The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 38 An Invitation from an Old Friend
Shanyang West Ward.

Strands of white paper were poured down from the courtyard wall, suddenly transforming into three or four paper figures of court ladies.

However, these paper figures resembled human skin, just like the human skin demons of that day.

When the lady under the eaves raised her sleeves again, the three or four paper figures turned into countless pieces of white paper and returned to her body!

This is one of the two original laws obtained after the paper spirit devoured the ghost and became rampant.

Or rather, trickery!

One is the rampant paper doll, the other is the dark, gloomy abyss.

These two methods, combined with the transformed paper spirit itself, already possess the qualities of a local deity. Li Qing can use her as the deity to pave a path for the paper deity.

However, this involves many important principles between Dao soldiers, rampant soldiers, and the spirit-raising path, which is also a very profound subject.

"I still have a great merit I obtained in the Mangshan Corpse Cave. Should I use it to exchange for a Raising Rampant Spell at the Imperial Academy?"

The Southern Dipper Longevity Scripture contains prophecies, qi cultivation, killing techniques, demon star curses, and protective qi. It will also have even more bizarre methods in the future, and has no other shortcomings.

Raising a powerful protector is indeed a good choice...

Yu Wendao, who had been observing the entire process from the courtyard, was also deeply moved and stepped forward to offer his congratulations:

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Li! You have acquired another wonderful technique. The path to the Great Dao is within your reach!"

The name Gui Lang-Li Qing has never had a good reputation in the mountains. After all, when Li Qing first entered the Dao, his strength was really lacking, and few people thought highly of him.

After spending time with this man, Yu Wen was completely convinced of his talent and abilities.

Despite bearing a strange curse, he possesses exceptional talent and has overcome the initial low point in his cultivation journey, gaining the strength to stand alone. This Senior Brother Li is likely to make rapid progress on his path in the future.

"Unfortunately, the commission I received was from the Foreign Affairs Office, and I should return to the office as soon as possible to discuss it in person."

"Senior Brother Li, please wait! I must go ahead first!"

"If you have any instructions after you return to the mountain, please send a message to Ding Sishiyi, the head of the outer courtyard."

Yu Wen bowed slightly to the blue-robed Taoist under the eaves, but took the initiative to say goodbye.

Now that the troubles in Shanyang have been quelled, there are still many matters to be dealt with in his courtyard. Waiting for this Senior Brother Li for ten days is already the limit.

Li Qing had a paper sedan chair with paper figures carrying it, and it moved on in no time. Yu Wen, on the other hand, relied solely on a few talismans and either rode a horse or a boat, so he simply set off earlier.

After bidding farewell to Li Qing early on, the Taoist in blue mounted a swift horse, with a talisman tied to each of its four hooves. The horse moved like the wind, covering a thousand miles in a day, and disappeared from Li Qing's sight in just a few breaths...

Upon seeing this person return to the mountain, Li Qing turned around and went into the room, where he collected all the items and used fire to melt away any traces of hair and other debris that had been left behind.

He has not yet cultivated to the Purple Mansion stage, and the growth and loss of hair are all natural phenomena. However, hair is the easiest thing for people to use as a tool for evil magic. Moreover, he had just fought a battle with this local old ghost in secret, so he could not allow such a handle to fall into his hands.

Having dealt with the hidden danger in one fell swoop, Li Qing closed the storage gourd, shut the door behind him, and looked at the large dragon that was already leaping up, and couldn't help but laugh:
"Strange, is Shanyang so boring that you can't help but want to leave?"

Zhu Qiu grew up in a tomb and was extremely curious about any environment outside, but clearly, Shanyang County was not among them!
Just then, the lady gracefully approached, and Zhu Qiu leaped out of the bird's nest to explore. Li Qing was about to make a hand gesture to summon the paper bridge and set off.

A sudden clap of thunder and lightning erupted in the sky, interrupting Li Qing's hand seal. Within a few breaths, clouds descended, one after another, forming a dark cloud that seemed to press down on the city.

The air was filled with a powerful energy, like the Si River rushing into the sea, or like the mighty Milky Way rolling up. Accompanied by bursts of thunder, large raindrops began to fall without anyone noticing.

With a flick of the lantern in Li Qing's hand, the Nanming Sunburst was about to take shape.

Suddenly, a dragon's head the size of a house emerged from the clouds, with azure scales, purple-gold armor, branching horns, red whiskers swaying in the wind, and golden eyes shining with dazzling light. The clouds seemed to flow like water and the wind like a boat, and it was indeed the appearance of a water deity on a journey!

The might of the heavens was overwhelming, its roar echoing for miles around. The people of Shanyang were filled with fear, and even the old ghost in the ancestral hall of Dongxiang was terrified, wondering where this great dragon came from.

The dragon, perched in the sky, peered down, its head fixed on Li Qing in the courtyard.

"Young master?"

"I heard that you recently visited Qingping Prefecture. An old friend from Wuxi has invited you to come along for a gathering in Longzhou, Wuxi. How about it?"

The purple-blue dragon with its golden eyes looked down and let out a boastful voice from a young man. It didn't give Li Qing much time to think. Dark clouds hung down, and the wind and water seemed to move together, sweeping up Li Qing and the paper dragon. In an instant, they drifted eastward.

Even now, Li Qing was still in a daze. Before he entered the Daoist path, he was just an ordinary scholar from Jiangnan Province. His family had no high-ranking officials or important figures. How could he have any connection with the Water Dragon of Qingping Prefecture in Lingnan Province?

In his surprise, he didn't forget to use his finger to untie the paper, turning it into a rolled-up piece of paper, which he then put into his sleeve.

The great dragon swept Li Qing and Zhu Qiu away like a whirlwind, cutting through the clouds and covering the mountains. In less than half an incense stick's time, it entered Qingping Prefecture - Wuxi Longzhou!

This Wuxi Longzhou was originally called Wuxi Prefecture. It was only because of this that a dragon attained enlightenment and was granted the title of Water Lord. The water dragon also spread its branches and leaves here, so that dragons were born in all the water veins of Wuxi. Therefore, it was renamed Wuxi Longzhou by the Southern Kingdom.

This prefecture is filled with blue bricks and yellow tiles, tall pavilions and grand halls, its prosperity in no way inferior to that of the Jiangnan region. A calm and gentle waterway runs through the prefecture, with many large ships moored on the river, creating a unique scene.

The largest of these ships was a multi-storied vessel with white jade pivots and coral railings. A grand banquet was held in the main hall, where jade maidens held out their teeth, long dragons roared, shrimps and crabs danced, an old turtle played the sheng (a type of reed pipe instrument), and a crocodile general beat the drum. The melodies of the five notes of the pentatonic scale soared to the heavens, and the guests exchanged toasts and laughed heartily.

Just then, the feng shui converged, the clouds suddenly lowered, and the water deity on the main seat was about to rise and praise the newcomer.

A loud explosion suddenly erupted on the deck of the ship, followed by a tremendous tremor. Had the Dragon Lord not cast his spell in time, all the guests on the ship would have been thrown into the air by the commotion.

However, the dragon prince's attempt to ride the clouds failed, causing Li Qing and Zhu Qiu to fall from the clouds. Zhu Qiu was indeed a huge creature, and its sudden fall nearly capsized the ship.

"You bastard, I told you to invite guests, and you're making such a racket as if you're kidnapping a fugitive!"

The Water Lord stepped forward, swept his hand across, and immediately pulled the great dragon over. Amidst the swirling smoke and clouds, a young man in purple robes appeared, with a face like jade and a slender figure, resembling a prince or nobleman. Only two horns stood up on his forehead, indicating his dragon lineage.

However, at this moment, the dragon prince was grabbed by the collar and lifted up by the Water Lord, who pretended to beat him, waving his arms and legs and pleading for mercy:

"Father, I am your own son!"

"I promise I won't be in such a hurry to ride the clouds next time, is that alright?"

The dragon prince was clearly a free spirit, and his plea for mercy caused everyone in the room to burst into laughter.

Li Qing hurriedly stood up and looked around.

The water deity appeared to be a burly man, clad in armor and robes, with a pair of striking golden horns. On the floor above, women held pipa, palace maids carried zithers, and numerous figures of all ages sat, their auras incredibly powerful…

"Alright, I'll let you off the hook this time, you scoundrel."

"Get up there and entertain the guests!"

The Dragon King was clearly a powerful and domineering man. He kicked the Dragon Prince in the buttocks and urged him to sit down with the many distinguished guests.

Seeing the tall and majestic Water Lord approaching, Li Qing felt a little uneasy, but when she lowered her eyes to look at Zhu Qiu, she saw that the guy had already closed his eyes and was pretending to be dead.

Zhu Qiu is indeed a dragon, but it is neither a water dragon nor a sea dragon. With so many dragon spirits moving around the ship, how could it not be so frightened that it fainted?
"Haha, young man, it's been years since we last met. You've indeed entered the Daoist path in Tiannan."

"Do you still remember me, Chu?"

The Dragon Lord approached with a hearty laugh. He was much taller than Li Qing, but he was extremely eager and pulled Li Qing by the sleeve to the upper floor of the ship.

The round-headed dragon called out to the two dragon generals on either side, instructing them to take good care of the giant dragon...

Seeing that Li Qing hesitated and dared not admit it, the Water Lord clicked his tongue in feigned anger and reminded her again:

"A few years ago, the young master came to Tiannan from Guihua Mansion with the letter of Dan Shu Yin. Your old hag chased after him all the way. They met in Jinping Mansion, north of Qingping. Didn't Old Chu hold you off for half a day?"

He blocked that battle back then, and luckily, his dragon horns weren't broken.

Who could have known that the ordinary Guihua Mansion could give birth to such a terrifying demon, which came with the eerie aura of the northern sky and destroyed countless ancestral halls along the way.

The Five Streams Dragon King was also a magnanimous man. When he was a guest in Jinping Prefecture, he righteously intervened, summoning clouds and rain, and thunder and lightning to block the evil spirit for half a day. In the end, however, he was powerless and could only let the evil spirit pass through the area...

Further inquiry revealed that the vengeful ghost was a descendant of a powerful clan that had perished in a previous dynasty. The Fengming Cui clan was a prestigious clan that had survived several ancient dynasties for over six thousand years.

The Cui clan of Fengming, the ancestral hall of Qishan, the underworld for the rituals stretches for eight hundred acres, the land of Tiandu, the ancient ghosts of Qishan enjoy its name!

The Dragon Lord secretly speculated that this Ghost Gentleman had struck it rich! He might be qualified to enter that Netherworld in the future, even if the Netherworld is dilapidated and not as good as it used to be. Becoming a ghost god in the Netherworld and enjoying eternal life would be a piece of cake.

If I were that young man, I would have drowned myself long ago, and after a hundred years I would have become a ghost king and entered the underworld. What a magnificent and dignified scene that would have been!

The Dragon King took over everything, grabbing Li Qing's sleeve and dragging her to the second floor of the ship. Even if Li Qing didn't remember, she had to remember now!
"You seem to remember now, that day the sky was filled with lightning and thunder..."

"Absolutely right, absolutely right! That is the Water Thunder Technique that I have used."

Seeing that he had actually remembered, the Dragon King was overjoyed and dragged Li Qing upstairs.

Inside the elegant hall, a jade-faced fox spirit played the zither, a delicate ghost concubine played the morning flute, officials of various ranks sat in their fine robes, and cultivators of all ranks sat on lotus thrones.

"This is the Prefect, the Assistant Prefect, the Magistrate of Wuxi..."

"That's the Jade-Faced Fairy from Qingqiu who came here for a stroll. Next to her is the flute-playing ghost woman from the White Bone Demon's underworld in Lingnan. And that's the master of the state's Taoist temple, Lord Qingmu..."

Shui Jun led Li Qing and his guests from all directions to meet one by one, and they all nodded to each other.

Until the very last, most important moment.

At the very top of this elegant hall, those seated there were none other than the most outstanding individuals in the prefecture.

Many Taoist priests looked on with suspicion when they saw the Five Streams Water Lord condescend to come to the outer perimeter to greet them. But when they saw the two of them enter, they all stood up to welcome them.

"Gentlemen, this is my distinguished guest, the Ghost Gentleman of Jiangnan. Have you heard of him?"

The Water Lord was extremely skilled at socializing. He took two jade cups from the maid and pushed one of them into Li Qing's hands, immediately keeping her in suspense.

Qingping Prefecture is located south of the three prefectures of Lingnan Circuit, and is separated from Jiangnan by Jinping Prefecture. In addition, the changes in Guihua Prefecture came and went quickly, and there were few rumors about it, so how could anyone know about it?
"If you're talking about the young man that the fox spirit of Qingqiu is infatuated with, I do know him—the Ghostly Gentleman?"

"Hehehe, Little Ghost Princess! Could it be that your Lady White Bone has really found a lover? Or has that Jade Beauty Lady from the Zhong family in Lingnan remarried?"

Above the guest seats, an old man chuckled strangely, and it was none other than the Lingnan White Bone Sect, one of the twelve sects of the Southern Kingdom, and the Ghost-Raising Zhong family, all of whom were being ridiculed.

Even a Yin God-level ghost dares to make fun of him, so even if this old man isn't a Yin God, he must be at least at the peak of the Purple Mansion realm. Otherwise, how could he dare to be so unscrupulous?

"Pah, old man, you better not let my wife catch you on the road with that foul mouth of yours!" The ghost princess sitting below spat at the old man.

"Otherwise, you can forget about getting your teeth back!"

However, the true disciple of Liuling Mountain raised his cup and took a sip, his eyes showing a strange look as he looked at Li Qing, who was dressed in a blue Taoist robe, and wondered to himself.

Tiannan Temple has always only cultivated Qi. This disciple is still far from the perfection of the Zhou Tian, ​​and has not even cultivated Gang Qi, yet he is called "Ghost Gentleman".

Is it because of their high social standing and connections with powerful ghost clans? Or has some new Ghost Dao Grandmaster truly emerged in Tiannan Prefecture?
(End of this chapter)