Cultivating a family of immortals

………………

After Zhang Aqin and Ma Xiaoman left Qingping Mountain Village, they stayed in Chama Town for a few days, found some work, and saved some travel money before leaving Mohe County and arriving in Qingxi County.

Since the Haoran Immortal Sect in Mohe County does not accept its own children, the Chaoyang Immortal Sect, which the Zheng family is backed by, cannot go there either.

She had long heard that there were cultivation sects not only in Mohe County, but also in Qingxi County.

And it's huge.

These were all things Ma Chunwang had said to her years ago.

So she came.

Along the way, they inquired about information and learned that the Immortal Sect of Qingxi County was located in the mountains further north.

There is a bamboo forest in front of the mountain. If you are lucky, you can wait for the immortal master to come down the mountain from the bamboo forest.

Zhang Aqin bought some dry food from Qingxi County and came to this bamboo forest.

Just as the information had been gathered, the bamboo forest had been sealed off by the immortal master, making it impossible to enter.

She had no choice but to wait here with Ma Xiaoman every day.

When thirsty, they drank snow water from the irrigation ditches in the fields; when hungry, they ate dry rations; when cold, they wrapped themselves and Ma Xiaoman in old goatskin coats, watching the bright moon slowly hang overhead and counting the occasional stars, waiting for more than ten days.

Finally, today, she saw three extraordinary people emerge from the bamboo forest. The young man at the head of the group was particularly ethereal, and with a wave of his hand, he bestowed a magic pill upon a local farmer.

Her heart was pounding. The immortals here were wonderful, a hundred times better than the immortal masters of the Haoran Immortal Sect in Mohe County, and even better than the Xu family, a whole bunch of bastards!

So she followed with her child in her arms, but dared not speak, praying that the immortal master would notice her.

………………

"Xiaoman is indeed a good name, but your son has five spiritual roots. Xuan Yuan Sect does not accept children with such aptitude. You should go and ask elsewhere."

Xuan Yebai's divine sense landed on Ma Xiaoman, he shook his head, and turned to leave.

As dusk approached and the fireworks display in Qingxi County was about to begin, Xuan Yebai grew anxious.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Aqin immediately knelt on the ground and shouted:

"Immortal Master, I beg you, my son's spiritual roots have not been easy to develop, even if you just let him be a menial disciple in the Immortal Sect..."

Xuan Yebai frowned slightly. He was in a good mood today and didn't want to spoil the fun, so he reached out and threw out another pill without turning his head.

"Dissolve it in water and drink it, but do not drink too much. This will add several years to your lifespan, both for you and your young child."

Green Bamboo pouted, extremely unhappy.

Xuan Yebai smiled and patted her head, saying, "A thousand pieces of gold can't buy my heart, don't you understand that?"

The three of them walked forward.

But then the woman, holding the child, suddenly rushed forward and knelt down in front of the three men, kowtowing to the ground, her forehead gradually stained red with blood.

"How dare you, woman, disturb my young master's mood!" Green Bamboo immediately rebuked.

However, Zhang Aqin raised her head, a resolute glint in her eyes, and slowly spoke:

"I hope you will know, Immortal Master, that my child was born with spiritual roots because his father consumed a treasure! If you wish to know about the treasure, I will inform you myself."

Xuan Yebai was taken aback upon hearing this and looked at his Uncle-Master Xuan Qingya, who was also frowning deeply.

Xuan Yebai turned to look in the direction of Qingxi County, sighed, and then turned back with a solemn expression, saying:

"Consuming this treasure can cause one's offspring to develop spiritual roots? Such a treasure exists? Tell me!"

"Yes, Immortal Master, but could you please grant my son...?"

Xuan Yebai raised an eyebrow and waved his hand, saying, "If I had news of this treasure, I'd even marry my son Green Bamboo! Tell me quickly!"

Green Bamboo gave Xuan Yebai a resentful look.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Aqin, suppressing her excitement, said:

"Immortal Master, I was originally from Qingping Mountain Village in Mohe County. Three years ago, a new resident named Xu Wanghe came to the village. He was a member of the Haoran Immortal Sect who cultivated a spiritual field in the village and hired villagers to grow spiritual herbs."

"For some reason, he has a very good relationship with the Haoran Immortal Sect, but it is said that his youngest son, Xu Guansheng, was born with dual spiritual roots and entered the inner sect of the Haoran Immortal Sect, thus bringing him good fortune!"

"Dual spiritual roots? Such talent is indeed rare. Please continue." Xuan Yebai nodded.

Having received confirmation, Zhang Aqin quickly continued:

"My husband and I have been married for several years without having any children. However, the spiritual seedlings that Xu Wanghe planted have always grown very well. This is because they have been using the immortal items given to him by the immortal sect. Therefore, my husband had a thought and embezzled some of those immortal items. After eating them, I became pregnant the following month."

"Until recently, when my son turned three, it was discovered that he had a spiritual root. Although it was a five-elemental root, it was still there. In order to conceal the secret of that immortal object, the Xu family killed my husband and forbade my son to join their clan. That's why I traveled thousands of miles to come here, just to find a path to immortality for my son."

The more Xuan Yebai listened, the more his brows furrowed.

"A magical item for cultivating spiritual seedlings? Your husband ate it? And then became pregnant? And your child was born with spiritual roots because of it?"

Zhang Aqin affirmed, "That's right, Immortal Master. Look, this is the immortal item called Qingmu San."

As she spoke, Zhang Aqin took out a few Qingmu powder pills wrapped in burlap from her underwear... These were the Qingmu powder pills that Ma Chunwang had previously kept hidden away.

"Qingmu San?" Xuan Yebai was taken aback. He waved his hand and grabbed the Qingmu San from the linen. He glanced at it and then crushed it into pieces and threw it away.

"Immortal Master, what is this?" Zhang Aqin exclaimed in surprise.

Xuan Yebai lowered his eyes, his eyes trembling uncontrollably.

Suddenly, fireworks burst into bloom in the night sky over Qingxi County, not far away, and looked quite beautiful from afar.

Green Bamboo glanced at Zhang Aqin, shook her head, and quickly took a few steps back from behind Xuan Yebai.

"Immortal Master, everything I've said is true, you..."

Before Zhang Aqin could finish speaking, she heard a muffled thud in her arms, followed by a spray of blood splattering onto her face.

She looked down in disbelief and saw that Ma Xiaoman in her arms had become a mass of flesh and blood, and had not uttered a sound until her death.

Blood blurred her vision. She shakily raised her head to look at the immortal master, but a hand came into view, tightly gripping her head.

Xuan Yebai's breathing grew heavier, and he grabbed Zhang Aqin's head with one hand, forcefully pulling her into the air.

"Foolish woman! You dare say I actually dare to stand here and listen to all this nonsense!"

Xuan Yebai's voice trembled slightly, "The fireworks of Qingxi County..."

Behind them, fireworks burst forth once more.

Xuan Yebai clenched his fist with one hand, and with a bang, a cloud of blood mist, like fireworks, bloomed before his eyes.

Zhang Aqin and Ma Xiaoman disappeared from the world after that.

Xuan Yebai threw the corpse to the side of the road, his eyes filled with gloom.

Green Bamboo, barely suppressing a laugh, asked from the side, "Young Master, where are we going now?"

Xuan Yebai waved his hand, and a spirit boat appeared in front of the three of them.

"I'm furious right now, I'm heading to the Chaoyang Immortal Sect immediately!"

The three boarded the spirit boat, which flew towards Mohe County amidst the still-blooming fireworks in the distance.