The old daoist believed he had found an immortal destiny, and every day he would guard the sapling, subsisting on wind and dew.
Now that the three-month deadline was approaching, his greatest worry was no longer whether he could keep the tree root alive, but whether he should still take this sapling out to share.
He was already somewhat reluctant to part with it.
"What's the point of handing it over? Isn't this the fruit of your own labor?"
Li Qiuchen suggested from the side, "Do you think anyone else has the luck to grow the tree root alive? When the time comes, just pretend you haven't achieved anything, and listen to that Mohe Zhenren share his insights. He holds the most Dharma sloughs; he's bound to have some gains. Moreover, have you forgotten..."
The old daoist slapped his forehead. That's right!
I was going to rob others of their Dharma sloughs to use as a name-offering to join the mountain sect. How could I still throw my own treasure into the mix?
But thinking of how Mohe Zhenren's cultivation seemed far higher than his own, he grew somewhat timid.
"Junior Brother, when the time comes, I'll still need your support..."
"I'm not going."
"Huh?"
Li Qiuchen explained seriously, "If I went, it would make Mohe Zhenren become vigilant. And even if we take a step back—if I truly made a move, would the benefits count as yours or mine?"
"Ah..."
The old daoist was stunned.
But after turning it over in his mind, it did seem to make sense.
I was the one who wanted to present the name-offering. If I didn't make a move and let him do it, where would that leave me?
Do you even have the sincerity to join an immortal sect?
"But..."
"Senior, there's no need to worry. I only said I wouldn't take the initiative to strike."
Li Qiuchen said with a calm smile, "I'll be outside to receive you. When the time comes, grab the benefits and run out. If Mohe Zhenren doesn't dare chase out, so be it; if he dares entangle with you endlessly, I will ensure he never returns!"
So that's how it was! The old daoist suddenly realized. Explained like this, he understood.
Wasn't this the same procedure as crossing a threshold in the greenwood jianghu? While you're at your original post, it's inconvenient for me to intervene, but if you take the name-offering and join my mountain sect, you'll count as one of my people. Then I will naturally step forward to negotiate with the boss in charge of your original outfit.
"When the time comes, we'll find a suitable ambush spot outside Qingshi Terrace. I see the two youths by your side are well-versed in archery and horsemanship; have them hide in the shadows with bows drawn and ready. With the prepared acting against the unprepared, it can add some assistance."
"Wonderful! Junior Brother's arrangements can truly be called seamless!"
There truly were gaps between people.
The old daoist hadn't done much evil in his life—or rather, lacked the ability to do much evil. At most, he had used secret arts from the Huanghuai Manual to cast spells and harm people. Where had he ever seen such insidious scheming?
After hearing it, he felt it was heavenly wisdom and became even more utterly devoted to Li Qiuchen.
After the discussion was settled, the two immediately set off, rushing to Qingshi Terrace.
Qingshi Terrace was a township in the county, considerably larger than an ordinary village. According to the old daoist, its population exceeded a thousand and was quite prosperous.
Townships like this that could pay taxes were frequently inspected by government officials.
The old daoist had only gone there a few times in the past and dared not live there long-term, fearing capture by the authorities or discovery by villagers who would drag him to the yamen.
Only a powerful figure like Mohe Zhenren would have the guts to set the gathering place at Qingshi Terrace.
And for Li Qiuchen, this place's biggest problem was that it was rather far from Jiguan Mountain.
The straight-line distance exceeded three hundred li, already leaving Jiang Tingyue's jurisdiction.
Highly unsafe.
Standing in the mountain forest outside Qingshi Terrace, gazing from two li away, Li Qiuchen almost thought he had returned to modern society.
He saw a straight road at the village entrance.
A road was fine, but why was there a tractor by the roadside?
Could it be that he never transmigrated at all and was still back home?
Then what had all the suffering he'd endured these past dozen years been for? Was he just a greedy little kitten?
Alright, it really wasn't the kind of tractor from his memories.
But something with four wheels running on the road, chugging out black smoke, pulling a haystack behind it—if you didn't call it a tractor, what else could you call it?
He should have realized long ago that this world he transmigrated into wasn't the kind of unchanging farming feudal society for hundreds of thousands of years described in web novels.
Back then, Guan Damu, an ironsmith who ran a noodle shop, could casually get his hands on several large barrels of black powder and even hand-make crude bombs.
This showed that gunpowder wasn't rare in the slightest.
It was just that the place he used to live was too remote—viewing the sky from the bottom of a well, his knowledge was shallow.
Even so, Li Qiuchen had no intention of approaching for a closer look.
Because Mohe Zhenren was in the town right now, along with Medicine Master believers from all the surrounding villages gathered here.
An illegal gathering of demonic heretics on such a massive scale—one could only imagine the risk.
He had to guard not only against county troops that might appear at any moment, but also against these Medicine Master believers nearby with their unfathomable motives.
These lunatics pursuing longevity had no moral bottom line whatsoever.
As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Unless there was truly no other way, Li Qiuchen would never go half a step near Qingshi Terrace.
His attention was currently entirely on the Song brothers by his side.
Old Daoist Fang Hong had planted seeds within their bodies, driving the two like cattle and horses.
Li Qiuchen had initially assumed the two had long since been refined into puppets devoid of independent thought. Later, after consulting relevant secret arts in the Huanghuai Manual, he learned it wasn't that exaggerated.
They merely wore collars and dog chains, seeking benefits and avoiding harm, not daring to defy orders.
The old daoist was quite at ease with Li Qiuchen. Handing these two over to him, he never considered that Li Qiuchen might tamper with them.
Little did he know that Li Qiuchen had been secretly scheming regarding these two all along, merely restraining his thoughts and never revealing them.
The combat strength of these two didn't matter much to Li Qiuchen. At best, they could be considered physically robust; they hadn't even touched the edge of being martial artists. And Li Qiuchen was now a genuine Qi Refinement realm cultivator.
Their main value lay in Li Qiuchen wanting to figure out from them the secrets of the Soul-Leading Technique and the Human Pill Formula.
Theory was theory; practice was practice.
Yesterday, using the meal as cover, Li Qiuchen had secretly performed the Soul-Leading Technique on the two. Now, both had undergone obvious changes.
Originally, the two had vacant gazes and dull expressions, but now it was as if they had just awakened from a long nightmare, realizing their past predicament. Instinctively, they wanted to resist but didn't know how.
This was because Old Daoist Fang Hong was relatively far away; the seeds he had left in their bodies had their activity suppressed by Li Qiuchen.
Li Qiuchen completely ignored the pleading looks they cast toward him—thinking themselves very covert—and stood on the mountain waiting silently for the white crane to return.
The stupid bird's strength indeed surpassed his own, but Li Qiuchen preferred to use it as a scout.
You grew wings to fly high, didn't you? What are you doing thinking about eradicating violence and bringing peace every single day?