This Daoist Is a Great Tonic

A thought suddenly occurred to Ren Qing. What if this Daoist found a batch of martial artists to recharge with?

No.

He immediately dismissed the idea. On one hand, the benefits the Imperial Court Scroll gained from martial artists had a limit; they could not pile up without end. On the other, he had always felt that martial artists seemed utterly out of place in this region.

Demons and monsters ran rampant throughout the Great Yao Court, while the Immortal Ascension Sect was filled with crooked-path evil immortals.

Compared with ordinary people, shouldn't martial artists have been an even more precious resource? How had they ended up outside the food chain?

"Limitless Heavenly Venerable, it's best not to deal with evil demons and Outer Dao practitioners. Endure for a moment, and my Dao heart will be thrown into chaos; take one step back, and my Dao practice will be ruined. No good can come of it."

Seeing that Ren Shanshi was still in high spirits, Ren Qing sat cross-legged on the edge of the well, preparing to welcome the long-awaited sunset. Yet the sky darkened faster and faster.

"Is it going to rain?"

Ren Shanshi finished practicing martial arts and hurriedly gathered the clothes drying in the backyard.

The sky, which had still held a trace of light moments ago, had somehow become shrouded in thick, heavy clouds. Raindrops rode the cold wind, their chill piercing to the bone.

Many households had already lit candles, and the townsfolk on the streets hurriedly finished their work.

Patter.

Raindrops as large as beans soon joined into streams, becoming an impenetrable curtain of rain.

Ren Shanshi could not help muttering, "This rain came strangely. The ground was cracked from drought not long ago, but now it looks as though it wants to drown the whole city."

In but a moment, every household had shut their doors and windows tight.

"Father, why is there still a curfew now? Doesn't the yamen barely handle any affairs anymore?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

Ren Shanshi pulled Ren Qing into the inner room and lowered his voice. "Just last night, I was delayed at the martial arts hall and had to hurry back to the shop after dark."

After hesitating for several breaths, he continued, "Maybe it was just my imagination, but... I saw someone's back. It looked a lot like Head Constable Chen. I called out several times, but that person didn't react. The more I think about it, the more certain I am that it was him."

Ren Qing frowned tightly. The reappearance of a tiger ghost might mean that the tiger demon was about to arrive.

Judging by the time Daoist Beisu had mentioned, it would likely be within the next two or three days.

And something would surely happen at the Immortal Ascension Assembly too, wouldn't it? What exactly was Three Incense Lady behind it all?

A trace of agitation rose within Ren Qing as the corner of his eye glanced toward the blind man's staff nearby.

At present, Medicine Dissolution could not find any spiritual medicine capable of reviving the dead and regrowing bones, while Staff Dissolution offered no clues either.

"Alas, Staff Dissolution requires bamboo. One must attach one's Primordial Spirit to it, then, after the physical body dies, have the Primordial Spirit return from within the bamboo staff to complete Corpse Liberation."

Ren Qing felt a headache coming on. How old would bamboo have to be before it could contain an immortal's Primordial Spirit?

As he pondered.

The corner of his eye inadvertently swept past the courtyard exterior, and his pupils immediately shrank.

In the deserted alley, a familiar figure had appeared at some unknown time.

"Chen Qi?"

It truly was Chen Qi.

Head Constable Chen's state was exceedingly strange. He was neither a tiger ghost nor possessed the vitality of the living. His eyes were hollow and deathly still as he stood motionless at the entrance.

The rain striking his body turned pitch-black and flowed through the cracks between the stone slabs.

Ren Shanshi was still muttering, "Head Constable Chen was a perfectly healthy man, yet he died without rhyme or reason. Good thing you never joined the yamen back then, A-Qing."

Head Constable Chen's lips curled upward as his gaze slowly turned toward the coffin shop.

The next moment, he began walking step by step toward the backyard gate.

"Chen—"

"Father, forget about anything else. When you have time, invite Yun Niang over to have dinner with us at home."

Ren Qing hurriedly interrupted Ren Shanshi. Sure enough, once Chen Qi was no longer mentioned, the figure immediately stopped, less than half a meter from the gate.

"Th-that works too. We'll do it after we're done being busy in a few days."

Ren Shanshi nodded, just about to say something comforting.

Suddenly.

Heavy pounding sounded from the mouth of the alley, accompanied by a drunken, rough voice that pierced sharply through the rain. "Open up! Open the damn door!"

"Tell that little slut in your house to come out and serve this lord, or I'll smash your shitty courtyard to pieces!"

The pounding grew heavier and heavier, as though someone were viciously battering the door with a wooden club.

Ren Shanshi's expression darkened, and he snorted coldly. "It's Widow Zhao's house! It must be that scoundrel Zhang San. He loafs around all day and only knows how to bully others..."

Before he could finish, Ren Qing heard bones grinding in Head Constable Chen's neck. His head turned one hundred and eighty degrees, and he headed toward the mouth of the alley.

All the clamor came to an abrupt halt.

Ren Qing found it somewhat absurd. Head Constable Chen had already become a tiger ghost, so why was he still maintaining order in Water Mouth City? Could the tiger demon prefect behind him be an upright official who truly worked for the people?

Or perhaps the tiger ghosts were merely guarding the chicken coop for their master?

A powerful sense of crisis rose within Ren Qing. No matter what, he had to find an opportunity to advance to Yin Immortal.

"Father, this Daoist is going to rest. You should sleep early too."

"Got it."

Yet Ren Qing did not head to the side room. Instead, he went to the well.

He sat down cross-legged. Clouds of qi surrounded him and kept out the rain as he cultivated by consuming qi beneath the cover of night, his divine sense remaining alert so he could retreat into the cave abode at any time.

Before he knew it, the night had passed in a flash. When a sliver of brightness appeared on the horizon.

"Waiting around won't bring an opportunity for Mortal Shedding and Corpse Liberation. I might as well try the Enlightenment Divine Ability. Perhaps after five Mortal Sheddings, I can already enlighten vegetation."

After repeatedly confirming that there were no longer any tiger ghosts in the city, Ren Qing cut open his fingernail and let several drops of blood fall onto the roots of the vine by the wall.

He quietly activated the Enlightenment Divine Ability.

As usual, the Enlightenment Divine Ability had no effect at all. Clearly, vegetation could not be transformed into sentient beings.

"Still, it seems I don't really need the Enlightenment Divine Ability anymore."

Ren Qing licked his lips, surprise flashing through his eyes.

The vine grew wildly at a visible rate. Its slender stems climbed frantically, spreading across the entire wall in moments. Lush leaves layered upon one another, covering the bricks so completely that not a trace remained exposed.

Even more astonishingly, countless flower buds emerged from the vine.

Ren Qing licked his lips again. It seemed he had somewhat underestimated the true value of Mortal Shedding and Corpse Liberation. In a sense, he had truly undergone Corpse Liberation and become an immortal five times.

Every drop of his blood had become a great tonic.

"If that's the case, this Daoist might truly be able to take a shortcut and complete the final two Mortal Sheddings and Corpse Liberations."

With a thought from Ren Qing, a large group of Black Rat Dao Children began gnawing on the vine.

At the same time, four Black Rat Dao Children burrowed into the cave abode and dug up all the bones that had previously been buried in the soil.

Ren Qing suddenly felt that the cultivation method for Human Head Ginseng was not without merit. Combined with his blood, it could at least accelerate the growth of medicinal herbs.

The Black Rat Dao Children held the bones and looked at him in confusion. Hadn't the immortal master said this was too sinister and harmful?

"Cough, cough, cough."

"Though this Daoist disdains harming living beings, one must always know how to adapt on the path of cultivation."

Ren Qing's expression softened, and he felt that his Dao heart had advanced once more.

"Grind them into bone powder for this Daoist and put it into earthen jars."

Seeing that the sky had brightened and the market was surely bustling with people, Ren Qing left the backyard, intending to buy several ginseng plants to cultivate.

Bamboo shoots, on the other hand, were easy enough to find. He could leave that to the Black Rat Dao Children.

He would also take a look at whether Water Mouth City had changed now that the two factions were stirring beneath the surface.

Of course, now that the trouble of Mortal Shedding and Corpse Liberation had been solved with ease, Ren Qing had no intention of joining the excitement. So long as it did not involve him, he would not participate even if beaten to death.