Taoist priests in the supernatural world

Chapter 104 The Immortal Path, The Emperor's Aura Observation

Inside the valley.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and fine dewdrops clung to the grass and trees.

The thatched cottage gate was tightly closed, and faint voices could be heard coming from inside.

Outside the door, the lingering smoke from the alchemy furnace still hung in the air.

Inside the thatched hut.

Danyan the Taoist priest was bound hand and foot, his entire body tightly wrapped around a wooden pillar.

The silver threads tightened around his limbs, waist, and neck, leaving him only enough room to breathe.

His original robes were tattered and torn, charred and curled by fire and lightning, and his exposed dark skin was covered with patches of red burn marks.

He was no longer as composed as he had been when he sneaked into the valley the night before.

Huang Bai sat opposite him, with a cup of hot tea beside him.

"What's your name?"

The alchemist with the rosy cheeks bobbed, and he answered honestly:

"Song Wuji".

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head, not daring to look at Huang Bai again.

Huang Bai continued to ask:

"What's the name of the faction you belong to?"

Song Wuji dared not conceal the truth and immediately replied:

"Our lineage originates from Taoism, and we also practice Yin-Yang and Five Elements, astrology and calendar, and the art of consuming elixirs to refine our Qi."

"People often refer to us as the Yin-Yang School."

"However, internally, we more often refer to ourselves as the Fangxian Dao."

"Fang Xiandao? Continue."

Song Wuji organized his words slightly.

"It is said that the Fangxian Dao was founded by the True Man Lie Yukou. However, due to the passage of time, there are many branches of its lineage. I don't know exactly how many disciples it has."

"The whereabouts of Daoist Master Lie Yukou are unpredictable. Some say he has already achieved immortality through corpse liberation, while others say he passed away many years ago, leaving only his Daoist lineage to continue in the human world."

"In the Fangxian Dao today, top experts are all called True Persons."

He glanced at Huang Bai cautiously, then quickly lowered his gaze.

"Someone of your level can be called a True Person in the Fangxian Dao."

"Currently, I have only been able to contact three real people."

"Xu Fujun".

"Zou Yanjun and his younger brother Zou Shijun were known as the Two Zous."

"Fu Jun is an expert in alchemy. He has unusual features such as blue eyes and square pupils, and his mastery of the Taiyin Sea Mirage Fire is superb. He is most skilled in the Sulfur-Mercury School's Zhou Tian Technique."

"The Art of Heavenly Circulation..."

Huang Bai's eyes narrowed slightly, and a sense of interest suddenly arose in his heart.

This is exactly what he was looking for on this trip.

The art of alchemy lies in transforming metals and stones, turning the rotten into the precious.

The art of elixir restoration lies in repeated refinement, improving the quality of the elixir time and again, until the Nine-Turn Great Elixir is achieved.

The Zhou Tian Technique, on the other hand, utilizes natural forces to refine elixirs.

Beginners should take advantage of the terrain and feng shui of mountains and rivers.

When one cultivates to a high level, one can borrow the power of the sun, moon, stars, the four seasons, the fate of dynasties, and the hearts of the people.

If this method of alchemy can be completed, the path of external alchemy can be further advanced.

He put down his teacup and asked again:

"Who will carry on the art of alchemy and the art of elixirs today?"

Song Wuji thought for a moment and said:

"Lu Sheng is most skilled in the art of alchemy. He travels frequently between Yan and Qi, and is adept at transforming metals and stones. He can turn stubborn stones into gold and jade, and can also refine many rare treasures."

At this point, Song Wuji paused slightly, a hint of doubt appearing on his face.

"As for the Elixir of Rejuvenation... I must admit my ignorance, I have never heard of this technique."

Huang Bai seemed to be deep in thought.

"Don't you know about the Elixir of Immortality...?"

It seems that the external alchemy system at this time was not yet fully integrated.

The art of alchemy most likely developed gradually in later generations.

This technique combines elements of alchemy and the art of circulating energy, requiring the transformation of metals and stones and repeated refining. It should be a product of the fusion of various schools of thought.

Now, in the late Warring States period, although the Fangxian Dao has many extraordinary techniques, it has not yet reached that stage.

Huang Bai snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Song Wuji: "So, your specialty is the art of observing qi?"

Song Wuji quickly said:

"Indeed, this technique is said to have been created by Jiang Ziya. Jiang Ziya used this technique to assist King Wen and King Wu in observing the destiny of the world and establishing their rule."

Therefore, this technique is also known as the Emperor's Qi Observation Technique.

At this point, Song Wuji immediately looked up, his tone almost pleading.

"If the immortal is willing to spare my life, I am willing to hand over this technique. I only beg the immortal to have mercy and spare my life."

He spoke very quickly, as if afraid that Huang Bai wouldn't be interested.

After their fight last night, Song Wuji had already understood a principle.

Threatening Fang Xiandao in front of Huang Bai is meaningless.

Instead of being stubborn, you should show all your value.

Huang Bai asked:

"Does it contain an inner core?"

Song Wuji was taken aback, then shook his head blankly:

"Inner core? There is no inner core."

"Most of us Taoist alchemists follow the path of gathering qi and consuming elixirs."

"By consuming herbs, minerals, and elixirs, one can refine one's inner Qi, and then use this inner Qi to perform supernatural powers, either to prolong life or to temper the physical body."

"As for the inner elixir that the immortal mentioned, I have never heard of it."

"Alright." Huang Bai stood up. "You stay here and help me refine pills."

Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, Song Wuji felt a sense of relief.

Upon hearing the words "help me refine pills," he felt a chill creep down his spine.

The next moment, Huang Bai flicked his sleeve.

A three-legged, two-eared cauldron appeared out of thin air on the open ground.

Huang Bai made a hand seal, and suddenly a fire of elixir ignited in the furnace.

The flames rose, turning the entire thatched hut a crimson red.

Song Wuji's expression changed instantly when he saw the blazing alchemy furnace.

Huang Bai pointed to the alchemy furnace.

"Go in."

Song Wuji's eyelids twitched, almost thinking he had misheard: "I...go in?"

"Immortal, I am willing to offer my Qi-gazing technique and serve you, why must you..."

Before he could finish speaking, the whisk hidden in the yellow and white sleeves moved slightly.

The Vajra Silver Threads binding Song Wuji contracted instantly, then suddenly loosened.

Song Wuji fell to the ground.

He stared at the alchemy furnace so close at hand, his throat dry.

Having cultivated a body of profound iron, he is indeed not afraid of ordinary water or fire.

But the yellowish-white flames were clearly not ordinary flames.

If it were to burn in the furnace for a while, who knows what it would become?

However, when he looked up and met Huang Bai's calm eyes, Song Wuji realized that he had no room for negotiation.

He gritted his teeth and said, "I... obey your command."

Having said that, he propped up his broken body and climbed into the three-legged, two-eared cauldron.

boom!

The flames of the elixir rushed towards us.

As soon as Song Wuji entered the furnace, his skin turned bright red.

"Ugh!"

He couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

The veins on his forehead bulged, and the beads of sweat that had just appeared were evaporated by the fire.

Even so, Song Wuji neither resisted nor cursed.

While those who observe the qi (vital energy) cannot truly predict the future, they often possess an astonishing intuition akin to that of a wild beast.

Song Wuji vaguely sensed that Huang Bai didn't simply want to kill him.

If we were to kill, the two bolts of fire last night would have been enough.

There must be another purpose behind putting him in the furnace now; cooperating well is the only way to survive.

boom!

The lid of the cauldron fell off.

A yellowish-white sound came from outside the furnace.

"Activate the vital energy within your body, and do not move around randomly."

Song Wuji gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain of being burned alive, and responded with difficulty:

"yes!"

He began to circulate the true qi within his body.

As the true qi flowed, the unusual crimson color on Song Wuji's face gradually faded.

The body made of black iron was gradually refined in the alchemical fire.

Strands of dark mist rose from his skin, bones, and flesh, swirling and flowing along with the fire in the furnace.

Huang Bai stood outside the furnace, a faint purple aura appearing in his eyes.

While observing the changes in Song Wuji's internal energy, he put various materials into the furnace.

I don't know how much time passed.

The alchemy furnace trembled slightly.

A dark-colored pill flew out of the furnace and landed in the yellow and white palm.

After rubbing the yellow and white pills together for a moment, he swallowed them directly into his mouth.

The pill entered the abdomen and transformed into a strange heat current that rushed straight to the eyes and the Niwan point (the area between the eyebrows).

A layer of purple aura suddenly appeared in Huang Bai's eyes.

After a moment, he looked out of the thatched hut.

What was originally an ordinary mountain forest revealed countless phenomena that ordinary people could not see in his eyes.

Huang Bai let out a soft breath: "The Emperor's Qi Observation Technique is complete."

This elixir can then be called the Immortal Jujube Dragon Tiger Inner Elixir.

As soon as the stove lid was lifted, a burnt smell wafted out.

Song Wuji lay in the furnace, no longer recognizable as a human.

His extraordinary features, with his rosy complexion and dark skin, had been almost completely destroyed by the alchemy, leaving him on the verge of death, barely breathing.

If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have been indistinguishable from a dead man.

"Well done, this is a reward for your courage."

After saying that, he took out a Pangu Immortal Pill from the Muchen Pearl and flicked it into Song Wuji's mouth.

The elixir entered the stomach.

The vitality of the Pangu corpse moss and the lead and mercury erysipelas spread simultaneously.

Song Wuji's battered body began to twitch slightly.

The charred skin and flesh peeled off little by little, and new flesh and blood slowly grew out.

……

outside the house.

The air was crisp and clear, and the sun shone warmly.

The wooden door creaked open.

Song Wuji slowly walked out of the thatched hut. The strange appearance he had shown earlier was gone, replaced by a thin figure and a head of green hair.

Huang Bai stood behind him and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Song Wuji looked down at his hands and then sensed the changes within his body.

His body of black iron was gone, but his lifespan was extended by several decades out of nowhere.

Song Wuji took a deep breath, turned around and bowed to Huang Bai.

"Thank you, Immortal Elder."

This bow was much more sincere than the surrender last night.

With both carrots and sticks, Song Wuji finally realized the situation.

Following Xu Fu, he was merely a Qi observer in the Fangxian Dao sect.

Although following Huang Bai was tough, it granted him thirty years of lifespan and an additional Pangu immortal inner core.

In a sense, it can be considered a blessing in disguise.

As for Fang Xiandao... who cares?

A thought flashed through Song Wuji's mind, and he quickly put his former master out of his mind.

Whizzing!

Just then, a light, swift sound of wind breaking came from the forest.

A figure in a green dress leaped down from the treetops and landed steadily in front of the thatched hut.

Zheng Bao'er held the fiery red Vermilion Bird and looked at Song Wuji curiously.

"Brother Immortal!"

"what?"

"Who is this?"

Song Wuji immediately realized what was happening.

The girl in front of me can move freely in and out of the Yellow and White Valley, so she is obviously not an ordinary junior.

He quickly cupped his hands in a gesture of extreme humility.

"My name is Song Wuji. I greet you, young lady."

He even used the manners of a junior.

Zheng Bao'er blinked, feeling that the green-haired old man was strange, but she didn't ask too many questions and just nodded.

Huang Bai asked:

"Where is Mr. Anqi?"

Zheng Bao'er immediately smiled.

"My grandfather practices medicine for people down the mountain."

"Recently, many people down the mountain have been calling him the Thousand-Year-Old Man, saying that his grandfather has white hair and a youthful face, and must have lived for a thousand years."

"My grandfather said he didn't deserve it, but I could tell he was very happy."

Huang Bai couldn't help but smile upon hearing this.

Zheng Anqi was the same person as Anqisheng in later legends.

Now, by a twist of fate, he has prematurely gained some of the reputation of a thousand-year-old immortal.

Zheng Bao'er then took out a small cloth bag from her bosom and handed it to Huang Bai as if presenting a treasure.

"Brother, these are candied fruits I bought down the mountain. I saved some for you."

Huang Bai said, "You and Mr. Anqi stay here for now. Song Wuji and I will go to Xianyang."

Zheng Bao'er's smile froze instantly.

"Is my elder brother leaving?"

The little girl's eyes quickly filled with tears.

For the past five or six years, she has been traveling all over the country with Huang Bai.

In Zheng Bao'er's heart, Huang Bai was no longer just her savior, but more like family.

Huang Bai looked at her and said:

"Xianyang is too dangerous. You should come back later."

Fang Xiandao views Huang Bai as a variable, and a conflict between the two sides is inevitable.

Zheng Bao'er bit her lip.

Although she is young, she is not ignorant.

Since Huang Bai said it was dangerous, it must not be an ordinary danger.

She suppressed her reluctance and whispered, "Brother, take care on your journey."

Huang Bai nodded.

"Um."

He took out several bottles of pills and a stack of talismans, and handed them to Zheng Bao'er.

"These pills are for you and Mr. Anqi. If you encounter any plague or external injuries, use them according to the method I taught you before."

Huang Bai didn't say anything more.

He flicked his sleeve and tossed out two paper horses.

The paper horse landed and, facing the wind, transformed into two white horses.

Huang Bai mounted his horse.

Song Wuji followed closely behind.

The two paper horses neighed and transformed into white shadows, rushing into the depths of the dense forest.

Zheng Bao'er stood in front of the thatched hut, gazing in the direction the two had left, her gaze lingering for a long time.

……

Galloping horses.

The scenery on both sides rushed past.

The paper horse trod over rocks and vegetation as if walking on flat ground.

Song Wuji sat on his horse and looked down to touch its back.

It feels warm to the touch, with muscle contractions, and you can even feel slight breathing.

If he hadn't seen with his own eyes that it was made of paper, he would have almost thought he was riding a real horse.

Song Wuji couldn't help but exclaim, "The immortal's magic is truly unfathomable."

Huang Bai did not respond, but just looked at the mountain road ahead.

Song Wuji, however, was already silently making plans in his mind.

Huang Bai has thunder magic, elixir magic, fire magic, and this unpredictable paper magic.

If Xu Fu had been unaware of the situation and had rashly engaged in battle, he would likely have suffered a great loss.

Thinking of this, Song Wuji suddenly felt somewhat fortunate.

Luckily, I jumped off the boat quickly.

Goodbye, Mr. Xu.

Song Wuji said silently to himself.

"I am now a disciple of the immortals."

The two headed towards Xianyang.

After traveling for an unknown amount of time, a village appeared ahead.

Huang Bai suddenly reined in the paper horse.

He looked up at the sky above the village, and a flash of purple light appeared in his eyes.

The Emperor's Qi Observation Technique was activated.

In his view, the sky above the village was not clear, but rather shrouded in a layer of grayish-green mist.

A heavy fog hung over the village, carrying the scent of decay, filth, disease, and death.

"The miasma of plague."

Huang Bai withdrew his gaze.

"This village is plagued."

After saying that, he waved his sleeve to put away the paper horse and walked with Song Wuji toward the village entrance.

As soon as you get close, a foul, putrid stench hits you.

Corpses can be seen lying everywhere along the village roads.

The entire village was eerily quiet.

There was no sound of chickens or dogs.

There was no human voice.

The only sound was the creaking of the broken door as the wind blew through it.

Song Wuji looked around and frowned, saying:

"They're all dead. This village is just a mass of corpses. If there are any survivors, they must have already escaped."

Huang Bai was about to continue walking forward.

Splash!

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from behind a dilapidated house nearby.

A woman stumbled out.

Song Wuji's eyes turned cold, and almost instinctively he stepped in front of Huang Bai.

"slow."

Huang Bai raised his hand to stop him.

Song Wuji stopped what he was doing, but still kept a wary eye on the woman.

The woman was only sixteen years old, with a beautiful face, but at this moment her face was pale, her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were covered with dirt.

When she saw the two men, Huang and Bai, it was like seeing a last straw; she knelt down on the ground with a thud.

"Two kind people!"

"Please, please, save my husband!"

Her voice trembled, and her eyes were filled with urgency.

"Do you have any medicine to treat the plague?"

"My husband has contracted the plague and has been coughing for several days. I'm willing to do anything to cure him!"

This woman is clearly naive and inexperienced.

If it were anyone else, seeing two strange men enter the village would surely make them wary.

But she couldn't care less about any of that at that moment.

Huang Bai said, "Take us there to have a look."

Lu Su quickly got up and wiped away her tears.

"Thank you both! Please follow me."

She led the way, her steps hurried and erratic, nearly falling several times.

Huang Bai and Song Wuji followed behind and soon arrived at a wooden house.

The house was dilapidated, with the doors and windows half-closed, and violent coughing could be heard coming from inside.

"Cough cough cough!"

Huang Bai pushed open the door and entered.

The room was dimly lit, and a young man with a sallow complexion lay on a straw mat.

His lips were chapped, his forehead was burning hot, and he was covered with an old garment, his whole body delirious with fever.

It was Yi Xiaochuan.

Yi Xiaochuan opened his eyes with difficulty.

His vision was blurry, and it took him a while to make out the yellow and white figures standing at the door.

"A miracle doctor?"