All-class Gu Immortal

Chapter 107 The Mountain God Returns! His Favorability Soars! (4200-word long chapter)
Zhou Qing traversed the densely wooded mountain paths, avoiding the villagers and bypassing Liujia Village, running for twenty or thirty miles in one go.

The towering city walls of Ping'an County came into view.

Judging from the timing, the morning market seems to have just started, with people from nearby villages and towns coming to the market.

A rather long queue formed at the city gate.

"hu~hu~"

Zhou Qing was panting heavily, secretly cursing in his heart.

"I need to go back and replenish my energy and blood."

After feeding the Corpse Worm King with his own blood for half a month, his body did indeed become weak.

Fortunately, he has a good constitution and will recover after a period of rest.

Having initially mastered the Blood Refining Technique, all that's left is to feed it with one's own essence blood every so often.

If the corpse worm king's need for blood food is met regularly, there will be no problems.

The Corpse Worm King is the last resort, not a conventional method.

By minimizing the involvement of the Corpse Worm King, the risk of backlash can be reduced.

As he approached the city gate, Zhou Qing took out the black iron token of the Demon Suppression Division inspector from his pocket, flashed it in front of the guards, and then bypassed the crowd to enter the city.

He returned to the house in the west of the city and found the old woman holding a broom, sweeping the dust and fallen leaves from the front gate.

"Grandma, I'm back!"

Zhou Qing quickly stepped forward.

The old woman raised her head, and a kind smile appeared on her wrinkled face.

"It'll be good to come back, it'll be good to come back."

Every time Zhou Qing goes on a long trip, he tells her in advance. The old lady doesn't ask too many questions, but that doesn't mean she doesn't care.

"Are you hungry? I'll go cook!"

The old woman leaned the broom against the wall and limped towards the gate.

"Yes! I want to eat the pancakes that Grandma makes." Zhou Qing nodded emphatically.

Going home, going home, it's only true going home if you have family.

"Okay!" the old woman readily agreed.

Seeing the old woman's slightly unsteady steps, Zhou Qing felt it was necessary to hire a maid to take care of her.

Of course, this matter still needs to be discussed slowly.

As Zhou Qing's strength and earning power increased, there was no need for his grandmother to do any work anymore.

However, since they are family, we must take their feelings into consideration.

We can't let Grandma feel burdened or like she's useless.

At the very least, he didn't plan to change the cook.

It's so good to be home.

Zhou Qing stood at the bottom of the steps, looking at the open courtyard gate, and took a deep breath.

He picked up the broom that was placed to the side and swept away the remaining fallen leaves at the front door.

Then he followed him into the kitchen.

The old woman kneaded the dough and made pancakes, while he crawled under the stove to light a fire and boil water in another large pot.

I haven't showered for two weeks, and I feel really uncomfortable.

Although there was river water outside the cave in Huanglong Gorge, Zhou Qing was still not used to taking a bath in the freezing cold water during the coldest days of winter.

By the time the water boils, the dough has risen enough.

The old woman started kneading the dough, stuffing it with a filling made of chives, dried tofu, chili peppers, and minced meat, preparing to bake the pancakes.

Zhou Qing took advantage of this time to go back to her room and take a nice shower.

After taking a shower, Zhou Qing ate more than a dozen pancakes in one go, and was still a little unsatisfied.

The old woman sat at the dining table, mending the robe Zhou Qing had just taken off. Seeing that he had finished eating the pancakes, she put down her needlework.

"Ah Qing, is that enough? If not, I'll make more."

"I'm full, Grandma's pancakes are so delicious!" Zhou Qing wiped her greasy mouth.

Living with his grandmother always reminds him of his grandmother from his past life.

"If you like it, I'll make it for you often," the old woman said with a smile that made her face full of wrinkles.

"Grandma, I'm going back to my room to rest. Don't call me for lunch or dinner."

Zhou Qing got up and wiped her face and hands with a towel.

For the past two weeks, he has had to feed the Corpse Worm King while carefully guarding against potential members of the Witch God Cult.

He was always highly focused and almost never got a full night's sleep.

If it weren't for the fact that regulating one's internal energy could replace some of the rest time, he would have given up long ago.

What he needs most right now is a good night's sleep.

"Okay." The old woman nodded, her eyes filled with concern.

She understands what the outside world is like, and that her current life is hard-won, entirely supported by Aqing.

He has only recently come of age; not long ago, he was still a child.

"Then I'm going to sleep." Zhou Qing smiled and nodded, then walked out of the kitchen.

The next day.

Zhou Qing woke up from a deep sleep.

He rolled out of bed, opened the window, and saw that the sun was shining brightly outside, high in the sky.

“It’s so good to be alive!”

Zhou Qing stretched vigorously, making crackling sounds as his muscles and bones were fully relaxed.

"Grandma?"

Out of the corner of Zhou Qing's eye, he saw the old woman sitting in the open space not far away, basking in the sun and sewing shoe soles.

"Aqing, are you awake? Are you hungry?" the old woman asked, getting up.

"Mmm!" Zhou Qing nodded emphatically, his fatigue greatly relieved.

It looks like he slept from morning until noon the next day.

Watching the old woman's retreating figure, Zhou Qing felt a warmth in his heart.

Zhou Qing changed into another clean set of work clothes that smelled of sunshine, and after finishing his meal, he headed straight for the inner city.

Upon entering the Demon Suppression Division branch, Zhou Qing learned that Yao Xuewei was working in the main hall on the third floor, so he went straight upstairs.

He had just reached the third-floor corridor and hadn't even reached the entrance to the main hall.

boom!
A muffled thud came from inside, seemingly the sound of something being slammed on a table.

"What are you all good for?! You can't even handle such a small thing!"

Immediately following was Yao Xuewei's angry rebuke.

"Immediately send more people to handle this!"

"Yes!"

The three inspectors walked out of the main hall looking disheveled, and when they saw Zhou Qing, they all showed embarrassed smiles.

One of the inspectors patted Zhou Qing on the shoulder as he passed by and whispered a reminder.

"If an adult is in a bad mood, keep your eyes open."

Since Zhou Qing captured Xue Zhong alive last time, proving his strength, and after receiving the reward, he treated the patrol inspectors present to a drink, which made him quite familiar with most of the patrol inspectors.

"Understood, thank you, brother." Zhou Qing nodded.

He carefully entered the main hall.

Yao Xuewei sat upright behind her desk, her head down as she processed official documents.

"Didn't I say I'd let you?"

Hearing the commotion, Yao Xuewei's voice deepened. Looking up and seeing Zhou Qing, her expression softened slightly, and she nodded gently, "You're back."

"Your subordinate greets Your Excellency." Zhou Qing bowed respectfully.

At this moment, Yao Xuewei had changed back into a black police uniform. Her eyebrows were dark and straight, and her willow-leaf eyebrows were drawn slanted into her temples. She was full of heroic spirit and had lost the gentleness she had shown in the cave.

"Hmm, have none of the Witch God Cult members shown up?"

Yao Xuewei put down the official documents and the calligraphy brush, her tone calm.

"I must thank you for postponing the announcement, sir. The people of the Witch God Cult are still unaware of Lin Tianzheng's death, so they should not be heading to Huanglong Gorge anytime soon," Zhou Qing said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

Inside the lobby on the first floor of the Demon Suppression Bureau, there is a huge notice board displaying portraits and information about wanted criminals.

When he passed by just now, Lin Tianzheng's portrait was still hanging in the lobby on the first floor.

"You don't need to thank me. I've discussed this matter with Lord Xiao, and he plans to play the long game."

Yao Xuewei said seriously.

"What does Your Excellency mean?" Zhou Qing was taken aback.

"Lin Tianzheng couldn't have created so many corpses on his own, so he must have been colluding with the Witch God Cult. Lord Xiao means that the news of Lin Tianzheng's death will not be released."

"Let's see if any members of the Witch God Cult will go to Huanglong Gorge in a while to meet with Lin Tianzheng."

Yao Xuewei explained.

"I see." Zhou Qing remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he felt a pang of regret.

If more people knew about the caves in Huanglong Gorge, they would no longer be a secret.

Seeing that Zhou Qing showed no emotional fluctuation, Yao Xuewei slightly raised the corners of her mouth and continued:
"Lord Xiao entrusted this task to me; I have complete control over the entire Demon Suppression Division branch."

Currently, even Lord Xiao doesn't know the exact location of the cave in Huanglong Gorge.

“What you mean, sir?” Zhou Qing’s eyes lit up.

“That’s right. If you can cooperate with me to complete this mission, no one else will know this secret.” Yao Xuewei nodded gently.

"Thank you, sir! If it's just about being a lookout and keeping an eye on the Witch God Cult, no one is more suitable than me," Zhou Qing said hurriedly.

If possible, he still wanted to keep the cave for himself.

After all, it's a natural cave dwelling, and it also has an underground swamp suitable for refining corpses and raising Gu worms, so it's not easy to find.

"Alright, since you volunteered, that's for the best. I was originally thinking of letting you use this opportunity to repay my favor, but it seems that's not necessary now."

Yao Xuewei said to herself.

"Huh?!" Zhou Qing was stunned.

"What? Feeling like you've been taken advantage of?" Yao Xuewei raised an eyebrow, her eyes sharp, giving off an air of authority without anger.

"It is my greatest honor to serve you, sir. I am willing to go through fire and water for you!"

Zhou Qing quickly replied.

"You're so glib!" Yao Xuewei said coldly. "The waters here run deep. Just do what you can. There's no need for you to show off."

"Yes, thank you for your concern, sir," Zhou Qing said with a smile.

"I'm only doing this for Hongyu's sake, if you don't want it," Yao Xuewei said calmly, but stopped abruptly as if she remembered something.

When Zhou Qing heard her mention her senior sister, a beautiful scene involuntarily appeared in her mind.

"Hmph!" Yao Xuewei snorted coldly when she saw Zhou Qing's eyes wandering, interrupting his daydreaming.

"Regarding what happened before, if you..."

Yao Xuewei's voice turned cold.

"I don't remember anything!" Zhou Qing hurriedly replied.

Seeing that Zhou Qing was quite cooperative, Yao Xuewei's expression softened slightly, and she hesitated before saying, "Your senior sister and I actually..."

"Understood!" Zhou Qing clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"What do you understand?"

"There are always some flowers in this world that are different from others, and the same goes for people; some people are a little different."

Zhou Qing carefully considered his words.

"you!"

However, upon hearing this, Yao Xuewei's face flushed red, and she looked furious and embarrassed.

Zhou Qing fell silent. Wasn't this tactful enough?

"Get out!" Yao Xuewei's chest heaved violently as she pointed to the front door.

"This subordinate takes his leave." Zhou Qing bowed respectfully, then turned and left.

"return!"

"Yes!"

Zhou Qing turned around.

boom!
Yao Xuewei reached into her bodice, then slammed her hand on the table, and two large silver notes appeared.

"Here's the reward money, take it!"

"Thank you, sir!" Zhou Qing stepped forward and tucked the two thousand taels of silver notes, still warm from the heat, into his pocket.

"Do not leak any information about the Heavenly Fiend Corpse and the Divine Weapon. This matter is none of our business." Yao Xuewei suddenly lowered her voice, her expression solemn.

Zhou Qing was startled, and his pupils suddenly dilated.

"I obey my orders!"

"Go."

Yao Xuewei waved her hand.

"This subordinate takes his leave." Zhou Qing left the main hall, his expression shifting several times.

Yao Xuewei clearly did not look at the secret manual and scroll left by Lin Tianzheng.
It seems that the matter of the Heavenly Fiend Corpse is not a secret to the higher-ups.

"Forget it! I don't want to think about it anymore. Unless I get my hands on the Heavenly Fiend Corpse, this matter has nothing to do with me."

Zhou Qing's mind raced.

Even Yao Xuewei, who comes from a prominent family in the Central Plains, doesn't want to get involved. He's just a nobody now, so how could he dare to get involved in the struggle between these Blood Exchange Realm Grand Martial Masters?

"With these two thousand taels, I won't have to worry about money for a while."

Zhou Qing walked out of the Demon Suppression Bureau gate, clutching the silver notes tightly, and took a deep breath.

Really fragrant!

Zhou Qing went straight to Baicaotang and bought two of each of the three types of pills: Guqi Dan, Huanglong Dan, and Baicao Dan, spending a total of seven hundred and eighty taels of silver.

Then, instead of going home, he went straight to Yuyefang in the east of the city.

The main branch of Baiyun Martial Arts School is located to the east of Yuyefang.

Come to think of it, he's been in the county town for so long, but he's never been to the main branch.

Wei Sheng's fourth disciple, Yuan Fu, practiced at the main temple.

Like He Zhongdong, Yuan Fu also came from a large family in the county town.

However, compared to the He family, the Yuan family has a Blood Transformation Realm Grand Martial Master, making them a true tyrant of the county.

Zhou Qing was only going there to try his luck, since he had never met Yuan Fu before.

Moreover, Yuan Fu claimed to be Wei Sheng's personal disciple, but in reality, he had always been practicing under the guidance of Jin Wanshan, the head of the main academy.

Baiyun Martial Arts School Main Branch.

forecourt.

"Junior Brother Zhou wants to learn the later parts of the White Cloud Palm Technique. Have you already mastered the White Cloud Poison Palm and the White Cloud Stance Technique to perfection?"

Yuan Fu looked surprised when he learned Zhou Qing's purpose.

"That's right. I hope you will give me more guidance, senior brother." Zhou Qing adopted a very humble attitude.

"Truly, heroes emerge from among the young," Yuan Fu couldn't help but exclaim, then shook his head.

“It’s not that I’m unwilling to teach you, but I haven’t even mastered the White Cloud Poison Palm and White Cloud Stance myself. After I broke through the flesh barrier, I switched to practicing the Five Poison Palm with Uncle Jin. So I can’t teach you.”

"I see," Zhou Qing said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"I wonder about Senior Uncle Jin?"

“Uncle Jin naturally knows the White Cloud Palm Technique, but I advise you not to go looking for him,” Yuan Fu said in a low voice.

"Uncle Jin and Master had a very bad relationship. If it weren't for my patriarch Yuan insisting that I follow him in cultivation, I wouldn't have been able to stay in the county town."

"If you want to learn the subsequent content, you'll have to wait for Master Wei to return, or go back to Black Mountain Town to find your third and fifth senior brothers."

"Thank you for your explanation, Senior Brother," Zhou Qing said solemnly.

"It's my first time visiting, junior brother, and I'm ashamed that I can't offer any help," Yuan Fu waved his hand.

"Senior brother, you flatter me. I should have come to visit you long ago. If you have the time in the future, please do me the honor of having a chat at Chunjiang Tower."

Because of his preconceived notions, he felt that the local big families were not easy to get along with, so he had never come to see Yuan Fu. Unexpectedly, Yuan Fu seemed quite easy to talk to.

Zhou Qing felt it was necessary to make some connections.

"No problem, no problem," Yuan Fu said with a smile, seeing Zhou Qing off all the way out of the martial arts school.

"Looks like we have no choice but to go back to Black Mountain Town."

On his way home, Zhou Qing fell into deep thought.

The most urgent task is to control the Wood King Cauldron, a divine weapon, and use its power to raise Gu and strengthen oneself. Therefore, it is necessary to return to Black Mountain Town.

However, before that, we need to restore our Qi and blood.

Three days later, Zhou Qing left the city under the cover of night and headed straight for Black Mountain Town.

[The Earthly Fiend Yin Formation has collapsed. Currently, you have received the blessing of 'Black Wind Mountain,' with a blessing level increase of 4000.]

【Occupation: Mountain God (Black Wind Mountain)】

[Divine Power: Insignificant (4032/10000)]

As Zhou Qing passed by the foot of Black Wind Mountain, a line of text suddenly appeared in his line of sight.

"what?"

PS: Thank you to reader 20230119123013779 for the 50,000-point reward, to the "Sleepy Big Eater" for the 10,000-point reward, and to Besosta for the 333-point reward. This chapter is the minimum update for today; the next chapter will be an extra chapter and will be posted before 11:30 PM.

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(End of this chapter)