This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 452 What's the point of living if people can't even eat melon seeds?

Xiang Yuan slowly walked out of the Taixu Palace and stopped when he passed the Twelve Pavilions.

Looking at the twelve divine positions before him, he fell into deep thought.

The Heavenly Sect is the prototype of the Heavenly Court. If Ji Wuzhou wants to restart the Heavenly Court, he must expand his manpower and turn the makeshift organization into an even larger one.

Xiang Yuan, the young sect leader of the Heavenly Sect, had already made preliminary preparations regarding how to recruit people and what kind of people to recruit.

The integration of the Western Chu Hegemon, the Liu clan, the Li clan, the formation of the Three Kingdoms alliance, and so on, all belong to the preliminary preparatory work.

In order to ensure the smooth progress of the preliminary work, Xiang Yuan went against his conscience and became a member of the Li clan. He endured the grievances and made Liu Che lust after him. He brought the artistic young woman back to the Overlord's Mansion and listened to the wailing of the defeated dog every day. He became notorious in the fan circle.

It is precisely because the young sect leader shed blood for the Heavenly Sect, exerted his strength for the Heavenly Sect, endured all kinds of humiliation and hardship, and worked tirelessly that the Heavenly Sect has the prestige it enjoys today.

In this way, the Heavenly Sect doesn't even need to hold open recruitment; simply by displaying the name of the young sect leader, countless people respond.

Xiang Yuan didn't say it aloud, but he had already discussed with Xiao He how to properly arrange the future Heavenly Court system and how to maximize the value of Qianyuan Realm. The two of them had discussed it several times behind the back of the lazy bum, Poshanban.

Not only was the mastermind pushing Ji Wuzhou to his death, but Xiang Yuan was too.

If Ji Wuzhou is Xiao Yan of the Heavenly Sect, then Xiang Yuan, the young sect leader, is Xiao Qian, the heir apparent of the Heavenly Sect.

He went to great lengths to become a second-generation rich kid and a second-generation powerful kid.

Xiao He was very clever, but his vision was limited. Xiang Yuan, on the other hand, had experienced a fairly complete makeshift Heavenly Court system, knew the general framework, and knew how to build it so that it could function.

The Heavenly Realm, the Human Realm, and the Underworld—once these three elements are combined, a basic framework emerges.

Further subdivision reveals numerous contradictions and problems.

Looking at the Qianyuan Realm alone, the Heavenly Court could select suitable personnel from many first-class forces, but as Ji Wuzhou said, ordinary Tongyou Grandmasters would not be interested, and powerful Integration Stage cultivators would not be interested in the Heavenly Court's shabby makeshift team.

For example, the Yellow Springs Path is very suitable to become the core of the Underworld. They were born to do this job. However, the Path Master is mysterious and secretive. To poach someone from her, you have to consult with her.

How to discuss things with the Dao Lord was a headache. For some reason, the Dao Lord kept Xiang Yuan at arm's length for a long time, not even allowing him to see him, let alone discuss anything.

Heaven have mercy, Xiang Yuan must have offended the Dao Lord somewhere to incur his displeasure.

Take Wushuang Palace for example. It is mainly Bai Wuyan, who is the reincarnation of the Queen Mother of the West. It seems natural for her to return to the Heavenly Court as the head of the female immortals. However, the rich woman disdains cultivating gods, and it is extremely difficult to invite her to register her name in the Heavenly Court.

Then there's the Qingyun Sect of the Southern Jin Dynasty, a solid foundation of the True Martial Emperor. Xiang Yuan doesn't even need to utter a sound; he just needs to fart, and the entire Qingyun Sect will come running over, drawn by the scent.

However, Xiang Yuan's claim of being the True Martial Emperor is false. Before the Tianzong sect, this makeshift organization, officially becomes the Heavenly Court, dragging the Qingyun sect down with him is tantamount to ruining the entire Qingyun sect's legacy.

Therefore, Xiang Yuan's current predicament is not that he cannot find suitable candidates, but that there are too many constraints, making it difficult to lure these people onto the Tianzong's pirate ship.

Just as Daoist Wangji scorned, the Heavenly Sect is like a broken sampan, slow to move and quick to sink. What if some good person foolishly boards the pirate ship and sinks along with it?

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.

Qingzhou, Bishui County.

Bang!

Xiang Yuan kicked open the door, took off his shoes, sat on the couch, and embraced Zi Ping, sighing deeply.

"What happened? Why are you looking so worried? Tell me, and I'll help you... cheer you up," Zi Ping said kindly.

Come on, I'm just saying this to make you happy!
Xiang Yuan rolled his eyes: "What else could it be? Your master, of course. You have no idea how big her appetite is. Every time she comes to Jianxinzhai, I get drained dry several times over. If I don't come, it's even worse; she'll catch me..."

Blah blah blah, waibi waibi.

Xiang Yuan spoke the absolute truth, without a single lie, but different people interpret it differently. To A Ping, who was quite amused, it meant something else entirely.

This is it! This is Ah Ping's favorite thing to listen to!

Zi Ping's eyes lit up when she heard this. Based on her previous experience, she guessed that her master must be secretly watching. Eager to see her senior sister point her sword at the lowly maid, she pushed Xiang Yuan down, mounted him, and began to undo his belt.

"Hey, why are you in such a hurry? I haven't finished speaking yet!"

"You can say whatever you want, it won't affect anything."

Zi Ping quickly removed Xiang Yuan's belt and then unbuckled her own. She was about to go from being disheveled to being practically naked, but Su Ran Sword Master did not appear as before to break the firewood or steal the flames.

Zi Ping was completely dumbfounded. What should she do? She couldn't just keep acting, could she?
Xiang Yuan: See? I told you not to rush, but you wouldn't listen. Now let's see how you get out of this mess.

If the acting can't continue, it means that the two are completely innocent and just good brothers. Zi Ping won't have anything to do with the fun anymore, just like Qin Zhaorong, who has been offline for a long time. She doesn't even get a chance to be the goalkeeper.

Zi Ping panicked at the mere thought of it, and her hands moved with lightning speed as she began to unfasten the inner garment beneath her Taoist robe.

Wait a minute, we can't do anything reckless!
Xiang Yuan took a deep breath, raised his hand and pressed down on Zi Ping's wrist, transmitting his voice through his primordial spirit: "Calm down, we can't let this charade become real. If the Sword Master won't come, why don't you have your senior sister come instead?"

Upon hearing this, Zi Ping suddenly realized that she shouldn't have done that. Recently, her master had been trying to recruit her, and she had almost forgotten how Shang Qingmeng should make her entrance.

Xiang Yuan flipped over and pinned Zi Ping down, gripping her wrists and assuming the summoning mechanism of Shang Qingmeng.

"Be gentle, you're hurting Aping."

Zi Ping spoke in a sweet, delicate voice, clearly overjoyed.

Xiang Yuan was speechless. What terrible lines! When did A Ping become like this?

With a bang, the door was pushed open, and Shang Qingmeng stood outside expressionlessly, accompanied by Qin Yourong—or rather, Qin Zhaorong.

Her gaze was sharp as she looked into the room. Standing beside Shang Qingmeng, her back was straight, and she exuded a powerful aura. With a slight smirk, she seemed ready to unleash her full power, like a loyal lackey helping her senior sister catch her cheating.

"Ah Ping, you lewd..."

Before Qin Zhaorong could finish speaking, the space behind Xiang Yuan swayed, and a slender hand reached out and grabbed Xiang Yuan's hair with lightning speed, dragging him into the Jianxinzhai Small Cave.

"Hiss hiss hiss—"

Qin Zhaorong gasped, tilted her head, and blinked.

Because the version was outdated, she had no idea what was going on, but her clever little brain told her that the problem was serious and she would regret it for the rest of her life if she missed it.

"You lowly servant, I knew you would do this."

Shang Qingmeng sneered repeatedly, then teleported away and disappeared from the spot.

Here it comes, it's finally starting!

Zi Ping's eyes lit up with joy. She quickly straightened her disheveled clothes and used spatial teleportation to catch up with Shang Qingmeng.

Unable to move, she looked down and saw that Qin Zhaorong had grabbed her wrist at some point.

"Junior sister, you are only at the Nascent Soul stage, like an ant, yet you were able to capture your senior sister who is at the Profound Realm. When did you become so powerful?" Zi Ping asked incredulously.

Bah! You're a master who only achieved that through stealing food and supplements, what's there to be proud of!
The power of gossip is boundless. Qin Zhaorong was incredibly fast today, exceeding her usual level to intercept Zi Ping, grabbing her wrist and refusing to let go. Her pretty face was filled with shock, confusion, and ecstasy: "Senior sister, if I'm not mistaken, that person just now seemed to be... What's going on? Why did senior sister say that person was... I'm so anxious, say something!"

"Junior sister, what does this have to do with you?"

Zi Ping gave a soft snort and shook off Qin Zhaorong.

"My master is the head of the Sword Heart Sect, and my senior sister is the future head. How can I, Qin Zhaorong, be unrelated to the Sword Heart Sect?!"

Qin Zhaorong spoke confidently, but her composure lasted only three seconds before she pleaded, "Senior sister, please tell me what happened! I feel ants crawling all over my body, and I'm dying of discomfort."

"Hehe, now you know I'm your senior sister. You didn't say that when you first came in!" Zi Ping said dismissively. Now that you know A Ping is good, where were you before?

"I was just teasing you. I was only forced by Senior Sister's tyranny. Please don't be angry, Senior Sister. I... I'll kneel down for you." Qin Zhaorong pleaded repeatedly and actually knelt down before Ziping.

"It's too late, let go of me now."

"It spilled."

"You can't even cling to my leg, get off me right now."

"No!"

The two pushed and shoved each other. Qin Zhaorong clung tightly to Ziping's leg, and to show her determination to watch the drama unfold, she said loudly, "Senior sister, I'm not afraid of death. Just say it. If it's really as you think, I'll die for it."

You're really not afraid of death!

Zi Ping rolled her eyes. Qin Zhaorong was incredibly disrespectful, daring to gossip about her master and senior sister. How could Jianxinzhai, a prestigious and righteous sect, produce such a person?
"Senior sister, say something!"

"This is a long story. Let me ask you, Consort Qin, are you truly not afraid of death?"

"Where righteousness lies, I dare not fear death!"

"So you dare not fear death? Senior sister will grant your wish today." Zi Ping sighed and looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, then lowered her head and instantly became beaming. Thinking of her own affair with Xiang Yuan, she hurriedly said indignantly, "This is how it happened. Master... that person, knowing that Xiang Yuan was a great medicine master, forcibly took what he wanted without regard for his elder status..."

boom!
Qin Zhaorong listened in stunned silence, her facial features out of control. Her mouth gaped open in shock, her pupils dilated from the large melon, her eyes sparkling with excitement, and her brows furrowed tightly with frustration.

First it was the eldest sister, then the second sister, and now even the master has gotten involved.

Damn it, is she even reasonable? She was here first!

"Junior sister, that's all for today. Time is of the essence, and I must go and join forces with our eldest sister to fight against our common enemy."

"Senior sister, please take your junior sister with you too! I'll be eternally grateful and will serve you like a slave in my next life!" Qin Zhaorong clung to Zi Ping's leg, begging and pleading, insisting on going with her no matter what.

"No."

Zi Ping shook her head repeatedly, having enjoyed the pleasure of sharing gossip, she knew when to stop and refused to bring Qin Zhaorong along no matter what.

As a victim, Zi Ping's sharing of gossip was justified; it could be said that she stood on the moral high ground to point fingers at her master and call on the masses to condemn him. Even when Su Ran Sword Venerable asked her questions, she remained calm.

Bringing Qin Zhaorong along would have a completely different meaning. This is called "showing off," being unforgiving when you're in the right, and relentlessly attacking Su Ran Sword Master. If the latter gets angry and embarrassed, you won't be able to enjoy the show anymore.

What's the point of living if you can't even eat melon seeds?
"Senior sister, there's a reason why you brought your junior sister along."

Qin Zhaorong activated her clever little brain and deduced the process from the result. Her eyes lit up as she said, "Logically speaking, I shouldn't be here today. Family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. I shouldn't know about the affairs of your family of three. But Senior Sister still brought me here. Senior Sister, what do you think is the deeper meaning behind Senior Sister's arrangement?"

"Hiss hiss hiss—"

Zi Ping took two deep breaths, thinking to herself that she was indeed the eldest senior sister, audacious and ruthless, actually making everyone know about her master's affair.

"So, the person who brought your junior sister over to watch the show—I mean, to uphold justice—wasn't you, senior sister, but the eldest senior sister. You were just following her orders," Qin Zhaorong said logically.

As expected of her, the cleverest girl in Jianxinzhai, she persuaded Ziping with just two sentences.

"But……"

"There's no 'but' about it. If Master asks further, I'll suffer a little and just say that I've been having an affair with that guy surnamed Xiang for a long time. If Master doesn't believe me, I'll suffer a little more and demonstrate it right here and now."

Qin Zhaorong, with a stern face and filled with grief, said, "As long as it can help my senior sister and senior sister, what does it matter if I suffer a little grievance!"

"..."

You must be feeling really wronged.

……

The scene shifts to the forbidden area of ​​the sword pillar. Shang Qingmeng observes coldly, Zi Ping looks solemn, and Qin Zhaorong is knocking on the door, her little mouth twisted as she tries her best.

Plain-Dyed Sword Master: ()
More and more people gathered outside the door, leaving even the goofy Sword Master bewildered.

She glanced sideways and saw Xiang Yuan clean himself up, climb onto the platform, his pale face flushed, sit cross-legged, and wrap a black Taoist robe around his waist. She couldn't help but feel annoyed.

You did that on purpose, didn't you?!

Sword Master Su Ran said irritably, "I'm being lenient with you, allowing you to come and go freely. Why do you insist on going to find A Ping and even luring Qing Meng out?"

Xiang Yuan did indeed do it on purpose, but that's not how you say it. He asked in surprise, "Why do you say that, Sword Master? I came to find A Ping and Fairy Shang. I never thought of finding you, Sword Master. You are a highly respected person. How can you turn the tables and wrong an innocent person?"

"Is this true?"

"Absolutely true."

"Very well, I will send you out now so you can meet with the two of them."

"Thank you for your trouble, Sword Master."

"..." x2
After a brief stalemate, Sword Master Su Ran was the first to give in. With the spirit of "I've already been scolded, so I might as well take the medicine first."

Cultivation is a serious matter, no, humiliating Bai Wuyan is a serious matter. Let's put the misunderstanding with my disciple aside for now. If you're upright, you have nothing to fear. Now that she has a mouth, she can't possibly explain herself!
Thinking of this, Sword Master Su Ran rubbed his hands together, got up and sat down in Xiang Yuan's arms.

Ouch!

Click!

Xiang Yuan reached out and picked up Su Ran Sword Master, moved him to the opposite side, and let him drink through a straw, telling him not to always think about the VIP seats.

"Sword Master, don't glare at me. It's not that I'm refusing, but I'm already in your hands. What room do I have to resist?"

Xiang Yuan shrugged: "What I mean is, you've already done it last time. If you want to use this to humiliate the White House Master, one fact is enough. You can say whatever you want about the rest. There's really no need to do it every time."

That makes some sense, but since you refused to resist and eventually gave in to me, isn't that just another way for me to humiliate this lowly servant?
"Enough with the nonsense! Now that you're in my hands, do you think you can do whatever you want with me!"

Su Ran Sword Master chuckled: "I am not that lowly servant Bai Wuyan. I have plenty of strength and means. She may feel sorry for you, but I will not."

Bring it to you!

With a flick of his finger, the Sword Master Su Ran imprisoned Xiang Yuan, preventing him from moving. Satisfied, he took a seat in the VIP section, enjoying the special treatment that Bai Wuyan had given him.

It's a pity there wasn't a lowly maidservant watching over things; otherwise, it would have been even more perfect.

Xiang Yuan lowered his defenses, allowing the sword to break through and draw blood. He asked in confusion, "Sword Master, let's drink and chat. I'm curious, what grudge do you have with Lord Bai Gong? Is it really just that you don't like each other?"

Bai Wuyan and Su Ran Sword Master are both people Xiang Yuan wants to win over. If he can resolve the grudges between the two of them, it will be much easier to team up with them to deal with the mastermind behind the scenes in the future.

Su Ran Sword Master squinted and gulped down his medicine. Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he paused from fetching the medicine: "There's no point in saying more about this matter. All I can say is that it was that lowly servant who provoked me first. She took advantage of her noble status as the Queen Mother of the West to point fingers at me."

Xiang Yuan nodded, agreeing that it was indeed Bai Wuyan's style, and then said, "So, everything has a cause. Why did Bai Wuyan provoke us first?"

"This is not something you should know."

Su Ran Sword Master frowned, not wanting to delve deeper into the topic, and bit Xiang Yuan's neck.

“Sword Master, if you don’t tell me, I’ll ask the Palace Master. She’ll definitely tell me. Please do me a favor and save me from going down the wrong path,” Xiang Yuan said matter-of-factly.

Whatever, I won't say.

Su Ran Sword Master snorted softly, placed his hands on Xiang Yuan's shoulders, and focused on getting the medicine, quickly draining Xiang Yuan dry.

"Why is it only this little? Did you cut back on my dosage?"

Su Ran, the Sword Master, had nothing left to suck on and was dissatisfied that Xiang Yuan had secretly skimped on his portion, continuing to occupy the VIP seat: "Speak, what brings you here to see me?"

Xiang Yuan came to find Sword Master Su Ran for two reasons: first, to sound out the possibility of winning him over to the Heavenly Court; and second, to cultivate, hoping to deduce a large number of laws of heaven and earth through the cultivation method of the small world, so as to enter the Integration Stage as soon as possible.

Simply put, he came to Jianxinzhai to live off a woman, hoping to find a second rich woman and get some rare and precious herbs to nourish his body.

Spiritual practice is nothing to be ashamed of.

Hearing Xiang Yuantian's shameless remarks, Su Ran Sword Venerable was overjoyed: "What kind of pipe dream are you having? I would be crazy to raise a gigolo for a lowly servant like you. What good would it do me to raise you to be fat and strong?"

"Hasn't Sword Master always been taking advantage of others? This time, we didn't have a fair deal, and you got a free benefit."

"..."

That's true, but it can't be said like that.

The two stared at each other, their faces very close because of their sitting posture.

As he examined the exquisite face up close, he realized that he was not at a disadvantage at all, even though he had a warm and soft body in his arms. Moreover, she was the master of Shang Qingmeng and Ziping, and the mortal enemy of Bai Gongzhu. It was quite exciting to think about, but why did he feel like he was being taken advantage of by a female hooligan?

Wow, that's amazing! Is this the legendary beauty that lies in the bone structure rather than the skin, but in one's temperament?

Sword Master, your aura is so outstanding that it overshadows your beauty!

Sword Master Su Ran frowned and pondered for a moment. It was impossible for him to help Bai Wuyan raise a gigolo. He couldn't squander his money. But he couldn't break the rules of fair trade. Feeding a gigolo once wouldn't be a bad idea.

She pointed ahead and slowly rose, saying, "Come with me, there is a benefit that you are destined to receive."

Xiang Yuan's eyes lit up, he tightened the Taoist robe around his waist, and quickly followed Su Ran Sword Master.

Passing through the spatial curtain, the scenery ahead changed dramatically, and from the forbidden small cave of Jianxinzhai, we arrived at another small cave.

It looks familiar; the crimson sky in the distance seems familiar.

Xiangyuan: (一`一)
Could this be the small grotto where Jianxinzhai and Wushuang Palace had their sword duel last year?

"This is the place. I have a hidden advantage here, and you're in luck today."

"..."

(End of this chapter)