Chapter 142 |
A fine spring drizzle fell in gentle threads, soaking into the earth.
Mist began to rise over the green mountains and clear waters.
In a scattered patch of farmland, Fang Yixin no longer looked like a young noble. Instead he wore a bamboo hat, a straw rain cape, and had rolled up his trousers, working the ridges like an old farmer.
After a long while he straightened up, wiped the mud from his hands, and gave a bitter smile. “I once thought that entering the path of immortal cultivation meant dining on wind and dew, making a few close friends, roaming the world by night and returning at dawn with a flower in hand… Who could have guessed it would come to this.”
“Heh heh…”
Not far away, Hu Quanan, who was casting the Spirit Rain Technique, chuckled. “When I was young I thought the same… but now you understand, right? Even this bitter labor is something we fought desperately to obtain. If I hadn’t swallowed my pride, you wouldn’t even have a place to sell your life!”
Fang Yixin could only smile wryly in reply.
News from the outside world arrived without end these days. Demon soldiers had already crushed Ba Commandery and Yulin Commandery, swallowing up more than half of Ancient Shu. Even the eastern regions and the Southern Border were now reporting outbreaks of war.
The cultivators who had stubbornly remained in their homelands, unwilling to leave, were now filled with bitter regret. Entire families fled, yet most failed to escape. They were captured and thrown into the army, wave after wave dying in battle.
The White Bone Dao paid no attention and instead bought up vast quantities of cultivator corpses, which only encouraged bandit cultivators to run rampant.
That his own family could farm here in peace was thanks entirely to the prestige of the Dao Foundation Zeng Family.
Of course, none of this came without a price.
“This Origin Green Spirit Rice yields ninety jin per mu… Once Qi Ingestion cultivators eat it, their cultivation speed increases noticeably. Truly first-class stuff.” Fang Yixin looked at the young rice shoots and gritted his teeth again. “But the Zeng Family demands eighty percent of the harvest as rent… Back when our family owned ten thousand mu of land, rent was only five or six tenths at most. Even the richest several hundred mu were split evenly between the main house and the tenant farmers…”
“Heh heh… If I hadn’t sold my old face, they would have taken ninety percent!”
Hu Quanan sneered. “We’re growing spirit rice for a Dao Foundation aristocratic family, so at least we enjoy their protection. Ordinary bandit cultivators rarely come around… If we were mere rogue cultivators, we truly wouldn’t know if we’d survive from one day to the next.”
He continued, “I’ve heard that a few Qi Ingestion families with plenty of Qi Ingestion cultivators are willing to farm for the Zeng Family for free, handing over every last grain, just for shelter. But those families have too many problems, so the Zeng Family turned them down.”
“…”
Fang Yixin sighed and lowered his head to continue working the fields.
No matter how hard this bowl of rice was to swallow, it was one he had fought for with his life on the line.
Thinking back to that previous battle, he still felt lingering fear.
He was only a first-layer Qi Ingestion minor cultivator who had spent the entire fight at the rear waving flags and shouting encouragement while activating a single talisman.
Even so, the experience had left him shaken to the core.
After a full day’s labor, Fang Yixin returned to the small town at the foot of the mountain.
The town naturally belonged to the Zeng Family. Many outsider cultivators lived here, and the Hu and Fang families had each rented a courtyard, living side by side.
“Grandfather…”
The moment Fang Yixin stepped through the door he saw Fang Jingchun.
Ever since he had witnessed his descendant successfully enter the path of cultivation, the old man seemed to have set down a heavy burden. His whole body had relaxed, yet he now looked even older, as if his final days were approaching.
“Yixin? Cultivate well… Now that we’ve settled down, focus single-mindedly on your training. Stay humble and steady…”
Fang Jingchun offered a few words of comfort before drifting back into a deep sleep.
Fang Yixin tucked the brocade quilt around his grandfather, shared a simple meal with his wife, then entered the seclusion chamber to cultivate.
“Senior Hu said my aptitude is quite good… and the Observing the Black Mausoleum Book is a Dao Foundation technique. The Fifth-Grade True Prodigy pills I swallowed give me a foundation far beyond ordinary rogue cultivators, yet cultivation is still so difficult.”
After a full night of practice he felt only the slightest increase in mana and could not help feeling speechless.
“I’ve heard that aristocratic family children take spirit pills and wondrous medicines while cultivating. At the very least they eat spirit rice every day… Even with average aptitude they advance a thousand li in a single day. Unfortunately… who knows when my family will have those conditions.”
Fang Yixin sighed. He understood that as the founding generation he would have to endure enough hardship.
He checked the sky. He had no idea how many days he had spent in seclusion this time; the world outside felt dark and oppressive. Restless, he stepped out for a walk to clear his mind.
Without realizing it he arrived at the center of town, where a lively scene greeted him. Countless cultivators had set up stalls. He understood at once. “So today is the first or fifteenth of the month—the market day.”
The Zeng Family had taken in many cultivators who lived mixed among mortals, yet there was no proper place for exchange. They had therefore decreed that on the first and fifteenth of every month a market would be held in the town center. Many of the family’s own cultivators would come to join the excitement.
Fang Yixin had never really explored this rogue cultivator market before. He walked over and looked around.
“Top-grade Origin Pills that can increase cultivation speed…”
At one stall he saw more than a dozen jade bottles containing pills for boosting mana or healing injuries. He pointed at one bottle. “How much for this?”
The stall owner was a middle-aged female cultivator. She glanced at him, immediately losing interest. “You don’t look like you have much on you. Trade with spirit rice—twenty jin per pill.”
‘All the spirit rice I’m allowed to keep in a whole year isn’t enough to buy one bottle of pills?’
Fang Yixin cupped his fists. “Sorry to trouble you. Farewell…”
After that lesson he no longer dared to ask prices. After strolling once around the market he only felt poorer than ever.
Just as Fang Yixin was about to leave, a graceful female cultivator wearing a jade hairpin descended on a streak of rainbow light.
“It is a direct-line cultivator from the Zeng Family!”
Fang Yixin recognized the spiritual light on her robe at once and knew she was an important figure. He quickly stepped to the roadside and bowed respectfully.
The female cultivator did not spare him a single glance. She strode into a nearby restaurant like a proud little phoenix.
“Little Sister Yuchai, you are here. I heard you nearly got taken away by that Bright Son earlier… Come, have an extra cup to calm your nerves!”
Inside a private room, several members of the Zeng Family had already been waiting. One of them, a beautiful woman in red robes, teased with a smile.
…
Wusheng Temple.
Fang Qing had set up protective arrays inside his cave residence. He converted his foundation to the [Ji Water] Dao Foundation, swallowed a [Ji Water] spiritual item, and silently cultivated his mana.
“No matter whether it is the Qi Ingestion path or the Qi Refining path, aptitude is naturally important, but resources matter even more.”
“I have quite a few [Zhen Water] great pills to take, plus the [Ji Water] spiritual items accumulated by Wusheng Temple, My cultivation progress advances a thousand li in a single day.”
“By my calculations, it has only been a little over ten years since I formed my Dao Foundation, yet I can already see the threshold to mid-stage Dao Foundation. Once I take that Life Spring Pill and enter seclusion to cultivate, I will definitely break through the bottleneck!”
“I wonder how the Fang Family is doing? But with the Zeng Family’s protection, there should not be any major problems…”
Fang Qing had no idea that Fang Yixin was having a truly miserable time. The young man had encountered Zeng Yuchai—the very woman Fang Qing had once slapped across the face, forcing her to thank him yet received nothing more than the treatment of a roadside insect.
After pondering for a moment, he converted his mana to the [Nu Earth] method and calmly exited seclusion.
The moment he stepped out, he saw a majestic Great Virtue Protector Vajra waiting. It transmitted a message from Miaofeng.
“Oh? He is looking for me? It seems that matter has been settled.”
Fang Qing’s heart stirred. He went to find Miaofeng.
The man looked somewhat travel-worn. Upon seeing Fang Qing he bowed once more. “Greetings, Fang Shui Bright Son…”
Yet inwardly he was seething with resentment. ‘Master is so biased. For this brat’s sake he not only came out of seclusion briefly but also spent favors and spiritual materials to invite an artifact-refining master from Black Spring Temple…’
‘He even made me run all the way to the Esoteric Hidden-Treasury Domain to retrieve a Buddhist artifact…’
‘Hmm? Where is my Buddhist artifact?’
Fang Qing paid no attention to the man’s thoughts. After all, he was already Sangji’s dog.
Even if he had complaints, he would only report them to Sangji, who would then punish them.
“Here it is.”
No matter how much Miaofeng complained inwardly, his face was full of smiles as he presented a Buddhist artifact.
This Buddhist artifact had already reached the Dao Foundation spiritual artifact level. It was a pure white jade vase that radiated three circles of multicolored divine light, appearing extraordinarily profound.
Fang Qing accepted it and ran his hand over the smooth, jade-like surface of the vase. In his ear came Miaofeng’s introduction: “This Buddhist artifact is called the Miraculous Spring Pure Vase. It was carved from a single piece of water-spring jade and infused with a large quantity of [Ji Water] spiritual materials. Eighty-one monks and six Gurus skilled in this path chanted scriptures together to empower it. It excels at storing spiritual water, preserving its properties indefinitely, and can even absorb and control water veins.”
At this point Miaofeng glanced at Miaoshui Wisdom Consort, who had come over out of curiosity, then at the Miraculous Spring Pure Vase that Fang Qing was playing with in his hands. A trace of strangeness flickered in his heart.
“Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother.”
Fang Qing could not stop admiring the jade vase. He even felt that his own [Ji Water] attainment had improved slightly.
He knew that if he were still using the [Ji Water] Dao Foundation right now, the benefits would be even greater.
“Truly a fine treasure.”
“When a cultivator’s treasure matches their fate, it often provides great assistance in cultivation.”
“I truly am fated for [Ji Water], It suits cultivating [Ji Water] techniques perfectly. Unfortunately, water-virtue cultivators are too weak, Among all the orthodox lineages, it is probably one of the lesser ones.”
But with the Dao-Genesis Pearl, switching techniques posed no obstacle, so he did not take it to heart.
He understood that from now on his cultivation would revolve around [Ji Water], within the greater framework of competing across the various paths.
After many thoughts turned in his mind, he finally took the Miraculous Spring Pure Vase with him and returned to his own cave residence.
Watching Fang Qing’s departing figure, Miaofeng suddenly said to Miaoshui, “Do you think the name ‘Miraculous Spring’ was chosen by the master from Black Spring Temple, by our own master, or even by this Bright Son himself?”
“How would I know?”
Miaoshui’s cheeks flushed slightly at some unknown thought. “If Master orders me to assist the Bright Son in his cultivation, then I will have no choice but to do so.”
Upon returning to his cave residence, Fang Qing converted back to the [Ji Water] Dao Foundation. Sure enough, the Miraculous Spring Pure Vase displayed even more wondrous effects.
Filled with delight, he circulated the Six-Syllable Great Radiance Mantra to refine the vase and imprint it with his own mark.
The incantation arts of the Esoteric Hidden-Treasury Domain were full of profundity, and the Six-Syllable Great Radiance Mantra was especially supreme, making it suitable for refining most Buddhist artifacts.
“Hmm… If I store the sweet rain spring water produced by the mysterious effects of my Long-Awaited Sweet Rain Dao Foundation inside this vase, its potency should last for over a decade. Moreover, nourishing it with spiritual water can slightly enhance my [Ji Water] cultivation.”
Holding the treasured vase in his hands, Fang Qing’s face was full of joy. He examined it thoroughly with every method at his disposal and confirmed there were no hidden tricks inside. It was perfectly clean.
He immediately settled his mind to resume cultivation, but suddenly thought of the Fang Family again.
“How much longer will it take them to climb up to where I stand?”