Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 9 Xiao He
Shiliang Town, east entrance of Dengshi Street.

A small tile-roofed house.

The steam rising from the rice, mixed with the aroma of home-cooked dishes, filled the room.

"Brother Yesheng, now that you've become an immortal, do you still need to eat?"

Sheng Yun ate in small bites, her face full of curiosity as she asked.

"What immortals? Don't listen to their nonsense..."

"Besides, even if she really becomes an immortal in the future, A-Yun's cooking skills can satisfy the appetites of immortals."

"Hehe." Sheng Yun smiled sweetly in response to Song Yan's praise.

Before establishing one's foundation, one cannot completely abstain from grains.

Therefore, in the cultivation world, there are also spiritual rice and spiritual wine, which are spiritual foods cultivated and made using special methods. Cultivators who consume these foods can even increase their spiritual power.

However, that's not something someone like Song Yan, who lives a scavenging-level life in the cultivation world, could afford...

Xu Darong asked, "Yesheng, how long are you staying this time?"

"I won't be able to stay for more than a few days, at most... three days."

In his prime, he remained silent, focusing solely on eating.

After finishing their meal, the four of them cleaned up the dishes together. Xu Darong had some things to do at home, so he went home early.

The three people sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) chatting.

"Where did those people come from?"

Song Yan asked, but Sheng Nian beside him shook his head, indicating that he didn't know: "However... ever since Tong Chuping died in our town, more and more people have been coming to Shiliang Town..."

When the name was mentioned, the two exchanged a glance, knowingly saying nothing more.

Sheng Yun naturally couldn't detect anything unusual about it.

Song Yan chimed in, "A meteoric rise... no one would let such an opportunity pass them by."

"My talent in the three spiritual roots of metal, wood and fire is only average in the Dongyuan Sect. Without cultivation resources, it is uncertain whether I can even step into the inner sect in this lifetime."

"If one can obtain the Sheyang Sect disciple token, one can directly enter the inner sect."

"For ordinary people, this is like jumping to the top in one step..."

Who doesn't want to become an immortal?
To live a long and healthy life, to ride the clouds and mist.

No matter how extraordinary a person is, even a grandfather who is like a living god cannot escape the five signs of decay.

They chatted until late into the night before Song Yan got up to say goodbye.

After leaving the market in Shiliang Town, we headed back to Qingshi Mountain.

Green Mountain Thatched Cottage.

Grandpa liked peace and quiet, so both this green mountain and this thatched cottage were located on the very edge of this small town.

The evening breeze in the mountains made Song Yan shiver a little.

Three incense sticks were placed in the incense burner in front of the grave.

"Grandpa, I'm fine."

An orphan living by the Wuxi River, without parents, was taken in and raised by his grandfather when he was a child.

Abandoned babies were not uncommon in those days.

Twenty years ago, the State of Chu had just emerged from the turmoil of war, and the lives of ordinary people had not improved much. There were countless families who could give birth but could not afford to raise their children.

Grandpa didn't expect the child to be successful in the future; he only hoped that the child would be safe, happy, and carefree. So he named him Song Yan.

He was originally a traveling doctor who built a thatched hut on the green mountain and settled down in Shiliang Town.

The old man possessed superb medical skills, seemingly able to easily cure any difficult or complicated illness. Moreover, he was extremely kind-hearted, often going down the mountain to the town to provide free medical consultations without charging any fees. In addition, his miraculous medical skills naturally earned him a widespread reputation.

Of course, the grandfather and grandson lived frugally on the mountain back then, which was also inseparable from his frequent free medical consultations.

After his grandfather passed away, Song Yan had to go to the sect to cultivate. The thatched cottage and medicinal garden left by his grandfather on Qingshi Mountain would be difficult to sell in a short time, especially since his grandfather was buried next to the thatched cottage.

So, they simply handed it all over to Meng Bo to manage.

Song Yan sat on his grandfather's grave and recounted his entire experience of entering the sect and cultivating.

"Sometimes I wonder, how could someone as remarkable as you, like a celestial being descended to earth, pass away from illness..."

"Now it seems that even those so-called 'cultivators' are ultimately just a handful of dust if they cannot become immortals and achieve longevity."

Song Yan sighed softly.

I diligently studied medicine under my grandfather for ten years, only to watch him die right before my eyes.

In this mortal world, we are just ordinary people...

Is it truly possible to achieve immortality?
……

To the north of Qingshan, two high mountains, Da Gushan and Xiao Gushan, are connected.

But Song Yan didn't suddenly get the urge to climb mountains in the middle of the night.

After descending the mountain for a short while, you can faintly hear the sound of a stream flowing through the mountains in the distance, indicating that you are approaching the source of the Wuxi River.

The location where Song Yan is now is theoretically where the stone bridge has been built.

Normally, no one comes to this place.

After about fifteen minutes, Song Yan slowly walked into Wuxi Valley along a vague path.

The cold mountain wind made Song Yan tighten his robes.

The valley is shrouded in mist year-round, damp and cold, and the chill is even more biting at night.

He could originally see into the distance by the dim moonlight, but once he entered the valley, he could only rely on the lantern in his hand to see the surrounding terrain.

"Snapped……"

Song Yan forcefully pushed aside the damp vines and withered leaves in front of him. These plants were covered with a thin layer of frost, which made him shiver.

The entrance to a hidden mountain cave appears.

Song Yan stepped inside.

With only the light of the small lantern, Song Yan's field of vision was very limited, but he was not afraid and just kept walking forward.

Upon entering the mountain cave, the sounds of the mountains suddenly vanished, leaving only the faint sound of dripping water.

"drop……"

"Boom..."

Occasionally, a drop of water would fall and seep into Song Yan's hair.

He stopped.

Suddenly, a cold wind swept in from nowhere, and the flame of the lantern in Song Yan's hand flickered for a moment before going out abruptly.

"..."

Everything around them melted into darkness in an instant.

"..."

A rustling sound. At one moment, Song Yan felt a cold touch, starting from his left foot and gradually spreading upwards.

ankle……

knee……

The cold, damp, sticky, and slippery sensation traveled upwards, wrapping around Song Yan's waist and then clinging to his shoulders.

Song Yan clearly felt something brush against his neck and gently rest on his shoulder.

Damp and cold.

"hiss……"

A pair of cyan-gold vertical pupils slowly opened beside his ear, their surroundings shimmering with a strange cyan light, becoming the only ray of light in the darkness.

“Xiao He…”

Song Yan spoke.

"hiss……"

The owner of those eyes didn't speak, but instead emitted a hissing sound that only some cold-blooded animals would make.

Song Yan sensed something was amiss.

The creature wrapped around him seemed to be changing.

The cold, damp feeling on my neck is fading, replaced by the sensation of human skin.

A pair of small hands hugged him from behind.

From the darkness came a childish yet feignedly indifferent voice.

"What are you doing here...?"

Song Yan couldn't help but laugh.

He took out a tinderbox from his pocket and relit the wick in the lantern. Now, he could barely see anything in the cave.

A small wooden bed and a few small stools woven from bamboo strips—that's all.

Song Yan reached behind him, grabbed the little girl's clothes that were all messy and almost crumpled up around her neck, and lifted her up.

"Hey, you..."

"Let me go! I...I'm a monster! I...believe me or not, I'll eat you whole!"

He waved his small fists, using both hands and feet, with great force.

But it's not scary.

Song Yan placed her on the small wooden bed, while he sat on a small bamboo stool.

"I have been cultivating in the Dongyuan Immortal Sect for a year and a half, and only today can I come down the mountain to temporarily return to my hometown for a visit."

"..."

The little girl fell silent for a while after hearing Song Yan speak.

But he quickly mustered his courage, crossed his arms, and turned his head away.

"Hmph, what does it have to do with me!"

She angrily opened her small, blood-red mouth, revealing a pair of rather sharp little tiger teeth.

"Get out of here! Get out of here! Once you're gone, this place is my territory! I couldn't be happier!"

"..."

Song Yan paused for a moment.

"Yes, I will return to the mountain gate in a couple of days."

The candlelight inside the small lantern flickered as if it might go out at any moment.

"..."

"...Great! Great! That's really great!"

"Anyway, nobody cares about me. I'm going to eat all those people who come up the mountain, one by one, and send them to see Grandpa!"

"So that Grandpa won't be so lonely in the afterlife! Right!?"

Song Yan ignored the little girl's shocking threat.

"This time I'm going... I won't be back anytime soon."

Xiao He turned her head away and remained silent.

Tears were already welling up in her eyes, and she tried to hold them in for a long time, but in the end, she couldn't hold them back.

"..."

"Wow!!!"

Tears and snot flew across the chubby little face, a mixture of grievance and frustration.

"I'm never talking to you again! You always do this!!!"

"Woooooooo..."

"What are you doing... waah..."

Snake Baby's wailing echoed through the cave.

"I haven't finished speaking yet, why are you in such a hurry?"

A sly smile suddenly appeared on Song Yan's silent face: "What do you mean it's always like this? This time is different."

“Xiao He…”

"hold head high?"

The little girl stopped wailing.

Only the little nose is still sniffling.

"..."

"Come with me."

"..."

Snake Baby looked at him with slightly suspicious eyes.

"really?"

Song Yan nodded.

Suck.

"……Well."

With a "thud," Xiao He buried her chubby face in Song Yan's clothes, her tears and snot covering him.

"hey-hey."

(End of this chapter)