Seeking Immortality and the Dao

Go to Guangyi Commandery to find you? The thought merely flashed through his mind. It was simply too cold, and Niu Youdao had no intention of considering it, much less going to look for them. He had no interest in those soldiers.

He watched helplessly as they left, confirming that they really were gone. With his teeth chattering, Niu Youdao struggled to climb onto the bamboo raft.

Staying underwater had been fine, but the moment he emerged and the cold wind blew over him, the feeling was indescribably brutal. It grew even colder, and his whole body began to shiver violently, his teeth clacking without pause. He was cold and hungry. He really wanted to jump back into the water—it might even be warmer—but he knew that would be no different from boiling a frog in warm water. Once he realized something was wrong, he probably would never be able to climb back out. Around him was clearly some desolate wilderness, with no trace of human habitation to seek help from.

He took out a fire starter, intending to make a fire, only to discover that it was soaked through and unusable.

He spotted the roasted fish he had tossed onto the raft and barely nibbled at. He hurriedly picked it up, cupped it in his hands with his stiff fingers trembling, and bit into it. He had to find a way to replenish his energy. It felt as if all the heat in his body had already been spent, leaving him cold to the bone and on the verge of freezing solid.

Before long, he realized something was wrong. His entire body seemed to be losing sensation, and he was growing drowsy, wanting to sleep.

He knew clearly that he could not sleep. This was his body numbing itself. In his current condition, once he fell asleep, he could forget about waking up again.

His gaze turned toward the riverbank. He wanted to bring the raft ashore and climb onto land, but his body had already frozen stiff. He could not control himself, and his consciousness gradually sank of its own accord.

Just as he was about to fall into unconsciousness, he seemed to dream that he was leaning against a furnace. His back grew scorching hot, and he abruptly jolted awake.

He scrambled upright and froze. His wet cotton clothes were steaming furiously.

He was no longer cold. One spot on his back was positively scorching, and waves of heat continuously flowed toward his limbs and every part of his body, driving away all the chill.

Before, he had felt frozen stiff, but now he gradually began to feel hot and feverish.

He found it only slightly strange at first, then grew thoughtful. That source of heat in his back was precisely the acupoint where Dongguo Haoran had imbued him with the Protective Talisman. Once he thought of that, he understood. At the same time, he found it utterly incredible. Dongguo Haoran's control of Internal Energy was actually this miraculous? This only intensified his desire to visit Shangqing Sect. It would not be an exaggeration to call it a heart set on seeking immortality and the Dao.

The heat was becoming unbearable. He wanted to regulate his breathing and guide the flow of heat, but his body was not up to it. Without even the basic foundation for circulating energy, and with no true qi inside him to guide, he could not circulate his energy. Imagining it would be useless.

Besides, he did not know whether his body was suitable for cultivation. In the words of cultivators, this depended on one's Root Bone. Not everyone was suited for Qi Cultivation; in reality, most people were not. The reason was that everyone's physical condition differed. Qi Cultivation placed high demands on the arrangement of the body's meridians. Meridians were like the branches and trunks inside a person's body. The main trunks were largely similar, but the branching ones might not be. It was like trees of the same species: the shapes they grew into were not necessarily the same.

For some people, even the main trunks of their internal meridians might differ. There were even people whose hearts were located on the other side of their chests.

Those with inadequate Root Bones—in other words, those whose physical conditions were unsuitable—were not entirely unable to practice Qi Cultivation. They could still cultivate simple qigong or breathing techniques that prolonged life. But profound cultivation methods with complex requirements for circulating energy were beyond them.

In the end, the heat became truly unbearable. Niu Youdao splashed cold water over his face again, even loosening his collar to let in the cold wind. His ragged cotton jacket continued to steam, and his skin had turned bright red.

While clearing the arrow feathers from the bamboo raft, Niu Youdao noticed the plaque shot over by the female commander. It was small, a round dark-red piece. One side was engraved with a phoenix spreading its wings and soaring; the other bore the character "male."

"Small Seal Script..." he muttered as he stared at the characters, bewilderment showing in his eyes.

The people here actually used Small Seal Script? Given the trade he had once practiced, he was naturally familiar with Small Seal Script and could read it with ease.

What puzzled him was that the people of this world spoke Mandarin, yet used Small Seal Script for writing. Compared with the world he knew, it seemed somewhat chaotic. But then again, from this world's perspective, perhaps the world he had come from was the chaotic one. Which side was truly disordered? He did not know the answer and remained baffled.

The bamboo raft had also entered the mountain gorges and rapids. Its speed became astonishingly fast, and it began to pitch and jolt.

Coming back to himself, Niu Youdao hurriedly retrieved the string of small fishing contraptions attached to the back of the raft. The journey was still long, and they might come in handy later. He could not let them be destroyed in these complicated waterways. With the bamboo pole in hand, he braced left and right through the rushing canyon river, his collar open as he faced the cold wind and battled the wind and waves amid the splashing spray. His movements were practiced, clearly showing that he had experience handling such situations. He remained calm in the face of changing circumstances, and the scene was both grand and heart-stopping.

After passing the dangerous shoals, the current eased again. Niu Youdao was exhausted to the point of collapse. He grabbed a dead fish from the raft and ate it raw beneath a full moon hanging over the mountains.

There was something of the mood of monkeys crying endlessly on both banks while a light boat passed ten thousand mountains. The bamboo raft drifted out of the mountain range as the rising sun gilded the horizon, and he found a place to go ashore.

The warmth in his body gradually faded, and the cold struck again. He found a suitable patch of ground, swung his hoe to dig a pit, gathered dry firewood and dragged over a dead tree, then drilled wood to make fire. He lay down on the warm kang and fell asleep.

After waking, he set out again.

There was bright sunlight amid the cold wind, and a river of moonlight shone through the bleak night. The sun and moon accompanied him.

He used the bamboo pole where the current ran swiftly, and where the water appeared calm and dead, he wielded a simple wooden oar and paddled.

The journey was arduous, but he also found joy in it. His life experience was enough to cope with the cruelty of nature.

Several days later, the river appeared calm, but its current ran extremely fast. Niu Youdao knew at a glance that a cliff resembling a waterfall must lie ahead. Before long, the rumble of a plunging waterfall drifted from afar. It seemed he had reached the waterfall Dongguo Haoran had mentioned.

He surveyed his surroundings and glimpsed a magnificent forested mountain in the distance. Dongguo Haoran's instructions had been simple yet clear; that place must be the so-called land of wondrous beauty. He immediately seized the wooden oar and paddled with all his might, struggling through the rapids to reach the bank. After exhausting himself dragging Dongguo Haoran's corpse ashore, he watched as the bamboo raft sped away with the current. Its tail rose in the distance, carrying a pile of firewood before tumbling down and vanishing.

He pulled out the woodcutter's knife slanting across his lower back and hacked down some nearby trees and vines. He fashioned something resembling a simple stretcher, placed Dongguo Haoran's corpse on it, and looped a vine rope over his shoulder. Lifting one end of the stretcher by its handle, he dragged it along with his shoulder and hands, trudging forward with great difficulty.

After dragging it deep into the mountains, he encountered steep terrain where the stretcher could no longer be hauled. He threw it onto the ground and collapsed beneath a tree like a dead dog. He unfastened the bamboo tube at his waist and took a mouthful of water, then suddenly threw back his head and shouted, "Are there any people from Shangqing Sect here?"

After shouting several times without receiving the slightest response from the forest, he was preparing to rest before abandoning Dongguo Haoran and searching alone when he suddenly heard a swish. Something struck his face, causing a sharp pain. He immediately raised his woodcutter's knife and stood, scanning his surroundings.

Swish! Another strike hit his face painfully. He looked up and saw that a young man in gray had somehow appeared on a branch of a great tree. A long sword was strapped to his back, and he looked down at Niu Youdao coldly as he shouted, "Where did this wild brat come from, making such a racket here?"

Niu Youdao's eyes lit up, and he asked delightedly, "Are you from Shangqing Sect?"

The young man said, "How does a wild brat like you know about Shangqing Sect?"

From that, Niu Youdao immediately knew he had not come to the wrong place. He tucked the woodcutter's knife into his belt, hurriedly tore open the filthy cloth covering the stretcher, revealing Dongguo Haoran's face, and pointed at him. "Do you recognize him? Dongguo Haoran. He told me to come find you."

The young man took one look and was greatly shocked. He flashed down, quickly examined and confirmed the corpse, then pulled out a signal arrow. He drew it and pointed it at the sky. A ball of smoke and fire erupted, shooting upward with a whoosh before exploding in the air with a bang, scattering sparks.

Before long, more than a dozen people came sweeping over from the nearby treetops. Each flipped through the air and landed. Niu Youdao blinked repeatedly and thought, Every one of them has incredible Qinggong.

Everyone who arrived confirmed Dongguo Haoran's identity, after which someone shouted, "Hurry and report this to the sect!"

Someone immediately flashed into the woods and disappeared. The others all fixed their eyes on Niu Youdao, surrounding him like tigers watching their prey, yet no one asked him what had happened.

Before long, swish after swish rang out, and more people flipped through the air and landed. In the end, Luo Yuangong, Su Po, and Tang Susu all arrived after hearing the news. Tang Yi and Wei Duo came as well, followed by dozens more. Nearly all the Inner Sect Disciples of Shangqing Sect had gathered.

After confirming Dongguo Haoran's remains one after another, they looked at each other, their expressions grave.

As Niu Youdao observed everyone's reactions, he took a few extra looks at Tang Yi. He found the girl very conspicuous in the crowd—quite a beauty, with a face that looked almost fairy-like. But he was merely appreciating her beauty. He had no other thoughts at present. From everyone's reactions, he could tell that Dongguo Haoran's position in Shangqing Sect was indeed not low.

After crouching beside Dongguo Haoran and examining his injuries, Luo Yuangong rose and looked at Niu Youdao. "Little brother, did you bring him here?"

Niu Youdao nodded. "Yes."

Luo Yuangong inclined his head. "Sorry for the trouble. Could you tell us exactly what happened?"

"I'm from Xiaomiao Village, three hundred li from here. When soldiers and bandits ransacked the village, I hid in the small temple in the mountains..." Niu Youdao recounted the general events in detail. Following Dongguo Haoran's instructions, he would not mention the ancient Bronze Mirror until he knew which one of them was Tang Mu.

But when he said that Dongguo Haoran had accepted him as a disciple, the expressions of many Inner Sect Disciples gradually changed. Tang Susu, especially, was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. A sharp glint flashed through her eyes, and she shouted, interrupting him. "How could Dongguo Haoran casually accept some wild brat from a mountain village as his disciple? What utter nonsense! I'll kill you!"

She was not merely making an empty threat. She truly swung her palm and chopped down, powerful palm force roaring outward as fierce winds surged in every direction.

"Junior Sister!" Luo Yuangong and Su Po cried out in alarm, but they were already too late to stop her. They had not expected Tang Susu to suddenly attack—and for her first move to be a killing blow.

Some people had roughly guessed Tang Susu's intention. Tang Mu was gone, and the succession had been passed to Dongguo Haoran!

Niu Youdao was horrified. He was not completely ignorant of martial prowess; after all, he had once been a cultivator. The power of this palm was terrifying. Before it even reached him, its force had already compressed the air until he could not breathe. If he were struck head-on, he would probably die on the spot.

At such close range, with such violent attack power, there was no way he could evade it—not even if he still possessed the strength he had once had. He cursed the old hag's ancestors to the eighteenth generation in his heart. He had never imagined that he had come to Shangqing Sect to seek death. He had endured untold hardships and even taken the initiative to bring Dongguo Haoran's remains here to show his sincerity.

In truth, Dongguo Haoran had never asked him to bring the remains. As long as he found Shangqing Sect, the sect would naturally send people to search for the corpse afterward. It was Niu Youdao himself who had sought out this suffering in order to demonstrate his sincerity.