I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 253: Chapter 101: Fleeting Years (Part 3)

Fang Rui had once casually mentioned that she could learn the zither in her free time. She had taken his words to heart, practicing secretly for a long time. Only now that she had gotten the hang of it did she decide to show him.

So, the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, were shooed off to a nearby stone bench to draw. The head maidservant, Qing Yun, brought out a zither, and Third Lady sat down to play. Her every movement possessed an ineffable elegance and beauty.

Amidst the melodious notes of the zither, the twilight shifted. The surface of the pond shimmered, its dappled, floating light like stars scattered across the sky.

Nearby, the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, glanced from Fang Rui to Third Lady, their big eyes darting about as they scribbled on their drawing paper with a RUSTLE.

In the distance, the head maidservant Bai Shao stood upon White Stone Bridge, scattering food into the stream below. A great school of fish leaped up, sending ripples spreading across the water.

Further off, sounds came from the kitchen. It was Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, chattering as she instructed a young maidservant on what ingredients to prepare. She said she wanted to personally make some soup to help nourish Fang Rui.

Watching all this, listening to all this, Fang Rui felt a sense of peace settle over his heart.

...

Half a month passed in a flash.

There was no further news of the Yin Corpse that the Zheng Family Ancestor had become; it was as if it had vanished from the Mortal World.

The Zheng Family, having paid some unknown price to manage the various powers in the city, managed to suppress the matter of their unauthorized cultivation of a Demigod Medicine. A major crisis was reduced to a minor issue, and the minor issue to nothing at all.

During that half-month, the Zheng Family had somehow managed to produce another Third Grade Martial Artist, who had already passed through their period of weakness.

However, the Zheng Family had drawn too much enmity this time and didn’t dare stir up any more trouble, even contracting their influence within the city to a certain degree.

The city returned to its former stability, calm and without incident. It was like a Painted Skin Ghost had donned human flesh—a charming beauty, a picture of tranquil times.

The Divine Capture Bureau also became idle.

The only thing that frustrated Fang Rui was that after his breakthrough to Second Grade, the Four Seas Commerce Association could no longer adequately supply him.

After all, assuming he didn’t want to consume Half-Spirit Medicine, the energy provided by Great Medicines and Old Medicines was far from enough for a Second Grade Martial Artist.

Besides, Great Medicines and Old Medicines were considered mid-to-high-end resources and weren’t easy to procure in large quantities.

The consequence?

It wasn’t so bad that his Realm would drop, but it was uncomfortable.

To make an analogy: the difference between an ordinary person and a High Grade Martial Artist is like that between an infant and an adult. Even if neither of them does any work, the amount of food they need each day just to sustain themselves is vastly different.

If an adult were to eat only as much as an infant, they would be in a constant state of hunger, which is definitely an unpleasant feeling.

It was only because Fang Rui was special and could afford to slack off, not needing to diligently pursue his daily cultivation, that his resource requirements weren’t even higher.

...

Fang Rui still went fishing at Mochou Lake. He would occasionally run into Ge Changgeng, though most of the time he didn’t. When they did meet, the two would chat for a while.

Sometimes Fang Rui would leave first, other times it would be Ge Changgeng. Once their interest waned, they would wave, say goodbye, and leave without feeling obligated to keep the other company. Their dynamic was refreshingly casual and relaxed.

On his day off, the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, decided to sleep in and didn’t want to go out. Fang Rui went to Mochou Lake alone and even had his lunch there.

Ge Changgeng happened to come by today as well. He arrived in the mid-morning and departed in the mid-afternoon, leaving on the back of a crane.

After he left, Fang Rui stroked the White-headed Gull sitting beside him, cleared his mind, and continued fishing.

If one were to look closely at this moment, they would discover a faint cyan glow flickering along his fishing rod and line, making the ordinary material of the rod seem extraordinary, as if it were made of colored glass.

This was a phenomenon caused by the conduction of True Essence; Fang Rui was exploring different techniques for using it.

Furthermore, doing this not only strengthened the resilience of the rod and line but also amplified the scent of the bait, increasing its attractiveness to fish and raising the probability of landing a rare catch.

A short while later,

SPLASH!

A two-foot-long golden carp burst from the water.

The White-headed Gull flapped its wings, shot to its feet, and faced Fang Rui. ”COO! COO COO!”

”You want to eat it? Fine, you can have it!”

Fang Rui tossed the large golden carp over. ”You know, you’re getting lazier and lazier. You used to catch fish and bring them to me, but now all you know how to do is eat.”

The White-headed Gull turned a deaf ear to the incessant nagging of the two-legged beast beside it, burying its head in its grand feast.

Fang Rui shook his head in amusement and was about to sit down again.

”Hm?!”

Just then, he suddenly sensed a sharp spike of Yin Qi. He moved instinctively, leaving a series of afterimages as he shot out, running across the water’s surface straight toward the source of the Yin Qi.

A faint cyan glow flickered beneath Fang Rui’s feet, sending ripples spreading out in circles.

”That is...”

Fang Rui locked onto the source and tracked it, soon spotting an area where gushing blood was dying the lake water red.

But by the time he arrived and carefully investigated, he could only sense a familiar Yin Qi, unable to track down the culprit.

’Is that the Yin Corpse the Zheng Family Ancestor turned into?! How did it get here?’

If it were in Nanshan Garden, Fang Rui wouldn’t have given a damn about it, but this was Mochou Lake.

’This is no longer just a matter of ruining the mood.’

Fang Rui’s expression turned serious. ’Ling’Er and Nannan sometimes come here, and so does Daoist Ge. It wouldn’t be good if something happened to him.’

Ge Changgeng was both a good teacher and a helpful friend to Fang Rui. He had gifted him a Jade Talisman and shared much secret knowledge; it was safe to say Fang Rui owed him quite a few favors.

If he hadn’t known, it would be one thing. But now that he did, he had to take action and eliminate this safety hazard.

’If it really is that Yin Corpse, I have to destroy it. At the very least, I need to drive it away.’

Fang Rui muttered to himself, covering his body with True Essence as he dove into the water. He searched the entire lakebed in that area but found nothing.

’Where on earth is it hiding?’

He suddenly recalled something Ge Changgeng had said: Mochou Lake was rumored to be the place where an ancient True Dragon had fallen. It was an extraordinary place, a fact proven by the continual emergence of Rare Plants.

’That’s it. A True Dragon is Extreme Yang. The Yin Corpse that the Zheng Family Ancestor became was already at Third Grade Peak. On top of that, it absorbed a wave of extreme resentment when I blew up Nanshan Garden, strengthening it further. It might have even touched the threshold of Second Grade.’

’A Second Grade Yin Corpse could be called an existence of Extreme Yin.’

’Extreme Yang and Extreme Yin attract each other. Perhaps the Yin Corpse followed its instincts and found some special place that’s shielding its Yin Qi from leaking out?’

Fang Rui wondered.

...

From then on, Fang Rui paid extra attention to the matter, and his fishing trips to Mochou Lake became much more frequent.

Over the next half-month, he sensed the Yin Qi two or three more times, but each time he gave chase, he was always a step behind and failed to track his target.

One time in particular, he was incredibly close, but a miss is as good as a mile, and he still failed.

Until today—

”I’ve finally got you!”

Fang Rui, having used a Light Body Jade Talisman, arrived at extreme speed. Spotting a dark shadow rapidly diving into the lake in the distance, he plunged into the water without hesitation.

He chased it all the way to the bottom of the lake.

When the creature burrowed into the silt at the lake bottom, he didn’t give up. He shaped his True Essence into a cone and drilled down after it, following the sense of Yin Qi in relentless pursuit.

After twisting and turning downward for another hundred meters or so, he reached an area of gravel. Ahead, the residual Yin Qi in the air suddenly became dense.

”Found your lair!”

Fang Rui’s True Essence surged as he struck out with his palm.

BOOM!

The gravel was blasted aside.

Behind it, a curtain of light appeared, revealing a Grotto Heaven.

...