Minglong

Chapter 160 The Great Immortal of Perilla
The sky outside the window was just beginning to lighten.

Xie Jinhuan leaned against the pillows, looking at the ceiling of the four-poster bed, and felt that the warriors of this world were also prone to going berserk.

Yesterday he was teaching Wanyi martial arts, but as soon as he entered the room, his bespectacled mother crawled through the table to find medicine for him, making him almost forget his own surname...

After a moment of calm, the distracting thoughts in my mind gradually subsided. Turning my head, I could see Wanyi lying comfortably on the inside, her skin becoming increasingly radiant. It seemed she wouldn't get up until she was exposed to the sun and moon.

Xie Jinhuan didn't disturb his patron's rest. He quietly got up, put on his robe, and took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket, placing them on his pillow.

Yesterday, Momo and I went back to the Prince's Mansion. Our original intention was to visit the landlady, but the princess is currently under house arrest and has not yet been released from quarantine, so it is inconvenient for her to contact others and we did not meet.

So he spent an hour or so with Momo, applying medicine, sneaking around, and whispering sweet nothings. As night deepened and Momo went back to her room to sleep, he left alone to go to Xiaoyao Cave to get the money.

To their surprise, the fur shop was deserted, as if the owner had absconded with the money. They managed to find out Bu Hanying's new hideout by arresting a kind-hearted drug dealer, and then went there as the legendary thief Bai Zhan to retrieve the silver.

Most of the silver notes came from Wan Yi. In order to avoid being exposed, he even used Wei Kun's identity to have the money laundered by a helpful citizen named Yang Sichen.

Since these are all ordinary stories of human relationships and customs in the martial arts world, it's best not to go into the details.

After tidying up, seeing that the big kitten was still asleep, Xie Jinhuan bent down and gave it two kisses before quietly opening the door and entering the courtyard.

Emperor Qian has been unwell in recent days, and the Imperial Hospital is on standby. His father-in-law is not at home, and his mother-in-law has not gotten up early to prepare medicine.

Xie Jinhuan tiptoed to the outside of the alchemy room in the front house. He could see that the floor inside was shrouded in mist, just like the alchemy room of Laozi. A black coal ball stood in the room, and only the top of its head could be seen swaying back and forth. He didn't know what it was doing.

Meanwhile, the fair-skinned and beautiful Fairy Zisu, who had been refining pills all night without showing any signs of fatigue, stood by the alchemy furnace, a malt lollipop she had somehow acquired dangling from her mouth, and a book in her hand, which she was reading intently.

Because the scene looked very mysterious, Xie Jinhuan subconsciously held his breath to avoid disrupting the energy flow in the alchemy room. After a brief look, he could see that the book said:

Xie Lang returned to his hometown, and Empress Dowager Guo sat alone in the deep palace, weeping sadly, just like the rain beating against the withered lotus, the wind destroying the broken willows and the cold smoke rising, the wild geese flying far away, and love letters unable to be sent...

Oh, the secret history of Empress Dowager Guo...

You've published a book so quickly?!

Xie Jinhuan was shocked. He made a shushing gesture to Meiqiu, then quietly came behind Zisu to examine the newly introduced unofficial history. Upon discovering some suggestive content, he coughed softly.
"cough~"

"Yeah~!"

Lin Zisu was caught off guard, her shoulders trembled, and she quickly turned around. Seeing Xie Jinhuan smiling, she froze, hid the book behind her waist, and took out some malt candy.

"Xie Lang... Pshaw~ Young Master Xie? Aren't you with your aunt?"

Xie Jinhuan didn't dare snatch the lollipop from Zisu Daxian, but simply smiled and said:

"I just came from the Prince's residence. I saw that Doctor Lin hadn't gotten up yet, so I came to check on him. How's the medicine going? Why is the room full of steam?"

Lin Zisu moved backwards to the wall with small, quick steps, and hid the miscellaneous books in the cabinet:
"I just put the Jiazi Lotus into the pot, and it won't be until the afternoon that the elixir will solidify. This is not water vapor, but the essence of heaven and earth leaking out from the Jiazi Lotus."

"Oh?"

Xie Jinhuan hadn't noticed before, but upon slightly sensing the energy, she realized the room was brimming with spiritual energy, and felt a pang of heartache.
"With so much leakage, is the drug still effective?"

Lin Zisu explained earnestly: "The Jiazi Lotus needs to be nurtured in a blessed land with abundant spiritual energy for sixty years to mature. The lotus flowers and seeds that bloom each year are rare medicinal materials, not to mention the roots and stems that have been nourished for sixty years. Ordinary super-grade herbs would not dare to use this medicine if their roots and bones are not stable."

Xie Jinhuan hesitated slightly, thinking of Zisu's style: "I'm only at the second rank now, are you sure Miss Zisu won't have any problems eating this?"

Lin Zisu proudly displayed her nascent breasts:

"Don't worry. This formula is my masterpiece, honed over several years. The medicinal herbs that Young Master Xie found are of the highest quality, so there's definitely no chance of anything going wrong. After taking it, Young Master Xie will have bones and muscles like a dragon or python, and his energy channels will be as smooth as a moisturizer. Hmm... he'll also have the strength of a bear, the speed of a leopard, the eyes of an eagle, the ears of a wolf, and the... well, you know..."

Perhaps feeling that the adjective was inappropriate, Lin Zisu blinked her big eyes:

"Persistence!"

"?"

Xie Jinhuan understood what he meant—it wasn't that he had become a monster, but rather that his human body had suddenly become like that of a demon.

But in the end, the donkey's persistence...

Isn't that just being stubborn?

It's still the donkey from the 'Pan, Lu, Deng, Xiao, Xian' group...

Xie Jinhuan pondered for a moment:
"Could it be like the demonic body cultivators, so powerful that they don't even need to use their brains?"

Lin Zisu said confidently:

"No, this pill comprehensively enhances a martial artist's physique. At most, it makes your elbows harder, thicker, and stronger when you exert force, and it also has a strong recovery ability. The demonic path relies on amplifying desires to stimulate the physique and absorbing blood energy to recover from injuries, which is not the same as my method."

"Oh……"

Xie Jinhuan wasn't very knowledgeable about alchemy, and seeing this, he stopped speculating and instead asked:
"Does Miss Zisu still have her 'Yin Yang Wei Qi Powder'?"

Hearing this, Lin Zisu perked up, took out a bottle of "soft girl powder" from the medicine cabinet, and handed it to Xie Jinhuan:
"The Yin-Yang Strange Qi Powder only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. After hearing what Young Master Xie said last time, I am currently researching a new medicine that can be completed in three days at most. It can directly eradicate Yang poison!"

"Oh?" Xie Jinhuan's expression turned serious:
"So, the price is..."

"The price is definitely better than death, and it can definitely be solved, but it's not finished yet. I'll tell Young Master Xie when it's done."

Xie Jinhuan believed in the power of the Purple Perilla Immortal; if she said she could solve it, she could. As for the cost, they could discuss it later; she wouldn't bother her any longer for now.
"Miss Zisu, please refine the pills first, and when you have some free time, make some more Yin-Yang Strange Qi Powder. By the way, consider this as payment for your time, and I won't tell your aunt."

He handed over a stack of silver notes.

Seeing that the amount was too large, Lin Zisu hesitated, fearing a beating from her mother:
"I was just practicing my skills. Young Master Xie, you trusted me to find so many medicinal herbs. I should be thanking you. I won't accept the money."

"If you don't charge a fee for your work, how can I possibly hire you to refine pills in the future?"

"Hee~"

Lin Zisu was too embarrassed to take so many, so she just symbolically drew one card, and then pulled out a lump-shaped piece of maltose candy:
"Well, I made it myself, it's not poisonous."

"Haha~"

Xie Jinhuan took the malt candy and put it in his mouth. He then picked up the coal ball that was wandering aimlessly in the mist, looked at it, and thought that Zisu was bored by herself, so he left the coal ball behind and went out of the room first.

As a result, the coal ball, having had too much fun to think about anything else, didn't even bother to say goodbye, and just went off to search for small pieces of jerky in the misty secret realm...
-
Inside a teahouse near Fengyi River.

As dawn broke, Nangong Ye sat upright by the window facing the street, carefully examining the progress report of the imperial investigation in front of him. His brows were slightly furrowed, giving him an air of quiet authority.

Deputy Sect Leader Zhang Guan, having personally participated in the incident, had been running around contacting various parties for the past two days, assisting the Sect Leader who was physically unable to attend to matters. He then said:

"The ghost cultivators of Sword Pavilion are too stubborn. They know they are doomed to die, and they have exhausted all their secret techniques but have not been able to get any information out of them."

"However, regarding the matter of the soaring blood demon at Zihui Mountain, that ghost cultivator did respond, firmly denying that it was the work of the Underworld God Sect."

"Judging from the actions and objectives of this group of bandits in the capital, I also feel that they wouldn't bother to make such a big commotion in Zihui Mountain. Even if it was a feint, they didn't take the opportunity to massacre the city and perform a blood sacrifice..."

The Zihui Mountain range stretches for over 700 li, but the source of the bloodlust and the motives behind the damage remain unclear to this day.

Now that the Underworld Cult has been eradicated, and the truth has been revealed, certain unspeakable matters have naturally come to light.

Nangong Ye was in the southern border region at the time and was unaware of the situation, so he inquired:

"Could it be a misjudgment of the Eight Directions Illumination Formation?"

"No, the sudden downpour on the night of the ninth day of the eighth lunar month has already caused an anomaly in the celestial phenomena. At the very least, it's a half-step super-grade, and there's no limit to what goes up. The momentum can't be faked."

Zhang Guan stroked his beard and continued:
"Our sect has a history of six hundred years, but Zihui Mountain has stood in the Central Plains for tens of thousands of years. Could it be an ancient demon left over from ancient times?"

As the sect leader, Nangong Ye was intimately familiar with the sect's history, and shook his head, saying:

“Master is a master of extraordinary abilities. Demons and monsters cannot hide from him. It is impossible that he could not even clean up the seven hundred miles of Zihui Mountain. Either there are no demons or he did not tell his fellow disciples.”

Zhang Guan had never actually met the Immortal Qixia, and sighed:
"Then this matter is troublesome. I will go back and investigate it carefully. Speaking of the matter of Fanyun Temple, what arrangements does the sect leader have? Monk Jinghai has only recently entered the Super Grade. The Chan Meditation Sect is good at defense but not offense. If the sect leader were at his peak, he would be confident in breaking his Vajra Immovable Zen, but now, I'm afraid he can't even break through the Golden Bell Shield."

Nangong Ye felt that the witch doctor was simply harmful, and after a moment's consideration:

"What level is the most skilled disciple of Fanyun Temple?"

Zhang Guan blinked: "Does the sect leader mean to send a disciple to discuss the Dao? That's in accordance with the rules, but the eldest disciple of Fanyun Temple seems to have already entered the first rank. The most powerful disciple of our Zihui Mountain is still my stupid disciple, who is currently in the late second rank and can't break through the defense..."

At this point, Zhang Guan suddenly had a flash of inspiration:
"By the way, the sect leader is Xie Jinhuan's protector, which means he's practically a master..."

"cough!"

Upon hearing this, Nangong Ye felt an overwhelming sense of immorality and said earnestly:
“A master-disciple relationship is not just a matter of words; there must be a proper lineage. Xie Jinhuan is a pure martial artist. It is possible that he is a direct descendant of an old Taoist elder who practices both immortal and martial arts. However, my Zihui Mountain is full of pure Yang energy. No matter how you look at it, it is impossible for us to be considered master and disciple.”

"Then why don't we become Daoist partners? Wei Wuyi can bring prestige to Madam's family, Zhiyun Valley, so can we..."

?

Nangong Ye's beautiful phoenix eyes flickered slightly: "Senior Brother Zhang, are you referring to Qingmo?"

Zhang Guan looked puzzled.

"if not?"

Nangong Ye nodded slightly: "The matter of a Daoist partner depends on Qingmo's wishes. We elders cannot force it. We will discuss this matter again later."

"Oh……"

After discussing the sect's important matters, Zhang Guan had to rush to Yunling County to command his disciples, so he took his leave.

Nangong Ye also got up and returned to his secret base, but before he even reached his residence, he saw a cold and aloof young man in a white robe standing in front of the door with one hand behind his back, his demeanor far more handsome than the blond-haired man...

? !
Nangong Ye subconsciously stopped, his hand slightly tucked into his sleeve, a flicker of emotion appearing in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and quietly returned to his room via a detour…

---

I'm almost at my limit. There's still one chapter left to write, so you'll have to wait an hour or two.
(End of this chapter)