Chapter 139 |
"It is nothing major. There is a small cave dwelling up ahead that happens to need a few hands for exploration."
Hu Quan'an had fine eyebrows and large eyes. When he smiled, the expression looked somewhat strange. "Your family has offered generous tributes every year, so you must have some request for this old man. As long as you help me complete this matter, whatever you ask for, I will grant it all. How about it?"
"Immortal Elder has given an order. Our Fang Family will certainly exert every effort. What request is there to speak of?"
Fang Jingchun shook his head and refused to give a definite answer.
If there truly was a request, would that not confirm they were hiding some small secret?
"Mm."
Hu Quanan sat back down. His gaze passed through the gap in the carriage curtains and rested on the Fang Family as he pondered inwardly. 'This Fang Family's martial arts are quite decent. They would be quite useful in the mortal world. I just wonder what kind of opportunity they are hiding. How annoying.'
Several days later.
The caravan rested on a flat stretch of land upstream of a stream. Tents were pitched and curling smoke rose from cooking fires, drawing many refugees whose eyes gleamed green as they stared at the source of the food's aroma. Yet they were glared at by several armed escorts holding swords and knives, causing them to shrink back and dare not approach.
Fang Yixin saw the scene and frowned. He issued a few orders.
Immediately several retainers carried out a basket of black steamed buns and recruited the strongest group of refugees to stand guard for the night.
'Recruit the strongest group and sow conflict among them. Make them hate each other. For the short term, they should not unite to attack our caravan.'
Watching that group of refugees thank them profusely while using sticks to drive away the other wanderers, Fang Yixin began arranging sentries and night watches.
Once everything was settled, he was summoned before Fang Jingchun. "Take ten good hands with you. The in-law needs them."
"Yes!"
Fang Yixin responded respectfully. He went out, selected ten skilled men, mounted horses, and followed Hu Quanan.
The group rode hard and fast. Before long they arrived at an unremarkable little hill.
"May I ask, Immortal Elder, is this the place?"
Fang Yixin bowed respectfully to Hu Quan'an.
"Correct... This is exactly the spot!"
Hu Quan'an took out a talisman. His mana surged.
Whoosh!
The talisman instantly turned into a streak of white light and flew into the void above the hill.
The void rippled slightly, and a stone door appeared on the rock face.
"Indeed there is a cave dwelling. Without an immortal master, we mortals could pass by here thousands of times and never notice it."
Fang Yixin quickly flattered.
"Mm, it is only a minor illusion technique..."
Hu Quanan sounded quite reserved. "You all step forward and push open the stone door."
"Yes!"
Fang Yixin agreed respectfully but did not step up himself. Instead he pointed to the one with the weakest martial arts and the most distant relation to the family. "Ma San... you go!"
"Yes, yes!"
The man named Ma San had a black mole on his chin and looked quite fierce, but he was unwilling to miss the chance to serve an immortal. He hurried forward, pressed both hands against the stone door, and slowly exerted force.
He had joined the Fang Family Fort through apprenticeship with existing skills. His "Mountain-Pushing Force" had once shaken the martial world of Ba Commandery.
At this moment he exerted his full power. The stone door actually began to move slowly, as if it were about to open.
"Not good!"
But at that moment, Hu Quanan suddenly shrank back.
Seeing this, Fang Yixin immediately rolled away like a lazy donkey dodging a blow. He felt a yellow light flash behind him.
When he stood up and looked, he saw Ma San retreat a few steps. "My... my hands..."
Fang Yixin looked over and his entire body broke out in gooseflesh. Ma San's hands had lost all color, turning into something like broken tiles and dirt clods. Cracks covered their surface.
The cracks spread like a spiderweb across Ma San's arms and chest...
"Ah... Young Fort Master, Immortal Master... Save me!"
Ma San cried out several times before collapsing to the ground and shattering into a pile of bricks and rubble...
Fang Yixin stared at the martial hero who had just been talking with him moments ago now reduced to this state. Terror filled his heart.
At this moment, Hu Quanan spoke. "The technique has been broken. Send another person to open the door."
Fang Yixin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. His gaze had just locked onto one man when that person screamed, used the Swallow Triple Skim Water lightness skill, and fled into the distance.
"Hmph!"
Hu Quanan snorted coldly. A golden light appeared in his hand and he tossed it lightly.
The golden light turned into a golden thread that pierced straight through the escapee's back.
The fleeing man still ran a short distance before collapsing. A pool of blood spread beneath him.
Fang Yixin knew that at this moment he could not let his men scatter in panic, or he himself would be the one to die.
He shouted, "The technique has been broken! Enter the cave dwelling and you will each be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver! Fields, houses, beautiful women, everything you could want!"
Fang Yixin looked at an elderly man. "Old Chen... you go. Your son can enter my fort's martial hall and study superior martial arts!"
"Thank you, Young Fort Master."
This Old Chen was clearly a loyal type. He walked to the cave dwelling door, gathered qi in his dantian, and pushed with both hands flat.
This time there was no anomaly. The stone door of the cave dwelling opened slowly, revealing the hall inside.
There were only a few stone chambers within, covered in a thick layer of dust.
Several more martial artists were forced to go in and probe. No other vicious techniques were discovered.
"Immortal Elder, there are remains here."
Old Chen opened a training chamber and suddenly called out.
Inside the chamber there was only a single stone bed, making the place look extremely plain and simple.
Seated cross-legged atop the stone bed was a cultivator dressed in a brocade robe, his features still vivid and lifelike.
Whoosh whoosh!
A light breeze blew through. His eyes turned into black obsidian, his body crumbled into dirt clods, and he suddenly collapsed into dust.
Hu Quanan's eyes lit up brightly. He stepped forward, picked up the brocade robe, and fished out a pitch-black storage bag.
He inverted the storage bag, spilling out several miscellaneous books, a yellowish stone, and a few stalks of spirit herbs.
Besides that, there was nothing else.
Hu Quanan did not mind at all. He picked up the miscellaneous books and flipped through them, then smiled. "As expected, this was a Cloudcrag Sect cultivator... After their Dao Foundation great cultivator fell at Pu Family Mountain City, the sect declined and its disciples scattered in all directions. Taking their things will bring no karmic consequences whatsoever. Haha... There is even a Qi Ingestion magical artifact?"
He picked up the yellowish stone, clearly unable to put it down.
"Congratulations, Immortal Elder, on obtaining a treasure."
Fang Yixin quickly cupped his fists in congratulations. He felt some curiosity but did not dare ask outright.
Hu Quanan was in an excellent mood. "Do not underestimate this mere Qi Ingestion magical artifact. In the marketplaces it would be fought over fiercely. Even noble Dao Foundation great cultivators who happen to be short on resources might still be using supreme-grade Qi Ingestion magical artifacts."
Fang Yixin listened in confusion but understood that magical artifacts seemed extremely valuable in the hands of immortals.
In truth, this was also due to how scarce spiritual resources were in this world.
Although the major powers fared better, most cultivators were at the bottom. Naturally they could not afford magical artifacts or pills. Only the raw materials for human pills made from blood and qi were somewhat more affordable.
The group swept through the cave dwelling a few more times to confirm nothing was missed, then set off on the return journey.
"Haha. Yixin, you are my son-in-law and have rendered great service this time. What reward do you desire?"
Hu Quanan was clearly in high spirits as he asked.
Fang Yixin remembered his grandfather's instructions and simply said, "Yixin has no other requests. If you are pleased, Elder, simply grant Wuchen and Wujiu a few things, or guide them onto the immortal path, and we will be endlessly grateful."
"Haha, those two children carry half my Hu Family bloodline. They naturally have bright futures ahead."
Hu Quanan roughly guessed what the Fang Family wanted and sighed. "Ordinary Qi Ingestion techniques are easy to find, but condensing that first breath of true qi is truly difficult. Even if this old man wished to nurture a cultivator into the path, it would cost quite a bit of my resources..."
The group fell silent again and returned to the caravan camp.
"Grandfather..."
Fang Yixin entered the tent, intending to report the day's events to Fang Jingchun.
Unexpectedly, Fang Jingchun waved his hand. "Whatever the immortal master ordered you to do, you need not tell this old man... Make sure to instruct the men below to keep it secret as well."
"Yes!"
Fang Yixin respectfully acknowledged the order and then spoke of some martial world matters.
He placed one hand on his grandfather's shoulder and secretly used "Sound Transmission into the Ear."
This was an inner force technique similar to ventriloquism that prevented a third party from overhearing.
"Grandfather, today we..."
Fang Yixin respectfully reported everything that had happened. Fang Jingchun's originally drowsy eyes suddenly sharpened with alertness. 'Not good. He knows our family seeks the immortal path. He might guess something. If he casts aside all face, he would not even need clues. He could simply act against us and search directly.'
'What should we do?' Fang Yixin felt equally anxious. They had guarded against everything, yet still fell short by one move.
At that moment, the tent flap was lifted and someone entered. It was Hu Quanan!
"You two... have done a fine deed."
He gave a cold laugh and tossed out several jade bottles.
Fang Jingchun's eyes widened. He recognized them as the bottles his family used to store the Earth Spring Tempered Essence
Since the entire family was migrating, such precious items could not be left behind.
He had hidden them among miscellaneous goods and assigned trusted guards to watch over them.
He had still underestimated immortal methods.
"Tsk tsk... So much impure qi from 'Earth Spring Tempered Essence'... Only one final step remains to synthesize a true vital qi."
Hu Quan'an laughed heartily. "Then allow this old man to take action and complete that final step as a gift for my grandson-in-law."
"Hmm?"
"Ah?"
The two men in the tent froze. Fang Jingchun felt some emotion, yet his hand had not moved away from the hidden rainstorm needle box. "Immortal Elder... this?"
"You and I are as close as one family. What is a small thing like this? The two families cultivating immortality together and supporting each other is the only way to have a future."
Hu Quanan truly seemed to be thinking for the Fang Family. "My own nephews are utterly useless. In the future we will have to rely on you to look after them."
"Immortal Elder is too kind..."
Fang Yixin felt completely lost. After seeing Hu Quan'an off, he turned back to his grandfather and saw that Fang Jingchun looked equally bewildered. "Could it be... that in the immortal cultivation world, there really are good people?"
On the other side.
Inside the tent, Hu Quanan circulated his mana to refine the Earth Spring Tempered True qi with genuine sincerity. 'This Fang Family grandfather and grandson are both decent people. Wuchen and Wujiu also carry my Hu Family bloodline. Once we reach Xituo Commandery, I will need a few trustworthy people...'
The trace of malice that had once existed in his heart had somehow vanished without a trace, replaced only by thoughts of supporting his close kin.
Not far from where he sat in meditation, Fang Qing stood concealed beneath the "Heaven-Shrouding Curtain," silently watching everything. He gave a slight nod. "This 'Radiant Spirit Brilliance' Dao Foundation truly possesses its own profound subtleties..."