Stealing Immortal

Chapter 42: Chapter 41: Hu Kai

With three teenagers now in the small courtyard, it was much livelier than when it had been home to four middle-aged men and one old man.

One of them was away from home for the first time, clueless about everything. Another was simple and quiet; though not very worldly, he was always happy to help. And the third had a quick mind, always taking the lead. Sticking together, they stumbled along and began to understand firsthand just how difficult immortal cultivation truly was.

There was no meditation as they had imagined, no profound breathing exercises. The immortal senior brothers they’d envisioned were nowhere to be seen, replaced by a single old man. Their closest encounter with anything truly immortal was seeing the Golden Summit Master departing on an auspicious cloud.

What remained was a daily grind of starting fires, cooking, laundry, and arduous miscellaneous tasks. If they wanted to obtain a true Qi Refining Technique, they would have to endure for three months.

Amidst repeated disappointments, they learned to tell themselves that only those who persevered would triumph.

Chen Qingyang had experienced everything the three teenagers were now going through.

The morning light dappled down, filtering through the gaps in the large locust tree’s withered branches and scattering across the courtyard. Snow piled on either side had melted and then frozen again into hard ice. Pausing his breathing exercises, Chen Qingyang pushed open the window and inhaled a breath of cold air.

Smoke curled up from the building opposite, where the three teenagers were huddled together making breakfast. The Sect provided the ingredients, but the cooking was up to them.

As Chen Qingyang stepped outside, his gaze met Li Sheng’s. The boy looked at him with timid eyes, all the familiarity from their first meeting gone.

The reason for this was easy to guess.

It was their fifth day here, and they had surely heard a tale or two about Chen Qingyang, a legendary figure among those assigned to miscellaneous tasks.

Not only had people associated with him been driven off the mountain, but of the five people who once lived in this very courtyard, he was the sole survivor. Even more terrifying, two of those senior brothers had vanished without a trace, not even their bones remaining.

”Senior Brother Chen, want to try some of my cooking?” Zhang Ping emerged from the house, holding a pot lid. Inside, a pot of wild chive noodles was boiling.

Compared to the other two, he was a bit bolder and less reserved around Chen Qingyang, having already shed the unfamiliarity of their first day.

These words, however, startled Li Sheng, who was standing beside him.

’To be honest, he was terrified of getting involved with Chen Qingyang in any way. He wished he could use the Jade Pendant in his possession to bribe some Steward into letting him move out of this courtyard entirely.’

He secretly tugged on Zhang Ping’s sleeve. Zhang Ping seemed to understand and immediately fell silent.

Chen Qingyang found the whole exchange rather amusing.

”No need. You can have it yourselves.”

As he spoke, the girl, Lin Qingxuan, also came out, holding three bowls.

Chen Qingyang’s steps were light, and in just a few strides, he was at the gate and gone from sight. Only then did the three in the courtyard breathe a collective sigh of relief, their nerves finally settling.

A new Steward had arrived at the Hongling Token office today.

The Steward’s surname was Shao; her given name was unknown. She wore a profound black Daoist robe and was dressed as a Daoist nun.

The Tai Xu Sect was known as the most prosperous of the Qingming State Daoist Sects and was famous for being a righteous sect.

Perhaps because she was new, Chen Qingyang observed her for a while. This Steward didn’t interact with anyone, silently going about her duties. She wasn’t like Wu Boyou, who had tried to skim some Spirit Stones from the Dao Rhyme Pattern work.

”Senior Sister Shao, I’ve finished today’s work. I must go to the Golden Peak Pill Institute for my duties there. I ask for your permission to leave.”

Hearing this, she merely glanced at the items on his long table—four completed Dao Rhyme Patterns. ”Granted. And you may do so in the future as well.”

With that said, she departed.

Chen Qingyang was puzzled. ’When did even the Outer Sect stewards start being so cold to me?’

After leaving the Hongling Token office, he walked up the mountain path. When he reached an empty stretch, he once again used the Void Step Introduction. His speed was even faster now. In less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea, he could see the cluster of buildings on the Golden Summit.

Amidst the wind and snow, immortal cranes soared and Spirit Deer foraged for food. He had even run into a white tiger on his way down the mountain yesterday, its movements graceful, clearly possessing a Wisdom Root.

The matter of Wu Boyou’s death seemed to have been completely covered up by some powerful hand. Chen Qingyang had been observing for a long time, but there was no sign of the large-scale investigation Liu Tao had mentioned.

Naturally, his frayed nerves began to relax a little.

Oh, right. Disciples from the Golden Summit Law Enforcement Hall had gone to question Liu Tao. After confirming that a person named Chen Qingyang existed, there had been no follow-up.

The Alchemy Room was filled with a gentle warmth.

Liu Tao spent her days meditating behind her cloth curtain. Chen Qingyang pushed the door open and paid her no mind, walking directly to the Pill Furnace to prepare the ingredients for today’s alchemy.

After several days of practice, his Fire Control had improved, and his understanding of the Tier Three Qi-Introducing Pill was deeper. Today, he was going to attempt to refine three pills in a single batch.

He used the same technique as before, preparing the ingredients and placing them in the Pill Furnace. Then, using the Fire Control method he had developed over the past two days, he sat down and began the long process of alchemy.

He shut out the world, his entire focus immersed in this batch of elixirs. The qi in his Dantian flowed long and steady, an inexhaustible stream.

Cultivation is the cornerstone of everything. Without that foundation, how could one even speak of the Seven Arts!

When he reached the final ”Late Fire” stage, Chen Qingyang opened his eyes to find Liu Tao staring at him with a serious expression.

”Fourth Realm of Qi Refining?”

Normally, Chen Qingyang could conceal his cultivation level perfectly, at least well enough that Liu Tao wouldn’t notice any flaws. But today, refining three pills at once had naturally caused his Qi Mechanism to fluctuate, and Liu Tao had sensed it.

He didn’t want to be distracted by talking, but he heard Liu Tao add, ”But this aura... it seems to flicker in and out of existence. It doesn’t feel very real. Besides, breaking through two realms in just over two months is already shocking enough. You couldn’t possibly have reached the Fourth Realm of Qi Refining, right?”

Slowly, Chen Qingyang finished the process. He was inwardly pleased with his ability to conceal his Qi Mechanism. ”Senior Sister is as sharp as ever. I’m still a little ways off from breaking through the Third Realm to reach the Fourth.”

Sure enough, hearing his explanation, Liu Tao didn’t give it another thought. She just reached into the Pill Furnace. ”Mm, there are three.”

There was a hint of joy in her voice, but not much.

Her cultivation had been stuck at this level for two hundred years. Her lifespan was nearly exhausted, and she had lost a tremendous amount of her Essence Blood. Trying to perform breathing exercises with her Dantian and Meridians in this state only resulted in more loss than gain, making it impossible to recover.

Now, by relying on Qi-Introducing Pills to raise her cultivation, she could restore all her depleted Essence Blood and damaged meridians. She could even reach a point where she could cultivate on her own without the pills; it would just take much longer to break through.

”Why don’t I sense any excitement from you, Senior Sister?”

Only then did Liu Tao examine the pills closely and sniff them. ”Compared to yesterday’s batch of two, the medicinal strength hasn’t decreased at all. I thought a month would be enough for my breakthrough, but with this extra pill, I might be able to shorten that to within ten days.”

After saying this, she looked at Chen Qingyang again. ”Junior Brother, you have quite a talent for alchemy. It’s clear your future cultivation will surely surpass mine. I really can’t bear to let you go!”

’So that’s what she was getting at,’ he thought after a moment.

Chen Qingyang snorted coldly. ”Right now, I’m the fish on your chopping block, and you’re the knife. What could I do to resist whatever you want?”

Liu Tao giggled. ”You old rascal, you’re so dense. When has it ever been the woman who forces a man into that sort of thing? Just take it as your Senior Sister joking with you... Oh, I just hope that when you’ve gone far, far away in the future, you’ll still think to look back at me once in a while!”

Her words trailed off with a hint of melancholy.

Chen Qingyang couldn’t think that far ahead. Ever since he came to possess the Stealing Immortal, his troubles always seemed to be right in front of him. ”If Senior Sister really thinks that way, then you should give me more benefits. That way, I’ll remember you more clearly!”

Liu Tao, of course, rolled her eyes at him. ”Hmph, what other benefits could there be? Aside from being forbidden to privately teach you a Cultivation Technique, I’ve already given you every benefit I can think of!”

Chen Qingyang could only say, ”Then after Senior Sister breaks through, you must remember to get me the pill formula for the Yang Replacement Powder.”

”Alright, alright. I know.”

...

By the time he headed down the mountain, the sky outside was just beginning to darken.

He moved swiftly, reaching the mountainside while the sun still hung just above the peaks.

At the entrance to the small courtyard, he happened to run into Lin Qingxuan.

She wasn’t going in, but coming out.

’That’s right,’ he remembered. ’She works at the Hongling Token hall with me.’

Since she lived nearby, Chen Qingyang had observed her closely. Of the three newcomers, she was the most diligent, always secretly pushing herself. He didn’t even need to ask; going out this late, she was undoubtedly heading to the Hongling Token hall to practice her carving skills.

Daytime hours were for completing the Sect’s assigned tasks. If you wanted to practice your skills, you had to go on your own at night, where plenty of scrap materials were provided for you to use.

The young girl was a little timid upon seeing Chen Qingyang, but she seemed too embarrassed to just walk past him. She lowered her head and said, ”Greetings, Senior Brother Chen!”

Chen Qingyang gave a wry smile. ”You don’t have to be so afraid of me. I’ve always been one to get along with others!”

He said this because he really didn’t want people to treat him like some kind of savage beast.

Lin Qingxuan gave a soft ”mm,” then, as if remembering something, she paused her step. ”Senior Brother Chen, a senior brother calling himself Hu Kai is looking for you. He’s waiting under the large locust tree right now!”

Hu Kai.

’He’s here now? But he said he’d be gone for a month. It’s only been about half that time.’

”Thanks!”

After he said that, Lin Qingxuan left.

Chen Qingyang held his breath, composed himself, and adjusted his Qi Mechanism. He pushed open the courtyard gate. Hu Kai was standing there with his back to him, his gaze fixed on the last rays of twilight at the horizon.