Walking at the front of the group, Hua Xuánzǐ overheard the Wei siblings' conversation and offered a reminder.
"When your cultivation is still low, it's best not to enter the back mountain so casually. Even though it's under Haoran Sect's jurisdiction, the area is vast, and powerful beasts reside deep within. We usually only operate in the outskirts and rarely go near the inner regions."
Yun Xi nodded, fully understanding.
"Thank you for the warning, Senior Sister. My cousin and I know our limits, so we've only taken on internal sect tasks. That last job we did, planting spiritual rice at Outer Peak Five, scared us enough."
She patted her chest for effect, as if still recovering from the ordeal.
Hua Xuánzǐ had worked at the Mission Hall and clearly knew about that incident. She sighed.
"An entire mountain's worth of spiritual fields was ruined. I'd never heard of something like that before. That disciple, Chen Feng, has vanished since then. I doubt he's still in the sect."
Wei Yun Xi curled her lips slightly. In truth, Chen Feng had already become fertilizer for those fields. He had no one to blame but himself. He had been the first to harbor killing intent.
Zong Hao picked up the thread naturally.
"He caused such a disaster, I'm sure he fled long ago. Thankfully, my cousin and I had your guidance, Senior Sister Hua, and also met the fortunate help of Senior Brother Fan Si. We harvested the rice early. We lost a few spirit stones, but at least we completed the sect mission. Otherwise, it would've been a real disaster for us."
Hua Xuánzǐ waved her hand lightly.
"I was the one who suggested that mission to you two. Thankfully, you were quick-thinking. Otherwise, I'd have felt truly guilty."
"Don't say that, Senior Sister. You were only trying to help. I was the one who took the mission. If something goes wrong, it's not fair to blame someone who only meant well."
Yun Xi had always been clear-cut with gratitude and grievance. She disliked blame-shifting or dragging others down with her.
Hua Xuánzǐ appreciated that and felt more at ease. Although Yun Xi was still young, her thoughts were mature. She was worth getting to know.
Even Senior Brother Zhao gave a subtle nod of approval. Behind them, Senior Brothers Qian and Li chimed in, keeping the atmosphere harmonious.
Another hour passed before Senior Brother Zhao finally said,
"Let's stop and rest for a quarter of an hour. Everyone, get into peak condition. We're almost at a Sand Mouse nest that we scouted in advance.
Once we arrive, Junior Brothers Qian, Li, and I will lure the Sand Mice out of the nest. Junior Sisters Hua and Wei, you'll enter quickly and harvest the Jinsha Grass.
Junior Brother Wei, your job is to cover them. If a large group of Sand Mice returns, your priority is to protect the two of them and get them out safely. Don't get trapped. These beasts aren't very powerful, but too many of them at once can overwhelm even strong cultivators. Don't underestimate them."
"Understood!"
No one objected to the arrangement. It seemed like this had been discussed beforehand.
The group scattered beneath a towering tree, some meditating, others chatting in low voices to relax briefly.
Yun Xi tugged on Zong Hao's sleeve.
"Brother Zong Hao, I get nervous when I'm on edge. Come with me to the woods over there."
Zong Hao twitched a bit. He knew his cousin well—she wasn't the type to get nervous easily. He gave a quick word to Senior Brother Zhao, then followed her into the nearby woods.
Once they were out of sight, Yun Xi immediately activated a formation disk to isolate their surroundings and told Zong Hao what she had discovered.
Zong Hao's round face scrunched in concern.
"What do we do? Try to slip away halfway?"
Yun Xi shook her head.
"If they're not targeting us, then their goal must be Hua Senior Sister and the others. If we bail halfway, the ones tailing us will be alerted. We don't know where those people came from or how strong they are. If it's just the two of us out there, we're dead."
Zong Hao thought about it and nodded.
"You're right. In that case, we lay low and wait. And during the mission, we don't separate. Judging by Senior Brother Zhao's arrangement, it seems like he's not planning to split us up. At least for now, he doesn't appear to be in on it.
I don't think Senior Sister Hua knows either. Watching her earlier, she seemed on good terms with Senior Brother Zhao. If anything was suspicious, he would've warned her. Besides, they're the strongest in the group. They wouldn't betray each other."
Zong Hao shared his analysis calmly.
"Brother Zong Hao, we need to stay alert. Whoever is behind this might strike while we're busy with the task. That would catch us off guard and make things easier for them."
"Got it. I'll be ready."
After exchanging their thoughts quickly, the two returned to the group.
Senior Brother Zhao waited until everyone was back, then called out,
"Let's move."
They resumed their original formation and continued toward the inner reaches of the back mountain.
As they moved closer to the inner region, the forest grew denser and taller. Even the underbrush was thicker than in the outer areas. Low-tier beasts occasionally darted past, but thanks to the late-stage Qi Refining cultivators in the group, their spiritual pressure kept most of them at bay.
After another half-hour trek, Senior Brother Zhao halted the team. They crouched behind a pile of gray boulders, watching a cave opening at the base of a cliff. Sand Mice bustled in and out in large numbers.
Yun Xi stared at their golden fur and thick bodies, each about the size of a child's forearm, with long, sharp white teeth. Her scalp tingled. She hated mice, especially spirit beasts like these.
Senior Brother Zhao gestured for Senior Brothers Qian and Li to follow. The two slipped off in another direction. Soon after, a stream of white smoke drifted toward the Sand Mouse nest.
The creatures stopped moving. They stood on their hind legs, sniffing the air. After a few chirps, they dropped to all fours and stampeded toward the smoke's source.
In moments, dozens of Sand Mice vacated the nest, rushing toward the scent. The ground trembled from the stampede, and even if some were trampled, they simply rolled back to their feet and charged on.
Yun Xi clicked her tongue. This was the vitality of even a first-tier beast in the cultivation world.
They waited a full fifteen minutes. Finally, the stream of mice slowed to a trickle.
Hua Xuánzǐ spoke up.
"Junior Sister Wei, get ready. We're going in."
"Alright!"
"Junior Brother Wei, help us enter, then guard the entrance. If you see a large group of Sand Mice coming back, alert us immediately."
"No problem. I'm ready."
Zong Hao drew his spirit sword.
"Let's go!"
At Hua Xuánzǐ's command, the three of them leapt out from behind the rocks and rushed to the cave entrance.
Yun Xi wasted no time. She flicked her wrist, throwing ten First-Grade Fireball Talismans into the air. The remaining Sand Mice near the entrance were instantly turned to ash, clearing the path.
"Junior Sister Wei, this way!"
Hua Xuánzǐ had already spotted the Jinsha Grass growing in the center of the nest.
Yun Xi saw it too. A beam of sunlight pierced through a crack in the rock, casting a warm glow over the patch of Jinsha Grass. The golden sheen was impossible to miss.
Hua Xuánzǐ raised her hand and cast a binding spell, stringing several remaining mice together like skewered sugar-coated hawthorns. Before they could even squeal, she swept them into her storage pouch.