My ancestors were spiritual plant growers, so it's not surprising that I hunt demons every day,

Contrary to what Cui Zhengming had predicted, the rain did not fall suddenly and stop abruptly. Instead, it fell intermittently for two days before finally bringing a scorching sunny day.

The escort mission, originally scheduled for today, has been postponed for some time due to unforeseen circumstances.

During her previous battle with the Gale Tiger, she had repeatedly pushed her body to its limits. After two days of recuperation, she discovered that her meridians had become much wider, and could hold almost twice as much spiritual energy as before.

She can also take this time to cultivate properly and try to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining before setting off.

The harvested Spirit-Communicating Grass also needs time to be processed before we can take it to Thundercloud City to sell.

After Cui Ying finished tidying up her house, she took her elder brother Cui Cong and Zhu Chaoyun into the Phoenix Mountain Range.

The reason they set off so late today is that their main purpose today is not to hunt demons, but to collect the remaining Heart-Connecting Grass.

"Sister Cui Ying, do you think we'll run into some troublesome mountain spirits or monsters again this time we enter the Phoenix Mountains?"

The three rode the clouds into Chiyang Valley and smoothly entered the dense forest. Zhu Chaoyun walked in front, looking around cautiously, still feeling lingering fear.

Especially when he heard that the Gale Tiger they had encountered that day had chased them all the way into the Cui family and had a fierce battle with Cui Ying, his heart trembled even more.

If the Gale Tiger hadn't gone to the Cui family that night, but instead had gone to his house first, he probably wouldn't even know how he died.

Cui Ying used her Yao Guang sword to clear away the thorns blocking her path, and gave Zhu Chaoyun a disgruntled look:

"But we're in the lair of demons now, can't you say something nicer?"

"Pah, pah, pah, the bad ones don't work, the good ones do."

Cui Cong, standing beside him, also tensed up. As he spoke, he clasped his hands together and bowed deeply to the surroundings with great reverence.

"Disciple Cui Cong has paid homage to the omnipresent Phoenix God. I beseech the God to bless my third sister so that she may always be safe and sound when she goes into the mountains, and never encounter any more powerful demons."

In his view, Cui Ying's killing of the demon tiger last time was already a stroke of luck amidst misfortune, and no amount of fame or wealth could compare to the safety of his family.

Seeing this, Cui Ying first glared fiercely at Zhu Chaoyun, then comforted Cui Cong beside her:

"Brother, our main goal this time is to harvest the Mind-Clearing Grass. It's located on the outskirts of the mountains, so we shouldn't encounter any powerful demonic beasts."

"Yes, yes, yes, the bad things won't come true, but the good things will. We'll definitely return safely and with a full load today."

Zhu Chaoyun realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly changed the subject, saying, "It's almost noon, let's eat something first before we continue."

"Alright."

The three of them found a wide, flat place, ate something, rested for a while, and then hurried to the place where the Spirit-Communicating Grass grew.

When Cui Ying occasionally encountered spirit chickens or other low-level demonic beasts on the road, she simply ignored them.

These spirit chickens and snow rabbits, aside from improving our meals, can't be exchanged for more than a few spirit stones. It's better to just go and harvest the Mind-Opening Grass.

She would only stop if she encountered a five-colored deer or a fox demon.

“Cui Ying, look! It’s another five-colored deer.”

isn't it? !

Cui Ying's lips twitched. Could it really be that the Phoenix God had manifested?!

Hearing Zhu Chaoyun's excited whispers, Cui Ying, who was leading the way, stopped and looked in the direction Zhu Chaoyun was pointing.

She narrowed her eyes; there really was a five-colored deer.

He appeared to be at the third level of Qi Refining, but he was extremely timid and cowardly in his actions.

It was hiding behind a patch of thorns, stretching its neck to eat the drooping, emerald-green shoots. Every two bites, it would stop, prick up its ears, and look around.

With a flick of her sleeve, Cui Ying sent out a streak of dark light that flashed briefly in the air before piercing the head of the five-colored deer and flying back.

The five-colored deer, still in the act of nibbling, suddenly collapsed without a sound and never uttered another.

Before Cui Ying could give any instructions, Zhu Chaoyun and Cui Cong behind her hurriedly ran out.

"Hahaha, that's great! Cui Ying, you're really amazing. You killed another five-colored deer just by moving your fingers."

Zhu Chaoyun laughed loudly, full of smugness.

Although Cui Ying didn't react much, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly that she was indeed quite lucky today.

Although the five-colored deer wasn't of high rank, its value was relatively high among low-level demonic beasts. It was quite rare for them to encounter a five-colored deer so soon after entering the Phoenix Mountain Range.

"Cui Ying, how was it? I did pretty well this time, right?"

Hearing Zhu Chaoyun's slightly ingratiating and boastful tone, Cui Ying smiled and nodded, praising him for once: "You have good eyesight."

"hey-hey."

Zhu Chaoyun smiled sheepishly and took the initiative to put the five-colored deer he had carried back into the basket on his back.

The three were not far from the area where the Spirit-Connecting Grass was found. After a short delay, they quickly arrived at their destination.

"Brother, this is the Heart-Connecting Grass. Just cut open the outer bark like this and take only the core."

"Row!"

Cui Cong readily nodded, then looked at Cui Ying and said, "How about I peel them here by myself, and you guys go take a walk around the neighborhood?"

Hearing this, Zhu Chaoyun, who was working nearby with his sleeves rolled up, couldn't help but feel tempted: they hadn't encountered any troublesome monsters along the way, and spending the afternoon simply peeling spirit herbs would be rather tedious and boring.

"No! Let's talk about this after you've finished peeling these Spirit-Connecting Herbs."

Cui Ying shook her head, rejecting her elder brother's suggestion.

It was already a pleasant surprise that she was able to kill a five-colored deer on the spur of the moment, and besides, her original intention in entering Phoenix Mountain Range today was not to hunt demons.

In addition, this place is fraught with danger, and there may be some monsters lurking in the shadows. She cannot put her elder brother in danger.

"Okay, then I'll start eating."

Cui Cong picked a Heart-Clearing Grass that was thicker than his own arm, drew a green sickle from his waist, and slashed it across the middle of the tree trunk. Immediately, a unique and refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted out.

He then cut and dug at the base of the tree trunk, and immediately a several-foot-long herb appeared in his hand.

Seeing that Cui Cong had successfully taken out a Spirit-Communicating Grass, Cui Ying withdrew her gaze from looking around, picked up the Yao Guang Sword, and prepared to help.

She had only taken a few steps when she was suddenly drawn to a large, rotten piece of wood in the distance.

When Cui Ying and the others leaped closer, they indeed found several spiritual plants growing on it that were very familiar to her: "This is... Jade Lingzhi."

She whispered excitedly, and just as she was about to reach out to pick it, a thin, dark red object suddenly shot out from the trunk of the large tree next to her with a "whoosh".

It moved so fast that it reached Cui Ying's neck in the blink of an eye, and could take her life in an instant.