These beast traps aren't expensive, one Spirit Stone each. If I set them up around my home, I'll be much safer, which is definitely worth it.
With forty-five Spirit Stones left in his Storage Pouch, Li Jing went to Yun Wan's place and bought three bottles of qi condensing pills for fifteen Spirit Stones. Each bottle contained three Medicinal Pills, which he figured would be enough for him to break through to the Qi Refining Second Level.
Since none of them had anything else they wanted to buy, the three returned together, and nothing unexpected happened on the way.
Huang Yan happily went back to her mountain peak, leaving Li Jing and Yan Jian to travel slowly.
After spending the day together, Li Jing's impression of Yan Jian changed greatly. Previously on the flying boat, he had looked at Li Jing's red sun bow with great greed, but after a day of interaction, Yan Jian seemed more like a dedicated seeker of the Dao.
"Fellow Daoist Yan, we are Cultivators after all, richer than mortal magnates. Why are you dressed so... uh, simply?"
Li Jing asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Li, these are all external things. What you wear isn't important. Spending Spirit Stones on improving your strength and necessary items is the key."
Yan Jian said with a calm expression.
Li Jing nodded in agreement, and the two chatted awkwardly along the way.
Lying on the ox's back, feeling the gentle breeze, watching the sunset cast its golden glow, the mountains and rivers bathed in warm red, the peaks like burning embers, the rivers shimmering with Broken Gold, and the afterglow spreading over a thousand ridges and ten thousand ravines.
This was exactly the life he wanted: waking to the bright moon, drunk with the clear breeze, truly intoxicating.
Yan Jian, who was sitting cross-legged on the ox's back, saw Li Jing's intoxicated expression and suddenly asked,
"Does Fellow Daoist know about the border conflict between our Human Race and Yao Race?"
Li Jing was somewhat confused, not understanding why Yan Jian was asking. The Yao Race was the Human Race's greatest enemy. Whenever a Yao calamity descended, billions of lives would perish, becoming blood food, and Human Race Cultivators harbored deep hatred for the Yao Race.
"Of course I know. The Yao Race frequently invades our Human Race's borders, burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of evil deeds." Li Jing's expression turned serious, and he added with a hint of confusion, "Could it be that Fellow Daoist knows something?"
"Just hearsay; I don't know if it's true or false." Yan Jian stroked his white beard and slowly said, "I heard that the conflict on the Human-Yao border is gradually intensifying, and it's rumored that even Cultivators from Astrological Blessed Land have entered the fray."
Li Jing was secretly startled by these words. Astrological Blessed Land, named a Blessed Land, had Body Integration Cultivators guarding it. Could it be that Body Integration Cultivators from both races had joined the battlefield?
"Such major events are not for us Qi Refining Cultivators to worry about." Li Jing chuckled. They, as Qi Refining Cultivators, were like roadside weeds, easily kicked to death.
"Indeed, it's not for us to worry about. Of course, if the Yao Beasts really break in, we Beast Taming Sect Cultivators had better run fast."
Yan Jian narrowed his eyes, still offering a word of caution.
Li Jing lowered his head and pondered. The Beast Taming Sect enslaved Yao Beasts, and those Yao Beasts also belonged to the Yao Race, deeply resenting their enslavement.
He had once read an ancient text that said the Beast Taming Sect was once the Spirit Taming Grotto-Heaven two hundred thousand years ago. When the Yao Race invaded, they directly targeted the Spirit Taming Grotto-Heaven. That battle was said to have involved Loose Immortals, and the entire Grotto-Heaven was destroyed, along with a large number of Beast Taming texts.
With this thought, Li Jing suddenly felt a chill down his spine. It seemed he had gotten on a pirate ship. The Beast Taming Sect wasn't far from the Yao Race's territory!
"Fellow Daoist Yan is being a bit alarmist. The two races have been harmonious for over a hundred thousand years; why would war break out again?"
Li Jing didn't want to think about it anymore. If the sky fell, there would be taller people to hold it up; it wasn't his turn as a minor Cultivator.
Before long, Cuiwei Mountain was in sight. After bidding farewell to Yan Jian, Li Jing rode his Yellow Origin Ox back to the mountaintop.
By then, the sky had darkened, and only a sliver of the setting sun could be seen, gradually disappearing among the mountains. Suddenly, the sky was devoid of clouds, and the world was enveloped in night.
Li Jing led the Yellow Origin Ox into the wooden house. If he left him outside and a Yao Beast carried him away, he'd have nowhere to cry.
"Old Ox, Old Ox, don't you dare relieve yourself inside my wooden house!"
Li Jing took out some fodder and fed it to the Yellow Origin Ox, then said fiercely.
The Yellow Origin Ox seemed to understand, letting out two 'moo's. Li Jing patted his head with satisfaction; his fur was smooth and felt quite good.
After cooking and wolfing down a bowl of rice, Li Jing began practicing his Spells.
The Golden Thread Technique had reached Minor Achievement. The Golden Silk had become thinner and tougher, like metal, and its color was like molten gold. Once he breaks through to the Qi Refining Second Level, binding a low-level first-tier Yao Beast wouldn't be much of a problem.
As for the Sound Wave Technique and the Spirit Shield Spell, they were still at the entry level. The Sound Wave Technique wasn't used often, so he only practiced it occasionally. The Spirit Shield Spell was only a few days away from Minor Achievement.
After cultivating until midnight, Li Jing collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep. This day had exhausted him... Morning mist drifted over the ridge, dew clung to the tips of the grass, and sparrows chirped through the forest. The east gradually turned a fish-belly white.
Li Jing groggily touched his face, feeling it wet, and quickly opened his eyes. The Yellow Origin Ox was extending his tongue, about to lick him.
"Go away, go away."
He quickly pushed the Yellow Origin Ox away, stretched, and then led him out of the wooden house.
Luckily, the Yellow Origin Ox hadn't defecated, or he would have had to fire up the pot for a beef hotpot.
Taking some fodder from his Storage Pouch to feed the Yellow Origin Ox, Li Jing washed up, ate the leftover rice from last night, and then planned to set up the Formation.
The Star Origin Formation was simple to set up; he just had to follow the instructions on the paper.
Four Formation Flags corresponded to Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li, while the remaining two secretly conformed to the Yin and Yang duality, corresponding to the sun and moon twin stars.
Next, Li Jing took out the Formation Plate, infused it with magical power, and gently tossed it. The Formation Plate glowed faintly with starlight, settling in the center.
The six Formation Flags vibrated in unison, radiating brilliant light, and a transparent light screen instantly enveloped the wooden house and a small surrounding area.
The runes on the Formation Flags and Formation Plate lit up brightly, and the starlight flowed and disappeared into the ground.
Li Jing patted his Storage Pouch, and twenty Spirit Stones flew into the Formation Plate. The Star Origin Formation had low consumption, but once attacked by a Yao Beast, the Spirit Stones consumed would increase, so he added twenty Spirit Stones to guard against unforeseen circumstances.
After doing all this, Li Jing's sense of security greatly increased. He finally didn't have to be on edge. If a Yao Beast attacked, he would be able to handle it to some extent.
With the Formation set up, Li Jing opened the beast traps and placed them specifically in hidden spots, places that were very conducive to attacking the wooden house.
The iron chains of the beast traps were tied by Li Jing to large trees and boulders. No matter how strong a Yao Beast was, he didn't believe it could run off with a large tree and boulders.
Li Jing was in a great mood. After tying up the Yellow Origin Ox, he walked towards the bamboo forest behind the mountain. He needed to cut some bamboo to build a shed for the ox.
Ten thousand bamboo stalks, their green shadows swaying. Morning dew clung to the tips of the leaves, and with the passing wind, the bamboo rustled like a song.
After walking for a short while, he saw a bamboo shoot emerge. Perfect for an extra dish at noon, he thought, a stir-fried bamboo shoot.
In a few quick movements, he dug it out. Before he could pick it up, a golden flash suddenly occurred, and his bamboo shoot was gone!
Li Jing quickly turned his head to look. On a large rock not far away, a large golden mouse was holding the bamboo shoot, wiggling its backside at him.
It seemed to be mocking him for not being able to catch it. Seeing this, Li Jing immediately became furious. He made a hand seal, and a slender golden thread snaked towards it.
The large golden mouse seemed to see it and immediately tried to escape, but the Golden Silk was faster, and it was about to wrap around it.
Unexpectedly, the golden mouse was agile. It bent backward to dodge the Golden Silk. As the Golden Silk turned back, it jumped, still holding the bamboo shoot, and performed a split in mid-air.
Li Jing's face turned green. He immediately ignored the smelly mouse and quickly stabbed towards the bamboo shoot.
The golden mouse twisted and turned, refusing to give up the bamboo shoot. After some teasing, the golden mouse began to pant slightly.