Pursuing Immortality, Chapter 201 - Chapter 400
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https://www.asianovel.com/series/pursuing-immortality
Pursuing Immortality
顾道长生
Meet Gu Yu—a college dropout and a talented incense maker, and at the same time, the rather stoic protagonist of this story. Despite his somewhat introverted manner, he has a tendency to make sarcastic remarks in his thoughts. One day, after saving a squirrel, a windfall (metaphorically and literally) dropped into his lap. Stumbling into the cultivation world with little help, he was not turned into Superman overnight (as he would like). Apparently, becoming a cultivator would not make your life easier, at least in the beginning.
Somewhere along the road, he ran into Jiang Xiaozhai, a young woman who’s got the brains, the beauty, and maybe one or two secrets of her own. As it turned out, the two made a perfect team—Mulder-and-Scully style. Motivated by many unanswered questions, they had been running up and down the country, getting into all kinds of trouble, and learning more of the modern cultivation world, which is by no means the same as in the ages long past…
Author(s):Sleeping Will Make You Fair, 睡觉会变白
Artist(s):
Year: 2016
Country:
China
Tags:Beast Companions, Beautiful Female Lead, Calm Protagonist, Cultivation, Dao Companion, Handsome Male Lead, Hard-Working Protagonist, Hiding True Abilities, Male Protagonist, Modern Day, Multiple POV, Poor to Rich, Power Couple, Wealthy Characters, Zombies
Source:Qidian International, Imported
ASIANOVEL VERSION: 3.11
EPUB VERSION: 2.0
USER:
Knight9509
DATE CREATED: 2020-01-12
LANGUAGE: English
More info and chapters: https://www.asianovel.com/series/pursuing-immortality
Chapter 201: Buddhism And Bug-Catching
Source: Qidian International
With the eastward advancement of Buddhism, eight mahayana schools and two hinayana schools were gradually derived from it. Together, they were known as the Buddhist Ten Schools. Later on, the hinayana ones declined, making them Eight Buddhist Schools instead.
These eight schools were all based on the ancient Buddhism, from where they extended and mixed with much local culture, which then gave birth to these new sects.
The journey of Buddhism's expansion into this eastern country was not a smooth one. There were as many as four Buddhism-abolishing campaigns in written records alone, which took place during the reign periods of Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei, Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou, Emperor Wuzong of Tang, and Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou. Together, these campaigns were known as "Disasters of Three Wu and One Zong".
The reasons behind these events were no more than the following three: the ruling class's need to consolidate their power, the strife between Taoism and Buddhism, and Buddhism reaping what it had sown.
Take Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei as an example. The man was not a Buddhism-hater in the beginning, but then a vassal came along, whose name was Cui Hao, a Taoist disciple whose master was Kou Qianzhi.
The teacher and pupil had won the trust of Emperor Taiwu, and in order to make Taoism the one and only supreme religion, Cui Hao pressed for the abolishment of Buddhism. At a glance, he seemed to be the cause of the event, but the calamity was actually brought by the degenerated Buddhist community itself.
At the early stage of Buddhism abolishment, Emperor Taiwu was not particularly harsh with it. However, two years into the campaign, he was leading an army fighting in the fields and went to Chang'an to reorganize his troops, when he caught his attendants sharing meat and liquor with some monks of a temple.
Finding this conduct inappropriate, he sent soldiers to examine the temple, where they found numerous weapons and a considerable amount of liquor. Also stashed away in the temple were treasured belongings of dignitaries, as well as back rooms where the monks fornicated with women.
The discovery infuriated the emperor. An imperial edict followed, ordering the elimination of Buddhism. Buddhist statues, temples, and scriptures were destroyed; monks were buried alive regardless of how young or old they were. As expected, Cui Hao did not get to die in his own bed, either. He was later executed on Emperor Taiwu's command.
In Buddhist terms, these were the "internal cause" and the "latent effect".
Taoism had its own expression on such matter: Misery and happiness had no door—if either came, one brought it upon themselves.
Or in Xiaozhai's words, the stupid monks had it coming.
***
"Unlike the Taoist community, which has been declining ever since the Song Dynasty, Buddhism thrived in the later dynasties despite all the disasters it went through."
On the large bed, Xiaozhai and Gu Yu lay in each other's arms. It was supposed to be an intimate picture, but the words coming out of their mouths were of an completely irrelevant subject.
"These past few months, I've visited Shaolin Temple, Daci'en Temple, Huayan Temple, Guoqing Temple… I almost saw them all, apart from the birthplace of Esoteric Buddhism. I found mostly commonly published Buddhist scriptures and they were not particularly substantial, but I did learn a thing or two.
Chan Buddhism is all about sitting in meditation. 'Look into your heart and see the Buddha on enlightenment'.
Pure Land Buddhism chants the name of Buddha. Get rid of the vile spawn, straighten out the karma, and you move on blissfully to the Pure Land.
Vinaya School focuses on precept itself. One could only achieve the enlightenment after themselves are cleansed.
Huayan School believes in Dharmadhatu Pratityasamutpada and 'perfect interfusion'..."
"Stop right there. What the hell is Dharmadhatu Pratityasamutpada?" Gu Yu interrupted.
"It means all phenomena inside and out of the world are representations of the wisdom of Buddha without exception. Without this wisdom, no phenomenon will exist." Xiaozhai offered a brief explanation. Seeing that he still looked confused, she used her own words. "The heart says, 'let there be light', and light there is!"
"Ok, I think I get it." Gu Yu was enlightened.
"The doctrine of Huayan sets the foundation of all eight schools. Theories of various schools including Faxiang 1 , Sanlun 2 , and Tiantai all share some similarities. You only need to know one concept: alaya-vijnana…"
She sat up, leaning against the white wall with her legs slinging over her boyfriend's waist. "Men have five consciousnesses to begin with, that is eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body consciousnesses. The sixth is mental consciousness and the seventh manas, or the subconscious. The eighth is alaya-vijnana.
The concept is rather abstract. It is the collective body of all human nature and delusions, and where the seeds of good and evil are embedded. Every idea, intention, spoken word, or conduct of every individual creates a seed of future karma. Before the seeds are retributed, they all hide in alaya-vijnana…"
She was a straight-A student at heart and an enthusiast of theoretical knowledge; she was able to explain the profound theory in simple terms.
Gu Yu listened attentively and suddenly sat up. "I get it! First of all, you have to believe in Buddha and karma. Karma is hidden in alaya-vijnana, which gives birth to numerous Dharmadhatu. Everyone is a prisoner of karma and everything one does has its karmic consequences, which determines whether you're going to hell or Pure Land after you're dead."
"Very good generalization!" Xiaozhai offer her praise and added, "In order to go to Pure Land, one has to work on karma as well as believe in Buddha. The former is the internal force and the latter the external one. Buddha will give you a hand to help you reach the heaven. Should you decide to do evil, karma will catch up with you once you drop dead and you are going to burn in hell."
"Tsk, Buddhists are so idealistic! By this standard, the masters nowadays are definitely not qualified enough." Gu Yu shook his head.
Taoist theory was that man was an integral part of nature and the Great Dao itself an imitation of nature. With the Great Dao as their ultimate goal, one would blaze trails and break paths, advancing bravely and never giving in. If one was fortunate enough to reach the state of Heavenly Immortal, they would share the glory of the universe for eternity.
Buddhism asked for one's faith first. Only after one believed in it would Buddha give one the strength. The level of cultivation was also related to Buddhist doctrine. The more advanced the doctrine, the more capable the cultivator. However, after all those centuries, many of the Buddhist skills must have been lost as well. With a general mood even more degenerated than the Taoist community's, real masters were very hard to come by. More importantly, even if one managed to go to Pure Land, it would only bring them to Buddha himself in his land; no immortality of oneself was mentioned.
"Anyway, I didn't get to see any magical tricks. It was so boring… hey, do you know what was the most interesting thing happened to me this time?" Before he could answer, Xiaozhai revealed it herself. "I have indeed ran into an old monk in Xiaoji Temple. He had some profound knowledge of Buddhist theories and told me a lot of stuff, like 'good and evil will always be rewarded, it's karma', blah blah.
I was like 'Damn it, I've done nothing evil, but my boyfriend has. Will he go to hell after he dies?'"
"Pffft!"
Gu Yu choked on his own spit. 'Is this woman really my girlfriend?'
"The master taught me 'a fault confessed is half redressed.' I said sometimes it couldn't be helped. One's got to fight back to make oneself happy.
The master then said if one committed the ten evil deeds, they would end up in the realms of Hell, Hungry Ghost, and Animal 3 . It would be an eternal damnation; no rebirth."
"Then what did you say?" Gu Yu was curious.
She did not answer, but asked back, "How would you respond if you were there?"
Gu Yu gave it some thought. "I've killed people, I'm not planning to repent, and I'm going to hell. In that case… in that case, I should simply stay alive forever!"
"Hahaha!" Xiaozhai broke into laughter at this. Clinging onto him, she panted slightly. "That was my answer, word for word!"
"Haha…"
Gu Yu laughed with her. That was probably why they became a couple.
Dusk had set in already. The window next to the bed was half open, letting in the dim sunlight through the wide open curtains, painting the floor with a soft hue. Downstairs, the husband seemed to have returned with the kid. There was child voice of calling for food and the landlady's coaxing and comforting words.
It took Xiaozhai quite a while to stop laughing. When she raised her head and looked at the man again, there was an urge in her eyes. They connected, they understood each other, and there was love in the air; it couldn't be helped.
She sat up, her long legs swept across the air and she was straddling on his waist.
"What…"
Gu Yu swayed backwards. He propped himself up with both hands and looked resigned.
"I'm about to commit fornication."
"It's broad daylight. Can't you wait?"
"Frrrrrr!"
He got a breeze in reply. With a wave of Xiaozhai's hand, the curtain was drawn all the way to the other end and the room dimmed right away. She stretched out and bit Gu Yu's neck.
"Daylight or not, the basic needs can't wait, can they?"
***
The following day.
There were more than a dozen farm-stay businesses, most of which were deserted by now. One of the largest courtyards was littered with daily supplies and garbage, along with two hens that nobody bothered to get rid of. Right now, they were strolling the courtyard in the most careless fashion.
"Cluck!"
One of them seemed to have spotted a worm and ran happily towards it, but it did not make if far before someone lifted it off the ground.
The hen didn't even get a chance to flap it wings before it was knocked out and stuffed into a bag. The other one shared this fate. Immediately after that, two hen-stealing thieves snuck out the courtyard and headed straight towards Flaming Mountain—they were none other than Gu Yu and Xiaozhai themselves.
They went up the mountain with the bag and reached the cave, above which the giant rock still hang. The sun was not yet at the right position and the entrance was still hidden in the shadow.
"The passage inside is too narrow and we can only crawl in and out. If only it could be a bit wider, we'd be able to go straight in and get the puppets out," said Gu Yu.
"Expand the entrance first, or it might be in our way later." Xiaozhai examined the entrance and suggested.
"Step back."
Gu Yu moved closer in a few strides and activated his mental force. Seven refined Flaming Cloud Needles materialized in front of him, blazing resplendently with their scarlet glow. Controlling the magical instruments, Gu Yu arranged them into a single file end to end. Together, they resembled a magnificent, shiny dagger.
"Poof!"
The dagger thrusted forward abruptly, stabbing into the mountain wall by sheer force until it disappeared completely into the rock. Right away, the wall shook with a crackling sound and rubble and dust started showering down.
"Boom!"
A large piece of rock smashed onto the ground and there was a giant opening above the entrance of the cave.
"That should be wide enough."
Xiaozhai blindfolded the two hens and tied some tough ropes around their bodies. She then sliced her finger across their necks; blood oozed out right away.
"Cluck… cluck…"
The hens squawked in pain. They flapped their wings with all their effort, but could not break free no matter what.
Xiaozhai ducked down, aimed into the cave, and swung the hens in. The moment they touched the ground, their squawk was even more awful as they rushed around blindly like maniacs.
Chickens usually ran in circles, but animal instinct told them that a couple of powerful auras were guarding the way they came from. They dared not turn around and could only run forward.
"Cluck… cluck…"
The two waited outside as the sound grew weaker. Neither of them was confident that they would be able to lure the bug out.
In less than twenty seconds, the pitch of the clucks erupted and the rops started shaking violently.
"Pull!"
Gu Yu's face lit up.
They started pulling the ropes right away, which were soon out of the cave. The hens were skeletons by now, with a few black bugs hanging onto them.
The black bugs seemed to sense the danger. They started scuttling back before they were completely out of the cave. Xiaozhai stretched out her gloved long arm, and with a sweep, she had caught one between her fingers.
The bug squeaked and opened its lotus-shaped mouthpart, ready to spurt out the venom. With a sizzling sound, a tiny streak of lightning drilled into its chest.
The black bug froze on the spot, suppressed by the overwhelming and fierce power of thunder, and dared not move at all.
She put it carefully into a sack and covered it safely away from sunlight. They could not bear to have such a disgusting creature in their wooden box—it might give them a psychological toll.
It was not that Gu Yu could not catch one on his own, but he wouldn't know what to do with it even if he did. He was never a scholar type and did not know the rare and odd inheritance as his girlfriend did.
***
The same night, in the hotel.
Lights were on in the small courtyard, which looked especially conspicuous and melancholic among the surrounding darkness. Somehow, the affectionate landlady and her husband were quarrelling tonight, which was mixed with the crying of the child. They did not care there were still guests upstairs.
Of course, those two did not actually care about what was going on, for they had shut themselves up in the room studying the black bug.
The table was matted with two layers of thick cloth. Xiaozhai sat at the table and opened the sack. She then patted the table. The bug dared not even make a sound at the energy of thunder and crept out obediently.
It was the size of a fist, had eight long, barbed legs, a gigantic mouthpart, and protruding eyes that resembled the compound eyes of flies.
Xiaozhai turned it this way and that for quite a while and found nothing out of the ordinary. She then drew her dagger and cut down.
"Poof!"
The head of the bug fell down and rolled to one side. Black liquid spurted out, dampening the cloth. She observed the contaminated cloth and concluded, "It's not erosive, but could be poisonous. This does not look like blood. How strange…"
As she mumbled, her hand moved swiftly, cutting down all eight long legs, then split its stomach open along a thin line on its chest.
"What?"
Both were taken by surprise, for the inside of the bug was hollow. There were no internal organs, no bones, no blood or flesh.
"That's against common sense!"
Frowning, Xiaozhai fell silent in vexation.
"Well, do you think it's possible that this is the legendary corpse bug?" Gu Yu asked.
"No, it's not that. I've read about those in my master's collection. There was a detailed description on them." Xiaozhai disagreed and explained, "Corpse bugs feed on dead bodies, but they still have a normal biological structure and belong to the natural world. This black bug, on the other hand, seems like a creature raised by some secret skill… hey, did you say the cave was full of puppets?"
"Yep."
"What was in the puppet?"
"I didn't get a close look. I think it was a dead baby."
"Dead baby, dead baby…" she muttered to herself and only spoke again after a long time, "There is a possibility: the dead bodies were the substrate of the bugs. There is no such creature in natural world and they could only be created by baby corpses and the secret skill. Taoism would not take such approach. I think it looks like something related to sorcery… hey, look here!"
She had turned the bug round and round but found nary a clue. She was about to cut open that head when she stopped.
"Check out the back of its head. Does the shape and the pattern look like a ghostly face to you?"
Gu Yu looked at it. It indeed resembled a tiny yet hideous ghostly face. Moreover, there were two red dots as well, which were right where the eyes should be.
Tsk! It suddenly dawned on him that the two encounters he had were both red-eyed ghostly faces!
"Can it be a coincidence?" he mumbled.
"Of course not!" Xiaozhai was quick to react. She fumbled out a pen and started drawing. "You fought with ghostly faces, the puppets had ghostly faces, and so does the bug. Those sorcery practitioners love their totems and this could well be their emblem. I've heard of plenty of sky-, earth-, water-, and fire-worshipers, but ghost-believers…"
She tossed the pen aside and pressed her hand on the vivid drawing of a ghostly face. "That's something only Shamanism would do!"
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Chapter 202: Attempting To Break Through To The Innate State
Source: Qidian International
Shamanism was a variation of Wuxi and used to be widely practiced among nomads, its believers spreading across the vast region from outside the Shanhai Pass to the Northwest.
The core of Shamanism was the belief that all things were spiritual. The sun, the moon, the stars, mountains and rivers, water and fire, flowers and trees, and even certain animals were all spiritual beings. It was especially keen on worshipping gods and the ghosts of ancestors, which was the foundation of its teachings.
Shamanism was a general term for numerous divisions, each with its own regional characteristics. Outside the Shanhai Pass, for instance, the region was known for the Changbai 1 Mountains and the Heilong 2 River. Consequently, some clans there worshipped bears. The Northwest, on the other hand, had its plateaus and meadows, and clans there chose to worship snow mountains.
All those inheritances originated from the occult sorcery science of Wuxi times, which attributed great importance to the communication with "spirit".
Xiaozhai was speculating now that Zhang Wei and his men were connected with Shamanism. They were probably the descendants of the lucky survivors of the destroyed Jushi Kingdom.
Of course, these two didn't actually care about those people's actual identity. 'I don't give a damn as long as you leave me alone. Now that you've pissed me off, there're going to be consequences.'
And a lot of consequences, that was, until these people were completely crushed.
After everything was sorted out, Xiaozhai put away the drawing of the ghostly face, while Gu Yu rolled up the cloth on the table—wrapped inside was the stinky dead body. He then activated his mental force and a scarlet glow rose out of his palm, bringing with it an intense burning sensation.
"Pop!"
The cloth burst into flames at the touch and was burning more vigorously by the second. Before long, the cloth was all ashes, which he flushed down the toilet, destroying every last bit of it.
"I'm growing very fond of your needles. I think they have great potential." Xiaozhai offered her praise as she watched his move. "Do some research. See if you can change their shape so that they are good for both defense and offense."
"Hm? You mean like this?"
Gu Yu winced, then summoned all seven needles all at once. The seven rays of scarlet light then linked up end to end, forming a short sword. Stretching out his hand, he grabbed the fiery sword and struck at the empty air as if he was wielding a real sword.
"Whoosh!"
The scarlet blade struck down ferociously. The air rippled like water in a pond, raising a wave of scorching blast, which rushed vigorously towards the wall. Xiaozhai moved swiftly, blocking its way, then waved her hands.
"Pop!"
"Clack!"
In the split of a second, the blast was trapped between her palms by the lightning and soon suppressed.
Immediately after that, Gu Yu let go of the sword, which scattered and reformed. Now there was a hollow round shield floating in front him.
"The Green Jade Needle before could only make physical attacks and there was not much variation to it. The Flaming Cloud Needle now has a magical property to it. It's much more agile."
Gu Yu retrieved the magical instrument and pondered. "If I manage to refine all seventy-two needles, I can indeed use them for offense and defense alike. But that's not changing shape, but moving into different formations. If we really want to make them into other shapes, we'll need another fortunate encounter to upgrade this gear. Oh, speaking of which, where are you in cultivating your mental force?"
"It can be used externally," replied Xiaozhai.
"Just about time…" With that, he fumbled out a big package—in it was the remaining green jade stone. "I've taken more than enough. Any magical instrument you want to refine?"
Xiaozhai gave the stone a look and gave her firmly determined answer. "A hammer!"
"WHAT?"
"A hammer!"
"Sis, seriously?" he asked hopelessly.
"I am the Lord of Thunder and of course I have to use a hammer!" Xiaozhai was wearing a solemn look on her face.
'The hell with that! I wasn't born yesterday!'
"It's the Thunder Technique you are cultivating and you can temper it with your own spiritual essence. There's no need to use the fire spiritual essence for refinement. Xiao Qiu should be at the same stage as you, also just able to use it externally… oh my!" He stopped abruptly. "It's New Year today. Shouldn't we give Xiao Qiu a call?"
"New Year?"
Xiaozhai blinked and was abashed as she replied, "I have completely forgotten about it."
They had been out for three months and made no contact whatsoever with the poor kid, who was left behind at home. That was not very thoughtful of them at all! Thus, the heartless "parents" took out their phone and sent out a video call request.
"Brrrrrrr…"
"Brrrrrrr…"
It was quite a while when the call finally went through, showing an expressionless little face. Her voice was scarily calm. "Oh, it's you, Brother and Sister."
"Haha…"
The couple was feeling guilty and Gu Yu asked first, "Well, what are you doing over there?"
"Just ate."
"What did you eat?"
"Don't remember."
"..."
The conversation froze in the air. Xiaozhai shoved her boyfriend aside and took over the phone. "Has anyone come to trade these days?"
"Three came, I accepted one. It was a glossy ganoderma."
"Where did it come from?"
"The Qi Family of the south of Five Ridges. He said the area was particularly good for growing medicinal materials. I talked with him. I think this can be a long-term deal…"
Xiao Qiu was quite serious when talking business. A few words on the subject and Xiaozhai felt the atmosphere softened a little. She then said, "It'll be another while before we head back. With you alone at home…"
"How long is a while?" Long Qiu interrupted.
"April, or March."
Xiaozhai knew at once she had said the wrong words. The girl's face turned expressionless again as she said frigidly, "Ok, I see. I'll hang up if there's nothing else."
"Click!"
The reflection of two shuddering fellows filled the darkened screen. "Sh*t, the kid is angry."
***
After New Year, Huo Zhou felt all the more like a dead city.
The average temperatures of past years were between -12 to -2 degrees Celsius, but it was higher by as many as ten degrees this year. It did not feel like winter at all.
The owner's family had left, leaving the keys to Gu Yu. Of the entire Grape Valley, they were the only people left.
The government turned a blind eye to this and gave a tacit permission for them to stay. Their mind wasn't on these two anyway. The entire state was operating on full blast, concentrating all energy to support the migration.
The majority of the 700,000 people had left, with only a handful struggling against the tide. Of course, some were genuinely unwilling to part with their hometown, while others only stayed behind to squeeze more money out of this.
Aksun County, Ila Lake Township.
There were eight villages and a little over 10,000 residents in total. Six of the villages had been emptied so far and the remaining two were quite problematic.
Inside a shabby courtyard, a wife was complaining. "We're running out of food and the markets are closed. Let's just move. It's giving me the jitters."
"What are you afraid of? Ten families are still staying in the village. If anything happens, it happens to all of us."
The yellow-teethed man lay on a chair, completely unconcerned.
The wife was on pins and needles. "What if they cut off the water and electricity?"
"Ha! Then I'll have a lie-down outside the township government gate! Don't worry. The last time we talked with them, they were about to give in. This time…"
While the man was lecturing his wife, confident that everything was working out as planned, he paused abruptly, then asked with excitement, "Listen. Do you hear vehicles?"
The woman turned to listen and there was indeed an indistinctive rumbling of vehicles approaching. The husband rose to his feet. "They're here. Let go have a look."
With that, he walked out of the courtyard and looked into the distance on the countryside dirt road.
Dust swirled in the air, blocking most of his sight. When the air was clear again, the front of a big black vehicle came into sight, which was followed closely by a second one, and a third, and fourth… as it turned out, it was a fleet of cars.
The man immediately realized that something was wrong; his legs were shivering a little.
"Squeech!"
"Squeech!"
The fleet of cars stopped at the entrance of the village in no time and a team of fully-armored special force filed out. The leader called out, "Take them all!"
"Yes!"
There was a response in unison, which had shaken the last bit of confidence out of the man. Two members of team rushed to his side, grabbed his arms with pincer-like hands, then pressed him down.
"What are you doing?"
The half-kneeling, half-standing position he was in was extremely uncomfortable and his head was pressed all the way down. He shouted at the top of his voice, "Why are you arresting me? On what grounds?"
"Shut up!"
There was a sharp pain on his waist and he choked on his unsaid words.
Meanwhile, villagers were chased out of their neighboring houses in twos and threes, all crying and howling. The police knew perfectly whom they should be dealing with and was only relentless towards the men, but treated women and children appropriately.
"We don't want the money anymore! We will leave now… sob…"
"We want no money, no money, sob…"
The man was escorted towards a truck and seemed to pick up the crying of his wife and children. He struggled and squirmed, crying out as he stumbled on. "Yes, we don't want it any more! We'll move right away!"
Yet no one was paying attention to him.
The team leader stood in the middle of the road with a notebook, crossing out each name as the villagers got on the truck one at a time. In the end, a subordinate officer went up to him. "Captain! There are thirty-seven in total and we've escorted thirty-five!"
"Who are the two absent?" His face darkened.
"Xxx and xxx."
The subordinate spoke two names. "They have ingested pesticide when I went in. They are on they way to the hospital now."
"..."
The team leader fell silent. He knew the situation here like the back of his hand. Most of those who stayed were trying to extort money, but the two elderly were an exception.
Both were orphaned and widowed, lived their whole life in the village, and had no family left. They asked for no money and simply did not want to leave. The pesticide must have been prepared beforehand, just for a day like this.
Sadness filled the team leader's heart, yet there was nothing he could do. Sighing, he gave the village a last look, turned around, and got into a vehicle.
***
Tianzhu Mountain, Qiyun Taoist Monastery.
It was time for breakfast and disciples of Zhengyi and Quanzhen were still sitting in two distinctively seperate groups. They were still eating spiritual rice porridge, only that the porridge was a little thicker now.
After having it for more than half a year, most men had adapted to the effect of spiritual rice and the improvement in their cultivation was obvious. There was no longer a limit now. Eat more if you could take it; stay with the watery porridge if you couldn't.
The canteen was utterly quiet, void of even the clink of spoons touching bowls. Taoist priests did not talk nonsense while eating, but the look on each face was rather hard to describe.
Because of their special status, they were informed of everything going on in the cultivation world, which naturally included Huo Zhuo. The entire monastery knew about it shortly after the abnormality was discovered.
Good God! The abnormality of nature took over an entire city all at once! The scene sounded so interesting that they wanted to see if for themselves. However, they knew that they could do nothing without the adequate ability.
Zhang Shouyang held up his bowl and downed the last bit of his porridge in one gulp, then gestured to his left and right to take his leave.
While he was strolling towards the door, a man rushed in suddenly and almost bumped into him. He steadied himself and saw that it was a young disciple from Qingsong Sect of Quanzhen.
"What's the hurry?" he asked.
"Senior, Senior Brothers…"
The young one did not reply. Instead, he stood there, his eyes shining with excitement. "Senior, Senior Brother Lu announced he is going to enter seclusion. He is going to attempt breaking through to the innate state!"
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Chapter 203: Success
Source: Qidian International
"Buzz!"
The canteen erupted at the announcement. Everyone's expressions changed. One after another, they put down their bowls and chopsticks, rushing out of the door.
The group gathered outside Lu Yuanqing's courtyard, where a disciple from Laoshan Sect of Quanzhen was keeping guard. He saluted the crowd. "Good morning, Senior Brothers."
"What's the situation?" Shi Yunlai asked.
"Early this morning, Junior Brother Zhang and I went to the canteen together and walked past Senior Brother Lu's courtyard on our way. We saw him standing in the yard alone, which got us wondering, so we went up to him and inquired about it. Senior Brother Lu kept his silence at first, then entered his room and closed the door behind him. From inside the room, he informed us that he was sensing something in his mind and was going into seclusion to try to break through to the innate state. We dared not take the matter lightly and delivered the news to Senior Brothers at once."
Despite the irritable look, the young man was slow and articulate in his narration.
"..."
Those gathered around all reacted differently at the news. Priests from Quanzhen was surprised at first, but soon went wild with joy. Those from Zhengyi, on the other hand, were anxiety-ridden and pale-faced.
Time seemed to have frozen for a second before old Priest Mo said, "The most important thing now is to inform the authorities, then take turns to guard the door. Each shift will consist of two people and we can volunteer—"
Before he could finish the sentence, the disciple from Laoshan said, "Naturally, Junior Brother Zhang and I take the first shift."
"I'll be the second!" a disciple from Jinhui Sect said.
"I'll be the third!" said a disciple from Haiyun Sect.
The twenty Quanzhen disciples might have their conflicts on normal days, but at this critical moment, they shared the glory of their fellow disciple and fell over one another to make their share of contribution. The sixteen Zhengyi disciples could only stand aside and watch in silence.
Soon, the ten-shift guarding schedule was set up and the government had received the news. The time of seclusion varied from a couple of days to three or five years. Food and water needed to be sent in every day and there were other matters to take care of from time to time, all of which required men at hand.
"He is worthy of the name of the abbot's personal pupil of Baiyun Temple. It has taken him such a short time to reach the innate state."
"That's too early to say. I wonder if he will make it."
"He was bold enough to go into seclusion, he must be very confident about the outcome. Let's just wait patiently."
While they were still discussing, the sound of many voices came from afar. Another bunch of people knocked the mountain gate open and ran hurriedly in. There were about seven or eight of them and the one in the front was an old man in military suit—the general superintendent of Tianzhu Mountain.
He approached them in quick steps and was about to enter the courtyard straight away when he halted abruptly, suspending his foot in mid-air for a few seconds before putting it down. Eyeing the closed door, he fought back the tumult of emotions inside, turned to the other direction and asked, "How are things looking?"
Shi Yunlai went up to him and replied, "He has only just started his seclusion. We can't tell yet."
"How long will it take?"
"It's very hard to say. All we can do is wait."
"..."
The old man stared at him for quite a while, then clasped his hands behind his back and paced up and down a few rounds before asking, "Priest Shi, Priest Mo, what do you think?"
The two exchanged a look and gave similar answers. "Junior Brother Lu is extremely talented and has been cultivating Dan methods of the highest grade. Adding to the fact that he has received the nourishment of spiritual rice, it is looking very promising."
They kept their answer ambiguous without any substantial promise. The old man, however, seemed to sigh with relief and said repeatedly, "Good, that's good."
While they were expecting the result eagerly, those of Zhengyi left the scene unnoticed.
Zhang Shouyang, Chao Kongtu, and Zhong Lingyu got together in the living quarters. The atmosphere was exceptionally grave. Even the most unbridled Chao Kongtu was frowning as he said, "Lu Yuanqing must have been quite certain of his success to announce his seclusion. We need to come up with a countermeasure."
"How? With Zhengyi's skills all gone, are you suggesting we should turn to follow Quanzhen instead?" Zhong Lingyu's tone was helpless.
The words were unintentional, but Zhang Shouyang shuddered at them. He said gravely, "While we respect the Taoist orthodox, the government does not. The achievement of Quanzhen will certainly win its full support. I know Lu Yuanqing too well. He will grab this opportunity and turn things against us."
"How dare he?"
"Does he think he can change the Taoist orthodox of the past thousand years like that?"
The other two were taken by surprise and their face darkened with concern. The unyielding protests sounded more like self-consolation.
"Sigh, the government values the outcome. In order to survive, we need to work on that aspect.
Being the abbot's personal pupil of Ways of Celestial Masters, Zhang Shouyang was the most accessible to insider information and the most insightful one. He only shook his head and sighed sadly.
***
Inside the meditation room.
Lu Yuanqing sat cross-legged with closed eyes. His upper body was kept ramrod straight with his head bending slightly forward. His thumbs linked with his right hand wrapping around his left, two Laogong 1 acupoints facing each other, and ten fingers slightly apart.
His breathing was smooth, long, and almost too quiet to detect. There was an otherworldly feel to his face.
He stimulated the secretion of his saliva, swallowed, and directed the essence into Dantian, where the primordial essence came to life and transformed into Qi, traveling upwards along Du vessel, passing through the three meridians Wei Lü 2 , Jia Ji 3 , and Yu Zhen 4 , the upper, middle, and lower Huang Ting 5 , and the upper and lower Que Qiao 6 before a full cycle was completed, which was also the process of refining the essence of the small universe.
As the saying went, "Moving the essence up Kun Mountain and keeping it undisturbed until reaching Yuguan. Thanks to the eight closely shut doors, Yin and Yang will mingle and form a cycle."
The Small Universe Technique was the most advanced and intact existing Neidan method. It could carry essence upwards to nourish the mind, adjust the level of energy activated, balance Yin and Yang, as well as defeat numerous maladies so as to strengthen the body and prolong the lifespan.
Dan methods of Quanzhen all started from the acquired state and moved into the innate state from there.
One had to reach the innate state to be able to sense the spiritual essence. On the other hand, the spiritual essence was a must-have if one wanted to reach the innate state. The process was comparable to building a bridge between heaven and earth. With the bridge gone, what would one use to connect the two with?
Of the thousands of years of the ancient time, Ming Dynasty was the last era for cultivators. Starting from middle to late Ming, those of high power and great virtue perished rapidly. When Qing Dynasty came along, all that was left were the theories, and the cultivators were gone.
In plain words, the world was "degraded" after the spiritual essence dried up. Even if one could practice Neidan method to perfection, they would be stuck at the pinnacle of the acquired state, unable to move up further.
Now that the spiritual essence had recovered, the world was "upgraded", making it possible for one to move into the innate state from the acquired one.
Lu Yuanqing was an extremely talented man who had mastered the Small Universe Technique better than his own master. All he needed was an opportunity like this. With what he had accumulated in the past twenty years, plus the facilitation of the spiritual rice, he had finally reached the threshold, hence the announcement of seclusion.
"Ha…"
"Ha…"
Lu Yuanqing's breathing was becoming quieter and his expression all the calmer. He had lost count of time when there was a heating sensation in his kidneys and he seemed to feel a shimmer in his Dantian.
He steadied his mental force, went on following the manual, and would not be disturbed by this change.
A few cycles later, when his vital Qi and primordial essence all gathered at the top of his head, his inner Qi that had been circulating smoothly suddenly jolted, as if it was derailing and escaping out of his body. In that instant, a sensation he had never experienced before washed over his consciousness. The pores of his body opened and his meridians relaxed. For the first time, he seemed to be experiencing the perfect fusion of his vital essence, as if he was communicating with nature itself and let nature took its course.
Immediately after that, this sense of perfection dissipated rapidly and flowed downwards like a pot of warm water pouring down from his head, which gurgled down and flooded into his Dantian. He almost felt half-intoxicated. His body was light and soft; he was treading on air like a fairy.
***
Two days later, noontime.
The men on shift were disciples from Changchun Sect of Nanzhong and Nangong Sect of Longmen, which shared the same founder, Qiu Chuji, and were closely connected. They had just finished lunch and were sat chatting in the courtyard while darting a look at the main house from time to time.
Inside the door was the main hall and the meditation room was in the east wing. A tray of food and water was placed outside the door of the latter, yet after they had refreshed contents of the tray for several times, the food and water were never touched.
"Do you think Senior Brother Lu will succeed?" the disciple of Nangong Sect asked suddenly.
"Of course!" The one from Changchun Sect seemed to worship Lu Yuanqing. "If Senior Brother can achieve the innate state and take charge of the monastery, I'm going to be the first to offer my support. Now that everything has changed in the world, if Quanzhen still wants to keep the Taoist orthodoxy, someone like Senior Brother must stand out and take command."
"I'm a little concerned. I never seem to understand the man."
"You worry too much. Having Senior Brother as our leader is at least better than having one from Zhengyi."
"You've got a point… hm?"
As the two chatted on, they suddenly felt an indescribable fluctuation coming towards them. Then there came a "creak" and the wooden door was opened.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-4.png){kind=small}
Chapter 204: A Rippling Effect
Source: Qidian International
"Senior Brother Lu!"
"Senior Brother Lu!"
The pair leapt to their feet instantly and turned their heads in unison. There was a hint of hesitation in their expectant tone.
Lu Yuanqing had a blue cotton robe on and wore his hair in a top bun in the Taoist style. His expression was peaceful and mild, as if nothing had changed. Seeing the two in the courtyard, he cupped his hands slightly and smiled. "I see I have troubled two Junior Brothers with the job."
"Not at all, not at all. It's our pleasure."
The one from the Nangong Sect paused a little and swallowed despite himself. "Senior Brother, did, did you…"
"It was only by sheer luck," he replied tactfully.
Boom!
The succinct answer resonated in their ears like a solemn announcement, so loud that it could make the deaf ear hear and the dim-sighted see.
The one from the Changchun Sect was thrown out of balance by the words and could not hold back his excitement. He said repeatedly, "I knew it! I knew it! Congratulations, Senior Brother, for reaching the innate state… oh, right, I'll go tell everyone now!"
With that, he scuttled off in a hurry.
Lu Yuanqing smiled and did not stop him. The disciple of the Nangong Sect was a little flurried at being left behind and asked, "Senior Brother, may I be of service to you?"
"I'm fine. You don't have to wait up on me now."
"Oh, sure!"
The disciple was about to leave, but thought better of it and stayed in the courtyard despite himself, and stood aside attentively.
Lu Yuanqing paid him no attention. He simply sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard, taking in the clouds and trees in turn, while closing his eyes in contemplation every now and then. After achieving the innte state, he was most impressed by the nuances he was able to sense now. Everywhere he looked, the world seemed to have been upgraded from low pixel to an HD screen, and he was feeling a much tighter bond between himself and nature.
The beauty of the sensation was beyond any words.
"Dong!"
"Dong!"
"Dong!"
Shortly after the disciple of Laoshan Sect took off, distant toll came from the direction of the great hall. One, two, three… it rang for as many as twelve times in total. The lingering sound resonated in the empty mountains.
After the bell, his fellow Taoist disciples arrived first.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother!"
"You're ahead of us, Junior Brother Lu. We'll have to work harder now!"
Needless to say, those from Quanzhen were delighted. The success of Lu Yuanqing had provided them with new prospects, as well as boosted the morale greatly. While they were offering their congratulations, they couldn't help but secretly indulge in their own daydreams of how they themselves would rise in the future.
Zhang Shouyang and the others stood at the back, the look on their faces rather depressed. After their thousand-year strife, they never expected to see Quanzhen taking the lead in the modern times while the great opportunity was upon them all.
Chao Kongtu observed the scene with squinting eyes for a while and suddenly moved into action. He called out loudly, "We don't yet know if it's true or not. I think you're celebrating too early!"
"..."
The atmosphere froze at his words. Shi Yunlai frowned slightly. Although he disapproved of that Lu boy, he had to defend the latter under situation like this. He was about to retort when Lu Yuanqing walked out of the crowd and smiled. "Junior Brother Chao, are you implying that you want to try me out?"
"Certainly, or how else would I be able to know?"
"No problem!"
Lu Yuanqing strode out one right foot to one side and stood firmly at where he was without a word. He only stared at his opponent—his message was clearer than spoken words. 'Bring it on!'
Seeing this, the crowd stopped their persuasion and shuffled around to make room for the two. One was the acknowledged alpha of the pack, while the other was the abbot's personal disciple from the the Laoshan Sect with inexhaustible tricks. Despite their frequent conflicts, the two had never had a real fight. How powerful was the innate state? How far were they themselves behind this man… everyone was curious.
Chao Kongtu might seem arrogant, but he was in fact as bold as he was careful. By this active move of probing the man, he was not afraid of humiliation, but would be frightened if he could not detect the capability of the latter.
"Here we go!"
With a soft cry, he waved his right hand and there was a yellow talisman between his fingers. He then shook the paper.
"Poof!"
The talisman burst into flame without being ignited, which was giving off a dark, strange glow.
"Black Emperor of the north, Defenders of the Supreme Court, and Blood-eating soldiers with red scales, charge!"
At Chao Kongtu's chanting, the talisman burst into a lump of dark light, which condensed rapidly and in the end transformed into an odd-looking weapon resembling a long saber. Wrapped in a dark glow, flying out with a shrill sound and emanating a bloody, ferocious aura, it slit across the air.
"The Black Killing Spell!"
Lu Yuanqing was taken by surprise. After all the conflicts the two sides had all these years, they were acquaintances as much as they were rivals. He never expected Chao Kongtu would use such a killing move, let alone throwing it right at him straight away.
Talismans were categorized into five grades and the real Black Killing Talisman was considered invincible. This one was only an imitation, but it was still the most damaging one of the fifth grade!
Lu Yuanqing had only just reached the innate state and dared not take such tour de force lightly. Waving both arms at once, his wide sleeves spread out into two circles.
Activating the Small Universe Technique frantically, he dumped out every last bit of the little amount of innate energy he had just managed to gather.
"Bang!"
The unexpected power clashed with the energy and dissipated into thin air after warding it off for a brief moment. Once his spell was broken, Chao Kongtu spurted out a mouthful of blood and backed away rapidly.
Lu Yuanqing was not much better off. He swayed around and barely managed to steady himself.
"The innate state is indeed worthy of its name. You have my respect!"
Chao Kongtu cupped his hands and fell back to stand beside Zhang Shouyang. Before this, Lu Yuanqing was a more capable man then himself, but not by too much.
Now that the man had reached the innate state, his power had taken a qualitative leap. Fighting against him was like sending a child against a full-grown adult; it was a joke.
"You're too humble, Junior Brother!"
Lu Yuanqing cupped his hands back at Chao Kongtu, a thought also going through his mind. Chao Kongtu was indeed one of the top three cultivators of Zhengyi, his capability could not be overlooked. Had he not been able to advance into the next level, he might not have the courage to fight him head-on.
"Oh my, Priest Lu, congratulations!"
"We're late! We're late!"
As if they were waiting for this moment, as soon as the competition was over, people from the government showed up, swarming towards him and surrounding him in the middle like stars gathering around the moon.
Lu Yuanqing was just out of his seclusion, which was followed by a fight, and now had to deal with these fellows. After a lengthy exchange of unnecessary pleasantries, one of them finally explained why they were here: their boss sent his invitation.
Lu Yuanqing obviously could not say no to that. He had to leave his fellow disciples behind for the time being and rushed down the mountain as if on a mission.
***
They couldn't help it, for the government was pushing it, and very urgently at that.
Lu Yuanqing was brought to the research base in the mountains, where a test was waiting. It was similar to the one earlier, only that there were two more long tables this time. Thirty potential spiritual stones were set upon three tables.
Qiu Guan and other specialists, as well as representatives of the authorities and the military, were all present, keeping a close eye on one another.
To be honest, what Lu Yuanqing needed the most at the moment was rest, but he knew better of the importance of this moment and held on no matter what. He strolled past the tables unhurriedly and only picked up a stone until he reached the third table.
He then strode up to Qiu Guan and grinned. "This is the only one."
"Whoosh!"
All heads turned towards Qiu Guan, who pursed his lips and gave a slow affirmative nod.
"Wow!"
"I knew it! I knew it would work!"
"Haha, that's great! Now we can do anything!"
Instantly, the room was filled with an ecstacy. The great pressure of the past year was finally vented out. Qiu Guan's smile was buried in his wrinkles as he said repeatedly, "Finally, a talented man of our own! Finally!"
Confined by power of others as they previously were, the status had always made them restless. Innate or not, they only cared about the ability to sense the spiritual essence and nothing more.
Lu Yuanqing, on the other hand, finally got his rest after passing the test.
This entire time, as if taking it for granted, these men had treated him as a subordinate of the government and someone to do their bidding without consulting him.
He went along with the authoritative attitude and confidence with a calm face and steadfast mind.
Before he knew it, it was nighttime and he was shown into another room, where the military old man had been waiting.
"I'm from the military and you are a cultivator. I won't beat about the bush." The old man was very direct. "Our country needs the help of men like you right now. I'd like to know your thoughts on that."
"I will do whatever I can. You have my word."
Lu Yuanqing bowed slightly and lowered his eyes. One could not make out what was actually written in them.
"Good! You're indeed as exceptional as your master said you to be!" The old man smacked the table and gave him that comment, which was halfway between a warning and a compliment. He then added, "Don't worry, the country will treat you fairly. Whatever your demand is, name it now and we'll try our best to fulfill it."
"..."
Lu Yuanqing was silent for a while before he asked, "About setting up Qiyun Taoist Monastery, I wonder if that's still in the plan?"
"Of course! You're the first one to succeed and naturally you'll be the abbot. You will be the one calling shots on building the monastery. We promise we won't interfere."
"Including the recruitment of pupils?"
"That's an exception. We have plans for that." The old man gave him a look and explained, "We are going to grant the local temples with authority to take in children of the appropriate ages. After they have built up an adequate foundation, the selected ones will be sent to the monastery."
"That is to say, in the future, the monastery will be the upper house and all other sects or temples the lower ones?"
"In a way, yes."
"I see."
Lu Yuanqing contemplated for quite a while before he nodded and went on, "Another thing is, I want to go to Huo Zhou."
"Oh? May I know why?" The old man did not expect to hear that.
"I did not learn everything I have learned to stay hidden in the mountains and be satisfied with myself."
"Haha, very ambitious! You can go, but not yet. Wait until next spring, when the abnormality breaks out again. Then you can show us what you can do."
"..."
Lu Yuanqing responded with more silence. "That is all."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Ok, you can go back now."
The old man saw him leave and gave the table a few involuntary knocks. That was a remarkable man!
He was sure that Lu Yuanqing would take this opportunity to ask for the government's support for Quanzhen and suppression against Zhengyi, which the government was prepared for. As it turned out, the man did not mention a single word of that.
He was either very sincere and kind, or very good at concealing his thoughts.
***
Shengtian, the BIMAUP.
After Director Xie Yuenian got the news, he was almost throwing his hat up with jubilation. He laughed as he smacked the table. "This is great! When there's the first, there will be a second, and soon, we'll have a dozen. It won't be long before the bosses start allocating them. With our important location, we must grab someone spectacular."
"Exactly! Phoenix Mountain is right next door and we are threatened around the clock!" Jiang Chaofan immediately chimed in.
"Well, Director, it's not that I want to discourage you, but I just fear that the help might not be able to overthrow that fellow," said another departmental head.
"Tsk! You're so naive!"
Xie Yuenian pointed at him. "That Mr. Gu is of the innate state and so is Priest Lu. They're of the same state, how much difference can there be?"
"Well, you're probably right."
The man scratched his head, somehow finding that deduction a bit off.
***
The capital city, Baiyun Temple.
Inside the meditation room, Li Qingzhi put down the letter he was reading and walked slowly to the window. It was a cold winter in the north and the capital had just had a heavy snow, covering the streets and buildings with a layer of white.
The Forbidden City along the central axis, the alleys everywhere, as well as the gardens, lords' mansions, and opera stages of the era long past… all modern flavor of the city seemed to have disappeared into the snow. The ancient yet developed modern city was presenting its time-worn side for once.
Baiyun Temple was a particularly old building with overhanging eaves, black bricks and tiles, and red doors.
Li Qingzhi took in the courtyard covered in white and for a moment there, he thought he was in a trancelike state, where history flitted past his eyes like a flowing river. The letter on the table was handwritten by Lu Yuanqing himself, in which he talked about recent events. It was rather brief.
He would not dare to write other things even if he wanted. Everything was monitored.
Yet the master knew his pupil better than anybody else. Quanzhen had produced the first innate-state disciple of the Taoist community, but instead of feeling pleased, Li Qingzhi was overwhelmed with worry.
"Sigh…"
He heaved a sigh and murmured, "I hope you have chosen the right path."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-5.png){kind=small}
Chapter 205: Government Decree
Source: Qidian International
A couple of days later, the monastery.
Thirty-five priests gathered in the spacious hall. It was not a modern conference room with a long table, but felt more like the Grand Assembly Hall of the ancient time. The nineteen Quanzhen priests sat on the left side in two rows, while the sixteen of Zhenyi took up the right side and were also arranged in two rows.
Set in the middle at the top position was a big chair.
They were here today to answer to the government's call for a meeting and everyone reached the same conclusion by the look of the hall: someone was baring his fangs!
Zhang Shouyang and the others from Zhengyi looked miserable—they could not expect what humiliation would be upon them in a while. Yet they could not leave, for that would be equivalent to a declaration of withdrawing from the monastery system, which would make them even more excluded.
A few minutes later, a man finally walked around a folding screen at the end of the hall and, unhurriedly but indisputably, took the top seat—it was none other than Lu Yuanqing.
He was still wearing a blue cotton robe and there was not a hint of pride on his face. His gaze swept across the room before he spoke, "As stated by the authorities earlier, a Taoist monastery is to be formally established and you have all heard about the criteria for becoming the abbot. As plain as I am, I happen to have stepped into the innate state by sheer luck and was consequently appointed as the first abbot of the monastery. We will be acting on our own in constructing the monastery. They are going to give us support, but will never interfere. Therefore, there are two things we need to discuss today. One is to decide how we are going to build the monastery, the other is to set a general outline of the personnel constitution."
"Humph! Obviously you are going to decide both. Why bother wasting the time to ask us?" The disciple of Baitian Sect of Zhengyi snorted.
"If I am unwilling to accept any advice, we wouldn't be having this meeting now." Lu Yuanqing smiled and went on, "Since ancient times, all monasteries used to be ran by eight deacons, three governors, five registrars, and eighteen chieftains. Qiyun is a supreme upper house, but we only have a handful residents and too many job titles will only make things complicated. Here is a draft I have drawn up for us to discuss.
A house supervisor is to be set up directly below the abbot—he is to be the guiding figure of the mass. The candidate needs an impressive and dignified manner to be exemplary, as well as possess a sense of morality and a pleasant virtue. I don't have the right to appoint the house supervisor and will leave the elective power to everyone here. However, if I may suggest, it is preferably to have Senior Brother Zhang Shouyang of the Way of the Celestial Masters take the position."
'Hm?'
The speech took everyone by surprise, especially Zhang Shouyang, who stared at Lu Yuanqing with a frown, unable to figure the man out.
Lu Yanqing paid no attention to their reaction and went on, "Senior Bother Zhang is impartial and has a sense of justice. He is well qualified in both his work and conduct, which makes him the ideal candidate. I hope the fellow disciples will take it into consideration.
Below the house supervisor, there will be eight deacons.
One general director is to be in charge of the reception and welcoming of guests. The position will be delegated to Senior Brother Mo Haofeng of the Lianhua Sect.
One patrol officer is to be in charge of maintaining the general order, and the allocation and promotion affairs. The position will be delegated to Senior Brother Huang Zhihe of the Laoshan Sect.
One treasurer is to be in charge of warehouses, storages, and the coming and going of supplies. The position will be delegated to Junior Brother Zhu Chan of the Way of High Peaks.
One kitchen warden is to be in charge of culinary affairs and handling the delivery of meals. The position will be delegated to Junior Brother Wang Yuanji of the Zhengyi Sect.
One hall master is to be in charge of dusting halls, taking care of the oil lamps, and cleaning the worship instruments. The position will be delegated to Senior Brother Tan Chongdai of the Qionglong Mountain Sect.
Two high officers are to be in charge of the teaching and chanting of scriptures. These positions will be delegated to Senior Brother Shi Yunlai of the Longmen Sect and Junior Brother Chao Kongtu of the Maoshan Sect.
Other than those, we will also need an accountant. Since none of us is a professional, we will need to transfer someone here from other palaces or temples.
The above mentioned is the basic structure of this monastery. Starting from today, all government personnel will be withdrawn from here. Each sect should send two or three disciples here to take care of daily patrol and cleaning tasks…"
A surging undercurrent seemed to rise at his speech in the minds of both sides.
The so-called eight deacons, three governors, five registrars, and eighteen chieftains might sound like a detailed division of work, but there was in fact much overlapping and redundancy. Lu Yuanqing had crossed out more than half of them to simplify the structure, leaving only nine managerial personnel to run the monastery.
Generally speaking, the functions were divided into four parts: monitor, logistics, public relations, and scripture halls.
The change in job titles was nothing compared to the people he allotted to each position. Everyone had assumed that Lu Yuanqing would suppress Zhengyi and draw those of Quanzhen to his side, even fostering a few confidants of his own. As it turned out, however, the man really knew how to make good use of people and did not differentiate between sects.
While everyone sat there stunned by the announcement, at a second thought, all arrangements seemed the most appropriate and no one could have done better otherwise.
The position of general director, for example, had to have a person who was familiar with the classics, knew all sects and schools well, and was experienced in a worldly way. Old Priest Mo was a shrewd man by that account through and through. Public relations suited him perfectly.
And there was Zhu Chan. Despite his young age, he was as just as he was responsible. No one would give a second thought with him as the treasurer.
"..."
Zhang Shouyang was shocked the most. It was like nothing he had expected! He suddenly realized that he had never been able to see through that man. He was so disquieted that he barely heard any of the discussion after that.
Before anyone noticed, they had spent half a day discussing and there was finally a general framework, including the constitution of rules and precepts, layout of facilities, arrangement in each hall, and how many people should be allotted.
"Fellow Senior and Junior Brothers, since you have already joined the monastery, there will no longer be different sects. We will face the future dangers and hardships together, uniting all our efforts for a common purpose. Please keep that in mind!"
With that last sentence, Lu Yuanqing ended the meeting.
After everyone else had left, Zhang Shouyang stayed behind in the hall. He went up to Lu Yuanqing in two strides and asked in a low voice, "What on earth are you doing?"
"I presume I have made that clear. I'm building a monastery."
"The two high officers might have a job description of chanting scriptures, but they are there to teach skills. Both Shi Yunlai and Junior Brother Chao are among the most talented of this monastery. You haven't set up any restrictions on that aspect. Are you trying to break the Taoist orthodox for the past thousand years and have Quanzhen take up talismans and Zhengyi learn Neidan?"
Zhang Shouyang moved a threatening step closer with wide-open eyes.
"You have misunderstood my intention. I only said the teaching and chanting of scriptures. There was no mentioning of learning skills. Of course, if any Senior or Junior Brother is taken by temptation and asks for their instruction in private, that is not something I can stop."
Slowly, Lu Yuanqing rose to his feet and was about to leave.
"You...!"
Zhang Shouyang moved and was about to run after him when Lu Yuanqing paused and turned around, looking directly into Zhang Shouyang's eyes, and in a louder voice, he asked, "Now that the spiritual essence has recovered, the great opportunity is within our grasp. Senior Brother, how do you think our Taoist community should react to that?"
Zhang Shouyang winced, then replied in a bitter tone. "We are constrained by the authorities and impeded by our sects. How else can we react?"
'Jeeze!'
It dawned on him at that moment and when he looked at Lu Yuanqing again, there was awe and shock in his eyes. "You are trying to…"
"Haha, I'm trying nothing."
Throwing back his wide sleeves, Lu Yuanqing brushed past him and strode out.
"..."
Zhang Shouyang stood there motionlessly. From behind, he looked shrivelled and tired. He did not utter a single word for a long while.
***
Lu Yuanqing's success in reaching the innate state had set off a ripple effect.
Immediately after the Spring Festival this year, the government quietly issued a new regulation—scratch that, a revised edition. The document was drawn up by the authorities and Taoist Association together, which was soon sent out to all palaces and temples.
According to Clause Six of Taoist Regulation (New Edition), all candidates had to meet the following criteria to be admitted to Taoist palaces and temples:
On a voluntary basis;
Without infectious diseases;
In the event of joining the priesthood, one had to provide parental consent aside from coming on their own will;
No criminal record;
No bad habits such as substance abuse, gambling, alcoholism, etc.;
With the appropriate religious belief.
***
There were originally ten clauses and the second one was "had to be no younger than eighteen years old", which was removed in the new edition. This was not the only altered clause, several others were also changed.
"At the end of a three-year probation period and with the approval of the administrative organization of palaces and temples, the candidates will be considered for admission as formal pupils. The qualified will be provided with headdresses and registration documents, and allowed permanent residence. All candidates violating prefectures and remaining incorrigible despite repeated admonition will be expelled.
Local Taoist associations are to provide the candidates with allowances during the probation period, which is to be no lower than the local minimum wage. Once qualified, the pupils will be eligible for all usual Taoist benefits and perks, and will respect the teachings and traditions of all sects."
The more perceptive ones would see through the intention at the first glance.
The lift of the age limit meant pupils could be admitted at any age. Paying salary during the probation period and emphasizing the preferential treatment could attract more adolescents with flexible minds. Respecting traditions of all sects confirmed that they could eat meat and marry girls as allowed by Zhengyi, which further lowered their psychological barrier.
The entire clause was saying one thing explicitly: come to us now!
Similarly, Article Nine was also new.
"Palaces and temples should enhance the education of their disciples, especially the young ones. The disciples should obey the temple regulations, be diligent in their duties, be persistent with the morning and evening meditation classes, and keep in line with the traditional rules of etiquette. Maintain the purity of Taoist customs and recognize the difference between the Taoist and layman communities.
All palaces and temples must be in full compliance with the household registration management system of the country. No shelter is going to be provided for unidentified Taoist priests and other personnel. Visiting Taoist priests must provide the appropriate reference letters as required.
No commercial or service networks, displays, or exhibitions are to be held in any palaces or temples. Scenic spots are not allowed to set up palaces or temples without permission. Palaces and temples are not allowed to be contracted by firms. Abbots and managerial personnel of Taoist establishments must be delegated to persons with profound knowledge of Taoist theories. The Taoist association will run random inspections and palaces or temples violating the regulations will be closed and prosecuted."
This one contained much more information, especially the last paragraph.
How many Taoist temples did the country have? How many Taoist priests in them were real and how many were fake? Did the temples belong to firms, scenic areas, or some other individuals?
The state knew it all.
A mountain was contracted by a company, which then built a Taoist temple on it. The company would find some random person and train him briefly before signing the contract. 'You get to live in the temple and receive a monthly salary from us. In return, we take all the worshipping money.'
Such a story could be found everywhere.
With this new regulation, players on and under the table all realized: the great purge was coming to the Taoist community.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-6.png){kind=small}
Chapter 206: The Purge
Source: Qidian International
Jiang Zhou, Qionglong Mountain.
The Spring Festival came and went, leaving behind a wet warmish weather for the regions south of the Yangtze River, which was very uncomfortable to live through. It was one of those rare lovely days today and quite a few Jiang Zhou residents had taken their entire families out for a walk in the countryside.
One of the best things about having a city in the neighborhood was that the mountain would always have a steady supply of tourists.
It was dusk time. Inside Shangzhen Temple halfway up the mountain, two priests were chatting out of boredom. They had also just returned to work from the Spring Festival break and there weren't many customers around yet.
"Clap! Clap! Clap!"
A horse-faced priest patted the donation box in the hall and gave the big lock on the box a look, then said in a disdainful tone, "A whole day's work and we only got that little amount. Why would they bother to have a lock at all? These people are hopeless Scrooges!"
"He'll be here soon. It's getting dark," said a young priest.
"Of course he will! The man never missed a day!"
It was the accountant they were talking about—an employee of the company, who would come here each night, unlock the donation box, and count the money on the spot. More influential palaces and temples would get a piece of the cake from the company, but shabby ones like this were even deprived of left-overs.
Walking around the box, the horse-face added, "Well, my contract expires midyear and I'm definitely leaving."
"Have you found the next place?" asked the young one.
"Sure. I'm going to a big temple south of the Five Ridges. It's got solid connections and only does ceremonies for Tuhao. Any commission can bring them hundreds of thousand yuan."
"Brother, can I tag along?" the young man asked eagerly.
"You won't do. You're too green and can't even chant the scriptures. What if you slip?"
The two chatted on and waited a bit longer.
The horse-face felt odd. It was this late already, why was the accountant still not here? He was about to make a phone call where he heard shouts outside.
"Quickly, you people go inside. And you lot, go over there. Don't miss out any place! You lot, come with me!"
"Who the hell is making all the noise? Do you have any idea what this place is?"
The young man was annoyed and was about to go check outside. He had just reached the front gate when there came a sudden bang!
The gate slammed open and a couple of men burst in. Ignoring the fellow falling on the ground, they announced straight away, "It has been confirmed by the authorities that you have been impersonating Taoist priests and running business illegally in a religious site. In accordance with the relevant legal provisions, we hereby close the place down and take you into custody. Here is the warrant of seizure!"
"Whoosh!"
The horse face was baffled at the sight of the government-issued document, but immediately gathered enough courage to shout back, "Do you know whose territory you're stepping into? I need to use the phone! I'm calling Chairman Qin!"
"Chairman Qin?"
The team leader recognized the name right away—Qin Yunfeng of Jiang Zhou Taoist Association. He sneered, "He can't even cover his own ass. Take them away!"
The two swindlers were no match for the professionals and were pinned down in no time. Meanwhile, another group went searching inside and drove all the fake priests out of Three Mao Hall, the Hall of the God of Wealth, the Hall of the God of Literature, etc.
The only exception was the Hall of Celestial Masters, which the group treated and checked with care, and left a man behind to tend to daily errands in the future.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
The gate of the Hall of Three Pure Ones was closed, then sealed by a strip of white paper with black ink characters. The three-story building that had just been built was as good as nothing now.
"Mhm… I demand the right to a phone call!" Dragged out of the mountain gate, the horse-faced priest was still struggling and shouting. "I want to call Director Wang! Let me talk to Director Wang!"
"Humph!"
The team leader snorted, then shoved him right into the vehicle.
They belonged neither to the police force nor to the court, but were members of the BIMAUP. With the issuance of the new Taoist Regulation, all sub-bureaus moved into action, forming teams to crack down the counterfeiters, making them holler.
They were all connected: the fake priests lived off the fake palaces and temples, which were in turn backed by local officials and big-shot businessmen.
The regulation alone could not convict these people of their crimes, but they could work from other angles. None of these bureaucrats and Tuhao were clean, their deeds would be exposed with but a little scrutiny. After trials and prosecutions, their properties would naturally be confiscated.
It would only be logical that the expropriated properties were transferred to the Taoist community in the name of concurrent punishment for plural crimes. The palaces and temples would stay idle for the time being and allotted accordingly in the future depending on the development of Qiyun Taoist Monastery.
As the men from the BIMAUP escorted these people down the mountain, plenty of tourists heading home witnessed the scene and were amazed.
"What's going on here?"
"Broken the law, obviously. Their bosses have gone under and so are they."
"Haha, finally! They're a bunch of liars and cheaters!"
***
Nanzhong, Changchun Temple.
Changchun Temple was the biggest temple in the province and the name alone was proof enough that it belonged to the school of Quanzhen. The main building consisted of five tiers, including Spiritual Officer Hall, Two Gods Hall, Tai-Qing Hall, etc. On the right wing was Ten Direction Hall, the scripture hall, the great guesthouse, the merits and virtues memorial hall, etc., while the dining hall, the dormitory, the Hall of Patriarch Qiu, Abbot's Hall, Pedigree Hall, etc., stood on the left side.
Right now, inside a meditation room of the Scripture Hall, Wu Dachun, the abbot of Fuxing Temple, was sweating profusely.
Fuxing Temple was located in a subordinate county and was the subdivision of a sub-sect. It was far from being considered a sect of its own, being merely a petty establishment making its ends meet.
With his rather flexible mind, he had been enjoying a pretty sweet life. However, he was summoned here the other day out of the blue and was now, to his amazement, taking an examination together with some other abbots.
The written exam took place first, which contained theories of Taoist classics.
Wu Dachun was a genuine priest and had learned Taoist theories in his youth. However, after years in his abbot position, the little he had learned was long gone. All that went through his head nowadays was how to make more money.
As expected, his written exam result came back miserably. He was thus summoned to the scripture hall, where he was to take another exam. The examiner was none other than the man in front of him, a high officer of Changchun Temple.
The old priest had half-open eyes and an expressionless face. He asked, "According to Dan scripture, the dragon has a tender temperament, while the tiger is ferocious. How do you interpret that?"
He pondered and stuttered out this reply, "Well, dragon represents the heart and tiger the mind. This quote is talking about a restless mood."
The old priest asked another question, "The tiger is heartless but the dragon is not. What does that mean?"
"I-it means, when the mind and heart are connected, the significant doctrine will follow through."
Damn it! How was he supposed to remember all that? He could only hope his vague memory would help him to bluff it out.
"In 'The Kinship of the Three, in Accordance with the Book of Changes', there is a verse on Three Treasures, namely, the ears, the eyes, and the mouth. Do you know what it is?"
'Shit!'
He did not have the slightest idea. Wu Dachun grew more anxious as he replied in a low voice, "I don't know."
The old priest frowned and asked another question. "If one wonders where the medicine originated from, one should only look to the southwest. Where is that quoted from?"
"I, I don't know."
Wu Dachun's head was hanging so low that it was almost between his legs.
"Sigh…"
The old priest heaved a sigh. "Dragon represents the heart and tiger the breath, not the mind. 'The tiger is heartless but the dragon is not' is saying the heart needs to deliberately cater to the breath, so that the doctrine will come through via the combination.
The verse in 'The Kinship of the Three' is 'The three treasures ears, eyes, and mouth should all be closed instead of opening up to the outside. The perfected man sank deep in the abyss, roaming around to keep guard of one orifice.'
As for the last quote, it came from 'Folios on Awakening to Reality' by master Zhang Boduan. These are all plain texts of Taoist scriptures and anyone who has studied diligently for several years would know the answers. The fact that you failed to provide the correct answer is proof enough of your sluggishness in daily meditation task and lack of learning your scriptures. You have failed the exam."
"Old master, please give me one more chance. I will do better this time!" Wu Dachun pleaded eagerly.
"You will be studying in this temple. You can go back when you pass the exam. Now leave!" The old priest paid no attention to his pleading.
"Old master, old master…"
He was still wailing when two priests dragged him out.
"..."
The old priest rubbed his temples, feeling exhausted inside. He said weakly, ", please."
***
The spring purge of the Taoist community had a far-reaching significance.
First of all, it had stipulated the nature of palaces and temples: they were solely Taoist establishments and the bureaucrats and corporations had to keep their distance. Then there was the requirement on the quality of Taoist priests themselves, which needed enhancing. Those unqualified would be educated, and if they still failed to pass, they would be deprived of their abbot position and serve as handymen from then on.
The purge was so thorough that Taoist priests were secularized in large numbers. Of the fifty thousand or so registered Taoist personnel, a few thousands had run off to live a secular life after the first round.
Small palaces and temples everywhere were closed down. The local folk was baffled by an unexpected discovery every now and then as they exclaimed, "WTF, the temple is deserted all of a sudden?" However, no one was going to look beyond that, nor was their life affected in any way.
The purge was to get the community prepared for recruiting pupils and the new pupils were there to reject the dross and inject the fresh blood.
It was still too early to tell the effect of the rectification. However, the framework was already set up. Centering around Qiyun Taoist Monastery, based on provincial Taoist associations, and taking the sects of the thirty-six members of Qiyun as strongholds, a network of elites had already taken shape.
The news had arrived at the monastery as well, which Lu Yuanqing ignored and gave no comment on. Zhang Shouyang, who had been feeling ill at ease since that earlier conversation, had also let the news skip his mind.
The rest found the news awesome. Qiyun, level with the cloud. Now it really felt that they were high above over the clouds.
In general, the readjustment process was effective and quick. While they were at it, a bunch of corrupt officials and infringing companies were also brought to justice. Of course, one of the temples was rather special, which they had not figured hold how to proceed—it was Ziyang Temple up on Phoenix Mountain.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-7.png){kind=small}
Chapter 207: The Left-behind Child
Source: Qidian International
"Hm…"
Long Qiu—the left-behind child—rose to her feet, shook the dirt off her small shovel, and let out a faint, sulky hum.
She had just planted a tuber fleeceflower, which had auburn tuberous roots, solid skin, and a satisfactory weight—in a word, top-grade. Counterfeit tuber fleeceflower flooded the market these days and everywhere one was offered human-shaped or thousand-year-old ones, which were nothing but a load of shit.
This one was only several decades old, but was already as rare a plant as one could find.
She left the herb garden, ran to the river to wash the shovel clean before drying it carefully with a cloth, then raised her head and looked around.
Winter was followed by spring and after a few months' growth, the medicinal plant seeds sowed earlier had taken roots and sprouted, covering the slopes of the hills. The peach trees also prospered. Exuberant branches were dotted with numerous buds, nodding and swaying in the wind.
A large area of the bushes on the south bank had been cleared out, making room for a few more mu of flat land. One of the plots had rice growing in it, which was yet to sprout. Some of the seedlings had just broken through the soil, their fresh green color a demonstration of the vigorous life within.
Everything was just perfect, only that it was a bit lonely here...
"The spring sowing is starting and brother and sister are still not back."
Muttering, Long Qiu put the shovel back into the warehouses and sat on the stone stairs outside the cottage.
She had lived alone back in the Miao village and did not find such life unbearable. She had her minor complaints nonetheless. She had never hoped badly as she did now that they would bring some more pupils here, so that she would be rid of all these tasks.
That was how things were these days. Spring sowing alone would involve a series of tasks from sprouting to the growing and transplanting of seedlings. It would not be an easy job, even with the Golden Silkworm's help.
"Brother said he had kept a piece of jade stone for me. What magical instrument should I refine?"
Resting her chin on her left hand, she stretched out her right hand and a little snake materialized out of thin air, waggling on her palm. Seconds later, the snake turned into a frog, pouting its cheeks without making a sound.
In the end, the Golden Silkworm took its chubby kid form and leapt down, sitting beside its master eating fruit. Its short legs dangled, reminding one of stout turnips.
"You can attack from the air, and so can the Needle and Mosquito Undead Insects…" Xiao Qiu rubbed its head and muttered to herself. "So, so I think I'll refine something for close combat. Why, how about a sword? Sister just happened to teach me some sword movements…"
The Golden Silkworm might understand what she was saying, but it couldn't speak. It only rubbed against the back of her hand like a good puppy.
Speaking of the Golden Silkworm, it did not act out at the end of last year. Xiao Qiu was able to have it subjugated solely with her own power now. Most Grass Ghost Women had a short life span largely because the undead insects had sucked them dry of their vital essence, or even died from their undead insects turning on them.
Taken in by her brother and sister, Xiao Qiu was one of the luckier ones. Through nourishing and training it with the spiritual essence on a daily basis, the Golden Silkworm was raised into a Spiritual Undead Insect, which was not only able to understand human feelings, but was also more lethal with a significant increase in its potentialities.
"Sigh. Whatever, I'll take a walk outside."
Long Qiu sat there for a while longer and seeing that it was about time, she rose to her feet and headed out the valley.
Descending the mountain along the newly-paved stone steps, she walked all the way to the buildings at the foot of the mountain. Yuan Peiji had been very efficient. The buildings were expanded from the original ones and consisted now of dozens of houses that took up an area as large as over a thousand m^2. It was a manor.
The revamp did not stop there. Even the roads were smooth and neat now. The area looked like a development zone.
She was here today at Shengtian BIMAUP's invitation, saying that they needed to discuss something. It wasn't a decent move. They had picked a time when both 'parents' were absent and targeted the left-behind child alone. They were obviously taking advantage of her inexperience.
Despite her first time playing a leading role, the girl appeared cool-headed and composed. She walked leisurely into the manor.
Jiang Chaofan had been waiting for a while. He greeted her with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Miss Long. I am Jiang, the head of Investigation Department of the sub-bureau."
"Hello. I have heard about you." Long Qiu nodded. Still standing there, she asked directly, "What do you need me for?"
"Well, please take a seat and have some tea…" Jiang Chaofan had his sweat breaking out at her directness. Serving her a cup of tea himself, he went on, "We have been working with the Taoist community, carrying out a crackdown campaign. Ziyang Temple is among the targets."
"And?" Xiao Qiu blinked.
"Uh, the procedure requires the abbot Chen Qiulin to take two exams. He will retain his position if he passes them and will have to stay in Shengtian to study if he does not."
"Oh…" Xiao Qiu gave it a thought and asked, "What else?"
'Damn!'
There was no normal person on Phoenix Mountain! The common logic did not apply to them in conversations.
Venting his irritation inside, Jiang Chaofan went on, "If he fails to pass, Ziyang Temple will be sealed off temporarily and only reopen when Priest Chen returns after completing his study. I'm here today to discuss with you about Ziyang Temple…"
"No."
"What?"
"No."
Xiao Qiu shook her head. "The mountain is ours. You can't seal it off."
"Miss Long, we're only following the rules here. There's nothing we can do about it."
"No, the mountain is ours and ours alone. You can't do that."
She never mentioned things like "let me think it over and my brother will talk to you when he's back", nor did she resort to playing with words. She only emphasized one thing: we own the mountain and you've got no goddamn rights!
Xiao Qiu had no negotiation skills, but she was not stupid.
For one, Ziyang Temple had quite a lot of worshippers and was an important income source of the scenic area. Mind you, the income was split between them and the government. Phoenix Mountain received hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. With a sixty-yuan admission ticket, that would generate an annual income of over ten million.
They would be significantly worse off with the temple closed off.
For another, this act was a blatant provocation.
As for Jiang Chaofan, he was secretly sneering at these three despite his apparent respect. Many had had a change of heart since Lu Yuanqing reached the innate state and the reverence towards Gu Yu and Xiaozhai was noticeably undermined.
After much discussing, the sub-bureau decided to sound them out.
Jiang Chaofan was stalling. He brought out all sorts of reasons and facts, but would not get to the point. Xiao Qiu found the man utterly annoying and simply said, "You can take the man all you like. The temple stays open. I have nothing more to say to you. I'm leaving."
With that, the girl turned promptly to leave.
"Hey, Miss Long!"
Jiao Chaofan tried to catch up on her. A couple of steps out and there came a wicked gust of wind.
"Hiss!"
A giant snake head suddenly appeared from behind the girl's head, its blood-red two-pronged tongue sticking out and the vertical pupils shining gloomily and viciously. The snake head pounced at him with a whoosh as if it had wings.
"Ah!"
Jiang Chaofan stumbled back in a haste and fell down on his butt with a thump. He closed his eyes involuntarily, abandoning all hope to live.
"..."
Two seconds passed and nothing happened. Gathering up his courage, he opened his eyes, only to find a wide-open gate and a pale blue sky outside. The girl was nowhere to be seen.
"Ha… ha…"
It seemed forever before the fellow finally came to himself. Damn it, he was not doing this again. It was so dangerous!
Back then under Tianshan Mountain, the sweet girl alone almost annihilated an entire team! None of the three majesties of Phoenix Mountain was someone they could mess around with!
He struggled to his feet and returned to his car, feeling defeated. The director was waiting for his report back in the bureau.
The situation was rather clear now. The abbot Chen Qiulin was a sacrificed piece, abandoned by both the Taoist community and the government. The only reason that he was still around was to maintain the current situation required by all three sides.
It wasn't bad, actually. The muddleheaded Abbot Chen knew nothing of this and was happily preparing for a blessing ceremony of the new spring.
The fools had their own luck.
***
Bai Town, a newly built residential area.
He He had come home from school and was now watching TV with her grandpa. They had moved into this resettlement building from Hongmei Street. Shabby and unsturdy as it might look, it was better than the makeshift houses where hundreds of people were squeezed into.
The old man's temper was smoothed out a little after moving into the new home. He had no income and was living off the relief money from the government. The authorities were quite tolerant with these migrants. As long as they did not go too far, most of their requests were granted.
They were watching Shentian Channel, which was running the local news. First of all, the municipal officials had their meetings, all policies were doing great. Then came the living conditions of all towns and villages, which were doing even greater. After that were the family gossips: an old man had a son and a daughter, both married, and the son-in-law decided to take off with the daughter-in-law, blah blah blah...
The news usually ended after all these, but not today.
"To build a key demonstration base of religious culture outside Shanhai Pass, and to carry forward and inherit the essence of traditional Taoism, Shengtian municipal government and the municipal Taoist association have announced their joint resolve that a series of promotion and publicity activities are to be carried out centering around Taiqing Palace. Starting from tomorrow, there will be a two-week exhibition on Taoist culture completely free of charge. Everyone is welcome. The venue is: west wing of Taiqing Palace, No. 8 Sanjing Street. For inquiries, please call 135xxxxxx."
Hm?
The old man found the announcement a nonsense. 'How come that is included in the official news program?'
The little girl beside him was also curious. "Grandpa, what is a demonstration base?"
"Bullsh*t base! Their pockets are empty and they are swindling people in to burn the incense and worship the Buddha—better still if they can take in a few rich kids as pupils."
"Then, then are they taking boys or girls?" The little girl found it hard to understand.
"Whatever. Why are you asking?" The old man gave her head a little knock and chuckled. "Unless you're thinking about after I'm gone. You'll have no one to turn to then and you'd better to find a place that'll take you in."
"Bah! Nonsense! Grandpa will live to a hundred and more!" He He vexed at such words.
"Haha, ok, ok! It's all nonsense!"
The old man held his granddaughter in his arms. Despite the smile on his face, he looked sad.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-8.png){kind=small}
Chapter 208: Huo Zhou Outbreak
Source: Qidian International
The end of March, Huo Zhou.
The over 700,000 people had all been evacuated and in came armies of research and military personnel, whose main tasks were to observe data and undertake escort duty, respectively. They would bring little influence to change the abnormality.
It was the most intriguing event, as a matter of fact. A city was perishing, with its original residents scattering all over the country and never coming back. Instead, a group of outsiders were witnessing the process and keeping the city company for its last ride.
It was midday. Inside the Flaming Mountain scenic area, the humble square was looking all the more bleak. The giant golden-cudgel-shaped thermometer stood stiff in the Bagua furnace and pointed straight up at the sky.
Behind it, the tracks were deserted on the rustic hill, without the sign of a single tourist… well, not really. There was one left.
Xiaozhai sat grandly on a mountain rock. Fiery clouds leapt up in rolls all around her, as if crimson snakes were sprinting around on the mountain top. The fire spiritual essence was the most powerful where she sat and ordinary people would find it unbearable. To her, it was a wonderful spot to practice her thunder technique.
There was an expression: thunder of the sky and fire of the earth.
It usually referred to the frightening power of nature and could also be used to describe budding lust between couples—the two elements were habitually connected. The thunder of the sky was of Qian (or "force" of Bagua) and the fire of earth was of Kun (or "field" of Bagua). The two clicked and they started doing some naughty stuff… wait a second, that did not come out right.
All in all, Xiaozhai suddenly discovered that when she cultivated up on the mountain, the moment she activated her Metal Thunder energy, the fire spiritual energy tens of meters around her would go into a frenzy and jump at her head over heels.
She had to fend it off with every last bit of her strength and the Metal Thunder energy was soon exhausted. She would then sit in meditation and readjust her breath. After that, she would provoke the fire spiritual essence again and once more drain her energy, then repeat the process again. After much repetition, she found herself much "durable" already.
Hence began her daily visits. She would spend most of her day sitting there.
She had no other choice. The cultivation of thunder technique was very slow—if Gu Yu could reach the Human Immortal state in five years, she would need at least eight. Take the Metal Thunder energy as an example. She had been at it for over a year and was barely reaching the "passionless state".
"Ha…"
The sun was slanting towards the horizon when Xiaozhai exhaled slowly and finally finished her training for the day.
She did not walk the stairs, but dashed off the mountain in a few strides. She glanced at the temperature when she passed the thermometer—it read 27.3 degrees Celsius.
WTF! It was 23℃ only yesterday and was now going up again. The abnormality in Huo Zhou was deteriorating everyday since the beginning of spring, which had gone far beyond their expectations.
Xiaozhai shook her head, then climbed into a shabby car and drove towards the Grape Valley. They happened to stumble across this crappy thing left behind by someone and decided to take it.
She saw nothing but the deserted land on her way back. On entering the farmhouse, she found no one in the yard, but a familiar fluctuation was coming from upstairs—it was her boyfriend refining magical instruments.
She did not disturb him, but went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
The food was provided by the authorities. It was no delicacy, but was more than enough to meet their nutritional needs. Potatoes were paired with celeries and cucumbers with tomatoes, which were served along with an egg drop soup. After a few vegetarian dishes were ready, she called out, "Old Gu, dinner's ready!"
"Coming!"
The answer came from upstairs. Before long, Gu Yu came down.
Xiaozhai was actually an excellent cook, only that she did not get much chance to use the kitchen after they were together. She had been playing the cook the most frequently during their stay in the Grape Valley for the past few months.
"I drove around on my way back. Things are not looking good." Xiaozhai sipped her soup and said, "It won't hold off to as late as the Beginning of Summer. It's happening in a couple of days."
"Yeah, my Flaming Cloud Needles are almost ready, exactly fifteen of them." Gu Yu gave it a thought and said, "Let's stay for a bit longer and see how things go. We'll leave when it quiets down a little."
"Of course! It's an once-in-a-lifetime event and we're not missing that!"
***
Night, all sounds were still.
A small lizard with a triangular head suddenly snuck out of its burrow. It was around 15 cm in its length and had black-lined skin. The lizard was of a species typical to Huo Zhou and was known as the "sand tiger". The species was extremely drought tolerant and fed on small insects and plant tubers.
The animal was nocturnal and now was the time to hunt.
"Hiss!"
It crawled slowly, swaying its head from one side to another. Soon, an ant nest was discovered.
Ants were delicious. The sand tiger was observably excited, lowering its body to block the opening first, then starting to dig with two paws.
Its whole belly was flat on the ground and a feast was within reach when it paused abruptly.
The strange triangular head was lifted up in a whoosh and the eyes stared into somewhere not far away. In the dark yellow pupils was the greatest terror that shouldn't have been there.
"Hiss!"
The sand tiger suddenly turned around and sprang off frantically, running for its life. Its four legs took turns rapidly with the running, as if the thing behind was a million times more frightening then a natural enemy.
There was a scuttling sound inside the ant nest and countless ants flooded out, fleeing in a frenzy. Immediately after that, more small animals joined in, among which were gerbils, sand snakes, and all sorts of insects one could not name.
They soon formed a torrent. Behind them, in the endless dark night, a gigantic sky-swallowing crimson snake seemed to be lurking, its enormous torso covering up the entire night sky, as if ready to destroy everything.
"Squeak!"
An unfortunate gerbil ran at the last. Its hair was all bristled up and its face completely contorted—the animal looked strange and terrifyingly hideous. It was running with all its strength, trying to escape. However, it froze there all of a sudden.
As if a giant snake had swallowed it whole, the little thing was drained of its vital essence at a visible speed. Its life was withering away. In the blink of an eye, it became a stiff mummy.
"Boom!"
The consumption of the blood exhilarated the giant snake. The red fog that was originally invisible to ordinary men was materialized by now, filling every corner between heaven and earth and was rampantly charging in every direction.
***
"Beep beep!"
"Beep beep!"
Inside No. 2 observation station, Zhang Hao opened his eyes, startled.
He was awoken by the alarm. The station was equipped with an automatic observation system, which would ring out loudly when the temperature increased sharply and exceeded the safety margin.
"Hm…"
Zhang Hao's head was still muddled from the sleep, but it only lasted for a few seconds. He scrambled towards the equipment in a haste, for rows of bright-red data on the big screen were making his hair stand up!
"Attention! Attention! This is station No. 2 speaking, station No. 2!" He snatched the phone in one hand, dialed the number, and shouted into the speaker, "Observation data has surpassed the emergency value… not a single one. It's happening all over the board! All of them!"
"Smack!"
Tossing the phone aside, Zhang Hao wrapped some random clothes around his shoulders and stumbled out of his bedroom.
"Quickly!"
"WTF, what's going on?"
His colleagues had also heard the alarm and assembled in the hall. The head of the station looked more solemn than ever, and only gave them a wave without uttering a single word.
They went out and stood in the clearing outside, looking to the north in unison. The expressions froze on their faces. In the flickering red glow and the dark night, they looked like cast iron sculptures.
To the north stood Flaming Mountain!
The sky in that direction had turned crimson. Heated wind rolled in waves and red clouds shot up into the sky, beneath which was a massive, desolate, and wild mountain that was emanating ferocity and scorching heat.
It was no longer the quiet mountain as before but an awakened monster, who was shaking the earth from afar; roars coming out of its fire-spitting throat, ready to burn this world into ashes.
What was more frightening was that the rolling heat wave that formed from the contorted air by pure high temperature, as well as that terrifying red cloud, were both moving slowly towards them.
"C-chief!"
Standing there gaping for a while, Zhang Hao finally swallowed and tried to ask for suggestions.
The head of the station was an experienced researcher and had led many exploration teams before. He had calmed down from the initial confusion. "We're still some distance from it. Don't worry. Let's go have a look first!"
"Oh, Ok!"
Zhang Hao went shakily to fetch the car and the four people headed north right away, carrying the monitor. The small car drove in the night like a lamb ready to be slaughtered, delivering itself right into the monster's mouth.
The journey was around 20 km, and after a short while, the only thing they could think of was: hot! The kind of heat one experienced under the blazing sun of dog days and without a single sip of water!
They were soaked in sweat and felt short of breath, but they forced themselves to keep driving. It was then one of the fellows shouted, "Look at the ground!"
The others turned to look. The ground was densely covered with layers of dead small animals, all looking like specimens drained of their vital essence. They fell into silent piles all around them. It was an open-air graveyard.
"Retch!"
The fellow suddenly covered his mouth. One couldn't tell whether it was out of disgust or he was feeling unwell. He was about to throw up. Zhang Hao helped him to lie down, fed him some water, and treated him with wet towels.
The station leader was behind the wheel. Seeing that the man was a bit better, he asked, "What's the temperature now?"
"38 degrees!" another answered.
"It's not that high, why the violent reaction?" Frowning, he encouraged the others, "Hang on there. We'll just move a little bit further in."
With that, he stepped on the gas and moved a few hundred meters forward. The fellow was growing paler with quivering lips and he was losing conscious. Zhang Hao busied himself with taking care of the man while rehydrating himself repeatedly.
Finally, when they were about 10 km from Flaming Mountain, all four were feeling extremely unwell.
"Let's go!"
Finishing recording the data with much difficulty, the station leader turned around decisively and drove back as if running for life.
However, they only made it to about two thirds of they journey when the engine stated shaking violently, making all kinds of irregular noises. Then, with a bang, white smoke rose out of the engine compartment and the car came to a halt. It was completely wasted.
"F**k!" The station leader smacked the steering wheel. "I'll support him. Let's walk back! Quickly!"
The four of them got off the car and stumbled the last part of their journey. Their clothes were all soaking wet and even their breath felt like burning air.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
When the observation station finally came into sight, all pressure seemed to leave their bodies and they felt like they had escaped a devil's land. They felt much cooler right away. Their legs giving up on them, the four crumbled to the ground one after another.
"Glug! Glug!"
Zhang Hao downed another bottle of water and panted heavily. When he turned around, what he saw was the most ghastly sight.
The wild land was ripped off the little livelihood there was left and had turned into a dead land overnight. The grass, bushes, and tall trees were erased of all their green right in front of his eyes and transformed into a lifeless murky gray.
The shock of the violation of the natural law and the utter terror brought by it broke Zhang Hao down right there and right then.
As if in a trance, his eyes was glassy as he mumbled repeatedly, "What are we going to do? What are we going to do?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-9.png){kind=small}
Chapter 209: Catastrophe (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
March 30th, a day bound to be remembered forever.
The sun leapt out of the eastern horizon in the early morning, carrying thousands of splendid beams of light into this world. However, they were not splendid enough to penetrate the dense red cloud and were stopped at around the edges.
As a result, three spectacular phenomena were exhibited on the sky all at once: the golden sunshine, the crimson fog, and the half-blue, half-red sky. It was a living catastrophe.
"Vroom!"
SUVs and trucks roared angrily as they drove in and out of the abandoned city of Huo Zhou. In them were materials and soldiers constantly transferred from one zone to another.
The municipal government building had been turned into a temporary command HQ. The old man with the black-rimmed glasses was the deputy chief of the steering group, taking care of the operation here at the front line.
On a podium, a professor was briefing the team. "The abnormality broke out at around 1:00 a.m. and with the exploration a few colleagues from the observation station carried out by risking their lives, we managed to obtain quite a lot of data.
First of all, let's look at the nature of this thing. As proved by modern-day experiments, in a dry environment, humans can withstand up to 15 minutes at a room temperature of 120 degrees Celsius 1 , whereas with a moist atmosphere, it only takes 48 to 50 2 degrees to reach that limit. The level of tolerance has dropped significantly because in the second scenario, the sweat cannot evaporate.
However, bear in mind the above mentioned was the external temperature. Humans are much less tolerant to internal temperatures. Once the body temperature exceeds 42 degrees 3 , a severe disorder will be caused in the central nerve system, which is life-threatening. Therefore, to the human body, the alarm line is set at 40 degrees 4 ."
In a grave tone, the professor went on, "Unfortunately, it just so happens that this thing is not simply an external temperature. It can invade the human body the same way as it has with the animals and plants, directly destroying the body functions. In a very short time, we will be dehydrated and then drained of all flesh and blood as if the thing has a pump.
Its core area is around 12.5 km^2 and our fittest soldier cannot withstand more than ten minutes in that range!
It is moving at a average speed of around 2.5 km/h—that's advancing 0.7 meters in a second. Therefore, it should arrive at Huo Zhou at 9:00 p.m. tonight!"
The professor paused a little to catch his breath and continued, "Flaming Mountain is surrounded by cities and towns on three sides and Kumtag Desert on the fourth, beyond which is the city of Urumqi. The desert has an area of 2500 km^2 and 400 km across from east to west. It will take the thing 160 hours to cross the desert advancing in a straight line. Huo Zhou, on the other hand, is 240 km across from south to north and 300 km east to west, with a total area of over 70,000 km^2. It will only be a few days before the thing take it over entirely!
Yet there is nothing we can do but accept it passively. We can't find any substance that could react with it. The spiritual essence is the only thing effective, but with our current ability, there is no way we can fight this colossus…"
He could not go on from there. Looking dejected, he walked off the podium.
"..."
The old man looked around the room. The same expression was visible on all his colleagues' faces—a mixture of unwillingness, anger, resignation, and a hint of bewilderment.
They couldn't help it. What was happening was so demoralizing! Ever since the dialectical materialism scientific perspective had set forth, they had never experienced anything even close to this.
"Ok, keep your chins up! We'll do whatever there is we can do. The most important thing at the moment is to minimize the loss brought by the catastrophe," the old man called out in a stern voice and started issuing commands. "From now on, all scientific research teams should not scatter. Keep their focus on the observation from the east, the south, and the north. The army units should retract their force and make sure of everyone's safety.
Alert Yiwu, Yangji, Bayan, Urumqi, Sha Zhou of Longxi, and Ngari of Tanggute: get ready for evacuation!"
He mentioned a few names in a row, all neighbouring cities of Huo Zhou or the province of Xichui. Then, he paused a little before asking, "Are people from Qiyun here yet?"
"They'll arrive in two hours."
"Ok. Remind me then. I'll go pick them up myself."
***
Lu Yuanqing was on a plane.
The moment it happened, Tianzhu Mountain was notified. Then, moving as fast as they could, they arranged him a flight.
Huo Zhou had a small airport, but because of its special geographic setting and natural environment, it was mainly used as an alternative for flights going to Urumqi and did not have regular flights of its own. It was not until last year that the first permanent air route was open—one that linked Huo Zhou, Yiwu, and the capital city.
Before taking off, the weather was closely monitored. Fortunately, the direction towards Yiwu had not been affected, which made the flight possible.
Being a Taoist priest cultivating in seclusion, he did not get much of a chance to ever take a plane—let alone a small private one. Lu Yuanqing was now sitting on a wide, soft sofa and soft drinks and fruit were laid out on the table in front of him. Yet he had closed his eyes in meditation, moving not even a single hair.
To be honest, the city-destroying abnormality level would belittle any individual. The reason they had fetched him out there was to help with forecasting, as well as… well, since they had finally obtained a successful graduate, to make this man useful was the least they could do.
"Hum!"
"Vroom!"
Before he knew it, there came the sound of strong air current brought by the descending airplane and the shudder of the wheels hitting the ground. The private flight had finally landed.
"Priest Lu, we've arrived at Huo Zhou."
"Ok."
Lu Yuanqing opened his eyes and swiftly got off the plane, his loose-fitting robe and wide sleeves flapping with his movements. Several vehicles were already waiting on the tarmac. The old man went up to shake his hand as soon as he caught sight of the young priest and blurted out, "Finally! We're in a desperate situation here and can really use your help."
"At your service."
He returned the greeting with a Taoist salute and was completely cooperative, with no sign of resisting at all.
"Good! You're indeed the Taoist talent as they claim you to be!"
The old man was pleased with his attitude and led Lu Yuanqing to his vehicle. They then drove fast towards the downtown area.
The professor briefed him on the way, which confused Lu Yuanqing a little. "With all due respect, my individual power is very limited. What can I do here?"
"For one, run some tests for us. We have tried with ordinary people and they could never reach the core area, but it might not be the same with you—we will need some data from there. The other things is, we really hope you could go up Flaming Mountain and check what is happening there. See if you can find a clue."
The professor handed him a stack of files. "We're building an abnormality database, which will be categorized according to the degree of harm to ordinary people and cultivators, nature of calamities, range of affected areas, etc. You're the only one capable enough to provide the data. We'll be in touch quite often from now on."
"I see. I'll do what I can."
Lu Yuanqing took no notice of the condescending tone and was reading the materials attentively, losing no time to get to learn the details.
Soon, the vehicles arrived at the municipal building. As soon as he set foot in the lobby, the old man asked eagerly, "How is everything?"
"It has pushed forward by another five kilometres and everything else stayed unchanged!"
"Keep observing!"
Without any delay, the old man briefly introduced Lu Yuanqing and said, "Priest Lu will go deep into the core and explore the area. In two hours, we will…"
"I can go in right now," said Lu Yuanqing all of a sudden.
"..."
The old man winced, but was immediately gratified by the announcement. "Sure. Thank you for all your help."
Right away, without a minute of rest, Lu Yuanqing went downstairs with a few soldiers, who drove him to the frontmost observation station.
It was only a few kilometres from the core area and was ready to be evacuated in any moment.
Three trucks were parked outside the door. In them were valuable equipment and the most needed materials at the moment: water, medicines, coolant, as well as various energy supplements that could provide quick boosts to the lost nutrients.
There was no time for chitchat. The soldiers loaded their vehicle with some materials and drove on. A short drive away, they saw a warning line cut deep into the ground, which was also marked by a flag.
On the other side, the red snake soared, devouring everything; the surviving lot shivered on this side under the remaining clear sky.
Heaven was a mere line away from Hell.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-10.png){kind=small}
Chapter 210: Catastrophe (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
"This is as far as we can go." The soldier stopped the vehicle and said with a solemn face, "It is advancing 0.7 meters a second and we are falling back accordingly. But don't worry. It does not mean we'll abandon you. We are not leaving without you!"
"..."
Watching the swarthy, resolute face, Lu Yuanqing was suddenly overwhelmed by an unusual emotion. Cultivators seldom had the righteous ardor and lofty sentiments like military men who would willingly die for their country and comrades in war, but it did not stop Lu Yuanqing from seeing the determination in them.
"Thank you!"
He expressed his thanks solemnly in return and got off the vehicle. He was only two steps away when he heard the sound from behind: the red cloud was approaching, forcing back the vehicle.
Lu Yuanqing paused, but did not turn to look. He crossed the warning line in one stride and instantly, the broiling fire spiritual essence blew violently against his face.
He immediately activated his internal energy to readjust his breathing and the pressure only lessened after that. Looking up, he saw a world covered by a foggy crimson color. Everything was chaotic and in a frenzy, as if the past and the future had blurred into one like an everlasting wilderness.
Somehow, his heart lurched at the view.
He had lived an enclosed life in cultivation, so as to achieve the Great Dao and become immortal. However, it occurred to him now that the world outside was so rich and splendid that there appeared a longing within him to travel to every corner and experience the world as it was.
To train oneself and understand the world was a cultivation concept and he was finally given the chance to comprehend it after he reached the innate state.
"Ha…"
Controlling his breathing, Lu Yuanqing inhaled and exhaled evenly and rhythmically, so as to keep his energy consumption at a minimal level.
Although he had just entered the innate state, because of the acquired state he was in before that, he had been training his inner Qi all these years since childhood, accumulating it little by little. He had set up an incredible foundation, especially in moving his Qi around his body, which he was much more agile and skilful than his fellow cultivators.
He dared not delay, but dashed quickly forward and entered the red fog headlong.
The area surrounding Flaming Mountain had long become deadlands. As he advanced, he was met with mummified dead animals everywhere, which looked like brutally made yet intact specimens.
Flowers, grass, and trees stood upright in their charcoal gray skins, void of any sign of life. Intrigued, he went up to a poplar and touched it.
"Splash!"
There was no interior part, no substance of any sort, but only a flimsy outer layer that reminded one of the ash hanging onto a cigarette. With a flick, it turned into a thousand pieces and fell to the ground.
"..."
Lu Yuanqing stood in a daze for a while. In the end, he heaved a sigh, bagged some pieces and a few dead small animals, then moved on.
The crimson clouds rose and the red fog filled the air.
Here, time and space seemed to have lost their meaning. He had no idea how far he had walked in as he gradually slowed down and began to feel unwell. He was prepared for this, though. Taking out a black pill, he put it into his mouth and kept it there.
It was a Dan pellet of a secret recipe. One pill was enough to supplement much of the energy the body needed. The source of it was also quite remarkable: Zhang Shouyang had offered it voluntarily.
The Way of the Celestial Masters emphasized the teaching of talismans the most, but it was in fact an expert in Waidan as well. According to "Mount Longhu Annals", Zhang Daoling had refined the divine Dan of nine transformations when he resided on Lutang Mountain.
A Dan of one transformation would enable one to become immortal in three years; the one of two transformations would do so in two years, three transformations in one year, four transformations in six months, five transformations in a hundred days… and the one of nine transformations would raise one to an immortal in three days!
Of course, even the one of one transformation was nowhere to be found by now, let alone the nine one. All that was left was a pellet with a life-saving property. Zhang Shouyang only had eight of those and gave Lu Yuanqing half of them. It seemed that their conversation the other day had to some extent changed the mind of the direct successor of the Way of the Celestial Masters.
Thanks to the power of the pill, Lu Yuanqing was able to keep moving.
"Huff… huff…"
He trudged on for another while and finally stopped when he felt weak. He could advance no further, for he had to save some strength for the journey back.
Looking up through a layer of red fog, the profile of an enormous and bad-tempered mountain moved into his sight.
The thick fire spiritual essence had formed a swirling air mass on the mountaintop, which rolled and seethed in the air. The red clouds and thick fog were also rising from the top like an exploding volcano.
He estimated the distance visually; it was still a long way off. However unwilling he was, there was nothing he could do about it.
"..."
Pursing his lips, Lu Yuanqing was about to turn around when he paused abruptly, for he seemed to have caught sight of a black spot moving in the distance.
'Jeez!'
He opened his eyes as wide as he could to make sure he was seeing it correctly. It was one, no, two people!
There were people here!
His pupils contracted instantly as he fixed his gaze in that direction.
On the highest and steepest rocks, two tiny figures were chasing one another in the boundless fiery clouds like a pair of frolic birds.
The immense pressure there on the mountaintop seemed non-existent to them.
"..."
Lu Yuanqing stood there, as if in a trance. The two people flitted across the air, then with a few leaps, disappeared to the other side of the mountain. It all happened in an instant and almost felt like an illusion.
"Gu Yu!"
"Jiang Xiaozhai!"
The two names came into his head right away. Like two gods descending from above, their presence instantly pushed everything else out of his mind.
The hell with the Taoist community, the forbearance, and the plotting. They were nothing.
Lu Yuanqing stood there for long. It wasn't until the fire spiritual essence surrounding him started to burn his skin that bewilderment and fear finally disappeared from his face; he looked all the more reassured.
Those who had achieved something great not only needed talent, but also needed a staunch and unyielding heart.
Flicking his long sleeves, he swiftly made his way back.
***
Gu Yu stood still and mumbled suddenly, "I think I saw someone just then."
"Where?"
"It was quite a long way off. A black dot just stood there, not moving a bit…"
Now that he put it that way, he wasn't so sure any more. "Whatever, forget it. How are you holding on?"
"I can do this for a bit longer."
Xiaozhai wiped away her sweat, apparently much less comfortable then Gu Yu was.
The advantage of the essence-consuming method was in its speed of cultivation and the amount of energy one could accumulate in the process. The Thunder Technique, on the other hand, was of an "elite" type, which focused more on the quality rather than quantity. Inevitably, she was fatigued from the dashing around on the mountaintop.
Seeing this, Gu Yu took his girlfriend by her hand, so as to transfer some energy to her if needed.
They had sensed the outbreak as soon as it started. Grape Valley was all gone. The river dried up right in front of their eyes, along with hundreds of mu of grape trellises and poplar groves, which all turned into gray and crispy film that crumbled at the touch.
The houses remained relatively intact, but it was only a matter of time until they, too, disappeared.
They looked around the foot of the mountain first, then climbed up, thinking of going deeper in. There wasn't any purpose to this trip aside from witnessing a catastrophe that somehow gave them a feeling of participation.
"I think it's the densest here."
The two ran around in the mountain for a while and stopped, then each took out their green gourd and gathered a few streaks of fire spiritual essence.
Gu Yu crouched down, knocked a rock off the mountain and tossed it around in his hand. He frowned. "This feels very different from before. It may turn into a real fire mineral, but I don't know when."
"We were right. To the ordinary people, this is a living hell, but to cultivators, it's a blessed land." Xiaozhai also looked around and sighed. "Let's get out now and check that cave. I still think it a weird thing that they set that site in Flaming Mountain."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-11.png){kind=small}
Chapter 211: Catastrophe (Part 3)
Source: Qidian International
Xiaozhai could not get over that cave. Shamanism seemed to have left her with such an inferior impression that she had been holding much animosity and defiance for it, which Gu Yu had detected. Since she did not bring it up, he had refrained himself from asking.
As the range of the abnormality widened, entering the cave was getting more difficult each time. Therefore, they tried their best to readjust their breathing and get prepared so that they could finish the task in one go.
Instead of setting out from Grape Valley, they chose the shortest direct route, hopping and leaping over all the mountain rocks and cliffs. The rising red fog resembling crimson snakes danced frantically; it was an inferno.
After a long run, they finally saw the protruding edge of the precipice and a giant rock stuck between two cliffs, which was none other than that suspended rock.
"Thud!"
The resolute pair simply jumped down the precipice and landed right by the cave. Nothing changed much here. The entrance that had been made by Flaming Could Needles was still gaping at them, its edges all rough and coarse.
They took a peek in and were immediately surprised, for inside, the cave remained pitch black and felt as bottomless as always. Gu Yu stooped down to check. There was no mistake in that. The air inside still felt cool, completely undisturbed by what was going on outside.
"..."
The two exchanged a look; that was simply miraculous!
Xiaozhai frowned. "Something must have been arranged inside, or the whole thing is a Feng Shui setting to begin with—otherwise, it would not stay shady and cool under such power as it is now."
"Does Shamanism practice Feng Shui?" Gu Yu asked.
"Feng Shui itself originated from the ancient Shamanism, but I'm not sure if those people have inherited anything... or maybe Taoist practice is involved as well?"
Xiaozhai made an even bolder suggestion. "My initial speculation might be wrong. They were not merely raising insects here, but only used it as means to achieve another more important goal."
"You're right. They have indeed mentioned that they were looking for a thing when they talked with me. Too bad we don't know how Feng Shui works and can find no clue in this."
"Sigh. I'd love to go in and check," Xiaozhai chimed in with a sigh.
With the unusual circumstances at the moment, they would not enter the cave recklessly, for the insects were sure to be disturbed if they went in, which would lead to a fight and a fight meant activating their spiritual energy, which would attract a torrent of incoming fire spiritual essence that would bury them.
The two discussed it over and marked down the mountain shape here so that they could find someone to examine it later.
"Of all the people we know, I think that fatso Wang is the only Feng Shui master," said Xiaozhai.
"He's working for the government now, no? Together with that little zombie…" Shaking his head, Gu Yu said in a vexed tone, "Man, I'd rather not to have dealings with them."
***
"Back away!"
"Fall back!"
"Vroom!"
With the shouting and the sound of rumbling engines, the fleet of vehicles drove in the other direction as fast as they could, carrying personnel and materials alike.
They were merely a few minutes away when that small observation station was devoured. The houses made a crunching sound as the rampant fire spiritual essence pushed in, as if they were going to collapse the next second.
On average, the red fog advanced one kilometer every 24 minutes. They had been waiting for over an hour, but Lu Yuanqing still had not returned. They were falling back all the way from the warning line to the observation station, and now, even the station was gone.
The vehicles drove a short distance away and a research staff hopped off, drawing another warning line and flagging it. The distance between two flags was roughly the distance the fog would travel in an hour.
The six soldiers in charge of security details were ridden with anxiety. They had tried to enter the fog themselves before, but could not make it past five minutes. It took all their strength to come back alive.
The fact that Lu Yuanqing had walked in all by himself and that they had not heard from him ever since was eating away at their confidence. But like they had promised: we would be falling back, but we would never leave without you!
And wait they did. Every now and then, they would report to their superior.
"Glug! Glug!"
A soldier was gulping a bottle of water down his throat, then asked, "How long has it been?"
"Over two hours."
"It's a bad one."
"Shut it!" the leader scolded.
"Why? Priest Lu might be a capable man, but I don't think he can make it after that much time."
The guy was not taking pleasure from this misfortune. Despite his criticism, he looked rather dispirited. He was taking a few more gulps from the bottle when the soldier next to him started patting him violently.
"Pfttttt!"
His arm jolted and he choked on the water. He shouted angrily, "What the hell?"
"Look, is that a person over there?"
"Where?"
"There! There!"
Among all the hubbub, the group turned in unison and looked ahead of them. In the dense red fog, a blurry figure was moving, which looked as tiny as it was slow.
"He's back!" the leader shouted immediately. He then said, "Something's wrong. We need to go fetch him!"
"I'll go!"
"Let me!"
The soldiers responded right away, jumped into the vehicle in a haste, stepped the gas all the way down, and dashed into the red fog headlong. They could only withstand the fog for so much time and were driving frantically forward. It took them no time to recognize Lu Yuanqing.
The only word to describe the man was: miserable!
The previous peacefulness and calm all gone, the man looked withered and pale. The stooping figure staggered forward and the man was losing conscious as he walked.
"Quickly! Quickly!"
The soldier behind the wheel heard the engine making weird noise and urged them. The other two hopped out and lifted Lu Yuanqing in straight away. They did not have the time to adjust their positions and the three squeezed into the back row in a weird arrangement.
"Go!"
The SUV spun around, leaving a deep scratch on the ground. The next moment, the vehicle was out of the fog.
"Bang!"
They were just out of its range when a white smoke broke out of the hood. The vehicle was completely wasted. They were in no mood to feel pity, though, for all three soldiers were panting heavily and soaking wet as if they were just out of the water.
Right away, they arranged to have Lu Yuanqing escorted back by several group members, while the rest stayed behind to guard the post.
The priest was only half-conscious now and tried all he could to stay awake. Thanks to his solid basic training, he gradually recovered after a short rest and drinking a lot of water.
Arriving at the municipal government building, they found a group of people waiting eagerly for his return; they were utterly frightened by his miserable condition. The old man went up to him and asked in a sympathetic tone, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm ok… I'm sorry I've failed you." Lips quivering, Lu Yuanqing said apologetically, "I only made more than half of the distance and glanced at that Flaming Mountain from afar. That was my limit."
"Don't worry about it. You made it back, that's the most important thing. What exactly is going on inside?" the old man asked.
"..."
He was silent for a while before answering. "Chaos. A dead land void of any life. It looked like an exploding volcano with a whirling air mass on the mountaintop. The red fog rolled out ceaselessly. I don't think it'll be exhausted any time soon."
"..."
The old man fell silent as well, apparently also disturbed by the answer. "Take a good rest. You've done well!"
"I only did what I could."
Lu Yuanqing lay in bed and watched the man leave. A strange smile suddenly rippled over his face. What he needed the most at the moment was an impression of being obedient. Successful or not, the authorities' attitude was the most important thing.
As for the other party, the professor was disgruntled ever since they left the lounge, mumbling the whole time. "It was all for nothing. There is too little information and I thought at least he could go up the mountain…"
Unfortunately, nobody paid him any attention, for everyone was at a loss.
If Flaming Mountain rampaged on, the government would make sure that it did not go beyond Huo Zhou, let alone spread to the rest of the country. Should that happen, the state would sacrifice an entire region and blow the hundred-kilometer mountain by issuing some sort of weapon.
Yet there was no way to make sure it would be effective, nor could they predict that nothing worse would be induced by such measure. However, it was a solution—a desperate solution.
That was why they had to have someone go deep into the fog and get to know the situation. What if the abnormality wore away and the outbreak stopped?
"Well, Sir…" the assistant spoke suddenly and reminded him in a low voice, "Don't we have the other two?"
"Them?"
The old man adjusted his glasses and expressed his doubts. "Would they make it when even Priest Lu has failed?"
The question might sound foolish, but it reflected the government's mindset. Ever since the monastery had produced an innate-state cultivator, the attitude of the government had been rather hard to pin down. They cared little of the capability of an innate-state achiever, but only saw the latter as an auxiliary force.
As tough as an innate-state cultivator was depicted, could he stop a bullet? How about a bomb or a missile?
Before the individual ability of a cultivator reached a transcendent level, the government couldn't care less about what state they were at, what technique they practiced with, or how tough they were—to the authorities, innate state was nothing compared to modern weapons.
The assistant knew his stuff very well. "Sir, the area within a 20 km radius of Flaming Mountain is now covered by the fog. Our intelligence said they did not show up in any monitored area. In that case, they must be inside."
"..."
The old man pondered for a while and suddenly raised his voice. "Go contact them now! No, invite them politely!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-12.png){kind=small}
Chapter 212: Catastrophe (Part 4)
Source: Qidian International
Those two had been in Grape Valley the entire time, staying in the area monitored by the authorities. However, since the outbreak of the abnormality, the government was too preoccupied to mind their whereabouts. Now that the pair came into their mind again, where on earth were they going to find the two at such a short notice?
The area within a 20-km radius from Flaming Mountain had gone haywire with all light and airflow tangled together, blocking out any detection instruments. Even the satellite cloud image turned up a blur.
They could only guard the perimeter, hoping their net had been cast widely enough to catch the two when they did show up.
The abnormality broke out at one o'clock past midnight, the meeting was held at six in the morning, Lu Yuanqing arrived at eight, then went in and got out… a lot seemed to have happened already, yet in fact, not a day had passed so far.
Huo Zhou, the municipal government building.
The atmosphere was extremely tense. Despite the people walking around, whispering, and doing this and that, there was only one sensation going around.
An absolute quietness, a suffocating silence.
So much so that a sticky, transparent, yet heavy existence seemed to have gathered in the air, pressing against each individual's chest so much that it was getting hard to breathe.
Bigshots sat around the foremost screen, comprising steering group members only. The look on their faces was even graver, for pieces of news were streaming in from the front, each more despairing than the last.
"North station No.1 fell back for 5 km. The station has been destroyed!"
"East station No.3 fell back for 5 km. The station has been destroyed!"
"Muli Village and Shuigou Village on the south have been destroyed. The personnel is ready for evacuation!"
"..."
The ceaseless reports pressed on like a tightening noose, upsetting everyone. After a while, one of the members could not stand it any longer and suggested, "Sir, I think it's time to evacuate!"
"Yes, it's too dangerous here. This place can only hold on for another couple of hours."
"Evacuate?" the old man asked in his husky voice. "Where can we go?"
"We can go to Yasha County. It's far enough to stay safe and the county has all the necessary facilities to make it a temporary stronghold."
"Then what? Wait for it to reach our doorstep again and evacuate once more, all the way until we fall back to the inland?" the old man asked.
"Well…"
The man found no appropriate words in return and withdrew in silence. It was not that he did not want to press on, but he realized that words were useless now.
"It is shameful enough that we could not defend our country, but we are not going to behave like the defeated or some craven deserters, scurrying away before the enemy shows up." His eyes running down the room, the old man said, "Huo Zhou is a city of our own. Even it is bound to be destroyed, we will witness it until the last moment."
"Whoosh!"
At those words, all men stood up and answered solemnly, "Yes, Sir!"
***
"No sign of the target! No sign of the target!"
"Roger that. Keep watching!"
Up on a mound on the perimeter, a soldier switched off his walkie-talkie, took up his binoculars, and scanned the surrounding area. He was staying at a rather high position, from where he could cover it all.
His main task was to find those two. Unfortunately, all that came into his sight was a deserted land without a single soul.
Two other fellow soldiers had taken up two other spots not far from his, doing exactly the same thing. The three were of a team sharing a single vehicle—very practical and utilitarian.
It felt like ages when he took a brief rest. When he resumed his watch, his heart lurched. Through his binoculars, he could clearly make out two figures in the red fog, dashing outwards at a tremendous speed.
'It's them!'
Eyes wide open and heart thumping, he watched as the pair broke out of the fog and headed straight towards the west.
"Breet!"
He immediately grabbed a tiny device and blowed hard at it, which gave off a shrill and clear whistle carried far by the wind. One of the two glanced in his direction and the pair turned, reaching him in no time.
"What are you doing here?" the woman asked.
"I'm looking f-for you…" The soldier was a little nervous.
"You're looking for us?"
The man finished the sentence for him with a chuckle. "How lucky. We're looking for you as well."
***
"Beep! Beep!"
Honks blaring, an SUV threaded through all the trucks and made its way into the courtyard of the municipal government. The door opened and a few people jumped out.
"Mr. Gu! Miss Jiang!" The assistant that had been waiting in the yard ran up to them right away and greeted them with almost unnatural warmth. "I've been expecting you. Please follow me upstairs. The chief is on the fourth floor!"
With that, he led the two upstairs, briefing them the situation as they walked.
People coming and going were all eyeing them curiously. The two fiends of Phoenix Mountains were notorious and now they finally got to meet the duo in person.
They were somewhat baffled at the same time, though. Didn't these two just come out of the restricted area? How come they looked all fresh and in high spirits? Lu Yuanqing was miserable when he was brought back to the base.
They were soon on the fourth floor, where the old man walked up to them in a hurry and offered his hands. "How do you do! Considering the urgency of the situation now, I'll cut to the chase. The reason we need you here is mainly…"
"Excuse my interruption." Gu Yu gave the hand a shake and broke the man off. "You were looking for us and we were looking for you as well. Let's make that clear first."
"..."
The old man was taken aback for a second. Instead of being offended by that attitude, he smiled. "I was being presumptuous. Here, please take a seat."
At that, the two sat casually down in the middle among all the gaping mouths and staring eyes. The roomful of people were aghast. That was bold! Did these two know how high a rank the old man had?
Well, as a matter of fact, the two didn't know.
"What we need is easy. You have Wang Ruoxu, right?" Gu Yu asked.
"Wang Ruoxu?"
The old man had never heard the name before and someone immediately whispered into his ear. After being adequately acknowledged, the old man smiled. "Oh, he is sorting something out for us."
"We would like to talk to him if that does not trouble you too much."
"Sure, that won't be a problem." The old man did not beat about the bush and gave the order right away. "Contact Wang Ruoxu immediately. Tell him to come here."
"Yes!"
'Wow!'
Gu Yu was slightly surprised. He had expected they would talk over the phone before the meeting was arranged and never imagined the request to be granted promptly, flying the man out here straight away. Bosses were meant to be courageous, after all.
Since the other side had showed their ready willingness, they would reciprocate the favor. Xiaozhai said, "So, you need to see us because…"
"Have you been inside it?" the old man asked.
"Yeah, just walking around the mountaintop."
"The mountaintop? You have reached the top, really?" The professor sitting beside them was instantly excited and could not help but raise his voice. Gu Yu found his question unreasonable and could not be bothered to answer.
"Exactly what is going on?" the old man asked.
"Hard to say. The formation of the mountain rocks is changing and they may turn into a new type of minerals. Not all of the mountain was in the core area. The most severely affected area was Flaming Mountain. We didn't travel to the west, but judging from the east alone, there is subtle difference in the extent of the abnormality." Gu Yu did not hold it back.
"Is there any way to deal with it?"
"What do you mean by dealing with it?"
"A complete wipe-out. Annihilation! All of it!" the old man answered.
"Well…" Gu Yu gave it a thought and said, "I don't think there is. The abnormality is a mutation of the spiritual essence and a product of nature, which makes it part of the natural law. It won't be around for too long, otherwise it'll become a force forever growing without waning—that's something not allowed by nature itself."
"But we don't know when it will ebb away, which will make no difference if it has expanded to the Northwest or even the entire country before that!"
"..."
The two fell into silence. Gu Yu spoke again moments later, "Actually, it just dawned on me that there might be a way, but I'm not sure if it'll work."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-13.png){kind=small}
Chapter 213: Catastrophe (Part 5)
Source: Qidian International
"The biggest threat the fire spiritual essence poses is its ability to invade the organisms directly to destroy their vitality. But as it expands, it's consuming its own energy at the same time. Like I said, this abnormality will not go on forever. It will die down. If we can provide it with a large amount of substance so that it will burn out faster than it explodes out, we might be about to stop it from spreading out further."
Gu Yu's explanation was relatively abstract, but the concept was rather straightforward.
Needless to say, the energy the fire spiritual essence spent on devouring a blade of grass, a tree, or a whole forest would definitely differ from one to the next. They could use that to try "artificially feeding" it, so that it would be satiated ahead of schedule.
"..."
The group of people pondered over the suggestion in silence and it was quite some time before the professor asked, "Was that your speculation or a deduction based on facts?"
"Fifty-fifty, I should say. We've kind of figured that out on our way up the mountain from the Grape Valley, but the core area was too overpowering to sense the depletion. It should be more obvious in areas further out." Gu Yu paused before going on, "I can provide a little material for you to experiment on. Do hurry up. It'll be rather easy to see."
"What material?" The professor was baffled.
"Fire spiritual essence, of course."
With that, he took off the gourd and gave it a shake, which brought out another round of amazement.
He did not conceal it from them on purpose previously, nor was the specialist too inadequate to think of taking a sample, it was simply due to the fact that the fire spiritual essence did not materialize until this outbreak. Before this, they could neither see it nor detect it, not to mention studying it at all.
Now that it had taken a tangible form, they could see it as the crimson lump of fog as it was. At least they could tell its change with their naked eyes.
The decisive old man had made the call instantly and the group moved into action right away, filing out of the room, going downstairs, and soon arriving at the municipal scientific research institution.
The professor then asked, "Mr. Gu, what do you think would be the best to experiment with?"
"Soil and water, I suppose," answered he after some thought.
Therefore, the specialists prepared two gigantic transparent containers, piling soil into one and filling the other with water to the rim.
Gu Yu unplugged the gourd and gave it a casual pat. Two thin streaks of crimson smoke floated out of the opening and, led by Gu Yu, each entered a container.
"..."
Those present dared not even blink and fixed their eyes on the containers. The two crimson streaks circled around in the air for a while, then as if sensing some vitality, they whooshed down, stuck to the surfaces of the soil and the water, and remained there without dissipating.
The abnormality took its effect on the natural world fast and violently, turning a tree into a layer of flimsy skin in no time. Therefore, it was not long before someone shouted, "The color is changing! It's changing!"
"There's less water as well!"
The group turned their heads in unison. The pile of soil had turned from brownish black to a brown streaked with grayish white. The change in the water was even more obvious—the water line had fallen by a whole unit of the graduation line.
The most pleasant surprise was that the two streaks of crimson smoke were growing paler and thinner right in front of their eyes. As they watched on with thumping hearts, the two streaks were eventually exhausted and disappeared.
"That worked! That worked!"
"The reaction was more intense with water."
"We need water, a lot of it. The wider and the deeper, the better!"
"Rivers? Rivers will not do. They're too narrow and cover too small an area. They won't be of much use…"
The research staff started their discussion, all talking at the same time and making one proposition after another, which were all turned down in turn.
Gu Yu joined in the brainstorm. "Although water restrains fire in the restriction among five elements 1 , you are only using ordinary water, which is not all that effective. Tianshan is not far from here and we can probably find sources of water that have been nourished by the spiritual essence there. Can you somehow transport some of those here and raise it into the air…"
"Mr. Gu!" One of the specialists shook his head and interrupted with resignation. "Say we can achieve the impossible task of shipping the water out of the mountain, carrying it here with a plane that has the capacity which we do not have and can fly to the adequate height which it can't, and showering it down from above… we don't have the time even if we managed to do all of the above! The thing is arriving at the downtown area tonight and can fill the entire Huo Zhou in five days. However fast and advanced our technology is, we can't just create things out of nothing like God."
"Hey, Old Wang!" He had just finished when someone else interjected. "Isn't there a water conservancy project somewhere around here?"
Hm?
The voices died down all of a sudden, then the discussion resumed, several folds louder than before.
Gu Yu was bewildered. "What are they talking about?"
"There's a water diversion and supply project in Dahe 2 Town. The water comes from Bogda Peak," explained someone.
Bogda? Tianshan Mountain?
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai's faces lit up.
***
The Northwest suffered from water shortage. As a result, it was common sense that the region was extremely poor in water resources. On the other hand, the lack of water resulted in the construction of more water conservancy projects.
In all cities of Xichui Province, a dam was built pretty much wherever there was a river.
The dam of Huo Zhou was in Dahe Town, not too far from the downtown area. It was only completed last year, with a reservoir capacity of 40,240,000 m^3, enabling it to irrigate 60,200 mu of agricultural land.
The project was a relatively small-scale one and was nowhere near one of those big reservoirs with capacity of over hundreds of millions. It was big enough for northwestern cities, though. All drinking and irrigation water in the surrounding areas came from here.
The group soon arrived in town. The main body was a river dam, not very long and 20-meter high. The spillways and culverts were also small-ish.
Gu Yu had had high hope in coming here and was discouraged at the sight of the dam. However, the lake water brought back that hope a little bit—the river had flowed down from Bogda Peak and although it was nothing special, it was better than ordinary water.
"Mr. Gu, what do you think?" the old man asked.
"Let me try it first."
He took out the green gourd and let out another streak of fire spiritual essence. The crimson streak circled around over the lake and did not look as ferocious as before. It disappeared in no time.
"Wow!"
"It worked!"
The group erupted with jubilation; someone even shouted out aloud. They couldn't help it. The pressure had been upon them for so long and they had finally found something to vent it out for.
"The water is good, but still too little compared to the abnormality. I'll leave it to you for the actual operation."
With that, Gu Yu moved away from the front row. He had done all he needed to do and there was nothing else he could help with.
The old man saw that as well and did not press on. Immediately, he called for a meeting with the specialists, which was intense and fast-paced. There was no verbose statement; everyone expressed themselves with the most succinct sentences possible.
"The reservoir is too small. I suggest we open the gate and let the water flow into the downstream regions, merging with the river. It will protect a larger area."
"We cannot be one hundred percent sure with the outcome. Opening the gate prematurely could lead to bigger disasters."
"So are we going to sit beside the reservoir and let the disaster come upon us?"
"..."
The old man listened to all this, uttering not a single word. It was a test on his determination and responsibility.
He looked down and read the watershed map again. From west to east, the river flowed all the way passing sixteen towns and townships such as Ayding Lake Township, Erya Township, Chaghri Township, and Kandi Township, and circling around the perimeter of Huo Zhou.
Opening the gate would not guarantee flooding all sixteen towns, but half was bound to be affected.
"..."
He was still hesitant to make the decision. It was too big a matter after all. Just then, someone's words caught his ear.
"It can't get any worse than this. Why don't we just give it a go?"
Worse than this, worse...
"That's it!"
He shut his eyes tightly, then opened them right away. "Prepare to open the gates!"
***
Dusk was setting in. According to their estimation, the downstream region should be adequately flooded around the same time when the red fog arrived.
They all gathered in the control room and the old man sounded the order himself. "Open the gates!"
"Yes!" a man answered solemnly. He the turned a switch and pressed down a row of buttons.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
As the sluice gates opened, formidable currents spurted out of the spillways. The water galloped out like yellow dragons, carrying soil and sand, roaring and tumbling. The scene was magnificent.
The water cascaded and fell, smashing onto the rocks at the bottom of the valley. Instantly, great waves rose up again, turning into a white mist in the air. The rumbling sound was ear-splitting, as if ten thousand horses were stampeding and golden dragons making wild dances.
Fish were flushing down from upstream as well. The impact of the twenty-meter fall had decapitated them, leaving behind a school of blue bodies floating on the surface.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai stayed in the safety zone and listened to the thundering torrent. The river water in gullies and grooves became a white froth of foam as if it was being boiled as it dashed headlong downstream.
The water from upstream met that of the downstream and was supplemented ceaselessly by more inflow. Before long, it was a world of waters. The water level rose rapidly and was soon over the river course, rushing into villages and houses.
Not far away, the sky had turned fiery red. The catastrophe was arriving.
"Sir, we should leave now!"
"..."
"Sir, we can only drive the mountain roads and it will take longer time! It'll be too late if we don't leave now!"
"..."
With much persuasion, the old man finally turned to leave after giving a last glance at the sky and the water.
In his sixties, he was not too old. He had risked it all with this decision, staking his entire political future upon it. Of course, he regretted none of it. A figure like him would stick to his beliefs the moment he set his mind on it.
They got into their vehicles promptly and drove away along the winding mountain roads. They only stopped when they reached the open ground, where they stayed and watched from afar.
"Flush!"
"Rumble!"
The water had long risen past the warning level and was gushing into residential areas. Buildings along the river all had their first floors submerged in the water, along with abandoned farmlands, dilapidated courtyards, ancient village roads, and livestock sheds. The water was still rising.
"Plop!"
Pieces of the houses in a courtyard fell off from time to time under the sweeping torrent. The blueish-gray brick wall was gone, revealing the bedroom inside. Without a single resident, the scene was all the more bleak.
Before they knew it, many a town were flooded. The water was everywhere.
It was nighttime already but the sky was not dark, for the monster had finally arrived from afar.
Like a dye, the red fog gradually took up the sky while devouring everything. Mountains flanking the dam were dotted with fresh green, but at the touch of the fog, they turned a lifeless, despairing grey.
"Flush!"
The river below flowed on, its gurgling sounded like a provocation. The next second, masses of fog turned into crimson snakes, pouncing down towards the water.
The small river in the Grape Valley was shallow and did not have much water, so it had evaporated in the blink of an eye. It was not the same here. The tidal waves surged and roared, somehow managing to fend off the attack.
Instantly, the red sky and the black water collided into one another, tearing and biting, struggling fiercely. At that moment, one could not tell if it still was the world they lived in, or if they were witnessing a living hell.
"..."
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai looked into the distance, their eyes roaming from the mountains to the water and from heaven to earth.
The red fog gradually thinned as the water evaporated rapidly. Steam rose into the air in great lumps, which should have condensed into a cumulonimbus, but with the sky all occupied by the fog, the steam was stuck in the middle, lingering in midair.
As the steam increased, the area was transformed into a giant sauna house. The red fog mixed with the wet air, as if a red downpour was in full action.
While these two were enjoying the view, the others had been scared out of their wits. The research team was still observing the data. As much as an hour had passed before they finally shouted at the top of their lungs, "It has not advanced!"
"It has not advanced!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-14.png){kind=small}
Chapter 214: Yang Containing Yin
Source: Qidian International
"Knock knock!"
"Knock knock!"
The old man sleeping in the back seat woke up with a start. Eyes half closed, he took a while to clear his head before opening the window and asked, "What time is it?"
"It's four in the morning," replied his assistant.
"How are things looking?"
"We are still able to keep it at bay, but the decrease of the water is quite significant. Although the red fog has fallen back a little, it showed no sign of dissipating."
The assistant looked dejected. "We estimate that the water will dry out completely at around nine o'clock…"
"Sigh. That water is not enough, after all."
The old man heaved a sigh and said right away, "Be as it may, we have tried our best. We have followed our conscience and fulfilled our duty. Anything else?"
"The city of Huo Zhou i-is gone." The assistant pursed his lips tightly.
"..."
The old man winced. Despite having been prepared for the news, he couldn't help but let his mind slip for a few seconds. He sounded pained when he asked, "Anything else?"
"Wang Ruoxu has arrived."
"Oh? Where is he now?"
"He's with Mr. Gu, and so is Priest Lu."
"..."
The old man frowned. "Keep an eye on them. We can't put our complete trust in them just yet."
"Understood. Please take some more rest," the assistant replied and left.
By "them", the old man did not make it explicit whether he was talking about those of Phoenix Mountain, Qiyun Monastery, or both; the assistant got the precise message nonetheless.
***
The whole big area had been turned into a temporary campsite.
The staff in the downtown area had all gathered here, together with countless vehicles and tents. With all the bustling crowd, it looked more like a giant open-air bazar.
Inside one of the tents, four people were sitting in a circle chatting.
"Gosh, this place is abominable. A few more days staying here and I'll become a roast pig."
Wang Ruoxu was as fat as he always was, his big face dripping with sweat. He could not stand such weather and was wiping away the sweat with a towel all the time. Since he was acquainted with both sides, he naturally took up the part as the middleman. "Let me introduce you all first. This is Junior Brother Lu Yuanqing, the pupil of the abbot of Baiyun Temple of Quanzhen. I don't think I need to introduce these two here—they're the Two Sages of Phoenix Mountain—"
"Stop! Stop right there!" Gu Yu found it utterly ridiculous. "What the hell is 'Two Sages'? It almost sounds like ' Phoenix Legend 1 '!"
"Hey, Phoenix Legend isn't that bad. That can be our nickname." Xiaozhai put on a serious face.
"You wish! You're not dragging me down with you on that!"
"..."
Wang Ruoxu had seen the couple bickering back on Iron Mountain and this was nothing new to him. Lu Yuanqing, on the other hand, was sitting quietly beside them while eyeing the two curiously.
So, the renowned Phoenix Legend… scratch that, two masters of Phoenix Mountain looked like this in real person.
It was evident enough that the speech and finesse he had prepared beforehand would no longer be necessary.
As for the couple, Gu Yu was butchered by his girlfriend like always when he finally turned to the other two, acting as if nothing had happened. "Priest Lu, I presume you have achieved the innate state. Correct?"
"That's correct." Lu Yuanqing smiled.
"When did that happen?"
"About three months ago. I was fortunate enough to sense the godsent opportunity and by sheer luck, I succeeded."
"I see. There are so few cultivators around nowadays and you have reached the innate state even by following Neidan practice. That would give the community much hope. I admire you for that!"
"You're too modest. I should be the one impressed by all you have achieved." Lu Yuanqing cupped his hand in return.
Gu Yu exchanged a few more lines with him, not minding Lu Yuanqing's status at all. The longer he walked the cultivation path, the more he realized how difficult this task was. As long as there was no conflict of interests, he didn't mind sitting on the bench to play the happy cheerer.
"Priest Wang, it is very kind of you to come all the way here this time." Xiaozhai cut to the chase. "We need a favor. It has something to do with Feng Shui."
"Hahaha! Observing Feng Shui is the one thing I can assume authority on," Wang Ruoxu bragged, his round belly all the more conspicuous.
"Exactly! You're not called the Millionaire Wang for nothing!" Xiaozhai teased him, then took out paper and pen, starting to draw the area surrounding the cave. She used to be a member of the art society back in college and was quite skilled in scenic sketch. In a few strokes, the general shape was lined out.
Wang Ruoxu tilted his head and watched. He did not think much of it in the beginning, but was growing uneasy. By the time Xiaozhai was wrapping up, his enormous face was all crinkled up like a greasy lard-filled steam bun.
"That's about it."
Before long, Xiaozhai tossed her pen down.
Wang Ruoxu picked up the paper and looked closely, making not a single sound. It was quite some time before he asked, "Here, are you sure about the mountain's shape?"
"I think it was higher."
Gu Yu glanced at the sketch and rubbed a line upward. A gentle slope was instantly sharpened.
"Like this? Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Tsk, that would be spectacular!" Fatso Wang exclaimed with admiration.
"What exactly is this?" Lu Yuanqing was also curious.
"As the saying goes, when Yin and Yang are separated, the acquired substances are created; when Yin and Yang combine, the primordial Qi reveals itself." He sat down with an unrestrained air, his legs wide apart while he assumed the lecturer role. "The Feng Shui and Yin and Yang we talk about on a daily basis are all indefinite concepts, by which we mean a balanced state, one that the elements do not interfere with one another. But this is not the same. This place is where the fire dragons meet and one of the utmost Yang quality, yet it just happens that there is a Yin cave within. I've been studying Taoist theory for several decades and this is the first time I have ever seen something like this: Yin within Yang and Yang wrapping around Yin."
He paused a little before asking, "Did you say that there was a cave there, which was gloomy and cold?"
"Yup."
"In that case, I can assure you that there is a profound mystery in that cave. It should lead you further into the mountain and at its end is where Yin and Yang truely combine into one!"
Seeing that the man was all excited, Gu Yu interjected, "Then what?"
"Then what? The combination of Yin and Yang creates the most unique setting that will give birth to the ultimate demon!" Wang Ruoxu made it sound very ferocious.
"So, a big monster is hidden there?" Xiaozhai's tone made it sound ridiculous instead.
"I think so."
Wiping away his sweat, Fatso Wang could not be bothered with their wording.
The couple exchanged a look and read each other's mind. 'Wang Wei and his bunch were playing with a very big fire!' Gu Yu asked immediately, "Priest Wang, can you find the spot?"
"Hard to say. I can only be sure when I see it for myself."
"Ok. time we hang around here, we'll ask for your help again."
"Pfttt!" Fatso Wang almost choked on his own spit. 'When on earth did I agree to that?'
Lu Yuanqing was enthralled by the conversation. "Mr. Gu, are you looking for something?"
"Not me, a bunch of cult followers…"
Gu Yu thought about it and decided it would not matter much to tell them, so he briefly told the other two about the Shamanistic incident, which great surprised the two—there was still a deranged organization like that around nowadays?
All the while, they were also detecting a feeling rising inside that was hard to describe: that was how marvellous cultivation life should be!
The four chatted for quite some time. Lu Yuanqing behaved the most appropriately, neither humble nor impertinent, mentioning nothing out of the line. Wang Ruoxu was a wonder himself, for he had a double identity—a cultivator of the monastery and an undercover man for the BIMAUP.
He was timid, sly, and shrewd at the same time. By now he had figured out part of Lu Yuanqing's integration strategy.
He had expected to see Lu Yuanqing tactfully reaching out to Phoenix Mountain, laying the groundwork for getting in touch in the future. As it turned out, he had underestimated Lu Yuanqing's forbearance and prudence. The man showed no such intention whatsoever.
Fatso Wang was actually struggling inside as well. On one hand, he dared not go against the government, on the other hand, he would like to see improvement in the Taoist community. His position in the middle was giving him a hard time.
Before they realized, it was daylight.
Trumpets rang out outside, indicating it was time to eat and strike camp. Gu Yu and Xiaozhai walked out of the tent and noticed that the water had been nearly all evaporated and was almost drained. The red fog did not look much better, though. It was noticeably thinner.
Around nine o'clock, the observation team resumed their work and half an hour later, data came in from the front line. "The fog is advancing again, but at a much lower speed. It is now down to 0.3 m/s!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-15.png){kind=small}
Chapter 215: Afterwards
Source: Qidian International
The speed the red fog was spreading at had dropped by more than 50%, but there was still nothing they could do but fall back further and further away.
Huo Zhou was 300 km across from east to west and 240 km from south to north. To its west was Kumtag Desert, which was 400 km straight across, making it a rather sizeable buffer zone. To the south were Yangji and Yiwu and to the north Bayan. On the east abutted the province of Xining at a place called Huahou 1 Town.
They were mostly evacuating towards the south, going through Yiwu then to Longxi Province. They didn't have a choice. Longxi was the corridor linking the Northwest to the Central Plains and they could not allow anything happen to it.
The fog was advancing in all directions at irregular paces. It was not spreading out like a perfect circle.
It was expanding slowly at one kilometer per hour and made another 20 km or so by the end of the second day, and got to exactly 50 km by the third. Adding to what it made in the first day, the fog had taken up most of Huo Zhou.
Wherever it swept across, not a blade of grass was left and all birds and beasts died with it. None of the buildings or streets were recognizable; some were completely eroded, leaving an ashen shell only, while others managed to hang on, but it was only a matter of time before they were gone for good.
If the abnormality had brought a suffocating pressure in the beginning, it was now a slow death that dragged on by killing a little at a time.
Morale of the government was at rock bottom. The observation continued as a mere formality, while the people there were guarding something they could not defend.
The fourth day, sunny.
In a dilapidated small town, the old man was sitting in the command center eating breakfast, looking preoccupied. The food was nothing fancy: rice congee, steam buns, fermented bean curd, and a plate of salted vegetables.
Their everyday food and clothing were all sent in from outside. Each day, heavy trucks were driving to and fro between Huo Zhou and the neighboring cities.
This small town sat on the border of Huo Zhou. A few more villages and a river away was Yiwu territory. To some extent, this town had become an emblem of their endeavour. Losing it would mean the ultimate failure of the government.
"Sigh…"
The old man heaved a sigh and came to himself. He only realized then that the steam bun was going cold in his hand, being held there for too long. He was about to return to his feet when there came a clank.
The door was shoved open and the assistant trotted in, his pitch so high that it was almost shrilly. "Slowed down! It has slowed down again!"
"What?" He was having a hard time registering it.
"It's, it's slowed down…" Panting, the assistant said, "The observation data from 8.00 to 8.30 this morning came back. The fog is moving at 0.2 m/s!"
"Clank!"
The old man leapt to his feet, the table and chairs tumbling around with his sudden movement. He stood there motionless for a few seconds, then strode out and actually walked a few circles around the table. In the end, he smacked the back of a chair.
"Great! Heaven has indeed left a door open for us! For our country! Come, let's go have a look!"
With that, the two went out in a hurry and arrived directly at the observation post. Looking through the binoculars, he indeed saw that the distant red sky was no longer as ferocious as before, but felt sluggish. The color was also much fainter.
"Phew…"
The old man was finally reassured. They made it!
Meanwhile, the news also got around and the crowd cheered in jubilation.
"We're saved! We're saved!"
"Gods did not forsake us!"
"Our work did not go to waste… sob… sob…"
One of the professors was even crying on his knees, forgetting all about himself and tossing his glasses into the dirt.
After rampaging for four successive days and waging a war of attrition against the flood, Flaming Mountain was finally wearing out. Everyone was now confident enough that the glimmers of hope were only a few days away.
***
"Poof!"
"Bang!"
A cluster of flame spurted high into the air with a faint explosive sound, which soon joined the surrounding fire, burning unscrupulously like dying kicks.
The place was a sizeable mine that had been dug into a valley and in it were numerous shallow coalfields. Piles upon piles of fragmented coal were not shipped out in time and left down there, together with scattering buildings and vehicles—which were now all devoured by the raging fire.
Shallow coalfields were extremely dangerous, which would easily combust when the temperature rose too high. Multiple such incidents had been recorded in the history of Xichui Province and the most severe one happened in Bayan—the fire did not die out for decades.
At the moment, the field combusted spontaneously because of the high temperature while being eroded from the inside by the fire spiritual essence. A most strange phenomenon was created.
Despite the sky-high flame and its ferocity, in a brief moment, the coal turned into grayish white dead rocks that contained no mineral composition at all.
The process was so quick that it seemed it was not coal, but paper burning.
"Poof!"
"Sizzle!"
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai were standing on high ground, their faces lit red by the glow of the fire. It was burning when they arrived, and after half a day, it was finally dying out.
Seeing that the fire was shrinking with only a small area putting up a last-ditch effort, they felt they could wait no longer. With a leap, they jumped down together.
"Clack!"
Their feet made a crisp snapping sound the moment they hit ground and a heavy leftover heat wrapped around them. The mine was unrecognizable. Apart from the white, bone-like stones all over the ground, nothing was left.
The stones might seem hard, but they were in fact all hollow, and turned into powder with a crunching sound under their feet.
"I can't think of any use out of it other than looking nice."
Pinching some power between his fingers, Gu Yu felt it and shook his head.
"Looking nice is enough! The valley is an endless white. It'll be a good tourist spot." Xiaozhai looked around and chuckled. "Hey, how does the name 'Snow Valley' sound?"
"Whatever…"
The corner of his mouth twitching, Gu Yu could give no comment on his girlfriend's naming sense.
They bid the authorities farewell the same day when the flood evaporated and resumed they random "sightseeing". Now that the fire spiritual essence was much less powerful, it was putting less and less pressure on them.
For the past couple of days, they walked all their way, examining the post-disaster land while taking the trouble to name each place they passed.
Ayding Lake, for instant, was 154 m below the sea level before and the lowest terrestrial point of the country. The water of the lake was also 161 m deep, making it an enormous and extremely deep hole in the ground that one could not see the bottom of it. It was an abyss.
Xiaozhai thus gave it a new name: Giant Pit 2 .
Another example would be Yuekexun County that was nicknamed "wind reservoir" where wind stronger than force 6 was blowing for as many as 100 days annually and from March to May was the period when the wind was the strongest. Facilitated by the abnormality, the wind was frantic. The scorching air billowed like blades on fire, denying all human access. It was the restricted area within the restrict area.
Sand Mountain Park was yet one more example, which was a park built on the contact belt of the oasis in the north section of Kumtag Desert. The oasis was obviously gone now and the sand had moved further in.
The remarkable thing was that the desert did not turn grayish white at the touch of the fire spiritual essence like everywhere else, but had become a black grit sort of substance, which was hard and in large granules. The swell and sweep rolled into the distance and made a crunching sound as the granules rubbed against one another at the wind.
The black grit was much more useful. They each took a large bagful for refining after they went back home.
The couple dug around like so as they went on. Anything that was mildly valuable would immediately go into their pockets. They were like scavengers, but it couldn't be helped. Cultivation Era 1.0—everything was so primary!
Apart from collecting resources, the other important purpose of their journey this time was something of their original line of work—map-drawing.
Anyone else might be ignorant of this, but never these two. Huo Zhou was bound to become the treasured land for cultivators. The dense fire spiritual essence was an excellent material for instrument-refining, not to mention the mountainful of fire minerals and the big monster inside...
It would be a heaven on earth!
***
Before long, it was the twelfth day.
The fog had almost stopped expanding and the speed was down to less than 0.1 m/s. It was barely moving forward and was wriggling about with the last of its strength.
The density in the perimeter was low enough to allow exceptionally fit soldiers to venture in. Their safe distance was set at 30 km. Anywhere deeper in would be life-threatening.
The army had set up a buffer zone around the edge of the fog and was busy putting up installations. The next stage would be a long-term garrison.
Economic loss—which was an astronomical figure—aside, the most regrettable thing was that Huo Zhou was lost after all and the fog had even encroached a little of the neighboring area.
Of course, all of the above was within the acceptable range.
Longxi Province, the city of Sha Zhou.
The old man was sitting in an office drafting a report, graveness clouding his face. It had been years since he last wrote a report himself, but what had happened was no trivial matter. He was more reassured to write it on his own.
First of all, Huo Zhou area would need re-defining, where boundaries would be reset according to the size of the abnormality. Huo Zhou was 72,000 km^2 before and now 73,000 km^2. The cities of Yiwu, Yangji, Bayan, and the province of Qining were all affected, their territories would be reduced accordingly.
For another, governmental expenditure had shot through the roof and the second key subject was to find a way to fill the huge gap.
Last but not least, they had concealed the peach blossom miasma and Huo Zhou incident, yet abnormality was bound to happen again sooner or later. There would come a day when they could not hold it back any more. After much consideration, he put down a most prudent suggestion.
It was time to consider how to face the people of this country...
It took the old man a long time to finish the report. After making sure there was no error, he sealed the report and stamped it with "Top Secret", then put it securely away.
He had just finished with the task when there came a knock at the door.
"Come in!"
The door opened and his assistant strode in. "Sir, there are a few things I need to brief you on."
"Tell me."
He rubbed his temples and leaned back into his chair.
"Priests Lu and Wang have returned to Tianzhu Mountain."
"Mhm."
"Mr. Gu and Miss Jiang have also left this morning. They have trusted us to send their luggage back to Bai Town. That is, the stone from Tianshan and a lot of other odd things." The assistent looked the most innocent.
"Oh, they have done us a great favor. That's the least we could do. Anything else?"
"Urh, those two have left a message, saying it is for you."
"What message?" The old man winced.
"We have gone up the mountaintop. The fire spiritual essence is going stable and will not break off easily in the future. Don't worry," the assistant reiterated it word for word.
"..."
The old man blinked, finding it somewhat hard to describe his whole feeling.
'Don't worry?'
Hoho, it had been a while since anyone talked to him like that after rising to this position.
"And…" The assistant suddenly lowered his voice and moved closer. "The security service informed us that they had just arrested several foreign intelligence agents. Their identities have been confirmed."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-16.png){kind=small}
Chapter 216: Pre-reformation
Source: Qidian International
"Five were arrested during the operation, they were working for seven countries—two of them are double-agents.
Hugh Gloria, a citizen of Uncle Sam 1 , has been running a trading company in Urumqi and was a hidden agent for many years. Had he not given himself away this time, we wouldn't have been able to track him down and obtain evidence on his true identity.
Margaret, research staff of an international institute of environmental studies, has been here with her team to work on an environment protection project. On the face of it, she works for an intelligence agency of Gaul, but her real identity is a secret agent of the United Kingdom of Britannia.
Nicholas, citizen of Italos, has been in Urumqi for five years acting as a foreign teacher in Urumqi University…"
In a spacious conference room in Urumqi, a staff member of the state security was briefing the team.
Being the city of strategic importance in the Northwest, the city had always been swarming with spies. Had it not been for the overwhelming tumult of the Huo Zhou incident, they would not have took the risk.
As the first man sat down, another rose to his feet. "So far, three countries had made their protests, demanding us to provide them with full report on the cases and allow personnel from their embassies to make comprehensive and undisturbed contact with their citizens."
"Humph!" The old man snorted, apparently disdaining the request a great deal. "All I want to know is, what intelligence have they stolen?"
"Based on our interrogation, they do not yet know the truth of Huo Zhou. The suspicion was only raised by the information we released beforehand and the large-scale migration. The area was under extremely strict close-down during the outbreak, excluding any possibility of any outsider sneaking in."
"How do you exclude that?" a man blurted out, but immediately realized how idiotic the question was and shut up in embarrassment. No living thing survived inside Huo Zhou and anyone went in would never come out again. How else did he think the exclusion work?
"..."
Darting a look at the man, the old man was feeling exhaustion from inside out.
He was the general director of the abnormality incident and had no say over the spies. He was only here to attend the meeting because he was the highest-ranking official in the northwest region.
The moment the state learned about the recovery of the spiritual essence, hidden agents in all other countries were informed, and ordered to turn their main focus on related aspects.
On a global scale, this country was attached the most importance in the Orient—be it the population of nearly 2 billion or the land area of over 10 million km^2, this country dwarfed the others in the region on all aspects.
Especially on the cultural front, where over a dozen abutting countries had all more or less inherited some proportion of the Central Plains culture which then evolved locally, acquiring unique new characteristics.
For the past year or so, their own agents had had some occasional failures, but based on the information they sent back, things seemed to be going smoothly in the rest of the world; life was uneventful. Catastrophes resembling the Peach Blossom Miasma or Flaming Mountain were never heard of.
Of course, there were unusual activities. Several oldest western countries suddenly announced their strange decision of construction projects, which would circle out lands and seal them off—quite similar to what this country had done.
The neighboring small countries such as East Island, Siam, and Lao were also acting secretively.
No matter what, the government dared not take it lightly.
It was common sense that the recovery of the spiritual essence should be a global event. No one could know for sure if western mysteries such as mages, sorcerers, alchemists, or even legendary werewolves and vampires existed or not.
All forces were probing the others and all infiltration had failed. To avoid leaving things to luck and to be able to match the others in strength in the future, everyone was trying to advance faster than the rest.
State-level issues were far beyond the reach of those attending the conference. They could only report faithfully to their superior and wait for those above to make the decision.
After the meeting.
The head of Xichui Province left behind again, chatting casually with the old man.
"It was all thanks to you, or no one knew what Huo Zhou would turn into."
"Why, save that sweet talk. We've known each other well enough."
The old man shook his head and sighed. "The past ten days or so were like over a decade for me. Half of my hair has gone white. Fortunately, I have done all I could and can report myself to those in the capital without a guilty conscience… oh, there's something."
Something came to his mind and he decided to let out a little in advance. "I have written a report and it had been sent out. There is likely to be some change in the near future. Xichui has the two major regions of Tianshan and Huo Zhou, making it the priority among priorities. It will be a long-term project. You have to make sure the foundation is solidly set before you retire."
"Well, on what aspect, roughly?" The head of the province sounded unsure.
"Education, ideology, literature and art, habits and customs, you name it. It will be an overall change…" The old man paused suddenly as his daze turned empty and distant. He leaned back and said in a low, hoarse voice, "That'll be all. Let's talk another time. I need some time alone now."
***
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai were flustered.
Only a handful of things might shake them in this world and what they were looking at was definitely one of them.
They arrived at Bai Town, had a brief rest in the manor, then walked up the mountain along the newly built stone stairs. Halfway up the mountain, they saw a row of pavilions.
Well, to be more precisely, they were a row of pavilion-like houses.
The thing was build over a creek with a stone base and a slab bridge as the wooden frame. The bridge was fan-shaped and was just wide enough to straddle above the creek. On either end sat a pavilion house with a four-ridged tented roof. The inside was spacious enough to entertain guests as well as hold accommodations.
The two pavilion houses were connected by a bamboo-roofed winding corridor in between. The house closer to the mountain path had a plate hanging over it, which said "Mid-mountain Pavilion".
"..."
The couple felt their mouths twitching. It instantly reminded them of a "royal project" built by some arriviste loaded with nothing but money. What the HELL was this? That Yuan fellow obviously took the liberty while the masters were away, coming up with such an eyesore of a showcase project.
Shaking their heads, they climbed on. The verdant plantation flanking the path was the most pleasant. The medicinal materials they sowed a few months ago were prospering. A few peach trees could be seen here and there in full bloom while emanating a particularly cloying scent.
Maybe because there were so few of them, the Peach Blossom Miasma was not generated, but with their thriving vitality and noticeable fluctuation of spiritual essence, they could tell at the first glance that these were no ordinary species.
That was not all. They had found many new stems to be raised with cuttage, which were all carefully fostered. There were as many as over a hundred of them. Needless to say, our girl Long Qiu made it happen.
"..."
The more they saw, the more flustered they became. When they hurriedly reached the black thorny woods, Xiaozhai halted and said suddenly, "You're going to soothe her!"
"Why me? You're just gonna do nothing?" Gu Yu was firmly against the proposition.
"I'll be your wingman!"
"I know how to be a wingman. Your service is not required here."
"You're the dad, so act like one, OK?"
"Dad my a*s. We're going down together."
The two anxiously shirking the incoming duty while walking slowly through the black thorny woods, all the while pondering over how to cajole (more like sweet-talk) Xiao Qiu in a moment.
They had it coming. They had pushed it too far!
Imagine daddy and mummy were out having fun for months on end, spending each day like rock stars, while leaving you behind to run your own course all by yourself. You would be mad as well.
Before long, they were out of the woods. The valley unfolded before them.
They looked nowhere else but towards the old tree, for below it were two girls playing, apparently very happy with all the giggles.
Wow!
Xiaozhai was moved by the scene. She had never felt luckier than now with having a younger sister. That was none other than newly graduated Jiang Xiaojin, who couldn't have returned fast enough to make some noise.
Gu Yu was also happy. With her here, Long Qiu would not go all "good-kid-gone-wicked" on them.
"Sister! Brother-in-law!"
Xiaojin spotted them right away. She immediately let go of Long Qiu, rose to her feet on the lawn, and waved at them while hopping and shouting.
Long Qiu wiped the smile off her face right away. She thought about ignoring them, but with a brief pause, she ran forwards with a pout.
"Oh my, Xiao Qiu has been working so hard these days. Everything at home is in such a great order."
"Exactly. I see that the fields over there are all sowed. You're awesome."
"The fields are sowed perfectly! You can tell the rice from the grass at the first look…"
The two swindlers had overly exaggerated caring and enthusiasm written all over their faces. Praises rolled off their tongues like free giveaways.
"..."
Long Qiu rolled her eyes and could not be bothered to respond. She said straightaway, "The stuff arrived yesterday. There are so many. You said you would be back today, so I didn't open them. Xiaojin got here this morning. She's not going back to school. She'll be living here for now. I've kept your meal on the stove. I'll heat it up for you."
With that, the girl promptly left them. Xiaojin only clumsily rushed just then, yelling, "Sister, I heard you two went to see some major action again. Tell me, tell me now. What was it… ouch, why are you hitting me again?"
"Answer me first. How is your Mind-calming Method doing?" Xiaozhai put down her hand.
"Tsk, would I be back if I'm still going nowhere? Come, I'll show you!"
***
"Ha…"
Xiaojin's chest—which was no less pleasant to the eye than her sister's—rose and fell slightly as a breathing sound with a special rhythm came out of her nose.
Deep, long, even, slow, and soft—such were the key to meditative breathing. It shouldn't be short, but had to be continuous and unbroken. Gradually, the inhaling and exhaling were prolonged. One would then feel the breathing extending deep into the body and the distracting thoughts were cleared away.
In the meditation room, Xiaojin was sitting in a half cross-legged position, placing her left leg on top of her right. Behind her was an open space and in front of her the light. Such a setting was called "tiger crouches, dragon coils, the vermilion bird flies, and the black turtle hangs down".
Meanwhile, her head did not lean on either side and her neck remained straight. Her chin was slightly drawn in and her lower back was ramrod straight—the position of this part of the body was very important, for if it was even slightly bent, the circulation of Qi would be obstructed. The beginners often found their backs unbearably sore and could not hold the position for long. Xiaojin, however, was doing an excellent job.
She kept this standard posture and about five minutes later, her whole temperament changed all of a sudden; there was now a quietness and nonchalance about her.
On others, it meant little. But when such expression appeared on her, it was a supernatural encounter.
"..."
The three exchanged a look, all somewhat surprised. They had never expected to see this. The girl indeed had some talent!
Despite her miserable life in the Miao village, Long Qiu successfully readjusted herself and was able to consume essence within a few months. Xiaojin had been a carefree, wilful, and flamboyant girl; it took her almost a year to achieve a meditative state of mind.
We wouldn't call the former a fast learner, nor would we call the latter slow. Each one simply had their own disposition.
"Ha…"
She sat there for quite some time before coming out of her mind-breathing coordinating state. Slowly, she opened her eyes and the next second, she was back to the old self again, her nose in the air. "See? How was that? Awesome, right?"
"Well, it was ok…"
Gu Yu was rather curious. "How did you do it? That was completely out of our expectations."
"I couldn't in the beginning. There was no way to calm my mind. In the end, I forced myself to set a target and hypnotized myself every day: I must do it or I'll kill myself. Meditation is the first step and I must nail it! Slowly I just made it. I can't really explain it."
"What was your target?" Long Qiu asked.
"Tee-hee, that's my secret!"
Xiaojin squeezed Long Qiu's cheek and turned to her sister, looking like a puppy expecting a pat on the head.
"You passed. From now on, you're with me. The cultivation officially starts now!"
Xiaozhai was rather stingy with her words and did not offer any compliment.
In fact, Xiaojin's ideal choice would be to study essence-consuming method, yet somehow, maybe out of the hope to catch up with her sister, she chose the Thunder Technique, which was a slower cultivation method. Her natural endowment was similar to Long Qiu, so the way ahead would be very tough for her.
Therefore, Xiaozhai had no choice but to be strict. She was ready to steer Xiaojin to the right course at any moment and supervise her around the clock.
After her graduation this year, the girl fled from both home and school, leaving a word saying she was hanging out with her sister. The job of persuading her family was left to Father Jiang and she would have no part of it. All she wanted was her freedom.
After examining the little sister, the couple had no better thing to do and finally told the other two about their story in Huo Zhou, then went to fetch those big chests.
Xiaojin and Long Qiu promptly went up to the chests, ready to split the profit. The first one was opened. In it was a big stone that was green in color and looked glittering and translucent. It was the green jade stone of Tianshan.
"This is enough for two people. Have you decided what to refine?" Gu Yu asked.
"I want a sword. Something suitable for close combat." Long Qiu had thought it through already. She turned to Xiaozhai, "How about you, Sister?"
"I don't like the shape of any of those weapons. I need some more time," replied Xiaozhai.
"Hey, hey, hey…" Xiaojin tugged at her arm and shook it around in vexation. "What about my share? Where is mine?"
"It'll be at least a year or two before you can refine an instrument. By then, there's bound to be better materials around. I'll bring you back some. I promise."
"Oh, okay…"
Xiaojin did not nag on. Her sister had promised and a promise she would keep.
Then came the second chest.
It had two bags of black grit, the granules of which were larger than the ordinary ones and round like little marbles. Long Qiu curiously picked up a handful and squeezed her fist tightly. The grit did not budge.
She then unleashed most of her strength and squeezed again. It was only then that the crunching sound of broken granules came.
"It's very solid. What are we going to do with it?" she asked.
"Don't know yet. We'll have to look into it first."
They then opened the third chest.
In this one were all sorts of bits and pieces. Stones, dust, remains of some plant, the dead body of some aquatic creature...
"Gosh, were you guys scavenging?" Xiaojin eyed the contents rather distastefully.
"Be grateful. We had to dig all of them up out of the ground," said Gu Yu.
There was barely anything left in the post-catastrophe Huo Zhou. It would be years before there would be life again, let alone an ecosystem.
Anyhow, they picked up the stuff around and put the things into the warehouse after arranging them by categories. When all that was done, it was very late. The four washed and cleaned, ready to go to bed.
Gu Yu headed towards his girlfriend's room like he used to, but when he walked in, he saw Xiaozhai bending over her desk writing something.
She looked up and said cooly, "You're sleeping alone from now on. I need to teach her."
"In the middle of the night?" He grimaced.
"Diligence makes up for dullness." Xiaozhai's explanation was succinct as always. She only chuckled. "Why, missing it already?"
"You're the one missing it!" Gu Yu retorted and gave her a tough-man look, leaving the room promptly. The moment he was back at his own, that look melted away from his face and switched instantly to delight.
"Damn! Finally a break!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-17.png){kind=small}
Chapter 217: Lecturing The Litter Sister
Source: Qidian International
Gu Yu had been bursting with energy lately—well, for some obvious reason that could not be named.
His main focus was on planting gourds ever since he got back. He had circled out a plot and chose three types of gourds to plant in it—namely, the Japanese giant gourd, the big narrow-waist, and the giant ladle. All three could produce gourds of over 80 cm, even as long as one to two meters.
The one he planted before was small-to-medium narrow-waisted gourd and could only fit in so much. Now that he needed to stuff more in, the little container was stretching its limits. The fire spiritual essence, for instance, was the reason he needed to go to Huo Zhou for every now and then, so that he could refine his Flaming Cloud Needles.
He still had 57 to go through. How many round trips would that incur?
With a bigger gourd, however, things would be much easier. He could collect much more each time and use it for a longer period of time. It would also save him much time.
Frankly, it was nothing fancy. Bigger gourds could be stored in his mental space, but its volume would not be altered. To be able to suck a lake dry with a single tiny gourd required the skills of an immortal. One had to either engrave the gourd with a magical formation, or learn a remarkable ability such as universe-in-a-sleeve, which could fit a world into a tiny space.
The valley, west bank.
It was the upstream of the river—about 40 minutes' drive from the old tree—where an open space sparsely dotted with trees lay. The place had been cleared out and was now specifically used as their training field.
It was half the size of a football court, with a homemade set of table and chairs on the side; the material they were made of was gathered on the spot, then chopped and turned into the most crudely made furniture. Right now, Gu Yu and Xiaojin were sitting on the chairs, watching the combat in the field.
Long Qiu was neatly dressed and held a shiny green longsword in her right hand. Her little face was solemn and eyes focused as she searched cautiously for a weak point.
Xiaozhai stood casually on the other side. Her posture might seem sluggish, but it was in fact an unhindered and natural way. No matter which way Long Qiu chose to attack from, Xiaozhai would be able to react to it instantly.
They were deadlocked like so for a couple of seconds and Long Qiu decided to abandon her previous plan. Thrusting her foot against the ground, she swung out her right arm.
"Whoosh!"
A flash of light bounced off the sword and the cold green tip ripped through the air with a shrill like a shooting star, thrusting straight at her opponent.
Seeing the longsword coming, Xiaozhai pivoted on her left feet while striding out her right foot, turning her body around at an impossible angle.
Long Qiu reacted even faster. Her wrist turned and the sword had changed its course before Xiaozhai finished her turning. The tip of the sword trembled continuously, sending out multiple streaks of energy, wrapping around Xiaozhai, which looked like clusters of green flowers.
"Hm?" Xiaozhai let out a soft cry. This sword movement was the essence of the sword technique of her sect and the young girl had already mastered it, which demonstrated how hard she had been practicing. Xiaozhai herself was not a fan of swordsmanship and only learned it because it was part of her inheritance. Seeing Long Qiu's diligent work, she was as gratified as she was relieved.
Immediately, she stepped on the ground and, still in her half-turned position, she skimmed over to the side, graceful like a bird spreading out its wings. The longsword was at her heel and the green flowers enlarged rapidly, wrapping around her again.
It seemed that there was nowhere else she could run to when Xiaozhai activated her mental force and a strange-looking short weapon appeared in her hand. She sliced it upwards.
"Clank!"
The blades collided into each other, spurting out a strong blast, sending dust flying all over the place.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Long Qiu stumbled back for a couple of steps, her eyes frightfully shining. The battle had exhilarated her. She straightened herself up and charged out again.
It had been two months since they returned and Xiaozhai and Xiao Qiu had each refined their own instrument.
Long Qiu was wielding a sword a little under a meter long. The sword was narrow and jade-green in color. It was extremely suitable for stabbing and slicing. The green jade stone was remarkably hard. At the current stage, it was safe to say that the stone was the most ideal material to refine an assault instrument.
The girl could hardly bear to put the sword down ever since she got it. She used it mostly for close quarter combats, but it could do ranged attack as well, only that it would not be as fast and it would be quite mental-force-consuming.
As for Xiaozhai, she had designed a piece herself. It was somewhere between a saber and a dagger.
The weapon was about half a meter long and double-bladed, with a thicker ridge and thinner edges. The curve ran as fluid as a willow leaf. It was rather curvy and the sharp edges met in a relatively broad tip. It worked well for slashing, stabbing, upward swinging, hitching, pointing, blocking, or even the tangling motion of saber movements.
She thought little of the aesthetic aspects and cared about practicability only. The weapon was designed so that her confrontational skill could be brought into play to the full.
Of course, the name was plain as ever: Green Leaf...
Gu Yu would not talk to her for half a day because of the lousy name. Xiaozhai couldn't care less about the name. In her own words, it was no divine weapon, why bother giving it a pretty name?
Such a waste!
"Whoosh!"
The two figure in the field leapt and flew around, joined by two streaks of cold green light, which collided and parted, exerting spectacular energy. They had exchanged dozens of blows in a split second and neither side had the better of the other.
Before those two could comment, Xiaojin, who was unhappy, shouted, "Sister, don't you make it easy for her! I'm your own blood and she's the adopted one! Adopted!"
Blushing, Long Qiu yelled back, "Jin Jin, shut up!"
"Sister, didn't you say you were going to use your killing move? Use it! Xiao Qiu, your MP is running out, just surrender! Your cuteness won't save you!"
The girl was lashing out her taunt on both sides while hopping around. Ok, ok, she was jealous. Blame the older sister—she had obviously made it easy for Long Qiu.
"..."
Xiaozhai frowned at her bullsh*t. Activating her thunder energy, she made it frantically flood into the short blade. With a shrill sound that seemed to have ripped the air apart, a purple beam surged out of the tip of the blade and extended out for several meters in an instant.
"Boom!"
With a wave of her hand, the purple thunder blade smashed down, powerful enough to shatter heaven and earth.
Xiaojin blanked out completely; even her mind had gone numb. She thought she was going to be blasted into pieces in a second and turn to ashes. However, at that moment, a long, thin crimson thread flew out and clashed into the purple light in midair.
"Boom!"
"Bang!"
The overwhelming thunder energy and the ferocious Flaming Cloud Needle met head on, instantly sending waves of strong blast, which rapidly ravaged the surrounding area.
Momentarily, sand and stone were in the air and branches and leaves broken. The table and chairs were also overturned with a series of cracking sounds. Xiaojin did not dodge in time and was buried underneath.
"Okay, you really are her biological sister."
By now, Gu Yu had long stood aside and retrieved the needle. The look on his face said "a pain in the neck".
"Wow, Sister, that was amazing! I completely couldn't fend that off!"
Flustered, Long Qiu also scuttled near and marveled at Xiaozhai.
"Jiang Xiaozhai! Are you crazy? You struck me with that, seriously?!" Xiaojin scrambled out from under the table and yapped, "Am I really your younger sister… bah, are you really my older sister? It's murder! You have no sense of propriety…"
Xiaozhai could not be bothered to reply. Looking around, she said, "It's got decent power, but is too essence-consuming. I can summon it about three times in one go."
"That's more than enough. You won't get much chance using it anyway." Gu Yu smiled and went on, "Xiao Qiu is making great progress. Your move has the right posture, but the strikes are still on the soft side. You lack the vigor of an indomitable will."
"I see. I'll work harder!" Long Qiu nodded.
'Damn you all!'
Joy was overflowing in the family of three and Jiang Xiaojin exploded. She ran out of the woods grunting and grumbling, going back on her own.
Gu Yu paid her no attention and only said to Xiaozhai, "That strike of yours got me thinking. Do you think you can refine the black grit with your thunder technique so that they can connect with and respond to one another?"
"I can try." Xiaozhai got the idea right away.
***
The three briefly rearranged the things before strolling back to the valley.
Gu Yu and Long Qiu went to tend their own business and Xiaozhai returned to her room. Walking in, she saw the girl curling up on the straw mat looking like a sushi roll with closed eyes and not making a sound.
"Jin Jin?"
"..."
"Jin Jin?"
"..."
Xiaozhai went to her side. Sitting down next to her, she chuckled. "Scared you back there?"
"You figure?" The girl gave a two-word reply.
"Were you scared of me killing you or him failing to save you?"
Hm?
Xiaojin opened her eyes—she had never thought it that way. Before she had time to think, her older sister asked another question, "Since I wasn't going to kill you and he would definitely come to your rescue, why should you be afraid?"
"I, I…"
She bolted up and found her reasoning in that moment, then yelled back, "Do not play with words! You'd be afraid as well if you see a lightning strike at you!"
"I won't." Xiaozhai shook her head.
"You...!"
The girl wanted to retort but couldn't, for she knew her older sister was telling the truth. She could only grunt and slump back down in a fit of pique.
"Fear is an instinct. It stems from the unknown and one's own weakness. Therefore, to solve it is quite straightforward: have an understanding of everything and strengthen oneself." Xiaozhai lifted her up and held the girl in her arms. "You're clever in trivial matters and know how to go after the benefit while avoiding the harm, using what you have on hand to get to your goal, which isn't exactly a bad thing. But you have a weakness: when something stronger is coming your way, your first reaction is to flinch.
It will hinder your cultivation of Thunder Technique. Remember, you can evade for the time being, but you can never run away. Be it a person, a thing, or the Great Dao, the moment you start fearing it, your Thunder Technique will falter and the foundation will be shaken. Understood?"
Xiaojin was bewildered and replied despite herself, "I-I understand."
"You're cultivating Metal Thunder as well. With your natural endowments, as long as you work hard enough, you'll be able to use your mental force externally in a year's time and maybe get to refine instruments. Another two years and you'll master the skill. And if everything goes as planned, you'd be in Human Immortal state in ten years' time."
"You're talking about natural endowment all the time. Can't that be changed?" The girl found that notion a bit depressing.
"Natural endowment is a preordained thing. Although we can't rule out the existence of a panacea that can change one from inside out into a brand-new person, how many do you think are lucky enough to get it? Get rid of all your unrealistic ideas. Your only right path is through putting down a solid foundation."
Xiaozhai had been talking to Xiaojin about her experience and the current situation every now and then ever since the latter moved in. "Now that the society is on a new page, chaos is already looming in some places. In a few more years, the instability will only increase. The resources are not evenly distributed and there are always people more talented then the rest. Even if everyone has turned into cultivators in the future, there will still be those better-off and those exploited.
Don't think of cultivation as a way to get away from the world. We are rising in the level of life, not detaching ourselves from the social strata. Maintaining your circle is therefore very important. When you go out into the world and run into fellow cultivators, try your best to befriend those that can be your friends and kill those you can kill."
"What's going on with all the forces right now? Where do I rank with my capability?" Xiaojin asked.
"It's still too early to talk about forces at the moment. As for capability… just keep this in mind, you rank the fourth in Phoenix Mountain and that's where you should rank in the whole big world."
Wow! She liked the way that sounded!
A million expressions flashed across Xiaojin's face and she turned to gossip after a pause. "So, you and brother-in-law, who is more fierce?"
"We are equally skillful. I have more explosive strength and he has better stamina."
"Are we talking about the same thing here?" The younger sister did not think it sounded right.
"They work the same way."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-18.png){kind=small}
Chapter 218: Switch Over
Source: Qidian International
The granules of sand and grit were different. The former was finer and softer, while the latter was fuller, harder, and discernibly grainier.
The abnormality had eroded Kumtag Desert, turning a third of it into black grit. It just so happened that the yellow and black was separated by an oasis narrowly escaping the disaster. It would be a strategic point in the days to come.
Speaking of the black grit, it was hollow inside and had a smooth, round outer shell. It could withstand a considerable pressure and was highly conductive.
Xiaozhai knew what Gu Yu expected out of the grit, thus she refined a small amount to begin with and put it in her small gourd.
When purely used as a container, the gourd was small enough to hang around the waist. The bigger ones could only be refined into magical instruments so as to be stored away in one's mental space.
Sitting down in the training field, she unplugged the gourd, gave it a pat, and a blast of inky black grit spurted out, soon forming a small cloud of gritty fog with a rustling, crunchy sound.
It wasn't closely packed; all granules kept distance from one another. Despite the apparent disorder, they were in fact regularly arranged. The granules weren't floating in midair, but stretched out quite close to the ground, covering all areas on all sides.
At the very bottom, only a tiny gap was left out, revealing a thin line of the ground, which was as lightless as elsewhere and covered completely by the shadow.
"Xiao Qing!"
At her summon, the green snake showed up tossing it head and tail while sticking its two-pronged tongue in and out in an ingratiating manner.
"Have a go inside."
"..."
There, the green snake froze. There was even a human-like baffled look on its face. It spun around and fled, but did not make it very far. A hand dragged it back and threw it right into the fog.
"Hiss!"
The green snake struggled to straighten itself and resume its flight, but it was too late. As if a red button had been pressed down, the static gritty fog started moving at the snake's tumbling around.
"Clack!"
"Sizzle!"
As the granules bumped into one another, the thunder energy within them was activated. Purple light flickered, tearing at the air inside the fog, reminding one of dark clouds looming over a city, harbingering a cloudburst.
Immediately after that, there came the "Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!" sound.
Streaks of lightning emerged from the black fog, hacking at the green snake with its destructive power that had been severely downsized.
"Hiss!"
Xiao Qing was scared out if wits. Scraping hard against the ground, all it could think of was to run away as quickly as it could. However, it could never outrun the lightning even if it could fly. It seemed it would turn into a skewered snake the next second when a fair, slender hand reached in and lifted it out of the fog.
The lightning struck the ground, blasting out shallow pits as crushed stones exploded and dust flew all over the place.
"..."
Xiaozhai watched it for long when she finally got some idea. Waving her hand, she commanded, "Back!"
"Whoosh!"
"Rustle!"
The fog shrank into a thin thread, slithering across the air back into the gourd. Saved by the sudden act of mercy, the green snake scrambled out of the field and disappeared out of sight.
"Tsk, tsk!"
Xiaozhai was very pleasantly surprised. The power had been weakened to some extent, but it could be made up by the quantity. The fog could not issue active attacks, but defense and confinement it could, making it the most practical thing to have around.
They had brought back two bags of the grit. If they were to refine them all, sprinkling all the grit into the air would be like the God of Thunder himself arriving on earth.
In general, magical instruments belonged to one of the two categories. The first was the universal type, which did not require refining by mental force but was nourished by spiritual essence alone and could be used by anyone. The second was the exclusive type, which needed refining by mental force, had the owner's own mental imprint, and could be stored in the mental space.
Refining the grit would be quite energy-consuming for her, for the grit was to be put inside the gourd and she would have to refine the grit together with the gourd.
Just imagine: a stunning beauty like her would one day hold a giant gourd over a meter tall with sand gushing out of it opening—it would be too ridiculous a scene to watch!
***
Tianzhu Mountain, the monastery.
The monastery was no longer its deserted self. The thirty-six sects had sent two people each, making it seventy-two in total. That, plus with those already there, made the number of residents 108.
The seventy-two newcomers were in fact handymen taking care of cooking, cleaning, hall-caring, guest-welcoming, etc. No one explained about the odd jobs, for they knew well enough what this place was.
It was six in the evening and the time for evening classes. The time of morning and evening classes was not fixed, for each sect differed from the next. Here, the morning classes took place between five to seven am, while the evening ones were between five to seven pm.
"The spiritual rice is here!"
With that, two priests entered the kitchen, each with two bags of rice in hand. The bags were 50 kg each and they were carrying it without effort. As soon as they put them down, someone else came along to open the bags, wash the rice, and dexterously moving on to cook it.
On the stove on the other side, three priests were making vegetarian dishes.
There were six people in total working in the kitchen. After several months, they were fairly well acquainted. Seeing that the head of the kitchen Wang Yuanji was not around, they struck out a conversation in low voices.
"I heard they were going to develop Mt Emei now. Senior Brother Lu is definitely going. I wonder who will accompany him."
"Why, I heard it wouldn't happen for another while. The country has taken toll because of what happened in Huo Zhou and needs time to recover."
"The foundation of our country is more solid than you think. Plus, Mt Emei is going to be developed even if they have to pawn everything else. Just wait and see."
"Dang!"
"Dang!"
As they chatted merrily on, the bell rang outside, the sound resonating in the mountain, announcing that the evening classes were over and dinner was ready,
The six men stopped talking right away. With quick and steady moves, they filled the bowls and plates and carried them through a small door to the canteen in the front. Before long, the priests arrived in twos and threes. The relationship between two schools was much more relaxed. Before, each school only sat with their own, but some were sitting with the other side now; men on both sides would even exchange casual words on a daily basis.
After all this time, especially the impact of Huo Zhou incident, most people here had embraced the idea of "once inside Qiyun, there is no other sect".
Right now, in the scripture hall on the west of the main hall, two men remained behind. One was Tan Chongdai and the other was Shi Yunlai.
"Junior Brother, you said yesterday that the loss of ten years needed making up by a year's hard work."
Tan Chongdai seemed even more scrawny than before, his face fraught with distress. "I'm seventy-one already. Will it be too late for me?"
"In the Senior Brother's case, the base of practice can be reached in five years." Shi Yunlai was frank.
"Five years, then I'll be seventy-six…"
For a brief moment, the old priest was lost in his thoughts. He then muttered, "It's not too late. Not too late at all!"
The practice of Neidan started from building the base. The so-called base was essential to the cultivation of Yang spirit and where the mind and breathing rested. By building the base, Yang spirit—or the primordial spirit—was obtained.
In simple terms, building the base was a method to repair the body and nourish the vital essence.
In the teaching of Neidan there was a saying, "building the base in a hundred days." But the older the practitioner was, the longer actual time required would be; and the natural endowment and comprehensive ability were also factors to be considered. Starting from the age of sixteen, it would cost a male practitioner one more year to build the base for every ten years older.
The signs of obtaining the base varied depending on the aspect referred. Some of the standards were to resume the physiological state to the pre-16 level: before the males had their first seminal emission and females their first menstruation. Others focused on the fullness of one's vital essence internally and the intactness of eyes (brimming with vigor), teeth (fallen teeth growing back), and voice (loud and clear) externally.
Seeing that the old man was dispirited, Shi Yunlai comforted him. "Since Senior Brother has decided to take this path, you must have known the road ahead is ridden with frustrations. You can't let yourself be discouraged now."
"I know, I know…"
Tan Chongdai nodded repeatedly.
The two went on talking for quite a long time. The old priest asked and Shi Yunlai answered. Had an outsider been present, they would doubtlessly be shocked, for all the questions were about the key points on Neidan practice.
It was not until late into the night when the old priest bid Shi Yunlai farewell and strolled back to his own dwelling. Walking in, he saw someone else was sitting inside. It was none other than Zhang Shouyang himself.
Although the job titles had been allotted, the monastery was such a new concept that the customs were yet to be established. They were still addressing one other in old terms.
"Junior Brother Zhang, what brought you here?"
"Senior Brother Tan, did you just come back from the scripture hall?" Zhang Shouyang was very direct.
"..."
After a brief moment of silence, Tan Chongdai replied, "Yes, that's correct."
The outright affirmative answer rendered Zhang Shouyang's prepared speech redundant. He could only heave a sigh and say, "Senior Brother, you have been cultivating for decades following the teaching of Zhengyi. The youngsters have always retained immense esteem towards your knowledge and virtue. Why would you abandon your integrity in your later years?"
"Abandoning my integrity?"
Tan Chongdai smiled and replied in that same calm voice, "I'm not like any of you. I'm old. I have been pursuing the Great Dao for my entire life and I don't want to be shut out at its doorstep now when I'm one foot in the grave. The world is changing and my limited talent can only take me so far. I'm afraid I won't live long enough for the great fortune to fall upon me… Junior Brother, what would you have me do instead?"
"..."
Looking into the old man's eyes, Zhang Shouyang found words had failed him.
Mo Haofeng was the oldest priest here in the monastery, followed by Tan Chongdai. Yet Tan did not have all those years of practicing Dan method like old Priest Mo did, nor was he any good in combat. It was common knowledge that if one had to pick the least likely priest to achieve the Great Dao, it would definitely be Tan Chongdai.
Now that the old man had abandoned his old teaching and turned to Neidan instead, no one found themselves in the position to accuse him.
"Junior Brother, I have prepared myself before coming here, yet when I am among all these outstanding talented young people, I still couldn't reconcile to this reality." Tan Chongdai sounded a little bitter with his hoarse voice. "Don't worry about me. This is my own decision. Whatever consequences there are in the future, I will face them."
"Do let me know if you need any help."
There was nothing more Zhang Shouyang could say. With that, he left the room, feeling his legs weighing down on him.
Once out of the courtyard, he stood still on the pebble-paved trail and looked up at the bright moon above. The thought lay heavily upon him. He agreed with Lu Yuanqing on casting aside the internal strife and focusing on expanding the Taoist community, but he could never accept the idea of fusing Zhengyi and Quanzhen into one.
Many Taoist followers had switched sides in history, such as the Fourth Patriarch Chen Nan and Fifth Patriarch Bai Yuchan of the Southern Sect of Quanzhen. Both had learned the Thunder Technique of Shenxiao and had become quite skillful at it. Of course, their inheritance had long been lost by now.
But not him. He was the abbot's personal disciple of the Way of Celestial Masters. If the Way itself changed over to practice Neidan, it would be the utter betrayal of all their forefathers!
***
In the following days after Tan Chongdai and Zhang Shouyang's talk, the old man decided to stop hiding and went to ask for Shi Yunlai's advice in public.
Seeing this, the others were all brooding over their own ideas.
No specific rules were set back when the scripture hall was established, such as limiting Shi Yunlai to teach Quanzhen or Chao Kongtu Zhengyi only. The priests were all clever men, and soon grasped Lu Yuanqing's unspoken lines.
Some supported it while others did not, but everyone had agreed on one thing, which was to reinvigorate the Taoist community. Lu Yuanqing was clever enough to provide them with an opportunity to choose freely instead of forcing it on them.
Now that Tan Chongdai had made the first move, some of the others could no long sit still.
They were young men after all. Be it to start Dan method or talisman from scratch, they all had plenty of time.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-19.png){kind=small}
Chapter 219: The Approaching Reformation
Source: Qidian International
"Ah… yeah…"
"Mmh…"
With a husky yelp from the man, the woman also stopped her motion. Sweat trickled down her silky skin, dropping onto his chest.
"Hong Hong, you little succubus. You're sucking my bones dry."
The man had a sallow face and puffy eyes. He was panting heavily.
"You were the one wanting it every time. Don't blame me."
Du Hong 1 got off the man and carefully cleaned him with gentle hands. Her rosy, fair body sat at an angle on the bed, reminding one of a ripe, juicy peach.
"I just can't get enough of you. Oh my, I really should not come here this often. It's killing me."
The man struggled to sit up after a long rest, sighing while getting dressed.
"Why, I was going to make you some stewed soup tonight. Since you're on a 'diet', I guess I'll just have it all for myself." Pouting, Du Hong feigned an angry face. Despite her thirty years of age, the expression did not look off on her at all. Instead, it strangely worked well with her features.
"Tsk, tsk. I was just kidding. I'd drink it all even if you made slops for me."
The man buttoned his shirt and held her between his arms. "Seriously, I may be very busy lately and won't be able to come as often. Go check the shop if you feel boring. You're the boss, after all."
"Gosh, I'm so not the businesswoman type. Xiao Wu is watching out for me over there and my mind is at ease."
"At ease or not, you've got to check the accounts, the bills, and other things."
"Okay, okay! I'll do as you say!"
The cloying prattle seemed neverending when Du Hong gave the alarm clock on the table a glimpse and chuckled. "Hey, don't you have a meeting this morning? Don't be late."
"Oh, right. I almost forgot."
The man rose to his feet right away and went to the living room first to fetch a jar of medicinal liquor. He poured himself a little cup, downed it, then moved on hurriedly to wash his face and brush his teeth.
The liquor was concocted from a secret recipe that nourished the kidneys. The ingredients contained a dozen materials including golden eye-grass, honeycomb, desert-broomrape, du zhong (Eucommia ulmoides), ox knee (Achyranthes bidentata), Dipsacales, suo yang 2 (Cynomorium songaricum Rupr.), etc. They were soaked in boiling water first and put into a container after cooling down. A large quantity of liquor was than poured in to "ripen" the materials. The liquid was then edible in two weeks.
He had to do something. He felt his life expectancy had shortened by thirty years since he was with this woman. He had to try to make it up in some way!
Around eight o'clock, the man was all appropriately dressed and ready to leave. Du Hong went to see him off all the way to the front gate of the villa, where she seemed to remember something all of a sudden and chuckled. "By the way, that rice is almost finished. Could you bring me some more?"
"Well, my quota is very limited… let me figure it out."
The reply sounded awkward, but the man did not refuse her outright. After giving her cheek a peck, the man pushed the door open and left. A car was waiting outside, whose driver acted as if Du Hong did not exist. He stepped on the gas and the car was out of the residential area in no time.
"Teehee…"
Du Hong watched the car driving out of sight and flashed a dubious smile. She then strolled back upstairs.
After leaving the massage house, she had been working for that Cheng Gang, who then introduced her to Director Zhao. Who then packed her up and gave her to Director Li after having enough fun with her. Before long, Director Zhang became her acquaintance...
Such was how life worked for her—she was in no position to fight it whatsoever.
She had accepted it all by now. Since she had the advantage, why not use it? As a result, with the skill she learned from that shabby book, she was climbing up the ladder like a rocket. In less than two years, she had made it to the circle of core leading members of Le Zhou.
As for the man just then, he was called Tang Yu. A well-connected man and the youngest among the core members. The two of them hooked up a few months ago.
Du Hong knew what she could potentially gain from the man and had put on the best show for him. As expected, the man fell head over heels for her, following her words like a lamb to the slaughter.
It was from him that Du Hong for the first time heard about Taoist skills, Phoenix Mountain, the spiritual rice… she was even lucky enough to taste a little.
Bold and clever, she soon made the connection between what was happening and that shabby book, especially the drawing on the last page, and practiced it following the instruction. She was vaguely aware of the nature of this thing and dared not use it carelessly.
When sleeping with Tang Yu, she would use the method one out of ten times. Even so, the effect was apparent: as she grew fairer, the man was wearing out.
So much so that had it not been for the man's background, she would rather go out and have fun on her own. The taste was so scrumptious that she wished she could have it every single day.
***
Le Zhou, the municipal government.
Before anyone realized, the first half of this year had passed. Since the discovery of the recovering spiritual essence, the authorities had shifted from cautious exploration to acting freely, then to the generation of a thorough strategy—the process had taken them roughly fifteen months.
Today was the first day of July and a Monday.
The municipal government building was restless and bustling ever since early in the morning, for a major conference was being prepared. It was a little past nine o'clock when the door to the conference room was tightly shut and the leadership team was all present, Tang Yu included.
"Leadership team" was a somewhat intriguing term. It would be almost impossible for an outsider to figure out the relationships among the members.
In Le Zhou, this team included the first and second officials in command of the city, a few deputies, directors in charge of organization, propaganda, agriculture, culture and education, police affairs, etc. Oh, one more new member was added this year—the departmental head of the Operation Department, Bashu Province sub-bureau of the BIMAUP.
"Ok, we're all here. Let's begin."
The big boss roamed his eyes around the room and cleared his throat. "In the afternoon the day after tomorrow, the scientific research team organized by the central government is moving into Mt Emei. We have been through multiple times on the relevant logistic and supportive services. I will emphasize it again today.
It is a thousand men we're talking about here and the constituent is very complex. The city of Mt Emei is only capable enough to provide them with the most basic daily necessities. Everything else—machines, installation, materials, and so on and so forth—falls on us to prepare in advance, so that they will have everything when needed.
Comrade Tang Yu, you will go onto the mountain with them and run the frontline operations. Keep us posted."
"No problem." Tang Yu nodded.
The head added, "And about the propaganda, that's a very important aspect. Mt Emei has been sealed off and we need to keep a closer look on the management and control over public opinion. Comrade Wang Bin is very experienced in this field and has come up with one of those, um, what's that called again…"
"Steering group on unusual internet public opinions," reminded one of the officials on a lesser seat.
"Yes, that. That is a very good idea!"
Knocking the table with his knuckles, he said, "There is this interesting term used by the netizens—'leading the pace'. We should not take it as a derogatory expression only. It all depends on who was leading the pace and how it could be led, which is our task. We should steer the public opinion towards a better, positive angle. Especially the middle-aged and elderly population, whose minds are more rigid. We need to provide them with a peaceful buffer period until they can accept these novelties...
All right, enough on that point. Agenda number two is our main focus today."
He briefly talked the first point through and stopped there, then moved on. "The document has been sent out and I presume you've all read it thoroughly. The emphasis of our discussion today will be on how to carry out our new task rationally and effectively."
"Snap!"
With that, a picture flickered into sight on the big screen in the front. On the white background was a line of bright red text.
"The Three-year Plan on National Cultivation Personnel and Social Development."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-20.png){kind=small}
Chapter 220: Emei
Source: Qidian International
After the Huo Zhou incident, that old man wrote a report for the central government, expounding in full on his suggestions and worries. Those above had discussed much about the issue before and taking this opportunity, they had held multiple conferences over a short period of time, thus producing this preliminary programme.
It was no laughing matter. Anything could be planned and cultivation was no exception.
This three-year plan was on the crude side. The second half of the year would be spent on the transition and perfection of the details. Starting from the following year, it would be fully implemented. Overall, it was of a three-in-one structure—the social, cultural, and cultivation ideology.
It was in fact rather fascinating, for the two major foundations—politics and economics—had been omitted. The development concept could be summarized in one word: stability, stability, once more stability!
There were three main goals:
In one or two years, lead the public in an orderly and smooth manner so that they could critically understand and accept the concept of cultivation.
Within three years, achieve full development of various resources in Tianzhu and Emei, as well as establish a thorough supply system.
Within three years, train a rudimentary group of talented people who had passion for cultivation, were naturally gifted, and persevered in their practice.
Centering around the three goals, a multitude of facilitative projects were to be carried out.
Transportation-wise, for instance, new mountain roads were to be constructed and old ones revamped, as well as the interoperability of urban railways and high-speed rail coverage in major cities, which was to be improved. Focusing on the mountainous and river regions all over the country, a smooth, fast railway and highway network was to be established to ensure prompt transportation.
Another example would be in the ideology domain, where guidelines were drawn on how to gradually make the public interested in Taoist culture and form an ideal ambiance and context for discussions, etc., through channels such as the internet, movies and TV series, and extracurricular reading materials.
The above-mentioned pretty much covered the main body of the programme, which did not stop there. It was a top-down guideline issued by those above and in order to implement the specific regulations, the local authorities needed to come up a plan of their own.
The current situation was that domestically, the public was growing more suspicious every day with possible new abnormalities looming on the horizon, while externally, the other countries were all acting secretly, creating much pressure for this one.
The measures the authorities had taken were safe enough without giving up too much competitive power.
***
"Keep up! Don't fall behind!"
"Quickly! Men go first, then the vehicles!"
"The road is very narrow ahead. Be careful not to slip!"
Midday, a procession snailed up the mountain road, stretching out for miles on end. The line seemed neverending. A dozen large vehicles, whose drivers were terrified as they gingerly inched forward along the tatty and narrow flagstone path, drove on the rear.
The road condition in Emei node was much more complicated than that of Tianzhu. There were many areas unsuitable for road-building, but the roads were built anyway, or the machines and materials would never be shipped in.
They had set out early in the morning and were only halfway through by noon. Everyone was overwhelmed by a helpless feeling, as if the mountains would stretch out before them forever and trap them inside for good.
As for the team, aside from the troops and the scientific research division, only two members of the monastery had joined in—Lu Yuanqing and Wang Ruoxu. Together with Li Suchun, a member of the BIMAUP, there were only three so-called cultivators.
"Junior Brother, there is, there is something I don't understand…"
Wang Ruoxu was dripping with perspiration, large patches of his robe soaked wet both on his chest and his back. He was panting heavily. "Why me of all people? What can I do here? I'm not, not an innate state man."
"You are accomplished in Feng Shui and it might do us great good. An able man is always busy. Senior Brother, I think you should stop complaining." Reaching out, Lu Yuanqing put a palm on Wang's back and gently injected a streak of spiritual essence, then smiled. "How's that? Feeling better now?"
"Why, I do feel stronger!"
A warm current flowed inside Fatso Wang, soothing his aching muscles and meridians. Momentarily, he was in high spirits again.
They were walking somewhere in the front, among the first 20% of people. Li Suchun, on the other hand, was at the forefront, leading and guarding the team with his iron corpse.
They walked for long until the sun was slanting to the west and the light dimmed. Li Suchun suddenly gave his hand a wave and said coldly, "We're here!"
Hm?
The soldier walking beside him was taken by surprise and ran hastily to check the road ahead. A few hundred meters out, steep cliffs erupted, surrounding an area in the middle. There was indeed a deep valley.
"We've arrived at the destination!"
"We;ve arrived at the destination!"
The announcement was carried down the line, the men's voice resounding in the mountain. The team's mood was momentarily lifted and they managed to overcome their fatigue and quicken their steps a little.
Lu Yuanqing led Wang Ruoxu through the crowd and ran to the forefront. They sighed in amazement. Towering trees rose out of the luxuriantly green valley. Even from above, they could feel the otherworldly tranquility and long years.
"This is indeed a blessed land. To say that cultivating here is half the work with doubled results would be an understatement." Lu Yuanqing took a deep breath, his tone rarely showing a hint of emotion.
"Sigh, a philistine like me can't feel a thing!"
Wang Ruoxu envied him greatly. He couldn't help it. A money-chaser he might be, he had received proper Taoist teachings all the same. Who in the right mind would refrain themselves from the anticipation?
As the two chatted, the majority of the team snapped into action around them. The clearing on the top of the cliff instantly burst into life with all the bustling crowd. Like bees in a hive, each was attending to their own task in a perfect order.
The valley was over twenty meters deep and the bottom was covered by trees, rendering it unsuitable for a campsite. As planned, the camp was set here above it.
The one in charge of the scientific research group was called Liu Yu, another white-haired old man. He went up to them and asked, "Priest Lu, what do you think of this place?"
"The spiritual essence is abundant and the view strikingly unconventional. It is indeed as what we expected of a node."
"Good, good. In that case, do you want to go down there and have a look first?" the old man asked.
"..."
Lu Yuanqing gave it a thought and smiled. "Sure, let me be the first explorer."
While they were talking, the descending device was being prepared. Lu Yuanqing fastened the ropes and lowered himself down into the valley a little distance at a time. A couple of soldiers accompanied him while carrying loaded guns, their faces painted with camouflage.
"Oh my god, that's too deep for me. I just remembered I have a fear of heights." Holding his round belly, Wang Ruoxu looked down, his tone self-deceiving. He turned around after the comment and saw Li Suchun still there. Surprised, he asked, "Why, you aren't going down with them?"
"Are you with the monastery or the BIMAUP?" the young Li boy asked coldly.
"It's the same thing! Both are following the government's order. My status is not important." Fatso Wang was quick with his excuses.
"Humph!" Li Suchun could not be bothered to retort him. Pinching his fingers together, he commanded, "Move!"
"Bang!"
A shadow flew towards them, bringing forward a smell of blood. It was none other than the iron corpse itself, which felt more ferocious and violent than when it changed blows with Gu Yu.
Wang Ruoxu backed off with a grimace as soon as he caught sight of it. Li Suchun leaned casually onto its back and ordered, "Go!"
"Whoosh!"
The iron corpse jumped right off, stirring up a gust of wind. When it was five or six meters down, it turned slightly in midair and stepped hard on the cliff. The move was a slowing-down mechanism, and with this, the corpse resumed whooshing downwards.
The process was repeated several times and in mere seconds, the two had landed steadily on the bottom of the valley.
Wow!
It had been a while since Wang Ruoxu last saw Li Suchun and he had no idea the latter and reached such a level. He was almost speechless.
Lu Yuanqing did not miss a thing from below and also complimented, "This iron corpse the Fellow Taoist has is indeed an exceptional treasure!"
"Thank you," Li Suchun gave him a two-word reply, "leave me alone" written all over his face. Lu Yuanqing certainly did not think much of his attitude and went on leading the exploration team.
After a year and a half, the place was no longer what it used to be. The previously sparsely covered ground was not covered by wild flowers and grass, which almost ran through the entire forest.
The tens of thousands of trees stood tall and straight. Within each of them was the profound vitality of life.
The group explored deeper into the woods, admiring nature's creation and this heaven on earth as they walked. Lu Yuanqing opened up his senses, looking out for any movement in the woods at all times. They had been walking for nearly twenty minutes when he halted suddenly.
"Something is out there!"
"Whoosh!"
The soldiers raised their guns, pointing at the tree trunk somewhere ahead. A long white tail miraculously stretched out from behind the trunk and immediately after that, a round head showed up.
It was about 15 cm in height, covered by white fur, and had an inky black face. The pair of big eyes rolled this way and that, filled with strong curiosity and insecurity.
Such a pretty little monkey!
Lu Yuanqing's eyes lit up. He ordered them to lower the gun barrel with a pressing-down gesture. "Don't be so nervous. It should be harmless."
He seemed to like the little monkey a lot. Walking closer, he smiled kindly. "Here, come to me…"
"..."
The little monkey stared at him, as if hesitating if it should go near the person or not. There was something cordial about this man, but instinct was telling it to resist it.
"Squeak!"
Five seconds later, the little monkey simply turned around, hopped onto another tree with a few jumps and disappeared.
Lu Yuanqing: "..."
***
"Roar!"
"Bang!"
With a beastly snarl, the iron corpse waved its hands and sliced violently at the trunk.
The claws made contact with the trunk, the shrill sound ear-splitting. Wooden splinters sprayed everywhere, yet apart from some scratch marks, the trunk remained intact.
Li Suchun blinked, apparently finding this unexpected. The slashing claws of the iron corpse were almost powerful enough to cut mountains and rocks open, let alone tear a human into pieces. Holy crap! How hard must this tree be?
He would not give in and ordered in a low voice, "Go!"
"Bang!"
With another series of shrill noises, the result was more apparent this time. A chunk of the trunk had been scratched out, revealing the dark-red core.
Bring it on!
Young boy Li was stubborn in this task. Pinching his fingers together, he would not stop until the tree was put down. He was about to chant a spell when Lu Yuanqing stopped him. "Ok, Fellow Taoist Li, I think we have an easier way to do this."
"..."
Giving him a sideway look, Li Suchun did not look too thrilled with the suggestion, but he remained silent.
The group had covered much ground of the valley. Aside from acres upon acres of plantation and trees, they found nothing else. That little monkey was the only living animal there.
Therefore, the scientific research group lowered some equipment down, asking them to cut down a tree and send it up in sections for research purposes.
Since the iron corpse was rather inefficient, several soldiers carried the machine to the tree, tilted by 90 degrees, and aimed the saw blade at the trunk. It was made from a very hard alloy and was usually used for cutting hard metal. It was a very hardcore piece of equipment.
"Buzz!"
"Rumble!"
The equipment made an unbearable noise once switched on. The saw blade quivered and cut into the tree at an angle. At first, the blade felt blocked, but the resistance did not last for more than a few seconds. After that, it cut smoothly in.
"Squeak!"
Just then, the little monkey showed up again and hid itself on a tree, watching from afar.
Seeing that the tree was going to be destroyed, it let out all sorts of anxious noises. There was a human-like anger on its black face.
"Almost there, almost there… dodge!"
Seeing that the blade was almost all the way through, the soldiers shouted at the top of their voices. The rest of the group dodged in time. After that, they cut another opening on the opposite side of the trunk and jabbed a wedge in, which they smashed against with a hammer.
"It's falling! Falling!"
With the hubbub of nervous and exhilarated shouts, there came a loud thud. The tree that had been here since god-knows-when died a violent and sad death.
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Chapter 221: An Idle Chess Piece
Source: Qidian International
"It looks like a mutated Red Dragon, a plant of the pinophyta division. These trees used to be spread widely across Bashu area, but have become very rare in the past few decades. It is now listed as an endangered species.
Possibly affected by the node, significant changes have been recognized in various parameters of the Red Dragon in the valley. According to our preliminary analysis, this tree species has an average height of 26 m and a diameter of around 2.5 m. The bark is grayish brown and the core red. This is a monoecious species flowering in spring. It might bear a limited amount of fruit, but that still needs further observation.
It is extremely selective in terms of the environment it grows in and the valley is its only habitat. The species is highly drought and shade tolerant.
The hardness of this species has a value of 5200 by international standard, exceeding that of the known hardest wood, that is, the ox oak. In terms of economic value alone, this type of wood has a variety of uses in aviation, watercraft, construction, electrical pole, sleepers, mine props, bridges, farm implements, apparatus, paper making, etc.
In addition, it also has great medicinal value, especially its bark and seeds, which can be widely applied to aspects such as anti-oxidation, free radical elimination, antitumor studies, protection of cardiovascular, improving microcirculation…"
In the conference room, Liu Yu briefly explained the results of the research on the tree. There was a slight complacency on his relaxed face, for ever since the recovery of the spiritual essence started, the entire scientific research system had been in a rather awkward place.
This was the first time that the applicability of a substance could be analysed by scientific equipment.
Of course, the old man did not let the satisfaction take him too far. He added, "Everything I talked about is within the area of modern science. As for the rest, we will have to trouble Priest Lu with the explanation."
With that, a dozen pair of eyes instantly turned to Lu Yuanqing.
In his unhurried manner, Lu Yuanqing smiled. "Senior Liu has been very thorough and I only have a little to add. The spiritual essence in the Red Dragon is very reactive. The tea made from its leaves alone can improve ordinary people's health and help with prolonging life.
I have also sampled some soil from both the bottom of the valley and up on the top of the cliff, which all displayed high reactivity—the difference between the two places is negligible. We could try planting spiritual rice outside the valley. Unfortunately, I found no mutated minerals, so it is very unlikely that there are any lodes in the valley."
"..."
The sound of breathing grew heavier at these words. Liu Yu was also very excited and asked hastily, "Do you mean that the spiritual rice can be sowed on a larger scale here in Emei?"
"Senior Brother Wang Ruoxu has examined the shape of the mountain earlier. This place is abundant in Wood and Earth elements, making it ideal for sowing." Lu Yuanqing smiled.
"Buzz!"
Instantly, the crowd was exulted, so much so that they almost burst into "hooray!"
They couldn't help it, for the scientific research group had been under an enormous pressure. All efforts on Tianzhu Mountain had turned out to be fruitless—they had tried every method to increase the yield of the spiritual rice, which was to no avail. Now that there were more mouths that needed feeding, the two harvests a year were almost unable to meet the demand.
The discovery in Emei was a godsend at this critical moment!
All in all, the exploration team had spent their first few days in exhilaration and full-on enthusiasm. Hubbub filled the air and machines rumbled, completely ruining the tranquility of the the place.
Those above took a great interest in the matter after receiving the news. All demands of Emei were promptly fulfilled, be it money or personnel. The order they received were two sentences: make sure the daily supply of the spiritual rice is met; develop more necessities.
Just listen to that wording. Daily supply was not the same as supply, in the same way that necessities were not mere "goods".
Night, the campsite.
Lu Yuanqing sat by the lamp, playing with a short sword. It was about 60 cm in length, with a wide and thick body. The sword was in a modest style and of a deep red color from tip to end. It was made from none other than the Red Dragon wood.
Apart from Neidan practice, Quanzhen's teaching also included some basic physical training such as martial arts and sword fighting skills. This short sword, however, was not for himself, but a gift for Chao Kongtu—wooden sword was widely used in Maoshan skills.
Being the abbot of the monastery meant the matters he had to consider were much more complicated.
Red Dragon wood was remarkably versatile and of great use to cultivators such as Zhang Shouyang—the Way of Celestial Masers still kept some incomplete Waidan skills and even had a Dan furnace stashed somewhere.
It was the only existing Dan furnace made from Six One mud.
Although not many Dan recipes were left in the Way of Celestial Masters, with the furnace and materials at hand, they would be able to slowly figure it out. He had confidence in Zhang Shouyang's capability; the man would not fail him.
Lu Yuanqing was still deep in his thoughts when his expression changed. Putting away the short sword into his sleeve, he quietly pushed open the door and walked out.
"Sob… sob…"
"Sob…"
A sorrowful whimper seemed to be carried this way by the night wind, almost too faint to be discernible. He searched for the right direction, found it, and followed the sound. In a couple of minutes, he was outside the campsite.
It was deep into the night and the bright moon hung high above.
The deep valley was enshrouded by the moonlight, the verdant and silent woods gilded with silver. Trees swayed in the night wind, scattering the white frost of light, as if a cold fog was spreading across the air, giving the valley a look of a secret heaven on earth.
On the edge of the cliff facing the campsite crouched a little monkey, its front paws covering its face and was whimpering like a human child.
"Sob… sob…"
The little monkey curled itself up and its back heaved pitifully as it made the sad sound. Suddenly, its hair bristled up and it stopped sobbing abruptly. The monkey spun around and tried to flee, but was not quick enough. A big hand snatched the back of its neck and effortlessly lifted it up.
"Squeak!"
It struggled violently in mid-air, brandishing all paws and limbs. Anger was radiating from its body.
"Such a spiritual creature. Were you mourning for your home?" Holding it by the neck, the appreciation and possessiveness in Lu Yuanqing's voice was apparent. "We have invaded Emei out of desperation. Living here must have been nice, but there's a wide world outside. From now on, you're with me."
Unlike his usual forbearance and mild temper, the character he exhibited towards this little monkey was like a different person. Tucking the monkey away in his sleeve, he strolled back to the campsite.
***
"Beep! Beep!"
"Stop the vehicle for inspection!"
A vehicle with a government license plate was stopped by the soldiers at the mountain gate. Tang Yu stuck out his head out of the window and chuckled. "Why, it's you, Old Li. On sentry duty again?"
"It's my team's shift. You have been busy, haven't you? Two days out of the mountain and you're back again."
Seeing that the visitor was Tang Yu, the team captain was all smiling. He gave a casual look at the permit and glanced into the vehicle. There was a woman on the passenger seat. "Who is this?"
"Oh, my assistant. She's helping me with recording information."
"Well, it's not that I'm making it difficult, but you know how it is these days. The rules are very strict…"
"Fine, fine. There, her permit!"
Tang Yu handed him the papers stamped by the official seal, which reassured the man inside. The soldier chuckled. "That'll do. Drive carefully! Let the car pass!"
The roadblock was moved aside and the vehicle drove in, heading towards the campsite deep inside the mountain.
As the representative of Le Zhou government, Tang Yu had been staying at the frontline the entire time. He went back to the city a couple of days ago, but instead of going home, he spent the two whole days snuggling up with Du Hong—his wife and child did not know he was back, anyway.
Hearing him talking about all the events, Du Hong was tempted.
Surrendering to Du Hong's persuasion, Tang Yu managed to get her a permit and brought her in to have a taste. Needless to say, the two had agreed beforehand that she could only stay for one night.
The vehicle followed the bumpy road and more than half a day had passed before they finally reached the camp.
Tang Yu had his job to do. He reminded Du Hong of some matters and went to attend his own business. Du Hong could not stand the boredom. She only stayed inside for a little while before she snuck out to walk around.
With the conspicuous permit hanging around her neck, even those who did recognize her as a stranger would find it inappropriate to question her. It was rather clever of her.
"This place feels so nice!"
She wandered around and ended up at the edge of the cliff at the east end of the campsite. She stood there and looked down into the deep valley.
Her feeling in one word: heaven!
Although she couldn't sense the spiritual essence, she was instinctively soothed by the atmosphere. Her breathing was so smooth that she felt lifted inside out. And there was a stirring inside her.
"Who are you?"
Du Hong was enjoying the wonderful sensation when a sound came from behind.
It made her jump. Turning around, she saw a young priest standing there, his hair in a Taoist bun and dressed in a loose robe with wide sleeves. The priest was extremely handsome and bursting with vitality.
Hm...
A naughty idea came into her head right away and that unknown desire burning stronger. She swallowed secretly and answered, "I'm Director Tang's assistant and have just got here. And you are?"
"Director Tang?"
Lu Yuanqing nodded, realizing she was talking about Tang Yu.
He was in fact amazed. The woman was emanating an alluring aura from head to toe, a small amount of which was a natural gift and mostly acquired. Her inner Qi was facetious and unsteady. One glance and he knew she was no decent cultivator.
That was very interesting!
"What method are you practicing?" he asked directly.
"What?"
Du Hong shuddered inside, backing away despite herself.
"Hm, your method follows an unconventional path and is rather clever in a way, but your foundation has been poorly built. In the long run, your meridians will become tangled up, endangering your life."
"..."
Du Hong's face was ashy white. She did not know the man by sight, but had heard Tang Yu talking about him. He would be the pupil of Baiyun Temple's abbot, a true master and a skilful cultivator.
She knew next to nothing about cultivation and had come so far by sheer luck alone. Now that her biggest secret had been exposed, she was petrified at first, then overwhelmed by an unknown panic.
"There's no need to be flustered. I mean no harm." Lu Yuanqing was as mild as ever and smiled. "I have a manual that can adjust Qi and breathing. It will help with your cultivation. If you want to learn it, come back at three this afternoon to fetch it."
"You, I…" Du Hong was so baffled that she was barely keeping her head straight. "We've only just met. Why would you help me?"
"Cultivation is a tough road. I feel sorry for your ignorance of the true knowledge."
With that, Lu Yuanqing flapped his sleeves and left.
Du Hong returned to Tang Yu's place, her head still muddled and face blank. It was quite some time before she could think again.
Firstly, about that shabby book, the man said it was a practicing method.
She did not think much of it in the beginning, but as the effect grew more apparent, she could no longer hold back that desire. No one could resist the allure of cultivation.
She then thought about Tang Yu. The man was good to her, yet she was nothing but a mistress. The relationship would end sooner or later.
She had tasted the wonder of consuming Yang to nourish Yin and there was no turning back. It was only out of the consideration for Tang Yu that she dared not venture out. If she wanted more, she would need to expand her client list.
This woman was remarkable. In a few moments, she figured out her future path.
When a woman thought something through, she would be more persistent than any man.
At three o'clock that afternoon, she returned to the cliff. Lu Yuanqing spared her no small talks. He tossed her a paper scroll right away. "Now, go."
"..."
Du Hong winced, then stashed it away in her clothes and said, "Thank you."
Lu Yuanqing smiled involuntarily as the woman walked away. She was great—not her looks, but her intelligence and the relationships she was involved in.
A woman skilful in certain occult method was in bed with high-ranking officials. What disturbance would she bring in the future? What trouble would she cause the government?
It intrigued him greatly...
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-22.png){kind=small}
Chapter 222: Phoenix Mountain Industrial Base (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
The valley, south bank.
As a result of Long Qiu's industrious work, Phoenix Mountain now had six mu of rice paddies. It was September at the moment and just the season for harvesting the early-sowed rice, which was the topmost priority. The family of four stood in a line by the field, watching the rice undulating in the wind in golden waves. It was a pleasure to both body and mind.
Xiaojin washed four fresh peaches with pink tips and handed one each. The four started chewing off the fruits right away. Needless to say, the peaches were from the peach trees in the valley—that's right, instead of a poisonous miasma, the peach trees they planted had given them fruit.
The first dozen they planted all fared well, their branches heavy with peaches the size of an adult fist. They were tender, juicy, and even contained a tiny amount of spiritual essence.
The four fellows immediately discovered their new snack and started their full-on attack. It seemed the peaches would not last much longer.
"Golden Silkworm!"
Peach in on hand, Long Qiu waved her other hand forward, sending the little Silkworm to cut the crops.
"..."
Golden Silkworm darted her a look of utter frustration, flew out in resignation, then dived down into the field.
"Whoosh!"
"Rustle!"
A gust of wind blew on the field and Gu Yu witnessed the wonder for the second time. Rice crops fell down one row after another. As if a spell had been cast upon them, the rice were harvested in no time.
The neatly arranged piles of crops covered the entire field, making it a golden treasure land.
"Oh my, I feel so fulfilled every time I see this." Gu Yu sighed with emotion.
"Yeah, and a sense of achievement after a hard day's work," Xiaozhai chimed in.
Damn you all!
Fortunately the Golden Silkworm could not speak, or it would bury the two with its spit. 'Be original, will you?'
After the harvest, the following procedures were the same as before. The rice was basked, shelled, and processed. It was Xiaojin's first time participating in the activity and she enthusiastically volunteered to multiple tasks. The rice was weighed in the end: the six mu had given them around 1600 kg early rice in total.
The figure was enough to make them rejoice. The yield of the late rice could be estimated from last years, which should be around 1100 kg this year, making the total annual yield of 2700 kg.
The four foodies consumed around 1400 kg a year, which was about half of the yield.
'When one has grains to spare, all minds are at rest'—such a saying was the universal truth. However, the consequent problem was: too much unused chaff.
For that, Gu Yu assembled everyone for a special family meeting, discussing their future development plan.
"Be serious now. Let me brief you all first." Under the old tree, the four sat around the table and Gu Yu went on in a formal tone, "Phoenix Mountain currently has 1600 kg of spiritual rice, of which chaff usually takes up about 7-11%. That, plus the existing stock, adds up to 335 kg of chaff in total.
Apart from those, we also have three mu of herb garden where 204 rare and valuable medicinal materials grow. Ordinary materials are planted all over the valley and too numerous to count.
We also have two mu of gourds, including 42 large gourds, 103 medium ones, and 256 small ones.
Of the 210 peach trees, ten have ripened and the rest 200 will have to wait until next year.
Five red fruit plants are growing extremely slowly and there isn't any noticeable change so far.
Other than those, there is also one mu of vegetable garden. No need to go into details on that."
He listed the numbers and asked, " What do you think?"
"..."
Xiaozhai was playing with the snake and Xiaojin watched her playing. Long Qiu was the only good student, who raised her hand like a kindergartener. "Brother, hire someone, please. You two are always off somewhere for half a year and I can't take care of all this all by myself."
"Hey, I'm still around, aren't I?" Xiaojin interjected.
"You're the reason I can't take care of everything." Long Qiu was merciless.
"Hey!"
The girl waved her right hand and a thread of lightning materialized in her palm, which she smashed at Long Qiu's shoulder in a whoosh. Long Qiu exerted a third of her strength and charged towards the hand with a faster move, trying to gain an upper hand despite being the later one to attack.
As it turned out, the hand took a sudden turn in mid-air and sneakily reached out to grab her breasts.
"Ah!"
Long Qiu bolted up and jumped back in fright, her beautiful, arched brows raised and cheeks flushed. "Fight fair and square, I dare you! No dirty tricks!"
"I wouldn't be using tricks if I could fight fair and square. Such a rookie!" Xiaojin sneered.
"You!" Long Qiu chewed on her lips and rolled her eyes. Suddenly, she found the right tease. "You little soap!"
Pffft!
Xiaojin might have a skin thicker than a rhinoceros, but even she went red-faced in embarrassment at the nickname. Grinding her teeth, she jumped at Long Qiu.
"Enough, enough. Both of you, sit down!" Gu Yu was having a headache as he broke the fight. "We do need some extra hands, but as you know, we're not the conventional type of employer. I need to think it through. Little soap, I mean, Xiaojin, any suggestions?"
"DON'T CALL ME LITTLE SOAP!"
The girl glared at him, all teeth and claws like a little leopard. She almost looked frightening.
"Yeah, sure, no more that. So give me some idea." He cajoled her half-heartedly.
The namesake event took place about three days ago when Gu Yu and Xiaozhai were having a private conversation (or foreplay, if you like) in the room. Tempted by an unhealthy curiosity, Xiaojin snuck up onto the roof—thanks to the very limited amount of skill she had learned—and was hoping for a 3D reality show of the two in action.
It was there she heard the name.
As a seasoned northeastern girl, she instantly realized what they meant by "soap"—they were talking about her 1 ! The thought of being called after a lubricant was giving her goosebumps.
So, she jumped.
As it turned out, her older sister was not happy about her intimate moment being ruined and Xiaojin earned herself a good spanking. After that, Long Qiu had picked up that nickname...
"Humph!"
Xiaojin glared at him some more, expressing vividly what was going on in her head: I might be no match to you physically, but my imposing manner was enough to crush you. She then replied, "There're too many unnecessary trees here on the mountain. We should differentiate between those with value and those without. The latter we cut down and use it to build houses; the valuable ones we should plant more."
"Well…" Gu Yu gave it a thought and said, "The concept of 'value' means little to us here. Cotton, sisal plants, and rubber trees are commercially valuable, but not practical to have here. I think things like tea trees and fruit trees are more suitable."
"I agree!"
Slouching on her side and holding the green snake in her arms, Xiaozhai finally gave a lazy two-word comment.
"I have the entire inner mountain in my head and I'll draw a map later. It's time to have the place planned into sections. The messiness is even starting to bother me."
After confirming the suggestion, he turned to his girlfriend. "And your instruction?"
"We have enough gourds now, but I still feel something's lacking…" Xiaozhai took off the little gourd hanging on her waist and shook it. Gu Yu understood the gesture right away. "Chaff can be used to make liquor and so can the peach flowers. I just happen to have collected some sun-dried peach flowers. It'll definitely work."
Just like so, they had swiftly set up the short- to mid-term goals.
The spiritual rice was the fundamental resource to be kept for their own use and would not be traded. Byproducts such as tea, liquor, fruit, and Essence-gathering Incense would be mainly used for trading, exchange, and socializing.
Farm work was only going to become heavier from now on and they needed to free themselves from the burden. Therefore, a functional building complex was going to be established centering around Phoenix Mountain and some technicians were to be recruited in the process.
In two to three years, Phoenix Mountain would truly become a cultivation force that could market its own products and have its own affiliated relationships across the social strata...
Gu Yu was full of spirit and tempted to give a passionate speech. However, one look across the table and he decided it would be better if he kept it to himself.
Well, life wasn't easy for the only male resident living among three divas.
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Chapter 223: Phoenix Mountain Industrial Base (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
"Cock-a-doodle-doo…"
The roosters' crow broke the silence in a small village.
Days were long in September. The sun had yet to rise, but the sky was already lit up. This small village just waking up sat right to the south of Bai Town and was named Taiping 1 Village. For generations, villagers here farmed for a living, and like in most villages in the north, they were neither impoverished nor well-off. They got by, and that was all.
Gao Mingde was born and raised in this village and was now in his fifties. He used to venture into the outside world in his youth, but eventually came back home. He had a son, who had settled down in Shengtian and treated his old man well enough.
Elderly people woke easily. Gao Mingde got up very early, prepared the pig feed with nimble hands, fed the pigs and chickens, then moved on to clean the yard.
It was not until seven o'clock or so that he went back inside and made a pot of noodles, which was his breakfast.
The old man had a great appetite. With some home-grown cucumbers and homemade soybean paste, the entire pot of noodles was finished in no time. Wiping his mouth clean with the back of his hand, he quickly got dressed and left his home riding his shabby bike.
He rode along a bumpy dirt road, turning this way and that way until he was out of the village. He then turned north onto an asphalt road. The old man looked straight ahead as he pedalled on. He might've seemed focused, but his mind had long wandered off.
In his fifty or so years, he had not achieved much. If he had to name one thing he was good at, it was his twenty years worth of brewing skill.
He worked in a brewery in another province when he was young. Starting from an apprentice, he slowly made his way up into a full-time worker, then after some more years, became an experienced worker.
He had left all that skill behind after coming back home and thought he had seen the last of it. However, two days ago, a young man with a surname Zeng visited him at home, talking about a small brewery he had set up, and invited Gao over to give them some guidance.
Just listen to that wording—guidance! Such a smooth-talker.
Of course, that was not enough to persuade him. It was not until a wad of cash was on the table that Gao Mingde was finally interested.
The old man was no fool—no brewery in the whole country would ever offer that price. He had nothing to be afraid of, though. What could they possibly want from an old bloke like him? What was more, his son was getting married and hadn't figured out where to get the money yet.
"Yo, Old Man Gao!"
He was still pedalling when someone called from behind. Turning around, he saw an equally old fellow villager with a surname Li. The art of carpentry had ran in his family for generations and the man was the top gun carpenter in all the surrounding villages. Right now, he was carrying his toolbox, glowing with health.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"North over the mountain. Got a major job. Guess how much they're offering?" Old Man Li boasted.
"What do I care!"
"Hoho, this much!" Old Man Li gestured, but felt he was asking for a rebuff when he loooked at the Gao's undisturbed face. He asked in return, "Why, where are you going?"
"The same direction as you." Gao Mingde didn't want to talk about it and diverted the topic. "Look, are they building a development zone over there? It's been busy all time lately."
"Whatever. All I care about is that there's money in it for us."
The two paired up and soon passed Phoenix Fair. From there, 15 km to the north and a delicate construction site appeared in the middle of nowhere. There was neither blowing dust nor rumbling machines, it was exceptionally quiet.
There were plenty workers on site and one could tell they were all seasoned workers with a glance. They would all be master workmen elsewhere, but were all common labourers here.
Old Man Li said his goodbye and went to find his own team. Gao Mingde, on the other hand, was bewildered. He was only told about the general direction. Where exactly should he go now?"
Just then, a young man ran up to him and asked, "Hello, Master Zhang, is it?"
"Uh, yes, that's right."
"We've been expecting you for quite a while. This is not your workplace. Please follow me."
Gao Mingde was baffled by the warm welcome and had no choice but to follow him. A few minutes later, he thought something was not right, for they were going up a mountain!
"Well, I'm here to see a brewery," he reminded cautiously.
"That's right. It's just up there. Not too high up—about twenty minutes' walk." The young man chuckled.
The old man could but carry on forward.
Sure enough, before long, a small road branched off to the left, into which they turned. Walking around a small patch of woods, the destination was ahead.
It was a small courtyard surrounded by woods on three sides. Mountain springs had joined into a stream, which flowed past the courtyard outside its front gate. The gurgling water was very clear. The ground was not too high, just about seventy or eighty meters above sea level.
"This is a brewery?" The old man was not prepared for this.
"We're pretty small scale. I guess it's more like a workshop."
The two entered the courtyard and saw large rooms on all sides and a spacious interior. A man in his thirties heard their steps and ran out to greet them.
"This is Guo Fei. He's going to be your pupil from now on."
"Good morning, Master. I have worked a few years in a brewery before and know a little about just everything, but I'm far from mastering anything. I'll be looking forward to your valuable instruction."
Gao Mingde was pleased with the attitude and nodded. "No problem. Let's have a look at the equipment first."
"Sure. This way, please."
With that, the three walked into the brewery room.
The old man looked up and was instantly stunned. In it was the most traditional brewing equipment, which had a low yield and was very time-consuming. He asked, "That costs a lot. Will you be able to make a profit at all?"
"Haha…" The young man did not reply to that but chuckled instead. "I have been told that Master Gao is an expert in solid-state brewing?"
"Yeah, I had a few years of experience on that."
"That's great. We mainly work on brewing liquor made from chaff here. I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you a lot with that."
"Using chaff only? That won't taste so good." The old man frowned.
"It's only for the time being. We'll have new ingredients in the future."
"You're the boss, your call."
Immediately after that, the three men walked around each room. The house had everything—warehouse, cellar, bedrooms, kitchen, toilet, you name it. When they checked the chaff and rice in the warehouse, the old man picked up some and felt it between his fingers; he was all the more astonished.
The rice felt so strange. Exactly what kind of workshop was this? Why was it built at such a location?
Regardless of what was going on in his head, the three men finished the tour and the young man still had that smile on his face. "Master Gao, if you're pleased with what you have seen, we'll sign the contract right away. If not, you can keep the money from earlier as a commission and I'll drive you back."
"..."
Gao Mingde pursed his lips. In the end, the pressure of the reality gained the upper hand and grinding his teeth, he said, "Ok, I'll sign it!"
"So will I!" said Guo Fei.
"Great. Our terms are quite simple." The young man took out a few pieces of paper and explained, "The employment will be three-year long and you'll have a two-day break each month. Insurance and welfare are all covered… we only ask for two things: making some good liquor and your absolute confidentiality. Under no circumstances should you reveal what happens here to any outsiders."
While mentioning the last point, the expression on his face suddenly turned rather strange. It almost looked neurotic.
The old man never had much school, so Guo Fei alone read through the contract for a couple of times. He then asked curiously, "What about the liability for breaching the contract? Why wasn't that included?"
"Breaching the contract? Hoho, I would certainly advise against it…" The young man grinned at the question. He then had them sign the contract and stamped it. Before he left, he reminded them again, "Remember, no spilling of anything."
***
After the man was gone, Gao Mingde struck up a conversation with Guo Fei.
Guo Fei used to be a resident of Grass River Mouth and had been relocated to Bai Town. He had once had a brewery, but lost all his savings and the resettlement fee to gambling. Now that both his wife and child had left him, he had awakened to his errors and decided to make a fresh start.
He was no more aware of the situation here then Gao Mingde. All he knew was that the benefits were good and the job paid well, so he decided to give it a shot.
Gao Mingde became all the more worried at his words. He puffed at his small-bowled pipe and finished a pouch of crude tobacco. In the end, he came by. Worrying would get him nowhere. Anyway, he had signed the contract and he might as well do it.
Old Gao was a man of action and started right away.
The common procedure was that distiller's yeast had to be prepared before the actual brewing, which was categorized into the large starter and the small starter. The former was made from wheat and the later from rice. Since chaff was going to be their raw material, it went without saying that they would make the small starter.
It was a rather hideous process. The rice would be ground, sifted, mixed evenly with water, and solidified into a yeast brick inside a yeast mold by stepping on it repeatedly. Then the yeast room would be paved with rice husk before the yeast bases were moved in and arranged into order.
Reeds were then spread out on top of the bases, then another layer of yeast bases were laid on top of that, followed by another layer of reeds. There would be three layers of bases in total.
The first day's work would finish there. The yeast room was then sealed off and the temperature would gradually rise inside. After 36 to 37 hours, mold would grow on the bases.
Then came the basking of the mold, reaching the maximum temperature of fermentation, and the fostering of the yeast, which would need about a week. Only then would the yeast bases be officially out of the room.
Gao Mingde was not in very good health and was mainly instructing on the side. Guo Fei had enough experience on the job and was carrying out the task with nimble movements. Before they realized, it was dusk already. The setting sun had painted the trees yellow with the last of its light.
The old man set a rattan chair by the stream and sat down. Taking in the view all around him, he suddenly felt life was rather pleasant here.
Sigh! Brewing was the best! He had never liked feeding pigs or chickens. Things had been going smoothly today and he was confident he would get some good starter out of it, which would then make some nice liquor.
Gao Mingde sat there for a little while. He then checked the time and was about to ask Guo Fei to go back together.
He had just stood up when a soft voice rang out next to him, as if it had emerged out of the thin air.
"Why, you're the brewing master, aren't you?"
"Who's that?"
The old man jolted. Looking around him, he saw no one. "Who are you?"
"Haha, I'm here to deliver the herbs." The voice suddenly changed, as if there were two people speaking.
'Jeez!'
Gao Mingde raised his head abruptly and saw two girls sitting on the tree outside the courtyard, which was over ten meters tall. They were both young and had an otherworldly beauty, reminding him of two spiritual beings from the mountain who fed on the essence of nature.
"..."
The old man felt even his gum was shivering; all sounds had failed him.
"Here, this is for you!"
The older of the two took out a clay pot and tossed it down casually, which landed steadily and lightly on the ground. Not a single speck of dirt was disturbed.
"There are some herbs inside for you to add into the starter. Brew them separately."
Her kind tone emboldened the old man. "Are, are you humans or fairies?"
"Seriously? Of course we're humans… gosh, stop being such a pussy. We've got work to do back at home!"
The younger girl shook her companion's arm repeatedly, apparently rather impatient. The latter couldn't talk her around and in the end, sighed and flipped her finger.
Gao Mingde's eyes opened widely as two mosquito-like strange insects came out of nowhere. One squeezed into his flesh in a whoosh while the other one caught Guo Fei, who was drawn out by the noise, and slithered into his flesh as well.
The old man twitched. An indescribable sensation rose in him, as if he was now under someone else's control.
"Ah! Ghost, ghost…"
Guo Fei was so frightened that he tumbled down and started scratching frantically at his face, as if trying to dig the insect out.
"Shut the hell up!"
The younger girl was annoyed by his howling. She snapped down a branch and tossed it down. The sharp-ish twig jabbed Guo Fei, who shuddered at the pain and miraculous stopped crying.
"Remember, nothing's going to happen as long as you behave!"
She gave them a warning and tugged at the older girl, telling the latter off. "Let's go already. Stop being so sentimental…"
With that, the pair slipped away. In a few hops, they disappeared into the woods.
Gao Mingde watched with a gaping mouth. There was a moment of weird silence when a sobbing sound rang out again. Guo Fei was in tears. "Sob… what have I done to deserve this? My wife and child are gone, so are my savings. I finally get a job and ghosts are after me… sob…"
Despite his tough appearance, the man was rather soft and sensitive inside. After much howling, the old man was irritated as well. He yelled, "Shut up. They were no ghosts, ok? Have you ever seen a ghost with a shadow?"
'Hm?'
Guo Fei slowly came to his senses at this. Wiping away his tears, he asked, "Master, who, who on earth were they? Are we going to die with the insects in us?"
"How the hell am I supposed to know!?"
Gao Mingde was equally vexed. A moment of hesitation and the expression on his face was vague again. Elderly people were especially susceptible to certain concepts and expectation was growing inside him alongside his fear.
'Is it possible... is it possible that there really are Immortals?'
***
"I'm telling you, you've got to use some tricks on those people! That's a liquor workshop and they are meant to taste the product once it's completed. One sip and even an imbecile will know something's off.
Our liquor is the spiritual liquor. One sip promises extra duration and two sips dispel all maladies. They will all try to steal a drink. How are you going to prevent that? And it won't stop there. How can you tell which ones are the spies and which ones will forget their honor for profit? They can get the wind this minute and sell us out the next!
That's why we must have control over them. We're not doing them any harm. As long as they stay in line, we're offering them a comfortable life, aren't we?"
On their way back to the valley, Xiaojin had been babbling on, brainwashing Long Qiu with her theories. Scratching her head, Long Qiu said, "I understand what you're saying, but…"
"Not goddamn 'but'! Gosh, why do I feel like a babysitter?"
Xiaojin's patience was running out. She could not be bothered to talk anymore. Dragging her little older sister behind her, she hurried her way back.
Before long, they had passed the Mountain-half Pavilion. The area further up had changed beyond recognition. All useless trees had been cut down, making large clearings. The inner mountain alone was now divided into three regions: the front, the valley, and the back.
The front was to grow fruit trees and the back for tea trees and the spiritual rice.
The boundary of the valley was set around a twenty-km radius and enough ground had been broken already, or the atmosphere would be ruined. From now on, they would focus mainly on constructing more buildings.
Gu Yu was discussing with Xiaozhai over a blueprint. Seeing the two, he asked, "How was it?"
"We've given them the herbs. Everything looked fine," replied Long Qiu.
"I see. That's good."
Xiaojin moved closed and snatched the blueprint away. One look at it and she was stunned. "Wow, that's some major project you've got there. Are we starting up a new sect or what?"
Long Qiu was intrigued as well. She followed suit and looked at it. The paper was densely covered with construction plans for buildings. She asked curiously, "Brother, won't the government disapprove of our plan?"
"Of course they will, but they won't say anything. We're only following their rhythm."
Taking back the blueprint, Gu Yu chuckled. "We didn't do anything on Phoenix Mountain when we first got it because they didn't want it done. Now that they want it, we'll copy them and do it."
"I don't understand." Long Qiu puckered up her face.
"Haha, you will once you read more news." Xiaozhai rubbed her hair.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-24.png){kind=small}
Chapter 224: What If It’s Real?
Source: Qidian International
Ever since Huo Zhou, Gu Yu knew that the government could not sit tight for much longer and would reveal the information to the public sooner or later. The contracts he signed with the workers were all three-year long, for the environment would be ready enough in three years and by then, it wouldn't make much difference in controlling them or not.
Under the current circumstances, however, they'd better be more prudent. Flamboyance would not be appropriate.
Shengtian, the new district.
There were actually three new districts—one on the south, one on the north, and one of an island. The one in question was the southern one. Back when it was planned, the district was to become an industrial park dedicated to media, electronics and innovative technologies. Hence, the rent was set at an unbelievably low level, together with all sorts of favorable terms.
Li Dong's workplace was right here, a media company registered two years ago.
He worked as an editor, spending his days writing promotion advertising articles before posting them onto various apps. With a monthly salary of 3000 yuan 1 and having neither a house nor a car, he lived in a shabby rented place fifty minutes away from his company.
Originally from a rural village, he was by no means a well-off man. His biggest dream was to save up enough money for the down payment of a small apartment. As for love, marriage, or happiness, they were all concepts too luxurious for him to afford.
This afternoon, after finishing the job at hand, he opened a webpage without being noticed and indulged himself in one of the cheapest hobbies: reading web novels.
He preferred sci-fi and game-themed fictions and was not much into modern or xianxia ones. After catching up with the newest updates of the novels he followed, he was in desperate need for some fresh blood and went to seek some bread for the mind in one of those book-recommending websites.
The moment he clicked open the webpage, he was shocked, for the front page was taken up by the recommendation of a novel named "What Should I Do If I Become A Cultivator".
The lousy name suggested one of those cliche light novels from a certain country in the east. He resisted reading it, but with no better things to do, he clicked it open.
Five minutes into it and he grabbed the general concept behind the novel: it was set in a background similar to the current society when a cultivation-friendly environment suddenly became available; the story the moved on to describe the antagonist's growth and experience, as well as the change brought to the society.
Driven by his utter boredom, he continued reading. As it turned out, a dozen chapters into the book and he could no longer put it down. He finished all two hundred or so chapters in one afternoon and had somehow joined a book fanclub chat group.
The group was incredibly active with everyone chatting with everyone else. They had even set up a shabby forum for the readers to create threads for discussion. The most popular one at the moment was entitled "If I become a cultivator, will I still be restricted by morals and law?"
Oh my!
The delusional adolescent type was not uncommon, but this place seemed to be filled with them!
With a somewhat sarcastic tone, Li Dong left a reply in passing. "Lmao. Those fellows saying they would obey definitely deserve an Oscar!"
He thought little of it after that. However, a couple of days later when he clicked into the forum again, there were quite a few replies under his.
"I cannot deny that all men have their dark side, but you have to admit that there are those who have a strong mind and perfect self-control ability."
"Many of us still prefer a stable environment. Stability requires rules and rules means breakers and protectors. So, it's not really a matter of obeying or not, more like a personal choice."
"I think I'll be able to stay moral, but not law-abiding. When your level surpasses the ordinary people by so far, you're not likely to fall back to that level."
"I stole a duck from my neighbor when I was little and roasted it. Until this day, I had never felt sorry for the duck."
'Wow!'
He had never expected to start a discussion and the replies instantly excited him. He started typing, agreeing with some and retorting the others.
People like Li Dong was common enough in our society. Their life less than satisfactory, they were boring and timid in real life, but became flashy and glib once armored with a keyboard. Such a group was known as: netizens.
In a word, the book and the forum had brought a rare satisfaction to Li Dong's bland life. A few forum dwellers there were fellows well-versed in popular internet jargons with a sly humor.
His friend list was several names longer, all of whom he made acquaintance of recently. Two of those were in the same city as him, who went by the online names " Qian Qiu 2 " and "Headmaster" respectively.
***
Seven days later, nighttime.
Cocooned up in his rented place, Li Dong had just finished a round of MOBA game. His fellow players did nothing but pulling his legs, so he logged off right after the game. Pouring himself a glass of water, he downed it in one gulp. Just then, his computer beeped at an incoming message.
He walked up to it and saw that the message was from Qian Qiu. "You there?"
"Just finished a premade back there. What's up?" he replied.
"I've got a chat group here, wondering if you wanna in. Headmaster's there as well."
"Sure, lemme check it out."
Li Dong did not think much of it and said yes right away. A few seconds later, he was sent a chat group invitation whose name read "Study Group of Natural Science".
What the heck?
Utterly baffled, he clicked the "agree" and entered the chat group. He was instantly stunned.
On the member list on the right side, all IDs had suffixes such as "perfected man", "priest", "layman" and alike. What they were talking about was equally bizarre.
"My Fellow Taoists, I've made up my mind: I'm going to quit my job tomorrow. My life from now on will be spent on visiting all the famous mountains to seek the immortals and pursue the Great Dao."
"Wow. In that case, I wish you a promising cultivation future and rising high above the clouds one day."
"Sigh, how I envy you. I'd like to quit my job as well, but the pressure of doing so is too great for my weak mind."
"Don't give up just then. Everyone is impeded in some way by this mortal life and it's only a matter of time before we can look beyond all those. You… why, we have a new Fellow Taoist!"
"A new Fellow Taoist it is. Welcome!"
"Where does the new Fellow Taoist dwell? Do let us know your native land!"
The chat group erupted instantly, with everyone tagging Li Dong at the same time. Li Dong was quite resistant to such atmosphere, to the point that he found all these people ridiculous—these were no delusional adolescents. They were simply out of their mind!
"Why don't you say hello to everyone?"
Just then, a member called "Priest Qian Qiu" tagged him.
Fine! He had no choice but reply, "Qian Qiu, what the hell are you all playing at? Is this a cosplay group or what?"
"LOL, I miss that phrase!"
"Oh my, it's going to be my favorite part."
"Quickly, brief our new friend!"
Li Dong felt they were all talking in riddles. He was about to send Qian Qiu a private message and withdraw from the group when a fellow named "Layman Blue Sky & Ocean" posted a screenshot.
He took a closer look and realized it was a weibo 3 post created by the most authoritative party newspaper of the country, dated July 2nd.
"'The Taoist culture should give full play to the positive energy for the rejuvenation of the nation: Taoism is a religion in pursuit of harmony. According to Laozi, 'Knowing the harmony is knowing the law of the arrangement of all things and knowing such law is the enlightenment.' Zhuangzi proposed that 'all things are in harmony', which referred to a harmonious concept. The Taoist teachings involve multiple aspects, including the relationships between people, between men and nature, and between men and society, as seen in the concepts 'kindness, harmony, and identity', 'saving all living beings from calamities', 'harmony between heaven and man', 'the ways of heaven are impartial, but unknowingly, the charitable people are often favored', etc. Such theories of the heaven favoring the well-doers fully embody an idea of equality, which is generally in line with the principle of fairness and justice promoted by the modern society… "
'Huh?'
Li Dong was even more confused. What on earth were they doing?
Immediately after that, another one with an ID "Perfected Man White Rain" also posted an image, which was an announcement from the Ministry of Culture dated July 15th.
"An extension of the third batch of intangible cultural heritage of the country was published today. There are 54 pieces in total, of which 38 are Taoist-culture-related, including Legend of True Warrior Great Deity (folklore), Wudang Taoist tea stir frying technique (traditional technique), Taoist medicine of Wudang Mountain (traditional medicine), Taoist ceremonies and rituals of Mount Longhu (traditional technique), health care method of Baiyun Temple (traditional medicine)..."
Announced together were a few lines of explanation.
"The national intangible cultural heritage directory has 1219 entries in total and the extension contains 311 entries, of which only eight are Taoist-culture-related. They are: Taoist music of Xuanmiao Temple in Jiang Zhou, Taoist music of Wudang temples and palaces, martial arts of Wudang, Wudang traditional opera, legend of Zhuangzi, etc. More than half of the entries are music-related and aspects such as Taoist paintings, legend of immortals, ceremonies and rituals, the art of building, Taoist teachings, Taoist skills, refinement and cultivation, etc., have never been included."
"Haha, the teacher's tapping the blackboard. Pay attention to the underlined paragraph!"
"Mount Longhu, Baiyun Temple, ceremonies and rituals, healthcare method—the answer is written out for you!"
"Has the newbie got it? Newbie? Where is the newbie?"
"..."
Ok, the newbie was shocked.
Staring at the screen, Li Dong blanked out for a whole two minutes. He felt a naughty little fairy was scratching its way out of his chest. The scratching was so effective that he was tempted.
They were saying… the news from the authorities meant...
No, it couldn't be! It must have been a coincidence!
Shaking his head, he forced his way back to the reality and typed down a line with his shaking fingers. "That doesn't mean anything. What if it was just a coincidence?"
"The newbie's still denying it!"
"That's ok. We've still got that major blow to come. Show it to him!"
With that, some fellow named "Perfected Man Twenty Yuan" posted the final blow. It was an announcement from the Ministry of Education, dated August 6th.
"Starting from the second semester, selective classes are to be promoted in middle and primary schools in certain areas. This is to help carry forward our national traditional culture, introduce and explain the essence of our history and culture in approachable terms to middle school and primary school students.
It is common knowledge that the core of the traditional culture of this country lies in the complementation of Confucian and Taoist concepts, together with other ideologies such as the Mohist, the Legalist, and the Logician ones.
Ideology is the first aspect to be considered when culture is considered, then come the other derived arts such as poems and verses, dialects, folk music, dramas, operas, paintings, calligraphy, couplets, lantern riddles, shooting games, drinking games, two-part allegorical sayings, etc…"
With the picture came another round of babbling.
"Now what? Convinced yet?"
"How was that? A whole new world, right?"
"How are you holding up? Shall we go for a premade to cool your head down?"
"Damn, we've frightened the newbie to death!"
"..."
Li Dong was staring at the screen again, just as what he did ten minutes ago—only this time, the naughty little thing inside was more active. It had pushed aside the soft flesh and made its way out. Squeezing through all those blood vessels, it was now showing its limbs and body.
In the end, it took up his entire chest and was giving out commands. Meanwhile, the education he received and the mindset he had formed over the past twenty years were struggling stubbornly to fight back.
He lit a cigarette with shaky hands, the dot of light flickering in the dark room. After quite a while, he finally managed to type down one line. "What if it's all fake?"
"..."
For a moment, those in the group seemed to fall into silence. However, only seconds later, text filled the entire chat screen. Rows upon rows, they materialized like endless tidal waves.
"What if it's real?"
"What if it's real?"
"What if it's real?"
"What if it's real?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-25.png){kind=small}
Chapter 225: The Liquor
Source: Qidian International
Shengtian, Taiqing Palace.
In the small square in front of the temple, a fancy starting ceremony was being held. Entertainment media all over the country flocked to this occasion to interview the crew of a TV show.
An incredibly popular " little fresh meat 1 " type of actor dressed in a blue Taoist robe was demonstrating to the reporters.
"Just like so. You stand in front of the praying mat, feet splaying. As you bow down, your hands meet in front of your abdomen. Remember, your left hand has to be moving away from your right and cover the spot roughly where your heart is. Bend over like this and that's the first bow… repeat it for another two times and you have the three salutes and three bows of the Taoist etiquette."
'Wow!'
Seeing that his demonstration was natural, smooth, and rather presentable, the press was all amazed and showered him with questions. "Have you learned all that specially for the show?"
"Yes, I had about two hours of practice. That was not all of it. There are also other rites that the whole cast had to learn."
"Could you tell us how do you feel about all this?"
"Well, it is a fantasy drama we're shooting, but it'll be nothing like the fantasy series before. We are very rigorous in referencing the traditional Taoist culture. We've shot our scenes in many authentic scenic spots and we've also had an old Taoist priest as our consultant. Things like the costumes, props, quotations were all made as realistic as possible. You will be able to see all those when the show's on air."
A few questions later, the ceremony was over and the crowd scattered gradually. The group had a few outdoor scenes here in Taiqing Palace, which they would shoot later.
The little fresh meat got rid of his fans and hopped into his van right away. His butt had barely touched the seat when his manager tossed over a script. "Just got this. It looks pretty nice. Your schedule should fit."
The little fresh meat flipped through it and said impatiently, "Xianxia-themed again? Are those investors out of their mind?"
"Well, that's the fad at the moment! These Xianxia series are outshining those ' divine anti-Japanese war dramas 2 '—they go through the censorship ten out of ten times. Some have indeed gone for family ethics drama, but none came through. We need you decision now, or someone else will take it."
"Fine, fine. I'll take it!"
Taking up the script, the little fresh meat looked rather annoyed. He was secretly amazed at the same time, for he had played in a couple of similar series before. The storyline was idiotic and special effects looked like primary school projects. There was so much Mary-Sue sort of setting going on that nothing could embellish the cliche, not to mention the abominable costumes, makeup, and props.
Things had completely turned around now. Everyone was squeezing their brains out to make Xianxia stories into serious dramas. The strict requirements were unbelievable.
These people were insane!
The little fresh meat pursed his lips. Whatever, as long as the money was good, he couldn't care less.
As a matter of fact, he was not the only one with such feelings. The common people of the country were all to some extent sensing something was off.
When did it begin? This summer? No, from early autumn this year… they couldn't exactly pinpoint that feeling. It just felt odd.
Almost overnight, TV dramas had taken a 180-degree turn. Education on the traditional culture was promoted all over the country and Taoism was mentioned more and more frequently in the news.
The internet novel readers realized that cultivation-themed stories were flooding the websites, all copiously quoting authoritative works. Game lovers also found their world taken over by cultivation games, which, instead of the made-up crap, were coming up with serious game settings.
What was more, even the transformation tasks in the games were ridiculously designed. The players were actually being tested on real Taoist scriptures. One had to search the texts themselves and type down the answer word by word.
Further more, tourists also discovered that they were seeing fewer greasy, fat monks in the mountains. Instead, solemn and ethereal Taoist temples were there for them to visit. These were decent places. No one was hard-selling fortune-telling, stick-drawing, or palm-reading. When touring inside the temples, unless the tourists struck up a conversation first, the priests would not even bother to look at them.
Children of certain regions were enjoying better quality education in their selectives than their proper syllabus. Two cities had announced that they were changing the between-class exercise to a perfected version of Taiji boxing.
People had put all of these together concluded that more than one thing was out of place.
Some went to work as usual, trying hard to earn a living; some disliked what they were seeing and blocked all information; some, like Li Dong and his buddies, were faintly touching the truth.
***
"Dong Zi, watched the news yesterday?"
"Sure."
"Ha, they're doing it so openly these days. When did you ever hear of a show having its starting ceremony held in a Taoist temple? So, believe it now?"
"Fine, stop gloating!" Li Dong replied grumpily as he evaded his colleagues and hid in the landing of the staircase.
Ever since he joined the chat group, his worldview was reshaped in no time. He had made quite a few good friends there and even met the two living in his city in real life.
Qian Qiu's real name was Zhang Qianqiu, whereas Headmaster was called Yan Han. Both were from affluent families. Their parents were into business and they themselves had successful careers.
The three were of similar ages. The topics of their occasional gatherings were always around cultivation. Both Zhang Qianqiu and Yan Han had long set their minds to visit all the famous mountains and rivers there were to find immortals and become their pupils. Li Dong, on the other hand, was still hesitating and could not bring himself to make that final step.
"Dong Zi, have you decided yet? Winter's coming in no time and Yan Han and me cannot wait any longer!"
"You know my background. My family is by no means well off and my parents barely have any income. If I quit my job and something goes wrong, I, I…" Li Dong faltered, trying to find an excuse, though he was simply telling the truth.
"Don't worry about that. Yan Han and I have talked about this. We will each give your parents 10000 yuan 3 every month as their pension and hire someone to take care of them as well. Any maladies or troubles would been taken care of without delay."
"No, I can't let you do that. That's way too generous of you!" Li Dong refused right away.
"What's wrong with being generous? It is within our capacity and of course we will help you out. The purpose of this group is to stop anyone from falling behind, so that when the world changes, we can look out for one another."
Still driving, Zhang Qianqiu went on, "Dong Zi, we're not abandoning our families or severing our bonds with the world for good. All we are going to do is to find us a master. You know what, just think it as a long vacation. What's wrong with taking a trip?"
So be it!
At that, Li Dong found it impossible to refuse the proposal. He replied, "Well, ok. I'm coming with you."
"Haha, that's all the answer I want. Make some preparations. We're leaving the day after tomorrow and our first stop is Phoenix Mountain!"
"Phoenix Mountain? Is it solid?" Li Dong was taken by surprise.
"Tsk, guess what, half of Phoenix Mountain has been sealed off since last year and with all the barbed wires, there was no way to get in. Would you believe that everything is fine? I'm telling you, something must be going on there!"
***
After three busy months, the industrial distribution of Phoenix Mountain was completed.
First of all, not far from the liquor workshop—about 20 minutes of walk away—was another new courtyard built for the fruit workers. Both courtyards were in a lower ground with a lot of space and plenty of sunlight. This area was the front section mostly dedicated to growing fruit trees.
Then came the back section, where three courtyards had been built. One of them was a tea workshop. The tea trees had just been planted and there wasn't any harvest so far. The tea growers were already there, though.
Of the other two, one was the dwellings for crop farmers, while the other one a workshop for grain-basking and shelling.
Other than those, there were now minnows in the mountain brooks and a lot of bamboos were planted in both the front and the back section as an ornament.
The brewers, fruit growers, tea planters, and crop farmers added up to 14 in total, all highly skillful middle-aged or elderly people compelled to finding a job by various burdens in their lives. In his thirties, Guo Fei turned out to be the youngest of the bunch.
The "suffering" was unspeakable!
Lured by the big paycheck, they did not realize what they had gotten into until they were on the ship. The offspring of the Blood Mosquito Undead Insect slithered into their body and, good gracious, the "connection" the insects brought was beyond description.
All in all, the sight of Miss Qiu was like the Creator himself. They wholeheartedly wanted to kneel down and worship the ground she walked.
Fortunately, Miss Qiu was as fresh as daffodils and good-natured; she was kind to everybody. Whereas the other lady, Miss Jin, was a pain in the neck.
One day, in the liquor workshop.
Onlookers gathered around the main house of the brewery, all straining their necks and looking inside on tiptoe. Inside, Gao Mingde and Guo Fei were carrying out the last procedure: distillation.
"One, two… lift!"
Bending down, the two lifted a large barrel with their full swing. The barrel was filled to the brim with the raw material—fermented chaff.
The raw material was put into a steamer and sealed with an air-tight lid. The firewoods were than lit, heating the steamer with strong fire at a high-temperature.
The firewood was taken from trees on the mountain and was of great quality. The flames licked the steamer and before long, temperature in the room rose rapidly, the heated air rolling out in waves. Both men were soaked wet by now.
Liquor-making nowadays generally used one of the two techniques, that was solid fermentation or liquid-state technique.
In solid fermentation, raw materials were in a solid state. Through fermentation, starch in grain transformed into alcohol, fat into fatty acid ester and organic acid, and protein into alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and nitrogenous compounds. All of these ingredients put together and there was liquor.
In the liquid-state technique, all raw materials were liquids—or, in plain terms, edible alcohol and flavorings. Basically, no above-mentioned ingredients were involved in this method. The process was less time-consuming, the yield higher, and the cost lower. Therefore, this method was widely adopted.
Liquor brewed from solid fermentation was exceptionally valuable. Even brewing houses that were remotely famous would produce some for appraisal and window dressing. Gao Mingde had worked in large breweries before and knew the drill, which was not common knowledge among average people.
"Poof…"
Steam rose out of the steamer in spurts, which rose to the surface of the raw material and the change took place in no time.
"The liquor is coming out!"
With his ample experience, Gao Mingde had kept his eyes on the steamer pot. He let out an abrupt roar, which startled Guo Fei, who then turned down the fire right away and heated the steamer with a gentler flame until all of the the liquor was out.
"Gosh, that smells good!"
Guo Fei opened the lid and was greeted by an intense aroma of the liquor, which did not resemble the least of the tang of new brews. Ladling out a little, he was going to taste it by force of habit. The ladle was almost at his lip when he realized suddenly. "Master, can I, can I drink it?"
"Of course. How are we supposed to know what to improve if we don't know what it tastes like? Miss Qiu has warned us beforehand, though. A little sip is enough, or you might get yourself killed," said Gao Mingde.
"Sure! I know what to do!"
Touching the edge of the ladle with his lips, Guo Fei took the tiniest sip.
The taste of newly brewed liquor was not settled. It had a heating property and was slightly toxic. The liquor needed to be put aside overnight and would only become edible after it cooled down.
This sip, however, felt simple yet strong. It was long-lasting and with a clear aftertaste. The liquor was mellow and well-balanced.
As the saying went, good liquors ran in a single line. The aromatic liquor was spreading out even when it was still in his mouth. The softness slid down all the way down his throat and into his stomach. The taste was comforting, unbelievably comforting!
What was more, with that comforting sensation, a warm flow seemed to have run through all his meridians and his spirit was much lifted.
"Oh my, I'm getting dizzy." Shaking his head, Guo Fei passed the ladle over. "Master, you go have a sip."
"Hiss!"
Gao Mingde also drank a little and the sensation was even more tender on him. When the warmth flushed into his stomach, his fifty-year-old "little brother" went "stiff" for a whole two minutes.
"Good, good. That's a great liquor!"
The expression on the old man's face was halfway between laughing and crying as he praised the liquor nonstop.
The crowd gathered outside was also excited and they were calling out one after another, "Old Man Gao, just tell us, exactly what did it taste like?"
"Exactly! Take out some and let us have a whiff!"
They were all feeling envious, but dared not ask for a drink. While the bustling was still going on, a few men at the back stirred and the flurry soon reached the front row.
"Miss Jin is here!"
Buzz!
Everyone shuddered at once. They all adored Miss Qiu, but the other one was a whole different story. She was an exploding firework!
"Why, you're having a party in broad daylight!" Xiaojin made her grand entrance with her special greeting and burst into the room. "Good stuff. Gimme some."
"There, there you go."
Guo Fei dared not even look up as he handed her a new ladle.
"Still a bit weak. Have another go, see if you can come up with some stronger liquor.
Xiaojin downed half a ladle in one go and smacked her lips; she was a little unsatisfied. Who were they kidding? Did they know who she was? Miss Northeast, the expert in drinking straight from beer bottles, the white-mink-wearer, and the owner of any table she sat by.
"That'll do. You can put it into a jar now." She waved her hand.
"Well, we weren't given any jar. We only have a few buckets." Guo Fei was instantly troubled by the order.
"Weren't given? Are you saying you can't do without the jars?"
"No, I, it…" The fellow was almost bursting into tears.
"Jin Jin, you're scaring them again!"
Just then, another voice came from outside, just in time to save Guo Fei.
The crowd was instantly relieved. Long Qiu strode into the room, glared at the girl, and smiled. "Use this one. Is it big enough?"
With that, she waved her hand and a giant gourd appeared out of the thin air. The gourd looked like it was cast out of jade and stood over a meter high.
"It is! It will do!"
Baffled, Guo Fei nodded and started pouring in the liquor in a hurry. The gourd was just about the right size.
Long Qiu then took out a box of incense sticks and smiled. "Uncle, my brother knew that you are in poor health and made this medicinal incense for you. Burn one every day. You will be fully recovered in one month.
"Hm? Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Gao Mingde was utterly surprised. Fighting back his emotions, he thanked Long Qiu repeatedly.
"You're welcome. We'll leave you here, then."
Storing away the giant gourd, she left, dragging Xiaojin behind her and followed by eyes filled with reverence.
As soon as the two girls left, the room erupted with a hubbub of voices. Everyone was talking at the same time, their tone full of excitement. They would dart a look at Gao Mingde every now and then, not trying at all to hide their envy.
"Did you see that? Did you? How do you think the gourd was summoned? That was indeed a doing of the immortals."
"Old Man Gao, which universe did you save last life that they now think so highly of you?"
"Gosh, I wish I was sick!"
They were quite bitter inside when they first came here, but that feeling died away in a few days. They were completely overwhelmed—they were given the chance to see the immortals!
'I might have been locked up for the time being, but I'm in such a favorite position that an opportunity could show up anytime. Even if I can't become a cultivator, I still have my offspring to count on.'
Veteran employees would count for something no matter what. What if one of the grandchildren was chosen? Life would be so sweet after that.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-26.png){kind=small}
Chapter 226: Dungeon: Hell Mode
Source: Qidian International
One of the two was a big gourd, and so was the other 1 .
They had made two kinds of yeast starters—a medicinal one and an ordinary small one. Gao Mingde had fermented and distilled the two separately, producing two kinds of liquor, which was now in these two gourds.
Gu Yu had savored them both. The liquor from the medicinal starter was hot and flamboyant with an amber color and highly reactive spiritual essence, whereas the clear liquor made from the small starter was soft, limpid, and bright with an elegant and mellow taste.
Of course, to any ordinary person, the only difference was that one was strong and the other stronger.
He was in a newly built house used as a living room. Setting the gourds down, Gu Yu took out a wooden box, which was filled with sun-dried peach flowers and some angelica roots.
His task now was to further process the small starter liquor and turn it into a mellower peach flower liquor.
To achieve that was easy. First of all, he fetched a few medium-sized gourds about 30 cm in height, then activated his spiritual essence and gave the big gourd a smack. The clear liquor inside spurted out in a white thread, which he caught and separated into the medium ones.
After that, the dried peach flower and angelica roots were crumbled up a little and sprinkled into the gourds. Seal up the plugs and cellar them for a month, and the peach flower liquor would be ready to drink.
These liquors were some good stuff!
With them, one could play the role of the pretender, hook up with girls, quench the thirst, as well as replenish the spiritual essence in battles. All in all, it was great product to keep at home and while travelling.
After all that was done, Gu Yu was putting away his share of medicinal liquor when he blinked and chuckled. "Little soap?"
"DO NOT CALL ME LITTLE SOAP!"
An angry roar came from outside the door and a superduper little ruffian revealed herself.
He turned around and asked, "What are you sneaking around for?"
"Teehee, Brother-in-law…"
Xiaojin's face changed color abruptly at that and she moved closer with a fawning smile. "Can you bring me along to Huo Zhou this time?"
"Absolutely not!"
"Why? Won't you have a terrible conscience when Xiao Qiu is going but not me?" She was bristling at him again.
"She's more capable than you." He concluded with a single sentence of reasoning.
"Like hell! My Thunder Technique is good enough now! Plus, that lousy place is burnt to the ground, how dangerous can it be?"
'Tsk!'
Gu Yu looked at his sister-in-law, his tone serious. "Your sister is going into seclusion, attempting to achieve the passionless state of Metal Thunder. Someone has to stay behind to attend to the affairs. Who's going to run the show with you away?"
While he was trying to reason with her, the girl would not listen. Tugging her own hair, she yelled, "Aaaaaaaaaaaah! I don't care! I am going! I'm bored to death here!"
"..."
Watching her running away, Gu Yu was helpless. After all, that was Xiaozhai's sister and it was not his place to interfere. He would leave the task to the older sister.
His trip to Huo Zhou this time had three agendas: to collect fire spiritual essence and black grit, to see the change in the environment over there, and to show Long Qiu around. Poor Xiao Qiu had always played the role as the left-behind child and he did not have the heart to do that again to her.
***
Come to think about it, the girl was a bit "masochistic"—not towards anybody, but her older sister only.
It was so obvious. Right now, her daily activities were provoking, digging her own grave, getting punished, provoking again, digging the grave again, and getting punished again… it was like she was asking for it and could not stop herself.
This time was no exception. No one knew what approach Xiaozhai had taken, but the result was that the girl obediently stayed behind to run household affairs (more like causing trouble).
Before they knew it, winter had arrived.
Bai Town had had its first snow. It was not a heavy one and there was only enough to cover the ground, which made a crunchy sound when one stepped on and would not stain the shoes.
"Rumble!"
In a quietish small road in the downtown area, a white jeep was driving slowly. The wheels crushed the snow underneath, making it harder with the vehicle's weight.
The splashing loose snow was blown away by the wind, revealing an imposing rear hub of the vehicle and a shiny Shengtian plate. The jeep threaded through the city and reached the suburbs in no time. It stopped at the square outside the front gate of Phoenix Mountain.
There were scarcely any tourists at all in the winter and the place was deserted. Even the ticket seller was in low spirits.
The doors of the vehicle opened and down came three young man all in their twenties. They were tightly clad in mountaineering outfits and had large backpacks over their shoulders.
One of them went to get the tickets and the three companions entered the mountain gate, soon disappearing into the mountain trail.
They were none other than Li Dong, Zhang Qianqiu, and Yan Han. Li Dong had quit his job and was now on a long journey that he thought was pure madness.
Starting from Shengtian, they would travel across the province, then to the four northeastern provinces. From there, they would move on to the central plains, south of the Yangtze River, the Northwest, south of the Five Ridges, etc. With the promising map they drew up in their heads, the three young men were going to search for immortals, pursue the Great Dao, and travel every corner of the country full of zeal and absolute sincerity.
Oh my, they were getting excited just by thinking about it!
"There's a Ziyang Temple up on the mountain. The abbot is called Chen Qiulin, a disciple of a branch of Quanzhen," Zhang Qianqiu explained as they ascended. "The man loves his blessing rituals. He would hold seven or eight of those every year. Twenty years on this mountain and he showed no sign of any capability whatsoever. He's an ordinary priest and no more."
"Then, then why are we still going to Ziyang Temple?"
Li Dong was on the chubbier side and had missed much of his gym appointments. By now, he was panting and gasping.
"Well, that's where it gets strange!" Walking with an alpenstock, Yan Han said, "You've been to Taiqing Palace before, right? The previous abbot was an imbecile. I've had him tell my fortune once and he was full of bullsh*t. However, a couple of months ago, the abbot changed suddenly and the new one was so sage-like. I have talked to him briefly. The man was genuinely a virtuous and capable Taoist practitioner."
"There was also the information from our fellow Taoists in the chat group. It was also a couple of months before that they suddenly noticed staff changes in their local temples—there was a wave of housecleaning. Obviously, the order came from above to straighten out the affairs and those not qualified were dismissed."
Giving his backpack a tug, Zhang Qianqiu chimed in, "But there was only one exception—Ziyang Temple, where Chen Qiulin remained safely as the abbot."
"Are you saying he is somehow well-connected?" Li Dong asked.
"I'm not sure. Anyway, it's unusual, and unusual means something's going on. We've got to check it out."
The three chatted on as they walked and were soon halfway up. Not a soul was around; the noiseless empty mountain felt somewhat somber and bleak.
They cared little about that and headed straight for Ziyang Temple, where they met Chen Qiulin.
Small temples like this one were quite loosely regulated. Zhang Qianqiu took out ten hundred-yuan bills and stuffed them down into the donation box. After that, they did not even have to ask. The priest there offered his service in both hands and went to fetch the abbot himself.
After exchanging some pleasantries, the four went into an inner room, where they acted all civil and sate down sipped their tea.
"Priest, how long have you been a Taoist disciple?" Yan Han asked.
"My master took me in when I was 12, so it's been 36 years," said Chen Qiulin, stroking his long beard.
"Oh my, then you must be well versed in Taoist theories. I apologize for not recognizing you in time."
"Hoho, you flatter me. There's still so much to learn for me…"
After some chattering, Zhang Qianqiu looked this way and that and asked suddenly, "Priest, I was told that the inner mountain had all been sealed up. Do you know what's going on?"
"Oh, it was said a research facility was to be built there to preserve the ecological environment. That's a good thing. Protecting the environment is the right thing to do. The right thing."
"Have you been there?"
"I haven't, actually. I seldom venture into the mountain. Well, enough of that. Fate has brought all three of you here, so how about you each detonate a lotus lamp to place by the Elderly Lord? It will bless you with a safe and sound life."
Donate my a*s! What made you think your Elderly Lord would care for a stupid lotus lamp?
The three lost their interest right away. Their fishing for information only proved that the man was a money-chaser. Disappointed, they immediately bid their farewell.
On leaving Ziyang Temple, Zhang Qianqiu was still encouraging his friends. "Don't give up. We've known all along that old fool was a fraud. The truth must be inside!"
"You're right. It must be!"
With that, the three walked on. About forty minutes had passed when they finally stopped.
A long wire fence blocked their way. It was over two meters tall and with barbed tips. The fence came all the way from deep inside the mountain and stretched out into the distance. They could not tell where it ended.
"Wow, that's something!"
Grinning, Yan Han unzipped his backpack and was about to take out his gear when Li Dong gave him a pat hastily and whispered, "Hey, there's a camera… don't look. Pretend you didn't see it. Let's move a bit further!"
That was close!
Acting all innocent, they moved a dozen meters sideway and finally found a blind spot. After making sure they were safe, Yan Han took out a pair of thread-cutting forceps that looked very, very heavy-duty.
Bending down, he took a section of wire with the forceps and squeezed. With a click, the wire was cut in half.
"Keep an eye. Make sure no one sees us."
"We are. You hurry up!"
Yan Han was quite good at what he was doing and there was soon an opening wide enough for a man to squeeze through.
"Quickly!"
The three dared not dally and sneakily made their way in one at a time. They only crept onwards after covering the opening up with some grass
They thought they had been very furtive about it but little did they know, up on a tall tree not far from them, someone was sitting there snickering whilst two long legs dangled from the branch.
***
"Huff… huff…"
Li Dong panted. It was a very exhausting journey and he could not keep up much longer.
Supported by Yan Han's alpenstock, his march was interrupted by frequent rests, which slowed them down quite a bit. Something was very strange, though. Ever since they were inside the fence, he had been having this incredibly disturbing feeling, as if something terrifying was lurking somewhere.
Zhang Qianqiu and Yan Han, on the other hand, were in high spirits. They had been talking the entire time about the possibility of Phoenix Mountain. This was the first "dungeon" they entered. What would it turn out to be?
The three of them walked for another while when Li Dong looked up at the sky, feeling the dark clouds crushing down and the light dimmer than ever.
"I say…" He stopped abruptly and seemed uncomfortable when he asked, "Do you feel the chills?"
"Not a bit!"
"Are you sweating? That'll give you the chills with the wind blowing."
"But how come my back, my back…"
Li Dong squirmed and reached a hand to his back. The fingertips sweeped inside his clothes, but instead of the cold sweet clothes he expected, they caught a lump of slimy, soft substance.
What the hell?
He jolted and ripped it out before he had time to think and tossed it onto the ground. But when the thing was leaving his hand, it became alive abruptly and slithered around his arm, then dashed upwards.
"Ssss!"
Li Dong was scared out of his wits. A pair of dark yellow vertical pupils was centimetres away, staring into his own eyes. What was more, a blood-red two-pronged tongue was licking his right cheek.
"Dong Zi, let's go. Why are you…"
OMG!
Zhang Qianqiu was still hurrying him on when he looked up unexpectedly and froze on the spot.
Yan Han was petrified all the same. Staring at the glossy green snake, he stuttered, "Don't, don't move. I'll go find a twig. Whatever you do, don't move…"
Stiffened, he retreated a few steps and fumbled around for a weapon.
"Whoosh!"
"Ruffle!"
Just then, a sinister wind blew at him, which seemed to penetrate his body. A chilliness rose out of his stomach and soon spread to his entire body.
Instinct told him something was wrong. He tried all he could to stay calm, but failed.
One inch, two inches...
With much difficulty, he raised his head and levelled his eyes, looking right into a bloodless woman's face. The giant pupils had taken up the entire eyepits and there was not a trace of the white of the eyes.
"Aaaaaaah!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-27.png){kind=small}
Chapter 227: Heaven And Hell
Source: Qidian International
"Aaaaaaaaaah!"
Yan Han let out a scream, his heart thumping frantically from the intense stimulation, a result from all the adrenaline pumping in from what he had been going through. In contrast to the cold on his skin, his body felt heated inside. Even his ability to react had been numbed.
The woman was about 30 cm from him. Her dishevelled hair hung loose, revealing a pale face. Her lips, however, were blood-red, reminding one of a lifeless thing.
"Ah!"
His head all muddled up, he could do nothing but scream. Without knowing it, he was waving both hands around, as if trying to chase this thing in front of him away. But when his hands reached out, they caught nothing but empty air. The woman had disappeared.
"Hiss!"
At that moment, the green snake on Li Dong's arm also plunged into the brushwood in a whoosh and was nowhere to be found.
"..."
Icy breeze blew over them as they looked around blank-faced. Standing there in the woods, the three felt as if they had been in an illusion.
After quite a long while, Zhang Qianqiu was the first to come to himself. He said in a quivering voice, "Time to leave. Stop staring! Let's go!"
"Yes, quickly!"
Still feeling the chills along his spine, Yan Han grabbed Li Dong and starting moving out.
"Huff… huff… we, we've probably stumbled into the gate of hell!"
Already exhausted, Li Dong was panting even more heavily. His limbs had gone incredibly stiff from all the tension and he had to force his blood vessels and muscles to work as he stumbled his way out.
They had walked in looking like cats that ate the canary, but were now throwing away everything as they fled. Their backpacks were half zipped and the contents were spilling out all over the place.
"Ha… ha…"
They had been running forever when they finally saw the wire fence ahead. Once through, they would be safe again. However, instead of rejoicing, the three halted abruptly in unison.
Hanging down from the two-meter-tall wire fence was a person, who just happened to block the opening they made.
She wore a long piece of garment resembling a sleeping gown and the lower hem covered her all the way down to her ankles. The robe seemed weightless. Like a white rag hanging up there, it swayed in the wind.
It was none other than that woman from earlier!
"Krrrrrrr, krrrrrrrrrr…"
The woman was making an extremely irritating and odd laughter that reminded one of nails scratching against the blackboard. She was grinning broadly at the same time. Scarlet goopy liquid trickled down the corner of her mouth and dripped onto the clothes.
"Aaaaaaah!"
Yan Han completely lost it. Losing his head, he turned around and darted, too panicked to choose the way he was going.
Li Dong was cowardly and could not decide for himself. Zhang Qianqiu might have his doubts, but there wasn't time for him to think and he turned to run all the same.
"Krrrrrrrrrr… krrrrrrrrrrrr"
"Roar…"
The three ran for their lives, chased by the sinister wind. That thing was at their heels and would make a half-human, half-beast growl every now and then.
Li Dong was the heaviest and was soon falling behind. He felt a chilliness and a cold hand had snatched the back of his neck. Terrified, he shouted, "Qianqiu, help me! Hel—"
The words had barely left the tip of his tongue when something tightened around his throat and he could not make a sound after that.
Immediately after that, he was spun around and the ghostly thing opened her mouth, puffed out a mouthful of white steam, then inhaled again, sucking the steam back in.
He felt the world had gone dark and thumped down to the ground, passing out.
"Dong Zi!"
Zhang Qianqiu's sight was blocked and the first thought came to his mind was that Li Dong had been sucked dry of his Yang energy. He was the one bringing Li Dong here, but instead of taking care of the latter, he had had him killed.
He was overwhelmed with remorse and anger in that instant. Together, the two emotions had fought over his fear.
He stopped abruptly and took out an outdoor dagger from around his waist, yelling, "Old Yan, you go first!"
Yan Han was petrified and yelled back frantically, "Are you trying to get yourself f**king killed?!"
"Just go!"
Zhang Qianqiu had made up his mind. Dagger in hand, he turned to face the ghostly thing, all shaky. "Bring it on!"
"Qianqiu…"
Seeing this, Yan Han bit his lips bloody. He no longer knew what to think, but could only lower his head and went on running.
"Come here, come!"
Zhang Qianqiu emboldened himself repeatedly and before his courage wore off, he let out a sudden cry and dashed at the thing with all his strength.
"..."
As if it was flitting over the tip of the grass, the ghostly thing landed noiselessly in front of him, those bottomless black pupils staring at the young man, revealing no emotion at all.
When he dashed near, the ghostly thing waved casually.
Thump!
Zhang Qianqiu fainted as well.
"Huff… ha…"
Yan Han was running alone through the woods. Cold air flooded into his lungs, stinging the warm organs inside. He felt as if his heart and lungs were being scraped with a sand paper. The pain was unbearable.
His legs were growing sorer and his strength was almost wearing out, but he dared not slow down.
He was still running when a small river appeared in front of him. It was wide-ish and he could not tell how deep it was. The cold, clear water rippled in the chilly air.
Jesus Christ!
Yan Han was so frustrated that he wailed—he could not swim!
For two seconds back there, he actually considered closing his eyes and bracing death. On a second thought, however, his strong will to live forced him to stand up straight and make his last fight.
Turning around, he faced the ghostly thing as Zhang Qianqiu did earlier.
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
Yelling recklessly, he charged at the thing in near madness, both hands brandishing in the air.
"Bang!"
The end he met was even more miserable. The fellow was kicked high into the air right away and after making a perfect hyperbola across the river, he crash-landed on the other bank.
'I'm doomed!'
Yan Han closed his eyes, as if ready to see himself smashed into pieces. As it turned out, he was not even scratched from the landing. The thing was not as strong as he expected and he had the thick growth of grass as a buffer. All he felt was the soreness all over his body.
He had little time to think. Rolling back to his feet, he sprinted towards the east hastily.
His move surprised the ghostly thing, who started cursing loudly. "Damn it, not that way!"
***
The training field.
Snow had fallen over the green pine trees, covering everything with a silver whiteness.
Xiaozhai sat on the loose snow. A thin layer of frost had long formed on the tip of her hair and both shoulders. There was no steam coming out of her nose and it almost seemed she had stopped breathing.
She had been cultivating with Thunder Technique since last spring and by this winter, she had practiced for an entire 18 months. The sign of a breakthrough had finally come. It was only the Metal Thunder this time and she still had four more to learn—the Wood, Fire, Water, and Earth ones.
"Woo…"
"Rustle!"
The mountain breeze blew, shaking the white snow off the branches and splashing it high into the air.
Xiaozhai heard none of that and remained motionless. Her mind was focused on herself alone as she activated the "Shenxiao's Tinkling Jade Book of Great Thunder". Looking inward, she saw a streak of white energy of Metal Thunder generated from the Lung Palace, moved along her meridians, and eventually gathered in Huang Ting, where it was faintly attempting to come out.
Huang Ting, or Niwan Palace, was the spot between two brows.
Extremely well endowed and with a sound foundation, reaching the current state was only a natural progress.
She had been sitting there for two days and when the white steam gathered again, the Thunder energy finally stirred in her Huang Ting, as if it was trying to break loose and become one with nature itself.
All of a sudden, she was washed over by an unprecedented sensation.
Xiaozhai had lost count of time when something jolted in her mind and certain chain was broken inside her. A streak of white energy flew out from her Huang Ting and shot towards the western sky.
Meanwhile, a great stream of vital essence approached from the western sky, which commingled and eventually fused into one with the white steam, nourishing her body in return.
Lung was the western spirit of Metal. With the spirit contained by the lung, when one reached the passionless state, the spirit was steadied.
From then on, the energy of Metal Thunder would unify with one's mental force and take root in one's body. Be it walking, standing, sitting or lying down, the energy would circulate ceaselessly. Activating it with one's vital energy and the harmony with nature was achieved!
"Ha…"
Xiaozhai slowly opened her eyes. Despite the peaceful look, hidden deep down was a hint of aggressiveness.
"Thunder, come!"
With a wave, a streak of golden purple lightning materialized from her palm and shot out with the most formidable force.
"Boom!"
The streak as thick as a small wine glass exploded on the snow-covered ground twenty meters away. The sky darkened and all branches rustled, as if a small earthquake had just taken place.
"Ah!"
With the violent shaking came an odd cry of pain.
Seconds later, snow splashed down, revealing a large deep pit, out from which rolled a man. Apparently, the man was extremely lucky. Crawling out covered in dirt, he kneeled down right away.
"Fairy maiden!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-28.png){kind=small}
Chapter 228: Serendipity
Source: Qidian International
Youngsters were always easily taken by their rosy, bubbly, fluffy fantasies.
They came in all shapes and sizes, but in most of the cases, such a fantasy involved cliches such as surviving a major disaster before running into some fair maiden—or obtaining some magical ability, if maidens were not available.
The owner of such fantasies usually shared the same name: the male protagonist.
Chased by the ghostly thing, Yan Han had run his guts out before he arrived at this spot. The moment he laid eyes on Xiaozhai, he was overwhelmed by this feeling that he was infused by the souls of all the heroes there were of all known fictions.
'Awesome! Don't speak a word, I know my part! Damn it, I'm freaking amazing!'
Unfortunately, such feeling only lasted for two mere seconds before he started shaking, too afraid to even looking up. He had seen her eyes. The cold, solemn killing look in them were apparent and undisguised.
"Rustle!"
"Sister!"
Right then, Xiaojin caught up with them in a hurry and was also terrified by the scene. Xiaozhai ignored Yan Han and only asked her sister, "What's all this?"
"Someone broke in. This one got here before I noticed."
"Before you noticed?"
Xiaozhai knew her only too well. The girl must have been having so much fun that she became careless. She then asked, "How many were there?"
"Three."
"Where are the other two?"
"Passed out over there in the front area."
"Take them to the cottage."
"Oh…"
Xiaojin dared not utter an extra word and went back carrying Yan Han in her hand. After knocking Zhang Qianqiu and Li Dong awake, she removed the makeup, washed her face, and changed her clothes before returning to the Cottage of Pure Mind in dejection.
***
It was silent, embarrassingly silent.
The three fellows crouched in a line along the wall, as quiet as scared chickens.
Xiaozhai sat opposite them, not uttering a single word. She was in fact adjusting her spiritual essence that'd almost gone chaotic because of the incident earlier. The girl stood beside her, alternating between darting her sister a look and grimacing at the three—she was a fierce kitty all right.
After a while, Zhang Qianqiu pursed his lips and could not hold back any more. "Honorable Immortal, we've told you everything we can tell. It was our fault to break into the mountain, but these two were encouraged by me, so I'm the only one to be punished should there be any punishment."
"Why, you're a rather responsible man." Blinking, Xiaojin deliberately intimidated them. "Too bad you're too naive. You've discovered the secret of this mountain, do you think you can still leave here alive?"
"Honorable Immortals, have, have mercy!" Yan Han broke down at the words and begged for his life. Li Dong, on the other hand, remained motionless as he crumpled up on the ground, as if he had been scared stiff.
"Aren't you, aren't you afraid of the government's punishment for killing innocent people?" Zhang Qianqiu was no less scared, but he would not let it show. Instead, he opened his eyes widely and shouted out a question.
'Hm?'
Xiaozhai was somewhat surprised. "You can wait here and see if you want. I'll kill them first and leave you here on the mountain. They can come, if they've got the balls."
"You!"
Zhang Qianqiu's heart lurched, but he dared not retort. As little as he knew about the cultivation world, from Yan Han's description along, he knew that streak of golden purple divine thunder could not be summoned by just anybody.
How helpless they must've felt!
They had just come out of the novice village... scratch that, they had not yet left the novice village when they stumbled into this hell mode dungeon. The result: annihilation.
"Ok, here are the two choices for you," Xiaozhai cut to the chase, "One is to stay here and work for us. Take care of fruit trees, tea trees, and the crops. The other option is to work for us outside. Be our eyes of the outside world. Of course, to make sure you do not spill the secret, we'll plant some sort of inhibitor on you."
"..."
The three exchanged a look, all bearing different thoughts. Yan Han was genuinely frightened and said hastily, "I, I'm going out!"
"Ok." Xiaozhai nodded.
Zhang Qianqiu gave it a moment before he gritted his teeth and said, "I'm staying!"
"That'll do as well."
Xiaozhai turned to Li Dong. "And you?"
"I, I want to stay here, too," stuttered Li Dong.
What? That answer was completely out of Zhang Qianqiu's expectation. Yan Han was the one ranting about searching for immortals and the Great Dao all the time, but flinched when things got real. Li Dong had always been resistant about the idea, but was determined at the critical time… one had to admit, human nature was a wonderful thing.
Presently, Xiaozhai flipped out three streaks of thunder energy, injectin into their bodies. "It will break out in a month's time. Come to me then and the symptoms will be automatically eased. You can stay overnight in the back mountain tonight. Now go."
After the three had left, she asked again, "What do you think of the three?"
"Li Dong is quite perceptive. He is not much fun, but is rather decisive. Zhang Qianqiu has a tough mind, and is very responsible. Yan Han, well, he's not all that good at all!" Xiaojin's analysis was pretty objective.
"We are still short of real trusted helpers. We'll see about them for the time being." Xiaozhai was noncommittal. She only waved at the girl. "Come here!"
"Sis…"
Xiaojin's face puckered up right away. It seemed she could not avoid the punishment after all. She had not choice but to dawdle near.
***
Qingning Province.
The vast land of the province was sparsely populated. Less than six million people lived in this land of over 700,000 km^2. Such regions were usually endowed with plenty of original scenic spots and the most renowned one in Qingning was the holy lake of Tso Ngonpo 1 .
The road going around Tso Ngonpo was probably the most cycling-friendly road in the country. Throughout the year, people arrived here to relive their adolescent experience. The entire road was around 360 km in length and would take one about four days to finish an entire round. The tall mountains, the pastures, the thousands of mu of cole flowers, and the countless plump cows and sheeps—the view was heavenly.
The winter scene was less colourful, but with all the magnificence gone, the stillness of the land had different kind of beauty.
"Ha… ha…"
Lifting her bottom slightly off the saddle, Wu Yang swayed this way and that rhythmically as she pedalled on. The movement appeared rather professional.
The girl was from south of the Yangtze River. With her last relationship ended, she took a long leave and came traveling alone as a distraction. She had set out from Black Horse River and the first section of the road was 70 km long, which would take her to a famous spot called Bird Island.
This section of the road was said to be the most beautiful. However, she was in no mood to savor the view and was only pedalling fiercely, as if trying to give vent to something.
She had little idea how far she had gone before there came a clank and her wheels stuck. At such a high speed, the sudden stop threw her off balance and she crashed down together with the bike.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Wu Yang did not stand up right away. Instead, she let her emotions run wild as she banged her fist on the bike and shouted. It was quite some time before she calmed down. Only then did she notice that one of the parts was broken and she could not ride on.
Luckily, this section of the road was quite frequently traveled. Lifting the bike up, she stood it by the side of the road, then held up her thumb.
Cycling was quite a popular sports in the country nowadays, so nobody thought her action odd. About twenty minutes into the waiting, a jeep stopped and a fellow stuck out his head. "Where to?"
"The next town. I need to have my bike fixed."
"Hop on."
"Thank you."
Tying the bike on the roof of the jeep, Wu Yang sat down on the passenger seat. She only noticed then that there was another man on the back seat, who had deep-set eyes and a prominent nose, both features suggesting a man of certain ethnic group.
The man sized her up. There was a hint of strange satisfaction in his eyes.
Hm?
Wu Yang realized something was wrong. She was about to find an excuse to get off when the driver leaned over all of a sudden, pressing something hard against her nose and mouth.
"Mhm… mhm…"
The girl struggled with all her strength, but that was to no avail. She was soon unconscious.
When she woke up again, she discovered that she was lying in a sizeable stone chamber. The light was dim and the atmosphere was eerie. A few black-robed men with their faces masked stood by her and in the front was a natural stone-surrounded pond.
Something seemed to be boiling inside, which was giving off a dim, greenish glow.
With her hands and feet bound and her mouth gagged, she was completely defenseless. She could only watch as a bald man walked in, chanted some gibberish spell, then waved his hand.
The black-robed men lifted Wu Yang up and threw her in.
***
"Vroom!"
With a loud noise of the air flow, a plane landed at the airport of the city of Xiping, the provincial capital of Qingning. With the destruction of Huo Zhou, the previous traffic hub also lay wasted. All traffic had to enter the region from nearby cities.
Gu Yu swiftly got off the plane with Long Qiu.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-29.png){kind=small}
Chapter 229: Ghostly Men
Source: Qidian International
"That was the fifth one!"
Inside the police station of Xihai Zhou, a police officer banged his fist hard against the desk, his voice filled with sadness and anger. "Five missing in two months, all clueless and without a trace! We never had enough men to begin with and those above are stalling instead of sending us reinforcements. What are they thinking?"
"Don't worry. Hasn't our director sent out the report? You know, there're a lot of procedures to go through and it takes time," consoled a colleague sitting opposite him.
"Time, it's all about the time! We can wait all we want, what about the victims?"
The police officer only got angrier at those words and began yelling while smacking the desk. Just then, the door of their office was pushed open and a junior officer walked in. "Captain Zhao, we found something."
"Bring it in!" He bolted to his feet.
"So, we began by making inquiries among Wu Yang's family and friends first and obtained the model and color of her bike, then pulled all surveillance camera footages of the lakeside road. We found this."
The junior officer handed him a few colored photos. Captain Zhao gave it a glance and realized he was looking at the rear of a jeep.
The trunk seemed to have something large in it and had not been properly locked. There was a gap, through which, one could barely make out something that resembled a yellow wheel.
"..."
Frowning, Captain Zhao pondered. "Are you sure that's her bike?"
"It's a limited edition, only a handful were sold. The yellow wheels were its signature. I've also ran the license plate of that jeep. It belongs to a trading company in the city. I think we should look into it," replied the junior officer.
"Good. We're moving out!" He made the decision on the spot and told his colleague, "Old Tong, see you around."
"Sure. Be careful."
The colleague waved back. As soon as the others had left, however, Old Tong's expression changed abruptly. He grabbed his phone and dialed a number. "Hello? Director, someone is heading there."
***
"Beep! Beep!"
The electronic gate clanked open and a police car entered the factory courtyard. The factory was located in the remote development zone with few inhabitants around.
Three men got off the car. They were none other than Captain Zhao and his two officers.
A female staff ran out to greet them, seemingly a little rattled. "Dear officers, you are…"
"We're just here to make some inquiries. There's no need to be afraid."
Captain Zhao looked around and asked, "Who's in charge here?"
"Our, our manager is inside. Please come this way."
With that, she led the three in. Instead of climbing up stairs, she took a turn and started descending.
"Your office is underground?" One of the officers found it strange.
"Oh, we're revamping the rooms upstairs at the moment and all offices are moved to the first floor underground," explained the woman.
Captain Zhao strained his ears and listened. A rumbling sound was indeed coming from above. He did not think much of it and followed her down.
Beneath, they found a spacious lobby decorated in a vintage style. There were pillars in four corners of the room and a domed ceiling in the middle, all carved with peculiar patterns. They went through a corridor and the ceiling got lower and lower. With the "tack, tack, tack" of the woman's high-heels, even the light seemed dimmer here.
Soon, they reached a gate. The woman said, "The offices are inside and the manager's room is the second on your left."
"Ok, thanks."
"You're welcome… teehee!"
The woman held the door open and watched them go in. The fluster from earlier was suddenly wiped off her face and, for some unknown reason, replaced by a strange smile.
"Bang!"
Captain Zhao sensed something was not right the moment that door was shut. He immediately drew out his pistol and pushed at the closed door.
"F**k!"
He gave it a few shoves and realized it had been locked from outside.
Frightened and enraged, the three thumped on the door with all their strength, but the door would not budge. They had no choice but to fumble their way forward, gun in hand.
The corridor went on inside, flanked by stone walls on either side. After the corridor, the view changed abruptly and they found themselves in front of a massive cave.
It was half-natural and half-artificial. Pit holes joined with one another, forming numerous passages. Lamps embedded in the walls were giving off a pale color, making the scene all the more gloomy.
"Be careful!"
Pursing his lips, Captain Zhao led the way and the two junior officers guarded on either side. Their nerves were on edge.
The cave seemed to be deserted. They walked for a while and found nothing. When they were about to reach the other end, they suddenly noticed a deep, dark hole, from where a rustling noise was coming out.
"Huff… huff…"
The noise was rather unusual, which reminded one of an animal's breathing, one that was puffing and blowing heavily.
"Who's there? Come out!" Captain Zhao raised his gun in a swish and shouted, "We're the police. You have three seconds before we start shooting! One, two—"
"Roar!"
Before he could finish counting, there came a growl that he could not tell if it was from a human or a beast.
Immediately after that, he saw the flash of a shadow. He did not even feel the pain when he suddenly realized he was flying very high. Looking down, he saw a headless body.
"Thud!"
His head dropped to the ground and rolled far into the distance. The wide opened eyes still had utter horror and disbelief in them.
"Zap!"
"Zap! Zap!"
The two junior officers were quick to react. They had no time to mourn for their dead captain and pulled the triggers right away.
Momentarily, bullets were flying in all directions, blasting off crumbled stone everywhere. A few bullets hit their target; green blood oozed out of its wounds.
It squealed and howled in pain and plunged down frantically. With a few strikes, the two men were torn into pieces.
The team of three was annihilated in a mere five seconds!
"Dang!"
The two fresh bodies had barely hit the ground when a knocking sound came from deep inside the cave, which sounded like a bell or chime stone. The monster froze and the ferocious look on its face eased. It stood motionless.
It was only then that one get to see what the thing looked like. It was slender, with well-toned muscles and greenish gray skin. The facial features were intact, still looking the pretty face a young woman she once was, only that the face was covered with black spell patterns.
The eyes were the most remarkable, for a hint of consciousness could still be detected from them, as if it was struggling to fight back some evil power. The effort was making the face painfully terrifying.
"All that divine fluid was worth it. This is a good one."
Just then, a few more people walked out of the cave; the man leading them was none other than that baldy from earlier. He was holding a small chime stone made from an entire bone plate and gave it another knock.
"Dang!"
Baring its teeth, the monster walked to his side despite its reluctance and stood there obediently. The baldy was more satisfied than ever. He lifted its chin and looked at it for long, as if he was savoring a perfect piece of art.
"This ghostly woman plus those fostered in other branches will give us exactly a dozen of them. All we need to do now is go into the mountain, find the altar, and get control over that thing. We are going to restore the glory of my ancestors!"
Stroking the ghostly woman's face, the blood-red pupils of the baldy had an undisguised madness in them.
"Master, the abnormality in Huo Zhou is still active. We shouldn't venture recklessly into the mountain when we've yet to reach the innate state!" One of the men tried to persuade him.
"Hm?"
The baldy gave him a sideway look and did not sound pleased. "The Archmage has completed the occult skill of the ancestors. Using it on ourselves, the erosion of the abnormality will be fended off. Or are you a coward that wants to deserts the ranks on the eve of a battle?"
The man jolted and said hastily, "I could never bring myself to do such a thing. I was only worried that we can't find the altar and it would be a waste of our energy."
"Humph! The government is quite active lately and we're running out of time. We must find that place, even if it means we have to turn Flaming Mountain upside down!"
***
" Steamed Niangpi 1 ! Steamed Niangpi!"
"Pot-steamed buns! Just out of the stove!"
"Sweet fermented wine, five yuan a portion!"
The street of local food was filled with rows upon rows of food stalls. People were coming and going in crowds, most of them foreign to the city, for the locals never ate here. Such was one of those legendary streets that "one could find in almost every city, which specializes in swindling the non-locals".
With a steamed bun in one hand and a bowl of the sweet fermented wine in another, Long Qiu was strolling this way and that, looking at everything with great interest.
Poor kid. Even a train ride exhilarated her. She couldn't help it—what life could a dudou 2 -wearing girl have before she left the mountains?
Gu Yu walked behind her, holding a portion of Niangpi as a satisfied smile filled his eyes.
Their original plan was to transfer to another flight towards Xihai immediately after they arrived at Xiping, Xihai being an autonomous prefecture of Qingning Province abutting Huo Zhou.
However, Long Qiu's excitement and curiosity made him feel it cruel to take her away, so he changed the plan on the spur of the moment and decided to stay for two days in Xiping.
"Brother, let's have dinner there, shall we?"
While they were still walking around, Xiao Qiu made a sudden suggestion while pointing at a restaurant. Naturally, he had no problem with that and sauntered in after her.
Gu Yu sat there and let the girl do all the ordering. With the profit of 20 million yuan a year from Phoenix Mountain, she had more than enough pocket money. She was not going to splurge, either. Holding the menu, she said, "I'll have this, this, and this. That'll be all."
"How about some lamb or beef? We also have this traditional hot pot. It's a local special and not expensive at all."
"No, thanks. We don't really eat meat."
"Then please wait a moment. The food will be ready soon."
Our adorable Long Qiu soon won the heart of the waiter, who couldn't be kind enough towards her. Before long, the dishes were served: a dish of gengpi 3 , zanba 4 , bean jelly, and pancakes respectively.
Gu Yu gave each dish a few bites and decided to stick to the pancakes. He praised, "The dough of this pancake was well kneaded and the oil was applied properly. I think they've used vegetable oil. Smear the oil all over the pancake for every separate layer of the pancake baked, or it won't taste this good. Hey, what's this dish called?"
"Dog's pee."
"What?"
"Dog's pee. It says so on the menu," answered Long Qiu, still chewing her gengpi.
"..."
Gu Yu put down his chopsticks in silence. He then tried a little bean jelly, but his appetite was gone. He heaved a sudden sigh. "Xiao Qiu, steer clear of Xiaojin from now on. She's a bad influence on you."
"How so?" She blinked at him.
"That dish you ordered?"
"What about it? The name's not pretty, but it tastes good."
"Then why aren't you eating?"
"I don't like pancakes."
"..."
Gu Yu could not be bothered to banter with her and was brooding over his bleeding heart on his own—she used to be such a good kid. Six months with that little soap and what had become of her? If he let it happen, eventually she would become one of those black-hearted little devils!
Long Qiu eyed him. She suddenly put down her chopsticks and covered her mouth with a tissue paper. Her shoulders were quivering slightly.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Ok. Stop now."
"Hey, what are you so happy for?"
Gu Yu was utterly baffled. The girl would not answer no matter what and kept on giggling.
It was quite a while before she finally looked up, her fair little face all flushed as if she had put on some blusher. "I'm happy, that's all. Yes, I'm very happy."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-30.png){kind=small}
Chapter 230: "Coolie"
Source: Qidian International
During the two days they stayed in Xiping, Long Qiu was for the entire time secretly filled with joy, which she kept completely to herself.
It was a feeling hard to describe. She was close to Gu Yu and Xiaozhai both, but there was a subtle difference between the two.
She would not refuse her sister's cuddles and other affectations, but was very appropriate towards her brother. Despite their familiarity, she treated him with courtesy—unlike that little soap. That girl would not hesitate to pounce at Gu Yu when she was going crazy. Long Qiu would never do such things.
Back then, when Long Qiu was lying on the cold stone floor of that shrine with an unruly Golden Silkworm inside and a bunch of ignorant and base clansmen outside, she wished she were dead.
Then, Gu Yu appeared like a god descending from heaven and saved her from the misery.
She had since hid her girlish gratitude and idolatry deep inside, never letting it show. During their trip this time, though, Long Qiu was finally a little more expressive in that aspect and much more lively when she spoke.
She had yet to figure out what this feeling was. All she knew was that so far, it was rather a steady one, for she had not thought about using the Undead Insect of Love.
Of the thousands types of undead insects out there, the Undead Insect of Love was the most special one.
It came naturally in pairs and was extremely rare. This undead insect could defy any kind of barrier or protection and worked by being planted directly into the other half's mind. From then one, the couple would live and die as one. Betrayal of any kind was forbidden and there was no way to remove the undead insect by force.
In that aspect alone, one could say that the Undead Insect of Love was invincible.
***
After touring Xiping for two days, they travelled to Xihai by train. Xihai was an autonomous prefecture with a few cities and counties under its jurisdiction. The capital of the prefecture was Delhi.
It was hard to picture a county-level city that only had a population of 100,000.
Long Qiu walked out of the train station and almost thought they had entered some adult animation world. Looking into the distance, she saw neat streets and modern buildings, only that they were all very clean—deserted-by-the-humankind sort of clean.
She stood there bewildered. A moment later, she could not help but ask, "Brother, where did you go to when you were here before?"
"Once to Longxi and another time to Bayan."
"Then why are we in Xihai this time?"
"Well, I haven't been here before. Thought I could check it out."
Gu Yu was secretly feeling guilty. Longxi and Bayan were densely populated areas and the transportation to Huo Zhou was convenient from both.
Xihai, on the other hand, was a wrong choice. One could not imagine how vast the place was and how far two towns could be apart in a single jurisdiction.
"Well, let's find a car rental place first."
Gu Yu concealed his guilty conscience and led the girl to a taxi. It was a long drive before they finally saw a place that seemed to be renting cars.
"I'll ask inside. You go buy us some water and food."
"Ok, I'll be over there."
Long Qiu pointed at a convenience store across the road and trotted away.
About ten minutes later, she walked out with two large bags and looked into the car rental agency. Her brother was still chatting with the owner, so she stood outside and waited.
Before long, there was a sudden screeching sound.
A flashy yellow SUV pulled over by the road and a head struck out. The owner was someone who wore sunglass in the winter. The guy flashed his white teeth. "Hi, gorgeous. Need a ride?"
"I'm waiting for someone." Long Qiu shook her head.
"Forget him. Isn't all the stuff in your hands heavy? Where are you going? I'll drive you there."
"No, thanks. I am really waiting for someone."
She refused repeatedly, but the brazen-faced fellow simply would not give up. Our girl frowned. "I don't like you. Go away, or I'll be angry."
"OMG, 'go away, or I'll angry'!"
The fellow put on a flamboyant expression and imitated Xiao Qiu in a feigned voice. Oh my, the performance was so "natural" and "real" that it looked nothing like those flashy bi*ches out there!
He simply got off the vehicle and chuckled. "That's OK, I can wait with you. Here, let me carry those for you."
With that, he stretched out his hand.
Long Qiu was about to dodge, but was stumped for a moment after an unexpected glance. The man's sleeve had been stretched up, revealing his wrist. On it was a line of strange black pattern.
"..."
It looked rather familiar, reminding her of something her sister had shown her.
"Well, that's right. Pretty girls are served by others, not to— ah!"
Seeing that she did not move, the fellow thought she was being shy and thought he could push his luck further. He reached out to hold her by the shoulder. Before his hand reached her, a pain ran through his arm.
"Hey, let me go! Let go of me!"
Facing down, he was now in a half-crouching position with an arm pinned on his back. He looked like a fried dough twist. 1 A little push from Long Qiu and half of his joints would be dislocated in a few crunching sounds.
"Let go of me you motherf**ker. Do you know who I am? Ah, that hurts! Hurts!"
"I actually do want to know. Shut up!"
The 174-cm girl raised the 180-or-so-cm guy up like carrying a bag of takeaways. She shoved him inside the vehicle with a clank and jabbed him on the throat.
"..."
The fellow opened his mouth and could not utter a sound. He was petrified.
"Xiao Qiu, what's going on?" Gu Yu heard the commotion and ran out to check. "Who's this?"
"He's got this on his hand." Long Qiu rolled up his sleeve.
"Oh, good job. Just give me one more moment. I'm not done over there."
Our fellow returned inside after those words, apparently not concerned with this situation at all. A quarter of an hour later, however, he came out looking dejected. "The cars here won't do. They'd be in pieces before we each reach our destination."
Shaking his head, Gu Yu hopped onto the SUV, shut the door, and started his private interrogation.
"Name?"
"The Thirteenth Young Master Yang."
"Clap!"
Gu Yu gave the back of his head a smack. "Real name!"
"Yang, Yang Di."
"Your job?"
"Don't have one."
"Hm?"
Gu Yu made the gesture to smack him again and the fellow said hastily, "Bro, Bro, I really don't have a job. I'm a second generation rich kid!"
"Teehee!"
Xiao Qiu chuckled at his words. The smile sent blush up her cheeks and her fair complexion reminded one of a lovely peach. Apparently, the fellow was not the brightest man out there and had forgotten what was going on instantly. He gaped at Xiao Qiu in admiration.
"Clap!"
Gu Yu gave him another smack. "How did you get this tattoo?"
"A friend got me this. There was this really awesome club he talked about. I said I wanted in and he said I had to be reviewed first, so he got me this tattoo."
"What club?"
"Dunno."
"Hm?"
"Man, I really don't. I'm not even qualified as a foot soldier!"
"What about your friend?"
"He, he's not in Xihai, I think. Gone to Mobei, probably."
"Mobei?"
Gu Yu pondered for a minute or two. Shamanism was also widely practised in Mobei, so it would make sense. This fellow was probably telling the truth as well. No group in the right mind would recruit someone with his physique and intelligence.
Seeing that Gu Yu had gone silent, Yang Di quivered with fear. "Bro, please let me go. I don't do drugs and I don't sleep around. All I ever did was flirting with girls. I'm not even bold enough to do anything if they don't want to. I'm from an upstart family, that's all. I'm not worth kidnapping. Please let me go!"
"Haha…"
Gu Yu also chuckled. "Not yet. It's a nice car you've got here. I'll have to borrow it for a few days."
"What? Then how am I, how…"
"I'm afraid you'd have to come with us."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-31.png){kind=small}
Chapter 231: Mr. Gu
Source: Qidian International
A sunny, cloudless day.
A flashy yellow SUV was driving along a perfectly straight road that seemed to stretch on forever. Setting off against the wildness on either side, the yellow felt like the only bright color of this world.
"Vroom!"
Pressing the accelerator hard, Yang Di pushed all the way to 140 km/h. The vehicle performed beautifully. It ran steadily on without the slightest wobble. The driver himself was not as remarkable, though. Even at this speed, his mind had gone somewhere else. Every now and then, he would glance sideways, or dart a look at the adorable girl in the rearview mirror.
Gu Yu could not be bothered with it, but Long Qiu found it irksome. When he stole a look for the eighth time, she could not hold back any more. "Why are you always looking at me?"
"Because you're good-looking… ah, my big mouth. I'm such a big mouth! I'm gonna slap it!"
Old habits die hard. He was hitting on the girl again, but instantly realized where he was at the girl's frown and slapped himself loudly. The fellow was so brazen-faced that he did not know what shame was. He then turned to Gu Yu as if nothing had happened. "Well, Bro, who on earth are you people?"
"An exploration team, sort of," replied Gu Yu.
"You're making fun of me again. What exploration team can fight men ten times their number?" Yang Di paused a little, then lowered his voice and said secretively, "I have guessed it even if you don't want to tell me. You're the gifted, aren't you?"
'Hm?'
Gu Yu blinked. "Where did you get that conclusion from?"
"Tsk, everyone's talking about it, just not openly! I have a friend who has some military connections. He told me that the Huo Zhou migration was never because of some construction of a base. There was some radiation substance and energy generation stuff—nothing I can understand. Anyway, the state has sent in a bunch of gifted people to solve it. Hoho, from the look of it, you people are definitely two of those. But I don't think you belong to any authorities. You're probably some masters among the common folk."
"..."
Gu Yu did not expect to hear that. He asked in surprise, "If there really are gifted people around, why aren't you surprised at all?"
"Why should I? I've always believed superpowers exist, only that no one has made it public." Yang Di was much relaxed now and chuckled. "Just think about it. There are tens of billions of people on this planet and if not even one of them is special, how boring would this world be? Probably because of the changing environment, new problems have come up and our country has decided to keep it hidden for the time being, but they would eventually be out in the open. So, I have to grab this chance and not fall behind. It's the same with that club, aren't we all trying to search for a way out?"
Oh my!
That had indeed left a better impression on Gu Yu. The man was a little dumb, but had a better understanding in that aspect than most men.
Despite being a little rascally and unruly, the fellow was not a bad man, so Gu Yu offered a little warning. "That organization you are joining is no good. Get yourself out of it as soon as possible if you can. It's involved in things beyond your capability."
"Yes, yes, I completely agree with you."
Agreeing to Gu Yu he might, Yang Di was secretly not thinking much of the warning.
As he drove on, he looked up in passing and could not help but strain his neck to look into the distance. "Hey, what's that?"
Gu Yu and Long Qiu looked into that direction and saw a shadow diving down at a tremendous speed from the air, aiming directly at this flashy car.
With their incredible eyesight, the two immediately recognized what it was—a strange-looking big bird.
Within a few breaths' time, the big bird had reached their car. Flapping its wings ferociously and sticking out its sharp beak, it pecked hard at the windshield.
"WTF! What's that!"
Yang Di was as experienced a driver as one could get. Despite the fluster, he did not panic as he wrenched the steering wheel to the left. The tires made a jarring sound from scraping hard against the ground and the car barely missed the beak.
"Quack!"
The big bird made a strange sound and turned, its movements unbelievably nimble, and tried to fly past the vehicle at a close range.
Right then, the window of the passenger seat was rolled down and a big hand stuck out, which clenched around its neck.
"Quack…"
The big bird struggled violently, flapping its wings fiercely, but could not get rid of the hand. Immediately after that, it felt the grip tighten around its neck, followed by a wave of choking sensation. It kept still right away.
Tilting his head, Gu Yu looked closely at the bird.
It was over a meter tall and had very big wings, the span of which was as much as three meters once they were spread out. The bird was covered from head to toe in fiery red feathers that were dazzlingly bright. The only exception was its chest, which was a purplish black. Each foot had five sharp claws and the hooked talons looked like machetes. The long beak curved slightly at it tip.
He had not seen a big bird like this in Longxi or Bayan, but here they were…
"Are there any wetland or eco zones nearby?" he asked.
"Well, I think there was a natural reserve of birds," replied Yang Di after he recalled.
"That should be it." Gu Yu turned to the backseat and asked, "What do you think?"
"Golden Silkworm smelled blood. The bird eats meat." Long Qiu looked disgusted.
What else could Golden Silkworm refer to by "meat" apart from human flesh!
"..."
Gu Yu also found that gross. Clenching harder, the long, thin neck snapped with a crunching sound.
Immediately after that, he stretched out his left hand and a medium-sized gourd materialized in his palm. Activating his spiritual essence, the big bird's blood gushed out from where the neck had been broken off and poured into the opening of the gourd.
Seconds later, the bird was visibly drained and he tossed it backward causally. The dead bird somehow froze in midair, then disappeared without a trace—Golden Silkworm had consumed it.
"B-Bro…"
Yang Di's teeth had been quivering for a while. Overwhelmed by fear and excitement mixed together, his high-pitched voice cracked. "You, you are indeed the gifted!"
'Gifted my ass!'
Gu Yu gave the back of his head another smack and scolded, "Just drive!"
***
One of the board towns in Xihai was called Huagou 1 which sat right next to Huo Zhou.
The spreading out of Huo Zhou calamity had devoured quite a lot of land, forcing the neighbouring areas to reset their territories. Bayan, whose area had shrunk by as many as 2000 km^2, was the most unfortunate one.
Huagou Town was one of the luckier ones. All it lost were some wildland and pastures; no residential area was affected.
The small town had a population of 30,000. Some were frightened and had long moved away, while the others did not think much of it and remained living comfortably as before. Because of the troops stationed nearby, the government simply decided to make the job easier for themselves and changed the small town into a half-military, half-civilian zone.
After hours of driving, Yang Di finally brought them into Huagou Town territory. A large warning sign stood by the side of the road, which read: "Sentry post ahead. Drive slowly. Prepare for inspection."
A quarter of an hour later, they saw the silhouette of the post, which did not turn out to be what they had expected.
"Flap!"
"Quack!"
A few bullets scraped past a big bird and only 'relieved' it of a few feathers. The big bird quacked, as if taunting its opponent, flapped its wings, and flew high up out of the firing range.
"Sarge, we're running low on ammo!"
Seeing that firing was to no avail, the machine gunner shouted at the top of his voice, worried and irritated at the same time.
"I know! I know! Do not respond to the taunting!" the sargeant yelled back.
"Where the hell did these bastards come from?"
Another soldier smacked his helmet onto the ground, but picked it back up in a hurry almost instantly. His left arm was bandaged—a piece of flesh was torn off during their earlier engaging the birds.
They were inside a sentry post. The two-storey post had a certain level of defensive ability and had just enough space for a squad to take shelter.
They were fighting against fifty to sixty strange birds that were extremely fast and remarkably clever—the birds knew how to cooperate with one another.
The soldiers killed a few in the beginning with heavy firepower, but the birds soon adopted their own tactics by constantly plunging and rising, depleting their ammunition with their agility.
The reinforcements had yet to come. Once the bullets ran out, the squad was doomed—they had seen with their own eyes of the hardness and strength of their talons.
"Flap!"
"Flap!"
The deadlock stretched out for a while longer and the flock of birds shrieked in excitement once their realized the firepower was weakening. A small group consisting of seven or eight strange birds could not wait any longer and plunged down.
"Zap! Zap! Zap!"
The gunshots became thick and fast abruptly, bullets shooting out of the loopholes in flashes, showering at the birds. A few were too late to dodge. Blood splashed in the air and the bodies dropped to the ground.
"Nice one!"
"Hahaha! They are nothing but feathered bastards. Who's your daddy now!"
"Steady, steady! Try to lure some more!"
The soldiers were going to repeat that strategy, but the heavy casualties had provoked the flock.
"Quack!"
Under the instruction of the largest strange bird, the rest of the forty or so birds flapped their wings and charged together. Instantly, the fiery red feathers all joined together, as if they had formed a flaming cloud that would burn their enemies into ashes.
"Quack! Quack!"
"Rustle!"
The flock scratched and scraped frantically at the roof of the post and the loopholes. Their sharp claws bit into the stone bricks, sending bits and pieces into the air. The entire post seemed to be shaking and ready to collapse.
Stranded inside, the soldiers felt the birds had taken up the entire sky. Strange croaks and squeaks filled their ears; it was like the end of the world.
"Sarge, what do we do?"
"We fight till the end!"
"Ah!"
The sergeant let out a sudden roar and dashed to the window, ignoring the possibility of getting hurt in the process. He shot three successive shots. Being the best shooter in his company, the action took out three birds instantly. The flock was discouraged by this turn of events.
Unfortunately, before this brief encouragement could take effect, the sergeant felt despair welling up inside him, for in the distant sky, another stretch of fiery red was flying near.
"They have backup!"
"What?"
"Sh*t, I'm going to die here today!"
"Don't give up just yet. Hang on a little longer and our troops are… no, it's not theirs. Look!"
The sergeant opened his eyes widely and pointed at the sky with a quivering hand. The squad looked up in unison. Bright red filled their sights as if the cloud was lifted, revealing a rising sun casting a thousand beams.
"Pop!"
That was no backup. A flaming dragon flew near and crashed into the leading big bird with an unparalleled ferocity.
"Quack! Quack!"
Its previous arrogance all gone, the big bird was petrified and tried to flee. The next second, it was nailed in midair and as if a match had been flipped into something soaked with concentrated gasoline, the bird turned into a flame with a whoosh beforing smashing hard onto the ground.
Right after that, the flaming dragon swirled and spiraled in the air, killing at will.
Screams filled the flock of birds. The red feathers fluttered as the defeated birds tried to flee, but were soon outran. They fell to the ground one after another like falling apples...
It was better than a dream.
A minute before, the soldiers thought they were going to die; a minute later, they were miraculously snatched from the jaws of death.
When everything quieted down, the sergeant gathered up his courage and stuck his head out of the window. Despite all the bloodshed he had seen before, what he saw made his stomach lurch. The ground within a radius of hundreds of meters around the sentry post was covered by burnt bird bodies.
The bodies had been barbecued into charcoal. Some had even been incinerated, leaving behind a pile of ash only.
"Hey, someone's coming!"
The machine gunner had sharp eyes. In the distance, a person got off a vehicle and was slowly moving towards them. Behind the person was a man and a woman.
'Hm?'
He thought the latter two looked familiar. After a closer look, he shouted, "Mr. Gu, that's Mr. Gu!"
"It really is him! What's he doing here?"
"Are you an idiot? He's obviously going to Huo Zhou!"
"Right, Huo Zhou! An old army friend of mine was boasting to me, saying Mr. Gu was in Longxi a while ago and walked past his post. Damn it! Hahaha!"
They were instantly cheered up and the atmosphere was filled with rejoice.
Most of these soldiers had taken classes and learned enough to know what was going on. Especially those important figures, they were more than familiar with the names by now.
It was actually remarkable. The attitude of the government towards Phoenix Mountain was a mixture of cooperation and precautions. The senior officials were divided into two sides. One side was led by that old man, who believed Phoenix Mountain to be benevolent and worth forming relationship with, and suggested to maintain the current stability. The other side was led by some other officials, who saw Phoenix Mountain as an ambitious wolf cub that would stir something up sooner or later.
However, among the middle and lower levels, especially the military men that had had direct interaction with Gu Yu, well, they liked him A LOT!
He was strong, mysterious, and lent a hand at several critical moments.
In the incidents of Tianzhu Mountain and Huo Zhou… had it not been for his exploration and deduction, which influenced the government's decision, how many good soldiers would they lose directly or indirectly?
The military men attached great importance to such things. They were no politicians. Despite their nature to obey orders, they had formed their own judgement.
Mr. Gu: thumbs up!
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-32.png){kind=small}
Chapter 232: Mutated Creatures
Source: Qidian International
The recovery of the spiritual essence followed a pattern: the density in the cities was lower than that in small towns, which in turn was lower than that in the mountains. According to Gu Yu's rough analysis, it should have something to do with the natural environment and the population density.
The fewer people around, the more natural the atmosphere and the denser the spiritual essence.
During his recent trips, he had been keeping an eye on the changes in the spiritual essence in various areas. From May the year before last when he ate the red fruit up until this November, he was almost certain that the entire country was now covered by the spiritual essence.
The direct impact of such a coverage was the mutation of living creatures, which, if expanded to an entire particular area, would become an abnormality.
Only a handful of residential sites were scattered around Qingning Province and the region was mostly vast, bleak wild lands, which was ideal for mutation to take place.
Almost as soon as Gu Yu rescued those soldiers, the reinforcements arrived. They regrouped and headed for Huagou Town right away.
The town had the strangest atmosphere—it was tense yet relaxed, busy yet casual. The soldiers mingled incongruously with the civilian.
Living around the frontline gave the folks access to certain information on a daily basis, which had inevitably enabled them to grasp some form of truth. Miraculously though, over ten thousand people still chose to stay behind.
Instead of the town government, Gu Yu went to the command post of the army.
Most of the troops stationed in Huo Zhou had been operating here ever since the migration phase. During their six-month rambling around the area, Gu Yu and Xiaozhai had had frequent contact with them. Actually, the army here had been delivering their water, rice, vegetables and alike when the two lived in the Grape Valley.
Hence, standpoint aside, both sides had left the other with good impression.
The officer in charge here was a senior colonel, who proposed to give the two a reception, which Gu Yu declined politely and only asked about the strange birds.
"Are you saying that there was one before this?"
"Yes, just a fortnight ago. There were three birds, which all scattered and fled. No damage was caused, so we didn't think much of it." The officer sighed. "But from the look of it, we will be on constant defense from now on."
"What's the natural reserve like? Can it be cleaned out?" Gu Yu asked.
"It's a vast wetland and impossible to clean out." The officer shook his head and went on, "Huagou Town is the only staging post left. Beyond this small town, it'll be nearly 500 km before one could reach the next city. Logistics are a nightmare here. All we can do is send for additional firepower, set up more anti-aircraft weapons, and garrison here for the long haul."
"..."
Gu Yu pondered for a moment and offered some information. "The birds are cannibals. They are very cunning and we cannot rule out the possibility of them attacking residential areas directly. Their meat is edible and contains a little amount of spiritual essence. Their feathers have some protection power and their blood is toxic and has an extremely strong smell."
'Hm?'
The officer was taken by surprise. "Mr. Gu, what are you…"
"I think we should set up an information-sharing platform. Strange creatures are only increasing and it'll benefit all of us to draw up the entries soon."
The officer was a very sensible man and replied right away, "Of course. I'll send the report as soon as possible!"
The so-called entries were another name for a database.
Take the strange bird as an example. Its name, behavior, physical characteristics, usage and value, capture mechanism, level of hazard, etc., all needed filling in.
As vast as the country was, it would be unrealistic to leave the task entirely to governmental personnel or Gu Yu. The only plausible way was to make the people the driving force and let them provide the information, which would be standardized, arranged, recorded, and finally made into an encyclopedia on mutated creatures.
Of course, the specific methods would be left for the authorities' decision.
***
The three stayed overnight in Huagou Town. Gu Yu and Xiao Qiu set out the next day, whereas the fellow Yang Di, who had fallen head over heels with admiration for the two, volunteered to stay behind and wait for them in the town.
Speaking of which, Gu Yu's first trip here was to investigate the abnormality and he travelled here twice more to fetch the fire spiritual essence, which made this trip the fourth time he was in Huo Zhou.
He could bypass the military camp and sneak in, but that would be unnecessary. He would rather do things openly. After all, the government also needed information on the situation inside.
"Mr. Gu, this is as far as we can drive you."
Huo Zhou border, 30 km into the interior, a jeep stopped at a warning line. The soldier at the wheel found it a pity, for he, too, wanted to see the world inside. Unfortunately, his body could not afford that.
"Hm, thanks."
"Do you need me to stay here and wait for you?" the soldier asked.
"No, that's ok. I'm not sure when I'll be back."
"All right. Please be careful."
It was only after the soldier left when Long Qiu started hopping around, her voice filled with amazement. "Wow, so this is what Huo Zhou looks like. It is indeed miraculous!
"Is this the dead sand? It's whiter than I imagined.
"Why, there's a gray tree over there. It must have been flourishing when it was alive. Such a pity."
As if out on a picnic, she looked this way and that, as happy as a 174-cm little girl. Fiery fog filled the air all around her, which drifted slowly.
The air above was also foggy, as if the sky was no longer there. Looking down, they saw nothing but white dead sand, rustic debris and powder, as well as gray, shrivelled plants.
It almost felt as if those were the only four colors existing in this world.
It was no wonder that only those that had experienced that catastrophe were able to perceive the shock of seeing life draining away and the fear of watching the world collapse.
"..."
Gu Yu's feeling was slightly different. The fire spiritual essence had become steadier here and a stable natural environment had already taken shape.
Don't despise it. An abominable environment was as much an environment as a beautiful one. It destroyed things, but gave birth to other things all the same. As long as the energy and substance reached an equilibrium, life was bound to return.
Such was what was happening here. The two had walked only a short distance before they discovered a cluster of dark brown bushes.
The plant was about 5 cm tall, had seven striped leaves, and grew in a tight little heap. They looked weak but determined as they hung on toughly.
"That's unbelievable. New life already."
He crouched down, picked a few, and put into his gourd.
They then walked on. No more than 10 km later, a twisted short tree suddenly came into their sight. Under the tree was a hole, from where a rat with red skin and black tail was just coming out, its long whiskers shivering in the air. However, seeing Gu Yu and Xiao Qiu, it hurried back in.
"..."
Gu Yu and Xiao Qiu exchanged a look and tacitly fell back for a few steps, where they watched in silence.
A while later, the rat reappeared. It scurried off to a small mound nearby, shoved out a small red stone, and stuffed it into its mouth.
"Oh my, is it eating stones?"
Xiao Qiu blinked, finding that amazing. Gu Yu said, "It's not the stone it's after, but the fire spiritual essence inside."
As predicted, the rat chewed, then spit out a lump like a muddy ball. The fire spiritual essence inside had been drained.
Wow!
Gu Yu found it very intriguing. He did not find the muddy ball gross, but picked it up and put it into his wooden box.
The two collected like so as they proceeded, discovering quite a few short and small plants and animals, all mutated species.
***
Meanwhile, in Yiwu, Yangji, Banyan, Longxi, and other places, a few groups of people had snuck into Huo Zhou with the help of some corrupted soldiers.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-33.png){kind=small}
Chapter 233: Unavoidable Encounter
Source: Qidian International
'Angry saber, it hacks at the white-winged eagle! Heroic mountains, they soar high into the sky! Rolling flames, they burn…'
Bah! Stop right there!
Gu Yu wasn't playing some third-rate DJ/rapper, he was just trying to express his feelings at the moment. Unfortunately for him, influenced by the northeastern culture of the country, which was largely represented by its heavy-duty barbecues and not-so-heavy-duty mic-controlling 1 hobbies, he couldn't come up with anything more elegantly impressive.
In front of him was Flaming Mountain eight months after the breakout.
In one word, beautiful! In two, seductively fascinating! In three, he was happy!
The beauty of the mountain was unquestionable.
In contrast to the devastating power when it had just erupted, the mountain was now exerting a tender spiritual essence as clouds and fog circled around it. It reminded one of a horse-mounting wild girl finally returned to her boudoir, where she was dressed in all red before the red veil over her face was removed. After that, she would flush at the touch of her lover.
"It's so pretty! It looks like, like a big chunk of red jade!"
Standing at the edge of the cliff, Long Qiu stretched out her arms, overlooking the red mountain that seemed to roll out endlessly, and felt it impossible to withhold her excitement. When she turned around and smiled at our fellow, she said, "Brother, I really want to live here. Let's ask sister and Jin Jin to come here and we can build a house here, shall we?"
"Gosh, you've been around those two for too long. You're as artsy as you're a little-devil-in-disguise now. You're so weird." Gu Yu activated his mental force and a big gourd materialized in his palm. "Come here and collect some spiritual essence first."
"Ok!"
Xiao Qiu ran happily to his side and produced a big gourd herself.
They both placed their gourds on the ground, put their palms flat down, and activated their energy. Momentarily, the mild spiritual essence around them erupted, twirling and wandering in midair. Gradually, it turned into a red thread and was sucked into the gourds.
The gourds were over a meter tall and a gourdful could last them quite a while. Gu Yu had refined 32 of his Flaming Cloud Needles so far. If everything went as planned, he would have all 72 ready by the end of next year.
He had made a trial run when he helped those soldiers with driving back the enemies back there. The power of the needles was promising.
Before long, the gourds were filled up and stashed away into their mind space. Gu Yu was rather content with what they achieved during this trip and chuckled. "Let's bag some of that black grit and we're done here. We'll be heading home after that."
"Huh? So soon?"
Long Qiu was sorry to hear that. The two were all by themselves in the wide world here and she was having the best of her time.
"..."
She knew little of the skill of concealing her thoughts and Gu Yu could read her like the palm of his hand. He winced at it.
The girl had been lively and cheerful the past few days like the gentle breeze of early summer. She couldn't have been more comfortable here.
Gu Yu was not one of those greasy otakus that would come up with the name of their second baby at a girl's touch. He had been through enough relationships to know her feelings. After a second thought, he was getting, well, a bit worried.
"..."
He did not respond to her words after she finished talking and silence fell between the two. Eyeing one another, the atmosphere was becoming strangely awkward.
It was a while later when Gu Yu cleared his throat and said, "So, let's check out somewhere else, then it's time to get down the mountain. We still have a long way back."
"Ok," Xiao Qiu replied obediently. She then turned around and took the lead alone, as if deliberately trying to avoid looking at Gu Yu. Gu Yu did not try to catch up with her either, but fell behind by a few steps, following her casually.
They walked like so for some time. The innocent Long Qiu soon forgot about the little incident and turned her attention to savor the meandering, unbroken mountains only.
Seeing that she was walking at a brisk pace and almost following a certain rhythm, Gu Yu could not help but ask, "By the way, Xiao Qiu, do you know how to dance?"
"Of course! We Miao people are all dancers. I learned from my grandma when I was little, but never got the chance to dance before." Long Qiu spun around suddenly and chuckled. "Brother, do you want to see it? Let me dance for you."
With that, she straightened her body and stepped onto a giant mountain rock.
Stretching out her thin arms to either side, she tilted up the tip of her left foot and shifted her weight to the right, twisting her body into a strange yet coordinated position.
Immediately after that, her waist started wriggling.
The tiny waist felt so flexible that it almost seemed boneless. It swayed this way and that ever so slightly, tickling the heart of whoever that was watching.
Gu Yu felt he was looking at a sparrow from fairy tales, demonstrating to the world of its beauty and pride.
Three young women, three different styles.
Xiaozhai was the sun, impassioned and strong at times, while genial and gentle the rest. Xiao Qiu was the moon. She was shy, understated, and only revealed her pure beauty when the clouds and fog were brushed away.
As for Xiaojin, she was no star. That one was a mud avalanche, shaking the earth with her fists and stomps!
Right now, though, Long Qiu did not think much of what she was doing and jumped off the rock after a few movements. She asked eagerly, "How was it? How was it?"
"Awesome!" Gu Yu complimented wholeheartedly and asked, "What was that dance called?"
"Well, I don't know. Grandma never told me."
Pursing her lips, Long Qiu was flushed and strangely shy.
She wasn't thinking about that when she was dancing, but now that she was looking back at it, oh my!
One of the customs of the Miao villages was for unmarried young people to gather in the open country and dance and sing to their hearts' content in bright moonlit nights of early or late spring, and especially the night of the mid-autumn day.
The Miao people called it "dancing to the moon", or "looking for my lover".
***
The environment of Huo Zhou was excellent at the moment. Given time, it might really become a heaven for cultivators.
After gathering enough fire spiritual essence, the two walked to and fro following the shape of the mountain. They marched out 5 km to the east, found nothing out of the place, and doubled back to the west.
The west was where that cave lay.
"Why, Brother, look!" After a short distance, Long Qiu halted all of a sudden and pointed at somewhere down the cliff. "Doesn't that stone look nice?"
Gu Yu followed her fingers and saw a red oval stone with smooth surface. It was hollow inside and not gritty at all. He chuckled. "Why, you want it as a souvenir?"
"Yes, can I have it, please?"
"Sure, sure. Go get it and come back here."
"Teehee!"
Xiao Qiu leapt down with a giggle. She stepped onto a protruding stone and with that as a footing, she jumped again, then landed steadily on the bottom. Picking up the stone, she saw that it was indeed shiny red and translucent like a piece of art.
"I can put it up as a home deco. Nice." Holding the stone, she was about to jump back up when her ear pricked and she called out, "Who's there?"
"Growl… growl…"
With a low, powerful snarl, a monster walked out from behind a mountain rock.
"What is that?"
Xiao Qiu looked at it in astonishment. The thing was about the size of a cheetah and was blood red all over, as if it had no skin left and the flesh and blood had been turned inside out. It walked on four long legs and had a barbed tail and a giant head. Its face, however, was a ghostly one.
It looked so out of place that it was almost as if the original head had been chopped off, replaced crudely by this ghostly face.
"Roar!"
Seeing the stranger, the monster sniffed hard and its ferocity was greatly roused by this fresh food. Thrusting its hind legs hard against the ground, it pounced at Xiao Qiu open-mouthed, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.
"..."
Frowning, Xiao Qiu thought about letting out the Golden Silkworm to devour it, but was repulsed by the thought of it.
She tossed the stone aside, put her palms together, and stretched them to either side. A long swording glistening a green light appeared in her hand. The blade then made a quick shiver and stabbed seven times in the split of a second, making seven green flowers.
The flowers then blossomed, revealing layers upon layers of petals which pushed out with a glimmer, soon wrapping the monster inside with circles of light.
"Whoosh!"
The long sword swayed again. As the energy spread out, there was a bang!
Densely packed small cracks suddenly appeared all over the monster's meter long body, resembling that of a broken porcelain. The flesh, blood, tendons, and bones started falling off.
"Splash!"
The entrails flowed out of the rotten belly and the flesh peeled off the bones. The thing was now a puddle of mush on the ground, giving off an unbearable stench.
Eww!
Long Qiu stepped away for several meters and fanned her hand with despise.
It might seem long, but everything actually happened with in seconds. She had only just finished that monster when there came another roaring sound. Two fellows leapt out from behind the mountain rock.
"How dare you mess with my ghoul!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-34.png){kind=small}
Chapter 234: And The Tougher One Wins
Source: Qidian International
The two fellows jumping out were both huge. They had frighteningly prominent noses and were heavy-browed with big eyes. Black patterns lined their cheeks. The two looked quite alike—presumably twins—and the main difference was in their hair style. One was bald, where the other had a buzz-cut.
"How dare you do that to my ghoul!"
Seeing that bloody pulp on the ground, the baldy glared murderously at Xiao Qiu, baring his shiny white teeth—which reminded one of a shark—as if trying to swallow the girl whole.
Ghouls were very hard to refine and it had cost them a fortune in resources to come up with seven. They weren't exactly fighters, but had a very special skill set: they could smell the energy of Yin spirits, making them ideal to search for the altar.
The Archmage led the team to the mountain himself this time and had divided the followers into several small groups to conduct the search separately. With this ghoul killed, they would have nothing to present to the boss and the only choice left for them was to defeat these two, which might win them some leniency.
"Who are you people? Why are you not afraid of the fire spiritual essence?"
Long Qiu backed a few steps away and furrowed up her pretty brows. The energy coming out of these two made her very uncomfortable, as if she was not facing two living human beings, but two corpses that could move and speak.
"Heh heh heh! Never mind who we are. All that matters is that you've killed the ghoul, so you're coming back with us to face your death. You're quite pretty, though. Maybe they'll make you into a top-grade ghostly woman." The buzz-cut guffawed. He then turned his palm around, suddenly revealing a black-bladed piercer. "Surrender now, or I'll have to skin you bits by bits."
"Humph!"
Long Qiu never liked talking nonsense. Pointing at the two with her long sword, she said coldly, "Bring it on!"
"You'll regret this!"
The baldy had been waiting for this. The words were barely out of his mouth when he dashed forward several meters in the blink of an eye, bringing himself just close enough into the attacking range.
'That was fast!'
Long Qiu was slightly surprised. She was about to shift to the right, but paused abruptly. When she was not looking, the buzz-cut had also closed in and was now on her right. The two were ready for a joint assault.
Both were holding that same type of black weapon, which was giving off a sinister stench. They stabbed at her with lightning speed.
"Dang!"
"Dang!"
The long sword made a few successive dabs, the point of the blade precisely meeting the piercers', giving off a couple of crisp clanks. After fending off the attack, she followed the momentum and flipped the tip upwards, slashing at her opponent's chest at an angle.
"I see you've got a few moves there!"
The baldy dodged effortlessly, baring his white teeth. He then shifted his body abruptly and went round Xiao Qiu's back, which he aimed his blade and slashed down in a whoosh at.
The buzz-cut also brandished his piercer with a series of quick movements. The weapon turned into a wall of black shadows, blocking all directions in her front.
The two were indeed twins and they had developed a joint attack technique specifically based on that. With their near telepathic coordination, they had never been defeated in their past dozens of engagements.
Unfortunately for them, of all the opponents there were, they stumbled upon Xiao Qiu today, who was a "skill freak". Her gift in swordsmanship was so exceptional that she was almost outshining Xiaozhai.
With attacks coming from both her front and back and dark shadows blocking her either side, she did not even look back when she pushed the long sword out with a backhand move, sending the sword out from under her armpit. The black piercer was shaken away by sheer force.
Immediately after that, she spun around on the tip of her foot and her long sword quivered repeatedly, producing several green flowers in an instant. The flowers bloomed, revealing layers of petals, and collided with the dark shadow, making an odd fizzing sound reminding one of evaporating liquid.
"The sword is a magical instrument!"
The buzz-cut shouted in astonishment as he withdrew his weapon in a haste. The energy fluctuation coming from the piercer in his hand was greatly weakened. While he had yet to recover from the shock, a clear voice ran out in his ears.
Through the circles of green light as large as flower pots, a cold blade arrived promptly. The buzz-cut was too late to dodge and only had time to tilt his head sideways.
"Pop!"
The long sword jabbed into his left shoulder and came out from the other side, bringing out a splash of green blood. Xiao Qiu turned her wrist slightly, the blade whipping around beneath his shoulder blade. She then slashed the tip upward.
"Ah!" the buzz-cut screamed loudly. His brother came to his rescue, dragging the stumbling wounded man away. A large piece of flesh was missing from his left shoulder, exposing the grayish black bones inside.
"Huff… huff… hehehe!" Panting, he suddenly let out an eerie chuckle, which looked hideously creepy. "Nice, you'll be the first, then! When I'm finished with you, you'll wish you were dead!"
With that, his left arm convulsed suddenly and the muscle on that arm swelled and bulged, as if lumps of flesh were growing out. Blood rumbled inside the arm, making a muffled thundering sound.
In the matter of seconds, the frightening wound was filled up by the flesh lumps and the man looked so appalling that he was an insult to the eyes. He was now a monster made up of flesh lumps and so was the baldy. The two men had transformed from two human being to two humanoid creatures right in front of her eyes.
They were relatively high-ranked in their sect, enabling them to receive more refinement with the occult skill. Thanks to their natural gift of excellent physical strength, the refinement had all been used to improve their strength and speed.
They did not get the chance to demonstrate it until today, for their past opponents had not been powerful enough.
"Good, you have forced us into using the occult skill."
"Die!"
"Thud!"
The twins moved swiftly and abruptly disappeared from where they stood.
Why, they were faster!
Xiao Qiu dodged right away and, as if a bomb had landed, the ground was smashed in in front of her. She was not the least bit frightened and was going to move into another round of sword fight when a soft voice came to her ears.
"Ok, that's enough practice for you today. Now move aside."
"..."
Pursing her lips, she leapt swiftly out of the battlefield.
Right at that moment, a figure jumped down from up on the cliff and landed between the twins, light as a white feather. He then struck out with open palms.
The twins waved their knotted arms as thick as tree roots and went up to meet his strike.
"Rumble!"
The ferocious impact of the two forces contorted the air around them, which twisted and exploded, sending out a shock wave. The mountain rocks nearby were blasted into pieces and the mild fire spiritual essence became chaotic.
"Hm?"
Looking at the black energy lingering in his palms, Gu Yu said in a surprised voice, "A poisonous skill? That's unusual."
Circulating his spiritual essence, he eliminated the black energy in no time.
"..."
The twins stumbled back hastily and opened their eyes wide in disbelief. The refinement of the occult skill had given them poisonous flesh that even the Mages dared not touch directly in combat. This man, however, had casually waved it off as if he was chasing away a fly.
"Who might you be?" the buzz-cut asked in a hoarse voice.
"Never mind who I am. All that matters is that you were bullying my little sister. For that, you'd have to leave something behind. But judging from your look, tsk, tsk…" he replied with their own words from earlier and went on, "So, tell me, who are you and why are you on the mountain?"
"..."
The twins did not reply to that, but only exchanged a look. Although they could not figure out how capable this man was, the only choice for them now was to fight their way out.
"Such a bluff!"
"Thump!"
They were extremely fast. Being the top-level warriors of the northwest branch, their attack was not something one could take lightly. In the blink of an eye, they had closed in on Gu Yu and were striking out with their fists.
But Gu Yu was faster.
He stretched out both hands and grabbed. His move seemed unhurried, but the twins found it impossible to dodge. The two dumbbell-sized fists smashed down and felt as if they had landed into a pile of cotton ball. They were drowned in it before they could make a sound.
"Sizzle!"
The black smoke circled around where the fists and palms met; it was highly corrosive. Ordinary people would have their skin burnt at a single touch.
However, they were not facing any ordinary man. The circulating spiritual essence not only neutralized the toxins, but went further by penetrating the twins' bodies, rampaging around their meridians.
The real, pure power of orthodox cultivation met the unorthodox, perverted skill headlong, shaking the latter greatly, and crushed it with little difficulty.
"Pffft!"
The buzz-cut spewed a mouthful of blood in a matter of seconds. Eyes bloodshot, the knotted muscles all over his body started cracking, which was gradually covered by bloody lines.
"Who on earth are you people?
"You still won't talk?
"Well, tough guy."
Gu Yu did not want to waste his spit and was going to use his killing move.
Just then, the baldy reached out to his right arm with his left hand and ground his teeth.
"Aaaaaah!"
With a scream, he ripped his own arm off. Instantly, there was a blast of green blood, and the small lump of cloud formed whooshed towards Gu Yu.
Frowning, Gu Yu had to back away for a few steps.
The baldy grabbed the chance and clutched onto his brother with his only arm left and threw the latter away. "Go!"
"..."
The buzz-cut did not have enough energy left to keep the occult skill running and was back in his ordinary human form. He landed quite a distance away. Without looking back, he stumbled on and fled.
"Aaaaaaah!"
The baldy growled and jumped at Gu Yu, trying to make his last stand. A big hand grabbed him by the neck and twisted.
"Clack!"
From his neck down, the entire spine shattered in a crackling sound. The man as big as a small hill tumbled, then collapsed to the ground in a thud. Right after that, a palm wrapped in flame touched the body lightly.
Roaring flame erupted instantly, devouring the corpse.
"Not bad."
Taking back the Flaming Cloud Needle, Gu Yu checked his palm, apparently very pleased with his experiment's results.
"Brother!"
Long Qiu, however, watched the fleeing buzz-cut anxiously and was about to chase after the man when Gu Yu stopped her.
"That's OK. We need the messenger."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-35.png){kind=small}
Chapter 235: The Archmage
Source: Qidian International
"Archmage!"
Less then 10 km from where the fight took place, two black-robed men scurried near and bowed. "We've searched all our way back and found nothing."
"I see!"
An old man nodded, gesturing them to return to their team.
Before long, a few other groups ran to him and reported in turn. "Nothing in the northeast!"
"Nothing in the southeast!"
"Anomaly detected in the northwest!"
The old man looked around and asked suddenly, "Where are Bahu and Batu?"
"They're not back yet," replied someone.
'Hm?'
The old man frowned, apparently not happy to hear that. A creepy and gloomy aura emanated from him and the temperature nearby seemed to instantly drop by a few degrees. The crowd shuddered, all lowering their heads in silence, fearing to be somehow incriminated.
Huo Zhou was only accessible to those who reached the innate state, which these men obviously did not. Their physical strength had been forcibly improved with some occult technique to an advanced state so that they could withstand the corrosion of the fire spiritual essence.
Some of these men would even rank among the top percentile if they were to join Qiyun. In the presence of the Archmage, however, they were as jittery as mice facing a cat, all too frightened to make the tiniest mistake.
The old man was none other than the one talking to Zhang Wei before. Strongly-built, the old man had a pair of blood-red pupils that gave him the look of a devil rising from hell.
"The two brothers might be a bit flashy, but they are diligent enough in their tasks. Something must have happened to them. Agul, take some men with you—"
He was about to issue a command when a yell came from afar. "Archmage!"
The crowd turned around and saw Batu stumbling towards them, holding his shoulder with a hand. The man was panting when he said, "Archmage, s-something was wrong!"
"What happened?"
"We were searching with the ghoul when we ran into a man and a woman. They destroyed our ghoul."
"What did they look like?" the archmage asked in a grave tone.
"They were both tall and very good-looking. The woman had a magical instrument and was very good with her sword. The man, the man…"
Batu's gasping grew heavier, as if he was frightened by some invincible power. It was some time later when he finally squeezed out a few words. "He was formidable! Very formidable!"
"Oh?"
The archmage's tone was noncommittal and his face as incomprehensible as a deep pond. "Where is your younger brother, then?"
"He was covering for me. He's, he's probably been killed!" There was sadness and anger in Batu's voice.
"And you're stupid enough to run back alone?" The old man's tone was suddenly sharp.
"I, I…"
There were terror and panic in Batu's wide open eyes as a familiar feeling rose inside him. Only that he used to be an onlooker, not the one in question.
"You two have been capable fighters, too bad you did not have the matching intelligence. Your injury is grave and to fix that will cost us a lot of divine liquid… the ancestors will remember your contribution. Now, set your mind at rest."
With that, he stretched out his hand and grabbed Batu by his crown.
"Aaaaaah!"
Batu struggled fiercely, but to no avail. He was aware of his vital essence being sucked out by that withered hand until he was drained.
"Thud!"
A mere ten seconds later, the man went limp and crumpled down to the ground like a pile of shrivelled skin and meat. The red pupils of the archmage flickered, shinier than ever. He then gave the command.
"Agul, Gatu, Kemer, you three take some men and guard the place. Whatever it costs, you can never let them pass!"
"Yes!"
"The rest, with me!"
With that, the three mages each took two men and stayed where they were. The rest of the group—five mages, twelve ghostly men, and a dozen minions—filed out to the northwest.
***
Followers of Shamanism formed the most unique group.
It was not a religion, for it lacked a specific system and religious regulations. Shamanism was a general term used to call those carrying out Shamanistic practices. It used to be widely believed in by people of the northeast and southwest, as well as the nomads of the northwest. The practices varied slightly in different regions, but in general shared enough similarities.
In modern times, however, the remaining believers had set up religious sects for the convenience of management and centralized belief. Technically speaking, what they followed was no longer genuine Shamanism. Occult skills such as the ancient practice of stargazing, god-communing, blessing, etc., were all lost, replaced by stuff from other beliefs such as Vajrayana of Tanggute region, necromancy, or even foreign religions from the West Regions.
The archmage here was the principal of the northwestern region.
For decades, they had been infiltrating all social strata, introducing their own people into all levels of administration, which had provided them with an immense amount of information. Basically, the moment the government learned the concept of the spiritual essence, they knew it as well.
The discontented lot were eager to make their move. The chief task of the northwest branch was to follow a map passed down by their ancestors and reactivate an altar near Jiaohe Town.
"How much further?"
The effort of several generations was finally seeing its fruition and even the archmage himself grew impatient. He had been asking repeatedly along the way.
"It's just ahead. Just ahead!"
The one leading the way was covered in sweat. After another while, he halted suddenly. "It's right there!"
The group stopped to watch. They were at a mountain pass with a giant rock hanging over their heads, which cast down a shadow. There was a cave lower on the mountain wall on their left with traces of damage on the outside.
The opening used to be a crevice on the mountain and was hidden in the shadow of the giant rock, allowing one to crawl in and out only. Had Gu Yu not been an innate-state cultivator and sensed the strange energy inside, he would never have found it in the first place.
It was also the reason Zhang Wei tried to abduct him.
Of course, these people had made their own ghouls that could smell the sinister energy, who were now yelping at the cave.
"Someone's been here before?"
The archmage's face darkened at the traces. A thousand thoughts ran through his head before he finally forced himself to calm down. 'Never mind. The front gate is all that matters.'
He then took out a strange scroll made from human skin and found the right direction. "This it an insect-raising cave. The real entrance should be that way."
***
"The Archmage was over-cautious. He didn't have to leave all three of us here."
Agul was a stalwart man two meters tall. He had arms and legs as thick as tree trunks and his muscle tone alone was proof enough of his ferocity. The man was now walking to and fro in circles, apparently not happy with the arrangement.
Gatu was more level-headed. "We shouldn't underestimate our enemy. Only a handful people can get into this place now and if it turns out to be those two of Phoenix Mountain, we'd be in great trouble."
"They might be capable people, but I think they were given too much credit."
Agul casually wiped his hand across the mountain wall. The sharp top layer crunched under the rough palm, shaking down a shower of rubble. The surface was flattened out at his stroke.
He grinned widely and still thought little of their task. "Even we three put together are no match for the Archmage, what can that Gu fellow do?"
The internal structure of Shamanism was set up as follows: Archmage—Mage—various principals and chiefs—common followers—peripheral personnel. The three here were all mages, a title high enough to run the affairs of an entire city. The fact that they were all here only to hinder their enemy was making them feel overqualified.
"That's enough! We might have not seen them in person, but the info sent back could not be false."
Kemer, the only female among the three, had heard enough. "We should figure out first how to…"
"!!!"
She gasped abruptly like a duck being choked and gazed open-mouthed at the two people standing on the mountain wall. They simply showed up without any warning, as if they had materialized out of thin air.
"..."
Seeing her reaction, Agul and Gatu raised their heads in unison. They both jolted.
"Whoosh!"
All nine people drew their weapons, ready to face the tough battle ahead.
"Wow, there are so many of them!"
Xiao Qiu watched the group of people, looking surprised.
Frowning slightly, Gu Yu instructed, "No more practicing. We're on a tight schedule and need to finish this ASAP."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-36.png){kind=small}
Chapter 236: The Altar
Source: Qidian International
"Roar!" Agul bellowed. His bare arms bulged abruptly, as if a mouse was running around under the skin. The bulging soon expanded to his entire body and with a crackling sound reminding one of firecrackers, the already two-meter-tall guy suddenly grew taller as if someone had stretched him out by sheer force.
Banging his fists together, the man flexed his muscles, which reminded one of knotty tree roots, giving him the most frightening look.
Meanwhile, Gatu also revealed his ultimate form.
He was much quieter in comparison and only twisted his body into the strangest position while his pupils were gradually becoming vertical. He then stuck out his tongue, whose tip split into a two-pronged fork as he make a faint hissing sound.
Comparing those two, Kemer had the most ordinary appearance.
She took out a bone plate and smacked it hard. Immediately, a hideous ghostly head flew out, forming into a small sea of black clouds in the air. The ghostly head was inordinately big, bringing with it gusts of sinister wind. The three heads Gu Yu saw in Zhang Wei's villa the other night was nothing comparing to this one.
Holy smoke!
The three mages were very cautious. Knowing that they were dealing with a tough opponent, they brought out their strongest moves right away.
"..."
Half-squinting, Gu Yu watched them with an expressionless face. He then dashed into movement. The next second, he was right in front of Agul and even had the time to instruct Long Qiu, "I'll take the left and you the right!"
With that, he engaged the five on the left.
"Haha, bring it on! I'd like to know what real masters look like!" Agul guffawed. His whooshing fists smashed at Gu Yu's head like cannonballs, and the gust of wind they brought made a ripping sound.
"Move!"
Gu Yu leapt up and stepped a few times in midair, flitting swiftly past the man.
Even those with the sharpest eyes could barely make out a flickering streak of red light as the two brushed past one another, which disappeared in an instant.
"Come on, craven! Stop running!"
Agul was still wondering why his enemy would flee from the battle and turned around to chase when he felt the pain in his chest as strength flooded away from him.
Looking down involuntarily, he saw a big hole on his chest. The flesh and blood were all gone, together with his heart and part of his left lung, which had all turned into ashes.
"..."
Agul lost consciousness and collapsed with a thump. He never knew how Gu Yu got him before he died.
Gu Yu paid no more attention to the big guy and ran towards Kemer without stopping.
Seeing that her companion was eliminated within seconds, Kemer controlled the ghostly face into attack while shouting, "Stop him! Stop him!"
Wrapped in black fog, the ghostly face plunged down with a shriek, while three sect members brandished their piercers and jumped at Gu Yu frantically.
"Whoosh!"
Gu Yu accelerated abruptly, a line of afterimages trailing after him. Flame dragons circled around him, then split into four, one of which flew towards the ghostly face head on while the rest three pierced through the three men with three popping sounds.
"Aaaaaah!"
The three men turned into fireballs before they even had time to move. They howled and shrieked in the flames, rolling around on the ground. The next moment, they were not making any sound anymore.
"Thump!"
Gu Yu then reached Kemer in one stride and clutched her delicate neck as she watched him with terrified eyes. His hand then twisted...
Two mages and three chief fighters were annihilated in a matter of seconds.
Over on the other side, Long Qiu was fighting with four people all at once.
Gatu slithered near, the strange tongue sticking in and out of his mouth. He then crouched down and used his own body as a weapon, trying to entangle himself around his opponent.
"Swish!"
Xiao Qiu wielded her sword swiftly and the cold shiny blade covered the area a meter square or so in front of her.
Gatu rolled on the ground and dodged from an impossible angle, then twisted conveniently and wrapped tightly around her.
The two-pronged tongue quavered this way and that as he bragged, "Hiss! You might be good with your sword, but you can't hurt—"
Gatu still had his mouth open, but realized he could no longer utter a word...
...for he discovered that his tongue was missing. The next second, even his head was gone, then his shoulder, arms, upper torso, abdomen, his lower body...
In a few seconds, the person was wiped off the face of earth.
"M-mage…"
The underlings were petrified. Ferocious as they might be, they had never met anyone this ferocious. Xiao Qiu couldn't care less about them. Wielding her sword, a green flower materialized, wrapping all three men inside.
Obliteration, again!
Within a few moves, the northwest branch had suffered some major damage. Gu Yu did not use his conjuring technique, for that would be saved for the critical moment, and was also too energy-consuming. Xiao Qiu was no longer trying to train herself through combat, but was using her lethal moves.
However, the moment she put away the sword into her mental space, the chrubic kid leapt out of the thin air, its face a blueish purple. Then, it opened its mouth and...
"Retch!"
The Golden Silkworm threw up.
Eww!
Eyeing the puddle of black blood vomit, Xiao Qiu fanned with her hand and said pitilessly, "It says that it stinks and tastes bad."
"We don't need it to tell us that…"
Gu Yu covered his mouth and nose, crouched down, and frisked the dead bodies.
Other than those burnt to ashes and the one eaten, there were five relatively intact bodies. The two searched those and found some strange scrolls and bone wares, which they put away carefully into a wooden box. They then sprinted towards the entrance of the cave.
It was Xiao Qiu's first field trip, which turned out to be a major event. She was nervous and excited at the same time. "Brother, what on earth are they going to do?"
"Get the big monster out, apparently. We'll know when we get there." *** "This should be the place!"
The archmage lead the team around the cave entrance and walked about a kilometer to the east, where he stopped at a smooth vertical cliff.
He touched the rustic mountain rock, a streak of dark light shooting out of his palm. He sensed the feedback and was reassured. "That's right. This is it!"
"We finally found it!"
"The ancestors are blessing us! The ancestors are blessing us!"
The group was exhilarated at the news. Two men walked up to him and bowed. "Archmage, if you would move to the side and let us break the gate open."
"Be quick."
The old man backed away for a few steps and casually grabbed a ghostly woman near. His calloused fingers caressed her supple skin lightly, which was cool to the touch. He was slightly relaxed.
This bunch of people had been around sinister witchcraft all their life since childhood and were contorted both mentally and aesthetically. Ghostly men and women were incredibly beautiful beings in their eyes. Had the creatures not been made for other purposes, they would have gladly taken them for intimate activities for fun.
"..."
The ghostly woman endured the caressing obediently despite the utter horror in her eyes. This one was none other than Wu Yang who was snatched during her cycling trip in Tso Ngonpo.
The difference between a ghostly man and a low-level zombie was that the former had retained part of its consciousness, but was absolutely obedient at the same time.
It was like having your mind locked up in a dark cage where you could only peek out through a single window. You knew where you were and what you were doing, but you were an outsider completely helpless in your own body.
"You're very well endowed. Had it not been for the mission, I'd really like to refine you all over again… pity, such a pity."
The archmage took pleasure from the pain in her eyes. It was a perverted sense of satisfaction.
"Roar!"
Just then, the two men stood in front of the mountain wall and growled. Their bodies expanded as Bahu and his brother's did, only these two grew even bigger.
Raising their arms, they started banging on the stone wall like heavy hammers weighing tens of thousands of kilos. Soon, there was a hole about the size of a basin. It was indeed hollow.
They couldn't bring dynamite into Huo Zhou, fearing it would be easily corroded or explode right away. Luckily, these two were brutal enough. Before long, there was an opening about the height of a grown man.
"You two stay here and guard the door."
"Yes!"
The two stood by either side of the door like a pair of guardian warriors. The archmage dared not take this lightly and soon led the rest of the group into the cave.
The air inside was not the stale and dusty kind. As the fire spiritual essence washed in, there came a few popping sounds and the inside grew brighter. The ghost-head lamps embedded on the wall on either side had lit up by themselves, giving off a luminescent green light.
"Keep up!"
The passage inside was not very wide and allowed two men to walk side by side.
The archmage led the way. Looking around, he saw that the passageway was rather crude, with little trace of artificial work. Bare red rocks hang overhead without any visible means of support, yet miraculously, the passageway was stable with no falling spalls.
A while later, the road forked into two and the archmage said after a pause, "There are insect-raising caves on either side. Be aware."
With that, he moved on and the rest of the team followed.
But accidents were bound to happen. One of the followers in the rear was so taken away by his curiosity that he moved slightly to the right without anybody noticing him. He then walked off the stone pavement of the passageway and made a step to the right.
Instantly, red pupils flickered on inside the deep dark cave, followed by the sound of flapping wings. Dark shadows flew out of the cave, wrapping tightly around the entire team.
"What are those?"
"Bats! Bats!"
"Aaaaah!"
Caught off guard, two of the followers were bitten and, within seconds, the expression on their faces turned strange. Their eyes became cloudy with a hint of madness in them.
"Thump! Thump!"
Two of the mages responded decisively and killed off the two underlings without hesitation. The one causing the trouble was dripping with cold sweat and flinched away from the mages.
The archmage snorted, took out a bone staff from his chest pocket, and commanded, "Go!"
"Whoosh!"
Black smoke rolled out of the bone staff, forming an almost solid ghostly face. It opened its mouth widely and instantly, a gust of sinister suction power came to life. The strong air current carried the entire flock of bats straight towards its mouth.
"Squeak!"
Thousands of bats were reeled left and right, completely defenseless. They were now a nest of ants being drawn into the stomach of an anteater.
Only when the cave was quiet again did the ghostly face look faintly satiated, making it almost look human. The black cloud shrank with a slithering sound and returned to the bone staff.
"I don't have time for it. You know what to do with yourself!"
The archmage darted the man a look and turned away promptly to leave.
"..."
Seeing them walking away from him, the one causing the trouble gritted his teeth, but in the end dared not defy the master. He patted his left hand lightly on the right hand and a nail fell off, transforming into a small insect.
He picked it up, put it in his mouth and chewed. Momentarily, blood was oozing from his eyes, mouth, nose, and ears.
***
With such a lesson, the team grew even more cautious and dared not touch anything in the cave.
The passageway seemed to have no end. They had been walking forever and the atmosphere grew stranger the deeper they walked in. They felt the temperature dropping, then rising. In the end, they could no longer tell if it was cold or hot, for they were suffering from both. It was the most unbearable sensation.
After another endless walk, which brought them almost into the deepest corner of the mountain, they finally saw a cavern ahead. Twelve stone pillars stood around it, forming a circle of stone corridor. In the middle was a round platform, around which several skeletons lay.
"Go search around!"
Seeing that the road ended here, the archmage gave the command. He also walked up to a skeleton and examined it.
One could not tell how many years it had been there. The flesh was completely gone and ragged clothes dangled from the skeleton. It was in an unusual position, one that resembled the meditation sitting position of Buddhism. Some of the bones were also of a translucent white color.
He struck out a finger and poked the bones lightly. With a sizzling sound, half of his finger disappeared as if dissolved.
"Muhahahaha…"
That did not enrage the archmage. Instead, he laughed and said in his hoarse voice, "It is indeed a sneaky Buddhist baldy, and one that has achieved enlightenment. Good, very good. However glorified you were in your days, you are in my hands now that you're dead. That half skeleton of relics is enough to refine a few top-grade ghostly head for me."
After much eerie elation, he took off the rotten clothes and started frisking the skeleton. Unfortunately, the monk carried nothing with him and the search came up empty.
"Humph!"
He snorted and walked to another body lying on the ground. In contrast, this skeleton was jet-black in color and deformed in many places. It looked more like monster that was half human and half wolf.
However, his expression grew stern and he made a few solemn bows.
He then walked to the third one, whose identity he could not tell. He found a jade plate on the skeleton, though, with the diagram of Yin-Yang fish on one side and cloud patterns on the other. Both carvings were elegant and graceful.
A Taoist?
The archmage winced. It seemed that the Taoist community was also involved in that war over the right to preach in the Western Regions. Only, he did not know why the Taoists had withdrawn from the contest and the Buddhists got the free ride.
He searched all skeletons carefully and only found two objects.
"We've checked everywhere. There are no traps or secret passages!"
Just then, the underlings returned, reporting that there was indeed no other way out.
"Oh?"
The archmage's eyes flickered. He scanned the cavern following the slope of the ground and finally landed his eyes on that round platform.
He stepped onto it. The platform was carved out of an entire big stone, with the ghostly face totem of his branch. There were five square holes around the edges according to the direction of Five Elements, linked by thin grooves.
"..."
He contemplated and ordered, "You and you and you lot, go stand there."
The five appointed men did not understand what was going on, but stepped onto the platform all the same, then stood at their positions as told. The archmage stood steadily in the center, took out a bone cup, and patted it.
Five small ghosts with physical bodies flew out, each aimed at a man, lunged onto their heads, and started gnawing frantically.
"Aaaaaah!"
The five men struggled violently, but to no avail. Blood ran down from their heads and flowed into the square holes.
"Ah… help! Help!"
They wailed and screamed in pain. It was too ghastly a scene to look at. The rest of the team, however, watched this coldly, their expression pitiless. More blood was flowing down, soon filling up the square holes and pouring into the thin grooves, which were gradually all linked together.
"Rumble!"
When the grooves were all filled up and connected, the round platform suddenly gave a shudder and slowly began to sink.
"What are you waiting for!" the archmage shouted.
As if they had just woken up from a dream, the rest of the team jumped onto the round platform with their ghostly men. Slowly, the platform descended to the level beneath.
They were all adherents of the long lost Shamanism who had learned the incomplete occult skills only and never had the chance to witness the glory of their ancestors. Yet right here and right now, all men—the archmage included—were infected with a sense of honor and excitement.
Someone was able to build a place like this inside Flaming Mountain hundreds of years ago, if not more. Such achievement would make anyone lost in wonder.
After ten meters or so, the round platform finally stopped descending. Down here was an even bigger cavern. The spiritual essence was incredibly dense and clearly separated into two sides.
One was black and the other red. The distinction was clear.
A pool of mix-colored liquid had gathered in a pit right where the two colors connected. Another altar had been built by the pool, surrounded by bones.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-37.png){kind=small}
Chapter 237: Ghostly Bug And Obliteration
Source: Qidian International
Jiaohe Ruin used to be called Gushi in its time and was founded by ancient men of Europa.
Around the time when Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty was on the throne, the Han armies defeated Gushi and changed its name to Jushi, dividing it into Front Jushi, Back Jushi, and six kingdoms north of the mountain. It was Xiongnu's gateway into the Western Regions, and a vital transportation line linking the Western Regions to the middle section of the Silk Road from Yumen Pass, rendering it a strategic military spot for as long as history could remember.
Later, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Xiongnu carried out an eight-year siege of Jushi and the king fled, abandoning the city. From then on, Jiaohe became part of Gaochang and the Kingdom of Jushi was no more.
Time passed by. The Central Plains were unified and Tang Dynasty was established. The communication between the East and the West grew more frequent as a consequence. Gaochang held a vital strategic position that all religions and sects tried to have a slice.
Back then, at least half a dozen forces were engaged in a strife there, including Buddhism, Shamanism, Zoroastrianism, Manicheism, etc. Among those, Buddhism and Shamanism were the most active ones.
No record could be found on the specific competitions between the two. All in all, Buddhism was the final winner and Gaochang became a Buddhist kingdom.
The archmage had gathered all of the abovementioned information from reading the classics. As for this underground cavern, it was built by their Shamanic ancestors to fight back the heathens.
Flaming Mountain was a place of natural wonders where Yin and Yang met, giving birth to the most ferocious being. Their ancestors had exhausted their resources, trying to create an unprecedented fierce beast. Unfortunately, they were defeated before they could succeed and Shamanism in the Northwest began its decline ever since.
He had always thought it the deed of the Buddhists, but had found a Taoist jade plate when he examined the body just then. It seemed the two religions had joined hands back then...
The archmage looked at the altar and for a moment there, he was overwhelmed by all sorts of emotions. He had no idea what thing was created here. The ancient books only mentioned it by a name, and a peculiar one: Ghostly Bug.
Ghostly Bug took the form of an insect, had six legs and four wings, and would bring great drought when it was released!
One of the mages went up to him and asked, "Archmage, what are we going to do now?"
"Remove the bones and put them in one place. Watch over the ghostly men. Let them go up there."
"Yes!"
The group promptly carried out his order. The dozen broken or intact skeletons were cleared away, revealing the altar in the center. Twelve columns stood on the altar, carved with black patterns on one side and ghostly faces the other—the latter faced the pool of liquid.
There was a small platform at the forefront, which was where the ritual would be performed.
"Dang!"
Several mages held chime stones made of bones on their palms and struck them with small white-headed hammers. Twelve ghostly men let out a hoarse, low growl and slowly climbed onto the altar, each standing by a column.
A few men then walked up to them and tied them tightly onto the columns. They then cut the ghostly men on their chests and took a few drops of green blood from each.
The archmage took over the bowl, cut himself, then dropped in his own black blood. He closed his eyes after that. Seeing this, the five mages immediately retreated to stand behind him, where they waited in silence.
The archmage's lips moved slightly as he chanted an ancient spell. He then turned the bowl upside down, pouring the mixture of green and black blood into the pool.
The liquid inside was very thick and of a muddy color, reminding one of a gelatinous soup. Once the blood was poured in, the liquid bubbled almost right away.
The red and black energy circled slowly, then gathered together and expanded. In the end, they formed a whirlpool in the air.
"..."
The archmage opened his flickering red eyes and kept on chanting.
"Rumble!"
"Boom!"
The whirlpool was turning faster and faster, joining with the pool, the later sibilant like boiling water. The other members felt their legs quiver but forced themselves to stand still as they watched the mountain wall shaking as if the world was going to collapse on them.
"Splash!"
All of a sudden, two long, thick, tentacle-like things erupted out of the water.
Seconds later, there came an even louder splash!
The liquid parted and the tentacles rose abruptly, bringing out a gigantic head. It was reddish-brown in color and densely covered with spines. A pair of compound eyes composed of tens of thousands little eyes grew on either side of the head and nearly took up half of its face.
It had no nose and a very protruding mouth was below the eyes. They could clearly make out four pairs of mouthparts and the serrated sharp blades that grew on its chin.
"..."
The moment the head of the Ghostly Bug emerged, hush fell over the group. All were soaked wet in sweat and so scared that they might go mad.
"A-archmage…" said someone in a quavery voice.
"Don't panic! We continue!"
He made a pressing gesture with much difficulty and resumed his chanting.
"Splash!"
The thousand-year-old spell reached the pool and the head twisted slightly. Its gray eyes turned red, then it opened its mouth.
"Pop!"
"Roar!"
Twelve ghostly men screamed in unison. They bodies could not stand the external pressure and their blood gushed out, breaking through their skin. The blood gathered into twelve streaks of green fluid, which then flowed into the hideous giant mouth.
"Clatter…clatter…"
The group dared not even move a finger, yet their teeth were chattering uncontrollably. They were now fully aware of the utter terror one would feel in the face of a higher form of life. To this savage beast, they were nothing but ants, ready to be squashed in any second.
'Are we really able to control it?'
That idea was ringing in the heads of more than one person.
"Pop!"
The twelve ghostly men were sucked dry of their flesh and blood in a matter of seconds, leaving behind shriveled empty shells of skin still tied to the columns. The Ghostly Bug twisted again. A hint of bewilderment, helplessness, and anger crept onto its face.
It almost reminded them of an ill-fed child that did not know how to vent its frustration, which was the most creepy scene.
Whoosh! The red eyes flickered back to gray and the head sank a little, ready to hide back into the pool.
"We need more sacrifice! Give it more!"
The archmage was the first to realize this and yelled at the top of his lungs.
"We don't have any sacrifice left!" a mage replied.
"We don't? How is that possible?"
He turned to look and his gaze happened to land on a sect member, who stumbled back ashen-faced and pleaded, "No, Archmage, please don't— ah!"
A force made the man lunge forward suddenly and the archmage clutched him in his hands. The man was then cut on the chest and tossed into the pool with a plop.
"Whish!"
The Ghostly Bug smelled food and promptly jabbed its mouthparts into his body. The man became a mummy in no time.
"Hahaha! The painstaking effort of the past generations cannot be ruined in my hands! We are almost there!"
The archmage was on the verge of going insane as he yelled, "Where is everyone? I need more sacrifices!"
He reached out with both hands and tossed the surviving half dozen underlings into the pool.
They were not as "appetizing" as the ghostly men, but they still had the ghostly Yin energy in them from practicing the occult skills. The Ghostly Bug drained them all in half a heartbeat and raised itself a little higher up, exposing a small section of its body.
It was also reddish-brown and had a flat and wide shape. There appeared to be four pairs of wings on its back.
The archmage was using the right method, only that he had forgotten one thing: the ghostly men he refined were nothing compared to those made in the ancient time. He might have the ghostly men, but the quality was too poor to fill the stomach of that savage beast.
Seeing that the Ghostly Bug stopped moving again, the archmage turned his gaze abruptly towards the five mages.
"For the glory of our ancestors!"
Mages were much higher in their status and were firmer in their faith at the same time. Immediately, three mages volunteered, cut their chests themselves, and jumped into the pool.
"Squeak!"
The thing screeched with excitement once it absorbed the much more concentrated Yin ghost energy and rose further out of the pool.
The remaining two mages were not as brave. They shook their heads and pleaded, "I'll get some more men in. Aren't they outside guarding the entrance? I'll get them here right away!"
"Right away? It's time for your own sacrifice now…"
The archmage looked as gloomy as a ghost himself. He was about to grabbed the two when he turned abruptly, shouting, "Who's there?"
***
"Wow, that was some major scene!"
A man and a woman flew down from the upper cavern and landed softly. The man said with amazement, "Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I'd think I've travelled back in time."
"Gu Yu, I knew it was you!"
The archmage fought back his anger and calmed himself down. He had pretty much guessed it, for only a handful of people were capable enough to get into the mountain, and among those, that Gu person was the most likely.
"You know who I am? Oh, you're with Zhang Wei, aren't you?"
Gu Yu did not think much of it and looked around. The Ghostly Bug caught his attention right away. Instantly, an overbearing power even he could not withstand rushed towards him.
His stomach lurched. The beast these people had brought out was so savage that the world would be in chaos should it be let out.
"Humph!" The archmage did not answer his question but only said, "It's good you've come. After I take you two down, I'll feed you to it. That should suffice."
"That was a bold state— Why, you're of innate state?"
Gu Yu was taken by surprise. The energy he sensed from the man was definitely one of the innate state, only that the foundation was unsteady. Either he had just broken through, or he had used some unorthodox shortcut.
"Bwahaha! How hard could reaching the innate state be? Let me show you what I can do!"
The archmage waved his bone staff and the humongous ghostly head flew out. Immediately after that, he threw out ten ghostly imps. The ghostly creatures formed a small army as they roared and pounced at Gu Yu and Long Qiu.
Seeing this, Long Qiu was going to release the Golden Silkworm. However, as she activated her mental power, she got no response for the undead insect.
"Brother, Golden Silkworm is not moving!" she called out in surprise, but soon came to realization. "That thing has probably suppressed it."
"Don't worry. Let me deal with the big guy. You be careful!" Gu Yu cautioned her and strode forward. With a series of popping sounds, thirty-five Flaming Cloud Needles materialized around him.
With a wave, the needles turned into a flaming dragon, which flew at the ghostly head wrapped in scarlet flames, sounding as if its roars could reach the highest heaven.
"Growl!"
The ghostly head refused to show any weakness. It opened its mouth widely, puffing out a lump of black fog.
It was the purest energy of Yin ghost, which would erode any ordinary object completely once it made contact. The black fog expanded, filling a small area in the air; the flaming dragon was immediately devoured after it dived in headlong. However, moments later, the dragon dashed out with a banging sound.
"Boom!"
The two magical instrument clashed and the flaming dragon proved to be the stronger one. After being pierced through, the ghostly head was visibly weakened.
Xiao Qiu was wielding her long sword on the other side. Green light was flashing as she fought against the ghostly imps. Seeing this, the two mages forgot about their little conflict just then and joined the fighting.
"Roar!"
Up in the air, the red and the black wrangled and flew all over the place. It was almost too dazzling to watch.
The Flaming Cloud Needles were made from the green jade of Tianshan and had been refined for 49 days with the spiritual essence of Huo Zhou. Their power and fierceness was unparallelled. Powerful as the ghostly face might be, it stood no chance in fighting against the needles.
Skill was not concerned in such fights. All that mattered was the absolute strength.
"Phoenix Mountain is indeed worthy of its name. Hehe…"
The ghostly face was steadily losing its ground, but the archmage did not seem to worry at all, as if he still had a thing or two up in his sleeves. He croaked out a laughter and moved swiftly, suddenly disappeared into the air.
'Hm?'
Gu Yu was still wondering where the man had gone when the ghostly face's eyes started glowing with red light, which was coming from deep inside the head. The glow grew brighter, as if something was going to explode.
He backed away immediately, watching out for its next move.
Momentarily, the eyes radiated with a red color, shooting out something halfway between steam and light, which ripped through the air. The next second, the red light reached Gu Yu and fluctuated, faintly showing the image of the archmage.
It was the most profound occult skill existing in the northeast branch: fuse one's own physical body into the ghostly face and one could switch between the physical and illusionary forms, enabling one constant changes.
"I actually thought you had reached the innate state back there. So, you've given yourself this miserable look by wasting your life expectancy and vital essence."
Gu Yu spotted the nature of this trick right away and was even relaxed enough to add in a sarcastic comment.
The red light turned into a shadow, wrapping Gu Yu inside. Instantly, he felt his mental force stirring as something was forcing its way in, as if trying to attack his mind directly.
"..."
A weird smile flashed across his eyes. 'Trying my mental force? You? Seriously?'
If nothing else, the essence-consuming method was next to nothing in terms of training and accumulating one's vital essence. He had full confidence in the amount of his spiritual essence and the capability of his mental force.
"Boom!"
Activating his mental force, Gu Yu turned his Boundless State illusion full on and the next second: K.O.
"What?"
The archmage did not see that coming. In utter horror, he realized he was losing consciousness. Then, everything turned dark.
***
"Ah! Ah!"
Two screams made the archmage turn his head. The two mages had fallen into the pool and were drained by the Ghostly Bug. Fully fed, the big guy was now completely out of the pool, revealing its entire body as tall as a small mountain.
It had six long legs, four pairs of pointed wings, and was reddish-brown from head to toe. There was something absolutely savage about it.
"It, it…"
He was shivering all over and the will to fight had completely abandoned him. He could only watch as the Ghostly Bug flew into the air, stared at him as if looking at an ant, and sucked with it mouthparts.
"Aaaaaaah!"
It was his turn to scream now. His skin, flesh and blood, bones, internal organs, nerves—every bit of him was overwhelmed by an unbearable tearing sensation.
***
"Aaaaaaah!"
Inside the cavern, a cloud of red light gradually grew bigger and returned to its human form, which was struggling violently at Gu Yu's feet.
"Run!"
Seeing their boss had been nailed within seconds, the two mages were petrified and turned to flee.
"You wish!"
Xiao Qiu soon caught up with them and finished the two with a few flashes of green light. Around her, the ten ghostly imps had all fallen to the ground.
"Good. Luckily, we won…"
Seeing that the enemies were annihilated, Gu Yu stumbled a little despite himself. The archmage had quite a strong mental force, defeating him had cost Gu Yu a great amount of energy.
He paid no more attention to the dying red light and turned to look at the Ghostly Bug alone.
The long absence of food was making the bug impatient. Its tentacles were swaying and it was going to sink back into the pool at any moment. This thing had not been formally refined with sacrifices since it was created by the Shamanic ancestors.
The liquid worked as the amniotic fluid. It would not leave the pool until it had eaten enough sacrifices to support a mature body and would remain dormant.
With the limited capability of the archmage, he wouldn't be able to control this thing even if he had managed to get it out of the pool, so he would die either way.
Gu Yu did not know about that, but he had common sense.
Villains died from talking too much and heroes from being foolishly naive… when every evil creature was crawling the land and devils descended on earth, the hero obviously had the opportunity to stop them, but would make some idiotic mistake and miss the chance, paying for it with the life of a male or female back-up.
Luckily, Gu Yu was not a hopeless fool.
Flaming Cloud Needles!
A flaming dragon circled in the air and dived, crashing onto the altar like a bomb. With a blast, broken stones flew everywhere and most of the twelve columns collapsed, along with a large chunk of the altar.
"..."
The Ghostly Bug had yet to gain intelligence and still looked muddled, but the explosion still made it jump.
The two gray compound eyes turned red and switched back to gray again, as if trying to carve the man into its memory. Finally, drowsiness took over it and the big head tilted. The bug sank slowly back into the pool.
"..."
Gu Yu felt his heart skip a beat at the stare. He was secretly having a headache again. The grudge from an enemy of such power was the least thing one could hope for.
The fight did not take long but was very energy-consuming. Even he was feeling exhausted. He staggered around and saw that the archmage had been devoured by the illusion, leaving behind a puddle of mush only.
"Why, what are those?"
The sharp-eyed Long Qiu pushed the clothes aside with the tip of her sword and removed a few objects from within. There were a scroll, a bone plate, and a jade plate.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-38.png){kind=small}
Chapter 238: Back In Town
Source: Qidian International
Flaming Mountain.
In a shallow ditch close to the entrance of the cavern lay a dozen newly built stone graves. There were no name plates and they were made of rubble crudely piled up together.
Gu Yu unplugged a gourd. Holding up his sleeve in one hand while pouring with the other, he splashed the amber-colored spiritual liquor around the graves, adding a ceremonial taste to this primitive and rough memorial ritual.
"Of the Seniors' name and the sects you belonged to, I know nothing. What I do know is, you all faced death bravely thousands of years ago. From where you lie in peace today, I hope you will be relieved to see the brilliant world as it is…"
After the brief speech, Gu Yu found a long stone and wiped across the surface. As stone powder rustled down, the stone was smooth and even. He then carved three large words with his finger: Zhen Mo 1 Valley.
He then placed it upright at the entrance of the ditch and called out, "Let's go!"
"Coming!"
Long Qiu followed, lovely as she always was. She was constantly looking back at the shallow ditch and the sealed entrance. The battle was still fresh in her memory, yet they were already on their way back. For a moment there, she felt dazed.
With the obliteration of the archmage and his men, the Ghostly Bug resumed its dormancy at the bottom of the pool. The big one was unparalleled in its strength and Gu Yu was fully aware that he was no match for it.
With the current cultivation environment, the mere existence of this thing was a system bug. Releasing it would be like unleashing a max level player into the novice village.
Therefore, they had no other choice but inform the government, making it someone else's problem. Although Gu Yu did not think the government would know how to deal with this thing, either. Bombing the place could easily cause an eruption of Flaming Mountain and should the fire spiritual essence go wild again, well, that would be quite a handful...
They had found over twenty skeletons in the underground cavern. The Shamanic ones they tossed right away and the rest they buried. Apart from the three objects from the archmage, they had found another two jade slips, making it five in total.
To be honest, Gu Yu and Xiao Qiu had never expected to run into such wretched business before embarking on this trip.
Neither stopping the Ghostly Bug from coming out nor exterminating most of the combat crew of the northwest branch meant much to them. From a pragmatic aspect, those five objects were much more valuable.
***
"Oh my gosh, you're finally out!"
Yang Di trotted out of the army outpost of Huagou Town as if he was going to hug Gu Yu. His arms were halfway outstretched when he came to his senses and ran swiftly to Gu Yu with an ingratiating smile. "I told them you would be all right. See? Nothing has happened to you, right?"
"What are you doing here instead of staying in the town?" Gu Yu was surprised to see him here.
"That lousy place sucks! They don't even have karaoke there. Plus, you've gone in and I have to wait on you around the clock!"
'Tsk!'
Gu Yu could not be bothered to reply Yang Di's sweet talk and only asked, "Anything happened while we were away?"
"Nothing major. Only that those big birds came again. Luckily, the army was prepared and defeated the birds."
"Again?"
Gu Yu was taken by surprise. That was rather frequent. Maybe this would become a regular activity now.
The three hopped onto the jeep and soon returned to the town. The soldiers were all eyeing them with an excitement hard to describe, as if they were all fighting back their impulse to ask for gossip.
The senior colonel even came out to greet them himself with a grin. "Mr. Gu, Miss Long, you must be tired from the trip! I've had dishes set out for you to welcome you back."
"Haha, you're too considerate."
The two accepted the invitation willingly. Their menu on the mountain had consisted of chaff pancakes and spiritual wine—a most unconventional diet, that was.
Hence, everyone gathered in the canteen and ate. Only after several rounds of drinking and much savoring of the dishes did the senior colonel asked tentatively, "So, Mr. Gu, any changes inside?"
"The environment has been recovering rapidly. Animals and plants have already shown up and the fire spiritual essence was very stable. I don't think it will break out again any time soon. I've taken some samples back with me, you can study them."
"Thanks so much!"
It would be a merit attributed to him; naturally, the senior colonel was happy to hear that. He reciprocated right away. "Regarding the information sharing plan you suggested earlier, I've handed in the report and the superiors have given their official reply together with some preliminary suggestions."
With that, he passed over a file.
Gu Yu took it and saw a line written across the file cover, which read "Construction Plan of Cultivation Information-sharing Platform".
Gu Yu was secretly full of derision. The authorities would always be the authorities. An old dog simply could not alter its way of barking. Every time he saw such gibberish-dressed-in-a-uniform, he would feel his headache coming back.
"Well, Mr. Gu… Are there any other discoveries other than the animals and plants?" The senior colonel posed another question.
"Let me put things into order and we'll talk tomorrow."
"I see. No problem!"
The senior colonel was a smart man. Form the way Gu Yu put it, he immediately realized there was something much more complicated and closed the subject.
***
After dinner, it was getting quite late and the two were brought to their rooms.
It was Xiao Qiu's first field trip and she was already involved in such a major event. Once she relaxed after coming back, fatigue caught up and she went to bed early. Gu Yu sat by a lamp in his own room, took out the five objects, and arranged them in a line.
One delicate human skin scroll: 10 cm in height and slightly yellowed.
One immaculate bone plate as white as jade: square-shaped, about the size of two mahjong pieces, and with a ghostly face carved on it.
A round jade plate, glittering and translucent like ice and inscribed with a Yin-Yang fish and cloud patterns.
And two jade slips of the same slender shape.
He picked up the scroll first and unfolded it. The page was thickly covered with ancient texts, illustration of mountains and terrains, as well as drawings of human bodies.
"Sigh, slacker students suck at everything."
He heaved a sigh, carefully took pictures of the scroll, and sent them to his girlfriend for translation.
He then picked up the bone plate and tentatively inserted a streak of spiritual essence. Immediately after that, the bone plate started giving off heat in waves, apparently appalled by his act.
He pulled the spiritual essence out right away. Instead, he separated a streak of his mental force and carefully worked his way in. It worked this time. In the bone plate was an occult skill known by the archmage alone, which was that curious ability of switching between physical and shadow form called "Shadow-switching Technique".
"Well…"
Gu Yu recalled his battle against the archmage. The fellow had disappeared into the thin air and shot out of the eyes of the ghostly face as a red beam, which could attack one's mind directly.
Had it not been for his own mighty mind power, he would not have been able to defeat the man.
"The light turns into shadow and the shadow turns back to light. It can even make mental attacks. That was quite something…" Gu Yu murmured to himself. Suddenly, his face lit up. He could try to integrate it into his conjuring skill and see how that would go.
'Tsk, tsk, tsk!'
Old Gu grew interested in that idea. He carefully put the bone plate away and picked up the jade plate.
He probed with his mental power again. Boom! A sea of information rushed into his mind, muddling his head. He took it in little by little and only opened his eyes after a long time.
Systematically speaking, what was recorded inside could be summarized into a scripture, which was called "Book on the State of Mind of Black Bead".
According to the passage "On Nature" of "Zhuangzi", "The Yellow Emperor lost his black bead when he was travelling in the north of Chishui River. He sent Lizhu to find it for him, but Lizhu failed. The emperor then sent Xiangwang, who retrieved the bead for him."
The black bead represented the "Dao" of Taoism. However, as the teachings were divided in later years, Waidan division rendered the term as mercury only, whereas Neidan practitioners used it to refer to "Neidan".
From what was recorded in the jade plate, the black bead here was interpreted in its earliest meaning. In plain terms, the title meant "my lessons learned during cultivation".
The owner of the jade plate was called Yue Zhenzi, a cultivator from the Tang Dynasty. He was by no means a famous figure, but his master was known far and wide: the renowned Celestial Master of his time, Ye Fashan!
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-39.png){kind=small}
Chapter 239: Reminder
Source: Qidian International
Ye Fashan came from a famous family originated in Nanyang and he himself was a resident of Mao 1 Mountain Songyang. Reportedly, he was born during the reign of the Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, in year 12 of Daye 2 and passed away without suffering from any diseases in the 10th year of Kaiyuan of Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty. He was said to have ascended to heaven and become an Immortal.
His past four generations of ancestors had all been Taoist priests and he had surpassed all his forefathers in his talent, attaining distinction and eminence. During the reigning periods of Emperors Gaozong and Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, he became such an exceptional figure he was made the chief minister of the court for state ceremonial events and granted the title the Duke of Yue. He was recognized as the Taoist leader of his time.
Ye Fashan belonged to no sect. He had learned Taoist techniques from several sects including Lingbao, Dongyuan, Jingming, etc., and established his own teachings by learning widely from others. He was followed by numerous disciples and had passed down another line of legacy through his biological family. The descendants of the Ye Family had settled down later both in Nanyang and Songyang.
There were two famous stories about him.
The first one took place when Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was admiring the lanterns at the night of the Lanterns Day. The city of Chang'an was so lit up by all the lumination that the night was almost turned into day. The emperor summoned Ye Fashan, who commented, "In terms of the splendor of lanterns, Chang'an is the most resplendent and Liang Zhou the second."
Xuanzong was intrigued and wanted to see it with his own eyes. The Celestial Master asked him to close his eyes and took him flying into the clouds. Moments later, they landed on solid land and the emperor saw lanterns and candles stretched out for miles on end. The streets were filled with precious horses and fragrant carriages; streams of people came and went busily—he was standing right in the night fair of Liang Zhou 3 .
The other story, which told about the Celestial Master taking Xuanzong up to the palace of the moon and enjoying the music of the immortals there, was more famous. Xuanzong managed to learn the tune by heart so that he could bring the music back, which was where the Melody of Rainbow and Feather Garment came from.
Ye Fashan and Lin Lingsu of the Shenxiao Sect were rare examples of Taoist priests getting involved in politics. Ye also proposed the marginalization of Buddhism, but his actions were not as extreme as Lin Lingsu's. He mainly competed against the Buddhist community with his talent and kept fighting on...
All in all, his status was as high as that of Sa Shoujian and was indeed the Celestial Master of his time.
As for Yue Zhenzi, the disciple of Ye's disciple might have been out here to see the world or for any other random reason. Whatever that might be, the fact was that he had broken through this Shamanic altar with an eminent monk and died an honorable death in this underground cavern.
A thousand years later, the jade plate fell into Gu Yu's hands. Life worked wonders, after all.
The content of the "Book on the State of Mind of Black Bead" was extensive and profound, covering all aspects. It not only recorded Yue Zhenzi's thoughts in his own cultivation, but also mentioned a lot of secret history of the Taoist community, as well as some Taoist teachings, skills, and anecdotes.
It was impossible for Gu Yu to sort it out in one night. He had to put it aside and wait until he went back home, where he could study it together with Xiaozhai in bed.
Right after that, he picked up the last two objects—the jade slips. From their style, it appeared that they were recording media widely used by cultivators of the ancient times.
He was pleasantly surprised again. In them were several simple yet practical Taoist skills.
These five objects were unexpected gains on this trip. Gu Yu carefully put them away and was about to check up on his girlfriend when Xiaozhai's call came in.
"The middle section was too complicated and I didn't read much of it. I have translated the beginning and the newly added part at the end. I'll run it through briefly…" Xiaozhai skipped the small talk and cut to the chase. "Shamanism collapsed at the end of the Qing Dynasty and has been hiding among the common folk for the past decades. When our modern country was established, someone gathered all those still hanging on to the belief and officially set up the religion. There are four branches at the moment—northeast, northwest, north of Gobi, and south of Gobi. Each branch is led by an archmage, who is followed by four levels of members, namely mages, principals, common followers, and the peripheral personnel. It is a close-knit organization that has infiltrated the society from multiple aspects—political, economical, cultural... you name it. They have managed to seize some considerable authoritative power.
The man you took out was called Rusul, the archmage of the northwestern branch. This division believed in stuff like spirits of death and evil spirits. They have quite a lot of occult skills on exploiting human bodies. That drawing of the human body is a refinement method of some sort.
The four branches work differently and so do their occult skills, but the scroll did not go into details on that. The diagram of mountains should be a map of some sort. Fatso Wang was right. Their ancestors have raised a Ghostly Bug on Flaming Mountain and that thing is at least an Immortal-state creature. It is born with some remarkable ability and will cause a great drought if it were to be released. Thank god you've sabotaged their action, or the world would face calamities… that's what I've got so far. I'll look more into it later."
Immortal… that thing was as incredible as that?
Gu Yu was greatly shaken by that. He had not even reached the Human Immortal state yet, so that meant the Ghostly Bug was at least two great states more advanced than he was?
He calmed himself before asking, "Was there a detailed description on that summoner?"
"Nope."
"What about the general layout of the four branches?"
"The answer's no again…" Xiaozhai paused a little and said, "I can only deduce from what's between the lines. The northwestern branch should include Xichui Province, Qingning Province, and Longxi Province—possibly Tanggute as well. I'm not sure about the branches north and south of Gobi. As for the northeast, Wula Province must be part of it."
"How could you be so sure?"
"Because my master has fought these men before," replied Xiaozhai.
"..."
Gu Yu fell silent. No wonder she had always held an enmity against Shamanism and had worked hard to study their ancient language.
Wula Province was next to Liaodong Province and the two were both part of the four provinces outside Shanhai Pass where Changbai Mountain lay. Something must have happened to her sect, but she had kept it to herself this entire time and mentioned nothing about her master.
Gu Yu himself held no grudge against Shamanism at first, but a feud was started after Zhang Wei made his appearance. Now that he had stumbled upon them and took out the northwestern branch in the process, they were officially archenemies now.
The two talked a bit longer before Gu Yu hung up.
He sat at the table, deep in thoughts. Then, all of a sudden, he picked up a pen and jotted down a few paragraphs on a piece of paper. Looking out of the window, he realized that the sun was rising.
He decided to skip sleep and sat quietly on the bed, ready to consume the essence of the early morning.
***
"Mr. Gu, did you sleep well?"
"Yes, it was very quiet."
"Haha, my troops have high standards of discipline. We've been stationed here for months and received zero complaints from the local folks."
The following morning, the senior colonel came to pick them up in person and accompanied them to the canteen for breakfast. They were guarding the front line here and the nearest city was Gulmud, which was over 400 km away, yet both cities were within Xihai Prefecture territory. Someone of the Central Plains could never comprehend the scale of distance out here.
Luckily, the logistic service was excellent, which could be seen from the food. For breakfast, there were noodles with shredded meat, eggs, a variety of salted vegetables—the menu covered pretty much everything.
"Mr. Gu, are you going back today?" the senior colonel asked.
"Yes, I'll be on my way."
"In that case, let me arrange your transportation. We'll drive you directly to Xiping Airport. It'll be faster that way."
"Thank you. That's very considerate of you."
Gu Yu did not turn down the offer. He had a few sips of the porridge, then took up his own solid food, nipped off some, and passed it to the senior colonel. "Try this."
"Well…"
The senior colonel looked closely at it. He was from a peasant family himself and had had his fair share of starving days. This food was no stranger to him—it was a chaff pancake. He hesitated a little, but still took it in his hand and gave it a nibble.
The chaff pancake had a roughish texture, but turned sweet as rice would once mixed with the saliva and melt in the mouth. The pleasant sweetness seemed to contain a miraculous energy that was fuelling his body rapidly.
"..."
The senior colonel was no fool. He turned his gaze upon Gu Yu involuntarily, trying to express his gratitude but knowing not what to say. He finally decided to say nothing, but took a few large bites instead.
Gu Yu never liked the government officials, but was quite fond of the army men. After the senior colonel finished the pancake, Gu Yu handed him a piece of paper. "I know who your superior is. You'd better give it to him yourself."
"What is it?"
The senior colonel took a look and his face turned white. On it was the origin of Shamanism, its general organizational structure, as well as a description of its characteristics and a brief introduction of the skills and methods.
Being in the army made the man all the more sensitive to such information. Because of certain domestic policies on the ethnic groups, many places were… well, there's no need to go into details.
"I mentioned it to Mu Qun last time, but he said too much would be at stake and dared not make any reckless moves. I couldn't care less about politics, but I hate to see the environment go haywire. If you ask me, you guys should crush them with a decisive iron fist and show no mercy."
"I will deliver the message myself! You have my word!"
The senior colonel nodded eagerly. He then folded the paper several times before putting it into an inside pocket.
Gu Yu's unspoken words couldn't be more obvious: if you guys would do nothing and those people brought their bullshit to Shengtian, then I would no longer be this considerate—I'd kill anyone I see fit.
Before long, they finished their breakfast and left the canteen. They were just out of the door when someone approached them, all bubbly and buoyant. It was none other than Yang Di, who had been waiting there for long.
"Old Immortal, you can't leave me like this!" He wrapped himself tightly around Gu Yu's lap, his howling ear-splitting. "I have worked my a*s off in bringing you here and I did everything you asked without a word of complaint! I even waited for you in this lousy place, never ever thinking about leaving! You have to take me in as your pupil! You have to! Or I'll smash my head in right here in front of you!"
Old Immortal?
Gu Yu felt the corner of his mouth twitching. "You'd better stay here in Xihai and live your decent live. If destiny would allow it, we will meet again."
"You can't leave me behind, hey— ah!"
Yang Di was about to lunge at Gu Yu again but was fixed on the spot by a gentle force, unable to even move a finger. He could only watch as Gu Yu and Xiao Qiu got on an army vehicle and left promptly.
The fellow was indeed a remarkable figure. He lowered his eyes and burst into tears.
"..."
The senior colonel watched him from aside and remained untouched—he even had an impulse to laugh.
He patted Yang Di on the shoulder. "There, be content. You have spent time with Mr. Gu, which is a great more than a lot of people could hope for. You're much more privileged in that sense."
'Wow!'
Hearing that, the man turned the idea in his head and his tears dried up right away. "You're right! He's testing me! Han Zhongli tested Lü Dongbin ten times before accepting him and Immortal Gu will do the same to Yang Di now! Hahaha! I mustn't give up!"
"Sigh..."
The senior colonel looked at the man as if he was looking at an idiot. He shook his head and left.
***
"The liquor's ready!"
At Gao Mingde's call, Guo Fei, Li Dong, and Zhang Qianqiu pushed upwards together with their arms.
"Bang!"
The lid of the steamer bucket was jammed open, spewing out the hot steam inside, which mixed into the vapid already filling the room, raising the temperature even higher. The four men's faces were dripping despite only wearing a thin sleeveless top each. Their faces were full of excitement.
Especially Li Dong and Zhang Qianqiu, who were newer to the job and only seeing the liquor for the first time. They were especially struck by the intense aroma of the liquor, so much so that one felt intoxicated by the smell alone. Gao Mingde scooped a little out with a gourd ladle and tasted it. Smacking his lips, the old man seemed very satisfied.
Now that the late-sowed rice of Phoenix Mountain had been harvested, their estimated yield turned out to be pretty accurate. They had about 1100 kg more rice now, which would give them another 100 kg of chaff.
15 kg of liquor could be made for every 50 kg of chaff, which was not very high a usage rate. But there were only so few people on Phoenix Mountain and with what they had already brewed, there was now over 150 kg, which could probably last the four for the next decade.
"Oh my, the liquor this time smells amazing! Uncle Gao, you're getting really good at this."
With a creak, the wooden door was pushed open and Xiaojin walked into the room. She immediately saw the other two guys and was surprised. "Why are you here?"
"Um, we, we…"
Li Dong panicked right away. He couldn't help it—his past experience with the girl had simply been traumatizing!
"Oh, I asked them to come in for help. They're all good lads." Gao Mingde felt sorry for the jittery young man and tried to mediate.
"..."
Xiaojin gave him a half smile and did not press on. She then took out the big gourd, starting to collect the liquor. Li Dong and Zhang Qianqiu held their eyes wide open, staring at the process that went completely against the laws of physics and became all the more reverent.
The gourd was soon filled up.
She did not leave right away, but gave it a little thought and gave the gourd a little pat. A thin streak of liquid flew out of the gourd, flowing into a jar on the table.
Xiaojin filled the jar and smiled. "You've all been working hard lately. This jar is a gift. Don't drink too much. I'm not getting blamed if you get sick."
Buzz!
With that, the four men inside and all the onlooking crowd erupted with joy.
"Thank you, Miss Jin!"
"Thank you, Miss Jin!"
"Wow, we're getting a treat today!"
The crowd rejoiced like blooming flowers. They had always wanted to taste it, but were never qualified apart from Gao Mingde and Guo Fei.
After Xiaojin left, a dozen people rushed in, all talking at the same time.
"Old Man Gao, where's the bowl? Give me a bowl!"
"Don't dillydally! Just pour the liquor!"
"Yeah, pour it already!"
"..."
Li Dong and Zhang Qianqiu gave them a sideway look. They wanted to try it as well, but disdained to beg for a petty reward as if they were waiting on an emperor. These two were highly educated men and had never had much in common with the rest on a daily basis. There were also polarized concerns between the two groups.
The fruit and tea growers would work diligently enough so that they themselves and their offsprings would receive the benefits. However, what these two wanted was to rise in their status, make the best use of their capability, become part of the managerial level, and even find a master and become cultivators.
What one could do depended on what sort of people they were. Those more capable would naturally be allotted with more responsibilities.
Meanwhile, Gao Mingde had brought out some small bowls and poured a little liquor into each. Those got the bowl tilted their heads and downed the liquid in no time.
Wow!
The moment the warm liquor was in their stomach, they all exhaled hot steam. Some broke into a fine sweat, some flushed, while others' eyes went glassy… all in all, everyone looked happy and refreshed.
"Gosh, you losers. You'd get lost in your own woman's bed… Why, what are you waiting for?"
After sneering at the crowd, Gao Mingde realized someone else had been left out and beckoned the two young ones near.
The two went up two him and each drank a bowl. Maybe because they were less fit, the liquor took them harder. Zhang Qianqiu was barely keeping his legs by leaning into a table. Li Dong had always been a chubby otaku and his plump body swayed as he almost passed out.
Gao Mingde held him up right away and scolded, "Go sit down over there. You young fellows are even weaker than an old man like me!"
"..."
The pair respected the old man a lot and sat down promptly on the chairs. They were losing control of their own minds, which were taking a rocket as if they were high on drugs.
As they drifted on, they were partially aware of the discussion going on around them.
"Why, Miss Jin looked happy today."
"Yeah, I saw her all smiling this morning. I wonder what's that about."
"You people are as good as deaf. Hear me out: Mr. Gu and Miss Qiu are coming back."
"Oh my, really? With Miss Qiu back, our good old days are back again…"
"Mr. Gu, Miss Qiu…"
The conversation mixed into the euphoric state Li Dong and Zhang Qianqiu were in and for a moment there, those two names, whose owners they had never met before, almost sounded as faraway as from another world.
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Chapter 240: All Roads Lead To The Great Dao (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
December, Da Xue 1 .
Thanks to global warming, the climate had gone haywire in the past decade or so. The summers were sweltering hot and the winters barely cold. Take Shengtian as an example. Even as recent as twenty years ago, days with temperatures of t wenty or thirty degrees below zero 2 were commonly found, not to mention its reputation of being the "bitter cold place beyond Shanhai Pass" in ancient times.
And now? The average temperature of the winter the year before last was -16 to -3 C 3 . How hopeless was that?
Starting from last year, however, maybe the spiritual essence was having a stronger effect on the climate, but the temperatures were getting normal again: summers were hotter and winters were colder.
"Ha…"
Zhang Qianqiu stood at the entrance of the courtyard, rubbed his hand together, and exhaled a mouthful of white steam, which lingered in the air for a bit before it slowly dissipated.
He wrapped his cotton-padded clothes tighter and took in the view: covered with silver ice and snow, the branches turned into a sea of white jade while the freezing creek flowed past outside. And there were also the deserted winding stone paths, which made the picture all the bleaker.
How time flew. He and Li Dong had been here for twelve days already. Right now, he was not where he lived, but in the workshop, which he visited whenever he could. By now, he had become quite familiar with Old Man Gao.
Gao Mingde was the eldest of the lot and a man of fine character. Without being explicitly appointed, he had become the leader of the group.
The old man was very content with everything now. Here on the mountain, he was treated nicely, his son had bought his own house, and he himself had been cured of his old ailments. There was nothing more he could hope for. He was even thinking about selling off all his chickens, ducks, and pigs, and asking his neighbors to keep an eye on his old courtyard so that he would not need to go back often.
Phoenix Mountain was fantastic! It was quiet, beautiful, good for his health, and he got to brew the liquor, which he liked more than anything else… more importantly, it was where the Immortals lived.
There were 16 men on the mountain now. They had probably passed some preliminary test, for every now and then, Miss Jin would bring food down here, or the spiritual liquor, spiritual rice, or some fruit.
There wasn't much and each person would only get a little, but everyone understood. The thing inside, that, well, that spiritual essence… their mortal bodies were simply not strong enough to withstand it.
Zhang Qianqiu and Li Dong had tasted enough to make them more decisive than ever to become pupils of the immortals. At the same time, they felt sorry for Yan Han: if only the man could hold on for a bit longer.
"Ha…"
Zhang Qianqiu exhaled another mouthful of white steam as he followed the stone path outside. Before he knew it, he was at the fork on the road.
A bluestone road, which could carry him all the way up the mountain, lay before him. On the opposite side was another small path that led directly to where the fruit growers lived. He hesitated. Should he return to the back mountain, or go over there for a visit?
As he pondered on, he sniffed and halted.
He had a very sharp nose, which had distinctively caught the faintest orchid fragrance. The fragrance drifted past him, together with two figures that almost seemed unreal.
Meanwhile, his ears caught a conversation.
"The snow is so heavy. I wonder what the valley looks like now. It must be beautiful."
"The temperature in the valley is kept at an even level, so everything will look the same as before."
"Brother, how come you're always a killjoy…"
Zhang Qianqiu raised his head and saw a man and a woman treading across the snowy mountain, their movements graceful and elegant. Almost in no time, the pair had gone up the cold mountain. The woman turned back and glanced casually, her eyes just happening to meet Zhang Qianqiu's. The next second, she had turned back and disappeared into the immense forest.
That one look was like a dreamy illusion, a hazy streak of moonlight, a startled autumn swan… it had been branded deeply into Zhang Qianqiu's mind.
Was that Miss Qiu?
***
"Xiao Qiu Qiu, I missed you sooooooooo much!"
Xiaojin wrapped herself around Long Qiu like a koala and rubbed her head against her little elder sister. "You were away for thirteen days. Won't your conscience hurt from abandoning us?"
"Aiya, leave me alone… we met some bad men and had a fight on Flaming Mountain. That's why we came back late."
Long Qiu pushed her away forcibly, but was smiling as she did it.
"Aaaaaaaaaaah! Fighting! I LOVE a fight! I'm going crazy stuck here on the mountain…"
Xiaojin entered a frenzied mode right away. Staring into certain fellow's eyes, she yelled, "Why did you not bring me along? Why didn't you? WHY?"
"Well, where's your sister?"
Gu Yu acted as if he could not see her.
"I've thrown her away! Go find her yourself!" Little Soap roared.
"In that case, I'll go get her myself."
Gu Yu shrugged. That Xiaozhai did not come out to greet them meant she could only be at one place. He walked around the Cottage of Pure Mind, a few rows of newly built houses, and a two-story wooden building, then headed straight for the training field on the northwest.
This place had changed a lot as well.
For one, the area was twice what it used to be and was now the size of a football pitch. It had to be expanded. Their training was ruining trees and houses so often that a smaller space was no longer enough for their skills.
An even gravel road had also been built, connecting the valley to the training field. The road elevated abruptly only at the intersection near the field by a dozen stairs. Two wooden houses were built on either side of the stairs as temporary resting rooms.
Gu Yu stood at the side of the training field and saw no one at the first glance. Only after looking closely did he realize Xiaozhai was sitting in the snow, her aura so natural that she was blending into the scene.
"Hoho…"
He deliberately crunched the snow as he approached slowly. It was only when he saw his girlfriend's eyelash quivering that he called out with a laughter, "Watch out!"
With a casual wave, a flaming dragon flew out, wuthering and roaring. The temperature surged in the area several meters around it, melting the thick snow instantly. But before the snow had time to turn into water, it was vaporized right away, revealing the dry soil beneath.
"..."
Xiaozhai opened her eyes and shook her open palm in return.
A streak of golden purple lightning as thick as a small wine cup boomed out of her palm, meeting the flaming dragon head on.
"Boom!"
The flaming dragon dissipated slightly, as if being shaken. The next moment, however, the red glow grew brighter, as if the dragon had opened its mouth, devouring the lightning one bite after another. Xiaozhai made no further moves. She only estimated the time and made a gesture with her right hand. The lightning then disappeared.
"The Metal Thunder is indeed as formidable as promised!" Gu Yu offered his admiration. He had exerted 70% of his power and she had managed to withstand it for quite a considerable time.
"The only thing is that it's too essence-consuming. Green Leaf is much convenient to use."
Xiaozhai rose to her feet and said, "As powerful as the Metal Thunder might be, the toughest is also prone to snapping under pressure and lacks change. I'm cultivating Water Thunder next. The two will complement each other, improving my strength."
"I'm looking forward to the day when you achieved perfection in all five thunders and can destroy the world with a snap of your fingers. I'd be able to stay at home and relax then." Gu Yu was not shy with his hope of living off his woman.
"Don't worry. It won't take long."
She walked to her boyfriend. Only then did she let the joy of reunion in her eyes show and smiled. "How did it go?"
"Horses only grow stronger with nighttime snacks and so do cultivators." Gu Yu shook his head and sighed affectedly. "Sigh, my Taoist heart is full of weakness at the moment. I'm in dire need to grab something."
"Tsk!" Xiaozhai could not be bothered with that tease and only replied, "Such a pity. I'd love to see that Ghostly Bug."
"We'll have enough time to catch it once we are accomplished enough."
"What's the fun in having everything ready. Surprise is exciting."
"Tsk, that's some dangerous thought you've got there…"
The two hands joined as the couple walked light-footed back to the valley, squabbling the entire time.
***
Night, in the meditation room.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai were both in loose wide-sleeved nightgowns as they sat down at the table, ready to organize what he had brought back from the trip. The human skin scroll, the bone plate, the jade plate, and the two jade slips were lined up on the table. Under the dim light, there was something solemn and mysterious about them.
They were joking about it when they collected the Seal of Patriarch Sa back then, but they were in that mood no more this time.
The current world was under an extreme shortage of Taoist skills and every piece they unearthed was of great importance not only to themselves, but to all cultivators out there as well. As the early starters, they were aware of the significance better than anybody else.
Xiaozhai picked up the bone plate first and inserted her mental force. She closed her eyes and opened them after a while. "I more or less know how this Shadow-Switching Technique works. How do you want to use it?"
The so-called shadow-switching was the ability to turn physical substance into visions and vice versa. The switch could take place both ways.
The "visions" were things that did not take up any physical space.
It could be in the form of light, air, shadow, or any intangible substance. The archmage, for instance, had turned into a streak of red light.
It was not one's primordial spirit, which was a separate being from the physical body. The vision was something transformed from one's physical body and its most remarkable ability was that it could attack the mind and spirit directly.
The archmage was a fake innate state man who had elevated himself forcibly at the cost of shortening his life. With his shaky foundation, there was no way he could have sufficient vital essence to support the technique. As a result, he was only able to carry it out at a limited level and had to exert its power through the ghostly face. Had he been able to master the technique, he would not have done so badly out there.
Now that she had asked, Gu Yu told her, "I want to combine it with my illusion."
"You want to go into an illusion?" Xiaozhai was surprised.
"Anything wrong with that?" He chuckled.
"Old Gu, I've never realized you're such an ambitious man. Why, are you trying to create a world of your own?"
"Nah, l'm not that good. Rather than going into an illusion myself, it's more accurate to say that I am trying to bring an illusion out into the reality. Just read what it says there: the physical substance and visions can be switched around. It never says it could only be a human being or one's own body. This teacup, for example…" He picked up a random cup from the table and said, "Can I make it disappear into thin air and reappear? Can I make an illusion real? Can I turn the reality into an illusion?"
"What you're suggesting…" Xiaozhai frowned, deep in her thoughts. A long while later, she continued, "Theoretically, it's doable. Sort of like a transforming skill."
Transforming skills had had a long history in Taoist teachings. Cultivators of the Qin and the Han Dynasties believed that Taoist skills were the miraculous methods of all sorts of transformations. They had divided transforming skills into three primary categories: heavenly transformations, physical transformations, and divine transformations.
By the time of the Jin Dynasty, there was a vast system of transforming skills.
According to "Introduction of Inner Chapters of Baopuzi", those very able cultivators could made their countenance forever changing. Puckering up their nose, they became an old man; crouching down, they were small children. A wooden stick in their hands became a grove in an instant and whatever they sowed bore edible fruit right away. They drew a line on the ground and it turned into a river; they pinched up some soil and it grew into a mountain. They could freely enter and exit places without a single crevice...
In the time of the Five Dynasties, the cultivator Tan Qiao wrote in the "Book on Transformations" that the fundament of transformations lay in the vital essence. When the vital essence was abundant, "One could manipulate Yin and Yang, stir winds and clouds, raise mountains, and make rivers flood."
Gu Yu would not be confined by the established rules and wanted to think outside the box. He was going to combine Shadow-Switching Technique with his conjured illusions and create a transforming skill of his own. One should admire his courage, but be very cautious with the practice itself.
"As for now—scratch that—as for the foreseeable future, you're definitely not going to be able to do that. What you imagined is more powerful than wonders. It can practically create a world with a single thought." Xiaozhai dampened his enthusiasm, but offered a smile all the same. "But, you'll have my full support should you decide to do it."
"Don't worry, I'm not going to reach for things beyond my grasp. One step at a time. I'll start from the switching of myself." Gu Yu chuckled.
With those said, they put aside the Shadow-Switching Technique for the time being and Xiaozhai picked up the jade plate.
She inserted her mental force and kept her eyes closed for a very, very long time. When she spoke again, she heaved a sigh. "This 'Book on the State of Mind of Black Bead' is indeed profound. It'll take us a while."
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Chapter 241: All Roads Lead To The Great Dao (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
Dawn was breaking in a breeze.
A thin line of rosy morning glow appeared from the distant sky, shining on the white mountainhead before reaching the green valley. The black and white outside set against the bright colors in the valley; the contrast made them seem like two different worlds, yet all shades were pleasant to the eye.
Xiao Qiu had started off early, sitting under the old tree consuming the essence of early morning. Her little face looked all the more lively under the morning sunlight. White fog twirled around her and the river was enshrouded in a mist that was spreading out gradually, luring the fish in the water to leap out and chase it.
"Ha…"
A good while later, when the sun had completely leapt out of the horizon, Long Qiu finished her exercise and rose to her feet. Looking up, she saw Xiaojin approaching from the direction of the training field.
Despite her indolence in her daily life, Xiaojin was incredibly diligent in her cultivation. She trotted happily near, snuggled up to Xiao Qiu, and asked, "Qiu Qiu, what are we having for breakfast?"
"Rice porridge, rice pancake, and pickled radish… Aiya, why are you clinging to me all the time?"
Long Qiu could not get rid of her and could only drag this human-sized pendant along.
"There are only the four of us here. Whom else can I cling to?" Xiaojin replied matter-of-factly, then added, "Thank God you're back. No one's cooking anything and I've been eating cucumbers for five days!"
"Haha, blame yourself! You should have learned to cook!" Long Qiu laughed at her.
The girl was utterly ignorant of the art of cooking. While Xiaozhai could, she would spend her entire day cultivating and leave the girl to her own device. Xiaojin's stomach was starting to digest itself and she had to feed herself on all sorts of fruit.
The two returned to the cottage. Long Qiu busied herself with cooking and breakfast was soon ready. She then ran to the meditation room and called out, "Brother, Sister, time for breakfast!"
"..."
No one answered.
"Brother? Sister?" she called again.
"..."
There was still no response.
"Why, they still haven't finished?"
Xiaojin found that strange as well. Rolling her eyes mischievously, she moved furtively to the door, put her face against the board, and listened.
"What are you doing?" Long Qiu's eyes were wide open.
"Come here! Come!" She waved at her eagerly.
"I, I'm not eavesdropping…"
That being said, Long Qiu's legs moved, showing her honest intention. The two strained their ears in silence for a while and she began to wonder, "Why isn't there any sound?"
"It shouldn't be like this. Have they managed to pump in silence already?" Xiaojin sounded puzzled.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Long Qiu was instantly flushed.
The other girl moved closer and asked eagerly, "Why, you're too young for the adult talk? Speaking of which, have you slept with anyone before?"
"You… I'm not talking to you!"
Long Qiu glared at her and ran off in a bashful vexation.
"Wow, what year is it now? People actually are still capable of blushing that way…"
Xiaojin found that remarkable. Covering her face with both hands, she copied Long Qiu and left in with a feigned shyness.
Well, they knew little of what the two were doing inside.
Smoke coiled and curled in the air in the meditation room.
The third Essence-gathering Incense was burning on the table. The smoke lingered there like layers of rolling clouds, from which two thin streaks had separated, constantly making up for their consumption of spiritual essence. Gu Yu and Xiaozhai were still in the same nightgowns. They were probing the jade plate simultaneously with their mental force and combing through the information bits by bits.
The "Book on the State of Mind of Black Bead" was very loosely organized and barely had any structure. It was more like a compilation of journals and essays. Ancient cultivators followed different theories from today; one sentence or a single word could have a profound meaning behind.
Therefore, they could not afford to take it lightly. They weighed the words repeatedly, trying to figure out their meaning by filtering out the useless content and extracting as much valuable information as they could.
After quite some time, Gu Yu opened his eyes suddenly and said, "At the end of Chapter Six of the Travel Notes, a Small Confining Technique is mentioned."
"How does it look?" Xiaozhai also retrieved her mental force.
"..."
Gu Yu considered for a while and nodded. "It's useable."
He then closed his eyes again and Xiaozhai left him to it. It was about an hour later when he spoke again. "The practice is not difficult. It's a confining skill commonly used in the ancient times."
With that, he stood up and walked three meters out. The fingers of his left hand pinching in a commanding gesture, he stuck out his right hand with fingers spread and reached out.
Instantly, a peculiar fluctuation rippled out and expanded like a small fishnet, forming into an invisible curtain between the two.
Xiaozhai moved closer and touched it, her finger blocked by a transparent film. The film was woven by numerous thin lines of spiritual essence, which intertwined and formed a giant web.
"Any countermeasure?" she asked.
"There are two ways. Break it by sheer force, or wait for the spellcaster to remove it themselves." Gu Yu said.
Xiaozhai found the article he mentioned and studied it for a long time. "Its function is to confine a space and objects. In that case, can we..."
She waved her hand and wrapped the confinement around her, forming a narrow cube with sides no longer than a couple of meters. She opened her mouth as if she was talking while she eyed Gu Yu inquisitively.
"..."
Gu Yu shook his head, indicating that he could not hear her. Xiaozhai then lifted the confinement and chuckled. "Very handy."
They then continued.
They had lost count of time when Xiaozhai said, "The middle section of Chapter Twelve of "On Utensils", there is a Storage Technique." She was mildly excited. "Basically, it's a method of storing information in a jade slip. The media of storage can be anything, but jade was more commonly chosen back then. It doesn't have to be top-grade jade, normal ones would do. It has to be spiritual, that's all."
"Oh? This technique is making our life much easier." Gu Yu also looked into the article and chuckled. "We still have some green jade stone left. Let me fetch it."
With that, he ran happily out of the meditation room, dashed into the warehouse under the stares of Xiaojin and Xiao Qiu, and went back holding a small piece of stone.
"What is Brother doing?" Long Qiu was utterly baffled.
"Some new trick. You're too young for that." Xiaojin sneered.
Gu Yu could not be bothered to retort and went straight back inside with the stone. Xiaozhai produced her Green Leaf and cut the stone into five thin slips eight cm in length and two cm in width.
He picked one up, activated the spiritual essence inside with his mental force, and entered the Small Confining Technique and Storage Technique they found just then.
He tried another few times and found that he could enter and withdraw information without any difficulty, which pleased him greatly. "It is equivalent to an ancient-style U disk. Once the confinement is set, it's safer than our modern security technology."
"Exactly. Only those more powerful than us can break in by force, otherwise no one else could access it."
Xiaozhai put away the pen and paper as she spoke. They were there to record the skills, which would no longer be necessary from now on.
These two simple skills were very easy to carry out. They might not be powerful, but they were practical enough to be written down as fundamentals for cultivators.
They worked on like this and dusk soon set in. Xiao Qiu came a few times to call them to eat, but got no response. She realized by then that brother and sister were busying themselves with something important and disturbed them no more.
***
Time crept by as they lit one Essence-gathering Incense after another.
The two were completely immersed in the "Book on the State of Mind of Black Bead" like two explorers setting foot on a new continent for the first time. Every time they discovered a paragraph of valuable information or usable Taoist skills, they would be overwhelmed by an indescribable exhilaration and a sense of achievement.
They were so taken over by the excitement that they had forgotten about hunger or fatigue. For most of the time, both were silent. They only exchanged a word occasionally, some of those in agreement, others arguments. Then the silence resumed.
"At the beginning of Chapter Seven in Anecdotes, Yue Zhenzi mentioned a story about his Martial Grandfather." Gu Yu raised his head. "Celestial Master Ye had a pair of bronze seals, which were great treasures that could expel evil. The inscription was 'Founder of Nanyang' on one and 'Treasure of the Scripture Teacher' on the other. The first one seemed to have been long lost and the later enshrined at the ancestral temple of the Ye Clan in Songyang. Why, I think you've collected similar information before."
"I've checked plenty enough. The Ye Clan was growing smaller, but they have managed to preserve the seal for over a thousand years. But they somehow lost it shortly before the modern state was established." Xiaozhai paused and went on, "A Dali Bell is kept in Yanfu Temple in Taoxi Town. Legend had it that it was cast by Ye Fashan, but it was also said that the bell was not built until 58 years after he passed away. I went there just to check it out when I was messing with those monks. It was just an ordinary bell, nothing special."
"I see. These are all valuable information, though." Gu Yu considered it and said, "We should organize them into chronic order and compile a 'Cultivation Anecdotes' ourselves. It'll be a nice initiating reading material."
"I was thinking about the same thing." Xiaozhai chuckled.
After that, the two were silent again. The pondering and selecting went on.
The "Book on the State of Mind of Black Bead" was sifted through paragraph by paragraph and word by word. There were sections that they thought could be useful but were too profound for them at the moment, which they had to copy down separately into another jade slip so that they could study those later.
Three days passed and they finally stumbled upon something substantial.
"Void-arranging Technique. It allows one to be lifted off the ground and walk at great speed as if carried by wind," Gu Yu explained in plain terms.
"Lifted off the ground?" Xiaozhai frowned. "Do you mean the skill of shrinking the distance one walks?"
"Nope."
"The Thousand-li Stride?"
"A little bit like that. We'll only know how effective it is after we learn it." Gu Yu held up a jade slip and suggested, "I think we'd better categorize it as a transportation skill and record it separately."
"Agreed."
Another two days passed and Xiaozhai made a discovery.
"Small Moving Technique. It can move physical objects from one place to another. It cannot be used on oneself and the object cannot be too big."
"Is it the Five Ghosts Moving Technique?" Gu Yu was intrigued.
"The Five Ghosts is a money-making skill. Five ghosts are summoned by talismans to help one with their luck in making money. That's a base method used by Lower Mao Mountain and one risks the backfire in form of retaliation by five ghosts. It's rather not worthy mentioning."
Xiaozhai glanced at him. "This one is a proper Taoist skill. Mark it down as a transportation skill as well."
"Ag- well, you're the boss."
All skills related to teleportation and exchange of things between different spaces were known as transportation skills in Taoism. Escaping Technique, for instance, included Five Element Escaping Skill, which helped one to escape up to thousands of kilometers away by using Five Elements.
There was also the Invisible Escaping Technique, which could make one invisible. Other examples would be Nine Halls Escaping Technique, Wall-crossing Technique, etc.
The Small Moving Technique might sound plain, but it was incredibly practical, which the couple realized right away. They thought very highly of this skill and even held it above the Void-arranging Technique.
***
Exactly fifteen days later.
With a creak, the wooden door was finally pulled open, revealing two gaunt faces. Gu Yu and Xiaozhai dragged their exhausted bodies out of the meditation room.
They had only had the minimal amount of food and water during this time while burning out their vital essence. Even with reinforcement of the Essence-consuming Incense, they were reaching their limit.
They were exhilarated nonetheless. Not only did they sort through the "Book on the State of Mind of Black Bead" and the two jade slips, they had also recorded all Taoist and ordinary skills Phoenix Mountain obtained so far.
Their thin layer of foundation was instantly elevated in terms of both their cultivation level and accumulation.
As Gu Yu said before: horses would never grow strong without the nighttime snacks.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-42.png){kind=small}
Chapter 242: All Roads Lead To The Great Dao (Part 3)
Source: Qidian International
The valley, under the old tree.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai each held a cup of spiritual tea and sipped slowly. Both were slouching in their chairs, half sitting and half lying down. After shutting themselves up in the room for fifteen days, they had pretty much exhausted all there was to exhaust. Now that they were finally able to relax, they felt they had been pumped completely empty and were too lazy to even utter a word.
The tea plantation on Phoenix Mountain was partially complete and the tea trees mainly grew on the back mountain.
The spiritual essence of this node was of Wood and Earth properties, ideal for growing plants. After the tea trees were planted, the tea growers expected to pick the leaves the following spring, but their first harvest came unexpected this winter.
In general, tea picked between February and April was known as spring tea and the growth cycle of tea trees more or less finished in May.
The new cycle started from June. Tea leaves picked between June and July were called summer tea, those of August were the hot summer tea, September and October produced autumn tea, and anything later than November were called winter tea.
And winter tea was what they were drinking at the moment.
"Ha…"
Gu Yu put the empty cup on the stone table, picked up the kettle and poured the second round of water onto the tea leaves, then raised his head and looked across the table.
Long Qiu and Xiaojin sat on the opposite side, both having their eyes closed and not saying a word, as if their minds had gone off to some other universe. Seven jade slips were set in a neat line in front of them.
Xiaozhai made five slips from the green jade stone and Gu Yu kept the two jade ones for his own use after wiping them clean of the original contents. As it turned out, they just happened to sort everything into seven categories. There wasn't much, but it was valuable enough in such a time when Taoist skills were on the verge of distinction.
The family of Phoenix Mountain had since had its seven chapters on cultivation.
Section One contained the Method of Consuming Six Essences, which taught one the way to consume the glory of dawn, the midday sunbeam, the cliffside spring where the sun set, the midnight mist, the black sky, and the yellow earth (the last two had yet to recover), while refining one's vital essence. The speed of cultivation and the amount of energy one could accumulate through this method was matched by no other skill. Through practicing it, one could reach the state of Human Immortals, Immortals, and then Earthly Immortals.
Also recorded in the same slip was the Boundless State Conjuring Technique, which used opponents' emotions as the inducer, dragging them into an illusion. Whether one would live or die depended on whether they could stay alive in the illusion. The illusions were inescapable unless one could see through the illusion themselves or the caster lifted the spell.
The Shadow-switching Technique, which could switch back and forth between the physical form and virtual image, was recorded on the the same slip as well. One's movement would be impossible to trace and the possibility of changes was endless.
Section Two contained "Shenxiao's Tinkling Jade Book of Great Thunder", which taught one Five Thunders and to think like a dragon. It possessed the most formidable killing power of all Taoist skills, but the cultivation process was very slow. Its overwhelming force was derived from Heaven itself, which was a natural suppressor of sinister and evil creatures. The practitioner would be able to reach as high as the Earthly Immortal state as well.
Section three contained three transportation skills.
Void-arranging Technique: it allowed one to be lifted off the ground and walk as if being carried by wind. The skill was suitable for long-range raids and travelling wide and far.
Small Moving Technique: it could move physical objects from one place to another. It could not be used on oneself and the object could not be too big.
Water-walking Technique: a minor Taoist skill found in the two jade slips. It allow one to walk on water as if on level ground.
Section four had eight basic skills.
Small Confining Technique: confining a space; could be used on both objects and human beings; worked as a shield and defense, screening out any external spying.
Storage Technique: recording information into a jade slip; withdrawing info with one's mental power and only accessible by those who reached the innate state.
Flying Talisman Message Technique: also a minor Taoist skill found in the two jade slips, allowing one to make a flying talisman to send messages up to thousands of miles away.
Mental Force Refinement Technique: recorded in the Seal of Patriarch Sa; a method of refining instruments.
Swordcraft: a skill passed down from Xiaozhai's own sect; the skill of wielding a tangible sword and could be used as an introduction skill to train the physical body.
Forty-Eight Hand Movements: a skill passed down from Xiaozhai's own sect; a fine and ingenious skill could be used as an introduction skill.
Snake-controlling Technique: a skill passed down from Xiaozhai's own sect; a bone flute was made from the wing bones of a fierce bird and could command ten thousand snakes.
Wood-appraisal Technique: can distinguish all kinds of wood; the only ordinary technique that did not involve any "super power".
Section Five contained three passages on refining instruments.
Whisk of Tranquility: recorded in the Seal of Patriarch Sa; the whisk can expel evil and defeat demon.
Flaming Cloud Needle: Gu Yu's own instrument.
Thundercloud Grit: Xiaozhai's own instrument; refined from the black grit of Huo Zhou, can only be used by someone using Thunder Technique.
As for Long Qiu's long sword and Xiaozhai's saber Green Leaf, because they did not possess any additional skill and relied mainly on the owner's personal skill, neither was listed on the slip.
The sixth section contained three passages on Dan.
Essence-gathering Dan: recorded in the Seal of Patriarch Sa; could quicken one's cultivation speed; required a very high cultivation level of the user; very difficult to make.
Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan: recorded in the "Book on the State of Mind of Black Bead"; a type of Waidan created and refined by Yue Zhenzi himself; can enhance one's body and benefit one's spirit and mind.
Evil-expelling Dan: recorded in the "Book on the State of Mind of Black Bead"; common Waidan used to expel evil energy and cure maladies.
Section Seven contained a book called "Cultivation Anecdotes", which recorded all sorts of tales and legends dating back to the time of the ancient cultivators. More would be added in as they were collected.
The first two sections were the chief skills that could be passed down as legacies and the rest were more of the facilitating type. Some might seem redundant because of their overlapping functions with modern technology, such as the flying talisman for sending messages. It was doubtlessly nowhere near as convenient as a mobile phone, but it could grant one absolute confidentiality and one did not need to worry about their lines being tapped.
Storage Technique, for another example, was no match to a computer, but similarly, it could also guarantee the safety of information.
All in all, that was all the two sorted out for now during the fifteen laborious days. Gu Yu was actually a little disappointed, for there wasn't anything on formations, which he had longed for for quite some time… Oh, that man! Had those men of Qiyun known about this "greed", they would happily strangle our fellow!
***
It seemed forever before Long Qiu and Xiaojin withdrew their mental force.
Both girl had blushing cheeks from the excitement and almost burst into cheers. Long Qiu managed to keep her composure, while the other one could not care less. She rushed out, trying to dive into her sister's arms, but was stopped by a single look of Xiaozhai's. She turned to her brother-in-law and found that even more wrong. In the end, she twirled around and plunged at Long Qiu as she always did.
"Ah! Let go of me!"
"Ahahaha! Qiu Qiu, you two are amazing! You have brought back so many stuff! We're gonna be rich!"
Her laughter hammered at their eardrums like a pair of dumbbells smashing down. She "fondled" Long Qiu for a good while before rolling back to her feet, covered head to toe by broken grass stems. Xiao Qiu's hair was now all disheveled and she was genuinely getting angry. Raising her hand, she was about to release the Golden Silkworm.
"There, there…" Gu Yu stopped her in time and asked warily, "So, now that you've read it through, any thoughts?"
"Me! Hear me out first! I want to learn the Shadow-switching Technique! That one is super cool!" Xiaojin raised her hand eagerly.
"Anything else?"
"The others are just all right. Oh, that Void-arranging one sounds okay as well!"
"..."
He did not comment on that, but turned to ask, "Xiao Qiu, what about you?"
Long Qiu did not answer his question, but asked instead, "Brother, why did you put Shadow-switching Technique in Section one? Is it not compatible with Thunder Technique?"
Tsk, she was indeed Xiaozhai's pupil. The girl was very level-headed.
Gu Yu explained, "Shadow-switching requires a lot of spiritual essence to reach its full power when activating it. Essence-consuming Method will ensure a sufficient accumulation of energy and the practitioner will have no problem using the technique. Thunder Technique, on the other hand, does not emphasize on that aspect. Those practicing Thunder Technique will probably exhaust their energy with a single round of shadow-switching. Xiaojin can learn it now, if that's what she wants, but she has to be careful, lest she creates an opening for her opponents to take advantage of."
Since they were talking about it, he thought he would take the chance to explain further. "It is the same thing with the conjuring skill. But I need to ask you, Xiao Qiu. You've already learned it, why haven't you used it at all?"
"It, it just always slipped my mind."
Long Qiu gave him the most peculiar answer.
Yet Gu Yu understood what she meant. "The conjuring skill uses people's emotions as the inducer and one can only make the most use out of it when they know more or less what's going on in their enemies' heads or know enough about human nature and how things work. Xiaojin is more suitable for the skill in that aspect, but she doesn't have the adequate power. You have ample energy, but do not know how to wield it."
"My sister has enough power, why didn't you teach her?" Pointing with her finger, Xiaojin had "I am not convinced" written all over her face.
"I don't need it…"
Xiaozhai darted her a look and the girl flinched, immediately as quiet as a scared chicken.
"Skills are the same for everyone and the person using them is the key, yet the same skill used by different people will have different effects. That's why skills are forever changing at the same time. As long as your mind changes, the skill changes with it. Nothing is fixed." Gu Yu finally finished his lecture. "Now, for the moment, our goal is to master Void-arranging, Small Moving, Water-walking, Small Confining, Storage, and Flying Talisman Message Techniques. These are all essential once we're out there exploring the world and we cannot afford any mistakes. As for the Shadow-switching Technique, we will look into it together. After all, I have never tried it myself."
"And there are also those Dan recipes. The materials required for Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan are not that complicated and we might have a go at it. All we lack now is the Dan furnace. As we don't have the formula to concoct the Six One Mud, we can only try to find a usable furnace instead." Xiaozhai paused a little and added, "Based on the information I have gathered, our best bet is Celestial Master Temple."
***
Tianzhu Mountain, Qiyun Taoist Monastery.
Lu Yuanqing had stayed in Emei for as long as six months and only got back today. Before he could change into some clean clothes, a junior brother came to fetch him. The two of them trotted along a gravel road, which soon led them to another courtyard.
"Abbot!"
"Abbot!"
Two priests on duty rose to their feet to salute, both observably glad to see him. For the past year, Lu Yuanqing had gradually won the recognition and support from all monastery members, accompanied with a growing prestige.
"How is it?" he asked.
"Senior Brother Shi announced his going into seclusion last night; it has been ten hours by now. He has not touched any food or water. We couldn't tell what is going on," replied the priest.
"Thank you for your hard work. You can all go back and rest. I will wait here myself."
"You're just back from a long journey. We should be the ones staying here."
"That's OK. You don't have to stay."
With that said, the two priests could only leave as commanded. Lu Yuanqing sat alone in the courtyard. Despite the bleak and chilly wind flapping at his loose robe and wide sleeves, he could not feel the coldness. On the contrary, he felt a flame rising inside him.
During his half-year stay in Emei, he spared no efforts on his job. Apart from discovering various resources, with his purposeful socializing, he became well-acquainted with quite a few mogul politicians.
At the same time, he was no longer ignorant of the political strifes among various factions. The name Lu Yuanqing now bore quite some significance to officials of Bashu Province.
The work in Emei was fruitful enough, but he was greeted with more good news as soon as he got back: Shi Yunlai had gone into seclusion, ready to break through to the innate state!
He was genuinely excited by the news, without a hint of uneasiness. It meant that Qiyun's status would grow more important and the monastery would have a greater say in the future.
However, he heaved a half-mocking sigh right away. With the colossus of state above them, their way of breaking free would be difficult beyond imagination.
Before they knew it, Lu Yuanqing had been waiting there for two days.
Early afternoon that day, the energy inside the meditation room finally stirred. Lu Yuanqing bolted to his feet. With a creak, the wooden door opened and out came Shi Yunlai, who was surprised first, but walked to Lu Yuanqing right away.
He bowed low, earnestly and wholeheartedly. "Thank you, Junior Brother!"
"Congratulations, Senior Brother!" He returned the bow.
"Dang!"
"Dang!"
Before long, there came the tolls of the giant bell, the sound resonating on the mountain. The rest of the priests soon arrived, offering their congratulations.
Exactly one year after Lu Yuanqing reached the innate state, Qiyun Taoist Monastery had its second innate state member!
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Chapter 243: APP
Source: Qidian International
The monastery, meditation room.
The hubbub and bustle from earlier had come to an end. The rest of the celebrating crowd had left, leaving the two behind in the room to talk privately. One could tell that Shi Yuanlai had yet to recover from his excitement—the man was still savoring the sensation of breaking to the innate state.
Watching him, Lu Yuanqing smiled despite himself. "Senior Brother, how do you feel now?"
"I have been a cultivator for thirty years and the scriptures and true Great Dao only start to make real sense now. This is spectacular!"
Shi Yunlai sighed with emotion, then turned to look at Lu Yuanqing. "I can still recall that day when you walked out of your seclusion. You were all casual and calm, unlike me. I am carried away with my own importance. That is a sign of my lack of self-restraint, I feel abashed."
"The Great Dao emphasizes tranquility and letting things take their own course, whereas humans are affected by every emotion. We might be fortunate enough to be the torchbearers, but it does not change the fact that we are still mortal men. We rejoice from time to time out of satisfaction. It's inevitable."
"The Abbot spoke with reason. Thank you for dispelling my doubts."
Shi Yunlai was an experienced cultivator himself and soon adjusted his emotions.
He had only just stepped into the innate state and there was much for him to learn, so he started discussing with Lu Yuanqing right away. The two were disciples of the Baiyun Temple and the Longmen Sect respectively, who shared a common patriarch Qiu Chuji, they thus had a lot in common in their teachings.
The Dan method of Quanzhen, in plain language, consisted of four steps: refining one's body to construct the foundation of practice, refining essences into Qi, Qi into spirit, and uniting the spirit with the great void.
Successfully constructing the foundation was roughly equivalent to reaching the innate state. Refining essences into Qi was the Human Immortal state and Qi into spirit the Immortal state. Further than that, one would enter a different cultivation system.
The so-called Dan was the combination of vital essence, body, and soul. The state of returning to the origin was called Jindan (golden elixir), or Huandan (cyclical elixir).
Huandan was in big, small, golden liquid, and jade liquid forms. During the period of constructing the foundation, Qi was transferred from kidney to liver, liver to spleen, spleen to lung, lung to heart, heart to spleen, and spleen to kidney. This process of energy circulating the five internal organs was called "Small Huandan", or "Jade Liquid Huandan".
When one reached the step of refining essences into Qi, this process was known as "Big Huandan", or "Golden Liquid Huandan".
From then on, the process of accumulation would be repeated over and over again until one could unite the spirit with the great void.
The primordial spirit was of Yin property. Eliminate all Yin-property waste and one would have a primordial spirit of pure Yang, which was the Yang spirit. This spirit could exist independently of the physical body and was beyond the measure of life and death. It was the most unrestrained immortal between heaven and earth.
As for the system of essence-consuming method, the Human Immortal state was followed by Immortal state, when the primordial spirit was completed and a remarkable ability obtained. In reaching the Earthly Immortal state, the duration of life became irrelevant; one would live a long life with good eyes and ears. The Heavenly Immortals established themselves for eternity, witnessing the establishment and destruction of all universe.
If one had to compare, the Yang spirit was slightly inferior to the Earthly Immortal, for Yang spirit had broken free from the physical form and got rid of the mortal body, rendering any further progress impossible for as long as one lived.
The teaching of Dan method in Quanzhen was more intact, enabling one to cultivate all the way to the Yang spirit. Lu Yuanqing and Shi Yuanlai had a long discussion and both felt benefited from the talk.
Before they knew it, it was dark outside. The two looked into the night sky outside and suddenly fell into silence. A while later, Lu Yuanqing spoke, "Senior Brother, how are things in the scripture hall?"
Shi Yunlai knew what he meant. "Apart from Junior Brothers Zhang Shouyang, Chao Kongtu, and Zhong Lingyu, all are studying Dan method now."
"Oh? That is great news!"
Lu Yuanqing was rather glad to hear that. "Don't worry. After all, those three are direct disciples of abbots from great sects and it is only natural that they should have their concerns. What we have now has surpassed my expectation. All senior and junior brothers here are exceptionally gifted men. In a couple of years, they will doubtlessly all reach the innate state."
Shi Yunlai nodded, then asked, "Junior Brother, how did it go in Emei?"
"It was most rewarding. Emei is rich in resources and especially suitable for planting the spiritual rice. Dozens of mu of rice had been planted by the time I left. The yield should be more than enough for all parties. Other than that, a lot of land is ready to use. We will probably see a variety of produce next year… oh, and I stumbled upon a spiritual pet."
With that, he flipped over his wide sleeve, revealing a little white monkey on his palm. The monkey was an animal after all. After months of being taken care of, it was now very close to Lu Yuanqing.
"It is indeed very spiritual!" Shi Yunlai was a little envious.
"Haha, now that Senior Brother has reached the innate state, you will have plenty of opportunities to travel in the future." Lu Yuanqing paused a little, then added, "Oh, by the way, I've brought back some materials. If you would please gather some men and hand them out to each individual."
After that, he took out two chests, which were filled to the brim with raw materials found in the node of Emei. From the fluctuations of the spiritual essence alone, Shi Yunlai knew they were no ordinary things. He immediately rose to his feet. "Sure, I'll tend to it right now!"
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Lu Yuanqing went to see him off at the door, then stood for a little while in the room before retreating to his bedroom.
***
Shengtian, Taiqing Temple.
Quite a few people were standing in a circle on the small square in front of the temple. In the middle was a man and a woman. The man was a teenager. Right now, he was kneeling down with a ramrod straight back, while the elderly woman cried and wailed.
"I have worked so hard to raise you and all of a sudden you're telling me you're going to become a priest! You haven't even finished high school! Who am I supposed to depend on for the rest half of my life!? Your dad has died young. With you becoming a priest, our Li Family will have no one to bear the surname!"
"Mom, I'm becoming a Taoist priest, not a monk! They've said in the TV, some sects allow their people to marry!" The teenager was a little embarrassed by the scene caused and shouted back, "I'm doing terribly at school and I will never get into a university. The temples give out allowance and I get to learn things. It's much better than doing some job! Stop getting into my way!"
"I'm your mother! Who else is supposed to stop you? I'll ask you again: are you going back with me or not?"
"I'm not going back!"
Both became irritated as they bickered on. The mother tugged at her son, trying to pull him up to his feet, while the son was half sitting down, struggling to remain in his position. The onlookers were also bustling and shoving. It was a mess.
Just then, there came a loud clank—the temple gate opened, out came a middle-aged priest.
He walked up to the teenager, his face unmoved and his tone flat. "Young layman, please go back. We are not going to take you in here."
"Why not? Didn't you say you were going to recruit pupils up and down the country?" The teenager asked heatedly.
"To become a member of the Taoist community, one must have the parental consent. Since your mother would not allow it, I have no reason to keep you here. Moreover, the School of Zhengyi permits their priests to marry, but Taiqing Palace is a sect of Quanzhen. We give no such permission. Now, please leave!"
With that, the priest flipped his wide sleeves and went back in promptly.
"Young man, they won't let you marry here. Go home."
"That's right. At least get the facts straight if you really want a master!"
"Gosh, those crap TV dramas, it's all their fault. Just look at the poor bloke. He's made a fool out of himself!"
The crowd erupted into laughter. Various shades of red crept up the teenager's face and he blurted out, "No matter! I can find another temple all the same! Just wait and see! I'll learn my stuff and come back here. You will know then not to look down upon a young… ah, that hurts, mom!"
Before he could finish his threats, the boy was dragged away by his dear old mother. One could foresee a good spanking back at home.
The crowd scattered once all the fun was gone. Most of them saw it as another after-dinner anecdote and did not think much of it. One of them, however, left the scene with an apprehensive look. It was none other than Yan Han.
He was out having dinner when he ran into the scene. While the others thought it was nothing but a joke, he could no longer do that. That pain he hid deep down instantly emerged and he went back home with a gloomy face.
***
As soon as he got home, he took out his phone and lay down on the sofa. After much hesitation, he clicked into that chat group.
It was his first time logging into the group since he came back from Phoenix Mountain, which was almost a month ago. The group was as lively as ever. A member named "Layman Sunny Heart" had just posted a picture with a caption.
"Fellow Taoists, I have finally found myself a master. I am now an intern disciple of Xiangu 1 Cave on Yandang Mountain. The internship lasts for three years and only with the abbot's permission will I be officially given the headdress after that. Starting from tomorrow, I will be attending morning and evening classes and taking care of the cleaning of the temple. I will not have time to chat in the group, so I'm here to say my farewell…"
The picture was a handsome-ish young man dressed in a Taoist robe.
"I wish the layman have a smooth cultivation path and find the Great Dao soon!"
"I wish the layman rise quickly and high, until he is among the immortals!"
"I wish the layman could overcome all difficulties and find his Taoist companion."
Words of congratulations flooded the screen. Pursing his lips, Yan Han was taken by the impulse and sent out a line. "I wish the layman will have all his dreams coming true."
His words immediately attracted the attention of the entire group.
"Why, Headmaster's here!"
"It's been a month! We've been waiting for you. How did it go?"
"That's right. You never told us! That was not very brotherly!"
"..."
Yan Han smiled bitterly. He would love to tell them everything, only that he dared not. A moment or two later, he replied, "I'd rather not. The first quest turned out to be a failure and we're still searching."
He tossed the phone aside after sending that line and closed his eyes, sighing.
He was angry at his own cowardice and his holding onto the secular world—apparently he was not as steadfast as he'd thought. At the same time, he was envious about Zhang Qianqiu and Li Dong's luck. The three had run into the real immortals together, why did those two dare to stay?
As the emotions took over him, he'd felt never as frustrated as now.
It was a while until Yan Han reopened the chat group. He was greeted by pages of words of comfort, which he did not know how to reply to. They rambled on for a little bit longer, then a line of blue texts appeared on the screen, sent by a member called "Perfected Man Starry Sky".
"Fellow Taoist, I found an app. It's rather interesting."
"What app?"
"New Classics of Mountains and Rivers."
"Forget it. It's one of those money-scamming, crappy homemade mobile games, right? Nope, thanks!"
"Is your account stolen or what? You're making sponsored ads all of a sudden?"
"A fellow as honest-looking as you has betrayed the Taoist morals as well?"
'Tsk!'
Perfected Man Starry Sky was a little vexed and explained, "This app doesn't allow screen capture, or I would have posted the photo. It's a recommendation from Mr. Natural Science and it took me forever to finally get this invitation code."
Mr. Natural Science was the name of the official weibo account of National Geographic magazine of this country and had quite a few followers. Web users would often snap a shot of some animal or plant they did not recognize and post the photos tagging Mr. Natural Science, which the latter would answer 2 .
"I opened it and one look was enough to convince me that this stuff is legit. It's a little gadget the government designed, calling on the public to offer information on living creatures. I have created a post myself," explained Starry Sky.
"Downloaded!"
"Downloaded +1!"
"Downloaded +2!"
A few members of action started to swamp the screen as soon as Starry Sky finished typing.
Yan Han downloaded one himself. It was a rather simple program with no advertisements or introduction of any sort. He tapped it open and there was a login page. In order to register, one had to enter a line of invitation code.
He returned to the chat group and saw that everyone was already competing over it.
Starry Sky said, "Each user can give out three invitation codes. Let's not ruin our friendship over that. We'll use the most scientific way: let's roll the dice. I'll give a number and those have rolled to a number bigger than that can continue…"
That was neat! Dozens of people participated and half was eliminated in the first round. The lucky three were chosen after another two rounds; Yan Han was one of them.
He finished the registration in haste. A lot of detailed information was required, including mobile phone number, ID card number, and the city of residence.
He then logged in. There were only 238 users and the developer page said: National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Natural Science and Resources, National Geographic Magazine, etc.
The pages were rather plain as well. Everything was crudely divided into four categories: plant, animal, geography, meteorology. Each category was followed by a number, indicating the number of entries recorded.
He randomly picked the category "animal" and tapped in. In it were nine pictures. The first one was a big flaming red bird and the caption read: Red Feather Vulture.
Tapping into the picture, he found the detailed description.
Red Feather Vulture: a bird of prey, with flaming red feathers, around 1.2 m in height, and wings spanning up to around 3 m. It has a hooked beak, powerful eyesight, and talons as sharp as blades. The bird is carnivore and extremely aggressive. Together, they work in teams and are organized in battle. Avoid contact.
Habitat: about 50 km to the southeast of Huagou Town, Xihai Zhou...
Yan Han was instantly alarmed. He soon went through all the entries, all containing similarly strange creatures. The captions were straightforward, roughly dividing them into "hazardous" and "harmless". The tone of caution was apparent.
Immediately after that, he figured out how the membership regulations.
The New Classics of Mountains and Rivers worked on a point-based membership system. Each entry posted would wait for the verification of relevant personnel and points were awarded to the member once the entry was verified. Depending on the value of the entry, each could earn the member 10 to 100 points.
After reaching the 10-point threshold, one was qualified to invite friends and given three registration codes. One would earn no points by merely leaving comments in an entry.
"..."
For a few minutes there, Yan Han felt he was in a trance. 'That is as good as going public with the news!'
Although the app was only accessible to a handful of users, with word of mouth, the number of members was bound to increase. And the people were all those sensitive to the recent changes happening around them. Once the government opened the information to general public, these people would be the most adamant supporters.
'Jeez!'
For some reason, he was suddenly overwhelmed by anxiety and excitement one would feel before a battle started—even his heart was thumping.
"Beep! Beep!"
Just then, the income message sound rang and Yan Han went back to the chat group. Two lines of boldface texts now occupied the screen.
"I'm no expert, but I was just wondering, with the capability of our country, is it safe to post such information on the app? Can they stop the foreign countries from stealing it?"
"..."
After a brief silence, words flooded the screen again.
"I think so. Just trust what the government can do."
"I know nothing on that, either. Isn't there a physical barrier or something?"
"That's talking about LAN, apps are open to all!"
"Don't be misled by films and TV series. The western hackers are not all that awesome, ok?"
In an instant, everyone was arguing with everyone. Yan Han thought for a minute and quickly typed a line. "Has it ever occur to you that the country was never trying to withhold the information?"
"What made you say that?" someone asked.
"Do you know what is going on in other countries now?" he asked a second question.
"..."
Everyone was silent again.
***
The following morning.
Yan Han chatted in the group until well over midnight. He opened his eyes with a muddled head and did not come to himself until quite a while later.
He sat up and was about to get off bed when he let out a scream and fell down. Clasping his chest, he rolled around on he floor.
"Aaaah!"
He could not tell where the pain had come from. The skin, the muscles, even the meridians felt like a ball of unruly yarn, all tangling up into one lump. In mere seconds, Yan Han was covered by sweat, which had soaked through his pajamas.
"Huff… Huff…"
He gasped for air and waited until the sharp pain gradually ebbed away, his face now white as ashes. With the utter terror and much difficulty, he rose to his feet. He dared not dally, but ran downstairs, started his car, and headed for Bai Town right away.
He should have gone last night, but was delayed by all the chatting and had to postpone it until today. He had never expected the breakout of the controlling mechanism to be so frightening.
He had returned from Phoenix Mountain exactly a month ago. Today was the day for him to get his "antidote"...
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-44.png){kind=small}
Chapter 244: Platform Building (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
Long Qiu dodged, landing in the middle of the river like a leaf from a willow; the surface of the water was not disturbed in the slightest.
She looked down at her shoes curiously. Although she was standing on water, there was no undulating feeling underneath her soles. The surface she stepped on felt as even and steady as solid ground.
"Teehee!"
The girl was elated. Bolting to a sprint, she was a distance away in no time, making only the faintest splashing sound as she trod on water.
"Qiu Qiu, wait for me!"
Xiaojin, who had been standing on shore, was eager to follow suit. She dashed out as Long Qiu did, but sank right into the calf-deep river like a flopping poodle. Water splashed everywhere.
"Sh*t! How does it work again…"
Brandishing her arms, she twisted this way and that. Fortunately, she adjusted in time and rose out of the water again. Long Qiu turned around and chuckled. "You are not doing it right. See, it should be like this…"
"Aaaaaaah! I'm not taking lessons from you!"
Humiliated, Xiaojin suddenly leapt forward, her right palm unfolded like a blossoming orchid, and grabbed at Long Qiu's chest.
"That's how you repay my kindness?!"
Long Qiu glared at her and raised her hand to parry.
The two girls crisscrossed, skimming over the water like a pair of butterflies dancing among the flowers. After exchanging a few blows, when the two flitted past each other again, Long Qiu suddenly put her palms together. When she opened her hands, there was a ball of water in between.
"Jin Jin, here!"
She activated her energy and threw it out the moment Xiaojin turned back to look. The water ball hurled at the latter and exploded on her face.
With a splash, Xiaojin was soaked wet instantly.
"What skill was that? Brother-in-law has been giving you private lessons again!"
The girl bristled and hissed.
"That was only the Small Moving Technique. Have you forgotten what brother said? The methods are fixed, but not our ideas…"
With that, Long Qiu put her palms together again. The surface of the water nearby immediately caved in and the water became a ball in her hands.
"Splash!"
Xiaojin dodged right away, almost grinding her teeth in vexation. She was not as well endowed with energy and less dexterous in using the skills—she was still a stiffish beginner.
Her mind, though, was naturally filled with tricks. Rolling her eyes for an idea, she suddenly bent down and pressed her palms on the surface of the water. "You're so pleased with yourself, aren't you? Try this!"
Lightning flickered in her palms and the water surged.
"Splash!"
Waves over a meter high closed in at a tremendous speed, together with crackling purple electric arcs.
The lightning arrived before the waves did. Long Qiu felt a prickling and numbing sensation rushing up from the soles of her feet, spreading all over her body. It was the most uncomfortable feeling. Watching the approaching waves, Long Qiu stomped and the water surface caved in abruptly, which swallowed her whole.
Simultaneously, the surface underneath Xiaojin swelled up suddenly, rising into a tall mound of water.
"Aaaaah!"
The girl started brandishing her arms again, as if she was doing some strange dance.
Long Qiu dived into the river until she was right below Xiaojin. She then leapt up and grabbed her by the ankle and laughed. "Get down here!"
"Plop!"
"Plop!"
Both girls sank to the bottom of the river, where they jostled merrily for a quite a while before resurfacing together. Both were panting by that time and their drenched clothes were half see-through.
Water-walking Technique was a minor skill easy to learn and did not require much spiritual essence, but Small Moving Technique was a different story—it all depended on the application.
If the energy consumed by moving a teacup on the table to your hand was one, turning the river water into a ball as Long Qiu did would be two.
In other words, the more complicated one's application was, the more energy was needed.
Her temperament determined that Long Qiu was a bit at a loss with the conjuring skill, but savvy in skills like the Small Moving Technique, whereas Xiaojin was held back by the slow accumulation of energy of the Thunder Technique, which often impeded her from using the skills.
Xiaojin usually gained the upper hand in casual rough and tumble play, but when things got serious, Long Qiu could crush her with a little finger.
***
Zhang Qianqiu followed the long stone staircase from the back mountain and after walking past a few houses, he reached the path in front of the cottage. Tilting his head, he looked into the distance where Long Qiu was playing in the water. He stared with unblinking eyes.
"Hey, no gawking! We're dead if Miss Jin finds you like this!"
Li Dong gave him a shove and the fellow only then came to himself. He then lowered his head and entered the room.
Gu Yu was in the training field at the moment. Xiaozhai was reorganizing some stuff and seeing them coming in, she asked, "What do you need?"
"Immortal Master, we've been here a month today," reminded Zhang Qianqiu tactfully.
"Oh, how time flies."
Xiaozhai knew why they were here right away. She flipped her fingers twice and two streaks of energy struck them in the chest. Both men immediately felt relaxed as the lurking tearing sensation disappeared.
"Thank you, Immortal Master!" Both men bowed to express their gratitude.
"Mhm. You may leave if there's nothing else." She nodded and went back playing with her jade slip.
"..."
Li Dong was never a talkative guy and kept his head lowered in silence. Zhang Qianqiu hesitated a little and asked all of a sudden, "Immortal Master, do you have any task for us?"
'Hm?'
Xiaozhai looked up.
Gathering up his courage, he went on, "We have been here for a month and familiarized ourselves with quite a few things. It is true that we're no match for the elderly masters in certain skills, but we have our own merits—"
"Such as?" she asked.
"I used to run a company. Trade and business and personnel management are where my specialty lies. Li Dong is an expert in electronic technology… I think, I think we two should be differentiated from the others."
"Hoho…"
Xiaozhai smiled. "To me, you're all the same. You can leave now."
"..."
Pursing his lips, Zhang Qianqiu tried to argue, but was dragged out of the room by Li Dong.
"Do you have a death wish? We leave as she asked! There's no point in arguing with her!"
"But I just want to give it a go."
"It's only been a month. Be patient. These things cannot be rushed!"
The two mumbled to one another as they walked. They did not make it very far when they met Yan Han head on. That was awkward! Embarrassment filled the air and all three almost did not know how to say hello.
Quite a while passed before Zhang Qianqiu broke the silence. "Wanna come visit us in the back mountain later?"
"Sure."
Yan Han squeezed out his reply and went hastily into the meditation room.
***
Ten minutes later. Yan Han stood quietly on one side, almost too anxious to breathe.
Xiaozhai sat opposite him, reading carefully from a mobile phone as she swiped through the pages—she was checking that app. Obviously, she knew about the "preliminary plan on the sharing platform of cultivation information". They had thought it would take a while and never expected it to be kicking off this soon.
She was using her own phone and did not register in the app. As soon as she tapped it open after downloading, the app recognized her number automatically and logged her in right away. A reminder also popped onto her screen.
"You have reached the highest authority level and now have access to all content."
She randomly tapped into the Red Feather Vulture entry and saw the same information as Yan Han did in the beginning paragraphs, but there was more to follow.
"Originally, its species was the red back Steller's eagle endemic to Xihai, which nested on trees on the banks of lakes, rivers, and wetlands. Its breeding season was from November to March the following year, with an average of two to four eggs each time. The eggs had a smooth and spotless shell. The incubation period was 30-40 days and the nestlings matured late. Both parents contributed to raising the nestlings, which would leave nest in 70-105 days.
"The mutated Red Feather Vultures are savage, cunning, and have an appetite for human flesh. They usually hunt in packs. The feathers on their back and wings have some defensive capability. Tests have proved that they could withstand the stabbing and slashing of a dagger, as well as buffer the birds from the impact of bullets.
"Their abdomen is relatively softer and coated with plumage, which could be made into garments. Their meat is edible, but we advise against the ingestion of their blood, for it is toxic and corrosive."
"..."
After reading it through, Xiaozhai pondered for a moment before asking, "If I remembered it correctly, both you and Zhang Qianqiu used to run businesses?"
"Yes, we both have opened our own companies before," replied Yan Han.
"I see. You can stay here today. We'll talk tomorrow."
"No problem. I'm going to the back mountain now."
Yan Han dared not even asked for the reason and left the room promptly.
Xiaozhai had a few more moments of consideration and strode out of the door as well. She was heading out to the training field.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-45.png){kind=small}
Chapter 245: Platform Building (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
The training field.
Gu Yu sat beneath an old yet still verdant cypress tree, practicing the Shadow-switching Technique.
This occult technique was most obscure. The actual manual was filled with descriptions written in ancient Shamanic words and Xiaozhai had to translate it first before they could study them together. They had barely made sense of the texts as a whole.
In spite of its various branches, all Shamanic followers shared a common belief, which was the spirit, or "Teng" in ancient Shamanic terms. They believed that all things had its Teng and humans were the composite of the physical body and Teng. In plain words, this occult skill was a method to switch back and forth between the actual substance and Teng.
Essentially, Teng was an intangible concept. In order to switch into multiple forms, one had to depend on how well they mastered their skills.
"..."
Gu Yu seemed to have sat there forever, moving not even a muscle, his ears closed to the outside world. He looked like a stone statue.
Mountain breeze suddenly blew in from the north. The swaying tree branches and leaves seemed to have brought with them the chilly air from the distant mountains. A thin, white fog rose up in the training field and as the smoke spread out, the man under the tree disappeared.
The white fog twirled in the wind, as dreamlike as it was eerie. When the mountain breeze ceased and the field quieted down again, the man reappeared, still sitting where he was.
"It's still not working?"
Just then, Xiaozhai's voice came from afar. Before the sentence was finished, she was by his side.
"I still need to work on the stability and duration, but I got the drill." Gu Yu opened his eyes and asked softly, "What's the matter?"
"There!"
She tossed him the phone, which he curiously tapped back to life. He then smiled. "That was fast, and very straightforward, too."
"Straightforward and practical." Xiaozhai went up to him and sat down next to him, leaning against the tree. "Modern days do have its merits. All those developed technologies should not be just lying around."
Gu Yu browsed through the contents. Of the four categories, "Plant" had the most entries—sixteen of them were spread across twelve provinces. "Animal" was the runner-up, which contained nine entries collected from seven provinces.
There was nothing overlapping in the nineteen provinces, which had covered half of the area of this country.
"Meteorology" came up empty and there was only one entry under "Geography", which was the peach blossom miasma in Grass River Mouth. The entry read:
"Location is about 50 km to the east of Bai Town and is an island on the river. The island is shuttle-shaped, with a narrow span from east to west. To the north is a river dam and to the south a bridge which links the island directly to the mainland. Troops are stationed at the bridge at the moment.
"There are six administrative villages on the island, which spans an area of 105 km^2. All of the original 70,000+ residents have been resettled.
"Peach Blossom Miasma is a mutation from closely packed peach trees. Its toxicity is of a complex nature. It is highly corrosive and has a secret aphrodisiac effect, which is hard to detect for common cultivators."
"..."
Gu Yu's mouth twitched at the mentioning of aphrodisiacs. What he went through that night would probably remain fresh in his memory forever.
"Government personnel is bound to be among these users. The Red Feather Vulture and Peach Blossom Miasma entries are probably their work. Unusual events are happening more frequently these days and we should also keep an eye out. Anything might turn out to be useful.
"The plan you brought back only talked about the information platform, but the government must have something further than that. I think they'll soon add a forum for discussions," said Xiaozhai.
"You're right. Sharing information will naturally lead to discussion, and discussion helps all sides to understand one another. With understanding, there will be demand and differentiation… then, it'll be time for a trading floor." Gu Yu heaved a soft sigh. "It'll all be supervised by the authorities, but it's better than chaos."
The measures the government of this country took were not complicated—one could even call it simple.
Stage one: information platform. Theoretically, it was open to everyone, but the users were divided into different security levels, which determined the amount of content they could read.
Stage two: communication platform. Users of this stage would be selected from those in stage one and would be the main force of this circle.
Stage three: trading platform. Users would be selected from stage two—those able to exchange resources. These would be the elite of the elite.
With these progressive layers, one's capability determined which circle they could become a member of. It would not be a far stretch to say that this App would become the essential tool of the society and people would be fighting head over heels for the level of security and the merit points.
"At the end of the day, it's the same old story: the top ones pick around, the middle ones have the meat, and the bottom ones are content as long as they don't starve to death." Gu Yu shook his head and suddenly broke into laughter. "Come to think of it, it's actually quite funny. We're almost entering the age of cultivation and we still can't live without our phones."
"Where the Taoist skills are absent, technology fills the gap. Why, maybe that's how things will be in the future...
"Fire Feather Set available, 80,000 spiritual stones, pm if interested!
"Zhen Mo Valley boss team, strong tank 1 needed! Suckers stay away or there will be abusive words!
"Experienced player looking for team for Phoenix Mountain dungeon, gentle girl Qiu Qiu only… gosh, it's giving me a headache just thinking about it."
Xiaozhai dumped out her sarcastic comments and went on about it. Gu Yu was utterly amused. Grabbing her into his arms by her shoulder, he comforted her, "Don't worry, we have the flying talisman! We're not going to mix up with the rest of those losers!"
"Flying talisman is a pain in the ass. I was looking into it just now. It's very strict in the type of talisman paper and cinnabar used. Celestial Master Temple, Maoshan, and Lingbao should all have the things we need. We should pay them a visit," said Xiaozhai.
"Sure. Chinese New Year is coming up soon, though. Let's wait until after the holiday season."
***
Yan Han stayed overnight on Phoenix Mountain, sharing a room with Li Dong and Zhang Qianqiu.
The atmosphere was extremely awkward at first. Zhang Qianqiu then fetched a bottle of spiritual liquor and they each took a few sips. Everyone was dizzy and sweaty, and things got quite lively after that.
There were confessions of regret and comforting words, even bursts of tears, which we would not go into details about. Early next morning, Yan Han and Zhang Qianqiu were summoned to the Cottage of Pure Mind, where Fairy Jiang surprised them with every word she said.
"Open a shop?" Yan Han cried out involuntarily, but immediately thought his tone inappropriate and chose his words more carefully. "What I mean was, what are we going to do with this shop?"
"Selling stuff, obviously. The supply is not available just yet, so you can sell whatever you want for now," said Xiaozhai.
"It'll be a medium-sized one with a warehouse at least. We're not particular on the location—even remote ones would do. We'll provide you with the capital," added Gu Yu.
"Well…"
Yan Han immediately grabbed his meaning: set up the shop first—the rest could wait.
"What shall it be called?" he asked.
"Pavilion of Gems." Xiaozhai gave him a name without thinking and added, "Zhang Qianqiu will be your contact. I've loosened that restriction a little and you can come once every three months from now on."
"Thank you, Immortal Master! Thank you, Sir!"
That was the real gem. Both men thanked them wholeheartedly.
Before long, Gu Yu and Xiaozhai finished their instructions and Yan Han went down the mountain feeling conflicted. It all seemed ridiculous.
He was a businessman to start with and abandoned his career to pursuit a life of cultivation. As it turned out, he was back to where he used to be and was going to run a business again. From now on, he would be the business representative of Phoenix Mountain in Shengtian, which might turn into something important.
Oh my! This thought brought palpitations to his heart again. That sounded like a great opportunity!
We would leave Yan Han's palpitating heart for the time being and turn our eyes back to the mountain.
Zhang Qianqiu remained standing in the cottage, cross-examined by the stares of both bosses, who were giving him the most unusual look. The pressure they were giving off almost sent him to his knees.
He could barely keep his legs from giving out as he asked, "Pardon me, but is there anything else?"
"..."
Xiaozhai darted him a look. "You're fond of Xiao Qiu?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-46.png){kind=small}
Chapter 246: Returning
Source: Qidian International
'Shit!'
Zhang Qianqiu broke into sweat with that single sentence.
He met Xiaozhai's eyes, feeling his legs going shaky. But, the guy was of an unyielding temperament after all and decided to let it out. "Yes, I care for Miss Qiu very much."
"Care for? That's an ambiguous description…" Xiaozhai chuckled before saying, "Whatever feeling you have for her, from this moment on, forget it."
"W-why?" Zhang Qianqiu would not give in and said stubbornly, "You have no right to interfere with other people's relationships!"
"Ha, I thought you were the smartest one. It occurs to me that Li Dong is the wisest, regardless of his slow-witted appearance. We must have been treating you too nicely, for you have forgotten one thing: Phoenix Mountain is not a company and we're no more the employers than you are the employee."
She straightened her face all of a sudden. "You three trespassed on the mountain and should consider yourselves very lucky that we're not interested in killing randomly, or you wouldn't live to the day to have this conversation!"
"Boom!"
An enormous pressure crushed down on him, as if Mount Tai had fallen down. Zhang Qianqiu's legs gave out and he knelt down in a thump.
The muscles on his face were completely contorted and he felt all his bones were clenched in a giant hand, making crunching sounds as the hand squeezed tighter and tighter.
For a few seconds there, the horror and agony he was in reminded him of hell.
It seemed forever before the pressure was lifted and he collapsed to the ground, almost convulsing from the pain. Unfortunately, he was lucid the entire time.
Zhang Qianqiu, a young man in his twenties with a well-to-do family and successful career, was a resolute and independent man that never had difficulties in dating women. People like him were born winners that would always stand out among the crowd.
Now that the environment had changed, his self-confidence did not waver a bit—he still believed firmly that he could achieve great things. Unfortunately, he had stepped into this new world with an old mindset.
Men of the modern society cared about "face-saving" and retaining room for manoeuver in dealing with other people. Within the boundaries of the law, they played their games by the existing well-established rules and everyone was happy.
At that instant, it dawned on him: this was no civilized world bound by laws; it was a primitive, vast, and savage wilderness ran by instincts and desires.
"Huff… huff…"
Zhang Qianqiu gasped for air. With the little amount of strength he just recovered, he asked, "Why, why didn't you kill me?"
"I told you, I don't have the habit of killing randomly, let alone killing some defenseless guy. Of course, if you really want to die, be my guest," replied Xiaozhai.
"Ok, I see." Zhang Qianqiu struggled to his feet and said in a hoarse, low voice, "I know I don't have the power to talk to you as peers now, but one day…"
"Okay, save your tough words. You're going down the mountain in a moment. From now on, you'll be working in the manor on the northern slope. Now, leave."
"..."
His unfinished words were stuffed back down his throat. One had to admit, the guy was quite a character. He acted as if nothing had happened and even bowed before leaving the room.
Xiaozhai watched him going away and turned around abruptly. "What were you thinking? Why didn't you say anything?"
"I never knew what was going on. What was I supposed to say with your sudden move?" Gu Yu was rather baffled.
"Of course you know nothing! Your mind is all over cultivation these days!" Xiaozhai rolled her eyes and said matter-of-factly, "Xiao Qiu is mine. No one's taking her away from me!"
"Tsk!"
Gu Yu curled his lips and could not be bothered to give a comment. He was telling the truth when he said he did not notice what Zhang Qianqiu was thinking—he barely ever met the guy.
One month in court and he was thinking about stealing away the princess.
How could they not worry! They worried about the innocent 174-cm child wandering away even on a trip to the grocery's. They didn't want to kill someone for such a trivial matter, but they couldn't cut the fellow loose, either, hence the guy was confined to the manor down the mountain.
As for the revenge he mentioned, he probably had "every dog has its day" in mind… come on, who cares?
***
Eastern slope, the cemetery.
With Chinese New Year coming, the custom of this country was that people would visit the graves of their relatives and ancestors to honor the memory of the dead and burn some joss paper as an offering. There was only one cemetery in Bai Town and people were coming in throngs. Some walked pushing their bikes while others carried the offerings in both hands. Everyone was busy going this way and that along a narrow stone-brick-paved path.
At one of the graves in the inner corner stood the family of four.
Gu Yu lit three incense sticks, laid out the fruit and liquor, then tore open several bags of joss paper and wiped his finger across the paper. A dot of red light escaped his finger tip and the paper burst into flames.
Gu Yu had the blaze under control, confining it to a very small area. The smoke curled up and rose right upwards instead of drifting sideways. Xiaozhai stood on one side with two bags of paper gold ingots and would throw some into the flame from time to time.
Long Qiu and Xiaojin remained idle, though both were standing aside quietly without messing around with one another like they usually did.
Needless to say, it was the grave of Gu Yu's grandpa. He used to make sure to come here on important dates such as Qingming Festival 1 , Ghost Festival 2 , Chinese New Year, etc. However, such ritual was broken ever since he started cultivating. He missed the previous Chinese New Year visit, for instance, because he'd been in Huo Zhou at the time.
The fire burnt well. Before long, all that was left was a pile of black ashes.
Gu Yu knelt down a little off to the side and kowtowed three times. He rose to his feet and was about to leave when Xiaozhai went to the same spot and kowtowed three times as well.
"..."
Long Qiu was at a loss. She was going to follow suit when Gu Yu stopped her. "Ok, that's not for you. Let's go."
With that, the four left the cemetery along the path.
Gu Yu held Xiaozhai's hand the entire time. He was genuinely touched, but they were together long enough to read each other's mind and did not need to express gratitude in explicit words.
They turned north along a dirt road after leaving the cemetery. The area was even more sparsely populated.
"It's been years since grandpa passed away. I'm... so afraid these days." Gu Yu sighed suddenly.
"Afraid that you might forget one day?" Xiaozhai asked.
"Yes! Ten years or twenty years may not be too long for one to remember their parents and families, but what about a century, two centuries? The world is changing so fast, how much can we remember in the end?" Gu Yu squeezed her hand and went on, "After all the strange things we've been through, we haven't seen a real ghost. I hope there are ghosts. At least that'll give us something to hang onto."
"What you're hanging onto is at the price of many other people's fears." Xiaozhai caressed his palm with her fingertips and chuckled. "Let's move grandpa's grave to our mountain when spring comes. We'll be able to take care of him more easily that way."
"Sure, I was about to say that… Oh, by the way, where was your master buried? Shall we move her out here as well?"
"..."
Gu Yu's casually question wiped the smile off her face and for the millionth time, she fell into silence.
Watching her exquisite profile, he said softly, "You never wanted to talk about it, but I really want to know. After all, that's part of your history."
"..."
Xiaozhai remained silent.
"Ok, I won't make you tell me, but I have a wish, would you grant it?" he asked.
"What is it?"
"I have taken the hand of her only pupil and even just for the sake of courtesy, I should pay a visit to her grave. Plus, you haven't been back for many years, don't you want to see her?"
There was another long moment of silence before Xiaozhai finally nodded. "Ok."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-47.png){kind=small}
Chapter 247: Songjiang River
Source: Qidian International
Songjiang River, a snowy day.
The Northeast was not gifted with many renowned mountains, hence fame-wise, the region seemed to be outshined by other parts of the country. Luckily, it still had Changbai Mountains as its signature, which had won back its status a little.
The Changbai Mountains were vast. The mountain range had a total area of 1963 km^2, stretching out from this country to the abutting Goguryeo. Its peak was located in Goguryeo, which had an altitude of 2749 m.
After decades of development, the area was well equipped with tourist facilities. Heaven Lake up on the mountaintop was the most famous scenic spot, accessible via two regular routes—namely the northern slope and the western slope.
The northern slope went all the way to the bank of Heaven Lake, allowing one to savor the view and feel it from up-close. However, the ecological protection efforts of recent years had closed this route up. The western slope led one up the mountain, where they could overlook the entire Heaven Lake. Both routes had their own features.
Songjiang River was a small town at the foot of the western slope and where Xiaozhai used to live when she was little.
"Gosh, it's freezing!"
The family of four had just walked out of the train station when Xiaojin cried out, her breath turning white as she yelled, "Hey, just look at that! My breath has turned into frost!"
"Stop clinging to me all the time… It's really beautiful here."
Long Qiu peeled Xiaojin off her in annoyance. A casual look around made her fall in love with the small town right away. Everything was white—the streets, the rooftops, the pedestrians, the vehicles… even the running stray dogs were coated in a layer of fluffy white fur.
Fine snow sprinkled down, gently covering every corner. There was a beauty in this quiet chilliness.
"No more squabbling. Let's go to our hotel first," Gu Yu called out to the two girls as he hailed a taxi. The four then headed straight to the hotel they had booked. The taxi driver was utterly baffled and kept stealing looks through the rearview mirror—he simply could not figure out the relationship of the four passengers.
The guy was tall, lean, handsome, and all legs. The slightly older girl looked stunning and had equally long legs. The younger pair was as pretty, and wow, their legs were no shorter!
Gosh, this car seemed several inches too short for all of them. Pop the doors open and they could probably use their long legs as the brake.
Songjiang River was an underdeveloped town, but that did not stop the tourism from flourishing. There were several pretty decent reception centers. About five or six minutes' drive later, the taxi turned into a large courtyard with a new building about a dozen stories high.
They checked into two rooms, both suites with a living room.
Long Qiu busied herself with sorting through her clothes as soon as she got into her room. She had enough spiritual energy to withstand the cold climate and only brought some thin clothes.
She hung them into the closet one piece at a time with nimble movements. Her lips curled up into a smile and before she knew it, she was humming a tune.
"Qiu Qiu! You are singing!"
Xiaojin had just emptied her bowels and walked out of the toilet when she made this discovery. She opened her eyes widely, surprise written all over her face.
"Hm? Was I?" Long Qiu looked adorable with her blank face.
"You were! But I couldn't understand a word!"
"Oh, I was probably singing the song of Youfang 1 . Hurry up, will you? We're going out for dinner soon."
She finished hanging her clothes and put her suitcase away in a corner, then started laying out her toilet articles and towels.
Xiaojin hung on to her like a piece of blue tack, following her around in the room, and nagged, "Nope, that's not it! Why are you so happy? It's only Changbai Mountain we're visiting! There must be something you're not telling me!"
"I'm always happy on our trips. Aren't you happy?" Long Qiu found Xiaojin's reaction strange.
"Happy my a*s! This is my hometown as well!"
"Ah… I forgot about that!"
Long Qiu was a little embarrassed. The girl was right. She and Xiaozhai were cousins and their fathers were brothers. Obviously, the two shared a single grandpa.
The realisation got Xiao Qiu interested. She asked, "Jin Jin, have you lived here before when you were little?"
"I've always stayed in Shengtian and only visited here twice a year. Then grandpa passed away and I never came again."
"Were you close to Sister when you were little?"
"Why are you asking?"
Xiaojin squinted at her, giving herself a ferocious but comical look.
"I'm just curious. Didn't you realize sister was different from other people?"
"She was not different from the others… she was different from normal human beings. Sigh, you have no idea what it felt like to live in the shadow of a fiend…"
Looking back on her miserable childhood years, Xiaojin was so overwhelmed with all the emotions that she decided to put on her oscar-winning performance again—tears began to well up in her eyes.
Long Qiu felt the corner of her mouth twitching. She then asked, "Well, have you met her master before?"
"Never! No one knew about this apart from my grandpa!"
Xiaojin whined indignantly, "Fate is so unfair! If I were the weak child to begin with, I would probably be the one getting a master! In that case, I would be the one having fun travelling everywhere now and I would be on the top and she on the bottom, mwahahahaha…"
What the hell was she talking about?
Long Qiu was utterly lost.
***
Songjiang River was a big town with hundreds of thousands residents and eleven administrative villages under its jurisdiction.
The four stayed one night in the hotel and headed for Changqing 2 Village early the following morning, which was where the ancestral house of the Jiang Family was. The village was nowhere near what its name implied: gleaming white snow covered the low houses and village streets, giving the place a deserted look.
The four strutted down the street like supermodels with snow crunching under their feet. Every now and then, they would meet a villager passing by, who'd give them the look one would give some madmen.
Xiaozhai led the team and kept her silence. She was listless ever since they arrived at the village, reminding one of a depressed hedgehog.
"Rustle!"
"Crunch!"
The four turned into an alley and saw an auntie walking towards them. She was wrapped in a thick cotton-padded jacket, had both hands tucked away in her sleeves, and carried a plastic bag over an arm, which contained a few pig's feet.
Xiaozhai halted suddenly and asked, "Aunt Chen, is that you?"
"Mhm?"
The auntie was taken by surprise. She took a closer look of Xiaozhai and said in an uncertain voice, "You're, Jiang's eldest son's…"
"I'm Xiaozhai."
"Oh my, what brought you back here?" The auntie immediately warmed up to her.
"Just to visit my hometown. This is Xiaojin, my uncle's daughter; you've met her before. These two are my friends." She briefly introduced the other three and smiled. "We'll only be here for a couple of days. How are you these days?"
"Haha, I'm doing great. My boy just got married this October and he said he was going to call your dad. I told him not to. Your dad is a big shot now, he wouldn't have time for some wimpy kid. I've got to say, your dad's got manners. Someone must have mentioned it to him and he sent someone here with the cash gift… Oh, by the way, your grandpa's house is in great condition. Old Shui has put his heart into it. You should thank him."
"Haha, you're right… bye bye for now, then."
The four walked on after exchanging the pleasantries. They almost reached the end of the alley when they stopped outside a small courtyard. It was an ordinary farmyard with three tile-roofed houses. Even the white snow could not cover the traces of dilapidation.
Xiaozhai took out the key, opened the door, and walked in. The light was dim inside, but the air was not stale. Apparently someone had been cleaning it frequently. Xiaojin remembered little of this place and everything looked strange to her. She wandered around, checking out everything in every room.
Gu Yu looked around as well. The kitchen was in the middle and the main bedroom on the east, which still had a kang 3 , but the rest of the furniture was long cleared out. In the western room was a small bed without even the wooden planks. The iron frame stood there alone.
"Did you use to sleep here?" he asked.
"Yup, for quite a few years." Xiaozhai stroked the head of the bed and chuckled. "It was all right in the beginning, but I soon grew too tall for it. Grandpa had always wanted to buy me a bigger bed. I was back in Shengtian before he could."
"Haha, I slept on the kang when I was little and it became too short for me as well. I had to put a bench by the kang to make up for my dangling feet."
Gu Yu walked around some more before he paused. A pile of bits and bobs in a corner caught his eyes.
He moved closer to examine it. A wooden shrine was the most eye-catching piece. Red paper was pasted over it, together with a couplet which read: "Cultivate nature deep in the mountains, keep family safe once leaving the ancient cave."
A big "worship" was written in the center, below which were memorial tablets for Third Great-Grandfather Hu and Third Great-Grandmother Hu.
"..."
Gu Yu stared at it for a long moment before asking, "Is it worshipped in all villages here?"
"Used to be, not so much these days."
"I don't think they have it in Phoenix Fair. I don't know much about these things. People talk about "five fairies" all the time. What are they, exactly?" He was a little curious.
" Fairy 4 Fox (fox), Fairy Yellow (weasel), Fairy White (hedgehog), Fairy Willow (snake), and Fairy Gray (mouse) are the so-called Fox, Yellow, White, Willow, and Gray. They are named "fairies", but are actually spiritual animals coming out of the mountains to help people in order to evade the thunder trials. Through the bodies of their pupils, they're able to accumulate virtue by doing good deeds. They usually go by the name 'fairies taking the field', and their pupils by 'pupils taking the field'. The families they pick become 'parishes', where a fairy shrine can be set up to help people with their problems."
"Through the bodies of others? Isn't that possession by spirits or devils? That sounds similar to Shamanism." Gu Yu frowned.
"Humph!" Xiaozhai snorted. "That's exactly what they are, a branch of Shamanism. They played the supernatural tricks to swindle money and were a scourge to the villages. There used to be one here. A lot of families became its victims."
"And then?"
"My master crushed it."
"Well…"
Gu Yu almost choked on his own spit. Xiaozhai was indeed her master's pupil. "Was that why Shamanism got to your master?"
"Yes."
"In that case, your master…"
He thought about asking how her master passed away, but gave up the idea after some consideration.
The four did not stay long. They briefly cleaned the rooms and locked the door from outside.
Gu Yu turned back to look at the western room before they left. He would never believe in things like "fairies taking the field" before, but now… no one could say for sure.
***
"Toco Toco Toco!"
"Toco Toco Toco"
A walking tractor passed them, sloshing muddy snow everywhere. The driver kept a calm face the entire time as the tractor slid this way and that on the snowy street. The shabby vehicle drew a perfect curve on the snow and disappeared into an alley.
"Wow! If I didn't know better, I'd thing he was hurrying towards Mt. Akina 5 !"
Xiaojin shook her sleeves and shouted impatiently, "Sis, what are we doing next?"
"Visiting the Shui Family."
"For what?"
"To look around."
"For what?"
"Shut up."
"Ok!"
Xiaojin seemed completely unaware of the fact that she had just been scolded. Instead, she slid happily aside and looked more content than ever. Long Qiu rubber her head, giving her a look of "you poor little idiot", and also asked, "Sister, who is the Shui Family?"
"Their old man used to be a close friend of my grandpa and they have been taking care of the house these years. We should go and express our gratitude."
The two families were not too far apart and they were there in no time. The Shui Family lived in an even more remote corner right next to a grove. The courtyard was spacious, though, and the tile-roofed houses looked quite extraordinary.
Xiaozhai stood still outside the gate. Instead of going in, she shouted, "Old chief!"
A few seconds passed before an old yet strong voice called back, "Who's there?"
An old man strolled out after that, scanned the four and grinned. "Oh, the girl of the Jiang's is back."
"Haha, dear old man, it's been a while."
Xiaozhai ran up to him. There was warmth in her voice one would have when talking to a close elderly friend. She introduced, "This is my boyfriend. These two are my sisters. This is Shui Rong, the old chief of the Changbai Ginseng Band."
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Chapter 248: Even Superman Has Old Neighbors
Source: Qidian International
The province of Wula, Xidu 1 .
Xidu was the provincial capital with a political and economic significance no less than Shengtian's, only less populated.
Right now, in an office in the provincial BIMAUP, a member of staff was enjoying his moment of mental sneaking-off, playing a game on his phone when his computer pinged suddenly and a page popped up on the screen.
"Ah!"
His fingers twitched, bringing instant death to his game character, but that was the last thing he cared about at the moment. He moved closer, his nose almost touching the screen, and read the contents.
He saw a blurry picture of a bird first. It was a tiny thing about 10 cm in height and had a round face and big eyes. At first glance, one might mistake it for an owl. The bird was covered in bright patterns of a dark-red hue. A pattern crossed each of its shoulders, coming together on its back in a V-shape.
Below the picture was a brief description: found under the Harmonious Rooster & Phoenix of the Great Canyon. Personal experience told me that it was probably a mallet bird, but mallet birds migrate in the winter, so this one is likely an unusual creature.
Information provider: Green River Water. Contact: 139xxxxxxxx.
"Changbai Mountain again. That's the third one so far. Sigh, it used to be an honor guarding a famous mountain, but now, it's nothing but trouble…"
Muttering, he swiftly saved and sent the information while picking up the phone and dialed a number. "Hello, is the research team still on the mountain… The last one has not been verified yet? Good, they can do this one together on the way. It's just over there in the Great Canyon…"
He hung up after a few words, then printed the information and put it into a large envelope. The data storage and security technologies BIMAUP used were top of the line, but just to make provision against emergencies, they still kept a soft copy as well as a hard one.
Only after that did he run the background program of the app and send a system message to the provider.
***
"Ding!"
In Songjiang River Town 300 km away, a young man was waiting with his phone in his hand. As soon as the clear beep rang out, he tapped open the app. There was indeed a system message waiting for him.
"The lead you provided has been received. Please be patient while we verify the information in the next ten days. We might contact you during this time. Please have your phone ready."
"Haha, that 30 points are mine!"
Waving his fist in excitement, he called out, "Little Sis, I'm going home for a bit. You keep an eye on things around here!"
"Sure!" a girl replied loud and clear.
With that, the fellow ran out of the door, hopped onto his shabby pickup truck, turned it noisily on, and dashed out.
The guy was none other than Green River Water, whose real name was Shui Yao. Despite his Mary-Sue-ish name 2 , the guy was a rough-looking stalwart who was big, burly, and strong.
He ran a small local hostel, targeting specifically the artsy youths, providing them with accomodation. He was a rather resourceful man and was able to get his customers unconventional programs such as riding in the snowfield, motorcycle-riding, hot-spring trips, and even hunting, which made him a name around Songjiang River.
Meanwhile, in the Shui Family in Changqing Village, Gu Yu and the others were chatting happily with Shui Rong.
"Here in Changbai Mountains, the ginseng diggers are called mountain shepherds and the groups they form are called Ginseng Bands. The team leaders are known as band chiefs."
Xiaozhai was apparently much relaxed by now as she teased, "The dear old man here has been a band chief for the past forty years or so and nothing wrong has happened under his leadership. Why, I haven't been here for years and you're still not deposed?"
"I'm just a useless old man. The band chief means nothing these days."
Shui Rong was in his seventies, swarthy, and all hale and hearty. He drew a couple of times from his long-stemmed tobacco pipe and chuckled. "They're not getting rid of me, though. There are fewer and fewer mountain shepherds these days. The young ones have all run off to the cities. I'm the last generation of what I do."
"No, you're not. I bet you don't watch TV very often, do you? Only the masters living a reclusive life in the mountains talk that way. You never hear it from the silly young ones. You must be very good at what you do. So, tell us about it, what do you mean by shepherding a mountain?"
Xiaojin—smart yet a little ruffian—was a natural in telling people exactly what they wanted to hear.
Long Qiu also joined in. "Grandpa Shui, I've never heard about these things. Tell us about it, please."
With the two girls singing their praises, the old man was more than happy to oblige. He laughed. "Well, I'll tell you what I know."
"The rules of mountain-shepherding were set up in the early Qing Dynasty, such as the number of people going into the mountains must be odd—three, five, seven, nine, eleven, etc. Ginsengs are spiritual things and we believe in going in in odd numbers and coming out in even ones. So, an odd number plus a ginseng makes it even, which is the most lucky thing.
"There are a lot of taboos before going in and the most important one is no sexual intercourse. Ginsengs are spiritual plants. Sex will bring a filthy energy that offends ginsengs. They will run away before we get to them.
"The first thing after going in is to build a small temple with three tiles to pay respect to the mountain god. The one in charge of the Changbai Mountains is Lord Sun, Sun Liang. All ginseng bands have a search-and-poke rod... oh, let me show you…"
With that, he rose to his feet, went to the back room, and came back with a wooden stick, which he explained. "This rod is 1.7 m long. You hold it by the thicker end. There are carved marks on the rod, which is a reminder of how many ginsengs this rod has found. We use this rod in the mountains to search for ginsengs and you can either hold it or put it on the ground up straight, but never toss it down carelessly. The rod is a spiritual thing.
"I might not have spent many years in school, but I know enough to follow the rules. We take from the mountains as well as preserve them. The little ones like the 'double clips' (ginseng plants with two branches) and 'baby hand' (ginseng plants with one branch) have to be circled out and preserved. It'll be the most indecent thing to dig them up… it's such a pity. Nowadays you can't even find a 'lampstand' (three-branches plant) up there. Everything is artificially bred and I haven't been in the mountains for years…"
'Tsk!'
The two girls enjoyed the story greatly, especially Long Qiu who, as someone from a Miao village, knew very little of the northeastern culture filled with local characteristics. The description brought a million ideas to her head and all she wished for now was to have spring come soon so that she could go in and enjoy herself in the mountains when the ginseng season came.
"..."
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai exchanged a look, both embarrassed. They had been vigorously collecting wild ginsengs, which could well have wrecked Changbai Mountains.
"Ahem! Dear old man, I've brought you this knowing you love your liquors." Xiaozhai cleared her throat and took out a jar of liquor from her bag and reminded him, "Please, please make sure you only drink a little at a time. It's not that I'm stingy, but this liquor is very strong."
"You worry too much, kiddo. I've tasted all the strong liquor there is, why should this one be any different?" Shui Rong thought little of that warning. He unplugged the jar and sniffed, then complimented, "Hm, that's some good liquor! It's been years since I last smelt anything this pure."
His throat itched at the smell. Lifting up the jar, he downed a mouthful right away. Xiaozhai could only watch helplessly on the side and prepared herself for CPR the next moment. As expected, the old man choked on the liquor first, then gasped for air.
His wrinkled face flushed and sweat covered his forehead. The old man was taken over by an unnatural exhilaration.
Xiaozhai flicked her fingers, sending a streak of gentle energy into him, helping him to readjust his breathing. The old man then gradually calmed down.
"Phew… the Jiang girl meant what she said." The old man was finally had a taste of fear. Patting the jar, he had yet to recover from the fright. He was as happy as he was sorry. "Well, this will see me through for half a year."
Just then, someone called out from the yard, "Grandpa, what are you doing there all by yourself? Are you peeking at my computer?"
With this very "inappropriate" greeting, Shui Yao strode into the room. Seeing all the strangers, he winced at first, then his eyes fell on Xiaozhai and he asked in surprise, "Sister Jiang, is that you?"
"Pffft!"
Gu Yu almost choked on his spit.
"..."
Xiaozhai also found that address 3 extremely weird. She greeted back, "Hi, Old Shui. Long time no see."
"Why, you're a rare guest!"
Shui Yao squeezed to her side like a tumbling bear and said loudly, "Ever since you came back last time and beat the sh*t out of me, I have been working hard to have my muscles well-toned. Shall we find a time and exchange some blows again… Hey, whom else do we have here?"
"My boyfriend and my two sisters." Xiaozhai fought back the impulse to throw the fellow out of the room and introduced Shui Yao, "Well, this is…"
"I'm her brother from another mother and another father!"
Shui Yao answered before Xiaozhai could. A quick roll of his eyes and he turned his attention on Gu Yu. Laughing, he exclaimed, "Younger Brother-in-law! Gosh, never thought I'd live to see you around! How nice!"
"Pfffft!"
Gu Yu nearly choked again. He had always been the older brother-in-law, but had just been made the "younger" one today. He stood up to shake hands with Shui Yao, and as soon as their hands touched, Gu Yu felt the guy was squeezing hard on purpose, so he just smiled back.
Seeing Gu Yu was tall and slender, Shui Yao felt it a good idea to feel the fellow out and squeezed with his full strength. Damn it! This skinny fellow had a hell of an iron grip!
"Hahaha! Nice! Sister Jiang's got herself a great guy!" Shui Yao was not at least embarrassed by his little failed "test" and went on asking, "Has uncle come back with you? Are you staying here for Chinese New Year?"
"No, we'll only be here for a couple of days."
"Well, that's a pity. I'm busy these days as well; if not for that, I'd definitely show you a good time." Shui Yao sounded quite sorry.
"Another time. By the way, I heard you're running a hostel. How's the business?" Xiaozhai asked.
"It's doing well! Really well! They just keep coming, all smelly youngsters who would explode if they go one day without poking something. Only yesterday, two of the tenants—complete strangers—went out for half the night together. And the noise they made after they got back, man…"
One of the natural endowment of Northeastern folks: chitchat!
Give them a heated kang, a plate of boiled green soybeans, and a bottle of " Dropping Donkeys 4 ", and they would talk until you forgot what you mom's name was.
Shui Yao was a perfect demonstration of such talent. He prattled and tattled, on and on and on. The flowing slangs made Long Qiu's eyes go blank.
"Ding!"
Luckily, they were saved by the phone. The fellow's face turned nervous and he ran furtively out of the door, where he still felt not safe enough and trotted all the way out until he reach the wall of the yard. It was apparently something super-mysterious.
And Gu Yu felt utterly awkward, for they could hear every single word.
"Yes, it's me. I provided the information… I'm telling you, that bird is definitely an oddball. They were never seen around here in the winter before, but just decided to show up this year… Yes, that last one was by me as well. Absolutely, I've been waiting for you… E-experience? Do you know who my grandpa is? He's the chief of the Changbai Ginseng Band. I've learned everything from him, which is A LOT!"
The four inside snickered as they listened on, exchanging looks. With a slight nod from the brother and sister, the husky and the samoyed pricked their ears instantly: it was time to make trouble again.
Before long, Shui Yao came back inside. He then put together a large bag in a hurry and left promptly in his shabby pickup truck.
Xiaozhai and the others stayed a little while longer and said their goodbyes as well. They walked out and returned the same way they came, walking along the crunchy, snowy street.
All of a sudden, Gu Yu burst into laughter in a silly sort of way.
"What's got into you?" Xiaozhai eyed him contemptuously.
"Nothing, just thought I should hang out with that fellow some more." Holding his girlfriend by the shoulder, he chuckled. "As the saying goes, even the superheroes are afraid of their old neighbors. It's time for me to dig up all your dark history."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-49.png){kind=small}
Chapter 249: Mallet Bird
Source: Qidian International
The four left Changqing Village and crossed a narrow frozen river. About another two to three km further, they entered a poplar grove.
The towering poplars stood upright and were sparsely planted. Fluffy white snow covered the branches tall up. Instead of a lonely and deserted feel, they looked rather quaint and elegant.
"..."
Gu Yu looked around, assuming this was where Xiaozhai's master's grave was. However, she kept walking, leading them out of the grove and going all the way to the foot of the mountain.
This area was part of the western slope of the Changbai Mountain 1 . The front gate was located in the scenic area with solid twisting mountain road and stone staircases. Everywhere else, there were only unmarked trails.
The one they followed was no exception. Xiaozhai had not said a single word and was striding up the mountain, holding Gu Yu's hand. Long Qiu and Xiaojin both found it rather curious, but dared not ask. They only followed behind the couple obediently.
This area of the mountain was next to the village and many man-made marks had been left behind. The trail was crudely paved with rough wooden boards so that it would not be too slippery even when covered by snow.
The four walked some more and reached a fork in the road. One branch that was extremely steep led up the mountain, while the other one led down and was relatively smooth.
Xiaozhai stood at the fork and finally spoke, "This is it."
"Here?" Gu Yu found it strange.
"Master was ambushed by the Shamanic people back then and never recovered from the injury. She held on with all she could for a year and a half. One day, she realized that day had come and went on the mountain by herself."
Xiaozhai raised her head slightly, tracing with her eyes that lonely, steep trail that seemed to stretch out all the way to the clouds. "That day, I ran after her all the way here, almost crying my eyes out. She forbade me from crying or asking and would not let me follow her or think of her. Then, she went up alone, never coming back."
"..."
Gu Yu winced. All of a sudden, he realized he had underestimated Xiaozhai's feelings for her master. Adoration of a child toward a parent, admiration, worship… none of those seemed enough to describe it. There was something beyond those.
"Have you tried to find her after that?" he asked.
"I did, but found nothing, not even a piece of clothes or anything left behind." Xiaozhai lowered her eyes, but soon looked up again with a smile. "There you have it. You can't pay her respect no matter how much you want it. Well, let's wrap it up. That way leads to the Great Canyon. Let's go."
With that, they turned right and walked downhill along the smooth trail.
While the elder couple walked in the front, the younger pair was muttering in the rear. Long Qiu had an odd look on her face as she asked, "Jin Jin, was sister's master a man or a woman?"
"A woman."
"Oh, I thought it was a man. There's nothing to worry about, then…"
She giggled, somehow feeling at ease now. The head of Xiaojin immediately figured out what Long Qiu was thinking and she whispered, "Nothing to worry? Women are bigger trouble than men."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because, because… Tsk, you won't understand."
"Why wouldn't I? Her master must have been a very nice, very beautiful, and very powerful person to make Sister miss her after all these years," Long Qiu retorted indignantly.
Nice, beautiful, and powerful...
Xiaojin's lips twitched. She was seriously considering giving Long Qiu a lesson on certain knowledge, but thought better of it and gave up.
***
"That Shui Yao guy, is he just a hostel owner? He doesn't look like one. He's quite street-smart, I think."
"Both his parents run business in Xidu. Shui Yao couldn't find a job after college, so he returned to his hometown straight away. He has been going into the mountains with Grandpa Shui since he was little and had killed a brown bear once. He is very good with guns and knows a bit of martial arts. He's loyal, open-handed, and likes to make friends. All in all, he's a popular figure here in Songjiang River."
The soundless cold mountain was covered by a silvery white. The two threaded through the snowy woods, heading deeper into the forest. Xiaozhai introduced her childhood playmate and summarized with one precise word. "Basically, he's a gangster."
"Well, that put it plainly." Gu Yu chuckled.
"Growing up, he used to challenge me, but had his a*s kicked every single time. Word had it that Grandpa Shui tried to pair me off with him, but forgot about it later—he cherished his grandson's life."
"Haha, just imagine that fellow tries to provoke me… Hm?"
Gu Yu paused abruptly, for just at that moment, from the corner of his left eye, he seemed to have caught something small flitting past.
"I'll go check."
Thrusting the ground with the tip of his foot, Gu Yu flew into the distance before he even finished the sentence. Both of his feet were kept centimeters above the ground as if he was walking on empty air, leaving behind no trace on the snow.
"Squeak!"
The thing ran away on all fours, moving at a tremendous speed that was impossible for ordinary eyes to catch.
But Gu Yu was faster.
Void-arranging Technique was indeed a more advanced Taoist skill. He turned into a streak of smoke and caught up with it in no time. He grabbed the small thing by its neck and lifted it off the ground.
It was a sable.
The Northeast had three treasures: ginseng, sable fur, and wula grass (Carex meyeriana).
Wild sables were extremely rare these days and he had never expected he could catch one here. The sable had dark brown fur, a fluffy tail, and was about 50 cm long.
It had dark eyes and black pupils, which were big and bright, giving it a smart look.
"..."
Gu Yu frowned. The eyes were making him uncomfortable, as if something was hiding behind them, observing him through the sable's eyes.
"I thought it was a mountain rat. So, it was this little guy. There were very few of them around even when I was little… Hm?"
Just then, Xiaozhai walked to his side and also found something was not right. She put her hand on the sable and scanned it with her spiritual energy. Nothing seemed to be out of the place. "That's weird. Why do I feel like I am being watched?"
"I can't possibly imagine who would secretly spying on us…"
Gu Yu was wrecking his brain when the little light bulb popped on above his head. He chuckled. "Can it be the mountain god Grandpa talked about?"
"Haha, anything is possible these days. I would happily live with it even if a mountain god jumps out and fights us. Whatever, time to go."
Xiaozhai casually tossed the sable up onto a branch.
Gu Yu made a grabbing gesture and wrapped it up with a sphere of transparent confinement. He grinned. "Don't worry. Take a nap and you can be on your way."
***
"We can conclude that the archetype was Rhodiola of Changbai Mountain. The plant is about 10-20 cm in height, has strong roots, is of a cylinder shape, fleshy, and of a yellowish brown color. Fibrous roots are found at the rootstock and the plant is covered by scale-shaped leaves. The shape of the plant remains unchanged, only shorter. We have collected three plants, which we will take back and study."
On a meadow facing the sun, the group leader finished recording the above-mentioned description into the camera.
The so-called meadow had long been covered by snow. Clusters of Rhodiola grew from the crevices of protruding rocks.
According to "The Classic of Herbal Medicine", Rhodiola was a herb of the highest grade. It could improve dexterity, replenish Qi, rejuvenate the body, and prolong life. The herb was toxin-free and could be consumed in large quantities. There was no long-term side effect, either. In the Qing Dynasty, the herb was presented to the court as a tribute and some emperor had entitled it "the grass of dragon head and phoenix tail."
This plant was Shui Yao's previously reported information. A team consisting of nine members had searched around for the most of the day before they finally saw the actual plant.
"Inform the bureau. It's verified."
The team leader carefully put away the herb and gave an order. One of the members immediately untied the portable transmitter off his back and sent the report back to the bureau.
The portable transmitter could be carried by a single person and would send coordinates to the nearest reception tower of satellite receiver every three hours. It was more reliable than a satellite phone.
Once that was done, the team leader checked the time. "We are about three hours from dark. The Great Canyon is not far. If we move faster, we can join that information provider."
"There are cabins built by tree farmers over there, where we can stay overnight. We have plenty of provisions with us. The suggestion should work," replied the team member working as the guide.
"Great! We're moving out!"
Right away, the team of nine descended the mountain following unmarked trails. The team was of a standard setup with research personnel, security, and guide. The team was also equipped with adequate weapons and equipment.
The so-called Great Canyon was a natural wonder discovered only twenty year ago.
It ran over 60 km from end to end and was a result of ashes from a volcanic explosion and the erosion by the river. The widest part was 300 m across and the narrowest only a few meters. It had a vertical depth of 120-150 m.
They marched at full speed and managed to arrive before dark.
Strange-looking rocks flanked the river, together with various remarkable landscapes, which were now all covered up by the snow. The entire canyon felt empty and bleak. The only lively thing was the beautiful river, whose racing current rushed along the bottom of the canyon.
"Over here! Here!"
Shui Yao looked like a bear with all his thick clothes. He was waving at them in front of the cabin.
The team went up to him in a hurry and the team leader greeted with a smile, "Hello, Xiao Shui, is it? Thank you so much for coming out all the way here."
"You're absolutely welcome. This is my personal hobby. I would come to live on the mountain every now and then even when you guys are not here."
After a brief change of pleasantries, they all went inside.
Thermal insulation of the cabin was pretty good and Shui Yao had started a fire beforehand, making the inside all the warmer. They all sat on the floor, took off their thick winter coats and tore off their boots with much difficulty, shaking off a layer of ice chips with a little knock on the floor.
"It feels so nice to warm up by a fire—brings back the life right away."
The team leader was not refined and stiff like usual research personnel, but appeared to be a straightforward guy. Shui Yao liked the man right away. He then brought out a pot and chuckled. "You haven't eaten, have you? Try this. I've just caught the fish myself!"
He raised the lid. Wow! The top layer was a steamer, in which a pile of corn pancakes was kept warm. Below was a pot of steaming fish soup, which smelt scrumptious. What was more, there was even a bottle of 52% Old Village Chief 2 .
The team of nine was starving by now. They took out their canned and compressed food and there was a feast.
There weren't enough chopsticks for everyone. The team leader picked up a fish by its tail with his fingers and gnawed into it. He complimented, "Bro, one look at you and I know you know your ways around here. That's quite some survival skills you've got there! Oh, by the way, did you say that your grandfather was a member of the Changbai Ginseng Band?"
"My grandpa is Shui Rong. I think you've heard of him before?" The fellow couldn't be more proud.
"Sure! Definitely! My colleagues used to come to Changbai on scientific expeditions and the dear old man was their guide. I see he's got a worthy successor!"
After some small talk, they soon came to the subject.
The team lead asked, "Bro, you said that bird was a mallet bird. How certain are you?"
"A hundred percent. I've seen them with my own eyes when I was little. There was no mistake in that." Shui Yao was very sure of himself. "This bird never shows up in wintertime. That's why I found that very strange."
"I see. I've heard things about it…" The team leader nodded. "It was said that they feed on the seed of ginseng, hence one could find ginseng by following the bird. But I have checked, the bird is generally known as oriental scops owl, which feeds mainly on large insects and small rodents. No records have mentioned that it has a liking for ginseng seeds."
"Haha! My grandfather followed a mallet bird once and found a five-branch. Your records don't mean anything."
Shui Yao used his backpack as a pillow and casually lay down. "You have found the right person coming to me. The bird only comes out in the early morning and at midnight. It can't be rushed. So, what we will do now is sleep."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-50.png){kind=small}
Chapter 250: Mada Mountain
Source: Qidian International
The mountain was cold and so was the moon.
A campfire had been set up by the woods at the edge of a cliff in a valley.
Gu Yu was turning five fat rainbow trouts over the fire, making sure they did not burn but were just crusty enough. Xiaozhai produced some red berries she found somewhere and squeezed them. The thick juice burst out, and she carefully smeared it all over the fish.
Long Qiu and Xiaojin leaned against one another with their heads touching and waited eagerly for the parents to finish cooking.
"Done!"
Gu Yu gave the fish another few turns, checked the color of the skin, and removed the wooden skew. He passed one to two girls each and took one himself. Xiaozhai was more of a vegetarian and stuck to the gourd of liquor.
Xiaojin couldn't wait to taste it. Opening her mouth and revealing her fine white teeth, she ripped a chunk of meat off the fish. Rainbow trout was a cold-water fish that could live in low-temperature environments. Its flesh was fresh and tender with a special smooth texture. The minimal cooking would make it an excellent dish.
"Hm! Yes! This is so delicious!"
She opened her eyes widely and nodded repeatedly like a little pug. Long Qiu chimed in with her praise, "This pulp is both sour and sweet. It goes so well with the fish."
"Qiu Qiu, here, the head."
Xiaojin devoured one in a couple of bites and passed the fish head to Long Qiu, which was the latter's favorite. Long Qiu was going to say thank you when she saw Xiaojin hurried off to grab herself a second one.
Excuse me!
Xiao Qiu instantly felt herself turning into a human garbage disposal machine. But she wasn't going to waste the food and nibbled at the fish head without objections.
"..."
The eyes of the other two met and they walked a few steps away until they were at the edge of the cliff.
The bright moon hung high above. The moonlight spilled out to the deep valley down below, where a beautiful river was flowing. The cabin at the bottom was dimly lit and half-covered by the expanse of white snow. For a moment, it felt like they had reached the edge of the world.
Both fell silent. The only noise came from behind, where the two girls were giggling and bantering.
"They're having a good time." Gu Yu darted a look backwards.
"We're out travelling. They should be. I've been upset these days and I know it affected you all as well. I'll be back to normal soon," Xiaozhai said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it. We're family and being considerate is the most important thing." He casually offered her a chicken soup for the soul, quoting some old school TV dramas.
"Family?" She blinked.
"Of course. With what we're going through at the moment, we're all in this together, regardless of how deep our bonds are." Then, Gu Yu suddenly let his imagination run amuck. "Hey, won't that day be hilarious when we really get married? We'll have to register in the civil service first, then take the wedding photos, send invitations, and book a feast to feed a whole bunch of people. Little Soap will hang an apple on a string to have us both gnawing into it. Later, we'll be lying in bed counting all the gift money wrapped in red envelopes…"
"Teehee!" Xiaozhai finally smiled. "If you come to take my hand offering cave paradises, jade palaces, and golden halls with immortal soldiers clearing your way and nine dragons pulling your carriage, together with miles of treasure paved road, acres of immortal flowers, and an ocean of spiritual pellets… Well, I'll consider giving you my hand then."
"That's a hell of a betrothal gift you've asked for. I've never mentioned a dowry." Gu Yu grimaced.
"A dowry? That's easy!" Xiaozhai leaned towards him, linking her pinky with his. "What do you want? I'll go get it for you."
There, she said it!
He was completely taken by his girlfriend's words and the conversation stopped abruptly as it always was by his alpha female (Daily task completed: 1/1).
To ease his awkwardness, he could only hold her closer, trying to wrap it up with a french kiss and announcing his dominating status at the same time. He was two seconds too slow, though. Holding him around his neck and pressing down, she slipped her soft tongue in and "swept" his mouth.
"Nyah nyah nyah…"
Behind them, Xiaojin expressed her disdain by sticking out her tongue and making a mocking noise. Long Qiu was the shy one. She lowered her head like an ostrich, but could not help but steal a look.
A while passed before the two finally let go of one another.
Xiaozhai licked her lips, savoring the after-taste. She then gave her comment, though not sure if it was on the fish or on her man.
"Mhm, that was delicious!"
***
It was a little known fact that ginseng was actually a blossoming and fruit-bearing plant.
Ginseng flowers were as tiny as millet and grew in spikes along thin stems. The flowers were purple, speckled with white or green. Each flower would give seven or eight seeds in autumn, which, similar to soybeans, were green when they were new and reddened when matured. The seeds would fall off automatically once they matured. They had a red outer layer and a shape resembling a chicken's kidney. A thin stem grew in the middle and joined together, the two sides looked like tiny hammer. Each hammer had two seeds inside.
That red seed was what the mallet bird would eat.
Once consumed, the ginseng seeds would be scattered across the mountain with the feces and take root when the environment was fit. It was the most important way of propagation for ginsengs.
While Gu Yu and his family slept up on the cliff, Shui Yao and the others slept below.
The cabin was as spacious as it was crude. Since there was only one plank bed, the ten men decided to sleep on the floor around the stove. They settled down on a thick layer of hay ragged batting and covered themselves with their winter coats. It turned out to be very warm.
Fatigued as they were, with their duty, none of them dared sleep too soundly. Despite his young age, Shui Yao was experienced enough to drift into a light sleep with one ear pricked up.
They had lost count of time and the kerosene lamp on the table grew dimmer. There was still enough coal in the stove, which was giving off a red glow.
"Whak gack koo!"
"Whak gack koo!"
All of a sudden, two strange tweets rang out in the empty, silent valley. Shui Yao's eyes shot open and he shoved the team awake in a haste. "It's here! It's here!"
"Quickly!"
The research team rose to their feet in a hurry, got dressed, and went out with the equipment.
It was pitch black outside and the temperature had plunged. They waited patiently for a while and indeed heard another two chirpings.
"Whak gack koo!"
"Whak gack koo!"
A mallet bird fluttered out of the darkness and circled in the air around the cabin. Moments later, another tweedle joined in.
"Lee woo!"
Another mallet bird appeared, slightly bigger and with brighter feathers.
The so-called Brother Wang Gang and Maiden Li 1 were both made-up names imitating the sound of the bird. Nowadays, almost everything was given a legendary "background story", mostly about a pair of lovers suppressed by the cruel feudal society and eventually turned into birds, trees, stones, blah blah blah...
The mallet bird could not escape from that cliche. It was allotted with a campy love story of Wang Gang and Maiden Li.
The two birds joined forces and flew away together deeper into the valley.
"You got the shot?"
"I did! I did!"
"Quickly, let's follow them. Maybe we'll find some ginseng!"
Shui Yao was secretly elated. He saw with his own eyes that the research team had taken pictures as evidence. Since the bird did exist, he had passed the verification, which meant that 30 points were in his pocket.
In that app, earning 10 points was a threshold. Only with 10 points could one send three invitation codes to their friends. The 30-point level was another threshold, which gave one a little bit more access to the database: one was able to read some of the confidential information and could communicate with other information providers through pm.
Let's put that aside and first turn our attention back to the two birds.
They were moving at a speed neither too fast nor too slow, and would hover and linger about every now and then, as if deliberately waiting for them to catch up. The team trotted along, barely catching up with the birds.
They seemed to have been running forever with none of them noticing the change in the surroundings, as though a part of their brain had been shut out. They had completely forgotten to check.
They were still running when the two bird chirped and accelerated abruptly. Flapping their wings, they disappeared into the vast night sky.
"Did they just disappear?"
"Where did they go?"
They stood gazing at one another, at a loss what to do. It was a while before the question struck them: where the hell were they? Brows furrowing, the team leader was about to send someone out to check when one of the team members called out, "Look, there's light ahead!"
The team turned towards the direction in unison; there was indeed a streak of light looming not far ahead of them.
Shui Yao was the bold one. He approached the light with a shotgun in hand; what he saw made his hair standing on end. In front of him was a crudely built cabin with a door left ajar. Through the window, he could even make out the lampshade of the kerosene burner on the table.
It was their cabin!
His stomach lurched. Immediately after that, the curtain over that part of his brain seemed to be drawn open again as he suddenly scanned his surrounding area. The valley was cold and silent; the river flowed in the distance; nothing seemed to have changed.
"Why are we back here?"
"Have they led us running in circles?"
"It can't be. I think we have been running a straight line. There's no way we can circle back to where we started."
The rest of the team caught up with him and everyone was talking all at once. There was panic in those voices.
"Whak gack koo!"
"Whak gack koo!"
Just then, there came two chirpings and a hush fell over the team. A bird flew down from the night sky and hovered around in the trees. Before long, another arrived, and tweedled repeatedly.
"Lee woo!"
"Lee woo!"
'Jeez!'
The team shuddered, as if an invincible coldness had seeped through their thick layer of clothes and stuck to their spines like stubborn maggots, sucking away the warmth of their bodies.
In a matter of seconds, they were chilled to the bone.
It almost felt as if they had just ran out of the cabin, just saw the two mallet birds, and were just reliving everything they had gone through.
"C-Captain…" one of the team members asked in a quivering voice, "what shall we do now?"
The team leader was also crept out a little, but was level-headed enough to give out instructions. He called out loud, "Don't panic! Xiao Yang, contact the bureau immediately. Tell them to monitor our coordinates. You lot, stay here, start a fire, and have the weapons ready. You lot, come with me. I'd like to see what it's playing at!"
"Yes, Sir!"
Leadership was key to a team. With that, the members' tension were observably eased right away.
The team leader led three other men and ran after the two birds again. Shui Yao, who was included, took the time to carve down a mark with his dagger on a tree by the cabin.
The two birds resumed their unhurried flying, as if taunting the chasers.
The four men stared straight ahead, their nerves rattled. Shui Yao held his shotgun close the entire time. However, after a while, without any of them realizing it, their heads were sliding into a muddle.
They looked ahead in a blank gaze and their heads were empty of everything but those birds they were staring at.
"Whak gack koo!"
"Lee woo!"
In the end, the two birds let out a series of chirpings and flapped their wings, disappearing into the night sky.
"Again?"
"Did you see the route we took?"
"No, I saw nothing. I was just running the entire time."
The four immediately discussed what they had seen, which was almost identical to the previous round. They saw light ahead again and the only difference was that their colleagues were shouting, "How was it? Are you all right?"
Shui Yao ran up to them and asked, "What did you see?"
"You chased after them that way, disappeared, then showed up over here. There was a lag of a few seconds," replied one of the team members.
A few seconds?
The team leader asked in a grave tone, "Xiao Yang, how are you doing over there?"
The messenger was ashen-faced. "The readings of all parameters are normal, but the signal... the signal never got through."
"..."
Silence. An eerie silence, from which an utter fear was brooding, spreading, and taking over everybody rapidly.
The team leader's mouth became a thin line. He hesitated for a moment or two and gave the order. "Gather the equipment. We're heading out tonight!"
"Don't bother. I'm afraid we won't be getting out." Shui Yao suddenly heaved a sigh.
"What do you mean?"
One of the agitated team member grabbed Shui Yao by his collar despite being significantly shorter than the latter. "Why, why did you say that?"
"Look here…"
Shui Yao was not offended, but only pointed at the tree. "I made a mark just then, which is still there. It means what we experienced was not an illusion. We're only trapped. I heard about such things from my grandpa when I was little—we've run into the Mada Mountain."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-51.png){kind=small}
Chapter 251: Treasure
Source: Qidian International
"Bang!"
The ten men retreated into the cabin immediately, slamming the door shut behind them and shutting the windows tightly.
One of the team members opened the stove to feed in some more coal. The flame dimmed a little at first, but soon rose higher. Heat radiated from the red-hot stove, gradually melting away the coldness, and their fear was alleviated slightly.
"Whak gack koo!"
"Lee woo!"
The two mallet birds still hovered and chirped outside. The sound had been interesting to them just a while ago, but was now the most creepy noise. Seeing the looks on everyone's face, the team leader asked, "Xiao Shui, exactly what is a Mada Mountain?"
"It's a slang of the northeast region. I don't know how to explain it." The carefree Shui Yao now had an exceptionally solemn look. His voice sounded dispirited as he went on, "Basically, it's an irregular, special area coming out of nowhere. Once inside, men will become disoriented and their heads will get all confused. There's no way of walking out of this area."
"Oh? That sounds a lot like the phenomenon of ' astray ghost 1 '."
The team leader turned things over in his head and said, "I have analysed the principle of 'astray ghost' before. Basically, one's perception is prone to become obscured in poorly lit environments with a complex terrain because by nature, all living creatures follow a circular moving pattern, which means that without a visible target, we would instinctively keep moving in circles. The reason we can walk in a straight line is that our eyes and brain are constantly making adjustment. The so-called 'astray ghost' happens because this adjustment function has been tuned down. You might think you're walking in a straight line, but in fact, you're making a circle about 3 km in radius."
Seeing that their leader seemed to be making sense, one of the guys could not help but ask, "So, what shall we do?"
"We need some powerful light and an object of reference to tell our bearings," said the team leader.
"Powerful light won't be a problem. We've got nine outdoor flashlights!"
"Yeah, and we can make some torches if those are not enough!"
"The object of reference is also easy. We can find our direction by watching the moon."
Presently, everyone was in high spirits again, ready to plunge into action.
Shui Yao sat where he was and shook his head. "You guys, Mada Mountain is no 'astray ghost' and your flashlights and torches won't work."
'Damn!'
The mood that had just been lifted took a dive and was smashed into pieces right away. One of the guys was hot-tempered and raised his voice at Shui Yao. "F**k! No more goddamn riddles! Just tell us what the hell is going on!"
"It's not that I don't want to, but I really can't explain it." Shui Yao's wide face puckered. "Old folks here all know about it, saying Mada Mountain happens because Lord Mountain God is angry and this is his punishment for the intruders. No one that stumbles upon it will make it out alive."
"Xiao Shui…" The team leader found that ridiculous. "That's obviously a superstitious belief. There is surely a scientific explanation, like everything else."
"Scientific? Fine, then please explain to me, by what is the satellite signal blocked? And what the heck are those two birds?" the fellow asked.
No one answered.
Shui Yao went on, "Bro, since I'm the one who came up with the lead, I obviously know a thing or two about your work. You guys have been travelling all over the country to collect samples—are you telling me that's for some scientific purpose?"
"..."
At those words, the atmosphere in the cabin suddenly became rather awkward.
Being the members of the research team, the nine men obviously knew about the recovery of the spiritual essence. According to the policies set by those above, now was not the time to make the news public. However, now that it was suddenly out in the open, the team was at a loss of how to carry on this conversation.
While they were feeling awkward, Shui Yao was not troubled at all. Holding the shotgun between his arms, he leaned against the wall and muttered, "Sigh, we haven't even left the novice village and the game is already over for us. My old man would have a more peaceful life with a grandson like me gone. My ma and pa are in the city. They probably won't have enough time to get here to burn some joss money for me… And Sister Jiang, that reunion turns out to be our last. She's such a jinx for me…"
The fellow mumbled on and on, which was irritating the listeners.
One guy bolted up suddenly and bellowed, "The hell with it. I bet they can't beat a solid bullet!"
With that, he picked up the issued rifle, dashed to the window, shoved it open, and raised the barrel at the two birds in the tree.
"Whak gack koo!"
"Lee woo!"
The two mallet birds were not the least bit disturbed, but remained perched steadily on the branch, a strange look flickering in their eyes.
"That's some bold animal!"
The guy's breath rasped and his cheeks flushed. The fear turned into anger, anger to excitement, and excitement to nervousness.
Three, two, one...
He counted silently, his finger slowly squeezing the trigger. The rest of the team did not stop him. Every eye was gazing at the window; then, there came a "Boom!"
"Did you shoot it… Hm?"
Someone was about to call out when they realized something was wrong. Immediately after that, there was another "Rumble!"
"Thunder? Where did the thunder come from?"
"Yes, that's thunder!"
"Rumble!"
Momentarily, the third almighty bang shook the valley, drowning all their voices. Their eyes stung a little when they saw an arc of golden purple lightning smash violently onto the clearing in front of the cabin. The brightness was overwhelming.
"Bang!"
The explosion instantly blasted open a giant pit on the hard, icy frozen ground. Meanwhile, all ten men jolted as if they had just been knocked on the head. The fog in their minds was then lifted and they could think straight again.
"Whak gack koo!"
"Lee woo!"
The two mallet birds were no long their calm selves. Flapping their wings, they flew high into the air and fled deeper into the valley in a flurry.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Behind them were four figures moving briskly and gracefully, chasing after the birds like clouds following wind. Before the ten men realized, the team of four separated all of a sudden and one of them was dumped without hesitation.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
"Wait here!"
"F**k you three!"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah…"
With an furious snarl, that creature turned around in designation and arrived at the cabin in a few hops. She kicked the door open, showing a face resembling a very angry emoji.
"You, you are…" Shui Yao pointed at the newcomer, his voice filled with utter surprise.
"Shut the hell up!"
Xiaojin waved her hand and the bear-like fellow passed out. The floor shook when he crushed down.
The team leader had never reacted so quickly. He found a corresponding picture in his memory and asked politely, "Miss Jiang, I presume?"
"I don't want to talk to you!"
The sulky Xiaojin took a tour of the cabin, ran out, jumped onto the roof, and started bellowing again. She couldn't help it. That was outrageous!
The team jumped at the sound, but immediately went wild with joy. Sh*t! They were saved!
***
"Brother, wasn't it a bit too much to leave Jin Jin behind?" Long Qiu asked in a worried tone, keeping both her feet a few centimeters off the ground as they dashed forward along the rough valley trail.
"She can't run as fast as us. It'll be safer for her to stay behind," replied Gu Yu.
"You can carry her. You've got enough spiritual essence to take a passenger," said Xiaozhai.
"Um…" Gu Yu grimaced, picturing in his head of him carrying a simple-minded husky while running at full speed. He shook his head. "Forget it, my nerves are not that strong. Hey, that was very bold of you to use Thunder Technique right away. Do you know about that thing?"
"That's Mada Mountain. I've heard about it from my master. It's a naturally formed labyrinth from chaotic mountain dragon and earthly energy 2 . It's too complicated to explain. Just think it as overlapping spaces. To return to the reality, the false space has to be destroyed."
Xiaozhai paused a little and went on, "In most of the cases, it is naturally formed. There were no records of it after the spiritual essence dried out. All that was left was tales from ages ago. This one feels strange, though. It's almost like something was manipulating it from behind the curtains."
"You mean those two dumb birds?"
Gu Yu looked up. The two mallet birds were still flapping away with a witless look on their faces.
"No, these mallet birds feel different from that sable… I don't know what to make of it just yet. Let's just follow them."
"Whoosh!"
The three moved like floating clouds and drifting smoke. Xiaozhai led the way, with Long Qiu in the middle and Gu Yu covering the rear.
On the accumulation of the spiritual essence alone, Xiaozhai and Long Qiu were probably of the same level—the former might even be slightly inferior. But Xiaozhai surpassed Long Qiu in the understanding and control of her skills, which enabled her to run at full speed for a long period of time.
"Whak gack koo!"
"Lee woo!"
The two birds were scared out of their wits and seemed to have lost their connection with someone. Instinct was driving them to fly in one direction.
They had lost track of how long they had run for when they reached the narrowest spot of the valley with a passageway only a few meters wide. There, the two birds flapped their wings and shot up along the cliff wall, which was almost perpendicular to the ground.
Xiaozhai did not stop at this. With a popping sound, a stair protruded from the stone wall, completely out of the blue. She stepped onto it with her left foot and a second stair stuck out simultaneously, which she stepped on with her left foot.
She proceeded like so, as if climbing the Babel. Before long, she was at the top of the cliff.
'Wow!'
Long Qiu's eyes sparkled at this. She noticed that there was a large dent on the mountain wall, which meant the stairs had to be a result of Small Moving Technique. On any ordinary day, she would definitely try it herself, but in a critical time like this, she decided to summon the Golden Silkworm, who flew her up directly.
Gu Yu's method was even simpler. With the most abundant spiritual essence of the three, he activated the Void-arranging Technique and "walked" along the vertical wall all the way to the top.
They had kept some distance from the birds the entire time. Thick forest flanked their path and vines and thorny woods would block their way from time to time, making their march all the more difficult. After another long while, they finally saw a giant withered tree up ahead.
"Whak gack koo!"
"Lee woo!"
The mallet birds chirped, then both disappeared into the canopy.
"..."
The three stopped to check the tree. It was over ten meters tall and so thick that it would take half a dozen men to join their arms around the trunk. There was not a trace of life in it, but the branches were still intact, twisting into knotty things and covering a large area.
The bark was speckled and flaky; its grayish brown seemed to have recorded all the vicissitudes of life.
Gu Yu found it very strange, for he had detected something strongly green… No, not that kind you would wear on a hat 3 , but the green of vitality and everything coming back to life in springtime.
"Let's have a look up there."
The three leapt up and flew onto the top of the tree. Looking down from there, they were surprised.
The tree was hollow inside, as if a large hole had been dug into it. They could see a faint green glow—that strong vitality was coming out of the bottom of the hollow.
"Be careful!"
Gu Yu held a girl in each hand and the three landed lightly on the bottom.
Inside was almost empty but much warmer. There was even a thin layer of grass. Around them on all sides was still the withered tree bark that looked like thick gray walls. On one side of the wall was a small hollow, where the two mallet birds had built their nest.
The two dumb birds were no longer afraid. They were even preening one another, as if the intruders were not there.
"..."
The three pairs of eyes did not linger on the birds. Almost immediately, they were drawn away by a plant.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-52.png){kind=small}
Chapter 252: Confrontation Awaits (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
The plant grew among a low bush, slightly taller than the latter.
It had thick fleshy leaves the shape and size of a grown man's palm. The branches and leaves were in three distinctive layers; a long, straight stalk rose from the middle, with a fist-sized lump of red seeds on the tip of it.
It stood there in this hollow tree, swaying this way and that despite the absense of any wind as if it was nodding at them.
Gu Yu locked onto the target right away. That powerful vitality was coming from none other than this plant. He blinked and repeated what he was told as if it was his own understanding. "This is a ginseng plant, if I'm not mistaken, and a 'lamp stand' for that matter. That Mada Mountain thing is probably its doing."
"Yes, it looks very much like what Grandpa Shui told us. Is it a four-year-old ginseng?" asked Long Qiu.
"Ginseng leaves grow in cycles, from one branch to six, and back to one again. It's called 'reincarnation'." Xiaozhai took a closer look and said, "Judging from what it has done, god knows how many rounds of reincarnation this one had gone through. It could be older than we three put together."
Long Qiu opened her mouth slightly in surprise and watched the ginseng curiously. She then asked, "So what are we going to do now?"
"It seems quite spiritual. Let me try first…"
Gu Yu went up to it and studied it for a while, then stretched out a hand, trying to touch it. The moment his slender finger made contact with the leaf, he shuddered to a halt. A message came to his mind.
It was neither a voice nor words, but more like a confused baby that had yet to learn to speak gesturing a message, which contained one word only.
"No!"
What?
Gu Yu winced, surprised and amused at the same time. Activating his mental force, he separated out a thin tentacle and probed with it.
From the other end came an undisguised resentment. After a few failed attempts, Gu Yu resolved to turn into a tentacular monster and engulfed his opponent, which barely enabled him to make a connection.
Instantly, he sensed a gentle and innocent mind that was full of spectacular vitality connected with his own.
"Who are you?" he asked through his spiritual force.
"..."
There was no reply. The thing on the other side seemed unable to either understand or answer the question.
"Are you this grass? I mean, ginseng?" he asked another question.
"..."
Still no answer.
"I'm Gu Yu. How long have you been here?
"Are you a boy or a girl?
"Are those two dumb birds your helpers?"
Our fellow rambled on in his head, ignoring what the other side might feel about this. It seemed forever before a new message came through, one which was a mixture of a million emotions: fear, defensiveness, annoyance… it was very chaotic.
"Brother, what have you found?" Gu Yu had been silent for so long that Long Qiu could not help but ask.
"This is unbelievable!" Shaking his head, he let out a sigh with affected airs. "We were just talking about spiritual mountain creatures and voila! The kiddo here has formed some sort of preliminary consciousness. It doesn't know how to express itself yet, but it's no longer your average treasure."
"You mean, it has a mind?" Long Qiu opened her eyes widely.
"Correct."
'Wow!'
Xiao Qiu immediately got excited. Crouching down in a whoosh, she thought about touching the plant, but was a little afraid to do so. She only tilted her head to one side and watched.
Xiao Zhai paid her no attention, thinking aloud instead. "Maybe the mallet birds pooped into this hollow tree and the seeds in the poop took root and sprouted. This most unusual location has prevented it from being discovered the entire time. After god knows how many centuries, it ended up like this."
"There is another possibility. This tree used to be a normal one. The ginseng seed fell on the top and started sucking the vital essence of the tree. As time went by, the tree was sucked hollow," added Gu Yu.
"I was telling a fairy tale and you turned it into a ghost story." Xiaozhai rolled her eyes at him.
They casually chatted on, neither too surprised by the fact that a ginseng had developed its consciousness.
It could not be helped. Ginseng was the sort of a most "unscientific" plant that grew only an itsy bitsy bit in three to five hundred years. One would be lying to themselves if they did not admit that there was something unnatural about it.
It was considered a spiritual being since the ancient times and was divinized (or demonized) among the ginseng bands.
For example, one rule of using ginseng rod was that the search-and-poke rod was to be stuck upright into the ground once a ginseng was found. Two copper coins tied with red strings were than set on the rod so as to stop the ginseng from running away.
"Ah!"
Just then, Long Qiu let out a little cry. She finally could not hold back and poked the lump of red seeds with her finger tip, then got a message.
"Brother, Sister, it's laughing! It's laughing!"
"You two are getting along that well already?" Gu Yu felt a little defeated.
"Hehe, it's not afraid of me."
"..."
The couple exchanged a look, realizing this might work after all.
Xiao Qiu was what you call a legendary Druid in a western fantasy system—Nature attribute: max; Natural Affinity attribute: max! As long as she was around, any task involving swindling and bluffing, scratch that, any task involving patient guidance would not be a problem at all.
"We want to take it back to Phoenix Mountain. Can you make that happen?" Xiaozhai asked, then added, "We'd love to take it away if it's willing to. If not, we won't force it."
"Well, I can try."
Crinkling up her nose, Long Qiu put a finger on the red seeds, closed her eyes, and started communicating.
The other two waited patiently. Quite a while passed when Long Qiu opened her eyes, took out a gourd all of a sudden, and poured out a little spiritual liquor.
"Plop!"
"Splash!"
The liquor landed on the leaves and was immediately absorbed. Right after that, despite the absence of any wind, the entire ginseng planted swayed more violently than before.
"I don't think I understood what it said, but it should be OK." Long Qiu poured out the rest half gourd of the liquor. "There's no problem as long as we can give it this. It likes it a lot."
"Great!" Both Gu Yu and Xiaozhai were relieved.
The ginseng was endowed with abundant wood spiritual essence and could connect with the earthly energy to create Mada Mountain. It was as unrestrained as paying players. It would be of great use and they could not just take it away by force. It had to come willingly.
However, to move it turned out to be a problem.
Gu Yu had scanned this place with his mental force. The root of this ginseng was enormous, and came with a lot of soil. Theoretically, the Small Moving Technique could do the trick, but Changbai Mountain was almost 500 km away from Phoenix Mountain—where could they find the person with that much spiritual energy?
Therefore, it could only be carried away with a wooden box made from the old tree in the valley—a very, very big wooden box, which they did not have at the moment.
After a brief discussion, they decided to get down the mountain first and think about what to do later.
With that, the three jumped out of the hollow tree. Gu Yu and Xiaozhai each applied their own method, sealing the tree with a double confinement. They then left swiftly, unaware of a strange rat hiding in a burrow some distance away, who was staring in their direction with its beady eyes.
***
The sky grew lighter and the warm sun shone on the mountain.
A figure as short as a child emerged somewhere in the mountain out of the blue. Short as he might be, he was moving very fast. He dashed all the way up, heading directly for that old tree.
"This should be it."
He halted abruptly, his voice a mixture of the childish innocence and solemnity of an adult, which was the strangest sound. He looked at the old tree. Although he could not feel the powerful vitality within, instinct had drawn out a hunger within him, urging him to devour whatever the thing was.
"I almost got exposed for this. Let me see what nice stuff is in here."
The man moved closet, paused a little, and raised his hand to touch the trunk.
"Thump!"
His palm felt as if it had landed on a layer of transparent film, which softly bounced his hand back.
'Hm?'
He frowned slightly. Gathering up his strength, he smacked down again.
"Crack!"
A golden purple arc of lightning exploded out of the film, slithering all over his body from his palm. Wherever the energy reached, his internal Qi dissipated along with it.
"Sh*t!" he cried out and sat down right away, adjusting his breathing. It took him a long time and much difficulty to finally contain that thunder energy.
"They were indeed as powerful as promised. I didn't expect them to have obtained such a skill." Various colors flashed across his face before the man guffawed. "Hoho, since I can't have it, neither will you."
With that, he turned swiftly and disappeared into the woods.
***
"Sis! Sister Jiang! My blood! My dear old sister!"
In that poplar grove at the mountain foot, as soon as the research team left, Shui Yao ran to a certain person while howling at the top of his voice. "Where is your conscience, huh? We haven't exactly grown up wearing the same set of clothes, but at least we shared the same kang once, right? You're among the immortals now and me? You dear old brother is still struggling in the mud pit. Won't you feel sorry for me?"
"Nope," answered Xiaozhai.
'Damn!'
That was ruthless. Shui Yao choked on his tongue for two seconds like a stuck disc, then went on howling. "Fine! Forget about what we had. Aren't you cultivators all about fate and destiny? We met again and that is fate. Just spare me a little favor, anything!"
"You're too dumb for that." Xiaozhai shook her head.
'Damn!'
Shui Yao was a stuck disc again.
"Fine! I see what you've become! You heartless woman!"
Wiping his nose clean, Shui Yao turned abruptly and marched towards Gu Yu. Eyes bulging, he looked like a bear ready to feed on someone. He then, well, plunged again.
"Younger Brother-in-law, I have loads of her dark history and childhood photos, do you want them? I'll give you a discount. Ten pieces for one favor from you. Deal?"
Gu Yu wanted to say "Deal!" so bad, but he dared not.
He cleared his throat and said, "Brother Shui, it's not that we're heartless. This thing really requires some natural talent. You're a bit over the best age and less talented for it…"
"Don't give me that bullshit! Even a toad can dream about tasting the swan one day. Let me ask you this: if you were the one stumbling upon this chance, would you give up just because you're not talented?"
"Well…"
The guy had a point.
Gu Yu darted a look at his girlfriend, who was standing around idly as if she had heard nothing. He immediately got the hint. The childhood playmates were suddenly worlds apart in their abilities; it would be nothing but awkward to teach the serious stuff.
It would not be the same with him—he was not familiar with the guy enough to feel awkward to do this job.
"Hear me out. There are only two things we can do for you. First, talk you through about the current situation and second, there is this set of basic training movements, if you don't mind…"
"Enough with the small talk already. Let's do it!"
So be it!
Right away, Gu Yu taught him the improved set of martial arts they taught Tan Chongdai, then told him about what was going on at the moment.
Shui Yao was stunned by what he had heard. It was quite a while before he spoke again. "Damn! I knew that with our five thousand years of history and all those sages, there must be some good stuff left! Holy crap, maybe those Immortals are hiding in some caves at the moment, waiting for the apocalypse to happen. They would then descend and save the world…"
Utterly embarrassed, Gu Yu interrupted the guy. "Brother Shui, this is very important information. Please don't give it out to just anyone."
"Don't worry, I know that!"
He did understand. Having been hanging around with people from all social strata these years, he understood the emphasis of the sentence did not lie in "don't give it out", but in "not just anyone".
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-53.png){kind=small}
Chapter 253: Confrontation Awaits (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
Xidu, the BIMAUP sub-bureau.
The research team only had a short break of one day before being summoned to the bureau for a meeting.
Now that the spiritual essence had almost spread to the entire country, more changes were taking place every day. Needless to say, with that, the BIMAUP was gaining more authority as well as a growing number of subordinate institutes, among which was the research laboratory.
The popularity of the bureau rocketed. Many were fighting crazily to get a position there. Although it was under the jurisdiction of local governments in terms of administrative level, do recall that there was a special order issued by those above:
Under exceptional circumstances, the BIMAUP could take the command of any local government!
Exactly what made the circumstances "exceptional"? The possibilities were unlimited. Essentially, anything out of the ordinary would count. There! Staff of the bureau that used to feel unappreciated and undervalued all the time were finally able to hold their heads high with the beginning of the social transformation.
Right now, all major officials of the sub-bureau had gathered around in the conference room, listening to the team leader's briefing.
"We have received two leads in total. We only managed to take pictures of one of them and have successfully obtained samples of the other. The original form of this one was rhodiola of Changbai Mountain, a valuable medicine herb. We've found as few as thirteen plants in total, but we cannot exclude the possibility that it grows in other regions as well.
Our preliminary estimation is that the mutation would significantly increase the potency of the herb, manifolding its effectiveness. In traditional medicine, the rhodiola is said to improve dexterity, replenish Qi, rejuvenate the body, and prolong life. Moreover, the herb is toxin-free and could be consumed in large quantities without any negative side effect. It is ideal for daily nourishment."
"..."
The officials reacted with various facial expressions, but were all subtly excited. What that description meant was apparent: regular consumption of this plant would at least prolong their lives for a few more years and would help with maintaining one's health even at an old age, keeping their minds clear, their ears sharp, and their eyes bright.
All thirty-six sub-bureaus up and down the country were vying with one another both openly and in private. Everything about the mutated creatures in their jurisdictions must be reported to the higher authorities, including the amount, types, value, hazardness, etc., all counted as achievements directly connected to one's political career.
The more valuable the discovery, the greater the credit. Had they been still in ancient feudal times, discoveries like this rhodiola would be entitled a "blessing from the gods", which could earn one a promotion of three pay grids.
"Ahem!" Wang Xuqiao, the director, cleared his throat and asked, "Old Fang, what is the pharmaceutical value of this rhodiola? With our current technology, can we make a new medicine that retains its effectiveness?"
"Although it has mutated, its basic biological characteristics remain unchanged. The traditional medicine is a field with ample experience with the application of rhodiola and they have a well-developed theoretical system in that aspect. I don't see any potential problem there," affirmed the team leader.
"Glad to hear that! I will be contacting Mayor Hao in a moment. Let's get you the best local resources possible so that you can develop the new product as soon as you can."
Wang Xuqiao was still light-headed over the discovery and added, "By the way, organize another research expedition. We must find out its entire growth area and yield."
"Well…"
The team leader found that request problematic. "We ran into some major difficulty this time and have barely made it out. A few comrades have yet to recover emotionally from the incident. I don't think we'll be able to re-enter the mountain after such a short intermission. We'll have to reselect members to form a team."
"No problem. Whatever you need, just ask. As long as it is within reason, it will be our priority."
The director had given his word, but the deputy director Guan Pan interjected all of a sudden, "Old Fang, you said you ran into Mada Mountain this time and were saved because Mr. Gu happened to be there?"
"Well, yes."
"After he rescued your team, he went on chasing the two birds?"
"That's correct."
"What happened after that? Did he find anything?"
'Hm?'
The team leader did not see where the deputy was going with it and told the truth. "Those two birds were mallet birds. Legend has it that by following them, one could find ginsengs. We waited overnight in the cabin and Mr. Gu returned before dawn, empty-handed. We then went off the mountain together."
"I see…"
Guan Pan nodded, his expression somewhat ambiguous.
"So, that's about it. Go prepare for your new task, then. The meeting is over!"
Wang Xuqiao realized something has gone awry. After dismissing the rest, he asked with a frown, "Old Guan, what were you getting at?"
"Haha, it just occurred to me that with what Mr. Gu could do, he shouldn't have come back empty-handed. Maybe they have found something but could not bring it back because of some difficulty on the spot?" He smiled.
"What does that have anything to do with us?"
"Tsk, didn't you hear what Old Fang said? It might be a ginseng!" Guan Pan went on with emphasis. "Ginsengs are divine herbs since the ancient times. What if they have discovered a mutated ginseng? It might not bring back the dead or enable one to live for over a hundred years, but it must be at least more potent than the rhodiola. How about we take it over and hand it to those above? In that case—"
"That's out of the question!" Wang Xuqiao interrupted with a wave of his hand before Guan Pan could finish his sentence. "The general instruction from the government remains unchanged and we are still to maintain a friendly relationship with them. Moreover, we're not even sure if he has a ginseng or not. We can't take the liberty."
Guan Pan did not respond to that, but dialed a number and pressed down the speaker button. "Hello, Xiao Cheng… Yes, are you still over there? Have Mr. Gu and his friends left?"
"No, they're still in Songjiang River. Our men overlooking the hotel said they had extended their stay for another three days. Long Qiu and Jiang Xiaojin have returned on their own, though, and they were travelling on return tickets only a day apart. They seemed to be in a hurry," replied the guy on the other end.
"Well…"
Wang Xuqiao fell silent. Judging by common sense, such behavior indeed seemed strange.
The two parties were at peace at the moment, but neither had confidence in the other's promises. Whenever they came out of Phoenix Mountain, the government always made sure it knew their whereabouts. Gu Yu and the rest were perfectly aware of such actions, but had given their tacit consent as long as they were not disturbed.
To tell the truth, for a split second back there, Wang Xuqiao was tempted. However, his cautious side immediately took over and he rejected the suggestion. "Old Guan, we're happy enough with the rhodiola. Don't be too greedy."
"Where did that come from? Changbai Mountain is no Phoenix Mountain. We're entitled to confiscate a mere piece of ebony, let alone a mutated ginseng," retorted Guan Pan.
"Let me, let me think it through first… That'll be all for today. See you."
Guan Pan watched the director leaving the room and with a snort, he also left.
***
The sub-bureau was under the jurisdiction of the municipal government, so it was only natural that it was allotted a residential quarter which was quite close to the office building, just about fifteen minutes of walk away.
Guan Pan returned to his place on foot, where he noticed a thin black pattern on the door lock. The look on his face went grave as he opened the door. "You're here!"
"At least I'm your brother. Show me some respect, will you?"
A tiny men hopped off a chair, his strange voice sounded disgruntled.
"Cut the crap. What now?"
Guan Pan took of his coat and sank into the sofa, eyeing the man groomily.
The other man seemed rather vexed, but had not means to vent his displeasure and only asked, "How did it go today?"
"Wang Xuqiao is nothing but a craven. He does not have the balls. We can't count on him," Guan Pan gave the reply, then asked, "But are you sure there is a treasure over there?"
"Most likely. As soon as I went up to that tree, there came this impulse. If I can eat it, I will definitely reach the innate state, or even higher."
"Ha! Too bad you can't have it!" Guan Pan sneered.
"You!" The man grew all the more irritated and said in a harsh tone, "Let me remind you that you're an errand-man of the sect as well! Allowing Phoenix Mountain to grow stronger will only do us great harm."
"Of course I remember that, but I've been playing the political game long enough to rise above you lot. I have a brain. All you people can do is fighting and killing." Guan Pan sneered at the man some more before saying, "Before, the government and Phoenix Mountain had no conflict interests and the two sides needed one another. Now that the government has two innate state men at hand and with Emei, where the resources are said to be abundant, under development, the importance of Phoenix Mountain is doubtlessly diminishing. I know those bosses only too well. A little instigation and they're bound to go into war. We can just wait aside and let the prize fall on our laps."
"Humph! Let's hope your little trick won't cost you your life in the end."
The man had said enough. Wrapping his thick down jacket around him and putting on his beanie, he looked like an average ten-year-old. He pushed the door open and paused at the threshold. "I'll bring help. Keep in touch."
***
Songjiang River, light snow.
In the backyard of Shui Yao's hostel, Gu Yu was teaching him that body-enhancing movement. The hostel was almost empty of any guests and the employees were about the only ones there, all familiar with the boss' martial arts hobby. Hence, no one found what they were doing strange, but only thought it as the boss' new way of making friends.
"That's still not right. Stop there, please." Gu Yu stopped Shui Yao after he went through an entire set of movements and explained, "I've told you many times. The strength you exert is not the key, the control of it is. This movement will only work when you have perfect control over every single muscle of yours so that you can tense up or relax any of them at your will."
"I understand what you said, but my actual move is another story."
Shui Yao also felt dejected. His sheer strength had been used only in ordinary martial arts and now that he was to follow the teachings at a whole new level, he simply could not match the requirements.
"There…" Gu Yu looked around. Seeing that no one was looking, he put his hand on Shui Yao's upper right arm about three cm from the elbow and instructed, "Follow my move. Relax, relax, relax… go!"
"Oh my!"
Shui Yao felt a gentle tug and his arm waved forward despite himself. Then, with a twist, this move of his right fist was accomplished.
Right after that, Gu Yu took his left arm and called out softly, "Go!"
His left hand moved accordingly this time. The catching move that he had failed for a million times was accomplished, the movement perfect to a tee.
Just like so, Gu Yu worked as a puppeteer, controlling this cumbersome puppet to finish one swift and fierce move after another. It was the most strange yet amusing scene.
A couple of minutes later, the whole set was finished.
Shui Yao was sore to the bone and despite the drifting snow, he was dripping in sweat. He gasped as he said, "That... that was awesome! No wonder you're my younger brother-in-law. Any man less able would be sucked dry by that girl in no time."
"Old Shui, one more word of your bullshit and your tongue is mine."
Just then, Xiaozhai strolled in through the front gate. Shui Yao immediately stopped talking, pretending to be savoring the view. One could almost believe the innocent and unaffected look on his face.
Gu Yu gave his girl a few looks and asked, "Up on the mountain again?"
"Yeah, sat there for a while."
'Sigh!'
Gu Yu sighed inwardly. The so-called "sat for a while" meant she was there mourning her master again. It was not his place to say anything. After all, the bound between this pair of master and pupil had been very deep. His only concern was that such obsession would one day hinder Xiaozhai in her cultivation.
"Brother Shui! Brother Shui!"
Before they had a chance to talk some more, a young waitress ran in from the front, yelling at the top of her lungs. "Big news!"
"Gosh, keep your voice down. What news?" Shui Yao asked.
"There, there is a spiritual ginseng on the mountain!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-54.png){kind=small}
Chapter 254: Making Trouble
Source: Qidian International
The girl's announcement shocked them all. Gu Yu and Xiaozhai frowned: who let out the news? Yet at a second thought, they realized something was not right. No fifth person knew about the spiritual ginseng, Shui Yao and the research team included.
"Where did you hear about that?" asked Gu Yu.
"It's all over the town. I don't know who started it. I woke up this morning and everyone was talking about it."
The girl was exhilarated, in a way that was silently saying, "It's so rare that something like this is happening around me. I'm happy enough to spread the gossip alone even if it has nothing to do with me whatsoever."
"Any rumors on the internet?" Xiaozhai asked.
"I read a few here and there on weibo, but they disappeared almost right away."
The girl seemed to be pretty sure of what she heard and went on, "Everyone is saying that that's evidence enough! If it's fake news, the authorities would have denied it, or at least they wouldn't have monitored the internet and deleted the posts. So it's almost certain. They're all heading for the mountain to search for the spiritual ginseng. Hey, brother, isn't Grandpa Shui the old chief? That's great. We can use his help."
"The hell with giving you help. Watch that tongue of yours! Go away. Go back to the front and look after the guests. Enough with the gossip."
Shui Yao was a perceptive guy. He was acutely aware of something fishy was going on. After sending the girl away, he asked, "Younger Brother-in-law, what's that all about?"
"..."
Gu Yu hesitated a little and decided to tell the truth. "We have indeed found a spiritual ginseng following those mallet birds."
'What!?'
Even Shui Yao's eyebrows bristled at those words. His thick-muscled face puckered up, giving him a ferocious yet adorkable look. Before he had a chance to speak, however, Gu Yu stopped him. "But we five were the only people knew about this. I don't understand, how did the news get out?"
"That sable!" Xiaozhai interjected all of a sudden. "If they could control a sable, they could control any other animals. Maybe we've overlooked it."
"We might've. Anyhow, they might not know exactly what has happened. It could be their speculation only."
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai remained level-headed. They skipped the cause and the full course of the event, jumping right to the purpose of such act. Whatever move the other party took, their purpose was clear: to muddle the waters.
While they were analyzing the situation methodically, Shui Yao grew anxious on the side. "So, what's the deal with that spiritual ginseng? What does it do? Does it look like a human already?"
"Not yet, but it's very useful. Eat a little bit and all your diseases are cured and you get to live very long," teased Gu Yu.
"Damn! What're we waiting for, then? Stop playing already! Let's move!"
Shui Yao was annoyed by their reaction and dragged the pair out of the hostel, where they hopped onto his shabby pick-up truck and headed for Changqing Village.
The moment they were on the street, they were fully aware of the strange atmosphere surrounding them, as if the entire town was under a tacit agreement and the residents did not even have to speak when meeting one another. One look and the message was delivered.
"Hey, you heard about it?"
"Of course!"
Yeah, just like that.
On their way, they saw many people who had nothing better to do riding motorcycles, electric bikes, bicycles, etc., travelling casually towards Changqing Village as well.
Not all of these people believed in the rumors, but thought them more as an after-dinner anecdote and something colorful to rescue them from their daily boredom. The general public loved playing the onlookers, for it costed them nothing.
When they arrived at the village, Shui Rong's courtyard was crowded with neighbors. The old man held his long-stemmed pipe and said warily, "It's impossible to find a ginseng in the winter. It's not time to search the mountain yet. It must be a cooked-up story. You can go up there all you want. I want no part of it!"
"Dear old man, you haven't been searching the mountain for so many years, what do you care if it's real news or not? Just have a walk around."
"Exactly. What if you run into it. You'd be rich!"
"That's right. You can have the big chunk. We're happily enough with the leftovers."
Everyone was talking at the same time and the old man was utterly annoyed.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai jumped out of the truck. They did not enter the courtyard, but only told Shui Yao, "Old Shui, stay with your old man for a few days. Make sure he stays safe. When Xiao Qiu and Xiaojin come back, tell them to go up the mountain."
"Then what are you going to do now?"
Shui Yao knew himself well enough to beg for an opportunity to go with the two.
"Guard our property, obviously. That spiritual ginseng belongs to Phoenix Mountain."
***
"Old Guan! What have you done?"
Inside the sub-bureau of the BIMAUP, Wang Xuqiao shoved a door open violently and questioned Guan Pan to his face. "How could you make the report without my permission?"
"Why, I disagree with that. You are the director all right, but it says explicitly in the regulation that as the deputy director, I have the authority to make a report directly in case of an emergency."
Guan Pan turned this way and that with his chair, apparently couldn't care less about the accusation.
"Emergency? You call such a trivial matter emergency? Do you even have any respect for me, your director?"
"Ha! The way I see it, it's not that trivial at all." Guan Pan looked into his eyes and remarked casually, "I presume you know what a ginseng can do, don't you? It can keep someone in critical condition alive. If there really was a spiritual ginseng, have you ever considered how effective it could be? So what if there is no such thing. There is nothing wrong with being responsible and reporting to our superiors."
"You!"
As a matter of fact, Wang Xuqiao could accuse the man of nothing. Guan Pan had only done what he was supposed to do and had done it by the book. Wang Xuqiao could only put this matter aside and say, "Fine, let's talk about something else. EVERYONE in Songjiang River is talking about a spiritual ginseng on the mountain now. How did that happen?"
"Oh?" Guan Pan gave him a surprised look. "Why are you asking me? How am I supposed to know that? Could it be that Shui person? He seemed to be on good terms with Mr. Gu."
"Not likely. He has no motive to do such things." Wang Xuqiao was agitated and said anxiously, "Anyway, we have to send someone down to Songjiang River right away. We can't afford a riot there."
"Yes. Stop the rumor from spreading, that's our priority."
Guan Pan smiled as he watched the director leave.
***
The capital city, HQ of the BIMAUP.
A few high-ranking officials sat around the table in a meeting, each with a file in front of them. It was none other than the report sent from Xidu.
The director looked around the table. "What do you think?"
"It is plausible. The numbers of mutated creatures are only growing larger and no one can say for sure that a spiritual ginseng is simply a product of someone's imagination. My personal opinion is that we should give it a go," replied one man.
"But we don't have any image. It's rather rash to act on speculation alone," Mu Kun spoke his objection. He did not want to go to war against Phoenix Mountain for some imaginary spiritual ginseng.
"Actually, what we think counts for nothing. It all depends on what they think upstairs."
Another official joined in and asked, "Director, have we received any instruction from above yet?"
"I made the report after receiving the file. I was told they would make the decision ASAP."
The director also found the situation rather troublesome. "The 'friendly neighbor' and the 'iron fist' are divided on the matter. I think the bosses are probably wrestling over it as we speak."
Only his trusted subordinates were present and the director felt he could speak his mind freely. He himself belonged to a fraction as well, one that sat in the middle, which was why he was able to get his current post.
They exchanged some more small talk before there came a knock at the door. The director's private secretary entered. "Sir, we have received the instruction from the central government!"
"Read!"
"One, special police force of Xidu is to be put on standby and stationed around the Songjing River-Changqing Village-mountain foot area, preventing the general public from carelessly entering the mountain.
Two, the HQ will allocate relevant personnel to help the sub-bureau with handling the coordination and operations.
Three, if running into Phoenix Mountain, unless out of options, no unauthorized fighting is allowed.
Four, call in the people of Qiyun."
All four instructions sounded rather informal, which indicated how urgently they had been written down. They were implicit at the same time, which was common in bureaucratic wordings. They never put anything direct and clear, but had to keep others guessing. Of course, those present here were all experienced enough with such style and got the gist right away.
'Phew...'
Mu Kun was secretly relieved. Only the special police force was required and the army was not mentioned, which meant the general scheme was of a mild manner. They were only probing, trying to find out if they could push Phoenix Mountain further. People of Qiyun would play the leading roles and the rest was only there to facilitate.
He felt wary at the same time, for it was somewhat within his expectation. The temptation of a spiritual ginseng was not something one could overlook. After all, certain bosses were not getting any younger.
***
Tianzhu Mountain, Qiyun Taoist Monastery.
Lu Yuanqing summoned his people to discuss the matter as well. The moment he announced the instructions, indignant voices rose around him.
Zhang Shouyang frowned and spoke first, "They are sending us to fight against Phoenix Mountain over some spiritual ginseng that might not even exist in the first place?"
He couldn't help it. The authorities' deliberations of using them as goon squad were apparent.
"Humph! They have planned it all out. They are to be the friendly party and we the evil men," sneered Chao Kongtu.
"We've benefited from their resources and it's only natural that we should repay them, but to engage in a groundless conflict is rather impetuous," said Shi Yunlai.
For a moment there, everyone was expressing their opinions, all disgruntled in one way or another. Meanwhile, it was becoming clearer than ever that the monastery as a whole wished to be free of the government's control.
"I heard you all. Fighting aside, the trip alone will be a rare opportunity for us."
Lu Yuanqing silenced the arguing voices and turned to either side. "Senior Brother Shi, Senior Brother Zhang, I'd like to have you to coming with me."
"That is what we would have proposed." The two stood up in unison.
"Junior Brother Chao and Junior Brother Zhong, you two are also welcome to join us," he added.
Chao Kongtu and Zhong Lingyu were noticeably surprised by the announcement, but replied nonetheless, "Yes!"
"Senior Brother Mo, I'll have to trouble you with running the affairs of the monastery while we're away."
"With pleasure." Old Priest Mo nodded.
"Despite our absence, Fellow Taoists should remain industrious in their learning. Cultivation is like rowing against the tide, slackness will only result in falling behind. Please remember that."
Lu Yuanqing rose to his feet and bowed.
***
"Dear passengers, the 16:30 high-speed train D12 from Shengtian to Bing 1 Town is ready for departure. Please proceed to entrance A3 for ticket-checking. Please stay in line…"
Inside the waiting hall, passengers on either side of the seats moved into action at the broadcast, thronged forward, and gathered at the ticket barrier. The crowd then slowly squirmed backwards and finally formed two files.
Bing Town was in Heishui 2 Province, about 300 km north of Xidu. The city was close to the border and was freezing cold at this season.
It was the largest city in area of the four provinces outside Shanhai Pass. Songjiang River was a stopover of this train and the journey would take about four to five hours.
Long Qiu and Xiaojin stood at the end of the line. The former had a giant backpack on her back, in which was none other than the wooden box they needed.
They had discovered the spiritual ginseng, but did not have the proper equipment to take it away. They thought about having Li Dong deliver the box to them. After all, a single trip would be much faster. In the end, they decided against it, for Li Dong was not capable enough to either make the box or keep it safe.
Hence, Xiaojin volunteered to go back to handle it herself. Gu Yu was doubtful able leaving it all to her alone and had Long Qiu go with her.
Their seats were in Carriage 7, which turned out to be rather crowded. Nearly 90% of the seats were occupied. The box was too big for the luggage rack and they found checking it into the luggage carriage not safe, hence Xiao Qiu sat there holding the box between her arms.
"Rumble!"
"Rumble!"
Before long, the train started and pulled out of the station. About twenty minutes into the journey, buildings on either side grew sparse, replaced by vast bare lands of wintertime.
Long Qiu had nothing better to do but sit there, dazed.
Xiaojin, on the other hand, kept her head low and busied herself with a mobile phone game, mumbling as she played on. "Ban Ban, take the HP kit… where are you, Ban Ban… Ban Ban, kill him… Ban Ban, are you drunk or what… Ban Ban, you took my MP kit… Ban Ban, switch on your microphone, I need to curse you…"
Xiao Qiu was curious. "What are you playing?"
"Some dumb game. Don't get into it. It's a waste of time," replied Xiaojin without looking up.
"..."
Long Qiu stretched out her neck and took a peek. Hopping up and down on the screen was a short-legged little thing, which would throw something out every now and then. It was dumb!
Xiaojin was still playing when she suddenly cried out, "F**k, internet's gone!"
The train had driven into a signal-less zone and the phone lost connection. Xiaojin was greatly disappointed. Tossing the phone aside, she stretched herself. "Only 40 minutes? It felt like forever. Ugh, I hate travelling by trains… Hey, Qiu Qiu, what did you say sister need that thing for?"
Long Qiu was very cautious. She set up a confinement before leaning closer to Xiaojin's ear. In that way, others would only see two girls whispering to each other and ignore the fact that they could hear nothing.
"The spiritual essence of Phoenix Mountain is of Wood property and so is the spiritual ginseng. Moving it to our mountain would be making the perfection still more perfect. Only good things will come out of it. Plus, Phoenix Mountain is a node and the spiritual essence there is dense. The ginseng will eventually drain all plants around it if we leave it on Changbai Mountain. It can also create a labyrinth and we can use it as our defense formation…"
"Wow, wow, wow!"
Xiaojin was a little jealous of Long Qiu's proud little face. "I see you've learned a lot. That's worthy of your rank—the third of Phoenix Mountain."
"Teehee, put your heart into it and you will… Ouch!"
Long Qiu was still talking when the other little head moved closer and bumped her on the forehead. She cried out in pain. "What was that for?"
"Lecture me all you want, but don't act cute in front of me!"
Xiaojin also found it quite painful, but restrained herself from showing it. She set her mind to look as aloof and nonchalant as a flower on a mountaintop.
The two girls giggled and bantered. Before they realized, the train had left Liaodong Province and drove into Wula Province.
Wula was a less developed province in comparison and had a greater mountainous region. On other side were tall, bleak white mountains dotted with cottages that reminded one of building blocks.
Long Qiu looked out of the window and seemed to recall the place. Up ahead was probably a small station called Huang Village, which the train would not stop at. The next stop after that would be a major one, where the train would stop for three minutes.
From there the train would drive without stopping. Another major station and they would arrive at Songjiang River.
"Breet… breet…"
"Breet…"
The train drove smoothly on. All of a sudden, the shrill alarm rang out, drowning every other noise in the carriages.
The passengers all winced, completely at loss of what was going on. The attendant showed up in time to calm the crowd. "Don't worry, that was the smoke detector. Probably someone has been smoking. We will come to an emergency stop. Please be patient and wait a moment."
"F**k! Which dumbass was that?"
"I got one on my last trip. Such an idiot. Can't believe I'm running into one again!"
"Son of a b*tch! People like that should get detention for ten days and pay a 10 000 yuan fine. I bet they would ever do it again!"
That was the way it was! The sneaky bastards who would cost a high-speed train an emergency stop with their smoking were hated by all. Everyone was tongue-lashing at the culprit with no mercy at all.
The train gradually came to a stop just outside Huang Village. Meanwhile, the attendants started checking the carriages one by one. As expected, they found a teenage boy in the toilet of Carriage 12 with a cigarette butt between his fingers.
Yet no one had noticed—no one could have noticed, for that matter—that a figure had gone up to the train, tampered with something, then went furtively away.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-55.png){kind=small}
Chapter 255: Taken
Source: Qidian International
"Sorry, I'm sorry. I just couldn't hold it any longer!"
Inside the office carriage of the head of the train crew, that teenage boy soon admitted his folly, but it was too late for that. Awaiting him was the railway police, who would take him into custody and charge him for a fine of 500 yuan 1 .
The incident was solved and the order restored. The driver was about to restart the train when a line of reminders in red texts popped up on the electronic screen.
Frowning, he fiddled with some settings before pressing down the button of the intercom. "Attention, attention, possible malfunction detected. Request for additional temporary stopping time."
A couple of minutes later, the head of the crew and the maintenance staff on board arrived at the steering room. "What is the problem?"
"The wheel hubs probably took an impact from the ballast because of the emergency brake. We need to get off to examine it."
'Tsk!'
The head of the crew felt his stomach dropping. A problem with the wheel hubs could be nothing or everything. He hoped he wouldn't be too unlucky.
A couple of crew members immediately got off to examine the situation and indeed found an impact mark on one set of the wheels—a deep one, for that matter. To make it worse, the scratch just happened to be on a key stress point. Carrying on driving could possibly lead to a major accident.
No one was ready to take that much of a responsibility. They could only inform the railway division ahead and ask them to send a maintenance vehicle here. It was the worst possible situation. One train down and all trains on this route would be stuck where they were.
Whereas in the carriages, complaints erupted from the passengers.
"This is the worst day ever! I've made arrangements already. Now everything is ruined!"
"How long are we going to wait? What? Two to three hours?! Are you f**king kidding me?"
"It's all that sh*tty smoker's fault! Damn it, I want to kick his a*s!"
Sweat covered the attendants' foreheads as they walked around comforting the passengers, which was of little use. The complaining voices died down by themselves after a while as the crowd grew tired from it. What could they do but wait?
Long Qiu and Xiaojin were also waiting anxiously. Taking the train was their only option, for Xidu was too close to Shengtian to qualify for a direct flight. All planes going from Xidu to Shengtian were transiting through other cities before going to the latter, which would take even longer than a train ride.
Hence their choice of taking the high-speed train, which would take them directly to Songjiang River Town.
Before they noticed, the sky outside was growing dimmer.
The emergency lights were on at first, but as the waiting extended, they were switched off later. The carriages was pitch dark and the air felt heated. With their thick winter clothes, the passengers were growing uncomfortably hot.
"Attendant, open the door! My wife is going to faint!" a man yelled suddenly.
The attendant rejected tactfully, "I'm sorry, but regulation says we are not allowed to open…"
"Regulation my a*s! Just open it!"
The man rushed to the door in a few strides and fumbled blindly at something. Somehow he managed to open it and supported his wife out of the train. With the fresh cold air outside, she felt better right away.
Several others followed suit and swiftly got out of the train as well. The attendant stood helplessly at the door and called out, "Passengers, please go back to you seats. You shouldn't be lingering outside…"
Unfortunately, not only was the attendant ignored, people were getting off from the neighboring carriages as well.
Xiaojin was in utter boredom. "It's stifling in here. How about have a walk outside?"
"I feel all right here. Are you hot? Let me make you some wind." Long Qiu put her hands out and fanned. There was indeed a little breeze, accompanied with a faint fragrance.
"Ok, that's it. You're not my bed-warming servant girl. I'll be back in a minute."
Xiaozhai gave Long Qiu's forehead a little tap and jumped happily out of the train. A dozen people were already standing around in small groups. Little dots of glow flickered on and off in the darkness—those were men smoking.
Apart from the small area they were at, she could see faint lights about 500 m ahead of them. That was the station of Huang Village.
Seeing that the train was not going to start anytime soon, she swaggered towards that direction.
Huang Village was probably a township. Despite being close to the railway, most trains would not stop here. Only the slow ones with super-long routes would stop here for a couple of minutes. The station looked decrepit. A dim lamp swayed slightly in the wind and there was no staff around.
Xiaojin leaned on the platform, looked around, found nothing interesting, and turned around happily to head back.
She was halfway back when she halted. From somewhere ahead of her came a faint weeping sound.
"Sob…"
"Sob… sob, sob…"
She could see things in the dark and made out a short, child-like figure. It was wrapped in a down jacket, had a beanie on the head, and was wiping away tears.
'Hm?'
Xiaojin rolled her eyes. The things going through her head on a daily basis were never "daily". The first idea that came to her was not "oh, poor helpless kid", but "someone's looking for trouble!"
As the saying went, boldness of execution stemmed from superb skill (more like simple-mindedness, in her case). She moved closer in a few strides and shouted, "Hey, from which cave did you crawl out?"
"..."
Her loud voice scared the little thing, who was stunned silent for a few seconds before answering between broken sobs. "Sister, I came out to have some fresh air with my dad, but I can't find him now. Can you take me back to the train?"
"Do you take me as an idiot? There's a train of people over there and you just have to stand here waiting for me?" Xiaojin lashed out right away, her words utterly merciless. "Haven't you read Journey to the West? Those wandering around in the deserted lands are either evil spirits or monsters! How come a cunning kid as articulate as you cannot get back to the train? Gosh, the villains nowadays have the dumbest plots…"
Why, that was in a way remarkable.
Her own reasoning had her mind fixed on the conclusion that this was a trap, which she guessed perfectly right by sheer luck.
The kid looked speechless. Written all over his face was "why the hell didn't you play by the book?". Of course, this turn of events did not scare him a little bit. The childish innocent expression was gone, instantly replaced by a timeworn and frightening face.
"Eww. So you're not a cute little boy after all."
Xiaojin found the man disgusting. Stretching out her right hand, her palm opened up like an orchid, sweeping gracefully yet fiercely at her opponent.
The dwarf did not dodge. Instead, he lowered down suddenly—the entire man sank into the earth like a gopher.
Sh*t! A Tu Xingsun 2 !
She opened her eyes widely and was quick enough to react. Thrusting against the ground with tip of her foot, she leapt backwards. However, her enemy was faster. Two sharp claws that reminded one of those of a beast erupted out of the ground and clenched tightly around her ankles.
"Hoho, come down here!"
"Ah!"
Taken by surprise, Xiaojin was dragged down, her feet sinking into the ground all the way to her calves and still sinking.
'Don't panic! Don't panic! Stay calm!'
This was her first ever real combat and it was inevitable that she went all hurry-scurry. She kept reminding herself: What do I know? What have I learnt?
"Bang!"
Instantly, the energy of Metal Thunder ran frantically inside her, then came all the way down to her feet. She stepped hard and the ground blasted open. With a scream, the dwarf flew out from beneath.
He knelt down on one knee, feeling an overbearing power of destruction rampaging inside him, exactly like what he experienced the other day in the mountain.
He was petrified and activated his own energy to suppress it. However, the thunder energy only dashed on for a little while before it lost it strength and dissipated on its own.
"Haha, is that all you can do?" He knew what he was dealing with right away.
"Shut up!"
Xiaojin was a smart girl. The man was quite capable and she was lacking real combat experience. All she needed was to get away from him and went back to get Xiao Qiu.
They exchanged a few more blows. The dwarf was attacking with numerous unconventional moves and she was barely keeping up with him. With much difficulty, she was able to force the man to parry her attack with sheer force, which won her a brief moment of opportunity. Little Soap turned around and ran.
One stride and she was several meters away. She opened her mouth and was about to call out when there came a ripping sound from behind. A streak of dim glow flew out of the woods, charging at her at a high speed.
Still midair, she had no way of dodging it. Something jabbed into her left rib like a poisonous prick. Instantly, a numbing pain spread to her entire body.
Fright made Xiaojin break into a cold sweat. She immediately activated her energy to fight against it, but there was a "pop" and a second streak of dim glow arrived.
"Mhm…"
Something stung her on the neck and she was losing consciousness.
The dim glow seemed to have a powerful paralysing effect. Her cultivation was not enough to fight them both and Xiaojin soon passed away under the impact.
"Let's go!"
Right then, another figure dashed out of the woods. Together, he and the dwarf carried Xiaojin off the ground and with some unknown method, the three melted into the darkness as if they had disappeared into thin air. They soon fled into the mountains.
***
Back on the train, Long Qiu felt she had waited too long and went to search for Xiaojin herself, the box still in her hands.
She looked around at the door and asked, "Excuse me, did you see a tall and pretty girl going out?"
"Well, I think so. She should be outside," replied the attendant.
"But she isn't!"
"What? Have you searched carefully?"
The attendant panicked as well. Losing a passenger was a major accident. She immediately reported to the head of the crew and sent people out to look for the girl.
Long Qiu still had the big box on her back. She released the Golden Silkworm right away. "Go find Jin Jin!"
The Golden Silkworm circled around in the air shortly before stopping at a spot, where it paused a little, found nothing, and flew on up a hill.
Long Qiu followed suit. Behind her came the callings. "Hey, you're going to get lost here. We've already called the police!"
"Come back down! The train is starting soon!"
A few attendants tried to run after her, but there was no way they could catch up. Xiao Qiu was on the verge of breaking into tears. She couldn't think of anything else but running head on into the vast dark forest.
***
"What?" Xiaozhai bolted up. "Don't cry. Tell me what happened."
"The train broke down. It was stifling inside and she got off… then I went to find her. I realized something was wrong. I followed all the way deep into the mountain, but the scent was gone as well… sob… sob…"
Long Qiu's crying voice was heartrending on the other end. She was eaten up by guilt: had she been able to stop Xiaojin from going out or had she followed her out, maybe none of this would have happened.
Xiaozhai remained calm enough. "Any leads?"
"Golden Silkworm, Golden Silkworm hated it. There seems to be a smell of some poisonous bug."
"A poisonous bug?"
The couple frowned simultaneously. Gu Yu asked, "Where are you now?"
"I'm, I'm in Huang Village, a township."
"Stay where you are. I'm on my way!"
Xiaozhai did not blame Long Qiu, but gave her some comforting words instead. Hanging up the phone, she said, "They are trying to make us too busy to care for anything else and forcing us to split. Ha, they've succeeded…"
Her tone was flat, but Gu Yu's stomach lurched at her voice. "I'm only curious about one thing. How could they know our whereabouts so perfectly? Is it a coincidence that their train just happened to break down and there just happened to be someone smoking on board?"
"Are you saying that the authorities are somehow involved?" Xiaozhai asked, then shook her head. "No, they can't be that stupid. To be able to subdue Xiaojin and take her alive would take at least two capable men of the acquired state. Shamanism is behind this."
"I agree, but they must have had help from their man inside the government."
After taking out the archmage of the northwest branch, the couple learned from the scroll that unlike the common cults such as Falun Gong, Shamanism had been focusing on developing elite members. During the past several decades, their members infiltrated all level of the authorities, and were even able to obtain some military power.
They had no name list. The comrade that had worked alongside you for years could be a disciple. The situation was especially dire in the regions where the four branches operated. Liaodong Province was not too bad, but one could not begin to imagine what Wula Province would be like.
That was what concerned the government the most. It was not that they did not want to eradicate this thing, they just could not afford any rash moves.
The couple had gone up the mountain already, so Long Qiu called Shui Yao, who then went to fetch the two. Now all three were back in Changqing Village.
Their original plan was to get the wooden box, put the ginseng in, and off they'd go. Unfortunately, not only were they short of a person now, the wooden box was also not delivered—so much so with moving the spiritual ginseng.
Their plan was completed ruined and the other party had successfully held them back.
"..."
Xiaozhai's face was emotionless. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said, "Old Gu, has it occurred to you that we've been playing too nicely so far?"
"Before this, not really. But now, hoho…" Gu Yu gave her a crooked smile. "Are you all right going alone? Do you need me to tag along?"
"That won't be necessary. You take care of things here."
"Ok, then I'm not going back up there." He nodded. "I'll be staying right here in Changqing Village. I'm curious whom they will send."
…
"Wee-woo… wee-woo…"
With the long, jarring siren, a police car drove along a street in Songjiang River, splashing muddy snow as it went. At the flashing turning signals, the car slowed down and turned at a roundabout.
In the small square next to the roundabout was an anti-riot vehicle, which was guarded by two fully armed special force police officers.
Two others were patrolling outside the school gate some distance away.
In merely two days, this freezing cold little town that had stood aloof from the worldly success became the focus of the spotlight. The common folk knew no insider information, but their instinct was as acute as ever. Instantly, they sensed the stillness and restlessness, which reminded them of the quietness before a storm.
"Screech!"
The police car came to a stop outside the police station. The doors were opened and several people got off in handcuffs. The passers-by dared not stop to look, but discussed among themselves as they walked on.
"Those stupid men again. Do they have nothing better to do that they just have to stick their heads in this?"
"The mountain is off limits—we have been told so. These people just have to show they're somehow special. Well, they got what they asked for. Ten days in detention at least."
"Don't they need an excuse to take these people in?"
"Take your pick: making up and spreading rumors, disturbance of the public security... There's always one ready."
They scurried on, both excited and frightened, with the belief that they had just peeked into some top-level secret.
Mu Kun was taking it all in from a second-floor window.
He had only just arrived today. Those above took this operation very seriously and sent two deputy directors out here—him and another one named Zhang Juan, who was your traditional type of soldier, valuing the country above anything else.
Zhang Juan had never met those from Phoenix Mountain before and was not that impressed by the latter. The fact that these two were sent together was proof enough of the bosses' intention: keep the opinion balanced.
The special police force of Xidu had been stationed out accordingly, guarding the frontier of Songjiang River-Changqing Village-mountain foot with full strength. The frenzy of going up the mountain soon died down among the common folk. Apart from the idiotic few, all had realized something major was taking place.
"Knock, knock!"
Just then, there came a knock at the door. Someone of the sub-bureau entered. "Director Mu, people from Qiyun have arrived."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-56.png){kind=small}
Chapter 256: Real Power (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
"Creak!"
The big thick door was pushed open and a team of six entered the guest house of the town government. Almost instantly, they attracted the attention of all.
The one leading the team was of medium built and had an air of slyness about him. One could tell right away that he was capable of dealing with every kind of men. He was the most common one, though, for the five walking behind him were much less "conventional".
They all arranged their hair into Taoist buns and wore loose robes with wide sleeves. Despite the thinness of the clothes, they did not seem to be affected by the coldness at all. Each man had a cloth bundle over his shoulder and wore a pair of traditional Taoist shoes of ten directions. Some of the bundles even had a hilt protruding from them.
Moving their eyes upward, one would see five individuals with an extraordinarily graceful bearing that was of an elegance rarely seen in this mortal world.
As a well-travelled tourism destination, all sorts of symposiums and conferences were held in Songjiang River throughout the year. The guest house was therefore rather plushly equipped. The service staff had seen their fair share of big shots, but they were getting all jittery at the presence of these five.
However big them shots were, they were but mortal men. These priests, however, looked like immortals descending on earth.
They went up in the elevator and settled down in their rooms. The host soon bid his farewell, while Lu Yuanqing, Shi Yunlai, Zhang Shouyang, Chao Kongtu, and Zhong Lingyu gathered into one room.
They were all disciples of abbots and had spent their days cultivating industriously in their temples since childhood with little opportunity to travel in the outside world. This "boss team" was quite a novelty to them all.
"This little town of the north has a charm in its own way—quite different from what we have in the south," said Zhang Shouyang.
"Sigh, we've been shutting ourselves in the temples for so long, closing our ears from the outside world. Now that we're out here, I'm afraid we're falling behind the modern society," said Shi Yunlai.
"Enough with all the sighing. I've heard about the wonders of Changbai Mountain for so long. Since we've finally got the opportunity to come here, why don't we go up the mountain and have a look?" Chao Kongtu had the most lively character and was about to jump to his feet right away.
"Be patient! We have arrived and people from the government should be at our heels. Just wait a moment." Despite being a year younger, Zhong Lingyu was much more prudent and always kept a solemn look on his face.
After some small talk, Zhang Shouyang asked, "Junior Brother, you have dealt with Phoenix Mountain before. Exactly how capable are they?"
"I won't rush to irresponsible conclusions, but they are well beyond my reach." Lu Yuanqing held nothing back.
"Both of them?"
"Both of them."
"Then what's your plan? Are we really going to fight them?" Shi Yuanlai joined in.
"Humph! We are not that kind of diligent goon squad. We are here and that's all we are here for," sneered Chao Kongtu.
"That won't do. The government is not stupid. They'd see right through that," Zhang Shouyang refuted right away. "We are eating off the authorities' palms now, relying on them to provide all resources. We cannot break free of that relationship. Not only will we make an effort, we will also have to make all our effort. It will at least do us good in the future."
Lu Yuanqing said, "I agree. We don't have much say over the decisions at the moment, so our attitude matters a great deal. Winning the battle or not, we must do our best, not to mention…"
"Not to mention what?" asked Chao Kongtu.
"Have you ever wondered about how did those to become so powerful all of a sudden at such a young age? Phoenix Mountain was never an important Taoist establishment." He paused a little and went on, "When Wang Qi asked about the method they followed, that Mr. Gu's answer was Dan method. Ha, all the sects of Quanzhen put together have barely managed to save the Neidan practice method over the past thousand years and there were more forefathers who had spend their entire life on cultivation to no avail than we can count. We were only able to break into the innate state because of the coincidence set by fate. Let me ask you this: what Dan method were they cultivating with?"
"Are you suggesting…" The expression on Zhang Shouyang's face changed. "What they were using was not Dan method, but possibly a method of the ancient immortals?"
'Jeez!'
The words astonished the other three, especially Chao Kongtu and Zhong Lingyu. Zhengyi's orthodox teaching was derived from none other than the ancient method of essence-consuming. Now that the name was mentioned, what else could they feel but exhilaration?
Being a disciple of the Longmen Sect, although Shi Yunlai considered the essence-consuming method of Quanzhen heretical and would in theory suppress it whenever he got the chance, they were no longer in the ancient times. Taoism was on the wane and they had to work together as a team.
He realized what Lu Yuanqing was getting at. "Essentially, the government is still very conservative. They couldn't care less about the cultivation methods. Are you trying to gain their awareness through this?"
"It's not only that. How would the authorities handle it once they know about it? We could well use the opportunity, and…"
"Knock knock knock!"
Before Lu Yuanqing could finish his sentence, someone was at the door. The five fell silent at once. Zhong Lingyu went to answer the door and found the two deputies, Mu Kun and Zhang Juan, outside.
"Thank you all for coming all the way here!"
"Nice to meet you, deputies!"
The two parties exchanged greetings. Mu Kun was rather kind, but Zhang Juan's annoyance and contempt was undisguised. He was the old-school type of military man who could not stomach such superstition.
"All major sites from Songjiang River to the mountain foot had been stationed with our men. We've searched the mountain as well, but have so far found no such spiritual ginseng. But judging from Gu Yu's moves, the possibility of its existence is very high."
Mu Kun briefly talked them through the current situation. Lu Yuanqing then asked, "Where is Mr. Gu at the moment?"
"He's still in Changqing Village. It seems he has stationed himself there. The other one has gone to Huang Village. We don't know exactly what has happened, but probably something has gone wrong on Long Qiu and Jiang Xiaojin's end." He was obviously concerned by the turn of the events. "Those two are young girls, but they could fight. I'm worried about a possible third party."
"Third, forth, who cares! The entire special force is here. I'd like to see them try!" Zhang Juan bragged, apparently he couldn't care less.
"..."
Mu Kun darted him a disgruntled look and fought back his temper. "You have had a tiresome, long trip. I think you should have some rest before we make the visit."
"That's ok. We can leave now."
The suggestion was a polite one, but Lu Yuanqing knew too well to take it. As expected, Mu Kun did not insist.
They went downstairs right away and headed for Changqing Village in SUVs.
***
The small village was no different from before. It was still covered by the white snow and still looked like a still frame.
The SUVS arrived noisily a the village entrance and Zhang Juan, who had not said a word the entire trip, picked up the intercom and commanded, "Assemble!"
"Vroom!"
"Vroom!"
At that, two black bullet-proof troop carriers drove out of two alleys, joined the SUVs, and made their way together towards the Shui Family.
"What are you doing, Old Zhang?" Mu Kun was shocked.
"Nothing. Don't want the soldiers to sit around, that's all. It'd be such a waste," said Zhang Juan.
"Let me remind you. The order is: negotiation first!"
"Ha, let me remind you as well. The order also says: we have the permission to open fire in critical situations!"
"Open fire? Hundreds of villagers live here. You're going to open fire in a residential area?" Mu Kun's tone was harsh.
"Why, don't be so tense. I'm not a homicidal maniac. We can show him some muscles, can't we? What if he is just playing tough? It would be so much easier for us if he decided to bend his knees." Zhang Juan grinned.
"You!"
Mu Kun was about to retort when the fleet of vehicles stopped. They had arrived at the Shui Family house.
"Clank!"
The trunk of the two troop carriers opened and twenty special force police officers filed out.
With its vast territory and the largest national population in the world, the police force of this country had made quite some advancement in the past ninety years or so on all aspects. Armament-wise, they were equipped with just about everything: vehicle station, automatic rifle, light submarine gun, sniper rifle, capture net, EOD robot, laser ranging device, you name it.
Looking around, the five priests saw a demonstration of weapons combined with modern technology. Despite everything else, they were still civilians who would have no idea what state power was until they faced it.
The display made its impact. Even someone like Lu Yuanqing felt ill at ease: would it be possible for the monastery to break free of the government's control after all?
The Shui Family was in a remote corner to begin with. With the site-clearing beforehand, there was an unnatural silence within a 500 m radius.
"Man your posts!"
Captain of the commandos gave it a wave and the team members climbed onto a low wall in unison. The weapons were then set up, holding the house at gunpoint on all angles.
The rest four followed behind the two deputies, keeping guard with gun in hand.
"..."
The look on the five priests' face was hard to describe while they kept their silence. Zhang Juan laughed loudly. Scanning their faces deliberately, he said, "Let's go in!"
With that, the team entered the courtyard. They only made a couple of steps in when the wood door opened with a creak.
A tall, lean figure strolled out, wearing only thin clothes. He seemed cold with his hands tucked away in his wide sleeves. His long neck bent forward a little, lowering his head slightly.
He stood quietly there, resembling very much of a red-crowned crane with its feathered wings lowered, indulging itself in self-admiration in the middle of a muddy pond.
"So many…"
He looked up slightly, a vague smile flickering in his eyes. "Priest Lu, I see you've come as well."
"Hello, Mr. Gu!"
Lu Yuanqing bowed, then introduced, "These are my senior and junior brothers."
"Very nice."
"..."
Mu Kun frowned, sensing something was off. Gu Yu had always appeared affable before, but now, Mu Kun could feel some treacherous torrent behind all the mildness.
He went up to Gu Yu. "Mr. Gu, sorry about the inconvenience. We're here to make some inquiries."
"Come inside, then. It's too cold out here."
"That won't be necessary. Just answer me, do you have the spiritual ginseng or not?" Zhang Juan asked loudly.
"..."
Gu Yu glanced at him and smiled. "I do!"
'Hm?'
That took everyone by surprise: the man admitted it? Just like that?
Mu Kun was growing more uneasy. "Mr. Gu, that's what brought us here today. The government has proposed that we should work together on this. We can study it together and share the profit."
"Oh? How does the working together work?"
"Well, unlike the spiritual stone and spiritual rice, ginseng has long been used as a medicine. Our country has the world-leading technology in the field of traditional medicine. If the government could take the lead in developing the medicine, more value will come out of it. Of course, you'll be playing an important role as well. After all, you are the one who has discovered it. We still have much to learn from you."
Mu Kun was abashed by his own words. Without saying, it was undisguised robbery and in return, Gu Yu was offered the tiniest reward.
"And the sharing part?" Gu Yu went on asking.
Zhang Juan grew impatient. "Enough! Stop playing dumb! Give it to us and you'll get your reward. It'll be worth much more with us than with one man."
"Hoho, the spiritual ginseng cannot survive anywhere else but on Phoenix Mountain."
Gu Yu was not vexed at all. He crossed his hands behind his back and announced loud and clear, "Plus, I don't want to give it to you."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-57.png){kind=small}
Chapter 257: Real Power (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
The will of an individual was nothing when facing real power.
Zhang Juan and his men came here with an old mindset and wanted to do things the old way. With a show of good cop/bad cop and twenty guns to back them up, they never considered the possibility of a failure.
This man, however, had put it plainly. "I don't want to give it to you!"
With that, the atmosphere immediately grew extremely tense.
The evening sky was slowly dimming and powdery snow started drifting down from the gloomy, gray clouds. The black tiles and bricks, cracked stone stairs, the haystack in one corner of the yard, and the pile of corns… everything was soon covered by a thin layer of snow.
"..."
Zhang Juan was also taken by surprise, but a mocking smile then crept up his face as if he was witnessing a naughty kid brandishing his slingshot in front of an adult and thought that was enough to support his confidence.
Ignorant and stupid!
"Haha, just listen to that arrogant tone! I've seen plenty people like you before. They all thought they could challenge the order of the state just because they had their petty tricks. It never occurred to them that in our eyes, you're nothing but clowns. It almost make me laugh." Zhang Juan shook his head, his tone filled with pity. "You are helpful to our country and we'd like to consider you a talented man. Too bad your head is not straight. Such a pity."
"Wait a minute, Old Zhang, don't go there yet." Mu Kun tried to mediate. "Mr. Gu, let's talk. I'm sure it's negotiable."
"I'm done talking to you. Fight me or leave now." Gu Yu remained calm-faced and genial.
"Humph!"
Zhang Juan could not be bothered to respond. "Old Mu, did you hear him? Negotiation is out of question. Don't tell me I'm not following the orders."
With that, he paid no more attention to Gu Yu and gestured with his hand.
"Whoosh!"
The dozen men on the low wall and the four special force members in the yard, as well as the sniper lying in waiting somewhere, were instantly ready to open fire. All angles were covered, including the area in front of the house, the rooftop, all corners, as well as the space between the deputies and Gu Yu.
"Junior Brother, what now?"
The five priests watched this nervously. Shi Yunlai's lips quivered from using a whispering technique, which prevented one's speech from being overheard.
"Back away. Let's see how things proceed first," Lu Yuanqing replied using the same technique. Leading the other four, he fell back for a couple of steps, keeping away from the firing range.
Mu Kun was still trying to talk Gu Yu out of it. He was genuinely impressed by Phoenix Mountain, but could only act as commanded. He sighed inward.
"..."
Gu Yu neither moved nor responded to the various reactions, as if giving them time to set into place. It was some time before he spoke again, "Hm, interesting. The ignorant never have the self-awareness and the fools are always proud of themselves. Such a pity…"
A chuckle escaped his lips, half sighing and half mocking. It was not loud, but everyone heard it clearly.
"Let's see how much longer you can smile for!"
Zhang Juan was enraged and bellowed his order, "Open—"
The "fire" had not left the tip of his tongue when his voice was drowned by a series of popping sounds.
"Pop!"
"Pop!"
"Pop!"
The space of the courtyard contorted as little dots of red light emerged out of the thin air. The temperature rose, melting the light snow. They looked like little floating lanterns.
The red dots seemed to have lives of their own. They each found their own target and scattered, dragging a radiant tail behind.
One of the rifle-holding fellows was about to pull the trigger when he saw a flash and a red dot disappeared in front of his eyes. The next moment, before he had time to think, something happened in that split second when his body had yet to react.
"Pop!"
Something penetrated his right arm in an instant and flame burst out ferociously. An unbearable pain drilled deep into his body like a virus. He felt as though his soul was burning together with it.
"Aaaah!"
He let out a scream, fell down from the low wall in a thump, and rolled around frantically in the snow. The next second, he fainted.
"Aaaaah!"
"What is that thing?"
"Aaaaah! Help! Help!"
Momentarily, fireworks filled the courtyard, so bright and resplendent that they stung the eyes. Behind all the splendid appearances, however, was a living hell.
The red dots punched through the dozen or so men on the low wall, turning them into giant fireballs. Some fell down into the courtyard, smashing pots and jars, while some others set the firewood stack on fire and with a "Boosh!", the flame erupted higher still.
"..."
Zhang Juan was halfway scared to death by now. Among his fear, there was also the bewilderment: that was a dozen elite special force police officers and a dozen top-of-the-line weapons! All had gone to ashes in half a blink right in front of his eyes.
His body felt lead-ridden as his muscles turned rigid and dead; even his heart seemed to have stopped thumping.
"Bang!"
Just then, a long-expected gunshot shattered the cold air. The sniper who had been lying in wait in the tree finally pulled the trigger.
"Did, did it get him?"
Zhang Juan shuddered, the stiff spell broken by the great expectation. With much difficulty, he turned to check, but froze on the spot right away.
Where was he?
Where was the man?
The place were Gu Yu stood a second ago was empty.
"Ha… ha…"
Having missed his mark on the first shot, the sniper hunched over the tree trunk, panting while searching the ground through the telescopic sight.
The next second, he felt a breeze brushing against his face, splashing snow flakes into every direction, which swirled casually in the wind and gathered into a fluffy snowball. It crash landed on his face.
"Pat!"
"Thud!"
His vision went dark and the sniper fell headfirst down the tree, the rifle tumbling a long way on the snow.
"Rustle!"
Wind breezed in again. The little flakes of snow slowly drifted onto the ground, turning into a tall, lean figure.
Gu Yu glanced at the sniper; he could not help but nod to himself. It was his first time using the Shadow-switching Technique in real combat. The application was a little shaky and the duration was on the short side, but the little distance from inside the courtyard to out here posed no problem.
"You, you…"
Zhang Juan pointed at Gu Yu, his teeth clattering. The idea of running away had completely escaped him; he was overwhelmed by fear.
Mu Kun was no better. He knew Phoenix Mountain was powerful, but never thought they were that powerful! Moreover, the young man here was almost a different person from the one they dealt with before.
"Pursuing private ends with your flagrant excuses—it's time for you to change the way of your thinking."
Gu Yu turned around and strolled back for the yard, walking directly towards Zhang Juan.
***
"Now!"
Lu Yuanqing, who had been watching on the side the entire time, suddenly commanded in his cold voice as he drew a horsetail whisk from behind his back.
The whisk had a red handle and white tassels. The handle was made from the wood in Emei node and the tassels braided from the hair of some mutated animal, which were a combination of hardness and softness. It was a formidable weapon.
"Wham!"
4888 streaks of tassels smashed down at Gu Yu with a violent ripping sound like 4888 steel maces.
Shi Yunlai also drew his weapon, a spiritual sword, and charged right away with the killing move of Longmen Sword Skill.
"Whoosh!"
The sword swept across the air, drawing out a circle of moon-like bright light in front of Gu Yu. The chilly, shining blade then reached for Gu Yu's chest with its tip.
The top two cultivators of the monastery struck out together, instantly blocking all Gu Yu's routes of retreat. Seeing the striking performance, Zhang Juan grew a little hopeful again. His confidence was nearly extinguished after the crushing defeat a minute ago.
Two innate state men against one, and there were three more as their backup. They should be able to take him down…
"Very nice."
An identical comment as before suddenly rang out among the fierce sword movements.
Then, Zhang Juan saw the man's sleeves swelled up and his palms met.
"Bang!"
Lu Yuanqing felt a tremendous wave of energy running up along his whisk. He dashed backwards right away with a few heavy stomps before he shook his whisk and barely managed to counterbalance that force.
Shi Yunlai got it worse. The bones of his hand crackled as he flew backwards with his back arched. The spiritual sword was dropped to the ground with a clank.
"Mhm…"
He fought back the blood rushing up his throat and was utterly petrified. There was no technique or Taoist skill in that strike, but the sheer force of the innate state energy alone. Did he just got defeated with one strike?
How contented and enthusiastic he had been from his recent breakthrough into the innate state! But he was defeated!
His eyes flickered and finally set on that calm, indifferent face. How profound the man's spiritual energy had to be to draw out such a huge gap between their capabilities?
"Don't panic!"
Just then, Lu Yuanqing's warning reached him. Shi Yunlai jolted. Zhang Juan and Mu Kun were too high-ranked to allow any negligence. Since they were all in it together, the priests had to give all they had to keep the two men safe. Had anything happened to them, the entire monastery wouldn't be enough to pay the cost.
With that realization in mind, he picked up the sword in his left hand and inserted his spiritual energy. With a popping sound, the blade abruptly grew 10 cm longer, cutting into the ground without making a sound.
Lu Yuanqing also waved his whisk, a white beam of light 30-cm-long extending out from it.
"Ya!"
Both uttering an evil-expelling sound, they charged forward together. The sword shone coldly like the moon and the whisk as fierce as the wind summoned from the upper atmosphere.
"Black Emperor of the north, Defenders of the Supreme Court, and Blood-eating soldiers with red scales, go!"
Beside them, Chao Kongtu waved his right hand and the talisman between his fingers self-combusted, giving out a strange dim glow.
He chanted the spell. The dim glow expanded, growing into a grotesque weapon resembling a saber, which then hacked at Gu Yu, emanating a bloody, ferocious aura.
"Xuanming of Taiyi, spirit of Bing Ding… drink long from ten thousand li away and receive this talisman. Obey at once!"
At the same time, Zhong Lingyu also chanted his spell. The talisman between his fingers flickered alive with purple arcs of lightning, emanating a hint of the power of Nature itself. It was the specialty of the Qingwei Sect, a downgraded version of the Flying Thunder Talisman.
Zhang Shouyang was even fiercer. Golden light radiated from behind him as clouds and fog rolled up in the air. With an angry growl, a giant figure leapt out.
It was as tall as two meters, clad in golden armor from head to toe, and held a pair of maces in its hands. Its face, however, was behind a curtain of light and one could not make out what it looked like. Just by standing there, it was giving off a pressure of crushing mountains and holding up the sky.
It was the Golden-armored Divine Soldier Talisman of the Way of the Celestial Masters.
"Boom!"
The sword, the whisk, the Black Killing, the Flying Thunder, and the Divine Soldier struck out all at once. Their joint attack was powerful enough to ripple and contort the air.
The five priests each occupied a spot and charged from different direction, covering all angles from the front and the back, the left and the right, the above and below, leaving Gu Yu no room to escape.
"Sigh, without breaking to the innate state, your moves are but for show."
Trapped in the middle, Gu Yu looked at the three men of Zhengyi as a hint of approval and pity flickered in his eyes. With a wave of his right hand, the Flaming Could Needles wooshed back to him, which then linked end to end together, resembling a long scarlet whip.
"Snap!"
He lashed it at Lu Yuanqing and Shi Yunlai. With a short and violent explosive sound, the cold air boiled at the scorching heat. White vapor erupted, surging frantically two either side.
In the middle was a void as if the space had been torn open.
"Pfffft!"
The light of the blade died down and the tassels of the whisk scattered. Neither man could withstand the attack and both fell to the ground, spitting mouthful of blood.
Immediately after that, Gu Yu rolled the whip.
The flaming dragon wound around the black killing beam, the purple lightning arc, and the golden-armored soldiers, then the giant mouth opened and swallowed.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
All three men flew backwards. Zhang Shouyang smashed onto the ground and Zhong Lingyu crushed into a thick old tree before sliding down along the tree trunk like a piece of dead meat.
Chao Kongtu was the most miserable one. He flew right into the low wall, cracking the gray bricks. The impact created a dent on the wall and his entire body got stuck into it.
"You, you…"
Voice quavering, Zhang Juan could not even finish a sentence. The self-styled hardliner almost collapsed to the ground as excrement ran down his trousers.
"Mr. Gu, what you did was, was…" Mu Kun's face ashened as his said with a shaking voice, "You killed all these men. Are you going to war with the government on a full scale?"
"Don't worry, I'm not you. None of them are dead."
Gu Yu moved closer and stared at Zhang Juan. "Mr… well, what was your name again?"
"Zhang, Zhang Juan," Mu Kun offered the answer.
"You've troubled yourself to come all the way out here, I think it was to show me some muscles? So, what now?"
"I, we have failed to recognize a great man. It was a misunderstand! Just a misunderstanding!" This Zhang Juan was an amazement in his own way.
"Ha, that came out really fast. I have to talk to you. Come on in."
Gu Yu tucked his hands away into his sleeves again, just the way they first saw him earlier.
***
180 km north of Songjiang River, Huang Village.
Huang Village was a small township located in a mountainous region. It was poorly populated and very inaccessible. It was under the jurisdiction of a county-level city, from where a couple of bus routes ran. To get to a bigger city from here, one had to change their ride several times.
Xiaozhai had no time to bother with changing buses. She took out a wad of bills and hired a car. Seeing she was all by herself and had both the money and the looks, the driver even made his own little plan.
Well, we all know how the story would end for him.
"Sister, this is Huang Village. The farmers' market is just here. This is the busiest area."
"Hm."
Xiaozhai hopped off the car and gave him the money, which he dared not take.
She could not be bothered to argue and walked away, then called Long Qiu. In a few minutes, the two found each other.
"Sister!"
Long Qiu was visibly worn out. The moment she saw Xiaojin, tears welled up her eyes. "Sob… sorry, I failed Jin Jin."
"That's OK. It wasn't your fault." Xiaozhai wiped away Long Qiu's tears. "Take me to where the train broke down. Let's see if we can find anything there."
The two girls were very efficient and got to the side of the rail in no time.
"Golden Silkworm found the scent here, then we went up the hill following this trail."
Long Qiu pointed out her route.
Xiaozhai walked around shortly before her eyes fixed upon something. Squatting down, she jabbed her long fingers into the ground.
"Thud!"
"Splash!"
The top layer was crusty, but down below, the dirt was soft and loose as if something had turned it over.
She then walked to a pit and examined it, then confirmed, "One of them was using Underground Escaping Technique, a very plain escaping method of the Five Elements. The person should be very short. The soil was turned around as the person traveled underground, so that person was not very capable. This one could not have got Jin Jin alone… did you say Golden Silkworm smelled a poisonous bug?"
"Yes. It used to eat poisonous bugs, but it hated the smell this time. I don't understand it, either," said Long Qiu.
"..."
Xiaozhai pondered over it for a moment. She did not explain, but only said, "There might be two to three of them, one of which is good with poison. Let's go up the hill and take a look.
With that, they passed through the withered trees, ascended the low hill, and stopped.
"This is how far I got that day. The scent disappeared beyond here. Something seemed to have covered it." Long Qiu was taken by guilt again. "I stayed here for a whole day. One train stopped at the station, but I checked, no one got on board. I also kept an eye on the bus station. No one seemed out of place, either. Jin Jin is a living person and is not that easy to transport. I only fear them taking her away in some car and travelling on some small road I don't know about."
'Hm?'
Xiaozhai was genuinely surprised. So it was true when they said hardship made the best teacher. Her girl was learning so fast.
"Don't worry. You did a good job. That girl is not stupid and she must have left some marks behind. Let's give it a good search," she comforted Xiao Qiu. Despite the harmless look on her face, her eyes were cold enough to kill.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-58.png){kind=small}
Chapter 258: Real Power (Part 3)
Source: Qidian International
Huang Village.
A slender figure threaded through the vast, withered snowy woods. Climbing the frozen ridges, she moved as effortlessly as a goddess, even nimbler than the winter sparrows.
Xiaozhai turned her mental force on full blast, covering the maximal area it could reach while searching the mountain with speed and precision. She did not use the Void-arranging Technique, but trode on the hard ground and broken branches, finishing half the mountain in no time.
This direction was her task, while Long Qiu and the Golden Silkworm covered the rest separately. She trusted Xiaojin's wits: the girl must have left something behind. With that in mind, she "raided" the mountain slope inside out like a ploughing machine.
"Rustle!"
"Crackle!"
Brushing past the quivering dead branches, Xiaozhai swished out of the snowy woods. She was welcomed by an open field—she had reached the foot of the hill.
'Hm?'
She couldn't help but frown. She had almost checked under every leaf and found nothing. Could those people be that good, making Xiaojin unconscious the entire time?
Of course she would not give up just like that. Following an unmarked track, she walked into a farmland. A couple of steps in and her lips curled up into a smile: to her front on the right, she detected some barely detectable energy hanging onto a clump of withered grass.
Xiaozhai moved closer and sensed it carefully. It was indeed the Small Confining Technique unique to Phoenix Mountain.
"The girl's got a little brain after all!"
She fiddle about the stem of the grass, then took out her bone flute.
"Wee… phee…"
The shrilling and jarring sound was sent steadily away into the woods, guided by her mental force. A moment later, Long Qiu sprinted towards her with the Golden Silkworm.
"Sister, have you found it?" Xiao Qiu asked hastily.
"It should be that way."
She pointed into the distance. At the end of the winding track, they could barely make out a village. Some adobe houses were scattered here and there in the farmlands on either side, used as resting places during busy seasons.
"Let's go! Jin Jin could be in danger!"
Long Qiu was elated. The girl was drowning in her guilty conscience this entire time. Dragging Xiaozhai by her hands, she dashed towards that direction.
They reached the village about a quarter of an hour later. It was a dilapidated place with no public facilities in sight. A few kids were running around, but froze on their feet at the sudden appearance of the two pretty elder sisters.
They looked around and finally found a second trace of the Small Confining Technique.
From there, they began to track down those people by the traces left behind. The route they took was the weirdest one. They stayed in no fixed spot and seemed to be walking in circles all the time.
As long as two hours had passed, during which time they walked right through the village, and arrived at the foot of another hill, where they finally stopped.
A signpost stood by the side of the road, which read: Yanbei Tree Farm. Tall wire fence ran from west to east and an iron gate stood at the front, inside which was a gate house.
"Cough, cough… cough…"
They were still looking around when a weak and sickly old man walked out. Wrapped in a sheepskin jacket, the old man had a face going scarlet from the violent coughing. The old man inched towards them, asking, "This is a private tree farm. Who are you people?"
"Uncle, we need to ask you something. Have you seen a tall girl?" Xiaozhai moved closer.
"No!" The old man was grumpy and answered impatiently, "I barely see anything for half a year on end. Go search somewhere else."
"Uncle, please just give it a moment. Are you sure you haven't seen one?"
Xiaozhai moved closer again, her hands now grabbing at the iron gate and her face eager.
"I told you no. I'm not that old to—"
"Gag!"
The old man's voice stopped abruptly. A fair hand reached in through the gap of the iron gate, grabbed him by the neck, and twisted. "Crunch!"
His head was turned 90 degrees. The next moment, he thumped to the ground into a pile of dead meat.
"Clack!"
A strange weapon resembling a machete fell out of his jacket.
"Sister…"
Long Qiu jumped at this. All of a sudden, she found this elder sister of hers, whom she had spent almost every minute with, was emanating an aura that was frightening even to her.
"Let's go!"
Xiaozhai was not in the mood for talking. Snapping the lock into pieces, she strode in.
The tree farm was essentially a hill covered by bare, tall trees. Not a soul was around and an eerie hush fell over the place.
Xiaozhai walked in the front and Long Qiu covered the rear. The girls walked straight in, not giving a damn to anything else.
Leaning slightly forward, Xiaozhai scanned the area ahead, the look in her eyes cold and murderous.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a giant shadow leapt out of the woods with a gust of rancid wind. It landed on all fours, raised its upper body, and started growling. It was a brown bear.
The animal was officially known as Pi in the ancient times. It had human-like facial features and postures, and was ferocious and strong enough to snatch cows and horses for snack.
Brown bears usually grew to 179-280 cm in height, but this one was over 3 meters tall once standing up, threatening to block the sun and the sky and crush down like the Mount Tai.
"Roar!"
Its eyes were blood-red. Waving its meaty paw which was larger then a normal human head, it threatened to smash its opponents into a pulp.
Xiaozhai flipped her right hand around and Green Leaf appeared in her palm. Pointing the tip of the double-bladed weapon at the ground, she slashed it upward.
"Scratch!"
With a shrilling explosive sound, the tip of the blade slashed the beast from the right rib to the left shoulder, arcs of lightning flickering on the edge. One strike and the animal was in halves!
Xiaozhai did not stop for a single second. She jumped right of the body as huge as a mountain of meat.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
The collapsing down of the brown bear seemed to have sent out some signal. Immediately after that, the ground shook violently and growls came from everywhere. Another few giant beasts appeared, followed by several odd-looking men.
The structure of Shamanism outside Shanhai Pass was completely different from that of the Northwest.
Born and raised surrounded by the landscape of the Northeast since the ancient time, they were accompanied by all kinds of beasts, which gave birth to their beast totem. Xiaozhai could not make out the original form of these giant animals. They possessed the characteristics of several other animals, with eyes glowing red, savage, wild, but submitting to the men's commands.
"That was very bold of you, breaking in with merely two people!"
The leader looked very strange with all the ragged cloth wrapping around him. Even his face was covered by them, leaving only a gap for the eyes.
"Where is my sister?" Xiaozhai asked.
"Hehe, she has long become a sacrifice. Don't worry, you'll soon be like her."
The man pointed at a giant beast.
The thing was long-limbed and covered by thick fur. At the first glance, one might take it as a giant ape of some sort. Looking up, however, they would find a delicate female face of a human!
The woman had her eyes tightly shut and her face was ridden with terror and pain. It seemed as if a human face was forced into the skull of the beast.
"Ah!"
Long Qiu cried out despite herself, for the face indeed reminded her of Jin Jin a little.
Shamanism had long become a cult after all these centuries. Both the ghostly creatures of the Northwest and the beastly creatures of the Northeast were made by using living human beings as sacrifices (experimental subjects) and refining new foul creatures out of them.
All the old and recent grudges rushed into Xiaozhai's head at such sight. Her face was colder than the winter night. "You've just signed your death wish!"
Waving her hand, a big gourd materialized. She gave it a pat.
"Poof!"
A black torrent consisting of fine granules gushed out of the opening and the torrent kept coming. It floated in mid-air, soon forming a stretch of dark clouds, surrounding the men and the beasts.
"What is that?"
The leader did not recognize the skill, but instinct told him it was not looking good. He shouted, "Scatter!"
"Humph!"
Xiaozhai sneered. With a flip of her fingers, a streak of energy dived into the black cloud.
The overspread black grit was activated. The granules began to clash violently against one another and from the collisions came the crackling sound of flickering lightnings.
"Rumble!"
"Rumble!"
In half a heartbeat, purple divine thunder struck down in finger-sized rays of lightning. The sunlight dimmed instantly in that area, as if the Thunder God was lashing out its rage and striking down with a punishment from heaven.
"Aaaaah!"
"Aaaaah!"
They were ants trapped in a jar, completely defenseless in the face of the heavenly power. The giant beasts wailed and howled with them.
In a matter of seconds, the area was centimeters lower as if hundreds of horny bulls had just run wildly over it. The men and beasts were either turned into ashes or a pile of charred meat.
"Huff… huff…"
The leader was the most capable one and the only one to react in time. Badly wounded, he was still struggling, trying to run for his life.
"Thump!"
The next second, he was beneath a foot with a shiny blade on his neck.
"Where is my sister?"
***
"Mhm…"
Xiaojin lay on a hard plank bed with her eyes covered and her hands and feet tightly bound up.
She was barely ever lucid for the past day. Those men were afraid of her escaping, so they had been jabbing her with a poisonous prick every other hour.
The toxin was highly paralyzing. Although her Mental Thunder energy could eliminate it, she was not capable enough for that, as it would take her longer. Before she could fully wash the toxin out, the next one was injected.
She simply stopped trying to fight the poison. Instead, she left traces of the Small Confining Technique along the way, taking the opportunity of her brief conscious moments. The skill could be carried out quietly and was untraceable. Since only those beyond the innate state could work it, those men obviously did not detect it.
In her half-consciousness, they seemed to have been circling around forever before they dumped her here.
"Mhm…"
Xiaojin squirmed, moving a little bit at a time. Her feet only inched away for a few centimeters before she felt going over the edge of the bed. She drew them back right away. Then, with much difficulty, she raised her hands and tried to rip off the black cloth covering her eyes. She had just touched it when voices approached from outside.
Aaaaah! Play dead!
She put on her professional performance playing the unconscious girl while pricking up her ears and listened.
"Words just got in. Men from Qiyun were taken to Changqing Village as soon as they arrived. Gunshots were fired. Hahaha! Our plan worked!"
"Worked? I only see trouble coming. Our original plan was to stall them, but you took it into your own hands and snatched on back! That one has arrived at Huang Village! What are we gonna do now?"
"We have the hostage. I bet they're overwhelmed out there as well. The trouble is Phoenix Mountain's. Plus, she's not going to just find this place that easily. Just to take precautions, though, let's move her now."
It was a clearing deep into the woods, where quite a few buildings had been built. In front of a wooden cabin, two men were arguing, one as lanky as a bamboo stick and the other tiny as a dwarf.
The structure of Shamanism was: archmages—mages—errand-men—ordinary followers.
Archmages were the heads of sect branches, mages took charge of the resources on a city-level, whereas the responsibilities of errand-men were slightly more complicated. Some were in charge of a certain region, while others ran specific tasks.
These two were errand-men of specialties. They were here to train soldiers for the sect.
Because of Guan Pan, the Shamanists came to know the whereabouts of the four of Phoenix Mountain in Songjiang River and the dwarf was sent out to follow them. He and Guan Pan were blood brothers, their family followed Shamanism since their father's generation. The elder brother was born with the talent and had been taken away and trained when he was little. He later learned the Underground Escape Technique and the skill to control small animals.
The younger brother followed a different path. He successfully worked himself up the ladders of the bureaucratic career and was now the deputy director of Xidu sub-bureau.
It was not their original plan to get involved this deep into the matter. However, it just so happened that Gu Yu discovered the spiritual ginseng, which got Guan Pan thinking. The man suggested they grab the opportunity and muddle up the water a bit, to which their superior agreed.
Hence, he provoked both sides into a confrontation in Songjiang River while stalling Long Qiu and Xiaojin on the other end. Xiaojin got herself into trouble by venturing out of the train alone, when the decisive dwarf kidnapped her.
However, after Mu Kun and the others arrived, the HQ took over the command of everything, making the information Guan Pan provided not as timely.
"Bang!"
The wooden door was kicked open and the cold air gushed in. Xiaojin shuddered. She sensed a person with a foul smell approaching, holding her up, and carrying her out of the cabin.
They only made a few steps when the sound arrived.
"Boom!"
"Rumble!"
The muffled sound of winter thunder was shaking dead leaves off the branches in showers. It came from the front mountain, accompanied by numerous wails and cries.
'Sister!'
Xiaojin's heart leapt at this. She fought back the impulse to struggle, fearing that she might startle the enemy. Immediately after that, she heard the stumbling footsteps as someone scrambled near.
"We, we're under attack! Someone has breached our defense!"
"There are two of them, women! The captain and the rest were all killed!"
'Jeez!'
The bamboo stick and the dwarf exchanged a look, seeing fear on each other's face. "You lot stay here! Let's go!"
"Whoosh!"
The two bolted, running towards the back mountain. The bamboo stick even took the time to jab Xiaojin again and the girl passed out right away. They had never expected their opponent to be this fast, let alone participating the sect elite to be annihilated in minutes.
"Aaaah!"
"Aaaah!"
They fled in utter confusion in the mountains like a pair of disowned dogs, the others screaming somewhere behind them. A formidable and unparalleled energy was pressing near, cutting the skin of their backs open like a sharp blade.
The cold! The fear! It was in their bones!
All emotions seemed to have materialized, gushing frantically into their bodies through the wounds, shredding any sense or hope they might have to put up a fight.
"Rumble!"
As another thundering sound closed in, they both felt a chilliness coming from behind. With every effort they still had, they twisted and dodged to either side.
"Bang!"
A golden purple beam in the shape of a three-meter saber smashed down in between them, hacking out a long, deep pit on the dark hard ground.
They were scared out of their wits. Turning around with tottering feet, they saw a woman standing there, a saber in her hand. "Let go of her!"
"..."
The two men felt suffocated as a smell of death took over them—something they had never experienced before. The dwarf darted his eyes this way and that, suddenly shouting, "I'll leave them to you!"
With that, he crouched down abruptly, then disappeared into the ground.
"Where do you thing you're going?"
Xiaozhai unleashed her mental force, which locked onto the target right away. She waved her hand casually.
"Bang!"
The radiating blade struck down again. Mud and snow exploded and flew high into the air, together with the dwarf.
"Bang!"
The blade struck a third time. Before the man could cry out, he was in several pieces. Broken body parts fell all over the place.
"You, you…"
The bamboo stick fought to maintain his composure. He stuck out a finger, which resembled the tail of a scorpion and had a hooked red prick on the fingertip. He held it to Xiaojin's neck. "Don't move! Come any closer and she's dead!"
'Hm?'
The woman stopped as commanded. The bamboo stick's face brightened up a little and he ordered again, "Put down your weapon!"
Xiaozhai did not move.
"I said, put down your… Aaaaah! My hand! My hand!"
The bamboo stick was shouting angrily a second ago, but the next second, the voice coming out of him turned into a wailing howl. He watched as his finger disappeared into thin air in the same way that a pencil drawing was erased from paper.
"We need him alive!" Xiaozhai reminded someone.
"Come back!"
Long Qiu, who had just arrived from behind, called the Golden Silkworm back to her. Ignoring the enemy who had passed out on the ground, she ran to Xiaojin and held the girl between her arms. "Jin Jin… sob… I'm so glad you're all right…"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-59.png){kind=small}
Chapter 259: Real Power (Part 4)
Source: Qidian International
"This type of scorpion venom is way too potent, plus, she had been injected with way too much. We might have wiped it clean for the moment, but there could be hidden loopholes. I'm afraid it'll hinder her future cultivation."
Inside a cabin of Yanbei Tree Farm, Xiaozhai put her little sister on the bed and examined her inch by inch.
"What? Then what are we gonna do?"
These words got Long Qiu to worry. Turning around, she asked, "Hey, do you have an antidote for the venom?"
"The venom is made by collecting the stingers of a hundred venomous scorpions. Ordinary human beings would be killed instantly just by touching it. There is no antidote…"
The bamboo stick sat crumpled up in a corner, his entire right arm gone. Panting, he said, "Immortal Master Jiang has already done a peerless and formidable job by cleaning out the venom alone. There is nothing I can do at this point."
"You!"
Long Qiu was very angry, so much so that she wanted to lash out at the man. Unfortunately, facial expressions such as a wicked, threatening, or wickedly threatening look were never part of her nature. She turned helplessly towards her elder sister.
Xiaozhai's lips moved, quietly mouthing three words: the spiritual ginseng.
'That's right!'
It dawned on Long Qiu immediately. The powerful Wood spiritual essence and vital essence of the spiritual ginseng were very likely to cure Jin Jin. She sat down by the bed and her heart ached at the unconscious little face. Holding Xiaojin's hands, she caressed them gently.
Meanwhile, Xiaozhai went up to the bamboo stick and asked coldly, "Is this place a branch of yours?"
"Yes."
"How far are you with your beastly creatures?"
"Are you going to let me go if I told you?" retorted the bamboo stick.
"No, but you'll die an easier death."
"Humph!"
He snorted in a taunting manner. Xiaozhai cared little of his attitude and went on, "Who's your informer in the government?"
"..."
The question startled the bamboo stick, who pursed his lips tighter and would not answer.
"Seriously? The member of a lawless cult is trying to play the hero?"
Xiaozhai stuck out a finger and jabbed a few times at his chest. She then fetched a chair and sat down right in front of him. "I might be in a hurry, but I can still make some time to interrogate you."
"..."
The bamboo stick had his eyes fixed on her and kept his mouth shut, only that his face was growing paler. A few seconds later, sweat was trickling down his face in streams and he began to convulse.
"Aaaaaaah!"
Finally, he could not take it any more and pitched headlong on the ground. He scratched his skin frantically with his remaining hand, leaving bloodstains all over his body.
"Aaaaah! Aaaaaah!"
The screaming was filled with an unbearable pain. Twisting around, he looked up at his interrogator from a strange angle.
That face revealed no emotion. She reminded him of a goddess looking down at the mortal world.
"I will tell you! I will!"
Drowning in despair and a sensation worse than death, he yelled hastily.
Xiaozhai poked with her finger again and the pain was gone. "Who is it?"
"A man called Guan Pan. He's the blood brother of that dwarf. They two have been in contact the entire time and that's, that's all I know...!"
***
Songjiang River, the Shui Family's house.
The courtyard had been briefly tidied up inside out and the wounded police officers carried off to the vehicle, by which they were sent to the hospital. The Flaming Cloud Needles had hurt them by just the right amount. They might have seemed to be devoured in flames, but the fire was out within minutes.
They were still miserable, though. That would at least be counted as severe injuries.
The five priests of Qiyun were also wounded, but their physical strength had enabled them to hold on, difficult though it might be. Right now, they were enjoying the hospitality inside the house with Zhang Juan and Mu Kun.
Hospitality...
Whom were they kidding!
Lu Yuanqing smiled wryly. A sense of defeat pressed against his chest like a giant fist, squeezing out his breath.
He thought he had overestimated the guy, which turned out to be an underestimation still. He had made the guy part of his only plan and even thought about using him. As it turned out, the guy would not be planned by anyone.
Shi Yunlai took it the hardest, he had kept his head lowered and would not utter a word. The attitude of the three men of Zhengyi was somewhat ambiguous. They had guessed beforehand that Gu Yu might be using the essence-consuming method—he had demonstrated his overwhelming power just then.
In a hidden corner of their minds, a strange voice was saying: Neidan practice of Quanzhen was indeed no match to the essence-consuming method of our own ancestors!
The priests aside, Zhang Juan and Mu Kun were already having a very awkward time. They went for wool and came home shorn. In a word, they had it coming.
"I presume you all know that Xiaozhai has left for Huang Village. I'm gonna be honest with you. Last night, Xiaojin was abducted. Xiaozhai is there to handle it," said Gu Yu.
'Hm?'
The two deputies were both shocked. They had deduced that something had gone wrong, but kidnapping… good god! They did not see that coming.
"Our guess is that this was the doing of Shamanism. But, there's one thing I don't understand…"
Gu Yu stared at the two man and spoke one word at at time, "How come they know every detail of our whereabouts, including the transportation arrangement?"
"Well…"
Mu Kun's heart lurched. It was obviously the work of a mole!
"Mr. Gu, we, we really don't know anything about that. We know the details of your travel plan, but our corresponding arrangement was nothing against you…"
He tried his best to explain, but the matter at hand was messy enough to begin with and he was only making it messier. He even broke into sweat in the end.
"Ring-a-ling!"
Luckily, Mu Kun was saved by a phone call.
Gu Yu took it out, looked at the screen, and picked it up right away. "Hello, how's Xiaojin… Oh, good… You got it? Yeah, don't worry about things over here. You guys just come back here first."
He hung up the phone and blurted out, "Who's Guan Pan?"
"Guan Pan?"
Mu Kun winced, then figured out the reason behind the question right away. He faltered out a few words. Gu Yu would not waste time on this and turned to ask Zhang Juan, "Who's Guan Pan?"
Zhang Juan shuddered when their eyes met and he held nothing back. "He, he's the deputy director of Xidu sub-bureau, 34 years old, used to work in the police system, and knows his way around in criminal investigation."
"He has an elder brother?"
"I, I never heard of a brother! Oh, right, it came back to me. He had one, but the brother went missing when they were kids. The case was filed."
That was it. He was the man.
Gu Yu nodded and rose to his feet. "I'll have to trouble you a bit longer. Let's take a trip to Xidu."
***
"Whoosh!"
An SUV whirled away through the village road. Only after the tail lights disappeared into the distance did the folks of Changqing Village stuck their heads out of their doors like hamsters coming out of hibernation. They thronged into the courtyard of the Shui Family.
"What's going on? Is war coming?"
"I heard police cars and gunshots. Were they catching wanted men?"
"Exactly. Stop the war bullshit. That third generation fatso 1 would not dare to."
No one could turn a deaf ear to such an uproar; it was only that no one knew what had really happened, which naturally led to another round of piffling.
Inside the SUV, Zhang Juan sat in the passenger seat, while Gu Yu and Mu Kun sat at the back. The driver was a young police officer who had been allocated to the mountain foot and was later called in as reinforcements.
"Mr. Gu, do you have to go in?" Mu Kun asked in a low voice.
"Of course."
"But we have no solid evidence. All we can do is to restrain his movement for the time being. Isn't it a little presumptuous to name an official a Shamanic member by Miss Jiang's one-sided statement?"
"Presumptuous?" Gu Yu gave him a look and said, "Back in Huo Zhou, I handed a scroll to that senior colonel, which contained the organizational structure and the strength analysis of Shamanism. What I don't understand is, why haven't you done anything in such a long time? Maybe you were afraid of arresting the wrong man, or maybe you were concerned about stability. But I'm sure you understood my intention then."
"Yes, yes. Very well."
Mu Kun nodded repeated, smiling bitterly inside.
Ever since Phoenix Mountain began to work with the government, they had given the latter more than enough help and offered more important information than they could count. They had even directly saved so many people… on a macro scale, had they ever done anything against the government's interest?
Honestly, they hadn't.
What had the government done in return again?
This thing with Shamanism, for instance, with which the authorities were forever being concerned over this matter or that, or trying to avoid offending, well, anybody. All in all, they just could not make the tough decision to cut the rotten limb. Gu Yu had hinted it back then: I couldn't care less about how you proceed with it, but I wouldn't give a damn about what you think if they mess with us one day!
The vehicle drove on, and was soon out of Songjiang River and on the highway.
Zhang Juan sat in the front, occupied with his own thoughts. He suddenly said, "The office building of the sub-bureau is in the government compound."
"So?" Gu Yu retorted.
"..."
The fellow went quiet right away and so was Mu Kun.
The awkward silence remained all the way to Xidu.
***
The 300-km drive would take them four hours at least, which was more than enough to send a message back to Xidu.
Guan Pan remained in his office the entire time, keeping an eye on the news of Changqing Village. With two deputies, five priests, and loads of elite police officers and modern weapons, even the most skilless melee would be enough to kill the guy.
Even if the war did not break out, Phoenix Mountain would surely be suppressed and its resources confiscated by the government. When Phoenix Mountain waned, his divine sect would be on the rise.
"You lazy bastards! You're out here smoking when I told you to keep you posts? Get the hell back in!"
"Yes, sir! Right away!"
"Clack, clack, clack!"
Angry bellow and the sound of shuffling footsteps came from the corridor outside.
"That imbecile! All he can do is lashing out at his men!"
Guan Pan recognized the voice of Director Wang Xuqiao right away. He couldn't help but silently give vent to his scorn. Meanwhile, he began to daydream: with what he achieved this time, if the sect could pull some strings and raise him to the position of the director...
Haha, that would surely bring glory to his ancestors. How amazing would that be?
With that in mind, he picked up his phone and was about to ask for an update when the door slammed open. A member of staff, who was also a sect member, ran in and whispered, "I've got news!"
"How was it?" he asked eagerly.
"Twenty special force men severely injured and all sent to the hospital. The monastery was a total failure. Word has it that none of them made past two rounds! Zhang Juan and Mu Kun are heading back."
"And Gu Yu?" He bolted up.
"I heard, I heard he is coming back with them."
'Jeez!'
Guan Pan felt his spine was going to explode and a chill had crept up his neck. 'Is he coming for me?'
No, he couldn't have. He didn't know who planned this, did he?
No! That Jiang woman went to Huang Village. She had probably found the branch!
"..."
The expression on Guan Pan's face changed several times in a matter of seconds. "I have to go, right now. You're not exposed yet. Be more careful from now on!"
With that, he packed his briefcase and went downstairs.
The two staff on duty stopped him at the building entrance. "Sorry, you are not allowed to leave at the moment."
"Move! It's urgent!"
"I'm sorry, but the order came from Director Mu. Please stay in your office upstairs before he comes back."
"Let me tell you this. Should anything go wrong over there, you two together won't be enough to pay for it! Let me pass!"
"I'm sorry!"
No matter what he said, the guards would not let him pass. Combat was never Guan Pan's forte and his only option was to go back upstairs.
He did not return to his office, but walked back and forth in the corridor while straining his head to find a way to escape.
"Buzz!"
A while later, he heard the hubbub of arguing voices. He immediately stopped at a window and looked out.
Guan Pan's office was not in the main building, but in building No. 3, which stood a little to the east. His view was slightly blocked, but there was enough room for him to make out the situation outside.
An SUV parked outside the yard and three men stood in front of the vehicle. Two of them were Zhang Juan and Mu Kun, while the third he recognized from the files—Gu Yu of Phoenix Mountain!
"Mr. Gu, please calm down! This is no ordinary street!"
Mu Kun tried his best to persuade Gu Yu. Even Zhang Juan had abandoned his arrogance. "Please look around you. So many eyes are watching. What are we going to do if you just tear this building apart?"
"..."
Gu Yu listened in silence. Behind them was a two-way boulevard with eight lanes. People were hurrying to and fro and on the other side of the streets stood rows upon rows of shops. It was such a busy scene—exactly as one would expect of a prosperous provincial capital.
The securities on duty had lined up on either side, ready to evacuate the crowd at any time. The SUV had stopped right at the entrance, blocking part of the view from outside. However, many had stuck out their heads to see from the buildings inside while whispering among themselves.
After a while, Guan Pan realized what was going on: they would not let Gu Yu come in.
"Hahaha!"
He couldn't help but guffaw. That was promising. As long as they followed the lawful procedure, he had a chance to come out of this unharmed.
Momentarily, instigated by the overwhelming terror a minute ago, an uncontrollable excitement and satisfaction took over him. He looked towards that man, who just happened to look at him at that moment.
"Haha! Come in, I dare you! Can you come in? There's nothing you can do to me!"
He did not care if Gu Yu could hear him or not, but yelled as if he had gone mad.
"We have restricted his personal freedom and he is to be turned over to the judicial authorities, where he will be tried for his crime only after enough evidence is gathered. Mr. Gu, you have to trust us. We won't wrong a good person, nor will we let go of a bad one." Mu Kun was still persuading him.
"I'm sorry, but I really can't trust you."
Gu Yu smiled. Stretching out a slender, pretty hand towards that direction, he curled up his fingers a little as if he was grabbing onto something.
Then, he activated the Small Moving Technique and gave it a slight twist.
"Pffft!"
A staff passing by halted abruptly as some sticky, foul-smelling liquid splashed onto her. Before she could think, she touched it and saw her palm covered in red.
"Blood, it's blood… aaaaah!" she cried out. Looking up, she was petrified.
A figure stood ramrod straight by the window. The body was tall and strong and the muscles well-toned. However, there was nothing from the neck above!
The head was torn right off. The sticky flesh, bone marrow, and nerves dripped down, forming a little pool of colorful mush.
"Gu, Gu…"
Zhang Juan, Mu Kun, and the security personnel at the entrance were all scared stiff.
In Gu Yu's hand, a head had just materialized, the last expression still fresh on the face—a vivid taunting and satisfactory look.
This head...
It had belonged to Guan Pan once!
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-60.png){kind=small}
Chapter 260: Repercussions
Source: Qidian International
A dead silence!
So dead that it froze the air!
Everyone felt both their brain function and heartbeat had stopped for a brief moment. A couple of seconds later, when the air seemed to begin flowing again and the smell of the blood slowly spread out, screams were finally coming out of the building.
"Aaaaaah!"
"Aaaaaah!"
Far away as they might be, they were still able to faintly make out the head in Gu Yu's hand. Instantly, the entire compound was taken over by panic and terror.
The security personnel at the entrance were all the more confused. Job description told them they should arrest the man immediately. However, instinct said otherwise. Hence, they stayed as quiet at cicadas on a late autumn day. Most of the loud comments came from the pedestrians and passengers of the vehicles coming and going outside, who, because of the partially blocked view, thought the scene caused by some commoner applying for an audience with the authorities to appeal for help.
"..."
Having taken out Guan Pan with a single strike, Gu Yu flipped his hand around and the head disappeared. He turned around, looked at the two frozen high-ranking officials, omitted Zhang Juan, and talked to Mu Kun alone. "I need to get back to Songjiang River. Maybe you could join me."
"Oh, sure, no problem!"
Mu Kun came to himself. Calming himself down a little, he took the driver's seat himself.
"Vroom!"
At the sound of the engine, the SUV was started, then slowly drove away from the entrance.
No one dared stop them. Zhang Juan watched the vehicle disappear in the distance, still shaking from what had just happened. The man had travelled 300 km out here, decapitated the enemy in a heartbeat, and left promptly! In the past 12 hours, Phoenix Mountain, the cultivators, and the Taoist skills had together shattered his belief and resistance into pieces!
***
Night, cold weather.
With the high beams switched on, the SUV drove along the highway, throwing behind it the lonely view of the night. The road stretched on as if there was no end to it.
Gu Yu sat in the back row, adjusting his breath with closed eyes. The series of combat (or playing the tough guy, if you like) today had consumed a great deal of his vital essence, especially the last strike which, despite the effortless appearance, was in fact very energy-consuming.
The Small Moving Technique was a very flexible Taoist skill. The amount of energy required would completely depend on the object one wanted to move: the distance, the form of the object, etc.
Why did the couple act as if they had hit the jackpot when they found this technique from the "Book on the State of Mind of Black Bead"? Because they realized right away of its value.
What he achieved today was a perfect demonstration.
"Vroom!"
"Beep, beep!"
The SUV drove on at a steady speed. Despite his age, Mu Kun was not worn out by this strenuous day. He was on good terms with Phoenix Mountain and knew the man wanted to talk in private.
"Mr. Gu, that was a very fast and precise strike. You've got us on our softest spot."
Mu Kun was perfectly calm by now and could think straight again. He couldn't help by sigh. "You killed a man in public—an official, for that matter! Had it been the deed of anybody but you, we would hunt the culprit down and bring them to justice at all costs. But what you did… sigh, that was so cunning of you!"
"You think too highly of me. I'm not that clever." Gu Yu opened his eyes and went on, "I didn't kill those police officers because they were innocent men. I killed Guan Pan because that's what he deserved."
"Deserved? Well, if you say so."
Mu Kun shook his head with a bitter smile.
The sense of propriety was essential in dealing with affairs in the human society. He was a military man once, then made a career in the bureaucratic world. Together, they had taken up the better half of his life, which only made him more aware of knowing where to draw the line.
That was why he was greatly impressed by Gu Yu's ability to work the delicate situation.
Back in Changqing Village, had Gu Yu killed off all twenty police officers and the two deputies, the only thing waiting for him would be a massive manhunt. The government would spare no effort in destroying Phoenix Mountain.
Maybe the couple and Long Qiu would be able to escape, but they would never be able to return to Phoenix Mountain. They would be wanted persons on a national level. Moreover, Father and Mother Jiang, Xiaojin's parents, and even the families of Uncle Fang and Grandpa Shui would be incriminated.
But Gu Yu didn't do that. Instead, he took out Guan Pan, the mole from Shamanism.
Well, that turned things very awkward. By every standard there was, the authorities would be the side having a guilty conscience—a feeling that was comparable to when one wanted to throw up but could not and ended up swallowing it back down 1 .
Ever since the two sides started working together, Phoenix Mountain had been operating by stepping just on the yellow line. They might have seemed to have crossed it, but what they did was in fact within the tolerable limit. As for where the limit stood depended on the fluctuations in the strength of both sides. Had this happened back then, Phoenix Mountain would not have been confident enough to act this way.
"With what has happened, those above will have to declare their attitude. I think someone will be here tomorrow," reminded Mu Kun.
"We're going back to Bai Town tomorrow," replied Gu Yu.
"Oh, I see."
Mu Kun expressed his understanding of that. Darting a look at the rear view mirror, he saw that Gu Yu had closed his eyes in meditation again. He did not disturb the man further.
As a matter of fact, men in Mu Kun's position were concerned with matters much more beyond what they had talked about. For instance, they were all men of the innate state, but why was there such a great discrepancy between the abilities of Phoenix Mountain and that of the monastery? How were those scarlet flying things made?
Moreover, the government did not think much of the strength of individual cultivators, deeming that modern weapons could surpass them all. Now that a lesson had been taught, would they change their future strategies?
And there was the matter of Shamanism. There were ongoing disputes within the government and some would not even believe its existence. As for now, well, at least to Mu Kun himself, this Shamanism sect was a malicious tumor! They were able to instigate a strife effortlessly, which made him shudder just to think about the depth and channels of the infiltration.
***
The two arrived at Songjiang River around ten o'clock that same night.
Mu Kun went to take a room in the government guest house and Gu Yu returned to Shui Yao's hostel, where Xiaozhai and the two younger ones had arrived before he did. Xiaojin had gone to bed very early from all the fright she had gone through.
"How are things looking?" asked Xiaozhai.
"Everything's all right."
He did not go into details and asked in return, "How did it go with you?"
"Not bad, only that Jin Jin might still have some toxin remained in her. We'll need the spiritual ginseng to treat her."
"Let's lose no time, then. I'll go up the mountain in a minute and we'll head back tomorrow morning."
"Yeah. Take Xiao Qiu with you. She can help."
The two turned to tend their own affairs after a brief conversation.
Gu Yu and Long Qiu took the wooden box and set off for the top of Changbai Mountain right away, the vast, dark night sky ahead of them. It was a very long journey and they would probably not get back until early next morning.
Xiaozhai returned to her room and sat down by the bed, watching her little sister in silence.
Asleep, the girl looked like a little angel. Her small face half buried in her thick hair and under the warm orange light, her skin looked as glossy as if it was covered by a layer of transparent gel.
She wiped away a streak of hair falling over Xiaojin's lips. The girl muttered something and immediately grew restless. Still asleep, she opened her mouth and bit Xiaozhai's finger.
"Haha…"
Xiaozhai pulled back lightly, but could not get her finger back. She reluctantly kept it there.
Growing up in Changqing Village since she was little, Xiaozhai obtained her temperament after seven or eight years living with her master, during which time she was greatly influenced. She gave the impression of being mild, graceful, and with a high EQ, but was in fact a free and unruly girl that couldn't care less about anything.
For all these years, she barely had any friends. Shui Yao was sort of a childhood playmate, but she had not been keeping in touch in later years. She actually cared very much about those close to her, although the number of people in that category had never been big.
Xiaojin was a close family member and her fellow cultivator. With those two identities put together, she cared for Xiaojin so much that she almost could not let the girl out of her sight—regardless of the fact that she was "ruthless" towards the girl on a daily basis.
"Knock!"
"Knock, Knock!"
She was still lost in her thoughts when there came a knock at the door. She squeezed the girl's cheeks in with the other hand and the latter opened her mouth. She the got her finger back.
It was sleek with saliva.
She went to answer the door and found Shui Yao standing outside.
"Not sleep yet?" he asked a pointless question.
One look at the man and Xiaozhai knew he wanted to talk. "Jin Jin is asleep. Let's take a walk."
With that, they went downstairs and strolled around in the small backyard of the hostel.
It was deep into the night and freezing cold. Xiaozhai had a single shirt on with the first button unfastened, which was to Shui Yao's great envy. The man had wrapped himself up like a bear.
"I'm sorry about everything we put you through," Xiaozhai apologized the first thing; she was straightforward. "Theoretically, people of both the government and Shamanism will behave themselves from now on, but you're all ordinary people after all. Accident could happen. So, talk to Grandpa Shui. It's better if you could all move to Bai Town. I can keep an eye on you in that way."
"You are indeed my old friend! All those beatings were not for nothing!" Shui Yao grinned at this. "That's exactly what I was going to talk to you about! I've had the most exciting and colorful time since you got here! Man, once you get a taste of the real good stuff, you can never turn back. I'd be bored to death if I went on living in this place! Don't worry about my old man, I'll talk to him. It's just, well, there're also my parents…"
"They can come as well, if they want to," said Xiaozhai.
"Haha! Thanks a lot!" Shui Yao hopped around excitedly. "Don't you worry about this. I know how it works. Once I'm there, you won't hear about me doing indecent stuff in your names. I have made my name in Songjiang River and I will make one again in Bai Town! Anything you find inappropriate to do it yourselves, come to me! I'll do it for you!"
"..."
Xiaozhai smiled a half-smile, finding the declaration troublesome and funny at the same time. The guy'd play a perfect role of the head of the external division.
***
Heishui Province, Bing Town.
The door of a secret chamber was suddenly slammed open and a man rushed in. "Archmage, there has been an emergency!"
"..."
A veiled woman dressed in white lay on a quaint wooden bed. She opened her eyes at the voice and spoke softly, "Speak!"
"Our branch in Huang Village was raided and all twenty-seven men—the two errand-men included—died fighting. And Guan Pan in Xidu sub-bureau of the BIMAUP has also been killed."
"Who did this?"
"Gu Yu and Jiang Xiaozhai."
"I don't recall if we've crossed Phoenix Mountain. What happened?"
The woman had a unique voice. It was deep for her gender and had a gritty feeling to it. Within that huskiness was an alluring charm that tickled at the listener's heart.
Don't mistake it for the voice one would hear in the "exotic" quarter, where the alley was lined with low shacks twinkling in gaudy pink little light bulbs. "Physical therapists" marketed their service with half of their breasts hanging out. "Come in! Come in! 100 yuan for the full meal deal and 500 yuan for the night! Hot-and-cold t-bag, rimming, blowing—you name it, we have it! Invoice available if needed!"
It was the voice one would expect from a woman sitting alone in an inconspicuous bar. Her long hair hung loose over her shoulders as she smeared a little salt on the back of her fair hand, which she licked with the tip of her tongue before downing a shot of tequila.
Of course, right now, the man was feeling nothing of such charm. Cold sweat trickled down his face as he replied in a quivering voice, "They, they took it into their own hands out there in Xidu. The original plan was to provoke Phoenix Mountain and the authorities into fighting against each other, but, but…"
"But they ended up biting off more than they can chew?"
The woman slowly sat up and got off the bed. Her gait reminded one of a female snake that had just finished mating. She drifted closer to the man and said, "I was only in seclusion for a minute and you guys have made such a mess. How would you like me to punish you?"
"A-archmage, I have nothing to do with this!"
The man was evidently frightened, but dared not move even a finger. He only said, "I heard nothing of it, they were the ones carrying it out from the beginning!"
"Teehee, stop it. Am I that scary?"
The woman covered her mouth and chuckled, revealing a hint of her natural seductive power. "Go tell that fool Wanyan that he is to come here in person and ask humbly for pardoning his crime. Pass down my order: everyone stay put, no more petty tricks. I might not have been the boss long enough, but I wouldn't mind having a taste of their entrails…"
With that, she flipped her wide sleeves and a plume of white fog rose out of thin air. The woman disappeared.
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Chapter 261: Fortune
Source: Qidian International
The capital city.
Inside an office, a high-ranking official was listening to the briefing of his subordinate. The man was wise, pensive-looking, and had a demeanor matching his position. It was none other than that old man with black-rimmed glasses who had been in charge of the Huo Zhou incident.
"Was it that crushing a defeat?"
"It was. All twenty special force police officers had been severely wounded. From the face-off, to opening fire, then to the ceasefire, they were only able to fire one single bullet. Moreover, we also found 27 bodies in a tree farm near Huang Village. The scene was, was…"
The subordinate felt words had failed him. He passed the photos to the old man, "Maybe you'd like to see it yourself."
The old man took over the pictures curiously. Even a man as experienced as him found them utterly disturbing: the pictures were either of scorched earth covered with charred objects or of gory scenes featuring severed body parts. There were also pictures of criss-crossing gashes on the ground, which were long, deep, and seemed to be chopped out by some savage cleaver.
The more intact bodies were blood-curdling. The shape, fur, and the limbs suggested they were beasts of some sort, but where the animal faces should be were unmistakable human ones!
They were men and women of all ages, everyone looking as painful and hideous as the next.
Smacking the photos onto the desk, the old man demanded furiously, "What on earth is this—the witchcraft of beastly creatures of the Shamanism in the Northeast?"
"We, we don't have much on them. Based on what we have collected so far, it probably involves raising a gigantic savage beast and a suitable human being, then fusing the souls of the two together via certain occult skill, creating a new, new life form…" The subordinate chose his words carefully as he went on, "This new creature is characterized by both the fierceness of animal and the intelligence of human being. But this is still a preliminary stage. From what we heard, the most advanced form would be, well... are you familiar with the term 'home-protecting fairies'?
The question took the old man by surprise, who, with a little hesitation, asked, "By 'home-protecting fairies', are you referring to those foxes, snakes, hedgehogs, and the like?"
"Yes! For thousands of years, it has been the tradition of numerous families of the Northeast to worship these beings. Legend has it that five types of spiritual beings could become immortal and take possession of the bodies of their disciples so that they could set up shrines and work their magical wonders. From the ample information we have collected and based on the characteristic of this beastly creature, we inferred that the ultimate form of this 'creation' is to be able to switch back and forth freely between the animal and human forms, as well as gaining great abilities, which would make them the home-protecting fairies in the legends."
'Jeez!'
The old man was secretly astonished: thousands of years of tradition, worshipment… tsk! The more he thought about, the more frightening he found the idea!
With much difficulty, he calmed himself down, then took another closer look at the photos, muttering, "The preliminary stage only and it's already that intimidating, but then… Sigh, we've made such a strategic mistake in our dealing with the two young friends!"
He heaved a sigh and let go of the subject for the time being. He then asked, "Have the five priests of the monastery gone back to Tianzhu Mountain?"
"Yes. They had also been injured, but not too severely."
"We have been training them for two years and their first venture turned out to be a fiasco. The opinions are very divided at the moment. Many think we should stop supplying for them. What do you think?"
"Well…" The subordinate was as much a trusted confidant as he was an adviser. He weighed his words before answering, "In my opinion, we should not reduce the resources we offer them, but ought to put in more effort than before. The confrontation this time has enabled us to understand their individual combat capability in a more intuitive way. With the changes in the environment growing more violent, we will only become more dependent on them. Something must have gone awry to result in such a great discrepancy between the strengths of the monastery and Phoenix Mountain. I think we should investigate into that first and find the adequate solution. The monastery is not beyond saving."
"I agree with you. I was thinking about something along those lines. We're about to send someone there to coordinate. Hopefully they will be able to find something out for us."
The old man rubbed his temples, which were already throbbing from thinking about the coming meeting he'd attend in a minute. With the size of the government, there were as many provident men as the improvident ones. Arguing with them was simply self-abuse.
"Sir, how do you think the bosses will deal with the Shamanism matter?" the subordinate asked tentatively after a pause.
"It is not easy to extend the power of the central government to a strong local one. Leadership is often rendered ineffectual by recalcitrant subordinates! Moreover, they are hidden in the dark and we are out in the open, so all we can do is remove them one piece at a time; otherwise, they might lash out in desperation and cause instability." It was also a matter that worried the old man greatly. "Well, we have made out preliminary plan. You may leave now."
***
Bai Town, Phoenix Mountain.
Gu Yu, Xiaozhai and Long Qiu stood shoulder to shoulder under the old tree, a large wooden box between Long Qiu's arms. She looked at her brother, got a nod, then opened it.
Instantly, a powerful spiritual essence of life emanated from it and out came a gigantic ginseng that was handsome, graceful, and with leaves and seeds and all. It sounded ridiculous to describe a ginseng as being "handsome" and "graceful", but that was exactly what it was.
The "king of ginseng" among the country's collection of treasures weighed a little under half a kilo, had two tiny "legs" of roots, and was called an "unequalled" wonder. This spiritual ginseng, however, looked almost the size and shape of a real baby. All four limbs were distinguishable and had it not been for the absence of facial features, it would be no different from a human child. With the thin fog curling around it, the ginseng looked all the more otherworldly.
"Jin Jin is hurt and we need a little of your essence. Not much, a few drops will do."
She communicated with it through her mind and made the words as simple as possible so that the message could get through. The spiritual ginseng still could not quite understand the words, but had instinctively sensed the danger. Naturally, it refused.
Long Qiu cajoled and coaxed. Finally, it nodded, though with much reluctance.
Gu Yu then went up to it and sliced his finger lightly across one of the minor roots. A thick, milky juice gurgled out, giving off an exceptional fragrance.
"Hiss!"
"Squeak!"
The two "guardian divine animals" grew excited right away. 'Aaaaah! I want to eat it! Let me eat it! It looks so yummy!' Then Xiaozhai waved her hands, sending them into the air.
"In!"
Gu Yu dared not take this lightly. With a gourd in his left hand, he activated his energy, which twirled and scooped up a little bit of the juice. He then sliced his finger across the root again, sealing the wound.
"I'll be with her!"
Xiaozhai took the gourd, sprinted, leapt over the river, and headed directly for the Cottage of Pure Mind.
Over here under the old tree, the spiritual ginseng shook its leaves repeatedly, its every cell imbued with chagrin and grievance. Long Qiu offered all the comfort she could express while Gu Yu walked around the old tree, found a suitable spot, and activated his Small Moving Technique.
"Whoosh!"
The box was suddenly empty and the spiritual ginseng was planted into the soil, its three branches of leaves and a lump of red seeds all where they should be.
The moment it was planted, the energy in the air surrounding it was stirred. The spiritual ginseng was elated by this dense spiritual essence it had never tasted before. At the same time, it reciprocated by giving off an even strong spiritual essence of life, which immediately combined with the node.
"Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!"
The old tree felt it as well. It shook its leaves violently as if trying to familiarize itself with the ginseng.
The two types of energy were of the same origin and both of the properties of Wood and life. Now that they had fused into each other, a lively green lump of air was formed, floating indistinctly in midair.
It was after quite some time when that lump of air exploded with a loud bang. The green spiritual essence splashed everywhere, disappearing into the mountain. Rumble! There was a shudder and the aura of the entire mountain changed; it felt more awe-inspiring and the earthly energy more solid and steadier.
In the jargon of the "cultivation-from-scratch" novels, it was called "fate is turning to your side"! It was still too early to observe the change now. Given time, when the spiritual ginseng fully matured, this land would have a qualitative leap in its level.
"Oh? That was an icing on the cake. They complement each other."
Gu Yu was also pleasantly surprised, yet could not help but let his imagination expand a little.
It was common knowledge that there were ten major Heavenly Vaults, thirty-six minor Heavenly Vaults, and seventy-two Blessed Places in Taoist records.
According to "Life of Perfected Man Ziyang", "The sky is not defined by emptiness, the mountains not by caves, and men not by houses. A hollow in a mountain is known as an empty palace; the hollow in a man's head is known as Dong Fang 1 . Hence, the perfected man take residence in the sky, in mountains, and in men. In the place of complete emptiness, one could fit Penglai Mountain, or even the universe into a single grain of millet."
The so-called Heavenly Vaults and Blessed Places reflected the Taoist view of universe, which believed heaven, earth, and everything in this world—even humans—were derived from a single kind of Qi, and so were these realms of the immortals. They were interlinked, and together formed a three-dimensional interwoven network. Because of the difference in their energy, they were ranked as "major", "minor", and alike.
They were connected to the mortal world, but also were secret and secluded.
Wangwu Mountain, for instance, which the couple had visited before, was one of the then-major Heavenly Vaults. Needless to say, no such thing could be found there now.
Gu Yu was lost in his imagination for a while after seeing the change the spiritual ginseng brought. He was then himself again, laughing inside at his own foolishness. He asked, "Xiao Qiu, ask the ginseng, can it put up the labyrinth now?"
"Well…"
Long Qiu communicated with it again, then replied helplessly, "It says it wants the liquor."
Gu Yu broke into laughter. He then took out a big gourd, poured out a third of the content, and put it down by the leaves. "I think you'll be able to draw the liquor out yourself, right? We'll keep it coming."
"Rustle!"
The red seeds swayed around again.
***
Meanwhile, in the cottage.
Xiaojin slouched on the bed, looking like a perfectly healthy girl. At a closer look, however, one would notice a faint dark purple seeping through her fair skin. She also looked a little weak.
Seeing her sister coming in, she yelled, "Sis, I'm bored stiff lying here. When will I get better?"
"Soon. Here, drink this." Xiaozhai passed her the gourd.
"What is this?"
She downed the content into her mouth right away, which she thought should be a lot but turned out to be a few drops of thick juice only. Shaking the gourd, she smacked her lips. "Why, was that frozen yogurt? Can I have some more?"
"Start your meditation! Clear your mind!"
"Oh!"
The girl stopped bullsh*tting right away. She sat up straight and began to practice the Mind-clearing Technique, soon entering the state of looking into her own mind.
The vital essence of the spiritual ginseng was extremely potent. Before long, she felt a warm current shoving and humping inside her body. Her meridians bulged and her Dantian was boiling. She thought she was going to explode.
"Mhm…"
A moan escaped her throat. She almost could not bear it any longer when a streak of coolness made its way in, guiding the warm current patiently. Gradually, it became comfortable again.
Fine sweat covered Xiaozhai's forehead as she guided the essence around Xiaojin's orifices, nourishing the latter's body little by little.
It was quite a while before Xiaozhai sighed with relief and withdrew her palm. "Call it a blessing in disguise. Your strength has improved a little from this."
"Wow!"
Xiaojin was revived with full HP. She never felt so alive and began to swagger right away. "This stuff is awesome! Let's have it three times a day and we'll all be Human Immortals next month!"
"Humph!" Xiaozhai sneered coldly. "Since you're all fine now, it's time we set a few things straight. You knew perfectly of your limits and it was under very suspicious circumstances, so why did you get off alone? Do you know how much trouble you've caused us?"
"!!!"
The girl's face ashened right away. She dived back onto the bed and wailed like a sick cat. "No, no, I'm not all right! Oh my god, my kidneys feel funny! My body feels weak! I'm totally not all right… wait, there's no need to go physical. Help! The poison is still in me. I'm contagious…"
'Gee!'
Gu Yu and Long Qiu were already outside the door, but decided not to go in just yet. They said a silent prayer for poor Little Soap.
***
As mentioned before, the so-called Mada Mountain could be considered two overlapping spaces.
One was the real world and the other the labyrinth. Once stepping into this field, one would automatically enter the labyrinth, walking in a circle over and over again without ever finding the exit. What was more, the labyrinth could also block communication signals.
It was actually pretty easy to remove. As long as one was more capable in Taoist skills than the spiritual ginseng, they could break the labyrinth by force from either inside or outside.
The ginseng had not fully grown and could not cover the entire Phoenix Mountain. The labyrinth would therefore only be set in certain areas. Gu Yu and Xiaozhai had a discussion and decided to put it at the two entrances: one at the iron fence, the other at the unmarked track on the northern slope.
The former would operate around the clock. The latter entrance was frequently used, therefore would only be switched on when enemies were detected. That was the where the value of the spiritual ginseng lay: it was their panoramic radar/mountain-guarding formation/life-saving medicine.
The four checked the areas and were very satisfied with the effect of the labyrinth. They then gathered the staff.
They had planned to stay in Songjiang River for a couple of days only, looked around, and came back here. However, they ended up entangled in a lot of things and were delayed. Chinese New Year's Eve was the day after tomorrow and a lot of people were waiting for their words.
Cottage of Pure Mind, the courtyard.
Over a dozen men were divided into three groups—the liquor workshop, the tea workshop, and the orchard. Li Dong was an extra, stuck with the liquor workshop lot. Zhang Qianqiu was working in the manor now, which was still being taken care of by Yuan, Zeng, and Lei Families, who would withdraw after the Shui Family moved here. From then on, Shui Yao would take over the responsibility.
"The day after tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Anybody that wants to go home is free to do so. Just come back on the sixth 2 . Those that do not want to go back are welcome to stay," Gu Yu went straight to the point.
"..."
The crowd exchanged looks; no one found the speech unexpected. The two bosses had always been kind—well, that they knew of!
Gao Mingde spoke first. "My son is bringing his girlfriend back, I have to go back. I won't be away that long. I'll be back on the fourth."
"Sure, no problem." Gu Yu nodded.
"I, I need to go back home as well. I'll probably stay until the fifth." Guo Fei raised his hand.
After that, Li Dong and Zhang Qianqiu also informed them that they would go and so did the fruit growers. Some of the tea planters were from the south and did not have enough time to go back, so they simply stayed behind.
"You've all been working very hard for most of the past year. I'd like to express our gratitude. Those who stay behind, we will make an exception for the next few days: you can buy your own meat and fish. And, everyone will get their share of rice, liquor, tea, and fruit. But please remember, you cannot take any of those back home."
Wow!
That was unexpected! The crowd said their thanks happily.
After they left, Gu Yu asked, "So, what's you two's plan?"
"I have to remind my parents of something and Jin Jin is going back with me," said Xiaozhai.
"Huh?"
Xiaojin puckered up her face. She was estranged from her parents and that home meant nothing to her. She hadn't been intending to go back at all, but it was Her Majesty's decree, so she had to obey.
She darted around and her eyes caught Long Qiu, to whom she said casually, "Why, Qiu Qiu, you've been here forever. Don't you want to go visit your village?"
"I, I…"
Long Qiu was a little lost. The person closest to her back in the Miao Village was her master, and after that, her younger sister Long Tang, whom she would miss every now and then. As for the rest of her clansmen, she'd rather think they did not exist.
"I'll go some other day. I want to see my little sister." Scratching her head, she did not quite know what to do.
"Oh my! You have a little sister and so does she. I'm the only one without! You're mocking me!"
Xiaojin heckled on purpose, but got ignored.
Gu Yu said, "In that case, Xiao Qiu, you're coming back with me to Phoenix Fair. I've been away for so long; it's time that I show up again."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-62.png){kind=small}
Chapter 262: Chinese New Year's Eve (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
Chinese New Year's Eve, Shengtian.
Ever since Grandpa Jiang passed away, the two Jiang Brothers had never spent a Chinese New Year together. It was not that they held any grudges against one another, but a high-ranking government official and a wealthy businessman did not have much in common in terms of worldview or lifestyle. Forcing themselves into getting together would only turn into an awkward reunion.
This year turned out to be an exception. After learning Xiaozhai was coming home for the holiday, Father Jiang willingly sent out the invitation, asking his younger brother to spend the New Year's Eve together. Although Uncle Jiang found it rather strange, it wasn't some unpleasant event that he would turn down outright. He said yes.
Hence, the six people of the two families got together.
Right now, the two brothers were having a private conversation upstairs in the study with the door tightly shut, which was very odd. The two wives were making dumplings downstairs. Well, to be more precise, Mother Jiang was the one making dumplings, while Aunt Jiang was making rice cake.
Aunt Jiang's name was Yang Qing, a woman from the south of the Yangtze River, from a family of scholars. There was a gentleness of the South about her, sort of like the misty rain of the region. Her temperament was not as delicate as her appearance suggested, though. The fact that she was able to keep her throne as the queen of the family for the past two or three decades despite her husband's position and wealth was proof enough of her exceptional intelligence.
It was a little past eight o'clock in the evening and the annual Spring Festival Gala was the ongoing program. The two wives chatted as they watched the show.
"The gala is mainly for people of the North. It makes you think the entire country is eating dumplings on New Year's Eve. To be honestly, though, before I knew all my friends from the South, I used to think the same way."
"I don't watch it that often. The singing and dancing I might take a look at, but I could never get the cross talks and the short sketches, nor do I find them funny."
Yang Qing's voice was always gentle and soft. She kept her hands busy while talking to Mother Jiang. After taking out the cooked glutinous rice, which she had mashed and cooled beforehand, and putting together a filling made from sugar, sesame, prunes, raisins, etc., she brushed a thin layer of lard on a square plate, then put in a layer of the glutinous rice. A layer of the filling was then put on top of the rice, followed by another layer of rice. There were three layers of fillings in total.
The whole thing was then set into a pot and steamed. It was known as the "New Year's cake of eight treasures".
"Sigh, I think I only got to taste your delicious dishes once, when you two just got married. After that, we didn't get much chance to get together. Today is my lucky day." Mother Jiang sighed with emotion.
"Haha, we've all been busy. Spring Festival is a great time for us to catch up."
Yang Qing finished preparing the cake, then darted a look at the bedroom and whispered, " Sister-in-law 1 , Jin Jin has been with Xiaozhai after she graduated. I have no idea what she's been up to and she wouldn't tell me anything. Do you know anything about it?"
"Well, I don't know much, either. Actually, we know very little about what the youngsters are doing nowadays and there isn't much we can talk to them about." Mother Jiang paused a little and added, "As long as they are safe, I can't ask for more."
"You're so easily reassured."
Yang Qing smiled and did not press on.
***
Back in the bedroom, Xiaozhai and Xiaojin had occupied the entire bed, where they stretched out happily. The 177-cm and 175-cm bodies lay flat on the bed. At a glance, there was nothing but long legs 2 .
The younger one was playing a game while Xiaozhai was checking out that app.
In merely a couple of day's time, seven more species were added to the biological atlas. The Plant category still had the most entries—nineteen spread out across fifteen provinces. The Animal category had thirteen, collected from nine provinces.
The Meteorology remained empty and there was still only one entry under Geography, which was the Peach Blossom Miasma of Grass River Mouth.
She checked the plants first and saw nothing special. All entries were common mutations with improved medicinal value at most. She then turned to the animals and let out a little cry.
"Blackfin Yellow-tailed Eel: snake-shaped, 110 to 160 cm in length; can grow to as long as 2 m. The original species was the ricefield eel. The mutated fish has an additional fan-shaped dorsal fin and the tip of its tail is golden-colored and covered with barbs.
The skin is naked, scaleless, moist, and covered in abundant slime. It has an enlarged head and tiny teeth are found along its upper and lower jaws, as well as on the palatal bones. It has extremely strong bite force, enabling it to break the arm of an adult effortlessly. The fish is savage and aggressive. Approach with great caution.
Place spotted: aquaculture area along Yueyang—Junshan—Huarong region of east Dongting Lake; aquaculture area along Qili Lake—Muping Lake region of west Dongting Lake. The fish was found in great numbers and five people have been found bitten.
Its blood is toxic, it can irritate the mucous membranes of the mouth and digestive tract, as well as damage the nerve system, causing numbness to the limbs, respiratory failure, circulation collapse, and eventually death. However, the toxin is not heat-resistant, rendering the fish edible after being cooked in high temperature. It nourishes vitality and improves physical strength, as well as neutralizes certain toxins of the opposite attribute."
"Big-toed Thickshell Turtle: 80-130 cm in length, 50-90 cm in height standing up, has a flat oval torsal, covered by thick shells both on the back and the abdomen. The animal has an exceptional defensive ability, it can withstand bullets of various types.
The original form was the soft-shelled turtle. The mutated form has small eyes, newly developed teeth, and a thin and long neck. All four limbs have five toes, the inside three of which have sharp claws.
The animal is of a gluttonous nature, will engage in cannibalism when food is scarce, and even crawl ashore to hunt for human beings. The species has abandoned hibernation and is found in all aquaculture area in the Dongting Lake region. So far there was no casualty report."
"Hyriopsis cumingii: originated from Hyriopsis cumingii, which was widely cultivated in the Dongting Lake Region. The mutated species was not significantly altered. The main difference is the enlarged size and the darkened color. Its habits and characteristics remains unchanged.
The type of clam is endemic to our country and ideal for cultivating pearls. With every 80 to 120 of such clam, 500 g of core-less pearls can be produced. This clam is also capable of cultivating pearls with core, colored pearls, luminescent pearls, etc. Moreover, pearl implantation is operable on the species. By inserting a pearl-planting core into the pallium of a grown clam, pearls as big as 8 mm in diameter can be cultivated.
The flesh is edible. Pearl powder is known to release the internal heat, calm the mind, be anti-putrid, help with tissue regeneration, improve eyesight, relieve fever, etc. The outcome of cultivating the mutated clam has yet to be observed. Related experiment is still ongoing."
"Dongting Lake, Dongting Lake..." Xiaozhai muttered, a hint of resignation in her voice. "The aquatic creatures are joining the game. It'll be a handful."
Jin Jin heard her and moved closer to look at her phone. She cried out, "Wow, even ricefield eels are going spiritual now? Anyone go live-stream with one of THAT and I'll give her 100 million reward tokens 3 !"
"..."
Xiaozhai rolled her eyes and could not be bothered to comment. She only said, "All three were found in Dongting Lake. The underwater environment is a different story from the dry land. I hope nothing catastrophic will happen."
She was right to get concerned, for Dongting Lake had so much more potential than Flaming Mountain.
The lake was a descendent of the Great Lake of Yunmeng 4 of the ancient times. According to "Annals of Hanyang", "Cloud lies to the north of the river and dream to the south." The area in between was known as "Yunmeng".
In its heyday, the great lake was as vast as 40,000 km^2. The ancient Yunmeng reached as far as Qi Zhou on the east, Zhi River on the west, Jing Mountain on the north, and Qingcao on the south.
The sediment deposition in the later years gradually divided Yunmeng Lake into two parts. The part to the north of the Yangtze River became a swamp and a vast lake remained in the part to the south of the Yangtze River—Dongting Lake.
If the lake mutated and brought back Yunmeng… Tsk, tsk, we wouldn't want to go there!
"Xiaozhai, Xiaojin, dinner's ready!"
"Yeah, coming!"
The two stayed in bed for another while before they were summoned. They then left the bed and went out.
Father Jiang and Uncle Jiang happened to walk out at that same moment. Uncle Jiang did not give the two girls any unusual look, which meant he probably did not know what was really going on yet, but they could detect a gloominess there; it was likely that Father Jiang had told him something.
Uncle Jiang drank a lot during the dinner and went dizzy in no time. Yang Qing then helped him into the guest room.
Mother Jiang cleaned the table and Xiaojin played the good girl, running around helping her aunt. Father Jiang, on the other hand, looked embarrassedly at his daughter and asked in an awkward tone, "Shall we talk?"
"Yeah." Xiaozhai nodded.
Thus, the father and daughter went into the study.
For a while there, the atmosphere was very odd. Both were very polite—so polite that they did not seem like family.
"..."
After a very long silence, Xiaozhai finally spoke. Despite having prepared himself for this moment, Father Jiang was still shocked by what she said.
"Dad, is it possible for you and mum to quit your jobs?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-63.png){kind=small}
Chapter 263: Chinese New Year’s Eve (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
Since his last promotion, Father Jiang had become one of the most highly ranking officials in Shengtian, rendering him one of the moguls. Correspondingly, his clearance level was raised, giving him access to certain top-secret inside information.
Hence, he was well aware of many of the events in recent years. The question of his daughter did not upset him to the least. Instead, he only asked in return, "Is the situation that bad already?"
"The situation you perceived is probably different from that of mine. I'd like to hear your version," said Xiaozhai.
"Sure. I guess it's time for us to talk about it." Father Jiang arranged his thoughts and said, "As far as I know, ten mu of spiritual farmland has been put into use in Tianzhu Mountain, which was its maximum capacity. With an average yield per mu of 108 kg and two seasons of rice yearly, the annual yield is over 2000 kg in total. The reserve of the spiritual stone is 25.4 thousand tons, of which 800 thousand kg has been burnished and shaped, which was made into 3.2 million pieces in total, each weighing 250 g. These spiritual stones are stored in Tianzhu Mountain and the capital city. Because they are still too few in numbers, the government is not going to make the stones into a currency yet. Decisions have just arrived, though. The bosses are going to give them out to certain groups as incentive rewards."
"You mean, people like Lu Yuanqing?" asked Xiaozhai.
"No, the entire Taoist system is included. Now that they have finished 'cleansing' the temples and palaces, there are 22890 remaining registered Taoist priests. The next step is the extensive recruitment of pupils on a large scale. Anyone who is talented and performs exceptionally will have a chance to be rewarded with the spiritual stones."
Father Jiang rested a little before continuing, "The Taoist community is not the only group involved. It affects the political and business circles greatly as well. The conservative parties are still on the fence, but the more resolute ones have made up their minds and sent their next generations off to Taoist temples. The state is having a 'don't ask, don't tell' stand on that."
"..."
Xiaozhai fell silent at that. The authorities' monopolization and planning of the resources had surpassed her expectation.
The number of cultivators now was still too few to make an impact on the demand of resources. As the number grew, however, the implication would reveal itself.
The government did not have to control every single individual. All it needed was to gain monopoly on resources supply, which in turn would enable it to take control of the cultivation community. The spiritual stones, for example, meant nothing even if some individual happened to find a mineral vein. Technology and capital aside, how could one make sure they would not get busted by the authorities for unauthorized exploitation?
Plus, there was that reward mechanism. At least at this early stage, cultivators had no choice but be the lambs and go wherever the scepter pointed.
As for the recruitment of disciples, it was an even more remarkable move, for a cultivator raised from the commoners was no match in their influence comparing to one from the dignitaries. The two would differ in every aspect in their foundations, connections, resources supplies...
A dignitary turned cultivator remained a member of the dignitaries. Once succeessful, they would return the favor their families had given them and promote their own kinsmen. Because of their vested interest, it was only natural that they would support a stable social strata, as opposed to naively fancying "everybody living like kings".
Rich and powerful families remained rich and powerful regardless of the era because of two factors: the most efficient information channel and the simplest way to gain benefits.
The latter was especially important. For as long as anyone cared to remember, the bosses always got the meat and the underlings ate the soup. As for the rest of the population, they were left to the hand of fate.
What Father Jiang said next proved that point further.
"52 mu of spiritual farmland had been put into use so far in Emei and the annual yield of the two harvests will reach 15 thousand kg in total. The amount of the spiritual rice an ordinary person can intake is almost negligible that this amount would be enough to cover the middle- and upper-classes with plenty surplus. The authorities are going to use the spiritual rice as rewards as well. Moreover, the research base is experimenting on a diversified agricultural structure, trying to develop more products."
"What is your quota?" Xiaozhai asked.
"Well, 10 kg per season," answered Father Jiang somewhat awkwardly.
"Ok, thanks for telling me all that. Is there any plan on moving against Shamanism?" she then asked.
"Nothing that I know of. I don't have that much access to the information yet," replied Father Jiang.
"..."
She nodded. "Then let me tell you the situation as I see it. The recovery of the spiritual essence has reached a stage that almost the entire country is covered. Abnormalities are breaking out frequently, they are mostly found in uninhabited areas, followed by residential areas in villages and towns, and the least around cities. We cannot say for sure about the harmfulness or harmlessness of the mutated creatures—let's say it's a fifty-fifty. The future population will be centered around large and mega cities and the medium and small cities became nodes, which the transportation network will be constructed around. As for the wildlands and small towns and villages, they will probably all become restricted areas. Especially geographical abnormalities like Huo Zhou, such areas could be completely deserted for hundreds of kilometers on end.
This is not going to be a slowly developing phenomenon, but will take place in a few years from now. In that case, all the dignitaries will amass to the central cities. I don't think you'll need me to draw you the picture then. I don't want you, as an administrator, to be trapped in a political environment like that."
"But…"
Father Jiang was about to speak when his daughter interrupted him, "Of course, Shamanism is the main reason behind my suggestion. The Northeast is one of their parishes and the level of infiltration into the government here is far more severe than anywhere else in the country. Shengtian must be crawling with their men. The grudge between us and them has reached a point that I cannot guarantee that they won't harm you and mum, or even Xiaojin's parents."
His daughter could not have made it more explicit: quit your job, come with me to Phoenix Mountain where you can drink tea, fish, and live to a hundred years old—can life be more satisfying than that?
"..."
Father Jiang also fell silent for a while before he spoke again, "Xiaozhai, has it ever occurred to you why was I given this position?"
Before she could answer, he said, "While I am your father, to those above, that makes no difference—the distribution of the spiritual rice and information accessibility included. It goes without saying that they know we will talk to each other. Then why aren't they keeping things from me? I can only come to the conclusion that regardless of the confrontation in Songjiang River, in general, those above still mean well. Put it another way: I am the benchmark. As long as I'm still in my post, you're not the real enemy. Accordingly, I am secretly protected by those above.
I admit that Shamanism poses a threat, but I… well, I have come this far from the village boy I used to be. Laugh at me all you want, but I will not be reconciled to retire like this. I, too, want to achieve something, be it as a government official or as your father."
Sigh!
At that speech, Xiaozhai heaved a silent sigh and gave up the persuasion.
"We'll have it your way, then! I don't have any protective instrument ready now, but I will come back with some in a few days. Be sure to wear them all the time. And, if you find anything out of the place, let me know right away!"
"Haha, sure. We know what we're doing."
Father Jiang was surprised by this. The girl had been very independent since she was little and there had always been this veil between them. Now that she was showing concern over their well-being, he found that comforting. After all, she was their daughter.
***
Phoenix Fair, the Fang Family.
"Cheers!" the five people sitting around a round table—that was, Uncle Fang, Aunt Fang, Fang Qing, Gu Yu, and Long Qiu—laughed.
"Clink!"
The cups touched and bottoms were up.
Long Qiu did not handle alcohol well. But it was New Year's Eve and she was happy, so she drained her cup like everybody else. She liked it here: the tiny rooms, the heated kang, the familiar northeastern accent coming out of the TV, the crackling firecrackers outside, and the kids running around outside with sparklers in hand—the air was filled with happy noises.
That was how Spring Festival should be!
"Xiao Yu, you're so busy now. It's been a year since you last came back."
Uncle Fang was apparently very happy and had been drinking a lot. Thick-tongued, he said, "You have no idea what those bastards are saying about you… they all said you had become rich and forgotten about your folks. I told them 'shut your goddamn mouths! The boy made his living all by himself and he's not eating off your table or asking you for money.' Shame on them."
"I have eaten off your table, so here I am. I'll never forget you." Gu Yu chuckled.
"You don't say! We're more than family! But even if you're not successful, I'm still your uncle and she your aunt!"
With the help of the liquor in his stomach, he began his piffling. "The money you sent, we've saved it all. It'll pay for Qing Qing's university tuition. That jar of liquor you sent, oh my, you can only drink so much… You're a good lad, by all means. There's just one thing: don't you think it's time for you to settle down? No more fooling around. Find the one. That last girl you brought back was very nice, how come you're with another already… why, Xiao Qiu, I'm not saying you're not nice…"
"Slap!"
Aunt Fang raised her palm and smacked the back of his head, while scolding, "Enough bullshitting already! Go away! Leave us! Go back to your room and sleep it off!"
She then turned to Long Qiu apologetically, "That's just the way he is. Don't take him seriously."
Long Qiu waved her hand denyingly and explained, "That's ok. Really, I'm his sister, not his girlfriend."
"Yeah, my brother is old-school like that. I understand."
Fang Qing had stuffed herself full and threw out a sarcastic remark while playing with her tablet.
Gu Yu had given up trying already. Nobody in the right mind would buy that—he had brought back a girl on New Year's Eve! He didn't have much of a choice, though. It was not like he could leave Xiao Qiu behind in the mountain all alone.
As the saying went, one man became immortal and even his chickens and dogs were raised to heaven. Families and close neighbors would only do better than that.
He had been helping out the Fang Family over the past years and had made his observations. The old couple aside, Fang Qing alone was a girl of little talent. Basically, her hope of ever touching the cultivation world was next to nothing.
Therefore, all he could do was to keep the family safe and happy.
Gu Yu and Xiao Qiu bid their farewell around ten o'clock and returned to Gu Yu's Old home. Everything was the same: the furniture, the TV, the stove, the utensils… They all remained exactly where they were.
Gu Yu looked around for a bit and asked, "Shall we go back to Phoenix Mountain or stay here?"
"Wherever you say." Long Qiu was as good-tempered as ever.
"We'll stay the night, then. Tomorrow morning, we'll say goodbye to Uncle Fang and leave. Oh, you can sleep here. I'll go to the other room."
With that, he went to the west room, where the work desk still stood, along with a few bottles and pots.
He sat down on a praying mat and was about to start practicing the essence-consuming method when his phone rang. Taking it out, he saw that it was a message from Xiaozhai with the data on the three mutated aquatic species and a question. "Is it possible to refine this turtle shell into a defensive instrument?"
Gu Yu did not have time to read the app. He read the data in the message carefully and called her back. "Theoretically, yes. Are you going to catch a few?"
"Why bother? The app has announced an update after the holiday. The forum is opening up for communication."
"Already? So are you going to look for a seller?" He was amazed.
"Of course! Do you think anyone would accept an exchange with a signed photo of yours?"
'Pfffft!'
Gu Yu rolled his eyes on that. "Let's just stick with price negotiable in person. No, it won't do. Meeting in person will not be as attractive an offer, for we're only known by internet names so far. They don't have a clear idea of the value of cultivation objects at the moment. We're just going to buy with money."
"Sure. In that case, I'll put up an inquiry for some Red Feather Vultures as well. Their feathers are worth a bit."
He hung up after a brief conversation, then closed his eyes and started cultivating. Xiaozhai apparently was not worried about them at all. She never even mentioned Long Qiu.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-64.png){kind=small}
Chapter 264: A Purchase Request
Source: Qidian International
After the holiday, Halfway Pavilion.
The pavilion was built with the purpose of receiving VIPs at the first place from the beginning. The two wooden houses straddled across the creek, joined together by a bamboo bridge, giving it a traditional and graceful look. Guests could take a break there while resting and getting fed.
Phoenix Mountain was now differentiating among its buildings. The importance of the guests entertained in Halfway Pavilion definitely surpassed those received in the manor down the mountain. Of course, this was the first time the pavilion was put into use since its completion.
"Whiiiiiiieeee!"
The steam rose and a slender hand reached out, removing the kettle from a red-clay stove. Two cups of tea were then made. As the boiling water poured into the cups, the bright green tea leaves twirled, releasing an exotic fragrance into the air.
"Very nice tea!"
Wang Qi took a deep breath, let the tea cool down a bit, and drained the cup in one gulp. Instantly, a heat wave filled his stomach as if the accumulated internal coldness over the years had been dispelled all together. The next moment, he felt his bones were rinsed clean and even his hair was sighing with comfort.
"Our tea plantation in Emei is still under planning. It seems you've beaten us to it."
Looking out of the window, he took in the distant mountain and its rows upon rows of trees and smiled a purposeful smile. "It is indeed as the old saying goes: the first in one, the first in everything."
"We were lucky, that's all. With a remarkable environment like this, it's only natural that we should make a matching effort." Gu Yu finished his cup and went on, "We've been expecting you. It was very considerate of you to let me have my Spring Festival holiday first."
"It's not like it's anything urgent. Plus, after a hell of a busy year, I needed a break as well."
Wang Qi was as easy-going as always. There was some more small talk before he suddenly cut to the chase. "That Guan Pan was indeed a mole of Shamanism. We swept the area around Songjiang River after you left, but unfortunately, the search came back empty. Those people are very good at hiding. I think you've scared them.
Sigh, it was the result of our negligence! The government has cleaned up the cults once around the time when the modern state was established and eliminated most of them. Who could have thought a thousand-year-old primitive worship would grow into a gigantic, compact modern organization like this?"
"I did not expect that, either," replied Gu Yu.
Wang Qi then shifted the topic. "However, be it as it may that death alone would not have been a sufficient punishment for him, he was a government official after all. Even if he were to be tried, there are legal proceedings that we need to follow. But you just snapped the guy's head off in broad daylight and right at the entrance of the compound. We will need to address that."
"Address?" Gu Yu shook his head. "We've had several conversations so far and there's no need to beat around the bush. Just say what you're here to say."
"In that case, I have some questions to ask." Wang Qi straightened up and stared into his eyes. "I'm puzzled by a few things. First of all, exactly what is the Taoist skill you're practicing?"
The question had come up once before in a casual way during their negotiation in Urumqi. His tone was in stark contrast with that one this time and his face was kept very serious. Gu Yu considered it for a moment and gave the same answer, "Like I told you last time, I'm not at liberty to reveal that. Order from my master."
"Humph! We've learning everything about your entire family from your grandfather down. Since when did you have a master?"
"Haha, that's why I said I was lucky." Gu Yu paused a little and decided to give the man a hint. "More capable men have lived and died in this ancient land during the past several thousand of years. Even the spiritual essence got to recover, how do you know there wasn't any remaining legacy of the past sages?"
"..."
Wang Qi got the hint right away; he even knew the answers to the following questions he was about to ask. As it turned out, the answers had been lying in the government's blind spot this entire time. Well, it was not really a blind spot. They were only considering things at a different strategic level, making them more likely to overlook certain basic factors.
To the state as a whole, the priority lay in monopolizing the resources, maintaining stability, and keeping the development in order. Had it not been for this confrontation, they would never begin to pay attention to cultivators' individual attributes and the various basic rules of the cultivation world.
With the hint, Wang Qi sorted the idea out in his head and everything was crystal clear. But that was about as far as he could get. It was not like he could force the answer out of Gu Yu.
"Gosh, Xiao Gu. You really have, well, set us up good!"
"It was nothing like that. All Xiaozhai and I did from the beginning until now was merely for self-preservation." Gu Yu poured another round of water into the tea and gestured. "After you!"
"Glug!"
Wang Qi downed the tea all at once and seemed to have lost the interest in talking. "We will be carrying out some major operation this year and there might be some upheaval. We're happy with where Phoenix Mountain stands so far and hopefully that's how you will remain. That's it. Time for me to go. We'll talk some other time."
With that, he put on his coat and walked to the door, where he appeared to have remembered something and turned around. "By the way, other countries aren't looking very safe and sound, either. If there came a day… well, don't let us down."
***
Yueyang, the town of Helong 1 Lake.
The town stood on the southern shore of Dongting Lake and got its name from a big lake under its jurisdiction. Helong Lake was part of the Dongting water system and had an area of over 10000 mu 2 . The lake abounded in aquatic products such as hairy crabs, mandarin fish, catfish, etc., which had established the town's fame. Adding to that was the development of a tourism industry, which together made the town pretty well-off.
The Dai Family had one of the largest fish-breeding businesses in the town. Their main products were fish, crabs, and soft-shelled turtles. The only son of the family was Dai Han, who had just graduated from a university.
The guy was on the short side, fair-skinned, and chubby. Squinting up his little eyes, he had a perfect resemblance to a big white steamed bun, tempting just about everyone to squeeze those cheeks. He had managed to find a job, but quitted it two months in. Since then, he had been staying at home and ate happily off the family's table.
His parents couldn't care less. With the scale of their family business, their son could be as idle as he wanted.
Spring Festival used to be the busiest season for the Dai Family, for freshwater products were to be provided in large quantities at this time of the year. This year, however, the situation was frustrating beyond description.
Soft-shelled turtles should hibernate in the winter, but they simply decided to stop doing that this year and instead grew very active—so much so that they had broken into other aquaculture areas, almost wiping out the fish and crabs there. That was not the worst yet. One night, they even crawled out ashore to look for food. Luckily, they were discovered in time not to cause any damage.
The folks panicked at this and everyone was talking.
Dai Han knew better—he was your typical delusional adolescent type of guy. After downloading the app at a friend's recommendation, he uploaded the turtle's information right away. That same day, some men arrived from the city to verify the information, which was approved the following day; he became an honorable member of the 10-point club.
After looking into the problem, those people offered two solutions.
The turtles were gluttons. Hence, they would have to purchase a great amount of fries to feed them while, in the meantime, set up wired fences around the pond to keep everyone safe. The other option was to have the government buy it off. The authorities were offering a reasonable price to purchase their entire cultivation area.
It was a very big decision, which his parents could not make up their mind about. They were now spending their entire days sulking.
It did not bother Dai Han the least. Right now, he was lying down in his bedroom and waiting with his phone in hand—today was the day of the first update of "New Classics of Mountains and Rivers".
Voices came from the yard downstairs, where his parents and relatives were discussing, which annoyed him. He then put on his earphones.
It seemed forever before a reminder popped onto the screen: new version of "New Classics of Mountains and Rivers" available, update now?
Yes!
Why would they even bother to ask?
The update was not a massive one and was installed in no time. He eagerly tapped open the app, realizing that configuration of images were much higher, making the pages much more pleasant visually. A couple of new functions had been added, such as instant inquiry service, communication forum, adding friends, pm, etc.
Thirty years after the internet was invented, such functions were ancient by now. However, it excited him a little, seeing them in this app.
Dai Han tapped into the forum and was welcomed by a reminder: you have not reached the 30-point minimum and cannot put up new posts or reply the existing ones, but you are qualified to add friends and send pm.
What the hell!
That was undisguised discrimination! Fighting back his urge to spit out some sarcastic remarks, he went on checking out the forum. The page resembled that of a bbs, which was now completely blank. No one had posted anything yet.
On the top of the page was the number of the users: 3764 members, 3520 online.
Dai Han refreshed the page repeatedly. About three minutes passed when the first post showed up, which said, "Damn it, enough with the waiting! Am I really the first?"
He tapped into it and saw others had replied right away.
"I'll give it to you, bro! I got all jittery and could not bring myself to write one!"
"Fireworks! Congratulations on being the first!"
"Oh my god, this is my first time replying here and I'm so nervous! How do I pretend I'm doing this all the time?"
That was about it. It seemed there were only a handful of 30-point bosses out there.
The users took the app quite seriously. Despite their internet-style conversation, no one actually made fun of anything substantial and everyone seemed very cautious.
Dai Han watched all this, wanting to join in more than anything else. Unfortunately, he couldn't.
"Innocent rookie here. Anyone cares to explain what is going on with the country now?"
"Can it be more obvious? The world is getting an upgrade."
"How do you know we're not getting an apocalypse?"
"I'm with the upstairs. Haven't you read any doomsday fictions? They all began with mutated creatures."
"I say it's more like the superpower-themed fictions. You get creatures from a higher dimension dropping down their insane technology, helping us earthlings to upgrade our civilisation. It won't be long before I can make fireballs with my bare hands."
"I say it's neither of those. This government-issued app is evidence enough of their intention—they're wavering between going public and sounding out our reactions. Obviously they don't know everything yet. Maybe it's a mixture of good news and bad news and they have to educate the people bit by bit."
Someone was able to think straight. This reply was the mostly agreed with one.
Dai Han refreshed a couple of more times and his pupils contracted: there was a new post.
"Good money in return for big-toed thickshell turtles. Reward available without fail for any provider—discoverer and onlookers alike. Living turtles preferably, but will make do with dead ones provided that the shell is intact. Contact via pm.
Poster: Green River Water."
"Boom!'
The forum erupted.
"Wow! Finally! A big shot!"
"Boss please take my imaginary soft-shelled turtle!"
"Boss please take my imaginary female character costume!"
"Boss please take my imaginary soft-shelled turtle in female character costume!"
Dai Han felt his heart thumping. The curiosity, the unknown, the thrill… a thousand emotions rolled into a bundle and finally turned into an excitement he had never experienced before.
He sent the pm right away. "Hello, you want the big-toed thickshell turtle?"
The reply was instant and straightforward. "Pavilion of Gems, No. 27 Hushitai District, Shengtian. 20000 yuan a turtle. No delivery service accepted."
"..."
Dai Han hesitated a little at this and only replied after a while. "When are you available?"
"Every day."
"I'll let you know before I arrive."
After sending out that last message, he rolled off his bed and under the surprised stares of his parents, dashed out of the yard with a speed not proportional to his weight.
He ran all the way to the feeding quarter, where he picked up two sturdy cages. He then wrapped some pig liver and bean paste soaked with chicken blood in some gauze, and hung the bundles in the cages.
"Plop!"
"Plop!"
He tossed the cages into the water and waited. A couple of minutes later, one of the cages suddenly sank.
"Here we go!"
Dai Han grabbed the rope; muscles bulged into round meatballs on his plump arms as he pulled with all his strength. Although he had seen the creature before, the look of it still made him jump. Inside the cage was none other than a big-toed thickshell turtle!
As gigantic as this one was, it was actually one of the smaller ones. The turtle was about 80 cm long and lay flat on its belly staring at the food in the front, ignoring everything else around it.
The triangular head, which was bigger than a grown man's fist, charged out and the bundle of food was swallowed whole, the gauze included.
It had the tiniest eyes and big nostrils. Odd patterns covered its head, which twisted with its chewing motion, reminding one of thick wriggling snakes.
"Huff… huff…"
The moment of hot-headedness had passed and fear was gradually taking over Dai Han's head. Men were easily frightened by unknown beings, even when they were capable of killing the latter.
He had nerves strong enough and walked slowly towards it holding a pair of shears.
Of course he was not doing it for the money. He just wanted to see the place.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-65.png){kind=small}
Chapter 265: A Strange Little Shop
Source: Qidian International
Shengtian, Hushitai.
Hushitai was the pronunciation of Mongolian words meaning "a place flourishing with reeds". The area used to be a stud-farm in the Qing Dynasty and was set up as a town after the modern state was established. It was now an economic development zone.
There was plenty of land and a population disproportionate to the size of the town. Residential areas and business quarters gathered up here and there in lumps, leaving out vacant factory buildings and idle farmlands for miles on end.
"Clank! Clank!"
The shutter door rolled up and a yawning Yan Han walked out. He looked this way and that at the door and shuddered at a chilly gust of wind. Here began another boring, uneventful day.
He strolled into the shop and beckoned at a young man to join him for breakfast. That was his cousin, Yan Yan, whom he had hired as an assistant. The young man had no special skills other than being an excellent driver. Oh, and he was also very good at keeping secrets.
The two finished their breakfast, then Yan Yan went upstairs to mind his own business, leaving Yan Han sitting alone in the shop, playing a computer game in utter boredom.
It had been over two weeks since he opened up this shop as told and sold nothing so far. It wasn't his fault. The two-story shop came with a backyard and he had even prepared a pick-up truck. Everything necessary to keep a business running was there, only that he had nothing to sell.
God would weep on his misery! If only someone out there had heard his sad story: sitting behind that desk like a proper shop owner with the squeaky clean floor tiles and shelves and welcoming one batch of customers after another, but ending up getting stared at!
Fortunately, some guy named Shui Yao finally delivered their first batch of goods last night. It wasn't much—only about 1/30 of the shelf was filled—but it was better than nothing.
"Yawn…"
"Creak!"
Yan Han yawned again, which did not go as well as the first one. He squeezed in his belly and accentuated the ending sound, but was interrupted by the noise of the opening door and his sound ended up resembling the snoring of a pig.
He eyed the incoming customers unhappily, which turned out to be a young couple. The yellow-haired guy was wrapped up in a leather jacket and the girl had a short cotton-padded jacket on. Both wore leggings on the bottom.
Hushitai was swarmed with vocational schools, which were without a doubt where these two had come from.
The couple looked around casually, both finding the place rather odd. The girl asked, "Is this some sort of shop? Is it even open for business yet?"
"Dunno. Hey, man, what do you sell here?" shouted the boy.
"..."
Yan Han pointed to the sidewalls, not bothering to reply. These hillbillies who did not even know about the app! They were not worth talking to!
The couple followed his finger and saw a few objects displayed neatly on a shelf: three boxes of incense sticks, three boxes of incense pellets, and a small jar of tea.
That's it?
That's it!
"What sort of shop is this?" The boy was amazed.
The girl knew a little bit better than him; she took up the pellets and sniffed, then asked excitedly, "Hey, how much is this?"
" Ten thousand yuan a box 1 ."
"Pfffft!"
Both choked on their spit. "How much?"
"Ten thousand a box!"
"What about the tea?" The boy burst into an irritated laughter.
"A hundred thousand per 50 g."
"F**k, what do you think you're selling? Da Hong Pao?" The boy laughed with his irritated laughter again.
Tea was something that had a price ranging from next to nothing to, well, as high as a seller wanted to label it. The Superior Royal Eighteen Pre-Qingming Longjing Tea 2 was sold at a market price of 4000 yuan per 50 g, the unwrapped red-stamp raw Pu'er had a price tag of over 80000 yuan per 312 g, not to mention the hundred-year-old disc-shaped Pu'er manufactured by Qianlizhen Songpin Firm, which was worth a million yuan per disc.
However, even an idiot would find it ridiculous to sell a tea at such a price in a place like this.
"Aiya, stop fooling around with us, man. I really like it. A hundred yuan and I'm taking it, okay?" The girl would not give up.
"That's the price I'm selling and no less. Or you can exchange it with other stuff, but of course, the value will be decided by us," explained Yan Han despite his growing impatience.
"You're out of you f**king mind!"
"Forget about it. Let's go."
The boy was about to play the tough guy when the girl dragged him out of the door. Once outside, he felt he had been utterly humiliated. Darting his eyes around, an idea suddenly came to him. "Hoho, I don't have to do it myself. I'll just file a complaint. With that price, he will be taken down in no time."
With that, he dialed the number of the Administration of Industry and Commerce. "Hello? Oh, hi, I'd like to report on a shop… yes, they're selling this tea at 100,000 yuan per 50 g. It must be a scam, so I thought I should let you know… oh, the address is No. 27 Hushitai and the name is Pavilion… hey, watch your language, I…"
They hung up on him.
"I will not have this!"
The boy got all hot-headed and made another series of calls: the pricing bureau, the consumer's association, the TV station, the press… he was turned down by every single one of them.
Holy sh*t! Even someone as slow as these two had realized something by that point. The couple glanced at the small shop again, somehow finding fear creeping up inside them. They left quietly right after that.
"Sigh! Rookies!"
Inside, Yan Han's game character had just been killed in a combat thanks to his unreliable game comrades. He heaved a frustrated sigh.
***
"God damn it! Where the hell is this place?"
Along a wide road, Dai Han was driving back and forth in his parents' SUV, but simply could not find the place.
Never jump too quickly to the conclusion that fat otaku lacked the will of execution. They could be quite persistent once they set their mind on something. After taking out a big-toed thickshell turtle, he told his parents he was going to visit a university classmate in the Northeast by driving himself there.
His dear old parents couldn't care less about his travel plan—anything was better than lying around at home and growing fatter. Hence, Dai Han drove himself all the way to Shengtian, feeling like a rock star—in his delusional adolescent sort of way.
"You imbecile!"
After cursing at himself again, he finally pulled over, fumbled out his phone, opened the app, and send a pm: where on earth is that shop of yours?
"Where are you now?" He got a reply.
"To the south of Jianshe Road. I can see a vocational school."
"Follow the road to the end, turn left, then right, and you'll see it in about three to five hundred meters."
"Great!"
Dai Han put away the phone and drove on. Neither side left the other one their phone number, nor did they exchange any name or identity. Both chose to play it safe.
It did not take him long to find the place. It baffled him a little—the shabby alley was barely populated. Of all the dilapidated-looking bungalows, the shop was the tallest one… that was, if the wire pole was excluded.
He got off the SUV suspiciously, pushed the door open, and made his way in. He found quite a few empty storage racks inside and a man sitting behind a desk, typing noisily.
"Hello, are you the owner?"
"Hi! Hello!" Yan Han rose to his feet in a hurry and shook his hand. "Are you the delivery man, or…"
"I have brought it here myself."
"Oh, thanks for taking the trouble. Where is it?" He cut to the chase.
"In my SUV. I'll show you."
The two walked out to the side of the street and Dai Han opened up the trunk, revealing a big black bag. Despite the multiple layers of wrapping, an intense stench was still coming out of it.
It was extremely heavy. The two men had to work together with much difficulty to carry it into the courtyard.
Yan Han put on some gloves in an affected manner and ripped the bag open. What he saw made him jump. A giant dead soft-shell turtle lay inside; its head seemed to have been cut off—it was the size of a fist and stuffed into the belly like a meatball.
"Retch…"
He was nauseated, but managed to fight it back. After a thorough examination, he decided that despite the loss of blood—which was a lot—the flesh was all there, especially the back shell, which was perfectly intact.
It looked identical to the illustration and should be the genuine thing.
Just to be on the safe side, he took out a sharp instrument which resembled an awl from his chest pocket. The sharp tip glinted coldly with a greenish color.
"Dang!"
He jabbed it ferociously at the shell, which remained undented—the impact only left a white dot.
"That'll do. I'll take this, then. Let's talk inside."
The two returned inside right away and only then did Yan Han offered him a glass of water. "The animal is dead, but the back shell is intact. So, as we agreed before, 20,000 yuan a piece. Shall I transfer the money or do you prefer cash payment?"
"Well, do you sell anything here?" Dai Han looked around the shop.
"We do, but there isn't much."
"Do you mind if I take a look first?"
"Be my guest."
Dai Han then rose to his feet and walked to the racks. He knew nothing about what he saw and asked, "What does this incense do and how much is it?"
"It improves health and balances the mind. Burning it regularly would also cure unmentionable or chronic diseases. Ten thousand yuan a box."
Cure? That was a bold claim!
He blinked. "What about this tea?"
"Works pretty much the same way as the incense, but is more potent. 100,000 yuan per 50 g and each customer is limited to 150 g," replied Yan Han.
"..."
Dai Han frowned. The price did not concern him in the least; he was simply curious. After some pondering, he asked, "In that case, can I exchange the turtle for a box of incense? And I'd like to take 50 g of that tea."
"No problem!"
Yan Han was surprised—this guy turned out to be a bloody rich kid. He carefully took down a box of incense stick, then, even more carefully, brought down the jar of tea. With the help of an electronic balance, he weighed 50 g—almost staring his eyeballs out during the process—for Dai Han.
"Remember, do not take more than 5 g each time. Reduce the intake if 5 g still feels too much for you. One brewing should be more than enough to get you through the day. Wait a couple of days before your next drink."
"Um, sure."
The solemn look on Yan Han's face got Dai Han serious as well. He then transferred 90,000 yuan via his phone to the former, said his goodbye, and left.
***
Night, the Marriott.
Dai Han walked out of the bathroom naked, the roll of fat armoring his body jiggling with his movement. He was telling the truth when he said he had a university classmate in Shengtian, whom he went to meet after leaving Hushitai. They ate, sang the karaoke, got the massage—the whole shebang—and he returned to his hotel exhausted.
He put on his underpants, sat down on a chair, and lit a cigarette. Regret swept over him as he smoked.
Sigh, that god damn spree of a moment! What was he thinking traveling half the country out here? And he had paid 100,000 yuan for 50 g of tea! 100,000 yuan! 50 g! That was a rip-off worse than outright blackmail!
It couldn't be helped, for that was how human beings behaved. It was like shopping in tourist destinations: the regret only arrived after you returned home, and the more you thought about it, the worse you felt.
"Ha…"
Dai Han ground the cigarette butt and checked the time. It was past midnight.
Should he go to bed? Like he was going to get any sleep now… damn it, he had paid for it and he might as well taste it! He boiled some water swiftly and opened up the package of tea, pinching out a tiny bit. 5 g… how many grams was one liang equal to again 3 ? 30 g?
He paused a little, tossed the tea leaves, which was obviously more than 5 g, into a cup, and poured in the boiled water.
"Splash!"
As the water was added in, a dense white mist suddenly rose out of the cup, which made Dai Han jump. He then sniffed. Why, that smelled so nice!
Looking down, he saw the smooth bright-green tea leaves floating around in the cup as if they had lives of their own. There was a peculiar yet refreshing beauty about them.
"This…"
His expectation was raised. Taking up the cup, he blew at the hot water and took a tiny sip. He smacked his lips and did not find the taste anything special. He took another sip and then, boom!
Two torrents of warm flow washed over him. Instantly, he was short of breath with flushed cheeks. Sweat broke out like flowing rivers and his entire body was soaked.
It was the most uncomfortable feeling, but he could not move even a muscle. All he could do was collapse in the chair, barely conscious. He did not know how much time had passed when his head was clear again and his vision returned.
"..."
Dai Han sat there dazed. Little did he know that it was thanks to his extra-large meridians that he was able to withstand the impact. He grabbed the arm of the chair and shot up. "Squelch!"
There came a strange noise, as if something was being pulled out of a mud pool. He turned back to look. What the hell! The entire chair had changed color, it was now wet and yellow from all the sweat.
"What the f**k is this thing?"
Frightened, he took up the package of tea and was about to throw it away, but halted.
What?
He turned his head this way and that and stretched out his limbs. He felt, well, lighter. The fatigue from earlier was also completely gone.
"..."
Dai Han had a quick mind. His first reaction was to put the tea safely away, and then to grab for his phone.
"Hello, Dad! Don't sell that turtle pond! Not for all the money in the world… aiya, just trust me on this. I'm your own son! Why would I lie to you? Oh, and transfer another 200,000 to me. I can't explain this over the phone. I'll tell you more after I go back!"
***
The city of Mt. Emei, pharmaceutical factory.
The economy of the city mainly depended on tourism and the service industry, while the rest of the industries were rather underdeveloped. There used to be a small pharmaceutical factory, which was barely operating and was on the verge of closing down. Last year, however, one of the top three state-owned companies of the industry suddenly extended its majestic hand and bought the factory in whole.
Hence, Emei Pharmaceutical was fresh out of the oven.
Right now, the senior management team and the research personnel were accompanying a very, very big boss on an inspection of the factory, playing the tour guides. "We are using various herbs as raw materials to manufacture patent medicine of different forms, of which we have accumulated over a thousand years worth of experience in both the theory and clinical practice. We are able to manufacture over forty forms and dosages of medicines including pills, powders, pellets, liquors, films, etc. It is highly unlikely that any of those would turn out problematic."
A researcher led the boss closer and pointed at a plant in the cultivation room. "Please take a look at this plant. It is known as Chinese Angelica and as a drug, its major function is to treat common cold, headache, and rhinitis, among other diseases. It can also be used as a spice. There used to be a patent medicine called 'wind-cold granules', which had Chinese Angelica as the main ingredient. The common cold affected patients differently from one individual to the next. Even treated with the same medicine, some might be cured in two days, while it might take others a week to recover. But, with the potency of the mutated Chinese Angelica, I can promise that once the patent medicine is developed…"
He paused suddenly. When he spoke again, there was an unmatched confidence in his voice. "Anyone who caught a cold, as long as it is not a bad cold and there is no high fever, will achieve a full recovery with a single dosage of this medicine!"
'Tsk!'
The boss's hand, which was reaching up to adjust his glasses, froze halfway before dropping back down seconds later. "Professor Song, that is not something to be brought up so lightly. Are you willing to put it on paper and accept punishment should your promise fail to deliver?"
"Of course!" The professor's voice was so forceful that it almost clank on the floor.
"Good. That is very good!"
A faint smile swept across the boss's face. "How long before it is fully operational?"
"Anytime. We are the most experienced in patent medicines treating common cold. The medicine had passed the trial on mass population and we can guarantee its safety. The excellent environment of Mt. Emei is very suitable to grow the plant in large scale."
"..."
The boss was even more excited, so much that he had stopped talking, but only patted the professor on his shoulder.
The group then moved on. Professor Song introduced their research findings in turn. "We have three new kinds of medicine that are ready to go into production and be released into the market in the first half of this year. They are the cold granules, a pain relieving cream, and a mulberry and chrysanthemum drink. Oh, the last one is a powder to be mixed with water. It can relieve the exterior syndrome with drugs pungent in flavor and cool in property, clear away the heat, and open the inhibited lung energy and relieve cough. Four kinds of medicine are still under research, for which we will need to run trials on large sample bases. They are very promising in slowing down the aging process, improving vitality and strengthening the body, as well as treating coronary arteriosclerosis, angina pectoris, and high blood pressure."
"I see. The diseases the three new kinds of medicine target might seem trivial, but there is nothing trivial about their significance. The minor illnesses are what troubles the common people the most… Profess Song, you have done us an outstanding service!"
"I was only doing my job."
Before long, the visit was over. The boss left in his vehicle after some more encouraging words. His next stop would be the monastery, where he was to extend his regard to Lu Yuanqing and the others.
He had barely settled down in his seat when his assistant reported, "The only son of the Dai Family in the town of Helong Lake of Yueyang had arrived at the Pavilion of Gems in Shengtian earlier today. He had probably brought with him the big-toed thickshell turtle. We don't know what he has exchanged it for. Shall we look into it?"
"That won't be necessary." The boss pondered over it and said pensively, "We know all the produce of Phoenix Mountain. They are not going to exchange with the spiritual rice or liquor, so probably the incense, tea, or some fruit or vegetables. It's nothing serious. Just let them be."
"But if their spiritual objects get around, won't that cause disturbance?" The assistant was concerned.
"Disturbance? Hasn't Wang Qi reminded them of the major operations we're carrying out this year… haha, those are two very interesting young friends. They have guessed where we're heading and are now going with the flow." The boss smiled and gave it a wave. "That's it. Now, let's go."
***
Phoenix Mountain, the training field.
The family of four stood in a line again. Four pairs of eyes fell on the giant turtle, which was 80 cm long and 60 cm wide at least. With such a pile on the ground, they were disgusted, but meanwhile unable to fight back an indescribable appetite.
The odd silence dragged on for a while before Xiaojin finally broke it. Raising her hand, she yelled, "Brother-in-law, I want to eat meat tonight!"
"Sure. We've paid for it and we will eat it. Let me try make a soup with it." Gu Yu chuckled.
"This one is missing a head. I think the soft-shelled turtle soup usually come with a head."
Xiaojin crouched down and picked up the head, which had turned soggy. She waved it around. "It's been cut off. Can we still eat it? Why, Qiu Qiu, have you tried this head before?"
"Ah! You scoundrel 4 !" Long Qiu glared at her.
"You are the scoundrel! Or how could you know what I was talking about? Here, take it! Why, don't run away!"
"Go away! Don't touch me!"
The two girls ran away in a bustle, soon disappeared with all their noises.
"..."
Xiaozhai ignored them both. Taking out Green Leaf, she inserted it along the edge of the back shell, swiped the blade this way and that, then flipped it.
An intact shell was removed.
Gu Yu paid no attention to the stench and picked it up. It was oval, dome-shaped, about 65 cm in length, and 40 cm in width. The surface was of a blackish green color with a slight glossy appearance. Reticular patterns covered the shell with a straight line crossing in the middle along the back, dividing the shell into two halves.
He bent his fingers and gave the shell a flip. A crisp "dang!" rang out. "It is hard enough to fend off any common knives or bullets. But it looks hideous. What can we make it into?"
"A shield, of course. Put it over the back when it's not in use. Why, it just happens to be green." Xiaozhai chuckled 5 .
"Sis, this is for your dad. Be a little serious, OK?" Gu Yu felt his temple throbbing.
"I am. Let me think…"
Xiaozhai took over the shell and saw that it was divided evenly into a few smaller sections by the pattern. Her face brightened up. "Old Gu, how about we cut it into pieces and try the Small Confining Technique?"
"You mean the kind that can be triggered?"
Gu Yu got it right away. She was referring to inserting the Small Confining Technique into the shell, which looked nothing special, but once under attack, the technique would be triggered automatically, protecting its master.
"But that means the shell is not put into use. It is our Taoist skill working and the shell is only the medium."
"Can't help. Blame its ugliness. Let's wait until the red feather vulture gets here, then. We'll see if we can make the feathers into clothes or something."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-66.png){kind=small}
Chapter 266: A Series Of Moves (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
"News update of Feb. 28th: a training course for young and middle-aged cadres in the central and local governments is held recently in the capital city, engaging them in two-way post-exchanging activities, which indicated that a new cycle of cadre exchange has begun.
The two-way exchange of posts not only is an objective demand to strengthen local governance and promote local development, but, more importantly, meets the long-term need to train talented cadres.
By reaching out to the people, young and middle-aged cadres will be able to combine theory with practice at the grassroots level and assist local development while continuously improving their working ability in practice.
It is understood that a total of 66 young and middle-aged cadres of departmental directorship have be selected for the course and the less developed provinces such as Wula, Qingning, and Xichui will be participating in the exchange. Once the training course is completed, the cadres will begin to assume their new offices…"
'Tsk!'
Yan Han finished watching the evening news while cleaning his teeth with his tongue. His heart palpitated in excitement. The innocent audience would probably forget about that piece of news as soon as they heard it, but not him. As the a member of the "foreign service" of Phoenix Mountain, he knew perfectly well what was going on.
"Sigh, why am I hearing the grinding sound of the giant wheel of the history? It sounds ominous!"
He heaved a feigned sigh, picked up a rag at random, and began to wipe the racks, which were already shiny clean (and empty).
It was almost March and the temperature was rising. Spring was coming.
At half past seven, it had gone completely dark outside. The shop didn't really have regular business hours—it opened and closed as Yan Han saw fit. Yesterday, it closed at six o'clock. But it would not do for today, for a customer was coming.
Yan Han cleaned the room, then sat back at his desk and started another round of computer game, where he had become very good at hindering his teammates.
Come to think about it, what had happened so far was rather spectacular. Zhang Qianqiu used to be the most promising one, but had been cast out to the manor as a mere helper for Boss Shui. The masters up the mountain were obviously never going to raise him to any important position. The guy would be gone as soon as his contract expired.
As for Li Dong, the guy had shown promise. He was the "intelligence-disguised-by-dullness" type. However, so far he had demonstrated no special talent and was still living his idle days in the back mountain.
Whereas Yan Han himself, who had been the first to be excluded from the mountain, turned out to be given the most important task among the three. He knew perfectly well of his own cowardice, his indecisive personality, and his clinging to the mortal world, which was in fact why he was better suited for this job.
"Dang!"
"Dang!"
Before he knew it, the antique table clock—which he had chosen deliberately for the shop—reminded him of the time. It was eight o'clock now. At that same time, there came a clunking noise from outside, accompanied by shuffling footsteps.
Two separate groups had arrived together by coincidence; both sides were surprised and fell silent.
"Why, you are here together! What are the odds!"
Yan Han rose to his feet and greeted the incoming customers, skillfully easing the awkwardness. He smiled at them all. "Here, please sit down."
One of the two groups consisted of three young men all dressed in expensive outdoor sportswear, looking somewhat travel-worn and weary. The other was a team of four fellows with a rather unique feeling about them. All four stood there ramrod straight, as unbent as four wooden clubs.
"Here, please have some tea."
Yan Han did not waste time on the small talk and only offered the minimal amount of hospitality. "Let's examine the goods, shall we? These gentlemen walked in first, so let's start with yours. I'm afraid you'll have to wait a moment."
"Ok!" replied one of the clubs.
After that, Yan Han led the three young men to the warehouse in the backyard, where one of team tossed a plastic woven bag he was carrying on the the table. There was a little smirk in his voice. "See it for yourself. It's alive!"
"Alive?"
Yan Han blinked. He then put on his gloves and opened the bag. Coiling up in it was a black-finned yellow tail eel about two meters long, which was bound up with tough ropes from head to tail. He could see closely packed fine teeth in its open mouth, which was stuffed with a cork.
The cork was probably soaked with strong anaesthetic, giving the eel a dazed and dreamy look.
"Awesome! How did you catch it?"
"Haha, never mind that. Would you give us a price now?" The guy grinned.
"The price we agreed on before was 40,000. This one is way fresher then we expected, though. I won't take advantage of you. How about 60,000?"
"Deal!"
"Money transfer or cash?"
"Can we exchange?"
"..."
Yan Han darted them a look: the word got around fast. "Sure, follow me."
He led the three back to the shop and pointed at the racks. "10,000 yuan a box for the incense and 100,000 yuan for 50 g of the tea, maximum 150 g each. What would you like to exchange?"
The man exchanged a look with his companions and answered without hesitation. "450 g of that tea. We'll pay the price difference!"
"I'm sorry, but you can only have 150 g."
"Didn't you say maximum 150 g each customer?" asked the man in vexation.
"No, no. That's 'per batch', or group, team, pick your terminology. Be it a one-man batch or a ten-man one, the limit is 150 g."
"I've never heard of such rules!" roared the guy angrily.
"Well, the boss set the rules like so. You're always free to leave."
Yan Han sat there looking reassured and emboldened, but was in fact sweating into his palms. 'God help me. This is my first time playing the tough guy. Be supportive!'
His left hand landed on his chest and rubbed it lightly, looking all casual—two layers of clothes beneath, there was a turtle shell pendant, which Boss Shui had delivered specially for him, saying it was for his self-protection.
"..."
The guy glared at him for a couple of more seconds and decided he was not bold enough to challenge the rule. "Fine, 150 g it is."
That was close!
Yan Han sighed a secret sigh of relief, left the chair, and weighed 150 g tea for them. The money was transferred and the account settled. He saw the team off, then turned to the other one. "Sorry for keeping you waiting. This way, please."
The four fellows were exceptionally silent the entire time and followed him to the warehouse, where they opened the bag.
Wow! Inside were two blood-stained red feather vultures. These men obviously took care when killing them. Only the heads were shot through, leaving the feathers on the back and the belly relatively intact.
"That's great. I'll take them. 100,000 yuan a bird."
"We'd like 150 g of tea as well."
"Oh, no problem."
Despite their odd appearance, the four fellows behaved themselves. They left promptly after getting the tea. In an instant, the bustling shop a moment ago was quiet and deserted again.
"Gosh! This job is so demanding!"
Yan Han wiped away his sweat, he almost thought he was going to collapse. He was just a rich-ish city dweller who had never experienced any real hardships in life. Now that he had opened this shop under Their Majesties' decree, he was nervous and agitated on a daily basis. But at the same time, his life had never been as exciting as this.
"Xiao Yan, got a job for you!" he shouted. His cousin ran down the stairs, then swiftly loaded the goods onto the truck and headed for Bai Town right away, completely unaware of what time it was.
As for Yan Han, after informing Shui Yao about the delivery, he opened the app and checked the forum.
The ones that received the most replies were none other than the three posts by Green River Water seeking to purchase the big-toed thickshell turtle, the black-fin yellowtail eel, and the red feather vulture.
The posts of the first two had been edited: goods received, no further demand for the moment, no pm please.
He refreshed the page several times and as expected, the third post was edited as well: red feather vulture received, no further demand, no pm please.
He was not at all surprised by the pages of convivial replies.
"I wonder which boss is behind this ID? Will I have the honor to hear the name so that I could go visit and show my respect?"
"Aren't those delivering the goods the actual bosses? The red feather vulture is a hell of a fighter and they have somehow nailed it!"
"This place is indeed full of hidden masters. It seems I should conceal my identity no further. Tomorrow I will be crossing a heavenly tribulation on Mount Hua. Everyone is invited as witnesses."
Haha...
Yan Han shook his head and chuckled. There was a time when he was among those replying under the posts, but now, a month later, he was a man of another world.
With the three requests posted, Pavilion of Gems became the spotlight of the forum right away. Many had come out here just to have a peek of the place.
They were men of all occupations and social status. Some he could guess, while others remained a mystery. Those four, for instance—he could smell military from a mile away. It made sense. Apart from them, any ordinary man would not know where to begin to tackle a red feather vulture.
"Sigh…"
Yan Han went to the door and pressed the button. The shutter clanked and rolled down, shutting out the vast picture of the night outside.
Who gave a damn who those men were? I have Phoenix Mountain at my back! Bring it on!
***
"Rustle!"
The branches and leaves in a dense woods shook and swayed as out dashed a woman wearing a white veil. Loud thumping sounds followed her as if an earthquake was coming. In a brief moment, a giant of a man leapt out.
"Yu Lanzhu, be a warrior and face your opponent!"
The man was over two meters tall and dressed in strange garments made from animal skin and fur, which left his two knotty muscled arms bare in the air. He pointed ahead and bellowed, "I'm only here because of your title as the Archmage. How dare you humiliate me in front of everyone! I'm going to rip you open!"
"Teehee! Wanyan, you're as stupid as I said you were. I'm only trying to find a quiet spot to have my way with you."
The woman giggled. Behind the veil, her face was as blurred as an autumn moon hidden by the curtains. There was a misty sort of beauty about it. However, the words out of her mouth would make one's hair stand.
"I only gave in time and again for the sake of your old man. Do you really think I'm afraid of you? I know you all refuse to accept me as the archmage. No matter, I'll simply kill you off one by one. Sooner or later, this holy sect will be mine!"
"You're full of shit! Roar!"
The man was infuriated. He suddenly let out a long howling sound and yellowish brown hair started to grow out of his skin. His face was even more hideous and terrifying. He had transformed into some sort of giant beast.
"Whoosh!"
His entire person turned into a streak of flashing light, dashing near her at a tremendous speed. He raised both arms and bang!
Broken pieces of rocks flew everywhere; where the arms landed was now a great pit meters in diameter. The woman, however, was nowhere to be seen. He looked around and suddenly, a sweet, gentle voice complained softly behind him, "You brainless muscle men are the worst! Humph!"
The sneering sound seemed to have magic of its own, which turned the man's head around despite himself. The muscles on his face were all contorted, but he simply could not fight it. Slowly, he looked into another pair of eyes.
Those were beautiful, bright eyes as deep as a whirlpool. He was gradually sinking into them.
"Roar… growl…"
The man struggled with all his effort, but to no avail. His eyes grew blank and his mind turned into clouds. Finally, with a thud, he collapsed to the ground.
"You know, you didn't have to go through all that, which would have saved me a lot of effort."
The woman frowned and looked the most aggrieved, as if the man had just committed the most unforgivable crime. She then took out a small white bottle from her chest pocket and sprinkled the powder inside onto the dead body. Before long, there was a sizzling sound and the corpse soon turned into a pool of blood.
"Squeak!"
Just then, a red sparrow flew out of nowhere, then perched on a branch and chirped at her.
"I see. Wait for me there."
The woman waved her hand, dismissing the sparrow. Then with a few graceful moves, she also disappeared.
About half an hour later, in a secret chamber somewhere in Bing Town.
A few people was waiting in distress. The door suddenly flung open and they rose to their feet in unison. "Archmage!"
"Get to the point. What's so urgent that I had to come this quick?"
The woman went straight into the room and slouched down on the bed in the innermost corner. She looked unhappy, as if she had been disturbed while playing a game.
"Archmage, the government is moving against us."
One of the men tentatively handed her a list, on which were names of cadres. "We have planted 478 informers in the governments of the four provinces of the Northeast. In this single round of selection, 17 of our middle-level cadres were transferred. The low-level ones was damaged even worse—54 were transferred. They will all be sent to the Central Plains, south of the Yangtze River and south of the Five Ridges. We don't have much arranged out there."
"Those got sent here instead will all take the important positions. They are loyal and capable men. It does not look good for us," added another man.
"No need to panic. I'm sure they don't know the specifics individuals. We're too big in number, that's all. Someone's bound to be unlucky." The woman was very relaxed. "There is only so much they can maneuver. Transferring officials around too frequently is bad for the ruling party. Tell the rest of our men there: just keep a lower profile and continue with whatever they were doing."
"Well, ok…"
The men exchanged looks, bowed, and left.
The woman remained lying in bed with her eyes slightly closed. She stretched out her graceful body, but the look on her face was growing colder.
The previous archmage died a sudden death and she had risen to this position by stepping over a mountain of dead bodies. A large proportion of the followers still would not accept her. This event would be a good opportunity for her. She could do a cleanup and consolidate her power.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-67.png){kind=small}
Chapter 267: A Series Of Moves (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
Xidu, the company of Baohua.
Baohua was one of the tycoon international trading firms in the Northeast. Chen Xiang, its chairman, was a regular member of various rich lists. This morning, a conference was being held among middle and top level management teams and the host was none other then Chen Xiang himself.
The man was in his sixties. Being serious in both his speech and manner, he often intimidated others with his appearance alone. He had more titles than he could count, granted by organizations of both the business and the political circle. He was recognized as one of the most influential figures in this city.
"Today is a rare occasion that we manage to get everyone together and have a talk, if you like. This long overdue meeting should have been held right after the Spring Festival holiday, but I was abroad then, trying to settle a project that was very important to our company."
Chen Xiang was not reading off a script and his eyes were darting this way and that. The employees sitting below all kept their faces straight so as not to be seen absent-minded by the boss.
"We have long entered the age of information and it's been years since the issue of economic globalization was raised, but our country has its special circumstances and did not venture into this area until a decade ago… this is a major project worth tens of billions. Companies from three countries will be working together and those of our country will lead the project… our industry peers all take great pride in overseas investment, which baffles me. Are they proud of investing in the foreigners or are they proud because they think they now have a say in the economic affairs… there is this saying that I agree with: because you're ignoring me as I am today, you don't deserve what I become tomorrow. But I think it's still missing something. We shouldn't put our faith in the elusive future; hope lies in the present. So the saying should really be: because you ignored me as I was yesterday, you don't deserve me today…"
"Bang!"
He was still making his moving and fiery speech when the door of the conference room was shoved open. A team of people filed in.
The leading ones wore government official uniforms, who glanced around the room first, then fixed their eyes on Chen Xiang in unison. One of them announced loudly, "Chen Xiang, you are now suspected of being involved in contractual fraud, illegal fundraising, and murder. With the approval of the prosecutor, we hereby put you under arrest. Here is the warrant!"
"Boom!"
An earthquake ransacking the conference room would not have stunned those present like this. Chen Xiang's face ashened, but he forced out a severe tone. "Where are you people from? Do you have any idea who I am?"
"Of course we do, or else we'd be arresting the wrong person. Take him!"
The captain gave his hand a wave and two police officers came up to Chen Xiang and handcuffed the man. The captain said, "We respect human rights. You are allowed to ask for privacy protection."
"You, you people…" Frightened and infuriated, Chen Xiang was shaking so violently that he could not make out a full sentence. The caption replied deliberately, "Ok, he doesn't need that. Let's go!"
"Yes!"
With that, the team filed out, leaving behind a roomful of baffled onlookers.
***
The capital city, airport.
The owner of certain finance corporation was on board his private jet, waiting for the takeoff signal. He was heading for the Big Sam. Although the private airplane control was very strict in this country, it really all depended on the circumstances. With his wealth and background, it had never been an issue.
However, he was half an hour into the waiting and the signal was still not coming, which he found rather odd. "Go ask what's going on?"
The assistant went as told and returned promptly. "It seems they have received an order to permit no takeoff in this time period."
'Gee!'
The man felt his stomach turn. That did not sound good.
He was right to think so. A couple of minutes later, the hunch became true.
"Wang Huicheng, you are suspected of illegal access to insider trading information, fabricating and disseminating false information, disrupting the securities market, manipulating securities trading prices, and obtaining illegitimate interests. You are hereby under arrest and not allowed to leave the country!"
"Take him away!"
***
Similar cases were happening everywhere in the past few days.
With that, the business circle as a whole was shaken to the bone with everyone looking over their shoulders. Surely such strikes had happened before, but never did they come so rapidly, so fiercely, and so mercilessly!
All those moguls were with honored titles such as members of this committee or deputies of that congress. No title had saved them from being arrested.
Those who knew little could only play the role of curious onlookers, while those who knew better had grasped the meaning behind the series of actions.
For one, it was to stop capital flights. For another, it was to clean out the parasites and stabilize the market. Moreover, it could indirectly weaken Shamanism.
In order to expand and develop, an organization had to have Human Resources and money. All their secret bases, refining materials, daily supplies for their members, etc., had to be supported by a lot of money.
As a result, there were quite a lot of businessmen among them—for instance, that Zhang Wei in the northwest branch.
As for the informers inside the government, those above did not have a specific list of names, so they could only take a safer route by transferring cadres away so as to break down their system gradually. As for the businessmen, there was no need to go gentle. A member of Shamanism or not, none of those who got crushed were innocent.
Then, to the common folk, such actions meant little apart from contributing to the subject of their gossips.
Transferred or arrested, what did it have anything to do with them? They were still single, unable to afford an apartment, and their game characters were killed because of the sneaky teammates.
Before anyone realized, spring had arrived.
After a bleak winter, people of the Northeast were finally able to thin their clothes down a little and change into something lighter. Peach trees had long blossomed in Shengtian by the side of the streets, their pinkness setting off against the gray of the city.
From the day Gu Yu ate that red fruit, in the first year, he obtained the essence-consuming method and the two travelled together to search for secret places.
The second year was when the negotiation took place, after which they got Phoenix Mountain, Xiaozhai learned the Thunder Technique, Tianzhu Mountain was developed, and Qiyun was established.
In the third year, the monastery had its first innate state member, a calamity took over Huo Zhou, Mount Emei was developed, the chief warriors of the northwest branch of Shamanism were annihilated, and the "Three-year Plan" was put into a test trial.
Now came the fourth year. After two years' worth of research and preparation, various plans were finally fully implemented onto this mega country with an area of over 10 million km^2 and a population of close to 2 billion.
***
"Ring-a-ling !"
At the bell of the last class of the day, He He ran into the classroom, still panting. Her little cheeks were flushed and her clothes a little dirty from playing outside.
It was an ordinary primary school in Bai Town, where an additional class had been set up for the children of the Grass River Mouth migrants. He He was in the third grade now. Her grades were all right and she was only a little too fond of playing.
"Click-clack!"
The lovely class teacher entered on her high heels, a stack of books between her arms.
"There, take one each. Pass on to the student behind you."
The little fellows sitting in four rows passed the books along. He He read the cover after receiving hers and the name was "Teaching Manual of the First National Fitness Program for Primary and Secondary School Students".
She flipped through it. Inside was the drawing of a little man in different positions with captions on the side.
"Starting from tomorrow, we will give up our old setting-up exercises and begin to learn this fitness program. Every day after the second class, we will have twenty minutes for it. We will all gather in the playground and learn it together. This book is very important too. Read it as often as you can so that you can learn it by heart soon. Ok, now we will begin our class."
The class teacher taught Chinese. The young and gentle woman began to lead the students to read the text together with her. It was an affectionate performance.
He He followed her half-heartedly. Finally, the school was over.
Music began to ring out both inside and outside the building. The class teachers led the students to the playground, where they were dismissed by class.
Most of the children of the migrant class were not picked up by any family member. He He burst into a sprint carrying her school bag as soon as she was out of the gate. But she did not forget to make an appointment with her friend first. "I'll go play with you after dinner!"
The settlement building of Grass River Mouth was not far and it only took her seven or eight minutes to hurry back home.
She ran all the way up to the fifth floor and knocked at the door.
"..."
It was quiet inside. No one came to answer the door.
'Hm?'
He He found it very strange. She found her key and unlocked the door, calling, "Grandpa?"
"..."
Still, there was no answer.
"Grandpa?"
She felt uneasy, for not only was there no familiar pleasant smell of dinner, there was also an indescribable suffocating feeling.
"Grandpa?"
The little girl crossed the living room and entered the kitchen. She found no one. She moved on into the bedroom. Still no one. Finally, she opened the bathroom door. There was a dead silence of two seconds and she dived forward, crying.
The old man was on the floor with a bruised cheek. It seemed he had smashed his cheek on the edge of the toilet when he fell down. The body reclined there, completely still.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-68.png){kind=small}
Chapter 268: A Door (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
Bai Town, the Second People's Hospital.
In the dim-lit corridor, a small figure was sitting on a cold chair with her head lowered. The ponytail that was once neatly put up was now disheveled, with the pony bow slanting to one side.
One wall away was the door to the emergency room, where two people stood waiting anxiously.
Quite some time had passed when the door was finally pushed open and a doctor walked out. The two people went up to the doctor in a hurry. "Doctor, how did it go?"
"It was an acute myocardial infarction and he was not brought in in time. We have tried out best."
"What?"
Both were upset by the news, but neither was particularly sad.
"Are you family members of the patient? There is a paper we need you to sign," said the doctor.
"No, we're only his neighbors. The old man was living with his granddaughter and we were from the same village. Oh, the girl's over there…"
With that, the three found He He. The doctor looked worriedly at the girl—she was too young to be qualified to sign the papers!
He squatted down and tried to sound as gentle as possible. "Kiddo, where are your mum and dad?"
"..."
He He raised her head and looked at him. There was a silence for a couple of seconds before she asked in a whispering voice, "Is, is grandpa gone?"
The doctor was choked on his words. It was impossible to break such news to a little girl. The neighbors were also grieved by the scene and said, "You won't get an answer. Her parents have left them years ago and god knows where they are now. She's the only one left of the family."
"Oh, that's an unusual circumstance." The doctor gave it a thought and took out a small notebook from his pocket. "How about this: I'll contact the government, see if they can help. I'll take some basic information first. What's the girl's name?"
"He He."
"Address?"
"Room 331, Block 5, Hope Village, Tiemei Road."
'Hm?'
The doctor stopped his writing. "Have you moved here from Grass River Mouth?"
"Um, yes."
"That'll make it much easier. I'll contact the Civil Affairs right away. Please wait here."
After that, he returned to his office promptly, while the two uncles were left behind to comfort the girl.
The doctor said so because the government had policies for abnormality-caused migrants, offering them favorable treatments on various aspects, especially in the living, education, and employment of offsprings of the migrants.
As expected, within an hour, there was the click-clack of footsteps and a man and a woman arrived in a hurry. At this point, the neighbors had fulfilled all their duty and said goodbye to the little girl, returning to their own homes.
The man was Ou Yang and the woman Xu Lei. They specialized in migrant affairs.
They took He He to a waiting room and the warm color and tidy surroundings of which settled the little girl down a little. The kid was odd in a way. She neither cried nor wailed, but simply would not talk and remained absolutely silent.
It took the two people quite some effort to finally establish a normal communication.
"Xiao He, don't worry. We will take care of grandpa's funeral affairs, as well as your life from now on."
"Are you going to send me to an orphanage?"
He He was only a girl of seven or eight. With the tragic incident, it was already remarkable that she was still willing to talk. Her question was blunt. Xu Lei chose her words carefully before answering her in a soft voice, "Xiao He, it's not an orphanage. It's a place for a lot of children to play together, eat together, and sleep under the same roof together. I will take you there to have a look first. It you like the place, you will be living there; if not, you can stay at my place for a while until we find you a suitable family. You will then move in with them and we will come visit you frequently."
"Can I still go to school?" He He asked another question.
"Of course! You're still in primary school now. When you're older, you can go to a boarding school and we will pay for all your tuition fees."
"..."
The little girl lowered her eyes. She could not yet fully comprehend all the things she just heard, but deep down, her instinct was telling her to resist. She said quietly, "I don't want to go anywhere. I just want to stay at my home."
"Why, what would you eat if you stay at home alone? You're still so young. Someone's got to take care of you, right? Oh, and there's grandpa's apartment. It will be entrusted to us for the time being and you'll inherit it after you come of age."
Xu Lei was very patient. She racked her brains trying to persuade He He, but the little girl was a stubborn one. She simply would not be persuaded.
The seesaw struggle dragged on. Ou Yang interjected all of a sudden, "There is actually another way."
"Hey!"
Xu Lei glared at him—apparently, she could not bring herself to think about the option.
"Don't give me the angry look. It's been stressed in the meeting. Somebody else will say it even if we didn't," Ou Yan retorted and turned to the girl. "Xiao He, have you heard about Taiqing Palace?"
"Mhm, I have seen it on TV."
"Well, Taiqing Palace is recruiting intern disciples and the condition of your family just happen to fit the criteria…" Ou Yang was growing uneasy as he spoke; a guilty feeling of child-trafficking was getting to him. He forced himself to go on. "If you are willing to go, all your expenses from now on will be taken care of. You will have class on academic subjects as you would in normal schools and moreover, you will be given monthly allowances. Of course, we won't force it. It's completely up to you."
Taiqing Palace? Intern disciple?
He He winced. All of a sudden, her grandpa's tease from the other night came to her: when I'm gone and you have no one else to turn to, it won't be too bad to have a place to take you in.
The memory reminded her of her grandpa again. Tears welled up in her eyes and she almost burst out crying again.
"We, well, we are very considerate in this matter, so we've set an adaptation period of seven days. That is to say, you can go live there for seven days first. You are free to come back if you don't like the place, or join officially if you decide you like it."
Ou Yang stammered out the whole thing, then joined Xu Lei in watching the little girl. The way they eyed her expectantly for a decision was kind of funny.
"..."
It seemed forever and their patience was running out when He He finally spoke. "I, I want to go to Taiqing Palace."
***
Three days later, sunny.
Grandpa had been cremated and buried. With the absence of family members, the funeral arrangements were kept very simple. He He was staying at Xu Lei's place these days and had been taken very good care of—Xu Lei even took He He out for a health checkup.
That morning, Xu Lei and He He went back to Hope Village, packed some clothes, and set out.
The little girl sat in the backseat holding her school bag between her arms. It contained her textbooks and exercise books. She had grown quieter than ever and all she did was looking out of the window.
Xu Lei was overwhelmed by a million emotions. Sending a child into a Taoist temple, which might eventually result in her abandoning the secular world, was an idea that still troubled her.
"Auntie, could you pull over? I want to go have a look."
About a quarter of an hour later, He He spoke suddenly. Xu Lei looked around and realized they were close to her school. It was time for between-class exercises at the moment and the hubbub was coming out of the playground.
"Don't stay too long."
"Mhm."
He He jumped out of the vehicle and ran to the outer wall of the school, where she held onto the iron bar and looked in eagerly. Students had lined up neatly on the large playground. On the high platform in the front, two people were teaching the moves.
"The fifth movement. Draw back your left foot, turn halfway to your side, and kick out you right foot! Remember, keep you back straight and your breathing smooth. Follow the momentum of your turning and kick… good. One more time!"
Hundreds of children waved their arms and legs, making complicated movements. Some took it seriously, while others made a joke out of it. It was a rather strange picture.
He He knew they were learning that set of fitness program. She could have been one of them, had it not been for...
She only stood there for a little while before being called back by Xu Lei. They then headed straight for Shengtian.
***
Both Buddhism and Taoism had the term "forest of ten directions".
It was referring to public palaces and temples belonging to religious believers (of Buddhism or Taoism, respectively) of the country, which were qualified to initiate someone into monkhood/priesthood and were not allowed to recruit disciples without authorization. Regardless where the believer came from or what sect they belonged to, they were all entitled to temporarily stay in these temples or palaces. Meanwhile, they were also obligated to protect the latter in return.
Taiqing Palace was Quanzhen's largest "forest of ten directions" in the Northeast.
It was a popular tourism destination and had attracted many worshippers. Today, however, business was not as usual. No tourist was allowed to enter and two priests were even guarding the gate.
In a large hall inside, over forty people sat there waiting. They were all in pairs of a parent and a child. The children ranged from teenagers to as young as seven or eight years old. Everyone of them had a nervous yet curious look on their faces.
He He stayed quietly by Xu Lei's side. A little while later, someone called outside, "Xu Ziying!"
"Here!"
A girl in fine clothes walked out of the hall, accompanied by her weeping mother. Another ten minutes passed before the next name was called out.
"Lin Junlong!"
"Here!"
A teenage boy rose to his feet, but the family member accompanying him had a cold and detached face, which was quite an odd picture.
It proceeded like so. Someone was called away every ten minutes and it was some time before it was finally He He's turn.
"Yes!" Xu Lai answered right away and took the little girl out of the hall. A priest led their way and took them to a meditation room after quite a few turns in the corridor. The priest extended out his hand. "If the laywoman would be so kind to wait here and let the girl go in alone."
"I see. Don't be afraid, Xiao He. I'll be right here."
"Mhm."
He He nodded, pushed the door open, and entered on her own. The big room was almost empty. The only furniture was a set of table and chair, by which a gaunt old priest sat.
"Close the door and move closer." He had a very serious face and the most rigid tone.
"..."
The little girl was a little fazed and took a few steps forward anxiously.
"Name?"
"He He. He as in the surname, and the second He as in the word 'seedling' 1 ."
The old priest took a rectangular strip of wood and wrote down her name. The tip of his writing brush was dipped into ink, then dragged along the wood this way and that in steady, forceful strokes. The ink seeped deep into the wood, marking down her name.
"This is your name tag. Keep it close and don't lose it."
He passed her the wood and said, "Turn around."
The little girl was a little shaky as she did as told. A big hand patted her back and gave her arms a few squeeze.
"That's all. You many leave."
"Oh!"
She let out a sigh of relief and left the room in a hurry. What she did not see was the look on the old priest's face, which was as if he had found the biggest treasure of the world.
Immediately after that, the priest led their way again, zigzagging to another big room. The boy before her had just left. He He thought his name was Shao Yangming.
The boy's father remained behind, he fumbled out a bank card and was trying to slid it into a fat priest's hand unnoticed.
"Once a member of our community, everybody is treated the same. Please take it back." Frowning, the fat priest refused.
The man only thought it as some sort of formality and tried another two times. In the end, the fat priest grew impatient and flipped his sleeve. With a loud bang, the man stumbled back and was shoved out of the room.
The fat priest snorted at the direction the man disappeared and turned to instruct He He, "He He, is it? Here are three sets of summer garments, three sets of winter ones, two sets of beddings, and three pairs of shoes and socks each, as well as toiletries and some daily necessities. Take them to your room."
"Well, we're only here for the adaptation period. Do we need this many clothes?" Xu Lei asked tentatively in case they might have been mistaken.
"It's the same with everyone. Take them now!"
"Oh, sure!"
Right after that, the two carried the load out of the room and were led to her dormitory.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-69.png){kind=small}
Chapter 269: A Door (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
As the "forest of ten directions", Taiqing Palace always welcomed its fellow Taoists from every corner of the world and it was only natural that they should have female dormitory available. Only that Taoist priestesses were growing fewer in number nowadays and they might not have a female visitor for years on end. Consequently, the size of the female dormitory kept shrinking until there were only two rooms left.
Since the introduction of the new policies, the female dormitory was expanded again, now matching the size of the male one.
The room He He was allocated to had four single beds arranged into two opposite pairs and a bathroom, and looked a little crowded. The other three roommates were already there, who were straightening their beds under the supervision of their family members.
The girls exchanged their names. They were the 12-year-old Xu Ziying, 10-year-old Hu Chun, another 10-year-old Wang Yao, and the 8-year-old He He, who was the youngest.
With the four girls together, the room was immediately filled with their twittering chatter, which was not unlike the enrollment day of any ordinary boarding school. Xu Lei stole a few glances at Xu Ziying and her mother while making the bed for He He. Mother Xu was a celebrity in the province, being among the top three female enterprises and all, while Father Xu was a high-ranking government official.
Word had it that Xu Ziying was the only child of the the family. One would never expect her parents to be so resolute (or, remarkable) to send her into a Taoist temple.
They all finished tidying up in about half an hour, which was when a middle-aged priestess entered the room. She had a peaceful aura about her and although one would not consider her pretty, her features were quite delicate and her skin rather fair and smooth.
"Now, if the family members would be very kind to leave now? You have entrusted your daughters to this Taoist establishment and it is time to say your farewells."
She was tactfully telling the adults, who were all still reluctant to part from the girls and bade the latter to take care repeatedly, to go. Xu Lei felt the same way. "Xiao He, be a good girl here. I'll come visit you in seven days."
"Ok."
He He nodded, then added, "Thank you, Auntie!"
The parents then left one after another and the dormitory grew cheerless. The new environment made the girls uneasy. Among them, Xu Ziying adjusted herself the best. With her family background, she must have obtained certain inside story and was told how to behave before coming here.
She was the first to spoke. "Pardon me, Priestess, but what shall we do next?"
"..."
The priestess looked at her and answered in a kind voice, "My secular surname is Liu and I go by the alternative name Idle Woman Qinghui. You may call me Priestess Liu, or Priestess Qinghui. Since you all have yet to formally acknowledge your masters, addressing others as 'Master' would be presumptuous."
"Yes, we will follow your instruction," Xu Ziying replied obediently. Intentionally or not, she was taking the role of the most senior sister.
"Take out your winter garments, please. I will teach you how to put them on properly. You will all be wearing your Taoist robes for the next seven days. You must keep them tidy and clean. Do not have it tainted by any filth."
At that, the four girls found their winter garments and the socks and shoes, then looked up anxiously ahead like kindergarteners.
There were six types of Taoist robes: the long gown, the great gown, the cassock, the Deluo gown, the embroidered gown, and the outdoor robe. They were of a straight-line cut, had a standup collar, and the lapel opens on the right. Some styles had wide sleeves, while others had narrow ones. Most of the time a white or plain-colored detachable collar was attached. The robe was all wide and flappy.
The girls were mere interns at the moment and the long gown was their only option out of the six.
The long gown consisted of three colors, each belonging to one piece of garment of the set, which was light-blue, dark-blue, and a near-black navy color. The fabric was thick and soft cotton, which was excellent to keep one warm. The gown also came with white under garments.
The three pairs of shoes were round-throat-line shoes, double-vamp shoes, and the shoes of ten directions. The last ones were the most special pair. Ten holes representing ten directions lined around the upper of the shoes, rendering them suitable for summertime. One had to pair these shoes with the socks of clouds (above-knee white socks) and together, they were known as "travelling wide and far and offering the ultimate service of pointing people to the right direction".
All four were smart girls and knew how to put on the clothes properly after a couple of demonstrations. They were then neatly in their new gowns, only that the hair styles remained quite modern.
"Come closer. Let me arrange your hair into buns."
Qinghui sat on a bed and combed and set the girls' hair into Taoist buns, with a plain wooden hairpin going through each little bun. In a moment, there were four fresh and lovely little Taoist kids in the room.
Probably because of Qinghui's mild manner, the girls had dropped their guard without realizing it. They were much relaxed. However, the next moment, they puckered up their little faces again.
"Although it is only the adaptation period, but you should behave, work, and rest as commanded by the precepts of Quanzhen. Now, please hand out all your mobile phones, laptops, snacks, toys, irrelevant books, etc. I will be taking care of them and give them back seven days later."
"What? How am I going to survive without my phone?"
"Priestess, can I keep one bag of spicy strip snack?"
"Priestess, this doll has been with me since I was a baby. I can't sleep without it."
The girls wailed and nagged. Young as they might be, they were all well-versed in empty promises and stalling techniques. Qinghui, on the other hand, cleared away the smile on her face and commanded in a harsh tone, "No more nonsense. You are welcome to return home tomorrow if you find it impossible to part from your belongings."
Well, that was that. The room was quiet again.
All the other three girls were from nice families and had been properly disciplined by their parents growing up. No one dared to throw a tantrum under such a circumstance. He He was the odd one among the four. She hardly had anything of her own and only went up to Qinghui holding her schoolbag. "Priestess, may I keep my books?"
Qinghui looked through the stack and saw that they were all primary school textbooks. There was even a "Teaching Manual of the First National Fitness Program for Primary and Secondary School Students". That was a familiar face!
After the calamity in Huo Zhou last year, the state had drawn ideas from various temples and palaces with a series of undisclosed meetings and came up with this set of initiating fitness program suitable for children. She was lucky enough to participate and had even offered some valuable ideas.
With such connection, she found the little girl much more agreeable. "These are all very good textbooks. You may keep them."
"Thank you, Priestess," replied He He.
'Tsk!'
Stop acting like an innocent white flower already! Mademoiselle Xu Ziying, the ultimate survivor of squabbles and catfights, fought back her impulsion to lash out her tongue and only twisted her mouth when no one was looking.
***
"Dang!"
"Dang!"
At the sound of the bronze bell of the temple, Qinghui led the four out of the dormitory and headed straight for the scripture hall. Other priestesses were also leading children out of other rooms.
They ran into a few groups of boys in robes on their way. The kids all found the appearance of one another funny, so they pointed it out and joked about. Inevitably, they were scolded by the priests.
They all entered the scripture hall, which was incredibly spacious. On the ground were twenty-four praying mats with another thirteen on the opposite side, which had been set in a row.
Twelve priests went up to the praying mats; each took one and sat down without uttering a word. The kids looked at one another in confusion. The smarter ones then grabbed a praying mat and sat down first.
The rest then realized what they were supposed to do and followed suit.
"Come, let's sit here!"
Xu Ziying quickly drew out her territory as the alpha female of her dorm. Knowing her background, Hu Chun and Wang Yao were playing up to her. He He cared little about this and remained silent.
As soon as they all took their seat, a man walked out from the inner room of the scripture hall. He was in his forties, had a long beard, and was majestic and amiable at the same time.
"Abbot!"
The priests bowed in unison.
"Thank you, my fellow priests!"
The man returned the greeting with a bow and sat down on the praying mat in the middle of the thirteen, with nine males and four females arranged evenly on either side.
He scanned the room with his eyes and the murmuring kids stopped talking right away. Those eyes seemed to have some imposing power and they dared not even move a little finger.
"My secular surname is Qin and I go by my alternative name Priest Huayang. I am the abbot of Taiqing Palace." After this brief introduction, he motioned sideways and said, "This is Priest Mingzhen, the Temple Supervisor.
This is Priest Cuixuan, the Kitchen Governor. He is in charge of kitchen affairs and the three meals of the day.
This is Priest Yuzhenzi, the Hall Director. He has to make sure that the halls are swept regularly and diligently, the lamps are properly lit, and the worship apparatus properly cleaned. He is also there to supervise the scripture master.
This is Priest Huihe, the scripture master. He chants the supreme classics, takes care of honoring the heavenly masters, and holds the blessing and soul-releasing ceremonies.
This is Priest Fangchengzi, the Inspector. He is the head of the dormitories and the in-house moderator. Errand-persons of all levels are under his command…"
Huayang introduced all chief officials of the temple, which the children understood almost not a word of. Xu Ziying was as baffled as everyone else, but she did know what an Inspector was. That would be the Taoist equivalent of a dean—one man she would make sure not to cross!
It was apparent that the positions in Taiqing Palace were set in in accordance to the "three governors, five registrars, and eighteen chieftains" system. Certain positions had obviously been omitted, though, such as the chieftain of water who was in charge of sending water around the temple in buckets for cooking, worshipping, and like in the ancient times. Such a position was obviously redundant with the modern water supply system.
"Quanzhen disciples are followers of the Elderly Lord's teaching. Donghua let the world know about his Lord's teaching and Lü Dongbin preached. Our sect was established by Wang Chongyang, the Assistant Supreme Emperor, who believed in the true words of Laozi and Zhuangzi and benefited the others at the cost of his own suffering. For thousands of years, we honored our status as holding the throne of Taoist orthodox…"
Huayang then went on to briefly introduce the history of Quanzhen. He knew the little ones would not comprehend much of what he was saying anyway, so he simply chose the big words, which, to the kids, sounded like the most profound speech (despite the fact that they could hardly understand anything).
Fused by his ample inner Qi, his every single word resonated in the hall, so much so that they might open the ears of the deaf and open the eyes of the blind. The effect was remarkable. The students followed the speech and before they realized it, they had straightened their backs and their faces turned solemn, matching the atmosphere of such occasion.
His tone only changed at the end of the speech when he said, "Among you, some will be here for three years, while others may only stay with us for seven days. Whichever it is, fate has brought you here and that is a heavenly opportunity you must cherish and make good use of. Now, this is our first meeting ever and I presume you do not yet know much about Taoism. You may each ask a question, which my fellow priests and I will answer."
"..."
The kids blinked back at him. It was kind of awkward.
The silence dragged on. In the end, Xu Ziying was the one to save the day. "Abbot, my name is Xu Ziying. I have a question. Are spells real? I mean like those in the television. Those that make people fly around with all the magical sounds?"
Her tone was naive and adorable, which made Huayang smile. He did not answer the question, but said instead, "See for yourself!"
"Whoosh!"
He flipped his wide sleeve, sending a gust of wind into the air. One of the children sat at the front felt an intangible force coming at him and fell back crying in surprise.
"Wow!"
Kids would always fall for such performance and the air was immediately filled with amazed cries.
"Spells have always been there between heaven and earth, only that Taoist skills have declined and will need to be reclaimed and developed. We are the torchbearers at most. The future of Taoism lies in you all."
The last few words came out full-heartedly, which also inspired Xu Ziying. She bowed, her posture very presentable.
With one breaking the ice, the others followed suit without further hesitation. Momentarily, the hall grew boisterous and there were questions of every kind.
"How long will it take us to succeed?"
"Everything was derived from the Great Dao, then everything pursued the Great Dao. How long do you think it will take?"
"Will I be able to fly?"
"The Great Dao is full of possibilities. Of course you will."
"Well, if I stay, do I have to stay in the temple all the time? Will we have holidays?"
"We will not stop you from taking breaks. But you are all very young and to go out, you will need an adult's company."
"I heard you don't let people eat meat, but meat is my favorite. What should I do?"
"Em…"
The thirteen priests did not know whether they should cry or laugh. That was the way with recruiting children. They simply had to play the role of kindergarten teachers from time to time.
The hubbub continued for a while and almost everyone asked what they wanted to ask. Qinghui noticed He He at that moment and encouraged her, "Xiao He, what about you? Don't you have any questions?"
"..."
He He kept her head lowered and suddenly plunged forward, almost landing flat on her belly. This confusing attempt to mimic a kowtow of the highest respect took everyone by surprise. Right after that came the silvery voice of a child.
"I want to bring back the dead and become immortal. Is that possible?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-70.png){kind=small}
Chapter 270: A Door (Part 3)
Source: Qidian International
"The precepts are essential to Quanzhen and have been passed down in our sect of thousands of years. We currently have the 'primary ten true precepts', the 'intermediate three hundred commandments', and the 'heavenly commandments of the completion of three altars'. According to the doctrines of our forefathers, one would only be considered a proper priest after the headdress ceremony and only after the initiation program will a priest become a precept follower; one will gradually move up the Taoist rank in a proper order after that. Nevertheless, we are guided by a new government policy now and you are our first class of intern disciples. Today, we will be studying the 'primary ten true precepts'."
Inside the scripture hall sat the twenty-four little ones, who had their legs crossed and their backs ramrod straight. Priest Huihe stood at the front, teaching the morning class.
"The first precept: one must be loyal to your lord, obey your parents, and be kind and trustworthy. Spare no effort in serving your lord and parents with the utmost sincerity.
The second precept: one must not attempt malicious or insidious deeds, but should accumulate merits by relieving all living creatures from their distress.
The third precept: one must not kill animals for food, but should extend their kindness to even the insects.
The fourth precept: one must not engage in lewd and lascivious behavior, which would lead to the corruption of the vital Qi and stain the spiritual essence. One should be discreet and stay away from such unwanted offense.
…
The ninth precept: one must not keep company of unworthy persons and walk among ill-reputed places. One should look up to those more virtuous and dwell in refined and nonaggressive locations.
The tenth precept: one must not indulge themselves in frivolous conduct or flippant behaviour, but should be prudent, reserved, and always value morality above anything else."
He read through the ten precepts first, then explained each one in turn.
Precepts were the code of conduct for monks/nuns/priests. Essentially, they were no different from the " five stresses and four points of beauty 1 " or the " Eight Honors and Eight Shames 2 ", only that they read more awkwardly.
The kids had all attended primary school before coming here and some were old enough to be middle school students. Hence, they did not find the class too abstruse and thought it similar to the session of appreciating ancient prose in their Chinese classes.
Xu Ziying's followed Huihe attentively, apparently hanging to his every word. However, every now and then, she would steal a glance sideways to where He He was sitting.
Ever since the first day of their arriving at the temple, or more precisely, ever since that little girl uttered that earth-shaking question, an odd feeling had been nagging at Xu Ziying.
One example of the things that had been bothering her was that Priest Huihe himself had ordered He He's seat to be moved from the last row to the first.
What did that mean? Well, it was a dagger in the slackers' heart! Such treatment had almost sealed He He's place as the curve wrecker, which alone was enough to make Xu Ziying set her alarm.
"In all of the ten thousand holy classics, loyalty and filial piety are emphasized as the first priorities. One should serve their lord and carry out the lord's command diligently so as to return the lord's favor and protection. One should also cultivate their moral character, act prudently, and attend upon their parents, so as to show their gratitude for the love and care received from childhood…" Huihe finished explaining the first precept and asked, "Any question?"
"Priest!" Hardly had his voice faded away before He He responded, "You said we must be loyal to our lord and obey our parents, but there are no more emperors now. Whom should we be loyal to?"
"Well, we might no longer have kings or emperors, but we worship the gods, wish a long-lasting good fortune for our nation, dispel evil and harm, and persuade the people to do good deeds. All of these are demonstrations of our loyalty as Taoist priests." Huihe smiled.
"I see… Thank you, Priest!"
He He did not really understand those words, but she kept them firmly in her mind all the same.
Another quarter of an hour of teaching and the morning class was over. The kids filed out running, heading for the canteen for their breakfast.
Before she realized, He He had been here for three days.
Considering their young age, Taiqing Palace did not give them too full a schedule. They got up at six thirty in the morning, morning class started at seven, and breakfast was at seven fifty, followed by three sessions of academic courses.
Afternoons were mostly dedicated to physical training. They were taught two sets of fist movements, which was slightly more advanced than that "First National Fitness Program for Primary and Secondary School Students".
After that came supper and the evening class. The period from eight o'clock onwards was free time of their own.
The Taoist classics the temple taught them were rather plain and they were not required to sit in meditation. Children of their age would have a hard time sitting still for an hour, let alone getting their mind into the right state.
He He found the life here not too bad. She was not particularly smart, but there was a certain tenacity about her. She had also realized that this place would not be her destination, for "the forest of ten directions" was not qualified to take in disciples, being merely a place for initiation and rudimentary training.
They would take their lessons in Taiqing Palace for three years so as to lay their foundations. Only when one was deemed to have a firm Taoist mind and excellent natural endowments would they be recommended to other descendant temples.
Descendant temples pretty much included all the temples and palaces out there—the ones that were passed down from one generation of masters to the next. Only there would one be officially taken in by a master, receive the headdress ceremony, and become a priest of Quanzhen.
"Do you have any f**king idea who I am?"
"Why should I care? I only smudged you clothes. Why did you swear at me?"
"Because I want to. And I want to kick the s*it out of you…"
He He had just finished her breakfast and was going to her academic classes when she heard the row outside. The children would not miss such a show and all ran out to see.
Lin Junlong and Shao Yangming stood in the middle of the courtyard, both flushing with anger.
Shao Yangming was from a business family that had some connections. Lin Junlong, on the other hand, had crossed paths with Gu Yu once—he was none other than that middle school classmate of Fang Qing.
After failing his high school entrance examination, the boy went to Shengtian and worked in his uncle's car wash, earning a wage of a couple of hundred every month. It went on for more than half a year when an accident happened to the car wash and the place was shut down. He then stayed in Shengtian and muddled around.
Then Taiqing Palace started recruiting this year. Lin Junlong was taken over by god-knows-what idea, or maybe he only wanted that 1600-yuan monthly allowance, and signed up for the initiation.
He had always been estranged from his parents, who were no saints to begin with and agreed to his decision without any hesitation.
Hence, the two kids that were both somehow related to Phoenix Mountain were miraculously brought to one place.
The squabble did not last for long when a hush fell over the crowd. Priest Fangchengzi arrived at the scene. As the Inspector, he was in charge of discipline supervision. His face darkened as he asked, "What have we here?"
"..."
There was some more silence before Lin Junlong answered, "I smudged his robe at breakfast and he swore at me. We then shouted at each other."
"Making a scene in the public has affected the rest of the students and as fellow classmates, you failed to forgive and tolerate each other. The fault is in you both." Fangchengzi was swift with his verdict. "Tonight you will each transcribe fifty copies of the 'primary ten true precepts' and hand them in to me tomorrow."
"Yes!"
Lin Junlong bowed at the command obediently.
Shao Yangming would not have it. The spoiled and pampered kid had an unruly and wilful character. He had been brewing his grudge for being forced to come here for days. All the discipline and the absence of meat for the past three days only aggravated his temper.
"Why would I do that? You really think you're something, don't you? I can buy this goddamn temple if I wanted! Fifty copies my a*s!" he shouted at the top of his voice.
"..."
Fangchengzi frowned and did not speak to the boy. He then gave order to a young priest. "Inform his family. Tell them to come and collect the boy."
"Yes!" the young priest answered.
"Whoosh!"
Blood drained from the arrogant brat's face right away. He had never expected the priests here to be so resolute. His old man would probably kill him for being kicked out. Weeping, he tried to apologize, but the ship had long sailed.
"Now, go back to your classroom, please. No gawking!"
Fangchengzi shooed the crowd away and left promptly, leaving the pale-faced Shao Yangming alone in the yard.
The rest of the kids that watched this each formed their own ideas. Those from affluent families thought it a reminder to never be arrogant, whereas the less well-off ones found the outcome utterly satisfying.
***
When individuals formed into a group, one type of psychology became inevitable—that was to compare with others.
Be those individuals adults or children, be their environment that of a school, a company, or a dinner party, one could not help but make comparisons, even if it was just a passing nice car.
It was human nature.
The mere few days were more than enough for the twenty-four little disciples to figure out the situation. Children nowadays were very precocious and valued wealth and family background even more than adults did.
Among the twelve boys and twelve girls, eight were from government officials' families, nine had a business background, while the rest seven were from normal or poor families.
Although their activities were based on their individual dormitory as a unit, the kids had naturally divided into two factions. He He, who did nothing but studying diligently, was the only exception.
The seven days passed in a heartbeat.
The parents waited eagerly outside the scripture hall, their faces anxious and expectant. Xu Lei was among them. Unlike the others, she stilled hoped against He He's staying here and spending the rest of her life as a priestess.
Inside, twenty-three children sat neatly on the praying mats and the thirteen priests and priestesses sat in the front in a row like the first day.
"Seven days have passed and your adaptation period is over. It is time to announce the decisions." Huayang roamed his eyes around the room. "I will be calling your names in turn and offering each one some comments. Whether you will stay or not will be a decision made by us both."
He took over a stack of files. His tranquil face revealed nothing, but deep down, he was growing uneasy. The Taoist community had been waning for centuries and an opportunity had finally come along. With the recovery of the spiritual essence and the support of the government, everything was on their side.
Taiqing Palace was the first temple to complete the adaptation training and every eye was on them! This group of children had very limited talent and on average were mediocre at most. Luckily, there was a hidden gem among them.
The thought brought his eyes in a certain pupil's direction. He gave the one an indifferent glance and began to speak in an unhurried voice, "Xu Ziying: classics study, Grade A; physical training, Grade B; natural endowment, Excellent. The student obeys the rules, fulfills her duties diligently, and is cordial towards her fellow classmates. The overall grade is Excellent."
"Thank you, Abbot!"
Xu Ziying was elated at the words and expressed her gratitude with a kowtow.
Huayang then asked, "Are you willing to stay?"
"I am!"
"Hoho, good. Starting from today, you are officially an intern disciple."
It was gratifying news for Huayang and the rest of the twelve priests also found it spirit-lifting. The overall quality of Xu Ziying was promising and the girl had shown her potential. She would be a pupil worth training.
He then moved on the the next one. "Lin Junlong: classics study, Grade C; physical training, Grade A; natural endowment, Good… Are you willing to stay?"
"I am!" Lin Junlong replied immediately.
It went on like so for the next dozen kids. Most received an overall grade of Good and most gave yes as an answer. Three had performed rather poorly. Before they could say anything, Huayang had persuaded them to withdraw.
The Taoist community was not formed by idiots. They would not take someone who was obviously talentless.
Finally, when Huayang picked up the last file, all eyes fell on He He, those of the thirteen priests especially keen. Policies could be flexible. Even if the girl declined, they would think of ways to make her stay.
"He He, classics study, Grade A; physical training, Grade A; natural endowment, Exceptional… overall grade, Exceptional."
After that, Huayang fought back the tumult of emotions rising inside and asked, "Are you willing to stay!"
"..."
Her eyes glassy, He He neither spoke nor moved. Somehow, the question she asked seven days ago came back to her.
"I want to bring back the dead and become immortal. Is that possible?"
"I can give you no answer to that question… however, since 4700 years ago, our fellow cultivators have been blazing their way through all manners of obstacles and all the mountains in the world could not stop them from trying; countless forefathers have searched up and down the world for the Great Dao, but remained empty-handed at their deathbed… all they have ever pursued, was immorality."
He He faced her palms towards the ceiling with the back of her hands flat on the floor; she prostrated before the masters.
"I am!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-71.png){kind=small}
Chapter 271: The Miserable Priest Zhang
Source: Qidian International
Cottage of Pure Mind, the meditation room.
Gu Yu was sitting on the rush mat with a fiery red feather between his fingers. He probed it with his mental force repeatedly, apparently conducting some experiment. In a while, he shook his head and said with resignation, "I still can't make it work. My mental force is not powerful enough to change its structure and appearance."
"So, chicken rib again! 1 Starting from scratch is indeed Hell Mode. It's never as easy as those with a favorable environment and steady output of resources," said Xiaozhai, who was sitting on the opposite side, disappointedly.
"Don't give up just yet. The feather won't work, but we still have the fluff. There's enough to make a down jacket with," comforted Gu Yu, not bothering to feign the least sincerity.
Ever since the Pavilion of Gems sent the red feather vultures to Phoenix Mountain, the two had been experimenting on them, hoping to find some sort of clue. Unfortunately, they had not succeeded so far.
There were two kinds of bird feathers. Those covering their back and wings were vaned feathers, which were tougher—sort of like the keratinization of epidermis. The other kind were the down feathers found on the abdomen—soft, light, and fluffy.
And here came the problem: vaned feathers were more abundant and had a better defensive power, but they could not be used as a fabric and could only be stitched onto ready-made clothes; the down feathers, on the other hand, were fewer, not as good in fending off attacks, but could be used to make things like down jackets, duvets, pillows, etc.
Gu Yu's current mental force was not powerful enough to change the shape of substances. For instance, if he wanted to refine a sword, he had to forge the raw material into the shape of a sword before refining it with his mental force.
He would make a fool of himself if he tried to refine a sword from a piece of jade stone directly.
The existing Taoist conjuring instruments were divided into two kinds. Those made by Phoenix Mountain were all products of mental force refinement, which could be stored away in the mental space and were imposingly powerful. As for those used by men of Qiyun, they went through no refinement by mental force but were mere apparatus, such as the whisk and wooden sword Lu Yuanqing and the others used.
It worked the same way with the red feather. They had to make the feathers into clothes first before having it refined. Take a wild guess what Father and Mother Jiang would say if someone suggested them to go around wearing a costume not much unlike two human-sized bats!
The feathers were too prickly as a lining and too ridiculous as an outer layer—Father Jiang was a high-ranking official in the province, for God's sake!
God forbids if someone should see him in some feathery costume, well… "firstly, it was sheer fabrication; secondly, we've put it into the hands of our lawyer" would probably be what followed.
"Why did everybody else get to start from a novice village but we have to build a novice village first?" Frowning, Xiaozhai feigned a tantrum and swept the feathers aside. "There are times I don't feel like a cultivator at all; a self-taught folk scientist, that's what I am."
"There, there, it's much more fulfilling this way. Just think about it. We're basically setting the rules of the future cultivation world. Isn't that an enormous merit to brag about?" Gu Yu chuckled and put the fiery feathers away, then raised his girlfriend to her feet. "Come, let's go check it out. It's been a while and those medicine materials should be ready."
With that, he dragged Xiaozhai out of the room, passed a stretch of cottages, and arrived at the southeast corner of the compound. There, a house stood alone with tightly shut door and windows; a faint spiritual essence fluctuation was coming out of it.
"Whoosh!"
Gu Yu waved his hand, removing the confinement, and pushed the wooden door open. Instantly, they were welcomed by a rich fragrance of medicine. It was intense and restless, as if containing a hint of unusual aggressiveness.
The room was filled with cubes, dividing it into multiple small sections. In each section were shelves with name tags on them, indicating the various medicinal materials the shelves held.
"The smell alone is proof enough. Let's get to work!"
Gu Yu was elated. He fetched a few trays and started to pick around. Xiaozhai followed suit. They examined and appraised, reminding one another from time to time in case their selection overlapped.
"250 g of prepared rhizome of rehmannia, 100 g of desert cistanche, 100 g of whole Chinese angelica and 100 g of Chinese dodder pellets!"
"100 g of icariin, 100 g of tuckahoe, 100 g of polygala root, 50 g of ootheca mantidis, and 50 g of whole scorpion!"
"Seven big black spiders, 15 g of golden cypress, 100 g of tender pilose antler, 100 g of eucommia bark, and one placenta!"
After much bustling about, they had picked out 23 medicine materials, which together had covered half of the floor. They did not stop there, but immediately moved on to the next round of selection.
"50 g of oyster shell powder and 50 g of osthole!"
"50 g of semen irisis and 50 g of poison yam!"
"100 g of tortoiseshell paste, 100 g of pilose antler paste, and 100 g of fish glue!"
They soon selected 11 other materials. These two batches were none other than the ingredients of the two Dan recipes recorded in the Book on the State of Mind of Black Bead, which were the Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan and the Evil-expelling Dan.
The former could enhance one's body and benefit one's spirit and mind, while the latter could expel evil energy and cure maladies.
Both recipes were lower in grade than the Essence-gathering Dan in the Seal of Patriarch Sa. It took them a great effort to collect all materials and complete the first-phase preparations.
The refinement of Dan took more than throwing herbs into a cauldron, lighting up a fire, and getting the Dan out two minutes later with no extra help other than the "halo of the protagonist". In reality, even the material-preparing stage alone was unfathomably tedious.
The Indian mulberry, for instance, had to be soaked in the liquor overnight, then sun-dried. The scorpions needed to have their heads and tails removed; only the trunks were to be used. The desert cistanche had to be heated until crisp. The handling of tuckahoe was the weirdest, which had to be mixed with human breast milk and steamed and process hae to be repeated nine times.
Human! Breast! Milk!
Phoenix Mountain was not short of plump bosoms—three pairs, for that matter—but where on earth were they supposed to find breast milk? In the end, they had to search for a seller. As it turned out, they had indeed made a purchase—fresh and organic.
***
"Take in the goods as usual while we're away. Yan Han knows his way well enough and Old Shui will help on our end. There shouldn't be a problem," said Gu Yu.
"Do we just take everything that we haven't seen before?" asked Long Qiu.
"Yes. Check the app regularly. New content is coming up faster now. Make sure you know what's going on."
"What about the price?" Xiao Qiu asked a second question.
"Leave that to Jin Jin. She would make every coin count." Xiaozhai chuckled, holding her younger sister by the shoulder.
The elder pair were leaving detailed instructions for the younger pair before setting out. To their surprise, Jin Jin was very well behaved this time and did not nag them about tagging along.
Probably because of the shame of being kidnapped in Changbai Mountain, she had been working more arduously than ever since coming back—she had even almost abandoned her tumble plays with Long Qiu. They never saw her for an entire day and only got a glimpse of her after well into the night. When Xiaozhai asked, the answer was always that she had been in the training field.
The improvement in her cultivation was apparent. It would not be long before she reached the passionless state of Metal Thunder.
After a lengthy instruction, Gu Yu and Xiaozhai set out. They went to the manor at the mountain foot first, where they talked with Shui Yao briefly. Old Shui was a born prince of the street. Having been in Bai Town for just over a month, a few underlings were already circling around him, running for his biddings.
He was very good at planning and managing. The transportation channel between Bai Town and Shengtian was running smoothly in his hands. Whenever the Pavilion of Gems received new goods or Phoenix Mountain had new product available, he would make sure everything reached its destination as soon as possible.
He spent his spare time training himself hardly. With the help of the spiritual rice and liquor, he was now several sizes larger in his physique.
After everything was taken care of, Gu Yu and Xiaozhai header for Shengtian, where they took a flight towards Longhu Mountain.
***
The Celestial Master Temple, inner room.
The current celestial master Zhang Jintong sat on a low bed with a "visitation notice" in his hands. His fingers were trembling slightly despite himself.
"We have long known the virtue of the true masters of your honourable sect. We youngsters admire your Dan-refining method and would like to visit you in a few days."
The note was written in black ink. The strokes of the Chines characters felt carefree and unrestrained. Only from the slight delicate touch of them could one guess that the note was written by a woman.
Zhang Jintong put down the note on a low table, his hands still shaking. To him, it read more like an "eviction of life" notice straight from hell. He had heard enough about the way Phoenix Mountain tending their business to know that those two wouldn't take no for an answer.
God damn it! Who told them about the Dan furnace in the Celestial Master Temple?
For a moment there, the old priest was overwhelmed by sorrow. He could almost feel the hand behind his neck which was going to pin him to the ground and rub the floor with his face. Could he fight? There was no hope of winning. Could he turn to the government for help? Whom was he kidding? Phoenix Mountain and the government had just finished a round of intensive cuddling and were in their peaceful unresponsive period.
"Sigh…"
Zhang Jintong heaved a long sigh and slowly walked to the window. Since he could not resist it, at least he should think of a way to exchange some favor for Longhu Mountain.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-72.png){kind=small}
Chapter 272: Terms (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
Yingtan, the train station.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai walked out carrying two huge wooden chests, which became quite the head-turner. The chests were square, crudely made, of an odd style, and even the handles looked impromptu.
Needless to say, in them were the materials for Dan refinement.
The two recipes needed 34 ingredients in total and they had prepared seven portions of each, which was their limit. Dan-refining was a major task that required all three of capability, skill, and luck. The tiniest error would push them back to ground zero and they would have to repeat the whole process. Hence, the output rate of Dan had always been very low.
They did not raise their hopes too high, though. They would be very content if one out of the seven portions turned out successful.
Yingtan was a small city with minimal attraction. They hailed a taxi as soon as they were out of the station, thinking about heading for Longhu Mountain right away. Xiaozhai got in first. Gu Yu was about to follow when he paused. Somewhere not far, a loudspeaker was chanting an advertisement.
"New Wind-cold Granules! Introduced to the market for the first time! A product of Emei Pharmaceutical! Effective from the first dosage! Effective from the first dosage!"
'Hm?'
The two exchanged a look, both attracted by the name "Emei Pharmaceutical".
"I'll go have a look!"
Gu Yu turned around and ran to the pharmacy across the road. He pushed the door open and blurted out, "One of that cold granules, please."
"Are you paying with your medical insurance card?" asked the shop assistant.
"Um, cash, actually."
He winced at his own answer, somehow abashed by those words.
One of the unspoken rules of all pharmacies was that the inexpensive and effective medicines were always stashed in the innermost corners, while the costly but not so effective ones were displayed on the most conspicuous shelves.
The shop assistant took one box of the medicine straight out of the counter. Gu Yu looked at it closely. The packaging was very ordinary, but the name of the manufacturer was emphasized. The ingredient section read: ephedra, kudzu vine roots, perilla leaf, radix sileris, cassia twig, Chinese angelica, dried tangerine peel, apricot kernel...
Effect: relieve exterior syndrome, induce perspiration, and expel wind and cold pathogens; can be used to treat common cold, fever, headache, coughing, etc.
One box contained six sachets, which was to be ingested for one sachet per dosage.
"Excuse me, how often should I take it every day?" he asked.
"Normally one sachet is enough to cure you as long as you don't have a bad cold," replied the shop assistant.
Just then, an auntie—who would make an excellent shill—close by interjected, "I caught a cold the other day and was cured by this—by one sachet! It works like a wonder. Your money is well spent."
"Well… thanks."
Gu Yu felt his temple was throbbing again. He then asked, "Does Emei Pharmaceutical have other products?"
"..."
The shop assistant gave him an odd look. "There are two more. A pain relieving cream and a mulberry and chrysanthemum drink."
"I'll have one each."
A couple of minutes later, he walked out with three packages of medicines and got into the taxi. The car started and drove away from the station, heading for Longhu Mountains 20 km away.
Xiaozhai slouched on the back seat, using her boyfriend's lap as her pillow. Her two long legs were forced to bend into an uncomfortable angle—they were not designed for such a narrow space.
She fumbled the packages of the medicines and examined them carefully. All three were made from commonly found ingredients and the formulas were nothing special, either.
They had not seen them in Bai Town and could not be sure if they were sold in the North. But they were certain of one thing: the products were the result of government-organized research and development and would probably be promoted to the whole society in the future.
"It's not as bad as we expected. They have finally turned their attention to people's well-being."
Xiaozhai gave the idea a thumbs-up, then asked, "By the way, how much did all these cost?"
"Here you go!"
He handed her the receipt.
She checked it and was surprised by the figure. The same medicine from different manufacturers would usually have different price tags. For instance, the cold granules of Tong Ren Tang were sold at 13.5 yuan, whereas that of Baiyunshan was 11 yuan and Xiuzheng's 25 yuan .
This one by Emei, however, was sold at 36 yuan.
As for the pain relieving cream, Baiyunshan's was 36.5, Yunnan Baiyao's was 19.5, but this one was 58 yuan. With the 32-yuan mulberry and chrysanthemum drink, Gu Yu had paid 126 yuan in total.
That was quite expensive for some common medicine, but on the second thought, if they were as effective as the advertisement claimed, would one buy a cheaper alternative, which might not cure them with one purchase, or would one rather pay a little more for Emei's product?
Especially now, when most of the urban residents were covered by medical insurance, that premium was not going to make them sweat.
"..."
Gu Yu waved his hand and set up a confinement, then said loudly, "Wang Qi was right. This is indeed a major operation. They are tasting their first bite of meat!"
"Huh, they're selling medicine for cold for the time being, god knows what they will come up with in the future. Qi-nourishing powder, strength-enhancing capsule, life-prolonging paste, you name it. In two or three generations, the physique of the people will be improved as a whole. Tsk, that is indeed very provident, not to mention lucrative," said Xiaozhai.
"Anyone rising that high will take their entire clan into consideration. In the worst scenario, as long as they're not too greedy and can take common people's well-being into account, I would say they're not doing a terrible job," said Gu Yu.
Would the three new medicines benefit the common people? Sure!
Would money flowed into the pockets of those top dignitaries who were behind all this? Even surer!
In most countries, one would consider such outcome not without merit.
The two chatted on. Despite their moving lips, no sound was escaping the confinement. After a while, the driver seemed to notice something and peeked into the rearview mirror.
Gu Yu sensed it right away. He was going to simply stop talking. However, Xiaozhai wrapped her arms around his neck and dragged his head closer, then began to torture his lips with her tongue.
Gosh!
The driver saw what was going on and could only sigh inwardly for the loss of decency in this world.
***
"This place is magnificent!"
Carrying the chests, Gu Yu looked up at the three vermilion gates. Admiration escaped his lips.
"Seriously? They look so fake!" Xiaozhai despised them.
"We're at the birthplace of their sect. Aren't we supposed to say that?" A sarcastic remark of his was as ready as always.
The Celestial Master Temple was also a tourist destination, but no tourists could be found today. Of the three vermilion gates, the two on either side was closed, leaving only the middle one wide open. Apparently, the temple was prepared for their visit.
"Layman Gu and Laywoman Jiang, I presume?" They were greeted by a priest receptionist.
"That is right. We are here to see Celestial Master Zhang." Gu Yu returned the greeting with a bow.
"The master is waiting inside. Please follow me."
With that, the receptionist led them inside. They went to the dormitory to put down their luggage first before arriving at the Three Gates.
The so-called Three Gates was the private residence of the Celestial Master Temple. After entering the gate, they saw a courtyard wall first, beyond which was the Palace of Celestial Masters. The palace consisted of three halls. The front one was the hallway, the middle one the living room, and the back one the inner chamber.
Zhang Jintong was sitting cross-legged on the low bed in the inner chamber.
The man was in his late fifties and had a weary, gaunt face, which gave him a pent-up look. He wore an ordinary blue gown and seemed to be resting with his eyes closed.
Relationships were complicated in the Celestial Master Temple of Sihan.
The government had suppressed the power of various religions—Buddhism and Taoism included—after the establishment of the modern state. The 63th generation Celestial Master could stand the pressure no further and took refuge overseas. As a result, no Celestial Master was appointed after that.
The old Celestial Master had a nephew, who had set up his own altar and named himself the 64th Celestial Master.
Zhang Jintong was a descendant on the mother's side and the old Celestial Master was his maternal grandfather. After the government gave permission to preach again, they raised Zhang Jintong and changed his surname. As for that Zhang Miaoxian, he was actually a legitimate heir to the surname Zhang. His paternal grandfather was the old Celestial Master's younger brother.
However, Zhang Miaoxian was ousted to Wanshou Palace of Xishan, where he spent his days as an idle abbot.
Therefore, Zhang Jintong only jumped on the wagon halfway through the journey. His lineage had always been seen as unconvincing and calumny would rise every now and then, slandering his name. He had actually made some great contributions to Longhu Mountain, including repairing the old houses, promoting the Taoist orthodox, and raising an exceptional direct disciple like Zhang Shouyang.
"Master? Master?"
The priest receptionist entered the room and called Zhang Jintong several times before he finally opened his eyes. "So, the guests are here?"
"Yes, they are in the living room."
"I see. You may leave now. I will attend to them myself."
After dismissing the pupil, he straightened up his clothes before walking out. Arriving at the living room, he saw a man and a woman drinking their tea. They were remarkably distinguished and admirable, and their elegance looked otherworldly.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-73.png){kind=small}
Chapter 273: Terms (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
Wang Chongyang was a sneaky bastard.
He promoted the unification of the three religions and fused the core ideology of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism into one, which was flexible and malleable enough to fit into the political framework. It was exactly as what He He had been told in the "primary ten true precepts": be loyal, be filial, obey your lord and your parents.
No ruler of any era or dynasty would reject such an ideology. Hence, after a period of suppressing religions, the country was making Quanzhen the orthodoxy again, offering the sect a high degree of freedom at the same time.
Zhengyi received no such favor. Even their Celestial Master was appointed by the government.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai sat in the living room when a gaunt old priest entered. He was of average height and they could tell that he had been practicing Qi-nourishing methods. But probably because of the burden of common affairs on a daily basis, his cultivation level was far below that of Zhang Shouyang.
They were very curious. After all, so much gossip was going around in the community, talking about things like "the strife between the uncle and the nephew". In spite of that, they still greeted the old priest with proper courtesy, bowing in unison. "Celestial Master Zhang!"
"Layman Gu, Laywoman Jiang, please sit down."
Zhang Jintong gestured with his hand. His face revealed no melancholy as previously; instead, he looked as majestic as the abbot of a sect birthplace should be.
After all three took their seats, Gu Yu gave Xiaozhai a look and spoke, "Celestial Master, the reason for our visit is to ask for your advice on Dan refinement. We would appreciate it very much if you could teach us a thing or two."
"Haha, I've heard a lot about the way Phoenix Mountain do their business."
Zhang Jintong stroked his beard and grinned. "If I'm not mistaken, the Dan-refining method is not what you are after. You are here for my divine furnace. Am I right?"
'Hm?'
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai were slightly taken aback. Their plan was to exchange some pleasantries first, but the old priest had cut to the chase first—and in a sarcastic tone, no less.
It did not affect Gu Yu the least. It was going to be a negotiation and the parties involved were free to play around with their words. "Since you have figured out our purpose, we will not beat around the bush anymore. You have guessed right. We have come across some Dan recipes and would like to borrow your furnace."
"The thousand-year heritage of the Celestial Master Temple still has a thing or two left despite the countless tribulations fallen upon us, among which is the Dan furnace. I could even go so far as to claim that of all the renowned palaces and temples still standing, we have the only Dan furnace made from Six One Mud," he spoke slowly in a low pitch, reminding one of a candle flickering in the wind.
What he did not say was obvious: this treasure of ours is so amazing that you'd have to pay a sincere price for using it.
"Celestial Master, I am aware of the inconvenience we bring you by borrowing the furnace. If there is anything we can do to help, please let us know. We will do our best to meet your needs." Xiaozhai paused a little before adding, "And, well, we'd like to exchange for some of the talisman paper your sect preserved, too."
"..."
Hearing that, Zhang Jintong half closed his eyes and sat in silence as if he was deep in his thoughts. As a matter of fact, he had decided on the terms beforehand already. But now that the talisman paper was mentioned, there was one more thing on the list, which meant he had to change the terms accordingly.
The couple waited in patience. After a long pause, the old priest finally asked, "What do you need the talisman paper for?"
"To make Flying Talismans."
"Will we be lucky enough to know the method?"
"Of course."
"And the Dan recipe is for?"
"I'm sorry, but we can't reveal that."
"I have heard a lot about the brilliance of Phoenix Mountain's Taoist skills. We have a skill of talisman paper-making, I wonder if you two would be interested to learn?" Zhang Jintong sweetened the pot himself.
The so-called talisman paper was made in a similiar way to ordinary paper, but since the former could be refined into talismans—and high-level talismans, for that matter—there had to be something unique about the skill. If Phoenix Mountain could obtain it, they would be able to produce it themselves from now on.
"Please give us a minute to think about it."
Gu Yu waved his hand and set up a confinement. They then began to discuss right in front Zhang Jintong's eyes.
"What are we going to exchange for that?"
"Void-arranging, Water-walking, Small Confining, or Storage Technique—any one of the four will do."
"Small Moving Technique, Mental Force Refinement Technique, and our core skills are off the limit."
"Talisman paper is very useful. We can accept exchanging for it with two or three of our skills."
"In that case, shall we raise the stake and ask what talismans does he have?"
"Good idea!"
It was like shopping for a car. You started off thinking about buying an electric cart and realized the good ones would cost as much as twenty or thirty thousand yuan. Raise your budget a little and you could buy a BYD F3. But since you had decided to by a BYD, you might as well move up the ladder a little bit and choose a Geely instead. With yet a little more money, you could get a Corolla and a Buick Regal was just a little bit more expensive than that… you ended up driving back home a Rolls Royce.
Phoenix Mountain might seem to have a lot of Taoist skills, but the amount was nothing compared to the tens of thousands of talismans, which would make an excellent supplement. They cared little about which sect was which—they would take whatever that worked for them.
"Celestial Master, we have made up our mind." Gu Yu removed the confinement and said to the gaping and astonished Zhang Jintong, "Since we're here, we might as well make this deal count. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"
"Oh, sure!"
Zhang Jintong finally let his excitement show. He rose to his feet. "Follow me, please."
With that, the three walked into the inner chamber, where the old priest held onto a porcelain bottle and twisted. With a creaking sound, a door to a secret chamber opened.
The three entered. Just to be on the safe side, Gu Yu put up another layer of confinement.
He told Zhang Jintong about their intention and the latter considered it for a moment before sighing. "With your capabilities, I trust you two will not deceive me. All right. The Celestial Master Temple has been passed down for over a thousand years with a lot of talisman spells. Let me talk you through them. We have the Pure Heart Spell. It dispels distractions and calms the mind."
"We won't be needing that." Gu Yu shook his head.
"We have the House Protection Spell. It keeps the house and family free from evil spirits."
Anyone else would have taken it. But it was Phoenix Mountain we were talking about here. Which idiotic evil spirit would dare to go through their door? Hence, Xiaozhai said, "No, thanks."
"We have the Golden Armor Divine Soldier Spell. It summons a golden-armored heavenly god and is fierce beyond comparison."
This was the one Zhang Shouyang used in Changqing Village. Gu Yu thought about it. The spell was powerful enough, but still more like a chicken rib to them. He replied, "Sorry, but no."
Zhang Jintong went on like this for over a dozen spells and the couple rejected them all. He then said, "We have the Shape-changing Spell. It changes any metal, stone, grass, wood, and the like into your appearance for three days."
'Hm?'
That was indeed very interesting. Gu Yu asked, "Can it talk or move?"
"It can walk around and make basic conversations, but has none of your abilities. It will self-destruct after three days."
"Good, I'll take it!"
He nodded. That was a unique function that might turn out useful someday.
Zhang Jintong then introduced another dozen spells and sold none. All those he listed were lower level spells that were of the blue level at most. They did sound amazing, but were of no use to Phoenix Mountain.
"..."
Seeing that it was not going well, the old priest frowned and pondered. He would exchange for valuable items only if he himself offered something valuable enough in the first place. And only through that could the value and status of the Way of Celestial Masters stay steady.
He had been running Zhengyi long enough to prove himself a resolute leader. Grinding his teeth, he said, "If you two would follow me, please."
With that, he pressed another button and a secret chamber within this secret chamber was revealed. It was a sizeable room with a shrine inside, sitting on which was a statue of the sect founder Zhang Daoling. On the wooden table in front of the shrine was a purple talisman.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai felt their hearts lurch. The level of the talisman went from gold, silver, purple, blue, and down to yellow. A purple talisman! It had got to be the hidden card up their sleeves!
"The Five Transformation Rain-praying Talisman. The first transformation starts the wind, the second summons the dark clouds, the third darkens the sky, the fourth brings thunder, and at the fifth, there comes the downpour. What do you think about this?" asked Zhang Jintong.
"Well…" Gu Yu suddenly found what was going on very strange. "Celestial Master, I'm afraid I don't understand what you're trying to achieve here."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-74.png){kind=small}
Chapter 274: The Divine Furnace
Source: Qidian International
"Hoho…"
Zhang Jintong smiled. "We each have something the other side wants, that's all. We will come back to that later. Tell me, what do you think of this talisman?"
"Does this Five Transformation Rain-praying Talisman require an altar to carry out?" Xiaozhai asked.
"It does."
"Does it require any specific weather condition?"
"None."
"And the maximum area it covers?"
"Well, as long as one has the adequate energy, they could bring rainfall to the entire Northeast."
'Gee!'
Xiaozhai and Gu Yu exchanged a look and read each other's mind.
In this modern society with well-developed artificial rainfall technology, a rain-praying talisman might sound redundant. On a second thought, however, one would realize that artificial rainfall was greatly restrained by weather conditions. The rockets could not be launched until certain criterion was reached, or the province of Liaodong would not have suffered from that great a drought last summer.
The rain-praying talisman would not have such problem; with it, they could summon the rain whenever they wanted. Almost instantaneously, the couple decided they would take it!
"Celestial Master, does your sect have other similar talismans?" Gu Yu asked tentatively.
"I regret to have to say so, but this is the only high level talisman our temple has." Zhang Jintong led them out and resealed the secret chamber. "According to my maternal grandfather, there was a silver talisman here at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. It was similar to this one, but much more powerful. It was called the Seven Transformation Sun-praying Talisman. One transformation chases the six divine animals into hiding, two dispels the four evil spirits, three clears away dark clouds, four stops excessive rain, five brings brightness back, six allows the sun and moon to shine together, and seven seals up all lakes and oceans. It collects the deviant energy and exposes it under the Five Thunders, so that it will be annihilated. The talisman was powerful enough to remake nature. Such a pity…"
He heaved a couple of sighs but did not go on, which suggested the talisman was either lost or destroyed.
Gu Yu was greatly intrigued, but found it inappropriate to inquire after it. When they were back in their seats, he said, "Celestial Master, since you have shown your sincerity, we will also be blunt. We'd like to know everything—how to use the Dan furnace, the talisman paper and its manufacturing method, as well as the Shape-changing and Rain-praying Spells. In turn, you're welcome to choose from our Void-arranging, Water-walking, Small Confining, Storage, and Flying Talisman Message Techniques." He explained each skill in turn, then asked, "Which ones would you like to learn?"
"..."
Stroking his beard, Zhang Jintong struggled internally. He noticed Gu Yu had said "ones", which meant he was free to choose multiple skills to learn.
They were all excellent, but none of them felt like the right thing. They were not what the Way of Celestial Masters needed most.
"I will take none of them. I only ask for one thing."
After much consideration, he gave his answer one word at a time. "All I ask for is a promise from you."
"Well…" Gu Yu frowned slightly. "That could be anything. I'm afraid you'd have to be more specific if you want a positive answer."
"Fine, I'll be specific, then. You are following the essence-consuming method, aren't you?"
Zhang Jintong fixed his eyes upon them. The stare was not exactly malicious, but it was still strangely intense with a hunger about it, as if trying to swallow them whole.
"We would be lying to you if we deny that," said Gu Yu.
"I see! I know you would never agree if I ask you for it. In that case, I'd like a promise from you two: if you ever come across another essence-consuming method, please give it to the Celestial Master Temple!" Zhang Jintong almost growled out these words in a tone that was hardly recognizable.
"..."
The two exchanged another look and Xiaozhai said, "You have our word on that! Even if there is no other essence-consuming method for good, we Phoenix Mountain will always be in your debt. Should trouble occur in the Way of Celestial Masters one day, we will spare no effort in helping you out."
"Thank you…"
"Why, we should be the one saying thanks."
Zhang Jintong rose to his feet and was about to bow, when Gu Yu stopped him and the couple bowed to the old priest instead.
Gu Yu was much more thorough and added, "The government is bound to know we have come here and they will be asking questions. Here, please take the Flying Message Technique so that you could have a plausible answer if questioned."
'Tsk!'
The old priest almost broke into sweat at the reminder—he had completely forgot about the other party. He said repeatedly, "Yes, you're right. That was very careless of me!"
With that, the talk was over. They secretly reached an agreement without getting physical. Both sides had got what they hoped for.
The tension was diffused and everybody relaxed.
Seeing that it was almost noontime, the old priest sent order to have a vegetarian meal prepared. After lunch, he led the two out of the temple and got on an official car. Yup, you heard it right. The temple was allotted an official car.
About 10 km to the southwest was the front gate of Longhu Mountain. Seeing the car, the administrative staff immediately opened the gate for them. The driver drove the car slowly up the mountain as if he was guiding them through their backyard garden.
The three got off and found themselves in front of a four-column and three-doorway stone memorial archway. Relief sculptures of the Three Pure Ones were carved across the architrave, surrounded by propitious clouds and auspicious animals with dragons and tigers coiling and crouching among them. Behind the archway was a brick-paved path leading right to Zhengyi Temple.
Zhang Sheng, the fourth generation Celestial Master, moved back from Hanzhong to Longhu Mountain and set up an ancestral hall here once to worship the forefathers, which gradually evolved into the Zhengyi Temple we knew today. Each generation of Celestial Master had set up altar here to take registrations. The mountain was filled with Taoist establishments and the grand scale had won it the title "the forever bright land of immortals".
Of course, the Zhengyi Temple standing before them now was a modern reconstruction, and worse still, worshippers were few and the place was deserted.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai had no idea what they were doing there and only followed Zhang Jintong. The old priest, however, ignored the paved path and headed straight for the backyard, from where he exited through a small gate. Outside was a half hidden unmarked track winding up the mountain slope.
The old priest marched on, explaining while walking, "Up ahead is a cave, the opening to which decorated by a running waterfall. It was where our founder refined his Dan back then. 'Dragon and tiger appeared as the Dan was completed', well, you know the saying."
The three walked on for another fifteen minutes. The terrain was forever rising as the slope was getting steeper. From somewhere out of sight came the faint sound of running water. Fifteen more minutes and they suddenly walked into a clearing. A waterfall poured down from above surrounded by dangling wisteria. Behind them was a secret cave.
The water ran down and formed a small pond. Strangely enough, although the opening of the cave was rather low, it was not flooded by the pond. Instead, it gurgled away into some unseen corner like an underground spring.
The three moved closer. In front of the waterfall was a wide opening with some remaining sign of a hut. Inside the cave stood a swarthy Dan furnace.
"Celestial Master, it can't be the divine furnace, can it?" Gu Yu found it hard to believe. The whole setting was so casual!
"It is. It has been standing here for the past thousand years or so. Mortal men were simply too ignorant to recognize a true treasure…" Seeing the astonished look on their faces, Zhang Jintong smiled. "Don't worry. It is unmovable. During the upheaval four decades ago, some people have stumbled into this place. They tried all the methods they could think of, but could not move it an inch. In the end, they had to set a fire to vent their evil temper. The furnace still stands here, all intact. Where are those people? Humph! Somewhere underground and rotten!"
Shaking his head, Zhang Jintong would not speak further about it. He stomped the ground and leapt easily across the pond, then lurched into the cave.
The two followed the old priest. Once inside, they realized the air inside was rather dry. The waterfall seemed within reach, but it felt half a world away. The moisture simply could not get in.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai stood on either side of the furnace and walked around it.
The furnace consisted of three levels. The bottom one was a three-legged Dan stove in the shape of an orb. It came with an ear on either side, which seemed possible to pull out. Inside the stove was probably where the fire would be lit.
The middle level was also an orb. Together with the bottom one, they two looked like a gourd.
The top part reminded one of the top of a pagoda, which had a bead at the tip and seven round holes around it.
The furnace was about one meter tall and 80 cm wide. There was nothing attractive about its appearance and it just stood there like a little simpleton.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-75.png){kind=small}
Chapter 275: Gosh That Was Difficult!
Source: Qidian International
All ancient cultivators used furnaces made from six one mud for Dan refinement.
The recipe of six one mud was incomplete since a long time ago and the dispute over the exact content had been going on for over a century without any definite conclusion. Zhang Jintong was telling the truth—unless some forgotten treasure was discovered, this was the only divine furnace left in this world.
"The trace of a hut outside the cave was said to be left behind by our founder, but whether it is true or not I cannot say. The water from the waterfall can be used for Dan-refining, so feel free to use it. Oh, will you be staying here or going back to the temple with me?" asked the old priest.
"We'll be staying here. Thank you, Celestial Master," said Gu Yu.
"No problem. I will send people up with some necessities, today's dinner, and your luggage. I will visit you again tomorrow."
After that, Zhang Jintong leapt out of the cave promptly and descended the mountain without looking back. He knew the rules: Dan-refining was highly confidential and peeking was an offense punishable by death.
Celestial Master Temple still had some Dan-refining methods left, such as the pellets Zhang Shouyang gave Lu Yunqing earlier. But they were all made with ordinary Dan furnaces and the product was not even qualified to be given a grade. They were nothing but potent emergency pills or tonics.
This divine furnace, however, was something the current Celestial Master Temple had never used, for they did not even have the ability to activate it.
Right now, Gu Yu and Xiaozhai were circling around the Dan furnace. There was a solid and clumsy feeling about it. The outer layer was pitch-black as if it was covered in a thick layer of charcoal powder. For a moment there, they had no idea where they should start.
"How about we take it apart and rinse it first?" Gu Yu suggested all of a sudden.
"Sure. All yours. You're much stronger." Xiaozhai backed away for a couple of steps.
'Tsk!'
Gu Yu could not be bothered to retort. The hell with "stronger", you just did not want to get your hands dirty! Shaking his head, he rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the bead on the tip, used about a third of his strength, and twisted.
'What?'
It did not budge.
He then used half of his strength and twisted it again. There was a "clunk" and the pagoda was loosened a little.
Gu Yu was utterly surprised. This time, he exerted all his force and "thud!" With a loud muffled noise, the pagoda top was finally removed. He looked down into the furnace and the first thing he saw was a huge strange container known as "water sea", which served as a cooling device.
Removing the water sea, there was the suspending cauldron, which was where the raw materials went; this part suspended in the furnace. Further down was the Dan stove where the fire was to be lit.
Breaking the furnace into four parts was a little tiring, but he acted as if he was exhausted. "I'm done. It's your turn."
"Tsk, tsk. You stingy man!" Xiaozhai gave him a scornful look and stretched out her right hand with the index and middle fingers pinched together. "Water, come!"
"Splash!"
The words had just left her tongue when the milky way of a waterfall outside was cut short in the middle as if it had been broken into half by scissors. The lower part disappeared abruptly and it was two seconds later when the water resumed its downfall.
In front of Xiaozhai, however, a giant ball of water emerged out of nowhere.
As if it had life of its own, the ball of water slowly wrapped around the four parts and started squirming up and down, which was not unlike a mastrabating Green Slime.
Eww!
Gu Yu found it kind of gross. "Why did you just do it silently? What's with the shouting?"
"Pretending I know Water-controlling Technique, obviously!" Xiaozhai replied matter-of-factly. Seeing that the transparent water ball was turning black, she pinched up her fingers again. "Go!"
The black ball disappeared right away. The next moment, it was out of the cave and splashed the mountain with a black shower.
"..."
Gu Yu would not respond to that, but turned to look at the parts. One look and he was astonished.
The treasure that had been covered in soot for a thousand years was finally showing its real charm. Once the charcoal was washed off, the furnace turned out to be of a mixed texture of metal, stone, and earth. The color was simple and uncomplicated.
"That's how a divine furnace should look. Sorry about what you had to put up with."
Gu Yu was delighted and carefully put the parts back. The big fellow now stood there as dignified as a mountain.
The sky had already gone dark after all this.
Four disciples of the Way of Celestial Masters swiftly ascended the mountain carrying all sorts of stuff. Zhang Jintong was very thorough. Among the supplies were tents, beddings, dishwares, a steamer, flashlight, a gaslamp, and wood charcoal for the fire—basically, everything.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai set up their tent outside the cave and stopped their work for the day. They sat down and meditated with eyes closed so as to adjust their vital essence.
Be aware that the ancient cultivators would not begin to refine Dan until they had fasted, put on their headdresses and robe, and chanted their prayers to the heavenly masters. Only after all those would they go into the mountains at specific days, which had to be one of the auspicious dates in a mountain-opening month (the third or ninth month of the year). And they had to burn talismans before setting up their altars; the furnaces should also come with swords, ancient mirrors, etc.
Some were only there for a psychological effect, while some might actually help.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai made no such deliberate preparations. It just happened to be March now and they picked an auspicious date, which was the following day.
***
The next morning, daybreak.
Gu Yu spent his whole night cultivating and had not stopped yet. He was breathing in and out the essence of early morning. Only when the morning sun had completely leapt out of the horizon, expelling the thin white mist in the mountain, did he stop his practice and rose to his feet. He could sense the abundant spiritual essence inside him.
Opposite him, Xiaozhai opened her eyes as well, which were also shining brightly, indicating the brilliance within.
Their eyes met and they kicked off the ground in unison, jumping into the cave.
Gu Yu opened the chest and took out a portion of the ingredients of Evil-dispelling Dan. It was lower in grade of the two and he thought they could use it for a trial run.
After years of experiments, Waidan techniques of Taoism had established a system of dozens of methods including flying, rising, drawing, subsiding, pointing, closing, nourishing, boiling, tempering, forging, grinding, sealing, etc.
Each one required a well-balanced coordination of the spiritual essence, mental force, skill, strength of fire, and other factors. The tiniest error could have a whole portion of materials go to waste.
According to the "Book on the State of Mind of Black Bead": to make the Evil-dispelling Dan, half of the ingredients was to be ground into small pieces first, then put inside small cloth pouches, each containing 100 g of the materials; the other half was to be dried in the shade before adding it into water and boiled. The pouches were to be suspended inside the cauldron and water was to be added frequently; the pouches would grow lighter in two to three days and the liquid in the furnace thicker; in four or five days, all the essence of the ingredients would dissolve in the liquid, which was when the pouches would be taken down and boiled; boil again until the water was dried up and the roughcast of the Dan was ready; collect.
As for when to feed the fire, the book said 300 g each at the hours of Mao and You, which meant 300 g of wood charcoal was to be added at 7.00 and 19.00 every day.
Could it at least try to be less sketchy? Apparently not! Their only option now was to start experimenting.
Gu Yu put the materials into the cauldron and hung the pouches, then closed the pagoda top. Xiaozhai added in the charcoal and started the fire. In a heartbeat, the interior of the furnace was red hot and the temperature was rising.
The couple then sat down cross-legged on either side and spread out their mental force, watching the furnace closely.
"Bubble!"
"Bubble!"
The materials consisted of various plants only, and once soaked, steamed, and boiled in the water, they soon melted into a mush; the water also turned into a strange mixed color of red, green, yellow, and black.
The dangling pouches were also saturated by the steam and became all soppy.
There seemed to be no end to the waiting. Fortunately, they could watch the furnace as they cultivated; the process was less boring that way. Zhang Jintong came once around noon, but dared not go in after seeing the wreathing smoke coming out of the cave. He left after standing briefly outside.
It went on like so. The couple added the charcoal and water as instructed and watched the furnace tentatively. Before they knew it, the day was over.
The pouches were indeed a little shrivelled. Gu Yu probed with his mental force and realized they were lighter in weight as well. The colors in the furnace had all fused together and were almost close to a shade of green.
It went on like this for the next four days.
The pouches had completely dried up and the "soup" was thicker than ever. Xiaozhai activated the Small Moving Technique, instantly taking out a pouch. She opened it up. Wow, the materials had almost all vaporized. All that was left were some dregs.
"We're almost there," said she.
"Ok, I'll go first."
Gu Yu reaches out and held the furnace between his arms. Two streaks of gentle spiritual essence flowed out of his palms and poured into the furnace through the two openings on either side of the stove. With this catalyst, the flame inside erupted a dozen centimetres upwards.
As the strength of the spiritual essence increased, so did the flame, which licked at the bottom of the cauldron as if it was going to devour and melt down the latter. The already thick liquid was bubbling noisily as bubbles formed and burst. It soon turned into a state halfway between solid and liquid.
This procedure was known as Dan-distillation, a prerequisite for the formation of Dan. There was also a corresponding procedure called Dan-degradation, which would be used when making complicated Dan.
Xiaozhai watched her boyfriend anxiously. It had been only less than twenty minutes and his face was covered in fine sweat. Even someone with spiritual essence as abundant as him could not afford to pour it out like so.
One slip of hand would cost them a fortune.
"Ha…"
Another quarter of an hour and Gu Yu finally reached his limit. He shouted, "Your turn!"
It was not something Xiaozhai would take lightly; she immediately took over. As soon as Gu Yu removed his hands from the furnace, he found his gourd, gulped down some liquor, and lost no time in readjusting his breath.
"..."
Xiaozhai pursed her lips; the look on her face was more serious than ever. She was never as rich in spiritual essence and was draining up after fifteen minutes. It just so happened that the liquid was growing drier and smaller then and the roughcast was forming. Then, there came a "bang!"
A lump of greenish substance exploded and splashed all over the interior of the cauldron. It was a "miscarriage" (as in "they had lost control of the materials and everything had gone to waste").
"Sigh, that's on me!"
Xiaozhai heaved a sigh, noticeably disgruntled.
"Don't worry about it. That was only the first trial."
Gu Yu drank another mouthful of the liquor and said, "Dan-distillation is extremely energy-consuming. time, you go first. I can hold on longer than you and buy you some more time to readjust your breath."
"All right!"
With that, the couple reorganized themselves and began their second round of experiment.
The process began relatively easy; when it was time for Dan-distillation, Xiaozhai carried out the task first, followed by Gu Yu. This new strategy worked well. When Gu Yu was drained of his spiritual essence, Xiaozhai had just recovered hers to take over from him.
As she activated her spiritual essence, Xiaozhai reached into the cauldron with her mental force. The liquid had turned into a jelly-like substance and was of a deep green color. The lump now indeed looked like a Green Slime.
That was the roughcast in its most preliminary form. She immediately scooped it up with her mental force and wrapped it inside, then started kneading. The Dan would only take shape after the roughcast was round, even, translucent, and shiny.
Everything seemed to be going well, but a few seconds later, Xiaozhai's face darkened and she looked even more disgruntled than the last time.
As invincible and unparalleled as the Thunder Technique was in fighting enemies, its shortcomings were exposed in a major task like this one—she had not accumulated enough spiritual essence. The same thing happened again when they were so close to their success.
Bang!
The roughcast failed to take form and was miscarried again.
She jumped to her feet, dashed out of the cave, and there came a series of clashing and rumbling sounds. A couple of minutes later when she had vented enough of her frustration, she came back in. "How far away were you?"
"I would have been able to take over in five more minutes." Gu Yu gave a rough estimation.
"The problem still lies in the recovery speed. I wonder if we can speed it up a little…"
Xiaozhai turned her head abruptly to look at her boyfriend, who smiled back at her warily. He took out a small case. In it were a few spiritual stones that were glowing dimly.
"As much as I could not bring myself to use them, it seems to be our only option."
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Chapter 276: The Three-Transformation Dan
Source: Qidian International
Up to now, the spiritual stone was the medium carrying the purest and most easily absorbed spiritual essence.
Phoenix Mountain only had 20,000 in total, which they had been stashing away in the warehouse, finding them too precious to be put into use. With what was going on at the moment, however, they had to turn to the stones, or they would be wasting away the ingredients.
They came here well prepared—around fifty stones had been brought along in case anything like this should happen.
The third experiment started without them taking a break. Xiaozhai still took the first shift, followed by Gu Yu. As soon as Xiaozhai took over again, Gu Yu clutched a spiritual stone in his hand, sat down in meditation, and began recovering.
It made a great difference. The purest spiritual essence was released from the stone, restoring Gu Yu's energy gently yet swiftly. It was even more effective than the spiritual liquor.
Soon, the glow of the stone dimmed until it was completely gone. By then, the stone had turned dead white in color and had also lost much weight.
"..."
Gu Yu was struggling inside. He could still use a little more push. Should he consume another stone, or should he just recover on his own? After a brief pondering, he took out another stone without hesitation.
The hell with it. He was using it already, he might as well run the full course.
With that in mind, he drained another stone and felt fully recharged. Seeing Xiaozhai was shaking slightly already, he immediately took over. "My turn!"
"Phew…"
Xiaozhai was relieved and carefully handed over the task.
Gu Yu reached out with his mental force, which wrapped around the paste of roughcast and went on kneading. This procedure somehow felt familiar, for it was not much different from kneading an incense stick. A couple of moves and he had already got the gist of it. He could faintly sense how long it would take for the roughcast to take shape.
Before they knew it, half an hour had passed.
As if something had suddenly dawned on him, Gu Yu was no longer holding back, but exerted his mental force in full scale—it enveloped the roughcast like a transparent case made of air.
The roughcast that had been refined repeatedly was finally going into an intriguing transformation. Green fog filled the cauldron and they could not make out what was going on inside. Then, there came a "bang!"
It was as if the great chaos had cracked open and there was life for the first time.
The divine furnace quivered slightly and a refreshing, sweet, and cool fragrance gradually flowed out of the opening on the furnace wall. Meanwhile, they could hear something rolling around inside, making a crisp and pleasant noise.
Xiaozhai had finished adjusting her breath and went up to the furnace right away. She screwed down the pagoda top and removed the water sea; what she saw brought delight to her face. Piled neatly inside the suspending cauldron were a dozen green pills the shape of pearls.
She tended to them right away. After taking out a small gourd, her alter ego of an actress resurfaced and she shouted, "In!"
The pills disappeared right away, while the gourd became a little heavier than before. She sealed the gourd and let the pills precipitate for an hour before tentatively pouring one out.
It was emerald green in color and slightly smaller than a longan fruit. Glittering and translucent, it reminded one of a semi-transparent green crystal.
"Twelve pills in one round. That's quite impressive." Gu Yu also moved closer and said happily, "The Evil-dispelling Dan is a two-transformation Dan. Rumors are that it is extremely effective. But we'd have to try it first to confirm that."
"Half a month and we get twelve most basic ones." Xiaozhai was fully aware of her position and put away the small gourd in a manner not unlike that of confiscating a bank card of a husband's salary account. "The end of the world would probably come sooner than we finish with a nine-transformation Dan."
"Those that can make a multiple transformation Dan must have a cultivation level high enough to see the age of the earth as a mere blink of an eye." Gu Yu chuckled.
The grade of Dan was determined by the round of transformations it went through. Ingredients of Dan would change from solid state to liquid, from liquid to gas, then from gas to whatever other miraculous state out there… each change of state was known as a transformation.
Nine-transformation Dan was generally considered that of the highest grade, which was known as the "Nine-transformation Golden Dan". Consuming it would let one become immortal instantly. However, there were sporadic records in certain classics claiming a type of Dan called "Sixteen-transformation Qi-sensing Golden Dan".
Sixteen transformations, OMG. It was said to be able to raise one into the Heavenly Immortal state.
The two found the claim very suspicious. Something as unbelievable as that could only be a creation of a Heavenly Immortal. It would be highly implausible that a Heavenly Immortal would make some Dan to enable someone to reach to their own state instantly.
Anyhow, their success was a confidence booster and they decided to carry on while the memory was still fresh.
Each furnace of Evil-dispelling Dan would cost them at least five days and they had four portions of the ingredients left. It was indeed as the saying went: one could not feel the passing of days deep inside a mountain. Before they knew it, twenty days had passed.
The fourth round gave them eleven pills, the fifth nine pills, the sixth was a failure, and the seventh turned out pretty good—it gave them thirteen.
Nine spiritual stones were consumed and they had made 45 pills in total, which was just enough to fill a gourd.
***
Morning, the Celestial Master Temple.
After breakfast, Zhang Jintong strolled out of the temple gate, got on his official car, and set out for Longhu Mountain. It had become his habit these days. He had been visiting the cave every day despite the fact that he never saw anybody there.
In fact, he was not lying around doing nothing in the temple, either. Gu Yu had left him with the Flying Message Technique before they left, which the old priest had been studying.
This technique required talisman to carry out and was obviously up the alley of Zhengyi. The talisman was a blue level one and super awesome: it had a "built-in GPRS", could reach the exact location, and was free from any jamming or interference.
Of course, a mental force imprint had to be left on it so that the message would be received the moment it was sent. The distance the message could travel depended on one's cultivation level.
Sweet mother of Jesus! Zhang Jintong was greatly tempted as he studied the technique. In the ancient times, this would probably the most basic skill for household use. Nowadays, however, it was close to a miracle.
"Screech!"
Before long, the car drove into the small square outside Zhengyi Temple and stopped. The old priest got off and went up the mountain following the unmarked track. When he reached the cave, he was surprised to find the couple dining inside their tent.
"Morning, Celestial Master!" Xiaozhai caught sight of Zhang Jintong and waved at him.
"Hoho, I see you are not busy today. The refinement turned out to be fruitful, I presume?" Zhang Jintong asked with a smile.
"Thanks for asking. We have succeeded indeed. We have completed our quota for one recipe, there's one more to go. We'll have to reorganize ourselves first."
Gu Yu grabbed a campstool and casually invited him to sit down.
"..."
The corner of Zhang Jintong's eyes twitched as he lifted the lower hem of his robe and sat down on the stool awkwardly, which was quite a funny picture. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Layman Gu, I wonder if I could have a look at your Dan?"
"There you go!"
Xiaozhai tossed him the gourd without the slightest hesitation, which rather frighted the old priest. He held the gourd between his arms as if holding a priceless treasure, then got one out with shaking hands.
"...Spiritual Dan, this is what spiritual Dan looks like…"
Holding a pill on his palm, a mixture of emotions from obsession to resignation and regret flashed across his face, which gave him a rather distorted look. As he mumbled on, the green pill was reflected in his pupils, giving his bleared and fatigued eyes a livelier feel.
After much savoring, he finally put it back into the gourd and handed it over. "Thank you for letting me witness such wonder before my days are over."
His hand holding the gourd halted in mid-air, for Xiaozhai did not reach out to meet it. She asked abruptly, "Celestial Master, I see you are suffering from some health problem?"
"Well, that is correct." Zhang Jintong was taken by surprise. "Despite the Qi-nourishing method I practice, this position I am in, well… I am burdened by various secular affairs and could not break free. The euphemism is 'break down from constant overwork', but whom am I deceiving? I am unwilling to part from power, which has hindered my cultivation."
Out of nowhere, he blurted out some self-mockery, apparently greatly affected by the critique and calumny.
"Well, fate has brought us together and we have been taking great advantage of you ever since, giving you nothing in return but an empty promise. I simply cannot live with that."
Gu Yu pushed the gourd back to Zhang Jintong. "How about this? We'd like you to keep a pill. It will dispel the evil spirit and cure maladies. We hope it will be able to help you."
"That, that…"
It was so out of the blue that refusing was Zhang Jintong's first reaction. However, he could not resist the temptation. In the end, he only said, "In that case, please accept my gratitude."
With that, he took one out again. After giving the couple and the pill each another look, he swallowed it with excitement.
Only Dan refined from a divine furnace by a cultivator was qualified to be called a spiritual Dan and only the spiritual Dan could be categorized into grades by numbers of transformation. The Evil-dispeling Dan might be a mere two-transformation Dan, but it was officially a graded one.
Zhang Jintong was well aware of the risk he was taking, which was why he was willing to play the lab rat—he was no fool.
As soon as the pill was in his mouth and before he could try to swallow, it melted away with his saliva like a soft marshmallow. Instantly, a cooling sensation exploded inside him, which was a little more than he could stand.
Seeing the painful look on his face, Gu Yu went up to him and helped him with guiding the energy.
Led by Gu Yu's powerful spiritual essence, the cooling sensation reached into Zhang Jintong's four limbs, all meridians, and various major orifices. The hidden and chronic diseases accumulated over the past years from constant fatigue and the entangled energy caused by all the slanderous gossip... everything was swept away promptly as the medicine flowed around his body.
"Ha…"
It was quite a while before Zhang Jintong opened his eyes again. He felt like a new person. His body was completely relieved and filled with vital essence. A tumult of emotions rose inside him as he was overwhelmed by astonishment: this Evil-dispeling Dan was unbelievably effective!
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai were also surprised to see the improvement in his health. So that was what a spiritual Dan was capable of. They had been underestimating it all along.
"Thank you, Layman Gu and Laywoman Jiang!"
Zhang Jintong calmed himself down and solemnly bowed low to the couple.
As the leader of Zhengyi, he was not in the position to make any promises, but subconsciously, he had already deemed Phoenix Mountain a partner they could have a long-term relationship with.
***
"Bang!"
Gu Yu lost control for a split second and the temperature inside went out of balance. The materials blew up and was turned into a mush.
The two exchanged a look, both feeling defeated. It was the fourth portion already and they still hadn't succeeded yet.
They couldn't help it, for the Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan was a three-transformation Dan and the increase was not only in the rounds. The difficulty in maneuvering almost doubled, which was close to the limit of their capability.
In short, the refinement method was to turn it from solid to gas, then to liquid, then to solid again.
"Don't give up. Let's try again."
"Yea, I think I've got something. I can definitely push further this time."
Neither of them were the impatient or easily upset type. They encouraged one another, took a short break, then began the fifth round.
Xiaozhai put materials into the cauldron, then moved on to set the soaked charcoal, which was a product of soaking wood charcoal in certain potion to make it more combustible; the instant blaze would be ferocious.
After the charcoal was set, she gestured with her hand and activated her spiritual essence.
Fuelled by the charcoal and the spiritual essence, the flame erupted like an exploding volcano, heating the entire furnace into a red color. The temperature of the area within a meter from the furnace surged, so much so that even the air was contorted.
Seeing this, Gu Yu reached out with his mental force hurriedly and wrapped it around the materials. It worked as a protective film so that the materials could be heated without catching fire.
The process of transforming from solid to gaseous state was called sublimation in physics; in Dan theories, it was known as "flying". They had failed twice in this step alone.
This round was rather smooth so far. Xiaozhai fed the flame while Gu Yu protected the materials. His work was perfect. The materials were shrinking and dehydrating at an observable speed. Their essence vaporized constantly, then gathered up in masses and filled the cauldron.
The steam in the cauldron seemed to be growing heavier and the color also turned muddy.
Finally, when they were about to reach their limit, the materials were completely gone. Xiaozhai moved away from the furnace and said, "Hold on there for a little longer! I'm going to change the charcoal!"
With that, she picked up a pile of green charcoal and dumped it into the Dan stove. The green charcoal was also specially processed, it was extremely durable and could sustain a stable and constant combustion.
Seeing that the flame was growing dimmer and the spiritual essence curled and circled, Gu Yu relaxed despite himself and began to feel drowsy.
Xiaozhai held him up right away. "Are you all right?"
"I, I feel so weak. I need a kiss to go on!"
His face was pale and his eyes unfocused. Then, "Hm... hm… that hurts!"
Their lips and tongues met and went all entangled. Gu Yu was soon gasping under Xiaozhai's "oral abuse". Ok, our fellow had forgot about the fact that his girlfriend was not an ordinary human being.
Let's forget about their fooling around (or, showing off to annoy all the single people out there) for now. The ridiculously difficult first step was finally completed. They would then have to guard the furnace for three to four days. They could only move on to the next step when the essence had turned red.
Had it not been for the buffering periods, they would never have been able to come so far.
The next four days passed and the steam inside the cauldron went through its natural transformation. It now floated around like a big lump of bloody fog, which looked rather intimidating.
"Time for Dan-degradation!"
"Add water!"
Seeing this, Gu Yu waved his hand and transported water out of the pond into the water sea. The pond was bone-chillingly cold, and as it filled the water sea like being poured out of a liquor jar, the temperature of the cauldron slumped.
"No, that's too cold!"
"I'm working on it!"
Xiaozhai busied herself with adding charcoal and the temperature rose again.
They carried on like so, one working the cooling system with the other working on the heating. Only with a constant well-balanced temperature could they achieve Dan-degradation.
They two were the perfect team. Before long, traces of liquid began to gather in streaks along the inner wall of the cauldron, which became more and more visible until they gathered into drops and rolled around the wall like red beads.
The red beads grew bigger and heavier, and finally could not hold onto the wall. They fell to the bottom of the cauldron in plops. Soon, there was a pool of dark-red liquid.
That was Dan-degradation finished. After all the steam turned into the red liquid, all that was left was the time-consuming task, which, like with the Evil-dispelling Dan, involved slowly drying the liquid up until the roughcast took form.
Neither of the two had the strength to talk at this point. They each sat down in a corner, recovering their spiritual essence with a spiritual stone in hand.
Another three days passed like so.
The roughcast was formed once the red liquid was thick with no excessive water. After two transformations, the Yin and Yang properties of materials had fused perfectly together and the essence was mellow and full. The potency of the medicine could be detected even through the thick furnace wall.
The fragrance drifted out of the cave and floated all the way into the mountain, sending the birds and beasts into a frolic jubilation. Before the Dan was completed, all kinds of chirp, neighs, and snarls came from outside. A group of bewitched scavengers had gathered outside, stopped only by the deep pond and the waterfall.
'Jeez!'
Both were astonished. So this was what a three-transformation Dan was capable of! No wonder the ancient texts said "when the nine-transformation Dan is completed, thunder tribulation descends from heaven"!
"You collect the pills. I'll go out and have a look."
The frustration of the past few days had filled Xiaozhai will a murderous will, which she had yet find a target to vent to. Green Leaf appeared in her hand and she leapt out of the cave in one stride.
"Squeak!"
"Hiss!"
"Roar!"
The clearing outside was crammed with snakes, birds, foxes, rodents, and all sorts of other animals of the mountain—some were even natural enemies of one another. Yet now, they had all squeezed into a narrow space that even the tent, cookware, and beddings were trumped into a mess.
The animals were itching to have a go when Xiaozhai walked out.
Animal instincts told them that this was not someone they could afford to cross! Even so, none of them backed off. Instead, all of the animals fixed their stares in the direction of the cave. Yes, they simply stared! It was a yearning and aspiration for power, and for the extending of life.
"..."
Looking into the eyes of all shapes and sizes, Xiaozhai could not bring herself to strike out after all. She only brought out a clay jar and sighed. "You poor creatures. Now, go. Don't come any closer!"
"Whoosh!"
She tossed it away casually. The jar flew over the herd's head and was smashed into pieces. Momentarily, the burning scent of the medicine dregs filled the air.
A fox twitched its nose and was the first to turn around for the jar. The snakes were the second to move, followed by the other birds and rodents… they all scrambled for the broken jar.
Xiaozhai shook her head and went back in.
"Thud!"
The divine furnace quivered slightly. Stumbling to his feet, Gu Yu removed the pagoda top and the water sea with much difficulty. Inside the suspending cauldron were ten spinning red pills.
The Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan!
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-77.png){kind=small}
Chapter 277: Money Well Spent
Source: Qidian International
"Sending messages across thousands of miles?" Mu Kun was taken by surprise. "So, this technique really can travel through space without being impeded by anything?"
"Theoretically, yes. But the actual application will depend on the user's cultivation level." Zhang Jintong had had his answer ready. "Based on what I've learned so far, this technique requires someone with an innate state or above. I am aware of the situation of the monastery and I wouldn't even consider holding such information back. This technique should belong to the monastery."
"Oh? That is very considerate of you. On behalf of the BIMAUP, I'd like to express my gratitude."
"Hoho, you really don't have to. I'm only fulfilling my duty."
One acted all civil and the other one even more so; neither meant what they said.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai left Longhu Mountain the previous evening and Mu Kun arrived at the doorstep this morning. His intention couldn't be more obvious: to probe, inspect, and take away some dividend while he was at it.
He carefully stashed away the notebook recording the technique, apparently not trusting the old priest at all, then asked, "Celestial Master, have those two left anything else behind?"
"Well, it is actually something I feel rather ashamed to mention." It was Zhang Jintong's turn to put on his oscar-winning performance as he sighed. "They were here for the talisman paper and the furnace, for which they have paid an adequate price. Apart from the Flying Message Technique, they also gave me an Evil-dispelling Dan. But... but I have ingested it already."
"How well did it work?" Mu Kun asked eagerly.
"I felt reborn! After years of accumulated fatigue, I was fully aware of my health condition. Once I ingested this pill, however, all of my maladies were cleared away and I was fully recharged in my energy. Sigh… the spiritual Dan is indeed as effective as promised!"
He nodded as he sang the praise as if still savoring the wonderful experience of that moment.
'Damn you!'
Mu Kun found it such a pity, but could not let it show. Instead, he smiled. "Congratulations, Celestial Master! Your longevity and good health will benefit the Taoist community as a whole. Oh, by the way, do you know how many kinds of Dan they have refined? What value would they allot to this Evil-dispelling Dan?"
"There were two. They didn't say what the other one was and I didn't ask. As for the Evil-dispelling Dan…" Zhang Jintong gave it a thought and replied solemnly, "I am in no position to assess it, but what I can say is that as long as it is not a severe case, one pill is enough for a full recovery. I am not sure about terminal illnesses, though."
"Is it that effective?"
"It is that effective!"
'Geez!'
Mu Kun felt his stomach turning. A cure-all was indeed an incredible creation! Moreover, with the way they put it, even the severe cases could be solved popping down a few more pills.
He immediately felt the urgent need to go back and make a report. "Celestial Master, the country will not forget your contribution and the Celestial Master Temple will be rewarded accordingly. I still have some errands to run and will hold you up no further."
"I see. Let me show you out."
Zhang Jintong walked him out of the gate and did not go back in until the car had driven off into the distance.
The old priest chose not to play it fair and square this time. Sitting on the fence, he had made secret deals and deceived the government… he did not regret what he had done, though. Everything he did was to ensure a bright future for the Way of Celestial Masters.
***
May, early summer.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai spent 35 days on refining the Evil-dispelling Dan; they had successfully made it through four rounds and produced 44 pills. The refinement of the Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan took them about 30 days, during which time three rounds were successful, which gave them 29 pills.
25 spiritual stones were consumed in the process.
They left in a snowy and frosty month and came back when the gentle breeze was already blowing. Two months had passed while they were away.
"Sister, what took you so long? Qiu Qiu and I were almost going out there to break you out!"
Up on Phoenix Mountain, Xiaojin dived into her sister's arms and rubbed against the latter, which seemed to be a way to express her affection, but was in fact an attempt to ask for a present. Xiaozhai hugged her back, but immediately felt something was not right. She peeled the girl off and watched her closely, then said surprisingly, "Why, are you taller than when I left?"
"Huh? My cup size has stopped growing long ago, but not my height?" Xiaojin was amazed as well. She dragged Long Qiu closer. "Let's see who's taller."
Long Qiu stood against her as told and Xiaojin measured with her hand. She then yelled, "I'm as tall as before! You're making fun of me the moment you got back!"
Xiaozhai was not going to have a guilty conscience over that. "Why, I made a mistake, then. It's been a while since I last touched you."
"Sister!"
Qiu Qiu was firmly against the R18 talk and gave Xiaozhai her harmless cold face.
Of the family of four, Xiaozhai was 26 and 177 cm tall, Gu Yu 25 and 183 cm, Long Qiu 24 and 174 cm, and Xiaojin 23 and 175 cm.
Good God. The mountain was decorated by nothing but long legs! A lot of long legs!
After the chitchat and bantering, the four went into the meditation room.
Gu Yu neatly laid out the rewards, including two gourds, 12 pieces of blue talisman paper, three of purple talisman paper, and a pamphlet recording the method of making talisman paper, and the words and refinement manuals of Shape-changing and Five-transformation Rain-praying Spells.
The Celestial Master Temple had only one of that high-level talisman, but they had stocked some of its talisman paper pieces, only that no one knew how to refine it. Zhang Jintong decided to give them as big a favor as he could afford and gave them all the paper he had.
Gu Yu talked through their experience this time—two hours of exclamations from the audience. They had no intuitive understanding of Dan methods before and never expected it to be this difficult.
"Brother, are we going to sell these pills?"
Picking up a red Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan, Long Qiu was immediately awed by its immense energy; she could not help but sniff at it repeatedly.
"We'll keep the Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan. Only the Evil-dispelling Dan is for sale," said Gu Yu.
"What about the price?" she asked another question.
"One thousand spiritual stones for a pill!" yelled Xiaojin.
The girl indeed had a brain for running business—she immediately made the connection between the spiritual Dan and the spiritual stones. Long Qiu, on the other hand, wavered a little. "Won't a thousand stones be too much?"
"The pills are priceless; we can ask for whatever price we want. But the government is not going to let the spiritual stones circulate freely. They would buy a few pills at most for research purposes. So, there are essentially one buyer and one seller only," said Xiaozhai.
"Let's make it a thousand first and see how the market reacts to that. If it doesn't work, we can always turn to barter," said Gu Yu.
Tianzhu Mountain had spiritual stone reserves of 25.4 thousand tons—each ton contained around 4000 stones. In total, that would give them over a hundred million stones. The current stock of the spiritual stone was over three million pieces, which were all kept in the national treasury. It would be delusional to assume some individual or faction could use them without authorization.
"Now, add these talisman manuals to the jade slips, then contact Old Shui, see if we can build a paper mill down there." Gu Yu assigned the tasks, then something suddenly dawned on him. "By the way, has anything happened while we were away?"
"Nothing major." Long Qiu was very succinct.
"Great. We'll have to go into seclusion for a few days and experiment on the potency of the Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan. You two go have fun on your own." Xiaozhai was ready to shoo the two girls away.
"What? Are you two cultivating or having a baby? You've just come back and you're shutting yourselves away already?!" Xiaojin grumbled her complaint . She nagged and dallied until the last minute, then fled swiftly like an experienced escaper before her sister's irritation burst into flame.
***
The sunshine was giving the right amount of warmth and the breeze was not making any noise.
Once the kids had left, Gu Yu and Xiaozhai sat down facing each other, reading the fatigue in the other's eyes.
What they experienced in the past few months involved adding charcoals, watching the furnace, failure, failure, and more failure… it was something any ordinary person would find unbearable. The frustration alone was powerful enough to kill.
The only benefit that came out of it was that their spiritual essence and mental force had been significantly enhanced by the countless rounds of draining up and recovery.
"..."
The strange blank-out went on for a while before Gu Yu said, "You go first. I'll watch out for you."
"Mhm."
Xiaozhai had no intention to refuse. She took out a pill of the Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan and swallowed it.
The fiery red pill that seemed to be glistening melted in her saliva as soon as it made contact with her mouth. A sticky semi-liquid slid down her throat and fell directly into her stomach.
It was as if a scorching thousand-pound weight had dropped into an icy lake.
It went without saying that the inside of a human body was warm. However, the body temperature was like the freezing point compared to the medicine fluid. The heat and the cold clashed into each other and white steam rose with a sizzling sound; Xiaozhai seemed to be burning up.
"Mhm…" Xiaozhai groaned. Her fair cheeks flushed suddenly as fine sweat seeped through the hair on her temples. She seemed to be in great pain.
Gu Yu watched her gravely and was ready to interfere at any moment.
Cultivators were to refine their three treasures: spirit, Qi, and mind. A simplified version would be to combine the first two treasures, making it the training of both the body and the mind. They pretty much followed the same rules: one was to constantly improve oneself by their own potentiality and the power of nature.
It was an extremely slow process, which was why when the ancient cultivators realized that the spiritual essence was waning, they created Waidan practice so that they could accelerate this process as much as possible with the help of the pills.
Some Dan nourished the body, some enhanced the mind, while others could help both, such as the Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan. It was the most effective spiritual medicine for cultivators below the Human Immortal state. One could imagine how potent this Dan would be.
Right now, the medicine was rampaging inside Xiaozhai and formed a dark-red whirlpool, which made a few turns before exploding, sending red streaks of liquid flying everywhere.
The Qi-related went to Qi and blood, the mental force related went to mental force, and the physical body related went to the physical body… momentarily, she was enveloped by the ferocious medicinal power from head to toe and inside out.
"Clack… clack… bang!"
Gu Yu was still watching her closely when something made him jump. A series of faint, crisp exploding sounds were coming out of Xiaozhai. He checked her hurriedly and realized they were made by the quivering of her bones and tendons.
That was the medicine working!
He relaxed a little, but still was not fully convinced. In the end, he sent in a streak of his mental force to examine her—he dared not go in to far, but only stayed close to the surface.
What he found was even more astonishing. Through his mental force, he saw that Xiaozhai had turned into a red halo filled to the brim with Qi and blood. The instant vital essence was stronger than anything he had ever seen.
A streak of golden purple and a streak of black purple lightning were rumbling inside that halo as if two dragons were soaring—they were none other than the Metal and Water Thunder energy she had been cultivating.
'Tsk!'
Gu Yu was utterly amazed. With the insane amount of resources and energy they had spent, they obviously would wish the Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan to be something spectacular. As it seemed now, it was much better than they had expected. The special effect alone was worth the money.
He kept his eyes on her for nearly two hours and only was reassured when his girlfriend had turned from being agitated to calm, then to a relaxed state.
Absorbing a Dan pill was apparently a very demanding job. When he realized it, evening came already and Xiaozhai finally opened her eyes and adjusted her breath. Gu Yu had one look of her eyes and knew her capabilities had been greatly improved. He grinned. "How did being high on drugs feel?"
"I don't know where to begin. Somehow my Water Thunder had improved…"
She jumped to a new topic all of a sudden and opened her palm. A streak of black-purple lightning flickered into life. Unlike the intimidating killing will of Metal Thunder, this one had a forever-changing and feminine tenderness about it.
Gu Yu was about to ask when the lightning flickered and turned into an abstract little figure with blurry limbs, which made a gesture of bowing at him.
"Hahaha!" He was exhilarated. "This one pill is equivalent to two months worth of cultivation. Great! This is incredible!"
"As amazing as it is, we can't overdo it, or too much medicine might accumulate inside and do more damage than benefit us," Xiaozhai said after some consideration. "My estimation is that our cultivation time can be shortened by half with the help of this pill… why, your goal of reaching the Human Immortal state has just become plausible!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-78.png){kind=small}
Chapter 278: The Wonderful Talisman
Source: Qidian International
"Clack… clack… bang!"
Inside the meditation room, Xiaozhai watched her boyfriend unblinkingly. His face lightly contorted and his brows furrowing, Gu Yu was apparently experiencing what she had previously.
Under the inspection of her mental force, Gu Yu had turned into a lump of fire and all his orifices and tendons were opening, closing, loosening, and tightening in the flame of the potent medicine.
She was fully aware of that pain. It was like prising off every bone inside your body with a crowbar before jamming them back in one piece at a time. The benefit of this process was apparent: between the disassembly and reassembly, the red medicine fluid grew gentler and gradually fused into the vital essence.
Gu Yu's feeling was more specific—his body seemed to have turned into a high-power water pump frantically sucking in the red fluid to fill in all the gaps, especially his Dantian and Shihai, which were drinking it in voraciously.
The absorption speed was too high that it was reaching his limit; he was forced to slow down a little.
Before they realized, the sky outside was growing darker.
It took Xiaozhai half a day to digest the medicine entirely. Gu Yu spent a little less time than her, but when he opened his eyes, the moon was high up on the sky and the valley had gone still and quite.
"How did it go?" asked Xiaozhai.
"Two of my extra-points were broken through in one go. This medicine is indeed ferociously potent!" The expression on his face was hard to describe; it was a mixture of excitement, expectation, and a little disbelief. "I thought it would be six or seven years before I could attempt to break into the Human Immortal state. But now, it seems I'll be able to have a go next year."
"I thought it would be ten years before I could complete all five Thunder Techniques. But now, it seems I'll be able to do it in six or seven," added Xiaozhai, imitating his wording.
To be able to reach the Human Immortal state through the essence-consuming method, one had to open up all twelve regular meridians, eight extra channels, and 720 acupuncture points of the body to reach a completed version of innate state physique. Meanwhile, one also had to condense their mental force to a certain level before they could rise into this state.
As for the Thunder Technique, one had to reach the passionless state of all five types of thunder to be qualified as a Human Immortal.
Gu Yu had been cultivating for four years and still had a third remaining to cover; Xiaozhai had been on hers for three years and had just started on the second Thunder Technique… as mentioned before, with the Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan, they could at least shorten the time by half.
They couldn't overdo it, though. The elder two would take one each month and the younger two could only take one every two months—especially Xiaojin, whose quota might need further reducing, limiting her to eating half a pill each time.
Those of the innate state were essentially mortal men. Once they reached the Human Immortal state, however, they would go through a qualitative leap and be one foot inside the world of "Immortals".
Presently, both were lost in their imagination. While they were at it, they decided to keep the pace and went on shutting themselves in without any break for the next few days so as to comb through what they had learned during this trip.
***
Seven days later, the meditation room.
On the table was a piece of blue talisman paper, a plate of concocted cinnabar, and a writing brush.
Gu Yu was dressed in loose-fitting clothes with clean hands and neatly-trimmed nails. He was going to draw a Shape-changing Talisman. He had been practicing with ordinary talisman paper before this until he was familiar with the skill. It was his first time using the real thing.
The couple was somewhat abashed to admit that since they inherited Tan Chongdai's talisman skills, they had not really had much practice.
They couldn't help it. Of the Golden Armor (copycat version), Bone-melting, Snake-expelling, Miscarriage-preventing, Bed-wetting Cure talismans and whatnot, apart from the bone-melting one, well, maybe the miscarriage-preventing one also for it might come in handy in the future, the rest were simply pointless to learn.
"Sigh, I wonder how the old priest is doing now…" Shaking his head, Gu Yu chased away the distracting thoughts and began to chant the Water-cleansing Incantation. "This water is no ordinary water. One drop onto the inkstone, clouds and rain are to follow in an instant. Patients will be cured of all their diseases once drinking this water. The evil spirit will be annihilated. Obey at once!"
Then came the Paper-cleansing and Brush-cleansing ones.
After the three incantations, he picked up the writing brush, focused the energy on its tip, and made three strokes. Three patterns resembling ticks appeared on the blue talisman, which was the most commonly used Triple Purity Heading.
Below that were two ancient characters, which meant "the edict".
After that came gut of the talisman. Gu Yu wrote down one stroke after another, his movement as swift as slithering snakes. What he wrote was a forbidden character with the character "rain" on the top, "fire" on the lower left side, and "good" on the lower right.
This character meant "spirit officer".
Gu Yu did not stop there. He went on drawing the ending and only then did he stand back up. The entire talisman was drawn at a stretch and the spiritual essence did not pause for a second during the whole process. When he finished the last stroke and the brush tip left the paper, a subtle rippling effect suddenly appeared over the talisman as if a wave was rushing over it.
When the fluctuation disappeared, the blue talisman had a reserved splendor and natural power about it.
"I did it!"
He nodded and was relieved, feeling glad that he did not waste a piece of talisman paper. Carefully putting it away, he pushed the door open and walked out. It just so happened that Xiaozhai was coming out of her room at that moment.
Their eyes met and they read each other's mind.
Right away, Gu Yu summoned Long Qiu and Xiaojin. All four gathered under the old tree, ready to try out the Shape-changing Spell.
"Which one of you wants to try it?" He chuckled.
"Me, me, me! Let me!"
All young girls loved novelties. Long Qiu blinked her eyes and was going to raise her hand when Xiaojin beat her to it. It was not in Long Qiu's nature to nag and squabble, so she backed away quietly.
"Just find something and chant the spell."
Gu Yu passed her the talisman. Our utterly unpredictable Xiaojin grabbed Brother Fatso right away. "Haha, I have always wanted to know what you would look like transfigured… aiya, stop kicking! Work with me here!"
"Squeak!"
Brother Fatso acted as if it had just been squeezed through an Elizabethan Collar. Its eyes were wide open as it shrieked and kicked.
"Stop! Stop right there!"
Gu Yu's temple was throbbing. "Find some plant, metal, or stone. No living creature. Imprint it first. And, this is called a 'Shape-changing Spell', not 'Transfiguration Spell'!"
'Tsk!'
Xiaojin curled her lip. Tossing Brother Fatso aside, she found a verdant leaf, left her mental force imprint, and pinched it between her fingers together with the talisman.
She chanted, "Follow my order and take my shape for three days. The blue dragon and the white tiger will guard my body. All evil spirits will flee from me and my vital Qi rises fast. Obey my order!"
As soon as those words left her tongue, the blue talisman self-combusted without being lit, the flame soon wrapping the leaf inside. Immediately after that, the small lump of fire drifted away from her palm as if being blown away by the wind. It paused for a couple of seconds in the air, then there was a "whoosh", followed by a "poof"!
The flame erupted and fell straight down to the ground, then gradually took a human shape.
As the flame faded, the silhouette became clearer, finally turning into a living person. It was none other than Xiaojin!
"..."
All four were struck dumb with astonishment. Xiaojin herself was gaping. That was a miraculous spell!
"It, it looks just like me!"
Xiaojin moved happily closer and felt the figure from head to toe. It was almost identical to her: the facial features, the body shape, the skin, the hair, and the cup size were all the same.
The only thing was that its facial expression seemed stiff and its eyes weren't moving. Something just felt weird.
"Hello!" Xiaojin EVA waved.
"Hello!" Xiaojin EVA-2 waved back. Its tone was flat and cold, only slightly better than a robot.
"Have you eaten?"
"Not yet."
"What's your name?"
"Little Soap."
"Bah! My name is not Little Soap."
"Yes, I'm not Little Soap."
"Am I the prettiest person in the world?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to share my bed tonight?"
"Great!"
She was enjoying herself very much. Suddenly, she stroked its cheek and grinned. "Hey, I have a very bold id— Aaaaah!"
She let out an abrupt scream, which was almost ear-splitting. A certain person smashed down her palm and EVA-2 turned into smoke without a last word and was blown away by the wind.
"Jiang Xiaozhai!"
Xiaojin glared at the culprit, almost staring her eyeballs out. This offense to her was absolutely irreconcilable and was more bitter than any bitter feud. She could swallow her sister whole.
"Oops, slip of hand…"
Xiaozhai couldn't care less about her rage. She took out another piece of Shape-changing Talisman and smiled. "Here, Qiu Qiu, play with one, too."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-79.png){kind=small}
Chapter 279: A Long Way To Go
Source: Qidian International
However ferociously Xiaojin bristled, within the fifteen minutes of EVA-2's short lived life, Gu Yu had learned pretty much everything about the duplicant.
It was identical to the talisman user, but it had neither the flesh and blood, nor the mind and soul. It was nothing but an empty bag. It could carry out simple orders and had minimal defensive ability—an adult male could probably destroy it in one punch.
The talisman was valid for three days and would dissipate on its own after that.
Hence, they decided what the Shape-changing Spell was best used for: to fake an alibi! Wait, that couldn't be the answer, could it?
"We don't have much high-level talisman paper at the moment, so you'll have to practice on yellow talisman paper first. Talisman is going to play a more important role from now on and we need to put in our effort," Gu Yu instructed the others and asked his girlfriend, "How did it go with you?"
"I can't do it yet." Xiaozhai shook her head.
"Neither can I. A few times I was almost there, but my energy would stop flowing when I was only a stroke away from finishing." He sounded frustrated. "Taoist skills that could summon winds and rain have always been limited to immortals. Maybe we are simply not capable enough and will only be able to refine it until we reach the Human Immortal state."
What they referred to was none other than that purple talisman: the Five-transformation Rain-praying Talisman.
They shut themselves up each in their own meditation room and came out empty-handed after a few days of trying. Thus, they had to put it aside for the time being. Fortunately, they were making progress on the Flying Message Talisman and would be able to solve it with a little more effort.
Here came the question: the Flying Message and the Shape-changing were both blue talismans, why on earth was there such a great discrepancy in their functions?
They scratched their heads in puzzlement and came up with two guesses: either the classics of the Celestial Master Temple had recorded it incorrectly after all the tribulations it had gone through, or the function of the Shape-changing Spell had not been fully developed.
Maybe it was also an infinite type, which meant the more powerful the user was, the more effective the spell would be—it might actually produce an exact replica after all.
"We'll return to that later… Xiao Qiu!" Gu Yu beckoned for Long Qiu to come closer and gave her three pills of Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan and five of Evil-dispelling Dan. "Try them out on your own first and find your right intake cycle. When you run out, come to me, well, to you sister for more."
"Thank you, Brother!"
Holding the pills, Long Qiu smiled her eyes into crescent moons. She then put them into a small gourd.
"Jin Jin!"
He then called over Little Soap. "These are yours. Your cultivation level is not high enough, so take half a pill to begin with and see if you could stand the potency. Do not overreach yourself."
"Not high enough, not high enough… it's like you're handing out my monthly allowances. Shall I call you 'milord'?"
Disgruntled, Xiaojin made a show of mumbling to herself, but was in fact making every word clear enough for Gu Yu to hear. She put away her pills carefully all the same.
Gu Yu paid no attention to her. He took his share and handed the rest back to the head of the household. "Phoenix Mountain is becoming more resourceful than ever, but we should not allow ourselves to be inflated with pride. We are only men of innate state and there is a whole wide world out there for us to explore."
He paused a little and continued in a solemn tone. "To be honest, after I took the spiritual Dan for the first time and realized there is hope for me to reach the Human Immortal state, I was a little carried away by my emotions. Now that I looked back, it was frivolous and impetuous—I was being arrogant. The only way to walk the cultivation road is to believe firmly in the Great Dao and keep a sensible state of mind, so as to achieve perfection. Let us encourage each other in our endeavours."
"We will keep that in mind!"
At such good advice, the two younger ones did not make any teasing remark, but replied in a serious tone. Even Xiao Qing and Brother Fatso bowed at Gu Yu.
It had been two or three years since Long Qiu and Xiaojin became cultivators and they had been blessed with great fortune. At a national scale, Long Qiu and Xiaojin were probably the only two enjoying such resources and environment.
They had been among the first few to reach the innate state and their brother was going to attempt the Human Immortal state, so it was only natural that they would start imagining "Haha, I am getting an upgrade soon".
That was why Gu Yu reminded them with those words to prevent them from growing arrogant.
Back then, he and Xiaozhai made their painstaking conversation by the lamp and figured out the cultivation history in this country. As mentioned before, in the ancient times, there was no "immortal world", but only a "human world", which was categorized into four levels, namely the perfected, the supremes, the deities, and the saints. Later, the idea of "immortal world" became popular and the levels became heaven, earth, immortal, and man.
The Heavenly Immortals were those who had risen above the three divisions of the universe. They could exist for eternity and witness the creation and destruction of all worlds. The Earthly Immortals were as splendid as the sun and the moon. They could live as long as the heaven and earth allowed them and were no longer bound by the limit of life. The Immortals possessed remarkable physical and spiritual forms, as well as unfathomable capabilities. They would not meet their end for as long as thousands of years. The Human Immortals could utilize spiritual essence, with which they could nourish their body and live as long as hundreds of years.
Another type of special beings also existed, who could escape death by cultivating their primordial spirits. They were of the same standard as the Earthly Immortals in terms of their cultivation level, but did not have physical strength of the latter. They were known as Ghostly Immortals.
There was no so-called Zhuji ("building base"), Jindan ("golden Dan"), Yuanying ("primary infant"), etc., nor was there the hideous middle-phase of Zhuji, last-phase of Jindan, completion of Yuanying, or concepts of "halfway", "peak", or "second-stage".
They were following the most ancient and primitive categorization. He and Xiaozhai knew better than anyone else of the great difficulty they would be facing in filling in the discrepancy between two states and breaking through!
***
"Paper mills are very hard to apply for license these days—too much pollution. I did some brief research: generally speaking, there are mills of packing paper, fine paper, and household paper. The papermaking process of the three is so completely different that they can't share a single production line. As for the capital, we will need about three million excluding the raw materials, which equals to about five or six million if you count in the working capital."
In the manor at the mountain foot, Old Shui was briefing the couple. He was indeed a very capable man and knew just enough about everything.
He went on, "But it is talisman paper we're making, so the annual output would not exceed ten thousand tons. Plus, there's the confidentiality issue, which means we will have to choose manual operation. I have contacted a few old masters and the deal is pretty much settled. The mill will be to the east of the manor and all I need now is you agreement and your money."
"Ha, that was neat!"
Xiaozhai was very satisfied with his efficiency. "We'll give you four million to start with; make sure you've put everything and everyone in order. The raw materials will come out of the mountain. I'll circle out an area for you later. Keep a close eye on them. No one can cross the board."
"Leave everything to me. I'm as solid as a rock!" Old Shui smacked his chest and gave his promise.
The formula of the talisman paper was to concoct a special potion and add it into the paper pulp so as to reach the standard. The main ingredients of the potion were nothing but plants, metal, and rocks—nothing too rare to find.
"By the way, we'll also be needing some herb-planting experts. Put that on your list, too. Four or five should do."
Gu Yu took out a small bottle and said, "And there's this. Post an ad on the app and don't reveal the price yet. If anyone shows a genuine interest, tell them the price is 1000 spiritual stones."
"Spiritual stones?"
The words took Old Shui by surprise. "What's in it?"
"See it for yourself."
Gu Yu handed him the bottle and Old Shui opened it. He saw two verdant, round, and fragrant pills inside, the color of which reminded him of the tale of "I forgive you" 1 . He realized what they were right away—they were most likely the newly made elixirs that these two were going to make into a rip-off— scratch that, to find a buyer for.
He knew the merchandise of the Pavilion of Gems very well. All things sold there were things of daily use up on the mountain but sold out in no time out there. Everything there was tradable at the moment.
The two only stayed for a while before going back to the mountain. After seeing the two bosses off, Old Shui also left in his car to see a construction team in the city.
The car was new: bought with the bosses' money, top of the line, big muscle. As he drove on, he felt something was off, but he could not point out what it was.
A while later, the feeling was growing stronger as he was further away from Phoenix Mountain.
"Ah!"
Old Shui stepped on the brake and realized what it was. Sticking his head out of the window, he saw a blazing golden sun above. The brief second looking at it was already stinging his eyes and made them go bleary.
"Tsk, this heat is unnatural!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-80.png){kind=small}
Chapter 280: In The Heat Of Summer (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
The capital city, early June.
The average temperature of the past years was around 19 to 30 degrees celsius and the weather should still be on the cool side. Since last year, however, the increase of the average temperature had been significant and the problem only grew more prominent this year. June had just started and the number of days with 35 degrees or higher was constantly breaking the historical records. The stifling heat made entire city feel like a sauna house.
"Rustle!"
The old man sat at his desk signing his name on a file before putting it to his right. He then picked up another internal reference from the left whose cover gave him a frown at the first glance. It read: analysis and monitoring report on the climate change of summer this year.
With his rank, climate issues usually did not come across his desk. But since it had, it only indicated how severe the problem was.
"Starting from last year, we have included the summer and winter climatological observations into our top priorities.
Based on data collected from various sources, the average temperature of summer this year will be four to six degrees higher than during the previous year… the Southeast, south of the Five Ridges, the Southwest, the Northwest, and most of the Central Plain will experience a two-month high-temperature weather of over 40 degrees. The period will be shorter in Mobei, Monan, and the Northeast, estimated to last around a month.
Based on the tendency of last year, we could not exclude the possibility of heavy rainfall in the area south of Yangtze River.
Detailed observation revealed that in the first five days of this month, the rise in the temperature was most prominent in densely populated large cities such as the capital city, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. The effect was slightly less observable in medium and small cities, as well towns and villages. The climate has become very pleasant in famous mountains and rivers such as Changbai, Mount Heng, Mount Hua, Dongting Lake, and Lake Tai.
As for Phoenix Mountain, Tianzhu, Mount Emei, and Tianshan, the temperature has remained constant with no abnormalities.
On a global scale, seven countries including the Big Sam, the Great Britannia, and Sicily had issued high temperature warning in succession, especially in southwestern Big Sam, where temperature in the states of Arizona, Nevada, and part of California has exceeded 40 degrees. This chain of events suggests that the disastrous high temperature is a global phenomenon.
At the current stage, we could only attribute it to the negative effect of the spiritual essence. We could even go as far as to assume that until the accelerating recovery ceases, such extreme weather will continue to be present…"
It was a long while when the old man put down the internal reference; words failed him.
Global warming did not start yesterday and the environmental protection and carbon emission reduction issues were fiercely argued about every year. However, with economic development as the topmost priority, no one was trying their best to do anything about it.
The situation had changed now. With the addition of this erratic element, the negative effect and its expendability were growing indefinitely.
Take the natural disaster as an example. High temperature led to drought, which in turn affected the crops. After that came the food shortage and reduction in cash crops, leading to the bankrupted farmers and resource starvation… no country would be able to stay aloof.
"..."
After a long pause, the old man finally picked up his pen and wrote down his official comment on the cover. "Content is of vital importance. Please inform Comrade XXX to hold a meeting and study the report. Make sure to be well-prepared for heatstroke prevention. P.S.: do not dally on the new medicines of Emei. Since tests have proven them to be safe and effective, it is time to release them onto the market!"
Finishing those lines, he leaned back into his chair and murmured to himself, "With everything that is going on, it's time to go out and meet someone."
***
A type of creature existed in this world that was cheerful, holding maledictions against the whole world, bemoaning the state of the universe and pitying the fate of mankind, groundlessly vicious, and with fearless internationalism spirit and regional discrimination at the same time.
They were expert in enjoying themselves in adversity, self-mocking, vying with one another, bragging on just about anything, and concluding everything with a big "LOL".
This life form was known as netizens.
Since the beginning of this summer, almost all TV channels, websites, mobile phone searches, and office chitchats had been dominated by one topic: it was so hot!
The heat last year was nothing compared to this!
Xidu: Five minutes of outdoor activities earned you two hours worth of sweating.
Chang'an 1 : Don't want to talk; let me turn around so that my other size is getting grilled as well.
Yangtze River Delta: We finally received the "central heating" we longed for.
Hill City: 2 Single dogs 3 had just turned into hotdogs.
Goat City 4 : We don't deal with cities 35 degrees or below—you're not well cooked!
Dongjing 5 : Well, don't even get me started...
All in all, probably because of what had been happening in the past few years, the netizens were more immune to extremely hot days. The temperature might begin to rise earlier this year, but it was nothing worth fussing about.
In this internet era, anything could turn into a buzz. Users of all platforms were posting images every minute, making the whole thing into a peculiar carnival.
Shengtian, Wenhua 6 Road.
The blazing sun hung high above, lashing out its heat at everything down below. Not a single trace of moisture could be detected in the air, which was so dry that it felt like dust suspending on the streets, between buildings, inside and out of the vehicles, as well as in everyone's mouth and nostrils.
"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…"
The happy tune rang through the air, accompanied by a fine mist of water, which landed on the ground, briefly alleviating the ferocious dryness. The sprinkler slowly drove by, revealing two young, tall figures from behind.
They were both teenagers and still had the innocent look of the youth, yet both were dressed in wide Taoist robes and the shoes of ten directions. The dress code was rather out of the place, which made them quite the head-turner, but neither of them seemed bothered, apparently having grown very used to it.
"34 degrees tomorrow. Good God! That's even worse than today!
"Why, there are new entries in New Classics of Mountains and Rivers… from Dongting River again? Have these aquatic animals on drugs or something?!
"Haha! Take a look at this. Look!" The younger one flipped through his phone as they walked and suddenly pushed it in front of his companion's nose, laughing. "Even the cactus is not straight anymore!"
"..."
His friend glanced at the screen and saw an image of a withered and bent cactus with a caption: heat wave arrived at Arizona, cactuses are melting!
"It seems the other countries are hit harder than we are. I wonder how are things looking over there. I'd really like to go have a look," said the companion.
"That's none of our business. Isn't everything around us worrying enough? Leave the other countries to their own people. Why, word around is that our temple is selecting people to exchange with other temples. Do you think you'll be picked?" asked the younger one.
"I'll do what I can and leave everything else to fate."
Despite his young age, his companion talked like a mature man.
"I don't know about you, but your girl is definitely going. Tsk, tsk. She's the first in the monthly exam. That's more than we can ever hope for."
"..."
The other one frowned slightly at this remark, but did not make any comment. He only reminded his younger friend, "We're almost there. You'd better pull your collar back up."
"Ah, I almost forgot!"
The little priest jumped at the thought and tidied up his disheveled robe. The Inspector would not hesitate to discipline him had he found his robe in this state. The younger one then asked curiously, "Why, don't you feel warm, with your robe all tied up?"
"So long as you keep calm, you don't feel the heat!"
His impeccable companion was all neatly dressed and walked in an unhurried pace; he darted a scornful look at his younger friend.
These two were none other than the intern disciples of Taiqing Palace, Lin Junlong and Peng Sheng.
One year apart in their ages, they were both from disadvantaged families and roommates in Taiqing, so it did not take long for the two to become good friends. Lin Junlong was a sensitive boy that could sometimes go to extremes, whereas Peng Sheng was more of an extrovert and good with people, rendering their personalities quite complementary to one another.
After their morning classes this day, the two went out shopping during their lunch break and were now heading back to the temple.
During the three months they had stayed in Taiqing Palace, they were trained in basic Qi-nourishing methods and body-enhancing programs everyday. There was now a significant improvement in both their physical strength and their spiritual outlook.
Walking fast, they arrived outside the temple in a short while. They hurried to the gate in strides and bowed at the priest guarding outside. "Priest Wu!"
"You're back. Go inside, then. You don't want to be late for your classes," replied the priest amiably.
"Yes!"
The two hurried inside. They put down their things in their room and went to the other courtyard for their physical training. After that was dinner and evening class.
The content of the morning class was usually fixed, devoted to studying the classics. The evening class was much more flexible. Sometimes it was on anecdotes of the Taoist community, other times it could be a Q&A session, where the pupils would pose questions and the priest on duty would answer.
It was Priestess Qinghui's shift today. After class, she reminded the students, "You have probably heard that five students are going to be selected to participate in an exchange program with talented disciples of other temples. It should not worry you, for the names will be announced tomorrow. Those picked mustn't be conceited and those who did not get selected should not be discouraged. There will be plenty opportunities for you all in the future. Oh, by the way…"
She paused and took out a sack. "It has been very hot lately. As your young age renders you more vulnerable to such weather, the temple has prepared some summer-heat relieving medicine for you. Each person will have two boxes. Please come to me in turn."
With that, the twenty-three little ones rose to their feet and lined up to take the medicine.
Lin Junlong received his share and saw that they were two boxes of ageratum tea manufactured by Emei Pharmaceuticals. Each box contained ten packets and the ingredients were ageratum, peppermint, lophatherum gracile, and liquorice. Its main curative effect was to dispel the heat-induced dampness and turbid pathogenic factor, as well as to relieve dizziness, tightness of chest, and nausea.
Mix the medicine with boiling water, lid the container for ten minutes, and finish the liquid in one day.
They had been told about Emei Pharmaceuticals during classes on it being a pharmaceutical factory of their own. The so-called "of their own" meant, well, that it was one of their own. It was one of those things that could only be understood but not described.
After the evening class was the free period.
Lin Junlong put away the medicine, fetched some books from his room, and went to the female dormitory. The male dormitory was on the east wing and the female one on the west; between the two were several courtyards. The temple had set strict visitation rules. No unauthorized entry was allowed.
He said to Auntie Moderator... scratch that, to the priestess on duty, "Priestess Jinghui, I would like to see He He, please."
"Please wait here!"
Jinghui went in and a moment later, a girl ran out. It was none other than He He herself.
She seemed to be washing her hair just then. Her dripping long hair hung loosely over her shoulders, dampening her clothes. Lin Junlong flushed with embarrassment, "Um, sorry. I didn't know you were washing your hair."
"That's ok. Have you bought the books?" He He asked, blinking her eyes.
"I have. There are four."
He passed her the books and the girl checked the names. They were "The Properties and Usage of Four Hundred Medicine Herbs", "Recipes in Rhymes", "Learning Pulse", and "Golden Mirror of Medicine".
"Thank you, Brother Lin! How much are they? I'll pay you back." The girl was delighted.
"You don't have to. They weren't expensive at all."
Lin Junlong stopped her hastily, then said after some hesitation, "Xiao He, you're still very young. Isn't it a little too early to read all these? The priests are teaching us meridians and acupuncture points. What we learn in classes is more than enough."
"This won't affect my classes. I just want to have a look." He He smiled and waved at him. "If there's nothing else, I'm going back in. Thank you!"
"Oh, sure!"
Lin Junlong watched the little figure running back into the dormitory and all of a sudden, he felt as if… as if he was looking into the moon hanging high up in the sky.
Of the twenty-three disciples of Taiqing, they were the only two from Bai Town. Three months were long enough for them to form little groups and recognize their enemies. As eccentric as Lin Junlong was, he still had a couple of friends. He He, however, was known to be the most unsociable one.
She was always on her own and as her fellow-townsman, Lin Junlong was the only one that she would engage in a brief conversation.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-81.png){kind=small}
Chapter 281: In The Heat Of Summer (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
"He He!"
The atmosphere of the scripture hall was dominated by solemnity and reverence. Priest Huayang announced the first name, together with a brief comment. "She received the top grade in the monthly exam last month, which makes her a natural candidate."
"Thank you, Abbot!" The little girl bowed.
The others admired her fortune with little surprise or discontentment. He He's outstanding performance was there for everyone to see and her being selected was long expected.
"Xu Ziying!" Huayang announced the second name. "She came the second in the monthly exam and is qualified for the program."
"Thank you, Abbot!" said Xu Ziying.
"Nie Zhaoyuan!"
"Bai Xiangting!"
He then named two boys. The former was the third in the monthly exam and the latter was not among the top few in his exam grade, but performed exceptionally well on a daily basis, rendering him a plausible selection.
There was tension in the air after four names were announced. All the other little ones were hanging on to the sound of the last name, hoping against hope that it would be their own.
However, when Huayang scanned the room with his eyes and spoke the name slowly, it was one that no one had anticipated. "Lin Junlong!"
"Buzz!"
Everyone began to talk at the same time. The precept of the scripture hall was ignored and voices erupted from every corner. Even Lin Junlong himself was taken by surprise. He did not have good grades, nor was his daily performance particularly good; he did not even have good people skills. Why on earth was he chosen?
Frowning, Fangchengzi snapped, "Silence!"
His voice seemed to have gone through a giant bronze horn and shot out into the air before quickly spreading out. The kids felt their eardrums vibrating at the sound, which was rather uncomfortable. They raised their hands hastily to cover their ears and stopped talking.
"..."
Huayang kept his face as still as the bottom of an ancient well and commented briefly as he did with the other four. "Despite his lack of natural endowment, Li Junlong is the most arduous in his studies among all students. After a discussion with the rest of the priests, we decided he should be selected."
That was almost a passable explanation. The little ones did not know the meaning behind all this, but should someone more experienced be present, they could see through the reasoning at the first glance.
He He was from a poor family and extraordinarily gifted; Xu Ziying had a government official background and was a talented student herself; both Nie Zhaoyuan and Bai Xiangting were from prominent businesses families with above average grades; Lin Junlong was the child of a poor family as well, and represented the disadvantaged lot making up their lack of talent with their diligence.
Such arrangement managed to take all social classes into consideration, which would avoid inducing reverse psychology and give incentives for the poor kids to strive for higher goals.
"All twenty-four forests of ten directions will participate in this exchange program. Priest Fangchengzi and Priestess Qinghui will be your instructors and you will leave in the morning the day after tomorrow."
Huayang summoned the five pupils to his side and reminded them, "After leaving Taiqing Palace, you will first arrive at Baiyun Temple of the capital city, from where you will set out for Qiyun Monastery in Tianzhu Mountain. The entire program will take around thirty days. 528 intern disciples have been recruited by the Taoist community in total this time, among whom some are talented, some not so much, some are kind, while others are of domineering characters. After the past three months or so, you are now more knowledgeable than when you arrived here. When all the young pupils are gathered together, it is inevitable that conflicts may occur. Keep in mind that you should avoid unnecessary confrontations, but make no concessions on matters of principle. However, under no circumstances should you initiate disturbance. Your sole purpose of this trip is to widen your horizons and learn!"
"Yes!" replied the five in unison.
***
Tianzhu Mountain, Tianmen Town.
Mid-June had just passed and the temperature was growing all the more frantic. Qian Zhou alone was suffering from temperatures of 40 and above for the past three days in a row. Over five million people were in agony.
It was especially the case in the central downtown area, where the density of the population was the highest, resulting in the highest temperature. A crowded bus ride was like being drowned in body fluids.
Tianmen Town was no exception. But there was something unusual here: the town itself was as hot as everywhere else, but the closer to Tianzhu Mountain, the cooler the weather became.
Never underestimate the strength of the masses, who found this secret in no time. Hence, "hotdogs" from everywhere were gathering here every weekend for the cool air.
Miraculously, the rows of farm stay villas along the mountain foot on the verge of closing down were showing signs of resurrection.
"Why, you're going out early?"
"I heard there's this agricultural park over there, thought I'd have a look."
"Oh, it's not far from the mountain. Quite nice and cool there. Enjoy!"
In the courtyard of a farm stay villa, the female owner greeted a family of three before watching the latter driving off.
The so-called agricultural park was a specially approved plantation of fruit and vegetables after the base was set up. It had been contracted to some local people, who were in charge of sending the products onto the mountain.
Those were some clever folks. Seeing that so many people were coming, they quickly transformed the plantation into a fruit-picking theme park—anyway, it was as close as anyone could get to the mountain.
"Oh my, this weather is simply ridiculous!" Wearing a sleeveless top, the chubby female owner sat under a big tree outside the yard, talking to herself. "It's like 25 km apart but its 40 degrees here and 20 over there! That's so unfair!"
Shaking her head, she appeared to be utterly baffled. Then, slouching back into her chair, she rested comfortably with a teapot in her left hand and a fan in her right.
"Rumble!"
"Rumble!"
She was still lying there when a loud noise woke her up. Sitting up, she saw a truck rumbling its way along the tarmac road, heading straight for the mountain.
The female owner was taken by surprise. She then noticed a black rectangular object loaded on the truck, which looked like a big box. In the passenger seat was a young man, who had a pale and sickly face.
He darted a random look towards her direction and his eyes swept past her...
'Jeez!'
The female owner shuddered. A chilliness crept up along her spine and spread all over her body. She broke into a cold sweat.
***
The monastery, outside a certain courtyard.
Thirty-four priests gathered around and were talking absentmindedly in low voices while darting a look at the closed door every now and then. The only event in the monastery that could be given such importance was the breaking through into the innate state.
Two men had succeeded before and normally, this time should not have made them nervous like so, but it was not the same—two priests were going into seclusion at the same time! One was called Sikong Chan and the other Zhang Wumeng; both were disciples of Quanzhen.
They were both middle-aged men that had been cultivating diligently since childhood and had accumulated profound knowledge. They might not be a match for Lu Yuanqing, but were still among the top ten most able priests in the monastery.
This double seclusion was unexpected, yet within reason. After two years of cultivation on this mountain and being imbued with the energy of the node every day, together with the help of the spiritual rice, even a toad would have jumped higher than before.
They had lost count of time when Lu Yuanqing and Shi Yunlei suddenly looked delighted. They both sensed the energy change inside: they made it!
"Creak!"
As expected, the wooden doors were pulled open and out came two middle-aged priests. Their demeanor was completely changed.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Sikong!"
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Zhang!"
The crowd gathered around the two and offered their congratulations. Right after that, the priest on shift received the news and sounded the bell. The toll sounded for exactly twelve times.
"With two senior brothers rising into the innate state, our monastery is a tiger with wings. Congratulations!" Lu Yuanqing saluted solemnly.
"We're flattered. We will spare no effort to spread the prestige of Qiyun." The two bowed back.
Lu Yuanqing and the other four suffered their defeat at the beginning of the year and came back to the monastery wounded. Lu and Shi Yuanlai's authority did not suffer from the incident and their status remained solid, for everyone understood that competitions produced winners as well as losers and men of Qiyun were not that narrow-minded.
The situation with Zhang Shouyang, Chao Kongtu, and Zhong Lingyu was a different story. They knew perfectly well that there was no hope of them winning and they were given a choice, but they had chosen to follow their original teaching and refused to switch to practice Neidan.
Back when Qiyun was first started, men of Zhengyi and Quanzhen were incompatible like fire and water. They later gradually reconciled and were now having everything in common—that was, apart from these three. Everyone else had taken up Neidan practice.
Needless to say, they became the outcasts. Despite his title of house supervisor, Zhang Shouyang was no longer able to convince the others.
When the three went up to offer their congratulations, Sikong Chan and Zhang Wumeng replied indifferently and there was noticeably a lack of warmth in their voice.
"..."
The three smiled wryly and backed away in silence. Seeing the other senior and junior brothers gathering around the two, the feeling of being outsiders overwhelmed them.
It couldn't be helped. Most of the others could not understand their choice: you have lost your heritage! The great opportunity is upon us and the Taoist community needs capable men more than ever, why would you stubbornly hold on to your orthodox? What's wrong with communicating with the others and helping each other out?
Even their fellow priests of Zhengyi were exasperated at their failure to make the right choice.
"Senior Brothers, please take some good rest. Senior Brother Shi and I will visit you later."
Seeing those three were going to leave from the other side, Lu Yuanqing bid the two farewell and caught up with them.
"Senior Brother Zhang, please wait a minute!"
He went up to them and in a mediating attempt, he switched the subject. "I was going to ask you about the Flying Message Technique. How did it go?"
"Well, it was a talisman used by ancient cultivators to communicate with one another. Despite its high grade, the requirement on one's cultivation level to use it is rather loose. My work with deconstructing the patterns has been fruitful and we will be able to refine the talisman ourselves in three days," replied Zhang Shouyang.
"Senior Brother is the expert in talisman. You have my thanks for all your hard work."
Lu Yuanqing paused a little and only after seeing that the they were far enough from the crowd did he ask tactfully, "Senior Brother, I noticed that since we were back from Changbai, you seemed to be out of spirits and preoccupied. Do you mind to talk to me about it?"
"..."
The three fell silent. A long while passed when Zhang Shouyang halted abruptly and turned to Lu Yuanqing, "Abbot, I am fully aware of my lack of talent and I would now hand in my resignation. The position of house supervisor is better suited for those two Senior Brothers."
"Why, you…"
Lu Yuanqing did not see that coming. He had never expected the man to be this resolute and tender his resignation outright. It was also putting Lu Yuanqing into a difficult position. Zhang Shouyang held a prestigious status because of his status of being the pupil of an abbot, but the man was indeed unfit for the job with everything that had happened.
"Abbot!"
They were still talking when a priest ran towards them from the front yard. "Abbot, Senior Brothers, we have visitors!"
"Have they announced who they are?" All four were surprised.
"Well, he did not say, but only asked for your presence."
"Who did he look like?"
"He came alone. Oh, not alone. There are two of them. One is a young man and the other is wrapped in black cloth from head to toe without showing the face."
"I see…"
Lu Yuanqing had a idea who that might be. "Come, let's go have a look."
The four hurried to the front lobby and saw two people standing in the middle of the room. The one in the front was tall and lean, had delicate features, yet was surrounded by an eerie and creepy air, which severely hindered his good looks.
"I thought so. Nice to see you again, Priest Li!" Lu Yuanqing greeted the young man warmly.
Li Suchun scanned him from head to toe and replied in a rigid tone, "Hm, long time no see!"
"Please take a seat!" Lu Yuanqing gestured with a smile. "It's been almost a year since we last met in Emei. I see Priest Li is doing well as always. Haha, this fellow iron corpse is also as imposing as ever!"
"..."
Youngster Li gave him a funny look, which was equivalent to a silent sarcasm. 'Where on earth did all your crap come from!' He produced a official document and unfolded it. "Here's the official approval. I'm going to live here for a while."
Lu Yuanqing ignored the paper. "You're welcome here whenever you come. There's no need for such formalities. The monastery will open its door for you no matter what. However, if I may ask, what is the reason for your sudden visit?"
"..."
Youngster Li darted him another look and gave his succinct answer, "Stay away from the heat!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-82.png){kind=small}
Chapter 282: In The Heat Of Summer (Part 3)
Source: Qidian International
"Stay away from the heat?"
Lu Yuanqing felt the corner of his eye twitching. Being someone so used to concealing his real feelings, he found the thoughts of such upright and candid youngster very hard to follow.
"The summer heat is so overpowering lately that the Yin and Yang energy of my previous burial site has gone haywire. That's why I'm going to stay here for a while," Li Suchun explained why he was here, which was extremely rare for him, then added, "If it is all right with you, I will now go find a place where Yin energy converges. I won't make any trouble for you."
"All our guests are welcome. Priest Li, you can stay as long as you want. Since Senior Brother Wang Ruoxu is an acquaintance and a master in Fengshui, I will invite him over."
Right after that, Lu Yuanqing gave the instruction to a priest and before long, a rotund Wang Ruoxu strolled into the front lobby. After exchanging some pleasantries, Lu Yuanqing and the others left the two.
Wang Ruoxu examined Fengshui of Tianzhu Mountain when the monastery was newly constructed. About 10 km to the northern slope of Zhu Ridge was a place called White Crane Hillock, which was a perfect place to raise a corpse.
He knew the young man's temperament well. Without further ado, he led Li Suchun towards the place.
They went down the mountain and walked unhurriedly in that direction. Pleasant cool breeze blew gently through the trees, carrying with it a fragrance of bamboo and pine leaves. The powerful spiritual essence of the node seemed to have formed a protective film, stopping the heat wave outside.
Every now and then, they would pass two or three priests playing chess or comparing notes by exchanging friendly blows; their wide sleeves flapped and billowed in the wind. Turning everywhere, they were met by verdant plants and flowers. The mountain felt like a blessed place of the immortals.
" The portals of the rich reek of flesh and wine while frozen bodies lie by the roadside 1 ."
As they walked on, Li Suchun blurted out those words all of a sudden. "I never had much schooling, but right now, I think I can appreciate those sentences. Of course, I am in no position to judge, for I am among those who are getting the benefits."
"Dude, what got into you when these past months? You're so sentimental," remarked Fatso Wang in amazement.
"Throughout my journey down here from the North, I saw stretch upon stretch of farmlands drying out and the farmers were suffering beyond description. I'm just expressing my feeling on that." Li Suchun paused a little and his next subject took a 180-degree turn. "Speaking of which, staying on the mountain all this time is having, well, an effect on your body shape… you're becoming a fatter version of your old self."
'I am what I ate. Did I steal from you kitchen to get that from you???'
Had he had the ability, Wang Ruoxu would have been more than willing to hop up and smack the kid. He shouldn't blame the young man, though. Fatso Wang was overweight before, but was within a reasonable range. Now, well, he had gone into an uncharted category.
Shaking his head, he asked, "Are you really here to stay away from the heat?"
"Mhm."
"You're not on some other mission?"
"No."
"Ok, great. In a couple of days, some intern disciples are coming for a visit. They are all little kids, so you'd better keep your iron corpse well hidden from sight. We don't want to scare them."
"..."
Li Suchun sneered at his words and could not be bothered to answer. Quickening their steps, they arrived at White Crane Hollick in no time.
The dense Yin energy here was in its purest form. As soon as the iron corpse sensed it, it could not help but made a low, bestial growl. Youngster Li was also delighted. He was not an innate-state cultivator and operating an iron corpse was his limit. Long absence of the nourishment of Yin energy would drive the iron corpse into a frantic state, rendering it to turn on its master.
"I'll live here, don't trouble yourself to come and visit. Thanks!"
"No problem. I'll have someone to deliver the meals for you every day."
Wang Ruoxu cupped his hands and left promptly without asking where the young man was going to live.
***
"Ah… I'm… I'm coming…"
"Aaaah…"
Inside a luxurious villa in Le Zhou, a man in his fifties groaned loudly and shuddered suddenly, then slumped onto the bed like a shrivelled balloon.
Useless piece of sh*t!
Brushing her long hair away from her face, Du Hong disdained the man silently. What she presented was some award-winning performance. Cheeks flushed and eyes watery, she was curled up between the man's arms like a satisfied and loving kitten, saying softly, "How come you're getting better every day? I almost can't take it."
"Hahaha, satisfied today?" The man was exhausted, his raspy voice making a hoarse laughter. "Didn't I tell you that I have been taking a medicine lately? It's a new product by the factory. On my, it is indeed that awesome!"
"I see, you're taking the medicine to do naughty things to me!"
Raising her head swiftly, Du Hong put on a face that was a perfect mixture of enchantment and innocence. "You people are not taking your job seriously. All you did it making this stuff."
"It's not what you think. This is not some aphrodisiac, but a proper tonic especially suitable for my age." The man had the dialect of the capital city. Shifting his body with much difficulty, he said, "It nourishes the spirit and Qi and can prolong life and improve health. I have only just finished one course and the effect is already so obvious. I think it's time to release it onto the market."
He trusted the woman very much. Or, should we say, he had not realized he had been snared by what was between her legs, so much so that he would let such confidential information casually slip out.
"..."
Blinking, Du Hong gave him a smile. "Hey, I want to talk to you about something. I have this ready cash in my bank account and want to start a business. Wanna give me some advice?"
"Oh my, a strong woman, aren't you? What do you have in mind?" the man teased her.
"Drug market is doing pretty well these days and I'm thinking about starting a small business. Not making medicine, just selling."
"A pharmacy, then! It'll work. We're having a big shortage in pharmaceutical retailers. Opening a new one is absolutely fine. Do you want to have one of your own or join a franchise?" asked the man.
"Um, I have no idea. Open my own, I guess. I can always, well, expand it if business is good," said Du Hong anxiously.
"That'll do as well. I still have a quota left. It's yours."
"What quota?" She did not understand.
"You'll see. It's good stuff!" The man chuckled.
Two hours later.
Coming out of the villa, Du Hong was instantly enshrouded by waves of heat. Even with her initial success in establishing her inner energy, the heat was still a little too overwhelming.
This goddamn weather!
Trotting on her high heels, she quickly got to her sports car, where she opened the door and hopped in, then stepped on the gas and dashed off.
Her previous lover was Tang Yu, a high-ranking official of Le Zhou government, who had been given the "I forgive you" hat by his wife by now. The newest candidate was called Hu Yang, an official assigned here from the capital city, who specialized in coordinating the sales of medicine.
Those above were very strict in the division of responsibilities of Emei Pharmaceuticals. The factory only manufactured, leaving the sales to someone else. Exactly to whom? Some dignitary family, obviously.
With a population of close to two billion, the pharmaceutical business was unfathomably lucrative. It would be inappropriate for those taking the job to scrape away every bit of profit and they found it necessary to spare some leftovers. Hence, after the majority of the profit was taken, the so-called quota was invented.
Only those with a quota could sell the products of Emei Pharmaceuticals.
Du Hong had found all those out beforehand and was only carrying out her usual ruse.
She was a natural now. After learning the energy-sucking method, she took to life around men like a duck to water. Be it the business circle, the political, or the military one, she went, she slept, she conquered. Half of the men in Le Zhou had probably been there.
It was not that those men were unaware of her past, they simply could not compete with her skill. As long as they could get that final release, they would do anything!
She was a clever woman. Despite the Qi-nourishing method provided by Lu Yuanqing, her gender and status meant she had to open a new path for what she wanted.
She even went as far as finding a few sisters, whom she taught herself, so that they could expand the client list. It was clear from the beginning that she was using the strategy of directing the men from under sheets and behind closed bedroom doors.
All she wanted was to climb up high, and higher! When she reached that position, all the resources would be there at her disposal.
***
The city of Sanping, Da'an Village.
Sanping was the poorest city of Wula Province and Da'an the poorest of Sanping. Someone visiting here first time on a vehicle would mistake it for some WWII film scene after their first glimpse of the houses on either side of the road.
Zhang Jingui was born and raised in the village and his family had been farmers for the past few generations. He was no exception.
He was very proud of himself, though, for in spite of his meager education, he had raised a son who had successfully finished his master degree. The young man had found a job and was going to buy his own house in Xidu. He called the other day, trying to ask for a little financial aid from his old man.
The old man almost had a heart attack when he heard the figure.
Had it been one of the previous years, he would probably have been able to come up with the money by selling everything he had, but the drought last year had reduced the yield of his hundred-mu farmland. Even with the government subsidy, he still suffered a great loss financially.
This year was worse. There was not a single drop of rain so far.
The agricultural irrigation of Sanping depended mainly on the traditional surface irrigation, which was to submerge the soil with water by drawing from surface and underground water. It was both inefficient and wasteful, but there was nothing they could do about it. They didn't have the money! The water-saving irrigation project was on the to-do list for the past few years, but nothing had happened.
The village used to depend on a nearby small river whose water level had dropped last year and completely dried up this year. The riverbed was so cracked it looked like dried steam buns.
What was worse, because of the exhaustive exploitation of the underground water, that water level was dropping as well. The pump would be rumbling for half a day and the water coming up was still not enough to cover the few mu of his land.
The experts had been sent down here several times. They swiftly drilled some new wells, dredged and cleared the old ones, then dispatched over a dozen water wagons. The experts had informed them that if rain still would not come, their only option was to release water from the upstream reservoir.
The series of measures had indeed eased the drought noticeably.
However, it did not ease Zhang Jingui's mind, for a major reduction in the yield was certain this year. Half a year of hard work only result in a loss of money. And there was his son's house. He was told that without it, the girlfriend would not marry him.
It was killing him!
"Sigh…"
Shirtless, he squatted down in a shed puffing at his hand-made crude cigarette; his ribs protruded from his dry skin. The thick branches and leaves only offered the minimal shade from the sun. His sparse hair was already soaking wet with sweat and stuck to his scalp.
It seemed forever before he finally rose to his feet. Taking another look at his lackluster rice paddy, he was ready to leave the shed.
Either because he had squatted there for too long or the weather was too hot, the old man only made a few steps when everything went black. He swayed a little and fell forward to the ground with a thump.
The last idea going through his head before he passed out was: sh*t, the sun will kill me in this heat!
***
"Mhm…"
It was a while later when Zhang Jingui moaned. Only half conscious, he felt a coolness running down this throat, which gradually brought his sense back and he slowly opened his eyes.
"Whoosh!"
With a strength he did not know he had, he bolted up into a sitting position, then squirmed backwards supported by his hands. For in front of him was a snowy white fox!
It was about 30 cm in length and had fur so white that it almost looked transparent. Its eyes were not the nonchalant yellowish brown, but were round, bright, and black, which were shining with spirituality.
The fox neither ran nor cried, but only put the bamboo tube in its mouth on the ground, then tilted its head and watched him.
"Were you, were you… feeding me water?"
Checking the bamboo tube, Zhang Jingui saw that there were still some water left. Instantly, his fear was overtaken by surprise. The next second, however, the surprise grew exponentially—the white fox nodded.
'Jeez!'
In all his days, Zhang Jingui had never heard of such strange things. His head spinning, he was trying to make sense of what was happening.
There was a fox farm here in Da'an village, so the animal was no stranger to him. Those foxes had gloomy eyes and were sensitive and easily irritated. One of them even scratched his hand once.
But this one...
He shivered all of a suddenly as an idea came unstoppably into his head: could it be a spiritual fox? No, not that. Could it be a fox fairy?
Thanks to the hundreds of years of cultural background of the Northeast, the old man grew nervous and excited. He gingerly moved closer, but the white fox shook its head, then raise its right front paw and waved, as if bidding him farewell.
There was then a flash. All Zhang Jingui saw was a blurred shadow and the white fox was gone.
"T-thank you for saving my life, fox fairy!"
He was only 30% sure before, which had now increased to 50%. Mumbling some words to himself, the old man stood there dazed for a while before heading back home. His demeanor had somehow changed, as if there was some more hope in him now.
"Teehee… that was easy!"
In the woods not far from the spot, a woman dressed in white leaning against a tree covered her mouth and chuckled. It was none other than Yu Lanzhu herself.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-83.png){kind=small}
Chapter 283: Was It Fate? (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
Tianzhu Mountain.
The monastery had been expanding since its construction. Zhu Ridge had an altitude of 518 m and Lu Yuanqing's vision was to divide it into three sections in the future.
The topmost section was to be a new temple revamped from the original buildings, which would have enough rooms for over a hundred residents and also be where the thirty-six priests of Qiyun lived. This section was already completed.
Dozens of houses and cottages were to be built halfway up the mountain, together with a sizable round square, all still under construction.
At the foot of the mountain, two stretches of buildings would be built next to the memorial archway both inside and outside, which would total up to over a hundred houses and also under construction.
The plan was straightforward. 528 intern disciples were recruited as the very first batch, which would be trained in the forests of ten directions for three years before being dispatched to various offspring temples all over the country, where they would be trained for another three years. The outstanding pupils would then be chosen by the monastery.
The second batch was planned to start recruiting the year after the next with an expanded enrollment. The program would continue like so, increasing the base number of cultivators. As the sole orthodox Taoist establishment certified by the authorities, the monastery would then receive homage from thousands of temples and have more pupils than they could count.
Lu Yuanqing was an incredibly provident man who wanted nothing but the prosperity of the Taoist community. That was the main reason the priests believed in his leadership.
One day, a few coaches arrived at the grand plaza outside the front gate of Tianzhu mountain. The doors opened and hundreds of little priests filed out.
They were between the ages of six and sixteen, dressed in Taoist robes, had their hair in Taoist buns, and wore shoes of ten directions. Despite their great number, there was no yelling or shouting. Forming into teams, they followed their own leading adult priests and went up the mountain.
He He walked after Xu Ziying and looked around curiously. All around, a thousand cliffs were contending for beauty and ten thousand slopes raced with running streams. The sky joined the glossy blue stone walls of the mountains; the pine trees swayed like folding screens at the mountain breeze. The grand panorama was unlike anything one would expect from this mortal world.
"I have traveled here before with mum and dad. It was quite messy with a lot of peddlers. It is nice and quiet now, with the mountain closed for tourists. It almost feels empty."
Holding He He's little hand, Xu Ziying struck up a conversation. Every now and then, she would point at some direction, telling He He about various scenic spots.
Despite the bitchy side of her, the little elder sister was very sensible. As much as she enjoyed an internal strife, once out here, they represented the entire Taiqing Palace. Plus, they were the only two girls of their team and should look out for one another.
He He was still an innocent child and never had a competitive nature to begin with. As a result, the two girls had become much closer.
Five pupils were selected from each of the twenty-four forests of ten directions, making them 120 pupils in total. They first visited Baiyun Temple in the capital city, where Li Qingzhi, the leading figure of the Taoist community, gave them a speech himself, encouraging all the young pupils, who also took the opportunity to make acquaintance with many talented people.
All were with an outstanding personality, equally exceptional in their natural endowment and disposition with He He.
One's mind and taste improved with their experience. Inside their local temples, all pupils felt they were God's favored one. Once outside, however, they began to perceive the vastness of the country, not to mention the whole wide world out there.
After a fortnight, the little complacency they had and the superiority feeling they held from the common folk were long dispelled.
The procession marched for about an hour when they reached the foot of the Zhu Ridge. They were slightly disappointed, for it was nothing but a big construction site. However, as they climbed on, the disappointment turned into amazement halfway up the ridge.
A round square lay across the full width of the mountain. Bluestone slabs paved the ground neatly without any visible gaps between them. The ground surface was as smooth as a blue mirror. The square was big enough to hold a thousand people. The color deepened in the center, where a pair of Yin Yang fish was embedded.
Rallings ran around the square and on both sides were houses and cottages still under construction, which did not stop one from imagining their grandness once finished.
"..."
They lined up in the square and waited, holding their breath in silence. Before long, the toll of a bell rang out up the mountain.
"Dang!"
"Dang!"
"Dang!"
The sonorous sounds reminded them of a mountain breeze knocking on the bell, which resonated across the mountains. Then, a priest walked gracefully down the stone staircase.
After that came the second, the third… all thirty-five of them moved at a brisk pace with their loose robes swaying in the wind, reminding one of banished immortals descending from heaven. Lu Yuanqing was the last one, as he walked out slowly on his own.
He had no intention of showing off, but to the audience, he was the most imposing one. Watching him moving closer, the children felt each step was a thump on their chest. It was only when he finally stood still that the pressure was eased.
"..."
A hush fell over the square. Without realizing it, everyone was watching the scene with more reverence.
"I am Lu Yuanqing, the abbot of Qiyun. It was by fate and heaven's blessing that you became members of the Taoist community. Be sure to devote yourselves to the training and studying of the profound Taoist knowledge. In six years, you will be able to join the monastery and become a pupil of the masters here…"
On his left was Shi Yunlai and Zhang Shouyang, while Sikong Chan and Zhang Wumeng stood on the right. Zhang Shouyang had lost his position of the house supervisor, replaced by Shi Yunlai. The other two innate state men were promoted accordingly and become high-ranking officials of the monastery.
They were perfectly clear of the government's purpose: to show their muscle to the next generation as a psychological incentive. They were happy to oblige—everything was to ensure a bright future for the Taoist community.
Lu Yuanqing's instruction was brief. The priests did not linger and left promptly after the speech.
That was so deliberate, but the kids bought it all! Everyone strained their necks following the long stone stairs reaching all the way into the clouds. The show had infatuated them all, planting in their heads something to yearn for.
"That was awesome. I must join the monastery in the future!"
"Priest Lu is so cool! I want to become his pupil!"
"So do I!"
"Me too!"
The adult priests leading the teams did not stop the hubbub. Instead, the envious look on their faces was apparent—they themselves did not get chosen by the monastery because of their lack of capability. The excitement of the kids was interrupted after a while when they were led to the half-finished lodgings. Despite the shabby accomodation, no one complained.
***
"Mhm…"
He He's eyes shot open as a dream woke her up. She lay there dazed for a moment and felt something cool at the corner of her eyes. Wiping it away immediately, she rolled out of bed as if nothing had happened.
Eight girls shared the bedroom, including Xu Ziying and some other senior and junior sisters who were still sound asleep. The little girl hesitated for a moment and eventually decided not to wake them up. She finished washing up, changed her clothes, and went quietly outside.
The sun had not fully risen and the light was still dim in the mountain.
She followed the familiar track to a grove, where two teenage boys were already refining their Qi in meditation. One was called Lu Guimeng, who was from the Celestial Master Cave of Qingcheng Mountain, a branch of Zhengyi, while the other was called Lu Qian, a pupil of Louguan Tower of Chang'an, a branch of Quanzhen.
Louguan Tower was the birthplace of the Way of Louguan that had a famous first patriarch Yin Xi.
This sect had been following its own path, but after the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties, few masters and theories were produced by the sect and it gradually waned. Li Zhirou, its leader at the time, made the resolute decision to join Quanzhen and became Qiu Chuji's pupil. Hence, from Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties until present, the Way of Louguan had been following the teachings of Quanzhen.
Both teenagers were incredibly talented and more diligent than ordinary pupils. He He would often run into them during her training here. The three were sort of nodding acquaintances.
She found a spot for herself, sat down with her short little legs crossed, and began to circulate her energy around her little internal universe perfectly as taught. The basic Qi-nourishing method did not have much power, but mainly focused on strengthening the physical body, building up a feeling for the energy, as well as expanding one's potential.
It was a long while before she finished the practice, after which she practiced two rounds of the physical training fist movements.
When the last dimness was gone, the bell of the morning class rang out. The three kids then ran hurriedly back to the monastery. The schedule here was the same as Taiqing Palace, only that the lecturers had become the masters of the monastery.
The content of elementary education was vital for children.
The textbooks and the contents of the classes had gone through multiple corrections, so as to present the new world in a language as plain and comprehensible as possible.
In this world, there were immortals, Taoist skills, cults… what happened in Huo Zhou was an abnormality, Tianzhu Mountain was a node, and the extremely hot weather was caused by the spiritual essence, etc.
Of course, those above had made sure that only the proper concepts were introduced to prevent the ignorant kids from asking questions such as, "Priest, who is the toughest cultivator now?"
Or, "Priest, Phoenix Mountain is also a node, why can't we go there?"
Or, "Priest, is Neidan the most invincible method in the world?"
Well, and so on and so forth.
The textbooks avoided such areas cleverly and only mentioned them briefly.
He He could not wait to go out after the morning classes were over. Xu Ziying caught sight of her and called out, "Xiao He, are you going to that Uncle Zombie again?"
"Yes!"
"That man is so scary. Why do you like to be with him?"
"He doesn't scare me. He's a nice man."
The little girl ran happily down the mountain, hopped on a free electrical shuttle cart for monastery personnel only, and headed right for White Crane Hollick.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-84.png){kind=small}
Chapter 284: Was It Fate? (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
A couple of days ago, a bunch of intern disciples went to visit the scientific research base and passed White Crane Hollick on their way back.
What happened was like this… Li Suchun had built himself a shed and was refining the corpse at the time. Good God. The iron corpse had its mask off and with its pale face, sharp fangs, and the ferocious demeanor, the kids went all screaming and jumping around like sacred chickens. He He was the only exception, who seemed to have formed a great interest in the young man and would often pop in for a visit.
Despite the delight he felt inside, Li Suchun would not let it show. He had always been living alone and now that a loli fell on his doorstep, he habitually changed into his haughty attitude.
"Why are you here again?" he asked coldly.
"The classes are over and I just slipped away." He He found her way to the shed, acting like a familiar friend, and looked around. "Where is your iron corpse?"
"It's sleeping."
"Do zombies sleep as well?"
"We are active in daytime and sleep at night. They sleep during the day and get up at night. It's the some thing."
"Oh…"
Dangling her short little legs, He He seemed not minding his smell at all. She suddenly asked, "Brother Chun, can Corpse-refining Technique bring back the dead?"
"No. All we can control is a dead body." Li Suchun paused a little and added, "But if a corpse can be refined into the silver or golden grade, they will then have self-awareness. Maybe the memories of when they were alive can be brought back."
"What if the person is cremated?"
Cremated? Frowning, Li Suchun said, "Then there's nothing I can do. Maybe the cultivators with expertize in spirits and souls know something about that."
"..."
He He nodded and went quiet for a while before asking, "In that case, do you think ghosts exist?"
"I have never seen one, but I believe there are ghosts!" Li Suchun sounded very certain.
"Yes, so do I!" She was even more certain.
He had a dead master and she a dead grandfather. Both were orphans who had lost the closest person in the world. Probably because of this connection, the two formed a natural bound.
The little girl stayed on and even had her lunch there. Seeing that it was almost one o'clock, she waved her goodbye. "Brother Chun, I need to go back to my class. I'll come to see you tomorrow."
"..."
Without realizing it, Li Suchun raised his hand and was going to wave back. He immediately straightened his face and smacked down his left hand with his right, then replied indifferently, "Mhm!"
"Teehee!"
Covering her mouth to conceal a grin, the little girl ran to the shuttle cart.
Halfway there, she halted abruptly and looked into a direction suspiciously. To the left of the road above a low mound, a streak of black smoke seemed to be rising.
'Hm?'
She rubbed her eyes and looked at it again. Nothing strange happened this time.
"Uncle Driver, please wait a moment!" she called out to the driver and summoned up her courage to approach the spot in little strides. Once there, she realized it was an ancient well. She could not tell how long it had been there, only that it was extremely timeworn.
The outer wall of the well was built by stones and about a meter in diameter. The interior was overgrown with thorns and grass. There was still water inside, but she could not tell how deep it was. Probably because of the shade and dimness, the water seemed to be of a light inky color.
"..."
Pursing her lips, He He tried to recall what the priest had told them. The name White Crane Hollick was mentioned, but what, what was it about?
'Oh!'
She smacked her head and remembered.
In the first year of the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang, there came a priest. No one knew where he came from nor what his name was. Because he often travelled on the back of a white crane, he was given the honorable title of Priest White Crane.
One day, he arrived at Tianzhu Mountain. Impressed by the majestic look of the mountain and the curling clouds, he wanted to build his lodging and cultivate here. However, an eminent monk by the name of Baozhi was also attracted here by the fame of the mountain and wanted to take up the mountain to build Buddhist temples.
The two disputed over the issue and reported to the throne for a decision. Hence, Emperor Wu ordered them to compete with their skills.
Priest White Crane: I will use the white crane as my representative. My Taoist palace will be constructed at the spot the bird lands.
Baozhi: I will set the boundary with my staff. The spot the staff hit the ground will be where I build my temple.
Each then did what they could and the priest obtained the east side of the mountain, where he built the White Crane Palace, while Baozhi got the west side, where he built the Valley Temple.
Legend had it that the day when the White Crane Palace was completed, Emperor Wu himself arrived at the temple to offer his congratulations. To show his gratitude towards the imperial favor, the priest drew a dragon on the east side and a phoenix on the west of the tall wall in the great hall. He then took the blade himself to remove the liver of the dragon and the gallbladder of the phoenix, making them into a dish that went with the liquor.
Later, he drilled a well in front of the palace and called it White Crane Spring. Its depth remained unknown and it would neither dry up from sustaining droughts nor fill up from longlasting rain. The well remained where it was until this day. The government sent experts to examine it when Tianzhu Mountain was developed, but found nothing unusual.
But why now...
He He swallowed and lay prone by the edge of the well. As soon as she moved closer, a sinister cold wind swept at her little face, making her shudder.
She drew back right away, then found a stone and threw it into the water.
"..."
The stone fell down without making any sound. The surface of the water felt more like a strange film, which the stone went through and seemed to have fallen into a bottomless pit.
She was an intelligent girl. Jumping to her feet, she ran back first, yelling, "Brother Chun, there's something wrong with that well, please guard it!"
She then ran forward and hopped onto the cart. "Uncle, back to the mountain, please! Quickly!"
***
Sanping, a secret chamber.
Slouching on a low bed, Yu Lanzhu wore nothing but a half see-through white veil, her perfect body only partially hidden by it. She looked like a wrapped candy, emanating waves upon waves of refreshing yet cloying scent.
Standing in front of her were four able-bodied men, but all had their heads lowered, daring not even to peek once.
"Ha…"
Supporting her cheek with a hand, Yu Lanzhu suddenly exhaled a mouthful of white mist, which drifted slowly in the air and separated into four streaks, each wrapping around one of the four men.
As frightened as they were, the four did not dare to even move a finger and stood as tamed as lambs to the slaughter. All they were capable of was to watch the white mist circling around them. With every circle the mist turned, their face lost some color and their spirits sagged.
About twenty seconds passed when Yu Lanzhu inhaled lightly, at which the four streaks fused into one again and went back into her mouth.
"Thank you, Archmage!"
"Thank you, Archmage!"
The four felt as if they had just escaped death and knelt down with gratitude.
"Teehee, it's the first time for you all. Did you really think I was going to eat you?"
With her energy refilled, Yu Lanzhu was satiated. She chuckled. "Once a member of the divine sect, you're all family. Plenty of benefits are waiting for you. Now, go to Nalan and get your rewards."
"Yes!" The shaken four retreated.
"Mhm…"
As soon as the door to the secret chamber was closed, Yu Lanzhu suddenly let out an indolent moan and rolled around on the bed. Her cheeks looked fresher than the spring flowers and her face radiated. A satisfaction was oozing out of every cell of hers.
She couldn't help it, for that was the way she was whenever she finished feeding.
The cultivation method of the northeast Shamanism was rather unique. One had to practice with the spirit of a beast first. Once fused with the spirit of a beast, one would refine themselves. To refine one's own self, one had to absorb the power of faith to gradually strengthen the mind. It was said that once the perfection was reached, one could become immortal.
Without the power of faith, one had to make do by sucking the energy of living people, or the beast spirit would go mad and turn on its master.
The four branches each had its own heritage and the one the Northeast followed was a relatively orthodox one. Based on the thousand-year practice of their ancestors, foxes, snakes, hedgehogs, weasels, and rats were five animals most easy to fuse with.
You heard it right! They were none other than the so-called "home-protecting fairies"!
This practice followed a rather peculiar path. In the early phases, it was a rather unorthodox practice, but after gathering enough followers and setting up a shrine of one's own, it transformed into an orthodox thing. One had to help the people to accumulate enough merit to atone for their sins, or they would be punished by thunder tribulations.
The previous archmage dropped dead because something went wrong during the fusing with the beast spirit. Extremely talented, Yu Lanzhu also had a matching ambition. She risked her life with the same process and succeeded, which was why she became the archmage.
"Creak!"
While Yu Lanzhu was getting lost in the deep end, the door was suddenly pushed open and in came a woman with a cold face. She was Nalan, her good friend for many years and now her right hand and confidant.
"All gone?"
"All gone."
"Gosh, poor me! I have to entrust my life to someone like them! Only if you were here to see—it's a waste of my spit just to talk to them."
She was all pettish and played the spoiled child, during which time Nalan kept her poker face. "The government's striking out earlier has destroyed quite a few business big shots. It hit us hard and we've lost quite some funding since. They were only small clans, but to us, they were the solution to our urgent needs."
"I know, I know, you don't have to go all serious with me… Sigh, it all comes down to the fact that they are a bunch of good-for-nothings. If only they could all be as capable as you!"
Reaching out with her tapering finger, she stroked Nalan's cheek gently. "Those dumb*sses of the Northwest had it coming. Monan and Mobei are the smarter ones. They hid their strength and moved everything underground. That's more like a permanent solution.
With the great drought all over the country, it's a good opportunity for us to gather strength. Pass down my orders: mages should develop followers following my example. Remember, keep it quiet! That stupid Wanyan made such a scene last time that the government is now putting the Northeast under special surveillance. They mustn't blow it."
"Got it!"
Nalan nodded, than asked, "What about Liaodong?"
"They can go to Liaodong, but leave Shengtian in peace. We can't afford to mess with those two."
"Sure!"
***
Da'an Village, early morning.
Zhang Jintong left home early and arrived at his farmland. The sun had yet to rise but the heat was already rolling in the air.
He entered the shed and seeing that no one was around, he took out some candles and fruit, then lay them neatly on the ground. He knelt down and murmured, "Lord Fox Fairy, please hear me out! If it was really you that saved me yesterday, please come out… I, I really don't know what to do. If it goes on like this, I have no choice but kill myself. If you can help me out this time, I will do everything to repay you, even as your cattle in the next life!"
After that, he kowtowed three times, his forehead banging the ground loudly.
He did not rise to his feet right away, but pricked up his ears and listened, hoping for a miracle. Five minutes passed and all was as silent as before. Zhang Jingui was dazed for a moment before smiled bitterly. "Sigh, I'm really an old fool now. There can't be—"
"Whoop…"
He stopped talking right away.
"Yowl…"
He heard it right! There was a strange sound somewhere between the shriek of a woman and the wailing of a baby.
Zhang Jingui stumbled to his feet and scrambled out of the shed. The white fox had indeed showed up again with something at its feet.
"Lord, Lord Fox Fairy?" he stuttered with excitement.
"..."
The white fox made no sound, but only lowered its head and nudged the thing forward.
"Is, is it for me?"
Picking it up gingerly, Zhang Jingui realized it was a verdant jade bracelet. He knew nothing about the quality of jade, but this one was cool to the touch and translucent in color. It had to be of top quality.
The old man clutched the bracelet so tight and blood veins on his hand were bulging. He then fell to his knees. "This is a miracle of the Fox Fairy! Thank you, Lord Fox Fairy!"
Tears ran down his old face and he almost lost control of himself.
Just then, a majestic, deep, and androgynous voice rang out in his head. "Do not mention it to anyone. Now, go!"
'!!!'
Zhang Jingui looked up abruptly, the tears on his cheeks not yet dry. But he saw no one. The white fox was gone.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-85.png){kind=small}
Chapter 285: The Dawn Of Taoism
Source: Qidian International
White Crane Hollick.
The four innate state priests, He He, Lin Junlong, Zhang Shouyang, and some others gathered at the top of the mound, their eyes all fixed on the ancient well. Lu Yuanqing kept a solemn look on his face—being the one with the highest cultivation level, he sensed it the most acutely.
Spilling out of the well was unmistakably a dense and pure Yin energy, which would even materialize every now and then, rising up in thin streaks of black smoke—exactly what He He saw earlier.
"Priest Li, you have been living here for over a week, hasn't anything struck you as unusual?" asked Sikong Chan all of a suddenly, implicitly accusing Li Suchun of holding back information.
Li Suchun would have none of that and retorted right away, "I was refining my corpse in the shed the entire time. Why on earth would I climb all the way up here?"
"Your iron corpse feeds on Yin energy, which is so dense in this well. Even if you sensed nothing, I don't believe that the corpse would not react to it." Sikong Chan would not let the subject drop.
"You must be so capable with your innate state and all, but even you could not sense something like this a mere 10 km away, what do you expect my mute zombie could do?" Youngster Li was not only a "tsundere", but also an expert in tongue-lashing, only that he did not get much use of it for the past few years with his isolated lifestyle.
"That's enough!" Lu Yuanqing interrupted. "The well probably did not act out until the past few days and it is perfectly normal for Priest Li not to notice it. Our top priority now is to go down there and examine it."
"The mound is said to be the site of White Crane Palace. There are no supporting records to confirm that this ancient well is the White Crane Spring, but the age is right. It was built during the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang. With what is going on, I think we can reach a conclusion now," said Shi Yunlai.
"Priest White Crane would never have chosen a place where Yin energy converged to build his temple. I think this change is new—brought by the recovery of the spiritual essence. I'm afraid there might be evil objects down there," said Zhang Shouyang.
"Abbot, shall I notify the base?" asked Old Priest Mo.
"Not yet. They wouldn't be able to go in even if they were here."
Lu Yuanqing had obviously made his own plans. He took in the surroundings and said, "He He, you will be rewarded for this valuable discovery, but it is too dangerous for you to stay here, so I'd like you to return to the mountain now."
"Yes!" replied He He.
"Senior Brother Sikong, Senior Brother Zhang, Priest Li, if you would please wait up here. Senior Brother Shi, do you mind coming down with me?" said Lu Yuanqing.
"That was what I thought." Shi Yunlai smiled.
Of the four innate state priests, Sikong Chan and Zhang Wumeng were newly promoted and their temperaments had yet to reach a reliable state. Shi Yunlai was not only a remarkable cultivator, but was also calm and prudent, rendering him ideal for secret expedition like this.
Momentarily, most of the team stayed up on the mound, while those two made some preparation and grabbed their refined instruments. Lu Yuanqing led the charge. "I'll go first!"
With that, he flipped his whisk and jumped into the well.
"..."
The other men watched, waiting for that plop of him hitting the water. However, not a sound came out, despite the fact that an adult man had jumped in.
The light inky water was like a gaping mouth swallowing him whole.
Down in the well, Lu Yuanqing did not feel the wetness of the water, either. Instead, he was impeded by a strange layer of air. Activating his spiritual essence right away and wrapping it around himself, he broke through the barrier and fell right down.
Instantly, he felt the pull of the gravity and all light was gone. He was now surrounded by a pitch-black darkness. Fortunately, he was able to see in the dark and could make out a solid ground below. He immediately slowed down the falling speed with his inner energy and landed lightly on the bottom.
"This is…"
Looking around, Lu Yuanqing saw a concealed space. The wall and the ground were built with some unknown substance, which had a smooth and firm texture. Up ahead, he could faintly make out a passageway. The visibility was no more than five meters and beyond that, all was covered by the darkness.
Looking up, the view was even more remarkable. Water rippled above his head, reflecting the faint sunlight, as if someone had really just jumped into the well, disturbing the still water.
"That priest indeed had divine skills. All this miraculous scene probably took him no more than a wave of the hand."
Lu Yuanqing sighed with emotions. He was about to call out to those above when the water was disturbed again and a man jumped down. It was none other than Shi Yunlai himself. Seeing that Lu Yuanqing was all right, he was relieved. "Have you found anything?"
"This place was probably built by Priest White Crane, who then concealed it with some secret skill, and it did not reappear until this day."
With his whisk in one hand, Lu Yuanqing switched on a flashlight in his other hand. However, the light only reached a couple of meters before it was devoured by the darkness. He shook his head and put away the flashlight. "The Yin energy is extremely dense here. Be careful!"
With that, the two activated their spiritual essence to fend off the Yin energy while sending out their mental force to explore the space ahead. Slowly, they proceeded forward.
It was quite a sizable place. The passageway was very long and their field of vision was too small. They walked a long while and still did not finish passing.
Shi Yunlai held a sword in his right hand and kept his left hand pressing lightly against the pouch at his waist, where a couple of yellow talismans were kept. He made a remark in passing, "I wonder what became of that priest? With his ability to turn the paintings alive, it would be such a pity that he did not become immortal."
"Countless masters before us had trodden that path and in the end, it might all come to fate itself, rather than— watch out!"
Lu Yuanqing shouted abruptly, for he saw with his mental force that two lumps of dark shadows were lancing at them at a tremendous speed. In half a heartbeat, the shadows appeared into sight and he could vividly sense a strange cold Yin energy, which seemed to be trying to take possession of their bodies.
"How dare you!"
Flipping his wide sleeve, he produced a powerful streak of air. The shadow was apparently rather weak, for it dissipated instantly with the strike, leaving behind a shrilling wail.
"What was that unnatural thing?"
Shi Yunlai took out the other one and wondered, "It was formed by the purest Yin energy with little intelligence and was shapeless…" His words hung in mid-air before he asked with surprise, "Could it be a ghostly being?"
"Very likely. Nothing would surprise me now."
Lu Yuanqing remained expressionless and only kept walking.
The two kept pushing forward and were met with even more of those strange beings, which were showing up more and more frequently. They had little combat ability but would not stop bothering them, which was to their great annoyance. It took them forever to finally clear their path.
Finally, Lu Yuanqing stopped at a pitch-black gate made by yet another unknown material. The marks left by the past thousand years were evident.
"..."
The two exchanged a look, then each held one side and pushed with all their effort. "Open!"
"Rumble!"
With a heavy noise reminding one of muffled thunder, the great gate slowly opened. Just then, however, a lump of dark shadow several times denser than the previous ones whooshed out and pounced towards the right side.
Taken by surprise, Shi Yunlai was instantly wrapped inside it. His body then turned rigid and his energy went into a rampage.
"Senior Brother!"
Lu Yuanqing hurriedly pressed his palm against Shi's back and activated all his spiritual essence, then with a forceful push, he shouted, "Leave him!"
Shi Yunlai had not fully lost consciousness, and with them working together, the dark shadow was not their match. It was pushed out of Shi Yunlai and whooshed back into mid-air, emanating a malicious aura.
"Go!"
Lu Yuanqing was combat-ready. He shook a talisman into life right away. Clouds and mist erupted and there was a blazing golden light, from which leapt out a two-meter golden armored divine warrior holding a pair of maces, which it hammered down at the shadow.
It was none other than the Golden-armored Divine Warrior Talisman that Zhang Shouyang had used before.
The shadow had no combat skill whatsoever and was barely intelligent, causing it to take the below head on. It dissipated at the impact of the golden maces, but soon gathered back into one lump again.
The strike seemed to have hurt it in some way, for it made itself turn around and lunged at the divine warrior.
Meanwhile, Shi Yunlai came to himself and released a talisman himself. Purple arcs of lightning flickered, hacking ferociously at the shadow—it was the Flying Thunder Spell that Zhong Lingyu used once.
Nowadays in the monastery, men of Zhengyi were learning Quanzhen's Neidan, while those of Quanzhen were learning Zhengyi's talisman. There were hundreds of types of talismans, but most of them were of a low grade, whose effectiveness was very limited when facing the real masters (aka the "Two Saints of Phoenix Mountain").
Despite its ferocious appearance, the thing did not have a matching capability. It was soon losing its ground.
Lightning frightened it tremendously and it was keeping distance all the time. Realizing its soft spot, Shi Yunlai found plenty of room to maneuver, creating ample opportunity for Lu Yuanqing to attack.
They exchanged a few more rounds of blows and Lu Yuanqing found the opening. He swept down with his whisk. Bang!
The shadow exploded and left nothing behind.
"Phew… fortunately it was not fully developed, or we wouldn't have been able to subdue it."
With his energy almost exhausted, Shi Yunlai was already panting and the color on his face was rather washed out by now.
Lu Yuanqing searched the room with his eyes and his face suddenly lit up. The place the shadow used to occupy turned out to be an inner chamber with a couch and a low table, on which lay scattered a few things.
He was about to move closer and examine them when the breathing sound beside him grew heavier. Turning around, he saw Shi Yunlai was drained of all color, apparently no longer able to fend off the encroaching Yin energy.
"Hold on! We're leaving now!"
Resolute in action, Lu Yuanqing waved his whisk, dragging the objects to his side, then retreated supporting Shi Yunlai on his shoulder.
They ran all the way until they were beneath the well, by which time Lu Yuanqing was short of breath himself. He squeezed out the last of his energy and jumped up. Supported by the well wall, he moved their way upwards one section at a time.
"They're out!"
Up on the ground, Wang Ruoxu shouted. Then two figures shot out of the well and stumbled a long way before they finally managed to stopped still with much difficulty.
"Abbot!"
"Senior Brother!"
The others went up to them in a hurry and asked after them, "How was it? Did you get hurt?"
"Don't worry. It was a threatening situation, but not dangerous."
After his breath was adjusted, Lu Yuanqing said solemnly, "Senior Brother Sikong, Senior Brother Zhang, I'm afraid you'll have to guard the well for a while longer. I have to go back to the mountain now. All will be explained later!"
***
"Dang!"
"Dang!"
"Dang!"
At the ninth toll of the bell, all thirty-six members of Qiyun gathered in the inner court. Unlike the guest hall, the inner court was smaller and more private.
Lu Yuanqing was on the host seat. After everyone else had sat down, he met the eyes of the others, some of which were doubtful and others expectant, and smiled. "I went on an expedition with Senior Brother Shi down a well seven days ago. I am sure you have all been wondering what exactly was under that well. I have been trying to figure things out the past few days and would like to share the information with you all today.
That well was indeed the White Crane Spring. White Crane Priest had built a three-story underground palace in his days for cultivation and refining medicine. A great spell was then conjured to cover the palace up, so that to anyone else, it was nothing but a deep well.
Maybe the long years have rendered the spell ineffective, or maybe it was disturbed by the fluctuation of the spiritual essence; the secret chamber has reemerged. Unfortunately, the recovery of the spiritual essence has changed the energy of the mountain, turning it into a place where Yin energy converges, giving birth to a lot of ghostly beings."
"Abbot!" Zhang Shouyang was astonished and asked hastily, "Are you sure they're ghosts?"
"No, they were not bound by physical bodies and were pure gestations of Yin energy. Moreover, they lacked the adequate intelligence, so I would not call them ghosts. But if things proceed like this, with the appearance of ghostly beings, it won't be long before the discovery of ghosts…" Lu Yuanqing explained, then concluded, "All in all, the underground palace was taken up by Yin energy and with the long-term corruption, those things are bound to reappear. We have to be alerted all the time in case they break out of the well and disturb the mountain. Senior Brother Shi, I will leave it to you. Please make arrangements of shifts so that it is guarded around the clock."
"Yes!" replied Shi Yunlai.
"As I mentioned just then, there were three floors below the well and we haven't even finished exploring the first one. We will continue with it some time later. I would even go so far as to propose that if we could find out a pattern and make a plan to raise those ghostly beings, we can make it into an experiment and training facility of the monastery."
'Jeez!'
The claim shocked the room. That was audacious to extreme!
"Abbot, with due respect, the monastery is still in the early stage of development and the capabilities of all senior and junior brothers are very diverse. Facing those beings might cost their lives," cautioned Old Priest Mo.
"Haha, don't worry!" Lu Yuanqing smiled even wider as he suddenly took out a few objects and laid them out in a row. "I took these from the secret chamber. Recorded in them are some of the cultivation achievements of White Crane Priest."
"Whoosh!"
All faces in the room lit up. Looking to either side, Lu Yuanqing then announced loudly, "We now have the beast-controlling method, which allows us to raise and tame spiritual beasts. The priest received his title for riding a crane, which was a demonstration of this method!
We now have the technique of talisman water, which melts refined talisman into water and which in turn dispels plagues, stops calamities, and benefits mankind!
We now have the method of refining with mental power, which allows us to refine mighty instruments that connect with our minds. The resulting power is unmatchable!
We now have the method of refining Soul-calming Mirror, which could stabilize the mind and soul of living creatures!"
"..."
With each description, the eyes of the others lit up a little more. By the end, the entire inner court was taken over by a strange atmosphere that was both extremely suppressive and utterly exciting at the same time.
Heat seemed to be flowing in the air, warming everyone from inside out.
The Taoist community had been waning for centuries and when the great fortune was finally upon them, they were suppressed by those above and trampled on like stray dogs.
Who would be willing to live such a life?
As much as they believed that Taoism would rise again sooner or later, they still thought it to be a distant thing. But today, right here and right now, they finally saw a glimpse of that hope.
***
"Atchoo! Atchoo… hm?"
Up on Phoenix Mountain, Gu Yu rubbed his nose and wondered, "I am almost an immortal and a cold has got to me? Or is someone missing me?"
Shaking his head, he walked out of the meditation room with a blue talisman between his fingers, which he waved at Xiaozhai in the courtyard. "It's done. Let's try this Flying Message Talisman!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-86.png){kind=small}
Chapter 286: Going Abroad
Source: Qidian International
"According to a senior government official from the disaster management department of Telangana State, Indus, since May 1st this year, the extreme weather has resulted in as many as 167 deaths statewide, induced by heat strokes. It was reported by Indus Times that high temperature and droughts had taken the lives of hundreds of people across the country this year and approximately a quarter of the country's population is threatened by the shortage of food and water."
"Officials of the state of California, Uncle Sam, announced that on the 20th of this month local time, two homeless elderly people were found dead from hot weather. They were a 72-year-old male and an 87-year-old female… it was reported that on the 20th, the temperature of Phoenix, Arizona reached 47.2 degrees and 48.3 degrees on the 21st. The historical high of the city was 50 degrees Celsius, which was recorded on June 26th, 1990."
"Starting this July, Mountain City has recorded 21.3 days with temperatures above 40 degrees. It is expected that until mid-September, the weather of Mountain City will remain sunny, hot, and rainless… up till now, fifteen districts and counties including Changshou, Dianjiang, and Tongnan are experiencing droughts. A population of 21,000 is affected by a temporary shortage of drinking water and 473,000 mu of crops are suffering from drought."
"Liaodong and its surrounding areas are entering the state of emergency response to drought and disaster relief. Reporters learned yesterday from the Provincial Department of Agriculture that up till now, drought area of crops have reached 6.194 million mu, 864,000 mu are severely affected, and 242,000 mu are facing total crop failure."
"All xxx primary schools, middle schools, and universities have entered summer vacation. The Ministry of Education has issued reminders advising students to stay indoors and limit the time spent outside…"
"Latest news: twelve countries including Uncle Sam, Indus, Sicily, and ours intend to push talks aiming for a common deliberation on the changes and influence brought by the global extreme weather, as well as to agree on cooperative measures to cope with them…"
Entering July, the high temperature was affecting the country in an almost barbaric manner.
For the first time, urbanites began to panic and waver over their status and folks of the mountainous areas and countrymen were for the first time growing a superiority complex. Naturally, a verbal dispute took place between the two groups again.
Of course, more people kept them minds occupied by finding a place to stay away from the heat. Some guys even quit their jobs, moved into the mountains, and settled down there. Days with 40 degrees and above usually did not last more than three or five days—a week tops… nothing like this had ever happened. The temperature had been remaining there for over a month!
"Sigh, it won't be an exaggeration to say that life is becoming impossible for the people!"
Lying on a bough of the old tree, Gu Yu was reading off news of all over the world from his phone, which was making his heart sink.
What was happening to the entire country did not exclude Bai Town. Droughts were affecting a vast area of farmlands. Some farmer had committed suicide by drinking pesticide from the pressure of losing money for several years in a row.
Bai Town was his hometown and it would be self-deceiving to say that it did not worry him. But there was nothing he could do. Before he reached the Human Immortal state, he couldn't make the rain-praying talisman.
It was time like this that the authorities were the ones to be counted on. Natural calamities resistance measures aside, the several heat-dispelling medicines manufactured by Emei Pharmaceuticals were an outstanding service for the people.
Be it the ageratum tea, mulberry and chrysanthemum drink, peppermint pellet, cure-all perfumed satchel… regardless of the size or ways of application, as long as they were back in stock in the pharmacies, they were sold out in no time. To some extent, the medicine had indeed slowed down the pace of the spreading disaster.
As for the family of four of Phoenix Mountain, their life had been simple and plain lately. All they were doing these days was taking pills for cultivation, building the paper mill, expanding the herb garden, and having finished refining the Flying Message Talisman while they were at it.
It was a very convenient talisman. Branding it with the mental force imprints of the four beforehand and activating certain imprint when using it, the talisman would automatically locate and reach the person wanted.
They hadn't tested the longest distance it could send the message over. With his current capability, he estimated that the maximum distance he could cover was from Shengtian to Bai Town, which was a little over 100 km. He had refined five in a go. Apart from the one he experimented with, there were just enough for each one of the four.
Putting away his phone and jumping down the old tree, Gu Yu was about to return to the cottage and his cultivation when a laughter rang out from afar, knocking against his eardrums like falling barbells. "Hahahahahahaha! Those dumb*sses! I'm laughing my a*s off!"
"..."
His temples were throbbing again. Turning around, he saw indeed that it was Little Soap swaggering back from the front mountain. He couldn't help but ask, "Caught someone again?"
"Caught? That was self-defense! This is private property, no trespassing, ok?" Xiaojin ran to him, yelling, "Brother-in-law, I say we shut down that lousy tourist area! It's not like we need that tiny bit of money. They just keep coming as if we're handing out free food! Some even came with beddings!"
"It's all because of the heat. They won't affect us."
"Like hell! Some idiot is trying to jump in every day. Then they get trapped and I am the one saving them. They trespassed in the first place! We have to go all the way to care about their safety? Fine! I'm done with saving their a*sses. time, you go!"
Oh my, that glib tongue of hers. The brother-in-law was not given a chance to interject.
She wasn't exactly wrong. With the hot weather, people of the nearby towns and villages were all coming to the mountain to keep away from the heat. The folks of Phoenix Fair would bring their beddings and washing basins so that they could do business in the daytime and sleep in open air at night.
It was cool, spacious, with gentle breeze and pretty clouds, and no mosquitoes. Where else could they find a place like this?
However, as the visitors increased, trouble also came along—they simply could not stop thinking about getting inside the wire fence. That entire area was under the control of the spiritual ginseng and one would be trapped in Mada Mountain as soon as they got close.
The disoriented and confused intruders would then began to wail at the top of their lungs, and would then be knocked unconscious by Xiaojin and thrown out.
Rumors began to spread, involving legends about "astray ghosts" and aliens, which scared the folks at first. However, after a few more tryouts, they realized that not only was it not dangerous, it also came with a Recall spell, sending them back to their respawn pool. That was neat! Everyone now was eager to find out exactly what was behind the fence.
Those spoiled children!
"Fine, fine, I know it's a lot of work for you. Just leave it be for the time being. Sealing up the mountain is unnecessary at the moment."
Surrendering to her sharp tongue, Gu Yu waved her off.
'Tsk!'
Little Soap gave him a snort, then looked around, "Why, where's my sister?"
"In the training field."
"I'll be with her."
Little Soap ran away happily and Gu Yu resumed his walking back to the meditation room. A couple of steps out and the ringing phone stopped him. Even more irritated now, he checked the screen—it was Old Shui.
"Hello, Younger Brother-in-law! There's a visitor here down the mountain. His name is Wang Qi and he wants to see you."
"I see. Entertain him for a moment. I'll be right there."
Hanging up, he found that rather strange. Didn't the man come once at the beginning of this year? Why was he here again?
***
"This place is indeed blessed by excellent Fengshui settings. I'm drying out in the air-conditioned rooms these days. How lovely it would be if I could just stay here."
In the living room of the manor, Wang Qi sipped his tea and savored the natural coolness of the mountain. The envy in his voice was genuine.
"Sure. We have plenty of empty rooms here. You're welcome to stay as long as you wish." Gu Yu could smell bad news at the sight of the man. "Now, what instruction have you brought me here this time?"
"Not an instruction, but an invitation."
"Oh? For what?" He was intrigued.
"Haha, business opportunity, of course."
Wang Qi grinned. "Interested in a trip abroad?"
"..."
Gu Yu blinked as the news from earlier flashed through his mind and he saw what Wang Qi meant. "Talking with other countries now?"
"Well, that was quick."
The guy picked up an osmanthus cake, bit down half of it, and slowly took another sip of his tea—he might as well be out on a picnic. "The weather this year was so abnormal that demonstrations have been carried out for half a month in Uncle Sam. The reasonable and sensible choice for governments of all countries now is to do something to appease the general public."
"The reasonable and sensible choice…" The expression annoyed Gu Yu. "Be as reasonable and sensible as you want, but you gain nothing from this. So, what's the real reason?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-87.png){kind=small}
Chapter 287: An Introduction On Western Supernatural Powers
Source: Qidian International
"The real reason?"
Wang Qi was stumped for a second before replying with a smile, "It was never about the real reason. International politics is constantly changing. As long as you know where your bottom line is, you can be as creative as you want. If there has to be one, let's call it a tacit agreement among the countries to nose around one another."
"Then what are you here for?" Gu Yu asked another question.
"The answer to that is simple. The recovery of the spiritual essence is a global thing—well, we don't know what everyone else is calling it yet. The current situation is that everyone is suspicious of everyone else and no one knows what cards the others are holding. We cannot guarantee that they'll play by the book. On the other hand, neither will they put their trust in us…"
Wang Qi paused a little, then concluded, "Therefore, it is only reasonable to raise the security level to the highest against any possible accident."
'Tsk!'
'So, after all the big talk, you still need me as a bodyguard!'
Despite the sarcastic remarks rushing through his head, Gu Yu was a little intrigued, for he, too, wanted to see the other countries. Hence, he asked, "What's the standard of the meeting?"
"I can only tell you that Boss No. 1 is not going." Wang Qi revealed that little piece of information, then said earnestly, "Mr. Gu, we'd appreciate it if you could give it a careful consideration. You will be the only one we hire, for we cannot reveal too much to the other countries. Should you decide to take the job, we will remunerate you with forty thousand spiritual stones."
'Wow!'
Gu Yu was genuinely surprised by the offer. There were only so many in the national treasury and forty thousand was a very generous reward! He did not rush to a decision, though, but asked, "Around what time will this meeting take place?"
"It's not determined yet." Wang Qi shook his head. "Twelve countries intended to take part in the beginning, but more are joining in. By now, 52 are coming. Uncle Sam then proposed that we should simply hold it together with the global climate conference. The bosses are still exchanging views, but it will definitely happen within the year, October at the earliest and December at the latest."
Gu Yu knew about the global climate conference. It was a meeting held each December by countries belonging to the "United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change", where developed and developing countries were arguing futilely back and forth about problems such as greenhouse gas emissions.
"I need some time to think it over. You'll have my answer in a few days," said Gu Yu.
"Sure, no problem." Wang Qi did not press on, but switched the subject without hesitation. "I'm also here for another job. I need ten Evil-dispelling Dans."
"Hoho, I knew it. You people bought the pills the other day." Gu Yu chuckled.
Ever since Old Shui delivered the Evil-dispelling Dan to the Pavilion of Gems and put up an eye-catching advertisement on the app, the audience had been restless with excitement. People were arriving from all over the country to close a deal on the spiritual Dan.
The minimal price was either a thousand spiritual stones or bartering with other substances.
Obviously, no one could come up with the spiritual stones, nor was the stuff offered good enough to trade with. Hence, the pills had stayed on the shelf for a while.
It was so alluring that someone actually tried to take it by force. Luckily, Old Shui was clever enough to send in some hatchet men beforehand to guard the shop and together with the turtle shell Yan Han wore, they were able to keep the merchandise safe.
However, someone suddenly offered twenty thousand spiritual stones recently and bought the pills. Needless to say, it was from the authorities.
The purchase was for one of the two reasons: to study it, or to eat it.
Who would eat it, then? Well, it could only be some top level boss who was old, weak, and in desperate need for a little magic.
Some might find such claim dubious: the Evil-dispeling Dan could only cure diseases and strengthen the body, which hardly made it an exceptional medicine. Was it worth it? Consider it this way, then. With modern medical procedures, certain condition might require operations, chemo, and a couple of months' recuperation before the patient was back to health.
The Dan was different. Nothing couldn't be solved by popping a pill. If there was, pop another one.
"Judging by the eagerness of the authorities, the first two should have worked very well."
"Well, we don't have enough materials for ten pills. You'll have to wait." Our cunning Gu Yu put on a troubled look.
"We can provide you with the materials. Just give me a list." Wang Qi was ready with his offer.
"Oh, that'll make it much easier. We'll refine them ASAP," replied Gu Yu.
"One last thing. Here…" Wang Qi fumbled out a thick stack of files and handed it to Gu Yu. "A little preparation for the class. It might come handy."
"Ok."
Gu Yu took the files. Wang Qi then bid his farewell and Gu Yu walked with him to the outside.
***
Night, the meditation room.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai were bending over the table studying the files. There were several hundred pages in total and all were substantial stacks. Fanning out, they made the table look rather crowded.
Printed on the front pages were striking titles in boldface:
"Analysis on the Existence of Mages, Sorcerers, and Witches"
"Textual Research on the History and Inheritance of Druids"
"On Legends of Werewolves and Vampires"
"Historical Research on Zoroastrianism"
"Factual Analysis on Curses of African Witchcraft"
"On Legends of Pharaohs and Mummies"
"Textual Research on the Existence of Onmyoji and Shikigami"
You heard it right. That was the tutorial material given to Gu Yu, which was a compilation of collected literature, records of experts' discussion, and a small amount of information brought back by the intelligence agents.
Of all seven continents, apart from Antarctica, all the rest had its own ancient civilizations.
Using the characteristics of the inheritance of the domestic recovery and creation of the spiritual essence, the team of specialists of the country had untangled the possible supernatural phenomena of the other countries. They had proceeded from two angles: ancient civilizations and ancient religions.
The theories they came up with were very interesting. They concluded that the core of the Western supernatural phenomenon was "Gods and men", whereas that of our 1 country was "men and Immortals", or "men and Dao".
All western spiritual civilizations rooted from some form of divinity, such as the Olympians of ancient Greeks, the Ennead of ancient Egypt, the three Hindu gods, Odin and his sons of Norse mythology, etc.
Gods created their worlds, whereas in ours, Dao begets One, One begets Two, Two begets Three, Three begets all things.
They started from gods, which gave birth to the messengers of gods in the mortal world—religious believers. We began from believing in the world of men, which then declined, and the faith turned to the world of the immortals.
Therefore, strictly speaking, the term "god" did not really apply to our world. Of course, if you must mention figures such as Erlang Shen 2 , then be my guest.
Then there came the problem. No one could say for sure if this god thing existed or not. Let's forget the groundless mythological legends for the time being and consider the cultivation of individuals first.
The team of experts had come up with a hypothesis: their individual "cultivation" could be a divine gift, but more likely, it could be something similiar to ours, which was achieved through communicating with the law of Nature and elevating the level of life.
The most typical example would be the Druids of the ancient Celts.
The Druids believed in oak trees—yes, that type of thick, hard trees. In order to receive power from the oak trees, the Druids had to have some special practice.
These civilizations shared one thing in common—sorcery. The ancient Shamanism and the Incan religions, for instance, both carried out primitive worships, believing in the spirits of all things such as fire, bears, ghosts, male members, cartoon characters (just kidding), etc.
Therefore, the experts reached a conclusion that the power system of other countries was probably similar to ours, which was following one of the three paths: sorcery, the inheritance of religious sects, or some concoction of ambitious individuals.
Other than that, there was one more thing that worth mentioning.
When western supernatural beings were mentioned, to ordinary people, the first things that came to their minds were—among other things— werewolves, vampires, Marvel universe, etc.
The origins of vampires could be traced back to the Mesopotamian and ancient Hebrew civilizations thousands of years ago. It was said that devils feeding on the essence and blood of human beings walked the earth then. As for the image of the modern vampires, it owed mostly to the large number of folklore and literary works.
As for werewolves (lycanthropes), their origins were even more complicated.
There was the mythological source: Zeus transformed a cruel king into a wolf.
There was the medical source: the term "lycanthropy" described a psychiatric condition where the patients had a delusion about themselves being wolves.
There was the historical records source: King John Lackland had turned into a werewolf after being poisoned by a monk.
The files hence came to the conclusion that these two kinds of creatures might exist, but were definitely not something that would tear their clothes off and run naked on a full moon night, nor would spend their days as some beautiful men and women losing their heads over cheating love affairs.
Their appearance would be hideous, very hideous...
Well, Gu Yu quite trusted the team of experts, for he was on the opposite end of the spectrum from a curve wracker.
All in all, after a few days of studying, the couple had a pretty good idea of what it was all about and Gu Yu was greatly intrigued. After the head of the household gave her permission, he replied Wang Qi, saying he was willing to go along.
The head of the household herself did not think much of it. She could not be bothered to travel that far and would rather stay at home eating, sleeping, and disciplining Xiaojin.
***
The city of Dongyun, Tianhua Mountain.
Dongyun was the second largest city of the province with a coastline and an developed economy. Tianhua Mountain stood 200 km to the west of the city under the jurisdiction of Guanshui Town.
The mountain was a tourist destination, but had never been too popular, for most of the area was covered by virgin forest and the rugged terrain provided little development opportunity, hence there wasn't much activities available for the tourists.
"Rustle!"
Somewhere on the west slope, a thick growth of branches was brushed aside and out came six people in turn. All were equipped with outdoor gear. One had a transmitter on his back and the other five carried knives, sticks, and a gun on their back.
These five were none other than the members of the scientific research team, who were here to explore and verify a clue offered to the app.
"This section has been swept. No unusual creatures found!"
"This section has been swept, too. No discovery!"
The reports came in one after another and the team leader marked each set of coordinates in turn. He then checked the time: 3.00 pm. It was an awkward time—too early to return, but a little late to keep searching.
After a brief consideration, he made the decision. "We will carry on for another forty minutes. We'll go back if nothing comes up by then."
"Yes!"
The six men fanned out right away, proceeding forward slowly.
They did not know what exactly they were after. The information provider only snapped a blurry photo from afar. All they could tell was that it was huge and ferocious-looking.
Another few minutes and they were marching even deeper into the woods. The air in the mountain was quite pleasant. Without the burning sun, it was almost cool in the shade.
All of a sudden, one of the men halted and warned in a low voice, "I heard something!"
"..."
The other team members stopped in unison and pricked up their ears. There was indeed a shuffling sound from an unknown distance away, as if something was threading through the woods.
"Get ready!"
At the command, the team was combat-ready in no time. Two men climbed onto trees, two lay in wait in the bushes, while one man backed away to keep the research specialist safe.
"Rustle!"
"Rustle!"
The sound was moving closer and closer. It was almost at them when all was silent. The six waited a long while and nothing showed up. The team leader then gestured with his hand.
One fellow on the tree took up his binoculars to check, then he felt something...
"Bang!"
"Clack!"
The trunk as thick as a pot snapped without warning. The man panicked. Before he had time to react, a giant shadow pounced at him.
"Aaaaah!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-88.png){kind=small}
Chapter 288: A Series Of Strange Events
Source: Qidian International
"So, it seems the fiction stories weren't all making it up. Maybe the black magic and white magic do exist, so do the warlocks and sorcery."
Closing the book, Gu Yu murmured to himself, "Art is rooted in life itself. Just look at our xianxia fictions. There might be exaggerations, but it's not completely groundless."
He slowly rose to his feet. The book in his hand disappeared suddenly and, almost instantaneously, reappeared on the nearby shelf.
It was one of the most popular western fantasies. Set in the Great Brittania, it was a story about a group of young sorcerers defeating a big monster. Quite a few books of similar themes could be found on the shelf. Some were about elves and dwarves, some depicting dragons and liches, some looking into alchemists, etc.
After saying yes to Wang Qi, Gu Yu had been doing his homework, reading through all kinds of relevant books. He made an interesting discovery: gods might not exist among the supernatural powers of the western world, but certain folklore or anecdotes on historical figures might not be fabricated after all.
For instance, Nicolas Flamel of Gaul, a famous 14th-century alchemist, was considered the founder of alchemy in Europe.
His best-known contribution was the creation of the philosopher's stone—yes, that same one mentioned in Horry Patter 1 ! Legend had it that not only could the stone transform mercury into gold, it could also make one immortal.
Flamel passed away in 1427 in his hometown. In search for the secret of the philosopher's stone, alchemists left no stone unturned, only to find the Flamel couple's coffins empty.
For centuries that followed, there were multiple witnesses claiming to have seen the couple...
It sounded both marvelous and exotic, yet come to think of it, wasn't that whole setting somewhat familiar? Essentially, how was that different from the legends of Ge Hong, Ye Fashan, or Sa Shoujian?
Hence, since we 2 could benefit from the benevolence of our forefathers, there was no reason they shouldn't.
"Creak!"
Pushing open the door, Gu Yu found all was quiet in the yard and no one was under the old tree—the younger two had probably gone play somewhere.
He could not be bothered to search for them. Kicking lightly at the ground with the tip of his toe, he leapt 10 cm off the ground before stepping repeatedly. Instantly, he seemed to fade into the air, leaving behind nothing but a barely discernible thin mist, then like a piece of cloud carried swiftly away by the wind, he was two hundred meters away in a heartbeat.
Cottage of Pure Mind was forty minutes away from the training field by foot, but the thin mist landed in the middle of the field in a couple of minutes.
"Whoo...."
The mountain breeze brushed against the ground and the white mist filled the air, slowly taking the human shape again.
Landing on his feet, Gu Yu sensed the solid feeling of the ground and was greatly satisfied. With the help of the Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan, the cultivation speed of the family of four was taking the rocket.
The effect on his was the most obviously. Take the Shadow-switching Technique he used just then for an example, it had improved significantly in both the "special effect" and the duration from when he used it on Changbai Mountain.
It was literally a pretender's best gift—the show was on 24/7!
Of course, he was still secretly frustrated a little—Xiaozhai was only a few feet away and did not even lift her eyelids.
***
"Brother!"
"Brother!"
Gu Yu popped a pill and had just absorbed it fully, breathing out a long breath, when there came an urgent calling. Long Qiu then appeared in sight, running happily towards them. "Great, you're all here!"
"What's wrong?" asked Xiaozhai.
"There is a big monster. It sounds very dangerous!"
Long Qiu took out her phone and handed it to the couple. In the forum of the app, the authorities had for the first time put up a post.
"Recently, an unknown beast has been spotted on the Tianhua Mountain—Five Dragons Ridge region. Its activity is covering a very wide area and the beast often travels across different regions. It is very aggressive and has taken up the habit to feed on human beings. Up to now, eight men have been killed and thirteen injured. App users in the area should take precautions of their safety and do not attempt to rashly search for it."
"..."
Frowning, Gu Yu asked, "What other measures have they taken?"
"They have sent guards there. Protective nets are set around the mountain foot and the government has organized teams to enter the mountain. A lot of local people are protesting, saying they need to move; some even went to the provincial capital to petition."
'Pardon me?'
A politically sensitive term like "petition" sound so out of the place when uttered by Long Qiu.
The Tianhua Mountain was at the edge of Dongyun's jurisdiction and right next to Five Dragons Ridge of Shengtian, which was also a small mountain. Five Dragons Ridge had some hot springs and was quite a popular tourist destination.
As mentioned before, moving southeast away from Shengtian, one would find unbroken mountain regions, all a stretching branch of Changbai Mountains. The mountains were of various sizes and ran all the way through the two cities.
Since the monstrous beast enjoyed roaming around, it would inevitably bring damage wherever it went. Hence, someone simply had to teach it some discipline.
But how?
After some consideration, Gu Yu suddenly announced, "Xiao Qiu, the job is yours."
"Oh… huh?" Long Qiu was about to nod when she realized what she just heard. "Are you asking me… to go alone?"
"Surely you can handle a petty four-legged thing, can't you?" asked Xiaozhai.
"Yes, of course, I just…" The girl was anxious at first, but soon grew excited. "Well, I'll give it a go, then?"
"It's not a question. I'm giving you an order. You're leaving, now!" said Gu Yu.
"But I was going to make some preparations first!" Long Qiu was a little dumbstruck.
"There's no need for that. Just go, quickly!" Xiaozhai joined in rushing her out.
"But I don't know if it— what? Brother! Sister!"
The poor girl was overruled in all her objections and before she knew it, she was out on her way to the job. 'Are you kidding me? We've finally had something worth solving and she'd better use every precious minute to train herself!'
The third of Phoenix Mountain against a mutated beast, what was there to prepare?!
***
Shengtian, Youth Street.
It was one of the main roads of the city. At night, the street would be lit up brightly by the endless streams of vehicles and flickering neon lights, but such a scene had been toned down by a great deal since the beginning of this month.
With the upsurge in power consumption, there wasn't enough left to light up the night sky.
"Whoosh!"
A white vehicle sped along the wide street. The coupe was powerful and excellent to handle. The big sister behind the wheel was composed and at ease—it was none other than Yang Qing, Xiaojin's mother.
She was coming back from a facial with a couple of BFFs and on her way home—not the one she shared with her husband, but her own home. The couple had a row this morning and she did not want to speak to him yet, so she decided to stay the night in the house of her own.
"Good evening, everybody. Welcome back to 'Late Night Babble'. I'm Xiang Xiang. Before we start, I'd like to give you a heads-up. Actually, it was announced several days ago already. Because of the summertime electricity shortage, power cut will be carried out in zones this month. From eight tonight to six tomorrow morning, the electricity of thirteen residential districts including Kunshan Road, Shenshantie Road, and Baishan Road will be temporarily cut off. Please be prepared…"
Yang Qing realized her house was within the affected area and made a mental note to buy a couple of candles from the convenience store downstairs later.
"Now, we'll begin today's program with something on Zhongyuan Festival. The day arrives slightly earlier this year, which is Aug. 8th 3 and which means it's less than two weeks' time. We're all familiar with the festival. On that day, we'll visit the graves to honor the memory of the dead and show our grief…"
The broadcaster babbled on, yet Yang Qing was lost in her own thoughts after a while.
She was from the region south of the Yangtze River, where the family tradition was well preserved. They even still kept an ancestral hall of the clan. Back then, she would join the elder generation in the worship ceremony during the major festivals. However, she seldom went back there after she got married and moved to the north.
Both of her parents had passed away. An older brother remained in her hometown and would take care of their graves. At the sudden mention of the subject, her thoughts were drifting further and further away.
Hello, sister! You're driving!
"Bang!"
Unsurprisingly, the car jolted abruptly and Yang Qing suddenly came to herself. There was a thump, as if she had just crushed something. Meanwhile, the tire pressure monitor alerted: the right rear wheel had lost pressure.
"Screech!"
She pulled over in a hurry, got off, and bent over to check. She had driven over some sort of tile, which had broken into sharp pieces and pierced the tire.
"Tsk!"
Frustrated, Yang Qiu pulled out the shard and tossed it aside. Looking around, she realized she was somewhere around Lilac Lake, which was quite distant from the downtown area and very remote.
A major road ran through the area in the middle, flanked by construction sites on both sides.
It was the middle of nowhere. Her only option was to call the police before calling her BFFs for help as well. After that, feeling she had not yet fully worked off her anger, she found the lousy thing and trampled it until it was broken into the tiniest pieces.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-89.png){kind=small}
Chapter 289: The First Unguided Task: Accomplished
Source: Qidian International
Five Dragons Mountain, Five Dragons Ridge.
Five Dragons Ridge was a small town at the foot of the mountain. A little over fifty thousand people there lived off the mountain and the natural hot springs, raising an economy that was on the flourishing side. The dozens of spa sanitaria, hotels, swimming pools, and bathing centers of all sizes were fully booked throughout the year.
However, business had been dismal lately—thanks to that beast in the mountain. Not only did visitors stop coming, the local folks were also panic-stricken.
After being shooed out of the door by her brother and sister, Long Qiu arrived at the town that same afternoon. She found the streets abandoned and the overall atmosphere strange. The handful of passersby she saw on the streets had anxiety and fright written all over their faces.
She literally had zero preparation and had arrived with nothing by herself. After making some peaceful consideration by the side of the road, she decided she should find someone to make an inquiry with. Please bear in mind that this was her very first operation on her own.
"Uncle, please take me to the mountain gate."
She hailed a shabby electrical tricycle (unlicensed cab) and hopped in like it was the most natural thing. The elder owner gawked at her: such a pretty girl, and with nice clothes, too. 'Are you sure you want to ride in this thing?'
Seeing the old man's silence, she asked again, "Uncle?"
"Oh, ok! That'll be five yuan 1 !"
The old man came to himself, turned the handlebar this way and that, and zigzagged their way away from the station.
The tricycle chugged its way forward and the old man couldn't help but peep at that half little face through the rearview mirror that he had installed himself. Those cheeks were as fresh and fine as newly picked lychee pulp and the skin of her nose as smooth as goose grease; she looked like a bright white moon sitting back there.
As the saying went: rejuvenated, an old man would let his fiery zeal show, fancying marrying a young woman. Every now and then, one could not help but be attracted by beauty (and let their unspeakable imagination fly)...
After much peeping, the young girl still kept her silence. He was about to try to strike up a conversation when she suddenly spoke, "Uncle, I was told that there is this beast up on the mountain. Is it true?"
"True! That couldn't be more true! It killed someone just this morning!" The old man was cheered up right away. "They were saying that it came all the way from Tianhua Mountain, but no one has seen what it looks like so far. Gosh, just look at what it's done to our town. Everybody is too sacred to come here. The five richest bosses in the town let the word out yesterday: ten million for whoever that can kill that thing! That's ten million, on my god. I'd be right on my way in if I had the balls…"
"Is it still up there?" Long Qiu automatically filtered out the irrelevant bullsh*t.
"Should be. It only killed someone this morning… Why, little girl, you're not going up there, are you?" The old man found the question strange.
"I'm just curious and come here to have a look."
"I see. Be careful, then. The area is sealed off now. You can't go up there even if you want to."
It wasn't the most clever way to fish for information. On the other hand, the old man wasn't the smartest man in the world, either. So, an equal match.
The tricycle soon arrived at the mountain gate. Long Qiu got off and saw that instead of a bleak scene she imagined, she was looking at a rather boisterous lot. The square was arrayed with tents of all sizes and colors, which people were going in and out of. They chatted and dined happily in twos and threes, as if out for a picnic.
At the mountain gate, however, was a picture of stark contrast. The road blocks were guarded by grave-looking police officers carrying loaded guns.
"..."
It only took Long Qiu a second to realize that the crowd was either app users or onlookers who had nothing better to do but to make a joke out of the whole thing. She then stealthily made her way round the mountain gate and headed north. A few kilometers later, where there was not a soul around, she jumped over the protective net and disappeared into the woods.
"Golden Silkworm, go!"
As soon as she landed, she released her most effective move. The chubby baby nodded and dashed into the woods in a whish. A couple of steps out and it turned into a snake, which slithered on for a short distance before turning into a frog—it was having a great time.
Long Qiu planned to wrap it up ASAP and pushed forward herself as well.
Five Dragons Mountain was not too big and the terrain was rather flat, but it was endowed with a variety of landscapes—peculiar peaks, grotesque rocks, waterfalls, deep pools, as well as plenty of plants.
"Rustle!"
"Rustle!"
She threaded through the trees like a wood elf, spreading out her mental force to aid the search. About twenty minutes into the search, there came a sudden growl in the distance. "Roar!"
The sound resonating in the mountain came from the southeast. At the same time, she sensed Golden Silkworm was approaching her rapidly.
"There!"
Spinning around on the tip of her toes, Long Qiu turned gracefully in the air and dashed into the woods like a deft young swallow.
"Roar!"
The thing growled repeatedly and was getting closer. With a loud rustle, the chubby kid came out first, then cheerfully hopped onto its master's shoulder and clapped its hands in a soundless laughter.
Immediately after that, the branches shook violently and an enormous shadow emerged as if falling out of the sky.
It was over four meters long and as tall as over two and a half meters. It had pure black hair in thick, short, and hard bristles, four stout, short legs, and very well-developed tusks that were 20 cm long.
It was an unnaturally huge boar.
"..."
"Teehee!"
Long Qiu eyed the thing, the look on her face strange. She couldn't help but break into laughter after two seconds.
The boar's short tail was tied into a bow, which cocked up high at its rear, shaking comically with the angry move of its body. Needless to say, it was Golden Silkworm's doing.
"You little rogue. Making trouble again, aren't you?"
Rubbing the child's head, she found the Golden Silkworm was getting more "off-key" these days. Having invested so much in raising this little thing, she hoped it wouldn't go all haywire one of those days.
"Roar!"
The boar had chased the Golden Silkworm all the way here and was ready to have a good fight, but did not expect to find a human who was not showing the least respect towards it. Eyes bloodshot and extremely agitated, it dug its hind hoof into the ground, as if ready to charge.
The next second, however, the beast as huge as a small mountain seemed to give a flicker and disappeared from where it stood.
'What?'
Long Qiu was genuinely stunned. A boar that knew how to flash out of sight? What sort of ability was that?
As much as she was amazed, it did not worry she to the least. Sliding her left foot sideways, she effortlessly moved several meters away.
"Thump!"
The boar landed right at that moment. Realizing it had charged into empty air, its beady eyes were filled with utter astonishment.
Ever since it somehow acquired that move, it had never failed until now. Last time when it was surrounded by six men, it was with this move that it snuck to below the tree and took out one man first.
Why wasn't it working now?
Its poor little brain was not enough to handle such a complicated question. Kicking the ground with its hind hoof again, it flashed out of sight a second time. Long Qiu dodged swiftly and deliberately did not fight back, but only observed.
The boar was indeed as thick-headed as it looked. After a fourth flash, it was already worn out and began to whee and grunt.
"I see. It was not really teleporting…"
Xiao Qiu had by now figured out what it was doing. The boar seemed to have acquired a, well, natural gift of sorts, which enabled it to raise its speed to a maximum with a momentary burst of energy, with which it could charge out for a short distance.
The distance was within five to eight meters, which it could reach in the blink of an eye. That was why, at the first look, it looked like teleportation.
"I expected it to be an ordinary mutated beast, but this one is actually worth of some consideration…"
Long Qiu gave a little hop and landed steadily on its back, where she sat down and began to think.
"Roar!"
The boar grew all the more irritated and did all it could to shake its body around, but could not get rid of the person on its back no matter what.
The ability of the short-distance charge was likely an unexpected talent brought by the exposure to the spiritual essence. Like her brother once said, one of the most important factor that would affect the result of instrument refinement was the own property of the material.
For instance, if the material came with "burning", the refined instrument would also "burn"; if the material came with "sharpness", then the refined instrument would also have a "sharp" quality.
However, so far they had not discovered more than a handful materials that came with such properties. In that case, she wondered if they could have a go with this boar.
Moments later, Long Qiu made up her mind. She reached out a fair hand and put the open palm flat on its head. Her energy than charged out… clack!
The top of its skull was shattered like broken glass.
"Thump!"
All signs of life left its eyes and the boar collapsed to the ground without any warning. The death was instantaneous.
"..."
Long Qiu hopped off and walked around the enormous heap. Her eyes suddenly fixed on the spot between its hind legs.
"Move that leg aside," she ordered.
'No!'
Golden Silkworm protested in silence.
"Move it now!"
'No, I won't!'
Golden Silkworm stared back at her.
'Tsk!'
Seeing that Golden Silkworm would not yield, Long Qiu could only flip the dead body with a streak of energy so that it was lying on its back. The hind legs then slid down, revealing the part in between.
"It's female!"
Long Qiu scratched her head. Usually only the male boars had tusks, which made her think this one was a male. It was indeed born under some lucky star. The change it took was so significant.
On a second thought, she realized that female boars would live in groups, while the male ones lived on their own. Could there be more than one out there?
"Where did you find it? Take me there."
Right away, she ordered the Golden Silkworm to lead the way. They walked for a long while before reaching a valley and, after some more search, they finally found a cave. As expected, there were three piglets inside.
They were lying around in the cave. Seeing the strangers, they rolled to their feet and began to whee as ferociously as their little voices allowed.
Long Qiu was purposefully irritating the little ones and stopped when she was less than a meter away. She even waved at them.
"Oink!"
One of the piglets was so angry that it dug the ground with its hind hoof and whooshed out of sight. Long Qiu's face lit up. Reaching out, she seemed to have grabbed a little boar out of thin air, which was kicking around fiercely and would not stop struggling.
"You can do it as well! Great!"
Delighted, Long Qiu knocked the three piglets out and returned to the dead body.
She was going to take everything back to the mountain for her brother and sister, so that they could see what sort of treasure they could make out of them. However, how was she going to transport everything back?
***
"Holy sh*t, the admission score of that school is out. My son is only two points higher than that. That was so goddamn lucky!"
"He got in, didn't he? That's good news."
"That's good news all right, but I can't go back! They're having a feast at home today and I'm playing the janitor here!"
A group of police officers were chatting at the mountain gate, complaining about this lousy task every two sentences. Such arrangement couldn't be helped. More than twenty people were killed or injured, making it a major case by every standard.
Moreover, a mutated creature was involved, rendering it all the more problematic.
The government had its hands tied at the moment, for the forest was the creature's playground. However experienced the soldiers were, once inside, they were nothing but helpless greenhorns. Word had it that the authorities of Shengtian and Dongyun were discussing the issue now. If nothing worked, they'd have to turn to the priests of Taiqing Palace for help.
"Sigh, it comes with the job. We'll be able to rest when we retire!"
The police officer heaved a sigh, took out a cigarette, and was about to light it. However, his hand shook, dropping it to the ground.
"What's wrong with you? Dementia got you or something?" teased one of the colleagues.
"She, she, she…"
The fellow pointed into the distance and could not stop himself from shaking. The other turned to look and their jaws went slack.
Descending gracefully along the long mountain track was a young lady as fair as white jade and as lovely as a fluffy toy who was carrying a piglet in each hand. The more frightening picture was that behind her, a mountainous heap was floating in midair.
Yes, it was floating.
She quickly walked up to them and smiled. "Hello, my name is Long Qiu. Could you do me a favor?"
"..."
An astounded silence.
"Hello? Hello, wake up, please?"
"You're Long, Long, Long Qiu…"
Coming to themselves, the police officers were then scared out of their wits. What was Princess Phoenix Mountain doing here?
"Um, it's me. Do you mind helping me to take it back to Bai Town?" Xiao Qiu pointed at what was behind her.
"That's, that's really not…" One of the fellows was about to play by the book when his colleague gave him a nudge. "Oh, sure! Of course! I'll dispatch a vehicle here right away!"
"Ha, thanks so much."
The fellows were extremely efficient and a large truck arrived in no time. Then, surrounded by all the eyes, the Golden Silkworm fought back its urge to swear at someone and tossed the giant boar down.
"Thump!"
The truck that weighed a few tons itself shook with the impact.
After that, the mountain gate was wide open and two police officers walked out to clear the site. "Make way, please. If everyone please move to the side! Do not gather in the middle of the square!"
"What the hell? Why do we have to move?"
"Exactly. What's wrong with us having a picnic here? We aren't bothering anybody!"
The onlookers were disgruntled at the request and all began to yell. Among the hubbub, a gigantic truck rumbled out—loaded on it was an even more gigantic boar.
It was so big that it was taller than the open-box bed; its head was clearly rising above the sideboard.
"..."
A hush fell over the square as everyone was dumbstruck by the passing truck, as well as the glimpse of that girl in the passenger seat.
***
"Sigh…"
Uncle Jiang sighed and flicked his cigarette, completely unaware of the ashes dropping out of the ashtray.
He was sitting in the dim-lit living room of his villa, which seemed even emptier than usual with him being the only one to fill the space.
As a matter of fact, he was at a loss himself. Lately, he had been more irascible than ever and would lose his temper over the tiniest problem. A couple of days ago, he had a row with his wife and was impervious to all reason. So much so that a woman as gentle as Yang Qing could stand him no longer and left home.
He was at the time in the middle of a deal and had to see a client… before he realized, Yang Qing had been away from home for three days.
Rubbing his temples. Uncle Jiang stubbed out the cigarette. Despite the inexplicable sulkiness, he still picked up his phone and dialed the number.
"Toot… toot… toot…"
The call only went through after a long while, but the person on the other side said nothing.
"Hello, Qing Qing?"
Uncle Jiang called her by the nickname of her youth.
"Oh, it's you, Old Jiang…"
A voice rang out two seconds later, which sounded extremely tired and was accompanied by a faint chewing noise.
"What are you doing?" He found it strange.
"I'm eating. I'm hungry."
"Oh, it was my fault the other day. I apologize. I'll come by and pick you up in a moment. Please don't live by yourself out there," said Uncle Jiang.
"..."
There came another lengthy chewing sound, reminding him of someone very, very hungry. The voice then answered quietly, "Sure. I'll wait for you."
"In that case, you… hello? Hello?"
She hung up.
Uncle Jiang frowned. His wife did not sound all right!
He sat there dazed for a moment before suddenly rising to his feet and rushing out of the house. He was in the yard when he realized all was dark around, even the night sky above. It then dawned on him: oh, it was their area's turn for the blackout.
Shaking his head, he got into his car and found a couple walking in the front, who were engaging in the most cloying conversation.
"Aiya, the blackout is so annoying. I was going to watch GOT tonight."
"Hoho, don't worry. We can pump back the electricity ourselves tonight."
"Stop it. You're not getting anywhere near me tonight. It takes forever for you to stop."
"Why, you hold on to me too tight!"
"Beep! Beep!"
Uncle Jiang honked the horn impatiently and the couple finally moved aside with much cursing. He then drove out of his residential area and headed for Liliac Lake.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-90.png){kind=small}
Chapter 290: Hunger
Source: Qidian International
"Screech!"
A vehicle came to a stop inside a residential area somewhere around Lilac Lake. The door opened and out came Uncle Jiang, who then ran hastily to the house.
He knocked first. After getting no reply, he took out his key and opened the door. The estate was also a spacious villa, which was right now pitch-dark inside—none of the lights were on.
Switching on the overhead light of the living room, he called out, "Hello, Qing Qing? Qing Qing, are you here?"
"..."
There was no reply.
Uncle Jiang grew suspicious at the strange atmosphere of the house, for doors to all the rooms were tightly shut, and so were the curtains. The entire villa felt like a huge sealed box, denying the light outside any access. A faint smell of spoiled food also filled the air.
To make it stranger, he saw that his wife's shoes were clearly in the shoe cabinet and her bag and car keys were lying on the top.
"Click!"
He walked further into the house and switched on the light of the bedroom, but found it empty. He then opened the door of the bathroom: still empty.
Taking out his phone, he was about to call his wife when he froze and turned his head towards the kitchen, for behind that closed door, he seemed to have caught the sound of some rustling sound—the noise one would make when opening plastic packages.
"Qing Qing?"
Uncle Jiang quickly approached the door and shoved it open. The scene inside make him jump.
The kitchen was also in darkness. By the light coming in from the other rooms, he could make out a figure sitting by the table burying its head eating something. After decades of marrying to the woman, he was sure by the feeling alone that it was Yang Qing.
"What's all this? Why didn't you turn on the light?"
Uncle Jiang walked in and clicked the light switch. When the room was lit up by the bright light, Uncle Jiang felt a chill running all the way up his spine, making his flesh creep.
The kitchen looked nothing it once was. Packagings and bits of food were scattered all over the kitchen platform and the table. Two large pots were on the stoves. He could not make out what was cooked inside, only that the liquid was splashed everywhere, dripping and flowing all over the stove.
The fridge door was wide open, which had probably broken down, for the light inside was not on. A few pieces of vegetable leaves and blood-stained bones had fallen out.
The top of the table was the messiest place, which was overflowing with things like bone shards, bits of meat, and fruit pits. Yang Qing was now sitting in this dump, burying her head in a roast chicken held between her hands.
"Mhm…"
Dazzled by the sudden light, she winced instinctively with a strange moan, then raised her head. The face looking at Uncle Jiang petrified him!
It reminded him of a melting candle. Her fair skin color was mostly gone, which was now covered by a hoary and lifeless sallowness, together with a layer of grease that would make one's stomach turn.
Huge dark circles covered her under-eye area and her eyes seemed out of focus. The look on her face was a mixture of utter fatigue and excitement, which was eerily terrifying beyond description.
She kept her gaze on Uncle Jiang while keeping tearing at the chicken, biting off bones together with the meat. In a hoarse voice, she said, "You're here."
"What's wrong with you?" Uncle Jiang asked in a shaky voice.
"I don't know. I'm just hungry. I have been eating for a day and a night, but I'm still so hungry!"
Yang Qing tore off another chunk of meat, the chewing motion contorting the muscles of her face. She was in the strangest state. She seemed to be in a confused state of mind, yet her head had remained partially clear, which was capable of one feeling only—hunger!
"You, you…" Being an experienced man of the world, Uncle Jiang now had some idea of what was going on. He urged, "Let's leave here now! You can't stay here any longer! Come!"
With that, he moved closer to grab her.
Yang Qing dodged backwards and yelled, "I want to eat, I want to eat… I want to eat!"
She said it repeatedly and her voice grew louder until she was almost in a state of mania. Tossing the remaining half of the roast chicken aside, she suddenly dashed to the fridge.
"Ho, hoho, I'm so hungry!"
She grabbed a handful of raw greens and stuffed into her mouth. The juice splashed out, covering half of her face together with other crumbs, giving her a ferocious and devilish look.
"Qing Qing, just leave it! Come with me now!"
Panic-stricken, Uncle Jiang ran up to her, snatched away the vegetable, and dragged her towards the door.
"Aaaaaah! Aaaaaah!"
Yang Qing screamed frantically and yanked herself free right away. The look on her face turned grim as she yelled, "You don't let me eat! I'll eat you!"
"Qing Qing!"
Uncle Jiang was still in shock of his wife's sudden strength when Yang Qing brandished her arms and pounced at him like a beast. She was so fast that he had no time dodge. Her hands almost reached him when there came another scream. "Aaaaah!"
"Thump!"
Yang Qing suddenly flew backwards and collapsed to the ground, motionless, apparently knocked unconscious.
"..."
Jaw slacking, Uncle Jiang only came to himself after quite a while. He fumbled out a pendant from under his shirt in a flurry, which was none other than the turtle shell amulet given by his daughter.
Everything had happened so fast.
He stood there dazed for some time and finally calmed down. He then phoned his older brother and checked all the rooms. Nothing seemed out of the place, only that his wife's turtle shell was on the night table, which he picked up and put away.
After that, he carried Yang Qing into the car and headed right for his older brother's.
***
"Sigh…"
Smacking his head, Gu Yu was speechless.
"Sigh…"
Xiaozhai also smacked her head, even more speechless.
Long Qiu, however, stood at their feet, biting her red lip with her bright white teeth, eyes flickering, as if waiting for a compliment. It was her very first mission on her own and she had brought back four pigs… that was some fat accomplishment!
After taking out the big boar, she asked the police force to help her with the transportation and the truck carried the boar all the way from Five Dragons Ridge to the foot of Phoenix Mountain. Despite all the trouble, the guys had nothing to complain about, for the reward was very generous, only that the form it came in was somewhat disturbing.
Just imagine this: a girl as beautiful as a movie star stuck her hand into the belly of the pig and came out with a bloody chunk of meat, telling you that it was a gift for you all...
How were they supposed to react to that!
Well, they should be more than content and stop whining. It was from a mutated beast! The insider knowledge going around was that the meat of mutated beasts contained a tiny amount of spiritual essence, which, when ingested, could improve physical strength and solve the duration issue.
Street-level civil servants would not begin to imagine such look luck on a normal day, which just happened to fall into their laps today.
10 kg of meat for five men. That was pretty generous!
"Hm, good job. You've thought through everything."
Gu Yu picked his praising words carefully after much consideration. Xiaozhai also rubbed the girl's head, "That was indeed very thoughtful. Keep at it."
"Teehee, I thought so too! I'm going to play with Jin Jin now!"
The adorable pet was delighted at the head-rubbing and the praise and ran happily away.
The couple exchanged a look and shrugged in unison.
The boar seemed so awesome—the enormous size, the long tusks, its pig-bursting technique of instant charge for 5-8 m and all. But let's ask another question: how on earth would any of those be useful to Phoenix Mountain?
Such novice-level skills were all among the cultivation-unrelated martial arts category—the moves that young mobsters would use hatching at one another on the streets. Even Little Soap would easily beat the pig in both the speed and the lethality. Wait a second, that comparison was a little insulting...
Had it been the couple who went there, they would have brought back the hogskin and the tusks back at most. Our Long Qiu was such a naive girl.
"It's here after all, so we might as well take care of the meat first—the pig must weigh a ton. Let's send some to your and Xiaojin's parents, Old Shui, Uncle and Aunt Fang, and Gao Mingde and the others each. The rest will go to the shop for whomever that wants to buy it," said Gu Yu.
"Let's keep the skin, the bones, and the teeth. We can at least give it a good look. It won't hurt if we can refine some equipment out of them."
Xiaozhai had no problem with the plan. None of the four ate much meat.
"As for the three little ones, well, just leave them on the mountain and confine them somewhere. Just make sure they wouldn't hurt others."
In a few words, the fate of the four pigs was set and the subject finished. Gu Yu was about to talk to Xiaozhai about black magic when they heard Little Soap's roaring voice.
"Is mum all right? F**k, how dare they touch my family! I'm gonna kill every single one of them!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-91.png){kind=small}
Chapter 291: The Dead Thing
Source: Qidian International
Shengtian, the Jiang's place.
Yang Qing lay in the bedroom, all four limbs tightly constrained by ropes. She had not regained consciousness, but in case she should wake up and hurt someone else, they had to resolve to such measure.
Father, Mother, and Uncle Jiang stood in a row by the bed, their faces ridden with worry.
They had no intention to send Yang Qing to a hospital, for the abnormality was clearly beyond science. Moreover, with the status of the Jiang Family, they had pretty much learned all there was to learn about the current situation.
"When did this happen?" asked Father Jiang.
"She already sounded strange when I called her, but she said herself that she had been eating for a day and a night, so I think it began yesterday morning…"
The look on Uncle Jiang's face was painful as he watched his wife. After decades of their marriage and with his well-established career, he had had his wanton life every now and then out there, but he still cared about his own wife.
"Did anything unusual happen before this?"
"We had a row—that's why she went to live out there. We haven't been talking these past days. I really don't know."
"Sigh, don't get too worried. Let's wait until the kids get here."
Father Jiang could do nothing but pat his younger brother on the shoulder and console him repeatedly.
Phoenix Mountain got the news in the afternoon and it would take them at least over three hours to get here. The three sat idly in the room and without any warning, Yang Qing stirred, then opened her eyes.
"Qing Qing, how are you feeling?" Uncle Jiang immediately went up to her.
"Are you all right? Do you remember what happened?" Mother Jiang also asked.
"Mhm…"
Watching her family, Yang Qing assumed a dreamy expression for two seconds before the lucidity in her eyes was gone and her face was twisted into a savage expression.
"I'm hungry! Cut me loose! Give me food! I'm hungry! Let go of me! Aaaaaah!"
She looked like a fish struggling at the bottom of a drying riverbed, fighting with all her strength to break free of the ropes while yelling like a mad person. The other three stared at the woman in bed in utter silence, their faces filled with terror.
After a moment, it was Mother Jiang who made the resolute decision to stuff a towel into Yang Qing's mouth. As sound-proofing as the walls were, they were no match to all the screaming.
"..."
Seeing this, Uncle Jiang looked even more worried. By now there was sadness in his eyes as well.
"Bang!"
Just then, the door downstairs was slammed open and there came the sound of shuffling footsteps, together with Xiaojin's yelling, "How's mum? Dad? Dad?"
The girl dashed into the room after those words and froze on the spot as soon as she caught sight of her mother.
"..."
She neither ran to her howling, nor did she shout in rage. She only stood there, then squinted her eyes. A cold and murderous aura was emanating from her.
Even a soap had a line that could not be crossed!
Behind her, the other three filed in. Father Jiang was delighted to see them and greeted, "Xiao Gu, thank you for coming!"
"That's the least I can do!"
They skipped all the small talk. Sitting on either side of the bed, Gu Yu and Xiaozhai each took a hand of Yang Qing's and examined her. He carefully sent in a streak of his refined energy, which slowly threaded through her body.
As the energy explored on, what he found intrigued him even more.
First of all, there was nothing wrong with her physically. Despite of all the food she had eaten, it did not make her sick.
Secondly, her mental state was… well, not exactly unwell. It was only extremely acute and confused, as well as exhausted.
Finally came the biggest problem, which was invisible to ordinary people. One sweep with his mental force and he saw a layer of blackish gray air covering Yang Qing's face.
The air seemed to have life of its own and integrated into one with its host, constantly consuming her vitality. The integration was so seamless and deep into her mind that he dared not dispel it just yet, fearing that the removal process might harm Yang Qing.
"..."
He put down her hand after quite a while and looked at his girlfriend, who nodded back at him, apparently having found the abnormality as well. Xiaozhai then said, "Shall we try the Evil-dispelling Dan?"
"Sure!"
With that, Xiaozhai took out the gourd, poured out a pill, and fed it to her. Gu Yu kept himself busy as well, helping with guiding the energy so that the medicine could take effect more quickly.
"Ah…"
Momentarily, Yang Qing's cheeks flushed and debility-induced sweat covered her forehead. She instinctively tried to struggle, but was pinned down by Xiaozhai. Even her attempt to scream was interrupted halfway—she only made out half a syllable before her voice was sealed and she was left opening her mouth in silence.
About twenty minutes passed when the lump of air stiffened and turned sluggish. Yang Qing also gradually calmed down and fell asleep.
"Xiao... Xiao Gu, Xiaozhai, what's happening to her?"
It was Uncle Jiang's first time meeting Gu Yu and he stuttered a little when asking the young stranger.
"She's fine for now. Let's talk downstairs."
Hence, the group filed down to the living room and sat down.
Three elders turned their attention in unison to certain fellow, who organized his thoughts and began to talk. "It's actually not very complicated. In plain terms, auntie's probably been infected by an evil of Yin."
"An evil of Yin?" Father Jiang was surprised. "But according to the data so far, we haven't found anything like that!"
"That does not mean such a thing did not exist. You know, many of the changes brought by the recovery of spiritual essence had a long brewing time before the sudden outbreak. This one is no exception," explained Gu Yu.
"Aunt is in an extremely confused mental state, as if another force is interfering with it, which we cannot detect. She is wrapped by a layer of black air, which was draining up her vitality. We can only suppress it with our Dan for now," said Xiaozhai.
"Even you cannot detect it?" Frowning slightly, Father Jiang asked, "Is this evil of Yin very powerful? Will you be able to solve it?"
"It is not that powerful, only very unfamiliar, so we don't know yet where to start." Gu Yu then turned to Uncle Jiang. "Please don't worry too much. Things like this do not possess someone for no reason. To solve it, we need to find the source first. Please try to remember, did auntie run into anything strange before this?"
"I really have no id— wait a minute!" Uncle Jiang smacked his own thigh. "She would go for a facial with her friends whenever she's in a bad mood. Let me ask them first!"
Everyone was putting in their thoughts; even Long Qiu would make a suggestion every now and then. Little Soap turned out to be the quietest one; she sat by her sister and did not utter a word.
***
Late at night, somewhere near Lilac Lake.
It was a little over ten o'clock and the street was deserted. The construction sites on either side of the road were enclosed in clapboards, making the place as still as a dead city. All of a sudden, the sound of a car engine came from afar, followed by the flash of the headlights.
The car drove near and stopped by the side of the road for no obvious reason. A couple walked out, who turned out to be Gu Yu and Xiaozhai.
"Is it here?"
"Um, should be around here."
The two went straight to business. Each taking a side of the road, they began to sweep the ground.
Earlier, Uncle Jiang made what felt like a hundred phone calls and finally came up with something: two nights before, Yang Qing got a flat tire on this street and it took forever to have the car towed away.
Xiaojin had wanted to come, but they ordered her to stay behind with Long Qiu. The latter was more capable and would be able to deal with unexpected problems.
"What was this place?" Gu Yu asked in passing.
"Used to be a farmland with villages around it. It is so remote out here that it was only included in the development plan a couple of years ago, for buildings and stuff," replied Xiaozhai.
"No wonder. Those things would never have shown up in populated areas… Why?"
With his mental force turned full on, even a grass would not get past him. Soon, he detected something unusual. He walked a couple of steps forward to his left, picked up a tiny fragment, and looked at it closely.
The material was some timeworn coarse pottery and couldn't look more ordinary, yet for some reason, it just felt out of the place. He immediately searched the surrounding ground and found a lot of similar pieces.
"Hey, check these out!" He called his girlfriend over. Xiaozhai took a glimpse and the look on her face was hard to describe. "I've seen it before when I was little."
"Where?"
"In Songjiang River. There was this beggar in town who carried it along all the time."
Xiaozhai took over the fragments and after some rearranging, she put them back into something resembling half a bowl. "That's it. It was indeed a coarse pottery bowl."
"It has a hint of, well, energy that I can't describe." Gu Yu thought for a moment and went on, "It feels to have something to do with its owner. Maybe an obsession?"
"Exactly! That explains everything." Xiaozhai nodded.
The couple had suspected all along that Yang Qing was possessed by a ghost. Only that they did not have any evidence, so they had to vaguely name it an evil of Yin. With the fragments in hand and considering the history and surroundings of Lilac Lake, they soon put everything together.
The area surrounding Lilac Lake had always been remote villages since the end of Qing Dynasty, which did not develop much further after the modern country was established. People here lived off the farmlands, which was the lifestyle of several villages.
Their general condition could be summarized in one word: impoverished!
Having not enough food and very little clothing, not to mention the looming plagues and diseases, men died easily those days—some of them turned into corpses by the side of the road without a family member to bury them. Decades later, new building sites were planned and new ditches dug; the broken bowl was probably unearthed during the process and just happened to be ran over by Yang Qing.
Of course, the details of how it got to her was not important. What mattered was that, it was really a bloody ghost!
Ghosts had never shown up in the picture up to now.
However, from the examination earlier, they concluded that it was a type of spirit energy, which was invisible, undetectable, and intangible. It was only through mental force that they were faintly aware of its existence.
Plenty of folklore was set around ghosts possessing human bodies, but based on their observation, the ghost was not attached to the body, but to the soul. Those possessed would usually have their mind distracted and their energy consumed at a tremendous speed, as well as presenting certain obsession of the dead person.
Such as: hunger!
It was a most thorny problem. They dared not dispel the thing with Thunder Technique or the circulation of the spiritual essence straight away. Should anything go wrong, their aunt's mind would be damaged.
The two searched for a while longer and made no other discovery. They then went back to the car with the broken bowl, but did not start the car right away.
"..."
After an unexplainable silence, Gu Yu suddenly chuckled. "Ha, we used to ask ourselves 'why didn't any ghost show up' all the time. Now that they do show up, it feels rather strange. Hey, Zhongyuan Festival is almost coming. Are we going to have a 'Night Parade of One Hundred Ghosts'?"
"I was just thinking that if there are ghosts, how about the netherworld? What about reincarnation?" Xiaozhai gave him an irrelevant answer, which was equally strange.
"..."
Then there was more silence.
To some people, ghosts did not bring fear, but hope. Especially when they were desperately missing someone who had passed away, they would not give up any chance to see them again.
"Well, we'll see how things turn out when they happen. Let's focus on solving this thing at hand now." It seemed forever when Gu Yu spoke again. "With what we have, I'm afraid we're not qualified to handle it. I think we should turn to the professionals."
"Agreed! Speaking of ghost-hunting, who better to talk to if not Maoshan Sect?"
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Chapter 292: Zheng Kaixin
Source: Qidian International
Jurong, the mountain of Maoshan.
Maoshan was located on the border of Jurong and Jintan and was under the jurisdiction of the former. Legend went that three Mao Brothers used to collect medicinal herbs and refine Dan here in the Western Han Dynasty, saving the people and benefiting mankind as a whole. They later created their own Taoist teaching in the area.
When time came to the Qi and Liang Dynasty, Tao Hongjing, the founder of the Shangqing School, came to live a reclusive life in Maoshan, where he took in many disciples and formally established Shangqing. Out of the respect for the ancestors, he hornored the three Mao Brothers as the sect's forefathers.
There were as many as 257 temples and palaces in Maoshan at its heyday. However, by the end of the Qing Dynasty, only three palaces and five temples remained standing. The three palaces were Chongxi-Wanshou Palace, Jiuxiao-Wanfu Palace, and Yuanfu-Wanning Palace; the five temples were Deyo, Renyo, Yuchen, Baiyun, and Ganyuan.
Later, with the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War and the troubled times the war brought, nearly all of remaining building were destroyed. It was not until the 80s when Jiuxiao-Wanfu and Yuanfu-Wanning Palaces were restored with government funding. Together, they were known as Maoshan Taoist Monastery and became a branch of Zhengyi.
There was also a female Taoist monastery here known as Qianyuan Temple, which belonged to the Longmen Sect of Quanzhen.
On the northern slope of the mountain was a small town called Maoshan Town, which was a rather small place. A little over 30,000 people lived in this area of 10 km from south to north and 5 km from east to west.
Early this morning, when most residents were still sound asleep, the gate of the Zhengs'—the well-known wealthy family in town—manor was wide open, raising a clamorous scene. Quite a few vehicles also parked outside the house.
"I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you with it this time, Priest Chen. Thank you for everything."
"You're welcome. That's the least I can do."
With that, a few people escorted a priest out, while a middle-aged man sweet-talked and handed over a thick red envelope (i.e. gift money).
The priest took the envelope and with a practiced swipe of his wide sleeve, it disappeared from sight. He then also took out a paper packet and said, "This is the time I have calculated. As long as you follow my instruction, nothing will happen tonight. However, do forgive my bluntness, but the deceased passed away right before Zhongyuan Festival and that is not a good sign. You'd better hold another ceremony to completely dispel all evils."
"Yes, of course! You have our full trust!"
"In that case, I will leave you in peace!"
They returned inside after seeing the priest off, then hurriedly went into mourning. They were not wearing the formal full-on mourning dress, but only tied white cloth straps around their heads and waists and dressed in plain-colored clothes.
After that, dozens of people squeezed into one room and a short, small child was pushed to the front. He was seven or eight years old at most, with heavy features, and looked a little dazed. Held at his chest was a round porcelain jar.
"..."
Momentarily, the roomful of people all held their breath in silence while the middle-aged man said in a low voice, "Kaixin, do you remeber what we taught you yesterday? Just do as you were told."
"Oh!"
The child nodded and raised the jar above his head, murmuring, "Grandpa, since you have gone, please linger no longer… your children and grandchildren are here to see you off and mourn for you, please bless us with peace, health, wealth, and good fortune."
After that, will all his effort, he smashed the jar into the ground.
"Clack!"
The porcelain jar slammed onto the cement floor and shattered all over the place. Immediately, a woman handed him a bowl of hot water sweented with sugar, saying, "Kaixin, drink this now."
The child downed the water in one gulp. Only then did the roomful of people go out and got into their vehicles.
The middle aged man was Zheng Cheng and the child was his youngest son named Zheng Kaixin 1 . A couple of days ago, the grandfather, who was the most senior member in hierachy of the clan, passed away and his funeral arrangements were being made at the moment.
As the saying went: places two miles apart would not share the same custom and rules were changed every mile, let alone the difference between the South and the North.
For instance, in the North, the sixth night after the deceased passed away would be the time to "add fire", which was to burn some joss money outside the house and set out some offerings with families and friends gathered around and a host'd say something nice to the dead; some paper ash was also to be sprinkled around the chimney.
Because according to the belief of the North, the dead did not know they were dead for the first six days, hence someone had to inform them on the sixth night: well, you're done in this world, so move along!
Only after that would the soul of the dead leave through the chimney.
However, in the South, especially in the area south of Yangtze River, the habit of "adding fire" did not seem to exist. Instead, on the morning of the seventh day, a child would smash a jar at the gate before drinking a bowl of sweatened water, implying everything was peaceful.
Of course, the old custom was to have the coffin kept in a temporary shelter for seven days before burial, which was no longer possible. Nowadays, the dead would normally be cremated within three days.
Before long, the fleet of cars reached the funeral home and everyone was busying with the mourning ceremony.
Zheng Kaixin did not know how the procedures went and only did as bid—burning the paper, kowtowing… despite the absence of tears, the kid was very sad. At his age, he already knew what "death" was.
Grandpa had been very nice to him, but he would never see the old man again.
***
In the traditional funeral culture of this country, the seventh day after the death was probably the most important day.
It was a general belief that the spirit of the dead would return home that day, for which the family would prepare a meal and then keep out of sight. For should the spirit catch sight of its family, it would become concerned, which would disturb both the living and the dead.
Being right next to Maoshan, people of Maoshan Town were constantly under the influence for generations on end, making them all the more serious with such customs.
Evening arrived in no time. The Zheng manor.
All the distant relatives and the nearby neighbors had left, leaving behind the direct descendants who were now sitting in the living room. Zheng Cheng took out that paper packet and opened it carefully, removing a piece of yellow paper from with in. Written on it were a few words: the hour of Hai, the second quarter.
That was when the spirit of the dead would return.
"The hour of Hai is between nine and eleven at night, right? What about the second quarter?" Zheng Cheng found that a little problematic.
"Never mind. Let's just say it's going to be the entire two hours."
Grandma was the more resolute one. Holding her little grandson between her arms, she cautioned him again, "Kaixin, remember this! Do not come out later. Stay in bed!"
"Yes, I will stay there!" replied the kid.
"Ok, let's get everything set up, then," commanded the grandmother.
Right away, the group of people made themselves busy.
As instructed by the priest, they set up the candles, liquor, and food first, then sprinkled a layer of plant ash over the floor. Attach a piece of joss money every 30 cm on a bamboo stick and stand it on the stairs by the front gate—it was said that the spirit would enter the house when it saw the bamboo stick.
After that, boil an egg and put it into a clay jar in the corner of the room to bribe the deity of misfortune (commonly known as "chicken feet god") so that the spirit could stay for a bit longer. Meanwhile, a string of fire crackers had to be set aside, to be lit and thrown into the room after the hour of Hai had passed. Only after the fire crackers were finished could the living enter the room.
After everything was ready, grandma ordered everyone to go back to their rooms and remain there.
To be honest, they had no idea whether or not the priest was telling the truth, nor did they know if ghosts really existed. All they knew was that it was a tradition passed down for generations and it had pretty much been ingrained in them like the Lantern Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, or Chinese New Year.
The Zheng manor had a big courtyard and a two-story house. The residents tonight were grandma, the family of Uncle Zheng, the family of Aunt Zheng, Zheng Cheng's elder son and his wife, and the Zheng Cheng couple with Zheng Kaixin.
The kid curled up in bed between his parents and was excited and curious. "Mum, is Grandpa coming back?"
"Don't ask stupid questions. It's time to sleep!"
"But I'm not sleepy."
"Then close your eyes!"
Mother Zheng's attitude was rather vague. She herself would believe the answer to be yes, yet she was not so sure with saying no, either. Patting the kid, she asked, "Hey, what time is it?"
"Ten to nine."
Father Zheng was playing with his phone and cared little about what was going on. His father had been gone for seven days now and the grief period was over. All that was left now was the procedure. His wife took it more seriously and said, "Let's turn off the light, or mum will tell us off in a minute. And put your phone away."
"Sigh. Ok, turn it off, then."
He had no choice but put down his phone and let his wife turn off the light.
Instantly, the yard turned pitch-dark and unnaturally quiet. They had no idea what others were doing in their own rooms, for all sounds were gone. Holding her son, Mother Zheng thought, 'It's almost nine o'clock, isn't it?'
She pricked up her ears a little anxiously, but everything remained quiet. Nothing was happening.
A little while later, she estimated again, "It should be nine fifteen now, right?"
"Ha…"
"Creak… creak…"
There was finally some noise, which turned out to be her son's faint snoring and her husband turning in boredom.
The three lay there like so for quite some time. The only sounds were the sporadic dog's barking from the neighbors and occasional passing cars, which were nothing usual. She couldn't help but laugh at herself: she had actually fallen for the supersition!
"Mhm…"
Another fifteen minutes passed when Zheng Kaixin stirred and woke up. "Mum, I want to pee."
"Hold it."
"Oh!"
"..."
"Mum, I can't hold it any more! I need to pee!" He twisted and turned, his little member agonizing under his pants.
"Then go!" Father Zheng said impatiently.
"The hour is not past yet!" His wife protested.
"The hell with the hour. Just go! Don't wet the bed!"
Seeing her husband cared little about the rules, Mother Zheng gave it a thought and also found it probably would not matter much. She thus said, "Go, then. Come right back here after you finish."
"Yes!"
Zheng Kaixin leapt out of bed, scuffed out of the bedroom, and rushed into the toilet. After happily emptying himself, he quickly made his way back.
When he reached the corridor, out of some unexpected coincidence, he gave it a peek: the corridor led to the living room, the living room to the door of the house, and the door to the yard… that entire line of passageway was enclosed in darkness.
The liquor and food looked untouched and the plant ash remained intact, so was the caly jar in the corner of the room
Shaking his head, he ran back to the bedroom. After the urgent need was taken care of and lying between mum and dad, the little one felt warm and safe and soon went back to sleep.
***
Zheng Kaixin had no idea how long he had been asleep for when he mumbled suddenly, "Hm? Why is it so bright?"
His field of vision had lit up and his body felt light and soft as if he was soaked in water and being pushed upwards by buoyance.
It was the most intriguing feeling. He could not even tell if he was dreaming or asleep or whether his eyes were open or closed.
While he was still in a daze, the light gradually dimmed and a dark shadow emerged, which was getting closer and closer. The face then vividly came into sight—it was his grandpa.
"..."
Zheng Kaixin wanted to scream and he did, but no sound came out of him. Grandpa walked up to him and watched him affectionately, but he made no sound, either.
After a little pause, grandpa reached out and seemed to be rubbing his grandson's head. He then turned around and disappeared.
"Kaixin! Kaixin, what's wrong?"
"Kaixin, you're frightening mum… sob…"
Back in the manor of the Zheng Family, all hell had broken loose!
Zheng Kaixin was in the middle of his sleep when he suddenly yelled and screamed with both hands waving around. He then began to cry, shouting repeatedly. "Turn on the light! Turn on the light!"
It frightened his parents, who shook him repeatedly, but could not wake him up. Grandma and the others were woken up by the noise and rushed down to check. For a moment, the house was filled with a hubbub of shouting.
"Turn on the light! Turn on the light!"
"Kaixin… sob… Kaixin…"
Mother Zheng cried along and Father Zheng kicked the wall in agitation. Only the grandmother winced a little before reproving angrily, "That goddamn old fool! Why did he have to touch the kid! What did you rub the kid for!"
"Mum, are you saying dad has come back?"
Mother Zheng raised her head abruptly and stared at her mother-in-law, the look on her face terrifying. The grandmother was instantly silenced by that look and comforted the mother, "No, no he hasn't. I was talking nonsense! Don't worry, the kid just got confused with his dreams. He'll be fine in a moment! He'll be fine!"
It went on like so with the roomful of people standing around helplessly. Some suggested sending the kid to the hospital, some said they should go fetch a priest, while someone else went to make the sweetened water. In the end, even the neighbors came by to offer help, but that was to no avail.
Fortunately, after five minutes, Zheng Kaixin gradually stopped crying and regained consciousness. Apart from his pink puffy eyes, nothing seemed to have happened to him. He asked in confusion, "Mum, what happened to me?"
"Sob… nothing, you're all right!"
Mother Zheng made no explanation, but held her son and cried all over him again.
***
"Aaaah! I'm not going in there! I'm not!"
Zheng Kaixin scrambled out of the house, followed by his mother, who said angrily, "Stop it! Just come in with me!"
"No! Someone died there! I'm not going in!"
The kid held on to the iron gate, his face all pale and himself shaking unstoppably.
"Bullsh*t!"
His mother ashened at those words and slapped him. "You little brat! What are you talking about? You saw nothing!"
"Someone really, really died there, mum, mum…" The kid was on the edge of breaking into tears.
Mother Zheng was going to scold him again when her cousin scuffed out and leaned on the doorframe. "Why, Kaixin, I haven't been pretty nice to you, haven't I? Why are you saying such mean things about us?"
"No, he didn't mean it. Sister, he's just a kid. It was all nonsense!" Mother Zheng explained hastily.
"Nonsense? Humph, we all know about the old man's touch. Maybe it's given him some sort of astral vision. Tsk, tsk. I'm not important enough to have such an able nephew. It's better if you don't come again!"
'Bang!'
Her cousin shut the door.
"..."
Pursing her lips, Mother Zheng led the child by his hand and slowly walked back home.
It was noontime and lunch was just ready. Seeing them returning, Grandma Zheng forced out a greeting and they all went to the dinning room for lunch.
It was a depressing lunch through and through. None of the family members talked and Zheng Kaixin was so frustrated that he almost buried his head into the bowl, afraid of looking at his family.
He had become this strange person after that seventh day. Whereever he went, he would point on someone had died here, that place was ominous, or would burst into shouting and yelling… who in the right mind would like to be around him?
In a matter of a few days, half of the Maoshan Town knew about it, saying that the kid of the Zheng Family had been touched by a ghost and gone mad.
The way of human beings was that when the pressure was big enough, even their own flesh and blood 2 could be easily abandoned.
"I have discussed with mum. Tomorrow, we're sending Kaixin onto the mountain."
Halfway through the lunch, Father Zheng made the sudden announcement.
"Onto the mountain? What do you mean?" Mother Zheng was taken by surprise.
"I've talked to Priest Chen. He said that the kid had been invaded by Yin energy and having him around for too long will harm mortal men. He's very interested in taking Kaixin in as a pupil. We only have to give him some fruit every year to show respect."
"Zheng Cheng! Have you no conscience at all?" Mother Zheng lost her temper right away. "He's your own son! How could you send him away to become a priest?"
"Keep your voice down. What can we do with his crazy talk? Even if we can live with it, what about his life when he gets older? He has to go to school, find a girlfriend, find a job, and get married one day. Who would want him in this state? Comapring to that, I'd rather have him disciplined by the priest. Maybe he'll be cured somehow."
"You!" Tears welled up in Mother Zheng's eyes as she turned to Grandma Zheng. "Mum, you agree with that?"
"The priests on the mountain are very capable. At least they can do better than us. We can always take him back after they cured him, can't we?" said the grandmother.
"Fine, fine…"
Mother Zheng almost burst into tears, but she managed to hold it back. In a half-mocking tone, she said, "Kaixin is my son whatever he turns into! If none of you wants him, I will!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-93.png){kind=small}
Chapter 293: Maoshan
Source: Qidian International
Great Mao Peak, Jiuxiao-Wanfu Palace.
The temple was constructed during the Western Han Dynasty and dedicated to worshipping Mao Ying, the True Lord Great Mao. The temple was known as Shenghu Temple in the Yuan Dynasty and during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, palaces and halls were constructed by imperial order and it was given the name Jiuxiao-Wanfu Palace 1 by the emperor. Right now, in a meditation room in the inner court, Wu Songbai, the abbot of the Maoshan Sect, was sitting by the table enthralled by the Taoist scripture in his hand.
"Tap-tap-tap!"
Footsteps came in from the courtyard, and shortly stopped outside his door. A voice said, "Abbot, they have arrived at the town."
"Hm, tell Jingyi to greet the guests and get a vegetarian meal ready," instructed Wu Songbai.
"..."
The man outside did not move, but said hesitantly, "Abbot, they are not exactly ordinary guests. Shall we make some special arrangements?"
"Special arrangements? You mean like opening up the mountain gate and having your abbot welcoming them in person, while the masters wait in lines together with a volley of heavenly music?" Wu Songbai teased.
"Um…"
The man was lost for words.
"That's it, then. Go get prepared."
"Yes!"
The man retreated as told, while Wu Songbai shook his head and went back to his reading.
A couple of days ago, a message came from Phoenix Mountain, saying they were going to come here for a visit. The entire Maoshan Sect went all jittery at the notice and Wu Songbai was the only one completely unaffected.
Despite being a fellow member of the "Three Mountains of Talisman" alongside the Way of the Celestial Masters, comparing to the latter, the Maoshan Sect had gone through some pretty miserable plights. During the Japanese invasion, the mountain used to be a revolutionary base, which was unfortunately wiped out by the enemy troops. The mountain was torched and the three palaces and five temples were almost burnt to the ground. After the modern state was established, Zhengyi was at an disadvantage because of its particular attributes and the Maoshan Sect was the one of the most disadvantaged branches of the school.
Ghost-catching, ghost-nursing, corpse-refining, and corpse-walking—what did those skills promote if not superstition!
Hence, the sect had been hit hard by official suppression, so much so that for a couple of decades, it was on the verge of extinction. It was thanks to the previous abbots, who, through swallowing the humiliation and bearing the heavy load, managed to preserve some heritage with all their effort.
Later, even with the official permission of the freedom of religion and the restoration of the prestige of the Celestial Master Temple, the Maoshan Sect kept a low profile, focusing on nothing but cultivating in a reclusive manner.
It was also during this period that a lot of charlatans roamed the country in the name of Maoshan disciples, deceiving and beguiling the common people...
It was probably due to such experience that the atmosphere of Maoshan significantly differed from the other sects. Take Zhang Jintong as an example. Being the leader of Zhengyi, he was too entangled in the secular affairs and had made a habit of caring for personal gains, so that in terms of disposition and tolerance, Wu Songbai had surpassed him in both aspects.
***
"This must be what the immortals' dwellings look like!"
Slowly ascending along the mountain trail, Gu Yu savored the forest of grotesque stones, deep and serene karst caves, and the interweaving ravines and creeks enshrouded in the white mist. He couldn't help but be amazed by the scene.
"The world talks about Maoshan as the Taoist treasure place, yet they have ignored its delicate natural beauty. The mountain is as beautiful as the Five Mountains or any other famous ones out there," added Jingyi with a smile.
The man was in his twenties and very amicable. He was also Wu Songbai's own pupil, only that he was not as well-endowed as Chao Kongtu and was not selected for Qiyun.
"You're right. The two aspect brings out the best in each other," Gu Yu chimed in.
"..."
Xiaozhai rolled her eyes at the conversation and could not be bothered to join in. Xiaojin was burning with impatience beside them, wishing she could activate the Void-arranging Technique and fly herself up. Sensing her anxiety, Xiaozhai held her sister by the shoulder, gesturing her to stay put.
You heard it right. There was something special about this trip, for Little Soap had tagged along—her own mother was concerned and no one could deny the request of a filial child.
Hence, the three came together, leaving Long Qiu behind in Shengtian. Since Yang Qing was taken care of by the Evil-dispelling Dan at the moment, everything should be fine for the time being.
An hour later, they arrived at Jiuxiao-Wanfu Palace.
The magnificent palace was built into the side of the mountain, overlooking Maoshan Town from above. It contained four tiers of halls: the first tier was the Hall of Spiritual Officials, the second the scripture depository, the third the Taiyuan Hall with Yingxu Monastery on the east and Yihu Monastery on the west, and the fourth tier consisted of the Elevating Platform and the Hall of Two Saints.
The Elevating Platform was also known as the Ascending Flatform. Legend had it that Mao Ying flew up to heaven here on the back of a crane. The Hall of the Two Saints was where Mao Ying's parents were worshipped, with the dormitory and living room on the east wing and Yiyun Building on the west, in which the "Four Treasures of the Mountain" were displayed—namely the jade seal, jade tablet, jade tally, and jade inkstone; all four were old treasures of the Song Dynasty.
They walked along the Hall of Spiritual Officials into the temple. When passing a small square, Gu Yu couldn't help but turn to look at a middle-aged woman sweeping the floor.
She wore simple clothes and looked miserable and sad, which made her stand out from the surroundings.
"Is she a laywoman of the temple?" asked Gu Yu.
"She's from a wealthy family in Maoshan Town. A few days ago was her deceased father-in-law's seventh day ceremony and somehow her younger son was infected by an evil energy. The child was no longer fit to be raised at home, so after some discussion with one of our junior brothers, they decided to send the boy here to live. The mother could not part herself from the child and abandoned the comfort of her home to live here on the mountain with him. She offered to help with cleaning the houses," explained Jingyi.
"How is the child doing?" asked Xiaozhai.
"It was actually nothing serious, only that he is still very young and finds it hard to adjust. Abbot said weal and woe always walk together, so what would become of him is completely in the hands of fate."
"Oh…"
The couple nodded. After giving the woman another look, they continued walking.
Before long, Jingyi led them to the entrance of the living room, where he cupped his hands and left. The three walked in on their own and found the room empty. Moments later, a round-faced old priest walked out from behind a folding screen.
This first impression was so much better than Zhang Jintong once gave them. The three saluted at once. "Senior Wu Songbai, I presume?"
"Haha, do sit down!"
Wu Songbai gestured with his hand, hinting at them to skip all the pleasantries. He then took the host seat and looked the three up and down in an undisguised manner, then complimented, "The reputation is well-deserved—such a talented couple... this young friend is also exceedingly capable. That's very impressive."
The last part was about Little Soap.
While her sister and brother-in-law were going to return the compliment, Xiaojin could hold back no longer. She blurted out, "Senior, my mother was possessed by a ghost and we're here to find a way to save her. Please help us!"
"Possessed by a ghost? What are the symptoms?"
"It's almost like schizophrenia: she's afraid of light, shouting all the time, and very, very hungry. When we found her, she had been eating for a day and a night, but her stomach was completely fine!"
"That's it?" asked the abbot.
'Huh?'
Xiaojin was dazed for a second. It almost sounded like the problem was not serious enough for the abbot to treat. She answered, "Yes, that's all! Senior, could you cure her?"
"Don't worry. It's nothing serious." Wu Songbai bragged a little casually, then after a pause, he chuckled. "You have arrived at the right time. It's about time for lunch and I had a vegetarian meal specially prepared. Come, let's talk over lunch."
With that, he rose to his feet and led them quickly towards the dining hall.
"..."
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai were amazed as well. That was a very peculiar old man—his airs of a master were very convincing.
***
It was indeed a vegetarian meal: greens, tofu, steamed twisted rolls, steamed buns, and a bowl of sliced cucumber soup.
The outer room was a canteen and the inner one a private dining room, where the four sat down around a table. Wu Songbai picked up his chopsticks and explained, "Today is the fast day, so no meat. Sorry about that."
"That's ok. We don't really eat much meat, either," said Gu Yu.
"There's no 'either'. I love my meat."
The old priest picked up a piece of tofu and stuffed the whole thing into his mouth, apparently not happy with the food at all.
'Haha!'
The couple liked his temperament a lot. All three then began to eat as well. The dishes were delicious and before they knew it, half of the food was gone.
"Senior, I see that you were not surprised when we mentioned a person being possessed by a ghost earlier. Surely it doesn't mean that you have seen a ghost already?" asked Gu Yu.
"No, I haven't. But I know they would show up sooner or later."
"Oh? How so?" asked Xiaojin.
"Do you know what a ghost is?" asked Wu Songbai.
"It's the soul of a dead person?" Xiaojin said with uncertainty.
"Roughly, yes. But according to Taoist concepts, all mortal men have three hun and seven po 2 , which in entirety is known as 'mind'. The hun and po of a living person are integrated into one. Of course, sometimes they do wander off. For instance, infants will cry, scream, or fall into convulsions when they are frightened; some might even fall into mental illnesses. It is because infants' hun and po have not broken into each other well enough, rendering them scattered easily."
Wiping his mouth, Wu Songbai went on, "So, why do people die? There are two reasons: the vital essence of the physical body wanes and the mind and soul can longer hold together. After a person dies, their mind, or soul, will remain intact for seven days before it breaks apart.
The so-called ghost usually falls into two categories—the newly-turned ones who have been dead for less than seven days and the wandering souls more than seven days old. The former still holds the memory of when they were alive, while the latter becomes an incomplete being—it either has minimal intelligence or none at all.
In spite of the fact that they walk the same earth as we do, we are worlds apart from them. We don't interfere with one another and to communicate with them is very difficult. Only through some ritualistic procedure—such as the 'seventh day ceremony' practiced by the common folk, or an evocation ceremony by a Taoist priest—could we see them.
Of course, there is another kind known as the 'wronged ghosts'.
Those who died from burning, drowning, burying alive, hunger, flogging, suicide by false charge, etc. are all wronged souls. Such ghosts are so filled with resentment and obsession that their scattered souls will stick to an object that was the important when they were alive, and remain there for many years on end. If some living person happens to disturb or offend the object, the wronged souls do not forgive easily. The one your mother ran into was probably a hungry ghost."
"..."
Gu Yu considered it with a frown, then asked, "Senior, do you think ghosts still existed during the period when the spiritual essence dried up?"
"I think they did, because the human soul could not disappear into nothing. If there is the soul, there is the ghost, only that the length of their existence might be shortened. For instance, the seven days could have turned into one day, or they broke apart as soon as one died," replied Wu Songbai after some hesitation.
"Then where do the scattered hun and po go? Into the the six great divisions in the wheel of karma?" asked Little Soap, who had been listening with a slack jaw.
'Hm?'
Wu Songbai gave her an odd look, than glanced at the parents, who did not look back, apparently quite ashamed of the kid.
He understood right away, but still explained, "Hell and samsara are all Buddhist concepts. In Taoism, there is only the ascending into heaven and becoming an immortal, which all take place in this life. Samsara does not apply to us. Although there is the book 'The Classic of Elderly Lord's Nihilism Natural Origin' talking about the five divisions of the wheel of reincarnation, it was obviously the result of a Buddhism brainwash, so it doesn't count. However, our Taoism has a corresponding theory. According to the Book of Transformations, 'All things equal one thing and all minds equal one mind. That is how Dao works.'
Everything in this universe is transformed from Dao, making them an entirety.
Once the hun and po of a person breaks down, it will recombine with other scattered hun and po, forming a new soul, which is a new life. The human hun and po can even transform into animal's and vice versa."
"Senior!" At those words, Xiaozhai suddenly asked, "If we know where a person's three hun and seven po have gone to, is it possible to wake up the memory of her 'previous life' with some method?"
"Well…" Wu Songbai gave it a thought and said, "Theoretically, yes. But one has to be exceedingly capable to do that. In the sense that they could see through the truth of life and death, master all the remarkable abilities there are, are able to integrate with all energy and familiar with all forms—someone Priest Sanfeng would call…"
"Work it this way gives you mortal men and the other way around gives you immortals. Have fun playing around in between!" Gu Yu chimed in.
"Hahaha! Exactly!" The old priest broke into a laughter.
The four talked for long in the dining room on the subject of ghost and reincarnation.
Despite being not yet a man of the innate state, Wu Songbai was a remarkably knowledgeable man whose insight put Gu Yu and Xiaozhai to shame. However, the old priest was a free and easy spirit who defied trivial conventions, which made him a very likeable person.
Of course, in the end, he still carried out a little charade. "We men of Maoshan will not evade from the task of dispelling a ghost. However, I am too old for such a job. My pupil will help you instead."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-94.png){kind=small}
Chapter 294: Let's Call It Serendipity
Source: Qidian International
"Roar!"
It was around midnight on the mountain. The cool night wind brushed against the tall grass. Snarling angrily, the iron corpse spat out a mouthful of thick black smoke, the stench of which was almost unbearable. It began with a thin streak, which rapidly expanded and came at a black shadow head on like a devouring mouth.
The shadow did not evade in time and was caught inside the smoke, which instantly restrained it. Immediately after that, the iron corpse inhaled deeply, raising a gust of sinister wind. The shadow was sucked in wrapped inside the smoke.
"Growl…"
Swallowing the thing, a satisfactory expression that looked almost human appeared on the face of the iron corpse, who then growled with delight.
"Obey at once and rush it as an imperative law! Go!"
Meanwhile, on an clearing not far, Chao Kongtu produced a talisman, which turned into an golden arrow at a shake of his hand and dashed forward like a stream of light.
"Pop!"
A lump of dark shadow twice the size of the first one was pierced through right away, giving off a sound of a deflating ball, and dissipated instantly. There was then a clack, which turned out to be a black bead the size of a soybean falling down from midair and rolling around on the ground.
"Hm? Lucky me!"
Raising an eyebrow, Chao Kongtu went over and picked up the bead, then tossed it over his shoulder without turning his head. "There! Your cat food!"
Clap!
Li Suchun caught it and said coldly, "This is not cat food, nor is the iron corpse a pet!"
"They're the same thing! You've got to feed them and clean after the sh*t and all that!"
Chao Kongtu found a stone and casually sat down, then took off a gourd liquor pot from his waist and took a sip. "The ghostly beings are regenerated at shorter and shorter intervals. I'm afraid one shift a day would no longer be enough. Luckily for us, with you around, we can still hold them off for now."
"I'm leaving after the summer." Feeding the bead to the iron corpse, Li Suchun also sat down.
"Leave? I think you should stay, even just for the sake of this rare resource."
"I'll have work to do if I stay. Those people annoy me." Youngster Li kept his poker face when he added, "Well, you and Zhang Shouyang are ok, so is that Zhong fellow."
"Ha, I like the way you put it!"
Laughing, Chao Kongtu gulped down another mouthful of the liquor.
Ever since Lu Yuanqing discovered the underground White Crane Palace and the Taoist skills, the priests had carried out some studies together and the skills were widely learned among the thirty-six members. The beast-controlling method and the making of talisman water could be learned by cultivators of the acquired state, whereas the method of refining with mental power could only be used by the four men of the innate state.
Let's talk about the beast-controlling method first. A spiritual animal was to be chosen for the method, preferably a cub. Raising it following the instruction of the method would allow the minds of the animals to be connected to those of their masters. There was also the possibility that the animals would evolve and upgrade, awakening some inborn talents.
The more spiritual the animal and the more resources spent, the more powerful the spiritual beast would become.
Take birds like hawks and falcons as an example. The monkey-eating eagle of southeast Asia was the largest of the extant eagles in terms of length, with a height of nearly a meter and a wingspan between 200 to 250 cm. If raised with the beast-controlling method, it would grow to at least twice that size, carrying several people at a time.
Yes, it was a completely different story from the pig farm of Phoenix Mountain.
Then there was the talisman water, which could be adopted for an even wider range of purposes: melt the burnt talisman in the water to prevent and cure diseases, gaining popularity among the common people during the process...
These two could be considered the founding skills of Qiyun. At the end of the day, they had to have their own feature to develop, grow, and spread their fame.
With the help of the authorities, the four innate state men had obtained the necessary materials and began to refine their equipment. The others were also in the process of searching for spiritual animals… all in all, the entire monastery was enthusiastically devoted themselves to the cause of the revolution 1 (actually, the cause of rebellion).
As for Lu Yuanqing, while he was getting prepared for a second exploration of the underground palace, he also arranged men to guard the well in case the ghostly beings should break out. Those less capable were arranged in pairs and the more capable would take the shift alone.
The bead earlier was a Yin bead sometimes left behind when a ghostly being dissipated. For now, they found no use of it, so all beads had been fed to the iron corpse.
"Your zombie is reaching the limit, isn't it? Aren't you afraid of losing control of it?"
Drinking his liquor, Chao Kongtu eyed the iron corpse enwrapped in Yin energy and found it necessary to give the young man a heads-up.
"The limit of the acquired state is the iron level. The corpse and the master are mutually dependent. It will never reach the innate state without me reaching it first. Killing me means the end for it. It's not that stupid!" explained Li Suchun.
"In that case, why didn't you join the monastery, but played the lone ranger instead? With what you can do, if you agree to join, that Lu fellow will welcome you with open arms and offer you the Neidan method on open palms."
"I told you, those people annoy me…" Youngster Li darted him a look and asked, "Then why don't you take it?"
Chao Kongtu chuckled and gave a partially genuine answer, "Haha, before I came here, my master gave me the task of bringing honor to the Maoshan Sect. He never mentioned polishing the name plate of Quanzhen."
At 24, he was one of the most unconstrained characters of the monastery. Despite all his DPS skills, his position in the monastery had remained an embarrassment. Apart from Zhang Shouyang and Zhong Lingyu, he had little association from any other priests in Qiyun—nor did he care, for that matter.
"Right, my master sent word for me that I'm needed back in Maoshan…"
Chao Kongtu finished the gourd of liquor and held it between his fingers. "Phoenix Mountain needs a favor and I am to go to Shengtian with them. I'm leaving tomorrow morning and would not be back for a while. I'm afraid you'll have to play on you own."
"Humph!" Youngster Li would not reply to that.
"Tsk, what's with that scorn! After all, we've been hanging out these days. I know that behind that poker face of yours is a warm heart. I've never seen you drinking—here, how about make an exception for me?"
With that, he toss Li Suchun the gourd.
The guy sounded earnest. Both men were disciples of Maoshan and with their compatible dispositions, the two had been getting along pretty well. It was very rare that Li Suchun should act so bold and unrestrained. Taking the gourd, he did not seem to mind that the other had been drinking straight from it and tilting his head backwards, he was going to pour the liquor into his mouth. He tried and tried some more...
'You bastard! It's empty!'
"Hahaha!"
Seeing that he had successfully made fun of Li Suchun, Chao Kongtu bolted to his feet and was meters away in an instant. "Keep the gourd! I'll be drinking with you after I got back!"
***
Jiuxiao-Wanfu Palace, night.
After dinner, Zheng Kaixin told his mother where he was going and ran out of the dormitory. It was supposed to be the rooms for paying laymen and laywomen, but Wu Songbai took pity of the mother and son and let them live there for free.
He ran through the rows of dormitory and stopped in a corner of the temple. Seeing that no one was around, he straightened up his little face and began his exercise, waving his arms and legs around.
It was a set of movements taught by Jingyi, who told the kid that he was weak physically with a feeble energy. Practicing the movements would improve his health in the long term. It consisted of only four or five moves, but he thought that maybe he was too dumb, for he was not yet able to carry them out from the beginning to end.
It had been a week since Zheng Kaixin arrived at the mountain with his mother. Life up here was dull and uneventful, but he actually quite liked it, for he had been sleeping soundly for the past few days without ever detecting the "dead people" again.
Of course, he knew perfectly well that the ability was still there. Whenever he left the mountain and went to the town, the school, the supermarket, or his relatives', he would definitely sense it: that faint, uncomfortable feeling that made him feel cold and depressed, followed by some terrifying fragments flashing past his eyes…
To be honest, he was already very tough for his age. Ordinary children might have lost their minds by now.
"Ha…"
After practicing the movements for a few times, Zheng Kaixin was panting with exhaustion and covered with sweat.
He wiped his face carelessly, looked around, and snuck out through a small door to the outside of the red wall, where a large opening was. It seemed to have been a sightseeing stand once for the tourists to savor the view in the distance, but after the temple was expanded, the stand was closed off to the outsiders.
It was a little secret of Zheng Kaixin. He would stay here alone for a while every day after his exercise. Children's taste was very straight forward. He could not find the word to describe it, but only knew he liked here very much.
"Huff… huff…"
The kid ran happily to the opening and gulped down the fresh air, enjoying the ease of mind. Looking up, he couldn't help but blink, for the view tonight was beautiful as always, yet something was different.
Behind him stood the brightly lit Jiuxiao-Wanfu Palace, which looked down to the same well-lit Maoshan Town. The two were set apart by a night forest filled with coiling mist and mountain trail several hundred stairs long separated the two worlds, with a heavenly one on one end and the mortal one on the other.
"Why, fog is rising?"
Emboldened, Zheng Kaixin only hesitated a little before running to the guardrail and naively reached out to touch the fog.
Before his stretched-out little hand could touch it, he felt a slight cooling sensation at the tip of his fingers as a breeze blew over. The fog floated around with the wind as if it was dancing in the air. It was surpassingly beautiful and quaintly attractive. With its unpredictable move, it almost seemed to have life of its own.
"..."
With the acute instinct of a kid, he instantly stepped back. The fog then rolled up like rushing waves, which then fell back down and gradually condensed into a human shape.
'Thump!'
Zheng Kaixin sat heavily on the ground in fright, fear covering his face.
The man walked slowly towards him. He was very tall and looked down at the kid.
"..."
The kid gave a shudder and looked into those eyes as if his soul had been sucked away. He did not know the expression of "as resplendent as the Milky Way", for it he did, it would be how he describe what he saw this moment.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-95.png){kind=small}
Chapter 295: The Second Generation
Source: Qidian International
"Are, are you an immortal?"
Zheng Kaixin sat paralysed on the ground, still unable to gather up enough strength to get up, but he was no longer as frightened as earlier. After all, many believed in "bad-looking people do more mischief" and would fall more often for a pretty face than they shouldn't. Zheng Kaixin simply could not relate that face to a ghost.
"Hm?"
Gu Yu was slightly surprised. He had been cultivating here and did not expect to see a child coming out of nowhere.
Looking closely, he saw that the boy came with a barely detectable energy, which was rather similar to the lump of black air troubling Yang Qing, but his was much less corrosive. The energy was compatible and interrelated with the vital energy of his body and had reached a delicate balance.
Recalling the story Jingyi told them earlier that day, he realized this was probably that child that had been infected by the evil energy.
Interesting! Very interesting!
Pulling the kid to his feet, he asked with a smile, "What are you doing here at this hour of the night? Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"I would stay here a while after my physical exercise every day," answered Zheng Kaixin despite himself, still befuddled.
"Physical exercise? Where did you learn it?"
"Uncle Jingyi taught me."
"If you don't mind, could you show me some of your moves?"
"Um, I'm, I'm not very good at it…"
For some unknown reason, Zheng Kaixin felt very close to the man and felt he liked this adult a lot. Despite his shyness, he squared himself and carried out the exercise scrupulously.
"..."
Gu Yu watched him tentatively. It was a set of simple and fluid movements, which should be a basic martial arts moves of the Maoshan Sect.
The kid reached the end of the movements, finished it up, and resumed a standing-up position. Sweat covered his face again. He raised his arm and was about to wipe it away, when the man made a slight wave and a warm breeze brushed across his face. He was then as dry and clean as a new boy.
"Not bad. Keep at it. It'll do you good."
Gu Yu bent down a little and rubbed his head, smiling. "You of all people should know that you're different from the rest of them. But don't give up, nor should you feel you're inferior in any way. This is your talent, one that the others could not even begin to envy for. You'll see when you're a little older."
"Oh…"
The little one nodded, not understanding a single word.
"Well, it's time for me to leave. I'll see you when I see you."
With that, Gu Yu drifted into the distance with one sway. One more move and he was almost out of sight.
"Uncle!" Zheng Kaixin ran after him eagerly, shouting, "You haven't told me yet, are you an immortal?"
"..."
Staring back at him was the night sky alone. The man was nowhere to be seen.
'Uncle?'
Damn it! Gu Yu almost stumbled on his feet. 'Since when am I an "Uncle"? I'm only 25, for Christ's sake! That kid could not have been more than seven or eight years old… well, if you put it that way, he wasn't exactly wrong to call me uncle.'
We'll leave Zheng Kaixin's disappointment alone for the time being and turn our attention to Gu Yu first. After returning to his dormitory, instead of entering his own room, he knocked on the door of the next room.
"Creak!"
Xiaozhai opened the door and let him in. "What's up?"
"Nothing, really. It's just that I met that kid. It was kind of interesting."
Gu Yu told her about what happened and Xiaozhai was intrigued as well. "What exactly is his condition?"
"The kid had made contact with some ghost and was infected with a hint of Yin energy. His main and collateral channels are rather special, they were able to keep that little bit of Yin energy inside, making him sensitive to supernatural things." He paused a little and went on. "I checked just then; that Yin energy has become apart of his body and grows as he grows. With proper guidance, he will make great achievements."
"Special channels? Could it be the legendary 'incurable meridian of nine Yin'?" Xiaozhai let her imagination fly, chuckling. "But isn't the incurable meridian of nine Yin usually found in girls? Some thousand-year-old monster would grab such girl and use her as a vessel, until one day the protagonist shows up and uses them for experience gathering. There are also those with particular taste that enjoys the company of a tauren…"
She was carried away by her vivid mockery and laughed until she couldn't sit straight.
However they enjoyed their chitchat, neither of the two mentioned specifically that they would take the child back to Phoenix Mountain. A tiny population they might have, but they were not that desperate to force a child into their company whenever they got a chance.
Of course, if the kid showed a sincere desire to join, they wouldn't mind taking a pupil.
Their goal was clear—they chose to surpass the others with an exceedingly high level of cultivation. They could have as many employees as they needed, but when it came to pupils, quality was always put before quantity. Have you ever heard about the Carefree Sect 1 ?
"Oh, by the way, Senior Wu has informed his pupil to join us tomorrow. We'll be going back to Shengtian together," said Xiaozhai suddenly.
"That Chao Kongtu?"
"Yup."
"I exchanged blows with him in Changbai. He's quite unique, doesn't have those eyes of Lu Yuanqing."
"You mean he's decent?"
"Very decent!"
The couple chatted on, each sitting on one end of the bed. They moved closer and closer as they talked, eventually sticking onto one another.
Little Soap shrank herself to the corner of the other bed, emanating the miserable air of a "single dog". Seeing that the shameless couple was snuggling more and more passionately and the situation was heading for the inevitable, she finally could not watch any longer, hopped out of bed, and rushed towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Her sister managed to find the time to ask.
"My eyes, my heart! This can't be legal! I'm calling the police!"
"Why, sorry about that, but I didn't even see you. I thought you were asleep," said Gu Yu surprisingly.
'F**k, f**k, f**kity f**k!'
Little Soap jumped up, tempted to smack him. 'Seeing me or not, don't you have any common sense?'
'Nope, that has been replaced by my self-importance!'
***
"Mum! Mum!"
Zheng Kaixin hurriedly ran back to his dormitory. Mother Zheng was going to go out and search for him because of his late return and scolded, "Where were you? Do you know what time it is? I thought the wolves had taken you!"
"I was doing my exercise…"
Catching his breath, the kid closed the door secretively and tugged his mother's clothes. "I, I ran into an immortal!"
"Not only are you wasting your time playing, you're lying to me now? Get over here!"
Mother Zheng was under great pressure by leaving home and living with her son up on the mountain, making her temper rather volatile. At those words, she instinctively thought her son was making things up and was going to grab something to hit him with.
"I really saw one! Ouch!"
Zheng Kaixin cried out at the spank and began to run around the table, yelling, "Don't hit me! Don't hit me! I really did!"
"You little liar! Liar! Do you think it's easy for me to live here with you? Why can't you be a good boy…"
The woman exploded and all reason was gone from her. As she scolded on, she was on the edge of breaking into tears.
Zheng Kaixin also lost his temper, shouting back, "I have seen grandpa, haven't I? Why can't I see an immortal!"
!!!
The woman froze and stood there dazed, looking utterly befuddled. She only sat down unsteadily after a while and broke into a sob covering her face. She fought back the tears in a moment, raised her head, and said, "Come here. I won't hit you any more. Tell me, exactly what happened?"
"I went to do my exercise, then I went to that platform. There was no fog there, but there was today. I wanted to touch it and, and the fog moved. It turned into an uncle…" The child was not very good with his words and stuttered a little with the explanation. "He talked to me and asked me to show him the exercise. He also said that I am not the same as other people and it's a good thing. I will know when I'm older."
"He really said that?" Mother Zheng suddenly grabbed her son by the arm.
"Yes, that's what he said."
"Do you remember what he looked like?"
"Um, he was tall and thin. His eyes were very bright. He was very good-looking, too."
"And his clothes? What was the color of his clothes?"
"W-white, I think," said the kid, a little frightened.
"..."
Mother Zheng suddenly fell into a silence. She was sweeping the floor in the Hall of Spiritual Officials when the guests arrived. She took a casual looked at that time. One of the man was indeed tall, thin, and dressed in white.
Momentarily, a million thoughts when through her head and she was in fidgets, like a drowning person who had grabbed a passing straw.
As nice as the priests of Maoshan might be, they were obviously not as capable, for none of them could turn into a fog. Since that man had pointed out her son's problem, he might have a way to save him...
***
The following morning.
Gu Yu and the other three where having breakfast in the dining hall. The dishes had indeed changed after the fast day. They did not know about the ordinary disciples outside in the canteen, but on the table of the private dining room, they found a basin of steamed meat buns and a basin of porridge with vegetable greens.
You heard it right. The unit was "basin"!
Have you ever seen a steamed meat bun the size of a baseball? One bite from Wu Songbai and half of it was gone. The flour wrapper slid down the throat with the gravy and it was soft, mellow, and scrumptious. Wow, he felt fully recharged.
"Senior, I thought you were only joking yesterday. I see now that you do love you meat!" Gu Yu was genuinely amazed.
"Without the satisfaction of eating meat, what fun is there to be immortal?" Shaking his head, Wu Songbai said in a self-mocking tone, "I'm not like you young people. All there is left for me is the desire for good food."
"Never be so sure. You are not that old. The great opportunity could be just around the corner."
"Haha, thanks for the comforting words!" The old man wolfed another steamed meat bun and said, "Tianzhu Mountain is not that close. My pupil is already on his way and will probably arrive at noon. Have you booked your plane tickets?"
"Yes."
"Well, that's all set, then."
While he was happily busying himself with the food, the couple sitting opposite him exchanged a look and Xiaozhai took out a wooden box from her bag. "Senior, you have done us a great favor that we cannot possibly think of returning. Please accept this small gift."
"That's very thoughtful of you!"
Wu Songbai put it away into his sleeve without checking it. He was without a doubt that it was something remarkable. When treated nicely, Phoenix Mountain had been nothing but generous.
Before long, they finished breakfast, walked out of the dining hall, and went back towards the living room along the corridor.
Halfway there, a woman sprinted out of a corner and knelt down with a thump right in front of Gu Yu, crying out, "Master Immortal, please have mercy!"
WTF!
Little Soap jumped at this: did people use such ruse 2 in Maoshan as well? She was about to make herself squabble ready when a kid scuttled out of nowhere, also crying, "Mum, what are you doing? Get up!"
"Shut up!"
The woman scolded the child and was going to fall prostrate to the ground when a gentle force raise her to her feet and a clear and rich voice said, "Do stand up, please."
"..."
Watching the man, she was all the more overtaken by the feeling that this elegant and carefree man standing in front of her was not a man of this mortal world. She couldn't help but shrink back a little. She had never been an outgoing person, but she would do anything for her son. Fighting back the anxiety and shame, she was shivering from head to toe.
"Master Immortal, please, please take Kaixin in as your pupil."
"Oh? Why would I do that?" The look on Gu Yu's face was hard to describe.
"After meeting you yesterday, Kaixin has been yearning to see you the whole time. He almost did not sleep last night and was talking about you all the time… you know, he's different from all the other kids. If you don't take him, I have no idea what will become of him…"
The woman began by flattering Gu Yu, but gradually let her true sentiments show. "I don't know what else to do. He's still so little and there are so many years ahead for him. I wish for no great achievements from him. All I want is for him to be cured and grow up safely… sob, please have mercy!"
"..."
A hush fell of the courtyard.
Wu Songbai watched on the side, not offended to the least. Zheng Kaixin was not a disciple of Maoshan Sect and even if they wanted to take the kid in, with the resources of Maoshan, the opportunities they could provide for him would be very limited.
The kid wanted the master and the master wanted the kid. Such was how fate worked and he was in no position to meddle.
Gu Yu watched the mother and son in turn and suddenly said, "I can take him, but he will not be my pupil and he has to go alone. Will you be able to part with him?"
"As long as you can cure him, I will!"
With everything that had happened, Mother Zheng had abandoned materialism completely. She believed in the Maoshan Sect and its honorable guest and this was her last resort—it was not as if it could become any worse.
Zheng Kaixin would not have it. Holding onto his mother, he cried, "I won't! I'm not going anywhere without you!"
'Tsk! Tsk!'
Watching the scene, Little Soap wrinkled up her face in disdain—'what's with all the never-seeing-you-again stuff?'
She knew why her sister and brother-in-law had to put them through this and said impatiently, "Fine, fine. You can go! You can both go! We're not some supervillains, okay?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-96.png){kind=small}
Chapter 296: Catching Ghost (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
Chao Kongtu was on the plane with the window on his left and Xiaojin on his right.
He never liked sitting by the window, but was feeling grateful for the arrangement at the moment. After all, it would be much easier to smash the window and jump out of the plane than to shut the clamorous mouth up beside him.
"Are you sure about this? You haven't even reached the innate state yet!
Can you really get rid of that ghost? You haven't even reached the innate state yet!
Are you sure you won't hurt my mum in the process? You haven't even reached the innate state yet!"
When she questioned him for the twentieth time with the trinity of doubts, Chao Kongtu could not stand it any longer. "You're welcome to doubt my capability as a whole, but don't question my ability to catch a ghost. As long as that ghost has not developed some remarkable ability, it's done for."
"Tsk. I'd believe your bragging if there wasn't that last part," said Xiaojin scornfully.
"Be as ignorant as you like, but please do not drag me down to your level." Chao Kongtu would not be outdone. "If it really had any remarkable abilities, you wouldn't live to squable with me here today."
Wow!
Little Soap was stunned for a second. She was so used to the role of rendering others speechless and never thought that one day, she would be the one rendered so. For a moment there, she could not digest the information and sat there blinking in silence.
"..."
Chao Kongtu, on the other hand, was secretly relieved: finally, some peace!
He arrived at Maoshan this noon and boarded the plane to Shengtian without any break. If everything went as planned, they would be there this evening.
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai could not act more normal when they met. They treated him with a polite warmth and disengaged friendliness—as if they were really just there to get a priest of Maoshan to catch a ghost.
Of course, Chao Kongtu was no ordinary man, either. He was sensible beyond comprehension. Despite the fact that he was inserted into a wall at the first strike back on Changbai Mountain, he acted as if nothing had happened.
To be honest, such conservation was not surprising for Chao Kongtu, who, as a cultivator, practiced with nourishing his Qi on a daily basis. But in reality, such a mentality was usually the result of some very crestfallen experience.
For instance, one might have been utterly humiliated in school or at work and lost all dignity, but one call from the boss and they had to wipe the tears and blood clean before running happily to the next round of sweet talk.
As the saying went: poverty stifled ambition. Without the adequate capability or connections, one was simply not qualified to turn the table.
Don't pretend such things had never happened to you. Here, whoever out there that had been through such things, gimme five!
While this pair was tongue-lashing at one another, another pair was equally unsettled in their seats.
Holding her son tightly between her arms, Mother Zheng shrank into her seat nervously. She was already regretting this decision and had been cursing herself the moment they were on board: what on earth was she thinking?
She just went along like a complete idiot without knowing a single thing about these people!
"..."
Zheng Kaixin was equally nervous. The joy and excitement were gone. Instead, there was only the uneasiness of leaving home and going to a new place.
The mother and son peeped at the seats somewhere in the front, where Gu Yu and Xiaozhai sat, and secretly exchanged a look: let's stay a bit longer, but if anything feels fishy, we're out of here!
***
Shortly after. Evening. Shengtian.
Father Jiang had already arranged a vehicle to pick them up and the team headed straight for the Jiang Family house after they landed. When the vehicle stopped outside the villa, Xiao Qiu rushed out to welcome them.
Since they had talked over the phone beforehand, she was not at all surprised by the crowd. After briefly introducing who's who, she reported, "Auntie is relatively steady for now. She struggled more violently this morning, but we can still hold her down."
"Good. Let's go have a look first!"
The group hurried upstairs, all very anxious. Without knowing it, Mother Zheng and Zheng Kaixin were left behind. People could be very sensitive to such things, especially when they had just arrived at some new place; the anxiety could push them to the extremes.
Our little angel Long Qiu was as caring as always. She took the time to stay behind and waved at the boy. "Kaixin, come here!"
"..."
Zheng Kaixin looked at his mother and only ran to Long Qiu after his mum nodded.
Long Qiu crouched down and looked him up and down, smiling. "Aren't you a vigorous little boy! I bet you'll grow up to be a very, very handsome man! Now, please listen to me. There is an auntie upstairs. She is ill and it looks very, very scary. So, I'd like you to stay here for now and we'll be back down in a moment. Okay?"
"Yes. I can feel it. There is a strange thing up there!"
The look on the kid's face was very comical, sort of like an emoji saying "I didn't realize that existed".
"Teehee!" Long Qiu chuckled and added, "That's why I need you to be a good boy and keep mum safe. If you need anything, go ask that aunt (the housekeeper)."
"Yes. I will protect mum!"
Wow, Zheng Kaixin was instantly swooning over Long Qiu—he had never met such a gentle and lovely sister before! Long Qiu then talked to Mother Zheng briefly before running hurriedly upstairs.
With that, Mother Zheng was little more at ease and patiently sat waiting in the sofa with her son.
***
"Aaaaaah!
So hungry! I want to eat!
I'm begging you, give me some food… you'll regret this! Aaaaah!"
On the big bed, Yang Qing was still struggling and screaming. Her face was contorted and she was fighting more violently than when they left. Obviously, after the past few days, the Evil-dispelling Dan was no longer as effective in suppressing it.
"Priest Chao, what are we going to do?" Uncle Jiang asked morosely, his face much more haggard than before.
"Hoho, don't worry." Chao Kongtu knew what to do after a glance. "I will begin the procedure in a minute. Before that, I'm afraid I'd have to borrow your bathroom. I need to take a shower and change."
"..."
Little Soap's lips moved a little, almost bursting into her sarcastic comments again. However, with her mother's life on the line, she surprisingly managed to keep herself under control.
The common impression was that priests of Maoshan had to begin the ghost-catching by setting up a sacrificial altar, which was actually not the case. The so-called sacrificial altar was a place where the masters of past generations were worshipped, rituals and ceremonies were held, and scriptures were taught—in other words, grand and majestic occasions.
Priests could not set up a sacrificial altar of their own. Each temple had one such altar only, which was also known as the sacrificial hall.
Before long, Chao Kongtu finished his shower and walked out from an inner room.
The others were greatly impressed. He now wore a wide purple ceremony gown with buttons down the front. It was calf-length, capeless, and the sleeves hung as low as the lower hem. Embroidered with golden and silver threads on the gown was the Eight Diagrams of Yin and Yang.
His Taoist bun was wrapped neatly inside a square headdress, which set against his already prominent eyebrows, enhancing his heroic look.
"I'd like to have the laymen and laywoman leave the room now."
His demeanor completely changed. Calm and steady, he was now what a master should look like. He bowed unhurriedly at the others.
"Oh, sure!"
After the the mortals left the room, Chao Kongtu fetched his luggage, from where he took out a palm-sized pottery jar first. "Laywoman Long, I'd like you to guard for me outside the house, please. If the ghostly energy breaks out of the window, just aim it with the opening of the jar."
"No problem!"
Long Qiu looked at the jar and found a talisman hidden inside. She went downstairs right away without any question.
He then took out a compass and played with it as if he was checking the directions. After that, he shook a cloth bundle loose, from which fell out a few pieces of thin bones.
"What are these?" asked Xiaojin curiously.
"Chicken throats, or the hyoid bone of a chicken. Apart from virgin males, chickens are the living creatures with the most potent Yang energy, which would not dissipate from their blood and bones one year after they're dead," he explained briefly, then went up to the wall. At the left corner by the door, he smacked the wall, pressing a chicken throat in. He then moved two steps sideways and smacked on the wall on his right again.
He smacked six times like so, seemingly following a strange map.
"Aaaaah!"
When the sixth chicken throat was smacked in, Yang Qing let out a sudden scream and struggled more violently than ever. Within the madness of her voice, there was also a fear. "I'm gonna eat you! I'm gonna eat you! You'll rot in hell!"
"..."
Chao Kongtu paid no attention to her and left a chicken throat unused. Seeing that the other three were utterly confused, he explained, "There are seven passes in the skill of Maoshan, which are the Passes of Yunken, Shangmen, Zichen, Shangyang, Tianyang, Yusu, and Taiyou. These seven passes determine the flow of Yang energy of an area, which could be as large as a city or as small as a room.
This formation I am using is called Seven Star Soul-nailing Formation. By sealing up all seven passes of this room, the Yang energy will stop flowing. Once the ghost can no longer sense the Yang energy, it will become disoriented and unable to harm her mind. I will then flush it out and destroy it!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-97.png){kind=small}
Chapter 297: Catching Ghost (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
As the saying went, each master had their own special field. It couldn't be more true.
Having been dealing with ghosts for nearly a thousand years, the Maoshan Sect knew the classification, habits, and skills and abilities of ghosts like the back of their hand. Now, with the recovery of the spiritual essence, ghosts were also beginning to make their way back, yet were still rather weak at the moment, making getting rid of them right up the alley of Maoshan priests.
After Chao Kongtu set the six chicken throats into the wall and leaving one in his palm, he fumbled around in his luggage again and took quite a pile of things out, making all kinds of rustling noises in the process.
Only four people were left in the bedroom now. Gu Yu casually set up a confinement and went on watching Chao Kongtu's work with Xiaozhai. Xiaojin, on the other hand, stayed close to the priest and observed his every move with unblinking eyes—the man had a suitcase like Doraemon's pocket and all sorts of rare treasures seemed to be falling out of it.
Chao Kongtu tidied everything up into one place and picked up a carpenter's ink marker first. It was a type of measuring tool used by ancient carpenters. In Maoshan skills, it denoted that the measurement was taken supported by the upright force of heaven and earth, allowing no deviation.
Twisting the thread wheel, he produced a reddish brown thread soaked with chicken blood with which he sealed the two windows. He then instructed, "Get me a basin of water."
"Huh?"
It took Xiaojin a moment to realize she was the one he addressed. "How big a basin do you need?"
"A little on the bigger side."
"Ok!"
She scurried out of the room and ran happily back a couple of minutes later, landing the big guy in her hands with a bang.
"..."
Chao Kongtu eyed the giant basin for washing clothes, then looked at Little Soap, who felt nothing was wrong with the choice. He was seriously considering dumping her inside and making her into a basin of soap bubble.
What the hell? You might as well move the bathtub here!
Shaking his head, he picked up a stash of yellow paper, which burst into flame with a swipe of his hand. It was then thrown into the basin and quickly burnt to ashes after landing on the water, turning it black.
Meanwhile, he waved his right hand and 'clack!', the seventh chicken throat was nailed on to the spot where Tianyou Pass was.
Tianyou Pass was the opening for the circulation of Yang energy. Sealing it up would stop the flowing of Yang energy in the room.
Ordinary people would have difficulty in breathing and feel suffocated. Staying in such a room for long would make them dizzy or even suffer from shock. Cultivators were even more sensitive to the change of air. Gu Yu was observably impressed. The thousand-year-old sect was indeed worth of its fame. Even with their inheritance mostly gone, what was left was easily a skill of remarkable effect.
"Aaaaaah! Go to hell! You'll rot in hell!"
On the bed, Yang Qing seemed to have sensed it as well and was screaming more frantically than ever. However, her body slowly went limp and finally, her eyes turned vacant and she lay there like a vegetable.
Chao Kongtu dared not dally. He took out a piece of talisman paper cut in the shape of a turtle. It was roundish, yellow, and a little smaller than an adult's palm.
"Men come through a paper and ghosts are stopped by a mountain. Even ten thousand evils will not break through… the sky is clear and the earth fair; the three marvels of heaven—the sun, the moon, and the stars—will stir all spirits and ghosts. Should any evil energy or malicious ghost come to interfere, they will be expelled right away from this earth!"
After chanting the ghost-dispelling spell, he pinched his left fingers into a commanding gesture and picked up the paper turtle with his right hand, then pressed into the basin forcibly.
"Bang!"
As soon as it made contact with the water, a cloud of white smoke erupted and the basin rumbled. The paper turtle drifted up and down for a couple of times and suddenly lifted its head and began to row with its four legs—it was alive.
"Go!"
Chao Kongtu pinched his fingers together again and pointed at the bed.
The paper turtle reached out with its forelegs and swimmed forward. Slowly, it was trying, trying some more, keeping on trying to climb out of the giant washing basin… Chao Kongtu couldn't help but dart a look at certain soap, who was heartlessly enjoying the show and had turned into an emoji again: OMG, that's some cool sh*t! So cool!
"Splash!"
Fortunately, with a splash, the paper turtle finally managed to climb out after much trying.
It sat still on the edge of the basin for a little while, as if trying to find its direction, then hurtled itself out, landing directly on the bed before resuming its slow crawl forward.
"..."
Yang Qing remained as motionless as a vegetable, yet the muscles all over her body seemed to be convulsing slightly, almost as if something was going on a rampage inside her but could not get out.
Finally, followed by the eyes of the four, the paper turtle finally climbed onto her body. It then moved further up until it was covering her face.
It lowered its head and gave a sudden peck between her eyebrows, then pulled up.
"Hiss!"
A streak of rolling black air visible to the naked eye was dragged out. Instantly, sinister wind began to blow inside the room and even the temperature had dropped by a few degrees—it was that hungry ghost in its wandering-soul form.
Sensing the danger instinctively, it tried to flee through the window, but was disoriented because of the sealing up of the Yang energy. All it could do was shoving around in confusion in mid-air.
"Humph! How dare such a petty ghost try to meddle with the human world."
Snorting, Chao Kongtu drew out a peach wood sword and chanted, "The Yellow God comes first and Yuezhang comes after. I will kill the evil ghost before I kill the moonlight. No gods or ghosts will stand the strike. Obey at once!"
After those words, he put his left index and middle fingers together and wiped along the long and thin body of the sword.
With that, the wooden sword made a clunking sound, as if the famous sword Longquan 1 was just unsheathed. An imposing golden glow was now wrapping around the blade.
He was just about to give the command "Go!" when...
There came a "boom!"
An arc of golden purple lightning hacked down from beside him and struck right onto the ghost with an overwhelming power.
"Hiss!"
Poor thing. It had been underground for god knew how many years and finally found itself a body to possess, but it just had to run into a team of bosses coming out together for a casual trip into the dungeon. The thing was annihilated before it had an opportunity to show its face.
WTF!
Shock was written all over Chao Kongtu's face as he turned around to look. Xiaojin's fingertips were still flickering with the lightning, but the girl completely ignored him and dived herself onto the bed to check her mother.
You ungrateful bastard!
'Had it not been for me flushing the ghost out, there would be nothing for you to kill! And you're playing superhero with me now?'
Let's be fair. The man was very mild and generous in his disposition, but somehow, ever since he met that bar of soap, he felt that he was constantly thinking of kicking someone's a*s.
Removing the confinement, Gu Yu asked in an ambiguous (more like gossipy) tone, "Priest Chao, is that all? Anything else we need to do?"
"I have made quite a few preparations beforehand… well, yes, that'll be all!"
Chao Kongtu thought about explaining, but then found it rather pointless. He put away the chicken throats in resignation and called out through the window, "Laywoman Long, you can come up now. Everything's fine!"
In a moment, Long Qiu ran upstairs carrying the jar and was amazed. "It's done? Just like that?"
"I had you guarding on the outside in case it fled through the window, but it turned out to be much easier than I thought…" Chao Kongtu had quickly adjusted his mood and already suppressed that helplessness and frustration.
If he were to carry it out the traditional way, he would use the peach wood sword to destroy the ghost after the paper turtle dragged it out. Should the sword fail to work, there were talismans. With door and windows sealed by the ink thread and Long Qiu guarding the perimeter with the jar, it was fail-proof.
What actually happened, however, was like when it finally came to the date with your dream lady, the date which you had set a month in advance and arrived at the scene with a sleek hairdo and stinking with cologne. You two went shopping, had dinner, went to a movie, and you successfully got her into your hotel room when the dream lady said, "Oops, I forgot to mention, but I suddenly got my period today…"
Tsk! How depressing could it get!
"It was such an eye-opening experience today. The fame of Maoshan skills is well-deserved. Thank you for going through all those trouble, Priest Chao."
"We would have no idea how to tackle this without your help. Thanks so much."
The couple knew how to make a compliment sound nicer, but they were actually telling the truth. They were experts in fighting with someone head on, but dispelling a ghost was in their blind spot.
As for Xiaojin, seeing that Yang Qing was at peace and breathing evenly as if sound asleep, she couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Chao whatever your name is, is my mum ok now?"
"..."
Chao Kongtu went up to the bed and looked at Yang Qing, then took out another talisman and ignited it with a shake of his hand. The talisman turned into a ball of flame, with which he scanned Yang Qing.
The flames remained red with a little blue core and did not change color the whole time. He then said, "The ghost is completely destroyed. She is only exhausted from the excessive consumption of energy. With proper rest, she will be all right in about half a month."
"Haha! I have never expected that you could pull that off with you not reaching the innate state and stuff!"
Xiaojin was glowing with jubilation and found Chao Kongtu so much more pleasant than before. Wrapping an arm around his shoulder, she said, "I owe you one. Anybody giving you trouble from now on, let me know. I'll handle them for ya!"
***
Late that night, the hotel.
There weren't enough rooms in the villa for all these people, so after making sure of Yang Qing's safety, Xiaojin and Xiaozhai were left behind while the others went to a hotel for the night.
Mother Zheng and Zheng Kaixin waited downstairs the entire time. They had no idea what was happening, other than seeing Long Qiu running around with a jar. Later when they heard about the whole ghost-catching thing, oh man, both were so frightened and excited that they were not sleepy at all.
Xiao Qiu was quite fond of Zheng Kaixin. Since there wasn't much left to do, she stayed in their room and chatted with them while taking the opportunity to talk to them about Phoenix Mountain.
Let's turn our attention back to Gu Yu.
Right now, he was in Chao Kongtu's room making inquiries.
"Priest Chao, Zhongyuan Festival is tomorrow. Should we be prepared?"
"Haha, the folks always talk about the 'ghost door' that opens on Zhongyuan Festival. There isn't such a thing called the 'ghost gate'. Ghosts are most likely to show up on this day become it is the time of the year when the Yang energy is the weakest and Yin energy the strongest."
Chao Kongtu had changed back to his blue robe and was leaning back casually into a sofa. "Don't worry. Ghosts can only make their appearance to mortal men through specific ceremonies such as the seventh day ceremony and evocation, or via certain object that is a representation of their obsession. Other than that, they cannot simply show up as they like. The world of men always precedes that of immortals in priority, such is the law of Nature—unless great upheavals take over the world, plunging the living souls into misery and suffering, only then would the world become the playground of monsters."
"Are there no exceptions?"
"There are, such as when a ghost is favored by some great opportunity and regains its consciousness, which makes it much more difficult to catch. If it then manages to get hold of cultivation methods, it will become a ghost cultivator, making it a fellow member of ours. The method ghost cultivators adopt are very peculiar and there isn't much information left in my sect. We only know that the limit to their cultivation level comes much earlier and they would become Ghostly Immortals at most."
Gu Yu nodded. After a moment of pondering, he went on, "You mentioned evocation just then. So, the soul you call back, is it a wholesome one, or a wandering kind?"
"Well…" Chao Kongtu gave it a thought and said, "That is determined by fate itself. After one dies, their soul stays intact for the first seven days and disintegrates after that. Some disappear right away, some recombine with other wandering souls, some turn into ferocious ghosts, while others roam the earth in a confused state. Usually, they're in whatever state they're in the moment we call for them. Of course, there are some masters who can mend the three hun and seven po to rebuild the physical body… well, it's not my place to show off in the presence of an expert."
Seeing the look on Gu Yu's face, he added, "Evocation is a very advanced skill, which I am incapable of carrying out before reaching the innate state. If the layman is thinking about a deceased loved one, I'm afraid there is nothing I can do."
"Haha, no problem. I understand."
Gu Yu chuckled at the reminder—this priest was indeed a fascinating character. Despite their previous confrontation, he grew to like the man a lot after getting to know him a little more. He then asked, "Priest Chao, since you're already here, how about coming to Phoenix Mountain for a few days if you're not in a hurry to get back?"
"Phoenix Mountain?" Chao Kongtu blinked and replied unaffectedly, "Sure. I've been shut up in Qiyun for such a long time and finally get an opportunity to travel outside. My master would tell me off if I didn't make the most out of it!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-98.png){kind=small}
Chapter 298: Make New Friends
Source: Qidian International
August 8th, the fifth of the seventh month on the traditional Chinese calendar and the day of Zhong Yuan Festival.
Starting early this morning, men and women of all ages were filing out of the city, heading right for the cemetery on the eastern slope of Phoenix Mountain. Swarming the roads leading from the villages and downtown area to the cemetery were cars, donkey wagons, jeeps, and tricycles of every kind.
The mountain gate several kilometers away was also drowned in a hubbub of human noises—actually, the stream of tourists flowing onto the mountain had not been interrupted since the beginning of this summer.
People were moving up in groups of threes and fives. One group stood out more than anyone else: they were two men, four women, and a little kid, one of whom was in a blue robe and apparently a Taoist priest.
They were none other than Gu Yu and his companions.
After the Yang Qing problem was solved, they went back to Bai Town the following day. Instead of going onto the mountain from the north entrance, they entered through the front gate, which was Chao Kongtu's suggestion.
It was such a rare occasion that he got to travel outside and he thought he should at least get a full view of the mountain. Hence, the others complied, considering it a casual tour of Phoenix Mountain.
"Why, isn't it Xiao Gu?"
"I heard you got rich. When did you come back?"
"Are these your friends? Here, take a few bottles of water. Climbing this mountain is quite tiring."
Quite a few peddlers greeted them enthusiastically on their way up, all of which old "colleagues" of Gu Yu.
Gu Yu responded to all greetings without the slightest embarrassment. It was part of his history. Denying it would be denying his old self and he was not that narrow-minded.
It intrigued Chao Kongtu greatly. "Why didn't you shut the scenic area down? It'd be so much quieter."
"Haha, we're cultivating beside this secular world and we might as well embrace the secular scene a little. Besides, if I do that, how are they going to make their living?"
After those words and before Chao Kongtu could say anything, Mother Zheng interjected, "Mr. Gu, Sir, are you really the owner of this entire mountain?"
Without realizing it, she had "upgraded" the way she was addressing Gu Yu.
"Sort of. It's ours, really." Gu Yu tried to hold his girlfriend's hand, but Xiaozhai reached out and held onto Long Qiu instead, totally ignoring Gu Yu.
"Oh my god, that is awesome, Sir! My Kaixin can definitely be cured!"
Mother Zheng fawned on Gu Yu in a half-exaggerating, half-earnest way. She was not like this before, but used to be a preserved person. But people were easily influenced by their surroundings and it would only take a few days.
Her philistine and deliberate attitude repelled Gu Yu a little, but he found it understandable—all the things one would do for their children.
The group chatted as they climbed on. As the mountain trail grew steeper, the flow of tourists also grew thinner. Phoenix Mountain was quite vast in its area and one could climb up following either the eastern or the western route; they were now taking the latter.
Chao Kongtu halted all of a sudden, pointed at a mountain peak on the south, and complimented, "Why, that peak stood tall quite on its own and looked graceful. With the cooling clouds and mist, it makes a rather heavenly picture!"
"That's Cuanyun 1 Peak. I've been up there. The view is indeed heavenly," Gu Yu commented casually. A little while later, he pointed to the north and said, "That is Jianyan 2 Peak, second only to Cuanyun. Legend has it that Xue Rengui once stood on Dingjun Mountain, set the arrow on his bow, drew it with all his effort, and released. The top of the peak was pierced through, giving Dingjun Mountain the new name Fajian 3 Ridge and this one was called Jianyan Peak since… don't take it seriously—they're nothing but made-up stories from the tourism bureau. Xue Rengui must have had a million better things to do than shooting at Phoenix Mountain."
"Haha, we have a similar one in Tianzhu, only the peak was called Xiaoyue 4 .
Chao Kongtu laughed and turned to look. Jianyan Peak stood tall there like a sword reaching into the sky and near the top was a naturally formed round hole. He couldn't help but remark, "You said it is the second tallest? I don't think Cuanyun surpasses it that much."
'Hm?'
Gu Yu winced a little. Cuanyun was 863 m and Jianyan 812 m. The 50-meter difference should be apparent. He had been on the mountain the whole time and failed to notice the change. Chao Kongtu, on the other hand, was a newcomer and noticed.
Now that it was pointed out, the family of four all turned to look.
"Wow, it seems it really is taller!" shouted Xiaojin first.
"Yes, yes, I remember that tree…" Long Qiu pointed at a pine tree protruding sideways from the slope and said, "I think it was halfway up the peak before, but now seems lower than that."
"Interesting. Can it be the spiritual ginseng?" said Xiaozhai.
"It's more than that. The spiritual ginseng is not that capable. The node itself is also the cause," said Gu Yu.
The spiritual ginseng had connected with the mountain energy and the two were complementing one another, changing the environment quietly yet constantly around the clock. The property of Phoenix Mountain itself played a more important role, though—one could not find a place with the spiritual essence as dense and active as in a node just anywhere.
"Are you talking about the spiritual ginseng from last time?" Chao Kongtu asked curiously.
"Yup. We'll show you later. That fellow has a thing for the liquor and you have a liquor gourd. You two can make a cute couple!"
Xiaojin patted him on the shoulder in the most natural way. Chao Kongtu was about 178 cm and she 175 cm. Girls usually looked taller than they were, giving the two quite a matching height.
While the others were chatting happily, Zheng Kaixin was exhausted, but dared not mention a word, fearing that the uncles and aunts would tell him off.
Gu Yu had noticed it. He was not in the habit of putting others through suffering to train their minds—the kid was lucky and got pointed in the right direction, but whether or not he would take him in as a pupil was something that would need at least a couple of years' observation to be decided.
"Xiao Qiu, it's getting late. Take Kaixin back with you first and get the dinner ready," said Gu Yu.
"No, no, we're fine. The kid will be ok after a little rest!"
Mother Zheng waved her hand. 'Are you kidding me? It is at the time like this that we should make a show of our good quality.'
Long Qiu ignored the protest. She crouched down and smiled. "Let's go get some rest, shall we? Mum and the others will be back in a moment."
"Yes!"
Zheng Kaixin trusted the big sister. He then asked, "How are we going to get back?"
"Flying, of course. Are you afraid of flying?" Long Qiu liked teasing the kid a lot.
"Flying? How—"
"Like this!"
The kid was at a loss. Before he could finish the question, he was held up by the big sister, and with a little sway, everything flashed past his eyes with a violent shake. Then there was a "whoosh!"
The gale blew hard against his cheeks and clouds rushed past them.
"Aaaah!"
Mother Zheng was scared out of her wits. She watched as Long Qiu jumped down the cliff holding her son, but the next second, her eyes were wide open. Long Qiu fell rapidly before turning abruptly like a wild goose and stepped on the cliff wall.
With a clank, a small stair suddenly protruded from the stone.
Tapping it lightly with her foot, with the momentum gained, she fell straight down for dozens of meters. Repeating the process along the cliff wall for a couple of times, they were soon less than a hundred meters from the ground below.
"Ah! Sister, Sister, aaaah… I'm flying! I can fly!"
Hearing her son's gibberish came up from below, Mother Zheng swayed—whether for joy or for fear we did not know—and almost collapsed to the ground. Right there and right then, all her little schemes had disappeared, replaced by reverence and loyalty only.
"..."
Chao Kongtu was observably surprised. Ever since those fellows of Qiyun got their hands on the heritage of White Crane, they had been gloating like a certain third generation leader with his nuclear warheads, dreaming about nothing but hitting someone with them.
Phoenix Mountain did not seem to be anything inferior!
He did not care if Long Qiu did what she did on purpose. From the Taoist skill and capability she had demonstrated, well, it was safe to say that the "Two Saints of Phoenix Mountain" were not the only two of the mountain!
***
Before they realized, the sun was slanting towards the horizon.
They had spent most of their day walking around the scenic area and covered two-thirds of the ground. That afternoon, they finally reached the inner mountain.
The view here was completely different. The landscape of the outer mountain was mostly naturally formed, but here, one could see much more artificial planning.
Fruit trees, bamboos, and herb fields were separated into distinct areas, with only occasional mixed fields. They could see bright reds here and verdant deep woods there, with all kinds of herbs growing in between. There were more kinds than one could count.
A few elderly men taking care of the plants were about to greet them when Gu Yu gestured at them to keep at their work.
"These are…"
Chao Kongtu was curious about these people.
"Employees, of course! And they get paid: year-end bonus, love funds, labor protection, social security, vacations, and other welfare—everything as the labor law says," Xiaojin answered him. She then grabbed onto the thin air and scooped out a giant pomegranate, which she split into halves, revealing the translucent and plump seeds inside, which reminded one of red pearls.
She looked like a fat little hamster that could not restrain itself from eating out of its winter stash. She began to pop the seeds into her mouth as they walked on.
"..."
Chao Kongtu watched her in amazement, for all along, this one had given him the expression of a heartless little rouge. It suddenly struck him that she was capable of being cute and adorable.
"Why are you looking at me?" Sensing his gaze, Xiaojin tossed him half of the fruit. "There, it's delicious."
"Um, thanks."
He would not usually eat a pomegranate, but since he was offered one, it would not be polite to refuse. He lowered his head and was going to eat it… what the hell? There was no pomegranate to eat. All he was holding was an empty shell—the red pearls were all gone.
He turned to look at certain fellow, who was holding a handful of red seeds and chewing happily.
"Why are you looking at me again?" Little Soap asked with the most bewildered and straight face.
"I am intrigued, actually. How did you survive to this age?" Chao Kongtu was genuinely confused.
"I'm lucky! People can be good at all kinds of things, but nothing beats good luck… f**k, that's a sour one!"
Wrinkling up her face, Xiaojin turned from a dummy husky to a shar pei in a second. An intense sour taste spread out from the tip of her to tongue and soon took over her entire mouth.
"Gosh! Sour! Too sour!"
Her hands were empty now—what was left of the pomegranate was transferred into Chao Kongtu's hand again. Sticking out her tongue, she hopped around, shouting, "Ssss! Sour food gives you a boy and spicy food gives you a girl. How could anyone stand that! Bah! Bah!"
No one could understand what was going through her head as she gabbled out sarcastic remarks only she herself understood.
"..."
Chao Kongtu watched her a while and suddenly snickered. He then picked up a seed and threw into his mouth.
Hm, sour and sweet. It was great!
***
Cottage of Pure Mind, the living room.
The guest was not here and only Gu Yu and Xiaozhai sat in the host seats, listening to Li Dong's report on the output of the first half of the year.
"We now have 880 fruit trees of various kinds, which have given us a total yield of 36 tons… the early rice is not harvested yet, but we estimated the yield this year should increase… Dear Old Gao has managed to come up with something new—he has tried to make a few types of fruit wine and I have taken three jars… there are 137.5 kg of tea in stock; the herbs are still growing, so there is not yield… the three piglets are growing healthily; they're a size bigger than when they arrived…"
Gu Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Keep the medicinal materials and spiritual rice as they are. The fruit, liquor, tea, and bamboo shoots are for sale. Contact Old Shui for that. I'll leave everything to you."
"No problem!"
Li Dong was delighted. After living an idle life for more than half a year, he finally got a proper job. As a matter of fact, he was the only candidate—all the rest on the mountain were "technicians" of sorts.
"Oh, by the way, Brother Shui has registered a company, saying that it will take care of the transportation of all our goods within Shengtian territory. That's the short-term goal. He will expand the business to cover the province—or even the entire Northeast—in the future," added Li Dong.
Wow! Nice job, Old Shui!
Gu Yu chuckled and said, "Ok, I see. You can go back to your work now."
After Li Dong left, Gu Yu presented the ledger to the head of the household and asked, "It's been a couple of days. What do you think of Chao Kongtu?"
"60 out of 100. Still needs further observation," said Xiaozhai.
"Haha, that's what I thought as well. To be honest, with what we saw in the Celestial Master Temple and Maoshan, it's hard not to be biased."
"Whatever. The bottom line is: big no-no for Quanzhen." Xiaozhai said, stretching herself.
Since Wang Qi's visit, the couple had expanded their scope to a global scale.
Yes, the internal strife within this country was inevitable, but with the trend of an international "upgrade", on a macro-scale, the strategy would be to resist the foreign aggression as a unified force. Hence, Phoenix Mountain wanted to make friends with the Taoist community and they had to find a suitable one.
Such as th Maoshan Sect. Such as Chao Kongtu.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-99.png){kind=small}
Chapter 299: Time For An Introduction
Source: Qidian International
"Aaaaah! I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill you!"
"Dad, it's me! What's happening to you, Dad!"
In Bajiao 1 Village of in the suburbs of the capital city, a frightened man was running in circles around the courtyard of a farmhouse. Chasing behind him was an old man holding a kitchen knife who had bloodshot eyes and a savage look on his face.
"Waah… waah…"
The son's wife and child had locked themselves up in an inner room and were crying uncontrollably.
After much shouting and yelling, the neighbors showed up at the noise, and were equally frightened by the scene. A few young men moved closer first and restrained the old man tightly. One of the bolder men then struck the old man's arm, and with a "clank!", the kitchen knife dropped to the ground.
"I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill you!"
Restrained, the old man was screaming all the more frantically as if that was not his own son, but some irreconcilable archenemy.
Someone had called the police a while ago and the neighbors had gathered around talking together in confusion.
The son was panting. "I don't have the slightest clue. Yesterday was the Ghost Festival 2 and we went to visit the grave. He was perfectly fine when we got back, but this morning, he was like that."
"Oh my, I don't think the old man has been sick or anything. Did something 'unnatural' get to him?" suggested someone.
"That's right. I've heard of quite a few cases over the news lately," chimed in another.
"Anyway, be careful these days. Some weird things are happening."
The crowd chatted on. It wasn't long until a police car drove into the village and stopped outside the farmhouse. The doors opened and four police officers filed out.
They made no inquiries, for the old man was still yelling at the top of his voice for anyone with eyes and ears to see.
"Take him!" The leading officer waved.
The other three went up to the old man, cuffed him, then grabbed him by both arms and swiftly escorted him into the police car.
The son would not have it this way and shouted, "Gosh! Comrade police officer! My dad is a little out of the line, but surely you don't have to do that? What is all this? You'd think he killed someone or set a house on fire or something!"
"..."
The leader gave him a look. "It's complicated. We're only following orders here. I apologize for that!"
With that, the four drove off without a second of delay, leaving behind the crowd of villagers with their utter bewilderment.
***
Tangshan, hospital.
The area was 20 km from downtown—a distance making it neither too central nor exactly remote. It was the capital city we're talking about here. Anyone who could afford buying an apartment just outside the Sixth Ring Road would qualify as a "Tuhao".
"Make way! Make way!"
"Mhm… mhm…"
"Make way, please. We've got a new patient!"
With the hubbub, the old man was escorted into the hospital by four police officers, heading directly for the newly built "Unnatural Disease Research Center".
With his hand cuffed and a cord stuffed between his teeth, the old man was still struggling violently. They had no other choice. Such measures could stop the patient's senseless screaming, as well as prevent them from biting their own tongue—the hospital learnt the latter the hard way.
They made it to the third floor when two robust doctors came up to them and injected the old man with a powerful anesthetic. In a couple of seconds, the old man's eyes went vacant and his body turned limp. He was then carried to an isolation ward.
"Phew… luckily we got him here in one piece. One of our men got this elderly woman yesterday. He let his guard down for one second and she bit him on his chin—tore a chunk of meat off. Damn it! These people are like Abnormal Titans! 3 "
The leading officer sighed with relief and asked in passing, "Why, there must have been what, twenty of them already?"
"Yup, this one makes the twentieth. Thanks for all your hard work!" replied the doctor.
"Why, the same to you! Your job is no easier!"
After the police left, the director of the center called for a group consultation, where the usual procedure was carried out: drawing blood, running tests, full body examination… The results came back the same as before: there was nothing wrong with the man medically.
For a moment there, the doctors were all in low spirits. This helplessness was simply too defeating.
When exactly did all this start? Let's see… it had to be two weeks ago when patients with similar symptoms began to show up. They all had been perfectly fine before and went insane without any warning. The hospitals had been treating these people as mental patients when orders from above arrived a couple of days ago, ordering:
Firstly, all such patients should be resettled to Tangshan Hospital.
Secondly, it was not some mental disease. These people had "bumped into ghosts".
All doctors felt question marks were materializing out of their brains and floating around their heads. Seriously?! They were doctors and the most devoted believers of science. But now, the government itself was making it official: yes, they had bumped into ghosts.
***
The capital city, the HQ of the BIMAUP.
Mu Kun was sitting in his office, listening to his assistant's briefing.
"As of today, 1027 patients have been admitted to major hospitals in all thirty-six provinces, of which 269 have died accidentally. By accidental death, we refer to the sudden death that was without warning and that for which no reason could be found.
We have inquired Priest Jingyi of the Maoshan Sect who said that those possessed by ghosts would have their energy consumed very quickly. Some are too weak to withstand this invasion of ghostly energy and would die from exhaustion…"
"Ha, ha ha… cough! Cough!"
Listening to the report, Mu Kun began to laugh, which then turned into a violent fit of coughing. Various emotions all mixed together, which eventually took over him with the utmost helplessness.
After finish reading the report, the assistant asked tentatively, "Director Mu, what exactly do the bosses mean?"
"What else? Come up with ideas, report them, and wait for an answer!"
Reclining into his chair, Mu Kun rubbed his temples. He felt exhausted from inside out.
As early as several days ago, Wu Songbai of the Maoshan Sect had warned them, saying ghosts were making their way back into this mortal world. However, before they could come up with any countermeasure, the outbreak began.
This goddamn Zhongyuan Festival!
He cursed silently inside. For according to Wu Songbai, in order to show up in the mortal world, the ghosts had to enter either through certain ceremony, or the incident when people bumped into certain objects possessed by resentment. The Yin energy was the most powerful on Zhongyuan Festival, making it much more possible for the ghosts to cross over.
Keep in mind that the country had a population of nearly two billion and people died everyday. So there were bound to be plenty of deaths around Zhongyuan Festival.
The big cities did not have enough room for such ceremonies, but nearly all families in the vast rural areas followed their traditions, which was only heading for disaster. If there was a seventh day ceremony and the family members did not follow the rule strictly, something like Zheng Kaixin's incident was almost inevitable!
What could the government do but treat the affected as mental patients first—send them to a specialized hospital and summon Wu Songbai urgently.
Old Man Wu was very cooperative: coming hell or high water, we men of Maoshan would do everything we could out of kindness. When they arrived, the government was like: are you kidding me? You don't even have enough men to fill a dining table.
The entire capable ghost-dispelling force of the sect consisted of four people!
These four men had been dispatched to four cities most severely affected to ease the pressure.
Mu Kun wondered if the government was regretting their decisions from decades ago—at least he himself did, for back then when he first began his career, he had been on the task force cleaning up swindling Maoshan priests.
Karma was indeed a bi*ch. Finally, they realized the usefulness of the Maoshan Sect, but there was barely anyone to use.
"Sigh…"
Mu Kun heaved another sigh and looked dejected. Seeing this, the assistant said gingerly, "Director Mu, forgive my bluntness, but the current difficulty is not to catch the ghosts, but to find a way to explain it."
"What do you mean?"
"In fact, we are all mentally prepared for this: the spiritual essence has showed up; so have the Taoist skills. It was only a matter of time before ghosts made their appearance. The problem is, despite our warm-up for the new ideology, we are still not sure how the general public will take it."
"You are right. The difficulty lies in the explanation we will need to give to the people, as well as in that life will go on as more monsters show up, for which we will need to educate them with countermeasures…" Mu Kun remarked, as if echoing the other's point. However, both knew perfectly well that they were only scratching the surface. As for the real problem, neither of them were bold enough to discuss it loudly.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Just then, there was a knock at the door and someone said outside, "Director Mu, the director needs you for a meeting. Instructions from above have arrived!"
"I see. I'm on my way."
Mu Kun winced a little, then rose to his feet and strode out of the office.
Shuffling footsteps echoed in the corridor as officials walked out of their offices and gathered in the room in the innermost corner of the building. Seeing this, Mu Kun couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Li, what's going on? Have the bosses agreed?"
"Not only did they agree, they have also…"—the man hesitated a little before going on—"they have also come up with an unexpected bold move. This incident is probably the entry point of explaining everything."
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Chapter 300: Warm-up
Source: Qidian International
Liu Xiaoyong was a college student and an overweight otaku—not that the two contradicted one another.
His hometown was Goat City, which was also where his university was—it was five stations away from his house only. During the twenty or so years so far, he had barely travelled more than 300 km away from home.
Like most overweight otakus, his biggest hobby was watching anime, playing video games, and downloading x-rated OVA. Apparently, not only was he learning from his teachers at school, he found himself other " teachers 1 " during the vacations as well. As a result, he was well-versed in all sorts of pop-up ads and had often exhausted himself from all the "self-learning" activities...
Twenty years old and his romantic history remained blank. The only reason that he bought condoms was, well, out of curiosity.
"Sigh, there goes another short-lived life of mine. So boring…"
That night, Liu Xiaoyong slurped his super-spicy cup noodle and finished the last episode of a new anime released this season. For a moment there, he couldn't help but become lost in a deep reverie, which was a recurring experience of his—as soon as he fell in love with a heroine of an anime, it was time to say goodbye to her.
Shaking his head, he rose to his feet and tossed the empty cup into the bin himself, which was extremely rare for him. He then fetched a cart of box-packed lemon tea, sat back on his honorable seat, switched the screen back to bilibili.com 2 , and refreshed the homepage. What?
Completely out of the blue, the main images of the frontpage had been changed temporarily, replaced by one big picture. Written across the frontpage was a line of text: Congratulations on moving home— you know nothing of the anime world 3 !
The picture itself was a bearded middle-aged man dressed in a Taoist robe, who was cupping his hands at the camera.
What the hell?
Having nothing better to do, Liu Xiaoyong clicked the video open. It was rather a lengthy one—about 30 minutes—and the screen had been completely covered up by layers upon layers of barrages. He simply closed down the barrages and watched the contents of the video only, which was neither a spoof nor a gimmick, but was really showing a priest carrying out a ceremony.
It seemed to be taking place at the entrance of the new office building of the company. An altar had been set up, on top of which lay three animals and four fruits required as the sacrifice, together with three high-quality joss sticks. Over a dozen people had been divided into two groups, who were worshipping on either side on bended knees while the middle-aged man was gesticulating in the middle.
He probably had a mic on him, for his chanting was coming out loud and clear.
"The Grand Supreme spirit guards my soul and body so that I can cope with the forever changing situation. The splendid divine light shines on the highest heaven and deepest cave, discerns all five elements, and follows the Three Pure Ones. I hereby prostrate myself in front of the holy scripture of the precious Dao…"
Damn!
Liu Xiaoyong watched the video with a gaping mouth. He did not know exactly what was going on, but guessed that the man was probably chanting a spell of house-cleansing and evil-dispelling. The scene looked too comical to take it seriously, yet everyone on screen looked too solemn and devoted to be considered a laughing matter 4 .
The barrage was filled with melodramatic comments.
"We should have some talisman and yellow paper emojis added to the barrage."
"LMAO. All they need now is to sacrifice a programmer to Heaven!"
"Suppress those autotune remix and the Great Dao will comply with Nature."
"I almost thought I read it wrong at the first glance…"
"Last time I saw something similar was in the Kingdom of Chechi, but there were three priests 5 …"
Hahaha! Liu Xiaoyong loved these people for their ridiculousness. After finding the right words, he quickly typed in his comment. "Abracadabra! SARFT, 6 let me pass!"
His interest in this particular video was pretty much finished after sending out the barrage. However, he darted one more casual look and was curious to see that the video was over half an hour long. It couldn't be all on a ceremony, could it?
Liu Xiaoyong dragged the timeline forward to about twenty minutes into the program. The location had been changed to the star lounge of the website's office, where the middle-aged man was being interviewed.
"Priest Chen, it was the fifteenth day of the seventh month on the traditional calendar and there is this saying 'the ghost gate opens at Zhongyuan Festival', so could you tell us if ghosts really exist in our world?"
"This is not a simple yes-or-no question. First of all, I think we should all realize that fear stems from unknown. When one has a better knowledge of a certain object, they can be much more at ease…"
The priest was handsome, graceful, and well-mannered, making words out of his mouth very convincing. "According to our Taoist concepts, ghosts do exist in this world, but they are nothing like the blue-faced, sharp-fanged, and malicious creatures depicted by TV dramas or fiction who could come and go without leaving a trace.
We Taoists believe that all things in this world are derived from Dao—you can think of this Dao as a form of Qi. Everything in this world is a produce of Qi, and so are the ghosts.
When someone dies, their Qi can no longer hold together and begins to dissipate. Some will disappear into Nature itself, some combines with the Qi of others, creating an opportunity for new lives, some transforms into animals or metal, stones, plants…"
He went on explaining the idea in plain words that were both easy to understand and showing an interesting new approach. For a while, the barrage thinned down—either most of the audience had left or they were enthralled by the words.
The host then asked, "We've all heard about someone being possessed by a ghost from the folklore, so can that really happen? If so, how can we protect ourselves against it?"
Liu Xiaoyong instantly pricked up his ears at the question, for just a couple of days ago, one of his classmates went mental after a seventh day ceremony for a grandmother.
It was a major topic of the chat group of his class for many days. It was said that the student was sent into a mental hospital and someone had concluded right then that a ghost was involved!
"Ghost-possessing is the term used by common folk. In our Taoist terms, it is known as 'a loss induced by Yang-deficiency, giving rise to the clashing Yin energy'. Ghosts are Yin energy formed by disintegrated vital essence. Some people are weak in body and mind, rendering them lacking in Yang energy. Naturally, these people are easily affected by Yin energy… therefore, I advice laymen and laywomen with such attributes to spend more times in the sun, improve their health both physically and mentally, as well as stay away from old and gloomy places and try not to touch ancient and unfamiliar objects, for those are all more likely to be infected with Yin energy and become harmful."
"I see. Thanks for clearing that up for us! While you were talking about improving our health, it suddenly occurred to me that a physical training program is being taught among middle and primary school students all over the country now. If our audience know someone who has been taught the program, you might want to have a go at it as well. It's such a simple but effective way. Now, Priest Chen, here is our last question. Would you talk about some relevant folk customs and some dos and don'ts in practicing them?" asked the host.
"Of course. Folk customs vary from place to place and the most common one is the seventh day ceremony. There is actually a very strict set of rules in practicing it…"
'Hiss!'
Liu Xiaoyong felt the hair on his back stand up as he listened on as if something was going to materialize out of the corner of the walls, from under the window-pane, or from under the bed. Even his legs under the table suddenly felt cold and began to shiver.
He clicked shut the video in a snap and scuffed to the living room.
His parents were watching news on the TV, which also happened to be a host interviewing a ministry official, who was all over the funereal tradition.
"Our country has a history of over five thousand years, during which time a lot of folk customs have been created, such as the occasions of marriages and funerals known to the common folks as the 'red-clad' and 'white-clad'. There are a lot of established practices involved, which have been passed down until today.
Zhongyuan Festival was just a couple of days ago and I happened to be on vacation, so I took my family to visit the cemetery. What I saw on my way there was, well, disconcerting… the government has been running campaigns against burning joss paper for many years. We have been promoting paying respect to our ancestors in a civilized way and some governments even suggested replacing the paper-burning with offering flowers, but the actual situation is far from satisfactory.
The cities are doing all right, but burning joss paper remains a common practice in the vast rural area. According to a survey run by our specialists, during the one-day period of Zhongyuan Festival this year, the level of PM2.5 in the capital city has soared to 15 times of its usual level.
Many may not be aware, but burning a stack of joss paper will produce about 1.5 kg of CO2, not to mention the SO2, nitrogen oxides, and PAHs, which are all major air pollutants.
Therefore, we have come up with a plan to gradually reduce the paper-burning practice at a reasonable pace, focusing mainly on the rural areas. We will be promoting civilized worshipping and funereal methods in times such as Qingming, Zhongyuan, Hanyi Festivals, or even for the seventh day ceremony…"
"The seventh day ceremony?" interjected the host.
"Yes. I think we all know that the joss paper is also burnt during this ceremony. Superstitious beliefs aside—we respect such tradition—we should recognize the imminent environmental crisis! We're not asking people to abandon a thousand-year-old tradition in one generation, but the idea is changing slowly. Maybe in a few generations, we will all be able to give up burning the paper and choose to show our respect with flowers…"
'Hm?'
The sensitivity and keenness of an overweight otaku instantly told Liu Xiaoyong that something was not right. Taking out his phone, he refreshed his weibo page. As expected, ranked third among the most searched words was "seventh day ceremony"!
He tapped into the topic and saw that it was filled with all sorts of stuff from local seventh-day custom, to the bitter attack on superstitious belief, all the way to swearing on the validity of ghosts… it was a circus.
"..."
He blinked. These three platforms—the video website, weibo, and TV—had pretty much covered all types of audience out there and were now blasting out this information for a funeral tradition—the seventh day ceremony—alone?
This simply felt wrong, but he could not point out exactly where.
"Why, people here have stopped burning joss paper a long time ago, haven't they? I don't think many are doing the seventh day ceremony, either. The last time I attended one was over a decade ago for my grandmother. I can't recall one after that," his mother spoke all of a sudden just then.
"Yea, it must've been four or five years since I saw someone burning paper in the city. They still do it back in my hometown in the countryside, though," said his dad.
"No wonder the government is forbidding it. With the smog nowadays, god knows how much worse the PM 2.5 will get with all the burning," said his mum.
"Bullsh*t! What about the polluting factories? All they care about are the little things we common folk do. Driving a car, cooking, using the air-conditioner—is there anything we do that doesn't affect the air? Now they're onto burning paper. If there really are ghosts, the government will be the first one they possess!"
Sh*t!
Liu Xiaoyong almost cried out. His old man pointed out the real reason that he had been racking his brain for: if there really were ghosts!
***
"Tsk, tsk. You've got to give it to those plotters. They just don't think the same way as we do."
Up on Phoenix Mountain, Gu Yu could not help but be amazed after reading through the news.
"It's simple but effective. The government would not admit it openly, but they're secretly letting the people speculate on their own. The government will then direct the public opinion towards the direction it wants. It's the same scheme all over again." Xiaozhai shook her head.
"Same scheme or not, the government is very good at it. With the background belief of the common folks, it's only natural that they're going to elaborate the story on their own…" Gu Yu chuckled and went on, "However advanced the modern technology is, plenty of people out there still believe in ghosts. Letting the imagination of the public fly is only the most effective move, but I think it's also only the beginning. There must be follow-up actions."
"Follow-ups?" Chao Kongtu, who had been sipping his tea quietly on the side, said suddenly, "I might have an idea."
"Who's your little bird?" Xiaojin asked curiously.
"I just received a message from my master, saying too many people have been possessed and they're extremely short of hands. I'm summoned to help them out. I will also be taking charge of a group and am expected to teach them some crash course in catching ghosts."
Chao Kongtu sounded quite unwilling as he added, "There's more. The authorities have invited a few Zhengyi descendants from HK Islands and Malaya, as well as that direct descendant of the Celestial Master Temple who has been living in exile abroad."
"..."
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai were dazed a little at the news. What was that all about? Was the government trying to stir things up?
Xiaojin was as blunt as always as she asked in amazement, "Why were those despicable men invited? Paying to get their face slapped?"
"Overtly, they're here to help with catching ghosts. Actually… ha, it's nothing but a publicity stunt. People get to see the circus show and the government gets their propaganda spread."
Putting down his cup, Chao Kongtu smiled a cold smile.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-101.png){kind=small}
Chapter 301: Rain
Source: Qidian International
"Rumble!"
"Pitter-patter!"
Dark clouds gathered overhead. After a soft thunder, the sky that had been parched for months finally softened at the long-awaited moisture. Fine raindrops drizzled down, scattering into all corners and covering the entire Phoenix Mountain in a mist.
It was the first rain since this April—it was already mid-August at the moment. Light as it might be, it at least offered some comfort to the people who had been suffering from droughts and the high temperature.
Meteorological services were all rushing around spreading the good news, for the entire North would be experiencing a minor drop in temperature in the coming few days and some areas might be expecting intermittent showers. This indicated that the intense heat of summer brought by the abnormality was finally coming to an end this year. The South might have to wait a few more days, but it would not be later than September.
Right now, several people were strolling down the long stone steps of Phoenix Mountain holding umbrellas.
"Very good timing. You get to see the mountain in the rain when you leave." Gu Yu chuckled.
"Haha, I really would like to stay, but the order came from my master and I cannot disobey. Thank you for all the excellent hospitality these past few days!" said Chao Kongtu.
"You're welcome. The mountain is always open to you whenever you want to visit us again," Xiaozhai also chimed in. While listening to the exchange of the pleasantries on the side, Long Qiu blinked and suddenly offered her unskillful gossipy remark, "Why, Jin Jin, aren't you going to show some hospitality?"
"Why would I care if he comes again or not? What does my hospitality have to do with anything?" With what went through her head on a daily basis, Xiaojin instantly realized where the subject was heading and retorted with her eyes wide open, "Excuse me? Exactly where did you get that idea from? Do you have no better things to do than coupling me up with this fellow? He's not even reached the innate state! Come on!"
"..."
Long Qiu turned scarlet at Xiaojin's tongue-lashing and quietly hid behind Xiaozhai as if she was no longer there, whereas Chao Kongtu felt his knees giving up a little at the undeniable accusation.
After receiving a message from his master, he was heading directly for Tangshan Hospital in the capital city, where he would be taking charge of saving the patients (from ghosts) and training the others.
His less than a week long stay in Phoenix Mountain was an eye-opening experience—what amazed him was obviously not the spiritual rice, tea, or fruit wine, but the Taoist skills the four casually used.
Although he did not get to see the essence-consuming method and Thunder Technique, the Void-arranging, Small Confining, and Small Moving Techniques alone were enough to win his great admiration.
It was especially the case with the Small Moving Technique, which made him jump in the beginning, thinking it was some sort of magic that could create objects out of thin air. It later occurred to him that it was a type of spatial switching skill… He then recalled Layman Gu's deeds when he stood at the entrance of Xidu municipal government and twisted the Shamanist's head off his living body—it was probably an application of this skill.
As a member of Qiyun, Chao Kongtu could not help but begin to compare it with Phoenix Mountain.
The monastery had plenty of Taoist skills from numerous and jumbled systems, but none of those were of a very high level. Even with the discovery of the inheritance of White Crane, he did not think they would be able to surpass Phoenix Mountain. However, there were three underground levels in the palace and something more advanced could still show up.
The monastery followed a set of established rules and regulations with distinguished status and clear-cut job descriptions somewhat resembling the structure of a corporation. The relationships in Phoenix Mountain were much more personal and casual; the force that bound the people together reminded one of a big family.
It was still too early to tell which one would have the advantage.
Before long, they reached the foot of the mountain, where Chao Kongtu stopped, turned to face the family of four, and bowed solemnly. "I hereby bid you farewell. We'll meet again when fate sees fit!"
"Farewell!"
After that, he got on the vehicle Old Shui arranged and drove off into the misty rain.
The four stood there for a little while and headed back up the mountain.
Xiaozhai put her umbrella away after a short distance and let the rain fall on her without blocking it with her spiritual essence. Her face looked more refreshing than ever with the moisture. She asked suddenly, "So, what do you think?"
"The government has been brewing it for a whole year, propagating and guiding the opinion with its subtle influence. Now that the situation is becoming all the more complicated. Together with the threat from abroad, I think they are pushed into opening the game." Gu Yu gave it a thought and added, "To initiate such world-changing event, apart from a warm-up period, they also need a suitable point of introduction. This invitation of Taoist descendants from abroad to our country is probably the government's attempt to make a fuss about the whole thing and put everything on the table."
"I don't know exactly what the government is going to do, but I know the Taoist community is playing the puppet again—scratch that, Zhengyi is," said Xiaozhai.
"They can't help it. The Taoist community is depending on the government for their resources. It's their duty to play the cannon fodder."
"Tsk, why are we still talking about it? We'll know what they're up to if we go to see it ourselves!" Xiaojin interjected all of a sudden. Her blinking eyes had "Let's go!" written all over them.
"Not yet. Let's wait and see how it goes." Gu Yu turned her down outright. He then asked, "By the way, Xiao Qiu, how's that kid, Zheng Kaixin?"
"Um, he needed some adjusting period when he first got here, but he's letting more of his naughty side show now. His mother is all right. She's helping with harvesting the vegetables and stuff," replied Long Qiu.
"I see. I'll put him into your hands. Don't teach him anything yet. Let him learn how to sit in meditation first. No need for further martial arts movements, either. What he learned from Maoshan should be enough."
"Teehee, no problem."
The natural endowment of Zheng Kaixin was above average but not excellent. However, there was something unique about the boy—that trace of Yin energy fused into his body.
Under normal circumstances, Qi-nourishing techniques had no attributes—the essence-consuming method included. Zheng Kaixin's condition, however, would give him a natural Yin attribute if he could find a suitable technique to train with, which was something worth expecting.
***
Capital city, an office.
The old man leaned into his chair—his glasses were on the desk—and was listening to his assistant's briefing with closed eyes.
"As of mid-August, 24 provinces have been suffering from various degrees of droughts. Approximately 319 million mu of crops have been affected by droughts, of which 41.39 million mu suffered from total crop failure, resulting in a grain loss of 27.36 billion kg.
The Disaster Reduction Committee and the Ministry of Civil Affairs have launched emergency response. The working groups have rushed to the disaster area to organize the masses to replace the seeds and rush-plant while the soil is damp, regulate water sources to expand irrigation area, make early preparation for autumn film mulching, as well as to settle claims for agricultural insurance on droughts so as to help the farmers with their losses...
Globally, because major wheat producing areas such as the Ossie and Uncle Sam were affected by droughts, the global wheat yield is estimated at 503 million tons, which is a 9% drop from last year's.
Global food prices surged by 10% in the beginning of the month. The prices of corn and wheat have gone up by 25% and soybean prices also rose by 17%.
According to the statistics of the Food Bureau, the year-on-year increase in the price of wheat on the domestic market is 3.3%, the early indica rice 7.6%, the medium indica rice 7.8%, and corn 12.7%—all significantly lower than the international market price increase…"
"..."
After the assistant finished reading the report, it was a while before the old man responded with a nod, indicating that he had heard everything.
With the advanced modern agricultural technology, most countries had implemented the grain reserve system to deal with major natural disasters and stabilize the food market price. Therefore the tragedy of mass starvation from a single major drought decades ago was rarely seen nowadays.
It was especially the case with this country, whose government attached great importance to food.
Rumor among the common folk was that the domestic grain reserve was enough to last between 30 to 36 months with a daily ration of half a kilo for every citizen with zero harvest from the entire country during this period.
We are talking about sustaining a population of nearly 2 billion! This figure was so astronomical that netizens often joked about when this country ran out of food, the earth would probably meet its end.
Such data was classified as state secrets, around which the general population would form their imagination, but the old man knew the details like the back of his hand.
Honestly speaking, with the current situation, the country would not be affected much with a substantial reduction in crop yields for one year or two, but three, four, or five years in a row would definitely result in famine!
The state dared not bet it all on this goddamn spiritual essence stabilizing any time soon. There was simply too much on the stake.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-102.png){kind=small}
Chapter 302
Source: Imported
Goat City, the airport .
A flight from Siam had just landed . Before long, a group of passengers filed out of the airport .
During the past six to seven years, Siam had successfully replaced Nippon and Koryo 1 as the most popular tourist destination among the neighboring countries . This bunch of returning tourists was the most typical kind: men and women of all age groups had spent the holiday there with their families and returned with bags filled with souvenirs of all sizes and Buddha amulets dangling from their necks . All were in high spirits and could not shut up about the fun they had .
One man stood out from the rest of the group .
The man was thickset, swarthy, and had big and protruding eyes . An oval red birthmark covered then entire area of the left side of his forehead and his left eye . He wore a mandarin jacket with a stand-up collar on the top and a monk-style wrap skirt on the bottom, with a wide golden belt around his waist .
On his bare feet was a pair of wooden sandals .
His clothes alone suggested an impoverished fellow from some remote mountainous region . However, the aura emanating from him would scare off just about anyone—especially that birthmark, which looked like some sort of mark left by a devil and even tinted his left eye blood red .
"Why, that's a traditional outfit!"
He had just walked out of the airport and stopped by the side of the road when there came a soft cry from someone nearby . He turned to look and saw a young man eyeing him curiously . He had begun to take photos with his phone .
Seeing him turning, the fellow greeted in English, "Hello, my friend . You're from Siam, right? You don't mind me taking some pictures, do you?"
" . . . "
The man, however, glowered, apparently infuriated and greatly offended by this conduct . He pointed at the fellow with a finger and began to chant some spell in an incomprehensible language . Then there came the cry . "Ah! What's this? It's so itchy! Gosh, it's so itchy! Aaaaah!"
The fellow twitched suddenly and twisted into a strange posture . He then began to scratch his face, neck, chest, and back with both hands .
The itching was very intense; with the thin clothes of the summer, his scratching—which was growing more forcible—led to red marks showing on his skin, some of which even had streaks of blood seeping out .
It frightened the onlookers, who thought the fellow was coming down with some acute disease .
"Oh my, Mr . Yaaga! Sorry for keep you waiting! We were caught in the traffic!"
Just then, a few people hurried near . One of them took the man's hand and greeted him in Mandarin, which was then translated to him .
"Humph! Is this how you treat your guest?" Yaaga appeared to be a man with a bad temper and sneered at the apology .
"We're truly sorry . There simply are too many people and too much traffic in Goat City . "
The man went on apologizing halfheartedly when he looked sideways and saw the scratching fellow . "What's happened to this man?"
"He was rude to me . I gave him a little punishment . "
"Haha, I'm sure he did not mean it . Do forgive him, will you?"
" . . . "
Yaaga gave him a look . After all, this was not his own territory and he did not want to make too big a scene, so he deactivated the spell with a wave of his hand .
"Haha, I admire the generosity of a capable man . If you would come this way, please . "
With that, the group got into a luxurious commercial vehicle, which slowly drove out of the airport .
The scratching fellow was now back to normal and felt as if he had just escaped death . With burning pain all over his body, he found his arms covered with bloody scratches . The fellow was called Cui Zhanbo, who was a celebrity blogger on wechat with a couple of hundred of thousand followers .
He was taking photos of Yaaga out of occupational habit and never thought it would bring him such suffering . Being a resolute man himself, he would never let go of it easily . He got into his own car right away and drove away following that commercial vehicle .
***
In the ancient times, people of Siam had given names only but no family names .
It was not until the year 1912 when the sixth emperor of the current dynasty issued Personal Name Act, which granted 6432 family names to the common people . Their custom was to have their family names following the given ones, hence Yaaga's full name was Yaaga Shinawatra .
The Shinawatra Clan was a bold and unreserved family in Siam, quite influential in both the business and the political field . Their ancestors, though, were from Goat City—their original Chinese surname was Qiu . They immigrated to Siam at the end of the Qing Dynasty .
Yaaga was from a collateral branch of the clan and a master in the practice of Gong Tau (or "Tame Head") 2 .
He was invited this time into the country by a certain institute to help with dispelling the ghosts . The original plan was to fly him directly to the capital city, but the guy suddenly expressed his wish to see the land of his ancestors, hence the Goat City trip .
"Where are the ghosts you want to catch?"
"There's no need to rush . You have come all this way . We have prepared a meal for you, we'll talk after that . "
In the dining hall of a hotel, the man in charge, the interpreter, two assistants, and Yaaga himself were about to sit down . The custom of this country was to offer the host seat to the honorable guest, while the host took the next lesser seat .
The man in charge was going to sit down on the chair beside Yaaga when the latter ordered suddenly, "You, go sit there!"
"Hm?" The man did not get the request the first time .
"You, do not sit here!" Yaaga instructed in a rigid tone, then turned to the interpreter on the other side . "You, don't sit here, either . "
" . . . "
The man in charge did not even raise an eyebrow, but only smiled . "Oh, sure . I see! Leave the two seats next to Mr . Yaaga empty!"
After much shuffling around, the group of five finally settled down around the table: Yaaga took the seat in the middle with a vacant chair on either side of him and further below sat the others, making it quite a strange picture .
"We didn't know what would suit your appetite, so I ordered a bit of everything . Enjoy!"
Soon, the dishes were served, filling up the table . Yaaga skimmed through the food, apparently not particularly interested in any of them . Instead, he spoke rapidly in his native tongue, poured a cup of tea, and splashed it to his left hand side .
" . . . "
The five men watched with unblinking eyes . The tea was halfway from spilling to the floor when it disappeared into thin air . Not a single drop of water reached the floor .
Immediately after that, he picked up a piece of meat and tossed to the right . Same as before, the meat vanished .
'Geez!'
The man in charge felt his heart lurch . "Mr . Yaaga, are these your, the ones that you raised…"
"That is correct!"
"Oh my! That's incredible! I heard that normally, ghost-raising masters can have one natal ghost only . Mr . Yaaga, you have demonstrated great capabilities! Please accept my admiration!"
"Haha! This is just some trivial skill that is not worth mentioning . "
Such flatter was right up his alley and Yaaga couldn't help but feel pleased .
Born with a tough mind and ferocious temperament, raising ghosts for "Taming Head" came naturally to him . However difficult the ghosts were, they became docile little lambs in his hands . He was also a renowned figure in this field in his own country .
The group chatted through the meal . Yaaga did not eat much, but spent most of the time feeding his two ghosts .
Halfway through the food, the phone of the man in charge rang . He picked it up, had a brief conversation, and hung up . "Excuse me, another guest has arrived . I'll be right back . "
"What guest?"
"Oh, that would be Priest Xuankong Zi from the HK Islands—supposed to be a descendant of Maoshan . " The man in charge casually let the information slip .
"A descendant of Maoshan?" Frowning, Yaaga's face darkened . "I don't see why you have to go all the way to meet him . How about you ask him to sit with us?"
"That'll be great! It must be my lucky day to sit with both masters at the same table . I'll be right back . "
The man in charge left the room happily and returned shortly afterwards with a blue-robed Taoist priest who was in his forties, had a goatee, and a sallow face, which all together gave him a shrewd yet sinister look . The man was none other than Xuankong Zi himself .
The moment the priest entered the dining hall and saw Yaaga's Siam-styled outfit, he said coldly, "A Tame Head master? You brought in a Tame Head master?"
Before the man in charge could answer, Xuankong Zi went up to the table, whereas Yaaga also rose to his feet . The two men's eyes met and one could almost see sparks flying in the air .
Xuankong Zi was a man of Lower Maoshan whose master's master fled from the mainland during the wartime to live in the HK Islands and took some inheritance with him . People of those islands were superstitious and became firm believers of his practice . Adding to the fact that Xuankong Zi was a capable priest himself, he was a duck taken to the water there .
On the other hand, the skills of the sorcerers of Siam—or shall we say the whole southeastern area—originated partially from the witchcraft and Maoshan skills of our 3 country and partially from the aboriginal sorcery of their own countries .
Despite being a man of Lower Maoshan only, Xuankong Zi had always considered himself a representative of the superior Taoist orthodox and despised all those that had "borrowed" from Taoist teachings . Similarly, for some strange psychological reason, these sorcerers of the southeast were also quite hostile towards their Taoist counterparts .
"@#$%^&*#*&^%$! "
Yaaga did not hesitate for a second and moved into action right away . He pointed with his finger and chanted a spell .
Having stayed in the islands all these years living his days telling fortunes and securing houses, Xuankong Zi had little experience in real combat and was instantly losing out . He felt a sinister cold air wrapping around him; as soon as it touched his skin, it made a pricking sensation as if needles were being drilled in .
"How dare you!"
He had a few things up his sleeves after all and shook a paper packet out of his cloth pouche .
"Poof!"
A packet was shaken loose, releasing a plume of scarlet powder which enveloped him entirely . Instantly, crackling noises rang out all over his skin, resembling the faint explosive sound when something was thrown into boiling oil .
Meanwhile, some tiny black creatures began falling down from his body in showers and soon piled up by his feet . The man in charge reached out to see . Gosh! They were all black worms!
Before the pain was completely gone, Xuankong Zi moved into action with both hands, taking out a talisman with his left hand and a small bottle with his right which contained a thick grayish white liquid .
"Go!"
Waving both hands, the talisman turned into a ball of black flame in a whoosh and, the next second, it scattered and became a black rain .
" . . . "
Yaaga's expression changed slightly, apparently recognizing the skill .
It was called Yin-Yang Corpse Poison Method . Once infected, one's flesh and skin would rot rapidly to the bone and would not stop until the afflicted was dead . Yaaga dared not take this lightly . He took out a small leather drum and patted it .
"Dub!"
"Rub-a-dub… rub-a-dub!"
The drum made a strange sound, which was not sonorous, but felt stifled and suppressed as if it was thumping on one's chest . With the tapping of the drum, Yaaga controlled his two ghosts, who flew into the air in their invisible form and, with a tearing howl, devoured all of that black rain .
Once gaining the upper hand, he did not stop there, but kept tapping his drum .
"Sh*t!"
Xuankong Zi was astonished; he had never expected the man's ghosts to be this capable . Panic-stricken, he only had enough time to shake out one talisman and smacked it onto himself .
"Choo!"
Almost the next second, two streaks of black air rose out of him, which sent him stumbling backwards and taking a pratfall on the ground .
"Hahaha! So much for the Maoshan Skill!"
Yaaga summoned the ghosts back to his side and guffawed . Seeing that the interpreter sat there dazed, he shouted, "Tell him that! Word for word!"
"Oh! Ok!"
The interpreter was back to himself and stammered, "H-he said, so much for the Maoshan Skill . "
"You bastard!"
Infuriated, Xuankong Zi smacked his cloth pouch and was going to release his killing move . The man in charge ran to him at this moment and stopped him . "Masters! Masters! Please listen to me!" He acted all earnestly as if he meant any of his words . "You both are invited here by us to help with fighting the monsters, so to some extent, you're colleagues . We're all after the same thing . Exchanging a few friendly blows is fine, but don't let it hurt your feelings . Here, let me show you the place now . Frankly, even if we had more energy than you can spare, we shouldn't be using it on one of our own . Let's save it for the monsters . "
"Humph!"
Yaaga was not afraid of Xuankong Zi, but he feared the power of the Taoist community of this country as a whole . Since the peacemaker had spoken, he was willing to let it go . Xuankong Zi was the losing side, so he was more than happy to grab the opportunity for a safe exit .
***
The capital city . The, um, vicinity of Tangshan Hospital .
Inside a big room, Chao Kongtu was standing in front of a bunch of priests of all ages, teaching a crash course on catching ghosts .
"Everyone here is an elite member of their own sect and are more than capable to fight a ghost in its current strength . I won't display my slight skill before the experts—I'm sure you all have an approach you deem fit . There is really one thing only that I will demonstrate: how to force a ghost out of a human body . Once a ghost attaches itself to a human being, it fuses with the living soul . There are three ways to dispel it…"
He paused a little and picked up a paper turtle . "This is the Paper Turtle Ghost-pecking Method . Take a talisman paper and cut it into the shape of a turtle . Set a basin of water and some yellow paper . Burn the yellow paper, let it melt into the water, chant the ghost-dispelling spell, and put the paper turtle into the water . It will then climb onto the person itself and peck out the ghost . "
He then took up an oil lamp . "Lamp Ghost-drawing Method . Catch a green snake and soak the lampwick with its blood before drying it in the shade . Light the lamp with this wick and put it around the head of the person . Meanwhile, burn a talisman and the ghost will be drawn into the smoke . Keep in mind that there is a shortcoming to this method: once having the ghost in the smoke, it will be very easy for it to flee or find another body to attach itself to . Therefore, as soon as you see the smoke changing shape, kill the ghost instantly!"
Finally, he picked up a clay pot with no lid or bottom . "Divine Pot Ghost-burning Method . Take a red cloth and cover the bottom of the pot with it . Take a few drops of blood of the person and dribble them into the pot . Burn a talisman and begin to pour water in . As the water rises, if the pot begins to burn as if heated and no water is seeping through the cloth, the ghost is in the pot . Otherwise, the ghost has escaped . "
After the introduction, Chao Kongtu then said, "I will explain all three methods in details one by one . They all have their advantages and disadvantages and it all depends on how they are used . I myself am most familiar with the paper turtle one, so I'll start with that…"
He indeed held nothing back and instructed the others without any reservation .
In the ancient times, such conduct would be a major crime punishable by banishment from the sect at least and being beaten to death at the most . All priests present were aware of the significance of his teaching and admired him greatly for that .
Soon, Chao Kongtu finished his teaching . "This is my first time meeting you all . We are all from different sects, but most of you have fellow disciples in Qiyun, which makes us all fellow Taoists . With monsters and ghosts walking the earth at the moment, it is time we Taoist priests fulfill our duty to dispel them . I hope we will all work in concert and live up to the hope of a new flourishing age of our Taoist community!"
"Thank you for the reminder!"
The roomful of people bowed solemnly .
"Narrow-minded hypocrites!"
Contrary to the respectful atmosphere of the room, a ridicule rang out from outside . The men inside were all displeased but before they had time to react, a man strode in .
He was medium-built and had honest eyes, only that his nose was a little hooked, giving him a malicious look . The man wore a calf-long purple gown with sleeves long enough to reach the lower hem, embroidered on which was an Eight Diagram in golden and silver threads .
Seeing his outfit, Chao Kongtu raised his eyebrow .
In Zhengyi, the high-ranking officials wore yellow gowns and the purple one was only for the abbot of the sects . Therefore, this one was probably, hoho . . .
"So, you're that disowned dog?" Chao Kongtu cupped his hand, sounding very earnest .
"How dare you!"
The man was enraged at those words and was about to wave his sleeves to cast a spell . However, he froze halfway himself and fought back the urge . "Humph! Save your clever talk . I am Zhang Ziliang, the 65th generation Celestial Master!"
"Buzz!"
The room erupted into a hubbub at those words .
Ninety years ago, when the modern state was established, descendants of two thousand-year families fled abroad, one of which the Kong Family—descendants of Confucius—and the other the Zhang Family of Longhu Mountain .
Both families chose the Southern Ocean as their destination and took roots there .
We'll forget about the Kong Family for the time being and talk about the Zhang Family now . The leader then was the 63rd generation Celestial Master, who established a new Way of the Celestial Masters in the Southern Ocean . After he passed away, his nephew inherited the title and became the 64th .
Zhang Jintong, on the other hand, was raised by the government and given the title the 65th generation Celestial Master . Hence began the never-ending squabbling of the two sides, both claiming themselves to be the orthodox one . A few years ago, the foreign 64th died and Zhang Ziliang took over the sect .
Seniority-wise, Zhang Ziliang was actually Zhang Shouyang's young uncle .
Young and aggressive, the man found himself in a time of great change, so he set his mind on fighting his way up Longhu Mountain and taking back Celestial Master Temple . He might be a very capable man, but he was no match to Chao Kongtu in terms of competing with words alone .
"The 65th generation? Haha! You and your five disciples in that tiny country! You have always been playing in your own backyard, so I presume that you have finally come around and decided to pay homepage?"
'Damn!'
Zhang Ziliang was a man of certain disposition and did not lose his temper over that remark . He only asked, "Who on earth are you?"
"Chao Kongtu of Maoshan Sect . "
"Fine! I will not argue with you here . Just wait until I defeat the entire Celestial Master Temple and become the leader of Zhengyi . Let's see how you would address me then . "
"You? The leader of Zhengyi?"
Chao Kongtu eyed him in surprise and did not refute right away: the man looked intelligent enough, but who gave him the confidence to make that claim?
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Chapter 303
Source: Imported
"The spiritual records of Ziwei are announced by the imperial supervisor, rendering it a sworn truth like the mountains and seas, abided by gods and ghosts and the likes . The warrior messenger will descend rapidly to the sacred altar . Once the great deeds are achieved and the virtue earned, the Supreme Pure One will be notified . Obey my order instantly!"
Inside a ward, Zhang Ziliang had just finished chanting a spell . As a yellow talisman burst into flame, white cloud rose up from the floor and a fog began to curl up, soon filling the entire room . Out of all the cloud and smoke, a blue hand suddenly reached out and pressed onto the top of the patient's head .
The hand and the head were so disproportionate that it reminded one of an adult's hand holding a raw egg—one light squeeze and the contents of the brain would be all over the floor .
"Ah!"
One of the doctors who had been given the permission to witness the procedure could not help but let out a surprised cry, but instantly covered his mouth . Zhang Ziliang, on the other hand, was fully confident of what he was doing . Flipping his whisk, he shouted, "Go!"
The giant hand clenched as if it had caught something, then gave a sudden tug . With it, a wandering soul in the form of a streak of rolling smoke was dragged out .
The patient gave a shudder, then went rigid and motionless, as if all the soul had left the body, leaving behind an empty shell only .
"Kill!"
Zhang Ziliang ordered again . The blue hand then gripped around the struggling and hissing ghost and squeezed tighter . "Pop!" The black smoke dissipated right away and faded into nothing .
He retrieved the warrior and flipped his whisk, throwing its hair casually over his left arm . His face was calm as a deep pool, looking exactly what a profound master should look like .
"P-Priest…"
The dumbstruck doctor moved closer and stammered, "Is, is that patient all right? It's not life-threatening, is it?"
"He'll be fine . He is only exhausted of his vital energy and needs several months to recover . "
"Oh, that's great!"
The doctor wiped away his sweat and was about to ask some more when a hubbub erupted in the corridor and was growing louder .
'Hm?'
Frowning, Zhang Ziliang strode out of the ward right away . A priest from Qingyang Palace was probably not familiar with the ghost-catching procedure and had miss-operated in the process . Instead of successfully dispelling the ghost, it had grown more savage at the provocation and broke free .
"Aaaah! I'm gonna eat you! Eat you!"
Good god! An elderly woman with bloodshot eyes was chasing a priest, who was running in a great flurry and cut quite a sorry figure .
"How pathetic Qingyang Palace had become! Such a disgrace!"
Sneering, Zhang Ziliang took out an ancient bronze seal from his sleeve and chanted, "The primordial heaven and earth and the first ancestral Qi will fix the fate of all dead and living . No gods or ghosts shall withstand the power . Stop!"
At the last word, he tossed the ancient seal high into the air .
It was the size of a palm and the bottom was a square densely carved with Taoist patterns . The handle of the seal was in the shape of an imposing lion .
The seal rose into mid-air and slowly rotated so that the bottom of the seal was facing downwards . With that turn, the light ancient seal seemed to have grown heavier by a thousand tons, and smashed down in a whoosh as if being violently pulled down by gravity .
"Bang!"
It knocked the elderly woman right on her crown . As if some button had been switched off, she stopped abruptly with vacant eyes and froze on the spot . A semi-visible energy was now rising out of her crown and dissipated .
It was several seconds later when she swayed and collapsed to the floor .
"She's fine as well . Take her to bed!"
Before the doctor could ask, Zhang Ziliang waved him off impatiently with those words .
"Wow!"
That doctor and many other medical staff in the corridor were now eyeing him with utter admiration . This guy might be new around here, but he was spectacular . He visited the wards one by one and could annihilate a ghost in seconds, something which took a group of priests half a day to deal with .
If that was not awesome, what else was?!
" . . . "
That was the effect Zhang Ziliang had hoped for . Overawing the audience with his strength, he had opened this game at his own advantage . Fighting back his rampaging inner energy, he put the ancient seal back into his sleeve and did not let the internal turmoil show .
"Clap, clap, clap!"
"That was quite an eye-opener, I'll give you that!"
While Zhang Ziliang was not looking, Chao Kongtu had moved closer and was now standing behind him . He gave a few claps and chuckled . "You're kind of a snob, but I still have to thank you for all the help you gave us . "
"Humph! These petty ghosts will probably cost your useless team a century to clear away!"
Despite his mockery, Zhang Ziliang had secretly raised his guard, for of all these priests in the hospital, this guy behind him was the only that he might have to think twice to provoke . However, should it really come to a fight, he was confident of defeating this guy .
While all of that was going through his head, Chao Kongtu was pondering something himself .
All sects specializing in talismans had some sort of method to dispel evil and catch ghosts . However, a thousand years were quite long a period and most of such sects had lost much of their inheritance .
Being the leading sect of Zhengyi, the Way of the Celestial Masters of course had its own methods as well . Unfortunately, there was a great gap in the inheritance of Longhu Mountain and they couldn't come up with anything worth showing off with .
As soon as Zhang Ziliang began his work, Chao Kongtu realized right away that the exiled branch had taken a fortune of treasures with them back then, especially that bronze seal .
If he guessed it right, that was an antique piece of the Ming Dynasty and a well-known piece recorded in the classics—the Mountain-dominating and Evil-killing Seal!
Tsk, tsk . He couldn't help but compare the man to Zhang Shouyang, whose advantage lay in his profound accumulation of skills and rigorous tradition of his sect . Zhang Ziliang, on the other hand, might not be as skillful, but would have a lot of help from all his little gadgets .
If it came down to an outright confrontation, the chance of his good friend Zhang Shouyang winning out did not seem promising .
***
Tangshan Hospital, the conference room .
Over a dozen people sat in the room, including Chao Kongtu, priests of various temples, Zhang Ziliang, and a few disciples of the Way of Celestial Masters from abroad . The group had obviously divided into two sides, who would not talk to the other one . It was very quiet .
A couple of minutes later, footsteps came from outside .
"Creak!"
Three government officials entered the room and walked directly to the front table . After everyone took their seats, the apparent leader of the three said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, but something came up at the last minute and we were delayed . Please accept our apology . "
" . . . "
If he were talking to a roomful of government personnel, claps would follow his first sentences . However, it was a group of Taoist priest he was talking to, who had no such habit . The official himself was aware of that and continued .
"What we have here is not a meeting, nor is it going to be a briefing from you . Instead, I will be the one making the report to you . Before we begin, on behalf of he government and the general public, we'd like to express our gratitude for your devoted hard work during this period . Thank you!"
With that, the three rose to their feet and bowed in unison .
'Wow!'
All those present were visibly surprised and pleased by such honor .
It was true that cultivators should discard notions of fame and vanity, but the culture of valuing official rank and the ideology of the past decades were so overpowering that no one could stay unaffected . Some governments official as high-ranking as that had just bowed to them like they meant it and the priests could not help but feel satisfied!
"Now, let me tell you a bit more about the latest data . " The leader sat back down and went on without a script, "Up until yesterday, a total of 1126 patients have been admitted to hospitals in all 36 provinces, over which 578 have died an accidental death, 469 were cured, and 79 remained hospitalized . Because of the unexpected nature of the event, we were short in our domestic force . After some discussion, we were given the permission to invite 42 masters from abroad to help with the issue .
Among those invited are the priests from the HK Islands, the masters from Myan, Laos, and Malaya, as well as Priest Zhang Ziliang, whose sect shares a long history with the Celestial Master Temple . Had it not been for your help without reservation in various provinces, we would have been in a much bigger trouble . I hereby thank you again…"
"Patients? Excuse me?"
Zhang Ziliang sneered at the term in silence . This country would never admit the existence of ghosts, for it would undermine the basic ideology of the ruling party . As clearly as they might know the truth, officially, they were still addressing these people as "patients" .
The leader went on and on, basically thanking everyone for their work, promising rewards on the government's behalf, and wishing for a long-lasting friendship, blah, blah, blah .
" . . . "
Chao Kongtu was dozing off . He would rather be leathering up that soap for a day than slouching in a chair here listening to the official's crap for a minute .
Fortunately, it was not long before the man announced the end of the meeting .
Chao Kongtu took the lead to rush out of the room . Halfway towards the door, he happened to look back and saw that Zhang Ziliang and his disciples remained where they were and did not seem to want to leave at all .
'Hm?'
Intuition told him that there had to be some covert deal behind this! Hence, when he was passing the threshold and no one was looking, he dropped a tiny object resembling a seed, then left the room .
After those priests left, there were only the officials and Zhang Ziliang's men in the room .
The two groups exchanged some looks and the atmosphere turned strange . Zhang Ziliang sat there in a relaxed posture and asked, "I have almost fulfilled my promise . How about the thing you promised me?"
"Haha, what's the rush? We will give you what you want when all the ghosts are cleared . " The leader smiled .
"Humph! I trust that a government as grand as yours won't play tricks on us . "
Zhang Ziliang looked the man in his eyes and named his demand one word at a time . "After this is done, I will challenge the Celestial Master Temple . I win, Longhu Mountain is mine!"
"Naturally . We will not interfere with your competition!"
"Great!"
That was all Zhang Ziliang was willing to say . He rose to his feet and began to leave the room .
At the door, he paused a little and flipped his long sleeve, wrapping something inside, then left .
A dozen of steps later, he raised the cuff to his lips and whispered, "Chao Kongtu, I don't care if you heard any of that . Like I said, sooner all later, I will get Longhu Mountain back and become the leader of Zhengyi!"
***
"Crack!"
"Smack!"
In another room, Chao Kongtu crushed a bowl in his palm . A half-burnt talisman was in the bowl, which was now a sticky black puddle on the floor .
"Ha! Zhang Ziliang and that authoritative tone! Very clever!"
He was so angry that he burst into a laughter and could not stop talking to himself .
He had found it very bizarre from the beginning: the foreign Way of the Celestial Masters used to stay as far as possible from the mainland one, why did they all of a sudden agree to help with catching ghosts? How high a reward were they offered?
He finally got the answer today . The reward was that in order to get rid of the ghosts as soon as possible and maintain the stability of the regime, the government was using the entire Way of Celestial Masters as a bargaining chip to lead a wolf into its own house!
It was probably the similar case with those masters from Siam and Myan, who were promised with permission to preach and set up religious facilities—those men were very well-off financially and were worshipped as gods back in their own countries . If not for that, why would they come all this way to help you?
"Ha…"
Chao Kongtu exhaled a long breath and walked around in his room, the expression on his face hard to describe .
The Taoist community and the Maoshan Sect had been waiting for hundreds of years when this great opportunity finally arrived . And what happened after that? The entire elite force of the Taoist community were reared in Qiyun Monastery like pigs raised in captivity .
Who would willingly give in to that?
No one!
Lu Yuanqing was able to live with it because he had his own plan; Zhang Shouyang had lived with it for the status of the Longhu Mountain; Chao Kongtu himself was living with it for his Maoshan Sect .
However, his disposition differed greatly from the rest of his fellow Taoists and this incident had taken root in his mind like a seed, which began to sprout, tickling at a certain secret wish of his .
***
People often said that fate worked in the most strange way and a single thought could make all the difference .
It was just what happened to Chao Kongtu, who had heard the conversation between the two parties and the flag Zhang Ziliang triggered himself, but he had no idea of what happened after that .
When everyone else had left, one of the officials suddenly asked, "Sir, are we doing the right thing?"
"Oh? Why do you think we're not?" asked the leader rhetorically .
"Um, I just, don't quite understand the whole thing . Why did we have to invite a bunch of outsiders and promise them all the rewards? Wasn't that leading wolves into our own house?"
"Haha, I actually answered your questions just then . " Seeing that no one else was around, the leader explained briefly, "The ghosts have shown up too unexpectedly and we are indeed short of staff . As many as over a thousand people were hospitalized in a few days . If we did not stabilize the situation soon enough, there was likely to be a massive panic among the general population . Have you forgotten SARS?"
"Of course not . How could I?"
The man shuddered at the the mentioning of that name . That epic epidemic over a decade ago still felt fresh in his memory .
"Therefore, we had to bring in the outsiders for help . That was the reality and we couldn't do anything about it . Those men are very prestigious people back in their own countries and would not be persuaded by usual financial incentives . Our country has vast land and ample resources, making it a treasured land for cultivators . With the promise of the permission to preach, they simply could not resist . "
The leader paused a little before going on, "You really need not worry . All the promises we gave them was that they would have to find their own means . The government will not participate . "
"Oh, I see!" The man was no fool and his tone became excited at the explanation . "Our own Taoist community is prominent enough that those from the tiny countries will never be able to match them . They will probably fail at the first round of challenge if they want to build a new base here . Plus, we can use the opportunity to give publicity to our own prestige…"
His voice trailed off on that topic as he said doubtfully, "Sir, that Zhang Ziliang seemed very capable to me . If there really is going to be a fight, the Celestial Master Temple may not be his match!"
"The Celestial Master Temple and Phoenix Mountain are friends," said the leader indifferently .
"Um…"
Ok, that concluded everything . The man had nothing else to say .
"Sigh, these are actually only the superficial reasons . The most important one still lies externally . The international conference this December will the be first time all countries face one another publicly . The western countries are the real colossus . Before we begin to deal with them, we need to settle our own backyard . " The leader leaned back into his seat and said slowly, "As the ancient sage once said, be it an internal or external enemy, anyone tries to provoke us, we will welcome them with a blade!"
***
Goat City, a hospital .
A young woman slowly walked out of the building of "Unnatural Disease Control Center", accompanied by some doctors .
"Thank you so much! You're like my second parents that have given me a new life . I'd have died there if it weren't for you!"
The girl was of a rather vivacious character and talked in an exaggerated manner .
"Don't mention it . It was our duty . "
" . . . "
" . . . "
They chatted for a bit more and the atmosphere was turning awkward, so they decided they should simply quicken their paces . When they were almost at the exit, the girl finally blurted out, "Doc, don't you have anything to tell me?"
"About what?" asked the doctor with a blank face .
"About that, that priest!" She instantly grew excited and began to gesticulate . "I was conscious then and saw him doing that magic . That ball of fire whooshed to me! I couldn't move, or I would have been running for my life! Damn! Could you at least tell me, was that a dream or some twisted fantasy of mine?"
"Hahahah!"
The doctors broke into a laughter . "You have seen it, so it must be real . We won't tell you not to speak of it, don't worry . "
"Are you saying I can post it on Facebook or instagram or wherever I want to?"
"Sure . "
Holy sh*t!
The girl was sent out of the hospital gate by the friendly yet affirmative goodbyes, still half dazed and with "what the hell" written all over her face . Before she could cross the road, something long and hard reached her mouth .
"Hello, my name is Cui Zhanbo . I'm a blogger . Do you have a minute? I'm very interested in this sudden breakout or a disease that has sent many people into the hospital . "
"Sure! I've got all the time in the world!"
The girl's blinking eyes were flickering with excitement . It would be such a relief! It almost felt like after a week-long constipation, a sensation suddenly rose from the other end—there came a diarrhoea!
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-104.png){kind=small}
Chapter 304: Storm Rising (Part 3)
Source: Qidian International
"Shocking news! The truth behind the recent sudden mass-psychosis turns out to be...
Ok, first of all, do forgive me for using such a cliche title. I myself have actually given it much thought, but found only something like this is loud enough to express my feeling at the moment.
It all began seven days ago when Bo Bo 1 went to see a friend—whose gender I shall not reveal—off. While we were crying our eyes out at the departure, I happened to notice a foreign friend wearing a traditional Siamese outfit.
Out of occupational habit and my instinct to seek novelty, your Bo Bo took a few pictures without giving it much thought.
***
He pointed at me and I was taken over by this unbearable itching—about ten thousands time more tickling than my husky's tongue. Here, these are the bloody scratches I left on my own arms.
Audacious as I am, I secretly followed him to a hotel and waited in the lobby. I thought at first that this foreign friend was some Tame Head master on a business trip here, but what followed has surpassed my wildest imagination.
About half an hour later, a Maoshan priest arrived—you heard me right, a Maoshan priest like Uncle Ying 2 . Here are some supporting photographs.
Bo Bo was even more surprised by then: a master from Siam and a Taoist priest, could it be just a coincidence? As a realistic and practical person, I decided to get to the bottom of this.
***
My dear readers are probably aware of the recent events that dozens of people all over Goat City suddenly fell ill and were all sent to the Southern Hospital. The second day when those two masters entered the hospital, four other Taoist priests arrived.
I wasn't able to get into the building and could only remain stationed outside. The third day into my wait, a patient finally came out. Below is the interview.
***
Just like so, I stayed there for seven days and interviewed a total of five people, who all gave me the same story.
They had no idea what had happened, nor did they have any memory of being sick. The only thing they knew was that their recovery was not because of something the doctors did, but by some rituals of those priests.
Exactly, rituals!
Hence, Bo Bo is going to make a bold speculation here: these people—or even all those patients we heard from the news all over the country—were not sick at all. What they had was what we know from the legends as being 'possessed by a ghost'!"
***
Cui Zhanbo was a reporter-turned writer and had a thing for investigative journalism.
He summarized the evidence he collected during those seven days and generated a well-organized long article in a simple language and posted onto his blog.
With his over 400,000 followers, his articles usually got forwarded and viewed for over 600,000 times in total. The figure of this article, however, reached 7 million in mere three days! That was an increase by ten folds!
It went viral on Wechat in the south of Five Ridges and the popularity was still going up, soon expanding to other social media. Some chose to believe, some remained indifferent, while some sniffed at it and responded with vicious comments.
Meanwhile, netizens of other regions of the country were sharing their stories as well.
"My mum's younger sister got sick the other day. We sent her to the hospital and she only just got back yesterday, saying a Taoist priest treated her. She was not too sick and was still a little conscious… holy sh*t, the Taoist skills are real. It's nothing like the gimmicks of the Boxers 3 ! She was a Jesus follower before she got ill and has now switched to believe in Taoism!"
"This is live. I'm picking someone up from Spring City People's Hospital and the building behind me is the inpatient department… gosh! Holy crap! There's a Taoist priest on the corridor! Did you see that? Did you all see that?"
"I'm from Forest City and I want to admit a mistake I once made. There is this Taoist temple called 'Immortal's Cave' in our city and I visited once with my mother before. I was young and ignorant and insulted the priests there. My mum got sick a while ago. The priests from Immortal's Cave cured her."
As the saying went, one would not argue with a smoking gun.
Such substantial materials with corresponding convincing images were suddenly all over the internet of the country.
It seemed all of sudden that the entire country was talking about related subjects. The public went from being rather doubtful to half certain, then to finding it rather plausible… then, naturally, there came the massive panic or massive excitement.
Panic was an understandable part of the human nature.
Excitement was an equally understandable part.
With the issuance of the "Three-year Plan on National Cultivation Personnel and Social Development", from the second half of the previous year, the government had been putting in a lot of effort in ideology promotion through films and TV dramas, fictions, policy advocacy, and middle and primary school education, etc.
Such effort did not seem much individually, but was influencing the general population's ideas in a subtle way. Adding to the fact that abnormal creatures and phenomena were popping out everywhere this year and that app was also online now… many people had speculated towards the right direction.
One of the most conspicuous "smoking guns" was that the between-class exercise in schools was suddenly changed to a martial arts training program.
Six months were enough to achieve some initial improvement in the students. The parents began to realize in surprise: why, my kid seemed much healthier these days...
Such examples had planted the seeds in the minds of the common people, only that the authorities were sticking to their principle of not going public or indulging in the rumors so such a trend had been tuned down.
Coming this year, with the deliberate manipulation of the government, certain information began to leak out. Like a burning torch thrown into the parched wilderness, everything caught the flame all at once.
***
Tianzhu Mountain, Qiyun Monastery.
The building complex of the monastery was mostly completed now. The upper courtyard stood on the mountaintop, where the thirty-six priests lived. Halfway up the mountain was the grand plaza and the middle courtyard, which was where the future elite disciples would live. The lower courtyard was at the foot of the mountain and served as the dwellings for ordinary pupils.
The grand plaza was already completed. The ground was paved with well-polished bluestone as smooth as mirrors. Ordinary people found it even a bit difficult to stand still on it, not to mention trying to walk. They had to scuff forward with tiny steps to keep themselves from falling.
"Dear Priest Lu, this ground is so inconvenient for us mortal men. We can barely walk on it! I see you don't really want us to come here!"
A government official was gingerly moving forward while making his half-serious joke.
"We will surely come down here to see you off whenever you visit us. Isn't that welcoming enough?"
Lu Yuanqing smiled and waved at the man, sending out a streak of gentle energy, which wrapped around the latter. The official now felt his gait steadied and was able to walk with ease. He couldn't help but say, "Haha, I was just kidding. This monastery is a blessed land of the immortals. No other place in the mortal world is comparable to it."
The two chatted on and soon reached the foot of the mountain.
The official said, "Well, this is where I leave you. Do take some time to consider what we've discussed."
"Of course. I know what to do."
"Great. The government has invested a great amount of resources in this, so make it count."
With that, he turned around and left. Seeing the man disappearing into the mountain trail, Lu Yuanqing turned back swiftly for the monastery, where he summoned the rest and told them about the instruction received.
Some grasped the meaning right away while others were baffled. Zhang Wumeng belonged to the latter. He asked, "What exactly are they trying to achieve through this?"
"Really? You can't see through such a straightforward plan?"
Sikong Chan was sort of an eccentric and loved his jeers, but he meant no harm. Having risen to the innate state with Zhang Wumeng at the same time, he had become quite a good friend of the latter and the two were used to their daily squabbles.
"Enlighten me!" sneered Zhang Wumeng.
Sikong Chan looked at Lu Yuanqing and after a smiling nod from the latter, he said, "Here, hear me out. They can deal with the recovery of the spiritual essence, the reemergence of the Taoist skills, or even the mutation of living creatures and the abnormality of Huo Zhou. However, when ghosts are involved this time, they can no longer handle it. Since there is no way to cover it up, they simply decided not to."
"What does that have anything to do with us?" Zhang Wumeng had little idea of how politics worked and still could not get it.
Sikong Chan's jeering tone grew more explicit as he said, "Ordinary people may become more hopeful when they learn that ghosts exist in this world for their souls may not disintegrate and they get to stay around forever, but it is more likely that people are going to become afraid. However, if somehow they come to realize that the government is capable of protecting its own people and dispelling ghosts and other evil things, not only will there not be a panic, the government will even gain more trust from it."
"In a word, they get the profit, we get to wipe their asses!"
Chao Kongtu, who had just got back the other day, offered his succinct and precise conclusion.
"Don't put it that way. We have been enjoying their resources, so it is only natural that we should help our country and our people. Smaller countries such as Siam and Lao were historically inferior in their resources with less fertile lands, hence it is only a matter of time before they cross the board and stir something up. We might as well take the initiative to suppress them beforehand. Or is it that…"
He looked around the room and smiled. "Are you all intimidated by those sorcerers and Tame Head master and dare not compete against them?"
'Excuse me?!'
The most explicit dare was usually the most effective one. For thousands of years, people of this country, regardless of their social status or positions, were regarding the neighboring small countries with a condescending attitude.
It was more so with the cultivators.
Momentarily, the expressions on everyone's face had changed subtly, exhibiting an urge and impulse for some major action.
Seeing this, Lu Yuanqing smiled. "This monastery was only established three years ago and now things are finally moving on in a steady pace. You have all been staying on the mountain for so long. This is a great opportunity for you to go out and look around."
"Abbot, what about you?" asked Zhang Wumeng.
"Haha, I'll stay behind and watch your back."
***
"Sneaky bastards! They're offing a favor at the expense of Zhengyi. What a move!"
Up on Phoenix Mountain, Gu Yu let out a wholehearted praise after reading through the news. Those politicians were really something.
"Intrigued?" asked Xiaozhai.
"A little. I'd like to participate. How about you?" He did not deny it.
"Can't be bothered. My Water Thunder is on the verge of reaching perfection," Xiaozhai refused right away and added, "It's a big mess out there at the moment. The authorities are behind everything, the Taoist community is teaming up, and the common folk is looking on happily. We should not pick a side unless necessary. Let's just stand quietly on the side and play the saboteur."
"Good point. But playing a saboteur is a task a little too tough for me."
Gu Yu wrinkled up his face as if he actually meant it.
"Hahaha! You can drink all this! Who do you think you are? Some cute baby boy? You're like a hundred-year-old cucumber with yellow flower going out of the top and all the dry spikes! Stop acting like a young fruit already! You're crying? Aren't you ashamed of crying? You stole all my liquor!"
Just then, the most hilarious conversation roared from under the old tree. The spiritual ginseng had stolen Little Soap's spiritual liquor while she was sleeping there. She then fetched a tub of mature vinegar and poured it over the ginseng.
Wait a minute!
The couple exchanged a look and called in unison. "Jin Jin, come here."
"What?"
Little Soap ran to them with a face saying "I'm up for no good".
"Aren't you always nagging about going out? How about going down the mountain with me in a few days?" Gu Yu chuckled.
"You take me? Just us two?"
"Yup, just us two."
"..."
Little Soap frowned, realizing it was not simple as that. She then turned her head back and forth between her sister and brother-in-law like a dumb husky before opening her eyes widely, putting up a frightened look. "Sis, have you just dumped him so that I can take over? I'm your own sister! You can't do this to me!"
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Chapter 305
Source: Imported
The city was known for its spring-like climate, hence the name Spring City . 1
The intense heat of the summer was over and with the arrival of September, so came the most pleasant time of the year in Spring City . Through the slightly yellowed leaves of ginkgo and plane trees, the sun left soft mottled marks on the ground, tickling at the peaceful minds of those walking the streets .
Gu Yu and Xiaojin were strolling along a street of this unfamiliar city, taking in the carefree air they hadn't experienced for a while . Their hearts were filled with the pleasant stability of this mortal world and all felt perf— bah! That was not what was happening!
"Brother-in-law, Brother-in-law, I want this one!
"Brother-in-law, Brother-in-law, buy me that one!
"Brother-in-law…"
"Fine, fine, fine! Let's buy them all!"
As soon as they put down their stuff in the hotel rooms, they went out to walk around . Merely an hour had passed and there were six bags and three portions of snacks in Gu Yu's hands . Meanwhile, Xiaojin herself was still hopping around in the front, looking around for the next thing that would catch her eyes .
What else could he do but be at her service!
After leaving Shengtian, Spring City was their first stop . The city was in the province of Diannan 2 , which was located in the southwest border of the country, adjoining the three countries of Myan, Laos, and Viet, which were historically influenced by this country culturally and all had a tradition in practicing Tame Head .
Now that the "patients" were mostly cured, those masters got what they were promised and were permitted to preach and set up religious facilities in this country . It was only natural that they should cash it in . However, they wouldn't be that foolish to go straight to the capital city, but were likely to start from somewhere close at hand .
Diannan was a province consisting of multiple ethnic minorities and the art of casting spells had a long tradition in this region, making it an ideal place for the three countries . Hence, this major province of the Southwest was to become the beginning of everything .
Gu Yu was actually a little flustered: an older brother-in-law taking a younger sister-in-law a thousand miles away from home on a trip of two; there could only be one end to this story—an x-rated manga-style one! Obviously he wasn't going to elope with his younger sister-in-law, but the whole thing still gave him the jitters .
The girl was so unpredictable!
"Brother-in-law, do I look nice in this?"
In a small shop by the side of the road, Xiaojin put on a white sun hat and batted her eyelashes at Gu Yu .
"Nice! Very nice! We'll take it!"
Gu Yu did not hesitate and paid for it right away . Gosh, that motherly grin on the female shop owner's face, which was saying "such a cute couple, they're made for each other!"
Xiaojin was very pleased with Gu Yu's attitude . Like Confucius once said (not), "Only when a man is alone with his younger sister-in-law can one tell that whether or not the man really loves the older sister . "
During the past 24 hours, Gu Yu had been behaving decently, was generous with the money, caring but not too caring to the point of showing vulgar flirtation . . .
'Mwahaha! In that case, I can begin to safely set him up (and work my charms)!'
The delighted Xiaojin hopped happily out of the shop wearing that hat . She had probably forgotten to watch the road, for the minute she walked out, she bumped into a passerby, who almost flew out sight . The man bellowed, "Where do you think you're going?"
He was so loud that his anger far exceeded what one would express when they got knocked into . Xiaojin was surprised for one second before yelling back, "Where do you think you're going?"
" . . . "
The man did not respond to that . He looked at Xiaojin up and down and asked suddenly, "You're not from around here, are you?"
"What does that have anything to do with anything… hey, f**k, what's wrong with him?"
The man turned around abruptly and left the scene, leaving Xiaojin utterly baffled behind . She gave her brother-in-law a nudge . "What was that all about?"
"No idea . But I began to notice a while ago, people here are really weird . Did you notice the look on their faces?"
'Hm?'
Xiaojin looked around for a while and realized it too . The passersby all had a look on their faces that suggested a strange conflicting feeling of, well, hoping you'd know and hoping you'd not know at the same time .
"These people are out of their mind! I'm not gonna mess with them!"
She had a memory not much better than a goldfish and soon forgot all about the incident, resuming her happy hopping around .
She was no longer looking for things to buy now . Instead, she went all sneaky as if she was looking for some secret location . Gu Yu followed her around for a while and had to ask in the end, "What are you looking for?"
" Jade gambling 3 ! Isn't that a must-triggered plot for anyone coming to Diannan? Why isn't it happening to us?" She was not happy .
"Why do you need to gamble a jade stone for? It's not like you need the jade or the money . " Gu Yu felt his temple was throbbing again .
"I like to collect my achievements! I'm OCD like that… Hey, check that out!"
She literally could not stay still for more than a minute and was all of a sudden pointing at a shop by the side of the road . Gu Yu followed her finger and saw a quaint shop front with a black horizontal plaque hanging above the gate with its name inscribed in a blackish green color, which read "Pavilion of Safety" .
Pavilion of Safety?
The name itself was very bizzare to begin with . Gu Yu and Xiaojin exchanged a look and reached a rare tacit understanding . They moved towards the shop in unison and pushed the door open .
It was incredibly spacious inside . The decor had adopted a comfortable color theme, reminding one of one of those specialty shops for ginseng, vintage wine, or famous tea . Counters and storage racks lined the wall on both sides and the floor in the middle was set relatively lower . Carved wooden tables and chairs were set out there .
A middle-aged man was making tea . Seeing the two coming in, he rose to his feet and greeted, "Welcome! What can I help you with?"
"Well, what do you sell here?" Gu Yu put on an ignorant face .
"I see, you two are from other provinces, aren't you? First time in Spring City?"
"What's wrong with you people? Why is everyone asking if we're from around here?" Xiaojin acted even more ignorant .
"Haha, please don't get it wrong, I mean no offense . Here, let me show you around first . "
With that, the owner led them to the counter and explained, "We're called Pavilion of Safety . As the name suggests, we sell things that will keep you safe . Here, all these jade plates, pendants, amulets, and statues are for you to take back and bless you with safety . "
"Take back? You mean you're giving them out for free?" said Xiaojin .
"Haha, you're making fun of me here . Even the Buddha himself gave a price for teaching his scriptures, not to mention things concerning your own safety . "
"Why is my safety concerned?" She looked very confused .
The owner was the one surprised now . "Don't you know? There is going to be a great change of the world! Or is it possible that things have not happened in your area yet? But that's unlikely . Don't you go on internet?"
"Ah! Oh! I see…"
Xiaojin smacked her head and gave him the look of sudden realization . "It just did not occur to me at first . Speaking of that, we really don't need anything . We've got things prepared back at home . "
"That's more like it . You both are too young to be ignorant of such things . "
The owner removed the glass cover and picked up a yellow talisman . "Although you said you had things prepared at home, but one can never have too much protection . It's all for the peace of our minds, isn't it? This talisman was drawn by Priest Chen Qingyou of Longquan Temple himself . One piece of this on your doorframe and no evil shall enter your home!"
"How much?" asked Gu Yu .
"It's a bargain—fifty thousand yuan . "
'Fifty thousand?'
Gu Yu darted the owner a quick look saying 'what sort of idiot are you?' There was no fluctuation of spiritual essence of any sort on this talisman and it would be the greatest joke if this thing could dispel anything . He was about to reason with the man on that when Xiaojin spoke, "Fifty thousand only? I'll take three of that!"
"Wow, very generous!"
The owner raised an eyebrow and went on to the next object . "This Buddha amulet was blessed by a master from Siam personally . Wearing it will keep all evil away . It's also sold at fifty thousand . "
"Give me, um, my dad, my mum, my brother, my sister… give me five of that!" Xiaojin waved her hand .
"Sure, I'll bag them for you in a minute . "
That was 400,000 yuan worth of sales in a heartbeat, which was more than enough to bring a beam to anyone's face .
The owner blossomed like a rose . Wow, he could almost see a Buddha's halo around the girl's head which was glaring out three words: stupid and rich .
Before long, he had packed the three talismans and five Buddha amulets, while Xiaojin paid without hesitation . She then said, "By the way, do you have anything for businesses? My company has just moved to a new building and I want something to suppress the evil energy . "
"Sure, sure thing . This way, please . " The owner immediately led her to another row of counter and pointed at a gold lacquer statue . "The saying goes that ' the Southern Dipper 4 ' takes care of life and the Northern Dipper 5 takes care of death . ' The one we have here is called Star King Du'e 6 . He ranks the fifth among the six Southern Dipper Star Kings and is in charge of misfortunes and calamities . Take him back and set up a shrine in you company, I can guarantee that your business will prosper with money flowing in unstoppably . "
"Hm…"
Xiaojin eyed the statue from various angles, exhibiting the typical characteristic of a girl on a shopping trip . "Nope . it's too ugly . "
"That's perfectly fine . If you could have a look at this one, please . "
The owner had probably heard enough of such comments and did not think much of it . "This is the Celestial Venerable of Good Life, one of the Celestial Venerable of Ten Directions . It will also bless you with safety and good fortune . "
"Nope, it's still ugly . "
"Oh, then let's have a look at this…"
They went through the next four or five like so and Xiaojin was pleased with none of them . She shook her head . "Well, I don't think you have what I need . I'll go have a look somewhere else . "
She took Gu Yu's arm and said casually, "There's another one down the road . Let's check it out . "
" . . . "
Gu Yu had by now realized what she was trying to achieve and played along . They began to walk towards the door, but only make a few steps before the owner called out from behind, "Please wait a moment!"
The owner hurried near and after a little hesitation, said, "I'm actually breaking rules here by telling you this, but since you two seemed sincere, I'm willing to make an exception . If you fancy nothing in my shop, there is a place I can promise will . The only thing is, hoho, I'm not sure if you're ready for it . "
"Excuse me? Don't give me that crap, okay? I don't mind spending 400,000 on a piece of sh*t as long as I'm happy . Who the hell are you trying to scare off here? I'm not prepared? Really?"
With the show Xiaojin was putting up, she was a mink coat away from a fearless Northeastern chick .
The owner actually bought it all and apologized right away . "I'm sorry for putting it that way, but that place is really important and even I have to take extra care . How about this: leave me you names and phone number now . There happens to be an event tomorrow and I'll let you know then . "
"Thanks a lot!"
Gu Yu made a frown and said impatiently, "I'm Gu Jiang!"
"Jiang as in 'river'?"
"As in 'ginger' . Her name is—"
Before Gu Yu could finish the sentence, Xiaojin held his arm and interrupted, "I'm Gu Xiaoqiu, his younger sister!"
Younger sister?
The owner eyed them suspiciously . Xiaojin glared . "What are you looking at? Are you saying we don't look alike?"
"You do! Of course you do!"
The owner nodded right away, 'you do look like the brother and sister that would sleep together…'
"Well, I'll have to check your ID as well . "
"Tsk, what's with all the fuss . There!"
The owner took the two ID cards and glanced at them . All of a sudden, his mind went blurry as if the computer of his head had been rebooted . He thought he read the names on the cards .
One was Gu Jiang and the other Gu Xiaoqiu .
"That'll do . Come back here tomorrow evening . Please keep in mind not to mention it to anyone else . "
"Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah . See ya!"
With that, the two left the shop .
Xiaojin hopped around as if nothing had happened . Turning around unexpectedly, she saw that her brother-in-law was staring at her . She immediately covered her breasts with both arms and jumped back . "Ah! You're finally going to do it!"
"Do my a*s!"
Gu Yu made a gesture to give her head a knock and sighed along with a laughter, shaking his head .
After what had just happened, he couldn't help but make the comparison . Having Xiao Qiu as a helper would save him a lot of worry . Yet despite Xiao Qiu's capability in carrying out orders, she was not very good at taking initiatives, hence of little use in providing advice .
Whereas Xiaojin, who might be too loud for his liking, could start World War Three by stepping on someone's big toe, which turned out to be a quality rather useful this time .
Hail Boss Jin the experienced traveller; she might not have the curves, but she had a lot of social connections! In that sense, she could also save him a lot of worry .
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Chapter 306: Event: Triggered
Source: Qidian International
"Why, these people take what they do very seriously, don't they? Have they read too many novels or something? They do realize they're nothing but an illegal society, right?"
That night, Xiaojin lifted a corner of the curtain in her hotel room, glancing at the two fellows shadowing them downstairs, her tone full of mockery.
"Illegal societies are not something we should overlook. This thing began in mid-August and it's only the beginning of September now, but they were able to come up with an organization of this scale. Given enough time, they will grow into something substantial."
Sitting on a chair, Gu Yu replied while texting with Xiaozhai.
"The problem is they won't have the time! Bold or coward, they'll be crushed all the same. The first few are bound to be the cannon fodder. You can only grow when the government gives you the green light."
'Hm?'
Gu Yu stopped typing for a moment and couldn't help but look up. For a moment back there, he thought he was imagining things: it was not Xiaojin, but his girlfriend that was talking to him.
"Why are you looking at me again?" Xiaojin jabbed at the empty air in his direction. "You weren't doing that when we were back on the mountain, but you wouldn't keep your eyes off me once we're out. You're lying your a*s off saying you're not thinking about me!"
'Tsk!'
Gu Yu twitched his mouth. "Stop blowing your own trumpet. I had a little new appraisal for you, that's all."
"What the hell do you mean by a new appraisal? Have you always taken me as an idiot?" Euphemisms were never Xiaojin's thing.
"Um…" Gu Yu turned out to be the one embarrassed and apologized right away, "Sorry, I did not mean it that way."
"Sigh, I don't blame you. In the ever changing world of the mortals with its myriad of living things, how many people can actually see through the profundities of the so-called love and hate?"
Xiaojin slowly walked towards him, her demeanor suddenly turned all "Romeo and Juliet" as she said in a sorrowful and pitiable tone, "I'm just a helpless girl stumbling through this wild world. Who out there could see all the grievance I have been put through? Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise. Idiotic or sincere, they are but the world sees me for my appearance."
"..."
Gu Yu watched her with his mouth agape, utterly dumbstruck.
Sh*t! The girl had been acting like a clown for so long that he had forgotten about an important fact! Little Soap was a graduate of the Jiang Zhou University!
It was the Jiang Zhou University we were talking about here, one that was among the top five universities of the country! As it turned out, both sisters were curve wreckers, leaving him, who had been so pleased with himself up till now, alone at the other end of the spectrum...
Momentarily, he felt he was going to shrink into a ball and cry himself to sleep tonight.
Xiaojin, on the other hand, ran to his side in one stride and glanced at his phone, then went back to her old self.
"Briefing my sister of your day's work again? Man, aren't you getting tired of that? You're a straight man of 183 cm for Christ's sake. The way you're around my sister, I'd think you're some teenage girl falling in love. But I get you—no one can keep their chin up around her. I used to think she'd never find a man and would just live with a few acres of cucumbers.
"Hey, back then, when you went out to probe around with my sister, did you two sleep in the same room or… no, that's not what I was going to ask. When did you two sleep together again?"
Once she began to talk, she wouldn't shut up. She concluded her speech with the ultimate gossip.
"It's none of your business!" Gu Yu felt his headache was no longer imaginary.
"It's every bit of my business, okay? Xiao Qiu has no idea of what's what, but I have to. It's the least I could do to make sure of your healthy adult relationship!" Xiaojin put on the most righteous look and went on, "Oh, by the way, are you planning on having children? It's kinda difficult for cultivators to give birth, I suppose? You know, like dinosaurs—the more powerful you are, the harder to have babies."
"Um…"
Gu Yu actually gave it a serious thought before answering this question. "We'll have at least another two to three hundred years of life by reaching Human Immortal state alone, so having children seems still too early to consider at the moment. It just hasn't occurred to us."
"You've got a point. So, your children, they're going to be cultivators as well, right? In that case, the others will see a family of three all in their twenties and all look like siblings. Tsk, tsk, that'll be fun!"
How was he going to continue this conversation!
He had to stop her before he had a stroke.
"Go away! Go, now! Back to your own room! Time for bed! I'm done talking to you!"
Waving his hand, Gu Yu chased her out.
He was actually intrigued by Xiaojin's social experience despite her young age. On the second thought, he realized that it was only natural that she should have such a temperament and knowledge of the world with her lack of family discipline and care for the past twenty years of her life.
***
Their original plan was to go check out the cities along the border, but since they found something interesting here, they decided they would stop here for a few days.
Taoism had prospered in Diannan Province. Qiu Chuji himself used to preach here, which gave birth to quite a few sub-sects and branches all following the teaching of Longmen. The largest temple in Spring City was Zhenqing Temple in Baita Road.
The temple had a total area of 32 mu and was built in the Ming Dynasty. The current abbot was called Chen Qingyou, a master of the Longmen Sect. He was appointed to Spring City after the purging of the Taoist community.
Gu Yu and Xiaojin steered clear of the temple, for they were, well, secret customers this time.
After an uneventful night, the following day arrived,
Around dusk, that owner called them and the two hurried to the shop. Maybe their action of doing as told had surprisingly fitted the characteristic of some upstart, for the owner was even more enthusiastic today.
"Here, please have some tea." He made two cups of high-quality Pu'er and smiled. "Please wait a few more minutes. There are three more customers going with you."
"So secretive. What exactly is this event?" asked Xiaojin.
"Haha, it really is nothing but a small private auction. As you two might have learned, this world is no longer what it was. The government might have learnt it all along, but they just kept it from us. As the saying goes, the masses have the sharpest eyes. However hard they try to hide it, the truth will come out eventually."
He darted a look at the door and lowered his voice all of a sudden. "Words around are that every province now has relevant civil societies and we're sort of one of them—to make friends and improve ourselves together. This auction is held by a few people in charge of our organization."
"Talking is easy. What exactly have you got?"
"Something you wouldn't begin to imagine!"
"I heard there is this bird over there in Qingning called Red Feather Vulture. I'd like to make a down coat with it. Can you get me some?" asked Xiaojin.
"Um, we mainly focus on the territory within Diannan Province. I'm afraid we haven't reached that far yet." The owner got his face slapped so quickly that he had to try to make it up. "We've only held one such auction so far and today is going to be the second one. The rule is that the participant has to provide a proof of possessing funds of at least five million to get in. With the generosity and remarkable bearing you have demonstrated, I used the little power I had and got you two tickets right away."
With that, he acted like the perfect NPC in a storyline as he took out two black cards and pushed them towards Gu Yu and Xiaozhai.
"Well, thanks!"
Gu Yu put them into his pocket, then with quivering lips, he spoke at a voice only Xiaojin could hear, "There, we didn't trigger the jade-gambling event, but got the auction one instead."
"Auctions are so old school, but I guess it'll be fun. Let me mess around with them." Xiaojin had finished loading her skill.
A couple of minutes into their waiting, the door opened with a squeak and three people walked in.
They were two men and a woman, all on the older side. They tried to dress plainly, but their demeanor suggested someone of considerable influence.
Gu Yu had released his mental force and interfered with the three people's judgement as soon as they entered the room. After all, those of a high social status might have seen his photo before.
The three people now only saw two ordinary-looking fellows sitting there. The leading man asked, "First-timers?"
"Yes, they are. I can vouch for them. You have my word." The owner smiled obsequiously.
"..."
The man nodded and said no more. He then sat down and rested with his eyes closed.
After that, the five waited another half an hour until the sky was dark and the street lamps were on. A black commercial vehicle arrived from afar and slowly came to a stop outside.
"Beep, beep!"
At those two sounds, the three were instantly awake and rose to their feet. The owner also produced five Beijing opera masks and handed them over. "Time to go. Good luck!"
"Haha…"
Gu Yu casually picked up a painted-face mask, which reminded him of four years ago when he and Xiaozhai played Bonnie and Clyde. He couldn't help but snicker.
He winced a little when he turned to look at Xiaojin. Maybe the sisters had similar taste, for she had also chosen the mask of a clown. Holding him loosely by his arm, she said, "Let's go!"
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Chapter 307: The Auction
Source: Qidian International
Auctions were scenes seen frequently enough in storylines. Their raison d'etre was mainly entertaining the pretenders and bargain-seekers, as well as providing occasions for face-slapping, girl-wooing, buddy-making, etc.
Back then, a roomful of sons of the rich gathered together at the foot of Phoenix Mountain for the exchange, which was already an auction in embryonic form. However, the environment then was not favorable enough, nor did they have the adequate permission to move it towards that direction, so it was kept rather low-profile.
With what was happening these days, the underground non-governmental forces were so intrigued by the implicit signals the authorities let out that plenty of cannon fodder was jumping out of their hiding places and making it clear that they were stirring things up.
The long street was dimly lit by the street lamps and the shadows seemed to be swaying gracefully in the night. The black commercial vehicle drove away from the shop, heading deeper into Spring City at an unhurried pace.
The inside of the vehicle was quite spacious, giving enough room for all five to sit distantly from one another. With the masks on, they were all utterly quiet. The only sounds were coming from the driver shifting gears occasionally and the rumbling of the engine.
Okay, that was actually an illusion...
"Brother-in-law, what kind of crap do you think they're selling?"
"How am I supposed to know? Nothing good, that's for sure. So far it still seems a society created by ordinary people, but I can't say if some cultivators are not behind it."
"Cultivators my a*s! Aren't all the cultivators of this country in the Taoist community and our Phoenix Mountain? Don't tell me you're counting those Tame Head clowns too?"
"You shouldn't look down upon them just because they practice Tame Head. It's a type of sorcery, a strange and inscrutable skill. Never underestimate your enemy."
They had long set up a confinement around their seats in the last row, so no one could see their moving lips.
Xiaojin would not shut up for a second, gabbing all the way from the auction to the spare rib rice-flour noodles they had for breakfast, then to Long Qiu's breasts before moving onto a new lipstick that had just come out… Gu Yu himself liked to leap around in his trail of thoughts, but it was nothing comparing to what Xiaojin was doing.
About twenty minutes later, the vehicle slowly came to a stop.
The driver said nothing and only sat there in silence. The other three were apparently familiar with the drill and went out one by one.
Gu Yu and Xiaojin followed suit. Outside was a deserted street with stairs reaching downwards. A dozen steps down was a signboard lit by colored lights—it was an underground pub.
They followed the three in, thinking the pub was the venue. However, the three zigzagged and exited through a small door, where they resurfaced onto the street, threaded through a narrow alley and, another couple of minutes later, entered a red iron gate.
It was dim inside. Two tall and strong waiters guarded the gate at either side and demanded in a polite yet intimidating tone, "Invitation card, please!"
Gu Yu handed him the cards. The waiter did not ask him to remove the mask to verify his identity—it seemed the card was the only permit they needed. They passed the threshold easily like so. Those three people walked in the front and had kept quite a distance on purpose. Gu Yu and Xiaojin cared little for that—they'd rather explore on their own.
The venue was quite sizeable and was in two storeys. Waiters walked around holding beverages and snacks. There weren't many customers—less than a hundred, probably. Had it not been for the masks and the strange atmosphere, it would not seem much different from any other ordinary clubs.
"Tsk, tsk, I almost thought I'm in the movie 'Eyes Wide Shut'," Xiaojin blurted out after looking around the room, then asked, "Hey, have you watched that one?"
"I have. There's just one thing I did not quite get." An honest man as he was, Gu Yu answered honestly, "The woman that got punished at the end, was it his wife?"
"It all depends on the man, really. If he can live with the 'green hat', then she was; if not, she wasn't."
Xiaojin was not interested in such topic. She stopped walking, looked around, and grabbed a waiter passing by. "Buddy, do me a favor!"
The waiter jumped at her move, then asked politely, "How may I help you?"
"We don't really know what's going on—it's our first time here. Tell us about this place." She deliberately made their ignorance plain.
"I see. One moment, please." He beckoned another waiter over and handed the latter his tray, then said to Xiaojin, "The innermost room on the first floor is where the auction will take place—it'll start in half an hour. Please take your seats according to the numbers on your invitation cards. The resting area is over there. They're all compartments very well concealed, so you don't have to worry about privacy.
There are guest rooms on the second floor, as well as a small casino—you're welcome to kill your time there. If you end up winning a bid and need our escort, you will also get registered there. We are equipped with the most elite security service. I promise they will fulfill all your requirements."
"Any rules regarding the bidding?"
"Nothing special other than the rules you'd find in common auctions. There is just one thing: if you decide not to hire our security team, we're not responsible for anything out of this facility."
"Why, trying to scare me? You were still in your dad's pants when your big sis here chewed garlic for her snacks!"
Xiaojin gave him the bossy attitude, then unzipped her handbag and took out a wad of bills. "I'll still thank you for your service, though. There you go!"
"T-thank you…"
The waiter was a little at loss. Why was his heart skipping a beat at this idiotic but somewhat adorable rich bumpkin?
His heart thumping or not, during the brief conversation, Gu Yu had pretty much figured out the settings of this place.
The level of acceptance and adaptability of the ordinary people had far exceeded his expectation. Although he recognized none of the faces behind those masks, he could clearly sense their excitement and jubilation.
No, there was not the tiniest fluster, confusion, or reluctance.
***
"Ladies and gentlemen, our auction will start in a moment. Please take you seat in hall No.1. Please take you seat in hall No.1…"
At the softly spoken reminder, dozens of people filed into the hall, which was even bigger than the room outside. A slightly elevated stage was set in the front, overlooking the booth-style seats below. The booths were set distant from one another and there were also partitions in between. Each one was big enough for two to eight people.
Gu Yu's cards were numbers 30 and 31 and their seats were a little to the left from the middle.
Before long, the light of the hall dimmed, while the stage remained well-lit. The host then walked up with a smile. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! To tell you the truth, I am gratified by the number of guests showing up tonight. Thinking back to the first auction we held, we had 23 guests only. That number has manifolded tonight and we have a total of 90 people here.
What does that mean? It means what is happening is becoming more influential, more friends are sticking together in this, and the so-called secret is moving forever closer to the surface...
Like I said last time—and I shall repeat today—no one is able to stop the world from changing and since we cannot stop it, we have to do our best to be prepared for the coming of the new world.
Whether we succeed or not in the future, do not forget that we were once the forerunners and torch bearers; we started from here…"
"This dude used to work in some pyramid selling scam or something? He's a smooth talker, I'll give him that."
Xiaojin slouched onto the sofa like a giant maggot, with her head on the armrest and her long legs stretching out towards her brother-in-law—exactly the posture her sister would take on such occasions.
Had Xiaozhai herself been here, Gu Yu would naturally hold those legs between his arms. However, this one was his sister-in-law and all he could do was to stay as far away as the booth allowed. He chuckled. "With what they're doing here, they need the provocative talk. Just keep watching. I'm actually quite interested in what's following this."
The host shot some more breeze and suddenly turned up his volume. "Now, I'll stop beating around the bush. Rules forbid me from revealing the treasures tonight beforehand, but I can guarantee it to you, they will exceed what you saw last time both in quantity and quality. You will not be disappointed… here is lot number one!"
With that, four men pushed a giant iron cage covered by black cloth onto the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, behold!"
"Buzz!"
The host ripped the black cloth down, raising a hubbub of surprised cries from the audience below. In the cage was a two-meter long green peafowl!
It was obviously a male with dazzling bright feather. A cluster of crest stood up high from the top of its head and its back feathers the color of green jadestone; in the middle of them was a bronze-colored spot the shape of a half circle.
It was frightened by the sudden light and spread it tail feathers—which were twice the length of its body—in a whoosh. The tail opened up to as wide as four meters and was splendid beyond description. It reminded one of an enormous emerald feather fan made from velvet.
"Holy sh*t!"
Xiaojin bolted up to a sitting position. That was not what she had expected! She had planned to come like a dungeon boss strolling across the novice village in disguise, but as it turned out, the first item they displayed was a blue-level outfit.
Women loved beautiful things, and so did men.
The splendor of the green peafowl seemed to have frozen all minds present, so much so that the air seemed to have stopped flowing.
"This is a genuine green peafowl! As you may all know, there are only over a hundred wild ones in the country now and their last habitat is in Gasa River. We happened to stumble upon this one."
The host was very pleased with the audience's reaction. "I don't think I need to emphasize how beautiful it is. However, as the first auction piece today, appearance is not its only merit. Allow me to show you!"
With that, someone came up stage carrying a spiky porcupine. He then opened the cage a little and tossed it in.
"Aaaar!"
The peafowl was extremely tense to begin with; now that something else had joined in, it screamed angrily and turned its body.
"Whoosh!"
The emerald feather fan swerved in green flashes and swung down with a shrill sound.
"Pop!"
Blood splashed everywhere, leaving a scarlet pool in the cage. The poor porcupine did not even know what hit it.
"Aaaah!" some woman screamed and covered her eyes in fear. The men, on the other hand, opened their eyes widely in excitement. Having such a piece at home would be such a show-off!
"Probably some has guessed what it is. Yes, this green peafowl is a mutated creature (as known to the common folk)."
The host made the hay while the sun shone. "It took us a painstaking effort to finally capture it alive. We will give two female peafowls for free to the final bidder so that they could breed at home. Now, the bid starts now. The price starts at eight million and the minimum bid is a million!"
"Nine million!" yelled someone right away.
"Ten million!"
"Twelve million!"
"Fifteen million!"
They had completely ignored the fact of breaking the law and the room was filled with an air of carnival. The price rocketed forever higher, which might sound a lot, but you had to realize that fifteen million was not even enough to by a villa within the Third Ring Road of the capital city.
Tuhao was the least endangered species of this country.
"Damn! I hate these insanely rich people!"
Xiaojin was also intrigued, but she couldn't afford it. As she babbled on with her mockery, Gu Yu couldn't help but pity her a little. "Do you want me to exchange it with a pill of Dan?"
"Forget it. It's pretty, but not really useful." She waved him off.
"Thirty million!"
"Thirty million going once, anyone else… thirty million going twice… sold!"
Smack! The mallet announced the end of bidding, and so was the poor peafowl's fate sealed: what else could a mortal man do with it apart from shutting it up in a cage like a talking bird? It would stay there until it died and meet no one apart from the occasional visitors that its owner would show off to.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-108.png){kind=small}
Chapter 308: A Strange Thing
Source: Qidian International
In general, this auction had reshaped Gu Yu's expectations for such events. There were no worthless pieces as he had anticipated, they were all objects of value—although not valuable enough to impress him.
Was that the power of the masses? One thing he could not figure out was where did these people get these things?
The mutated animals and plants were easier to explain. After all, they were free to be picked up by just about everyone and there must have been collusion behind the collecting process. However, how did they get their hands on orthodox objects such as talismans?
"A spiritual evil-dispelling talisman drawn by a genuine Taoist priest. Equip your home with it and your family is blessed with safety. However, we have been instructed by the priest not to reveal his or her name."
That was lot number five, which was apparently a yellow talisman. The host stuck it to the table, then someone walked onto the stage with a cage of snakes and rats.
The animals grew all the more panic-stricken as the cage moved closer to the talisman. In the end, the snakes and rats shivered and squeezed as tightly together as they could manage. As the cage moved away, they then went back to their normal state.
"Sorry about that, but we don't have a ghost to experiment with, nor do we have the ability to catch one. But it is clear that the talisman could indeed suppress such foul creatures… now, the price starts at five million!"
"Seven million!"
"Eight million!"
"Eight million once! Anyone else?"
The bidding was not as intense as the one for the green peafowl. These Tuhao were no fools. Had they really needed a talisman, they could find a priest to draw one for them instead of buying it here.
In the end, the talisman was sold at eight million; the buyer was sitting next to Gu Yu's booth. He glanced at the man deliberately, memorizing the face behind that mask—it was a man in his forties.
After that, three more pieces were sold and the auction was almost at its end.
"There are two more before we finish for tonight. Those who have not picked one, do seize the opportunity while you can. It's one in a lifetime and you will regret for the rest of your life if you miss this one. Now, let's welcome lot number nine…"
With that, a hostess came up stage with a tray. The host lifted the covering cloth, revealing a silver white stone about twice the size of a basketball. "What we have here is a legendary spiritual stone."
"Pffft!"
Xiaojin choked on her spit. Excuse me? You call that a spiritual stone?
She was all excited and wagging her imaginary tail as she said, "Finally! I've been waiting for this all night! This is the crap you should be selling! What's with all those high-end stuff? Hey, how many do we still have in… Brother-in-law?"
"..."
Gu Yu was frowning slightly and staring silently at the stone. Xiaojin paused a little, then asked in surprise, "Brother-in-law, that can't be a real spiritual stone, can it?"
"I'm not sure, but there is indeed a faint fluctuation from it."
"Are they making a wild guess, or fishing?" Xiaojin said, but answered the question herself almost as soon as she asked. "They must be guessing. They'd not show it for all the money in the world if they knew it was a real treasure."
"You've got a point." Gu Yu nodded.
"It is known to all that Diannan is where jade is found. This piece is actually a raw jade stone and an accidental discovery from a mountain at the Diannan-Myan border. To tell you the truth, we weren't able to identify its property, but it is truly a very special stone."
The host was shooting the breeze, trying all he could to sell the stone. "Now, I'd like to invite a guest up here to participate in a little experiment with me."
"Me, me, me! Pick me!" Xiaojin's hand shot into the air.
"Sure, this lady, please."
Hence, she ran happily up the stage and grabbed the stone before the host could say anything. She weighed it in her hand and said surprisingly, "Why, it's very light! It looked so heavy and it's so big! Why is it so light?"
"Um…"
If the host had not known better, he would really have thought the woman to be some confederate hired by his boss—she was an expert in exaggeration!
"Yes, this lady has pointed out its characteristic. The stone is very big but very light, but there's something even more remarkable about it. Bring it up!"
At his beckoning, two strong men carried a piece of glass the size of a door onto the stage and put it on a shelf about 40 cm from the floor.
"This is the hardest type of glass our country produced so far. I have a hammer here, let me try it first."
"Clank!"
"Clank!"
The host did not hesitate and struck the glass twice forcibly. The sound resonated in the hall and the glass remained unharmed.
"Now, please stand back here and smash down with this stone."
"How hard should I smash?" asked Xiaojin.
"As hard as you can."
"Oh…"
Xiaojin blinked, estimated the strength of ordinary girls, raised the stone, and tossed down at the glass.
"Clack!"
With a crisp splintering sound, the glass was smashed to pieces. The stone fell to the ground, and with the remaining momentum, it dented the floor.
"Thud!"
The hall seemed to have shaken with it. The stone stood steady in the pit it created as if it weighed tons.
"As you have seen, despite is lightness, when an external force maks it collide into other objects, the impact will be extremely strong."
The host invited Xiaojin back to her booth and went on, "We have seen enough mutated animals and plants to know that this is obviously a mutated spiritual stone—and this is the only one we found. Its value is hard to estimate, but that's the point of our event—to discover the unknown and welcome new challenge… the price starts at two million!
"..."
There was an awkward silence when no one bid for it.
What the hell were they supposed to do with this thing? They couldn't walk around and smash other people with it, could they? After quite some time, someone finally said tentatively, "Three million!"
"Four million!" Gu Yu raised his placard.
"Five…"
That fellow hesitated for a second before giving a shrug and giving up.
"Ok, four million going once. Anyone else?"
"Four million going twice… four million… sold! That gentleman, please pick up your item after the auction."
Hence, Gu Yu won his first bid with a rather ambiguous satisfaction. Xiaojin asked curiously, "You want to go there and have a look?"
"This stone is so strange. If we can find more of it, I've got an idea."
"Refinement?"
"Yup. Ever heard of the 'Sky-turning Seal'?" He chuckled.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Little Soap instantly turned into an emoji with wide-open eyes and an O-shaped mouth. That sounded awesome! AWESOME!
While they two were secretly delighted, so was the host. The non-governmental organizations were not fit for such research and they were happy to make it someone else's problem.
"If I could have your attention, please. Last but not least, our final treasure for tonight. Here we go!"
The host had warmed the atmosphere well enough so that everyone was eager to see this last piece. However, as the side curtain opened, a stocky man walked out.
He wore a long-sleeved shirt with buttons down the front, a traditional colorful sarong, and a piece of black cloth wrapping around his head. Diannan was bounded by three countries and people here saw enough foreigners on a daily basis to recognize a man of Myan at first sight.
"This is master Thant Tun! Some of us here might have known that there are three Tame Head gods in Myan. Master Thant Tun is the famous pupil of one of them!"
The host was in high spirit and spoke excitedly, but one could tell from his subtle moves that he was trying his best to keep a distance from the master as if he was afraid of the latter.
"Our final item tonight are three spells master Thant Tun will cast for you. The price starts at thirty million!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-109.png){kind=small}
Chapter 309: Show Time
Source: Qidian International
'Wow!'
The hall erupted at that announcement.
The folks of Diannan had their own thing—just check out the three countries the province bordered on, every single one of which had a tradition in practicing Tame Head. Many people of Diannan would travel out to visit such masters for help even before the recovery of the spiritual essence.
Of course, whether or not it worked was a different story.
Hence, the enthusiasm in the room was immediately ignited at the host's words. With the background of the owner of the auction, the guests were confident that they wouldn't lie over such matter.
The three gods of Myan! They were renowned figures of the entire Southeast Asia. The word around was that they had already reached a state of semi-human and semi-sorcerer and were capable of communicate with gods and ghosts and the like.
"The starting price is 30 million, anyone?"
"35 million!"
"40 million!"
"50 million!"
Good god! The starting price was just announced and they were already bidding it up to 50 million. All those Tuhao looked like they were high on something, straining their necks and yelling out prices forever going up.
"55 million!"
"58 million!"
"60 million!"
That Master Thant Tun stood on the stage watching the crowd in silence, his eyes flickering with mockery.
The stupid people of this country!
The financial incentive was the last thing that concerned him; he was only here on his master's order to set up a base for preaching in Spring City. It just so happened that these people initiated the contact and two parties fit in readily with one another, hence the auction.
They were going to make their fame among the dignitaries first and set up a solid foundation before slowly infiltrating the general public. He was fully aware of the fact that despite the permission the government gave, they were still facing the great obstacle of the Taoist community.
Thant Tun had taken part in the ghost-dispelling and was working with some priests then. He had made careful observation of these colleagues, noticing that those people's capability and Taoist skill were, well, not exactly what he had expected.
It had doubtlessly given him the (illusional) confidence, which had canceled out a great deal of the habitual intimidation from this neighboring giant country.
"75 million!"
"78 million!"
"78 million going once, anyone? 78 million going twice…"
After a dozen or so bids, those not rich enough had been eliminated and the price was going up at a slower pace. Only three or four potential buyers remained in the fighting ring.
With his mallet in hand, the host kept instigating, "78 million again, the last chance, anyone…"
"90 million!"
Just then, a voice came from somewhere, catching the ears of all those present. A man slowly rose to his feet and said in a loud and unhurried voice, "I need a favor from master Thant Tun and I'm determined to win this bid. The Gao Family would like to thank everyone for being considerate!"
"The Gao Family? Not THAT Gao Family, is it?"
"Tsk, how many Gao Families can there be in Diannan?"
"Damn, why is he here?"
Momentarily, everyone was talking at the same time, indicating that this man was indeed some big shot. Meanwhile, no one was bold enough to raise the price and there was a brief moment of stage wait.
Seeing this, the man chuckled. "In that case, it was very kind of you all—"
"100 million!"
"!!!"
He was interrupted like a choking duck, his remaining words stuffed back down throat, tumbling around in his stomach, demonstrating what "a pain in the a*s" meant.
The man's face darkened and turned to search for the bidder, whom he found in a booth not far from his. A slender figure sat on the sofa with one leg dangling over the other, ready to shoot out her mocking remarks.
"And you are? If you could tell—"
"Like hell! We're wearing masks, dude, and you actually told people who you are? I'm not stupid like you, okay?"
"You!"
"Enough with you and me. Do you want it or not? Stop wasting my time!"
"Fine! Fine!"
The man was shaking with rage and thumped back to his seat, yelling, "110 million!"
"120 million!" His competitor followed up right away.
"125 million!"
"140 million!"
OMG! Gu Yu was actually getting jittery. Although the purpose behind bringing her along was to mess around with the others, he had far underestimated his sister-in-law's ability in muddling up the water.
"Go easy on the price, ok? If you raise it too high and he gives up, we don't have the money."
"Then we don't give. What can he do to us… 150 million!"
Xiaojin rested her chin on her hand and raised her placard from time to time as if she was just switching channel with a TV remote control.
The hall fell completely silent apart from their calling. Some were frightened out of their wits for becoming the collateral damage from this fight, while others watched happily, not minding to see some more action.
"180 million!"
The man clenched his teeth and shouted another price, his heated stare boring into the other booth, more than willing to swallow her whole this moment. There was only so much cash he could use and he was about to run out of it. If the other one raised it again, he would have to back off.
"181 million!"
It might be a coincidence, for the other one was suddenly slowing down her bid.
"182 million!"
"183 million!"
"..."
At that price, the other side paused and did not make a sound for a while. The host asked hastily, "This lady over there, do you want to follow up on that?"
"Nope, my pocket money is running a little short lately. Let him have it."
"Um, in that case, if no one else would join in, our final piece of tonight goes to that gentleman at a record-breaking price of 183 million. Congratulations!"
"Thump!"
The man ripped his mask off and smashed it on the floor.
***
The auction finished a little over nine o'clock.
Every guest received a little gift and an entrance ticket for the next event. Some did not leave right away, but went into the compartments for private conversations, while others went to the casino for some fun.
Those who won the bids went to a room upstairs to fetch their goods.
"This is the stone you won. Please examine it and make the payment when everything checks out."
"Yes, sure."
Gu Yu paid the four million and held the stone in his hands. It was twice the size of a basketball but only as heavy as a glass. His hands did not feel weighed down at all.
It was irregular in shape and had an uneven surface like any other ordinary raw jade stone.
People were going to and fro and this was not a good place to examine it closely. He only weighed the it in his hand and chuckled. "It feels hollow inside. Let's call it Hollow Stone."
"You and my sister couldn't be more perfectly matched in you naming skills," Xiaojin commented hopelessly.
"Haha, maybe, but we hold the certificate to name it, so from now on, it is nothing but Hollow Stone." Gu Yu grinned.
That was right. The celebrity mottos were celebrity mottos because they were words of famous people, even if the words were nonsense. Such as: "Love is honey, so sweet that it hurts."—Albert Einstein (just kidding)
"Here is your talisman. Please keep it close. Would you like our escorting service?"
"What's your price?"
"500,000 for addresses within the jurisdiction of this city and 700,000 to a million for other addresses in the province."
"I'll be fine, thanks."
While Gu Yu and Xiaojin were bantering there, a middle-aged man entered the room and quickly fetched a talisman—that evil-dispelling one. He had just spent eight million on it, but now suddenly seemed impecunious and did not want to spend money on the security service.
The man seemed in a rush and went back downstairs promptly, heading out of the building.
The street outside was dimly lit and had the look of an old, wet alley. He walked with his head down and a hunched back. Every now and then, he would touch an inside pocket with his right hand, feeling the talisman inside.
To him, it was no longer a talisman, but the fate of his entire family.
"Tap, tap, tap!"
The only sound in the quiet old alley came from his own footsteps. He made a few turns and arrived at the crossing of two alleys.
He turned left. A couple of steps later, he was suddenly stopped by two people blocking the road. He immediately swerved around, but saw three other strong men blocking the other exit.
Right after that, a sleek-haired foppish man swaggered into sight, smirking. "Hey, Brother Yu, where are you going in such a hurry?"
"Tao Ran! Why are you here?" The man turned pale.
"Save your petty tricks! I knew you'd come all along and was waiting here all night." The foppish man pointed with his chin. "What's in your pocket? Oh, you bought something nice, didn't you? To save your family? Haha, listen to me: your little family is done! Period. God himself won't be able to save you!"
"Tao Ran, that's enough! We share the same family name and are from the same clan after all. Why can't you just let me go?"
"Cut the crap. Just give it to me and I'll ask them to go easy on you, for old time's sake."
"You!"
The man seemed to be an honest and upright type not good with words, nor had he any advantage physically. His face went scarlet with rage as he lowered his head abruptly and cried out aloud. He then bolted.
"Hold him down!" shouted the foppish man.
His underlings were all professionals and quick to react. One of the strong men grabbed the man by his shoulder and made a forcible move. Thump! The man was turned by 180 degrees and smashed to the ground like a dead fish.
"Aaaah…"
A pain ran through his back and he lay there moaning, his head all dizzy.
"Told you. We wouldn't have to go through this if you just gave it to me."
The foppish man shook his head, stepped on the man's stomach with one foot, and bent down to take the talisman. His fingertips had just reached his clothes when there was a "whoosh!"
As if a gale had just blew through the alley, he was in the air all of a sudden and flew sideways like a kite before smashing down onto the ground. A stone fell down after him, and even rolled around a little.
"Holy sh*t! With a rope around it, I can make a flying hammer out of it."
Xiaojin was shocked by the impact herself and ran to them in hastily. She didn't even use much strength to throw it, but that was way too effective!
"Who's there?"
"Who are you?"
The underlings shouted angrily. Some went to check on their boss, who was now lying there motionless with his ribs crushed.
"You don't know who I am? Superman-in-mask! Heard of that name before?"
Xiaojin made her grand entrance with a horse stance and two open palms—the posture master Wong Fei-hung was famous for in the Jet Li movies.
The thugs couldn't care less about the ridiculous title of this person. Since their boss was hurt, they had to avenge him. The five strong men roared angrily and rushed forward together, ready to encircle her.
"Grabbing the sparrow tail!
"Parting the wild horse's mane!
"Yee...haa… single wip! Double lash! Waving the pipa!"
She yelled random names for her movements as she steered through the five men like a butterfly making its way through a garden. Her graceful movements had an elegant beauty about them... like anyone was going to believe that!
"Thump, thump, thump!"
"Aaaah! Aaaah! Aaaah!"
In half a heartbeat, the five men screamed almost in unison as they flew away and dropped motionless to the ground.
"Humph!"
Xiaojin stood there with her hands behind her back, mimicking the pose of the legendary master from Kung Fu movies as she nodded to herself. "This Fallen Flower Sword Palm Movement of mine is indeed incredible."
"T-thank you for saving my life." Just then, that man stumbled to his feet and went up to her in confusion. "If I may ask who you are, please. Have we met before?"
"Why, you've seen through me. You guessed it right, I am none other than the untraceable swordsman who specializes in stealing the heart of all young ladies by the name of Fair White… ouch!"
"White my a*s! Speak Chinese!"
Gu Yu smacked Xiaojin on the back of her head, and she stumbled as the mask almost fell down from her face. She then worked it back on.
"This is not a good place to talk. Shall we go somewhere else?" He smiled.
"Um…"
The man hesitated a little. Realizing that he was in no position to fight back, he gave in. "Ok."
***
"Hm? That a pretty one, isn't she?"
In a luxurious car parked at the other end of the ally, that Gao person raised his eyebrow and became intrigued.
After the auction was over, he followed Gu Yu and Xiaojin out to try to pick up a fight. Damn it, he had to pay an extra 100 million because of the interruption. Anyone would have gone mad!
He shadowed them all the way here and stumbled upon Xiaojin taking justice into her own hands. Despite her capability, the Gao fellow did not think much of it and was going to kill her off right away. However, when the mask slipped off and revealed the half of a pretty face behind it, he could not turn his eyes away.
"Humph, you dared cross me. You'll regret the day you were born!"
He snorted and turned to the other side. "Master, is there a way to make her obey my every word and be my bi*ch?"
The interpreter translated for him right away. With his eyes half closed, Thant Tun casually gave his answer.
"The master asked, would that be your first request?" said the interpreter.
"..."
The man hesitated for two seconds. He only had three requests in total and to use one in such a way seemed like a waste. However, the moment he recalled what happened during the auction, he was infuriated. "Yes!"
"%#$@%^, @#￥%..."
"The master said it could be easily done. He will use an Erotic Tame Head and the woman will come to you herself and be at your mercy. However, it requires something from her body—hair, nail, skin, etc."
"That's easy. I'll give it to you asap."
The man darted another look at Xiaojin and closed the car window. The car then slowly drove away.
***
Baita Road, Zhenqing Temple.
The temple was of a central courtyard construction with five tiers and three courtyards. It was also the biggest Taoist building complex here in Spring City, which mainly worshipped Patriarch True Warrior, or the True Warrior Great Deity.
Nighttime, the quiet courtyard.
The abbot Chen Qingyou arrived outside a meditation room, where he called out, "Junior Brother Shi, may I come in?"
"Please, Senior Brother," replied the person inside.
Chen Qingyou pushed the door open and entered the room. Inside sat a Taoist priest as graceful as an immortal, who was also modest in keeping his splendor to himself. It was none other than Shi Yunlai himself. They were both men of the Longmen Sect and since Chen Qingyou had both joined the sect earlier and was older in his age, he was naturally the senior brother.
However, in this time of change, the status of the priests in their sects was determined by the level of their cultivation. He was not going to parade his seniority and said with respect, "Sorry for interrupting Junior Brother's meditation, but a message has just arrived. I am here to deliver news—Tame Head master Thant Tun of Myan has made his appearance in the city."
"Thant Tun? Is he the pupil of the so-called Three Gods?"
"Yes."
"I am new around here and don't know these people very well. Exactly who are these Three Gods?" asked Shi Yunlai.
"The title of 'Gods' was actually given by their fellow people of Myan. All three are extremely old beings that have been practicing unnatural skills since an immemorial time. As a result, they have turned into some semi-human and semi-ghost creatures. The small country is limited in their knowledge and deemed them 'Gods'. It is a laughing matter to those who know better."
Chen Qingyou was relatively subjective in this aspect and went on, "I have been here for over a year now and gathered some information on these three. They are said to be two male and one female, all three biological siblings. They have shown great talent since childhood and were taken in as pupils by the previous Black Magic Ghost King, from whom they learned to practice Tame Head. It was said that all three are over a hundred years old, but there is no way to verify that. All we know is that their skills are strange and sinister. I would advise not to underestimate them."
"Of course. Senior Brother can have my word on that." Shi Yunlai nodded.
"In that case, shall we take action now?" asked Chen Qingyou.
"Not yet. Like the ancient saying goes, to wage a war, we need a pretext. Let's wait until they raise some commotion. We can then make our appearance."
"No problem. I'll leave you in peace."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-110.png){kind=small}
Chapter 310: The Erotic Tame Head
Source: Qidian International
"Thank you! I wouldn't know what to do without you two!"
In the cafe on the ground floor of a hotel, the man thanked them again wholeheartedly. "My name is Tao Yu and I'm from Ruili 1 . It's quite pretty over there. If you're not busy at the moment, you're welcome to go back with me so that I can show you around and express my gratitude."
"The gratitude can wait. There's a little favor I'd like to ask you now," said Gu Yu.
"Please. I'll do anything within my power."
"May I have a look at that talisman of yours?"
"Well…"
The man hesitated a little, then realized that, with their capability, they could simply take it by force if they wanted and did not have to waste the time asking. He hence took the talisman out of his chest pocket and handed it carefully to Gu Yu.
Gu Yu took it and looked at it closely: made out of the traditional paper, with the head, the main part, the end, and everything. There was a faint energy coming out of it—the talisman was a genuine thing.
Well, that made things very interesting indeed. Regardless of Quanzhen or Zhengyi, this talisman could not have been drawn by anyone but a member of the Taoist community. Then how did it get into the auction?
Was it possible that someone inside the Taoist community had colluded with them for the financial gain?
He pursed his lips, not really caring about other people's crap. He then handed the talisman back and asked, "If you don't mind me asking, what are you buying this talisman for?"
"Um…" The man pondered for a moment before answering, "I can tell that you're both remarkable people and there is no point in hiding my purpose. Our Tao Family has been doing business in Ruili for generations, specializing in the processing and sales of jade. We're not among the richest, but you could say we're affluent enough.
We run a family business and the shareholders are all members of the big clan; I am also one of them. Everything was normal until half a month ago, when my uncle fell ill and became bedridden. We thought it was some sort of disease, but no doctors we've seen could make him better. We later came to know that it was Tao Ran's—oh, he was the man trying to rob me—doing. He has sought out some black magic just to take control of the business…
I've asked around and heard about this auction in Spring City, so I thought I could try my luck here. I never thought Tao Ran would have followed me here. Had it not been for your help…"
'Tsk!'
Xiaojin lost interest right away. She had hoped for something new, but it turned out to be nothing but the same old family drama. Gu Yu, on the other hand, gave the man a look and said, "With due respect, Mr. Tao, this talisman won't help you much even if you bring it back."
"What? How come?" Tao Yu was greatly agitated. "That man has demonstrated. Those snakes and rats couldn't have stayed far away enough…"
"Repelling snakes and rats does not guarantee dispelling the Tame Head. This is nothing but an ordinary House Protecting Talisman—something one can stick to the beam to keep the house peaceful and quiet."
"That's impossible! I paid eight million for it! No! It can't be!"
Because of his family background, Tao Yu knew next to nothing about the secrets of the cultivation world—which was common knowledge to the middle and upper ranks of the society. He held onto the talisman like a drowning man with his passing straw and would not hear of such denial.
This emotion was so strong that he even resented Gu Yu a little. "Thank you for saving my life, but you can't just say such things. This talisman will work. It must!"
"Gosh! All this whining! Gimme that!"
Xiaojin was weary of all this. With a snap of her fingers, that talisman somehow appeared in her hand.
"My talisman!"
Tao Yu bolted up, stretching out his arm to grab at it.
"Shut up and sit down!" Xiaojin waved her hand and Tao Yu felt a force hammering down from above, shoving him back into his chair. The girl then said, "You're from Ruili, right? We just happen to be heading for the border. You take care of our food, accommodation, and transportation, and we'll solve your problem—won't even cost you eight million. Pretty sweet deal, don't you think?"
"You, I, I…"
Staring in bewilderment, Tao Yu felt his heart thumping against his chest and could not make out a full sentence.
***
Ruili was the border city between this country and Myan, which was located along the southern stretching branch of the Gaoligong Mountains. 73% of the city was mountainous area. 200 km to the north of Ruili was the city of Baoshan, 400 km to the northwest from where lay the Kachin Hills of Myan.
The Kachin Hills were where Hollow Stone was found.
Tao Yu completely bought Little Soap's idea and deemed the two some unmatched masters of this human world. How could anyone say no to such a sweet deal! He would do it even if he had to sell everything he got to pay another eight million, let alone if he was just to provide them with food, rooms, and transportation.
The following morning.
Faint sunlight shone on a big soft and spotless white bed through the half-open screen window. The readers might be disappointed to learn that they wouldn't find a Mary-Sue-style scene here, such as a certain person rolling around in her sheets like a giant sushi and resisting getting up.
It had been a while since she got up and sat by the bay window, entering the state of looking into her own mind and letting her mind and breathing synchronize. The sunlight covered one side of her body, giving one the illusion of seeing a goddess.
"Ha…"
A little while later, she exhaled a long breath and slowly opened her eyes. A streak of golden-purple lightning flickered in her eyes.
Thanks to the amazing Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan, the family of four of Phoenix Mountain had advanced in leaps and bounds in their cultivation. Xiaozhai had reached the passionless state in Water Thunder and Xiaojin had achieved her Metal Thunder state—all she needed was some more time to strengthen it. Xiao Qiu's cultivation level was right after Gu Yu and it would be three or four years before she could also try to break into the Human Immortal state.
In simple terms: the privileged!
After her morning exercise, Xiaojin hopped down from the bay window and stood there watching the rising sun with her hands behind her back, her pale green silk dressing gown swaying a little in the morning breeze. She suddenly let out a soft sigh.
"Sigh, the biggest no-no for a person of martial arts is acting ostentatiously. This humble master had flaunted too much yesterday—she was woken up by dreams and could not sleep. So what if I will obtain the martial prowess that is unparalleled in this world? Also unparalleled is the accompanying loneliness…"
Shaking her head, she scuffed into the bathroom with a desolate look on her face. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, put on some clothes, and brushed her hair in front of the mirror.
After reaching the innate state, cultivators would reach a perfected state physically. Flaws like hair loss, dandruff, irregular menses, frequent micturition, urgent urination, etc., were pretty much eliminated.
Xiaojin suddenly tugged a little too hard and a couple of strands were pulled down by the comb. She blinked, removed them, and stuck the hair onto the wash stand.
After much grooming, she finally finished and walked out.
A room-cleaner just happened to walk past her door with a cart and asked in passing, "Hello, are you checking out today?"
"Not yet. You can go in now."
She ran happily into the elevator after the reply.
The cleaner saw her leave with an indescribable look on her face. She entered the room with the cart, then instead of changing sheets or other work, she checked the bed first before going into the bathroom, where she examined the basin and the floor carefully.
"There!"
Her face lit up after a while as she picked up two hairs from the wash stand. She then carefully wrapped them in a piece of paper and gave the room door a knock. A colleague of hers appeared immediately and took the wrapped paper.
Only after that did she return to the room and begin the cleaning as if nothing had happened.
***
Spring City, certain villa area.
Inside the living room, Thant Tun sat barefoot and cross-legged on the sofa with his eyes closed. Gao Ling sat on the opposite side and darted the master a despising look—such an uncivilized monkey!
Despite the small fortune Gao Ling paid for the master's help, deep down, he detested the latter. He had no other choice, though. The Taoist community was so advanced in terms of its political entwinement that if they tried to make any unauthorized contact and got found out, the entire clan would be doomed.
The Gao Family was a major clan in Diannan that no one dared to take lightly. He was so used to having things his way that he had never expected such blatant face-slapping in the auction. He simply had to get even.
"Beep, beep!"
"Screech!"
The two waited a while until the noise of a stopping car came from outside. After that, a man walked quickly in. "Boss, we have it!"
"Oh? Show me!"
Gao Ling immediately grew excited. He unfolded the paper and picked up the two hairs. "Are you sure these are that bi*ch's?"
"Absolutely!"
"Haha! Great!" He laughed and turned to Thant Tun. "Master, we got the hair. When can you start your work?"
"$%^&*#$%^!"
The interpreter explained to Gao Ling after talking to Thant Tun, "Master said he can start now. He needs a private room; no one is to disturb him."
"We've got plenty of rooms. Now, I can't wait!"
Gao Ling was greatly intrigued by this skill. He led Thant Tun to the basement himself and was about to make some more chitchat when Thant Tun slammed the door on his face without hesitation.
"F**k! This cheeky monkey!"
He cursed under his breath and half of his good mood was gone. He then returned angrily to the living room.
The so-called "Tame Head" was actually a result of the practice of the Undead Insect and Maoshan Skills of this country 2 introduced to the Southeast Asia, where they combined with the local witchcraft and evolved into this new form. The locals usually referred to it as the "Black Magic".
"Tame" referred to the skill, medicine, or undead insect involved, whereas "Head" referred to the individual the magic worked on. Certain connection or control was involved in the practice, such as the eight characters of the birthday, the name, personal possessions, hair, nail, etc.
Right now in this sealed room, no light was on apart from a circle of white candles. Thant Tun himself sat in the center of that circle.
He took off his top, revealing his swarthy skin. His shoulders, chest, and ribs were tattooed with strange spell patterns. He opened up his luggage and took out a red cloth pouch.
The pouch clunked with his movement. In it were a dozen wild walnuts that looked decades-old and were so shriveled that they had turned black.
After that, he took out a blue pouch and a black pouch.
A clay bowl was in the blue pouch, while the black one contained a pair of figurines that seemed to be made of clay. They were about 15 cm tall, naked, and with abstract facial features, yet the look on their faces was very strange.
The male had his member, the female had breasts and the lady's part—the sex characteristics were very distinguishable.
One could not tell how long ago they had been made. The color of the clay was a little mottled and red marks had also tainted the figurines, reminding one of some burial objects found in ancient graves deep in the mountain.
After that, Thant Tun took out a ball of thread and tied it around the figurines. He then fetched the hairs of Gao Ling and Xiaojin, tying them to the respective figurines.
With all those done, he picked up half a dozen walnuts into the bowl and began to chant a spell.
"Whoosh!"
All of a sudden, flame erupted out of the bowl and the walnuts were on fire. Seeing this, Thant Tun immediately cut his arm and dribbled in a few drops of his spiritual blood.
The blood fueled the fire and flame grew as tall as half a meter. Meanwhile, an indistinct black air emerged in the flame and circled in the air above. The figurines quivered with it.
"#$%^&*)(#$@%^%^^*&*(*!"
Thant Tun kept on chanting and tossed in a few more walnuts. Before long, the black air grew all the more visible and finally turned into two streaks of dark light, which attached themselves to the figurines.
Hm?
He frowned suddenly, for the moment the dark light was attached to the figurines, he faintly detected a second of obstruction. When he tried to feel it again, the feeling was gone. A faint layer of black air was now wrapping around the figurines, which was the sign of a successful Erotic Tame Head.
"..."
Thant Tun checked repeatedly and could not find anything wrong. He concluded that he was just being oversensitive.
About twenty minutes later, he walked out of the sealed room. Gao Ling—who had been waiting impatiently—went up to him and asked, "Master, how did it go?"
"The Erotic Tame Head is set. From now on, she's your slave!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-111.png){kind=small}
Chapter 311: Had To Try It
Source: Qidian International
There were quite a few types of Tame Head skills, which could be generally categorized into Drug Tame Head, Flying Tame Head, and Ghost Tame Head.
Drug Tame Head worked similarly to low-level undead insects of the Miao people which needed to be ingested to take effect. Flying Tame Head was a little more advanced in that it could be controlled remotely, which included Mirror Tame Head, Glass Tame Head, Flying-head Tame Head, and a dozen others.
Flying-head Tame Head was the most formidable of this category. The name was pretty much self-explanatory: a head that was flying, which might even have a large intestine dangling from it…
As for Ghost Tame Head, it was a somewhat special kind of all the Tame Head skills out there, for it involved the prerequisite of raising an infant ghost. The Erotic Tame Head Thant Tun used this time was a type of Ghost Tame Head.
Back to the villa where he made that announcement, Gao Ling was still a little confused. "Master, do I have to meet this woman first or what?"
"Her soul has become your slave already and she will do whatever you order her to. If you want, I can summon her here this moment," said Thant Tun.
"That's great. Please work the magic and make that bi*ch come to me!"
"..."
Thant Tun darted Gao Ling a look and did not comment on that. He then chanted the spell—all in all, the two men did not exactly see eye to eye.
He then took out a little plastic box and tossed it to Gao Ling. "That woman will arrive soon. Put this on you and do not stay too far from it, or the spell will stop working."
Gao Ling checked the box and saw that in it was a pair of golden figurines, which were about 3 cm tall and held each other with their cheeks stuck together. He said, "No problem! Thank you for going through the trouble, Master! Do you need to take a break?"
"I'll be fine in my sealed room. Do not disturb me unless it's something important!"
With that, Thant Tun shut himself up into his room, leaving Gao Ling and his bodyguards behind. Gao Ling sat back down in the living room, opened a bottle for the occasion, and drank it in small sips.
He was never able to resist alcohol and once he got tipsy, his perverted side began to show.
"Hoho, too bad she's such a beauty. You'll wish you were dead by the time I'm through with you!"
Gao Ling guffawed, feeling aroused.
He had had his share of bedmates of both sexes and all sorts of combinations: pretty boys, sisters, mother and daughter, the family combo, you name it. But, after all, he was still bound by the laws of modern society and did not get too carried away. Essentially, those were paying for sex on a consensual basis.
However, something like Erotic Tame Head, which turned a woman into his personal sex slave, was something he had not yet tried.
It was a stimulation he had never experienced before and the more he thought about it, the more excited he became, which in turn led to drinking more liquor. Before long, half a bottle of brandy was gone.
"Boss!"
About thirty minutes into the waiting, one of his men finally reported, "A woman has arrived at the residential area and is coming our way."
"I see. Watch out for her."
Gao Ling nodded, his blurry eyes flickering with desire.
A little while after the bodyguards were all in position, there came the "tack, tack, tack" of heels from outside and a girl arrived at their doorstep.
"Hahaha! It really is you!"
Gao Ling had a sharp eye for women. From the posture and half a face alone the other night, he knew this was that bi*ch. Now that he got to see her entire face, even a womanizer like him could not help but sigh with admiration.
She was about 175 cm in height, had long, straight, and smooth legs, and the curve around her waist was so impeccably fluid that it looked like a piece of exquisite sculpture.
Looking up, he saw the delicate collar bones, the long neck, and a face that was beautiful beyond this world. The girl looked back at him and giggled all of a sudden, calling out, "Master!"
Wow! Raising his eyebrow, Gao Ling turned around and told the others, "Ok, you can all leave now."
"Yes!"
The underlings were secretly pursing their lips as they left the room in tacit understanding. With the temperament of their boss, they prayed a little for the woman, hoping she could make it until the following day.
Momentarily, there were only the two of them in the living room. Gao Ling beckoned with his hand, "Come here!"
"Tack, tack, tack!" The woman approached him.
"..."
He looked closely at her for a moment. For some reason, her movement felt a little rigid today, and so did her facial expression. But he did not think much of it, deeming it a side effect of the Erotic Tame Head.
"Weren't you all arrogant yesterday? Now what? You just offered yourself to me, didn't you? That's what you get for messing with me!"
He reached out and grabbed her by her fair and smooth chin, then spoke in a vicious tone, "From now on, you're nothing but my bi*ch. Now, bark."
"Woof! Woof!"
"Hahaha! This is great! That wild monkey does know his stuff!"
Gao Ling was so psyched up that the muscles on his face were all contorted. Thanks to the brandy, an uncontrollable urge was rushing through his body. He ignored the fact that he was still in the living room with doors wide open, as well as the open yard outside; he simply leaned back into the sofa.
"Come here!"
The woman shifted and moved closer.
"On your knees!"
The woman did not move.
"I said, on your knees!"
Still not moving.
Hm? Gao Ling stood up, took out that box out of his pocket, fumbled around, and shouted again, "Kneel!"
"..."
The woman acted as if she could not understand his words. She simply stood there without any reaction. He was infuriated and slapped her, "I'm telling you to f**king—"
"Bang!"
As soon as his palm touched her face, there was a muffled sound like an exploded balloon. The woman turned into a plume of white smoke and disappeared into thin air.
"What, what is happening?"
Struck dumb with astonishment and panic-stricken, Gao Ling was about to call out to Thant Tun when a voice rang out from above. "Tsk, tsk. You just had to try it. You had it coming—that's a very useful motto."
"Who's there?"
He raised his head in a whoosh and saw a figure flying down gracefully and landed lightly on the floor. It was none other than that woman!
"You, you…"
"I what?"
"Slap!"
Xiaojin slapped him without hesitation. The fellow's head snapped to the right so abruptly that one could hear the crunching sound of twisted bones. Blood bubbled out of his mouth as three broken teeth flew out.
"Did I say you can address me?"
"Slap!"
She slapped him again with the back of her hand on the other cheek, then kicked him on his knee. "On your knees!"
"Aaaaah!"
Gao Ling screamed, feeling his kneecaps crushed. He lay prostrated on the floor and was shaking from all the pain.
Despite the grin on Xiaojin's face, she was fuming and cursed loudly, "You motherf**ker! Making me your sex slave, aren't you? Do you know who I am? Kowtow!"
"Bang!"
"Again!"
"Bang!"
"Again!"
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Good god. With the strength she was using, Gao Ling's head was banging against the floor like a pounding pestle. The marble tiles paving the floor cracked and his forehead was a purple mess. The man soon lost consciousness.
"Boss! Boss!"
"What's going on?"
Just then, the underlings heard the noise and rushed into the room. Shocked by what they saw, they took out all their guns, daggers, electric prods, and like.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Let go of our boss, or I'll shoot!"
"Humph! Dragon-seizing Hand!"
Xiaojin liked her drama even under such circumstance. She reached out her palms, made a grabbing gesture, and the weapons disappeared from their former owners and reappeared in her hands. Before the men had time to react, she exerted her energy. "Go!"
"Ah! Ah!"
There were then the thumping sounds of men falling to the ground. The half a dozen people were completely useless and were thrown into the yard. The smarter ones among them began to yell, "Master, help!"
"Master! Master!"
With the noise they made, Thant Tun was long alerted and had ran up from the basement. He looked up and was petrified as well. In broken Chinese, he said, "You… why…"
"Oh? You're here as well. That's convenient." Xiaojin kicked Gao Ling to the side and said, "Are you talking about that crap of yours?"
With that, she pressed her chest and ripped something out. There were streaks of sizzling lightning—wrapped in the center of the golden purple lightning was a petty lump of black air.
"You really should get your f**king facts straight before messing around here!" she said in a mocking tone. Her five slender fingers then squeezed down and the black air dissipated into nothing. With his soul connected to the black air, Gao Ling was instantly hit by the backfire. Blood spurted out of his mouth and he was barely alive.
"$%^&*!"
Thant Tun was almost frightened to death. He had been practicing Tame Head of decades in Myan and this was the first time he ever saw someone crushing it with bare hands.
With a string of black beads in his hand, he revealed one side of his shoulder and was about to chant a spell. Unfortunately, this was not a turn-based game where the other side would just stand there until he finished loading the skill.
Hence, he was only able to make the first two syllables when he saw a figure coming up to his face. It was sharp and intimidating like a sword, as if it was going to bore deeply into his skull.
"Thump!"
The short monkey did not have time to dodge and hurtled out of the door, also landing on the lawn.
Thant Tun struggled to his feet and released a streak of rolling black air, which pounced at one of the underlings and devoured him. There was instantly the shuffling noise of sucking blood and chewing bones.
The fellow did not even have time to scream; he was a pool of blood in no time.
"Monster! A monster!"
Some resident just happened to pass by and was petrified by the scene, then collapsed onto the ground and could no longer control his bladder and bowels.
After feasting on human flesh, the infant ghost grew more imposing. Thant Tun himself was enveloped in a red glow from head to toe which then fused into the black air and erupted into the air, threatening to cover up the sky.
"#$%^&*!"
He chanted a spell to have the infant ghost charge at Xiaojin while he himself turned around and fled.
The fellow was not stupid. He knew perfectly well that he was no match for someone who could crush Tame Head with a single hand. All he tried to do was to have the infant ghost buy some time while he ran barefoot at full speed, heading for the wall not far ahead.
Who on earth said this country had no capable men?
Who on earth said the Taoist community was a bunch of good-for-nothings?
That Gao fellow was a pig! Where did he get into trouble with that woman?
As he cursed inside, Thant Tun kept moving. That infant ghost was refined by his master before being handed over to him and had some incredible abilities. He only hoped it could stall the woman for long enough.
About twenty steps later, he arrived at the wall. Delighted, he leapt onto it.
Just then, three loud and clear commands rang out from behind him. "Thunder, come!"
"Thunder, come!"
"Thunder, come!"
"Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!"
Dark clouds gathered in the sky and the courtyard darkened. Three streaks of golden-purple divine lightning as thick as teacups struck down successively, two of which struck the infant ghost. The ghostly energy rolled and heaved, but was no match to the overwhelming power. It was destroyed right away.
The third one shot out like an arrow and struck Thant Tun on his back.
"Crack!"
"Clunk!"
The bricks on the top of the wall were smashed and fell all over the ground. Outside, the street seemed to be frozen for a second as the pedestrians and vehicles halted to witness the golden lightning striking down in broad daylight.
A man had just turned into ashes on top of a wall!
"..."
A couple of seconds later, there was a sudden "Beep!"
"Aaaaaah! Help! What was that?"
"Sob… mum…"
"F**k! Get out of my way!"
The honk seemed to have turned on some switch and the long street erupted into a hubbub. There were screams, rumbling, running, crying, cursing, and the whole shebang. All hell broke loose. A patrol car across the street made a u-turn and drove hastily towards the residential area.
Two Taoist priests on the watchout were also astonished. Ignoring the crowd, they activated their energy and jumped over the wall.
Arriving at the scene, the two broke into a cold sweat. There was a giant pit in the courtyard, the house was half gone, and people were all over the ground. A girl stood in the middle of all this, looking very fierce!
"Who's done what? What's going on?"
"Call the police! Call the police! Was there an explosion?"
Meanwhile, the securities and other house owners also arrived, and looked at all this with gaping mouths.
"I am Qingsong Zi of Zhenqing Temple. Who are you? How dare you murder people in broad daylight?" one of the priests asked in a stern voice.
"Zhengqing Temple?"
Xiaojin darted him a look and raised her voice above all the noise. "This is Phoenix Mountain business. Out of my way!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-112.png){kind=small}
Chapter 312: Hail Little Soap!
Source: Qidian International
Phoenix Mountain?
The two words pounded against Qingsong Zi's eardrums like a sledgehammer and his heart lurched, silently blaming himself for acting recklessly: extremely capable and a woman, who else could this one be?
However, he managed to maintain his posture and cupped his hands. "Sorry for not recognizing you right away, Laywoman Jiang. Could you tell me what has happened here?"
Hm?
Squinting, Xiaojin instinctively realized something was amiss from that address. She asked, "Do you know who I am?"
"Laywoman Jiang's fame is so widespread, how could I not know? Is Layman Gu not with you?"
"Don't beat around the bush. Do you really know who I am?" Xiaojin pressed on.
"Um…"
Qingsong Zi hesitated at her tone. On Phoenix Mountain there were the couple and a Miao woman… oh, there seemed to be a distant relative also, making them four in total.
He couldn't have been wrong!
The only thing was that the word around was that Laywoman Jiang was far bolder and more generous than any ordinary man, but this one standing here seemed quite girlish. That was a little strange...
F**k, f**k, f**kity f**k!
Little Soap was fuming up at the look on his face. EXCUSE ME! She had finally stolen the spotlight: she detected the lurking man at the alley, left behind the hair on purpose, trapped the Tame Head with her Thunder Technique, made the dummy with the Shape-changing Spell, demonstrated her might power in front of everyone, and killed the evil man with her lightning… she had planned it all out so that she could be the center of this big show.
What did she get in return? She was mistaken for her sister?
She was about to lash out when the sound of her brother-in-law came from the roof. "Ok, that's enough!"
The man himself arrived with those words. Gu Yu—who had been playing the happy bystander for a while—landed lightly on the ground with a smile. "Nice to meet you, priest. I have heard so much about your prestigious temple. Had it not been for our tight schedule, we would have visited you the first thing."
"You flatter us. Senior Brother Shi of our Longmen Sect is in the temple at the moment. Would the layman have the time to meet him?"
Once seeing the famous man in flesh, Qingsong Zi was all the more polite and appropriate. He was a clever man and knew that since these two could kill someone in broad daylight and make such a big scene, what had happened had grown out of his hands. He was thus more than happy to make it his superior's problem.
"Shi Yunlai is here in Spring City?" Gu Yu was a little surprised, but then smiled. "Sure. I need to talk to your abbot anyway."
"Eeeooo! Eeeooo!"
While they were still talking, sirens rang out in the residential area as a police car drove in through a passageway. Gu Yu shrugged and told the security team that was still standing staring at them in utter confusion, "Tell them that I'll be in Zhenqing Temple!"
With that, he and Xiaojin leapt out and disappeared from sight. Qingsong Zi and the other priest followed suit, also jumping over the wall.
"..."
The bystanders were silent for a long time before someone asking in a bemused tone, "I'm not seeing an illusion, am I?"
"Nope, nor are my eyes tricking me."
"Is it, is it possible that immortals and monsters are real?"
"That lightning must have been real, right?"
"What did she say just then? Phoe... phoe..."
"Phoenix Mountain!"
***
Zhenqing Temple, a meditation room.
Shi Yunlai sat a little awkwardly in the middle, while the abbot Chen Qingyou sat on a lower seat next to him on one side and Gu Yu and Xiaojin sat on the other.
He was not as generous as Chao Kongtu and was still brooding over that fight in Changbai Mountains. What had happened this time only made it worse: he had had everything planned out and was ready to show his mighty hand when that Thant Tun screwed up.
And we all knew what actually happened: that fellow messed with the wrong person and he was out of the picture in no time!
Gu Yu had no idea of Shi Yunlai's unsettled mind and only said, "This is a happy coincidence. Why is Priest Shi in Spring City?"
"I'm just following orders. It's not just me. The others priests of the monastery have also come down the mountain to other places."
"To deal with those Tame Head masters?"
"That's correct."
"With the Taoist community's participation, these people will not stand a chance. I admire you all greatly for that," said Gu Yu wholeheartedly.
"Cough, cough…"
Shi Yunlai did not know how to respond to that and gave his ambiguous answer with a couple of coughs. He then asked in return, "May I ask why are you here?"
"Well, I have been staying on the mountain for too long and thought I could use a little trip. I heard a lot was going on here, so I made Spring City my first stop. I have never thought I would get involved in this, though, which is making everything much more interesting," Gu Yu replied half-seriously. After a little pause, he added, "Speaking of which, there is something I need Abbot Chen's expertise on."
"May I ask what is it about?" Chen Qingyou winced a little, not expecting his name to be called.
"About this."
He took out that yellow talisman and told them about everything. "I attended an auction yesterday. Does Abbot Chen know anything about it?"
"An auction…" Chen Qingyou pondered for a moment before answering, "About twenty days ago, a very well-connected secret society was suddenly established in Spring City. It also had a considerable manpower, which was turning over every stone to search for cultivation-related objects, which would be auctioned off. They came to ask me to host the event, but I turned them down."
"Oh, it's just that I saw this talisman at the auction. Did a disciple of your temple draw it?"
"Well…"
Chen Qingyou took the talisman and examined it. The more he looked at it, the more worried he became, for it looked distinctively like the drawing of one of his disciples. He asked, "Was it really from the auction?"
"Haha, you're holding eight million there!" Gu Yu chuckled.
Eight million!
Shi Yunlai's face turned livid at that. However fierce the internal strife of the Taoist community was, there was one general guideline: never get involved with the secular forces.
The Taoist community was able to maintain its high political status because of its relative independence and impartiality. They only followed the orders from the top and never meddled with local problems.
If some individual disciple was taken away by their selfish desire and colluded with local power to gain financial benefit, the impact would be unfathomable.
First of all, the Taoist community had gone through some serious "self-inflicted damage" to clear away the rotten roots and cleanse the system. Once this dam was open, that acquired seriousness was gone and they would be back to the old corruptive ways.
Secondly, the status of the Taoist community would decline and also gone would be the independence.
Most importantly, it was asking for trouble! A local tycoon joining hands with an innate state cultivator: what were you trying to achieve? An insurgence?
The bosses would never let such thing happen!
As for Gu Yu, although he was not part of the Taoist community, being a fellow cultivator, he still hated to see the community falling apart for such crap. Hence he decided to give these people a heads-up.
Chen Qingyou's face darkened and he called out suddenly, "Qingfeng!"
"Yes, Abbot!" someone answered outside.
"Go get Yiming!"
"Yes!"
The man left. Before long, the door of the meditation room was pushed open and a young priest in his twenties entered, then bowed. "Master! Master Uncle Shi! How do you do, Layman and Laywoman!"
"Yiming, did you draw this?" Chen Qingyou handed him the talisman.
The priest gave it a look and asked in surprise, "I did. Is there anything wrong with it?"
"Humph! You should be proud of yourself, then. Not only was it used for an auction, it was sold for eight million!"
"Mater, I-I know nothing of this!" Yiming instantly became flustered and tried to explain, "A layman came for a blessing the other day, saying that his house was pestered with snakes and insects, whose number was so great that they could not be eliminated. His wife and children were unable to sleep at night. I pitied him, so I drew him this talisman… Master, I did not do it out of greed!"
"Who was this man?" Chen Qingyou asked in a stern tone.
"He has visited us a couple of times before and was always behaving appropriately. I don't know him very well and only know that his family name is Duan."
"..."
Chen Qingyou darted a look at Shi Yunlai, certain of what was happening, but he still tried to test the young priest some more. He pressed on, "You really have no idea who he was?"
"No, absolutely not!"
"And you really gained nothing financially from it?"
"Master!" Yiming was an honest and humble one. He fell to his knees with a thump and said, "Ever since I became a disciple of the sect, all I ever wanted was to pursue the Great Dao and never for once did I linger on the comfort of the secular world! If you, Master, yourself do not believe me, I, I can only—"
"Enough!"
Chen Qingyou flipped his wide sleeve and raised his pupil to his feet. "I believe you. But after all, the error was a result of your doing. You will stay in seclusion for a month to reflect on yourself."
"Yes!"
Yiming lighted up at the punishment and retreated with a bow.
"..."
Gu Yu sat there watching the whole thing, feeling his jaw going slack.
This was exactly why he did not like Quanzhen. These people were rigid to a fault with their precepts! The free and easy-going Chao Kongtu was much more pleasant to hang out with.
Shortly after Yiming left them, someone else came to report to Chen Qingyou. "Abbot, men from the BIMAUP are outside. They are here for Layman Gu."
"The BIMAUP?"
Chen Qingyou glanced at the man in question, who could not look more indifferent at the news. He said with resignation, "Show them in!"
***
Myan, the Kachin Hills.
The mountain was to the north of the city of Myitkyina and was covered by a vast virgin forest. In the local language, its name meant "the place where devils dwell."
It was once a Chinese territory, but outstanding historical issues led to redrawn national boundaries and it was now part of Myan.
The kachin hills were known for their precipitous mountains, vast and luxuriant forest, neverending swamps, roaming beasts, countless insects, venomous snakes, and vicious miasma.
During the second world war, around 100,000 soldiers of the Chinese Expeditionary Army entered Myan to fight the Japanese troops. More than 10,000 were killed in battles, but over 50,000 died trudging through these mountains.
Of course, with the modern age, part of the mountains had gone through some development and roads were also built. Hikers visited this area every year and the Hpakant quarry—the most famous jade stone quarry in the world—was also in the region.
The quarry was famous for its top-quality emeralds and was of great value. Myan was going through some tumults lately and wars were fought among various forces. Naturally, this valuable mountain was among the things they fought for.
The strange thing was, no matter how fierce the battles were, all forces had avoided going near a certain valley, as if some cannibal demon was living in it.
"Gurgle!"
"Gurgle!"
A black bubble rose up from the bottom of a pond and burst instantly before another one repeated the process. The stench was unbearable.
The pond was deep inside the mountain in a corner that no sunlight could break through. Poisonous miasma filled the air, rendering it a genuine no-man's-land. However, right next to the stagnant water was a grotesque and dilapidated wood house.
Inside sat an extremely old woman as thin as a skeleton.
She was murmuring something sitting in the center of a circle of white candles. Evil-looking objects littered the room; among them were some crawling worm-like things, which looked like they had been dissected and randomly put back together.
"Pop!"
All of a sudden, half of the white candles extinguished despite the absence of any wind. The room instantly grew dimmer.
The old woman opened her eyes, revealing a pair of vertical serpentine pupils. She fumbled out a black soul plate from her waist in a hurry. On the plate carved a small figure, which used to be glowing in a dark light, but was now completely lusterless.
"Thant Tun is dead?" she whispered to herself in an incredulous tone.
Momentarily, the murmur grew louder, eventually turning into a shriek that reminded one of some vicious ghost. "Sob… Thant Tun is dead… who dared to kill Thant Tun… sob… they're going to pay for this with their own life!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-113.png){kind=small}
Chapter 313: The Tao Family
Source: Qidian International
Thant Tun had bitten the dust—not done in by some back-alley assassin, but scorched to ashes by a streak of lightning in broad daylight with a streetful of witnesses.
Gao Ling was also wasted. The backfire of Erotic Tame Head had destroyed his mind and he would spend the rest of his life a retarded man.
Therefore, the authorities had to give an official explanation to both the Gao Family and the general public, even if it was plain bullsh*t.
"Yesterday around noontime, a criminal fleeing across provinces was shot down in Taoyuan Estate of Spring City… because the criminal was well-equipped with advanced weaponry, multiple civilians were accidentally injured during the crossfire. The appropriate treatment has been arranged and the emotions of the persons concerned and their families are relatively stable…"
Hence, a piece of news thus blatantly worded appeared on the official print media of Spring City, taking up the tiniest column possible. The common folk who had actually witnessed the event or heard about the rumor of the event probably responded with a shrug: well, whatever you say!
Ever since the bubbling news of "possessed by ghosts" in August, common people of this country had gotten used to the way news traveled around: the official media were forever telling everyone solemnly about the peaceful and quiet life they were enjoying, while the network media criticized about everything and made every effort to reveal the truth.
This stark yet interesting contrast between the two had created plenty of topics for the general public to crow about. They were, of course, finding what was going on somewhat understandable: why, the government had gone this far to cover things up, that should at least count for something, right?
There was no photo or video footage of the event of that day, but almost everyone doubtlessly "knew" and filled in any blanket with their lively imagination.
"I was there. I'm telling you, that man had black cloth wrapped around his head and was a Myanese!"
"A man of Myan should think twice before messing around in Spring City. See what became of him? You do not want to piss off the bosses!"
"Dude, how do you know it was the Taoist priest's doing?"
"There was the lightning! Who else have you seen using them apart from Taoist people?"
"Hahaha! I've written a full season of TV drama in my head already: the southern foreigners snuck in with an evil intention, trying to stir things up; a Taoist priest brought justice by striking down with lightning!"
"Tsk, tsk. I've always thought Tame Head of the Southeast an amazing skill. From the look of it, ours is by far the better one! Why, all of a sudden, I feel much more confident."
"There're so many veterans here and this novice is quivering with his ignorance. I only have one question: where the heck is this Phoenix Mountain?"
"Exactly! I've checked online. There are over twenty mountains with this name—in Yong Town, Qishan, Leqing, Shanhe Village, Putian, Panshui… damn it, even the HK Islands have a Phoenix Mountain! This immortal couldn't have chosen a more common name!"
"Whatever! I've made up my mind! I'm going to search every corner of our country for the real immortals!" * **
West Diannan, Ruili.
Ruili was a county-level city right next to Muse of Myan. A treaty port had been set up here to support the trade of jade. Every year, nearly 10 million travelling traders and tourists visited the city.
Life in border cities had always been quite interesting. The two cities were separated by nothing but an iron fence at the closest spot, which had a big hole on it—people were going to and fro through it without ever being stopped. On the other side of the fence were some unlicensed motorcycle-taxi ready to take you for a one-day ride around Muse.
The situation was pretty much the same over on this side. Young beggars of the other side would often cross the border and crouch down pitiably by the side of the road. They couldn't speak Chinese and were only here for some food.
"Awwww, poor baby! Can you use our money over there?"
Xiaojin was now handing a bag of food to an unkempt little girl, then gestured with a few notes. The child took out a piece of bread and wolfed it down, making a humming sound and nodding at Xiaojin.
"That's good. Put it away in your pocket and don't let others take it."
She stuffed the money into the little girl's pocket and sighed. "I guess the news 1 was right: our country is prospering and everyone else is suffering in hell!" "..."
The corner of Gu Yu's mouth twitched. 'Had I not known you better, I'd have taken you for Mother Teresa!'
Tao Yu, on the other hand, did not know Xiaojin like Gu Yu did. He was immediately moved by her "kindness". "Fate had brought her here to our doorstep. Let me check with the authorities, see if we can take the kid into our system. That'll at least make my conscience at peace."
"That's great. Your good act will be rewarded. May the force be with you."
Xiaojin cupped her hands solemnly at Tao Yu.
After they took out Thant Tun, the BIMAUP came to visit them at Zhenqing Temple—not to denounce them for what they did, of course, but only to inquire what actually happened.
With the complicated situation at the moment and abnormalities popping up everywhere, the BIMAUP had turned into the ultimate logistic service of the cultivation community, as well as the labor union of the Taoist community, the director of propaganda, and the research institution—among a whole bunch of other functions. Their complaint had changed from lying around with nothing to do to working their a*s off and feeling 24 hours were not enough for a day—let's just call it fate.
Gu Yu was not the patronizing type and told them about the event in details. As for how the Gao Family, Zhenqing Temple, and the public sentiment were to be handled, that was not something he would concern himself with.
After that, the two came to Ruili with Tao Yu.
The Tao Family ran a business in jade locally and was quite affluent. They had a commercial building in the port area which contained hundreds of individual shops. Their mansion was not far, either—just a 15-minute walk to the east of the port.
"Things are quite rough over there in Myan at the moment. Three forces are all trying to take control of the country and fights are breaking out almost everyday. The Kachin Hills are within the strategic region, which is now under the control of Soe Win's army. The other two forces are May Myo and Ge Thantwe. All three are devilish men who slaughter people without so much as batting an eyelid. People over there are all panicky and many have sneaked over to this side." Tao Yu filled them in on the current situation in a low voice as they walked. "My family has some connections on the other side. Let me try if I can contact them and sent you to the Kachin Hills. I know mighty immortals like you two may not care about that, but I still think we should avoid unnecessary fight if it's possible."
"That can wait. Let's go see your uncle first." Gu Yu did not give any definite reply. A moment later, they arrived at a manor.
Yes, it was a manor: tall walls, huge yards, and a three-story white building with a fountain and a lawn. Xiaojin was genuinely surprised as she exclaimed, "Old Tao, I never knew you're such a Tuhao! I've always thought you just another upstart."
"Haha, I'm an upstart all right. My grandfather started the business and it's only the third generation now." Tao Yu was indeed a good-tempered man. After a pause, he said bashfully, "You might think everything is great from the look of this house, but we can barely put up with the appearance. Tao Ran has taken over the company and we only managed to hold on because of the shares my uncle still has. You have ruined his plan back in Spring City and I'm sure he is infuriated. I fear that he might send people to make trouble for us."
With that, the three entered the courtyard.
A demure and beautiful middle-aged woman came out in a hurry to greet them. "Xiao Yu, you're finally back. Is everything ok?"
"It's fine. How is uncle?"
"Very bad. If we can't find a way to save him, we'll have to start planning for his funeral."
"Don't worry. These two masters I brought back will surely dispel the evil energy from him."
He then introduced them to one another. The woman was Tao Yu's aunt. Most of the clansmen had been bought off by Tao Ran and the only ones left behind here were the elderly and the young. The situation looked rather hopeless.
"Mr. Gu, my uncle is just upstairs. Do you want to have a look first?"
"Please take me to him."
They went up to a bedroom on the second floor, where a nanny and two teenagers were looking after the patient. The emaciated man was in his fifties and his breathing was almost too shallow to detect; he could barely be considered a living person.
Gu Yu gave it a look and knew what he was dealing with right away. "He's been infected by evil energy. It's quite easy to treat."
The two children were very smart and immediately saw that he was the honorable guest they had been hoping for. They ran to him desperately. "Please, please save my father!"
"We'll do anything! Just please save dad!"
The aunt was afraid of offending the master and said hastily, "The master will decide that for himself. You shouldn't be disturbing him like this. Come, let's leave them in peace."
After they left, Gu Yu took out his gourd and poured out an Evil-dispelling Dan. He then fed it to the man and activated his spiritual essence to guide the energy around the man's body so that the medicine would take effect. "..."
Xiaojin slouched in her chair on the side playing with her phone, and couldn't care less about what was going on.
Tao Yu watched it with widely open eyes. He had heard about what happened to Thant Tun, who was not that famous himself, but had a master who was notoriously vicious.
Hence Tao Yu's reasoning: the Three Gods were the major masters and their pupil a minor master; someone who could easily terminate a minor master should at least be a major master themselves.
The possibility of his uncle being saved had never looked this promising. He almost felt grateful for the beating Tao Ran gave him, for he would have never met these two otherwise.
"What are you doing? How can you break in like this? This is my house!"
"Get your a*s down here, Tao Yu! That old fool has days to live and you're kicking the bucket first!"
"Waah, don't go in there, waah…"
"Out of my way!"
Just then, a hubbub of crying and screaming came from downstairs. Tao Yu shuddered and turned abruptly towards Gu Yu, who did not even lift his eyelids. Xiaojin put away her phone, got up, and went downstairs.
A minute later, there came another round of hubbub and screaming.
"Aaaah!"
"Sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't hit me!"
The bunch of petty underlings only took Xiaojin one "angry crow takes flight"— 2 they were all over the ground like fallen apples. She then froze these people by blocking their meridians and tossed them into the fountain pool head first. 'Wow!'
Struck by her heavenly mightiness, that pair of teenagers admired her with shining eyes, completely forgetting about the fear they had a minute ago.
"You two, keep an eye on them. Drag them out for a breath if they're drowning, then throw them back in."
"They, they…"
"Don't worry, they can't move!"
Xiaojin ran happily back upstairs and saw that Gu Yu was almost wrapping up.
The man was probably also affected by a type of Tame Head which could wear his internal organs down until he was dead. It was not done expertly and was easily seen through—possibly the work of some lesser Tame Head master.
Gu Yu put a palm flat on the man's chest and circulated his spiritual essence around so that the medicine was the most effective. "Sizzle!" "Sizzle!"
Vapor was rising from all over his body and some detectable faint black air was dissipating. A couple of seconds later, the black air turned white, then turned transparent.
"Done!"
Before long, Gu Yu put down his hand.
Tao Yu could now see that his uncle was breathing evenly and color was back on his cheeks. He was exultant. The Tame Head that almost destroyed his family was removed like crushing an ant… without knowing it, Gu Yu had become a god-like figure to him.
"Thank you, Master! Thank you!"
"Our Tao Family is forever in you debt. From now on, through fire or high water, we'll follow whatever order you give us!"
The aunt was a smart one as well—with what this man could do, they would be idiots if they didn't make the best of this opportunity.
"That's ok. It's not a big deal." Gu Yu was about to end it with some pleasantries when an idea suddenly came to him. "You said you have been in the jade business for three generations. Have you collected any unusual treasure that I may have a look at?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-114.png){kind=small}
Chapter 314: Hollow Stone
Source: Qidian International
The Tao Family house, a guest room.
The cool autumn breeze blew gently in and the moon shone softly on the curtain. Gu Yu was sitting on his bed, holding that Hollow Stone in his hands. Because of their tight schedule, he hadn't had time to study it so far. Now that they were finally able to have a break, he could have a closer look.
The stone was two sizes larger than a basketball, with rough and uneven surface. There was absolutely nothing special about it just in appearance alone, so those men behind that auction must have had very sharp eyes to pick it out.
With a streak of his mental force, Gu Yu slowly poked the stone briefly before withdrawing. The texture inside was the same as the exterior, only that the structure was rather unique: it consisted of tiny round holes.
The holes crisscrossed and linked with one another. It might look chaotic at the first sight, but there was in fact a pattern in them, not much unlike a giant beehive or ant nest. Faint spiritual essence was slowly flowing through this holes and filled the entire interior.
"The wonder of Nature, so unbelievable."
Gu Yu could not help but sigh with admiration. He weighed the stone up and down in his palm, then sent in a streak of his spiritual essence, which carefully fused with that of the stone itself and resumed flowing around inside the stone.
"Rustle!"
"Gurgle!"
After the two streaks of spiritual essence converged, the new streak was flowing slightly faster, making a sound reminding one of wind passing through woods and gurgling water.
Gu Yu felt distinctively that the weight on his palm was lifted all of a sudden and the stone became lighter still. It now sat there like a giant marshmallow.
Hm?
He was greatly intrigued and began to send in an unbroken stream of spiritual essence. With it, the stone grew forever lighter until about fifteen seconds later, when all of the holes inside were filled with spiritual essence and he could insert no more.
There was barely any weight left to Hollow Stone. Unfortunately, it was not light enough to float.
"..."
Gu Yu pondered with a frown: the weight of this stone had something to do with its spiritual essence, but what about that impact force?
He drew out the spiritual essence and returned the stone to its original state, then set up a layer of confinement and threw the stone at it with a third of his full strength.
"Thump!"
The stone seemed to have knocked onto a transparent film and created an invisible fluctuation. The confinement remained intact.
He increased power to half of his full strength and threw the stone out again.
"Bang!"
The confinement flickered and shook a little as if it was about to collapse.
"This is not a strong confinement, but the stone can break it with sheer force alone, that is indeed something."
In the next round of experiment, Gu Yu inserted two streaks of spiritual essence to fill the stone up, then added another 30% of his full strength.
"Bang!"
The stone broke through the film and hurtled on, embedding itself into the wall. The entire house shuddered at the impact, shaking doors and windows. There was immediately a hubbub of noises outside.
"It's an earthquake!
"Earthquake! Run!"
"..."
Gu Yu grinned and took back the stone with a guilty conscience. He was pleasantly surprised, though. It was obvious that the impact force was related to the strength of the throw and the amount of internal spiritual essence. The larger the two numbers, the more impact it would make.
With that characteristic, his idea of refining a Sky-turning Seal might actually come true. However, this one alone would not do the trick. Ideally, he would need an enormous piece with countless holes to make the refinement worthwhile.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
"Master, what happened? Are you all right?"
He was still deep in his thoughts when Tao Yu's voice came from outside.
"I'm ok. I was just doing research."
"Oh, may I come in?"
"Sure!"
"Squeak!"
Tao Yu opened the door and walked in, acting as if he had not seen the dent on the wall, and only said, "Master, I've brought you all the old materials our company preserved. And these…"
Somehow, he hesitated a little before taking out a few pouches and pushed them to Gu Yu. "These are the things we wear ourselves. Please have a look."
The current jade market was in a rather chaotic state and shams were frequently passed off as genuine pieces. One could often run into stuff claimed to be hundred-year-old jade, which was nothing but knock-offs.
The "hundred-year-old jades" one could find in open markets were all fake—if one was lucky enough, maybe they could find some genuine pieces in the black market.
The age of a jade piece was counted after it was processed into a designed form. The raw stone state did not count, for they were considered embryos only. Both officially and unofficially, the oldest jade pieces private collectors held could be dated back to the Republic of China 1 era the furthest. There was hardly anything left from before that, not even from the Qing Dynasty.
Even the jade pieces of the Republic of China era were mostly not obtained through proper means. For instant, many were dug out from graves and had gone through multiple transactions to dispose of such stolen goods. Such jade piece needed to be blessed by masters before wearing on person, and could no be shown to others after the new owners wore them.
If it was shown to the others, the lifespan and the luck in making money of the owner would both be affected.
These pieces worn by members of the Tao Family had all been processed by Tame Head masters to expel the evil energy. Technically speaking, they shouldn't be shown to any outsider, either. However, Mr. Gu was not an outsider, but a master. Hence, after much consideration, Tao Yu brought them along.
"Oh?"
Gu Yu was intrigued. He opened each pouch in turn and saw that they contained two jade bracelets and two jade plates. None of them were exactly exquisite, but there was an energy about them that made one find it hard to put them down.
"Master, you have done us a great favor that we can't possibly return. If you like, feel free to take these little pieces back with you," said Tao Yu.
"Haha, they're things you wear yourselves—I can't deprive you of your precious belongings. To be able to have a look at them is more than enough."
Gu Yu played around with them for a while, put them back into the pouches, and smiled. "Let's go, I want to look at those materials."
"Oh, sure…"
Tao Yu was genuinely surprised by that and was watching Gu Yu with even greater respect. He led Gu Yu downstairs to the right side of the courtyard, where the special warehouse for jade stones was. In it were three giant pieces of raw stones.
Jade was known to be found in Diannan, and by this "jade", we usually referred to jadeite.
Jade was a very broad concept and could be generally categorized into nephrite and jadeite. To list a few, Hetian Jade, Xiuyan Jade, Lantian Jade, Dushan Jade, topaz, aventurine, etc., all had "jade" in their common name in Chinese.
The three jade stones the Tao Family saved were two jadeite stones and one nephrite one, which were considered the most valuable pieces of their factory.
Gu Yu was a little disappointed with them. However excellent these materials might be, they were nothing but ordinary objects—surpassed even by the green jade stone of Tianshan. They were good enough, though, for they could at least be made into jade slips to store information.
Such was a demonstration of the distance between the two worlds: objects of the highest grade of the mortal world were common commodity of the cultivation world.
"They'll do. I'll take them all. How much should I pay you?" said Gu Yu.
"..." Tao Yu pursed his lips and said decisively, "I'm offering these old materials to master for free. I want nothing in return, but only hope you could bless the Tao Family with an opportunity to make a connection with the immortal world."
With that, he fell to his knees.
"Oh my, please don't do this!"
Gu Yu stopped his kowtowing in haste and said, "To be honest, Phoenix Mountain will need quite a large amount of jade. I see you're an honest and courageous man and would like to extend our friendship into the long run. How do you like that?"
"Yes, yes, of course!" Tao Yu was elated, but then looked worried. "However, Master, I think you might have heard, jade stone mines are growing fewer in numbers with stones of lower quality. If you only want materials of this grade, I'm afraid…"
"Don't worry. We'll take stones slightly inferior to these as well—or, in common terms, anything above average will do."
"Oh, that won't be a problem, then. We have a jade mine in Diannan mainly producing jade for the mid-market. You won't need to worry about the yield. The top-quality jade stones are all found in Myan and we have connections over there as well."
"A jade mine?" Gu Yu gave it some thought and said, "The spiritual essence is affecting things on various aspects and the jade mines may mutate as well; or new lodes might be taking shape as we speak… here's what you'll do: get some rights to mining in advance, and from next year, Phoenix Mountain will send people here every year. Your job is to work with them and we'll take care of everything else."
"Um, sure!"
Tao Yu was astonished by this idea; this one was an ambitious boss he did not want to screw with.
"And there's one more thing. I promise you that as long as our relationship holds, whenever a new baby is born into the Tao Family, we'll be here to examine it. Anyone with the right quality can go to Phoenix Mountain and become a cultivator."
Boom!
Tao Yu thought his head was going to explode at those words. That was exactly what he hoped for the most. Right then, he forgot about everything else and was on his knees again. "Thank you, Master!"
***
The Kachin Hills, Hpakant jade stone quarry.
If was one of the most important production areas of jadeite. The mining area was a long strip along the edge of the Kachin Hills, with an area of around 2071 km^2.
The quarry was in the middle of nowhere. The nearest town was 113 km away, but since the day it was built, the place had never been quiet. Aside from all the workers making a living here, all the high rollers coming here to gamble on the jade stone were enough to make this place a remote mountainous town with bright-lit nights that never slept.
"Luck is on my side. The one I just cut open was an ice one. Hahaha, I'm settled for a whole year!"
"Not me. I've thrown in a couple of millions and only got two peas!"
"Cheer up! Here, my treat today! We'll drink till we drop!"
A Chinese and a man of Malaya strolled into a club shoulder to shoulder. Standing in the shop window by the door were several young ladies dressed very "modestly", drawing much "window-shopping" eyes.
Mia Lwin was in an army combat uniform with a thick cigar between his teeth. He watched all the high rollers going to and fro from his jeep and in his eyes were both disdain and excitement.
He despised these weak rich people, but was excited at the fortune these weaklings brought in.
Mia Lwin was Soe Win's most valuable employee, who was ordered to guard the quarry. Soe Win used to be a general in the government. After the downfall of the head of the country, everything went chaotic and Soe Win decided to become his own boss. He was now fighting violently against the two other forces.
Hpakant was a strategic town that had changed hands multiple times. Despite the change in jurisdiction, every force was treating the Tuhao with courtesy—no one wanted to turn the ATM machines away.
"Ha…"
Mia Lwin sucked deep into his cigar and puffed out a mouthful of smoke loudly. He was a little "restless" from watching those little tarts in the window and wanted to get some "release" somewhere.
Well, he wasn't planning to pay...
He was a man of action and hopped out of the vehicle right away. Looking around, he took in the lights around him and the dark night in the distance, which were in a stark contrast.
He had been here for a month and still couldn't get used to the place! This was not a natural habitat for any human being! He couldn't leave the site for more than a hundred meters at night, or the mosquitos would devour him.
Wagging his head, he strode out in his leather boots. Mia Lwin swaggered to somewhere ahead, where a row of bungalows were. His free companion for the night was there.
"Rustle!"
A few steps out, the branches outside the fence swayed suddenly and the trees moved into a blur, as if ghosts were lurking behind. Before he had a chance to look more closely, a shadow pounced at him. His vision went dark and he passed out.
Mia Lwin had no idea how much time had passed when he woke up.
He realized he was lying in a clearing surrounded by tall trees. Log fire was burning in the middle, by which sat a stooped and emaciated old woman. Her face and shadow seemed to be moving with flame.
"Aaaaah!"
Mia Lwin cried out in fear and scrambled backwards on all fours. Neither the face nor the shadow belonged to a human. He did not know this person, but had heard enough folklore growing up: deep in the Kachin Hills was the God, the old woman...
"Shut up!" The old woman frowned and flipped her fingers, sealing up the man's mouth. She then said in a hoarse voice, "You will follow my orders. My pupil Thant Tun was killed. I don't care how you do it, but you're going to find me the killer!"
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Chapter 315: The Kachin Hills
Source: Qidian International
The road was a long one.
A vehicle had been driving all the way here from Tengchong, which was a several-hundred-kilometer journey. Finally, it slowly pulled over by the side of the road at dusktime. Xiaojin hopped off, stretching out her slender body, which had to curl up in the vehicle this entire time. Her long legs kicked the ground, making a small gust of wind that sent sand and stone flying.
"Master, this is as far as I can go." Tao Yu pointed at the endless stretches of mountains on the north and asked anxiously, "Those are the Kachin Hills. Are you sure about this?"
"Haha, we're already here so we might as well get it over with. I've climbed enough mountains so far; this is just going to be another one." Gu Yu chuckled.
"No, the Kachin Hills are not just some other mountains: it's the home of devils. Other mountains have natural resources, but these ones have nothing but poisonous creatures. If you run out of food, you won't be able to find anything to eat."
"Yada yada yada. Gimme what we need and we're off!" Xiaojin was growing impatient.
"You're entering tonight?"
Tao Yu was all the more frightened. He thought they would at least find a village to stay the night, but these two were unstoppable!
"All right, we won't need you waiting on us. It's too unsafe out here. You can go back to Ruili first."
Gu Yu patted him on the shoulder, took out two giant backpacks, and dashed into the mountain with Little Soap at his heels.
"Why…"
Tao Yu opened his mouth, but seeing Miss Jiang hopping around as if on a picnic, he said nothing in the end.
The Kachin Hills stretched out for nearly 300 km, had an altitude of 3411 m, and 70% of their area was untouched. Rumor was that Bigfoot was found roaming around the mountains, along with Monpa People, who were still in the slash-and-burn era.
The mountains had two known features: they were damp and hot.
Rows upon rows of mountain peaks rose into the distance, each one higher than another; the swamps seemed boundless and the forests were infested with all sorts of ferocious beasts. It was September at the moment, an especially vicious time of the year, for with the rainy season, mosquitoes and leeches were in their most active period, spreading diseases such as malaria, tetanus, and sepsis, which were all highly infectious.
Back then during the wartime, the Chinese expeditionary army took this route to return to their homeland and lost more than half of their soldiers in these mountains. Some got lost and starved to death, some were killed by miasma, boas, leeches, rats, and fevers from mosquito bites, while some jumped off cliffs or shot themselves. Even before that, three Japanese divisions also disappeared in these mountains and never came out.
Right now, however, we were looking at a completely different picture.
With the backpack on her back, Xiaojin was happily chewing her bubble gum. She blew out a bubble and drew it back with a popping sound—apparently, that was a very flexible tongue of hers. "Brother-in-law, were you like this too when you were out exploring with my sister?"
"We were only searching in tourist areas back then and at least the environment was nice. It really is very uncomfortable here."
Looking around, Gu Yu raised his alert by a whole level.
There was daylight still when they entered. However, less than twenty minutes had passed and the sun was completely blocked out. Everywhere they turned, they were surrounded by squashy, thick leaves—especially under their feet, where black liquid would spurt out wherever they stepped.
One had no idea what they were stepping on.
According to the staff of the auction, the Hollow Stone was found somewhere near Hpakant jade quarry, but they did not record the exact location and only knew the general direction.
The two simply decided to forget about what route they should take and started their journey from one side of the slope, from where they planned to traverse to the other side.
"Brother-in-law, what are we having for the nighttime snack?
How about a rabbit? Oh, he said there aren't many small animals here… why, how about snakes, or mushroom— sh*t!"
Xiaojin gabbed as she walked and stumbled sideways unexpectedly, as if she had tripped on something. She swept the ground with one foot and kicked up a long bone.
The bone had a very bizzare color. Because of the extremely damp weather, it was decomposing so slowly that a strange mould was growing on its surface, together with a lot of tiny red worms.
"Is it from a human?" She was not frightened at all.
"A leg bone, probably. Maybe some beast has eaten it. Just leave it alone."
Gu Yu did not think much of it and walked on leading his sister-in-law. A moment later, with a crackling sound, he stepped on one as well. Xiaojin herself hit the jackpot—she unearthed a human skull.
"Is this a freaking graveyard?"
She scratched her shoes on the tree trunk, quite annoyed. The next second, her eyes caught something. "Hey, something's over there!"
She trotted over and pulled a rifle out of a pile of rotten leaves. She was at a loss at this finding. "Do you know anything about this?" "Well…" Gu Yu was not a military enthusiast and only learned about guns when he practiced shooting. He said doubtfully, "I think it was made in Hanyang? I'm not sure, but it looks like one." "Made in Hanyang? The weapon of the expeditionary army?" Xiaojin blinked and scanned the ground, then said in amazement, "Are you saying these are all remains of the soldiers?" "Very likely." An idea struck Gu Yu and he looked at Little Soap again.
"Bury them all you want. Why are you looking at me?" She was as blunt as always. "Haha, in that case, bear with me." He grinned. He examined the terrain first, then walked to a spot that seemed like the center of this area and began to activate the Small Moving Technique. "Come!" "Crack!" All of a sudden, the rotten leaves tumbled and the poisonous miasma that had been buried beneath for a century erupted all at once, which shook leaves off the trees and sent wind howling as if ghosts were crying in the woods. The decomposed remains gathered in front of him, soon piling into a black mound. Gu Yu put a ragged army cap on the top of the mound, and with a flash, Flaming Cloud Needles materialized in midair. "Zhoujue Palace marks the dwelling of the emperor and Liangshi Palace forms mountains; they shine so bright that they seem to burn the sky and the light dances like the sun. Mingchen Palace is sharp as a sword and Huzhao Palace towers over green mountains; the front gates open to the refinement well and the verdant forest. Qifei Palace and Lianyuan Palace both lead to spectacular spirits and devils. All six heavens cross the northern sky and the heroes rest in peace here. Go!" He chanted the Soul-appeasing Spell he learnt from Chao Kongtu and sent the red flame through the tip of the pile of bones. The damp remains burst into flame right away, emanating an intense, unbearable stench. "Whoosh!" Gu Yu waved with both hands and a breeze arrived, refreshing the air, and the stench soon dissipated, leaving behind a fire that was burning softly. After a while, the pile of bones was consumed in the fire, but there was not a single spec of ash left. All that was left was a dry ground that had been warmed up. "..."
Despite her temperament, Xiaojin watched this simple, crude, yet unusual ritual in silence.
Gu Yu picked up his backpack and gave the place a final look, then sighed. "Let's go." *** The two had been walking for over three hours after entering the mountains. Outside, night had already fallen; inside, it was so frighteningly dark that ordinary people could not see things five meters away. It felt as if lurking ghosts were closing in, ready to devour one any moment. Although they could see in the darkness, there was no point wasting their energy. They couldn't find any dry and even ground and ended up hanging up their hammocks on two trees they found. Xiaojin's hammock was above and Gu Yu's below. They lay there in the swaying beds, which were surprisingly comfortable. "..." Silence filled the mountain and darkness filled their eyes. Every now and then, there was a crackling sound of some animal knocking into their confinement. Little Soap was making little noise and seemed to have fallen asleep. Gu Yu lay there with his eyes closed as a million things went through his head. He had lost count of time when a question came from above. "Did my sister and you sleep like this every time you went out searching?" "Well, sometimes we got to sleep on an even ground; other times we might not get to sleep at all. Hammocks are a treat, believe it or not." "..." There was a brief silence and she said, "Brother-in-law, it's nice to come out with you. I'm really happy." '!!!' Gu Yu was about to turn to his side, but froze at those words. He remained in an unnatural position for a couple of seconds before replying, "You'll know what's it like after a few more trips. This is your first time venturing out. That's why everything looks interesting to you." "Well, I'll still be happy and still finding everything interesting. I just know it. Growing up, no one cared what I did. My mum was nasty to me and although dad was nice, I didn't like the way he treated me. My sister was the only one I found awesome, even if she beat me all the time… um, now I find you pretty nice too. To be honest, I've always wanted someone like you to be my…"
Every nerve of Gu Yu was tensed up and sweat covered his head. Three fingers of his hand seemed to be having a fever, while the other two had gone ice cold...
'Where is this place? Who am I? I think my sister-in-law is going to reveal her feelings to me, what should I do? I need answers now! It's an emergency!' He was all flustered when he heard the rest of the sentence, "I've always wanted someone like you to be my brother…" 'Phew!' Gu Yu could finally breathe. 'A brother! That can totally work for me!' "Sigh, you know what my sister's like. I've been worried about her since we were little. What would become of her? It turns out okay, though. You're not exactly Mr. Right, but you're at least Mr. Alright. I like you two as a couple." Maybe it was because of the surroundings, Xiaojin was not her usual self tonight and let her emotions show.
"Haha, I guess a thank you is obligatory, then. Forget about us two; you'll find your Mr. Right someday and live happily ever after." Gu Yu chuckled.
"Ha! No, thanks! Life is boring enough, why do I have to put myself through something even more boring? I choose having fun every time… well, no stars tonight. Sleep tight!"
Xiaojin turned in her hammock and mumbled in jabberwocky. The trip seemed to have exhausted her and she soon fell asleep.
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Chapter 316: The Native Man
Source: Qidian International
"Hiss!" A taupe brown viper was slithering through the rotten and damp fallen leaves. The purple speckles along its back melted into the surrounding purple weeds, making the perfect protective coloration. The highly venomous vipers were well-known worldwide. September was their breeding season, when they roamed around with a voracious appetite. It was also the time they injured the most people. Right now, it was lurking behind a thick growth of grass, staring at the human beings not far away in detest with its cold vertical pupils. It was planning on dealing a deadly blow. "Sizzle!" However, before it could bounce out, there was a strange noise incomprehensible to the intelligence of a snake. All it knew was the surrounding air suddenly turned unbelievably hot, which wrapped itself inside, then… it turned into skewered meat. "Ewww, viper again. They taste so funny!" Xiaojin picked it up by the tail with disdain and casually tossed it aside. The charred body of the snake ended up dangling from a branch. She pursed her lips. "Aren't there supposed to be Burmese pythons in these mountains? How come we never saw one? I heard they're like seven or eight meters long. Wow, that's a lot of meat."
"Gosh, careful on triggering the flag. Maybe you'll bump into one in a minute," said Gu Yu. "Whatever. It's your job to handle it anyway," Xiaojin said matter-of-factly. "What are you goggling at me for? I don't have any refined instrument. How am I supposed to fight it?" "Um…"
Well, she was actually telling the truth. If nothing else, Little Soap had at least achieved perfection of her Metal Thunder, but she had not yet had her own refined instrument. That was a little humiliating. "How about this? If we find the lode of Hollow Stone, you can refine one for yourself first." "A Sky-turning Seal? That's a bit cliche, isn't it? A brick, on the other hand, would be quite unique," said Xiaojin. "Unique my a*s! You can't just refine anything. It has to reflect, well, sort of you own understanding. It's complicated. I'll explain to you when we go back home."
Gu Yu sighed helplessly. He could put up with this younger sister-in-law's bullsh*t most of the time, but when cultivation was concerned, he thought it wise to make her play by the book. It was their third day in the mountain. They weren't moving at a very quick pace and were only halfway through their journey so far.
It was because they were constantly stumbling upon the remains of soldiers on their way and since they had done it once, there was no reason not to keep at it. The burning ritual had thus taken up much of their time.
To say the environment of the Kachin Hills was abominable was an understatement. Ordinary people would find the strange climate in the mountains impossible to withstand, not to mention all kinds of miasma and poisonous vermin.
It was humid, hot, smothering, sticky… imagine yourself locked up in a sauna house wearing thick clothes while a dozen ladles of cold water was being poured over the charcoal box, making the sizzling sound. Well, that was how one felt in these mountains.
Had it not been for the protection of their confinement, they would have been soaked through by sweat and the damp air; their skin could have been festered and peeling off. Marching for long in such an environment surrounded by nothing but towering trees, and with the absence of the sky, signs, or roads, one was easily disoriented.
They walked for another while and Gu Yu found something was amiss. "I'll go up and have a look. Wait here." With that, he aimed at a 30-meter-tall tree, activated his spiritual essence, and leapt, which took him over ten meters into the air. If he were still at a level of the beginning of this year, he would step on the tree trunk now to gain some momentum before dashing further upwards.
However, now that he was in the air, he felt he still had energy to spare and his movement was unhindered. Hence, he decided to give it a go. As a result, he used neither any medium nor Taoist skills, but worked on his body and spiritual essence alone, which pushed him up for another seven or eight meters. When he was halfway up the tree, he finally felt his energy draining up. He immediately kicked on the tree trunk and stepped onto the crown. There, he could see the sky, the pale clouds above, and the endless unblocked view on all sides. However, Gu Yu was in no mood to savor any of that. All he could think of was the wonderful feeling he experienced just then. The Dan pills he had taken for the past six months had indeed made a great difference to his cultivation. He was on the threshold of reaching the Human Immortal state. One step further and he would be in another new world. Dao, or Qi, was the origin of everything in this universe. Cultivation itself was a process of returning one to their origin: Qi transformed into men, men cultivated into Qi, which then turned to Dao again.
As remarkable as the innate state was, those of that state were still human. Human Immortal state, on the other hand, had the word "immortal" in it. Therefore, Gu Yu was faintly feeling that after reaching the Human Immortal state, one's spiritual essence would change substantially. His body, flesh, meridians, orifices, etc., would be different from how they were now.
Take the experience just then as an example. From what he felt, he honestly believed that Human Immortals could fly. Those thoughts aside, he was now standing on the crown of the tree and looking into the distance. The vast forest rustled in waves and the swaying branches moved like an ocean. Green and blue seemed to be the only color left in this world.
To his northwest, about two hours' walk away, the terrain was flat and open and he could see houses and human activities there. It was probably where Hpakant jade quarry was.
To his northeast, he could see a bare land, which was the only area in this mountain not covered by trees. Instead, there were giant rocks striped with yellowish brown and shades of gray.
He himself, on the other hand, was in the middle section of the entire mountain range. Those two places and his own spot formed an equilateral triangle. "Whoosh!" After making sure of their whereabouts, he landed lightly on his feet. "The jade quarry is on the northwest and there seems to be a rock hill on the northeast. Let's check out the latter first." *** The journey followed was uneventful. About two hours later, they arrived at the rock hill. It was about a hundred meter tall and they could barely make out the the starting and finishing point of the slopes. The yellow and gray of the rock made it look like a dead tumor among all the green of the Kachin Hills. "Crack!"
Gu Yu casually snapped a piece off the rock and examined it. "This is just common sedimentary rock. There's nothing unusual about it and the reactivity of the spiritual essence is also very stagnant." "Let me check… ah, it's the same over here! So is here! And here!" Xiaojin could not stay still. She ran around, breaking off little pieces as she moved, but found nothing.
They had no choice but to jump onto the top of the hill, which was a little more pleasant than Flaming Mountain—at least it was home to quite a few types of short vegetation and did not look dead.
Gu Yu found a spot and waved his hand. With a series of popping sounds, over sixty Flame Cloud Needles he refined so far were all released into the air.
They turned into dots of red flame and sparkled in mid-air. Together, all these shiny dots formed an enshrouding halo as if a red sun had descended. "Go!" At his clear voice, the flaming needles moved about until they were linked up end to end, turning into a flaming dragon. The clouds seemed to be stirred by its movement as it turned its head downwards and dashed, boring into the hill and sending shards of stones flying everywhere. 'Sh*t!'
Xiaojin blinked and moved closer, crouching down so that she could look into the hole the dragon just drilled. It was as thick as a teacup and abysmally deep. She could not see how far it went in. She even dug around a little with her finger and complimented, "Good for you, Brother-in-law. This thing is going deeper beyond my sister's reach! Why, if the Flame Cloud Needles are so powerful, why don't you make more of them? If you have a thousand of these, you can solve everything with one blow."
"Then I'll be sitting there embroidering for the rest time of my life. Plus, I don't have enough energy to work that many needles." Gu Yu rolled his eyes at her and waved his hand again. "Back!" "Bang!" There was another shower of broken stone and the flaming dragon flew out of the rock, carrying with it many samples of stone from inside the hill. He checked them in turn and frowned. "No Hollow Stone. Let's try the other side." After that, they moved to another spot, drilled again, and surveyed again. The flaming dragon made five holes in a row and Gu Yu was completely exhausted, but Hollow Stone was nowhere to be found. "Could it be the only one and the real lode has not taken shape yet?" Gu Yu sat on the ground and drank his spiritual liquor to regain his energy. He said with a frown, "It can't be. It's very unlikely that there is only one such stone. But I can't find anything resembling a mine here apart from this place." "What shall we do?" "We'll have another look around. If nothing shows up, we'll have no choice but to go back." "Then, then we're here for nothing!" Xiaojin was very unhappy about this and pouted. "Just think about all the things we went through. What did we get? We walked around in this lousy place for three whole days!" "Hey, you shouldn't put it that way. Many things will turn out fruitless no matter what you do, but surely nothing will come out of it if you choose not to do anything from the start." He tried to make it into a lecture. "Tsk! Save your chicken soup for the soul. Who told you nothing will come out of doing nothing? Plenty of men ended up with pregnant wives without actually doing anything." "Now you're just switching concept. Don't argue just for the sake of arguing." "So what? I'm not happy!" Little Soap could be so adorable at times, but there were also times that one was more than happy to smother her. Right now, she was pushing towards the latter. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She walked away abruptly. "Hey, where are you going?" The worried brother-in-law was about to chase after her. "Empty my bowels!" "Um…" Ok, he wasn't going to look into that. Gu Yu was actually very disappointed himself, but he was not as "extrovert" about it as his sister-in-law. He moved a little further from the spot and resumed drinking his liquor leaning on a big rock, while considering their next move. "Aaaaaah!" Just then, there came a devastating (exhilarated, actually) scream. He shuddered and ran towards the direction. He stopped almost immediately.
The plot always went like this: no matter what had just happened, he would arrive there seeing things he should not be seeing. The girl would then whimper in coyness, fall into his arms, and they would begin to "interact". "..." Hence, he calmly turned around and returned to his spot. "Hahaha! Speak of the devil! Wow, you're so fleshy!" As expected, after the scream came the jubilation. An explosion seemed to be going off over there. With the thumping noises of fists landing on a sandbag, a giant shadow was sent flying into mid-air before smashing down to the ground. 'Wow!' Gu Yu turned to look and saw that it was one of the bosses of the Kachin Hills: a Burmese python! It was the second largest species of snakes in Asia that could grow to seven to eight meters, had a ferocious temperament, and was very strong. This rock hill was probably its territory. Unfortunately, it ran into Little Soap. The python was as good as an earthworm now. "Hiss!"
The python shook it head. Its vertical pupils were losing focus and it was disoriented from all the beating. It was quick-witted for a snake, though. The next moment, it dashed out for a dozen meters and began to flee down the hill. "Where do you think you're going?" Xiaojin was still holding her pants up with one hand as she chased after the python. "Hiss!" The python slithered and tumbled, reaching the forest in no time. It then crushed its way in, taking cover in the natural camouflage. Little Soap was looking for a target to vent her frustration and this sandbag just happen to fall into her lap. There was no way she would let it escape.
After a while, she saw the woods ahead was densely covered with bushes and vines, which was to her great satisfaction. "You're going nowhere!" With that, she leapt out and flew onto a branch, as swift as a young swallow. She landed light-footedly and steadily, then with a clap of her hands, a big green gourd appeared. She aimed the opening at the python and yelled, " Star-sucking Method! 1 " Instantly, there was a sound of blood flowing.
The python turned rigid right away and was shrinking at a speed observable to the unaided eyes. Vitality was racing out of it rapidly until its skin went loose and it was dead. "Wow, this is good for a lot of medicine." She weighed the big gourd in her hand and nodded with satisfaction. Then with a grabbing gesture, she removed the big gallbladder and two fangs. After cleaning out the dead body, she darted a look at the bush and said, "Come out now. I know you're there!" "..." There was no reply. "Come out. I know you're a human being, or you'd be dead by now." Xiaojin put away her gourd and moved closer. There was a rustle in the bushes, and after a moment, a man walked out. He wore a short white top and no pants. Instead, a cloth 30 cm wide and a meter long hung loosely around his waist to hide his private part, which was not doing a very good job, for the black and long thing was dangling there for everyone to see. What was more amazing was that its tip was wrapped around by white threads. She had no idea what sort of custom that was, but it looked very, um, sacred? Other than that, he had a machete and steel flint hanging from his waist and a coarse cloth bag over his shoulder. He stood there astonished and panicked. *** Pakka was a decent young man of Monpa. He was sturdy, swarthy, had strongly defined facial features, and very full lips, all of which were fitting for a handsome man in his clan.
Of course, his name was not as handsome—"pakka" meant pig manure in his native tongue. As Confucius once said (not), with so many ups and downs in one's life, a base name gave one a better chance to grow up safely. The Monpa People had a long history. They were found in China as well, but their lifestyle over there was much different, which had integrated with the Tibetan culture. Over here in Myan, they lived in a more primitive state and still followed their ancient traditions. "Ancient" was a relative term, though. Pakka's clan consisted of several hundred members living deep in the Kachin Hills. They had low productivity, but were not at the slash-and-burn stage as in the rumors. After all, they lived in this modern world and the jade quarry was not far. They had enough contact with the outside world. Today, he went to the jade quarry to trade for salt with a bag of native products. He took a shortcut on his way back, which went through the territory of the python. As mountain dwellers, they knew the area well enough to avoid the danger. As it turned out, that python that had been frightening his clansmen rolled down the rock hill and was sucked dry right in front of his eyes by an ugly woman. Yes, her legs were so long, her waist so tiny, and her breasts so thin. She looked hideous! "Why, you're a native man. Can you understand me?" Xiaojin was amazed at this discovery. She tried all she could to communicate with the man, but he just stared back with a blank face. She pursed her lips. "Tsk, so it's true—size and brain, you can't have it both." Since there was no one else to turn to, she could only shout at the top of her voice, "Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!" "Coming!" Nanny Gu flew to her side at the calling and was also amazed. "So the Monpa People are real. I always thought it just another legend."
He moved closer and touched the man's forehead with the tip of his finger, then sent in a streak of mental force as he did with the spiritual ginseng. "Who are you?" "Ah! Ah! Hm…$%^&*#$%*&!" Pakka almost had a stroke. There was suddenly a second voice in his head and he could understand what it was saying! "Don't be afraid. We're not bad people. What's your name?" "Ah! Ah!"
The Monpa People followed primitive beliefs. Watching this man in front of him, Pakka fell to his knees with a thump and prostrated on the ground. He mumbled a few words in his native tongue. "God… ghost…"
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Chapter 317: My Precious!
Source: Qidian International
The clan was in a relatively primitive state. The village took up a rather large area, surrounded by thick and hard wooden fence on all sides. There was no distinct road inside and the ground was dry and messy. Most of the houses were wooden- or straw-roofed and had two stories and stone walls. People lived on the top floor and the livestock was kept below.
Each wooden house was equipped with an open balcony with a leaf mat overhead which seemed to be where they entertained their guests. What stood out the most, though, were the pestle-shaped objects hanging down from every beam that closely resembled male members—apparently a fertility worship of some sort.
A couple of hundred residents lived here. They were now sitting outside their houses in twos and threes; some were doing laundry, some were tanning hides, and some were smoking their crude tobacco. Men all dressed pretty much the same, while women wore loose collarless and sleeveless robes and long colorful skirts with a small piece of cowhide hanging down their backs.
They were happy to see their handsome boy return, but were curious and nervous to see the two strangers behind him.
"#$%^, ^%$#!"
Pakka greeted his fellow clansmen along the way as he led the two to the largest wooden building. An old man with grizzled beard walked out and engaged in a conversation with Pakka. The old man shook his head in a while, apparently not believing Pakka.
It got Pakka anxious. He turned around and began to gesticulate in a flurry.
"Haha…"
Gu Yu chuckled, went up to the old man, and sent out his greeting with a streak of mental force. "Nice to meet you, grandfather!"
"Ah… hm…"
The old man opened his eyes widely and his beard quivered as if he was seeing a ghost or a god. After all, he did not become the clan's leader for nothing and demonstrated his resolution right away. He saluted them with a bow and invited them into the house.
Pakka left and the three went upstairs—the balcony was indeed where they sat down.
The Monpa People were very hospitable. The old man set out a tableful of fruit and wine along with some pasty thing held by wide leaves, which reminded one of poo...
Xiaojin looked around the table and finally picked up a fruit. As she bit into it, her tongue buried into the squashy red pulp and she began to salivate uncontrollably.
"Ssss! That's so goddamn sour!"
She stuck her tongue out, wrinkled up her face, and shook her body around with clenched fists.
Gu Yu ignored her. Because the communication method was rather time-consuming, he saved all the pleasantries and said directly, "We're looking for a kind of stone. It's big but very light—like this one."
He took out a small piece of Hollow Stone and passed it to the old man.
"Oh?"
The head of the clan looked at it closely, weighed it up and down in his hand, and suddenly shouted to someone downstairs. Before long, a young man ran up.
The two exchanged some words in their native language and the clan's head turned to Gu Yu. "This is Pemba. No one knows the big mountain like this young man does. He knows about this strange stone."
"Are there reserves of it?" Gu Yu was cheered up by those words. "..." The head was not familiar with the term "reserves", but could guess what it meant. "There are some."
"That's great. Please help me in this. We have these for you in return."
He thought about giving them money and medicine at first, but on the second thought, he opened his backpack and poured out all the bits and bobs. "These are candies… that's compacted ration… that's canned meat… oh, these are condiments."
He focused on introducing the set of bagged condiments. They were in neat little bags that represented all the merits of modern packaging technology. There were salt, msg, pepper, chilli powder, the whole shebang.
The old man was indeed delighted by such a gift and his face lit up like a blossoming rose. He nodded repeatedly. "Sure, sure, it's no trouble at all." ***
Many might not be familiar with this, but there was an ancient rule in jade business.
Deep in every mountain that jade stones were found, there lived an old master. The title was passed on from one generation to the next and each master would choose suitable children as their pupils who would be sent to live deep in the mountains and trained for necessary skills. There, they would explore the terrain and learn about every single plant of the mountain.
Anyone planning to go into the mountains for jade stones had to visit the master beforehand and could only proceed after obtaining permission from the latter. This procedure was known as "visiting the master". Even the government had to rely on such masters when they tried to find ancient graves in the mountains.
The Monpa People were no masters, but they knew the Kachin Hills like the back of their hand after living here for generations. After the thousand-year-long exploitation, the Hpakant quarry had barely anything left. One had to turn to the Monpa if they wanted some top-notch stones. "Rustle!" "Crack!"
A shiny machete hacked down, cutting down a branch as think as an adult arm. The leaves shuffled and three people filed out—they were Gu Yi, Xiaojin, and Pemba. They set out as soon as Gu Yu reached an agreement with the clan's head. Pemba was a little more lively than Pakka. Despite the language difficulty, he was gesturing around the entire time, trying to make himself understood. The three left the village and headed east. The place they were looking for was somewhere to the northeast of the rock hill. They had been walking for an hour now; the boundless mountains and dense woods just seemed to stretch on without an end. "Puggy, are we ever going to get there?"
Xiaojin was impatient with the trek. She addressed Pemba, but was actually nudging her brother-in-law. Gu Yu made an estimation and said, "We're almost there. We've covered about two-thirds of the distance."
"You said that twenty minutes ago!"
Little Soap pursed her lips. She couldn't walk in peace, but had to hop up and down, or play with a toad she caught out of the blue.
She managed to walk like this for another while when she looked around and saw a deep valley ahead to her right. She instantly wanted to have a look inside.
"Ah! Ah! Ah…"
She was two steps into that direction when Pemba howled as if he was having a heart attack. Color drained from his face as he waved his hands frantically. He dragged Xiaojin back in a flurry.
"Sh*t, what's wrong with you? What's with that place?" She jumped at his reaction.
"Um, ah!"
Pemba pointed at the valley, apparently greatly agitated and horrified.
'Wow!'
The more he overreacted, the more eagerly Xiaojin wanted to see it for herself. She stomped the ground, leapt up, and dashed into that direction. "Don't worry. I'll dispel whatever evil that is in there… oops!"
She only managed to run out for a few meters before she flew backwards like a rewound video. The next second, she smashed into her brother-in-law's arms.
"Stop messing around! We have work to do!"
Gu Yu set his sister-in-law back on the ground and was a little crossed.
"Oh!"
Xiaojin knew when to behave and did not retort.
"..."
Gu Yu then looked at the valley. It was gloomy, terrifying, and black fog seemed to be rising out of it. Further in was a dense forest too deep to see through. Some unfathomable danger seemed to be lurking there. *** After a full two-hour march, the three finally stopped.
To others, this place looked the same as everywhere else, but not to Pemba. In his head, the entire Kachin Hills had turned into an HD map.
"This is it?" Little Soap walked around and asked doubtfully, "There's nothing but trees here. Don't tell me it's still buried underground."
"Um, um…"
Pemba nodded repeated and swept the ground with his hands. The thick layers of rotten leaves were removed, revealing the tip of a stone. Gu Yu went up to it and explored with his mental force: there were small holes inside with roaming spiritual essence. It was Hollow Stone!
He sigh in relief and smiled. "Thank you for taking us here. We'll have a look first."
With that, he scanned the terrain, moved back a little, and activated the Small Moving Technique.
The Jiang Sisters both loved drama, while Gu Yu and Xiao Qiu were the pragmatic ones. There was no strange movement or sudden gust of wind. The rotten leaves, mud, and the surface soil simply disappeared from where they were and a small mound suddenly appeared on a nearby spot.
"God… god… ghost…"
Pemba dropped to his knees and prostrated in reverence.
Before long, Gu Yu stopped his maneuvering when the top layers were cleaned away. Starting from that tip of the stone, he circled out a giant oval-shaped area. "If I'm not mistaken, this is how large this Hollow Stone is."
Holy crap!
Xiaojin was dazed like a cat sitting on a fish hill. That was freaking enormous!
"Stop staring. Come here and help me!" Gu Yu beckoned at her.
She ran happily to him and asked, "Are we digging it out?"
"Let's try digging first. Pile the soil over there. Don't block the road."
"Sure!"
Right away, they both activated the Small Moving Technique and began digging.
As the saying went, a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law made the perfect working buddies. The mound grew higher and Pemba's mouth opened bigger and bigger. When the mound was about seven or eight meters high, they finally saw the entire Hollow Stone.
"That's humongous!"
After all the arduous journey and the toil of mind, Xiaojin finally saw her precious. She could not keep her eyes off it. Her rough estimation of the big stone was about 22 meter in length. The height remained unknown and the thickest part was eight meters. It was a shuttle-shaped stone.
If it were a jade stone, something this size would weigh at least 2000 tons, but it was a Hollow Stone instead...
"Move away. Let's see if I can lift it out."
Gu Yu asked the other two to make some room for him, then he activated his spiritual essence, shouting, "Up!"
"Rumble!"
The giant stone shook a little.
"Up!" he shouted again and turned his spiritual essence full on. A violent fluctuation wrapped around the stone and the Small Moving Technique worked its magic.
"Thump!"
With a loud noise, the half-buried giant stone disappeared from where it was and showed up again on the ground.
'Wow!'
It was only until then that the three got to see the entire stone. It was as tall as 12 meters and looked like a small rock hill.
"Hahahaha!"Xiaojin lanced herself at it and spread her arms around the Hollow Stone. She was over the moon. "Precious! My precious! Mine!" *** Hpakant, night.
The jade stone quarry was brightly lit. The mines were closed at this hour, but the residential quarter was filled with liveliness—the nightlife had just begun. There were 33 fields (mines) here each with its own jade-gambling casinos and the hotels, clubs, and brothels derived from the gambling business. The place was the size of a small town.
Mongkant was a newly-opened mine. Jade stones were relatively abundant here, and so were the customers.
Right now, high rollers from every corner of the world were gathering inside the jade-gambling casino shouting at a table. "Full stone! Full stone!"
"Old Wang, that's some luck you got there. Sell it while you still can!"
"Sell my a*s! Let's see!"
A Myanese master had a raw stone in hand and scraped off the top layer, revealing a translucent-emerald color inside.
In jade-gambling, there was this saying: scraping open would not raise the price, cutting it open would. It might give one a green color with a scrape, but the stone could turn out to be a hollow one after all. But the possibility was looking good, so the price of the stone was bound to rise with a green scrape.
Right now, some other customer was yelling, "Old Wang, I'll give you 900,000 for that! Sell it to me!"
"900,000 is pretty generous. This raw stone was only 300,000."
Everyone was talking at the same time, but Old Wang ignored them. After a pause, he told the master, "Cut it!"
"Good for you!"
"Now, show me what's inside!"
The onlookers were there for the fun if nothing else. They couldn't care less what the result was. The master gave Old Wang a thumbs-up, turned on his machine, and cut down. The stone was in two halves.
It split open, showing two halves both full of green.
"Sh*t! The man's gonna be rich!"
"They're mostly pea-sized ones, but the quality is pretty good. Old Wang has been losing several days in a roll and luck is finally on his side."
"I'll take it for two million!"
Old Wang was delighted at this good fortune and retorted with a laughter, "Oh, shut up! Two million for a full one? Are you taking me for some newbie?"
He was actually a Chinese firm owner and had a few hundred million in his bank account. He cared for no liquor or women, but had a thing for jade-gambling. Over the years, he lost more often then he won, but he simply loved doing it.
Mongkant had excellent security and he was not concerned with theft or robbery. He was about to go out for a smoke when the door opened, and in came a man and a woman, followed by a native.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-118.png){kind=small}
Chapter 318: Chaos
Source: Qidian International
Old Wang winced: that was an odd combination.
The young couple looked remarkable, presumably the youngsters of some big-name family of the mainland. Such people did show up here from time to time, but what was with that native guy? How did these three end up together?
He couldn't help but dart a few more looks in their direction before walking out.
Outside was brightly lit and boisterous. He finished two cigarettes, recovered from the excitement brought by the good fortune, and went back in, ready for a few more rounds.
However, as soon as he opened the door, he was bombarded by the buzzing noise inside.
"Cut it! Cut it! Cut it!"
"It's a full one! Again!"
"A blue ice! That's unbelievable! Four hits in a row!"
Old Wang quickly approached the crowd and saw that a group of high rollers were standing in a half-circle around that couple. The old master had just cut open a raw stone. The jadeite inside was almost transparent and looked as pure as ice with cotton-like pale blue patterns inside—it was exactly a blue ice of the ice-type material!
He patted one of the onlookers on the shoulder and asked, "Hey man, what's with all the shouting?"
"Holy sh*t, you missed all that? These two young ones picked four raw stones and cut them open right away. There are two fine waxy ones, one icy waxy one, and a blue ice. That's so damn lucky!"
'Luck?'
Old Wang snorted silently. One or two hits—that was lucky. Four in a row and luck had nothing to do with it. He noticed that the two young ones remained perfectly calm and utterly indifferent to their prizes and was more certain than ever that they were no ordinary gamblers!
"That was remarkable. I have been in this business for many years and this is the first time I ever saw something like this."
The old master gave them a thumbs-up and set the four raw stones in a row on the table. The reflection was dazzling under the light.
"..."
The customers swallowed in desire. That was such a temptation. If all four stones were made into ornaments and sold, the profit would have a lot of zeros in it.
After a moment of unnatural silence, someone finally broke the ice. "Young friend, I'll take all four for ten million. What do you say?"
"That's just sleazy. That blue ice alone is worth almost ten million. That's just cheating!" Someone challenged him right away.
The man flushed and retorted loudly, "How is that cheating? The quality of that blue ice is just all right. Surely no one's going to pay ten million for that?"
That was pure bullsh*t. Everyone here had been in this line of work long enough to recognize that bluff and all found those words a complete disgrace.
While everyone was shouting at everyone, that young man suddenly spoke, "Gentlemen, to be honest, I am here to see the highest ranking official of this place. If anyone here has the right connection to help me with that, these pieces will be my way of saying thanks."
"..."
The crowd hesitated with suspicion. They were no fools. With such a generous gift, the favor he was going to ask was surely going to be a big one. Hpakant was controlled by military men instead of a stable regime, which meant the bosses could turn hostile at any moment.
After much silence, a voice suddenly spoke, "The thing you just said, do you mean it?"
The crowd turned to look and saw that it was Old Wang. The young man looked at him with a smile. "Of course."
"Ok. I that case, let's talk somewhere else."
***
After unearthing the giant Hollow Stone, Gu Yu's million-dollar problem was how to take it back home.
Traverse the Kachin Hills with it? That was completely out of the question. Hollow Stone was light in weight all right, but this one was as huge as a small mountain.
He would probably die of exhaustion if he were to transport the stone out by carrying it with the Small Moving Technique. Their only option now was to move it to the mine of Mongkant first, where they would try to find a super-heavy-load truck used by the mines. In that case, they were bound to cross paths with the military and had to make sure they played it safe. Old Wang might be a mere minor Tuhao, but he had a lot of connections. He brought them to Momauk that same night.
Momauk was a jade mine too. It was also where Mia Lwin's major force was stationed.
Night, a club.
The room was a living demonstration of "wanton life" with people swarming in and out. At the forefront of the T-shaped stage was a lady heaving herself up and down a pole with much exposed flesh—she as showing a lot of curves.
There was much prejudice around the sport of pole dancing. It actually originated from the self-produced dance of the people of Uncle Sam. It gained popularity first among the construction workers and was a demonstration of their bright and optimistic national character. It was one of the ten most important folk dances of the world.
Yes, that was the absolute truth. Really.
Right now, Mia Lwin was sitting at the bar drinking alone.
The capable helper of Soe Win just got news this morning that his boss was not doing great in the battlefield lately. Soe Win had been steadily losing ground with Ge Thantwe's troops close at his heels. The battle was soon coming to Hpakant.
He did not want to give away such a lucrative business—how could anyone? But he had no choice. His army was simply unable to hold the ground. He had been considering retreating the entire day.
"Sir!"
"Sir!"
Mia Lwin was still sipping his drink when his deputy approached him. "There's someone here to see you—Wang, a Chinese businessman."
"Bring him in!" Mia Lwin said grumpily. He had dealt with Old Wang before in some under-the-table business. The two wouldn't consider each other a friend, but were merely using the other for their own ends.
Before long, the deputy led three people in. Old Wang greeted Mia Lwin with the biggest smile. "Very good taste, Sir. That particular wine is not something you can buy with money. I'd love to add one to my collection. Unfortunately, unlike you, my funds are limited."
"Cut the crap! You were only here a few days ago. Why, you got something nice again?" Mia Lwin could speak some Chinese.
"Hoho, sorry to bother you, but my two friends here want to ask for a favor… this is Gu Jiang and this is Gu Xiaoqiu."
Old Wang gestured at the other two for an introduction.
"Gu, Gu Jiang?"
Squinting, Mia Lwin darted a tipsy look at the man and shuddered.
Because of the task certain woman had given him, he had to pull all strings he had in Diannan to search for the people in question, and he had actually had a lead: they were a man and a woman, young, beautiful, seemed to be siblings, and looked more than that. Although he did not have any picture, but there were sketches of the two. 'Sh*t!'
He dared not let it show. Picking up his glass, he downed the liquor in one gulp, which gave him a cough and flushed cheeks. He then asked, "What do you want?"
"We found an unusual stone in the Kachin Hills—don't worry, it's definitely not jade. We want to take it back to our country for research and need your help," said Gu Yu.
"Oh? What kind of help?"
"We would like to borrow your soldiers to carry it out of the mountain and a truck to transport it to the border. Our price will be very reasonable."
"..."
Mia Lwin racked his brains and got an idea. 'Rope them in for now, get that old ghost woman here, and I will leave the three to it; and there's also that Ge Thantwe's army… hoho, maybe I'll get to run away with a prize while they fight over the bone.'
"I don't trust you. I need to send someone in to check it first. Make sure it's not a jade stone, then we can talk," said he.
'Hm?' Gu Yu darted him a look, finding something was amiss, but still smiled. "That'll do. When do we set out?"
"No rush. We'll go tomorrow."
"We're going back to Mongkant, then. It's closer to the mountain."
"Be my guest!"
As soon as they left, Mia Lwin dashed out of the back door and ran back to his own place.
He opened a drawer, took out a black ghost plate, and rubbed it in his hands. On his face was a mixture of fear and hatred.
Last time when the old woman was here, she had cast a ghost spell on him. Even a bloodthirsty soldier would turn craven at the presence of the Three Gods—the legendary figures they had been hearing about since they were little.
However, the ferocity was still in his blood. He put away the plate after much rubbing—it was not time to use it yet. *** Over there on Gu Yu's end, Old Wang had left them, taking the four stones with him.
Pemba remained by their side and did whatever he was asked to. Gu Yu paid him generously with plenty of salt, soap, cooking oils, common medicine, etc.—the Monpa People were self-sustained in food and clothing, but needed external supply for such daily necessities.
"Thank you for taking all the trouble. You can stay here tonight and go back tomorrow."
"Whoo… ah, ah…"
Pemba was elated with a huge bag of supplies over his shoulder and happily arrived at the hotel with Gu Yu and Xiaojin.
We would not be discussing how a native man felt for his first time in a hotel. Let's turn our attention to the brother- and sister-in-law, who were now in a room talking about Mia Lwin.
"Brother-in-law, I think that idiot recognized us."
Xiaojin sat on a chair turned backwards. With her arms dangling over the back of the chair and her delicate and fair chin rubbing against the top, the word "idiot" almost sounded not convincing.
"Yeah, that was strange. He was very agitated. There must be something behind it," said Gu Yu.
"You need to toughen up. If it was up to me, I'd just kick the sh*t out of him. They'll all have to follow our orders with their boss in our hands."
"That's not a regular army, but just a bunch of armed men. Those people are just waiting for an opportunity to replace him. Plus, even if we take him down, we still have to go onto the mountain, or how else are they going to find the spot?"
"You're so right!" Scratching her head, Xiaojin then said, "Hey, Brother-in-law, how about I stay here tomorrow and you go alone?"
"What are you up to?" Gu Yu's temple was begin to throb.
"Teehee, I just want to see what he's trying to do."
"No!" he refused right away. "Brother-in-law, you're such a wonderful…" Little Soap tried to work her charm.
"If your sister were here, I wouldn't give it a second thought about working separately. But you? You're just too weak. The answer's no! Period!" Gu Yu completely ignored her efforts and lectured her with a poker face instead. *** The following day, the temporary HQ.
There was a map on the wall, two deputies on either side, and Mia Lwin himself standing in the middle. "Any news on Ge Thantwe's troops?"
"Words are they've reached Myitkyina and are heading for Hpakant."
"I see. Tell everyone to get prepared. We're pulling out any moment from now."
"Yes!" the deputies replied. Mia Lwin then asked, "Have those people set out?"
"They left quite some time ago."
"Ok. You can leave now."
After the deputies left, he carefully locked the door and took out that ghost plate again. He then cut his finger and dropped two drops of blood onto it. Instantly, dark smoke erupted out of the ghost plate and the hideous face of an old woman emerged which slowly dissipated a few seconds later.
"..."
Mia Lwin stared at the spot where the face disappeared, the expression on his face hard to describe.
Three forces were fighting for power in Myan at the moment and Hpakant was a place everyone wanted. However, there was an unspoken rule: no matter how fierce the battle was, no one was to harm the customers or the workers.
Hence, the three sides made a tacit agreement to take the battlefields somewhere else. Hpakant had to have its stability and anyone who could not hold the ground should pull out on their own.
Warnings had been sent out throughout the area. The timid ones had left and the bold ones were having fun as usual. After all, despite the long-term civil war, there had not been any bloodshed in the jade mines.
Before they realized, it was dusktime.
Mia Lwin had stayed in the HQ the entire time; after a makeshift dinner, he was about to go out and have a walk. Just then, a sinister chilly air brushed against his back, as if someone was blowing on his neck.
!!!
Hair stood up on his back. He asked in a trembling voice, "G-Grandma Ghost God?"
He turned around in a flurry and found a person had just appeared out of the blue. It was none other than that emaciated old woman.
"You touched the ghost plate. Got news?"
"Yes! Yes! Two people came to me today, and after asking around, I realized they were the murderers of your pupil. Their names were Gu Jiang and Gu Xiaoqiu."
"Oh? That was quite a coincidence. What are they doing here in Hpakant?"
The old woman was wrapped in a shadow and looked neither alive or dead. She was a creature halfway between a human being and a ghost.
"They wanted to transport a stone. They went onto the mountain this morning and should be back— ah!"
He flew out before he could finish the sentence. A force smashed him into the wall and he fell to the ground into a heap.
The old woman suddenly lost her temper—apparently, she was the moody type—and bellowed, "They entered the mountain this morning? Then why didn't you use the ghost plate before noontime? Are you planning things behind my back?"
"Grandma! Grandma!" Mia Lwin crawled to her feet despite the pain all over his body and explained hastily, "If I'd told you this morning, you wouldn't have been able to see them here even if you came then! Instead, you can now wait at your ease for them who must be exhausted after a day's work. In that way, you are sure to take them both in one strike. You have cast a spell on me, there is no way I'd dare to deceive you! No way!"
"..."
The old woman stared at him for a while and suddenly grinned. "Are you saying I should thank you for this? Well, since you have been so loyal to me, I will lift the spell now."
With that, she lifted her hand and drew out a streak of black air from him.
Mia Lwin felt a weight had been lifted off him and thought he was free of the ghost spell now. He bowed in a hurry and said, "Thank you, Grandma. If it is all right with you, please wait here while I go fetch you some food."
It was only after he had left the room that the old woman walked out of the shadow, revealing a face that reminded one of tree bark. "Humph! Ungracious piece of sh*t!"
***
"Aaaaaaah! I must kick that idiot's a*s! I'm exhausted!"
Inside the mountain, Xiaojin had just finished the second round trip and was now shouting in utter irritation. They were just returning from where that Hollow Stone was. Mia Lwin was just delaying them. There was no verification of any sort.
Three soldiers who knew some simple Chinese accompanied them, but they had no idea what Xiaojin's "complicated" expression was all about. They eyed the young woman curiously, knowing nothing about their fate as deserted pawns.
"Fine, fine. We're back, aren't we? You want the precious and you need to pay the price. There's no free lunch," Gu Yu cajoled.
"Brother-in-law, why do we have to follow that monkey's order? I say let's just kill him!" She was still not happy.
"Sigh…" Gu Yu sighed in resignation and dragged her to his side. Pointing at the rifles slanting over the soldiers' shoulders, he said, "That's a type 97 assault rifle, made in China, shoots 30 rounds, and has a 400-meter effective firing range. How many bullets can you stop?"
"None."
"Then how many can you dodge?"
"Gosh, it's not the same thing! I'd take care of them before they could shoot!"
"That's because there are only three of them. Mia Lwin's army had hundreds of soldiers. How many do you think you can take out in a full-on charge?"
"I'm gonna fight like the guerrilla—like Chairman Mao taught us!"
Xiaojin lifted her chin and put up a face saying "you know the truth is always on my side".
Gu Yu felt his head protesting against such squabble. 'Why did I think I could talk sense with her?'
After some more marching, they finally reached Mongkant before night set in. Gu Yu looked down at the mine below from a mound and saw the lonely scattered lights. "Hm? How come there are only so few people today?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-119.png){kind=small}
Chapter 319: Killing Ghost (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
The mine of Mongkant was bustling and crowded this morning, but on their return on the same evening, it looked bleak and cheerless with deserted streets—even the street lamps looked dimmer.
Gu Yu and Xiaojin had yet to figure out what had happened, but the three soldiers paled at the scene, for they could see none of their patrolling comrades. They ran hastily to the jade-gambling casino and were relieved to see that the old master was still there.
"Ge Thantwe's troops are coming. Mia Lwin is gone," said the old man, caressing a piece of jadeite without even looking up.
"Gone?"
The three soldiers were greatly disturbed by the news. They did not receive any orders regarding the retreat, which meant they had been abandoned by their senior officer. Although the three forces had a ceasefire agreement in Hpakant, all troops would be more than happy to "clean away" such stray sheep of the other two sides.
"It's all your fault!"
One of the soldiers reacted the most strongly. With his broken Chinese, he yelled at Gu Yu and tried to grabbed him by his collar.
"Sorry about this…"
Gu Yu apologized wholeheartedly before he knocked the three men unconscious like whacking moles.
He then put their guns in a pile and set a confinement around it. "Old master, these three will stay here for a while. The streets are not safe tonight, so I would advise you to seal all doors and windows and stay indoors."
"Haha…"
The old man chuckled in his cracked voice and waved at Gu Yu without uttering a word.
After that, the two went outside. Xiaojin asked, "Brother-in-law, what are we going to do now?"
"Absolutely nothing. We'll just wait until that Ge Thantwe gets here! Sigh, things are so messy when there's no government." He felt quite helpless about this.
"Huh? So we just wait around doing nothing?" Xiaojin searched inside her head for an idea and grinned. "Brother-in-law, how about we look around and see which direction they're coming from? There're over thirty mines around here!"
"Um, I guess we can do that." Gu Yu thought for a minute and said, "So, are you coming with me…"
"I'll go over there and you over there! Don't worry, I won't make any trouble! Promise!" she interrupted before he could finish the sentence.
"..."
Gu Yu eyed her for a moment before saying, "All right. We'll meet here again in an hour. Don't go too far."
"Sure! Got it!"
"Do you have your flying message talisman with you? Don't forget to use it."
"Gosh! I know!"
As if she had just received a royal pardon, Xiaojin dashed away after a hasty reply and soon disappeared into the night street.
Mongkant was only the size of a small village. Xiaojin ran through two or three streets and saw that most of the customers had left. The only ones remaining here were the miners and owners of the shops who were lazily squashing mosquitoes with open palms.
Apparently, they had gotten used to situations like this and none of them seemed troubled in the least.
"There really is no one!"
She soon covered the entire Mongkant, but did not stop there. She kept running. Further ahead was the mine of Dak Gwunti, where she found a similar scene—it also looked deserted.
After Dak Gwunti was the mine of Weekat… one after another, she felt as if the entire mining area was wrapped in a dead silence. The street lights were of little help. Instead, they made the atmosphere stranger and emptier.
"Hm?"
Xiaojin ran very fast and finished searching four mines in no time. When she reached Momauk, she blinked as soon as she set foot on in the area. "Teehee, interesting!"
She swaggered in with an expression saying "yup, I'm the newbie". Unlike the last time they were here, the row of brothels were all closed for business and none of the "physical therapist" made their appearance.
She knocked open a random bar and stuck her head in. "Uncle, I hear the new army is coming. Which mine are they heading for?"
"Here, actually. You're a bold one. How come you're still sticking around?" The owner found her presence remarkable.
"You stayed, why can't I?"
"Haha, they don't kill people at random, but there are wild ones among them. You're such a pretty girl. I think you'd better stay indoors. Don't run around the streets."
"I see. Thanks!"
Xiaojin left the bar and could not care less about the warning. She strolled the streets with her hands in her pocket. While looking this way and that, she spotted an alley randomly.
It was narrow, deep, and flanked by bungalows on both sides. It was barely wide enough for a person to go through. She casually made her way in, her shadow grew longer under the dim lights.
All of a sudden, a lump of shadow erupted behind her and floated soundlessly in mid-air, almost devouring her own shadow. It rolled and tumbled, then expanded suddenly, as if a curtain was drawn open.
"Whoosh!"
Inside were a dozen heads with pale faces and bloody eyes, which were squirming frantically as if they were filled with maggots fighting for the only flesh and blood left on them.
"Roarrrr!"
Momentarily, a long-haired woman's head managed to move to the top. It then opened its mouth all the way from one ear to the other and bit down at Xiaojin.
Xiaojin was strolling slowly the entire time—apparently unaware of what was happening behind her—but disappeared from where she was that instant and reappeared behind the heads in a flash.
She ignored them completely, but looked beyond them to a spot at the entrance of the alley. Where the light and darkness met stood a stooped figure. It was emaciated like a dry skeleton with a wooden staff in one hand.
"You dodged my enfant ghosts, so I presume you are the one. Did you kill that useless pupil of mine?"
The person spoke in perfect Chinese with a hint of ancient style in it.
Xiaojin could not see her face clearly, but recognized the voice of an elderly person. She chuckled. "Why, grandma, don't try to swindle me just because I'm in a foreign country. My family's got some money, but I'm not planning to waste it on you. Who is this pupil of yours again?"
"Thant Tun. Do you know that name?"
"Thant Tun… oh, as a matter of fact, I do! He made quite some effort to stir things up in Diannan and they had to scrape his body off the ground. You can't blame other people, really. The man did not know what he was doing."
"Haha, that's right. He really didn't know what he was doing!" The old woman laughed instead of getting angry. "You're from China. For centuries, cultivators of your country and mine have been fighting over this or that. I'm not going to take advantage of a youngster. Let's play it by the book. Now, tell me which sect you are from."
"You can play by my a*s! Which grave did you crawl out of? It's a new world out there and even if there are rules, we're the ones writing it!" Of her twenty-or-so years, Xiaojin had never flinched from a fight. She raised her chin. "Bring it on!"
"Fine, fine!" The old woman really lost her temper this time. "I see the Taoist community has no one left but this ignorant kid! Let us see if you are still this tough after I make you into a Flying Head!"
As soon as she finished those words, she hit her wooden staff hard against the ground.
"Pop!"
That lump of shadow began to swell up like an inflating balloon, which soon grew to over three meters. The dozen human heads expanded with it, rolling around, and flew out.
They were the most bizarre things. There was no body or shape; all they had were the heads cut down at the necks.
"What the hell?"
Xiaojin found them so disgusting that she clapped her hands and produced her big gourd, shouting, "Go!"
"Whoosh!"
A stream of black torrent consisting of sand granules gushed out of the opening. The torrent floated in mid-air and soon formed a cloud covering an area as wide as several hundred m^2 in front of her.
It was Thundercloud Grit, a gift from her sister after Xiaojin reached perfection in Metal Thunder, and her only refined instrument at the moment.
"Roar!"
The human heads pounced at her and dived into the cloud head on. The overspreading black grit sensed the impact and began to collide into one another. As the collision took place, flickering lightning began to crackle.
Rumble!
Rumble!
Instantly, streaks of golden-purple divine lightning as thick as adult fingers struck down, dimming all other lights in the area as if a heavenly tribulation had descended.
"Thunder Technique?"
Fear crept up the old woman's face and she thumped her wooden staff again. "Come back!"
"Aaaah! Aaaaah!"
Those flying at the back had time to change course, but the first four or five had entered the territory of the lightning already. Thunder possessed the power of Nature itself and was the unbeatable rival of the evil and sinister beings.
Those few Flying Heads were now ice under the scorching sun, completely defenseless.
"Rumble… crack… bang!"
The hubbub quieted down in a while, revealing the cracked and collapsed bungalows on both sides of the alley together with the scattered remains of the heads and the charred ground.
The old woman forgot about the Flying Heads that had turned into ashes and fixed her gaze on Xiaojin. In her voice were surprise as well as rage. "The Thunder Technique was passed down in the Taoist community? It can't be! That's impossible!"
"You're about to find more impossible things… Thunder, come!"
Xiaojin put away the gourd and waved her hand. A streak of golden-purple lightning several times thicker struck down at the old woman.
"You have pushed it too far!"
The old woman had finished activating her skill before she finished her sentence. Black air gushed out from all over her body frantically, hiding her entirely. The black air swept out into all directions in tidal waves, making whistling and roaring sound as it moved along.
In half a heartbeat, the whole alley was devoured and the black air kept expanding.
"Ah! Help!"
"Help! What is this?"
Screams were coming out of the shops in the nearby alleys. Some locals staying behind had probably fallen victims to the black air and died a miserable death.
Wherever the Metal Thunder struck down, there was a hollow in the black air, which was instantly refilled by the surrounding blood-filled black air.
"Hey, grandma, have you run away already?"
Xiaojin's brows knitted in a frown. This air was extremely strange. It was trying all it could to bore through her skin, as if it wanted to take over her body. Her ears were filled with ghostly screams and shrill cries. The noise was diabolical.
Both her vision and sight were reduced to a minimal level.
As she activated her spiritual essence to fight it off, she made purposeful provocations. In a few minutes, she realized that this black fog had a viral quality, enabling it to replenish its energy through feeding on human beings.
"Humph! You degrading creature!"
She snorted and grabbed into the thin air. The next moment, a stone was in her hand, to which she attached a blue talisman. She then pinched her fingers together and cast the spell in a low voice. "Change!"
Clouds rolled up and the talisman transformed into the perfect replica of herself.
"You sleazy old cat, do you dare to confront me in a face-to-face combat instead of hiding in this smoke? Old cat, come out here!"
As she probed with her words, she secretly sent the replica an order, and it strode off with its long legs and ran deep into the smoke with a somewhat rigid gait.
The truth was, ever since that incident in Changbai Mountain, while Xiaojin might've appeared to be the jolly person she always was, deep down, she found it the humiliation of her life.
She was working hard on her cultivation before that, but after what had happened, she was working her a*s off, gathering experience from the constant beatings she received from her sister. Only her appearance remained as harmless, which could deceive anyone who did not know her better.
This was her second time fighting an enemy alone and she was nervous as hell. However, the more nervous she felt, the better she performed. So far, her moves were almost impeccable.
Bang! A moment after the replica ran in, she heard the sound of attack a dozen meters ahead to her right. There was a fluctuation of her mental force, marking the end of that replica.
Over there!
She took the action before her brain could react as she shouted, "Thunder, strike!"
"Aaaah!"
There was a flash of lightning and, almost simultaneously, she heard a scream and a thump. Someone seemed to have fallen to the ground.
"Haha!"
Xiaojin was delighted. Activating her Void-arranging Technique, she arrived at the scene in two strides. However, the black fog filled the spot as anywhere else. There was no one but a ghost plate on the ground.
Sh*t!
It was not until now that she finally felt flustered. In that moment, she forgot about setting up her defense.
"Roar!"
A head shot up from behind her. The giant mouth opened and bit down at her neck.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-120.png){kind=small}
Chapter 320: Killing Ghost (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
"Roar!"
The Flying Head opened its giant mouth and bit down fiercely at the back of Xiaojin's smooth long neck.
"Nice!"
The old ghost woman hid herself in the black fog and was elated to see how things turned out. This ignorant little girl had picked up the Thunder Technique from god-knows-where and managed to put her in such a tight corner. She now had a stomach full of anger that was just waiting to be vented out.
She had made this Flying Head after painstaking refinement. It had a devouring ability, enabling it to suck dry anything it bit and fuse into the victim.
"Go! Go!"
Thumping her wooden stick repeatedly on the ground, she prompted the head. That giant mouth had opened to its maximum, squeezing everything else on that head to the upper half of the face, which looked horrendous. The teeth then sank into the neck.
"Bang!"
"What? That's impossible!"
The old ghost woman had yet to widen her mouth into a smile when the jubilation was interrupted. A fluctuation erupted suddenly from the girl, creating an impact as strong as an air bomb, which blew the head away.
Xiaojin reacted quickly. She dashed forward and turned around with a strike of Metal Thunder.
"Rumble!"
"Aaaah!"
Everything was happening so fast that it was beyond either of their imagination. The situation was reversed instantly. The old ghost woman did not have time to dodge and was knocked away backwards and landed somewhere in the distance.
"Whoosh… whoosh…"
A tremor ran through the black fog immediately and it began to shrink at an observable speed. Soon, the view was clear again.
"That was close! I've forgotten all about this!"
Xiaojin was ashen-faced. She looked down at her chest where a turtle shell pendant was dangling despite herself. It was now completely lustreless after using up its power.
She was perfectly confident of winning this fight in the beginning, but never expected that she would be overthrown by the old woman's experience and fell into her trap. Xiaojin was now infuriated and humiliated.
"Huff… huff…"
The old woman was panting like a deflating balloon. Resolute as she was, she bit the tip of her tongue bloody right away.
"Pfffft!"
She spat a mouthful of spiritual blood onto her wooden staff. Dark glow erupted out of the staff head, which was in the shape of a ghost head, and black fog wrapped around the old woman again. She then fled half floating and half running.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Stomping her feet, Xiaojin went on in a hot pursuit. She did not have enough energy left to strike down with another streak of Metal Thunder, so instead, she covered her right palm with short flickering lightning. She then bolted out like a bullet out of the barrel.
The night was dark, the wind was strong, and the wilderness was endless.
Xiaojin chased the old woman through this mining area deep in the mountain. They ran through alleys lit by blurry lights; their shadows flitted past so fast that they almost seemed they were never there.
The owners and employees of the bars, shops, and clubs were all shaking with fear. All doors and windows were closed. To them, there might as well be two ogres fighting for territory out there.
"Ha… ha…"
After that strike, the old ghost woman was barely holding up. The Metal Thunder was ravaging through her veins and it was impossible for her to suppress it.
Seeing that she was getting closer and closer, Xiaojin strode out suddenly and raised her right palm. The lightning sizzled around her hand, which she landed on the old woman with a thump.
"Thud!"
The old woman dropped to the ground a dozen meters away. She lay there asking in a menacing tone, "You're not going to spare my life, aren't you?"
"Cut the crap! Were you sparing anyone when you sent those things to bite me? My reputation will be ruined if I let you leave this place tonight!"
Xiaojin raised her palm and approached her, ready for her first kill tonight. However, right at that moment, the silent night was broken by a few gunshots.
"Zap!"
"Zap! Zap!"
"Rumble!" Several jeeps rushed into the mine area followed by a truck full of soldiers with loaded guns. One of them who seemed like an officer fired into the air for their attention and asked arrogantly, "Who are you people?"
"Hoho, just about time!"
The old ghost woman was somehow delighted at this turn of event and pounced forward with her last bit of strength.
Poof! The lump of black fog swelled up all of a sudden, wrapping around a jeep like a dark cloud. The next second, screams rang out of the vehicle, together with a strong smell of blood.
"Ghost! A ghost!"
"Fire!"
The rest of the soldiers were petrified and opened fire, which was something the old woman was prepared for. She slithered under the vehicle, and in the blink of an eye, she was dashing out of a second jeep. Another four men were killed.
"Sh*t!"
Xiaojin dared not get close to the torrent of gunfire and with a few moves, she dodged behind a house… Zap! Zap! Zap! The ground half a meter away was marked by a row of bullet holes.
"You made me do this. If I'm going down today, you're coming with me!"
The soldiers were abundant in their vitality, making them the ideal "tonic" for her. The old ghost woman had sucked quite a few men dry by now and almost looked deranged. She held her staff horizontally and ripped it open, revealing a leather scroll.
She then tossed it into the air and the scroll unfolded on its own. It was withered, yellow, and likely made from human skin. The scroll was 130 cm long and 60 cm wide, and on it was drawn a livid evil buddha with ferocious fangs.
The buddha had four-sided head and body with eight arms in total. It was now baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, eager to feed. A strong sinister energy was emanating from it.
"Aaaaah!"
"The evil buddha! The evil buddha!"
All gunfire ceased at the appearance of this drawing and panic filled the air. These forty to fifty men were the outpost of Ge Thantwe's army who had rushed here from Myitkyina.
Myan was a Buddhist country with countless legends and folklore, among which was the story of this evil buddha.
Legend had it that it used to be a devil living deep in the mountain. Because it had eaten so many people, it had grown so extremely powerful that it was bold enough to name itself a buddha. In the end, it was imprisoned by Buddha himself.
Legend or not, this drawing of the four-sided and eight-armed evil buddha was inherited from the old ghost woman's master and was over a hundred years old. She had been feeding it with spiritual blood and it could fly out to kill people, as well as devour her enemy directly. It was an extremely powerful object and a kind of her killing move/last resort.
The soldiers were all Myanese men and were scared out of their wits.
"%^&*#$%^&!"
The old ghost woman chanted a spell and pointed with her finger, but the drawing did not move. She realized she was too badly injured to activate it and her face darkened. She was determined to share her end with her enemy.
"#$%^&*!"
She sliced her hand across her neck, and with a lifting movement, she removed her head from her body. Being only half human, this did not affect her like it would with ordinary people. The headless body then wobbled towards the drawing holding the head, which then turned into a streak of black light and disappeared into the drawing.
"Whoosh!"
With the host herself as the sacrifice, the livid-faced and sharp-fanged buddha opened its eyes and was now radiating in a blood-red light. The drawing then dived at the crowd.
The soldiers had already scattered and were running into every direction. A teenage boy could not resist the curiosity and turned back to look while still running. He looked right into the buddha's eyes. Right away, he felt his head had been robbed blank as he felt down and passed out.
Some shot at the drawing while running, but the bullets simply went through it like they were shooting at empty air.
"Aaaah! Aaaah!"
"Zap, zap, zap!"
"Aaaaaah!"
Momentarily, black fog rolled out and blood was splashed, together with gunshots and screams. In half a heartbeat, there were a dozen more corpses on the ground which had no flesh or skin, but were broken skeletons only. It was a living hell.
"Gosh! Damn it!"
Xiaojin stamped her feet in vexation, but she barely had any energy left. What should she do? What should she do? She then smacked her head. It was not until then did she remember the flying message talisman. 'Will it get to him in time?'
She took out the talisman and was about to send the message when there came a clear voice. "Step back!"
"Brother-in-law!"
She was overjoyed to hear the voice. Looking around, she saw no one. She then looked up and was dumbstruck.
A white cloud was drifting towards her from Mongkant's direction. It was moving at such a tremendous speed that it reminded one of Milky Way itself streaming across the sky, cutting through wind and waves like a swift ship.
"..."
Xiaojin opened her mouth, but words failed her. She knew her brother-in-law had been studying the Shadow-switching Technique this entire time and she had seen him using it every now and then. She thought it simply as an ability to switch into clouds or smoke and did not think very highly of it.
However, at this critical moment, Gu Yu—who was one foot in the Human Immortal state—had switched his power full on and descended like a heavenly god ready to cleanse the mortal world.
Over there, more than half of the soldiers had been killed. The evil buddha drawing was swollen with arrogance after ingesting all that blood and essence. An evil spirit was imprisoned in that drawing, and was now growing restless, as if it was going to break out.
It was feeding happily on its victims when the scroll turned suddenly to face that stretch of cloud, apparently quite intimidated. The cloud kept moving closer and reached the drawing in no time, knocking into the latter's blood-red glow.
"..."
For a moment there, time seemed to froze. The survivors looked into the sky, but felt the world shaking before they could blink.
Boom!
Momauk seemed to be torn open in an instant. A violent wind howled and bellowed, sending tremors down the whole block.
"Roar!"
The cloud trapped the drawing inside and the evil spirit was struggling with all its efforts. That livid giant head with its sharp fangs reached out of the scroll with bloodshot eyes and opened its giant mouth, trying to devour the cloud.
"Humph!"
A faint snort came out of the cloud, and the next second, streaks of red light flew out in streams. The cloud was now shining resplendently like a magnificent evening glow, lighting up the night sky and the distant mountains.
"Roar!"
The evil spirit could not withstand the Flame Cloud Needles and had to retreat into the drawing. It was now in a completely frantic state and was tumbling around violently.
After another moment of struggling, the evil buddha drawing finally shook the cloud loose a little. It then turned into a streak of black light dashing for the mountain to escape.
The red cloud rolled in a radiant splendor and red dots flew out, then formed into a flaming dragon and chased the scroll.
"Whoosh!"
A gust of wind swept across the sky and red flame soared. The flaming dragon pierced the evil buddha drawing. Everything was quiet.
"..."
Immediately after that, the cloud scattered as if Milky Way was pouring down, and slowly transformed into a person. The evil buddha drawing was folded back in a stroll and lay tame in his hand.
"Aaaaaaaaaaah!"
Xiaojin ran happily towards him. All words had escaped her this moment and she could only express her excitement with her hands waving around.
"Thump!"
Gu Yu knuckled her hard on the head and said angrily, "What happened to not making any trouble? Why didn't you use your talisman? If I hadn't noticed what was going on in time, what would I have told your sister later?"
"I, I really didn't try to make any trouble! I fought her and I was winning! Then I ran out of energy!"
"Zap!"
The two were still talking when they heard a gunshot. The surviving soldiers had huddled together with their guns in hand and asked in a shaky voice, "Who, who on earth are you?"
"We're from China. Are you Ge Thantwe's men?"
"Yes, yes… why are you here?"
With most of their buddies killed, the current highest ranking officer spoke with a gun in his hand, which was shaking so badly that he could not hold the gun still.
Gu Yu was afraid of that gun going off by accident, so he made a sweeping movement with both hands and all the guns were now in his hands.
"Ah! Ah!"
The little courage those fellow managed to gather scattered right away and they collapsed to the ground in fear.
"Don't be nervous. I was talking to Mia Lwin before, but he has run away… since you're here now, I guess I'll talk to you."
***
Out there somewhere, Mia Lwin had not gone too far with his retreating army, for he was still secretly hoping to get a free ride. With the death of the old ghost woman, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest. The hidden Tame Head backfired on him and he fell out of his vehicle before he could make a sound.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-121.png){kind=small}
Chapter 321: The Challenge
Source: Qidian International
Ruili, the Tao Family.
Two heavy-duty trucks were parked in the big manor, which looked rather out of the place. Both were the so-called "four front and eight back"—there were four front steering wheels with and four pairs of rear driving wheels, both two-axled.
They were the type of heavy-duty trucks commonly used throughout the country. The loading capacity was around 50 tons and both had a Hollow Stone on their flatbeds.
There was no other way. The stone was way too big—twenty meters long, eight meters wide, over ten meters tall, and weighed over a hundred tons—so even if they had a truck with that loading capacity, there was no flatbed big enough. The stone had to be cut in half.
It was Gu Yu's first day back.
When Ge Thantwe's main force arrived at Hpakant in a haste, they were welcomed by the scattered bones and blood-soaked ground. The commander was a smart guy. He was only after the power and the money; anything else was not worth shedding the blood.
Hence, intimidated by Gu Yu's martial prowess and persuaded by his money, they soon agreed to offer their help. The trucks were arranged to take the stone to the border, from where the Tao Family took over the task.
"Master, if you want to take these two pieces back to Phoenix Mountain, there are two options." Right now, Tao Yu was walking behind Gu Yu and explained in a humble manner, "The first way is road transport, which is quicker. Or they can be transported by ship, which goes from Ruili to Guangdong, then to Dongyun via a cargo ship. It takes longer, but is very safe."
"By sea?"
Like most people, Gu Yu had travelled frequently by air, but had little experience with ships. The country had a coastline of over 20,000 km from Dongyun in the north to Beilun in the south. If they chose to transport the stone by sea, the journey would take it all the way up the coastline from one end to the other.
"I don't think going by sea is an option. It'll take at least half a month. I'm afraid our younger sister over there cannot wait that long. Let's use trucks," said Gu Yu.
"No problem. In that case, are you going straight back home or do you want to travel with the trucks?" Tao Yu asked.
"Um…"
Gu Yu felt his temples thumping at the thought of that.
Xiaojin was obsessed with Hollow Stone and could not let it out of her sight. The stone was not going anywhere without her as a chaperone. Come on, the journey would be over 4000 km and he was not going to travel that far stuffed in the cabin of a truck.
"That can wait." He changed the subject and asked, "We've been away for quite a few days. What's happening in Diannan these days?"
"Everything is happening! You won't believe it!" Tao Yu's face suddenly became alive and he began to talk enthusiastically, "The second day after you left, there was a murder case in Tengchong. A family of four was killed and the police had no lead whatsoever. We knew nothing about it until the rumor began to spread, saying those four people simply died in their sleep without any accident. It was said they were killed by Tame Head.
Then Lord Priests of Zhenqing Temple joined in. One was Abbot Chen and the other's name I don't know—they said he's from some birthplace of some sect. They conducted some investigation and found out that it was indeed the doing of the black magic of Malaya. It was a paid assassin for revenge."
"Lord Priest?" Gu Yu chuckled, finding the title quite interesting.
"Um, that's what everyone has been calling them," replied Tao Yu, a little embarrassed.
"That's totally fine with me. Go on, what happened after that?"
"After that was that fight! A lot of people were there that day and some have videotaped it. It's all over the internet now. That visiting L-priest was using a fine steel flying sword…"
"Wait a minute!" Gu Yu interrupted him. Where the hell did a fine steel flying sword come from? "Are you sure it was a flying sword?"
"I, I… oh, I have the video here. Please have a look."
Tao Yu did not know how to describe it, so he took out his phone and tapped open a short video. Gu Yu took the phone in his hand and looked closely. The image was blurry and shaky, but it was obviously showing two men fighting.
One had the typical appearance of a Malaya man, while the other was none other than Shi Yunlai himself.
The video was only a little over twenty seconds long. The black sorcerer turned around and tried to flee when Shi Yunlai threw out his long sword, which flew out in a blue flash and nailed the man to the ground.
Then everyone began to scream.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Murder! Help!"
"Flying sword! Flying sword! I saw an Immortal!"
"Immortals are real!"
'Tsk!'
Gu Yu grimaced. That was not flying, but lancing at best. He did not miss a thing. Shi Yunlai's long sword was not much different from Xiao Qiu's, both were relatively basic refined instruments.
Yes, it was a refined instrument! For in the last two seconds of the video, he saw Shi Yunlai made a gesture of withdrawing the sword, which instantly disappeared from sight. It was obviously stored away in his mental space.
Tsk, that was fascinating. The Taoist community seemed to have obtained the method of refining with mental force!
"..."
Gu Yu was not at all threatened by this discovery. Instead, he was exhilarated. With the arriving of the new world, he was glad to see as many "insiders" as possible. Only with an adequate population could they overthrow the old world and start a new one.
He gave the phone back to Tao Yu and asked, "Anything else?"
"Just similar stuff. Somehow the entire Southeastern Asia seemed to be coming here these days. It was unbelievable. Apart from Diannan and Guangxi, they are seen in Guangdong as well. Everybody is saying a great change is coming and Taoist temples everywhere are having more worshipers than ever. Many are becoming Taoist followers. Here, we used to… um, please don't laugh at us, but people around here used to believe in the black magic. Now, well, everybody is saying our own 'magic' is much better."
"There's no panic at all?" He found it remarkable.
"There was, but it was nothing serious. A bunch of hoodies brought a riot to the streets and robbed a few shops, but they were arrested in half an hour." Tao Yu paused a little before saying, "Oh, I actually saw something online the other day. A foreign Celestial Master Zhang wants to challenge Longhu Mountain."
"A foreign Celestial Master Zhang?"
That surprised Gu Yu a little. He was about to ask for more details when his phone rang. It was from Mu Kun.
"Hello? Where are you now?" Mu Kun sounded a little anxious.
"What's wrong?"
"'What's wrong!?' With the mess you left behind in Hpakant, you're actually asking me?"
"I left no mess. Enough with the browbeating. To the point, please."
"Humph!"
Mu Kun snorted and gave him a brief explanation.
With the absence of a president, Myan was controlled by the armies of three forces, of which two—Soe Win and May Myo—had filed a joint compliant to our 1 government, basically saying "your people have been killing at random in Myan and robbed our resources, and your government has to answer for that," blah, blah, blah.
'Answer my a*s!'
They couldn't care less about the soldiers killed, but that old ghost woman was a different story. They were "Three Gods," and the two "sibling gods", who could sense her death, were still out there.
All black sorcerers of Myan were disciples of the three and many were honorable guests of influential figures in political, business, and military circles. The two brothers needed someone to blame for the old ghost woman's death, hence the complaint.
"Xiao Gu, you have pushed it too far this time. There is much tension on the international front and we're going to attend that conference at the end of this year. Don't make things more complicated than they already are."
Mu Kun tried to make his reprimand stern, but he failed to hide the swaggering tone in his voice.
"Haha, how about this? Pass on a message for me: I will go to Myan again and anyone from the cultivation community is welcome to settle their account with me." Gu Yu chuckled. "I'll bring an end to all their vengeance!"
"!!!"
Mu Kun could no longer pretend to be crossed at those words. "Ok, you won. One dead body is quite enough, please leave the rest to us. Oh, I was going to ask, why were you looking for that stone?"
"For fun," said Gu Yu seriously.
'Tsk!'
Mu Kun knew he would not get a straight answer, but those two words still annoyed him. He hang up without another word.
"..."
Tao Yu was dumbstruck by what he heard and stammered, "Master, whom d-did you say y-you killed?"
"An old ghost woman. Oh, she was one of those 'Three Gods' you talked about."
***
Night, the bedroom.
Gu Yu finished catching up on recent news, which was all about the foreign Celestial Master challenging the local ones. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Interesting. I guess I must see it for myself."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-122.png){kind=small}
Chapter 322: A Private Visit (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
"Behold, the overseas returnee Celestial Master versus the local Celestial Master is now open for betting!"
"Inside story of Longhu Mountain never disclosed before: the conflict of a nephew and his maternal uncle has just turned into another nephew with his paternal uncle—what a family drama!"
"Two Celestial Masters challenging each other over the 'real' title, the date is not set yet. The audience simply CANNOT wait."
Inside a house in the capital city, Zhang Ziliang skipped through the news and frowned. "Who is the leak?"
"We have no idea. The news was suddenly all over the internet. They named nothing specific, but from what it implied, the information was from an insider," a disciple replied, then asked, "Uncle Master, should we notify the authorities to quiet them down a little?"
"That won't be necessary. I'm afraid the authorities are exactly the ones behind all this."
Zhang Ziliang sneered. Arrogant and cynical as he might be, he was not stupid. He could see through the government's plan right away—all they were trying to do was to make this challenge into a media hype and attract the attention of the general public. In that way, no matter who won in the end, the Taoist community became the winner.
"Work with them whenever you can. They want the attention, they'll have it. It is even better like this. I will take back Celestial Master Temple fair and square in front of everyone!"
Zhang Ziliang waved his hand and instructed, "Let the media know I will be visiting Longhu Mountain on 20th of October. Now leave!"
"Yes!" the disciple replied solemnly and left the room with a bow.
Of course, he knew his uncle master was referring to the 20th day of the 10th month on a lunar calendar, which was the birthday of the 30th generation Celestial Master, Zhang Jixian. Longhu Mountain would hold a worship ceremony every year on that day to pay their respect.
Zhang Jixian was a man of the Song Dynasty and was greatly respected by Emperor Hui of Song. He was granted an alternative name Master Xujing and was a leading figure of the Taoist community.
Not only was he an expert in talismans, he was practicing Thunder Technique of Qingwei Sect at the same time as well. It was a time when the Thunder Technique was massively popular, and Zhang Jixian, Lin Lingsu and Wang Wenqing of Shenxiao Sect, as well as Perfected Man Chen Nan of the Southern School were all representative figures of that time.
Zhang Jixian was a living proof of what one would call "a born genius". He became the head of Longhu Mountain at the age of nine and achieved the Great Dao and became immortal at 36. Not much of his teachings was left, but no one could deny his achievements in cultivation.
It was early October at the moment and that day would fall on 13th, Nov. Zhang Ziliang had chosen that day for the challenge was a demonstration of how public he wanted this event to get.
***
"Are you gonna be all right by yourself?"
"Of course!"
"Really?"
"Gosh, stop nagging! It'll be only three to four days. Any bastard getting in my way will get a lightning strike!"
In the big courtyard of the Tao Family, Xiaojin was impatiently bidding Gu Yu farewell. She hopped into the truck's cabin and stuck out her head. "Brother-in-law, I'll see you back home. Take your time here. I'll say nice things about you to Sister. Bye!"
"Bye bye!"
"Vroom!"
The two heavy-load trucks slowly pulled out and drove out of the courtyard. After a right turn, they disappeared into the street corner. Gu Yu waved after them, feeling a little frustrated. 'That kid has no conscience whatsoever. I was the dear nanny when she needed me and I'm back to brother-in-law when she doesn't. How ungrateful!'
They left Phoenix Mountain almost two weeks ago and Gu Yu now had his own affairs to take care of, while Xiaojin was eager to get back to refine her instrument and had no interest in his business. Hence, they went their separate ways.
To be honest, he wasn't exactly worried about her journey home. Both the trucks and the drivers belonged to the Tao Family and posed no potential threat. That little brat was burning with impatience to get back and wouldn't have time to make any trouble.
"Master, now that Miss Jin is going back to Phoenix Mountain, where do you want to go next?" asked Tao Yu.
"Please book a bus ticket for me. Anything heading for the direction of Longhu Mountain will do. I'll get to the destination myself later while enjoying the view along the way."
"I'll see to it right away. Anything else?"
"Keep an eye on the mine and let me know immediately if anything goes wrong. Oh, and there's this…"
Gu Yu took out a jade plate.
Tao Yu took it and saw that the character "Tao" was carved on one side and a few abstract strokes on the other, which reminded one of rolling mountains.
"It's got one of my little tricks and can save you in critical moments. From now on, this is the ID card of the Tao Family. Please don't lose it."
"Thank you, Master!"
***
The service area of an expressway.
It was on the route from Spring City to Qujing and traffic was quite heavy on this section. The service area was crowded with people all year round. A long-distance bus slowly drove off the expressway and parked on a vacant spot. The driver shouted, "Anyone needs to use the toilet, you've got ten minutes! Ten minutes!"
The door of the bus opened and passengers of all shapes and sizes flushed out, rushing towards the toilet to get an unoccupied cube.
"Mhm…"
Gu Yu stretched himself and also strolled out of the bus. Outside, the sunlight was warm and pleasant—something one could not find in the Northeast at this time of the year.
From Diannan to Longhu Mountain, he would go through the three provinces of Guizhou, Guangxi, and Hunan. He planned to cover the journey by bus. There was no special reason behind that—he simply wanted to see the changes in the southern provinces.
He walked around briefly and returned to his seat. Seeing that most of the passengers were not back yet, he took out his phone and opened that app, which he hadn't checked for a while.
The page refreshed and the current number of users made Gu Yu jump: 103 278 users! Good God! It was only in the thousands a little while ago. The number was growing exponentially.
He then checked the content. The general categories remained the same, which read: Animal (272), Plant (494), Geography (2), and Meteorology (0).
He skipped Animal and Plant and tapped open Geography curiously. There was a new entry apart from the Peach Blossom Miasma of Grass River Mouth.
The place was in the middle of the Bohai Sea, to the northwest of Dongyun. On a 4.8-km^2 island whose closest distance to the land was nine nautical miles was a volcano named Old Iron Mountain. It stood 376.9 m above sea level, had a lot of sheer precipices and overhanging rocks, and a single pebble shoal on the southeast corner.
The entire island was covered by a luxuriant plantation and was home to about 27 000 Shedao 1 pit vipers!
Shedao pit vipers grew to about a meter in length, hunted at night, and were extremely venomous. Their mouths could open to as wide as 120 degrees and they could swallow food bigger than the diameter of their heads. They were also ferocious and very good at resisting hunger; a handful solid meals a year were enough to keep them going.
The island was a way station for migrant birds. Tens of thousands of birds stopped there for rest during the journey, making them a main food source for the pit vipers.
A while ago, however, a strange fragrance suddenly filled the air of the snake island which seemed to be a hallucinogen. All living creatures—humans and birds and the likes—would be lured into the island as soon as they got close enough.
There used to be a scientific research institute on the island, but the staff had all been killed.
'Tsk!'
Gu Yu couldn't help but feel sorry for the people of his hometown after reading through it. As if they hadn't suffered enough with Phoenix Mountain and the Peach Blossom Miasma, now there was a freaky snake island? Someone up there had to hate the province of Liaodong!
Shaking his head, he put it aside for the time being and turned to check the animals and plants.
Holy smoke! All 36 provinces now had their own unusual creatures and they came in all species and kingdoms: toads the sizes of a marmite, white deers with horns, 180-cm geoducks (as if their original form was not a reminder enough of certain male body parts)... the world was a very strange place now.
He then checked the sections of the app, which made him snicker.
The app was designed in a way to fit the habits of modern internet users and had developed into a combination of forum and online community. After the long foreshadowing period, quite a few famous IDs had stood out, all of which with high points and having offered quite a few leads.
They were the "authenticated users", if you like.
Old Shui's "Green River Water" was among them, for whatever strange creatures the family of four stumbled upon while travelling around, they would send it to Old Shui, who would then submit to the app—that boar, for instance.
The forum was Gu Yu's last stop. His attention was immediately caught by a sticky post, which read: map of mutated creatures and traffic safety reminder (regularly updated).
"Based on the information provided by our fellow users, I have briefly sorted out the data. It is by no means a complete version, please use it for reference only.
Heishui Province:
Xing'an Ridge area: verified to have mutated plants (azalea, acanthopanax, gentiana, etc.) and animals (red deer, elk, black bear, roe deer, etc.). Species posing obvious danger: bear, boar, hen harrier, Central Asian pit viper.
Traffic reminder: route Shibazhan Forestry Bureau—Tahe is festered by large flocks of goldeneyes; route Amuer Forestry Bureau—Mohe is frequently blocked by large herds of red deers and roe deers, drivers be aware."
***
"Wula Province:
Changbai Mountain area: verified to have mutated plants (rhodiola, gastrodia, fritillary bulb, etc.) and animals (sable, golden eagle, imperial eagle, jackal, brown bear, etc.). Species posing obvious danger: well, where do we begin."
***
"Hubei Province:
Shennongjia area: verified to have mutated plants (crowberry, Phyllitis japonica, Malus komarovii etc.) and animals (golden monkey, leopard, white stork, bustard, etc.).
Vicious animals of Shennongjia are usually marked by albinism, such as white serows, white snakes, or white bears twice the size of their original form."
Gu Yu read a few lines, it was indeed as brief as promised. Most of the contents were summarized in a few words without any details. He scrolled down and tried to read some more, but saw that he had arrived at the end of the post, which had a line of words.
"Any boss interested in the full version of all 36 provinces, please contact by pm. I'm just a nobody who's short on cash lately. I would appreciate if there are a few hot dishes and cold beer on my dinner table!"
'Pfffft!'
He almost choked on his spit. That was a clever man with a quick head knowing which way the tide was going—that was a budding information service.
He made a mental note of the ID: Sunny Lemon Tea… hm, an interesting person.
"Beep! Beep!"
Just then, the driver honked to hurry the passengers back to their seats. They followed the order and began to check if their neighbors had all come back. A couple of minutes later, everyone was back and the bus hit the road.
They followed the expressway for another forty minutes before getting off at Qujing Exit. Qujing was the last city of Diannan on this route. The next city was Liupanshui of Guizhou Province.
They left the expressway and changed to a provincial road, then a county-level road before finally driving onto a dirty road.
Traffic was quite heavy on this section and all were moving slowly. Another while passed before they suddenly saw a newly set up sign: savage birds ahead; close all windows and doors; drive with caution.
"Haha!"
A passenger sat in the front rows jeered, "I get 'savage dog inside' a lot. Which idiot came up with 'savage birds'?"
"Is it your first time taking this route?" asked the driver suddenly.
"So what? There are supposed to be savage birds just because a sign says so? I'm not buying it."
"Buying it or not, you'll know when you… sh*t!"
The driver swerved the steering wheel and there was a series of banging sounds of metal shells bumping into each other. Eight vehicles ahead knocked into a jumble.
Immediately after that, they heard a buzzing sound.
The rumble seemed to be made from countless wings flapping together, then a flock of little white birds flew down. There were so many of them that the sky was blocked. Every vehicle was soon covered by white feathers.
"Ah!"
"Aaaah!"
Some passengers began to scream and blather, "Help! Help! What are we gonna do? Call the police…"
"Stop yelling. It's fine!" The driver remained very calm.
He was telling the truth. The little birds pecked at the windows, making a rattling sound like pouring rain. Despite their apparent ferocity, not a single window was broken. Gradually, the frightened passengers calmed down and watched them in amazement.
"What are these birds? I don't think I've seen them when I took this route before!" said an auntie curiously.
"They're white jade birds," replied someone.
"Oh? How do you know that?" asked the auntie.
"Hoho…"
The person gave her a strange smile and did not answer.
In his window seat, Gu Yu was also watching a little bird curiously. It was 7-8 cm long, had white feathers and little red claws. The feather almost looked transparent and its beak was also red. It was a very pretty bird.
Its claws were rather special, for they could cling to the window glass without slipping. Seeing that Gu Yu was observing it, the bird tilted its head to one side and looked back. It then stuck out its beak and began to move its head back and forth, back and forth...
Eww!
That looked so wrong! He suddenly did not feel like watching it any more.
Gu Yu could actually sense that these white jade birds meant no harm despite their boisterous activity. People were only intimidated because there were so many of them.
Looking around, he turned a little to block the view of the others and grabbed into the empty air. The next second, that white little bird was in his hand with a dumbstruck face. It was about to chirp when an invisible shield silenced it.
"The journey is kind of boring. You'll keep me company."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-123.png){kind=small}
Chapter 323: A Private Visit (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
"Watch out! Watch out!"
"Shut the doors and windows and stay down! Cover your heads! Take cover in the seats!"
"Aaaaaah! Help!"
"Zap! Zap! Zap!"
It was a hubbub of crying, chaotic screams, beast squeaking, gunshots, as well as the bone-chilling noise of claws scratching the metal shell of the vehicles… together, it sounded as if a giant chest had fallen from the sky and crushed open its lid, releasing all the sounds of the world.
The long-distance bus had just made its way into Guizhou Province and was not yet out of the luxuriant mountains when it was caught in a tide of beasts.
Yes, it was a tide made of a type of animals. They were about half a meter in length with a half-meter long tail, had grayish yellow fur with brown stripes on their back, and a tapered head, giving them a weasel-ish look.
Many might not have seen such an animal before. It was Viverricula indica, or commonly known as small Indian civet. It used to be an endangered species, but the population had grown back after the highly encouraged artificial breeding in the country.
The animal was of great economic value. On its perineum just below its anus was a pouch-like scent gland that had a closable opening, which secreted oil thick as honey.
That was the so-called civet oil, which was said to be one of the four major animal fragrances alongside musk, castoreum, and ambergris.
Gu Yu knew a little bit about this animal. Civet oil was not commonly adopted in oriental incense, but was mainly used in the traditional medicine to repel foulness, promote the circulation of Qi, relieve pain, ease sudden pain in the heart and stomach, etc.
Well, ok, this was probably not the best time to talk about such things.
"Help… sob… mum!"
"Sob… sob…"
Night was just setting in. On this major section—one that all vehicles had to use to get to the neighboring province—nearly a hundred vehicles were surrounded by the herd of civets. All headlights were switched on in the dimness, under which all vehicles seemed to be crawling with grayish-yellow maggots, which had very big eyes and were squirming.
Even the adults were frightened out of their wits, let alone the kids—who were convulsing with fear.
The police had long arrived at the scene and were doing their best to scatter the animals holding shields and electric prods. Their last resort was to shoot into the air, trying to scare them off.
"What the hell is going on? There was no warning of hazard on this section of the road!"
"I heard a breeding base had a breakout and the owners were all killed!"
"Sh*t! There are a lot of breeding farms in the area. There must be tens of thousands of them… watch out! Over there! There!"
"Zap… ow, ow…"
Caressing the bird, Gu Yu raised his head to peek out of the window. The civets were not very effective as far as attacking was concerned. Most of the trucks and buses remained unharmed and about half of the cars were trashed—mostly Japanese and Korean brands, which tended to have thinner shells.
He was still trying to figure out how to save the day when cheers erupted outside.
"Priests! The priests are coming!"
"That's great! I never thought we'd run into Lord Priests out here!"
"We're safe!"
'Hm?'
He walked along the aisle to the front of the bus and looked out. Two priests were getting off a vehicle, both wearing blue robes and both very young.
The two walked to the middle of the road. With one guarding the perimeter, the other one took out a few yellow talismans, which burst into flame all at once.
The talismans shot into mid-air in a whoosh and turned into a big lump of flames, which floated there. A smell seemed to be emanating from the flame, spreading out fast.
Human beings were not affected by the smell, but the civets were tottering and went tipsy as if they were drunk. They soon fell to the ground in a series of thumping sounds.
"Why, there's still a big one!"
"Take it alive! Take it alive!"
They were checking the unconscious animals when they saw a big civet over a meter long was still struggling. One of the priests took out his whisk and knocked it on the head, chuckling. "That's quite a fighter. I wonder how spiritual it is, though. Let's take it back and raise it."
"This is a happy coincidence. Senior Brother has been looking for spiritual animals. This civet will earn us a small reward."
"We'd better hurry, then. Senior Brother will go back to the monastery in a few days."
"..."
Gu Yu returned slowly to his seat and found that conversation rather strange. So their sect had a priest up on Tianzhu Mountain, but why were they looking for spiritual animals? Could it be that the monastery has got their hands on some secret treasure? There was the refinement with mental force and now the spiritual animal?
With the help of the two priests, the tumult soon subsided.
The police then busied themselves with dispatching the vehicles and checking the traffic condition. Before long, a police officer boarded the bus. "Please take your rest in the next town ahead. We'll have to record any injuries or damage, eliminating any possibility of contagious diseases. We have arranged accommodations for you all, but passengers travelling on their own may have to share rooms. Sorry about that."
"That's ok. Thank you for everything."
"It's been a tough day for you guys as well. We'll be fine. It's just one night."
The passengers were yet to recover from the fright and could not continue the journey. No one objected.
The fatigued police officer got off in a hurry and went back to direct the traffic, mumbling, "Damn it! Half of the roads nowadays are closed and monsters are everywhere. How am I supposed to do my job?"
***
Pan Zhou, the town of Saji.
Pan Zhou was under the jurisdiction of Liupanshui and the western entrance of Guizhou Province. It was located at the junction of Diannan, Guizhou, and Guangxi. Saji was a small place. With nearly a hundred vehicles and three to four hundred people rushing into the town, nearly every hotel was filled to the brim.
Gu Yu did not live in the hotel arranged by the police, but paid for a suite to stay the night.
As soon as he got into the room, he set up a confinement and let out the little bird. The white jade bird had been shut up in a tiny place for the past few hours and was now flying all over the room looking very grumpy.
After much chirping—which Gu Yu had ignored completely—the bird landed on the windowsill. It was indeed a very pretty bird, especially those expressive, bright black eyes.
Gu Yu opened his bag and took out a civet secretively—he had picked it up in passing. He couldn't help it—the occupational habit of an incense maker. He had played with plenty of plant-derived incense material before, but never an animal one, which intrigued him greatly.
Because of the unknown method that priest used, the civet remained unconscious. Gu Yu put it on the table and began his work.
He lifted the long tail, revealing the two balls and a rod, between which was a kidney-shaped scent gland. He then gently forced the gland open and saw that the inside looked like an apple sliced open. It was covered with soft white hair, had two shallow ridges, papillations, and a lot of holes too tiny for naked eyes to see.
On either side on the upper part of the gland was a bigger hole and the oil was inside. The normal extraction process would involve squeezing the oil out of those holes.
Gu Yu took out a glass bottle and activated the Small Moving Technique. A pale-yellow sticky substance instantly appeared in the bottle. He sniffed at it. It was rather elegant and not intense at all. With a closer inspection, he could sense something carnal behind that elegance.
Well, that was interesting!
He blinked. No wonder the traditional incense did not like it—that was way too explicit. The westerners loved the style, though.
"..."
He pondered on the idea. The civet oil had a weaker scent then the Peach Blossom Incense. With the assistance of some other material to balance the two, he could probably create an incense perfect for "bedtime".
By "perfect", he was picturing a little wine, some intimate talk, she had sexy silk stocking and he had clean socks; the bed was big enough, the foreplay was of the perfect length, followed by the rightly timed coitus and ended with a climax neither too intense nor too weak… everything was just right.
Like Gorky once said (not): men of noble character would fulfil their conjugal duty every five days and there was nothing wrong having fun in the bedroom.
The civet oil changed its appearance very fast. In a moment, it had turned into a half-solid state. Gu Yu put away the bottle, knocked the civet on the head again, and called Xiao Qiu.
Xiaozhai was still cultivating in seclusion and was doing great. If everything went as planned, by the time he got back to Phoenix Mountain, she would reach the passionless state in Water Thunder. Xiaojin was still halfway through her journey and no accident had happened so far.
It was supposed to be that way. The fame of Phoenix Mountain meant something to a lot of people throughout the country and even if someone decided to ignore that fame, Xiaojin would make sure they wouldn't.
He hung up after a while and lay in bed playing with his phone.
He was going to flip through some weibo posts, but got stuck logging in. After much maneuvering, he finally opened the page and saw that it was caused by the sudden inflow of visitors attracted by the announcement of a young actor's love affair.
'Tsk!'
He was not interested in the entertainment news at all. They all sounded too fake.
Movie stars could pretend to be going out for months to promote a new film, while an ordinary man pretending to be a couple with a female "physical therapist" would get arrested. That couldn't be right, no?
"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce my bird 1 ."
He suddenly pointed at the windowsill. Hm, that sounded just about right!
"Knock, knock, knock!"
While Gu Yu was enjoying his silly moment, there was a knock at the door. He went to answer it and saw a police officer outside.
The officer winced as soon as he saw Gu Yu's face and his tone turned extra cautious. "Hello, I'm the police officer of this town. Are you one of the passengers coming off that road?"
"Yes."
"There are just a couple of questions we need to ask. Were you injured in any way, or were any of your belongings damaged?"
"No."
"Ok, thank you for your cooperation."
The police officer could feel sweat trickling down his neck. He was checking the hotel registration and read the name of His Majesty. He did not believe it then, but when he saw the man, wow! It was quite amazing, though, to see an immortal playing with his phone just like everyone else.
Of course, he dared not reveal any of these thoughts. He was about to leave when Gu Yu said, "Could you wait a minute, please? I'm gonna need a small favor."
"Oh, sure."
"I picked up this civet on the road. Would you please send it back?"
"Of course!" the police officer replied solemnly.
"Are you from around here?"
"Yes, born and raised in Pan Zhou."
"Are there any famous tourist destinations or temples nearby? I'd like to have a look."
"Um…"
The officer gave it a thought and said, "The most famous places of interest are Danxia Mountain and the Great Cave. There is a Huguo 2 Temple up on the mountain. The Great Cave is a site of Paleolithic ruins. The old town of Pan Zhou has quite a few temples. There are Chenghuang Temple, Temple of God of Wealth, and Nanji Temple, for instance. But most of them are in a bad shape."
"Anything else? I'm not really a big fan of the really famous ones. Something less popular, preferably."
"There is a Dushan Temple in Dushan County, a Wanshou Palace in Jinsha, and a Black God Temple in Zhijin." The officer indeed knew the place well.
"Black God Temple? Which god is it worshipping?" Gu Yu was a little surprised by the name.
"Well, some say it is Meng Huo, others say it's some famous general. I'm really not sure."
"No problem, thanks."
After the police officer left, Gu Yu searched for the temple online. It was his first time hearing the name Black God and he was intrigued. According to the results of his search, Black God was a god worshipped with sacrifices peculiar to Guizhou Province.
One theory said it was the barbarian king Meng Huo—the same one caught and released seven times by Zhuge Liang. Legend had it that he had the ability to summon wind, so in some temples, the Black God would hold a sphere in his hand, which was a divine object to summon wind.
Others suggested that it was Nan Jiyun, a general of the Tang Dynasty. During the An Lushan Rebellion, Zhang Xun led the army to suppress the revolt and Nan Jiyun was Zhang Xun's right hand man. The army was later defeated and Nan Jiyun died in the battle.
Nan Jiyun was from Guizhou, where the habit of worshipping with sacrifices was a common practice. The so-called Black God was a name used by the common folk. During the Qing Dynasty, the government carried out a mass migration of the people of Guizhou, who then took this practice with them.
The alternative name of Guizhou was Qian, which meant "black", hence Nan Jiyun was called Black God.
With the date of the Longhu Mountain duel announced—which was 13th of next month—there was plenty of time left for Gu Yu. He decided to take the time to wander around a bit to see the changes.
When he heard this name, it was only natural that he should take a look.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-124.png){kind=small}
Chapter 324: Zhijin
Source: Qidian International
Night, Phoenix Mountain "Zhijin branch".
Zhijin was the name of this county which also happened to have a Phoenix Mountain located in its Zhuzang Township. Zhuzang was 23 km away from the county town and had an economy on the undeveloped side.
"Rustle!"
"Keep up! Keep up!"
In the darkness of the night, thick growth of tall grass deep in the mountain was brushed aside and several streaks of bright light shot out, then a team of people crept out with their backs hunched. There were about fifty to sixty of them in total, who were holding high-wattage mining lamps, with brooms and nets tucked on their back, and had their cuffs and trousers legs tightly fastened. One look at their appearance and you knew they had done this plenty of times before.
It was You Yu's first time doing this and he was very nervous. Hanging on to his cousin You Le by the corner of the latter's clothes, he stumbled on. He was here with the elder member of the family, and before long, he saw a fence with a sign set up outside, reminding the readers of relevant legal provisions regarding the protection of migratory birds.
Being a high school student only, he asked gingerly, "Brother, isn't what we're doing wrong?"
"We've been catching them for four or five years. What's wrong with that?" You Le sneered.
"But, but it's breaking the law!"
"It only is if we get caught, otherwise, it's perfectly all right. Plus, so what if the police do come. Don't you remember what happened last year?"
"..."
You Yu went silent. There was a major confrontation last year, during which dozens of villagers were besieged on the mountaintop by a dozen forest police officers halfway up the mountain. The villagers had thrown stones down to retaliate.
Although several villagers were arrested in the end, others showed no desire to restrain themselves. The activity only grew in size this year. Villagers were bringing in their entire families for help, slapping the face of the law loudly.
This mountain was on the vital route of the migratory birds and they often put up for the night on the mountaintop in flocks. Excessive catching and killing of the birds had become a custom of the villagers, who sold the birds at less than a hundred yuan each and could catch hundreds in a single night. They themselves called it a way to improve the quality of their life.
The local forestry police station had intervened on multiple occasions, but it produced very little effect.
You Yu's inner conflict was gnawing at him. His nature of a good, kind student made him reluctant to come, but he also knew that catching bird would give him money for better food on the table and some nice clothes.
He was young and had yet to form his view of life. He was struggling with the contradiction.
It was with this internal struggle that he reached the top of the mountain with the rest of the group. There was the breeze, the bright moon, and the twinkling stars. The dark sky looked like a dome above that one almost felt they could raise their arm and touch it.
October was the peak time of the migration of birds. Not only were they travelling in daytime, many would keep on flying at night.
"Chirp!"
"Squeak!"
You Yu stood on a big rock and looked up at the sky. He could faintly make out flocks of birds passing overhead in lines and rows, chirping loudly from time to time. This was supposed to be an occasion where one admired the boundless wonders of the nature and the beauty of the night, yet here they were, doing everything they could to destroy everything that was pleasant.
"Where's the tire? The tire? Bring it here now!"
"The fire's ready. Just put it there. It's the most obvious spot!"
"All set. Everyone back away and get ready!"
"Set the fire! Turn on the light!"
Bang, bang, bang! Whoosh...
At the command of the leader, all lamps were switched to the brightest, lighting up the top of the mountain like the bright daylight. Some old tires were also set on fire. The raging flames hopped in the night wind, giving off a disgusting smell of burnt rubber.
The villagers were all experienced at this. They waited with broomsticks and nets in hands and kept their gaze at the sky.
"Chirp!"
"Chirp!"
Before long, a flock of migratory birds was attracted by the light and slowly descended. Right at the moment when they were about to "hug" the light, the villagers pounced at the birds and swept down their broomsticks. Two or three birds were struck down in one single strike.
Another few rushed near and grabbed the birds at their necks to stuff them into the nets, not caring if they were alive or dead. All they cared about was the money. You Yu was petrified watching on the side.
That was a f**king egret! That looked like a pond heron! And that, that… he did not know the name, but it was definitely a protected species.
"..."
The kid was shaking. He stood there dazed, his motionlessness a stark contrast to everything happening around him.
You Le had caught a bagful and was shouting excitedly, "Xiao Yu, what are you doing standing there? Get over here! Check this out. Holy crap, that's at least a thousand yuan here!"
"Oh my, this is a good one. This one alone is worth 300!"
"300? Why did I only get 200?"
"Did you sell it to Old Qin? That guy is not decent. You have to go to the county town. The place is called Xinxing. They sell game as food there. This one is 588 for half a kilo!"
"Clear the ground and let's have another round!"
"Yes!"
They began the night with a big harvest and everyone was in high spirits. They set everything up after much maneuvering and waited for the second batch of birds. About an hour later, they heard birds' calling from above. The leader shouted, "Get ready!"
"..."
The villagers were on the alert and ready to catch. A flock of birds approached across the night sky in an arrow-shaped formation. You Le threw the net to his cousin and held the broomstick himself. His face was lit up by excitement.
He stared at the birds and said silently in his head, 'Come down. Come down here!'
"Chirp!"
The birds saw the light, but did not descend like the previous flock. Instead, they began to circle in the sky, as if they were led by some sort of fluctuation. They seemed agitated.
The villagers waited for a while and asked, "Boss, what's going on?"
"Just wait. They're probably too scared to come down!" The leader tried to appease the rest.
"Chirp… squeak…"
After a moment, the birds were still circling, but their calling grew louder. When the villagers were getting impatient, the flock scattered suddenly and seemed to be ready to dive.
"Coming! They're coming!"
You Le cheered up and had his eyes on a big bird. He raised his broomstick. "I've got this— aaaah!"
He cried out in surprise. His broomstick struck the big bird, which flapped its wings violently and steadied itself with a strange agitation and ferocity. The next second, it was dashing at You Le.
It was too late for You Le to dodge and he buried his head into his arms. There was then a chilly sensation at the back of his head—a bloody piece of scalp was torn off.
"Aaaah! Aaaah!"
The other villagers were panic-stricken. The hunter had become the hunted. Hundreds of birds charged down and the villagers scattered in all directions.
"Brother! Brother!"
You Yu turned out to be the calm one in this critical moment. Dragging his cousin with one hand, he picked up the broomstick in the other. "Don't shout. Be quiet. Hold on, I'll take you out of here!"
"Out of my way! Out of my way!"
"Aaaaah!"
He cleared a way out with all his strength and tumbled into the dense woods. He dared not turn back to look for even once.
***
Saji Town, morning.
Gu Yu stayed the night in the town and wanted to go to Black God Temple the following morning.
Black God Temple was on Fish Mountain in the eastern suburb of the county. The mountain got the name for its resemblance to a wooden fish. It was actually no taller than 300 m and had an area of less than 20 mu. Looking down from above, it looked more like a giant rock.
He hailed a taxi. "Fish Mountain, please."
"You're new here, right? You can't go in that direction." The driver turned him down and explained, "A flock of birds came from Phoenix Mountain and now the whole county town is taken. No one dares to leave their home. All roads are closed!"
'WHAT?'
Gu Yu did not see that coming. A flock of birds from Phoenix Mountain… those were some persistent birds to fly this far! He then realized it was not his own mountain, but one of the "branches" with the same name.
He then asked, "In that case, I'll go as far as you can drive me in that direction. How about that?"
"Um, hop on."
The driver hesitated a little, but still gestured for him to get in.
They drove for over half an hour along the road and saw a crowd ahead. There was a hubbub of noises and they could go no further.
Gu Yu got off the taxi. Wow, that was quite a scene! Not only were there roadblocks, sandbags and chunks of stones were also piled up as if they were in wartime. Six or seven police cars guarded the entrance tightly with a loudspeaker blaring a safety alert repeatedly.
"Please do not approach! I repeat, do not approach! The police are doing everything they can to rescue the civilians. This is an unusual situation and no one is allowed to go in. Please follow the instructions!"
Hundreds of people stood around, some being mere onlookers, some howling their lungs out—presumably having relatives trapped inside.
He looked up and realized the clouds and the sun were all blocked by a dark sea of tens of thousands migratory birds that were either circling around in mid-air over the streets or perching on various buildings. It reminded him so much of a scene from an old movie.
"Vroom!"
"Make way! Make way!"
An anti-riot vehicle suddenly drove out from the other side of the barrier. The door slid open and several special force police officers jumped out. Their colleague went up to them in a hurry and asked, "How are things looking inside?"
"The birds have taken up all space available! But they are not making active attacks, so long as the people stay inside, they're fine. No one can walk the streets… all hospitals are running at full capacity. There are over a thousand injured and over four hundred are wounded badly. There is a significant shortage of medical assistance."
"Backup is coming from the city, but they don't really have any good idea up there, either. The birds are very difficult to drive out, unless they use chemical gases, but that will harm the civilians."
"F**k! What is wrong with this world!"
A police officer smashed his walkie-talkie on the ground, cursing loudly.
"..."
The surrounding people grew more worried at those words. After a while, someone said, "Didn't they say the birds flew here from Phoenix Mountain? Does anyone know anything about that?"
"I've heard a little. A bunch of people went to catch birds last night. Only five out of the sixty-two made it back."
"That's right. My sister lives over there. It seemed the birds just suddenly began to attack people."
"Then why aren't they staying on Phoenix Mountain, but flew here to the country town?"
"..."
There was silence again—like anyone would know the answer!
Gu Yu hid among the crowd and listened in silence. Moments later, the crowd scattered at two approaching priests—they were none other than the two handling the civets.
The man in charged hurried near and his voice was anxiety-ridden. "Priests, you're finally here. There really is nothing we can do."
"Don't panic. Let us have a look first."
The two priests looked into the distance and were both secretly astonished. The sudden abnormal behavior of a bird flock of this scale was obviously beyond their capability. One of them said, "I have notified our temple. Our senior brother just happened to be here, he's coming. You can proceed however you see fit."
The other one added, "This is an important matter. I think we'd better evacuate the civilians as best as we can."
The man in charge grasped the meaning of those words right away. By "important matter", they meant it was a cultivation thing not to be meddled in by just anyone.
Both priests were disciples of the Immortal Cave of Forest City. The Immortal Cave was the largest Taoist temple of Guizhou Province and a member of Zhengyi. Guizhou had been a remote location historically, but had a long history of Taoist beliefs. The religion was very popular among the common folk.
The Immortal Cave was a renowned and authoritative figure in the province. With its help, although the man in charge was not fully convinced, his anxiety was greatly eased nonetheless.
Over on the other side, Gu Yu had collected enough information he needed and secretly entered the town from a spot several kilometers away.
Zhijin at this moment looked like an apocalyptic drawing: the ruined streets were littered with vehicles that still had their doors wide open. Turning everywhere, he could see no one. The birds had blocked out the sky, transforming the town into a wild paradise.
Residents of the town were standing at the windows inside the buildings and looking out helplessly, wishing for the disaster to go away.
"Ssss!"
Taking in the scene, Gu Yu suddenly frowned, for he had sensed an intriguing fluctuation. He smelt trouble!
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-125.png){kind=small}
Chapter 325: The You Brothers (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
"Chirp!"
Gu Yu casually swept a few big birds aside and marched on.
The big birds were sent tumbling away in the air, and after they finally managed to steady themselves, they pounced again at Gu Yu. There was simply no stopping that, almost as if they had had viagra for breakfast.
Gu Yu grew a little impatient. He released a single Flame Could Needle and made a 10-meter-radius circle with it centering around himself. That successfully created a "vacuum zone" filled with hot, charred dead birds giving off an aroma of burnt meat.
"..."
That white jade bird was standing on his shoulder with a dumbstruck face and a dull look in its eyes. It was like a cat that had seen a tiger for the first time: holy sh*t, so I'm not actually the ruler of this world?
Gu Yu looked around. He could detect a strange agitation floating around the town, disturbing the spiritual essence and irritating the birds, so much that they were lured here as if they were waiting for some treasure to be unearthed.
The agitation was too weak to pinpoint. He had not a single lead and had to wander around aimlessly in the town. About forty minutes later, he reached a road on the east side of the town and caught something. The next second, he turned into fog and drifted off in a gust of wind.
"Chirp!"
The white jade bird flapped its wings in horror and caught up with the fog as fast as it could manage. There was no way it would stay here alone—it would become some other bird's bi*th in no time.
The man and the bird were soon out of the town and reached the eastern suburb. They saw even more birds here which almost blotted out the entire sky. The fog then turned back into Gu Yu, who looked up and saw a mountain a couple of hundred meters tall. At the foot of the mountain was a stone tablet, which read: Important Historical Monuments under Special Preservation, Black God Temple of the ancient architectural complex of Zhijin—June, 2006.
'Hm?'
He winced a little despite himself—that was such a coincidence! He was faintly detecting the strongest disturbance came from this place, but never expected it to be Fish Mountain itself. This had saved him an extra trip.
Fish Mountain was tiny and seemed to have been closed down for quite some time. The dark-red gate was peeling off and was tightly locked by two iron locks. The style of the knockers was quite unique. The base was a pair of beast heads with mixed features of tiger, lion, dragon, and horse, which probably represented some animal that could expel evil.
Even the streets of the county town were deserted, let alone this place.
Gu Yu broke the lock and the wooden gate opened with a squeaking moan. He walked in, the flock of birds flapping, twittering, and knocking into each other behind him, but none dared fly past the threshold.
"Squeak!"
He gently closed the door behind him, shutting off all noise outside as if he had entered another world.
The mountain was featured with wonderful terrains. Grotesque stones scattered the slope and dozens of stairs wound up somewhere quiet and deep on the mountain. There weren't many buildings inside. After a while, he only saw a wooden pavilion, which was just about halfway up the mountain. Beyond that was the Martyr's Shrine.
Martyr's Shrine was its official name. To the common folk, it was the Black God Temple.
The temple was not a big one. There was a courtyard, a main hall, a preaching room with a green glazed-tile roof, and an old pomegranate tree stood in the front yard whose winding trunk reminded one of a coiling black dragon.
That was strange. This mountain was a perfect tourist destination, yet the government of Zhijin seemed to have no intention to make any improvement or development plans. They simply left the temple to go to waste.
Gu Yu wandered around. The main hall was empty—the statue of "Nan Jiyun, the Black God Governor of Qian Zhou and Grand Master Of Glorious Happiness" was nowhere to be seen. The only thing worth noting was a plaque saying "Win People with Loyalty".
Flowers and plants flourished in the backyard. On the left side was a library with two pairs of couplets hanging outside: one was "Alongside the Mountains of Dayou and Xiaoyu and together with the Toad Cave, the knowledge stored in the three mountains are like the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon of West Lake", and the other "The sun shines brightly on Brocade City; the moon softly lights up the library".
Other than those, there was nothing to see.
"Tsk!"
Gu Yu frowned. The fluctuation of the spiritual essence was the most violent here, so much so that the birds dared not come in. But he was drawing blank on exactly what was hidden here and where it was hidden.
He spent quite a while in the temple before heading back out. He needed to find someone local to the area for some information.
***
Zhijin, the People's Hospital.
It was the largest hospital of the town, crowded with patients on a daily basis. Right now, it was overflowing with them. The corridors, the hallways, even the stair landings were filled with the wounded, who were sitting, slouching, or lying down all over the place.
The minor cases were mostly surface scratches, while the more severe ones suffered from damaged body parts. The most serious one, however, had either their stomachs or skulls slashed open.
We were looking at over a thousand patients here! No hospital was adequately equipped for such an inflow. Medicine for infection and tetanus prevention, painkillers, hemostatics, anaesthetics, etc., were almost all running out. The medical staff was multitasking around the clock and still could not keep up with the emergencies.
"102's wound opened again. Forceps! I need forceps!"
"We've run out forceps, and the tourniquets too!"
"Sh*t! Any bandages?"
"That's gone, too! We're using all the straps and towels we can find!"
"Aaaah, help me, help me…"
There was only so much a county-level hospital could do. As the disaster unfolded, the medical staff was also overwhelmed by the anxiety and depression. The air was filled with despair.
On the stair landing of the second floor, the You Brothers rejoiced at their good fortune.
A large piece of skin was ripped off from the back of You Le's head, which was now thickly bandaged. He was saying repeatedly, "It's all thanks to you, or I would have died up there. Old Uncle Liu was just behind me. A big bird dived down and his throat was torn out. I am so lucky to have a good brother like you!"
"You're my brother. That's the least I could do!"
You Yu blushed at the words of praise. He had been brandishing the broomstick fiercely and scraped his hands. Under the current circumstances, that minor injury was negligible. "I say, uncle and auntie, and dad and mum are the real lucky ones. Had they not been away, they would have come with us. God knows what would become of them."
"Yeah, you're right. I barely made it out alive this time. If I can get out of this mess, I will never catch a bird for the rest of my life," said You Le pensively.
They were still talking when a woman's voice began to broadcast. "Attention, please. Because we are still waiting for the relief supplies from Liupanshui and the provincial government, we are currently having a shortage in our medical resources in the hospital. In order to make better use of the limited resources and provide a better medical treatment for those severely wounded, we'd like everyone to check their number card, please. The doctors have marked the cards with different colors. The green and yellow ones are not as severely wounded, the police force will escort their owners to the hospitals in neighboring counties. Thank you for your co—"
"Buzz!"
The hospital erupted with angry yells at the announcement.
"I'm not going. Why me? Don't you know those birds are out there?"
"That's right. They can go all they want, but not me. I'm already 70 years old and what do I care? Let's see if you can drag me out of here!"
"..."
You Le checked his number card and a green tick beamed back at him. Crest-fallen, he said, "Xiao Yu, find me a pen, will you?"
"Where am I supposed to find a pen?"
"Then, when they come to check up on me, I'll pretend I'm really badly wounded. Work with me."
"Um…"
You Yu was the honest one. He tried to talk You Le out of it. "Brother, you're not that badly hurt. Let's just go to another hospital."
"Why? Forget about the police escorting they mentioned. How are they supposed to escort this many people? There are ten thousand birds out there, who can guarantee our safety?" You Le glared at him.
While the wounded were making their own plans, the hospital staff and the police had started the process.
"Comrade, please work with us!" a police officer spoke politely, but he did not waver a bit when he pulled an auntie up to her feet and hustled her downstairs. The auntie was howling louder than when she'd squeezed into a packed bus, sounding all hale and hearty. "Don't touch me! I'm telling you, I'm not leaving. Touch me again and I'm going to lie down right here…"
Like so, the first batch of the walking wounded was brought downstairs in a hubbub.
Several anti-riot vehicles were parked outside guarded by heavily armed special force police officers. As soon as they saw the patients, they rushed toward them with steel shields raised above their heads.
"Quack!"
"Chirp!"
The flock of birds poured down as soon as they caught sight of the human beings. They smashed down and made banging sounds on the shields.
"Aaaah! Don't eat me! Don't eat me!"
The auntie was frightened out of her wits and could no longer think straight. She took to her heels and ran for her life. The rest panicked with her and everyone began to rush towards the vehicles.
Those at the back had no idea what was going on and simply bolted with the others. Everyone was crashing into everyone and those that had got on the vehicle held onto the chairs and began to kick at the others. "Get out! Get out!"
"Don't panic! Don't panic! Patients at the back, please go back to the hospital!"
The police officers shouted at the top of their lungs to keep the people in line, but the horror-stricken crowd could not hear a word. Immediately after that, screams were coming from the crowd.
"Aaaaah! My eyes!"
"Aaaaah! Aaaaah!"
"How dare you!"
Just then, a clear voice rang out a short distance away and a long sword jabbed into the flock of birds as if it was descending from heaven. It was like a piece of machine landing on a pile of meat. Wherever it turned, a big bird was struck down.
The blade flashed and in a heartbeat, the sword had cleared out a safety zone.
"Drive when the vehicle is full. Those who cannot get on this one, fall back!"
The sword then slowed down a little and a person landed like a beam of light. It was a very handsome young priest.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-126.png){kind=small}
Chapter 326: The You Brothers (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
The priest made his grand entrance like an immortal swordmaster, turning the crisis around without breaking a sweat. With his resolute manner, the wounded felt compelled to follow his order without any objection. Those that ran at the front quickly got on the vehicle, while those that fell behind retreated hurriedly into the hospital building.
"Go!"
The police officers gestured and the anti-riot vehicles rumbled out of the courtyard. The first batch of the wounded was sent away. Just then, two more priests arrived in a hurry with swords in their hands, calling out, "Senior Brother, are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Let's talk inside."
The priest waved off their concern and entered the hospital with his two junior brothers. The officials in charge saw the whole thing from upstairs and had scrambled downstairs now, holding the priest's hands tightly. "Thank you so much! Thank you so much!"
Another one asked, "If we may know which esteemed priest do we have the honor to meet, please?"
"I'm Bai Yunsheng 1 of the Immortal Cave." The priest saluted them, then said, "I got a message from my junior brother. What exactly is going on here?"
"We're not sure, either. All we know is that someone has been catching birds on Phoenix Mountain in Zhuzang Township, which enraged a flock of birds and they somehow ended up flying here to the county town"—the official lowered his voice—"I'm afraid this is a matter concerning the cultivation community. We're depending on you for a solution."
"I'm perfectly capable of handling the lesser unnatural creatures, but don't put too much hope in me. I'm not advanced enough in my cultivation and there is only so much I can do."
Bai Yunsheng was a natural and unrestrained character with a manner neither haughty nor humble; he was all about telling the truth. The man was tall, broad-shouldered, and had slender fingers and a powerful grip. His bright eyes reminded one of stars, and with the long sword on his back, he looked very much like a chivalrous swordsman of the ancient times.
The Immortal Cave of Forest City was the largest temple in Guizhou Province. Despite being a branch of Zhengyi, its founder and history remained rather mysterious, with little written records.
That inscrutable sword technique Bai Yunsheng used was exactly the reason he was able to secure his place in Qiyun among all the other extremely talented priests.
Sword technique was a common physical training method adopted by all sects in the Taoist community, but rarely did any of them consider it their sole specialty.
Acting under the order of the monastery, Bai Yunsheng came to Guizhou to remove the evil creatures pestering the land—well, mostly the Tame Head masters that had snuck into the country. He had just finished cleaning up the province and was about to head back to Tianzhu Mountain when this happened, hence his showing up here.
His arrival made little difference in solving the problem, though. He was not yet an innate state cultivator and could not detect the abnormality.
***
"Quickly!"
"Are the fire engines here yet?"
"Yes, yes. Make way!"
"Splash!"
Outside the building entrance, four fire engines dispatched here on a short notice had each taken up a corner of the courtyard. A group of people pretended they were making a run, luring the birds to approach, then the water hoses were switched on.
That was quite a scene. Water mist filled the air and dampened the birds' feather, which weighed them down until they were falling to the ground one after another. Bai Yunsheng and the other two priests guarded the perimeter to take down any bird that managed to make its way in. Under such a close protective system, the second batch of wounded patients got safely onto the vehicles.
"Hahaha! That's great!"
"A fallen phoenix is weaker than a chicken. Let's see who's the tough one now?"
There was indeed wisdom within the common folk. Some old man had come up with this idea and the crowd's spirits were significantly lifted at its effectiveness.
After that, the third and fourth batches made a smooth departure. You Le and You Yu belonged to the sixth batch. They were now waiting in the lobby, looking out through the glass door.
"That's good. We'll be safe!" You Le sighed with relief. Patting his younger cousin on his shoulder, he said, "They're sending us to the city. Dad and Mum are also there."
"I still want to go home. No one knows if these birds are ever going to leave or not, what are we gonna do?" You Yu sounded crestfallen.
While the brothers were whispering to one another, the other people relaxed with how smoothly things turned out. The fifth batch was ready to head out.
"Ready!"
"Splash!"
The fire hoses were switched on again and the birds fluttered to the ground. All of a sudden, a fireman shouted, "Sh*t! There're too many of them!"
"Chirp!"
"Chirp, chirp!"
This method seemed to have enraged the birds as they were pouring in from all over the town, diving into the courtyard from all directions. As soon as a wave of birds was shot down by the gushing water, more would take their places.
"Turn the water up! Turn it up!"
"It's already full on. Watch out— ah!"
A fireman cried out as a bird knocked into his back and he fell down the fire engine with a thump. The rest of the firemen were given as hard a time as he and the water flow instantly flagged.
"Fall back!"
Bai Yunsheng's face turned stern and he jumped into the courtyard without hesitation. His sword reached out like a precise machine, brushing past a girl's cheek.
"Ah!"
The girl felt the cold air grazing her skin and almost thought half of her ear had been cut off. The next second, the sword was back to Bai Yunsheng's hand as if nothing had happened. Shivering, she turned around and saw a big bird dead on the ground with a hole through its body.
The two junior brothers were not as extraordinary in the sword technique as Bai Yunsheng, but they fought in perfect unison and were also able to clear out an area.
"Chirp!"
Seeing this, the birds grew all the more frantic and ferocious. They charged at the three with a deadly determination, even to the point of using their own bodies as the weapon, as if trying to take the three down to the same doomed fate.
"Zap!"
"Zap, zap, zap!"
The police shot at the birds from outside the circle, but completely to no avail. The three priests were surrounded by the birds and there was no way out.
"We're done! This is a disaster!"
The officials watching the fight were drained of all color. Their only savior had also fallen into the quagmire—and he was a man of the monastery! If he died here in Zhijin, there would be enough officials to punish for such a loss.
"Ah, ah… hm…"
Just then, his deputy slapped him hard on the shoulder, who could not even make a coherent sentence because of the excitement. He only pointed at the courtyard.
"What's this? That's…"
The official's heart skipped a beat, then the charging birds suddenly turned rigid and slow. The next moment, they were dropping to the ground like fallen apples.
There was a shower of falling birds and in the blink of an eye, they could see the three priests again.
"What happened?"
Bai Yunsheng was utterly frustrated by the siege and was about to use his killing move when the enemies simply dropped dead. Looking up, he saw a fellow walking into the courtyard and winced a little… 'Huh? Why is he here?'
"Tsk, tsk. That just looks miserable!"
Taking in the chaotic yard, Gu Yu shook his head. The white jade bird chimed in with a little chirp, also putting on a sad face.
Gu Yu was not in a good mood at the moment. He was just visiting the Cultural Affairs Bureau, but saw no one there, nor was he able to find any relevant records. When he finally managed to find someone alive enough to answer his questions, he was told that the bureau was having an outdoor event when the birds came and everyone was now in the hospital!
"..."
The atmosphere was rather strange for a while. All eyes on all floors and inside and outside the building were following him as he strolled unhurriedly into the hospital.
The official was covered in sweat by now. He thought he recognized the face, but dared not make any assumptions. "Are you, are you…"
"I'm Gu Yu!"
Sweet!
All the officials gave a shudder and felt ease flooding over their body. The man was overjoyed. "Mr. Gu, it really is you. We're so glad to see you."
Gu Yu ignored him and turned to the priest, asking, "And this is…"
"Bai Yunsheng of Qiyun."
Bai Yunsheng put his sword back into its sheath and cupped his hands.
"Oh, nice to meet you." Gu Yu nodded and went on, "I'm just passing through. Is anyone here familiar with local chronicles—oh, especially on Fish Mountain? I could use some help."
"Well, that…"
The official hesitated. The fellows of the Cultural Affairs Bureau were all badly injured and bedridden at the moment.
"No one?"
"No, no, there is. It's just a little, um…"
He was struggling to find the right word when someone called out, "I know! I know!"
You Le came up to Gu Yu, dragging You Yu behind him, and smiled obsequiously, "Master, we know Fish Mountain very well."
"You two?"
Gu Yu looked at them up and down and asked doubtfully, "Aren't you still students?"
"He is, I'm not… no, I mean, he knows, I don't!" You Le was apparently very nervous. It took him a while to finally form his words. "We're cousins. My grandpa used to guard the gate of Fish Mountain when he was young—he was there for half of his life. He used to tell us stories, but I didn't remember much. My younger brother here is a good student. He remembers everything!"
"I see. What are your names?"
"I'm You Le. He's You Yu!"
You Le nudged his brother who, for some reason, seemed reluctant to get involved.
Gu Yu decided he would give this a shot. Seeing that it was unlikely for one to find a private room around here, he set up a confinement and asked, "So, could you tell me a little bit about the legends or allusions of Fish Mountain, please?"
"..."
The two young men had no idea what had just happened. They only saw that the crowd was pointing at them with frighted looks.
You Yu hesitated for a while and finally said, "Fish Mountain got its name because of its resemblance to a wooden fish. As early as the Tang Dynasty, there was a Zhiqiong Memorial Temple on the mountain, which was to worship Zhiqiong the goddess. Legend has it that Jianwen Emperor fled to Zhijin after he was deposed, where he lived a secluded life. However, he later travelled as far as Emei and his whereabouts became a mystery after that."
"Wait a minute!"
Gu Yu had "WTF" written all over his face. That sounded so like the first paragraph of some groundless concocted historical fiction. 'I was just walking around and stumbled upon this tiny mountain, why was Jianwen Emperor suddenly involved?'
Zhu Yunwen (i.e. Jianwen Emperor) went missing after being deposed by his own uncle and his whereabouts became the ultimate mystery… nope, he was not going to dig into that.
"Do you have any proof for that?" asked Gu Yu.
"No, I only know what grandpa told me," answered the honest You Yu.
"Keep going, then. Maybe not the folklore, though. Tell me something related to Taoism." Gu Yu was not having much hope at this point.
"Taoism…" You Yu gave it a thought and said, "Taoism of Guizhou was mostly introduced from Sichuan area. Priest Luo Shengxian of the Song Dynasty was the earliest Taoist priest recorded to have lived here. He was an expert in landscape painting and used to live on Fish Mountain for a while. Later, Li Jue, Chen Zhixu, Zhao Lianshi, Immortal Grandma Li, and a priestess Gong Suran all took their residence on Fish Mountain once."
"They were all from Sichuan?" Gu Yu was amazed.
"Yes, all of them, probably from the Northern Song to the Southern Song Dynasties," You Yu replied, then went on, "When time came to the Ming Dynasty, people like Bai Feixia and Cheng Guangzuo arrived here—Black God Temple was also constructed during the Ming Dynasty. However, the person that contributed the most to Fish Mountain was Priest Tuo Jichan of the Republic of China era. He was also a man from Sichuan and has put much effort in developing Fish Mountain for many years. The mountain flourished under his work. Unfortunately, it soon declined because of the roaming bandits. Oh, that library in the backyard of Black God Temple was built by Tuo Jichan."
"How about the two pairs of couplet of the library?" An idea suddenly struck Gu Yu.
"Grandpa said Tuo Jichan loved books more than his life, which was why he had the library built. The couplet was composed by a local talent Yu Youshan, but he only wrote one of them—'Alongside the Mountains of Dayou and Xiaoyu and together with the Toad Cave, the knowledge stored in the three mountains are like the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon of West Lake'. I don't know who was the author of the other one."
Well, that was very interesting!
Jianwen Emperor's whereabouts aside—it was impossible to verify the truth of that—all those Taoist priests had been travelling thousands of kilometers from Sichuan to a tiny mountain here in this remote little town. What did that tell us?
It was an obvious sign for the people of the later generations, saying 'check this place out!'
Gu Yu felt an idea was forming. He then asked, "Does this Tuo Jichan have any relics left behind?"
"Um, there is a grave at the foot of Fish Mountain. It was said to be his."
Oh? Gu Yu had missed that when he was there. He removed the confinement and smiled. "I see you do know the mountain very well. How about going on a trip there with me?"
"Well…"
You Yu hesitated, but You Le knew better—even the county officials were talking respectfully to this man, he had to be some big shot. Therefore, You Le said in a haste, "He's going with you, of course. He's just being a shy little boy!"
"Brother, you're transferring to another hospital in a minute. I have to take care of you," said You Yu.
"Think with your head!" You Le wished he could beat some sense into his young cousin and scolded, "It's just a scratch on my head. I don't need you around! Just go with this master!"
"No. Uncle and Auntie are not here. What if something happens to you?" The boy shook his head stubbornly.
Damn you!
You Le could choke the boy right there. He was about to scold him some more when Gu Yu interrupted, "That's ok, you can both go. That's just a minor wound." After that, before You Yu could speak, Gu Yu turned to Bai Yunsheng. "If it is all right with you, how about joining me on the trip?"
"..."
Bai Yunsheng was slightly surprised, but such an invitation would not scare him off. "Sure!"
***
"Whoosh!"
A streak of red light pierced the air and made a round outside the building. A smell of barbecue filled the air and a passageway was cleared out.
The brothers watched this with gaping mouths. A moment later, You Le grabbed his brother by his shoulder and whispered, "Did you see that? Did you? These are the real masters. Others would die for such a chance and what did you do? You dumb kid! This is our opportunity and we must take it! F**k, are you listening to me?"
"Oh…"
You Yu nodded with a blank face, yet to recover from the shock. You Le, on the other hand, stared at the backs of the two men walking in the front. He was suddenly overwhelmed by a desire. 'I want to be like them'!
"Everyone on board!"
Gu Yu took the official's special car, got the other three in, and headed directly for Fish Mountain.
He got his driving license shortly after he and Xiaozhai were officially together and by now he was quite an experienced driver. He set up a confinement while driving and chuckled at Bai Yunsheng. "Don't worry, they can't hear us."
Bai Yunsheng had been curious about this technique for a while. He jabbed the hilt of his sword at the confinement and felt as if it was poking a transparent film. He was amazed. "This is fantastic!"
"It's just a petty skill. Your sword technique, on the other hand, was truly exceptional. Is it a heritage of your sect?"
"Yes."
"If I may ask, exactly which sect does the Immortal Cave belong to? I'm really unfamiliar with the name."
"..."
Bai Yunsheng hesitated a little before answering, "We are a very small sect not worth mentioning. You could call it Yiyang Way."
"Yiyang Way?"
Gu Yu had indeed never heard of the name. The man obviously did not want to talk about it and it was inappropriate to press on. However, when the man was not looking, Gu Yu took out his phone and sent Xiao Qiu a message, asking her to ask Xiaozhai about this Yiyang Way.
"Ding!"
A couple of minutes later, his phone beeped at an incoming message. "Ask him who the founder of his sect was."
Well, it seemed the head of the household herself had come out of seclusion.
"Well, if I may ask another question, who was the immortal that established your sect?"
"Perfected Man Lingyu."
Bai Yunsheng gave him an unspecified alternative Taoist name, looking perfectly calm. He then closed his eyes and rested leaning back onto his seat.
Gu Yu pursed his lips and sent a message. Xiaozhai's reply said, "There is no famous priest with that name in Guizhou. The history of the Immortal Cave is quite mysterious. Since you ran into the them, it won't hurt to make a friend."
A few seconds later, there was another message. "Did you say he was an expert in sword technique?"
"He's very good, even better than you."
Xiaozhai completely ignored his provocation and did not reply to his message.
Damn it! Gu Yu sulked. 'Why can you be the arrogant one and I can't? That's not how you play the game!'
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-127.png){kind=small}
Chapter 327: Anecdotes (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
Maybe in a few years, the expressions "flowers are blossoming in a rush with the coming of spring" and "the crisp air of an invigorating autumn" would fade away from the Chinese language, replaced by "sh*t, it's so hot!" and "damn, it's freezing!"
As the spiritual essence gradually spread to the entire country, the density was also becoming more even. With that, the four seasons of a year were converging into two. Before, it was the heat of the summer that stood out, but from this year, the cold of the winter was catching up. October had just begun, but the first snow had already arrived at the four northeastern provinces, the capital city, Mobei, and Monan.
In contrast to that was the south of the Five Ridges, Fujian, and the southeastern coastal provinces, where the temperature remained as high as thirty degrees.
Such unpredictable and insane climate was making the life of the people of the North miserable. Those who had a boyfriend/girlfriend huddled together with their partners for warmth; those without hugged themselves tightly and shivered.
Xiaojin was the lucky one—she had just got back to Phoenix Mountain, where the temperature remained constant at a pleasant level throughout the year.
"Qiu Qiu! I missed you so much!"
In the manor at the foot of the mountain, Little Soap was hanging herself around Long Qiu's neck, rubbing her head all over the latter's chest. Long Qiu was delighted to see her as well and chuckled, "You were gone for such a long time—over twenty days! How was it? Was Myan fun?"
"Nah, that's a nasty neighborhood. Everything was so primitive!" Xiaojin put on her exaggerated face and cried out, "There was no one tall and pretty there! And there was an old woman playing with ghosts! I had to fight her… Sister!"
She suddenly let go of Xiao Qiu and ran happily towards the courtyard, from where Xiaozhai was coming out with Old Shui. Her elder sister ignored her and fixed her gaze on the two trucks. The sideboards were all lowered, revealing the two giant rocks tied up tightly onto the flatbeds.
"So this is Hollow Stone."
Xiaozhai examined them for a while, and with a wave of her hand, she moved one down to the ground. She then flipped her fingers, sending in a dark purple streak of lightning.
Nothing changed on the surface of the stone. Water Thunder ran amuck in the countless tiny holes inside the stone, stirring up the spiritual essence until it was ready to explode. She sensed the building up of the tension and suddenly shouted, "Move away!"
Good Lord! Old Shui dodged in haste when, with a loud bang, that streak of Water Thunder energy brushed past the tip of his nose like a cannonball, landing in the field and blasting the soil into every direction.
"Not bad. It even increased the strength of the Thunder Technique." Xiaozhai was satisfied with the result. She then turned to her sister. "This should be the most helpful material so far. Refine it with care. Don't bring disgrace to it."
"Tsk, where did that disgrace come from? This is my stone! My most precious thing!"
"Who says it's all yours?"
Xiaozhai knew all about Xiaojin little "accident" in Myan and had not given the younger sister a single smile so far. She took out Green Leaf and sliced down.
"Crack!"
The blade bit into the stone and took down one-tenth of it.
"Hollow Stone is beneficial for all refined instruments and can be fused into the already refined ones. I'll take this. Xiao Qiu, your sword could use an upgrade as well."
"Yes!" Long Qiu nodded happily.
"Aaaaah…"
Xiaojin let out a long cry, followed by the righteous indignation, crying her eyes out, and the expression of wishing she were dead (not). But her sister's voice rang out again. "Give me the drawing."
"What?"
"THE DRAWING!"
"..."
Pouting, Little Soap tossed her the drawing like a lamb. It was not she that was being stingy, that slash simply came too suddenly! Gosh! Her old sister might as well hack at her own heart!
"Whoosh!"
Xiaojin unfolded the drawing of the four-sided and eight-armed evil buddha in which was the livid-faced statue of the evil buddha with its long fangs. An intense smell of blood was emanating from it.
The drawing was like a famous sword that had to taste blood whenever it was out of its sheath. Now that it was opened up, the evil spirit inside was itching for a venture outside. There was a violent fluctuation as it tried to devour some blood.
"Sit your a*s back down!"
Xiaozhai gave the drawing a casual smack and smoke rose up with a sizzling sound. The evil spirit did not make a sound after that.
It was indeed a sensitive object. They could neither return it to Myan nor give it to their own government. Something as evil as this was bound to be sought after by some ambitious idiot who did not have the ability to handle it.
"Put it in the library and keep an eye on it." She tossed the drawing to Long Qiu and went on, "It's been cold lately and food is hard to come by. There has been a few cases of vicious beasts attacking people. Quite a few villages were closed off because of that. Since you're back, don't just sit around. Go down the mountain and look around with Xiao Qiu. Give the people some help if you can."
"We're vigilantes now? Shall I go around with a flag saying 'Enforce justice on behalf of Heaven'?"
Seeing that her sister's fist was halfway in the air, Xiaojin changed the subject right away. "At least give us a more specific range! We can't just go everywhere with an accident."
"I don't care about anywhere else, but no accident is allowed within a 250 km radius of Shengtian!"
***
"Rumble!"
With the ear-splitting noise, smoke filled the air as a dozen green combat vehicles entered the town in a single file. They then split into four divisions at a road crossing, each heading for one corner of the county of Zhijin.
They were of the latest model of the armored vehicles of the national army. The 2060-mm wide and 1915-mm high vehicles immediately took up the entire width of the roads.
Each vehicle had five gunports, brackets for Type 81 assault rifles and sniper rifles, as well as two nine-barrel launcher with could launch eighteen tear-gas shells in one go.
They had rushed here from the army base in Liupanshui, which was quite fast for them considering the distance. As soon as they entered the town, they began the slaughter like a tiger unleashed into a flock of sheep.
"Bratatat!"
"Bratatat!"
"Chirp!"
The streets were empty of people, but a lot of vehicles were still parked around the town. Right now, property loss was the last thing that concerned them and all guns were blasting at full power. The attack was carried out in successive waves and the flock of birds fell out of the sky like a jigsaw being torn off in chunks, leaving blank spots all over the sky. Their number was decreasing quickly.
"Tear gas ready, release!"
"Bang! Bang!"
Eighteen shells were launched all at once and the pungent gas filled the streets. The birds quacked frantically, then the machine gun opened fire, taking down the birds without breaking a sweat.
Meanwhile, the loudspeaker was blaring. "Citizens, please stay inside. Don't open the windows and don't go out. You will be informed through broadcast when safety is reestablished…"
That was actually a little redundant—who in the right mind would come out now?
Those in lower buildings dared not even stay close to the window. Those staying higher up barely summoned up the courage to peek out of their balconies. Some more simple-minded ones even had the nerve to livestream the event from their phones, which was rather amusing.
The gunshots gradually died down after quite some time.
The operation leader arrived at the hospital to meet the county officials in turn and apologized, "Sorry for not arriving earlier. You must have had a very difficult time."
"That's all right. We know perfectly how such things work!"
The officials had had a hell of an exciting day.
With its nearly 2 billion population and a land area of over 10 million km^2, the government was having a hard time taking care of everywhere and everyone at the same time. With the limited resources, it was impossible to assign armed forces to every single city and town, not to mention that the mutated creatures were popping out randomly in just about every corner. All they could do was to set up the force around major cities, which then covered the surrounding areas.
The bird disaster in Zhijin, for instance, broke out so suddenly and the little town was so ill-equipped that the army had no choice but to rush all the way here to their rescue.
"All the wounded who could walk have been transferred elsewhere, only the four hundred severely injured remained behind. We're suffering from extreme shortage of medical supplies."
"Don't worry. We've brought with us some specialists and equipment. Let's work from there first. Those that cannot hold up can be sent to the city."
"Good, good…"
Seeing that the official was faltering, the operation leader asked, "What's wrong?"
"Um, a Priest Bai Yunsheng from Qiyun was here. He was very helpful. And… so was the master of Phoenix Mountain."
"!!!"
The leader almost jumped. He asked immediately, "Why is he in Zhijin?"
"Who knows… maybe he was just sightseeing."
"Well…"
The leader frowned and pondered for a while. "That man's status is quite sensitive, but it has not been our duty to communicate with him. Call the BIMAUP."
***
Fish Mountain, the east side.
Gu Yu drove the car to the foot of the mountain and parked a long way off. You Yu led the team of four and they almost walked halfway around the mountain until they finally arrived at a place covered with wild-looking grass.
"Tuo Jichan was from Ba County of Sichuan. There was no record of him before coming here, nor was his reason of coming to Fish Mountain ever mentioned. There was nothing but a shabby temple on the mountain back then. All the buildings we see now were built when he was the abbot."
You Le's eyes darted this way and that as if he was occupied by some idea. You Yu was innocent as always and explained as they walked on. "The head of Zhijin County back then was called Wu Shaopo. His youngest son fell ill once and no doctor was able to treat him. Priest Tuo offered his help and cured the boy. Wu Shaopo thanked Tuo Jichan with two hundred silver coins, which Priest Tuo refused. Instead, he suggested that Wu should develop Fish Mountain and help with the prosperity of Taoism, which Tuo Jichan himself would be forever grateful for.
After a few days, Wu Shaopo held a banquet for the squires of the county during which he raised a fund of two thousand silver coins in a single night. Then that green glazed-tile preaching room and the library were built."
"So, that Priest Tuo was an expert in medicine?" asked Gu Yu.
"Well, at least according to my grandpa, the priest made medicine pills, which he would give the poor families for free all the time. He has treated many patients during his decades' long stay in Fish Mountain."
"Anything unusual about him apart from his medical skill?"
"I don't think so. He liked writing poems and painting… Why, we're here!" You Yu trotted off and pointed at a tall growth of grass. "This is Priest Tuo's grave. They said the Red Guards dug it open during the Cultural Revolution, so I'm not sure if this one is the real thing or not."
Gu Yu and Bai Yunsheng stood there and examined the place. A mound hid behind the tall grass which was easy to look past for anyone not searching for it in particular.
The tombstone on the mound was a timeworn wooden plate and the red characters on it were almost peeling beyond recognition. They could barely make out the "Here lies Priest Tuo of Fish Mountain."
"..."
Gu Yu stared at the tombstone with a blank face. Sensing his silence, You Le asked gingerly, "Mr., Mr. Gu, what did you find?"
"Oh, nothing, only that this is an empty grave," he replied casually. Before the other three could react to that, he went on, "But there's another one beneath it."
Hm?
Bai Yunsheng winced. "Do you mean the one on the top is a fake one and the real one is beneath it?"
"Maybe. I want to take it out and have a look, but that feels kind of disrespectful." Gu Yu was struggling a little.
"Haha!"
Bai Yunsheng chuckled. He had only heard of this man's deeds from others, but now that he was talking to Gu Yu himself, he found nothing fiendish in this fellow at all—the guy was kind of, well, adorable. Bai Yunsheng decided not to reply, and a few seconds later, Gu Yu said, "Whatever. Let's just take it out."
With that, Gu Yu steadied the top grave with his mental force and activated the Small Moving Technique.
A coffin made off thin planks appeared in front of them. It was not buried that long and the lacquer remained mostly intact. You Le was eager to please his potential masters and rushed to open the lid, shouting, "Gosh, that smell… ah! It's empty! It's empty!"
You Yu and Bai Yunsheng took a look. Apart from dirt, some chaff, and some little bugs, there was nobody inside."
"Back away!"
Immediately after that, Gu Yu asked the other three to make some room and swept his both hands in the air.
"Thud!"
Another coffin that had been buried deep underground was unearthed.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-128.png){kind=small}
Chapter 328: Anecdotes (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
It was an exceptionally big coffin. Coffins of the old days were often made into sizes of 1×2×3, 2×3×4, 3×4×5, or 4×5×6, but this was an "all six", which meant it had a 6-cun 1 thick lid, 6-cun thick sideboards, as well as a bottom board of the same thickness.
It was made from cedarwood and manchineel wood. The sturdiness of the two types of wood ensured the coffin's impeccable condition.
Bai Yunsheng and the other two could not see through the boards and had to ask Gu Yu, "Is this the real one?"
"There is indeed a body inside. We'll know after we open it."
Gu Yu put an open palm on the edge of the coffin and exerted a gentle force, which shook the boards of the coffin loose. He then gave it a little push. With a "clank", the boards fell apart.
"..."
You Yu was a little afraid and turned his eyes away from the coffin. A moment later, he realized that instead of the putrid smell he was anticipating, there was instead a faint fragrance of medicinal herbs.
Inside the coffin was a corpse looking not at all like someone who had been buried for nearly a hundred years. He looked rather like an extremely thin person that had just died from natural causes. His tendons and skin remained distinguishable and wrapped around his skeleton, all intact.
His sharp features were deeply set on his skull with a full growth of a long beard. Dressed in his Taoist robe, one could still recognize his magnificent appearance when he was still alive. His hands were put together at his chest, holding a back scratcher… scratch that, holding a jade Ruyi 2 .
Apart from the corpse and the Ruyi, there was nothing else in this big coffin.
You Yu was greatly intrigued. He sniffed at the smell of herbs and said with amazement, "This must be Priest Tuo, right? He was indeed an expert in medicine as we were told. I wonder what remarkable medicine he has concocted to keep his dead body fresh for a century."
"I would agree with you on his talent if he were an ordinary man, but he was a Taoist priest. The fact that he has invested so much in keeping his dead body intact simply means he was not advanced enough in his cultivation," said Gu Yu, shaking his head.
Ancient cultivators worked on their minds as well as their physical bodies, hoping for achieving immortality in their original physical forms. Failing to do so meant that once they died, they died for good, unless they could move on to the corpse-releasing process.
The emphasis on corpse staying fresh for hundreds of years was actually a Buddhist concept, which modern men often confused themselves with. The expression "dying in a sitting position", for instance, was a Buddhist jargon, but many were applying it to the death of a Taoist priest as well.
That was awkward!
That being said, Gu Yu still considered the man an honorable senior. He saluted wholeheartedly at the corpse and said, "I mean no disrespect in doing this. As soon as we figure out what is going on, we will bury you in a quiet place with the elaborate funeral you deserve. If one day I achieve a cultivation level advanced enough to meet your mind and soul in a different world, I hope we'll enjoy our meeting to the full."
"..."
Bai Yunsheng darted him a look. Buddhism talked about karma and Taoism also had a similar concept. Cultivators should not make promises lightly. Unfulfilled promises would hinder one's cultivation and create evil influence in one's mind.
What Gu Yu said might not count as a promise, but he meant what he said.
After that, he set a confinement around the corpse and opened his right palm, where the jade Ruyi appeared. It was over 30 cm in length and impeccably white. The texture felt mellow and the color was pure. All angles were curved into round edges.
A poem was inscribed on the front of the handle.
"The war seemed to go on forever for thousands of years and I would rather live my life idly roaming the world. When I finally caught a glimpse of the truth, my life is coming to its end. Above the fair sand and the cold water, the moon peeked down at the ravine; through the clear dew and morning mist, one could feel autumn was coming to the mountain. The wind is soughing, bidding farewell to the two cities; the lonely cloud still drifted among the scrambling peaks."
On the back of the handle was a symbol that resembled both a forbidden character and a Taoist pattern. It consisted of numerous strokes all arranged into strange angles. An energy of vastness seemed to be faintly emanating from it.
!!!
Bai Yunsheng felt his heart palpitating as soon as he caught sight of the symbol. However, as a man with perfect control of his internal Qi, he kept the astonishment well hidden inside. On the other side, Gu Yu was chewing his lips in vexation. 'Gosh, I hate riddles!' He tried to approach it from the literal meaning first.
The first two sentences were talking about a thousand-year long struggle, which he could not bother to get involved in and would rather live a carefree life. When he finally figured out this impending great opportunity, he was not going to live long enough to see it.
The last two sentences seemed to be talking about his parting grief.
'Wait a second?'
Gu Yu repeated the poem in his head and was suddenly struck by an idea. He recalled the two couplets hanging outside the library and instinct told him that there was a connection.
He put away the Ruyi and sent the coffin back to where it was right away before asking Bai Yunsheng, "Have you found anything?"
"Sorry, but I didn't!" Bai Yunsheng shook his head.
"I think it's got something to do with Black God Temple. How about we take another look?"
"Sure."
After that, Gu Yu turned to the You Brothers. "Thank you for taking us all the way here. I heard some heavy firing over there in the town just then, probably from the army cleaning out the birds. I think you'll be fine going back following the main road. Oh, let me give you something for…"
"I don't want any money!" Before he could finish the sentence, You Le interrupted hastily. "Master, please take us with you. Xiao Yu knows Fish Mountain very well. You might still need him."
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to have you two around, I guess. Don't speak or do anything unless necessary." Gu Yu didn't think much of it.
"Thank you, master!"
You Le was overjoyed. Dragging You Yu to his side, he tagged along happily at the rear.
Hence, the four returned to the front gate from the east side, where they found that the number of birds had noticeably decreased. Every now and then, they would come across a dead bird and the air was filled with a discernible smell of blood.
"Ah!"
You Yu cried out in surprise as soon as they were back on the brick-paved ground. At the intersection of the road to the direction of the town center, six armored vehicles parked in perfect order. The two lines each consisting of three vehicles all had fully armored police officers on them and parked among them were a few cars, from which seven of eight people were looking their way.
The brothers flustered and turned rigid with fear at such a battle array.
"That was fast." Flipping his sleeves, Gu Yu walked casually towards them.
A man had run towards him before that, saying, "Mr. Gu, I am the deputy director of the BIMAUP Guizhou sub-bureau. Nice to meet you."
"What are you lot doing here?"
"We've just finished cleaning out the county town and since we were told you are here in Fish Mountain, we thought we should come by." The deputy paused a little before asking, "Mr. Gu, what is going on here?"
"I only have a little idea and I'm still working on it. Right now, I need to go up there and have a look."
"If it is all right with you, we'd like to come with you, too."
"Of course. This is not my territory, so do as you like."
He was generous like that. After those words, he entered the mountain gate. The deputy pondered for a while and named five of his men, who then went into Black Gate Temple with him.
If the disturbance level of the spiritual essence here this morning was a 1, it was a 4 now. As time passed, that thing seemed to be growing even more restless.
Gu Yu headed right for the library in the backyard and read the two couplets again. "Alongside the Mountains of Dayou and Xiaoyu and together with the Toad Cave, the knowledge stored in the three mountains are like the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon of West Lake", and "The sun shines brightly on Brocade City; the moon softly lights up the library".
Tuo Jichan had been engaged in literary pursuits and would often get together with the literati of Zhijin to compose poems and couplets. He was also a master in guqin. The fact that he had gone into his grave with a jade Ruyi in his hands could either mean that it was a piece of rare treasure, or that the old priest was trying to pass a message.
As for the two couplets, the Dayou and Xiaoyou were probably referring to the two mountains with those names in Yuanling County. Legend had it that a man of the Qin Dynasty used to live there as a recluse, who had collected over a thousand scrolls of books in a cave. Therefore, the names of the mountains were usually used as a metaphor for a large book collection.
That was a plausible explanation, but what about that Toad Cave? Could certain elder 3 be around since the Republic of China era already?
"Eww!"
He stopped that train of thought and frowned, murmuring, "The sun shines brightly on Brocade City, on Brocade City… Brocade City is the provincial capital of Sichuan and is 700 km away from here. How does the sunshine work?"
Bai Yunsheng was looking at the couplet as well. A moment later, he said suddenly, "I know the name Brocade City, it could be referring to another place."
"Where?" asked Gu Yu right away.
"It's also in Sichuan, but not very far from Zhijin. It is now called Youxian 4 County. It was known for its abundance of azalea, which resembles the splendor of brocade when in full blossom, hence the town's alternative name 'Brocade City'. After the modern country was established, this alternative name was easily mistaken for the provincial capital, so the authorities made it official to stop using it."
"Then why is it called Youxian County?" Gu Yu then asked.
"..."
Bai Yunsheng ignored that question and turned to look elsewhere.
Gu Yu would not stop there and teased, "Why, you know a great deal of Sichuan. Have you lived there before?"
"..."
"Are you from Sichuan yourself?"
"..."
"Or is anyone of your sect from Sichuan. Or, has your sect actually moved here from Sichuan in the first place?"
"You!"
Bai Yunsheng's face turned stern as he stared at Gu Yu's face.
"Don't be so jumpy. I'm just asking."
Gu Yu waved with a chuckle. He was not stupid. Although Xiaozhai did not make it explicit, he had pretty much figured it out himself.
The Immortal Cave was not established by local Taoist members and Taoism in Guizhou was greatly influenced by Sichuan. Bai Yunsheng himself was a swordmaster… put everything together and one could only be reminded of an ancient and mysterious organization.
What was Sichuan famous for?
Sword Immortals!
The concept of Sword Immortals had a long history. According to Xiaozhai's categorization, it was a school established during the Ancient Immortal Period. It was distinguished from the traditional cultivation method and was considered heretical at the time. Many fellow cultivators despised its teachings and there were few records on this school in the scriptures.
Gu Yu only had some general idea of this school. The Sword Immortal Sect was divided into southern and northern branches. Little was known of the northern branch, while the southern one considered Sichuan their headquarters. The principle of their teaching was rather unique, which was known as "all skills throughout history were passed down by students coming to teachers, but the sword technique works the other way around".
In other words, the masters had to go out and visit their students, but the students were not allowed to actively seek out to their masters. The two parties rarely met if the bonds between them were not close enough.
Tsk, tsk! Gu Yu was exhilarated, feeling that his looking forward to meeting a Sword Immortal as a little boy (more like his chance of showing it off to everyone else) was waking up again. Of course, right now was not the right time to digress, searching for the thing was the more pressing matter.
He looked at the couplet and the Ruyi in turn and walked in circles in the backyard.
"The sun shines… the moon…through the clear dew and morning mist, one could feel autumn was coming to the mountain…
"Bidding farewell to the two cities… the two cities… the scrambling peaks…"
Hm? He halted suddenly, as if a lightbulb had just popped out of his head. He then examined the terrain of this backyard. The layout of this yard was rather strange: grotesque rocky peaks embraced the yard on three sides and the main hall stood on the fourth, which together circled the yard in.
Looking up, he felt he was looking at the sky from a well as some white clouds drifted by.
"Brocade City, the library… haha!" he repeated the two sentences and let out a laughter. "Excuse me, that one, I can't remember your name, could you check with the observatory and see if there is any unusual phenomena these days?"
"What?"
The deputy who was leading a team randomly poking around the courtyard winced at Gu Yu's question. "Could you be a little bit more specific? This is a very big country."
"Just the area around Zhijin."
"Oh, sure!"
The deputy had no idea what the request was about but made the phone call anyway. Before long, he came back with an answer. "Because of the way the earth rotates, we'll be able to see the sun and the moon both shining in the sky… and the ideal place to observe this is the area from Youxian County to Zhijin."
"When is it happening?"
"Tomorrow, before dawn."
"Mr., Mr. Gu…"
Although he had no idea what was happening, the deputy's voice was shaking. For some unknown reason, he was overtaken by an excitement, as if he was going to witness some major event.
"I see. In that case, I'll wait here. It will probably get very dangerous when the time comes, so you'd better leave the mountain for somewhere safer."
"We…"
Cautious as he always was, You Yu was about to bid them farewell when You Le pushed him aside and said anxiously, "We don't want to leave! We don't!"
"Suit yourself. You'll be responsible for your own safety."
Gu Yu effortlessly jumped onto the roof of the library's second floor, where he lay down and ignored everyone else.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-129.png){kind=small}
Chapter 329: Toad Cave And Three Pools
Source: Qidian International
"I was used to thinking of my old friends alone, with the good company of the moon. Now that the old friends were visiting me this night, I was so happy that I forgot about the bright moon."
China roses shivered in the chilly night wind as the moon slowly rose above the eastern peak. Gu Yu was still lying on the roof of the library when he chanted an entire poem, which was very rarely for him. He chuckled. "I am no old friend, but I just happen to be here tonight; I'd love to see what is really going on with that moon."
He then turned to look at Bai Yunsheng, who was sitting quietly below the eave. Gu Yu couldn't help but ask, "Priest Bai, do you practice your sword technique daily?"
"I do."
"Then why aren't you practicing today?"
"I don't feel like it."
"Oh, I see. You're a little shy with all these people around. That's perfectly understandable."
"..."
Bai Yunsheng opened his eyes and gave Gu Yu a look saying "You're the most famous cultivator in this country, at least act like it" before closing them back again.
Such a killjoy!
Gu Yu twitched his mouth at Bai Yunsheng's lack of response. He then played with the jade Ruyi in one hand and stroked the bird with the other, waiting for the long night to pass.
They discovered the secret in the couplets that afternoon; it was now a little over eight o'clock at night. Autumn nights were very long in the South and the moon only just began to rise. They still had a long wait ahead before dawn tomorrow.
There was a full moon tonight. It hung in the sky, bright, pure, and impeccable. They were now all gathered in the small Black God Temple and talked among their separate little groups.
"Luckily Fish Mountain is a scenic area and they have included it in the power grid, or we wouldn't even have any electricity."
"I wish they did the same with the water line… Hey, do you have any water left? Gimme some!"
"Watch it. It's scalding hot… there you go!"
Inside the green-glazed-tile preaching hall, the deputy and his five men were chatting casually. The room was pretty much empty and the air had a stale smell. Tonight, this hall looked bleaker than ever.
They had just finished dinner and were now sipping hot water from their vacuum cups. Despite the easiness they showed, they were all jittery inside. Their job was to investigate and collect such intelligence, deeming them experts in judging the situation. The emergence of such abnormal phenomena or treasure almost always portended great danger.
But they had no choice but to stay here. Fleeing from danger in such situations was a dereliction of duty. Not to mention that people tended to put a little too much trust in luck—what if they hit the jackpot by some unbelievable coincidence? They would become the star of the show… moreover, so what if things went south—they still had that guy to count on. He wouldn't just let them die, would he?
While they were putting their thoughts into words in the room, the You brothers were also whispering under the old pomegranate tree a short distance away.
"Brother, let's go. I think this place is very dangerous." You Yu tried to talk his cousin out of it again.
"Tsk, I'd be choking you right now if you weren't my brother!" You Le was frustrated by the younger Yu's lacking ambition and scolded, "Didn't you see what those two masters did? Haven't you heard what they said? It's so obvious there's a good chance of seeing an immortal event for us here and you want to leave?"
"You're always talking about some immortal event, but if they're that easy to get, they wouldn't be that valuable, would they?" You Yu might seem a little dull, but he had his own logic. "Anyway, I don't think I'm the right material to get it."
"Slap!"
You Le smacked him and said angrily, "You don't, but I do! The school is turning you into an idiot! Why do you think it'll just fall into your hands if you don't fight for it? Fine, like you said, you don't want it. So don't try to take from me when it comes!"
"No, I won't…" Rubbing the back of his head where You Le just smacked, You Yu replied as such, not having any hope in their outlook tonight.
"Pat, pat, pat!"
"Pat, pat, pat!"
While they were still chatting, there was a pat on the temple gate, which sounded particularly distinctive in the quiet mountain. Someone was shouting, "Open the gate! Open the gate!"
"Coming!"
The two brothers were in the front yard and went to answer the door. Good God! As many as over twenty people stood outside, each looking haughtier than the next. One of them asked, "Where are the men from the BIMAUP?"
"Um…"
Before the brothers could answer, the deputy hurried near and frowned at the newcomers. "What's this about?"
"Old Huang, that wasn't very friendly of you!" The man seemed to know the deputy and chuckled. "An event this big and you didn't tell us, that's not very nice."
"..."
Deputy Director Huang scanned the crowd and saw that among them were people of the Zhijin County government, backup forces, and quite a few elite and fully-armored soldiers. He said with a stern face right away, "It's not safe here. Please go back."
"Oh my, why so serious? I'm sure you know the virtue of sharing, don't you?" The man was still using his teasing tone.
Old Huang raised his voice suddenly and said sharply, "I'm telling you for the second time: please go back! This is the emergence of an abnormality, not your playground!"
He was no fool. The BIMAUP had to stay here because of their job description, what the hell were these people hanging around for? If anything happened to them, he would be the one taking responsibility.
Seeing that Old Huang refused to offer the due respect, the man felt humiliated and his voice turned stiff. "Old Huang, do I have you remind you back when you—"
"Cut the crap!" Old Huang stopped him in mid-sentence. "Do I have to remind you that under special circumstances, the BIMAUP has the jurisdiction over all local authorities? Do I have to call the director and get you an order from the central government?"
!!!
The man went speechless right away. He pointed his fingers at Old Huang, but did not dare to let his temper out. He then led the team back down the mountain like a defeated dog.
Needless to say, the two in the backyard had heard every word of the row. Bai Yunsheng remained meditating with closed eyes and Gu Yu kept stroking his bird. He was no Mother Teresa, nor was he going to pretend to be one.
He had given them the necessary warning and it was their own choice whether to listen to it or not. Everyone was responsible for their own life. Of course, should the danger really fall upon them, he would do his best to save as many as he could, but he wouldn't feel guilty if he couldn't save everyone.
***
Before they knew it, it was deep into the night.
The moon hung above like a suspending mirror, pouring its light all over the tiny Fish Mountain below. There was no sound coming from the preaching hall—the men were probably all asleep—and the backyard was even quieter.
Bai Yunsheng was an expert sitter—he had been sitting there for hours without so much as moving a muscle. His simple and elegant sword lay across his knees. It had a meter-long blade and a net weight of 3.4 kg; it had been passed down for generations in his sect.
Gu Yu lay on the roof and one could not tell if he was asleep or not.
"Rustle!"
"Whoosh!"
There was a sudden gust of mountain wind and the branches all began to sway. Gu Yu's eyes shot open. The agitation of the spiritual essence on Fish Mountain surged at that moment, resembling a violently fluctuating brainwave under intense stimulation.
'Hm?'
Bai Yunsheng also opened his eyes and looked at the ground. Under the faint light, he could see that the paved ground had turned black. The snakes, bugs, rats and the likes on the mountain were fleeing all together like a squirming black carpet, which rapidly rushed into the woods, rolling down the mountain with a shuffling sound.
"Aaaaah!"
"Bugs! So many!"
"Get up! Get up!"
There were screams in the front yard and a shuffling of footsteps. The eight men ran to the backyard together and the deputy asked with a pale face, "Mr. Gu, what's happening?"
"It's about time. There's still time if you want to leave."
"I…"
This was the first time that the deputy actually considered leaving. Only a few people could stay brave facing the real danger. He hesitated for a moment and told his men, "I'm staying, but you don't have to. If you want to leave, you'll have to hurry."
"..."
After a brief moment of silence, three men backed out; two stayed, also planning to give it a shot. Although they weren't exactly sure what they were trying to get out of it. It could be fame, power, riches, or like the two brothers, a chance to see the immortal world.
Those three got off the mountain in a hurry and saw that the group of people from earlier was still waiting down there. Vehicles crowded together with their bright headlights turned on.
'Sigh...'
Gu Yu was secretly shaking his head, feeling sorry for them. He flipped his sleeve. "Find yourself a safe spot for the time being. Now, go."
"Chirp!"
The white jade bird flapped its wings and disappeared into the night.
Gu Yu was actually very curious. Over a dozen Taoist priests had come to Fish Mountain for something from Luo Shengxian in the Song Dynasty to Tuo Jichan of the Republic of China era, which led him to believe that this was not an abnormal phenomenon, but some relic like the Seal of Patriarch Sa.
All those people had gone through so much trouble for it, so there had to be some ineffable difficulty behind it. He only wondered what types of relic it would be...
Time crept by like so. The sky turned from a lusterless black to a thick and heavy inky black, then to a bluish black, which was gradually bleached down, becoming thinner and more transparent.
The most obvious change was in the temperature. The coldness that had been accumulating through the night finally integrated into something solid before dawn, which seemed to have formed an invisible cold tent, covering Fish Mountain inside.
"The day is breaking!" Bai Yunsheng said suddenly. The deputy turned to look right away; indeed, a line of pale red was peeking through the eastern horizon.
The pale red was devouring everything at an observable speed like a hungry spirit and the bluish black was growing even thinner. It was chased out if its hiding place until...
"Whoosh!"
Like an ebbing tide that had left behind a dry sandy beach of a thousand miles, or ten thousand flowers were blown off from their branches all at once, when all was clear, a red sun leapt out of the horizon.
Gu Yu jumped down from the roof and Bai Yunsheng rose to his feet. The other five were excited and nervous as they looked around. You Le shouted, "The moon! The moon has not set yet!"
"There! Over there!"
"They're out together! They're out together!"
Gu Yu looked into the distance. The sun was rising from the east, which was also the direction of Brocade City, while the pale moon was also distinctive abovehead—a sphere hanging on the western sky.
The silver light fell right on the top pavilion of the library.
"The sun shines brightly on Brocade City; the moon softly lights up the library!"
He was filled with excitement; he almost could not wait. 'Now, now, show me the magic of the ancient masters!'
'Hm?'
He winced right after that, for the agitated spiritual essence had suddenly stopped moving. There was not a slightest movement in the air, as if time had frozen.
The next second, all color drained from Gu Yu's face, for he was sure of what he felt: right here, in this backyard, a power was gushing forth!
"Watch out!"
"Boom!"
Before the others could react, they heard a rumbling sound coming from the southeast and heading towards the northwest. The ground then tumbled and the roofs collapsed, making snapping noises.
Shortly after that, there was another few rumbling sounds.
The loud bangs did not stop there. The main hall and the library began to shake violently and the tiles were falling down. The men of the BIMAUP and the You Brothers turned pale with fear and abandoned their earlier decisiveness. They scrambled towards the front yard, but, a few steps into that direction, they saw that the ten-meter-tall main hall crumbled to the ground like a pile of building blocks knocked over by a naughty child.
Meanwhile, the entire Fish Mountain began to shake. The sky seemed to have darkened and everything was falling apart.
Big rocks rolled down the mountain from the three side peaks and smashed into the river, giving birth to waves over ten meters high. The village not far away woke up to the sounds of stirring chickens and dogs and villagers of all ages ran out of their houses half dressed. Everyone was screaming.
"Aaaah!"
The deputy was running among the ruins when he suddenly let out a scream. The ground sank in and he lost his footing. Only half of his 180-cm body was above ground now and the other half had sank into the hole.
"Crunch… crunch…"
"Boom!"
The two-story library could not withstand such power and split into half with a crunching sound. The ground gaped open and devoured it whole like a giant beast.
Centering around that hole, the shaking spread out in aggravating circles. The stone-paved ground of the backyard broke and sank like ragged cloth and was torn into pieces with snapping sounds.
That opening on the ground grew several times bigger in an instant and was still frantically trying to take up more space. One of the stone peaks could not withstand the power and snapped halfway. A giant rock over ten meters high smashed down into the yard.
"Help!"
The deputy was scared out of his wits. He was falling down with a rock smashing towards him. There was nowhere to dodge.
Just then, Bai Yunsheng jumped out and drew out his sword, which stuck into the mountain wall like cutting into a piece of tofu. He then scooped the deputy up with his left hand and tossed him up.
"Aaaah!"
Before the deputy reached the ground, one of his men also fell down. Bai Yunsheng kicked the rock with the tip of his foot, drew out the sword, swerved… "Pop", the sword cut into the rock again and the man was tossed up just like his deputy.
"Help! Help!"
The You Brothers were some distance away, but the disaster had gotten to them as well. They were now both falling.
You Yu's head turned blank. All his pores had opened at such intense stimulation and the cold wind gushed in and rampaged inside his body. He thought this had to be what hell felt like.
'I'm dead!'
He shut his eyes, ready to be smashed into a pulp.
However, the next second, he stopped falling. Instead, he was slowly drifting upwards. Opening his eyes, he saw that he had been lifted with a cloud of mist and was now moving swiftly towards a safe spot.
"Aaaah!"
These few were the lucky ones. The other man from the BIMAUP did not even get a chance to be rescued. He dropped into a hole on the ground right away and was crushed between two fallen rocks, turning into a pile of bloody meat instantly.
"Switching into shadows!"
Bai Yunsheng stared at that cloud of mist in astonishment, but with his energy running out, he didn't have time to give it too much thought. He leapt up with all his strength and dashed forward as soon as his feet touched the ground.
The ground right behind his heels collapsed at that instant.
"Rumble! Rumble!"
The shaking of Fish Mountain continued. Those waiting under the mountain were screaming and crying their eyes out. Some were knocked down by rocks, some washed away by the river, and some devoured by the gaping ground. The vehicles were mostly damaged and there was a lot of casualties.
"Thump! Thump!"
"Ouch, ouch… sh*t! I'm alive! I'm alive! Hahaha!"
You Le was tossed to the ground. He was dazed for a second, but began to shout and cheer right away. It was hard to tell if he was crying or laughing. He was also shaking You Yu, who still sat there with a blank face—he had yet to recover from the remarkable experience earlier.
In a moment, he shuddered and began to search with his eyes, then finally fixed his gaze on that collapsed side peak.
The cloud of mist twirled around the top of the peak and slowly turned into a man, whose manner reminded one of the bright moon over the sea—however the waves and clouds rose and fell, he would just watch from above.
"..."
Gu Yu kept his face calm as water. With the collapse of Fish Mountain, the library had sunk into the underground cave and the ancient and elegant Black God Temple was destroyed in the blink of an eye. Only a small section of the front yard remained intact and the rest of the ground had caved in with no buildings to be found, revealing a giant gaping hole.
"Rumble… rumble..."
It was another few minutes before this sudden shaking finally stopped and all was quiet again.
Looking down from above, he saw a beam of blue light gushing out of an underground cave, shooting all the way into the clouds. When the light faded, he was able to see the cave clearly, and it astounded him.
The cave had taken the shape of a giant golden toad, which seemed to be crouching inside the mountain with a gaping mouth, threatening to devour heaven and earth. Inside the mouth of that toad were three pools, reflecting the pale moon on the western sky.
Alongside the Mountains of Dayou and Xiaoyu and together with the Toad Cave, the knowledge stored in the three mountains was like the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon of West Lake!
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-130.png){kind=small}
Chapter 330: Sky-swallowing Golden Toad
Source: Qidian International
After all, the collapse of Fish Mountain was not an earthquake.
The village nearby was the only one affected; a few houses fell apart and some livestock was injured. People in the county town of Zhijin only heard some very loud noises, but did not feel any detectable tremors.
Even so, it was enough to disturb the residents of the town. They barely survived the bird outbreak that morning and now this rumbling sound in the middle of the night? Everyone was running out of their rooms—that included naked couples of every combination of sexes. All hell broke loose again.
The group of people waiting at the foot of the mountain had taken some major casualties. They were there hoping for some freeloading, but the dream was crushed by all the falling stones. Before they had any time to complain about it, they were rushing back to town to prevent any possible disturbance caused by the incident.
As for those up on the mountain, the surviving five had yet to calm their nerves when they were shocked again by what they were seeing now.
"It, it is…"
Lips quivering, Deputy Director Huang crawled to the edge of the platform they were on and stuck out his head to look down into the pit where the ground had caved in.
He couldn't see the golden toad cave from his angle and only saw a seemingly bottomless underground cave. However, it was not pitch dark. Instead, a glittering green light filled the cave. At the bottom of the cave were three pools.
He couldn't figure out what it was all about. Raising his head, he shouted, "Mr. Gu, how about coming down here to enlighten your mortal friends a little?"
"Haha…"
Gu Yu jumped off the rock peak and floated down as light as a kite. When he was about to reach the ground, the ruins beneath him disappeared suddenly and several stone stairs erupted for his landing.
The deputy went up to him in a hurry and asked, "Mr. Gu, what on earth is happening?"
Gu Yu did not answer that, but only smiled at Bai Yunsheng. "Priest, what do you think?"
"It looks like a formation," said Bai Yunsheng with a solemn face.
"That's exactly what I'm thinking. Some ancient masters might have set up this formation in Fish Mountain ages ago; we just happen to be here at the right time. The spiritual essence is surging here—maybe not as intense as a node, but compare to everywhere else, it is… hm?"
He paused all of a sudden, for a light shiver was coming from the jade Ruyi in his chest pocket. He took it out and saw that the strange symbol on the handle was glowing, then its energy changed as well.
Fascinating!
Before, it was only an exquisite plaything, but now that the toad cave was revealed, the Ruyi was showing its corresponding real self. An idea came to Gu Yu and he carefully sent in a streak of mental force.
As soon as it made contact with the jade Ruyi, waves of information began to rush into his head.
Youxian County was Youxian Town in the ancient times. To the west of the town was a mountain, and on the mountain was Youxian Sect, which got its name from the town itself. It was not a large sect, but it had a rather special status, for it was one of the branches of the Sword Immortal Sect of Sichuan.
The information in the Ruyi was quite vague on the history of the sect. It could be because of enemies, apocalyptic disasters, or some future opportunity they had foreseen… in the Song Dynasty, master Luo Shengxian of the sect started to travel all over the country to search for a new place to store their inheritance.
After much searching, he found Fish Mountain. He then asked some fellow Taoists who were experts in formations to set up this Sky-swallowing Golden Toad Formation in Fish Mountain.
From then, disciples of every generation would visit Fish Mountain, where they would either do some maintenance work, or add in some records on their own understanding of the teachings. This went on until the end of the Ming Dynasty; the last priest leaving a note was called Li Xianming. Nothing had been added after that.
Gu Yu knew why that had happened: the spiritual essence completely dried up by the end of the Ming Dynasty. There weren't any men of the innate state, let alone Taoist masters. It was only natural that they couldn't activate the Ruyi.
Tuo Jichan was probably the last disciple of the Youxian Sect, which was why he inscribed the poem on the Ruyi and took it to the grave with him.
Speaking of the Sky-swallowing Golden Toad Formation, it required no compass or flag, but could be operated solely by the positions of the sun and the moon and the change of the spiritual essence in a year with a little help from the energy of Fish Mountain itself.
The formation later went into dormancy after the spiritual essence declined. Now that the spiritual essence had recovered for nearly a decade, the density had finally reached the level required to activate it again. Adding to that was the sun and the moon appearing together, and the formation finally made itself seen again.
"Master, Master?"
You Le's head was still bandaged. His face was covered in dirt and his clothes all tattered. Seeing that Gu Yu did not speak for a while, he asked gingerly, "Have you found something?"
"Oh, don't worry." Gu Yu skipped the details and only said briefly, "This is a Sky-swallowing Golden Toad Formation. I don't know how safe or unsafe it is. And… there really is a treasure down there."
Sky, Sky-swallowing Formation?
TREASURE???
Apparently, the second announcement was much more attractive than the first one. Seeking benefit was human nature, even in danger. Gu Yu could have told them there was no treasure involved, but who was going to believe him?
"Haha, what did I tell you? I knew it!" You Le was exultant. Shaking his brother repeatedly, he cried out, "This is our fate! Our godsend opportunity!"
"..."
To be honest, despite hanging out with his cousin for over ten years, You Yu had never felt more eager to stay away from You Le like he did now. He sighed inside and did not respond to You Le's cheering.
The deputy was exhilarated as well. "Mr. Gu, since there is a treasure, we need to figure out how to take it out!"
"No, you do your job. I'm on my own."
Gu Yu waved his hand, making it clear of where he stood.
He was not in a rush at all. A formation powerful enough to protect the inheritance of a sect could not be that easy to break. The current Taoist community had little understanding on formations and there was nothing about the subject on the remaining classics. Going in recklessly would be suicidal.
He stood alone on one side and examined the cave carefully. Bai Yunsheng suddenly came up to him, whispering, "Actually, I know about this sect."
"I know."
"Hm?" Bai Yunsheng winced.
"An idea came across your mind when you saw this Ruyi. You obviously recognized that symbol," said Gu Yu.
Bai Yunsheng fell silent and only spoke again after a while. "Is that what innate… mental force can do?"
"That's only the tip of an iceberg."
"..."
The young priest tightened his lips as a look of eagerness and persistence flickered in his eyes, which then was extinguished as if it had never been there. "The Immortal Cave indeed moved here from Sichuan; the ancient books of my sect have mentioned the Youxian Sect in passing. All I know is that they were cultivating from a peculiar approach. They didn't practice any methods, skills, or techniques, but focused on the types of swords alone. That's all I can tell you."
Gu Yu was genuinely surprised by his helpfulness. "Thank you for telling me all that. That was very helpful."
While they two were talking, the other four busied themselves with their own things as well. The phone line was down from the landslide just then and there was no reception. Deputy Director Huang stayed behind himself, and his man went down the mountain to report as well as to ask for backup.
You Le was over the moon. His head was now taken over by adrenaline and irrational ideas. Strolling at the edge of the cave, he babbled, "Haha, treasure, treasure… I have rendered a good service to Mr. Gu and of course he will cut me in… the sky-swallowing golden toad, let's see how you're going to swallow this?"
He halted abruptly, picked up a stone the size of a basketball, and with a deranged look on his face, he hurtled it down.
"Gosh, what are you doing?"
The deputy was not in time to stop him. Shouting, he could only watch the stone falling in. Gu Yu and Bai Yunsheng heard the noise as well and both looked down in a hurry.
The stone fell down quickly, ripping through the flickering green light emanating from the cave wall.
The pools were about sixty or seventy meters down from the ground level; the stone was falling for ten meters… twenty… thirty… halfway down the cave, the stone disappeared without warning.
It was as if the golden toad had swallowed it whole.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-131.png){kind=small}
Chapter 331: Treasure-hunting (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
They watched as the stone fell in then disappeared.
Even the hyper You Le was shocked by the strangeness of that. After a moment of silence, the four turned to look at Gu Yu in unison.
Gu Yu was still standing on the other side watching the underground cave, showing no intention to offer an explanation.
None of them dared to pose a question. As the awkward moment stretched on, the man that had gone down the mountain to send the report ran back up, panting. "Deputy, our people have set out for here a long while ago; they'll be here in a moment. Here is a satellite phone for you, just for the time being."
"Thank you. Take a rest."
Old Huang took over the phone and began to talk to people down the mountain. Providing disaster relief was the government's responsibility and all that was needed from him was to dispatch an armed force here to cordon Fish Mountain off, making sure no unauthorized personnel would sneak in.
When he finished making the arrangements, Gu Yu also moved into action. By now, the abnormality was over, the spiritual essence was dense, and the animals were coming back. He looked around and caught an onlooking sparrow with his hand.
He then tied the bird's wings and tossed it down.
"Chirp!"
"Chirp, chirp!"
The poor little bird struggled all it could, but to no avail. It fell right down for ten meters… twenty… thirty… then, just like that stone, it disappeared without a trace.
Gu Yu's face remained expressionless. He then found a big rock and kicked at it; the rock tumbled off the edge. He experimented on like so on both lifeless objects and living creatures. After repeating it for seven or eight times, he finally discovered something.
First of all, the barrier was about thirty meters down. As long as the object reached that height, the protection mechanism of the formation would be triggered. Secondly, the objects did not simply vanish into thin air; there was a very, very brief transformation process.
Take that last test subject—a piebald snake—as an example. Gu Yu could barely make out the process: the meter-long snake first went blurry, then turned into a shadow before it dissipated into thin air.
In the anime world, that would be ultimate arcane skill of Gemini: Another Dimension! Pew, pew, pew 1 … All right, what they had here was most certainly not "another dimension". The function of this golden toad formation was to turn anything into nothingness!
More importantly, it had only just revived and was far from reaching its peak. Had it been able to work as it did in Luo Shengxian's time, with it mightiness, it could probably really "swallow" the sky.
It was also because of that this dabler cultivator here could have a glimmer of hope to obtain the treasure.
With that in mind, Gu Yu slowly walked to the edge where the ground broke off. Bai Yunsheng asked immediately, "You're going down? Are you sure about this?"
"We'll see."
He gave Bai Yunsheng a wave and made a gesture to jump, yet right when the latter was about to gasp, he stopped abruptly.
Gosh, that feeling! It was like your boyfriend was almost "there" when oops, the joystick slipped! That was some hollowness hard to fill...
The young priest eyed Gu Yu with annoyance. 'Dude, are you going to jump or not?'
"In case I don't come back up, don't try it yourselves. Wait for another ten years, maybe," Gu Yu offered his sincere advice.
"Thanks for the heads-up!"
"Haha, then, see ya…"
After having fun teasing the young priest, Gu Yu opened his arms and jumped in promptly—thanks to the daily activity back in the "bungee training base" of Phoenix Mountain, the family of four were now very keen on jumping down from high places, especially Long Qiu.
Hence, when he was falling down in the cave with wind brushing his ears and green light filling his eyes, he did not even flinch, but was even calm enough to count the distance. About thirty meters down, he activated his Shadow-switching Technique and turned into intangible mist.
'So what if this formation can turn objects into void? Let's see how you're going to swallow the mist I've turned into!'
The mist slowed down and began to drift gently downwards. 25 m… 28… 30… boom!
Gu Yu felt his brain jolt and his mind went black. When there was light again, he saw a gargantuan golden toad with three legs filling the space between heaven and earth.
As its gigantic mouth opened and inhaled, the sun and the moon dimmed, the world darkened, and all mountains and rivers were drawn into its mouth. He felt like a mote in the universe and a drop of water in the ocean, being swept helplessly towards that mouth.
Dazed, Gu Yu had forgotten where or who he was. All he could feel was a despair he had never knew existed. When he was about to be swallowed by that giant mouth, he shuddered all of a sudden. This couldn't be right!
With his powerful cultivated mind, he was finally able to regain a little consciousness of his own. Gu Yu turned abruptly and fled. He was running for a billion miles until he had forgotten his life before this and all the life there could be.
All of a sudden, his mind seemed to be stretched out infinitely and the golden toad was pulling away… something inside his head ticked again and he realized he was drifting back up. How could he think he saw a golden toad? The underground cave and the three pools were exactly the same as before.
Before long, the mist reached the ground level and changed back to his human form. Gu Yu looked a little paler and his heart was thumping against his chest. He felt he had narrowly escaped death.
"Ha…"
Adjusting his breath, he was now holding the utmost esteem for the ancient cultivators who had left this formation behind. It was nothing Taoist skills of this age could compare to.
He had always thought himself humble and prudent enough as a self-proclaimed No.1 cultivator of the modern world, but it was only now that he realized he had underestimated the Taoist community and its glorious past that had disappeared with time.
"What happened?"
"I have no idea. He was fine jumping in, but came back all of a sudden."
The others watched him and were about to ask, when Gu Yu sat down on the ground and began to adjust his breathing and focus his mind.
Closing his eyes, Gu Yu thought back to what he felt down there: three-legged golden toad… gigantic… devour… the dimmed sun and moon… feeling like a mote… so that was the mystery about "sky-swallowing!" That was why that formation was spectacular!
He didn't understand the mechanism behind the skill—whether it was an illusion or something else. All he knew was that once one got swallowed by the toad, they would vanish for good. If he wanted to get to the bottom, he needed to find a way to withstand the power of that golden toad.
After figuring that out, he finished adjusting his breathing, went to the edge of the cave, and jumped right in.
Same as last time, the image of the sky-swallowing golden toad appeared again when he was about thirty meters down. Although Gu Yu came prepared this time, once the image unfolded, he felt he was trapped in primordial chaos and there was nothing he could do.
He still didn't withstand it for much longer and drifted back up in confusion.
Hoho, fascinating!
Gu Yu's eyes lit up. Despite his harmless appearance, he could be more stubborn than anyone. He went on like so: jumping down repeatedly to try and coming back up repeatedly to recover himself. In a word, he had forgotten completely about anything else.
***
Before they knew it, it was bright daylight and the sun was high.
The others had been on the mountain since yesterday afternoon and waited late into the night. After the disaster earlier that dawn, they were dragged into more waiting until this hour. Bai Yunsheng did not seem affected, but the deputy and the other three were all exhausted. They sat there motionless as they watched Gu Yu coming back and forth from the cave.
"Ha…"
It was Gu Yu's ninth time drifting back. He was consuming much more spiritual essence than he recovered and looked worn out. However, a strange excitement was flickering in his eyes. After all those trials, he finally grasped something and was about to reach a breakthrough.
When he was going to sit down and adjust his breathing, there came a banging noise at the gate, and with a clunking sound, the wooden door was knocked open, followed by shuffling footsteps and a million talking voices.
Gu Yu frowned, but Bai Yunsheng got up to his feet first and said, "I'll take care of it."
With that, he went to the front gate. About a dozen men had come in, led by the director of the BIMAUP Guizhou sub-bureau himself, who was shouting, "Old Huang, Old Huang! What on earth is going on?"
"Back off!" Bai Yunsheng stopped his advance.
"..."
The director looked him up and down and chuckled. "Priest Bai, is it? Haha, we're all on the same team, so there's no need for that. Plus, this falls into our jurisdiction. I think it's only reasonable for us to go in and have a look. What do you say?"
"This is beyond you, and me too, for that matter. Please don't disturb him and wait here in peace."
With that, he draw his long sword out of it sheath. Whoosh! With a cold flash of the blade, a line three meters long and over a centimeter thick was drawn out on the ground between them. The group of people shuddered in unison and went as quiet as scared chickens.
"Haha…"
Gu Yu chuckled. He liked Chao Kongtu's personality, and now he liked Bai Yunsheng as well… well, speaking of that Taoist monastery, despite its different position from his, there were quite a few men there worth befriending.
Gu Yu put that thought aside, took out two spiritual stones, and adjusted himself to his optimal state.
About two hours later, he walked to the edge of the cave for the tenth time. Taking a deep breath, he jumped right in. The wind brushed against his ears as before and the green light filled his eyes. A cloud of mist then slowly took its form, glowing softly.
'Heaven and earth are an inn for all things of creation; time is a traveller through all ages.
'I am a mote in the universe and a grain in the vast ocean. I am pursuing the Great Dao and immortality to break the shackles of life so that I can see beyond this heaven and earth. Even if a golden toad can swallow the sky and reshape the earth, turning everything into nothing, why would that affect my belief in the Great Dao? Why should I be afraid?
'I want immortality. I want you and me together.'
Boom!
The mist fell down to the thirty-meter threshold and the image appeared immediately. That three-legged golden toad opened its giant mouth and the rivers flowed backwards, mountains collapsed, and the sun and the moon were falling back into the sea, then everything was sucked into that mouth...
Gu Yu's head was hazy again, but a little window of clarity remained open there. It was like he had turned into the Tortoise of the North, staying as steady as a rock, and watched the surrounding ocean calmly no matter how high the tide rose.
He lost count of time and felt the universe had gone empty and void of all things when the golden toad finally closed its mouth. It seemed to have tilted its head and given him a look before leaping out into the void.
Boom!
Gu Yu's eyes shot open, realizing that he had passed the thirty-meter threshold and was falling further down. Those three pools were right at the bottom of the cave!
It was only now that he was able to observe them closely. The pools were about 15 m in diameter and sat closely to one another. The water inside was neither clear nor muddy; they reminded him of three ancient and unadorned mirrors without the slightest stir in their surface.
He instinctively chose the pool in the middle. Instead of turning back into his human form, he fell down slowly towards it in his misty form.
About two to three meters above the pool, he was blocked by something invisible, which felt like layers upon layers of solid, transparent films, stopping him from getting any lower. Gu Yu estimated his spiritual essence and realized it was just about enough to take him back up. After a little hesitation, he made up his mind.
Pop!
The mist surged, breaking through one layer of obstacle after another and soon reached the bottom. He had expected more resistance, but as soon as the mist made contact with the pool, it was like a firecracker's fuse had just burnt to the end and... bam!
The pool suddenly became alive with what seemed like a hundred whirlpools. Immediately after that, seven streaks of divine light whooshed out of the water: blood-red, rosy pink, inky black, smokey blue… exactly seven distinctive colors.
"..."
There was only one word that could express Gu Yu's feeling right now: F**k! F**k! F**k!
'Why aren't you people of Youxian Sect like everyone else?! Aren't I supposed to snoop around, find some crappy secret chamber, and take every treasure I can find?
'Why did you just explode like that?'
He had no time to think it through. Activating his mist, he tried to wrap it around the divine light.
However, they were moving extremely fast. Six shot out of the cave right away, turning briefly into clouds of six colors before they dissipated into every direction.
Gu Yu only managed to get one streak, which cost him much energy. He dared not stay down there any longer and hurried back up.
When he finally reached the ground with much difficulty, the light gradually died away, revealing the real content. It was a crimson and unsophisticated-looking sword emanating hot air.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-132.png){kind=small}
Chapter 332: Treasure-hunting (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
"Mr. Gu, that's…"
"Treasure! The treasure!"
"Nice sword!"
Everyone sighed with admiration at the look of that ancient sword.
Bai Yunsheng was infatuated with swords, but he would never try to take it by force, not even if he could defeat Gu Yu. It was determined by his disposition. Meanwhile, those of the BIMAUP might be envious at Gu Yu's discovery, but they knew better to focus on the big picture and would not be having funny ideas.
You Yu admired at Gu Yu's good fortune and You Le was the only one submitting to his eagerness and greed. After the initial astonishment settled down, the deputy was the first one to realize the problem. Exchanging a look with the director, they both cried out in a low voice, "Sh*t!"
"Indeed." Bai Yunsheng nodded.
Seven streaks of divine light rose out of the pool, meaning that the other six flying to some unknown corner of the world were six ancient swords unaccounted for—six people out there were about to get very lucky.
Without government control, treasures like these would never be handed out if they fell into the hands of private individuals, regardless of their social status. Things would be much easier if the owners could hide it away. If not, and word got out, it almost always led to disasters.
Because of this, the BIMAUP was actually hoping Gu Yu could stop his probing. The first pool alone came up with seven objects and there were two more to go… would this world be turned upside down after he finished with them all?!
Gu Yu sat all by himself on the side and was recovering his spiritual essence holding a spiritual stone. After quite some time, he picked up the ancient sword and examined it closely.
The average length of a sword differed from one dynasty to another. In the Han era, long swords were 17.9 cun and short swords 10.5 cun 1 , whereas in the Song Dynasty, long swords were 21.3 cun and short swords 15.2 cun 2 .
The length of one chi 3 in the ancient times was not 33 cm as it was currently, but 24 cm instead 4 . Therefore, the expression of "a three-chi double-edged sword" translated to a sword roughly 72 cm in length.
Bai Yunsheng's sword had a blade of 3.3 chi, which was a little under a meter.
As for this one, it was also close to 3.3 chi in length and on the heavy side. The style was rather plain with just a few flame-shaped clouds carved on the blade, which was faintly giving off a burning sensation.
Without inserting any spiritual essence, he swept the sword casually across the air.
"Sizzle!"
Like a hot blade gliding over a bar of butter, the blade travelled all the way without any resistance. The half-meter broken pillar was split in half with one swipe.
Those who had chopped firewood would know that when the axe hacked down, the impact would knock the broken wood away when it was chopped open. However, when this sword sliced down, the stone pillar remained standing where it was, only that now there was a crevice down the middle with black burnt marks.
Gu Yu was genuinely amazed. He used no technique whatsoever and was simply waving it around… it could only mean one thing: the sword was sharp beyond imagination!
Right after that, he activated his spiritual essence and sent in a small streak. Red glow instantly surged out of the blade; the scorching heat could be felt 10 cm away. Gu Yu could not help but let out a low cry of surprise.
There was no mental force imprint in this word, meaning that it hadn't been refined by a specific individual yet.
Wow, that was unbelievable!
This meant this sword could be used by anyone—ordinary people, and cultivators of the acquired, innate, or Human Immortal state. To the ordinary man, it was a magical weapon; to the cultivator of an acquired state, it would enhance their combat capability; to those of the innate state, part of the sword's potential could be put into use; probably only in the hand of a Human Immortal could this sword truly demonstrate its might.
Momentarily, Gu Yu seemed to understand the meaning behind this arrangement of the Youxian Sect: they were giving out equipment for free. Seven swords coming out of one pool was probably also a deliberate design, so that the knowledge of the sect could be spread widely.
Whatever the ancient cultivators' purpose was, Gu Yu admired them for their daring and resolution.
Just then, the others went up to him and the deputy asked, "Mr. Gu, what's the story of this sword?"
"There is no record. I have no idea."
"What about the three pools down there? Anything strange going on?"
"This mountain used to be where an ancient sect stored their treasures. If I guessed it right, there should be relics in the other two pools as well, and quite a few of them at that."
Quite a few!
The director and the deputy almost jumped with terror. Two more explosions with more treasures flying everywhere would probably finish the BIMAUP! They didn't have much choice, though. If this guy wanted to take the treasure, they had no power to stop him.
"In, in that case, are you saying…" asked Old Huang tentatively.
"I'm still considering it." Gu Yu did not try to hide his thoughts and said earnestly, "With a cave of treasure right in front of my eyes, I would be lying if I say I'm not tempted. Um… please give me a moment."
He meant every word.
Fifty numbers were derived from Taichi to represent the world, of which forty-nine could be explained by the Great Dao, leaving one unpredictable number to all the things in the universe. Even the Great Dao did not take it all, let alone a mere cultivator?
Like a wise ancient man once said (not), "Give it a go and you get to upgrade your bike into a motorcycle; slow it down so that you leave some room for future maneuver." Taoism did not talk about karma, but they did believe in undertaking.
"All men had the habit of collecting ordinary objects by the name of wealth, which gives birth to greed, which leads to evil, evil to delusion, delusion to slyness, and slyness to harm, until the trend becomes unstoppable. The wealth is then exhausted and one is back to where they began with empty hands."
In simple terms: if you could not control your appetite and would not stick to your Taoist heart, when everything left you, you would be dumbstruck!
The Youxian Sect had buried their treasure here in Fish Mountain to spread their knowledge to the whole wide world. If he were to empty it here and now, would it be considered as fate… after struggling with the idea for a while, Gu Yu finally made his decision: fine, he would open up two pools only and leave the third for later generations.
That being said, judging by what happened with the first pool, himself alone was not enough to deal with the second one. It was time to call for backup.
***
Phoenix Mountain, the training field.
A flash of green jumped off a branch seven or eight meters above the ground and landed safely. Immediately after that, the green flash dashed out and squeezed hastily into the bush.
It stopped there, curled up, and stuck out its head to check, its two-pronged tongue sticking in and out of its mouth. It was none other than Xiao Qing itself. After a moment, seeing that no one was walking into the bush, its eyes flickered, apparently quite pleased with itself.
Xiao Qing used to have dark yellow eyes with a gloominess characteristic to cold-blood animals. After living for years in this spiritual-essence-rich environment, its pupils turned emerald green, reminding one of two big green crystal stones.
Similarly, its skin and flesh were also much tougher and its speed record-breaking—we now had a little thruster here.
"Bzzzzz… crack… bzzzz!"
It was still swaggering around when a low, strange noise came from above. The little snake face froze with astonishment and turned around promptly to flee the scene. That was too late. A large net fell down and wrapped it inside.
"Hiss!"
Xiao Qing twisted around, but not too violently, in case it touched the net by accident. The net was blackish purple in color, and the interwoven threads looked very vivid. However, at a closer look, one would realize that the thread was glowing slightly—it was a net woven from streaks of Water Thunder.
"You have been with me for how long now? How come you're more like Xiaojin everyday? Keep acting like a good-for-nothing and I'll have no choice but to throw you away."
Xiaozhai strolled near. Removing the Water Thunder net, she picked up her pet in disdain.
"Hiss!"
The little fellow wrapped itself around her wrist, wiggling its head and tail, and rubbing against her arm.
"I'm not asking you to die for me like my master's white snake, but at least you should be able to protect yourself. This world is getting more chaotic every day. Your speed is nothing out there."
Shaking her head, Xiaozhai finished her training for the day and walked slowly back to the Cottage of Pure Mind.
Metal Thunder had its imposing power and Water Thunder had its unpredictable changes, in both of which she had reached the passionless state. Metal generated Water, Water generated Wood, Wood generated Fire, Fire generated Earth, and Earth generated Metal… the third type of Thunder she was going to practice was Wood Thunder, leaving Earth of the center, which could control all Five Thunders, last.
Inside the Cottage of Pure Mind was a lively scene. Zheng Kaixing and his mother, Li Dong, Old Shui, and Gao Mingde had gathered in the courtyard around a giant spider.
It was about half a meter long and brown in color. Scales covered its head, chest, and back. Eight eyes were arranged in four rows on its face and it had a huge mouthpiece and four spinnerets, or silk-spinning organs, on its abdomen.
They were where spider silk was emitted, which was in fact a secreted liquid that hardened into silk once exposed in the air.
"Is it alive?" Li Dong seemed scared.
"Why do you even ask? Of course it's alive! I only knocked it out. You'd better stay away. I'm not going to save your a*s when it's eating you!" said Xiaojin.
"Ah? Why didn't you kill it?" asked Zheng Kaixin curiously.
"Its silk is very useful. I want to raise it myself." Long Qiu set a confinement around the spider and smiled. "We found it over in Sand Ridge; it was the only one. It's quite precious."
Sand Ridge was a small town to the west of Shengtian. It was next to a small desert; the town was dirty and impoverished. Bai Town was on the east, about 200 km from the town.
"Wow! Does, does it have a name?" Zheng Kaixin asked another question.
"Not yet. We'll ask Sister to give it one."
"Forget it. She's an imbecile at naming things…" Xiaojin stuck out her tongue at Long Qiu's suggestion. "This spider can hide underground and lives in a desert. Let's just be straightforward and call it 'Sand-walking Spider'!"
"Not bad. Better than my Dirt Spider." Xiaozhai strolled near and pulled her sisters into her arms, saying, "That'll be all. You can go back to whatever you were doing."
"Yes!"
The residents of Phoenix Mountain found the two younger sisters very easy to hang around, but not the elder one. They scattered at Xiaozhai's command.
Long Qiu saw immediately that Xiaozhai had something to say. "Sister, what's wrong?"
"We've got news from you-know-who. He can't handle it all by himself and needs us there," Xiaozhai said with a hint of disdain in her voice. "Xiao Qiu, you're with me—"
"Why, me, me, me! Pick me!" Xiaojin was hopping around with excitement.
"You stay here!"
***
Gu Yu spent the first day of his trip in Saji Town, arrived at Zhijin on the second day, and the Fish Mountain collapsed on the dawn of the third day.
It was night of that third day. To be fair, the government had been given enough time to process the whole thing. As more information came in, the picture was more complete and the level of the incident was raised higher and higher. In the end, the report reached the boss in the central government.
The current situation was rather a delicate one, for the international conference was coming up at the end of the year, and a certain fellow would be of much use. Hence, the instruction from above sounded bounteous: give full cooperation and act with courtesy.
A bright moonlit night.
Gu Yu hadn't had a proper rest for some time. After notifying Xiaozhai, he grabbed a bite and took a short break. Right now, he was sitting on that broken rock peak, studying the ancient sword.
Needless to say, it was a fire-attributed sword. He could refine it and make it into his chief weapon.
But something was nagging at him. The Youxian Sect was a sect of Sword Immortals and Sword Immortals couldn't be this primitive, could they? All they had was awesome swords and no skill manuals at all?
He was afraid that once he refined it with his mental force, he could destroy a priceless divine object.
Moreover, he was full of sarcastic remarks on the inside. He had already had his Flame Cloud Needles and now this sword. 'What is it with me and fire?' It would be easy to pick his alternative name in the future. Patriarch Flame Cloud, Priest Fierce Clouds, Youngster of Passionate Fire… with that seventy-two needles and a big, long sword, tsk, tsk, everyone would think twice about messing with him!
Shaking his head, he traced the sword with his fingertip, as if trying to catch a glimpse of the magnificence of masters and immortals thousands of years ago. All of a sudden, Gu Yu looked up and stared at the broken temple gate.
"Squeak!"
What was left of the wooden door was slowly pushed open and Lu Yuanqing walked in.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-133.png){kind=small}
Chapter 333: Treasure-hunting (Part 3)
Source: Qidian International
Gu Yu winced a little at first at Lu Yuanqing's arrival, but saw through it right away—it could only be an arrangement of the government to invite someone from the monastery here. The only question was: was this man coming as a friend or a foe?
He called out right away, "Priest Lu, long time no see. I'll be coming down, wait just a moment."
"That's ok. I can go up to you!"
Lu Yuqing smiled and kicked the ground. He was then shooting up into the air. When he was a few meters up, he strode out with his left foot and reached the mountain wall in an instant as if he had been teleported. His right foot then kicked the mountain wall and he landed lightly on the platform left behind by the broken peak.
"Tsk, tsk. Am I seeing the long lost Cloud Step?" Gu Yu welcomed him with a surprised look.
"..."
Old Lu almost stumbled on his feet. The guy was finally able to show off a little and Gu Yu spoiled the moment with a single sentence. Lu Yuanqing cupped his hands. "Cloud Step is something concocted in fictions and not a real thing. It has been over ten months since we last met on Changbai Mountain. How have you been?"
"Thank you for asking. I'm doing all right."
The two exchanged the necessary pleasantries, knowing perfectly well how the other one "had been".
Lu Yuanqing's movement just then was natural and smooth, without the slightest stagnation, which was clearly a demonstration of his improvement in cultivation. Gu Yu could see that his bearing and posture were graceful and poised, and that he had recovered his original simplicity. The man had improved so much comparing to the beginning of the year.
He then recalled Shi Yunlai's refined instrument and those two priests' conversation on "spiritual animals". It was not hard to guess from there that the monastery had also discovered some relic of ancient masters.
And that was exactly what had happened. Since they unearthed the White Crane Underground Palace, the monastery had been working constantly on it. By now, they had finished clearing out the first floor, and the result was fruitful. Among their discoveries were some low-level Taoist skills, talisman manuals, and refined instruments, as well as recipes of simple Dan medicine, which greatly enhanced the foundation of the monastery.
Take the Dan pills as an example. They had obtained the recipe of a "Qi-nourishing Dan", which was not as remarkable as the Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan, but still did a good job in facilitating cultivators reaching the perfection of their acquired state but not yet into the innate state.
With Zhang Shouyang on Tianzhu Mountain, Celestial Master Temple had no reason to refuse the request of the monastery to use the Six One divine furnace. Lu Yuanqing was able to achieve this improvement in his cultivation from taking the Qi-nourishing Dan.
Backed by the government with its endless resources, the monastery had all the advantages on its side. They might have started slow, but in the long term, they were going to soar. Gu Yu was fully aware of that, which excited him profusely… Sigh, it was lonely to be the only one high up there—no one could understand that unless they were up there as well.
After exchanging a thousand implicit blows with their words, Gu Yu finally asked, "You got here quickly enough. May I ask why?"
"Relics are coming out. I'm not going to miss that."
Lu Yuanqing shifted his eyes and asked, "So, that's the sword from the pool? May I?"
Gu Yu tossed it over casually and Old Lu caught it. After examining it closely, he gave it back to Gu Yu. "That's indeed a nice sword! I heard there are treasures in the other two pools as well?"
"Yes. Since Youxian Sect wanted to spread their knowledge as wide as possible, it would be rude to refuse them. I'm going to open up another one."
"Let me help you with that."
"Oh?"
Blinking, Gu Yu saw that the man had made a friendly gesture. He grinned. "In that case, thanks a lot."
With those words, Lu Yuanqing cupped his again and jumped off the platform. Gu Yu put the thought aside and closed his eyes in meditation.
***
The night passed peacefully. It was the following day.
Under Fish Mountain, a makeshift camp seemed to have erupted overnight. The security and logistic teams all rushed here, setting up perimeters miles away from the mountain. That small village nearby was also evacuated.
Now that the mountain was rich in spiritual essence, birds and beasts were flooding in. The white jade bird was a shrew one, for it only flew back when it was absolutely sure of its safety. Right now, it was twittering around its temporary master.
"Chirp!"
"Chirp, chirp!"
"Haha…"
Gu Yu was playing with the little bird when a smile crept up his face. He hurried to the temple gate.
"Squeak!" The broken wood board was pushed open and two women walked in. His girlfriend and sister had arrived.
"Xiaozhai!"
Throwing out his arms, he was ready for a passionate hug, but only got a cold shoulder in return. Xiaozhai gave him a "you dumba*s" look and Long Qiu also kept her face as passionless as a single person usually did under such occasion.
"Chirp!"
The awkwardness was intense enough to singe the air. Luckily, Gu Yu did not blush easily. He grinned. "I thought you wouldn't be here until noontime. That was fast… oh, this is my bird."
"Your bird?" Xiaozhai darted a look at the silly bird and sneered, " That's not how I remembered it 1 !"
After that, she walked around her boyfriend to the edge of the cave and looked down to examine it. Gu Yu was a little dumbstruck. He tugged at Long Qiu and asked in a low voice, "What's going on? Why is your sister like this?"
"Sister said you were opinionated, impetuous, and didn't use your brain. You only remembered us when you couldn't handle it on your own. You're not getting any smile from us!"
Long Qiu quoted Xiaozhai word for word, expressing her deep sympathy (actually, she was glowing with pleasure at Gu Yu's misery).
"Um…"
Ok, his girl was speaking the truth and he had no excuse for his behavior.
Over on the other side, Xiaozhai checked the cave, greeted Lu Yuanqing and Bai Yunsheng, and frowned, for she was sensing an uncomfortable stare.
Turning around, she saw You Le stood there with a slacking jaw: wow, these two women are gorgeous!
What the hell?
She was baffled. How did such a character manage to survive three chapters in a place like this?
"Miss Jiang, Miss Long, thank you for coming all this way. Do you need some rest?" Just then, the two heads of the BIMAUP went up to them.
"That won't be necessary. We'll start right away. So, how does it work?" She turned to her boyfriend.
"Well, they pretty much come out and go wherever they want, and they're extremely fast. I'll go down first to lure them out. You all stay up here, and if possible, each take one target. We'll catch as many as we can," said Gu Yu.
"Gotcha!" said Xiaozhai.
"Yes, I see." Long Qiu nodded.
"I'll do whatever I can," replied Lu Yuanqing.
That was it! The immortals talked in their own language and the men from the BIMAUP could only smile wryly and moved back to watch.
"We're all set, then. Get ready while I fish for the golden toad!"
After that, Gu Yu flashed out of sight and pelted into the cave in a cloud of mist. Ten meters… twenty… thirty…
Boom!
The image of the golden toad made its appearance again, shaking heaven and earth and dimming the sun and the moon. Having succeeded once, he held on to that window of clarity in his mind regardless of the world falling apart around him. Let everything go to waste, but he would remain unaffected.
It seemed forever when the vision disappeared and he regained consciousness. He realized that he was falling again.
Of the three pools, the middle one was emptied. Which should he choose between the left and the right one? It was a tough choice, for he was only going to empty one more. It would be such a pity if he ended up choosing a lousy one.
Gu Yu slowed down his falling, and after much thought, he decided he should stop thinking. 'If I chose well, then I chose well; if not, that would be how fate wanted it.' He had made up his mind.
Controlling the mist, he drifted towards the one on the left—you, then!
Seeing this, those up on the ground began to work their own magic.
Xiaozhai turned over her palm, revealing a purple-black arc of lightning, which was forever changing its shape. Long Qiu summoned Golden Silkworm, which took its chubby kid form and looked down with its blinking dark eyes.
She could do the Shadow-switching Technique, but not as expertly as her brother. She decided not to try her luck in such a critical moment.
"..."
Lu Yuanqing darted a look at Xiaozhai's Water Thunder and quietly took out a bronze mirror from his chest pocket. It was about twice the size of an adult palm and had a primitive simplicity in its style. The back was carved with cloud patterns and the front was of a muted golden color. The mirror face looked misty.
It was the Soul-calming Mirror from the White Crane Underground Palace, which he had just refined. It could calm the spirit and soul of all living creatures.
As for Gu Yu, after breaking through the multiple layers of obstruction, he approached the pool tentatively. He paused first, then the mist drifted down and lightly touched the water.
Bam!
It was indeed just like last time. The pool also began to stir violently with whirlpools, emanating an imposing energy in the process, which was much more intimidating than the previous one.
Gu Yu's heart lurched. He dared not take it lightly and kept his eyes on the water.
A few moments later, the whirlpools stopped abruptly and something exploded in the pool, splashing freezing water everywhere. Four lumps of divine light whooshed out of the spray at a much higher speed, then shot into the sky.
"Catch!"
Even Gu Yu, who had come prepared, was only in time to wrap his mist around one.
"About time!"
Xiaozhai's Water Thunder spread out into a big web and covered the opening of the cave as best as she could. Two lumps of light were stopped before the thunder web wrapped tightly around them. The divine light would not surrender, though. They were struggling violently, trying to break out.
"Golden Silkworm!"
Long Qiu pointed with her finger and the chubby kid shot into the air towards a lump of divine light.
It reached out with its fair baby arms to catch the light. However, as soon as it held onto the light, there was a sizzling sound and black smoke surged. Golden Silkworm felt a sharp pain all the way down to its mind and had to let go.
The light changed direction and dashed at You Yu.
You Yu stood there dazed, unable to move. You Le charged at him frantically and shoved his younger brother aside. "It's mine! Mine! My tre— Aaaaah!"
Bang! The divine light punched through his chest and flew into the clouds, soon nowhere to be found.
"Gosh!"
Long Qiu was vexed, angry, and abashed. She had made a mistake, which cost them a life. Before she had time to reprimand Golden Silkworm, her sister shouted.
"Sh*t!"
The power of the treasure this time greatly exceeded the previous one and Xiaozhai was stretching out her limit by pinning down two. After a moment of struggle, one of the two finally struggled free.
The light flew into the air and was about to flee when there came a clear command.
"Freeze!"
With that voice, a golden beam shot out and landed right on that lump of light, which stopped moving right away. Lu Yuanqing's face looked a little contorted and his hand holding the mirror was also shaking slightly, apparently having a difficult time controlling it as well.
The stalemate lasted only for a moment before the light was about to break free again.
"Senior Brother, I'm coming!"
Bai Yunsheng drew out his sword and joined the fight. His long sword slid swiftly through the air, weaving a net with its movements. The divine light sensed the energy of the sword and stopped trying to leave. Instead, it began to fly around in a controlled manner, as if it was exchanging blows with the sword.
"Bring it on!"
Despite being only a man of an acquired state, Bai Yunsheng was not intimidated at all. His sword danced around in an unbroken series of movements, charging at the light like tidal waves.
After a few rounds, the divine light suddenly paused in mid-air and swelled up. Immediately after that, the lump of light several times bigger dived down and wrapped around the tip of the sword.
"Whoosh!"
The ancient sword that had been passed down for centuries was no match to the light. Little by little, it was devoured.
"My sword!"
Bai Yunsheng felt his heart was bleeding and his eyes were open so wide that they might burst. The divine light did not stop after that, but was heading right for him. He shut his eyes, thinking he would end up like You Le. However, the next second, his mind went dark and he lost consciousness.
"Rumble!!!"
Xiaozhai was enraged over on the other side and golden lightning appeared in her palm. After a violent lightning strike, the divine light finally quieted down. It was now in her hand like a glowing ball. Before long, Gu Yu also came up with another glowing ball in his hand. He sighed at the scene.
There were four in total. One got away and they managed to tame three. However, in a matter of minutes, You Le was dead and Bai Yunsheng had passed out on the ground...
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-134.png){kind=small}
Chapter 334: Sword Seed
Source: Qidian International
Before the Spring and Autumn Period, cultivators were categorized into the Perfected, the Supreme, the Deity, and the Saint.
After the Spring and Autumn period, the concept of immortal world became popular and the belief of following the laws of the human world waned. The cultivation method was partially lost and partially passed down anonymously among the common folk, then picked up by the Taoist community. With some mix-and-match, series of Taoist cultivating methods were created, such as the Immortals Swordsman method, the Nether Immortals method, the method of refining Qi through a focused mind, etc.
The Sword Immortal Sect had grown out of none other than the Immortals Swordsman method itself.
Back then, they did not yet have an established system and their scale was limited. It wasn't until the ancient immortals period when individual Taoist sects began to form the Taoist religion and the Taoist community took shape. The essence-consuming method became the mainstream one and Immortal Swordsman gradually came to have their own sect and an inheritance system.
Same as the essence-consuming method, they inherited the quintessence of the ancient teachings, believing in cultivating in both the mind and the physical form, and in rising as immortals in their physical body.
People of later generations categorized them in different ways, such as the Southern and Northern Sects (of Quanzhen), or into various sects, including Wudang, Jingai Mountain, Huashan Mountain, Qingcheng, Nangong, etc. All sects had their individual cultivation method, but the core was essentially the same.
The essence-consuming method worked on enhancing Qi, whereas the Sword Immortal Sect worked on the sword energy, which meant to integrate the energy of the sword with one's own vital essence.
Usually, their swords were categorized into three levels.
Technical Sword: the swords used were tangible and physical objects. One was to have a strong sense of justice and readiness to help the weak with their swords. Sword skills of this level still belonged to the field of martial arts.
Methodical Sword (Qi Sword to some sects): the swords were halfway between tangible and intangible. When the energy of the swords was generated, they became an integral part of their wielders, who could soar in the sky with their swords and kill people a thousand miles away in a flash.
Taoist Sword (Divine Sword to some sects): the swords were intangible objects that did not have a physical form. The energy of the swords had become an integral part of Nature itself. The wielders were to walk a virtuous path and go where fate led them to.
As for the Youxian Sect, they had a unique way of passing down their inheritance: through Sword Seeds.
What exactly were Sword Seeds?
In plain terms, by fusing the seed into one's body, they were equipped with the combination of a flash memory disk, an engine, a pacemaker, and a sword vault. Swords could then be stored away in the Sword Seed and nourished whenever one wanted so that the swords could be refined.
How did it come into existence? They were transformed from the sword energy of the great masters of the sect who were at least men of the Immortal state. The four lumps of light flying out of the second pool were none other than four Sword Seeds.
If the explanation above still sounded too complicated, let's put it this way: with one such seed inside, even a dog could rule over Azeroth! Of course, the binding criteria were very strict. Most would end up like You Le—thanks to the flag Xiaozhai triggered earlier.
"Tsk! This is awesome!"
Holding the iridescent, glowing globe, Gu Yu read the information above off of it and sighed with admiration. "The Youxian Sect has come up with this method probably because the cultivation of the sword immortals was extremely difficult. People of later generations greatly benefited as a result, but every coin has two sides. If no one in the sect could reach the level of producing a Sword Seed, or none of the descendants fit the criteria, their inheritance would be discontinued."
"So, do you fit?" Xiaozhai teased.
"Of course. I will make it fit even if I don't!"
"Tsk. How about that fellow?" She pointed at the still unconscious Bai Yunsheng with her chin.
"Priest Bai is such an outstanding swordsman that the Sword Seed offered itself willingly. There can be only one answer to your question." Gu Yu stuffed the glowing globe into his big gourd and strolled toward Bai Yunsheng. "Is he all right?"
"The impact was a little too strong for his current cultivation level. I have regulated his flow of vital energy, leading it back to the natural state. When the treasure calms down and adjusts to his body, he will probably wake up," replied Lu Yuanqing.
"That's great!"
Gu Yu explained the function of Sword Seeds without holding anything back and chuckled. "I guess I should congratulate Priest Bai for the windfall."
Hearing this, Lu Yuanqing also smiled sincerely despite being empty-handed himself. "So, the saying is true: good fortune lies within bad; bad fortune lurks within good."
"Haha, now that I've emptied two pools, there's only one left. Any plans on your side?" asked Gu Yu.
"The Youxian Sect has arranged some heavy guard around their treasure and our monastery is not capable enough to explore it at the moment. We'll wait. Or, maybe another extremely talented individual will come to take it some other day, which would be an interesting event as well," said Lu Yuanqing.
The two enjoyed their conversation, which looked rather baffling to any outsider.
As a matter of fact, even they themselves found this relationship a complicated one. Had it not been for the political factors involved, the two would make excellent companions for each other and appreciate each other's character. Unfortunately, with politics, they were facing conflict of interest in a jumble of aspects.
No matter what, neither was the parochial and improvident type. When something would benefit the cultivation environment as a whole, they would both gladly push it towards the right direction.
***
While the two guys chattered, Long Qiu was still chastizing herself.
"It was all my fault. If I knew Golden Silkworm could not take it, I would have handled it myself. Now a man was killed because of me."
Biting her lip, the girl kept darting looks towards a corner where You Yu sat with a blank face. You Le's body lay on the ground, covered by a plain white cloth. They were waiting for someone coming up to take care of it.
"Don't beat yourself up over this. He got greedy and got himself killed. Although looking at it from another angle, he did protect his younger brother as a result." Seeing that the girl was still sad, Xiaozhai squeezed Long Qiu's cheeks and forced her around, chuckling. "Well, let's forget about that for a minute… there, take it!"
With that, she took out the Sword Seed she caught and tossed it to Long Qiu.
Xiao Qiu jumped at this and stuffed it back to Xiaozhai's hands. "No, I can't take it! You were the one caught it and it's way too precious!"
"I don't need it. Just take it!"
"No, why don't you need it? Sword Immortals are so mighty and I'm so dumb. It'll go to waste in my hand!" Long Qiu would not accept it no matter what.
"Sword Immortals are so mighty? How do you know?" Xiaozhai chuckled.
"Um, isn't everyone saying that? One sweep of the sword and all skills are useless… something like that…" Xiao Qiu faltered a little.
"One sweep of the sword and all skills are useless… Hahaha, stop reading those crappy novels. Your little head is not so sharp to begin with, don't contaminate it further." Xiaozhai held her hand and explained patiently, "The skills of Sword Immortals lie in their attacking power and the imposing manner. In other words, a sword manual is ideal to be taken as a chief assault skill. Your brother, for example, is cultivating the essence-consuming method, but that method has no attacking power whatsoever. He might seem to know a lot—Shadow-switching, conjuring illusions, the Flame Cloud Needles, the Small Moving Technique… but none of those are aggressive enough, which is why a Sword Seed is perfect for him.
"Your cultivation method follows the same path as his—and a downgraded one, for that matter. Golden Silkworm is an undead-insect-depending witchcraft after all and will only pose more limitation in the future. Are you going to rely on that dumb bug for the rest of your life?"
"But, but—"
Long Qiu was about to retort, but was interrupted right away.
"You talked about the sword rendering all skills useless. Well, to some extent, that is not wrong. But it's not that the Sword Immortals were the top cultivators because of the swords. They were that way because they believed in their swords and the sword manuals, which they deemed invincible.
"That was what an imposing manner all about. The Sword Immortals would never succeed in studying the manuals without that indomitable will.
"I am just like them. I believe my Thunder Technique is second to nothing in its killing will and it must be! Had I really begun to learn the sword manual, it means I don't have full confidence in Thunder Technique and I'm holding back.
"Because of that… I don't need this. It's yours!"
Smack! Xiaozhai tossed the globe back to Long Qiu.
Wow, you could see the twinkling stars in Xiao Qiu's eyes. She had always been fond of her sister, and now she was infatuated. She couldn't help it. She liked her brother and she liked her sister even more, as well as her younger sister. She loved the whole family.
Hence, she stopped nagging and put away the Sword Seed carefully.
Before long, it was noontime.
The authorized personnel came up to deal with the aftermath and You Le's body was carried down the mountain. You Yu still had that stunned look from both the sorrow and the bewilderment. Seeing this, Gu Yu and Lu Yuanqing went up to him and asked, "What's your plan now?"
"I want to take my brother home to see his mum and dad…" You Yu barely managed to look up and gave a reply, then shook his head, "I, I don't know…"
"You are very well endowed. If Taoism interests you, you can come find me… us, in the future," said Lu Yuanqing.
"You?"
"Yes. Phoenix Mountain in the Northeast or Tianzhu Mountain in Qian Zhou. Either will do," Gu Yu gestured between himself and Lu Yuanqing.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-135.png){kind=small}
Chapter 335: Anshun
Source: Qidian International
All parties went their separate ways after the Fish Mountain business was over.
Lu Yuanqing took Bai Yunsheng back to the monastery, while the BIMAUP listed Fish Mountain as the newest restricted area. Men were delegated to set up barriers around the mountain, as well as to make discreet inquiries among the general public.
After all, six ancient swords and a Sword Seed were scattered across the country; they wouldn't be at ease until every single piece was retrieved.
As for Xiaozhai, after settling the business for her helpless man, she was in no hurry to go back to Phoenix Mountain. Since she had travelled all the way here, she might as well have a look around.
Anshun, night.
One could choose one out of the three routes on leaving Fish Mountain: a northern one to western Guizhou, a middle one to Forest City—the provincial capital, and a southern one to Anshun which was their pick, because they wanted to see the renowned Huangguoshu Waterfalls.
Well, don't get it wrong. They were not going there for recreational purposes. Huangguoshu had fallen victim to a calamity a short while ago and was no longer the favorite tourist destination it used to be.
"'Water centipedes': the larvae of the predaceous diving beetles, are between 8 to 10 cm in length, have a cylinder-shaped body and plier-shaped big jaws. They are violent, voracious, and have the habit to strangle their prey between the big jaws before feeding on the body fluids. Under no circumstances should one try to approach them."
"Water skippers: 5-7 cm in length, blackish brown, used to feed on dead fish or insects, but have developed a liking for human body fluids after mutation. They are extremely fast creatures moving on the surface of water and have excellent jumping ability. Stay away as far as possible if spotted!"
***
"Ewwww! Gross!"
Long Qiu put down her phone, finding what she saw repulsive. As if that was not enough to express her contempt, she even waved her pretty hand over the image. "Guizhou Province has so many mutated creatures. Poor residents..."
"Aren't you a witch specialized in undead insects? And you can't stand those?" Leaning on the windowsill, Gu Yu expressed his bafflement at Xiao Qiu's reaction.
"Those are water bugs. They're nothing like the undead insects—they are adorable," explained Long Qiu in a serious tone.
"Adorable???"
He grimaced, finding it impossible to link that word to things like snakes, centipedes, scorpions, ricefield eels…
"You can't eliminate small creatures with modern weapons as is the case with the large ones. They can simply hide in the water or some damp caves and no one will find them. The waterfall is done for."
Xiaozhai found that a pity and sighed. "Why, I was thinking about showing you around there."
"That's ok. I'll go anywhere as long as I'm with you two… teehee!"
Long Qiu sat on the bed cross-legged and wearing no socks. She unconsciously held her feet in her hands and began to rock back and forth like a roly-poly. She was grinning for no reason.
"What are you beaming at, you little dummy?"
Xiaozhai found her cute as a button and gave her a poke. Xiao Qiu lost her balance and slumped onto the bed, still holding her feet.
"Ouch!"
She let out a silly little cry and bolted back to her sitting position, then began to giggle, leaning on her sister's shoulder.
Tsk… Gu Yu was secretly shaking his head. 'Why do I feel like the third wheel here?'
He had to take out his big gourd and then the Sword Seed to force the pinkness out of the atmosphere. "I've been thinking all the way here and got something. The seed works as a special mental space for teaching and sword-storing. I can extract some preliminary information from it now, but the actual sword manuals—or sword scriptures—can only be accessed after I fuse with this seed."
"Is that so? Be more specific," said Xiaozhai.
"Sword Seeds were transformed from the energy of certain swords, so naturally they come with the understanding and impression of those ancient masters. By fusing with a Sword Seed, you become the disciple of its maker. The general principle of Sword Immortals is to cultivate the energy of swords, but there are many ways to do it. The Youxian Sect alone had as many as seven sword scriptures. Sword Seeds will actively try to integrate with extremely talented people with a natural inclination towards practicing swords, such as Bai Yunsheng. Of course, there is another way to integrate with the seed, which is to suppress and force it into your body."
He paused a little and went on, "I don't think I'll have a problem with fusing with it, nor will Xiao Qiu. I'll give you a hand if things do not work out smoothly.
"The seven sword scriptures and seven ancient swords should form seven corresponding pairs, but there are only four Sword Seeds now, which means three of the scriptures were lost."
Xiaozhai frowned slightly. "Your sword is fire-attributed. What if this sword scripture doesn't go with it?"
"Then I'll have to find a suitable sword... or make one." Gu Yu found that a little problematic as well.
"Then, then, then…"
Long Qiu hopped a little and stammered, but went quiet before she could form a sentence. She was going to say that her brother could have her Sword Seed, which would increase the probability, but then realized it would not work. Each one could only fuse with one seed and they would not know what sword manual they had before fusing with it.
That was the downside of losing the inheritance. It was obvious that the Youxian Sect used to pass down the Sword Seeds first before making the right sword, but Gu Yu received the sword first in this case, which made the whole thing a little awkward.
"Cheer up. Don't worry yourselves with the possible gains or losses. Let's go see the waterfall first, then we fuse with the seeds—whatever they might give us!" After those words, Gu Yu checked the time and made a little cough. "Ahem… um, it's getting late. Let's all take some rest. We still have Huangguoshu Waterfall to go to tomorrow."
Getting late?
Long Qiu watched the clock curiously, where the hour and minute hands still formed a right angle. However, it dawned on her the next second and she hopped out of the bed like a lamb. "That's right, I'm very sleepy as well. Off to bed! Good night, brother and sister!"
With that, she scuffed to her room next door.
Gu Yu was most pleased! 'I haven't been the nicest brother these days for nothing!'
He locked the door happily and turned around with open arms, grinning. "There! The problem was solved and I was taught the lesson. Let's snuggle!"
"Old Gu, I'm finding you a little, a little…"
Xiaozhai moved her finger around and came up with a suitable expression. "Cheesy!"
"Why, are you surprised? We've been parted for a month! Haven't you heard about 'reunion after a brief parting is as sweet as a honeymoon'?" he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"You need a reunion after a month only? Then how about when a hundred years—or later, a thousand years—is but a snap of fingers for us? How much time do you then think we need a reunion? Are you suggesting we'll just sleep in our cold beds in between?"
Sh*t!
Gu Yu could read that tone—he had said the wrong words. He said immediately, "My bad. I take back what I said… It has nothing to do with reunion. I missed you, that's all."
Humph!
Xiaozhai gave him a sideway glance and gestured with her chin. "Take care of your bird first."
"Huh?"
Gu Yu was at a loss, then he heard the chirpings behind him. Turning around in embarrassment, he saw that the white jade bird was playing the peeping Tom with undisguised excitement.
"Out, out. Don't come back before tomorrow morning."
He opened the window and threw the bird out. There was no need to hurry now. He offered, "How about taking a shower first? I'll get the water ready for you."
He made his way into the bathroom and turned the water on. Water splashed out of the shower head in a color darker than usual. He did not think much of it, but ten seconds passed and the water only became more muddy, until it was almost black.
There was also a tittering sound, as if something was squeezing out of the nozzle. A moment late, there was a thud and something landed on the floor.
Holy sh*t!
Gu Yu jumped at the newcomer. A few little dark-red worms just spurted out of the shower head and smashed onto the bathroom floor, still squirming around.
"Why, that's new. Did you get the worms to refresh the repertoire?"
Xiaozhai leaned on the door holding her arms, giving him the "you poor little fool" look again.
"This place has some major hygienic problems! I don't think we should use the shower!"
Gu Yu couldn't find anything else to say. Activating the Small Moving Technique in a hurry, he flushed the dirty water and worms down the toilet.
Anshun was located in the dividing crest of Wujiang River and Beipan River basins. The area was abundant in rivers and water resources, hence the existence of Huangguoshu Waterfall. Now that the waterfall was taken over by the insects, it was only normal that a few would fly out of a shower head in a hotel.
Gu Yu had lost all his appetite after that episode. Scuffing out of the bathroom, he said in a crest-fallen voice, "All right, time to go to bed."
"Hm…"
Xiaozhai, on the other hand, was in a great mood after teasing her man. She also activated the Small Moving Technique and woosh! Someone's underpants lay flat on the floor. She then crooked her finger. "Shall we dance?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-136.png){kind=small}
Chapter 336: Dawn Of The Southern Wilderness
Source: Qidian International
A gust of wind swept away the fallen leaves and a heavy rain destroyed the banana trees.
The three got up very early the following morning, but found no breakfast in the hotel. According to the staff, the running water was fine a couple of days ago, but the contamination had grown worse since yesterday and unknown disgusting little worms spurted out all the time.
The word around was that water service in the area had been suspended; only the south and west of the city were not affected.
The three did not think much of it then. It was only when they went out onto the street that they saw the entire Anshun was in a restless state—strong fear filled the air. Police officers were patrolling the streets and vehicles were heading out of the city in lines.
"Such a nice city, but I guess that's the end of it," said Long Qiu sadly.
"It's not just this city. All the places down the stream are finished." Looking up at the overcast sky, Gu Yu sighed. "There was the Southern Wilderness where the Miao people used to live in the ancient time. The land was unruly and the rivers turbulent. One could not see a village for hundreds of miles travelling in the area. Who could have thought that with the recovery of the spiritual essence, a well-established modern urban agglomeration is deteriorating. Are we really going to have another Southern Wilderness?"
"Very likely. Unless they can solve this insect contamination soon, they will have to give up this area."
Xiaozhai also shook her head. "We were so proud of having the picturesque scenery, but it's only making us miserable now… let's go."
Their destination was Huangguoshu scenic area, which had long been cordoned off. They paid a small fortune to find a taxi, which took them 45 km to the southwest of the city before stopping in front of a warning sign.
They made their way around the sentries and snuck into the scenic area.
Huangguoshu was actually a group of waterfalls covering a wide area. Within a radius of 18 km, there were over a dozen overground waterfalls, four underground ones, and more karst caves and underground rivers than one could count.
Huangguoshu was divided into several individual scenic areas with a few Miao villages. Tourists used to flood the place throughout the year. However, as far as they could see now, the area was deserted like dead land.
The three followed plank road set above the water for a while before running into a wide river, which was running smoothly without a single wave. The water seemed extremely heavy as if it wasn't flowing over the riverbed, but lying there like a hefty mass.
Gu Yu casually tossed a stone into the river which was immediately devoured with a muffling plop. From right where the stone sank, ripples expanded out, soon reaching the entire surface of the river, then there was a flash of light.
As if a giant window-shutter was drawn close, shutting out the sunlight, the bright surface of the water turned black.
"Gosh!"
Long Qiu cried out in surprise, getting goosebumps all over. The surface of the water was covered completely by swarms of aquatic insects: water centipedes, predaceous diving beetles, nepids, water skippers…
Disturbed by the stone, the insects grew restless right away. The water skippers were the most excited at the smell of fresh human flesh and began to move swiftly towards the shore in waves.
When they were about half a meter away from the riverbank, the first batch jumped out in unison and a black waterfall of squirming bugs surged upshore.
Gu Yu set up a confinement and the swarm smashed onto the invisible barrier with thumping sounds. Their negligible intelligence was enough to prompt them to stab the barrier frantically with their long and thin mouthpieces.
Frowning slightly, Gu Yu let out ten Flame Cloud Needles, which joined into a flaming dragon and grazed the water surface.
"Sizzle!"
"Crackle!"
A foul smell filled the air right away. A fresh supply of bugs would rise to the surface as soon as the previous layer was charred.
"Forget it. This is so gross. Let's check somewhere else!"
Gu Yu felt his stomach turn at the scene and left the spot promptly, or he would be throwing up soon.
The three moved further in and reached the main scenic area in a moment, which was that famous big waterfall.
It was over seventy meters tall and as wide as a little of a hundred meters. Falling off a cliff, it was a picture of flying pearls and crackling jade stones as the water splashed high into the air as it bounced off the surface below. The waterfall reminded one of a suspended bead curtain and a billowy piece of white silk hanging over the side of a mountain!
What was more remarkable was a water curtain cave as long as 134 m spanning all the way across the waterfall halfway up.
The waterfall itself had water clear enough—the insects probably could not survive the impact during the fall. The three savored the scene briefly before moving up along the stairs towards the water curtain cave at the back.
The cave had six cave windows, five cave halls, three springs, and six passageways. As soon as they entered the first passageway, they were shocked by what they saw.
"Retch!"
Long Qiu's stomach turned and she gagged, leaning on her sister's shoulder. Xiaozhai and Gu Yu also found it most disgusting. Lying in the cave were seven to eight dead bodies, who were probably unlucky tourists trapped here when the insects broke out and died a miserable death.
That was not the most disturbing part of it. A type of dark red water bugs covered the bodies and were crawling all over them.
With their excellent eyesight, the three could clearly saw that the bugs had a mouthpiece with two long spikes, which had easily penetrated the skin and seemed to have injected something. Little bumps swelled up under the skin where it was punched through.
It was the same with all of the dead bodies, which looked like to have pustules all over—there were so many of them that even the facial features were blurred.
"Pop!"
All of a sudden, a bump burst open and a tiny bug squeezed out. It touched the spike of a big bug, apparently quite affectionate towards the latter.
"Retch!"
Xiao Qiu finally threw up. These bugs were using human corpse as a medium to hatch their eggs.
Xiaozhai patted Long Qiu on the back to comfort her, while Gu Yu watched it in astonishment, for from the crevice of the stones in this cave, insects were still crawling out. There had to be a million of them!
However advanced weapons one had, they would be at a loss when facing tiny creatures like these. Even if they bombed the mountain to the ground, there was no guarantee that the insects could be eradicated.
Bugs, the meant-to-be overlords of this planet!
The three made themselves undetectable and stood there watching for a few more moments. Finally, they decided it was too disgusting to stay any longer and turned to leave. They only made a few steps when there came a crackling sound of falling stones and a creature resembling a salamander crawled out.
It dashed right into the bugs. With a lick of its long tongue, hundreds of bugs were drawn into its mouth. Its fat lips moved with chewing motions, and then there was the next lick. The water bugs were completely defenseless and could only wait until the animal finished feeding, slithered back into the stones, and disappeared.
"..."
The thing came and went so fast that the three were having a hard time digesting it.
Nature indeed was the fairest. The weakest creature had a way to protect itself, while the strongest species had its Achilles' heel. Huangguoshu now was the perfect demonstration: the insect disaster had just broken out, but there was already a natural enemy to restrain it.
The three were only here for an inspection and a few glimpses were enough to reflect the whole picture. They decided they had seen enough after that.
That was how the general environment was now. The remote areas and undeveloped lands were becoming more and more uninhabitable, especially the corners. On the northwest, southwest, northeast, and southeast, large depopulated zoned were created.
In contrast, there were also the dilapidated industrial cities, which were not least affected and where people lived their days like nothing had happened.
The path was set for the future and all that was left was the plan from above.
***
Tongren, Fanjing Mountain.
The so-called Fanjing Mountain used to be called Three-mountain Valley. The name was changed later when Buddhism gained its popularity. Fanjing was short for Fantian 1 Jingtu 2 . Legend had it that it was the place where Maitreya performed his rites.
Back then, the mountain would be flooded with rich worshippers willing to spend a fortune. But now, well, it was not the best time to be a monk.
Take Tianzhu Mountain as an example. On the mountain was a Sanzu 3 Temple, where Sengcan, the third patriarch of the Chan sect (of Buddhism) used to preach. One could imagine the prestigious status of the place. However, when the country decided to build the research base and the Taoist monastery there, the monks were promptly removed from the mountain.
Things were pretty much the same with Fanjing Mountain. Now that Taoism was gaining popularity, more common folks were believing in the Taoist community and Taoist priests. As a result, no one was coming to the Buddhist temples anymore. Without the worshippers' support, it was almost impossible for the monks to make a living. Many had returned to their secular life and those remaining behind were requesting to be transferred to other temples not pestered by mutated creatures.
In other words, the mountain was completely deserted.
As for the family of three, they headed for Forest City right after returning from Huangguoshu before arriving at Tongren after staying in Forest City for a day. Impressed by the picturesque landscape, they found an abandoned hotel to live in and planned to fuse the Sword Seeds there.
Early in the morning, slightly foggy.
The three went up the mountain along the stairs, which wound up following the turnings of the mountain creek. Peaks rose around them half covered by trees and rocks, which came in all sizes and shapes, and they could find something spectacular wherever they turned to look.
They were following the western route, along which was a famous spot called Guanyin Cave. It was a stone house built out of a stone cave on the cliff wall, in which a statue of Guanyin was worshipped.
Infertile believers would come here every year to kowtow and throw a small stone into the cave. It was said that by doing so, they would conceive a baby the following year.
When passing the cave, Gu Yu and Xiaozhai did not pay any attention, but Long Qiu stopped and put her palms together, then bowed at the cave earnestly.
"What are you doing?" Gu Yu was amazed.
"I was praying for you two to have a little baby soon."
"What the hell? We weren't even beginning to think about it!" He felt the headache again.
Long Qiu blinked and said in all seriousness, "Why not? Babies are so cute. And yours is going to be born an innate state baby."
The girl had been tainted—despite her innocent look, she was all naughty inside.
Xiaozhai was actually intrigued by the idea. "I haven't thought about it that way… hey, Old Gu, do you think it'll be more difficult to have babies when we move into higher cultivation levels?"
"Not in giving birth itself, I think, but in getting pregnant?" Gu Yu gave it a thought. "As our level of life improves, maybe our genes will mutate with it. Isn't there a term 'reproductive isolation'? Maybe the sperms and eggs will start to tear each other apart and cannot fertilize. Something like that? I really don't know."
"Oh…" Xiaozhai nodded and asked another question a moment later. "I wonder, if our baby comes at this stage, it will probably be fine, but won't it become awkward when I'm pregnant after I have my primordial spirit?"
"How so?"
"Babies have their own minds, right? It sleeps in my belly while its mind develops, but my primordial spirit will be inside me too. Won't they affect each other? The baby feeds on my vital essence and my primordial spirit has its own consciousness. What if it affects the baby? Whom am I giving birth to? My kid or myself?"
"Wait a minute! You lost me there!" Gu Yu waved at her and frowned. After several moments, he still couldn't sort it out. "What's wrong with you? Why do you have to bring that up?! It's giving me the creeps!"
"Hahaha!" Xiaozhai pulled him into her arms and laughed. "Don't be afraid. We'll know when we feel like having one some day!"
Just like so, they made all the way to the top of the mountain while exchanging pleasant talks on physiological lessons.
Gu Yu took in the peaks standing in great numbers below them and the clouds floating around, then sat on the ground. "It's nice up here. The air is so fresh. I'll go first."
With that, he took out the Sword Seed. After being immersed in his spiritual essence for two days, it had grown quite close to him and did not resist like it first had. He watched it for a moment, then placed it on his chest and pressed down.
"!!!"
The external force stirred the Sword Seed and it struggled violently, which Gu Yu ignored. He forcibly pushed it into his chest and wrapped it up inside his spiritual essence despite all its efforts to break free.
The glowing globe struggled for a while and realized the futility of its attempt. It finally quieted down.
"..."
Gu Yu was delighted. He removed the restraint and felt the glowing globe's slight tremor. It then moved slowly downwards until it reached his Qihai in Dantian. It circled around above Qihai for a moment, as if trying to find the right spot, then dived.
Boom!
He felt all his internal energy shook with it, as if something had been planted inside his vital essence. Meanwhile, an abundant amount of information flushed into his head in perfect order.
A name lit up in his head out of nowhere, which was none other than the sword skill the seed contained—the Red Sun Devil-smashing Sword Manual!
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-137.png){kind=small}
Chapter 337: Devil-smashing Sword Manual
Source: Qidian International
'Wow!'
All sorts of feelings welled up in Gu Yu's mind. He must have spent a million hours on his card-drawing games and never got an SSR (special super rare) one—lady luck simply did not like him. However, when it came to cultivation, he was on the other end of the spectrum.
My, my! He was indeed much happier as a cultivator than an Otaku.
Opening his eyes, he nodded at Xiaozhai first to assure her that everything was fine before moving onto the Red Sun Devil-smashing Sword Manual.
In Taoist mythology, there was a spectacular immortal by the title of True Warrior Devil-smashing Great Deity, or the Devil-smashing Celestial Venerable to the common folk. Legend had it that he was the god of the North. Over three meters tall, with his hair loose, and clad in black, he was seen in standing posture with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Waiting on him on either side were his Tortoise and Snake Generals, as well as a pair of immortal boy and girl to record all merits and demerits taking place in the three divisions of the universe.
Whether such a deity existed or not, the expression "devil-smashing" alone indicated its purpose, which was to eliminate monsters and demons, subdue evil spirits, end the suffering, and help those in distress.
In a word: freaking awesome!
The fact that this sword manual named itself "devil-smashing" was proof enough of its exceptional ability. After reading through it carefully, Gu Yu was able to have a better understanding of the history of the Youxian Sect.
The founder of the Youxian Sect was Perfected Man Yunya, 1 who was once an able disciple of the Sword Immortal Sect of Sichuan. He later established his own sect as a branch of the original one and created seven sword manuals based on his Alma Mater's teachings, which he developed into his own.
All seven sword manuals corresponded to the aura of celestial phenomena such as the sun and the moon. One would learn to enhance and refine their sword energy through the manuals to gain matchless power. The manuals would enable the practitioners to cultivate as high as the Earthly Immortal state. Disciples of later generations then made seven divine swords, each corresponding to one manual and passed down together.
The lineage of the devil-smashing manual had Dongyang Zi as its first patriarch, which was passed down through Zhiyou Zi, Priest Qiyun 2 , Juechen Zi, etc., all the way to the last disciple Liang Yuanyu, a priest of the Ming Dynasty who was the last one to be able to create a Sword Seed. It was also from his sword energy that Gu Yu's seed was made.
The Sword Seed contained a complete set of teachings from the Technical and Methodical to Taoist Swords.
Gu Yu skipped the first part and went right into the sections on the Methodical and Taoist Swords. The Methodical Sword was attained through absorbing the energy of the red sun and digesting its true meaning so that the sword energy could take shape. Golden glow would rise out of the blade like flames and the wielder would become one with the sword to dispel evil energy, incinerate monsters, bring light to all corners; no demon could pass its threshold.
Of all the seven manuals, the devil-smashing was second to none in its awe-inspiring integrity and magnificence!
The Taoist Sword section was much more abstract. Probably because only a handful of cultivators had ever achieved this level, most of the section was on personal understanding and thoughts.
"The Taoist Sword is to cultivate towards the Great Tao internally and towards the sword externally. One is to collect the essence of the Infinite and integrate with the energy of Nature. The sword is to be refined by heaven and earth and sharpened with spiritual spring water. The pommel is represented by Taichi, the hilt admancy, the blade merits, and the sheath peace and quiet. The refinement of the sword is a resplendent insubstantial scene and the blade is as pure as the toughest steel. It works the law of Nature, carries out the order of the highest supreme, and sets a record that has never been approached and will never be approached again!"
What a load of crap!
Gu Yu couldn't hold his sarcastic remarks back at this. 'Master Liang, no offense, but you just came up with that bullsh*t to confuse your pupils because you didn't understand it too, didn't you?'
He put that aside for the time being and went back to read the Technical Sword part, which surprised him unexpectedly. To be honest, that part actually had a bigger impact on him.
The Technical Sword was the tangible sword which one used to train their skills. The swords were made from metal, and one could think it as the sword skills described in wuxia novels.
As the prerequisite skill of the Sword Immortal Sect, it could lay a solid foundation for the practitioners, as well as help them to reach the innate state. You heard it right, those highly perceptive and very well-endowed disciples could achieve the innate state by reaching the perfection of this level alone!
Up till now, there were only three ways to reach the innate state: Dan method of Quanzhen, the essence-consuming method, and Thunder Technique. He had just discovered the fourth one, which seemed much easier to spread.
Do recall that there were four Sword Seeds in total!
Phoenix Mountain had two and the monastery had one. With Bai Yunsheng's talent and belief in the sword, his future was very promising. With its government background, the monastery would definitely pass it down, which was a great help for its development.
And there was also that fleeing one, which would make no difference if it was not used. However, if someone out there indeed managed to fuse with it, it would take root among the commoners. Even if they couldn't achieve the innate state, they would become very capable swordsmen of the acquired state all the same… hmmmm, how exciting.
Gu Yu closed his eyes and focused his mind, slowing digesting the vast amount of information. He lost count of time and was about to finish when he woke up to a pleasant smell and some strange noises.
Opening his eyes, he watched the scene with a "Seriously???" face. Just a couple of meters in front of him, Xiaozhai made noodles for herself and Long Qiu. They now each held a bowl and were both slurping happily at the food.
"Oh, you're awake. There you go!"
Xiaozhai tossed him a bowl casually. He caught it and saw that the white and chewy noodles were covered by a layer of aromatic and soft paste made from wild herbs and egg, as well as chopped up green onion and pepper.
"Where did you find all these?"
"We searched the hotel. We've finished a pot already. This pot is Xiao Qiu's work. Do you like it?"
"Yeah… it's pretty good." Gu Yu was not quite used to the flavor of soupless noodles with pepper and put down his bowl after a few bites. "So, you two have been enjoying yourselves. Weren't you at least a little worried about me being carried away by the evil side?"
"You're a lucky man, face it. What evil way could you go to? So, what are we looking at?" asked Xiaozhai.
"The manual matches the attribute of the ancient sword and is very advanced. It can take me to as high as the Earthly Immortal state. There is a lot to go through and very systematic…" He gave a concise explanation and sighed with admiration. "The Technical Sword is amazing. With the size of the population of our country, there are bound to be more than a handful of innate state men in the future. And it's not like the Dan method. You can fight with it like an expert!"
"My sect has a sword skill as well. The movements are prettier, but not with as much a potential." Xiaozhai also admired the skill. She then turned to Long Qiu. "So, Xiao Qiu, do you want to do it now or wait until tomorrow?"
"Um…"
Looking at the dimming sky, Long Qiu could not wait that long. "I'll start now."
"Great. We'll watch out for you."
With that, the three removed the stoves and Long Qiu sat down properly with her legs crossed. She then took out the Sword Seed and smashed it into her chest.
She was not afraid at all—her brother and sister were here, so why would she? Hence, she made the bold move and copied her brother. She wrapped her spiritual essence around the seed right away, trying to suppress it directly.
Whop… whop… whop…
The Sword Seed struggled violently, so much that halos were spreading out from her in ripples. Xiao Qiu was not as rich in her spiritual essence as Gu Yu after all and quite a while passed before the glowing globe weakened a little, but it was still struggling.
Seeing this, Gu Yu was afraid that a prolonged stalemate would cause unnecessary trouble and decided to send in a streak of spiritual essence by landing an open palm on her back. With that external help, Long Qiu soon crushed the resistance and the Sword Seed stopped fighting. It then gradually sank into her Qihai in Dantian.
The couple waited in silence without any further intervention.
Gu Yu had sat in meditation from morning to evening, and Xiao Qiu took even longer. She only opened eyes slowly after the night passed and the day began to break.
What the hell?
She almost jumped to her feet. The two drama queens somehow managed to welcome her with exhausted and anxiety-ridden faces, finished with morning dew and broken grass stems all over their clothes.
Long Qiu was still that innocent and kind kid. She was overwhelmed with guilt at their appearance. "You've stayed up the whole night! You must be exhausted!"
"Don't worry about it. How did it go?" asked Gu Yu.
"Perfect. It's now inside me and it's called the 'Blue Sky Whirlwind Sword Manual'." Long Qiu rubbed her belly.
Whirlwind?
According to Zhuangzi, "When the bird Peng flies southwards, the water is smitten for a space of three thousand li around, while the bird itself mounts upon a whirlwind to a height of ninety thousand li!"
The two exchanged a look. The name itself had given them plenty of hints: hovering up, rising high into the air, fast, so very fast!
They guessed it right. Long Qiu then said, "Brother follows the will of the scorching sun, while I the strongest wind. It sweeps across all lands and cleans away all ten thousand miles of it. It is the fastest of all seven!"
Wow! The couple put on their most exaggerated look and made their faces dumbstruck, then showered Long Qiu with congratulations.
"That's awesome! Speed is the ultimate quality of all martial arts and you've got it!"
"The sun rises from the east and you're the invincible. Yours sounds much more tasteful than mine."
"Exactly. Why, I won't be your match for long."
"Stop it…" Long Qiu flushed at their praise and said shily, "You don't have to comfort me. I'm all right. We have all those materials, I'm sure we can make something ourselves equally nice."
My, my!
That actually surprised the couple. They indeed had a smart girl here. Because Long Qiu had a manual without a matching sword, the two had gone out of their way to comfort her tactfully. As it turned out, she had seen through them right away.
Fatherly/motherly smiles crept up their faces instantly. 'My big girl, I'm so proud.'
***
After successfully fusing with the Sword Seeds, Xiaozhai and Long Qiu went back to Phoenix Mountain.
Gu Yu stayed behind on Fanjing Mountain to learn the skill. Fanjing was over a thousand kilometers away from Longhu Mountain, with a whole province in between, but he was in no rush. There were still more than twenty days to go until 13th, Nov.
We'll leave this storyline there for the time being. Late October had arrived in no time.
It was the fourth year since Gu Yu ate that red fruit. Based on the deduction he and Xiaozhai carried out, it was about the ninth year into the recovery of the spiritual essence.
Nine years were enough for any brewing problem to seep through.
After the intense heat of the summer, the North was having bitter cold days. The temperature plunged in the Northwest, Mobei, Monan, and Northeast and snow was coming very early. It was especially the case with Urumqi in the Northwest, Hohhot in Mobei, and Heishui Province in the Northeast, where the temperature had already dropped below freezing point with continuous snowing which started light but gradually grew heavier and went on for nearly a week.
It was not unbearably cold at home. Central heating service had started earlier, but with the low temperature, the snow would not melt, which brought much inconvenience to daily life.
Take Heishui Province at the northernmost corner of the country as an example. In the province were the vast forests with a total area of 100 000 km^2. Over 800 000 people lived in the forest zones, covering three counties, four districts, and fourteen forestry bureaus.
This entire region had become a snowland with the traffic cut off from the outside world. Moving further to the north to the other end of the forests, across the big river, were the two states of Tsar, which were even colder than over here.
The river was frozen. The whiteness stretched out for thousands of miles as if it was the edge of the world.
And there was Mobei, where the pastures had suffered from the droughts this summer, resulting in a reduction in the forage of 7 million tons. The area was now hit by the snow. In Hohhot alone, there was a shortage of forage of 670 000 tons.
In order to alleviate the pressure of getting through the winter, the herdsmen had no choice but to sell their cattle cheap. A sheep used to sell for 600 yuan, but was only worth 300 now. The government was doing all they could to provide disaster relief, allocate funds, transport forage grass, etc. It was a gruelling time.
The Southeast was also problematic. The urban agglomeration areas were unaffected, but remote fishing villages by the sea were constantly harassed by mutated aquatic creatures. The army could fight them off, but the mess left behind still rendered the places uninhabitable.
All in all, the four corners and certain areas in the north and south of the country were all disaster stricken.
They were all happening so fast that news of disasters were reported online every day, which greatly abated the general public's initial excitement and curiosity.
More people were becoming concerned over the changes and social issues brought by the recovery of the spiritual essence: the shrinkage of habitable lands, the corrosion of cultivated lands, the migration from the remote areas to cities… every single one too frightening to think over.
For example, food.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-138.png){kind=small}
Chapter 338: The Grand Strategy
Source: Qidian International
Central Hebei, an agricultural demonstration base.
With its vast plains, Hebei Province had always been a chief grain producing area since ancient times. Moreover, the region had Bohai Sea on the east, the capital city within its geographical range, Taihang Mountain on the west, Yan Mountain on the north, and an urban agglomeration concentrated in the central and coastal areas. Such favorable natural conditions made it possible for the cities to stay relatively mutation-creatures-free.
This particular base was located in the academy of agricultural sciences. It had been there all along, but was expanded as a secret project a year ago. Its security level had been significantly raised and it was now unmistakably a scientific research facility of a strategic importance on a national level.
"Squeech!"
Two vehicles drove near from the distance and parked outside a building that looked like a greenhouse. The doors of the vehicle opened and an elderly man walked out.
"We are honored by your visit, Sir!" Several men in charge hurried near to greet him.
"Enough with the formalities. I'm here to see results today. Let's talk inside," said the old man sternly. He then strode out and entered the building first.
The rest of the team hurried after him and led him to Section One of Scientific Research, where they watched through the thick glass wall. On the other side were sticks of frosty-looking culture medium, which were overgrown with gray oyster mushrooms.
"This area is the size of one mu—as the unit used in farming. Ordinary oyster mushrooms will need around 45 days before their first harvest, and a growing period of between 15 to 20 days after that. After numerous experiments, we've managed to stabilize the harvest period to 20 days, with a yield of 10 000 kg per mu."
The specialist sighed with emotions as he explained, "This is such an excellent spawn. I've been studying mushrooms all my life and have never found anything this active before… oh, please take a look over there!"
He then came to himself and led the old man to another test greenhouse.
This one was much more peculiar. Edible fungi such as wood ear, snow ear, black mushrooms, and lawyer's wig covered the ground, yet the most eye-catching object was a gigantic mushroom growing in the center.
Its roots had risen above the ground and over a dozen mushrooms were growing out of this base, creating a large fairy ring. It had an umbrella-shaped cap, which was big and curling inwards. Standing together in the middle, they looked like a small white forest.
"This is the giant St George's mushroom discovered at the beginning of this year in Luoqiping Village of Tengchong. We collected the spores for replanting and obtained this one, which is even bigger than the original. This one is as tall as 103 cm and the largest cap has a diameter of 37 cm. It also has a very short growth cycle. The growing out of the hyphae to maturity only takes days."
"Is it edible?"
"Um, we have tried some ourselves. The taste is hard to describe, but it's definitely not toxic."
The man in charge beckoned at the staff, who then brought out a small dish of processed mushroom shreds. The old man picked up a few and chewed on them without hesitation.
The shredded mushroom was slightly sweet at the first bite, then there was a tingly numbness in his mouth as if he had accidentally bit into Sichuan pepper. A moment later, there was the chewiness that reminded him of meat.
"Good. It can work both as a dish and as a condiment."
The old man nodded, having an idea of what was happening in this section. They then moved on to Section Two.
Potato was the only thing growing here. Several rounds had been planted and harvested so far, and the current one was not yet ready. All they saw were the green potato plants in the field. The specialist brought out some samples, and sounded a little abashed. "We have run multiple tests, but still couldn't find a way to increase the yield soon enough. The best performing batch so far had a yield per mu of around 1.4 tons. All the mutated species we found had some improvement in the taste, but nothing significant in the yield."
"You have done all you could. Don't have it weighing on your mind."
The old man comforted him with resignation.
The UN had long listed potato as one of the four major food crops and guaranteed its staple food status by providing the necessary planting area and scientific research, but the status of potato in this country had always been awkward.
Although 75% of the counties listed in the national poverty alleviation program had potato as their staple food, the government remained indifferent to its plantation. Not only was there barely any support program in planting potatoes, the planting area kept dropping.
Around 2005, the national planting area of potatoes plunged from 80 million mu to 60 million mu, and it was only recently that it had grown back to 80 million.
The yield was also problematic. The domestic average yield per mu was one ton, which had remained at that level for over thirty years, whereas the yield per mu of other countries could reach over two tons. The difference was too big to be overlooked.
The main reason behind all this lay in the great achievement in hybrid rice domestically, which had to some extent covered up part of the crisis.
"Don't worry. The government is coming up with new policies shortly. I'd like to give you a heads-up first." The old man patted the specialist on the shoulder and said, "From this year, potato is to be included in the grain reserve system. The plan is to expand the planting area to 180 million mu within three years and increase the yield per mu to over two tons. Meanwhile, there is going to be a comprehensive implementation of promoting various food made from whole potato flour."
'Wow!'
That was a pleasant surprise! All the specialists present exulted at the news.
The common people might not understand the meaning of that decision, but they knew better. If the environment change continued, in a few years, the increase in the demand of food in the country would be over 50 billion kg!
Restrained by arable land resources and affected by mutated species, wheat and its cousins were likely to go extinct, and the maize family would be on their last legs. Only the lovely potato which could tolerate cold, drought, and barren land would flourish—it would soon no longer be considered a vegetable.
Whole potato flour would have its empire—not only could it be made into steam buns, noodles, bread, etc., it could also be stored for as long as 15 to 20 years.
Tsk, tsk, it seemed we had a savior here.
After they finished with the potato section, the group then introduced the old man to other scientific research areas dedicated to poultry, cattle, forest, flowers and plants, as well as key crops such as cotton, sesame, sugarcane, rubber, etc.
Their main focus was to collect mutated species around the country to raise them here and run tests so as to improve them in quality or yield. Everything was to prepare for the future.
Take the work on edible meat as an example. The specialists had discovered a mutated rat and rabbit species. The rat had dark yellow fur and the rabbit was spotty. Both had tender meat and great ability to spread. The two species were now widely found in various provinces across the country.
If things went as planned, the two species—named Yellow-fur Rat and Spotty Rabbit, respectively—would be the main source of meat in the future.
After a lengthy tour, there was only one section left. Unlike the rest of the sections, this one consisted of a large rice field. An old man in boots and his trouser legs pulled up was bending down in the field, busying himself around.
The visiting official felt the impulse to stand in respect, for he was looking at none other than the dear old man 1 that had been hailed as the "Modern Shennong 2 ".
***
To be honest, even with the great potential of potatoes in the future, rice remained the foundation of food in this country. Of all the thirty-six provinces, apart from Qingning, all the rest had their own rice-producing regions. There were 198 million households of rice farmers in this country, which totaled up to over 700 million people!
Just imagine that proportion!
Therefore, however difficult the situation turned, they could not give up on rice. They had to weather the storm.
From the government's perspective, they were having a very difficult time as well. The new era was unfolding and a million problems were waiting to be solved, both weighing them down. Fortunately, it was not a sudden death and they still had plenty of time to get prepared.
With reducing residential and arable areas, probably 90% of the population would end up living in the urban agglomerations, which gave rise to two key issues: food and housing.
With bread on the table and a roof over their head, the common people could live their days with stability.
"Master Yuan, to tell you the truth, the grain base in Heishui Province is over!"
The official dismissed the subordinates and strolled the field with the dear old man, who had been renowned for his achievement three predecessors before this official and had seen his fair share of big shots. Hence, this official found it unnecessary to act like one.
"Over?" The old man winced and murmured, "That's 70 million tons of crops we're talking about here!"
"Exactly! 70 million tons! It's still snowing out there and the cold wave is spreading, invading part of the grain-producing area. We've taken samples of the soil. Even if the snow melts next year, it will no longer be arable." The official paused a little and went on, "And there is also the area in Hunan along Dongting Lake. Based on our observation, the water level of the lake had a sudden rise this year, which has already affected many residents. We think that the lake is going to expand, so that's a very bad news for the grain base over there."
The country had nine major grain production bases: Taihu Lake Plain, Dongting Lake Plain, Bashu Plain, Pearl River Delta, Jianghan Plain, Jianghuai Region, Poyang Lake Plain, Songnen Plain, and the Three River Plain.
And now, two of those were gone!
"..."
The air felt heavy at the bad news and the two walked in silence for a while; then, the official chuckled. "Well, I'm not here today to complain but to hear about your good news. You've been working hard here for over a year. Any achievements?"
"Since last year, your people have found in turn four mutated wild rice plants, which we have raised and sowed in four bases at the same time. We have just harvested a new batch. You are now looking at three mu of land with the yield of 1581 kg, 1529 kg, and 1536 kg, respectively. The average yield per mu is 1548.66 kg and those of the other three bases are 1503 kg, 1538 kg, and 1545 kg."
The old man was 87 years old, which was reflected in his slightly slurred speech, but his mind remained sharp and his words well-organized. He knew all the data on rice production like the back of his hand.
"We have a yield per mu of over 1500 kg now?" The official was elated, for that was definitely world-record-breaking. He asked immediately, "Is that the final result?"
"No, that's just from rice No. 2. There is still room for improvement." The old man hesitated a little before saying, "I can't be more specific than that. I don't know the world these days very well, but if things continue like this, you might be able to find better wild rice plants. By then, we can probably have even greater breakthroughs."
The words were tactful, but the official could read between the lines. Back in the time of the Great Leap Forward, people boasted about a yield per mu of over 5000 kg. That figure could actually become true in the foreseeable future!
He never doubted the old man's statement, for that man had created real miracles. In ancient times, people would build temple for that old man and hail him as a god.
"How about sea rice? What yield are we looking at?" he asked another question.
"According to data collected in our Jiaodong base, we could achieve a yield of 300 kg irrigated by seawater with a salinity of 3-8‰. It's a matter worth rejoicing that those 280 million mu of saline-alkali land did not change much, or we would have been helpless." The old man sighed.
"Great! That is great news!"
The official almost felt like hopping around. After receiving bad news for days on end, there was finally something to smile for. If the sea rice technology could be fully developed, with a yield per mu of 200-300 kg, this county alone would have an increase of 50 billion kg in grain production.
There was a total of 14.3 billion mu of saline-alkali land on this planet!
Not only would this technology benefit mankind as a whole, it would also be immensely helpful in the international game, the exchange of interests, and vying for influence.
The domestic academia was overwhelmed by the pessimism that, with the recovery of the spiritual essence, the importance of science would wane. The old man had just slapped their faces with his work on rice. Although science seemed useless in cultivation so far, it remained indispensable in national economy and people's livelihood!
The rice he worked on was not the same as the spiritual rice.
The spiritual rice was extremely picky in its habitat. Based on their experience so far, it could grow nowhere else but in the nodes. Because of its scarcity and high value, the spiritual rice became part of the social rank system and was meant to be for the upper classes only.
The two left the field after a very long conversation.
A group of people went to see the official off at the gate. He was about to get into his vehicle when he spun around and held the old man's hands. "We're counting on you!"
He then held the hands of another specialist. "We're counting on you!
"And you!"
It was not an affected act, but a reflection of how critical the situation was. The members of the base were touched by his words; the man in charge was the last one to shake his hand.
"You have my word on this. We will give our all till our hearts stop beating! That's the least we could do!"
***
After over two years of survey and deliberation, the country finally made its great move on a national policy level.
One day in late October, a Urban and Land Overall Planning was issued, and in it, each measure was a fundamental system-breaking decision that would affect billions of people and bring benefit/disaster to the future generations.
Article One:
32 urban agglomerations were to be established, including the capital-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Jiaodong Peninsula, Guanzhong Plain, Sichuan-Chongqing, Central Shanxi, Central Guizhou, Central Yunnan, Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountain, Central South Liaoning, etc.
They were to be categorized into mega urban agglomerations (such as Yangtze River Delta), first-tier urban agglomerations (such as Sichuan-Chongqing), second-tier urban agglomerations (such as Central South Liaoning), and third-tier urban agglomeration (such as Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountain).
Each urban agglomeration must have no less than three metropolis circles or big cities and have at least one megacity or super city as its center. The population should be no less than 30 million and the economic density should be above 5 million yuan/km^2, and so on and so forth.
Article Two:
27 agricultural cultivation base groups were to be established in Wula Province, Liaodong Province, Henan Province, Anhui Province, Sichuan Province, Shandong Province, etc., which were to be classified by their properties, including commodity grain base, tropical crops base, timber base, etc.
As of today, potatoes were officially included in the state grain reserves. With the gradual decrease in the planting area of wheat and corn, farmlands dedicated to planting potatoes should increase at a steady pace. Relevant technologies and projects should be supported, so as to increase the yield and production of potatoes.
Article Three—and the most controversial one:
From the date of enforcement of this document, approval on commercial, residential, and various construction lands would cease in turn.
Article Four:
Regarding areas uninhabitable without a doubt, local governments should come up with suitable plans as soon as possible, organizing the masses to migrate safely.
There were a few more regulations, which we would not list here.
They might seem a brain-twister, so here went the translation.
One, with any luck, 90% of the population of this country would have to live in one of the 32 urban agglomerations.
Two, in the future, the food supply of the common people of this country would depend on those 27 agricultural bases.
Three, private developers could no longer purchase lands and build houses. Everything was to be planned by the government and state-owned businesses.
Four, those areas severely affected by mutated creatures should resettle their people quickly.
***
The actual grand strategy could be concluded in one sentence: wilderness encircling the cities. The online community erupted at this document.
"Gosh, are we falling back to the tube-shaped apartment 3 era?"
"Hahaha! The developers and property speculators can go to hell… but I still can't afford an apartment of my own!"
"Some losers get the windfall, while others are crying their eyes out."
Those were the mocking voices. There were also the level-headed ones.
"That's the only way. There are more freakish things out there. They can't average out the armed forces and we can't protect ourselves, so we have to move. Come to think about it, even if we all move to the cities, it may not be that crowded."
"My man upstairs, please elaborate on that."
"Please +1!"
"Please +10086!"
"Because a lot of people are going to die in the process…"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-139.png){kind=small}
Chapter 339: All Families, Rich And Poor
Source: Qidian International
The strategy of constructing urban agglomerations had long been proposed in the country and was an ongoing project this entire time. Five major ones were planned first (Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Bohai Rim, middle reaches of Yangtze River, and Chongqing Region), which was then expanded to nineteen.
The current measures were only a more complete, specific, and targeted version of the initial plan. Apart from regions with much land and few people such as Qingning and Tanggute, most of the rest provinces were included.
It was known as urban clusters, in which small, medium, and large cities would complement one another in their functions, share resources and construction plans, promote urban-rural interaction and regional integration… we wouldn't go into details on that.
Regarding the document itself, centralized construction naturally meant potential profits. However, the top guns would not be so short-sighted, the middle-level personnel dared not get their shoes wet, and only the ignorant ones hustling about trying to make money or blinded by their greed would see this as an opportunity.
Among all the possible profits, where would one find the easiest money?
Real estate, of course!
Henan Province, "Phoenix Mountain franchise", Xinxiang "branch".
This particular Phoenix Mountain was 10 km from the city center, a few hundred meters tall and rather small. The mountain was once a mine, which had left the mountain barren and wasted. It was not until the afforestation in the recent years that trees were planted back and the mountain was green again.
Right now, in a fenced-out construction site between the mountain and the downtown area, a few excavators were parked here and there. A reception center stood outside the construction site, which now had its front gate tightly shut; a few pretty female employees were shaking behind a desk.
Outside, Cui Bo was one of the hundreds of protesters who were waving wads of documents and yelling at the top of their lungs.
"Show your face, developer!"
"Give my money back!"
"Give my money back!"
Those at the back kept pushing forward and those at the front grew all the more agitated, banging the glass doors with their hands.
It was a tycoon developer's doing. He bought this piece of land after the announcement and somehow got himself an approval from the authorities. There was then an advertisement hype, saying that the era of "land kings" was over and school district housing had become an outdated concept. The trend now was spiritual district housing!
Right! That name referred to places close to mountains and rivers that used to be reserved for building villas. To keep up with the new era, there was now a plan for a large-scale residential area.
The houses would be built first and the corresponding business quarter and schools would follow. The house owners would then send their children to the nearest schools. "With a blessed land on the doorstep and immortals as your neighbors..." What more could one want for their life!
Cui Bo was among those falling for the scheme. He was a resident of Chenqiao Town, which was under the jurisdiction of Xinxiang. It just so happened that he had a little spare cash at hand, and he bought a pre-selling flat.
Then there came the news a couple of days ago: this illegal project was built on illegally acquired land—the government was going to reclaim the land! That made a lot of people jump. The hundreds of people who had paid the down payment then gathered here for an explanation.
"Beep, beep!"
"Make way! Make way!"
When the excitement was pushing the crowd on the verge of losing control and they were going to smash down the front gate, two vehicles arrived from outside and scattered the crowd. The doors opened and a couple of officials from the municipal government got off the vehicles.
"..."
Seeing that the authorities had arrived, the crowd calmed down a little.
The head of the officials walked to the top of the stairs and placated the people himself. "Everyone, please calm down. I know how you must feel right now, so I'll skip all the formalities and make three points only.
"Firstly, the developer is under custody and waiting for his trial. Secondly, the grant of land use rights was invalid, and the government will reclaim the land. Last but not least, you will all get a full refund."
"Those are just words. Why should we believe you?"
"Exactly. I have worked my guts out saving up that money. How do we know you're not lying?"
The last point had actually eased their minds greatly. The further yelling was only to keep up the pressure.
The head did not mind their questions at least and said loudly, "You have my word on it: you won't be put off. Everyone can make the registration today and get a portion of their money back. I promise you that the rest will be refunded within in two working days!"
He paused a little before going on, taking the opportunity for some propaganda work. "I presume that you have all read the national plan. Please have faith in your government; every measure there is to solve the current difficulty and for a better future. This incident was caused by certain individuals that were abusing their power for personal gains and accumulating wealth by unfair means. Those individuals have been dealt with. I am confident enough to promise you that such things will not happen again! Meanwhile, I'd like everyone to be on alert for such scams. Please take the government's announcement as the criterion to all construction projects… oh, I have brought with me some pamphlets today. There, please hand it out to everyone."
Just like so, thanks to the prompt response of the municipal government, the incident was soon settled.
The head only got back to his vehicle after quite some time, where he finally let out a breath of relief. "That was close! Thank god we arrived in time!"
"Sir, that fellow has connections in the provincial government. Haven't we gone overboard a little by arresting him right away?" reminded his assistant apprehensively.
"Don't worry. It's a different world now." The official sneered and said contemptuously, "Getting his own pocket full during a nationwide calamity like this? He might as well have just signed his death sentence with it… let's go!"
***
After filling in the registration form, Cui Bo squeezed out of the crowd and went back to his shabby little car.
He did not start the car right away, but sat there reading the pamphlet, which explained the general planning of Xinxiang in the future. It covered all four districts, six counties, 55 towns, 69 townships, and the 6 million residents.
Some were to be expanded and upgraded, some developed into industrial zones, while some built into traffic hubs… he flipped through it and found Chenqiao Town he was a resident of.
The town was known for two characteristics.
For one, it had convenient land and water communications. The Yellow River Dike ran across the southern side of the town from the east to the west and the Yellow River Highway Bridge ran across the town on the east. No. 106 national highway was to the east of the town and No. 107 to the west, which together connected the town all the way to the capital city to the north and Hunan and Guangdong Provinces to the south. The town itself was in the middle of the cities of Shangdu, Bianliang, Xinxiang, and Chuqiu.
For another, it had special geographical setting. The town was right next to the tidal-flat area of Yellow River, which was over 10 000 mu in size. The area was rich in animal and plant resources, and although quite a few mutated creatures had been discovered, they were relatively less dangerous and had been subdued by the army.
Somehow, after making sure that the military force was capable of keeping the town safe, the government did not try to evacuate the town, but set up a quarantine zone instead, circling the tidal-flat area out.
Because of the two reasons above, Chenqiao Town was given much importance, and the pamphlet was also talking about it in more detail.
Cui Bo scanned through it. The introduction was more general in the beginning and more specific in the following pages.
For instance, two types of residential areas were to be built by the municipal government. One type was similar to dormitories, where 8-10 people would share a room. It was designed for single individuals and those with special needs. Toilets and washrooms were communal. The other type reminded one of tube-shaped apartments, which were to be distributed to families. Each household would be given a room around a dozen m^2. The toilets were also communal and there would be no kitchens.
The pamphlet also talked about the resettlement of migrants, where emergency shelters in downtown areas, bomb shelters, and even the barracks of the army would all be put into use. Makeshift houses were being put together around the clock at the same time—winter was coming and the heating system had to be ready.
There were also contents on the allocation of people. Those that could farm or raise cattle would be sent directly to the 27 agricultural bases and those that knew industrial technology could go to the factories, etc.
"..."
Cui Bo sat back into his chair in silence after reading it through.
He had only finished high school and could not understand all the measures mentioned, but he could see the general trend.
It was obvious that the city needed more farmers to ensure a steady output in staple and non-staple food, while maintaining the stability of industrial output. The idle residents would all be encouraged to go to the construction sites, and after the houses were built, they would have priority in the allotment of houses, or could rent the houses on discounted rates.
"Sigh…"
Shaking his head, he was suddenly at a loss. He then started the car and slowly drove back home.
His wife had been waiting for some time back at home. As soon as he set foot in, she asked, "How did it go? Got anything?"
"The official from the city came. I got our money back."
"Great! That's great!"
His wife was greatly relieved. Average families like theirs only had petty saving to fall back on. She couldn't imagine what they would do if it was gone. With the anxiety gone, she went happily into the kitchen to cook dinner.
Cui Bo, on the other hand, was not in the mood. He finished half a pack of cigarettes in silence and the door clanked open. Their son, a high school student, was home.
"Don't you have self-study period tonight?" asked Cui Bo in surprise.
"There is some meeting and the study period is canceled."
"Oh… come here, I need to talk to you." He hesitated a little and beckoned at his son to go into the bedroom.
His wife had just finished cooking dinner. "Why, where are you going? Dinner's ready!"
"I need to have a word with him."
"And you can't wait until after dinner? Come, sweetie, I made your favorite dish…"
"Shut up!" Cui Bo bellowed, making his wife and child jump. There was a silence for a couple of seconds before he waved his hand and dragged his son into the bedroom without a word.
"Dad, what do you what to tell me?" The kid fidgeted, apparently very nervous.
"Nothing, really. Your college entrance examination is next year, right? Well…" Cui Bo pondered for a moment and finally said, "I know you've always wanted to study liberal arts, but I don't think you should any more. Choose agronomy or science and engineering instead."
"Why? Didn't you all support me on this before? I want to get into a Chinese language department! I love literature!" The kid was angry.
"What good would literature do in the future!" Cui Bo didn't know how to explain it and decided to play the authoritative father. His decision was unquestionable. "It's agronomy or something to do with science and engineering. If your grades are not good enough, I'll talk to your uncle. He can get you enlisted. Even becoming a soldier is better than studying literature!"
"..."
The boy was on the verge of crying. Tears welled up in his eyes as he sat there twisting his fingers.
As angry as he was, he could not imagine how this small businessman without much education had racked his brain to come up with this plan for his future.
Little did the decision-makers know how much the people of the middle and lower classes had to gamble and struggle with at the turning of the new era.
***
Guizhou, Fanjing Mountain.
A peculiar set of rocks stood on top of this mountain. It was over ten meters tall and right next to a cliff. The top part was a big dipper-shaped rock, which was strutted by a thinner pillar of a stone. With the heavy top and light bottom, they looked like a mushroom together, hence the name "Mushroom Rock".
Right now, Gu Yu was sitting on that Mushroom Rock, cultivating the Red Sun Devil-smashing Sword Manual.
He had been here for over ten days, learning the sword manual while preparing for the refinement of the sword. The ancient sword did not come with a name, and being as lazy as he was, he just named it Red Sun Sword.
Other instruments could be refined by mental force, but the sword was an exception. He could only nourish it with his own energy after his cultivation was advanced enough to produce the sword energy.
Despite being a man of the innate state, he diligently started his study from the Technical Sword and only moved on to the Methodical Sword after he achieved the former.
"..."
Gu Yu closed his eyes in concentration and was breathing so quietly that it was almost undetectable. A blazing disc of fire hung in the sky; it was the hottest time of the day.
His face was as still as a pool of water, looking fresh, refined, and elegant. As he activated the manual, a scarlet thread spilled out of the scorching sun and flew into his body, only partially visible.
That was the energy of Red Sun, which was overwhelmingly unyielding and could withstand the corrosion of all evil. Once the thread was inside Gu Yu, it fused with his own vital essence and faded rapidly, turning into a thin streak of red current.
The liquid was far heavier than any common body fluid and ran all the way into Dantian. As it moved, his body made strange gurgling sounds.
That was the first step of cultivating for sword energy, known as Red Sun flooding the body.
The liquid was called Red Sun fluid. At this step, the entire body was like a huge leather bag, with the liquid constantly tumbling inside. The slightest movement would start the momentum of an energy avalanche inside the body, and one could bring damage to other objects of people as easy as turning their hands.
As said, "Fill the body with Red Sun and the sword energy will come!"
The second step was to refine this liquid to turn it into an energy, which was the innate state sword energy.
Gu Yu was one foot into the Human Immortal state before this, and it still took him ten days to get the hang of it. No wonder they all said the cultivation of Sword Immortals was so difficult.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-140.png){kind=small}
Chapter 340: Sword Energy
Source: Qidian International
"Gurgle!"
"Gurgle!"
On Mushroom Rock, Gu Yu kept on absorbing the Red Sun energy, his entire body reminding one of a giant leather bag gradually filled by the liquid. Watching him almost made one fear that if he shook too hard, some egg yolk inside would break up.
He had been cultivating here for days with no breaks; it was only today that he felt replete.
Before he knew it, the scorching sun was setting and the evening glow in the dim western sky tainted the tips of the mountains. Despite the cooler air higher up, he felt burning up. The liquid inside him was filling up almost to the point of spilling.
"Almost there!"
The sword energy was created once the Red Sun energy was saturated. Gu Yu was more careful than at any other time as he activated the sword manual. A strange bubbling sound was coming out of him and the inside of his body seethed like a large pot of boiling water.
The Sword Seed also turned slowly in his Qihai, absorbing a streak of flaming fluid with each round. The fluid was then refined and sublimated in the seed, turning into thin threads of golden red sword energy.
"..."
Turning his mental force inside, Gu Yu was able to see every detail of the entire process. He couldn't help but wonder at the spectacular manual. As the seed absorbed more fluid, the sword energy transformed grew denser and more distinct from the surrounding Qihai—as distinct as heaven and earth.
Gu Yu seemed to have become a giant furnace as heat surged out of him, covering the area a meter or so from him; even the air seemed to be contorted by the scorching heat.
"Crunch! Crunch!"
"Clack!"
All of a sudden, broken stones tumbled off the slope and the top of the mountain shook. The Mushroom Rock he had been sitting on crackled, apparently no longer able to withstand the pressure.
He sat there for three days without moving.
Midday of the fourth day.
The sun shone fiercely in the sky. The Sword Seed finally stopped turning after absorbing the last streak of the flaming fluid.
Gu Yu felt a loud bang inside him and his body shook violently. The golden-red sword energy scattered in all directions inside his body, towards all meridians and orifices. As tough as his energy channels were, he still felt a dull pain rushing through his body.
Fortunately, it only took a few seconds for the Sword Seed to move into action. As if a switch had been turned on, the seed began to spin at a frantic speed, drawing in the ferocious sword energy again.
The Sword Seed now was no longer the glowing globe it had been, but was glittering, translucent, and of a golden-red color. It was now a perfectly round ball, suspended over Qihai.
"Ha…"
Gu Yu settled his mind and slowly opened his eyes. He looked delighted—the past few days were not spent in vain!
He shifted and was about to jump off the big rock. However, his bottom had just left the rock when, with a rumbling sound, Mushroom Rock crumbled down like a piece of broken plaster.
Sh*t!
He hastily leapt forward, just in time to keep himself from being crushed. Looking back at the remains, he felt a little guity. 'Such a nice scenic spot and I've just ruined it.'
Shaking his head, he waved his right hand. The next second, the ancient sword he stuck into the rock earlier was in his hand. He then activated the Sword Seed and inserted a streak of sword energy into the sword.
"Clunk!"
The sound the sword made reminded one of a roaring dragon; it resonated in the mountains. This divine weapon was finally showing its true self after lying in the dust for a thousand years. Holding the sword, Gu Yu could feel the connection. He then casually swept it horizontally across the air.
A golden-red flame surged out along the path of the blade, which was forty to fifty meters long and over two meters wide. The air within that long and narrow space seemed to be drawn away in an instant and time froze strangely for a second. Only after the golden flame ceased did there come a "Boom!"
As if mountains were falling and the earth splitting, dust filled the air. A giant sword cut was carved horizontally into the mountain top.
'OMG!'
Gu Yu opened his eyes widely and was over the moon. 'It's thick! It's long! I finally have something to fight my dear girlfriend with!'
He simply made another swipe—this time vertical. Boom! There was another sword cut, which made a perfect cross with the first one.
The so-called Methodical Sword was achieved by understanding thoroughly the true meaning of the sun so as to create the sword energy, which led to the golden sword flame. He was only a beginner at this level and still required an actual sword to carry out the moves. From this point on, he would nourish the ancient sword with the sword energy and store it in the Sword Seed, which would significantly enhance its power.
After that came the integration with the sword. He himself could turn into a flashing sword that could fly ten thousand miles in the blink of an eye. Only then would he reach perfection in the Methodical Sword—dispel evil energy, incinerate monsters, bring light to all corners, and no demon could pass its threshold!
"..."
Gu Yu stood there for a moment watching the two sword cuts. He then suddenly turned around to face the vast sea of clouds and countless beautiful peaks; he bowed low to this spiritual land. After that, he went down the mountain.
***
When our fellow was reading wuxia novels or watching wuxia films back then, he always thought swordsmen looked stunning. However, now that he was using sword himself, he realized it was not as stunning as he had pictured.
For example, how should one get around with a sword in hand? Before he could store it away in his Sword Seed, this would be a long-term problem.
Option one: hang it on his belt. Gu Yu actually tried it, but the sword was always in the way when he tried to walk. It was not a pleasant experience.
Option two: carry it in one hand. The problem was that he didn't have a sheath, nor could he find a suitable one on taobao 1 .
Option three: carry it on his back. The sword could not simply stick to his back, but still needed a belt across his back which the sword could be inserted into.
Aesthetic concerns aside, the style of the clothing became the major issue. Bai Yunsheng carried his on his back, which gave him a natural and unrestrained look, but he was wearing a Taoist robe, which was of the suitable style.
Our fellow, on the other hand, had been described rather vaguely in terms of his outfit and hairstyle ever since he'd started cultivating.
It couldn't be helped. Modern outfit did not fit the picture and ancient costume looked too over the board. Take Xiaozhai for an example. How would you feel if she was described as wearing a Prada one-piece, Christian Louboutin heels, and shouted "Thunder, come!" with her lips painted red by a Guerlain lipstick?
Good God, what sort of character would that be?
Hence, Gu Yu simply decided to make a sword box himself. It was a little over a meter long and made from an old tree deep in the mountain. The box looked crude, original, and had a natural quaintness to it. It also came with a handle.
Then, off he went!
***
Hunan, Yueyang Tower.
There was no need to describe how famous this tower was. Towering over the ancient city, it looked down at Dongting Lake, paralleled with Junshan Island in the distance, had Yangtze River rushing past on the north, and Xiangjiang River on the south. Climbing to the top level of the tower and looking into the distance, one would be dazzled by the shadows of clouds, the glistening waves, and all the magnificent view.
With the arrival of November, the temperature in the southern provinces had also been dropping and it was a little chilly standing high up on the tower. The crowd of tourists seemed particularly large today. Judging from their accents, they were from all over the country. However, these men and women of all ages were not here for sightseeing.
"It's the 7th today; the fight is in six days' time. I wonder if they'll allow audience at all… sigh, I hope I haven't come all the way for nothing." A middle-aged man sighed.
"It's only natural if they allow no outsiders. After all, it's a family business, and it won't affect us no matter who wins," said his companion.
"I'm actually more concerned over Dongting Lake. With the water rising so fast this year, I don't think we can hold it off much longer. This area is actually among the more peaceful ones. All hell has broken loose in other areas around the lake. Quite a few fish farmers have been killed, with the soft shell turtles, toads, and crayfish all crawling ashore. We won't get a chance to see this view in the future even if we want to," said another companion.
"Don't be so pessimistic. Maybe they'll find some treasure under the lake—like on Fish Mountain," interjected another tourist who had been eavesdropping.
"Why, you know about Fish Mountain as well?"
"Who doesn't? With that much noise, people on the other side of the earth probably know about it! I have a relative living in a nearby county, he saw several streaks of light flying away. Gosh! I wish I were that lucky bastard!"
"Haha, isn't there a saying on the internet that people are all over the straightforward face-slapping novels, but once they're living the novels themselves, they realize that they're not the one doing the face-slapping."
"I don't want to slap any faces. All I want is for my family to stay safe and happy… Hey, say that Dongting Lake really erupts one day, what treasure do you think will come out?"
"There's Junshan Island out there. Hoho, it'll be awesome to see Ehuang and Nüying 2 again!"
Everyone was gossiping at the same time, giving a full demonstration of just how ethusiastic and daring the innocent onlookers could be. Behind the crowd, however, stood a quiet, lone tourist. He looked rather odd with his plain clothes and a wooden box in his hand.
He stood there listening for a while. When the subject digressed towards the x-rated fantasies, he lost interest and walked to the other side.
He was standing in front of a wall with the history, culture, and introduction of the scenic spot of Yueyang Tower on it. Skipping through the text, he soon reached the last paragraph, which turned his face serious.
The last paragraph of the text read:
"Lying on the beach at the foot of Yueyang Tower are three iron objects the shape of shackles. They weigh as much as 5000 kg and no conclusion has been reached so far as to what their purpose was.
"According to 'On Customs of Yueyang', in the sand of the river bank are several smelt iron objects commonly known as 'iron shackles', which weigh 5000 kg. The objects were made by ancient people. They looked like a pair of swallow tails facing one another with a large hole 30 cm in diameter in between. Their purpose remains unknown. Some thought them anchors, but they were too heavy for any fisherman to lift; some speculated that wooden stick could be inserted into the hole and made into a fence to stop wind or waves. No one knew what the real reason was."
Other scenic spots such as Erfei Grave, Xiangfei Ancestral Hall, or Liu Yi Well all had a detailed description. This one with this short paragraph was the only exception.
He pondered for a moment and left promptly with his wooden box.
He was none other than our Old Gu. After leaving Fanjing Mountain, he entered Hunan Province and had been on the road ever since. He passed Huaihua, Loudi, and arrived at the city of Yueyang. Jiangxi Province was just past Yueyang and he could reach Longhu Mountain in a day.
Aquatic creatures had been giving men trouble in the Spring Festival time, and Gu Yu had been meaning to have a look around. This was a good time to do so.
Instinct told him that these three objects smelled fishy. He went down the tower and got to the Stage of Appointing Commanders, the one where Lu Su of the Kingdom of Wu appointed his commanders. Built with granite, the stage had stairs on both the northern and the southern side leading into the lake. The projecting tiles on the eave bent upwards; both ends were carved into a dragon's head. The roof was covered with glazed tiles.
30 m to the left of the tall stage, a giant iron shackle was displayed.
It was about five meters long and very thick, with both ends in the shape of swallowtails. The thing was of a bluish black color, had four round-tipped legs bending outwards, and two parallel ridges down the middle. It was covered by rust.
He read the caption. The iron shackle weighed 5000 kg and was at least a thousand years old. The Japs and Uncle Sam tried to drag it away during WWII, but it simply would not budge. They gave up in the end.
After that, in May 1985, because the lake dried up, the management team of Yueyang Tower discovered it again on the lake beach at the foot of the stage.
Three were found at the time. Three hoisters had to work together to move this one up to the platform. A scenic spot was added for the convenience of the tourists.
The other two somehow went missing after that; this was the only one left.
As for its function, the experts all had different theories. Some said it was the anchorage for boats to berth and fix their anchors to. Others suggested that it was used by armies of the Kingdom of Wu to seal off the river in order to stop the warships of the Kingdom of Jin…
Gu Yu jumped into the fence and examined it closely.
It resembled the shackles ancient people used to detain the criminals, but also reminded him of a long weapon, ji 3 . Seeing that no one was around, he reached out and wiped his hand across the surface of thing.
"Rustle!"
The rust showered down, revealing the thousand-year-old pig iron within. He then saw some unusual pattern on that new surface.
He followed the strokes with his finger and found that they formed a strange character.
The top part of the character was "rain" and the bottom consisted of two parts. The left was "water" with "bitter" and the right "bristle".
Gu Yu was stunned, for it was a forbidden character of Taoism, meaning "water official", or the deity taking charge of this water.
Oh my god!
He blinked, utterly amazed by how daring people were back then: they were not only bold enough to dig them out, but had also lost two of them!
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-141.png){kind=small}
Chapter 341: The Approaching Date
Source: Qidian International
"Cloud lies to the north of the river and dream to the south. The ancient Yunmeng reaches as far as Qi Zhou on the east, Zhi River on the west, Jing Mountain on the north, and Qingcao on the south"—such was the description of the Great Lake of Yunmen of the Pre-Qin Period.
In its heyday, the great lake was as vast as 26 000 km^2. The sediment deposition in the later years gradually divided Yunmeng Lake into two parts. The part to the north of the Yangtze River became a swamp; a vast lake remained in the part to the south of the Yangtze River, which was Dongting Lake.
Dongting Lake used to cover an area as large as nearly 6000 km^2 in ancient times. However, because of the continuous infiltration of large quantities of sediment and the unbridled modern activities such as lake reclamation and dam-building, it finally shrank to an area of 2623 km^2.
There was a time when Yangtze River did not flood much, for Dongting Lake had acted as the natural flood discharge area. However, after the modern state was established, the Dongting Lake region had become a frequently flooded area. With its shrinking size came the sharp decline in its flood storage capacity. Together with the influx from the four rivers of Xiangjiang, Zijiang, Yuanjiang, and Lishui, the lake was overwhelmed.
Dongting Lake had flooded 35 times in the recent fifty years alone.
"Tsk, the timeline doesn't fit!" Inside a hotel room, Gu Yu put down an information book and murmured, "Recent 50 years… the three iron shackles were found in 1980… oh, no, in the Song Dynasty, but were not moved then… there were records of flooding in the Qing Dynasty, so they were not here to suppress the flood."
He then took out his phone and saw wechat messages coming in from Xiaozhai, Zhang Jintong, Wu Songbai, and some others. Ok, he found this mixture a bit embarrassing as well, but they were cultivating in a modern world. There was no reason to abandon such a convenient way of communication.
Duel in the future would probably involve the two parties exchanging threats over the chatting app: wait and see, you motherf**ker, I'm tagging my man right now! My master uncle is on his way; he'll burn you with his thunder!
Or: wow, Senior, I'm infatuated with your fair skin, lovely face, tiny waist, and long legs! Please add me as a friend!
Or: shocking news! Fairy Peony has checked into a hotel room in the middle of the night with Perfected Man Hollow in exchange for a higher ranking! Exclusive on the cultivation world behind closed curtains!
Gosh, the thought of all that!
Ok, enough with the digression. After discovering the strange shackles, he sent a group message to a few people, who took it very seriously and offered their opinions. They had mostly arrived at the same conclusion: the iron shackles were to suppress either flood or some monster.
Wu Songbai was the most certain one, claiming it to be used for "stopping the calamity of a water dragon". Gu Yu then found some popular science books on the local history. After flipping through them, he had ruled out the theory of suppressing floods. So the other option was the only option.
Water dragon, wow, it would be so much bigger than a ricefield eel. He almost began to get excited!
Gu Yu could foresee that with the changing going on in Dongting Lake, it was only a matter of time before it devoured the surrounding towns and cities. He did not need to report to anyone, though. From what he saw along the way, the government had already made plans for it and was evacuating the people in perfect order.
Because nothing observable had showed up so far, he did not look too deeply into it. After a two-day stay in Yueyang, he went to check out Junshan Island.
Junshan was a tiny island with the most remarkable terrain. It consisted of 72 mountains of all sizes and was listed as the 11th blessed land of the country. There were quite a few famous spots on the island; he focused on two of them only, namely, "Bell that Flew Here" and "Liu Yi Well".
The legend of the Bell that Flew Here took place during the Yang Yao rebellion. When the imperial government sent troops to encircle and suppress the insurgent army, a giant bell suddenly descended from the sky, waking the latter up with its tolls. They then fought back the enemies.
The original one was 30 m high, needed several people to get their arms around, and weighed over 2000 kg, but was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The current one was a replica.
Liu Yi Well was pretty much in the same condition. A cement well sat on a cement platform; some stairs were built into the an opening on the side of the well so that the tourists could walk down and touch the water.
What was more remarkable was there there were actually two Liu Yi Wells, one here and the other in Dongshan, Taihu Lake. Liu Yi was apparently a very busy man, dating daughter of the Dongting Dragon King one day and the daughter of Taihu Dragon King 1 the other…
After his probing around for the past few years, Gu Yu finally reached the conclusion that most of the folklore with a mythological twist was nothing but fabricated stories. The real treasure still came from the ancient masters who had left behind a good reputation, brilliant records, and orthodox Taoist teachings.
Actually, one question that he had been preoccupied with was: had "gods" ever existed in Chinese culture?
The ancient belief in the mortal world transformed into that of the immortal world, but both had written records to refer to. Gods, however, only existed in folklore. According to " The Investiture of Gods 2 ", gods were civil servants of the heavenly court, and their titles were bestowed by the Jade Emperor. However, whether or not this Jade Emperor ever existed was unclear.
If there were gods, then where did those great masters that had reached the states of Earthly Immortal or even Heavenly Immortal come in? Which was mightier, an immortal or a god? Or were gods simply the embodiment of immortals?
But if there were no gods, many of the beliefs and worships of the Taoist community would not make sense. For instance, the sects following Wang Ruoxu's teachings worshipped Spiritual Official Wang, who was a god. However, Wang was the pupil of Celestial Master Sa, an immortal.
Another example would be the sect of Maoshan, whose many talismans were using the "god-inviting spell". Where did those "gods" come from?
Gu Yu inclined to the view that there were no gods and that they were derivations of immortals. However, there wasn't enough information to go on at this stage and he had to put it aside for the time being.
***
Nov. 10th, frosty.
With the day of the contest approaching, eyes all over the country were fixed upon Longhu Mountain. Ever since the government sneakily spread out the rumor of "with the rise of Taoist skills, also come the monsters", all temples were overwhelmed with visitors.
Some would not leave until they were admitted as a pupil, some spent a fortune for the Taoist blessing, while some felt their world turned upside down and were there to yell angrily at somebody for comfort.
As the leading sect of Zhengyi, Longhu Mountain was the star of the show. Streams of vehicle were coming to and fro out of the gate of Celestial Master Temple around the clock, bringing in dignitaries of all levels. It was indeed as said on the couplet on the gate: On Longhu Mountain, the grand chancellor took his residence!
These days, the scene was only becoming more boisterous. People were gathering here from all over the country, especially from the nearby provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Zhejiang, and Anhui. Even the long-distance buses had all their seats taken, let alone the trains.
Buses and private cars arrived in hundreds on a daily basis and the city of Yingtan was filled to the brim.
Bai Yu, a decent 23-year-old local young man of Yueyang, who had just begun working a year ago. He was not handsome, but was big, tall, and a regular gym-goer with wide shoulders, small waist, Adonis belt, the whole shebang.
Despite his appearance of a hunk, his hobbies were on the Otaku side. He had set up a cosplay society with a few friends and would attend all sorts of comic cons.
Seeing that the 13th was coming, he was thrilled with the anticipation and took an annual leave from work to go to Longhu Mountain with his friends.
They actually uniformed up for the occasion—all were in improved version of ancient costumes. They even had matching accessories such as whisks, bronze bells, compasses, etc., which looked quite the part. Swords were out of the question, though, for there were strict rules on that now. Even wooden swords were regulated.
They tried all they could and finally got themselves some bus tickets. The rest of the passengers jumped at their arrival, thinking there were actually Taoist priests on board. On a second look, however, they realized these were just cosplayers and relaxed.
"Beep, beep!"
The driver hooted the horn a few times when the departure time arrived. Bai Yu was chatting with his friends and looked up at the noise.
"Sh*t!"
He almost jumped out of his seat, for a fellow suddenly got onto the bus without any sound of footsteps as if he was a feather blown in by the wind.
On a second look, he could not help but chuckle. The fellow wore loose long-sleeve shirts and long trousers with ancient-styled knotted buttons, and had a wooden box in one hand… a fellow cosplayer!
The man walked to the seat in front of Bai Yu, put the wooden box onto the luggage rack, and sat down. There was something plainly peaceful about him.
Bai Yu was a talkative one, and struck up a conversation. "Hey there. I see you're going to Longhu Mountain as well."
"Yea, you too?"
"Haha, not just me. Everyone on board this bus is!"
"Is audience allowed there?" The man seemed a little surprised.
"Dunno. I don't really care if they let me go in or not. It's still an experience."
At that point, the bus rumbled and slowly pulled out of the station, heading out of Yueyang into the evening sunlight. Bai Yu suddenly felt he was part of something very big and sighed with emotion. "I would never have dreamed of this day. Isn't it just like the Martial Arts Assembly in the novels? Guests and friends are arriving from every corner of the world to compete for the championship. It will be an event of passion and pride."
"..."
Seeing Bai Yu intoxicated in his own imagination, the man couldn't help but make a face of "you poor little fool". He then stopped talking, turned to the other side, and closed his eyes to rest.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-142.png){kind=small}
Chapter 342: Best Of Three
Source: Qidian International
"Hey, mate, which society are you from? I know all the cosplayers in Yueyang, why haven't I ever met you?
"Check out my whisk. I made it myself. Nice, isn't it? I went out to get a few hundred horsetail hair for this.
"Hey, what's in your box? Can we have a look?"
Bai Yu was a chatterbox never switching off. Gu Yu darted him a look and said half-jokingly, "It's a sword."
"Tsk, dude, whom are you kidding here? Even plastic toy swords are not allowed on board these days." One of Bai Yu's friends snorted.
"Exactly. I'll eat that box of yours if there's really a sword inside," said another friend.
"..."
Gu Yu pursed his lips. 'I'd really like to see you eating that—let me get you a cappuccino to wash it down!'
They chatted on as the bus left Yueyang and headed for Yingtan. A while later, the bus stopped when they just entered Jiangxi Province. Vehicles had lined up behind a check point for inspection.
The passengers complained a little, but still waited in patience. After all, with so many people rushing into one place, safety was the top priority.
About forty minutes passed when it was finally this bus's turn. Two police officers got on board, saying, "Thank you for your cooperation. ID, please. You don't have to open your luggage. We'll scan them directly."
One was checking the ID cards while the other one went around waving the scanner. They were soon at Gu Yu's seat. His box was way too conspicuous and the two officers had been eyeing it for a while. The scanner swept across it and the alarm began to beep.
Whoosh!
The police officers changed color and were combat-ready. "What's in that box? Take it down!"
"There you go!"
Gu Yu handed out his ID and remained seated.
"I asked what's in the box? Open it! Or we'll open it for you!"
The police officer was on his guard for all possible danger with a hand on his holster. Just then, his colleague finished scanning the ID card and his face suddenly looked funny. He then patted his gun-reaching friend hard on the shoulder.
"What?"
"We're done here!"
"No, he hasn't…"
"Nope, it's all fine! Time to go!"
They left without checking the rest of the passengers. Everyone was utterly baffled and turned to look at a certain fellow.
"..."
Bai Yu blinked. Only then did panic ran through him, immediately replaced by an even more intense excitement. It had to be his lucky day. This man was definitely a disciple of some thousand-year-old well-known family and was out to see the world. That had to be it!
As for exactly who that young man was, everyone was curious, but no one dared to ask. The bus was filled with a strange silence.
The bus wobbled on for another while. As they drove closer to Yingtan, the traffic was also getting heavier. They slowed down, only moving forward every other while.
They were surrounded by noise on all sides. Every now and then, there would come a honk. Instead of becoming restless under such atmosphere, the passengers were overwhelmed by all the jitters and anticipation.
"Ah!"
"Look! Look!"
As the bus passed the toll-gate of Yingtan and turned into the main road, someone shouted in surprise.
Gu Yu turned around and saw a black shadow dashing forward from behind at an unbelievable speed. Each leap would take it a few meters high and over ten meters far. Even those container trucks would only take it one jump. It moved smoothly through the traffic like so.
What was stranger was that a man, who had pale skin, dark hair, and a gloomy face, was crouching on the back of that shadow.
Hello!
Youngster Li was here as well!
Watching the man and the corpse dashing away, Gu Yu looked sorry. Because of the limitation of Li Suchun's cultivation level, the iron corpse had remained at that level. Without the necessary opportunity, this would be as far as the first mighty soldier among them went.
"Ah, a bird! A big bird!"
"Wow, that's a huge monkey!"
"That priest is so handsome! Puritanical, but HOT!"
"Sh*t! That's got to be a spiritual beast! I'd trade anything to have one of those!"
After entering the city, the bus seemed to have stumbled into a wonderland. Everything seemed out of place and everywhere they turned, they saw something beyond imagination. No one was trying to hide anything and just let them wander around the streets.
"Whee…"
With a loud and clear chirp, a big bird with a wingspan of four meters flew low across the sky. It moved nimbly around the buildings and wire poles, then landed by the side of a priest and drew back its wings.
Right after that, a pure white lynx jumped out from behind the priest and struck down at the back of the bird with its shiny sharp claws.
The big bird turned around and smashed down its wings unhurriedly. With a whooshing sound, a gust of wind sent flowers and grass into the air. They exchanged a few blows; then, a red beam arrived at lightning speed, separating the two animals. It was the talisman from another priest.
"So the monastery has sent them all out here to put on a show!"
Gu Yu chuckled. He then turned his eyes to another direction and cried out in a low voice, "Why, he's here as well."
A group of people stood at the street corner ahead of the bus on the right among whom was a priest in his fifties. It was none other than Li Daoyu, that fellow of the Three Yang Sect who had been tricked by Xiaojin's "Great Makeup Skill 1 ".
The man had been taken away by the BIMAUP after that incident and was not heard of ever since. Gu Yu had not expected to see him here.
That was interesting...
When Bai Yu talked about a great martial arts assembly, Gu Yu didn't think much of it. From the look of it now, the government was adding fuel to the fire, deliberately trying to spread the anecdote wide and far.
"It was the year of Ding-You. Autumn was leaving and winter was just arriving when masters young and old gathered on Longhu Mountain, in Yingtan, and western Jiangxi. We were there to participate in a great event. The sky above, over which we let our eyes travel the great scenes and let fancy free, was vast beyond comprehension. How pleasant it was!"
***
"Squeech!"
The bus reached the long-distance bus station, and passengers filed out to head for their own destinations. Bai Yu was unloading the luggage with his friends when he spotted their unusual fellow passenger. He called after him in a hurried tone, "Mate… I mean, Boss!"
He ran towards Gu Yu. "Did you book a hotel reservation?"
"No, why?"
"Why?! How could you come here without booking a room in advance! All the rooms 50 km from Longhu Mountains are taken. Where are you gonna live?"
"That's ok. It's just one night. I can make do anywhere."
"How about…" Bai Yu shifted his eyes and came up with an idea. "There are only four of us, but we've booked a standard and a triple room because all the others were taken. We have a spare bed; if you don't mind, you can stay with us. Just give us as much as you see fit."
Gu Yu gave it a thought. He had to avoid the people of the monastery and Celestial Master Temple, so he might as well hang out with these guys. "In that case, thanks a lot. I'll pay the room in full… oh, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Gu Jiang."
"I'm Bai Yu. Haha, enough with the thanks! We're buddies now!"
The fellow was proud of his success in "luring" the new friend and made a show about it. He then hailed two taxis with his companions, heading right for the hotel.
While they were settling down, Bai Yu could not stay put. He grabbed something to eat and went out to ask about the situation. He then came back with the news that both parties had picked their candidates for this contest within the Way of Celestial Master: Zhang Ziliang from abroad versus the local Zhang Shouyang.
Because of the widespread video of his contribution in catching those ghosts, Zhang Ziliang was a famous man lately. Zhang Shouyang, on the other hand, had been a reclusive cultivator of his temple and not many people had heard of him.
Zhang Ziliang was visiting the temple for the first time today to set the location and rules of the contest, and the curious onlookers were already there. Bai Yu could wait no longer. He then led his friends and hurried towards the temple as well.
At the foot of Longhu Mountain, outside Celestial Master Temple.
The great plaza was cramped with four to five hundred people, who voluntarily left some space out outside the temple gate, as well as a passageway. About an hour later, some sharp-eyed spectator shouted, "He's here! He's here!"
Whoosh!
The crowd turned their heads in unison. A young priest with a hooked nose and in a purple ceremonial robe got off an vehicle. It was none other than Zhang Ziliang himself. He walked to the red gate, but did not enter. Instead, he stood there watching the view inside, as if lost in his emotions.
Zhang Jintong hurried near from inside and the two looked into each other's eyes across the threshold. The grievance brewing for three generations surpassed time and space, exploding right there and right then.
It was after quite some time when Zhang Jingtong finally spoke, "Honorable guest, please come in."
"Save your affected civilized words. I am going to enter, but not today. I will stride in as the lawful master after defeating you all!" Zhang Ziliang scanned the yard inside and said grumpily, "Where is Zhang Shouyang? Is that man so arrogant that he would not see me?"
"Shouyang is still on his way here from Tianzhu Mountain. Sorry about his absence."
"Can you speak for him?" Zhang Ziliang said scornfully.
The old priest did not react to that attitude and replied indifferently, "I am the current Celestial Master. Of course I can speak for him."
"Humph!" Zhang Ziliang snorted and blurted out, "We'll set the rules for the contest today. Zhengyi used to focus on Taoist rituals, but now that Taoist skills have come back, we will skip the formalities. Let's forget about the rituals and compete with Taoist skills only. What do you think?"
"I agree!" The old priest nodded.
"We'll settle this with three rounds. The first two are between our disciples and the last is between me and Zhang Shouyang. Agree?"
"I agree!"
"Any thoughts on the location?"
"Shangqing Palace is one kilometer to the east. It's an open terrain, ideal for the contest."
"Good. I'll see you there. Goodbye!"
Zhang Ziliang flipped his wide sleeves and left promptly.
Zhang Jintong remained indifferent and unmoved. He looked up at the surrounding crowd and ordered, "Close the gate."
Bang!
After the gate was shut, the old priest went back to the inner hall, where another man was seated. It was Mu Kun.
He was casually sipping his tea, as if caring not a bit about what was going on outside. He greeted the old priest with a smile. "All set?"
"Three days from now, we'll meet in Shangqing Palace and settle it with three games."
"I see. I wish your sect all the triumph, then!" Mu Kun put down his glass and cupped his hands.
"..."
Zhang Jintong smiled wryly inside. He knew perfectly well that the government was behind all this, but he had no power to resist and could only follow the script.
He was a man of the secular world and was pushed onto this position. After welcoming and sending off visitors for all these years, he had obtained a bureaucratic demeanor. He did not let his true thoughts show and only asked respectfully, "Director Mu, any further instructions?"
"Oh, there is one thing." Mu Kun paused a little and said, "I think you're aware of the great change in the world at the moment. Those above are concerned about how to make the general public accept this change in the smoothest and most orderly manner. This event is a great opportunity for that. We think we'd better make it public, so that more people can see the wonders of Taoist skills and be revered by the profound knowledge."
Zhang Jintong was silent for a moment. He had expected this all along and was not surprised. "No problem!"
"Great. We will never forget all the hard work the Celestial Master has done for us. I still have business elsewhere and will delay you no further."
After Mu Kun left, Zhang Jintong sat there dazed for a while. The corner of his mouth twitched suddenly, making a strange face.
'BIMAUP, just wait and see… you are acting as you please without the least concern for Longhu Mountain's feelings. You even went so far as to make a show out of the thousand-year-old Taoist teachings so that the rest of the world could be entertained. What goes around comes around. There will be a day when you have to lower your head!'
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-143.png){kind=small}
Chapter 343: Monsters And Freaks
Source: Qidian International
Celestial Master Temple, night.
The wind blew across the chilly courtyard and the moon shone coldly above. Zhang Jintong stood at the front gate with his aging body, his shoulders slightly hunched. He was straining his neck to look into the street outside.
A lantern hung over either side over the temple gate. They were bright but not dazzling, just enough to lit up the streets at this late hour.
"Squeech!"
A vehicle slowly drove near from afar and stopped on the square. The door opened and out came Zhang Shouyang and Lu Yuanqing. Seeing that the old priest was already standing there waiting, they hurried near.
Zhang Jintong cupped his hands. "Welcome, Priest Lu. Thank you for coming all this way in person."
"I am utterly embarrassed by this undeserved praise, Celestial Master. Let's talk inside."
While the two exchanged their pleasantries, Zhang Shouyang remained silent and only nodded at his granduncle.
The three entered the inner hall and dismissed the disciples waiting on them before Zhang Shouyang finally spoke. "We have received the news of Zhang Ziliang's three contests. I will accept the challenge as he asked. I only have one question: when they took refuge abroad back in the days, how many treasures did they take with them to give him such confidence now?"
"Sigh, there is no way to find out. After all, Taoism was greatly suppressed when the modern state was newly established, leaving behind a blank history for us for decades. When I took charge of Celestial Master Temple, there was not a single piece of information on that." Zhang Jintong heaved a sigh. "The only thing we can be sure of is that Celestial Master Seal was definitely among those they took."
"..."
The other two's faces turned livid at this, and a hush fell over the room.
When Zhang Daoling achieved the Great Dao, he had four great refined weapons with him. Evil-slaying Twin Swords, Dugong Seal of Yangping Zhi, talismans—including 36 heavenly general talismans of body-shielding, devil-suppressing, house-guarding, etc., and various sealed scriptures—and treasured objects including Tianpeng Ruler, jade tablet, jade headpiece, ghost-interrogating peachwood staff, token, etc.
During the past thousand years, all those treasures were gradually lost until there was barely anything left. That seal was the only thing they managed to hold onto no matter what and was passed down from one generation to the next.
Of the Dugong Seal of Yangping Zhi, Yangping referred to Yangping Mountain in Qinglin County of Sichuan, the head of the Taoist management center—the 24-zhi system. "Zhi" meant a location where rituals were performed and "Dugong" was a position in a zhi, or a Taoist leader.
The seal was used in all kinds of ritualistic practices: setting up altars for prayers, ghost-dispelling and devil-suppressing, praying for sun or rain, disaster-repelling and peace-blessing, etc. Like golden talismans, some rituals could only work their wonders with the help of this seal.
Later on, Longhu Mountain had received many awards throughout the dynasties, which included quite a few seals, such as the bronze seal "Shenxiao Jade Pattern Signet" in the period of Xuanhe of the Song Dynasty, or a silver version of the Dugong Seal of Yangping Zhi in the period of Jiangjing of the Ming Dynasty.
All of those seals were known as Celestial Master Seals, but the most legitimate one for that title was the one and only seal passed down by Zhang Daoling himself.
To some extent, that seal represented Celestial Master Temple, which made the domestic Celestial Master Temple rather embarrassed. The foreign one had the seal and they had no equivalent certificate here, which was also why Celestial Master Temple was not as "high-end" as Maoshan Sect. Issues left over from history could be such a pain in the a*s!
Seeing that the mood was turning gloomy, Lu Yuanqing spoke in a comforting tone, "Celestial Master, please do not worry. Even if that Zhang Ziliang has the seal, with his capability, he wouldn't be able to release its full power. After Senior Brother Zhang defeats the enemy, that seal will naturally be returned to its rightful place."
"Haha, thank you for your kind words." Zhang Jingtong let out a little laugh in his hoarse voice and asked, "Shouyang, that man must have some talisman skills we do not know of. Be honest with me, how confident are you in winning the contest?"
"..." Zhang Shouyang paused a little before saying, "From the video of him catching the ghost, I can see that he has not reached the innate state, either. He had a diversified range of talisman skills to work with, but was a little insufficient in his energy's amount. As long as he does not have some unfathomable refined weapon, I think I have a 60% chance of defeating him."
"60% is enough." Zhang Jintong nodded. "We should not seek perfection in everything. We do our duty and leave the rest to destiny."
"Granduncle, there is one thing I do not yet know. Exactly what is the stake of this contest?" asked Zhang Shouyang.
"Stake?" Zhang Jintong sneered. "That's not for us to decide. If he wins, he will doubtlessly get the government's support and become the head of Celestial Master Temple. If we win, our authority will be secured and we'll bring glory to the Taoist community."
"Authority and glory…" Zhang Shouyang's tone turned deeper as he said contemptuously, "He gets Zhengyi by winning and we a boost in our vanity. That is such a fair trade!"
He bolted to his feet and walked around the hall for a few rounds. He then exchanged a look with Lu Yuanqing before saying, "We should propose something on our own initiative. If he loses, he can go wherever he wants, but not his Taoist orthodox!"
"Are you saying…"Zhang Jintong could not keep his voice steady.
"Granduncle, Celestial Master Temple has been divided for nearly a century. It's time to end this."
Zhang Shouyang had always been a level-headed man, carrying himself with ease and confidence, but now that the fate of his own sect was hanging in the balance, he had to be decisive. "I will have the foreign branch return to the birthplace of this sect!"
***
"This city is a dump. The air stinks—you can smell it on the street!"
It was deep into the night when two young men walked along the tile-paved path, one complaining the entire time.
"That nose of yours must have inhaled too much medicine powder. How come I didn't smell anything?" said the other one.
"Haha, you're the prude as always. You remind me of the grandpas in my family… Wait a minute?" The man had been looking around before this and his face suddenly lit up. "A bar? There is a bar in a tiny place like this? I want to check it out."
"And now you don't smell the stink?"
The man obviously knew his companion too well—that womanizer was looking for a hook-up.
"Here's the thing. The women here are pretty nice, especially their skin. The texture is not something we can find back in our land. You wanna come?"
"Not interested."
"Don't be such a killjoy. You'll just sit around doing nothing in the hotel. Come, enjoy the night with me!"
The man dragged his companion across the road into that bar named "Modern Times".
Longhu Mountain was in Shangqing Town, about 20 km from here. There were only so much accomodation that town could provide, and the tourists had settled down in Yingtan instead. After all, as a prefecture-level city, it could provide them with plenty of nightlife.
They were engulfed by the ear-thumping, loud music as soon as they set foot inside. The place was filled with hundreds of men and women looking for a good time, especially on the dance floor, where the lights were flashing so frantically as if they were trying to take someone's eyes out.
Generally speaking, two kinds of people enjoyed nightclubs: those that were into the boisterous scene and those looking for an excitement, be it a one night stand, doing drugs, or orgy stuff.
Each circle came with their own set of rules, and they usually did not mingle.
The two turned out to be quite the head-turners as soon as they showed their faces. Beautiful faces like theirs simply could not go unnoticed. One had shoulder-length hair and wore silver ear studs. He had gentle and well-defined features that had an enchanting charm to them.
Such a face tended to give off an effeminate feeling, which he did not have—unlike some men who made one wonder if they jerked off with their pinky raised.
This one looked just right with his androgynous beauty.
The other one was a whole different type. With his short hair, deep-set eyes, and sculpture-like features, he reminded one of that style in trend at the moment: normcore.
Even men found them attractive as hell, let alone the women.
They had just sat down at the bar when two prey offered themselves willingly.
"Hey, hottie. Buy me a drink?" A woman with long, wavy hair leaned herself against the bar counter and twinkled at the alluring one.
"With how normally things go from here, you would order a Martini without ice, but I would prefer you to have a Tequila," said the man with the longer hair.
"Oh? Why Tequila?"
"I don't know. I only said it to make you interested and keep asking." He shrugged.
"Teehee. You're funny. Ok, I'll have a Tequila, then."
The woman snapped her fingers. The bartender made the Tequila swiftly, then served it with some salt. The woman smeared the salt across the back of her hand, licked it with the tip of her tongue, and downed the drink in one go.
The man watched the back of her hand—a thin, lustrous line where her tongue had traced was glistening. The woman did not flinch, but moved a little bit closer… flirting was a delicate business.
On the other side, his companion was fed up with the game. He said to the woman on his side, "I'm not interested. Go to him if you want."
"F**k, are you nuts? I don't do threesome!" The woman cursed with disappointment and left promptly on her heels.
"Shi Shi? Hm, cute name. I'm Tony."
"Why, an English name? You're not one of those fake foreigners, are you? Don't worry. I'm good in bed and I'm not the clingy type. You won't get an unwanted girlfriend afterwards."
The woman was quite experienced in hooking up. Before long, she and the long-haired man were all over each other. The companion grew all the more impatient and frowned. "I'm not wasting my time here. I'm leaving!"
"Hey, wait! Gosh, you're such a spoilsport!"
Tony had no choice but ask the woman, "My buddy wants to go back. Wanna see my private collection?"
"Sure. I hope it's as pretty as your face."
The woman was out for fun and would not say no to that.
The three then left the nightclub, and waited for a taxi by the side of the road a short distance away. She was over the moon, for a handsome man like this one was not easy to come by. She trotted in wobbly steps, as if she was dancing on the street.
"Ouch!"
A moment later, she cried out, for she accidentally bumped into a passer-by.
"Sorry!" the stranger apologized in a low voice. He darted a look at the woman first, then glanced at the two men. Somehow, he paused a little there. Then without a further word, he went on his way.
The two men also looked back at him. There seemed to be a reserved quality about him, but they couldn't sense anything out of the ordinary and soon forgot about him.
Before long, the three got back to their hotel.
The short-haired man pulled his companion closer and cautioned him in a low voice, "Don't make any trouble. We're here to gather information only."
"Don't worry. I know what to do."
Tony waved him off and went back to his room with the woman in his arm.
The dim overhead light was switched on and the mood was set. Alcohol and hormones rushed through her and the woman was only finding the man more scrumptious. She couldn't help but wrap her arms around his neck and began to attack his lips.
"Haha, I see you're in a hurry!"
Tony moved his hand up and down her body, taking in the soft curves beneath his palms. His eyes, however, remained clear as ever and did not show the least amount of lust.
"Babe, I can't wait. Come to me…"
After a long, wet kiss, the woman fell onto the bed herself and called out eagerly. The man followed her with a strange smile creeping up his face.
The woman responded enthusiastically to his touch. She enjoyed it greatly in the beginning, but all of a sudden, the look on her face changed.
"Aaaaah!"
Red light filled the room and a strange pattern resembling a hexagram appeared from beneath her. The red light wrapped around them both, obscuring the scene, and was eerily aphrodisiac at the same time.
The woman was petrified, but her body remained doing what it was doing and she had lost all control over it. The man kept thrusting. In his eyes were the habitual sneer and excitement.
"Aaaah, please… don't, don't…
"Please…"
The woman was crying in the beginning, but gradually went quiet. Her body matched his movement as if she was already a piece of dead meat.
Finally, the man let out a groan. The hexagram glowed brightly with it, then dimmed down and disappeared.
"Ha…"
The man exhaled. Watching the woman crumple up on the bed, he shrugged and said, "On you feet. Get dressed."
"..."
The woman got out of the bed rigidly and put on her clothes like a puppet.
"Leave the hotel and go back to your own place. You will have a nice, long sleep, and when the sun rises tomorrow, you won't remember anyone or anything."
"Yes!" the woman replied, then walked out with a blank face.
"Sigh! So boring!"
Tony shook his head, lit a cigarette and smoked it in boredom, as if only a scene like what had just happened could make him high.
"Clank!"
Just then, the short-haired man smashed the door open, looking angry. "I warned you, no trouble! Are you so bold as to disobey your superior now?"
"Don't make such a fuss. That woman won't die for another seven days. No one would link it to me," said Tony indifferently.
"I will repeat this: we're in a foreign country; we have to be careful!"
"Haha, everyone was talking about how powerful those people are here, but we haven't actually met one, have we? The Elders haven't been out in the world for decades; they could have gone gaga already. Things are different now. The entire world is rebooting, so why do we have to fear this particular country?"
"You fool! How much do you know about— who's there?"
The short-haired man was about to scold him when he suddenly turned towards the balcony. His hand moved faster than his voice. Before he even finished that sentence, green light in the shape of an arrowhead appeared in his palm which shot towards the window.
"Whoosh!"
The green light hit the glass, but instead of breaking it, it went right through. Outside, a ugly dwarfish man with a giant head was crouching on the windowsill a dozen meters above the ground.
He had no time to dodge and was struck by the light. With a loud bang, the man turned into a piece of paper, which was torn to pieces by a gust of wind and shuffled down.
The two men were astonished. They ran to the window and saw that before the paper scraps could reach the ground below, they twirled in the wind and disappeared into thin air.
"Shikigami!"
The short-haired man looked gloomy. "Men of Nippon are here!"
***
Yingtan, inside a villa area.
A few people sat around the living room; the air felt depressing. Suddenly, one of them waved his hand, retrieving a dot of white light. He said ominously, "We're blown!"
"What have you got?"
"It's not oriental. It looked like something the occult group of Britannia."
"Britannia? Humph, they're here as well." The leader's eyes flickered.
"Sir, what are we going to do now?"
"There is no need to panic. We're only here for some information; the government of this country is probably long aware of our presence. It does not matter that they have spotted us, but keep in mind that we should try our best to avoid any conflict. Alive, we can always turn to diplomatic measures. Dead men, on the other hand, cannot talk."
"Yes, Sir!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-144.png){kind=small}
Chapter 344
Source: Imported
"Go back… go back…
"Have a nice sleep… forget it all tomorrow…"
At midnight, that woman with long wavy hair walked out of the hotel . Instead of hailing a taxi, she just stumbled on along the street . Her eyes were lackluster and her face blank; she looked like someone in shock, but somehow knew where she was going and could tell the direction .
On any given day, her condition now had just made her a potential drunk rape victim .
"That chick was so hot, 80/100 at least . "
"Totally! Gosh, that tight a*s . Her husband is so damn lucky!"
"Crap, why don't we have… hey, hey, there's a chick!"
Two young men appeared across the street, probably just finished bar-hopping somewhere and were babbling loudly . They were excited at the sight of the woman and went up to her eagerly .
"Miss, you all right?"
"Me? Teehee, I'm ok . "
The woman looked at them and gave them a strange smile .
"Where do you live? Do you need us to accompany you home?"
"That's ok . I can walk, I can…" She was swaying and trotting as she spoke, barely able to stand straight .
'Wow!'
The two exchanged a look . The woman was obviously high on something and did not take the drug knowingly . Some guy had probably tricked her, finished with her, and kicked her out .
Losers like these two couldn't care less about picking up woman in her state on the street . Instead, they snickered at each other, delighted at their turn of luck .
"It's not safe for you to wander around at this hour . Let us take you back . "
"That's right . You're welcome at our place if you can't go back home . "
With that, the two picked up the woman over their shoulders and were about to take her back to their place .
Over on the other side, Bai Yu and his companions had just had barbecue for dinner and were going upstairs in a noisy bunch . Gu Yu walked in the rear listening to them shooting the breeze, experiencing the secular world he had been away from for a while .
He pulled the gate of the hotel open and was about to walk in when he looked up and saw two straw-haired men went into the hotel next door with a young woman between them . The two men were nothing special, but something was not right with that woman .
"Old Bai, you guys go up first . I need to buy something . "
"Be quick about it!"
After Bai Yu and the others went up, Gu Yu went promptly to the hotel next door . He was very efficient: he found the two men, knocked them unconscious, and dragged them into the fire escape .
"Teehee, sleep nice, nice…"
The woman's eyes were half closed; she kept swaying, apparently completely unaware of what was going on .
Gu Yu examined her . There was a strange energy fluctuation with a faint dark aura about her . The aura was very unfamiliar to him . It was twisted, frenzied, and somewhat lustful .
He then scanned her with his mental force, and his face darkened .
The woman's mind was extremely weak . If a normal person had a strength of 10, she had only 2 left . She was like a candle in the wind that could be extinguished at any moment .
He couldn't think of any known cultivation method at this stage that could have such an effect .
"Sigh…"
Watching the woman still murmuring to herself, Gu Yu let out a gentle sigh . Her mind was almost in pieces; she was definitely not going to survive this, unless some heavenly treasure was discovered to nourish the mind—then she might become a normal person again in ten or twenty years .
However, even if such a treasure was found, who would be willing to use it on a common girl?
Shaking his head, he knocked the woman unconscious as well . He would leave it to the police . In that way, she could at least get a proper burial .
Like Lu Xun once said (not), the immortals fought and the mortals died .
So true .
***
Before they realized, three days had passed .
The two strange men did not do anything out of line apart from that business the other night . The team from Nippon was even more careful and had been hiding in their villa the entire time .
The two groups knew perfectly well of the existence of one another . Moreover, they were sure that scouts from other countries were here as well .
At this stage, although all countries did not have detailed information on the situation in other countries, they had the general idea . This government, for instance, knew that it had been around three years since the spiritual essence began to recover .
They had sent out a large number of agents to gather information abroad and figured out that the time was three in Nippon, two in southeast Asia, three in Africa, and about the same in the European countries . Britannia, however, was an exception . The recovery there began four years ago .
The timeline was vital . After all, with an extra year, there was one more year to plan and more cards on the table . The international conference at the end of this year, to put it plainly, was a political game where the countries would probe around before setting up rules they could all agree upon .
Nov . 13th was the 20th day of the 10th month in the traditional calendar, and the birthday of Zhang Jixian, the 30th Celestial Master .
A kilometer to the east of Celestial Master Temple was another temple—Shangqing Palace . The temple had Elephant Mountain on its left, Lu Creek flowing outside its front gate, a cloud of forest in the front, and solid rocks supporting its back . Built in the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was where Zhang Daoling, the first Celestial Master, cultivated; it also went by the name "Celestial Master's Cottage" .
People were rushing in since before dawn, trying to claim a place with a better view .
Gu Yu arrived at the temple with Bai Yu and his friends . He had thought about putting on some disguise so that those people would not spot him, but when he was there, he realized that wouldn't be necessary .
Oh my, there had to be a thousand people outside the Devil-subduing Hall of the East Yard alone! Every head, chest, and foot were stuck to someone else's head, chest, and foot . People piled up like building blocks; it was a wonder that no one ended up pregnant by the end of this .
The walls on either side, the tall trees, and the roofs were all crammed with curious onlookers .
Two levels of high platforms were set up in front of the great hall, divided into two circles . The inner ring was where the contest took place and the outer ring consisted of three rows of seats .
" . . . "
Gu Yu rolled his eyes at the scene . Well, at least they didn't try to livestream it!
The hubbub of the crowd filled the air . Before long, all thirty-six members of Qiyun, Zhang Jintong, and Mu Kun and his men arrived at Shangqing Palace .
'What is all this?!'
They were shocked by the scene as well—even Lu Yuanqing's mouth twitched . He then grabbed Mu Kun by his arm . "Hold on!"
With that, they shot into the air and flew over the tall wall like two big birds . When the energy almost wore out, Lu Yuanqing flipped his whisk—which seemed to be some sort of refined instrument—and there was a strong gust of wind, which pushed them forward for another dozen meters until they landed steadily on the stage .
" . . . "
The crowd watched this with goggling eyes . They were overwhelmed by excitement, but their minds did not have time to react just yet . The result was a complete dumbstruck silence .
People of this country all grew up watching at least one wuxia film or reading at least one serial face-slapping novels . Deep down in every mind, there was that adolescent fantasy of "I'm top of the world and you're all suckers" .
"I still feel like a circus monkey . I'm not happy about this!" Chao Kongtu snorted and threw a little tantrum . "I'm going back to Maoshan . You can get on that stage all you want . "
"Cut the crap . Just move it!" Zhong Lingyu prompted, then added his sarcastic comment with an expressionless face, "Are you going back to Maoshan or Phoenix Mountain? I heard you had a great time with that young cousin?"
"Hey, that's out of the line! Why do you have to bring that up?"
Chao Kongtu sounded frustrated . He had no choice but to take out a talisman and chant, "The illusion of golden light here me out: transform an image into reality . Go!"
Poof!
The talisman turned into a flash of light in the air, then clouds rolled up and golden light glittered in disarray . The next moment, there was a long misty bridge suspended in mid-air .
The bridge did not seem to be able to hold long, and the rest of the priest dared not linger . They leapt onto the cloud bridge in turn and walked to the high platform .
"Wow!"
"That's Taoist skill! I didn't come all the way here for nothing!"
"Priest, please take me in as a pupil!"
It was only until then that the crowd woke up from the first round of amazement and was astonished by this second one . The courtyard erupted with noises .
"Humph, petty tricks!"
Immediately after there, a voice rose above all the hubbubs and chanted, "The heaven, the earth, the sun, the moon, and the star, I hereby summon the souls of the giants . They will arrive at my bid and follow my spirit . "
Whoosh!
All of a sudden, a strange wind blew across the yard, sending dust into the air . A moment later, someone looked up and called out in surprise, "Look! Look!"
Everyone raised their head and their jaws fell open . Zhang Ziliang was sitting on a cloud of mist as if he was on a palanquin . Beside him were four semi-transparent glowing human-shaped figures with blurry faces .
Two were in the front and two at the back; the four looked as if they were carrying the four corners of a cloud palanquin .
Whoosh!
In a few seconds, the cloud palanquin landed and the four glowing figures disappeared . Zhang Ziliang smoothed out his robe, the look on his face clearly defiant .
" . . . "
Lu Yuanqing's fingers twitched . It seemed the foreign branch had indeed taken much useful knowledge with them . This contest his senior brother was going to have might not be as promising as they expected .
"What were those? Yellow-turban Giants?"
Those from Nippon were hanging on a tree, staring at the disappearing glow with astonished faces .
"Why, that's not bad, actually!" Tony, who sat casually on a roof, commented . The skills Lu Yuanqing and Chao Kongtu used might look dazzling, but they were nothing but minor tricks .
With Zhang Ziliang's appearance, even Tony was serious for a second, but he broke into a laughter the next moment . "The thousand-year inheritance has indeed left something worth noting . Too bad it's not theirs and they have to fight among themselves . "
"Don't underestimate your enemy!" The short-haired man pointed at Lu Yuanqing, Shi Yunlai, and several others . "Those are better than us . I won't stand more than a few blows fighting them . "
He then pointed at Chao Kongtu and Zhong Lingyu . "And those two are likely our equals . "
"Humph, those are all the capable men of this country, aren't they?" Tony raised his chin towards the stage and said contemptuously, "The elite soldiers are not bad, but the middle and low level ones are too weak . If a war were really to break out, we Britannians will defeat them without breaking a sweat . Just look at all these stinky mortals down there . Who else is out there apart from those on the stage?"
With his excitement, a faint streak of dark aura escaped him .
The others naturally could not sense it, but a certain fellow yawned and darted a look in their direction .
***
The forty or so people took their seats on the stage .
Zhang Ziliang assumed authority and stepped up first . His voice was not loud, but everyone could hear him clearly .
"The thousand-year-long orthodoxy of Longhu Mountain has never been interrupted… nearly a century ago, my great uncle took refuge overseas . The experience did not demoralize him; instead, he established the foreign Way of Celestial Masters . Ever since then, there has been the dispute over the real orthodoxy… Now that the great opportunity is upon us, it's time to end this feud . Therefore, I am here to challenge you . Zhang Shouyang, do you have the courage to accept it?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
Zhang Shouyang rose from his seat and went out to stand on the other end of the stage . Their respective domineering and reserved manner were of stark contrast .
"Good . Let's make it clear beforehand . We will have three rounds of contest; the last one standing is the winner, dead or alive . Do you have the courage to accept that?"
Buzz!
The crowd erupted . Dead or alive? What happened to the modern legal system? Wasn't that a bit over the board?
Zhang Shouyang remained indifferent and asked a question in return, "What about the stake?"
"I win, you welcome me into the temple yourselves; I lose, I return to the Southeast and stay there for the rest of my life, and admit you to be the true orthodoxy . "
"Haha, that sounds a little petty . How about taking the game up a notch?"
"Name it!"
"You lose, your branch returns to Longhu Mountain and the orthodoxy reunites with its birthplace until the end of time without violation . Do you have the courage to accept that?"
"!!!"
Zhang Shouyang threw Zhang Ziliang's own words back at him . The others on the stage, as well as Gu Yu, were all astonished . That was definitely over the board!
Shocked and enraged, a million ideas were rushing into Zhang Ziliang's head . He had never expected Zhang Shouyang to be this resolute . After a moment of pondering, his self-confidence took over and he said in a malicious tone, "Fine . I agree!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-145.png){kind=small}
Chapter 345
Source: Imported
A sunny, windless day .
Zhang Ziliang and Zhang Shouyang each took a side of the big, tall platform, with a few disciples of their own standing behind them .
All necessary words had been exchanged beforehand and no one was in the mood for pleasantries . One of Zhang Ziliang's disciples stepped out first . He was bony, elderly, with stubbled chin, and dark skin . His flat nose and widespread facial features were clear indications of his Southeastern origin .
The domestic Celestial Master Temple was secretly offended by this . During its ninety years abroad, the foreign branch at some point had to take in pupils of other ethnic groups in order to maintain a solid foundation and spread the knowledge .
The Taoist community did not believe in "provide education for all people without discrimination" . Contrarily, these fellows could be rather narrow-minded in this aspect: how dare they let a foreigner poke his nose in the venerable skill of Celestial Masters? That was preposterous!
The man walked to the middle of the platform and called out loud, "I am Aan, the eldest disciple of the Celestial Master . Who will fight me?"
"Muzi, you'll take this one!" said Zhang Shouyang .
"Yes!" A young priest in his early twenties stepped out from behind him at the command . With his big eyes and bushy eyebrows, he left one with the impression of being honest and sincere . He set foot into the test fully confident of himself .
He was Chen Muzi . Seniority-wise, he was Zhang Shouyang's junior brother . However, since Zhang Shouyang had taught him everything he knew, Chen Muzi had always presented himself as Zhang Shouyang's pupil .
"I'm Chen Muzi . May I ask how would you like this contest to proceed?" asked he .
"Haha, it's simple!" Aan looked him up and down and let out a strange laughter . "We'll each cast a spell and the one who cannot break the other's loses . How's that?"
"What if we both break the spells?" asked Chen Muzi .
"That won't be a problem . I'll give up right away if you can stand my spell . "
"That's wildly arrogant!"
Frowning, Chen Muzi lowered his pitch . "No problem . Bring it on!"
"Haha, I'm in no rush . You probably won't have a chance to show your skill at all once I get started . You go first!" Aan apparently did not think him a threat in the slightest .
"That's just bombastic!"
Chen Muzi was a young man after all and was not trained long enough to keep his emotions at bay . Aan's words enraged him at once . Longhu Mountain was a family to him, and he would not allow any disrespect from anyone . Searching his memory, he picked a Taoist skill from what he had learned .
Looking around, he suddenly bowed towards the seats on the outer ring of the platform . "My spell works with water . I wonder if the Celestial Master could grant me with a cup of tea, please?"
"Granted!"
Zhang Jintong swept a long sleeve across the table, and a white porcelain cup was sent towards Chen Muzi by a gentle force . It flew steadily to the latter, who caught it in his hands . He then checked the hot water in the cup with the floating green tea leafs and nodded contently .
Holding the cup in his left hand, he pinched a talisman between the fingers of his right hand and chanted in silence, "Like flowing jade and fleeting light, the omnipresent water can form an ocean anywhere . Take form and obey my order!"
After that, he swirled the talisman lightly inside the cup which disappeared in a puff of white smoke . He then turned the cup upside down and splashed the mouthful of water inside on the stage .
Looking up, he asked Aan in a stern voice, "May I challenge you to walk three steps towards me?"
"Sure, why not?"
Despite his arrogant attitude, Aan's deep black pupils contracted that instant, obviously taking the situation very seriously . Staring at the tiny pool of water, he made his first step with his left foot .
Nothing happened .
Then he made another step and still, nothing happened .
Finally, his third step took him just over a meter away from the water .
" . . . "
The crowd watched eagerly and was all wondering about it when Aan's left foot slipped as soon as it touched the floor . He lost his footing and plunged forward .
Thump!
His big face fell right into the water .
Time seemed to freeze for a second . Instead of standing back up like the audience expected, he suddenly began to struggle violently, brandishing his four limbs and banging his hands and feet on the floor, as if he was swimming in the water .
"Mhm… hm…"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
It was such a small pool of water, but he seemed to have fallen into a bottomless ocean surrounded by water on all sides . He was a drowning man unable to pull himself out .
"Ssss!"
The crowd drew back their breaths in unison, feeling their limbs going numb and their backs chilly, as if they had all become a helpless child standing by a river, fearing of being kicked in at any moment .
"That was a nice move . "
"Hm, the spell was cast well . "
Lu Yuanqing exchanged a few brief words with Zhang Jintong and both gave their silent approval . The other members of the monastery were also observably delighted . Zhang Ziliang, on the other hand, watched this with gloomy face, but did not seem worried at all . Instead, he snorted and looked in full confidence .
"Mhm, mhm… Aaaaah!"
Aan was still struggling for his life and Chen Muzi began to have misgivings about his spell . Although the rules said until only one remained standing, dead or alive, he had never hurt anyone before and did not have the heart to begin to just yet .
He was pondering the idea of picking the man up when Aan shuddered and made a hand seal with moving fingers with much difficulty . He then smacked the floor .
Wham!
The water splashed and there was a big hole in the platform floor . Aan rose to his feet . His face was bluish white and he was shivering with cold . He genuinely looked like someone who had just been scooped out of the sea .
"Nice, very nice! I have underestimated you!" Aan guffawed and said maliciously, "I was not going to make it too hard for you, but you have pissed me off . You'll get what you deserve . "
"You!"
Chen Muzi was astonished . His spell was called "Illusion of Drowning", which made the affected think they were trapped in a torrential ocean they couldn't break out of until they were drowned .
He had never expected that his opponent could break away from it! In that moment, his confidence ebbed a little and he cupped his hand . "You have my admiration . It's your turn!"
"Humph!"
Aan spared no small talk . He produced a small gray walnut about the size of a peanut . It was round in the middle, had two pointy ends, and the patterns carved deep into the shell were strange-looking . "I have no one to ask a cup of tea from and I only have this walnut . Do you dare to eat it?"
"Here!"
He tossed the walnut, which Chen Muzi caught in his hand . A flicker of hesitation flashed across his face, then he opened his mouth and swallowed it .
As soon as the walnut was in his mouth, he was struck by its coarse and abrasive texture . It then scratched its way down to his stomach through his throat and he felt he was swallowing sand and stone . Even his windpipe and esophagus felt like burning .
"Mhm…"
Chen Muzi suddenly bent down, his face contorted . He clutched his stomach as cold sweat dripped down from his forehead . The walnut landed in his stomach and went straight through his gastric wall against all law of digestion . It was also growing bigger as it fell .
He activated his internal energy in a hurry, trying to ward it off, but his energy was useless to the walnut like a torn piece of paper .
"Aaaah!"
The pain was aggravating until he could no longer fight back his moaning . The walnut kept falling down through his five internal organs and intestines, until it arrived at his anal orifice .
By now, it was several time larger than when he swallowed it and was blocking up that orifice without the tiniest crevice .
" . . . "
Chen Muzi fought all he could to activate his energy, but to no avail . His internal energy flow had gone deranged in a matter of seconds and his entire body had turned into pressure cooker without an air vent . The pressure inside kept rising and his face had gone frighteningly red .
"Oh, no!"
Seeing this, Zhang Shouyang ignored the rules of the contest, rose to his feet, and ran out to his pupil's rescue . However, he had just reached the man when there came a loud bang!
A gust of bloody mist spewed from Chen Muzi's anal orifice and his vital essence gushed out . He shrivelled rapidly in front of everyone's eyes like a flattening balloon . In half a heartbeat, he was nothing but skin and dead flesh .
Chen Muzi swayed and stumbled, then collapsed to the floor .
He was dead…
"Aaaaah!"
"He's dead! He killed him!"
The crowd erupted into a tumult . No one had ever seen such a savage scene happening right in front of their eyes . Everyone was screaming and panicking, all trying to run away from this place .
But how could they achieve that? They were packed tighter than compressed cars in a dump site .
"Quiet!" Just then, Zhang Ziliang suddenly raised his voice above all the noise . He scanned the crowd and said contemptuously, "Do you have any idea how pathetic you are? You people have obviously been pet dogs for too long . It's just one dead man and you're already freaking out . How are you going to live through the strifes of the new world?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-146.png){kind=small}
Chapter 346: The Contest (Part 3)
Source: Qidian International
At those words, before anyone else could react, Mu Kun's face darkened.
As the government representative here, he needed the foreign branch to realize how special a treatment they had been given so far. The authorities could turn a blind eye to the fact that they had just killed a man in broad daylight, but a wild talk like that? Did this foreigner have any respect towards him at all?
"Priest Zhang, that was inappropriate. Of the ninety or so years since this country was established, men like me have aspired to ensure the people could live a prosperous and contented life in a peaceful world. There is a boundary to everything; we would prefer if we don't hear such words from you again."
"..."
Arrogant as he was, Zhang Ziliang was no fool. He immediately cupped his hands in reply, "It came out in the heat of the moment. I do apologize."
While that was settled, the rest of the members on the platform were reacting to the result of the first round. Wu Songbai cried out in a low voice, "That was Jianshan Walnut Spell!"
He offered the explanation before his companions asked. "It blocks one's anus with a walnut, which causes an unbearable pain. Ordinary people would die from the pain itself. As for cultivators, because the walnut blocks an orifice, a great amount of energy is gathered inside one's body in a very short time, which results in an explosion from inside. This spell has been lost for many years. I never expected it had ended up with Zhang Ziliang!"
"Is there no way to break it?" asked Zhong Lingyu.
"There is no way, unless your capability significantly surpasses the spell-caster." Wu Songbai stared at the gloating Aan and said, "The spell is vicious and strange. With his demeanor, that man is deliberately humiliating our Celestial Master Temple."
"Sigh…"
With his explanation, the rest of the priests realized they were indeed inferior in their skills in this round. They could do nothing but sigh at the miserable death of Chen Muzi.
The people had lived in peace for many years, and so had the Taoist community. Longhu Mountain had been cultivating in seclusion all these years with little strife or competition to talk about. The foreign branch, on the other hand, had to balance among the interests of many parties in a foreign land and was handling problems of the dignitaries of the Southeast. Hence, they were much more flexible in a situation like this.
Zhang Shouyang had to accept what had happened. Darting a look at Aan, he carried Chen Muzi's body back to their side and began to plan for the young man's funeral. Another junior brother of his could not stand it and jumped out, shouting, "You wicked, shameless priest! You cheated!"
"How was that cheating?"
"The rule we've agreed upon beforehand was you each cast a spell. My junior brother created an ocean with a spilled cup of tea and you came out without a piece of tea leaf on you. That was what real spell should look like. What kind of spell was yours by hoaxing him to swallow a walnut? Do we have to swallow anything you take out even it is a poisonous pill?"
"Haha! Just listen to yourself!" With a contemptuous look on his face, Aan let out a grim laughter. "We were talking about breaking a spell. If nothing happens in a spell, what is there to break from? I was trapped in your junior brother's trick and everybody saw it. Only, I was better in the skill and broke out successfully. How come that when it was your turn to be trapped, you wouldn't stop nagging about it and are coming up with all sorts of lame excuses?"
He turned to face the audience and took out another small walnut. "Let everyone here be my witness. My spell is right in this walnut. If you swallow it safely, I will admit my defeat right away! How are you going to break any spell if you don't swallow it? This thing breaks with a little pinch…"
With that, his two fingers squeezed and crackle! The walnut was crushed into crumbs.
He then said in a mocking tone, "Or, are you saying that Longhu Mountain can't afford losing?"
"You!"
The junior brother was infuriated. He was about to argue back when a voice came from behind. "Lechi, come back here!"
He dared not disobey his senior brother and fell back to the edge of the ring. Zhang Shouyang slowly walked into the inner ring with an expressionless face. "We've lost the first round. Shall we continue?"
"Of course!"
Zhang Ziliang waved his hand. Aan returned to their side and another disciple walked out. This one was fair-skinned, had thin, upturned eyes and a feminine quality to his look. He was actually a Chinese descendant.
"I'm Du Xingyan. I wonder which priest do I have the pleasure to get acquainted with in this round?" He was much more polite then Aan; even his voice was soft and gentle.
"Senior Brother, let me take avenge for Muzi!"
Short-tempered as he was, Lechi was about to rush out when Zhang Shouyang stopped him. "Jingduan, you go."
"Yes!" A rather tall young man walked out and cupped his hand. "I'm Shen Jingduan. Pleasure to be your opponent." Before Du Xingyan could reply, he went on, "Competing with spells in turn is tedious. How about we make it a duel?"
"Sounds fine!"
Du Xingyan was a man of few words. Lowering his eyes, he took out a small seal and a small, long, and thin flag.
It was not a turn-based game in which one could only fight back after the other side struck anymore. Since a duel was set, Shen Jingduan jumped back for two meters and took out his talisman.
"Golden-armored Giants with countless transformations, the holy decree is here and obey immediately! Aum ming leon nei kuei dou zaa gat ho se!"
Boosh!
The talisman burst into flame itself and turned into a dazzling mass of golden light.
Immediately after that, there was a mighty exclamation, then the golden ring around the sun spurted out resplendent rays of light, and iron armor emerged to dim the light of the moon. A giant warrior over 30 m tall and with a blurry face leapt out of the golden light, holding a mace in either hand.
God-summoning or god-inviting spells of Zhengyi were inherited from ancient times. Among those "gods", giants were of the lowest rank. It was a term adopted by both Taoism and Buddhism; the earliest Taoist record of the name was from the Way of the Great Peace at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Legend had it that a giant had a strength of nine bulls and two tigers combined.
With the huge maces in its hands, this (downsized) golden-armored giant smashed down with a whooshing sound at Du Xingyan like Mount Tai itself crushing down.
"..."
Du Xingyan picked up his blue seal unhurriedly and stamped it on the long and thin flag, then tossed the latter into the wind, shouting, "Go!"
Woooo!
A wind came out of nowhere suddenly blew across the platform and as it swept past, fog rose out of the floor and filled the stage. Everyone up on the stage became a blur and the audience could not tell one from the next.
"Ssss, it's so cold!"
"Why is it so cold suddenly? I'm getting the creeps."
The crowd huddled together for warmth as a strange gloominess spread out. Even the sunny sky dimmed a little at this.
"Bang!"
The maces landed and smashed onto something. The fog dissipated briefly before regathering and pouncing at the giant again. It seemed to have the effect of tainting spiritual equipment; in a few moments, the golden light of the giant began to wane.
"Teehee, come here!"
"Little priest, you have such a cute face. Why don't you come and have some fun with us?"
"You abominable priest! You wronged me and I'm now dead! You're going down with me!"
Shen Jingduan stood there dazed with his eyes wide open. The world he saw now was filled with succubi, demons, malevolent spirits, and monsters. They floated in the air and circled around him, disturbing his mind.
What was worse, a female ghost had landed on his shoulder, stuck her soft red lips to his neck, and sucked. His heart lurched, as if all his souls were escaping him.
"No!"
Zhang Shouyang had sent him out for the task because he was prudent, level-headed, and resolute when necessary. Right now, the enemy had hidden himself in the fog and he himself was trapped deep inside. He could not hold on like this for much longer.
Once his mind settled back down, he took out a talisman in his left hand, bit the tip of his tongue to spit out some spiritual blood, and moved his right hand across the talisman to write a forbidden character.
It had "rain" on the top, "fire" on the lower left half, and "good" on the lower right. The character mean "spiritual official".
Upon finishing the character, Shen Jingduan put both hands together in a Zi-Wu hand gesture. This was the most powerful spell he had learned so far; he was ready to give his life for this to succeed. He moved into action without any hesitation.
Thump!
He made a step forward, his sole hammering on the wooden floor, making a muffling sound. He chanted, "Heaven and earth work together in cleaning away the filth and eliminating the trespassers. On the flag is the treasured name that spreads endless benevolence. When this chanting finishes and the flag lands, everything is recovered!"
Whoosh!
The talisman changed shape. A streak of blue light emanated from his palm, rapidly raising a large section of the fog. Where the blue light had shone on, there was a big hole in the fog, and the wandering ghosts and monsters were screaming.
"The Spell of Falling Flag of Netherworld!"
Du Xingyan was petrified. His flag had been refined by collecting Yin energy and wandering souls, which could confuse one's mind and steal one's soul. He had never expected his opponent to have just the spell to restrain his own.
Pffft!
He also spat out a mouthful of spiritual blood, which splashed all over his flag. The next moment, fog rolled up again, spreading out incessantly.
"Refine all nine ways until the true, original form is retrieved. Wandering souls of the nether world, you shall not hide from the all-seeing flame!"
Thump!
Shen Jingduan moved another step forward. The muffled sound of his footstep had now turned intimidatingly clear. Holding onto his firm belief in the Great Dao, he marched with awe-inspiring righteousness. He himself now looked like a golden-armored divine warrior, striding out to subdue the demon.
With his determination of fighting with his life and his readiness to sacrifice himself for the spell, the balance was tilting towards his side.
"I hereby offer this soul and body to the immortals above, at whose name the ghosts fled with terror… obey my order!"
At the last syllable of his words, the blue light shone brightly, dispersing all the fog.
"What!?"
Du Xingyan came to himself from the fluster and saw that Shen Jingduan was standing right in front of him. Despite the unusual spell he was able to cast, close quarters combat was not his strong point. Smitten with fear, Du Xingyan turned to flee.
"You are not going anywhere!"
Shen Jingduan reached him in one stride and with the last bit of his strength, he whipped down a streak of golden light. Clack! It smashed right onto the top of Shen Xingyan's crown.
"Xingyan!"
Zhang Ziliang bolted to his feet, but could only watch as his pupil took the strike and sank down. There was then a series of rumbling noises.
The wooden platform had finally given up under the pressure and crumbled into pieces. Wooden boards and shards splintered everywhere and the crowd covered their heads and cried out as the pieces showered down onto them.
A while later when the dust finally settled down, the crowd looked up and saw that the dozen-meter-long platform had completely collapsed and was now a ruin. Du Xingyan lay right on top of the pile of wood, his face looking up and his limbs dangling. He was not going to survive this.
Shen Jingduan did not look much better. He spat out another mouthful of blood; leaning against Lechi's shoulder, he was barely breathing.
"Fine! Fine!" Zhang Ziliang carried his pupil's dead body back to his side with bloodshot eyes and snapped, "You won the second round. As long as we live under the same sky, I will avenge my pupil! Zhang Shouyang, come here for your death!"
Zhang Shouyang naturally would not be intimidated by his words. He leapt out and landed right in front of Zhang Ziliang. It was a tense moment.
"Wait!" Mu Kun stepped out at this moment and watched the two with a frown. "The stage has collapsed and there are so many people here. You're both masters with great abilities. For the safety of the audience, please hold off your contest until tomorrow after we reset the stage!"
He was simply stating a fact, not asking for opinions.
Zhang Shouyang looked around at the pile of ruins in the middle and all the ordinary people around, realizing it was indeed no suitable place for their fight. Zhang Ziliang made it even simpler. "Today, tomorrow, it won't change anything. You've just earned yourself one extra day of your life. Let's go!"
With that, he leapt out of the Eastern Yard, followed by his disciples.
"..."
The audience felt they had just gone through an emotional roller coaster. Although most of the second round was hidden by the fog, the ending could not be clearer. Holy Jesus! That was not something they got to see on a daily basis!
Since when did death become so easy? Two men were killed before they had time to digest it!
They were so overly stimulated by all that had happened that a strange hush fell over the yard. Quietly, they left the place in lines.
"We should leave too. We'll come back tomorrow." The Nippon band climbed down the tree with a fake awkwardness and disappeared into the crowd.
Tony spat with boredom. "I thought I could finally see a big show. These oriental people are so fussy!"
"Move it! We have other business!" the short-haired man reminded him, and they both jumped off the roof.
"..."
Gu Yu looked at the direction where the monastery members were and sent them a buff of "morale support" across the air. He then left, secretly shadowing Tony.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-147.png){kind=small}
Chapter 347: I Have A Sword
Source: Qidian International
Afternoon, Longhu Mountain.
It took nearly three hours for all of the audience to leave the temple in order. Some hurried home right away, utterly freaked out by what they had seen; some were immensely interested in the final round tomorrow; some were so attracted by Taoist skills that they planned to take residence here in Yingtan and couldn't wait to find a master and start learning.
Everyone was talking about the contest and nothing else. The great tourist destination Longhu Mountain itself ended up being ignored.
Right now, two men were going up the mountain following the stairs. They were none other than Tony and the short-haired man.
"From the two rounds of contest you saw, how much chance do you think we have if we were to run into them one day?" asked the short-haired man.
"The oriental Taoist skills are indeed strange and mystical. We had very little contact with them before and may be easily trapped if confronted." Tony was no longer smirking and analyzed the situation seriously. "From what I observed in the second round, the fluctuation of their energy was completely different from our own system. I really can't say what would happen if we were to fight them head on."
"However, judging by the level of destruction—all of those and they only took a platform apart—I don't think they'll be too big a threat. In our order alone, there are quite a few members that can achieve that level of damage," said the short-haired man.
The two chatted as they climbed on, soon arriving at Zhengyi Temple halfway up the mountain. The temple was deserted as usual, surrounded by tall, wild-looking grass.
Tony scanned the outside of the temple and wondered, "I heard that furnace is right at the back mountain. Why is this place not guarded?"
"Probably they're certain that no one can take it." The short-haired man also checked the terrain.
The two did not want to raise any alert, so they carefully walked around Zhengyi Temple and climbed on along a path in the back mountain. Before long, they reached the water curtain cave where the furnace was stored.
After the Dan-refining activities of Phoenix Mountain and Tianzhu Mountain, this place had become a little more inhabitable. A crude campsite had been set up outside the cave, together with three wooden cottages.
The two halted their steps in surprise as soon as they walked into the opening, for someone else was there before them.
Four odd-looking men had knocked out the young priests on guard and were ready to enter the cave. Hearing the footsteps, they turned around and looked right into the two Britannian men's eyes—there were sparkles in the air. The four were none other than the stealthy Nippon team.
"..."
"..."
No one spoke for a moment; the atmosphere was tense and awkward. Both sides knew perfectly well who the other party was. The team of four had dressed up as ordinary tourists with outdoor outfits. As for the two from Britannia, their disguise was even more remarkable. Despite their Caucasian faces, with some magical cover-up, they looked exactly like any Chinese men.
A moment later, Tony pointed at one of the four and said, "Why, aren't you the one bumping into us outside that bar? No wonder you were able to track us down. You've got a talent, I'll give you that."
The team of four exchanged a look and the leader stepped forward, asking, "Are you two here to examine the furnace as well?"
"What if we are? What if we're not?" Tony chuckled.
"If you are, we won't be in your way. Please take your time."
The leader handled the situation following the convention of his country towards western leading powers—that was, acting perfectly polite and keeping the foul curses to themselves. Harmless as they presented themselves to be, you might not want to know what they were calling you in their heads.
"Oh? You're as polite as the word on the street is. Like the saying of this country goes, it is better to accept deferentially than to decline courteously."
Both parties were spies, yet all six were communicating in perfect Mandarin and could even use the common sayings of the country correctly.
"Sure! We'll be on our way!"
The leader nodded a goodbye and was going to take his men down the mountain. However, the short-haired man stepped out, blocking their way, while Tony strolled casually towards them and lifted his chin. "Did I say you can leave?"
"You!"
One of the Nippon guys clenched his fists and shouted angrily, but was stopped by their leader, who asked resentfully, "If we may have an explanation for this, please?"
"Since we have ran into each other, we might as well take the opportunity to know each other a bit more. I'm very interested in your Onmyodo. Any secret you care to share with us?"
That was outright provocation. Anger flashed past the leader's face as he lowered his pitch to a warning tone. "You have pushed it too far. Just because we're polite doesn't mean we're afraid of you!"
"Hahaha!"
Tony laughed loudly and when he spoke again, his voice was full of a sense of superiority and contempt. "The world is going through a great change and the ancient magic revives. It is there for the capable ones to take. Our Britannia is without a doubt the leader of this new world order. Your tiny island country must be having an illusion if you think you'll have a share of that. You're biting off more than you can chew!"
"You are but words. Am I to assume that— fall back!"
The leader was caught by surprise and only had time to shout out the warning before he jumped backwards. His companions also moved swiftly and dodged in time.
The moment their feet left the ground, the dry and even sandy ground where they stood suddenly twisted. The stone and soil dissolved and foul smelling black water oozed out… in the blink of an eye, the ground several square meters in area had become a small swamp.
Needless to say, anyone unfortunately trapped in it would end up being devoured.
Now that the other side had made their move, the Nippon leader knew that it would not end peacefully for them today. Moving his hands together, he began to rapidly making a series of hand seals as he called out, "Barrier, guard!"
Whoosh!
A halo lit up in front of him, giving off a dull blue glow. It then expanded and circled around them, seemingly turning into a big glowing sphere.
"Humph!"
The short-haired man turned his wrist and produced a handful of red powder. He then said some words in a ancient language. " þæt gewunigen 1 !"
He sprinkled the powder out, which filled the whole sky like a red downpour. The "raindrops", however, were a solid substance, which bombarded the unfinished barrier repeatedly like hard bullets.
Bang!
The barrier was severely damaged and flickered in and out of sight to the point of disintegration. Two of the Nippon team perceived the danger and began to make hand seals as well, shouting, "General Dog, come out!"
"Frog god, come out!"
Poof! Poof! With two puffs of white smoke, a huge golden-fur dog half the height of an adult and a dark green toad covered by bumps appeared out of the blue.
"Shikigami?"
Squinting, Tony suddenly took out a delicate 15 cm long wooden staff and pointed at the two animals in turn.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two beam arrows shot out from the tip of the staff like green lightning. The huge dog and the toad were not quick enough to dodge and slacked as the light hit them. The energy was gone from them and they stood there confused, unable to move.
The Nippon team had been losing ground ever since this fight started and they were unable to organize any form of effective counterattack.
Although no casualty was inflicted upon them so far, the leader had lost his will to fight. He ordered in a resolute voice, "Cover me!"
"Yes!"
They followed an extremely rigid hierarchy, and the subordinates were prepared to die for their superiors at any time without hesitation. While the other three stood side by side to block the way, the leader turned to the opposite direction, faced himself flat against a big tree, and began to turn transparent—he was trying to escape hiding among the plants.
"Swæse gesiþas, selfa bæd!"
The short-haired man chanted a longer sentence in the ancient language, squatted down, and smacked the ground with his right hand.
With a violent fluctuation, a giant hexagram suddenly emerged out of the ground, covering all four members of the Nippon team inside. Dark beams surged like powerful waves of air, billowing frantically.
"Aaaah!"
The leader was forced back to his original visible form. The next second, he realized he was becoming rigid and could not move his legs.
Looking down, he was petrified—his legs had turned into blackish gray stone columns. He could even vividly sense that an earth-attributed element was invading his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones at a maddening speed.
He tried to activate his energy, but to no avail. He watched as the petrifaction creeping up his body from his thighs to his chest, neck, then to the top of his head.
In half a heartbeat, the four living people had turned into four stone statues.
Their facial expressions and postures remained as they were the moment before their death as the four pillars of men stood lifeless in this deserted mountain.
"So much so for the Onmyodo."
Tony kicked at one of the statues, which crumbled and fell all over the ground.
Thump! Thump! Thump! He finished the other three with three more kicks, then turned his eyes on the two unconscious young priests. A savage look flickered in his eyes and he strolled towards them.
"Why, so that was what magic looked like?"
"Who's there?"
All of a sudden, a sound seemed to ring out from over the cloud. The two swerved around and stared at a direction.
They were looking at a slope, behind which someone was coming towards them along an unmarked winding path. They first saw the black hair, then a mild face, and finally his slender body.
They couldn't help but wonder at how ordinary this person looked when they could see his entire person. He was just plain. They sensed no strange fluctuation, and adding to that face, the man could almost be considered a weakling.
Tony secretly let out a breath of relief, deeming that this guy had snuck upon them because he was distracted by the fight earlier.
"Another one seeking his doom. It's not your lucky day!"
He had always been the cruel and merciless one. Without another word, he pointed with his magical staff again, shooting out another beam of light.
Whoosh!
The green light moved at a lightning speed and reached the man instantly. The next second, it was Tony's turn to open his eyes widely, his face frozen with disbelief. The man snatched it with one hand easily.
He caught the beam in his hand… he caught it… caught… it…
WTF! Tony felt something had just shattered in his head.
It was called a Weakening Ray, which originated from the curses of the Western European witchcraft. After some modification, it was improved and made into a more convenient and combat-friendly magic, which weakened the enemy's body and emptied their mind so as to win the fight without actually fighting.
It was an intangible thing and essentially an energy fluctuation. However, it was now held by a hand as if it was a mere magic trick.
"Interesting…"
Watching the green light hopping around in his palm, Gu Yu realized he couldn't tell the components of its energy. He was greatly intrigued and asked, "What's it called?"
"..."
A million ideas were rushing through the two men's heads and they dared not answer Gu Yu. This man was no NPC; he was clearly the gate-guarding Boss of a hell-mode dungeon!
"Oh, it must be one of your secret inheritances. I can see why you don't want to answer that." Gu Yu waited a moment. Seeing that he was getting no reply, he nodded and went on, "All right, then I'll ask something else. Who are you people?"
"This gentleman…" The short-haired man cupped his hand—as per the local customs—and said, "We're professionals of Britannia on a special task and have come here to watch the contest. There was a little misunderstanding with another party, but it has been solved. Sorry for the intrusion. We'll be on our way."
With that, he tugged at Tony and was ready to leave.
"Did I say you can leave?" It was what they'd said earlier—word for word—and Gu Yu threw it back at them. He made a pressing gesture with his left hand, indicating them to stop. "You were killing at will and took a woman's soul. Do you think you can leave just like that?"
At those words, they realized their deed at the bar was discovered.
The short-haired man gave Tony a bone-chilling look and tried to justify them. "That was just an ordinary woman—she was nothing like you and us. Of course, it was inappropriate for us to act so rashly. Please accept our apology."
"Just an ordinary person? Ordinary people, cultivators, they're all citizens of this country." Gu Yu suddenly raised his voice and his words hammered down. "You murdered people in another country, yet you think you can get away with it just like that? On what planet did you get that idea?"
Boom!
After those words, his entire demeanor changed.
The short-haired man stumbled backward several steps and felt his skin prickled. There was an unbearable sensation he could not describe; he was on tenterhooks and petrified. Such pressure was something he had not experienced before, even when facing those grandpas of the Elders.
It was not a visible imposing manner. It had come from inside out, from his bones to his soul, affected his sense and reaction, and was an instinctive fear that a lower life form had when facing a higher form of existence.
Old as those grandpas were, he knew they were human, and the pressure they gave were human as well. This one, however, was something else. What he was emanating seemed boundless and came from Nature itself!
Tony was no longer smirking. He felt wind was gushing into his body from all his pores, which then circled around his internal organs, chilling him to the bone marrow.
Damn it, who the hell was this guy? Weren't all masters of this country up there on the stage? Even Lu Yuanqing, the most powerful one, was far from this intimidating.
Like Tolstoy once said (not): Karma, such a bi*ch.
In a matter of minutes, they had experienced what the Nippon team must have felt struggling hopelessly for their lives just then.
"Now!"
The two had partnered up for years and made a good team. Seeing Gu Yu's attitude, they decided to make the first move.
The short-haired man held nothing back. With all his magical power, he uttered imprecations and a round pattern suddenly appeared in front of him, in the middle of which was a half-naked woman hanging upside down.
Her long hair fell on the ground, her soft and fair breasts heaved, and her lower half was wrapped in a piece of cloth. The woman seemed to be tortured yet enjoying it at the same time. She was a mixture of the purest and the most bewitching creature.
As soon as the pattern took shape, it emitted what seemed like ten thousand dark beams with a mysterious cursing power. Like countless black snakes opening their mouths widley, they were threatening to swallow the enemy whole.
Tony also waved his staff in the air, creating a hexagram and activating his most powerful move.
"Ha, that looked pretty…"
Gu Yu waved his left hand to move the two young priests behind him first, then with his right hand, he copied his girlfriend's move, calling out an order.
"Sword, come!"
Clunk!
An unsophisticated-looking sword flew towards him at his beckoning—don't ask why he hid it in the woods to begin with…
The Sword Seed spun inside him, emanating the sword energy. Red flame gushed out of the meter-long blade, and he swiped it across the air.
'I have a sword and it is unparalleled in smashing devils!'
Boom!
The surrounding air contorted at the scorching heat, so much so that it blurred the vision and everything was obscured.
A Red Sun golden flame erupted, the area covered by the sword energy a little larger than before—it was now over 50 m long and 5 m wide. The flame moved across the air with its awe-inspiring integrity and magnificence, stopped by nothing.
The dark beams and the hexagram did not slow down the sword energy by even a second. They were effortlessly crushed, along with whatever female species that was on that pattern.
"Aaaaah!"
Tony and the short-haired man's pupils contracted as they saw a golden flaming dragon, whose reflection grew bigger in their eyes, rushing towards them. They were vaporized right away. The golden flame did not stop there, but ran all the way into the woods and slowly dissipated after another ten meters or so.
"..."
Moments later, everything was settled again and there was now a wide chasm lying across the mountain and running deep into the woods, where stretches of trees and grass had turned into ashes as if fire had been raging there.
Not a crumb of those two were left.
"That seemed a little overdone. I'd better save it for special circumstances only." Shaking his head, Gu Yu put the sword back to the box. His eyes then landed on something. "Hm?"
He was looking at something unscratched in that chasm with scorched, charred soil. Picking it up, he saw that it was a hexagram plate made from some unknown substance. The front side was golden in color and inscribed with a line of letters that could be a name or a code name.
The back was pitch black and a strange symbol was carved into it: A∴A∴.
"What's this?"
Gu Yu looked at it closely and found the symbol familiar. He searched his memory, and his face lit up. In the information pack the authorities had given him on the western mystical powers, there was a short paragraph on this symbol.
"∴" was the therefore sign in maths, but when put together with "A", it became the symbol of a mysterious organization of Britannia known as A∴A∴, or AA for short.
It was a sorceral association, but a branch only. Itself was part of a much larger, more rigorous, and influential organization: the Thelema Magick Order!
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-148.png){kind=small}
Chapter 348: Thelema Magick Order
Source: Qidian International
On mentioning western enchanters, names such as Merlin, Nicolas Flamel, or the boy who lived naturally came into one's mind. Actually, just like great men of Taoism, such as Ge Hong, Chen Tuan, and Ye Fashan, who had had great impact on the eastern cultivation system, some real people had also influenced the magic community of the West in a similar manner.
Aleister Crowley was one of them.
He was from Britannia and lived in a period not quite far from now. Born in 1875, he had picked up the hobby of travelling, travelling, and travelling some more since he was little. Well, that, and making love with women he met while travelling.
He was once a student of Cambridge University, but dropped out halfway through. Later, he was introduced to an organization called "Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn".
The order grew out of Rosicrucianism and was passed down from a time too ancient for any records to exist. The only thing known about it was that it was a place where knowledge such as magic, alchemy, Tarot, and astrology was taught.
In his time, the spiritual essence was going through its exhaustion period, hence the information Gu Yu received from the government deemed the Golden Dawn an organization solely devoted to preserve and pass on occultism, which did not pose any actual threat.
Of course, they did not rule out the possibility that other occult skills existed, which, like the talisman sects, could make the magic work without using spiritual essence/elemental power.
Crowley soon made his way to the top level of the order when, out of the blue, the order was disrupted. He therefore left Britannia and began to travel around again.
Later, he established the Thelema Magick Order, an organization of his own, which attracted numerous disciples. He also built the Abbey of Thelema in Sicily and set up A∴A∴ at a later stage as a branch.
Exactly what did this Thelema order teach?
Basically, two things.
First, the theory inherited from the Golden Dawn. They believed that everyone was born with a guardian angel, which was not the same thing as the creatures with wings in Christian beliefs. It could refer to a type of energy or an intangible form.
The Golden Dawn taught their disciples a unique meditation method, which could open up their consciousness. Once that was achieved, one was able to communicate with their guardian angel and learn to use magic.
The second one was Crowley's personal hobby.
As mentioned above, he was wild about sex. Hence, he created a sensual type of magic of his own and turned the abbey into his love house. Not a day went by without him humping some woman, which he believed would provide him with greater guidance and more power.
What was even more remarkable was that he determined whether or not a ritual was successful based on the quality of his sperm.
Well, what more could we say.
The above was all Gu Yu read from the information pack on the Thelema order.
It was just some general ideas; the more important things such as the origin, property, and energy composition of magic were not mentioned at all. There was one ambiguous line saying that magic had been around for thousands of years and was probably related to the three major western mythological systems and Kabbalah of Judaism.
Kabbalah was an esoteric school of thought of Judaism. Its most famous legend was that diagram of the tree of life, which no one had been able to give a precise explanation to.
Gu Yu understood the lack of detail in the info pack, though. After all, those were the fundamental knowledge of the western cultivation system, which could not be easily obtained.
"..."
He returned the two young priests to Zhengyi Temple and went down the mountain alone, going over a single idea in his head the entire time. Needless to say, the two foreigners were members of A∴A∴. Useless as they might seem, if he were to make an objective evaluation, they should be about the same level as Chao Kongtu and Zhong Lingyu, which was the highest level of the acquired state.
For some reason, he got the sense that the inheritance of magic in the western countries was preserved better than the Taoist skills here and the mechanisms of the two systems were completely different.
Take Tony's weakening ray as an example. As far as he knew, Zhengyi had similar talismans, but the requirement of activating one was much stricter—at least no acquired state cultivator could use them.
Yet Tony could use it easily with the help of a magical staff.
The East focused more on the cultivators' own state and the communication with Nature. It was not that the West ignored those aspects, but among the middle and low level members, the use of magical instruments and objects was universal.
For instance, the same type of weakening skills required the eastern cultivators to reach a certain level to activate, whereas in the field of western black magic, maybe a newbie could "open fire" easily with the help of a magical staff.
Of course, it was only his speculation at this stage. After all, he had only just seen the tip of the iceberg.
***
Celestial Master Temple, evening.
With all the tumult up on Longhu Mountain, anyone not deaf must have heard it. They went up to check and what did they see? The side of the mountain looked as if it had been ploughed over and over again by some tireless bull. They could not even begin to describe how wasted the woods were.
Of the entire wide wild country, anyone this wilful could only have come from Phoenix Mountain.
"Hello, Sir… hm, yes, everything is going as planned. There was a little trouble, but nothing to worry about.
"No problem. It's all under control. You have my word on that!"
In the bedroom of a guest house, Mu Kun had just finished a phone call with his superior. After hanging up, he paced back and forth clutching his phone, looking preoccupied.
A couple of minutes later, the phone rang again.
The look on his face was hard to describe as he picked it up. "Hello… I understand, yes… the thing is, there has been a great deal of publicity about this, it's not easy…"
Clack!
The other side hung up on him. Mu Kun smiled wryly as he sat down by the bed. Staring at the tips of his shoes, he heaved a sigh.
Why did the government make sure that this contest had to take place?
It was simple: they were after the treasures of the the foreign sect. One had to realize that the ten years of Cultural Revolution had deprived the domestic Taoist community of pretty much all inheritance. The foreign branch, on the other hand, was lucky enough to escape from all the destruction. God knew how much inheritance they took with them back then, not to mention the Celestial Master Seal!
That was no knockoff, but the real deal passed down from Zhang Daoling himself. Who wouldn't want it?
Zhang Ziliang would never hand it out if the government simply asked for it. If the man was pushed too hard, he could easily pick a major power and take refuge again; the government would then come out empty-handed. Therefore, they had to tickle the right soft spot. Longhu Mountain was the foreign branch's sore point, hence, it became the stake of the game.
No matter who won at last, the orthodoxy would unite into one again and the country would end up with more capable hands.
However, it was common knowledge that internal strifes were neverending in the political world. Right now, two bosses were supporting the monastery and Zhang Ziliang, respectively. Whether or not the one supporting Qiyun had some secret agenda was hard to tell, but the one on Zhang Ziliang's side had to be involved in some backroom deal.
Caught in the middle, Mu Kuan was all for the greater good. The best he could do now was to keep the game fair and maintain the level of the impact.
"Sigh…"
Mu Kun sighed again. The thought of the duel tomorrow was keeping him awake. He turned in bed away from the wall and opened his eyes. What he saw gave him a start.
Without him knowing it, someone else had entered the room and was now drinking tea sitting on a chair.
He bolted up, gave the person a closer look, and calmed down. "Don't you ever make any sound?"
"I'm thirsty. Let me have a drink of water first."
The tea, which had long gone cold, turned warm again in the cup between Gu Yu's hands. He chuckled. "You knew I was here all along?"
"We knew since you bought your bus ticket in Yueyang. The monastery and Celestial Master Temple only just got the news, though."
Mu Kun wrapped his clothes around his shoulders and got out of the bed. "What were you up to on the mountain? Why such a big mess?"
"There was a dogfight—two Britannia scouts bumped into four Nippon scouts."
"Then?"
"Killed them all."
"Cough, cough… cough…"
Mu Kun choked on his breath and had a fit of coughing. 'What have I done to get this man in my life?!"
"After all, two foreign countries were involved and it could easily turn into a diplomatic row. You should have let us handle…"
"Enough on that. We'll come back to it later." Gu Yu interrupted him with a wave. "I arrived just in time to hear those two phone calls. Why, that superpower game crap again?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-149.png){kind=small}
Chapter 349: The Duel
Source: Qidian International
"Crap?"
The corner of Mu Kun's mouth twitched. "You made it sound worse than it is. The bosses are divided, each supporting a different side. I am just the footsoldier without a free will."
"Without a free will. Yeah, right." Gu Yu sipped his tea. "Both sides had a dead disciple after the two rounds this morning—both were outstanding pupils. I know they can't blame anyone but their inferiority in skills, but you people of the government started it all. Just out of curiosity, why are you so sure that you can control the Taoist community?"
"We might have started it, but they are the reason anything could be started at all. If it were not for their hope of reuniting the orthodoxy and Longhu Mountain, the contest would never have taken place."
At this point, Mu Kun simply sat across the table, poured a cup of tea for himself, and chatted on.
"You were talking about 'controlling', but that was a bit exaggerated. I would rather like to call it 'managing'. Our relationship with the Taoist community is established on the basis of our strength, the resources, the big picture, and more importantly, the will of the people."
"The will of the people? How so?" asked Gu Yu.
"Let me ask you two questions. Number one: we're fully aware of the fact that the monastery has been trying to break away from the government, but even if they get the 'independence' they want, will they actually turn against the government?"
"..."
Gu Yu gave it a thought and replied, "No, they won't. On the contrary, they will help you with maintaining the stability."
"Haha, that's correct. Lu Yuanqing and the rest are all smart people. Cultivation is indeed hard work, but is running a country an easy job? It is the same analogy between achieving immortality and providing food, accommodation, and social stability for a population of 2 billion. Without a government, who will do all of those things? I don't think anybody in this country wants to see the nation disrupted and taken over by upheavals when all factions care only about their own interest and the country as a whole loses all its international prestige.
"Cults are a different matter; those people count on troubled times, when they can fill their own pockets and usurp the power. The monastery has their thousand-year-old belief, which would steer them clear of that direction." Mu Kun paused a little and went on. "Number two: whom do you think the common people would prefer to depend on? Them or us?"
"I see where you're going with this. Of all the people in this world, one in a million is probably qualified enough to become a cultivator. The common people will always be the greatest proportion of the population, and cultivation can't solve practical problems," said Gu Yu.
"Exactly. We have known each other for years and I would like to think we're friends. Since we're on this subject, I'm going to be completely honest with you."
Mu Kun rose to his feet and paced around in the room, sighing. "Frankly, if it weren't for the international front, we would rather kill all cultivators than to leave any potential threats behind. But the great change is happening all over the world and we can't afford to lose the extraodinary power when everyone else has it.
"Therefore, the government and the cultivation community were never archenemies, but more like a symbiotic coexistence where both parties need the other side.
"What worries us the most now is the possibility that they will form a society of their own, one that is lawless and chaotic, where people kill freely to compete for resources.
"The last thing we want is a polarized society. That is why the cultivation community must be able to mingle with the ordinary one.
"To us, cultivators are really a type of scarce talent, whom we will train and manage at the early stage… as for the later stage, well, who knows will happen then?"
Mu Kun talked for a long time and the expression on his face changed with his various emotions.
"But the social classes are bound to change." Gu Yu took up his remark.
"Naturally. Inevitably, cultivators will rise to the superior order of the society. The bosses might even make the exception and secure a few official positions for them."
"Bureaucrats? That's a bit far-fetched. A priest with an office is saying goodbye to the Great Dao." Gu Yu shook his head.
They discussed many things in depth, but Gu Yu knew that Mu Kun had at least kept one important thing from him.
They couldn't be naively leaving social stability to the goodwill of cultivators alone; there had to be a specialized law enforcement agency. He had not seen anything like that so far, but he believed these people must have prepared for that.
"Speaking of which, we are very fortunate that it is Phoenix Mountain in this position now instead of Shamanism." That was as far as Mu Kun would go into on that topic. He then changed the subject to something less sensitive.
"Haha, we have always been focused on immortality alone, but something different has come up… there!"
Gu Yu tossed him the plate, which Mu Kun caught in his hand and examined. After a moment of consideration, he said, "I think this is the symbol of an organization in Britannia."
"That's right. It's called A∴A∴, a branch of the order of Thelema, which I couldn't care less about. What I'm interested in are the more ancient things, such as the origin of magic, and the tree of life of Kabbalah. It is said that if you can decipher that diagram, you will solve the most profound mystery of the universe.
"That is a very interesting theory. The description of universe and Nature in Taoism is too abstract, and the western theories are more figurative and pragmatic in that aspect. They were also looking into a lot of areas. I'd like to search for some answers there," said Gu Yu.
"I see. Mysterious forces are rising in Britannia, Gaul, Germani, and Sicily—and such power is the strongest in these countries. Witchcraft is spotted in the continents of America and Africa as well. The West is in upheaval at the moment. Cultivators of a small country even worked with a political party and took control of the government. We only learnt that a short while ago."
"How about Uncle Sam?" asked Gu Yu curiously.
"Ha, they nearly annihilated the native Americans when they took over the land back then, how much power do you think they can gather now?" sneered Mu Kun.
"..."
From his attitude, Gu Yu realized the bosses must have planned this all out. God knows how many secret blows would the two superpowers exchange under the table from now on.
He checked the time and said, "Well, I'll let you go back to your sleep. I'll walk around somewhere else."
With that, he shifted a little and was out of the room without making a sound. Mu Kun shook his head and went back to bed.
***
The wind was blowing gently at this late hour of the night.
Gu Yu wandered around the Celestial Master Temple aimlessly, passing one guest room after another. Some occupants did not realize his presence at all, while some reached out with their mental force which shrank back as soon as it reached him. In a word, no one disturbed him.
He walked all the way to the inner hall, where he found Zhang Jintong still awake, sitting there looking haunted.
"Celestial Master, how have you been?"
"Layman Gu!" Seeing him entering, Zhang Jintong jumped a little and hurried to his side right away. "You're finally here. It is so good to see you!"
"I see you're still awake. Worried about the duel tomorrow, I presume?" Gu Yu chuckled.
"I am… that Zhang Ziliang is a very cunning man with various talismans. I'm worried that Shouyang won't be his match."
The old priest invited Gu Yu to sit down and expressed his worries outright. He might as well say it out loud that 'If you're not in a hurry, please lend us a hand.'
"Celestial Master, I owe you a big one. So as long as you ask, even if this is a family matter, I will help you no matter what even if it means my reputation will be tramped." Gu Yu blinked and grinned. "But I have to make it clear. I can crush that Zhang Ziliang like a pottery chicken, but all cultivators have their own pride. With me meddling with the duel, if Zhang Shouyang ends up with an unsettled mind that will affect his future cultivation, that's too big a responsibility for me to take."
"That, that…"
Zhang Jintong broke into sweat. With the doubt in his nephew's winning, he was clutching at all straws coming his way. If Gu Yu did not show up, he was going to turn to Lu Yuanqing for help.
What Gu Yu said was very reasonable. To his nephew, a friendly interference would certainly be an insult.
"There, there. Don't worry too much. I will take care of it if things are really going south for us."
Gu Yu was only here to reassure the old man. Seeing how distraught Zhang Jintong was, he put away the teasing tone and comforted him, "Please take a good rest tonight. I'll see you tomorrow!"
With that, he flipped his sleeves and began to dissolve into the air. The next moment, he was a cloud of mist, which then disappeared without a trace.
***
Early next morning.
It was still a little dim outside when a team of enthusiastic audience rushed to Shangqing Palace eagerly, trying to take a good spot. What they saw baffled them: the gate of the palace was tightly shut; it was not open for audience today.
They simply would not have that. The bunch of people shouted and yelled, asking for an explanation, but were completely ignored. Some bolder ones climbed onto the wall and tried to get in from there. As it turned out, special police force was guarding the wall from inside.
After some trial and error, they finally figured out the unspoken rule: climb the wall all you want, the yard is off limit.
Hence, the two walls on the west and south sides of the yard were packed with people straddling them, reminding one of dried meat hanging over the eaves. The rest of the crowd could only squeeze themselves outside the wall. The whole scene almost remind one of Beyonce's concert or World Cup games.
The duel still took place in East Yard. The collapsed platform had been cleaned away, but was not set up again. The big square had been left empty. It was understandable: they were afraid of the impact of their killing moves.
Before long, everyone arrived and all took their seats outside the Devil-subduing Hall.
Bai Yu and his buddies were lucky enough to secure a few spots and were now complaining while sitting on the wall. "That guy was so not cool. He just left like that, didn't even say goodbye."
"Exactly. We're lucky that nothing was stolen, or I'd definitely call the police. Don't just bring anyone in from now on."
"Maybe he had an emergency. You're totally over-reacting!" Bai Yu was still putting in a good word for his new friend.
"What sort of emergency could— holy sh*t!"
"Look there! There!"
One of the guys suddenly pointed at the hall and the rest followed his finger. They almost fell off the wall. Right at the end of that line of seats, there was somehow an extra chair. A fellow sat in it as if he completely belonged there. It was none other than Gu Yu (Gu Jiang to them) himself.
"..."
They goggled at him. Who the hell was this guy? How did he get to sit among those master priests... although he was sitting in the last seat.
Gu Yu sensed their stares, but now was not a good time to look back. He shifted his attention to Tan Chongdai beside him and chatted on. It had been a while since they last met. Since the old man took up Dan method of Quanzhen, he had been making slow progress only. It could be because of his old age or lack of talent.
He was in poor health to begin with. It was thanks to Gu Yu and Xiaozhai's help that he was able to stretch out his limit for a few more years. Now that his life was really close to its end, his complexion was a mixture of decline and unnatural prosperity, which looked rather strange.
"Zhang Shouyang!"
Everyone had just sat down when Zhang Ziliang jumped out with an angrily cry. He then said gloomily, "Our hundred-year-old feud ends today. Come to meet your death!"
"It is time."
Zhang Shouyang walked out from his side and stepped into the fighting ring. He was not good with words and only gave a short reply.
"Good. Let's begin, then!"
With that, the two both stepped back. It was going to be a fight until there was only one standing; they moved into action without another word.
"Stronghold of ten thousand meters, rise without showing yourself… go!"
Shang Shouyang called the first shot. Dark light shot out of his sleeves, splitting into multiple streaks, falling onto Zhang Ziliang like an escape-proof net.
It was Iron Castle Spell, which could trap the enemy tightly inside.
"Petty trick!"
Zhang Ziliang took out an ancient bronze seal, which was none other than the Mountain-dominating and Evil-killing Seal he'd used when catching the ghost. It was one of the lower level seals of the Way of Celestial Masters.
"The primordial heaven and earth and the first ancestral Qi is a power no gods or ghosts shall withstand... Stop!"
He tossed the ancient seal high into the air. It rotated in mid-air so that the bottom was facing downwards, and now seemed to weigh a thousand tons. Despite its small bottom surface, the seal was able to cover a very big area. It then clashed with the dark light with a loud bang.
The dark light disintegrated in a matter of seconds, but the ancient seal did not stop there. It smashed down with a whoosh, carrying its great weigh with it.
Zhang Shouyang had planned to try its power. His fingers moved into a spell-casting gesture and golden light erupted out of him, forming a protective shield. He then gathered his energy on his palms and raised his arms.
Bang!
The golden light shuddered and held its shape. At the impact of the seal, Zhang Shouyang's energy flow was not disturbed. He had successfully withstood this direct attack.
"The Guarding Spell? Humph, I know that petty stash of Longhu Mountain like the back of my hand!"
Zhang Ziliang was not affected at all. With the seal back in his hand, he sneered, "Be my guest and use whatever you have. I will break every single one of them. You will die admitting my superiority!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-150.png){kind=small}
Chapter 350: Let Me Lend You A Sword (Part 1)
Source: Qidian International
The manner of Zhang Ziliang was partly his nature and partly exhibited to purposefully undermine Zhang Shouyang's morale. He was not actually bluffing when he claimed that the foreign branch knew more about the inheritance of Celestial Master Temple than the domestic one.
"..."
Zhang Shouyang's face remained indifferent at his opponent's words. Reaching into his pocket, he took out three talismans and commanded, "Golden blade of the flying scissors, come quickly at this command. Now!"
Whoosh!
At his calling, the three talismans turned into three streams of golden light as sharp as blades and crisscrossed like formidable scissors. They then split up towards three directions, blocking all possible routes Zhang Ziliang could escape to.
It was known as Golden Blade of Flying Scissors Spell, which was very effective in disrupting defense.
"Humph!"
Zhang Ziliang snorted and took a seven-branched willow twig from one of his pupils. It was about 30 cm long and had thin and lush green leaves. Seven branches extended out from it and tawny bark covered the entire twig except for the very end—a blank section had been left out as the hilt.
'Hm?'
This move took everyone by surprise. They went through all existing Taoist skills of Zhengyi and found nothing resembling what he was doing.
In talisman sects, willow twigs were usually used for ghost-expelling, evil-counteracting, mind-calming, etc. But only single-branched twigs were used in those circumstances—they had never seen anything that required a seven-branched one.
Zhang Jintong felt as if his heart was going to pop out of his throat. It was obviously a Taoist skill unique to the foreign branch. Poor old man, he still had to go through such worries at his old age. He dared not even blink now and kept his gaze at the fighting ring.
"Strike once, the sky is clear; strike twice, the earth is clean; strike thrice, people have nowhere to go…"
Walking in Kui Gang steps, Zhang Ziliang made an Evil-backfiring hand gesture with his left fingers and waved the willow twig with his right hand while chanting.
The three streams of golden light were almost on him, but when they were just half a meter away, they suddenly halted in mid-air and began to quiver as if they were afraid of something.
Zhang Ziliang chanted on in an unhurried voice, "Strike four times, ghosts can't escape; strike five times, gold melts on its own. Go!"
At those words, his right hand jerked upwards and the willow twig began to elongate at an unbelievable speed as if it were on some miraculous catalyzer. It soon grew to over three meters; Zhang Ziliang aimed it at a streak of light and lashed down like a steel mace.
"Pop!"
Stricken headfirst, the golden light shuddered and could no longer keep its shape. It then broke into golden sprinkle before disappearing without a trace.
"Go!"
"Smack! Smack!"
Zhang Ziliang lashed down for two more times and the other two streaks of golden light both dissipated, unable to put up any form of resistance.
"What…"
Zhang Shouyang looked surprised for the first time. What sort of Taoist skill was that? It couldn't be anything normal!
Raised and taught by Celestial Master Temple, Zhang Shouyang had a sharp eye for such things. To the untrained eyes, the willow twig seemed to have whipped the talisman into pieces, but in fact, there was a fluctuation within the twig that was related to the mutual promotion and restraint between the five elements which just happened to restrain the talisman.
"I told you, use whatever means you have. I will break every single one of them!"
Drawing back the twig, Zhang Ziliang's voice was full of ridicule and contempt.
"Golden-armored Giants with countless transformations, the holy decree is here. Obey immediately!"
Zhang Shouyang was not a man easily shaken. Like Shen Jingduan did earlier, he also summoned a golden-armored giant.
"Roar!"
The giant leapt out of the golden light with a threatening, angry roar. The giant maces in its hands then smashed down at Zhang Ziliang with a whooshing sound.
Zhang Ziliang remained where he was and whipped down the twig again. "Strike six times, spirit distingerates on its own. Go!"
"Smack!"
With a lash of the willow whip, the air shook violently as if it was exploding. The twig landed right on the crown of the giant, which, despite being an intangible spiritual being that could not be touched by any physical attack, disintegrated at this strike. The golden light lost its form and disappeared.
"Hahaha!"
Zhang Ziliang roared out a laughter. Swollen with arrogance, he shouted, "Anything else? Bring it on!"
"..."
Zhang Shouyang's brows furrowed as he quietly threw out another minor spell—this time an arrow-like flame transformed from a talisman—which shot at Zhang Ziliang at a lightning's speed.
"Strike seven times, the fire extinguishes itself!"
"Smack!"
Same as the previous two spells, the flame dispersed at the strike.
"..."
Zhang Shouyang's face was livid now. He had guessed it right: the seven-branched willow twig had an ability to change itself. Whatever spells its opponent cast, as long as the spellcaster did not surpass the twig too much in their capability, the twig would create a way of restraining the spells.
Remember the Nine Swords of Dugu 1 and its sword-defeating, saber-defeating, and palm-defeating stances? This twig pretty much worked the same way.
"Save you trials. Let me enlighten you!" Zhang Ziliang acted like a cat playing with its food as he announced, "You are looking at The Grand Supreme Ghost-cursing Scripture. Of course, it is very likely that you have never heard of it before, which is not a big deal. Your life is not in vain, after all, because you are going to be killed by it today!"
"The Grand Supreme Ghost-cursing Scripture!!!"
Before Zhang Shouyang could react, Zhang Jintong shook violently in his seat and slumped to the side. Lu Yuanqing held him up in a hurry and asked, "Old Master, what is this Taoist skill?"
"It, it… sob, Shouyang is in grave danger! He's in grave danger!"
Zhang Jintong was overwhelmed by the news and his spasmodic sobs were keeping him from forming a coherent sentence.
Wu Songbai, the abbot of the Maoshan Sect, remained calm and fulfilled his duty perfectly as an introductory NPC. He said in a grave tone, "Of the numerous and unfathomable Taoist skills Zhengyi has, some are righteous and fair, while others are vicious beyond imagination. The Grand Supreme Ghost-cursing Scripture is one of the latter. The scripture records a variety of cursing skills and is part of the Yellow God spells system.
"I have only heard my master mentioning it in passing. The scripture contains the curses of Nature and Qi that can exercise restraint on everything. The effect of this curse can make metal melt, wood break, water dry out, fire extinguish, mountains fall, stones crackle, ghosts surrender, and spirit disintegrate… the saying is that with the divine curse of the Celestial Master, nothing will disobey his command!
"By working it against the attribute of the opponent, the spellcaster is invincible. This is a mighty scripture, and Zhang Ziliang only has a smattering of it. Had he known how to cast the spell properly, Shouyang would already have been wiped out of the face of the earth with a single word."
"There really is a Taoist skill as formidable as that?"
It was not just Lu Yuanqing—everyone present was struck dumb by these words. Despite its over two thousand years of glorious history, Celestial Master Temple looked like an impoverished family after the natural calamities and man-made misfortunes of the modern time. As it turned out, when the skill representing their true capability was demonstrated, it was mind-blowing!
"Shouyang… sob, Layman Gu, Layman Gu…"
Zhang Jintong finally calmed himself down a little and remembered a savior was actually here today. He turned to look at the last seat in a hurry and saw that Gu Yu was still sitting there, chatting with Tan Chongdai and apparently also discussing The Grand Supreme Ghost-cursing Scripture. He seemed to be greatly impressed by it.
'Stop admiring the goddamn thing!'
The old man suddenly had the urge to run over there and slap that fellow with his shoe.
Anxious as he was, he still had to behave appropriately as the sect leader he was. Gu Yu had promised him; he trusted the young man would not let anything happen to his nephew. Zhang Jintong fought back his agitation and went on watching the fight.
After figuring out Zhang Ziliang's plan, Zhang Shouyang took a defensive position and stopped actively making attacks.
"Why, running out of spells already? It's my turn, then!"
Zhang Ziliang took out that Mountain-dominating and Evil-killing Seal again and tossed it into the air. "Go!"
The bronze seal turned and smashed down like a thousand-ton hammer. Zhang Shouyang cast the same spell again and golden light covered his body.
"Humph, Guarding Spell again? I don't think so!"
Lashing out the willow twig violently, he whipped it onto the golden glow, which dissipated right away.
Zhang Shouyang had no choice but begin to move. Walking with Gang steps, he dodged the seal that smashed onto the tiled ground. Broken tile pieces flew everywhere as it made a dent in the ground.
"Go!"
"Go!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The seal bombarded the fighting grounds for the next couple of minutes. Whatever spell Zhang Shouyang used, it was destroyed by the willow twig. He was now running around in the yard, looking like a drowned mouse.
Zhang Ziliang was obviously using the scripture as a cure-all and fail-proof solution. Had Zhang Daoling been here to see it, the master would have probably burst into flames with anger. It was a reckless waste of god's gift!
"Layman! Layman!"
Zhang Jintong turned to Gu Yu again, who refused to meet his eyes. Our fellow was enjoying the show.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-151.png){kind=small}
Chapter 351: Let Me Lend You A Sword (Part 2)
Source: Qidian International
"Run! Run for your life! Hahaha! The descendent of the oh-so-mighty Celestial Master is useless like a disowned dog! You don't want to miss this, everybody! This is the orthodox group of your country! This is the most capable man of Longhu Mountain!"
In a matter of minutes, what looked like a thousand gaping wounds covered the yard—thanks to the smashing seal, which fed the arrogance of Zhang Ziliang, who simply could not stop laughing.
Zhang Shouyang was already cornered and was enraged by those words. He suddenly shouted, "You have gone too far. I will fight you till my last breath!"
Standing still, he drew out a peach wood sword from his waist and chanted, "Immortal of the peach wood sword, please accept my invitation and descend to this world. With my petty skill, I shall activate a flying sword which takes lives without hesitation. Obey this as an urgent call from divine soldiers!"
With a wave of his hand, a fluctuation covered the wooden sword, which shot into the air and aimed right at Zhang Ziliang's neck.
"Sword-summoning Skill, another petty one!"
Zhang Ziliang scorned and flipped his willow twig again. "Strike nine times, wood snaps on itself. Break!"
Smack!
The willow twig whipped onto the peach wood sword, but the latter did not snap as he expected. Instead, the wooden sword suddenly sped up and whooshed towards him, moving so fast that it turned into a blurred shadow.
"It's not a Sword-summoning Spell!"
Astonished, Zhang Ziliang jumped sideways and rolled on the ground, barely escaping the blade.
Whoosh!
Before he could stand still, a sharp pain ran up his left arm. He turned to look—the place where his left forearm used to be was now empty. He could see bones protruding out of his upper left arm, as well as the gushing blood.
'!!!'
His vision went dark and he felt like fainting. Right away, he smacked a talisman onto himself and swallowed a pill, which was barely able to stop the bleeding together.
"Great…"
Zhang Jintong saw the whole thing. He almost rose from his chair when he sat quietly back again. Lu Yuanqing also shook his head and sighed to himself: that was such a pity!
It was indeed. This one was called Edict Sword Skill, a minor Taoist skill discovered in the White Crane Underground Palace.
It had no sword energy or glowing blade, but was an unorthodox trick that had little potential for future improvement. It was a downgraded version of a flying sword, but the advantage was also apparent: little was required from the spellcaster, it was easy to use, and any sword—be it peach wood or fine steel—would do the trick.
The Edict Sword Skill contained one move only. The sword charged out, fast enough to become a blurry shadow, and was powerful enough in most circumstances.
In plain words: ever heard of Enchantments (as in Minecraft)?
It was a little trick created by Priest White Crane himself as a hobby which he casually recorded in a jade slip. Zhang Shouyang had planned to take Zhang Ziliang by surprise with it, but the latter managed to dodge at the last minute.
"Zhang Shouyang!"
Zhang Ziliang was blind with rage and lost all control. Ignoring all the onlookers that might be affected, he tore a yellow scroll out of his pocket, yelling, "You had it coming! It's all your fault!
"Soldiers of the netherworld hear me out. Fetch your iron chains and locks and follow me! Those that lure and snatch the living souls, take all you want and spare no one!"
He spat a mouthful of spiritual blood onto the scroll, which flickered with a red light, but immediately dimmed as if there wasn't enough power to activate it. Zhang Ziliang watched it with a gloomy face. He then ground his teeth, grabbed his upper left arm with his right hand, and ripped down.
"Aaaaaah!"
The audience felt their blood curling at the scream. The man had torn off what was left of his left arm. Blood gushed out, soon soaking the yellow scroll.
He was convulsing with pain. Picking up the broken arm, he pressed hard on the scroll, making a blurry mark.
"Those that lure and snatch the living souls, take all you want and spare no one! Soldiers of the netherland, show yourselves!"
"Roar!"
Whoosh!
Instantly, sinister wind began to blow in the yard as the ferocious screams of ghosts filled the air. The people sitting on top of the wall were all terrified as if they were witnessing a living hell. The scroll was a minor skill scroll left behind by an ancestor—sealed inside were five soldiers from the netherworld. Once released, they would hunt down all the living souls there were, sparing no one.
Mu Kun's face went pale, for this had definitely gone beyond what they'd agreed on regarding the contest. Lu Yuanqing also bolted to his feet, ready to intervene.
Zhang Shouyang, on the other hand, watched the unfolding event with the same solemn face, which now looked a little unresigned. He sighed sadly inwardly. 'All the past Celestial Masters up there, am I doomed to die here today?'
"Let me lend you a sword."
'Who's there?'
He shuddered. A cool, mild voice repeated at his ear, "Let me lend you a sword."
"You…"
Pursing his lips tightly together, Zhang Shouyang was vaguely reminded of a certain fellow. However, right now was not the time to think. After a moment of hesitation, he made a swift wave and summoned the peach wood sword again.
"Hahaha! Is that all you've got?"
Zhang Ziliang laughed sardonically and snarled, "Go! Flay him, pull out his tendons, and rip out his soul alive! He will be damned for eternity!"
"Roar!"
Black smoke surged out of the scroll in large clouds and gathered behind him. One could faintly make out the malicious-looking netherworld soldiers within who pounced out together with the cloud.
Whoosh!
Meanwhile, the peach wood sword flew towards him again. It was as plain as before and nothing seemed to have changed. Waving the willow twig, Zhang Ziliang watched the wooden sword moving closer and was reassured that it was the same as before. He sneered, "Strike six times, spirit dissipates itself. Now…"
'!!!'
The second half of his sentence choked in his throat. His insolence was replaced by horror and the smirk froze on his face. He yelled frantically, "That's impossible!"
Boom!
The sword seemed to fly in from another world. Halfway, a glow suddenly erupted out of it, and golden flame surged out of the blade. It was mighty, it was brilliant, and it was emanating a killing will that dominated all heaven and earth!
No words could describe its speed and vigor. It cut through the willow twig head-on before stabbing right into the thick walls of the cloud.
"Roar!"
"Hiss… pop!"
The five netherworld soldiers howled in agony and the black cloud tumbled like waves. It was now shrinking at an observable speed.
Golden light filled the air and little dots of flame swayed with willowy motions, reminding one of lotus flowers, covering half of the yard. The mixture of red and black was dazzling, and the audience watched this with thumping hearts.
Almost instantly, the netherworld soldiers turned into ashes.
With the glowing golden blade, the blue sky was revealed and the ghostly fog dispersed!
"No, no…"
Zhang Ziliang stood there, as dumb as a piece of wood. Utterly confused, he had even lost the courage to resist. His eyes then prickled at a dazzling sight before everything went dark. He did not even feel the pain.
"..."
The others watched it with an even dumber look on their face as the wooden sword cut into the willow twig, punched through the black cloud, and came right at his face. It was easier then cutting a piece of tofu.
Thump!
Zhang Ziliang was split into halves down his spine, which then fell to either side and dropped to the ground simultaneously.
Dead silence!
A hush fell over East Yard, so quiet that they almost forgot to breath.
Those on the wall felt their jaws went slack. Both their minds and bodies had stopped working and were in a shocked state. Wasn't the man fleeing the foreign priest the entire time? How on earth did he win?
Well, it had to be it! Zhang Shouyang was acting helplessly on purpose and made his killing move at the right moment!
Some were so excited that they fell off the walls, but were still grinning as they fell into a heap on the ground. "Hahaha! Our Longhu Mountain is awesome! The Taoist community is awesome! Our country is awesome!"
"Master!"
"Master!"
Zhang Ziliang's disciples rushed towards him and collected his dead body. With their patron gone, they were now moving slowly with faces hard to describe. There was no longer any confidence in them now, and in their sorrow was an even greater fear.
"Ha… ha…"
Zhang Shouyang, on the other hand, turned to look at the seats. His eyes flitted past his thirty-five fellow members of Qiyun and stopped at the last seat, which was now empty.
'Ha, the man does like to go unnoticed!' He smiled wryly to himself. After all, he had only won this battle because someone else helped him. For a moment there, he was so dispirited that his mind was wavering. But almost right away, he was the steadfast man again. 'I was fighting for the Taoist orthodoxy, and I was simply not capable enough yet. I will work harder from now on and find a way to return this favor.'
"Sigh…"
Mu Kun heaved a sigh, feeling neither sad nor happy, for the result was within his expectation.
There were only so many possibilities: Longhu Mountain won, the foreign brach won, or with Gu Yu's help, Longhu Mountain won… the relationship between Gu Yu and Celestial Master Temple was taken into account when they planned the contest back then.
Shaking his head, he walked slowly out and announced loudly, "Zhang Ziliang was defeated. Longhu Mountain has won!"
***
Zhang Ziliang was dead, but his disciples were still here. As agreed, they were free to leave, but the orthodoxy had to stay. Longhu Mountain didn't have to deal with these things; the government would handle everything for them instead.
These disciples had been serving Zhang Ziliang for many years and knew all about his secret stash.
They were clever enough to submit to fate. After all, spill the beans and they could live. Apart from Aan, all the other disciples, who were of Chinese origin, hinted that they wanted to join Celestial Master Temple.
The foreign sect had taken a lot of things with them, among which were 72 talisman spells and 18 minor refined instrument of various kind, all of which were not so powerful but could be used in a variety of special ways.
The more impressive one was that Mountain-dominating and Evil-killing Seal, a 300-year-old peach wood refined sword, two purple talismans, and five blue talismans.
The Celestial Master Seal indeed existed, but was not here with Zhang Ziliang. Instead, it was kept in the secret chamber back in Celestial Master Temple in the Southeast, together with the Supreme Ghost-cursing Scripture.
There was only one way to proceed with this. The BIMAUP then discussed with the monastery, sending out a few capable men to take back the seal, which we would not go into details about.
After the duel, they gathered together back in Celestial Master Temple. Although Chen Muzi was dead and Zhang Shouyang would need a few months to regain his strength, the general atmosphere was quite jolly.
"Congratulations! The Way of Celestial Masters has been divided for a century but is now reunited under your watch. You will be remembered forever for this contribution."
In the inner hall, Lu Yuanqing made a toast to Zhang Jintong, using tea as his toasting wine.
"Haha, you flatter me! I cannot take the credit. It was by sheer luck that we managed to win the contest. Thank you all for all your help!"
Now that the problem was solved, Zhang Jintong couldn't be happier. His face crinkled up like a blossoming rose as he smiled and he was waving his hands to show his modesty.
"You're being too modest. You and Senior Brother Zhang made it happen. No one can deny that."
Everyone was in a good mood and the pleasantries flowed out easily. Taoist priests socialized when necessary like everyone else; it was only human nature.
"Granduncle!" After much chatting, Zhang Shouyang, who had been silent until now, asked suddenly, "Where is Layman Gu? I need to thank him in person."
"He left before the contest was over, saying he was going back to Yingtan first and heading back for Phoenix Mountain tomorrow." Zhang Jintong paused a little before saying, "I think it's better if you don't meet him. Keep your thoughts to yourself for now. Meeting him will only make it awkward."
"..." Zhang Shouyang went quiet for a while and nodded. "Ok."
Tang Chongdai heard their conversation and asked suddenly, "Abbot, when are we going back to Qiyun?"
"Tomorrow, if everything goes as planned."
"I see. In that case, I'll be away this afternoon and come back tomorrow morning."
"Sure. Please be careful."
Generally, Lu Yuanqing stayed away from the priests' personal affairs and treated them with respect on a daily basis.
"All right. I'll be on my way."
Tan Chongdai was acting a little strangely. Cupping his hands at the rest, he walked out of the inner hall.
Zhang Jintong watched his gaunt back as he walked away. Maybe because they were both elderly men, he was suddenly struck by sadness. "The old priest does not have much time left."
"..."
The room fell into silence at this. It was after quite a while when Lu Yuanqing sighed softly. "No, he doesn't."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-152.png){kind=small}
Chapter 352: Time And Fate
Source: Qidian International
Yingtan, afternoon.
Far fewer tourists were roaming the streets today now that the contest was over. Most of them were on their way back home—of course, some needed an extra night of rest here. Half a day had passed since the event and the accumulated emotions were still fermenting; the whole city was still immersed in the excitement of the aftermath.
Imagine you had just had the perfect reproductive activity and were now lying in bed, fatigued but relaxed. Your mind was in harmony with your body, utterly satisfied and perceptive. You felt like wandering the great void, sensing your great alignment with the universe.
In one word: sweet!
Everyone in every corner of the country seemed to be talking about the three rounds of contest. This was the very first direct presentation of the Taoist skill at a relatively large scale.
Especially that last sword stance of Zhang Shouyang, which far surpassed the common people's imagination, making it the topic of the moment.
'I have a sword, and it is worth bragging about!'
Like the westerners with their imagination of magic, a lot of people in this country grew up dreaming about meeting a sword immortal one day.
Of course, angry voices were inevitable. Some were indignantly denouncing the fact that people were killed in broad daylight in public and the authorities had acquiesced to it… if such things were allowed to go on, moral frameworks would fall apart, the society would go into chaos, the nation would be in peril, blah, blah, blah.
Correspondingly, some refuted such accusations, saying that with the great change of the world, those who clung to the old state of mind of the safe and stable days would only end up being the first ones to die. They instead appealed for a change in the public mentality so as to adapt to the new environment, etc., etc.
Both sides had their point. Be it politically or economically, or even in aspects such as literature, art, food supply, medical service, contraception, etc., it was inevitable that whenever transformation took place, a great number of less adjusted would end up eliminated the first.
"..."
Gu Yu walked along the street carrying his sword box, brushing past countless strangers as he wandered on all by himself.
Entering November, the south of the country was also getting colder. Yingtan, however, was surrounded by the five mountains of Longhu, Gui Peak, Sanqing, Wuyi, and Wufu, and was rich in the spiritual essence, hence the climate remained rather mild here.
Mutated creatures were appearing in rising numbers in the surrounding area. Because of the neighboring Celestial Master Temple, the authorities had made the safety here their top priority. Necessary arrangements were made beforehand, and no animals were bothering this city.
He did not go see Bai Yu and his buddies, for meeting them again would be way too embarrassing. He wandered around for a while longer when his phone rang. Taking it out, he saw that it was from Long Qiu.
"Hello, Brother… oh, it's nothing, just want to ask when are you coming back…
"Gosh, stop pushing me! Stay away from me…"
"Video! Make it video!"
Xiaojin's loud voice came from the other side and Long Qiu hung up. Immediately, there was an incoming video call invitation. Gu Yu found a quiet spot and tapped the "accept". The screen switched on, showing the faces of the two girls.
"Brother-in-law, what was it like in action?! Tell me! Tell me!"
Xiaojin was pressing her face on the screen and all Gu Yu could see was her two black pupils rolling around like some Japanese horror movie.
"Can't you read it off the internet?" He held the phone away from him as far as possible.
"Those are just gossips. You're the official channel! Hey, hey, hey, you cheated that last sword stance, didn't you? That was aaaaawsome!"
"Kind of. I lent him a streak of sword energy, that's all."
"Haha! I knew it! Those people could never have done it themselves!" Little Soap threw back her head and roared with laughter, but stuck her face back to the screen two seconds later. She then became all sad. "Sigh, it must have been so much fun watching it in person. There hasn't been any real battle since 1999. Too bad I didn't have the chance to see this one."
"What happened in 1999?" asked Long Qiu curiously.
"You don't know?" Xiaojin put on her most surprised face and waved her hands in excitement. Opening her mouth, she acted as if she was going to pour everything out before forcing all the words back down her throat again. "God, I can't! I can't tell you!"
"Are you nuts? What on earth happened?" Long Qiu was all the more baffled.
"Sigh, it still felt like yesterday to me. I was in kindergarten playing house with my fellow little friends when the sun was blocked out and all the light was gone. Only five years old back then, I fulfilled my duty and fought on the battlefield… sob, I was the only surviving soldier of my entire company! I still wonder these days that if Battleship Pangu made its way out 1 ."
Our young Drama Queen was enjoying herself again, gathering up her emotions as she spoke to the point that she was rubbing her eyes as if she was going to cry.
"Enough with the crap!" Gu Yu couldn't stand it any long and interjected, asking, "How is your Sky-turning Seal going?"
"That things is too big! Doing it every day is driving me crazy!" Xiaojin raised her head and was her normal self again.
That did not come out right!
He was the one driven nuts now.
Long Qiu was the good girl as always and translated for him. "She doesn't have enough energy and that stone is too big. She's not going to finish within forty-nine days; we probably have to wait a while longer. Oh, by the way, Shengtian is going through replanning and places like Yidao River, Erdao River, Sandao River… are all going to be expanded and upgraded. They are planning to build new roads as well. We haven't heard anything about Bai Town, through."
She filled Gu Yu in, ticking off each piece of news counting her fingers.
Replanning?
Gu Yu frowned. That was going to affect a lot of things, which they couldn't possibly talk through over the phone; he had to go back to have a look. He then asked, "Why, where's your sister? Why isn't she here?"
"Oh, Sister is in Sand Ridge today. Do you remember that big spider we caught the other day? She wants to breed it and is going back there to find a male one for it. Sister said the silk could be very useful. We can sew clothes with it or make it into things like small umbrellas."
Spider silk, small umbrella…
The corner of Gu Yu's mouth was twitching as he watched Long Qiu talking about things she only partially understood. He was suddenly amazed by the girl on the other side of the line. The fact that she was living with a family as odd as theirs and could still stay this innocent, as well as keep her sanity, was no less than a miracle!
The three chatted for a little more before hanging up.
Gu Yu had yet to put away his phone when it rang again. This time, it was from Tan Chongdai.
***
Street corner, a park.
It was a woody place with verdant lawn. The sun shone down mildly on the grass through the gaps in the branches, speckling the green surface with different colors. A grotesque rockery stood on one side, surrounded by a pool in which koi were swimming around at ease.
A few tourists were walking casually along the cloister, crossing the wooden bridges, or strolling the stone-paved paths. It was a most serene and beautiful picture.
Gu Yu and Tan Chongdai walked side by side. The old man's Taoist robe was attracting much unwanted attention and he had to gesture with his wide sleeve towards a deeper corner of the park.
The two had a lengthy conversation during the contest, when Gu Yu noticed the old man's declining health, but found it inappropriate to bring it up under that circumstance. He was thinking of offering some help when Tan Chongdai reached out to him first.
"Old Priest, I saw that your inner energy was draining up and greatly weakened. I have a few pills here. Take half a pill every three days, maybe it will restore your health."
He took out his gourd, poured out seven or eight pills, paused a little, and put them back in. He then passed the entire gourd to the old man.
"That won't be necessary. I am fully aware of my condition. The lamp is going out. I don't think I'll live to see another year."
Tan Chongdai pushed back Gu Yu's hand that was holding the gourd, his voice calm but filled with sorrow. "We cultivators have an instinct about our own life. I began to feel it half a month ago. This is fate; there's nothing we can do about it."
"Please stay positive. New Taoist skills are being discovered constantly now. Live long enough and you will have your opportunity." Gu Yu tried to comfort him.
"Opportunity… haha… opportunity…" Tan Chongdai let out a little laughter in his husky voice and sighed. "Layman, I started cultivating under my master's instruction when I was three year old and didn't reach my first achievement until I was in my thirties. My master said I was not blessed with a good natural endowment, but with assiduous work, I would achieve the Great Dao one day. For the past seventy years, I dared not slack off for a minute. I have been work diligently and conscientiously. In the end, I could not achieve what abbot—Shouyang—achieved in his twenty years of work, let alone comparing to what you were able to do."
"Old Priest…"
"Please, let me finish." He waved Gu Yu off and continued, "After that, I knew that my master was only comforting me. It made sense. If working hard alone could make one achieve the Great Dao, then all those diligent people out there would all succeed, wouldn't they?
"I have spent my whole life in Qionglong Mountain, guarding the little inheritance I was bestowed with. I thought I was going to die unaccomplished… then you two showed up at my doorstep, and then the Taoist community was shaken and the ancient skills recovered. It was then that I realized a great time had fallen upon us. I knew perfectly well that I was way too old for anything to happen to me, but I did think it was my opportunity.
"I then joined the monastery as the thick-skinned abbot and became the fellow member of Qiyun with all those juniors so much younger then me. I even betrayed my own sect and abandoned the fundament of Qionglong Mountain to switch to Quanzhen Dan method… then what?
"Ha, I was simply born at a wrong time, and time waits for no one!
"Pursuing immortality is fighting against nature for the extra years, and one needs all three of natural endowment, opportunity, and hard work to achieve it. I only have the last one, and that is probably my destiny."
He then turned to look at Gu Yu with a smile. "Your pills are too precious to waste on me. I will only be hanging onto this life for nothing, and I am not that pathetic."
"..."
Gu Yu fell silent. It was exactly as the old man said; his vitality was draining up and without solving the rudimental problem, any help was simply stretching out his years.
Even if he taught Tan Chongdai the essence-consuming method right now and help him to reach the innate state this instant, he would only extend the old man's life for a few more years. After that, what would he do? The lifespan would only reach the hundreds after breaking into the Human Immortal state.
Even as excellently endowed and perceptive as he and Xiaozhai were, together with the help of the Mind-enhancing Dan, they had not yet broken into that state. Would Tan Chongdai have the time to wait that long?
Cultivation was to break the shackles of the limit of life, which was what one was doing in the innate state, Human Immortal state, and Immortal state… it was meant to be the toughest problem like the realm at the end of the world and the pillar that held up the sky. Fresh forces continually came forward to take place of those who had pushed ahead in trying to reach this destination, and many died at the starting point or halfway through. It was simply insurmountable for them.
Moreover, Tan Chongdai was already discomposed on his path towards the Great Dao. After a lifetime of hard work, he was stopped by "not well-endowed" and "born at a wrong time".
The blow was too heavy, and he had lost his hope. Death was inevitable for him now.
"Sigh, as unresigned as I feel, I still think I am fortunate enough to experience all this. I have met you, become good friends with all my fellow members of the monastery, and come to know that Taoist skills will exist for eternity in this world; I have no regrets."
Before they knew it, they had reached a quiet and remote corner of the park. A few clusters of green bamboo rustled at the breeze.
Tan Chongdai stopped abruptly and said, "With what was happening earlier, I didn't get the chance to explain myself clearly. I have contacted Layman because I wanted to bid you a formal farewell and to ask you for a favor."
"Of course!"
Gu Yu bowed solemnly, as a junior should when being instructed by a senior.
Watching him, Tan Chongdai was trembling a little and his voice sounded hoarser than ever. "After I die, my soul will scatter all over this land. It could end up with any animal or plant.
"I don't have any unreasonable expectations, but if Layman achieves the Great Dao and learns the skill of communicating with souls one day, when you see some animal of plant that you think has a part of me in them that allows me to be born as a cultivator again in another life… please give me a chance… please… please!"
The old man burst into tears and could not make a coherent sentence after that.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-153.png){kind=small}
Chapter 353: A Change Of Heart
Source: Qidian International
Gu Yu was fidgeting.
Well, maybe not, but he felt a tightness at his chest that he could not describe. He felt his heart was weighed down by a chunk of lead, making it difficult to breath.
After bidding Tan Chongdai farewell, he went back to Bai Town immersed in such an emotion. He was so overwhelmed that he only came to himself when he was up on the mountain and saw the familiar landscape again.
"Give him a hand. Give him a hand. Be careful, this is the newest sake the old master just developed. Don't spill it!"
In the courtyard of the brewery, Guo Fei was standing on the side, instructing two young helpers carrying the wine jars into the cellar. The old man Gao Mingde was not even here. With all the training of the past year, Guo Fei was capable enough to handle most situations on his own.
With the growing harvest of the fruit and grain on the mountain, the variety and quantity of the liquor was growing as well. Guo Fei and Gao Mingde alone were not enough to take care of everything, so they recruited two more young men, both locals of Bai Town.
"Brother Fei, I heard that the Master is coming back today, is that right?"
"I heard it too. I haven't met him yet since I came here. Why, tell us a bit about him. Is he very strict? I'm a little afraid, with him being an immortal and all."
The two young men closed the cellar and finished their job for the day. As always, they began to nag at Guo Fei for more stories.
"Ahem, let me tell you this: Master is the kindest man. I have never seen him losing his temper. But you have to know your place and behave yourselves, or you two will not only losing your faces, Master Gao and me will be ashamed as well. We two have been here for a long time. Back then, Master asked for us specifically to work here. If only you could see that…"
Guo Fei loved such occasions when he could brag about his history with Phoenix Mountain. He was about to go on when he shuddered, for a voice rang out in his ears.
"Come up here after dinner!"
"M-Mas…"
He blurted out a syllable before covering his mouth to silence himself, then nodded repeatedly.
"Brother Fei, what's wrong?" asked the two young men curiously.
"Nothing! Off you go! Time to sweep the yard!"
Guo Fei shooed the two out of the room and puckered up his face. Damn it, he was caught right in the middle of bragging. He wondered what punishment would he get later.
Gu Yu walked his way up and notified only a handful people along the way. He soon reached the Cottage of Pure Mind.
"Try this!"
He had just stepped into the valley when he heard the clear voice. Immediately after that, the flash of a blade ripped through the air with an explosive sound like a stretch of shining silk.
The sword was moving at such an astonishing speed that it was at his nose almost as soon as he heard the voice. It came with a whooshing wind, threatening to destroy everything in its way.
"That was fast!"
Gu Yu was a little stunned. Even with his reaction speed, he felt he did not have enough time. Bending up his fingers, he gave the blade a flick in a hurry.
Clunk!
His fingertip struck right on the face of the blade, making a sound reminding one of a dragon roaring, sending rippling waves through the air. The sword changed its direction and narrowly brushed past his shoulder.
Crack!
Wham!
A big tree behind him was cut down in the middle, but the sword did not slow down at all. It flew into the woods, and as if a hurricane had arrived, there was a series of snapping and crackling sounds, leaving behind a stretch of fallen trees.
"Brother!"
Our 174 cm tall little girl Long Qiu capered into sight, her gait somehow funny but befitting her at the same time. She was as happy as a little bird as she asked, "How's my sword? What do you think?"
"That was the Whirlwind Sword Manual?" Gu Yu rubbed her head and praised, "You're only just starting with it and it's already this powerful. Sweep across all lands and clean away all ten thousand miles of land—it is indeed the fastest sword!"
"Teehee, I've only just developed my sword energy. It's blue and very well-behaved. Oh, and there's my sword." She summoned the long sword back and swept it across the air. "I refined it again with Hollow Stone and it's much fiercer now. Since I don't have other good materials at the moment, I'm using it to nourish my sword energy for now."
"Haha, that's right. We'll find you a better one in the future." The two went inside while chatting on. Gu Yu looked around and asked, "Where are Xiaozhai and Xiaojin?"
"Jin Jin's working in the training court. Sister didn't find any spider in Sand Ridge, so she went to Mobei. She should be back this evening, though."
"I see…" Gu Yu nodded and asked, "You were saying Shengtian is being replanned over the phone. What's that all about?"
"Um, I don't know how to explain it, either. I kept a newspaper for you. Wait here!"
Long Qiu ran into the room and came back with a thick stack of newspaper.
Taking it, Gu Yu saw that it was the most official local press—Shengtian Daily. This one came with supplement as thick as seven or eight pages. It was packed with relevant issues on this replanning.
Gu Yu was not in the habit of sitting around idly, so he made himself a pot of spiritual tea and lay down under the old tree, reading the newspaper carefully.
According to UN, cities with a population of over a million were defined as megacities, although the actual standard differed from one country to the next. In the Chinese standard, those with a permanent resident population of 5-10 million were megacities and those with a population of over 10 million were megacity behemoths.
Large cities had a population of 1-5 million; medium-sized cities had a population between half and a million; those with a population below half a million were small cities (could be further divided into Type I and Type II small cities).
Shengtian had an overall area of over 12948 km^2 and a population of 9 million. Under its jurisdiction were ten districts, three counties, two county-level cities, 58 towns, and 20 townships.
The distribution of these areas was extremely skewed throughout Shengtian, mainly located in the west and south, leaving the north and east sparsely populated. For instance, the route going through Bai Town was in the east of Shengtian, and only contained one county-level city and nine towns and townships.
This new plan was going to expand towns and townships as a whole. For example, the five towns from Yidao River to Wudao River would take in a great number of migrants from the provinces of Heishui and Wula, making them into Type II small cities with population below 200 000.
The southwestern region of Shengtian was going to be cramped. Cities and roads were squeezed together, hardly having any room in between. Similarly, Shengtian would be upgraded into a magecity behemoth. Maybe because of its special status, Bai Town was not mentioned in this list.
Those were merely the general outline Gu Yu summarized. The actual plan was scarily detailed in all aspects, including housing, education, medical service, civil administration, etc.
"Ha…"
Gu Yu let out a long breath after he finally finished reading the newspaper.
He was no professional in policies, but common sense alone made him wonder: where would the state get all the money for the development of such a scale? There was bound to be a massive deficit, and what would the government do? Issue treasury bonds, raise taxes, and print more money.
Even a hopeless student like him could imagine how life would turn out to be for the common people!
Gosh, life simply would not give him a break these days. He had been getting nothing but bad news recently, which was driving him restless.
Before he realized, he had been lying under the tree for an entire afternoon. Little Soap was indeed working diligently. It was evening time, yet she still hadn't come back. Instead, boisterous sounds were coming from the direction of the valley entrance.
"This is even bigger! Has it gone spiritual already?"
"So what if it has! It stood no chance!"
"Obviously! Who would? It's our Fairy Lady we're talking about here!"
Rising to his feet, he saw that Xiaozhai had come back carrying a giant spider with a team of people trailing behind her.
Looking up, she spotted Old Gu and dismissed the others. She then tossed the spider on the ground and chuckled. "Why, having a lazy afternoon here? Have you eaten?"
"I was waiting for you to have dinner together!" Eyeing the spider, Gu Yu made himself sound worried. "You didn't have to go all the way to Mobei for a spider. That must have been very tiring."
See? That was how an experience boyfriend spoke!
When your girlfriend had done something that was either giving you a hard time or unnecessary, under no circumstances should you point it out directly. Instead, you should shift the focus to care for her own well-being.
'You didn't have to go through all the trouble! I was only worried about you! You have been busy all along and you're taking so much responsibility on your shoulders. You're wearing yourself out! What if you fall sick from it? What am I going to do then…' Blah, blah, blah, you know the drill.
Of course, Xiaozhai would never buy it. She knew Gu Yu even better than she knew herself.
She stood still right away and scanned him from head to toe, grinning. "Why so blue? Come, talk to you big sister."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-154.png){kind=small}
Chapter 354: Start With Something Small
Source: Qidian International
"That's why you're depressed?"
Under the old tree, Xiaozhai yawned after hearing Gu Yu's story, then leaned back into her chair.
"Excuse me? Stop looking so bored! I'm being very serious here," complained Gu Yu.
"So am I. I'd be depressed too if it were me to go through all that, but you were telling me what had happened not because you wanted my consolation; you wanted an affirmation. So, an affirmation I will be giving you."
Xiaozhai picked up her small, round teapot and caressed it between her hands. She reminded Gu Yu of a big cat curling up lazily in its cozy nest, playing with a fluffy ball with its pink pads. Slowly, she began to talk.
"Old Gu, we're both selfish people, and selfishness comes in various degrees—some believe everyone for himself and devil takes the hindmost, while others wouldn't mind helping out their friends and families. We're the latter kind. We can probably count all the people we really care about with two hands. National identity is too big a thing for us to worry. Of course, every now and then, we will stand up against injustice or champion the good, kill the tyrants, help the people, and save the world, but it's all up to us. We give a hand to those we like and kill off those that piss us off. That's how we live our life. The bottom line is, whatever choice we make on such occasions, we won't be bothered by it afterwards."
"..."
Pursing his lips, Gu Yu said, "Yea, I agree."
"But what's happening now? Well, your mind is disturbed and you're unsettled. You want to do more than that: you're actively trying to take more responsibility and make more things your own problem. I have no problem with that! Do whatever you want! Succeeded, your Taoist belief is sublimated, and you're one step closer to immortality; failed, you have Phoenix Mountain to fall back onto. We're all in this together with you. What are you afraid of?"
"Um…"
Gu Yu was speechless. He was still used to the idea of girls being the moody ones in couples/Taoist companions, who would turn to their boyfriends for comfort.
It was the other way around with them. Xiaozhai was so lucid and level-headed in certain aspect that ever since they met, nothing seemed to disturb her—other than things to do with her master.
Talk about the pressure of having such a strong girlfriend!
What was more, she was a year older than Gu Yu, making her a teacher, a companion, an elder sister, and a friend at the same time… why, that almost sounded as if he had four girlfriends at the same time.
"In my four years of cultivation, although I have my own understandings of this new experience, I've always kept them inside and ignored them subconsciously. It was only until I met the old priest and heard his words, sigh…" Gu Yu heaved a sigh and said slowly, "I felt I had been too damn lucky, that it seemed unreal and that a whole world of people out there might be jealous of me. It's giving me the jitters.
"As the saying goes, the law of nature is like setting an arrow on the bow: you lower it if the string is pulled too high, raise it if it's too low, reduce the strength if it's drawn too tight, and pull hard if it's too loose.
"We're now in a prosperous time when everything is coming back into a new life cycle, but people will end up in such different places because of their different destiny. As the torchbearer, I do feel ashamed for that. I would really want to help them within my capability."
"And?"
Still playing with the teapot in one hand, Xiaozhai flipped her fingers of the other hand and the big spider just about to wake up was knocked out again.
"The Technical Sword of Youxian Sect!"
Gu Yu had enough of a spider rolling around under his nose; with a wave of his hand, he sent it flying to the other side of the river. He then waved again, cradling his girlfriend between his arms, saying, "I want to teach it to others and spread the knowledge. Of course, I won't rush it. I'll start with people here in the mountain."
"Great! We were keeping things to ourselves in the beginning because everyone had so little. Now that everyone is having something up their sleeves, the first one opening up gets the initiative. There's one thing I need to remind you, though."
"What's that?" asked Gu Yu.
"Them!" Xiaozhai pointed upwards and chuckled. "In case someone up there wants to play dirty, it'll be safer for you to open up to the public only after you reach the Human Immortal state. You can then set up the altar and spread all the knowledge you want, enlightening the ignorant living souls…"
Set up an altar, spread the knowledge, and help the common people!
OMG!
The prospect Xiaozhai depicted was almost rousing in Gu Yu's ears. He was about to respond to that when Xiaozhai said, "I see that Guo Fei and Li Dong have come up here—you have made your pick, then. I'll go work with that spider. See you later."
With that, she shifted her body and was on the river bank the next moment. With another swift move, she disappeared, taking the spider with her. Immediately after that, her voice came from the southeast side of the valley.
"Don't take too long. I'll be back soon!"
A large piece of land had been circled out in the southeast corner as a farm, where the little boars they caught earlier were also kept.
Gu Yu almost blushed a little at the last reminder. He then walked out of the cottage and saw that four men were waiting outside. He said, "Come in."
"Yes!"
He led them into the meditation room, where Old Shui, Li Dong, Guo Fei, and Zheng Kaixin arranged themselves in a row.
Up till now, there were 43 people directly employed by Phoenix Mountain.
There were fifteen orchard workers, tea growers, and brewers on the mountain in total. After a lengthy "probation period", Li Dong barely made his way into the "management level". There were also Zheng Kaixin and his mother.
Old Shui was in charge of the manor down the mountain where Zhang Qianqiu and six others took care of reception and maintenance work. Old Shui had also set up a small freight company covering the route between Shengtian and Bai Town, which had another nine employees.
Near the manor was a workshop making talisman paper, which had five workers.
As for out there in Shengtian, Yan Han took charge of Pavilion of Gems. With the growing amount of goods going in and out, he could no longer handle the business alone and had hired two more people.
These old acquaintances had all been put through tests and passed. They each had their own shortcomings, but overall were good people. As for Zheng Kaixin, he was brought back to Phoenix Mountain as a potential pupil. Old Shui was almost part of the family.
Yan Han was still in Shengtian, so the three men and a boy were all he summoned here today.
Actually, there was one more candidate—Fang Qing, Uncle Fang's young daughter. It was slightly different with her, though. These four here all knew about Gu Yu's real identity and were here to learn, but Fang Qing knew nothing about this side of Gu Yu. He made a mental note of talking to her about it later.
"Old Gu, why are we here? You want to check the accounts? I have the ledger with me!"
Old Shui was closer to Gu Yu than the rest and had always said the first thing coming to his mind. The other three dared not behave the same way, though they all thought they were here because Gu Yu wanted to check the accounts and make inquiries.
"Put that away!" Gu Yu rolled his eyes at Old Shui, then straightened his face. "I have asked you to come here today because there is an important thing I need to tell you. I have a method here that can train your body and mind. It is an excellent way to set up a foundation, but it is very strict in the natural endowment of the practitioner. With it, you will have a very slim chance of breaking into the innate state. Do you want to learn it?"
Boom!
It was as if a bomb had gone off in the small room—everyone was over the moon. Old Shui was the calmest, whereas the other three were all dumbstruck, especially Li Dong, who had snuck into Phoenix Mountain for this day to begin with. Holy crap! He had lived to see this day coming!
As the only kid here, Zheng Kaixing was exhilarated, shouting, "Yes! We do!"
"Can I ask what the skill is? Aren't we a bit too old for that?" asked Old Shui.
"Yes, do we still have time to learn it?" Guo Fei chimed in, for he was well into his thirties.
"It is a sword skill. Although it is very basic, it is more powerful than you think. Regardless of how old or untalented you are, even with one or two stances of it, you'll gain a way to protect yourself. If you're more perceptive and master the skill, it will benefit you greatly."
"Then what are we waiting for? We'll do it!" Waving his big hand, Old Shui made the decision on their behalf.
"Good. Now, go get yourselves a wooden sword and a steel sword each. We'll begin three days later."
"Yes!"
After the four left, Gu Yu paced around in the room for a while and suddenly relaxed, chuckling. "Well, I'm doing it; there's no need to overthink it."
The job was finished faster than he'd thought and Xiaozhai had not come back yet.
He took a shower, then having nothing better to do, he rearranged the various Taoist skills Phoenix Mountain had so far.
There were four major skills: Essence-consuming Method, Thunder Technique, Devil-smashing Sword Manual, and Whirlwind Sword Manual.
Because the essence-consuming method was calm, tolerant, and had no attribute, one could cultivate it together with the sword manual without suffering from incompatibility. Gu Yu and Xiao Qiu, for instance, both had essence-consuming method as their main skill and used sword manuals as their assault method.
Of course, one could always cultivate in the sword manual alone. Thunder Technique, on the other hand, was quite the character. It was so domineering that it would not allow any parallel methods. Nada! Zilch!
Phoenix Mountain had seven chapters on cultivation, which he now expanded to ten with quite some new content.
Section One contained the Method of Consuming Six essences, which could take one as far as the Earthly Immortal state.
Also recorded in the same chapter was the Boundless State Conjuring Technique and Shadow-switching Technique, of which Xiaojin had taken the former and Xiao Qiu the latter, only that they were not using them frequently for lack of capability.
Section Two contained "Shenxiao's Tinkling Jade Book of Great Thunder", which could also take one as far as the Earthly Immortal state.
Section Three was the Devil-smashing Sword Manual and Section Four the Whirlwind Sword Manual; both also enabled one to reach the Earthly Immortal state. Each sword manual was of a different individual system, including the Technical Swords.
Section Five contained three talisman skills: Flying Talisman Message Technique, Shape-changing Talisman, and Five-transformation Rain-praying Talisman.
Section Six contained three transportation skills: Void-arranging Technique, Small Moving Technique, and Water-walking Technique.
Section Seven had eight basic skills: Small Confining Technique, Storage Technique, Mental Force Refinement Technique, Forty-eight Hand Movements, Snake-controlling Technique, Wood-appraisal Technique, and Swordcraft.
This was the sword skill passed down through Xiaozhai's sect. It was mighty enough, but one could not reach the innate state by practicing it.
Section Eight contained three passages on refining instruments.
Whisk of Tranquility: recorded in the Seal of Patriarch Sa. Flaming Cloud Needle: Gu Yu's own instrument. Thundercloud Grit: Xiaozhai gave it to Xiaojin. Sky-turning Seal: Xiaojin was still working on it. Qingping Sword: the long sword Long Qiu refined again. The saber Green Leaf: the short blade Xiaozhai refined again.
The ninth section contained three passages on Dan and three incense recipes.
Essence-gathering Dan: recorded in the Seal of Patriarch Sa, a consumable for Human Immortal cultivators; very difficult to make.
Body-refining and Mind-enhancing Dan: recorded in the "Book on the State of Mind of Black Bead", consumables for innate state cultivators; successfully made.
Evil-expelling Dan: consumable for acquired state cultivators and ordinary people; successfully made.
And the additional recipes containing unusual materials to help with cultivation.
Essence-gathering Incense: suitable for acquired state cultivators; accelerated the speed of refining Qi.
Peach Blossom Incense: made from the Peach Blossom Miasma, confused the mind and had an arousing effect.
Civet Incense: a delightful incense Gu Yu concocted in passing. Unlike the peach blossom one, this was mainly for private use between the young couple.
Section Ten contained a book called "Cultivation Anecdotes" and a map of the mutated regions of the country from the north to the south, which he had complied himself.
Some were not included in the app, and those that were in the app were described in more detail here with Gu Yu's own experience.
***
The essence-consuming method and Thunder Technique were so strict on the requirement of natural endowment that they could not be applied to ordinary people. The Technical Sword was also strict, but it would at least improve one's combat capability. Even if they couldn't reach the innate state, training themselves into capable acquired state cultivators would not be a bad idea.
The Tao Family of Diannan knew they duty very well and had sent Gu Yu some jade stones shortly after they returned to Phoenix Mountain. The stones were not of the top quality, but were good enough to make into jade slips.
After finishing rearranging this, he sealed up the ten jade slips, the Seal of Patriarch Sa, and the drawing of the eight-armed evil Buddha into their library. The once empty bookshelves were growing fuller by the day, which was such a comforting picture. He was imagining buildings ten thousand meters high erupting out of the ground in his head.
The next second, our Old Gu turned around and saw Xiaozhai coming towards him. His triumphant face slacked and he went into the kitchen to heat up their dinner.
However high those buildings were rising, the phoenix back to his nest was no prouder than a rooster. It was time to fulfil his duty again.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-155.png){kind=small}
Chapter 355: New Pupils
Source: Qidian International
Early morning, the training court.
Old Shui, Guo Fei, Li Dong, Yan Han, and Zheng Kaixin stood side by side in a row, listening solemnly as Gu Yu spoke. Despite being kind of a distant relative of Xiaozhai, Old Shui did not behave any differently and stood there watching Gu Yu with respect.
"You five are of different age groups, and each has their own body type, sensitivity, and temperament. Old Shui has had some basic training before, but it was not much, so it's safe to say that this is the first time for all of you to learn to use a sword."
Gu Yu was no longer the easygoing employer here—he was teaching pupils, and he might as well act like a proper teacher. He went on, "We modern people read so much about everything and can have unreasonable fantasies about the profound Taoist skills. Let me make one thing clear first: I am teaching you sword skills here. You can think it as the sword stances you read in wuxia novels. All those learning to use a sword should have their own understanding about the weapon instead of simply echoing the voice of the others. Train your body, nourish your mind, or even use it as a killing tool—there is no wrong understanding.
"Of course, it's still too early for you to consider that. What you have to do now is to get to know the sword and sense the moment when it strikes out."
"S-sir, are we, are we going to address you as Master from now on?" Li Dong's voice was trembling with excitement.
"No, you are not my official pupils, so just call me the old way."
"Oh…"
Li Dong was a little disappointed, but he found that understandable. Gu Yu was like the anonymous master roaming around the world, willing to teach a thing or two to those he found suitable during the journey.
That concluded Gu Yu's introduction. He then said, "Now, Kaixin, you stay here. The rest, follow me to the other side."
"Sir, am I left behind? I want to learn it too!"
The kid almost burst into tears.
"Your condition is a little special, and my sword manual doesn't suit you. Xiao Qiu will be teaching you instead."
"Sister Qiu?"
The kid was all sunshine instantly and almost cheered loudly. Who wouldn't prefer a tall, slim, and gentle teacher that had a soft waist, slender fingers, pretty ankles, and a lovely voice?
The idea actually only came to Gu Yu just then. Because of the faint Yin energy in Zheng Kaixin's meridians, his Devil-smashing Sword Manual might not be compatible with the boy. Xiao Qiu's Whirlwind Sword Manual, on the other hand, wouldn't be a problem.
Aaaaaaah!
Li Dong and the others eyed the boy enviously. 'I want Sister Qiu as my teacher as well!'
Before long, Long Qiu also arrived at the training court and the two classes each took a side. With the court's size of a football field, they wouldn't be getting in each other's way.
"Old Shui, let me borrow your wooden sword first."
Gu Yu took over the sword Shui Yao passed him and examined it. The sword was a little over a meter long and was made from the old tree growing on the mountain. The wood was extremely hard but ductile; the sword weighed about 1.8 kg.
With the three days they were given, they had put much thought into the sword. The wooden blade was finely burnished.
"This sword skill had no name, and since I'm lazy, I simply decided to call it 'Red Sun Swordplay'. In this swordplay, your steps follow the Nine Halls Diagram; there are 36 stances in total whose corresponding manual you have already transcribed. I won't be teaching you any specific movement today, but only how to draw your sword and make a strike."
Holding the wooden sword in one hand, Gu Yu spoke in an unhurried tone. To the four pupils, the words felt like they were being inscribed in their memory.
"Swordplay has a twenty-word manual: draw, lead, wave, wipe, lift, skim, crack, flip, stab, beat, twist, intercept, hack, parry, split, prod, poke, hitch, grind, and pare. These twenty words are the most fundamental element of sword movements and can be further simplified into four words: parry, pare, strike, and stab. The first two are defensive moves and the latter two are offensive. The first one I'm going to teach you today is stab!"
With that, he strode out with his left foot and pushed the sword straight out. Some kind of energy seemed to erupt from beneath his feet then rushed up to his waist, his back, and all the way to his right shoulder.
The energy then amplified abruptly from his right shoulder, sweeping out like a torrential wave, rushing into the sword along his arm.
Then, there came a "Pop!"
The other four covered their ears right away, looking a little uncomfortable.
As the sword thrust out, the air was torn apart, making a jarring explosive sound. They could even see the air stirred right at the tip of the blade, and the little space there was contorted for a moment.
Holy sh*t!
That was unbelievable! OH MY GOD, Mr. Gu!!!
After a brief moment of admiration, Guo Fei was overwhelmed by excitement and an urge he could not control. He was already imagining himself travelling the world with his formidable sword skill and becoming a great master himself.
"..."
Gu Yu finished the stance and drew back the sword, then with an expressionless face, he asked, "So, tell me, what did you see?"
!!!
Guo Fei was dumbstruck. He was all about his fantasy and saw nothing else. Faltering and abashed, he couldn't come up with an answer.
"Well, you lunged out with your left foot. The force came from under your feet and was exerted in a stabbing motion from the tip of the sword. Your arm was kept at a straight line with the sword, which was a 'proper within surprise' move."
Surprisingly, Yan Han was the first to speak.
"Yes, that's correct. I see you've been doing your homework." Gu Yu nodded.
He had given them the notes on training manual and basic theories. It was up to them whether or not they chose to read it.
Swordplay consisted of six approaches—proper-surprise-proper, surprise-proper-surprise, proper within surprise, surprise within proper, surprise within surprise, and double proper—which corresponded to the change of Yin and Yang.
The so-called "surprise" and "proper" described the choice of different directions (up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) facilitated by the turning, rising or falling, quickening or slowing down, moving or keeping still of one's movement so as to fight their opponents.
After Yan Han, Li Dong also spoke, "When you were finishing up, it wasn't a complete closing form. The sword in your right hand was pointing upwards at an angle and your left foot was slightly flexed backwards. It seemed you were going to proceed to the stance of 'an Immortal hanging his shadow'."
'Oh?'
That actually surprised Gu Yu. This fellow was good at this!
Although Li Dong had been given the illustrations of the 36 stances of the Nine Halls Diagrams, he was able to detect his intentions from that little hint Gu Yu had left—that was not something one could do by mechanical memorization alone. He had formed his unique understanding of Gu Yu's move.
"Very good!" Gu Yu praised Li Dong, which was very rare for him. He then turned to the next one. "Old Shui, how about you?"
"Awesome!" Old Shui gave him a thumbs up.
'You lazy bastard!' Gu Yu could not be bothered to reply to that and tossed him back his wooden sword. "When people engage in fighting, they will bend and extend various parts of their body and limbs. If you're going to bend backwards, move forward first; if you're going to bend right, extend to the left… that is how surprise and proper work in the same way Yin and Yang complement each other. Failure to make the right move will render your movement rigid. In order to use a sword effectively, you'll have to train your hand, your body, your eyes, and your feet. That all depends on how much effort you're going to put in after class—it will be none of my business. Now, grab your sword and practice this stabbing motion first!"
After that, his class formally began their practice.
The four each had their own characteristics. Despite his careless appearance, Old Shui was quite sharp-minded deep down and very clever. He soon mastered the move. Guo Fei was trying to save his face from earlier and became impatient. He was going nowhere.
Yan Han was prudent and proper. One could see clearly that he was mimicking Gu Yu's move.
As for Li Dong, he was a real gem. Sometimes being perceptive did not make one clever. Being clever was a general thing, whereas perception was only reflected in certain areas. This fellow, for instance, had a brain for cultivation only.
Instead of merely copying Gu Yu's move, on top of the basic technique, he had given how to make his own move comfortable and fluid much thought. An Otaku he might be, but the way his sword moved had a carefree feeling to it.
***
It was a totally different picture over on the other side.
Long Qiu did not think of herself as the teacher and Zhang Kaixin did not feel like the pupil, either. He was simply happy to be around the nice big sister.
Hence, all was jolly there. Xiao Qiu brought him up on a branch and was dangling her legs as if she was telling him a story.
"I haven't been learning use sword for very long, either. Sister taught me. I think there are three levels of sword skills, and the lowest one is when you only see the sword but not the people. For example, when you fight a bad man, you keep your eyes on his sword all the time. He stabs, you parry; he slash, you block. That means…"
"That means I'm afraid of his sword and all I think is to stop it from touching me!" Zhang Kaixin finished the sentence.
"Yes, very good! That is why you should never be like that. You shouldn't be afraid when you're holding your sword. The more knocking sounds your sword makes, the lower your level is." Rubbing his head, Long Qiu smiled. "The middle level is when you can't see his sword, but can see the person himself. When you fight him, you chase after the person only. That is much better; ordinary people won't be able to defeat you.
"The highest level is when you see neither the sword nor the person. When his sword strikes, my sword follows my body and the move of my sword is completely decided by where my body goes. When I strike out with my sword, my body follows, and I can naturally dodge the other sword.
"It's like what the sword manual says: 'sense and respond to the imminent attack with both the mind and the sword. The sword follows wherever the body goes like shadow. Striking out, the opponent is beheaded!'"
Her soft, gentle voice was not to the least overbearing, yet Zheng Kaixin shuddered at those words. Though still clueless, he was able to sense something so magnificent that it could devour rivers, sink the moon, and wash over heaven and earth!
As once mentioned, Xiao Qiu was the most talented in swordcraft in Phoenix Mountain. The talk she gave the kid today—although part of it she herself did not understand yet—had left an indelible imprint in his mind.
'Striking out, the opponent is beheaded!'
***
Night, the dining room.
The family of four was finally able to eat at the same table. The parents sat in the middle and the two girls each sat on one side. Xiaojin was very curious in the whole taking in new pupils business, but with the refinement of her Sky-turning Seal, she really had no spare time. She was now asking, "Qiu Qiu, how does it feel to be a teacher?"
"It was all right. Kaixin is a good kid." Long Qiu peeled garlic for her sister.
"What did you teach him, then? You weren't reading him fairy tales, were you?"
"Of course not. I was only telling him about my understanding of sword skills. He listened to me very carefully." Long Qiu then peeled garlic for her brother.
"Kaixin is still a child, Xiao Qiu is a perfect teacher for him. Take your time. There's no need to rush." Gu Yu smiled.
"Yes, I know. He's quite smart."
Xiao Qiu nodded repeatedly and slowly ate her noodles. Somehow, she made no slurping sounds at all and looked so lady-like. Xiaojin would not let herself be outshone in this. Mumbling incoherently, she downed another big bowl of noodles.
"..."
Gu Yu shook his head at this. He would be staying on the mountain for about a month this time and would not leave until mid-December. During this time, he would probably see such warm (more like silly) scenes every day. He then turned to his girlfriend, asking, "By the way, didn't you say you were collecting spider silk? What exactly does it look like?"
"Like this!" Xiaozhai fumbled out a messy ball of silver thread that reminded him of a cotton candy. "This is the silk of Sand-walking Spiders. It can resist ordinary water and fire and is especially good at keeping off sand. Unfortunately, it has no defensive ability."
Gu Yu took it over and gave it a tug. The tenacity was quite good as well. "What's the yield?"
"50 g per spider per month."
"That's only a little over a kilo a year, and you want to make clothes with it?" He was speechless.
"Maybe not clothes, but I can always use a pair of panties," said Xiaozhai.
'Why do your panties need to be water-and-fireproof?!'
Gu Yu kept the sarcastic comment to himself. After the quick dinner, he said, "I'm going to Phoenix Fair tomorrow."
"Coming clean?"
"Yea. I've been keeping it from them for so long... It's time to let them know."
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Chapter 356: Farewell
Source: Qidian International
"Are you telling me that you've been cultivating all this time and Phoenix Mountain is you territory?"
"Yup. Things were too complicated before and it wasn't a good time to tell you. Now that it's all out in the open, it's much safer to talk about it."
"Ok!"
Inside the old house in Phoenix Fair, Fang Qing watched Gu Yu, apparently not very surprised, and gave a one-word reply.
Ok?
Gu Yu turned out to be the one taken by surprise. "You knew about my identity?"
"No, I didn't!"
"But, you…"
"Haha, my dear Older Brother, do you think I'm still that old self? Let's see. We haven't met for how long, almost a year? Look at me."
Fang Qing stood up, spread out her arms, and turned around on the spot.
"..."
Gu Yu watched her closely. Only then did he suddenly noticed that the little girl that used to be only as tall as his chest was now reaching his shoulders. She was no longer wearing the dowdy clothes, but had chosen an outfit that looked both fashionable and had her own style. She had lost a bit of her baby fat, her hair was dark and full, and she was full of that 18-year-old youthful charm.
Do recall that when he first ate the red fruit, Fang Qing was preparing for her high school entrance examination. Now that four years had passed, she should be… wait, she should be in college now. Why was she still in Phoenix Fair?
"Um…"
For a moment there, Gu Yu was utterly embarrassed. He wanted to ask about it, but didn't know where to begin.
"Teehee!" Seeing his awkwardness, Fang Qing burst into laughter. "All right, enough with my teasing. Thanks to the money you sent every year, my mum and dad didn't have to work till their backs broke and my grades were not bad. It actually puzzled me all this time: with your temperament, what kind of business could you run? And what idiot would spend that much money to have you make incense for them?
"That's why I never believed your story, not to mention all those beautiful women and rich people popping up around you… hoho, I have read webnovels, okay? Then, there was the whole business about cultivation and I pretty much figured it out myself."
She sat back onto her chair, leaning on the desk behind her, on which was that old laptop from back when Gu Yu was still here. She chuckled. "Brother, do you really think I'm still that foolish little sister? I'm a big girl now!"
Before Gu Yu could respond, she went on, "But you said Phoenix Mountain is yours—that's something I've never expected. Why, you must be one of the big shots now."
"Well, I don't know what to say!" Gu Yu waved his hands embarrassingly and finally asked the question. "In that case, what is it with your study? Shouldn't you be in college already?"
"I was going to take the exam, but there was this new regulation last year, requiring all universities to set up a discipline called 'research on the relationship between new environment and social development', and one had to meet certain criteria to apply for it, which I didn't meet back then. That's why I waited another year. I've applied for it this year, and I'm going to a university in the capital next year."
Capital, wow!
Gu Yu was amazed. The kid somehow managed to surprise him—instead of the other way around. He waited a moment before asking earnestly, "Qing Qing, I came back today not only to tell you all about the truth, but also to ask you if you're interested in joining me in the cultivation world."
"..."
Hesitation flickered in Fang Qing's eyes for a splitting second before she said, "Brother, I know you're offering me this for my own good, but I still want to go to the capital city, study that subject, and work in the relevant field in the future. I think that's where my real interest lies."
"Have you made your decision?"
"Yes."
"All right. I'm not going to force you into anything. But if you run into any problem in the future, promise me you'll tell me." Gu Yu sighed and added, "Oh, if Uncle Fang and Aunt Fang want to come to Phoenix Mountain, they're more than welcomed."
"They're so used to the life here in Phoenix Fair… all right, I'll ask them for you later."
Fang Qing really was a big girl now. He could still recall the mischievous brat she once was—she was still sparky and lively, but there was now an independence and incisiveness in her.
Sensing that Gu Yu had said all he was here to say, Fang Qing rose to her feet first and said, "Everything is fine with my family, you don't have to worry about us. I should go now. Although, Brother, I'm off to college soon, so don't you have any gift for me?"
"Gift…"
Gu Yu did not see that question coming. He fumbled around hastily, taking out everything from spiritual stones to Dan pills. Fang Qing almost went dizzy seeing him flustering around and stopped him in a hurry, "All right, just give me, um, this."
With that, she held up that old laptop.
***
As expected, Uncle and Aunt Fang had little interest in going up the mountain.
They had been living in Phoenix Fair all their life, practically knowing all their neighbors since they were in diapers. Here, they spent their spare time shooting the breeze in one another's homes, exchanging one's dumplings for another's skewered meat, and playing mahjong for five cents a round every now and then.
To them, such a life was better than heaven. Why on earth would they want to move onto a mountain and become some empty nesters of the cultivation world?
Well, the real reason was that they knew perfectly well they were not cut out for cultivation and decided not to fantasize about it.
Maybe it was because of him approaching the Human Immortal state and the recent events—from Tan Chongdai, the replanning of Shengtian, and going back to his childhood memories—Gu Yu was feeling low these days. He couldn't get over the idea that once he was over that threshold, he was really saying goodbye to everything in this mortal world.
He had no idea if such a feeling was normal. After all, there hadn't been a Human Immortal for centuries, and as the first one (in this cycle) to try tomato, he had no one to turn to for past experience.
Before they knew it, a month had passed and it was mid-December.
Early this morning, Li Dong and the other three were still repeating the monotonous basic moves in the training court: draw, lead, wave, wipe, lift, skim, crack, flip, stab, beat, twist, intercept, hack, parry, split, prod, poke, hitch, grind, and pare… the same old twenty words!
It would not be an exaggeration to say that it would take them at least a year to master all twenty moves. Over on the other side, Long Qiu was no longer telling stories and was now teaching Zheng Kaixin how to use his force taking him by the hand.
Gu Yu himself was sitting on a big rock, cultivating his sword energy. He did not have enough time when he was in the South and had to carry the sword around in a box. Now that he was finally free, he thought he should at least achieve storing it away in his Sword Seed.
"Ha…."
Eyes half closed, he activated his Sword Seed and gold sword energy floated around him in threads as thin as silk which then wove into seven thicker streaks and extended upwards into the sky.
Right above his head floated the Red Sun Sword, which circled around slowly as the seven golden streaks wrapped themselves tightly around it.
It seemed forever before Gu Yu's eyes shot open and he waved his hand, commanding, "In!"
Clunk!
Red Sun Sword let out a long and clear cry and rotated until the tip of the blade was pointing right at Gu Yu. There was then a golden flash and the sword disappeared, as if it had dived into a deep pool and sank right to the bottom.
He immediately turned his mental force inward to examine the Sword Seed. A tiniest sword was now floating inside it, while the seed was emanating pure energy of golden flame, nourishing the sword constantly.
Meanwhile, his mind also shuddered, and he felt he was now more closely connected to Red Sun Sword, which—like his vital essence—had now become part of him.
"Good, it worked. Going abroad carrying a shabby box would be too embarrassing."
Activating his mental force, Gu Yu tried a few times to let out and take back the sword, then nodded with satisfaction.
He was about to move to somewhere further to try its power when he turned and grabbed at the empty air.
Whoosh!
A streak of flashing light dashed towards him, turning into a talisman in his hand. It then burst into flame and a message rang out in his head: guest at the mountain foot.
It was a message talisman from Xiaozhai.
Guest?
He expected to see someone from the government discussing affairs of the international conference, but it turned out to be a man from the sub-bureau of the BIMAUP, and a quite high-ranking official at that.
"Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Gu!" The man went up to him and explained right away, "It happened so suddenly, and we felt we should come here in person to show the appropriate respect."
"What is it?" asked Gu Yu.
"We just received news from the monastery. Old Priest Tan has passed away."
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-157.png){kind=small}
Chapter 357: Duty Calls
Source: Qidian International
Tan Chongdai did not make it through this winter.
It was two days ago when it struck him that his life was coming to an end. Without any fear or grief, he calmly left Zhu Ridge and ascended Yiyun 1 Peak 5 km away alone.
The top of the peak was a peculiar geological structure, which consisted of countless natural grottoes with depths ranging from just over a meter to hundreds of meters. Tan Chongdai walked into one and never came out.
Lu Yuanqing himself waited outside the grotto Tan Chongdai entered for two whole days, sensing the energy of the latter growing weaker. Finally, early in the morning of the third day, he could no longer detect anything.
He knew at that moment that the old priest was gone.
Three years ago, fate brought the thirty-six members of Qiyun to Tianzhu Mountain, where they set up the monastery, full of ambition and swearing an oath to bring prosperity to the Taoist community. Three years later, they lost their first companion in the quest for immortality. There were thirty-five of them left now.
Although the Taoist community had been declining for many generations before this new era, during the modern times, there were extremely famous Taoist priests who might or might not be worthy of their fame.
After such priests died, scratch that, after they "ascended into the immortal world", spectacular ceremonies were held to perform prayer rituals. There were even anniversary ceremonies to commemorate the "ascension". Some regions would have legends about certain figure's body staying uncorrupted after death, followed by turning the body into a statue, which was worshipped in temples.
This somehow seemed to become an accepted custom for the general population, so much that after Tan Chongdai passed away, the authorities offered to hold a prayer ritual in his name and store his body in a pagoda as a gesture of mourning.
They meant well, but Lu Yuanqing lost his temper over the suggestion, which was very rare for him.
He announced that same day that since the old priest had chosen Yiyun Peak as his final resting place, from now on, that peak would be the place everyone in the monastery went to for their last moment on earth.
They were all on this never-ending path and no one knew who would be the next to depart, to see through nature's mystery, or to idle away the rest of their life… no matter what future fate bestowed upon them, those still alive would march on carrying the hope of those no longer with them. They were all in this together!
***
Maybe because of the talk with Tan Chongdai earlier, Gu Yu was neither shocked nor sad when he heard the news. Naturally, he set up an altar in Phoenix Mountain, where he burnt the incense sticks and bowed towards the direction of Qiyun.
The old priest asked for a favor when he came to Gu Yu that day: if you achieved the Great Dao one day and met part of my wandering soul, please help me to move on.
Gu Yu agreed then, which was a very big deal. It was a promise witnessed by his belief in the Great Dao. Nothing would happen if he never met Tan Chongdai's soul, but if he did and failed to keep his promise, it would shatter his Taoist belief.
Night, the meditation room.
Xiaozhai sat on the rush mat, poured a Mind-enhancing Dan out of the gourd, and swallowed it.
The success rate of the Dan refinement was not high to begin with, and after all this time, that was the last one left. Gu Yu was going abroad soon, but luckily, Xiao Qiu could fill the blank with some maneuvering. Xiaozhai was going to take her to Celestial Master Temple soon to borrow the furnace to refine some more.
As soon as she swallowed the pill, she began to circulate her inner Qi immediately to digest the energy.
The flaming red and glistening pill melted in her mouth right away, its energy turning into streaks of red current flowing into her body.
Xiaozhai's vital essence surged as red light of various intensity erupted. Moving inside that glow were three streaks of golden purple, black purple, and blue purple light, which looked like three soaring dragons among the crackling sounds her meridians were making.
It seemed forever before the red glow finally dimmed and disappeared.
"Ha…"
Opening her eyes, Xiaozhai felt that her Wood Thunder energy had improved again. At this speed, it would take her about a year to complete a type of Thunder Technique, which meant she would achieve perfection in all five Thunders in three years' time.
Conventional theory dictated that there were mutual promotion and restraint between the five elements.
For instance, she began with Metal Thunder first, and metal promoted water; she then moved on to Water Thunder, and water promoted wood. She was now on Wood Thunder, but metal restrained wood, hence the two should be incompatible.
However, that was why Shenxiao's Tinkling Jade Book of Great Thunder was remarkable: the five types of Thunder energy were well balanced. Metal restrained wood, but water promoted wood. The two effects cancelled each other out, making everything harmonious.
"Knock, knock!"
She'd finished meditating and was about to take a walk outside when there was a knock at the door and someone walked in.
"Finished your exercise for the day?" asked Gu Yu.
"Yes. The pills have run out. I'll take Xiao Qiu to Celestial Master Temple in a few days." Xiaozhai was halfway rising to her feet when she sat back down. "What's happening?"
"Nothing, just want to talk to you."
Gu Yu sat down facing her and habitually reached out and held her hand. Caressing the smooth and flawless skin on the back of her hand, he said, "I'm having this very strange feeling lately, which I have never experienced before, but ever since that talk with Priest Tan, I felt depressed for no reason. Then I went to see Fang Qing and it got even more intense."
He paused a little and went on. "It almost feels like I'm being sentimental—like in the romance novels. At first, I thought it was because of what Priest Tan said, but on a second thought, I don't think that's the reason. This feeling is uncontrollable, almost as if I am bound to go through it."
"What is this feeling? Be specific." Xiaozhai was greatly intrigued.
"I can't. But if I have to describe it…" Gu Yu searched for the right word. A moment later, he said, "Farewell, it's like bidding someone farewell."
"Not abandoning?" asked Xiaozhai.
"No, no. Abandoning is too harsh and cold. This thing, though, feels like something unseen is guiding me to bid farewell to some people, some things, and some memories."
"..." Xiaozhai was silent for a while before asking abruptly, "Have you heard about the term 'expel the Three Corpses'?"
"Haha, I used to read about it all the time." Gu Yu saw what she was getting at and chuckled. "Expel good and evil, expel oneself, and one gets to become immortal. That theory aside, I think I'm experiencing the similar thing at the moment.
"Cultivation is the process of transcendence. By moving to the next state, one is not only transcending to the next level of vital essence or Taoist skills, but also changing their mortal heart as well. Cut the connection from the mortal world, bid the past life farewell, and you're becoming an immortal."
"Well, the logic is correct. Maybe that's the road all has to pass in order to reach the Human Immortal state. What you're going through is a very precious experience. You'd better come up with some more, so that the future cultivators could learn from it."
"I agree. I also feel that the time has not come yet, for despite this urge inside, I still lack that final little push. I'm in no rush, though. Maybe I'll learn something during this trip abroad…"
"Hey, wait a minute!" Xiaozhai interrupted him.
"What's wrong?" He was surprised.
"You're saying goodbye to your past, so what about me?" Xiaozhai blinked in a half teasing, half flirting way, and chuckled. "Are you saying when you're a Human Immortal, I'm automatically receiving an 'ex' for my title?"
"OF COURSE NOT!"
Having narrowly escaped death for countless occasions in this aspect, Gu Yu was always ready for sudden attacks like this. He grinned. "Buddhism is all about this noble ambition, and one would not be enlightened unless that ambition is fulfilled. If there really is such a thing, then you're my noble ambition. Without you, there is no Great Dao for me… mhm!"
He barely finished that sentence when he was stopped by something soft on his lips; it tasted like the juicy, sweet pulp of the red fruit. Right after that, he was pressed down backwards and lay flat on the ground.
"100 points for House Gu!"
***
After a nightlong passionate activity, November 14th arrived with snowfall.
Fine white powder sifted down from the dim sky, covering everything. Wang Qi finally arrived at Phoenix Mountain on this chilly morning—it was about time for the conference, and Master Gu was invited.
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-158.png){kind=small}
Chapter 358
Source: Imported
November 15th, sunny .
9 000 m above the ground, a private plane was flying past the white cotton of clouds, heading for Germani 1 over 8 000 km away from the capital city .
In the lounge of the cabin, Gu Yu was making some protective preparation for the old man .
"Take these with you all the time . There are five in total, all one-off protection gadgets . "
He handed the old man five enhanced version of the turtle shell amulet . "The protective shield will automatically turn on when the impact reaches the triggering level . "
"Can it fend off spiritual or magical attacks?" asked an official sitting beside them .
"It can, but some techniques attack the mind directly . That's why you'll also have these . " With that, he took out a small gourd and a box . "There are pills in the gourd . Take half a pill immediately if you feel something is wrong . The box contains some incense sticks, which you will burn one each night in your bedroom . It will calm your mind and keep it free from the invasion of evil beings . "
"Yes! No problem!"
The official took them in his hands in a hurry and put them away carefully .
The old man examined the turtle shell amulet with curiosity before hanging one around his neck and buttoned his shirt back . He then chuckled . "Haha, with all these preparations, it feels like I'm going not to a conference but a battlefield . "
"Sir, this is a battlefield . We're responsible for your safety!" reminded one of the staff .
"All right, all right . I know you all meant well . And thank you, Mr . Gu . "
"Knock, knock!"
Just then, the door of the lounge opened and another official entered holding a stack of files, seemingly having something to report .
"I'm going back to my seat, then . I'll let you know if I think of anything else . "
Gu Yu was not interested in eavesdropping and got up to leave, while the old man gestured at his assistant to keep Gu Yu company .
The two went to another lounge, where they sat down on a soft and comfortable sofa . The assistant made Gu Yu a cup of tea .
The conference was to be held in the city of Bonn in Germani . They were flying to Frankfurt Airport first, from where they would drive to Bonn . The entire journey would take them around fifteen hours .
The old man was the head of the delegation, leading an entourage of fifteen—including interpreters, information officers, healthcare team, security personnel, and officials of relevant departments .
The old man was quite highly ranked, and so were the representatives of the other countries . In the name of the "World Climate Conference", they were going to discuss possible ways of communication and cooperation in this new environment .
"Hey, I've always meant to ask, why Germani?" Sipping his tea, Gu Yu struck up a conversation .
"The venue has been changing ever since the idea of a conference came up . It was said to be held in Neutral State at first, then moved to South Africa . After that, Uncle Sam proposed to host it themselves, which Europe disagreed with . After much mediating, Bonn was chosen at last . "
The assistant was not trying to hold anything back from Gu Yu . Instead, he even gossiped a little . "The European countries are mostly amicable . Britannia is the only exception . They're getting all ambitious again thanks to their advantage in modern day magic . The two you killed were backbone of that AA association . I'm afraid they'll try to get back at you . "
"Get back at me? Then you, I…"
Gu Yu pointed at the assistant, then himself . The assistant saw what he was getting at and explained, "Delegations attending international conference of this scale will not be the targets, unless someone has lost their mind . But, like us bringing you along, the other countries must have their own capable hands as well, only that we delegations are inside the conference room, and them outside . "
"Oh, I see . Two battlefields, right? What happens outside determines what goes on inside, but the inside affects the outside as well . " He nodded and felt much reassured, grinning . "That'll be much easier . I was worried back there that we'll just break into fights . I'm not sure I'll be able to confine the damage . "
"Um…"
The assistant almost broke into sweat . 'This fellow is every bit as unrestrained as words on the street!'
He poured Gu Yu another cup of tea hurriedly and filled him in on the current situation while they still had time .
"Our study of the the western transcendent power is mainly based on ancient myths and different races .
"First of all, sorcery existed on a global scale, for the ancient beliefs were all primitive worships . Before the time of religions, myths of the remote ages were way too old for any possible textual research . It was only since the medieval times that we began to see traces of transcendent power in historical records .
"Our deduction is that powers of enchanters, alchemists, astrologers, prophets, witches, etc . , have much existing inheritance; aboriginal witchcraft and 'self-study' sorcerers are rare but not non-existent; we have yet to investigate the Druids, and the Vatican definitely has their own special power . Strangely, though, the Vatican doesn't seem to have as much inheritance as expected, and they haven't demonstrated much so far, either . "
"And why is that?" asked Gu Yu curiously .
"I don't know . We have little clue on that . Actually, it's not a bad thing . With the number of their believers all of the world, once the transcendent power recovers fully, if the Vatican is able to hold the supreme status, what authority would be left for the governments?"
"How about Uncle Sam?"
"Well, Uncle Sam…" The assistant paused a little to find a word, which came out rather hilarious . "Scrappy, it's so scrappy over there! They have over 250 religious groups, all of which are descendants of immigrants . How should I describe it… anyway, it's quite messy for them at the moment . Everyone is squabbling with everyone else and none of them noticeably more capable then the rest . It's almost embarrassing to look at . "
'Pffft!'
Gu Yu's lips twitched . So, it was just as Mu Kun had said—weaklings!
***
In the beginning, the general public in all countries did not pay much attention when the countries were talking about having this conference .
World Climate Conferences were held every year and achieved nothing every year . The developed countries still emitted happily as they saw fit and the developing countries still got blamed . The earth simply kept getting warmer .
However, just like what happened back home, the other countries had to come clean on what was happening when they were no longer able to hide it . Good God! The entire world erupted!
For as long as human history remembered, this was probably the first event that had attracted the attention of the entire human race . Consequently, the significance of this conference had been raised to an unprecedented height, and the process was closely followed by over seven billion pairs of eyes .
After a ten-hour flight and another few hours of car ride, Gu Yu finally arrived at Bonn .
Being the delegation of one of the superpowers, they were naturally under the spotlight . Countless media and friendly other parties had been following them ever since they walked out of the airport and all the way to their hotel .
Even the roadsides and the roofs of the buildings surrounding their hotel were packed with curious onlookers and/or cultivators of other countries .
As arranged beforehand, the interpreter and the assistant walked on the left behind the old man and Gu Yu on the right . They had even prepared a suit for him .
To be honest, it was an awkward outfit .
"Why, he can actually pull it off . "
"Teehee, Brother looks quite handsome!"
"Eww, he looks so cheesy! He'll make a very poor male escort!"
Tsk! He could almost hear the merciless comment of the three back in Phoenix Mountain watching the live broadcast!
Finally, the delegation made their way into the hotel, where the followers were stopped by the entrance; the world was quiet again . The old man slowed his pace and went out of his way to ask Gu Yu, "How was it? Got used to this yet?"
"That was a little shameful . "
"Shameful?"
The old man had expected "I'm all right", "I'm nervous", "not bad", but never "shameful" . He couldn't help but ask, "Why is that?"
"Um, no, it's nothing . " Gu Yu waved it off . He did not want to go back to that memory .
185 countries and regions were attending this conference and each delegation had over a dozen members, which put a heavy load on the reception work . All high-end hotels and official lodgings in Bonn were fully booked .
Their rooms were on the sixth floor . As they walked in, the old man suddenly stopped and turned to look at the right side .
From a hall on that direction, a team of seven or eight people was coming out . The leading man was of a medium built and had a straight nose and bluish eyes . He looked rather mild .
Walking immediately after him were a young man and an old man . The latter had a full, bushy beard and wore clothes in the style of a robe .
" . . . "
Both teams winced a little at this unexpected meeting . The two heads then extended their hands simultaneously and marched towards each other .
"That's the delegation of Gaul and that man is Claude… why, that pair behind him seems strange…"
One of the entourage whispered to Gu Yu before he found something odd about the two men and looked towards their direction despite himself . The bearded man seemed to sense this and turned around, meeting his eyes .
"Mhm!"
He was taken aback, then saw the whirlpools in that man's eyes and his mind began to fall into them without him knowing it . His head was muddled up and he was suddenly overwhelmed by an excitement, driving him to gesticulate his hands and feet .
"Smack!"
He had only just raised his hand when Gu Yu struck them down . He shuddered at that tap and resumed his consciousness .
"Oh?"
The bearded man looked a little surprised . He then smiled, realizing what Gu Yu had just done .
"What happened?" asked the man, still a little confused .
"Someone played a little trick to mess with your head," said Gu Yu .
'!!!'
"Thank you, sir!" The man thanked Gu Yu right away, now beginning to fear .
While blows were exchanged under the table over here, the two heads were still exchanging pleasantries over there as if completely unaware of what was going on . They only separated after another while . When they were all in the elevator, the old man asked, "What happened just then?"
Only the most exceptional ones could make their way to attend this conference . The man soon calmed himself down and offered his analysis, "They did something to me . I met his eyes and everything became very confusing . All I wanted was to wave my hands and feet around . I think it was some kind of hallucinogenic magic . Luckily, Mr . Gu was there to save me . "
" . . . "
The old man pondered for a while and asked, "What do you think?"
"He was just probing . It was harmless," said Gu Yu .
"Yes, that's what I thought too . Oh, by the way, do you still have that turtle shell? Could you give some to them as well?"
"I only have ten with me . There, you can decide whom to give them to . "
He simply gave the rest to the old man . Seeing that the latter was obviously thinking there were not enough, Gu Yu smiled . "A turtle can only have so big a shell . We'll have to make do with what we have . "
"Haha, sure, sure!" The old man put away the turtle shell and felt a little abashed . "I guess I'm a fox masquerading like a tiger here . "
"You're being too modest!"
Gu Yu cupped his hands and kept his mockery to himself . 'Tsk, whom are you calling a fox and who do you think the tiger is?"
Before long, they reached their floor . Gu Yu examined every room carefully before returning to his own—yup, his was right next to the old man's .
The conference officially commenced the following day . The delegation had a series of events to go to, some attended by the old man, some by the information officer, and some by the other officials .
Gu Yu did not have to go to all of them . As mentioned before, they had their separate battlefields .
Meanwhile, in another bedroom in the hotel .
In the dim light, two people were sitting on opposite sides of a table . One of them was none other than that bearded man, while the other was a hoary caucasian woman .
On the table was a burning candle and various other irregularly shaped objects such as stones, tree bark, and metal pieces . The woman was in a caped black robe, with all her hair covered by the hood . Her skinny, claw-like fingers swept lightly across the table .
Rustle!
The scattering pieces formed a shape at her move—a small circle within a big one, at the heart of which were a stone and a piece of bark .
The woman chanted some incoherent spell and her right hand flipped swiftly .
Clack!
The stone and the bark flipped around with it, each having a Runic letter carved into them .
" . . . "
The woman frowned at it for quite some time before picking up the one with a ᚪ . "This represents an oak tree . "
She then picked up the one with a ᛋ . Pausing a little, she said, "This . . . is the sun . "
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-159.png){kind=small}
Chapter 359
Source: Imported
In Germanic mythology, Odin gave up his right eye for the knowledge of runes .
Myths were myths, after all, and runes were not brought forth by Odin—although the origin of the letters had been lost in the immemorial time . The original runic alphabet had 24 letters and legend had it that by carving them into materials such as wood, stone, or metal, one could gain immense power .
Runic inscriptions were made from runic alphabet, which was widely adopted in medieval Scandinavia and later replaced by Roman script .
"Replaced" simply meant it was no longer used, but not lost . Of course, after so many generations, much knowledge had indeed been lost, leaving behind only the simpler applications .
The augury the woman performed, for instance, was one of the most common practices .
"Creto, tell me, what was it that you sense?"
The bearded man had a deep voice and the expression he used sounded ancient with a chanting rhythm to it . It was strange but pleasant to the ears .
"Ernese, my old friend…" Creto pushes the first letter towards him and replied in that same strange expression, "You of all people should realize what an oak tree stands for . "
"Druid!"
Ernese was apparently greatly disturbed, saying repeatedly, "No, no Druid should be found on this earth now! That is impossible! Impossible!"
"Calm down . Calm down, Ernese!"
Seeing how emotionally unstable her old friend was, the woman fumbled out a handful of green powder and sprinkled it in the air .
Whoosh!
The tiny granules flew towards the man like little stars, soon disappearing into the air . They seemed to have some form of calming effect, for momentarily, the bearded man quieted down and apologized, "I am sorry, but you know what has happened between me and them…"
"Yes! Yes, I do! But I still have to remind you, this world is changing so fast now . Since we ourselves could live to see this day, who is there to guarantee that they would not be brooding in some secret corner?" After that, Creto pushed over the second letter, asking, "What do you think the sun represents?"
"Priests of the Nile? No, they were long buried by the desert… the Vatican, then? Haha, I do not think so—not with their current state…" Ernese murmured to himself and suddenly looked up . "We seem to have ignored the mysterious oriental powers . "
"Are you referring to Amaterasu of Nippon?"
"Of course not . I have dealt with the practitioners of that country before . They indeed had some unusual magic spells, but they were not that impressive yet . I think it is pointing at either Chine or Indus . Oh, by the way, I ran into the Chinese delegation this morning and there was a remarkable young man among them . However, I cannot say for sure that this sun is referring to him . "
"In that case, I suggest you to get in touch and try to learn more about him… whoever these two people turn out to be, they will be the key of this conference, and could even determine where the future leads us . " The woman seemed exhausted after this . Waving at the man, she said, "Now, I need some rest . Do not disturb me unless it is really necessary . "
With that, she slowly rose to her feet and dropped a circle of wax on the floor, then chanted the spell .
Poof!
The circle of wax burst into black flames instantly . Lifting her cape off the floor, the woman worked herself into the circle and her body slumped abruptly .
She had disappeared without a trace .
***
"Please take some rest . We'll be back in our rooms . "
"All right . Don't stay up too late . "
Inside the old man's room, the officials finished reporting their work and left . After a physical examination and having the old man take some routine medicine, the doctors left as well .
It was an enormous suite . The leader of the team could not possibly sleep by the window, hence the old man's bedroom was in the middle of the suite with a seperate room on either side, which his assistant and the security team, respectively, took .
The old man read another few files and only went to bed when his eyes started to droop . On the bedside table was a burning incense stick; a streak of smoke was lingering in the air, emanating a fragrance that calmed the mind .
Several hours seemed to have passed after that and it was now deep into the night .
The hotel was as large as an immense manor and was divided into several quarters . By now, the dignitaries of various countries had gone to bed and the courtyards were sparsely lit by dim lights . The place was quiet and looked deserted . However, the guards of all parties—the host country included—were concealed by the darkness .
Whoosh!
Pop!
The old man was asleep when a cacophony of sounds woke him . He checked himself first: all body parts intact and mind clear . Only after that did he begin to focus on the strange noises outside .
Bang! Bang!
Splash… whiz… shew!
"Sir! Sir! Are you all right?"
By then, his assistant and the security team had rushed into the room . Seeing that he was safe, they let out a breath of relief .
"What's going on outside?"
"We have no idea . I heard gunshots and saw a fire breaking out somewhere . Shall we ask Mr . Gu—"
They were still discussing it when Gu Yu's voice rang out . "Don't worry . Come and enjoy the show . "
The roomful of people were taken by surprise and all went into the inner room . Gu Yu was sitting on the windowsill while looking into the distance with his long legs dangling outside 1 , apparently in a good mood .
He was watching the direction of the main entrance, which was like a seething caldron by now—red, black, and blue streaks of light entangled, together with running crowd and blaring sirens . Quite a few parties seemed to be engaging in a battle .
They did not know what to make of it at the moment and could only watch with a mixture of anxiety and relief . A couple of minutes later, it was finally confirmed that a small country usurped by extremists had arrived in Bonn determined to create disturbance and make mass casualties among the dignitaries of all other countries; there were even a few cultivators among them . However, before they could carry out their plan, they were annihilated by the transcendent powers of the other countries .
"Well, it seems you'll only have 184 countries for the meeting tomorrow . "
Seeing that the noise in the distance was quieting down and the incident almost over, Gu Yu chuckled . "It's quite safe up here . I'm going to look around . See you later!"
"Hey, Mr . Gu!"
One of the officials hurried towards the balcony where Gu Yu was sitting, but only saw a mist disappearing into the vast night sky .
***
When Gu Yu reached the front entrance, all parties had retreated, leaving behind some police officers to clean up .
Five or six bodies were scattered around the ground, dead due to different causes—some completely charred, some turned into a pile of mush; some had only a skeleton left without any flesh or skin, and some did not have anything left apart from the crumpled clothes . . .
'Tsk, tsk!'
He let his disapproval run free in his head as he examined the scene . It seemed that with the changing world, many things needed to be upgraded to their 2 . 0 version .
Security measures, for instance, used to be effective enough with imposing curfews, additional patrolling officers, stricter inspection of suspicious items, etc .
Such measures were no longer enough . However strict the inspection became, there was no way to fend off magical powers with it . There were now people who could change their form, appearance, or even conceal themselves by turning transparent, as well as cast spells or curses from a long distance . If they really wanted to assassinate the head of a country, you would not see them coming .
That aspect alone was enough to raise the status of cultivators to an unprecedented height .
Gu Yu walked past the area and reached a crossroad . He had no idea where was where and decided to pick a random direction .
Nearly all mysterious powers from all over the world had gathered themselves for this conference and those staying with the dignitaries were the official guardians recognized by the governments whose political status was guaranteed . These were all smart people . The most they would do was to try harmless tricks on the entourage like the bearded man did . There was no way they would attack the leaders out right .
However, much unofficial personnel had to be lurking in various corners of Bonn whom, to be honest, Gu Yu was rather eager to meet .
Well, he supposed he was out poaching now .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-160.png){kind=small}
Chapter 360
Source: Imported
Bonn sat by the Rhine .
It was a city growing out of a small village, which once made its living on ferrying and fishing; the earliest records of the city could be traced back to 2000 years ago . Bonn was both bucolic and modern—despite the urban style of the city, the natural landscape was kept intact as well .
Right now, in a pub in the downtown area, a man and a woman were chatting over their drinks . The man was blonde and had a wonderfully pretty face; the woman was a brunette with beautiful green eyes .
She was quite young—in her early twenties at most . Her face was bare of any makeup, though her fingernails were painted bright red . Her slender fingers raised the glass to her lips, which she took a sip from . She then said in resignation, "I don't know what got into Sophia's head, sending us two newbies to attract fresh believers, not to mention to a dangerous place like this . "
"She doesn't have much choice . Our group is so weak that even the HQ doesn't have people to spare . Those imbeciles have been making such a scene out there and they have to be prepared . " The man did not look any happier than she did . "Be positive . At least you're a level II witch and I'm only a level I . If anything, you stand a much better chance at escaping than me . "
"You think I'll just ditch you if it gets dangerous?" The woman clinked his glass with hers and looked around in boredom, complaining, "This lousy place is deserted and full of old and ugly dumbasses . Guess what? I haven't got laid for six months . "
"Haha, actually, we've been talking . We wagered how much longer you can hold that off and I've put in a heavy bet!" teased the man .
"Damn you, Benn! That's it, I'm telling that little boyfriend of yours what you did last night— hm?"
The woman stopped mid-sentence and fixed her gaze on the entrance of the pub . She looked captivated and full of lust, as if she had just spotted a soft and comfortable bed with a naked handsome man on it .
"All right, I give up! The hell with abstinence! I'm over it!" She bolted to her feet and click-clacked towards the man in her 8 cm heels, grinning . "Hey, cutie, you alone?"
'Huh?'
Gu Yu was surprised by this greeting . 'What's happening? Someone's hitting on me?'
He looked her up and down before saying with his dabbler English, "Hello . I'm alone . You the waitress?"
"Teehee, me the waitress?" The woman grinned wider . "I'm Andrea, can I buy you a drink? I'm more than happy to offer you other things if you're interested . "
She was enthusiastic, up for many things, and not shy with showing what she got: red slip dress, bare fair thighs, and collarbone too pretty to be ignored .
" . . . "
Gu Yu scanned her with his mental force and figured her out right away . As he also detected an unusual fluctuation from her, he replied, "Sure . This is my first time in Bonn . Oh, I don't speak good English . "
"Don't worry about it . There's a lot we can do that doesn't involve talking . "
The woman led him back to the bar and ordered him a Martini . Benn twitched his mouth at this . He then spotted a cute black-haired guy himself and slipped away to hunt on his own .
"Are you from Germani?"
"Nah, Uncle Sam . You? Are you a tourist or…"
"I'm here with friends, interesting in that, um, thing . I studied myself…"
He was playing the perfect newbie, his equivocation making his performance all the more convincing .
"Oh, I see!" Andrea had obviously taken him for some reckless guy venturing out to the wide wild world with the little magic he knew . "You're bold to come here . Bonn is the most dangerous city in the world at the moment . "
"Haha, we only live once . I want adventure . "
The two chatted on about random things .
The woman liked Gu Yu better by the minute . She had seen her fair share of handsome guys, but not someone like this one: tall, leggy, slender yet powerful, with a remarkable temperament and that oriental reserved and mild quality .
All in all, she saw a very promising night!
Hence, her red nails began to half-intentionally tickling at Gu Yu's pinky and the tip of her pointed-toe heels was caressing his shin .
She had taken him for some innocent lovely thing . Little did she know, Gu Yu was considering her in the same way . Both found this encounter amusing, strange, and as if they were watching a child's play . Neither meant any harm .
After another while, Andrea felt the mood was set and she rubbed her temple, apologizing, "Um, I'm sorry, but I probably had a little too much to drink . I'm dizzy and it's too loud in here . "
"Do you need me to take you somewhere?"
"That'll be great . The back alley is pretty quiet . "
The woman almost hung herself around Gu Yu's neck as they slowly walked out of the back door into a secluded and dark alley .
"Creak…"
"Mhm…"
Before the door of the pub was closed, Andrea gave Gu Yu a shove and pressed him onto the wall .
Sh*t!
Old Gu blanked out instantly and was subconsciously looking up the sky to search for any striking divine lightning . He was only planning to do some prying . That was a very passionate woman!
"Teehee, I've never met someone so delicious before…" Andrea pressed herself against him, her red lips moving closer and closer . "Don't be nervous, sweetheart . I'll be gentle— who's there?"
She moved away from Gu Yu abruptly, facing the deep, dark alley and again yelling, "Who's there?"
"Hoho, I see my cover's blown . No matter, you'll be my pet in a moment anyway . "
A shadow shook violently under the dim light and a black dwarf rose up as if he had just emerged out of water .
Bare-chested, he had cloth wrapping around his lower half and odd ornaments around his neck . With his protruding forehead and prominent facial features, he reminded one of some primates .
"Bablu! You've followed me all the way here!"
The woman's red fingernails flickered as her hands flipped around; there was a pair of rosy, short-bladed weapon in her hands, which was halfway between a saber and a sword . She whispered to Gu Yu, "This man is very powerful . Sorry for dragging you into this . I'll stall him . Run as far as you can!"
"Who's he?" asked Gu Yu curiously .
"He's from Haiti, a Voodoo practitioner!"
Andrea was very resolute . After giving Gu Yu the instruction, she swept the two blades across the air and dashed towards the dwarf in a gait that looked unnecessarily complicated but was in fact very swift .
"My dolls, come out!"
With a wave of his hand, th dwarf sank back into the shadow . Meanwhile, from the entrance of the alley behind him, about half a dozen figures appeared, all moving in a somewhat rigid way .
"So many walking corpses!"
Andrea's face darkened a little, but she rushed into the enemies without hesitation .
Her combat style was a straightforward one . The blades were wrapped in an energy reminding one of Qi with an incredibly sharp edge . With a flash of red light, one of the walking corpses was cleft in half .
She did not stop there and kept pushing forward . Turning a blade horizontally, she swiftly slid it across the air, cutting two walking corpses side by side open across their waist .
Whoosh!
Just then, the back of her neck prickled a little and she hurriedly thrust her left foot against the wall, followed by her right . The next moment, she was in mid-air, enabling her to dodge the strike . She finished the backward somersault in her heels and landed on the ground, her red dress flapping in the wind .
Standing in front of her was none other than that walking corpse she hacked down first, which was now back to a single piece again .
"It's getting better at self-healing!"
Andrea was secretly astonished . Back on the American continent, her magic group and the dwarf's were mortal enemies . The two sides had had over a dozen confrontations in the past few years, with ups and downs on both sides .
Under normal circumstances, she could at least get herself out of this safely even if she wasn't her opponent's match . However, now that she had a "plus one" with her, she had to give all she'd got .
Whoosh!
Bam! Bam! Boom!
The two sides had exchanged quite a few blows in a matter of seconds . The walking corpses were not good at moving around, but that self-healing ability was a pain in the a*s . What was more, both their teeth and sharp claws were poisonous .
Andrea was losing ground . After fending off another walking corpse, she crossed her blades .
"Cross, rose!"
Whoosh!
Two streams of flame gushed out abruptly as the two blades made a forward slash . Boom!
Flames roared out in a cross, filling the entire narrow alley . The half dozen walking corpses were charred instantly . Seeing this, Andrea called out to Gu Yu, "Kiddo, run!"
"Do you seriously think you're gonna win just like that? No one is going anywhere today . Get up, my babies!"
The dark shadow guffawed, squirming disgustingly again, reminding one of some mollusk . Some powder sprinkled down at this movement, covering the charred corpses . The next moment, they shook off the black crust like breaking egg shells, and rose to their feet once more .
F**k!
Andrea spat at the ground, realising the chance of getting out of this alive was little . "Sorry for dragging you into this— what do you think you're doing?!" she cried out with wide open eyes . One of her weapon had just flew out of her right hand and landed on the guy's palm .
"Nice blade! I'm gonna need it for a minute!"
Weighing the short blade in his hand, Gu Yu looked up and grinned . He then turned into a cloud of mist and charged into the corpses .
"You…"
Andrea almost forgot to breathe . The next second, red light flashed across the air .
Whoosh!
The short blade moved smoothly with his hand and hacked down at an impossible angle . The blade then turned so that the tip was pointed forward, slitting through the air like a red fish splitting waves .
Shew! Shew!
Thump!
Three walking corpses dropped to the ground at the same moment .
"Hoho, that won't work . My walking corpses are— that's impossible!" the dark shadow screamed as the three corpses began to sizzle . Black smoke then rose from the corpses and they soon melted into a pool of putrid liquid .
"Who, who on earth are you? Aaaah…"
Astonished and enraged, the dwarf switched to his mother tongue without knowing it, which was completely incomprehensible .
"Oh, shut up . "
Short blade in hand, Gu Yu moved through the alley as if the weapon was part of his body; his stances looked the most natural thing . It was as if he was simply taking a casual walk down the street . As the red blade swept across the air, blood splashed out like blossoming roses, marking the merciless harvest of his enemies' lives .
In half a heartbeat, all walking corpses had turned into stinky pools of liquid .
"You'll pay for this! Voodoo does not forgive!"
Despite being scared out of his wits, the dwarf still managed to leave a threatening line . The shadow then bolted up the wall, trying to flee into the darkness of the night .
"There!"
Gu Yu restrained from using his sword energy, but used his spiritual essence alone, which easily devoured the energy the original owner left on the blade . He then tossed it out .
"Aaaaaah!"
The shadow had slithered to the entrance of the alley when the divine weapon fell out of the sky, which stabbed right at his weakest spot without missing one centimeter .
"Pffft… mhm…"
The shadow struggled violently like a fish pierced by a harpoon . It soon stopped moving, turning back into that dwarf .
"You… you…"
However blunt her instinct might be, by now, Andrea knew perfectly well that this man was no "cute kiddo" . After the astonishment passed, though, she was even more excited and found the man more attractive than before .
"There you go!"
Gu Yu tossed the short blade back to her and stopped her from talking . He then turned towards a dark corner unlit by the street lamps, chuckling . "My friend, it's time to show yourself . You have been following me this entire time . "
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-161.png){kind=small}
Chapter 361
Source: Imported
"Good evening, young man!"
The shadow in the corner corrugated, resembling a rippling effect, and a Caucasian old man revealed himself; a full beard covered the lower half of his face . He was none other than that old man from earlier .
He spoke perfect Gaulish . After greeting Gu Yu, he turned to Andrea with a smile . "And good evening to you too, beautiful young lady . "
"Enchantée, Your Excellency!"
It turned out that Andrea was fluent in the same language—she even waved at the old man .
"Excuse me, over here?" interjected Gu Yu a little helplessly .
"Hoho…"
The bearded man chuckled and produced a magical staff, then pointed at Gu Yu chanting a spell .
'Hm?'
A strange yet harmless fluctuation rushed towards Gu Yu, who sensed it but did not resist . As the magical staff pointed at him, Gu Yu instantly felt a subtle connection created between him and the old man .
"Please allow me to apologize first . You are correct by saying that I was following you . On the other hand, you were such a pleasant surprise for me as well . "
'Wow!'
That got Old Gu greatly intrigued, for the old man was still speaking Gaulish but he could understand what he was saying now as if an automatic translation plug-in had been added . He couldn't help but ask, "What magic art is this?"
"Just a petty trick to make communication more efficient . It's not worth mentioning . " The old man stroked his beard and smiled . "Please allow me to introduce myself . My name is Ernese Maximilian . "
He offered a name that Old Gu had never heard before .
"Oh my god, you're Mage Ernese? I can't believe this! Oh, I'm Andrea . I am the member of a coven of Wicca . " Andrea, on the other hand, opened her eyes widely in surprise and sounded excited .
"Wicca? Hm, not bad . "
The old man nodded out of politeness; he apparently did not think much of her group . He then said to Gu Yu, "To tell you the truth, young man, I am holding a private gathering tonight and I was considering inviting you… after that battle, haha, you are definitely qualified . "
'Tsk!'
Gu Yu was secretly pursing his lips, finding the condescending gesture ridiculous . With his infinite proximity to the Human Immortal state, he was in complete control of how much capability he wanted to demonstrate . No one but those of an equal cultivation level were able to see through it .
He had purposefully pretended to be someone lesser than he really was, and since he was going to nose around, he asked, "May I ask what kind of gathering it is?"
"Don't worry . It's just me and a few other elderly fellows . It's purely academic . "
"Well, sure . It'll be rude not to do as you asked . " Seeing that Andrea was listening in eagerly on the side, he chuckled . "This young lady is my friend . Since she's already here, can I bring her along?"
"Haha, all right, you can both come . " Ernese darted a look at the girl and granted Gu Yu's request .
Hence, the three left the alley with the old man in the lead . They stopped at a street corner after a short while, where the old man tapped a street lamp three times with his magical staff and chanted some strange words .
Before long, there came the clip clop of hooves and a retro-styled medieval carriage emerged from the darkness of the night . It was drawn by two tall and robust black horses with beautiful muscle tones . However, their eyes were too dull to be alive .
"Magical puppets," Ernese offered a succinct explanation . "All aboard, please . "
The three then got into the carriage and the hoof sounds rang out again, taking them right to a village in the suburbs .
It was less than two hours since Gu Yu left the hotel, yet he had seen plenty of strange mysterious powers in such a short time . He was all the more intrigued . The occidental scene was more diverse and scattered with more fractions than its oriental counterpart, but their overall inheritance seemed to be more intact than that back home .
Since the trip would take a little while, the three struck up a conversation and he took the opportunity to learn about the identities of the other two .
Let's talk about Andrea first .
Wicca was established three hundred years ago . Based on the concept of ancient Indian "energy" and primitive witchcraft, it had created unique practices to expand one's physical and mental states .
It was rather popular in Uncle Sam and recognized as a legitimate religious sect by the authorities . The organization structure consisted of a priestess at the top, followed by supreme, level III, level II, and level I witches .
Those reaching the level of a supreme witch could operate independently and form their own organization of witches known as covens—meaning an assembly of witches .
The theology of Wicca was quite a positive one, centering around eight virtues of mirth, reverence, honor, humility, strength, beauty, power, and compassion . "Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill—an it harm none, do what ye will . "
Hence was Wicca's tolerant attitude towards many groups . For instance, they were very LGBT-friendly .
The coven Andrea belonged to was called Lakeside Dawn, which consisted of thirteen members and had a supreme witch as their leader . Andrea was sent to Bonn for information-gathering and recruiting new believers while she was at it .
As for Voodoo, or Vodun, it originated from West Africa and was a primitive religion with mixed elements of ancestor worship, animism, spiritualism, etc . It shared some similarity with Shamanism in a way .
A large number of African people were taken to Haiti and sold as slaves in the 16th century; they also brought their primitive religion with them . It then took root in Haiti and gradually evolved into the Voodoo as we saw today .
They were mostly famous for their walking corpses, which were moving bodies that stuck between life and death . That dwarf was a member of Voodoo fighting Wicca on the American continent .
Then we had Ernese .
Despite his mild look, the old man was slicker than you could expect . He revealed very little about himself and all Gu Yu learnt was that he was one of the leaders of a Gaulish magic society who enjoyed a high social status . He was in charge of the security work of this conference .
The gathering tonight was organized by him and his friends—to be exact, four, himself included .
***
"Clip clop!"
After about half an hour, the carriage turned into a small village and stopped outside a cottage . The three got out; Ernese patted the horse's head, and the puppets turned around, disappearing into the dark night with that same rhythmic footsteps .
"They won't get lost, will they?" asked Andrea .
"Haha, young lady, do you know why Bonn was chosen to hold the conference? A very old person lives here, and has set up many magical stations in this city, which can work in ways you can't possibly imagine… come, I'll bring you to him . "
With that, Ernese tapped the door with his staff and the door opened itself with a creek .
On entering, Gu Yu scanned the room . The interior was plainly decorated and piled with a multitude of things . It reminded him of salons popular in Europe over a century ago, where one would find warm fireplaces and soft chaises longues .
Two men and a woman were already sitting on the settees, all three very old . Gu Yu got the feeling that the white-beard man on the left who had a blanket over his laps held the highest status . It was he that called out, "Ernese, you're late!"
"Sorry, I had to pick up two young friends . " Ernese took off his coat and introduced them to one another . "This is Erhard, this is Marianne, and this is Cohen . "
" . . . "
The three pairs of eyes skipped Andrea and landed right on Gu Yu . There was a moment of silence, then the white-beard man—a . k . a Erhard—gave a slight nod . "Welcome to this gathering . I hope you won't be bored by all the old people here . "
"I'm very lucky to be here . Nice to meet you all," said Gu Yu, cupping his hands .
Actually, he recognized two of them the moment he walked in—Erhard was the guardian mage of the dignitaries of the host country and Marianne was that of Viking of North Europe—although it never occurred to him that they were friends . As for that Cohen, Gu Yu had never seen him before .
The brief conversation between Erhard and Gu Yu surprised the others .
It was especially the case with Ernese, for all he could sense so far was that this young man was extraordinary in a way, but nothing specific . Erhard, on the other hand, was recognized as one of the mightiest in Europe . Now that he was talking to Gu Yu like equals, did it mean . . .
'!!!'
Ernest's stomach lurched a little .
Before long, all six took their seats, with a delicious cup of hot beverage made of unknown ingredients in their hands .
Erhard said, "Since we have new friends among us today, let me reiterate this: although we're all from different countries, political stand is irrelevant here . All that takes place is academic communication . We four have been the only ones participating so far and it is becoming somewhat repetitive . Since you're from the orient, we'd like to hear about your thoughts . "
" . . . "
It finally dawned on Gu Yu that these four were acquaintances since before the recovery of the spiritual essence; they kept their old habits of regular meeting after that .
Obviously, this one they were holding now was something different, for in one way or another, it reflected the attitude of the countries they represented . At least, it seemed Germani, Gaul, and Viking had reached some friendly treaty by now .
The fact that Ernese had invited Gu Yu out of the blue was proof of their initial exploratory attempt .
The timing was perfect, for he himself had a lot of questions he wanted to ask . Gu Yu organized his thoughts and said, "I am only the newcomer here, and I don't want to mislead anyone with wild talk . The orient and the occident probably knew very little of each other in this aspect, and since I am a cultivator of the Great Dao, I will start from Dao itself .
"As we are taught back in my country, 'Dao begets One, One begets Two, Two begets Three, and Three begets all things . '
"What exactly is Dao? Our understanding is that it is the path of the existence and movement of everything . In a word: Nature .
"The sun and moon rise and set; animals live and multiply; wind blows and water flows without a generator; trees and grass grow without artificial sowing; we breathe and our hearts beat without anyone telling them to do so . . .
"Everything is following its own path just like that . It cannot be created or destroyed; it is intangible and formless; it has no start or end; it includes everything… that is Dao .
"In a human society, it is demonstrated in a much more observable way . For instance, we talk about the way of conducting oneself, the way of doing business, the relationship between monarchs and their subjects, the path of learning, the way of achieving harmony between husband and wife, etc . All those 'ways', 'paths', or 'methods' are Dao as well .
"According to western religions, God created the world . Then scientists claimed that the universe was created via Big Bang . I myself am too ignorant to offer opinion on either of them .
"We Taoists believe that Dao created the universe and the universe consists of Qi .
"Qi is the ultimate source of this world . There are many types: the energy of black sky and yellow earth, Yin and Yang energy, the energy of Five Elements, inauspicious energy of evil stars, Big Dipper energy of Qian… Qi constitutes all things in this world and it is such energy we use for our cultivation . "
"For example?" asked Marianne suddenly .
"For example… this . "
Gu Yu opened his palm and released a streak of spiritual essence, which stood vertically in his hand . As the spiritual essence was formless, he manipulated it so that it could vibrate at a high frequency .
Thus, the air above his palm began to contort and the little space warped, emanating energy in circles .
"Oh, it does not consist of elements! And the fluctuation is so clear!" Marianne cried out softly .
"It resembles certain practices of ancient India, but this is of a purer form . " Ernese had taken out a pipe from somewhere and was now puffing on it .
"I read an ancient book once—in it was a method of meditation which absorbed this type of energy, but it was extremely difficult and probably not suitable for our occidental races," added Cohen .
"Oh, I do want to experiment with it . Maybe it'll transform into something even more interesting!"
Just like when Gu Yu saw magic for the first time, the other five now were greatly intrigued by the spiritual essence and were discussing excitingly of this strange form of energy .
After some discussion, Erhard said, "All right, we've said enough . Please continue . "
"Of course!"
Gu Yu put down his hand with a smile and went on, "The sky, the earth, and even humans were transformed from Qi . The aim of our cultivation is therefore to recover our original simplicity and return to our original state . In simple words: to turn people back into Qi again, so that we can live for as long as the world exists .
"That is the belief of cultivators in my country and the path we choose to follow . Since the remote ages tens of thousands years ago, countless people have stepped into this breach as another falls, trying to blaze a way through all manners of obstacles . All we ever cared is that slim line of hope . "
He paused a moment, then said, "Therefore, like I just explained, we cultivate to rise beyond this mortal form so as to reach the realm of Great Dao, where we can watch the creation and destruction of universes . If I may ask, what is your ultimate goal of your practices? Also immortality?"
" . . . "
The room fell into silence at the question .
Thanks to that interpretation trick, the others understood him despite his literary-style speech . Being the weakest one here, Andrea knew she was merely a tag-along audience, hence she had been awfully quiet, which was very unlike her .
Quite a while later, Ernese tapped his pipe and said, "If you asked me that question ten years ago, I would answer without a doubt that I hanker for the knowledge and power of magic . However, I have realized by now that in the process of pursuing that, I have paid with my most precious thing . "
"Time?" asked Gu Yu .
"Exactly! I deem myself among the most knowledgeable men on magic theories in the whole Europe . However, the more knowledge I accumulated, the more afraid I became . " Ernese sighed .
"Haha, me, too . Did you know my first reaction when I realized the elements had reappeared?" Marianne chimed in, then answered the question herself, "I went to Flamel's grave to search for the philosopher's stone . "
"Hahaha! I'd never imagined that! You, the one cooler than an iceberg, have actually done that!" Cohen broke into a laughter .
"I was consulting the documents my teacher left the other day . The philosopher's stone should have been successfully created, but not the elixir of life . And for some reason, Flamel has lost the stone and it was nowhere to be found . "
Erhard seemed to have an extraordinary inheritance, for the other three looked revered as soon as he mentioned his teacher .
He then chuckled . "The new young friend asked a simple question which we have been avoiding the whole time . When we began our practices, we were probably after wisdom, power, wealth, or influence . But in the end, it all came down to one thing—immortality, or eternal life . "
Gu Yu chuckled with him . Indeed, it was the common weak spot of all cultivators in this world: they were all afraid of dying!
"Since we're on that topic, I just happen to have something here to show you all . "
"You found something in that research?" asked Ernese curiously .
"I wouldn't call it that . A preliminary restoration, that's all . "
Erhard seemed to be not holding anything back from them . He then slowly rose to his feet and led the other five into the back room .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-162.png){kind=small}
Chapter 362
Source: Imported
They went into a back room with no windows and piles of sundries scattered all over; it looked like a storage room of some sort .
Gu Yu now saw that Erhard was in a western-style robe . The old man pressed his palm against the wall and the floor split open, revealing a staircase extending downwards .
"This way, please!"
He led the other five down into a much wider space—actually, it was even bigger than the entire cottage . There were tables, chairs, and many wooden cabinets, which were filled with all kinds of containers and laboratory apparatuses .
Erhard took a complicated-looking container out of a cabinet . The main part was a 30 cm flask divided into two layers . A few winding pipes were connected to the flask, all sealed apart from a single opening .
The flask was empty . However, after he dropped in a handful of magic powder, a strange and remarkable object emerged among the sprinkling particles .
To call it an object was not exactly accurate, but Gu Yu did not know how to describe it otherwise .
The outer layer of the flask was filled with a sticky dark brown semi-liquid that was emanating a detectable heat, making the flask rotating slowly .
Inside the sphere of the inner layer of the flask was a naked little person, who was holding its knees between its arms with its eyes shut . There was something weird about its facial expression that Gu Yu could not quite describe .
" . . . "
To be honest, he was seldom disturbed by anything these days, but this thing had disturbed him greatly—no, not that, he was petrified!
He was overwhelmed by the greatest horror, for that little person looked exactly like a normal child with its normal limbs, body, flesh, and hair!
It was not just him, but everyone present was shocked . A hush fell over the room as they eyed it turning slowly inside the sphere; they almost expected it to open its eyes at any moment .
A moment later, Ernese was the first one unable to contain his excitement . His full beard quivered as he shouted out, "Haha, my old friend, you made it! You finally made it!"
"I am far from that . This is only a preliminary replication . I have no idea what form it will evolve into . "
With that, Erhard fetched a bag of fresh blood and poured it into the flask through the glass pipe . The dark-red liquid flowed into the flask, but instead of gathering at the bottom, it disappeared rapidly; the thing seemed to have absorb it all .
Its facial expression finally changed a little after the whole big bag of blood was gone . The corners of its mouth turned upwards and it looked happy .
"Is, is it a human being?" Andrea stuttered out a question .
As a religious group of Uncle Sam—which was not the most ideal magical land in this new world—she didn't have much opportunity to witness something this remarkable and was a little abashed with her ignorance .
"You may call it that, or something else . Technically speaking, it is a creation of alchemy . " Erhard put away the flask and explained, "The founder of my teacher's faction was fortunate enough to learn from Paracelsus himself . This is the occult knowledge he left behind… haha, all right, let's go back there and talk . "
He resealed the laboratory and led the others back to sit by the fireplace . Andrea still looked dazed as she muttered, "Paracelsus, oh my god, this is incredible… I don't know what to say!"
Gu Yu was equally surprised, for he had never expected Erhard to be a descendant of Paracelsus . No wonder the other three held great respect towards the old man .
Paracelsus was a Swiss-born German and an alchemist renowned in medieval Europe .
He had set up a discipline, advocating combining alchemy with medical science for a better service for humanity . Many legends rose around this man, among which was the Homunculus .
It meant "man-made man" .
In alchemy, a human being was believed to consist of flesh, soul, and spirit . That was to say, if one could create all three elements, they could create a human being without a womb .
Paracelsus was said to be the only one in European history to have achieved that . He created a miniature human being in a jar, but it died shortly afterwards .
That was insane!
The creation of men was deemed to be the work of God only . If a man could build a man, where did that leave God?
Hence, the concept of Homunculus had always been deemed heretic and was mercilessly suppressed by the Vatican .
'Tsk! Tsk!'
Gu Yu was overwhelmed by all kinds of feelings . This trip was so worth it by attending this gathering alone! He could only see so big a world staying back at home, and could really perceive the vastness of this universe by getting in touch with the world outside .
For instance, what were the Taoist approaches of creating human beings?
One option was to turn to vicious, unorthodox methods, using bits and pieces of flesh of different people to put a body together .
Or, a body had to be created out of an existing one, in which case, one was to replicate themselves .
Or, one had to reach a supreme cultivation state, such as Perfected Man Taiyi, who build Nezha 1 with lotus roots .
All those above required very advanced cultivation level—unlike alchemy, which was almost like a discipline devoted to artificial human creation .
Wait a minute! A discipline!
Gu Yu's heart skipped a beat as if a lever was pulled . The idea came so suddenly that his thoughts were all over the place for a while and his mind was in chaos . He was faintly aware of something pivotal and only came to himself after quite a while .
He fixed his mind on that thought and pressed on, "What did you make this thing for?"
"Initially, to create the perfect life form . According to Paracelsus, although it was a fraction of the size of a normal human being, it was born a master of various knowledge . It would also have excellent academic ability and enjoy a long and disease-free life .
"It might be just another crazy experiment of his, but when I tried to replicate it, hoho, I was wondering if I could use it on myself . " Erhard did not try to conceal anything .
"Does it have a mind and soul of its own?" asked Cohen .
"There is no guarantee of that . After all, no second person has ever succeeded . I don't have much hope for my own experiment, either . "
"How long is it until ready?" asked Marianne .
"You're very lucky . It's seven days from now, and right during the conference . I'll invite you over again then . " Erhard sipped that unknown drink and turned to look at Gu Yu with a smile . "The oriental Taoist skills had a long history . I'd love to see what you have in this aspect . "
"You have been very honest with me and it is only fair that I share something myself . Here we go . "
Old Gu meant it—the old man had demonstrated his sincerity by sharing such a big secret on their first meeting . He took out a talisman and grabbed at the thin air . A leaf on the tree outside then appeared in his hand, followed by a whooshing sound .
The talisman burst into flame and white smoke surged up, gradually transforming into a man that was a perfect replica of Gu Yu, only that the look on its face was a little blank .
"Transfiguration!" Cohen let out a soft cry first, then corrected himself, "No, that's not it . That was not transfiguration . To turn a leaf into a man will cost a great amount of magic, but the fluctuation just then was tiny . "
"What was the mechanism behind this? Was that a talisman?" Marianne also asked .
"That's correct . It was indeed a talisman . It contains energy and you simply activate it when you want to use it . Of course, you will need some sort of plant, metal, or stone as a medium, as well as a little, um, spiritual imprint from the user themselves . This replica can talk and walk around, but it has no mind or soul . It has a physical body, though, and can remain in this form for three days . It will do this under impact…"
He gave it a pat and Evangelion 2 Gu Yu made a popping sound and disappeared .
"I see, it's like a magic scroll . " Marianne understood right away .
"What was that move called, the one you used to pick the leaf? It looked a lot like Mage Hand . " Ernese was apparently more interested in that aspect .
"That's Small Moving Technique; it's quite versatile . For example…"
Gu Yu did not move, but Ernese's pipe suddenly disappeared from his hand, and the next moment, it popped up between Cohen's lips . Both old men were taken by surprise and it took Cohen a minute to throw away the pipe and spit repeatedly . "Gosh! That was like kissing that old bat indirectly! Gross!"
"Hahaha!" Erhard broke into a laughter . "The oriental skills are indeed remarkable . You know, the greater the difference between an object and the thing it is transfigured into, the more difficult it is, let alone maintain the form for three days . "
"You flatter me . I am only a beginner in this field . Those that reach an advanced cultivation state can replicate themselves out of thin air, turn clay puppets into living men, and make objects out of nothing . Now, that is remarkable," said Gu Yu .
"Turn clay puppets into men and create objects out of nothing…" Erhard repeated those words with a longing in his eyes . After a brief pause, he offered Gu Yu the official invitation as a sign of accepting the latter into the group . "Our gathering will be held regularly throughout the conference . I hope we'll see you again . "
***
The private party did not finish until early the next morning .
Andrea left on her own, while Gu Yu went back to the hotel with Ernese on that carriage . His head was filled with ideas after the night and he couldn't wait to see the old man of their own delegation .
Unfortunately, the delegation had left early this morning . It was the first day of the conference and the leading figures of all 184 countries and regions had to make their appearance .
He had no choice but to stay behind and watch the live broadcast .
All countries had reached the tacit agreement that nothing extraordinary would happen on the conference . The mysterious powers had their own playground . With the delegations of Chine, Uncle Sam, Sicily, Britannia, Oz, Espania, Nippon, etc . , showing their faces in turn, one could sense the torrents brewing behind the curtain .
Finally, the afternoon arrived and the first day of the conference was over .
The old man hurried back to the hotel and greeted Gu Yu by asking, "Mr . Gu, you didn't come back last night . Was there a problem?"
"Don't worry, it was nothing like that . I have good news . " He told the old man about what had happened and suggested, "I am pretty sure about why they sought me out . Germani, Gaul, and Viking are definitely thinking about collaboration . Maybe you could work on that angle . "
"That explains a lot . I felt something was going on during the meeting today… ok, I'll make a note of that . Anything else?"
"There's so much more, but I'll have to get to know them better to figure it all out . All I can tell you now is that I will learn so much more than I expected from this trip . " He did not go into details and only asked, "How are things on your front?"
"Most countries are still riding the fence . Uncle Sam is not as domineering as usually; it almost seemed they did not have much to fall back onto . The African countries are all on their own . The Latin American countries seemed to have formed an alliance, trying to increase their bargaining power . Oz is looking for friends . Britannia is unexpectedly loud; they proposed setting up a European alliance, developing the mysterious powers with a joint force . The alliance will be run by a committee and they pretty much named themselves for it . "
"Uncle Sam has their hands tied with everything going on domestically . They don't have much— wait a minute . " Gu Yu blinked and said, "I have an idea, but it is a very rough one . "
"That's ok . Do tell," said the old man .
"I learned yesterday that Uncle Sam has over 1200 registered cults . A handful are quite capable, but most of them are just swindlers .
"The Congress is fighting among themselves; some support a full-on suppression, while others suggest a gentler approach . However, there is a great shortage of transcendent powers under the government's control and Voodoo is setting fire in their backyard . It's a circus out there .
"How about this? We will offer them some help in exchange for something to our country's benefit . I can't think of anything specific—I believe that is your expertise . Oh, and there's this…"
He took out a card . "This is the contact information of the Wicca . They have a relatively positive theology and maybe you can reach out to them, see if you can learn something more . "
" . . . " The old man took the card and studied it carefully . "Yes, I believe it is doable . We'll talk about it in detail later . "
"Great . By the way, what's the agenda tomorrow?"
"The same old stuff: implication, differentiation, and a lot of wooing . This is a ten-day conference and no one knows how it'll turn out until the last moment . "
"I see . That is a lot of hard work . In that case, I'll take care of myself . "
"We are in a foreign country after all . So, if it's possible, do keep your, um…" The old man was already worried—this fellow had a habit of switching between the little red riding hood and the big wolf without warning .
"Don't worry . I know when to stop . "
***
Bonn, an ancient castle in the suburbs .
The castle, which could be dated back to almost a thousand years, had now been revamped into a hotel with gardens providing reception service . It was a renowned destination in Europe . Two days before the commencement of the conference, a group of people rented the entire venue; according to the registration information, they were all from Britannia .
Right now, a dozen people were sitting around a long dining table, quietly enjoying their dinner .
They were all properly attired and moved around the table gracefully with perfect manners, every bit the gentlemen they were supposed to be . In the middle of the meal, a man entered the room, walked up to the man in the host's seat, and whispered into his ears .
"I see . You can leave us now . " The man put down his cutlery and gave the table a knock with his knuckles . "Gentlemen, the first day of the conference is over . As expected, the proposal of setting up a European alliance was rejected, which marked the commencement of our task .
"Never shall we forget that our country was once the greatest nation of this world, ruling over a quarter of the global population with a territory of 34 million km^2 .
"An emerging opportunity is upon us now . Even if the old glory was a past we could not replicate, we will not rest until we rise above all others in this war . Britannia is the land most abundant with modern magic, which is our fate and great fortune . Europe is not a land with plenty resources; Gaul, Germani, Mediterranean, and the Iceberg buccaneers up in the north all have their own organizations . They are all our enemies!
"Gentlemen, while they fight their battles inside the conference room, we will fight ours out here . I don't care what measures you take, the majority of the countries must reach the agreement on passing our proposal . "
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Those around the table answered his calling and the man went on . "Leave Ernese, Erhard, and the other old ones alone for the time being . Start with the small countries . "
"What about the Orient?"
"They have their own problems to deal with and won't be in our way . Nippon is the only one offering secret support, but they cannot be trusted . Keep an eye on them . And there's Chine…" Hatred seeped through his voice as he said, "Two of ours were killed, and I suspect that man is the culprit . Find a way to kill him!"
"This fact that he is with the delegation means he is very powerful . We might not be able to…" said someone anxiously .
"Ha! Don't worry . That one is with us here!"
"That one…"
A mixture of worship, envy, and fear flashed across every face at the table at the mention of that person, as if that one was the answer to all problems .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-163.png){kind=small}
Chapter 363
Source: Imported
The conference would last ten days . It might be held under the pretense of a climate conference, but no one was actually going to talk about the weather . The politicians would take care of the strategic competition and cooperation in the meetings, while the cultivators were the ones making actual contact and physically fighting one another .
Hence, Gu Yu had been visiting Erhard every night for the next couple of days and got to know the others better .
Erhard was well over eighty, and was probably the most senior member of the European magic community . As the descendant of Paracelsus, he was an expert in magic and alchemy, which could be further categorized into aspects such as Homunculus, puppet stone figures, magic circles, pharmaceutics, etc .
Marianne was a Nordic witch and a master of auguries and curses . Her ancestors fled to the north during the witch hunts of the medieval times; there, they survived by sheer luck and had kept a low profile ever since .
Ernese was a sorcerer through and through . His expertise was in elemental magic and he was a very capable fighter himself .
Cohen, on the other hand, turned out to be a mild surprise for Gu Yu, for the old man was a Jew unattached to any individual country . It just so happened that he was a believer of Kabbalah, which was right up Gu Yu's alley . One of his purposes of coming to the western hemisphere was to study this so-called tree of life .
"We each follow a different school of thought, which leads to the difference in our view of the world . Taoism believes Qi to be the ultimate source of the world, whereas that role is played by elements in Ernese's opinion, spirit in Marianne's, and various materials usable by human beings in mine . "
The five were having the conversation of the day by the warm fireplace . Erhard was saying, "Therefore, it does not matter what this ultimate source is called; what matters is that which school is able to put it to the best use and form a rigorous practicing system . "
"That's right . I discovered after I arrived at the western hemisphere that the spiritual essence is still present and I can still absorb it . Despite the differences of all the cultivation methods out there in the world, we all end up heading for the same destination . "
After a few days of getting to know these people, Gu Yu began to like their late night talks . "Actually, there is one question that I have been meaning to ask . Back in my country, places with the densest spiritual essence that are also radiating towards the surrounding areas are called nodes . Do you have similar things in your countries?"
" . . . "
Erhard squinted a little and chuckled . "Of course, only that we call them origins, as in the origins of a new world . "
"Origins… hm, very good name . "
Gu Yu nodded and did not press on . Information such as the number of nodes in each country was doubtlessly among the top secrets .
He then looked out of the window and saw the pale red of the eastern sky . "The sun's rising, it's time for me to leave . Oh, I have some gifts for you here . I hope you'll like them . "
With that, he took out a stack of talismans and gave two to each of them: one was a blank talisman and the other a common healing talisman .
"Oh, thank you! This is a surprise!" Marianne was the most interested in talismans and accepted the gift happily . She then gave it a thought and handed Gu Yu a little pouch with a smile . "Just a little something in return . It's nothing much, just the seeds of a very beautiful plant . "
"Haha, I have a tail feather of the descendant of a phoenix for you, for decoration purposes . " Ernese was ready to return the gift as well . He took out a golden and red long feather that looked splendid .
The oriental phoenix was an ancient divine animal that came in pairs 1 , whereas the western counterpart was an immortal bird with an appearance resembling a vulture or giant eagle that could sing beautifully .
Gu Yu liked this gift very much . Since Ernese said it was from a descendant, it was obviously not from an actual phoenix, which explained the weak energy fluctuation in the feather .
Erhard chuckled at this . "I'm not prepared for this, but I do have a little puppet here that can tell you the correct time . It'll work for another three to five years . "
With that, he handed Gu Yu a magical puppet in the form of an owl . It was so lifelike that even its feathers looked the real thing . Its round head turned this way and that, giving it a dorky charm .
"Um…" Cohen looked very embarrassed, for the other three all gave something back in return, but he had nothing suitable for the occasion .
"Don't worry about it! It's not like this is our last meeting on earth . " Gu Yu waved at the old man to ease his awkwardness and said, "So, I'm off . See you all tomorrow . "
"I have some errands to run . I'll be leaving as well . " Cohen also rose to his feet .
Moments later, the two walked out of the cottage together .
Looking around, Gu Yu suddenly said, "Mr . Cohen, are you in a hurry? There is something I want to ask you . "
"No problem, but I don't have a lot of time . "
"Then let's talk on our way . "
The two then left the village without hailing that carriage, walking towards downtown Bonn .
"You're a practitioner of Kabbalah and to be honest, that is something I am very interested in . I was wondering if you could explain to me a little more about it? Oh, feel free to omit anything that you deem private or secret," said Gu Yu .
"Kabbalah is a very complicated system . I don't really know where to begin to answer you question," said Cohen with a frown .
"In Taoist theories, the description of the universe is generally very abstract: the universe is born from Dao and Qi . I want to know how Kabbalah sees the universe . "
"Well…" Apparently also interested in this topic, Cohen pondered for a moment, searching for the right words . "As a matter of fact, I think that, to some extent, the theories of Kabbalah and Taoism share similarities . We believe in God, but not as an entity, but the sum of all contradictory concepts such as good and evil, justice and partiality, mercy and indifference, knowledge and agnosticism, etc . , which together constitute God . It sounds a lot like your Dao .
"In our practices, the ultimate goal is to achieve the unity of man and God . "
"As in a man becoming an integral part of nature?" asked Gu Yu in amazement .
"You can put it that way . We believe that when the universe was first created, man and God were a unified one—we call that state the primordial man . The purpose of our practice is to return to that state through the tree of life . "
'Holy sh*t!'
Gu Yu was genuinely intrigued . He knew very little of Kabbalah before this, but now, with Cohen's explanation, he realized the old man was describing the recovery of one's original nature of Taoism .
What did Taoism mean by this "nature"? It was one's initial and true state, which was what the Perfected Man of the ancient period was! The similarity between that and the primordial man was obvious .
His head was buzzing for a moment there . He had studied many western religious doctrines before this and most of them talked about God creating the world and men, and that God was omnipotent and men could only win God's grace by going through suffering, redemption, being loving, blah, blah, blah .
Kabbalah theory was the first that mentioned none of that but proposed to unify with God .
"We have an excellent metaphor for God, describing it as a streak of light in a mirror, which is reflected in a second mirror, then a third, a fourth… the process continues . In this series of infinite reflections, part of the light is gradually lost and new part is also gradually added in .
"God is that initial streak of light . It sets out from the origin and forms another nine streaks . The ten light together is known as Sephirot . "
Cohen mentioned a very obscure term "Sephirot" and it took Gu Yu quite a while to comprehend the concept, which corresponded to the Taoist theory of "once objects are formed, the constituents forming them can form countless other objects" .
Cohen then produced a card . On it was a strange pattern consisting of three columns, ten Sephirot, Four Worlds, and twenty-two lines arranged vertically, which was none other than the tree of life itself .
"This tree is the path of our practice, leading man back to God . We mainly use meditation for that purpose, which I will not go into details here," Cohen explained briefly as he pointed at different parts of the card . "The top of the tree is the crown—or God—and the other nine Sephirot are wisdom, understanding, kindness, misericord, beauty, glory, eternity, foundation, and kingdom . The three columns are the columns of kindness, mildness, and stringency…"
Gu Yu listened to the old man carefully, but the explanation sounded so much like a finesse for propaganda purposes that it was no different from the eight virtues Wicca promoted .
Maybe there was quite a lot of undisclosed secrets involved that Cohen was unwilling to reveal . He only carried on explaining, "The Four Worlds are: World of Emanation, meaning fire and energy; World of Creation, meaning wind and time; World of Formation, meaning water and space; World of Action, meaning earth and material . "
"Wind, water, earth, and fire? Energy, time, space, material…" Gu Yu muttered to himself, apparently onto something . He then asked, "What's your own understanding of these concepts?"
"My own understanding… the Primordial World came first, which was the original source of the universe and where all the other worlds were created .
"Then came World of Creation . Light evolved here, developing into various remarkable elements .
"World of Formation was the third one . This is the realm of souls, where thoughts and concepts form, as well as the differentiation of male and female .
"The fourth one was World of Action . Light disintegrates here, then crystalizes and transforms into nature and human beings . Abstract consciousness also becomes concrete things here . This is men's wor— hm?"
Before he could finish that sentence, Gu Yu suddenly halted and froze on the spot . Cohen was taken by surprise and asked in a hurry, "What's wrong?"
" . . . "
There was no answer . Gu Yu's face was blank and he could be either deep in thought or having his mind wandering off somewhere else .
Cohen was unfamiliar with the oriental concept of "realization", but he knew better than to disturb Gu Yu at this moment . Looking around, he was kind enough to keep guard for Gu Yu .
So, what was Gu Yu thinking?
He was thinking about the Taoist view of the world .
Taoism had never offered a clear and systematic description of the universe or the world . All it had were generalized, abstruse words that could be applied to any dispute at any time .
For example: "Dao begets all things and Dao is in everything; all things existing are part of the great cycle of the universe and everything is constantly transforming into everything else . "
After that, there was no systematic analysis .
Many people thought Taoism had a distinct categorization of different worlds because of expressions such as "jumping out of the confinement of the three divisions of the universe", or "thirty-six heavens" .
Let's talk about the thirty-six heavens, which was a concoction of the Maoshan Sect by borrowing from Buddhist theories, first . Similar expressions included twenty-eight heaves, four brahmas, four heavens of the sacred landscape… please, using brahma for a Taoist concept?
Then there was the three divisions of the universe, which had several versions .
Some categorized it as heaven (the heavenly court where immortals and sacred figures dwelled), netherworld (a place as spooky as hell), and earth (the human world); some believed it to be the three realms of heaven, earth, and water; some even went as far as to borrow the Buddhist concept directly and named the three divisions as Kamaloka, Rupaloka, and Arupaloka!
That last one was simply ridiculous—at least make it sound like Taoist words!
That was why the Taoist categorization was in such chaos—the mythological system was always changing throughout the history . With each change came a new concept, and in the end, there were many contradictory things and each sect believed in a different system . Even the Taoist priests could not tell which one to believe .
In comparison, the Kabbalah theory was very interesting . At least it offered a graphic and clear picture of the constituent of the universe .
"Mhm…"
It felt like a split second or several hundred years when Gu Yu's eyes snapped open . His head had never been this clear; an urge was rising inside him, on the verge of escaping his control .
He had finally figured out what "push" he needed to break into the Human Immortal state!
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-164.png){kind=small}
Chapter 364
Source: Imported
"Please don't kill me! Please!"
"We will join you! We will!"
"I will persuade our leader as soon as I go back . Please spare my life!"
"Humph! You just had to choose the hard way! What a waste of my precious time! Don't act as if you're forced into this . There is no way your country can afford developing the mysterious power on your own, so you're better off attached to us . In that way, at least you'll get the help you need from us . "
Inside a small village, a senior sorcerer of AA had crushed the joint forces of three mages of a small country without breaking a sweat .
With its population of under a million, it was nearly a miracle that the country could have mages of its own . Had it not been for a mutated forest in its territory, Britannia would not have been bothered to make this effort .
"Now…"
The AA sorcerer waved his hand at two of the mages, releasing two balls of fire, burning the latter into ashes . He then turned to the sole survivor . "You'll be in charge of your delegation from now on . We'll be in touch . "
With that, he put his hat back on, picked up his walking stick, and soon disappeared into the end of the alley with the click-clack of his shiny leather shoes .
It was like the old man said before the conference: what happened inside and outside the conference room affected one another .
All the participating countries were competing chiefly with their mysterious powers; the traditional military forces only came next . Even those countries that used to be superpowers, without their own capable mages or sorcerers, were falling off the wagon of this new wave of global development and were bound to be eliminated .
Hence, what was happening right now was that all traditional superpowers lacking transcendent talents were seeking cooperative partners, whereas the smaller/weaker but with enough inheritance in that aspect were either waiting for the highest bidder or forming up alliances .
As someone blessed with both, Britannia was as proud as the only rooster in the hennery . Once more, it was depicted as the happy saboteur of Europe, or even the entire world .
During the past seven days of the conference, it was persistent in publicly lobbying for the establishment of a European alliance of mysterious powers and its domestic magic societies had also come out in full force, doing all they could outside the conference room, alternating between intimidation and bribery .
Apart from Germani, Gual, and Viking—which were under the wings of their senior members of the magic community and whom they dared not provoke recklessly—even Sicily, which was practically the front yard of the Vatican, almost could not stay out of their harassment .
It was simply out of line! Preposterous!
Everyone was disgusted by the deeds of this single country, but was at the same time surprised and baffled . They were indeed quite powerful in that aspect, but not to the point where they could look down upon all other countries in the world . What on earth gave them this confidence?
As for Gu Yu's home team, their general policy had been clear all along: cooperate with the stronger ones and befriend the weaker ones .
With the global impact and the trust the country had gained over the past ninety years, the delegation led by the old man was able to stand out as one of the dominant voices . Now that they were able to set up friendly relationship with the US and European delegations, they were showing a possibility of establishing another alliance excluding Britannia .
Needless to say, with neutral countries such as Germani sitting on the fence, the leaders of the two potential alliances had become rivals .
***
The cottage, the secret chamber .
Gu Yu, Ernese, and the other three—Andrea included—were invited here again to witness the birth, or destruction, of the Homunculus .
Right now, the six were standing around the table as Erhard carefully took out the flask and injected the last dose of fresh blood . After that, it was time to wait for the miracle .
Gu Yu was greatly intrigued by this thing and was able to obtain its ingredients by exchanging some of his oriental secret knowledge .
Human sperm and various herbs were to be put inside a flask first, the outer layer of which was to be stuffed with horse manure—its fermentation would maintain the temperature of the flask . In the next forty weeks, the inner layer of the flask had to be kept warm while fresh blood was added in regularly . In thirty days, a transparent human-shaped object would appear inside the flask . It would have the appearance of a human child, only that it would be much smaller in size .
The key of the ingredients were the herbs, especially a plant called mandrake .
It sprouted from the sperm of hanged men dug out by a black dog before the dawn of a Friday . It was then to be washed clean and raised with milk, honey, and fresh blood .
The use of sperm did not surprise Gu Yu, for it was not uncommon in the occidental magic community . However, the sperm of a hanged man was rather peculiar .
According to Erhard, it was produced by the last ejaculation before a man died .
Now, that was something one did not hear every day!
The last ejaculation before death… that almost sounded heroically tragic—as if all the miserable single souls out there were shown the end of their universe .
Enough with the sidetracking . After Erhard poured the blood in, the tiny figure was still turning with the flask . The old man had prepared plenty of alchemy powder beforehand and was now sprinkling it over the flask in handfuls while chanting a spell .
Finally, after he had removed all glass pipes from the sphere of the flask, the little figure stopped turning . The next second, the index finger of its right hand moved a little, then its body gave a slight shiver . After that, its eyes snapped open .
'Wow!'
Andrea could not help but marvel at what she saw, her pretty green eyes staring at the little figure as if she had been pulled into its eyes .
Gu Yu was also carefully sensing it . Despite the lack of any energy fluctuation from the thing, it gave him the feeling of something extremely dangerous .
There were no pupils in those eyes apart from a blackness as still as the dead of night and as undisturbed as the sea after dark, beneath which was the endless desire and struggle .
In them was innocence, wisdom, sympathy, indifference, evil, taunt, temptation… as if all human emotions were concentrated in its eyes .
"It is the perfect creation!"
"God, I think it can see through everything . I feel naked in its presence!"
The four elders were all admiring it in low voices and Erhard was shaking with his uncontrollable excitement . In ancient Germanic, he asked, "You, you are… oh, no, what do you see? Tell me, what do you see?"
" . . . "
The little figure's head turned slightly, apparently comprehending the question . However, it gave no reply; instead, a strange and terrifying smile crept up its face .
Immediately after that, it closed its eyes and its flesh began to shrivel at an observable speed . Its tiny body kept shrinking and shrinking further… until it was a wizened ball of gray flesh .
"No, you can't disappear like this! Tell me the way to eternal life and the ultimate truth! No! No!"
Erhard rushed to the table and grabbed the flask into his arms, shaking everything on the table .
"Hey, calm down!"
Seeing this, Gu Yu patted the old man, activating both his spiritual essence and conjuring skill . Erhard shuddered and stood there dazed for a moment before the contorted muscle on his face slowly relaxed .
"Old friend, you should have foreseen this . It would never be born into this world—not really . " Ernese sighed .
"No, not to this world of men . It doesn't belong here," said Marianne .
"Maybe it was the creation closest to eternal life, to truth, and to the origin of the universe . Because of that, it chose to destroy itself," said Cohen .
" . . . "
Andrea didn't really know what they were talking about and kept her silence again .
A moment later, the six of them returned to the fireplace while Erhard lay down on a settee . He only settled his mind after a large cup of hot beverage .
He let out a long breath, as if trying to drive away all the irritation from earlier . Only then did he turn to Gu Yu, asking, "By the way, I sensed something different in you ever since you walked in today . Something is palpitating inside you . Has something happened?"
"It's nothing . I was hitting a bottleneck and couldn't break through . It was thanks to Cohen—he has brought me something like a revelation . My current status, well, I can't really explain it, either…"
Gu Yu's energy had always felt reserved, but it was now brimming out . His entire body was like a sphere of light, emanating a fierce, jumbled, and strange aura .
He was mobile and static, present and absent, unrestrained and controlled, happy and sad—all these polarized qualities were fastened onto him simultaneously .
And these still kept rising, as if looking for a window to break through . Gu Yu now was a powder keg with its fuse ignited; he was ready to blow off at any moment .
He knew perfectly of what was happening: the world view of Kabbalah had shaken him so much that he was able to fill in the missing piece of his upgrade requirement .
Therefore, he had been hesitating . Should he cut the trip short and go back home, or should he just find a secluded place in Bonn for a few days?"
***
They finished another nightlong talk .
It was the early morning of the eighth day and Gu Yu was walking back to town with Andrea . He did not ask, but from the look of it, Wicca had been approached by his own government and they were in the initial state of making contact .
"I heard that Master Erhard had covered half the city in his magic circle . I don't think I'll be able to achieve a tenth of what he could in my lifetime . "
Andrea's high heels click-clacked on the road, drawing attention to her perfect ankles and the beautiful lines of her calves . That part of her body alone was enough to drive men crazy .
"I prefer these magic spots . They're like the infrastructure of a transcendant society . With them, a new social system can totally be set up . "
Gu Yu acted as if she had no legs at all . Instead, he tapped a telegraph pole by the side of the road, which made a popping sound of fluctuation .
The so-called magic spots were a little like Platform 9 ¾; they were connected by triggering devices and could cover a certain area .
That carriage, for instance, could be summoned at a magic spot, from where it would take one to other magic spots . Mages could also use them to contact one another, communicate, and deliver things .
This was something Gu Yu had been considering as well . He liked its convenience and wished they could come up with something like this back home .
"All right, this is your place . See you . "
They soon arrived at her building . Andrea did not seem to feel the chill of the morning at all . Wrapped in her tight, thin little black dress, she readily twisted her body into a perfect "S", chuckling, "You're sure you don't wanna come up? Last chance . "
"Stop hitting on me already . I have a girlfriend . " Gu Yu felt his temple throbbing .
"So what? She's not here and I don't mind . "
The blinking green eyes could have drowned any ordinary man .
"You won't understand . All right, go home!" Gu Yu waved his goodbye .
"Teehee, ok . I'm going back home tomorrow . See you around . "
After that, Andrea strutted back upstairs while Gu Yu shook his head and headed back along a small street .
It was in the small hours and there were barely any people and vehicles around; the street looked deserted . Winter here in Bonn was quite cold . Trees on both sides of the street were coated with frost and the dangling branches had a lonely kind of beauty to them .
He halted all of a sudden and frowned .
That feeling inside was getting stronger and he could barely control it… damn it, as the first Human Immortal after centuries, he had only himself for consultation . 'It sucks!'
He unknowingly looked towards the south beyond the city, where the indistinctive grayish white mountains sprinkled with green stretched out into the distance . It was a place called Siebengebirge in the suburbs of Bonn and the closest place he could find right now for seclusion .
'Hm?'
He was about to notify the four elderly when he paused again . A demonically charming smile crept up his face, which was such a rare picture .
"I was going to stay away from all of this, but you just have to hand yourself to me . Blame yourselves, then!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-165.png){kind=small}
Chapter 365
Source: Imported
The street was bleak and chilly .
It was over two hundred meters long and a two-way single lane street . It was considered among the major roads here in Bonn . The sun had not risen yet and the air was filled with a thin, cold fog, indicating bad weather ahead .
Right now, there was not a single soul on the street . Other than Gu Yu, the only things standing were landscape trees flanking the road whose branches were coated with a thin layer of frost condensing from the cold air .
Gu Yu took out his phone, and after a moment of hesitation, dialed a number .
"You're calling me this early? What's going on?" the old man of their delegation spoke on the other side of the line .
"Just to let you know, the conference will have its conclusion today . "
"What? What are you talking ab—"
"Toot… toot… toot…"
Gu Yu hung up right after that, then walked along the street for a short distance with a faint smile on his face . On passing a tree, he casually reached out his right hand with five fingers slightly apart and his palm forming a half-sphere, then pressed down .
"Gurgle!"
The sound of flowing water came out of that tree, then the air contorted and a blond Caucasian man emerged holding a magic staff . He was planning a surprise attack, but as soon as he stuck his head out, his face met Gu Yu's palm . It looked as if he was feeding himself into it .
The five slender fingers pressed down on the crown of the hairy head under which was a distorted face . That hand handled him more easily than an adult teasing a child, more unstoppable than a child stamping on an ant .
"We're blown!"
"Now!"
"Gurgle! Gurgle!"
At a few angry shouts, there were fluctuations in all four directions of Gu Yu as half a dozen white men jumped out of their hiding places .
"Pffft!"
Before they could take any action, blood gushed out and that unlucky guy's dead body stumbled to the ground, his head rolling into the distance . Gu Yu, however, was nowhere to be seen .
"Where is he? Where did he go?"
"Looking for me?"
Clunk!
The voice came from behind them like a ghost . One redbeard twitched his brow and drew out his magic staff, only to parry just in time . The fine staff made from holly wood met Gu Yu's palm, making a crisp sound as if it had knocked onto a piece of metal . Immediately after that, however, the redbeard's face turned pale at the great force coming through the staff .
Boom!!!
The frightening power struck the redbeard, who flew backwards together with another fellow mage like cannonballs . They then smashed into the wall of a shop a few meters away, shaking the entire building .
Bang!
The impact made a depression over ten meters in diameter on the wall, embedded in the center of which were the two men, one on top of another . The bricks and cement around them had crackled, giving them a look of two flying insects trapped in a spider web .
Blood trickled down the corner of his mouth as the redbeard coughed . His head then dropped to one side and he was dead .
No one made a sound!
All air seemed to be drawn away from the small street as a hush fell over it . A second passed like this .
"Aaaaah!"
"Help! Help!"
The handful of residents upstairs began to scream frantically and vehicles on either end of the street blared their horns . Among all these noises, the remaining three or four mages froze on their spots and dared not make any reckless move .
"No more hiding . Come out, all of you!"
Gu Yu casually wiped his hand . The blood of the first man trickled down the back of his hand and dropped onto the snow-covered ground, reminding one of red plum flowers .
"How arrogant!"
The air contorted again as over a dozen people emerged . They were all dressed in black robes and holding magic staff . The team consisted of men and women of all ages who all wore a hexagram on their chest .
"So, the AA . That was very patient of you . I didn't expect you to wait this long . "
Gu Yu stuck his hands into the wide sleeves of his casual clothes again, his long neck slightly leaning forward and his head lowered a little . He reminded one so much of a red-crowned crane standing there with its wings tucked in .
Had Lu Yuanqing been here, he would recognize this posture right away, for the last time Gu Yu looked like this, he annihilated a team in a farmhouse in Changqing Village .
Gu Yu stood there watching the others surrounding him and chuckled . "They should have detected us by now . Bring it on . I'm in a hurry . "
"Humph, all our elite members are here, you…"
A whitebeard who apparently was a senior member chanted something immediately to set up a magical defense shield . He then saw a hand reaching up towards him .
The hand made contact with the protective shield and kept reaching forward unhindered as if it was only water .
"Hm… hm…"
The whitebeard tried his best to stay away from the hand moving slowly towards him . However, no matter where he dodged, he could not break away from its course . In the end, he watched as a finger touched his forehead .
Whoosh!
A streak of strange energy broke into his body and rampaged inside . His internal organs felt as if they had been set on fire and stirred up .
Pfffft! Blood gushed out of his mouth . He then burst into flame and was soon a pile of ash .
"Abra Grikasi— ah!"
Two others began to chant spells, but were interrupted by their own cries of surprise . Their magic staffs had disappeared from their hands and reappeared in that man's .
"Nice stuff . Too bad that I'm not interested . "
Gu Yu played with them for a moment before giving them a squeeze . The two staffs excellently made became piles of powder .
Then, without even taking out his weapon, Gu Yu grabbed at the air, then again .
"Aaaah! Aaaah!"
Two heads left their necks with two clean cuts . There were two more bodies on the ground .
"He's more powerful then we've anticipated!"
"You lot, pin him down! Summon the magic circle!"
The elders of AA all showed up for this ambush . Seven people stood in position and linked their magic . After a lengthy incantation, a giant hexagram emerged out of the ground .
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew across the small street, growing stronger . Buildings on either side rumbled under the pressure . The doors, windows, walls, and even the trees and vehicles seemed unable to withstand the erosion, soon beginning to show a weathered look .
Meanwhile, the other dozen people moved swiftly in and surrounded Gu Yu in the middle .
Looking around, Gu Yu only felt the impulse inside growing stronger and was losing control . That ignited fuse had run out and the powder keg was exploding .
"Actually, a lot of the times, I baffle myself . Am I good or bad, just or evil…" He slowly pressed forward, talking to himself and the others at the same time .
Confronted by this formidable enemy, the mages summoned their mightiest weapon right away . "Stone man, follow my order!"
"Roar!"
Instantly, a giant magic puppet seven to eight meters tall and four to five meters wide appeared in the circle . Its skin had completely fossilised and its facial features were a blur . It stood there like a small mountain, even blocking out the rising sun .
Thump! A single stride brought it meters nearer and it was running towards Gu Yu, roaring angrily .
"Xiaozhai said we're all selfish, and I think she was right . We have to put ourselves first in everything . Only when we ourselves are safe and in a favorable position can we tell the good from the bad and are capable of mercy . . .
"I don't take pleasure from killing, but I'm not intimidated by killing, either . Call it fate, then . You just happened to be here today…"
Gu Yu whispered and sighed quietly . He then flipped his sleeves, releasing all 72 refined Flaming Cloud Needles, which floated in mid-air like little sparks .
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The sounds of something ripping through the air rang out . Activated by the spiritual essence, the weapon unleashed its terrifying power . All 72 needles shot out, lighting up the entire street and scattering the fog .
A flaming dragon over ten meters long soon took shape and charged forward .
Crack!
The indestructible stone figure was punched through at its chest as if it was a fragile plasterboard .
"That's impossible! Impossible!"
The dozen or so people surrounding Gu Yu were petrified . Forget about trying to stop the man . Those brushed by the fire dragon had half their bodies turn into ashes without any chance of fighting back .
According to the category back home, these people were acquired state cultivators only . They did not stand a chance facing Gu Yu, who had reached perfection of his innate state and was breaking into Human Immortal state .
Crackle! Boom!
The puppet stone man split into two halves at its chest level down the middle, and the two sections collapsed to the ground on either side, crushing the buildings on either side of the road . Wooden splinters flew everywhere and the street was covered by broken glass .
Color was drained from all faces of the elite AA members . They had no idea how to proceed from here and turned to look at the elders in unison .
***
"Alert! Alert! Fight broke out in Vic Street, and an extremely wide area was affected . No premature advance into the area! Safety first! SAFETY! FIRST!"
"Have they found out yet? Who did this? Who?"
Inside the defense command center of Bonn, the head grabbed one of the subordinates by his collar and roared out the questions . The latter shivered in fear and shook his head . "I'm sorry, but we don't know yet!"
"Imbecile! You're all imbeciles! Who has news? Information? Clear pictures?" the head bellowed some more and smacked the table . "Who on earth are the two sides? What were they thinking opening fire in the city center? Find them! Now!"
"Sir, a surveillance camera caught something!" Just then, another man called out .
"What? Show it to me!"
A couple of minutes later, a blurry video clip only a little over ten seconds was played . The head and the senior mage watched it and looked very unhappy .
"Damn those island monkeys! All they ever do is making trouble!"
"I think they're from the AA . Even the elders are out . Whom are they trying to kill?"
"An oriental man! That's an oriental man . Zoom in on his face…"
In a moment, the imaged was zoomed in, showing a mild face .
"Oh! He's with the Chinese delegation . What is he called?"
The senior mage remembered the young man clearly . With his broken Chinese, he replied, "Gu… Yu…"
Inside the hotel .
The old man was listening to his assistant's report with an unhappy face as well .
"Mr . Gu went to attend a gathering last night . On his way back early this morning, he was ambushed by some men of Britannia in Vic Street . They're still engaging in battle at the moment . "
"How is it looking?"
"Um…" The assistant gave it a thought and summarized, "They're crushed . "
"Civilian casualties?"
"The number hasn't come out yet . I don't think there'll be too many, though . It's not a residential area and the damage was mainly to buildings . "
"Oh, that's not too bad . " The old man knitted his brows in despair and was even driven into cursing, "I told him all along to keep it quiet, keep it quiet! He said he knew where to stop . Knew my a*s!"
"Haha, Sir, no offense, but I've got to say something . " The assistant looked delighted—as delighted as a proud primary school student whose deskmate had just got the first prize in the National Day essay competition—and chuckled . "Isn't it our job this time to clean after his mess?"
The village, the cottage .
Erhard was slowly sipping his hot beverage when he shuddered and said with surprise, "Why, a magic spot was destroyed?"
Before he had time to think, the surprise turned into shock . "Another one was destroyed!"
A moment later, he was terrified . "The magic circle is under attack . No!"
The old man put down his cup and waved at the air . His clothes and hat automatically put themselves onto him before he ran out of door in a hurry . He then hopped onto a carriage, which took him towards the city at top speed .
***
"This is not enough! I need some more!"
Gu Yu stood there in Vic Street, the ground around him covered with dead bodies . He felt very uncomfortable . The battle just then was a mere warm-up and could never quench the thirst that was surging out of him .
Eyeing the team of elders who had just completed their summoning spell, Gu Yu was excited . "Come, come to me . "
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-166.png){kind=small}
Chapter 366
Source: Imported
"Laugh all you want, but you're not walking out of here alive today!"
The dozen elites brought by the Elders were annihilated in the blink of an eye and turned into dead bodies on the street . As aggrieved and resentful as they might be, there was still a hopefulness in them, which seemed to result from the magic circle they were activating, but there also seemed to be something else .
"Oft Sċyld Sċefing sċeaþena þrēatum!"
Finally, the hexagram on the ground was completed and was now emanating a dark glow . The supreme elder chanted an ancient spell . "Come out, Shrieking Enchantress!"
"Woo…"
There was a strange cry that was not entirely male or female . It was halfway between wailing and sobbing and was passionate and chilly at the same time . The dark glow flickered around the hexagram, reminding one of a whirlpool . Immediately after that, two delicate and flawless ankles stuck out .
The legs kept rising, revealing the long and plump thighs, the end of which was covered by a piece of green skirt… after that came the tiny waist, the full bosom, and a female face making no secret of its primitive desire .
It remained upside down as if it was hanging from some torturing device and jumped out of the hexagram in that posture .
As mentioned before, the Thelema association carried out their practice by communicating with their guardian angels . This "angel" was in the form of intangible energy and communicating with it was extremely difficult before one's mind was opened up .
Hence, a few elders studied the secret scrolls left behind by Crowley and came up with a concretized guardian angel, whose original form was taken from the banshee of Irish mythology that brought the message of death to men with each cry .
"Oh?"
Gu Yu eyed it curiously . The thing had a beautiful female face and long green hair . There was nothing evil about it; instead, it looked rather like a pretty green fairy .
The next second, however, he overturned that conclusion .
"Woo…"
The "woman" made that strange noise again and opened its mouth, revealing a mouthful of beastly sharp serrated teeth that grew in successive rows . Right after that, its eyes turned red and its feet became webbed like those of a frog .
"Aroo… woo…"
"Woo…"
The noise grew louder and more shrilling, raising a stronger fluctuation of energy . Gu Yu could sense the air around him stirring, making an alarming vibration as if a storm was coming .
"Roar!"
Finally, the thing let out the most forlorn growl so far, drawing out the air from the entire street . Time seemed to freeze for a second .
Boom!!!
Then, without a warning, there came a violent blast, snapping the tree trunks and sending cars into the air .
The asphalt road was crushed into powder and the subgrade beneath looked like building blocks randomly thrown into a pile . Space seemed to have folded on itself before being smashed towards Gu Yu, soon devouring him .
"Roar!"
There came the second scream . The penetrating sound reached as far as hundreds of meters away, sending people guarding either end of the street into a confused state .
The less affected went unconscious and the more severe cases lost their minds, so much so that they began to shoot at their colleagues .
"Roar!"
The third scream arrived right after that .
Unlike the first two, which were fluctuations of energy, this one was the law itself . The Irish banshee always arrived with the announcement of death! Be it the result of magic or sorcery, the fact that it showed up meant "death" .
It was the same case as the binding law between the spell word and the consequence of the oriental system: once death was named, death there had to be . Of course, AA was not that powerful yet and the law was not exactly a definite law, but it was going in the same direction .
The moment the sound rang out, people on both ends of the street blanked out, then without warning, three of four people dropped to the ground, all life gone from them .
"The Shrieking Enchantress!"
Erhard, Ernese, and the others arrived at the scene in a hurry at this moment and were astonished by what they found . They immediately instructed the others to fall back and keep away from its impact range .
"What is going on?"
"I have no idea . Our young friend is in there and I can't sense him!"
"Hahaha!"
While they were talking anxiously outside, the team of elders was crowing over their opponent, who had been buried under a pile of debris and made no movement for quite a while . The guy was obviously dead .
"However powerful you Chinese think you are, a single man like you is no match for our order . We have inherited from Master Crowley— what?!"
The supreme elder's arrogant smile froze on his face as smoke and dust rose up . They could then faintly make out a slender figure standing there, giving off an indifferent air .
Then…
"Sword, to me!"
The words brushed past their ears like a breeze stealing into the night . The seven elders watched this with open mouths as an overpowering pressure rose out of the dust .
There was also a glint of golden light, which contained so much energy that it reminded them of the origin of a cosmic explosion .
Boom!!!
A golden flame then erupted in mid-air . "Die!"
"Roar!"
The female face was now covered with terror and opened its mouth to scream again .
The sound wave met the golden flame head on, and the impact sent rippling fluctuations into all directions . The golden light flashed like rushing snowflakes, which then turned into thin threads . The enchantress' long hair flapped wildly in the wind and its skirt was ripped into pieces . The fair skin then began to crackle like broken eggshells .
Green blood oozed out of the cracks and the hexagram on the ground flickered frantically, threatening to fall apart .
"T-the enchantress is hurt!"
"How could that happen?"
The team of elders was petrified and still had a hard time believing all this .
"Still alive? Interesting…" Gu Yu was surprised as well when he saw that the enchantress was still sending out energy . "Another one, then!"
Boom!
There went the unmatching power of the Devil-smashing Red Sun Sword!
The golden flame expanded instantly, stretching out infinitely to the left, the right, up, and down, which almost formed a sea of flames, filling every crevice of Vic Street .
"Aaaaah!"
The enchantress had finally stopped roaring, now crying out in fear . Its crackling skin was peeling off and green blood spurted out, only to be devoured by the flames instantaneously .
The torrential sword energy rose tens of meters high and rushed through the street from one end to the other, which was way beyond what the four-meter-wide street could take . The entire Vic Street was almost vaporized . Everything in it was washed out by the enormous gash .
The five-hundred-year-old street was no more at that moment .
"Ha…"
Gu Yu drew back the sword and stood there dazed for a moment . After taking out the entire elite force of AA, he did not feel any joy . Instead, the irritation seemed to be worse .
Walking out of the dust, he realized that the impulse inside did not subside at all . He now felt like a man drinking strong tea on an empty stomach, which only made his nerves more jumpy .
"Almost there! Just a little more!"
He reached the end of Vic Street, stepped over the ruins, and looked at the crowd waiting there . Men with various mysterious powers were present, among them were mages, Onmyoji, alchemist, and even African sorcerers .
"I was on the brim of breaking through and all I needed was a secluded place to digest my internal energy and settle my mind . You simply had to mess with me now . I couldn't have my peaceful moment and had to risk it, reaching the next level in this destructive way . "
Cheeks slightly flushed, Gu Yu almost looked inebriated . He was now at a confusing and critical moment; even the look he was giving the others was filled with impulsion and disgust .
"No, no, I'm not with them!"
"We're leaving, now!"
"Please don't do this! Please!"
The onlookers were scared out of their wits . After that mind-blowing strike of sword, none of them had the illusion of fighting this man .
"Young friend, calm down! Please calm down!"
Erhard and the others rushed to Gu Yu's side . Realizing that there was something wrong with his state of mind, they dumped mind-calming magic on him like running fire hoses .
"Oh, Erhard, Ernese, Cohen…"
Gu Yu's confused mind cleared a little and he was able to recognize these few, but the next moment, that uncontrollable feeling came back .
"You…"
He was about to say something when he snapped his head towards Siebengebirge on the south . From that grayish white mountain, he could clearly sense a powerful fluctuation .
"Haha! That's why!" Gu Yu let out a laughter and suddenly saw the light . "They were no idiots and I have been wondering what gave them the courage? So you're the answer . It's time to meet!"
With that, he turned into a cloud of mist and disappeared into the distance .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-167.png){kind=small}
Chapter 367
Source: Imported
10 km south of Bonn, Siebengebirge .
A cloud of mist floated into the unbroken stretch of mountains and slowly turned into a man . Gu Yu was now standing on the damp and chilly mountain trail, eyeing the surroundings up and down . The mountain was only three to four hundred meters tall, but covered quite a large area consisting of dozens of hills of all sizes .
In this cold wintertime, many tall trees had turned a grayish white . Their twisted branches were jagged and their bark dry, the patterns of which reminded one of hideous evil faces .
Following that energy, he walked deep into the woods . Despite his slow steps, his movement raised a gale, which blew against him in gusts of frosty air .
The friction between the cold air and the spiritual essence turned the frost into icy water instantly, but before it could dribble down, the water was vaporized, leaving a long streak of white steam behind Gu Yu .
" . . . "
Through the steam, Gu Yu looked blurry and almost unreal . It seemed forever before he suddenly stopped on top of a hill .
Below was a small valley . There was open terrain on the right and an ice cascade a few meters wide on the left . Icicles hung from the cliff while the water kept rushing down, carrying pieces of ice .
Standing on the bank of the waterfall was a woman in a white medieval gown, now taking water from that cold pond with two cups .
She was even taller than Xiaozhai . Perfectly proportioned, she had long burgundy hair and was barefoot . Bending over there, her body was a composition of perfect curves .
After filling the two cups, she slowly turned around, revealing a countenance that wasn't exactly beautiful, but was remarkably gentle .
"Hello, nice to meet you . "
The woman smiled at him, then stepped onto the wet grass .
Gu Yu watched as her bare feet landed on the meadow . As if nature had worked some magic, the ground dried and grass sprouted at an observable speed . Green filled the path she walked .
Right after that, the woman gave a wave . Two big trees bent down as if they were paying homage to her . One became a natural tree table, while the other turned into a bench .
She put the cups down . "Have a seat!"
A wonderful natural energy was coming off this woman, which greatly calmed Gu Yu . He went up to her and sat down on the tree bench, asking curiously, "Are you from Britannia?"
"No, I'm Celtic, or ancient Scottish, if you like . "
"Celts?"
Gu Yu was taken by surprise . That was a very famous people!
The Celtic history could be dated back to ancient Europe . Together with the Germanic and Slavic peoples, the three were considered the major "barbarian tribes" by the ancient Romans 1 . One of the most famous military exploits of the Celts was the sacking of Rome and Greece .
Yes, the Rome and Greece that shaped the European civilization!
However, the Celtic tribes gradually declined and Rome rose to power, then began to hunt the Celts . Only a handful of pure-blood Celtic descendants managed to survive until this day .
"I'm Fiona . I took the liberty to draw you here . Sorry about that . "
The woman picked up a cup, gave it a little tap, and drank first .
Gu Yu looked into the cup and drained it after her . The liquid inside did not taste like cold pond water at all . Instead, it was clear and sweet like a mellow fruit wine .
"Very nice!" he praised, then said, "I see that you're the reason that those people were so unscrupulous . "
"Well, I'm not affiliated to any country, but a member of my clan alone . Only that a duke of theirs helped my ancestors once and they came to me for help this time . I agreed to give them a hand just once . "
"Just once?"
"Yes . Winning, defeated, or fruitless, after today, I have no more connections with Britannia . "
"Neat!"
Gu Yu grinned, quite impressed by her words .
The woman might seem innocent and harmless, but the fluctuation she was giving off was a constant reminder that she was probably Gu Yu's mightiest opponent since he began his cultivation!
He could even go as far as to conclude that, like himself, she was also reaching a threshold of her own system . It made sense . The world was such a big place; he couldn't be the only one blessed with inheritance, talent, good fortune, and diligence .
"Good . With you as an opponent, I didn't come all the way here for nothing!"
Gu Yu had never been eager for a fight like he did right now . With a swift movement, he was ten meters away .
"That makes two of us . "
Fiona chuckled and waved her hand . The tree table and bench came to life like two pythons . They slithered across the meadow and raised her into mid-air, the branches weaving together for her protection .
She was indeed a druid!
Gu Yu knew he had to be very careful with this woman, for druids were such a mysterious community! The world had thought they had gone extinct by now, yet there she was . There was scarcely any information on them and he only knew that they worshiped oak trees, controlled the force of nature, were rigidly stratified, held women at prestigious status, and supported same-sex relationships .
"Go!"
He made a trial run first by flipping out a few streaks of spiritual essence which were as hard and sharp as arrows and shot out forcefully at a great speed .
Fiona drew her hands across the air, producing a disc made of green light between her palms . The arrows dashed into it and disappeared without a trace like stones thrown into a deep lake .
"Why, it can actually offset my energy . "
Gu Yu winced a little . That green light would be the purest force of nature that could withstand everything . The aggressiveness of his spiritual essence was cancelled out in it and turned back to simple spiritual essence .
No wonder Britannia acted the way they did; this one skill alone was enough to take care of everything .
"Haha, that's what a real fight should look like!"
He was not intimidated by it . Instead, he grinned with satisfaction . In the right hand he stretched out, the golden flame of a sword began to take shape .
"Clunk!"
He gave the blade a flick and the roaring of a dragon seemed to ring out from nine heavens above, resonating in the cold valley and lingering in the air . At the sound, the Sword Seed activated and Red Sun Sword seemed to become alive, integrating itself into Gu Yu's body, spiritual essence, and mind .
"Oh?"
Surprise flickered in Fiona's tranquil eyes . With such tremendous power, it was no accident that he single-handedly wiped out the entire AA force .
"This is called Red Sun Sword Manual . Pleasure to fight you!"
Gu Yu gave this opponent his full respect . Instead of smashing down outright with a streak of sword energy, for the very first time, he was using the actual sword skill .
The blade reflected the sunlight shining through the dense branches and the golden flame danced in the air . Snow and tiny icy bits were blown off the the ground and vaporized into steam 50 m away from him .
Then, his sword moved .
Whoosh!
The tip of the blade drew an arc in the air, the golden flame around it splashing out as resplendent as the blazing sun, weaving into a giant web and diving at his opponent head on .
Fiona waved her hands again, producing an enormous glowing green disc in front of her .
Boom!
The golden light scattered at the impact with the green glow . Gu Yu did not fall back, but continued to advance, his Red Sun Sword now a stream of flowing light, creating a shower of flames . He kept pressing on with his attack .
The cold air in the small valley was stirred by the sword energy and mist rolled up in clouds . Even the ice cascade steamed up and the icicles began to melt .
There were several moments of stalemate and both backed off a little all of a sudden .
Fiona paused briefly, then waved her hand . With a rumbling sound, several towering trees stood up straight, ripped off their fibrous roots, and turned into giant tree men using their main roots as their feet .
Rustle!
Vines and grass also sprouted out frantically at the same time, turning into thick ropes and wrapping onto Gu Yu .
Fiona only had limited means of attack, or rather, she knew they would not work on Gu Yu . Therefore, her strategy was clear from the beginning: offset the sword energy with her green glow while let the plants attack . She herself would remain in mid-air, where it would be the safest for her .
"I've been waiting for this!"
Gu Yu's eyes were bright with excitement . As he fought on, he was able to give vent to that feeling inside and felt better now, but it was still not enough! Nowhere near enough!
With the mountainous tree men and billowy vines coming at him nonstop, Gu Yu used no fancy moves, but struck out with a simple stabbing motion only .
Whoosh!
Red Sun Sword ripped through the air and reduced the distance between them to nothing with that single move . It tore everything in its way to pieces and the blade arrived in front of Fiona's chest with an unparallelled mightiness .
She made a few flashing moves and the blade landed on empty air . What had been on the spot was only a shadow now .
"Very impressive!" Her burgundy hair was slightly dishevelled as Fiona reappeared on a branch behind Gu Yu . "On this mountain, my force of nature is inexhaustible . It won't be that easy to defeat me!"
With that, there was another rumbling sound and some more tree men rose to their feet . She indeed showed no sign of running out of energy .
"I was worried that they couldn't stand much of a fight . You're a perfect opponent!" Gu Yu had never been eager for a fight like he felt right now . "Inexhaustible? Then I'll fight till you drop!"
***
"How long has it been?"
"Half a day . "
"It's still not finished yet?"
"No, the rival is surprisingly tough . No wonder Britannia has been so swaggering . "
"Don't worry . I have faith in Mr . Gu . "
"Me too! When was the last time you heard him being defeated?"
In the conference room in Bonn's city center, the entourage of the Chinese delegation was whispering among themselves . It was rather impolite for such an occasion, but no one reprimanded them .
Despite the ongoing meeting, dignitaries of all countries had their minds on Siebengebirge 10 km away only .
The sky-splitting fighting sounds and the corpse-covered Vic Street were all telling them the same thing: this fight would decide the outcome of this conference .
If Gu Yu won, most countries would be able to work together for future development; if Britannia won, Europe would walk into a future with chaos that might never end .
The old man sat in the front row, turning his pen constantly in his hand . Every now and then, he would exchange a look with the head of Britannia . Both knew what was going on in the other's head .
***
"Clank!"
"Thump! Thump!"
With a clattering sound, the two exchanged dozens of blows in a split second .
Gu Yu held Red Sun Sword and Fiona her glowing green disc . They had been fighting forever when Gu Yu was finally able to make his way to her side; he would make very good use of this opportunity .
For the first time ever, he was able to fight someone in such a state . Meeting his match was greatly satisfying; at the same time, that feeling inside was being fulfilled as well, building up as he fought on .
He had a hunch . Very soon, very soon, he was going to break the bottleneck .
But now, it was still not enough!
Whoosh!
Gu Yu stepped forward suddenly and his sword moved fluidly in the air in a series of unbroken stances .
Close quarter combat was never Fiona's forte and she was even more flustered by this . Right away, she wrapped the green glow around herself while grass flew off the ground towards Gu Yu in strings, trying to stall him .
Gu Yu laughed loudly . The golden flame split into three streaks, then nine, then countless threads, forming a sea of light which reached its true target before the green glow was able to close up .
"Ah!"
Fiona jumped backwards in haste and the move was not quite in time . A section of her long burgundy hair was chopped off . Waving both hands, she instructed a row of tree men to block Gu Yu off while she returned to her safety zone back in mid-air .
"Ha… ha…"
She was panting slightly, greatly shaken . There was more than enough force she could draw from, but the pressure on her mind was too great . It was hard not to slip under such fierce attack .
What was more frightening was, the man's vital essence seemed inexhaustible . After all this time, he showed no sign of fatigue .
"You're insane! A lunatic!"
Staring at Gu Yu, she couldn't help but feel vexed and resigned .
"Again!"
Gu Yu would not think about anything else and charged at her again .
To be honest, at this stage, the two opponents had begun to appreciate one another a little . Friends were hard to find, and a good adversary even harder .
The two chased and dodged on Siebengebirge . Gu Yu's strikes fell down like a shower, giving her no time to rest . Fiona threaded nimbly through the giant trees, mainly making defensive moves and striking back every now and then .
For a while, the two figures were flying all over the mountain, turning the area upside down . The impact of their strikes shattered frozen rivers, waterfalls, small hills, big rocks, and the like; golden rays of light and glowing mist filled the air .
"Again!"
Bang! Boom!
"Again!"
Whoosh! Shew!
Gu Yu looked like a madman, but his head had never been this clear .
He could feel his body was like a giant container and the thing inside kept climbing up and accumulating . It was rising higher and higher, almost at the top . A little more push and it would brim over .
Just a little more! A little!
After much chasing around and not so much striking back from his opponent, he halted and shew! He disappeared on the spot .
The scorching heat of Red Sun Sword surrounded Fiona .
The golden flame surged, turning the frost into water, which then splashed out like ten thousand cold needles . From the countless droplets, a flint of golden light appeared out of the blue .
The sword came out of nowhere!
Fiona was astonished . Finally, she took out something resembling a twig and wiped her fingers across it, turning it into a golden sickle .
"Clunk!"
Both flew backwards, their feet drawing long furrows in the ground that was already severely scarred . They were only able to stand still after nearly a hundred meters .
Druids worshipped oak trees and believed mistletoes growing on them a panacea which had a sacred healing power .
The collection ritual was very solemn, usually carried out by the most senior priest using a golden sickle . The golden sickle itself took its form after a crescent moon—that was, the most sacred moon in the druid belief that held the species of all things .
"Nice weapon . Why did you not use it earlier?"
Gu Yu admired the sickle but did not stop moving . His sword thrusted out again, this time with all his effort; he had burnt the bridge .
That one thrust seemed to have frozen the air and water .
That one thrust seemed to have blown away all clouds and mist .
"You!"
Shocked and irritated, Fiona had no choice but take out a mistletoe and slice the sickle through it . As the juice covered the blade, green light shone brightly . She then hacked down with a whoosh .
She wasn't holding back anymore, either .
The sword energy and the green light clashed while still dozens of meters away . Time seemed to freeze . The next second, an unimaginable amount of energy exploded; the blast wrecked the place, sending stones into the air as if they were smashed away by torrential waves .
Everything in the valley was contorted by the force which was devouring everything as if it was a black hole .
"Ah!"
Fiona was shoved away and fell to the ground with a thump . She was badly hurt . After spitting out a mouthful of blood, she hurriedly gathered the force of nature and began to care for her wounds without considering anything else .
Gu Yu was slightly her superior in both his energy level and cultivation state, hence his injury was not as severe, but he was still covered by dust and in a half-sitting position .
"Cough…"
Supported by Red Sun Sword, he was about to stand up when his arm gave up and he fell back down . Then he heard the sound .
Boom!
He shuddered . A string seemed to have just snapped in his head and some confinement was shattered . That thing finally filled up the container, reached beyond its level, and brimmed over the bottleneck .
After that, he gave a jolt and his consciousness went dark .
Everything was foggy . He forgot who he was, where he was from, and where he was going . The next moment, his consciousness was stretched out infinitely and he was as blank as a newborn baby, then his memory was filled in again .
I, Gu Yu, grew up in Shengtian and was orphaned young .
I, Gu Yu, liked making incense and my grandfather died of illness .
I, Gu Yu, met Xiaozhai and I wanted immortality .
I, Gu Yu, had been cultivating for four years…
These things appeared in his head in flashes before drowning into the darkness again… when the last bit of his past was gone, he suddenly felt a great burden had been lifted off his shoulders and his body and soul were so relaxed that he felt like flying away .
Somehow, he sat down in a meditation position and savored the wonder and profundity of the moment .
Human Immortal . Human Immortal .
From human to immortal was not just about saying goodbye to the mortal world . Apart from bidding farewell to the past, you also had to move forward and pursue immortality .
To leave the mortal world behind and see nature as it really was, that was the path a Human Immortal should follow!
What was nature?
"Dao begets One, One begets Two, Two begets Three, and Three begets all things . " God created light, light created elements, elements created souls, and souls created living creatures .
"In the beginning was the Word"; God and Dao worked the say way!
" There arose the first existence that still did not have a bodily shape . From this things could then be produced, (receiving) what we call their virtue . The shapeless thing was divided, and then without intermission there was the so-called conferring . The previous two processes continued and things were produced . As things were completed, the distinguishing lines of each were produced which we call the bodily shape . Preserved in that body was the spirit, and each had its peculiar manifestation, which we call its Nature . When the Nature has been cultivated, it returns to its proper character; and when that has been fully reached, there is the same condition as in the Beginning . That sameness is void, and the void is great . It is like a bird closing its beak and becoming silent, which is like the union of heaven and earth . The union might seem stupid or dark, but it is the 'mysterious quality'; it is the same as the Grand Submission 2 . "
That was heaven, earth, and the universe!
The epiphany came to him after hearing about the Kabbalah world view from Cohen: what he lacked to reach the Human Immortal state was to see nature as it was!
Heaven, earth, god, man, One, Two, Three, all things .
The Heavenly Immortals established themselves for eternity, witnessing the establishment and destruction of all universe . This state was not the Great Dao, but was infinitely close . The Earthly Immortals were as resplendent as the sun and the moon and not concerned with death . They achieved this by learning the use of Qi .
The Immortals possessed remarkable physical and spiritual form, would not meet their end for as long as thousands of years, and could obtain remarkable skills with their minds, for they had found the source of souls .
The Human Immortal state sought after by countless men was merely equal to all things of the mortal world . Then what about those below the Human Immortal state?
They were nobodies . . .
Boom!
At that moment, Gu Yu broke away from that vacant state, feeling an energy ever so powerful filling his body and still accumulating . His mind and Qihai were active and the Sword Seed was singing along . His vital essence was never as harmonious and full as he felt now .
He was overwhelmed by a feeling he could not describe . It was as if he was standing on a mountain tens of thousands meters tall and looking down at the mortal world below .
Every good and evil, truth and false, and all those lives were all beneath him—he was a different level of life form now .
The first Human Immortal in centuries!
Woo…
Cold wind blew through the bleak woods . Among all the debris, Gu Yu rose to his feet, Red Sun Sword still in his hand . He was enjoying the incomparable power .
On the other side, Fiona had finished adjusting her breath and stood up as well, still swaying a little .
"Where is he? Is he dead?"
She was still looking around when golden light stung her eyes and she snapped them shut . Swiping her hand across her eyes in a hurry, she opened them again, which were now giving off a green glow . Her mild face went pale .
"Why is it so quiet? Have they finished?"
"Who won? Anyone wants to check it out?"
Countless people in downtown Bonn were paying close attention to the battlefield . They were still discussing when someone pointed at the sky and shouted, "What's that?"
"What?"
"Oh, gosh!"
Everyone looked into the distance . A blazing sun suddenly rose above Siebengebirge, scattering all mist .
It was both tangible and intangible, for it consisted of sword energy only, so powerful and entangled that it seemed to become a physical existence—a real red sun shining down on the earth .
"Sun! Sun!"
Ernese's beard shivered as he made his incoherence speech . "Sun, oak tree, it's really him, as expected… gosh!"
The old man let out a cry, for the blazing sun rising above all the tall trees had finally stopped rising, then after a little pause, it smashed back down like Apollo falling out of his chariot .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-168.png){kind=small}
Chapter 368: The End Of The Conference
Source: Webnovel
Rumble!!!
The blazing sun fell down and the sword energy that had mostly solidified exploded, turning into a golden shower that filled the sky. It covered nearly a quarter of the Siebengebirge area from where the blazing sun was all the way to the east.
Trees, rocks, soil, waterfalls, rivers, and countless wildlife instantly fell victim to the golden rain, all incinerated without a trace.
Rumble… rumble…
Crackle!
There was then an ear-splitting sound, scaring the wits out of the onlookers distance away. A small mountain peak about a hundred meters tall was caught by a flitting streak of sword energy and was truncated; the top half slid down and collapsed, revealing a smooth section of the slope.
That top half of the peak made a crash-landing in the woods, tumbled around, then lay dead still in the valley like a deserted building block.
"Sweet Mother of Jesus!"
"Is, is that even possible for a human being?"
"C-can our magic ever reach that level?"
Presently, countless people began to doubt their own faith and practices. Some clergymen even uttered their prayers repeatedly to ease their panic and anxiety.
'!!!'
Inside the conference room, the old man bolted to his feet, which was a very rare lapse of state of mind for him. He looked into the distance in a daze, overwhelmed by a million emotions. On one hand, he was so proud of having a mighty cultivator as his fellow countryman, on the other, he was growing more concerned with this power that was only becoming harder to control.
He had little idea of what specific cultivation state Gu Yu was in, but it was not hard to guess that Gu Yu must have risen to the next level.
"No, no… it can't be! She lost! How could that happen?"
Panic filled the hearts of politicians and various magic associations of Britannia. Fiona's power was the reason for their toughness, but now she had been defeated. Looking back to what they had done so far, they might as well have dug their own grave.
"..."
A strange silence fell over the great conference hall.
After a while, the old man proved to be one of the tougher minds, for he cleared his throat and said, "Now, let me reiterate the position of my country. The transcendent system is a common asset of humanity; on the premise of guaranteeing that basic rights and interests are not infringed, my country will always advocate joint development, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and benign competition.
"We have gone through the specific measures many times. I will hereby propose again the establishment of an international, peaceful, tolerant, and cooperative institutional framework in response to social changes in the new environment…"
He paused for effect, feeling his chest filled with lofty sentiments. He then looked around the room and asked the question, "Anyone agree or disagree?"
***
Whoosh!
The reddish yellow flame ignited the woods. Large stretches of beech trees and oaks danced in the fire, some burning, some splintered everywhere by the explosions.
Black smoke filled the air and soon surged up and spread in all directions. This famous mountain was devoured by flames in half a heartbeat.
"Ha… ha…"
Fiona had slumped to the ground, her white gown smudged with dirt and her long hair dishevelled. She stared at the man standing in front of her with utter astonishment and confusion. She thought her end was coming, but it turned out she was only wrapped up by a streak of refined energy and this embarrassing state was only superficial.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
"We're both on a difficult cultivation path and there is no grudge between us. Why should I kill you?"
The dancing flames reflected in Gu Yu's pupils, giving them a red color. He grinned. "Plus, it was thanks to you that I was able to break through. Like it or not, I owe you one."
"You…"
Fiona suddenly felt this man was beyond comprehension. He was mighty, he did things as he pleased—he was capricious.
"All right, I know you're not that weak. Your leg would not give up from this little fight."
Hearing the hubbub approaching, Gu Yu said, "If you want to leave, now would be a good time. Things will get awkward when they get here."
"..."
Fiona pursed her lips and finally rose to her feet. In a tiny voice that was barely audible, she uttered a thanks. Then, she drifted away in a sphere of green glow.
"Young friend! Young friend!"
She had just left when the others' voices moved closer. Erhard, Ernese, and the mages of various countries had arrived at the scene.
Erhard was indeed a remarkable old man; he was treating Gu Yu the same as before as if nothing had happened. The others—Ernese and Cohen included—now had a reverence and envy in their eyes watching Gu Yu.
The next second, when they turned to examine the battlefield, they broke into a cold sweat.
The rampaging flame was turning into a severe forest fire and the broken landscape reminded them of an inferno left by combat between gods.
"Anything else can wait—this is all on me. We have to put out the fire now." Looking up, Gu Yu took in the sky that had turned dark with all the black smoke and cupped his hands at the others earnestly. "We have the most capable men of many countries here. Please lend me a hand!"
"Sure! Sure!"
"Don't worry. That's what we're here for."
There was then a hubbub of chanting in a hundred languages.
"Time is of the essence. Let's begin!"
Ernese was a man of action. He quickly drew a magic circle, then chanted a spell. Dark glow shot up from the circle, then there was a gurgling sound. Cold water gushed out.
He had linked it to a water source in an area not affected by the fire.
"Water bird, come out!"
Jolly Erhard was, and his creation was equally delightful. He took out a little puppet bird and tossed it into the air.
The little bird flapped its wings and became alive. It then grew and grew, until it was a giant bird with a wingspan of over a dozen meters.
It was made from water element itself. Flying over the sea of fire, it splashed water here and there before finally diving down in a self-destruction mode. With a loud splash, the fire in a large area was extinguished.
The others were also taking this seriously and worked their individual magic. Spells of various systems flashed to life, lighting up the area like a disco ball. After all, Bonn was the host city and it would look bad for all of them should anything happen. Moreover, with the mightiest cultivator among them there, they were all trying to leave a good impression.
The fire was successfully contained at their joint effort. There was only one area still burning.
"Thank you for all the hard work! Allow me."
Seeing that a lot of them were clearly exhausted from all the maneuvering, Gu Yu walked out. The twenty or so people stopped what they were doing and opened their eyes wide, curious about what was going to happen next.
Facing the burning woods, Gu Yu raised his right hand and grabbed at the air.
The size of the burning area was still quite considerable, but in that instant, it looked like it had been closed inside a vacuum container. Without oxygen, the fire went off immediately. At the same moment, a ball of fire appeared in his palm. Because of the high density, it was of a golden red color.
"Haha, the power of Human Immortals is indeed beyond the imagination of mortal men."
Gu Yu smiled, sensing the change in his Small Moving Technique. He then took out his gourd and stuffed the ball of fire in, completing his task in front a crowd of gaping mouths.
***
We would forget about the cost of damage our fellow dealt for the time being—not that it was possible to estimate the cost...
A five-hundred-year-old street was destroyed, as well as a quarter of a mountain; the value of damaged properties was astronomical. They couldn't attach a price tag to any of the damages above and the delegation was bound to clean up the mess after Gu Yu. In the negotiation in the following two days, they agreed upon certain treaties in favor of Germani as a courtesy.
International relationship was a complicated thing. With the initiation of the Chinese delegation, most of the countries agreed on the establishment of an international organization. However, there was more entanglement than one could count between countries and factions.
For instance, Germani, Gual, and Viking had an alliance of their own; Chine had Uncle Sam and signed the contract of the largest single cooperative order; Uncle Sam then turned its bullying hand on Great White North.
The African countries were in constant civil wars, changing their leaders every week… the world was as boisterous as always.
That being said, the general peaceful tone was set after the agreement was reached, even though it would not stop conflicts from happening.
Hence, after ten days of discussion (or, tearing each other's hair out), the first oh-so-rare-in-human-history global agreement was reached!
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-169.png){kind=small}
Chapter 369
Source: Imported
The world felt it was finally able to breathe normally .
We couldn't rule out the presence of extremists who craved terror and chaos, but most of the people on this planet still wanted a peaceful life .
When the Convention on Joint Development of International Transcendent Power was announced, people of different races and backgrounds in almost every country felt the indignation, as well as the longing and apprehension for the official beginning of a new era .
Those countries that had been ogling one another during the conference couldn't wait to begin their cooperation . In all aspects from politics, economics, to construction of people's livelihood, the countries had never been so closely interconnected, and the world had never seen so many schemes against one another .
Take Gu Yu's home country and Uncle Sam as an example: they were running over twenty cooperative projects in agriculture alone .
Most of the wheat and maize in Chine was destroyed and the country wasn't very good at planting potatoes, but they were second to none in the rice field . Moreover, they had also discovered the giant mushrooms and the meat of yellow-fur rat .
Uncle Sam was not the biggest fan of rice, but they were able to breed a new species of soybean and sugarbeet, which could produce a great amount of oil and sugar, respectively . They were also a major potato grower .
Hence, helping each other out was made possible!
What happened in a certain small country near the arctic circle was another example . The climate there had grown too harsh to inhabit it and its residents had to go on a mass-scale migration . Without external aid, the task would bankrupt the country, hence the help of the others . During the process, a multitude of behind-the-curtain deals was inevitable .
As for Britannia, the saboteur had habitually wiped its own memory once more and appeared to be innocent despite all the past wrongdoings . It was now batting its eyelashes adorably, eager to be a member of the new organization .
All in all, two direct results came out of this conference .
For one, it gave birth to the founding of the Association of Transcendent Power, whose HQ was set in Neutral State with no compulsory requirement on branches—the decision was left for individual countries themselves . Naturally, the BIMAUP was included in the report, naming it the Chinese branch, which would be in charge of global communication, networking of big data of mutated creatures, and even the receiving and assigning of tasks .
That would be like running a mercenary guild!
The second outcome was even more straight forward: our Old Gu had made himself known worldwide, and no one was to mess with his country!
***
Before they knew it, the conference had been over for days .
The fourth year of the new age had finally passed and it was the first day of the fifth year .
Shengtian was snowing again and was bitterly cold . According to weather observations, the average temperature this year was about four degrees lower than in the same period of previous years . Governments of the Northeast had never been so concerned with the heating systems and officials of all municipal governments had made it clear that it was imperative to keep people warm .
Residents of the North knew how miserable life was when the central heating system was crappy: maintenance work began as hot water began to pour into the pipes, which was lukewarm on warmish days, occasionally hot on average cold days, and spasmodically hot on very cold days—it was as if the hot water was fighting a guerrilla war with winter .
The heat-supply companies 1 were required to maintain a minimal room temperature of 18 degrees Celsius for the residents in previous years; the standard was raised to 20 degrees this year . It would be a sad joke if people were frozen to death in their own homes in a modern society during peaceful times like this .
However, such a change resulted in a surge in resource consumption . In order to save energy and improve utilization, Shengtian had planned to set up central-heating pipelines in all the areas under its jurisdiction 2 , which was also to lay foundation for the construction of the urban agglomeration in the future .
As mentioned before, Shengtian was instructed to take in migrants mainly from the provinces of Heishui and Wula . While the people of Wula could still wait, those of Heishui could not . Snow had been falling in the latter since November, stopping only for a few days . Half of the province, plus two states of Tsar on the north, had been completely covered by ice and snow .
Those resourceful enough had long made their way out, while those without such means had no choice but to stay trapped in their homes, waiting for government rescue . It was a similar case with the other corners on the border of the country: from Mobei, Monan, the Southwest, the Northwest, and the Southeast, people were moving towards the inland cities .
Numerous common people were confused, terrified, and doubted the future they were facing . Many chose to escape reality, became uncooperative, or even turned violent . Some even went to the extreme—entire families had committed suicide by poisoning because of their reluctance to leave their hometowns .
It was exactly as that fellow said over the internet: a lot of people were going to die during this process…
Phoenix Mountain, the Cottage of Pure Mind .
The lovely green valley had a delicate and natural beauty . Rolling verdant mountains stretched into the distance and with the fragrant flowers and twittering birds, it was a completely different world from outside .
Xiaozhai had just finished her exercise of the day and returned to the valley from the training court . As soon as the cottage came into view, she saw that the two younger ones were sneaking around outside Gu Yu's meditation room, planning God knew what .
"What are you up to?"
"Sister!"
The two jumped at her voice, then ran up to her . After shuffling around between themselves, Long Qiu finally spoke for the two of them, "Brother has shut himself up since he came back; we want to know how he is . "
"Then go in there and look . " Xiaozhai was bewildered by their reaction .
"We're a little, um, afraid," said Long Qiu, pursing her lips .
"Afraid?"
She unknowingly darted a look at Xiaojin, who—very unlike her usual self—did not retort but chimed in, "That's right! You have no idea what he was like when I talked to him when he got back . That look he gave me! Damn! It was like a death beam! I thought he was going to swallow me whole!"
What the hell?
Xiaozhai was all the more confused . She then shouted into the meditation room, "Old Gu, you done in there?"
"Yes?"
The voice that answered was clear, refined, and with an aloofness that did not belong to the mortal world .
"I'm hungry . Cook us something," said Xiaozhai .
"Oh . "
With a creek, the wooden door was pushed open and out came Gu Yu .
Long Qiu: emmmmm!!!
Xiaojin: emmmmmm!!!
About half an hour later, the family of four gathered around the table, eating their 3pm breakfast .
There were a variety of dishes and they were still cooked the same way as they liked it . Gu Yu picked around the dishes at random and put down his chopsticks .
"Lost your appetite?" asked Xiaozhai .
"No, it just I don't need or desire food all that much . "
"Oh? Have you given up eating for good?"
" . . . " Gu Yu's face remained emotionless as he replied after a pause, "Pretty much . I could go without eating for more then ten days in my innate state; now I think I can make do with half a year . "
"Sigh, your loss!" Xiaozhai had a mouthful of food and shook her head with pity .
Long Qiu ate her rice in small bites and looked at the couple in turn . She finally plucked up her courage and asked, "Brother, do you still like me?"
She immediately found that question wrong and corrected herself in a hurry, "Um, that's not what I meant . I only wanted to know, do you still have, have…"
The more flustered she was, the harder it was for the words to come . Long Qiu's little face was scarlet with embarrassment when Jin Jin came to her rescue . "We just want to ask, do you still have feelings?"
"Feelings? Haha…"
A grin crept up Gu Yu's face and he looked more like his old self now . "You're assuming that I have abandoned all feelings now that I've reached the Human Immortal state?"
"I'm not, but why are you going around with that poker face?" asked Xiaojin curiously .
"Let me give you an example . " Gu Yu explained it in a serious tone, "When you're a commoner, you look at things from this angle; when you become a major, a governor, or the head of a country, you're looking at things from that angle instead .
"At different state, people will consider things from different angles and with different mindsets .
"I now know better than any time before what I want and what I have left behind . Anything other than the pursuit of my heart is irrelevant . Because it is irrelevant, there is no need to care . Because I do not care, I look cold .
"But I do have feelings, only that they're not for the mortal world . "
"What? So, are we irrelevant now?" Long Qiu blinked her large eyes, looking as sad as a lost puppy .
"You and Jin Jin are my family, of course you're not irrelevant . And your sister is the person I want, so that's a no for her as well . "
'Eww!'
The declaration of love came so out of the blue that Xiao Qiu had to turn to her fellow single sister Xiaojin for warmth .
Gu Yu took Xiaozhai's hand and smiled . "Therefore, there is no such a thing as 'saints are indifferent' . It's only that when you reach the eternity, what else is there to raise your interest?"
He then went on to a different subject . "The path I took for my breakthrough was too perilous this time, so I had to stay in seclusion to stabilize it . During this time, I was able to summarize what I learned, and I'd like to talk to you about it . "
"Great! Let's hear it!"
At the mention of that, they all forgot about eating . The four then moved to sit under the old tree, where the two younger ones held their chins on their palms like two good students .
Gu Yu organized his thoughts and began, "Let me talk about what I've learned from this experience first . When you've reached perfection in your innate state and are facing breakthrough, a kind of energy will be accumulating inside you . What you need to do then is to wait until it rises to its peak, which is right on the verge of brimming over .
"There should be two ways to achieve this . One is to stay in seclusion, let it work its way up slowly, and wait for the breakthrough to come in its natural course, which is relatively safer . The other way is what I did, which is to force it out of the bottleneck by fighting against a strong enemy . Although by sheer luck, I was able to make it, I do not recommend it for any of you . It is too risky .
"For if you fail at this stage, you will have to wait for the next opportunity, and you won't know when that will be .
"Then there is the state of mind . Based on my experience, you have to meet two conditions: say goodbye to the mortal world and see universe as it is . How this works is very subjective and I can only tell you the result . "
"Oh, I see!" Long Qiu suddenly raised her hand and said excitedly, "You have to say goodbye to your own mortal world and see your own universe as it is . You're speaking of your own experience, which may not suit us . It's like 1+1=2; we all know the correct answer, but we have to work out how to prove it on our own terms . "
Her little face lit up with proud, which had "Gimme a golden star!" written all over it .
"Haha, very well said . That's exactly what I meant . " Gu Yu praised her just as she wanted and went on, "Then there's the change brought by the Human Immortal state . The change in the energy is the most prominent . In the innate state, all our cultivation and consumption need to be supplemented by external sources, whereas in the Human Immortal state, how we cultivate remains the same, but we will be able to fill in the blank of what we've consumed ourselves because we're now able to produce spiritual essence by ourselves and circulate it inside our body .
"I guess that is why there hasn't been a Human Immortal for centuries . They didn't need external spiritual essence to supplement what they used, but they did need it for cultivation . However, with the spiritual essence running dry, they lost the channel to communicate with nature and could no longer cultivate . The energy of their life eventually ran out .
"Those of the Immortal state would be a different story . Since they have mastered the knowledge of mind and soul, they were probably able to rise beyond this confinement . Therefore, I think Immortals do still exist, not to mention Earthly Immortals . As for Heavenly Immortals… I can't say whether or not anyone has achieved that . "
"Wow! Are you saying that when you fight with others now, you don't have to worry about your energy consumption and can just keep using it?" asked Xiaojin .
"That's right . The amount of spiritual essence in combat between Human Immortals is not an issue at all . They will be competing on the level of Taoist skills alone . All Taoist skills are comprised of Qi; the better understanding you have on Qi and the more creatively you can use it, the more powerful your skills will be . "
After that, Gu Yu disappeared right in front of their eyes without so much as moving a finger .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-170.png){kind=small}
Chapter 370
Source: Imported
Gu Yu vanished in the middle of their conversation .
Long Qiu startled . Looking around, she couldn't see him anywhere . "Brother, where are you?"
"Why, has he become faster again? No, that's not it . He wasn't hiding!"
Xiaojin was equally baffled and called out, "Brother-in-law, say something!"
"Ha, it's actually not that hard to find me . "
A familiar voice rang out in mid-air . As capable as the two younger ones were, they couldn't figure out the exact location of Gu Yu—the guy sounded to have diffused into the air .
" . . . "
Xiaozhai, on the other hand, released a streak of blackish purple Water Thunder after a moment of consideration . It spread out and turned into a large web, wrapping around the chair Gu Yu was sitting on . Sensing the fluctuation inside the thunder web, she was mildly surprised . "So, you've made it?"
"You could say that . "
With those words, a blurry figure appeared on the chair, not making contact with the thunder web with any part of the body . It almost looked unreal .
The voice then explained, "The essence of Shadow-switching Technique is the transformation between tangible and intangible forms . Before, I could only turn into a mist, which is still a tangible and visible existence . My skill has improved now; I can become intangible . "
"Tsk, you and your big words . I've watched The Invisible Man, ok?" Pursing her lips, Xiaojin's face lit up all of a sudden as if a light bulb had just popped out of her head . "Hey, that's a great skill you've got there . I have a very bold ide—"
Before she could finish the sentence, she jolted to a stop as her brother-in-law shifted his eyes onto her . Damn! She meant it when she said she was afraid of him!
Although he said they were his family, that look in his eyes could still scare the sh*t out of anybody—it was indifferent and emotionless, reminding one of the look gods would have when looking down at mortals and when a higher form of life glanced at the lesser ones .
Gu Yu obviously did not give her the look on purpose . However, with his perspective and state of mind completely changed now, it would escape him without him even noticing it .
Xiaozhai pitied her little sister and took Xiaojin into her arms . She then asked curiously, "Are you able to vanish completely or is it just a change of form?"
"The latter . "
Gu Yu shifted his eyes away and casually swept a hand across the table, which instantly disappeared along with the teaware sitting on it . He swept across the same spot again and they reappeared .
"These things still exist, only that you can't see nor touch them . They didn't vanish . My current ability can only turn tangible objects into intangible, then back, but not the other way around . That'll be creating things out of thin air, which is beyond my power . "
"Oh! I see!" Long Qiu raised her hand again and said happily, "It's like water turning into steam and steam turning back to water . Its form changes, but it still exists . "
"Not exactly, but you're on the right track . " Gu Yu nodded and went on, "When we consumed the spiritual essence before, what we took in did not have any attribute . Only those with a special endowment, such as Zheng Kaixin, could sense Yin energy . At the beginning of the universe, Qi took countless forms . There were the Black and Yellow, Yin and Yang, Five Elements, Gang energy, evil energy, etc . Skills such as essence-consuming method, Thunder Technique, Dan method, formation method, talisman method… are all applications of various types of Qi .
"After rising into the Human Immortal state, I have improved in all aspects and become more sensitive to these types of energy . Combining with the Small Moving Technique, I can do this…"
With that, he grabbed at the air, and there was a ball of fire-attributed energy in his palm, which dissipated right away . He grabbed again; this time, it was a black ball of energy… the next time, it was a ball of wood-attributed energy .
"I was planning to continue with my seclusion and just came out to let you know a few things . We haven't collected too many Taoist skills and our cultivation system could use some complexity, so there are several things I am going to do next . The first is to work out the recipe of the Essence-gathering Dan, the second is to keep digging into our existing resources, and the third is…"
He looked at Long Qiu and Xiaojin in turn, saying, "I think I can start to invent some simple Taoist skills myself . "
'!!!'
Xiao Qiu held onto Xiaojin, who held onto her sister in turn . Eyeing their brother/brother-in-law, the two younger ones were overwhelmed by all sorts of emotions . On one hand, they were proud of his mightiness, on the other hand, they felt he was moving further and further away from them .
Xiaozhai also eyed him for a while, then asked, "So, after your seclusion, you'll set up the altar and start teaching?"
"Yes . "
"And recruit pupils for our new sect?"
"Yes . "
"Ok, leave that to me . "
There were things one could only learn after they actually reached the Human Immortal state . Once there, they would wish they had 48 hours a day for all the cultivation and would not waste their precious time on petty fights .
What fun would a Human Immortal have going around bullying the poor innate kids?
For now, Human Immortal was the nuclear weapon, the last resort everyone tried not to mess with!
As a cultivator with great aspirations, Gu Yu was putting all his attention into research, building the Taoist system, improving his cultivation state, and exploring unknown territories .
He also felt immensely lucky—thank God he was smart enough to close the deal with Xiaozhai the first chance he got . Tsk, tsk, she had saved him at least two hundred years worth of cultivation effort .
***
Shengtian, Linsheng Town .
The place was quite far from the city center, and was once a small town . It was later changed into a residential district and barely made its way into the ten downtown districts . For the past twenty years or so, little had changed in the area . Farmlands were requisitioned, industries were nonexistent, and there was barely any commercial activity . Tens of thousands of people just muddled along one year after the next .
However, since last December, Linsheng Town suddenly became alive . The residents here were so used to being ignored that they were overwhelmed by this unexpected attention, and almost complacent .
The change was brought by none other than the first batch of migrants from Heishui Province, who were resettled to those old tube-shaped apartment building in Linsheng Town .
The buildings were probably built in the 1980s . There were four blocks in total, packed closely like building blocks . The yards were reeking with stale air .
Most middle-aged people of the country were familiar with the tube-shaped apartment buildings . A corridor ran straight down a floor from end to end, flanked by closely set rooms on both sides . There were no separate kitchens and the bathrooms were communal . However, these buildings were extremely good at taking in large numbers of people . The four blocks were all that was needed to fit all the migrants .
The migrants were given single rooms about a dozen square meters in size . Regardless of how many people there were in a household, one family, one room . A small proportion of the rooms was transformed into eight-bed dormitories for single-person households and special groups .
Because it was wintertime, heating became the main issue . A lot had to be done over a limited time period, so instead of laying the pipelines, they set up traditional stoves . There was plenty of coal and the stoves were hot enough to make the people through this winter .
Liu Ziming and Liu Shuang were a young couple . They hadn't had a child yet and were given a single room in a building .
Before coming here, they had a small shop in Heishui, bought their own place with a loan, and were planning to have a baby . Everything was great when, like one of those Hollywood films Liu Ziming loved, disaster fell upon them .
They were right in the middle of the severely affected zone and lost everything . Utterly terrified and confused, they arrived at Shengtian, aimless and despairing . It was only after the psychological intervention of aid agencies that they slowly recovered .
"Sweetheart, I'm off!"
"Hey, take this . "
In the narrow and cramped room, Liu Ziming wrapped his padded jacket tight around himself and opened the weathered-looking door that had lost its original color . Liu Shuang hurried near, handing him a lunchbox and a bottle of hot water . "I've made you some pancakes for your lunch . Don't starve yourself . "
" . . . "
Tears welled up his eyes as Liu Ziming took in his wife's haggard face . "Don't worry . I'm sure I'll find a job today . Any job will do!"
"Just be safe . I'll see you at dinner . "
Stretching out her arms, Liu Shuang gave her husband a hug with as much gentleness and firmness as she could offer and watched him going downstairs .
The weather was as cold as always . In Shengtian, it did not snow as insanely as in Heishui, but snow was frequent enough . It piled up everywhere and his footsteps made a crunchy sound as he walked .
Carrying his things, Liu Ziming went to the subdistrict office . A lot of people were already waiting outside, giving him an indifferent look before turning back to staring at the door .
As mentioned before, the main issue with migration was accomodation and food . With those two fulfilled to some extent, the next concern was employment .
Although the government was providing them with unemployment relief, it was not the same as having a job . With a job, there was income, life, purpose, and comfort instead of staying at home and idling life away .
With so many people rushing in at the same time, there were no adequate job vacancies . Those with specific skills had long been recruited and those left behind were deemed skilless .
The government was doing all it could to contact all potential employers . Whenever there were job openings, the information was sent to the subdistrict offices, who would then inform the individuals .
However, people did not want to stay at home waiting . The earlier they arrived at the office, the earlier they would hear the news and the more likely got a job opportunity . They would usually stay out here for an entire day .
"Ha…"
Liu Ziming crouched down in a less windy corner and watched the time ticking by on his phone . At exactly seven o'clock, he bolted to his feet and squeezed into the crowd rushing towards the office entrance .
Before long, shuffling footsteps came from inside and the staff on shift opened the gate .
Ever since the migrants arrived, the primary-level staff here had long lost the concept of on and off duty . They were set up in groups, each working a near twenty-hour shift . It was common for them to stay overnight in their offices .
A middle-aged woman walked out, watching the dense crowd with resignation . "I've told you many times, the moment we have the job openings, we will post them in the chat group . And you're all in that group… sigh, why do you have to come all the way here on such a cold day!"
"Director Wang, that's not the same! We have to sign up in the chat group and that's more work for you . Out here, we can just get it done," said someone .
"That's right . Meeting in person is so much more reliable . "
"Director Wang, please tell us . We've been waiting here all morning!"
Dispirited as they were, the crowd remained calm—those that couldn't had long been punished as warning . The woman was familiar with the drill and started right away . "We have quite a few today, so no rush . The first one: Shengda Transportation needs dockers . The desired candidate: young, strong, good at obeying orders, can handle hard work . The position is a ten-hour job daily and you get two days off a month . "
Buzz!
Buzz!
Instantly, everyone was shouting at the same time . Men and women of all age groups were all trying to raise their voices above everyone else . Even with a treatment as harsh as this one, no one wanted to miss it .
"Pick me! Pick me! I've done this before!" a man in his early thirties yelled at the top of his voice at the back of the crowd, but his voice was drowned in the hubbub . His face went scarlet and he was stomping his feet .
Liu Ziming happened to stand in front of him and knew the guy from his building . The man lived with his elderly parents, a wife, and a child, and had been having a hard time .
After much hesitation, Liu Ziming turned around and dragged the man to the front roll; the latter shouted even louder and finally got Director Wang's attention . He got the job he wanted, then, without saying thanks to Liu Ziming, ran into the building to sign up .
"The second one: Xinfeng sock factory needs sock-folding and packaging workers, and extra hands in the kitchen . Women only . "
"Me! Me! Me!"
"I'm a woman! Here!"
The handful of women present waved their hands frantically to make themselves seen .
"You, you, you, and you . Ok, that'll do!"
Just like so, three job offers were taken . Liu Ziming, still empty-handed, grew more and more anxious . He either was of the wrong sex or backed off because he pitied someone else in a worse state .
"The fourth one: um, Bai Town needs construction workers, preferably with past experience . Those without but physically strong will do as well . "
" . . . "
The crowd suddenly went silent . It was after a while when someone finally asked, "Where is Bai Town?"
"It's a mountainous area in the east, about 200 km from here . This is a long-term contract and you won't be coming home for a while . It pays an average salary . "
The crowd exchanged looks; no one replied .
It was far and they had to work away from home . Not everyone was determined enough to leave home to work in another strange place after just moving into one .
"Director Wang!" Chewing his lips, Liu Ziming turned the idea over in his head and finally shouted, "I'm a strong man . I'll go!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-171.png){kind=small}
Chapter 371
Source: Imported
Rumble!
Screech!
A few buses drove into the square outside the gate of Phoenix Mountain . The doors opened and Liu Ziming and his fellow workers filed out . They lined up in the square before looking up; what they saw made them shudder .
Despite it being right in the middle of the winter, green mountains stretched out in rolls here, covered by layers upon layers of verdant plantation . Everywhere they turned, they were met with a wonderful aura of liveliness and comfort .
These workers were all migrants just transferred to Shengtian after their hometowns became vast uninhabitable lands trapped under ice and snow . What they saw here made them open their eyes wide in speechlessness .
They waited a little while before several trucks also arrived from afar, carrying workers, construction materials, and transportation equipment . After they joined the line, a person appearing to be a leader of some sort finally came out; he turned out to be Old Shui .
He had been taking spiritual tea and spiritual rice since moving to Phoenix Mountain . Together with the Red Sun Sword Skill he began to learn lately, his physique had never been this impressive . Standing in front of the crowd right now, he actually gave off a quite intimidating air .
"All right . I'm Shui Yao, and I'm in charge of this project . " He did not raise his voice deliberately, but his voice was heard loud and clear throughout the square . "Normally, we don't start jobs like this in the North in winter, but as you have seen, this is not a usual place . Consider it a blessing that you're able to work here .
"Our project is right on this mountain . Food and accommodation are provided; the estimated time is a month . The plan has all been set, so the only task for you is to use your muscles and carry things around . Be smart and learn from the masters as much as you can; it'll be for your own good . If you finish this one satisfactorily, there is another project right after this and you will be considered for the job .
"Ok, let's break you up into teams . Those that had their names called, line up here…"
After that, he began to split them into teams before starting the first day of work . Several elderly masters served as instructors, teaching them how to carry things up .
Before long, all workers and equipment were on their way up the mountain; the size of the team looked rather impressive .
Each team had different tasks; the team Liu Ziming was in went all the way up . Savoring the tweeting birds and fragrant flowers as they walked, they continued this wonderful excursion until they were halfway up the mountain . The team leader then said, "You'll be mainly working here . I'll now give out your tasks . Liu Ziming!"
"Here!"
He raised his hand right away .
"Now, have a look at these signs first, then take them down . Go find Old Zheng after that and put up the new signs . "
"Yes, I'm on it!"
This job did not come easy, and Liu Ziming was very eager to do it right . He wasted no time and began the examination .
He saw that he was at a side road halfway up the mountain . It led to a temple called Ziyang Temple, but there was no one inside it . The temple covered quite a large area and there were twelve signs around it, directing different roads and scenic spots .
He recorded every one of them before finding Old Zheng, who was in charge of building materials . The latter gave him two new signs and a simple map . The task wasn't all that hard—all he needed to do was to take the old one out, dig a new hole, and jab the new one in securely .
Born and raised in Heishui Province, Liu Ziming had never been in Shengtian before and knew nothing about the city, but he was no fool . He had deduced from what he had seen here that this place was probably the residence of the legendary cultivators .
With that in mind, he became even more excited and cherished this opportunity more than ever .
He carefully replaced the signs . Old ridiculous names such as Ascending Platform, Set-free Pond, Three Lives Stone were all abandoned, and only two places ended up having a sign .
One was the backyard of the temple, where a new building seemed to be planned . The sign read: Warehouse .
Another was set at the fork of the road, and on it was the new name of the temple: Service Hall .
***
Before they realized, it was evening . Dinner was given out at the construction site .
Liu Ziming lined up with a disposable lunch box in hand . Four glossy barrels were giving off a pleasant smell of food, and before he had time to look closely, something heavy landed in his lunch box—a large portion of pork braised in brown sauce . After that was a portion of vegetable dish, meat dish, and soup each; also, they could have as much rice as they could eat .
He was a little surprised, then found a stone to sit down on and dived into his food .
As a matter of fact, although his hometown was destroyed, they still had some savings left, but the young couple dared not spend a dime . Without a future that they could look forward to, that money was their last resort . Each cent they spent felt like taking away a piece of their soul .
After eating a few mouthfuls of the meat, Liu Ziming suddenly paused . He then took out his phone, took a picture, and sent it .
"Hello, Honey, did you see the picture… yes, they're treating us very nicely here, and the job today wasn't all that hard… Honey, now that I've got a job, don't push yourself too hard . You can buy whatever you need… don't worry, I can always earn some more . Now, make yourself some nice food . I'll be back soon…"
He hung up after a few more words, wiped a tear off the corner of his eyes, and went back wolfing down his dinner .
They had a short break after the meal; the workers habitually gathered together, chatting and shooting the breeze . Liu Ziming crouched down in a corner, while his fellow workers sat around a local elderly master, looking for a good gossip .
"Master, can you tell us about this mountain?"
"That's right . You're from around here, so tell us about it!"
"Hoho…" The old man fumbled out his cigarette box out of habit before remembering that smoking was forbidden on the mountain . He put the box back embarrassingly and said, "There really isn't much to talk about . People of Bai Town had been living off Phoenix Mountain for many years and nothing unusual ever happened . About four year ago, somehow a green snake showed up on the mountain, injuring quite a lot of people . It was quite the headline back then; the government sent people in to catch it, but a police officer was killed . "
"Yeah, I remember reading about it on weibo! I left comments under it!" said a young man immediately .
"What happened later was even stranger—the snake disappeared, just like that . Then it was a new year and Phoenix Mountain was not what it used to be . " Smacking his lips, the old man went on, "There was first this new manor on the north side of the mountain . Man, that was a magnificent house . The mountain was then covered in fog all the time and an iron fence was set up . Somehow, a lot of expensive cars began to come to the north side—like, millions of yuan expensive . We didn't give it much thought at that time, but now that come to think of it, the immortals were probably moving in during that time…"
"And then? What happened then?"
"My dear grandpa, stop smacking your lips! Just tell us!"
The crowd could not stand the interruption in the middle of a story and urged him constantly .
"Then? Well, then the mountain began to change . It was neither too dry nor too wet, and the temperature was always just right . Do you remember what the last summer was like? Gosh, that heat! Well, here on the mountain, it was like an air-conditioner was on 24/7 . Everyone was coming here to stay away from the heat . And now, do you see how cold it is out there and how it is here? I'm sweating even just with a thin sweater on . " The old man chuckled .
"Did that immortal make this happen?"
"Where does the immortal live? Have you seen the place?"
"What's inside that fence? Can we go in there?"
Questions were popping out of everyone and the old man suddenly straightened up his face . "I have to warn you: you can go anywhere, but stay away from the fence . There is Mada Mountain 1 inside . "
Mada Mountain!
The crowd jumped at the name . They were all northeasterners and knew what that name stood for . Before, they might think it a joke, but with what had been happening around them, they had to believe it now .
"Don't be a smart a*s on this . So many people have broken in before you're here and all of them have been thrown out . And they all looked like they had lost their mind when they were on this side of the fence again . Whoever inside was kind enough to let them come back alive . Do you think the government would give a damn if they decided to kill a couple of intruders? So, just be content . You've come all the way here, you're fed well, and you get paid for your work . What more do you want!"
" . . . "
The crowd had gone even quieter at those words . They were forced to leave their hometowns after the places that used to be their home were destroyed . In the new cities, they lived gingerly, having little idea of what was to become of them tomorrow . The stark contrast between the past and the present was pressing down so hard that they felt they were being squashed between two giant millstones at the turn of which their blood and tears were slowly squeezed dry .
It was so hard that even the simplest daydreaming could not last for more than seconds .
The old man looked at the faces of the strangers around him . Smeared with dirt and exhausted, they reminded him of the withered grass blown around by the wind in the wilderness, having no shelter to rest .
He had been there himself and knew that feeling . Slowly, he said, "I know you all had a family and a job and everything back then . Some of you even had your own business, which was so much better than I ever was . But this is how life is and we have no say in that . We should thank our ancestors' blessing that we're still alive today . Since you're here already, you'll have to live with it . There are still so many years ahead of you and you never know what will happen . We can always have another chance!"
***
5 km northeast of Phoenix Mountain, an ancient mountain city .
The city was built during the time of Emperor Daowu of Northern Wei Dynasty by Goguryeo and was named Wugu 2 City back then . Located near the stretching branch of Phoenix Mountain, it was set up over a valley using a cliff on the north as a side of the city wall . The rest of the city wall was built with wedge-shaped stones and divided into inner and outer walls . The perimeter of the wall was 16 km; the remainder of it now was 8 m high . Three gates were set on the east, west, and south, respectively, and the southern gate sat right at the entrance of the valley .
The mountain city sat on a rather tall ground, and the city wall was relatively intact . Relics such as sentry posts, flagpoles, commander-appointing stage, dried-up wells were still found all over the city . A river also wound its way through it .
This place was actually a tourist destination, but a very lousy one . With little scene to savor, hardly any tourists ever bothered to visit . Thanks to Phoenix Mountain nearby, the weather was quite pleasant in the city . Wild grass was scattered over the otherwise bare land, blocking the heavy snow outside .
Right now, a figure was drifting down from Cuanyun Peak—the highest peak of Phoenix Mountain . Despite the drop of hundreds of meters, it landed steadily on the city wall . It was none other than Xiaozhai herself .
Looking around, she took in the entire city and nodded with satisfaction . "Nice location and big enough . It's excellent to set up a market . "
She then took out her phone and called Old Shui . "When you get the chance to go to the municipal government, tell them I'll take the area of the ancient city!"
"Oh, sure . "
Old Shui pursed his lips on the other side of the line . 'Who dares say no when you've said you wanted it . . . '
With the capability of Phoenix Mountain and the contribution Old Gu had made, as long as they didn't openly oppose the government, they would live a peaceful life with all wishes granted from now on . Not to mention that Xiaozhai's parents were among the top leaders of Shengtian now, which only made their life easier .
Just look at her: unbelievably beautiful, almost next to no one in her capability, with both parents as high-ranking officials, having a resolute and persistent temperament, with a younger-sister-complex, and doting on girls… were you sure she was not the protagonist?
After Old Gu went into seclusion, Xiaozhai promptly began the preparation work . The front of the mountain was the first being revamped . All the signs of the old scenic spots were cleaned out and after idling their days for years, the priests of Ziyang Temple were finally kicked out .
Since they were going to open up a sect, they needed to close off the mountain first . Hence, she had made the decision to take back the land-use rights of the front mountain after the revamp was finished and close off the mountain for good .
Then, she was planning on this market .
Now that the news was out in the open, there was no point in hiding anymore . She would just do it . The aim was to build Bai Town into a cultivation paradise, laying foundation for the teaching and recruiting pupils in the future .
Since Phoenix Mountain was esteemed as the leading figure, it was only natural that everyone else came to pay their respect .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-172.png){kind=small}
Chapter 372
Source: Imported
Phoenix Mountain, inside a room .
The mountain was quiet, the cottage was quiet, and the room was quieter—almost reaching the limit that any human being could stand . Incense was burning on the table and the smoke coiled up in the air . The contrast of light and darkness gave one an impression of another world .
It had been half a month since the wooden door was last opened . Before, meals had to be sent in regularly during the seclusion, but that was no longer necessary . He now could go without eating for half a year and his need for food had never been this little .
Gu Yu sat in the room without the slightest sound or movement of breathing; he could be mistaken for a clay figurine .
It seemed forever before his eyes shot open and he vanished into thin air . Moments later, he reappeared in the training court 50 minutes' walk away .
"It is indeed much more improved in both the speed and agility from the mist form . I think it'll work as a basic escaping skill . "
Standing there with both his hands hidden in the sleeve of the other side, Gu Yu seemed to have made this posture one of his habits . After estimating the distance and time of this little trip, he confirmed the applicability of this escaping skill .
It was called an escaping skill, but it was actually something he came up with himself .
Back when he was still in the innate state, he could transform into a cloud of mist with Shadow-switching Technique . By utilizing the dispersive quality of the mist, he was able to drift in the air for a short period with the help of his spiritual essence .
Now that he was a Human Immortal, he could become completely invisible and move around as if he was air flow himself . He had no idea whether any similar skills existed previously, but for now, it was one of a kind .
After giving it some thought, Gu Yu took out a jade slip and recorded the skill in details, imprinting it with a name: Void Air-controlling Technique .
Features: practitioners could turn invisible, move at a relatively high speed, and consume a medium amount of spiritual essence .
As mentioned before, Human Immortals could produce spiritual essence themselves, so theoretically, they were not concerned with its consumption . However, in practice, if the speed of consuming exceeded that of regenerating by too much, they'd still need to take a break .
He made it a big thing in recording that escaping skill before putting away the jade slip . He then walked to the center of the training court and started another experiment .
Adjusting his breathing, he kicked the ground lightly and shot into the air . Before, his energy would run out after about 50 m, and to go further up, he would need some external object as a buffer . That was no longer necessary . He shot all the way up, 60 m, 90 m, 120 m… only then did his breathing lose its rhythm a little .
Gu Yu made an effort to fly a bit further up . He began to sway noticeably when he reached 150 m .
He then slowly descended and stopped in mid-air, about 100 m from the ground . A flow of air then circulated around him, forming a transparent film . This was the highest stable level he could reach so far .
He looked down, walked around, and returned to the ground after a while .
"Flying up without any skills and using sheer force only is not practical . Not recommended . "
Shaking his head, he felt the spiritual essence rushing out, soon filling up what he had used .
Immediately after that, Gu Yu began the third experiment, for which he stirred up the Sword Seed frantically—the golden ball spun violently over his Qihai . Sword energy flushed out like torriential waves, soon wrapping him up .
Submerged in the intense golden flame, Gu Yu seemed to have melted into it, and became part of it . With a whoosh, a golden beam swept across the sky, and he was back in the Cottage of Pure Mind in no time .
It was a demonstration of the Methodical Sword state of Red Sun Devil-smashing Sword Manual which allowed one to integrate with their sword and transform into a flashing sword that could fly a thousand miles across air .
"It's the fastest of all—obviously more so than Void Air-controlling Technique—but the increase in the consumption of energy is also exponential . For emergency use only . "
Gu Yu recorded it in the jade slip and sat down in the meditation room again .
What did he go through all the trouble for? The answer was actually quite simple: he just wanted to try some different ways of flying so that he could find the most suitable escaping skill .
In many cultivation systems, flying did not seem all that difficult—a new pupil of a sect might be able to manipulate their energy and fly, or master some floating technique . However, in Taoist mythology and folklore, flying was actually very hard .
The most common cultivators could do was to "stay shakily 10 or 15 meters above ground in a state between a wind and a mist" . More capable ones could "raise a gust of wind that blew themselves into mid-air and be a distance away in a moment" .
When introducing himself to his future master, Sun Wukong 1 "jumped about 20 m from the ground and made a return journey of 2 km" . Master Puti teased him about it, calling it "cloud-crawling" .
So, what was the ability of a real master? As said in the ancient text: an Immortal would visit the North Sea in the morning, tour the world, and return to Cangwu 2 in the evening . Visiting every corner of the world in a day—only that was qualified as riding the cloud!
"Ha…"
Exhaling, Gu Yu slowly closed his eyes again .
***
Yueyang, Helong Lake Town .
In a two-story house that stood in a small courtyard, Dai Han was refreshing New Classics of Mountains and Rivers repeatedly . Yup, he was that chubby young fellow with whom the Pavilion of Gems closed its first deal .
The soft-shelled turtles his family raised had all mutated and turned into big-toed thickshell turtles . Apart from the Pavilion of Gems, buyers from all over the country were contacting them for a purchase .
The Dai Family made more money selling the mutated species than they had before . The temptation was so great that after the turtles were sold out, Father Dai threw in a new batch of baby soft-shelled turtles . They were terrified by the mutated species before, but now, all they wanted was for them to mutate as soon as possible .
Unfortunately, before any mutation could take place, notice of the government arrived . Because of the expansion of Dongting Lake, residents in the surrounding areas of the lake had to be evacuated in batches .
Helong Lake was a relatively safe area and the residents there were among the last to be evacuated . Mother and Father Dai could not stop worrying—in their eyes, nowhere was safe enough .
Right now, Dai Han was browsing the forum of New Classics of Mountains and Rivers . From the second half of the previous year, with the gradual release of information, this app was no longer a secret . The number of users had grown exponentially, and it now had over 100 million members .
The number of entries in the four categories grew quickly . There were over 500 under both Animal and Plant and almost 10 under Geography and Climate each, such as the plague of insects in Huangguoshu, snow and beast tide in Xingan Ridge, shoals of killer fish in coastal areas, etc .
Today, another entry was added to Geography—or rather, the government had stopped blocking the information and was opening it up to the public .
Huo Zhou!
Three years ago, the spiritual essence of Flaming Mountain broke out with a destructive force, devouring 70 000 km^2 of Huo Zhou, turning the area into a land of burned ground .
Over 700 000 people were evacuated and relocated to various cities .
This spiritual essence had an unmistakable fire attribute that could destroy living creatures from within by damaging their functions and structures . Even metal, plants, mountain rocks, and sand could not withstand this erosion . Recent observations indicated that the air flow in the area had almost quieted down and the ecosphere had recovered . . .
The country erupted at this new entry .
"Damn! I knew it! I knew it! I knew something was fishy!"
"Why did they only let it out now? The life of common people is nothing to them, is that it?"
"The idiot upstairs, you can go save the world with your keyboard!"
The internet exploded .
The most emotional ones were the migrants of Huo Zhou . Three years had passed since then . Some of them had adapted to their new life, some were still wandering in confusion, and some had given up, falling into a life of crime after spending all their resettlement money .
Whichever kind they were now, they were all overwhelmed by emotions after hearing this news; some even dropped to their knees, howling with tears . They were given no explanation when they were forced out of their hometowns and moved to new cities to live under other people's roofs . They finally knew why now .
Even though this explanation was such a delayed one and they couldn't decide whether they should thank or hate the person for telling them that .
"Sigh, I didn't know what 'relate to others' felt, but now I do . " Dai Han heaved a sigh .
The bamboo chair squeaked until his now much stronger body—thanks to the spiritual tea he had been drinking . He was no fool and had guessed why the government had made the Huo Zhou information public . They were preparing the public for a mass migration of the Dongting Lake area .
"Away from home, away from home… sigh, I've always hated this lousy place, but only now do I realize how reluctant I am to leave it!"
He was taken over by an unusual sadness and sat there dazed for quite a while . After that, he picked up the phone again and browsed casually through the bbs .
'Hm?'
The chubby young fellow paused his flipping finger—his eyes locked onto a new post . "A market is under construction in Bai Town . Free trade . Safety is guaranteed and the market is planned for opening within the year . Feel free to send inquiries; everyone is welcome . "
The simple introduction sent an uproar through the bbs .
"Somebody find out where Bai Town is, please . Where is it?"
"A county-level city in Shengtian . It's small and not very modern . There's a Phoenix Mountain . "
"Wait a minute . Why does that mountain sound so familiar?"
"Say hi to Phoenix Mountain, Xiao County!"
"Say hi to Phoenix Mountain, Mengjin!"
"Say hi to Phoenix Mountain, Taojiang!"
That got to be one of the most common mountain names of the country—there were more then seventy "say hi" under that thread .
After that, someone who knew better finally replied, "Holy crap, I remember now! Wasn't a Myan fellow struck dead by lightning last year in Spring City? Can it be that Phoenix Mountain?"
Boom!
It was like he had dropped a bomb .
"So this is not a marketing scam! There really are immortals!"
"A market? What market on earth is it?"
"Are you an idiot of what? Of course it's the legendary…"
"Cultivation market!"
Dai Han finished the sentence himself and concluded the discussion . Clutching his phone, he felt his heart thumping against his chest and his body temperature rising . The surprise and excitement was making his cheeks flushed .
He had been to the Pavilion of Gems to sell his goods before . Although it was not Bai Town yet, the look of that shop was so promising!
The chubby youngster put away his phone, still shaking a little from the excitement . After a moment of hesitation, he bolted to his feet and shouted at the top of his voice, "Dad! Mum! Stop worrying! We're moving to Bai Town!"
***
Tianzhu Mountain, the monastery .
In a secluded training court, Bai Yunsheng stood motionless, holding the sheath . He slowly drew out the sword .
That ancient sword had been devoured by the Sword Seed; this was a new one . As the blade left the sheath inch by inch, the energy around him grew more prominent with it . He was no longer who he used to be .
Clunk!
Finally, the long sword was drawn out entirely, and he looked as if he had a streak of silver light in his hand . While the energy remained undisturbed inside and along the blade, he thrust the sword forward .
Whoosh!
The speed of that thrust was beyond imagination . The silver light was so fierce that the air along its path contorted, forming wavy patterns .
Before the stance was finished, Bai Yunsheng turned his wrist, making the silver light quiver at a tremendous speed . Then, a magnificent silver flower appeared at the tip of the blade with a loud bang .
The silver flower comprised of countless streaks of closely woven sword energy suddenly blossomed like a peony . As the petals unfolded, layers upon layers of sword energy came to life and rushed out in unbroken waves .
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Bang! Bang!
Waves of sword energy covered the 10 m^2 area in front of him and seemed to have formed a resplendent silver crescent moon .
Boom!
Rustle!
The mountain and the forest looked as if they had been swept by a giant broomstick . The trees were snapped and the stones were broken to pieces, making quite a chaotic scene . Even the ground under his feet—which was paved with bluestone columns rammed vertically into the ground and very hard—was now lined with deep scratches .
"This Cold Moon Sword Manual is indeed worth its fame of a heritage of the Sword Immortals . "
"Abbot!"
Bai Yunsheng put the sword behind him and bowed at Lu Yuanqing that had just showed up .
"Haha! Congratulations on the great improvement!"
Lu Yuanqing bowed back .
After Bai Yunsheng was picked by the Sword Seed, he woke up shortly after being brought back to the monastery . Immediately after that, he announced his going into seclusion; when he came out, he was an innate state cultivator who had integrated with the Sword Seed .
This Cold Moon Sword Manual referred to the harshness and rawness of the cold moon . Its movements were refined, marvellous, and had countless variations . The flash of the cold blade was like the moonlight paving the mortal world .
Red Sun Sword Manual focused on its power; it was awe-inspiring and smashed all evil from earth .
Whirlwind Sword Manual emphasized its speed . The first to attack or not, the sword energy would reach the opponent first .
The Cold Moon, on the other hand, was all about the stances . The technicality of it was most suitable for Bai Yunsheng, who loved swords more than his life .
Hence, the monastery now had two orthodoxies: the Dan method and the sword manual .
The sword skill had demonstrated its might, but the members of Qiyun had remained indifferent . It all depended on one's understanding of swords and not everyone was blessed with a natural endowment like Bai Yunsheng .
Of course, Lu Yuanqing suggested that the Technical Sword of the manual should be passed down as a high-level fundamental skill . Everyone of the monastery should practice it, which would only do them good .
As expected, the government showed up and asked Bai Yunsheng to draw a graph of the Technical Sword manual, which they took away . It was not hard to guess what they were planning to do with it: to make it a common practice of the armed forces .
After a brief conversation, the two left the training court together .
The construction of the monastery had been completed as planned . Now, with its upper, middle, and lower levels, Qiyun was beginning to have the vigorous look of an influential sect .
They had just reached the main hall when a teenage disciple hurried near . "Abbot, a guest has arrived . "
"Who is it?"
"His name is Wang Qi . "
"I see . "
After dismissing the little one, Lu Yuanqing said, "Junior Brother, how about joining our meeting?"
"All right . "
After that, they arrived in a guest room under Zhu Ridge . Wang Qi was now almost the sole representative in the communication between the authorities and the cultivation community and was going back and forth a lot .
He cupped his hands first . "I was abroad when Old Master Tan passed away . I am so sorry for not coming here to pay my respects . "
"Don't be . The old priest had gone peacefully and did not want to be disturbed . "
Lu Yuanqing poured Wang Qi a cup of tea . Bai Yunsheng sat quietly on the side, apparently not very good at socializing .
"To be frank, Priest Lu, I'm here on an important matter this time . "
Wang Qi's attitude had a subtle difference in it . Before, the respect the authorities showed to the monastery was only superficial and the government considered Qiyun a subordinate organization only . However, since Gu Yu's trip abroad and his demonstration of his Human Immortal power, some bosses up there had changed their strategy .
Maybe they had finally realized the unlimited potential of cultivators, or maybe they were threatened by the possibility that a Human Immortal could crush modern weapons . At any rate, they were now much more polite towards the monastery .
"Please go on . "
Lu Yuanqing realized the change as well .
"A short while ago, our observation station in Tianshan discovered that the air flow over there has calmed down . The mountain is now safe enough for us to enter in great numbers . "
"Oh? That is great news . It is a responsibility that we shall not relinquish . " Lu Yuanqing had seen this coming . He then switched to another subject . "However, I won't be coming . My junior brother here has just risen to the innate state, and he is much more capable then me . He will be joining you for the task . "
"Priest Bai?" Turning the idea in his head, Wang Qi finally nodded . "Sure . Thank you for troubling yourself, Priest Bai . "
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-173.png){kind=small}
Chapter 373
Source: Imported
The northwestern border, Tianshan Mountain .
The whiteness stretched on forever, from the highest mountain tops to the deepest abyss, as if that was the only color left in this world . Snowy mountains rose up in rows, each more magnificent than the next . Everywhere one turned, they were met by great ice cascades over a hundred meters tall .
Tianshan used to be a windy region, but the breakout and stabilization of the spiritual essence had made one improvement in the climate—it was no longer gusty . At least they didn't need to worry about blizzards .
After four years of changes, the fault in the ice sheets of Tianshan had settled down; they now lay thick and solid over the ground, forming a layer of densely packed snow . It was thanks to this tough surface that they were able to avoid much casualty in their march .
Bai Yunsheng led the procession with a long sword on his back and wearing a thin Taoist robe only . Both his handsome face and his straight and tall figure made him look very trustworthy . However, the coldness in his eyes had kept others from getting too familiar .
"Whee…"
As they marched on, a shriek rang out suddenly, and before anyone could react, a shadow approached from above at a tremendous speed . Hooked talons grabbed a man by his shoulders, and with a yank, the guy was five meters over the ground .
"Help! Help!"
The man was terrified and struggled violently .
Clunk!
The sword left its sheath like a roaring dragon, and silver light struck down at an angle like flashing stars chasing the moon . With a slicing sound, the thing was in two halves .
Plop! Entrails and blood splashed all over the ground . The blood was so hot that it sizzled and steamed on the snow .
Only then did the scared crowd see what had attacked them . Lying on the ground was a giant bird with a wingspan of nearly eight meters . It was covered in white feathers all over its body, except for its sharp golden talons . The bird's head alone was as big as a wash basin—imagine how ferocious the entire bird would look .
"New species! New species!" A specialist tumbled near and examined the bird . "Take it with us to the base!"
"Yes!"
A few soldiers carried out the order .
"Thank you, Priest Bai . We're so lucky to have you with us . We can't open fire randomly in this place; it may trigger an avalanche . " One of the men in charge also expressed his gratitude wholeheartedly .
"Just doing my job . " Bai Yunsheng was equally curious about the animal and asked, "You haven't seen this bird before?"
"No . The environment of Tianshan was too harsh for us to venture here . All we could do was to observe from the perimeter . We did discover some mutated snow rats, snow leopards, and cedars, but never a raptor of this size . "
"Compared to human society, nature is more about cold logic . Since the top of the food chain has emerged, it means an ecosphere has already been established in Tianshan," said another specialist in amazement .
The team moved faster after the minor incident and managed to rush to the valley Gu Yu and Xiaozhai had once visited before sunset .
The cold air had once been blocked out of this place and the green valley enjoyed spring all year round . However, after Gu Yu removed the Seal of Patriarch Sa, the spiritual essence ran amuck and the valley was destroyed by an avalanche .
After a four-year recovery period, the green land had returned, which was a great surprise for the scientific research team . After all, no one wanted to work in a harsh environment .
They briefly set up for the night and busied themselves with all the work the following day . Like Lu Yuanqing once before, Bai Yunsheng had little to do other than playing the human detecting machine .
Early one morning .
Sitting on a stone on the ridge while caressing his long sword, Bai Yunsheng couldn't help but let out a soft sigh . "Well, I'm still not used to this one . "
The ancient sword was gone and this one was temporarily made from materials they had in the monastery . He had only just integrated with the Sword Seed and could not yet store the sword inside his mental space . When that time came, he wasn't going to put a crappy sword in there .
"Priest! Priest!" Just then, someone hurried up the ridge with a stone in his hand, saying, "Please have a look at this mineral . "
Oh?
Bai Yunsheng took it and saw that the stone was green, translucent, and without any impurities . He then injected a streak of spiritual essence and searched the interior, concluding, "The hardness is incredible . Is it the green jade stone?"
"Yes . It is what Mr . Gu's Flaming Cloud Needles were made from . We have explored around the lake and found quite a few . We thought we should bring it to you for a look . "
"The feature of this mineral is quite distinct . Use this one as your benchmark . I don't think you can go wrong . Come to me if there's something you can't identify for certain . "
"No problem . I'm off, then!"
Less than two hours after that man left, someone else called him . This time, it was the lead researcher of the scientific team . Bai Yunsheng responded with due respect and went down to the lab, where a few specialists were standing in discussion around a few rocks .
"Priest Bai is here… Priest, please have a look at these minerals . Are they any different from the spiritual stones of Tianzhu Mountain?" asked an old man in a hurry .
Bai Yunsheng saw that there were eight of them in total and they looked pretty much the same in appearance as what they had in Tianzhu . He then examined each one in turn . After eliminating the five stones that had no fluctuation of spiritual essence, he looked closely at the remaining three .
He said after quite a while, "You're right, they are spiritual stones . In fact, the reactivity of spiritual essence in them is even higher . "
"By how much?" asked the old man immediately .
"Um…" He weighed them in hand hand again and picked one out . "This is 1 . "
He then picked a second one . "This is 2 . "
And then the last one . "This is 3 . "
"3? That's more than twofold?" The researchers were all surprised .
The government was able to improve their database thanks to the experience gained in the previous development projects . The reactivity of the spiritual stones found on Tianzhu Mountain was set to be 1 as a base line . Tianshan had just turned out to be a treasure land with its scores as high as 2 and 3 .
"I don't think we should be too specific with the categorization . Simpler and more common categories will work better," said a specialist .
"How general do you want to make it? Grade One for a 1 and Grade Two for a 2?" This idea was rejected by another specialist at once . "We might discover higher numbers in the future—maybe as high as 10 or 20 . What then? Grade Ten and Grade Twenty?"
"How do you think we should categorize it, then? Can any common people understand that complicated system you invented?"
The several old men began a heated argument and completely ignored Bai Yunsheng .
Blinking, Bai Yunsheng automatically removed himself from the lab . However advanced a cultivator he might be, he had no say over the scientific matters .
***
The next few days passed like so; they had gathered pretty much all the required data of the mineral veins .
First of all, the reserve of the green jade stone was about 5 400 tons, which was relatively scarce . Then, there were the spiritual stones, whose reserve was 25 400 tons in Tianzhu Mountain and around 23 700 here .
After extracting a large number of samples, they were able to figure out the ratio: about 40% had a reactivity of 1, another 40% had 2, and 20% had 3, which was the most reactive spiritual stone discovered so far .
As for the categorization, the complicated finally lost to the simple one, which was very straightforward: Grade One, Grade Two, and Grade Three .
According to Bai Yunsheng's estimation, nature had to go through so much trouble to produce Grade Three spiritual stones, so it would be at least another century before they could find things like Grade Nine stones, which should not concern them right now . Hence, the simple categorization .
The scientific research team was exhilarated . The final development project was indeed promising! Phoenix Mountain was good for farming, Tianzhu Mountain was a mining area, Emei was farming again, and Tianshan was also a second mine .
The green jade stone was known for its hardness, making it a wonderful material to refine instruments . The spiritual stones here had no additional attribute and were purely used for consumption and supplementation .
They had thought these two would be their only discoveries until the ninth day, when a survey team found a third type of mineral in an area further away from the valley .
"This…"
Even Bai Yunsheng was noticeably amazed by this new discovery . The mineral in his hand looked more like an ice crystal than a stone .
It looked like a blossoming flower, with twelve ice petals arranged around the center in a radial pattern . It was semi-transparent and silver in color, shining brightly under the sunlight .
This stone had hardness no worse than the green jade stone's, and more importantly, he could feel coldness as he held it in his hands . It clearly had an ice attribute .
"What is the reserve?"
"We made some preliminary survey . The stone is scattered around the area and extremely rare . There is about a ton in total . "
"A ton?"
Bai Yunsheng was astonished at first, but soon felt relieved . Things were valued in proportion to their rarity . So, it was only natural that something this precious would be very scarce .
Immediately after that, he was struck by an idea . This mineral was ice-attributed and his Cold Moon Sword Manual also took its idea from the cold moon . A sword made from this material would be ideal for him .
'Tsk!'
All men had their hobbies, and with a hobby came weaknesses . Bai Yunsheng valued the sword above his life, making the sword his advantage as well as his emotional flaw . This stone was too valuable for the team to make any decision . If he really wanted it for himself, he would have to make the monastery ask for him .
Sigh…
For a moment there, he was overwhelmed by various emotions . On one hand, he was concerned with the inseparable tie between the monastery and the government; on the other, he was ashamed of his selfish desire .
While he was still going over this in his head, a specialist said, "Priest, since you're here, how about naming the mineral for us?"
"A name…" He was a little taken by surprise, but did not refuse . "I think we'd better follow the simple way . Let's call it darkice mine . "
***
A month soon passed, and before anyone realized, it was early February .
Snow was still falling in Heishui Province, devouring all the streets and houses . Even tower blocks were half submerged in the snow . Back at the end of the previous year, the government had estimated that after the snow melted, the farmlands would lose their fertility completely and would no longer be arable .
It seemed now that they had been too optimistic, for the snow did not intend to melt at all . The new estimation was that Heishui Province and the neighboring two states of Tsar would stay a frozen zone all year round . The snow would probably only stop falling during the summer months .
To Phoenix Mountain, this was the fifth year of the new era, but for most of the people, the new world had only just begun .
It seemed everything had become unrecognizable overnight . That old master talked about starting over again . Yes, life could take a new start, but how about the years that they had already lived?
Under Phoenix Mountain, the square .
The project was completed in time . It didn't really involve all that much work . The scenic area had been very well built, with most of the buildings they needed already there . All the project did was some minor makeover and rearrangement .
Right now, the workers had lined up in the square like a month before, waiting for Old Shui to speak .
"I don't give lectures and none of you like bullsh*t . The first agenda today: paychecks!"
Old Shui waved his hand and two underlings carried four suitcases up . They opened with a snapping sound, revealing wads of pink notes .
"Come up when your name is called . Huang Fa!"
"Yes!"
A man in his forties ran out and took a wad of notes with quivering hands .
"Liu Li!"
"Here!"
"Zhang Guang!"
"Yo!"
A dozen names were called when it was finally Liu Ziming's turn .
He took the money with the same conflicted emotions as everyone else and returned to the line with a head blank from all the excitement . With the deteriorating environment and growing number of migrants, more and more people were reluctant to put their money into the banks .
In their minds, it was entirely possible that they would wake up one morning and find all banks closed! Hence, cash was so much more important than bank cards now, and every household made sure they had some at home .
Old Shui knew perfectly well of this mindset . This seemingly show-off act had played right into their expectations .
The workers received their money in turn, which took quite a while . Old Shui then said, "Now, the second thing . I said at the beginning that there will be another project after this one . You have all done a great job and we will consider you lot first for that . Of course, it's totally up to you whether or not you want to take it . The signing up starts now . Anyone wants to go on working for us, stand to the ri—"
"Bigger, bigger, bigger…"
'Hm?'
Old Shui paused and turned to look up at the mountain, for a strange shouting was coming from that direction, and the words did not come out very right either .
"Bigger, bigger, bigger… bigger, bigger, bigger… don't stop, don't stop! Bigger! Bigger!
"Hahahaha! I finally made it!"
"Boom!"
Gosh! It felt like an earthquake, and even the square shuddered . Somewhere on the mountain, dirt and smoke surged into the air as if something had smashed down from above, making an enormous pit in the ground .
The blast expanded, destroying everything in its way . It seemed the forest was going to be crushed when a breeze blew out from deeper inside the mountain, easily offsetting the force .
"Enough!"
"Wow! That was awesome! Awesome!"
There was then a tittering and a figure galloped down the mountain . Yup, it galloped!
The feet barely touched the ground and the figure flitted across the air like a fairy . In an instant, she was at the foot of the mountain and landed in the middle of the square with a swirl . She turned out to be a pretty young woman .
'Hm?'
She had come down here to play (more like running away for her life) and was surprised to find all the people gathering here, but the surprise was only in her eyes for a second . The next moment, she put on an indifferent look she copied from certain fellow .
Smack!
Old Shui covered his eyes with a hand with a smack, wanting no part of this .
But the rest of the people did not know her as he did . Staring at her open-mouthed, they were silent for quite a while before a young man said in a shaky voice, "I-Immortal!"
"Immortal! They are real!"
"The fairy has come to our mortal world… sob…"
All hell broke loose . Some cried, some laughed, and some yelled . The cultivator of the legends had just showed up in front of their eyes and they could finally get the emotions they'd suppressed so long off their chest .
Liu Ziming kept his eyes wide open . A volcano seemed to have exploded in his stomach and the flame had run up his throat and burned his mouth dry . Something was tickling at his heart .
There really were real immortals in Phoenix Mountain!
"Silence!"
Standing with her hands behind her back, the woman raised her voice above all the hubbub and swept her eyes across the crowd . Anyone that felt her eyes on him shuddered, growing all the more reverent at this imposing aura .
"I was travelling the world when I found this spiritual mountain and decided to settle down here for the time being and study the profound knowledge . "
By now, Old Shui had hid himself in a corner and covered his ears—he had to save himself from her horrendous story . He did the right thing . The lady then said with a straight face, "Fate has brought me to you . From today on, remember me by this title: Patriarch Sky-turning!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-174.png){kind=small}
Chapter 374
Source: Imported
What the hell?
They were all looking up to this fairy-like figure, but that reverence was completely shattered at the announcement of that Patriarch Sky-turning thing—that was a fantasy ruined quickly enough .
It was like a fair-skinned pretty woman with a tiny waist and long legs introducing herself with a straight face, saying, "Nice to meet you . I'm Hammer Smith . "
Emmmm!
Xiaojin ignored the disappointed lot—she had her moment and that was all she cared about . Turning to Old Shui, she asked, "What are you lot doing here?"
"The project on the mountain is done . We're moving onto the ancient city . "
"Sister said we're building a market town there . How did the planning go?"
"We gave the job to the municipal architectural design institute . Here's the map . "
Xiaojin might be known as Little Soap, but she was no less an owner of Phoenix Mountain than the other three . Old Shui was perfectly aware of it and acted accordingly . He took out the map and handed it to Xiaojin .
Opening it up, she saw that all the buildings were to be built within the ancient walls . That was to say, it was going to be a market town with a circumference of 16 km .
A market town was an enclosed city plan which separated the residential district from the trading one . The modern version certainly would not be that distinctly divided, but it was still relatively strictly set out .
Shops and residences could not exceed five stories above ground and two underground . A total of 688 houses was allocated along twelve streets of various width . The size of each house was drawn out in advance, and together, they were laid out as neatly as ridges in a farmland .
An open-air market was also planned . There, those who could not afford a shop could trade . Yup, that was for the paupers and pauper cultivators without a sect .
The entire town sat against the mountain on the north and had three gates opening on the east, the west, and the south, of which the southern one would be the front gate . The city wall would be revamped from the original ancient wall, raising it to about three meters .
Tsk, tsk, that seemed like real fun!
Blinking, Xiaojin put the map in her pocket as if that was where it belonged all along . "I don't have anything to do at the moment, so I guess I'm coming with you . Don't mind me . Go back to whatever you were doing . "
'Go back my a*s! You've ruined my rhythm!' Keeping the sarcastic remarks to himself, Old Shui forced himself to ignore this "Patriarch" and turned back to the crowd . "Now, those that want to work on with us, stand on the right . Those that don't, we have buses waiting over there that'll take you back home in a moment . "
" . . . "
A hush fell over the square . Too much had happened too fast, and they were having a hard time digesting the information . A long moment passed before a few people walked out and stood on the right .
This seemed to have started a mass decision-making process . Men began to walk out in batches, Liu Ziming included . In the end, Old Shui counted the number and saw that over 80% had decided to stay .
"All right, I'll take you there now . We'll sign the contract once we get there . Because this project is going to take quite a while, you're all entitled to a family leave once a month . You'll need to apply with me beforehand . "
After that, Old Shui arranged them into several buses, which then drove out of the square and headed directly for the ancient city .
They arrived at the destination a short while later . The city had been measured out with the construction markings all drawn out . While the workers went to take registrations, Old Shui discussed with an engineer on the details . Xiaojin went up to them eagerly and asked, "Hey, hey, hey, what are you going to do later?"
"The preliminary work is done, so we'll start digging foundations," replied Old Shui .
"Digging foundations? Of the entire city?"
"Um, you could say that . "
"How deep do you need?"
"The soil texture is excellent here, with a high bearing capacity . The supporting layer is about two meters . "
"Two meters…"
Xiaojin squinted, her eyes flickering with dangerous and strange light through the two narrow gaps . Old Shui sensed the danger and asked immediately, "What are you thinking? Don't do anything stu— sh*t!"
The big fellow's voice broke and he let out a squeaky scream . The engineer looked as if his eyes were going to pop out, and forgot to breathe .
Opening up her palm, a quaint little seal suddenly appeared . She then tossed into the air .
"Big! Big! Big!"
Whoosh!
The little seal grew crazily like a inflating balloon; its size doubled, tripled, quadrupled… it eventually blocked half the sky and floated there like a tall building .
Boom!
The Sky-turning Seal smashed right down and pressed hard into the ground . Bang!
The sound it made was louder than an earthquake . What was more amazing, though, was that despite the noise, it raised no dirt or dust . It was as light as tapping a seal on an inkpad, then stamping it on a piece of paper—the seal had absorbed all the impact .
"Up!"
At Xiaojin's clear voice, the seal rose into the sky again, while everyone turned to look at the ground . Jesus Christ!
The ground it landed on was two meters lower, and the tough ground was even tougher from all the pressure . With all the air squeezed out from between the particles, the soil looked extremely dense .
"Where else?" asked she .
"Over, over there," pointed the engineer with a shaky finger .
Boom!
Another area was done .
It went on like so . The digging process that was estimated to take nearly twenty days was finished within minutes .
"Hahaha! This Sky-turning Seal is indeed very useful…" Xiaojin held her hands at her waist and guffawed . The next second, her laughter stopped abruptly as she frowned and said, "Wait a minute, why did I come all the way here to ram a construction site? This is so menial!"
The leap between her thoughts was miles apart . One had to take a hundred twists before understanding her logic .
She had lost interest in the job after that already; patting Old Shui on his shoulder, she said, "I'm off . Keep up the good work!"
With that, she kicked the ground lightly and was about to leap into the air when a chubby kid popped out of thin air and pounced at her . The fair and plump buttocks landed on her head with a thud, and the kid ran back into the air, clapping its hands happily .
"You little bastard! Your weight means nothing to me!" Enraged, Xiaojin knocked Golden Silkworm to the ground easily and roared, "Qiu Qiu! Get you a*s down here!"
"Dear Jin Jin, Sister told me to tell you that the seal is pretty nice, so from now on, it'll be your job to ram the ground or crush stones . Stay here for as long as you want . "
A giggle drifted down from up Cuanyun Peak .
"Like hell I'm gonna stay here! Get down here!"
With a wave of her hand, Xiaojin released a streak of Water Thunder, which opened up into a big blackish purple web and dashed towards the top of the peak .
"Teehee! I'm only repeating what Sister said . How can I disobey her words?"
With that, a streak of blue light flashed down from the cloud above the peak . It was so fast that it seemed to break the law of acceleration . The light pierced through the thunder web and reached Xiaojin in no time .
It then swirled above her had and flew back to the mountain in the same provocative manner .
"You rat! What have you done to my nice Qiu Qiu! Wait until tonight when I get back… Aaaaaah!"
Xiaojin bristled like a pissed off cat, but she dared not do anything to retaliate—she had been very naughty just then on the mountain and destroyed quite a few trees .
Momentarily, Cuanyun Peak had gone quiet, and Long Qiu seemed to have left . Stomping her feet, Xiaojin jumped up the city wall and sat down there, looking around with a mean look on her face as if she was the new supervisor .
"Pffft!"
Liu Ziming failed to hold back his laughter, but covered his mouth immediately thereafter .
The little episode brought the workers a different feeling to the place, and they did not seem to fear her as they had in the beginning . Instead, she looked more cordial to them now—after all, everyone had known some naughty brat back at home .
***
Phoenix Mountain, the meditation room .
Sitting on the rush mat, Gu Yu suddenly grabbed at the air . A ball of red fire-attributed spiritual essence immediately appeared in his palm . This type was much more agitated than the normal pure one, giving off an explosive and unstable feeling .
He kept using the Small Moving Technique and the ball of spiritual essence grew bigger and bigger . He then compressed it forcibly to increase its density . In the end, the ball was down to the size of a ping-pong ball, while its color had turned into blackish red; it was almost ready to explode .
Even so, it remained a ball of spiritual essence, and did not turn into actual flames .
"Sigh…"
Gu Yu heaved a sigh and squeezed the ball before it could explode . It vanished .
He had failed again!
Since he began his seclusion, he had completed his first study, which was on the escaping skills, and the second one, which was the recipe of Essence-gathering Dan . The third one he worked on was the Five Element skills .
He had to start from zero, for there were no such things like "fire-attributed body", "heaven-attributed body", "water-attributed body", or "chaos-attributed body" in this world . Everyone began with sensing the normal spiritual essence . Only those specially gifted—such as Zheng Kaixin—could become exceptionally sensitive to spiritual essence of a certain type .
He had gone through many trials, none of which successfully turned the spiritual essence into physical metal, wood, water, fire, or earth . Although the air lump itself could be used for attack, it was not what he wanted .
His desired product seemed easy to produce, but it was in fact extremely difficult .
The closer it was to a basic rule, the more advanced a cultivator it required to research it . Scientific formulae or theorems, for example, were mostly discovered or established by people like Newton, while the later users only needed to follow the rules . It would be highly unlikely that an undergraduate could come up with an achievement of the same level .
"I guess I'm a little naive in thinking that I could invent Taoist skills on my own . I can fully understand the existing ones at best, and am still a long way from creating one . "
Shaking his head, Gu Yu was a little ashamed . What level was he at now exactly? Well, if he could obtain a skill of Five Elements, he would be able to draw inferences and see through the basic law .
Xiaozhai had let the words out about collecting various Taoist skills and materials, but so far, they had heard no replies .
" . . . "
Settling down his mind, Gu Yu cleared his head and took out another object . This time, it was that Seal of Patriarch Sa .
It was left behind by Sa Shoujian and in it were Thunder Technique, the recipe of Essence-gathering Dan, and the method of refining with mental force . Additionally, there were also the patterns carved into the seal . Back then, his cultivation level was not high enough for him to study them, but he could now see that it was indeed a formation of a confining or protective kind .
It was an incredibly complicated and immense formation . Reaching in with his mental force, he analyzed and solved it little by little . It took him over a month to just understand a small fraction of it .
The so-called formations were layouts based on natural properties and the quality of the spiritual essence .
Heaven and earth, mountains, rivers, plants, metal, stones, houses, roads, etc . , could all be components of a layout . According to different circumstances and variables, and with different terrain and spiritual essence properties, various formations could be set up .
Hence arose the difficulty in learning formations—one had to be extremely knowledgeable and extremely flexible in their minds . Drawing inferences about other cases from one instance was not enough; they had to be able to draw the whole universe to achieve mastery of the skill .
Otherwise, even if they managed to learn anything, they would be simply memorizing fixed formations . They knew what formation to use in a specific terrain, but could not apply it when the terrain changed—that was also why the teaching of formation had gone extinct .
In other words, the fact that the formation pattern on the seal used no natural terrain but was shrunk to the size of a small seal proved that Celestial Master Sa was not only an exceptional master in formations, but also unbelievably advanced in Taoist skills as well . The man would have at least reached the Immortal state .
" . . . "
Holding the seal in his hands, Gu Yu explored it with tiny tentacles of his mental force, which slowly peeled off the petals to see the hidden knowledge inside . His mind was like a spinning machine, constantly building, destroying, rebuilding, and destroying again… his purpose was to find something that suited his needs .
What he needed was fairly straightforward—to build a big protective formation of Phoenix Mountain . They couldn't use iron fence forever, could they?
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-175.png){kind=small}
Chapter 375
Source: Imported
Early morning, Bai Town .
The county-level city had quite a few small morning fairs but only a single big one, which was opened right outside the western ring of the town . All year round, for the three hours between five and eight in the morning, the street several hundred meters long was jammed by the busy market .
Small tradespeople and peddlers gathered here from the suburbs, and one would not be surprised to find any odd thing sold here . Of course, that was before everything had happened . Starting from the middle of last year, this morning fair was going into recession .
Phoenix Mountain could take care of the vicious creatures, but there was nothing they could do about the general decline of natural conditions . The vegetable plots were taken over by strange grass, fish tore into one another in the fishponds, and the orchards were infested with insects—and it didn't stop there . Pork, chicken, duck, tofu, sweet potato noodles, spring onion, ginger, garlic… you name it . Even rice and soya-bean oil were harder to find these days .
The scarcity of resources was hitting the country as a whole . It was like staring at an hourglass nailed down at one end . The sand was dropping fast, while you could do nothing but watch it emptying itself .
Snuffle . . .
Liu Ziming sniffed a little and strolled the street wearing a pair of old-school padded mittens .
Thanks to the help of certain sky-turning patriarch, their project had been shortened by twenty days and the workers were paid proportionately less . All plans were thrown off the rail—the construction materials for the next stage had yet to arrive when they were ready to move on!
Old Shui had to make emergency arrangements to make only part of the construction site in operation . Hence, the workers took turn to take half a day off . Since that wasn't enough for him to go back home, Liu Ziming thought he could buy something and asked Old Shui's freight company to take it back for him .
After a little while, he spotted a shop by the bleak street was open, selling grains and cooking oil . He entered it and asked, "Any rice?"
"Rice? Do I look like I have rice?"
The shop owner was a bold guy and not the most polite man .
"How about flour? Or cornmeal?"
"That's everything we've got . See it for yourself!" The shop owner pointed around the shop .
Wiping his nose, Liu Ziming scanned the room . The shop was barely running a business . There was no rice, no flour, nor any soya-bean oil . A thin layer of sorghum rice hardly covered the bottom of its container and there were some soya beans and red beans in other containers .
The shelf looked emptier . Even dried noodles were sold out, and a handful of Sichuan pepper and aniseed took the place . Surprisingly, there were quite a lot of potatoes, as well as several bags of strange-looking powder .
"There, there's nothing left . What do you eat, then?" asked Liu Ziming in confusion .
"You're not from around here, aren't you?" The shop owner darted him a look and said, "Guess what? We all need a permit for the stock now; there's a ration for all of us . We aren't even allowed to raise the price—no more than 30%! What a load of sh*t! We get like a mouthful and there's barely anything left to sell after we take out our own food . How am I supposed to run a business with the little money we sell it for?"
"Ha, that's right…" Liu Ziming smiled obsequiously, then asked, "So, when do you stock up again?"
"The beginning of next month, probably . Why, you wanna order some?"
"Yes . How much is rice and flour?"
"Forget about the flour . No one can get it . The cheapest loose rice is 6 . 4 yuan a kilo . The better one is sold in five-kilo bags, and that's 70 yuan a bag . "
That was not too bad!
The cheapest loose rice was about 4 yuan a kilo before . Liu Ziming did the math in his head and asked, "How much am I allowed to buy?"
"Why, you're a smart guy!" The shop owner was a little surprised at the question . "You'll need a permit too . Grown men like you can buy 9 kg a month at most . "
"In that case, I'll have 9 kg . " Liu Ziming nodded and looked at the potatoes and the bags of powder . "How much are the potatoes?"
"2 yuan a kilo . This is pure potato flour . It doesn't taste so good, but it's food . "
"Oh, I'll have some of those each . "
Hence, Liu Ziming bought a bag of potatoes and a bag of the potato flour, both very cheap .
Even with the legendary Professor Yuan, time was still needed to cultivate the new hybrid rice and release it to the market, but people had to eat during this transition period, hence the implementation of the government control over the food—similar to the economic regulation during wartime . After making sure that all citizens were provided with the basic amount of food and clothing, all the other resources were focused onto the cultivation and development of new food sources .
People of this country had been eating rice and wheat flour for thousands of years; that was a habit very hard to change . The relative prices of rice and potato were to give the people an incentive to change that habit .
After Professor Yuan finished his work on the hybrid rice and the agricultural bases all over the country were completed, food resources would be plentiful again .
Liu Ziming left the shop with his prize and passed a meat stall a short while later . It occurred to him that his wife had not had a bite of meat for days, so he went up to the stall and asked, "Any pork?"
"Yea, but I don't think you can afford it," the stall owner replied without even looking up as he scraped his knife noisily along the knife-sharpener . He then began to cut a strip of odd-looking meat that had more fat then lean parts and was of a blackish red color .
After what he had seen in the shop, Liu Ziming knew better this time and asked directly, "What's cheap?"
"This!" The owner dumped the strip of meat on the scale, showing that it weighed about 1 . 5 kg . "This is rat meat, 5 yuan a kilo . Oh, not the gross rat . It's from something called a yellow-fur rat . I've tried it myself . It's pretty tender .
"Meat processing factory said this is what we're all gonna eat from now on . This, and the meat of some big rabbit . Forget about pork, beef, and lamb . That's not what people like us can afford . "
" . . . "
Staring at the meat, Liu Ziming hesitated for a minute and finally said, "I'll have a kilo . "
"Right away . If only all the customers were like you! I got this granny just then, and she nagged me for half an hour for some donkey's meat 1 . Where the heck am I supposed to get a donkey for her?" The stall owner cut the meat skillfully and said, "You know what, if I really have a piece of donkey's meat, I'm not selling it to anybody, not for a million yuan . I'll keep it safe in my storage . Who knows? In a hundred year, the kids probably won't know what a donkey is, and that meat will turn into the treasure of my family… There you go!"
Pursing his lips, Liu Ziming did not reply to that . Something ticked in his head as he turned to leave the stall .
His heart sank a little at those words, but with the limited education he had, he couldn't describe that feeling .
Walking with his head lowered, he went through the street from one end to the other, buying a big bag of mushrooms and a big bag of a very green vegetable that was said to be a mutated type of cabbage .
The bags were heavy and the fair was quite far from the construction site, but Liu Ziming didn't want to spend money on the bus, so he gritted his teeth and kept walking .
Money was too unreliable and prices too high these days . The inflation rate that used to be calculated by years was now calculated by days . Common people might not know the technical term, but they could see it in their daily life .
He had seen none of the food he had bought in Shengtian, so they should have hit the market in the past month only . His wife was used to living frugally, and would never have spent money on the new things herself . He would send these back and go back home after earning his money . . .
Hoho!
Liu Ziming tittered despite himself . The blowing wind was freezing cold, but sweat covered his forehead, trickling down the side of his face and soon evaporating . The cold sensation left behind was boring into his bones .
As he walked, the things in his hands seemed to grow heavier and his legs grew weaker . He was almost at the bus station when he stumbled and collapsed to the ground .
"Ah!" a frightened little girl cried out at this and the others gathered around . They dragged him to the platform first so that he wouldn't block the traffic .
"What happened? Is he breathing?"
"I am not touching him!"
"Anybody knows anything about first aid? What's that called? CPR?"
For a moment, everyone was talking at the same time . One of them had sharper eyes, and suddenly raised his voice . "Hey, Priest! Priest, here! Someone has fainted!"
The crowd turned in the direction he was shouting and saw a young priest walking on the other side of the street . Hearing the call, he approached them with a gait so light and swift that his feet seemed to barely touch the ground .
They saw his face once he was close enough: what a handsome priest!
The crowd made room for him and ignored the incoming bus . Everyone was much more interested in what was going to happen . The young priest crouched down and felt Liu Ziming's pulse . "I need a bowl of water . "
"Um, will this do?"
The girl hastily fumbled out a vacuum flask and removed the cap, which could work as a little cup .
"Yes, that'll do . " The priest took it with a smile and poured some water into the bottle cap . He then took out a talisman and gave it a shake . Poof! The talisman burst into flame by itself and was then pressed into the cup .
Sizzle!
White smoke rolled out of the cup right away, but there was no black ash, and the water remained as clear .
He fed the water to Liu Ziming after the talisman burnt up . Seconds later, the man slowly woke up, and thanked the priest repeatedly after hearing about what had happened .
"Your Qi was deficient and stagnant . With the cold you caught, you suffered from a sudden blockage of your energy . You'll be fine after a few days of rest . "
"Thank you, Priest! Thank you!"
Liu Ziming was so overwhelmed with gratitude that he almost prostrated before the priest . He was not afraid of himself falling ill, but his family would be doomed if he did .
The priest did not linger, but left promptly after that . Several smarter fellows tried to shadow him, but lost track of him after a few turns .
***
Phoenix Mountain, the manor at the northern slope .
After all information had gone public, they had no scruples left . Zhang Qianqiu was kicked out and was back in Shengtian . Back then, Li Dong, Yan Han, and he had snuck into the mountain's enclosed area together, and he was the one with all it took to become the protagonist of the three . As it turned out, it was just the other way around .
The manor was now mainly run by Old Shui's helpers . The place was so swarming with visitors and vehicles that they never seemed to have enough people to deal with all of them . Everyone was here to meet the owner of the mountain, though Xiaozhai ignored most of them . Not everyone gave up easily; some simply decided to take up residence in Bai Town .
"Tap! Tap!"
Right now, someone was tapping the knocker; he turned out to be that young priest .
"Who's there?"
"This is Chao Kongtu!"
Creek!
The gate was soon opened, and a man greeted him . "What brought you here, Priest Chao? Welcome!"
This priest was sort of a friend of the mountain, and the employees dared not take him lightly . After showing him into the inner hall and served the tea, they promptly informed those up on the mountain .
Chao Kongtu had only sat there for a little while when a voice that could give him a headache rang out . "Yo, yo, who do we have here? Why, you still haven't reached the innate state yet?"
'Damn you!'
Chao Kongtu fought to keep the smile on his face . Ignoring Xiaojin, he bowed to Xiaozhai behind her directly . "Hello, Laywoman Jiang . "
"I wasn't expecting you . Have a seat!" Xiaozhai took her seat first, then got straight to the point . "What do you need?"
"We heard that you're building a market town down the mountain so that cultivators can trade freely with the common people . The monastery admires you greatly for that idea, and would like to ask for a favor . "
"You want to open a shop yourself?" Xiaozhai hit the mark right away .
"That's correct . "
"Tianzhu Mountain is a node as well and is densely populated . I think it'll be more suitable for your shop . "
"There is a government base and a spiritual stone mine in Tianzhu, which means we can't open it up entirely . The best we can do is a small market, which is nothing in comparison with your great market town . "
He wasn't exaggerating by calling it a great market town . With a circumference of 16 km, the ancient city was worth that name . Although it was a combination of residential and trade districts, it was still rather sizeable .
Xiaozhai did not beat around the bush . Opening up a planning map, she said, "The shop won't be a problem . These are not booked yet . Take your pick . "
Chao Kongtu glanced at the map and saw that half of the buildings on the chessboard-like plan had already been marked, indicating that they were taken . Instead of choosing their place, he asked, "If you don't mind me asking, who reserved all these places?"
"Ha, who do you think? From Liaodong and the capital city all the way to the south of Yangtze River, all the families worth mentioning have signed up . You're here at the right time . This is the last opening left . The rest I'll reserve for future use . "
"May I ask for whom?"
"A fifty-fifty split between the riches and the commoners . "
"Half each… with due respect, with the number of cultivators we have now, once the market town is open for business, it'll set the rules of game for the foreseeable future . "
"Play games all they want, but forget about the rules . No one talks about rules here . Plus, someone has to do it one way or another . It's just a matter of time . "
"You have my true admiration for that!" Chao Kongtu cupped his hand and then pointed at an area with a smile . "I've made my decision . We'll take this spot . "
'Oh?'
Xiaozhai saw that it was a separate three-story building with quite a large ground area . Once the house was built, it would be a landmark .
She was also glad . "Great . You're a friend, but we still need to charge you fair and square . For others, the rent is 4 million a year and 200 million if they want to buy it . With you, we don't do rent . We're selling you for 100 000 spiritual stones . "
'Ouch!'
The corner of Chao Kongtu's eye twitched . The woman knew how to set an offer—the price couldn't be more exact .
With the discovery of the mine in Tianshan, the government had loosened the control of the spiritual stones a little . They believed that, given time, more mines would be created, which was only the law of nature .
And 100 000 was the bottom line they had agreed on earlier .
"If we do buy it, is there a tenure of use?"
"You should ask your people, not me . " Xiaozhai chuckled .
With no business or trade of its own, the monastery did not seem to have much money . However, it was supported by the most superior organization of the country, and money would come to them as easily as if they were printing it in the future .
"Do bear with our vulgarity . We're closing off the front mountain, so we won't be having any income from there in the future . Got to keep the pockets filled . It's only this price while money still works . After the spiritual stone is widely adopted, it'll be a different story . "
After quickly reaching an agreement, Xiaozhai did not rise to her feet to see the guest off . Instead, she made some more tea and seemed ready for a formal negotiation . "All right . The foreplay is over . Tell me why you're really here . "
"Haha, nothing passes through you . " Tilting his head, Chao Kongtu tried his best to ignore the stare of certain fellow, who dared not act out because of the presence of her sister . "Well, the second thing is, we heard that Phoenix Mountain is collecting all kinds of Taoist skills, and we just happen to have a few . How about we make an exchange?"
"Exchange?"
Xiaozhai paused a little while she waved her hand and set up a confinement, blocking Xiaojin out . "What do you want to trade with?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The corner of Chao Kongtu's eye twitched again as he saw the other fellow kicking and banging outside, raising a thunderstorm . However, no sound came through .
"Since it is an exchange, we think it should be frank and aboveboard . The monastery is very sincere about this trade . Let me give you a brief explanation first . Last year, we found an underground palace left behind by Priest White Crane of the Northern and Southern Dynasties . After some digging, we managed to find quite a few Taoist skills, including escaping skills, Dan methods, talismans, instrument, spells, etc . They cover a wide variety, and apart from a number of things we kept for ourselves, everything else is here…"
With that, he swept his wide sleeve across the table and there was a thick booklet .
" . . . "
Xiaozhai remained silent, but understood why the man was here after scanning his face .
The monastery chose to make this move because, for one, like Phoenix Mountain, they no longer tried to keep everything to themselves, and wanted to adopt a more open-minded attitude . Ancient cultivators were all-rounders that knew something about everything, but now, with gaps in the heritage of all sects, everyone was limited to a single aspect of knowledge that had been reduced to fragments .
In order to recover the prosperity of the ancient cultivation society and rebuilt the cultivation system, they needed to communicate with and educate one another .
After the tentative moves of the preliminary stage, they had all chosen their sides by now and all connections had been established . Only those that could think in the long term could make it that far .
For another, since Old Gu had risen to the Human Immortal state, the monastery had sent Chao Kongtu here as a gesture of goodwill .
Hence, she took out a few jade slips, and said, "Here's everything we've got, but you can't read it yet without reaching the innate state . . . "
"That's ok . I can wait . " Chao Kongtu did not mind at all .
Xiaozhai then waved her hand and let her sister in . "I've got things to handle . You keep Priest Chao company . "
"Pffft!"
Chao Kongtu jolted and almost spilled his tea . 'She did it on purpose, right? Right? Right?!'
Ignoring the bantering and squabbling duo, Xiaozhai began to flip through the booklet .
Beast-controlling Technique: through an occult skill, a master-servant relationship was established between the cultivator and the spiritual beast . With their minds connected, the cultivator could train, ride, and command the spiritual beast . Priest White Crane had travelled wide and far on the back of a giant crane, which was what this technique able to achieve .
Edict Sword Skill: a random invention of Priest White Crane . It was not a sword skill, but an unorthodox trick . Sword energy was not required; cultivators of the acquired state could use it with even a common sword . The skill consisted of one stance only, which was a dashing sword attack that was fast enough to become a blurry shadow and was rather powerful .
This was exactly the skill Zhang Shouyang used to cut off Zhang Ziliang's arm during their duel on the Longhu Mountain . The incantation was as followed .
"The black sword comes out accompanied by heavenly soldiers and encouraged by the stars . This is a humble skill that summons the flying sword so that the evil man will be annihilated . The divine weapon, obey this order now!"
Rising Manual: an escaping skill . The effect differed with the different cultivation level of the practitioners .
With a leap, those of the acquired state could rise tens of meters above the ground or dash out for hundreds of meters with a light kick of the ground . Those of the innate state could glide briefly in the air with the help of their energy as swiftly as a sparrow and change direction easily; one push and they would be miles away .
"Hm?"
Xiaozhai blinked . She was mildly interested in the Beast-controlling Technique and not interested in the Edict Sword Skill at all . This Rising Manual, though, was kind of useful .
Old Gu had figured out his own escaping skills already . Be it the Void Air-controlling Technique or turning into a flash of light, they both sounded better than this manual . However, he was a Human Immortal with his unique system, and the others were still in the innate state .
Phoenix Mountain had a shortage of escaping skills . All they had now was the Void-arranging Technique, which was to move at an extremely fast speed with both feet centimeters above the ground . It was ideal for travelling long distances, but there was no room for improvement and it did not do well in turning and dodging .
She made a mental note of this and read on .
Lucky Smoky Gourd: refined from a gourd about 15-20 cm long . The cultivator would be covered inside a cloud of blue smoke with a wave of the gourd, which could keep evil spells, poisonous undead insects, blades, water, and fire out .
This was a refined instrument which was on the border of being redundant . Xiaozhai moved onto the next one and her eyes remained fixed on it .
Small Cloud & Rain Technique: it helped with things in the bedroom, could prolong the performance and get you there with more pleasure … 2 stop! This is not that kind of novel!
Small Cloud & Rain Technique: with it, cultivator could raise water into the air and make it rain in a small area . It seemed to be a creation of Priest White Crane, who used it specially for watering his herb garden .
She didn't need to read anything else . This one alone was good enough for an exchange .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-176.png){kind=small}
Chapter 376
Source: Imported
The government was supportive of Phoenix Mountain's market town .
With the growing number of cultivators and the related population, at some point, there had to appear a public trading platform recognized by all sides . Online trading was not secure enough; also, it had to be a physical facility, so the location became an issue .
Both Tianzhu and Emei had scientific research bases with large mines and pharmaceutical companies, which were all full of confidential knowledge . With its harsh environment, Tianshan was out of the question .
The government also could not just pick any other place . If the party running the place could not stop conflicts from breaking out, the area would fall into chaos . Hence, the bottom line was: a neutral location far from densely populated areas and with enough force to stop conflicts .
Therefore, Phoenix Mountain was the only choice .
Xiaozhai saw through the monastery and the authorities behind it . After slowly going through the booklet, she made her pick .
"The Beast-controlling Technique, Rising Manual, Small Cloud & Rain Technique, Lucky Smoky Gourd, and Small Universe Technique—I'll take these five . "
"Sure!"
Everything but the Cloud & Rain was within Chao Kongtu's expectation .
The first four were explained already . Then, what about the Small Universe Technique? It was basically a storage skill that could put a lot of things in a very small container .
That was what Phoenix Mountain had been looking for all along . Xiaojin still carried her Thunder Cloud Grit around in a big gourd . With this technique, she could fit it into a small gourd . It would also work with storing things like Dan pills or spiritual liquor . It was quite versatile .
This technique required quite an advanced level of cultivation as well—only those with innate state or above could use it, and how much stuff one could fit into a containers solely depended on their ability .
Xiaozhai was amused to realize that ancient cultivators seemed to have a hard time making up names as well and simply decided to use the plain "big" and "small" . Skills such as the Small Moving Technique, Small Universe Technique, and Small Confinement Technique had names that indicated that they were delicate and neat and did not exert too much power .
Deducing from this logic, there should be skills such as Big Moving Technique or Big Universe Technique, which could probably move mountains and seas and contain heaven and earth .
"Since you've shown your sincerity, I'm going to be honest with you as well . You have kept things to yourselves, so neither are we going to exchange with our fundamental skills . But, all in all, we'd like to see everyone improve together and get to communicate with and teach one another . " Xiaozhai kicked her sister out of the confinement again . "Here are Small Moving Technique, Void-arranging Technique, Small Confining Technique, Storage Technique, Water-walking Technique, Whisk of Tranquility, and recipes of Evil-expelling Dan and Essence-gathering Incense . You can choose from these . "
She explained them in turn after that . Everything was quite specific—apart from the Whisk of Tranquility, which was a refined instrument recorded in the Seal of Patriarch Sa . Since no one on Phoenix Mountain was using a whisk, the method had been sitting there idly .
" . . . "
Chao Kongtu considered for a very long time after that and finally chose five as well: Small Moving Technique, Small Confining Technique, Storage Technique, Whisk of Tranquility, and the recipe of Evil-expelling Dan .
"Haha, you're a clever man!" Xiaozhai praised him wholeheartedly, not feeling regretful to give out any of the skills at all .
The monastery had kept things to itself—such as the Talisman Water Technique . It could cure diseases and dispel plagues, which would work wonders in winning people's hearts . They also did not mention the Soul-calming Mirror, which could stabilize the spirit of any living creature . On the other hand, Phoenix Mountain kept their own secrets as well, omitting things like the Shadow-switching Technique and the conjuring skill .
What they exchanged would become the basic laws of the cultivation community .
For example, the Storage Technique . From now on, cultivators would use jade slips to store information . Those that still tossed booklets around would be considered bumpkins .
Another example would be the Small Universe Technique, which would be the prerequisite skill until they discovered the legendary "storage bags" .
Using these in their daily cultivation life would be like eating with chopsticks, having soup with a spoon, going out with clothes on, and stripping to have sex… hence they were called the basic laws .
Chao Kongtu was mainly here to express their goodwill, but was pleasantly surprised with Phoenix Mountain's sincerity as they had given some substantial skills back in turn . As a result, everyone was happy .
The two soon reached an agreement . After a pause, Xiaozhai said, "Since you're taking the Dan recipe, I'd like to give an advice . I think you should make more of it and give it out to expertises of various professions, especially those that could affect people's livelihood .
"With every extra year of their life, they'll bring more contributions to the mankind as a whole . The world is kind of a sh*thole now, and we'll have to depend on them if we want to slowly improve it . "
"Yes! Of course!"
Chao Kongtu cupped his hand and made up his mind .
"Since you're here, stay for a few more days and let Xiaojin show you around . Bai Town is changing so fast these days . I still have errands to run . See you around . "
Removing the confinement, Xiaozhai left promptly and heartlessly, leaving behind young Priest Chao with his shocked face and our Xiao Jin Jin that had long become bristled like an angry kitten .
***
After Xiaozhai got the new Taoist skills, she gave the Small Cloud & Rain Technique to Old Gu to study and went into seclusion herself . The Small Universe Technique and Rising Manual were relatively easy to learn, while there was no need to make the Lucky Smoky Gourd at the moment, so she started with the Beast-controlling Technique .
She was actually surprised to see that the monastery was willing to put this one on the table, for it had so much potential . The technique contained a complete system of training spiritual beasts . Had it not been for the fact that it did not come with a Qi-refining method, it could almost work as a heritage of a sect .
The technique talked about how to build the master-servant relationship, in what proportion the food should be prepared, and how to train the beasts to raise their levels . With this technique, when a spiritual animal reached the limit of its growth, it could even break through its own limitation and reach a new level of life .
After reading through it, Xiaozhai activated her mental force and made a summoning command .
"Hiss!"
Before long, Xiao Qing knocked the window open and slithered in . Raising its head that looked like a little green melon, it looked a little confused . Immediately after that, there was a loud clunk and a ball of meat also rolled into the room—that was Brother Fatso, who was hanging out with the green snake all the time .
These two were fellow wanderers on the mountain now . Their owners doted on them in the beginning, but as Gu Yu and Xiaozhai moved higher in their cultivation levels, they seldom saw their pets anymore and the two poor things would go without being summoned for months . So, naturally, they stuck to each other .
" . . . "
Looking at Brother Fatso, Xiaozhai suddenly had a wonderful picture in her head of Gu Yu holding his Red Sun in one hand and riding on the back of a squirrel . She shuddered at that image . "There's nothing I can do about you . You can live happily for hundreds of years eating around the mountain—a fantastic mascot you will be . "
She then turned to the green snake . "You haven't improved at all after being around me for all this time . I can't blame you, though . The Snake-controlling Skill my master taught me was so simple and crude that it was a waste of your spirituality . You can't be my ride… haha, stop squirming! Don't worry, I won't leave you behind . "
The green snake stuck out its two-pronged tongue and licked the palm of its master, looking very anxious . With a flip of her wrist, Xiaozhai let the green snake coil around her arm . She then lifted it up and examined it carefully .
"You're pretty enough, but still a good-for-nothing . Since you're fast, I'm gonna make you faster . "
Looking into the snake eyes that had almost turned emerald green, she chuckled . "Work with me . You'll become a dragon one day . "
***
Northern Fujian Province, Gutian County .
Min River ran through Fujian, originated from Junkou Town at the juncture of Fujian and Jiangxi, made its way through most of the province, and finally entered Donghai Sea at Langqi Island . The river had a total length of 562 km .
The river had countless tributaries, and Gutian Creek in the country was one of the bigger ones . It was named "creek", but with its length and the area covered by it, it could almost be counted as a big river .
"Wu You, come on! Let's go catch some fish!"
"Yes, coming!"
Outside a house of Xizhou Village, a few teenage boys were beckoning at their playmate inside the courtyard . The one being called wolfed down a couple mouthfuls of food, then tossed his chopsticks away and ran out . They were all boys around 15 or 16 of age and had zero control over their impulsiveness .
The village sat right by the river . Growing up playing with water, they loved catching fish more than anything else .
It was early March now, and northern Fujian was pretty warm . The water was still a little cold to swim in, but the youngsters did not mind that at all . They reached the river in no time and stripped until they were down to their underwear . They then jumped right in .
Gutian was very lucky . Unlike the fishing villages by the sea, the mutated water creatures were not only not ferocious, but were fat, tame, and delicious . Had it not been for their low fecundity, they would have become the new special local product by now .
"Haha! I got one!"
In merely two minutes, a boy came back up holding a big fish, which he tossed onto the bank . The fish writhed around wildly before another kid picked it up and threw it into a bucket .
"I've got one, too! Wow, a big crab!"
"Your crab is nothing! I've got a soft-shelled turtle here!"
Momentarily, a hubbub filled the air, and all kinds of aquatic creatures were being tossed around .
Wu You also caught some fish . Half-submerged in the water, he watched his young friends enjoying themselves and suddenly lost interest in the game . "Hey, how about we go up to the island? Staying in the river the whole time is so boring!"
"Are you nuts? There are lizards on the island, you know that!"
"So what? We'll stay near the water; they can't catch up with us . "
"How do you know they can't? My uncle's broken leg is not healed yet!"
His friends all gave him that "you poor fool" look . Frowning, Wu You was noticeably impatient for a second, but he soon fought it back and stopped talking .
A while later, all the buckets were filled with aquatic creatures, and the kids left the water . Licking his lips, Wu You suddenly said, "I have some errands to run in town . You guys go back first . "
"Ok . We'll see you tonight!"
None of his young friends suspected anything as they left carrying the buckets .
After they walked out of sight, Wu You trotted along the river towards the opposite direction and did not stop until 20 minutes later .
Not far into the river was a small alluvial island, which was covered by lush plantation and surrounded by a stone bank . A bridge used to connect the island to the village, and there had been a plan of developing the island into a park . However, after the mutation began, a bunch of giant green lizards suddenly showed up and killed quite a few people .
Fearing that the lizards might crawl over, the village removed the bridge right away . They then realized that the lizards couldn't swim and were stuck on the island, so no further measures were taken .
"Stupid little kids . They know nothing of what I can do!"
Seeing that no one was around, Wu You suddenly blurted out those words . He then jumped into the river and swam to the island .
Splash!
In a moment, he reached the island and climbed ashore through the stone bank with much difficulty . The boy was apparently quite experienced in what he was doing . As soon as he climbed up, he crouched down and hid in a cluster of tall bush . Only when he made sure that all was quiet did he move again .
Creeping onward, he made his way easily to a bent tree, where he picked up a small shovel and began digging . The soil was quite loose, and a small pit was soon dug out . There was then a clank, as if the shovel had hit something hard .
Wu You's face lit up . He pushed the soil away with bare hands and yanked, pulling a sword out of the pit!
The sword was a little over a meter and looked ancient . It was pitch-black from the tip to the end and none of its part reflected any light . It was silent and cold like a lifeless abyss .
Wu You now had an obsessed and delightful look in his eyes . As he carried the sword in both hands and dashed into the woods, he looked like a different person .
The morning of the same day .
Meng Haoze walked into the courtyard of the county government building as usual .
He was the deputy departmental head of the second Investigation Department of Fujian sub-bureau of the BIMAUP . Last year, he was delegated to the local offices to search for the leads on none other than the six escaping swords and one Sword Seed of Fish Mountain .
The mountain collapsed before dawn, when most people were sound asleep .
The treasures flew in all directions with no fixed pattern at all . Even if someone did spot them, all they saw was a light flash across the sky, and they couldn't even tell which direction it had gone to .
They also made no obvious sound when they landed . Once on the ground, they hid all their splendor away and remained dormant .
This was an impossible task; the BIMAUP was driven insane! They made painstaking investigations, looking into the tiniest evidence . Finally, they were able to confirm the whereabouts of one of the swords, which was right here in Gutian County!
Hence, Meng Haoze led the team himself and remained stationed here, setting up a temporary office in the county government with himself taking charge of everything . After a lengthy investigation, they were finally able to locate the individual a couple of days ago .
"Chief! Chief!"
He was in his office and was about to take a sip of water when a subordinate officer rushed in .
"What happened?"
"That kid went into the island!"
'!!!'
Meng Haoze was shocked by the news and bolted to his feet .
"Let's go!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-177.png){kind=small}
Chapter 377
Source: Imported
Rustle!
On the island, dewdrops rolled down the long leaves of a clump of weed as it was crushed to the ground . Immediately after that, the head of a lizard stuck out of it .
It was emerald green from head to toe, had stout limbs, and was covered by bumps all over its skin . It was not a big animal—no more than a meter long—but with its razor teeth, sharp claws, and a strong tail, no one was going to underestimate its viciousness .
It probably mutated from a small herbivorous green lizard . The mutation had greatly expanded its choice of food . From carrion and insects to new leaves, stems, and roots, it fed on just about everything .
They weren't great in number and had set up individual territories on the island without disturbing one another .
Now that it was after the early morning hours, the sun was shining warmly . Slowing crawling its way across the meadow, this lizard was aimlessly looking for something to eat . It halted abruptly after a little while and its turbid and vicious pupils contracted suddenly, for right in front of it was a living human being .
"Hiss!"
Sticking out its long and thin red tongue, the lizard smacked the ground with its tail, ready to attack .
It recognized this person, who had snuck onto the island a couple of days ago and messed with it . The lizard had chased him all the way to the river until he fled into the water .
"Come here! Here! I'm not running away today!"
Supporting his weight with the long sword, Wu You provoked the lizard with his empty hand . He was in fact quite flustered, and his legs were shaking slightly .
"Hiss!"
The lizard was furious . Flipping its tail, it moved into action and charged forward on its short limbs… well, at a speed one couldn't exactly describe as fast .
'Steady! Steady yourself! I can do this! I can do this with this sword!' Clutching the hilt tightly, Wu You fixed his eyes on the incoming lizard . He even went so far as playing out various attack and defense strategies in his head . As it turned out, when the lizard finally crawled near in a moment, his head went blank, and he could only act on his instinct .
Whoosh!
The lizard was still a little distance away when it turned suddenly, and its tail—even longer than its body—swept across the air like an iron whip .
"Aaaah!" Wu You screamed with fright . Without thinking, he drew out the sword and slashed forward to his left .
Sputter!
"Roar!"
Blood splashed everywhere as half of the tail flew into the air, then dropped to the ground with a thud, accompanied by a loud wail . The lizard rolled around and convulsed in pain, shaking the grass and trees nearby .
"Ha… ha…"
As his adrenaline pumped in, Wu You flushed with excitement and every nerve of his felt stimulated .
He had forgotten about all the fear he had just now and charged at the lizard brandishing his sword . He hacked at it again .
Splash!
The inky black blade struck the animal at its waist and cut it into halves like a cleaver splitting tofu . Bloody entrails splashed all over the ground .
"Hahaha!" Covered by the lizard blood, Wu You guffawed . "This sword is indeed a treasure, and it is mine! Mine! I'm gonna be famous!"
He was so overwhelmed by this euphoria that he completely missed the wading sound in the river and the rustling of the plants around him .
The story began a month ago, when he was fish-catching on his own . He had swum further out than normally and saw a black object at the bottom of the river .
He thought it to be a big fish, but when he swam closer, he recognized that it was a strange-looking sword .
He was quite smart for his age, and so had kept the sword hidden ever since—he even changed a few hiding places during this time . Then, one day, he realized that the sword was too sharp to be any blade of this world, for it could easily split open any rock or metal .
A million fantasies filled the youngster's mind . He had stumbled upon this sword, so what could it mean? This had to be one of those stories with things like cultivation, strange fate, or a protagonist and his old master that was happening to himself .
He was immediately convinced that he was the chosen one and was about to reach the peak of his life . The lizards on this island were going to be his very first stepping stone!
"You're so awesome . I'm sure you're no mortal sword . Maybe some manual is hidden in you . " Turning the black sword in his hands, Wu You said, "Too bad I know so little right now . I can only learn more about you in the future . But don't worry, it won't be too long—"
Rustle!
"Roar!"
Before he could finish his muttering, the clusters of grass on either side of him were separated, revealing two other lizards that had been attracted here by the smell of blood .
"There, there are two more…" Wu You's stomach lurched at this, but he comforted himself right away . "That's ok! That's ok! I have my sword!"
Instead of fighting the beasts head on, Wu You fell back slowly, searching for the right moment . The two lizards looked around and gave each other a roar, then the one on the left crawled to the dead lizard and began its feast .
The one on the right turned to Wu You and crawled loudly towards him .
Zap!
Zap! Zap!
Just then, shots were fired as a dozen men showed up behind Wu You . With a few flashes, the two lizards were killed on the spot .
" . . . "
Wu You was utterly baffled . Before he could react, pain surged up his arms, and he was twisted up to a bundle . "Ah! Who, who are you people?! Don't touch my sword! That's mine! Mine!"
He glared at the person snatching his sword away with bloodshot eyes and struggled violently .
"Yours? Humph! No more than a handful of people in this world has what it takes to claim this sword!" Patting Wu You's cheek gently, Meng Haoze said, "How did all those ideas come from this little head? You should have just handed it to the authorities when you found it . Thanks to you, me and my people have been stationed here for a month! Take him!"
***
Gutian, Linshui 1 Palace .
The place was once a giant stone cavern known as Linshui Cave, infested with the plague formed by the breath of a white snake . One day, a person clad in red killed the snake wielding a sword, eliminating the pest for the local people . When the villagers asked who the person was, the person in red said, "I am Chen Jinggu, daughter of Chen Chang of Xiadu down the river . "
Hence, the king of Fujian at the time conferred Chen Jinggu with the title of Lady Shunyi, built her a manor, and bestowed upon her a reward of 36 maids and a fief of 300 households of Gutian County .
In the third year of Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang Dynasty's reign, the pregnant Chen Jinggu went to Min River to pray for rain and died, bringing rain to tens of thousands of people . Her manor then became a sacrificial palace, and the imperial court granted her an additional title as Lady Linshui of Supreme Blessing and Kindness, which was also when the Linshui birthplace of the Lüshan Sect was established .
The Lüshan Sect was the most prominent Taoist sect of Fujian; it followed the teachings of Chen Jinggu herself . As Chen Jinggu was a pupil of Celestial Master Xu Xun, the sect honored Xu Xun as "Lord Master" .
Skills of Lüshan were known for their toughness and ferocity . Once the fight began, it would not end until one side was killed, regardless of whom the opponents were .
The original abbot of Linshui Palace was Huang Huiguang, who had already joined Qiyun . The current abbot was Cheng Ansong .
After Meng Haoze caught Wu You, he sent the boy to Linshui Palace right away . The monastery and the government had been notified as early as when they first located the target, so as soon as they took action, the relevant personnel arrived at the palace .
Right now, several people had gathered in a secret chamber in the palace, and on the table was that black ancient sword .
Bai Yunsheng was not back from Tianshan yet, so the monastery sent Shi Yunlai instead . Brushing his fingers lightly along the sword, Shi Yunlai sent in a streak of his mental force and kept his eyes closed for quite some time .
"Priest Shi, anything?" Meng Haoze asked as soon as Shi Yunlai opened his eyes .
"This sword has an ancient energy; all its power is kept within . It should be one of the six swords that flew away . " Shi Yunlai paused a little before going on . "However, it does not correspond to Junior Brother Bai's sword manual, for there is no killing will of the cold moon in it . "
"In your opinion, what sword manual is it for?" asked Meng Haoze .
"May I try it?"
"Of course! Please!"
After that, the others backed away and Shi Yunlai picked up the ancient sword . He activated his spiritual essence and sent it through the sword . Surprisingly, nothing happened . There was no glow or flash of light; the black sword remained as black and silent as a dead abyss .
Frowning slightly, he flipped his wrist into a starting stance, then thrust forward . The blade struck out in a perfectly straight line, sending a soft fluctuation through the air, reminding one of a black fish diving into the water . And then…
The sword disappeared!
"Ah!" Meng Haoze, Huang Huiguang, and Cheng Ansong cried out in unison and pointed at the empty air . "It's gone!"
"No, it isn't!"
Fighting back the astonishment, Shi Yunlai did not stop sending out his spiritual essence and kept thrusting forward .
Whoosh!
Like a black fish jumping out of the water, the sword reappeared, looking exactly as it did before, as if what'd happened was only an illusion .
" . . . " Shi Yunlai put the sword down and pondered for a long moment before saying, "I seemed to have sensed a subtle flow of water and a remarkable feeling of concealment . "
"Concealment?" Huang Huiguang winced . "Senior Brother, are you saying that this sword was specially built for killing in concealment?"
"Possibly . This is as much as I could perceive without the actual sword manual . That was not even a fraction of what this sword can do . " Sighing, Shi Yunlai said, "Junior Brother Bai had Cold Moon Manual, Layman Gu had Red Sun Devil-smashing Manual, and Laywoman Jiang had a blue light, so I presume that was Blue Sky Whirlwind Manual . The chance should have been rather high, but we don't have a match… So, what are you going to do with it?"
"Um, we have our orders . " Meng Haoze was a little embarrassed when he said, "We were instructed that should such things happen, the object must be sent to the capital and put into the hands of the authorities . "
"No problem . Since our job here is done, we will be on our way . " The look on Shi Yunlai's face was a little hard to describe . Cupping his hands, he left promptly . Huang Huiguang followed suit after giving Cheng Ansong a brief instruction .
The two left the secret chamber to the courtyard outside, where a few members of the BIMAUP were escorting Wu You and waiting for a verdict . Shi Yunlai was going to leave right away, but after glancing at the boy, he approached them .
"Is this the teenager who found the ancient sword?" asked he .
"Yes . This is Wu You, 15, a student . We followed him around for quite a while before we could confirm the target . "
"He's just a kid and didn't do much wrong . Don't be too hard on him . " Shi Yunlai gave it a nod and left .
The others did not think much of it, but Huang Huiguang knew better . He asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother, what happened to that kid?"
"Even I had difficulty in wielding that ancient sword of Sword Immortal Sect, how do you think it felt to a normal teenager?"
"I noticed that his eyes looked cloudy and confused . Was he not quite himself?"
"That's right . When a normal person obtains that sword, it seems that they are wielding an able weapon, but they are in fact being eaten up by the sword energy . The longer they are with the sword, the more muddled their heads are . The kid will be all right . He just needs some time to recover… let's go . This has nothing to do with us now . The government has its mind on those swords, and we can't take them by force . "
Seeing that Huang Huiguang was still eyeing the inner hall, Shi Yunlai patted him on the shoulder .
Huang Huiguang was thickset and had rough facial features . Maybe because of the characteristics of the Lüshan Sect, he had a fierceness to him instead of the out-of-this-world look of other priests .
Turning his head back, Huang Huiguang did not reveal his thoughts as he slowly walked out of the Linshui Palace after Shi Yunlai . He then spoke suddenly, but on a completely irrelevant topic . "Senior Brother, how much do you know about the Lüshan Sect?"
"Very little . Why?" Shi Yunlai found that question very strange .
"In that case, have you heard about this?" For some unknown reason, he began to chant a poem . "Lüshan Mountain used to sit in the middle of the river, and a three-year long spring foreshows its opening .
"It opens every three thousand years, when people get to see Min River clear up .
"Since the beginning of time, those fortunate enough will witness the event, when Lüshan opens to save all the people .
"The prestigious altar sends its message, waiting for the arrival of the sages . "
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-178.png){kind=small}
Chapter 378
Source: Imported
Chen Jinggu was a residence of Xiadu of ancient Fujian .
In her teenage years, she set out for Lüshan to learn skills with her two sworn sisters, Li Sanniang and Lin Jiuniang . When they arrived at Chenmao 1 River, they saw no ferry at the berth . An old woman then showed up, offering her shoe to take them across the river .
The shoe was then carried towards them by the river, and grew larger as it approached . The three women went onto the shoe, which sank into the water right away . The old woman turned out to be from Lüshan and had been ordered to point them towards the right direction . The three later made great achievements and established the Lüshan Sect, for which they were worshipped together . Hence the Lüshan Sect's alternative name: Three Ladies Sect .
This was an anecdote found in the ancient records of the sect . However, after some further study carried out by successive abbots of the sect, it turned out that the story was not fictional .
Lüshan was very likely at the bottom of Min River and out of the reach of common people . Only those that had mastered the orthodox teachings of Lüshan, very skillful cultivators, or the very fortunate few were able to see it .
To put it plainly, it was a divine mountain under the water run by Lord Master Xu Xun himself . Hidden in it were various advanced Taoist skills, and to the members of the Lüshan Sect, it was known as the Great Court of Skills of Lüshan .
Every thirty years, when a great ceremony of skill-teaching was carried out, this divine mountain would rise out of the water . Eventually, however, due to some incident, the mountain never came up again since the Ming Dynasty . Hence, a lot of rumors had been going around, such as the saying that the thirty years had turned into three thousand years .
Judging from what had been happening, Lord Master probably deemed the draining of the spiritual essence irreversible and closed off the court for good .
Huang Huiguang briefly explained this secret of his sect to Shi Yunlai . It was the first time the latter had heard about it, who stood there dazed for a minute .
Being a remote sect with a strangely malicious way of doing things, Lüshan had always been the odd one within the Taoist community . Huang Huiguang himself did not stand out in the monastery, either . No one had anticipated that he was the keeper of such a big secret .
Calming down his mind, Shi Yunlai asked, "Junior Brother, does this secret have something to do with that ancient sword?"
"To tell you the truth, Senior Brother, ancestors of my sect had been combing through the clues on the Great Court of Skill of Lüshan for generations . We were able to reach a conclusion with much certainty when my master was in office . Lord Master himself was in charge of the great court, and only through his exceptional ability was Lüshan about to rise out of the water .
"Although the spiritual essence has recovered now, Lord Master himself must have passed away centuries ago, leaving the court unattended . It only occurred to me just then when I saw that sword . According to a forefather of the Qing Dynasty, maybe Lüshan could be activated by carrying out a sacrifice ceremony with a refined instrument with water attribute . "
"Well…" Shi Yunlai frowned at those words . After some consideration, he asked, "How certain are you about this?"
"Not in the least, but I think we can have a go . I'll bet you anything that those people cannot fight that temptation!" Huang Huiguang was as tough a guy as his appearance suggested .
Shi Yunlai was no less resolute himself . After another moment of pondering, he said, "All right . Let's go have another talk with them . "
***
Capital city, an office .
The old man finished listening to the report, and the first thought came to his mind was how unreliable this information sounded . He asked, "How much truth was in that Huang Huiguang's story?"
"Um, he knew the rough direction of Lüshan and had a general idea of the sacrifice ceremony . "
"General idea? Where did he get the courage to talk to us with all these guesses?"
"Sir, it was just a proposal . Didn't they ask for our decision?" said his assistant .
"Humph! They were unhappy to see us take the sword . That's what that was all about—they're trying to give us a hard time . " The old man had apparently seen right through them . However, just as Huang Huiguang predicted, the government indeed could not resist the temptation of an immortal dwelling . After a little pause, the old man asked, "Where are we on that sword?"
"That sword flew to Gutian when Fish Mountain collapsed, and stayed unnoticed for a while . About a month ago, a high school student named Wu You found it . The sword is only for those with innate state and above, and common people will lose their mind using it . Wu You is hospitalized for his recovery . According to the monastery, the Youxian Sect had seven sword manuals and seven swords in total . Only four manuals were discovered so far and one is missing . There are two swords now, and based on the characteristic of this one, it should be the Black Water Sword of Concealment . " The assistant sounded excited, apparently very interested in this particular sword . "We don't know about its major ability yet . The basic move we've been able to make with it confirmed that it could vanish into the air and make undetectable ambush .
"As for the scientific tests we ran, um… it's hard and sharp . That's it!"
"How about the material it was made from?"
"We could only analyze the physical and chemical parameters, but nothing else beyond that . "
'Tsk!' The old man sighed, feeling frustrated . "Do you think there are more sword manuals in that third pool of Fish Mountain?"
"Sir, you're asking me a question I couldn't possibly answer . Only Mr . Gu can go into the pool now, and how are we supposed to know what's inside if he doesn't want to go? But Priest Lu has said he would be able to do it in two or three years . "
"Two or three years? How can we afford to wait that long?"
That made the old man even more worried . Since the international conference, all the countries were putting all their effort in developing their transcendental powers—especially Europe . Most of their countries had been making concerted efforts and helping each other out .
The western magic and alchemy had great advancements in the fundamental subjects . The magic spots used in Bonn, for instance, had been expanded to many areas with the full cooperation of several major countries . With the constant establishment of various official organizations, there was now a great upsurge among the general population .
But that was not applicable in this country . The enormous population and vast land area only meant there were more problems that needed solving . The country was almost running at its full capacity with the construction of new urban agglomerations and the migration tasks alone .
It was no longer a competition on the top-level combat ability, for the world had long reached the conclusion on that: we knew you had that man, all right? We bowed to you for that! What every country was competing over now was the building of the fundations and the development in the lower to mid-level, which was much more difficult .
The choice for the government was rather straightforward now . They could either keep the ancient sword, hoping for the missing sword manual that could have already been lost to show up someday, or they could take the risk to try that Lüshan, which might destroy the ancient sword, but they could obtain a great amount of heritage from ancient cultivators .
One sword manual vs many Taoist skills .
After a lengthy consideration, he still thought they should play it safe . "Take some people over there to have a look first . I will add it to the meeting agenda and try to reach a decision as soon as possible . "
"Yes!"
***
Gurgle!
The air in the meditation room stirred all of a sudden . There was a stillness for a brief moment, then the movement in the air became even livelier .
It was moving at a frequency beyond the perception of common people . In Gu Yu's eyes, though, the air around him seemed to be bubbling up . With the constant forming and bursting of the bubbles, vapor was extracted from the air and soon gathered in one spot .
The spot was rapidly becoming damp and cold, which turned the vapor into countless tiny ice crystals as a small cloud was formed .
Gu Yu kept this technique running . More vapor was gathered, and the icy crystal became heavier… finally, about two minutes after he activated this technique, it began to rain from that cloud .
The rain was not heavy, but was falling gently over an area about one m^2 in area . The raindrops fell onto the rush mat, making a faint tapping sound .
" . . . "
Watching the fine rain falling inside the room, Gu Yu's eyes were filled with wonder and joy . It seemed forever before he finally deactivated the technique . The rain then stopped, and the cloud dissipated .
He then activated the Small Moving Technique and the water disappeared from the floor, reappearing in his hand in the form of a water ball . Playing with it with his eyes closed, Gu Yu went over the process in his head .
It looked as if he was manipulating water molecules directly to form them into the cloud and rain, but that was not actually the case, for all Taoist skills were essentially applications of Qi .
Therefore, the Small Cloud & Rain Technique was also an application of water-attributed spiritual essence .
What had vexed him before was his inability to transform the spiritual essence of the five elements to the actual materials . This technique, however, worked like a converter that could transform water-attributed spiritual essence into water .
This converting process was exactly what he needed!
Gu Yu activated the Small Moving Technique again, and the ball of water splashed under the gourd vine outside his window . He then sat down with his eyes closed, going through the details of the technique carefully .
Being a Human Immortal, once he mastered a skill, he would be able to comprehend all related skills perfectly . When he opened his eyes again, another twenty days had passed…
The saying that "one did not feel the passage of time deep in the mountains" was a feeling that he had some experience with before, but it was only after he reached the Human Immortal state that he truly understood its essence . One could not blame the cultivators for their detached manner . Worldly affairs were evanescent to them, and most of the people and things were but motes in their eyes that they saw lighter than the wind and paler than the cloud .
Outside, April had arrived . Apart from the Northeast and certain areas of the Northwest, warmth had returned to the vast country once more . In some areas in the South, the temperature had already become abnormal, and was going to repeat that oven mode once more .
Pale smoke was coiling in the air in the meditation room . Gu Yu finally opened his eyes .
His face was as motionless as a windless pool as he grabbed at the air . Whoosh! A ball of fire popped into life over his palm . It was not the fire-attributed spiritual essence, but an actual ball of fire .
Immediately after that, the fireball was stretched into the shape of a spear, then into a running animal, and a flying bird after that . The changes of the shape seemed effortless .
In a moment, the flame dissipated; he made a wave, at which a branch of the big tree outside his window grew rapidly, soon climbing in . This time, it was not a transformation, but rapid growth activated by wood-attributed spiritual essence .
After that, he pressed down at the empty air and half of the ground in the room split open as if a switch had been turned on, revealing a dark pit beneath . It then closed up with a thud .
Only then did Gu Yu finally smile and rise to his feet . He then pushed the door open and walked out .
The sun was shining brightly outside; the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and the chirping of birds . He was dazed for a second by this scene, as if it was of another world . Standing in the courtyard and looking around, he saw a 174 cm little girl meditating under the old tree .
Her little face was peaceful, at ease, and somehow more delicate and pleasant than before .
After watching her for a moment, he grabbed casually at the air, seemingly catching a streak of breeze between his fingers, and threw it out forcibly .
Whoosh!
The breeze seemed to have turned into a streak of sword energy that came with a layer of pale golden color, making it even sharper . The golden beam shot right out of his palm and reached Long Qiu in the blink of an eye .
"Awww… awww…"
All of a sudden, a chubby kid popped out of thin air with its mouth wide open, naively trying to swallow the golden beam . However, as it reached its lips, the sharpness frightened it greatly and the kid disappeared right away, leaving the path towards its master unguarded .
Whoosh!
Just then, a streak of blue light flew out of Long Qiu's body, so fast that it seemed to break the limit of speed itself . It was as if everything had turned into slow motion in comparison .
Bang!
The blue light shattered the golden beam, circled in the air, and flew back into Long Qiu's body .
"Brother!" Long Qiu's eyes shot open, and she ran happily to him right away . "Brother! You've finished your seclusion?"
"Yes . I have made some achievements in these four months . Where is everyone?"
"Jin Jin is supervising the construction site, and Sister is supervising her . " Long Qiu took his arm naturally and swayed it around . "What did you learn? Tell me, tell me . "
"Some simple five-element Taoist skills and a formation skill . "
"A formation skill?"
Even in surprise, Xiao Qiu's head was still turning quickly . She thought about Phoenix Mountain right away, and asked immediately, "Are you saying . . . are you saying we're going to have our own great protective formation for the mountain?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-179.png){kind=small}
Chapter 379
Source: Imported
"Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, or wind, water, earth, and fire, are very important to the western transcendental system . These are the major elements they believe to be part of this world, and which they have been studying as major disciplines . However, to the oriental Taoist skills, the five elements are only one of the many types of spiritual essence, and are not considered exceptional . Moreover, we have numerous talismans, which include all sorts of skills involving the five elements . "
Under the old tree, Professor Gu was giving another of his cultivation lessons . "Maoshan, for instance, used to be able to cast spells such as Five Thunder Spell, Flaming Cloud Spell, Deluge Spell, Giant Wood Spell, etc . Some golden talismans could even freeze over thousands of miles of land or crush down with a force comparable to Mount Tai's, and were all much more advanced than purely using Taoist skills of the five elements . That's why Taoist cultivators mostly use five element skills as auxiliary measures such as for climbing up, going underwater, planting, Dan-refinement, escaping, etc .
"Based on what I have compiled during these months, and to keep it in line with modern-day habits, I have categorized them into three types—excluding the five-element escaping skills . The first type works as an attachment, mainly metal-attributed…"
With that, he snapped a twig and casually ran his hands along it . A thin layer of pale golden light, which had a sharpness to it, immediately radiated from the twig .
He then made a downward swish . Crack! A stone chair crackled as if a sharp blade had just struck it . "I am only using a twig, so the effect is not very obvious . If I was using a formidable blade, with the additional metal energy, its power will be manifolded . The second type is to give order…"
Gu Yu then pressed down at the empty air, and that poor stone chair split neatly into two halves from the middle . He then put a teacup between the two parts and lifted his hand .
Thump!
The stone chair was an unbroken piece again, and the cup was left inside it .
"That doesn't make sense! There is one more object, so why didn't the size and shape of the chair change?" Xiaojin was baffled, but answered the question herself almost right away . "Ah, I see . The internal structure of the stone chair has also changed, making just enough room for a cup . Haha, this is so interesting . I'll be able to fool innocent girls with it!"
"A thing has to exist in the first place; then, you can give order to change its form, such as growing bigger or smaller, separating or combining, increasing or decreasing?" said Xiaozhai .
"Exactly . If it does not exist . . . for instance, we don't have a fire here . . . then it is the third type—transformation . "
Gu Yu grabbed at the air again, and flame materialized in his palm . He explained, "This category consumes the most energy because we're turning spiritual essence into physical substance . But, it also has the least constraints . You can use it however you like . "
With that, he threw the flame into the air, and the ball of fire surged, turning into a flaming dragon several meters long, and circled around above the island in the river before diving into the water and disappearing .
"You're actually more immortal-ish after this seclusion . The Taoist skills we were using before were rather plain and could use some sparkles . After all, to common people, Immortals are supposed to travel freely between heaven and earth and control fire and water . Although five-element skills are mostly used as secondary abilities, they are still pretty effective attacking methods when facing normal cultivators without any primary attack skills . I think we can include them in our routine practice . " Xiaozhai thought for a moment and went on, "You mentioned that escaping skills are excluded here . Is it because they're of a different system?"
"That's right . The way the escaping skills are activated is different from these ones, and I don't have an actual example to work on yet . I have recorded the basic rules of these three types of skills in the slip . The requirement is quite high, actually . Only innate state and above can use them . " Gu Yu took out a jade slip and handed to Xiaozhai . He paused a little, and turned to the two younger ones . "You two can look into it when you've got time . I only came up with the principles; you can try to make some specific skills based on that . "
"Hey, hey, that's up my alley!" Xiaojin grabbed the slip at a lightning speed . "All that bicep training in my college years is finally paying off! Leave it to me! It'll be simple, practical, but so classy!"
"Why, let me have a look!"
"Nope, you will not!"
Long Qiu was very interested in the task as well . The two then began a noisy and tumble play over the slip .
Xiaozhai ignored them and only said to Gu Yu, "Since you're out, when are you going to have your lecture at the altar?"
"I'll have to collect some material first to set up the formation for the mountain…" Gu Yu pondered for a moment, then asked, "How about June 8th?"
"June 8th?" Blinking, Xiaozhai chuckled . "Old Gu, I see that the Human Immortal state is bringing your flirting skill up to another level, among other things . "
"That was completely instinctive . I didn't do it on purpose . " Gu Yu kept his face perfectly straight .
Hearing the conversation, the two girls immediately ran back to them and asked, "What's so special about June 8th? Why that date?"
"Nothing . It's only the date of us two meeting each other for the first time," said Xiaozhai .
'Eww!'
Long Qiu and Xiaojin gave them the nonchalant look of singletons in unison, refusing to have anything to do with this topic .
***
East of Bai Town, the town of Hekou .
Hekou Town had once planted a peach grove of tens of thousands mu on an island, making it into a quite well-known tourist destination . However, three years ago, the peach trees mutated, forming the Peach Blossom Miasma which covered the entire island and the surrounding area .
The residents of Hekou Town were evacuated, becoming the first batch of migrants after the great change took place .
Now that three years had passed, people had gotten used to the existence of this restricted area . The facilities were rebuilt and the traffic routes redirected, but people still stuck their heads out to look at the place in the distance when they drove by, sighing . 'It used to be such a nice place!'
Before, a large troop was stationed here to guard the island . Now that everyone knew about the situation, no one dared venture in anymore . Hence, most of the soldiers were removed, leaving behind a single squad only .
The sun was shining brightly this morning and a few clouds drifted slowly in the sky . However, centering around the island and radiating out to an area several kilometers in diameter, an air mass had accumulated in the sky, blocking the sunlight and rolling like a sea formed by pink fog .
Inside that area, plants were growing perfectly, but other than those, not a single living creature could be seen . The pink color was slightly paler at the perimeter and grew darker the deeper one moved in . The pink miasma was so dense at the central area of the island that it almost turned into liquid .
Whoosh!
A streak of golden light suddenly flew across the sky and landed on the island . Golden flame gradually dissipated, revealing a figure from within . It was none other than Gu Yu himself .
Before, he had to block the miasma with his spiritual essence when coming onto the island, but that was no longer necessary . Just by standing there, the peach blossom miasma was running away from him as fast as it could, as if it had seen a natural enemy . It even kept on leaving out a blank area around him .
The devil-smashing sword energy was the unbeatable rival of all evil and malicious things!
"It is denser than before, and the area has expanded as well . "
Looking around, Gu Yu suddenly recalled his first trip here, when he was infected by the miasma and tried to have his way with Xiaozhai in his libidinous state, but Xiaozhai turned out to be the one having their way… the memory brought a smile to his face . He then took out a small gourd, unplugged it, then held it up .
"In!"
Activating the Small Universe Technique and Small Moving Technique simultaneously with his capability of the Human Immortal state, the space inside the gourd expanded infinitely . A powerful suction machine seemed to be running inside .
Whoosh!
A hurricane seemed to start inside the peach blossom miasma covering the tens of thousands of mu, and the pink fog rolled and surged like torrential waves . It rushed towards him, then turned into a thin pink streak and squeezed into the gourd .
The little gourd no more than 15 cm tall seemed to have turned into something gargantuan as it frantically sucked in the miasma .
After quite some time, when Gu Yu sensed that the expansion of the space inside the gourd was reaching the limit of his capacity and the gourd was filling up, he took out a new gourd and repeated the process .
Just like so, the miasma that had troubled the government and the people for three long years was solved by two gourds .
"It's gone! It's gone!" The soldier on duty across the bridge cried out all of a sudden and called out to his fellow soldiers in a hurry .
"What happened?"
"The miasma, the miasma has disappeared!"
"Holy crap! How did that happen? Let's go have a look!"
The soldiers boldly ran across the bridge right away and stood there, dazed . Having been stationed here for so long, this was the first time they had ever seen Hekou Town .
The peach trees covering the hills all withered after their vital essence was sucked dry . Gravel paths criss-crossed in the woods, and also there were the dilapidated houses, tables and chairs left in the open air—together with tricycles and all kinds of daily articles that the residents could not take with them .
It almost seemed that the people only moved away yesterday and everything froze at that sad moment . As the long-absent sunlight fell on this small town again, everything almost felt all right again .
***
Inside a certain meteorological observation center, the staff was busying themselves with the daily operation .
The country had just recently launched a new-generation meteorological satellite it independently developed—the FY-4 meteorological satellite . Covering various bands from visible light to short-wave, medium-wave, and long-wave infrared light, it could achieve high precision quantitative detection of atmospheric structure on the vertical direction, which even exceeded the record level of the western countries .
A male staff member was in charge of monitoring the cloud images . Everything was going normally, but when he looked up again, the wave band jumped abruptly . He reported it right away . "Attention! Abnormal activity in the low clouds above Hebei Province!"
"Run data analysis of the image!"
"Yes!"
The analysis result came back a moment later . "The configuration is undetectable! We have an unidentified flying object!"
"How about the trajectory?"
"It is flying in a straight line from the east to the west at an extremely high speed, possibly passing the cities of Zhangyuan, Yunzhong, and Mayi ahead . "
"Calculate the trajectory and capture a clear image!"
"Yes!"
Tension filled the air . Radar was the very first air defense mechanism, and with the advanced radar technology nowadays, only a handful of rare substances could evade detection .
The fact that this thing had already reached the Central Hebei Plain meant that the domestic radar system had failed completely . If this was a magical puppet or some crazy monster released by one of the rival forces, which had entered the Chinese airspace unchallenged, all hell would break loose!
Hence, the roomful of people went into a busy round of calculations, and set up a few points on its trajectory ahead to catch its image .
After much maneuvering, with a click, a clearer image was finally put up onto the big central screen .
"Zoom in! Zoom in!"
"Can you make it out?"
"Yes! Yes! It's…"
" . . . "
The hubbub that filled the room somehow died down all of a sudden . The next moment, it came back even louder .
"A sun! It that a sun flying?"
"Gosh! What are we seeing?" The man in charge was panicking . Picking up the phone, he reported to his superior right away . "There's a golden flame, no, not flame, but flame within golden light… it doesn't have a specific shape, just a streak of light flying across the sky… what? P-please repeat that?!"
He suddenly looked utterly baffled and stuck the phone tightly to his ear, fearing of missing any words .
"N-normal procedure? Did you just say that was a normal procedure?" He suddenly raised his voice .
"That's right!" The voice on the other side sound equally helpless . "We've only just got the news ourselves . That was Mr . Gu . "
"Mr . Gu?"
"Yes, Mr . Gu himself . "
"But… All right, I see!"
Putting down the phone, the man in charge could not decide what facial expression should he digest this piece of information with .
The strange silence stretched on . Moments passed when he finally smacked the table and roared, "Calm yourselves down! Go back to your tables! Back to work!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-180.png){kind=small}
Chapter 380
Source: Imported
"Luckily, I didn't bump into a plane!"
Gu Yu descended somewhere above Shanxi Province and landed on a small hill . Shooing a few mutated big rats away, he sat down to adjust his breath .
He used to joke with Xiaozhai about knocking down a plane, but the worry had become true in a mere couple of years . In that sense, the ancient times were much safer—the sky was clear and there were no big flying machines he would need to look out for .
His destination this time was the city of Dakang below Tianshan Mountain . The flight from Shengtian to Urumqi would take him over ten hours, stopover time included .
Turning into a flashing sword and flying there himself would certainly take much longer than that, for he had to land and take a rest whenever the consumption of his spiritual essence had reached the threshold which the speed of recovery could not catch up .
It was much more troublesome this way, but he still chose to fly .
Why?
Because he was lovin' it!
"Ha…"
After a while, Gu Yu finished the readjustment . Gulping down a few mouthfuls of spiritual liquor, he reactivated the Sword Seed . Golden flame then surged out of his body, immediately wrapping him inside . The streak of golden light shot up again, sliding away across the sky .
"There… he did it again!"
Inside the meteorological center, the staff that had seen the change of data several times today were watching it once more with motionless faces, their thoughts full of sarcastic remarks .
***
Gu Yu flew all the way to Dakang in this manner .
News had already got around here, and people were sent out waiting in various spots; they looked rather miserable in this freezing cold weather . They didn't really have a choice, for no one knew where our fellow would drop out of the sky .
After a month of development, everything was on the right track in Tianshan now . Bai Yunsheng had gone back to the monastery, and the government was busy putting up installations all over Dakang, planning to build a new base .
After the crude spiritual stones were transported out of the mountain, they would be processed here before being sent to the capital city and other places .
The man in charge of meeting Gu Yu here was Fu Wei, a shrewd and foxy middle-aged man . Because this visitation was so out of the blue, the government even had its guard up in case Gu Yu was here to rob the vault of spiritual stones .
Fu Wei blurted out the question as soon as Gu Yu showed up . "May I ask why you are here?"
"I heard you have discovered high-level spiritual stones in Tianshan, and thought I should come by to take a look . I'd like to trade some if the price is good . "
"I see . This way, please . "
With that, Fu Wei led Gu Yu into a secret chamber inside the base . Before long, someone came out with a tray, on which were four processed stones .
"This one is named Grade One spiritual stone now; it's identical to what we have in Tianzhu . This is Grade Two and this is Grade Three . I don't think I'll need to introduce these two; you'll be able to see for yourself . And there's also this…" Picking up a small piece of semi-transparent ice crystal stone that looked like a flower, Fu Wei said, "This is Darkice, a mineral we newly discovered . There is only one ton in total, and it comes with an ice attribute . "
"Is it used for anything?" Gu Yu gave it a few more looks, apparently quite interested .
"Priest Bai Yunsheng of the monastery hoped he could use it to forge a sword; the request has been approved, but the sword won't need much . Darkice is a very powerful mineral, and a tiny bit is effective enough . The main material of the sword will be the green jade stone; only a small amount of darkice will be mixed in . " The fellow knew his business and offered Gu Yu all the useful information .
Gu Yu nodded, but did not respond to that . "Do you have a standard of the conversion ratio among the three grades of spiritual stones?"
"Of course! Although their reactivity is 1, 2, and 3, respectively, we couldn't possibly use the same ratio for the conversion . A Grade Three is far more valuable than a Grade One . Therefore, we have set the ratio at one Grade Three equivalent to ten Grade Two, or a hundred Grade One . "
"So that's a ratio of 1: 10 between two grades . Not bad . "
Looking around, Gu Yu thought what he found here could meet his requirements .
Phoenix Mountain had quite a storage now . The government gave them 20 000 spiritual stones for the development of Tianzhu Mountain in the beginning . Gu Yu then received 50 000 for his security service for the old man during the international conference . They made another 100 000 from selling houses of the market town .
The four of them had used no more than 5 000 so far—there were simply so few of them!
"I'm here because I have an urgent need for some Grade Three spiritual stones . I hope I'll be able to convert some . "
"I'm sorry, but I'm not at the liberty to make that decision . Let me make the request for you . " Fu Wei left the room and went back shortly afterwards holding a phone . "Maybe you want to talk to him yourself?"
Gu Yu took the phone and recognized the old man's voice on the other side . He chuckled . "Had I known this beforehand, I would have called you myself . "
"Haha, I've heard the news . There's just one question I want to ask . What do you need the high-level spiritual stones for?" The old man smiled .
"I have come up with a formation recently, and in order to try it, I need some energy to activate it . "
"I see . The spiritual stones are part of the national strategic stockpile and Grade Three is the gem of that stockpile . We can let you convert some, but not too many . You can take a thousand . " The old man gave a number .
"That'll be more than enough . Tha—"
"Don't rush into thanking me yet . I need something from you in return . "
"I'm listening . " Holding the phone, Gu Yu frowned slightly as he listened to the old man's explanation . "The Great Court of Skill of Lüshan… you're certain that it's underwater in Min River… you've found the Black Water Sword… all right . I'll be there when you begin the work . "
He hung up after that and handed the phone back . "What's your storage like now?"
"Your timing is perfect . We have just a little over a thousand . Let me show you the way . "
Fu Wei then led him through various safeguards into a big room, where a lot of wooden chests were . The chests were all made from wood of Emei, which could best maintain the reactivity of the spiritual stones .
Fu Wei opened one, showing the fifty Grade Three spiritual stones neatly arranged inside . "Shall we load it onto the truck for you or deliver it to Phoenix Mountain directly?"
"That won't be necessary . I'll take them myself . "
'Take them himself? There are a thousand stone here—twenty chests!' Fu Wei could not see how that was possible .
Gu Yu untied a small pouch the size of an adult palm from his waist . It was silver-white in color, and was fastened by a pale yellow string .
The pouch was woven from the silk of the Sand-walking Spider, and the string was the tendon of a mutated Unicow . Together, they were a homespun storage bag .
Opening the pouch, he waved his right hand; the pouch bulged abruptly like an inflated balloon, then was back to normal right away .
"It's done . Thank you for all your help . " Gu Yu tied the string back and hung the pouch, which looked as pretty as an ornament, on his waist .
Done? What the hell did he mean by "done"?
Fu Wei opened his eyes widely, feeling his head going blank for a second . He hurried near and opened one of the chests .
Clunk!
It was completely empty .
He then opened a second, a third… being a stubborn man, Fu Wei opened all twenty or so chests and counted the stones . The man had taken exactly a thousand!
"I left in a hurry and did not take that many spiritual stones with me . You can come to Phoenix Mountain to collect them at any time . See you . "
Gu Yu put a Dan pill in Fu Wei's hand has a tip, then turned into a flash of light again . In the blink of an eye, he was at the other side of the horizon .
***
Vroom!
Beep! Beep!
Meanwhile, there was a major traffic jam on the road from Shengtian to Bai Town . The vehicles were closely packed together, filling the mountain road that was not actually narrow . Most of the license plates were of other provinces, and some had travelled from as far as Guangdong Province 1 .
Despite the heavy traffic and the fact that they were barely moving forward, none of the passengers seemed agitated . Instead, they looked rather hopeful .
Among the streams of vehicles, a medium-sized seafood truck stood out; it had a license plate of Hunan Province, and the driver was a fair-skinned young man . It was Dai Han, our chubby young friend from Dongting Lake .
After spending some time selling off their properties and going through the handing-over procedure, the Dai Family was finally moving to Bai Town .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-181.png){kind=small}
Chapter 381
Source: Imported
Vehicles were pouring into Bai Town around the clock, quickly filling up this small mountainous city that was used to its casual and peaceful lifestyle . As the number of the lookers-on arriving in town grew, the public order of the city was threatened by all the accompanying hidden perils .
The municipal government was having a headache . After sending out all the personnel they could spare, they went to talk to Old Shui, basically saying "Since all these people are here for Phoenix Mountain, we can't be the one taking all the bullets if anything goes wrong . You lot can't just stand there and watch, can you?"
Old Shui laughed . "Are you kidding me? We have like ten people on the mountain, and the most we can do is to keep the surrounding area of Phoenix Mountain safe . Anything beyond that is not our problem . '"
The government responded quickly to that without even blinking their eyes—from Phoenix Fair on the south to the ancient city on the east, almost a half of Bai Town was circled out as "surrounding area" .
To be honest, it was a genuine concern . Since the two "parents" did not have time for this, Old Shui went to discuss with Xiaojin, and decided to keep an eye on the city . Hence, Li Dong, Guo Fei, and several others all went down the mountain . Yan Han also closed the Pavilion of Gems temporarily, coming to Bai Town to help .
"Beep! Beep!"
Dai Han drove into the downtown area in his seafood transportation truck, and found a street corner to park with much difficulty . His elderly parents were right behind him, driving another minivan .
"Didn't you say you found a place to live for us? Where the hell is it?" his dad asked as soon as he got off the van . Moving to a strange city was making everyone flustered .
"I asked a friend to find it for me, but he's not picking up his phone!" Dai Han was equally anxious . The friend he'd contacted was none other than Yan Han, whom Dai Han had become acquainted with after supplying the shop with a few batches of big-toe thickshell turtles . The fellow had promised Dai Han to help him rent a place, and asked Dai Han to call him after they arrived at Bai Town, but Dai Han could not reach him now .
"Why are there so many people in this crappy little town? I told you we shouldn't come, but you just wouldn't listen! See what happens now? We're gonna sleep on the street tonight!" Mother Dai was even more short-tempered, and her complaints were flying out like sharp little knives .
" . . . "
Dai Han dared not talk back, and could only dial the number repeatedly .
"Hey, are you three new in town? From Yueyang, right?"
Just then, a small man came out of nowhere, and there was something familiar about him .
Yes, with a peaked cap, an outdoor jacket, and a messenger bag across his shoulder, he looked exactly the type that one could find in every city and that one would try to avoid, for he might block your way the next moment, asking, "Hey, mate, do you need dvd/cellphone/tickets/girls/a room?"
Dai Han had met enough of such people to recognize one . He raised his guard right away . "Who are you?"
"Hehe, just see me as an information provider . " The man opened his bag and took out a pamphlet, then said patiently, "There's no need to beat around the bush—we all know why we're here in Bai Town . I make a living by gathering information, which is the only thing I'm good at . Check it out . "
'Hm?'
Dai Han took the pamphlet and flipped through it . The contents were printed badly on low-quality paper . Some of the pictures were even hand-drawn .
However, the information inside was quite substantial, covering the 5000 km^2 of Bai Town from Shali Village on the west to Simenzi on the east . Everything was marked out clearly: geography, layout, demographics, where to go for the basic necessities in the downtown area, and even the dangerous and safe zones of mutated creatures in the surrounding area .
He was surprised by all the information, and was going to read into it when a hand covered the page . The man grinned . "A thousand yuan and it's yours!"
"This crap is a thousand yuan? This is robbery!" Mother Dai said angrily .
"Sister, you're insulting me . " Taking back the pamphlet with a straight face, the man said, "The whole country now knows about the real immortals up on Phoenix Mountain . Didn't you see that video the other day? That was a Sky-turning Seal hammering the ground! Don't tell me you're not interested, or you wouldn't be here!
"I see that your whole family is here, so I presume you're going to settle down in Bai Town? Well, then you'll have to get used to the environment, and that's where my pamphlet comes in handy . It'll save you a lot of trouble . Is a thousand yuan too much for that?"
'Man!'
You got to give it to this know-it-all . Mother Dai hesitated at this glib salesman's words . Dai Han was impatient by now, and took out his phone . "Fine, I'll take one . You accept wechat transfer?"
"Of course!"
The two finished the transaction with a swipe of their phones . Dai Han winced a little at the man's online ID: Sunny Lemon Tea .
Holy sh*t! Wasn't that the name of that app user obsessed with data who had compiled a map of the mutated creatures of the country? Dai Han was a big fan, but he had never thought the real person behind that ID could be so vulgar .
The two befriended each other on wechat, and the man added, "Feel free to come to me if you need help . I charge by the hour . Byebye!"
With that, the fellow happily waved them goodbye, and went on to swindle the next family .
'Tsk! Tsk!'
It got Dai Han thinking: nowadays, any expertize could turn out to be useful . He had decided to make friends with this guy . Maybe he would become the walking encyclopedia of the cultivation world someday .
***
"We're fully booked . Please try someswhere else . "
"I'm sorry, but our last suite has just been booked . "
"The windowless single room is gone, too . Sorry!"
"Sister, are you telling me that the letting agents have no rooms available, either?"
"Why, sorry, man, but everything I have—to let or for sale—has been taken a month ago . "
"And your agent is still open when you have no properties?"
"Where did that question come from? Who are you to tell me how to run a business?"
All right, the family of three followed the markings on the pamphlet and began to search for a place to live on each street in turn . Their criteria were dropping very fast—first from long-term accommodation to short-term tenancy, then to hotel rooms, and even the cheapest bunkhouses… there was no spare room!
Along their way, they saw people of all sorts of social status coming into this city with all their accents . Everyone looked so fearless and filled with aspiration .
This city had gone insane . It was as if a vast sea of fire that could explode at any time, burning everyone into ashes, was brewing underground .
It was noon when they arrived; half a day had passed during their search . As the sun began to set, they were forced to accept the fact that they had sleep in their vehicles tonight . Just then, Dai Han's phone finally rang .
"Man, I'm so sorry . There's just so much work . " Yan Han arrived in a hurry twenty minutes later . Annoyed as he was, Dai Han couldn't say anything . He only asked, "What have you been busy with?"
"What else? All these people! They're talking about nothing but going onto the mountain every day, and it's going crazy . We foot soldiers are working our a*ses off!"
Despite the complaint, one could see the gloating look in his eyes . There were foot soldiers and foot soldiers . What would you call the hireling of an immortal?
"Here, let me take you to the place . I have to go back in a moment . "
Soon, they zigzagged through the alleys into an old residential area . The walls were so old that one could not tell their original color . They climbed the stairs all the way up to the sixth floor and saw that it was one of those old-school layouts with two flats on each floor .
Once the door was opened, the first thing came to their heads was "Such a dump!"
The 60-m^2 flat had two bedrooms and a living room . In the bathroom was a squat toilet; a gas cylinder stood in the kitchen, covered by a layer of greas thicker than the wall .
Kids nowadays probably didn't even know what a gas cylinder was .
"Are, are we going to live here?"
Mother Dai didn't like it at all . They were affluent people back at home, living in their two-story villa, but now, they had travelled a thousand miles to live in this sh*thole?
"Auntie, this belongs to a distant relative of mine, and they were doing me a big favor to keep it . Do you have any idea how much a place like is sold for?"
Before she could answer, Yan Han stuck out a finger, "A million at least!"
"Then, then at least we can have somewhere clean! This is filthy!"
"All right, all right . We're here, aren't we? Just trust the kid . Let's begin cleaning up . "
Father Dai was better at adjusting and took his wife away to clean the room . They didn't have to worry about the luggage . Two physical laborers had been waiting downstairs, and were carrying things up right away .
Dai Han pulled Yan Han to the side and asked quietly, "Brother Yan, I've come here because I want to open a shop in the market town . Any shop will do . Can you help me with it?"
"Um…" Yan Han frowned . "That's gonna be a problem . It's not that I don't want to help you, but I really don't have the liberty to . Half of the 688 shops in the market town has already been booked, and the other half is left for common people . That being said, you have to have something worth selling for to get you a place . "
"Can you name a price? We'll try…"
"That's not what I meant . Money has nothing to do with this . If it can be solved by money, it won't be a problem . A lot of Tuhao are lining outside, but they're not getting in!" Yan Han interrupted his chubby friend, and patted the latter on the shoulder partly out of sincerity, and partly to show off . "My man, Bai Town is rising, and life here is not going to be easy!"
"Well…" Frowning, Dai Han did not speak for a moment . He believed that Yan Han was not lying to him . The market town was set up by the immortals, and it was only natural that they should set the criteria high .
His face lit up moments later . "Brother Yan . Come with me! Let me show you something!"
After that, he led Yan Han down the building to his seafood transportation truck .
The door of the container was opened with a clunk, and damp air rushed out . Looking in, Yan Han was a little surprised . Inside a specially made box with water and oxygen pumps were two tiny soft-shelled turtles .
They were about the size of a plate, and had it not been for their occasional movements, they'd have almost looked dead .
At the first glance, they looked like any ordinary soft-shelled turtles . However, the two years running the Pavilion of Gems had given Yan Han a pair of sharp eyes . The turtles had extremely small eyes, big nostrils, and strange patterns on their heads . Their shells had neatly arranged patterns and were lustrously black .
They were big-toe thickshell turtles! And they were a pair!
"Are they a male and a female?" He was not so sure .
"Yup, one each and very alive . "
"Haha! That's awesome!" Yan Han gave him a friendly nudge, asking, "Where did you get them?"
"They were so popular that those in our ponds soon sold out . We then bought some baby ones, trying to see if they could mutate again . This was about half a year ago; most of them turned out to be normal . We have given up, but the day before our departure, I went to check in the pond again . Well, there they were!" Dai Han had also been amazed by this discovery .
The thickshell turtles before—including those taken by the government for research—all mutated after they reached maturity . Maybe that affected them in some way, but none of them were willing to mate, and naturally laid no eggs .
These two, however, had mutated when they were babies, which made them worth cultivating . If they could reproduce successfully, artificial breeding would be made possible .
For now, the value of the thickshell turtle mainly lay in its shell—which could be made into simple defensive refined instrument—and its meat—which contained trace amount of spiritual essence, and was edible for common people .
Dai Yan was a smart guy; he added, "Brother, I'm not bragging here—I might be useless in a lot of things, but talking about breeding soft-shelled turtles, my family has been doing this for three generations! Do you think this is enough for a small shop?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-182.png){kind=small}
Chapter 382
Source: Imported
As Yan Han mentioned, the number of shops in the market town would be equally divided between the dignitaries and common people .
What was the significance of the market town, then? Well, it was to give everyone an open, safe, and reliable platform to trade . Since we were talking about trade, we had to focus on the volume of commodities and the audience .
Under current circumstances, it was impossible for the common people to take up a significant market share, for most of the resources were in the hands of the middle and upper classes .
It was like that auction Gu Yu had attended in Spring City . The information had only gone public for days, yet those people were able to get their hands on creatures such as mutated peacocks and even dared to auction them .
One could imagine that if the country connived in the legitimacy of market towns, how much would such people all over the country be able to bring to the trade?
As for the common folk, at the current stage, they would be merely a complement to the main scene . Phoenix Mountain would not try to earn their money for the time being, but would evaluate them on the value they could generate in the future . Dai Han, for instance, had brought with him a pair of baby big-toed thickshell turtles and his ample experience in raising them . That would be counted as his value .
Naturally, Yan Han reported the news to Patriarch Sky-turning .
The patriarch might be a little moron every now and then, but with proper supervision, she was capable of doing smart and sensible things . She instructed Dai Han to hand in his specific requirement of setting up the aquaculture pond, then communicated with the authorities, who gave her 300 mu of land in a suburban village by a river for a soft-shelled turtle pond .
Phoenix Mountain then reached an agreement with the Dai Family that if the big-toed thickshell turtles were successfully bred, the Dai Family would be granted a shop in the market town under the condition that they would provide Phoenix Mountain and the government with a certain number of turtles every year .
Thanks to the existence of Phoenix Mountain, the government had left Bai Town out when planning for the new urban agglomeration . While the surrounding towns and counties were busying setting up installations to take in more people and rapidly expanding towards small-scale cities, Bai Town remained as carefree as always, building an ecosphere of its own .
The authorities had no problem with that at all . There would be loads of good stuff, and for every portion Phoenix Mountain received, the government would have its share as well .
***
Noon, snowy .
Before they realized, the Dai Family had moved in for three days . Grumpy her words might be, but Mother Dai adjusted to the environment quickly and was arranging everything in their daily life in good order .
Dai Han was born and raised in Hunan Province—a southern kid through and through . This was his first winter in the Northeast . Wrapped in the thickest down jacket he could find and covering his face with a scarf, he ventured out of the residential area, trodding through the thick snow . Hopping on a bus, he headed right for the mountain gate .
He chose to use public transportation instead of driving on purpose to fit in better . Taking a seat in the last row, he looked out of the window while going through a scene from the previous day in his head .
Sweet mother of Jesus! So the videos were real! Wherever the seal landed, it made a dent in the ground as deep and as big as she wanted!
Although that feature sounded a little wrong, the spectacular results shocked everyone present . They were all trying to find out who that girl was—the one that had skin so fair that it reflected sunlight and a face so pretty that she could get away with loan sharks targeting her .
No one knew . All they could tell was that she was from Phoenix Mountain .
The impression they had on the girl was somewhat conflicted as well . They had expected a fairy-like figure with her long dress flapping in the wind and dainty ornaments dangling from her loose hair bun—you know, very ancient style . As it turned out, the one that showed up wore a thigh-length trench coat, slacks, and had black, long, and straight hair . With a wave of her hand, whoosh! A treasure as big as a building flew into the air just like that .
Tsk! Talking about a ruined fantasy!
Wincing, Dai Han cut short his recollection . Another quarter of an hour later, the bus finally arrived at the front gate of Phoenix Mountain .
'!!!'
The moment he got off the bus, he felt as if a bucket of hot water had been poured over his head . The big square was completely taken up by the crowd, and everywhere he turned, he could see nothing but people . Every accent of the country filled his ears, and the square was so cramped that the air felt stifling .
Such a scene did not surprise him at all . He walked around the crowd and reached the left side of the square .
"Come have a look . Fire minerals from Huo Zhou! The purest fire spiritual essence you can find that'll turn you on in no time!"
"Spiritual spring water all the way from Laoshan . Carried here all by myself—just to raise some money for my journey back!"
"Pine nuts from Mount Huang . 1000 yuan for 50 g . One price for all!"
The market town had yet to open, but the common people could always make do with something less . They simply set up makeshift stalls outside the mountain gate . There was no guarantee of the authenticity of the goods, but it was not like they had anything better to do .
Dai Han had been here once already, and was now wandering around aimlessly . He was soon attracted by one of the stalls . The owner wore glasses and had a receding hairline . In his Cantonese-style Mandarin 1 , he advertised his goods . "Real deep-sea fish! Very nutritious, and very reasonable price! 100 yuan for half a kilo only!"
He was selling one type of goods only—a few odd-looking salted fish, which he picked up from god knew where . The fish had been frozen solid in this weather .
"What fish is this?" asked Dai Han curiously .
"One night stand!"
"What?"
"One night stand 2 ! Gosh, golden threadfin bream, all right? Why do you have to make me use that corny name? You'd have been my dinner already if you were from Fujian!" the owner replied impatiently, but then switched to self-mockery, which was kind of adorable 3 .
Well, well, thanks . . . but no, thanks .
Dai Han waved his hand and left the stall promptly . He wandered on for a while, and when the sun had risen to right above their heads and the warmest hour of the day had arrived, a hubbub suddenly ran across the crowd .
"That kid had come down again . Go check it out!"
"Hey, wait for me! I must go up the mountain today!"
"Damn it! I just don't buy it! I'm well over thirty and a kid cannot stop me!"
Shouting and yelling, everyone was rushing towards the mountain gate . Dai Han was carried away by the packed crowd towards the same direction, his feet barely touching the ground .
When they reached the gateway, they saw a child about six or seven years of age walking down the stairs . He wore plain clothes and had an ordinary face . He carried a wooden sword across his back, and the hilt jutted out from behind his shoulder .
Descending the stairs on his short legs, he forced himself to remain level-headed despite the knot in his stomach . It seemed forever when he finally reached the crowd .
"Ahem…" The child cleared his throat and looked into the thousands of pairs of eyes . 'Sh*t!' He had forgotten the lines he had used for the past two days! He was going into panic when a soft and tiny (more like loud and noisy) voice rang out in his head .
"Same as the past two days…"
"Same as the past two days…"
He repeated the words in a hurry . "I will make three strikes only . Those that can dodge my first strike can enter the mountain; those that can dodge two strikes in a row can enter the inner mountain; those that can dodge all three three strikes get to meet the immortals . But, one has to back out right away if they are hit by the first strike!"
The child was none other than Zheng Kaixin himself . After the lengthy announcement, he gradually calmed down, and no longer needed any reminders . "Phoenix Mountain is a blessed land, where the real immortals dwell . You clamorous lot have not only disturbed the quietness, but also tried to willfully break in . We should have banished you all from here, but since nature has the virtue of cherishing life, we will give you a chance . Anyone wants to go through this mountain gate? They have to go through me first . Should any unruly behavior occur and anyone tries to break in again, they will be executed!"
The words came out more smoothly as he spoke . When he reached the last few words, there was even a formidable aura .
The crowd had all seen what he was capable of in the past two days, and none dared to treat him lightly . Only those that had just got here today remained ignorant and were asking around quietly .
Someone explained right away . "We're all here to see the master and learn skills, right? But no one ever showed up, and someone got impatient . A few people then formed a team and tried to break in . A guy called Li Dong threw them out almost right away . Gosh, how they screamed! They were lucky that the masters were not merciless . The kid then showed up with this rule . Why, bro, you look quite strong . Why don't you have a go?"
The man explaining was a little up to no good by now, but the newcomer did not realize that . For all he knew, that was just an ordinary kid . He shouted right away, "Do you mean what you said?"
"Of course!"
"Ok . I'll have a go!"
Buzz!
The crowd erupted right away, and people made way to let the man pass .
The fellow soon reached the front of the line and made a visual comparison: a 180 cm adult versus a, um, needed he say more? He was suddenly ashamed of himself, as if he was picking on a little kid . "Kiddo, are you sure about this?"
Zheng Kaixin drew his wooden sword right away . It was a little under 70 cm and looked like a toy . "Are you ready?"
"Bring it on, then . Be careful . I'll have to pay for the medical bill if you get hurt . "
The man turned out to have been trained in martial arts . Clenching his fists and putting one leg in front of the other, he stood there with a posture that was the starting stance of some free-hand boxing of the Northern School .
'Wow!'
The crowd grew even more excited . Those that had come forward before were all useless common people . Not a single of those dozens of people managed to make it through the first strike . However, none of them dared to make any noise, and they only watched quietly .
" . . . "
With his sword in hand, Zheng Kaixin soon quieted down, as if he had obtained the most reliable power .
Starting from the end of last year, he had been learning swordplay for five months . Long Qiu's teaching was very methodical . Starting from the abstract concepts, she let him to have an impression of the sword at first, then moved onto basic methods .
Moreover, Xiao Qiu was a gentle teacher that was generous with her encouragement, which made the kid all the more interested in his study .
"The first strike!" Pursing his lips, Zheng Kaixin opened his eyes widely . The words had barely left his tongue when he raised the sword and thrust out at the man's thigh .
The fellow let out an exclamation . He was trained in traditional martial arts, and could tell how this exchange of blows would go: the kid had short arms and a short sword, and neither were his movements very fast . By the time the sword reached his leg, he'd have time to strike three times already .
Therefore, he strode out to the left unhurriedly, thinking he could easily evade the sword . However, the next second . . .
Whoosh!
The wooden sword that was moving slowly sped up all of a suddenly as if a propeller had been switched on, charging right at him, leaving a streak of blurry images behind .
Sh*t! The man felt his heart skip a beat . Switching his balance to his left, he dived to the ground and rolled away . It was not a pretty picture, but he dodged the sword successfully .
Buzz!
"Wow, that was awesome, man!"
"Keep at it! We're counting on you!"
"Two more! Two more!"
The onlookers erupted . That was a first after all this time .
Zheng Kaixin was mildly surprised as well, but there was no time to think . Striding out with his right leg and tensing up his left leg, he swiped the blade down at an angle, then brought it forward . The movement of the sword was light and had a harmless feeling to it .
The fellow was about to leap up after the rolling, but while he was still in a crouching position with his back lowered, the wooden sword reached out and landed on his shoulder .
Sigh!
The crowd sighed with pity . Another failure!
Zheng Kaixin withdrew the sword as soon as he made a successful hit, then bowed politely . "It was a pleasure to fight with you . "
"Thank you!"
Various feelings flashed across the man's face as he tried to find the right words . He finally cupped his hands, then returned to the square with his head lowered .
***
Up on Phoenix Mountain .
A breeze seemed to blow across the old tree, and the leaves swayed slightly . A man then appeared out of nowhere . Gu Yu stood under the old tree and looked into the distance at the rolling mountains along the horizon, sighing . "The formation plates are finally set up . I hope I got everything right . "
In his hand was the last round plate made of one single piece of green jade stone . On it were three oval indentations, where the spiritual stones would be inserted .
Gu Yu put the three Grade Three stones in place and glanced at a spot where a very conspicuous clump of long leaves stood; at their top was a ball of red seeds . It was none other than that spiritual ginseng .
It was because of this plant that Old Gu was confident about setting up this great defensive formation for the mountain .
Activating the Small Moving Technique, the formation plate disappeared from his hand and was buried beneath the root of the spiritual ginseng . The ball of red seeds swayed right away, as if the plant was protesting .
"You've been living on my mountain and drinking my liquor . It's time you do your job . " Gu Yu sent a streak of his mental force into the plant and grinned . "Let's begin!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-183.png){kind=small}
Chapter 383
Source: Imported
The basic theory of formations was to create a special space by utilizing natural terrain, collaborating with Yin and Yang energy, and integrating with the five elements . Depending on specific environment and formation map used, this space could have offensive, defensive, facilitating, or restraining powers .
The patterns on the Seal of Patriarch Sa was in fact a miniature formation map that could seal off and protect an enclosed area . The formation map did not have a name, so Gu Yu gave it one as straightforward as his names always were—Small Sealing Formation .
Such a formation left behind by a celestial master was no trivial matter . In the several months of his seclusion, he had spent most of his time studying the formation . Even so, he was only able to comprehend a limited proportion . He was resolved to use what he'd learnt as the basis, and with some simplification, he came up with a makeshift formation .
Based on the bearing of the mountain vein, the flowing direction of the rivers, and the vein of the earthly energy of Phoenix Mountain, he made 36 formation plates with the jade stones provided by the Tao Family first .
Of those, he buried 35 in various spots on the mountain as the connection points of the formation . The last worked as the eye of the formation, which he buried under that spiritual ginseng .
That was a clever trick . Because the spiritual ginseng had the ability to manipulate the energy veins of mountain and earth, and by using it as the eye of the formation, this ability would be amplified infinitely, making the formation more complete and flexible .
He then took 108 Grade Three spiritual stones as the energy source, which he set into the formation plates .
"All right . Let's begin!" Right now, Gu Yu was standing in front of the spiritual ginseng . With those words, he pointed at the ground with a finger, and a thin thread of the purest spiritual essence was injected into the eye of the formation .
Hum!
The eye of the formation was activated, giving out a faint and strange sound . The Grade Three spiritual stones glowed, then turned into a beam of light which shot up into the sky .
Immediately after that, another beam of light shot up, followed by a third, a fourth, a fifth… all 36 beams of light took up all the nodes of the earth energy veins .
Gu Yu flew into the air and looked down . The 36 spots were corresponding with one another, and had formed a complete formation map .
"Rustle!"
Meanwhile, the spiritual ginseng also began to work its magic . As its long leaves swayed, there came a loud rumbling sound . Phoenix Mountain looked like a picture that was having its pixels upgraded, and everything within—the sky, the earth, the cloud, the water, all the living things—had a layer of mortal dirt scraped off the surface .
A giant dragon seemed to come to life, with its head on the east and tail on the west . Following the direction of the formation map, it was slowly crawling along the mountain ridges .
The river rushed in turbulent waves, also flowing from the west to the east . It changed direction at the river bend like a folding ruler, which looked like a water dragon turning its head around, corresponding with the mountain dragon in the distance .
The earth energy veins of the entire mountain soon threaded together into an integral whole, which turned into a gigantic whirlpool with a mighty suction power, attracting spiritual essence from all directions . It intertwined and collided with the original spiritual essence of the mountain, and only found the right track to follow after much confusion .
Qian and Kun corresponded, the energy of Yin and Yang were in harmony, and together with the five elements taking effect, the mountains looked higher, the trees greener, and the water clearer… everything was reborn .
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Instantly, three figures flew near from different directions and landed under the old tree . They watched the mountain changing with shiny eyes . Even Xiaozhai was visibly excited .
It was a feeling more striking then an earthquake and subtler then a drizzle at the same time . It was penetrating; it was comfortable; it was enlightening .
In a word: awesome!
A hundred times more awesome than a night of love-making!
***
"Great… ouch!"
"Another one has failed . What this kid can do is unnatural!"
"It's unnatural to us . For them, it's just normal practice . "
Outside the mountain on the square, a challenger was a split second too late to dodge the first strike and became another one falling under Zheng Kaixin's sword, raising another wave of sighs from the crowd . That was the seventh of today .
But Zheng Kaixin was a child after all and he was getting tired . He was panting a little when he withdrew his sword this time .
'Excellent stances, but poor physical strength…' That man with martial arts training had been observing in the front row the entire time, and now drew his conclusion . Although he had successfully dodged the sword and could enter the mountain gate, he made no such move .
For "entering the mountain gate" was a literal permission: yes, you could begin to climb the mountain .
'Damn it! What good would it do to me to climb the f**king mountain? I'm not a tourist!'
The rule of the three strikes was an idea the patriarch came up with, and a little game to prevent the bored people from making trouble . The winners could enter the mountain gate, enter the inner mountain, and meet the real immortals… but nowhere in the rules was "becoming a pupil" mentioned, which the crowd realized as well .
But this challenge was still important to them . One could at least make their faces known to the immortal if they got to meet one, which was an opportunity, if not anything else . Hence, everyone was still diving for it .
"Ah!"
It took almost no time for the ninth person to fail . Zheng Kaixin glanced around, forced back his uneven breath, and asked, "The quota today is still ten . Anyone else?"
" . . . "
No one responded for a while, for everyone knew how hopeless their skills were by now . All of a sudden, a voice rang out . "I'll have another go!"
The crowd turned towards the direction at the voice . Well, it was that fellow again .
Zheng Kaixin frowned . "You have tried once . "
"Is it mentioned anywhere in your rules that a person cannot try a second time?" asked that fellow .
"Um…"
The kid was speechless, for it was not .
"Oh my, aren't you ashamed of yourself? A grown man taking advantage of a child?"
"Exactly! Coming out again when he's tired . Why don't you come back tomorrow?"
"Bro, where are you from? Your hometown should be ashamed of having you!"
Despite all the taunting remarks, the man did not waver . He only stared at the child and asked, "Since it doesn't say in the rules, why can't I try again?"
"Ha… ha…"
Zheng Kaixin was panting more heavily now . The man was good . He was experienced, dexterous, and had very good reflexes . After observing for this whole time, Zheng Kaixin realized that the man might actually make it .
However, he had no fear of what was coming . The first day he picked up the sword, he was taught by Sister Xiao Qiu: "Since you have taken up the sword, you should never fear . For once you let fear get to you, your sword will be a mere piece of wood or iron and nothing more . "
Therefore, he looked into the man's eyes, and pointed at him with his little wooden sword . "Bring it on!"
'Wow!'
The fellow was surprised by the child's demeanor, and felt a little abashed, though he soon fought it back .
He stood there with his legs parted, then set his posture and got ready . The stance the child was the most used to was to thrust forward following a straight line . As long as he chose to use that stance, with his preparation, the man was confident that he could dodge it .
"The first strike!" Zheng Kaixin called out in his childish voice, and moved into action, which was indeed a straight thrust . The man was delighted, and shifted his body beforehand . He was about to steer clear of the sword when there came a sound .
Boom!
The ground shook violently all of a sudden . He lost his footing and was struck by the sword again . However, no one was looking at them any more . The crowd was falling over like ninepins with all color drained from their faces . The earth was shaking, and even the sky seemed darkened .
"Earthquake! Earthquake!"
"No, it's not that! The mountain is shaking! It's the mountain!"
"We can't stay near the mountain gate! Move!"
Like a wildfire spreading across a grassland by the wind, panic was taking over the crowd . Everyone was shouting and screaming as they tried to run away from the square .
"Aaaah!"
Zheng Kaixing was frightened as well, and did not know what to do . He picked a direction at random and was going to run as far away as his short legs could take him . Suddenly, his feet left the ground, for Li Dong had picked him up .
"Brother Dong, what happened?" The child was almost weeping .
"I have no idea . It all happened so suddenly!" Li Dong looked around and saw that Old Shui, Yan Han, and the others were running towards him . He called out, "Brother Shui, is it an earthquake?"
"I don't think so!" Old Shui ran to them, looking very serious . "They're probably setting up a formation up there, and we don't know if they made it yet . Come, let's help the people first!"
He was the backbone of this lot, and took the lead to direct the crowd so that this wouldn't turn into a stampede .
The crowd ran away from the mountain gate and stopped somewhere further away . The earth was still shaking, but less violently now . The thousands of people then watched Phoenix Mountain as if they were in a trance . They had stopped thinking and their face all looked blank .
Boom!
Rumble!
It seemed forever before the shaking finally stopped and the earth stood still . Before they could let out a breath of relief, someone shouted again, "Look! The cloud is falling down!"
"The cloud is falling down!"
The crowd turned in unison . From deep inside the green mountain, a cloud of fog was rolling out; the enshrouding mist was spreading out so quickly that it soon rose to halfway up the mountain . The next second, the mountain peak was no longer visible .
Because the cloud of mist was expanding very fast, from the angle of the foot of the mountain, it indeed looked like a cloud falling down from the sky, rolling around on the mountain, then returning to the sky again .
Momentarily, the entire mountain was covered by the mist, which just stopped at the mountain gate and did not expand further .
They could still faintly make out the two gilded words over the gate way: Phoenix Mountain!
" . . . "
A hush fell over the square . There were over a thousand people here, but no one made a sound .
"We did it! We did it!" Old Shui was the first to react, laughing loudly . "Hahaha! We finally have our own defensive formation!"
Zheng Kaixin and the others also had excitement written all over their face . As members of Phoenix Mountain, they naturally took great pride in this achievement .
Whoosh!
Just then, there was a green flash in the mist, and a few objects flew out . Old Shui caught them in his hand and saw that they were a stack of oblong jade tablets, each with one of their individual names on it .
Immediately after that, Gu Yu's voice rang out in their ears . "These tokens will give you permission to come in and out of the mountain gate . You can all come back now . "
"Yes!"
Although the man was not standing in front of them, they were so overwhelmed by this sensation that they all bowed involuntarily . Then, with Old Shui leading the way, they gingerly walked to the mountain gate and made a tentative step in .
Whoosh!
With the token in hand, the mist sensed it automatically and split open, making a narrow passageway .
"Haha! Let's go!"
While they were off, the rest did not want to be left here . Many were calling after them, "Hey! Wait! Wait!"
"Don't go! I want to join the mountain!"
"Please take me!"
Right away, a few people stumbled after them, but as soon as they made contact with the mist, they were devoured like a stone thrown into a lake .
One of them felt his mind go dark, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw that he was surrounded by the white fog .
Four or five people had come in together, but he was all by himself now, and the others were nowhere to be seen . The fog around him was so thick that he could not see anything else . A moment later, even his auditory sense was deprived .
It was depressing, inhibiting, suffocating, maddening…
In the end, all five senses seemed to have abandoned him, and he was as numb as a living corpse .
The man had long been scared out of his wits . The tiny bit of emotion that was left in him brought tears to his eyes . Yet despite the falling tears, no sound came out of him . His silent open mouth only made everything even more horrifying .
Just as he thought he was going to die, the fog around him heated up and pressed against him . He was then lifted up and fell back despite himself .
Thump!
As he fell heavily on the ground, he was greeted by sunlight, and all his senses were restored .
" . . . "
Opening his eyes widely, his mind could not digest what had happened . He sat there with a blank face for several seconds before he burst into tears .
"Ah!!!"
Almost at the same time, the others were thrown out as well, all with similar reactions . The impact was worse on some of them, for they were talking incoherently in a confused state of mind .
'!!!'
Seeing this, the crowd felt a chill seep into their hearts, soon taking up their entire body . When they looked at that Phoenix Mountain hidden behind the fog again, all the slight, indifference, slackness, and willfulness they might have had towards the mountain vanished right away .
Modern people lived in a time of information explosion . With so many stimuli, they were hardly ever truly awed by anything . The respect one held for their superiors at work was a show they put on for their salary . Were they really in awe of their bosses?
No .
But at this moment, they could finally see for themselves what immortals were capable of and how different was their world from this mortal one!
" . . . "
The silence stretched on .
As the atmosphere of the square grew more depressed, one person seemed to come to himself, for he rushed out and fell to his knees, then banged his forehead loudly on the ground .
"I am Tang Bole from Bin Zhou . I sincerely want to pursue the Great Dao . Please take me in!"
Right after that, a girl ran out and knelt down beside him, crying, "I'm Su Xiaoye and my mum has an incurable disease . Please save her! I'll do anything!"
Thump! Thump!
Over a dozen people ran out of the crowd after that, kneeling down in a row outside the mountain gate, all with their requests and misfortunes .
While they knelt down there, more people watched silently from behind, as if they were in two different worlds now . Everyone talked about searching for the immortals and looking for a master, but how many of those actually meant it? How many could stick to their decisions?
"Sigh…"
Suddenly, a soft sigh came from somewhere, which sounded both from up in heaven and by their ears . After that, a voice rang out for all the thousands of people on the square to hear .
"Phoenix Mountain will set up an altar to talk about Taoist theories in the beginning of the month of Gao . Anyone that hears this news can attend . There will be trials and those that pass will be accepted as pupils… now, go!"
After those words, the fog surged and grew thicker, covering the faintly visible mountain gate completely . The entire mountain seemed to have disappeared .
***
"Attention! Attention!"
Inside a certain base in the capital city, warning lights suddenly switched on . The monitoring personnel shouted, "Phoenix Mountain has disappeared! We have lost sight of Phoenix Mountain!"
The man in charge jumped at the report and asked right away, "What happened?"
"The satellite surveillance came back empty! We've tried everything!"
"Get me an image! High power image!" The head ran towards the screen, feeling he was losing his mind .
The entire base tensed up—they couldn't help it, for that Phoenix Mountain was a time bomb that could go off just about any time .
Before long, a clear image taken by the satellite was put onto the big screen . The roomful of people saw that there was only a large cloud of mist, and no mountain at all .
"Any meteorological abnormalities in the area?"
"There is no such forecast . Everything appears to be normal!"
"Keep monitoring! I'm making the report!"
Similar situation was going on in several other secret departments . After getting this information, they all reported to their superiors .
As early as four years ago, when Phoenix Mountain and the government reached their cooperative agreement in Urumqi, it was decided that every movement of the mountain was of top priority that went right to the desk of the biggest boss .
After they gathered all the information and analyzed it…
Disappearing or not, that was no longer important . Who on earth could tell them what was with setting up an altar and giving a lecture???
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-184.png){kind=small}
Chapter 384
Source: Imported
May, early summer .
Summer this year was no different from the previous ones and probably even hotter, as if the recovery of the spiritual essence had finally reached its peak after over a decade, and was ready to release all the energy stored .
It was bad news and good news at the same time .
The bad news was that the scorching heat would bring great difficulty to all the ongoing projects in the country . The good news, though, was that once they rode out this storm, the breakout of the spiritual essence would enter a buffering period before gradually quieting down .
By then, the new environment would mostly stabilize, giving rise to a country that was changed beyond recognition, but filled with the vitality of nature .
For now, the general public was not holding too much grudge against the unbearable heat, for their attention was drawn by the more pressing and exciting news that had spread to every corner of the country in a single day .
Phoenix Mountain was setting up an altar to give lectures!
"LOL! Ancestor of the Great Balance 1 himself is descending to the mortal world! The praying mats in Zixiao Palace are on a first come, first serve basis! Don't give your seats to those two bastards from the west 2 !"
"I only have one question . Is it true? Can it be a rumor?"
"I was at the foot of the mountain that day and heard it myself . You'll be the one abandoning your luck if you don't go . The regret will be all yours!"
"Forgive my ignorance, but exactly when is the beginning of month of Gao?"
"Month of Gao is May, so early May . "
"Mate, get your facts straight . Ancient people used the traditional calendar . Month of Gao is the fifth month of the year on that calendar, so it's June on the one we use now . It's happening early next month!"
All of a sudden, people from all walks of life were discussing it . Even the government employees were talking about it in private, and some were so tempted that they were thinking about sending the youngsters of their own families to Phoenix Mountain .
Wouldn't life be wonderful if they were picked and got to hang out with immortals every day?
However the discussion went, the news had gotten around . Whether they chose to believe it or not, no one wanted miss the chance . Hence, the authorities were once more having a headache: how was a small town like Bai Town ever going to take in so many people?
It was especially the case for that mountain road connecting Shengtian with Bai Town . It had been completely jammed since the second day after Gu Yu's words got around . In the end, the government had to set up check posts in every city nearby to control the number of people going into Shengtian .
This was no longer an ancient society, after all, when people had to travel for tens of thousands of miles on horseback for an recruitment advertisement of a big sect, and only arrived months later to find a hundred fellow candidates there .
It was a modern information society we were talking about here, and the audience numbered billions!
***
"Why, isn't it like having the car windows tinted?" Up on Phoenix Mountain, all the 36 beams of light had disappeared, and everything was back to normal . Watching the cloudless sky and the brand-new view of the mountain, Xiaojin said happily, "They can't see a thing from outside, and we can see everything from here . I like it! Car sex will be so much safer now . "
"I like it too . The spiritual essence is even denser now, and our cultivation can speed up again . " Xiao Qiu giggled along . She then asked, "By the way, Brother, does the formation need a lot of spiritual stones? Do we have enough?"
"When I set up the formation yesterday, all 108 stones were almost drained the moment I activated the formation, so I replaced them with 108 new ones at once . Now that the formation is running smoothly, it is not very energy-consuming . These 108 stones will be more than enough to sustain the formation for a year . " After the brief explanation, Gu Yu instructed, "Xiao Qiu, I'm leaving you in charge of the daily maintenance of the formation from now on . I'll teach you the formation map and the working theories later . "
"Yes, no problem!" Long Qiu nodded .
By now, the division of labor was gradually taking shape on the mountain . Long Qiu was patient and attentive, so she was in charge of running the library, formation, farmlands, production of talisman paper, and the animal farm (where the mutated boars and Sand-walking Spider were kept) .
Xiaojin was all over the place and good at socializing, which made her suitable for managing the construction projects, development of the market town, recruiting of new talents, etc .
It was obvious that the two would be the respective heads of internal and external affairs in the future . As for their heartless "parents", well, they were the happy freeloaders .
While that was settled, Xiaozhai—who had kept her silence the entire time—suddenly spoke, "Old Gu, since we're setting up a sect and recruiting pupils, we need to set out the orthodox first . You have the essence-consuming method and the sword manual; are you going to put them together or teach them separately?"
"The essence-consuming method doesn't have much power on its own, but putting them together seems unfair to the sword manual . " Gu Yu gave it a thought and said, "How about this? The essence-consuming method will be the basis . I'll decide whether or not to teach them the sword manual later if I find pupils with a talent in the sword . "
"That'll do . So, we'll have two schools of teaching: the essence-consuming method and the Thunder Technique . " Xiaozhai gave him a wink and chuckled . "You know what? We might have to compete for pupils some day . "
"I wouldn't be competing with you under normal circumstances, but not this one . Of course, in the end, it's still up to the pupils . " Old Gu held his ground this time, which was very rare .
'Wow!'
The two younger ones could not take part in the conversation, but the expressions on their faces were no less excited . 'So, we're moving up in seniority! We're mothers-in-law… I mean, we're Uncle Masters now!'
However, something seemed to dawn on Long Qiu after that, and she asked in a serious tone, "Brother, Sister, what about Kaixin and the others?"
" . . . "
Gu Yu and Xiaozhai exchanged a look . It was a cruel decision, but rules were rules . "Among them, only Kaixin has the right endowment . Li Dong has yet to show it . Old Shui, Yan Han, and the others will only be outer disciples . "
"Oh, then I should explain to them . It'll be better if they hear it from me . " Xiao Qiu was as kind as she always was .
Xiaojin's focus was on something completely different . She asked eagerly, "Brother-in-law, you said there would be trials . Have you decided what to use yet?"
"Not yet . Got any ideas?" Gu Yu chuckled .
"Neither do I, but that's right up my alley! You know, kicking their a*sses and giving them a hard time . Just leave it to m— ouch!"
She buried her head between her hands . Xiaozhai slowly retrieved her hand, reprimanding, "Recruiting pupils is no laughing matter, but it shouldn't be too serious, either . At the end of the day, what we are testing is nothing but their endowment and temperament . We'll each think of a test and discuss them . "
All right, the head of the household had spoken, and the tune was set .
They chatted for some more, then Long Qiu and Xiaojin went to prepare their own tasks . Sitting under the old tree, Xiaozhai watched the spiritual essence, which had grown inches taller within hours—thanks to the energy feeding back on it from the formation . She couldn't help but be amazed . "Is this fellow taking a human form soon?"
"How can it be? It's absorbing the spiritual essence on instinct, and has no cultivation method whatsoever . If nothing spectacular falls into its laps, it'll take a human form in about, well . . . a hundred years?"
"In that case, don't let happen too soon . There will be another kid if it transforms, and I don't want to watch it running wildly in the mountain . " Xiaozhai paused there, then switched to a completely unrelated subject . "You haven't prepared for what you're going to talk about in the lecture, have you?"
"It's not something that can be decided by Phoenix Mountain alone . I'm still waiting for the other parties to reply . "
"If you ask me, we'd better have the monastery join in on this . They're much more knowledgeable on theories of Dan and talisman skills . Having them on board will benefit so many more people, be it an internal communication, or a lecture to the public . "
"That's what I've been thinking, but we can't be the one initiating this . Let's wait . "
"Sir!"
They were still talking when Li Dong ran towards them .
Having been cultivating for the past six month, and with the amply supply of spiritual rice and spiritual tea, Li Dong had obtained a physical strength far superior to any ordinary person's . The Technical Sword he was practicing had a corresponding breathing method, and right now, he was staggering towards them in long strides using the Rising Manual that he had not mastered yet .
"There are greeting letters for you!"
Li Dong handed him two letters . Gu Yu took them over and glanced at the senders: one was from the monastery, and the other from the BIMAUP . He was slightly surprised, for they had met enough times before this . He couldn't see why were they so formal all of a sudden .
He opened the envelopes, while Xiaozhai stuck her head over his shoulder to read the letter . She broke into a laughter at the first words .
"Honorable Perfected Man Gu…"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-185.png){kind=small}
Chapter 385
Source: Imported
According to A Classic on An Insight into Nature, "A perfected man has a hollow inside, which allows them to integrate into the Great Dao and become part of Nature itself . They are omnipotent, omniscient, and omni-proficient . "
The term "perfected man" had been used since the ancient time . Although the meaning might have changed slightly, the essence remained the same: badass!
In the Taoist community, the title signified a supreme state, whereas in the secular world, "perfected man" was often granted to great masters by the imperial court .
For instance, Yinzi, Wenzi, Liezi, Zhuangzi, Zhang Sanfeng, Wang Chongyang, and An Qisheng had all been granted the title "perfected man" once . Hence, Gu Yu felt abashed to be addressed as such at the very beginning of this letter—who was he to be raised to the same status as all those ancient sages?
What was more interesting, though, was the way they chose to communicate with him this time . Instead of using any of the modern means, they switched to the old-school greeting letter .
It showed respect, but at the same time, expressed a detached politeness .
The contents of the two letters were pretty much the same: Mu Kun of the BIMAUP and Shi Yunlai of the monastery had both arrived at Bai Town, and both wanted to have an audience with Gu Yu .
They had to send a request, for the manor on the northern slope had been hidden in the formation together with the talisman paper workshop . Phoenix Mountain did not have a reception venue at the moment; they were going to build a few houses on the square outside the mountain gate specially for that purpose .
Why they wanted to meet him was obvious—they had questions about the lecture, only that the authorities wanted to know his purpose, while the monastery wanted to know about the content .
Gu Yu folded the letters and put them back into the envelopes, then told Li Dong, "Tell them both that the great change is upon us all, and I'm willing to offer my humble effort . "
"Just that?" asked Li Dong surprisingly .
"Just that . "
"No problem . I'll tell them that right away . "
Li Dong bowed at him, then activated the Rising Manual that he still need much practice in and staggered down the mountain .
Once they received Gu Yu's reply, Mu Kun and Shi Yunlai brought the news back to their own people, who reacted very differently .
The government immediately called for an urgent meeting, attended by leading officials of all key departments, just to study the intentions behind this move . Frankly speaking, ever since the two sides began their cooperation, they had never truly been friends . The relationship was tainted by all sorts of exchanges of interests and distrust of each other .
Initially, the authorities needed Old Gu for the development of Tianzhu Mountain and to explore the new world .
When the monastery was set up, the importance of Phoenix Mountain dropped, but the calamity of Huo Zhou broke out at that moment, and the government needed the couple's help . Their relationship had been going south ever since, and they even exchanged fire on Changbai Mountain .
The result of that incident was that not only did Old Gu annihilate the official force, he also demonstrated his capability by decapitating a man from a distance away . That was the first time the authorities realized how unmatchable Taoist skills could be in actual combat by using surprise attacks on individuals (i . e . their bosses) .
After that, the problem on the international front became the priority, and the authorities needed Phoenix Mountain once more . After taking a trip abroad, Old Gu successfully upgraded himself .
It got the old man worried even back then . A Human Immortal would be a double-edged blade to the country . As long as the government could not control him, they had to take precautions against him .
Therefore, when the news arrived, talking about Phoenix Mountain running lectures and recruiting pupils, some of the officials' first reaction was: that man was going to accumulate weapons and build himself an army now???
They were actually not the only ones thinking that way . The old man, on the other hand, led a faction that stood on Gu Yu's side who all agreed that Gu Yu and Jiang Xiaozhai were too smart to do something that suicidal .
The vision the authorities had of this new world with the recovered spiritual essence—or the blueprint of the the new country, if you like, was as followed:
First of all, the government would have control of the cultivators .
Secondly, the cultivators would live peacefully with the ordinary people .
Thirdly, cultivation would integrate with the development of the society, bringing the productivity to a new level .
The first one was essential, for the authorities needed more cultivators, but at the same time, they had to make sure that the latter would not become too capable and too ambitious . . .
After a heated discussion and thanks to the old man and those with him, the bosses decided to trust Phoenix Mountain on this . Of course, they would definitely use this opportunity to send a few of their own people in .
On the other side, the atmosphere in the monastery was much more relaxed .
The relationship between cultivators was far less complicated than that with the government . The thirty-five members of Qiyun grasped the meaning of Gu Yu's words right away .
Provident as he always was, Lu Yuanqing only considered it for a few seconds before announcing his decision . "Since they have expressed their goodwill, we are more than happy to help . Send our reply: at the beginning of the month of Gao, the entire monastery will be there to attend the lecture . "
***
Shengtian, the Zeng Family house .
Over twenty people had gathered in the grand villa . Aside from the key members of the Zeng Family, there were also those from the Lei and Yuan Families . As the most senior members, Granny Zeng, Old Man Lei, and Old Man Yuan were sitting in the middle of the room, lecturing the youngsters .
Zeng Yuewei stood quietly behind Granny Zeng, the expression on her face hard to read .
Back then, as one of the first people to do business with Gu Yu, she could have taken advantage of that favorable position and build something out of it . However, she did not think much of the man then, and had wasted that opportunity . Now that five years had passed, they were worlds apart .
Zeng Yuewei was over thirty years old now, and got married last year—paired up for the need of the family business . Never had she imagined that the good-looking young man from five years ago would have risen so high that he was beyond her reach even if she stood on a mountain .
She couldn't blame Gu Yu for forgetting the old affection, for there was none to begin with . A few years back, when the three families helped Phoenix Mountain with the construction work, Gu Yu had thanked them with plenty of spiritual incense and spiritual medicine; he owed them nothing .
While she stood there occupied by all her thoughts, the three elders had finished their lecture . Old Man Yuan glanced around the room and sighed . "We'll carry it out as planned, then… Ke'er! Lingshan! Xiao Xiao!"
Three children over ten years old stepped out at his call . They were two boys and a girl, and stood out from the rest of the kids . Not only were their eyes exceptionally clear, there was also a brightness about them .
As early as two years ago, they had asked the old priest of the Taiqing Palace to examine the bone structures of all their children . In the younger generation of all three families, these three children were the best . Even the old priest was impressed, and tried to take them in as pupils of Taiqing Palace . But the three families had their own plans .
Ever since then, things like the spiritual rice and spiritual tea of the families went to the three first . They then made a huge donation to the Taiqing Palace in exchange for a basic free-hand boxing manual .
That was how disparity was created—still talking about losing at the starting line? Try losing before you were even born!
"We're sending you three as candidates . If you make it in, keep it in mind that we three families are in it together . We are bound together for better or worse . Therefore, out there, you must work hard as a team and help each other out . "
"Yes!"
***
Diannan, the Tao Family .
Inside the high walls of the three-story white house, the atmosphere was in stark contrast to that in the Zeng Family . The internal strife had greatly reduced the size of the family, and right now, there were only six people living here: Tao Yu, his wife, Uncle Tao, Aunt Tao, and Tao Yu's two cousins .
Ever since they began to work for Phoenix Mountain, they had spared no efforts in fulfilling their tasks . Every six months, they would send a batch of jade stones to Phoenix Mountain, which was what the formation plates were made from . In that sense, they had made a great contribution to the mountain .
Other than that, following Gu Yu's instructions, Tao Yu had been looking out for mines everywhere . A few days ago, he finally discovered an unusual mountain that could have a mutated jade mine beneath it .
He could not confirm the finding, and had to ask Phoenix Mountain to send someone over . The reply was that the person would arrive in a few days and was a patriarch of some sort, and very badass!
That matter aside, the Tao Family was also talking about the recruitment of pupils .
"The master has promised that as long as we have a newborn baby with the right endowment, the mountain will take them in… Sigh, too bad we only have a few people in the family . Xiao Yu, you two have to work on it . " Uncle Tao sighed .
"It's not like we can just make a baby at our will . . . " Tao Yu did not know how to respond to that . Ever since his uncle recovered from that evil spirit, he seemed to have lost all ambition . He had transferred all his control over the company to Tao Yu, and spent his days caring for family affairs only .
Then, Tao Yu switched the subject . "The master did make that promise, but this is different . Since the recruitment is public, I think Xiao Tong and Xiao Yi can have a go . "
"Um, all right . But they're still too young, and I don't trust the others . How about you take them there yourself?" said Uncle Tao .
"Sure . We'll leave as soon as we settle the matter with the mine . " Tao Yu nodded .
Both kids were teenagers, and were over the moon at the suggestion of becoming a pupil of the mountain .
All in all, the Tao Family was much more relaxed that those three families . Not only did they have a closer relationship with the mountain, they also had a jade plate given by Perfected Man Gu himself, meaning they could ask to see Gu Yu any time .
***
Wula Province, a secret chamber .
Wrapped in a piece of white veil, Yu Lanzhu lay lazily in bed, her perfect body half hidden by the cloth . Her fingers were the color of scallion, and her lips looked as if they had been tinted with vermilion; her delicate feet reminded one of the peach flowers in the spring .
She was in an excellent mood . With half the Heishui Province and a small portion of Wula Province buried under snow, the calamity was widespread . However, to Shamanism, it was a perfect time to attract believers .
The Northeastern Shamanism had a strange cultivation path . They had to practice with the spirit of a beast first, then move onto refining themselves . After that, they had to attract believers and set up worship halls to absorb the power of faith so that they could gradually strengthen their minds .
It started off as an unorthodox practice, but would transform into an orthodox one at the later stage—they had to help the people to accumulate enough merits to atone for their sins, or they would be hit by thunder tribulations .
She had now completely fused with the spirit of the white fox, and could change easily between the two forms . Starting from Da'an Village of Sanping, she had secretly developed a great number of believers among the poverty-stricken common folk .
Yu Lanzhu was a smart woman . She knew that "home-protecting fairy" was a taboo to the government, so to her believers, she was the White Fairy, and the white fox was her pet . She introduced herself as a cultivator that had been living deep inside the mountains for years and had made some achievements . Because she couldn't bear to watch the common people's suffering, she had come out to offer her help .
One should not underestimate the intelligence of the common people, but one should not overestimate it, either .
There were people that had fallen for scams like "I am Qianlong Emperor . Please lend me a couple of million dollars so that I can open the secret deposit of treasures of the Qing Dynasty", let alone an actual fairy that was helping them .
Hence, Yu Lanzhu was very happy . What made her even happier, though, was that she'd finally found a way into Phoenix Mountain .
"Are you sure she's safe to send in?" she asked Nalan .
"The best disguise is when she herself doesn't know she is in a disguise . " With her poker face, Nanlan said in a cold voice, "Seven years old, female, born in Xiaoheyan Village, and knows nothing about us . She is mediocre in her endowments and a loner . She will neither stand out nor be too unnoticeable . A relative of hers works in the government, and will encourage her to go . "
"Hm, that'll do . Anyway, it's not like she's gonna do anything . She'll only be there to have a look . " Yu Lanzhu pondered for a moment and suddenly made an alluring smile . "Teehee . To tell you the truth, I'm very interested in that Mr . Gu . "
***
Guizhou Province, Zhijin .
Half of Guizhou was taken over by calamities now . Plants grew wildly, rivers brimmed over their banks, and poisonous insects and miasmas spread out uncontrollably . As a result, the residents were evacuated in large numbers .
However, Zhijin was an exception .
Probably the Golden Toad Sky-swallowing Formation had suppressed the rampaging spiritual essence—apart from that bird disaster, nothing unusual happened to the county . The government had planned to expand the county into a city of a considerable size and build roads so that they could safeguard the land of Guizhou .
Right now, inside the old house of the You Family, You Yu was packing quietly .
His face was emotionless, and his movements slow . Despite the slight unwillingness and confusion in his eyes, he kept putting things into his suitcase . As one of the people to have experienced the collapse of Fish Mountain at the scene, he had been summoned and interrogated multiple times even when the incident had passed . He had also become a celebrity of his village .
Some envied him, some were jealous, but most chose to taunt and jeer at him .
You Yu was not like other kids . Anyone else that had been given a promise by both Phoenix Mountain and the monastery would be over the moon, but not him . He actually considered the two offers carefully for a long time .
It wasn't until he heard the news about Phoenix Mountain that he finally made his decision .
"Xiao . . . Xiao Yu…" After he finished packing and turned around carrying his suitcase, he realized his parents had been standing behind him for a long time . Tears were welling up in their eyes .
" . . . "
You Yu winced a little, then knelt down abruptly, banging his forehead three times on the floor . He then rose to his feet and walked out without a word .
***
Just like so, with the joint connivance of the two major cultivation groups, the news swept across the country at a lightning speed before making its way into the neighboring countries .
Goryeo, Nippon, Siem, Malaya, and Tsar on the north were all going to send people through diplomatic arrangements to attend the event, and take the opportunity to examine the overall strength of the country .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-186.png){kind=small}
Chapter 386
Source: Imported
Diannan, the Tao Family .
Dressed formally, the six family members had been waiting in the courtyard since early this morning with the most humble demeanor, seemingly expecting some important figure .
Uncle Tao was the most serious one . Not only because that was one of the people that had saved his life—the change in his world view was also the reason . Since he was cured by Gu Yu, he had become obsessed with the metaphysics, and held utter respect for the real cultivators .
After a little while, the 12-year-old Tao Tong couldn't help but ask, "Brother Yu, exactly who is coming today?"
"They said it was going to be a patriarch-level figure . . . very capable, anyway . " Tao Yu looked a little strange when he explained, for he swore he could hear the person telling him that over the phone was, well, fighting back laughter?
No, it couldn't be! He must have heard it wrong!
"A patriarch? Then he must be very old . Are we going to address him as grandpa?" the 13-year-old Tao Yi chimed in .
"Of course we're going to call him patriarch first . If he's nice, we'll change to grandpa then," replied Tao Tong, who was a little sharper than his sister, and apparently very pleased with his own answer .
"Nice man or not, you're not addressing him as grandpa . Cultivators are not the same as we mortal men, so whatever his manner is, we must show our respect and avoid any unnecessary trouble," reprimanded Uncle Tao immediately .
"Yes, Uncle!" The two kids exchanged a look and pursed their lips .
"Beep! Beep!"
Another moment passed before a vehicle finally drove into their sight, and slowly came to a stop in the yard . The six of them put on a solemn look right away . Straightening up their clothes, they went up to greet their honorable guest .
The door of the vehicle then flung open, and a pretty red high heel landed on the ground with a patter . The tip of the foot then ground into the ground slightly, and a person flew out of the vehicle like a ball of fire .
"Why, you're all in a straight line . Doing your morning exercise, are ya?"
'Welcome to our home, p— pffft!'
Tao Yu was going to chant his greeting, but stuffed the words back down at the look of the person—the great effort almost made him choke on his own spit, and his face all crinkled up, looking hilarious . Uncle and Aunt Tao were also utterly surprised, and looked very confused .
"Wow!" The two kids were the only ones not thinking much of it; they cried out and ran over to the person happily . "Sister Xiaojin, it's you! We thought we're having a grandpa coming . Why are you suddenly a patriarch?"
"Hahahaha! I'm building my reputation in this mortal world, and title makes a big part . It's a good one, isn't it?"
Thanks to Xiaojin's lack of shame, she was still talking happily—anyone else would have been petrified with embarrassment . Holding one kid in each arm, she nodded at the other four, then swaggered into the house as if she owned the place .
She had been with her brother-in-law here before, so they were all old friends—there was no need for pleasantries .
The seven people soon took their seats in the living room . Tao Yu brought out the spiritual tea rewarded to him before, attentively making a cup for Xiaojin . He was observing Xiaojin unnoticeably while he was doing it, realizing that compared to last time when she was here, Miss Jin had improved significantly in her bearing . She now struck others as being an exceptionally capable woman at the first sight .
Having reached the passionless state in Metal Thunder and obtained an initial achievement in Water Thunder, Xiaojin was following her sister closely in her cultivation level . Under normal circumstances, her appearance was enough to scare people off .
How should we describe our dear girl Xiaojin? Well, she was not right in the head . One could never predict her thoughts and actions—that would be more difficult than seeing Old Gu doing it on the top .
Right now, she was all serious . After sipping her tea, she said, "Now, what's with the mine?"
"The situation is like this . After the southwestern provinces began to suffer from all the calamities, what happened in Diannan was similar to that in Guizhou Province: forests expanded and miasma poisoned the lands . But because Diannan sits on the border, our country has made preparations beforehand . Therefore, we reacted quicker than the other places .
"As Ruili is the largest inland port in the Southwest, the government has reached an agreement with Myan to jointly uphold the peace and stability in the city . Therefore, the downtown area and the surrounding towns and villages did not suffer from too much damage . "
Tao Yu paused to organize his thoughts, then went on . "Of course, the calamity still affected many places in the province, especially the area around Ailao Mountain, which is a no-man's-land now . A while ago, I discovered a crude stone in the trading market; it looked rather odd to me . The owner was from Xinping County, and said he grabbed the stone when he was fleeing from the calamity, thinking he could make some money out of it . Oh, here it is…"
With that, he took out a raw stone about 6-7 kg in weight . It had already been cut, revealing the creamy-white jade inside .
Xiaojin picked it up and examined the interior with her mental force . Blackish purple lightning then glowed in her palm, which wrapped around the stone like a fine net .
The Water Thunder squirmed around the stone like tiny tentacles, and the outer layer fell down in little crumbs . Seconds later, the outer shell was removed, revealing an intact jade material with an irregular shape .
"Warm jade? It's indeed warm jade!" Tao Yu was very surprised . "Diannan hardly has any warm jade mines now, for they have mostly been depleted . We usually only have jadeite around here . I didn't believe we had one before I cut it open . "
Jade was categorized into "cold" and "warm" ones; it mainly depended on their quality and texture .
Warm jade was fine and smooth to the touch, and had a soft, moist glisten to it . In one's hands, it would feel cool at first, then warm up, and was very comfortable to hold . Cold jade usually referred to jadeite, which had a cooler and harder color tone .
Xiaojin played with the jade material in her hand, caressing the surface with her ten fair and slender fingers . The jade was getting warmer and warmer, and in the end, it almost felt oily to the touch, as if grease was coming out of it .
"Hm?" After playing with it for a while, she announced happily, "This is no ordinary warm jade . I think it has the effect of calming one's mind and keeping one focused . Wearing it could help with one's cultivation . "
"That's great . We have another treasure, then . " Tao Yu had a deep sense of identity towards Phoenix Mountain .
"Where is that mountain?" asked Xiaojin .
"It's close to Xinping County, although no mine has been found there before . "
"I'll go have a look first . If there are enough reserves, you can officially purchase the right of mining . "
"Will the authorities agree?" Tao Yu was a little concerned .
"Tsk!" Xiaojin smacked her lips, and in a tone of teaching little kids, she said, "Just tell them you're with Phoenix Mountain . The worst that can happen is you'll have to give them a few tons every year . "
"Oh, I see!" Tao Yu smiled awkwardly . He still needed to switch out of his traditional businessman's mindset . While they were talking, the two kids—Tao Tong and Tao Yi—were watching Xiaojin with twinkling eyes; the two had fallen head over heels for this heroic big sister .
'You're with Phoenix Mountain!'
'Wow, that must be how bosses talk!'
***
Ailao Mountain was in the central region of Diannan . The mountain range ran from Chuxiong on the north to Lüchun on the south, with a total length of around 500 km . The highest peak was Damoyan 1 Peak in Xinping County, and had an altitude of 3166 m .
Nowadays, the area hundreds of kilometers around the Ailao Mountain range was completely depopulated . Villages were deserted, and mutated beasts were found everywhere .
Somehow, in this vast wilderness, a fleet of vehicles was now driving along the empty road . Among them were jeeps and heavy-load trucks, which were carrying all sorts of exploration equipment .
The team consisted of quite a few people . All drivers and passengers were darting their eyes around, afraid of the sudden appearance of mutated beasts .
This area was a known death zone . Had it not been for the generous payment and the promise that a master would be escorting them, they would never have agreed to come . Even so, most of them were still on pins and needles, for they had no idea which of them was the supposed master .
No one was wearing a Taoist robe, and they saw no white-bearded elders . There was only a very hot chick… damn it! No one had the look!
The fleet of vehicles drove unhurriedly towards Xinping County in perfect order . Maybe luck was on their side, for everything was going smoothly . However, halfway through their journey, they heard a whistling sound in the sky .
Right after that, there was a flapping noise that seemed to come from wings . It turned out that two strange-looking birds had spotted the fleet .
"It's the Wind-blowing Bird!" someone cried out right away, and all color drained from his face .
The bird had been long recorded in the app . It was not big, but always appeared in couples . Like the flashing boar, they also developed a skill from their mutation: they were able to produce blade-like wind, which enabled them to make long-distance attacks .
A photo of their hunting scene was even posted in the app, which showed a passenger car cut into halves .
Therefore, everyone became nervous at their presence . However, the next moment, they felt the ground shaking and saw dust rising not far away, then five or six mutated serows came into sight .
Covered in black fur, the serows had strong limbs and looked enormous in size . They were alternating between running and jumping, and each leap would take them meters closer . They were approaching the fleet at a tremendous speed .
"We're dead!"
Everyone turned as white as sheets . With mutated animals both on the ground and above, they had no way to escape . The two birds croaked, as if trying to compete with the serows for prey . In half a heartbeat, they were above the fleet, ready to release the windy blade . Just then, there came another sound .
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
With two muffling sounds, blood gushed out of the now headless necks of the birds . Blood splashed down in a shower, pattering against the roofs and windows of the vehicles .
"Aaaaah!" a man screamed frantically . Seeing that nothing happened after that, he ventured on taking a look out of the window a couple of seconds later . Two headless birds lay by the side of the road like some garbage that was carelessly tossed away .
"Aaaah!!!" Immediately after that, the entire team was screaming . The man quickly stuck his head out of the window, and his mouth fell open at what he saw .
A gigantic ancient seal had flown ahead of them and smashed down . It then rose back up, shrank, then flew back to one of the vehicles . The serows were now a puddle of bloody mush on the ground .
"Sky . . . Sky-turning Patriarch!"
The man then recalled the title of that master they were told . He couldn't help but mutter that name, and was carried away by his imagination .
***
Night, Xinping .
The small county was completely deserted . Only the bleak streets and the water in the fountain still reminded one of the people that used to live here .
Because the county was next to a mountain, the expanding forest had nibbled part of the downtown area away . Some buildings even had branches sticking out of them . They found a hotel for everybody to stay for the night . The panic from before was all gone, replaced by a great exhilaration .
The entrance of the hotel had been blocked by a column raised out of the ground, and all the windows were covered by branches as well . It was said to be a Taoist skill of the five elements . After their safety had been taken care of, they were naturally in the mood for some chit-chat, and the topic was none other than that patriarch— scratch that, that fairy .
When they heard that the chick was the master, everyone had the same reaction: WTF!!! (╯®Д®)╯︵┻━┻ !!!
Holy crap! The cultivators were incredible! There was no flapping dress, but jeans and sneakers . Although that did not quite fit the image in their head, once they accepted this setting, why, they began to look forward to seeing more!
While they were discussing this in private, Xiaojin was asking Tao Yu about the area in the biggest suite of the hotel .
Tao Yu looked strangely nervous, for this patriarch was acting completely differently from when she'd first arrived at their home .
"Yo, Old Tao, how well do you know about Ailao Mountain?"
"Um, I more or less know my way around here . "
"Then tell me this . " Xiaojin suddenly moved closer and looked at him with puss-in-boots eyes . "Hehe, do you know about the treasure of Li Runzhi?"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-187.png){kind=small}
Chapter 387
Source: Imported
Li Runzhi was born into a family of chieftains in Diannan, where the position had been inherited for six generations until the periods of Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty . After that, the family became the local squires and was extremely influential in Xinping and the nearby counties, running businesses in goods such as crude opium, tea, and salt .
We wouldn't go into details on the family; those interested could do research on their own 1 . What was interesting was this: when the Li Family fell apart, only a small amount of the family possession was found, and no one ever saw the legendary huge wealth they'd accumulated over the past generations .
For centuries, several theories on the whereabouts of the treasure had been going around in the Ailao Mountain area .
One theory was that before Li Runzhi died, he hid the treasure under Black Tiger Cliff behind his manor, and the hiding place was connected to the outside by an underground tunnel . However, no one knew where the entrance to that tunnel was .
The second theory was that two dozens of mules had transported the treasure to a place called Nanda .
The third one said that the treasure was buried beneath the big manor of the Li Family, for some strange patterns were carved into the ground in the courtyard—they could be instructions on how to open the vault .
For years, experts and grave robbers had been trying to locate the treasure, but none succeeded . As time went by, it gradually became an urban legend .
"Actually, the government has verified all those theories already . There was no underground tunnel, and the pattern was unsolvable . And about that so-called Nanda place—there are six Nanda villages in Diannan Province, and each village was as common as the next one . " Since Xiaojin brought it up all of a sudden, Tao Yu told her about everything he knew on the subject . He then asked gingerly, "Um, are you trying to find the treasure?"
"What do you think? That's why I'm here! Last time I had to follow orders, but I am the boss now, so of course I have to take a look . "
" . . . " Tao Yu swallowed, and dared not make any comment on that . He only said, "If there really is a mine in the mountain, we will have to build a mining area . Without absolute safety, we won't be able to recruit any workers . "
"Don't worry . If that's the case, I'll come back and set up a formation for you . All you guys need to do is stay inside it . " With that, Xiaojin said pretty much everything she wanted so say, and was ready to go to bed . However, a moment passed, and Tao Yu was still standing there . She said impatiently, "Cut the crap and speak your mind!"
"Um, you have met our Xiao Tong and Xiao Yi . If I may ask, what do you think of them?" Tao Yu smiled awkwardly .
"Are you going to bribe me?" She gave him a sideway glance .
"I wouldn't even begin to think of that! It's just that I'm taking them to Bai Town as candidates, and I thought that maybe I could ask your opinion beforehand, so that I can be better prepared," said Tao Yu immediately .
"Their endowment is on the ordinary side . It all depends on their temperament . With some luck, they'll be chosen . "
"I see . I see . I won't disturb you any longer and let you rest, then . " Tao Yu then left the room .
***
"Aorrrrr!"
A big Asian golden cat over two meters long screamed as it was yanked off a tree .
Before it could react, the big cat that had become the unchallenged overlord of the area after its mutation found itself flying into the air before falling back to the ground face down .
"So weak . Having you as a pet would ruin my reputation . " Holding its tail in her right hand, Xiaojin caressed its golden fur with her left hand, sounding disgruntled .
Asian golden cat, or Temminck's cat, was an animal good at climbing and with excellent ears that could catch the tiniest sounds from the surrounding area . The beast was fierce and bold, and was known as the "yellow tiger" . The color of its fur ranged from golden, brown, and black to foxy red and gray .
This mutated individual was covered in golden fur, which was a spectacular look . However, right now, it was fondled by the dear patriarch herself . The experience was so "touching" that it dared not move a hair . Lying by Xiaojin's feet, it purred miserably like a large-size kitten .
"Sigh, you might come in handy, though . All right, you're coming back with me!" After Xiaojin had enough fun with the caressing, she took the big cat by its tail and dragged it effortlessly back to the campsite, where the workers were drilling for a survey . The rumbling sound resonated on the mountain, but no other creatures dared come within a hundred meters of the campsite .
They had no choice! Humans were so frightening!
"Fairy Jin, what did you catch today? Wow! That's a big guy!" The team had grown used to her habit and gathered around to look . "Put it in the cage as the others?"
"In a separate one from the civets . "
"Copy that!"
Right away, a few people carried the unconscious golden cat to a corner, where a row of tree cages stood . The thick branches intertwined, forming several natural cages .
Xiaojin waved her hand, and two branches separated with a whoosh . The workers then tossed the cat in, and the branches closed up again right away . Apart from the golden cat, there were quite a few other animals in the cages, such as large civets, small civets, Francois' langurs, stump-tailed macaques, black musk deers, etc . , all of which were rare animals of the old days .
The reason for collecting them was obvious: because of the tourism development, there were too few animals on Phoenix Mountain . She was going to take all of these back to Bai Town to liven up the mountain a little .
"All right! Lunch time!" Over on the other side, the drilling stopped when Tao Yu announced that lunch was ready . The logistic team carried in a few large buckets; the others lined up with plates in hand, all eager for food .
There were meat and vegetable dishes for every meal . The meat was yellow-fur rat meat at first, but since the patriarch began to clear the area, all sorts of strange beasts were added to their menu .
It was not the best meat to eat, but the wild animals had trace amounts of spiritual essence in them, which was more than what the workers ever could have asked for!
Momentarily, the campsite was filled with the sound of talking and laughter . There was not the least uneasiness about being trapped in a death zone .
Holding his plate, Tao Yu sat down right next to Xiaojin, and reported, "The reserves were more than we expected, and are very concentrated . It won't be too hard to exploit the mine . We will finish the survey in a few days . "
"A few? Be more precise," said Xiaojin .
"Um, four or five days . "
"Four or five days…" Xiaojin's eyes flickered . "All right, it's about time that I look around . "
"Miss Jin, that Li manor is halfway up the mountain, next to Yaonan Village and a long way from here . Without you around, we, we can't control those beasts!" Tao Yu grew anxious right away .
"The cages are doing the controlling; you don't have to do anything . Just say you're afraid—there's no shame in that . Don't worry . I'll draw a circle around the camp, and everything will be fine as long as you stay inside the circle!" Xiaojin teased him .
'Draw a circle? Sis, are you a monkey 2 ?'
Tao Yu pursed his lips, but dared not say that aloud, though he was curious about the arrangement all the same . Shortly afterwards, when lunch was over, he saw what that circle was .
"Thundercloud Grit, go!" The patriarch held up a small gourd, and black sand granules were gushing out of it incessantly like tidal waves . The sand spread evenly around the campsite and floated in mid-air, making a perfect shield .
"All right . I'm off . " Putting away the gourd, Xiaojin was ready to fly .
Tao Yu chased after her, asking, "When are you coming back?"
"Not sure . Just wait here!" At those words, she stepped out, and was miles away in half a heartbeat as if she was carried away by wind—it was none other than the Rising Manual .
'Wow!'
Although they had seen her doing it multiple times before, the workers still could not help but be amazed . If a random girl they sent out was as remarkable as that, what would it be like on that Phoenix Mountain ten thousand miles from here?
***
Yaonan Village, halfway up the mountain .
The Li's manor took up an area of four mu and had 65 rooms . Because it was built in the more recent times, the layout looked quite novel, and the style rather unique . The design of the front gate, for instance, was a combination of oriental and western styles .
It used to be a tourist destination, but was naturally deserted after mutations took place on Ailao Mountain . The courtyard was overflowing with grass, and had become a habitat for animals . It looked like a heaven for wildlife .
Flap!
All of a sudden, various small animals scattered as if they were frightened, then a person flew in like a sparrow from the other side of the tall wall . Long-limbed and not very busty, it was none other than Xiaojin herself .
Looking around, she saw that the houses were mostly well-preserved . There were some cracks if one looked closely; all in all, the place felt bleak and out-dated .
The manor consisted of three sections: the courtyard, the garden, and the stable . She wandered around unhurriedly, and had soon visited all parts of the house . She then went back to the main hall where she'd started .
The main hall was a square courtyard paved with square slabstones . There was even a pool built for fire-fighting . If one had to find something unusual about the place, it would be the four slabstones with patterns on them .
The first one had an irregular pentagram on it, with the northwestern and the southwestern sides being the longest . One was pointing at the bedroom of Li Runzhi's concubine and the other at the living room .
The patterns on the other three looked like labyrinths; they curved around, and each had an entrance and an exit .
The patterns had long been discovered, and countless people had studied them, but all came up empty . Xiaojin had no information whatsoever, and could only run blindly around . Obviously, she didn't find anything .
Then, she jumped out of the tall wall all of a sudden, and began to talk to herself . "This is a cultural relic all right, but just look at this place . Ailao Mountain is no tourist destination for anyone in the future—it's not like they're going to build a wildlife theme park out of it… Tsk, so many people have been here before, and none of them could figure out that pattern… the hell with solving the puzzle! Sky-turning Seal!" she suddenly called out . An ancient-styled seal appeared in the sky, then grew bigger and bigger, soon suspending over the manor like a small hill .
Boom!
She had never exerted her full power when using it before, but she spared no effort this time .
Good God! The entire mountain shook with that loud bang . Birds flew out of the woods, and animals ran amuck as if a heavenly tribulation was coming down on them . Even those staying as far out as the campsite heard a muffled sound .
'Wow!'
The workers grimaced . It couldn't have been anyone else . . .
"Go!"
Back over at the manor, the seal rose back up after the first strike, then smashed down again, and again, and again… It was like a massive demolishing project; one almost felt sorry for the place .
It seemed forever before Xiaojin finally felt she had made enough wreckage . Retrieving the seal, she moved closer to examine the ground .
"Why, that's a very large pit!"
Yup, she had jumped into a pit that was about four mu in size . The buildings were all in crumbs, and nothing was recognizable . The damaged foundation was exposed in the air in large areas .
She searched around the pit and frowned . "Hm? How come there isn't anything?"
Xiaojin did not believe that the treasure was a legend only .
With the discovery of the spiritual essence, there were plenty of examples proving that the legends of historical figures were mostly true . Moreover, the Li Family had lived in a period so recent, and both his entourage and bodyguards had mentioned things indicating that there was indeed a treasure .
Hence, she searched the ground carefully for another time with her mental force spread out so that she wouldn't miss the tiniest thing . All of a sudden, her mental force found something, and she was at that spot the next moment .
Clunk!
Xiaojin lifted up a slate, then moved all the debris away with the Small Moving Technique . After the area was cleaned up, what was behind it was finally revealed .
It was a big round black slate with a ferocious tiger head as its handle . Recalling the plan of the manor, xiaojin realized that this was where the stable—which was outside the walls—stood . There was a double-layered basement with an underground tunnel beneath it .
Holding the tiger head, she pulled . Whoosh!
As expected, she heard the sound of blowing wind . Behind that trapdoor was a pitch-dark hole in the ground .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-188.png){kind=small}
Chapter 388
Source: Imported
Xiaojin jumped right into the hole without the slightest hesitation .
The tunnel probably had a vent of some sort, for there was no stale air below; however, there was no source of light, and it was awfully dark . Since Xiaojin could see in the dark, it did not concern her at all . She marched out along the secret tunnel .
It was not wide—just about enough to let a slim person pass . The interior wall was laid with stone bricks on all sides, and the ceiling arched upwards .
To be honest, had this been a relic left behind by Ye Fashan, An Qisheng, or Heshang Gong, she would have definitely acted more cautiously . But since the owner was a mere moneybag of some remote corner of the country, why bother?
Hence, Xiaojin marched out in large strides, advancing resolutely as if she owned the place . There were no traps or defensive mechanisms in the tunnel, and every brick stayed where it should be . About two hours later, she stopped at a stone gate .
The thick and solid door was made out of one big chunk of bluestone . The knocker was also a black tiger head .
"Legend had it that Li Runzhi drafted nearly ten thousand laborers to build his manor . I think I'm beneath the Black Tiger Cliff now . "
She estimated the distance: starting from the stable, the tunnel stretched all the way here, and should take her right into the mountain . She gave the stone gate another look, then pressed her palm against it, and gave it a little push .
Thud!
There was a muffled sound, and dust filled the air . The door then gave way and opened narrowly with a creak .
Xiaojin walked in and saw a square secret chamber containing nothing but dozens of chests, all made from top-grade camphor wood and rimmed with bronze .
She went up to the chests and opened one at random . It was a chestful of bullets .
Holy sh*t!
She blinked, and quickly opened all of the chests, then buried her head in her hands . Damn it! She should have known not to expect too much from a rural entrepreneur!
Well, we had to consider the historical background . Back when Li Runzhi was building his empire, it was right before the modern state was established . The country was carved up by warlords, and the flames of war raged across the land . So, what would he consider the most valuable?
Gold, silver, ammunition, medicinal materials, and crude opium!
Hence, of the dozens of chests, ten were filled with gold bullion, five had various jewelry, twenty contained opium paste that was long past its shelf life and smelt like old urine . . . The rest of the chests were all dedicated to Mauser pistols, Hanyang 88 rifles, Type Zhongzheng rifles, and a few FN Browning M1910 .
"Aaaaaaaaah!" Xiaojin bristled like a pissed off cat, and walked around tugging at her own hair . This was so humiliating! The others found the Seal of Patriarch Sa, Red Sun Sword Manual, and a spiritual ginseng when they went treasure-hunting, so why did she find this crap when it was her turn?
She paced around in frustration for quite a while before calming down . She then picked up a golden bar, and tossed it up and down just for fun .
"Collect antiques in times of prosperity and gold in times of turbulence . So, is it prosperous or troubled times now? We used to have gold standard, but I guess it'll be spiritual stone standard in a few years . Tsk! This is useless!"
She almost couldn't be bothered to take anything, but after giving it a little thought, she grabbed her storage bag and took twenty golden bars—maybe they could be used for refining instruments, who knew?
Once that was settled, Xiaojin was going to leave the chamber, but halted abruptly .
'Hm?'
Turning back and walking to a chest, she stuck her hand in, then grabbed a corner and lifted it up .
Splash!
The jewelry scattered all over the ground, and in her hand was an old book with a yellowing cover . It was printed in the standard form of the Republic of China era (i . e . 1912-1949) with the text going from the right to the left in a vertical typesetting . The title on the front page read: On Dragons .
" . . . "
Xiaojin squinted; it was hard to tell what was going on in her head . She only put the book away and left the room .
Thud!
The stone gate was closed again, as if it had never been opened .
With the harsh environment of Ailao Mountain now, the Li Family's manor, the tunnel, and the secret chamber would probably be lost forever in the new world .
***
It was well after dark already . The campsite was brightly lit, and the team huddled together anxiously .
On this mountain filled with mutated creatures, the night was much more dangerous then the day . Even with the circle the patriarch drew them, without her actual presence, they couldn't help but tremble with fear .
Rustle!
All of a sudden, a shuffling sound came from outside, and the floating Thundercloud Grit began to move slowly . The crowd tensed up, expecting to find some beast sneaking upon them . As it turned out, a young lady flew into sight .
"She's back! She's back!"
The team was elated, and even the air felt warmer . Tao Yu went up to her eagerly, and asked, "Is everything all right?"
"Yup . Just go back to whatever you were doing . " Xiaojin waved him off .
"Um, well…" One of the fellows was bold enough to stick around, and asked hesitantly, "Did you find the treasure of the Li Family?"
"Of course I did . I even took a tour around the place . "
'Wow!'
Everyone froze at the spot at those words, and pricked up their ears for some more . Folks of Diannan all knew about the legend of that treasure, but they'd never expected someone to have actually found it .
Tao Yu was surprised by the new as well, and asked tentatively, "Then, what did you find inside?"
"What else? Gold, a roomful of it . "
Good God! The campsite erupted at those words .
"Haha, I knew it! The treasure is real! The Li Family has lived in Xinping for generations; just imagine the amount of money they'd have plundered!"
"My grandpa said there must have been at least three hundred chests of gold! Hey, what's the price of gold now?"
"Sh*t! That'll worth over 100 million!"
"Hey, fairy, have you brought all of it out?"
"Why should I take it?" asked Xiaojin .
"It's gold! Like, real gold!"
"Exactly! You might think it worth sh*t, but we need it! How about this? Be an angel and take us there?"
The team of workers were carried away by the thought of the treasure . Everyone was yelling in excitement, and forgot all about behaving appropriately .
"Well, about the gold…" Xiaojin glanced at the crowd with a half smile on her face . "If you want it, go find it yourselves . Stop nagging me! Go back to your work!"
Buzz!
Everyone covered their ears at the last few words . A throbbing pain ran through their eardrums, followed by dizziness and convulsion, which took them a long while to recover . A hush then fell over the campsite as fear overtook them for what they had done .
Night, the living quarter .
The drilling went on so that the precise distribution of the deposit could be identified . The sound of the running machine made the campsite quiver slightly . All the workers had been doing this for a long time, and had gotten used to it . The men off their shift were sound asleep, not affected by the noise at all .
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Come in!"
Tao Yu entered . Xiaojin was sitting by her desk, lying open on which was an old book . She asked, "What is it?"
"Um, I'm here to apologize . " Tao Yu was very humble, and held his head so low that his forehead seemed to be reaching for the floor . "They didn't mean it . They were just common workers, and got . . . got carried away at the news of the treasure . "
"Just that? You can leave, then . I wasn't angry . "
"Then you, you…"
"I told you I'm fine . Now leave!"
"All right . Good night . " Tao Yu obeyed the order in resignation .
Xiaojin pursed her lips and resumed reading . The book was written vertically and in traditional Chinese characters, making it a rather difficult read . She had just finished the first two pages, which was a preface at the beginning .
The author was called Yuan Songzi, a travelling Taoist priest in late Qing Dynasty, and had lived to a very old age . He used to live in Xinping for a while, during which time he was an honorable guest of Li Runzhi .
Yuan was not an expert of any kind, but he loved studying ancient texts; travelling around the country, he was drawn to all kinds of unusual things . This "On Dragons" was a rambling type of book that tried to determine whether or not the creature dragon ever existed through textual research .
Well, presumably no one nowadays had seen a dragon with their own eyes .
The early theory about its origin was that after Yellow Emperor defeated Yan Emperor and Chiyou, he went on an inspection around the country, and called for a meeting in Fushan . A proportion was then taken from the totem of each tribe, then put together, becoming the image of a dragon .
However, as more information on dragons was discovered in the relics of the prehistoric culture, this theory was mostly abandoned .
After that, there was a discussion from the biological angle, which suggested that dragons did have a prototype, only that the ancient people had exaggerated it .
The most influential theory was about snakes . For instance, Wen Yiduo had made textual research to prove that the dragon totem originated from the snake totem . Some others believed the original form to be a crocodile, a lizard, a horse, or even lightning .
The reason lay in the variant Chinese character "dragon", which was written as a "stand" on the top, and a character that could either be "turtle" or "lightning" on the bottom .
The angle this "On Dragons" took was rather unique, for it tried to explain it through ancient texts and Taoist theories . It was composed rather loosely, but Xiaojin enjoyed it a lot .
Yuan Songzi mentioned the Dragon characters first . Legend had it that during the time of Fuxi 1 , a dragon rose out of a river, carrying a map . Fuxi then created characters based on the dragon to record events, and named the character Dragon characters .
Later, during the time of Emperor Shun, there were records of raising dragons . "During the time of Shun, people came to pay homepage with a dragon as a present, hoping they could eat it . "
After that, records on dragons were found in all dynasties . The one from the Tang Dynasty was much more detailed . "A civilian called Hu Ju from Tongcheng County of Shu Zhou reported that a blue dragon had fought to death in his courtyard . It was around fifty meters in length, had fish-like scales and fins, with 6-meter-long barbels, and a pair of horns each as long as six meters . "
The record of the Qing Dynasty was detailed enough to give the precise date . "June of the fifty-sixth year (of the reign of an emperor), a red dragon was spotted in Longwang 2 Valley of Lü Zhou . It was thicker in the front part, and thinned down towards the tail . The dragon was as long as ten or twenty meters . Grass and woods were burnt as it travelled by . "
The latest sighting happened in the Republic of China era, which was the well-known incident of the "fallen dragon of Mogou Camp" .
Some of the stories were almost mythical, while others were found in actual historical records . Yuan Songzi expressed his view in the most unrestrained manner .
According to him, in the pre-Qin period, when the world of mortal men predominated, the perfected, the supreme, the deity, and the likes often roamed the seas and travelled across the universe on the back of dragons . Back then, dragon was one of the three types of palanquins alongside tiger palanquin and deer palanquin—all were vehicles of great masters .
When the world of men waned, and the world of immortals prospered, the function of dragons changed with it—especially among the common people, who began to deify dragons . It gradually gave rise to the faith in five dragons, that was, the dragons of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth .
After that, a dragon was used by emperors to raise their own status, who claimed themselves embodiment of dragons, and called themselves "true dragon and the son of heaven" .
As a matter of fact, in the Chinese belief system, dragons were addressed as "dragon gods", and not "dragon kings" . The latter replaced the former after Buddhism was introduced into the country and combined with local beliefs .
Yuan Songzi believed that from the ancient time downwards, as the cultivators deteriorated in their capability, the grade and virtue of dragons fell with it, for back then, no one treated them as gods; they were mere rides and food…
At last, he categorized the dragons into a dozen types, including Hui Dragon, Qiu Dragon, Horn Dragon, Chi Dragon, Jiao Dragon, etc . , which looked rather convincing .
All in all, after his not-exactly-watertight demonstration, Yuan Songzi came to a conclusion: dragons came from the essence of heaven and earth, and were born at the calling of Nature; hence, they had to exist .
" . . . "
When Xiaojin finally put the book down, the sun was rising, and it was early morning again .
Leaning back, she threw her long legs over the desk, and shifted her balance to the back legs of the chair . As the chair swayed on two legs, she closed her eyes and went over the book in her head . Had she found this book five years ago, she would have thought it nothing but a load of bullsh*t .
However, now that she was able to explain it with the theories of spiritual essence… why, it seemed to make sense .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-189.png){kind=small}
Chapter 389
Source: Imported
"Hm?"
When Xiaojin got back to Phoenix Mountain a few days later and told them about what she had done, she saw three very surprised faces .
What surprised them was not that book "On Dragons", but "What the heck? You made no trouble whatsoever and came back in on piece?"
Maybe the look on their faces was too apparent—it made a certain person very unhappy, and she began to shoot out words like little bullets . "F*ck, why are you all giving me that look? Do you have any idea how much trouble I had to go through during this trip? I had to be the security, the monster-catcher, and the treasure-hunter all at once . That was a ten-thousand-mile round trip…"
"Yes, yes, of course . You have done such a good job!" Seeing that Xiaojin was fuming, Xiaozhai placated her right away, and asked with a smile, "So, what else did you find?"
"There!" Xiaojin removed the storage bag from her waist and turned it upside down . Twenty shiny golden bars fell out with a clangor . "From that old moneybags' stash . I just grabbed a few . I don't know if they'll be useful for us . "
"Gold…" Gu Yu picked on up and examined it . It was a standardized golden bar from the Republic of China era, weighing ten liang of the old system—equivalent to 312 . 5 g—and having a serial number, quality standard, weight, and the letter S—standing for "cast in Shanghai"—inscribed onto it .
"There were ancient cultivators using gold to refine instruments and Dan, but not many . We can keep them for the time being . Since you brought them back, I'm leaving them to you . " He handed back the golden bar, and switched the subject to dragons . "The book mentioned the fallen dragon of Mogou Camp . I actually took a great interest in that incident a few years back, and collected quite a lot of information about it . Real dragon or not, that was a dead one . Let's say it was a real dragon for the sake of argument . From what we know now, that was probably a Qiu Dragon—a baby dragon, if you like—which might have been around since the Ming Dynasty . When the spiritual essence drained up, it died as a result . "
"Why, wasn't that a dragon of the immediate former dynasty?" Xiaojin asked suddenly .
"Teehee!" Long Qiu giggled for no reason, then waved her hand . "It's nothing . I thought the expression 'immediate former dynasty' very funny . That's all . "
"You're getting sillier every day!" Xiaojin rubbed Long Qiu's head teasingly .
Gu Yu went on . "According to Yuan Songzi, dragons were the product of the essence of heaven and earth, and were born at the calling . It actually made some sense . Everything in this world is transformed from Qi, so as a special species, dragons must have their own way to be created .
"'At the calling' . . . I think this calling was a combination of the spiritual essence and the variety of things in this world . When spiritual essence is abundant and the cultivation world prospers, the world is majestic in all its variety . Without knowing it, the world is feeding more power to the birth of dragons; hence, it is easier to create them .
"Or, when cultivators are powerful enough in their own skills, they're able to make dragons themselves, such as master Wei Shanjun . "
Wei Shanjun was a Taoist priest of the early Tang Dynasty . He used to have a black dog that would go everywhere with him . When he achieved the Great Dao, the black dog transformed into a black dragon, and he ascended riding on its back .
"I like the expression 'transform', for dragons were not created out of thin air . Everything originated from Qi, and dragons are born sensing Qi; everything, then, is able to transform into dragons . Wait…" Gu Yu paused all of a sudden, and turned to Xiaozhai, who just happened to look at him at that moment as well .
"That's correct . The skill of my sect was call "Dragon-snatching Five Thunder Skill" at first, which was later improved by Celestial Master Sa . The addition he made actually mentioned transforming into dragons . But that won't happen until I reach the Immortal state . I will then be able to learn that skill, and—"
"And you get to turn into a dragon? Wow!" Xiaojin opened her eyes widely, and was suddenly very excited . In her left eye was "I have a very bold idea", and in her right eye "Hohohohohoho!"
Smack!
Xiaozhai's palm landed mercilessly on the back of her head . She then asked, "Speaking of which, didn't you say there was an iron fetter in Dongting Lake that was used for locking up a Flood 1 Dragon? Can there be a Flood Dragon in the lake?"
"It takes a Hui Dragon 500 years to grow into a Flood Dragon, a Flood Dragon 1000 years to become a dragon, a dragon 500 years to become a Horn Dragon, and another 1000 years to become a Ying Dragon…" Gu Yu rose to his feet, and looked a little stern now . "I hope there isn't one . Flood Dragons are known for their ability to set winds blowing and waves rolling . Deluges follow them everywhere . Let's wait and see what will become of Dongting first . "
***
Great events were coming in throngs recently .
First of all, there was the construction of the market town by Phoenix Mountain; then, Black Water Sword was found, and the monastery suggested to use it as a sacrifice to open up the Great Hall of Skills of Lüshan at the bottom of Min River .
Before the government could figure out how that worked, Old Gu came out of seclusion, and flew across the sky in broad daylight without so much as trying to disguise himself . He converted 1000 Grade Three spiritual stones, and Phoenix Mountain then set up its great formation before announcing that they were going to give a lecture and take in pupils .
It was only mid-May now, but a lot of people were already feeling that this year was going to be exceptionally long . Together with the effect of the scorching heat, days were wearing on like years .
While the government was concerned, the lecture was the top of their priority list . Therefore, the bosses had agreed that after it was over, they'd invite Gu Yu to Fujian right away to prepare for the sacrifice ceremony .
To the common people, however, the part about taking in pupils was the most important .
"It's been days . So, if you have anything, do tell . "
Under the old tree, Xiaozhai was the hostess of this family meeting . Earlier, she had asked everyone to come up with a trial to test the candidates, and today was the day for the group discussion .
"Before we begin, let's set a few things straight . First of all, there are so few of us . Apart from we four, the only others that can teach are Old Shui and Li Dong . Therefore, we are not going to have a college system . The basics are taught in small private classes, and the elementary courses will follow a tutorial system . Agree?"
"Agree!"
"Secondly, our principle is to have few but elite pupils . We value quality over quantity—"
"Hey, wait a minute!" Xiaojin interrupted right there . "You heartless couple don't do any actual work, and of course you know nothing about it, but Xiao Qiu and I are working our a*sses off . We're only going to have more properties in the future, and they all need a master to stick around . Say, the mine in Ailao Mountain for example—we'll at least put an innate state person there to take charge, right? I'm not going to run back and forth all the time .
"Right now, what we need most are people . Just take anyone that looks all right . They can be outer disciples if they can't qualify as inner ones . A few hundreds of outer disciples aren't too many, right?"
Oh my!
Xiaozhai was genuinely surprised, for what the girl said actually made sense . The little sister wasn't taking responsibilities in the past, and did not have the habit to think things through . Now that she had an official duty, it came naturally to her .
"Yes, I think we have too few people as well . I can't run the beast farm all by myself…" Long Qiu nodded, agreeing with Xiaojin . She then recalled something and blurted out, "You know what? The three piglets we have are one male and two females . They're in heat all the time these days . Can they mate? Is that inbreeding?"
"Um…" That question was too adorable for Xiaozhai to answer, and she had to ignore it for the time being . "Here's what I think . Let's forget about inner or outer disciples for now . They're all our pupils . We'll teach them the same thing for a while, and choose the excellent ones as inner disciples . "
" . . . " Gu Yu pondered for a moment, and said, "Yes, I think that could work . "
"All right, so that's fixed . Tell me about the trials you have in mind . "
"Me, me, me!" Long Qiu came thoroughly prepared, and her hand shot up eagerly . She then took out a long piece of paper and began to read off it . "There are several thousand stairs from the foot of Phoenix Mountain to the main peak . We can draw out the most difficult route, and those that finish first are qualified . "
"Too old-fashioned!" Xiaozhai shook her head .
"Then set up things like stones, wooden poles, or sandbags, and ask them to strike with their fists . This can test their physical strength . "
"Boring!"
"Let Golden Silkworm take different forms to scare them and see who can stay calm?"
" . . . " Xiaozhai had stopped replying, and only watched Long Qiu with her head strutting on her hand .
"How, how about we give them a written test of simple questions on Taoist classics…" Long Qiu's voice trailed off; she felt like a wronged puppy .
"Stop! Stop!" Xiaojin could not listen to it anymore, and commented, "You're hopeless in inventing games . My turn!" She seemed to have a well-thought-out plan, and said eagerly, "Doesn't Brother-in-law have his conjuring skill? We have to make good use of it! Hey, can you bring a couple hundred people into a vision at a time now?"
"Yes," said Gu Yu .
"Then what are we waiting for? Bring them in in groups, and you drag them into a vision . Hit them with everything: befuddled life that they can't tell if they're dreaming or drunk, all cardinal vices, the most dangerous lifestyles—let them go through all the emotions if you can . We can then tell which ones have a good temperament, can't we?"
Blinking, she went on . "If that's not enough fun, then there's more we can do, like taking them to the edge of a cliff and telling them whoever jumps down will be accepted, or asking them to kill each other until only ten people are left… but in fact, it will be a vision only and not the real thing… hahaha! What do you think? Do we like it?"
"No!" said the couple in unison .
"Tsk!" The denial came too soon, so Xiaojin protested loudly, "Why not?! Then let's hear what you have!"
"Ha…" Gu Yu chuckled . "I did give it a good thought, and designed a few trials, but then I asked myself: what am I doing?
"Our criteria are natural endowment and temperament, of which endowment is the easy one, which we can tell at the first look . But what about the temperament?
"If we stimulate them with the conjuring skill for a brief moment like you suggested, can we tell the nature of a person by an event or a sentence alone?
"I don't think so . That won't be reliable .
"Human beings are complicated creatures; selfishness is in everyone's nature, but most people aren't bad . Say a person is selfish, cowardly, hypocritical, arrogant… and for that, we deem them unfit for cultivation . Wouldn't that be a little arbitrary?
"We talk about testing one's determination in pursuing the Great Dao, but is anyone born with it?
"That determination is gradually gained, and we shouldn't set up a standard beforehand, then test them with it .
"I find those ancient legends preposterous—like some person kneeling outside a dwelling for months on end and the immortal becoming so touched that he took the person in as a pupil .
"The kneeling only proved that the person was persistent and devoted . It said nothing about their fitness for cultivation .
"Dao is the law of how everything works, and the origin of the universe . Can one learn it with devotion alone? I don't think so . One has to at least have their own understanding, and that requires observation for a long period . "
Gu Yu shared his point of view, then said, "That's why I agree with what your sister just said . We'll accept those that reach an average standard .
"We won't divide them into inner and outer disciples immediately . Instead, we'll set a deadline and decide who should stay or leave after that . Of course, in regard to those that are genuinely bad, we can always just kick them out . "
" . . . "
Long Qiu and Xiaojin remained silent after those words . To consider things from this angle was something they'd never thought of nor had experienced before .
Ancient people thought differently from modern ones .
When ancient cultivators took pupils, they were particular about fate and enlightment . 'We were brought together by fate, and if enlightment comes to you through my effort, then we are master and pupil . ' That was the crash course .
In "The Investitures of the Gods", Tongtian, the leader of Interceptism, was said to provide the same education to all his people, which attracted ten thousand immortals to pay him tribute . When someone came to him to pursue the Great Dao, the leader would take them in .
What did it mean by providing the same education to all? It did not merely mean that everyone got to attend classes .
Men were not all the same . Some were smart, some dumb, some upright, and some unworthy . However, through education, such differences could be eliminated .
Gu Yu had witnessed the helplessness and sorrow of Tan Chongdai, as well as the godsend falling on Bai Yunsheng's lap . He had been pondering such questions since he became a Human Immortal . A heart for the Great Dao was not the prerequisite for accepting a pupil, but an end result he hoped to achieve .
With education, disparity could be removed . Teaching was also Dao .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-190.png){kind=small}
Chapter 390
Source: Imported
Gu Yu was no saint, nor was he that altruistic .
He was merely following his heart, and tried to give ordinary people a little better chance in this new world . Maybe the slimmest chance was enough to change the life of a lot of people, saving them from an otherwise mediocre, unambitious, and unaccomplished one .
When the standard was set, everything became rather straightforward . They didn't have to rack their brains to design the trials any more . As long as the candidate was not abominable and had a natural endowment of the average level of ordinary people, they could be accepted .
Gu Yu set the deadline at one year, after which they would decide who was to stay and who to leave .
This was in stark contrast to the monastery, which adopted the standard college system, with Tianzhu being the highest seat of learning and the local temples the primary ones . The candidates were examined carefully, and there was an age limit . They mostly only took in those with excellent endowment or standing out in certain aspect .
The pupils were trained in the local temples for three years first before being tested by the monastery at the abbots' recommendation . Those that passed the test could continue their cultivation in the monastery .
An evaluation would be carried out at the end of their studies . The mediocre ones would either remain in the monastery to run errands, or be relocated back to the local temples, where they would be promoted gradually in order of seniority, and wait for their turn to become the abbot one day .
Those with excellent results would form the future core strength of the entire Taoist community . All resources would be focused on them, and they'd claim precedence over all others when education was concerned .
Of course, the previous year was the first year when the local temples recruited new students . It would be another two years before the first batch of pupils took their tests .
One had to admit that the education system of the monastery was quite reasonable . Not only did it allow the pupils to improve their capability to the greatest extent, it would also guarantee a constant supply of talented people . Phoenix Mountain, on the other hand, was an experimental plot standing out from the conventional education system .
Gu Yu did not think the way ancient cultivators did . What he wanted to convey was not his way of thinking . Instead, he was trying to teach his pupils how to understand their nature and how to pursue a Taoist heart of their own .
***
One year after its launch, the app New Classic of Mountains and Rivers had attracted an unfathomable number of users . Luckily, it was developed by the state, which could afford to throw limitless technology and money into its development—that kept the load of the server within a normal range, preventing it from collapsing .
Social medias such as wechat or weibo had long gone out of fashion . This app was the only thing that was on now . Each discovery of a new creature or each post with a novel idea would start another wave of heated discussions .
The developing institution responded accordingly, and was gradually making improvements . Just the other day, a new function was added: a subscription service provided by individual companies . It might sound funny, but that was how the recovery of spiritual essence fitted into a modern society—a lot of modern tools were there to make life easier .
The first batch of official account users were the sub-bureaus of the BIMAUP, followed by the local temples . After that, Phoenix Mountain and the monastery also joined in . Phoenix Mountain had the most followers, but they had one post, which announced that the lecture would take place on June 8th .
June 1st arrived in no time . The heat was merciless .
Ever since the construction of the market town began, Bai Town felt like it had been closed inside a steam pot, which was reflected in both the temperature and the atmosphere . The town was getting hotter and more crowded by the day as if it was going to burst at any moment .
Several hundred thousand people used to live here, but the number had been at least doubled now, and the capacity of the town was reaching its limits . The downtown area had been filled up already, and even the surrounding villages and townships were completely occupied .
Ten grown men would squeeze into one big kang (i . e . the brick bed) to sleep—God knew what could happen during the night .
And that was already a controlled result from the government's intervention .
Phoenix Mountain did not set a limit to the number of candidates, but the authorities had to make sure everyone would come out of this in one piece . Hence, those that had arrived early were elated with their good luck, while those that came late could not even get into Shengtian . They were stopped outside, crying their eyes out and cursing everyone that came to their head .
Beep! Beep!
It was noon when a fleet of vehicles slowly drove near along the road on the northern slope, then came to a stop outside the dense fog . The doors opened, and over forty people filed out .
They belonged to different parties .
First of all, there were Lu Yuanqing and his fellow 34 monastery members . This was the second time that the entire monastery had come out together; the last time was during the competition in Celestial Master Temple .
There was then the boss of the BIMAUP, and a few officials of the Shengtian sub-bureau .
Lastly, there were also a few sectless cultivators recruited by the government . Surprisingly, apart from Li Suchun and Li Daoyu, there were two others, who seemed to be brothers, both very young .
"I didn't expect the Northeast to be this hot . This is almost as bad as Qian Zhou . "
"You had that Cooling Talisman sticking on you the entire time, so stop complaining . My ice toad is the one suffering . "
"Are you kidding me? You call that suffering? Did you see Young Priest Li's iron corpse? I think it's melting… Hey, someone's coming . "
A moment later, the fog rolled and parted, then Old Shui and Li Dong walked out . As the representatives of Phoenix Mountain, they behaved very appropriately . "Sorry for keeping you waiting . This way, please!"
With that, they opened a passageway with their jade tablets, standing on either end of the team and letting the others enter in turn .
The fog turned and tumbled in the air, leaving out a path in the middle . Lu Yuanqing even sent out his mental force, which made a circle in the fog . Surprisingly, he sensed a strange response .
It had an ignorance to it, which reminded him of an infant .
'Hm? This fog is alive?' Lu Yuanqing winced, then shook his head . 'No, that's not it . Whoever running this formation is very unusual . '
Chao Kongtu was the most relaxed one . He even walked deliberately into the fog, but ran back out a moment later, shouting, "That was remarkable! It can deprive all of the five senses . A moment longer in there, and I'm turning into a walking corpse!"
"That won't be a problem . We'll have you refined by Young Priest Li; you'll be much capable than you are now . "
While they chatted with ease, the officials looked very tense . They followed the path precisely, and dared not cross the line even in the slightest .
They walked for a while before the fog gradually grew thinner, revealing the rolling northern slopes and the big manor . It went without saying, but this was where they were going to stay .
They had just entered the living room and took their seats when loud laughter came from outside . "Old Chao, Old Chao, where are you?"
'Gosh!'
Chao Kongtu lowered his head, and wanted to bang his head on the table . His fellow priests were very curious, though, and watched Xiaojin caper in, followed by a graceful Long Qiu .
So, these were the two princesses .
Xiaojin ran happily towards them, wanting to greet Chao Kongtu with her habitual mocking remarks, but was interrupted by an official, who stood up and asked, "Excuse me . Is Perfected Man Gu not available at the moment?"
"He is, but not for you lot . " Xiaojin changed her demeanor right away, and bowed properly . "Priest Lu, Priest Shi, Priest Zhang, Priest Chao, Priest Sikong…" She called out ten names . "Please follow me up the mountain . "
"May I ask what this is about?"
"To discuss the agenda of the lecture . "
"Of course!" Lu Yuanqing rose to his feet, paused a little, then said, "Senior Brother Mo, Senior Brother Wu, please come with us . "
"Yes!" two middle-aged men replied .
Gu Yu was not constantly in touch with the monastery, and did not have the most updated information . Two more priests of the monastery had reached the innate state recently . One was that Old Priest Mo, and the other was Wu Yiming of the Wudang Sect .
Here were some facts about Wudang .
Wudang Sect was associated with two concepts: the Taoist sect and the martial arts sect . The Taoist Wudang Sect belonged to Yinxian 1 Sect, which was established by Yin Xi, then passed down in turn onto Mayizi, Patriarch Chen Tuan, Priest Fire Dragon, and Zhang Sanfeng .
However, most of the skills of the sect were lost, and the sect merged with Quanzhen and began to practice the Dan method .
So far, the monastery had seven innate state priests—Lu Yuanqing, Shi Yunlai, Zhang Wumeng, Sikong Chan, Mo Haofeng, Wu Yiming, and Bai Yunsheng—and sat on the White Crane Underground Palace, whose relics had yet to be unearthed . With its teachings in Dan and Talismans, and ample talented people, a solid foundation was taking shape .
Apart from the seven names mentioned, Wang Ruoxu, Li Suchun, Zhang Shouyang, Chao Kongtu, and Zhong Lingyu were also invited . The twelve men then followed Long Qiu and Xiaojin onto the mountain .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-191.png){kind=small}
Chapter 391
Source: Imported
Apart from Chao Kongtu, the other eleven priests had never been on the mountain before, but even Old Chao was seeing for the first time of this "Phoenix Mountain 2 . 0" after the formation was activated .
The sensation was exceptional . However pretty the landscapes of the mortal world could be, they were still too common . Here, on the other hand, from the verdant mountain and the clear water to the flowers and trees, everything looked so natural with a spiritual aura .
Long Qiu and Xiaojin led the way at a normal speed . The rest climbed the stairs unhurriedly, passing the talisman workshop, liquor workshop, tea workshop, etc . , on their way; those did not surprise them at all .
A while later, the two girls suddenly turned towards the front mountain, and stopped at a peach grove somewhere between the front and the back mountain .
Among the sea of pink blossoms dangling from the branches was a clearing, where some stone tables and chairs had been set out . A man and a woman sat there waiting; they were none other than Gu Yu and XIaozhai themselves .
"Hello, Layman Gu!"
"Hello, Laywoman Jiang . "
The priests greeted the couple . Although the letter said "honorable Perfected Man Gu", that was for diplomatic purposes—they could never address Gu Yu as "Perfect Man" in his presence, for they were all cultivators, and knew what that title represented .
"Priest Lu, it's been a while . " While Long Qiu busied herself pouring tea for everyone, Gu Yu invited them to take their seats . First, he said to Lu Yuanqing, "I see that Priest Lu has made yet another achievement . You're almost getting to the Great Dao of Dan method . "
"You flatter me! I am still four or five years away from obtaining the Golden Liquid . "
The state of Golden Liquid Huandan was equivalent to the Human Immortal state . Old Lu became an innate state cultivator four years ago, and was cultivating with the help of Dan pills as well . He was making pretty fast progress .
'Four or five years…'
Xiaojin's eyes darted around at those words, and she was at ease . 'I see, he's about at the same level as me, and there's a fifty percent chance I can defeat him . He doesn't scare me!'
"I have heard so much about your remarkable mountain, and I see that it is as beautiful as people claim it to be . This peach grove is excellent . May I ask what unusual species this is?" Lu Yuanqing was very good at making small talk .
"This is the culprit of that peach blossom miasma in Hekou Town . I cut a few branches and brought them back a few years ago . Somehow, they grew into a grove here . "
After exchanging some pleasantries with Lu Yuanqing, Gu Yu turned to Bai Yunsheng with a smile . "Priest Bai, congratulations on the achievement in your sword manual . "
"Thank you . You were the reason that I could have this opportunity," replied Bai Yunsheng politely .
Gu Yu then greeted those that he had met before, such as Li Suchun and Wang Ruoxu, in turn . He then sipped his tea, and said, "I am honored to have everyone here today . Although I took the initiative in holding a lecture, I am actually feeling uneasy about it, fearing that I am reaching beyond my ability .
"We talk about lecturing the others with Taoist theories, but I'd rather think it an occasion to spread cultivation concepts and offer explanations . It is an opportunity to make the people understand . What do you think?"
"That's right!" The priests nodded .
Teaching Taoist theories was not simply telling any random person about the real Taoist skills . That would be so foolish .
Since the beginning of everything until now, because of a certain reason, the authorities had been quite vague in this aspect, and never offered a specific system . Enthusiastic as the common people were, they had little idea of the thing they were so infatuated with—all they did was noisily coming along for the ride .
Hence, the purpose of this upcoming lecture was to educate the people, letting them know what this new world was like and the reason for the change, as well as the concepts of Qi, cultivation, talisman, Dan method…
Only by understanding these ideas could people gradually begin to adjust their mindset and switch their ideas from old to new . How would they ever be able to embrace a new world if they did not even know the basics of it .
"The preliminary plan is to hold lectures for seven days . The contents will depend on the audience—we will spend the daytime lecturing the outsiders and the nights communicating among ourselves . " Xiaozhai took over the conversation and went on, "Everyone here is a capable man: Priest Lu's Dan method, Priest Bai's sword skill, Priest Wang's Fengshui practice, Priest Zhang's talismans, just to name a few . Now, you're all unchallenged masters in your respective areas .
"We might seem to have quite a few people here, but today is only the beginning . In a few days, priests and pupils of local temples will be arriving, as well as various foreign delegations . Hence, please don't be shy to show off your skills . "
" . . . "
The priests of the monastery exchanged looks in silence, all taken by surprise . They did not expect to see an event of such a scale!
That being said, they were very excited to take part in it . However the times changed, education was always a great contribution to the world . Since the tone had been set, they then moved onto discussing the agenda .
Agewise, Gu Yu was among the youngest . However, as the only Human Immortal and the host of the event, his opinion was valued the most . As for Xiaozhai, well, no one could overlook her relationship with Old Gu .
After a half-day-long discussion, they finally came up with an agenda . Starting from June 8th, the lecture would be running for seven days .
Gu Yu would give the opening lecture on the first day .
Lu Yuanqing and Shi Yunlai would talk about Dan methods on the second day .
Zhang Shouyang and Chao Kongtu would talk about talismans on the third day .
Wang Ruoxu would introduce Fengshui and Li Suchun would talk about evil energy and lands with Yin attribute on the fourth day .
On the fifth day, Bai Yunsheng would talk about sword skills, and Mo Haofeng about the categorization and identification of spiritual beasts .
The sixth day was when Xiaozhai talked about Thunder Technique and Long Qiu about the Undead Insects .
On the seventh day, Phoenix Mountain would be officially taking in pupils .
Lectures during the daytime for the outsiders were all on general concepts, and did not involve specific cultivation methods . The internal discussion during the evenings would be all about the useful stuff .
***
Bai Town, Baoshan .
Baoshan was 23 km from the city, and had a population of a little over 20 000 and an economy on the less developed side . Most of the town were mountainous areas, and only about one tenth was arable lands . However, the town had suddenly become a popular spot thanks to its proximity to the city .
Those that had arrived late and could not find a place to live in the downtown area had all flooded the surrounding villages and towns, among which was Baoshan .
You Yu had arrived early enough, but he could not afford the surging price of the hotels in the city . Hence, he had to stay at the home of some farmer of Baoshan, sharing a big kang with several men during the night .
The rent was paid by days, and meals were not included… even such a place was not easy to get .
Today was June 3rd already . As the date approached, people were becoming more agitated . With the abominable heat, everyone was pushing towards their limits both psychologically and physically .
The police force was working around the clock, but there was simply not enough of them . Fights were breaking out every day; the most severe one took place yesterday, when two groups of people fought with weapons—a quarrel between the two groups somehow escalated, and they threw down the gauntlet .
Over a dozen people suffered from minor injuries, and two people were severely wounded . Luckily, they were already out of immediate danger .
Had this happened anywhere else, the place would have been cleared out for inspection . However, this was Phoenix Mountain's business . Even the one million people in Bai Town now felt like inferior insects shut up in a jar under the blazing sun, let alone these people living in the villages . Life was so miserable, and they had no control over their fate .
Slurp!
Right now, in the central room of a farmhouse, a small table was set on the ground, and two boys were having their breakfast while sitting on stools . One was You Yu, and the other was Wang Jingxin, You Yu's roommate .
Wang Jingxin was from Longxi, and very teenagery . He had travelled halfway across the country to become a pupil of the mountain .
Wang Jingxin was a lively character . Chewing the noodles made from potato flour, he shouted at someone in the yard, "Uncle, we're eating this every single day . Can't we have something else for a change?"
"What do you want to eat? Steamed buns and millet congee? Where am I supposed to find any of that?"
"Then how about something different for dinner? Anything but rat meat with cabbage! I'm gonna be sick if I eat any more of that!"
"Like I care? Go live somewhere else, then!" Their elderly landlord was shirtless and covered by sweat . He bundled up some very green cabbages and put them into the cellar, then cursed, "Jesus f**king Christ! It's hot as hell again this year . We don't have any crops in the first place, and if it goes on like this, we'll all starve to death!"
He had to complain .
Nowadays, one would be daydreaming if they wanted soybean milk, deep-fried dough sticks, and salty tender bean curd for breakfast . Even the officials could not have those .
Seven people used to live in this farmhouse, but for one reason or another—economic pressure, being maimed in fights, or being unable to bear the hardships, for example—most of them had gone back home .
They were the only two left now . You Yu felt like a student of ancient times, going on a ten-thousand-mile journey towards the capital city to take civil examinations . Once there, he was to experience how difficult it was to live in big cities, and had to fight madly for a place to stay in .
They soon finished breakfast, and Wang Jingxin wiped his mouth with his hand . "I'm heading out to the town center . Wanna come?"
"Nope . I don't want to be a third wheel . "
"Tsk, you don't have to say that aloud!" The fellow blushed, and hurried out of the courtyard . He was going to see a certain southern girl he'd just met .
Having nothing better to do, You Yu stayed in the shade under the eaves, holding a fan while looking around in boredom .
Beep! Beep!
Moments later, a vehicle suddenly stopped outside . Tao Yu rolled down the window, calling out, "We're heading for the city . Wanna come?"
"Um, sure!" You Yu hesitated a little, but nodded in the end .
It was quite a coincidence . Tao Yu had brought Tao Tong and Tao Yi here himself . He did not like the crowded city, so he rented an entire farmhouse in Baoshan right next door to where You Yu stayed .
They struck up a conversation the other day and were surprised to find out that they had all met Perfected Man Gu, which naturally brought them closer . Tao Yu even asked You Yu to move into their place, though the latter refused politely .
They followed the traffic and drove into Bai Town at a crawling speed .
Tao Yu was going to the patriarch to talk about the development of the mine, while You Yu wanted to walk around on his own . Hence, they set a time to meet, and each went about their own business .
You Yu hopped onto a bus and arrived in the square at the foot of the mountain .
Houses were being built in the square—one row on both the left and the right side—and were apparently to be used for reception in the future . A lot of people was here . For one, it was close to the mountain, and in case there were some new developments, they could learn of them first . For another, it was nice and cool here .
With the temperature of Phoenix Mountain, this place was far cooler than the surrounding area; it was as if a central air-conditioning was blowing here .
The kid had little money, but was still having a good time walking around while window-shopping . He had finished one round around the market and was about to take another round when someone cried out somewhere ahead of him . "My bag!"
'!!!'
The crowd turned their heads as a boy with a brush cut ran this way holding a bag . A small girl was yelling at the top of her voice behind him .
'Tsk!'
You Yu hesitated a little, but still decided to step out and stop the boy . However, before he could take any action, a man jumped out with a kick . The fellow fell to the ground with a thud .
While he wailed holding his stomach, the leather bag was tossed away and landed right at You Yu's feet .
" . . . "
You Yu winced a little, then picked up the bag and went up to the fellow, only to find another group of people there . They were two boys and a girl similar to himself in age, with a few vigorous bodyguards, one of which stopped that man .
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
The little girl ran up to them, panting heavily .
She was about seven or eight, and had lusterless hair . Despite her tiny frame, she had very large eyes, which looked somewhat disproportionate on her . She also wore very plain clothes, and had a darker complexion . She looked a little timid .
"Where are you from? Why are you all by yourself? Where're your parents?" Of the two boys and a girl, the girl was the first to speak .
"I was here with my uncle, and we got separated…"
"Do you know his number?"
"I do, but I don't have a cellphone . "
The little girl spoke sensibly, only that she appeared to have a feeling of inferiority . Seeing the demeanor and the clothes of the three teenagers, she was a little afraid to look up .
"Call your uncle with my phone, then . Here's your bag . " You Yu handed her back her bag .
"Thank you! Thank you!" The little girl made her phone call . Then, pursing her lips, she summoned up her courage, and said, "May I know our names? I promise I will repay your kindness . "
"Why, are you living in the ancient times? How are you going to repay me? Are you going to marry me?" the teenage girl teased her . "I suppose there's no harm in telling you our names—we might be classmates someday . I'm Zeng Ke, he's Lei Xiao, and that's Yuan Lingshan . We're all from Shengtian . "
That was right . These three were the youngsters of the Zeng, the Lei, and the Yuan Families .
"I'm You Yu . I'm from Zhijin, Guizhou Province," said You Yu .
" . . . "
The little girl blinked, feeling that this brother was the kinder one . "I, I'm An Susu, and I'm from Xiaoheyan Village, Sanping . "
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-192.png){kind=small}
Chapter 392
Source: Imported
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" An Susu's uncle showed up shortly afterwards to fetch her, and thanked the others repeatedly .
The girl might address him as her maternal uncle, but he was actually more like a distant relative . The man was a government employee in the Wula Province; he and his colleagues had been assigned a quota, requiring them to each find a candidate to go to Phoenix Mountain .
His own son was already a married man . After searching through his acquaintances, this distant niece was the only one he could find . Susu's parents were honest farmers with little education and he had expected much persuasion would be needed, but surprisingly, the parents agreed almost right away .
The uncle found their reaction somewhat puzzling, but did not think much of it, for the farmers had been having such a rough time these years he thought this was probably the parents' idea of finding a way out for their daughter .
Just like that, the five of them—that was, An Susu (7), You Yu (15), Zeng Ke (15), Lei Xiao (16), and Yuan Lingshan (16)—met for the first time .
The three teenagers from the three families were very well-mannered, and did not display any patronizing behavior, yet You Yu was the one leaving Susu with the best impression—probably because they were both raised in a farmer family . The two exchanged contact information before going separate ways .
You Yu went on roaming the square, which had become the playground of people from all walks of life . They hooked up or jostled, each trying to outwit the others . Such were the dynamics of the square .
That "know-it-all", for instance, had cozied up to quite a large group of people, and formed an organization that lived off gathering and selling information . Luckily, the guy was not one of those unrealistic adolescents, and did not give his organization names like " Suspending Mirror Division", "Dubhe Camp", or "Mansion of Golden Wind and Fine Rain 1 " . The organization was named plainly as "Pavilion of Secrets" .
A bunch of people from the Northeast—mainly from the provinces of Heishui and Wula—soon teamed up like a gang . Despite their unruly appearance, they were no fools . There was no oppression of the fellows of the same trade, nor were they asking anyone for protection money . Any behavior like that, and the square would be cleared out for good by a little tap of the patriarch's seal .
Just like so, Shengtian was attracting the attention of the whole country, Bai Town was the center of focus of Shengtian, and the square was where the spotlights of Bai Town converged . The main event had yet to begin, but everything was bustling like a fanfare out there .
"Hey, there's an update!" You Yu was quietly observing the dynamics of various parties when a fellow shouted, "It's the agenda! The agenda is set!"
Whoosh!
Almost everyone moved in unison: taking out their phones, they tapped the app open and checked the most recent update of Phoenix Mountain . It was very short—two lines only .
"The seven-day event will begin on June 8th; the first six days consist of lectures, and the seventh day the trials for the candidates .
"Location: the square at the mountain foot . Time: every morning at eight . "
Neither the content of the lectures nor the lecturers were mentioned, but these two lines alone were like a burning match thrown into a gunpowder barrel . The square erupted .
"God damn it! I live in Shali Village . That's like over 50 km from here!"
"Lucky you . I'm staying in f*cking Qingchengzi, and that's 90 km away!"
"Where the hell am I supposed to find my ride? Sh*t, I probably have to sleep on the square on the 7th . "
"Same here . I'm going to buy a mattress now . "
A lot of people were complaining, which was all about the inconvenience in the availability and travelling resulting from the great number of people . You Yu secretly rejoiced, for not only was Baoshan very close, he could also ride with Tao Yu . He would definitely be here on time .
Of course, more people cheered at the announcement than not, for choosing the square as the venue meant that they could escape the scorching heat coming from the blazing sun . With such a hot weather and so many people, holding the event elsewhere would guarantee a massive number of heatstroke victims .
***
Up on the mountain, over the cloud .
Gu Yu was standing right there, looking down at everything happening below .
That Rising Manual turned out to be very useful . As it was available to both Phoenix Mountain and the monastery, it could work perfectly as a universal escaping skill . Depending on the cultivation level of the practitioner, the effect of the manual also differed . With it, the acquired state cultivators could rise 20 or 30 meters above the ground and move for hundreds of meters across the air, whereas innate state cultivators would travel miles away in one stride as if travelling by wind .
As of a Human Immortal, well, you were looking right at it . He could actually manipulate Qi, which enabled him to stand on the cloud .
Gu Yu took in all activities on the square with a single glance . With his face remaining emotionless, one could not tell what was going on in his head . A moment later, someone called out from below . "Old Gu, gimme a hand!"
Whoosh!
Pressing his left hand at the empty air and lifting up, he pulled Xiaozhai up, then held her in his arms .
Xiaozhai also looked down at the mountain foot . "So, you do see things differently at a different cultivation state . Standing this high up, you simply have to see every other life down there as nobodies even if you don't mean to . " Wrapping her arms around Gu Yu's waist, she chuckled . "You've been here for a while . Any thought?"
" . . . " Gu Yu hesitated a little before answering her . "Maybe because Old Priest Tan had moved me greatly, I was a little impetuous in the beginning; all I could think of was to earn a few more opportunities for the others . However, as the date approaches, I am getting a feeling growing stronger by the day—about how insignificant I am, and how I have overestimated my capability .
"However, it then occurred to me that I should simply make a lecture fitting my level of understanding . I will do my best, and there is no shame in that . So, to answer your question: there is no thought . "
"Is that so?" Blinking, Xiaozhai suddenly raised her hand and slipped it inside his clothes, which caressed gently and finally stopped over his heart .
"Oh? It's indeed as settled as still water…" Her perfect fingers then twiched, and there was a thin layer of electric film over her palm, which created a ticklish, numbing, and prickling sensation . The hand then moved downwards . "How about now?"
"Having fun, aren't you?" Gu Yu rolled his eyes at her, and pulled the pretty hand out of his shirt, asking, "How did your preparation go?"
"I don't need preparation . "
"Are you that confident?"
"Why can't I be?" Xiaozhai retorted . "At the end of the day, what we're doing is the popularization of concepts, so we'd better keep them plain and common rather than profound and difficult . We're cultivators all right, but we're also modern people in the first place . How much preparation do we need for communication between modern people?"
Before Gu Yu could reply, she went on .
"We all know the saying: the economic base determines the superstructure .
"The current principal contradiction is that despite the emergence of the new relations of production, the productivity has not developed along with it . Five years is a long time for individuals, but it is too short for society as a whole, and is in no way long enough for a transition to take place .
"Our mind lags far behind the facts . Cultivation is happening, but people's understanding of cultivation is not moving forward with it . Since the authorities will do nothing to change the ideology, we have to take that task .
"All countries are rebuilding their social systems now . When that is completed, a new global system will be established . We will then have to deal with a global market, the flow of commodities and people, and things like administrative organizations, legislation, understanding of history, education system, as well as disciplines and schools of cultivation… those will really be a handful!"
" . . . "
Gu Yu eyed her for a long moment before turning to the other way—he refused to talk to this straight A student (that was crushing him with her knowledge again) .
Xiaozhai grinned, and did not say anything else . Looking into the distance, she saw verdant peaks rising over one another beneath them, each standing taller than the next . Not far from those were the closely built buildings and the boisterous crowd . Further out, the sky seemed to turn into a golden red as the heated air rolled out in waves, wrapping everything inside .
"It feels hotter this year," she said all of a sudden .
"The outbreak of the spiritual essence is reaching its peak, and the abnormality will be even more severe these couple of years . "
"When are you going to use your Rain-praying Talisman, then?"
Turning back to look at her, Gu Yu smiled . "When it's supposed to be used . "
***
Western slope, the beast farm .
The "farm" was much, much bigger than the name suggested, and covered an entire area of two small hills . Those civets, golden cat, and Francois' langurs that Xiaojin brought back had all been thrown into this area, and were raised in free-range conditions .
There were no locks of any kind . Long Qiu only had to draw a line with her sword at the entrance and exit, and the animals could not stay far away enough from the line .
Right now, Xiao Qiu and Xiaojin were sitting on a big tree, watching the three piglets running around .
"Jin Jin!" Long Qiu knitted her brows, and said in vexation, "I have been thinking about it for a long time, and I still think we can't have them inbreeding . We must find a mutated breeding pig for them . Oh, and a nice-looking sow . "
"Pfffft!" Xiaojin lost her footing at those words, and almost fell off the tree . "Sis, I have been sitting with you for hours, and that's what's been bothering you?"
"Why not? That's a very important matter . "
"Do you have any idea what is happening now? You're thinking about breeding pigs instead of preparing for the lecture?"
"But, but…"
"No buts! You're wasting my time! Bye bye!" She jumped off the tree, fuming .
"Hey, where are you going?"
"I'm taking a walk . "
"To see Priest Chao again? Something's up with you these days!" Long Qiu jumped off behind her .
'Hm?' Xiaojin stopped abruptly at those words and narrowed her eyes . "What're you trying to say?"
"No, I don't…" The two girls had never had a real quarrel, and seeing that her teasing seemed to have pissed Xiaojin off, Long Qiu was flustered . "I'm just curious . Do you, do you like him?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Ever since the priests of the monastery moved into the manor, you have been going there every single day . It's not just me; the others are talking about it too . I just wanted to know . "
" . . . " Xiaojin stared at her for a long while before she was herself again . She then sighed . "Others can talk all they want, but you should know me better . It's just so lonely up here, and I need someone to hang out with…"
"You have me!" Long Qiu cut her off, not convinced at all .
"It's not the same thing . We're like this, and it's another thing between me and him…" Long Qiu was a blank canvas in terms of relationships, and Xiaojin found it pointless trying to explain to her . She then gave her a straightforward answer . "I don't like him; not in this lifetime . I'm not interested in the friends with benefits thing, so I need him as a bromeo to keep life interesting . Those guys from the monastery are actually pretty nice . They're all very talented and can talk beautifully… well, you won't understand . See ya!"
After that, she ignored Long Qiu, and ran happily down the mountain all the way to the manor .
She only realized that something was amiss when she was at the front gate . Yells were coming from inside, sounding as if two sides were arguing . She was about to enter when the door to the hallway opened, and a distressed Li Dong walked out .
"Miss Jin! Great! You're here!" At the sight of her, Li Dong seemed to have found a savior . He ran to her in a hurry .
"What's wrong? Somebody giving you trouble there?" she asked .
"Those delegations are impossible!" Li Dong lowered his voice and said, "Another butch of people arrived this morning—the ambassadors of some nine countries . The arrangement was to have them stay in a hotel in the city, but when they were brought there, they would not have it, and insisted to live on the mountain .
"Brother Shui thought it inappropriate to refuse, and since we have enough rooms in the manor, he agreed to have them here . They were only here for like a minute when they heard about our agenda, then asked to be part of the internal communicating session . The men of the BIMAUP can never agree to that; they're talking about it inside now . "
The delegations attending the lecture were all from the surrounding smaller countries this time .
The western countries such as Germani and Gaul did not send any diplomatic notes, for Ernese and the others had had their discussion with Gu Yu already . With the alliance formed among the European countries, they were busying themselves with development work, and had no time for the lecture at all .
Xiaojin's face darkened at Li Dong's words . "Who's asking for trouble?"
"Who else? The oh-so-great Goryeo, of course . "
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-193.png){kind=small}
Chapter 393
Source: Imported
Basically, like Uncle Sam, Goryeo was having trouble sorting through an equally disorganized religious system .
The country was known as a "museum of world religions" for a reason—so many religions were present that it was almost impossible to keep track of every single one of them . Among those, Buddhism and Christianity were the mainstream faith, while the domestic Cheondoism and cults also had a considerable number of followers .
However, none of those was of much use when the new era began . As it turned out, the ancient Shamanism was the one to save the day .
Shamanistic culture in Goryeo was relatively well-preserved . More importantly, it was recognized as a legitimate religion by the authorities—unlike its cousins in this country who could only carry out their activities underground .
Nine countries sent their representatives for the lecture, including Goryeo, Nippon, Viet, Siem, Malaya, etc . All of the delegations had the same staff arrangement: a diplomatic personnel who could speak Chinese and a cultivator from the individual countries .
"Mr . Park, you're making things very difficult for us here . This is an event organized by a non-governmental organization, and we're only here to assist . It is not our place to make the decision for the host without asking for their permission . "
Right now, an official of the BIMAUP was explaining to the representative with a polite smile—what language he was using in his head was a different story .
That Mr . Park with narrow eyes and a square face always smiled before he spoke . In a rhythm specific to their language, he said, "I understand what you're saying perfectly, but we have come all this way because of our admiration for the Chinese culture and capable masters . We do hope you can give us a chance to get more involved in this event so that we don't feel we've come this far for nothing . "
Well, well…
With the change of the world, some people apparently had grown smarter . The old "this is ours, that is ours, the entire universe is our invention" style of speech was no longer in use .
Instead, they swallowed their pride and used nice words, ready to listen to any advice .
"Well… I am very sorry, but we really are not in liberty to agree to that . " The official was running out of excuses .
While the two sides were going back and forth in the living room, representatives of the other countries sat in their chairs, looking completely unaffected . They got to ride along if the request came through; if not, Goryeo was the one getting all the blame . How convenient was that!
The bargaining went on forever, and it did not seem that they would reach an agreement any time soon . As a result, the Shamanistic sorcerer in colorful clothes, with a piece of black clothes wrapping around his hair and a thick bamboo stick in his hand, became very impatient .
He did not understand Chinese, but could tell that the negotiation was not going smoothly . Bolting to his feet, he began to chant in a strange dialect while thumping the floor with his bamboo stick .
"Thud! Thud!"
"Thud!"
The bamboo stick hit the ground, making a muffled sound, which began to affect the atmosphere of the room as if a strange wave of sound was spreading out .
The cultivators of the other countries turned a little paler at this move . The sorcerer's behavior was not exactly aggressive, but it was obviously expressing a negative emotion . . .
'Sh*t! Have you gone crazy, shut up on your backwater mountain? Do you have any idea what this place is?'
"#$%^&! *&^!"
After knocking a few times, and seeing that the official of the BIMAUP still wasn't giving in, the sorcerer became even more disgruntled, and thumped even harder .
Bang!
"Who the hell is making all the noise?" Just then, the front door opened, and a figure strode in . "What's going on?"
"Miss Jiang…" The official was never so happy to see her before . However, before he could greet Xiaojin, he was knocked to the side by Mr . Park . The fellow walked eagerly to Xiaojin's side, eyes shining . "Oh my God . I have heard so much about you! It's such a pleasure!"
"And who are you?"
"Oh, I am the special representative of the Republic of Goryeo . " He emphasized the full name of his country to remind the others that he was a formal diplomatic persona . "We have made this special trip just to listen to the lecture of Perfected Man Gu . However, we are rather sorry about the agenda of the lectures . We are wholeheartedly looking forward to learning more from you . If we could attend the internal commu—"
"Get out!"
'Huh?' The interruption came so sudden that Mr . Park thought he had heard it wrong . "I beg your pardon?"
"Get you a*s out of here!"
'!!!'
His face darkened at this . He was still the representative of a country if nothing else . How could anyone insult him like that?
"Miss Jiang, we're here on an official visit . With your impolite words, we could— Aaaaaah!" he screamed when his feet suddenly left the floor—the young woman had lifted him off the ground . "What are you doing? What are you doing?"
"Impolite my a*s! We've been polite enough… And you!" Reaching out with her left hand, she grabbed that sorcerer . Then, carrying a man in each hand as easily as holding two chickens, she flew out of the manor to the edge of the formation .
Thump! Thump! The next moment, the two unwelcomed men landed face down on the other side .
'Shhhhhhhhh*t!' The officials of the BIMAUP watched with slack jaws . 'Can it be done this way? She really did it!' They were used to playing with words and going through formalities, hiding daggers in their every smile while exchanging nice words . Rarely did they do anything this straightforward .
Xiaojin found such things utterly tedious . She then returned to the living room and glanced around . "Any more problems?"
" . . . "
No one made a sound .
"Good! We're holding a lecture on Phoenix Mountain . Consider it a blessing that you get to hear it at all . Anyone not ok with that can just shut up and leave!"
***
June 8th, before dawn .
Daytime was longer in the summer, and the day usually began to break just after four in the morning . However, that was not happening yet . The dark sky was pressing down like a piece of smothering tray cloth that had been steamed hot .
To be honest, in his days staying in Baoshan, You Yu did not have a single good night of sleep .
It was so hot! Sweat was trickling down his body even if he just lay still on the bed, making his skin wet and sticky . When he finally fell asleep, he would be woken up by the heat four of five hours later .
He had almost gotten used to such life . However, what woke him up today was not the heat, but the noise .
"Vroom!"
"Beep! Beep!"
"Keep up! Don't fall behind! Watch out for the pitch!"
"Damn it, hold your flashlight steady! I can't see the road!"
"Mhm…" You Yu mumbled, still swimming in his dream . He was only aware of a tiny noise coming from somewhere, which was quite an annoyance .
He was more awake a moment later, and the tiny noise grew louder . In the end, he could hear the voices clearly, which was resonating in the entire town .
"Move faster! We won't be able to get a seat!"
"Give way, or I'm running over you!"
"Like hell! Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"Xiao You, Xiao You, are you up yet? Come on!" You Yu jolted, now fully awake at the calling of Tao Tong and Tao Yi . A voice then flashed across his mind: today, June 8th, it's happening!
'Sh*t!'
He bounced out of bed, skipping both washing up and changing his clothes . Grabbing a backpack he'd prepared last night, he ran out in a hurry .
"Finally! We're late!" Tao Yu was kind enough to wait for him despite being torn with anxiety .
"I'm so sorry! I overslept!" You Yu apologized in a hurry .
With everyone on board, the vehicle started, and they moved slowly towards Bai Town . It was only until now that You Yu got to see the scene outside .
The small town seemed to have become alive .
People were streaming out of every farmhouse, apartment building, and bungalow in groups of twos, threes, fours, sevens… they soon arrived at the same main road .
Tension, anxiety, agitation, yearning… all kinds of emotions filled the heart of these people coming from every corner of the country . The throng of people moved forward under the dark sky, like a current that was gathering momentum as it flowed on .
It was noisy and chaotic at first, but quieted down a little a while later . People became silent; they looked around in silence as more and more people joined in .
Most of them were purely strangers, but they were all heading in the same direction .
Without knowing it, a strange devotion was coming out of their hearts; it spread out from every individual, then manifolded, and gradually formed a quiet but powerful force field .
" . . . "
You Yu stuck his face to the window and stared blankly outside . This scene would remain in his head for many years to come .
They set out at three o'clock, and the 20 km road took them a whole two hours .
It was five o'clock now and bright enough outside . The downtown area of Bai Town was even more crowded, and the city was almost paralysed . They went through so much trouble and had to ran on their feet to finally make it to the square .
The square was quite sizeable . With the old tourist facilities removed, there was even more room now, but it was still not big enough .
Quite a few people had slept on the square the previous night, and mattresses were scattered all over the ground . Those that managed to take a good spot gloated, and the look on people's face grew sourer as one moved further back from the front rows . Those that got stuck in the city looked as miserable as those squeezing along the Great Wall during the seven-day National Day vacation .
"There are so many people!"
You Yu couldn't help but be amazed by the crowd around him . No one even dared sit down, for that would take much more space than standing up, which would definitely win the person a good kick in the a*s . He then opened his backpack and took out some bread and cookies, asking, "Brother Tao, you haven't eaten, have you? Want some snacks?"
"We're fine . And I don't think you should eat anything, either . " Tao Yu took out a bar of chocolate and handed it to him . "Eat this if you're hungry… oh, and don't drink anything . "
"What's wrong with that?" You Yu was baffled .
"Just look around . Do you think you can make it to the toilet?" Tao Yu lowered his voice and moved closer . "To tell you the truth, I'm wearing diapers . "
" . . . "
That was a little too much information for You Yu, and it took him a while to digest . Ok, he was young and inexperienced . Tao Yu had a point .
"Brother, look! They're filming it!"
Just then, Tao Tong found something interesting, and beckoned at the others . They followed his finger and saw that the government had set up cameras on high platforms on three sides of the square, ready to record the lecture .
"Tsk! Shame on them! How dare they film Mr . Gu's lecture!" Tao Yi said contemptuously .
"Don't say that . Mr . Gu must have foreseen this . Since he didn't stop it, there must be a tacit understanding," said Tao Yu .
They chatted on in low voices, and it was soon morning . As the time approached, the crowd grew more and more agitated . At 7 . 50, the agitation turned into restlessness, and there was murmuring everywhere .
"Is the Immortal coming or not? He won't stand us up, will he?"
"Don't ask me . Well, there's no rostrum or microphone . They didn't prepare anything!"
"I care more about if I can understand rather than if he will come . "
"Same here!"
"Hey, it's eight o'clock!" someone shouted suddenly, and silence swept across the crowd of tens of thousands of people all the way from the mountain foot to miles into the back . No one made a sound .
Everything was holding the same posture, straining their necks, standing on their toes, and staring at a spot behind the fog where the mountain gate was .
One second, two seconds… ten seconds…
Boom!
An overpowering pressure rushed out at that moment, soon running all the way through the square . The crowd shuddered in unison, all flustered . Some with weaker minds even went pale, broke into a cold sweat, and almost collapsed to the ground .
No one showed up, but a god-like voice rang out from the top of the mountain, and reached everyone as if it was right beside their ears .
"It is time! Let's begin!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-194.png){kind=small}
Chapter 394
Source: Imported
"It is time . Let's begin!"
Boom!
The crowd was overwhelmed by a majestic aura, which shook them greatly, and they almost fell to their knees prostrating despite themselves . The pressure eased in a flash; immediately after that, an unusual fragrance drifted out of the fog—delicate, gentle, and soothing .
The scent seemed to have a magical property, for it was concentrated at first, then fanned out and soon spread out from the mountain gate until it reached the entire crowd .
"Ha…"
You Yu felt a cooling sweet smell reaching into his nostrils, which slowly moved up and ran through his brain . He was immediately fully awake, with a clearer head . Looking around, he saw that everybody had a yearning in their now much brighter eyes—they had obviously all realized how remarkable the scent was .
Naturally, they knew that this was a blessing bestowed upon them by the immortals . Right after that, the half-real voice that seemed to be part of Nature itself rang out once more . "We all talk about the 5000-year history of our country, but exactly where did those 5000 years come from? The Shang Dynasty was 3000 years ago, Xia was over 4000 years ago, and only by dating back to the time of Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns do we have a history of 5000 years . "
'Hm?'
This first paragraph took everyone by surprise . That was not what they expected!
Wasn't the lecture of immortals supposed to be all about profundities where they used the confusing jargon of the classical style of writing, such as "There was something undefined and complete, coming into existence before Heaven and Earth . How still it was and formless, standing alone, and undergoing no change, reaching everywhere and in no danger! It may be regarded as the Mother of all things . I do not know its name, and I give it the designation of the Dao…" blah blah blah?
Then, wasn't the audience supposed to be reacting in a thousand different ways—the geniuses smiled knowingly, the mediocre ones furrowed their eyebrows thinking hard, and the hopelessly dumb ones blanked out?
What he just said was remarkable, for everyone thought, 'Oh my god, I can understand that!'
"5000 years was such long a time ago that it was impossible to know how real it was, but our society and various concepts were carried down from one generation to the next since time began . They were created and they developed, prospered, declined, and got lost before something new was created again… it has always been the case throughout our history, from Qin, Han, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, to Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, and so on and so forth . Our modern state was founded 90 years ago, and our culture is not only inherited from the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era, but was also influenced by the West as well, from which we came up with a social structure of our own . It is something the 2 billion people living on this land accepted and followed .
"However, you have to move on from that now, leaving the world as you knew behind—one that is now becoming a fetter and restraint to you . You need to quickly grasp and understand this new vastness, which is so full of novelty and unfathomable profound knowledge .
"Because what we're facing now is no longer an era that was handed down through a smooth transition, but one that sees huge gaps in cultivation, that has gone through the decline of Taoist skills, and one that is experiencing everything coming up without a warning…
"As someone bearing witness to this era, everything we do, see, and accept are both retrospective and prospective . We will have to look back to a thousand, or five thousand years ago when cultivation was in its heyday and when skills of Dan, talisman, and wizardry were all prospering . From there, we will look further back to the ancient time, when the world of men dominated and when the perfected, the supreme, the deity, and the saint lived until the eternity of time . . .
"Without such understanding, one will never achieve the Great Dao or immortality!"
" . . . "
The gambit was beyond the expectation of everyone .
That included the government officials and members of the monastery sitting in the manor, as well as the representative of various temples and their disciples listening obediently to the instructions everywhere .
The cameras the government prepared turned out to be redundant, and were used as recorders only . The foreign interpreters also made their own recordings while translating for the cultivators of their own countries .
Lu Yunqing sat in his chair, looking a little dazed . He then shook his head, and sighed with a smile . "Those words put me to shame . Layman Gu indeed deserves to make the opening speech . "
"Yes!" all other priests of the monastery replied in unison with a solemn look on their faces .
They had expected Gu Yu to start the lecture by talking about Taoist theories and skills, which couldn't have been more wrong . The first thing Gu Yu chose to talk, or to inform the audience, about was the mentality of this age .
Every age had its specific ideology . Those that managed to catch up with it would become the first ones to succeed, while those that fell behind or even refused to make progress would end up being swept away by the tide, struggling for their lives in the vicissitude of time .
The lecture was about education .
In order to educate people, one had to be practical, give no empty or wild talks, and make perception the top priority .
***
"Dao is the origin of the universe and the fundamental law of how Nature works .
"If we must generalize it with a single concept, then Dao represents the natural change and potential state of everything . Nature creates Qi, Qi transforms into everything, and once objects are formed, the constituents forming them can form countless other objects . Such is how the world operates .
"Because of the differentiation of Qi, we have the energy of Yin and Yang, the energy of five elements, the energy of Heaven and Earth, the vital essence of living people, and the lifeless energy of ghosts and monsters…
"Nowadays, we have a general term of all those categories above: the spiritual essence . "
After the opening lines, the man up on the mountain moved onto the specific concepts, and the first one he covered was the spiritual essence .
Maybe the audience was shocked by the way the lecture was carried out, or maybe that remarkable fragrance was doing its job properly, but not a sound was coming out of the crowd of tens of thousands of people . Everyone was listening calmly, focusing their minds on the voice at their ears .
"Why was the spiritual essence created? We might never know the answer . However, starting from mid to late Ming Dynasty, the spiritual essence was running out, until it disappeared completely . It only reappeared over a decade ago .
"That was a recovery period of 500 years!
"Therefore, we reasoned that like many things, the spiritual essence has its own great cycle—the same way as the rising and falling of tides and the waxing and waning of the moon . With every extinction, there follows a rebirth . "
This was the very first time that someone explicitly raised the subject of the "Recovery Cycle of the Spiritual Essence" .
It might not be correct, but up till now, it was the most recognized explanation by both the cultivation community and the state .
"Essentially, cultivation is to connect one's body to the spiritual essence by various means so that one could break out of the restraint of life and learn the truth about universe . It could work from inside out, outside in, or both at the same time .
"Knowing the essentials, cultivators naturally came up with a multitude of methods .
"The perfected men from the time immemorial could lead the universe, manipulate Yin and Yang, and live infinitely until even heaven and earth ran out of their time . Immortals of ancient times could achieve a state that was beyond the definition of life and death, with which they rose about the natural course of life and lived on with the help of consuming essences .
"After that were the Sword Immortals, whose resplendent weapons were pure and formidably tough, and allowed them to affect nature and wield their swords as if they were carrying out the supreme order .
"The masters of Dan method emerged later, and could transcend their physical body by refining their Yang spirit, which not only allowed them to travel the world freely, but also granted them long life and good health…"
Gu Yu did not compare the strength of essence-consuming method, sword skills, and Dan method, for that would be too petty .
He went on from the general to the specific, introducing to the audience in categories the Taoist view of the world, the concept of the spiritual essence, the nature of cultivation, as well as various schools and sect, which was interspersed with anecdotes of the ancient masters .
He was able to explain the profound in simple terms, incorporating a diversity of subjects .
" . . . "
The square remained silent . No one realized how long they had been standing there, nor were they aware of their exhaustion and hunger . Of the entire Bai Town and Phoenix Mountain, that voice seemed to be the only thing they were aware of, telling them about events of all ages .
They simply listened without a word .
The voiced talked about "One would appease his hunger by consuming six natural essences and quench his thirst with the midnight mist . The midday sunbeam was what one rinsed his mouth with, and the glory of dawn was to be held in one's mouth without swallowing . To keep one's spirit clear and pure, one had to take in the spiritual essence and get rid of all things filthy . "
It talked about Ye Fashan taking Emperor Xuanzong flying across the country at night to Liang Zhou to see the lanterns lining the street for over ten miles, filled with precious horses and fragrant carriages, as well as streams of people coming and going busily; when they were back at the royal palace, the moon was still high up in the sky .
It talked about "The meter-long sword swept across both shores and the palace of a hundred deities stood above head . I casually lay my feathered clothes in my immortal cave, and step onto the gold lotus that represents the perfection of nature…"
With each sentence, a new door seemed to open in their minds, relieving them from their constraints one layer after another . They were presented with a world vaster than they'd ever imagined .
In this world were the ancient sages flying away by wind, Thunder Technique demonstrating its majestic power, wizards working in the most mysterious ways, the magnificence of the past five thousand years, as well as the countless Taoist skills, which up until a few years ago were still a ridiculous concept .
They had lost count of time while the sun rose from the eastern horizon to above their heads, then fell to the western sky .
The heat of summer made its way rampantly across the land, and the dozens square kilometers of Bai Town area suffered from the scorching heat . These tens of thousands of people at the foot of the mountain were the only ones that seemed to be taken to another world where everything was tranquil and pleasant .
"Heaven is eternal, the earth everlasting . How come they to be so? It is because they do not foster their own lives . That is why they live so long .
"What it means is that heaven and earth have a quietness in them, with which they show kindness to every life with no strings attached, unlike mortal men, who seek personal gain only even to the point of gaining profit at the cost of other people's well-being .
"But that is the state of the saints, which we are not to importune .
"Men are born out of Yin and Yang, and are destined to die one day the moment they are born . They are then brought up in a world filled with a multitude of desires . Therefore, the nature of cultivation is to fulfil this selfish desire of wanting immortality and the yearning of the meaning of life .
"They are different, but identical at the same time . You will be able to learn how that works yourselves if you enter the world of cultivation one day .
"I have talked about a lot of things in the lecture today . Some might learn something from it, while others might found it meaningless . You're all free to follow your own heart…"
At those words, the crowd knew that the lecture of the first day was coming to an end, and an involuntary commotion began to stir up in the square .
So many people wanted to ask questions, but dared not speak . The commotion then spread out frantically like a disease, filling every pair of eyes with a yearning .
Finally, a soft and a little childish voice rang out . "E-excuse me . You said cultivation is about rising above life and death . In that case, have you achieved that? Or, what do you think of life and death?"
The crowd turned in unison, and was surprised to find a teenage girl raising her hand while standing on her toe . She was blushing and looked flustered .
" . . . "
No answer came after her question . When the girl felt frustrated and the crowd disappointed, the voice came back .
"The creation of every life is a destruction on its own .
"For when transformed into lives, it is already a violation of the nature of Dao . In itself, Dao is an absolute unficiation . We're all a division of Dao; hence, cultivation is the pursuance of that unification .
"Like Yin and Yang or Qian and Kun, life and death is also a sub-level of the unification .
"Life is the transformation from a formless state to a certain form, and the other way around is death . When Qi gathers, there is life; when Qi dissipates, there is death . Life and death is a cycle, and neither should be considered alone .
"Do not be infatuated with life, and do not detest death . We should not be obsessed with what we have in this present life, nor should we linger over the idea of a life after death . Consider both as a transformation of matter . Only then could we break free of the constraint, and move onto a higher cultivation state, where we could truly experience the unification with nature . "
Boom!
Immediately after those words, another wave of unfathomable pressure descended upon them, then gradually faded .
The person on the mountain seemed to have departed . All that was left was the faint fragrance from before .
" . . . "
The crowd remained standing there for long, some absent-minded, some pondering . Moments later, they moved in unison . Despite the narrow space that confined their movements, they still bent forward slightly, then hunched their backs, and lowered their heads .
The tens of thousands of people bowed together towards the person deep inside that fog!
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-195.png){kind=small}
Chapter 395
Source: Imported
"Don't push! Don't push! Slow down!"
"Please keep in line! Everyone will get out!"
The people began to leave after the lecture of the first day ended . Quite a few people volunteered to keep the order, and divided the crowd into groups so that they could exit the square in turn .
It was indeed remarkable, for a big event involving tens of thousands of people had not had a single accident nor any chaos from the beginning to the end .
Tao Yu held Tao Yi's hand, while You Yu held onto Tao Tong . The four of them inched forward and it seemed forever before they finally reached their vehicle . It was already evening, but the sun was still blazing above head . Having been standing there the whole day, they finally felt the fatigue and hunger .
Instead of heading back, they found a restaurant nearby . There were over a dozen tables inside and they were lucky enough to take the last unoccupied one .
"Four bowls of potato noodles with eggs, please!"
"We'll also have a fried shredded meat and a green cabbage with rabbit meat stew . "
"Any rice?" asked the waitress .
"Um, we'll take four!" Tao Yu hesitated a little, but generously ordered the rice anyway .
You Yu was a little embarrassed, saying, "Brother Tao, I'm spending so much of your money!"
"We've all met the master before, which means fate has brought us together . After the selection a few days later, you may all become classmates . There's no need to be bothered with little things like this . " Tao Yu waved him off and poured four cups of weak tea . "Xiao You, did you understand everything you heard today?"
"Mostly, but there was so much that I'm afraid I won't be able to remember everything . Why, I should have recorded it . " You Yu was rather vexed .
"Don't worry . I saw someone else recording it . It'll be out on the market soon enough . "
"Do you mean the, the Pavilion of Secrets?" You Yu hesitated a little before saying that ridiculous name .
"Who else? But you've got to give it to them—someone there's got a quick wit!"
Tao Yu was a businessman, and had his own understanding of this . He was chuckling when he made that comment; You Yu could not tell whether he was praising or mocking the information gatherers .
The dishes were served a moment later . Four crude pottery bowls came out first, each containing some steaming hot potato noodles together with some mushrooms, wood ear, ham slices, and a shelled boiled egg .
Obviously, the ham was not a pork product, but was made from the yellow-fur rat . The most commonly eaten meat on the market consisted of two types: rat meat and rabbit meat . The latter was fine, but the common people still found the mention of the rat meat rather offsetting . Instead of using its full name, they referred to it simply as "meat" .
It had become a common practice . When one asked to "buy some meat", everyone knew that it meant "but some rat meat" .
As for the egg, it was from a type of mutated pigeon . It was introduced on the market a few months ago; it seemed to come in great numbers, and was soon served on the dinner tables all over the country . It tasted rather similar to eggs from hens, but was slightly smaller in size and had a dark-red yolk .
With the scarcity of resources nowadays, there wasn't much left on the menu of the restaurants, but dishes of the Northeast kept their main features: big-bowled, filled to the brim, and very salty . As the stew was served, the size made the three kids from the South jump .
" . . . "
Watching the food on the table, Tao Yu became awfully quiet . He used to be tired of eating all kinds of exotic food, but what was he eating now? A bowl of luxurious rice!
Sigh, this f**king world!
'Oh, no!' He corrected himself right way . 'Thank God for this new world!'
All four were starving by now, and began to wolf down the food . Everyone here in the restaurant was back from the lecture, and they were all talking about what they heard in all kinds of accents .
Among the all the hubbub, a familiar reminder rang out again . "Hey, there's an update!"
"Whoosh!" The roomful of people moved in unison again, taking out their phones and tapping the app open . Phoenix Mountain had just put up a new post, which was the detailed agenda of the event .
"There will be lectures every morning at eight o'clock at the square until the 13th .
8th: General Principles by Phoenix Mountain .
9th: Dan Method by the monastery .
10th: Talisman Spells by the monastery .
11th: Fengshui by the monastery .
12th: Sword Skill and Appraisal of Spiritual Beasts by the monastery .
13th: Thunder Technique and Undead Insect by Phoenix Mountain . "
" . . . "
Everyone was awfully quiet now . However, a few seconds later, they all began to talk at the same time, and the restaurant erupted .
"I didn't know the monastery is taking part as well . How come they're giving more lectures than Phoenix Mountain?"
"The proportion is not important . It's all about the order of the lectures . Not everyone can talk about the general principles, ok?"
"Hey, is Dan method Neidan? Wang Chongyang of the Quanzhen Sect! The Competition on Huashan Mountain! The five supreme masters ! 1 "
"Holy sh*t! There's one on Thunder Technique? Ok, that's it! I'm joining Phoenix Mountain—even just for the name of that skill!"
"So true! Thunder Technique is the best!"
"Sword skill is pretty nice, too . Too bad that the monastery is so strict on recruiting pupils . I've been there twice, and got rejected both times . "
One had to admit that people nowadays were so easily influenced by online information that as soon as they saw the agenda, they were all attracted by the names of Thunder Technique and Sword Skill . As for subjects such as Fengshui or spiritual beasts, no one was bothered to give them a second thought .
Tao Yu knew better than the common folk, and said in a low voice, "As far as I know, there are four Immortal masters up on the mountain: Mr . Gu, Fairy Jiang, Miss Qiu, and Miss Jin . Miss Qiu is taught by Mr . Gu and practices Sword Skill and Undead Insect Skill, while Miss Jin is taught by Fairy Jiang and uses the Thunder Technique . If you become the pupils of the mountain, who do you want to have as your teacher?"
"I think Sister Xiaojin is very nice . I want her to teach me," answered Tao Yi without hesitation .
"Yes! Sister Xiaojin is so lovely!" Tao Tong chimed in right away .
'That's it! You two are hopeless!' Tao Yu could feel his temple throbbing . As an experienced businessman, he was sharp-eyed enough to have long seen through that Miss Patriarch—that fellow was a prankster through and through!
As the only adult here, he obviously considered things differently from the kids . "Between us, I actually hope you will all become pupils of Mr . Gu himself . So if you get the chance, do push for it . That's the same with you too, Xiao You . "
"Oh, I see!"
All three were good kids, and nodded at the instruction .
***
A certain hotel .
He He had just finished taking a shower, and went back to her room with her wet hair hanging loose over her shoulders . Xu Ziying was her roommate .
Before they knew it, they had joined the Taiqing Palace for over a year, and both had changed greatly . Xu Ziying was thirteen now and much taller . She was beginning to give off an air of a remarkable young woman that was valiant and confident .
He He was nine and still a child, but one could see from her face the beautiful woman she would become one day .
As the most exceptional pupils of the Taiqing Palace, they were here with their master to listen to the lecture . Like others from every other temple from all over the country, they were staying in this hotel . The relationship between these two was somewhat complicated, for it was a mixture of competition and appreciation . Xu Ziying liked a little provocation, while He He was not too generous with her words, but could shut the other up with a piercing comment when she chose to retort .
Right now, they were both lying in bed . Xu Ziying asked in boredom, "What do you think of today?"
"Quite good . I liked what he said . "
"Gosh, I've had enough of your poker face! Hey, you're from Bai Town yourself . Ever regretted of joining the Taiqing?" The girl was suddenly interested in some gossip and asked eagerly, "You know, if you didn't come to our palace, you'd be able to apply for Phoenix Mountain now . "
"Why should I regret?"
He He pulled the duvet over herself and closed her eyes . She then said quietly, "When my grandpa passed away, it was the Taiqing Palace that I met . Since I have joined the palace, this is the path I'm going to follow . "
***
A farmhouse .
In this residence in a village somewhere near Bai Town, an electric fan was blowing uselessly inside a stuffy bedroom . A low table was set on the kang and a round table on the floor, around which were a dozen people wearing earphones, all transcribing the content of a recording .
A man was walking around the room, checking their progress while waving a fan, acting like a boss of some sort . It was none other than the leader of that Pavilion of Secrets, Wu Chun .
"Boss, I'm done . " Soon, one of them raised his head and handed out his draft . Wu Chun quickly read through it, and said, "It's a little rough, but lucid enough . You'll get a merit pay when we make the profit . "
"Hehe! Thank you, Boss!" The man thanked him right away, then asked anxiously, "Brother, are you sure people are going to pay for this?"
"Are you kidding me? I may be useless in a lot of things, but I'm an expert in wheeling and dealing . They wouldn't blink twice to pay 500 for these crappy drafts!"
"Wouldn't Phoenix Mountain take us out for that? We're pirating here!" asked another man in a shaky voice .
"Tsk, I'll be the one answering to that . Go back to your work!" Wu Chun jabbed his finger in the air at that man, then strolled casually to the door . Putting one foot on the doorsill, he looked into the distance . Just look at those stars in the night sky and think about the mountain and the Immortals within! He was suddenly overwhelmed by a great and lofty aspiration, feeling that he was rising together with this new era .
He had made the arrangement before the lecture began, asking ten people to each record a section of the lecture for them to transcribe it later . Errors were inevitable during this process, but that wouldn't be a problem .
He would make several hundred copies of this draft and call it "revised version 1 . 0" . After a thorough proofreading, he would then produce the "revised version 2 . 0" .
Call it "skinning a cow twice"! How sweet a deal!
Meanwhile, in the capital city thousands of kilometers away, a group of people were doing the same thing .
As soon as the lecture was over, the bosses received the audio file from the BIMAUP . With the professionals available at hand, the general content of the lecture was soon put into words .
A group of people was now sitting around a table, reading the manuscript while listening to the recording, and nodding every now and then .
"All I can say is that it was very appropriate . It is happening at the right time and for the right audience . I have no objection to it . "
"It is easy to understand, realistic, and without a personal agenda . I have no objection, either . "
"If I may suggest, we'd better make it into a nationwide basic teaching material . "
"In his exact words?"
"In his exact words . "
" . . . well, that is certainly a viable option . "
***
The same night, Phoenix Mountain .
The family of four and the 35 members of the monastery sat upright in a big hall for the internal communication . To be honest, Gu Yu didn't go into details this morning, and only talked about the general principles and the mentality of the era .
Hence, there wasn't much they could discuss now . After showering one another with compliments, Gu Yu finally brought up a subject that he had long wanted to talk about .
"When I was in Bonn, I had some lengthy discussion with a few western sages, which was quite an eye-opening experience . Like us, the West is seeing some great gaps in their heritage . My personal opinion is that they are far behind us in the cultivation level of the individuals . However, they have surpassed us in the classification of basic disciplines and the research in matters and energy . "
"Oh? How so?" asked Lu Yuanqing curiously .
"There was this old man named Erhard . His master was a legendary sage of medieval Europe, who was a master in magical formations and alchemy . Erhard had set up a formation in Bonn, which could protect half the city from attacks .
"He had also set up many magical spots around the city, which not only enabled the mages to communicate and send messages, but also worked as stations for puppet carriages . He was even doing research on these magical spots so that they would be able to deliver physical objects in the future—and that was not all . There was this achievement he made with alchemy, which almost took my breath away…" Gu Yu paused a little, then said, "It was a Homunculus . "
"Homunculus?"
Having been raised in temples since childhood, living an austere cultivation life, the priests had little contact with the outside world and were naturally not as well-informed as the city-dwellers . The term was very confusing to them, so they waited for Gu Yu's explanation .
"In alchemy, a human being is believed to consist of three components: a physical body, a soul, and a spirit . That is to say, if one could create all three parts, they could give birth to life without a womb .
"A human being made this way is born possessing all knowledge, and can live a long life disease-free . Legend has it that the most perfect one could see the Truth .
"Although Erhard did not succeed, he had come up with a prototype . If he indeed manages to create such a life form one day, all I can say is that we human beings will have one more prophet . . . or disaster . "
" . . . "
Everyone in the room fell silent, for what Gu Yu just said was a little beyond their existing cognitive system .
Gu Yu went on . "A question keeps coming back to me since I came back from Bonn: ever since the ancient times, our cultivation was all about comprehension and asceticism, without a solid theoretical base or empirical method . So, is it possible that we could study Taoist skills the same way as doing research?"
He paused there for everyone else to digest that information before turning to Lu Yuanqing . "If I may ask, what is the teaching system like in the monastery?"
"We haven't officially taken in any pupils, so there is no established system yet . However, I have planned to integrate the Taoist skills of various sects and divide them into categories, which would include scriptures, Neidan, Waidan, sword skill, Fengshui, theory of skills, etc . "
Lu Yuanqing was not stingy in sharing information, either, and said right away, "The monastery now has 27 Taoist skills and 134 talisman spells . The latter are more complicated, for some are offensive, some are defensive, some are auxiliary, and some are used for healing . However, not all attack spells are the same, for some work by summoning gods, while others by transforming objects… I'm planning to abandon the old system and categorize them anew based on their properties and functions . "
Very nice!
Had Old Gu been an ancient man himself, he would have definitely given Lu Yuanqing a "thee most wondrous sir!"
It was indeed a great plan! Ancient cultivators were all-rounders who knew a little about just about everything . Because of that, though, they never had a clear and complete system .
It wouldn't work for the modern society . With the declined Taoist skills coming back again, categorizing the skills not only made communication and education easier, it would also help with in-depth cultivation studies . Most of the Taoist skills were created by cultivators themselves . Hence, if the ancient cultivators could do that, so could the modern ones .
However, that would require two things .
For one, they had to have enough cultivators around . For another, just as Gu Yu suggested, they needed to treat it as if they were doing research .
Of course, it only referred to external skills such as Waidan, talismans, and spells, but not the internal skills like the essence-consuming method and Dan method . The latter was determined by one's state of mind, which no research could make a difference with . For the internal skills, one had to depend solely on their natural endowment, perception, and their determination to pursue the Great Dao .
"So far, we're seeing inheritance in all categories apart from formations, which is a skill of great significance . It will be of great use to us in the future," Gu Yu went on . "For instance, if we can invent a formation to defend our entire country or send cultivators thousands of miles away in an instant, our world will be changed completely . I have recently just come up with a Small Sealing Formation…"
With that, he took out a jade slip . "It should be the most complete formation map we have now, and is something that I created out of thin air . I hope it'll inspire you in some way so that we can work together and fill this gap in the formation skill . "
" . . . "
The others winced a little at this, for a strange feeling was rising inside them .
After all, it was only last year that the two sides were slightly hostile towards each other, and even broke into a fight once . With Gu Yu becoming a Human Immortal now, it seemed he had put that behind him completely .
They now realized that this man was standing somewhere much higher up and looking further into the future with a much wider scope . There was no fear in him—the fear that someone would surpass him one day .
Lu Yuanqing rose slowly to his feet and took the jade slip on behalf of the monastery . He then said in a solemn voice, "I thank you, Layman, on behalf of all the cultivators of our generation!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-196.png){kind=small}
Chapter 396
Source: Imported
" Dan is 'single', which, in turn, is 'one' 1 .
"Dao is the only thing without a counterpart, hence the name Dan . Alone, it is enough to clear the sky, settle the earth, fill the grains, and make one immortal .
"Dan is one, which is very close to Dao itself . Neidan (internal Dan) is the practice to refine one's internal organs so that one could achieve the Great Dao .
"Most people are mislead in this concept . Because of the internet, modern men have easy access to a multitude of information that might not be necessarily true . Some are purely fictional and exaggerated, speaking of Dan as a bead-like object hidden in one's body . That is not the case . "
"Pffft!"
The second day, many people in the square couldn't help but lower their heads and snicker after Lu Yuanqing said those words, for most of the young people nowadays had read at least one of those brainlessly fabricated novels to know what the priest was talking about .
"The school of Neidan could find its origin in Wei Boyang of the Eastern Han Dynasty, then improved by the sages of later generations . After late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, Neidan gradually became a perfected system of Dan motheds .
"As the saying goes, Boyang was the origin, Zhong and Lü inherited, then Liu (Haichan), Wang (Chongyang), Zhang (Ziyang), and Xue (Daoguang) carried it forward . During its development, various sects and branches were derived from it, including the Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, Middle Sects, Sanfeng, Wuliu, etc .
"However, in the past thousand year or so, the Neidan methods have been mostly unified, and together, it is known as the Quanzhen School .
"Medicine is the core of Neidan .
"The fundament of any Neidan skill is to compose Neidan through adjustment and the production, the collection, and refinement of medicine . By 'medicine', we're referring to the vital essence of the human body, which is categorized into external medicine, internal medicine, and great medicine according to the stage of its application .
"In order to understand Dan skills, one has to understand this medicine—that is, what are essence, Qi, and spirit?
"Essence is the foundation of all forms and the physical basis of all lives . Based on its sources, it could be divided into the innate essence and the acquired essence .
"The term primordial essence is talking about the innate essence . 'Primordial' means 'the very beginning', and the primordial essence is the source material of life, which controls the reproduction and growth…"
As a matter of fact, this was not how Lu Yuanqing prepared his lecture at first . Because he was around cultivators who were constantly citing from the classics using the most profound wordings all the time, Lu Yuanqing was used to a certain way of speaking .
The audience of this lecture consisted of common people only, and considering that, he had tried his best to make his speech easier to understand . However, after listening to Gu Yu's opening speech, he realized his own was still way to obscure . Hence, he revised his lecture that same night, and came up with what he had now .
He had omitted a lot of jargons and concepts, as well as the more advanced theories, focusing on the Three Treasures—essence, Qi, and spirit—which was also the most fundamental concept .
Just like yesterday, no lecturer was seen, and the voice came from behind the fog, running through the entire square . An innate state cultivator still found that task a little difficult, but it was no longer a concern with the help of a Human Immortal .
The demeanor of the crowd changed as well . They were no longer anxious and fidgety, but more relaxed . Meanwhile, a great many more people were recording the lecture, and people clutching their mobile phone with a portable battery were seen everywhere, which made for quite an interesting picture .
They had to, for early this morning, when people arrived at the square to take a spot for the lecture, the cunning members of the Pavilion of Secrets were already there, ready to sell their product . Over a dozen men all had a bag straddled across their shoulder while waving a stack of paper in their hands, hawking their wares all over the square .
"Check it out! Check it out! Written record of the lecture from yesterday, transcribed word for word . We have made the revision overnight! Quality guaranteed! You don't have to pay 998, or even 888 . 500 yuan, and it's yours to take home with!"
'Huh?'
With that much noise, who could resist the curiosity to take a look? Those unconvinced went to inquire about it, which played right into the hands of the sellers . They knew perfectly well of the customer psychology: "here's a part of it, see for yourself . "
'We can always get the money out of your pocket afterwards!'
It was like shopping for exercise books—what concerned you was not whether you knew how to solve the problems or not, but if other students had bought it while you hadn't; what if one of the questions in the book just happen to be on the exam paper? You would be the only idiot!
Hence, the first batch of 800 copies of the "revised version 1 . 0" that the Pavilion of Secrets rushed out last night was sold out hours before the lecture began .
The crowd might have paid for it, but they did not do it willingly . They knew better this time—record it themselves!
Before they realized, it was noontime .
Lu Yuanqing's session was finished, and after a brief lunch break, Shi Yunlai would give his lecture in the afternoon . The two had a clear division of labor: Lu Yuanqing talked about essence, Qi, and spirit, while Shi Yunlai talked about the spiritual and physical life .
However, when the afternoon session started, everyone was surprised to find a much emptier square—a lot of people had left!
Even Xiaojin was outraged by this injustice, and yelled, "How could they do that? That's so humiliating! Hey, Old Chao, where're your ghosts? Release a few and scare the sh*t out of them . "
"It's just human nature . There's no need to get stirred up over such a petty matter . "
"Nature my a*s! These people are spoiled!"
"Hoho, little laywoman, you should think it this way: since we have announced the agenda beforehand with the specific content of the lecture of everyday, the audience will naturally differentiate among the topics," Mo Haofeng, the oldest priest of them all, explained with a smile . "Some like Sword Skill, some like the Thunder Technique, and some are interested in Fengshui, but other topics may not seem as attractive as those three . Moreover, just observe their behavior: when there are ready-made records for sale, there will be those sitting idly and enjoying the fruits at a price . "
"Men will fight desperately for a way out when there is no other option . However, given an alternative, they will display their laziness and opportunistic behavior . That is why it is called human nature," added Zhang Shouyang .
Having been hanging out with the members of the monastery these days, Xiaojin had blended in very well, and left the priests with a very good impression . She was now the "little laywoman" to them .
She actually had a point, for these people were indeed behaving like spoiled children .
Of course, we could not predict her train of thought the normal way, for her thoughts were already onto Gu Yu now . She was mumbling, "In that case, Brother-in-law is the sneaky one! The first lecture is so much easier, and he has taken all the spotlight . The man knows his sh*t . "
***
Just like Mo Haofeng predicted, from the second day, people attending the lectures began to drop, which continued through the talisman lecture on the third day and Fengshui on the fourth day . The grand view of the first day became a one-time thing .
Among those who did come, a third were the persistent ones who came every day, a third were interested in the topic of that particular day, and the other third were there to record the lecture .
Those who did not come were mostly uninterested in the topics, but there were a few that simply decided to stay indoors from the second day onwards because of the heat and the early hours . They would buy a whole set of lecture material at the end, then go to the mountain for the pupil selection .
All the lecturers were masters of this generation who could see through all these petty charades . The lecturers were not affected at least by such behavior—the opportunity was there for everyone to grab, and those that let go of their hands only had themselves to blame .
Before long, it was the fifth day . The audience increased a little, for Sword Skill was the topic in the morning, and Spiritual Beast in the afternoon .
The crowd had arrived in excitement, expecting stories about legendary Sword Immortals . However, Bai Yunsheng's lecture was very proper and serious, which turned out to be a little boring .
Old Priest Mo was the surprise of the day . He liked practical things, and the content of his lecture was also practical . After the monastery discovered the underground palace and obtained the Beast-controlling Technique, he was the one studying it the most intensively .
Because he was aware of his limited potential, Mo Haofeng thought raising a capable spiritual beast of his own very beneficial .
"Up till now, there are 708 kinds of mutated animals recorded in our country, which includes a variety of birds and beasts . Some are tame and harmless, while others are vicious and man-eating . I have roughly divided them into two types: those that are worth raising and those with a practical value .
"Technically speaking, only the first type can be called spiritual beasts . The latter are edible, have pharmaceutical value, or are useful for refining instruments, but none of these makes them spiritual . Hence, I call them fierce beasts . "
With that, the fog separated suddenly, and a giant shadow jumped out, raising a gust of wind .
"Aaaaah!" the crowd shrieked and fell back . The dark figure strolled around slowly before lying down in the middle of the square . It was an enormous black tiger almost two meters tall .
The largest Siberian tiger was just over a meter tall and over two meters long 2 . This one, however, was the size of a small hill . Its fur was a light black with a hint of blueish gray, and striated with dark black stripes . Despite lying there motionlessly, it was giving off an imposing regal air .
Its yellow eyes were the most remarkable of all, and lazily closed after a single glance at the crowd, apparently full of contempt .
This tiger was an unusual beast Old Priest Mo found after some painstaking effort, then raised and trained with the Beast-controlling Technique, making it a beast as they saw now .
" . . . "
The crowd had yet to recover from the astonishment when the fog separated again, and another fellow hopped out .
It was small and the shape of a sausage . Running busily with its four short legs, it was happy to get some fresh air when it saw the black tiger . It then made a grunting sound and whoosh!
The piglet disappeared . It reappeared the next moment a couple of meters away, and went on frisking around .
The black tiger rose to its feet unhurriedly, ready for some snack . However, as soon as it stood up, the piglet vanished again, this time being teleported back to the mountain .
"Roar!"
The black tiger looked around, feeling deceived . There was now indignation and irritation in those eyes . Immediately after that, the fog separated, and it heard the summon of its master . The tiger then went back a little disgruntled .
"One is a mutated black tiger and the other a mutated boar . Both seem to be spiritual, but the former is a spiritual beast, while the latter a fierce beast .
"Where is the difference?
"Spiritual beasts are intelligent creatures that are able to organize their own thoughts; just like we humans, they have temperaments and are able to make their choices . Fierce beasts, on the other hand, might appear to be clever and sly, but it is purely out of their instinct, without any advanced emotions .
"We can go so far as to deduce that with the right opportunity, spiritual beasts can also follow a cultivation path and pursue the Great Dao .
"With the infinite kinds of species in this world, we will need even more an infinite amount of resources to support them all . Among the audience here, those competent enough could start trying from now to gain some experience . If one could learn the methods of appraising and catching beasts, they could earn themselves an extra foothold in this world . "
The crowd did not expect to hear such a speech, for it was so down-to-earth .
The lecturer was explicitly telling them that mutated creatures were a great treasure . Dabbling with it could earn one a living, and digging deep into it could make one a fortune . With the 2 billion people of this country, if everyone joined in, wow! Just imagine that scale!
His fellow monastery members also listened to his speech with an expression hard to describe .
Old Priest Mo might sound a little vulgar, but what he taught was something ready for everyone to use, which was also a kind of enlightenment through education .
***
The lectures went on like so, and it was soon the sixth day .
The crowd in the square was huge today, only smaller than that of the first day, because the subject today was Thunder Technique . Do not underestimate the common people's judgement—they knew perfectly well what would get the most spotlight .
You Yu and the other three attended the lectures every day devotedly . The words always brought them into a trance-like state, in which they found the lectures remarkable, but could not say that they had fully understood it . All in all, they were a little confused .
Right now, they were among the cramped crowd, waiting for the time to come .
After the past five days, everyone was very relaxed with the arrangements now . People were chatting in low voices everywhere, and the occasion felt like a company annual meeting . The buzzing sound only quieted down a little when eight o'clock arrived . Immediately after that, a pleasant female voice rang out from the top of the mountain . "The transformation of thunder is a supreme skill since the ancient time…"
'!!!'
The crowd jolted in unison with twinkling eyes . Holy sh*t! A woman's voice! Having been listening to male immortals for five days in a row, they were getting tired a little . Now that a female immortal suddenly showed up, all fantasies became alive .
In a moment, murmuring was rising here and there, and began to spread out . A few fellows even said excitedly, "That's a fairy, I bet you! What do you think she look like?"
" . . . "
While they were indulging in their discussion and let their spirits rise, they failed to notice that up on the mountain, it had suddenly became awfully quiet .
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-197.png){kind=small}
Chapter 397
Source: Imported
Buzz!
The sound of the first female immortal after days of lectures excited the audience greatly . You Yu, however, frowned at this, and began to painstakingly drag the other three away from the front rows—he had personal experience with that female immortal back on Fish Mountain!
As expected, while everyone else was whispering loudly and ignoring what was going on up on the mountain, a muffled rumbling sound came out of the fog, which reached the square in no time, and amplified all of a sudden .
Boom!
The sky above the square changed color, even darkening the blazing sun a little .
A streak of golden purple divine lightning descended upon them as if it was smashing down from above the nine heavens . Like an undulating dragon circling the sky and a golden snake dancing wildly, the lightning exploded in the middle of the square with its unparalleled power .
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The big square that had only been revamped recently shattered at the first contact with the lightning; the hard bluestone ground disintegrated like tender tofu . The golden snake then bored right into the ground all the way deep into the stones beneath, breaking them all .
Stone shards and dust filled the air, then fell down in a silver-gray shower .
People standing around the spot received the impact, and fell back screaming like a field of wheat being reaped . Each circle of people stumbled back onto those behind them, and like an undulating field of crops, all those around that area were on the ground .
When they looked at the spot where the lightning landed again, they saw that it had turned into an enormous pit .
" . . . "
A hush fell over the square .
It was especially the case with those guys that were making fun of the fairy; their smirks had frozen on their faces before being replaced by a look of horror .
In a word: sh*t!
"The transformation of thunder is a supreme skill since the ancient time…" Just then, the voice came back again as if nothing had happened, and resumed the lecture from the beginning in that indifferent tone . "The basis of its ideology lies in the theory of the interaction between the universe and men . The human body is a small universe with the head as the heaven, the feet as the earth, and the five internal organs as the five elements . The essence, the Qi, and the spirit are all connected to nature itself .
"Based on this, ancient cultivators were able to create a variety of unfathomably powerful skills . With them, one could summon wind and rain, and move mountains and seas with a snap of the fingers . The Thunder Technique is one of the most unique skills that used to prevail in our country in the Song Dynasty, and was considered the most supreme skill of all . "
As the voice went on above head, those at the foot of the mountain quietly reformed their lines .
Those that had fallen down stood back up and kept their silence . That streak of lightning had struck down with perfect strength—most of the people were scared by the power, and a few hit by the falling debris, but no one was actually injured .
" . . . "
Tao Yu's face almost turned green with horror . He knew Xiaozhai's name, but never got the chance to meet her in person . He did not understand it when You Yu pulled him towards the back of the crowd, but the fear was creeping back into him now; he was even shaking a little .
You Yu, on the other hand, was in a daze, and looked up onto the mountain as if he could see a peerless female immortal who could change the color of the sky with a single wave of her hand behind all those layers of clouds .
It was quite a while before he was himself again; he mumbled, "That was unbelievable! She is unbelievable!"
He was still undetermined before this, especially on actually becoming a pupil of the cultivation world . At this moment, he finally knew what his heart wanted .
On the other side, the priests of the monastery were equally amazed . They did not know Xiaozhai very well, both in terms of her temperament and her power . Frankly speaking, had it been themselves under the same circumstance, they didn't think they could strike down so decisively and blow all those people to the ground .
That was one fierce lady!
***
The lecture of the sixth day took the audience on quite a rollercoaster ride .
They spent the morning in great trepidation, but the talk in the afternoon took quite an unexpected turn . Because the topic was to be on Undead Insects, they'd been simply imagining things like paranoid but passionate Miao girls with poison covering every inch of their body who would not hesitate to coax every man into drinking some mead-flavored but five-poisonous insects . . .
However, they did not see what was coming .
"Good afternoon, everybody . Today, I'd like to talk to you about the practice of undead insects…"
'Wow!'
The crowd's faces lit up at that voice . They were about to erupt into cheers when they remembered the experience this morning, which stopped them from making any noise . That was such a gentle, clear, and pleasant voice, and they felt as if they were given a new pair of ears!
For a moment there, they were utterly confused about the staff arrangement of Phoenix Mountain .
The one on the first day was obviously a true immortal—like the supreme of the supreme . The one this morning, however, was undoubtedly a femme fatale—one that would not hesitate to kill her boyfriend/sister to gain enlightenment . The one speaking right now sounded like a genuinely kind and gentle young woman .
What sort of team was that?
"Undead insects have a long history, and are a type of ancient sorcery . In simple terms, they are contaminated insects .
"Most of the undead insects are raised by undead insect masters, who would catch naturally poisonous insects, and then, with some breeding and concocting, eventually made them into undead insects . A few very powerful undead insects are refined directly from their original forms, but they are very, very rare .
"The skill is almost lost among the Miao villages, but we can't rule out the possibility that undead insect masters are still practicing in other areas such as Yunnan, Sichuan, and Fujian, where most of the ethnic groups living there have some records on the skill of undead insects .
"There are thousands of types of undead insects, such as Toad Undead Insect, Water Demon Undead Insect, Fuma Undead Insect, Fanti Undead Insect, Wanlang Undead Insect, etc . There are more types than we could count, and countless ways to use them . It is almost impossible to guard against them .
"But you shouldn't be worried, for unless you're an arch-enemy—or the target of a very specific request—undead insect masters seldom take other's lives just for the sake of it .
"Undead insects are raised inside the masters' bodies and have to be released outside periodically . Even if you're unfortunately possessed by an undead insect, don't panic . Go find the person that put it on you, or a priest in the temples . They usually could take it out for you…"
"Pffft!"
The crowd almost could not hold back their retorts . 'Just because you sound lovely doesn't mean we have to agree with everything you said, ok? How can I not panic if I'm taken over by an undead insect!'
"Actually, with the environment nowadays, both undead insects and their masters have become so rare that I doubt you'll ever run into one . Um, I'll talk a little bit more about the general symptoms when one is possessed by an undead insect, just for a reference .
"Undead insects could attack people either physically or mentally .
"The physical attack usually results in extreme itchiness, dumbness, bloating, loss of appetite, a fishy taste in the mouth, vomiting of blood, facial fever, skin conditions, causeless pain, etc . The mental toxicity is generally represented by dizziness, palpitation, changing moods, illusions, etc .
"If such symptoms occur to you and cannot be diagnosed medically, there is a good chance that you're possessed by an undead insect or the Tame Head…"
Frankly speaking, the practice of undead insect was a niche thing in the cultivation world and quite unusual . Even so, it was a part of the cultivation community all the same . Since Long Qiu just happened to be a Grass Ghost Woman, this topic was included .
She couldn't go into the details, for that was a taboo and would offend all the undead insect masters out there . The talk was a simple introduction only, which was a minor complement to the lectures on Taoist skills this time .
Eleven lecturers had given their speeches during the past six days .
Long Qiu's was the shortest one, but one of the most popular ones . So much so that the crowd gave her a loud applause after her final words "That's all I'm going to talk about today . Hopefully, it has helped you in some way . "
Hence, the event came to an end in this strange atmosphere . Regardless of how the procedure was carried out, it suited this modern setting quite well .
" . . . "
Everyone stayed in the square after Xiao Qiu left, hoping to see if there would be any more words from the mountain .
A couple of minutes later, the voice from the first day indeed rang out again . "The lectures of these six days have covered topics of Dan, talismans, Fengshui, Sword Skills, spiritual beasts, Thunder Technique, and the undead insects . We only hope that they have helped you in forming a clear understanding of this new world .
"Whichever path you choose in the future—be it the cultivation world or the mortal one—we hope you will not live your life confused with a head more muddled than a stone…"
The voice paused a little, then said, "The lectures are over . Tomorrow, Phoenix Mountain will open its gate for the selection of pupils!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-198.png){kind=small}
Chapter 398
Source: Imported
"I'm not going to claim that we have achieved everything we hoped for from the lectures, but it was still a great success . I'd like to thank you all for your contribution . "
"That's an overstatement for such a small task . We were only doing what we could . "
That night in the main hall, Gu Yu bowed solemnly at the priests of the monastery, while Lu Yuanqing and the others bowed back . When they took their seats again, the atmosphere had never felt so amicable . The credit of the very first public event of the cultivation community in the country should go to them all .
"We have imposed on your hospitality for long enough . Now that the lectures are over, we will be heading back to the monastery tomorrow," said Lu Yuanqing .
"Why the rush? How about staying for a few more days to wait until the whole thing is finished?" said Xiaozhai .
"Thank you, Laywoman, for your kindness . But as you may realize, the longer we stay here, the more restless those above will become . We'd better leave you in peace so that we can all have the peace . "
"Well, in that case, we have a lot at hand tomorrow, and won't be seeing you off . I'll substitute wine with this tea and bid you farewell here!"
With that, the couple raised their cups, at which the 35 priests raised theirs as well, and they all took a sip in unison .
They did not chat on for much longer before Lu Yuanqing rose to his feet and bid them farewell . Gu Yu was gazing after their departure when something dawned on him, and he said, "Priest Shouyang, Priest Chao, please wait a moment . "
'Hm?'
Zhang Shouyang and Chao Kongtu paused at this . They waved at Lu Yuanqing, and returned to the hall . "Anything else, Layman?"
"Nothing, really . It's just that I've noticed that of the 35 members of Qiyun, apart from you two, Priest Zhong Lingyu, and Priest Bai, all the rest have taken up Dan methods . I'm only curious that if a second essence-consuming method is never discovered, are you three all going to give up pursuing immortality for the rest of your life?"
" . . . "
The question weighed on them right away .
Since the two did not answer, Gu Yu went on, "I hope it won't concern you too much, for I have made a promise to Celestial Master Zhang: after the Celestial Master Temple gave me the talismans and lent me the Dan furnace, I will find another essence-consuming method for you .
"I might have enough time to wait, but you don't . With the circumstances nowadays, the earlier you can get your hands on it, the more opportunities you will have in the future . Therefore, I'd like to know about your thoughts on this . "
At those words, Zhang Shouyang did not speak until some time later . "Junior Brother Lu proposed to integrate the two schools into one and make the skills of all sects into a comprehensive subject to study, which is a good thing . We're wholeheartedly happy for our fellow Taoists who have made achievements in Dan methods and reached the innate state . As for we three, it is purely an issue with our own heart—having been following the teachings of Zhengyi for twenty years, we cannot break free of this fetter .
"Of course, that was the old thought . The environment is becoming all the more complicated since the beginning of this year, and we people of the cultivation community still value capability over anything else . If we do not reach the innate state soon, we will be left behind . We have all seen Old Priest Tan's unfortunate state, and to be honest, we have been wavering . "
"The monastery will officially open up for the selection of pupils next year; we have made our plan, setting the next year as our deadline . If there is no hope of finding the essence-consuming method by then, we will switch to the Dan method," said Chao Kongtu .
"In that case, I will hurry up with my search and see if anything will come up . " Gu Yu nodded understandably .
All three were extremely talented cultivators no less capable than Lu Yuanqing . It would be such a pity if they wasted this life away without even reaching the innate state . It was almost the same with Bai Yunsheng, who did not switch to the Dan method, and would have ended up like these three had it not been for the great fortune of that Sword Seed that had fallen upon him .
"Brother-in-law, Brother-in-law, the altar is ready . Do you wanna take a look?" They were still talking when Xiaojin and Xiao Qiu ran into the room . They were surprised to find the two priests . "Why, you're still here?"
"We're just about to leave . Since we're going back to the monastery tomorrow, we thought we should wait here to say goodbye to you . " Chao Kongtu cupped his hands with a chuckle, then left the hall promptly, dragging Zhang Shouyang behind him .
"What's wrong with that man?" Xiaojin had no idea what was going on . She then turned eagerly to Gu Yu . "Brother-in-law, we worked so hard on it! You have to thank us!"
"Don't rush to all the thanks . Let me take a look first . " Gu Yu grinned . With a wave of his sleeve, he vanished from their sight and headed for a certain peak in his invisible form .
"That ungrateful bastard!" Xiaojin stomped her foot, snarling in the direction where Gu Yu disappeared .
Long Qiu remained as good-tempered as always . "There, there, Brother is just playing with us . Let's join him . "
"Join him all you want! I'm going to play with Sister!"
'Tsk!'
Long Qiu could not do anything about her, and had to fly towards that peak with the Rising Manual .
Over on the other side, Zhang Shouyang and Chao Kongtu were going down the mountain along the trail . Dots of light scattered around in the dark woods on both sides, which did not look ghastly at all, but had an obscure beauty about it .
"Senior Brother, what do you think that altar is for?" Chao Kongtu could not help but begin to gossip .
"When there's an altar, there must be a prayer ceremony . Phoenix Mountain is not part of the Taoist community, so there's no need for that, but they did receive some talismans from the Celestial Master Temple . Of those, the only thing that requires an altar as well as a Human Immortal himself…"
Zhang Shouyang paused a little before concluding, "It must be the Five-transformation Rain-praying Talisman . "
"The Five-transformation Rain-praying Talisman?" Chao Kongtu was a little speechless, apparently being familiar with the name of that purple talisman . He said with amazement, "Sigh, don't you sometimes feel everything is so pointless? Some people are just superior in everything!"
"Your Taoist mind is shaken!" Knowing Chao Kongtu too well with his uninhibited and lively personality, Zhang Shouyang made a dry and sarcastic comment .
The two soon went back to the manor at the foot of the mountain . Lu Yuanqing naturally did not ask about their conversation, for it was a private matter . Chao Kongtu, on the other hand, was as brisk as he always was, and gossiped about the altar .
Before long, everyone of the monastery knew about the rain-praying tomorrow . Surprised as they were, they did not think much of it, for to them, it was just another type of Taoist skill .
However, they had forgotten about all the staff in the manor .
People talked!
"Did you hear what the master priests said just then?"
"Of course . They said they're praying for rain up on the mountain . "
"For real? Can cultivators nowadays fill their perk chart that fast? How long has it been now . . . they can pray for rain already?"
"I don't buy it . Just think about it: 'praying for rain' means they have to pray to someone, right? So, who is it gonna be? Zeus? Thor? Or Storm from the X-men?"
"You know what? Buy it or not, we have to keep it among ourselves . This cannot get out . "
"What? Sh*t! I've just posted it!"
"What were you thinking? Delete it!"
"Too late, someone's replied . "
Now that was done! The fellows hurriedly tapped open the New Classic of Mountains and Seas with shaking hands and checked the forum . OMG!
The administrator had reacted promptly, making the post a sticky topic with a big red title: in celebration of the selection of pupils, Phoenix Mountain is setting up an altar to pray for rain tomorrow .
Only two minutes had passed, and there were dozens of comments below .
"LOL! Cultivators are finally doing some actual work for mankind!"
" Rain God Hsiao 1 is over! It turned out he was just the forerunner of the real king! Now that the new world had arrived, his aura is taken . Phoenix Mountain is the real dragon!"
"Do you think the dragon kings of four seas will show up?"
"That's not scientific at all . What's the theoretical basis for rain-praying?"
"It's cultivation time, dude . Forget about science already . I'm in Bai Town right now, and I have listened to six days of lectures . The immortals all sounded so young, like post-90s young . "
"I second you on that . The eldest post-90s are cultivators now! No more looking down on us!"
All in all, this message had gone viral at an unbelievable speed, becoming more exaggerated and bizarre as it reached out, soon becoming the topic of all conversations overnight .
Then, it finally reached the capital city—the old man was ready to go to bed when his assistant hurried into his room .
"What's wrong?"
"Um, there's breaking news . " The look on the assistant's face made one wonder if he was having problem with his bowel movement . "It is said that Phoenix Mountain is setting up an altar to pray for rain tomorrow, and they will use tokens as their signals . Wind will come at the first sound, clouds gather at the second, lightning flash and thunder rumble at the third, the rain come down in a deluge at the fourth, and the sky clear up and rain stop at the fifth . And we're expecting to see the four gods of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-199.png){kind=small}
Chapter 399
Source: Imported
'Hm?'
The old man looked confused for a second, then said in a resigned tone, "Xiao Zhao, was that supposed to be a bedtime joke for me to sleep on?"
"Hehe, nothing gets past you . It's an online gossip . " The assistant chuckled embarrassingly, then added, "But the rain-praying is really happening . We have contacted the monastery, but they didn't know the details, and only heard the news in passing . We've also talked to Phoenix Mountain, but they wouldn't let us in on the plan . "
" . . . "
The old man pondered it for a moment before saying, "If it really rains tomorrow, remember to take measurement of the rainfall and the range . Rain-praying should be quite an advanced skill, and even a Human Immortal cannot simply have it his way, not to mention the vast area of our country… keep an eye on it . "
"Yes!" The assistant left the room with the order, and the old man shook his head, resuming his task of falling asleep .
One had to admit that in the past few years, the central leaders of the country were the ones that psychologically improved to the greatest extent, and transformed the fastest in their way of thinking .
Their position naturally provided them with a much wider scope and stronger cognitive ability . Take the concept of rain-praying as an example: the common people would react with much alarmed exclamation, while the leaders could soon analyze and evaluate the impact of this action .
Meanwhile, on Phoenix Mountain .
Xiaozhai sat calmly in the inner hall with Li Dong standing in front of her, looking all jittery . "We have asked around: Priests Zhang Shouyang and Chao Kongtu probably made their guesses after hearing about it and discussed it among themselves when they got back to the manor, which was overheard by some staff members, who then posted it online . "
"Some staff members?"
"Um, six of them were the first ones talking about it, but the post was put up by Xiao Gong alone, without the knowledge of any others . "
"He can go, then . Take care of it . "
"Yes!"
Li Dong walked out of the inner hall . Only when the cool night wind brushed against his face did he wipe the fine sweat from his forehead . He had no objection to Xiaozhai's decision—no one liked an employee with a loose tongue and a discipline issue .
He was actually very afraid back there .
It was such a strange thing, for Xiaozhai was frightening last year as well, but it was nothing like the oppressive feeling she was giving off now . Something had definitely changed, and she was more brilliant yet intimidating than ever before .
He had heard the rumors about their female master making major progress in the Thunder Technique again, and that feeling was probably the proof .
"Ha…" Li Dong let out a breath of relief, and hurried down the mountain . Even he himself had failed to notice that his own personality and mindset were changing in a subtle way as well .
'That Xiao Gong had it coming,' thought Li Dong without the least bit of sympathy or pity . ***
Morning of the 8th of June .
You Yu was so excited that he did not sleep at all the previous night . When they set out before dawn, he saw that Tao Tong and Tao Yi also showed up with bloodshot eyes, apparently equally excited .
Same as the first day, they headed towards the foot of the mountain among the surging crowd, which was even more sizable than on the first day because of the additional local residents . All the elated crowd talked about on the way was the pupil selection and rain-praying .
They reached Phoenix Mountain when the day was just breaking . Miraculously, the pit that Xiaozhai blasted open had been filled up already . The surface was not perfectly smooth, but it was level enough for people to stand on .
According to the fellows sleeping over on the square the previous night, they heard a shuffling sound in the middle of the night . When they got up to check, the pit was already filled .
It got everyone amazed . Naturally, they had no idea that it was a simple application of the Small Moving Technique .
Let's forget about the trivial details, and turn our attention back to You Yu and the other three . Looking around, they saw that the layout of the square had finally changed a little today .
A high platform was set up at the front, on which was a microphone and a loudspeaker . Had there been a banner, it would look exactly like one of those "Guinness World Records" challenge events of something like "ten thousand people square dancing all at once" .
As time passed by, more people were pouring in . The crowd was once more in the number of tens of thousands .
At exactly eight o'clock, the fog rolled and separated, revealing four people, who were none other than Old Shui, Li Dong, Yan Han, and Guo Fei .
The crowd watched quietly as the four men stepped onto the platform . Old Shui then took the microphone, with the other three standing behind him; all four men felt their palms sweating a little .
The square was packed with the dense crowd, and the tens of thousands pairs of eyes all landed on them .
"I'm Shui Yao, the person in charge of external affairs on Phoenix Mountain . "
Thanks to Brother Shui's tough nerves, the grand scene did not scare him off . He began by saying, "As you all know, today is the day we select pupils for Phoenix Mountain, and we will be the ones taking care of the actual procedure . Before we begin, I need to make one thing clear: cultivation is probably the toughest thing you can ever imagine and for which, now trial is difficult enough .
"However, we have set the standard at the lowest possible level .
"Listen carefully! The first year of your joining the mountain is the screening period—or probation period, if you like . That means even if you manage to get in at this stage, it is not once and for all . By this time next year, those qualified will stay on the mountain and officially become pupils . Those that do not qualify, well, goodbye!"
Buzz!
The crowd erupted after those words, but not to challenge that arrangement—the mountain was going to teach them for free, and it was only natural that they should set up their rules . Everyone was instead shouting out questions .
"What are the criteria?"
"That's right . How is one qualified or disqualified?"
"Can the disqualified ones have another chance? Even the imperial examination of the ancient times did not stop one from taking the exams repeatedly . "
"If we're chosen, are we inner pupils or external ones?"
Just like so, everyone was yelling at the top of their voice at the same time . Old Shui frowned, then activated the little acquired state spiritual essence he could muster, and spoke to the microphone . "Silence!"
Squeak… squeak…
A jarring sound was amplified by the loudspeaker, and forced its way into every pair of ears instantly . The shouts died down right away .
"I'm only here to give the instructions, not to answer questions . Now that you've been told them, anyone who cannot accept the rules is free to leave this moment!" said Old Shui .
" . . . "
There was an unusual quietness, and the crowd moved slowly . Maybe some knew themselves too well to see any hope of being selected, or maybe some were so used to comfortable life that they found the hardship unbearable, but people were indeed beginning to leave .
Old Shui estimated that about one-tenth had left in the end, which was neither too high nor too low a proportion .
"Now, those that decided to stay, form lines along the square from this end to that end . Those that don't have enough room, wait at the back… Move!"
The crowd then rushed to form the lines as instructed, and rows upon rows of people squeezed together into long queues, which filled the square . Immediately after that, Li Dong, Yan Han, and Guo Fei jumped off the platform, shouting, "The first row, move forward with us!"
Shuffle!
The long line of people walked past the platform and reached the edge of the fog in a few steps . A little bit further in was where the mountain gate used to stand, which was obviously inside the fog now .
"Stand still and don't move!"
"Stand still and don't move!"
" . . . "
The row of people stood motionless as told and squeezed together, looking rather dumb . They had no idea what was going to happen .
The next second, boom!
That familiar pressure was back, which was even more formidable than on the first day . It rushed towards them like a torrential wave, wrapping them up from head to toe .
Zeng Ke, Lei Xiao, and Yuan Lingshan, who were in this first row, were chilled to the bone, with goosebumps all over their skin . It was as if someone had gotten under their skin and scanned them thoroughly from inside out .
Zeng Ke—the only girl among the three—felt her legs giving out, and almost fell to the ground . Fortunately, the sensation came and went very quickly, and vanished in a few seconds .
" . . . "
Li Dong and the other two leaned forward slightly with a solemn look on their faces, as if they were listening to some instruction .
A moment later, Li Dong went up to Zeng Ke, and said, "Step out!"
"Huh? Oh!"
Zeng Ke was still dazed, and stepped out despite herself . Li Dong then announced loudly, "Stay!"
On the other side, Yan Han and Guo Fei went up to Lei Xiao and Yuan Lingshan, respectively, announcing with the same words, "Stay!"
After the three was selected, Li Dong turned to face the row of people . "Those three are qualified . The rest can go back now!"
Buzz!
The square of people felt they could go insane at that moment! Excuse me? What kind of ratio was that? Three out of a long line of people?
They had come all the way to Bai Town and lived like dogs for seven days, only to be told to go back without any explanation?
Sh*t! Seeing that the crowd was stirring up again, Old Shui shouted right away, "Silence! Silence! Behave yourselves!"
"!!!"
The words were like a bowl of cold water pouring over their heads, reminding them of the divine lightning descending upon them the previous day . The crowd quieted down right away .
" . . . "
However disgruntled the disqualified the lot felt, they dared not make any trouble, and scattered immediately . Some left promptly in a fit of pique, while some stayed and waited at the back of the crowd with a glimmer of hope in their eyes .
***
Back when the Taiqing Palace selected their pupils, the candidates were led into small rooms, where old priest of acquired state examined their bone structure and natural endowment . The qualified ones were then given a name plate .
As a Human Immortal, Gu Yu had made the job much easier .
He was now sitting in the pavilion halfway up the mountain, with a burning little clay furnace and a pot of spiritual tea . Reaching out with his mental force, he could cover the entire area at the foot of the mountain . Xiaozhai was keeping him company, sighing at what she was seeing . "We have set the standard to the lowest possible level, but it's still so hopeless . "
"Choosing the right talent for cultivation could be a one-in-a-million thing, and there are only tens of thousands down there . We're lucky to have one out of ten," said Gu Yu .
The principle they set beforehand was that as long as one was with an ordinary endowment, they could be taken in .
Exactly what did they mean by an "ordinary endowment"? Well, one did not have to be excellent in it, but they had to have something! For instance, if the benchmark was set at a 2, when Old Gu scanned the line just then, he saw mostly 1 and 0 .
How hopeless was that!
For those with no or little endowment, cultivation was simply impossible, for no organization or country would waste valuable resources on training talentless people .
Gu Yu was not a saint . Even when he was trying to give the people a little more chance by lowering the standard, there was still a bottom line .
They were still chatting when the second line moved forward . Sweeping his mental force across the line, he sensed the fluctuation of each of them clearly, and nodded . "This batch is much better . "
He sent the message to the ears of the three men in charge down there right away .
Li Dong and the other two moved along the line and picked people out as instructed, then announced, "32 are qualified!"
'Wow!'
The announcement raised the spirits of the crowd, and everyone was much more hopeful now . The chosen ones were overwhelmed with excitement, and eagerly gathered behind the high platform .
Momentarily, they were set apart from the rest of the crowd .
The two groups of people looked at one another across the platform, one side envious and the other proud . They were in two different worlds now .
"One qualified!"
"23 are qualified!"
"58 are qualified!"
Just like so, people moved forward in rows for the inspection, but most came back disappointed . When enough room was made, those waiting at the back formed their lines and followed up, ready to try their luck .
Joy and sorrow filled the air, both part of life .
"Ha… ha…"
You Yu was breathing deeply repeatedly to slow down his thumping heart . Tao Tong and Tao Yi also clutched tightly onto their cousin's arms, almost shaking with anxiety .
One more line and it was their turn .
You Yu finally managed to adjust his breath . When he looked closely at the line in the front, he winced a little, for a tiny figure stood among them—it was An Susu, that small girl he ran into the other day .
She looked like a little hobbit among all the adults, and had to hop along to keep up with the rest of the line . A few minutes later, Li Dong stood in front of her, and announced, "Stay!"
You Yu let out a breath of relief . For some reason, he really hoped she could stay . . . no, it was not loli-complex 1 thing .
"Xiao You! Xiao You! It's our turn!"
Just then, Tao Yu shook him by his shoulder, at which he came to himself, and moved forward with the line .
Theoretically, all three kids should be confident enough in getting in, for both Gu Yu and Xiaojin had given them hints . However, with the grand scene and the atmosphere, they couldn't help but be nervous .
Boom!
When that pressure descended upon them, all three kids felt their knees giving up a little, and almost collapsed onto the ground . They exchanged a look when that sensation passed, only to see three pale little faces .
The selection process was actually very efficient . Each line would only take minutes at most from moving forward to being dismissed . You Yu watched Li Dong with unblinking eyes; he paused a little before turning, then walked to his side .
His heart was thumping against his chest again as the voice resonated in his ears . "Stay!"
You Yu felt all the pressure leaving him at that moment, and was overwhelmed with a feeling that he could not describe, which filled him with content and satisfaction .
Looking around, he saw that Tao Tong and Tao Yi had both stepped out as he did .
The three kids could not hold back their excitement, and clutched one another's hands in utter delight . They then walked to the back of the platform, where they joined the others . Without knowing it, they were now watching those on the other side with pity .
Whoosh…
Just then, there came a breeze, and they turned around in unison . The fog separated all of a sudden, and a figure flew out like a sparrow .
Elegant (not very busty) and dignified (like the teaser she was), it was none other than Patriarch Sky-turning herself!
"Follow me!"
The face she wore today was that of an ice queen . After giving them the two-word instruction coldly, she flew back into the fog .
"Um…"
It baffled the group of people, who stood there dazed for a few seconds before following her in . They stepped gingerly onto the passageway in the formation and dared not touch the thick, rolling fog on both sides .
A while later, they suddenly walked into a clearing, where surrounding them was no longer the fog, but the most beautiful landscape .
Inside was also a small square with seven or eight houses, pavilions, and sheds . A bridge straddled a gurgling stream, connecting paths which both led deep into the woods . Looking ahead, they saw a wide path and stairs paved with bluestone, which wound all the way up into the clouds .
Looking up, they realized that they could only see a blur . They knew the mountain was there, but there seemed to be layers of misty barriers between them . When one was here below, this was all they could see . Only by moving up the mountain could they get to see the whole picture .
"Stay here! Someone will come to collect you!"
Xiaojin disappeared after those words, then brought in the next batch in a moment .
There were fewer and fewer people outside, and more and more people inside . The selection process was carried out from the morning all the way to the dusk when the sky was darkening .
Old Shui and the other three were exhausted, but exhilarated . After all, what they had taken part in was a milestone project, which might earn them a place in history one day .
"Dao lies in oneself, and the skills in Nature . In this time of chaos, I hope you could all see the truth through introspection and live your life fear-free…"
In the end, when the selection was finished, the square remained as boisterous, for those that did not get picked had stayed behind . As expected, that voice rang out again .
"A total of 1008 people have been selected today . As chance would have it, we have a rain-praying spiritual talisman for this occasion . Let's celebrate!"
![[]](/img/c/chernij_a_w/pursuingimmortality201-400/pursuingimmortality201-400-200.png){kind=small}
Chapter 400
Source: Imported
Last year was the first open enrollment of the local temples, and only 538 pupils were recruited nationwide .
The pupils were either extremely well-endowed like He He, or, like Lin Junlong, they might not be as perceptive, but were physically more capable, which was considered a specialty .
In comparison was Phoenix Mountain's first enrollment, during which 1008 pupils were admitted . Among them were definitely some with great cultivation potential, but more were mediocre ones that barely reached the benchmark .
At this moment, these 1008 people had gathered in the small square on the mountain, unsure of what to do . The pretty sister was nowhere to be seen now, and Old Shui and the other three were still outside in the big square, which remained crowded .
They then heard the voice from up in the mountain, announcing, " . . . the talisman to pray for rain to celebrate the occasion!"
Wow!
Everyone both inside and outside the mountain was overwhelmed with great excitement at those words .
Modern technology could already to some extent change the weather, but there was much limitation to the actual practice . Hence, floods, droughts, hurricanes, and cold-air outbreaks were still affecting people all over the world .
If cultivators could have the weather completely under their control, they would doubtlessly gain much more credibility among the common people .
Meanwhile, not only were the officials in the capital city following the progress closely, the specialists of Shengtian observatory were also on the alert and "combat-ready" . Everyone was waiting for the miracle to happen .
***
"Aaaaaaah! Quickly! Quickly!"
After leading the new pupils into the mountain gate, Xiaojin ran up the mountain herself, and reached the eastern slope in a few jumps, arriving at a peak named Yanbie Peak .
The peak remained in its undeveloped state, covered by luxuriant trees and grotesque stones, and without a single trail . Xiaojin activated the Rising Manual, which took her over sixty meters away in one single stride . Tapping successively in the air, she was soon halfway up the slope like a soaring eagle .
"Why, Jin Jin, is your task down there done?" Just then, Long Qiu's voice came from behind . Xiaojin turned around . She was not happy about what she saw, for Long Qiu had her own pet—she was flying up standing on the back of the Golden Silkworm .
"Make room for one more passenger!" Xiaojin tried to squeeze onto Golden Silkworm's back .
"There's no room! Golden Silkworm can't take two people at the same time!"
"Ouch…"
Long Qiu could never defeat Xiaojin in such things, and in the end, she had to get off Golden Silkworm to run together with the latter .
Before long, they reached the top of the mountain, where Gu Yu and Xiaozhai were already making preparations .
A level ground reached out over the cliff at the mountain top, which was not a very large area, and faced north . Beyond that platform was the rolling sea of clouds reflecting the evening sunlight; below, rows upon rows of woods were painted golden-red by the setting sun .
Standing on the edge of the cliff, one felt they would be carried away by the wind, casting aside all worldly cares and becoming immortals right there and right then .
An altar had been set up on that platform: a carpet of the Eight Diagrams had been laid over the ground, and the table was wrapped in a plain and neat altar cloth .
On the table were candleholders, offering plate, five grains, eight treasures, and a censer, in which stood three incense sticks . That purple Five-transformation Rain-praying Talisman was set right in the center of the table .
"Are you sure you're not burning a memorial text?" asked Xiaozhai .
"The memorial texts are for the gods to read, and we don't know if there is any god so far . Why should I burn it?" Gu Yu paused a little, then said, "Actually, I have always found the 'god-inviting' procedure of Zhengyi more of a formality . I can use this opportunity to see exactly how that works . "
According to the traditional rituals of Zhengyi, before performing any ceremony, one had to take a vow with a memorial text, which was to restrain oneself and make connection with gods . The text was then burnt .
After that was the reading of the summoning text, which was used for inviting, summoning, and holding back the gods . The text would also be burnt .
Gu Yu found all those procedures pointless . It had been 500 years since anyone succeeded in rain-praying, and no one knew how accurate those rituals were anymore . Looking into the distance, he saw the pale sky, the setting sun, and the unwaning heat . The evening glow was blending into the cold gleam of the rising moon, and the two sources of light were each taking a side of the sky .
"Such a nice view . It deserves a good rainfall!"
He wasn't wearing the so-called "celestial master robe", and only stood in front of the altar in his usual outfit . After looking ahead for a moment, he made an extremely complicated finger gesture with his left hand, which represented mountains and fields, and was a praying gesture .
He then picked up the talisman between two fingers of his right hand and chanted the spell . "Five emperors and five dragons, bless us with light and wind . Spare your mighty power and aid the Thunder Lord…"
Whoosh!
At this first sentence, the purple talisman burst into flame on its own . It rose up from between his fingers, and floated in mid-air, wrapped in a circle of light .
Gu Yu's facial expression changed slightly, for instead of the frantic drawing-out of his spiritual essence to activate the power of the talisman, a miraculous energy was flowing into his body from the talisman . It immediately blended in with his own spiritual energy, and began to slowly circulate inside him following a special route .
"I hereby summon the god of water so that rain will come out of the Wall Mansion . Leopard of he Winnowing Basket rises and Flood Dragon of the Neck dances…"
Gu Yu dared not stop, and went on chanting . As he spoke the second line, that energy, together with his own spiritual essence, ran directly into the Liver Palace, where they circulated for seven times; the energy of Wood was in full bloom .
They then moved onto the Heart Palace, where the fire of heart was lit; the energy of Fire was in full bloom .
After that, they reached the Palaces of Spleen, Lung, and Kidney in turn, where they turned the Yang energy on first, then the Yin one so that Fire generated Earth, Earth generated Metal, and Metal generated Water . In the end, they circulated nine times in the Kidney Palace, and the energy of Water was prospering .
"Five stars rise up from the court, staying high above in the dwelling of the water . God of wind shakes water, the goddess Axiang turns to Ox Mansion; the essence of water comes from the Bond Mansion, and Metal of Ghost Mansion generates Fire . "
Gu Yu set his wits to work as he chanted, and the epiphany came—so, that was it! That was it!
Knowing where the spell was going, he held back no more, and let the power of the talisman run freely inside him . "The timely rain falls in Dantian, filling Qihai . The demon of drought is revealed at the might power of thunder and lightning… obey at once!"
Boom!
When the last word of the spell left his tongue, the energy of Water surged, subduing that of Fire, and extinguishing the latter . The burning talisman seemed to have integrated with Gu Yu as an inexhaustible energy began to pour out of them both .
The internal energy was circulating inside Gu Yu, while the external energy spread out instantly . Centering around Yanbie Peak, an enormous transparent air cap rose up into the air, covering an area of hundreds of square kilometers .
"That's a lot of water in the air!"
Xiaozhai was greatly surprised, for she could sense the energy of Five Elements changing rapidly around her . Metal, Wood, Fire, and Earth all disappeared temporarily, giving way to the surging Water .
"Why, the wind is blowing!" Xiaojin then saw from the corner of her eyes that the smoke rising up from the incense sticks was leaning to one side . She then cried out in surprise at the rustling sound of leaves . "Wow! It's a cool breeze! It's been a while since we had such a cool wind in the mountain!"
Long Qiu was also delighted . She grabbed at the air like a child, then turned to look admiringly at that man standing at the altar .
"Holy sh*t! The wind is really rising!"
Those in the square at the foot of the mountain reacted to it with much hubbub—it sounded like a seething cauldron down there .
Quite a few people ran out of the square and into the distance as if they had lost their minds; they ran back waving their hands and yelling, "It's not hot out there any more . The temperature has dropped! The temperature has dropped!"
"Hahahaha!"
Such a change of mood was happening almost everywhere, from the square and the downtown area all the way to the surrounding villages .
Even if some obtuse fellows had not realized what was happening by now, it would come to light at the next part . As the cool wind grew stronger, the last bit of the evening sunlight was suddenly wiped out of the sky, replaced by a thick and dark cloud .
The cloud covered the sky over Bai Town, even blocking out the moon . Beneath it, the area looked like a small room with its curtains drawn close, and all lights were dimmed .
From residential buildings, offices, shops, factories, farmhouses… people were running out and rushing to the streets, the main roads, the fields, and the side of ponds .
Most people joked about the breaking news when they heard it yesterday, but now that it was coming true, they couldn't help but go around telling everyone else .
"Are you seeing this? There're clouds!"
"Oh my goodness! Is it really the Immortal's doing?"
"Hey, listen! What's that sound?"
Rumble!
Rumble!
A brief silence fell over the crowd as they tilted their heads to listen . There was a strange muffling sound in the sky, which was moving closer and closer, but remained hidden behind the clouds .
"It's the thunder!"
"The rain is coming! It's not a joke! It is really going to rain!"
***
Up on Yanbie Peak .
Gu Yu stood in front of the altar, carefully controlling the power of the talisman .
The principle of the rain-praying talisman was complicated and simple at the same time . It was to transform all energy of Five Elements into water first, then make a connection with the weather using the body of a Human Immortal as the channel .
Gather all energy in Huangting, then raise it to Fengchi; wind would blow .
When the energy rose to Shanyue and exited through Shenlu, cloud would move .
With the help of thunder, lift the energy to the forehead, then inhale and exhale; thunder would ring out .
Move the energy further up and into the mouth, then spray with divine water; the rain would come .
Finally, circulate the energy to Heart Palace and blink, then the rain would stop and cloud disperse .
The five transformations of the talisman was the wind, the cloud, the thunder, the rain, and the clearing up, which was also the interaction between Nature and men the ancient cultivators had talked about!
He had figured it out from the very beginning: the purple talisman worked on the practitioner first, then on the weather . No wonder it was so demanding on the practitioner, for anyone less than a Human Immortal simply did not have the capability to carry it out .
Right now, the thunder was rumbling, and black clouds gathered overhead . His spiritual essence was being consumed at a crazy speed, spreading out together with the energy of the talisman . One more step, and a heavy rain would be falling .
Gu Yu dared not take this lightly . Closing his eyes, he went on adjusting his energy .
All of a sudden, he frowned, feeling his mind shaken slightly . The energy gathered at his middle Huangting, then ran all the way up his spine; it shot out of his crown, and flew into the air .
He had a glimpse of a shapeless and blurry thing floating in mid-air, which disappeared almost instantly .
There was no time to think . He immediately settled his mind and activated his spiritual essence . . .
Rumble!
Lightning ripped through the sky; the dark clouds rolled, and the sky seemed to crack open . Splash! The rain was finally here!
***
Southeast, Bianmen Town .
It was a tiny town with a population of 28 678, of which 26 593 were farmers, making it a typical farm town . Before, with the surrounding mountains and lakes, they were able to run a tourism industry . But now, the mountains and lakes were no longer friendly, nor were the fields of any use .
There was basically no hope .
Qian Huai was in his seventies and an ordinary farmer . His wife passed away the year before last, leaving the childless old man behind .
He had spent his whole life as a farmer, with no other skills . Earlier, with the government subsidies, he could still get a modest living by working very hard in the fields . However, everything changed when the new world arrived .
The country had drawn plans for over 30 planting bases, and Shengtian was not one of them . Naturally, few resources were allocated here after that .
Moreover, with the successive droughts of the past few years, the yield of Bianmen Town had dropped sharply . The officials had decided to give up on the farmlands here and turn the town into part of the small urban agglomeration after some development and upgrading .
Qian Huai had received a generous amount of money from the sale of his land, and would be given priority in the housing allotment . However, his land was his life's work . How could he leave it just like that?
The construction would officially start tomorrow, and the machines had been set . Crouching down at one end of the farmland he was so familiar with, Qian Huai watched the workers nearby with a blank look on his face; he didn't even notice the cool wind .
Tap!
He shuddered at the coolness at the tip of his nose . When he wiped it, his hand felt something wet .
Before he had time to react, there was another drop, and another… momentarily, the rain was pouring down .
" . . . "
Qian Huai was dazed for a moment before slowly rising to his feet .
Looking up into the sky, the emaciated old man shivered in his soaking wet shirt . It seemed forever before he cried out bitterly, "Why didn't you come earlier? Why? Sob…"
***
North, Dalishu Village .
The village was quite close to the downtown area . It used to be a fully equipped agricultural park with its own ecological system . After the massive breakout of mutated creatures, the government of Shengtian decided to keep the place and make it a local supply station .
Oh, it was also where Dai Han was raising his softshell turtles .
As someone from a family raising softshell turtles for two generations, Dai Han had all the experience and techniques needed . Of course, his pond looked a little miserable at the moment with only one male and one female turtle inside . Right now, he was squatting down by the pond, lost in his thoughts while staring at the water—he was trying to come up with the proportion of ingredients of this new fodder .
Gurgle!
'Hm?'
His thoughts were interrupted as the water rippled, and the two turtles stuck their heads out as if they were eager for something .
He was still confused when ripples filled the surface of the water as the rain began to drop . It turned into a downpour in no time .
"Sh*t! It really is happening!" Dai Han exclaimed despite himself . It then dawned on him that this had to be the work of the Immortal . He ran out of the shed in a hurry and hopped around in excitement .
When he finally calmed down, the chubby fellow looked into the distance at the Phoenix Mountain blurred by the rain, and clenched his fists . 'I WILL make a name for myself here!'
***
The rain reached out to a hundred kilometers on four directions from Bai Town, which was just enough to cover all the towns and villages under its jurisdiction . At the westernmost corner, even an outer district of Shengtian was lucky enough to be partially included .
It was also were Shengtian Observatory was located .
"We have the cloud chart . Measure the covering area!"
"Yes . The result is obtained!"
"The rainfall remains steady without any sign of abating!"
"Data of all villages and towns are basically identical . No obvious difference is detected!"
"Measurement! Measurement! I need detailed data!"
The deputy director was holding a stack of files filled with worthless conclusions . He roared, "The precipitation! I need the exact number of the precipitation! Now!"
Precipitation was the depth of rainwater falling to a level ground within a certain period . It was measured in millimeters, and usually every six hours .
The deputy was probably too anxious over the order directly from the central government that he had forgotten about the basic concept, which his men dared not remind him about . He was about to urge the men again when a hand landed on his shoulder—the director had arrived .
"Old Zhang, all that anxiety is not good for a heart of your age . The measurement takes time; you can't rush that . "
"But the bosses, the bosses are pushing for it!"
"Pushing for it? Hoho, come here…" The director took his deputy to the corridor, and pushed a window open with a chuckle . "See for yourself!"
" . . . "
Confused, the deputy leaned over a little . The moment he stuck his head out of the window, the clear and dense tapping sounds filled his ears, which soon attracted all his attention like the exciting sound of war drums .
Splash!
Patter!
"Dab… flutter!"
Outside, the rain fell down like a curtain onto the streets, the sheds, the rooftops, the windows, and the pedestrians . The sound reminded one of the most wonderful music .
Countless people had run out to the streets, cheering loudly for reasons they did not know . The rain had nothing to do with them, nor could it solve the drought all over the country .
But they simply wanted to cheer .
Maybe because they could finally give vent to the frustration brought to them by the long-lasting heat .
Maybe this rain was so out of their imagination that they could not fight the impulse of wanting to jump around .
Maybe they could now see the possibility of a bright future that cultivation might bring them, which, slim as it might be, was a comfort against this goddamn world that was suffocating them .
'We men will without a doubt break all the shackles, and defeat them all in the end . How can we allow those disgusting things take our homeland and our loved ones? How can we allow them to break us?'
"What do we need the measurement for? It is a downpour!"
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