novelraw Chapter 12 : Chapter 12
Chapter 12 : Chapter 12
Chapter 12
“After I got that news, I wanted to come to Suizhou and try my luck,” the man continued.
“People’s hearts have been unsettled lately. There must be many cultivators thinking the same way I am. And there will certainly be no shortage of characters like the Six Bandits of Bima Mountain.”
“Suizhou is going to fall into chaos.”
After he finished speaking, he cupped his hands in salute and left without looking back.
He had already recognized the dangers of Suizhou and awakened from the delusion of temptation cast by that rare treasure.
The Six Bandits of Bima Mountain were no longer opponents he could handle.
As Suizhou grew more and more chaotic, what kinds of dangers would he encounter next?
No matter what that rare treasure was, it was not something he could bear to possess.
But he could only decide for himself. After offering that single warning, he left without looking back.
The other two guests gave their farewells as well, their thoughts unreadable.
Cai Suhong had already prepared the hot soup noodles she had promised Lang Qingyun while still inside the Mystic Realm.
She kept them fresh with a spell and handed them to Lang Qingyun.
Then, smiling cheerfully, she bid the two of them goodbye.
Only then did Cai Suhong learn of the rumor that a rare treasure would appear in Suizhou.
The news had spread from the Black Market.
The Black Market was different from Fude Pavilion; it was a place where all sorts gathered, a true mix of dragons and snakes.
There was no guarantee like Fude Pavilion’s, either. Cai Suhong was not the sort who enjoyed trouble, and she rarely wandered into places like that.
But she did not pay the rumor much mind.
She had her own ways to preserve her life—and now she also had the System.
At last, this disaster-prone Mystic Realm had ended smoothly, and she had gained a great deal. She was in an excellent mood.
Humming a little tune, Cai Suhong smiled at the system.
“It is finally over! The beginning is always the hardest. From now on, nothing will go wrong again.”
With a devoutly earnest air, the System stared at the sword aura within its own space.
Too lazy to respond to Cai Suhong, it silently cleared out a special spot just for that sword aura.
Lang Qingyun still stood beneath the pear blossom tree, petals drifting down like snow.
He had originally wanted to ask many questions, but now he no longer wished to press.
“I should go home,” he said.
But Lang Qingyun did not manage to go home.
“Someone has arrived outside the pear blossom grove,” Shuang Wenlü said.
“A young girl. She is wearing the protective talisman you made.”
Lang Qingyun stopped short.
His divine sense was a step slower, but he still saw the visitor outside the grove.
A massive dark-red birthmark covered her face, stretching from her neck all the way to her left cheek.
“Third Sister? Why are you here?” he asked as he hurried over.
Ji Hongluo jumped when he appeared so suddenly. Then, both startled and overjoyed, she exclaimed, “Second Brother!”
Lang Qingyun saw that beneath her delight was unmistakable worry. “What happened?” he asked.
“Fourth Brother went into the city to see a friend, and he has not come back for several days,” Ji Hongluo said.
“I am afraid something happened to him.”
“I left a message talisman at home. Why did you not notify me? If there was danger, what use would it be for you to go alone?” Lang Qingyun frowned.
Ji Hongluo bit her lip and looked at him without speaking.
Lang Qingyun froze, then understood.
He had listened to the Dao Seed’s guidance and grown distant from his family, and he had become a cultivator.
To them, he was likely no longer someone they dared approach as freely as before.
Pain twisted in Lang Qingyun’s chest.
He forced up a smile and patted Ji Hongluo’s head.
“Do not worry. I will go find him. You go back.”
He slipped off his back basket.
It was crammed with things.
Besides the cloak, one could faintly make out a telescoping wooden staff, a small wooden sword, a bottle of medicinal dew, and other assorted odds and ends.
Lang Qingyun took out the short sword and carried it on his person.
He gave everything else to Ji Hongluo and said gently, “There is some hot soup noodles inside. Remember to eat them while they are hot. Do not be afraid. Nothing will happen.”
Ji Hongluo’s eyes stung.
Second Brother had not come home for a long time, and his attitude toward them had grown colder and colder.
They all believed they were his burden.
If he had not been dragging so many people along, he would never have needed to move out of town, and he would have saved up money long ago.
They were terrified that he would abandon them, and they did not dare add to his troubles.
Whenever something happened, they tried their best to handle it themselves.
Just now, when he patted her head, she felt as though the Second Brother from before had returned.
“Go back. Be careful on the road,” Lang Qingyun said.
“Second Brother, you also have to be careful,” Ji Hongluo said.
She hoisted the basket and looked at him anxiously.
She wanted to say more, but there was nothing else she could do.
In the end, she left him with only that one warning, then turned and went back.
Lang Qingyun watched her retreating figure.
He slowly let out a long breath, then turned to thank Shuang Wenlü.
“You lent me a cloak,” Shuang Wenlü said.
Lang Qingyun stared blankly.
He understood what Shuang Wenlü meant.
But how could a cloak lent for a short time compare to such precious guidance?
Yet Shuang Wenlü had already changed the subject.
“How do you intend to find him?”
“They all wear protective talismans I made. I can use that to locate where he is,” Lang Qingyun said.
“Then let us go,” Shuang Wenlü said.
Lang Qingyun blurted in surprise, “You are coming too?”
Shuang Wenlü smiled.
“You also treated me to a bowl of hot soup noodles.”
Guided by Lang Qingyun’s spell, his Fourth Brother’s talisman was still intact.
Its location was exactly as Ji Hongluo had said—within Gannan City.
But a talisman being in the city did not mean the person was in the city, and a talisman remaining intact did not mean the person remained intact.
That talisman could only guard against demonic arts and sinister techniques.
It was of no use against other people.
His Fourth Brother was not someone who disregarded the family.
If he were safe, why had he not even sent word?
Anxiety rose in Lang Qingyun’s heart.
He stopped refusing and, after giving Shuang Wenlü a grateful glance, cast his spell and followed the guidance.
…
Gannan City, within a secluded and quiet courtyard.
Shao Si had just finished bathing and was drying his hair.
Beside him was another young man who had also just bathed and was drying his hair.
This young man was named Meng Zhensheng, Shao Si’s friend. Seeing Shao Si’s tense expression, he advised him, “You must keep a devout and righteous mind. Only then will you be able to see the immortal realm in a while.”
Shao Si’s hand, resting on his left knee, clenched involuntarily. “I just feel uneasy,” he said.
“Do not worry. We have already bathed and fasted for seven days. We have made every other preparation as well. Once we complete today’s ritual, we will be able to enter the immortal realm and obtain an immortal opportunity,” Meng Zhensheng said.
Shao Si hesitated. “Obtaining an immortal opportunity… will it not be a little too easy?”
Meng Zhensheng curled his lip. “Was your Second Brother’s immortal opportunity not even easier than what we are about to obtain?”
Shao Si fell silent, his hand on his knee tightening again without him realizing it.
Lang Qingyun’s immortal opportunity really had come far too easily.
At the beginning, Lang Qingyun had not hidden anything from them.
He had told them about the Dao Seed and said that once he cultivated properly, he would teach them too—perhaps everyone’s lingering illnesses and disabilities could be cured. But later, he changed.
He refused to speak of anything related to cultivation.
Meng Zhensheng continued to prattle on.
“Besides, how was ours easy? Just the things we had to prepare before, when we begged the immortal elder, cost me quite a lot of Silver Bean. And to bring you along, I begged the immortal elder for a long time. Not like your Second Brother—he got his immortal opportunity by himself, even cultivated spiritual power, and still refuses to teach you no matter what. If you ask me, he is just—”
“All right, enough,” Shao Si said darkly.
Meng Zhensheng snorted.
“Fine. Only you are allowed to talk about your good Second Brother. No one else is allowed.”
Shao Si steadied his breath. “Sorry. I was not taking it out on you. Since you were willing to bring me along, I—”
Meng Zhensheng cut him off.
“That is enough, that is enough. What relationship do we have? There is no meaning in saying thanks.”
Shao Si nodded to him, embarrassed.
Meng Zhensheng was a friend he knew—someone who had always longed to seek immortals and ask about the Dao.
Over the years, he had poured who knew how many Silver Bean and how much time into it.
Unlike Shao Si, Meng Zhensheng came from a well-off family, yet he had never looked down on Shao Si for his hardship. He had always treated him well.
Back when they truly had no money to pay the poll tax and were forced to move out of the city, it had been Meng Zhensheng who delivered Silver Bean, helping them endure the initial crisis.
Meng Zhensheng had wanted to help them all stay in the city.
Suizhou had many yao creatures and demons; leaving the shelter of the city meant life and death depended on luck.
But even though he had money, he could not afford the poll tax for such a large household.
Suizhou’s so-called poll tax was, in truth, paying money for protection.
Only those who paid the poll tax had the qualification to remain within the city.
The poll tax in Suizhou had always been set high.
However, as long as one had a long-term job and was registered with the authorities, seventy percent of the poll tax could be waived.
But Shao Si’s entire family were abandoned children the Eldest Sister had picked up.
Children who were abandoned almost always had some defect.
Shao Si’s was a crippled leg.
It was not that he could not walk, but when he did, his left leg dragged badly.
No one was willing to hire him for hard labor.
He could only find scattered odd jobs, and even then he had to beg people to let him do them.
Someone like him naturally could not register.
Lang Qingyun was different.
He was one of the few whole and healthy people in the family.
His parents had died when he was young.
Distant relatives had divided up their family property, and no one had wanted him.
Only later had the Eldest Sister picked him up.
If it were not for this entire household dragging him down, Lang Qingyun would not have needed to move out of the city.
They were all children the Eldest Sister had picked up.
The Eldest Sister had died. To speak coldly, while she lived, Lang Qingyun had to remember her kindness and burden himself to raise them.
Once she was gone, he could have abandoned these burdens and lived his own life.
He had no responsibility to them.
But Lang Qingyun had not done that.
He still pulled and dragged along this whole family of the young, the weak, the sick, and the disabled.
For that alone, Shao Si would forever remember his kindness.
He would never have the right to speak ill of him or be angry with him.
Yet Shao Si could not understand why, after obtaining an immortal opportunity, Lang Qingyun refused to teach them cultivation no matter what.
At first, Shao Si had not cared too much.
He wanted to cultivate, yes, but that was his Second Brother.
If Second Brother said it was not appropriate, then that was that—if Lang Qingyun had not changed afterward.
But Lang Qingyun had changed.
He had grown more and more difficult to approach, more and more indifferent.
In the beginning, they told themselves that Second Brother had to cultivate, so of course he was busier. Though he came home less and less, and stayed for shorter and shorter periods, that was normal.
Second Brother cared about the family.
He had set up a formation for their home, which was why they could live safely outside the city now.
Their good days were all given by Second Brother.
They even taught the youngest siblings to believe the same.
Then, the last time Lang Qingyun returned, their youngest sister ran up happily and hugged his leg.
Lang Qingyun frowned and pushed her away.
The youngest sister could not hear.
She could only read people’s expressions to understand their emotions.
Lang Qingyun left quickly that time.
The youngest sister cried for a long time afterward, and she did not even dare let anyone see.
She became cautious in everything, terrified of doing something wrong, terrified of being abandoned, terrified of being disliked by Second Brother.
Shao Si felt as if something were blocking his chest, suffocating him. But he could not comfort the youngest sister. He also had no right to be angry with Lang Qingyun. He could only be angry with himself.
“Have you memorized the incantation?” Meng Zhensheng said to him. “Do not make any mistakes.”
Shao Si nodded. “I have memorized it.”
He had come this time as well after being caught completely off guard. Meng Zhensheng had only just told him that he had found an immortal elder who could lead them to seek immortality and ask about the Dao. But first, they had to bathe and fast for seven days, and during that time, they could not leave this residence. The immortal elder said he had already set up a spirit-gathering formation within the estate. If they left halfway, all their efforts would be wasted.
Today was precisely the time the immortal elder had calculated for them to enter the immortal realm. After bathing, the two went into the main hall.
An oil lamp was lit in the hall. Behind the lamp sat an elderly Daoist, with white brows and a long beard. He sat cross-legged with closed eyes, bearing the unmistakable air of an immortal sage.
When the two entered, the old Daoist opened his eyes and asked, “Are you ready?”
His bearing was so imposing that their own expressions became solemn as well.
He had them sit in the center, visualize the immortal realm in their minds, and recite a section of scripture and mantra with him. The old Daoist’s voice followed a steady rhythm. Shao Si’s heart had been in turmoil, but perhaps he was influenced by Meng Zhensheng’s devout posture, or perhaps it was the effect of the chant. Gradually, he felt as though he was growing lighter.
When the chant ended, the old Daoist suddenly shouted. Both Meng Zhensheng and Shao Si jolted and opened their eyes.
They saw the old Daoist sweep his hand through the lamp flame, then swing his arm to draw a great circle. The flame was guided out by his fingers, tracing a ring of solidified fire in midair. Its color was a rich yellow, luminous of its own accord, like fine jade suffused with light.
“The immortal realm! It is the immortal realm!” Meng Zhensheng cried in an excited whisper.
Within the ring appeared a scene of blue sky and white clouds. The clouds parted, revealing floating immortal mountains. Upon the mountains were palaces of jade and towers of pearl. Immortal cranes circled in flight, and spirit deer leapt among the peaks. In an instant, the view drew close to one of the immortal mountains. Two immortal attendants within the mountain seemed to sense something and turned their heads to look outside the ring.
The one with a red cord tied around his head pouted. “Jinguang Zhenren, why are you opening the immortal gate for mortals again? If Master finds out, he will be unhappy.”
The attendant with a green ribbon also frowned. “Mortals are full of vulgarity. They will soil the immortal realm.”
“They are not entirely mundane. They carry some immortal affinity upon them,” the old Daoist said, stroking his beard with a smile. “I see that their hearts are devout and unwavering. They have endured who knows how much hardship to seek the immortal path. For a moment, I was moved to pity. You two immortal attendants should pity them as well.”
Meng Zhensheng hurriedly bowed. “Yes, yes. I seek immortality with single-minded devotion. No matter how much suffering I endure, I will remain firm and never regret it! I beg the two immortal attendants to show mercy.”
The two attendants looked at each other. The red-cord attendant said, “All right. We cannot refuse Jinguang Zhenren’s face.”
The green-ribbon attendant then looked at the old Daoist with a pained expression. “This time we will let them pass. Zhenren, do not make things hard for us next time. If we are rude to you, Master will be unhappy. If we let mortals in, Master will be unhappy too.”
The old Daoist laughed and tossed out two glittering, golden-colored balls. “I have troubled you. Take these and play with them.”
Each attendant caught one. Both beamed. “Thank you, Zhenren!” They stepped aside to open a path.
The ring of flame had already begun to shrink. The old Daoist urged Meng Zhensheng and Shao Si, “Quickly go in. Do not be discourteous. Seek instruction with sincerity, and you will surely be granted immortal methods.”
Meng Zhensheng nodded to the old Daoist in gratitude. “Zhenren’s great kindness will never be forgotten!”
There was no time for more. Meng Zhensheng rushed eagerly toward the ring. But the ring had already shrunk so much that a person could not enter upright. Meng Zhensheng had no choice but to bend over and stick his head in first.
Shao Si was a step behind him. Leaning on his cane, he followed. Seeing the immortal realm within the ring, he could not help but feel dazzled and entranced.
But in the instant Meng Zhensheng lowered his head, the scene within the ring suddenly changed!
All that heavenly light and auspicious clouds vanished, replaced by raging flames and thick smoke! Within the billowing smoke rose grotesque jagged mountains. And the ones waiting for them were not immortal attendants at all—they were clearly two vicious ghosts holding pitchforks!
Shao Si recoiled in terror, taking an instinctive step back. But a powerful force shoved hard into his back.
“Get in!”