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Chapter 740: Chapter 746: Accident
"Fengwu and Xiaoqing both said they have no impression, but Da Qing does..." Li Zhirui muttered to himself.
This meant that it must be a place he had visited before contracting Xiaoqing. After all, a high-level cultivator has an excellent memory and a strong spiritual soul, making it impossible for them to be negligent or forgetful.
Even if they temporarily forgot, it was because their memories were too vast and complex to recall in a short period of time.
And before contracting Xiaoqing, this would mean that Li Zhirui had only been a minor Qi Cultivation cultivator, with very limited places he could have visited.
When he narrowed the range to this vicinity, an answer suddenly emerged in his mind, and he said in astonishment, "Bailang County!"
"That’s right, it’s the source of the upper reaches of the Bailang River!"
Initially, the Li family was just a Foundation Establishment clan, a vassal of the Beast Taming Sect. Li Zhirui lived in Bailang County for over a decade and had also traveled there with his elders. Later, for survival and continuation, the whole clan relocated to Wanxian Island, which was still Da Rong Island at the time.
But it had been hundreds of years since the Li family moved here, and from that batch of clansmen, he was the only one left, so it didn’t occur to him right away.
As for another member of the Zhi generation, Li Zhixuan, she was born after they arrived on Wanxian Island and had never lived in Bailang County.
Of course, as hundreds of years passed, the mountains and rivers could change. Li Zhirui did not know how many years ago the Treasure Map had been passed down, but all the markers and terrain on it were consistent with his recollection of the Bailang River—the treasure’s location was at the source!
"Hearing you talk about it, Jiu, I remember too! It indeed looks exactly like the Bailang River!" At that time, Da Qing’s spiritual intelligence was weak; without intentionally searching, he simply wouldn’t have recalled the relevant memories.
"So, are you going to look for this treasure?"
Jiang Fengwu furrowed her brows and said, "I remember that Bailang County is twenty thousand li away. Although the distance isn’t considered very far, it’s also the domain of a Nascent Soul sect. Wouldn’t it be a waste of time if you came back empty-handed?"
Having been married into the Li family for many years, she naturally knew about this news.
"I trust my spirit sense, this Treasure Map should be real."
Hearing this, Jiang Fengwu knew that Li Zhirui had made up his mind and couldn’t be dissuaded, so she let him be.
But considering his current strength, unless he encountered a Divine Transformation ancestor or an ambush by several Nascent Soul cultivators, there was generally no need to worry about his safety.
"Then be careful."
"Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon."
It was just a search for treasure, and Li Zhirui didn’t think there was any danger. He planned to take Xiaoqing and set off immediately.
But unexpectedly, Da Qing volunteered, saying, "Jiu, I want to go with you as well."
"Then let’s go." Without much thought, and certainly not about to refuse, he happily agreed.
However, he let Cang out of his space as the latter was at a critical period, and it was uncertain when it would face the Thunder Tribulation. Keeping him in the space would be inconvenient if Li Zhirui was out cultivating and couldn’t release him to face the tribulation.
Facing the tribulation in the wilderness was somewhat dangerous, even with the three of them acting as protectors. There could be lapses, not to mention problems like lack of spiritual energy in the outside world.
And once Cang advanced to the fourth stage, he would catch up to Da Qing and Xiaoqing. Not to say they would start off on the same footing, but at least the gap wouldn’t be so wide anymore.
That being said!
Li Zhirui, accompanied by Da Qing and Xiaoqing, quietly left Wanxian Island, heading straight for Bailang County. Despite the centuries that had passed, he could still clearly remember the way for some reason.
Twenty thousand li was a vast distance for the Li family back when they were at the Foundation Establishment stage. They traveled with constant trepidation, fearing encounters with enemies. Fortunately, they made it safely, and along the way, Zhirui even discovered Cloud Fish, creating a new source of wealth for the family.
But for Zhirui now, twenty thousand li was nothing to worry about, let alone pose any danger.
"Jiu, after the family grew stronger, why didn’t they go back for a look? After all, that’s the ancestral land of the family," Xiaoqing asked curiously.
A hint of confusion flashed in Zhirui’s eyes. He didn’t know why either—maybe it was the distance? Or perhaps time?
Initially, the family was too busy to care about the Secular Clansmen left behind in Bailang County. As the elders passed away one by one, no one mentioned them again.
Now, after so many years, it was unknown how many Secular Clansmen remained, or if they still had the Li family bloodline.
Shaking his head to clear these thoughts, he said, "Everything has changed, even the mountains and rivers. There’s no need for such pointless endeavors."
The journey became quiet until they set foot on the soil of Bailang County.
"How can the Spiritual Energy be so scant?"
Zhirui’s memory was a bit hazy too. The Li family indeed had a hard time back then, suffering under the oppression of the Beast Taming Sect.
"We are here for treasure-hunting; other matters don’t concern us."
However, when they arrived at the location of Bailang River in his memory, they found that the great river had disappeared!
"This..." Zhirui frowned. He had considered the possibility of the river changing its course, but never that it would disappear completely!
He remembered Bailang River as a large river, close to the Boundless Sea, with abundant rainfall. It simply shouldn’t be prone to drying up or vanishing.
"It seems we need to find a marketplace to gather some information."
Originally, by following the river upstream, they would always find its source, but now with the river gone, surrounded by flat land, Zhirui had no idea where to find the old riverbed.
Soon, they found a dilapidated marketplace. Upon entering, the three involuntarily furrowed their brows—the place was quite small, probably less than one li in area.
Inside the marketplace was just a single north-south street with decaying shops on either side. There were many Cultivators walking around, but all of them were at the Qi Cultivation level.
"The strength here is really weak," Xiaoqing muttered.
Weak strength? Zhirui pondered this. It was weak indeed, but what was the difference between the Li family back then and these people now?
If not for good luck and the family’s growth, wouldn’t they still be struggling to survive like them?
"Let’s go, find a tavern and gather some news," Zhirui said.
He had already noticed that apart from a few shops selling Spirit Pills and Magic Artifacts, the rest of the marketplace consisted of taverns and brothels, all apparently doing good business.
As soon as Zhirui and his companions entered a tavern, the previously noisy hall instantly fell silent.
Although they had concealed their aura, even just as Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they exerted tremendous pressure on these minor Qi Cultivators.
"Buddy, bring us a few pots of your best wine," Xiaoqing called out loudly, as if unaware of the effect they had.
And as they sat down at their table, the nearby Cultivators scattered as if fleeing from the plague, moving away as quickly as they could.
