Longevity Candle

Chapter 7 There are immortals above the white clouds

Just as Ayan was about to agree, her father stopped her.

He frowned, his expression serious: "Even tigers have varying strengths. Although I am the number one hunter in Baiyun Town, I know my own limitations. May I ask who else you have invited, young master?"

"Wang Shi from Qingshui Town, cough cough, Zhang Wanren from Xiahe Town." The sickly young master coughed violently, his face flushed.

Ayan's expression also turned serious. These two were the top hunters in the town, renowned throughout the mountains. Zhang Wanren, in particular, had hunted a tiger on his own.

The father, with a solemn expression, cupped his hands and said, "Gu Qianshan, my daughter Gu Yan, I have not yet had the pleasure of learning from you."

The sick young master also solemnly cupped his hands in greeting: "Qingjiang City, Bai Qiuyun."

“You need to be clear about what kind of tiger it is,” Gu Qianshan said.

"Cough cough..."

Bai Qiuyun coughed violently again, and Ayan was really worried that he would cough himself to death.

Gu Qianshan waited quietly, without the slightest impatience.

He finally stopped coughing, took a few deep breaths, and gradually calmed down: "Behind Baiyun Mountain, there is a fierce tiger with the character 'king' on its forehead. You have all seen my body. I need tiger bones for medicine, tiger skin for warmth, and tiger blood for bathing."

He finished speaking in one breath, then began to breathe heavily, making a hoarse sound in his throat, like a dying old man.

Tiger King!

Gu Qianshan's brows furrowed into a deep frown. He knew that the Tiger King was a local tyrant in Baiyun Mountain, and he dared not provoke it easily.

No wonder they needed to hire those three top hunters.

Seemingly sensing his hesitation, Bai Qiuyun held up one finger and said again, "One hundred taels per person. You can bring ten people. You'll get paid once you enter the mountain."

One thousand taels!

There's even tiger meat!
Including the hunters from the other two towns, that's three thousand taels gone.

Ayan really wanted to agree, so she gave him all the silver and went hunting for the Tiger King with her father.

Gu Qianshan was still hesitant: "Could you give me two days to consider?"

"Okay, I'll come back in two days." Bai Qiuyun got up and left, his coughing echoing from outside, sounding even more violent.

Once the coughing subsided, Gu Qianshan told her to go and cultivate, and he went out alone.

He returned in the evening, looking travel-worn.

"Father, what's wrong?" Ayan asked.

"He doesn't seem like a young nobleman," Gu Qianshan said.

"A liar?" Ayan frowned.

"No, he does have money. The other two towns received their money first, and the people have already arrived."

Gu Qianshan said, "If you are a noble young master, you will certainly have guards when you travel, so you don't need our help to hunt tigers."

"As long as he pays, I don't care if he's a rich young master or not," Ayan said.

"Don't be too concerned about money. How much can the two of us possibly spend?"

Gu Qianshan said earnestly, "We are all unfortunate, and we should cherish our lives even more."

Ayan fell silent.

“I know you’re not a greedy person and you have your own ideas, but you can only do more things if you’re alive,” Gu Qianshan said seriously.

"I understand, Father." Ayan nodded. "So you refused?"

"I'm afraid we won't be able to refuse him. He went to the Zhou family, and our people are all thinking of agreeing," Gu Qianshan said.

“Then you can name your plan.” Ayan frowned and said, “It’s just a tiger king. The previous tigers couldn’t withstand a single sword strike from me.”

"Even tigers have varying strengths, so never be arrogant or complacent. I have been hunting in the mountains for many years and have heard many rumors."

Some beast kings, like us martial artists, have already developed internal energy, comparable to elves.

Gu Qianshan said solemnly. "Comparable to an elf?" Ayan's expression turned serious, and she no longer dared to underestimate him in the slightest.

She had practiced martial arts for so many years and believed she had mastered them, possessing extremely profound inner energy. However, compared to the Green Lamp Spirit, she could not transmit her skills like he could, leaving cultivation experience in people's minds.

"It's just hearsay from the old hunters. I don't think it can compare to the elves. They don't have such supernatural abilities, but we still need to be careful."

Gu Qianshan then said, "Tell your father what you need money for?"

"Jiang Zhu said he needs to absorb the essence of the sun and moon. I want to find something similar so that he can wake up sooner."

Ayan said, "If he could be given enough power from the sun and moon, he could stay awake forever. Such a thing must be very expensive."

She could no longer hide it, nor could she hide it from her father.

"It's been ten years, judging by the time." Gu Qianshan glanced at the green lamp and sighed, "We have received a favor and should repay it, but Baiyun Town should not have such a rare item. We have to go out and explore. You have never traveled the world and your experience is still limited. Your father will go with you and we can also check if the ancestral hall is still there."

"Ancestral hall?" Ayan was taken aback. "Aren't we from Baiyun Town?"

“We migrated here during the war years ago,” Gu Qianshan said. “There is another matter. Bai Qiuyun once climbed Baiyun Mountain. He was carried up by people and it cost a lot of money. I heard that he searched for a long time in the ruins at the top of the mountain. I wonder what he was looking for.”

"Could it be..." Ayan's expression changed, and she looked at Qingdeng.

Was Bai Qiuyun here for Jiang Zhu?

Gu Qianshan said solemnly, "It is highly likely. Bai Qiuyun would not have gone to Baiyun Mountain for no reason and searched for a long time in those ruins."

He tensed up, and worry appeared on his face.

If Bai Qiuyun really came looking for Jiang Zhu, then they should consider whether to leave overnight or strike first.

"Won't it arouse his suspicion if we leave overnight?" Ayan's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

This was the first time she had felt such intense killing intent towards someone since she had mastered martial arts.

“That’s exactly what I was worried about. Let’s wait and see.” Gu Qianshan pondered, “He dared to come alone while he was sick, so he must have some tricks up his sleeve. However, he didn’t show anything unusual to Qingdeng, so perhaps he doesn’t know Jiang Zhu’s true form.”

"Besides, if Bai Qiuyun and Jiang Zhu have some connection, how can we possibly stop them?"

Ayan fell silent, hiding her murderous intent deep in her heart.

Inside the house.

Bai Qiuyun's coughing became more and more violent, and a bright red bloodstain appeared on his handkerchief.

Before him lay a rolled-up scroll, exuding a chilling aura.

"Can it really work?"

He looked at the painting, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

"The Tiger King's remains are extremely yang and possess a wisp of solar essence within them, which can delay my influence on you."

From within the scroll, a chilling voice emanated: "If you wish to fully recover and embark on the path of immortality, you can only seek out immortal masters or spirits of mountains and seas."

"Why did both abbots of Baiyun Temple see immortals before they died?" Bai Qiuyun held a yellowed piece of paper in his hand.

The paper contained only a few words: The abbot of Baiyun Temple built a high platform to seek immortality, and saw the immortals on his deathbed, but left because there was no incense offering; the second abbot of Baiyun Temple saw the immortals on his deathbed, and there were immortals above Baiyun, who had long been watching over Baiyun Temple...

The words were covered up with ink; Yunhe fell down, and the ink obscured the following words.

"Cough cough..."

The cough started again, and every time he read those few words, he couldn't calm his mind.

He looked up at the sky, not understanding why Baiyun Temple, which had long been favored by the immortals, had fallen into ruin and collapsed.

Why did my ancestors leave Baiyun Temple in the first place?
If he persists, will he be able to embark on the path of immortality?

"Since the immortals have already set their sights on Baiyun Temple, and there are immortals above Baiyun, with my ancestral lineage, it's not impossible for me to ask the immortals to take notice..."

He fell into a deep sleep, filled with anticipation.

(End of this chapter)