A leisurely life in the world of cultivation

Chapter 182 The Death of Lei Qianjue

If we were to live on Earth, container villas would perfectly illustrate the saying "a shiny surface on a donkey's dung ball."

It looks glamorous on the outside, with large floor-to-ceiling windows, vibrant colors, and modern decor; it's pleasing to the eye no matter how you look at it.

If you add a swimming pool, it's almost comparable to a top-tier Western luxury villa.

But anyone who has actually lived in one knows that this kind of house offers no protection against wind, rain, thunder, lightning, snow, or hail.

Not to mention the noise.

However, in the spirit realm, especially in the array formations, in a favorable environment with favorable weather and spring-like weather all year round, coupled with some simple level one arrays, or even spirit-gathering arrays, this new type of house is much more comfortable for rogue cultivators than the cave dwellings they dig or the small dilapidated houses they rent in Qingshui City.

The key is that it is both novel, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing.

Although the rent is a bit expensive, that's only for the low-level independent cultivators. For those from small and medium-sized families or mid-level sects, a house like this where one family can live only costs two mid-grade spirit stones a month, which is not difficult to accept.

Moreover, living here allows you to join the Five Elements Academy and potentially even become a disciple of the Five Elements Sect in the future.

If it weren't for the Sin Clan's attack, probably not many people would have been interested.

The Five Elements Sect has fallen to such a state of ruin, who would be so crazy as to spend this money sending disciples here, especially female disciples...?

But after this battle, most people's mindsets changed.

Even if it's just so that the family can have a place to stay and settle down in the event of another major disaster in the future, we have to rent!

And it has to be a long-term lease!!

Upon hearing this, Li Weizhou smiled at Hou Haikun and said, "Then let's begin. You, Wang Kui, and Liu Zhe can get busy now. With so many people, do you know how to manage them?"

Hou Haikun smiled broadly and said, "Lord Su's method the other day has enlightened me. We can form a mutual guarantee system to govern each other, using tenants to govern tenants."

Li Weizhou nodded, but still instructed, "As long as you don't damage the environment or cause chaos, don't interfere normally."

Hou Haikun hurriedly replied, "No, no. By the way, Sect Leader, someone else asked if our spirit fields are available for rent, or if we recruit spirit plant growers. Also, the spirit beast enclosure is empty... Oh, and the Bai family of Baicaotang wanted to ask if our Five Elements Sect's alchemy furnace is available for rent?"

Li Weizhou chuckled and said, "There are quite a few people eyeing the Five Elements Sect's wealth. What's the situation with that Hundred Herbs Hall?"

Hou Haikun hurriedly said, "Sect Leader, this Baicaotang is extraordinary... In the past, Baicaotang was a first-class physician in the entire Northern Spirit Region. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it ranked first in the Northern Spirit Region. They were skilled in prescribing medicine and refining pills, and they could also cure serious and dangerous diseases. Unfortunately, the problem lies in the latter part, which is their ability to cure serious and dangerous diseases."

Li Weizhou remembered the girl named Bai Jie and asked, "Isn't prescribing medicine supposed to cure illness? How did it get messed up?"

Hou Haikun chuckled, "The previous owner of Baicaotang was an eccentric. He loved treating serious and dangerous illnesses, especially rare and difficult ones; he was obsessed with it. The problem was, some patients weren't actually that sick, but in order to observe and study the progress of rare diseases, he would deliberately let them suffer until their condition became incurable. One or two cases wouldn't raise suspicion, after all, medicine can't cure all diseases, and Buddha only helps those with affinity. But later, some observant people noticed something amiss, especially those who already knew some traditional Chinese medicine. As a result, when the accounts were compared, the Bai family was in dire straits. Bai Jintang was arrested, his fate unknown, and Baicaotang was completely ransacked by the enraged victim. If it weren't for the Bai family's generations of medical practice and accumulated good karma, which saved Bai Jintang's orphaned daughter, there probably wouldn't be a Baicaotang in this world."

Li Weizhou asked curiously, "Such a large pharmacy, where are the apprentices and their grand-apprentices?"

Hou Haikun chuckled coldly, "The Bai family comes from Medicine King Valley in Zhongzhou. According to their ancestral teachings, without Medicine King Valley's permission, they can only pass on their lineage to a single son, even their offspring. They've had several incidents of brothers fighting amongst themselves, so they eventually just had one child. They did take in some nominal disciples, but when Bai Jintang was doing well, he treated people like pigs, dogs, cattle, and horses. If anyone stole even a little bit of what he considered inappropriate, he would break their arms and legs and expel them. When the Bai family was in trouble, it was already a miracle that they didn't kick them when they were down."

Li Weizhou exclaimed in surprise, "Learning a little medicine means breaking their arms and legs? Then their family must be wicked!"

Hou Haikun shook his head and said, "That's not quite right. The Bai family has a history of over a thousand years and has saved countless lives. The key is that they treat people differently based on their status. They charge more for consultations to wealthy families and less or even nothing to poor families. If there's a real connection, they'll even treat ordinary people who come to their house without any spirit stones. Sect Leader, what do you think of the Bai family's family values?"

Li Weizhou changed his stance and said, "He's a good person, a really good person... Hey, is there something you want to say to me?"

Hou Haikun chuckled, but said somewhat uneasily, "I was thinking that we could learn from the Bai family in this respect. A courtyard full of aristocratic scions or arrogant rogue cultivators is not necessarily a blessing. Some rogue cultivators, although poor, are actually quite kind, and their family members are also quite talented... Some rogue cultivators are rich, but that money may not be clean."

Li Weizhou said, "It's not impossible for such disciples to join the sect, but they need to be certified and endorsed. Whoever signs them in is responsible for their character and authenticity. I can tell you that everyone recruited will be investigated from beginning to end. I will send you a form to create a log for each person. Only those who pass the final assessment will be allowed to join. The kind you mentioned, who is rich but has a dirty background, will definitely not be able to join the sect. Those who commit heinous crimes will be punished on behalf of Heaven!"

……

Three months, fleeting.

Life, like the spiritual spring of Hunyuan Peak, slowly flowed smoothly.

The trauma inflicted by the criminals seems to be gradually healing over time.

The leased area of ​​the Five Elements Sect's outer branch has now become a new sight within the Five Elements Sect's territory.

As soon as it gets light, you can hear the sounds of a group of girls under the age of thirteen practicing their swords.

All five branches were represented by newly recruited students from the academy, dressed in uniform blue cloth skirts, practicing the most basic Five Elements Sword Techniques in the open space in front of each branch's plaza.

Li Weizhou's family was fine, but Tian Ru and her daughter Tao Ling'er truly felt like they were about to burst into tears.

The sect is finally bustling again!
Hou Haikun, Wang Kui, and Lan Gu were so busy they barely had time to breathe. Even Zhou Yueniang and others would visit during their seclusion and occasionally teach a couple of classes.

Needless to say, Master's wives Tian Ru and Tao Ling'er went there almost every day.

Only Li Weizhou would either stay overnight at Xuanjin Peak to study formations, or rest at Cangshui Peak to study talismans.

The main force behind the research on formations and talismans is, of course, the newly established research institute at the University of Tokyo. It not only selects talented elites from the 1.4 billion people at the University of Tokyo, but also recruits talents from all over the world in fields such as the I Ching and Qimen Dunjia.

Talent is the most unfair thing in the world, almost without exception.

Even someone like Bezos, who is considered a top genius by ordinary standards, was utterly crushed by his classmates when he was studying quantum mechanics.

He had been racking his brains for hours without any clue, and in fact, he would still have no idea how to solve the problem even if he thought about it for several more days. But when he showed it to his classmate, the classmate gave him the answer in a few seconds.

From that moment on, he knew he had no chance in theoretical physics and decisively transferred schools.

Based on his own experience, Grandpa Qian posed the famous question: "Even if someone is not very bright, can't they learn calculus by the age of fourteen?"
This is talent.

It's unfair, just like some people are born into families of emperors and generals, while others are born into families of blind and stubborn people.

Li Weizhou was self-aware. Even though he had unlocked his inner potential and become much smarter, this intelligence didn't mean he could learn everything quickly or learn everything at all.

Rote memorization is okay, especially for subjects like languages.

However, mastering talismans and formations still requires a high level of talent.

Otherwise, if everyone in the cultivation world has opened their Xuan Guan (mysterious gate), why are all the various arts still so difficult to learn?

In this respect, his talent is actually just average.

Fortunately, there are many experts and talented geniuses on Earth.

Based solely on Li Weizhou's description and the simulation of the effects on the computer, these people were able to quickly develop a complete theory.

Then he was responsible for teaching Li Weizhou...

To date, Li Weizhou has been able to set up 128 types of first-level formations thanks to his talent, and has also begun to explore second-level formations!

Although life wasn't stressful, it wasn't exactly decadent either.

Although I spent a lot of time daydreaming and pondering...

Under pressure from him, Tokyo University and the West finally reached a cooperation agreement to concentrate resources on jointly promoting the research and development of nuclear fusion, which accelerated the progress.

Everything was going well until a piece of terrible news arrived: Lei Qianjue was dead.

……

Lei Qianjue died unjustly.

Having already arrived at the Thunderfall Plain of the Xuanlei Sword Sect, the moment he stepped into the mountain gate was the most relaxed moment for his tense nerves. The Sin Clan activated their hidden agent, using a dagger coated with the Yellow Springs Water of the Demon Realm to pierce Lei Qianjue's Purple Mansion.

For ordinary demons, the Yellow Spring Water is like a precious elixir, a treasure beyond compare.

However, for human cultivators, it is an extremely potent poison, far more deadly than demonic energy. Once severely injured, it is essentially incurable.

This shows just how much the Sin Clan hated Lei Qianjue.

"But the problem is, the storage talisman stolen by the Sin Clan didn't contain the Ice Dragon's corpse or the Ice Soul Pearl, only a final letter left by Lei Qianjue. The same letter was also placed on each of his disciples. In the letter, he said that if he couldn't escape this calamity, he asked the sect to avenge him. Someone impersonated him, taking the Ice Dragon and the Ice Soul Pearl, making him a scapegoat to draw attention to them. He said he wasn't afraid to die and was willing to die for the sect; he couldn't die so pathetically, he couldn't die with his eyes open." Xu Wan recounted the biggest recent event in the Green Wood Hall, then reminded Tian Ru and Li Weizhou, "This villain also subtly mentioned in the letter that within a three-thousand-mile radius of the Five Elements Sect, he couldn't think of anyone with such cultivation, capable of simulating such pure Xuanzong Thunder Technique; it's estimated only someone in the late Spirit God Realm could do it. Who do you think he's talking about?"

Li Weizhou said thoughtfully, "That actually makes some sense... Oh dear."

After being hit by Tian Ru, he saw her glare coldly and say, "That lowlife bastard is deliberately trying to smear my Five Elements Sect!"

Xu Wan laughed and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? The Sin Clan is so arrogant that the Sect Leader and the Supreme Elder of the Xuanlei Sword Sect are furious and want to unite the Seven Sects to have a big battle in the Northern Spirit Region. The territory of the Xuanlei Sword Sect has already been filled with mountains of corpses and seas of blood. And let me tell you, the Sin Clan has bred quite a few offspring in recent years."

Li Weizhou asked curiously, "How did they find it?"

Xu Wan said meaningfully, "The two sides have been entangled for so many years, thousands or tens of thousands of years, how could they be completely unaware? Just as the Sin Clan can plant spies among us, we also have spies among them."

Li Weizhou looked at Tian Ru, who smiled bitterly and said, "Don't look at me like that. The Five Elements Sect fought fiercely back then... Sigh, let's not talk about it. Perhaps some of the surviving disciples were heartbroken and went to other sects."

Xu Wan sighed and said, "Some other sects are secretly stirring things up and manipulating the rankings of each branch. Actually, that's normal. Don't even mention you; every change of imperial power in the Central Plains Imperial Court has resulted in mountains of corpses and seas of blood. It's just that it's still within a controllable range. Your Five Elements Sect has really let demonic fire burn out. Every branch is normal to outsiders, but internally, no one is willing to submit to anyone else, no one is willing to bow down. When they start fighting, even we outsiders are terrified... Oh well, it's all in the past. As long as we learn from it and don't repeat the same mistakes, that's fine. Be careful, with your wives fighting over you, it's even easier for them to start fighting."

Before Li Weizhou could speak, Tian Ru scolded him, "You're supposed to be an elder, what are you saying?"

Then Li Weizhou said with a smile, "If City Lord Su is still worried, you can join the Five Elements Sect and be my deputy, how about that?"

Tian Ru: "..." This once again refreshed her understanding of this disciple.

Su Wan's eyebrows furrowed, her almond-shaped eyes bright, and she said, "Fine, why don't you just divorce those four wives and marry me instead?"

Li Weizhou conceded defeat, saying, "You're still the best!"

Su Wan gave him a disdainful look and sneered, "You little brat who hasn't even grown his hair yet, trying to make fun of an old lady?"

If it weren't for his teacher's wife, Li Weizhou would have at least shown her whether she had grown up completely or not!

Just then, Tao Ling'er came looking for him, telling him that a guest was looking for him. Li Weizhou then said to Su Wan, "Lord Su, goodbye!"

After he left, Su Wan smiled at Tian Ru and said, "Your disciple is incredibly audacious! No wonder he has four wives at such a young age."

Tian Ru smiled and said, "Wei Zhou loves women but isn't really lustful. All four of his wives have historical anecdotes." She gave a general overview, and then recounted Li Wei Zhou's background. Finally, looking at Su Wan's somewhat stiff smile, she said softly, "You're quite similar to him, Wan'er. So many years have passed, and Wei Zhou has been able to let go of things. Why can't you be more open-minded? Let go of the past, and let go of yourself. After all, you are father and daughter, the closest people in the world."

……

In the reception room of the outer branch of Qingmu Peak, the incense had burned to its last flame.

Li Weizhou tapped the table lightly with his fingertips. On the table, burning incense, was a treasure-grade alchemy furnace.

If Baicaotang hadn't come knocking on his door, he wouldn't have known that the Five Elements Sect had such a wealth of resources.

The various magical implements are also divided into different levels: ordinary magical implements, rare magical implements, and above that, precious magical implements.

This also shows how glorious the Five Elements School was in its early years.

It's terrifying to think that internal strife can cause such devastating damage.

"You've figured it out? That's good."

He smiled at Bai Zhiwei, his gaze falling on the "Bai Cao Tang" wooden plaque she was tightly clutching in her arms. Most of the paint on the plaque had chipped off. He said softly, "The alchemy furnace can be used, the protective array can protect you, and you can also use the spiritual herb garden in the outer branch. It's all beneficial and harmless."

Bai Zhiwei's expression was not joyful. She tightened her grip on the wooden plaque, her fingertips tracing the worn patterns on it.

"Join the Five Elements Sect and establish a medicine hall."

Li Weizhou's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a hammer striking a bluestone. He continued, "You can hang the signboard 'Hundred Herbs Hall,' I'm not a pedantic person. But from today onwards, you must accept in your hearts that you are members of the Five Elements Sect."

Bai Zhiwei was so sad she was almost crying, but Granny Jinhua patted her hand and said, "It's already very kind of Headmaster Li to let us continue to display the Hundred Herbs Hall sign."

Bai Zhiwei finally shed tears, pouting as she looked at Granny Jinhua and called out, "Granny..."

Granny Jin Hua held Bai Zhiwei's hand tightly. Her eyes swept over the aura of the green wood outside the hall, and she slowly said, "Young lady, for us, the most reliable place in this world is a place that can shelter us from the wind and rain. Sect Leader Li is a good person, he keeps his word, and he won't bully us. Whether Bai Cao Tang is inside the Five Elements Sect or outside, it doesn't really matter to you. As long as you inherit the Bai family's teachings well, Bai Cao Tang will always exist. If you are harmed outside, what use is a mere signboard? From now on, treat this place as your sect."

Clearly, the scourge of the criminal race had frightened them.

Currently, the Five Elements Sect has a simple population and doesn't require many pills to be refined, giving them ample time to study and research.

Bai Zhiwei's tears fell even harder, but she didn't refute anymore.

She looked down at the wooden plaque in her arms; the worn corners still bore the marks she had scratched with her fingernails when she was a child.

That was when Bai Jintang was still alive; she secretly drew the small medicinal seedlings on the sign while her father was refining elixirs.

The marks left by the medicinal seedlings have long since been worn away by time, as if reminding her that some things cannot be preserved...

Granny Jin Hua gripped Bai Zhiwei's hand tightly. When she looked up, the cloudiness in her eyes cleared, revealing a reckless clarity. She said, "I agree on behalf of the girl. From now on, Bai Cao Tang will be the medicine hall of the Five Elements Sect. We, master and servant, will be members of the Five Elements Sect in life and in death."

Seeing Li Weizhou staring at her, Bai Zhiwei pouted and nodded in agreement with teary eyes.

Li Weizhou pushed the alchemy furnace towards them. The spiritual patterns on the furnace body gleamed warmly in the sunlight. He ran his fingertips along the edge of the furnace and said, "This furnace was originally called the 'Cloud Moon Furnace,' which means 'clouds steam the moon grass, and the elixir is formed in the Purple Palace.'"

As he finished speaking, he gathered a wisp of spiritual energy at his fingertips and gently touched the intertwined floral patterns on the furnace's belly. In an instant, the seemingly chaotic patterns on the furnace body suddenly lit up, and pale blue spiritual light traveled along the patterns, weaving a half-open spiritual cloud above the furnace mouth. Within the cloud, jade-colored light spots flowed, like crushed starlight falling into the cloud.

Bai Zhiwei's mouth was practically watering as she looked at her, like a lustful demon seeing a stunning beauty.

Then Li Weizhou casually asked, "Can you refine the Ice Heart Pill?"

Bai Zhiwei blurted out, "It can be practiced..."

Grandma Jin Hua couldn't stop her in time. She then realized what was happening, turned her head, and looked at Li Weizhou in disbelief.

Li Weizhou chuckled and said, "What are you thinking about? After we parted ways that day, I went a bit deeper into the area and found some Ice Soul Pearls, but they were small and broken. I don't know if they'll be of any use. Take a look."

As he spoke, he took out a handful of broken Ice Soul Pearls from his treasure bag.

Sure enough, Granny Jin Hua's expression softened, while Bai Zhiwei said enviously, "You're so lucky, and so brave. It's too cold in there, I can't stand it..."

It wasn't that they cared that the Five Elements Sect was the "mastermind" behind Lei Qianjue's scheme, but rather that they were worried about discovering a major secret.

The more you know about such secrets, the worse the outcome often seems...

Granny Jin Hua shook her head and said, "Even if one can withstand it, there's no guarantee of such good fortune. Quite a few people venture deeper. Sect Leader, these tiny Ice Soul Pearls can also be used; they can probably refine three Ice Heart Pills. However, there are still some auxiliary ingredients..."

Li Weizhou smiled and said, "No problem, no problem. Just tell me what you need."

Practice with the small Ice Soul Bead first, then refine with the large Ice Soul Bead.

He then asked, "Isn't the Ice Heart Pill a relatively easy-to-make pill?"

Bai Zhiwei felt slighted and said angrily, "Who said that?"

Granny Jin Hua spoke a fair word: "The main problem is that the Ice Soul Pearl is hard to find. Of course, it's not easy to find either. In the field of alchemy, there are four levels: alchemy apprentice, alchemist, grand alchemist, and medicine king. It is also related to the alchemist's own realm. For example, this Ice Heart Pill cannot be refined by any alchemist who is not at the Spirit Origin Realm, because if the heat is not controlled steadily, even if you have the pill formula, it will be useless."

Li Weizhou understood immediately. Bai Zhiwei must have already entered the Spirit Origin Realm. Impressive! He asked curiously, "If she can control the heat steadily, she can refine pills?" That would be too easy, just maintaining a constant temperature...

Bai Zhiwei shook her head and said, "The important thing is the medicinal properties; the heat is only to enhance them. Every spiritual herb is different, so different auxiliary herbs are needed to interact with it. Sect Leader, don't underestimate the Ice Heart Pill; it can be considered a sacred medicine for entering the Spirit Origin Realm. Spiritual energy is compressed into liquid and needs to be exerted with great effort. If you relax even a little, you will often fail. The Ice Heart Pill can keep your mind calm, clear-headed, and composed. In addition, an Ice Heart Pill is not only useful when breaking through a cultivation level, but it can also remain useful for a considerable period of time afterward. Most importantly, because it directly affects the mind, there is no backlash."

Granny Jin Hua added, "Otherwise, how could the six major sects have sent their elders here? I don't know how the Sin Clan managed to get so many Ice Soul Insects, and they actually want to use them to raise an Ice Dragon. They're really ruthless. If they succeed, the entire Northern Spirit Region will be devastated. The worst off will be people like us, with nowhere to go, just waiting to die."

Li Weizhou chuckled and said, "Granny Jin Hua, don't worry. Unless the Sin Clan mobilizes several great immortal spirits to attack, you will be safe and sound. However, I must say something unpleasant beforehand: you are probably more familiar with the Five Elements Sect's history than I am, since I have only been in the Spirit Realm for a short time and am unaware of many past events. In short, the Five Elements Sect's greatest taboo right now is betrayal."

No matter who the other party is—a member of the sinful race, the demon race, or any other righteous sect—they will not be forgiven. There is no excuse; neither a father's words nor a mother's command are valid reasons. Whoever it is, I swear to hunt down this traitor to death, no matter where they are.

……

(End of this chapter)