Wet viviparity

Chapter 115 True Qi, Demonic Crane Ceremony
Since returning to the Huoxu Cave on Zirong Peak and paying homage to the local master together with Taoist Feihu, Ji Ming adjusted his state and entered into seclusion for cultivation.

Although he said he was practicing in seclusion, he would instruct the two children, Huamei and Yulark, to open up a damp cellar in the Tougu Garden to hatch the centipede species in Shi Ling's box.

One day after practicing, sister Linggu came from the master's second disciple Susu and brought several Dantou and Void Flowers for practicing Haishi Dafa.

It was from Linggu that he learned that Li Muru had already gone down the mountain to seek revenge, and before leaving, he asked his senior sister Susu to refine the Void Flower and give it to him.

Ji Ming remembered that before he left, Li Muru had given him a pill of "Yin Zang Shui Lei Dan" for self-defense. He didn't expect that she went down the mountain just after he left.

He had a vague feeling that there might be something behind this.

However, in this Huoxu Cave, everything has to do with the master, so it is not convenient for him as an outsider to ask too many questions.

He thought to himself that if he met Li Muru at the foot of the mountain in the future, he would help her if he could.

Since his horizons gradually broadened and he became a Taoist, Ji Ming also began to pay attention to making friends and building his own network of relationships.

He didn't want to be in a fight in the future where, when someone called out to him, all the immortal friends from all over the mountains and hills would come to help, but he wouldn't even have someone to beat a drum to cheer them on.

If you just want to make friends or form a spiritual partner, you have to choose the right person. As the saying goes, choosing friends is like choosing a teacher. You have to be cautious.

Brothers like the Jin Ni are the most suitable for being willing to help, while those like Li Muru who have a fiery temper are also the best.

Once something happens, there is trouble, or a life-and-death struggle, such friends will be called to take real action, even at the risk of their lives.

People like Susu, who are calm and can distinguish right from wrong, can be true companions.

If you are her friend and ask her for help in a fight, she must first distinguish right from wrong and moral stance in her mind, instead of blindly helping her relatives and not helping others.

Such friends will not be easily affected by cause and effect, and will not drag you into danger for no reason.

There is no time in the mountains, and those who practice Taoism do not count the years. I have been practicing in Tougu Garden, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

In this garden, the gate is always closed, and the plum blossoms bloom and fade three times. If it weren't for the two children who diligently sweep the garden and tidy up inside and outside, the garden would have been overgrown with weeds long ago.

During the three years, there were also foreign guests who visited the cave and wanted to make friends with the golden boy in the garden, but they were all turned away one by one.

Only the Ling Gu, or the Ape Old Man, or the True Spirit Sect's Wei Wu Lan would come to the cave and occasionally be received, which made many outsiders in the cave more and more curious.

On this day, the two boys were listening to the master's teachings in the cave.

After the speech, the two children stopped the old man who was about to leave and said, "Stop, old man, the golden boy in the garden wants to see you."

Hearing that it was the Golden Boy who invited him, Old Yuan actually felt flattered.

During these three years, the number of times he had come into contact with Jintong could be counted on one hand, and the relationship between them, once both teacher and friend, had become somewhat distant.

"Lead the way."

Although he knew where Tougu Garden was, Old Ape still invited with one hand.

When leaving, Old Yuan noticed that the master's gaze was lingering on him. In these three years, he was not the only one who was "ignored" by Jin Tong.

When they arrived at Tougu Garden, they saw that the garden and its surroundings remained the same for three years, and they knew that Jintong had been practicing hard without slacking for a single day.

Entering the gate and passing the plum grove, the old ape paused.

He raised his eyes and looked towards the cloud of smoke above the forest. It was a patchwork of wisps of smoke that was condensed but not dispersed, and was the color of scarlet cinnabar.

In the smoke and miasma, there was a long shadow like a dragon or a snake, rolling and swimming in it.

"Qianshou, come back soon."

While the old ape was wondering, he saw the thrush boy among the two boys shout loudly and release a small bag, and then he saw the smoke and miasma in the forest shrink.

In the smoke, the long shadows dancing like dragons and snakes shrank with the smoke and became the size of a pea. Before the old ape could see clearly, they had fallen into the small bag.

"Good boy, what kind of spiritual object is that that makes me, an old ape, so nervous." The old ape, who usually treated the servants in the cave rudely, unexpectedly presented two spiritual peaches for the first time and put them into the arms of the two boys one by one.

Huamei is straightforward and Yunque is cunning, and when they work together they can accomplish anything without any mistakes. They looked at each other in tacit understanding and pushed Lingtao back.

"Xiao Lang has already been instructed that when talking to Master Ape, there is no need to worry about such things."

As he said this, he turned the bag upside down, and a flying centipede with a red head, a hundred feet, a black body and thin wings fell down.

The old ape stared with his eyes wide open, and just as he got closer, he heard the two children shouting "be careful", and then he smelled a fishy sweet smell, and his head immediately felt dizzy.

"What a poisonous species."

The old ape took a step back, and said with a shocked look on his face: “I have often heard that poison seeds are cultivated by refining poisons, and swallowing and refining a spiritual poison can surpass hundreds of thousands of spiritual opportunities.

If this continues, the more advanced your cultivation becomes, the stronger the poison will become.

This centipede monster only leaked a little poison, but it could actually affect me. I really don’t know what kind of spiritual poison it used to cultivate it. And its shrinking skill is really…”

"Old Ape!"

A voice was heard from a thatched cottage in the forest.

"I made a mistake."

This kind of revealing of the truth, even if it is only the truth of the master's spiritual companion, is not an action that a worldly-wise man like him should take.

Today I was really shocked by this flying centipede and accidentally lost my courtesy as a guest.

As the saying goes, a small thing can reveal a big thing. This flying centipede is an ancient species that has achieved great success in its body cultivation and has practiced Taoism for at least a hundred years. Even the master does not have such a spiritual companion.

Don’t think that the master always rides a yellow cloud cap when traveling. Does that mean he doesn’t want to have a mount? No, it’s because he can’t find a mount that will make him proud.

For a master like him, his every move is interpreted by outsiders. If he chooses an inferior mount, not only will outsiders criticize him, but his fellow disciples will also gossip about him in private.

He couldn't imagine how many surprises were still undiscovered in Jin Tong's hands.

Thinking of this, as he walked to the thatched cottage, Old Yuan felt a little reserved in front of the master.

The door of the thatched cottage was wide open, and a gauze curtain was hung under the main room inside the door. Behind the curtain was a figure with two vague shadows, and the figure was much taller.

"My body is a hindrance, please don't blame me, old ape."

The word "dare not" almost came out of his mouth, but because he felt that it was too degrading, the old ape changed his words and smiled and said, "No."

Ji Ming stood behind the curtain, with one crane leg standing upright and the other bent, his claws and wings spread out on both sides, his eyes staring into the void as if he could not find the focus.

Above his head, three air masses representing essence, qi and spirit are suspended on a line. From time to time, they gather together and sink into the Huangting Dantian, condensing into a trace of true qi.

After three years, he finally refined a trace of true Qi and entered the second level of Qi Refining.

Three years was one year longer than Ji Ming had expected. Considering that he was distracted by other Taoist pursuits during these three years, it was reasonable that he would accomplish his goal in three years.

However, during these three years, along with the growth of his Taoism, Xuanhe also underwent a transformation.

The "Book of Gods and Monsters" records: "The so-called black crane is as black as lacquer, lives a thousand years, is ferocious, has claws on the ends of its wings, catches snakes and eats them, and often lives in Leishan."

"I heard that the old ape has many friends outside the cave, and I would like to find out some things about him."

In front of the curtain, the old ape stared at the vague strange figure behind the curtain, his heart suddenly jumped with fear, and said, "Jintong is really polite. If you have anything to say, please tell me clearly, and I will definitely do my best to help."

Behind the curtain, Ji Ming looked at the crane egg held in the claws of his bent crane legs and said, "I heard that there is a pair of magical cranes on the Liuxiang Peak of Jiheng Mountain. I thought that my master would come to teach me Taoism, so I wanted to present him with a gift."

(End of this chapter)