Chapter 351: Little Contest Peak
Looking at the white-clothed youth in front of her, Lin Shanshan’s heart was filled with a strange feeling.
This feeling was something she had never experienced in her more than twenty years of life.
"So it’s Young Master Ning Zhuo. If you are seeking guidance and knowledge, you should go to the Original Mountain. Why are you in the back mountain of the Great Contest Peak?"
Lin Shanshan tried to calm her emotions.
Ning Zhuo had the Wanli Dragon wrapped around his waist.
Sun Lingtong, hidden within the Wanli Dragon, watched the unfolding situation. Hearing Lin Shanshan's question, he responded on his own, "Of course, he came running over after seeing you."
Ning Zhuo had set his traveling goal based on the jade slip provided by Ning Jiufan and the information he gathered from Meng Yaoyin.
Fog Concealment Mountain was the first destination, and Ten Thousand Medicine Valley was the second.
Back then, when the Ning family migrated, they cleverly traversed through underground rivers, avoiding the surface enemies’ blockade.
The exit of that underground river is now the Ten Thousand Demon Cave guarded by Linghu Jiu.
The entire Ning family arrived at Ten Thousand Medicine Valley, causing a huge commotion at that time.
The large sect in Ten Thousand Medicine Valley, the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect, was highly skilled in alchemy and healing. The Ning family, exhausted and at their limit, stayed in the valley for quite some time to recuperate.
At that time, Meng Yaoyin went into premature labor, and thanks to a treasure of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect called the Fetal Breath Spirit Boat, her life was saved.
Meng Yaoyin, after becoming a mechanical Buddhist doctor, spoke about this experience to Ning Zhuo when her mind was still intact, treating it as a tale.
Ning Zhuo's main goal for this trip was the Fetal Breath Spirit Boat. Besides that, he also wanted to try to find the items the Ning family used during their time in the valley.
Sun Lingtong controlled the Wanli Dragon, pierced through the void, and arrived at Ten Thousand Medicine Valley.
He first sneaked out with Ning Zhuo, disguised themselves, and gathered a lot of local intelligence.
As a result, Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo had a fairly good understanding of the general situation of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect. They knew that the woman before them, Lin Shanshan, was the only child of the current sect leader, Lin Bufan, essentially the eldest lady of this large sect.
Although she wasn’t at the core of power, her influence on the higher-ups was extraordinary.
Thus, after their discussion, Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo orchestrated this "coincidental encounter."
Divine Ability—Life Hanging by a Thread!
When Ning Zhuo and Lin Shanshan met face-to-face, he immediately planted his divine ability on her.
Then, he secretly used the Buddha Heart Demon Seal to subtly influence her, increasing her favorable impression of him.
Even when Ning Zhuo was in the early stages of Qi Refining, he could already channel a trace of the Buddha Heart Demon Seal’s power, influencing his uncle Ning Ze, the three Huang Family ghosts, and even resisting the detection of a Golden Core cultivator.
Now that Ning Zhuo had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and Lin Shanshan was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, he could easily influence her.
Ning Zhuo quickly cupped his hands in apology, saying that he had come from this direction and only wanted to reach the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect as soon as possible, unaware that this was the Great Contest Peak, and had thus accidentally entered the area.
Lin Shanshan smiled as she walked up to Ning Zhuo, indicating that it was no problem.
"The Great Contest Peak is no longer a forbidden area."
"Many years ago, the Ten Thousand Demon Cave no longer had any beast outbreaks, and it is now quite safe."
"You don't need to worry too much, Ning Zhuo."
"Our Ten Thousand Medicine Sect has always been welcoming to outside cultivators like you. The philosophy of our sect is to be broad and inclusive, to make friends with kindness."
Ning Zhuo immediately praised, "I’ve long heard about your sect and admired such an excellent faction. That’s why I traveled a long way to get here."
"To be honest, I was quite anxious."
"But after meeting you and hearing these simple words, I felt greatly comforted."
"I'm not as nervous anymore. Thank you, Miss Lin."
Lin Shanshan smiled, "You are being too polite."
"Politeness never offends," Ning Zhuo said as he naturally took out a Misty Orchid from his storage belt. "This is a little gift for Miss Lin. Since I am new here, I would like to ask for your help with a small favor."
Lin Shanshan did not accept the Misty Orchid, merely smiling and asking, "What favor?"
Ning Zhuo replied, "I am new to this place and fear that I might accidentally enter forbidden areas. Seeing that you are a local cultivator, I boldly ask if you could lead me to the Little Contest Peak. Would that be possible?"
Lin Shanshan nodded, "It's a small matter. Just follow me. As for the gift, I won’t accept it."
As the eldest lady of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect, Lin Shanshan had seen many rare herbs. The Misty Orchid, being quite ordinary, did not catch her interest at all.
Without further ado, Lin Shanshan led the way for Ning Zhuo.
The two walked through the mountain forest, with Lin Shanshan slightly ahead, leading by half a step.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the trees, casting dappled shadows on the grass and the shaded paths.
A light mountain breeze blew, rustling the leaves, with birds chirping crisply, streams gurgling, and the scenery beautiful as a painting.
Lin Shanshan took the initiative to explain the general situation of Ten Thousand Medicine Valley and the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect to Ning Zhuo.
Feigning ignorance, Ning Zhuo asked a few questions he already knew the answers to, successfully creating a relaxed and conversational atmosphere.
"Miss Lin, please wait," Ning Zhuo suddenly stepped forward to clear the branches in front of Lin Shanshan.
Lin Shanshan's favorable impression of Ning Zhuo grew slightly, but under the influence of the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, it increased at least tenfold!
Ning Zhuo spoke in a witty and humorous manner, making Lin Shanshan enjoy their conversation and occasionally giggle uncontrollably.
When Lin Shanshan was born, her father was already the leader of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect. Although she was five years older than Ning Zhuo, now twenty-one, her life experience was far more limited compared to his.
One grew up in comfort, unaware of the dangers of the human heart, while the other lost his parents early and had long been tempered by the harshness of the world, already possessing a sharp tongue.
Throughout the conversation, Ning Zhuo controlled the entire exchange.
Lin Shanshan remained completely oblivious, and by the time she led Ning Zhuo to the foot of Little Contest Peak and saw her fellow sect members handling registration, she suddenly realized—how had they already walked out of the back of the Great Contest Peak? How had time passed so quickly?
"Sister Lin," her fellow sect members greeted Lin Shanshan, quickly bowing.
In front of others, Lin Shanshan restrained her smile and slightly moved aside to introduce Ning Zhuo: "This young man has just arrived at our Ten Thousand Medicine Valley. I encountered him on the way and brought him here. Please make proper arrangements."
The fellow sect member smiled, "Since Sister Lin brought him, this junior brother will certainly handle it properly."
"Hmm... how about Cave Number 328 for now?"
The fellow sect member looked at Lin Shanshan, his eyes seeking her approval.
Lin Shanshan hesitated slightly.
She had introduced outsiders to Ten Thousand Medicine Valley and helped them settle in Little Contest Peak many times before.
Normally, her fellow sect members would, out of respect for her, assign a relatively high-ranked cave to outsiders.
There were around five hundred caves in Little Contest Peak, ranked by number, with the lower-numbered caves naturally being of better quality.
Cave 328 was of middle to slightly lower quality among all the caves.
Someone like Lin Shanshan, who held a special status but no real authority, would typically be assigned such a cave.
Lin Shanshan usually didn’t care about these things.
But this time, she had different thoughts. After all, Ning Zhuo had made such a good first impression on her that she couldn’t help but want to give him a little more help.
Lin Shanshan knew that by doing so, she was actually going against sect rules. If she made a request, would it be too much?
Buddha Heart Demon Seal!
Seeing her hesitation, Ning Zhuo decisively acted, triggering a sliver of the treasure's power.
Lin Shanshan’s hesitation vanished, and she directly asked, "Is there a better cave available?"
The fellow sect member was stunned, not expecting Lin Shanshan to make such a request.
"If I remember correctly, this should be Miss Lin's first time asking for such a thing, right?" He was surprised, discreetly sizing up Ning Zhuo.
Seeing his jade-like white clothes and extraordinary demeanor, the fellow
sect member became even more curious.
While speculating on Ning Zhuo’s identity, he replied, "Sister Lin is right. How about Cave 281?"
At this point, Lin Shanshan already regretted making the request. Upon hearing this, she quickly nodded, "That will do."
Ning Zhuo received the token, and Lin Shanshan had an urge to follow him.
"What’s wrong with me?" Lin Shanshan shook her head, suppressing the impulse.
Sensing that he had done enough, Ning Zhuo stopped using the Buddha Heart Demon Seal and let things proceed naturally.
Ning Zhuo bid farewell to Lin Shanshan and took out another gift—two Misty Orchids. He tried to offer them, but Lin Shanshan waved her hand and declined with a smile.
The fellow sect member sneered inwardly, "Just two Misty Orchids of the Qi Refining level? Does he think the eldest lady would care about such a thing? How could he offer that?"
Little did he know, this was precisely Ning Zhuo’s intention.
Lin Shanshan didn’t feel the slightest bit offended or belittled. Instead, she found Ning Zhuo to be a simple and honest young man, with a certain naive charm.
(End of this chapter)