I made the entire cultivation world cry

Chapter 169 Seeking Elixir (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

After dealing with their pursuers and burning the bodies, the two traveled for another hour before finding a secluded spot in the mountains to spend the night.

"Who are these people?"

Having held back all the way, Xin Wushuang waited until Jiang Yi had finished looking through everyone's storage bags before asking a question.

Jiang Yi found five portraits in the five people's storage bags; they were the five people who had investigated the Azure Emperor Palace together.

"It's either the Qin family or the Zhang family, but..."

Jiang Yi noticed a mark in the corner of a portrait. He used a Bright Light spell to illuminate it and, after careful examination, discovered that the mark was left by something pressing down on it while the painting was being done.

It can be seen that it is a token, similar in shape to the token of the Xuandu Mountain Market Patrol Team. The character below is only one corner long, and it is... Qin.

"It seems the Zhang family did it, trying to kill two birds with one stone."

Jiang Yi handed the portrait with the imprint to Xin Wushuang, who looked at it with complete bewilderment.

"It's very simple. We are direct disciples of the Cangling Sect. Unless they've gone mad, they wouldn't dare to attack us directly in the name of their family. Hiring rogue cultivators to do something underhanded is one option, but deliberately leaving this clue pointing to the Qin family is too despicable."

"In this way, if we are killed, the Zhang family will get their revenge, and then they will pin the blame for killing us on the Qin family. If the Qin family is destroyed, the Zhang family will benefit. Even if we are not killed, once this matter comes to light, it will eventually be traced back to the Qin family through the marks on this portrait. If the Qin family is in trouble, the Zhang family will still benefit."

Xin Wushuang still didn't quite understand. "The Qin family can explain."

Jiang Yi smiled, "The Qin family can certainly say that this was a setup by the Zhang family, but without evidence, they can only tear each other apart in the end. If the Cangling Sect can't be ruthless enough to wipe out both families, at most they can only give each of them a few lashes, since we haven't really been in any real trouble."

“That Pu Ning…”

"She'll be fine. Her home is in Songjiang City, north of Zhu Mingzong. If she wants to go back, she'll definitely take a teleportation array in Jinli City. Perhaps her family is already waiting for her in Jinli City."

Xin Wushuang breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Yi handed her the storage bag containing the two people Xin Wushuang had killed; it was her spoils of war.

“These people are not rogue cultivators from the Cangling Sect’s territory, nor are they beast tamers. They seem to be from the Liujing Sect, a sect of the Dharma Path. Tomorrow we will change our clothes, and I will have Hongli lead us through the mountains. It will take a day or two, but the forests will provide natural cover and prevent others from chasing us.”

Xin Wushuang nodded and took out two special talismans made of animal hide from the storage bracelet Jiang Yi had given her.

“Puning gave it to me. It can hide my cultivation level. She said it’s called ‘playing dumb to catch a tiger’, which can lower the enemy’s guard.”

Jiang Yi took one of the cards. "That's fine. The temples and monasteries in the mortal realm may not know that we have already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. We can pretend to be Qi Refining cultivators. That way, it will be easier to deal with them."

“You sleep, I’ll keep watch,” Xin Wushuang said.

Jiang Yi didn't refuse. She got up and looked up at the sky through the layers of tree canopy, found the direction corresponding to the Big Dipper, and let Hong Li come out and grow bigger, so that she could lie in her belly.

Before falling asleep, she first practiced the "Starry Sky Refining Spirit Method" once, and recorded it with the help of the Sleeping Immortal Technique. Then, when she fell asleep, her laziness would automatically drive the operation of the technique.

Techniques that can directly temper one's divine sense are extremely rare in the entire cultivation world. This "Starry Sky Divine Refining Technique" is very profound, with several parts such as refining the divine sense, dividing the divine sense, and transforming the divine sense into a sword.

They must cultivate by absorbing the power of the stars on a clear night, borrowing from the way the demon race absorbs the essence of the moon.

Once she has thoroughly grasped this cultivation technique, she can hand over the Spirit Refining and Spirit Division parts to Hua Gu and Hong Li. Their spiritual senses are powerful, and they can even use one spirit for two or three purposes, which will double their efficiency whether fighting enemies or doing chores.

She wasn't in a hurry to cultivate the Heavenly Gang Demon-Subduing Sword technique. The last time she suddenly saw the woman in yellow in the lingering remnant of Xuandu Temple, she was still filled with lingering fear.

Whether it was an illusion caused by the tribulation of her heart or she was actually found by the woman in yellow, the feeling of being powerless to resist in the dream made her very uncomfortable.

Therefore, her main goal now is to master the 'Divine Consciousness Transformation into Sword' technique as soon as possible, which is the only ability that can be used in dreams.

……

Nothing happened that night. The next day, the two changed their clothes and disguised themselves as ordinary Qi Refining cultivators. They rode the "ordinary" Red Glass together, crossing mountains and valleys.

They encountered several groups of demonic beasts and demon-hunting cultivators in the mountains along the way, but they avoided them in advance.

On the seventh day at dusk, the two walked out of the mountains and arrived outside Shiqiao Town.

The spiritual energy in the mortal realm is thin, and for mountain monsters, entering the mortal realm is like a school of fish leaving the water.

Unless there are unexpected circumstances or the monsters sense an unusual aura, they generally will not leave the mountain to harass mortals.

Shiqiao Town is the largest town for ordinary people within a radius of 100 miles, with seven or eight villages around it. Xin Wushuang's hometown is Wuliu Village at the foot of the mountain.

"I want to buy some New Year's goods for my parents. Can we rest in town tonight?" Xin Wushuang asked Jiang Yi.

"Of course! There should be a Cangling Temple established by the Cangling Sect in Shiqiao Town, right?"

Xin Wushuang nodded, "Yes, when I was a child I often came to burn incense with my mother. At that time, the old Taoist priest in the temple said that I had spiritual light on my head and was a good candidate for cultivating immortality." "And then?" Jiang Yi asked with interest, telling Hong Li to go back to the Yin-Yang Fall.

Xin Wushuang recalled, “He said the same thing to every child, so I called him a liar. Later, when my mother wanted to bring me to burn incense again, I refused to come. When I was ten years old, I accidentally entered the Taoist path in the mountains. After that, my parents hid me in the mountains and made me learn to hunt from Uncle Ya. They forbade me from contacting other people.”

"It wasn't until I hit a bottleneck in my cultivation that I thought of seeking guidance from the temple. It was Senior Brother Wen, who was stationed there, who guided me to the Cangling Sect to participate in the Ascension Conference, which allowed me to join the sect. I don't know if Senior Brother Wen is still stationed there now, as I haven't seen him in the sect."

"Let's go, we'll see for ourselves if we go to the temple together."

As dusk settled, the last rays of orange-red sunset slanted across the sky onto the rooftops of Shiqiao Town, turning the snow a pale gold.

On the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the town was already decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, with red lanterns hanging under the eaves, creating a New Year atmosphere.

The vendors' shouts rose and fell, and when the steamer was opened, white steam carrying the sweet and glutinous aroma rose up. The freshly steamed rice cakes, sprinkled with osmanthus honey, were placed steaming hot on a rough porcelain plate, looking very tempting.

At an old tea stall on the street corner, several men wrapped in thick cotton-padded coats sat around, drinking hot tea and chatting in rough earthenware bowls, their breaths mingling with the tea steam.

"It's quite lively," Jiang Yi said lazily. "It's just that compared to them, we're dressed too lightly and don't fit in."

Xin Wushuang seemed not to hear, her gaze sweeping across the street scene, lingering for a moment on a few children playing and chasing each other. Memories of the past surged uncontrollably, the joy of returning home made her heart pound and her true energy boil.

Jiang Yi saw the osmanthus rice cakes on the street and suddenly wanted to try them. But when she reached for her waist, she was surprised to find that she had no silver available in the mortal world.

"Wushuang, do you have any copper coins or silver coins?" Jiang Yi asked.

Xin Wushuang suddenly snapped back to reality, subconsciously pressed her waist, and shook her head.

Jiang Yi chuckled and secretly transmitted her voice, "We two cultivators can't even afford a piece of osmanthus rice cake in the mortal realm. Let's go to Cangling Temple."

Cangling Temple is located in the most prosperous area of ​​Shiqiao Town. At this time, the temple is brightly lit and its vermilion gate is wide open.

Vendors hawked peach wood swords and amulets under the archway outside the temple. Inside, incense smoke filled the air as devout men and women lined up in long queues, holding incense sticks and praying to the Celestial Lord Cangling for peace and a bountiful harvest.

Children drooled as they surrounded the candy vendor, while a Taoist priest in blue robes told a woman's fortune under a banner proclaiming his uncanny ability to predict the future.

"I beg you, Immortal Master, grant me a single pill! My father... my father won't make it through the night! I beg you, Immortal Master!"

The hoarse cries pierced the noise of the market, attracting a crowd of onlookers, including Jiang Yi and Xin Wushuang.

The emaciated boy was kneeling on the blue stone steps outside Cangling Temple, his forehead bruised and bloody. He was wearing only a patched shirt, his hands were covered in chilblains, and his body was shivering in the winter wind.

The crowd silently formed a semicircle. An old Taoist priest with white hair and a youthful face walked out of Cangling Temple. He was wearing a blue cotton Taoist robe and carrying a whisk. His appearance was very similar to that of Chisongzi, but he lacked the air of a celestial being and had more of the turbidity of the mortal world.

He was indeed just a mortal who had reached the peak of his acquired cultivation, only one step away from the Qi Refining stage. His inability to cross that threshold indicated that he lacked spiritual roots and had no affinity for immortality.

"Boy, do you know how many rare and precious materials are needed to make a single immortal pill? Even if you sold the entire Stone Bridge Town, you couldn't get half of one!"

The boy rushed forward and hugged the old Taoist's leg, pleading, "Draw my blood, peel my bones, you can even refine my three souls and seven spirits, just please save my father! He's all I have left, please!"

"presumptuous!"

The old Taoist priest's energy surged, and the boy was immediately thrown off the stone steps.

"The lifespan of mortals is predetermined by Heaven; forcing it will only diminish one's blessings. Your crying and making a scene here today not only disturbs the peace of the Taoist temple but also shows your ignorance and arrogance. You would be better off going back to fulfill your filial duties and letting your father pass away in peace!"

The old Taoist priest turned and left, and it was only after a long while that the crowd dared to speak.

"What kind of bullshit Taoist priest is this!" The old man, wrapped in a tattered cotton-padded coat, spat on the ground.

“My little granddaughter was kicked by a horse a few days ago. I held her in my arms and begged for help at the entrance of the Taoist temple all night. They just watched the little girl vomit blood and die, and they refused to do anything to save her. They are heartless!”

The charcoal seller next to him sneered, "Cultivators can save lives with a wave of their hand, yet they spout nonsense about the difference between immortals and mortals, and stand by indifferently. My wife had a difficult childbirth last year, and we went to the temple for help. Guess what those Taoist priests said? 'The life and death of mortals are predetermined,' ptooey!"

"Keep your voice down!" the old woman selling cakes hurriedly stopped them, glancing nervously towards the temple gate. "If those Taoist priests hear us, we'll all be in trouble."

"In this world, the lives of us mortals are probably not even worth as much as the charcoal in this stove in their eyes."

The boy seeking medicine, his face covered in blood, climbed up from the stone steps, weeping in despair. After a moment, he remembered his father at home, forced back his grief, wiped away his tears and the blood on his face, and staggered home.

Xin Wushuang stood in the crowd for a moment, her gaze sharpened, she took out a Nourishing Essence Pill, and followed the young man.

"none……"

Jiang Yi opened her mouth as if to speak, but in the end, the words that came out of her mouth turned into a sigh, and she helplessly lowered her hand.

(End of this chapter)