The Immortal... Isn't He Right Here in the Mortal World

Zhang Qilin drove the carriage toward the depths of the pawnshop, the ambition in his eyes practically spilling over.

He could already picture what life would be like after becoming an immortal. Not only would he live forever, but glory, wealth, and rank would all be within reach. He would never again have to watch other people's expressions.

"Once I become an immortal, who would dare disrespect me?"

"Mm."

Zhang Qilin's expression froze instantly. A brilliant streak of rosy light flashed through the depths of the pawnshop, and at some point, Zhou Can's sermon had abruptly ceased.

"Immortal fate! Zhou Can must have become an immortal—he promised me!!"

Heat rushed to Zhang Qilin's head. How could he spare a thought for anyone else? He shoved aside the guards blocking his way.

He charged toward the temple like a madman. "Get the hell out of my way! Don't block my path!"

After passing through the corridor, the temple was right before him. Yet the illusion was already on the verge of collapse. It was not only the black and white hues that were melting away—the people trapped within the temple were also scattering in panicked flight.

"Move!"

Zhang Qilin plunged headlong into the temple, where everything was turning into pitch-black ink.

"Immortal Elder Zhou!!"

He saw Zhou Can sitting cross-legged with his back to him, still utterly motionless.

"Immortal Elder Zhou?!!"

Zhang Qilin called out tentatively and slowly stepped closer. "Immortal Elder Zhou, it's me, Zhang Qilin. I brought the people here. The method of becoming an immortal that you promised me."

"Immortal Elder Zhou?"

A sense of foreboding rose in him. It was not until he came within half a meter that he finally saw Zhou Can clearly.

Zhou Can's mouth hung wide open, as if he had witnessed something horrifying beyond all measure. His face was filled with indescribable shock, and his eye sockets were completely empty—he had clearly gouged out his own eyes.

"Imm... Immortal Elder Zhou?" Zhang Qilin's scalp went numb, and both his legs trembled.

Just then.

Zhou Can's body suddenly shuddered, as though he had come back to his senses. Then he clutched his head and screamed with heart-rending madness, "Immortal!"

"It's an immortal—aaaaah!!!"

Before Zhang Qilin could react, Zhou Can's head began to swell violently.

Bang!!

Without warning, his entire body exploded into four pieces and burst apart into fragments of human skin.

The shockwave swept outward.

Zhang Qilin was hurled away viciously and slammed heavily into a stone wall. His chest caved in, his eyes wide open. Until the moment he died, he never understood what had happened.

The arriving guards exchanged looks, then began gathering the items left at the scene.

Fortunately, though the scene was bizarre beyond measure, Treasure Gathering Pawnshop was located in a secluded area, and the city was under curfew. The nearby residents had only heard a few muffled booms.

Li Yao stood some distance away. Only the medicinal power of the Corpse Dew Life-Extending Pill kept her from passing out dead.

Supported by the guards, she hurried over. More than half of her white hair had already fallen out, a talisman was pasted to her forehead, and bloody fluid streamed from all seven of her orifices.

Of the ten days of life extended by the pill, she had lost at least two because of this.

But Li Yao did not regret it.

For one thing, the human-skin fragments left behind by Zhou Can nearby were densely engraved with methods for becoming an immortal, along with a great number of records left by martial world figures.

For another.

Li Yao tore off the Clear Sight Talisman from her forehead. With the talisman's aid, she sensed... an immortal once more.

That was right—the unknown immortal revealed by the thangka!!!

If she had not seen it on the thangka, she truly might not have recognized it.

"Even the entry-level method of becoming an immortal is likely a path where nine die and one survives. Three Incense Lady might not even take a fancy to a cripple like me. But if I could enter Their sect..."

Li Yao gasped for breath, yet she understood that the unknown also represented danger. Besides, why would an immortal far surpassing Three Incense Lady act against Zhou Can?

She carefully recalled everything that had just happened.

Why did it feel like...

The Clear Sight Talisman had also detected a faint aura of external martial arts.

It had to be an illusion. That was an immortal!

Blessed Life Coffin Shop's back courtyard.

After the morning sun rose, more than half the snow had melted away, exposing damp soil beneath.

Ren Shanshi carried a thin wooden coffin and loaded it onto a handcart.

Ren Qing had only just returned from Treasure Gathering Pawnshop. Before he could rest, he had to get busy with the coffin shop's business—the culprit was Su Huo, who had narrowly escaped death.

"Shopkeeper, I've truly troubled you."

Su Huo hurriedly steadied the cart. He looked even more bedraggled than Ren Qing, his robes stained with blood; not long ago, he had been washing them in the backyard.

He could not help sighing. This coffin was his only remaining attachment.

Once he took it away, he would have no more ties left. Whether he could become an immortal would depend on fate.

"Old Su, as long as you're all right." Ren Shanshi smiled as he tightened the ropes.

"I made you worry, Shopkeeper. I'm terribly sorry to have delayed you for a whole day."

Weariness lingered on Su Huo's face, yet he seemed more alive than he had at the Daoist temple.

"Old Su, take a look at my Iron Body Art stance. Heh, it's got a bit of substance to it now, doesn't it? I've put in no small amount of work these past two days."

Ren Shanshi became animated, dropping into a horse stance and thrusting out his chest while drawing in his stomach.

Noticing Ren Shanshi's somewhat clumsy posture, Su Huo could not resist stepping forward to offer guidance. "Shopkeeper, sink your shoulders, drop your elbows. Sinking your qi into the dantian doesn't mean stiffening your back—you must be like an old tree putting down roots..."

As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently swept over Ren Qing.

The Iron Body Art had originally been meant for Ren Qing. External arts needed to be cultivated in one's prime, but now that he had grasped a sliver of hope for survival, Su Huo no longer cared much for gain or loss.

"Hm?"

Su Huo's pupils contracted slightly. Ren Qing was merely standing there casually, yet there was an indescribable harmony about him.

It was precisely the state he had pursued all his life but never attained—"skin and flesh like iron, sinews and bones like stone." The Iron Body Art seemed to have been born whole within him.

Doubts rose in Su Huo's heart, but he quickly suppressed the thought.

He had practiced for an entire lifetime and only touched the threshold. Ren Qing had learned the Iron Body Art for such a short time that, no matter how exceptional his talent, he could not possibly have reached such a realm in mere days.

Unless... there was an immortal hidden within the coffin shop.

The thought flashed through his mind, and even Su Huo found it absurd.

"Shopkeeper Ren, remember to hold your stance for one shichen every day from now on. If you're interested in martial arts, you might as well find a martial hall and take a master. I'll be going now."

With that, Su Huo left the coffin shop in a most carefree manner.

Ren Shanshi watched Su Huo leave until he was out of sight, then let out a long sigh. "I wonder whether Old Su will return to his hometown, or keep staying in Water Mouth City."

"What a fine man. And that Iron Body Art was the real deal too."

Ren Qing listened to Ren Shanshi's lament, but had no intention of interfering.

If Su Huo wanted to live, his only path was to become an immortal. As for how he would snatch chestnuts from the fire, that was up to him.

Ren Shanshi forced himself to perk up and continued holding his stance to consolidate his external art.

Ren Qing watched for a moment, then turned and walked to the well before leaping in.

The karst cave at the bottom of the well no longer resembled its former self. More than a dozen Black Rat Dao Children scurried busily about, their claws digging through earth and stone with great efficiency.

Not only had the pond expanded by another round, but a proper cave chamber had also been carved into the rock wall.

They had even dragged in many thick trees from the outskirts, using them as beams and pillars to support the cave ceiling.

"It finally has a little of the look of an immortal's cave abode."

Satisfied, Ren Qing entered the chamber. A large quantity of firewood was piled inside, clearly prepared for Fire Dissolution.

Ventilation was still lacking, however, so the Black Rat Dao Children were excavating the ceiling. According to the plan, the air vents would connect to cracks at the bases of walls in nearby residences.

"This period of seclusion must see Fire Dissolution completed. By then, my divine sense can try the Painting Immortality Method."

Ren Qing had already confirmed that Zhou Can was dead. The subsequent developments would still take time; at the very least, many cultivators who had obtained methods of becoming immortals would not show themselves again.

And besides, he did not know whether the prefect sent by the imperial court would bring unforeseen changes.

"The cave abode still needs further repairs."

"While I'm at it, I should buy more firewood. Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to burn myself to death."

Ren Qing sat down cross-legged. Before Fire Dissolution, he would first familiarize himself with the cave abode. Sure enough, this poor Daoist was still better suited to quiet cultivation.