295: Chapter 238 295: Chapter 238 “Earl, you have finally returned; we were so worried.
This time you left without taking us, and we’ve been anxiously awaiting your return day after day.”
“Indeed, Earl!
Next time you go out, you must take us with you.
Otherwise, it makes us worry terribly and we can’t offer you any help.”
One Viscount after another expressed their concerns, which in reality were a pretext to go outside.
The Earl had slipped out quietly this time, and by the time they found out, it was too late to follow.
The family prohibition kept them from leaving.
The Earl could still ensure a measure of their safety.
If they went out on their own, they would definitely be in danger.
The Earl had used his magic wand to avert danger during their past few risky encounters.
The Earl said to his brothers, “Following me doesn’t guarantee your safety, and this trip was too dangerous.
Someone was tracking me, but fortunately, I had the magic wand to remove the threat, which is why there was a day’s delay.”
“My goodness, that sounds perilous.
Who could be so wicked?
Did you get a clear look at this person?”
“People outside the Cultivation World are indeed vile; they can ascend to heaven and burrow into the earth.
Tracking us is extremely easy for them.
It couldn’t have been someone eyeing our Clan’s Treasure, could it?”
As the Earl listened to his brothers’ questions, he could only shake his head and say,
“I couldn’t get a clear look at the person, just knew they were dressed in black, and I didn’t recognize them.
Perhaps this person wanted to pry into my secrets.”
One Viscount said with great concern,
“How could this be?
Our family has no secrets, just the Clan’s Treasure.
Maybe this person wanted to find out if the Earl had any valuables on him?”
“Right, that’s very possible.
Was it after you returned from Immortal Venerable City that you realized someone was following you?”
The Earl nodded in agreement with his brother’s supposition.
“That’s a plausible guess.
Maybe the person thought the Earl had entered the Holy Pavilion and acquired some valuables, trying to get them from you.”
Another brother conjectured.
The Earl nodded again, thinking that might be the case; after all, he was carrying several storage bags.
Who would believe he had nothing in those bags?
“The Cultivation World is truly terrifying.
This time, I was nearly framed by someone who disguised two beggars as assassins to get me involved in a lawsuit.”
“What?
Someone would go to such cruel lengths?
You must not have any feud with them, right?”
The Earl had initially intended to keep the affair to himself, but as he talked, maybe due to habitually being open with his brothers, he ended up revealing his buried concerns.
His brothers became even more worried; going out was indeed dangerous.
Feeling a bit scared, they wondered whether they could still venture out in the future.
“Let’s not tell the other clan members about this incident; it’s enough that you know.
Why make them worry?
From now on, I’ll go out by myself!”
Though some of the brothers were reluctant at what the Earl said, they understood the danger.
In perilous situations requiring protection, if the Earl couldn’t ensure their safety, only death awaited them.
It would be better to live a peaceful life in the stockade, yet they felt a slight loss of youthful passion.
Just when their courage to explore the outside world had been ignited not long ago, they now had to cautiously set aside those aspirations for the time being.
The Earl told them to get ready; they were going to go up the mountain soon, but first, he needed to meet with his grandfather and father.
Having been idle for several days, the Viscounts heard they could go into the mountains again.
Thinking of the Immortal Peaches on the mountain, their mouths watered.
They remembered the day when they brought back the Immortal Peaches in their baskets and distributed them among the clan members.
After consulting with his father and grandfather, the Earl did not conceal a thing.
Since he had already spoken to his brothers, he decided to also share the details with his experienced father and grandfather, pondering why someone would follow him?
Why would they want to frame him?
Both the Earl’s grandfather and father believed that someone wanted to probe into the Earl’s affairs.
Those people would resort to any means for a magical treasure, as the veteran pair had come to know.
After chatting for a while with his father and grandfather and taking a short rest, having a full meal at home, and packing some items, the Earl was ready to head to the mountains with the Veteran Hunter and Viscounts.
Learning that the Earl had a storage bag, his father and grandfather were reassured, allowing him to seek adventure.
Leaving his house, the Earl spoke briefly with his mother, then sought out the Veteran Hunter and his brothers at their dwellings, and they all set off for the mountain together.
It was still morning, and with the experience from before, they walked more swiftly.
Climbing the mountain was quicker, and they had already reached the previous cave by midday.
Having demonstrated such formidable strength before, the wild beasts hid at their approach, not to mention animals that hurt people; they didn’t even see a rabbit.
The earl saw that the cave in front of him remained as he had left it with the Magic Staff, with no traces of people or animals.
From this, the earl confirmed that those people must have been living in this cave, and since they were dead, this place would be their future secret base.
If one day their stockade became uninhabitable, the whole tribe could move here, where the scenery was beautiful and the presence of Immortal Fruits meant they wouldn’t starve.
However, he didn’t wish for such a day to come; he preferred his master to grow stronger and be able to cultivate, so they would not be bullied to such an extent.
The earl deactivated the cave’s Shielding Illusion Spell, and the veteran hunter and the viscount entered the cave first.
At the back, the earl set up another Illusion Technique at the entrance.
When they entered the cave, the Immortal scenery remained unchanged.
The young people, seeing the Immortal Peaches, climbed the trees to pick the fruits.
They first filled their baskets, which had been picked earlier, and then placed them into one of the Storage Bags.
The other Storage Bags were reserved for medicinal herbs, and it was important not to mix the two.
Of course, they were afraid that the fruits would crush the Spirit Grass.
Seeing the youngsters picking the fruit so joyfully, the earl also picked one, taking a few bites.
He was hungry and tired after the long walk and also thirsty.
The Immortal Fruits inside the cave seemed free of dust and unblemished by insects.
The delicious fruit was as sweet as candy; eating one fruit made him feel just a little bit full.
The earl couldn’t afford to eat more fruits, as he needed to gather several plants of each medicinal herb variety and put them into the Storage Bag, grouping each variety together.
He didn’t consider uprooting all the herbs since he didn’t know how to use the Spirit Grass—whether to use the root, leaf, or flower.
He once saw Jiang Tang use a flower to neutralize poison.
The earl carefully dug up the herbs, and the few Storage Bags he had couldn’t be completely filled.
This time, the herbs were being gathered as samples.
If these herbs were truly valuable, then the samples could also be sold for a good price.
He did not dare to uproot them all, wanting to leave some as seeds, for he did not know how to cultivate these herbs.
Yet, he thought of consulting with Jiang Tang when he saw him next.
He hoped Jiang Tang could train them to create Pills exclusive to the Blood Clan, enabling them to resist powerful enemies without the need for a Magic Wand.
The earl had considered visiting the Cultivation World for help in replicating his Magic Staff into similar Magical Treasures.
The Magic Staff was the Clan’s Treasure and must not be touched by others.
It was even more crucial to keep it hidden from outsiders; if seen, it might be seized.
The earl was digging up herbs when the veteran hunter came over to help.
Only the young people continued picking fruits, believing that if there was a season for the fruits, it would be a waste if they fell after the season ended.
They could harvest these fruits and preserve them in Storage Bags.
Or, they could make wine, dried fruit, or delicious snacks from them.
After eating the fruits last time, not only did they feel their bodies warm, they also sensed energy flowing within them.
The family members who ate them felt improvements—older members noticed a disappearance of chronic ailments, children grew healthier, women’s skin seemed to improve, and even the men noticed their skin getting better.
Such nutritious and beneficial fruits were even more nourishing than a meal.
They had not considered selling these fruits outside; like the earl, they valued the Spirit Grass for its higher worth.
After gathering some samples and putting them into Storage Bags, feeling they had enough of each variety, they saw the once lush field of Spirit Grass turn sparser.