Soon after Boss Gao began helping Qi Ping search for a Spirit Beast, Qi Ping and Nan Jie quickly purchased the necessary ordinary supplies.
Although it was still early, they felt it would be safer to return sooner.
Nan Jie had only looked at Qi Ping in surprise when he told Boss Gao he wanted to buy a Spirit Beast; after leaving the merchant association, she did not bring up the matter again.
Qi Ping didn't speak of it, and she didn't ask.
Because it was clear Qi Ping had his own secrets or plans regarding this matter, and since he didn't proactively mention it, it meant he didn't want to discuss it with others.
This is a very important point for Loose Cultivators to become friends: while treating each other with sincerity and helping each other, one must not overly probe into the other's secrets.
Probing into another's secrets is a highly taboo point in the Cultivation World.
One might ask, among those who can become Cultivators, who doesn't have some secrets of their own?
Even if they are Loose Cultivators, even if it's just a trump card.
If secrets are mutually disclosed, then the relationship has truly reached a very good stage.
Someone like Lin Chaoyang, a Young Master from a wealthy Family who is carefree and thoughtless, is too rare in the Cultivation World; he's a rare commodity.
Qi Ping knew this, and that Nan Jie was a very intelligent woman who deserved his trust, which is why he didn't shy away from discussing the purchase of a Spirit Beast with Boss Gao in front of her.
Of course, it was also because the necessity of being discreet wasn't high; Qi Ping would never expose truly important matters.
At the entrance of Qing Shi Market.
Qi Ping and Nan Jie looked at the path back, their eyes revealing solemnity and worry.
"Xiao Qi, we must be extra careful on the way back. My Divine Soul feels a bit restless; I seem to have a bad premonition."
"Nan Jie, they say a woman's intuition is the most accurate. Don't scare me, you know I'm timid..."
Cultivators sometimes have an inexplicable premonition about an impending crisis, such as feeling uneasy in their heart, or their Divine Soul feeling restless.
The more sensitive a person's perception, the easier it is to sense such things, and Nan Jie is clearly this type of person.
Old Zhou said that Nan Jie had foreseen several impending crises, and fortunately, they were all overcome due to sufficient preparation.
"Xiao Qi, I'm not joking with you. We'd best make some preparations. Did you bring poison?" Nan Jie looked at Qi Ping with a solemn expression.
"I did," Qi Ping nodded gravely.
Seeing Nan Jie's solemn expression, Qi Ping knew this was absolutely not a joke.
Fortunately, he was cautious enough this time to bring out most of his Gold Marrow Bees; in addition to the hundred Gold Marrow Bees on him, there were five or six hundred more Gold Marrow Bees he had arranged to hide in the distant mountain forest outside Qing Shi Market.
These Gold Marrow Bees had all significantly improved in strength after consuming honey with a higher blood ginseng content.
Thinking of the existence of these Gold Marrow Bees, Qi Ping's uneasy mood finally calmed down a bit.
"Good, I also brought a lot. Let's find a place and see how to arrange them appropriately."
A moment later, the two hid in a corner on the outskirts of Qing Shi Market, counting the poisons in their hands, which included poison powder and venom.
After Nan Jie looked at the poisons and pondered for a long time, she finally spoke:
"Xiao Qi, when the time comes, we will divide these poisons into sixteen portions, eight for each of us, and then we will apply them to our hands, feet, and also smear them on our weapons."
"I also have a few needle-shaped Magical Artifacts here. We'll apply the most potent poison to them. If the enemy's attention is drawn by the poison powder, immediately seize the opportunity to use the poisoned needles with full force."
"If the enemy is very strong, you can follow behind me then. I'll tie up the enemy in front, and you'll watch for the right moment to use the poison."
Nan Jie earnestly and solemnly explained every detail and technique of using the poison to Qi Ping many times.
She even practiced with Qi Ping several times.
After a series of operations, Qi Ping was dumbfounded.
Poisons could be used like this?
According to Nan Jie's method, let alone a Cultivator of the same level, even if Qi Ping was at Qi Refining First Level, he might be able to poison a Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivator by surprise! Although the probability wasn't high and depended heavily on timing, Nan Jie would create that timing for Qi Ping.
Because even a Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivator would find it difficult to constantly protect their entire body with high-intensity spiritual power; the consumption would be too great.
And as soon as the spiritual power shield's intensity drops, it's very easy for a needle-shaped Magical Artifact to break through the defense.
If it were a Cultivator of the same level, Qi Ping felt that if he were to face Nan Jie at the same level, without understanding Nan Jie's methods, the probability of being poisoned would be at least eighty percent!
Various poisoning methods were impossible to guard against!
Old Zhou once said that Nan Jie was formidable with poison, but at that time, Qi Ping didn't have much of a concept. But after witnessing it this time, he truly understood how incredible it was.
Compared to Nan Jie, he was simply a rookie!
At the same time, this also reminded Qi Ping that combat in the Cultivation World might be far more treacherous and terrifying than he imagined!
In this regard, he was still very inexperienced, so he must be careful in everything he does from now on.
After the two practiced a few more times and confirmed that no errors would occur, they cautiously embarked on their return journey.
To be safe, they even took a different, smaller path.
However, this did not bring Qi Ping and Nan Jie much sense of security.
Because this kind of premonition of danger was more like an occasionally effective warning Talent.
Changing the route, changing the time of return, might avoid danger, or might actively run into danger.
Danger might appear on the small path, or on the main road, or even appear when Qi Ping and Nan Jie return after staying one night in Qing Shi Market. Of course, it might not appear at all.
In short, there was no pattern to it.
The only thing they could do was to act cautiously, like Nan Jie, and make all necessary preparations!
On the way back, Qi Ping and Nan Jie were both very cautious, and at the same time, tried their best to avoid places where ambushes might exist, so as not to be successfully ambushed by the enemy.
Along the way, the two hardly spoke, for fear that conversation would distract them and allow robber cultivators to successfully ambush them with hidden weapons or other means.
Qi Ping also controlled his Gold Marrow Bees to spread out along the road for a wide-ranging reconnaissance.
In this way, the two safely covered most of the journey.
This made them breathe a slight sigh of relief.
Just a little further, and they would enter the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
As one of the main production areas of Qing Shi County, the Cloud Mist Mountain Range has regular patrols by Qingyuan Sect and Three Great Families guards. robber cultivators generally do not dare to act there, because the commotion of a battle can easily attract the guard team.
However, this sigh of relief didn't last long. Just as Qi Ping followed Nan Jie into a small forest path, Qi Ping suddenly felt that something was wrong ahead!
But Nan Jie didn't detect any abnormality, and the Gold Marrow Bees also didn't detect anything wrong when they passed through the front.
But Qi Ping knew that his perception in this forest could receive the enhancement of the Jungle Druid profession.
In the forest, Qi Ping could question anything, but he absolutely could not question the keen senses of a Jungle Druid in the forest!
So Qi Ping didn't hesitate at all and immediately began to secretly gather his Gold Marrow Bees, making them ready for battle.
At the same time, Qi Ping quickly pulled Nan Jie, stopping her from moving forward.
"Nan Jie, something's wrong!" Qi Ping indicated with his eyes.
And although Nan Jie didn't detect any abnormality, she chose to trust Qi Ping and stopped.
Her vigilance also immediately went to its highest level.
She knew that with Qi Ping's personality, he must have discovered something, otherwise, he would never act like this!
Although she didn't know how Qi Ping, with his strength, had discovered it, some Cultivators indeed have unexpected Talent, and she herself was one of them.
Now was not the time to delve into these matters.
Just as she was about to ask Qi Ping something, two figures suddenly burst out from two previously undetectable locations ahead!
---