As soon as he entered the village, he smelled a pungent, choking scent of sandalwood.
Following the base of the wall inward, he hadn't taken two steps before he heard faint chanting.
Li Qiuchen looked toward the source of the firelight. On a high platform in the village, an old Daoist with completely white hair and beard sat in dignified composure, exuding an immortal, transcendent bearing. He held a fly whisk in his hand, with a scripture banner planted beside him, looking as if he meant serious business.
And the villagers were all gathered before the Daoist, kneeling on the ground with eyes tightly shut and palms pressed together, following the Daoist in softly chanting scriptures of unknown meaning.
What surprised him even more was that Song Laosan’s two sons were actually standing to the left and right of the Daoist, striking loyal poses as Dharma protectors guarding the way.
Is this for real? Your father grew a spirit root…
Li Qiuchen noticed the village chief’s family was among them and immediately sensed something was wrong.
They had probably all been bewitched… To be fair, the Medicine Master’s Blessing did hold tremendous allure for mortals.
Dispelling disasters and resolving hardships. Immortality.
How could mortals refuse something that so many emperors throughout history had pursued their entire lives without attaining?
Because he understood this all too well, Li Qiuchen harbored no naive fantasies about persuading these mortals who had already begun to worship the Medicine Master.
This was not a place to linger.
Before anyone noticed him, Li Qiuchen quietly backed away step by step, slipped out of the village, gestured to the stupid bird in the sky, and then broke into a mad dash.
Returning to the lakeside, Li Qiuchen shook his head. “They can’t be saved. These people have already been bewitched by the Medicine Master’s believers. There’s no point in saying anything to them.”
What ethics or moral convictions could stand against the temptation of immortality?
The white crane squawked with excitement, flapping its wings so hard that feathers flew everywhere.
But Li Qiuchen remained unmoved.
“Do you know what the Medicine Master’s Blessing is?”
Hearing Li Qiuchen say this, the white crane immediately quieted down.
The book *Jingyunzi* had long since been soaked and ruined. Li Qiuchen had no evidence to produce, so he could only sit down and explain to it the concept of the Medicine Master’s Blessing, as well as how this power manifested.
The stupid bird might be stupid, but it could still understand human speech.
“So, you understand now. It’s not that I don’t want to save them—the Medicine Master simply gives too much. As long as that Daoist doesn’t reveal his true colors and merely continues to heal the sick, save lives, and dispel disasters, they won’t believe anything you say.”
The white crane fell silent for a moment, then straightened its neck, a murderous look in its eyes.
Then kill him!
Bro, you…
Li Qiuchen covered his face and sighed.
You might be a little too addicted to justice, my friend.
Please don’t tell me your family also worships something weird and strange.
“That won’t be easy.”
A flash of resolve passed through the white crane’s eyes.
Even if it’s not easy, it must be done! If you won’t do it, I’ll do it myself!
Do what? Turn you into roasted chicken wings?
Li Qiuchen closed his eyes and began to think.
If that Daoist was someone on the level of Granduncle Tai, or even if he only possessed thirty percent of Granduncle Tai’s strength, he and the stupid bird would stand no chance against him.
But this old man looked like quite the swindler. Maybe he would drop a few good things like cultivation manuals or secret scriptures?
He happened to be lacking a cultivation method from the Medicine Master faction right now.
“Let me think about it first.”
He had too little information at present, so Li Qiuchen couldn’t jump to conclusions. He could only casually stall the stupid bird: “Don’t be so extreme. What I told you is just the worst-case scenario. What if the Daoist is actually a good person? If we just charge in and kill him indiscriminately, without regard for right and wrong, wouldn’t that be a bit too much?”
Hearing him say this, the stupid bird also hesitated.
Birds really were easy to fool.
Seeing that it was getting late, Li Qiuchen found a clean and comfortable spot to continue his daily, unshakeable meditation practice.
In a trance, a cool mountain breeze brushed across his face.
Li Qiuchen, who was deep in meditation, suddenly shuddered. He heard someone whisper by his ear, “The Mountain God invites you two honored guests to his residence for a chat.”
Li Qiuchen opened his eyes to find the scene before him hazy and indistinct, as if he were in a dream. The white crane also appeared beside him. They exchanged glances, staring at each other in bewilderment.
Who?
The Mountain God?
There’s actually a Mountain God in this place?
What virtue or ability do I possess…
Before Li Qiuchen could finish complaining inwardly, a soft urging voice came from ahead.
He saw two young women dressed in white holding paper lanterns, standing not far away and gently waving, seemingly guiding them.
Li Qiuchen stood up and followed the two women into the fog.
Amid the illusory haze, a mountain path extended out from beneath his feet.
Winding this way and that, after walking for about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the fog suddenly dispersed, revealing a grotto beneath the cliff.
The two lantern-bearing maidens arrived at the entrance, gave a light bow, and pushed open the gates of the grotto.
A refreshing, invigorating coolness welled up in Li Qiuchen’s heart as the grotto opened.
Entering the grotto, he saw a wheel of moonlight falling from above, illuminating the interior as bright as day.
On a stone bed in the grotto, a young man with long hair sat cross-legged in meditation. His hair fell past his shoulders, his features were handsome, and his complexion was like jade.
Seeing the man and crane approach, the young man nodded slightly and gestured for them to sit on the meditation cushions before him. A white-clad maiden served a cup of aromatic spirit tea from the side, then quietly withdrew.
“Please, both of you.”
The man spoke, his voice warm and gentle, neither hurried nor slow, carrying a faint, reassuring power.
Li Qiuchen had misgivings in his heart, but he didn’t dare refuse. Judging by the situation, it wouldn’t take the other party much effort to crush him to death.
He raised the spirit tea and drank it in one gulp. He immediately felt a lingering fragrance on his teeth and lips, while heat rose in his abdomen with thunderous rumbles.
Li Qiuchen’s face immediately flushed red with embarrassment.
This spirit tea was quite miraculous. Merely drinking one cup was equivalent to the results of seven days of body tempering. Countless impurities within his body were cleansed away in this very instant.
“Thank you, Lord Mountain God, for the tea. I wonder why Lord Mountain God has summoned us here…”
The man waved his hand slightly, indicating that Li Qiuchen need not ask. He dipped his finger in a bit of tea and flicked it into the air, where it instantly transformed into a misty curtain of water, presenting a vivid scene by the lake.
It was the scene from two and a half months ago, when Li Qiuchen mixed poison into stove ash to scheme against Jiao Potian and his band of outlaws, and then silenced them after they fell into hallucinations and killed each other.
Li Qiuchen only took one glance before he didn’t dare raise his head again.
At the time, he had found it somewhat strange. The poison he had casually concocted shouldn’t have been so potent, and he had faintly sensed that an expert had secretly lent a hand.
Now it appeared that the crude words and actions of that Jiao Potian had indeed angered the Mountain God.
He had originally believed it was a perfect scheme, with all loose ends tied up neatly, leaving no hidden dangers.
He had never imagined that this dignified-looking Mountain God would actually have a hobby of secretly recording and preserving images.