Chapter 798: Panlong Lake
Chapter 798: Panlong Lake
In the Divine Dao World.
"Divine positions can be activated and used in the Earthly Immortal World, but divine ranks have an upper limit. . . According to deductions, it's difficult to forcefully break through with vast amounts of faith power. Other secret arts or special materials are currently being experimented with. . ."
Fang Xi's External Avatar sat atop a donkey, with Mei Changkong leading it by the rope ahead.
He had cast a spell on Mei Changkong, whose face was no longer as it was before, so there was no fear of him being recognized as a wanted criminal.
Fang Xi's aura at this moment was profound and indistinct, but if he were to lift his Turtle Breath Secret Art, one would discover that his cultivation had already reached the perfected stage of Return to Void.
This, naturally, was all thanks to that Mirror Demon.
Although he had received new missions on this return trip, he had also gained quite a lot.
"Now. . . Mr. Fang, the schoolteacher of White Sweet Village, has also departed. Gan Yu's future still rests in his own hands. . ."
Fang Xi mused inwardly.
As for himself, he intended to first instruct Mei Changkong, this guinea pig of his, and experiment with cultivating immortal dao techniques in this world.
Afterward, he would find a place of beautiful scenery, prepare to activate the 'Mountain Pearl', and formally experience the mysteries of the Divine Dao.
Perhaps. . . the matter of divine rank promotion could be resolved through this?
"The promotion of divine ranks in the native Divine Dao all come from promotion by those above. . ."
"It would be quite difficult to replicate that in the Earthly Immortal World. . . I can't just directly kill the Son of Heaven and then see if his divine position or imperial seal would be useful, can I?"
"If I were to do that, the Heavenly Court would surely have sent Heavenly Soldiers and Generals to intervene long ago. . ."
"However, the title 'Son of Heaven' is interesting. Is it truly the son of the Heavenly Emperor, or merely the son of heavenly nobility? Heavenly Duke, Heavenly Marquis, Heavenly Earl, Son of Heaven. . . No wonder one could still be promoted one rank upon returning to the Heavenly Court. . . But if it's the latter, the inherent value would greatly diminish."
...
Zhuzhou.
This province was one of the Nine Provinces of the world, located in the south, near the border. It had mountains and rivers, and its frontier was plagued by Southern Barbarians.
"Such a strategically important place with advantageous terrain would be a good spot to start a foundation."
Mei Changkong, having traveled and observed along the way, couldn't help but comment.
Since he was already a rebel against the imperial court, he naturally had to study the art of rebellion.
He felt that Zhuzhou was quite suitable: its terrain was good for defense, there were border disturbances, and the imperial court's control was weak, which would be beneficial for early development. . .
However, he merely sighed a few words in his heart.
Mei Changkong, as he was now, still wholeheartedly pursued the immortal path!
Thinking of the Qi Refinement methods Fang Xi had imparted earlier, his heart burned with even greater fervor:
"According to the Qi Refinement secrets imparted by Young Master. . . after cultivating day and night, I can faintly perceive spiritual energy. . . Though still sparse, I can finally extract a trace. . . Most crucially, I don't need to rely on that Divine Seal!"
"If this continues, perhaps there is hope for the Great Dao?"
Little did Mei Changkong know, Fang Xi, seeing his progress at this moment, was inwardly complaining: "This old man's talent isn't good enough. . ."
After a quick check confirmed that Mei Changkong possessed spirit roots, he imparted the most basic Qi Refinement chapter of a Five Elements cultivation method.
Indeed, the technique was the common Hunyuan Art.
Yet, despite his talent not being poor—he possessed a superior-grade spirit root—Mei Changkong had found it difficult to truly get started and guide qi into his body.
In Fang Xi's view, the Dao Laws of this world suppressed spiritual energy, or rather, the spiritual energy was not active enough, making cultivation extremely difficult.
Although immortal dao cultivation methods were not bound by these Dao Laws, they could open a loophole.
But unless one possessed exceptionally talented, or an immense fortuitous encounter, Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment would be the limits.
Cultivating to Core Formation, and even Nascent Soul or Soul Transformation, would be many times more difficult than in the Earthly Immortal World.
"The spread of immortal dao cultivation methods. . . has also encountered obstacles."
"However, as long as I gather more information, I should be able to modify and create cultivation methods more suitable for this world than the original versions. . ."
Fang Xi was quite confident about this.
Not long after, the road ahead branched into a fork, and by the roadside stood a tea stall.
"Young Master?"
Mei Changkong bowed and asked, "Would you like to drink some tea?"
"Yes, let's take a break."
Fang Xi readily agreed, letting Mei Changkong lead the donkey to a stop in front of the tea stall.
The shopkeeper of the tea stall was a middle-aged man around forty. His wife was stoking the fire in front of the stove, and their son and daughter-in-law served as waiters, making it seem like a family business.
Upon seeing Fang Xi, his eyes immediately lit up: "Esteemed guest, would you like a bowl of 'Hundred Flowers Tea'?"
"Mm, I happen to be a bit hungry. . ."
Fang Xi glanced at the stove and smiled: "It's rare that you also have meat broth here. . ."
"It's all transported from nearby villages. The Zhang family just slaughtered a pig. . . These stewed pork bones, paired with our large flatbreads, are the most filling," the waiter said with a broad smile.
"Alright, bring two bowls of tea, a portion of meat broth for this old servant of mine, and ten flatbreads. . ."
Though Fang Xi could subsist on wind and dew, Mei Changkong could not.
While Fang Xi could use a flight spell to carry the donkey and his old servant, covering thousands of *li* in an instant, it wouldn't align with his purpose of observation.
Thus, they had been traveling leisurely and enjoying the scenery along the way.
By now, even with his martial arts and Daoist methods, Mei Changkong was starting to tire.
"Coming right up!"
The waiter loudly assented. This young man, at a glance, was clearly a young master from a wealthy family, or at least a minor landlord; otherwise, how could he have a mount and an old servant?
It was normal for the upper class to look down upon the food of commoners.
Not long after, the daughter-in-law brought up two bowls of tea. The bowls were large, coarse porcelain, with flower petals, and seemingly also barley and grains, floating in a full, brewed mixture.
She glanced at Fang Xi, her face flushing with shyness, then quickly lowered her gaze and retreated.
Soon after, the waiter brought the meat broth and flatbreads to the table.
The broth was pure white, with a few chopped green onions floating within. The bones were large marrow bones, and though there wasn't much meat, it still made the faces of the few passersby, who were dry-chewing their flatbreads, filled with longing.
"Young Master. . . this old servant won't be polite."
Mei Changkong picked up a bowl, drank in big gulps, and grabbed a flatbread.
At this point, he was ravenously hungry. He quickly took a big bite, feeling that the flatbread was quite chewy and carried a strong sesame fragrance. He couldn't help but eat three in a row before praising, "Not bad!"
"Hehe!"
The shopkeeper, who was calculating accounts behind the counter, smiled: "These were personally baked by my missus. Her craftsmanship is top-notch within dozens of *li* around here. . ."
Mei Changkong ate with great enjoyment, alternating between the meat broth and the flatbreads.
Fang Xi, looking at the tea before him, had little appetite.
He looked at the waiter and waved his hand. The waiter immediately came over: "What are your orders, Young Master?"
"I am a person from another province, traveling here for my studies. . . how far is 'Panlong Lake' still?"
Fang Xi asked a superfluous question.
"Panlong Lake is to the east, less than fifty *li* away," the waiter respectfully replied.
Those who could travel for studies were surely scholars, perhaps even holding official titles, far incomparable to ordinary townsfolk.
"So that's how it is. Are there any strange tales or major recent events near Panlong Lake? Just speak freely, this young master will reward you. . ."
Fang Xi casually placed a few silver coins on the table.
Seeing this, the waiter's eyes immediately lit up. He immediately began speaking volubly: "That Panlong Lake is five hundred *li* wide. It's rumored that a Dragon Lord presides over it, and the Dragon Lord Temple nearby receives excellent incense offerings. . . It's said the Dragon Lord loves wine, and there was even someone who brewed a fine wine that satisfied the Dragon Lord and was invited into the Dragon Palace to become a live-in son-in-law. . ."
"Haha, that is indeed interesting."
Fang Xi listened for a few more sentences, all tales of mountain spirits transforming into human form and foxes harming people. He then inquired about the powerful local families.
The waiter said, "There are indeed a few families near Panlong Lake that cannot be provoked. They are truly powerful households, and some even have retired high officials. . ."
"Retired?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Xi felt both amused and exasperated.
Given the benefits and advantages of the Dao Court, if possible, officials would certainly wish to serve until their death in office, only desiring promotion. Even if demoted, they would absolutely be unwilling to lose their official post.
So-called retirement was likely a euphemism for failing in a political struggle and being stripped of one's divine position.
Even so, although the divine position within them no longer existed, their Daoist registry was still present. At the very least, they could receive incense offerings in their family ancestral hall to maintain a certain level of magical power.
If their Daoist registry rank was high enough, even ordinary county magistrates might still have to show them respect.
Even if they died in the future, if the imperial court granted a favor or posthumously enfeoffed them. . . there was still hope of obtaining a divine position.
However, it would certainly be far inferior to the divine position of the high official they previously held.
"Which family does this high official belong to? " Fang Xi asked.
"It's the Xu family from Dongsong. Old Master Xu of the Xu family once passed the imperial examination and served as the Vice Minister of Rites in the Dao Court. . ."
The waiter said with a face full of envy: "Now, he has honorably returned to his hometown, and the Xu family has prospered because of this. It's said they own tens of thousands of *mu* of land and keep countless powerful servants and maids. Every year, just for land and water disputes, many incidents occur, and even if people are beaten to death, the authorities don't dare interfere much. . ."
"I see."
Fang Xi nodded. Seeing that Mei Changkong had finished eating, he left the silver coins, stood up, and departed.
Just then, a table of men nearby also hurriedly finished eating and followed them.
Seeing this, a look of panic immediately appeared on the waiter's face: "This is. . . Dad, should we. . . ?"
But the shopkeeper shook his head: "That young master has a scholar's temperament, he actually exposed himself as an outsider. . . A traveler's standing is diminished, but thankfully, he might hold an official title, otherwise how would he dare travel the world? And that old servant, in his every movement, also seems to possess martial arts. Nothing will happen."
Having greeted and seen off guests for many years, he had long developed a pair of 'Fiery Golden Eyes'.
At this moment, he knew what was going on with one look.
...
"Young Master, it's all resolved."
A moment later.
Fang Xi still rode the donkey, his thoughts distant and vague, as if neither sleeping nor awake.
A figure flashed, and Mei Changkong landed in front of the donkey, carrying a faint scent of blood. He bowed and said.
"Ah, the people's livelihood is difficult. . ."
Fang Xi sighed with emotion.
Even though the Divine Dao supervised the world, like the sun, there were still shadows beneath the sun.
As long as human nature was inherently selfish, these matters were unavoidable.
He casually sighed, paying it no mind: "Let's continue on our way. . . there are many mountains near Panlong Lake. I hope there's one suitable for use. . ."
To condense an avatar using the 'Mountain Pearl' required following the Divine Dao.
Thus, famous mountains and great rivers not already occupied by Mountain Gods or Water Gods were quite important.
Of course, this wasn't very likely, but some nameless barren mountains and small streams were still worth looking forward to. . .
Thanks to the reminder from fellow readers, the previous text has been corrected. Also, subsequent updates will, as usual, be a bit late. . .
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