“Lure the snake out of its hole? I can’t believe my good-for-nothing little brother came up with that idea. Someone must have put him up to it.” Elder Hu De chuckled. “Still, there’s no harm in giving it a try.”
The journey to the Myriad Dao Sect would take far too long, and the blood offerings aboard the flying vessel might not last.
Treasure-seeking mice could only locate those rare spirit herbs after eating the fruits that grew on the vines.
Unfortunately, they were extraordinarily difficult to raise.
With the Hu Family’s accumulated resources over all these years, they had barely managed to nurture a single treasure-seeking mouse. If they could feed it until it grew even stronger, it might even be able to locate ancient immortal ruins or primordial secret realms for them.
A method like that was worth betting the entire Hu Family’s future on.
For this reason, the Hu Family had continuously swallowed up one clan after another, using the flesh and blood of disciples from defeated clans as sacrifices. They also spread rumors that the Hu Family possessed a secret method for cultivating spirit herbs, attracting one fool after another to come and throw away their lives.
Those lured in this way were not only high-quality blood offerings, but their disappearances would not attract the attention of the immortal sects. It was, in every sense, killing two birds with one stone.
Unfortunately, they had eventually been exposed.
Elder Hu De’s expression darkened. Even though that ancestor had clearly stated that the cultivator who had come to investigate—and then severed contact—was at least in the Immaculate Realm, he had no intention of letting the matter go so easily.
At present, all they could do was hurry. They had to reach the Myriad Dao Sect as quickly as possible, deliver the item, and secure the sect’s support.
Once that happened, the Hu Family could completely clear its name and would no longer need to fear being hunted down by the other immortal sects.
“Someone come here.” Elder Hu De summoned several of his subordinates. “Find out who Hu Ren has been spending time with recently and report back to me. Also, begin repairing the formations aboard the flying vessel as I instructed.”
“Yes, sir.”
The next day.
The cultivators aboard the flying vessel watched as groups of formation masters arrived and began repairing the formations in various parts of the vessel.
Seeing so many formation masters at once was an eye-opening experience for quite a few people.
Even Cao Ru could not help taking a few extra glances.
There were simply too few cultivators who could master the art of formations. Only prominent clans could afford to support them, and the more skilled a formation master was, the more formidable their background tended to be.
Cao Ru had learned formations almost entirely through self-study. The formation knowledge and tools he possessed had all been obtained by his master, Xu Guan, from the corpse of a deceased formation master.
Thus, upon seeing so many formation masters, Cao Ru began to feel restless with excitement.
“Xiaoru, just go over there openly and put on an arrogant air. Find a younger formation master and provoke him a little. Tell him that the way they repair formations is inferior to the methods used by your sect, or something along those lines,” Shu Xin advised him from the side. “Once you’ve angered him, discuss your views on formations with him. Then apologize, give him some formation-related gifts, and invite him to a meal. After that, wait for him to introduce you to the other formation masters.”
“Remember, the key is to provoke him first, then bury the hatchet with a smile. You must find someone young and friendly-looking. Got it?”
Cao Ru was initially confused, but then he suddenly understood. His face lit up with delight.
“Thank you, Senior Sister. Thank you, True Lord. I understand now.”
“Mm. Go on.”
Shu Xin waved him away.
Cao Ru left, brimming with enthusiasm.
Shu Xin then looked at the other four people in the room. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, already feeling a headache coming on, and asked helplessly, “Why are the four of you still here? How is the task I gave you going?”
Hadn’t the four of them agreed to approach the other Nascent Soul True Lords together?
Yet they were all standing around here. Not a single one of them had succeeded.
“True Lord, we really did our best.” Yuan Dawei wore a deeply troubled expression as he helplessly scratched his head. “We had originally made a plan, but haven’t they been conducting strict inspections aboard the flying vessel lately? Our original plan isn’t very useful anymore. Forget about approaching those Nascent Soul True Lords—we can barely even get past their subordinates.”
Those who served at the sides of Nascent Soul True Lords were all exceedingly shrewd.
Although their cultivation levels were inferior to Yuan Dawei and the others, their vigilance was second to none.
Anyone attempting to approach their masters would be stopped and questioned.
Especially now that quite a few servants aboard the flying vessel had died. Many people were considering switching allegiances, while the Nascent Soul cultivators were the most promising patrons around. Naturally, everyone wanted to curry favor with them.
“Hmm. Tell me about it.” Shu Xin felt that this shouldn’t be difficult. She could not understand why Yuan Dawei and the others had still failed after so long.
“After analyzing the situation, we decided to approach Fan Jia'an, Dao Lord Fan, first,” Qi Feiyang said as he stepped forward. “We concluded that he should be the easiest to approach.”
[Oh, wow. They picked the very first person who tried to kill them. Ever since they started following you, even their luck has gotten worse.]
The Sword Spirit could not help clicking her tongue in amazement.
As the only person in this world to have traveled between two realms, Shu Xin possessed an astonishing amount of fate. It was exceedingly rare.
Without the Sword Spirit suppressing her fate, Shu Xin would absolutely have become one of those “protagonists” from the storybooks she often mentioned. She would meet an old master right at the beginning, have people rush to give her treasures whenever she walked down the street, and encounter a series of Earthly Immortals who would pave the way for her and hand over their entire fortunes.
And then she would be possessed.
In this era, it was impossible for the Earthly Immortals to ascend through their own efforts. They could only hide in the dark corners of the world of cultivation, doing their best to avoid entangling themselves in karma while slowly waiting for their lifespans to run out.
The only thing that could change their fate was possessing someone with immense fortune and starting over on the path to ascension.
The Earthly Immortals had already occupied the most exceptional fortune and resources in the cultivation world. Their destinies were incomparably noble, and their souls were so powerful that if they tried to possess an ordinary cultivator, that cultivator’s soul would instantly be obliterated.
So if someone like Shu Xin appeared—young, graceful, and blessed with terrifyingly great fortune—wouldn’t countless people rush to provide her with resources?
The higher her cultivation rose, the better a vessel she would make for possession.
It was just like how humans raised livestock: they painstakingly cut grass and fed it to the animals, fattening them until they were plump and healthy. If the animals fell ill, humans would be even more anxious than they were when they themselves got sick.
But did that change the fate awaiting the animals in the end?
Thus, the first thing the Sword Spirit did after forming a contract with Shu Xin was suppress her fortune, making it steady and enduring rather than allowing it to erupt violently, followed by equally dramatic rises and falls.
As a result, Shu Xin lost the opportunities to pick up treasures wherever she went and the chance to run into powerful figures every time she left home. At the same time, however, she gained an ordinary life—one in which others did not constantly covet her.
Nevertheless, Shu Xin’s fortune was simply too powerful. Even with the Sword Spirit suppressing it, her life was destined to contain more twists and turns than other people’s. She was also more likely to attract cultivators with profound cultivation or deep karmic entanglements.
Situ Jian, for example, was someone burdened with particularly deep karma.
“You can’t blame me for this.” Shu Xin absolutely refused to admit that she was a jinx. The only reason things kept going wrong was that the people in this world were simply too difficult to deal with.
“Why did you pick him?” Shu Xin asked Yuan Dawei and the others in confusion. “You five—especially you—should have found it easier to approach that female cultivator, Tan Wanyan.”
Of the five disciples and servants, Yuan Dawei was the most handsome.
Given Tan Wanyan’s attitude of never turning away a young and attractive male cultivator, it should have been easy for Yuan Dawei to get close to her.
Yuan Dawei’s face flushed red, and he began stammering. “N-no, I’m not good at approaching female cultivators. They scare me.”
“Am I not a female cultivator? What about your senior sisters and junior sisters?” Shu Xin asked in return.
“That’s different.” Yuan Dawei glanced up at Shu Xin. “I grew up with my senior and junior sisters, so I’m used to them. As for you, True Lord… In my heart, you’re as important as Master. You’ve already transcended the distinction between men and women.”
The other three nodded frantically as well.
Although they had not known their senior sister for very long, these days spent by her side had shattered their worldview again and again. They would practically regard her as their second parent if that would not be insulting to her. How could they possibly dare to think of her in terms of gender?
Once a person became powerful enough, every label lost its meaning when applied to them.
“Fan Jia’an is different.” Li Qinghe stepped in to smooth things over. “He’s young and easygoing. He looks like he comes from a background that isn’t too low but isn’t too high, either. Someone from a middling background is the easiest to deal with. As for Monk Jiezao and Zhuang Lu, they both look difficult to handle. One is an apostate from the Buddhist sects, while the other is skilled with poison. They’re both meticulous and cautious, so they might easily notice something wrong with us. As for the brothers Wang Zhou and Wang An, they’ve already pledged themselves to the Hu Family and consider themselves members of it. They look down on us, so they’re difficult to approach.”
“And then there’s Qu Yougu… He’s been in seclusion cultivating this whole time and never comes out. We have no way to get close to him.”
So choosing Fan Jia’an had been a last resort.
“Mm. How far have you gotten?” Shu Xin asked.
“We tried disguising ourselves as servants of the Hu Family and approaching him, but his attendants stopped us before we even got close. After that, we tried pretending to be cultivators who wanted to visit him and seek guidance, but he turned us away as well.”
“Then we tried going under the pretext of delivering something, but we still couldn’t see him.”
“We never realized that getting close to someone could be this difficult.”
When they had made the bet with their senior sister, they had thought that, with so many of them, they would surely be able to show her what they were capable of.
Who could have guessed that they would be unable to proceed after barely getting started?
“You chose the wrong time.” Shu Xin rubbed her forehead. “Getting close to someone and earning their trust isn’t something you can accomplish by rushing over to them. You have to lie low and observe everything about them first, then choose the right moment to make your move. Ideally, you should act when the other person is in a relatively closed-off and extreme situation. That’s the best way to make them believe you.”
Yuan Dawei and the others listened in bewilderment.
It was as though their teacher were lecturing on advanced mathematics while the students below thought they were attending an English class.
Shu Xin looked at them speechlessly.
“Forget it. I have nothing else to do anyway, so I’ll demonstrate for you.” Shu Xin rose to her feet and stretched. “You just said that Monk Jiezao and Zhuang Lu would be difficult to deal with, right? Remember this: No one can guarantee that they will never be deceived. They simply haven’t encountered a scheme aimed specifically at them yet. You still have a lot to learn.”
[Of course. The people you trick still have to count out the money for you.] the Sword Spirit praised.
“Haha.” Shu Xin burst out laughing.
“Let’s start with Monk Jiezao.” Shu Xin smiled. “He’s an apostate from the Buddhist sects, and his temperament is extreme. Just by looking at him, you can tell that he’s living rather frugally. On top of that, he has already reached the Dao Infant Realm, so changing cultivation methods would be extremely difficult for him. Starting over from scratch wouldn’t be suitable, either, since he doesn’t have that many years left to live. So what would he care about most right now?”
“Returning to the Buddhist sect?” Meng Wenrui ventured cautiously.
“When has he ever shown any sign of that?” Shu Xin said irritably. “He clearly despises the Buddhist sects. He wears that monk’s robe only to disgust himself with the sect he once belonged to.”
“His remaining lifespan?” Li Qinghe asked, recalling what Shu Xin had just said about Monk Jiezao not having many years left.
“Exactly.” Shu Xin nodded. “If you think back carefully, you’ll remember that when the Hu Family hosted us, Monk Jiezao ate mostly food with little spiritual energy. He didn’t touch anything rich in spiritual energy. That’s because his lifespan is already running short. He still looks young simply because he hasn’t reached the point of extreme decline yet. Unlike Tan Wanyan, he doesn’t indulge himself and live only for immediate pleasure. Food rich in spiritual energy would affect his body, which is why he wouldn’t touch it.”
“Now, Zhuang Lu.” Shu Xin continued seriously. “He’s skilled with poison, yet he deliberately presents himself as cheerful and carefree. That’s to make people lower their guard around him. He’s extremely confident in his own mastery of poisons—so confident that it has become arrogance. That is the weakness we need to exploit.”
“If you want someone to trust you, if you want to approach a stranger, you first need to analyze the foundation of their personality. That allows you to predict what they’ll do next. Only by targeting that can you earn their trust.”
“There’s also one major problem you’ve overlooked.” Shu Xin sighed. “Tan Wanyan, Zhuang Lu, and Monk Jiezao actually know one another, and they’re quite close. Didn’t you notice?”
[It would be a miracle if they had.] the Sword Spirit muttered.
“So watch carefully.”
What followed was a period in which Yuan Dawei and the others stayed by Shu Xin’s side and witnessed her entire process of swindling—er, teaching.
On the first day, Shu Xin had several of her disciples and servants walk past the rooms where Monk Jiezao and Zhuang Lu were staying, looking nervous, furtive, and mysterious.
Meng Wenrui was the best choice for the job. He looked quiet and weak, making it easy for people to overlook him.
“You’re hopeless. If you damage any of this, True Lord won’t let you off,” Qi Feiyang pretended to snap as he smacked Meng Wenrui lightly on the head. “Put it away quickly. True Lord is still waiting.”
“Got it.” Meng Wenrui looked somewhat depressed. “Why won’t she give me a storage bag? I haven’t had to carry anything in ages.”
“Of course not. Keeping them in a storage bag would damage their spiritual essence. Enough, I’ve explained more than enough already. Hurry up and go. True Lord said these are for Dao Lord Tan. She’s very interested in that dual-cultivation manual of hers.”
“All right, all right.”
The two exchanged a few brief words, then hurried away without the slightest hesitation.
This minor quarrel naturally did not escape the notice of Monk Jiezao and Zhuang Lu, but neither of them paid it much attention. After all, it was perfectly normal for Dao Infant cultivators to interact with one another.
But that night, Zhuang Lu’s door was kicked open by Tan Wanyan. Her face was wary, yet she could not hide her excitement.
“Quick, take a look at the quality of this medicine.” Tan Wanyan tossed a pill bottle directly to Zhuang Lu. “The pill inside isn’t poisonous, is it?”
Zhuang Lu frowned as he looked at Tan Wanyan, who was clearly far too excited. He did not know what to say.
They had already agreed that the three of them would pretend not to know one another as much as possible.
But given Tan Wanyan’s behavior, he found it rather strange. Even so, he could not bring himself to say anything.
Zhuang Lu opened the bottle. There was only a single pill inside, marked with strange patterns. Its spiritual energy felt vaguely familiar, but he could not quite identify it.
“What do you think?” Tan Wanyan asked anxiously.
“I can’t tell what it is.” Zhuang Lu frowned. “But it should be harmless.”
“As long as it isn’t poisonous, that’s enough.” Tan Wanyan immediately snatched the pill back. “I was never here tonight, and you never saw me. Forget this for now. Even if you ask me about it, I won’t admit anything.”
With that, Tan Wanyan arrived in a whirlwind and left in another.
The next day, when Zhuang Lu saw Tan Wanyan, she acted as though nothing had happened. She did not even exchange a glance with him, as if they had never interacted at all.
Yet that night, Tan Wanyan came again.
This time, she looked even more anxious. After arriving, she said nothing else and merely asked over and over, “You’re certain this pill really isn’t poisonous, right?”
“I’m certain.” Zhuang Lu reaffirmed his answer.
“Just pretend you never saw me, and don’t tell Monk Jiezao that I came here.” Tan Wanyan left once again.
After this happened twice in a row, Zhuang Lu could not help but grow suspicious.
On the third night, Tan Wanyan came again. This time, however, she looked much calmer. Even the white hair on her head seemed to be showing signs of turning black.
“Your hair?” Zhuang Lu exclaimed in shock. “You… extended your lifespan?”
“No, no.” Tan Wanyan instinctively touched her hair. “I’ve merely been cultivating a technique recently that makes me look younger. That way, I’ll have an easier time finding handsome male cultivators for dual cultivation.”
“By the way, that pill I showed you before—do you have any way to reproduce it, or analyze its ingredients?” Tan Wanyan pressed.
“I’m not an alchemist. Naturally, I can’t do that.” Zhuang Lu grew even more suspicious. His instincts told him that things were not as simple as Tan Wanyan claimed.
Tan Wanyan left again.
During the day, Zhuang Lu noticed that Tan Wanyan’s hair had turned white once more. She also pretended not to know him, as though the black hair he had seen before had merely been a trick of the light.
Moreover, Tan Wanyan did not come that night.
Alone in his room, Zhuang Lu tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
He was absolutely certain that he had not been mistaken. One night, Tan Wanyan’s hair had indeed turned slightly black.
It was that pill!
Zhuang Lu was stunned.
Tan Wanyan had most likely obtained a pill capable of extending one’s lifespan. But because she did not know exactly what effect it would have, she had not dared to consume it recklessly. That was why she had come to ask whether it was poisonous. After discovering that it was harmless, she had taken it and indeed seen results—but she did not want to reveal the truth, so she had denied everything!
Yes, that had to be it.
If he had obtained a pill capable of extending his lifespan, he would never have told anyone either.
The more Zhuang Lu thought about it, the more alarmed he became. He could not settle down at all.
Who would not want a pill capable of extending one’s lifespan? These cultivators might appear imposing and powerful, but in reality, they could not accumulate enough resources to reach the Grotto-Heaven realm even after three lifetimes. As for enduring the so-called Three Winds and Four Fires, they would probably die the moment they encountered them. Could the tribulation-transcending techniques and treasures of the great sects really fall into their hands?
That was why pills capable of extending one’s lifespan were so extraordinarily precious.
If he went to ask Tan Wanyan about it, she would only deny everything.
After thinking it over, Zhuang Lu decided to find Monk Jiezao and properly discuss the matter with him.
If such a thing truly existed, the three of them had to demand that Tan Wanyan hand it over so they could share it. If that proved impossible, she could at least reveal where the pill had come from, and they could search for it themselves.
Zhuang Lu acted as soon as he made up his mind and immediately went to find Monk Jiezao.
When Monk Jiezao heard that there was a pill capable of extending one’s lifespan, he thought Zhuang Lu was joking.
“You must have seen wrong.” Monk Jiezao laughed loudly. “How precious are pills that can extend one’s lifespan? Even the influential figures of the Nine Sects and Ten Schools might not receive a single one. What virtue or ability does Tan Wanyan possess that she could obtain such a treasure—and have you discover it as well? I think it’s merely some ordinary beauty pill.”
“Even an appearance-preserving pill is useless to a cultivator whose lifespan is nearly exhausted. She has consumed so many of those pills, yet all they’ve done is preserve her face. Her hair and body have already begun to age.” Zhuang Lu sneered. “Naturally, pills capable of extending one’s lifespan by a hundred or a thousand years do not exist. But it is still possible for a pill to extend one’s lifespan by a year or two. I remember that the Myriad Dao Sect’s merchant association once auctioned an entire bottle of lifespan-extending pills.”
Monk Jiezao’s expression changed as well.
The three of them had joined forces to kill countless cultivators in order to reach the Dao Infant stage, yet after finally obtaining their cultivation, they had little time left to live. Otherwise, why would they have come to accept the Hu Family’s mission?
“We need to find a way to question her thoroughly,” Zhuang Lu said seriously.
“No need to ask. I knew the two of you were getting together to talk about me.” Tan Wanyan entered the room. Seeing Zhuang Lu and Monk Jiezao together, she did not say much more, merely looking somewhat helpless. “I knew I couldn’t keep it from you. You happened to notice me before, and with how meticulous you are, you would never let your suspicions go.”
“That isn’t a lifespan-extending pill. It’s merely a pill that can dispel the turbid spiritual energy in my body. Thanks to it, I can reorganize the spiritual energy within me and make my body regain its vitality.” Tan Wanyan honestly explained the truth. “That’s all.”
“That sounds much more believable than a lifespan-extending pill.” The smile on Monk Jiezao’s face became more genuine. “Then how did you obtain this pill?”
“It was given to me by Dao Lord Lin in exchange for one of my techniques,” Tan Wanyan replied. “But she only obtained it by chance as well. She discovered a strange alchemy furnace covered in numerous seals. Every time one of the seals is broken, a bottle of pills can be taken from the furnace. No one knows what kind of pills they will be. Sometimes they are priceless treasures, while other times they are nothing special. We suspect that this is the inheritance left behind by some alchemist.”
Monk Jiezao and Zhuang Lu’s eyes lit up.
“Where is that alchemy furnace?”
“If it were you, would you tell me about a place like this?” Tan Wanyan sneered. “How do you think I found out? I followed a few of her subordinates and only then learned about it. We’re all staying aboard this flying ship now, and we have to report to the Hu family whenever we go out. The only way to avoid attracting attention is to have our subordinates do the work!”
Zhuang Lu and Monk Jiezao both looked displeased.
“I followed them a few days ago, and I’m afraid they may already have noticed me. I can’t show myself again. Otherwise, once Cultivator Lin realizes that I’ve uncovered her secret, she definitely won’t let me off.” Tan Wanyan spoke earnestly. “But she doesn’t know about the connection between the three of us. You two can do the tailing. Once you find the pills, we’ll divide them according to our old arrangement.”
“So you want the monk and me to do all the work while you sit back and enjoy the benefits?” Zhuang Lu sneered.
“Cultivator Lin isn’t sending anyone to retrieve the pills anymore, but I’ve already found out where that alchemy furnace is being taken.” Tan Wanyan remained calm. “If you’re unwilling, then forget it. We’ll each go our own way and pretend I never brought this up.”
“Wait.” Monk Jiezao spoke up. “Old Zhuang is just getting impatient. Why are you so angry? I agree to your terms, as long as what you say is true.”
“You think I wanted to tell you?” Tan Wanyan gritted her teeth. “That alchemy furnace has already developed cracks and can only be used a few more times. I’m more worried than any of you that it’ll break. If you want to know where it is, fine—but each of you must first give me two thousand spirit stones as compensation. After all, I have no idea whether what you bring back will be precious pills or ordinary ones.”
