Gu Lingzi

Gu Lingzi

Li Feng had still been living on Qingyun Flat like a wild man for five days. He had nearly been bored sick before finally running into another living person.

That morning, Li Feng took Little Cat for a stroll into a cluster of stone peaks behind Qingyun Flat. More than two hundred towering stone peaks stood scattered across the ground like bamboo shoots. These mountains had been raised directly from the earth by Yiyuan Sect's predecessors with immense magic power, arranged into the Nine Yang Gathering Yuan Array. They constantly absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy from within three hundred li, and were a place Yiyuan Sect specifically used to cultivate rare medicinal herbs. Naturally, a fellow like Li Feng could not see anything strange in the lay of the land. He had come here purely because Xiao Longzi and the others had told him to try his luck for Immortal Destiny.

The moment he entered the stone peak cluster, Li Feng felt a cool, gentle aura rush toward him, then seep into his body like spring rain moistening all things. It was like plunging headlong into a pond on a scorching summer day, and his spirits immediately lifted. Strands of white mist, seemingly tangible, curled through the air less than six zhang above the ground, spiraling around the lush green stone peaks that were seven or eight zhang wide and over a hundred zhang tall. Whenever the mist drifted by, tiny dew droplets glittering with golden light lightly fell among the grass leaves growing on the peaks, slowly nourishing those strangely shaped medicinal herbs.

Li Feng stared blankly at a blood-red herb halfway up the stone peak before him, more than twenty zhang above the ground. It was a small tree shaped like coral, with branches that looked exceptionally hard. Clusters of tiny yellow flowers bloomed upon it, their stamens sparkling with pinpricks of fiery red light. A strange, faint fragrance drifted down from its trunk, making Li Feng's mouth nearly water.

Over the past five days, Li Feng had swallowed Heavenly Treasures like a turtle gulping barley, and who knew how many he had ruined. The result was that his physical strength had steadily improved. He could now leap two zhang with ease, already matching a second-rate martial artist of the jianghu. Naturally cunning, Li Feng knew this was an opportunity ordinary people might never encounter in a lifetime. Only an ancient sect like Yiyuan Sect, with so few disciples, could possibly have so many naturally born spiritual treasures left behind. If he did not seize the chance to make off with a huge haul now, when would he?

In an ordinary sect, no matter how vast your grounds or how many spiritual herbs you planted, if you had thousands upon thousands of disciples, how much could each person receive? Li Feng's luck truly had reached heaven. Only a sect like Yiyuan Sect could tolerate him wasting things so extravagantly.

Licking his lips, Li Feng, now an experienced eater, muttered, "Damn it, I've eaten too much ginseng, Lingzhi Mushroom, Poria Cocos, Purple Ganoderma, Jade Essence, and all that. I'm sick of them. I've searched all these hundreds of hills, and every other kind has at least five or six patches, but I only found this herb in one place. Little Cat, how about you jump up and pick it, and we split it between us? Isn't the rarer something is, the more precious it is? Maybe if we eat this grass, we'll become immortals on the spot."

Little Cat shook his head, sneezed heavily, and cast Li Feng a disdainful glance. Yes, this herb was indeed rare, but it was not so absurd that eating it would make one immortal. Otherwise, Yiyuan Sect's people would have long since divided it into slices and all ascended to heaven.

Looking again at how high the fiery-red herb was from the ground, Little Cat fiercely shook his head, then lazily lay down, plainly saying, "If you want to eat it, do it yourself." This fellow was far shrewder than Li Feng. These herbs were all accounted for. Li Feng was an official disciple, so digging them up to eat would not be much of a problem. But Little Cat was merely a tiger guarding the gate. If he carelessly dug up herbs and chewed them, Yiyuan Sect's old Daoists might toss him straight into a hotpot. He was not that stupid.

Irritated, Li Feng kicked Little Cat in the rear and berated him, "You faithless bastard! When it comes to splitting loot, you're more diligent than anyone, but now I'm asking you to dig up one herb and you chirp and chatter without lifting a paw. Damn it, when I dig this herb up, don't even think about touching it."

With that, Li Feng drew Jade Rhinoceros and slashed the stone peak before him. The entire peak trembled faintly. A dim flash of golden light passed through it, and a stone the size of a bowl was chopped loose. Li Feng wielded his sword like the wind, and relying on Jade Rhinoceros's monstrous sharpness, easily carved a rough staircase into the mountain. His arms were now tremendously strong, and his endurance astonishing; this sort of physical labor came as naturally as turning his hand over.

Little Cat blankly raised his head and watched Li Feng draw closer and closer to the fiery-red herb. A string of drool hung from the corner of his mouth. He fiercely licked his nose with his broad tongue and let out ingratiating "woof woof" hums. He had only followed Li Feng for a few days, yet by circulating his cultivation through all the herbs Li Feng had ravaged, his cultivation had increased by some thirty years. Another rare spiritual herb was about to fall into their paws, so naturally he had to curry favor with Li Feng.

Li Feng lowered his head and muttered a curse. "You bastard, every time I do the work and you split the loot. Now you're trying this again? Still, I'm in a good mood today. If there's more than I can eat, I'll give you a little. Hmph. Next time you slack off again, I won't give you even a crumb."

Little Cat hurriedly stood on his hind legs, pressed his two forepaws together in a respectful salute, and bobbed his head as he fawned over him. In his belly, he muttered, If I were an official Yiyuan Sect disciple, I wouldn't need you to take the lead. I'd dig up these spiritual herbs and eat them myself. Do you think I'm like you? Woo... Is cultivating Daoism easy for creatures like us from the beast realm?

Li Feng naturally could not hear Little Cat's complaints. He had already approached the fiery-red herb and viciously slashed at it. The instant the sword edge neared the herb, a sheet of green light flashed from it, protecting the entire herb within a dome of light. Little Cat below instantly went dumb. This was clearly a restriction placed by Yiyuan Sect disciples, meant to prevent bugs, birds, and the like from eating the herb. Of all the herbs planted by Yiyuan Sect, those Little Cat knew had been protected by restrictions were treasures that could be called one of a kind under heaven—things that would go extinct after a single plant was eaten.

All the fur on Little Cat's body stood on end. Those lazy Daoists of Yiyuan Sect were very confident in Qingyun Flat's safety, and these restrictions were merely the weakest spells, meant to ward off birds and insects. They could not possibly withstand the Jade Rhinoceros in Li Feng's hand.

Before he could stop Li Feng, Jade Rhinoceros erupted with a burst of brilliant radiance, cleanly ripped through the green light, and severed the red herb from the stone peak. Less than two inches of rootstock remained behind.

Little Cat's head swam, and he collapsed flat on the ground. He let out a loud howl, meaning, Little ancestor, you've caused trouble this time. It's fine to eat other things—even Ten-Thousand-Year Jade Marrow; Yiyuan Sect has a whole cave full of it. But these one-of-a-kind things are certainly meant for refining the finest spiritual pills. With that one stroke, you've cut off its roots... That old bastard Sect Master definitely won't let you off.

His huge eyes blinked, and Little Cat turned tail and ran. As he fled, he kept looking back at Li Feng, meaning that Li Feng could keep it all for himself this time; Lord Little Cat would not take a share. When the Sect Master came after him later, he had better not drag Little Cat into it.

Li Feng lightly sprang back down to the ground. Watching Little Cat bolt away, he scratched his head in confusion. "What's wrong with this guy? He fights me to the death over even one ginseng root, but something obviously much better than ginseng doesn't interest him? He was just guarding the bottom, waiting to share the benefits, and now he's running away. Has something gone wrong with his head?"

Still, Li Feng did not think too much about it. The herb was in hand, and there was one less person to split it with. Naturally, he opened his mouth wide and bit down directly.

With a crack, the branches of this herb looked dainty and slender, yet they were incomparably hard. Li Feng let out a miserable cry and spat a large tooth from his mouth.

"My mother! Is this medicine or stone? Damn it, my teeth! Young master's teeth were perfectly neat, neat and tidy, a mouthful of dazzling white teeth, and this damned thing actually dared..."

Li Feng was practically going mad. His delicate face twisted entirely out of shape, turning iron-blue. Half from pain, half from heartache over his teeth, he was beside himself. He had no choice but to tear this herb into ten thousand pieces, then swallow it whole, skin and bones. Picking out a clean stone shaped like a crouching ox, Li Feng laid the herb atop it. Raising Jade Rhinoceros, he chopped it like a butcher slicing meat, reducing the entire herb to fragments with a series of smack smack smack smack sounds. He then tossed them into his mouth and swallowed them all cleanly with his saliva.

Closing his eyes and focusing his mind, Li Feng waited for the herb's medicinal power to emerge after it dissolved. Based on his experience, after these spiritual herbs entered his stomach, either a wave of heat would surge up, a chill would sweep over him, a strange fragrance would emanate from his entire body, or the medicinal power would be too strong for his body to withstand and he would simply faint. Yet this time, after swallowing the herb, there was not the slightest reaction.

Li Feng gave a surprised "Eh?" "Strange, strange. Could this thing merely look good, while actually being no different from cabbages sold on the street? Damn it, I wasted all that effort... This thing looked pretty good, and the flowers even glittered. How come it has no effect at all after I ate it?"

A tense voice suddenly came from beside him. "The flowers glittered... You, you, you, you ate the Candle Dragon Grass, you..."

Li Feng turned around. An old Daoist stood behind him, wearing a green Daoist robe, his hair hanging loose, five wisps of long beard framing an ancient yet handsome face. The old Daoist stared tensely at him. Li Feng blinked and asked, "Was that Candle Dragon Grass blood-red?"

The old Daoist rolled his eyes. "Blood-red... Y-yes... yes, it was blood-red. How did you know?" Slowly, sluggishly, the old Daoist turned his head toward where Li Feng had dug up the herb. Then he let out a scream. "Heavens! My precious Candle Dragon Grass! You, you, you, you could at least have left me one leaf, but you cut off its roots!" His emotions were too agitated for him to stop trembling. Every joint in his body crackled, and a gale burst from him. Streams of green lightning constantly flickered within three chi around his body, creating an astonishing display of power.

Li Feng froze. Seeing the old Daoist's expression as though his parents had died, his heart jolted. I'm finished. Young master here has stirred up trouble on the Grand Marshal's head. Looking at him, that medicine is his lifeblood. A wise man does not suffer immediate losses. Run for it. With that thought, Li Feng turned and fled.

His days of madly devouring spiritual herbs had not been in vain. As Li Feng lifted his leg, a wave of heat naturally rose from his dantian and surged through his unobstructed hundred meridians into both legs. With a whoosh, a single stride carried him roughly three zhang. Accompanied by a trail of wind, he ran over a hundred zhang away in an instant.

With an explosive crash, a bolt of green lightning descended from the heavens like a gigantic dragon and struck Li Feng squarely on the head. Electricity flickered over his entire body. With a bang, all his clothes exploded into ash. The powerful current coursed through him, making Li Feng tremble all over like a dying frog before his limbs stiffened and he fell to the ground.

The green-robed old Daoist crossed a hundred zhang with a whoosh and appeared before Li Feng. He grabbed Li Feng with one hand, while his fingers viciously dug into Li Feng's mouth. He shouted, "Spit it out, you brat! Spit it out for me... My Candle Dragon Grass! This Daoist Lord went through heaven knows what trouble to steal it from that damned black dragon at the bottom of the ocean east of the Eastern Sea. Spit it out for this Daoist Lord... Hurry up and spit it out..."

Li Feng was miserably tucked beneath the old Daoist's armpit, helplessly watching two fingers thrust into his mouth and stir wildly about. How could he possibly spit it out? Since there was no turning back, he bit down—hard.

The old Daoist shrieked. Now he was truly in for it. Though his Daoist Magic was profound and his moral cultivation lofty, he had been too anxious over Li Feng cutting off the Candle Dragon Grass's roots, and had not exerted force in his hand at all. Li Feng, meanwhile, had undergone a transformation of flesh and bone. His large teeth could leave a notch even in steel bars, and the old Daoist's fingers were immediately bitten until the skin split and blood flowed. The blood matched the blood flowing from Li Feng's broken tooth in his mouth, the two complementing each other rather picturesquely.

Furious beyond measure, the old Daoist gave Li Feng's buttocks over a dozen fierce slaps. "You stinking brat, where did you crawl out from? It's fine that you stole my herb, and fine that you ate it, but you shouldn't have cut off its roots! This Daoist Lord spent thirty years painstakingly raising it this big, and was counting on it to refine the God Breaking Pill and form a Nascent Soul... You, you, you—how long ago did you swallow it? Spit a little back out for this Daoist Lord. Not much. I won't make things difficult for you. Spit out a little, just a tiny bit is enough."

Li Feng howled miserably beneath the old Daoist's dozen-plus slaps. The old Daoist was now using internal force in his hands; one palm strike could shatter even granite, let alone Li Feng's fleshy rear? Before long, Li Feng's two buttocks turned red-purple, purple and gleaming, swelling up inch by inch.

Li Feng screamed, his brows and nose squeezed together as snot and tears flew everywhere. "Damn it, you stinking Daoist! You never said I couldn't touch it! Young master here spent so much effort swallowing it, and it didn't even do anything. How could it be worth your precious fuss?... Besides, besides, I didn't cut off its roots. I left a whole three-inch section of root!"

The old Daoist paused. Golden light flashed in his eyes as he looked toward the spot where the Candle Dragon Grass had taken root. Sure enough, a section of root about three inches long remained exposed outside the stone, giving off a faint fiery-red glow. The old Daoist released a long breath and calmed himself in an instant, shaking his head as he sighed. "Shameful, shameful. More than a hundred years of quiet cultivation, yet I still lost my composure. Shameful indeed... No wonder Master said my tranquility cultivation was still inferior to my junior brother's."

He swiftly put Li Feng down, and with a casual motion, drew a spiritual talisman across Li Feng's buttocks, which had swollen by three inches. Li Feng felt a wave of coolness there, and the scorching pain immediately vanished. The old Daoist gave a deep salute and apologized with a smile. "Little benefactor, this Daoist was discourteous just now... I am Gu Lingzi, of Yiyuan Sect... Eh, eh, eh? You are not a disciple of Yiyuan Sect. How did you enter Qingyun Flat? Could it be that you deliberately came to steal this Daoist Lord's spiritual herbs?"

The old Daoist suddenly came to his senses. When he entered meditation a year ago, he had never seen this brat. Could an outsider truly have snuck into Yiyuan Sect to steal herbs? At once, the old Daoist flashed three zhang away. His right hand formed a sword gesture aimed at Li Feng, while his left hand had already formed a hand seal. A thread of lightning coiled around his fingers, making faint crackling sounds.

Li Feng froze, but Gu Lingzi had already shouted sharply, "May I ask which fellow Daoist you are, little benefactor? Heavenly Treasures naturally belong to those of virtue. It matters not that fellow Daoist ate the Candle Dragon Grass; this Daoist merely needs a small amount to use as medicine for pill refining. If fellow Daoist had entered openly after formally visiting the mountain, what harm would there be in giving you this grass? But fellow Daoist secretly entered Yiyuan Sect and secretly ate the Candle Dragon Grass. That is the conduct of a petty thief, and I fear it does not suit fellow Daoist's identity, does it?"

Li Feng hurriedly began explaining, habitually raising his right hand. Jade Rhinoceros consequently lifted with it. Gu Lingzi saw a flash of sword light and thought Li Feng had already attacked. He immediately joined his hand seals, and a bolt of lightning ten times thicker than before crashed down upon Li Feng's head.

With a crash, Li Feng spat out a mouthful of black smoke. His hair and eyebrows were burned away entirely, and he collapsed to the ground blackened from head to toe. In his final struggle, Li Feng cursed Gu Lingzi furiously, "You old bastard, I'm one of your..." His head lolled to one side, and he immediately fainted.

Gu Lingzi blinked, walked over to Li Feng, and examined him closely. "Strange, strange. Remarkable, remarkable. Why does the sword in his hand look so much like Jade Rhinoceros? This Jade Rhinoceros Sword was bestowed by Master upon junior brother Xiao Longzi for protection. I used it too in my youth, so naturally... Strange. Is it really Jade Rhinoceros? Really Jade Rhinoceros? Patriarchs of the Three Pure Ones above, did this Daoist strike the wrong person?"

Little Cat's large head cautiously poked out from beside a stone peak. Seeing Li Feng lying on the ground, charred all over, he could not help sucking in a breath of cold air. Good thing this tiger was smart enough to know that things protected by restrictions can't be touched. See? He got beaten into this state... You humans have no fur, so being burnt is no big deal. But if this tiger got struck by lightning, wouldn't this whole coat of fur be wasted?... That was close, far too close...