Gu Lingzi

After still living on Qingyun Flat like a savage for five days, Li Feng, who had nearly been bored sick, finally ran 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 underground by the Yiyuan Sect's elders with immense magic power, arranged into the Nine Yang Gathering Yuan Array. It continuously drew in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy from within three hundred li, and was a place specifically used by the Yiyuan Sect to cultivate rare medicinal herbs. Naturally, Li Feng could not see anything strange about the lay of the land here. He had come solely because Xiao Longzi and the others had said he might stumble into "Immortal Destiny" here.

The moment he entered the stone peaks, Li Feng felt a cool, gentle aura wash over him, then seep into his body like spring rain moistening all things. It was like plunging headfirst into a pool on a scorching day, and his spirits instantly lifted. Strands of almost tangible white mist curled through the air less than six zhang above the ground, spiraling upward along the emerald stone peaks that were seven or eight zhang wide and over a hundred zhang tall. Whenever the mist drifted past, tiny dewdrops glinting with golden light floated lightly down among the blades of grass growing on the peaks, slowly nourishing those oddly shaped medicinal herbs.

Li Feng stared blankly at a blood-red herb halfway up a stone peak, more than twenty zhang above the ground. It was a little tree shaped like coral, with branches that looked extremely hard. Clusters of yellow blossoms bloomed upon it, their stamens glittering with specks of fiery red light. A strange, faint fragrance drifted down from its trunk, making Li Feng's saliva nearly spill from his mouth.

Over the past five days, Li Feng had swallowed Heavenly Treasures like a turtle gulping barley, and no one knew how many he had ruined. The result was that his physical strength had steadily improved. Now, with a light leap, he could cover nearly two zhang, already comparable to a second-rate martial expert in the jianghu. Cunning by nature, Li Feng knew that this was an opportunity ordinary people might never encounter in a lifetime. Only an ancient sect like the Yiyuan Sect, with few disciples, could possibly have so many naturally born spiritual treasures left behind. If he did not seize the chance to gorge himself on benefits now, then when would he?

If it had been an ordinary sect, no matter how vast its grounds or how many spiritual herbs it cultivated, with thousands upon thousands of disciples, how much could each person receive? Li Feng's luck was truly good beyond measure. Only a sect like the Yiyuan Sect could tolerate such reckless waste from him.

Licking his lips, Li Feng, who had already eaten enough to gain experience, 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've only found this herb in one place. Little Cat, how about you jump up there and pick it so we can split it? 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 an immortal. Otherwise, the people of the Yiyuan Sect would have long since divided it among themselves and all ascended to heaven.

Then Little Cat looked again at how high the fiery-red herb was from the ground. He shook his head fiercely, then lazily sprawled on the ground, looking as though he were saying, If you want to eat it, do it yourself. He was far shrewder than Li Feng. These herbs were all accounted for. Li Feng was an official disciple, so digging them up and eating them was not much of an issue. But Little Cat was merely a tiger that guarded the gate. If he randomly dug up herbs to chew on, those old Daoists of the Yiyuan Sect might toss him into a hotpot. He was not that stupid.

Annoyed, Li Feng kicked Little Cat in the rear and scolded, "You disloyal bastard! When it comes time to split the loot, you're more diligent than anyone. Now I only want you to dig up one herb, and you keep chirping away instead of moving. Damn it, once I dig this grass up, don't even think about touching it."

With that, Li Feng drew Jade Rhinoceros and slashed at the stone peak before him. The entire peak trembled faintly. A dim flash of golden light passed by, and a boulder the size of a bowl was cut down by Li Feng. He wielded his sword like the wind. Relying on Jade Rhinoceros's freakish sharpness, he easily carved a rough stairway into the mountain. His arm strength was immense now, and his endurance was astonishing as well. This sort of manual labor naturally came easily to him.

Little Cat stared foolishly upward as he watched Li Feng draw closer and closer to the fiery-red herb. A string of drool hung from the corner of his mouth. His broad tongue viciously licked his nose, and low "wuwu" sounds came from his throat, his manner utterly ingratiating. He had only followed Li Feng for a few days, yet by circulating his cultivation through all the herbs Li Feng had squandered, his own cultivation had increased by around thirty years. Seeing another rare spiritual herb about to fall into their hands, he naturally had to curry favor with Li Feng as hard as he could.

Li Feng lowered his head and cursed softly, "You brat, every time it's me doing the work and you splitting 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 some. Hmph. If you slack off again next time, you won't get even a crumb."

Little Cat hurriedly stood up on his hind legs, pressed his front paws together in a respectful salute, and bobbed his head as he tried to please him. In his belly, he grumbled, 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? Wuu... Is it easy for us creatures of the beast realm to cultivate the Dao?

Naturally, Li Feng could not hear Little Cat's complaints. He had already approached the fiery-red herb and brought his sword down in a savage slash. The instant the blade neared the herb, a sheet of green light flashed from it, protecting the entire plant within a barrier. Little Cat below immediately went dumb. This was clearly a restriction placed by a Yiyuan Sect disciple, one meant to keep insects, birds, and the like from eating the herb. Of all the herbs planted throughout the Yiyuan Sect, the only ones Little Cat knew to be protected by restrictions were treasures that could be called unique under heaven—things that would go extinct after a single plant was consumed.

Every hair on Little Cat's body stood up. Those lazy Daoists of the Yiyuan Sect trusted Qingyun Flat's safety greatly. These restrictions were merely the weakest sort of spells, used to ward off birds and insects. They simply could not stop Jade Rhinoceros in Li Feng's hand.

Before he could stop Li Feng, the Jade Rhinoceros Sword erupted with a burst of brilliant light. It cleanly tore through the green glow and cut the red herb entirely from the stone peak, leaving only a section of root less than two inches long behind.

Little Cat's head spun, and he collapsed flat onto the ground. He howled loudly, meaning, Little ancestor, you've caused trouble this time. It doesn't matter if you eat other things. Even Ten-Thousand-Year Jade Marrow—there's a whole cave of it in the Yiyuan Sect. But these one-of-a-kind treasures are definitely meant for refining the finest spiritual pills. With that one strike, you nearly severed its roots... That old bastard Sect Master definitely won't let you off.

His huge eyes blinked, and Little Cat turned and ran. As he fled, he kept looking back at Li Feng, meaning that Li Feng could keep this one all to himself. Lord Little Cat would not take a share this time. If the Sect Master pursued the matter later, Li Feng had better not sell him out.

Li Feng lightly leaped back down to the ground. Watching Little Cat flee for his life, he scratched his head in confusion. "What's wrong with that guy? He fights me to the death over a single ginseng root, yet he isn't interested in something that's clearly much better? He was just waiting down there for his share, and now he's running away. Has his brain gone sick?"

Ignoring it, Li Feng did not think too much about it. The herb was in hand, and there was one fewer person to divide the loot with. Naturally, he opened his mouth wide and bit down directly.

Crack! The herb's branches looked delicate and exquisite, but they were incomparably hard. Li Feng screamed and spat out one of his molars.

"My mother! Is this medicine or a rock? Damn it, my teeth! My teeth were perfectly neat, neat and orderly, a mouthful of dazzling white good teeth, and this damned thing actually dared to..."

Li Feng was nearly driven mad. His handsome face twisted entirely out of shape, turning iron-blue. Half of it was pain, and half was heartbreak over his tooth. No matter what, he had to tear this herb into ten thousand pieces, then swallow it whole, skin and bones alike. He chose a clean reclining-ox stone, set the herb upon it, raised Jade Rhinoceros, and, like a butcher cutting meat, chopped the entire herb into fragments with a series of smack smack smack smack sounds. He then threw them into his mouth and swallowed them cleanly with his saliva.

Closing his eyes and focusing his mind, Li Feng waited for the medicinal power that would emerge once the herb dissolved. Based on his experience, once spiritual medicine 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 medicine's power would be too potent for his body to bear and he would simply faint. Yet this time, after he swallowed the herb, there was not the slightest reaction.

Li Feng let out a startled "Eh." "Strange, strange. Could this thing just look pretty but actually be no different from cabbages sold on the street? Damn it, I wasted all that effort... It looked impressive, and the flowers even sparkled. Why didn't it have any effect at all after I ate it?"

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

Li Feng turned around. An old Daoist stood behind him, dressed in a green Daoist robe. His hair hung loose, five long strands of beard flowed from his chin, and his face was ancient, simple, and refined. The man was staring at him anxiously. 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?" The old Daoist slowly, sluggishly turned his head toward the place where Li Feng had dug up the herb. Then he let out a miserable scream. "Heavens! My precious Candle Dragon Grass! You, you, you, you could have at least left me a piece! You nearly cut off its roots!" The old Daoist was so agitated that his body trembled violently. His joints crackled, and a fierce wind burst from his body. Streaks of blue lightning flashed continuously within three feet of him, creating an overwhelmingly terrifying spectacle.

Li Feng froze. Seeing the old Daoist look as though his parents had died, his heart jolted. I'm finished. I've made a move on the head of the Grand Duke of Jupiter himself. Looking at this guy, that herb is his lifeblood. A wise man does not suffer immediate losses. Run! With that thought, Li Feng spun and fled.

His few days of frantically devouring spiritual herbs had not been in vain. As soon as Li Feng lifted his leg, a wave of heat naturally rose from his dantian, rushing through his unobstructed meridians into both legs. With a whoosh, each stride carried him around three zhang. Trailing a gust of wind, he dashed more than a hundred zhang away in an instant.

Crack! With a thunderous explosion, a bolt of blue lightning descended from the sky like a giant dragon and struck Li Feng squarely on the head. Electricity flashed all over his body. With a bang, all his clothes exploded into ashes. The fierce current ran through his body, making Li Feng shudder like a dying frog before he fell to the ground, limbs stiff and rigid.

The green-robed old Daoist crossed the hundred-zhang distance in a flash and appeared before Li Feng. He grabbed Li Feng with one hand, then savagely shoved his fingers into Li Feng's mouth as he shouted, "Spit it out, you little brat! Spit it out for me... My Candle Dragon Grass! This Daoist stole it with great difficulty from that damned black dragon at the bottom of the ocean east of the East Sea! Spit it out for me... Hurry up and spit it out..."

Li Feng was miserably tucked beneath the old Daoist's arm, helplessly watching two fingers shove into his mouth and stir wildly around inside. How could Li Feng possibly spit it out? With nothing left to lose, he bit down, hard.

The old Daoist cried out strangely. Now he was truly in for it. Despite his profound Daoist Magic and lofty cultivation, he had been too anxious over Li Feng nearly severing the Candle Dragon Grass's roots, so he had not put any force into his hand. Li Feng, meanwhile, had already undergone a transformation. His teeth could bite a notch into even steel reinforcement bars. At once, Li Feng bit the old Daoist's fingers until the skin split and blood flowed, perfectly complementing the blood flowing from the gap where Li Feng's own tooth had broken.

Furious and flustered, the old Daoist gave Li Feng more than ten vicious slaps on the rear. "You little brat, where did you crawl out from? It's no big deal that you stole my herb, and it's no big deal that you ate it, but you shouldn't have nearly severed its roots! This Daoist spent thirty years painstakingly raising it this large, all hoping to use it to refine a God Breaking Pill and form a Nascent Soul... You, you, you—how long ago did you eat it? Spit some out for this Daoist. Not much. This Daoist won't make things difficult for you. Just spit out a little, a tiny bit will do."

Li Feng howled miserably under the old Daoist's dozen or so slaps. The old Daoist had channeled force into his hands now. A single palm strike could shatter granite, let alone Li Feng's fleshy backside. In an instant, Li Feng's two buttocks turned red-purple, purple and shining, then swelled with a thump thump thump thump.

Li Feng screamed, his brows and nose scrunched together as snot and tears flew everywhere. "Damn it, you stinking Daoist! You never said I couldn't touch that thing! I spent so much effort swallowing it, and it didn't do a damn thing, so why are you treating it like treasure?... Besides, besides, I didn't sever its roots. I left three inches of root behind!"

The old Daoist paused. Golden light flashed in his eyes as he looked toward where the Candle Dragon Grass had taken root. Sure enough, a section of root around three inches long still protruded from the stone, emitting a faint fiery-red glow. The old Daoist let out a long breath. His emotions settled in an instant, and he shook his head with a sigh. "Shameful, shameful. More than a century of quiet cultivation, yet I still lost my composure. Shameful indeed... No wonder Master said my skill in serenity was still inferior to my junior brother's."

The old Daoist quickly put Li Feng down, then casually drew a spiritual talisman across Li Feng's rear, which had swollen by three inches. Li Feng felt a cool sensation there, and the burning pain immediately vanished. The old Daoist gave a deep salute and smiled apologetically. "Little benefactor, this Daoist was discourteous just now... I am Gu Lingzi of the Yiyuan Sect... Eh? Eh? Eh? You are not a disciple of my Yiyuan Sect, so how did you enter Qingyun Flat? Could it be that you deliberately came to steal this Daoist's spiritual herbs?"

The old Daoist suddenly came to his senses. When he had entered meditation a year ago, he had not noticed this boy. Could an outsider really have sneaked into the Yiyuan Sect to steal herbs? The old Daoist flashed back three zhang, formed a sword gesture with his right hand and pointed it at Li Feng, while his left hand formed a spell seal. A thread of lightning coiled around his fingers, producing faint crackling sounds.

Li Feng froze. Gu Lingzi shouted sternly, "May I ask which Daoist friend this little benefactor is? Heavenly Treasures naturally belong to the virtuous. It is no matter that Daoist friend ate the Candle Dragon Grass; this Daoist merely requires a small portion for medicine and pill refinement. If Daoist friend had openly paid respects at the mountain gate and entered, what harm would there be in giving this grass to Daoist friend? But Daoist friend secretly entered the Yiyuan Sect and stole the Candle Dragon Grass to eat. That is the conduct of a petty thief, and I fear it does not suit Daoist friend's status, does it?"

Li Feng hurriedly tried to explain. His right hand lifted out of habit, raising Jade Rhinoceros with it. Gu Lingzi saw the sword light flash and assumed Li Feng had already attacked. He immediately joined his spell seal, and a bolt of lightning ten times thicker than the last crashed down upon Li Feng's head.

Crack! Li Feng spat out a mouthful of black smoke. His hair and eyebrows were burned away completely, and he fell to the ground blackened from head to toe. With his last struggling breath, Li Feng cursed Gu Lingzi viciously. "You old bastard, I'm one of your..." His head tilted, and he immediately fainted.

Gu Lingzi blinked, walked closer to Li Feng, and examined him carefully. "Strange, strange. Remarkable, remarkable. Why does the sword in his hand look so much like the Jade Rhinoceros Sword? Master bestowed the Jade Rhinoceros Sword upon Junior Brother Xiao Longzi for protection. I used it when I was young too, so naturally... How strange. Is it really Jade Rhinoceros? Really Jade Rhinoceros? Three Pure Ancestors above, did this Daoist strike the wrong person?"

Little Cat's enormous head quietly poked out from behind a stone peak. Seeing Li Feng lying on the ground, charred black all over, he could not help sucking in a cold breath. Good thing this tiger is smart and knew not to touch anything protected by restrictions. See? He got beaten into that state... You humans have no fur, so being charred is just being charred. If this tiger got struck by lightning, wouldn't this fine coat of fur all go to waste?... Close call, close call...