Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 1: Book of Life and Death.

"Choose the cup without poison, and you will become my disciple."

In the deserted temple, Zheng Que was kneeling on a cushion in front of the shrine. In front of him, seven bowls of turbid wine were lined up in a row. Next to him stood an old man in a gray Taoist robe and a square bun, standing with his hands behind his back, speaking in an indifferent voice.

Not far away, a dark coffin was quietly placed in the shadows, emitting a fishy and sweet smell, like a crawling beast.

Zheng Que stared at the seven bowls of wine, his heart pounding.

This is a world of cultivation where one can seek immortality. It has been sixteen years since he traveled through time.

In this world, the underworld no longer exists, and the souls of the dead cannot enter the cycle of reincarnation, but can only remain in the world. Over time, evil spirits are rampant, ghosts and monsters are everywhere, and it is extremely difficult for ordinary people to survive.

Zheng Que was very lucky. Not only did he survive to the age of sixteen, but he also met a monk who was willing to accept him as a disciple.

However, the monk's request was very unusual.

Among the seven bowls of turbid wine in front of him that look exactly the same to the naked eye, only one bowl is normal wine, and the other six bowls of wine all contain corpse poison that can kill people instantly.

While he was thinking, the gray-robed old man beside him continued, "If you make the wrong choice, you can still become my disciple."

"However, it is in the form of a corpse puppet."

As he spoke, the grey-robed old man flicked his sleeves, and the heavy coffin opened immediately. Two black shadows flew out of it and fell meekly into his hands. Inside were a set of skinning knives and a shroud that emitted a strong smell of blood and was painted with various talismans.

The old man took a look at Zheng Que, and quickly picked out a willow-leaf-shaped sharp knife, as if he was ready to mark the position to make a corpse puppet.

Zheng Que came to his senses and realized that this was the rule that the gray-robed old man in front of him followed when accepting disciples.

Choose one out of seven, and only the survivor will get the chance to enter the Tao.

Before him, many people had come to become his disciples, but all died from poisoned wine.

Today is the last time the gray-robed old man will accept a disciple in this local area...

Thinking of this, Zheng Que took a deep breath, then stretched out his hand, pretending to be very hesitant, his eyes and fingertips roaming back and forth among the seven bowls of wine. After waiting for a few breaths, he seemed to grit his teeth to make a decision and quickly selected the fourth bowl of wine from the left.

Picking up the bowl of wine, Zheng Que didn't hesitate any longer. He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

The strong liquor entered his throat like a sharp knife, cutting straight down his throat. In the blink of an eye, he felt a rising heat in his lower abdomen, and his whole body was lifted up.

Looking at the bowl of wine that Zheng Que picked up, the gray-robed old man was a little surprised, but soon nodded, and with a wave of his hand, he took back the skinning knife and the shroud.

Then, he announced bluntly, without ambiguity: "The Big Dipper determines death, and the Seven Stars determine destiny. Your fortune is very good."

"Since you have chosen the path of life, from now on, you are Qu's disciple."

"It's getting dark, go back and rest first."

"Come back here tomorrow morning."

Hearing this, Zheng Que was delighted and immediately bowed and said, "Yes, Master!"

Taoist Qu didn't say anything else, just waved his hand, indicating that he could leave on his own.

Zheng Que backed out of the temple gate with a respectful expression. Outside the gate was a small courtyard. It had been abandoned for a long time and was overgrown with weeds and moss. The sky was bright and the rustling of snakes and insects could be heard faintly.

Against the wall of the yard grew a massive tree, long dead, its branches still gnarled and twisted, casting a mottled shadow on the ground. The treetops were bare, empty, but within the shadow hung a slender figure, swaying like a pendulum. It was a barefoot, hairless woman.

The female pendant fluttered in the wind, like a swing, sliding back and forth on the threshold of the courtyard gate.

Zheng Que looked at the shadow of the woman hanging, frowned, and without any hesitation, he immediately came to the low wall farthest from the dead tree and climbed over the wall directly, without any intention of getting close to the shadow of the big tree.

After leaving the dilapidated temple, he walked quickly for a while and felt the coldness behind him gradually fade away. Then he breathed a sigh of relief silently.

But soon, a thick fog came from the front, followed by the faint sound of blowing and beating.

Zheng Que looked up and saw a group of people in bright red clothes, beating drums and gongs, carrying a red sedan chair, and walking towards him happily in the depths of the fog.

A chilling wind swept past, and the red sedan curtains half-opened, revealing a graceful figure seated within, adorned with a phoenix coronet and a bridal robe, a woman of utterly captivating beauty. The maids accompanying the sedan on either side had pale complexions, their cheeks smeared with bright red rouge. Their smiles, seemingly painted on, were filled with a constant joy. Their dark eyes gazed fixedly at Zheng Que, a look of indescribable strangeness.

Ghost wedding!
Without saying a word, Zheng Que turned around and entered the alley closest to him, quickly distancing himself from the group.

He lowered his head and walked hurriedly. Relying on his familiarity with the town, he walked for quite a distance through many twists and turns. Finally, the festive music behind him disappeared reluctantly.

After figuring out the direction, Zheng Que walked towards his residence.

At this moment, the skylight gradually darkened, dusk fell, and everything around was covered with a layer of darkness, looking hazy.

When he reached the door of his house, he caught a glimpse of several wet children gathered in an open space not far away. Water was dripping from their hair and clothes, but these children seemed unaware of it and were still playing and fighting. The ground under their feet had been trampled into a puddle of mud, with bits of red paper mixed in the dirt.

One of the children laughed and said, "Old Zhao's second son got married yesterday, but on his wedding night, he didn't even touch his wife's hand."

Upon hearing this, his companion immediately said, "Who told Zhao Lao Er to put one shoe right side up and the other upside down? How can his wife find the bed like that?"

The other children agreed, "That's right!"

"How can you blame his wife for this!"

“Hehe… Serves him right… He deserves it!”

Zheng Que didn't look around, not even at the children. He walked straight past them and came to his door. He quickly opened the door, entered the house, and without looking back, he closed the door latch with his backhand. Feeling the empty silence in the house, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This small town is becoming more and more abnormal!

There are more wandering ghosts on the streets than living people.

And that was before the sun set...

If he fails to become a disciple today, he estimates that he won't be able to survive in this small town for long...

Thinking of this, Zheng Que walked straight into the inner room, opened the bed, and prepared to rest.

When he went to bed, he bent down and put his shoes right side up before lying down.

Zheng Que was exhausted after a busy day and fell asleep almost as soon as he touched the pillow.

He didn't know how long it had been, but in a daze, he saw himself sitting on a lame armchair with a bumpy long table in front of him. What seemed to be a grand main hall was now only ruins, with a big hole in the roof. A cold wind blew in, making him feel cold all over.

Zheng Que looked at the table, where there was an old booklet. On the yellowed cover were three blood-stained words: Book of Life and Death!
　New book, please collect, vote, and read~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)