Qiu Zu: From an apprentice in a medicine shop to an immortal ancestor

Chapter 119: Three Months of Breakthrough Opportunity
At the entrance of Guangling city, people and goods were coming and going, and it was bustling.

In the backyard of the pharmacy, a group of martial artists from the treasure-hunting and herb-collecting team stood in the open space in the courtyard, constantly looking out, looking somewhat uneasy.

Until a man in blue walked in from outside the courtyard. When they saw the young man in blue, they were delighted and stood up to greet him.

"Helmsman!"

Qiu Zhen looked around at everyone, and then his eyes fell on Qin Jian, the captain of the treasure hunting and herb collecting team:

"Uncle Qin, how are you, brothers? Are you all right?"

"It's nothing serious. A few brothers were injured, but their lives are not in danger. They will recover in ten days or half a month."

The middle-aged burly martial artist Qin Jian, who was in the lead, had a lingering fear on his face:
"I didn't expect that we would have such bad luck today. We even encountered a group of small beasts rioting in the suburbs of the mountains. If it weren't for the captain's rescue, I'm afraid we brothers would not be able to come back this time."

Qiu Zhen knew the whole story, but it was pointless to talk to them, so he just nodded:

"Brothers, no need to say more."

"Hehehe~"

The martial artists all laughed.

Most of the treasure hunting and herb collecting team are guest martial artists who come from the underworld and value brotherhood. This time, Qiu Zhen came to the rescue, and the martial artists of the herb collecting team had a preliminary recognition of this young boss and became much closer to him.

Qiu Zhen exchanged greetings with the martial artists for a while, gave them the healing medicine he prepared daily, and after winning their hearts, he did not stay long and returned to the "Qiuzhen Residence" in the backyard.

After Qiu Zhen left, the martial artists from the treasure-hunting herb team in the courtyard began to discuss the matter.

"Captain Qiu is really capable. He can frighten away the beasts with just a dragon roar and a tiger roar."

"That's right. I'm afraid the captain had a fight with the innate demon general afterwards. The corner of his clothes was not torn. I guess he handled it with ease."

"Captain Qiu is younger than my child, yet he has such great abilities. I don't know how he cultivated them. He must be born high."

"Who said Captain Qiu was born in a high position? He is a native of Qingmu and is said to be from a poor family."

“That’s true.”

Qiuzhenju Study

“It’s an unexpected gain.”

Qiu is in a really good mood.

He had grassroots experience in handling all the affairs in the backyard of Guangling Pharmacy, and with Liu Anqing and Kang Zhuangyuan on his side, he figured out the route and easily took control of the situation in a few days. The only thing he couldn't do was to get involved in the treasure hunting and herbal medicine team.

This time, it is a good opportunity to show our strength and win people's hearts.

Of course, what really made Qiu Zhen happy was not the mundane affairs in the medicine hall, but that after fighting with Mei Qingshan, he vaguely noticed that the bronze seal of the mountain god seemed to have undergone some subtle changes.

"There is no unusual movement."

Qiu Zhen played with the bronze seal in his hand, feeling curious.

He still remembered that some days ago, when Mei Qingshan came to his door, the Mountain God Seal glowed with golden light and looked extremely "excited".

In fact, when he first met Mei Qingshan just now, he also felt the warmth emanating from the copper seal on his body, as if it was resonating with Mei Qingshan. He wished he could escape from his restraints and fly towards Mei Qingshan.

However, after he fought with Mei Qingshan, the mountain god's bronze seal suddenly stopped moving.

It was as if the mysterious "connection" between it and Mei Qingshan had been severed by something.

"Could it be that this is a fight for destiny?"

The two fought, and although he fled from the battlefield, the fact was that Mei Qingshan was defeated.

Without the golden dragon appearing to protect him, Mei Qingshan would undoubtedly lose.

Mei Goro failed in his fight for destiny and lost the favor of the "Mountain God's Seal"?

Qiu Zhen pondered secretly, his mind full of thoughts.

Mei Qingshan lost to me. Could it be that his "luck" was transferred to me?

When he thought of this, he felt a faint sense of anticipation in his heart. He played with and studied the bronze seal, trying to refine it and make it recognize its master.

About an hour later.

Qiu Zhen closed the lacquered box with mixed feelings.

After struggling for an hour and trying every possible means, there was still no movement. He still had no connection with the "Mountain God Seal".

However, it was not without gain.

Perhaps because the connection with Mei Qingshan was severed, some kind of restriction on the Mountain God Seal was loosened. He probed his spiritual power into the bronze seal and could faintly feel a "spiritual" presence.

"It has spirituality. So, when you have a higher level of cultivation in the future, you will be able to refine it?"

Qiu Zhen guessed secretly and couldn't help feeling excited.

I am not afraid of the difficulty of refining the Mountain God Seal, I am just afraid of not having the opportunity. As long as there is spirituality, it means I can communicate and command.

"Sir, Sir, we are back."

As I was thinking, I heard a clear child's voice.

A strong wind blew, and soon, Atractylodes macrocephala and Ziziphus jujuba appeared in the yard. In their hands, each of them was holding a herb covered with soil.

Faintly, there was a flash of light.

They were exactly two magical herbs, one was Chinese angelica and the other was white peony root.

"Sir, here, I found them all."

Bai Zhu presented the treasure to Qiu Zhen.

“It’s a good harvest!”

Qiu Zhen nodded slightly. He did not go to take the treasure, but looked up and down at Baizhu and Xiaozaozi. Perhaps he saw something, and said with a smile:

"It just so happens that the precious medicine in your body has become less turbid. You can use these two precious spiritual herbs, Baishu, to refine the [Small Immortal Beast Pill] to improve your strength."

"Thank you, sir."

After Baizhu expressed his gratitude, he happily took Xiaozaozi to the kitchen to prepare herbs for making elixir.

Seeing this, Qiu Zhen shook his head.

Speaking of which, magical herbs and precious medicines have a great appeal to monsters and monsters.

Generally speaking, ordinary monsters and goblins that have no followers do not understand the harm of "precious medicine and turbid qi". If they have the ability to hunt for treasures, it is often not a good thing. They take precious medicines in large quantities, causing serious accumulation of turbid qi, and are unable to detoxify themselves later, which will lead to a "bottleneck" in their practice and they will be unable to make any progress in their lifetime.

There is no such trouble with Atractylodes macrocephala and jujube.

Qiu Zhen learned Guo Wenju's magical beast taming method, which contained a kind of elixir called [Small Fairy Beast Pill], which was specially used to train monsters and spirits. After the elixir was refined with magical herbs and precious medicines, it could enhance the monster's power and cultivation, and the toxicity was much less than that of taking the magical herbs and precious medicines directly.

With him in control and a large amount of magical herbs and medicines at their disposal, Atractylodes macrocephala and Xiaozaozi will be able to cultivate much faster than the monsters and monsters in the wild.

As for Qiu Zhen, he had no intention of taking any more magical herbs or elixirs to enhance his strength.

After learning the "Theory of Clear and Turbid Qi of Heaven and Earth" from his master An Jishi, he deeply realized that immortal cultivators are not like martial artists, monsters and goblins. They practice by refining evil spirits and do not seek to achieve immortality, so taking spiritual herbs, precious medicines and pills is nothing.

It is best for those who practice Taoism to drink dew and eat clouds, and to extract the pure air from heaven and earth.

Of course, Qiu Zhen had the confidence not to take the spiritual herbs and precious medicines. The biggest reason was that he now had top-level physique [gold tendons and jade bones], as well as the ability to refine magic and extract pure [spiritual essence].

The devil's [Spirit Essence] is much better than spiritual herbs and medicines.

Thinking of this, Qiu Zhen thought of something and went to the front yard to find his third senior sister Yu Lanyin.

"Is the patient who needs exorcism entrusted to you?"

In a side hall in the front yard, Yu Lanyin listened to her junior apprentice's request, and her pretty face was full of confusion:

"Junior brother, are you addicted to exorcising evil spirits at the Demon Suppression Division?"

"Ahem~" Qiu Zhen smiled awkwardly and made up a story:

"I have a little wood spirit under my command. It has the Yang Thunder of Jiamu in its body. Exorcising evil spirits will be beneficial to its growth."

"I see!"

Yu Lanyin knew that her junior brother had such a little wood elf under his command.

A few days ago, her junior fellow apprentice gave her a thunder date fruit that could heal injuries. She was a connoisseur of value and treasured it very much.

"Since it is beneficial to Xiao Zaozi, I will leave all the patients who need to exorcise evil spirits in the pharmacy to you. Take good care of Xiao Zaozi. I want to eat jujubes again next year."

"Okay, when the fruit is ripe next year, Senior Sister will definitely give it to you."

The two were talking and laughing.

Soon, Yu Lanyin remembered something and said:
"Junior brother, I heard that your treasure hunting and herb collecting team encountered trouble today?"

"It's okay. There was a monster in the mountain causing trouble. I took action to deal with it."

"That's fine. I've also sorted out the affairs in the front yard. I'm finally settled."

As she spoke, Yu Lanyin took a sip of tea and then said worriedly:

"It's just that our second senior brother is in trouble. The Hong brothers don't respect him very much and are very opinionated. They have been fighting with the Tianlang Sect for the medicinal field for several days, but to no avail."

Qiu Zhen nodded slightly, not surprised at all.

The three brothers were so young that it was difficult for them to win the support of others. Fortunately for the two of them, there were no innate masters in the front and back yards, so they were at a higher level and could easily control the situation.

The situation faced by the second senior brother Tong Yuncong was different.

Hong Tianxiao and his second senior brother Tong Yuncong have similar cultivation levels, but Hong Tianxiao is a little older. They have had some minor conflicts in the past, and although they appear to be harmonious on the surface, in his heart he must be somewhat dissatisfied with the fact that his second senior brother is superior to him, and he is dissatisfied with the sect's dispatch.

Second Senior Brother Tong Yuncong wants to completely control Guangling Pharmacy, so he is bound to fight with the two brothers of the Hong family.

"Senior sister, we don't need to worry about this matter. Second Senior Brother has his own methods. The two of us just need to cooperate with him on a daily basis."

"That's true."

Yu Lanyin nodded.

The Hong brothers have a "Martial Arts Team" under their command, which controls the military force of Guangling Pharmacy. The second senior brother has the assistance of the two of them and controls the finances, logistics, etc. of the pharmacy. He can also counter the Hong brothers, so he is not without advantages.

The days that followed became fulfilling and peaceful.

Qiu Zhen traveled between Qiujia Village and Guangling Pharmacy every day, practicing and working at the same time.

Third senior sister Yu Lanyin was very kind. Knowing that Xiao Zaozi loved to exorcise evil spirits, all the subsequent patients who needed exorcism in the pharmacy were handed over to Qiu Zhen.

Speaking of which, although Guangling Pharmacy does not often encounter a large number of patients with "evil thoughts" like when the Wooden Puppet Sect caused chaos, it may be because it is close to the mountains, the source of the outbreak of immortals, and the evil spirit is more intense.

Martial artists often come to the medicine hall to exorcise evil spirits, and among them, occasionally someone has "evil thoughts" and gives him a little surprise.

A demonic thought is a ball of "spiritual essence", which can save at least 10 to 20 days of hard training, and at most 20 to 30 days.

Qiu Zhen possesses top-level physique [golden tendons and jade bones], and his cultivation talent is top-level. Occasionally, he gets "little surprises", and his cultivation improves extremely quickly.

Before I knew it, three months had passed.

"It is expected that the initial stage of refining essence into qi will be completed in eleven months."

Qiu Zhen looked inwardly and felt very satisfied.

Three months ago, it took him one year and eight months to complete the initial stage of [Refining Essence into Qi], but now, it only takes less than a year to complete it.

Among them, the half year of hard training saved comes from the "spiritual essence" obtained from exorcising evil spirits.

"Three months is equivalent to nine months for a top-level genius. Not bad, the job at Guangling Medicine Hall is not bad, not worse than going to the Demon Suppression Division to exorcise evil spirits."

Qiu is in a really good mood.

The monthly salary of the leader of the backyard of Guangling Pharmacy is fifty taels, which is a considerable income, but what he values ​​most is "exorcism".

There are always people better than you. There are countless hidden talents everywhere, and no one can guarantee that they will not capsize in the gutter.

Exorcising evil spirits for others and obtaining the "essence of spiritual energy" at the same time is undoubtedly a safe and shortcut to spiritual practice, which is much better than fighting for the chance to become an immortal by others.

In another six months, he will be able to break through to the middle stage of refining essence into Qi, refine his form and condense his true energy, and transform his Night Wandering God into a Day Wandering God, and catch up with his second senior brothers Tong Yuncong, Lin Shoulong and others in cultivation.

In Qingmu area, he is also considered a master.

"When I break through, and I have the support of my soul and body, I'm sure Lin Shoulong will not be my opponent."

Qiu Zhen couldn't help but feel excited.

On that day, his master An Jishi stood up for him and beat up Wei Tanzhi and Lin Shoulong in public, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

However, this is an external force after all.

It is completely different for him to catch up with Lin Shoulong in terms of cultivation and be able to slap him back in the future.

"Bang bang bang!"

Just as Qiu Zhen was focusing on himself and regulating his breathing, a loud bang was heard outside the house, which woke him up suddenly.

The noise sounded like something being smashed, and there was also a faint sound of fighting.

What happened?
Qiu was really curious.

As a major medical sect, Yaowang Valley has always been kind to others and has made friends with all parties. Although it occasionally conflicts with other forces over matters such as medicine mountains and herb-collecting sites, they usually know their limits and will not fight.

After all, no matter which force they belong to, there will always be a time when they will be injured and seek help from Yaowang Valley.

"Sir, Hong Tianbao has gone mad and is beating and smashing things around."

After eating the melon, Bai Zhu reported the news to Qiu Zhen immediately.

Going crazy and possessed?

Qiu Zhen immediately stood up and took two steps at a time, rushing towards the place where the sound came from.

The entire Guangling Pharmacy heard the noise and rushed in.

However, a group of martial arts masters stopped the apprentices and managers of the pharmacy outside.

When Qiu Zhen arrived at the open space in the courtyard, he saw his second senior brother Tong Yuncong and deputy hall master Hong Tianxiao joining forces to fight Hong Tianbao.

At this moment, Hong Tianbao's eyes were red, his face was full of madness, and his whole body exuded a violent and evil aura, as if he was not a human, but a demon that chose its prey.

"Little Junior Brother, don't go over there."

When Yu Lanyin saw Qiu Zhen rushing over, she reached out to stop him, with a look of anxiety on her face:
"Hong Tianbao has been possessed by a demon. His fighting power is extremely terrifying. We are no match for him!"

Qiu Zhen looked over and saw the three people who were fighting fiercely.

Just as Senior Sister Yu Lanyin said, Hong Tianbao, who is only at the Innate True Qi Realm, now appears to be extremely tough, with blood Qi lingering all over his body, and every punch and claw of his is extremely ferocious. He goes head-on with Second Senior Brothers Tong Yuncong and Hong Tianxiao, and actually is not at all inferior to them.

He was fearless and even had the upper hand, and neither of them could subdue him.

Bai Shu, who was eating melons on the side, couldn't help but ask:
"Sir, Sister Lan Yin, he is not a congenital martial artist, how come he has become possessed by a demon?"

"Martial artists can also be possessed by demons."

Yu Lanyin sighed and said:

"If they encounter an invasion by a powerful foreign demon, even an innate martial artist will not be able to resist and will become possessed. I don't know where Hong Tianbao got the powerful demon from."

He does not mean that.

Qiu Zhen's heart began to beat fast when he heard what his senior sister Yu Lanyin said.

The opportunity to break through to the middle stage of refining essence into qi seems to be coming.

PS: There are some things going on at home, so I will update 4K today
(End of this chapter)