Immortality and Immortality: Liver Experience Begins in the Desert

The salty sea breeze, carrying a strong smell of the sea, blew in the face. Jiang Qiong supported the old man and walked slowly through the spider-web-like alleys of the Cangming City Pier.

The bluestone road under your feet has been unevenly washed by the waves over the years, and it is shining with a moist glow. The houses on both sides are built with sea stones. The walls are covered with dark green sea moss, and oysters and barnacles are attached to them in layers, like natural armor.

Occasionally, a small crab would stick its claws out from between the rocks and slither across the morning light, startling a group of woodlice with gleaming silver scales.

After turning three corners, a small courtyard eroded by time appeared before our eyes.

The mottled wooden door was half-open. The remaining vermilion lacquer on the door panel had long since peeled off, revealing the rough wood grain underneath. The door knocker was wrapped with faded red silk, fluttering gently in the wind.

The old man pushed open the creaking wooden door, and a sea breeze mixed with the scent of sea salt and herbs blew towards him.

In the courtyard, three sea moon orchids swayed in the morning breeze. Their slender leaves had a pearly luster, and the edges of each leaf were dotted with crystal dewdrops, which fell into the cracks of the bluestone slabs as the leaves swayed.

The ancient well in the center is quite eye-catching. The edge of the well is carved from a whole piece of black iron bluestone, and is covered with deep and shallow marks, which are the marks left by the windlass ropes over thousands of years.

An old wooden barrel hung by the well, with wet seaweed still on the bottom. On the stone table were tools for repairing fishing nets, a few rusty copper nails and half a piece of wax thread randomly placed, and a half-eaten piece of bread next to it had been occupied by ants, and a black mass of ants were busy carrying the debris.

The old man's residence is in a typical fishing style, with the roof covered with thick seaweed, which has turned gray-brown after weathering the wind and rain. It can not only withstand heavy rains at sea, but also isolate the scorching heat of summer.

The walls of the house are hung with fishing gear, including old fishing nets, cracked fishing rods, rusty harpoons, and scallops strung together with hemp ropes, swaying gently in the sea breeze.

A wooden bed was against the corner of the wall, with a patched coarse cloth quilt neatly folded. The wooden cabinet beside the bed was half open, revealing a few old clothes that had been washed so much that they looked bleached.

"Grandpa! You're back!" A crisp voice came from the inner room, and a thin girl walked out with small steps.

She was about twelve or thirteen years old, her face as pale as paper with a sickly bluish-gray tint, and her exposed skin was densely covered with bluish-black scales that glowed strangely in the dim light, especially on her neck and arms, where the scales were layered upon layer, like a young dragon that had not yet metamorphosed.

The girl's eyes were as clear as the deep sea, but the liveliness was clouded by her illness.

"Qingyao, this is Mr. Jiang whom Grandpa met today."

The old man forced a smile on his face while holding up his tired body. Qingyao raised her head timidly, and the friction between her scales made a slight "rustling" sound. She knelt slightly and saluted, her voice as light as a mosquito:
"Mr. Jiang is well."

Jiang Qiong noticed that when she spoke, the corners of her mouth twitched, revealing a few tiny fangs, the tip of her lavender tongue was faintly visible, and her slender fingers were curled up, as if she was afraid that others would see the back of her hands covered with scales.

"Child, what's wrong with you?" Jiang Qiong couldn't help but speak, her eyes full of concern.

The old man sighed heavily, tears welling up in his cloudy eyes: "Qingyao has a miserable life. She has been born with this strange disease."

"Over the years, I have sought out famous doctors and traveled all over the three islands and nine cities, but they all said that this was an unprecedented disease and there was no cure."

In order to treat her illness, the family's savings have long been used up, and now they can only make a living by fishing. Every time I see her unable to sleep all night due to pain, my heart feels like being stabbed by sea needles."

As he spoke, his rough palm gently stroked the top of Qingyao's head, his movements so gentle as if touching fragile glass.

Qingyao snuggled up to her grandfather sensibly, her slender fingers tightly grasping the old man's calloused hand: "Don't be sad, grandpa, Qingyao doesn't feel any pain. As long as I can accompany grandpa, Qingyao will be very happy."

Her voice was gentle and firm, with a maturity beyond her age, but the beads of sweat on her forehead as she forced herself to smile exposed her forbearance.

Jiang Qiong felt a pang of sadness in his heart. The grandfather and grandson who depended on each other in front of him reminded him of the hardships he had experienced when he first entered the world of cultivating immortals.

The old man lent a helping hand without hesitation at the dock that day and took him out to sea. He will always remember this kindness.

Now that Qingyao is suffering from illness, how can he just sit back and do nothing?

"Don't worry, old man."

Jiang Qiong said firmly, "Although my cultivation is shallow, I have some knowledge of pharmacology. I will try my best to cure Qingyao's illness. I got 80 medium-grade spirit stones at the market today. Please accept them, old man. You can use them to buy medicinal materials to treat Qingyao's health."

As he spoke, he took out a brocade bag from his storage bag and handed it to the old man.

The old man waved his hands hurriedly, his eyes reddened, "No! Mr. Jiang, I am already very grateful for your help today, how can I accept your spirit stones again! Qingyao's illness is my responsibility as a grandfather, how can I let you get involved. Over the years, so many people have said that we are a burden, I can't do that anymore."

The old man's voice was choked with sobs, and his words were full of helplessness and bitterness.

Jiang Qiong stepped forward and forced the sachet into the old man's hands. "If you refuse again, it will be too polite. Your kindness to me cannot be measured by spirit stones. Qingyao's illness cannot be delayed any longer. It is always good to have more hope. I have also accumulated some connections during my cultivation, and perhaps I can find a cure."

The old man took the brocade bag with trembling hands, his lips moved, and after a long while he choked up and said, "Mr. Jiang, I have been so kind to you that I cannot repay you! If you need me in the future, I will go through fire and water for you without hesitation!"

As he said this, he was about to kneel down to pay his respects. Jiang Qiong hurriedly supported the old man and said, "Uncle, please don't do this! I have already promised, and I will not break my promise. By the way, have you ever heard of a magical medicine that can cure Qingyao's illness? We can't let go of even a clue."

The old man thought for a moment and said, "A wandering immortal doctor once mentioned that there is an immortal grass called 'Lingyuan Algae' growing in the deep sea. The spiritual energy contained in it is pure and gentle, and it may be able to relieve Qingyao's symptoms. But the Lingyuan Algae grows in the deep seabed, surrounded by powerful sea beasts to guard it. It is extremely dangerous to pick it, but my realm is low and I can't get close at all. I heard that any sea beast in that sea area can overturn ten fishing boats, not to mention the sea monsters that can control the water flow."

The old man's words were full of worry.

Jiang Qiong's eyes were firm: "Tomorrow, please take me to that sea area. Although my cultivation is still shallow, I have learned some magic. I will do my best to pick Lingyuan algae for Qingyao. No matter how powerful the sea beast is, I will not retreat."

The old man's eyes were full of surprise and gratitude: "Really? If Mr. Jiang can pick Lingyuan Algae, I will be able to repay your kindness even if I work like a cow or a horse! We will set off early tomorrow morning. The sea area has turbulent undercurrents and sea beasts are rampant, so we need to be prepared in advance. I will find the ancestral water-repellent beads now, which may be of some use."

That night, Jiang Qiong lay on the simple wooden bed in the guest room, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Outside the window, the waves beat against the rocks, making a low roar. The moonlight poured in through the mottled window paper, casting tiny shadows on the ground.

Qingyao's pale face and the old man's earnest eyes kept appearing in his mind, and a sense of mission arose in his heart. At the same time, he repeatedly deduced the possible dangers in his mind and thought about how to deal with them.

At dawn the next day, before the first ray of sunlight penetrated the clouds, Jiang Qiong was awakened by a noise outside the window.

When I pushed open the door, I saw the old man was already busy in the yard, carefully checking every detail of the fishing boat.

Spare fishing nets, ceramic jars filled with fresh water, dry food, and several special harpoons were all neatly placed on the deck.

The old man also placed a tablet of the sea god on the bow and lit three incense sticks, with smoke rising.

"Master Jiang, are you awake? Come and eat something, we'll set off right away."

The old man raised his head, a smile on his wrinkled face.

On the stone table, steaming steamed buns and pickled sea fish exude an enticing aroma, and next to them is a bowl of thick seaweed porridge.

Jiang Qiong finished washing up and sat down to eat: "Old man, you go fishing all year round, it must be very hard, right?"

The old man smiled bitterly and said, "I have been making a living on the sea all my life, and I am used to it. In the early years, my wife and I went to sea together. Although the life was hard, we were happy."

"When she left, she held my hand and told me to take good care of Qingyao. Later, Qingyao fell ill, so I fished desperately, hoping to collect enough spiritual stones to treat her illness. Sometimes I drifted on the sea for half a month just to catch more fish."

The old man's words were full of memories and sadness. Jiang Qiong was moved and became more determined to help the grandfather and grandson:

"Don't worry, old man. When Qingyao recovers, your life will get better and better. I also want Qingyao to see that there are many beautiful places in this world."

In the morning light, the two arrived at the dock. The dock was already busy, with fishermen shouting and moving fishing gear. The spiritual vortexes created by the spiritual boats taking off and landing collided with the waves, making bursts of roars.

There were several notices offering rewards for sea beasts posted on the notice board at the dock, and the papers were rustling in the sea breeze.

Jiang Qiong and the old man boarded the fishing boat, untied the rope, and the fishing boat slowly sailed towards the sea. As the fishing boat went farther and farther, the outline of Cangming City gradually blurred and finally disappeared at the junction of the sea and the sky.

All around was the endless blue sea and sky. Occasionally, a flying fish with glowing bodies would leap out of the water and draw beautiful arcs in the air.

However, the closer they got to the target sea area, the darker the color of the water became, changing from azure to dark green and finally to almost black. Huge seaweeds were floating on the sea, like giant fishing nets.

"Mr. Jiang, the sea is ahead."

The old man pointed to the dark sea ahead, his expression solemn, "There are undercurrents here, and sea beasts gather. Be careful. Legend has it that there is a sea monster palace deep in this sea, and no one who has entered has ever come out."

Jiang Qiong nodded, and activated the Qianyan technique, with a faint golden light all over his body: "Old man, just park the boat in a safe place and wait for me to come back. If I don't come back within an hour, you can drive the boat away and don't risk waiting for me."

The fishing boat slowly approached, and Jiang Qiong clearly felt the sea water temperature drop suddenly. A depressing atmosphere came over him, as if a pair of invisible eyes were staring at them in the dark.

He took a deep breath and jumped into the sea. The cold seawater instantly enveloped him. He circulated his spiritual power to form a protective film on his body surface, cast a water spell, and dived to the bottom of the sea like an arrow.

The further he went down, the darker the light became and the heavier the water pressure became, as if countless hands were squeezing his body.

Jiang Qiong gritted his teeth and kept adjusting his spiritual power to resist the pressure of the sea water. The scene on the seabed became more and more bizarre. The huge coral reefs were like a forest of bones, and sea snakes emitting faint light would occasionally shuttle through them.

Finally, he came to a deep underwater canyon. In the canyon, huge reefs stood in rows, seaweeds were floating in the water like long green hair, strange sea fish flashed fluorescent light and shuttled through, and some broken shipwrecks were scattered at the bottom of the canyon, covered with sea rust and seaweed.

Suddenly, a faint blue light flashed in front of him. Jiang Qiong was delighted and swam faster.

On the back of a huge reef, a clump of water plants emitting soft blue light was swaying gently with the water flow. It was the Lingyuan Algae they had been looking for!

Around the Lingyuan algae, there are several pearls emitting faint light, which look particularly beautiful in the dark seabed.

Just as he stretched out his hand to pick it, a powerful breath suddenly hit him.

A gigantic octopus sea monster slowly emerged from behind the reef. Its body was as big as three houses, and its eight thick tentacles were covered with sharp suction cups, each as big as a millstone.

The scarlet eyes flashed with ferocity as they stared at Jiang Qiong, and a string of black mucus came out of their mouths, turning the sea water turbid wherever they passed.

Jiang Qiong's heart tightened, and he quickly drew out his soft sword, with a golden glow on the sword body: "Golden Wind Demon-Breaking Sword!" The sword energy surged in the sea.

The octopus sea beast took the lead and a tentacle came out like lightning, so fast that it was difficult for people to react, and a small vortex was formed wherever it passed. Jiang Qiong used Qianyan body skills, flashed his body, cleverly avoided the attack, and swung his sword to cut the tentacle.

With a "puff" sound, the sword energy cut a wound on the tentacle so deep that the bone could be seen. Black blood spread in the sea water, and the smell of blood instantly spread to the bottom of the sea.

The octopus sea beast roared in pain, and the other seven tentacles attacked at the same time, spraying a large amount of black ink, dyeing the surrounding sea water black. Jiang Qiong flexibly shuttled between the dense tentacles, and the sword shadows flew, but the sea beast's attack was like a storm, and he gradually felt exhausted, his spiritual power was consumed greatly, and cracks began to appear in the protective film.

At the critical moment, he suddenly remembered the fishing skills taught by the old man. He stopped defending blindly and waited for the right moment. He wrapped his soft sword around a tentacle and used his spiritual power to pull it hard.

The enormous force caused the octopus to lose balance, and its huge body rolled in the sea.

However, the octopus sea beast made a sharp cry, summoning several small sea beasts to help. Jiang Qiong took the opportunity to swim towards the Lingyuan algae, carefully picked it, and put it into the storage bag.

At this time, the octopus sea beast has regained its balance and pounced again, spraying out corrosive liquid. (End of this chapter)