Yuan He Mountain

Fang Xi had transmigrated, but not completely.

Or rather, he had transmigrated a second time!

Whenever he recalled what had happened during his first second transmigration, Fang Xi still felt a lingering fear.

Half a year ago, after transmigrating for several months, Fang Xi had been like a wary little beast, cautiously extending his feelers in every direction as he investigated the situation at Green Bamboo Mountain Market.

Unfortunately... his cultivation had been too low, and he had yet to fully grasp the original owner's legacy. He might not even have been able to defeat Old Mai Tou, who was at the second layer of Qi Refining!

And that night, robbers attacked the shantytown!

After all, the shantytown had no mountain-protecting formation to shelter it, and most of the spirit farmers had low cultivation.

Although they were all paupers, some damned robbers would even rob paupers!

After all, cultivators' corpses—even their flesh, bones, and souls—were worth a great deal of money.

At the time, listening to the cries of slaughter outside and watching several black-robed, masked cultivators begin killing people room by room, Fang Xi had trembled like a leaf, like meat on a chopping block. That feeling had deeply stimulated him and awakened his Golden Finger!

His Golden Finger had no external manifestation or notification whatsoever, but he discovered that he could transmigrate to another world!

Fang Xi did not hesitate and immediately chose to transmigrate.

Then he arrived in this world called 'Daliang.'

He stretched lazily toward the sun and silently swore that he never wanted to experience that feeling of being closest to death again.

But for now, he might as well enjoy himself properly.

A smile appeared at the corner of Fang Xi's lips.

According to his investigations during his previous few transmigrations, this world called 'Daliang' had no cultivators!

Moreover, the flow of time between the two worlds was roughly one-to-one, with only the day and night cycles differing somewhat.

In other words, nighttime over there happened to be daytime in the Great Liang World.

Here, everything was ruled by the realm of a mortal emperor.

Meanwhile, a group of creatures called 'demons' lived in the wilderness!

In Fang Xi's view, they were merely members of the Demon Race with impure bloodlines. There might even be some hidden monsters among them.

Being cautious by nature, he had not gone out to hunt demons. Instead, he found a mortal city—Black Stone City—and went into hiding there.

Mortal gold and silver were merely the most ordinary raw materials in the Southern Barrens Cultivation World. A single Spirit Crystal could be exchanged for a great deal of it. But in the Great Liang World, it proved unexpectedly useful.

Before long, a wealthy young master named 'Young Master Fang' appeared in Black Stone City's rich district.

"Master is awake! Congratulations on emerging from seclusion!"

At that moment, a voice as melodious as an oriole rang out.

Several gorgeously dressed maids, led by a young woman in a yellow dress, came before Fang Xi and curtsied.

A fragrant breeze wafted over, making Fang Xi rub his fingers unconsciously.

He had bought a large residence in Black Stone City, along with many maids and servants.

He had given twelve senior maids the names Shui Xian, Hui Lan, Jiao Mei, Yue Ji, Qiang Wei, Qing He, Yu Lan, Yue Gui, Jin Ju, Cui Zhu, Shao Yao, and Bai He.

The one dressed in yellow was Yue Gui, the senior maid in charge. Her skin was so smooth it looked as though it could be broken by a puff of air, and she was truly a little beauty.

"Mm. Give the order—prepare a feast."

Facing the admiring and respectful gazes of the many women, Fang Xi casually issued an instruction.

He had no moral hang-ups about telling his servants and maids that everyone was equal and that they did not need to kneel.

On the contrary, after arriving in ancient times and being somewhat influenced by the original owner's memories, he believed in survival of the fittest.

As maids and servants, if they still dared not kneel, they would be showing disrespect to their superior and refusing discipline. They could be beaten to death!

Fortunately, all these maids and servants had been thoroughly trained by slave traders, so no such oddities existed.

Or rather, to women like Yue Gui, a master of the household like this was normal—natural as the laws of heaven and earth.

Half an hour later, at the side hall of Fang Manor.

Fang Xi reclined in a soft chair, with delicacies spread out before him.

Bear paws, shark fins, bird's nest, roast duck, stewed chicken...

All kinds of purely natural ingredients had been carefully seasoned by the head chef. Their fragrance was mouthwatering, making one's fingers itch to reach for them.

Fang Xi was also enjoying the decadent life of a feudal landlord. He did not need to lift his chopsticks himself. With merely the slightest hint from his eyes, a maid would pick up a delicacy and bring it to him.

He gestured for Shao Yao to come closer, then reclined in her broad, deep embrace while having Yue Ji place another piece of venison in his bowl.

Ah, a life that is too blissful can be a trouble too. A man ought to nourish himself more...

Fang Xi took another sip of wine handed to him by a beauty and contentedly exhaled a long breath.

After all, each of these pretty maids was thinking of using every possible means to climb into his bed. There was little he could do about it.

The meal lasted nearly an entire hour.

For Fang Xi, although the nutrition was far inferior to the spirit rice of the Cultivation World, his appetite had been thoroughly satisfied.

He indulged in this sort of pleasure once every ten days or half a month.

It served as a small diversion amid his arduous cultivation life.

After the servants cleared away the dishes, Fang Xi went to the reception hall. He drank the superior tea Yue Gui had brewed while listening to Butler A Fu's report.

"Master, this old servant has already found out everything. The Great Liang authorities have always kept tight control over demon materials and strictly prohibited private circulation. But there are always a few channels—for example, Martial Halls!"

A Fu had the appearance of an old man with a fluttering white beard, and he looked rather like a reclusive master.

But Fang Xi knew that he was just an ordinary old man. Back then, he had nearly starved to death by the roadside with his grandson and had voluntarily sold himself into servitude.

"Oh? Martial Halls?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Xi stroked his chin, lost in thought.

The Great Liang World also possessed extraordinary powers. Leaving aside the demons, the extraordinary power among humans was Martial Arts!

Those formidable Martial Artists could shatter blue rock with their fists and split stone slabs with their feet, doing so as easily as eating and drinking.

Even Black Stone City had quite a few such Martial Artists.

Fang Xi was rather interested in this world's extraordinary path.

Although the Spiritual Energy in this world was extremely thin and difficult to cultivate, it could still barely maintain his own cultivation.

And the Martial Arts path of Daliang should have something worthwhile as well... Well, if he could obtain profound cultivation methods and spells in the Southern Barrens Cultivation World, who would be willing to study Martial Arts?

Wasn't it simply because he had no other choice?

The Evergreen Art he cultivated was merely common merchandise, while even a slightly better cultivation method in the market cost several or even a dozen Spirit Crystals...

A deep light flashed through Fang Xi's eyes:

According to the information I've gathered during this time, Martial Artists in this world cultivate Blood Qi Martial Arts... Their destructive power is not to be underestimated, at least not by Qi Refining cultivators. Moreover, it seems to have something of the flavor of body-refinement cultivation methods...

Body cultivators were a small and unpopular minority among cultivators. Not only did they take a long time, they also consumed far more resources.

But Fang Xi did not care. With two worlds at his disposal as resources, he did not care about this mere drop in the bucket.

Besides... wasn't it simply because he had no other choice?

Even a low-grade body-refinement cultivation method for the Qi Refining Stage costs more than five Spirit Stones at Green Bamboo Mountain Market. I can't afford that... But here, there must be a way to cultivate Blood Qi Martial Arts. As it happens, I also want to obtain some demon materials and study them...

These two goals intersected, greatly increasing Fang Xi's interest.

"Martial Halls? Tell me more..."

A Fu continued in a steady voice: "...Martial Halls naturally possess Blood Qi Martial Arts inheritances. According to rumors circulating among the people, once those Martial Masters cultivate to a profound level, ordinary meat can no longer supply their bodies' needs. They therefore need to eat all kinds of Natural Treasures or consume demon flesh for nourishment! Thus, the Martial Master factions in the city all have their own channels for obtaining demon meat..."

"And in Black Stone City, aside from the Aristocratic Clans, the Martial Arts forces that accept disciples are Yuan He Mountain and the Martial Hall Alliance!"

"Yuan He Mountain?" Fang Xi's expression shifted.

"Yes. Yuan He Mountain is one of the top sectarian forces within a hundred li of Black Stone City. Even the authorities have to show it some respect..." Whenever A Fu mentioned Yuan He Mountain, his tone involuntarily grew more solemn.

Clearly, Yuan He Mountain was indeed famous throughout Black Stone City's populace.

"A Martial Arts sect like that must teach more profound Martial Arts."

Fang Xi pondered for a moment. "I wonder whether they are strict about accepting disciples. Can money be used to open the way?"

Ever since Master Fang had arrived in Black Stone City, he had relied on gold and silver to clear every obstacle and had never been stingy with his spending.

Naturally, he had been treated as a fat sheep more than once. However, as a third-layer Qi Refining cultivator, although he could not afford even the lowest-grade magic artifact, his sharp senses, combined with the talismans he had bought at great expense, were enough to protect himself.

A Fu pondered for a moment before answering: "Yuan He Mountain often accepts the children of the city's Aristocratic Clans. That should not be a problem."

"Then there is no time to lose. Settle this as soon as possible." Fang Xi made his decision.

The flow of time was identical in both worlds, but in the Southern Barrens Cultivation World, he could only seclude himself for several days at most under the excuse of cultivation. After that, he had to show his face, or others might assume he was dead and divide up his fields and house. That was another form of eating the household clean after the death of its owner.

Yuan He Mountain.

The headquarters of this sect was located in Dingzhou. The Yuan He Mountain in Black Stone City was merely a branch.

Even as a branch, it remained splendid and magnificent. It occupied a vast complex of buildings and displayed extraordinary grandeur.

Deep within this complex was a large emerald-green lake, upon which a stretch of lotus flowers bloomed.

A Little Boat drifted among the lotuses, carried along by the waves.

Someone seemed to be lying on the Little Boat.

Suddenly, the boat stopped at the shore, and a cold and beautiful White-Robed Woman approached with graceful steps. "Greetings, Martial Uncle..."

"What is it?" The person on the boat opened his eyes and yawned, a trace of impatience in his voice.

"A wealthy household in the city is willing to offer two hundred taels of silver to guarantee one person admission as an inner sect disciple." The White-Robed Woman bowed as she spoke.

"Who?"

The person on the boat looked extremely young, around twenty years old. He took a letter of introduction and immediately sneered. "Fang Xi? An upstart of unknown origin? Does he take our Yuan He Mountain for a Martial Hall? Do we accept anyone who pays?"

One had to understand that Yuan He Mountain was the hegemon within a hundred li. Even when accepting disciples, it did not care much about money. It prioritized aptitude above all.

Previously, when it accepted a few children from Aristocratic Clans, it had done so to build connections.

As for Fang Xi... he had nothing left but money.

"What does Martial Uncle intend to do?" the White-Robed Woman asked. She had originally been indifferent either way. This time, she had only been willing to pass on a word because someone had called in a favor.

"How is his aptitude?"

"I went to see him once. It was utterly ordinary," the woman replied.

"Then reject him." The Little Boat began to glide gently away.

The White-Robed Woman bowed and did not try to persuade him further.

The new book had set sail. During the initial release period, the author planned to publish six thousand words a day, all at three in the afternoon... Please continue to support the book generously, fellow readers.