CHAPTER 357: CHAPTER 357: SEVENTH DAUGHTER

It’s been discovered?! Advanced monsters are indeed formidable!

Should I retreat from the Wilderness World and calm down to think about how to deal with this?

On second thought, Jiang Yuan mulled over the possibility that the other party, given their previous statements, might be a righteous Demon Cultivator unlikely to commit wanton slaughter...

In a rush, his mind buzzed. Before he could devise a strategy, Lady Qi signaled the Iron Claw Lion to stop by Crescent Lake. Jia Wei was about to scold but was stopped by her, smiling gently, "Don’t be afraid, we are not Evil Cultivators and won’t harm you, come out."

Only then did he realize—the system hadn’t indicated any threat, meaning the other party harbored no intent to kill.

"Splash~"

Feeling somewhat relieved, Jiang Yuan peeked out from under the leaves. The Teleportation Talisman in his Storage Bag was ready—he would flee at any sign of an attack!

"A human?" Lady Qi saw a person under the leaves floating on the lake, wearing a mask and devoid of Spiritual Energy, realizing he was perhaps a Qi Refining Stage cultivator without stable Spiritual Power fluctuations or wearing a Magical Treasure to conceal his aura.

Otherwise, how could a mortal have the courage to walk in the Wilderness, let alone venture into Crescent Lake, which housed many Demon Beasts?

But in any case, he seemed too weak, capable of being crushed with a flick of her finger.

Hence, her voice softened further, ensuring not to startle him, "Did you enter Crescent Lake at night and couldn’t leave in time? First, get out of the water; human bodies can’t endure soaking in the icy lake like Demon Beasts."

Jiang Yuan thought, this lady is quite kind, and then considered that any serious cultivator would wish to establish Good Karma and avoid tainting themselves with a malignant cause-effect. Aside from Evil Cultivators, probably no cultivator would suddenly demand to kill a stranger without animosity, incurring a murderous cause-effect.

Climbing out of the lake, his clothes were drenched, water dripping from head to toe, appearing rather pitiable from Lady Qi’s perspective.

"Are you cold?" She signaled the Iron Claw Lion to step forward, took out a red cloak from her Storage Ring, bent down, and handed it over, "Wear it, and you’ll feel much better. The Wilderness during the day is too dangerous for you, but fortunately, this is my territory where no Demon Beasts dare run wild. You can rest by the lake and wait until dusk when the Wilderness descends, so you can go home."

The moment the Iron Claw Lion, with its silky golden fur, robust iron-like limbs, and gigantic Sharp Claws, approached, Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but glance at its claws, thinking how great it would be if the system provided an equipment voucher to exchange for similar limbs—simply awesome!

"Don’t worry, my little lion is well-behaved and won’t harm you," Lady Qi thought he was afraid of the Iron Claw Lion and hurriedly comforted him, "Put on the cloak to warm your body. Rest here at ease, and be sure to avoid staying too long in the Wilderness at night. Jia Wei!"

She looked back at her subordinate, ordering, "Pass the word, avoid Crescent Lake today, don’t scare or hurt him."

"Yes!" Jia Wei replied respectfully, looking at Jiang Yuan with undisguised disdain, saying quietly, "You don’t know what’s good for you, hurry and thank Lady Qi for her great kindness!"

[Rabbit Fur Cloak: A Magical Treasure refined by the jade rabbit demon Sang Qi from her own fur, it shields from the wind and rain, providing warmth in cold times; in hot weather, it shades from the sun, offering breathable coolness]

The system appraised it, revealing the item to be a Magical Treasure in one move. Jiang Yuan didn’t want to take advantage, hesitated slightly, but she draped the cloak over him, rising to glare at Jia Wei, reprimanding, "How rude! It’s merely a chance meeting and a small effort, that high-and-mighty attitude of yours is truly disgusting!"

Scared, Jia Wei didn’t dare speak further, hurriedly lowering his head and stepping aside.

Once the cloak was on, it indeed carried a gentle warmth and faint fragrance. Jiang Yuan bowed in thanks, intending to refuse the kindness but was stopped by her.

Helplessly, he glanced at the items in his Storage Bag—brimming with Spirit Medicine and lumber harvested last night—and reckoned she wouldn’t care for such Low Level Spirit Medicine.

"Thank you, Lady Qi, for your protection. I didn’t bring any presentable gift, but here are a few carefully cultivated Agate Spirit Fruits, please don’t disdain them." He offered the Level Two Spirit Fruit with both hands, adding, "I’ll return the cloak next time."

With the mask hiding his real appearance, his young human voice surprised her, as Lady Qi thought, I wouldn’t even consider items a stranger touched, let alone clothes worn by an unknown man?

However, the Spirit Fruit he offered seemed the best he had, a sincere gesture she couldn’t dismiss, so she accepted them with a smile, "It’s just a garment, you can have it to keep warm in the cold and sheltered from the heat. These Spirit Fruits..."

In the wilderness, teeming with Spiritual Energy and rich produce, there’s naturally no shortage of Spirit Fruits.

Nonetheless, the six fruits he gave appeared beautiful and translucent, their aroma fresh and appetizing, genuinely tempting her palate a bit.

Lady Qi, having cultivated to the Third Layer of the Soul Condensation Realm, had been fasting for a long time, untouched by mortal cravings. Today, whether buoyed by fostering Good Karma or seduced by the Agate Spirit Fruit, she hesitated, then put them away and said affably, "Is the Agate Spirit Fruit cultivated by you?

They look both lovely and rich in Spiritual Energy. If you have more, could you bring some next time? I also have many fine treasures here that aren’t available in the Wilderness at night, we can trade items."

Spirit Fruit can be traded for treasures?

Jiang Yuan was momentarily stunned but nodded, "I do have many in my fields, alongside other fruits besides Agate Spirit Fruit. If you like, I’ll bring some over another day."

"Let’s settle on that then; I happen to be hosting friends at the end of the month. If you could come on the night of the 26th with the fruits following the Wilderness Ascension, you can take a stroll in my rear garden," she said, impressed with the fruit that whetted her appetite, pointing to Lushan in the east, reminding him, "The mountain had some little demons like mice or Ice-winged Eagles occupying it at night, they even dug a cave for daytime rest.

Unfortunately, they left for some reason, and the cave is now abandoned. Bring your fruits to the cave by that time, and you can ascend with the Wilderness.

Additionally, there are some scattered Spirit Stones in Lushan you can mine; however, don’t venture into the Ice Mountain to the west lightly, as it’s beyond my jurisdiction and often has fierce Demon Beasts that could harm you."

Jiang Yuan listened with question marks across his face, "May I ask, Lady Qi, why don’t you mine the Spirit Stone-rich mountain?"

Could it be she disdains such minor affairs?

Lady Qi shook her head, "A practitioner must know their destiny, cultivate a benevolent heart, and curb greed. The world is vast, filled with endless treasures—can one take and claim everything?

Mining all the Spirit Stones from that mountain would merely add some stored Spirit Stones to my treasury, of little use.

But leaving it for those little demons turns it into a blessed land for cultivation—they can extract Spirit Stones to sustain their cultivation path, possibly climbing to a Great Demon or even achieving Ascension in the future. That’s infinite hope, which I couldn’t possibly take away.

Now that you know about Lushan, you may use it, but if you don’t lack those Spirit Stones, please leave them for others who need them more."

"Thank you for your guidance, Lady Qi, I’ve learned a lot." After hearing her words, Jiang Yuan suddenly realized why she could cultivate to such a High Realm; her mindset surpassed his by more than just a little.

No wonder it’s often said that cultivation means cultivating the heart; her enlightenment seems to have a touch of divinity already?

He mused, thinking to quickly retrieve the paper man and horse mining at Lushan.

Her words were true, to him, those ores were at most pocket change—a single Elixir could compensate for a year or two of mining income. Holding onto that was akin to those with substantial pensions in the neighborhood competing with destitute welfare recipients for scraps to sell for a few bucks.