Immortal Cultivation and Life-Saving Guide

Chapter 387 Let me see!

Feng Shi was a man who loved wine and was used to roaming the business world. He would be found wherever there was wine at night, and he would often drink until he was drunk before stopping.

Although Wei Xi had only seen him once last night, the impression was still quite deep.

Theoretically, finding the tavern would lead to Feng Shi. As for whether he was sober or not, Wei Xi had plenty of strength and means to achieve his goal!
Unfortunately, she still suffered a great loss because she was unfamiliar with the place. Now, in the chaotic Yuangehai, no mermaid would give her directions!

At this moment, Wei Xi wished the mermaids lived inside the wine, as that would make finding people much easier.

But a living person can't be held back by urine. Wei Xi's eyes lit up, and he took out two wooden puppets from his Qiankun bag, preparing to send them out to investigate.

The next moment, Wei Xi's face darkened: These two can't swim!
Since returning from Yin-Yang Slope, Wei Xi has frequently used puppets. Although the variety is limited, the high frequency of use has made the other two naturally familiar with them. This functional limitation plunged the room into silence.

Even if they're worthless, they're still his property. Wei Xi, who was sometimes frugal, took back the two wooden puppets and pulled out a small puppet.

These puppets are also veteran actors; they are the very cloth puppets that Wei Xi used to investigate refugees outside Bingzhou City.

These puppets are disposable. After recycling the materials, Wei Xi made a new batch. Although his skills had improved, he hadn't had a chance to use them yet.

Now, Wei Xi waved his hand and scattered a handful of rag dolls the size of a thumb.

The good news is that these little gadgets can move; the bad news is that they can't go very fast and obviously can't adapt well to the underwater environment.

"Well..." Qin Feng's words of urging changed direction, "I'd better go out and take a look!"

Wei Xi gave a wry smile and replied, "The situation outside is unclear. It would be safer to let the puppet scout ahead."

"It'll just take a little more spiritual energy. You two be careful and don't let anyone sneak up on me!"

After speaking, the [thread] shot out from Wei Xi's palm, splitting into about ten strands that inserted themselves into the slowly advancing rag dolls, taking control of these puppets.

It would be a lie to say that Wei Xi was unprepared for what he was seeing.

In fact, Wei Xi had always had the idea of ​​using [Thread Pulling] to control puppets, and had tried it several times in actual combat. But most of the time, it was just a matter of using the force of [Thread Pulling] to create miracles. This was the first time he had done such a delicate task as injecting spiritual power to drive the puppet.

Controlling a dozen or so puppets at once was a considerable challenge for Wei Xi.

Consuming a large amount of spiritual energy is only the basics; the most difficult part is ensuring that each puppet "acts independently." This requires not only that the operator be able to use spiritual energy with consummate skill, but also that they have the ability to handle multiple situations simultaneously.

Thanks to Wei Xi's diligent training in recent years, and with the assistance of [Thread Puppets], she was able to barely control a dozen or so not-so-large puppets.

Even so, the bulging veins on Wei Xi's forehead and the beads of sweat rolling down her face were proof of how much effort she was putting in.

Upon seeing this, Qin Feng and Lian Gouhan quickly began to protect them, fearing that something unexpected might happen.

At this moment, Wei Xi was suffering from sensory torment—manipulating so many puppets at the same time was like a dozen people fighting over the soul of one person.

The sights witnessed by a dozen or so pairs of eyes flooded her mind all at once, and even Wei Xi found it hard to bear. Her spiritual energy circulation became noticeably disordered, and she even lost contact with the three puppets as a result.

Wei Xi gritted his teeth and manipulated the rag dolls to scatter and search for people.

With the blessing of spiritual power, these little puppets not only quickly mastered swimming skills, but their speed also far surpassed that of usual.

Fortunately, Wei Xi's spiritual power was not wasted, and the information transmitted by the puppets was very accurate—the merfolk actually started the chaos from within!
Through the puppet's eyes, Wei Xi was somewhat surprised to discover that both sides in this large-scale battle were merfolk. Moreover, both sides were incredibly ruthless, showing no mercy whatsoever; they seemed more like sworn enemies than fellow kin.

Therefore, it is quite reasonable for Wei Xi to currently refer to it as a "clash of weapons".

Calming himself, Wei Xi continued to manipulate the puppets to search for Feng Shi. As the search area expanded, the [threads] became thinner and thinner, each thread and clump of thread looking pitiful.

Wei Xi couldn't help but feel anxious—although the possibility of the mermaids' internal strife affecting outsiders was unlikely, it didn't mean that the three of them were safe.

After all, overall, merfolk are not friendly to humans. It's only because the difference in strength between the two sides is too great that the proud merfolk choose to live in seclusion on the seabed.

Back when humans were weak and helpless, the merfolk did more than just give them attitude. Even now, with humans being incredibly powerful, anyone who dares to encroach on the merfolk's territory is destined to be fish food.

The mermaids could accept that three outsiders were accidentally killed in the internal strife.

Even if the sect comes knocking, the merman will simply say, "Go tell Da Hai!" and Da Hai will be blamed for the disciple's disappearance.

Fortunately, Wei Xi's luck turned around – the puppet found the caravan hiding in a large coral reef.

Coral reefs are such a remote and inaccessible place that even rag dolls have a hard time getting in. It's truly genius that Feng Shi and his group were able to hide there!

The cautious Wei Xi did not immediately withdraw the [thread], but instead continued to control the puppet to scout around the coral reef.

This place is about four miles away from Wei Xi's lodging room. Not far away are dwellings built against the seabed rocks, obviously for caravans. There are also two groups of merfolk fighting back and forth here. Judging from the nearly three-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) figures of the two sides, this is a battle between giant merfolk.

Wei Xi decisively severed the connection with the other puppets and controlled the puppet that had made great contributions to return. Before leaving, he did not forget to leave a strand of "tethering thread" tied to Feng Shi's hair.

Without any other puppets to hold her back, it took only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before the proud rag doll jumped into Wei Xi's hands, using both its hands and feet to hug her index finger and rubbing its little head against hers incessantly.

"Found it!" Letting the doll hold his finger, Wei Xi immediately called to his companion, "It's not far away, and there are no major threats along the way!"

The three immediately set off to meet up with Feng Shi. Thanks to the puppet's reconnaissance, they did not encounter any large groups of merfolk on the way and arrived at Feng Shi and the others' hiding place without any danger.

Looking at the vast coral reef in front of them, it would be impossible to spot ten living people hiding there with the naked eye without prior reconnaissance.

Wei Xi was indeed quite shrewd; seeing the other party feigning death, he turned around and was about to join the fiercely fighting merfolk team.

"Three fellow Daoists!" Feng Shi hurriedly said, "Quickly come in and hide!"

As soon as I finished speaking, I saw the colors of the coral reef change, as if the color blocks in it had moved.

Wei Xi understood immediately—this person was making room for him.

"Senior Feng, you have quite the skill! How did you manage to hide in such a narrow space!"

Upon hearing this, the painted version of Feng Shi slapped his forehead and pulled a bottle from his pocket. "Our Dingxin Sect only knows how to refine some medicine! I had completely forgotten!"

Feng Shi poured out two pills and swallowed them, then handed the bottle to Wei Xi, saying, "These are Rongjing Pills. Once you eat them, you can hide inside! Don't stay outside! The merfolk will attack soon!"

Since Feng Shi was so sensible, Wei Xi and the other two did not hesitate and swallowed the pills before hiding in the coral reef.

This Rongjing Pill is truly miraculous. After taking it, Wei Xi felt completely limp, even his bones were incredibly flexible, and the color blended perfectly with the surrounding scenery. No wonder Feng Shi and his group were able to hide here. Wei Xi unceremoniously squeezed into the middle of the group, his body shape changing with the shape of the gap.

"Senior Feng, this elixir is truly miraculous! I wonder how long it will last? Are there any side effects?"

Feng Shi replied softly, "It's not that magical. This medicine actually transforms the spiritual power in the body into the same attribute as the surrounding spiritual energy, thereby achieving the effect of assimilating with the surrounding environment."

"Because we are in the ocean, we have a form similar to seawater!"

Wei Xi simply said "Oh," seemingly having nothing else to say.

Feng Shi thought for a moment, then said with a forced smile, "Young fellow Daoist's cultivation is quite high, to be able to recognize this Rongjing Pill! Truly a young hero!"

"Unlike me, I've become completely confused! I was so frightened by the infighting among the merfolk that I completely forgot to send someone to find my fellow Daoists! I'm truly sorry!"

Wei Xi wasn't angry—the two teams had a cash-on-delivery relationship, so it was understandable that Feng Shi might intentionally or unintentionally withhold information during a critical moment.

Of course, this was a rather unethical thing to do.

So Wei Xi very dishonestly put the jade bottle containing the Rongjing Pill into his Qiankun bag.

Feng Shi:
After being glared at by Qin Feng, Feng Shi finally came to his senses and asked, "Did you young fellow Daoists have any conflict with the merfolk?"

Wei Xi, who seemed unaffected, said, "No, but why are these merfolk fighting amongst themselves?"

"Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but although the Merfolk appear to be one race, the grudges and entanglements between their various major clans are far deeper than those among humans. There are many clans that regard each other as enemies!"

"A common surname?" asked Lian Gouhan, a student who was listening in.

“This surname is not the same as the Zhao, Qian, Sun, and Li surnames of the human race,” Feng Shi winked. “Their so-called major surnames are colors!”

"This"

Feng Shi smiled and said, "The Merfolk and the Devouring Sea Sect don't have much contact with the outside world, so few people know about these things. Our Dingxin Sect, however, can maintain a long-term business relationship with these Merfolk because of our pill refining!"

"As time went on, we realized that these merfolk were actually divided into factions based entirely on their colors!"

"Like the Crab Sturgeon you've seen, he's a young man from the purple clan! You participated in the last sect competition, and the team leader back then should have been a merman from the blue-green clan!"

"Senior Feng, do the merfolk possess some secret technique? Otherwise, how can they ensure a balance in the number of merfolk of different colors born?"

Feng Shi clearly hadn't thought much about this issue, and embarrassment appeared on his face. After a moment, he hesitated and said, "How would I, an outsider, know about this? But I guess it might be related to the Sea God."

The word "Sea God" touched Wei Xi's memory; she had heard of this word when she was in the Zhenhai Sect.

But Wei Xi has always scoffed at supernatural things. She doesn't even eat the pie passed down through generations in the cultivation world, let alone the legendary "Sea God".

“Young friend, don’t disbelieve me,” Feng Shi raised his chin slightly. “That statue is said to be the ancestor of the merfolk, and its descendants call it the Sea Warrior. Legend has it that it was blessed by the Sea God that it gained the ability to reach the heavens!”

Wei Xi's expression became somewhat subtle—this theory of bestowing blessings sounded very familiar!
Isn't this exactly what the mermaid told the old crab? It turns out that the tricks to fool people are passed down from generation to generation!

Wei Xi's mind has not been corrupted by dogma, nor is she the type to be easily swayed. She doesn't believe a single word of these mystical and mysterious things!
Since the sea god's blessing doesn't work, is the hatred between the various major clans of the merfolk due to this?

According to Wei Xi's simple idea, when the number of merfolk of one color becomes too large, merfolk of other colors will unite to eliminate them physically. Over thousands of years, everyone's fins have become unclean, thus preserving this balance among the merfolk.

Wei Xi, who accidentally discovered the truth, was completely unaware of it and simply dismissed it as a pointless speculation.

According to Wei Xi, this conjecture is missing the most important element – ​​why don't the merfolk separate?
Why bother with red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could just live our own lives according to color? After all, the ocean is so vast, there's nowhere that can't give mermaids a home.

Watching the three-zhang-long blue merman fall with a thud, Wei Xi felt a deep sense of regret—it was such a waste for such a beautiful life to die in a brawl!

Wei Xi, whose lustful desires were occasionally aroused, was not affected by the blood at all; on the contrary, he became even more excited.

The victorious crimson merman immediately headed to the next battleground, eager to strike at his own kind.

"It's finally over!" A girl in the group breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, clearly having been holding it in for so long.

The two groups of merfolk who had just fought here were not the juvenile merfolk like Kui'er and Kuxun, but elite merfolk in their prime, having reached the Core Formation stage. Of the thirteen people hiding here, Qin Feng had the highest cultivation level.

Even if Qin Feng could kill a Core Formation cultivator, he couldn't withstand the overwhelming numbers of the opposing merfolk. Now that the merfolk, who might have threatened their lives, had left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Gentlemen, it's really unfortunate that we've stumbled upon a mermaid infighting this time," Feng Shi said with a wry smile. "However, this isn't the core area where the mermaids live. We can hide here until the infighting ends and then leave!"

Qin Feng frowned and asked, "In your opinion, how many days will this internal strife last?"

“According to the elders in my family, it might last three or four days,” Feng Shi sighed, and continued, “but who can say for sure? Let’s see how the battle goes!”

The merfolk had taken control of the passage in and out of the Yuange Sea, and the group had no choice but to hide there obediently.

Wei Xi felt utterly frustrated—her plans had completely failed. Not only had she failed to extract information about the Bone Reef Sea from the slugs, but she had also gotten caught up in the mermaids' infighting, wasting precious time.

Therefore, after being trapped here for three days, Wei Xi did not give a friendly look to the pale purple mermaid who came to tell them that they could leave.

"The goods have been delivered. Please rest here for the night. Tomorrow we will send a sea turtle to escort you away from Yuangehai!"

After saying that, the merman swam away, leaving Wei Xi and his two companions with the exhausted caravan.

It's not that Wei Xi and the other two weren't tired, but their anger kept them in line.

“Let the three of us stay here tonight,” Wei Xi suggested, maintaining his composure. “That way, we can look out for each other!”

Feng Shi naturally had no objection and replied, "There are two empty rooms here. I'm sorry to trouble the three of you to squeeze in!"

After several days of commotion, everyone dispersed, and Wei Xi and his two companions found an empty room (actually a cave).

Crushing a Qingyin note, Wei Xi casually closed the roughly made wooden door.

Wei Xi walked to the bedside, suddenly squatted down, turned his head to look under the bed, and said in a vicious voice, "Let me see who's hiding here!"

This chapter is a two-in-one, including updates from yesterday and the day before.

If there's no update tonight, then tomorrow will still be a two-in-one update.