Master, What Dao Do You Cultivate?

Chapter 43: Don’t Make Me Spoon-Feed You

Yu Ye still couldn’t quite believe it even after listening to his Master Ji Qinglin’s explanation. Everyone had heard bits and pieces about the legend of the Immortal’s corpse, but no one had ever heard of or confirmed someone actually possessing it. That meant this thing—being the ultimate goal of all Qi Refiners—would definitely be protected with the highest level of secrecy and security.

And now, it had actually fallen into the hands of their little Master and Disciple duo, taken from a Sky Thief.

Ji Qinglin had roughly analyzed Duan Tianpeng’s motives and guessed that this part of the Immortal’s corpse was probably real.

Thinking of the legends surrounding the Immortal’s corpse, Yu Ye asked curiously:

“Hard to believe this thing ended up in Duan Tianpeng’s hands. Master, does this thing really help with cultivation?”

“No idea, this is the first time I’ve seen the real deal too. Legend has it the Immortal’s corpse came from a great war during a historical gap period. They say whoever collects the whole corpse can ascend and become an Immortal. Some say it hides cultivation techniques, others say it contains an Immortal’s Dao Fruit. It’s said that the One God, Four Saints, and Nine Champions all once fought over the Immortal’s corpse. In the end, no one knows for sure who got what or if any of it was even real.

But there’s one thing I do know for sure—it’ll bring deadly trouble if we don’t handle it right. If anyone outside this room finds out we got the Immortal’s corpse, we’ll be facing both open and hidden threats real fast. And if we slip up even a little… forget us, even the Coal Boss won’t make it out alive.”

“Gaa?”

Coal Boss was on the side grooming his black feathers. He hadn’t understood what the two had been saying, but he definitely heard his name, so he tilted his head with a “what’s that got to do with me?” expression.

“Master, then how about we just turn this thing and Duan Tianpeng’s body over to the authorities?”Ji Qinglin shook his head:

“You always have to prepare for the worst. Handing the corpse and the body to the authorities… with the kind of spies other factions have planted in there, those Qi Refiners will come knocking in no time, convinced we must’ve learned the cultivation techniques from the Immortal’s corpse. By then, there won’t be any way to clear ourselves.”

“Good point… then should we still tell the police that we killed Duan Tianpeng?”

After a bit of thought, Ji Qinglin nodded:

“We definitely should. Let’s go through the proper ‘kill the wanted criminal, get the bounty’ process. Duan Tianpeng’s been hiding here for three days and no one from West Chang District, the cops, or any other faction has come looking. That proves no one knows he’s the one who stole the Immortal’s corpse, so we can just handle this the normal way.

If we killed him and dumped his body in the streets instead, that’d attract the attention and investigation of the West Chang District and other groups. In a bit, take everything out of your bag, and stuff a few of your underwear in there too. Use his ‘Underwear Thief’ title as cover. That way, his life comes full circle.”

“Got it.”

Yu Ye originally thought this kind of thing was super embarrassing, but with life and death on the line, she didn’t hesitate at all.

After speaking, Ji Qinglin placed the crystal arm into the drawer for now, planning to find a proper place to store it once the heat died down.

Now that they had a plan, Ji Qinglin calmed himself, returned to his usual demeanor, and smiled:

“Alright, Yu Ye, with your luck, let’s see what else is in the bag.”

Mad Ye: What are we trading for this time?

Yu Ye: Shut your jinxing mouth!

Mad Ye: Me or Coal Boss?

The rest of the stuff was pretty random. Yu Ye emptied out the backpack and neatly laid everything out on the table.

Aside from a few throwing weapons left by Duan Tianpeng, there was only one metal box. At first, Ji Qinglin thought it was another weapon, but upon picking it up, he found it was a solid piece. The surface of the metal box was polished smooth—looked just like a portable power bank without a charging port.

The most notable part was the five electroplated characters on the back.

Yu Ye noticed it too and said in confusion:

“Zero births all things?”

“It’s from the Intelligent Machines Gang. That phrase is one of their core beliefs—since their lives originated from binary code. But I still can’t tell what this is. That brat Duan Tianpeng really stole a full set—he even snatched something from the Intelligent Machines Gang.”

“Then should we return it?”

“If this were normal times, I’d definitely want to return it and earn a favor. After all, the Intelligent Machines Gang is the top gang in the Northern New District. But since this thing showed up with the Immortal’s corpse and we don’t know the backstory… if they’ve already identified the thief of both items as the same person, there’s no way to explain it cleanly.”

Yu Ye nodded:

“Alright, then I’ll go clean up any traces in the alley and the store. At dawn, Master, you can contact the authorities to handle Duan Tianpeng’s body.”

Just as she was about to get up and leave, Ji Qinglin called her back:

“Hold on a sec.”

“What is it?”

Ji Qinglin looked into Yu Ye’s clear apricot eyes and said seriously:

“As for the legend that the Immortal’s corpse can lead someone to ascend… I’ve never heard of anyone actually succeeding. But I have heard plenty of stories about people killing their fellow disciples, betraying their Dao Companions, and butchering their brothers over it.”

Yu Ye caught what Ji Qinglin was getting at. Actually, when she’d guessed about the Immortal’s corpse earlier, she had been a little worried—that her Master might kill her over it. After all, this was every Qi Refiner’s dream.

Now that he’d made it clear, Yu Ye hurriedly explained:

“Master, you don’t think I’d dare to covet the Immortal’s corpse, do you? I swear I’d never have such thoughts. This thing is obviously yours. Besides, with my level of cultivation, there’s no way I could…”

Ji Qinglin frowned slightly and waved his hand:

“Stop, stop, stop—has our Master and Disciple bond really gotten this bland? Who said I’m afraid you’d try to steal the Immortal’s corpse? What I meant was, if you ever need it, just come and get it. Don’t go taking the long route of betraying your Master and ancestors.”

Yu Ye realized she’d overthought it and stuck out her tongue:

“I was overthinking. I thought you might mind me studying such a treasure with you.”

Ji Qinglin let out a snort and gave a bitter smile:

“What I mind is you being too lazy to study it or taking forever to understand it. You’re the one going to the Cultivation Tournament, so it’s best if you can gain some insight early on. Can’t have it like usual where I have to fully grasp every technique and then spoon-feed you piece by piece, right?”

Yu Ye’s apricot eyes widened even more:

“You… you’re actually planning to teach me what’s on the Immortal’s corpse?”

“D*mn it, you’re my only disciple—if I don’t teach you, should I teach the Coal Boss?”

“Gaa?”

Hearing that, Yu Ye bit her lip and nodded hard:

“Your disciple will never let you down!”

“And also, go find Shen Bixin when you have time.”

“To ask Dr. Shen about the West Chang District President and the details of the Immortal’s corpse theft?”

“Ask my *ss—I’m telling you to go see her about your mental health. I think you’ve got a bit of a persecution complex!”