Set a goal, and the system takes over the body.

It's still that same mud-brick house.

After three long knocks and seven short ones, the door opened a crack, and he squeezed in sideways.

"Tiger Lord, I've already tricked Qi Xiuyuan into leaving the city to gather herbs. He just left and headed towards the South Slope Mountain."

Lin Lang approached Wang Heihu, looking like he wanted to take credit.

Wang Heihu spat on the ground, glanced at him sideways, and said impatiently, "Hmph! You're really slow at getting things done. How many days has it been since you finally tricked anyone out?"

Lin Lang quickly lowered his head and said cautiously, "Tiger, these past few days Qi Xiuyuan has been holed up in the side courtyard cultivating every day, ignoring everyone who comes to look for him. I don't understand, what is he pretending for when he's a piece of trash who can't even sense blood and qi?"

"The person I arranged only managed to get a chance to speak with him today."

Wang Heihu waved his hand impatiently: "Alright, alright, I don't have time to listen to your excuses. You'd better be quicker when you do things for me in the future. I don't keep good-for-nothings who drag their feet."

"Yes, yes, Tiger is right. I will definitely change in the future."

Lin Lang nodded repeatedly.

Wang Heihu then gave a light hum: "Alright, go back now. Remember to break through to the Inner Strength Realm as soon as possible, don't disappoint me."

"Yes, Tiger!"

After seeing Lin Lang off, Wang Heihu turned to look to the side.

"Niu Er, Gui Qi, you two go to Nanpo Mountain and kill that kid surnamed Qi. Be careful and don't leave any traces."

"Yes, Tiger!"

The two burly men standing to the side immediately clasped their hands in acceptance, turned around, grabbed the knife from the corner of the wall, and strode away.

Both of them are experts in the Qi and Blood Realm, with blood on their hands. They have no need to worry about failing when dealing with a notorious martial arts failure in Tianfu City.

……

South of Tianfu City lies a lush, dense forest, where trees grow so tall they block out the sun.

The Sichuan Basin has a mild and humid climate, and the mountains are very damp.

Normally, there are many people gathering herbs here, and you can always see people carrying baskets and sickles, but today it is unusually quiet.

Qi Xiuyuan walked to the foot of the mountain but didn't see a single person.

Just as I was wondering, an old man came stumbling out of the woods, gathering herbs. His basket was tilted to one side and was only half full of herbs. His face turned pale and then red. He breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he got out of the mountains and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Qi Xiuyuan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and asked, "Old man, what's wrong?"

The old herb gatherer sized him up, noticing his medicine basket, hoe, and sickle, and knew he was also in the mountains gathering herbs. He frowned, looking puzzled.

"you do not know?

"A few days ago, some monsters appeared in the southern mountains. Several herb gatherers went in and never came out again. If it weren't for the fact that we rely on gathering herbs to make a living, who would be willing to go into the mountains at this time? Young brother, if your family can still afford to eat, I advise you not to go in. It's not worth gambling with your life."

Qi Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow slightly: "A spirit or monster?"

The old herb gatherer nodded vigorously, his voice lowered: "That's right! I heard from Tang Erlang that he went into the mountains to gather herbs the other day and saw that monster hugging a herb-gathering sickle and gnawing on it like it was eating a radish. He was so scared that he didn't dare to breathe and lay in the grass for a long time before he finally escaped."

"Later, Miss Shen from the Baqiang Martial Arts School heard about this and has already led people into the mountains. If you really want to go into the mountains to collect herbs, you can wait a few more days until Miss Shen has eliminated that monster."

Qi Xiuyuan was stunned: "Taking a medicinal sickle? Shen Feiyi went into the mountains?"

The old herb gatherer, still shaken, glanced back into the depths of the mountains. Not daring to linger, he continued walking towards Tianfu City, saying, "Young man, take my advice: don't go into the mountains. Monsters and spirits don't care whether you're male or female!"

Qi Xiuyuan raised his hand and bowed slightly: "Thank you for the reminder, sir."

Looking at the endless layers of forest on the southern slope, Qi Xiuyuan raised his hand.

"I wonder if the Divine Conferring Finger can be used on spirits? If it can, as long as the spirit hasn't reached the Bone-Ringing Realm, there's no need to worry too much."

He paused, his gaze darkening slightly.

"Judging by the time, so many days have passed. The traitor in the martial arts school should have made his move by now. My trip out of the city should be able to lure Wang Heihu out, which is the perfect opportunity to expose the traitor and uncover the Black Wind Stronghold's conspiracy."

Without further hesitation, he gripped the hoe and strode into the forest.

A moment later, two people emerged from behind the roadside bushes.

"That kid must be Qi Xiuyuan from Qingshan Martial Arts School. Heh, it's good that he went into the mountains. Who knows how he died in this desolate wilderness."

Niu Er grinned, his rough face full of disdain, his fingers rubbing the hilt of the long knife at his waist.

Gui Qikong frowned and said, "Niu Er, you must have heard it too. The old man said that there was a monster in the mountains. Why don't we wait outside and make a move when that kid comes out? It'll be safer to catch him like a turtle in a jar."

Niu Er turned his head to the side, glanced at him with a sneer: "Gui Qi, did a dog steal your courage? What monsters and spirits? This place is only ten miles away from Tianfu City. The Tianxing Division sends people into the mountains every year to exterminate monsters. What monsters would dare to come here?"

"Even if there really is one, it won't be much stronger. You and I are both experts in the Qi and Blood Realm. If we join forces, even if we encounter someone in the Inner Strength Realm, we can still manage to deal with them and find an opportunity to escape. It won't be difficult."

"Tell me, what exactly are you so afraid of?"

Gui Qi frowned even more deeply: "I'm just thinking about safety. Better safe than sorry."

Niu Er waved his hand dismissively and walked into the woods: "Alright, alright, that kid is a good-for-nothing who can't even sense qi and blood. He dares to go into the mountains, so what are we afraid of?"

"Let's go, follow them. We need to finish this quickly so we can go back and report. Otherwise, if Tiger blames us, we'll both be in deep trouble."

Gui Qi hesitated for two seconds, gritted his teeth, and followed after him.

In the dense forest, the light dimmed.

Qi Xiuyuan gripped the sickle, swinging his arm from time to time to chop and cut through the vines blocking his path, carving a way through them.

Purple heart fruit prefers shade, but it cannot be completely kept out of the light.

There is a shady area inside the southern slope of the mountain, where the average daily sunshine is less than two hours, which is most suitable for the growth of purple heart fruit.

Qi Wence had taken Qi Xiuyuan there once before. Besides the Purple Heart Fruit, there was also the Hemostatic Grass, the main ingredient used to make the Hemostatic Powder. Although his memory was a bit hazy, he remembered the general location.

He followed the route he remembered, walking step by step deeper into the mountains and forests.

As he walked, Qi Xiuyuan paused slightly.

Listen carefully, and besides the sound of me parting the branches and the wind, there is a rustling sound not far behind me.

He didn't turn around, but instead quickened his pace, swiftly cleaving a path with his sickle. Then, he turned around a dozen steps, unleashing his ape-like movement technique. He lightly touched the tree trunk with his toes, easily leaped up, and disappeared into the dense foliage.

"Ghost Seven, hurry up! That kid's already ahead, if you're any slower you'll be nowhere to be seen!"

Niu Er walked ahead, cursing and swearing, following the path that Qi Xiuyuan had cleared.

"Here it comes, here it comes."

Gui Qi responded and quickened his pace to catch up, glancing around nervously as he felt uneasy.

The two hurried along, not looking up at the tree at all, completely unaware that Qi Xiuyuan was on the branch above their heads.

"call!"

A sudden gust of wind arose!

Qi Xiuyuan leaped down from the tree, his arms outstretched like a bird spreading its wings, and with a bird-like swooping attack, he landed above the two men in the blink of an eye.