After winding left and right through the terrain.
The group had already arrived in a mountain valley. Unlike the previous jungle, the temperature inside this valley felt considerably higher than outside.
Apart from Lu Li, the other three looked quite uncomfortable, with both Zhong Ping and Junior Sister Fu walking in front having their backs soaked in sweat.
Junior Sister Ling beside them also had flushed cheeks like a ripe apple. She blinked her large eyes, looked up at Lu Li, and asked curiously, "Senior Brother, don't you feel hot?"
Lu Li turned to meet her gaze, the familiar feeling growing stronger within him, and shook his head. "I'm fine."
Unable to hold it back any longer, he asked, "Junior Sister, have we... met somewhere before?"
Zhong Ping paused in front. "Junior Brother, what kind of joke are you playing? Let me tell you, Junior Sister Ling's status is noble-not something a rogue cultivator like you can hope to climb up to. You should still have some self-awareness."
Baiyi Fu Yao thought to herself that Lu Li certainly had a bold streak, though his strength fell short.
Junior Sister Ling wore a thoughtful expression, walking as she murmured, "I also feel you seem somewhat familiar, but I just can't remember..."
"Junior Sister, center your mind. We are almost there," Zhong Ping interrupted.
Hearing this, Junior Sister Ling said no more.
Not long after, two red cliff faces suddenly appeared before them, split by a narrow fissure just wide enough for a single person to pass through.
Roar-!
Right at that moment, a frenzied beast roar burst from deep within the fissure, shaking the listeners to their core.
Lu Li frowned. From the sound alone, he could tell this creature was by no means easy to handle.
With that thought, he slowly came to a halt.
Seeing Lu Li stop, Zhong Ping, who was already preparing to enter the fissure, turned around abruptly. "Junior Brother, why aren't you moving?"
This would not do at all. He still needed Lu Li to help draw the Flame Lion's attention.
"Hehe," Lu Li chuckled. "Senior Brother, you still haven't told me why we came here. You are all acquainted, but I am entirely on my own. What if the three of you scheme against me?"
"Besides, you marched straight for this valley without hesitation, which clearly means there is something here you want. I stand to gain nothing-why should I help you?"
Zhong Ping frowned. "Junior Brother, that is an uncharitable way to put it. If not for my slaying that tusked wild boar earlier, could you have walked this far unharmed? Surely Junior Brother is not so devoid of gratitude."
"Indeed, Junior Brother, one must not forget their roots," Baiyi Fu Yao added, her eyes darting.
"Hah, forgetting roots." Lu Li stepped back several times, eyeing them with cold vigilance. "I haven't harvested a single spiritual herb the entire journey, yet I helped save Junior Sister Ling. If we are speaking of forgetting roots... I suspect the description fits you better.
"Senior Brother Zhong, what this Senior Brother says is reasonable," Junior Sister Ling spoke up. "Since we brought him along, he deserves a share of the Scarlet Flame Fruit. We should tell him the truth."
Scarlet Flame Fruit!
At those words, Lu Li's heart hammered against his ribs.
The Scarlet Flame Fruit was precisely the final medicinal ingredient listed in the Piercing Acupoint Pill formula. Fan Zhengping had marked it out with a brush, and Lu Li had previously laid eyes on it within the Precious Mirror of Spiritual Herbs. No wonder the air here is so scorching-could there be a magma vein nearby?
He had already secured the location of the Lightning Fire Orchid, and now the Scarlet Flame Fruit was within reach. It seemed heaven itself was aiding him.
As Lu Li deliberated, Zhong Ping's gaze flickered as he reached a decision.
"Since matters have come to this, I will hide nothing further from Junior Brother," Zhong Ping said. "Deep within this fissure lies a secluded valley over fifty zhang in diameter. At the base of the cliff behind the valley is a cavern. According to the intelligence I gathered, a pool of magma resides within that cave, and the Scarlet Flame Fruit grows right beside it."
"However, entering the cave requires passing through the valley, and a first-rank mid-stage spirit beast-a Flame Lion-dwells within. Our task is for three of us to draw the beast's attention while the fourth seizes the chance to enter the cave and harvest the herbs."
"A first-rank mid-stage spirit beast?" Lu Li frowned. "Are you confident we can handle it?"
A first-rank mid-stage beast was equivalent to the fourth through sixth layers of Qi Refinement. For Zhong Ping to treat it with such caution, its strength likely reached at least the fifth layer.
Zhong Ping shook his head. "We do not need to kill it. The Flame Lion is massive; it cannot squeeze through this cliff fissure, nor can it enter the cave behind. We merely need to hold it at bay for a short while while our teammate goes in to gather the medicine."
Is that so?
Lu Li's eyes gleamed. "Very well, I agree. But... how do you intend to divide the Scarlet Flame Fruit?"
Zhong Ping flashed a tight, insincere smile. "Since we are in this together, it will be split equally, of course."
At this, both Fu Yao and Junior Sister Ling glanced over with faint surprise.
This fellow agreed far too readily, Lu Li thought to himself. He clearly has no intention of giving me a share. He might even plan to silence me once the task is done... Still, among us, his cultivation is the highest, meaning he certainly won't be the one entering the cave. When the time comes...
With that realization, Lu Li forced a pleased smile. "In that case... many thanks, Senior Brother!"
"Haha, think nothing of it. Let us move!"
The group filed into the narrow fissure one by one. Zhong Ping led the way, followed by Fu Yao-whose cultivation surpassed Lu Li's at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement-with Lu Li in third place, and Junior Sister Ling bringing up the rear.
From the looks of it, Zhong Ping intended to send Junior Sister Ling in to gather the herbs. If that happened, would an opportunity arise for Lu Li to seize the Scarlet Flame Fruit from her hands instead?
Just as they stepped into the fissure, far off in the canyon, a group of bare-chested men watched the scene with burning eyes.
"First Chieftain, should we follow them in?" Dharma Protector Wang asked with a sinister gleam in his eye.
The burly leader lowered his eyelids slightly. "Wait here. That fissure leads to a dead end; they cannot escape."
"Wise as ever, First Chieftain. We can sit back and reap the harvest. That Flame Lion's pelt alone is worth a considerable sum."
"Hehe, truth be told, I discovered that Flame Lion some time ago, but held back out of concern for our brothers' casualties. For these fools to rush in so blindly, they must have some reliance. I will simply wait here until they exhaust their trump cards, and then-heh."
The First Chieftain clearly remained unaware of Zhong Ping's true objective.
At the far end of the fissure.
Lu Li peered past the shoulders of the two individuals ahead. The view opened into a secluded valley enclosed by towering cliffs. Sparse vegetation dotted the ground, and a massive male lion lay lazily between two ancient trees.
Nearly two zhang in length with thick, powerful limbs, tusks protruding from its jaws, and a coat of fiery red fur, the beast looked like a small hill resting upon the earth-clearly a formidable adversary.
Through the sparse red-wood canopy, Lu Li caught a glimpse of a dark cavern opening roughly two feet wide and five feet tall on the opposite side of the valley. That must be the cave where the Scarlet Flame Fruit grew, exactly as Zhong Ping had described.
At that moment, Zhong Ping turned back and spoke in a low, sharp voice. "I will count to three, and the three of us will charge out together to draw the Flame Lion to the left. Junior Sister Ling will use that opening to head for the cave and harvest the fruit. Do you all understand?"
The others nodded in unison.
Seeing this, Zhong Ping held his breath and began to count softly: One, two, three!
The moment the words left his mouth, he shot forward like an arrow toward the Flame Lion.