Symbiotic panel, I am cultivating immortality in the world of immortality

Chapter 194 Moon Soul Curse, Ruoquan's Deal

Blood?

Isn't this a bit too much of a stretch?

Am I some kind of vicious person who would be harsh just because of a difference in cultivation level?

Or is it not normal blood?

Li Ye remained silent, only glancing at his third senior brother, who also did not speak. The drop of blood was then collected by the Spirit Vine, remaining unnoticed by Yang Ke throughout the entire process.

Li Ye then went to find Su Ya.

It's quite strange, actually.

Su Ya has been in seclusion ever since he reached the Golden Core stage.

It's not that he hasn't been able to stabilize his Golden Core cultivation for so long, nor that he doesn't want to come out, but rather that his sister, Su Yu, has stuffed him with a whole bunch of different materials to refine pills.

When Li Ye called him, his eyes were already unfocused, he was walking weakly, and there was a hint of resentment in his gaze as he looked at Li Ye.

"..."

Li Ye was genuinely a little creeped out by their gaze and said:

"What's going on? It's like I've been to Wanchun Pavilion, but I'm not a member of Wanchun Pavilion, so why are you staring at me like that?"

Su Ya sighed, "It's all because you chose the right time. I was already in the Golden Core stage and had to take on sect missions, and then you released all those materials at once. I've been refining pills day and night."

I estimate I'll be refining even more in the future, and might even take over the refining and teaching of these new pills specifically. I certainly won't be teaching apprentices!

He's not even sixty yet, so why is he already teaching apprentices? He wants to enjoy life for a few more centuries before finding a few suitable disciples to teach at his own pace.

Li Ye was speechless once again.

This brand-new pill is given top priority in terms of both material distribution and sales. Not to mention, creating new things is inherently more likely to bring merit. If Su Ya were to say this out loud, he would be ganged up on by many alchemists.

It's really a good deal to get a bargain.

"Then take a good rest for a while."

"By the way, about the relief carving just now..."

Li Ye walked ahead and recounted what Yang Ke had just said, his tone tinged with regret.

Is it possible that I've only just reached the Golden Core stage, yet I'm already facing the gap in cultivation level and status, and losing a friend?

He had a very good impression of Yang Ke when they were in Yanghai in the East, and had already regarded him as a friend.

How could such a thing suddenly happen?
Upon hearing this, Su Ya stopped pretending and frowned, saying, "I've heard before that as one's cultivation level increases, one will have fewer and fewer friends."

But Yang Ke's talent is not bad, and his background is not bad either. Reaching the Golden Core stage is only a matter of time. We can still help him out. Why are you suddenly saying such things?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ye frowned.

He knew about Yang Ke's talent, and even when facing a Golden Core cultivator before, he hadn't shown any deliberate respect, but now it seemed like he was deliberately distancing himself.

But to be honest, for cultivators like them, cultivation level is just a matter of time, unless...

Su Ya and Li Ye exchanged a glance and said in unison:
"What hidden injury did he suffer that prevents him from breaking through to the Golden Core stage?"

If that's the case, then it is indeed quite troublesome.

Although the Merfolk are said to be the Spirit Race of the Four Seasons Sect, the gap between Spirit Race members and true disciples is still quite large, and they cannot enjoy many core benefits.

And Li Ye and the others couldn't really break the rules to help him like that—just like Su Ya couldn't help Li Ye directly buy pills to restore his damaged meridians.

This is the rule.

There is actually a thick barrier between disciples and non-disciples.

Moreover, Yang Ke has a father at the Nascent Soul level, and if even he cannot be cured, it must be no simple situation.

The two exchanged another glance. Li Ye felt that the problem must lie in that drop of blood. He had previously thought that Yang Ke had injured himself by using too much force, but now it seemed that was not the case.

We'll have to wait until we get back to see what happens.

If the other party really wants to end the friendship, he will repay the kindness he received when he was in Dongji Yanghai.

Then, it doesn't matter anymore.

Let's wait and see.

……

On East Lake.

The bamboo and wood ants have long since formed a bridge leading directly to the center of the lake and an exquisite, rustic pavilion.

I don't know what these guys ate, but this ancient pavilion, standing amidst the lake and mist, wasn't just the color of green bamboo, but a bright golden hue.

It appears even more ethereal and otherworldly amidst the surrounding deep lake water, mist, and sunlight pouring down from the sky.

These guys are getting better and better at building.

Even the third senior brother praised it:
"Isn't this much more powerful than those spirit beasts like Luban dogs inside the sect?"

“So-so.” Li Ye calmly extended his hand to invite, “Let’s sit down and talk. The beavers are already preparing food.”

Third Senior Brother knew perfectly well that Li Ye was just showing off.

He didn't expose him, since Li Ye would take care of things anyway. He simply sat down openly and looked at Yang Ke, who had been somewhat timid.

"I have a good relationship with your sister."

"You have a good relationship with my junior brother, so why are you being so timid?"

That's quite direct.

But given his status as an elder, it was the most appropriate time to ask him that question.

Facing the serious-looking Chen Zhenren, with Su Ya and Li Ye watching him from the side, Yang Ke opened his mouth, lowered his head, and said:

"I have the merfolk's phobia of the moon."

"I'm afraid I'll never be able to break through to the Golden Core stage in this lifetime."

Moon phobia?
This name is really strange, and it carries a chilling sense of dread.

"Hiss." The third senior brother's face showed a shocked expression: "So, your Yangyao tribe was really cursed by Ancestor Wangshu?"

"Senior brother, don't be shocked. What exactly is this illness?" Li Ye asked directly.

"Let me tell you."

After saying this, Yang Ke felt much more relaxed and took the initiative to explain, "Actually, the place where our Merfolk originally lived was not the Eastern Yang Sea."

Instead, like many other spirit races of the Four Seasons Sect, we live in the spirit realm that you specifically designated for us, where our ancestors excavated a lunar sea.

Lord Wangshu's pure light will forever shine upon that tranquil sea.

At this point, a hint of helplessness crossed his face: "But later, our ancestors did something wrong, and Lord Wangshu banished us from the spirit world and left the Moon Sea."

If it weren't for the sect leader of the Four Seasons Sect protecting us, we would probably be wandering in other places right now.

However, because the mistake we made was too serious, Lord Wangshu left a curse called the Moon Soul Terror Curse in our blood.

This curse can be either latent or manifest.

"To lie dormant means we must face the sun directly, no longer sheltered by moonlight; to erupt means we will no longer be able to worship the moon and obtain its essence, and our cultivation will be forever fixed at the moment of the eruption."

So he's currently experiencing a very unlucky episode.

Li Ye remained calm and asked directly:

"Can it be cured?"

"Brother Yang and I are good friends."

"Since it is a curse cast by Patriarch Wangshu, there must be a way to break it."

Neither he nor Su Ya understood the seriousness of this curse. Su Ya added, "I've never heard of this curse, but if you can accomplish something great, Lord Wang Shu will surely bestow a favor upon you." Solve problems when they arise, find other ways if you can't find a solution, and follow any available path—this was the thinking of him, Li Ye, and the vast majority of cultivators in the Four Seasons Sect.

They can nurture saplings into towering trees and cultivate from mortal bodies to the Golden Core stage. With that kind of patience, what can't they accomplish?
However, things were indeed too simple for them to imagine.

The third senior brother rubbed his temples and said, "The Moon Soul Terror Curse is one of the most unique spells of Patriarch Wangshu, and it is closely linked to the waxing and waning of the moon in this world."

It's no longer just the power of Patriarch Wangshu alone; it's a curse from Heaven, and lifting it is no easy task.

The Way of Heaven is lofty, elusive, and difficult to find.

A curse from the heavens?
Li Ye looked at the glass bracelet on his wrist. He thought that the curse of the Heavenly Dao might not be too troublesome. He had seen the Heavenly Dao twice in the past year.

“…You’re different.” The third senior brother was even more troubled: “There has never been a case of this kind of curse being broken so far.”

Yang Ke then took the initiative to speak: "Senior Li, let's talk about business first. Is Ruoquan water available for sale now?"

At this moment, Li Ye was genuinely disappointed. There were three Golden Core cultivators present, two of whom had a past with him. Why were they unwilling to continue the discussion? There must be a way.

You don't care how to make others care.

Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Li Ye did not force him. The light in his eyes dimmed slightly, and he stretched out his palm and waved to the distance.

"Hoohoo!"

Immediately, a silvery stream of water surged forth and stopped precisely in front of Yang Ke.

The water flow is quite peculiar.

It looked normal in the river before, but when it surged in like this, it was as if a piece of the night had been cut out, carrying a quiet gentleness and radiating a black luster that shimmered with a faint light.

"Ruoquan..."

The third senior brother was still unaware of what Li Ye had obtained.

Upon seeing this, he immediately recalled the story about his eldest brother that his master often talked about.

Although he had never met his senior brother, he had heard about him enough, so he naturally cared a lot.

His master was like a father to him, and his eldest brother was naturally his elder brother. If he could find his eldest brother, it would definitely be a wonderful thing.

He gave Li Ye a long look and decided to discuss it in detail later.

Although Yang Ke was not in good spirits, he was still quite efficient when it came to doing serious work.

Or perhaps this is the path he plans to take in the future; since he cannot pursue higher levels of cultivation, he will find another way.

A caravan might be a good option.

"The water from this spring is indeed of excellent quality."

"How about we do as we agreed before, one hundred spirit stones per pound?"

"We will prioritize trading with the unique products from the East Pole Yanghai Sea."

Yang Ke immediately took out a contract, clearly indicating that he had come prepared.

The price of 100 spirit stones per kilogram is indeed extremely high.

Li Ye didn't want to sell it directly like that, so he shook his head and said, "There isn't much spring water available right now. I'm willing to sell you a thousand catties every month, but the remaining thousand catties will have to be auctioned off through the Four Seasons Treasure Pavilion."

Scarcity drives up value, and since he's not selling bottled water, he naturally has to employ scarcity marketing.

"A thousand catties?" Yang Ke was stunned. "Senior Li, are you really not joking with me? A thousand catties isn't even enough for my father to swallow in one gulp."

Not to mention sharing it with other members of the clan.

That's really too little.

He was really troubled by this number.

"I'm only giving you 1,000 jin because of Brother Yang." Li Ye shook his head and said, "Ruoquan hasn't fully recovered yet, and there's no stable water supply. Taking 2,000 jin a month is already the limit."

That statement is half true and half false.

The truth is that Ruoquan truly has no water source, while the falsehood lies in the fact that the river still has a lot of water, and two thousand catties is just a drop in the ocean.

He was indeed dissatisfied, and he did have considerations about scarcity increasing value; in any case, it was up to him to make the decisions.

But I really don't know about positive engraving.

His expression changed several times before he finally sighed, "A thousand catties it is. Here are 100,000 spirit stones, Senior Li, please accept them."

He had come prepared, immediately taking out 100,000 spirit stones from his storage ring and handing them to Li Ye without blinking, as if he were holding up a small mountain.

Li Ye accepted the spirit stones, then casually took out a jade bottle filled with a thousand catties of Ruoquan water.

This jade bottle was a spatial Dao pattern that Master Baishi casually taught him when he was learning about storage bags made of empty ink silkworm silk. It can be used to make some simple spatial magical artifacts.

Back then, believing that practice makes perfect, he made a whole bunch of these jade bottles, with interior spaces of varying sizes. In the end, Master Baishi generously gave them all to him.

"Thank you very much, Senior Li."

Having achieved his goal, Yang Ke carefully put away the jade bottle and sincerely expressed his gratitude.

"You're welcome." Li Ye waved his hand: "Brother Yang helped me a bit in the Eastern Sea before, so it's only right that I repay you."

Su Ya, who had been silent until now, also spoke up: "Junior Brother Li is right. No matter what path you plan to take, remember that you still have me as a friend in the Four Seasons Sect."

"Don't hesitate to ask me for anything you need."

He was closer to Yang Ke, but he also knew that from the moment Yang Ke called him "Senior Li," the relationship between Yang Ke and Li Ye could only remain one of mutual benefit.

Even Li Ye didn't mind calling Yang "brother," but he took the initiative to call him "senior"...

Su Ya could understand the gap brought about by cultivation level and status, but he really wanted to sigh at the fact that Su Ya couldn't accept kindness.

There may be many reasons, many causes, but he just couldn't help but sigh.

Kindness isn't always available; once it's missed, it's truly gone.

Therefore, he would not coerce Li Ye into helping him.

He still understands the difference between close and distant relationships.

"..."

Yang Ke was stunned for a moment, his heart filled with mixed feelings, but he still smiled and said, "Then I will have to trouble Brother Li and Brother Su."

This is a result of his own actions.

He was willing to endure it.

Li Ye's feelings were also complicated, but he quickly adjusted his mindset.

Since Yang Ke had taken the initiative to distance himself, why should he get closer to see if he could resolve the curse? Consider it repaying a favor.

He is indeed prepared to repay even the smallest kindness with the greatest gratitude, and that will be enough.

Just as he was about to change the subject, the beavers swam over from the lake.

Their paws were empty, they didn't carry any storage bags, and there was just a small blade of grass swaying on their heads.

"Jiji!"

The first beaver came forward, the grass above its head swaying slightly, and immediately several plates of pastries landed on the table. Then the second beaver brought fragrant tea, the third, the fourth...

After all the food was laid out, they even bowed respectfully, which was quite a feat for their plump bodies to perform such a difficult action.

The arrival of these lively characters immediately eased the somewhat somber atmosphere.

"Pfft." The third senior brother couldn't help but laugh out loud: "These little guys' storage magic items are quite interesting. They're actually a blade of grass, and it's even growing on their heads."

He reached out and touched it, a look of confusion immediately appearing on his face: "This is Void Grass? It really is growing on my forehead?"

Although the Void Grass is the lowest-level spatial spiritual plant, the fact that it's associated with space means it's still quite delicate. How could it grow on a beaver's head like this?

He immediately realized that this thing must be very important.

Why didn't Li Ye mention this before?
Could it be that this junior brother has created so many unusual gadgets that he's forgotten about them?
(End of this chapter)