A tall, broad-shouldered male cultivator clad in black armor sat on the edge of a broken bridge, arms crossed, and finally spoke up in response to Hu San.
Hu San hadn't expected to run into Ji Du here. He froze for a moment before cupping his hands at a distance and saying,
"Boss Ji Du, long time no see! How've you been lately?"
"Not bad, barely scraping together some materials for body refinement."
Ji Du replied, but his eyes kept flicking toward the twenty-plus people in Hu San's group. He sensed that this team had some real skill—otherwise, there wouldn't be so many female cultivators with them. Without ability, they wouldn't have survived this long.
"This a new team you're with?"
"Yeah! I'm following Boss Mao now."
As they drew closer, Hu San rubbed his hands together and introduced everyone.
Jian Dan had already tucked Xiaoyue into her sleeve robe and entered the inner perimeter. She didn't want to reveal too much before assessing the situation, keeping a low profile was always the smartest move. As for the one talking to Hu San, she could tell at a glance he was a demon cultivator and a body cultivator. She just wasn't sure how he ended up here—she'd have to ask Hu San later.
"I'm Ji Du. I've got my own turf in the trading market. If you've got anything you want to trade, we can talk," he said, bowing slightly to Jian Mao, who was just as tall and imposing.
Hu San knew he'd lucked out this time, somehow joining this small squad.
"Pleasure to meet you. We've been in the outer perimeter for a while and got some gains, but some teammates got injured. We're looking for a place in the middle perimeter to swap for healing pills and such. Once our teammates recover, we'll plan our next move." Jian Mao returned the courtesy and outlined their plans.
"There's an empty spot right next to our squad. You can use it to rest, and if you want to trade, you can come to us first." Ji Du didn't hesitate to be direct; everyone was just taking what they needed.
Jian Mao glanced back at Jian Dan and Jian Jing. Both nodded in agreement. They had to find a place to settle anyway, and this person's initiative meant he might have higher-grade materials for trade. Best to see what he had first.
"Much appreciated!"
"No problem, follow me."
Ji Du was a bit surprised. This Boss Mao seemed to listen more to the two female cultivators behind him, but he didn't show it. Leading his people across the broken bridge, they headed toward a dilapidated courtyard hidden in the forest.
Calling it a dilapidated courtyard was accurate—the place had clearly been breached. The walls were broken, intricate runes were destroyed, and the gate was gone. Only a shattered stone lion marked the entrance.
Ji Du led everyone through the doorway. Inside, it was spacious, but the walls were mostly gone. People were gathered in small groups, and when they saw Boss Ji Du's team returning—especially with so many female cultivators—their eyes lit up.
Jian Jing and Jian Dan followed Jian Mao, entering first. The blatant stares irritated Jian Jing, who turned to her junior sister and muttered,
"Have these people never seen a female cultivator before? Their eyes are gonna pop out!"
"Senior Sister, don't get mad. They're harmless unless they get any funny ideas. If they do, we just kill them!" Jian Dan replied, unbothered.
They spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. Both Ji Du and his companions, as well as Jian Mao, Hu San, and even Lady Di's squad at the rear, caught every word.
The people in the courtyard stiffened. One male cultivator with a scar across his face stepped forward and said,
"Big talk for a young lady!"
Ji Du didn't intervene, and Jian Mao stayed silent. Both sides were testing each other.
"What? Did I say something wrong? Why are you staring at us like that?" Jian Jing snapped.
"Senior Sister, we're fairies, you need to be gentler with your words," Jian Dan said offhandedly.
"Hmph! Little girl, got the guts? Step up and fight me if you dare!" the scar-faced man challenged.
"Oh Senior Sister, I'm so scared, what should I do?"
Hu San was watching from the side. Hearing Fairy Lu talk like that, he twitched. She's the fiercest one here, and now she's pretending to be scared? Who'd buy that?
Lady Di's squad felt the same but stayed silent, slowly spreading out to take better positions and form a standoff.
Xiao Yong and Xiao Huo's expressions were grim, and the three remaining disciples looked injured too. They couldn't assist the Heavenly Sword Sect, but they weren't about to lose face, arranging themselves in formation.
"Boss Ji Du, we sincerely want to trade resources. What's with that attitude?"
"Ha! Boss Mao, we can trade anything here, including female cultivators," the man said with a pointed glance at Jian Jing and Jian Dan. He noticed their slightly strange looks.
"What's the matter? Can't trade?"
"Well, those two are the leaders of our squad. They don't bother with petty matters. I'm just sent forward to talk business," Jian Mao said confidently.
He fully trusted his two junior sisters. Especially Jian Lu, former acting head of the Law Enforcement Hall, who had once overseen sect affairs. Her judgment surpassed his in many ways.
Ji Du's heart skipped a beat. He turned to Hu San, who had no idea how to react.
He realized Hu San was with Qing Mian, but now he was the only familiar face. One of the robust female cultivators seemed to belong to another team. By the time he looked again, one of the two female cultivators had already engaged the scar-faced man.
Jian Jing, taking advantage of a few days Purple Sky Sect members were resting to use a body-building decoction concocted by Jian Lu. She felt breakthroughs in her body and didn't hesitate to step in and practice, while Jian Dan assisted her from the side.
As one of the only two female cultivators in the "Heaven's Punishment" squad, Jian Jing had natural advantages. Her sword domain was small but refined, her body refinement slower, but she enjoyed forging instruments, so her physical training was always consistent. With Jian Dan's support, she could push further.
Swinging her fists against the scar-faced man, Jian Jing realized he was no weakling. Thankfully, her armor was silver from the earlier raid on Mao Wu's underground treasury, high-grade enough to withstand his blows.
The scar-faced man was a body cultivator too. After three exchanges, he recognized her training and became cautious. In their movements, they exchanged over a hundred blows. Fist met flesh with full impact, and even Jian Dan winced at the pain.
Yet Jian Jing only grew more excited. From initially seeing their steps, the clash became a blur. Spectators couldn't look away.
Ji Du's team stopped laughing and sneering. A female cultivator fighting the third-ranking male in their squad to a standstill? She had real skill and wasn't afraid of them.
Ji Du finally noticed the other female cultivator who hadn't joined the fight and called out:
"Dao Ba!"
The man immediately withdrew, and Jian Jing returned to her sister with a satisfied smile.
"Exhilarating!" Jian Jing said, feeling her body refinement had improved.
"Senior Sister, he hits hard, but his technique's sloppy. He favors his left hand, mainly attacking the upper three lines," Jian Dan noted.
Hearing that, both the scar-faced man and Ji Du twitched. This girl had just watched and already knew his habits. She was a tough one.
"Boss Ji Du, where are we supposed to set up camp?"