The Spiritual Pivot of Mortal Cultivation

When we returned to the mountain that day, the sky had already darkened considerably.

The wind outside the mountain gate blew in gusts, chilling everyone's sleeves. Deacon Liang walked at the front, his sword still sheathed, a few drops of undried blood still clinging to the hem of his robe. Behind him, the wounded servant was half-supported, half-carried by two men, his legs unsteady, his lips as white as paper. Further back was the Wild Wolf Gang member, bound tightly, his mouth stuffed with cloth, his face bruised and swollen, barely able to struggle.

Bai Xuanxin carried the medicine box and walked in the middle of the group. The bloodstains on her cuffs had been darkened by the wind.

That blood didn't belong to anyone else.

It was the knife he personally stabbed that caused the spill.

He didn't look down again along the way. It wasn't that he dared not look, but rather that whether he looked or not, it was already the same. In the world of martial arts, things never wait for people to savor. Once blood is spilled and life is taken, the road ahead, the mountains to climb, and the words to return to must still be uttered.

But when she actually stepped through the mountain gate, Bai Xuanxin felt a slight sense of heaviness in her heart.

Like a stone that was originally floating on the water, it finally sank completely to the bottom.

From this day forward, he truly has blood on his hands in this world.

Upon seeing the deacon Liang and his group's appearance, the disciples guarding the mountain knew that this was no small matter, and without daring to ask any further questions, they quickly made way for them. The group proceeded without stopping, heading straight for the side hall of the main hall.

The lights were already on in the side hall.

Instructor Li, Deacon Zhou, and two other members of the branch in charge of medicine routes and border areas were all present. On the table was a map of Xiling Mountain, with several small stone paperweights pressed down beside it. Several red pen circles on the map were very fresh, obviously added in the last two days.

As soon as Deacon Liang entered, he didn't even sit down, but instead recounted everything that had happened on the mountain path that day.

From the short arrow wounding the servant first, to the three men emerging from the forest in ambush;

From the scarred man pressing down on people head-on, to the one wielding a dagger taking a detour to destroy the medicine;

From how to capture the living to how the dead were killed, everything was described with absolute accuracy.

While he was speaking, Bai Xuanxin stood quietly to the side, not uttering a single word.

He had taken action today and even killed someone; by all accounts, he was no longer an insignificant outer disciple. Yet, in this kind of side hall meeting, he was still not the one truly qualified to speak. He had gradually figured out the proper way to know when to listen and when to stand.

When Instructor Li was halfway through the conversation, his gaze lingered briefly on the blood on Bai Xuanxin's sleeve, but he didn't say anything immediately. He waited until Deacon Liang finished speaking before reaching out and pointing at the mountain road map.

"It's still the Xiling medicinal route."

A tall, thin gang leader said coldly, "The past few days were just a test, and today they dare to snatch medicine. The Wild Wolf Gang's intentions this time are probably more than just testing the waters."

Deacon Zhou's face also darkened.

"They've recently encountered the medicine route twice, which is clearly not a casual move. Mining routes, escort routes, and medicine routes—the others are all fine, but if they really have to stay and eat on the medicine route for a while, the wounded disciples inside and outside the sect, the dressing changes at the patrol points, and even the stockpiled goods in the hall will all be in short supply."

Instructor Li didn't reply, but simply reached out and pulled the cloth out of the mouth of the survivor.

The survivor gasped for breath twice before bursting into a tirade of curses. But before he could utter even half a sentence, Deacon Zhou slapped him across the face, sending him sprawling and his chair tumbling to the side, his lip split open.

"If you utter another curse, I'll chop off half your tongue." Deacon Zhou's voice wasn't loud, but his eyes were cold.

The man's throat bobbed, and he finally dared not utter another sound.

The subsequent questions were no longer something that Bai Xuanxin, an outer disciple, should be involved in.

Standing to the side, he understood everything he heard.

The Wild Wolf Gang's actions weren't a spur-of-the-moment decision, nor were they just a few bandits from the mountains who wanted to steal any medicine they saw. The three men on the mountain path today were merely scouting the area, probing how many people were on the Seven Mysteries Sect's medicine route, how fast they were traveling, who was escorting them, and who was prioritized for saving medicine and who was prioritized for protecting lives.

The bigger picture is yet to come.

In the side hall, as they talked back and forth, the entanglement between the Seven Mysteries Sect and the Wild Wolf Gang over the years gradually unfolded.

Bai Xuanxin was familiar with the original work and naturally knew that the long-term standoff between the Seven Mysteries Sect and the Wild Wolf Gang, and even the sect's expansion of its disciple recruitment, was largely due to being forced into this situation by the Wild Wolf Gang. However, the "background" he read about in the book was ultimately just a sentence. Only today, standing in the side hall and listening to these members of the various factions speak one sentence at a time, did he truly grasp the essence of the matter.

The Seven Mysteries Sect has been able to establish itself in Jingzhou not only because of the few experts within the sect.

They relied on mining routes, medicine routes, and escort routes; they relied on territory, shops, relationships, post stations, and taverns—they relied on these practically operating routes. Wang Juechu was able to maintain his position as sect leader not because he was the most skilled in martial arts, but because these routes all belonged to the "Seven Mysteries."

And if the Wild Wolf Gang wanted to break into the Seven Mysteries Gate, they wouldn't touch the main hall plaque first.

The first places they always encounter are the borders, the medicine routes, the patrols, and those seemingly insignificant little places that are crucial to the entire sect's survival.

Where there are the fewest people, that's where we'll try it first.

We'll focus on the areas with the heaviest supply of medicine.

Wherever a few peripheral lives can be exchanged for a piece of real information, that's where people will be sent first.

To put it bluntly, when martial arts sects fight each other out in the end, it's not just about martial arts skills anymore.

They're still fighting over people, fighting over strategies, fighting over who can keep this business going the longest.

Standing behind the lamplight, Bai Xuanxin listened to the conversation in the hall and suddenly felt a very clear sensation in her heart.

He used to see the Wild Wolf Gang as nothing more than a background character alongside Han Li's storyline in the original novel—an adversary of the Seven Mysteries Sect and a catalyst for many later events. But today was different. The moment he stabbed him, blood splattering onto his hand, he knew the Wild Wolf Gang was no mere figurehead.

That was a living, breathing force of ordinary human power.

They have their own paths, their own people, and their own methods for scouting, ambushing, stealing medicine, and killing.

This force cannot remain merely a "background" in the future.

Either eat it.

Either change it.

In short, you can't keep it by your side forever, waiting for it to pounce and bite you someday.

With this thought, Bai Xuanxin's previously scattered ideas subtly coalesced into a single line.

He will need to leverage the foundation of the Seven Mysteries Sect in the future.

The Wild Wolf Gang's force will eventually be withdrawn or broken.

Of course, we're still a long way from that right now.

Right now, he hasn't even gotten past Mo Juren yet, and his own martial arts skills are far from stable. But that's precisely why he needs to memorize these things first.

Ordinary paths, ordinary people, ordinary gangs—

If used well, it can become a network that connects the martial arts world to the edge of the cultivation world.

If not used properly, it will only be a knife in someone else's hand.

In the side hall, Instructor Li finally closed the mountain road map and said in a deep voice:

"The sect's expansion of outer disciples in recent years, seemingly for the sake of mining, escorting goods, and rotating shifts at various branches, is ultimately forced upon us step by step by the Wild Wolf Gang. If it weren't for the constant need to fill positions on the borders, who would be willing to support so many mouths for no reason?"

The tall, thin hall master beside him sneered:

"They forced us to expand, so we expanded. But whether the people we brought in can actually hold their own is another matter entirely."

As he said this, his gaze swept over Bai Xuanxin almost imperceptibly.

There wasn't much genuine respect in his eyes; it was more like a judgment that "it's okay to include this person in the picture."

Bai Xuanxin lowered her eyes, but she didn't care at all.

He no longer seeks to be highly regarded by others.

Being able to enter these people's field of vision is enough.

At this moment, Deacon Liang finally spoke:

"Now that the medicine route has been targeted, we can't just guard it. There's another batch of medicinal herbs to be sent down from Xiling tomorrow or the day after to exchange for old stock. The route can't be cut off. If we give up after they've tried twice, it will only cause unrest among the sect members."

Deacon Zhou nodded: "That's right. The medicine must be delivered as usual, and the person must leave as usual. It's just that this time, we can't use the same light-duty escort as before."

Instructor Li pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the people in the hall before finally settling on Bai Xuanxin.

"This kid, follow him for now."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people in the side hall remained unchanged, as if they had already guessed it.

Bai Xuanxin had already made up her mind slightly.

It became.

Today, on this medicine-carrying journey, he was not deterred by the bloodshed on the mountain path; on the contrary, he took another step forward. He probably wouldn't be in charge of leading the next medicine-carrying and escorting trip, but as long as he could go along and see the post stations, taverns, sentry posts, escort teams, and porters along the way, this trip would be worthwhile.

But more importantly—

Every step he takes into the world of traditional Chinese medicine is like adding another step to his own plans.

The medicinal herbs are useful for both practicing martial arts and treating injuries.

The path is something we'll use to cultivate people and build influence in the future.

Manpower is the most important asset when we want to incorporate the Seven Mysteries Sect and swallow up the Wild Wolf Gang in the future.

So this trip wasn't just about delivering medicine.

They were also watching how the Seven Mysteries Sect's bloodline would circulate and how the Wild Wolf Gang would extend its reach.

Thinking of this, Bai Xuanxin finally raised her eyes slightly.

Instructor Li seemed not to notice his expression, and simply said:

"Go back and pack. Tomorrow morning, we'll escort the medicinal herbs down the mountain with the team."

Bai Xuanxin bowed and accepted.

"Disciple understands."

This scene in the side hall has now come to an end.

After everyone dispersed, darkness had completely descended. As Bai Xuanxin walked out of the hall alone, a mountain breeze blew in his face, carrying a damp chill that threatened rain. He felt no cold, only that the scattered "people" and "paths" in his mind were gradually becoming connected.

The Seven Mysteries Gate is not a plaque.

The Wild Wolf Gang isn't just a bunch of knives.

These things may all become part of your own strategy in the future.

It's still early.

Right now, he's just an outer disciple who's barely qualified to accompany the medicine delivery team.

Mo Juren, on the other hand, is still alive and well.

Bai Xuanxin returned to the back mountain, pushed open the door and went into the house. First, she sorted out the few medicinal herbs that had been replenished in the medicine box that day, and then took out the small thin knife used for shaving medicine, dipped it in hot water and wiped it clean little by little.

The blade was very thin; reflected in the lamplight, its cold light was as fine as a line of ice.

He still remembers the feel of that knife strike on the mountain path a couple of days ago.

That's no longer about winning or losing on the ring.

It truly sent a living person to their death.

Tomorrow's delivery of medicine will most likely involve bloodshed.

Bai Xuanxin slowly sheathed the knife in his sleeve, his expression even more somber than before.

From this day forward, he should truly pay attention to "the road" and "people".

The path through the gate.

The road at the foot of the mountain.

The path that can be used for one's own benefit in the future.

The person inside the door.

People on the road.

In the future, there will be people who can be taken in, suppressed, raised, and killed.

From now on, these things will no longer just be background elements in the original work.

They will be his bargaining chips.

The wind outside the window grew stronger, and the grass under the eaves rustled in the breeze.

Bai Xuanxin looked up at the night sky, her gaze darkening slightly.

Tomorrow I'll deliver the medicine; once I'm down the mountain, I'll find the road.

And most of the Wild Wolf Gang members are probably already on their way.