Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

At that moment, Yunling's voice came from within the mist.

"Zhuang Xing? Is that you?"

"Yunling?" Zhuang Xing asked, "Do you know what happened?"

"I...I don't know. Suddenly a thick fog rolled in. You should come down first. The Taoist priests said we should gather over there."

"Is that so..." Zhuang Xing stroked his chin. "Can I ask you a question, Yunling?"

"What's wrong? Go ahead and ask."

"If I put chickens and rabbits in a cage, there are 35 heads from the top and 94 legs from the bottom. Can you calculate how many rabbits and chickens are in the cage?"

The voices on the other end suddenly fell silent.

"What are you talking about? Come down first. The Taoist priest told us to gather over there."

"Yes, we need to come down first." Zhuang Xing nodded.

He had already taught Yunling this problem in the summer. The correct answer is twenty-three chickens and twelve rabbits. If it is the real Yunling, even if she has forgotten the correct answer, she should be able to calculate it quickly using his method.

That wasn't Yunling's voice at all; it was just a demon imitating her.

"Trying to lure people to the riverbank... Is this mist really clam mist?" Zhuang Xing climbed down from the carriage. "Those command flags don't seem to offer any protection against clam mist."

"Where are you going, Zhuang Xing? This way, this way."

Zhuang Xing ignored the ramblings and focused his Qi on his eyes.

“The sounds are all fake, but the aura doesn’t lie. The real body should be nearby.”

He walked toward the campfire and saw a strong "demonic aura".

"Shouldn't we go and find the Taoist priests first?"

"No, inside the clam shell, everything I hear and see could be fake. I'd better handle this myself..."

He groped his way forward through the fog, and suddenly, he found that the fog had thinned out a lot, and he could see the moonlight.

The moonlight shone on the gently flowing river, and Master Qingxuzi was taken aback when he saw him come out.

The vanished Yunling was now standing next to Daoist Qingxuzi. She looked at Zhuang Xing and said, "Daoist, this is the real Zhuang Xing."

“Even Lingwei and the others are still trapped inside. I didn’t expect that the two of you would have come out. Is this also because of the Primordial Qi?” Daoist Qingxu stroked his beard. “In that case, you may come with me.”

"Don't worry, it's just a clam demon that knows how to play tricks. It must have been attracted by our large numbers. I'll take you there to capture it."

"However, keep your voice down," Master Qingxuzi said, raising a finger. "Don't scare the children who are still sleeping."

Zhuang Xing looked at Yunling, then at the Taoist priest. True Qi doesn't lie; this time it's a real person.

He nodded and came to the Taoist priest's side.

"When did you come out?" Zhuang Xing asked Yunling.

“I was only a little bit earlier than you,” Yunling said. “I suddenly heard your voice while I was sleeping, so I went downstairs. I only realized it wasn’t you when I got halfway down, and then I met the Taoist priest.”

Chapter 59 The Old Taoist and the Giant Clam Demon

"Although the command flag can block demons, it can't keep out these clam-like creatures unless it's a completely airtight tent." The old Taoist priest took the opportunity to teach Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling a lesson. "Moreover, generally speaking, it's best not to spend the night by a river."

"Rivers are important water sources. Wild animals and monsters need to drink water, so the chances of encountering monsters while sleeping by the river are extremely high."

"We only rested by the river tonight because our team was too big and we needed to replenish our water supply. We couldn't find a particularly good place nearby."

"However, as you have seen, there are such disadvantages to spending the night by the river." The old Taoist pointed to the mist, "This clam mist is an illusion created by the clam demon."

"When you are in it, your sight and hearing will be deceived. This monster will imitate the voice of a close person and lead people into the water step by step. Because you cannot see or hear, you will naturally panic. Even if you are good at swimming, you will still not be able to tell which way to go and eventually drown."

"Only after a person dies will the clam demon dissipate its clam energy, drag the corpse into the water, and eat its rotting flesh."

"It also eats wild beasts. When it encounters a wild beast, the clam demon will create a dark shadow in the mist to frighten it and force it into the water."

"The clam demon is an extremely difficult monster to deal with for beginners."

The old Taoist priest stopped by the river, took out his whisk, from which hung a simple purple sword tassel.

"It's not because it's too lethal. In fact, it can't directly hurt people. If you ignore it completely and just go to sleep, it can't do anything to you. But if you want to catch it, it's very troublesome. If you don't have experience, it's easy for it to get away."

"Where exactly is that clam demon hiding? Look carefully."

The old Taoist priest led Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling to the riverbank. In Zhuang Xing's eyes, a demonic aura was rising from the water.

Zhuang Xing thought the clam demon should be at the bottom of the water, but after watching for a while, the old Taoist squatted down again, dipped his finger in the river water, and waved his whisk in another direction.

A tiny spark shot out from the tip of the whisk, creating a few ripples. The spark flickered a few times and then, with a "sizzle," transformed into a fireball the size of a walnut. The fireball illuminated the surroundings, and the heat waves it emitted intertwined with the cold air, releasing gusts of wind.

The old Taoist's white hair and robes fluttered in the wind, and his eyes reflected a golden light, as if lava was flowing in his eyes.

Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling were seeing a real, decent spell for the first time. They looked up at the fireball that was gathering terrifying heat, and even their bodies were warmed by the firelight.

All of this happened in an instant. The fireball was launched toward the water's surface and sank to the bottom like a stone. A few seconds later, there was a muffled thud, as if someone had punched Zhuang Xing in the chest, and a huge splash of water exploded on the surface.

Zhuang Xing swallowed hard. If this fireball were to hit a person, it would definitely blast them to pieces. Its power was comparable to that of a cannonball.

The previously kind and gentle Taoist priest Qingxuzi suddenly transformed into a human-shaped artillery platform in his eyes.

He looked at the purple sword tassel hanging on the Taoist priest's whisk, wondering what level the purple tassel was in Xuanqing Temple, how many purple tassels there were, and what level was above the purple tassel.

He watched intently as the Taoist priest exorcised the demon, his excitement growing stronger with each passing moment.

The Taoist priest stirred the water's surface and waved his whisk once more. Suddenly, the white hairs on the whisk stretched out like tentacles, extending towards the water's surface. Then, with a casual pull, the Taoist priest swept a large clam ashore.

The giant clam was half a meter tall, like a large blue stone. Its surface was covered with algae, making it look slippery. At this moment, its shell was tightly closed, without revealing a single gap.

As it was swept ashore, the mussel breath began to dissipate slowly.

Zhuang Xing looked at the place where the old Taoist had stirred up the clam demon, but that was not the place where he had seen the demonic aura at all; it was dozens of meters away.

He was filled with doubt, but the old Taoist priest waved his whisk again, bringing up a large clump of algae from the place where the demonic aura was emanating. The algae on the clam demon's body was clearly the same type.

That demonic aura...it was clearly emanating from these seaweeds...

“This clam demon is very clever. It transfers its demonic energy to its companion algae,” said Daoist Qingxuzi. “If someone is inexperienced, they can easily be fooled by it. Once it realizes that its companion algae has been taken away, it knows there is danger and will immediately escape by water.”

"Underwater is still the world of these aquatic monsters. If it is determined to escape, it will be difficult for me to catch it again. I can only let it escape to another place and who knows where it will harm people next."

So that's how it is... Zhuang Xing didn't see such a cunning trick in the layman's demon-slaying diary.

It's probably because the clam demon was too weak for the White Lotus Hermit. He remembered writing in his diary when he eliminated the clam demon, "I killed it with one sword." In the face of an absolute difference in strength, no amount of trickery would work. The Hermit probably just cleaved the entire river in two.

Zhuang Xing realized that the clam demon was such a monster, and he felt that he had learned another lesson tonight.

"Master, what should we do with this clam demon?" Zhuang Xing asked.

“Once the clam demon leaves the water, it’s just a larger clam shell.” The old Taoist tapped the hard clam shell. “Let’s take it back to the mountain. We can show it to the disciples during class and let them experience what it feels like to be trapped in clam energy.”

During the conversation, the clam-like aura had completely dissipated.

Zhuang Xing finally saw the campfire. Lingwei Daoist, who was keeping watch, drew his sword and looked around. Qingxuzi Daoist waved to him, and Lingwei Daoist hurriedly ran over.

The old Taoist priest recounted what had just happened, saying, "Lingwei, you were not up to par today. Both children emerged from the clam shell aura before you."

“This…” Master Lingwei glanced at Yunling and Zhuang Xing standing next to the giant clam demon, and cupped his hands, saying, “Uncle-Master, this disciple is ashamed.”

He lowered his head in shame. He was supposed to be on night watch, but he had failed to fulfill his duty. Even the two children had noticed something was wrong before he did.

"Haha." Master Qingxuzi laughed and patted Zhuang Xing and Yunling on the head. "Alright, Lingwei, take some people and get a box to put this clam demon in."

"Yes." Master Lingwei immediately went back to call for help.

"Zhuang Xing, Yun Ling, did you have any gains today?" Master Qingxuzi looked down at the two children with a smile.

"We've learned a lot," Zhuang Xing and Yunling replied in unison.

"Excellent, excellent!" Master Qingxu was very pleased. "Since the three of us captured this clam demon, according to the rules of the temple, everyone who sees it gets a share. I intend to keep this clam demon in the temple as an example for my disciples. However, the clam pearls it produces can be divided among the three of us."

"I am over sixty years old and have no interest in worldly possessions. You can keep this pearl," said Daoist Qingxuzi, rubbing the back of their heads.

Zhuang Xing was secretly delighted, but he still humbly said, "But Daoist, we didn't do anything."

"How could that be?" Master Qingxuzi's smile widened. "It is a great blessing that you have gained something."

May my Taoist sect prosper!

Zhuang Xing felt the large hand resting on his head; though weathered, it was warm.

He sensed the old Taoist's deep affection, not for him, but for the Taoist temple called Xuanqing Temple.

He thought Xuanqing Temple must be a very good place, otherwise why would Master Qingxu always keep saying "the prosperity of Taoism"?

Chapter 60 Mountain Gate

Master Lingwei summoned several people, who sealed the large clam inside a wooden box and sealed the box with paper talismans.

Some children were awakened by the noise, but the Taoist priest simply said it was nothing and told them to go back to sleep.

"Master, what is the use of that pearl?" Zhuang Xing asked.

“It has many uses,” said Master Qingxuzi.

"Then what can Yunling and I do with this pearl?"

“You can put it in the house to admire, or you can sell it for money.” Qingxuzi looked at Zhuang Xing with a smile.

Zhuang Xing sensed that the old Taoist had a hidden meaning in his words. He had seen the uses of pearls in the jade slip. Pearls were valuable, and a high-quality pearl from a clam demon could be worth a hundred taels of gold if sold as an ornamental item.

However, since the pearl is a companion of the clam demon, keeping it in a room as a treasure will certainly not allow it to reach its full potential.

As for exchanging it for money...

Money is something that has always existed, but a pearl that a clam demon has nurtured for decades is something that can only be encountered by chance.

Although the jade slip records some uses of pearls, it only says that they can be ground into powder and used in medicine, and that eating them has some health benefits, but it does not record the detailed methods.

When Zhuang Xing took the pearl into his hands, to be honest, he felt somewhat at a loss as to how to proceed.

After thinking for a while, he asked, "Could you please help us process this pearl?"

"There's no such thing as asking someone for free help in this world." The old Taoist paused, then slowly said, "However... I'm usually quite free, so helping out isn't out of the question, but..."

"but?"

"You two have to do one of my requests."