Ao Ding could hardly put his inner terror into words. He could only force himself to remain calm and circulate the Golden Light Formula again and again.
Was cultivation really this bizarre and perilous?
Did cultivators have to deal with these things every moment of every day?
Beside him, Old Daoist Sun noticed the boy's unease and was secretly amused.
He transmitted his voice: "Boy, what did you discover? Don't worry. I'm confident I can keep you safe. A mere Jiaxia Kingdom can't harm either of us."
Only after the king on the gate tower slowly left, supported by his maids and daughters, did the crowd gradually disperse.
Only the "ten brave men" and a few officials remained.
In Ao Ding's left eye, those officials were even larger than the great black ants beside them, with strange, numinous markings covering their bodies.
Through his right eye, however, they were three kindly old officials.
The three elders bowed deeply. "Brave men, fate has brought you to the Jiaxia Kingdom. Please follow us to a residence where you can rest."
On the way, Ao Ding spoke quietly with Old Daoist Sun, but the old Daoist remained utterly unruffled. He merely smiled calmly. "Just follow your heart-whether you can replenish your bodily deficiencies depends entirely on this opportunity. Ahem, ahem..."
With that, his face turned ashen, and he could not help coughing again.
He was, after all, a dying True Person.
Ao Ding felt helpless.
Reluctant to keep disturbing Sun Chen, Ao Ding simply hurried forward a few steps and caught up with the men ahead to strike up a conversation.
With his youth, handsome looks, and pleasing tongue, Ao Ding soon learned where they had come from.
Of these eight men, five had accidentally lost their way in the immortal forest. Then fog had risen among the trees, and they had unknowingly arrived in this kingdom, where its people invited them beneath the city walls to take part in some "slay a menace and win a bride" affair. They included a woodcutter, a farmer, a fisherman, a hunter, and a young wandering swordsman about Ao Ding's age.
The other three were friends traveling together who had deliberately come looking for the "Jiaxia Kingdom." According to their leader, He Wenchang, an ancestor of his had chanced upon a mysterious kingdom called "Jiaxia" several hundred years ago. He helped the king slay a vicious beast, after which the king married a princess to him. After living freely and happily in the Jiaxia Kingdom for many years, he grew homesick and returned home with the princess. The couple then used the treasures they brought out of the Jiaxia Kingdom to become wealthy local landowners and lived for over two hundred years with the aid of spirit medicine. He Wenchang had mentioned this ancestral tale to his two friends, so the three had taken advantage of their leisure to seek the "Jiaxia Kingdom" and search for medicine that granted longevity.
Since He Wenchang had not kept his words from anyone, the officials leading the way heard him too.
One old official turned his head and said in surprise, "You're a descendant of the Golden Sword Prince Consort? What a coincidence-the residence where His Majesty is hosting you brave men is the prince consort's former mansion. Three hundred years ago, our kingdom suffered a great calamity, and we depended entirely on the prince consort's righteous aid."
At this, He Wenchang immediately stepped forward to chat with the official.
Ao Ding's expression turned horrified again.
His left eye watched as He Wenchang walked right up to the giant ant, even extending his head toward its mouthparts.
One gentle bite in the next instant, and He Wenchang would be dead!
He silently pressed his hand against the wooden staff at his waist.
If the giant ant suddenly attacked and killed anyone, he would strike back immediately.
But the official did nothing unusual, leading the ten of them to a large residence surrounded by lush greenery.
Wisps of spiritual energy condensed into a thin mist that wreathed the vermilion mansion.
Ao Ding surveyed it again with his left eye.
But a sudden pain stabbed through that eye. Everything before him went dark, and his left eye could no longer see anyone.
Ao Ding closed his eye and pulled his eyepatch back into place, examining the surroundings with only his right.
Red pillars, jade-green tiles, and two dark-gold dragon sculptures weathered by the years coiled before the entrance.
"Open the gates!"
At the official's shout, a group of soldiers stepped forward and pushed open the mansion's gates.
Within, towers and pavilions were built along the hillside, and clear water flowed through the residence, displaying all its scenic beauty.
"You have only just arrived, so rest here for now. We will return later to discuss eliminating the menace in detail."
With that, the officials left with the soldiers, leaving only some servants waiting outside.
He Wenchang and his two companions all carried themselves like wealthy young masters. They called the servants inside to clean and casually chose the three courtyards in the middle. Then they selected and distributed the servants and maids among the other courtyards.
Ao Ding politely declined their offer of maids and hastily chose a courtyard near the water with Sun Chen.
As soon as they entered the courtyard and shut the door, Ao Ding impatiently asked about the ant kingdom.
"Oh, your left eye can see these Beauty Ants' true forms. Excellent... excellent. That eye of yours is stronger than I expected-which means it burdens you even more. You must replenish your deficiencies as soon as possible."
Ao Ding forced himself to remain calm. "Senior, I understand all that-but we've landed in an ant nest. Are we really safe?"
To be honest, although he had transmigrated six years ago-
When had he ever seen proper demons, monsters, ghosts, or spirits during his days in the Seven Spirits Sect?
Those spirit beasts and spirit birds-weren't they ingredients for the kitchen garden's cooking?
What danger did they pose?
Yet after coming out with Sun Chen, he had seen ghosts first, then demons-this was far too thrilling!
Sun Chen smiled. "How can a cultivator be timid? Though the True Realm of Mountains and Seas is where our Six Sects of the Immortal Dao stand supreme, countless other races coexist here. The Beauty Ants you see are one such lineage-hmm, as for their origins, they are a variant breed raised and transformed by a senior of the Jade Cauldron Sect a hundred thousand years ago. Their upper bodies resemble beautiful women, hence the name Beauty Ants. If they cultivate to become True Persons, they can shed their unusual features and attain the true jade bodies of Celestial Persons. Still-it really is unexpected that Beauty Ants occupy this Jiaxia Kingdom. When I passed through three thousand years ago, the Jiaxia Kingdom was still inhabited by the earth dragon race."
Then he changed tack. "It doesn't matter-regardless of who owns the Jiaxia Kingdom, as long as we can open the Mysterious Jia Spiritual Treasury and let you soak in that Innate Divine Spring, it will replenish your depleted vital essence and allow you to cultivate smoothly."
Ao Ding was still filled with unease.
A whole kingdom of ant spirits... there must be power struggles and mutual deception... What if they go back on their word afterward?
In Senior's current condition, can he escape this ant nest?
Sun Chen, however, was perfectly composed. "Come, come, keep cultivating-we haven't done today's morning practice yet."
Gathering qi and practicing breathing exercises morning and evening were compulsory for cultivators.
Ao Ding nodded silently and sat on the couch to circulate his cultivation method.
Whatever happened, strength of his own was the only foundation for confidence.
Sun Chen stood beside him, slowly reciting the Golden Light Formula.
"The hidden source of heaven and earth, the root of myriad qi. The Great One holds the true; golden light suffuses the body..."
Ao Ding circulated his qi according to the formula, gradually settling into the proper rhythm.
Seeing Ao Ding concentrating on cultivation, Sun Chen turned toward the window to observe what the others in the prince consort's mansion were doing.
He Wenchang's trio had come for longevity medicine in the first place and were now gathered together discussing tomorrow's task of eliminating the menace.
As for the other five...
Hmm.
All right, nothing much was happening.
Unlike the five of them, who had clear goals, the remaining five had all been swept in by a bank of fog.
Though the four adults were interested in "marrying a princess," once they entered the prince consort's mansion, its magnificent furnishings dazzled them. They were already engrossed in the pleasure of being surrounded and attended by a large crowd of servants, temporarily putting the task of eliminating the menace out of their minds.
Only that young wandering swordsman...
"About Ao Ding's age-and brimming with spiritual energy..."
Sun Chen calculated on his fingers, and a smile immediately appeared on his face.
Leaving an immortal art beside Ao Ding to protect him, he opened the door and went to speak with the boy.
"Ladies, don't do anything rash-"
Before Sun Chen reached him, he heard a miserable cry from the boy's courtyard.
When he entered, he saw the boy, his clothes disheveled, clutching his outer robe as he jumped out of a window.
Several maids were still calling from inside.
"Brave sir, please don't misunderstand-we... we really were just preparing your washing things and helping you bathe."
"Come back, young man-you still need to eat after your bath..."
But with five maids coming in to undress him, their hands all over him, how could the frightened boy dare stay?
He had yet to become a disciple of an immortal sect. He could not lose his primal yang.
Seeing this, Sun Chen lightly tapped his walking stick. A clear breeze swirled up from the ground and pulled the boy before him.
Feeling something tug at his ankles, the boy hurriedly activated his inner strength. But the wind was too fast, and by the time he recovered his wits, he had already landed in front of Sun Chen.
The boy understood.
So it was this senior's doing?
Father said that when traveling, old people and children were the ones you must never offend. Those were the two forms immortals most commonly took.
The boy grew solemn and cupped his hands in salute. "This junior is Lu Xiu. Greetings, Senior."
"'Long, long is the road I shall travel in my search'? Excellent, excellent."
Sun Chen nodded with a smile, looking Lu Xiu up and down.
Lu Xiu brimmed with spiritual energy, almost rivaling someone who had cultivated for several hundred years. All his martial postnatal true qi had reverted to the prenatal state.
Had he eaten a thousand-year-old spirit medicine?
Looking with his Dharma eye, Sun Chen saw how, half a year earlier, the boy had swallowed spirit medicine at the foot of a cliff and broken through in his family's martial arts.
"Young friend-what are your thoughts on slaying the demon bird and marrying the princess?"
Looking utterly embarrassed, Lu Xiu waved his hands repeatedly. "Senior, please don't ruin me-I still want to seek immortality and the Dao. I can't stay here and marry. Besides, I'm still young-I haven't even reached the age of binding my hair!"
But then he changed tack.
"Still, as wandering heroes, when we see injustice on the road, we should draw our blades to help. I will go after that demon bird too. But marriage is absolutely out of the question!"
Hearing that Lu Xiu wished to seek immortality, Sun Chen asked curiously, "You're a wandering swordsman, only thirteen or so, yet you already want to seek immortality? Shouldn't a child like you be championing justice, making a name in the martial world, and becoming a young hero of the righteous path?"
Lu Xiu said, "Though my family is a martial arts lineage, we also have ties to an immortal sect. Long ago, an ancestor of ours was a disciple who came from an immortal sect. As for me... I had a fortunate encounter, and Father said I could try joining an immortal sect."
A fortunate encounter indeed-the chance to eat a thousand-year-old great medicine... That he hadn't burst apart or died of poisoning afterward was rarer still.
Sun Chen studied Lu Xiu and formed a plan, taking the initiative to invite him. "In that case, why not come to my quarters, young friend? This old Daoist can help you consider a thing or two about immortal cultivation."
Lu Xiu nodded repeatedly and, without the slightest wariness, followed Sun Chen toward Ling-shuang Courtyard.
Before they entered, they smelled food wafting out from within.
Grrr...
Lu Xiu rubbed his stomach, looking somewhat embarrassed.
He had lost his way while searching for the Heavenly Stone Sect and wandered through the pine forest for three days. During those three days, he had eaten nothing but a few pine nuts.
The maids had originally come to attend him so they could take him to eat after bathing and changing his clothes. But Lu Xiu's shyness had left them no chance to explain.
"Oh? That boy's cooking? Wait-how can he..."
Something occurred to Sun Chen, and he hurriedly led Lu Xiu inside.
Ao Ding had finished cultivating and was now using his wooden staff to conjure a large pot made of flames.
Oil cauldron hell, Nine-Boil Chain-Shaped Karmic Cleansing Great Method.
Sun Chen silently recited the names.
This Northern Yin Dharma method was also an orthodox method pointing directly toward becoming a True Person. By entering an oil cauldron and undergoing repeated boiling and cleansing, one burned away all turbid thoughts and karmic sins, leaving only an immortal true nature.
Ao Ding had failed to grasp its essence and could only barely cast a Hotpot Spell.
He normally used this pot of condensed flames to make maocai, hotpot, and malatang from leftovers he picked out in the kitchen.
Sun Chen could not help asking, "Just how many hell methods did you comprehend from the Northern Yin Dharma?"
"Oil cauldron hell, stone mill hell, skinning hell, blade mountain hell, and pounding mortar hell... The spells I comprehended were derived from these five hells."
Well, then: the Nine-Boil Chain-Shaped Karmic Cleansing Great Method, Stone Mill Form-Erasing Formless Great Method, Five Insects Ten Kinds Great Skinning Method, Bone-Hacking Spirit-Severing Golden Weapons Demon-Shattering Method, and Pounding Annihilation and Mashing to Dust Great Method.
Good thing I took you on that trip through the Nine Netherworlds earlier-otherwise, who wouldn't think you were a Northern Yin ghost-god born into the human world?
Then Ao Ding added, "Apart from the five spells derived from the Northern Yin Dharma, the only spells I know are the Food-Painting Art and the Firewood Stove Fire Spell."
The Firewood Stove Fire Spell could also conjure a fiery stove, but it was not as useful as the Hotpot Spell.
As Ao Ding spoke, he tore pages from a booklet and tossed the sheets of painted dishes into the fiercely burning pot.
The instant the paper entered the pot, fragrance surged forth, and a complete serving of crab-stuffed orange appeared inside.
Ao Ding set the crab-stuffed orange aside, tore out another sheet, and tossed it into the hotpot.
Looking again at the table beside him, Sun Chen saw that it already held emerald pea shoots, golden-thread silver-strand shrimp, gold-and-jade soup, and a plate of plum blossom cakes.
Once a plate of assorted flaky buns emerged from the pot, Ao Ding glanced at Lu Xiu and tossed in more paper.
This was the Meal-Painting Art.
One drew what one wanted to eat on special paper, then cast a spell to manifest the food before oneself. It was mostly a minor art cultivators used to satisfy their cravings.
If one's cultivation was inadequate, these things were like flowers and the moon reflected in water, possessing appearance alone without any taste or texture. If the caster's mental power was strong, however, the food could be truly reproduced, almost as though creating things.
Watching the appealing plates of food appear, Sun Chen nodded inwardly.
Though his left eye has held this child back and his cultivation has progressed only modestly over the past six years, his attainments in spellcraft are truly impressive-presumably Wang Weilong arranged for him to be taught this Meal-Painting Art? It's very effective at training Divine Sense and developing concentration.
He invited Lu Xiu to sit, and the three ate breakfast together.
Lu Xiu could not help asking, "By the way-why are you preparing food yourself? We're staying here, yet they don't even provide meals?"
Ao Ding gave him an exceedingly polite smile but did not answer.
Eat their food?
Would I dare eat the meals these Beauty Ants prepared?
Never mind that they might go back on their word later and perhaps poison the food.
Even if they sincerely brought us food... do ants eat the same things we humans do?
Perhaps they might even serve ant eggs or aphid honeydew?
In short, Ao Ding did not dare eat anything the Beauty Ants sent, so naturally he had to make it himself.
Sun Chen said, "Haha-boy, don't ask, don't ask-hurry and finish breakfast. We'll wait for those officials to call."
Indeed, the food Ao Ding conjured seemed real yet was not, seemed false yet was not, and was formed from spiritual energy. Eating it was like eating a mass of spiritual energy, but it tasted quite good.
After the meal, Ao Ding painted three cups of strong tea and leisurely drank with the other two as they chatted idly.
Only when He Wenchang arrived with two officials to invite them did the three follow them to the main hall.
Inside, the "ten brave men" gathered together.
The three old officials looked around at everyone and said, "Gentlemen, that demon bird is ferocious beyond compare. For the sake of your lives, why not first come with us to take a look? If you wish to withdraw, we will not force you. We will give you ten taels of gold and see you on your way."
So reasonable and friendly?
Ao Ding raised his brows and looked the ants up and down.
Come to think of it, he truly had not seen much bloody baleful intent on these Beauty Ants.
Feeling that his ancestral connection made him the ten men's "leader," He Wenchang thanked the old officials for their kindness and called for everyone to follow them outside.
The officials led the brave men to a square platform outside the city.
The platform was ten zhang wide and completely bare, yet inexplicably carried a chill.
Something's wrong!
The instant he saw the square platform, a thought suddenly flashed through Ao Ding's mind.
Could this talk of slaying the demon bird be a pretext, just to get us onto the platform as sacrifices for that demon bird to snatch up and eat?
Before you continue