Calabash Fairy

Within a chaotic gourd-shaped space, seventy-two complex runes, shimmering with golden light and containing countless pieces of knowledge, are quietly inscribed here.

Fang Yan's divine sense kept scanning, and for a moment he was also a little dazzled.

"These seventy-two inheritances are far too profound; if one were to cultivate them to their ultimate level..."

Fang Yan shook his head slightly. After examining it once, he felt that the knowledge in each inheritance was vast and boundless.

Learning any of these methods will be very beneficial, but in a short period of time, he can only choose one to learn. He should not be distracted and should try to learn the method first before considering others, otherwise he will only end up with nothing.

Of course, some of these seventy-two Earthly Fiend inheritances are more suitable for him than others are currently available...

Fang Yan's gaze swept over the four inheritances: Talisman Water, Particle Play, Swordsmanship, and Pot Heaven.

Talisman water is the way of talismans, pill making is the way of alchemy, swordsmanship is the way of sword immortals, and the pot heaven is taken from the meaning of "containing the sun, moon and heaven in a pot", which is the method of scaling space.

After a moment of contemplation, Fang Yan slowly extended his divine sense toward one of the Earthly Fiend Techniques.

To play with balls.

He was also very interested in the other three lineages.

The talismanic arts recorded in the Fu Shui inheritance can help him quickly learn the Spirit Locking Talisman, and the swordsmanship inheritance can perfectly match his Pure Yang Sword Scripture and Pure Yang Sword Seed.

Needless to say, the inheritance of the Pot Heaven allows one to open up secret realms and even cave heavens within a small wine pot in the later stages of cultivation, which is also of great benefit to his expansion and improvement of the Qingfeng Secret Realm.

But as things stand now, the only thing that can truly help him and maximize the resources at his disposal is the alchemy tradition of Nongwan...

..................................

As Fang Yan studied and practiced diligently, time slipped away unnoticed, and before he knew it, it was mid-December.

On this day, heavy snowflakes continued to fall from the sky, covering the yellowing leaves and dry grass. In just one night, the mountains were covered in a blanket of white.

Fortunately, after working for half a year, everyone in Redwood Village managed to prepare houses for all the villagers before the heavy snow, and they also managed to save up a lot of food.

Xu Hu formed a hunting team a month ago.

After recovering from the loss of his loved ones, this resilient man quickly rallied and led his hunting team to hunt many wild animals in the mountains far from Qingfeng Mountain. Most of them were made into dried meat and stored, which greatly alleviated the food shortage problem and brought his prestige in the village to its peak.

On the other hand, although Yang Dongdong no longer needed to coordinate matters after the relocation of Hongmu Village, he became busier than ever before, and almost slept in his study every day.

He has found what he wants to do: to educate the villagers.

Although the minds of most of these adults are unlikely to change, the children and the future of those villages can gain knowledge and experience through education, gradually surpassing them and preventing the tragedy that befell Brother Xu Hu from repeating itself.

Yang Dongdong firmly believes that this method is feasible and that they should continue to pursue it.

Seeing this, Yang Sheng felt gratified, but he didn't say much. However, whenever Yang Dongdong came to ask questions, he would answer them without hesitation. If he didn't know the answer himself, he would tell him to look it up in a book.

However, Yang Sheng originally intended to groom his eldest son to be the next village chief, but now it seems that this task will fall to his second son.

On the other hand, his third son, who was naturally easygoing and had a great talent for farming, was the one who made Yang Sheng worry the least.

Though lacking great ambition, being able to live a peaceful life—isn't that a kind of luck?

As for the mountain god temple, although the snow made the mountain roads very difficult to walk on, the villagers would brave the wind and snow to go to the mountain god temple to clear the snow every now and then, and this year was no exception.

Furthermore, since the Redwood Village moved here, there are now many skilled carpenters and stonemasons at the foot of Qingfeng Mountain. Nowadays, every household has a wooden or stone statue placed on the altar for worship, in order to pray for peace.

On Qingfeng Mountain, Fang Yan studies the inheritance of the Dan Dan technique every day and makes great progress in the Dao of Alchemy.

The earlier parts of this inheritance mainly analyze the pharmacology of natural materials step by step, such as how to harvest, preserve, and apply their medicinal properties. They are all presented from simple to complex, clearly intended to lay a solid foundation.

Although Fang Yan possessed a talent for knowledge, he had never understood these spiritual materials of heaven and earth in such detail before, and the records within them broadened his horizons, as many of these materials were completely unheard of.

It can be said that in the past two months, Fang Yan has been constantly enriching his alchemy foundation. Even in the few prescriptions he has, such as the Emerald Spirit Ointment, he has seen many flaws or areas for improvement and has made improvements to them all.

Besides studying the inherited knowledge every day, Fang Yan's cultivation also did not slacken.

Absorbing the essence of the sun and moon every day, chanting the Pure Yang Sword Scripture, and condensing the Chaos Seed and Pure Yang Sword Qi—these things have almost become his daily habits and have been integrated into his life.

Life on the mountain was peaceful and fulfilling until one day, two unexpected guests came to visit.

..........................

On the snow in front of the vermilion gate of the mountain god temple.

As a gentle breeze blew by, Fang Yan's figure appeared. He looked at the two pale-faced figures in front of him with knives at their waists, white paper lanterns in their hands, and dressed in black yamen runners' uniforms, with some surprise.

Even without sensing the intense Yin energy emanating from them, one could tell from their appearance that they were servants of the underworld.

However, even when someone passes away in Xiahe Village, they usually walk the path to the underworld on their own, and there are few underworld messengers coming to visit. He doesn't really have any interaction with these beings.

Upon seeing the mountain god appear, the two underworld messengers immediately bowed respectfully in greeting.

"Greetings, Lord Mountain God of Qingfeng Mountain."

The voices of the underworld messengers are different from those of mortals. Their voices do not enter people's ears, but are similar to telepathic communication, as if they are directly heard in their minds.

"Please rise, gentlemen. May I ask what brings you two messengers from the underworld here?"

"No! No!"

Upon hearing this, the two underworld officials lowered their heads even further and repeatedly said they dared not.

The laws of the underworld are strict; how could they possibly deserve such courtesy from a virtuous deity, especially since they have come today seeking a favor...

"Mountain God, we have come today to request a decree from you, so that we may come smoothly in the future to guide the souls back to the underworld..."

Fang Yan looked at the two people in front of him with some curiosity.

He knew of the existence of these underworld messengers, but they rarely appeared in Xiahe Village, and he had never stopped them. Why would they ask him for some kind of decree?

As if aware of Fang Yan's doubts, one of the tall and thin underworld messengers raised his head, holding a white paper lantern in one hand and pointing to the eerie white flame inside with the other. His already stiff and sorrowful face became even more bitter.

"Mountain God, your incense has become increasingly popular in recent years. Every household in Xiahe Village and Hongmu Village has your statue for worship. Qingfeng Mountain is your territory. With your protection, it is difficult for us to enter the rooms. Recently, we even have to light a yin fire to enter Xiahe Village."

"But this ghostly fire requires our salaries to ignite, and our salaries are so low, it's really..."