"That kid probably didn't get far. Let's search around for a bit. If we can't find him, forget it."

  The golden-robed youth suppressed the anger in his heart. Mystic Herb Pharmacy had considerable influence in the county town and had quickly located the person who took the Purple Spirit Grass. He was only at Qi Refining Level Two, and the Purple Spirit Grass was also of great use to him.

  The reason he hadn't brought the twenty top-tier martial artists or taken the carriage was to avoid making too much noise and alarming the target. He never expected to lose the trail after chasing all this way.

  This person acts so ruthlessly; it seems they're not someone to be trifled with either. From behind a raised mound of earth covered in bushes, Leo, crouching in the shrubbery, watched as the bamboo-hatted man was frozen into an ice sculpture. He didn't feel particularly moved.

  "Brother Draper, don't be angry. If this person hasn't gone far, I believe we can still catch up," the red-dressed girl said, stroking a small brocade pouch at her waist.

  A flash of white light, and a furry, gray mouse appeared on the ground.

  "A Scent-Tracking Mouse! I didn't expect you to have a spirit beast like this," the golden-robed youth said, delighted.

  "Though not helpful in combat, it occasionally comes in handy, so I raised one. As long as this person is within a five-mile radius, it can find them," the red-dressed woman giggled.

  Squeak! Squeak! The gray mouse, slightly larger than an ordinary wildcat, moved swiftly, squeaking as it charged towards a patch of grass. In the blink of an eye, it had covered over ten meters.

  "This person is quite bold, actually hiding nearby to spy on us," the red-dressed woman said, her eyes sweeping towards the not-too-distant bushes. Seeing the mouse's reaction, she immediately smiled.

  Crap! I've been discovered. Leo's heart sank. He hadn't expected the large gray mouse's nose to be so keen, finding his location the moment it was released. If only he had hidden farther away.

  "It truly is ‘When one door shuts, another opens’. Sir, if you don't want me to fetch you, come out yourself," the golden-robed youth shouted, relieved. Just when he thought things might get troublesome, it was resolved in an instant.

  "Might I ask why you two are looking for me?" Leo steeled himself and walked out from the bushes. The gray mouse stopped tens of meters away from him, not daring to approach further. It didn't seem very powerful, which eased his mind a bit. After all, there were already two opponents; if they had a powerful spirit beast as well, the situation would truly be dire.

  Seeing the weak spiritual fluctuations emanating from Leo, the golden-robed youth was completely reassured, discarding even the slight courtesy he had shown earlier. He laughed loudly, "I wondered which loose immortal was wandering freely in Arn. Don't you know Arn is our Draper family's territory? I am in a good mood today. Be sensible, hand over those three stalks of Purple Spirit Grass, and get the hell out of Arn."

  Leo's face darkened. "Unclaimed spiritual items belong to those who find them. If I don't hand them over, do you intend to rob me by force?"

  "Ke, ke, ke..." The red-dressed woman laughed as if she had heard the funniest joke, taking a moment to catch her breath.

  "Since you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for being ruthless," the golden-robed youth said disdainfully, too lazy to waste more words on Leo. He immediately began chanting an incantation. Five or six ice spikes appeared in succession.

  The red-dressed woman crossed her arms and stepped aside, adopting a spectator's pose.

  "ROAR!" A deep, powerful roar sounded. A robust, powerfully-built leopard burst out of the jungle with thunderous speed.

  The golden-robed youth and the red-dressed woman were instantly terrified. They hadn't expected a demon beast—no, a spirit beast—to be hiding here. A demon beast wouldn't coincidentally attack the two of them while ignoring the weaker Leo.

  The golden-robed youth hurriedly directed the ice spikes to shoot towards the leopard.

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  Boom! Boom!

  The leopard dodged the ice spikes as it ran. Several nearby trees were blasted into icy fragments.

  As the golden-robed youth stopped attacking him, Leo felt a wave of relief. The moment those ice spikes appeared, it was the first time he had felt so close to death. Against ordinary martial artists' attacks, he still had confidence to dodge, but facing those ice spikes, he felt an unavoidable dread. Fortunately, there was a spirit beast, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

  "This beast is fast!" Seeing several ice spikes dodged by the leopard in succession, the golden-robed youth's expression changed. He raised his left hand and slapped out a spirit talisman. It transformed into several small fireballs, flying towards the leopard in a triangular formation.

  Simultaneously, he shouted at the red-dressed woman, "This leopard is quite fierce! Why aren't you helping? I'll hold off this beast. You go kill that kid!"

  Roar! The leopard cried out in pain. It dodged two of the small fireballs but was struck by the remaining one, its skin torn and flesh lacerated, a large patch of fur on its back charred black. The golden-robed youth grinned ferociously and took out another spirit talisman. Lucky I brought spirit talismans, or I'd really be in danger against this leopard. Casting a spell required some preparation time, but spirit talismans could be activated with a wave. Even if they were only primary-level spells with limited destructive power, being able to injure this leopard was enough.

  "Alright!" The red-dressed woman nodded. Just as she was about to cast a spell, she suddenly felt a numbness in her leg, and the sensation began spreading throughout her body. She looked down and saw two green flying ants crawling on her leg.

  At the same time, over a dozen more small green ants flew out from the grass and leaves, pouncing towards the golden-robed youth.

  "Shadow Ants!" The golden-robed youth's face paled with horror. Although Shadow Ants individually didn't have great destructive power, their paralyzing effect was strong. Even a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator bitten a few times would find their energy flow disrupted, unable to cast spells smoothly. As for late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, facing a dozen or so posed little threat, but against swarms of over a hundred Shadow Ants, without powerful means, they could only flee. As for him, a Qi Refining Level Two cultivator, he could only keep his distance from such creatures, not daring to let them touch him.

  But over a dozen small green ants flew at him from all directions, leaving no room to dodge. The golden-robed youth hastily activated all the Fireball Talismans in his hand. Fireball Talismans were the cheapest and relatively easiest to produce. However, he didn't carry many. The Draper family didn't have a talisman maker. After leaving Moonwatch Immortal City, each use meant one less. His father, fearing he would misuse them, had only given him a few.

  Boom!

  Shadow Ants in the air were blown apart one after another by the scorching fireballs. Leo's face turned pale. Controlling these Shadow Ants required spiritual sense. As the ants were destroyed, his spiritual sense was also affected. Fortunately, the leopard had high intelligence and only needed commands. Otherwise, he might have exhausted himself to death before the enemy even killed him.

  However, a few Fireball Talismans weren't enough to destroy all the Shadow Ants. The red-dressed woman had carelessly fallen victim. Under the dual threat of Shadow Ants and the leopard, the golden-robed youth, unable to spare focus for spellcasting, drew a green-colored sword from his person and fled in panic, abandoning the red-dressed woman to her fate.

  Through his struggle with the black-robed old man, Leo understood one principle: enemies must be eliminated completely, or endless trouble will follow. This golden-robed youth, who casually sought his life, was no good person to begin with. Leo's face turned cold. He directed the remaining five Shadow Ants to continue harassing the golden-robed youth while the leopard ferociously tangled with him.

  After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, as the golden-robed youth swung his sword to strike away a Shadow Ant, the leopard seized the opening and bit down, severing the youth's sword-wielding right arm.

  "Spare... spare my life..." The golden-robed youth screamed, collapsing and curling up on the ground, backing away. Blood stained the ground crimson.

  "ROAR!" The leopard bit through his throat. The golden-robed youth's voice ceased abruptly.

  Leo roughly collected the items from the golden-robed youth's body. That green sword looked good, much sharper than the short iron sword at his waist. Besides the green sword, there was also a storage pouch.

  Opening the pouch, Leo was overjoyed. Inside was a bottle containing five Qi Gathering Pills! Additionally, there was a book titled Compendium of Basic Spells. He flipped through a few pages casually—Metal, Wood, and other elemental spells were all included. The black-robed old man had always refused to teach him spells. Unexpectedly, he had obtained this from the golden-robed youth. With this ancient text, he could learn spells on his own in the future. What a delightful surprise! This fierce battle was worth it.

  There was also a bottle of medicine in the storage pouch, its purpose unknown. He packed everything away, then turned his gaze towards the red-dressed woman.

  "Don't... don't kill me!" The red-dressed woman, bitten several times consecutively by the small green ants, hadn't yet recovered from the paralysis. Her body could move a little, but she had temporarily lost her combat ability. However, her mind was still clear. Seeing the golden-robed youth dead, the woman's face turned ashen with fear. She never expected that this youth, only at Qi Refining Level One, would have such a formidable leopard spirit beast and so many Shadow Ants. Moreover, he had preemptively deployed the Shadow Ants around for an ambush. With her Qi Refining Level Two strength, she could only tame that Scent-Tracking Mouse.

  I don't know if they have other accomplices. At this moment, his spiritual sense was damaged, and the leopard was also seriously injured. If more enemies appeared, the situation could become quite dangerous. This was not a safe place to linger; it was better to find a secure spot to recuperate first. The previous gray mouse had fled in fright and was nowhere to be seen. This woman might still have some use. Leo found a green vine and tied up the red-dressed woman. He then directed a few small green ants to perch on her body, ensuring he could subdue her at any time. Only then did he feel somewhat at ease. He carried the woman into the mountain forest, arriving at the previously hidden cave. He blocked the entrance with a rock.

  Thud! Leo threw the red-dressed woman onto the ground. She cried out in pain from the impact.

  "Couldn't you be gentler?" the red-dressed woman said pitifully.

  "Don't put on an act in front of me, or I won't be polite. What's your name? And who was that golden-robed youth I killed? How did you find me? What's the deal with that gray mouse?"

  Leo had no intention of being gentle. Leaving aside that this woman dressed provocatively and wasn't his type, the hard lessons learned from the black-robed old man were still fresh. How could he be charmed by such a woman now?

  "My name is Vesper. The golden-robed youth was named Wynn Draper. He was from the Draper family. That gray mouse was my spirit beast, a Scent-Tracking Mouse. It has no combat power, but its sense of smell is extremely keen. Within a certain range, it can find the person you're looking for based on scent."

  Seeing Leo unmoved by her beauty, Vesper had no choice but to answer honestly.

  "Scent-Tracking Mouse!" Leo drew a sharp breath. His knowledge of the cultivation world was virtually a blank slate. If he had known about Scent-Tracking Mice, he would never have given them this opportunity.

  "What's the situation with the Draper family? How many people do they have?"

  "I can tell you everything I know, but after you get the answers you want, you have to let me go," Vesper bargained.