Seeking Immortals

(Chapter Free)

"Gold and silver move men's hearts. Bai Ri Mansion may mean no harm, but Sky Rift Valley is truly no safe place. You mortals must act within your means."

Yu Ci was taken aback, then said with respect, "Please, Immortal Master, grant me your guidance."

Immortal Master Xuan Qing was quite pleased with his attitude and smiled. "The lad is teachable. You must know that in all affairs, one must plan before acting. Have you ever been to Sky Rift Valley? Do you know what sort of place it is? And what taboos attend the picking of Shrimp Whisker Grass?"

"Sky Rift Valley is ten thousand li from home; this young one has never been there."

Yu Ci's expression grew even more deferential. "I have only heard rumors—that the terrain is steep and dangerous, with many wild beasts. Shrimp Whisker Grass grows on the great trees beneath the sheer cliffs of the gorge, the same color as the branches, winding around them. Only when a strong wind blows can it be distinguished by the naked eye, making it very hard to find... Ah, the steward of Bai Ri Mansion also warned that this grass cannot be dug with metal tools, nor stored in wooden vessels, so he gave me a stone box specially for preserving Shrimp Whisker Grass."

Xuan Qing stroked his beard and laughed. "You do have some understanding, but you have missed the most important point."

His expression suddenly turned grave. "Do you know what lies beneath Sky Rift Valley?"

"This... I do not."

"I thought as much. Not just you—how many in all the world truly know? Only this old Daoist, with a bit of cultivation, dared venture down to explore. Only then did I learn that beneath ten thousand zhang of mist and cloud lies a dark, bottomless abyss, no longer of this realm, but a direct passage to Nether Prison Yellow Springs, where ghosts, monsters, and demons are beyond counting!"

Yu Ci's eyes went wide. This... was a bit too fantastical.

He had not bothered to hide his thoughts, and Xuan Qing naturally perceived them. The Daoist smiled slightly, turned his palm over, and produced a spherical object for Yu Ci to see.

Across a distance of several zhang, with the campfire leaping between them, Yu Ci squinted to make out what it was. When the object came clearly into view, his brow twitched—for it was no sphere, but a head!

It had clearly been specially treated, only the size of a fist, its entire surface a grayish-green. Resting on Xuan Qing's palm, its outer texture and structure were perfectly intact. Because of this, Yu Ci could clearly see the fangs jutting from its lips, the unusually high forehead, and the blood-red eyeballs deep in their hollow sockets.

"This is a head I kept as a memento after slaying a demon deep in Nether Prison Yellow Springs. Don't be fooled by its current size—I refined it with a secret art. When I killed it, this head alone was the size of a millstone, and its body was as large as this temple hall..."

Yu Ci's expression finally changed. Seeing this, Xuan Qing was quite satisfied. He put the head away and softened his tone:

"Of course, these demons and monsters rarely climb out. Below Sky Rift Valley, the Supreme Dao Venerable personally placed the 'Two Realms Stele' to suppress the Nether Prison, and above that, generations of immortals have laid down immortal prohibition arrays, enough to hold back billions of demons."

Yu Ci had just let out a breath when Xuan Qing said sternly, "But there is no perfect arrangement under heaven. The divine stele set by the Dao Venerable and those immortal prohibition arrays can suppress the fierce ghosts and fiends, yet one or two always slip through the cracks... How do they escape? Naturally, they climb up from the bottom of Sky Rift Valley! I can see you are a practitioner, but if you encounter those demons and monsters, I fear you will be in grave danger!"

Yu Ci could only say, "Please, Immortal Master, show me a safe path."

Xuan Qing sighed. "Sky Rift Valley is no good place, yet your willingness to press on despite the difficulty is admirable. Very well. This old Daoist has cultivated for many years, comprehending the Way of Heaven and Man, and I delight in aiding the younger generation. Since we meet, fate has brought us together. I will gift you a spirit talisman for your protection."

With that, he flicked his sleeve, and a talisman paper flew out, drifting slowly down until it reached Yu Ci's eyes. When Yu Ci caught it, before he could examine it closely, Xuan Qing added:

"Picking a thousand stalks of Shrimp Whisker Grass is not as simple as you imagine. Even with the spirit talisman, you may not be fully protected. Unfortunately, I have mundane affairs that prevent me from accompanying you... How about this: one man's plan is short, two men's is long. These juniors of mine are also going to Sky Rift Valley to gather herbs. Keep in touch with them, and you can look out for each other."

Hearing this, Yu Ci's gaze swept over the faces of those by the campfire. At that moment, even the dark-faced man who had spoken harshly earlier put on a smile—but the smiles were all terribly stiff.

Yu Ci shook his head, not answering immediately. Instead, he looked at the spirit talisman in his hand. On the bright yellow paper, a seal-script character for "calm" was written in cinnabar, its twists and turns not particularly pleasing to the eye. Yet when his fingers touched it, a faint coolness lingered at his fingertips, which was not without its charm. After a moment's thought, he said:

"Calm Heart Incantation?"

Xuan Qing had been wondering at Yu Ci's reaction. Hearing this, his face changed slightly. He made a covert gesture to alert his companions. At the same time, he forced a laugh: "Good eyesight..."

He nearly bit his tongue before finishing the sentence. Not just him, but everyone from the dark-faced man on down—the whole group by the campfire—stared wide-eyed, their forced friendly smiles crumbling one by one as a sudden brilliant light blazed within the hall.

Yu Ci had done nothing extraordinary. He simply extended his left hand, joining his index and middle fingers, and traced in the air. Yet as his fingers moved, a slender thread of pale green light materialized out of nowhere, twisting up and down, and in a moment, a talisman was formed.

This talisman was also the seal-script character "静," vaguely similar to the strokes on Xuan Qing's gift, but more streamlined. More importantly, once completed, it hung suspended in the air, casting a clear radiance, possessed of its own miraculous quality.

The tables had turned. Under such a wondrous sight, the hall fell into an even more eerie silence. After a long while, someone finally spoke—the dark-faced man.

"Drawing qi into a talisman, Spirit Light Adherence!"

Though he spoke, his voice sounded more like a chicken with its neck wrung, barely forming a tune.

Yu Ci glanced at him and echoed, "Good eyesight!"

With a clatter, nine out of ten of those by the campfire scrambled to their feet—not to fight, but to clear a wide space, looking at Yu Ci with utmost awe. The dark-faced man who had spoken harshly sat dumbfounded on the ground, then suddenly leaped up to flee, only to trip and fall flat on his face, trembling and unable to rise.

Among the group, only Xuan Qing managed to keep his composure, though he felt as if needles were pricking his seat. He coughed, slowly stood up, and tried to maintain a calm demeanor: "This... ah, fellow Daoist, earlier I did not know..."

The moment he opened his mouth, his true colors showed—he spoke even less smoothly than the dark-faced man. Yu Ci ignored him, stepping straight over the fire.

Now his back was straight, and his already tall figure seemed to have grown another inch. His lips pressed together slightly, carving shallow lines on his face. With these subtle changes, the earlier honest and shy image was completely dispelled. What appeared before them was a proud and capricious immortal master, his faint smile like an invisible rope, choking their breath.

Facing such a person, Xuan Qing didn't even dare to fart. He immediately vacated his seat and stood aside, extremely constrained. The others were even more terrified, trembling as if walking on thin ice, afraid that a single heavy breath would invite disaster.

Yu Ci sat down in the seat of honor. Finding the sword on his back cumbersome, he unfastened it and laid it across his knees, moving unhurriedly and at ease. Xuan Qing stood behind him, but he didn't spare him a glance. His gaze swept over the others, and then he suddenly smiled. "The mountain road was tedious, so I played a little joke with you all. If I was discourteous, please forgive me."

At this, the hall filled with sighs of relief, followed by a clamor of voices:

"Not at all, not at all, great immortal, you're too kind."

"Yes, what are you saying, great immortal..."

"It is we who have offended you."