Chapter 42
Translator: T_Fan
Black Crow was the first to take out a thick ledger.
“This is the year-end accounting of the spirit stones and spirit materials that passed through Baiwu Shop over the past year. All membership dues and vein-seat usage fees have been recorded in the ledger, and after deducting the maintenance expenses for each base, the remainder was exchanged for mid-grade spirit stones and stored.”
He placed a small storage pouch on the table along with the ledger.
“Would you like to check it yourself?”
“Leave the ledger. You keep the storage pouch.”
“Understood.”
After pushing the ledger forward, Black Crow took another storage pouch from his robes.
“And this is something I brought for you, Society Head.”
When the storage pouch opened, books appeared in neat stacks across the stone chamber floor.
Hardly any of them were old. The covers all bore the same title, but each had a different volume number.
A Poor Tenant Farmer’s Chronicle of Returning Home with Longevity
Volumes 1 through 72. Complete.
Lee Hyun’s gaze lingered on the books for a moment.
“They say it’s currently the most popular work in the mundane world of Kun Kingdom. It begins with the son of a poor tenant farmer from a frontier commandery ravaged by war. He’s conscripted into military service, then saves a wounded rogue cultivator on the battlefield and obtains an Immortal Ascension Token.”
Black Crow picked up one of the books.
“He starts as a lowly menial disciple, obtains cultivation resources and cultivation arts, then returns to his hometown a hundred years later still looking young. He punishes corrupt officials and restores his declining family. Toward the end, they say even the Emperor personally begs him to become the State Preceptor.”
He added,
“It was published steadily over ten years, and the series concluded last spring with Volume 72. The members who’ve read it also spoke highly of it.”
“I’ll enjoy reading it.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Lee Hyun put the books into his storage pouch.
The other members had no idea why Society Head Badger collected popular novels from the mundane world.
…
Gray Mountain Goat was next.
He unfolded three maps marked with the spirit veins of Kun Kingdom near Baiwu Shop.
“The eleven vein seats on the Kun Kingdom side are mostly operating without issue. However, we closed Shihu Sect Vein Seat No. 2, nine thousand li (about 3,500 km) east of Huiyan Market.”
“Why?”
“Shihu Sect changed the detection method of its formations. Continuing to use the seat would have created too great a risk of discovery.”
“The members?”
“We divided them among nearby vein seats. It hasn’t caused any significant disruption to their cultivation.”
“Well done.”
Gray Mountain Goat marked the closed vein seat on the map.
Then he took out a jade casket slightly larger than his palm.
Click.
Inside lay a blue-green bell about the size of a man’s fist.
Wave-like patterns ran down its surface from top to bottom, but there was no visible clapper.
“A Protective Bell.”
Gray Mountain Goat infused it with spiritual power.
Hummm―
The fist-sized bell floated into the air.
Ding―
With a deep chime, the Protective Bell rapidly expanded.
Before long, it had grown to six chi (about 2 m) in height. It slowly descended and stopped about one cun (about 3.3 cm) above the floor.
“Mole, test it lightly.”
Mole nodded and extended a hand.
Whoosh!
A stone spike one ja (about 33 cm) long spun through the air toward the Protective Bell.
Boom!
Ding―
The stone spike shattered.
Dark blue ripples formed at the point of impact and spread in every direction across the bell’s curved surface. The force carried by the stone spike was transformed into a deep chime and dispersed.
Hummm―
The Protective Bell shrank back to the size of a fist and settled onto Gray Mountain Goat’s palm.
“They say it can withstand several attacks from a late Qi Refining cultivator. It can even take a single strike from an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, though the bell may be damaged in the process.”
“So it’s a high-grade magic tool.”
“Correct. I was told it was cast with Mystic Resonance Copper, a Tier 2 mid grade spirit material, mixed into it.”
Lee Hyun turned the Protective Bell over several times in his palm, inspecting it, then placed it into his storage pouch.
“Well done.”
Gray Mountain Goat continued.
“I also managed to learn some of the uses of the Purple Poison Orchid, Bone-Rot Flower, and Yin Soul Grass that you asked about.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“The Purple Poison Orchid is indeed one of the main ingredients of the Poison-Warding Pill. The nearest place known to refine Poison-Warding Pills is Qinghe Valley in the Great Yan Kingdom. However, I found no information indicating that Qinghe Valley uses Bone-Rot Flowers or Yin Soul Grass.”
Qinghe Valley was the sect where Lee Hyun had once been an outer disciple roughly 1,330 years ago.
‘Using Purple Poison Orchids in alchemy makes sense. They were already growing them in the Withering Yin Field, after all. But they don’t refine anything using Bone-Rot Flowers or Yin Soul Grass? Either the information is inaccurate, or Qinghe Valley lost those pill recipes as the years passed.’
Qinghe Valley’s prominence was no longer what it had once been. At this point, Lee Hyun wasn’t even sure whether the sect still had a Golden Core cultivator.
Yellow Field Mouse reported on the situation in the Great Yan Kingdom.
“We discovered four new residual-vein pockets in southern Great Yan Kingdom. However, we haven’t established any vein seats yet.”
“Why?”
“Perhaps because the environment is harsher, the sects of the Great Yan Kingdom are much more sensitive about their territories than those in Kun Kingdom. The cultivation clans controlling the spirit veins also patrol frequently. I judged that hastily digging access passages could expose our other vein seats as well.”
“Well done.”
Yellow Field Mouse lowered his head, looking relieved.
“Instead, we’re continuing to record only the spiritual pressure and patrol intervals. I’ll observe them for another three years or so before reporting again.”
“Do that.”
Mole briefly reported that there were no particular problems with the vein seats under his supervision.
White Owl carefully took a jade casket from his robes.
Four jade bottles were neatly arranged inside.
“These are the Purple Essence Pills you ordered. Twelve pills in total.”
There were three pills in each bottle.
A Tier 1 Spirit-Sealing Talisman was affixed over each bottle’s mouth, and the wax seal bore the Danxiao Sect’s pill-inspection seal.
Lee Hyun took out one jade bottle and examined the Spirit-Sealing Talisman and wax seal.
“High grade again?”
“Yes. It’s been less than half a year since they were released.”
Lee Hyun broke the seal and placed one Purple Essence Pill on his palm.
Fine fire patterns, resembling flames rising upward, remained on the surface of the faintly purple pill.
When he examined its interior with the Aura-Reading Art and his divine sense, he found that the refined medicinal strength had gathered evenly at the pill’s center.
The Purple Essence Pill was a Tier 1 high grade pill taken by late Qi Refining cultivators to build up magical power.
It wasn’t meant to break through the walls of a minor realm like the Essence-Raising Pill or Barrier-Breaking Pill, but its medicinal potency was gentle and pure, allowing a late Qi Refining cultivator to shorten the time needed for cultivation.
White Owl had supplied Lee Hyun with Purple Essence Pills for more than thirty years. Lee Hyun never relied solely on the Danxiao Sect’s pill-inspection seal and personally inspected the pills every time, but he had never found a problem so far.
‘As good as ever.’
Lee Hyun returned the pill to the jade bottle.
Thud.
A pouch filled with mid-grade spirit stones appeared on the table.
White Owl counted the spirit stones and tucked the pouch into his robes.
“Can you obtain more next time?”
“Purple Essence Pills have recently become more sought after even among Danxiao Sect disciples. I don’t think I’ll be able to acquire any for the time being.”
“Understood.”
Lee Hyun placed the jade casket containing the Purple Essence Pills into his storage pouch.
White Owl didn’t know why Society Head Badger continued purchasing Purple Essence Pills.
‘Does he attend another gathering? I’ve never seen him use Purple Essence Pills for trades at the gatherings I’m part of…’
White Owl was an outer disciple of the Danxiao Sect and a resident cultivator dispatched to the royal court of Anling Kingdom, far northwest of the sect’s main mountain.
Anling Kingdom itself had no powerful cultivation forces. By the standards of the cultivation world, however, it was part of Kun Kingdom’s territory.
The Danxiao Sect and Biluo Sect had established the Immortal Veneration Court within the Anling royal court and dispatched outer disciples there to supervise the rogue cultivators employed by the royal family, select children with exceptional spiritual roots, and sort out the tribute to be presented to the sects. Mediating disputes between rogue cultivators and small cultivation clans was also part of a resident cultivator’s duties.
The title of resident cultivator sounded respectable, but from the perspective of the main mountain, it was closer to assigning distant miscellaneous duties to outer disciples who had fallen behind in the sect’s internal competition. The cultivation resources they could receive were limited, and the spirit vein of the Anling royal family made it difficult to advance one’s realm quickly.
White Owl had joined the Two Heavens Society after using one of its vein seats while traveling between the Danxiao Sect’s main mountain and Anling Kingdom. Since his duties already kept him far from the main mountain, interacting with nearby rogue cultivators and Two Heavens Society members was relatively natural.
Once every three or four years, White Owl returned to the Danxiao Sect to escort a tribute procession or report on his assignments. On those occasions, he used purchase privileges received as rewards for external missions to buy various goods. The Purple Essence Pills requested by Lee Hyun were among them.
The timing of his supply was irregular, but the quality was reliable.
White Owl openly brought out pills bearing the Danxiao Sect’s pill-inspection seal and made little effort to hide the fact that he was a disciple of a great sect. That status alone gave him a firm position within the Two Heavens Society.
…
Finally, Blue Snake unfolded a map of Qianyang Kingdom.
The map marked the Gu-Rearing Institute in northern Qianyang Kingdom, Tier 2 spirit veins, and fortresses garrisoned by gu warriors.
“Patrols around the spirit veins in northern Qianyang Kingdom have increased recently. Fortunately, none of the Two Heavens Society’s vein seats have been discovered yet.”
“Keep watching, but don’t take unnecessary risks.”
“Understood.”
Blue Snake hesitated briefly before continuing.
“There’s also a member from the Qianyang Kingdom side who wishes to personally pay his respects to you, Society Head.”
“Who?”
“Black Sable. He joined three years ago and has provided information on the Gu-Rearing Institute’s movements several times since then.”
Blue Snake added,
“He recently acquired something valuable and said he wished to present it to you, so I brought him here. He’s waiting outside.”
“Have him come in.”
A short while later, a cultivator wearing a Black Sable mask descended the stairs into the stone chamber and knelt on both knees in its center.
“Greetings, Society Head.”
“Rise.”
“Thank you.”
He took a long wooden case from his robes.
“A Vein-Prospecting Ruler.”
Black Sable held up the wooden case.
“They say that if you place it against the ground and channel spiritual power into it, it will point toward the directions in which nearby spirit veins and residual veins extend. I thought it might help find new vein seats, so I wished to offer it to you, Society Head.”
“Bring it here.”
“Yes.”
Black Sable approached, carrying the wooden case with both hands. At that moment, the spirit-insect pouch at Lee Hyun’s waist trembled almost imperceptibly.
“Here it is.”
He opened the wooden case.
Click.
Inside lay a metal ruler one chi long. A transparent bead was embedded in one end.
The moment Lee Hyun lowered his gaze,
transparent threads burst from Black Sable’s fingertips, tearing through the air.
Half targeted Society Head Badger’s dantian and chest, while the rest flew toward the major acupoints of his neck and limbs.
At the same time, thick black smoke erupted from the wooden case.
“Society Head―”
Before Blue Snake could finish shouting,
Shing.
As though time itself had stopped, a brief sword cry swept through the stone chamber.
The members didn’t even see when the Society Head reached out.
All they saw were the transparent threads being cut uselessly into pieces before their eyes and scattering across the floor.
Shhk.
The black smoke surging forward to engulf their vision was likewise split cleanly to either side, as though a vast curtain had been torn apart.
From where Society Head Badger sat to directly in front of Black Sable’s chest, a perfectly clean passage had been carved through the smoke.
But Black Sable didn’t retreat.
Spiritual pressure suddenly exploded from his body.
Boom!
Blue Snake, who had been about to rush forward, froze.
The ledger and maps on the table whipped violently beneath the ferocious aura crushing down upon the stone chamber.
It wasn’t the aura of Qi Refining.
Early Foundation Establishment.
And it wasn’t the aura of a cultivator, but of a gu warrior!
Crack! Crunch!
Black Sable’s long robe swelled as though it were about to burst. Carapace tore through his skin and spread across his right arm in an instant, grotesquely encasing it.
Black Sable threw aside the wooden case and lunged forward.
CRUNCH!
His right foot smashed down on the stone slab. The force began at his toes, traveled through his twisting waist and spine, then gathered all at once in his right fist.
Just seeing that single movement made Yellow Field Mouse’s breath catch. The air before Black Sable’s fist warped black beneath an aura that seemed capable of collapsing the stone chamber.
Whoosh―
The distance was far too close.
Black Sable’s fist hurtled toward Society Head Badger’s chest.
At that moment, through White Owl’s eyes, the flow of the world seemed to slow.
Amid the storm-like fist wind, Society Head Badger’s sleeve fluttered lightly.
A single streak of pure white sword light bloomed into dozens of branches like a spreading fan.
The light divided with the graceful beauty of plum blossoms bursting into full bloom beneath the night sky, only to condense back into a single point before anyone could blink.
Flash!
The ferocious fist force and Society Head Badger’s sword light met head-on.
A chilling white line appeared through the center of the Gu Origin True Qi surrounding Black Sable’s fist.
Along that line, the Gu Origin True Qi split neatly in two. The divided force swept past either side of Society Head Badger and slammed into the stone wall behind him.
BOOM!
The entire stone chamber shook.
Yellow Field Mouse reflexively squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again.
Society Head Badger was still sitting calmly in his seat.
Only Black Sable stood frozen in the posture of throwing his punch.
The white line that had appeared on his fist continued down his forearm, shoulder, and chest, extending all the way to his lower abdomen.
Crack.
The black carapace and body-protecting spirit light split apart at the same time.
Splurt!
Dark red blood belatedly sprayed out.
Black Sable looked down in disbelief at the white line running across his body.
‘How….’
Before his final thought could even finish, the sharp air-splitting shriek that had followed the sword light rang through the stone chamber.
Keeeeeng―
Thud.
Black Sable’s body, split in two, collapsed to the floor.
Something writhed inside his lower abdomen.
Gurgle. Gurgle.
The skin around his dantian soon turned black, and slender protrusions resembling insect legs pushed outward from beneath it.
But the movement didn’t last long. The Life-Bound Gu, which had been split apart by the sword light along with its host, twitched a few times before rapidly shriveling and turning to ash.
Mole stared at the corpse, his face pale.
“He was a gu warrior….”
Cold sweat ran down Blue Snake’s face. He was the one who had personally brought Black Sable here.
In the Society Head’s eyes, this ambush could easily look like something he and Black Sable had plotted together. If that was what the Society Head concluded, no one here would stop the next sword light even if it severed Blue Snake’s neck.
Blue Snake hurriedly dropped to his knees.
“Society Head! I swear I was not in league with that man. I had no idea he was a gu warrior, nor did I know he was targeting you!”
The other members’ gazes gathered on Blue Snake.
Lee Hyun flicked the blood from the Mountain-Suppressing Sword.
“I’ll hear your excuses later.”
Blue Snake’s shoulders flinched.
“First, search the corpse.”
“Yes!”
Only then did the six members snap back to their senses.
…
With trembling hands, Blue Snake removed Black Sable’s mask and long robe.
Beneath the mask was the face of a man who appeared to be around forty. He had no conspicuous scars or other distinguishing features.
There was no token in his robes that could identify him.
But when they tore open the lining of his long robe, they found a small black iron plaque about two knuckles long.
A black sun was engraved on the front, while the back bore the image of an insect with its eyes closed.
Blue Snake’s face grew even paler.
“The Black Sun Office.”
“What kind of organization is that?”
“It’s an intelligence organization of the Qianyang royal family. They investigate the unauthorized distribution of Life-Bound Gu and plant spies among various factions outside the royal court.”
Blue Snake examined Black Sable’s face again.
“This is my first time seeing someone from the Black Sun Office in person. I only knew their emblem.”
Mole found a black jade bead.
Thin red lines were intertwined inside it.
He examined the bead with the Aura-Reading Art, then abruptly stopped.
“This seems to be connected to something outside.”
“A voice-transmission magic tool?”
“I’m not certain.”
“Set it aside.”
The members spread everything found in Black Sable’s robes and storage pouch across the table. The black iron plaque, jade bead, Vein-Prospecting Ruler from the wooden case, along with talismans and silver needles of unknown purpose, were classified as objects that might allow them to be tracked.
“I’ll dispose of these.”
What remained were a little over thirty mid-grade spirit stones, medicinal pills for treating injuries, general-purpose talismans, and ordinary spirit materials. After confirming that none bore unusual markings or suspicious formation inscriptions, Lee Hyun moved them into his own storage pouch.
The members watched as though it were only natural.
The Society Head had killed the enemy, so the spoils belonged to him.
Lastly, they found a small spirit-insect pouch at Black Sable’s waist.
Mole and Blue Snake inspected its exterior, but found no conspicuous tracking formation inscriptions.
“Let’s open it.”
Lee Hyun removed the Spirit-Sealing Talisman and opened the mouth of the pouch.
A faint jade-colored glow leaked from within.
Inside, a white silkworm-like spirit insect about two knuckles long lay curled into a ball.
Its skin was translucent like jade, and fine blue veins ran through its body.
White Owl’s eyes widened in surprise.
“A Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm!”
“You know this spirit insect?”
“It’s a Tier 2 Life-Bound Gu. I’ve heard it’s exceptionally good at linking its host’s meridians and life force, and that the process of accepting it is safer than with other Life-Bound Gu.”
“If it’s a Tier 2 Life-Bound Gu… does that mean it’s comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator?”
“It’s only a larva right now. But once fully grown, it can coexist with a gu warrior in the Foundation Establishment realm, which is why it’s classified as Tier 2.”
The Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm didn’t appear to have linked its life with anyone yet.
It was a separate spirit insect from the Life-Bound Gu that had died inside the man’s body.
“Why would a Black Sun Office spy be carrying something like this?”
“He may have intended to recruit a local martial artist or implant it into a new informant. I don’t know for certain either.”
Lee Hyun nodded.
He returned the Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm to the spirit-insect pouch and kept the pouch as well.
Once the potentially traceable objects, ordinary spoils, and Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm had all been sorted away, the table was clean once more.
…
After everything had been put away, Lee Hyun looked at Blue Snake.
“Where did you meet him?”
“Three years ago, at a vein seat in Heishi Ridge, Qianyang Kingdom.”
Blue Snake once again bowed until his forehead touched the floor.
“He was a rogue cultivator using that residual-vein pocket alone. I was the one who approached him first, and after testing him several times, I accepted him into the Two Heavens Society.”
“How did you test him?”
“I leaked false information at different locations and observed his reactions. I also inspected his storage pouch and the techniques he used. I detected no traces of Gu Origin True Qi or a Life-Bound Gu.”
“Were you also the one who brought him here today?”
“Yes.”
Blue Snake didn’t dare raise his head.
“This was my failure. I’ll accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate.”
“Raise your head.”
Blue Snake carefully straightened up.
“There was no easy way for you to know he was a gu warrior. If a Foundation Establishment gu warrior deliberately hides himself, how could someone at Qi Refining like you discover it? Moreover, if he truly belonged to the Black Sun Office, he was probably highly skilled at concealing his identity.”
“But I brought him all the way to the gathering place.”
“Yes. We won’t use this place for the time being.”
Lee Hyun spoke to Black Crow.
“Continue operating Baiwu Shop as usual, but remove the formation gate leading to this underground stone chamber. I’ll inform you separately of the next gathering place.”
“Understood.”
“Blue Snake, shut down the Heishi Ridge vein seat and every contact point that man visited. Scatter the members involved across different regions, and have them cut contact with one another for a while.”
“Yes.”
“From now on, we accept no new members.”
All six masks lowered their heads at once.
“Recheck the identities of all existing members and how they joined. Even if we begin accepting members again, they must have recommendations from two members and undergo at least ten years of observation. Anyone who has been a member for less than thirty years is not to be invited to central gatherings.”
“We’ll keep that in mind.”
Blue Snake tried to speak again, but Lee Hyun raised a hand.
“If you had been working with him, you would have acted alongside him the moment the ambush failed. There’s no need to explain yourself any further.”
“Thank you, Society Head.”
Lee Hyun gathered the items from the meeting, then burned Black Sable’s corpse with the Fireball Art, erasing every trace.
“Today’s gathering ends here.”
The six members cupped their hands in unison.
“We bid farewell to the Society Head.”
Lee Hyun’s body slowly sank into the earth.
Ssssss―
The members remained motionless for a long while after he disappeared.
Yellow Field Mouse was the first to speak.
“Did anyone see him draw his sword?”
No one answered.
Gray Mountain Goat stared at the split stone wall and spoke in a low voice.
“Black Sable’s strength was by no means ordinary either. If that strike had been aimed at us, not one person here would have survived.”
White Owl recalled the wound that had extended from Black Sable’s fist to his lower abdomen.
“Then how did the Society Head…”
Mole stared at the solid granite floor into which Society Head Badger had vanished.
“His realm seems to be beyond anything we can fathom.”
…
Two shichen (about four hours) later.
After traveling to a point over a thousand li from Huiyan Market, Lee Hyun dug down to a depth of twenty-five li, where the earth-vein stratum began.
There, he took out the black iron plaque, jade bead, Vein-Prospecting Ruler, talismans of unknown purpose, and silver needles.
Lee Hyun tossed the objects one by one into a fissure where earth fire flowed.
Fwoooosh―
The black iron plaque glowed red-hot, while the red lines inside the jade bead snapped and burst one after another.
Crackle! Crack-crackle!
Lee Hyun watched until every object had lost its original form, then left.
…
The next day.
The cultivation chamber in Tunnel No. 3.
Lee Hyun lined up four jade bottles on the floor. Each bottle contained three Purple Essence Pills.
Twelve in total.
Over the past 280 years, he had cultivated only at the finest vein seats he could find, ranging from Tier 1 high grade all the way to supreme grade. Even so, the amount of cultivation required by the Primordial Body was absurdly high.
According to the calculations he’d made when reaching Qi Refining Stage 7, it would take six hundred years to reach Qi Refining Stage 9, then another four hundred years to reach Qi Refining Great Perfection.
Because of that, Lee Hyun had begun steadily purchasing cultivation pills roughly a hundred years ago.
He had unlimited time, but cultivation was tedious, and he had already read nearly all the popular novels he could obtain in the surrounding region.
Besides, centuries-old spirit plants had accumulated in his spirit field. At this point, spending several more centuries merely to save spirit stones would actually be a greater loss.
Among the cultivation pills available in the surrounding region, Purple Essence Pills were the most efficient. He had purchased more than seventy from White Owl alone over the years, and thanks to them, Lee Hyun had reached the very peak of Qi Refining Stage 8.
…
Lee Hyun placed a Purple Essence Pill in his mouth.
Gulp.
As the pill passed down his throat, gentle yet concentrated medicinal strength spread throughout his entire body.
Lee Hyun lay comfortably on the floor and circulated the Primordial One-Qi Art.
Whoooosh―
Primordial True Qi flowed through his meridians, rapidly absorbing the Purple Essence Pill’s medicinal strength.
One shichen later.
He had completely absorbed the second Purple Essence Pill as well.
The newly absorbed medicinal strength pushed against the upper limit of his spiritual power.
Thump.
A faint shock spread through his meridians and his entire body.
…
The eighth Purple Essence Pill dissolved.
Primordial True Qi spun through his meridians like a storm.
Then, in a single instant, the Primordial True Qi circulating throughout his body expanded.
Whoooosh!
His brimming spiritual power forced open the final boundary.
Faint ripples spread beneath Lee Hyun’s body.
Stone dust and tiny pebbles on the floor simultaneously floated into the air before falling again.
Rattle-rattle-rattle.
Qi Refining Stage 9!
Lee Hyun closed his eyes as he stabilized the flow of his Primordial True Qi.
…
The next day.
Lee Hyun finally rose to his feet.
His entire body felt refreshed.
“Good.”
For the first time in ages, Lee Hyun brought out the wooden board from the storeroom that he used as his handmade status window.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t updated this in nearly three hundred years.”
He contemplated his own essence, qi and spirit for a moment, then used the Yang Metal Art to erase some of the existing characters and carve in new ones.
【Age: 1,393】
【Realm: Qi Refining Stage 9】
【Spiritual Power: 733 → 1,333】
【Constitution: Primordial Body, 9th Stage】
Lee Hyun stared at the wooden board for a long while.
Qi Refining Stage 9.
“So the next goal is the Foundation Establishment Pill…”
Foundation Establishment Pills were incomparably more precious than Essence-Raising Pills.
As far as Lee Hyun knew, the only faction in the surrounding region that refined and sold Foundation Establishment Pills was the Danxiao Sect of Kun Kingdom.
But even the Danxiao Sect rarely released Foundation Establishment Pills to outsiders.
Very few were sold externally. Most Foundation Establishment Pills went to true-inheritance disciples and inner disciples, and occasionally to outer disciples who had accumulated many years of contributions.
‘I need at least fifty. But if I buy them a few at a time and stockpile them, the spiritual qi inside the pills I bought first will begin to dissipate….’
‘If I can’t secure a large quantity of Foundation Establishment Pills within a short period, it would be better to obtain the pill recipe and mother plants of the required spirit plants, grow them myself, and then refine the pills.’
‘The problem is that the Foundation Establishment Pill recipe is advanced knowledge guarded closely even by great sects….’
Lee Hyun flopped onto his back.
‘There’s no need to rush. I only just reached Qi Refining Stage 9… For now, I’ll steadily cultivate until Qi Refining Great Perfection and think about it along the way.’
Lee Hyun returned the wooden board to the storeroom.
Only then did he remember the Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm he’d obtained from Black Sable.
“I should take a look at this too.”
…
Lee Hyun entered a separate underground space that the other fuzzbees didn’t visit.
He had no intention of implanting the Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm into himself. Selling a Life-Bound Gu that had come from the Black Sun Office was dangerous as well.
Most importantly, the fuzzbees had become unusually excited by the Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm’s presence, so he decided to feed it to them and observe what changes occurred.
First, he opened his own spirit-insect pouch and took out three fuzzbees. Thanks to their reaction when Black Sable approached, he had been prepared for the ambush in advance.
Bzz― Bzz-bzz―
The three fuzzbees flew a circle around Lee Hyun as soon as they emerged.
Squeak. Squeak-squeak.
“You want to eat it that badly?”
When Lee Hyun opened Black Sable’s spirit-insect pouch, a faint jade glow spilled out.
Ssssss―
The Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm emerged and slowly raised its head as though surveying its surroundings.
It tried to draw in the surrounding heaven-and-earth spiritual qi, but because it was still only a larva, its presence was faint.
At that moment, all three fuzzbees moved simultaneously.
Bzz!
The Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm belatedly shrank back.
Squeak! Squeak-squeak!
Pshk! Pshk! Pshk!
Transparent liquid shot from the fuzzbees’ mouths like bullets.
The sticky fluid struck the Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm squarely on its head, torso, and tail.
The Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm twisted its body, but the mucus only glued it more firmly to the floor.
Its jade-colored body was completely trapped inside the translucent slime.
The Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm emitted a faint fluctuation of spiritual power, as though terrified.
It seemed to be searching for a host whose life it could link with its own.
But the only creatures around it were fuzzbees specialized in hunting and devouring spirit insects.
The three surrounded the Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch…
The Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm rapidly disappeared.
The fuzzbees shoved their heads against one another, each trying to get even one more bite.
Bzz-bzz! Squeak-squeak!
“Don’t fight. Share.”
Before long, the Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm was completely gone.
All three fuzzbees had round, swollen bellies.
They beat their wings unsteadily a couple of times before dropping one after another onto the dirt floor.
Thump. Thud.
All three lay sprawled spread-eagled on their backs.
Squeak….
“A food coma?”
Lee Hyun had never before seen fuzzbees so full that they couldn’t move.
But upon closer inspection, he noticed regular fluctuations of spiritual power pulsing from their bodies.
“Hm?”
Lee Hyun placed one fuzzbee on his palm.
It was hotter than usual.
‘Are they trying to break through?’
Lee Hyun immediately used the Soil-Softening Art to mold the granite into three small jars.
He placed one fuzzbee in each jar, then covered and sealed them with lids made using the Soil-Softening Art. He only pierced several tiny holes with the Yang Metal Art so air could pass through.
“Just in case, I’d better keep them separated.”
Lee Hyun moved the three jars into a small stone chamber adjoining the storeroom.
He considered the matter for a moment.
The fuzzbees followed Lee Hyun, but he had never established a formal master-servant contract with them using a secret art from an insect-control inheritance.
Their relationship was closer to one born from centuries of feeding, caring for, and growing accustomed to one another.
If the creatures transformed into Tier 2 spirit insects, there was no guarantee they would remain as obedient as they were now.
‘I may need some sort of secret art for imprinting a master upon them.’
*****
TL Note: Bonus chapter for the review posted on NovelUpdates by ‘Water Bottle’. I’ll post the other three chapters around the usual release time once I’m done with them.
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/hiding-tunnels-in-xianxia/
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