Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 73 A Good Fortune Arrives After a Feast

Before long, it was broad daylight.

The drunken monster drinkers, one after another, shook their heads and staggered to their feet.

Hiccuping from their drinking, they bowed to the Lord of Lingzhi Mountain and then used various methods to leave. Some rode in sedan chairs, some flapped their wings, and some took out handkerchiefs from their sleeves, as if riding on clouds.

In the end, only Fang Shu remained, drunk and dozing off on the Lingzhi Terrace.

He slept soundly until midday, when he was awakened by the monkeys sweeping the ground around him.

The rustling sound continued, and Fang Shu suddenly looked up, staring at the scene around him. He was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses and realized that the drinking and merrymaking last night was not an illusion. He was lucky enough to be allowed to join the Mountain Lord's banquet.

He squinted, and a few sleepyheads circled around him before peacefully burrowing into his hair.

The Sleepy Bug is used by Fang Shu himself. It can not only make people sleepy, but also bite them, making them unable to sleep even when they want to.

Seeing that the insects were not acting strangely, and had neither given any warning last night nor bitten him awake, he finally felt relieved.

Furthermore, upon examining the Daoist talisman in his mind, he found that the changes in his realm and physical constitution were all real and true!

In particular, in the realm section, after a nap, the spiritual energy and medicinal power in his body dissipated a lot again, and the original word "Perfect" changed to "Can transcend tribulation (63% complete)".

This "60.3%" does not refer to Fang Shu's cultivation progress, but rather to the probability of successfully transcending the tribulation, which the Daoist talisman measures based on his internal accumulation and various conditions after his cultivation level is sufficient.

Just like the probability of him entering the Dao when he first started!
Upon seeing "60.3%", Fang Shu did not feel that the odds were too low at all; on the contrary, he felt a surge of excitement.

Looking at the sky, it's clear that only half a day has passed since he reached the pinnacle of his cultivation, and he's only been eating and drinking, without having bothered to refine his qi and blood.

In this way, he now has a success rate of over 50% in transcending tribulation. If he further refines his qi and blood, his chances will increase significantly.

With the addition of the abundant spiritual energy and medicinal power within his body, breaking through to the second tribulation should be a sure thing, and there might even be plenty to spare!
Fang Shu touched his own body, still feeling a surge of surprise:
"This wine is truly miraculous. I've consumed so much of it, yet the spiritual energy and medicinal power continue to remain in my body on their own. Although some of it dissipates, it doesn't cause my blood and qi to surge and harm my body like 'over-nourishment' does."

This is precisely why, after realizing this yesterday, he continued to eat and drink like there was no tomorrow.

After taking stock of his own condition, a small monkey-like fellow carrying a broom walked past him.

Fang Shu quickly stood up and cupped his hands in greeting to the monkey-like waiter.

He looked around and found that there were no other drinkers on the Lingzhi platform. The monsters and gods had long since dispersed. He then asked the monkey waiter in a low voice, "Is the Mountain Lord awake?"

Upon hearing this, the waiter shrugged, indicating that he didn't know, and pointed his finger down below the platform, gesturing for Fang Shu to go down and see for himself.

This instruction left Fang Shu puzzled, but he did as he was told and stepped down from the Lingzhi platform.

He then discovered that the space beneath the platform was empty, and there was a thick root with a twisted shape, like a dragon coiled around it; it was the stump of the Lingzhi Platform.

When Fang Shu reached the stake, he saw the mountain king's face for the first time.

The other person had the face of an old man, as if a child had casually carved it out on a Ganoderma lucidum stump.

Fang Shu approached, and the other person's eyelids drooped. Sensing the newcomer, their eyes narrowed, and they glanced at Fang Shu, muttering to themselves:

"Oh, it's the young Taoist. You've had your fill of food and drink, is there anything else?"

Fang Shu quickly cupped his hands in greeting to the other party, hesitated for a moment, and then said:

"Thank you for your hospitality, Elder Mountain Lord. I've heard that there are delivery services available in the Demon Market, and I'd like to inquire about it."

The old mountain king's face showed a look of sudden realization, and it muttered:

“I did forget. We should have had those freeloaders take you back to Guling Town on their way.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu felt a pang of shame, secretly relieved that he hadn't done so.

Old Mountain Lord himself was quite famous within a radius of hundreds of miles. He was honest and fair in his business dealings, and his business was characterized by steady and long-term growth.

However, the monsters who attended the gathering last night had different personalities. Some were slow, some were impatient, and some were arrogant. They were not well-known in the town, and Fang Shu had never even heard of them.

He dared not travel with such a person.

Especially since he drank too much last night, and his whole body seemed to be marinated, with a strong spiritual aura and smell of alcohol.

Fang Shu was genuinely afraid that if he left the Mountain Lord, he would be captured by the other demon drinkers and gulped down. *Pfft!*

A sneezing sound rang out, and a hairpin-like strand of hair was expelled from the old mountain lord's mouth and nose.

The other person sniffed and said in a muffled voice, "With this, all the shopkeepers in the demon market will recognize you. You can ask them to make arrangements."

"Yes, thank you, Old Mountain Lord." Fang Shu quickly picked up the wooden stump.

After he responded, the old mountain lord's eyelids drooped and it fell into a deep sleep, as if it had drunk quite a bit of wine the night before.

Fang Shu held the wooden stump and discovered that although it contained little spiritual energy, it had a pleasant fragrance that could slightly clear his mind, suggesting it was a high-quality medicinal herb.

This surprised him, as he discovered that even a single hair plucked from this mountain lord was a valuable thing to him.

However, the material of the wood is secondary. More important is the identity it represents, and the fact that the other party hasn't mentioned what to do with it afterward, or whether it needs to be returned.

Fang Shu thought to himself, "So, this is a gift to me?"

He bowed to the old mountain god, and then, in front of him, tentatively used the wood ear as a hairpin to tie up his messy hair and secure it in his hair.

Immediately, Fang Shu swaggered back to the Lingzhi Terrace and looked for the monkey servants who were sweeping and cleaning the courtyard.

Sure enough, when the monkeys, who had been polite to him, saw a tuft of wood stuck in his head, their demeanor changed completely. They all bowed their heads and hunched over in front of him, becoming much more respectful.

A small monkey companion quickly put down his broom and hopped ahead to guide Fang Shu down the mountain back to the demon market.

Soon.

Fang Shu reappeared in the Demon Market.

Unlike yesterday's bustling scene, there were very few stalls in the demon market at this time, and many stall owners who had been setting up their stalls here for a long time were also dozing off.

Only a small number of immortals and demons who haven't left are still wandering around the demon market, but they probably won't stay long before they depart.

Fang Shu, with the mountain lord's beard tucked into his hair, simply struck up a conversation with a few demons. Without a word, they dispatched men from the demon market, waking up a line of burly demons who brought out a reclining chair and invited Fang Shu to sit down.

The monster servants called out, "Distinguished guests, please depart!"

Thus, Fang Shu arrived cautiously, but returned swaggeringly and arrogantly.

Once they reached the outskirts of the town, the shopkeepers at the demon market carefully put him down and respectfully bid him farewell.

Fang Shu stood there, still somewhat dazed, until the demon market vendors who had come to see him off had completely left.

He couldn't help but touch the hairpin in his hair, realizing that he might have really latched onto the mountain king's coattails, or even if he hadn't latched onto the coattails, he should at least have latched onto a leg hair.

With this mountain spirit hairpin, when you go out in the wild, you only need to take it out to chat, and the monsters within hundreds of miles might give him some face.

Of course, this is on the premise that the demons recognize the hairpin on his head and can tell that he is a distinguished guest of the demon market approved by the old mountain lord!

We walked into the town.

Before entering the town, Fang Shu pondered for a moment, then reached out and pulled the hairpin from his hair, hiding it in his sleeve, instead of keeping it in his hair.

Guling Town is not in the wilderness; it is a melting pot of all sorts of people. Moreover, the Demon Market is ultimately just a black market, unlike Guling Town, which is a legitimate market. The two are somewhat opposed to each other.

It's best for him to keep a low profile in town and not flaunt it. He can wear it later when he understands the situation better.

Continue straight ahead.

He changed his clothes in a secluded corner, used two cleansing talismans, and then returned to the Dugu Pavilion.

Upon returning to the inn, Fang Shu went straight to the pharmacy and took a large quantity of medicinal materials such as mercury, cinnabar, and insect ointment. Then he went into the quiet room in the backyard.

He lay coiled in the well, like a tiger crouching or a frog coiled, assuming a posture to sense the flow of qi and blood, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

When the golden opportunity arrives, Fang Shu will break through the barriers and refine his marrow to enter the second tribulation of the Human Immortal realm!

(End of this chapter)