Chapter 1338: Don't Know What's Good for You, Huh?
Xiliang Territory, Dragon Ancestor Mountain.
Dragon Ancestor Mountain is very tall, and rather than being a single peak, it spans a range of mountains, one of the few mountain ranges in the Xiliang Territory.
Like the Northern Wilderness, the Xiliang Territory produces minerals, and besides minerals, some timber that has grown for ten thousand years is also one of the most favored items by the many cultivators on the Dragon Martial Continent.
This timber can be used to make weapons, and because of its age, even more than ten thousand years, it holds a substantial amount of spiritual energy, making it a great choice for alchemy.
The main source of income for the Xiliang Territory is minerals and timber.
However, the minerals are not in those mountain ranges or peaks, but underground.
In the Xiliang Territory, you can see cultivators looking for veins everywhere.
These cultivators are loose cultivators, and the larger veins are controlled by the grand powers of the Xiliang Territory, leaving these loose cultivators to hunt for smaller veins.
However, to them, even a small vein, if truly found, would be enough to amass wealth.
...
Zhang Duo is one of the loose cultivators who has been searching for mineral veins in the Xiliang Territory for years.
He was born in the Xiliang Territory and has a natural affinity for mineral veins. Almost every trip he makes leads to the discovery of some minerals, albeit not many, but his success rate is extremely enviable.
This is why he has become one of the individuals hired by many loose cultivators.
Hiring him costs at least ten thousand spirit stones, but the minerals or even mineral veins he finds can definitely yield several times the return for those who hire him.
On this day, Zhang Duo was hired again.
Rather than being hired, it would be more accurate to say that Zhang Duo was coerced to come.
The person who hired Zhang Duo was the infamous loose cultivator Lin Leng from nearby, whose cultivation base is at the Peak of the Dragon God Realm. Though not an established power, he commands nearly ten thousand cultivators.
Lin Leng and his men are notorious within hundreds of thousands of miles around. Among them, there are at least dozens at the Dragon God Realm, which is more than a fifth-rate sect possesses.
These individuals are ruthless and brutal, and anyone who provokes them is almost always slaughtered.
The problem is that they are nomadic, with no fixed location, and the Xiliang Territory is vast, making it hard to find them.
As a result, even some fourth-rate, even third-rate powers are reluctant to provoke them.
It's not that these powers are afraid of them; they could annihilate them if they wanted, but the cost and time involved are quite frustrating for them.
"Fame brings trouble just like a pig fears getting fat!"
Zhang Duo sighed as he walked, knowing that trouble would find him after a while, and today he had been kidnapped by Lin Leng's group.
It was truly a kidnapping, though they called it hiring, but the reward they offered Zhang Duo was a mere ten spirit stones, and they demanded at least a year of searching.
At the end of this year, if hired by others, Zhang Duo could earn tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of spirit stones.
But there was nothing he could do since Lin Leng and his men were so powerful.
Thinking of this, Zhang Duo felt helpless.
"Brothers, this is the edge of the Dragon Ancestor Mountain; we can't go any further!"
Zhang Duo was eloquent and quick-witted, his eyes darting as he said, "It's said that this is where the Dragon Ancestor resides, and the Dragon Ancestor likes to eat people. If it finds us here, we won't make it out alive!"
"Shut up!"
Lin Leng glanced at Zhang Duo with a cold snort, "It's just a rumor, and you believe it? Those cowards dared not enter here, which just leaves this area for us. Few have dared to set foot here over the years, so there must be plenty of mineral veins. If you don't find them, don't blame me for being merciless!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Duo's expression changed, and he dared not say anything further, following Lin Leng and the others into the range of Dragon Ancestor Mountain.
As they walked, Zhang Duo inadvertently glanced at a huge boulder.
At first glance, it was just there. But when he turned his eyes back, his body suddenly trembled, and he quickly turned his head to look at the boulder again.
At this glance, Zhang Duo's pupils contracted sharply.
For he did not know when a figure had appeared on that boulder.
The figure was clothed in white, sitting cross-legged with hair draping over the shoulders, looking exceptionally young and delicate.
When Zhang Duo looked at him, the figure's gaze just happened to sweep this way.
Meeting those eyes, Zhang Duo's body trembled as if falling into a deep vortex, unable to extricate himself for a moment.
"What are you standing there for?! Hurry up!" Someone scolded upon seeing Zhang Duo stop.
Lin Leng stood behind Zhang Duo, frowning as he followed Zhang Duo's gaze.
When he saw the white-clothed figure, Lin Leng was momentarily stunned and then his gaze turn icy.
"Who are you?"
"None of your concern." The white-clothed figure replied indifferently.
"Quite the tone."
Lin Leng sneered, then pushed Zhang Duo and shouted: "What's there to see, just some passerby, move on!"
Only then did Zhang Duo snap out of his daze, and after taking a deep breath, clasped his fists towards the white-clothed figure.
Though he couldn't sense any aura from the figure, he felt that the figure was mysterious.
Standing straight, Zhang Duo sighed again, moving forward.
"Wait."
At that moment, the white-clothed figure suddenly spoke, pointing at Zhang Duo: "I want him."
"What did you say?"
Lin Leng immediately looked at the figure, sneering: "Lin has paid for this hire, and you think you can just take him? Who do you think you are?"
Upon hearing this, the white-clothed figure waved his hand, and a large amount of spirit stones scattered, falling in front of Lin Leng and the others.
The pile of spirit stones, like a small mountain, was at least a hundred thousand, shimmering with tempting luster.
Without a word, Lin Leng directly collected these spirit stones, then grabbed Zhang Duo and said to the white-clothed figure: "This amount is not enough; Lin spent a million spirit stones to hire him."
Zhang Duo frowned, about to speak, but Lin Leng's intimidating pressure fell on him, forcing his words back.
"Wow!"
Unhesitatingly, the white-clothed figure waved his hand again, and more spirit stones emerged.
Lin Leng's men were nearly dumbfounded, a million spirit stones, just like that, what a grand gesture!
"This guy sure is wealthy."
Lin Leng's divine sense swept over the white-clothed figure, detecting Dragon Blood Realm aura.
"Dragon Blood Realm? With such wealth, he must be a Young Master of some power. Lin loves extorting such Young Masters."
Upon thinking this, Lin Leng laughed heartily: "Sorry, misspoke earlier. We hired him for ten million spirit stones, you'll have to give a bit more."
His men were intently staring at the white-clothed figure, with grins full of malice and ferocity.
Just then, the white-clothed figure's gaze fell on Lin Leng.
"Don't push your luck."