Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 218 Lanxi Cave Heaven
In the mortal world there is the Flower Festival, and in the immortal cultivation world there is the Yan Clan of Northern Chu. The famous Beiya Mountain City of Longquan Prefecture needs no introduction.

South of Beiya Mountain lies Shaoliang City, a city that few people in the outer prefectures have likely heard of.

Shaoliang Mountain City was built against the mountain. It was not very large in scale, with a population of only a few hundred thousand, about half the size of Beiya Mountain City.

In fact, many ancient legends in Longquan Prefecture record that long, long ago, Shaoliang was the capital of a celestial dynasty.

Beiya Mountain was merely a "flower workshop" in the ancient capital of the Immortal Dynasty, dedicated to cultivating spiritual flowers and plants for the royal family.

After the fall of the Immortal Dynasty, many plant masters and gardeners in the capital city carried various precious spiritual seeds southward and thrived in Beiya Mountain City.

As a result, Beiya Mountain gradually developed and prospered.

Shaoliang City gradually declined and fell silent, and its political status in the Chu court is not high now.

Near Shaoliang City lies a range of deep mountains, the highest of which is called Shouyang Mountain, which is five or six hundred feet high and is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round.

Over the years, many mysterious and strange legends have been passed down in this place, so many young heroes in the martial arts world of Chu travel thousands of miles to come here in search of the traces of immortals.

At this very moment, at the foot of Shouyang Mountain.

In a grove of trees, a woodcutter was resting on a blue stone under a tree, holding a pipe in his hand.

The old woodcutter was getting on in years, and his children had all grown up; he should have been living at home in his old age.

But he just couldn't stay idle; he always thought he could take advantage of the time he still could do some work and go up the mountain a few more times.

It was still a bit chilly, and his hand holding the pipe trembled slightly.

I just can't seem to light this rue.

The old man held the candle in his arms to block the wind, but then he saw that the rue was burning on its own.

"Huh? That's strange."

As he was pondering this, he saw a young man and woman walking along the mountain path.

The man looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, dressed in a black robe and cloth, wearing a bamboo hat, and walked with a steady gait.

The girl, who looked to be fourteen or fifteen years old, followed closely behind the man, carrying a long, exquisite cloth bag in her arms.

The old man gripped the machete beside him with some wariness.

In these deep mountains and forests, he had witnessed far too many evils.

The young man's attire clearly indicates that he is a martial arts practitioner.

Although the old man didn't have anything to steal, it was still better to be careful when a stranger approached.

"Excuse me, sir. May I ask how to get to Lanxi Cave?"

"Gah?"

The old man wore a worried expression.

I don't know if it was because I was too old to hear clearly, or if I simply didn't understand what the outsider was saying.

In Longquanfu, each village indeed speaks with a distinct accent.

The boy repeated three words: "Lanxi Cave".

"Oh." The old man suddenly realized what the other party meant and even loosened his grip on the wood-chopping knife.

Another wandering swordsman seeking immortality.

"Hey, we're going uphill here, go to the right."

The old man took two puffs of his cigarette and pointed in the direction.

He had seen many people like that.

Most of the strange and unusual legends and tales that have spread from Shouyang Mountain originated from the vicinity of Lanxi Cave.

There is a long river in the mountains called Lanxi, which flows through a natural stone cave.

The cave leads nowhere, but its entrance is shrouded in mist all year round.

Normally, it's quite normal for a high mountain like Shouyang Mountain to be shrouded in fog from time to time.

But it's strange that it's like this almost all year round.

Some daring mountain people have ventured into it, but strangely, no matter how they wander around inside, they always return to the original place, which is the entrance to the underground river in the stone cave.

Until one day, a villager's child was playing on the mountain when he accidentally wandered into it and disappeared without a trace, never to return.

Some say that immortals live in Lanxi Cave, and that the child was taken to the immortal mountain to cultivate.

Some say that this was punishment for the mountain people's actions angering the hermit immortals.

Nobody knows what the outcome will be.

But the mountain people no longer dared to go near Lanxi Cave easily. Instead, martial artists from all walks of life, having heard the rumors, flocked to this area.

Near such a neglected small town, the Lanxi Cave of Shouyang Mountain can barely be described as "constantly popular".

The boy nodded and bowed in thanks: "Thank you for your guidance, sir."

He led the girl up the mountain.

After the old man finished speaking, he lowered his head, took a puff of his cigarette, and muttered, "What kind of immortal would come from such a shabby place..."

When I looked up again, the two people had vanished without a trace.

"Huh?" He looked around for a while, somewhat incredulous.

His lips moved, but he couldn't utter a word.

He quickly carried the bundles of firewood that were placed by the bluestone to his back and took a few steps toward the mountain path in the direction of Lanxi Cave, but still did not see anyone.

So he muttered to himself and went down the mountain.

"Could it be that I, an old man, have truly encountered an immortal?"

……

The boy and girl walked on a small patch of shallow sand in the woods in front of Lanxi Cave.

It was a cloudy, rainy day, but the rain hadn't started yet, and a thin mist hung over the mountains.

The two stopped in front of the natural stone cave. The young man watched the Lanxi River flow into the cave, then looked up at the sky and revealed a handsome face. He was Song Yan, who had come from Yijiang.

At first glance, it seems that he still has a long way to go before he can reach the Foundation Establishment stage. However, if he wants to make all the necessary preparations before the day comes when he has a sudden inspiration and attempts to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, there is actually a lot he needs to do.

Originally, he was going to look for Liang Feng near Beiya Mountain, but on the way, as soon as he entered the territory of Longquan Prefecture, he received a telepathic message from Liang Feng, informing Song Yan of his current location.

"Aren't the techniques of these fellow practitioners from Lanxi Cave... a bit too rough?"

Song Yan's expression was somewhat strange: "Isn't such an illusion array just luring mortals to come here and investigate?"

Xiao Ju chuckled softly and said gently, "I heard that there are small Taoist temples and families within the Lanxi Cave area when I came here."

"I'm afraid that initially they had the idea of ​​recruiting disciples from among mortals."

"Too."

Song Yan nodded and stepped inside.

He channeled his spiritual energy to shut out the fog.

After walking for a while, we arrived at this cave, which was completely dark inside.

Xiao Ju thoughtfully gathered a ball of light and lit the way ahead.

As I walked along the path beside the underground river in the stone cave, I could faintly hear the sound of water droplets falling, but it was all drowned out by the sound of the underground river flowing.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the area suddenly became very bright.

To ordinary people, Lanxi Cave is just a mysterious and strange underground river cave.

However, the Lanxi Cave described by cultivators is completely different.

It is not a cave, but rather represents a gathering place for independent cultivators.

Among them are continuous mountain ranges and vast lakes. The independent cultivators who have settled here find joy amidst hardship, calling it—

"Lanxi Cave Heaven".

Arashi-dong doesn't look like a place with few people.

Song Yan was surprised, as this was somewhat different from what someone had described as a secluded and rarely visited place.

Stepping out of the cave, a cool mountain breeze greets you. Not far from the exit of the underground river, there are two ancient stone statues: one is a Taoist priest carrying a long sword, and the other is a female cultivator holding a lotus flower.

Although the features are blurred, they exude a sense of solemnity.

Two people walked together not far away, heading straight towards Song Yan.

One of them bowed respectfully, speaking in a very polite tone: "This fellow Daoist looks unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting Lanxi Cave?"

Song Yan nodded.

The man asked, "We are the managers of Lanxi Cave. Are you here to stroll around Lanxi Market, or...?"

Such a gathering place for independent cultivators can be regarded as a whole, a small sect.

Just like the Lanxi Cave in front of us, not far from the underground river is the entrance to the market.

The independent cultivators and small families who settled here developed and multiplied their power around the "mountain lord" who established Lanxi Cave Heaven.

The cultivators from outside the area mainly come to the local market, visit the cultivators living here, or want to join the local rogue cultivators.

"Oh, I've come here to find an old friend."

The cultivator suddenly realized, and without asking Song Yan who he was looking for, he simply explained to him and Xiao Ju in detail the rules for entering Lanxi Cave.

Then they were each given a jade token, which they needed to refine on the spot.

"Please leave your identification documents. This is the rule, and we hope you won't find it strange."

This is a fairly common verification method, which is much simpler than that used by sects.

The two men, following local customs, refined the substance and handed it to the two stewards.

"Walk slowly."

Song Yan didn't mention the whereabouts of his old friend, and the two didn't say much either, leaving it to the other person to know for sure.

After the inspection was completed and everything was found to be correct, they were allowed to pass.

Passing through an archway, you are greeted by a wide valley surrounded by mountains.

The valley is shrouded in mist, and a winding, gently descending staircase paved with bluestone.

The layout of the buildings and scenery is quite similar to that of Hanshan Market in Changping.

The two strolled leisurely through the market.

"Is Senior Song's friend a plant master?" Xiao Ju asked.

After spending so much time together, she seems much more cheerful than before.

“Hmm…” Song Yan pondered for a moment, then nodded: “Yes, and among Qi Refining cultivators, he is considered a very professional spirit plant master.”

To be fair, he has seen a lot of the world by now.

Among Qi Refining cultivators, it seems that only Liang Feng is confident that he can grow a mature lotus seedpod from a single seed of the Moon-Supporting Ancient Lotus.

After all, while the Moon Lotus is precious, its versatility is relatively low.

Those who need this item regard it as a treasure, while those who don't may never have even heard of it.

If it were just for the purpose of earning spirit stones, no one would put their effort into researching this item.

In order to save his wife, Liang Feng could be said to have spent most of his life on this.

"By the way, Xiao Ju, do you remember I told you that I met a guy named Liang Feng when I was in Beiya Mountain?"

Neither of them had reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Although Song Yan had always wanted to buy a flying artifact before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, flying artifacts were extremely expensive, and he had not found a suitable one. Therefore, he could only travel on foot.

When the journey became tedious, the two would chat about amusing things from the past.

Song Yan had also mentioned the trip to Beiya Mountain Flower Festival to Xiao Ju.

Xiao Ju thought for a moment, then nodded gently: "I remember."

Song Yan slowly said, "Xiao Ju, what kind of person do you think he is?"

Upon hearing this question, the girl suddenly became nervous.

In her view, this was like a test question.

If I don't answer well, it might lower Senior Song's opinion of me.

This sudden surge of nervousness left Xiao Ju a little flustered; her face flushed red, and even the freckles on her face became more noticeable.

Song Yan seemed to notice the change in her expression. Although he found it a little strange, he still explained, "I was just asking casually."

His words made Xiao Ju relax a little, but she was still not completely out of her guard.

She pondered for a long time, but after a long while, she gave an answer that surprised Song Yan.

"...He was an ordinary person."

Song Yan did not offer an evaluation, but simply asked, "Why do you say that?"

Xiao Ju pursed her lips: "If it were me..."

She paused, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "When Mother was at her worst, I really hoped someone would appear and tell me they could save her. Even if it meant stealing or robbing, I probably would have done it..."

Xiao Ju suddenly choked up, looked up at Song Yan in a panic, and then quickly lowered her head again: "I...I didn't mean he did the right thing..."

Song Yan chuckled.

Even when she imagined herself committing evil, the worst thing she could think of was nothing more than petty theft.

Song Yan shook his head and said, "Even if it comes to that, you won't do it."

Because Xiao Ju is just too kind.

She looked up at Song Yan with some confusion and asked, "Senior Song, why are you suddenly bringing this up? Could it be that you came to see...?"

Song Yan nodded: "That's right, the person I'm here to see today is him."

He had asked himself the same question before, but unfortunately, he couldn't come to a conclusion.

But it doesn't matter, he's not a sociologist.

By giving his wife the Tuoyue Lotus Seed, he essentially gave her hope for life. He also used his ability to cultivate spiritual plants to create value for Song Yan by cultivating the Tuoyue Ancient Lotus.

A simple and pure transaction.

The two stopped in front of a shop selling spiritual flowers and herbs, and could see the signboard by looking up slightly.

Qiduo Flower Room.

Spiritual flowers and herbs have special uses for demonic beasts and spirit pets, and can also be used to condense various kinds of fragrant dew.

Among the arts of self-cultivation, there is one called perfumery.

Perfumers can create a variety of perfumes and balms, which often have a calming and soothing effect.

Legend has it that there was a perfumer who could create a special perfume that could even induce a state of enlightenment in cultivators.

However, the Chu Kingdom was remote and had very few cultivation resources, so the art of perfumery did not flourish.

Most of the perfumers who were well-known in the Chu Kingdom were concentrated near the Beiya Mountain.

Since spiritual flowers and herbs cannot be used in medicine or alchemy, they have no necessary value for cultivators.

Therefore, there are very few cultivators coming and going here; most of them are female cultivators.

Song Yan and Xiao Ju stepped inside. The shop was empty, but the flower stands were filled with beautiful, blooming flowers.

It's clear that the shop owner takes great care of them.

Soon, soft footsteps echoed from the backyard of the greenhouse.

The bamboo curtain was gently lifted, and a woman in plain clothes stepped out.

She looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with her black hair loosely tied in a bun, her face pale, and she looked as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.

Looking at Song Yan and Xiao Ju, the woman in plain clothes smiled gently and bowed.

She asked softly, "Are you two here to select spiritual flowers?"

Song Yan shook his head, cupped his hands and said, "We're sorry to bother you, but we didn't come here to buy flowers."

"May I ask if Fellow Daoist Liang Feng is here?"

(End of this chapter)