novelraw Chapter 3: The Magpie Bridge Opens Once a Year
Chapter 3: The Magpie Bridge Opens Once a Year
The Old Yellow Ox had not yet recovered from its shock when it heard Jiang Man's nonsensical words.
It found this quite strange.
But it wasn't particularly difficult, so it instinctively agreed.
The other party really did just touch it briefly without doing anything more.
At this moment, Jiang Man sighed inwardly.
Because just now when he touched the Old Yellow Ox, he had incidentally activated the Heavenly Mirror Hundred Books.
The book still remained on the last page.
Only one line of text remained.
【Beasts are unworthy.】
Even an Evil God is unworthy?For a moment, Jiang Man felt somewhat awkward.
Fortunately, the Old Yellow Ox couldn't see this.
Otherwise, he would be the one at a disadvantage.
However, it seemed the Heavenly Mirror Hundred Books didn't record humans and beasts.
Or perhaps they were both relatively ordinary.
While he was pondering this, footsteps came from outside the thatched hut, followed by someone shouting: "Jiang Man, remember to pay your cultivation fee before September. Your village didn't pay for you this year. If you don't pay within the next half month, you'll be expelled."
After saying this, the person hurried away, leaving only these words: "I've notified you. Whether you understand or not is your own business."
Jiang Man was stunned.
When coming to the Cloud Front Division to cultivate, the cultivation fee was usually covered by one's village.
Now that his village had cut off his cultivation fee, it likely meant they had found a new age-appropriate candidate to enter the Cloud Front Division.
The cultivation places in the city were collectively called the Cloud Front Division, which was divided into three towers and six pavilions.
Jiang Man was located in the Azure Cloud Pavilion, one of the six pavilions.
Normal villages were all poor and couldn't afford to support multiple people.
They had supported him originally because he was the only one of suitable age.
They had to try their luck.
Sometimes being foolish didn't mean having poor cultivation talent.
Now that two years had passed, it was understandable that he had been abandoned.
Shell Village couldn't afford to support two people.
He just didn't know which location the village's new person would go to.
But these weren't things he needed to think about - currently he needed to find a way to earn cultivation fees.
Otherwise, he would truly be expelled from the Azure Cloud Pavilion.
"How did you do that?" Only now did the Old Yellow Ox come back to its senses.
Jiang Man glanced at it and said seriously: "Natural talent."
Old Yellow Ox: "......"
Do you think I believe that?
Even a wedding ceremony for dispelling bad luck couldn't produce results like this.
"You didn't have this kind of talent before," the Old Yellow Ox stated firmly.
Jiang Man shrugged, thought for a moment and said: "Maybe it's because I got married? Why don't you go marry someone, senior? What if you awaken the same talent as me?"
Old Yellow Ox: "......"
Bringing up this topic, Jiang Man asked curiously: "Senior still hasn't told me what background that fairy has, and whether she might find us at any time."
Jiang Man always felt that the other party wasn't someone to mess with, and moreover he felt somewhat guilty.
After all, he was the one who had brought her back.
If she sent people to deal with him, then his life would have something to look forward to.
Hearing this, the Old Yellow Ox remained silent for a moment before saying: "Her origins are hard to say, but there's a high possibility she's from an immortal sect. If you have a chance to join an immortal sect, you could try using your Peerless Prodigy Fate to inquire about her.
Then you could determine who she is.
After all, getting married means being entangled by fate - it's absolutely no ordinary matter, so it should be quite easy to find out.
As for whether she might appear at any time, that's unlikely."
Jiang Man was puzzled: "Why?"
The Old Yellow Ox explained: "Because if the Magpie Bridge doesn't open, the river can't flow out.
They originally descended following the river, so we can't determine their previous location."
"Magpie Bridge? How often does the Magpie Bridge open?" Jiang Man asked.
Hearing this, the Old Yellow Ox remained silent for a moment before saying: "About once a year, but it's not that easy for them to determine our location either. Even if they have some clues, they can't easily send their true bodies to descend.
Don't worry too much.
The one who should be worried is me - she might very well inflict revenge on me from a distance."
Jiang Man remained silent for a moment.
Although the other party wouldn't come for now, she was from an immortal sect.
Immortal sects held exalted status - currently, the source of everything in people's survival came from the Four Major Immortal Sects.
He never expected that the person the Old Yellow Ox randomly found would actually come from such a place.
Having offended someone like this, his future would likely be difficult.
Suddenly, he felt his Peerless Prodigy Fate vibrating.
Only then did he realize.
It wasn't just the future.
The present was already difficult enough.
At this moment, he discovered that his Peerless Prodigy Fate had produced a flawless pill.
The pill descended and landed in his dantian.
It lay there quietly, waiting to be absorbed.
Although he didn't know what kind of pill it was, Jiang Man could sense that it contained substantial spiritual energy that could make a cultivator's training twice as effective with half the effort.
Seeing this, Jiang Man finally remembered the Heavenly Mirror Hundred Books' record "can be unlocked layer by layer to obtain inheritance" - meaning that as long as he completed the contents above, he could obtain the inheritance?
Jiang Man felt delighted inwardly - this was good stuff.
After the pill landed in his dantian, the Peerless Prodigy Fate changed again.
Just as Jiang Man wanted to understand it, the mysterious changes were once again analyzed and read.
【Peerless Prodigy Fate】
【As a peerless prodigy, cultivation is as easy as drinking water for you. As long as your body allows, you must cultivate one hundred times daily, and within one hundred days you must elevate your visualization method to the thirteenth layer.】
【Failure will result in fate backlash.】
【Complete loss of cultivation.】
He had celebrated too early.
These requirements felt somewhat unreasonable.
The only good news was that fate backlash wouldn't kill him.
After learning this, Jiang Man didn't hide it and told the Old Yellow Ox everything.
When it heard about the pill, it asked for details about the pill, then exclaimed in shock: "A flawless Gathering Spirit Pill! This fate truly is good stuff."
The flawless Gathering Spirit Pill contained powerful spiritual energy and could remain in the body for a long time, waiting to be absorbed, unlike ordinary Gathering Spirit Pills that would automatically dissipate.
Then Jiang Man mentioned the new requirements.
After hearing them, the Old Yellow Ox's shock solidified.
Looking at Jiang Man, it sighed and said: "I'll say it again - eat whatever you want to eat, do whatever you want to do, don't leave any regrets.
Although it will be hard work, at least you can live for a hundred days.
That's infinitely better than the previous three days."
Jiang Man: "......"
Wasn't that a bit pessimistic?
Only when the Old Yellow Ox told him that the visualization method required the sixth level of Qi Refinement to practice did he become stunned.
Initially, one practiced Qi Refinement methods to absorb spiritual energy.
At the third level of Qi Refinement, one needed to cultivate blood and qi to strengthen the body's capacity to bear spiritual energy.
At the sixth level of Qi Refinement, one needed to practice visualization methods to enhance mental power and steadily control spiritual energy.
Otherwise, one would easily be unable to withstand spiritual energy or lose control of it and suffer cultivation deviation.
Understanding this, Jiang Man felt that the Peerless Prodigy Fate truly wasn't treating him as human.
Jiang Man asked the Old Yellow Ox if reaching the sixth level of Qi Refinement in a hundred days was possible.
The other said it was, but required peerless natural talent and massive resources.
And some of those resources weren't available in Lucky Cloud City.
If he managed to pass this trial, the subsequent requirements would definitely be even greater.
Lucky Cloud City's resources probably wouldn't be enough.
He absolutely had to find a way to join a sect.
Jiang Man fell silent.
Just moments ago he was about to be expelled from the Azure Cloud Pavilion, and now he needed to pass examinations to join a sect.
The dramatic ups and downs of life in this single day were rather frequent.
Looking at him, even the Old Yellow Ox felt that this single day had been more eventful than his previous ten-plus years.
Leaving him with "good luck to you," the Old Yellow Ox went out to graze.
By now it was already night.
Jiang Man had no heart for rest.
First, he needed to see what he had stored in his room over the years.
A short while later.
Jiang Man looked at the three books on the table, along with a wooden sword and three catties of coarse rice, and sighed deeply.
These were all his possessions.
The room was frighteningly clean - he had cleaned up quite thoroughly for the wedding ceremony.
The three books were respectively "Simple Qi Refinement Method," "Divine Movement Steps," and "Beginner's Guide."
Not a single coin.
Additionally, what use was the wooden sword?
Jiang Man examined it carefully - the workmanship was crude, it was just a toy he had brought from the village.
Afterward, Jiang Man found a river to wash himself and cleaned his clothes as well.
By the time he finished his tasks and put on his clothes, it was already the next day.
Starting today, he needed to cultivate one hundred times.
But first he had to get up early to feed the horses.
His cultivation fee was covered by the village, but living expenses he had to earn himself.
Thus he had settled down by the Azure Cloud Pavilion's stables, raising horses every day.
After a month, he could at least have food to eat.
"Is anyone there? Come help!"
Just as he came out, Jiang Man heard an anxious voice from near the stables.