Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 441 Bewitched
Six months later, Xuanwei City
Despite the baptism of Buddha's light, this great city remained prosperous. Most of the immortals and mortals in the city were foolish and ignorant, completely unaware that just half a year ago, two true immortals had almost clashed here, nearly losing all the lives of the city's inhabitants.

They were too busy struggling to make a living to care about the few drops of blood and tears they shed while praying to Buddha in the west. To be honest, the arrival of the spirit of Gelug not long ago had no other impact on them except to provide the city's immortals and mortals with a topic of conversation that they could talk about for many years.

At most, it simply gave the children in the city one more novel and interesting thing to do.

Since that grand pilgrimage to Buddha, whenever it rains in Xuanwei City, a few false Bodhi leaves would occasionally sprout from the ditches and cracks in the bricks along the streets.

This item is a very common Buddhist herb. Although it cannot be upgraded, if you are lucky enough to find one, you can exchange it for one or two gold leaves at a herb shop.

This was no small sum for ordinary people, and it kept these mischievous children, who ran wild all day, happy to exchange it for money to support their parents.

The city's ruffians also made a fortune, simply by loitering near the medicine shops, earning a quick buck every few days. The parents clearly knew the dangers of this scheme, yet the number of children searching for medicine in the city never seemed to decrease.

This matter doesn't stand up to close scrutiny, and others who think about it don't find anything unusual about it. After all, in this world, everyone's life has a price.

Strangely enough, at midday, the sun, which had been blazing just moments before, suddenly dimmed. The children in the neighborhood cried out and rushed out of their houses, hoes and pickaxes in hand. After a while, they were chased back into their houses by their panicked parents.

The bolder children were particularly unwilling to give up. Even though they temporarily submitted to their parents' tyranny, they still ignored all advice and leaned on the windowsill, peering at the sky above.

To their surprise, what they saw filled their little faces with terror. The children then realized that a giant, seemingly boundless flying ship was hovering above Xuanwei City.

The clouds outside the jade porthole of the giant ship were torn apart by the Qiongqi's ramming horn, and the buzzing sound of the collision of spiritual energy made people's teeth ache.

The lightning-patterned runes inlaid on both sides of the deck suddenly blazed brightly, and the bronze gears on the sides of the flying boat suddenly emitted a piercing shriek. Rows of dragon-shaped masts were breathing in and out the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and the mysterious light mirrors floating on the top of each mast refracted countless rainbow rays, almost turning the sea of ​​clouds within a hundred miles into a jade color.

The mountain-moving and sea-filling formation engraved on the bottom of the ship suddenly started operating, crushing the clouds into water droplets that hit the deck and burst into fine spiritual mist.

A cultivator hanging at the tip of the mast suddenly gripped the railing wrapped with talismans, while the thick chain trailing from the stern of the ship was carving a deep, unfathomable trench in the sea of ​​clouds.

As the last wisp of dark cloud was pierced by the bow of the ship, the bright blue mainsail was filled with fresh air with a "whoosh".

At the same time, a vast sea of ​​clouds appeared as if it had been cleaved by a sharp blade. The residual spiritual energy at the edges of the cracks continued to burn, melting the already broken cloud fragments into drizzles that fell down.

Such a scene captivated not only the naive children, but even the usually imposing city guards stood solemnly around the giant ship, preventing any rogue cultivator from the city from getting close.

Once the giant ship had come to a complete stop, a heavily armored official from Xuanwei City boarded the deck, verified the documents, and respectfully bowed to the ship's owner before disembarking to report to Fei Tianqin and the group of Golden Core cultivators.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, it is indeed a Class D flying boat from Wanbao Trading Company."

The old bird lowered its head and lightly scolded, "You scoundrel, I've seen this kind of flying boat countless times, why do you need to report it to me? I don't know who started this ridiculous rule!"

After scolding Guan Cheng, Fei Tianqin's tone softened considerably when he looked at the flying boat: "May I ask which manager of Wanbao Trading Company is on board? Please come down and meet me."

A fat, middle-aged cultivator dressed in a brocade robe descended from the flying boat. After stepping over clouds with a pair of spirit boots inlaid with pearls and jade, he finally landed in front of Fei Tianqin.

The middle-aged cultivator bowed and said, "Haha, I never expected that I would be personally greeted by the Marquis of Fengcheng. Dou Tong, the third-class manager of the Wanbao Trading Company in David, pays respects to the Marquis."

"Manager Dou, we've known each other for a long time, why the fuss? What big deal is this that requires you to come all the way here in person?" Fei Tianqin's tone was noticeably more cheerful.

Dou Tong smiled sincerely and replied softly, "I offended the head manager at the Taiyuan branch, so I was sent to Shannan Road to find work. From now on, I will be in charge of the Tengwen branch. I hope the Marquis will take good care of me."

Upon hearing this, Fei Tianqin and the other knowledgeable Golden Core cultivators around him were all skeptical. Everyone knew that the Wanbao Trading Company within the territory of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty was entirely under the jurisdiction of the Dou family, and Dou Tong, as the youngest Golden Core cultivator of this generation, would never be demoted like this.
"Wanbao Trading Company is also setting up shop in Shannan Road? This place is going to be quite lively in the future. Bai Canhong, I wonder if you old man can keep things under control?" After grumbling to himself for a while, Fei Tianqin ignored Dou Tong's nonsense and instead asked for help: "This time, I will have to trouble Manager Dou."

"My lord, you flatter me. I am just about to return to Taiyuan to report to the head manager. What is it to give a few fellow Daoists a ride along the way? It is a blessing that ordinary people cannot obtain to serve you, my lord."

The businessman was eloquent, but Fei Tianqin didn't like flattery, so he gave up on chatting with Dou Tong and instead turned to the back to ask, "Gentlemen, hurry up and board the boat! What are you still babbling about?!"

After its stern shout, several figures rushed over.

Fei Enxing, with a cold expression, took the lead and boarded the flying boat. His destination this time was the Liangxi border, and Taiyuan was just a transit point. He was not with the other Fei family members who were on assignment and were going back to their clan's territory in Yingzhou.

Jiang Qing was the last to arrive, accompanying the Fei family alchemists, but he was also standing next to the imposing Master Kang.

Contrary to popular belief, Kang Dabao, who is usually very talkative, did not chatter with Jiang Qing this time.

The usually silent Sect Leader Kang finally couldn't hold back any longer. Only when Jiang Qing was about to step onto the gangway did he speak up and give him a word of advice: "Be careful on the road, be quick-witted, control your temper, don't be reckless when things happen, just think about how to protect yourself and avoid any harm."

"Junior brother understands." Approaching sixty, Jiang Qing was much more composed than before. He stood on the gangway, bowed to Kang Dabao with one hand, and then boarded the ship with his sword. However, on the deck, he couldn't contain himself any longer, turning back to call out loudly, "Senior brother, please take care! Junior brother will definitely return soon!"

"Be careful!!"

Instead of a human voice responding to Master Kang's repeated instructions, the azure-scaled mainsail of the giant ship displayed the seal script character for "wealth" before roaring into action. The mist that had just subsided began to rise again, suffocating the great city beneath the ship and making it resemble a fairyland.

"I'll take my leave now. I'll come back to listen to your teachings when I have time." After saying this politely, Dou Tong didn't wait for Fei Tianqin's reaction. With a flash of inspiration, he landed back on the flying boat.

Fei Tianqin's eyes lit up as he looked at it, and he sighed inwardly, "Wanbao Trading Company seems to have become increasingly wealthy over the years. Dou Tong's pair of spirit boots are no ordinary items; they seem to have the aura of spirit treasures."

Even some less powerful and less skilled individuals would struggle to capture this fellow without considerable ability! In the future, when the world descends into chaos, his family might very well get involved. And who knows if any wise and capable individuals in the capital have made any plans in mind?!

The giant ship was quite fast, and after a short while, even with the old bird's sharp eyes, it was difficult to find any trace of it.

Fei Tianqin turned back with his thoughts in mind. Without saying a word, he waved his wings, and a high-ranking official from the state court dismissed the surrounding elite soldiers, who returned to their respective posts.

The once bustling Xuanwei City instantly returned to tranquility. The Golden Core cultivators, having witnessed the imposing presence of the Fei family patriarch and learning of his connection with the manager of Wanbao Trading Company, were now filled with new thoughts.

This was exactly what Fei Tianqin was happy to see. He stayed where he was, exchanged a few simple words with the others, and then left.

The Golden Core cultivators had no intention of lingering long. After exchanging a few pleasantries in small groups, they dispersed. Chu Yanran had just exchanged a few words with Wu Feng Shangxiu and was about to leave when she saw Grand Master Kang hurrying over to pay his respects.

"My son is utterly useless and incompetent. But Madam has not disliked him and has taken him under her wing to teach her the true arts. I am deeply grateful and have come here to express my gratitude!"

After seeing Kang Dabao, Chu Yanran smiled and said, "You're a lucky boy. Changyi is a very reliable and honest child. I'm afraid he'll be able to reach the Foundation Establishment stage in another year or two."

"Thank you for your guidance, senior!"

It was clear that Sect Leader Kang already knew about this news, and he quickly concealed the joy on his face, immediately bowing again.

Chu Yanran accepted the gift without hesitation. After all, even though she had only taken Kang Changyi under her wing due to other reasons, she had still taught him with great care over the years.

Otherwise, even if Kang Changyi's spiritual root was not bad, it would be impossible for his foundation to be so solid that he would need to establish his foundation before he was even thirty. However, after being received by Kang Dabao, this beautiful woman then spoke up and instructed:
"But I've also been at a crucial stage of my cultivation these past year or two, so I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of Changyi much. Well then, I've already prepared the Foundation Establishment Pill for him, but it was a bit rushed, and I only managed to find one of medium quality."

However, considering his foundation, it should be sufficient. You, as his father, shouldn't just sit back and do nothing. This time, take Changyi back and teach him properly. Ideally, when I emerge from seclusion next time, I'll see that this child has become a true cultivator.”

"Yes, once I have finished the household errands at my own expense, I will go to your residence to fetch the person."

"That's for the best," Chu Yanran nodded slightly with satisfaction, then drifted away.

Just as Kang Dabao was about to leave, Yang Wuwei brought his two cousins, Yang Wudi and Yang Wuxin, to invite him: "Brother, if you have time in the future, please remember to come to Yezhou for a chat."

"Rest assured, fellow Daoist, once things settle down within the sect, I, Kang, will surely come to bother you two brothers again!"

"It's a deal?"

"A word is settled!"

The two clasped hands warmly, exchanged well wishes, and then bowed in farewell. While Kang Dabao and Cao Xianlu were exchanging pleasantries, Zhou Yun, Wu Feng Shangxiu's disciple, mustered his courage and approached for a chat. His status as a Golden Core cultivator might be considered significant in other parts of Shannan Dao, but in the final two rounds of the battle against Fu Neng's peers, he was somewhat insignificant.

After all, it was clear to everyone with eyes that he was in a sorry state in the first battle. Although he was also among the nine seats, he was completely different from Kang and Cao.

Fortunately, Sect Leader Kang has never been arrogant and quickly became very close to Zhou Yun.

Cao Xianlu, who was standing to the side, was quite proud, but when he saw that even the most outstanding leader of Chongming Sect was like this, he didn't want to ruin the impression he made on Kang Dabao, so he also restrained his temper and spoke to Zhou Yun in a nice and polite manner for a while.

Qin Sufu, who was just recovering from his injuries, was unaware that his in-laws intended to make peace with Chongming Sect. He stood at a distance as usual, gazing thoughtfully at the Grand Master Kang, who was now somewhat surrounded by admirers.

The shrewd and resourceful Kang Dabao did not linger in such a place for long. His relationship with the other guests had already been very good during their time in Xuanwei City, so there was no need to waste any time here.

After making an appointment with Zhou Yun to have a drink at Chongmingzong, Kang Dabao, Cao Xianlu, and Fei Wen went back to Fei's residence together.

It is true that Sheshan Hall is currently facing a talent shortage. Among the thousands of members of the prestigious Fei family lineage, there are no outstanding individuals. It is necessary to bring out the aforementioned three outsiders to attend, in order to salvage some face for Sheshan Hall.

It is unknown when the situation of Sheshan Hall will improve, given that Fei Nanying is currently in seclusion.

However, as a son-in-law from another family, Headmaster Kang doesn't need to worry about these things. To be honest, the more talent the Sheshan Hall has, the more benefits he can gain, so it's not necessarily a bad thing for him.

He returned from this trip with Fei Tianqin's permission to come and invite people.

After parting ways with Cao and Fei, Kang Dabao walked through the long corridor, flowing water, mountain forests, flowers and trees, and smelled the fragrance of medicine before finally entering a quiet and secluded place deep within Fei's residence, holding the token.

As soon as Master Kang entered, he saw a middle-aged man with white hair wearing a thin robe standing beside a cauldron with blue flames rising from its bottom.

"Junior Kang Dabao, by order of Elder Tianqin, specially invites Senior Luan to move to Xiaohuan Mountain!"

—Emperor Chongming
At midday, Pei Yi, with a pale and handsome face, left Yulin Hall accompanied by the sound of chanting scriptures.

Ye Yaoling is a very competent teacher who has indeed taken a lot of burden off Pei Yi's shoulders over the years. She is trustworthy and has put the old master, who is suffering from a chronic illness, at ease.

However, there are now many more disciples in the Chongming Sect than before, and Ye Yaoling alone may not be able to handle it. She needs to cultivate a few more assistants to help her.

Pei Yi paused at this point, mentally reviewing the outstanding disciples in the sect, and murmured, "That little girl named Qi Ke seems quite good. She has been an inner disciple for two or three years now, and it's time for her to take on some responsibilities."

Chang'er's cultivation is already sufficient, and his fellow disciples have always provided him with much guidance. He also possesses the strengths of various schools of thought, making him suitable for teaching disciples. However, the compensation for this assignment isn't particularly generous; perhaps we should discuss it with Senior Brother Kang and Junior Sister first before proceeding.

Pei Yi returned to his residence with a belly full of thoughts. Recently, all the matters outside had been settled, and he and Yuan Jin and others could finally get away. As soon as Pei Yi entered his own courtyard, he saw that Kuai Shi had already prepared the spiritual dishes and was sitting on the round table.

This youngest sister of the Kuai family, who was forced into the Chongming Sect by Kuai Wu at the cost of her own life, had indeed saved the lives of everyone in the sect, yet she had not developed the slightest arrogance or haughtiness. She remained gentle and kind in her dealings with others, and even the admiring look in her eyes when she looked at Pei Yi remained unchanged.

Now, the courtyard is only occupied by the couple and a few ordinary servants from the Pei family, making it rather deserted.

Of Pei Yi's three disciples, Kang Rongquan was far away in the Wild Fox Mountain in the Cold Crow Mountains, cultivating spiritual fields for the newly opened spiritual veins, and naturally had no time to spare; Yuan Changsheng was also serving as a steward of the General Affairs Hall at the Jia Chou Military Camp, managing and assigning jobs to the rogue cultivators who came from various prefectures and counties to make a living in that emerging place.

Only Ye Yaoling, who remained in the sect as a steward of the Yulin Hall, could come to pay her respects regularly. However, Pei Yi felt that this would greatly affect her cultivation, so he insisted on waiving this formality.

After all, Ye Yaoling is already over fifty years old, and her cultivation level is only at the eighth level of Qi Refining. She doesn't know how many hurdles she hasn't overcome in the Foundation Establishment stage, so she shouldn't waste time on these useless things.

In addition, Pei Yi's only daughter, Pei Zhu'er, got married before the new year, and her husband's family is the Jiang family of Chongming.

Jiang Qing, a cousin of Chongming who possessed spiritual roots but was unlikely to be accepted into the Chongming family, won this marriage. He also received a large sum of money as part of Pei Zhu'er's dowry, and the entire Jiang family was well-fed and satisfied.

After all, Jiang Qing, who was also an elder of Chongming, had left home at a young age and had never been particularly fond of the clan. To be honest, he probably didn't care as much about the Chongming Jiang family as his two disciples, He Dezong and Ming Zhe.

After hearing that Pei Zhu'er brought a large sum of supplies, the Jiang family of Chongming now has some ideas to cheer up.

Jiang Qing's cousin had some guts and came up with the idea of ​​finding a spiritual site in Cold Crow Mountain. With the added advantage of the relationship between the Jiang and Pei families, it would be easy for Ye Zhengwen and Sun Fu to get things done without having to bribe anyone.

After having eaten the spiritual food with his wife, Pei Yi went into the cloud room alone. On the large wooden clothes rack in the room lay a set of Pei Que's clothes, and on the low table next to him lay the golden axe magic weapon that the latter had used in his lifetime.

Pei Yi had long since passed the age of being moved by the sight of the scenery. He sat on the jade couch expressionlessly, opened the small ice box that Kang Rongquan had sent to present, took out a piece of the high-quality Muyang grass, and started refining it into an elixir.

Refining the Muyang Pill was not a difficult task for a top-grade alchemist like him. After a while, the pill was finished and the furnace was extinguished. A few plain-colored pills jumped out of the furnace and were inhaled by Pei Yi, accompanied by the aroma of rice. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, large patches of gray-black dirt were extracted from the pores of Pei Yi's body.

He was clearly used to this scene. He simply made another incantation, and the fire poison that had accumulated in his body due to alchemy was blown away by a gentle breeze.

However, Pei Yi did not show much relief on his face. After the poison left his body, his expression darkened, and he made a series of shouting sounds from his chest and mouth for a long time.

It was two hours later before Pei Yi managed to suppress his injuries. Even though he was covered in sweat, he dared not stop.

Pei Yi closed his eyes and concentrated, forming the Tai Chi hand seal and silently reciting the mind-clearing mantra, finally entering a meditative state. The hidden injuries he suffered from failing to establish his foundation were intermittent, and the lost lifespan could not be recovered in the slightest. This made it even more difficult for Pei Yi to establish his foundation again.

Even so, he never considered giving up. But as time went by, he still hadn't made any progress, and he couldn't help but feel impatient.

Moreover, there is
"The great revenge remains unavenged! The great revenge remains unavenged!!"

It's unclear how much time has passed, but spiderweb-like bluish-purple veins have appeared on Pei Yi's jade-like face. His eyebrows, which were originally slanted upwards towards his temples, are now twisted like earthworms. Blood beads seeping from his lips roll down his chin, staining his moon-white silk robe with red spots.

The veins on the back of his hand bulged with an eerie purple light, as if something alive was crawling under his skin. His knuckles dug into the cracks of the blue bricks, carving out several red bloodstains on the brick wall that was covered with spiritual energy.

The strange roars emanating from Pei Yi's throat crashed intermittently against the stone wall, mixed with the cracking sounds of dislocated bones, making the originally tranquil Cloud Chamber extremely eerie.

At this moment, Pei Que's clothes, which had been neatly arranged, had fallen off the beam, and even the golden axe and other magical implements placed on the low shelf were overturned by the shockwave, their golden luster shattered and falling onto the glazed incense burner. The unburnt pine resin and the smell of blood mixed together in the cloud room, creating a strange odor.

The eerie roar abruptly ceased, Pei Yi's neck snapped back, and his once clear pupils now swirled like boiling water. His blood-stained silk robe billowed without wind, the gold-embroidered cloud patterns on the lapel crumbling inch by inch.

He convulsed, curled up in a bow shape, his shoulder blades pushing against the fabric, and a dark red color could be vaguely seen emerging from his back.

"The great revenge remains unavenged! The great revenge remains unavenged!!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Dang Dang Dang."

Upon hearing the sound, Kuai came over, opened the gate of the mansion, and immediately curtsied: "So it's Senior Brother Headmaster."

"Yes, sister-in-law, you're too kind." Sect Leader Kang didn't exchange many pleasantries, but simply pointed to the middle-aged man with white hair beside him and introduced him to Kuai Shi: "This is Senior Luan, a third-level alchemist whom I invited from the Fei family. He came specifically to treat Junior Brother Pei's injuries."

Kuai's eyes immediately lit up with surprise and delight, and she said, "My husband is currently cultivating in the Cloud Chamber. I will go and call him out right now!"

Headmaster Kang also showed a hint of joy: "Yes, yes, please ask your sister-in-law to quickly summon Junior Brother Pei to meet us. Senior Luan is very busy with many affairs of state, and he is a key figure even in the Fei family. He naturally has no time to linger for too long. I suppose Junior Brother Pei's illness is just a minor ailment, which is nothing more than a matter of course for Senior Luan."

Senior Luan was clearly fond of flattery. After Kang Dabao's praise, his face, already radiant with the glow of the generous medical funds, gained an even greater look of pleasure. He stroked his handsome beard, about to utter some humble words, when he noticed a strange phenomenon occurring in the courtyard, and his expression suddenly changed.

"Possessed by demonic possession?!"

The Grand Master Kang reacted much faster than the alchemist. He grabbed the terrified and tearful Kuai Shi and shielded her behind him, then roared angrily at the blood-red figure in the cloud room, whose former glory was no longer visible: "Junior Brother Pei!"

(End of this chapter)