Although Li Qinghou had never visited Bai Xiaochun's residence before, it had always been on his mind. Now, walking along the increasingly remote mountain path, he soon spotted a small courtyard ahead.
Before he could approach, he saw from afar a fair and clean-looking figure strolling along the path. The figure was holding a charred piece of meat, chewing away enthusiastically, even humming a little tune.
Li Qinghou's expression darkened. With one glance, he recognized the disguised chicken leg in Bai Xiaochun's hand, and anger surged in his chest.
"Bai Xiaochun!"
Though his voice wasn't loud, it exploded like thunder.
Bai Xiaochun, who had just been sucking on a chicken bone, nearly leaped up in shock. "Elder Li!" he gasped, eyes wide. He instinctively stuffed the whole chicken leg into his mouth. His cheeks puffed up like a balloon as he chewed frantically and swallowed it down with great effort, his face turning red-purple from choking.
The person he feared most in the sect was none other than Li Qinghou—especially after having eaten so many of the man's Spirit-Tail Chickens. Bai Xiaochun broke into a cold sweat, wiped his forehead with his sleeve, and quickly ran over, putting on a docile and respectful expression.
"Disciple greets the Elder."
Li Qinghou remained expressionless, staring at Bai Xiaochun. A wave of helplessness rose in his heart. Bai Xiaochun's ancestors had once done him a great favor, and Li Qinghou was someone who took gratitude seriously. Even though it had been a small matter back then, he had never forgotten to repay it.
The Elders of Green Peak and Violet Cauldron Peak had recently approached him regarding the Spirit-Tail Chickens. Although they weren't particularly valuable spirit beasts, Li Qinghou didn't want others accusing his disciple, so he made some compensations on his own.
Now, looking at Bai Xiaochun, Li Qinghou could only feel bitter frustration.
"You've only been an outer sect disciple for half a year, and you've already broken through from the third to the fourth level of Qi Condensation. You must feel pretty proud of yourself." He snorted.
Bai Xiaochun blinked and coughed awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. So he kept up his obedient act, thinking that as long as he behaved well, he'd be fine. But remembering the chicken leg he'd just eaten—clearly from one of Li Qinghou's Spirit-Tail Chickens—his forehead started sweating again.
"If you've got time for all these ridiculous antics, then three months from now, you'll participate in the outer sect competition at Fragrant Cloud Peak for disciples in the fourth and fifth levels of Qi Condensation," Li Qinghou said flatly, rubbing his temples.
At these words, Bai Xiaochun's heart sank. He had heard of this kind of competition—it did offer rewards, but the fights were rumored to be brutal. One careless move and you could get seriously injured. His face instantly fell.
"Elder, I'm only at the fourth level. If I go up against them, what if I get killed...?"
"If you can't make it into the top five, then I'll—" Li Qinghou ignored him and narrowed his eyes with stern authority. But before he could finish his sentence, Bai Xiaochun sighed dramatically.
"I know, I'll be expelled from the sect…"
Li Qinghou's eyes widened. Knowing how mischievous Bai Xiaochun was, he realized that merely threatening expulsion might not be enough. Remembering how terrified this kid was of death, Li Qinghou suddenly raised his right hand and, with a flick of his sleeve, swept Bai Xiaochun up into the air and flew straight toward the mountain peak.
Bai Xiaochun's heart pounded wildly. Seeing Li Qinghou's expressionless face and feeling the wind rush past, he had a bad feeling. Before he could look around clearly, they arrived at the back mountain of Fragrant Cloud Peak.
This was a lush, off-limits area where disciples normally weren't allowed to go.
As soon as they landed, Li Qinghou dragged Bai Xiaochun into a remote valley. An eerie chill filled the air, and the surrounding plants were unusually vibrant, even swaying as they approached.
Bai Xiaochun's heart beat faster. As he looked at the plants, a sense of danger crept up his spine. Just as he was about to speak, he spotted a red snake slithering among the vegetation. It slowly raised its head and flicked its tongue, its cold eyes fixed on him.
"Snake!" Bai Xiaochun's scalp went numb. Then, as Li Qinghou pressed deeper into the valley, the full scene came into view: the ground, the grass, the tree branches—everywhere was crawling with snakes.
Brightly colored, clearly venomous snakes filled the area. Each had its tongue flicking and gaze icy cold.
Bai Xiaochun began to tremble. He had always feared snakes, and now many of them looked like they wanted to attack him, baring their fangs, some even spitting venom.
But then he remembered—he had the Undying Skin! These snakes probably couldn't bite through it. Feeling reassured, he thought these snakes were just a bunch of weaklings and nothing to be afraid of.
But then an idea struck him: if he didn't look scared, Li Qinghou might take him to an even more dangerous place! So he immediately let out a blood-curdling scream and put on a look of pure terror.
Li Qinghou snorted. Unfurling his cultivation, he forced the snakes to slither aside and clear a path. At the end of the trail was a pitch-black cave from which a foul, nauseating smell wafted out.
"Uncle Li, help! I didn't break any sect rules!" Bai Xiaochun cried out in fear. Li Qinghou said nothing, just dragged him into the cave and flicked his sleeve, lighting the place up.
Inside were even more snakes—bigger ones, hissing menacingly. Their sounds had a strange power, enough to make Bai Xiaochun's heart falter. His eyes went wide.
A wave of real terror surged through him, especially when he saw one enormous snake with four distinct colors on its body. It exuded the aura of a fifth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator.
Under its gaze, Bai Xiaochun felt a chill down his back. Even with his Undying Skin, he feared he wouldn't last long here. For once, he didn't need to act—his fear was real.
"This is the Ten Thousand Serpent Valley," Li Qinghou said calmly. "It's where we harvest poisons on Fragrant Cloud Peak. Every one of these snakes is deadly—just one drop of their venom can kill a hundred cows.
"A Qi Condensation cultivator who's even slightly poisoned will die without timely aid. And deep inside the valley are Snake Kings, as strong as late-stage Qi Condensation. Even I would struggle to save someone from them."
He turned his gaze to Bai Xiaochun. "You don't have to worry about being expelled if you don't make it into the top five. I won't kick you out—I'll just send you here... to harvest venom."
"…This—Uncle Li, I swear! The sect competition? Top five? No problem! I, Bai Xiaochun, will definitely do it!" Bai Xiaochun's lips were dry, face pale. When he heard there were even scarier snakes inside, he swore to himself he'd never return to this place again in his life.
Li Qinghou felt a bit amused but didn't show it. With a snort, he carried Bai Xiaochun out of the valley and dropped him on a small trail before leaving.
Just before disappearing, his voice drifted back.
"Oh right. Were the Spirit-Tail Chickens tasty?"
Not waiting for a reply, he vanished.
Bai Xiaochun let out a long sigh and trudged back to his courtyard, gloomy and miserable. The wind rustled the grass along the way, making him shiver as he remembered the snakes.
"Li Qinghou… More like Li Qing-snake! Too much!" he muttered bitterly, sitting in the courtyard with a mournful face. Then he gritted his teeth.
"I'm not going back to that Ten Thousand Serpent Valley! One drop of poison and I'm dead. Forget that. Top five? Fine—I'll fight!"
With resolve hardening, he knew he needed better cultivation. "I need spirit medicine!"
Looking around, he spotted his Spiritwinter Bamboo.
"If I complete the task with these, I can earn contribution points and exchange them for medicine. But these are barely five zhang tall… not sure if they're good enough."
After counting the days, he realized the task handover for planted spiritual herbs was coming soon. With no better option, he waited a few days anxiously. On the fourth morning, he got up early and uprooted the bamboo.
Each stalk looked light, but they were incredibly heavy, like iron.
The ground shook with every pull. He finally hoisted ten stalks, each over five zhang long and thicker than a man's arm, onto his shoulder and began trudging up the mountain to deliver them.
His storage pouch couldn't fit them, so he had no choice but to carry them. Fortunately, his Undying Iron Skin had boosted his strength a lot—otherwise, he wouldn't have made it far.
As he walked, Bai Xiaochun alternated between feeling bitter about the upcoming fight and panicking about poisonous snakes. He could practically picture himself getting his bones shattered in the competition.
"Why is my life so hard…" he sighed.