Senior Brother Qin

Although he was used to seeing life and death, it was such a pity that Song Dayou died like this, and Zheng Zetian certainly wanted to save him.

But he can't think of any solutions right now.

He knew far too little about those Nangong, about the current state of the world, and about Tai Su's new methods.

Zheng Zetian couldn't understand any of the invisible secret techniques the demons used to hide—the pistols, the iron bees, and the spiders. There was only one thing he was very clear about: the abilities of that boy from ten days ago alone wouldn't be enough to save Song Dayou.

And...

The Nangong Family used to be this powerful?

Zheng Zetian barely remembered anything about the Nangong Family.

To be honest, even in his previous life, Luo Yin wasn't very familiar with General Nangong.

Nonsense, he was fleeing from war and just happened to be working here...

As for independent cultivators, everyone's out here to make money and cultivate, who the hell has the time to talk about feelings and make friends with a big boss like you?

Luo Yin wasn't really part of the core circle of the "Seven Friends." He was just one of the seven who happened to survive that night. Therefore, after the "Seven Friends" broke up due to internal strife, he simply returned to his hometown in the north to make his own way. Or, in the parlance of the cultivation world, he "achieved great mastery of his divine skills and went back to seek revenge."

As for the later Moon Worship and the Void Star, the founding of the Luo Sect, and the battle between the Three Great Sects, there were more or less people behind the scenes who pushed things along, but it was mostly due to personal opportunities and good fortune. For Luo Yin, his experience in the Li Country was just a small part of his autobiography.

But time flies, and things have changed. These former southern barbarian forces have unknowingly developed to this extent. Leaving aside that unfathomable and eccentric giant, even Lou Guan, Ink Bamboo Mountain, and the Nangong Family have developed these systems, pistols, mechanisms, and other new methods that are incomprehensible.

He's really stuck in the same place, wasting far too much time...

"Hey, host, are you done mourning? I'm so hungry! You haven't eaten for ten days, just been given nutrient solutions, aren't you hungry? Go eat something!"

The call of the Flesh Scorpion pulled Zheng Zetian back from the reverie of the past.

Then, just as the scorpion had planned, Zheng Zetian's stomach growled loudly.

Okay, we still need to fill our stomachs first.

Although reaching the Nascent Soul Stage True Person realm allows one to be like an immortal on earth, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and even going into seclusion for hundreds of years without food or drink, disciples who haven't reached the True Person realm obviously can't do that. Moreover, even True Person Divine Lords, if their Dao bodies are severely damaged, or if they cultivate special methods like the Divine Sect or the Tai Su Dao, the consumption of their essence, blood, bones, and flesh is even more severe than in the Immortal Path. Directly eating and drinking is the fastest and most righteous way to cultivate.

But when Zheng Zetian took out the jade pendant and scanned it with his Divine Sense, he couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

You wouldn't call this giant careless, since he came to save his life at the last minute. Not only did he save his life, but he also soaked him in medicinal soup for ten days to help him recover. He even retrieved his clothes, Storage Jade, damaged magic treasures, the Divine Thunderfire Banner, and the Azure Cloud Smoke Silk.

But if you're going to say he's meticulous, why don't you at least slip some dry rations and a little money into his Storage Jade...?

"Hey idiot! What are you eating dry rations for? Come on, let's go eat in the canteen! The only perk for Outer Sect Disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain is that they get to eat their fill!"

Huh? All you can eat? I can't believe there's such a good deal!

Indeed, following the footprints marked by the Scorpion System, Zheng Zetian arrived at the Outer Sect Disciple canteen of Ink Bamboo Mountain. Without any instruction, he picked up a plate and joined the queue for food, while the Scorpion kept chattering in his ear.

"To nurture the next generation, all Outer Sect Disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain who haven't yet formed their Golden Core can eat in the canteen. While it's not all delicacies, the portions are generous and filling. The staple grains, Non-Thing Devil Embryo, and demonic bones and beast meat—you can kill one and it'll last you three days. There's no shortage of food; just eat as much as you can, and as long as you don't waste any, you won't be fined. Don't forget the Five Immortals Spiritual Qi Tonic Soup, it's incredibly nourishing and replenishing."

Hmm, it looks good, but since he cultivates lightning magic, he can't eat meat, so forget it.

So Zheng Zetian carefully added rice to the plate, piling it up like a mountain.

'What! I can't eat meat?! Are you kidding me?! What kind of garbage Cultivation Method is this?! It's so boring! Fine, I'll just eat vegetarian then, and get some night-blooming cereus flowers! The juice mixed with rice is delicious!'

... Is this a night-blooming cereus? Your night-blooming cereus even has a mouth and tentacles... It smells fishy, no thanks.

"Hey, hey, hey! Host, how are you going to grow if you don't eat this and don't eat that? Add more salt!"

What? This is salt? The color seems off...

Zheng Zetian picked up a small dish, frowned, and tasted some of the pale purple powder.

It is indeed salty.

"Stop being so picky. It's a salt lake opened by the Tai Su Devil Domain. It's basically high-purity Void Jade ground up and mixed with local brine. When taken with Tai Su wheat, it can improve the physique of mortals over time and enhance their adaptability to Tai Su."

Oh, so it's like how long-term poisoning can increase your resistance to the poison, right?

"Oh, that's nonsense. Long-term poisoning will damage the immune system, accumulate toxins, and harm the liver. It's pure pseudoscience."

Huh, huh? It was just nonsense after all...

'Have you tried it?'

No, I don't remember.

Unfortunately, Zheng Zetian searched around twice but couldn't find any magical fruits or vegetables. It seems that fresh fruits and vegetables are a luxury these days, and you have to pay for them.

Besides rice, noodles, and dry rations, Lou Guan City's canteen only served meat. In addition to frying, steaming, and roasting, the most common cooking method was to chop all kinds of oddly shaped pieces of meat into small pieces, heavily salt and sauce them, and stuff them into a stew pot along with various dried yam and other seasoning packets. The stew pot emitted wisps of black smoke, and the broth was sometimes reddish-brown, sometimes emerald green, and sometimes dark black. Layers of oil and blood foam floated on top, and all sorts of indescribable limbs and eyeballs were constantly churning in the boiling pot.

Well...

Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration. These days, having meat to eat is already a blessing. There are plenty of burly, muscular body-cultivating disciples at the cafeteria tables, feasting on what looks like thighs and intestines, gnawing away with gusto. So, while the presentation might be a bit awful, the taste probably isn't too bad. Of course, with such heavy seasoning, it's probably just soy sauce flavor...

However, after seeing a Golden Core Stage disciple dragging a blood-soaked sack into the canteen, and after settling the payment with Banknotes, the chefs dumped the demonic offal they had seemingly scraped from the sack into the half-eaten pots and stirred it. They even swung spatulas to smash the heads of those still screaming in the boiling water into the soup pots, killing them instantly. After witnessing this, Zheng Zetian gave up the idea of trying some of the mixed offal.

Finally, besides the salted rice, he took a bowl of clear Five Immortals Soup to soothe his throat. At least the Five Immortals Soup had been refined in the alchemy furnace several times, so he couldn't taste much of the raw materials' fishy smell.

To be honest, the cafeteria at Ink Bamboo Mountain is quite good. Although it's a bit dirty, the portions are large and filling. Especially for body-refining cultivators, who need to strengthen their bones and muscles with flesh and blood, this is a great option. Moreover, for those cultivating the Tai Su Dao, the speed at which they increase their cultivation through food is much faster than taking drugs and meditating like this every day. So what if it's a little dirty? A little dirt won't hurt you!

This is somewhat unfriendly to someone like Zheng Zetian who practices vegetarianism and martial arts...

So, Zheng Zetian, having filled his stomach with salted white rice, stared blankly at the soup bowl in his hand. He could drink the soup, but whether it was elixirs or immortal fruits, they were all of higher quality than this stew of demonic offal and meat. It seemed he would have to pay for them.

'Host, do you want to make money? Should you prioritize Banknotes or bamboo talismans? Do you want to accept a quest?'

Task?

This system connects to the Celestial Realm and can access the internal mission database within the Ink Bamboo Mountain's territory. Missions issued by various factions in Lou Guan City can be accepted. It provides full mission assistance and intelligent navigation.

Then Zheng Zetian saw the light and shadows shift in the void before him, and lines of flying subtitles appeared, while the people around him seemed completely oblivious.

Zheng Zetian subconsciously reached out to grab the characters, but then realized, "So that's how it is. That invisible demon was using the 'system' earlier... Right! Scorpion! Do you have any information related to Nangong? And what's the background of those invisible people?"

The subtitles in the void changed, and a new list appeared, which even included a map.

The Nangong Family was originally a border garrison under the Immortal Palace, guarding the outer border of Lizhou. Fifty years ago, the Immortal Palace was destroyed by the Divine Sect, and the Nangong Family's base, Yudu City, and the nearby plains were captured by the Grand Master's troops. The Immortal King Nangong died in battle, and the whereabouts of the Immortal Queen of Nangong and her sons are unknown.

The various forces of the Nangong Family have lost their supplies, and their armies have been systematically wiped out. Some have surrendered, others have scattered, and some stubborn remnants have broken up into smaller groups, becoming bandits and wreaking havoc in the region.

"Suppress the bandits of Nangong, and hand over the heads of the escaped Nangong Demon Princes. The heads will be verified by the Lou Guan Dao Personnel Academy's Merit Awarding Department and the Judicial Master. Each head will be awarded a merit talisman and fifty taels of Void Jade Treasure Notes."

Zheng Zetian frowned. "The head of the Demon Prince is only worth fifty taels?"

Fifty taels is a lot, but that kind of formless demon, with so many strange tools in his hands, must be at least at the Golden Core stage in terms of combat power, right?

"They hatch from eggs, like tadpoles, and a single brood can produce hundreds. They're endless, impossible to kill completely. The reward for one head is so high, it would bankrupt the entire sect."

Zheng Zetian looked up and saw a young man dressed in the robes of the Lou Guan sect standing in front of him.

This man was not wearing a crown or hairpins; his black hair was loose over his shoulders, like a wild and unruly scholar who did not follow etiquette. He was tall and thin, with a slightly dark complexion, a cold and stern face, and eyes like swords. He never smiled and seemed to be a naturally aloof and eccentric person, making people feel intimidated.

Zheng Zetian couldn't discern the other party's cultivation level, so he stood up and bowed, "I don't know who you are, senior..."

"You don't even recognize me, how could you send a telegram?"

The aloof young man looked down at the young Daoist boy in front of him.

Zheng Zetian was quite frank, saying, "It was the Grand Master's order."

The stern-faced young man stared at him for a moment, then clicked his tongue.

Although Zheng Zetian didn't recognize the man, he quickly estimated that this was probably another backup plan arranged by the Grand Master, so he stood up and bowed.

"This junior, Zheng Zetian, a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain, is deeply grateful for your timely rescue, senior, which saved me from danger..."

The young man interrupted with a cold snort.

"It has nothing to do with me. I arrived too late. By the time I found you, you were already out of danger. I just took you to the medicinal pool along the way."

"Song Dayou's body from Qingting Peak has been stolen by those demonic disciples and hidden in the tomb of the Prince of Nangong beneath Yu Mountain. That place is riddled with traps and contains many strange artifacts from beyond the heavens. Those without the Divine Transformation realm should not rashly attempt to enter."

After finishing his sentence, the young man turned and left.

So who is this person?

' Qin Jiu, the Grandmaster's personally taught disciple, is the number one swordsman among the Inner Sect disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain, and the current senior master of the palm sword technique.'

Oh, so it's that 'Xiao Jiu of My Family'? Being able to be used as a backer, just like a clone, and having this title of number one swordsman, it seems like she's got some skills.

"You're full, aren't you leaving yet!"

Senior Brother stood at the door and shouted coldly.

Hmm? Is there something else you want to tell him?

Zheng Zetian quickly got up, washed the plates and returned them to the kitchen, then ran to the door and followed Qin Jiu.

"I haven't yet asked how to address you, senior brother."

"... Qin Jiu"

Qin Jiu didn't say much. With a flick of his sleeve, he created a sword rainbow that enveloped the two of them and sent them soaring into the sky. The rainbow was as fast as a star, and in almost an instant, he protected Zheng Zetian and brought him back to Qingting Peak.

This Senior Brother seems to dislike idle talk; he only spoke after arriving at the destination.

"I still have important matters to attend to in the South China Sea, as instructed by my master. I will send you to Tianyu Mountain for cultivation for now. I have already cleared out the demons near this peak. Is there anything else you need to pack? I will give you one hour to prepare."

After escorting Zheng Zetian back to his mountain cave, Qin Jiu vanished in a flash of light, probably hiding in the shadows to keep watch.

Zheng Zetian sighed and returned to his cave to look Fourth Department.

Actually, there's not much to pack up. He's already memorized Qingtingzi's true thunder magic, which Song Dayou explained once during dinner. Besides, Qingting Peak was originally poor and didn't have much to pass down. They gave him two rare and valuable magic treasures. Now that the Azure Cloud Smoke Robe is ruined, it'll cost a fortune to repair it.

I remember Song Dayou saying during dinner that the lineage of Qingting Peak in Mozhu Mountain had been cut off once before. Now that Qingtingzi has been suppressed and sealed, and Song Dayou has been killed by the Demon Prince, he is the only remaining heir of this lineage. The feng shui of this place is really bad...

Zheng Zetian tidied up the food and wine, cleaned the hall, set out offerings for the shrines of his two senior disciples, Qingtingzi and Song Dayou, lit three sticks of incense, and bowed three times...

With a loud crash, something seemed to have fallen from the inner room.

Zheng Zetian went over to take a look and found that this room was not Song Dayou's meditation room, but should be Qingting Sou's residence. There was a mural on the ground. The mural seemed to depict some kind of fairy island in the clouds, a mirage, shrouded in a thin mist, making it difficult to see clearly and identify the specific location. On the wall behind the painting, there was clearly a hidden compartment containing a jade box.

Is this a secret technique passed down through the lineage of Qingtingzi?

If it were someone else's authentic teachings, Zheng Zetian would probably be polite and consider the cause and effect, but since it's his own family's, he doesn't care.

Zheng Zetian then took out the jade box and looked inside. He saw a handwritten ancient scroll inside, on which was written...

<The Taishang Daojun Dongxuan Bu Xuyi Zhenjie>.

Is this a Xuanmen (mystical Cultivation Method? Grandmaster Qingtingzi used to be from the Shenxiao Sect, but this doesn't seem to be a Thunder Dao (thunder) secret manual. Is it some kind of internal energy cultivation method...?

Zheng Zetian opened the ancient scroll, read two pages, and then, drop by drop, blood gushed from the corner of his eye and nostril, dripping onto the book.

Zheng Zetian slammed the book shut, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Damn it, it's some kind of cryptic book...

'Wow! I heard that Qingting Sou, as the direct descendant of the Danxia Mountain sect leader, was expelled from his sect for associating with the Luo Sect. It turns out he wasn't clean either, secretly copying the sect's secret scriptures! No wonder he was chased all the way to the South Border!'

Zheng Zetian suddenly woke up with a start.

This Flesh Scorpion can even read celestial script!

"Oh, relax! It's just a celestial book. Everyone has seven or eight of them, right? My Celestial Immortal System lets you exchange for celestial books! There are books written by gods, by Profound Maiden, by Ancestor Luo Zu, by immortals, compiled by giants—you name it! Want to learn? If you do, just do the quests, kid! Just accumulate enough reputation and merit points in Ink Bamboo Mountain!"

Zheng Zetian couldn't help but roll his eyes. Did he really need those two heavenly books? He already had several under his own name!

The key issue is not the celestial book itself, but the cause and effect it symbolizes.

Now that Qingtingzi is sealed away, and this Heavenly Book has been passed down to him, not only will the lineage of Qingting Peak be affected, but the karma from the previous Xuanmen Danxia Mountain will likely fall on his shoulders as well.

Although he had a lot of karmic ties with the Three Great Sects in his past life that hadn't been settled, dealing with those as well wouldn't be a problem. But now he's only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and the calamities he's attracted are too heavy, and he has too many enemies. His small body might not be able to withstand it.

Zheng Zetian frowned as he walked to the front hall to look at Song Dayou's memorial tablet.

No wonder Qingtingzi never wanted to pass on the true Daoist teachings to his master. Even a reincarnated immortal like himself felt that the cause and effect of this Heavenly Book was too hot to handle. Giving it to someone with shallow fortune and insufficient destiny would really be like a death warrant, only causing them to die young.

Even if he could rewind ten days and find a way to eliminate the demon and save Song Dayou's life, this Xuan Girl Heavenly Book would still be an insurmountable death calamity for the Qingting Peak successor. It would only prolong his death.

Honestly, if Song Dayou hadn't come to Qingting Peak, this dangerous mountain, to cultivate, and instead had chosen the Tai Su Transformation Path of Moshan, where he drank, ate meat, and lifted iron, with his diligence, perseverance, and Dao heart, perhaps he would have achieved even greater success, maybe even Nascent Soul Stage long ago.

But then, perhaps no one would come to guide him into the Dao...

Everything is predestined; there's nothing we can do about it...

Zheng Zetian stuffed the heavenly book into his robes and walked out of the cave.

Since we've already chosen this path, how can we give up halfway? Let's just get through this ordeal; debts are never a burden, and one more ordeal won't make a difference.

"Ready? Let's go..."

"Meow, meow? Meow meow! Meow--!"

No sooner had Qin Jiu appeared than a skinny, ugly, and smelly lamb hopped out!

Zheng Zetian was overjoyed, "Huh? Tu Lou! You're still alive!"

The Tu Lou really didn't die. Although it took half of the damage for Zheng Zetian, losing most of its life and sharing the excruciating pain, even losing a lot of its Yang Sheng and suffering terribly, it was still Kunlun Divine Beast with thick skin and tough flesh. And to put it bluntly, its life was much tougher than Song Dayou's. For the past ten days, it survived by eating wild fruits and spring water from Qingting Peak!

Qin Jiu frowned, exasperated. "What is this thing? Did you raise it? An alien?"

"It's my mount, a spirit pet, which my master bought for me."

Since the Azure Clouds Silk Gauze was already broken, Zheng Zetian urged the Tu Lou to wrap the fragments of the gauze around its body to prevent it from freezing.

"... What is an alien?"

"The ones Master raised, they're definitely not good people..."

Qin Jiu wrinkled his nose, as if trying to dispel the bad memories in his mind. With a wave of his hand, he conjured up a sword rainbow, wrapped up the Daoist boy and the lamb, and flew away.