Lu Xiaoqi, at the Second Level of Qi Refining Cultivation.
He was currently dressed as a hunter, carrying a shortbow in his hand. He served as the team's scout, responsible for reconnaissance.
It was clear that Lu Xiaoqi was quite skilled at scouting.
Whether it was poisonous snakes lurking in the grass or various toxic plants, he could identify them all with a quick glance.
Lü Zhong's job, on the other hand, was to keep his Qi Observation Skill active to assist in the scouting.
This was also the reason Lin Zhongze was willing to accept Lü Zhong into the team.
A cultivator who could skillfully use the Qi Observation Skill, possessed a special Magic Skill technique allowing him to maintain it for several ancient hours, was more valuable than many veteran Loose Cultivators—even if he was a novice who had never been to the wilderness.
And sure enough, Lü Zhong immediately spotted something.
In a patch of human-high grass up ahead, three Spiritual Energy Balls were clustered together.
He could faintly make out that they were humanoid in shape.
"In the five o'clock direction, in the grass by a jujube tree, there are three people hiding!"
Upon hearing this, Xiaoqi didn't show a hint of doubt and covertly made a few hand signals to the others behind him.
"It's fine. They're from Fox Ridge Village." Lin Zhongze seemed to have already known. The reason he hadn't said anything earlier was likely to test Lü Zhong.
From his currently satisfied expression, it was clear that Lü Zhong had passed the test.
"Fellow Daoist Li, come on out," Lin Zhongze called out toward the jujube tree.
RUSTLE! The sound of movement stirred the tall grass.
Sure enough, three people emerged one after another from the grass near the jujube tree in the five o'clock direction.
The leader was a white-haired old crone. Her clothes were rather worn, and her face was etched with the marks of wind and frost. The man and woman following her were in a similar state. Though they were clearly just in their early twenties, their faces looked like those of people in their thirties or forties. A single glance was enough to tell they had suffered greatly under the sun and rain.
Judging from their appearance, they must be the so-called Wilderness Independent Cultivators.
The wilderness referred to the area around the Qingliu Ruins, a land where Spiritual Qi was thin. The Loose Cultivators who scraped by a living in the wilderness were known as Wilderness Independent Cultivators.
Essentially, they were a group of cultivators who were neither purely good nor evil, doing whatever it took to survive.
They usually hid in secluded parts of the mountains and forests to farm. When the farming season was over, they would come out to rob travelers. One couldn't say they were entirely pitiful, nor entirely detestable. They were impossible to eradicate, springing up again like weeds after a spring breeze, and were mostly just poor people who couldn't afford to live in the Workshop Market.
Compared to the Loose Cultivators living in the Workshop Market, their hair was greasy and matted, a clear sign of their harsh living conditions.
The old crone looked Lü Zhong up and down and couldn't help but praise, "Tsk tsk, Fellow Daoist Lin, you've found yourself a good helper. His Qi Observation Skill is incredibly potent. To think he could spot the three of us from so far away!"
One had to know, the camouflage they used was so good that even the Demon Beasts in the mountains would have a hard time spotting them.
Yet, unexpectedly, they had been discovered by someone over a hundred zhang away.
"But of course. My eye for people has always been sharp!" Lin Zhongze did not feign modesty. His tone then grew serious. "The goods you wanted are ready. Did you bring what I asked for?"
"Of course!"
The old crone clapped her hands, and the two people behind her stepped forward and tossed down the sacks they were holding.
Lü Zhong watched silently, guessing from the imprints on the sacks' surfaces that they likely contained some kind of precious medicinal herbs.
There might even be a Spirit Medicine or two inside.
Lin Zhongze signaled for Xiaoqi to go and inspect them, and received an affirmative look in return.
Seeing this, he finally reached for the Storage Bag at his waist and tossed forward a small cloth pouch the size of a human head.
THUD. The pouch wasn't large, but it was extremely heavy, landing on the ground with a dull thud.
The old crone then stretched out a hand, and the pouch abruptly flew into her grasp.
Lü Zhong was startled by this.
'Object Control Skill?'
It was a Tier One Middle Grade Magic Skill that could conjure an invisible, magical hand to move objects.
The famous Sword Control Skill was, in fact, a Secret Skill derived from the Object Control Skill.
The pouch landed in the old crone's hand. She dipped a finger into its contents and brought it to her mouth to taste.
After a moment, a satisfied expression appeared on the old crone's face. She nodded and said, "Salty enough. Fellow Daoist Lin is indeed a man of his word. Next time we have goods, we'll be sure to find you for a trade."
With that, the three of them backed away a few steps, slipped into the grass, and disappeared.
Once they were gone, Lin Zhongze turned to the others and said in an even tone, "Keep this to yourselves. Everyone gets twenty-five talismanic coins when we get back."
"The captain is the best!" Xiaoqi cheered, clapping his hands.
The middle-aged Female Cultivator named Sanniang, whose face was usually etched with sorrow, finally broke into a smile.
Lü Zhong and Huang Shuyuan, however, simply exchanged a glance without a word.
Trading with Wilderness Independent Cultivators was a type of gray-market transaction, forbidden by the Five Spirits Sect.
After walking for a while, Lü Zhong casually asked Xiaoqi, "Do opportunities for extra income like this come up often?"
"Hmm..." Xiaoqi scratched his head, thinking hard for a moment before replying, "Not really. Otherwise, I wouldn't be this happy."
Twenty-five talismanic coins was a considerable sum.
It could buy at least fifty or sixty jin of Mortal Rice.
That was basically a month's worth of rations for a family of five.
As they walked, Lü Zhong nudged Xiaoqi with his elbow and whispered, "In the grass in the one o'clock direction, there's a clump of small red grass. Xiaoqi, can you see if it's a Spirit Grass?"
"Huh, it really does look like a Spirit Grass!" Xiaoqi said in surprise.
The discovery drew the others closer.
"Sanniang, can you identify it?" Lin Zhongze asked in a low voice.
"Let me see," Sanniang said softly. She then crouched down for a closer look.
Identifying medicinal herbs was a technical skill. It not only required reading numerous herbalism tomes but also accumulating enough practical experience to avoid making a huge blunder like mistaking a poisonous weed for a Spirit Grass.
Generally, Loose Cultivators who could independently identify most medicinal herbs would choose to become sought-after herb Appraisers.
Sanniang was likely a novice Appraiser, which was probably why she remained on Lin Zhongze's team.
Looked at from another perspective, Lin Zhongze's team was actually quite full of talented individuals.
After a moment, Sanniang came to a conclusion.
"This is all one-year-old Red Silk Grass. It's a primary ingredient for refining the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill. These eleven stalks can be sold for a good price of at least Four Spirit Stones." Sanniang tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, stood up, and congratulated Lü Zhong, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Lü! You've really hit the jackpot!"
For such a large clump of Spirit Grass to have grown by the roadside for so long without being picked—if that wasn't hitting the jackpot, what was?
At the same time, Sanniang was also overjoyed.
According to the rules of adventuring Loose Cultivators, Lü Zhong would have to give ten percent of his earnings to his teammates.
The successive windfalls made everyone on the team incredibly happy.
And as for Lü Zhong, who had hit the jackpot, his mood was, needless to say, excellent.
As the sun began to set, the group arrived at their destination for the day: a cave that passed through the mountainside.
Judging from the soot-blackened marks inside, it was clearly a common resting spot for adventuring Loose Cultivators. There was plenty of leftover charcoal and firewood, along with numerous signs of fires being made for cooking.
The cave reeked of sulfur, the smell of Snake-Repelling Powder sprinkled by previous Loose Cultivators who had stayed the night.
After inspecting the cave, Xiaoqi, the scout, also sprinkled a paper packet of his own homemade Snake-Repelling Powder all around to drive out any Poisonous Insects or snakes that might be lurking inside.
Only after confirming it was safe did the others enter the camp.
Sanniang and Huang Shuyuan took charge of starting a fire and preparing food, while Lü Zhong and Xiaoqi each took responsibility for watching one end of the cave.
The wilderness was not like the Workshop Market; one could say danger lurked around every corner.
They had to remain vigilant at all times.