Stealing Immortal

Chapter 31: Chapter 30: The Frontline

The rising sun struggled to dispel the chill that had gathered overnight.

The land was exceptionally cold.

Chen Qingyang, having woken early, was getting himself ready in his room.

If anyone asked why he had suddenly grown younger, he would blame it on an Elixir from the Outer Sect. While working among the Miscellaneous Task Disciples, many things could be hidden, but his appearance was a difficult one to conceal.

He heard a commotion outside; someone had entered the small courtyard. Lü Yunshen and Xu Yong had already gone out to greet them. When he pushed his door open, he saw they were Disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall.

He knew from his time as a Sword-carrying Boy for Li Qianxue in the Inner Sect that the Law Enforcement Hall belonged to no faction, answering only to the Sect itself.

Its reach was extensive, extending even to the Miscellaneous Task Disciples. In fact, the Miscellaneous Task Disciples had formed their own Law Enforcement Squad, whose most frequent duty was to expel people from the mountain.

The leader, dressed in black, was an Outer Sect Steward. He had a lean, clean-shaven face that made him look somewhat boyish. Catching sight of Chen Qingyang, he couldn’t help but stare. ”You’re that hundred-year-old man?”

Their Cultivation was mostly between the Second and Fourth Realms of Qi Refining, roughly on par with Chen Qingyang’s.

The question was quite normal. Almost everyone who met Chen Qingyang for the first time asked something similar. After all, the age limit for Miscellaneous Task Disciples was sixty; being a hundred and twenty was a rarity.

Chen Qingyang bowed with his hands clasped. ”Yes, Senior Brother.”

”I heard you’ve also been to the Inner Sect?”

”I was fortunate enough to spend a few years there. Later, when Senior Sister Qianxue went to the Tai Hao Sword Institute, I gradually ended up among the Miscellaneous Task Disciples.”

”Interesting. To have reached this point and still not broken through...” Perhaps his curiosity was satisfied, as he stopped questioning Chen Qingyang alone. ”In this courtyard, who was closest to Xu You?”

At that moment, Xu Yong wanted to say it was Lü Yunshen, and Lü Yunshen was just as eager to push the trouble onto him. But it was Chen Qingyang who spoke first. ”Junior Brother Xu’s relationship with the three of us was decent enough. He went missing not long after he arrived.”

”Did he say anything? About where he was going?”

”He did not.”

Those two questions had already exhausted the Outer Sect Steward’s patience. He ordered the man behind him, ”Log it. Missing without reason. Has betrayed the Sect.”

And that was the end of that.

After all, only a Miscellaneous Task Disciple had disappeared. No one would care that much.

”Senior Brother Chen, where do you think Senior Brother Xu went? With his Cultivation at the First Realm of Qi Refining, he shouldn’t have run into any trouble... Could it be the Profound Light Association?”

After the people from the Law Enforcement Hall left, Xu Yong glanced at Lü Yunshen, then edged closer to Chen Qingyang.

”Junior Brother Xu, you absolutely must not spout such nonsense. You’ll bring disaster upon us. This matter has nothing to do with us, so why must we guess at the outcome?”

It was Lü Yunshen who said this.

Xu Yong was already annoyed with him and his tone turned hostile. ”Hmph, so high and mighty. You’re so good at distancing yourself from everything. Then why were you so eager to cozy up to Senior Brother Xu when he was here? Ptooey!”

”Hey, you...” Lü Yunshen wanted to curse back, but seeing the silent Chen Qingyang beside them, he ultimately held his tongue.

”A gentleman does not contend with a fool. Hmph... I can’t be bothered with you. If you want to get involved, then go investigate yourself. Didn’t Xu You say he disliked being restrained? Maybe he left the mountain long ago. Back when Senior Brother Liu Quanyou was here, he said that a cultivator at the First Realm of Qi Refining is considered an otherworldly expert in the mortal world. How could he possibly lack food or drink?”

Although the remark was meant as an angry retort, Xu Yong found that it made sense. He stopped arguing, said a word to Chen Qingyang, and left.

Lü Yunshen sidled up to Chen Qingyang. ”Senior Brother Chen, don’t you think what I said makes sense?”

”It does. If you see Hu Kai, describe today’s events to him as well. After all, you’re a member of the Profound Light Association. You should be considerate of him.”

”You got it!”

Lü Yunshen departed in high spirits. Especially now that he knew he could break through soon with the Profound Light Association’s help, he ran over to Hu Kai’s place for any reason or none at all.

Chen Qingyang, now alone in the small courtyard, was also preparing to leave.

He hadn’t gone to his Hongling Token duties yesterday. While it made no difference whether he did the work or not, he didn’t want to give anyone reason to gossip.

CREEEAAAK—

With a long, drawn-out sound, the gate was pushed open again. This time, a woman entered.

She wore a moon-white robe and had an oval face. She appeared to be in her forties, her slender waist tightly cinched, showing she still retained a graceful beauty. Her black hair was tied up, fastened with a wooden hairpin. With a glance, she took in her surroundings and Chen Qingyang, who stood before her.

Chen Qingyang was sizing her up as well.

’Her breathing.’

’It was her breathing again.’

From this alone, he could tell she had Qi Refining cultivation. Without even asking, he knew she came from the same background as Xu You.

’It’s truly baffling. Where are all these Qi Refining cultivators coming from among the Miscellaneous Task Disciples? If Xu You had come to learn from a master, then it was naturally possible the other Qi Refining Cultivators in the Profound Light Association had done the same.’

They all gathered on the mountainside of the Four Golden Peaks. It was hard to believe they didn’t have some other motive.

’Overthrowing the Sect? That’s undoubtedly a fool’s dream. Stealing something? But they’ve always operated among the Miscellaneous Task Disciples, at most reaching into the Outer Sect.’

”Who might you be looking for, Junior Sister?” Chen Qingyang spoke first.

The woman smiled. ”I’m looking for Senior Brother Xu You. I heard he moved into this courtyard, is that right?”

Chen Qingyang pointed to a small hut behind him. ”Yes, he lived there. But people from the Law Enforcement Hall just came and took all his belongings.”

”The Law Enforcement Hall?” The woman feigned a look of surprise, though it could have been genuine. ”Could it be... something happened to Junior Brother Xu?”

”He suddenly disappeared for some unknown reason. We reported it to the Sect a long time ago. I suppose the Sect hasn’t found any trace of him either.” With just a few words, Chen Qingyang positioned himself as an outsider to the situation.

This time, however, the woman wasn’t surprised. She just studied Chen Qingyang intently. ”Then... does Senior Brother Chen know where he went?”

Chen Qingyang laughed. ”Junior Sister, you know who I am?”

The woman smiled. ”Seeing your appearance, and in this courtyard, who else could you be but Senior Brother Chen?”

”The Law Enforcement Hall couldn’t figure it out, yet Junior Sister comes to ask me. Isn’t that ridiculous? I’d like to ask why Junior Sister is looking for him.”

He acted as if he were in a hurry to leave, a hint of impatience in his tone.

The woman had thick eyebrows, and her smile gave her a heroic air. ”Senior Brother Chen is unwilling to speak of his secrets, but mine don’t need to be hidden. It’s just a matter concerning the Profound Light Association. One could guess as much.”

Her words were clearly loaded. It was basically certain that she was in the same group as Xu You within the Profound Light Association.

”Haha, what secrets could I have? On the other hand, I don’t even know Junior Sister’s name yet.”

The woman didn’t press the issue, simply saying, ”Gong Yueshu.”

Chen Qingyang mentally filed the name away. ’I’ll have Lü Yunshen investigate her thoroughly.’

”So it’s Junior Sister Gong. You can see Senior Brother Xu isn’t here, and I have to get to work now.”

The woman opposite him took half a step aside. ”Then I won’t disturb you, Senior Brother Chen. It’s just that I see your Cultivation still hasn’t broken through. Why not consider our method? Do you look down on it, or do you have other concerns?”

Chen Qingyang stopped. ”I suggest you ask Senior Brother Hu that question. I’ve already spoken with him in detail.”

With that, he walked away without looking back.

He left the gate and walked straight on. The woman didn’t follow, remaining standing in the small courtyard.

’Xu You has been dead for several days. He was a Steward in the Profound Light Association, after all. If no one had shown up, I would have felt a bit uneasy.’

’Now that they have, they’re all manageable.’

At the Hongling Token workshop.

He was still as a pine tree in meditation. Though his mind wandered, the motion of his hands carving the Dao Rhyme Patterns was meticulous and unaffected.

While he was thus engaged, the image of Qi Xiuyuan appeared in his mind again.

’A day is a tribulation, and each tribulation is a matter of life and death.’

Yesterday morning was the beginning, his first tribulation. Today was the second.

Qi Xiuyuan’s appearance had become even more wretched. His face was pale, his clothes were tattered, and there were even bloodstains on them.

He must have clawed at them himself. ’Master Yun Ci is truly ruthless with his own Disciple.’

Among the floating golden characters, the number of available Immortal Seedlings was 124.

This meant he was getting closer to a complete breakdown. At this rate, there would be even more tomorrow. ’If I can steal all of them, it would be the best thing that’s happened to me recently.’

He went up to the Alchemy Room, spent the entire afternoon there, and handed two Tier Two Qi-Introducing Pills to Liu Tao. Afterward, Chen Qingyang went back down, sat beneath that pine tree, and meditated until the next day.

Finally, Qi Xiuyuan appeared in his mind again.

The man seemed possessed. His hair was a mess, his heroic air was long gone, his eyes were bloodshot, his clothes were soaked in blood, his fingernails were caked with flesh and gore, his lips were chapped, his voice was hoarse, and his face was dark... He truly looked like he was at death’s door!

’How could he possibly last until the ninth day looking like this?’

[Chen Qingyang]

[Third Realm of Qi Refining]

[Tai Xu Energy-Introducing Technique: (1/1000)]

[Tier Two Qi-Introducing Pill: (19/300)]

[Great Soul Scripture (Incomplete): (35/300)]

[One-Origin Sword: (239/400)]

[Available Immortal Seedlings: 153]

Looking at it now, he had gained 153 Immortal Seedlings.

With a thought, he added them all to the One-Origin Sword. Now, he was only 8 Immortal Seedlings away from a breakthrough.

His Dantian changed in response, the aura of his Sword Dao growing even more profound.

Withdrawing his Qi Mechanism, Chen Qingyang slipped a hand from his sleeve. The Warm Jade Scroll was in his palm, and Xu Baoling’s Divine Soul drifted above it. Chen Qingyang rewarded her with another Elixir.

”This servant thanks you, Master!”

”I have a question for you. Based on what you know of Qi Xiuyuan, can he survive the Nine Deaths Treasure Mirror?”

Xu Baoling had clearly heard of it. She was stunned for a long moment before replying, ”His Dao Heart is not strong. He is almost certain to die. Could it be... that Master is using it on him?”

Chen Qingyang saw no need to hide it and said directly, ”Because Master Yun Ci is taking out his anger over your death on him. It was all because you had a huge argument with him that you suffered a cultivation deviation!”

Now, when Xu Baoling looked at Chen Qingyang, there was obvious fear in her eyes. Just a few days ago, he had asked her about Qi Xiuyuan and her Master, and today, such a monumental change had occurred.

”Then... does Master believe it?”

”We’ll have to wait and see about that.”

Xu Baoling immediately became obedient, quietly refining the Elixir to one side.