Ghost Immortal

He took out a jade box from his sleeve and placed his palm on the tiger demon's head.

Pure spiritual energy surged from his palm and flowed into the tiger demon's head.

A moment later, he withdrew his hand, revealing a dark gold crystal in his palm.

The surface of the crystal was covered with fine cracks, which were the shattered demon core of the tiger demon.

Although shattered, the crystal contained demonic power.

"With its demon core shattered like this, less than 30% of its demonic power is usable."

Lei Jian examined the crystal in his palm, his tone tinged with regret.

"However, this demon core is of the metal element, which is perfect for suppressing evil spirits of the wood element. We can have our sect leader refine it into a demon-suppressing artifact, which will be a good use of it."

He carefully sealed the demon core into a jade box and then affixed a sealing talisman to the surface of the jade box.

He then tucked the item into his sleeve and walked towards Li Feng.

"Junior apprentice Li Feng."

Lei Jian rarely spoke in such a gentle tone.

"You performed very well in today's battle. Although you were a bit reckless, you dared to fight to the death in a critical moment. Not everyone has this kind of courage. Your master has gained a good disciple."

Li Feng leaned on Qiu Lan's shoulder and smiled weakly: "Senior Aunt, you flatter me. I was just in a hurry at the time and didn't think too much about it."

"True character is revealed when pushed to the limit." Lei Jian waved his hand dismissively.

"I already know that your spiritual root is damaged. After we get back, I will have the pharmacy prepare a special medicinal bath formula for you. You are not allowed to use your spiritual power for three months."

"Your disciple obeys."

Master Si Mei looked up at the sky; the sun was already setting in the west, and the light in the mountains was gradually dimming.

Night falls earlier in Black Wind Ridge than outside. Once it gets dark, the miasma intensifies, and the mountain roads become even more dangerous.

Moreover, Qiu Sheng and Li Feng's injuries need to be treated as soon as possible, and they cannot spend the night in the mountains.

Master Si Mei made a decision: "Let's go back to the mortuary first. Qiu Lan, you support Li Feng, and Junior Brother, support Qiu Sheng. Be careful on the road. There are no tiger demons in Black Wind Ridge, but the evil aura is still there. There may be other things in the mountains."

They also packed up the tiger bones and carried them back.

Li Feng had no greed for demon cores, but he was very tempted by tiger bones and meat.

These things, when used to refine his cauldron, will definitely improve his cultivation level significantly.

Back at the mortuary, it was night.

Li Feng lay on the wooden bed in the side room, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

The wound on his shoulder had been carefully bandaged by Qiulan with glutinous rice and ointment.

But the lingering corpse poison deep within the wound still caused pain, as if countless fine needles were piercing back and forth in the cracks of the bone.

What worried him even more and kept him awake was the condition of his dantian.

The three cracks on the ten-inch spiritual root resembled ice cracks on porcelain, extending from the surface of the spiritual root into its depths.

The longest one runs through almost a third of the spiritual root.

Master Si Mei said he needed three months of recuperation.

For three months, I cannot use my spiritual power, for three months I cannot cultivate, and for three months I will lie in bed like a useless person, drinking medicine.

For Li Feng, who had just broken through to the Qi Refining stage and mastered the Netherworld Ghost Fire, and should have been full of pride, it was extremely frustrating.

But he also knew that what his master said was correct.

Spiritual roots are the foundation of a cultivator. If the foundation is damaged and not repaired in time, the cracks will widen, resulting in a decline in cultivation or even complete shattering of the spiritual root, rendering the cultivator useless.

Just then, the door was pushed open a crack, and Qiu Sheng peeked in cautiously.

His chest was wrapped in thick bandages. After the golden armor was removed, the bruises left by the tiger demon's palm strike spread from his chest to his ribs, a shocking sight of purple and blue.

But the expression on his face didn't look like that of an injured person at all; instead, it carried a hint of sneaky excitement.

"Junior brother, are you asleep?"

"You're not asleep, is something wrong, senior brother?" Li Feng propped himself up against the headboard.

Qiu Sheng turned around and bolted the door. He peeked out through the crack in the door a couple of times to make sure no one was there before tiptoeing to the bedside.

He took out a small cloth bag from his pocket. Inside were several dark gold bones, each about the thickness of a finger, with a faint trace of demonic energy still lingering on them.

Li Feng recognized it at a glance: "Tiger bone! Where did you get it?"

Qiu Sheng quickly covered his mouth and whispered, "I picked these up from the bushes when the Black Three Knives were skinning the tiger. A few bones fell off when the bandits were carrying the tiger bones. They didn't notice, so I just put them in my pocket. There were seven in total, all the most precious bone marrow from the tiger demon's ribs."

Li Feng took a tiger bone and examined it carefully.

The bone was extremely heavy, more than three times heavier than ordinary animal bones of the same size.

The bone walls were as dense as iron, and the bone marrow cavity contained golden bone marrow. Even through the bone walls, one could feel the essence of demonic power contained within.

The tiger demon, with three hundred years of cultivation, had every bone imbued with demonic power for three hundred years. The essence of demonic power sealed in its marrow was far purer than tiger meat.

"This is good stuff."

Li Feng's eyes lit up.

"Tiger bones can be used in medicine to strengthen muscles and bones, and tiger marrow is an even greater tonic. The marrow of an ordinary tiger can cure rheumatism and pain. The marrow of this three-hundred-year-old tiger demon is simply a rare treasure for cultivators."

"Of course." Qiu Sheng chuckled smugly and pulled out a second cloth bag from his pocket.

This cloth bag was larger than the one containing tiger bones; when opened, it revealed several large pieces of dark red meat inside.

The flesh is firm, with distinct textures, and exudes a bloody and demonic aura.

"Bones alone aren't enough, there's also tiger meat! Black Three Knives only wanted the tiger skin and bones, they didn't want the meat, so I secretly cut off a few of the best pieces. Junior brother, this is meat from a three-hundred-year-old tiger demon, it's incredibly nourishing!"

Li Feng watched as Qiu Sheng presented the tiger bones and tiger meat in a row by the bed like a treasure, and a warm feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.

This senior brother is usually unreliable, constantly causing trouble, and is fond of drinking and women, but he is genuinely good to his junior brother.

Tiger bones and meat are worth at least several dozen taels of silver outside, and the first thing he thought of after picking them up was to share them with himself.

"Senior brother, you should keep the tiger meat and bones for yourself. Your injuries are not light either," Li Feng declined.

"It's just a flesh wound, it'll be fine in a few days." Qiu Sheng patted his chest, which was wrapped in bandages, wincing in pain but still trying to be brave.

"But you, Master said your spiritual root is damaged and you need to recuperate for three months. Who can endure three months without cultivation? Tiger bone and marrow are highly nourishing; perhaps eating them can help you recover faster."

As he spoke, he pulled out a third item from his pocket.

A small earthenware jar, its mouth sealed with wax, contains liquid when shaken.

"And this, I stole it from Master's pharmacy. It's a medicinal wine made with Polygonum multiflorum, Ganoderma lucidum, and deer antler. Master has treasured it for years and is reluctant to drink it. Hehe, anyway, he doesn't know how much there is. Let's borrow some to try."

Li Feng watched as Qiu Sheng laid out the items one by one and couldn't help but laugh: "Senior brother, are you going to throw a banquet in my room?"

"Of course!" Qiu Shengli said confidently.

"We, fellow disciples, fought our way from Tengteng Town to Black Wind Ridge, facing both the Zombie King and the Tiger Demon, almost losing our lives. Now that we've survived such a calamity, shouldn't we replenish our strength?"

"Besides, Master will definitely make you start taking medicine tomorrow. Drinking those bitter medicines for three months will make your mouth taste bland. While we can still eat meat tonight, let's stew some tiger meat and have a good meal!"

Li Feng thought for a moment and nodded: "But we can't do it in the mortuary. The smell is too strong. Master's nose is sharper than a dog's. He can tell what we're stealing to eat just by smelling it."

"Where to?"

Li Feng thought for a moment and suddenly remembered a place: "There is an abandoned blacksmith shop in the west of the city. I passed by it when I went to catch ghosts last time. The place is very remote, with no houses around. Nobody goes there at night. The blacksmith shop has a furnace and an iron pot, which is perfect for stewing meat."

"Okay! I'll go prepare the things first, you wait here." Qiu Sheng wrapped the tiger bones and meat again and tiptoed out.

Less than half an hour later, he returned, this time carrying a large bundle on his back.

The bundle contained a small iron pot, two rough porcelain bowls, a pair of chopsticks, a packet of salt, a few white radishes, and a bunch of wild scallions.

I don't know where he got it from.

"Let's go, let's slip away while Master is reporting to our eldest uncle," Qiu Sheng urged.

Li Feng changed into a clean Taoist robe, stuffed the tiger bones and meat into his pocket, and the two quietly pushed open the window of the side room and climbed out through the back window.

The backyard of the mortuary is connected to a patch of wasteland, and beyond the wasteland are a maze of alleyways.

The two walked in the dark like thieves for the time it takes to burn two incense sticks before finally arriving at the abandoned blacksmith shop in the west of the city.

This blacksmith shop has been abandoned for at least ten years.

A large section of the roof tiles was missing, and moonlight leaked through the hole, shining on the dusty anvil.

The walls were blackened by smoke, and scrap iron and coal ash were piled up in the corners.

The good thing is that the blacksmith's furnace in the shop is still there, and although the furnace chamber has a few cracks, it can still be used with difficulty.

Next to the anvil was a large iron pot, which was rusty, but it should still be usable after washing.

Qiu Sheng took the iron pot off the stove and went to the well in the yard to fetch a bucket of water.

Use stones and sand to grind off the rust in the pot, and rinse it repeatedly until the shiny black iron underneath is revealed.

Li Feng then rekindled the blacksmith's forge, picked up some leftover charcoal and coal scraps from the corner, and broke off some dry branches outside. Soon, a bright red flame ignited in the furnace.