Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 30 A Beauty Like Butter, A Wise Sword Cuts Down Ordinary Men

Just as Fang Shu had expected, the liquid inside the copper gourd was a medicinal material called "purple lead mica milk".

It is produced in lead-iron ore veins and is relatively rare. It is formed by the mixture of lead-iron ore and mica ore to form a stalactite-like column, and then slowly takes shape over time with the help of water dripping through the stone.

This item possesses its own spiritual energy; one drop is equivalent to three essence-nourishing pills. Moreover, these are not ordinary essence-nourishing pills; only high-quality products such as tiger bone essence-nourishing pills can be compared to it.

In addition, purple lead cloud mother milk is also a good material for alchemy, medicine making, weapon crafting and talisman drawing. It can also be used to cultivate certain secret skills to replace or reduce the toxicity of certain materials.

Long-term use can also increase the strength of human bones. If combined with certain medicinal herbs, it may even create a body of lead and iron.

Fang Shu suspected that Cheng Guanzi relied on this item to ask someone to prepare medicine, which enabled him to break through the cultivation barrier, advance to become a first-stage immortal, and forge his bones to be harder than iron.

Unfortunately, Fang Shu doesn't know any alchemists or pharmacists, and he doesn't dare to casually expose the Purple Lead Cloud Mother Milk in his hand.

"Hey! Don't leave, customer. If you think the price is too low, let's talk about it some more."

In a pawnshop, a clerk hurriedly came down from behind the high counter and greeted Fang Shu with an attitude that was initially arrogant but later became obsequious.

Seeing that Fang Shu had no intention of turning back, Chao Feng stopped and stamped his foot, cursing under his breath:

"You penniless wretch, are you kidding me? Can't afford to hire someone to appraise your eyes, so you're here to freeload?"

Just as the pawnshop clerk had predicted, Fang Shu had deliberately come to the pawnshop, pretending to pawn something, in order to inquire about information concerning Ziqianyun breast milk, especially any potentially negative news.

After all, if there is even the slightest hidden danger or defect in this thing, the pawnshop clerks will often make a lot of noise to belittle it.

Even if they don't say everything, they can still guide you in the direction of your inquiries.

Fortunately, after making some inquiries, Fang Shu discovered that apart from the need to take Ziqianyun breast milk intermittently and in batches, and the limited amount per person, there were no other major hidden dangers.

This is a rare and precious natural treasure at the Refining Essence level, which can nourish the Qi and blood of Refining Essence Immortals with almost no hidden dangers.

For unranked immortals like Fang Shu who have not yet entered the Dao, the Purple Lead Cloud Breast Milk has the benefit of increasing their chances of entering the Dao.

Having understood the above,

Fang Shu was overjoyed, no less so than when he achieved perfection in his insect cultivation.

Especially after he tried taking a drop of mica milk, he was even more satisfied and felt that his path to immortality had become brighter.

For a while.

Fang Shu not only gained money and treasure, but also obtained a map that strongly resembled a treasure mining site. He was overjoyed and beaming with happiness.

However, only Li Hou'er, who often dealt with him, could barely discern this joy.

The other party didn't take it seriously, assuming it was Fang Shu's second uncle, Yu Le, who had sent Fang Shu some nice things.

Amidst this joy, Fang Shu naturally did not forget his second uncle.

This day.

He carried a bottle of beauty-enhancing mutton fat cream that he had bargained down from Luo Baozhai, and walked into the paper shop under the cover of night, knocking on Dou Sufu's paper door.

Fang Shu did not make prior arrangements with the other party for this trip.

He wanted to ask someone about a few things and thank them for the milk tofu last time.

As a result, Dou Sufu opened the door a crack and saw Fang Shu. As if she had been expecting this, she smiled and said:
"Young Master Fang, what brings you here to break into our house again at night?"

Fang Shu bowed and presented the medicine bottle in his hand: "I'm sorry to bother you, sister. I have come to ask you about something important today."

"Since that's the case, then come in quickly."

Dou Sufu didn't ask what it was. She fully opened the paper door and, as if she had been prepared, took out two wine bowls and a wine pot from the room.

After the two sat down, before Fang Shu could even say anything, the other person happily poured himself a drink and started eating.

"My sister has been so bored these past few days."

Dou Sufu chattered on, "Finally, I've found someone to listen to my sister talk about her happy things."

Fang Shu listened patiently for a while before realizing that all the neighbors in Zhifang had been happy ever since Cheng Guanzi was stabbed to death.

Especially after Cheng Xiaoguanzi also died, everyone felt as if a weight had been lifted from their hearts, and the entire paper mill was filled with joy.

However, faced with such a brutal incident, and with the murderer still at large, the neighbors in Zhifang were worried about being made scapegoats and dared not talk about it at all.

As a widow with no one to rely on, Dou Sufu was even more secretive about the matter, fearing that she might be implicated in the murderer's crimes.

Therefore, Dou Sufu had been holding back for a long time, unable to find anyone to share this joyous occasion with.

Now that Fang Shu has finally arrived, and both families have a grudge against Cheng Guanzi, and the two have a foundation of trust, Fang Shu has become the long-awaited confidant for the other.

As Dou Sufu talked and drank, her cheeks gradually flushed and her eyes became hazy.

Fortunately, when Fang Shu listened for a while and then asked her about serious matters, she was still able to answer, as if she knew her own drinking capacity.

However, Dou Sufu's clear answer made Fang Shu's heart sink:
"Yes, Cheng Guanzi is dead, and no one will be coming to collect rent from the paper mill for the time being. Your second uncle can indeed come back. But unfortunately, he signed a long-term contract."

Dou Sufu explained:

“In mining, a short contract is for half a month to a year; while a long contract is for at least a year, during which you have to live and eat in the mine and can only send messages and deliver goods through intermediaries.”

In other words, your second uncle will have to work in the mine for at least a year before he comes back.

Fang Shu frowned immediately and asked in a deep voice:
"If I insist on inviting my second uncle back, how much money do I need to prepare to deal with that long-term contract?"

Dou Sufu smiled at him and shook her head, saying:
"This isn't just a simple matter of money. Besides preparing the penalty for breach of contract, you also need a powerful person to help you and have the other party accompany you into the mine in order to get them out."

Otherwise, the mine won't even bother with you; they might just take your money and not release you either." The other party looked Fang Shu up and down and said:
"If you want to get your second uncle out, you can either ask someone for help, or you can wait until you've cultivated to become a first-stage immortal before trying to get him out. The latter is better, because there are so many people in the mine, and you'll have to search for them one by one yourself."

Hiring other spirits to accompany you out of the market is risky, and they simply won't have the patience.

These words made Fang Shu's brows furrow into a tight knot.

He whispered:
"A year? But I've heard that the mines are quite dangerous. The longer you mine, the more likely you are to encounter bad things, and sometimes you might not be able to get out once you're in."

He really didn't know if his second uncle, Yu Le, could survive.

Dou Sufu pondered for a moment, then uttered words of comfort:
"There's no need to rush. Those who have signed long-term contracts at the mines are definitely safer for most of the time than those who have short-term or temporary contracts."

She gave Fang Shu a meaningful look:
"The most dangerous time for long-term miners is when the project is nearing completion or when the contract is about to expire."

In other words, you still have more than half a year to prepare at your own pace. During this time, the probability of Yu Lao Er causing trouble is not high.

Fang Shu was not stupid; he understood the implication as soon as he heard those words.

In the early stages of a mining contract, because the wages paid to miners are low and the mining time is short, miners cannot save much money, let alone keep any valuables for themselves.

Once the contract is about to expire, the miners will soon leave.

No mine would willingly let its "slaves" leave. They would definitely make things difficult for them, obstruct them in every way, and exploit them to extract the last bit of profit. They might even tacitly allow other miners to covet each other's property and commit murder for their money.

In short, mines are places that devour people; it's easy to get in, but extremely difficult to get out.

Fang Shu must possess certain magical powers, status, or connections to successfully rescue his second uncle, Yu Le, ahead of schedule.

After considering all this, he let out a long breath and nodded, saying:

"Thank you, Sister Dou, I understand."

Seeing Fang Shu nod, Dou Sufu didn't care whether he truly understood or not. She acted as if the matter was settled and began to urge Fang Shu to drink.

After drinking a few cups, Dou Sufu realized that she had overestimated herself and underestimated Fang Shu.

She reeked of alcohol, her eyes were glazed over, and she seemed to be hanging directly on Fang Shu.

Looking at Fang Shu's extremely youthful face, Dou Sufu seemed to see her beloved husband ten years ago, who was also extremely young.

Or rather, her memory of her beloved's face had long since become blurred. After all, the time they actually spent together in a room was extremely short.

"My beloved..." the woman murmured, her hand resting on the low table.

Fang Shu couldn't hear what the other person was saying, but he knew that Dou Sufu was drunk.

He intended to take his leave.

But just then, the sounds of fighting, cursing, and running around came from several neighboring houses, along with sobbing and wailing, which sounded exactly like Su Qingao running away from home again.

So Fang Shu obediently sat down again, intending to wait a little longer before taking his leave.

"You bitch, why are you running away? Come back here and make me some dates."

The old man's sharp and sarcastic curses continued: "I raised you just so you could help me pickle dates... Keep your steps small, or you'll spoil the dates."

No, don't.

Su Qingao's cries seemed even more humiliating and numb than before.

But she didn't last long either, and was dragged back to the paper house next door after being beaten and scolded.

Fang Shu withdrew his gaze, looking at Dou Sufu beside him with some doubt, and asked:
"Does this old man and young woman do this every night? After all this time, they're making a scene over something as simple as taking a bath?"

Upon hearing this, Dou Sufu's face turned even redder, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at Fang Shu.

Her voice was barely audible as she muttered under her breath, "What a scoundrel."

After spitting out her words, she looked at the naive and bewildered Fang Shu in front of her and, in an absurd move, teased him again:
"Would you like some dates, young master?"

Fang Shu was stunned, but he wasn't really ignorant; he was just pretending.

Besides, although he didn't know what those pickled dates were, he did know the woman in front of him.

The woman's defenses were now completely down, and she was intoxicated, still in a state of arrogant self-importance, making her the perfect target for exploitation.

Fang Shu was confident that with just a gentle push, or even a firmer one, the other party would be helpless and unable to make a sound plea, and the deed would be done on the spot, leaving them completely submissive.

However, such alluring thoughts only lingered in his mind for a moment before he cut them off.

Fang Shu chuckled softly and murmured:

"A beautiful woman of sixteen or seventeen, her body as soft as butter, I wield the sword of wisdom to slay mortals."

"Hmm?" Dou Sufu blushed and moved closer, not quite hearing clearly.

Fang Shu smiled at her and ordered her to open her mouth.

She drunkenly tilted her head back, her red lips slightly parted.

Chirp!

Fang Shu flicked a stimulating pill into her mouth, then stood up, cupped his hands in farewell, and left without a trace of leniency.

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(End of this chapter)