Beyond Words

Daoist Luo turned slightly to the side and glanced at the wooden box on the table before sighing and saying,

"Alas, when I was at your home back then, I already told you how to prolong your life. I made exceptions and gave you both Red Snow Powder and the Minor Transforming Yang Art, yet you have no aptitude for cultivation at all. You even managed to go wrong while practicing such a basic technique. I do not know whether accepting you as my disciple was saving you or harming you."

"Daoist Luo, you overstate it. If not for you, this disciple would likely have long since become a mound of yellow earth. I have always remembered Master's life-saving grace." Shen Luo shook his head repeatedly.

Daoist Luo's expression softened considerably upon hearing this, clearly pleased by the words.

"Daoist Luo, is there truly no other way? No matter the cost, this disciple is willing to pay it." Shen Luo spoke again, placing particular emphasis on his final words.

"Very well. For your sake, I am willing to make one more exception. If you can cultivate the Minor Transforming Yang Art to completion within three years, I can ask the temple master for another favor and have him agree to pass on the first level of the Pure Yang Sword Art to you. We can discuss the price then, though the chances are not high." Daoist Luo fell silent for a moment before sighing softly.

Within three years? Hadn't Fengyang Zhenren concluded that I would not live past two?

Though Shen Luo was filled with doubt, he continued to offer his thanks.

"You need not rush to thank me. I can tell you plainly that I do not think highly of this method. Given your aptitude, cultivating the Minor Transforming Yang Art to completion within three years is nearly impossible. I advise you to rest and recuperate more, and devote your efforts to seeking spiritual medicines and immortal herbs that can extend your lifespan. That is the proper path." Daoist Luo waved a hand and spoke pointedly.

"Where can such life-preserving things be found? Does the temple have any?" Shen Luo could not help asking.

"If the temple had them, why would I tell you to search elsewhere? Spiritual medicines that can truly extend one's lifespan are beyond the reach even of ordinary cultivators. Once they appear, practitioners of every faction scramble to seize them. Common people cannot even lay eyes on them. And even if you are fortunate enough to see one, you may not be able to buy it even after exhausting all your gold and silver." Daoist Luo rose to his feet, clasped his hands behind his back, and spoke slowly.

"Gold and silver cannot buy them? Why is that?" Shen Luo felt puzzled.

Over these past days, he had supposedly relied on the Minor Transforming Yang Art and Red Snow Powder to prolong his life, but had not every one of those things been bought with gleaming silver? The two hundred gold paid upon entering the temple and the two thousand taels of silver sent from home every year—were they not all life-preserving things?

"You have not yet entered this path, so naturally you do not know that, in the eyes of those truly advanced in cultivation, gold and silver are no different from stubborn stones and dead wood. When they need to trade goods, they use the legendary Immortal Jade." Daoist Luo said.

Shen Luo felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

He had in fact heard of Immortal Jade before. Bai Xiaotian had mentioned it to him, and he had seen it in several miscellaneous books as well. It was genuine immortal money. Not to mention a county-town merchant household like the Shen family, even the great merchant magnates of the prefectural cities might never have seen it.

Buying immortal medicine to extend one's life naturally requires immortal money...

A wave of helplessness rose in Shen Luo's heart. It seemed even his last remaining financial support had vanished.

Seeing his gaze gradually dim, Daoist Luo's eyes also flashed with a trace of pity.

As Shen Luo's thoughts churned, he suddenly thought of something.

The chief culprit behind his severe loss of vital energy was that strange Jade Pillow. Perhaps he could find a solution through it, and thereby discover a path to save himself. He could do nothing with the Jade Pillow, but that did not mean others could not.

That thing had now caused his lifespan to plummet. Even if it was a treasure, preserving his life came first. If all else failed, he could use it to trade the temple for some benefits.

"Daoist Luo..."

After hesitating for some time, Shen Luo finally made up his mind and intended to cautiously mention the Jade Pillow.

However, the moment he opened his mouth, his mind suddenly buzzed. A shrill sound unlike anything he had ever heard, sharp enough to nearly pierce his eardrums, surged in like a tidal wave. His vision went black, and he toppled to one side.

Daoist Luo was startled, but immediately caught him by the shoulder and lifted him onto a chair.

While Shen Luo's head swam, Daoist Luo frowned slightly and took his wrist, placing three fingers on the cun, guan, and chi pulses as he held his breath and examined him.

After a moment, he shook his head and released Shen Luo's hand.

"Your pulse is weak and feeble. It is indeed a sign of backlash from your cultivation technique, and your vital energy has been badly depleted. Just how did you cultivate to end up like this?"

Cold sweat streamed down Shen Luo's forehead as he barely managed to describe some details of his usual cultivation.

"Ah..."

Yet the moment his thoughts shifted and he tried to mention the Jade Pillow again, that violent roaring abruptly sounded in his head once more, making him cry out in agony.

Daoist Luo's expression turned solemn. He grasped Shen Luo's back, and red light flared in his palm. A warm current then flowed into Shen Luo through the center of his back, filling him with warmth as the lingering buzzing in his head gradually faded.

What is happening? Could it be... Shen Luo was drenched in cold sweat, his heart filled with alarm and unease.

However, when he once again formed the thought of speaking about the Jade Pillow, that piercing roar rang out in his mind again. It was even more severe than before, leaving him utterly unable to speak.

"What is wrong with you?" Daoist Luo noticed his abnormal state as well and asked.

"My... my body feels somewhat weak. It must be... the backlash from the technique..." Shen Luo said between breaths. At that moment, he did not dare direct his thoughts toward the Jade Pillow again.

"Stop cultivating for the next few days. Take this packet of Red Snow Powder back with you. Do not consume it all at once; divide it into three doses. Otherwise, your body may not be able to endure it." Daoist Luo took out a paper packet from his robes and stuffed it into Shen Luo's hand. At the same time, red light bloomed in his other palm as he patted several major acupoints on Shen Luo's back.

"Thank you, Daoist Luo." It took Shen Luo quite a while to recover. He hurriedly bowed in thanks.

He did not dare linger any longer. After taking his leave of Daoist Luo, he departed.

Daoist Luo watched Shen Luo's somewhat unsteady figure disappear beyond the door. Rubbing the gold ingot tucked within his sleeve, he furrowed his brow deeply.

"Come to think of it, this lad is not a bad person. What a pity... It seems I will need to find another Registered Disciple from a wealthy household in a couple of years..." he muttered. Then, with a casual sweep of his sleeve, all four doors inside and outside the room shut on their own with a rattling crash.

It was deep into the night, yet candlelight still shone within a quiet room on the first floor near the cliffside of Bluestone Terrace.

Shen Luo sat beside the desk with the strange Jade Pillow before him. His gaze rested on it, but his eyes were somewhat unfocused.

What had happened earlier at Daoist Luo's place was simply too bizarre. Shen Luo could not fathom what kind of power was preventing him from revealing the Jade Pillow's secret.