The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#713 - Heroes Gathering

Following the old fisherman's directions, the two left the forest and headed east. Reading М

Fifty miles wasn't a short distance, but both Lu Jing and Xia Huai were martial arts experts, and using their qinggong to travel was quite fast.

However, on the way, Lu Jing noticed a small detail: Xia Huai wasn't using the Light Body Technique.

The Light Body Technique was one of the most commonly used minor spells by cultivators.

It was simple to cast and didn't consume much mystic power, but its effect was remarkable.

Using it while traveling not only increased one's speed but also effectively reduced the consumption of inner force.

But this time, Xia Huai didn't use this spell. In other words, she felt that using that bit of mystic power to save inner force wasn't worth it.

Lu Jing thought for a moment and said, "Is it already so... difficult?"

"What?"

"Cultivators want to draw mystic power from the world."

"Aren't you a cultivator yourself? Haven't you felt it? The world's mystic power is rapidly dissipating. If everyone could increase their mystic power by one point through daily practice in the past, it now takes three days of practice to increase it by one point. And that's still within the academy."

"Outside, it's even more troublesome to recover mystic power," Xia Huai sighed. "So everyone can only conserve it now, and avoid using spells unless necessary."

"Correspondingly, elixirs that can accelerate the recovery of mystic power have also become increasingly precious. The higher the grade of the elixir, the higher the price, even doubling or tripling."

"Is that so?"

Lu Jing scratched his head. He was purely insulated from mystic power. No matter how the world's mystic power changed, he couldn't feel it. Plus, he had been in seclusion for a while, focusing on practicing his skills, so he wasn't very clear about the current situation.

It wasn't until he heard Xia Huai say this that he realized the End of Dharma Era had truly arrived.

He just didn't know if the Directorate of Celestial Observation, led by Guo Shouhuai, was prepared.

Could it be that in the end, he would be the only cultivator left in the cultivation world?

Lu Jing suddenly felt a bit of a headache.

History and experience told him that anything too rare wasn't a good thing, and Lu Jing hadn't forgotten that there was still a dragon to deal with.

He had always comforted himself that if something really happened, Guo Shouhuai, Su Tixue, and Huang Jianyuan, those tall figures, would take the lead.

But now, they might take the lead, only to turn around and find that Lu Jing had become the tallest one.

It seems I need to be a little more low-key recently.

Lu Jing thought.

He also slowed down a bit. He and Xia Huai spent about an hour and finally arrived fifty miles away.

This was a small ferry crossing. It used to be quite lively, with many travelers and merchants coming and going, and even a small market had formed.

But later, the world became chaotic, and there were more bandits on the river. This place seemed to have been affected as well, becoming much quieter.

Lu Jing found a small tea stall, ordered a pot of tea, and let Xia Huai rest and adjust her breathing.

He himself finally opened the letter that the old fisherman had given him.

Only to see that the letter... had nothing written on it.

Lu Jing flipped it over and looked at it several times, and indeed, there wasn't a single word.

???

What does Guo Shouhuai mean by this? Is he playing charades with him?

Damn it, the most annoying thing about doing missions is dealing with these pretentious guys.

Can't riddle-makers just get out of Gotham City?

Seeing that he couldn't figure anything out by just looking at it, Lu Jing could only think about using other means to solve the puzzle. Baking it with fire? Watering it?

Or dripping some blood on it?

Then, it opened its mouth towards the dock.

"It's paper-cutting art, plus the Guiding Technique. As expected of Vice Director Guo, I didn't expect these two spells to be used like this," Xia Huai said, her eyes lighting up with admiration.

"I'd rather he honestly write down where we're going next and who we're going to see," Lu Jing said. "And is he doing this to attract attention?"

Although this small ferry crossing wasn't as lively and prosperous as it used to be, there were still many people coming and going. The two of them were sitting in an open-air tea shed by the roadside.

Seeing a blank piece of paper fold itself into a paper frog, several people around them immediately cast curious glances.

Fortunately, Lu Jing reacted quickly enough. Seeing this, he picked up his empty tea bowl and walked towards them.

So those stingy people turned their eyes away, pretending they hadn't seen what just happened, obviously afraid that Lu Jing would come and ask them for a reward.

Lu Jing walked around, but the bowl was still clean. So he swaggered back.

Now that the paper frog had pointed the way, he and Xia Huai would definitely have to continue on their way.

So Lu Jing took out a few coins from his pocket, preparing to pay the bill and leave, but just then, there were a few clinking sounds in his empty bowl.

A middle-aged man wearing a felt hat and seven feet tall cupped his hands at Lu Jing and Xia Huai and said, "You two have good skills. Can you tell me how you did that trick just now?"

"No," Lu Jing said. "This is our livelihood, but thank you for the copper coins. It's just enough to pay for the tea."

After saying that, he winked at Xia Huai at the table, and the two were about to leave.

But the man wearing the felt hat was still persistent, "Where are you two going?"

"I don't know."

The man in the felt hat thought Lu Jing was joking and didn't care. He just said, "Friends, if you want to take a boat south, perhaps I can give you a ride. You know, the canal isn't very peaceful these days. It's safer with more people."

"Are you a boat owner?" Lu Jing was a little surprised.

"No, I'm from the Gathering Heroes Society. Thank you to the brothers for their kindness, calling me Second Master Bai."

"What is the Gathering Heroes Society? Is it a Jianghu gang?" Xia Huai asked, "I've never heard of it."

"No, no, no, there are no martial artists who fight and kill in the Gathering Heroes Society. We are actually a group of performers who come together, with blowing, plucking, dancing, acrobatics, cuju, sumo, kites, etc. We often travel around to make a hard-earned living. In order to have someone to take care of each other, we formed a society."

"I saw that the two friends' tricks were very powerful just now, so I had the intention of making friends. I hope you two don't mind."

Second Master Bai paused and continued, "Although I am not the boat owner, our Gathering Heroes Society has indeed chartered a boat to go south. If you two also plan to take a boat, why not join us?"