Book 2: Chapter 203: Qingyan Offers a Method, Cannot Be Understood |
Vol 2 Chapter 203: Qingyan Offers a Method, Cannot Be Understood
Zheng Fa was also watching the first episode of Jiushan News.
This light screen hovered two zhang off the ground, about six zhang tall and ten zhang wide, thinner than a cicada’s wing.
Even standing at the back of the crowd, one could clearly see the images playing on it.
Zheng Fa also knew that if one looked down from the heights of the Nine Islands of the Heavenly Palace, they’d see that not only on Ten Thousand Immortals Island, but also on Seeking Immortality Island and Letu Island, this same episode was being broadcast simultaneously.
To save talismans and also because it wasn’t necessary, Old Yuan and Zheng Fa hadn’t used the holographic mode.
Today’s Jiushan News leaned more toward a modern style.
As the screen lit up, a figure sat solemnly behind a black desk, expression serious, yet inexplicably adorable, almost comical.
It was none other than the round-faced, round-headed Senior Sister Yuan.
Beside Zheng Fa, Senior Sister Yuan was bouncing as she tugged at Senior Sister Zhang, shouting loudly.
Senior Sister Zhang looked curiously at the screen, where Yuan Xiaoniao appeared quite different from usual, and turned to ask Zheng Fa,
“How did you think of having her do this?”
“Of course because I have the talent for it!” Senior Sister Yuan said smugly, “Old man praised me, said I was full of enthusiasm, not the slightest bit impatient…”
“I practiced this news segment so many times!”
Senior Sister Zhang clearly didn’t believe her and turned to look at Zheng Fa instead.
“Cough, Master was probably referring to you, Senior Sister…”
“Referring to me about what?”
“Talking too much.”
“……”
Senior Sister Yuan’s little face instantly fell, she pouted but didn’t know how to refute, so she just burrowed her head into Senior Sister Zhang’s arms.
At that moment, Senior Sister Yuan on the screen began delivering the news.
“Welcome, everyone, to the monthly episode of Jiushan News. Here are this month’s headlines:”
“Sect Master Zheng Fa successfully held the first Golden Core Engineering seminar…”
“One Nascent Soul of the Hundred Immortals Alliance perished; the Great Freedom Demonic Sect claimed responsibility for the incident…”
“Reportedly, the Supreme Dao has already sent aid to the Hundred Immortals Alliance, and the Tianhe Sect along with the other four sects of the Xuanyi Realm are in close discussion over a demon-purging plan…”
“Now for the detailed report…”
Not gonna lie, Senior Sister Yuan’s delivery was really smooth!
She was originally a transformed Qingluan, so her voice was naturally pleasant, and with her high enthusiasm for the job, after a few segments, her tone was lively and voice crisp.
When reporting, she was even more polished and fluent, without the slightest mistake.
Master said she had talent, and it wasn’t an empty compliment.
Actually, being talkative really is an advantage — like Senior Sister Zhang, who’s normally extremely cold in front of outsiders, getting her to say even a few lines…
Zheng Fa really couldn’t imagine that scene.
…
On Seeking Immortality Island, Mu Qingyan stood among the crowd, watching the news intently.
Most of the people around her were disciples from the Hundred Immortals Alliance. After all, as newcomers to the Jiushan Realm, they instinctively stuck together a bit.
As the news played on, the group couldn’t help but start murmuring among themselves.
“This news is pretty interesting…”
“Look! Isn’t that us at the seminar in there?”
The disciples who appeared in the segment were especially excited, but most were more concerned about the state of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
They were, after all, from the Alliance, and still had many old friends there.
“Is the Alliance really in such chaos? Zhenren Wang fell?”
“I think it’s true! The news gave such vivid details — I’ll write a letter in a couple days to ask!”
“Come to think of it, the Alliance can’t stand up to the Great Freedom Demonic Sect. I wonder if they’ll even hold out until the Supreme Dao sends aid.”
“Lucky we’re part of Jiushan Realm now!”
At those words, several disciples from the Alliance exchanged glances, their expressions tinged with guilt.
The same thought had risen in all their hearts.
But… they’d only just arrived, and they were already putting their former sect out of mind…
Mu Qingyan was especially focused.
She cared more than anyone about this news—
As she watched, she was comparing it with the memories in her mind, trying to see what had changed!
And the changes were huge!
She had already known that Zheng Fa and the Jiushan Sect altered the fate of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
In her memories, Jiushan hadn’t held off the Great Freedom Demonic Sect for long at all, which meant the Alliance had no time to prepare and was wiped out during internal turmoil…
Now, things were clearly different.
But what she didn’t expect was that the Supreme Dao was backing the Hundred Immortals Alliance!
Which meant, because Zheng Fa and Jiushan had stopped the Great Freedom Demonic Sect, the Alliance had time to purge internal traitors, shore up defenses, and maybe even survive until help from the Supreme Dao arrived — and the Supreme Dao might even pull in the other four sects of the Xuanyi Realm!
On a larger scale, the entire Xuanyi Realm’s situation had shifted because of Zheng Fa.
At this thought, Mu Qingyan couldn’t help but feel a little lost—
Will the things she believed were destined to happen, still happen?
“Qingyan? What’s wrong?”
A Senior Sister nearby saw her dazed expression and couldn’t help but ask.
Mu Qingyan shook her head, but in her heart, she reminded herself that she still had her advantages—
Even if the future had changed, she still remembered the locations of many secret realms and treasures!
For example…
“Next in the news: Rumors of an immortal’s cave dwelling appearing in Chen Prefecture sparked fierce conflict between disciples of the Great Freedom Demonic Sect, rogue cultivators, and the Hundred Immortals Alliance.”
“Reportedly, a Nascent Soul from the Demonic Sect obtained a legacy treasure from the secret realm.”
“Later, a cultivator went to investigate and found the battlefield utterly barren within a hundred li — not a single plant or soul remained, as if it had become a cursed land.”
“……”
Mu Qingyan froze even more.
She suddenly looked up, eyes locking onto the screen!
The Qingyun Immortal Abode!
This was a crucial opportunity she had planned to claim — the abode not only contained a predecessor’s treasure, but most importantly, it held a Qingyun Immortal Herb capable of transforming one’s body.
After taking it, one could gain the Qingyun Dao Body!
In her past life, a Nascent Soul cultivator had used that herb to surpass many others, and rumors had it that he even reached Soul Formation.
Who would’ve thought the abode had already been discovered!
…
Early the next morning, Mu Qingyan was touching the copy of Boundless Sea External Pill she had transcribed, lost in thought—
She had to be extremely cautious.
Even though she knew of many opportunities, she was still only in Qi Refining. What she dared to covet, what she could afford to covet, wasn’t much.
Most of these things were still nearby—after all, she had lived here in her early years and knew more information than anyone else.
Once she reached Nascent Soul, she no longer paid much attention to opportunities at the Qi Refining or even Golden Core levels.
But the area most affected by the Jiushan Sect—or rather, by Zheng Fa—was precisely the region around the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
If she stayed too cautious, unexpected events might only increase.
With that thought, she tucked the handwritten copy of Boundless Sea External Pill into her sleeve and headed toward Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
……
“Senior Sister, Senior Sister, so many people greeted me today!”
“Mhm.”
“Senior Sister, look, these are fruits the little kids gave me!”
“Mhm.”
“Senior Sister, are you listening?”
“Mhm.”
Zheng Fa sat in his courtyard on Ten Thousand Immortals Island, listening to Senior Sister Yuan chattering as she bragged to Senior Sister Zhang.
As the Sect Master, he had a small privilege—not only did he have a home on Letu Island, but also a small courtyard on Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
Normally, he rarely returned to Letu Island. Given his special identity, the mortals there often reacted with overwhelming reverence when they saw him. Helplessly, he could only avoid going too often.
His current courtyard was still right next to Senior Sister Zhang’s.
In the Jiushan Realm, he no longer needed Senior Sister Zhang’s protection.
But the two of them had gotten used to staying close, and Senior Sister Yuan still lived in Senior Sister Zhang’s courtyard—Zheng Fa inexplicably liked this kind of unchanging routine. When he stayed here, it was his most relaxed time in the Jiushan Realm.
At this moment, Senior Sister Zhang was handling documents from the Administrative Hall, absentmindedly listening to Senior Sister Yuan's excited rambling without even lifting her head.
“Senior Sister, Junior Brother Zheng is smiling at you!”
Senior Sister Zhang paused, tilted her head up, and looked at Zheng Fa.
“Senior Sister!”
Yuan Xiaoniao pouted unhappily. Senior Sister Zhang helplessly glanced at her, then lightly opened her lips: “You’re that happy?”
“Of course I’m happy! So many people like me!”
Zheng Fa also agreed with her. Right now, entertainment in Jiushan was scarce—even something as dull as the news had people watching it with interest.
Not to mention, Senior Sister Yuan was cute and had a pleasant voice—she was very likable, especially among the kids. She was wildly popular!
She could be called the number one female anchor of the Jiushan Realm!
In other words, Senior Sister Yuan was famous now!
Then they heard her continue: “I’m not very smart. After coming to the Jiushan Realm, you guys can lecture, you can handle all sorts of messy tasks, and only I…”
Zheng Fa froze hearing that, and even Senior Sister Zhang’s expression looked a bit surprised—clearly, they hadn’t expected the usually carefree Yuan to have such little worries.
“So, you practiced for a long time, Senior Sister?”
Zheng Fa suddenly asked.
“Mhm!”
Senior Sister Yuan lifted her chin, both proud and nervous, looking at Zheng Fa as she said, “I didn’t mess up a single word!”
Zheng Fa pressed his lips together and praised, “Senior Sister, you did great!”
“Really?”
“Yes! Only you could do this job well!”
“Hehe…”
……
Mu Qingyan stood at the gate of the courtyard, watching the three of them smiling at each other, and for some reason, she suddenly felt a tinge of reluctance.
The Jiushan Realm…
She sighed softly in her heart.
“Mu Qingyan?”
Seeing her at the gate, Zheng Fa looked a bit curious.
“Sect Master, this disciple has a secret method to offer.”
Mu Qingyan spoke directly.
“Oh?”
Zheng Fa raised his eyebrows and looked to Senior Sister Zhang beside him. The two exchanged a glance, then turned to Mu Qingyan again.
“A secret method? What kind of secret method?”
Mu Qingyan hesitated, glancing at the two Senior Sisters beside Zheng Fa.
“No matter—they are no different from me,” Zheng Fa said after thinking a moment, then added, “But you should be sure about this—if you only want me to see it alone, I may not agree to what you’re asking.”
Hearing this, Mu Qingyan was shocked and puzzled at the same time.
“In my opinion, the more people study it, the greater the value of a secret method,” Zheng Fa briefly explained. “If only I can see it, then the value of any secret method will drop significantly.”
Mu Qingyan said nothing, only handed over her handwritten copy of Boundless Sea External Pill, then lowered her head again.
“External Pill Method?”
This time Zheng Fa was truly surprised.
Just recently, he’d been thinking about how difficult it would be to make breakthroughs in external pill research, how he would need to blaze a new trail with determination and grit…
And now, that hard struggle might not even be necessary?
“This secret method…”
Zheng Fa couldn’t help but ask.
“It was part of my ancestor’s inheritance. I heard the Sect Master needed an external pill method…”
Mu Qingyan had thought it through—her ancestor’s Nascent Soul pill tradition was like a big basket; having an external pill technique in it was completely plausible!
Zheng Fa nodded lightly. He neither said he believed her nor doubted her, but asked again, “You came to me privately—you must have a request…”
Mu Qingyan gritted her teeth and said, “This disciple wishes to leave the Jiushan Realm!”
“……”
Zheng Fa fell silent.
“This disciple has no intention to betray the Jiushan Realm, but among the inheritance left by my ancestor, there is information on treasures and secret realms…” Mu Qingyan spoke half-truthfully, then added, “I’m willing to swear a Heart Demon Oath that I will not leak any Jiushan secrets!”
Zheng Fa wasn’t too concerned about that…
After all, the Golden Core Engineering project was just starting—there wasn’t much to leak yet.
As for mathematical knowledge and such…
Hmm, Mu Qingyan probably didn’t have much of that in her head…
“You’re still only at Qi Refining… the outside world is in chaos.”
He thought for a moment and said.
Realizing that his hesitation was because of this, Mu Qingyan suddenly looked up at him, her heart a mess—
If not for wanting to make use of all the knowledge in her head, she honestly wouldn’t want to leave either.
But… hardship breeds success, comfort leads to ruin!
If she stayed in the Jiushan Realm, indulging in this comfort, watching those treasures fall into others’ hands, how could she ever hope to achieve the Dao in the future!
She opened her mouth, about to speak again, when suddenly, Zheng Fa waved his hand. A ripple flashed through the air, and a message talisman flew in from beyond the realm, landing in Zheng Fa’s hand.
“Huh? Fairy Xiao is here?”
Mu Qingyan was stunned for a moment, then saw Zheng Fa nod at her, signaling her to wait.
Then, an arched gateway appeared in midair, and a long-legged female cultivator stepped through it.
“Fairy Xiao!”
Zheng Fa stood to greet her.
“Daoist Zheng… no, Sect Master Zheng, I haven’t yet congratulated you on your promotion to Sect Master!”
Xiao Yuying smiled as she spoke.
Mu Qingyan stood aside watching. In her past life’s memories, the Jiushan Sect had virtually no news at all—likely all wiped out by the Great Freedom Demonic Sect.
But Xiao Yuying was a dazzling figure—five hundred years later, she successfully reached Soul Formation and became someone Mu Qingyan had looked up to yet never dared hope to reach.
“It’s nothing, I was just a bit worried since you didn’t come.”
“I had some run-ins with people from the Great Freedom Demonic Sect recently and got held up,” Xiao Yuying explained. “Just now got free.”
Zheng Fa finally understood.
“Probably because they thought Fairy Xiao was a little too well-off…”
Xiao Yuying’s success, of course, came from her own strength and talent on one hand.
On the other, she had a background that made even the top sects wary.
But the Great Freedom Demonic Sect didn’t care about any of that—they came to fight Immortal Sects!
In their love for rich women, Zheng Fa felt he and the Great Freedom Demonic Sect were perfectly aligned.
Xiao Yuying nodded and said, “But since no Soul Formation cultivator was sent against me, I managed just fine.”
Soul Formation… from the looks of it now, even though the Ancestor of the Blood River had made a move once, there were still restrictions.
At the very least, the wind-up time was too long…
Xiao Yuying added, “The outside is getting more chaotic, but your Jiushan Realm seems orderly and prosperous.”
Mu Qingyan couldn’t help but lower her gaze.
Then, Xiao Yuying suddenly pulled out a box adorned with gold and jade, and handed it to Zheng Fa.
“What is this?”
“Ahem…” Xiao Yuying seemed a little embarrassed as she spoke, “A congratulatory gift for your promotion.”
“Fairy Xiao, you’re too kind.”
“Actually… it’s tuition.”
“Tuition?”
Xiao Yuying shoved the box into Zheng Fa’s hands, then took a few books out of her storage ring—it was the children’s version of the Electromagnetism textbook Zheng Fa had given her.
Clearly, the books had been well protected, not a single crease on them.
But the pages were no longer new, showing signs of frequent reading.
“I’ve read these books three or four times, and they’ve given me so much insight. Not going to lie, Sect Master Zheng, there were a few times I escaped danger by relying on spells I understood from these.”
Zheng Fa immediately understood.
She’d gotten a taste of the benefits.
Sure enough, Xiao Yuying continued, “But there are still many things I don’t understand. There’s so much in these books that leaves me wanting more…”
“With everything so unstable right now, I want to learn more about this Electromagnetism, so I’ll have more techniques at my disposal.”
After stating her thoughts and request, Xiao Yuying stared at Zheng Fa, her gaze a bit uneasy.
Before Zheng Fa could respond, she pointed at the box again and said, “I passed through Chen Prefecture earlier and saw people from the Great Freedom Demonic Sect fighting others over secret realm treasures…”
“Passed through?” Zheng Fa remembered the news too. “Wasn’t it said that a Nascent Soul from the Demonic Sect grabbed the treasure in that secret realm?”
A smile slowly spread across Xiao Yuying’s face, one that clearly said three words—you know.
Next to them, Senior Sister Zhang and the others had rather odd expressions too.
This “blame-shifting” technique—Xiao Yuying had clearly learned it from Zheng Fa!
Xiao Yuying opened the box in Zheng Fa’s hand. Inside was a green fruit, shaped like a cat’s paw or perhaps a cloud, brimming with spiritual energy and exuding a rich fragrance.
“This is…”
“Qingyun Immortal Fruit.”
Mu Qingyan couldn’t help but mutter softly.
Everyone turned to look at her.
Mu Qingyan’s expression was complicated. As she stared at the Qingyun Immortal Fruit, she even felt wronged:
Weren’t we told that hardship breeds strength and comfort leads to ruin?
How could someone lounge in comfort and have immortal fruit delivered to their doorstep?
“She’s right,” Xiao Yuying said, “I’ve seen records of this Qingyun Immortal Fruit. It’s said to bestow the Qingyun Dao Body, a rather fine constitution with some remarkable qualities.”
Coming from someone with Xiao Yuying’s talent, such praise meant the Qingyun Dao Body really was something special.
“Fairy Xiao, you mean to study here in our Jiushan Realm?”
“Yes!” Xiao Yuying nodded vigorously—clearly, she was truly moved by the marvels of Electromagnetism. Her attitude was much more eager than before. “If this fruit isn’t enough, I’ve also been to quite a few secret realms and collected some other treasures—you can take a look…”
At the side, Mu Qingyan looked up at this renowned Fairy Xiao, whose name she’d known from past and present alike, her eyes full of confusion.
“Why is she looking at me like that?”
What Mu Qingyan didn’t expect was that Xiao Yuying wasn’t one for subtlety. After staring at her for a while, she just asked directly.
Zheng Fa thought for a moment and said, “She came earlier asking me to let her leave the Jiushan Realm… to go explore secret realms…”
“……” Xiao Yuying blinked at Mu Qingyan, her eyes also full of confusion. “Secret realms are everywhere… how could that possibly be more valuable than studying in the Jiushan Realm?”
“……”
The two of them looked at each other, and both seemed to feel like the other had picked up a sesame seed and dropped a watermelon…
Zheng Fa looked at the two of them and sighed inwardly—this Jiushan Realm was like a walled city: the Nascent Souls outside wanted in, and the Qi Refining cultivators inside wanted out.
After staring at each other too long, Mu Qingyan couldn’t help but show a hint of self-doubt on her face…
Comments 1