This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 123 Reencounter with Partridge Whistle, News of Old Foreigner's Death

The land of western Hunan.

It was three days later when Zhong Bai and Shi Jian arrived at the place agreed upon by Lei Yan and the Ghost Cave Clan.

At this moment, on a boulder, Zhong Bai sat cross-legged, his eyes slightly narrowed, examining the contents of the Quanzhen Sword Control Technique in his mind.

A few days ago, in Lei Yan's mortuary in Fenggang County, Zhong Bai's Samadhi Fire burned all of Lei Yan's underground zombies to ashes.

Although they were all just a few zombies, their numbers were considerable, providing Zhong Bai with 5,000 Demon Extermination Points. Now, Zhong Bai wanted to see how effective the 5,000 Demon Extermination Points would be in enhancing the Quanzhen Sword Control Technique.

As Zhong Bai focused his mind and calmed his spirit, sharp sword energies began to condense around him.

[Consume 5000 Demon Extermination Points to exchange for 5000 days of training in the Complete True Sword Control Technique]

Current Demon Extermination Points: 0

Using a full five thousand demon-slaying points to cheat, Zhong Bai's sword energy instantly slashed the giant rock where he was sitting cross-legged, leaving it riddled with holes.

At the same time, the Foundation Establishment Spirit Sword Blue Cat was unsheathed from behind Zhong Bai and hovered in front of him.

In a mysterious way, Zhong Bai sensed a special connection between himself and the spirit sword Blue Cat; he could control Blue Cat with his divine sense.

Just as he thought this, sword energy continued to fly around, and Shi Jian, who was also sitting cross-legged not far from Zhong Bai, immediately chose to move away from Zhong Bai.

As expected, the wildly flying sword energy relentlessly destroyed everything it touched around Zhong Bai.

Shi Jian showed only slight surprise upon seeing this scene.

There's no way around it; Zhong Bai has too many secrets. Isn't it normal for sword energy to fly everywhere?
Zhong Bai was completely unaware of Shi Jian's silent retreat. He was now as if he had entered an ocean of sword energy. As his connection with the spirit sword Blue Cat continued to strengthen, his understanding of swordsmanship and sword techniques was also constantly deepening.

Finally, the moment Zhong Bai exhausted all five thousand Demon Extermination Points, he opened his eyes, his sharp gaze even more piercing than before.

Looking at the spirit sword Blue Cat floating in front of him, Zhong Bai smiled.

The Quanzhen Sword Control Technique was simpler than Zhong Bai had imagined, perhaps because Zhong Bai himself was already at the Foundation Establishment stage, and thus could quickly cultivate it to the entry level.

"Let's see if we can roam freely between heaven and earth..."

Zhong Bai smiled brightly, stood up, and with a thought, the Foundation Establishment Spirit Sword Blue Cat appeared at Zhong Bai's feet. The moment he stepped onto the flying sword, his true essence began to be consumed.

With a whoosh, Zhong Bai soared into the sky on his sword, but after only half an incense stick's time, he stopped flying.

Seeing the smile on Zhong Bai's lips, Shi Jian also came closer.

"Junior Brother Qianhe, when did you learn sword control? I must say, it's truly astonishing."

Shi Jian felt a pang of envy; after all, who wouldn't want to roam freely in the world?
Zhong Bai pointed to his spirit sword, Blue Cat, "This Foundation Establishment spirit sword was given to me by my master before I was named a Dao Child and went down the mountain. As for the sword control technique, it was bestowed upon me by the head of the Quanzhen Sect, Master Changming, when I was a guest at the Quanzhen Sect."

These past few years, my junior brother has been busy constructing his Dao platform, so he hasn't had the chance to cultivate the Quanzhen Sword Control Technique. Now that he's broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he should definitely learn it; it'll be quite useful for traveling.

"Tsk tsk tsk, it's more than just good?"

Wherever Junior Brother Qianhe travels on his sword, who wouldn't call him a true immortal of the Dao?

"Hahaha, Senior Brother is joking. It's just flying on a sword. Compared to Junior Brother's flashy but impractical sword-flying technique, Senior Brother's Lightning Thunder Fist is so powerful that ordinary people would think he's a god descended from heaven."

Zhong Bai's praise made Shi Jian smile faintly; he knew the gap between himself and his junior brother Qianhe.

However, Shi Jian still felt very pleased to hear Zhong Bai praise him like that.

However, just as Shi Jian was about to continue asking Zhong Bai about the Quanzhen Sect, Zhong Bai's smiling expression vanished, replaced by solemnity and doubt.

"Senior brother, someone is coming towards us, and I even know this person..."

Upon hearing Zhong Bai's words, Shi Jian immediately abandoned his desire to continue gossiping and turned to look in the direction Zhong Bai had locked onto.

A figure sped through the dense forest, pursued relentlessly by a brightly colored tiger, as if the figure held a deep-seated grudge against it.

Partridge Whistle originally only wanted to get rid of the striped tiger behind him and did not want to kill it, but the tiger just kept chasing him.

Now, from a great distance, Partridge Whistle saw two figures ahead. To prevent the striped tiger from harming anyone, Partridge Whistle immediately stopped running. Just as he was about to kill the ungrateful tiger, the tiger, which had been baring its teeth, seemed to sense something terrifying. It instantly bristled and stopped in place, looking up at the two figures in the distance. Seeing that they were getting closer and closer, the tiger ignored Partridge Whistle and leaped into the dense forest behind it.

Seeing this, Partridge Whistle was puzzled when he saw a slender five-fingered hand pat his shoulder.

In an instant, Partridge Whistle turned deathly pale. He turned around abruptly and saw Zhong Bai smiling warmly at him.

"Brother Partridge, it's been years since we last met. I never imagined that our reunion would be like this."

Brother Partridge looks like he's had a tough few years; he looks haggard.

Zhong Bai withdrew his hand from Partridge Whistle's body and looked at Partridge Whistle in front of him, feeling moved.

They hadn't seen each other for seven or eight years since they parted ways at Ping Mountain.

Partridge Whistle, who was originally around thirty years old, is now nearly forty.

Not only had he lost his former arrogance, but his eyes and brows also carried a deep weariness. With his unkempt beard and messy long hair, if Zhong Bai hadn't had such good eyesight, he might not have been able to recognize Partridge Whistle.

Partridge Whistle was utterly shocked. If he wasn't mistaken, the Taoist in front of him was none other than Master Qianhe, whom he had met years ago. However, eight years had passed, and time seemed to have left no trace on Master Qianhe.

Zhong Bai looks exactly the same as he did eight years ago. The only difference is that he now carries a long sword on his back, his Taoist robe appears even more profound, and his overall demeanor is more transcendent and otherworldly.

"You are... Master Qianhe?"

Zhong Bai smiled faintly; he had thought Partridge Whistle had forgotten about him.

"Not bad, Brother Partridge has a good memory."

"It really is Daoist Qianhe!" Partridge Whistle became excited instantly, grabbing Zhong Bai's arm and anxiously asking, "Daoist Qianhe, I would like to ask how my junior sister Hua Ling is doing at Maoshan?"

If there's one thing Partridge Whistle most wanted to know about Zhong Bai, it wasn't anything else, but his junior sister, Hua Ling.

Since Hua Ling became a disciple of Maoshan, she has never contacted her fellow disciples again, except when she went down the mountain to inform them of the news.

Partridge Whistle himself was not capable of going to Maoshan, which is why he was so eager to find out information when he saw Zhong Bai.

Zhong Bai was a little embarrassed, mainly because he didn't really know much about Hua Ling's situation. However, based on what his master had said, Zhong Bai could confirm that the girl should be doing well in Maoshan.

“Brother Partridge, there’s no need to worry. Although I know only a limited amount of information about your junior sister after she became a disciple of Maoshan, I know from my master’s conversations that Miss Hua Ling is doing well in the Maoshan Pill Hall.”

Upon hearing the confirmation, Partridge Whistle breathed a sigh of relief, but then appeared somewhat dejected. "It's good that she's doing well. If Hua Ling hadn't insisted on becoming a disciple of Maoshan back then, I'm afraid..."

Partridge Whistle was talking to himself, and seemed somewhat dazed.

"Brother Partridge, where is your junior brother, Old Foreigner?"

At this moment, Zhong Bai also noticed why Partridge Whistle was the only one there.
Upon hearing the name "Old Foreigner," Partridge Whistle was overcome with grief, collapsing to the ground and murmuring, "My junior brother, he's not coming back... he's not coming back!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai immediately understood its meaning and sighed, "Brother Partridge, there's no need to be too sad. In this world, all good things must come to an end. You are Mountain Moving Taoists, and you are always walking in dangerous places. If Brother Lao Yangren is watching from heaven, he wouldn't want Brother Partridge to be so dejected and heartbroken."

Partridge Whistle gave a wry smile and didn't reply.

After a long while, Partridge Whistle finally calmed down.

Looking up at Shi Jian who was slowly walking towards him, Partridge Whistle took a deep breath and stood up.

"Master Qianhe, and who is this gentleman?"

Seeing Partridge Whistle looking at his senior brother behind him, Zhong Bai couldn't help but smile and introduce him.

"Brother Partridge, this is my senior brother, Master Shi Jian, known in the martial arts world as the Thunder and Lightning King!"
"Senior Brother, his name is Partridge Whistle, and he's a Mountain Moving Taoist."

Upon hearing Zhong Bai's introduction, Shi Jian remained calm. In the past, he would have looked down on this kind of tomb raider. Perhaps he wouldn't have killed him on the spot out of respect for Zhong Bai, but he would definitely not have given him a kind look.

Even though Shi Jian still felt that the tomb raiders were somewhat shady, he didn't give them a hard time. Instead, he greeted them with a faint smile.

"This humble Taoist priest is Shi Jian. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Partridge Whistle understood the vast difference between himself and the other party, and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "I am Partridge Whistle, greetings to Daoist Shi!"

Shi Jian nodded, then walked towards Zhong Bai's back. He didn't want to have any contact with Partridge Whistle, a Taoist who moved mountains.

"Brother Partridge, what brings you here?"

Zhong Bai's question left Partridge Whistle momentarily bewildered, but he quickly recovered.

"To be honest, Master Qianhe, Partridge Whistle came here because he heard that there is a large tomb in western Hunan, with hanging coffins, which is related to the Guanshan Taibao from hundreds of years ago."

After hearing this, Zhong Bai found it somewhat uninteresting. If Zhong Bai were still at around the fourth level of Qi Refining, he might still choose to investigate with Partridge Whistle.

But now that Zhong Bai has already established his foundation, these so-called tomb raiders, mountain movers, and mountain guardians are no longer worthy of attention and can hardly arouse Zhong Bai's interest.

"I see……"

Zhong Bai said no more, nor did he mention the purpose of his and Shi Jian's visit.

The two met briefly and then parted ways just as quickly. After saying goodbye to Partridge Whistle, Zhong Bai came to Shi Jian, who asked him with a smile.

"Junior Brother Qianhe really knows all sorts of people!"

Knowing that this was just his senior brother teasing him, Zhong Bai simply smiled brightly.

"What the eldest brother said is right. Besides the Mountain Moving Taoist, my junior brother also knows some Ridge Unloading Warriors, and has even dealt with the corpse retrievers on the Yellow River."

With a faint smile, Shi Jian looked in the direction Partridge Whistle had left and withdrew his smile.

"This Partridge Whistle seems like a decent person. He doesn't seem to be burdened by karma; on the contrary, he exudes a sense of righteousness. It's just a pity that he has such a strong tomb raider vibe..."

Zhong Bai declined to comment, saying that not everyone has the opportunity to become a disciple of Maoshan.

Therefore, in this vast world, among people of all walks of life, as long as their character and conduct are acceptable, Zhong Bai will not say anything.

"Senior Brother, it's just an interlude."

The day for Lei Yan's trade with the Ghost Cave Clan is fast approaching. Whether they can find the Ghost Cave Clan's location this time depends entirely on fate.

"Haha, Junior Brother Qianhe, you've always been lucky, and this time is no exception."

"Since you and I have come here, I imagine you'll be able to witness firsthand the legendary Ghost Cave Clan's extraordinary abilities, which have captivated both Buddhism and Taoism."

Zhong Bai smiled faintly.

"Senior Brother, think clearly about the special characteristics of the Ghost Cave Clan, and we'll see the results in a few more days!"

The two looked at each other and smiled.

They continued to wait at the agreed location, cultivating while waiting, and the appointed day soon arrived!

Happy May Fourth Youth Day!

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(End of this chapter)