Murano Momo is a cunning doctor

Chapter 1170 Place Where Spiritual Energy Gathers

At this moment, Murong Jin would subconsciously pause for a moment.

Jiang Xiaochuan saw this and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

Despite his title of "Grandmaster," this guy probably hasn't even had a real fight many times.

That makes sense. The Murong family was willing to invest so many resources to make him a grandmaster, so naturally they cherished and protected him like a precious gem.

He's always surrounded by servants and attendants when he goes out, but he's never the one to lift a finger when danger strikes. To put it bluntly, he's just a "flower plant grown in a greenhouse."

Unlike this all- showy fellow, Jiang Xiaochuan walked with ease, even managing to glance at the stones by the roadside.

The mountain path looks natural, but the position of each stone is orderly, and the edges are rounded but not deliberately, as if someone has quietly repaired it according to feng shui principles. Even the weeds in the crevices grow neatly, hiding a secret.

"Hey! Why are you walking so fast? Are you in a hurry to be reborn?!"

Murong Jin was already furious with Jiang Xiaochuan.

He was still angry that Tang Ran had personally applied the medicine to him earlier, but now that he was acting as if he were at home, he unconsciously walked side by side with Tang Ran.

The two were so close they could almost touch the hem of their clothes, making him feel like an unwanted follower. He couldn't help but grit his teeth and curse out loud.

Jiang Xiaochuan slowly turned around, "Aren't you scared? It's much safer to follow behind."

Murong Jin's face darkened.

He had been afraid of walking at night since he was a child, especially since there were rumors of "mountain goblins crying at night" and "ghost fires leading the way" in the Western Mountains. The wind at night, which made the shadows of the trees sway, could make him feel uneasy.

To put it bluntly, what grand principles of serving the country and its people did he have when he joined the Yan Brigade?

Half of it was to pursue Tang Ran, and the other half was to use the name of Yan Lü to enhance the prestige of the Murong family.

He had only been to Xishan twice, and each time he carried a talisman with him, as even the slightest sound at night could startle him for a long time.

"Who's afraid! I'm just... keeping an eye on my surroundings!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a wildcat leaped past his feet. Murong Jin instinctively dodged to the side, nearly crashing into a tree trunk.

Tang Ran couldn't help but smirk, then quickly suppressed it, pretending to look at the distant mountain shadows.

Chen Qishan walked at the front, and could pinpoint the location of every single bluestone even with his eyes closed.

At this moment, he warned from ahead, "The path ahead is steep. This is your first time here, young friend Jiang, please be careful."

After saying that, he lightly touched the ground with his feet and leaped upwards, like an immortal riding the clouds.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked up and glanced around. The cliff face in front of him was cut cleanly as if by a knife. The mountain path above was so steep that it was almost vertical, making it a dangerous place that no normal person could easily tread.

He immediately stomped his foot down, grinding it hard on the bluestone, and his figure instantly transformed into a blur as he chased after it.

As he ran, he was secretly alarmed: he had been running for so long and still hadn't reached the top. The height of this Western Mountain was probably even greater than that of Thousand Goose Mountain.

Looking left and right, the mountain shadows stretch out in a continuous line. Although they can be described as magnificent, they are still somewhat lacking compared to the vast and boundless expanse of Qianyan Mountain, which stretches across the sky with no end in sight.

Half an hour later, I finally stepped onto flat ground.

Chen Qishan suddenly stopped and looked up toward the mountaintop—hidden in the dense forest, where a faint light could be seen.

"Coming."

Chen Qishan's voice carried a subtle hint of solemnity.

Jiang Xiaochuan followed his gaze and felt that even the wind in that dark forest seemed to slow down.

The rolling mountains revealed their rough outlines in the night, with the mountain ridge on the left winding like a reclining dragon and the rocks on the right piled up like a crouching tiger, exuding an indescribable solemnity.

Following Chen Qishan through the last dense, impenetrable ancient pine forest, the scenery suddenly changed.

There were no pavilions or palaces as I had imagined, only a hidden door half-embedded in the mountain rock.

The door was made of dark black iron, with fine cloud patterns engraved on it. Enveloped in the night mist, it exuded a mysterious aura.

Jiang Xiaochuan paused for a moment. From the moment he stepped into this place, the air around him had changed.

"...Is it spiritual energy?"

His eyes narrowed.

Although the aura was so faint that it was almost diluted by the night fog, it was incredibly real.

You can even feel the trajectory of that fluctuation with your fingertips, which converges slightly along the direction of the hidden door and flows among the vines and rocks.

Even more surprisingly, the burning pain from the wound on my back subsided after being enveloped by this spiritual energy, and the rolled-up flesh became less taut.

He secretly activated the "Immortal and Demonic Link" technique and could clearly feel the spiritual energy flowing gently through his blood vessels; this was no illusion.

Noticing Jiang Xiaochuan's actions, Chen Qishan glanced at him indifferently.

Jiang Xiaochuan suddenly stopped, forgetting that there was a Nirvana Realm expert beside him.

At this time, it's difficult to absorb spiritual energy without being detected.

"This place... is indeed a good place to gather and retain auspicious energy."

Glancing at the hidden mountain spring directly opposite the secret door, Jiang Xiaochuan downplayed the issue.

Chen Qishan nodded slightly, a hint of approval in his eyes: "Young friend, you have a good eye. Deep in the Western Hills, ostensibly a restricted area designated by the military, there are several old research sites hidden there, but secretly... that's where our Yan Brigade's roots lie."

Before Jiang Xiaochuan could even process what Chen Qishan had just said, he saw Chen Qishan pull out a bronze token.

The token, engraved with a powerful "炎" (Yan) character, was affixed to the black iron gate.

With a soft click, the hidden door slowly opened inward, letting in a gentle, warm light, yet without making a sound; its secrecy was so profound it made one's heart sink.

"Young friend, there's something I need to clarify."

Before Jiang Xiaochuan could take a step, Chen Qishan stepped forward, his tone still gentle, but with an added layer of seriousness: "This Western Hill is no ordinary place. Not only is it home to our stronghold, but it's also adjacent to two classified military bases, and underground it even connects to the old research institute's experimental tunnels. There are eyes and ears everywhere, and restrictions everywhere. You're not from the Flame Brigade, so your senses… need to be temporarily sealed."

"Seal it off... how do you seal it off?"

Jiang Xiaochuan raised an eyebrow.

He wasn't worried about the other party harming him—if they really wanted to take action, there was no need to waste words; he was just curious about the methods used.

Tang Ran, who was standing nearby, spoke up at the right moment: "It's not meant to damage your foundation. It's a 'Qi-Concealing Talisman' specially made by the Yan Brigade, which can be attached to the acupoints on the back of your neck to temporarily block a martial artist's senses. Just take it off when you leave Xishan."

As she spoke, she took out a pale yellow talisman. The cinnabar patterns on the talisman were twisted yet orderly, unlike the tricks of a charlatan.

Murong Jin snorted and said sourly, "This talisman is made of aged mugwort ash mixed with cinnabar. Ordinary people can't even get their hands on it. It's a waste to stick it on you."

His words were full of resentment, but he didn't dare to object—Chen Qishan had spoken, so he had no right to say anything.

Jiang Xiaochuan touched the back of his neck and simply turned around: "Okay, as long as it doesn't hurt, I'll do it however I want."

He knew perfectly well that the other party was either afraid he would alert the people at the base, or it was a form of protection.

If you randomly sense things in a place full of restrictions, you might trigger some trouble.