Chapter 120: Traveling with Little Sister

Shen Bingxue pondered for a long time, her heart feeling unsettled. After a while, she expressed her sincere gratitude to Li Mu, "Thank you for granting me such a fortunate opportunity. I will never forget that everything I have is thanks to you."

Li Mu smiled and replied, "When good fortune arrives, it is yours. Just accept it."

Shen Bingxue, with her mature disposition, nodded. "Rest assured, I will never let you down."

Although she possessed fourth-grade aptitude, she had never truly focused on cultivation, doing so only half-heartedly. She had always preferred the quiet practice of alchemy. However, with her daily life undergoing such sudden changes, she realized that without cultivating strength and reaching a higher level of immortality, she would be unable to withstand the weight of a destiny-bound artifact.

A cultivator with a destiny-bound artifact would inevitably reach at least the Pellet Formation stage; she could not afford to squander such a blessing.

The group resumed their journey. With Li Mu hunting and setting arrays, they traveled with peace of mind. Even the Dark-Hooked Eagle they encountered along the way kept its promise and did not bother them again.

Upon arriving at Lian Mountain, they were all full of praise, marveling at its unique features.

"Big Brother, I want to live here," Li Ying said, pointing to a grand hall dozens of meters ahead.

Back in the village of Little Creek, Li Ying had always imagined living in a large house; now, that wish had finally come true.

Li Mu did not object, smiling as he said, "Very well, that is fine."

"Big Brother, Sister, we should all live together," Li Ying said, placing her hands on her waist.

Li Mu looked at Shen Bingxue and said with a beaming smile, "The space inside is vast; there is plenty of room for everyone."

Shen Bingxue was not embarrassed this time. She replied, "It is quite interesting to turn such a grand hall into a living space."

"If it makes my little sister happy, then there is nothing wrong with it." Li Mu stroked Li Ying’s hair. "There is nothing more to say now; everyone shall live here. It is very close to the spiritual energy vein. Later, I will partition the vein into several cultivation rooms so that everyone can practice at any time."

"Understood." Sun Sanjiu bowed to Li Mu and quickly headed toward the spiritual energy vein. His cultivation had been surpassed by Li Ying, leaving him feeling uneasy and driving him to practice through many sleepless nights.

After settling Li Ying and the others, only Shen Bingxue remained outside.

Li Mu asked in a low voice, "Alchemist Shen, do you have any plans?"

Looking at the distant white clouds, Shen Bingxue turned back to meet Li Mu’s gaze. She whispered, "I am still focused on cultivation. I never expected that after leaving the Flower Forest Sect, so many good things would happen. I once thought life in the outside world would be difficult, but all these encounters have been beyond my imagination."

Li Mu smiled. "I would never let those who follow me suffer."

"Am I also one of those who follow you?" Shen Bingxue tilted her head slightly, looking aside as she pondered. "Who knows, Manager Li, are you not going to cultivate yourself?"

Li Mu nodded. "I need to set up a set of protective arrays. Both this place and the spiritual energy vein need safeguarding, as does the entire Lian Mountain. Fortunately, I have the Wood Dragon’s storage ring. Haha."

"Then I shall not disturb you. I am going now."

Watching Shen Bingxue’s graceful figure depart, Li Mu thought to himself, *What is yours is yours, much like a destiny-bound artifact.*

Once the Great Wolf Plain’s ancestor had departed, the days passed in tranquility. During this time, Li Mu instructed Sun Qi and Sun Sanjiu to create simple formation talismans, which were then placed around the Great Wolf Plain tribes to prevent intrusions from spirit beasts.

The formations were powered by spiritual crystals, which consumed little energy. However, they were not free; if members of the tribe wished to obtain beast cores, they could trade them with Li Mu for crystals and medicinal pills, satisfying all their needs.

"Big Brother, today we should go capture spirit beasts." Li Ying tugged at Li Mu, heading toward the mountains.

With the beast cores they consumed, they took turns sending two people out to cultivate and hunt spirit beasts along the way. Additionally, the Great Ape, which constantly roamed the nearby mountains, would bring spirit beast cores to Li Ying almost daily.

Li Ying usually accompanied Li Mu, though she sometimes went with Shen Bingxue. When she went out alone, she rarely killed spirit beasts. It was not because her strength was low, but because of her compassion; she would often let them go. She only fought those that were poisonous or particularly hideous in appearance.

"Can we go further today, Big Brother?" Li Ying asked, acting shy.

Li Mu nodded. "As you wish, Ying’er."

"Oh, when we first arrived at Lian Mountain, we passed those towering peaks. Let’s go there." Li Ying’s eyes sparkled, as if she had planned this for a long time.

Li Mu knew what she meant. The mountain peak he had passed was known locally as Snake Mountain, named because it resembled a snake with its mouth open toward the sky. However, the spiritual energy around that mountain was very thin, so Li Mu had never stopped there.

Snake Mountain stood several thousand meters high. With their current flying artifacts, they could only reach a few thousand meters, so they traveled the rest of the way on foot.

Li Ying walked in front, with Li Mu following behind, using his spiritual sense to guard against danger.

Before long, Li Mu detected several poison toads approaching. These highly venomous second-grade spirit beasts were agile jumpers capable of spitting toxic fluid that could injure cultivators, making them extremely difficult to defend against.

Li Mu remained silent; he wanted to see how his little sister would handle them.

Only when the toads had jumped to within dozens of meters did Li Ying notice them. She did not panic, her face showing a look of caution as she suddenly produced a bow artifact.

Li Mu nodded slightly. Li Ying did not lose her composure, nor did she waste her true energy on the cumbersome third-grade weapons, opting instead for her second-grade Moon-White Bow. This gave him a reason for anticipation.

The poison toads emerged. They were about a meter tall, with bubbling sacs on their faces and poison-filled pustules covering their bodies, looking quite repulsive. Seeing Li Ying, they let out deep croaks, as if they had found a delicious meal. They leaped forward with powerful legs, scurrying toward her like giant fleas.

Li Ying’s expression tightened, and her body trembled slightly. It was her first time seeing such ugly creatures, and she felt a flicker of fear.

Despite her fear, her hands remained steady. She drew the Moon-White Bow, a flame of moonlight quietly manifesting on it, and aimed directly at the nearest toad.

*Puchi!*

The moon-white flame struck the toad’s mouth with deadly precision.

The creature shrieked in pain, leaped dozens of meters away, landed heavily on the ground, and after rolling several times, died.

The remaining toads retreated a few meters, their mouths spraying a foul-smelling liquid toward Li Ying.

Though small, Li Ying was quick. She slid her feet, dodged the spray, and immediately unleashed another shot from her bow, preparing to slay the next toad.

Li Mu nodded repeatedly as he watched his little sister’s combat. He hid the Asura Sword he had been holding and smiled. It seemed she did not need his help.

All the poison toads were eventually slain.

Li Ying panted, her face full of grievance. "Big Brother, why didn't you help me?"

Li Mu appeared with a flash, looking at the beast cores. "I get scolded whether I help or not. Being a big brother is truly difficult."

Li Ying put away her bow and laughed, heading further up the mountain.