Everyone Cultivate Immortality Together (Two-in-One)

When everyone was completely stuffed, Ma Feifei had no choice but to stop. After counting the number of times the flower buds opened, she discovered that the Plum Blossom had only opened three petals.

"Sigh, looks like we'll have to wait until tomorrow to finish putting the flowers on the shelves." Ma Feifei hugged the Plum Blossom she had just picked, a little regretful. If these people had stomachs like Yun Qingyang, they probably could have finished all the buds today. Or, if not, they could at least be like Luan Feng...

"Hmm..." Ma Feifei thought and thought, and suddenly realized that he had found a way to complete the task faster. Although these book lovers did not have the same appetite as Yun Qingyang, they had the advantage of numbers... Dubian Town had nearly a million people. If he just spread the word that he would give everyone free Plum Blossom, tens of thousands of people would come to try them, right? In that case, even if each person only got one Plum Blossom, the task of putting the book on sale would be completed.

"Yes, that's a good idea. We'll go find Zhuling and send her a message later." After being bothered by Ma Feifei for so long, it was already five o'clock, and the Bookstore had closed for the day. Naturally, the task of eating flower buds could only go so far. Even if they had thought of this method, they could only implement it tomorrow.

For the practitioners who are reading in the Bookstore today, it is also a day of joy and sorrow. From initial curiosity to eventual distress, they can only experience the myriad of emotions that come with it.

It really is true what they say: you go into the Bookstore upright and come out horizontally.

One by one, the girls, their bellies bulging, staggered out of the Bookstore, each going home in a daze, looking for their mothers, much to the amusement of passersby.

Long before Ma Feifei offered the flower buds to everyone, the news spread rapidly throughout Dubian Town. As it continued to spread and with everyone's attention, everyone was able to get the latest information about what was happening in the Mysterious Bookstore.

All of this was thanks to the trending topics list released by Wantong Trading Market, which enabled the news about Dubian Town to spread so rapidly in such a short time.

The weather in July is getting hotter and hotter. Around 5 p. m. it feels like midday. The sun begins to set in the west, and beautiful sunset clouds begin to appear on the horizon.

Zhou Wuji happened to be at the Mysterious Bookstore today. As a big shot at the Spirit Emperor Eighth Stage, he was not spared from being Plum Blossom by Ma Feifei. He couldn't remember how he got Zhou Wuji. He felt dizzy and had a big belly. If it weren't for the fact that his superiors had not allowed him to embarrass himself for many years, he probably would have been rolling on the ground.

Back at the Zhou Manor, the servants helped him into the main hall and sat him down. The steward ordered a maid to bring tea for Zhou Wuji to soothe his stomach. Zhou Wuji took the tea and was about to drink it when he suddenly smelled the tea leaves. He felt terrible instantly, his stomach convulsed violently, and he almost vomited.

He hurriedly took the tea, his face flustered, and said to the maid, "Quickly, go and fetch Teacher Huang."

"No need." Zhou Wuji waved his hand and took a deep breath. He knew that there was nothing wrong with his body. The reason he was like this was because he had eaten too much of that magical flower bud, which caused his stomach and intestines to swell up. He could only smell other odors, which would cause his stomach and intestines to react and cause him to vomit.

"Has Miss returned yet?" Zhou Wuji asked casually as he rested in the Grand Tutor Chair.

"Reporting to Master, Miss has not yet returned to the manor," the steward replied.

Since Zhou Zhuling took over Wantong Trading Market, she has been busy until very late every day, and sometimes she doesn't go home for several days. She has completely become a workaholic.

Zhou Wuji was both happy and sad about this. He was happy that his daughter had not only recovered from her illness, but had also found her own direction in life and was no longer the little girl who hid in her room all day. He was sad because this meant that the family had fewer and fewer opportunities to meet, and with Zhou Guanyu now studying at the Zhenguan Academy, the Zhou Manor was even more deserted.

"They've all grown up..." Thinking of this, Zhou Wuji suddenly lost interest, rubbing his belly and looking at the hall, lost in thought.

Not long after, Zhou Zhuling returned and saw Zhou Wuji sitting in the Grand Tutor Chair deep in thought. She couldn't help but ask, "Father, what are you thinking about? And your belly... did you eat too many flower buds?"

Zhou Zhuling sat down next to Zhou Wuji. Looking at Zhou Wuji's protruding belly, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. As the head of Wantong Trading Market, she naturally knew about the flower bud, and just now, Ma Feifei had come to see her.

"The flower bud the shopkeeper gave me is indeed a bit strange. Not only is there a constantly wandering energy inside, but my overall energy and spirit have also been subtly enhanced. It's just that this belly is really too big, and it hasn't gone away for a long time." Zhou Wuji looked at his belly helplessly. If he weren't wearing a robe, his belly would probably have burst through the clothes.

"I just asked the shopkeeper about this reason. He said that the swelling in my body will fade in about one night. Father can only Bide for one more night," Zhou Zhuling explained. She had also been forced to eat flower buds by Ma Feifei, but she was prepared and pretended to be unable to eat after eating two, thus avoiding her stomach from becoming as big as Zhou Wuji's.

For a woman, regardless of its effects, the mere fact that it makes her fat is enough to condemn it to hell for most female practitioners.

"Didn't the shopkeeper tell you what the purpose of these flower buds is?" Zhou Wuji asked curiously. Ever since his daughter told him that Ma Feifei would soon be able to produce a new Epic-grade- quality book that could make people Transcendent to Saint, Zhou Wuji had been going to the Mysterious Bookstore every day, hoping to get his hands on the new book as soon as possible.

However, the Mysterious Bookstore has been quiet lately, and the owner is elusive. Just a few days ago, he went to the capital to attend the Empress's coronation ceremony, seemingly not taking this matter to heart. Finally, today, they suddenly made a move, but all they did was give away flower buds to eat. There was still no news about new books. As a result, Zhou Wuji couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

"No, but based on my daughter's understanding of the shop owner, he wouldn't do something without a reason, so there must be some deeper meaning behind this. Maybe it's related to the new books." Zhou Zhuling rested her chin on her hand, carefully recalling the missions released by the Mysterious Bookstore over the past year. Each one was linked to books, and each mission represented a book, all in an orderly and methodical manner.

As Zhou Zhuling pondered, she became lost in thought...

Zhou Wuji was about to speak, but after glancing at his daughter, he abruptly withdrew his gaze.

"Isn't it said that the shopkeeper is destined to live a lonely life... your madness won't help!" Zhou Wuji thought to himself, rubbing his stomach.

The following day, the Mysterious Bookstore was once again packed with people. The reason was that the Wantong Trading Market released a message stating that the Mysterious Bookstore had a new magical flower bud that would have certain health benefits if consumed. To thank the many cultivators for their support, Mysterious Bookstore was launching a free flower bud giveaway event, which was only valid until the end of the day.

Everyone already knew the news, but they weren't aware of the giveaway event. So, after the news was released at the Wantong Trading Market, the long street was instantly blocked by cultivators who rushed there, pushing and shoving as they lined up.

Ma Feifei was very happy with everyone's cooperation. Without hesitation, she took out the flower buds that she hadn't finished eating last night and started distributing them. After distributing them, she ran back to the backyard to recite the Tao Te Ching. New small flower buds appeared on the bare plum tree again, which she then took out to distribute to everyone.

Through repeated eating of flower buds and recitation of the Tao Te Ching, the small flower buds that formed on the plum tree gradually began to change.

It started with three petals, gradually grew to four, and finally to a fifth...

The system notification finally sounded the moment the fifth flower bloomed.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the 'Tao Te Ching' listing task— the Plum Tree Blooms."

"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have received the mission reward: you have comprehended the Taoism divine power— the Sound of the Great Dao."

"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have triggered a new Side Quest — Everyone Cultivate Immortality Together."

"Tao Te Ching says: 'There is something undifferentiated and complete, which existed before Heaven and Earth; this is called Tao. The Tao is great, therefore Heaven is great, Earth is great, and Man is also great. Within the realm there are four great things, and Man is one of them. Man follows the Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows Nature. Please, host, impart the art of cultivation to all readers, enabling them to comprehend Dharma Power.'"

Quest Reward: Unlock the Spell Shop.

"Tsk tsk, cultivating immortality, cultivating immortality." Ma Feifei couldn't help but marvel as he looked at the information provided by the system. From the moment the book "Tao Te Ching" came out, Ma Feifei had this feeling that this book was the kind of book that could help everyone cultivate and step into the Immortal Realm. As it turned out, his guess was correct.

"But what does it mean to teach fellow book lovers the art of cultivation? How can you teach others when you don't even understand it yourself?" Ma Feifei withdrew from his thoughts, looked at the black-covered "Tao Te Ching" in his hand, and fell into deep thought.

Based on the information provided by the system, we can roughly guess that this "Tao Te Ching" is essentially the same as the "The Analects"—a book for increasing one's cultivation. Moreover, the tasks associated with the two books are somewhat similar: both involve Ma Feifei relevant knowledge from the books to readers, who then use this knowledge to gain insights and achieve breakthroughs.

"Could it be the same this time? A lecture as an opening ceremony?" Ma Feifei pondered, stroking his chin, but then Ma Feifei became somewhat doubtful.

The reason for the confusion is that this time the system did not provide a batch of white paper versions of the Tao Te Ching. If the teaching method is the same as the previous one for the Analects, it would be a waste of time if there were no books for readers to understand.

And most importantly, Ma Feifei doesn't even know how to explain the * Tao Te Ching * in a way that would allow everyone to comprehend its Dharma Power. The system hasn't provided any annotations or anything like that either. Asking him to be a teacher is just ridiculous...

With that in mind, Ma Feifei decided to ask the system for help, hoping it could provide some hints to help him complete this Side Quest.

'Ding~ The host can help readers comprehend the art of cultivation and gain Dharma Power by reciting the * Tao Te Ching *. (Note: The host's use of the Taoism supernatural power— the Sound of the Great Dao— will enhance readers' Wuneng.)'

After listening to the system's friendly reminder, Ma Feifei finally understood where to start with this mission. This time, instead of having everyone learn by following along, he would have them listen directly to the contents of the Tao Te Ching and share their insights, just like a Taoism preaching.

"It seems really impressive..." Ma Feifei suddenly recalled the ancient myth of Hongjun, the Taoism, preaching in the Zixiao Palace. He was incredibly powerful, and ancient figures like Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, and Nuwa all became his disciples. If Ma Feifei were to learn from Old Ancestor Hongjun, he might be able to create a Zixiao Palace preaching scene from another world.

"After I finish speaking, I'll immediately ascend to the Immortal Realm, shocking the entire Azure Dragon Continent! Hahaha... I, Ma Feifei, am just too outstanding. Even being so low-key can't hide my brilliance. Sigh... It's frustrating."

"But since fate has arranged it this way, there's nothing I can do. After all, God is the ultimate authority... The will of Heaven cannot be defied, so I'll just reluctantly become an object of everyone's respect."

Unbeknownst to him, Ma Feifei had become engrossed in his own self-indulgence.

"Da da da~"

A sudden sound of footsteps approached, Zhang Yunji ran into the backyard, his face filled with anxiety.

"Oh no, shopkeeper! Someone got sick from eating the flower buds!"

"Huh?" Ma Feifei was instantly pulled back to reality, a panic rising in her heart. The things the system gave her had caused problems? Was she encountering a fake system?

"Is the person dead?" The crooked look on Ma Feifei's face had disappeared, leaving only worry. If someone died from eating the flower buds, that would be a big problem, at least for the Mysterious Bookstore, it would be a huge stain on its reputation.

"No, that's not it. It's just that a cultivator with only the Spirit Master realm ate a flower bud just now, and he collapsed to the ground convulsing and fainted. A physician came to examine him, but they couldn't find the cause of his unconsciousness," Zhang Yunji explained. The cultivator's fainting had really frightened him. His first reaction was to check his own body's condition, because he had eaten quite a lot yesterday! If there was really a problem with the flower bud, given the amount he had, he would probably have died hundreds of times over.

"Spirit Master realm?" Ma Feifei frowned. To be honest, Ma Feifei was also a little surprised. It was quite impressive that a cultivator with such a low cultivation level could still snatch a flower bud to eat. However, Ma Feifei could roughly guess the reason. From the fact that Zhang Yunji could only eat one-twentieth of the flower bud and Luan Feng could eat one-tenth of the flower bud, it could be concluded that the flower bud must contain a great deal of energy. The higher the cultivation level, the more one could eat, and vice versa. The cultivator who fainted was only at the Spirit Master realm, a realm so low that he was not even considered a minor character. He definitely couldn't withstand eating a single flower bud.

Thinking about this, Ma Feifei decided to go and check the situation first. He Taiqing whether the amount the flower bud had consumed would cause any problems.

"Let's go take a look."