Practitioner—Yet, he had been knocked out with just a single word, 'Get lost.'

What level of cultivation did this white-haired, black-robed man possess?

Xiao Bai didn't care about their gazes. He scanned the room, and as his eyes passed over the crowd, everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

Turning toward the trembling shop assistant, he noted that the man's previous impatience had vanished completely.

Sensing Xiao Bai's stare, the assistant hurriedly put on a fawning smile and stammered:

"T-This customer—no, this young master—Xiao Yi Xian is not in the shop right now. She left this morning with a mercenary group to gather herbs in the mountains!"

"Do you know which direction they went?"

"R-Replying to Young Master, I don't know. Every trip into the mountains is planned by the mercenary group, and they keep their route a secret! I swear, I'm telling the truth!"

Seeing that Xiao Bai might not believe him, the assistant even raised his hand, ready to swear an oath.

"That's enough. Thank you for the information," Xiao Bai interrupted, nodding at him.

With that, he turned and walked toward the exit.

"Y-Young Master!"

A middle-aged mercenary hesitated before calling out from the crowd.

Seeing Xiao Bai stop and turn toward him, the man instinctively shrunk back in fear.

Beside him, his wife tugged at his sleeve, urging him to stay quiet. But the man patted her hand and mustered the courage to say to Xiao Bai:

"Young Master… If Xiao Yi Xian has offended you in any way, I am willing to apologize on her behalf. Please… I beg you to show mercy. She is just a young girl who has only recently come of age!"

Just moments ago, he he had thought Xiao Bai was just a young noble, but after seeing him take down the burly man and then ask about the mercenary group's direction, he feared Xiao Bai might be targeting Xiao Yi Xian.

Xiao Yi Xian had saved his life, and no matter what, he didn't want anything bad to happen to her. Even if it meant risking his own life, he had to try.

"What's your name?" Xiao Bai asked calmly, his tone giving no hint of emotion.

The mercenary's face paled. He swallowed hard before replying in a trembling voice,

"Replying to the Young Master… My name is Jia En."

As soon as he said it, he clenched his wife's hand tightly.

His palms were drenched in sweat.

Xiao Bai glanced at him, silent for a moment, then turned and walked away.

Jia En let out a long sigh of relief.

His wife immediately threw herself into his arms, lightly pounding his chest as she sobbed.

"You reckless fool! You reckless fool! Waaah!"

After Xiao Bai left, some in the crowd hurried over to check on the drunken man. Finding that he had only fainted, they also breathed a sigh of relief.

Once Xiao Bai left the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, the sky had completely darkened. Noticing an inn across the square, he walked over, booked a luxurious room with a large bed, and settled in.

Once inside, he locked the door and unfolded a map on the table—something he had just purchased from the inn.

With so many foreigners coming to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to seek fortune and hunt beasts, selling maps had become a profitable side business for the inn.

The variety was astonishing.

The price was even more astonishing.

The map cost 1,000 gold coins, which made Xiao Bai curse the innkeeper as a profiteer.

The inn sold maps for 1,000 gold coins if you stayed there, but if you didn't, the price doubled to 2,000 gold coins. Coincidentally, the cost of a room at the inn was exactly 1,000 gold coins.

The map detailed various terrains of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

After a quick count, Xiao Bai realized that there were over twenty cliffs just in the vicinity of Qingshan Town alone.

And that was only the outer region of the mountains.

If he ventured deeper, there would be even more.

This gave Xiao Bai a headache. Where on earth was he supposed to start looking?

Just then, Yao Lao floated out of the ring. Seeing Xiao Bai using a brush to circle the cliffs on the map one by one, he couldn't help but feel exasperated.

"Xiao Bai, don't tell me the only thing you know about this tomb is that it's located beneath a cliff, and nothing else?"

Xiao Bai, feeling a bit frustrated, shot Yao Lao a sidelong glance and replied, "Knowing it's under a cliff is enough. Why bother with the rest?"

Yao Lao was momentarily speechless. He glared at the brat before demanding, "Where's my medicine?"

Without a word, Xiao Bai retrieved a piece of Yellow Lotus Essence from his storage ring and casually handed it over.

"Aren't you curious why I asked you to buy this Yellow Lotus Essence?" Yao Lao asked, surprised that Xiao Bai hadn't even questioned him before handing it over.

"Isn't it just a piece of Blood Lotus Essence? What's the big deal?" Xiao Bai replied without looking up, continuing to mark the map calmly.

"Huh? This Blood Lotus Essence is a Tier Five medicinal ingredient! Even some Fifth-Tier Alchemists wouldn't be able to identify it without cutting it open. How did you know?"

Now Yao Lao was genuinely curious. With his experience as an Eighth-tier Alchemist, he could identify it, but how did this kid know?

Xiao Bai rolled his eyes internally. 'I know because I read Battle Through the Heavens.'

Since Xiao Bai remained silent, Yao Lao chose not to press further. This brat was always mysterious, and who knew how much knowledge was hidden in that head of his?

"You're not seriously planning to check each and every one of these cliffs, are you?"

Yao Lao watched as Xiao Bai circled the cliffs near Qingshan Town on the map and then plotted a route based on distance. Stroking his beard, he couldn't help but ask.

Xiao Bai rubbed his temples in frustration. "For now, that's the only way."

Thankfully, his soul power was strong. Once he reached a cliff, he could use his soul power to scan for any hidden caves below. Otherwise, he'd have to climb down and up each cliff, which would be a huge hassle.

Yao Lao thought for a moment and realized that, given the lack of information, Xiao Bai's method was probably the only option.

After finalizing the route on the map, Xiao Bai went to wash up, then collapsed onto the bed, letting out a long sigh before drifting off to sleep.

—

The night passed quietly, and as dawn broke, Xiao Bai opened his eyes, stretched, and jumped out of bed.

After getting everything in order, he prepared to set out.

Walking leisurely through the streets, he soon arrived at another exit of Qingshan Town, which also served as the entrance to the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

The area was already crowded with mercenaries preparing to enter the mountains that day.

The Magical Beast Mountain Range was filled with ferocious beasts and countless dangers.

A single misstep could lead to being swarmed and torn apart by magical beasts.

For this reason, except for the extremely skilled and daring, most mercenaries traveled in groups.

In Qingshan Town, mercenaries fell into three categories: 1. Mercenary Groups – Each had over a hundred members, led by a Dou Master, with the rest being Dou Practitioners of varying strength.

2. Mercenary Squads – Small groups that were either fixed teams or temporary alliances. Some disbanded immediately after a single expedition.

3. Solitary Warriors – These individuals traveled alone. Almost all lone mercenaries who survived were ruthless experts with hidden trump cards.

—

Xiao Bai didn't need to join a group. He had his own route planned, and the outer regions of the Magical Beast Mountain Range only had up to Third-tier magical beasts.

Fourth-tier and above beasts were usually found in the middle or deepest parts of the mountain range and rarely ventured to the outer areas.

Xiao Bai quietly entered the mountain range, drawing curious glances from the mercenaries. They wondered where this young noble had come from, walking in alone without a mercenary team. Were they just going to feed themselves to the beasts?