Merchants Offer Patronage, Seek Sons-in-Law; Successive Entrants into the Dao

When immortals entered the Dao to refine essence, they placed exceptional importance on primal essence and primal yang.

Thus, whether male or female, one could not lightly lose one's virginity before entering the Dao. Otherwise, one would suffer defilement and damage one's potential.

Even after entering the Dao and successively becoming First Tribulation, Second Tribulation, or Third Tribulation immortals, retaining one's primal essence and primal yang was still beneficial to cultivation.

Only after cultivating true qi and stepping into the realm of Qi Refinement Spirit Immortals could one cast aside all restraint. At that point, one could even use the arts of harvesting and replenishing in prolonged battle—whether harmonizing yin and yang or harming others to benefit oneself—to aid one's cultivation.

Fang Shu had devoted himself wholly to the Dao in this life. He would never become entangled in such matters between men and women ahead of time.

His sudden, blunt departure left Dou Sufu in the paper house unable to react for a moment.

She stared blankly at the closed paper door. Whether because of the pill or something else, her mind abruptly cleared.

Then her face turned even redder than when she had been teasing Fang Shu—red with shame.

Dou Sufu could not help lowering her face, almost burying it in her chest, like a hen with its head tucked down.

"Shameless," she spat inwardly at herself. "What a wanton little hussy!"

But after she recovered somewhat, perhaps as the wine rose again, she gazed foolishly at the two bowls on the low table and stroked her fair, tender cheek. She murmured, "A beauty of sixteen, her body soft as cream... Was Brother Fang talking about me?"

She was not even thirty-six, only a beauty of forty-six.

At once, an indescribable secret delight mingled with shame and spread through her heart. Her whole body burned, prickling with a trembling numbness.

Elsewhere.

After taking his leave, Fang Shu did not return directly to the Daoist hall. Instead, he sought out the talisman master Li Yuan and asked around.

What weighed on him was that talisman master Li Yuan's words were more or less the same as Dou Sufu's.

In short, if he wanted to get his Second Uncle out—and get him out early—money alone would never be enough. He also had to possess magical power. Otherwise, he would be like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth and might end up trapped in the mines himself.

Even being a First Tribulation immortal would not give him complete confidence. He would still have to take some risks.

Talisman master Li Yuan also comforted him. "Child, don't worry. Your Second Uncle is a water rat; just wait patiently for him to return.

"Since you have already sold off your household possessions and are no longer short of money, I'll ask someone to pass word to your Second Uncle, telling him to take good care of himself above all else."

Thinking over what Dou Sufu and talisman master Li Yuan had told him, Fang Shu sighed inwardly. They both said the same thing. It seems this truly is the case; there is no falsehood in it.

Then a sense of urgency rose within him.

He had to successfully pass the tribulation and refine essence within the next half year, becoming a First Tribulation immortal, before getting his Second Uncle out.

Otherwise, if he truly waited until his Second Uncle's term was up, with no magical artifact to protect him, something unforeseen might really happen.

"No," Fang Shu muttered aloud. "Not half a year. It is six months. At most, I only have six months left!"

More than a month had already passed since his Second Uncle left town to mine. That time had to be counted too.

Carrying that urgency in his heart, he strode back to Solitary Gu Hall.

Over the following days.

Fang Shu continued his bitter cultivation without the slightest relaxation merely because he had dealt with Cheng the Jar.

He could be said to have become even more diligent, no less so than the bitterly cultivating youth in the hall.

For a time, between him and that youth taking turns, not a single day passed in Solitary Gu Hall's training hall with every lamp extinguished.

Even Hall Master Du occasionally turned his gaze toward the two of them. Some disciples, inspired by them, also became more diligent than before.

Of course, their excessive diligence also drew plenty of gossip and dislike from the other disciples.

"Training day and night without rest, not knowing how to balance work and rest—aren't they afraid of ruining their bodies?"

"They act as if they're the only two in the whole hall who know how to cultivate bitterly!"

"Exactly. Junior Sister Qin Min, who only recently joined the hall, would never put on such a fake show of diligence."

Fang Shu turned a deaf ear to such remarks.

He only knew that if he did not diligently temper his physique, then should calamity strike, he would be letting down not only himself but also his Second Uncle Yu Le.

Still, Fang Shu occasionally relaxed his mind. He was not truly a wooden man who only knew how to train and temper his blood.

One day.

Li Hou'er eagerly came to find him again, calling out, "Come on, Brother Fang. Let's go watch the excitement!"

Fang Shu slowly concluded his training and looked at him curiously, not refusing.

Li Hou'er said with an envious expression, "Today, all the major merchants from the market have come to the Daoist hall to hire patrons. Some are even seeking sons-in-law."

Only after asking in detail did Fang Shu learn that the merchants of Guling Town and the various Daoist halls had a relationship somewhat like gangs hiring guards for their turf.

The merchants would hire robust immortals of First Tribulation or above from the different Daoist halls to help hold down the fort. Occasionally, they would also need these patrons to escort goods, suppress monsters, and the like.

In return, the merchants would sponsor the Daoist hall immortals, pay them talisman money, and even cover all their fees at the hall—their food, clothing, lodging, pills, talismans, and more.

The young disciples most favored by the merchants would even be recruited as daughters-in-law or sons-in-law.

Among the merchants who had come to Solitary Gu Hall today, several had brought young men and women from their families.

They claimed that these youths had come merely to broaden their horizons, but in truth, they were here to see whether Solitary Gu Hall had any young talents worth marrying or betrothing into the family.

That was why Li Hou'er was so full of envy and excitement today.

But neither he nor Fang Shu had entered the Dao yet, and neither possessed especially remarkable talent or bone structure. They would most likely only be there to join the spectacle.

It was not only the two of them. The other disciples in the training hall were also bustling with excitement, streaming out in groups.

Before long.

The hall was empty. Only the bitterly cultivating youth remained unmoved, keeping his head down as he trained hard and ignoring all other affairs in the hall.

When it came to steadfastness of will, Fang Shu sometimes admired the man as well.

Yet before long, the Daoist hall disciples who had rushed out returned to the hall in a noisy crowd.

It turned out that the merchants wanted all the disciples to display their blood, strength, sinews, and bones in the training hall.

Among them, the Daoist hall's immortals who had entered the Dao also appeared before Fang Shu and the others in unusually complete numbers for the first time in months. There were more than ten of them.

These immortals who had entered the Dao, male and female alike, all possessed strong, capable frames, fierce temperaments, and sharp eyes. At a glance, they were utterly different from Fang Shu and the other little chicks.

Standing out from the flock like cranes, they looked Fang Shu and the others over as freely as though no one else were present.

Most conspicuous were a man and a woman dressed in splendid clothes, adorned with gold and jade.

The female immortal wearing golden hairpins frowned. "Why are the disciples the hall took in this year of such poor quality? None of them know how to nourish themselves. Every one of them looks poor and worn, as if they're grinding away their potential just to train."

The male immortal wearing jade ornaments heard this and shook his head with a light laugh. "Fu Shier, do you think everyone has a family behind them like you and me, able to provide endless pills and food?

"You truly don't know the taste of minced meat because you eat meat every day."

The female immortal called Fu Shier glared at him and snapped sweetly, "Qu Yan, shut your dog mouth. No one would take you for mute if you did."

The male immortal shrugged. "Having Junior Sister Qin Min this year is already a blessing for our hall."

At this, the female immortal's frown eased, and she nodded in agreement.

Their words stirred a slight commotion among Fang Shu and the others, but no one spoke up.

Soon, the merchants began chatting with these immortals who had entered the Dao, asking questions about this and that.

Fang Shu and the others discovered that although many Daoist immortals had come today, only two intended to compete for patronage positions.

The others either already held patronage posts or had come merely to put on an appearance.

Under Fang Shu and the others' watchful eyes.

The two Daoist immortals respectively demonstrated voices like thunder, hands darting like snakes, and blood qi rising like mist. Without much effort at all, each secured a patronage position.

One of them was even favored by a merchant, who wished to marry the woman beside him to the immortal. However, the immortal politely declined.

Amid the lively atmosphere, the merchants did not leave after concluding their business. Instead, they took the opportunity to build relationships with the other Daoist immortals.

Their gazes occasionally drifted teasingly toward the disciples who had yet to enter the Dao, making every watched disciple straighten their chest and strive to show their best side.

Li Hou'er, standing beside Fang Shu, was exactly the same.

Ever since entering the hall, he had kept his chest puffed out and his head raised. But his body was thin and gaunt, making him look like a hemp stalk and somewhat comical.

Fang Shu was likewise swept over by the merchants' eyes a few times, but like the others, he was nothing particularly remarkable.

Just when everyone thought none of them had any chance, a merchant suddenly paced toward a corner and took the initiative to question the person there.

Because it was too far away and the hall was crowded and noisy, Fang Shu could not clearly hear the voices from that side.

But before long, cheers and jealous remarks arose in the hall.

"This time, Senior Brother Tian won't have to worry about making a living anymore."

"This reheated meat really caught someone's eye!"

The only person in the hall whom a merchant had approached was that youth who cultivated bitterly day and night without cease.

His face was resolute. Even in the face of a merchant's favor and early investment, he remained fairly calm, though his expression was somewhat stiff.

From the discussions around him, Fang Shu finally learned the bitterly cultivating youth's name.

His surname was Shi, and his given name was Hou.

He had already entered the Daoist hall to cultivate for the fifth time, so he had earned the nickname "reheated meat."

The first four times, he had been forced to leave the hall to find work because he lacked sufficient fees. He could only return to study after saving enough talisman money.

Thus, Shi Hou's age had been delayed. He was already twenty-one, and his potential was insufficient.

Li Hou'er clicked his tongue. "Looks like Shi Hou won't have to run back and forth between the mines and the Daoist hall anymore."

"The mines?" Fang Shu's brow lifted slightly.

After asking more closely, he learned that Shi Hou had relied on mining to save up enough money for the Daoist hall fees. Thus, whenever he left the hall due to a lack of money, he would go work in the mines.

Sometimes, he had to mine for a whole year just to study in the Daoist hall for one month.

Even Hall Master Du knew of him, which was why he permitted Shi Hou to pay month by month for his cultivation.

And being favored by merchants like today was not because Shi Hou's bitter cultivation that day had made him stand head and shoulders above the rest and caught their eyes.

Rather, the merchants had long known that Solitary Gu Hall possessed such a "stubborn stone." Only today had someone finally come to appreciate him.

After understanding all this, Fang Shu sighed inwardly again. Within a single hall, there can be talent of such unwavering resolve. I should follow his example as well.

He no longer paid attention to the excitement in the hall and turned to leave.

But he did not, like certain disciples, hurriedly strike a pose to draw attention and imitate Shi Hou's display of diligent training, hoping to win favor as well.

Fang Shu left the training hall alone and headed toward the bathhouse and medicine hall, intending to use this free time to handle some miscellaneous matters and make the latter half of the day's bitter cultivation more convenient.

Before long, he bathed briskly and arrived at the medicine hall entrance feeling refreshed all over.

The other disciples were likely still watching the spectacle. Though the medicine hall usually had plenty of disciples, there was not even anyone in line today—there was no one at all.

Yet when Fang Shu entered the medicine hall courtyard, he still saw a figure emerging from the hall.

The person had a nimble figure and a ponytail. She was a female disciple, brimming with blood qi and youthful vitality from head to toe.

That bearing made her originally average looks seem outstanding at once. She had bright eyes, white teeth, and a lively, radiant gaze.

Fang Shu happened to know her.

So with a polite smile, he nodded to her and greeted her. "Qin Bao'er."

That was right. She was Qin Min—the female disciple who had received the Insect Method alongside him and whom he had guided around the Daoist hall.

Qin Min paused.

But when she looked at Fang Shu, not only did she fail to nod in response, her brows furrowed slightly as she said flatly, "Fellow Daoist, please call me 'Qin Min.'"

The courtyard fell quiet.

Though Qin Min's words sounded polite, Fang Shu's courteous smile froze at once upon hearing them.

Perhaps because this body was still young and full of hot blood, a trace of shame surged in Fang Shu's heart, and his face even reddened slightly.

Fortunately, there was no one around to laugh at him. The shame flashed through his heart and vanished.

Fang Shu restrained his blood qi, his face calm as he silently stepped aside.

Seeing that he had made way, Qin Min did not look at him again and simply left the medicine hall grounds.

Lingering where he stood, Fang Shu followed her direction with his gaze and discovered that a man and woman were waiting for Qin Min outside the courtyard.

Both were richly dressed, decked in gold and silver, and even their belongings carried a certain spiritual air.

They were the two Daoist immortals from the training hall, and they immediately went forward to greet Qin Min with great courtesy.

Qin Min chatted and laughed with the pair as they left together.

Fang Shu withdrew his gaze.

His expression remained unchanged.

He merely let out a long breath, then revealed a resolute look. Turning around, he entered the medicine hall and purchased the medicines he needed.

Not long afterward.

Fang Shu learned why Qin Min had not even bothered to return his greeting on the road and had specifically corrected the way he addressed her.

It was because, despite having been in the hall for less than three months, she had already entered the Dao and refined essence, becoming an immortal!

This news did not come from the hall master, nor had anyone personally witnessed her enter the Dao and pass tribulation.

Instead, everyone had inferred it from the treatment she received in the Daoist hall and the attitudes of the immortals who had entered the Dao toward her.

Many people muttered that there was an eighty or ninety percent chance that she either possessed a special constitution or had the so-called "spiritual root."

Otherwise, without good medicine assisting her, her cultivation speed could never have been so fast, nor would she have received such tremendous regard from Hall Master Du.

Fang Shu did not react much to this news.

He had already vaguely guessed as much from Hall Master Du's attitude while transmitting the method.

Now it had merely been completely confirmed.

He had no need to compare himself to such a prodigy. He only needed to properly, urgently, and diligently strengthen his own blood qi.

But another month later.

Someone else in Solitary Gu Hall attempted the pass and successfully endured the tribulation of Ten Illnesses Nine Pains, formally becoming an essence-refining immortal!

This person's full name was Li Hou, though the Daoist hall disciples all called him Li Hou'er. He was Fang Shu's only good friend in the hall.

His neighbor, talisman master Li Yuan, had painstakingly supported his son for two years, living frugally to save up a portion of precious medicine. At last, he had supported Li Hou'er into becoming an immortal who had entered the Dao.

A joyous occasion indeed!

Fang Shu had thought that, as usual, he would not react too strongly to this, only feel happy for his brother.

He had even prepared a congratulatory gift of neither too little nor too much, taking time to return to the Paper Workshop and personally deliver it to him.

Yet when he sat among the banquet tables,

and saw the radiant joy on talisman master Li Yuan's face, as well as the vital-blood essence smoke rising a full zhang above his brother Li Hou'er,

his emotions still stirred in the end, and for a moment, he sat there in a daze.