Cultivating To Immortality

The beggar seemed to be in a deep sleep, but his expression was somewhat pained.

Since he still had to wait for Qin Ying, Li Qingfeng gently nudged the beggar.

"Uncle, wake up... Uncle."

"Cough cough"

The beggar woke up, a dry cough escaping his lips. His cloudy eyes opened, but his expression remained blank, and he was still slumped on the ground.

"Uncle, why are you lying here? Are you... from the village?"

Li Qingfeng pointed to Peach Blossom Dock not far away.

The beggar slowly turned to him, his expression still dull, and just stared at him.

"Uncle? Do you know what happened in Peach Blossom Dock?"

"Peach Blossom Dock."

The beggar finally spoke, but he kept repeating some indistinct words.

"Immortal Village."

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. His eyes and expression suddenly turned painful, and his entire dirty face twisted into a knot.

He struggled to get up from the ground, his muddy hands slapping at the inscription on the stone tablet.

The two stepped back a few paces and exchanged a look: "A madman?"

Unbeknownst to them, tears streamed continuously from the corners of his eyes, his breathing was rapid, and he coughed violently.

Cough. Cough.

He lost his balance and fell forward.

"Hey."

Li Qingfeng was startled and quickly stepped forward, probing him with his spiritual energy.

"Nothing serious, just exhaustion, he fainted."

"Strange."

Li Qingfeng always felt there was something sinister about this matter. He subconsciously touched the ’cleaver’ at his waist with both hands.

From here to Peach Blossom Dock, there was still a short path into the village. Song Yan looked out, and on both sides of the road were cultivated fields.

But for some reason, these nearby farmlands had long been abandoned. Not to mention farmers, there wasn’t even a single person cutting grass.

Li Qingfeng suddenly looked up: "Senior Sister Qin is back."

A cold, long rainbow descended, and Qin Ying did not stop, striding directly past the stone tablet at the village entrance and heading towards Peach Blossom Dock.

"The nearby villages show no abnormalities. Junior Sister Qingqing should be trapped here."

Song Yan and Li Qingfeng followed Qin Ying into the village entrance.

"Huh?"

"..."

Entering the village, the three gradually slowed their steps, finally coming to a halt.

It was a spring afternoon, and villagers bustled about, the riverside fish market quite lively.

A scene of vibrant rural life.

"This..."

Before coming here, Li Qingfeng and Song Yan had prepared themselves for many things.

Bloodshed, bodies strewn for miles... they never expected everything in this village to be so normal.

Their Divine Sense swept out, and these common folk showed no abnormalities; each was strong and robust, full of vigor, with no spiritual energy fluctuations whatsoever.

The villagers walking by, the fishermen on the shore, chatting and laughing, paid no attention to the three strangers at the village entrance.

Li Qingfeng frowned and transmitted a message to Song Yan and Qin Ying.

"Senior Brother, Senior Sister, are there Martial Master instructors in this Peach Blossom Dock?"

"What do you mean?"

"It’s one thing for adult men to be strong and vigorous..."

Li Qingfeng said, "But how is it that everyone in Peach Blossom Dock, from the elderly and weak to women and children, all possess such vigorous Qi and blood..."

As Li Qingfeng spoke, Song Yan nodded, realizing it was indeed true.

This, in turn, felt somewhat peculiar.

In the village, an old man slowly walked towards the three of them, followed by some villagers, both men and women.

"Immortal Masters, have you heard of the joyous occasion in our village and come to share in the good fortune?"

Joyous occasion... A middle-aged man beside him stepped forward and bowed: "My son is getting married tonight. The banquet will be at the first quarter of You Shi. Since you’re here, why not stay and have a cup of wedding wine?"

Qin Ying withdrew her Divine Sense, her brow slightly furrowed. Without responding, she asked directly, "Have any of you seen a female Cultivator?"

"Female Cultivator?"

The old village chief and the middle-aged man looked bewildered, asking around and whispering to each other.

Then they shook their heads.

"Replying to the Immortal Master, we have not seen one..."

"However, there is a Daoist Master from Jiangyun Prefecture who is also attending the wedding banquet, but..."

They looked around, not seeing anyone: "This Daoist Master likes to wander around. He’s probably off somewhere now."

Song Yan and Li Qingfeng increasingly felt that the people in this place were unusually strange.

Several strong young men beside the old village chief looked at Qin Ying’s graceful figure, their eyes filled with undisguised lust and greed.

Whether it was a misconception or not, all the villagers of Peach Blossom Dock looked at the three of them with a rather excited glint in their eyes.

Normally, such minor details would be hard to notice.

But considering other villages and towns, which Mortal, upon seeing a Cultivator, dared not kneel and bow, or not address them as Immortal Master?

In comparison, these people in front of them were truly "audacious."

"If the three Immortal Masters do not mind, why not accompany me to the Jiang Family? Tonight, that Immortal from the Jiang Family will also be attending!"

Immortal?

Song Yan frowned and slightly tilted his head, his suspicious gaze meeting Li Qingfeng’s.

Before coming here, they had not heard of any well-known Loose Cultivators or revered figures stationed nearby.

"Is it some kind of charlatan, a great Immortal, or a spirit medium?"

In some remote villages, there were many such imposters who claimed to be psychics or Immortals descended to the Mortal World.

Qin Ying remained silent and simply walked forward.

The two followed behind, the villagers enthusiastically crowding around, appearing warm and hospitable.

"That young man from the Jiang Family, he truly has profound good fortune."

"He was not only discovered by Immortal Master Jiang to have Immortal Aptitude and taken as a Disciple, but also had a peach blossom descend from the heavens, meeting his fated Divine Maiden."

"Alas, why don’t I have such good fortune..."

Li Qingfeng suddenly laughed, intimately patting the shoulder of the person speaking beside him, looking familiar: "Some people are just born lucky. We don’t envy them. Everyone has their own destiny, and wealth is determined by heaven, wouldn’t you say?"

"Indeed, that makes sense."

"Elder Brother, may I ask who this Immortal Master Jiang you speak of is?"

Li Qingfeng chuckled: "I’ve been cooking and tending fires in that broken Daoist temple for too long, I can’t stand it anymore. If you could introduce me, and I could connect with this Immortal Master, it would be much better than being a lonely ghost in the mountains, wouldn’t you say?"

"Hahahaha, my friend, you are a straightforward man..."

The man burst into laughter, patting Li Qingfeng’s fleshy back, looking as if to say, "No problem, no problem."

"Speaking of this Immortal Master Jiang, he is truly extraordinary."

"Years ago, he went to an Immortal mountain Sect to seek the Dao and Immortality, but that Sect, blind to his potential, said he had no Aptitude for Cultivation and actually kicked him out."

"Later..."

Speaking of this Immortal Master Jiang, these villagers talked endlessly, recounting various strange tales and anecdotes as if they were precious family heirlooms.

"This Immortal Master Jiang is so powerful... where is he?"

"Immortal Master Jiang usually Cultivates in peace at Xianglu Peak. He doesn’t come down the mountain often. You few have really come at the right time today!"

Xianglu Peak was a small mountain south of the village.

Qin Ying didn’t pay much attention, but having walked all this way, her Foundation Establishment stage Divine Sense had already covered half of Peach Blossom Dock.

There were no spiritual energy fluctuations... The only thing that could be called strange was, as Li Qingfeng said, the Qi and blood of the villagers, but it wasn’t to the extent of being problematic.

The Jiang Family appeared to be a prominent household in the village; their courtyard and residence looked particularly grand amidst the mud-walled and tiled houses of the area.

The wedding banquet was to begin that evening, and at this time, everyone in the village with nothing to do was helping out.

Tables, chairs, and benches were being set up for the grand feast.

Some people were slaughtering livestock in the open space behind the house; this was probably the most gruesome scene the three had witnessed in the village so far.

"Come, come, the three of you, please sit here first. I still have some matters to attend to. Please rest here for a moment."

"Er Leng Zi, what are you dawdling for? Come quickly and entertain the guests."

"Oh."

The young man, dressed in coarse linen and with his trouser legs rolled up, had a somewhat blank expression.

He brought a pot of hot tea and set it before the three of them.

Song and Li, the two outer Disciples, saw Qin Ying sit down and followed suit.

Since the Foundation Establishment Senior had not spoken, they, of course, just followed her lead.

Especially Song Yan, who had directly experienced the might of a Foundation Establishment expert, completely trusted his Senior Sister.

"Guests, this is our Jiang Family’s special Spirit Tea. Please enjoy."

"Oh?"

Spirit Tea... Song Yan had never even tasted it in the Cave Abyss Sect.

Song Yan examined it closely; the tea looked no different from ordinary tea leaves, but it had a peculiar fragrance.

"Spirit Tea is a recipe developed by Immortal Master Jiang. Drinking it daily can calm the mind, improve eyesight, and enhance Aptitude!"

Although the young man was dull, his expression suddenly became fervent when he mentioned this.

"Drinking it daily?"

Li Qingfeng automatically ignored the Mortal’s fantastical talk of "enhancing Aptitude."

"My friend, no matter how good or wonderful this Spirit Tea is, drinking too much might make it hard to sleep at night..."

"The village’s farming is neglected, so what is the reason for drinking tea daily?"

Li Qingfeng was puzzled, and the young man looked even more bewildered.

He seemed very surprised by Li Qingfeng’s question.

"That is, of course, to follow Immortal Master Jiang’s method, and with all the villagers."

The young man’s expression and demeanor were dull and stiff, but his eyes, fixed on the three, were bloodshot.

"Ascend to Immortality."