Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Inside the council chamber of the Qingyi Society, Lü Cheng sat in a chair with a cup of tea beside him, which he did not drink. His gaze was fixed on the table, and his expression was solemn.

When Chen Ping came in, he looked up and gestured for him to sit down.

"This evil spirit has already killed more than ten people." Lu Cheng said in a low voice, tapping his fingers lightly on the table twice. "I had someone investigate carefully. Five people died at the gray water field, and there were also several refugees. After questioning them one by one, we found that these dead people had one thing in common."

He paused, then looked up at Chen Ping.

"The body is weak and the blood and qi are depleted. Yesterday, that gang member came down from the arena with almost no blood and qi left. He died not long after returning home. That's when I started to take it seriously."

Chen Ping frowned: "Does this evil spirit specifically target people with weak qi and blood?"

Lu Cheng shook his head: "It's not clear yet, but it seems to follow a pattern. The five at the greywater yard were all dockworkers who had been working hard for years and were already exhausted. As for the refugees, they were starving and half-dead from fleeing all the way here."

He picked up his teacup, skimmed off the foam, took a sip, and put it down. "This thing hides in the shadows, specifically picking on the weak. Ten lives were lost, all of them from the lowest rungs of society. Nobody cared. If it weren't for the fact that the person who died yesterday happened to be one of my Green Robe Society members, who knows how long this would have dragged on before it was discovered."

The hall was quiet for a moment.

Lu Cheng looked up: "By the way, what brings you here?"

"Master," Chen Ping said, "I have broken through to the Blood Refinement stage."

Lu Cheng tapped his fingers lightly on the table, remained silent for a moment, his gaze lingered on Chen Ping, his lips twitched, and he nodded: "Okay."

He stood up, walked to the window, his back to Chen Ping. People were coming and going on the street outside the window, and sounds seeped in through the cracks in the window, noisy but distant.

"Of the five stages of physical cultivation, the most important are refining tendons and refining blood. You have already passed the stage of refining tendons, so I will now tell you about the stage of refining blood."

"The Blood Refining stage is different from before; it's a process that tests your resources." His voice was calm and unhurried. "Tendon Refining trains the control of Qi and blood, while Blood Refining trains the condensation of Qi and blood. Right now, the Qi and blood in your body are still flowing water. When you reach Blood Refining, what you need to do is refine this flowing water little by little into mercury. The more you condense, the stronger you will become."

Chen Ping listened without interrupting.

"When you've condensed about one-tenth of your blood, you'll feel a sharp pain each time the condensed blood passes through your heart." Lu Cheng turned to look at him. "This means your heart is starting to feel the strain. When it can't take it anymore, your body will force your heart to temper and strengthen itself. Once your heart can fully withstand this surge of blood, it will undergo a transformation. That's when you reach the Refining Realm."

Chen Ping suppressed his inner turmoil and asked, "So, if one's Qi and blood aren't refined enough, and the heart adapts prematurely, one will enter the Refining Stage too early?"

Lu Cheng nodded: "That's right. If you enter the Refining Realm with less than 20% of your condensed Qi and blood, you will be stuck there for the rest of your life. Although you can pass the five physical barriers with your ever-flowing Qi and blood, you will be almost unable to win against someone of the same level."

"How much should it be condensed?"

"At least forty percent, that's the minimum requirement for perfecting the Refinement of the Inner Organs." Lu Cheng walked back to his chair, sat down again, and tapped his finger on the table. "Forty percent of the Qi and blood condensed and circulated throughout the body for one cycle is just enough to temper the other four Inner Organs once."

"If it's 80%, you can refine twice, more than twice as fast as others." He paused, lowering his voice, "But condensing blood and qi is extremely violent. Without medicinal food and pills to protect the heart meridian, one careless move and the heart will shatter, leading to death. There are many who have failed at this stage in the Blood Refining Realm."

Chen Ping remained silent.

Lu Cheng took a wooden box from the table, pushed it in front of Chen Ping, opened it, and inside lay ten dark red pills, smaller than Qi and Blood Pills, with smooth surfaces and a faint bitter taste.

"Ten Heart-Protecting Pills. If you feel your Qi and Blood are being condensed too violently and your heart and meridians can't handle it, take one. Come find me when you've finished them." He paused. "These Heart-Protecting Pills and medicinal meals are standard issue for every Blood Refining Realm cultivator in the sect. Come to my place for lunch. It's inconvenient to practice martial arts in the evening, so I'll have someone deliver the medicinal meals to your courtyard."

Chen Ping put the wooden box away and clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Master."

Lu Cheng waved his hand, picked up his teacup again, took a sip, and then looked back at the table, as if he was thinking about evil spirits again, without saying anything more.

Chen Ping stood up and left the council hall.

The sun was setting in the west, and the heat hadn't dissipated yet. The bluestone slabs had been baking in the sun all day, and stepping on them felt like walking on hot bricks.

Chen Ping walked towards the wine shop, turned a corner, and saw Hu Qian standing by the roadside in the distance, waving a folding fan and looking around.

Upon seeing Chen Ping, his eyes lit up. He clapped his folding fan twice in his palm and strode forward to greet him: "Chen Ping, buying wine for the old man? Perfect timing, let's go to the restaurant and have a seat. I'll give you a bottle of the best."

Chen Ping glanced at him, knowing that Hu Qian wanted something from him, nodded, and followed him.

The restaurant was much quieter than it had been three months ago. At this time of year, it would have been packed, but now it was sparsely populated, with mostly gang members drinking alone in the corners, their voices low. When Chen Ping and Hu Qian entered, several gang members looked up and bowed, saying, "Master Chen, Manager Hu."

Hu Qian waved his hand and led Chen Ping upstairs to the second floor, where they chose a private room by the window to sit down.

The waiter quickly brought the wine over. Hu Qian personally poured a cup for Chen Ping, then poured one for himself, picked it up, and smiled at Chen Ping.

Chen Ping picked up his wine glass but didn't drink it. He looked at him and said, "Manager Hu, do you have something to ask of me?"

Hu Qian gave a wry smile, put down his wine glass, and sighed, "I can't hide it from you."

He leaned back in his chair, closed his folding fan, and tapped on the table: "The Bai family's assets will be handed over soon. Release the news and put them up for sale publicly; the highest bidder wins."

He paused, then said, "Only then did I realize that the Bai family's refusal to accept our gifts that day meant they were really leaving."

Chen Ping took a sip of wine but didn't say anything.

"The Bai family's granary is in Shanyang City. If the Bai Gang takes it, our blockade will be ineffective." Hu Qian lowered his voice, glancing at Chen Ping's face. "I heard that Bai Ming has been coming to drink with you from time to time these past three months. You and Bai Ming have a close relationship. Could you put in a good word for us and ask the Bai family to give priority to the Qingyi Society?"

After he finished speaking, he picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and didn't urge Chen Ping to speak.

Chen Ping put down his wine glass and remained silent for a moment. "When will the Bai family start bidding?"

"It'll be soon, in the next few days."

"I'll go and say hello, but I can't guarantee it will work out."

Hu Qian breathed a sigh of relief, started waving his folding fan again, and said with a smile, "It's enough that you said anything, thank you very much."

The two drank a few more cups, and Hu Qian asked the waiter to prepare another jar of fine wine, tied with hemp rope, and handed it to Chen Ping.

Chen Ping picked up the wine jar, got up, and went out.

Night began to fall, and most of the street vendors had packed up, leaving only a few lanterns casting a dim yellow glow on the ground.

Chen Ping carried two jars of wine back home. One jar was a gift from Hu Qian, and the other was one he had bought himself. The hemp rope around his fingers felt slightly cool.

After walking about two streets, he paused slightly.

Behind me, someone had appeared out of nowhere.

He wore a gray linen dress, his hair was disheveled, he kept his head down, his skin was grayish-white, and his gait was stiff, as if his joints were rusty. Each step dragged on the ground, making a slight friction sound.

Chen Ping did not turn around, his steps unchanged, and continued walking forward.