Become Immortal!

Chen Lingxi returned to the Baosu Marquis Residence at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM).

The wind in December blew in from the north, passing through the corridors and alleys, making the old locust tree in the West Courtyard rustle.

He pushed open the door and entered the room, and the first thing he saw was that the Mohe Flower was still inserted in the small celadon vase.

It withered even more.

Several months have passed since Zhao Yong handed the flower to him.

For months, it remained in full bloom, never fading or withering, like an artificial flower, forever frozen in the moment of its first bloom.

But now, it has begun to decline.

"Perhaps when the Mohe Flower has completely withered..." Chen Lingxi murmured to herself, a faint, cold glint flashing in her eyes. "Then Zhao Yong's true colors will be revealed."

He shook his head slightly and closed his eyes to guide his spiritual energy.

There is no moon tonight.

The crescent moon in the sky was completely obscured by leaden clouds, not even a sliver of its silvery light could see through.

Chen Lingxi sat cross-legged on the couch, her breathing long and steady, like someone who had already fallen into a deep sleep.

But he was not asleep. The Azure Qi in his Qi Sea was slowly circulating, and the thin stream of spiritual liquid was silently surging in his meridians, keeping his limbs and bones in a state of maximum alertness.

Until midnight.

The sound of a clapper came from the direction of the bell tower; it was already past midnight.

Then, he heard a very faint sound of footsteps.

Someone is approaching.

Chen Lingxi did not move.

He remained in the cross-legged sleeping position, his breathing still steady, and his heartbeat still slow.

However, the Azure Qi in his Qi Sea had already reached its limit in his meridians, Concealed Edge Method silently spread out within his body, tightening the barrier of spiritual qi and Qi and Blood even more, without leaking out even a trace of breath.

Immediately afterwards, someone swept in from the direction of the moon gate in the West Courtyard. Their Movement Method were extremely light and fast, like a night bird. With just a light touch of their toes on the bluestone ground, their body rose several feet, silently leaping over the courtyard wall and landing in the shadow of the old locust tree in the courtyard.

Then someone pushed the door open and came in, coughing lightly.

Chen Lingxi opened her eyes and saw a figure.

The newcomer stood with his hands behind his back, of medium height, wearing a dark green cloak.

The cloak was made of the finest material, gleaming with a deep, dark light in the night, completely covering his figure.

The collar stood up high, covering most of her face, leaving only her eyes visible.

Zhao Yong.

"It arrived tonight, before the Mohe Flower even withered?" Chen Lingxi thought to himself.

Zhao Yong stood in the shadows under the locust tree, not immediately approaching, but standing with his hands behind his back, his gaze piercing through the window and landing on the figure sitting cross-legged inside the room.

After a few breaths, he finally spoke, "Awake?"

Chen Lingxi stood up and met Zhao Yong's gaze for a moment before lowering her eyelids, concealing all the sharpness in her eyes.

He stood up, his voice tinged with doubt. "Steward Zhao, what brings you here so late at night?"

"Come with me." Zhao Yong paused, then continued, "The Mohe Envoy has arrived. I will take you to pay your respects to Mohe Envoy."

Chen Lingxi a slight stirring in her heart.

Mohe Envoy?

Mohe Envoy had met him on Inlaid Gold Mountain more than a month ago.

Zhao Yong believed that Chen Lingxi was still the drug-testing slave he had kept in the dark, still eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Human Immortal Mohe Envoy, and still dreaming of joining the ranks of the immortals to avenge the blood feud.

Chen Lingxi remained expressionless, but a glint of light flashed in her eyes at just the right moment.

The light was perfectly measured, like someone long trapped in a quagmire finally seeing hope of escape, wanting to be overjoyed yet not daring to, wanting to suppress it yet unable to, ultimately only turning into a slight flicker in their eyes.

"Mohe Envoy ..." he repeated the three words in a low voice, his tone filled with suppressed joy.

Zhao Yong took in his reaction, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Come with me."

After saying that, Zhao Yong turned around and walked towards the courtyard gate.

Chen Lingxi a deep breath and followed behind Zhao Yong.

He had originally thought that Zhao Yong would take him to a secluded spot in the Marquis's mansion, such as the East Warm Pavilion in the Silver Peace Court.

But Zhao Yong walked straight out of the Marquis's residence.

In the dead of night, a curfew had already been imposed at the Marquis's residence.

Zhao Yong walked with his hands behind his back, his pace neither hurried nor slow, as leisurely as if he were taking a stroll in his own backyard during the day.

Within the Baosu Marquis Residence, Zhao Yong, the steward, wielded considerable power.

The Marquis spent most of his time in seclusion cultivating Daoism, ignoring worldly affairs, while the eldest son was devoted to cultivation and indifferent to the affairs of the manor. The entire Marquis's manor, with its hundreds of people, was managed by him alone, from food and clothing to entertaining guests.

Power, once held in one's hands for a long time, naturally acquires an air of authority.

Zhao Yong strode ahead with his head held high, as if he were the true Marquis of Baosu Marquis Residence.

Chen Lingxi followed behind Zhao Yong, hands at his sides and head bowed, keeping pace with him.

He continued to follow without making a sound.

The two walked through the covered corridor, bypassed the Silver Peace Court, and exited the Marquis's residence through the side gate of the East Courtyard.

There was no one guarding or watching the side gate.

The long street outside the gate was deserted and desolate in the winter night, and the bluestone pavement was chilled by the night wind.

Fine snowflakes drifted down from the sky; the snowflakes were so small that they melted as soon as they hit your face, only feeling a slight coolness.

Zhao Yong continued walking north along the long street without stopping.

They walked for about half an hour.

Zhao Yong finally stopped.

Before me lay an extremely narrow and quiet alley.

The alley is flanked by towering courtyard walls, the plaster of which has long since peeled off, revealing the mottled rammed earth beneath.

The wall was overgrown with withered weeds, shivering in the night wind. At the end of the alley stood a dilapidated courtyard gate.

There wasn't even a plaque above the door; there was only a crooked wooden sign nailed above the door frame, the words on which had long been blurred by the rain.

Zhao Yong pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped inside.

The door hinges creaked with a sharp, piercing scream, particularly jarring in the silent night.

Chen Lingxi followed her inside.

The courtyard wasn't large, but it was extremely clean.

The floor was paved with blue bricks and swept spotlessly clean; not even a withered leaf could be found.

Several short pines grow at the base of the courtyard wall, their branches neatly trimmed, outlining orderly silhouettes in the night.

The lights were on inside.

Chen Lingxi followed Zhao Yong into the house. The furnishings inside were extremely simple, with only an elm wood table, a few jujube wood chairs, and a large celadon jar in the corner with several scrolls of calligraphy and paintings inserted inside.

In the center is an offering table, on which sits a pot of Mohe Flower.

The Mohe Flower was much smaller than the one on the windowsill, about the size of a baby's fist, but its petals were a bit more purple, and the golden stamens in the center of the flower were trembling slightly, emitting a very faint medicinal fragrance.

Zhao Yong walked to the offering table and stood with his back to Chen Lingxi, his hands behind his back.

"We will wait here."

Suddenly, his gaze fell on the corner to the right of the offering table, where several celadon wine bottles and a few small dishes were placed. The wine bottles were covered with dust, indicating that they had been there for quite some time.

Zhao Yong raised an eyebrow, stepped forward, picked up a wine bottle, and uncorked it.

A rich aroma of wine wafted over, not overpowering but rather extremely mellow. Once it entered the nose, it felt like a thin thread seeping into the chest and abdomen, bringing a warm sensation.

He suddenly turned and glanced at Chen Lingxi, a smile playing on his lips, "Today is a fine day, why don't we have a few drinks first?"

Having said that, he sat down at the table, placed his wine glass on the edge of the table, and poured himself a drink.

The wine poured from the bottle, gleaming amber in the candlelight, and splashed into the glass with a clear, resonant sound.

"Is he going to make a move?" Chen Lingxi thought to herself.

Zhao Yong picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp, then Chen Lingxi.

After drinking three cups in succession, a very faint blush appeared on his face, which was half covered by the cloak.

A person at the Golden Body Realm Qi and Blood as refined as Golden Broth; they can drink three jars of ordinary wine without getting drunk.

But tonight, Zhao Yong seemed somewhat drunk.

He stood up from the table, paced around the room with his hands behind his back, and suddenly snapped his fingers.

A stream of Qi and Blood flew from his fingertips and landed on the porcelain bottle not far away.

Immediately afterwards, a very thin crack appeared in the center of the wall. The crack widened and expanded, silently sliding to both sides to reveal a secret room.

Chen Lingxi and looked.

The secret room was not large, about ten feet square.

Small shrines were carved into the walls, and inside the shrines were bottles and jars covered with a thick layer of dust, making it impossible to see what was inside.

In the center of the secret room hung a portrait.

The portrait was about three feet tall and two feet wide, painted on silk with colors.

The painting depicts a nobleman, who appears to be in his thirties, dressed in a magnificent black robe with a jade belt around his waist. He has a handsome face and very regular features.

Upon seeing the portrait, Chen Lingxi immediately knew who the person was.

"The Baosu Marquis Lin Zhongming!"

"Is Zhao Yong offering sacrifices to Baosu Marquis?"

Chen Lingxi doubts, but remained calm and composed.

In front of the portrait, there was a table.

There was nothing else on the table except a stone.

The stone was about the size of a baby's fist, completely black, and its surface was so smooth that it was without a single flaw.

Strangely, there was a faint golden light appearing on the stone.

The golden light was extremely faint and subtle, as if someone had used the finest gold needle to carve a few words on the stone surface, the characters appearing and disappearing faintly in the candlelight.

Chen Lingxi had exceptional eyesight and was naturally able to see the words clearly.

[Lin Zhongming].

His heart stirred slightly.

Lin Zhongming has been in seclusion for many years, practicing Daoism and is rarely seen.

Why did Zhao Yong offer him sacrifices?

At this moment, Zhao Yong walked up to the portrait and stood with his hands behind his back.

He looked up at the handsome face in the painting, his blush deepening and his smile growing even brighter.

The smile wasn't warm; instead, it carried a sense of relief that had been suppressed for a long time and was finally being released.

He stared for a long time, then suddenly spoke.

"I'm in a particularly good mood today, so I'll tell you a story."

Chen Lingxi stood silently outside the secret chamber, her hands hanging down.

"The person in this portrait is Baosu Marquis, Lin Zhongming."

"When I was young, my family suffered a great disaster. My parents died under the hooves of horses, leaving only me and a girl I grew up with to depend on each other."

The girl's name was Yunniang.

As he said this, his voice suddenly lowered a few decibels.

When I was sixteen, Yunniang was selected to be a maid in the Baosu Marquis Residence.

She was extremely beautiful and gentle. After entering the Marquis's mansion, she was assigned to serve in the Marquis's courtyard.

I was content as long as she could live a peaceful life in the Marquis's mansion.

Zhao Yong slowly closed his right hand, his knuckles making a soft cracking sound.

"But Lin Zhongming actually used her as medicine, causing her to die slowly."

His voice suddenly rose in pitch, echoing in the empty room and causing the candlelight to dim slightly.

"She died later."

Zhao Yong paused, remained silent for a few moments, then his eyes lit up with excitement as he reached out and pointed to the black stone on the offering table.

"This stone is a celestial stone, obtained by chance! By possessing it, I have gained a sliver of opportunity to become an immortal."

He turned around, looked at Chen Lingxi, and his smile deepened.

"So, I sold myself into the Baosu Marquis Residence as a slave. I climbed up step by step, from the lowest of the lowly sweepers and janitors to the head steward of the Marquis's household, enduring humiliation and hardship to eke out a living."

"Now, forty years have passed in the blink of an eye."

Zhao Yong raised his head, gazing at the handsome face in the portrait, and the two clusters of eerie fire in his eyes suddenly blazed brightly.

"The chance to kill him has finally come."

His words were incoherent, and murderous intent flashed in his eyes!

Chen Lingxi remained silent as she listened.

Zhao Yong seemed extremely excited, staring directly at Chen Lingxi.

Those eyes were burning with an almost insane light.

Do you know where this opportunity came from?

Chen Lingxi shook her head calmly. "Lingxi doesn't know."

Zhao Yong turned around, his gaze returning to the portrait.

He reached out and pointed to Lin Zhongming's handsome face in the painting, his finger trembling slightly.

"The world does not know that this high and mighty Baosu Marquis usually claims to be cultivating Daoism and secluded from seeing others."

But in reality, what kind of seclusion was he in? What kind of cultivation was he practicing? He should have died thirty years ago, but he defied the heavens and forcibly extended his life with a Demon Banner!

"Demon Banner..." Chen Lingxi murmured these two words in her heart.

"That Demon Banner seems to be alive, requiring offerings of blood and flesh!"

Zhao Yong's voice echoed in the empty room, "In that case, I have prepared a generous gift for him."

Zhao Yong took a deep breath, his tone becoming steady again, but the excitement suppressed beneath that calmness grew even stronger.

"The Soul-Nourishing Flower —that is, the Mohe Flower." He pointed to the deep purple flower on the offering table. "And with all these treasures..." He then pointed to the bottles and jars in the shrine, covered in a thick layer of dust. "Plus the wondrous methods bestowed by Human Immortal ..."

He suddenly turned around and looked directly at Chen Lingxi: "That's enough to refine a pill."

"When the Demon Banner devours a pill, it will be backfired by the medicinal power contained within the pill, releasing a poisonous aura that is enough to kill Lin Zhongming!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, his voice growing increasingly shrill, like a madman who had been suppressing his emotions for forty years finally finding an outlet before his death.

Do you know what that rare material is?

He stared straight at Chen Lingxi, the smile on his lips almost sinister.

Chen Lingxi shook her head, still confused.

Zhao Yong suddenly raised his hand, pointing his index finger straight at Chen Lingxi.

"It is you."

He laughed heartily, but tears and snot streamed down his face.

"I've tested the medicine on no fewer than two hundred people! More than two hundred people! Only you... only you, Chen Lingxi... can withstand the medicinal power of the Soul-Nourishing Flower, are worthy of these many treasures, and can be refined into a humanoid pill!"

He was a Golden Body figure who had held great power in the Marquis's mansion for decades, yet at this moment he was wailing like a child.

"Yunniang! Yunniang!"

He called the name softly, his voice hoarse and out of tune.

The call echoed in the room, like the mournful cry of a lonely soul in the wind.

Chen Lingxi watched silently.

A few breaths passed.

Zhao Yong's wailing gradually subsided.

He hastily wiped away the tears on his face with his sleeve, slowly walked to the offering table, and gently stroked the black stone on the table with his calloused hand.

"The Human Immortal Wu Mohe... can revive the dead and heal the flesh and bones."

He muttered to himself, his tone carrying an almost obstinate certainty.

"If I obtain this immortal stone, I can instantly become an immortal after killing Lin Zhongming."

At that time, I will surely be able to bring you back to life, just like Human Immortal.

His hand remained on the stone, his fingertips trembling slightly.

"Yunniang! Yunniang!"

He called the name softly, his voice gentle, his eyes filled with a deep, unfathomable longing, so intense it seemed to solidify and overflow from his eyes.

The air felt heavy, as if it had solidified.

The candlelight flickered silently, casting Zhao Yong's hunched figure long on the wall.

Chen Lingxi watched silently throughout.

Until this moment.

He suddenly reached out, picked up the celadon wine bottle on the table, and slowly poured himself a glass of wine.