Chapter 61: 61 chapters: Disaster of Innocence, The Cause of Infighting

Zhou Chun had pursued Guo DaHu shortly after the latter’s departure and soon caught up with him.

Guo DaHu was a cultivator on the tenth level of Qi Refinement Realm and had several fine magic artifacts in his possession, stronger than the Bandit Cultivator Zhou Chun had killed in the Hongyan Mountain Range when he first obtained the “Moon Blade Meteor Wheel.”

However, Zhou Chun’s strength had also improved significantly since then.

After about half a quarter of an hour of combat, Guo DaHu’s two magic artifacts were shattered by the “Moon Blade Meteor Wheel,” and he was slain by Zhou Chun.

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

By the time he returned to Liu Qingshan’s side, he saw that the bald strong man had already turned into a pile of flesh, presumably killed by the Rock Earth Turtle’s “Falling Rock Technique.”

Liu Shiyun had also arrived at the scene.

Since the Rock Earth Turtle did not recognize her, it would not allow her to approach Liu Qingshan; she could only wait anxiously some dozens of yards away for Zhou Chun to return.

Now, seeing Zhou Chun’s return, the father and daughter were both eagerly looking at him.

“Taoist Friend Liu, rest assured, Guo DaHu has been executed,”

Zhou Chun understood Liu Qingshan’s gaze and immediately said the outcome with a smile.

Then he stored the Rock Earth Turtle in the Spirit Beast Pouch and gave Liu Shiyun a nod, signaling that she could come over.

“Phew, then Liu is relieved!”

Hearing Zhou Chun’s words, Liu Qingshan immediately let out a sigh of relief and put aside his worries.

He then hurriedly thanked Zhou Chun, “Taoist Friend Zhou, the debt of gratitude for saving our lives is immense. My daughter and I are eternally grateful, please accept our kowtow!”

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

“This is not necessary! Taoist Friend Liu, why go to such lengths!”

Zhou Chun repeatedly waved his hands, not wishing to accept this grand gesture of gratitude.

But Liu Qingshan insisted and, along with his daughter, kowtowed three times with resounding knocks.

Just then, a green escape light suddenly flew overhead in the forest, revealing the figure of a Taoist in green.

The Taoist floated in the air without a magic artifact beneath his feet.

Just by this fact alone, it was clear that he was at least at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Before Zhou Chun and the others, who had spotted the Taoist in green, could greet him with a bow, the Taoist looked at them with a somber expression and said, “Did you set this fire? Do you realize the seriousness of the crime of setting fire to the mountains outside the marketplace?”

Upon hearing these words, the faces of Zhou Chun and the others changed abruptly, and Liu Qingshan hastily explained, “Senior, please understand that the fire was not set intentionally by us juniors. It was the result of a struggle against villains who attacked us that led to the uncontrollable spread of the fire!”

Zhou Chun also quickly spoke in their defense, “Senior, please see the truth. My name is Zhou Zhengchun, an employee at Spirit Beast Restaurant in the marketplace. Today, I happened to be hunting for spirit pets in the vicinity, and I can testify for Taoist Friend Liu and his daughter!”

To their surprise, after hearing their words, the Taoist in green snorted coldly and said, “Even so, the fire was caused by you. Just for this reason, you cannot escape your guilt!”

Without giving the three a chance for rebuttal, he waved his hand and cast three streaks of green light onto them, forming a green lotus mark on their bodies.

This was a tracking spell. Once marked, the caster could locate them within a hundred-mile range.

After marking the three of them, the Taoist instantly moved and flew toward the area ravaged by the wildfire.

“Now, you three return to the marketplace first. After I extinguish the mountain fire, we will discuss your guilt!”

Listening to this cold command, Zhou Chun and the others exchanged uneasy glances, all wearing troubled expressions.

This truly was an undeserved calamity!

But it was also incredibly unfortunate.

In general, to avoid being caught on the spot as they had been, Bandit Cultivators would not make their move too close to the marketplace.

Moreover, if Bandit Cultivators did not succeed within a quarter-hour, they would give up and leave immediately, to avoid being caught by the patrolling cultivators from the marketplace.

Guo DaHu and his group had taken advantage of Liu Qingshan’s relaxed guard after entering this “safe zone” to launch a successful sneak attack.

But now, although the ringleaders had been killed, the terrible consequences of the forest fire were being placed on the shoulders of father and daughter Liu Qingshan.

After exchanging glances, Liu Qingshan immediately looked solemnly at Zhou Chun and said, “Taoist Friend Zhou, rest assured, the fire only started because of me. When the time comes, I will definitely make this clear to that Senior and will not let you be implicated!”

“Ah! Now is not the time to talk about this. Let’s head back to the marketplace so we can treat your injuries, Taoist Friend Liu,”

Zhou Chun sighed, waving his hand in a somewhat depressed manner, suggesting they talk more once they returned.

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

Upon returning to the Marketplace, Zhou Chun directly took the father and daughter to the Spirit Beast Restaurant and explained the situation to Shopkeeper Zhou Jiasheng.

When Zhou Jiasheng learned that Zhou Chun might have drawn fire to himself by rescuing the Liu father and daughter, he frowned deeply.

But being worldly-wise, he didn’t say much on the spot, only offering a few words of comfort before instructing Zhou Chun to take his guests to the back courtyard to rest.

In the back courtyard, after Liu Shiyun patched up Liu Qingshan’s wounds and administered Healing Pills, Zhou Chun also took the opportunity to ask about the circumstances behind their betrayal by their companions.

“Alas! I am not afraid of making Taoist Friend Zhou laugh with our tale. Guo DaHu and the others have known Liu for over a decade. The reason for our swords turning against each other all stemmed from a valley of medicinal herbs we stumbled upon accidentally on this trip!”

With a long sigh, Liu Qingshan immediately recounted the details.

It turned out that this time, as usual, several Loose Cultivators who had known each other for many years went together into the mountains to search for herbs and minerals, when they suddenly discovered a very hidden valley, which was growing many valuable Spiritual Medicines.

But in the wilderness, wherever Spiritual Medicines flourish, there must always be Demon Beasts guarding them.

Thus, a group of powerful Emerald Crown Flying Serpents inhabited the valley, with the strongest two serpents exuding an aura comparable to that of a Cultivator at the twelfth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.

Although Liu Qingshan and the others weren’t weak, they were far from strong enough to contend with such a group of highly toxic serpents.

Therefore, they dared not disturb the serpents. Instead, they went together to the Hongya Marketplace to seek one or two more powerful teammates, preparing the necessary Magic Artifacts and Talismans to deal with the serpents before going back to collect the medicines.

Little did they expect that upon their journey, Guo DaHu and the two others would harbor evil intentions, secretly conspiring to eliminate the Liu father and daughter and silence them.

When Zhou Chun heard this, his expression shifted, and he couldn’t help but look at Liu Qingshan and ask, “But what benefit would they have by ousting you father and daughter from the group? Without Taoist Friend Liu, they would have a harder time dealing with the serpents and gathering the medicines. They would still have to invite outsiders to share the spoils, wouldn’t they?”

“This…”

Liu Qingshan glanced at his daughter Liu Shiyun, hesitated for a while, and then said in a low voice, “It’s because my daughter was the first to discover the valley of medicinal herbs. According to the rules amongst us, the one who discovers the Spiritual Objects can first claim a ten percent advantage. Perhaps they simply didn’t want us father and daughter to take the lion’s share!”

“Is that all?”

Zhou Chun frowned deeply, giving Liu Qingshan a penetrating look, seeing that the man hadn’t told the whole truth.

Liu Qingshan, with Zhou Chun’s gaze upon him, immediately lowered his head, unable to meet his eyes, clearly feeling guilty.

Seeing this, Liu Shiyun at his side spoke up, not wanting her father and their savior to have a rift.

“Father need not have any reservations. If Taoist Friend Zhou could act so righteously under those circumstances simply because of a brief encounter, it shows his integrity. So why not simply tell the truth?” she said crisply.

Without waiting for Liu Qingshan to respond, she took the initiative to give a bow to Zhou Chun and said, “Please forgive us, Taoist Friend Zhou. It’s not that my father intentionally hid the truth from you, but this matter involves the privacy of my personal reputation, and that’s why he was hesitant.”

Then she revealed the other reason Liu Qingshan had omitted.

On their way back to the Marketplace, Liu Shiyun had shared a hot spring with He Sangu, who noticed that she was naturally blessed with “Profound Yin Charm Bone.”

After a fallout with He Sangu, according to her claim, a female Cultivator naturally endowed with “Profound Yin Charm Bone” is the most coveted by high-level Cultivators who practice Dual Cultivation Techniques. She would be regarded as the ideal partner for dual cultivation, far more valuable than the myriad Spiritual Medicines in the valley.

So, using this as leverage, He Sangu persuaded the other two to decide to seize the Liu father and daughter, intending to send Liu Shiyun to be auctioned off at some underground Dark Market.

By the time she finished explaining, Liu Shiyun’s face under the veil was flushed red with embarrassment. Although she mustered up the courage to reveal such a personal issue, she was still unable to face the matter calmly.

Zhou Chun, embarrassed after hearing her explanation, gave Liu Shiyun a saluting gesture, “I was too impulsive just now. Rest assured, Taoist Friend Liu, this matter will die with me, and I will not spread a single word about it!”

Upon hearing this, Liu Shiyun promptly returned the salute, “You are too kind, Taoist Friend Zhou. Were our situations reversed, I too would have inquired about the cause. It is not your fault at all.”

“It’s good that Taoist Friend Liu understands,” said Zhou Chun, relieved, before quickly changing the subject, “Speaking of He Sangu, I too am puzzled. Why did the other man go so mad after hearing of her death? Even if the two were dual cultivation partners, it still seems a bit excessive!”

Hearing his words, Liu Qingshan sighed lightly and replied, “Alas, Wang Ben is also a pitiful person.”

“He was originally a woodcutter in the mountains. By practicing a Cultivation Technique he found on a deceased Loose Cultivator, he eventually realized the danger of the Evil Qi at the fourth level of Qi Refinement, by which time his mind had already been deeply affected by the Evil Qi. Upon severe provocation, he would lose his mind and go mad!”

“Though he and He Sangu were not officially dual cultivation partners, it’s likely they had already secretly practiced together. When he found out that Taoist Friend Zhou killed He Sangu, how could he not go insane on the spot!”

So it was like that?

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

Loose Cultivators like Wang Ben, whose minds had been affected by the Evil Qi, were not uncommon in the Cultivation World.

Compared to others, Wang Ben might be considered fortunate, since he could still behave normally in the Marketplace when not provoked.

Many Loose Cultivators deeply tainted by the Evil Qi, though not dead, had completely become insane or demonic, and would be executed on sight if they emerged outside the Marketplace, to prevent them from harming others.