Old Daoist Xiao gave the map he deemed useless to Long Xiao, not even glancing at the items on the ground. Meiling fiddled with the things on the ground for a while, selecting only an ancient jade and preparing to discard the rest.
"Don't throw them away, these things can all be sold for money," Long Xiao hurriedly stopped Meiling.
After collecting all the items on the ground, Old Daoist Xiao asked, "Long Xiao, are those spirit talismans useful?"
"Of course, they are useful," Long Xiao replied casually.
"You know talismans?" Old Daoist Xiao asked again.
Long Xiao shook his head and said, "I know a little, but I wouldn't say I understand them. These spirit talismans can be sold for money; it should be no problem to trick a rich man."
Old Daoist Xiao looked at Long Xiao strangely and asked, "Long Xiao, who exactly are you, and why are you always thinking about tricking people?"
Long Xiao gave an awkward smile and said, "Just a figure of speech, I'm used to it, hehe."
Old Daoist Xiao handled the corpses in a peculiar manner. He took out four spirit talismans and placed them on the bodies. After mumbling a passage, he prepared to leave.
"Daoist Xiao, are you just going to leave these bodies here?" Long Xiao asked curiously.
"Don't worry, the bodies will be taken care of automatically soon."
Long Xiao followed Old Daoist Xiao and Meiling for over a hundred meters. When he looked back, he was surprised to see a ball of fire appear where the bodies had been.
Long Xiao knew that Old Daoist Xiao had used a fire talisman. There were many types of fire talismans, but this was the first time Long Xiao had seen a fire talisman that acted with a time delay.
Leading Old Daoist Xiao and his disciple Meiling along the cliff edge, they reached the summit of Phoenix Mountain and Long Xiao's camp before noon.
Lin Wei was greatly surprised to see Long Xiao with Old Daoist Xiao. He had met Old Daoist Xiao before; the man was extremely powerful and unreasonable.
Upon reaching the camp, Long Xiao introduced Lin Wei and Xiao Ming to Old Daoist Xiao and his disciple. Meiling looked at the large bags on the ground and asked, "Brother Long, weren't you going to treat me to something delicious?"
Meiling had been calling Long Xiao by his name all the way, but upon seeing the bulging bags, she had switched to calling him Brother Long.
"Xiao Ming, get something to eat for the little sister," Long Xiao said.
Xiao Ming reluctantly opened one of the large bags and said, "Take whatever you want to eat."
Meiling's eyes widened at the sight of the contents of the bag: brightly colored packaging and various snacks, all of which she had never eaten or seen before.
"Brother Xiao Ming, can you give me this whole bag?" Meiling asked with a smile.
Xiao Ming, displeased, replied, "If I give it all to you, what will I eat?"
Meiling took out the ancient jade she had just obtained and threw it to Xiao Ming, saying, "Brother Long said this can be sold for money. You can buy more to eat after you sell it."
As Xiao Ming caught the ancient jade, a cool sensation spread through him. He knew it was a treasure.
"Alright, little sister. Since Brother Long said to give you something to eat, I'll give you a bag."
Xiao Ming said this as if he were doing her a favor, quickly putting away the ancient jade.
Meiling happily picked up the large bag and went to eat her snacks. Old Daoist Xiao rubbed his stomach and said, "Long Xiao, I'm hungry. Shouldn't we have our meal now?"
Long Xiao took out vacuum-sealed meat from another large bag, preparing to eat.
Old Daoist Xiao removed a gourd from his waist and said, "Long Xiao, find a cup. I'll pour you a cup of wine to try."
Xiao Ming took out a few disposable paper cups, and Old Daoist Xiao poured a cup for each of them: Long Xiao, himself, and Meiling.
The Four Bad Guys also wanted wine and each received a paper cup. Old Daoist Xiao said, "If you drink half a cup, your bodies will explode. It's a tonic for these three, but poison for you."
Long Xiao took a sip of the wine. A warm current entered his dantian, transforming into an extremely faint spiritual energy that was stored.
"This is truly good wine," Long Xiao said, finishing the rest in one gulp.
Lin Wei picked up his cup and hesitated before also taking a sip.
Long Xiao had always thought Lin Wei lacked strength. Seeing him drink the wine made him realize he had misjudged.
After the meal, they discussed the Fire Qilin, and Old Daoist Xiao elaborated on its habits.
He explained that for a Fire Qilin to survive long-term, it needed to find fire-attribute spiritual energy. Wherever a Fire Qilin appeared, there would definitely be fire-attribute spiritual energy nearby.
"Daoist Xiao, are you trying to find the Fire Qilin to use it to locate fire-attribute spiritual energy?" Lin Wei asked.
Old Daoist Xiao shook his head and said, "The fire-attribute spiritual energy that a Fire Qilin can use is extremely pure. Humans cannot absorb it at all. Even if we find it, it's of little use."
"Can't spiritual energy be diluted?" Xiao Ming asked.
Old Daoist Xiao shook his head and said, "We cannot dilute spiritual energy. A long time ago, there were methods for diluting spiritual energy, but they have been lost. Extremely pure spiritual energy is of little use to cultivators, but it is of great use to those who practice Xuan Shu (mystic arts)."
When Xuan Shu was mentioned, Old Daoist Xiao only spoke a few words before changing the subject, as if he were unwilling to discuss it.
After lunch and some conversation, everyone began to rest, preparing to search for the Fire Qilin at night.
In the evening, as Xiao Ming was taking out food to eat, a group of people dressed as hikers walked up the slope.
Everyone knew they were looking for the Fire Qilin, but no one spoke of it.
After a brief greeting, the leader of the other group said, "You're from the expedition team, aren't you? It's tough going into the mountains this season."
Lin Wei adopted the demeanor of an old professor and said, "Scientific research requires enduring hardship. If everyone fears hardship and is unwilling to explore, how can science develop?"
They exchanged pleasantries, each speaking insincerely, and then went their separate ways.
The hikers set up camp on the mountaintop, establishing a simple encampment. Long Xiao and Xiao Ming, along with Old Daoist Xiao and his disciple, descended the mountain. They were to reach the cliff before dark.
After Long Xiao and his group left, Lin Wei looked at the Four Bad Guys and said, "You four guard the camp. I'm going for a walk. If you run off while I'm gone, I'll wipe out your entire families."
Long Xiao and the others knew where Big Bad's family lived, so the Four Bad Guys didn't dare to run.
As Lin Wei was about to leave, he turned back and added, "You are not allowed to tell anyone that I've left the camp, or I'll wipe out your entire families."
The Four Bad Guys nodded frantically, assuring him they wouldn't say a word and he could go with peace of mind.
After Lin Wei left, Big Bad whispered, "Did the three of you notice? That old guy is the most terrifying."
Second Bad nodded and said, "That's right. Although this old guy hasn't made a move, I feel he's the most frightening. His strength is probably far beyond those two younger ones."
Third Bad whispered, "Pay attention. Besides us four, everyone who has come to Phoenix Mountain recently is not to be trifled with. We must be extremely careful, or it will be difficult for us to get down the mountain alive."
Fourth Bad sighed and said, "Brothers, let's eat some more and then sleep. This glutton brought high-quality stuff; it's a waste not to eat it."
While the Four Bad Guys were secretly chatting, Lin Wei descended the mountain like a wisp of smoke, quickly blending into the inky blackness of the night.