Stealing Immortal

Chapter 12: Chapter 11: Profound Light

A light snow covered the mountains, shrouding the landscape.

On Four Golden Peaks, the snow began at the mountainside, spiraling upward and lending a sacred air to everything.

The wind was quieting; the snow had not yet fallen.

Chen Qingyang was dressed in a moon-white padded robe. He had neatly groomed the white beard under his chin. He might look old, but there was an undeniable, immortal-like aura about him.

His frame was hale and robust, and his posture, like in his youth, was gradually becoming tall and straight.

”Senior Brother Chen!”

Lü Yunshen stood still in the wind and snow. The red sun was about to rise, and the land was beginning to brighten.

But Chen Qingyang paid him no mind.

Lü Yunshen hurried a few steps to block his path. ”Senior Brother Chen, I know you have a problem with me, but this is about Xu Yong. I have no one else to tell but you!”

”Since when are his affairs any of my concern?”

Chen Qingyang just kept walking forward. Lü Yunshen shouted after him, ”Senior Brother Chen, Xu Yong has been acting strangely lately and hasn’t returned for several days! He only saw you before he disappeared. What did you say to him?”

The only answer he received was a trail of footprints in the snow.

He didn’t tarry long at the Hongling Token.

Chen Qingyang walked up the steps. When he reached the old pine tree, he consumed a Qi Gathering Pill Liu Tao had given him. He waited for it to slowly undergo Refinement inside his body before continuing on his way.

The progress of his Tai Xu Energy-Introducing Technique increased by another point.

’It’s too slow compared to what Xu Baoling gives me.’ He began to look forward to Xu Baoling taking the Poison Pill.

Unlike the cold outside, Liu Tao’s Alchemy Room was warm and toasty.

On the round table were some dishes and clear tea. She hadn’t touched her chopsticks; it seemed the meal was prepared for Chen Qingyang.

Fasting was something only those at Essence Condensation or above could do, and only if their cultivation progress wasn’t slowing down. If their cultivation speed didn’t match their body’s needs, they still required food as a supplement.

Why could only those at Foundation Establishment be called Masters? Because only at Foundation Establishment had one truly transcended the mortal coil, free from the constraints of grain and unaffected by illness, disaster, fire, or flood.

”Did she take it? Did that bitch take the Elixir?”

To put her mind at ease, Chen Qingyang said, ”She took it. Right in front of me.”

”Good, that’s good.” Then, Liu Tao had another thought. ”With her cautious nature, she must have used her Righteous Great Divine Dao to seduce you. Quick, tell me, how did you resist last night?”

Seeing Chen Qingyang’s silence, she grew anxious again. ”Did that bitch let you see everything? You couldn’t resist, could you? Did you sell me out?”

Whenever she faced Xu Baoling, Liu Tao would lose all her confidence.

”Didn’t you say that as long as I wasn’t lecherous, she couldn’t do anything to me?”

Liu Tao pondered for a moment, then a look of understanding dawned on her face. She glanced down at Chen Qingyang’s lower body. ”That’s true. At your age, a man has probably put such things behind him.”

Chen Qingyang remained silent.

Liu Tao continued, ”With that bitch’s personality, she must have tried to bewitch you into harming me, right?”

”Of course. She wanted me to poison the elixir I give you and kill you with it. I noticed that when she talked about killing you, she didn’t hesitate for a second. Yet you had to think about it for so long.”

His tone was slightly mocking, intended to make Liu Tao more ruthless when she finally made her move and prevent any unexpected hitches.

But Liu Tao didn’t care. She was just furious with Xu Baoling. ”That bitch... she wants me dead that badly... Luckily, you’re smart enough. If she can take this Poison Pill the first time, she’ll take it every time after.”

”That’s the logic. So, on the day the poison takes effect, what exactly are you going to do?”

Liu Tao gave a sinister chuckle, a flame flickering to life in her open right palm. ”When the poison flares up, her True Qi will dissipate and her Divine Soul will be muddled. All I need to do is burn her gently, extinguish her Divine Soul, and leave the body. After waiting two or three days, I’ll go check. Her Profound Skill will have dissipated, and it will look exactly like a case of cultivation deviation.”

”Senior Sister is truly thorough!”

Hearing his praise, Liu Tao’s gaze softened. ”You’re not bad either. If this plan had been even one step too late and she’d broken through first, there would have been no good outcome for me. You must be hungry. I prepared this food especially for you.”

She handed him the chopsticks.

Chen Qingyang didn’t dare to look at her, keeping his head down. ”Thank you, Senior Sister.”

After eating, he remembered something else.

’Taking the Poison Pill for fifteen days will yield an Immortal Seedling each day. Plus the one from when Xu Baoling dies violently... that will be a significant amount.’

He needed to start planning how to use them.

”Senior Sister, last time I went to the Four Golden Treasures Pavilion, the gatekeeper said a Qi Refining Disciple can only go once a year. To go again, I’d need a pass from the Pill Institute. Do you know how I can get one?”

”It’s simple enough. If I can break through to Essence Condensation and become one of the Chief Stewards here, it will be very easy for you to get one. If not, you’ll first have to become an Outer Disciple and then successfully refine a Tier Two Elixir. Which of those two do you think is easier for you?”

Chen Qingyang said, ”Neither is easy.”

Liu Tao snorted coldly. ”It will only take me three to five years to break through. You call that not easy?”

”After you break through, can you find a way to recommend me to Cyan Bamboo Peak or somewhere similar? I want to become an Outer Disciple there directly. It would be beneficial for my Alchemy Dao.”

All he got in return was Liu Tao’s scoff. ”You sure dream big. I could even get you into the Separation Dragon Pill Institute, but you’d need the skill for it. Do you think you have what it takes?”

”Never mind. I’ll go practice Alchemy.”

The Pill Furnace was lit today, enough for one elixir. He added another half-qian of Star Meteor Powder.

「At nightfall, in Xu Baoling’s Alchemy Room.」

The room was brightly lit.

She was dressed in a cyan Daoist Robe, meditating on a cattail mat.

Her expression was sacred, her face glowing with a golden light.

After Chen Qingyang entered, he placed the Elixir in front of her. Xu Baoling exhaled a long breath, and her beautiful eyes slowly opened.

”What was the old hag up to?”

”When I went today, she didn’t say much besides what was about Alchemy. Senior Sister Liu did stop staring at me while I was refining the pill, but she still waits until she sees the ingredients go into the Pill Furnace before she leaves.”

”Not bad. It seems you’re gradually gaining her trust. Even a tiger has to nap sometimes, let alone an old hag.” Xu Baoling’s face bloomed into a smile as she looked at Chen Qingyang. ”Junior Brother Chen, you’ve been a great help to me. When the time comes, you’ll be well rewarded.”

”Thank you, Senior Sister Xu. I wonder, when will Senior Sister Xu be able to break through in her cultivation?”

Xu Baoling stared at him. ”Why do you ask?”

”I want to gain her trust before you break through. That way, when you no longer need to take the Elixirs, I can give them all to her at once!”

Xu Baoling laughed. ”It seems you can’t wait to come over to my side. It will be within the month.”

’Within the month... that’s not a specific time.’

’Liu Tao said the Star Meteor Powder needs to be taken for half a month straight. What if Xu Baoling breaks through early and stops taking it?’

”So... you have half a month to gain her trust.”

Chen Qingyang nodded. ”I understand. In that case, Senior Sister Xu, I’ll take my leave.”

”Don’t forget these three Qi Gathering Pills!”

As he left, the Elixirs were hidden in his sleeve.

She reminded him of this every single time, which made Chen Qingyang even more afraid to consume them. He had hoarded them all in his small hut.

On the way down the mountain, snow began to fall again, light and sporadic.

It dusted Chen Qingyang’s long hair and robes white.

Passing through a quiet alley, he reached the gate of his small courtyard and ran into a familiar figure he hadn’t seen for days—Xu Yong.

He no longer had his former panicked demeanor. His bearing was calm and composed, standing unmoving in the wind and snow.

”Senior Brother Chen, I have been waiting for you for a long time.”

Chen Qingyang pointed ahead. ”And this is?”

”This is Senior Brother Hu. Though he currently has the status of a Miscellaneous Task disciple, he broke through to Qi Refining long ago. He didn’t go to the Outer Sect because he has more important matters to attend to.”

Chen Qingyang was curious.

’Could it be this man has a scheme similar to my own?’

Looking closely, the man was around forty, dressed in a long gray robe, with a broad face, a short beard, and a scar over his left eye. He was bowing with his hands clasped.

”I am Hu Kai. I have long heard of Senior Brother Chen Qingyang’s great name but have never had the pleasure of meeting you. To wait so long today and finally meet you is my good fortune.”

Chen Qingyang replied, ”Not a great name, just an infamous one.”

Hu Kai continued, ”Infamous or not, clear or unclear, these are merely the views of common folk. For someone navigating the Tai Xu sect to still hold such ideas... in my opinion, they will find it difficult to ever enter the Immortal Dao!”

Hearing this, Xu Yong lowered his head, as if thinking the words were directed at him.

”Just say it. What do you want?”

Hu Kai laughed. ”Surely Senior Brother Chen doesn’t intend to receive guests out here? Besides, the walls have ears. This isn’t a good place for our conversation.”

Chen Qingyang’s expression was blank for a moment. ”Fine. Please, come in.”

Inside the small hut, beside the bed, was a long table.

There were four cattail mats on either side.

Chen Qingyang sat on the left, and the two men sat on the right. Between them was a lamp, and beside it, charcoal in a brazier burned with a crackling sound, quickly warming the room.

He waited for the water to boil and prepared fresh tea.

”To be honest, I am from the Profound Light Association.”

Chen Qingyang just said, ”Mm, I’ve heard of it.”

”...As of today, the Profound Light Association isn’t just on Four Golden Peaks. We have many members on the other peaks as well, even among the Outer Disciples. Think about it. The Immortal Path is hard to walk, and we Miscellaneous Task disciples have the lowest status. Only by banding together for warmth and supporting each other can we live better lives. Don’t you agree, Senior Brother Chen?”

Chen Qingyang sipped his tea, thinking for a moment. ”If you have members on every peak, how come I’ve never heard of you before? Also, you’re revealing your identity to me on our first meeting. Aren’t you afraid I’ll report you?”

Hu Kai shook his head. ”We are quite clear on Senior Brother Chen’s character. As for why you haven’t heard of us, it’s because we haven’t approached you before now.”

”Heh, you’re honest, at least. So why approach me now?”

”It’s simple. We’ve observed you carefully. With our help, Senior Brother Chen can break through to the next realm very soon. That is why I need you to join us.”

Chen Qingyang neither agreed nor refused. ”I need to think about it.”

At this, Xu Yong grew a little anxious. ”Senior Brother Chen, I’ll be able to break through before long. Senior Brother Chen must be close as well...”

”I said, I need to think about it,” Chen Qingyang cut him off directly.

Hu Kai, however, said, ”That’s understandable. It’s our first meeting. This is just a small token of our sincerity. Please accept it.”

The men left, leaving the gift on the long table.

Xu Yong couldn’t help but swallow when he saw it. Chen Qingyang was very familiar with it—it was a Qi Gathering Pill.

The quality was average, but among Miscellaneous Task disciples, it was an unobtainable treasure.

’I don’t understand. Why on earth are they so keen on me?’

’I’m just a decrepit old man with a sullied reputation!’

As he was pondering, Xu Baoling’s face appeared in his mind. The Stealing Immortal was still above her head.

It had stolen a wisp of White Flame.