Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 191 The Talking Man's Bait and Instructions (5 words)
Fang Shu suddenly stood up from the altar. He looked at the thick notebook in front of him, his expression changing constantly.

According to the analysis of the Daoist records, the "Small Joy of Life and Death, Yin and Yang" is not only a furnace cultivation method, but also an incomplete one with significant flaws.

According to Huai Liangxing, it's not that the person is incapable, but that the technique is flawed!
These two points are the reasons why those who practice this method in the Gu Hall ultimately meet with bad ends.

All of a sudden.

Fang Shu's mind was filled with thoughts. Sometimes he thought of the punishment that the Dragon Maiden Immortal had given him, which confined him for a year. Other times he thought of his senior brother in the Dugu Pavilion, who had broken through to the fifth tribulation and then immediately fled far away and never returned to Mount Lu.

"Could it be that the Dragon Maiden Immortal Clan is worried that if I successfully join the inner sect, it will cost me more to take action against me, so they are creating obstacles for me?"

Fang Shu was filled with surprise and doubt, but then he thought, "If that's the case, she should have also kept the Yin-Yang Gu pit that she gave me."

After a while, my thoughts were in a jumble.

He forced himself to calm down and began to suspect that these encrypted messages were a deliberate ploy by Huai Liangxing—that the other party wanted to use this to hinder him, make him suspicious, and create a great rift with the Dragon Maiden Immortal, thus ruining his cultivation path.

However, upon closer examination, while this is possible, the likelihood is not very high.

Or, if that's the case, then Huai Liangxing is just worrying unnecessarily, and isn't deliberately plotting against him.

Because these hidden contents in the notes are hidden in hundreds of thousands of words, the time is chaotic, and Huai Liangxing did not write down all his concerns in a secret letter. They are just fragmented contents, which also contain many resentful remarks that seem like delirium.

And most importantly, although Huai Liangxing harbors resentment and hatred towards the Longgu Immortal Family in his hidden message, it is not only directed at Longgu and the Gu Hall. Instead, it reveals a neurotic despair.

Fang Shu closed his eyes slightly, and several analyzed results immediately appeared in his mind:
"Bitterly resenting the years spent embroidering gold thread, only to make wedding gowns for others... Cultivating immortality, cultivating immortality, nothing but turning into a beast!"

"Among those who were born in the same year and were also acquainted with me, there were a total of thirteen people with spiritual roots, and three people with medium spiritual roots. Now, among those with medium spiritual roots, only I am left alive. I should be grateful for my master's kindness."

"Is there a master who has never eaten people? Please save your disciple..."

He sat down cross-legged and began to piece together these fragments of words as best he could, looking at them in a unified way and removing any statements that were illogical or inconsistent with other statements.

Soon, the look of surprise and doubt on Fang Shu's face disappeared, but it was replaced by a gloomy expression.

For a moment, the two couplets about "livestock," "blood demons," and "selling one's life" that his second uncle had written when he first met him came to mind.

However, he did not understand the word "vampire" from Huai Liangxing's coded message.

Instead, Fang Shu noticed words like "furnace," "bait," and "human treasure" between the lines.

all in all.

In Huai Liangxing's view, although he had successfully modified his cultivation method and escaped the fate of becoming a furnace for the Dragon Maiden, he had not only damaged his foundation too much in the process of modification, but also regretted it for the rest of his life.

What made Huai Liangxing even more desperate was that the modified cultivation method he had adopted was also turning himself into a furnace for alchemy. The higher his cultivation level, the easier it would be for the Foundation Establishment immortals in the temple to harvest and refine pills, cut and forge weapons, and process and cast spells.

In other words, the disciples in the Five Internal Organs Temple, from top to bottom, are actually nothing more than food.

However, food items are categorized by price.

The cheap are ignored and taken at will, while the expensive may be carefully protected, but they are also very likely to be targeted in advance or even picked prematurely, it's all a matter of fate.

On the contrary, those who are neither here nor there are the ones who live longer, and may find a chance to survive while barely clinging to life!
As for why Huai Liangxing has wasted so many years and has never been able to break through to the sixth tribulation, apart from the reason of his own foundation, it is also related to his deliberate hiding and his attempt to open his own Dharma gate and break free from the shackles of the temple's Dharma gate.

For example, the notebook that Fang Shu obtained contains many records about experimental methods.

Roughly speaking, Huai Liangxing has already cost the lives of thirty-two servants in the past ten years for this!

As Fang Shu pondered these words with a somber expression, he understood Huai Liangxing's coded messages more and more clearly. The things that the other party was uneasy about also became increasingly clear to him.

But suddenly, he relaxed his brow and let out a long breath.

"So that's all there is to it."

Fang Shu muttered to himself, "It seems that what Senior Brother Hao said was true. This guy surnamed Huai really has never been to Immortal Town before being invited to the temple."

At this moment, Fang Shu had already broken free from Huai Liangxing's various worries and was able to view the other party's trembling and neurotic remarks with a relatively clear mind.

The saying goes that self-cultivation is the medicine, and nourishing the body is the bait.

Fang Shu had already learned about this from the Master of the Du Pavilion before he went up the mountain. The Master of the Du Pavilion also bluntly revealed to them three shortcuts to join the Immortal Sect: talent, medicine, and spirit.

For a moment, Fang Shu felt that he had been living a very comfortable life in the temple all these years, and had subconsciously overlooked this matter. So when he saw it now, he was a little surprised and belatedly made a fuss.

However, a sense of melancholy lingered in his heart.

The same applies to menial servants, outer disciples, and now it seems... even the so-called spiritual root disciples and inner disciples are the same.

They were all kept in the temple and nurtured simply because of their inherent qualities, not out of pure kinship or brotherhood.

After a brief moment of melancholy, Fang Shu's gaze darkened, and his heart calmed.

This is alright!

He's not like that guy surnamed Huai. The other party actually severed his own foundation out of fear and even tried to open his own magic gate. He's both pathetic and arrogant.

If you're destined to be a celestial being, then you're destined to be a celestial being. As long as there are rules in the temple, once everyone has grown up, it's hard to say who will eat whom!

Fang Shu pondered Huai Liangxing's coded message for a few more moments, then suppressed all his distracting thoughts and focused solely on the Gu-refining and Gu-raising techniques revealed in the other party's notes, as well as the several Gu formulas.

The next days.

He stayed quietly in the cave, digesting the contents of Huai Liangxing's notes, and did not rush to the Yin and Yang Gu pits.

According to the notes, unless there is a problem, the Gu pit is usually maintained by servants and Taoist soldiers. There is no need to guard it all the time. Even if the Gu pit is not touched for half a year, the damage rate of the Gu insects in the pit will only increase.

Sharpening knives does not miss woodcutters.

Fang Shu planned to thoroughly digest Huai Liangxing's experience, make detailed plans, and then purposefully gather his friends for a big undertaking!
………………

This day.

While he was still engrossed in his research, the token at his waist suddenly swayed, and the character "蛊" appeared on it. The token did not indicate the time; instead, it was marked with the character "急".

This signifies a temporary summons from the Gu Hall, and those who receive the order must quickly arrive at the hall to await further instructions.

Fang Shu was taken aback when he suddenly snapped out of his immersive cultivation state.

Only seven or eight days have passed, what major event could possibly happen in the Gu Hall?

soon.

When he rushed to the Gu Hall and entered the Gu Palace, he realized that it wasn't something big that had happened in the Gu Hall, but rather that something "big" was about to happen to him.

There was no one else in the hall except for the Dragon Maiden and her second senior brother, Hao Junliang.

The second senior brother stood there with his head down, looking awkward, not daring to look up at Fang Shu.

Until the immortal Long Gu spoke, "Since you have come here on your own, you may leave."

"Yes, Master." The second senior brother immediately responded and hurriedly left the Gu Hall, still not daring to have much conversation with Fang Shu as he walked.

This behavior made Fang Shu, who was originally quite bold, tense up slightly.

The Dragon Maiden was at her desk, writing something with a pen.

She glanced at Fang Shu, who was trying to remain calm, and suddenly chuckled softly:

"Don't overthink it. I've summoned you here today to teach you the Qi Condensation Technique."

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu felt a slight sense of relief, thinking to himself, "So they've summoned me to transmit the Dharma."

But his thoughts drifted again, immediately landing on the three words "Don't overthink it" from the other person's mouth.

The Dragon Maiden didn't look at him again, and continued sketching with her brush while speaking:
"I originally planned to wait until you had accumulated more energy and honed your true qi before bestowing upon you the cultivation technique. In any case, you'll probably be very busy this year and won't be able to leave the mountain. Rather than condensing your qi too early, it's better to let you settle down for a while."

But now it seems better to pass on the teachings to you sooner rather than later, and take you as my disciple, so you won't overthink things and end up like Xiao Wu.

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu's mind raced, and he remained silent, unsure of what to say.

Suddenly, the fairy Long Gu asked him out of the blue:
"Have you gleaned anything from Fifth Brother's cultivation notes?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu fully understood that the Dragon Maiden Immortal must have already known that Huai Liangxing's notebook contained some irrelevant information. He hesitated, but instead of feigning ignorance, he decisively took out Huai Liangxing's notebook and held it in his hand.

“Reporting to Master, Fifth Senior Brother’s notes are here. Please forgive me.”

The Dragon Maiden finally looked up again, threw the talisman brush in her hand on the table, and looked at Fang Shu with a half-smile.

"You're lucky you're clever enough not to try and fool me, otherwise I would have made you suffer today."

The Dragon Maiden Fairy said with a smile, "Tell me, did Fifth Brother curse me in his notes?"

Faced with these words, Fang Shu could only say:

"Although I noticed that my fifth senior brother left some coded messages in his notebook, I haven't had time to read them all yet."

A sneer rang out, and with a flick of her sleeve, the notebook that Fang Shu was holding scattered in his hand. It seemed to be a long snake or a dragon, swirling and flying around in the Gu Palace, moving up and down.

She looked up at it.

"I can see through your little tricks at a glance, given my age and experience. Why bother hiding them?"

The Dragon Maiden said, "That fifth brother of mine was someone I personally sought out back then. This child just thinks too much, which is why he has delayed himself step by step."

"Jiu'er, I know you have exceptional talent, so there's no need for you to hide it so much."

Fang Shu bowed and said, "This disciple dares not."

Dragon Maiden's gentle whisper:

"Alright, raise your head. I'd like to have an open and frank conversation with you."

next moment.

Fang Shu looked up at his cheap master, and his eyes immediately showed a look of amazement.

The other person's face, which was originally half withered and half delicate, recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye, and in the blink of an eye, it became a cold and sharp face.

Her features were exquisite, and her skin was as smooth and clean as the glaze of fine ceramic, without the slightest blemish.

Long Gu walked out from behind the desk. She stretched out her once withered hand, which had also become plump, white as snow, and tender as a new lotus root, and gently stroked her perfectly healed cheek.

"How am I? Am I not exceptionally beautiful?" the Dragon Maiden Immortal asked.

Fang Shu hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Master's appearance is so extraordinary that I feel ashamed of myself in comparison."

Then, the Immortal Dragon Maiden said with great interest:

"If I, with such an appearance, were to engage in illicit relations with you, who would ultimately gain and who would lose?"

Fang Shu paused, then said in a low voice, "This disciple dares not."

Laughter erupted inside the hall:

"Is it that they dare not, or that they do not want to?"

The fairy Longgu flicked her sleeves, ceasing her teasing of Fang Shu, and instead spoke frankly:
"Rest assured, I am having you cultivate Yin-Yang True Qi not because I am after your vital essence and want to drain your essence. If that were all, you would be underestimating me."

As she spoke, she shook her head and sneered, "Besides, how could I possibly take the mere primordial yang of a Qi Refining child seriously?"

"If I truly wish to pluck you, I must wait until you have established your foundation. Only then will your primordial yang be truly tender, delicious, and satisfying."

Fang Shu heard this and was momentarily speechless, but also immediately relieved.

That's absolutely right!

If the Yin-Yang True Qi at the Qi Refining stage can have an effect on the Dragon Maiden Immortal Clan, then they could simply replenish their energy by absorbing it from Dao soldiers, medicine figures, and other such things, instead of going through the trouble of adopting disciples.

After all, no matter how difficult the cultivation of this Qi is, for a Foundation Establishment Immortal, raising a few Qi refining furnaces is not that difficult. There are various methods to infuse and elevate it.

Only the Yin-Yang True Qi at the Foundation Establishment stage cannot be achieved quickly; it depends on talent and destiny.

The Dragon Maiden is still speaking:
"Previously, when I sent people to practice this method, I would help them correct their mistakes every few days, for fear that they might misjudge the movements. But the more I did this, the less effective it became, and it was easy for them to become dependent on it."

Even if they cultivate to the sixth kalpa, their chances of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage are extremely slim.

She looked at Xiang Fangshu with great interest:
"To be honest, ever since Xiao Wu changed his cultivation method, I had already given up on this idea. But who would have thought that you would just happen to walk into my life and stir up a bit of my lingering regret."

It's quite surprising now. You relied entirely on your own cultivation, yet your progress was more stable than all my disciples. And without a sound, you successfully passed the fifth tribulation, which has truly impressed me.

The Dragon Maiden's eyes shone brightly as she looked at Fang Shu, and she uttered words of admiration:
"If you can truly use this method to build your foundation and repair my physical body in the future, what harm would it do if you were to drain my essence?"

These words made Fang Shu feel ashamed, and he repeatedly said, "I dare not, I dare not."

"Alright. No matter how much you believe, just remember that I do have something to ask of you, but for everything I ask, you must first establish your foundation."

The Immortal Dragon Maiden composed herself and calmly said:

"Before this, whether you had a pseudo-spiritual root or a medium-level spiritual root, whether you were dull-witted or had amazing comprehension, to me you were just a disciple."

She paused, then added, "Perhaps some of the local immortals in the temple are more indiscriminate in their appetites, but I, the Dragon Maiden, have not stooped to that level."

Fang Shu roused himself and immediately replied, "Yes, Master, I understand."

At this moment, the Dragon Maiden suddenly laughed and said:
"Why do you still call me Master? Do you look down on me as your master?"

Fang Shu looked surprised, but he reacted quickly and immediately prostrated himself in worship:
"Disciple Fang Shu greets Master."

Long Gu nodded:

"Get up. I am only accepting you as my disciple today so that I can pass on the Dharma to you. But in the temple hall, you will still only be a disciple in name only."

"If you want to be officially recognized as a master, you'll have to wait until you've joined the inner sect; that's the temple's rule."

"Disciple knows!"

Whoosh.

As Fang Shu finished speaking, a handwritten copy on the desk suddenly flew out and landed in front of him. This item seemed to be the one that the Dragon Maiden Immortal had personally written and sketched when he arrived.

He glanced at it and saw five large characters written on the handwritten copy: “Six Desires Yin Sha Method”. The characters were like snakes and insects, as if they were slowly wriggling.

The voice of the Dragon Maiden came:
"This method was originally called the Six Internal Organs Nourishing Evil Method. It is a secret method of combining evil spirits passed down in the temple. Only inner disciples can be taught it. It can fuse up to six kinds of evil spirits."

I have made some modifications to the original method, based on the Yin-Yang True Qi method, for you. Later, once you enter the inner sect and obtain the original method, you can verify it and make your own choice.

Fang Shu was invigorated and immediately said, "Thank you, Master, for bestowing the Dharma ahead of schedule!"

This method of fusing six kinds of evil energy, even if it only fuses ordinary evil energy, must be quite remarkable when combined. It truly deserves to be called the secret of the Five Internal Organs Temple!

The Dragon Maiden glanced at Fang Shu and saw that his face was only happy and there was no other unusual expression. She realized that Fang Shu should have taken her words to heart and would not waste his energy thinking about other things.

"Now that you've taken the things, you can go downstairs," the Dragon Maiden casually instructed.

Fang Shu held the incantation book, paid his respects once more, and then left the Gu Hall with light steps.

As soon as he left the Gu Hall, he headed straight for the cave, intending to quickly see the contents of the Condensing Evil Technique.

Soon, the Gu Palace fell silent.

Only the Dragon Maiden Fairy remained, standing quietly.

She stood with her hands behind her back, looking at the notebook pages that Fang had kept in the Gu Palace and hadn't asked for back, and couldn't help but chuckle: "You said you hadn't finished reading it, but I bet you've memorized it all."

The woman gazed at him, then sighed softly:
"It's all about timing and fate. At least I'll be left with a whole body if I die at the hands of my own brothers."

She reached out and gathered the pages of notes scattered throughout the Gu Palace. With a light tap of her finger, she casually inserted them into the bookshelf of the Gu Palace, leaving them for someone destined to read them in the future.

However, if someone else were to recognize Huai Liangxing's ramblings, she would no longer bother to comfort or console him.

(End of this chapter)