"A fine item!" Li Muzhan exclaimed, tossing it casually to Wang Shuangfeng. "Feng'er, put it away. Consider it compensation for startling us!"

He smiled, then extended his hand again. "Any more?"

Though his expression was genial, his eyes held a mocking amusement; it was clear that without more, he wouldn't be polite. The dark-clad youth glared coldly at him, then after a long pause, snorted and pulled a porcelain vial from his robes.

The vial was identical to the previous one. He tossed it to Li Muzhan, stating coldly, "Only this one!"

Li Muzhan caught it, his brow furrowing. Li Yujiao stepped up beside him, reaching out. "Let me see. Snow Fungus Coagulant Powder? Never heard of it!"

Li Muzhan toyed with the exquisite porcelain vial in his right hand, smiling faintly. "You're from the Gongsun family?"

The youth sneered and turned his head away, ignoring him further.

Li Muzhan frowned slightly, then nodded. "Indeed, the Gongsun family!"

"Senior Brother, let me take a look!" Li Yujiao chirped coquettishly, her jade hand still extended. It was flawless, glistening and warm, as if carved from white jade.

Li Muzhan couldn't help but steal a few glances; he had never noticed how beautiful her hands were.

Li Yujiao blushed faintly, retracted her hand, and shot him a look of feigned anger. "What are you spacing out for!"

Li Muzhan collected his thoughts, shaking his head. "Junior Sister, this is not Snow Fungus Coagulant Powder!"

"What is it?" Li Yujiao asked.

Li Muzhan glanced at the dark-clad youth and smiled faintly. "That, we should ask him!"

With that, he suddenly flicked his wrist. The small bottle exploded mid-air with a muffled thump, releasing a swirling white mist that rapidly expanded into a large mass, resembling a white cloud.

When a gentle breeze blew, the mist drifted past a pine tree before slowly dispersing into the sky, eventually vanishing. The air carried a burnt smell, like the odor of burning pine resin.

As the white fog cleared in the wind, the pine tree's appearance had drastically altered. Its trunk was yellowed and scorched black, as if it had been struck by lightning or consumed by fire.

Li Yujiao and Wang Shuangfeng gasped—what a potent poison!

Li Muzhan shook his head. "The Gongsun family is truly not to be underestimated. Impressive!"

The dark-clad youth's face changed instantly. He flipped over and bolted toward the woods behind him. Before he could vanish, his movement speed was astonishingly fast and slippery.

Li Muzhan shook his head, flicked his hand, and a streak of white light shot out, piercing the youth's body before silently burying itself into a nearby pine tree.

Pierced by the white light, the dark-clad youth froze momentarily, then slowly turned. He pointed at Li Muzhan, a strange smile on his face. "You... you... you can't... escape..."

He tried to say more, but blood surged up, choking his throat. He could only emit gasping sounds, unable to speak. With a bang, he collapsed, unwilling to yield.

The two women finally let out a breath of relief and turned away from him.

"Martial Uncle, is he truly from the Gongsun family?" Wang Shuangfeng asked, frowning.

Li Muzhan nodded. "Yes. The Gongsun family members are quite formidable. It's a shame to lose such an expert archer!"

"So malicious; it’s impossible to guard against!" Li Yujiao shook her head, her expression shifting slightly.

She considered that had it been her, she absolutely would not have dodged that calculated ambush. Who would have thought he deliberately didn't run, but instead offered a strange medicine to treat his supposed injury, purely to incite curiosity? If Zhanran hadn't been there, she would surely have opened the other bottle, falling right into the trap. Such a virulent poison, even with her unique martial arts and methods granting immunity to many toxins, would still have been disastrous. At the very least, her eyes couldn't withstand the poison; they were too fragile. She couldn't channel internal energy to her eyes to expel the toxins. Once blind, she would be utterly defenseless.

This realization passed swiftly. She suddenly felt a deep apprehension toward the Gongsun family, no longer looking down on them as she had initially. She had thought that since they relied only on poisons, the disciples of the Sacred Snow Peak had nothing to fear, so she had been completely unconcerned and condescending. Now, it seemed she had seriously underestimated the Gongsun lineage; if they harbored ill intentions, they truly could ambush the Sacred Snow Peak. The danger of the human heart is far greater than mountains and rivers—Senior Brother Zhanran’s words were not an exaggeration!

Her thoughts churned, deepening her understanding of human malevolence, yet her expression remained unchanged, placid. She glanced at the youth lying on the ground and asked, "Senior Brother, is he dead?"

Li Muzhan nodded and smiled.

"Isn't Senior Brother compassionate?" Li Yujiao pursed her lips and smiled.

Wang Shuangfeng also looked over, quite confused. Logically, there was no need to kill this time; even though those other men had been extremely rude, he hadn't killed them.

Li Muzhan smiled faintly, walked over, placed his hand on the pine tree, lifted it slightly, then flipped his palm over. A flying dagger appeared in his palm. He slid his hand back into his sleeve, and when he brought it out again, the dagger was gone.

He said casually, "I didn't kill those other men because they were insignificant and posed no real threat... Even if my hands were tied, their swords couldn't pierce my Vajra Indestructible Body. This man, however, is different. First, his archery is exquisite and impossible to defend against. While it couldn't harm me, it would be disastrous if he targeted you two... Second, such a cunning and secretive mind cannot be left alive; keeping him would create endless future troubles!"

Li Yujiao laughed. "Senior Brother, I thought you killed him because he was from the Gongsun family. It turns out that wasn't it!"

Li Muzhan smiled faintly. "The Gongsun family... Heh heh, what an interesting Gongsun family. I think I must pay them a visit; they must possess quite a few marvelous elixirs!"

He had always been puzzled: logically, the Gongsun family's cultivation methods were not top-tier, so how could they produce an absolute master like Gongsun Qingyun, whom even he couldn't defeat? The Gongsun family’s techniques should be far inferior to those of the Vast Sea Sword Sect. Although he had practiced for a shorter time, it shouldn't account for being surpassed by Gongsun Qingyun. Clearly, Gongsun Qingyun must possess some secret technique to boost his power—either a marvelous cultivation method or potent elixirs—otherwise, such achievements wouldn't manifest! He inwardly regretted that if his Heart Pearls had awakened four earlier, he might have uncovered Gongsun Qingyun's secrets.

In the days that followed, guided by Li Muzhan’s intuition, their journey proceeded smoothly. When ambushes were ahead, the three would simply evade them and take detours.

However, some paths were unavoidable, such as the Dark Cloud Valley.

This location lay outside Fancheng, a place the three had to pass through. The valley was bordered by sheer, straight mountains on both sides, with a narrow gorge running between them. There was no other route into Fancheng. Furthermore, to enter the Central Plains, Fancheng was the sole gateway, with no alternatives.

That evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, the Dark Cloud Valley, oriented north-south, received little light, the sunlight being blocked by the vertical cliff faces, making the area rather dim.

The three stopped at the valley entrance.

"Another one of these terrible roads!" Li Yujiao shook her head and huffed. "This terrain is ideal for ambushes. It's so troublesome!"

Wang Shuangfeng said, "Once we pass this, there are no more narrow valleys."

Li Yujiao turned to ask Li Muzhan, "Senior Brother, should we climb up and go over, or traverse through the bottom?"

If they feared an ambush, they could climb up. Although the cliff walls were sheer, rising straight up into the clouds, their lightness skills would still allow the three of them to make the ascent with effort. If they didn't fear an ambush, they needn't worry and could simply pass through the gorge, but in her experience, adversaries would never pass up such terrain; they would certainly block the path.

Li Muzhan looked thoughtfully at the narrow gorge, saying nothing.

Seeing this, the two women exchanged glances with some surprise. Wang Shuangfeng asked, "Martial Uncle, what's wrong? Is there really an ambush?"

Li Muzhan nodded. "Yes, there is an ambush."

"Then should we fight our way through, or go over the top and bypass it?" Wang Shuangfeng asked.

Li Muzhan gave a wry smile and sighed. "Bypassing is impossible this time. We've run into real trouble."

"Is there a master?" Wang Shuangfeng asked.

Li Yujiao’s eyes immediately lit up, and she eagerly asked, "What kind of master? What kind of master? Is he stronger than you?"

Li Muzhan nodded slowly. "Definitely not inferior to me!"

"Good! After traveling so far, we've finally encountered a master!" Li Yujiao exclaimed excitedly, looking eager to fight.

Li Muzhan sighed. "Junior Sister, don't rush to attack when the time comes. Protect Feng'er. I will handle them!"

Li Yujiao immediately deflated, humming in annoyance. "Fine, I know!" She felt restless all over and hated being constrained, but she knew that although Wang Shuangfeng's martial arts were not weak, she was far behind the two of them and needed protection.

Li Muzhan stood in the evening breeze, gazing into the valley, his expression serene. In his mind, he was contemplating whether he could use the Heavenly Man Divine Illumination Sutra to cultivate the Nine Revolutions Marrow Cleansing Sutra. The method seemed brilliant; the more he thought about it, the more viable it appeared. However, the Heavenly Man Divine Illumination Sutra was profoundly subtle, and he hadn't grasped it fully. Combining the two—would they conflict? Would it lead to qi deviation and madness? He couldn't ignore these concerns.

He remained silent for a long time. The two women stood quietly behind him. The evening wind blew, and the sun finally set completely, casting the world into twilight.

Li Muzhan snapped back to attention, letting out a loud laugh. "The Nine Revolutions Marrow Cleansing Sutra is here! Come on, then!"

As his voice faded, rolling laughter echoed from the valley. "Good! Good! The brat certainly has patience. We've arrived!"

Three figures drifted forward slowly, arriving before the trio in moments. They were three elderly men. They stood in a line according to height: the one on the left was the tallest, like a bamboo pole; the one on the right was the shortest, resembling a winter melon; and the one in the middle was neither too tall nor too short, but as thick as a barrel. All three had rather peculiar features: flat noses, small mouths, and eyes like green beans.

The shortest elder smiled broadly. "Little fellow, you claim the Nine Revolutions Marrow Cleansing Sutra is with you?"

Li Muzhan nodded slowly. "That is correct... May I inquire as to the honorable names of the three seniors?"

He felt a sharp apprehension in his heart. These three elders had strange appearances, but their internal energy was profound; he was no match for them, and even Li Yujiao was slightly inferior. Observing that the three moved in unison, they were clearly masters of combined fighting techniques, which made them even more terrifying. He sighed inwardly—another desperate battle!

The short elder waved a hand. "Our names are unnecessary. We are known as the Three Oddities of Chuanluo... Boy, your aptitude is ordinary, what a pity, what a pity. We can only kill you. Those two little lasses have excellent potential; they should become our disciples!"

Li Muzhan paused in surprise, then chuckled. "Become your disciples?"

"Exactly. The three of us do not yet have successors. We shall pass our legacy to these two girls. As for you, you simpleton, keeping you alive is just wasting grain. The sooner you die, the sooner you reincarnate!" The short elder nodded, as if stating an obvious fact.