Stealing Immortal

Chapter 41: Chapter 40: Newcomer

Several days had passed, and there was still no news about Wu Boyou’s death!

The only rumor among the servant disciples was about Lü Yunshen. They said he had secretly fled the mountain to enjoy the life of a Scholar.

Chen Qingyang immersed himself in his research, his understanding of the Alchemy Dao growing ever more profound. ’Relying solely on my own comprehension,’ he thought, ’in a few more days, I can probably try to produce three pills in a single batch to speed up Liu Tao’s breakthrough!’

Looking closely at her today, Liu Tao’s transformation was immense.

The wrinkles on her face had almost been smoothed away, and even her once-broken teeth were growing back in. All traces of her former decrepitude were gone; she had even become graceful and charming.

Her eyebrows were slender and curved, her lips a rosy red, and her chest was full. When she walked, her slim waist swayed, making her look entirely like a gorgeous woman in her thirties or forties.

This was the allure of Immortal Cultivation: one who was on the verge of death from old age could regain their youth in a short period.

Since ancient times, no one had ever been able to resist such a temptation.

"Junior Brother, take a good look. How do I look now?" Didn’t she say she was going into seclusion? Yet she still found time to change into a brightly colored dress.

Obviously, compared to her appearance, Chen Qingyang was more concerned with her Cultivation. "You must be close to a breakthrough, right?"

"Pah!" Liu Tao spat lightly. "You haven’t answered my question yet. Are your ears broken, you old coot?"

It seemed there was no avoiding the question. Chen Qingyang had no choice but to look her over again, this time with earnest. "The change is enormous. If I hadn’t seen you meditating here today, I wouldn’t have been sure it was you, Senior Sister!"

At such an exaggerated description, Liu Tao naturally covered her cheeks. "Really?"

The more she acted like this, the more serious Chen Qingyang had to appear. "Mm, I’m sure."

Liu Tao giggled again. "Hmph, I told you long ago that my appearance would be restored as my Cultivation broke through, but you just wouldn’t believe me back then..."

She was still holding a grudge about what had happened before.

’I have no idea what came over her back then. How could she have taken a liking to me?’

"Senior Sister, a lot has happened on the mountainside recently. I heard a rumor that an Outer Disciple died. Has something like this ever happened in the Sect before?"

Getting no information about this matter made Chen Qingyang a little worried. He was always used to having everything under control, so in the course of their casual chat, he naturally thought to ask Liu Tao.

She fell into thought. "In my memory, things like this are extremely rare. Like that time with Xu Baoling, it was due to cultivation deviation. Otherwise, it would have caused a huge commotion."

Chen Qingyang asked again, "What if an Outer Disciple was murdered?"

"Tsk tsk tsk!" Liu Tao exclaimed. "What are you planning now? Qi Xiuyuan is still in seclusion, you know."

"You misunderstand, Senior Sister. I’m not some bloodthirsty killer. Everything I’ve done has been out of necessity. Today, I was just asking casually. If you don’t want to talk about it, then I’ll drop it."

"Hmph, you old coot!" Liu Tao withdrew her gaze, then pondered for a moment. "If it were a murder, there would definitely be a thorough investigation to the very end. Both the victim’s master and the Sect’s Law Enforcement Hall would have to give an account. They might even call upon the seventeen Foundation Establishment Masters to jointly activate this peak’s Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array and search every inch of the mountain."

"You need to know that this Array is extremely powerful. It can sense the slightest disturbance... Junior Brother, you have to understand, the Sect’s authority must not be undermined internally, and this is even more true externally!"

It was as if Liu Tao was reminding him to be extremely cautious in his dealings with Qi Xiuyuan.

This was the first time Chen Qingyang had ever heard of such an Array. ’Looks like I’ll have to be even more careful in the future.’ However, he had been paying close attention lately, and it seemed the matter had died down, far from the major uproar Liu Tao described.

"I understand. You should hurry up and go into seclusion, Senior Sister."

But Liu Tao wouldn’t listen. She just raised her fist fiercely at Chen Qingyang. Now that her appearance had become younger, her gestures had a more girlish feel. "Hmph! You call me when you need to talk, but when you don’t, you tell me to go into seclusion. I was just about to rest my mind for a bit. What’s the rush?"

Faced with this display, Chen Qingyang certainly didn’t dare to provoke her further. He could only walk over to the Pill Furnace. "Senior Sister, I’m going to start my Alchemy!"

Before his words had even faded, a warm aura spread through the Alchemy Room. He slowly pushed his palms forward, and a pale blue flame ignited.

Seeing this, Liu Tao could only glare resentfully.

The next few days passed in much the same way. As long as the investigation didn’t lead to him, Chen Qingyang gradually began to relax.

By the time he went down the mountain today, the sky was already dark.

Remembering Liu Tao’s words from a few days ago, Chen Qingyang didn’t even dare to use the Void Step Introduction. He simply walked briskly, avoiding the pine tree and heading straight back to his small courtyard.

He lit the charcoal fire and a candle.

His finger drifted over the Warm Jade Scroll, and Xu Baoling’s form floated out.

"This servant greets you, Master."

As usual, Chen Qingyang first gave her an Elixir. "This is my last Qi Gathering Pill. Liu Tao has been busy with her breakthrough lately and has no time for Alchemy. Once she breaks through, I can get the Pill Formula to repair your Divine Soul."

In all her time with Chen Qingyang, she had never asked about Liu Tao. The first time he brought her up today, it was to say she was about to have a Cultivation breakthrough. This sent a sharp pang of bitterness through Xu Baoling’s heart.

Liu Tao was two hundred years older than her and had always been ahead in everything. But then, for two hundred years, Liu Tao’s Cultivation had stagnated, which for a long time made Xu Baoling feel that she could surpass her. But now?

She paused. "Master, is she breaking through to the Essence Condensation Cultivation?"

"Of course. She’s just a hair’s breadth away now. It shouldn’t be a problem for her to break through this month."

"Then..." Xu Baoling couldn’t hold back and asked, "Was it because of your Elixirs, Master?"

"That’s right. The Tier Three Qi-Introducing Pill."

For some reason, along with her shock at hearing this, Xu Baoling suddenly felt a little better.

’Liu Tao didn’t have the ability to break through on her own; it was all thanks to the Master’s Elixirs. And the Master seems to be treating me better and better, too.’

She didn’t even realize that her own thoughts were subtly changing.

"Master, you are truly skilled. Even among those with Cultivation at the Essence Condensation Realm, not many can refine a Qi-Introducing Pill to Tier Three!"

Chen Qingyang smiled. "This is just the beginning. The road ahead is long, and your road is long as well. Hurry up and refine this Elixir. A lot has been happening lately, so I can’t let you out often!"

"Yes."

After Xu Baoling finished refining the Elixir, Chen Qingyang put her away and then meditated until dawn.

「The next day.」

In the early morning, he had just packed his things and was about to leave when he saw two young men and a young woman dragging luggage, large and small bags in tow, peering into the courtyard as they approached.

All three were very young, fifteen or sixteen at most, with inexperienced expressions on their faces.

Spotting Chen Qingyang, the youth at the front, who was quite sturdily built with very dark skin, stepped forward. The moon-white robe he wore seemed a little too small for him.

"S-Senior Brother..." he stammered, likely because Chen Qingyang’s aged appearance didn’t match the Tai Xu Sect’s policy of not keeping disciples past the age of sixty.

However, the youth beside him was fair-skinned with rosy lips and white teeth, his eyes glinting with a clever light. "Greetings, Senior Brother. My name is Li Sheng, a new servant disciple. I hope to be under your care in the future. May I ask for Senior Brother’s esteemed name?"

His tone was clear and his attitude humble.

Chen Qingyang understood. New servant disciples had arrived at the Four Golden Peaks.

He had seen many such young men and women over the past sixty years, but pitifully few of them had ever stayed.

He didn’t speak, merely giving them a slight nod.

Just then, the awkward, sturdy youth recovered. "Greetings, Senior Brother! My name is Zhang Ping. I’m from a farming family at the foot of Jin Mountain. How should we address you, Senior Brother?"

Of the three, the girl’s moon-white robe was clearly a bit too large, her slender and petite frame swimming inside it. She wore her hair in a long ponytail and spoke with a poised and open manner. "Greetings, Senior Brother. I am Lin Qingxuan, a commoner from the Jin Kingdom."

’The Jin Kingdom. So, she’s from the same kingdom as Lü Yunshen.’

After the three had introduced themselves, Chen Qingyang said to them, "My surname is Chen, given name Qingyang. I’m heading to work now. You can do as you please."

With that, he turned to leave. But the clever youth named Li Sheng hurried to block his path. "Forgive my rudeness, Senior Brother. The Steward just assigned us here today, and we don’t know which rooms we should live in. Could you please show us?"

Chen Qingyang simply pointed to his own room. "This one is mine. The rest are empty. The three of you can choose as you wish. You can also use anything in the courtyard freely."

Just then, Li Sheng took out a Jade Pendant from his robes. It was carved with auspicious clouds and had a vibrant, bluish-green luster like that of a Stealing Immortal, making it quite beautiful.

"We’ve just arrived and don’t know what Senior Brother Chen likes. This humble trinket is just a small token of our goodwill. In my hometown, this object is called an Ascension Talisman, signifying the wish for an early ascension to immortality."

The two behind him were stunned to see him do this.

The youth named Zhang Ping even started fumbling through his own clothes, trying to find a suitable item to also give to Chen Qingyang, but after searching high and low, he couldn’t find anything on him that had any connection to ascending to immortality.

This youth named Li Sheng was so smooth that he undoubtedly reminded Chen Qingyang of the Junior Brother Zhao who had once given him a gold leaf.

"Since you’ve all come to pursue Immortal Cultivation, you shouldn’t care about these worldly customs. If you still care so much about such formalities, why bother with Immortal Cultivation at all?"

Hearing this, Li Sheng didn’t look embarrassed at all. He immediately put the Jade Pendant away and bowed with his hands clasped instead. "Senior Brother’s perspective is on a higher level. It was I who was rash."

Seeing this, the two behind him both breathed a sigh of relief. They had nothing on them that could be considered a presentable gift.

Just like the many young men and women Chen Qingyang had seen before, some of them came from wealthy families, some from scholarly lineages, and some from farming households. But without exception, once they arrived here, everything had to start over. They all had to start from zero.

If they truly had a ladder to the heavens, they wouldn’t have come to the Four Golden Peaks to be servant disciples!

Without another word, Chen Qingyang left.

After the three were left standing there in a daze, they began to discuss things amongst themselves. In the end, they each chose their own small room.

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