Hearing what the two had to say, Rossi was genuinely stunned. "Just how many Guizu relics have you two seen while following Grand Instructor Hong?"
"Not that many," Manna replied offhandedly. "Just a few of the more common types."
"I'm so jealous!" Rossi pumped his fist with exaggerated fervor. "I have to work hard and earn a spot as Grand Instructor Hong's assistant!"
Namuzha glanced at him and nodded slightly. "Keep working at it. I believe in you... though you still have four fierce rivals ahead of you!"
"Holy crap," Rossi muttered, the corner of his mouth twitching.
After that initial ambush, the four encountered two more attacks by Guizu-transformed animals, both of which they weathered without serious harm.
Regrettably, neither creature dropped a Guizu relic.
Even so, there was no reason to be dissatisfied. Under normal circumstances, the drop rate for Guizu relics was merely two to three percent.
In less typical situations, a rate below one percent was hardly unheard of—around Suotu Town right now, the rate was less than one in two hundred.
That was because the Guizu domain there was still in the process of forming.
If Suotu's drop rate were truly that high, why would they ever have dispatched the barbarians there in the first place?
Here in Mount Xuanling, on the other hand, the drop rate could reach five percent, and in extreme cases, even around eight percent.
Otherwise, when everyone knew how perilous this place was, why would they scramble to get in?
As they advanced, the four slowed their pace, because... they had reached the core region of the Guizu domain.
Ahead, the clusters of Guizu aura were growing increasingly dense.
Fortunately, large clusters were scarce; most were at the knight rank or below, and exceptionally powerful ones were rarely seen.
Even so, there was a shared consensus among those entering the Mount Xuanling Guizu domain: unless absolutely necessary, one should avoid clearing away clusters of Guizu aura.
The authoritative explanation was that the presence of Guizu aura could catalyze the emergence of more Guizu-transformed creatures.
Slaying pure Guizu mainly yielded resentment crystals, with other treasures making up only a small proportion of the drops.
Guizu-transformed creatures, by contrast, could yield a wide and varied assortment of Guizu relics.
It was not that resentment crystals were undesirable, but that the extraordinary power system required far more than just this single item, making other Guizu relics considerably more sought-after.
Wu Youren and his companions skirted one aura cluster after another, continuing deeper into the territory.
At last, after slaying a Guizu-transformed fawn, they obtained their second Guizu relic—a gale hoof.
"Now this is worth some money," Namuzha said, clearly satisfied.
Yet Manna immediately took the opposing stance again. "This hoof is on the smaller side. The ones I've seen were bigger than this."
Wu Youren and Rossi exchanged a helpless look; neither of them was in any position to chime in.
Even though Wu Youren had learned a great deal about extraordinary powers recently, it was only book knowledge, and his practical experience lagged far behind.
He could only sigh inwardly: following a grand knight truly broadened one's horizons.
After traveling for nearly an entire day, the four finally arrived at their destination: a low hill.
The terrain inside a Guizu domain was never fixed; Guizu aura had the power to reshape the land.
The government of Liang had mapped this area multiple times, and the changes from one iteration to the next were vast.
According to records, even the towering peaks of Mount Xuanling were known to shift positions.
Such occurrences were relatively rare, however, and the shifts were normally not very rapid.
Before entering the domain, the four had already agreed to find a permanent spot to set up camp.
Entering and leaving the domain every day was entirely impractical, as most of their time would be wasted on the road. They needed a base of operations inside.
There was no time left to carefully scout a permanent site today, so Wu Youren picked a sunken hollow. "Let's dig a cave here."
"The elevation seems a bit low," Namuzha finally voiced an objection. "If it rains, we'll be in trouble."
"I feel the other spots... aren't very safe," Wu Youren explained solemnly, without elaborating further.
"Let's just use this spot, then," Rossi spoke up in support. "I've heard that in Mount Xuanling, you can run into Guizu even while digging a cave."
"Here is fine," Manna added her agreement. "We'll make do for one night and pick a proper site tomorrow."
A reconnaissance mission could not be finished in three or five days, making a dependable shelter an absolute necessity.
Knights dug at remarkable speed. Even while keeping their movements subdued, they excavated a sizable cave within half an hour.
The entrance was small, but inside, the floor spanned more than four square meters, offering enough clearance to stand upright.
Lacking the cultivation to match them, Wu Youren did not take part in the digging, remaining on guard the entire time. The other three voiced no complaints about this.
Night fell across the Guizu domain, bringing chilly, eerie drafts alongside bizarre roars, shrieks, and wails.
Watching the youth bustling about near the entrance, Manna felt a twinge of sympathy. "That should be enough. The Guizu domain is dangerous at night."
After all, they were only staying here for a single night.
"It's precisely because I know it's dangerous that I need to set up more precautions," Wu Youren answered softly, not even lifting his head.
"Leave him be," Rossi said, long accustomed to it. "He never complains about being tired."
"To each their own strength," Namuzha remarked calmly. They were responsible for digging the cave, while the boy rigged the traps—wasn't that perfectly natural?
The rest of the night passed without incident.
Around midnight, however, a massive vibration rumbled through the ground, as though some colossal behemoth were lumbering past.
None of the four ventured out to investigate. Guizu were exceptionally active at night, and even grand knights would not take unnecessary risks.
Aside from that, there were several shrill, harrowing howls; night in a Guizu domain was never peaceful.
Early the next morning, the four split into two teams to scout for a suitable shelter location.
Wu Youren was paired with Namuzha, as the latter had very particular standards for where they should build.
During their search, they inevitably ran into another Guizu-transformed creature: a one-horned lizard over a meter long.
Namuzha moved to draw his blade and deal with it, but Wu Youren gave a slight shake of his head, though he did not speak to stop him.
Namuzha caught the gesture nonetheless and asked in a low voice, "What is it?"
Wu Youren replied quietly, "My thought was, until we find a suitable location, shouldn't we avoid disturbing the distribution of Guizu as much as possible?"
Namuzha fell silent for two or three seconds before slowly nodding. "Fair point!"
The knight's caliber was truly not bad; while he had his convictions, he was also receptive to sound advice.
Steering clear of Guizu, the two searched for another half hour until Namuzha believed he had found a fitting spot.
Wu Youren offered no opinion, but after scouting the surrounding area, he actually discovered a well-concealed cave!
Namuzha stared blankly. "Well would you look at that... We aren't the only ones who took a liking to this place."
He meant that whoever had excavated the cave had done so long ago, so they might as well modify it and make camp there.
Wu Youren said nothing. He did not favor the idea, but continually objecting would be inappropriate.
Namuzha glanced at him, saw his silence, and roughly guessed his thoughts.
He let out a sigh. "Then let's keep looking."
As they continued their search, the two unexpectedly spotted other martial artists.
It was a three-man team locked in combat with a cluster of Guizu aura, seemingly poised to win with ease.
The two exchanged a look and tiptoed away.
Encountering human martial artists under these conditions was nothing to celebrate. Unless they intended to rob them, it was best not to provoke them.
Wu Youren remarked that his eyes had been opened. "People actually go out of their way to provoke Guizu aura?"
"Perhaps... they were careless," Namuzha said, equally at a loss. "Failing to follow the rules like that won't end well."
Afterward, the two scouted another viable location, and seeing that time was running short, they began their return.
Back at last night's campsite, Rossi and Manna had already arrived.
Rossi had a tear on the shoulder of his clothes; the two had been ambushed by a white-brow monkey.
They had killed the beast, but it had yielded no Guizu relic.
The pair had also located three potential hiding spots, which required the other two companions to confirm.
This was the top priority, so Wu Youren and Namuzha set out to inspect the sites before even having a chance to eat.
In the end, Wu Youren nodded at one of the locations, though he said nothing.
He maintained a keen sense of propriety.
The three knights conferred in low voices and confirmed that this was the one, though Namuzha was still somewhat unconvinced.
He asked under his breath, "Xiao Wu, what was wrong with the second spot we found?"
Wu Youren thought for a moment before replying, "Could we dig out a cave first, and then I'll explain?"
"Of course, no problem," Rossi agreed readily, and Manna nodded as well.
Before long, the cave was excavated, comparable in size to the previous day's, with room to expand further later on.
Wu Youren first camouflaged the entrance and set up several traps before straightening up and saying, "Please follow me, everyone."
Piqued by curiosity, the three knights followed him for more than two hundred meters, until the youth pointed toward a large tree ahead. "There!"
The three studied it for about ten seconds and extended their perception before Namuzha blurted out in astonishment, "Those vines?"
Several vines, as thick as a child's arm, wound around the tree, looking rather unremarkable.
"Yes," Wu Youren nodded gently. "Guizu-transformed!"
"Shall we take them down?" Manna drew two scimitars, looking eager to strike.
"Wait," Rossi stopped her. "If I remember correctly, there are quite a few vines like this nearby. Shouldn't we check around first?"
The search revealed seven or eight such vines in the surrounding area, forming a solid canopy over the upper slope.
Now Namuzha was genuinely convinced. "A natural barrier! Grand Instructor Hong's words were spot on!"
"Then why didn't you stop me earlier!" Manna rolled her eyes at the youth in annoyance. "Can't you speak up without beating around the bush?"
"I'm just a junior," Wu Youren spread his hands helplessly. "The three of you already flatter me by giving me a say at all."
"You..." Rossi pointed at him, exasperated. "You're great in every way, except you're far too timid!"
Wu Youren smiled and did not argue.
With the site finalized, they set to work expanding the shelter, hauling over supplies, and laying traps.
Everything was finished by nightfall, and the four even enjoyed a hot meal inside the shelter.
Early the next morning, they set out to begin their reconnaissance.
This was their primary mission; slaying Guizu was strictly incidental, and the order of priorities could never be reversed.
Because Namuzha had taken the night watch, he remained behind to guard the shelter and the supplies everyone had worked so hard to carry in.
Wu Youren and the other two set off, heading straight toward an area where Guizu aura had reportedly shown abnormal activity—intel that had come from Marquis Tanyong's Estate.
This time, they exercised far less restraint, slaying every Guizu creature they encountered on sight.
Chapter 123