Mount Song Disciple

Qin Jiu compared the human body meridian painting in front of him with Xiao Qingzhi's explanation, practicing breathing exercises and refining his essence and qi. He filled his meridians and acupoints with true qi, feeling refreshed and invigorated. The Dao Breath generated with each turn was incredibly profound, even more efficient and powerful than the Blood Refining Technique taught to him by Yuan Gong, which greatly surprised him.

"Thank you so much for passing on this divine skill to me, senior!"

"No need for formalities. This isn't exactly a divine skill, but seeing that you're weak and frail, I'm just teaching you a breathing technique."

Xiao Qingzhi examined Qin Jiu's pulse and condition, and couldn't help but marvel at his skill.

"Lizhou is truly a land of outstanding people and abundant resources. I heard that your master is a rare Dao Seed, and I didn't expect that you also have a first-grade aptitude. You were able to grasp the basics after only three lessons, and your comprehension is also quite good. If you can hone your skills further, your future will be limitless!"

"You flatter me, senior."

Qin Jiu was a little embarrassed.

He thought to himself, "Songshan truly lives up to its Central Plains. The masters here speak so eloquently, and even their beginner-level qigong is so powerful. The Central Plains is truly a place where dragons and tigers hide, and its depths are unfathomable."

Xiao Qingzhi smiled and said, "You recently suffered an external injury. That blood-refining technique extracts essence and blood, which is not easy for you to heal. Don't use it for now. Use this internal energy cultivation technique to regulate your breathing first."

So it turns out there are such gentle, kind, and considerate masters among the younger generation in the Xuanmen sect!

Qin Jiu was deeply moved.

"Yes, I will certainly remember your instructions, senior."

Xiao Qingzhi nodded, then calculated with his fingers, "I have some things to take care of. You should stay here on Mount Song and focus on your cultivation and recovery. When the time comes, I will personally take you back to your master. Here's a copper bell for you. If you need anything, just ring it, and someone will come to serve you."

Qin Jiu also realized the importance of the matter. Unlike those unruly children who were clamoring to go home, he knew that the person was a grandmaster from Songshan, a person of great importance who had many affairs to attend to. This was just a favor he had done on the way, so there was no need for him to go all the way back to the mountain. He should be content to stay in Songshan for the time being.

So Qin Jiu calmed down and True Cultivator the healing qigong. Since he had already reached the Golden Core realm, and due to the characteristics of the Blood Refining Technique, his aptitude and constitution had improved after recovering from near death. Qin Jiu's cultivation of the Songshan Qigong was progressing rapidly, and he couldn't stop. In addition, he was currently in the cave heaven of the thirty-six peaks of Songshan, with his Dharma companion, talent, and environment all gathered. He quickly filled his Inner Landscape organs with pure Dao Breath.

As for the Blood Refining Technique, Qin Jiu actually found that he didn't seem to need to deliberately cultivate it anymore. Especially after recovering from his injury, his Blood Refining Technique seemed to have been enlightened and began to operate automatically. His blood essence circulated spontaneously within his body. However, it seemed that all the red sand had mixed into his blood. The power of the Blood Refining Technique's automatic operation was absorbed by the red sand, making it impossible to condense Dao Breath. This caused him to appear pale and weak for a time, which was due to Senior Xiao's transmission of power.

Now, Qin Jiu was practicing both Songshan Qigong and Blood Refining Technique simultaneously. After practicing for a while, he felt his Dao power increasing, his body brimming with inexhaustible strength, and his stomach growling loudly with hunger.

Qin Jiu subconsciously reached for his side, only to find that the sect's Storage Jade seemed to have been lost during the fight with the bandits. So he picked up the bell that Senior Xiao had given him and shook it.

Before long, someone pushed open the door and came in. It was a girl who looked about his age, but a little taller. This girl was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and did not seem to be a formal disciple of Mount Song. She was probably a young apprentice.

She wore a lifelike large chrysanthemum on her head and was quite beautiful and delicate-looking. Her hair was especially striking, its color made even more vibrant by the chrysanthemum. She also wore an apricot-yellow dress, making her appear radiant and eye-catching. However, Qin Jiu felt that she was a bit too thin and did not fit the simple aesthetic standards of the Qin Family.

"What are your orders, senior brother?"

"Oh, could you prepare some snacks to tide me over?"

"Cannot."

"Thank you, ah, ah?"

Before Qin Jiu could react, the girl with the big chrysanthemum had already confronted him.

"Am I your maid? If you want food, go eat at the cafeteria yourself! You can fly there much faster than me, why do I have to climb mountains and valleys to bring it to you?"

Hmm... what you said does make sense.

Qin Jiu hesitated for a long time before saying, "But I can't fly..."

"Huh? You can't even fly and you're already a personal disciple of the Zhenri Palace? So all of you outsiders are just here blindly, you have no manners at all. Alright, alright, come with me."

"No, no, I'm not Senior Xiao's personal disciple..."

Qin Jiu hurriedly rolled up the cultivation meridian diagram and followed. The girl was waiting at the door, glancing at him sideways.

"Ha, you've already been taught the Great Songyang Divine Skill, and you still say it wasn't a personal instruction? Are you surnamed Xiao, Lanling Xiao?"

Why are you all so concerned about his last name?

Qin Jiu frowned, unwilling to answer.

"Hmph, another young master from a powerful family." The girl rolled her eyes at him. "Fine, I guess I'm just unlucky. Today I'm cleaning Juke Peak, so I'll show you the way, young master."

Qin Jiu scratched his head, "I'm not some rich young master..."

"Alright, alright, young master, this place is a special resting place prepared for our fellow disciples from the outer mountains. Remember your Zhenri Palace's courtyard? People from the outer mountains usually only come here once every few decades, so there's no Immortal Cuisine Restaurant on this peak. Look, do you see that bridge over there? If you want to eat at the canteen, just go over there."

"Bridge, bridge?"

Qin Jiu looked in the direction the girl was pointing and saw an iron chain faintly visible in the sea of clouds, disappearing into the clouds far away. It was so long that its end could not be seen. However, if he looked up and gazed into the distance, he could see the cloud-shrouded mountain peaks about a mile or two away, which was probably the end of this 'bridge'.

"Holy crap... This is outrageous, it's way too far..." Qin Jiu swallowed hard, looking warily at the bottomless abyss below the peak.

The girl with the big chrysanthemum gave him a disdainful look, as if to say, "Oh, powerful families."

"What's so far? You can fly there in a flash, just by using a magical artifact. Aren't you the young master of the Xiao Family? Don't you have any family heirlooms? Even if you don't, you're at the Golden Core stage, right? Just walk there. You've already cultivated the Great Songyang Divine Art, surely you don't even know the most basic Ladder Cloud Leap? Surely not, right?"

Hehe, if you're scared, just crawl over on your hands and feet, like a monkey! Hehehe! Hehehehehe!

The girl with the large chrysanthemum chuckled, then leaped off the mountain peak in a flash. She skipped and hopped across the iron chains, and in a flash, she disappeared into the clouds!

Qin Jiu, "Holy crap... who's the monkey here...?"

Qin Jiu swallowed hard, looked at the sea of clouds below the mountain, gritted his teeth and told himself not to be afraid. He would just think of it as rafting on the Li River. So he took a deep breath and jumped onto the iron chain.

Well, for cultivators, this is indeed not a difficult hurdle. Just like the girl said, if you're so afraid, you can just crawl over. Qin Jiu was initially cautious, but he gradually got used to it and could pass through the lock quickly. As long as you imagine an old monkey chasing after you with a branch, passing through the lock passage is quite fast...

"Oh, I thought you were really going to crawl over here, young master." The girl with the large chrysanthemum was waiting on the other side.

Qin Jiu glared at her irritably, too lazy to pay her any attention.

Unexpectedly, this girl pressed closer as if she were in the right, "You're already at the Golden Core stage, yet your aura is so weak, it's like you've just Foundation Establishment. You can't even fly, and you don't have any magic treasures. And you still say you didn't get in through connections? Oh, I see, are you a member of the Zhen Country's royal family?"

Qin Jiu, "...?"

Then the big chrysanthemum patted Qin Jiu's shoulder with a 'poor thing' expression.

"So you were sent here as a hostage. I advise you to forget your life of luxury as soon as possible. The food in the canteen isn't as good as in the palace. See those people queuing up? That's the canteen. Go there yourself."

Qin Jiu, "... What nonsense! I already said I don't..."

"Alright, alright, go line up yourself. But there are a lot of people today... Oh my! They even have Five Immortals Soup today! Quick, quick! Grab a bowl and join the line!"

Startled, Da Juhua grabbed Qin Jiu and dragged him away. Before Qin Jiu could react, he was shoved into the crowd.

A group of Outer Sect Disciple of Songshan Mountain, dressed in yellow robes, were crowding towards the entrance of a Daoist palace. Most of these disciples were at the Foundation Establishment stage, and they showed no signs of the decorum expected of a prestigious sect. They were fighting fiercely over a bowl, shouting as they fought, "My father is a military officer in the imperial court!" and "My grandfather is the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat!"

Fortunately, Qin Jiu had already reached the Golden Core realm. He used brute force to overpower the crowd and managed to grab a jade bowl from the big chrysanthemum, thus successfully entering the dining hall.

The canteen was now orderly. The disciples of Mount Song wiped the blood from their noses, straightened their soiled robes, and tidied their disheveled hair. Then they respectfully greeted, "Greetings, Xuan Girl of the Nine Heavens, Taiyi Lingying Daomu Heavenly Venerable, Senior Brother."

The senior student holding the soup ladle would then scoop out a spoonful of meat and five spoonfuls of soup into a soup bowl. He would hold the bowl in his hands, then huddle in a corner and sip it slowly.

Qin Jiu frowned, rubbing his backside that had been kicked several times. "Is your Five Immortals Soup particularly delicious? Why are so many people fighting over it?"

Big Chrysanthemum rolled her eyes at him, "In the Xuanmen, there's nothing you don't strive for. A young master like you, born into luxury, would never understand."

Qin Jiu looked up to the sky and sighed, "I really am just a fisherman..."

"Greetings, Xuan Girl of the Nine Heavens Maiden, Taiyi Lingying Daoist Grandmother! And this is Young Master Xiao from the Zhenri Palace, here to freeload in the cafeteria."

Upon hearing the mention of the large chrysanthemum, the head chef gave Qin Jiu an envious and jealous look, and then scooped him a piece of pork rib.

Qin Jiu, "..."

Sigh, there was nothing he could do. After all, he'd been saved, and now he was even being treated like a guest at Songshan Mountain, getting a free meal. Qin Jiu decided to endure it and fill his stomach first. Then he took a sip...

"Hmm... it seems... to be just ordinary Five Immortals Soup?"

Moreover, the flavor was a bit bland, and the meat felt dry; it wasn't as fresh as the meat from Ink Bamboo Mountain...

The large chrysanthemum beside him glared at him, crunching loudly as it chewed the cartilage in its mouth.

"I'm so sorry it can't compare to your Lanling family feast! Even such a simple celestial meal is only available to us once a month for free!"

Well, okay, I don't know how the family banquet in Lanling is, but in terms of the supply of Five Immortals Soup alone, Songshan seems to be inferior to Ink Bamboo Mountain.

A bowl of clear soup did little to satisfy Qin Jiu's cravings; in fact, it only intensified his hunger and anxiety. Too embarrassed to ask for another bowl, he could only whisper, "Big Chrysanthemum, is there anything else to eat? I mean, something like steamed buns..."

"Who are you calling 'Big Chrysanthemum'?!" Big Chrysanthemum retorted, displeased. "My name is..."

"Hey! Xie Family! I didn't say I didn't want to see you again! Get out of here!"

Suddenly, a soup bowl came hurtling towards Da Juhua, but she dodged it and Qin Jiu caught it. Luckily, the soup in the bowl was all gone, or she would have been covered in it.

As a result, Qin Jiu threw the soup bowl on the ground, and seven or eight Outer Sect Disciples of the Songshan Sect at the Golden Core stage walked over.

"You brat! How dare you stand up for this vixen! State your name!"

Qin Jiu was speechless. "Seriously? You're staring right in my face and turning it towards me. Are you not even letting me catch it?"

Then Big Chrysanthemum jumped out, "Hey! You bunch of idiots who entered the mountains under the guise of shelter, don't go looking for trouble! This is a disciple of the Zhenri Palace, a hostage sent by the Xiao Family of Lanling! If you know what's good for you, you'd better kowtow and apologize right now! Otherwise, we'll report you to the main mountain and have you whipped!"

Qin Jiu, "I've already said I'm not..."

The disciples of Mount Song laughed loudly.

"Hahaha! You even dare to bring up the Xiao Family, those homeless dogs whose country was destroyed and whose families were ruined!"

"Hasn't Zhenri Palace not visited Benshan for hundreds of years? They actually still have a successor."

"Hehe, the Xie and Xiao families were once equally powerful clans; they're just sticking together for mutual support."

"Who knows, it might be a childhood betrothal, hahaha!"

The giant chrysanthemum roared in fury, "Who's going to be betrothed to him as a child?!"

Qin Jiu: "Huh? No, is this what you're refuting?"

"Shut up, all of you!" Unexpectedly, the leading Outer Sect Disciple was the first to explode, pointing at Qin Jiu and angrily shouting, "Xie Family, it's because of him that you refuse to be my Dao Companion!"

The surrounding disciples of Mount Song fell silent for a moment, looking at their leader with eyes that seemed to say, "Huh? Is that how it is?"

The senior chefs around him had just said, "No fighting in the cafeteria," when the plot suddenly took an unexpected turn, so they also shrank into the crowd, holding their soup bowls and watching the show.

The woman with the large chrysanthemum was furious at being stared at by the crowd. "Hey, you surnamed Jia, don't talk nonsense! I just think you're ugly!"

Qin Jiu broke out in a cold sweat. "I said, it seems you have some private matters to attend to. I'll excuse myself for a moment..."

The guy surnamed Jia shouted, "Aaaaaah! I challenge you to a sword duel!"

Qin Jiu, "Why?! Didn't you hear her say it's because she thinks you're ugly?! Even if you lose to me, you're still ugly?!"

The disciples from Mount Song who were watching burst into joyful laughter.

The man surnamed Jia could no longer tolerate it and shouted, "Take this! Dry Heaven Absolute Yang Palm!"

Although Jia's logic was a bit ridiculous, he was, after all, a disciple of Songshan Mountain, at the Golden Core stage, and his skills were extraordinary. He unleashed a palm strike with all his might! The palm force was rich and powerful, the palm wind was like fire, and before the words had even faded, the scorching palm wind had already struck Qin Jiu's face!

Even the onlookers could see the power of this hateful move and gasped in surprise. But even the large chrysanthemum next to Qin Jiu was too late to cover it up and could only let out a chorus of screams.

Naturally, Qin Jiu didn't expect that the man surnamed Jia would resort to such a vicious act. However, he was a man who had experienced the brutal battlefields of bandits. The shock of being ambushed and nearly beaten to death not long ago hadn't dissipated yet, so he was already on guard when the soup bowl was splashed on his face.

Qin Jiu immediately gathered all his strength, concentrated the Bloodbreak Sand in his palm, and pushed it out to meet the Dry Heaven Absolute Yang Palm!

With a series of loud bangs—"Bang!" "Crack!" "Whoa!" "Bang!"—the outcome was decided!

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Qin Jiu took a direct hit from the Dry Heaven Absolute Yang Palm, breaking the arm of the man surnamed Jia with a single blow. Jia was sent flying backward, crashing into the soup pot and spilling the Five Immortals Soup all over the ground!

"Pfft—!" The man surnamed Jia spat out a mouthful of blood, staring at his severed right arm and his right hand, which was festering like mud. "You... you cheated..."

Unfortunately, few people heard what he said before they fainted, and the surrounding Songshan disciples fell into chaos after a moment of silence. Some rushed to save people, some tried to hold up the pots, some grabbed the meat, and others took advantage of the chaos to slip out of the canteen and stay out of it.

Qin Jiu wasn't entirely unharmed. Although most of the palm strike's power was absorbed by the divine sand, the direct impact of the palm strike still caused his blood and qi to churn, his limbs to go weak, and he couldn't stand up for a long time. He took two deep breaths to recover, and when he opened his eyes, he found Xie Family's big chrysanthemum staring at him right in front of him, and he almost jumped up.

"And what about you!"

Xie Family's eldest son, Da Juhua, glanced at the unconscious man and his group of underlings busy with first aid, and sighed.

"Things have come to this point, and if I don't become your Dao Companion, this matter will likely be difficult to resolve. Alright, I'm not a member of the Xie Family, just the illegitimate child of a servant girl. My mother called me Xiao Ai, the Ai of wormwood."

Qin Jiu said "Oh," and replied, "My Qin Jiu, I'm a fisherman."

Xiao Ai, "... A fisherman? Wait, aren't you from the Xiao Clan?"

Qin Jiu remained expressionless. "No, besides, I'm already engaged to Xiao Li from the village. I'll marry her when I get home, so there's no need for any formalities. Thank you."