I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

The sorcerer's dying words, "a place of spiritual beauty," resonated like a pebble thrown into a lake, rippling through Lu Zhao's heart. He had initially thought this valley was merely a temporary refuge, but now it seemed there might be more to it than met the eye.

The next day, Lu Zhao did not go hunting as usual, but instead began to carefully survey the entire valley with an inquisitive mind.

He climbed the ridges surrounding the valley, overlooking the entire valley below. The valley was an irregular oval shape, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with gentle slopes and lush vegetation. The valley floor was flat, with meandering streams and abundant vegetation. To the average person, it was simply a scenic place suitable for habitation.

However, when Lu Zhao activated the [Refining Spirit Technique] and used his enhanced perception to carefully experience it, he faintly sensed something different.

The air in the valley seemed even fresher than outside, carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible sweetness when inhaled. This freshness was particularly pronounced in the area near the stream's source and around the several exceptionally tall ancient trees in the center of the valley. When he tried to channel the [Turtle Breathing Technique], he found that his stamina seemed to recover faster while practicing here.

"This is... the spiritual energy of heaven and earth?" Lu Zhao's heart stirred. Although it was so thin that it could be almost ignored, compared to the turbid energy outside, this place could indeed be called "spiritual and beautiful".

Could this valley be a miniature "blessed land"? Or is there a faint spiritual vein passing through it underground?

This explains why the evil sorcerer would target this place. For those who cultivate yin and evil techniques, such a place with relatively pure spiritual energy might be able to neutralize some of the malevolent energy brought about by their techniques, or it could be used to nourish certain special evil entities (such as corpse refinement?).

Lu Zhao returned to the cave at the source of the stream and explored it carefully once more. This time, he had a clear objective. He channeled his spiritual energy, like fine threads, into the rock walls and the ground, carefully sensing its surroundings.

Sure enough, deep within the cave, near the bottom of the pool, he sensed an extremely faint, warm energy fluctuation, completely different from the surrounding Yin energy. This energy was very subtle; had he not greatly enhanced his divine attributes and deliberately searched for it, he would have been completely unaware of it.

"It seems this valley does indeed hold some secrets. That evil sorcerer probably discovered it by chance and wanted to keep it for himself," Lu Zhao thought to himself. "This might be somewhat beneficial for my cultivation of the [Refining Spirit Technique]."

He told Master Zhao about his discovery, but only said that the feng shui of the place was good and conducive to health, omitting concepts such as "spiritual energy" that were beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. Although Master Zhao was a scholar, he also had some knowledge of feng shui. After observing the place, he also felt that it was indeed more comfortable than the outside world, which strengthened his determination to live there permanently.

Over the next few days, the camp returned to calm. Lu Zhao continued to be responsible for hunting and guarding during the day, and at night he mainly cultivated the [Refining Spirit Technique] and [Turtle Breathing Technique] near the stream and cave. With the help of the weak spiritual energy environment, his efficiency was indeed improved. He also made purifying soul cores and absorbing soul power fragments his nightly routine, and his divine attribute steadily progressed towards 3 points.

During this time, he tried reading the section on material processing in the book "Miscellaneous Records of Corpse Raising" (avoiding the evil methods of refining corpses and controlling souls). Combined with his own experience in purifying soul cores, his understanding of Yin energy deepened. He even tried to use similar methods to process the blood and bones of wild animals he hunted, hoping to extract some useful materials, but he failed. It seemed that the energy contained in ordinary wild animal materials was too low, or that more professional methods were needed.

That afternoon, Lu Zhao was looking out from a high point in the valley when he suddenly saw dust rising from the direction of the official road in the distance. It seemed that a troop was approaching, and judging from the direction, it was heading straight for the valley!

It wasn't just a scattered group of refugees; the scale of the smoke and dust was considerable!

Lu Zhao's heart tightened, and he immediately sounded the alarm. The camp was instantly on high alert. The able-bodied men picked up their makeshift weapons, while the women and children were gathered in the deepest part of the valley.

Lu Zhao, accompanied by several skilled young men, arrived at the fortifications at the valley entrance and cautiously observed the surroundings.

As the dust settled, the approaching group became clear. It was a team of about twenty or thirty people, mostly young and strong men dressed in uniform grey outfits. Although their faces were covered in dust, they were full of energy, and the team was well-organized, clearly well-trained. In the middle of the group were several mule carts loaded with supplies.

The most eye-catching figures were the man and woman leading the group. The man was about thirty years old, with a stern face, a long sword at his waist, and eyes as sharp as an eagle's. The woman was in her early twenties, dressed in a neat blue dress, with beautiful features and a heroic air between her brows, and a long knife on her back.

Above the two people's heads, Lu Zhao saw the familiar, solid, and faintly glowing white health bars:

Li Feng, head镖师 (bodyguard) of Changfeng镖局 (escort agency), level: 18

[Liu Qingqing, bodyguard of Changfeng Escort Agency, Level: 14]

A security escort agency? Not the military, not bandits? And their level is quite high!

The caravan stopped at the valley entrance, having clearly spotted the camp and the prepared refugees inside. The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), named Li Feng, surveyed the makeshift fortifications at the valley entrance and the tense crowd behind them, frowned slightly, raised his hand to signal the caravan to halt, stepped forward alone, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and announced loudly:

"Fellow villagers, please do not panic! We are镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) from the 'Changfeng镖局 (Escort Agency),' escorting a shipment of medicinal herbs to 'Qingmu Town' in the south. We happened to pass by this place and saw smoke rising from the chimneys, so we came to bother you and ask for some food and water. We mean you no harm!"

His voice was loud and clear, full of energy, and carried an aura of righteousness that commanded respect.

Upon seeing this, Master Zhao, accompanied by Lu Zhao, stepped out of the fortifications and returned the greeting, saying, "So it's the heroes of Changfeng Escort Agency. I am Zhao Bingwen, the leader of the temporary refugees here. The valley is simple; if you don't mind, you are welcome to come in and rest. Please feel free to take your water."

Seeing that Master Zhao spoke with such refinement, Li Feng's expression softened slightly: "So you are Master Zhao, my apologies for my disrespect. I'm sorry to have bothered you like this."

The escort team entered the valley in an orderly fashion, setting up camp and resting in a clearing by the stream amidst the curious yet wary gazes of the refugees. They were disciplined and did not disturb the refugees, only fetching water for their horses and starting a fire to cook.

Lu Zhao secretly observed and found that these bodyguards were composed and their movements were quite methodical, clearly indicating that they all possessed martial arts skills. The female bodyguard named Liu Qingqing's gaze occasionally swept across the valley, especially lingering for a moment in the direction of the stream's source and those ancient trees, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

Li Feng then struck up a conversation with Master Zhao, inquiring about the local situation and the route south.

Lu Zhao's mind raced. Changfeng Escort Agency… it sounded like a legitimate organization. Perhaps, it was a channel for understanding the outside world, gathering information, and even… obtaining better equipment and cultivation techniques?

However, he did not rush forward. This team was quite strong, and it was unclear whether they were friend or foe; he needed to observe them carefully.

However, he didn't notice that when the female bodyguard Liu Qingqing's gaze swept over the slightly unusual [damaged soul-summoning bell] at his waist, she paused for a moment, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly, as if she had noticed something.