"Daylight Stronghold? What Daylight Stronghold!"
Lu Li stared warily at the gray-robed old man.
"You don't know?" The old man's eyes widened. He suddenly let out a weird cackle, whirled around toward a group of burly men charging wildly in their direction, and shouted, "Hurry! Someone is stealing your spirit herbs!"
As he spoke, his figure blurred, suddenly appearing right in front of Lu Li. Before Lu Li could react, the old man grabbed him and hurled him straight at the approaching men. "Kid, you're on your own!"
With that, he vanished without a trace.
Lu Li was caught completely off guard. With a loud crash, he smashed into the three men leading the charge. The four of them flew backward over a zhang, tumbling into a tangled heap.
"Kid, where the hell did you come from?!"
The three burly men felt as though their bones had shattered, groaning continuously where they lay on the ground.
Lu Li scrambled off them in a panic. With a flicker of movement, he retreated over ten zhang away, then cupped his fists toward them. "Brothers, I am only here to gather herbs. I don't know that old man!"
"You... what did you say?" One of the burly men clutched his stomach and staggered to his feet.
"I don't know that old man?"
"The sentence before that!"
"I am only here to gather herbs?"
The burly man flew into a rage and waved at the crowd behind him. "Get him! Beat this herb thief to death!"
"Damn it!"
Lu Li let out a squawk and spun around to flee.
"Don't run!"
"Halt!"
"Kill him!"
"..."
The group of burly men roared as they gave chase.
While running, Lu Li glanced over his shoulder. That single look nearly scared his soul out of his body.
The speed of these hulking men was not the slightest bit slower than his own. Although he wasn't using Gale Steps, he had activated a swift-movement Talisman!
Reaching out slightly with his senses, he realized that not a single person in this group had a cultivation base below the third layer. Furthermore, he couldn't see through the three leaders at all. Were these the so-called members of Daylight Stronghold?
If their ordinary thugs were this strong, just how terrifying was the master of Daylight Stronghold?
Thinking of this, how could he dare hold anything back? He instantly stacked his swift-movement Talisman with Gale Steps, vanishing without a trace.
"Where did he go?"
"I don't know."
The crowd of burly men chased for another fifty-something zhang before suddenly losing sight of Lu Li. Their expressions were incredibly ugly.
Meanwhile.
Inside a pit on a massive branch of the mountain range, Lu Li was panting heavily, staring vigilantly out of the cave.
"Kid, you stepped on my foot!" an eerie voice suddenly whispered from behind him.
"Mother of-!"
Lu Li nearly jumped out of his skin. A withered, bony hand clamped over his mouth and forcefully dragged him back down. "Don't shout, don't shout! If you make another sound, this old master will kill you!"
Why did this voice sound so familiar?
Lu Li froze. Looking back, who else could it be but the old man from before? Anger instantly flared up in him, and he roughly yanked the man's arm away. "Old man, what's your problem?!"
"What do you mean, what's my problem?"
"You..."
Lu Li wanted to demand why the old man had used him as a human shield, but on second thought, he realized asking such a question was far too naive. He snapped his mouth shut and plopped his butt on the ground.
"Kid, are you angry?"
Lu Li: "..."
"Kid, your movement technique is quite decent. Where did you learn it?"
Lu Li: "..."
"Kid, why aren't you talking?"
Lu Li said, "Old man, my patience has its limits. Don't think you can act so arrogantly just because your realm is higher than mine. Push me, and I'll kill you!"
"Oho, quite the arrogant brat, aren't you!"
"Hehe, I try." Lu Li's eyes darted. He suddenly launched himself out of the pit, backhanding three explosive Talismans directly into the cave as he moved.
Boom!
Instantly, dirt went flying. Amidst a shower of soil, an old man was blasted straight into the sky.
The dirt pit was already small, meaning the three explosive Talismans had unleashed their absolute maximum power.
"You old bastard! That's what you get for scheming against me!" Lu Li let out a weird laugh and bolted.
"You little bastard, don't run! This old master is going to kill you... Ouch... My old back!"
Up on the hillside, the old man, his clothes in tatters and his face covered in soot, screamed and cursed in the direction Lu Li had fled.
"Found that old thief!"
On the mountain peak, a burly man excitedly pointed at the old man lying halfway down the slope and shouted.
Then... a horde of burly men rumbled down the mountain.
"Screw your grandpas!" The old man scrambled to his feet, tossing out several Talismans behind him, and used the opportunity to disappear into the redwood forest at the foot of the mountain.
...
At the tail end of a northern branch in the middle of the Thunderfire Mountain Range lay a settlement named Daylight Town.
Though called a town, Daylight Town was practically the size of a small city. Inside, carriages and horses bustled endlessly through crisscrossing streets; it was an incredibly lively place.
As evening approached, lanterns gradually lit up across Daylight Town, offering a sense of warmth and security amid the vast wilderness.
Later in the evening, a youth wearing dark green martial attire arrived at the town gates.
"Finally made it out."
The youth looked back at the Thunderfire Mountain Range as it was slowly swallowed by the night. He let out a long breath of relief, then stepped forward into the town.
It was none other than Lu Li, who had just escaped the Thunderfire Mountain Range.
His harvest from this trip had been quite good. The only thing he hadn't expected was that the spirit herbs actually belonged to someone, resulting in him being mercilessly hunted down.
Upon walking into the town, Lu Li realized this place was far more prosperous than Watercloud Town. The broad streets, noisy crowds, and ancient architecture suggested the town had quite a bit of history.
"I left in such a hurry just now, I forgot to check where I was."
Lu Li muttered to himself as he looked around.
"Buns! Steamed buns..."
"Guest, come inside and have some fun..."
"..."
Strolling down the street, waves of peddlers' cries reached Lu Li's ears.
Before long, Lu Li stopped in front of a grand, five-story restaurant in the center of town. He glanced up at the signboard and walked inside.
"Guest, please come in!"
The moment he entered, a waiter hurried over with a beaming smile to greet him. "Guest, are you just grabbing a bite, or looking for a room?"
"I'll eat something first," Lu Li said casually.
"Right away, Guest. The upper floors are quieter, would you like to...?" the waiter probed carefully.
While the second floor was quieter, the prices there were also higher.
Lu Li had no idea about these unspoken rules. Hearing there was a quiet spot, he immediately agreed, "Let's go to the second floor."
"Right away!"
The waiter's face lit up with joy. He bowed deeply as he led the way, his attitude so incredibly respectful that it actually made Lu Li a little embarrassed.
I'm just eating a meal, he thought. Is this really necessary?
Upon reaching the second floor, the waiter glanced around and pointed to a table by the window. "Sir, it's peaceful over there, and you can enjoy the scenery outside. How does that sound?"
"That works," Lu Li agreed without a second thought.
"Excellent! Sir, please, right this way!" The waiter's grin stretched from ear to ear.
After Lu Li took his seat, the waiter pulled out one of his two menus and handed it over. "Sir, take a look... what would you like to eat?"
Lu Li flipped through the pages and pointed at a dish named 'Wolf Heart and Dog Lungs.' He asked, "What is this thing?"
"Ah, this one! This is roasted Ash Wolf heart. It's a low-tier spirit beast, and the flavor is absolutely spectacular. Would you like to try it?"
"A spirit beast?"
"Yes! All the dishes on our second-floor menu are made from spirit beasts and spirit herbs. It is absolutely worth every coin..."
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