Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 404 Taking the Pie
The old Taoist priest was overjoyed upon hearing this, knowing he had found a great treasure.

So he bent over and rubbed his hands together, saying, "Oh dear, this, this..."

Zhou Xiang smiled slightly, flicked his finger, and sent out the Jade Blood Pill that he had been playing with on the ship for several days.

The old Taoist priest didn't catch it. He really didn't catch it—when he saw a dark, blurry bead flying towards him, he thought it was a hidden weapon launched by the other party, but it was too late to dodge!
The thought that "I never expected this person to be so powerful. I'm really facing my tribulation today" had just popped into his mind when the pill gently flicked onto his body and rolled to the ground.

He then realized that it wasn't a hidden weapon, but rather the "reward with pills" Zhou Xiang had mentioned. He hurriedly bent down to pick it up. After groping around on the ground for a while, he finally managed to pry it out from a crack in the rock. Upon seeing and smelling it, he froze, and said in a trembling voice, "This...this...Fellow Daoist, is this the Azure Blood Pill? This is far too precious!"

Zhou Xiang suddenly realized that she had discovered another advantage this time she left the school district—

Such gratitude could be earned from something utterly insignificant to oneself and to those within the sect. Li Xiao was like that, and so was the old Taoist priest.

This feeling is very interesting. It's not that I didn't like it before, but that I never had the chance to experience it easily.

He smiled slightly again, stretched out his arm to wrap around Kong Youxin's waist, and leaped onto the stone platform in front of the cave: "A mere Jade Blood Pill is nothing to worry about. Fellow Daoist, show me your cave dwelling, and I'll see what kind of grotto heaven such a feng shui treasure can condense."

He went up, and Li Wuxiang followed Deng Yuan up. When they reached the cave entrance, they were astonished to find five more people hiding in the stone cave behind the old Taoist priest. Although they all looked meek and smiling now, they must have had fierce glints in their eyes just moments before, waiting for the old Taoist priest's command to rush out and kill and rob.

The old Taoist priest quickly introduced them: "These are my other five good-for-nothing disciples—Chen An, Li Shun, Wang Pu, Zhang He, and Liu Wen. Please pay your respects to this senior!"

Upon hearing the names of these five people, Li Wuxiang knew they were all aliases used while working. The customs surrounding naming in this world were quite similar to his own. In ancient times, surnames and given names were generally two characters long. It was only in the last one or two hundred years that names gradually changed, with three-character names becoming more common. For example, the old Taoist himself was called Dao Shiye.

His six disciples were all quite young, so the probability of them having six such names was extremely low. This old man was probably still testing whether Zhou Xiang was a novice who hadn't experienced much of the world, and also testing himself—Li Wuxiang frowned slightly, and sure enough, he saw the old Taoist glance at him.

Frowning is good. Frowning is intentional. Frowning lets the old Taoist know that Zhou Xiang is easy to fool, but he himself is not.

He brought Zhou Xiang here intending to bring her misfortune and have the old Taoist gradually wear down his protective magic. If the old man were to act rashly just because he thought Zhou Xiang looked stupid, he would be wasting his opportunity. After all, a rogue cultivator at the half-step Nascent Soul stage isn't easy to find.

Zhou Xiang glanced at them and nodded slightly. The old Taoist led the way: "Fellow Daoist, please come with me—this cave dwelling wasn't originally mine, but it's quite large; it must have been left behind by some senior. When my master and I arrived, it was already abandoned; we slowly cleared it out..."

In front of the cave was a stone corridor, which appeared to have originally been a karst cave, untouched by human intervention. After walking twenty or thirty steps, the space suddenly opened up into a slightly larger hall. This was also a karst cave, about the same size as the Xue family's courtyard. Lights were lit inside, casting a dim yellow light on the cave walls, while the ceiling was blackened by the smoke from the oil lamps.

This cave was probably used as a living room and kitchen. There were some futons on the ground, as well as some bundles of clothes, knives, spears and halberds scattered around. There was a stove in the middle.

There is an opening at the front of the hall and on both sides; it is unclear whether they are naturally formed or man-made.

The old Taoist priest first led Zhou Xiang to look to his left. Upon entering, they found it was just a small cave, and Zhou Xiang, being of similar stature, had to bend over slightly. The cave extended diagonally into a small space, where a bed was made of grass, branches, and tattered clothes on the ground.

“We have someone on night duty every night, so they stay here. This is considered a duty room.”

Zhou Xiang glanced at it and nodded.

The old Taoist then led him to the right. This cave was wider and deeper. Upon entering, they found a pool of water at the end, which must have connected to an underground river. The old Taoist said, "This is truly a blessed land, with water. It's very clear, and sometimes there are even fish and shrimp. Ah, fellow Taoist, if you stayed a little longer, you might just catch a fish. The fish's head is only a tiny bit at the front; after peeling off the hard shell, underneath is all meat and cartilage—extremely delicious!"

Zhou Xiang smiled and nodded.

Seeing his expression, the old Taoist knew this man was someone of importance. These people had been ecstatic, not only when they finally tasted the fish, but even just seeing it here was enough to make them go crazy. While this place was indeed close to Dongdan, the sea, though plentiful, was mostly deep water. The shallow waters had been fished to near depletion in recent years. To eat their fill and enjoy good food, they had to go to the city, where large ships could sail the open ocean.

However, a major sect was stationed in Dongdan City. If these people went there to seek refuge, they would be living under someone else's roof and might even encounter some old enemies. Therefore, they couldn't stay in that city. Now, having discovered such a blessed place, they could take turns diving down to catch fish and shrimp every day, and they wouldn't have to worry about food and drink. This pond and underground river were even more valuable than the rich spiritual energy here.

But Zhou Xiang remained calm, showing little reaction to comments about the fish being extremely delicious. This made the old Taoist's thoughts change again—he had previously thought Zhou Xiang came from a reclusive family and had fled due to a disaster. But now, judging from his appearance, he hadn't been away from home for long, and his current comfortable life showed no excitement.

He couldn't help but wonder if that reclusive family was nearby. If so, and they hadn't suffered any disaster yet, then this person wasn't just a nobody, but a calamity.

He immediately became more cautious and led Zhou Xiang towards the central cave. This cave was likely the main cave, extremely spacious inside, but once inside it was completely dark; a lamp at the entrance could only illuminate a small area at the entrance.

Fortunately, everyone in the cave was a cultivator, and Zhou Xiang, having taken all sorts of medicines over the years, had even better eyesight. Using only the light from the cave entrance, he was able to see the whole scene clearly.

This large cave is extremely tall and wide, branching into countless smaller caves, each with numerous snow-white stalactites. If you can't see them clearly, the stalactites in the darkness might look like people sitting still or hanging upside down, which is quite eerie. But if you can see them clearly, they are breathtakingly beautiful.

“There are too many forks in the road here. My master and I didn’t dare to explore any further. We only know that it would take two or three hours to reach the bottom of these caves.” The old Taoist took a few steps forward and shone his oil lamp into one of the large pits. “But there’s a kind of ear medicine down there. I don’t recognize what it is, but I’ve gone down to collect some before. It’s a little bit like cloud ear fungus. After taking it, you feel completely refreshed, clearing away stagnation and detoxifying. Ah, fellow Daoist, I can collect some for you to take on your journey. Of course, it can’t compare to your pill powder, but what if you need it for alchemy?” Zhou Xiang nodded again, took a few more steps into the darkness, and said, “This is indeed a blessed land. Fellow Daoist, if I may ask, what is your current cultivation level, and what kind of cultivation technique do you practice?”

His question sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

The old Taoist's disciples were taken aback, because in the martial arts world, if someone asked such a question, it was almost always a sign that a fight was about to break out.

The old Taoist's hunch was a bit more astute than his apprentice's. He didn't think Zhou Xiang was about to make a move, but rather that he sensed Zhou Xiang's intention to stay long-term, perhaps even to bring them under his control. He suddenly realized his earlier guess might be correct: Zhou Xiang's family was nearby, and he wasn't just out for a stroll; he was expanding his influence… that reclusive family was about to emerge!
If this were true, a shallow person would think they'd hitched a ride on a powerful patron. But someone like him immediately understood everything that would happen—no shortage of disciples from aristocratic families, and his cultivation level was already quite high, but he would inevitably be treated as an outsider and guarded against. Furthermore, he hadn't followed the righteous path before; once he realized what he had done, he might soon be discarded as a pawn.

Actually, abandoning a child is a good thing. What's most frightening is when someone takes a fancy to his half-step Nascent Soul body and uses him as a magic material!
He immediately said, "I'm just a Golden Core cultivator. I've been a Golden Core cultivator for many years. Fellow Daoist, you can tell from my appearance that my youth and lifespan have been exhausted. Alas, as for my cultivation technique, it's not worth mentioning at all. With my aptitude, if I hadn't cultivated such an inferior and crude technique, or if I had cultivated some kind of Thirty-Six Sect Technique or Taiyi Divine Art, I'm afraid I would still be wandering around in the Qi Refining stage!"

If they end up with a huge mess instead of a big catch, and Zhou Xiang really has his eye on this place, then they have no choice but to leave! They can't let him set his sights on them!
Zhou Xiang smiled and said, "If a person has a good character, it doesn't matter if their youth and lifespan are exhausted. In fact, it can be a good thing. Whether by taking pills or performing rituals, one can reverse the universe and regain some lifespan. Then, by nourishing oneself with rare and precious materials, and then by cultivating a new and advanced method, one can also be considered to defy fate."

That's terrifying, absolutely terrifying! If anyone else had said that, I would have thought they were just bragging, but for Zhou Xiang, a person with so many protective techniques, to stand here and say such things, I just find it terrifying! This person truly has confidence and something to rely on!
At this moment, his thoughts changed again—not that he was indecisive, but rather that this kind of business required a flexible and adaptable mind. He had his reasons for wanting to run away before, but now, hearing him mention "youth and lifespan," his heart tightened. If there's anything in this world that would make someone risk their life, it's youth and lifespan! He didn't know if Zhou Xiang was exaggerating, but even if there was the slightest chance, or if his family truly had some method to reverse fate and gain more lifespan, he was willing to try!

At worst, I can just get back to youth and longevity before running away—with enough time and my current knowledge and memories, even if I have to dissipate my cultivation and start over, wouldn't that be the same as being reborn? I'd avoid so many detours!

The old Taoist priest stammered for a moment, unsure of how to answer.

At this moment, Li Wuxiang's heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, Zhou Xiang really fooled this old Taoist priest!

Actually, even the old Taoist priest himself was a little unsure when he first saw Zhou Xiang's behavior. Seeing that the old Taoist was about to relent, Li Wuxiang immediately looked to his side—Kong Youxin was standing at the cave entrance. Looking up, he saw some small, thin stalactites hanging above Kong Youxin's head. So he pinched his fingers, shooting out a sword aura that shattered one of them.

He really didn't mean to—he was aiming for a small one, but he didn't expect the stalactite to be far more fragile than he thought, and it pulled down a larger one as well. Then there were two sounds: "thud" and "ah!" Kong Youxin was hit on the head and immediately collapsed to the ground.

Li Wuxiang rushed over: "Fellow Daoist!"

The old Taoist priest breathed a sigh of relief and rushed over, saying, "Oh dear, what happened? Kuai Kuai, bring water and Dan San!"

A group of people, each with their own agenda, carried Kong Youxin to the hall, and Zhou Xiang didn't press the matter further. Upon closer inspection, she saw that Kong Youxin only had a cut on her head and, after checking her pulse, found nothing serious, so she stood there and let them handle her.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xiang continued exploring deeper into the cave in the darkness, his hands behind his back, while Li Wuxiang stayed close to the old Taoist priest, shielded by the stone wall. After settling Kong Youxin in, Li Wuxiang gently kicked his foot and said, "I'll go fetch some water."

The old Taoist frowned as he watched him enter the right cave, and then followed him in.

As soon as he entered, Li Wuxiang said in a low voice, "Why didn't you have someone treat your disciple Deng Yuan's injuries first? Does that make you look like a proper master?"

The old Taoist priest was taken aback, his eyes sharpening. He stared at him for a moment, then said, "In the world of martial arts, what's a little injury? My master and I have our own rules. Fellow Daoist, which sect do you belong to?"

Li Wuxiang smiled slightly: "I am your true fellow Daoist."

The old Taoist priest sized him up: "A true fellow Taoist?"

“True fellow Daoist,” Li Wuxiang said, “I was the one who first set my sights on this person, but I couldn’t handle him on my own.”

The old Taoist priest stared at him gloomily, without saying a word.

Li Wuxiang lowered his voice again: "Let me tell you, this person used to have a powerful background, but not anymore. You should have figured that out by now, right? I found out about it on the way here. It's just the two of them, master and disciple, now they want to start their own sect and make a fortune. What's wrong, you think a single Jade Blood Pill can fool you, fellow Daoist?"

The old Taoist priest paused for a moment, then thought for a second and laughed: "You really are a true fellow Daoist. You believe it? If your family is gone, would you act like this? I see his shoes are brand new, they haven't even been worn for a month!"

Li Wuxiang peeked out, then pulled back in: "Who said there's no one at home? Oh, you see, he doesn't know anything, yet he thinks he's some kind of young master from the mountains? What if he came from somewhere else?"

"Other places? What places?"

Li Wuxiang pointed outside: "Let me tell you, he ran away from the parish! That stinking Xuan Cult member has come to our side to steal our sect's secrets!"

(End of this chapter)