If I let you become a druid, would you join the Demon Sect?

Chapter 22: The Liu Family, the White Tiger Stream Bandits
The old man was dressed in plain cloth, had white hair and a youthful face, and a ruddy complexion, looking a bit like an immortal.

She is dressed as a young boy, about eleven or twelve years old, with two buns tied tightly with a red hairband. She has red lips and white teeth, and looks like a boy with a feminine appearance. She looks a bit spiritual, and there is a cinnabar dot between her eyebrows, which makes her very impressive at first sight.

"Ahem, dear grandson, how are you?"

The old man covered his mouth and coughed lightly, looking at the boy beside him.

The boy took out a compass covered in runes, examined it, and shook his head at the old man, saying, "Grandpa, the last trace of the master's spirit tablet disappeared in this area. The mark is very shallow, almost invisible. It must have been at least eight or nine months."

The old man frowned upon hearing this. "How strange! This tracking disk is made from the essence and blood of Taoist Nianyun. Even if he died here, as long as a single hair remains, he won't be able to escape the compass's tracking. Could it be that someone from another family has taken action?"

That’s not right either.

They are not part of the treasure hunting team.

Why would people from other families attack them for no reason?

Aren’t you afraid of the Liu family’s wrath?
Moreover, the Lin Kingdom has been recuperating for decades, and its population has gradually increased. It is estimated that the time has come.

At this point in time, all the families were quite restrained.

Maybe I become more timid as I get older.

The old man became more and more uneasy as he thought about it, and always felt that the disappearance of Taoist Nianyun was a bit strange.

Seeing that the old man was in a bad mood, the boy hesitated and asked, "Grandpa, could it be that Taoist Nianyun escaped?"

"run?"

The old man smiled sadly when he heard this: "Once you marry into the Liu family, you are a member of the Liu family in life and a dead member of the Liu family in death. Do you still want to run away?"

"Then what should we do? Without the corpse-controlling bell and corpse-controlling spell in Taoist Nianyun's hand, the corpse-refining cave..."

Thinking of the brutality of those corpse refiners, the young man couldn't help but shudder.

The old man waved his hand:

“We are only here to take over from Elder Nianyun and guard the Corpse Refining Cave.

Now it's time for rotation.

Taoist Nianyun disappeared with the corpse-controlling blood device, and even his breath disappeared.

This has nothing to do with us.

My dear grandson, just send a letter directly to the master to explain the situation.

The Corpse Refining Cave is hidden deep in the mountains, and those mountain hunters dare not go deep into it. Nianyun has been gone for so long and nothing happened, so it won't hurt if we delay for a few more days."

There are formation restrictions inside the corpse refining cave.

But the magic circle only protects the inside, not the outside.

They take turns on duty to prevent outsiders from breaking into the corpse refining cave without knowing the danger and having their blood sucked and their flesh eaten by the corpses, causing the nurturing corpses to lose control and attack the magic circle to escape.

As for the beast
Wild beasts have keen senses and dare not approach such evil places.

Upon hearing this, the boy pulled out a wooden plaque from his chest, bit his finger, and sketched a symbol on it. He then muttered something in secret to the plaque, then put it down with a pale face and looked at his grandfather: "Grandpa, the message has been delivered. Where should we go next?"

The old man pointed in the direction of Huangtu Town and said, "Let's go. There is a small town ahead. We can rest there for the next few days and ask for news about Taoist Nianyun."

The person on duty is for three years.

A message is sent once a year to ensure the safety of the Corpse Refining Cave.

This means that Nianyun disappeared within this year.

The old man was worried that the people who attacked Nian Yun had not left yet, so he thought it would be safer to go to a crowded place.

Of course, these Liu family retainers all practiced a special method, which required them to extract people's thoughts from the money that was constantly circulating and condense the corresponding method. It is possible that before Nian Yun disappeared, he had been to the village in front.
The boy nodded when he heard this, but his face turned even paler.

The transmission of essence and blood is extremely detrimental to one's vitality.

He had just started practicing cultivation and his foundation was not enough. Just one communication would cost him one or two years of life.

This damn old thing!
He calls himself a good grandson, but he treats himself as a consumable.

Sooner or later one day.
Gu Yan still didn't know what was happening outside Huangtu Town.

He was patiently practicing the "Nianhua Jin".

Cargo ship docks.

It's not that we've arrived, but it's unsafe to sail at night with poor visibility.

Few ships sail at night unless necessary.

Cargo ships also load and unload cargo at this terminal.

So they will rest here tonight and continue their journey tomorrow morning.

Gu Yan had no complaints about this.

He called Balian and was about to go to the shore to have a good meal and practice the four secret books he got today.

When a dozen passengers were about to disembark, the captain approached them and said, "Dear guests, there is something I need to discuss with you."

The passengers looked at the captain.

The other party didn't hesitate and directly stated his purpose: "Tomorrow we will go to the White Tiger Gorge. That is where the largest number of green forest bandits in Guang'an Prefecture gather. If ships want to pass through, they must pay protection fees and buy a white tiger flag to pass."

"Are you trying to raise the price?"

A young passenger on the boat, with an impatient temper, spoke directly and coldly.

The captain shook his head:
“How can you raise the price only after you arrive at the port?

I want to tell you all, if you have any vendettas, or have offended the heroes of White Tiger Gorge, please leave on your own, lest you end up in White Tiger Gorge, a place full of undercurrents, where you're blocked and unable to escape.

He glanced at everyone and saw that no one seemed unusual, so he said nothing more and returned to the cabin.

After he leaves.

The crew member waiting nearby smiled at the passengers, "Don't worry, everyone. Our captain is just doing routine work. If there really is... hey, it's better not to take the risk. Those heroes are very well-informed. It's better to take a land route to avoid getting yourself in trouble and getting everyone else in trouble."

While talking.

The cargo ship has docked at the pier, and the skillful crew has also put up planks for people to pass through.

Before getting off the boat, Gu Yan smiled at the waiting crew members and said, "Since it's so troublesome, why bother bringing outsiders along?"

The crew looked young and were quite talkative.

Seeing that no one was around, he chuckled and whispered, "You don't know this. The cargo belongs to the owner, and your boat fare is our additional income. It's not much, but with the comings and goings, over time, it adds up to enough money for drinks, right?"

It's more than just bringing people.

There are a lot of unspoken rules when it comes to shipping.

They're all ways to make money.

"Well, I'm mainly worried about what might happen. If someone really sneaks up, won't we be innocently affected?"

Seeing that the other party was willing to communicate, Gu Yan pretended to sigh.

The young crew member waved his hand and said, "Captain, you're just saying scary things. This kind of thing only happens a few times a year. Besides, those White Tiger Gorge outlaws won't easily harm innocent people. Otherwise, if it breaks the rules, who would be willing to pay voluntarily? However..."

He glanced around before continuing in a lower voice, "I heard from some veteran sailors that among those heroes, there's a faction called the Blood Oath Army. They're a bit unscrupulous and secretly engage in looting, killing people, seizing ships and cargo, leaving no one alive. Later, someone bought a merchant ship that had been disguised and disappeared, and that's when the news spread."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yan seemed to be thinking about something. After thanking the crew member, he took Balian off the boat and left.

Looking at their backs, the young crew member swallowed and said, "This dog is really fat."

"No matter how fat you are, you are still as brave as a dog."

An older crew member appeared behind the young crew member and slapped him on the back of the head: "Sixth son, you really dare to say anything. Don't you know that the mouth can cause trouble?"

The young crew member wasn't angry either. He covered his head and chuckled, "Anyone who makes a living on the water knows this. What's the big deal?"

late at night.

Wearing a human skin mask, a nightgown, and wrapping his entire head, Gu Yan compressed his body into a dwarf and came to the room of a water transport merchant.

After a series of friendly inquiries and threats after changing his voice and shape, he disappeared into the night.

(End of this chapter)