Rejecting Immortals

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"Eating dates and taking pills" — what the hell is that? And where would you find an antidote for all poisons? Sounds like they ran into a con artist.

Li Qingjun's face flushed with indignation. She was about to speak when Li Qinglin raised a hand to stop her. He paid the silver and said, "We brothers are heading into the mountains to seek immortals, but we don't have much time to waste. Young master, you live here and know the area well. Would you be willing to guide us up the mountain? You'll be generously rewarded."

"No." Qin Yi stood up lazily and turned back into the house. "Seeking immortals? Eat your fill, sleep well, worry-free and carefree — isn't that already being an immortal?"

The young Li Qingjun snapped angrily, "Hey! What kind of attitude is that?"

But Qin Yi had already gone inside.

Li Qingjun fumed, about to dismount, when her brother grabbed her arm. "Don't cause trouble."

"Why be so polite to him? He's clearly a fraud! Where would he get an antidote for all poisons?"

Li Qinglin reined his horse around and rode off. "Li Liu's report says quite a few people have been poisoned in the mountains lately, and that Qin lad in the village cured them with a single dose. He might be familiar with the special toxic miasma in the area and has prepared targeted remedies. Probably more suitable than the medicine we brought ourselves. Besides, from what we've seen and heard here, don't you think there's something unusual about that young man?"

"Probably just putting on airs, with the villagers playing along to create an atmosphere so he can swindle people."

Li Qinglin chuckled softly.

Li Qingjun spurred her horse to catch up with her brother and asked, "Since you think he's useful, why didn't you insist on hiring him as a guide?"

Li Qinglin smiled faintly. "No rush... A guide shows the way, but can he lead you to an immortal?"

Li Qingjun was taken aback again.

Obviously not.

They weren't here to climb a mountain and watch the sunrise — they were trying to find immortals in the wilderness. The mountain wasn't that big, and the rumors of Immortal Opportunities had circulated for who knows how many years. Every inch of ground had been scoured already. So there was no real destination, no correct route. Going in was just testing their luck. What need was there for a guide?

Li Qingjun felt a bit deflated, her straight shoulders sagging slightly. "So brother, like everyone else, never really took this immortal-seeking journey to heart..."

Li Qinglin looked back toward where they'd come from. "That Qin Yi... what he said at the end was actually quite interesting..."

"A rustic boor, full of himself, spouting nonsense. I'd put a hole through him with my spear and see how carefree he stays then."

"Ha..."

Their voices faded into the distance. Qin Yi lay in the house with his arms behind his head, the Wolf Tooth Club resting at the head of the bed. He could still faintly hear the siblings' conversation, and at the end, he laughed, as if he found Li Qingjun's words amusing.

A voice suddenly rang out in his Sea of Consciousness: "What are you laughing at? Those two siblings seem to have pretty good martial arts training. They might actually be able to put a hole through you."

The voice reached straight into his soul, coming from nowhere. It wasn't really a sound, and he couldn't even tell if it was male or female — it was like a sentence forming directly in your mind, utterly bizarre. But Qin Yi seemed completely used to it. He said lazily, "I'm laughing at how there really are girls in this world who dress as men and think no one can tell."

The voice paused for a moment, then said, "How do you know she's a girl? Young people don't have prominent Adam's apples, and a slightly high-pitched voice is normal."

"Because you don't have a nose, so you can't smell her light fragrance."

"..."

"Besides, where would you find a boy that pretty? That little face full of collagen, brows like paintings, red lips, white teeth — putting on a brave expression, but that feminine vibe is obvious even with your eyes closed, you know? You think there's a beauty filter or something?"

"What the hell is collagen? And what's a beauty filter?"

"...None of your business."

The voice sighed. "Male or female, what does it matter? You saw it, didn't you? So many people in this world seek immortality with such devotion. If you gave them an Immortal Opportunity, they'd kneel for three days and nights gladly. So why won't you cultivate?"

"Aren't I already cultivating? Look, I'm planning to stay up all night again tonight..."

"That's what you call cultivating? Don't feed me the same line you use to fool them."

Qin Yi said coldly, "And don't you feed me the same line you use to fool fools!"

As he spoke, he casually tossed the Wolf Tooth Club into the foot-washing water by the bed.

The voice in his Sea of Consciousness turned frantic. "I didn't say anything when you used me to pound medicine or hammer nails, but if you throw me into foot-washing water again, I'll make your life hell!"

The Wolf Tooth Club leaped out of the water with a splash and swung at Qin Yi. Leaning against the headboard, Qin Yi kicked out, hitting the club's handle. The club spun in the air, smacked against the wall with a crack, slid down, bounced on the floor a couple of times, and lay still.

A thick sense of grievance oozed from the club.

"Hey, Clubby..."

"I've told you ten thousand times. My name is Liusu."

"A weapon spirit in a Wolf Tooth Club, named Liusu... Do those two things even match? Your Original Owner — don't you have any self-awareness?"

Liusu sneered and said nothing.

Qin Yi asked again, "Clubby, do you think those two can handle the problems in the mountains?"

Ever since Qin Yi had crossed over, the mountain had started changing. First, a poisonous mist had appeared in the mountains, and people who went in often got sick. Second, a strange winged tiger had inexplicably appeared among the rubble. The poisonous mist wasn't actually poison — it was spatial resentment that Liusu had brought out. The winged tiger, however, had nothing to do with Liusu; it was the result of the Demon Transformation Poisonous Mist that those two had planted earlier.

Both problems were connected to Qin Yi.

Liusu said lazily, "If you'd just cultivate with me, you wouldn't have to worry about dealing with a tiger that only started demonizing a few days ago."

"Because it can't kill me — but you can."

It had been a while since the crossing. Recalling the scene back then, Qin Yi could now fully piece together what had happened.

It was Liusu attempting Body Seizing. Just as Qin Yi crossed over, Liusu tried to devour his soul directly. But the cultural differences from Qin Yi's world were so utterly incompatible that Liusu choked on them, and instead, Qin Yi took over the body. The soul power Liusu had accumulated over who knows how many years was severely crippled, forcing it to retreat back into the club to lick its wounds.

So Liusu claimed it would teach him cultivation, and in the future, he could help it rebuild its body.

But Qin Yi didn't dare learn.

You know, the Original Owner's soul has already been devoured by Liusu—this thing is absolutely not something good. Who knows if the cultivation techniques it teaches have hidden backdoors, making it easier for it to Body Seize again? Qin Yi didn't think he was that thick-headed to try it.

Originally, Qin Yi even wanted to toss this Wolf Tooth Club away, but his curiosity about this world of cultivation was too strong, so he ended up keeping it by his side. After all, it was weak right now, wasn't it?

How the turn tables.

Liusu sneered coldly: "Anyway, I can tell you, this resentment will dissipate on its own soon enough, no one needs to resolve it. But this tiger has already started to demonize. With just that Demon Binding Array I taught you, especially since you have no cultivation, you can't bind it for long. Sooner or later, it'll start hurting people. If you want to solve this problem completely, you have to cultivate with me."

Qin Yi pressed his lips together, held back for a long while, then said: "I'll figure it out eventually."

Liusu snorted with laughter: "Your solution is to spread word of this long-forgotten immortal site again, luring seekers of immortality to come kill the tiger?"

"Better than relying on the villagers. Those Li Family Siblings seem to have some skill."

Liusu chuckled: "If you're going that route, I have a much more foolproof idea."

"What?"

"Those Li Family Siblings are clearly wealthy or noble. If you trick them into dying in the tiger's jaws, that tiger will definitely be skinned and gutted—no chance of survival. But instead, you warned them to run if they can't win, and the tiger won't chase..."

"Pah!" Qin Yi rolled over, got up, walked to the corner of the room, picked up the Wolf Tooth Club, and shoved it back into the foot-washing water.

Liusu cursed loudly from the water: "Foolish woman's mercy! If they get hurt by the tiger and run out, you'll be the first one they take it out on!"

Qin Yi ignored it completely, turned, and walked to the corner of the room. There, a small stove held a fire, a clay pot was gently warm, faintly emitting the fragrance of medicine.

The art of making medicine and alchemy, along with some simple formation setups, was both Qin Yi's way of satisfying his curiosity about cultivation in this world and Liusu's proof that "I really can teach you immortality." On this front, they were in perfect sync—one learned earnestly, the other taught with care, without any noisy arguments.

Qin Yi stared at the stove fire for a while, silently calculating the time, then casually took a jug of wine, walked to the window, and drank in small sips.

The sky had fully darkened, the stars and moon shining brightly.

Where the human world's water-clock doesn't reach, insects chirp and cicadas sing, tipsy on a little wine. Qin Yi had always felt that such an environment was itself nearly immortal. Free from the clamor of carriages and horses, far from scheming and strife—the moonlight's clear radiance, the fragrance of the fields—how much of it did worldly people ever notice? Seeking immortality, seeking immortality—in the end, what they found was nothing but his own ulterior deception.

Qin Yi had always thought that if he could solve the mountain's problem, there was nothing wrong with holing up here for life. In his past life, he died falling off a cliff; being reborn here was no different from gaining a new life. Why not just enjoy it?

When he sang the "Song of Good Omens," it wasn't to put on an immortal act, but because he had truly seen too many seekers of immortality and was moved to express it.

"You know, how beautiful this night is..." he murmured, as if in a dream.

Liusu, still sulking, let out a "hmph" of disdain.

But in truth, it was precisely for this reason that Liusu had always believed Qin Yi was very suited for cultivation. He had a kind of tranquil aura—not clinging, not delusional, no ambition to enter the world and become a lord. As if a Thatched Cottage could see him through his whole life. People like him were far more suited for cultivation than those who knelt devoutly and begged stubbornly.

Too bad he refused to cultivate.

In truth, who knew? What they called tranquility and detachment from the world had another name in Qin Yi's world: being a homebody.