Chapter 95: This Abode Is Fated for Me

Seeing that the other cultivators had all returned to their cave dwellings, Gu Changqing finally nodded in satisfaction. It seemed the cultivators on this mountain were quite sensible.

He had heard before that there was much fighting on this mountain, that few of its residents were decent people, and that they were often eager to brawl and prove their courage. But now it seemed that rumor had been blown out of proportion.

Were they not all very obedient?

"Hand over thirty spirit stones to me every year. Did you hear what I said?" Gu Changqing looked down at the three of them again and kicked out once more.

"We heard you, we heard you!" The three were kicked until blood spilled from their mouths, and they hurriedly begged for mercy.

"What are the strongest cultivators on this mountain?" Gu Changqing asked.

"The strongest is Daoist Mi. Rumor has it he is at the eighth level of Qi Refinement..." the man in blue said quickly.

"Oh? The strongest here is only at the eighth level of Qi Refinement?" Gu Changqing mulled it over, then kicked the man in blue in the face again. "You trying to fool me?"

"No, no..." The man in blue clutched his face and kept crawling backward. "Some people also say he's at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, but no one knows his exact cultivation..."

"Anyone else?" Gu Changqing asked again.

The three then rattled off more than ten names in succession, all cultivators of relatively high rank on the mountain. Two of them were clearly at the eighth level of Qi Refinement; one was Daoist Mi, and the other was Shentu. Both were fully qualified to live on the Upper Three Peaks, yet neither had gone there.

Especially Shentu, who was said to cultivate a demonic body-tempering technique, making his strength terrifying beyond measure.

Besides them, there were another dozen or so at the seventh level of Qi Refinement, and the rest were all at the sixth level or below.

Still, the weakest cultivators here were at least at the fifth level of Qi Refinement. Anyone below that simply could not survive on this mountain.

Even those at the fifth level had to band together.

"So that means you lot are banded together too?" Gu Changqing asked with interest.

"Yes..."

"How many of you are there?"

"More than ten... The others aren't on the peak right now..." the three said with long faces.

"Good. When the others return, bring them to see me." Gu Changqing smiled. "You hear that?"

"Since I didn't beat you to death this time, count yourselves lucky. But if you’re thinking of trying anything funny... you don't plan to stay on Spirit Vulture Peak for the rest of your lives, do you?" Gu Changqing said with a cold laugh.

After speaking, he kicked the three of them a few more times before leading Li Youling farther up the mountain.

Once Gu Changqing had gone, the three exchanged glances, their eyes flashing. Moaning in pain, they could only wait for the others to return before discussing the matter.

Whether to take revenge would depend on the other party's true strength. After all, their group also included two cultivators at the sixth level of Qi Refinement!

...

Gu Changqing led Li Youling straight to the summit. In truth, there were not many people on the mountain at present. Even those who were here did not wander about; they stayed inside their cave dwellings to cultivate.

The dwellings themselves came in many forms: some were directly carved into mountain caves, others were small houses built above ground. Gu Changqing even saw one fairly large compound, where a mountain spring had been diverted into a stream, pavilions and waterside structures had been built, and a stretch of bamboo grove had been planted.

From afar, the compound looked ordinary enough, but once they drew near, mist began to rise and envelop it completely.

Gu Changqing thought that place looked rather nice, though he did not know whether anyone was inside.

He first went directly to the summit, where he saw a small courtyard made of wicker fencing. There were only two thatched huts in the yard, and an old man was lying on a chair before one of them.

When he saw someone coming up, he merely glanced over once and then paid no further attention.

Gu Changqing looked at him, then turned and walked back down.

This man should be Daoist Mi. The cave some two hundred meters away ought to be Shentu's dwelling, and even had a gate installed at the entrance.

Dealing with those two would be troublesome, especially Daoist Mi. It was said he had once killed two ninth-level Qi Refinement cultivators in Ancient Savage Mountain, so he was very likely cultivating a demonic art.

Gu Changqing decided to spend two or three months training hard before coming back.

Starting from the top and counting downward, he saw that the courtyard with the bamboo grove was the tenth one. At once, the mother-and-child yin-yang swords flew from his sleeve. But after entering the mist for only a few breaths, they were rebuffed by something.

"Who is it?" a voice full of anger immediately came from within the courtyard.

"Why not come out and meet me, friend?" Gu Changqing said with a smile.

"I am not going out!" The voice inside grew even angrier.

"Why are you staying in my residence, fellow Daoist?" Gu Changqing questioned with a smile.

"Nonsense, I've lived here for more than twenty years!" the person inside shouted in fury.

"This place is indeed my residence. If you do not believe me, I can produce proof for you, fellow Daoist!" Gu Changqing said unhurriedly.

"I said I'm not going out!" the person inside roared.

"Say whatever you want, I still won't go out!"

"Could it be that you are injured, fellow Daoist?" Gu Changqing considered. "I happen to be very skilled at healing injuries!"

"You can talk until the sky falls and I still won't go out!" the person inside said coldly.

Gu Changqing was immediately exasperated. He had spoken so many good words, yet the other party remained unmoved. In anger, he cursed, "Are you just a shameless bastard?"

"Anyway, I'm not going out!" Seeing Gu Changqing grow angry, the person inside instead sounded somewhat amused.

Although fighting among themselves was not forbidden on Spirit Vulture Peak, there were two rules that had to be obeyed: one, no killing; and two, no forcibly breaking into another person's cave dwelling.

Cursing under his breath, Gu Changqing walked down to the next small courtyard. This one was much smaller and simpler than the one above.

Gu Changqing kicked the gate once. Spiritual light flashed immediately, and a glow spread to envelop the entire courtyard.

He waited for quite a while without hearing any response from inside, and guessed there was no one there. Only then did he continue downward with a dissatisfied expression.

After kicking six or seven cave-dwelling gates in succession, he finally got another reaction. This dwelling was also carved directly into the mountainside.

"Who is it?" someone inside asked irritably.

"Fellow Daoist, why are you living in my cave dwelling?" Gu Changqing's voice was full of surprise.

From the side, Li Youling watched in admiration. Her young master’s thick skin far exceeded her imagination.

"Nonsense!" The person inside was immediately furious. He stormed over and opened the cave dwelling's gate, stepping out to reveal an old man with snow-white beard and hair. Though elderly, he radiated a fierce, explosive presence, and his upward-slanting eyes gave him a brutal look.

The old man stared at Gu Changqing with a cold face. "Who are you?"

"Fellow Daoist, this cave dwelling is destined to be mine. Please find another place to stay!" Gu Changqing said with a smile.

The old man looked left and right, then broke into a ferocious grin. "You don't go bother anyone else and come looking for me instead. Do you think I'm an easy target?"

"Yes, exactly. You're an easy target," Gu Changqing said with deep conviction, nodding.

"Fine, fine, fine! I've lived on this mountain for decades and never seen you before. You must be a newcomer. And a newcomer dares to pick me? You really are bold beyond measure!"

The old man stepped out of the cave dwelling. A long spear slid from his sleeve, and at the same time he tore off his outer robe, revealing an inner armor that gleamed with spiritual light.