"By the way, Miss Li, I'm looking for a quiet place to cultivate without being disturbed. Do you know of any such places?" Ning Beichen asked her.
"You can come to my place," Li Jing'er said immediately.
"Your place?" Ning Beichen found it a little strange, but he couldn't quite pinpoint why. After all, she had invited him to her home, and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with that.
"Yes, my home is on Fengyu Mountain. The scenery there is beautiful and it's very suitable for young master Ning to cultivate," Li Jing'er told Ning Beichen.
"Will that disturb you?" Ning Beichen asked.
"How could it? Young Master Ning is our benefactor. We'd be delighted to have you," Li Jing'er said hurriedly.
Since Li Jing'er had said so, Ning Beichen naturally wouldn't be overly polite. Cultivating was one matter, but protecting Li Jing'er was the most important.
Not long after, Ning Beichen followed Li Jing'er to her home. Her home was indeed in a place with beautiful scenery. The surroundings were exquisite. At the foot of the mountain was a bustling small town, and her home was nestled in a secluded valley. Behind the mountain stood a magnificent waterfall. Simply being in this place gave one a sense of peace and tranquility.
Li Jing'er's family was also very hospitable towards Ning Beichen, especially upon learning that he had saved Li Jing'er's life. Their warmth was so overwhelming that Ning Beichen felt her parents were looking at him in a peculiar way, as if they were parents-in-law appraising a son-in-law. He felt more than just welcomed; he felt like he was truly at home.
"Young Master Ning, shall we go to the town to have a look?" Fortunately, Li Jing'er's appearance timely rescued Ning Beichen from the overwhelming scrutiny.
"Alright," Ning Beichen agreed immediately, finally escaping the gaze of Li Jing'er's parents.
Ning Beichen and Li Jing'er went to the nearby town. Although it was called a town, it was nothing like the cities in Ning Beichen's world. A town of this size in his world wouldn't even compare to the most ordinary of villages, with a pitifully small population. However, for the time period of this world, it was considered a large city.
Ning Beichen was initially curious, but soon found it boring. Compared to modern towns, this place was incredibly primitive and lacked material possessions. There were also no entertainment activities to speak of. However, Li Jing'er seemed quite happy and content. After all, she had never experienced the bustling, vibrant world Ning Beichen came from, with its streets lined with shops.
Soon, Li Jing'er spotted a vendor selling candied hawthorns. She bought two skewers and gave one to Ning Beichen, which made him feel a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Still, he accepted it and, like a child, ate one piece at a time, which offered a different kind of enjoyment.
The town was small, and they finished their tour in less than half an hour. Just as they were preparing to return, they overheard people discussing an astonishing treasure that had reportedly appeared somewhere in the west, and many cultivators were already heading there.
"Young Master Ning, shall we go and see?" Li Jing'er asked Ning Beichen with great interest upon hearing this.
"Let's go and take a look then," Ning Beichen said after a moment's thought.
The two then left the town and headed west, riding their swords. Along the way, they saw many other cultivators, likely also heading for the treasure. Not long after, Ning Beichen and Li Jing'er saw hundreds of cultivators gathered ahead, presumably waiting for the treasure to appear.
Ning Beichen and Li Jing'er landed among the crowd, maintaining a low profile. More and more cultivators arrived, and soon, over a thousand cultivators had gathered there.
"Didn't they say a treasure had appeared? Why haven't we seen it after waiting so long?" someone in the crowd couldn't help but exclaim.
"Since it's a treasure, it won't be that easy to obtain. Be patient. If you can't wait, you can leave, and there will be one less person to compete with," someone quickly replied. However, the complaining person was not foolish enough to actually leave.
As more people arrived, some powerful figures also made their presence known, and soon, divisions between different factions emerged. Ning Beichen and Li Jing'er stood among the rogue cultivators. The rogue cultivators dared not offend these powerful individuals, not expecting to get a share of the treasure, but hoping for even the slightest scraps.
Time ticked by, and it was already night. Just as everyone's patience was wearing thin, a sudden burst of white light illuminated the area for a hundred miles, turning night into day. Following this, the ground trembled, and where the white light had appeared, a massive entrance emitting a white glow materialized.
"The treasure has appeared! Charge!" The cultivators who had been waiting for so long immediately rushed towards the entrance.
However, the first cultivator to reach the entrance was sent flying backward by a powerful palm strike from behind. The rogue cultivators immediately stopped in their tracks, no longer daring to rush forward. Facing these powerful individuals, they could only express their anger in silence.
"Miss Li, would you like to go in and have a look?" Ning Beichen asked her.
Li Jing'er nodded excitedly, though with her strength, she was naturally no match for those powerful figures.
"As long as you want to go, I'll take you in." Ning Beichen grabbed her hand and instantly transformed into an almost invisible blur, heading towards the entrance.
A powerful figure saw this and let out a cold snort, striking towards Ning Beichen.
"Scram!" The powerful cultivator's cold snort hadn't even finished when a voice like thunder ripped through his eardrums. Before he could react, he saw a palm print land on his body. The powerful cultivator was instantly filled with dread and hastily tried to defend himself with his cultivation. But how could Ning Beichen's attack be resisted by him? A mouthful of blood flew from his throat, and he was sent flying back a hundred meters. Although he wasn't dead, it was estimated he wouldn't be able to get up for at least half a year. This was Ning Beichen holding back and not delivering a killing blow; otherwise, he wouldn't have survived.
Ning Beichen sent him flying with a palm strike and, pulling Li Jing'er along, entered the entrance. Inside, they found a vast space, and the source of the white light was a flower, a flower so beautiful it was intoxicating. However, this flower was black, giving Ning Beichen a sense of unease and danger.
"Not good, this isn't a treasure!" Ning Beichen reacted immediately and quickly grabbed Li Jing'er, pulling her back outside. But people outside were constantly rushing in, wanting to snatch what they believed to be a treasure.
"Hurry and get out! It's a trap, there's no treasure!" Ning Beichen shouted loudly. However, in the face of potential treasure, no matter how loud his voice, it was ignored by those whose eyes had turned red. They completely disregarded Ning Beichen's warning and swarmed inside.