As for that cup of spirit tea that improved his constitution, there was no need to mention it. Treating a guest to tea was a matter of etiquette; no one could find fault with that.
Inside the bracelet were also several sets of clothes for changing and washing, some fresh and dried fruits, a three-foot-long green bamboo staff, and three taels of packaged tea leaves.
He sniffed the tea leaves. They were the same kind of spirit tea he had drunk.
Li Qiuchen could truly feel the senior’s care and concern.
He also had to thank that stupid bird. If not for its one shrill caw, there probably would not have been all these preparations.
Li Qiuchen was perfectly satisfied. He looked solemnly at the white crane and said, “I’ll definitely treat you well from now on.”
Lunatic!
The white crane retreated two steps in alarm and suspicion.
The problem that had troubled Li Qiuchen the most in the past was that he had always been an unregistered vagrant.
But that was the trouble of a wild man from the mountains.
Now that he had this outfit, and the Mountain God’s secret support, whether he had an identity or not no longer mattered.
As they said, clothes made the man. Clothing itself was a symbol of status.
“Tomorrow we’ll go down the mountain and probe that Daoist’s background. When the time comes, you must follow my commands in everything. Remember, do not act rashly or on impulse.”
Li Qiuchen instructed him carefully.
That stupid bird’s brain truly did not work very well sometimes, but it had one advantage: it knew its brain did not work well, and was willing to listen.
If he had run into the sort that liked to talk back and argue, Li Qiuchen would have had no solution either. He would have parted ways with it long ago.
Early the next morning, just as the sun had risen, Li Qiuchen held his newly acquired green bamboo staff and wandered leisurely down the mountain.
This green bamboo staff was no magical treasure. It was simply a straight piece of bamboo. If one had to name its advantages, it was light yet sturdy, and could even be used as a weapon for self-defense.
As he entered the village, the thick scent of incense came at him once more.
That Daoist was in the village, leading a crowd of men and women, old and young, as they waved their arms and stamped their feet. They seemed to be practicing some sort of health-preserving exercise similar to the Five Animal Frolics.
It should have been time to go work in the fields, yet the villagers seemed to have completely forgotten what they ought to be doing, devoting themselves entirely to this cultivation.
This was absolutely not normal.
If you don’t farm the land, what are you going to eat?
This time, Li Qiuchen came openly and aboveboard, making no attempt to conceal his movements.
Hearing his footsteps, the Daoist turned his head and looked him up and down. A trace of wariness and surprise appeared on his face.
This mountain village was remote to begin with. For some inexplicable outsider to appear here was naturally worthy of caution.
But Li Qiuchen was far too young, and with his clean, tidy appearance, it was inevitable that people would lower their guard a little.
At the very least, he did not look like a fellow practitioner here to wreck the place.
The old Daoist drew in his technique, stroked his beard, and chuckled. After giving a few low instructions and dismissing the villagers, he walked over toward Li Qiuchen.
“Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable. This humble Daoist is Fang Hong. May I ask how I should address you, fellow Daoist?”
Li Qiuchen imitated his gesture and returned the salute, smiling as he said, “Martial Uncle, this disciple is Hong Yang. I have followed my honored master in cultivating in the mountains, unaware of the passing years in the mortal world. Today, I descended the mountain to wander about. Passing by this place and seeing auspicious clouds rising and falling over the village, I knew an exalted one was present, and so came specially to pay my respects.”
Martial Uncle? By what reckoning?
That one sentence left the old Daoist completely dumbfounded. He thought for a long while but still could not make sense of it, and could only probe, “Might I ask who your revered master is…”
Li Qiuchen planted the green bamboo staff into the ground, and verdant bamboo leaves slowly began to grow from it.
The old Daoist was greatly startled and hurriedly cupped his hands. “So you are a fellow practitioner. Forgive this humble Daoist for failing to recognize you. Please do not take offense, do not take offense.”
Li Qiuchen smiled. “My master descended the mountain to roam the world and has not returned for many years. I do not know where he has gone. When I saw the changes in this village from the mountain, I thought my master had returned. I never expected it would be Martial Uncle performing rites here instead.”
“No, no, you absolutely must not call me Martial Uncle. This humble Daoist cannot bear it. You and I may simply address each other as peers.”
The old Daoist hurriedly said, “This humble Daoist wandered here and could not bear to see the common people suffering, so I took action to enlighten them. I never expected to intrude upon an exalted one’s Daoist grounds. Junior brother, please do not blame me.”
This old fellow understood the rules.
If he understood the rules, things would be easy. If he had been as unruly as Jiao Potian, Li Qiuchen really would not have known how to get information out of him.
The two found a place to sit down. Li Qiuchen said solemnly, “To be frank with you, Senior, this place is called Cockscomb Mountain. It is remote and cut off, and few people ever come here. May I ask why Senior came to this place?”
There was no need to tell a joke like “wandering the world.” This was not some famous mountain or great river. Why would you come all the way here to wander for no reason?
The old Daoist hesitated, somewhat unwilling to speak. But considering that this young Daoist was a local native paying him a visit, if he did not tell the truth, he might offend someone for nothing and invite unnecessary trouble.
After weighing it for a moment, he lowered his voice and said, “Since junior brother cultivates in these mountains, you must have heard about what happened some time ago, when Immortal Elder Tianchi battled another with magic, and his body perished and Dao vanished, yes?”
Who?
What thing?
Tianchi what Immortal Elder?
Li Qiuchen’s heart was filled with question marks, but on the surface he remained composed. He nodded slightly and said, “This junior has been in seclusion in the mountains, cultivating bitterly for many years. I merely sensed something and do not know the details.”
When the old Daoist heard this, his heart sank. This was an old fellow pretending to be young.
Explain to me, what the hell do you mean by cultivating bitterly in seclusion in the mountains for many years? Hm?
That master you mentioned—could it be yourself?
The Medicine Master lineage primarily cultivated the Great Dao of Longevity. It could be said that the deeper one cultivated, the younger one became. Even returning to youth from old age was not beyond the realm of possibility.
Conversely, an aged appearance like his was proof that he had not even entered the gate.
Thinking of this, he no longer dared to put on airs. He looked left and right, then furtively took a withered tree root from his robes, its surface rough and pitted.
Li Qiuchen instantly retreated three steps.
He was far too familiar with the aura on that tree root.
“The Immortal Elder Tianchi you mentioned—is he that old peach tree?”
“Precisely.”
Hearing Li Qiuchen refer to the Immortal Elder by such a title, the old Daoist’s back involuntarily bent another few degrees.
“We itinerant cultivators had no idea in the past that within the Cangshan range of Yunzhong County, there was such an exalted one living in seclusion and cultivating. Only after the Immortal Elder’s death did we learn of his venerable name from others.”
“Senior heard this from whom?”
The old Daoist chuckled and was just about to stroke his beard and keep him in suspense. But when he saw Li Qiuchen’s half-smiling expression, and then thought of how he could not see through this old monster’s depths at all…
He was disguised to look just like a rookie who had only just entered the Qi Refining realm.
Like hell I believe you!
“To tell you the truth, on that day, two Golden Core Grandmasters fought with all their strength, shaking almost the entire Yunzhong County. After the Immortal Elder perished, his dharma remains split apart and fled in all directions. This humble Daoist only obtained one of them by a stroke of luck.”
Split apart?
What kind of Heavenly Demon Disintegration Art was that?
Li Qiuchen, who likewise possessed the Medicine Master’s blessing, fell into thought after hearing this.