After purchasing the Ice Clear Pill, Xu Xian bought a Lifespan Elixir. After that, he bought some Antidote Pills, followed by a variety of medicinal herbs for stopping bleeding and clearing bruises...
Houdao Village.
It was situated deep within a vast range of mountains, isolated from the rest of the world.
The villagers made their living by hunting, herding, and farming. In the great mountains, bumps and scrapes were a regular occurrence.
The village had a doctor who relied entirely on folk remedies. His methods were no different from how one would treat a wild beast. Whether a patient recovered or not depended entirely on how resilient their constitution was.
During his twelve years there, Xu Xian remembered no small number of deaths in the village due to various causes. Tetanus, malaria, and obstructed labor were common occurrences.
He had once tried to change things, but his resources were limited and his knowledge was lacking. Now, things were different.
He had become a cultivator. Those previously incurable ailments could now be easily resolved. As the successor to the village chief, he was supposed to lead the villagers forward, yet he had changed paths halfway to pursue immortality. He couldn't just ignore them; spending some merit points for the sake of the village was well worth it.
As the saying goes, when one man attains the Dao, even his chickens and dogs rise to heaven.
While Xu Xian was squandering his wealth at the Merchant Hall’s elixir shop, a certain matter was quietly fermenting within the Wendao Sword Sect.
It went something like this...
After Xu Xian left, Elder Qian’s head disciple came to report on some affairs.
Elder Qian said, "Disciple, I’m going to tell you something, but you must not tell a soul."
Elder Qian’s head disciple replied, "Master, don’t you know me? My lips are sealed tighter than immortal gold."
"Master Ruan gave your Little Grand-Uncle two million merit points to settle his debt. Tsk tsk, quite generous, wouldn’t you say?"
"What! Two million? For real?"
"It’s absolutely certain..."
After the head disciple left, he ran into his youngest junior sister and immediately leaned in.
Head Disciple: "Junior Sister, can I trust you?"
Junior Sister: "Of course! We have the best relationship, don’t we?"
Head Disciple: "I’ll tell you something, but don’t go spreading it around."
Junior Sister: "Senior Brother, you know me. My lips are the tightest."
Head Disciple: "Master Ruan gave Little Grand-Uncle two million merit points."
Junior Sister: "Whoa—two million? That’s so domineering!"
........
Junior Sister: "Second Senior Brother, can I tell you something?"
Second Senior Brother: "Third Junior Brother, did you hear that Master Ruan gave Little Grand-Uncle two million merit points?"
Third Junior Brother: "Little Grand-Disciple, I’ve got something to tell you..."
A woman eventually approached Elder Qian, smiling radiantly. "Senior Brother, let me tell you something, but you mustn’t tell anyone else."
Elder Qian said, "Junior Sister, don’t you know me? Your Senior Brother’s lips are sealed tighter than his own trousers."
"I heard Master Ruan gave Little Grand-Uncle two million merit points..."
Elder Qian’s body jolted, his expression becoming quite peculiar. "Hiss..."
Back at the Merchant Hall’s elixir shop, Xu Xian looked at the meager merit points remaining in his pocket and finally stopped his shopping spree, albeit reluctantly.
"Little Grand-Uncle, take care. Please come again."
"I will!"
Stepping out of the shop, Xu Xian glanced at the dao jade in his hand.
[Name: Xu Xian]
[Identity: First-generation disciple]
[Affiliation: Zhijian Peak, Zhujian Peak]
[Position: Sword Suppression Hall disciple, Forging Hall disciple]
[Current Realm: Early nascent soul stage]
[Merit Points: 3,245]
Xu Xian raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Well, I’m broke."
"But my stipend comes in half a month..."
He muttered a few words, tucked away the dao jade, and strode off.
Before long, he returned to Zhijian Peak and arrived outside the Zuiwan Residence. Zhang Yang and Lin Qianqian were already there.
Lin Qianqian had specially changed into a white-to-pink gradient dress. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, making her look clever, agile, and full of youthful vitality.
As for Zhang Yang? He was the same as ever: cloth shoes, shorts, and a small vest that showed off the muscles on his arms. He wasn't exactly handsome, but he was oozing masculinity.
The moment Xu Xian landed, the two of them surrounded him.
"You two got here fast!"
The pair didn't speak. Instead, they stood on either side of him, staring at him intensely with eyes full of gossip.
"What are you doing?"
Zhang Yang asked, "Brother Xian, did Master Ruan really give you two million merit points?"
Xu Xian was stunned. "Holy crap, Fatty, when did you learn divination? You’re spot on!"
Zhang Yang: "..."
Lin Qianqian confirmed, "He really gave it to you?"
Xu Xian said casually, "He did. Why?"
Lin Qianqian’s eyes sparkled as she puffed out her cheeks. "I’m so jealous..."
Zhang Yang slapped his forehead. "How can the gap between people be this big?"
Xu Xian: "????"
He was completely baffled.
Xu Xian returned to his immortal abode for a quick inspection. Li Qingshan still hadn't returned. If he remembered correctly, it had already been five days. It seemed the kid had taken on a massive job.
Xu Xian didn't think much of it. He locked the doors and windows—a redundant gesture—and walked out of the immortal abode, leading Lin Qianqian and Zhang Yang to set off early.
Leaving Zhijian Peak and crossing One Sword Gorge, Xu Xian made his way to the Merchant Hall’s Cloud Boat Pier with practiced ease.
Since returning from the extreme cold lands, Xu Xian had obtained an official map of Houdao Village from Li Qingshan. It was far more reliable than the one given by those Merchant Hall brothers. He couldn't make heads or tails of that other map no matter how he looked at it.
According to Li Qingshan's map, Houdao Village was located to the east of the Wendao Sword Sect, quite a distance away.
If he flew there alone, it wouldn't take much time. However, bringing two people in the foundation establishment stage like Zhang Yang and Lin Qianqian would be quite taxing. Furthermore, after swinging the Star-Forging Hammer all night, Xu Xian was truly exhausted; his limbs still felt a bit weak.
Thus, Xu Xian wanted to check at the Merchant Hall if there were any passing spirit ships he could hitch a ride on to save some effort.
Thanks to his status as the Little Grand-Uncle, Xu Xian quickly found a Cloud Boat heading east with the help of some enthusiastic Merchant Hall disciples.
"Little Grand-Uncle, you’ve arrived just in time. If you were half an hour later, my ship would have already sailed."
"Haha! As they say, arriving early isn’t as good as arriving at the right time."
"Little Grand-Uncle is right."
To the east lay the Great Desolation. The area was sparsely populated with few cities. This ship’s destination was Demon-Slaying City—the city built right above the Demon Suppression Abyss.
The Merchant Hall would transport daily necessities to Demon-Slaying City to sell. More importantly, they would purchase the bones, hides, and meat of beast beasts from the demon hunters.
This business wasn't exclusive to the Wendao Sword Sect; other major sects and clans were also involved. However, it was said that these outside merchant ships had to pay a toll when passing through the Northern Borders, just as the Wendao Sword Sect’s Cloud Boats had to pay when appearing in the Central Plains. It was all a matter of reciprocity.
This Cloud Boat was enormous, like a floating mountain. It was clearly Zhang Yang’s first time on such a large vessel. He ran back and forth on the deck, shouting in surprise from time to time, looking very much like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
In contrast, Lin Qianqian was much more composed.
The ship captain said respectfully to Xu Xian, "Little Grand-Uncle, please wait a moment. Once the cargo is loaded, we will set off immediately."
Xu Xian waved his hand. "No rush. Go tend to your business."
"Understood. Then I shall take my leave."
A short while later, before the great ship could depart, a familiar figure appeared in Xu Xian’s line of sight.
The youth asked in confusion, "Why are you here?"
Wen Qingxue said leisurely, "I’m going home with you!"
Xu Xian: "..." Those words sounded a bit off somehow.
Rate on N.U.
