The young girl was probably around sixteen or seventeen years old. Her long black hair danced in the wind, and she wore a wildflower crown on her head. Her melon-seed face had a hint of playfulness in her big blinking eyes, and when she smiled, her lips curved into a slight dimple. Her clothes were intricately made, as if she were a young lady from a wealthy family.

Zhao Hao looked at Zhang Lei strangely as he quickly put on his Crimson Flame Dragon Shield and loaded his Eagle Strike Crossbow. When Zhang Lei saw the young girl, he was not surprised by her petite beauty but by the whip in her hand. The crystal-clear white whip emitted strange energy, and Zhang Lei immediately recognized that she was a cultivator.

Black and burly Zheng Peng seemed to be concerned about the young girl. He said, "Chief's eldest sister, I made a bet with someone and lost. I apologize to you now. I won't stay in the mountain village from now on. Please take care of yourself. If you want, you can follow me. This young man looks good, and you two make a good match." He worried about others while he himself did not know what to do, and he was needlessly worried. The young girl was enraged. "Blackie! Zheng Peng! You dizzy fool! What nonsense are you spouting? You, you, you, stand aside and watch this lady teach these two villains a lesson!"

Zhao Hao was unhappy and said, "Hey, I said miss. Zheng Peng is already one of our people, and it's not your turn to teach him. Besides, why would a young girl like you who still has a lot of life ahead of her choose to become a bandit?"

Zhang Lei exclaimed anxiously, "Watch out!" The young girl's whip flew out, nine white whips twisted and turned like snakes, attacking Zhao Hao. Zhang Lei rushed forward and collided with the whips. The nine white whips turned into nine soft white worms like centipedes, wrapping quickly around Zhang Lei's body. Zhao Hao broke out in cold sweat and quickly realized that the young girl's whip was also a weapon of a cultivator like Zhang Lei's Eagle Strike Crossbow. There was no way he could block it. He cried out, "Master, be careful!" The strange energy ropes severely entangled Zhang Lei's body, but he just smiled and said, "Really? If I undo it, will you not hold any grudges?" Zheng Peng was finally amazed. He saw a flaming purple dragon spiral out from Zhang Lei's body, smashing the nine white ropes. Then, seven or eight small golden eagles flew out of Zhang Lei's hand, chirping into the sky. The young girl retreated in fear. "You, you, you are also... don't let the eagles come down!" She never expected Zhang Lei was also a powerful cultivator with higher cultivation than hers. Zhang Lei wanted to scare her a bit. A group of golden eagles hovered above her head nonstop. Although Zheng Peng did not know how powerful golden eagles were, he couldn't bear to see her so afraid. He pleaded, "Hey, young man, forget it. Give me face. Let her go." Zhao Hao became eager. "Miss, if you admit defeat, I'll ask my master to spare you."

The little girl pouted, her eyes turned red as she suddenly burst into tears. "Waaah, two big men bullying a little girl like me, waaah, who do you think you are? Mommy...where are you? Why won't you come save me...I have nowhere to go, so I had to become a bandit. Waaah...waaah..." No one had expected this move, and all three of them were left dumbfounded. Zhang Lei dispersed the golden eagle in the sky and quietly asked Zheng Peng, "Hey, isn't she your big leader? Why is she crying when she loses?" Embarrassed, Zheng Peng replied, "She's only been in the gang for half a year, and none of our brothers can beat her, so we made her our leader. She even makes us call her sister, and if we don't listen, she can use her whip to tie us up for a day. But she's a good person at heart and doesn't let us kill people. The second leader even got a band of brothers to steal from the gang just because of that." Zhao Hao listened intently, not missing a single word, and then awkwardly chuckled, "Little girl, don't cry anymore. Since you have nowhere to go, come with us." The little girl cried even harder, "Waaah...waaah...waaah..." but her eyes glanced at Zhang Lei. Zhang Lei was both amused and angry, and said, "Alright, alright, come with us." The little girl stopped crying, a smile on her face as she said, "You promised, so let's go!" The three of them were stunned.

In the evening, the caravan arrived safely at Panshi Town. The little girl's name was Mei Jingjing, but she went by Niu Niu. She was from the Litang Kingdom, which Zhang Lei had managed to coax out of her. With three young people together, the caravan became much more lively. Zhang Lei found Niu Niu mischievous and cunning, always playing and making trouble, which gave the other members of the caravan a headache. However, this suited Zhang Lei's temper, as he liked being unrestrained. During his meditation, he didn't need to eat, only consuming some fruits that were a special product of Tian Tingxing. When the caravan arrived at Panshi Town, they arranged for people to rest and eat. Ling Hongxuan invited Zhang Lei and the others to dine at the largest restaurant in town, the Baiwei Tower.

Panshi Town was located at the end of the Qicha Mountain Range, which was a must-pass for passing commercial travel and also a gold mine for bandits and robbers. The town was full of restaurants, inns, gambling houses, and brothels. There were all kinds of people, including merchants, bandits, and beggars, making it especially lively at night. Ling Hongxuan led the group to the largest restaurant in town, the Baiwei Tower. "Gentlemen, please follow me to the elegant room upstairs." The waiter shouted. Zhang Lei had never been to a restaurant since coming to Tian Tingxing, and he was curious about what it would be like. They went upstairs and sat down, and Mei Jingjing immediately started arguing with Zhao Hao. "I want to sit next to Brother Li, move over!" Mei Jingjing didn't care about the rules and pushed Zhao Hao aside. Zhao Hao sighed, "Niu Niu, you're the youngest here and a girl, so you can only sit at the end." Mei Jingjing blinked her big eyes, turned her eyes around, and smiled, "I may be young, but my ranking is high." Zhao Hao wondered, "Where does your high ranking come from?" He said, "Niu Niu, don't mess around. We're not related, so where does the ranking come from?"

Mei Jingjing smiled and said, "I call him Brother Li, you call him Master, hehe, then you should call me Master's wife, right? Isn't that a higher rank than you?" Everyone laughed, and Zhao Hao teased her until her face turned red. Suddenly he came up with an idea and said, "Oh, I see. Then if you marry my Master, should I call you Mother-in-law?" Zhao Hao got up and offered her his seat, saying, "Mother-in-law, please sit!" Everyone burst into laughter. No one expected Zhao Hao to be so witty. Mei Jingjing's face turned red and she scolded Brother Li in a cute and coquettish voice, "Brother Li, you don't even discipline your disciple. He's bullying me!" Zhang Lei was dizzy with her charming voice and thought to himself, "It's overwhelming. Even immortals would have a headache if this little girl spoke in such a sweet voice." Ling Hongxuan intervened, "Miss Mei, sit next to Mr. Li. Young people like to have fun, so let's not be too strict." Zheng Peng shouted, "Yes, I'm starving. Let's sit down and eat." Dishes and drinks were brought out one after another. Zhang Lei signaled the waiter and said, "Do you have any large pieces of braised pork? Bring us ten pounds." Zheng Peng was overjoyed and shouted, "Hey, this young man is good, he knows that Blackie can't stand small dishes. Blackie loves to eat big pieces of meat. Bring it quickly, it should be a whole piece!" Zhao Hao raised his glass and said, "Master, please drink this local wine, the famous 'Ten Li Fragrance'. You can hardly find it elsewhere." Ling Hongxuan added, "Yes, it's a good wine, even offered as tribute." Zhang Lei was a bit interested, lifted his glass, and drank it. A strange taste of sourness, bitterness, and spiciness went straight to his head and he sprayed it out, exclaiming, "Is this wine?! Bring water for me to rinse my mouth!" Mei Jingjing giggled and said, "Brother Li, if you can't drink, don't drink. This kind of good wine is intoxicating." She felt closer to Zhang Lei as she spoke. Zhang Lei glanced at her and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Have you ever tasted good wine? I happen to have some. Let me share it with you." He took out a bottle of "Wu Liang Chun", a famous brand from Sichuan, and six small glass cups. He poured a full glass for each of them and said, "This is the real good wine!" He opened the bottle, and Ling Hongxuan was the first to be surprised, "Hmm, it smells so fragrant! What kind of taste is this? Ah, it's the scent of the wine. This is the first time I've smelled such a wine scent. It's extraordinary!" Mei Jingjing held a small glass cup and exclaimed, "Wow, this transparent little cup is so cute." Cheng Zizhong raised his glass and tasted a small sip, closed his eyes, and swayed his head, saying, "Good! This wine is only fit for gods. How can humans have a chance to taste it? It's mellow and lingering, with an endless aftertaste." While everyone was marveling, someone behind the screen suddenly shouted, "Hey, you restaurant waiter, why don't you sell us your good wine? Are you discriminating against us because we don't have money? Here are ten taels of gold. I want the wine on the table next to us!"

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The waiter frowned and said, "Dear guest, we don't have that kind of wine here. If you'd like, I can bring you a new pot of wine called 'Ten Li Xiang'." The rude customer roared, "I want the exact wine on that table! Here's ten taels of gold. Go bring it to me now, or I'll burn down this whole restaurant!" His voice was loud and deep, like a banging copper bell. Everyone guessed he must be a tall and strong man.

The waiter went to Zhang Lei's table with a mournful expression and begged, "Dear guests, please have mercy on me and sell me that wine." But Zhao Hao refused. He had been wandering around for decades and had never tasted such good wine before. Plus, it was given to him by his master. He clung onto the bottle and said firmly, "No, I won't let you have it."

Zhang Lei found Zhao Hao's behavior amusing and thought to himself, "There are plenty of wines. I could just give him a bottle." As he was about to take out the wine, the screen suddenly fell down with a "bang". A skinny dwarf jumped over and slapped a gold ingot on the table, declaring, "Ten taels of gold for that wine!" Everyone was surprised by his sudden appearance.

Mei Jingjing mocked, "Do you think you can buy this immortal wine with just ten taels of gold? Are you delirious?" The dwarf sniffed and kept smelling the wine, his eyes fixed on Zhao Hao's bottle. Everyone else was stunned when he suddenly blurted, "You, are you Lord Zhao?"

Zhao Hao was also taken aback and stood up, asking, "Who are you?" But he couldn't remember ever meeting the dwarf before. The dwarf grabbed the bottle and jumped aside, laughing out loud, "I figured out who you are while you were talking! I'm nobody special, I just came for this wine!" Then he fled the restaurant, cackling wildly.

Zhao Hao was furious and ran after him, with Zhang Lei, Mei Jingjing, and Cheng Zi Chong following closely behind. Even Zheng Peng, who was usually slow to react, shouted, "Wait for me! I'm going too!" and dashed out.

Though the dwarf was fast, he forgot to cover the wine bottle. The unique aroma of Wuliangchun drifted behind him and couldn't be concealed from those chasing him. They ran all night until dawn. Zhao Hao stopped and looked around, realizing, "Isn't this the Frightening Slope? He ran more than 200 li in one night!"

Zhang Lei had originally planned to stop Zhao Hao, but he saw this as an opportunity to lose Cheng Zi Chong. He asked, "What place is this? He's really fast!" Zhang Lei thought to himself, "I need to create a teleportation spell in the future. Running is too slow."

Zhao Hao forced a bitter smile and said, "I'm afraid we've reached the terrifying slope!" Mei Jingjing exclaimed, "Is there a monster lurking around the terrifying slope?" Her expression was very nervous. The little girl was most afraid of those strange and bizarre beasts. Zhao Hao added, "It seems like this is the central area of the terrifying slope!" Distant sounds of clanging became louder and closer. Mei Jingjing grabbed Zhang Lei's arm and said anxiously, "Brother, something is coming!" Zhang Lei patted her hand to reassure her, "Don't be afraid, little sister! Don't be afraid!" "Young man, big sister, old man, wait for me..." The big and tall Zheng Peng caught up with them. He ran up to Zhang Lei and panted while complaining, "I'm exhausted. You guys ran faster than rabbits. Did you catch that boy?" Mei Jingjing was angry and said, "You scared us by making so much noise while running. I thought it was some kind of monster." Her face turned slightly red, and she let go of Zhang Lei's arm. Zhao Hao said, "Everyone, be careful. The monsters around here are very powerful." Rustling sounds came from all directions. Zhao Hao shouted, "Careful, it's the Shadow-Casting Insect!" He took out his treasured sword, and his expression turned grave. Three bugs, each as large as a water tank, appeared before their eyes. The bugs were strange-looking with bright red bodies spotted with black blotches. They had one single eye on their heads and two sharp needles as their mouthpieces, which were over a foot long and shone with a peculiar gleam. Mei Jingjing was scared at first sight, and her little face turned deathly pale. She jumped onto Zhang Lei's back and whimpered, "Oh, my goodness, it's so scary!" Zhang Lei was also nervous, but Mei Jingjing's sudden jump helped him regain his composure. He said, smiling, "Hey, little sister, don't climb up any further. There no pillar on my head, so you can't climb up anyway." Zhao Hao shouted, "Watch out for its spikes!" The big and tall Zheng Peng carried a long axe and glanced at Mei Jingjing, grinning foolishly. "Big sister, you're getting more and more timid by the day. Look at my Blackie's axe!" Mei Jingjing blushed with shame and anger. "I'm a girl, of course, I'm afraid of bugs!" Zhang Lei raised his hand, and three golden eagles flew out, hovering around and rushing towards the Shadow-Casting Insects. Three loud bangs sounded, and the insects were blasted more than ten meters away. Mei Jingjing cheered and jumped off Zhang Lei's back, exclaiming, "Brother, you're so awesome! You've blown them up with just one shot!" Her admiration embarrassed Zhang Lei so much that every hair on his body stood on end, and he got goosebumps all over his body. Surprisingly, the three Shadow-Casting Insects did not die. They staggered back to their feet and crawled their way towards the group. Mei Jingjing was scared again and hid behind Zhang Lei. "Wow, this can't even kill them!" Zhang Lei's face turned pale too. The energy contained in a single golden eagle was massive, and it couldn't even kill these bugs. It seemed like these insects not only had tough skin but also had an energy protection layer to shield them. The insects made a sharp screeching sound, like a sharp blade scraping against glass. Zhao Hao exclaimed, "It's calling for its companions. Kill it quickly!" Zhang Lei shouted, "Little sister, hold it with your whip! Blackie, protect the little sister! Zhao Hao, guard our backs. Alright! Let's go!" Mei Jingjing bravely swung her whip, and each bug was tightly bound by three thin whip shadows. They could not move at all. The bug screeched strangely, and six blue lights shot towards them. Zhang Lei's hundred-blade spear flew out at breakneck speed, creating more than ten sword shadows, which shattered the blue lights. Several clinking sounds were heard, and six blue and shining sharp thorns fell to the ground.

The three shadow-shooting insects with their sharp thorns wilted immediately after being hit by Zhang Lei's gun shadow. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Zheng Peng cursed, "Damn it, this thing is really sturdy!" He walked forward, wielded his big axe, and split the dead insect into two. Mei Jingjing sarcastically said, "Oh, our black guy is really brave. He chopped the bugs in half with one axe!" She took the opportunity to retaliate against him for calling her cowardly earlier. Zheng Peng was so embarrassed that his face turned red. He argued, "If it weren't for the young man letting me protect you, I wouldn't have cared about these few small bugs. Hey! What is this?" Inside the shadow-shooting insect opened by the black guy was a blue, flashing bead. Zheng Peng reached out and took it out. "What is this bead? It's so pretty." He rubbed it on his clothes, and the blue bead became even more crystal-clear and lovely. The little girl was most interested in this shiny bead. Mei Jingjing reached out her small hand and said, "Give it to me, let me see it." Zheng Peng smiled smugly and said, "No, who let you make fun of our black guy?" Mei Jingjing grinned and said, "Really not giving it to me?" Seeing her mischievous expression, Zheng Peng felt a bit nervous and wanted to give it to her, but he also felt that he couldn't lose face. Mei Jingjing lightly flicked her whip and giggled, "Really not giving it to me? Then don't blame this miss for snatching it." Seeing her whip, Zheng Peng suddenly realized and hurriedly shouted, "Big sister, don't use the whip to tie me up." "If you don't give it to me, I will tie you up!" The little girl was unreasonable. Zheng Peng was not stupid. He turned and hid behind Zhang Lei, laughing, "Haha, I found a shield!" Zhang Lei watched the two play and felt warm in his heart. He said, "Girl, here you go," and handed her two blue beads. These were dug up by Zhao Hao while they were playing around. Mei Jingjing cheered, "My brother is the best. Black guy, you don't look like a man, competing with a little girl for things." "Uh..." Zheng Peng was speechless. A rustling sound broke out in the distance. Zhang Lei took out immortal stones and other tools and set up a defensive formation while saying, "Be alert to the surroundings. Black guy, protect the girl. If bugs rush over, let the girl tie them up with her whip, and Zhao Hao will use his treasure sword to chop them. Try to buy me time to set up the formation. A large number of bugs are coming!" Mei Jingjing screamed, "Oh wow! So many bugs, it's disgusting!"