Singing with a Sword

The following is the main text of the novel "{?$article_title?}" ({?$jieqi_title?}) provided by {?$jieqi_sitename?}. Please enjoy! With only three months left until the Hall Battle, Yi Ranxiao continues his diligent cultivation as always. His Yuan Power level has now reached the seventh level of the Transcendent Realm, making him a truly qualified expert.

On this day, Jianyun suddenly came to find him.

"Senior Brother, Mr. Zhi wants to see you. He says it's about Xiao Fan."

Yi Ranxiao felt a sudden tightness in his chest, a bad premonition rising within him. He immediately rushed over to Zhi Banjie's bamboo hut. Zhi Banjie was already waiting for him in the hall.

Seeing that Zhi Banjie's face was calm, Yiran Xiao felt relieved and asked, "Mr. Zhi, is Xiao Fan alright?" Zhi Banjie replied, "I've been giving him the 'Life-Sustaining and Soul-Rejuvenating Pill' these past few days, so he's naturally fine. However, I only discovered today that we're almost out of the main ingredient for the 'Life-Sustaining and Soul-Rejuvenating Pill,' the Orchid Heart Grass."

Zhi Banjie slowly explained, "Without the Orchid Heart Grass, the Rejuvenation Pill cannot be made. However, the Orchid Heart Grass can only be found in the 'White Desert' located at the border between the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, so I want to go there with you to find the Orchid Heart Grass."

After thinking for a while, Yi Ranxiao said, "Mr. Zhi, if you leave, it would be terrible if Xiao Fan had any sudden symptoms. So, I'll go to the White Desert alone."

Zhi Banjie thought it made sense; Xiao Fan's condition was not stable, and a doctor needed to be there to watch over him. So he agreed and then told Yi Ranxiao about the physical characteristics of the Orchid Heart Grass.

That day, Yi Ranxiao set off alone without any other helpers. He had already reached the seventh level of the Transcendent Realm, and with the Immortal Sword's decapitation and the lightning ball in his dantian, he was confident that even if he faced a super strong expert at the ninth level of the Transcendent Realm, he would be able to save his life.

……

……

In the Eastern Lands, the Heavenly Decree Kingdom is located in the north, the Great Song Kingdom in the south, and the Prosperous Tang Kingdom in the east. However, besides these three great empires, the vast Eastern Lands also contain numerous smaller states and tribes, especially in the area bordering the Great Song and Prosperous Tang. Notable states here include the Moon Worship Kingdom, and famous tribes include the Black Mountain Tribe, among others.

After days of travel, Yi Ranxiao finally arrived at Huansha City, located east of the White Desert. This city did not belong to any country; its inhabitants were mostly mercenaries and fugitives from other nations. Therefore, the city was known as Demon City. Although the nickname sounded sinister, Demon City was surprisingly prosperous and well-organized, with little evidence of crime.

Most of the foreign cultivators who come to Demon Castle are preparing to search for treasures in the White Desert. Although the White Desert is a desert, it is rich in rare and precious materials. However, a desert is still a desert; not only is the climate extreme and the environment harsh, but it is also easy to get lost and encounter powerful monsters. Therefore, entering the White Desert requires a guide from someone familiar with the area. As a result, professional mercenaries have sprung up like mushrooms after rain in Washing Sand City.

Yi Ranxiao's purpose in entering the city was to hire mercenaries to take him into the White Desert. Even with the strongest cultivation, unless you reach the level of flying and escaping, you might still be trapped and die there.

In the bustling crowd of Huansha City, Yiran walked slowly, observing the mercenary information posted everywhere on the street. Before he could decide which one to go to, a man in his thirties with a mustache approached him.

"Hey buddy, thinking of hiring mercenaries?" the mustachioed man asked enthusiastically. Yi Ranxiao nodded, sizing up the mustachioed man; he was probably a mercenary himself.

Sure enough, the man with the mustache said, "Buddy, I'm not bragging, but in this Huansha City, our Flying Leopard Mercenary Team is absolutely a top-tier mercenary group! As long as you come with me, we can go wherever we want in the White Desert, and find whatever treasure we desire..."

Seeing that this guy was talking non-stop and showed no sign of stopping, Yi Ranxiao immediately interrupted him and got straight to the point: "How much?" Upon hearing this, the man with the mustache laughed and said, "Not much, not much, just twenty gold coins!"

Yiran Xiao was startled. One gold coin was equal to one hundred silver dollars, and one silver dollar was equal to one thousand copper coins. A few hundred copper coins were enough for a poor family's expenses for a year. You can imagine how expensive twenty gold coins were!

"You might as well rob someone!" Yi Ranxiao said unhappily; this was simply outrageous. The man with the mustache smiled broadly and said, "Buddy, you know how it is. Mercenaries live on the edge, risking their lives. A higher price is understandable! Besides, the White Desert is incredibly dangerous; countless mercenaries die there every year. So, it's only natural that we charge a higher price!"

Yi Ranxiao ignored him completely and continued walking. She asked several more mercenaries, but the prices were even higher! The man with the mustache, who had been relentlessly following behind Yi Ranxiao, said with a grin, "Buddy, look, mine is already very cheap! Hey, don't go! Buddy, actually I have an eighty-year-old mother and a younger sister at home, and I need to earn money to support them... Hey, buddy, don't go!"

The man with the mustache chased after her again, displaying his persistent and never-give-up spirit: "Dude, why don't you tell me what you're planning to do in the White Desert?"

Yi Ranxiao had already inquired with more than a dozen mercenaries, but the prices were all outrageous. Only then did she begin to consider the patient mustache and replied, "I am going to look for the Orchid Heart Grass."

Upon hearing this, the man with the mustache was overjoyed and said, "Buddy, we're so destined to meet! Last month, I even took a doctor to look for Orchid Heart Grass, and we ended up finding a whole bunch! Buddy, come with me, and I'll definitely help you find lots and lots of Orchid Heart Grass!"

Yi Ranxiao carefully examined the man with the mustache. Although there was some exaggeration in his words, it didn't seem like he was lying. So he said, "Okay, I can hire you, but I have one condition. I will pay you after you help me find the Orchid Heart Grass!" This way, he could prevent the man from deceiving him.

Upon hearing this, the man with the mustache was overjoyed and immediately nodded in agreement. He then made an "Amen" gesture and murmured, "Little sister, your brother is going to make money again!"

Yi Ranxiao said with great interest, "Do you really have an eighty-year-old mother and a little sister who is crying for milk at home?" In the TV dramas of her past life, there were always many people who said this melodramatic yet classic line when they were begging for mercy before they died. Yi Ranxiao was very curious whether what the mustache guy said was true or not.

The man with the mustache said, "Hehe, actually my mom has passed away, but I do have a younger sister, and she's eighteen years old." Yi Ranxiao nodded upon hearing this. The man with the mustache immediately leaned closer, looking at him warily, and said, "My sister is very pretty, you know. Don't you dare try anything with her!"

Yi Ranxiao was speechless; that mustache was quite funny. But at that moment, how could Yi Ranxiao possibly have guessed that this mustache's sister would have such an indelible and profound impact on his life?

"When do we leave?" Yiran Xiao returned to the main topic. The man with the mustache replied, "Now!"

After speaking, the man with the mustache led Yi Ranxiao to the city gate of Huansha City. There, they saw a huge carriage parked, surrounded by eight mercenaries, clearly escorting it somewhere.

Among the eight mercenaries was a white-bearded man carrying a heavy sword, clearly the leader of this mercenary squad. He saw the man with the mustache and Yi Ranxiao beside him, frowned, and said from a distance, "Meng Da, why did you bring another person?"

The man with the mustache immediately trotted over to him, grinning, and said, "Old Mo, it's just one extra person, it's no big deal."

Seeing this, Yi Ranxiao understood something. So this mustachioed man had just brought him along as a side trip, instead of specifically escorting him? Well, the mustachioed man really was a big liar!

Old Mo with his white beard and Meng Da with his mustache talked for a while longer, and then they finally reached an agreement. Old Mo no longer objected to bringing Yi Ranxiao along, and then shouted to the other members of the mercenary team, "Let's go!"

This mercenary squad is called the Flying Leopard Mercenary Squad, and Meng Da is one of its members. There are nine of them in total. Yesterday, they were hired by a wealthy merchant to escort him and his entourage across the White Desert to the Moon Worship Kingdom, located to the west of the White Desert. The merchant and his entourage are all inside a huge carriage.

In order to make more money, Meng Da "casually" brought Yi Ranxiao along. When she realized she had been tricked, Yi Ranxiao angrily walked up to the big swindler Meng Da: "You little mustache, you're a swindler!"

Meng Da, with his mustache, grinned and said, "Buddy, what are you saying? How could I be a liar? Buddy, our route this time happens to pass right by where the Orchid Heart Grass is! I guarantee I'll help you find the Orchid Heart Grass!"

The man with the mustache was right. As long as they could find the Orchid Heart Grass, that would be fine. Besides, following this caravan would at least be safer. With that in mind, Yi Ranxiao didn't say anything more.

On the way, Meng Da was quite enthusiastic, chatting with Yi Ranxiao about all sorts of things. Although Meng Da was a bit eccentric, he was otherwise quite good; for example, he was warm-hearted and loyal. Speaking of which, when his mother passed away a few years ago, he truly didn't eat meat for three consecutive years to observe mourning! Besides that, he was extremely kind to his younger sister…

While chatting with Meng Da, Yi Ranxiao was also observing the strength of the mercenary team members.

Meng Da was a cultivator at the fourth level of the Transcendent Realm, the white-bearded old Mo was a cultivator at the fifth level of the Transcendent Realm, and there were three other cultivators carrying bows and arrows, all at the fourth level of the Transcendent Realm. The remaining four, like old Mo, were at the fifth level of the Transcendent Realm. Overall, the mercenary team's strength could only be considered average. However, the reason people hired these mercenaries from Huansha City was mostly because of their familiarity with the White Desert, rather than their actual strength.

As for the merchant and his entourage inside the carriage, Yiran Xiao had not yet seen their true faces, so it was not appropriate to easily ascertain their strength.

Yi Ranxiao, however, concealed his true strength, making others believe he was merely an ordinary cultivator at the Body Refinement stage. He did this because when a powerful demonic beast encounters a group of cultivators, it will generally focus its attention on the strongest individual in the group.

Yi Ranxiao didn't want to be targeted by powerful demonic beasts. His main purpose in coming here was to find the Orchid Heart Grass, and he didn't want to waste his time fighting demonic beasts.

Meng Da, who mistakenly thought Yi Ranxiao was a novice, had been protecting him ever since they entered the White Desert, to prevent him from being carried off by monsters. This touched Yi Ranxiao deeply.

This white desert truly lives up to its name; as far as the eye can see, there is only snow-white sand. People with poor eyesight might mistake it for a snowy northern region.

After a day of traveling through the desert without encountering any danger, the mercenary team members were all in high spirits, chatting and laughing together. However, the merchant inside the carriage and his entourage were much quieter.

The carriage was large and rare, which was already attractive enough. In addition, there was no sound coming from inside, which made Yiran Xiao even more curious. At the same time, she also found it strange. Even if you are quiet and don't like to talk, you should at least come out and move around, right? But several days passed and the merchants did not come out.

Could there be some unspeakable secret inside this carriage?

"Meng Da, what kind of merchants are you escorting? They're acting all mysterious," Yi Ranxiao asked casually. Meng Da replied, "Well, I heard from Lao Mo that they're merchants from the Baiyue Kingdom, and they're quite wealthy. As for anything else, I don't know."