Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 172, Black Market Ranking, Longhua Bodhi (6,000 already sent, another 6,000 tonight)
Governor Bai?
Baixiang Mountain?
Li Cunxiao was taken aback at first, then pushed open the door with a puzzled look on his face.

Is it really worth it for a prefectural governor to personally make a trip to distribute rewards?
Are the government offices really that quiet lately? Or is it that my influence is really that great?
"Junior brother, come with me quickly. Hmm?"

Just as Yuancan was about to leave with his men, his nostrils twitched a few times, and his gaze naturally passed over Li Cunxiao, looking towards the open alchemy furnace in the back room.

"This smell... Junior brother, are you refining pills?"

Upon smelling the medicinal pills, Yuan Shen's hurried expression lessened somewhat.

He had been practicing alchemy for several years and could be considered a skilled practitioner.

Even without touching it, just by smelling it, one can vaguely tell that Li Cunxiao's batch today is definitely better than yesterday's.

Nevertheless, he still spoke earnestly:

"It's good that you have perseverance, junior brother, but you must not be hasty when refining pills. Patience is the most important thing."

Li Cunxiao wasn't in such a hurry for Bai Xiangshan's arrival. Upon hearing this, he simply took out the pills he had just refined.
"Senior brother is right. Please take a look at the quality of this batch of pills."

Seeing his calm expression, Yuancan couldn't help but admire him inwardly. However, once he took the pills, his gaze seemed to be fixed on the ten round pills.

"Above average? This, junior brother, is it really from the same furnace?"

"nature."

"That's a 50% success rate for elixirs," Yuan Shen said, momentarily speechless.

Why was it that in the vast Song Prefecture, only De Cong made a name for himself as a master alchemist?
The reason is simple: alchemists do indeed reap high rewards in the later stages, but the initial investment is even greater.

Ordinary forces simply cannot support its early growth.

Yuancan was carefully selected by Decong from among many outstanding young talents at Tiangu Temple.

Even so, it took him a month to achieve a satisfactory success rate in refining Qi and Blood Pills, and the medicinal materials he burned in the process cost at least tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Needless to say, he later attempted to refine third-tier pills.

However, Li Cunxiao had only been refining pills for two days, and this was only the second batch of pills he had refined, yet they had already reached the current level.

A 50% success rate and above-average quality pills are really quite...
Seeing the other party's reaction, Li Cunxiao knew that his batch of pills must have been refined quite well.
Seeing that Yuancan was lost in thought, he did not disturb him and went straight to the abbot's meditation room.

He's been coming here very frequently lately, and he's become quite familiar with the place.

Before I even got very close, I could already hear bursts of laughter and chatter, which struck me as quite unusual.

Abbot Dezheng's cultivation was unparalleled in Songzhou, and it was said that even the governor Bai Xiangshan was no match for him.

As the saying goes, "the higher you climb, the colder it gets." There aren't many people qualified to associate with Dezheng. Every time I came before, the meditation room was always quiet.

Standing outside the door, Li Cunxiao could vaguely sense that the two men's laughter and conversation were very natural, not like they were just putting on an act, which made him even more curious.

'Rumors circulated that the abbot and Prefect Bai were on good terms, and it seems they were true.'

Just as I was thinking this, the door opened by itself without any wind, and the moment it opened, a gentle yet inquiring gaze fell upon me:

"Is this the outstanding talent of your temple, Li Cunxiao?"

"I am flattered by your praise."

While bowing, Li Cunxiao was also secretly observing Prefect Bai, who had an excellent reputation and loved the people like his own children.

Bai Xiangshan had a refined and scholarly appearance, with a long beard under his chin.

The last time I saw him was at the Ghost Festival. He was wearing a deep red round-necked robe, the official of the fourth rank, with a silver fish-shaped pouch hanging from his leather belt. He exuded an air of authority without being angry.

During our meeting, the other party was dressed casually, wearing a lake-green round-neck shirt, a simple leather belt, and a bag hanging on it.

He wore black leather boots and a silk turban, with two long ribbons that swayed gently at his lower back as he stood up, giving him an elegant and refined appearance, quite unlike the rough and rugged martial artists he usually saw.

"At such a young age, he is exceptionally skilled, and even more remarkable is his heart to eliminate harm for the people and uphold justice."

“I heard from Military Advisor Su that you were the one who reported the matter of Beitianyuan, is that right? If so, you should indeed be credited with the greatest merit.”

Li Cunxiao thought to himself that this Military Advisor Su really knew how to handle people. He declined others' credit, so his future prospects must be bright.

"Your Excellency is too kind. I have also received help from Abbess Jingyue, and it is only right that I repay this kindness. The fact that the sorcerer's conspiracy was largely due to Military Advisor Su and many other officials in the government. I only contributed a little bit."

"Knowing how to repay kindness. In these chaotic times, this alone is already a rare and precious quality."

Bai Xiangshan seemed lost in thought, sighing deeply, completely disregarding the polite and modest manner in the conversation.

"Come, this time you will accompany the army to wipe out the demonic cult members, and kill four altar masters, thirteen incense masters, and twenty-six cult members at the muscle strength level."

“Those who have rendered meritorious service should be rewarded. In terms of silver, the amount is seventy thousand taels.”

"I took the liberty of changing it for a Qi-building pill, and I'll personally add a little more."

"There are ten bottles here. Take them."

As Bai Xiangshan spoke, he took out a box the size of a human head from the palm-sized eggplant bag, which was sealed with the official seal of the government.

Li Cunxiao was slightly surprised when he saw this, but then he felt relieved.

In the Qin Dynasty, the system was divided into three levels: Dao, Zhou, and County. The governor of a province was already considered an important position, since there was no actual top military or political leader at the Dao level.

Generally speaking, before the An Lushan Rebellion, the "circuit" system only had temporary official positions established to handle government affairs, such as "General Manager of Jiangnan Circuit," "Ambassador of Jiangnan Circuit," and "Inspector General of Jiangnan Circuit," etc.
However, in today's world, warlords are in control, and even the position of supervisory official no longer exists. Apart from a few military governors who have already occupied a region, the prefects are actually the most powerful people in the remaining areas.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Bai Xiangshan possessed a treasure for storage.

However, what is noteworthy is that the other party implied that their original reward was only 70,000 taels of silver.

At market price, a bottle of Qi-accumulating pills costs 10,000 taels of silver, so the other party is essentially paying out 30,000 taels of silver.

This can hardly be considered "adding a little something".

Dezheng noticed Li Cunxiao's inquiring gaze and nodded slightly, after which the latter bowed and thanked him.

"However, I didn't come here just to give you something; I also have some news for you."

"information?"

As Bai Xiangshan spoke, he took out a small scroll from the eggplant bag and handed it to Li Cunxiao.

The scroll wasn't big, only a little bigger than the palm of your hand. The wood used for the shaft at one end was ordinary, and the paper wasn't any good either.

Li Cunxiao immediately felt a little suspicious, because everyone knew that the Prefect Bai in front of him was fond of poetry and painting.

Given his high position, the things he uses must be of high quality, and this scroll doesn't seem to be his work.

With a sense of doubt, Li Cunxiao slowly opened the scroll and read it bit by bit, his expression becoming subtle.

This scroll was indeed not made by Bai Xiangshan, but came from the black market in the state capital. It was actually a kind of bounty mission list.

Some of the items listed are for people or things.

But upon closer inspection, the former accounts for more.

And Li Cunxiao's name was prominently listed.

"Li Cunxiao, disciple of the Medicine King Courtyard of Tiangu Temple"

"He once defeated Puning, the true disciple of Huishan Temple, during the Ghost Festival, and is suspected of having mastered a secret martial art."

"Having achieved the minor completion level of the Yellow Court cultivation, he accompanied the army and killed four leaders of the Ming Cult."

A reward of 100,000 taels of silver is offered.

As Li Cunxiao looked at it, he couldn't help but frown.

"Prefect Bai, this bounty was issued by the Ming Cult, wasn't it?"

His guess was certainly based on evidence. After all, everyone knew about the Ghost Festival, but the government had kept the matter of the Ming Cult a strict secret until after it was accomplished.

His personal achievements in this battle are difficult for outsiders to know except for the two parties involved.

In comparison, having killed so many Ming Cult elites, the latter must have hated them to the core, so it's not surprising that a bounty was placed on their heads.

"It's pretty close to the truth," Bai Xiangshan thought, noticing the significant change in Li Cunxiao's expression. He was somewhat surprised, but then he praised him.

If someone else knew they were being targeted by members of the Demonic Sect, and even had a bounty on their head, facing countless assassination attempts, they would probably be extremely anxious immediately.

But Li Cunxiao didn't seem to be in a hurry at all; in fact, if you looked closely, he even seemed somewhat expectant.

"The black market has a complex and intertwined background; these rats already existed before I took office."

"Although it's not easy to eradicate them all at once, it's not difficult to plant a few spies."

"A bounty of 100,000 taels of silver is not low. Generally speaking, only martial artists who have reached the Huangting Perfection stage are worth that price. You'd better stay in the temple these days and not go out."

"As for your family, I will have Su Canjun help take care of them."

“A demonic being above the Yellow Court Realm is absolutely not allowed to enter the state city.”

Bai Xiangshan's expression had been quite refined and easygoing until he said this, at which point an undeniable domineering confidence suddenly emerged.

"Thank you, Governor."

Upon hearing this, Li Cunxiao bowed respectfully, feeling somewhat relieved.

Zhang Lishi and Mucha were his biggest weaknesses, but now that Bai Xiangshan had made preparations in advance, he naturally had no worries.

As for those killers, it's hard to say who the hunters and who the prey are.

"Sanlang followed the army to quell the evildoers, and he is a righteous man. Under my command, Bai Xiangshan, righteous men are not allowed to shed blood and tears."

Bai Xiangshan spoke naturally, without the slightest affectation, which made Li Cunxiao's evaluation of him even higher.

The former exchanged a few more casual pleasantries with Dezheng before getting up to leave, while the latter, accompanied by Li Cunxiao, personally escorted him to the temple gate.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Li Cunxiao noticed that the white-robed prefect's eyes kept darting around the temple, as if he were searching for something.

But even after he walked out the door, he still didn't seem to find what he was looking for, and finally turned and left somewhat disappointed.

"Where's Li Cunxiao? Hey, Senior Brother, what are you doing here?"

Upon hearing this, Dezheng raised an eyebrow and saw Decong approaching hurriedly, holding a ginseng root in one hand and several pills in the other.

The disciples who saw him quickly put their palms together in greeting, but the latter ignored them and ran straight toward Li Cunxiao, his expression a mixture of surprise and doubt.

"How many pills did you produce in that batch just now?"

"Fifty percent," Li Cunxiao knew from the sight that Yuan Shen must have shown the pills he had refined to De Cong, and nodded in agreement.

De Cong had been filled with anticipation and doubt the whole way, but now that he heard the other party admit it with his own ears, he was momentarily dazed and speechless.

His feelings are truly complicated right now.

There were some pleasant surprises, some setbacks, and some regrets.

To his surprise, Li Cunxiao's talent in alchemy was even greater than he had imagined; to his dismay, he had devoted his life to alchemy, achieving fame at a young age, and was still alive today, sixty years later.

However, even a genius like him could not achieve the same result as Li Cunxiao, who succeeded in making pills on his first attempt at touching the alchemy furnace.
The second time, it was able to be made to look quite decent, and both the success rate and the quality were already considered acceptable.

The regret is that I didn't recognize the other party's amazing talent before Qi Ci did.

Now that Li Cunxiao is someone Qici has chosen, he is a sure-fire successor. Qici can at most teach him some alchemy techniques and trick people into working for him.

But if we want to go further... sigh.

Dezheng rarely saw his junior brother with such a frustrated expression. He suppressed a laugh and turned to leave in a cheerful mood.

Li Cunxiao followed De Cong and his apprentice back to the Medicine King's Courtyard.

On the way, De Cong promised that the alchemy room and furnace would be temporarily allocated to Li Cunxiao for use, and also...
On the eaves, Qici watched the crowd enter Tiangu Temple, gently stroking his plump white belly.

Contrary to De Cong's guess, he didn't mind his disciples learning another skill.

However, the premise is of course to prioritize martial arts cultivation, followed by martial arts skills, and finally alchemy.

Chaos is approaching, and only strong military force can guarantee survival, and only then can we eliminate evil and protect the righteous path.

He was strong-willed but not pedantic.

"The Ming Cult still has the audacity to offer bounties, but this black market is actually a good place for training."

"That Taoist priest Taiyi is getting restless. I can't stay hidden forever and end up doing all the work for someone else."

The fat monk pondered, his gaze wandering as he seemed to see Bai Xiangshan riding away on horseback in the distance.

Thinking of the other person's actions in the temple, he smiled slightly.

"Three bottles of Qi-building pills a month have shown my talent; the treatment is definitely different!"

As the setting sun cast its slanting rays into the room, Li Cunxiao looked at the thirteen porcelain vases lined up on the table and felt a surge of satisfaction.

After returning to the alchemy room in the morning, Decong did not think for long before deciding to improve Li Cunxiao's treatment.

After the latter demonstrated his talent, the original statement that "only those who pass my test can return to the slaughterhouse" naturally became a joke.

Just kidding. With Li Cunxiao's current talent and cultivation speed, he'll probably be on par with Yuan Shen's alchemy skills very soon.

When De Cong needs to refine seventh-grade spirit pills, he will have no choice but to rely on the two of them.

The difference is that Yuancan is his own apprentice, and he can be ordered around as he pleases, but Li Cunxiao is a borrowed helper.

Not only was it borrowed, but the background of its unacquainted master was even more frightening.

De Cong dislikes social interactions, but that doesn't mean he doesn't understand them.

He also expressed his goodwill in a very simple and sincere way towards these outstanding individuals who were naturally close to him:
Qi-accumulating pill.

As long as Li Cunxiao remains at the Medicine King's Courtyard, he is guaranteed to receive three bottles of Qi-accumulating pills every month.

If he makes even greater contributions, his compensation will naturally increase accordingly.

As for what constitutes a contribution, that's entirely up to De Cong to decide.

"Now that we have the resources to cultivate true qi, all that's left is to cultivate martial arts."

Li Cunxiao stroked his smooth chin. He was never one to sit idly by and wait for death. After seeing the black market list today, he couldn't help but have some thoughts.

The usual practice is to meditate and cultivate until the moon is high in the sky.

With ample elixirs and the blessing of the fire snake, even without the vajra pestle, it wouldn't take too long to open the last meridian, the Small Intestine Meridian of the Hand-Taiyang, which belongs to the Heart Fire.

But where do we find the metal-based martial arts corresponding to the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin and the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand-Yangming?
Just then, a wave of drowsiness washed over him. Li Cunxiao was overjoyed. Yesterday's dream had ended inexplicably, and he still had many questions to ask.

The problem of martial arts might also be solved by Dongwang Mugong.

When Li Cunxiao opened his eyes again, he was stunned by the scene before him.

“Isn’t this right?”

"Yesterday I was delayed by that bald monk Qici, so I came early today to avoid making any mistakes."

Under the moonlight, Taiyi Zhenren quietly crept to the outside of Tiangu Temple, near the wall of Yaowang Courtyard.

Just as he was about to pull someone into a dream, another aura suddenly entered his senses.

Taiyi Zhenren's expression changed, thinking that he had been discovered and he immediately tried to run away.

But after a while, he realized something was wrong.

After a moment's thought, he quietly went up to a high place, and his gaze seemed to penetrate through the layers of red walls and glazed tiles, and he saw Li Cunxiao lying flat on the bed in the study.

Beside him was a large, fat monk with his chest exposed and breasts showing.

"Damn it!"

Taiyi gritted his teeth, but had no choice but to withdraw his senses to avoid being discovered by the other party.

"You bald monk, you want to take this little bit of time from me tonight?!"

"Where did I get here? Is this still Qinghua Miaoyan Palace?"

Looking at the mist-shrouded mountain, Li Cunxiao was both surprised and suspicious.

At first glance, this place also seems to have an ethereal, otherworldly atmosphere.

However, upon closer inspection, one will find that compared to the orderly and magnificent halls and the grand procession of immortals in Qinghua Miaoyan Palace, this place is practically empty.

Looking around, I could only vaguely see that I was somewhere on the mountainside, and the visibility was poor.

In the mist, one could vaguely make out the shadows of birds, but no sound could be heard.

There seemed to be a breeze in the mountains, but the mist didn't move much. Li Cunxiao tried to retreat, but was blocked by the seemingly soft mist.

"What is this place?"

Li Cunxiao felt somewhat uneasy. He had spent a month or so in the dream of Dongwang Mugong. While he could not remember every blade of grass and every tree clearly, he could at least recognize some of the iconic things.

However, although what he saw was not the whole picture, he already had a premonition that he had entered another dream.

But he hasn't been looking for bargains at street stalls lately, has he?
Could it be that there are two dreams hidden within that golden ring?

Did Dongwang Mugong really get completely wiped out by himself?

As Li Cunxiao pondered, the mist in front of him changed shape. Unbeknownst to him, a road appeared, and at its end, he could vaguely see a large tree.

The hint was clear enough. Li Cunxiao silently called for the Wind and Fire Wheels in his heart, but received no response.

Left with no other choice, they had to continue along the damp, muddy path.

As he walked, he tried to circulate his inner energy. The familiar blood-jade color covered his hands, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Regardless of the other party's intentions, whether you can win or not, you must at least have the strength to resist.

We hadn't walked for long, maybe only a mile or two, when the view suddenly opened up, and the huge tree that seemed to grow on the cliff came into view.

Li Cunxiao carefully sensed his surroundings and discovered that he had brought all his abilities from the real world with him.

His golden eyes gleamed, and he stopped ten meters away to examine the empty cliff, which had nothing but large trees.

Finally, their gaze returned to the big tree, and they quickly recognized it.

"Bodhi tree?"

The leaves on this tree are heart-shaped with serrated edges, a glossy surface, and downy undersides.

The colors range from dark green to light green, and you can vaguely see a few scattered small flowers.

In Buddhist scriptures, the Bodhi tree is always imbued with a lot of mystery, especially the famous story of Shakyamuni Buddha attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.

From then on, all Buddhas attained enlightenment inextricably linked to the Bodhi tree, which became a symbol of wisdom and awakening.

Buddhist scriptures say that the enlightenment and attainment of all Buddhas in the past and future are like that of Shakyamuni Buddha, and each of them has their own 'Bodhi tree'.

Therefore, the Bodhi tree is also called the tree of enlightenment, the tree of the path, the tree of the sacred ground, the tree of contemplation, and the tree of Buddha.

For example, the Maitreya Pure Land school, which has already declined, claims that Maitreya Bodhisattva resides in Tushita Heaven and was born in the human world 5.76 billion years after the Buddha's passing. He attained enlightenment under the Dragon Flower Tree and preached the Dharma to sentient beings three times.

This assembly is called the Three Assemblies of Longhua, and the Bodhi tree is called the Longhua Tree because its flowers and branches resemble dragon heads and its branches resemble precious dragons.

Could it be...?

Since arriving at Tiangu Temple, Li Cunxiao has read nearly a hundred Buddhist scriptures and naturally knows these anecdotes.

As they drew closer, the Bodhi tree became clearer in their eyes, and many guesses arose in their minds.

"The Buddha has a compassionate appearance, but also a wrathful Vajra appearance."

The leaves rustled, and suddenly pale gold characters appeared on the tree trunk. Upon seeing this, Li Cunxiao became even more certain of his guess.

Buddhas and Bodhisattvas benefit all beings with their great compassion, cultivating compassion through the exchange of self and others; this is the driving force behind Buddhist practice.

The wrathful appearance of Vajra is not about violence or anger, but rather about intimidating evil spirits and dispelling ignorance with a powerful demeanor.

Its essence still stems from compassion, aiming to eliminate the evil conditions that hinder the liberation of sentient beings, such as the demonic obstacles and slander in the Dharma-ending Age. This is what the Buddhist scriptures call "courageous mind".

The disciples of the Śramaṇa (Buddhist monks) employ different methods depending on the individual—showing a kind and compassionate face to the foolish to influence them, and displaying the majesty of Vajra to intimidate the unruly.

This statement can be said to embody the Buddhist principles of yin and yang, and the balance of strength and gentleness, which is the righteous principle upheld by monks.

However, in reality, most monks today only have anger in their eyes, lacking compassion. This isn't unique to Buddhism; martial artists also often rely on force to do as they please.

Especially when a great building is about to collapse and things are going downhill, moral decay is inevitable.

After the one who "abdicates" in the capital or drowns, who knows what the world will become?

"To eliminate demons and uphold justice is a virtuous deed."

"Ten good deeds, one martial art."

Li Cunxiao silently recited the pale golden characters that had just appeared on the tree; these were clearly the words spoken to him by the unknown dream master.

Especially the "good deeds" section, which inevitably reminds one of the disciples in Tiangu Temple who accumulate good deeds by completing tasks and then exchange them for resources.

Could this be the senior that Abbot Dezheng mentioned, the one who transmitted the "Supreme Secret Nana Heavenly Scroll" and the "Fire Hell Avici Spear" to me?

'It's just that this method of transferring power is a bit old-fashioned, like a story of encountering a fairy in a folk tale.'

Li Cunxiao muttered to himself, and with a "let's give it a shot, even if there's no chance" mentality, he asked aloud:
"May I ask, senior, how are the exorcism of demons and the defense of the righteous path and the ten good deeds judged?"

(End of this chapter)