Yuan He Mountain (New book seeking collection!)

Fang Xi had crossed over, but not entirely.

Or rather, he had crossed over a second time!

Recalling the scene of his first second crossing, Fang Xi still felt a lingering fear.

It was a night half a year ago. Fang Xi, who had been in this world for a few months, was like a wary little beast, cautiously extending his feelers to probe the situation at Green Bamboo Mountain Market.

Unfortunately... his own cultivation was low, and he hadn't fully grasped the legacy left by the original owner. He probably couldn't even beat Old Mai Tou, who was at the second layer of Qi Refining!

And on that night, Robbing Cultivators attacked the shantytown!

After all, the shantytown had no mountain-protecting formation to shield it, and most of the Spirit Farmers there had low cultivation.

Though they were all paupers, some damned Robbing Cultivators would rob even the poor!

After all, a cultivator's corpse, even their flesh, blood, bones, and soul, was quite valuable.

At that time, hearing the shouts and killing outside, and seeing several black-robed, masked cultivators starting to slaughter their way from house to house, Fang Xi trembled uncontrollably, like a fish on a chopping block. This feeling deeply stimulated him, awakening his Golden Finger!

This Golden Finger had no outward manifestation or prompt, but he discovered he could cross over to another world!

Fang Xi didn't hesitate and immediately chose to cross over.

Then, he arrived in this world called 'Great Liang'.

He stretched lazily toward the sun, silently vowing in his heart that he never wanted to experience that feeling of being closest to death a second time.

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

A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Fang Xi's mouth.

According to his investigations from several previous crossings, this world called 'Great Liang' had no cultivators!

Moreover, the time flow between the two worlds was roughly one-to-one, though the day and night were slightly different.

In other words, the night over there happened to be the daytime in the Great Liang world.

Here, everything was ruled by a mortal emperor's kingdom.

And in the wilderness, a group of creatures called 'Demons' lived!

In Fang Xi's view, they were just some impure-blooded Demon Race, perhaps with a few hidden monsters.

Cautious as he was, he didn't go out to hunt Demons. Instead, he found a mortal city—Black Stone City—and lay low there.

Mortal gold and silver were just the most common raw materials in the Southern Barrens Cultivation World; one Spirit Crystal could exchange for a lot. But in the Great Liang world, they were unexpectedly useful.

Before long, a wealthy 'Young Master Fang' had appeared in the rich district of Black Stone City.

"The master is awake. Congratulations on emerging from seclusion!"

At that moment, a voice as pleasant as an oriole's sounded.

Several maidservants in different, colorful attire, led by a girl in a yellow skirt, came before Fang Xi and curtsied in greeting.

A fragrant breeze assailed his nostrils, making Fang Xi rub his fingers together involuntarily.

He had bought a large mansion in Black Stone City and also purchased many maidservants and servants.

Among them were twelve senior maids, whom he had named 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 in the yellow dress was the head maid, Yue Gui. Her skin was so delicate it seemed it would break at a touch; she was quite a little beauty.

"Mm, give the order to prepare a feast."

Faced with the admiring, respectful gazes of the many women, Fang Xi casually gave an order.

He didn't have any moral qualms about telling servants and maids that everyone was equal and they didn't need to kneel.

On the contrary, having arrived in ancient times, he was slightly influenced by the original owner's memories and adhered to the principle of the strong preying on the weak.

If a maidservant or servant dared not to kneel, that would be showing disrespect to their superior and refusing discipline, and they could be beaten to death!

Fortunately, these maidservants and servants had all been thoroughly trained by the slave traders, so no such oddballs existed.

Or rather, for girls like Yue Gui, this kind of master was normal, as if it were a matter of course.

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

Fang Xi lay on a soft couch, a table before him laden with delicacies and fine dishes.

Bear paw, shark fin, bird's nest, roast duck, stewed chicken...

All kinds of natural ingredients, carefully seasoned by the chef, gave off an enticing aroma that made one's mouth water.

And Fang Xi was enjoying this utterly decadent feudal landlord lifestyle. He didn't even need to lift his chopsticks; with just a glance, a maidservant would pick up a delicacy and feed him.

He gestured for Shao Yao to come forward, lay his head on her broad and deep bosom, and let Yue Ji feed him another piece of venison.

Ah, too happy a life was also a kind of trouble. A man needed to replenish himself...

Fang Xi took another sip of the wine handed to him by a beauty and let out a satisfied long breath.

After all, these pretty maidservants were all thinking of various ways to climb into his bed. It was really hard for him to deal with.

A meal that lasted nearly an hour.

For Fang Xi, although the nutrition was far inferior to the spiritual rice of the cultivation world, it was a great satisfaction of his oral desires.

He indulged in such enjoyment once every ten days or half a month.

It counted as a small diversion in the arduous life of cultivation.

After the servants cleared the tableware, Fang Xi went to the living room, sipping the fine clear tea Yue Gui had brewed while listening to the steward A Fu's report.

"Master, this old slave has found out clearly. Regarding demon materials, they have always been controlled by the Daliang government, strictly prohibiting private circulation. But there is always some channel, such as the martial halls!"

A Fu appeared as an old man with a flowing white beard, giving off a hint of a reclusive master's aura.

But Fang Xi knew he was just an ordinary old man, who had once been near starvation on the roadside with his grandson, and had willingly sold himself into servitude.

"Oh, martial halls?"

Hearing this, Fang Xi patted his chin, lost in thought.

Daliang was also a world with supernatural power. Not to mention those demons, the supernatural power among humans was martial arts!

Those formidable martial artists could shatter green rocks with their fists and crack stone slabs with their feet, as easily as eating and drinking.

Even in Black Stone City, there were many such martial artists.

Fang Xi was quite interested in the supernatural path of this world.

Although the spiritual energy in this world was very thin, making cultivation difficult, it could still barely sustain his own cultivation.

And the martial artist path of Daliang should have some merits... Well, if he could obtain advanced techniques and spells in the Southern Barrens Cultivation World, who would bother studying martial arts?

It wasn't like he had a choice, was it?

The Evergreen Art he cultivated was just a common technique, and even slightly better techniques in the market cost several or over a dozen spirit stones...

A profound light flashed in Fang Xi's eyes:

'Based on the intelligence gathered over this period, the martial artists of this world cultivate Blood Qi Martial Arts... Their destructive power is not to be underestimated, at least for Qi Refining Stage cultivators, and it has quite a bit of the flavor of body refinement techniques...'

Body cultivators were a niche and unpopular group among cultivators, requiring both a long time and many resources.

But Fang Xi didn't care. With two worlds as his resource base, this paltry amount was nothing to him.

Besides... wasn't it because he had no choice!

'Even a low-level Qi Refining body refinement technique costs over five spirit stones at Green Bamboo Mountain Market, which I can't afford... But here, there's always a way to practice Blood Qi Martial Arts. And I also want to get some demon materials to study and see...'

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

"Martial halls? Tell me in detail..."

A Fu continued in a steady voice: "...Within the martial halls, there are naturally Blood Qi Martial Arts traditions. And according to street rumors, when those Blood Qi Martial Masters reach a high level, ordinary meat can no longer supply their bodies' needs, so they must consume various Natural Treasures or demon meat for nourishment! Therefore, the martial master forces in the city all have their own channels for demon meat..."

"And in Black Stone City, besides those noble families, the martial arts forces that take 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 sect forces within a hundred li of Black Stone City. Even the government has to give it some face..." When A Fu mentioned Yuan He Mountain, his tone involuntarily became more serious.

Clearly, Yuan He Mountain was indeed renowned in the hearts of Black Stone City's people.

"Such a martial arts sect must teach more profound martial arts."

Fang Xi pondered for a moment: "I wonder if their disciple recruitment is strict? Can money be used to smooth things over?"

Since coming to Black Stone City, Squire Fang had relied on gold and silver to pave his way, never stingy with spending.

Naturally, he had been treated as a fat sheep during this time, but as a Qi Refining Third Layer cultivator, even if he couldn't afford the cheapest magic tool, his sharp senses, combined with talismans purchased at great expense, were enough for self-defense.

A Fu pondered for a moment and replied: "Yuan He Mountain often accepts children from noble families in the city. This should be no problem."

"Then there's no time to lose. Settle this matter quickly." Fang Xi made his decision.

The flow of time in both worlds was the same, but in the Southern Barrens Cultivation World, he could at most use cultivation as an excuse to go into seclusion for a few days before he had to show his face. Otherwise, others would think he was dead and divide up his fields and house—another form of eating the childless out of their inheritance.

Yuan He Mountain.

The main sect was headquartered in Dingzhou, with only a branch in Black Stone City.

Even a branch was still magnificent and grand, occupying a large complex of buildings, displaying extraordinary momentum.

Deep within this complex was a vast green lake, in which a patch of lotus flowers bloomed.

A small boat sat among the lotuses, drifting with the waves.

On the boat, someone seemed to be lying down.

Suddenly, the boat stopped at the shore, and a White-Robed Woman with a cold expression approached gracefully: "Greetings, Uncle-Master..."

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

"A wealthy household in the city is willing to offer two hundred taels of silver to secure a spot for someone as a disciple." The White-Robed Woman bowed and reported.

"What person?" The person on the boat looked very young, about twenty years old. He took a petition and sneered: "Fang Xi? Some upstart of unknown origin? Are they treating our Yuan He Mountain as a common martial hall? Pay and take anyone?"

One should know that Yuan He Mountain, as the overlord of a hundred li radius, had extraordinary prestige. Even when taking disciples, they didn't care much about money, primarily prioritizing talent.

Previously, taking in some scions of noble families was also for the sake of building connections.

As for Fang Xi... he was so poor that all he had left was money.

"So what does the junior uncle mean?" the White-Robed Woman asked. She had been indifferent either way from the start; this time, someone had pulled strings, so she was willing to pass along a word.

"How is his aptitude?"

"I went to see him once. Ordinary," the woman replied.

"Then refuse him," Little Boat said lightly.

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

A new book sets sail. During the new book period, six thousand characters will be posted daily, all at 3 PM... I hope Book Friends will offer their generous support.