A Fortunate Connection After Wine and Food
Before long, it was broad daylight.
The drunken monster drinkers, one after another, shook their heads and staggered to their feet.
Hiccuping from their drinking, they bowed to the Ganoderma Mountain Lord and then used various methods to leave. Some rode in sedan chairs, some flapped their wings, and some took out handkerchiefs from their sleeves, as if riding on clouds.
In the end, only Fang Shu remained, drunk and dozing off on the Ganoderma Terrace.
He slept soundly until midday, when he was awakened by the monkeys sweeping the ground around him.
The rustling sound continued, and Fang Shu suddenly looked up, staring at the scene around him. He was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses and realized that the drinking and revelry last night was not an illusion. He was lucky enough to be allowed to join the Mountain Lord's banquet.
He squinted slightly, a few Sleepy Insect circled around him, then peacefully burrowed into his hair.
The Sleepy Insect, used by Fang Shu himself, not only makes people drowsy, but it can also bite, making it impossible for people to fall asleep.
Seeing that the insects were not acting strangely, and had neither given any warning nor bitten him awake last night, Fang Shu felt relieved.
Furthermore, upon examining the Dao Register in his mind, he found that the changes in his realm and Root Bone constitution were all real and true!
In particular, regarding the realm section, after a nap, the Spiritual Qi and medicinal power within his body had dissipated considerably, and the original [Perfect] text had transformed into [Able to transcend tribulation (63% complete)].
This "60.3%" does not refer to Fang Shu's cultivation progress, but rather to the probability of successfully transcending the tribulation, which the Dao Register assesses based on his internal accumulation and condition after he has reached a certain level of cultivation.
Just like the probability of him entering the Dao when he first started!
Upon seeing "60.3%", Fang Shu did not feel that the probability was too low at all; on the contrary, he felt a surge of excitement.
Looking at the sky, it's clear that only half a day has passed since he reached the pinnacle of his cultivation, and he's only been eating and drinking, without having bothered to refine his Qi and Blood.
In this way, he now has a success rate of over 50% in transcending tribulation. If he further refines his Qi and Blood, his chances will increase significantly.
With the addition of the abundant Spiritual Qi and medicinal power within his body, breaking through to the second tribulation should be a sure thing, and there might even be plenty to spare!
Fang Shu touched his own body, still feeling a surge of surprise:
"This wine is truly miraculous. I've consumed so much, yet the Spiritual Qi and medicinal power continue to remain in my body on their own. Although some dissipates, it hasn't caused my Qi and Blood to surge violently, thus harming my health, as is often the case with 'excessive nourishment'."
This is precisely why, after realizing this yesterday, he continued to eat and drink like there was no tomorrow.
After taking stock of his own condition, a small monkey-like fellow carrying a broom walked past him.
Fang Shu quickly stood up and bowed to the waiter, who was dressed as a monkey.
He looked around and found that there were no other patrons on the Ganoderma Terrace. The demons and gods had long since dispersed. He then asked the monkey waiter in a low voice, "Is the Mountain Lord awake?"
Upon hearing this, the waiter shrugged, indicating that he didn't know, and pointed his finger down below the platform, gesturing for Fang Shu to go down and take a look.
This instruction left Fang Shu puzzled, but he still stepped down from the Ganoderma Terrace as instructed.
He then discovered that the space beneath the platform was empty, and there was a thick root, its shape twisted and gnarled, like a dragon coiled around it; it was the stump of the Ganoderma Terrace.
Upon reaching the stake, Fang Shu saw the mountain lord's face for the first time.
The other person had the face of an old man, as if a child had casually carved it out of a Ganoderma lucidum stump.
Fang Shu approached. The other person's eyelids drooped. Sensing the newcomer, their eyes narrowed, and they glanced at Fang Shu, muttering to themselves:
"Oh, it's the young Daoist. You've had your fill of food and drink, is there anything else?"
Fang Shu quickly cupped his hands in greeting to the other party, hesitated for a moment, and then said:
"Thank you for your hospitality, Old Mountain Lord. I've heard that there are delivery services available in the Monster Market, and I'd like to inquire about that."
The Old Mountain Lord's face showed a look of sudden realization, and it muttered:
"I did forget. Those freeloaders should have taken you back to Guling Town on their way."
Upon hearing this, Fang Shu felt a pang of shame, secretly relieved that he hadn't done so.
Old Mountain Lord himself was quite famous within a radius of hundreds of miles. He was honest and fair in his business dealings, and he was a long-term, steady businessman.
However, the monsters who attended the gathering last night had different personalities; some were slow, some were impatient, and some were arrogant. They were not well-known in the town, and Fang Shu had never even heard of them.
He dared not travel with that kind of person.
Especially since he drank too much last night, and his whole body seemed to be marinated, exuding a strong aura of Spiritual Qi and alcohol.
Fang Shu was genuinely afraid that if he left the Mountain Lord, he would be captured by other demon drinkers and gulped down.
Pfft!
A sneezing sound rang out, and a hairpin-like strand of hair was expelled from the Old Mountain Lord's mouth and nose.
The other person sniffed and said in a muffled voice, "With this, the shopkeepers in the Monster Market all know you. You can ask them to make arrangements."
"Yes, thank you, Old Mountain Lord." Fang Shu quickly picked up the wooden stump.
After he responded, the Old Mountain Lord's eyelids drooped, and it fell into a deep sleep, as if it had drunk quite a bit of wine the night before.
Fang Shu held the wooden stump and discovered that although it didn't contain much Spiritual Qi, it had a pleasant fragrance that could slightly clear his mind, suggesting it was a high-quality medicinal herb.
This astonished him, revealing that even a single hair plucked from this mountain lord was a valuable treasure to him.
However, the material of this wooden shavings is secondary. What's more important is the identity this wooden shavings represent, and the fact that the other party never mentioned what to do with the wooden shavings afterward, or whether they need to be returned.
Fang Shu thought to himself, "So, this is a gift to me?"
He bowed to the Old Mountain Lord, and then, in front of him, tentatively used the wood ear mushroom as a hairpin to gather his disheveled hair and secure it in his hair.
Immediately, Fang Shu swaggered back to the Ganoderma Terrace and looked for the monkey servants who were sweeping and cleaning the courtyard.
Sure enough, when he saw a tuft of mountain tiger hair stuck in his head, the previously polite monkey helpers immediately changed their demeanor. They all bowed their heads and hunched over in front of him, becoming much more respectful than before.
A small monkey helper quickly put down his broom, hopping and skipping ahead to guide Fang Shu down the mountain and back to the Monster Market.
A short while later.
Fang Shu reappeared in the Monster Market.
Unlike yesterday's bustling scene, there were very few stalls in the Monster Market at this time, and many stall owners who had been setting up shop here for a long time were dozing off.
Only a few Immortal cultivator and demons remained, still wandering around the Monster Market, but they probably wouldn't stay long before leaving.
Fang Shu, with the mountain lord's beard tucked into his hair, simply struck up a conversation with a few demons. Without a word, they dispatched men from the Monster Market, waking up a line of burly demons who brought out a reclining chair and invited Fang Shu to sit down.
The monster companions called out, "Distinguished guests, please depart!"
Thus, Fang Shu arrived cautiously, but returned swaggeringly and arrogantly.
Once they reached the outskirts of the town, the shopkeepers at the Monster Market carefully put him down and respectfully bid him farewell.
Fang Shu stood there, still somewhat dazed, until the Monster Market vendors who had come to see him off had completely left.
He couldn't help but touch the hairpin in his hair, realizing that he might have really latched onto the mountain king's coattails, or even if he hadn't latched onto a coattails, he should at least have latched onto a leg hair.
With this Mountain Lord's Whisker Hairpin, when I go out in the wild, I only need to take it out to chat, and the monsters within hundreds of miles might give him some face.
Of course, this is on the premise that the demons recognize the hairpin on his head and can tell that he is a distinguished guest of the Monster Market approved by the Old Mountain Lord!
They walked towards the town.
Before entering the town, Fang Shu pondered for a moment, then reached out and pulled the hairpin from his hair, hiding it in his sleeve, instead of keeping it in his hair.
Guling Town is not in the wilderness; it is a melting pot of all sorts of people. Moreover, the Monster Market is ultimately just a black market, unlike Guling Town, which is a legitimate market. The two are somewhat opposed to each other.
It's best if he doesn't flaunt it in town and keeps a low profile. He can wear it later when he understands the situation better.
Continue straight ahead.
He changed his clothes in a secluded corner, used two Clean-Clothes Talisman, and then returned to the Solitary Gu Hall.
Upon returning to the inn, Fang Shu went straight to the Medicine Hall and took a large quantity of medicinal materials such as mercury, cinnabar, and insect ointment. Then he went into the quiet room in the backyard.
He lay coiled in the well, like a tiger crouching or a frog coiled, assuming a posture that allowed him to sense the Qi and Blood, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.
With this golden opportunity upon him, Fang Shu was about to break through the barriers and refine his marrow, stepping into the second tribulation of the Human Immortal realm!