What if I don't want to ascend to immortality?

Chapter 3 Unearths a Thousand-Year-Old Cave

Sun Shenglai stared at the cliff face, as if trying to make a few flowers bloom in the bare gaps between the vines. "I don't believe it. Junior, if I remember correctly, the oldest living spiritual cultivator is 192 years old, but she's already a biological money-printing machine in a special care ward, responsible for earning retirement pensions for her descendants. I absolutely do not believe she can live past 200."

He pointed to the location identified as the ruins and said, "Now you're telling me there might be an old monk over 1,500 years old inside those ruins?"

Upon hearing his explanation, Mr. Du, who was standing nearby, was startled and hurriedly asked, "Then, can my land still be developed? It's over 1,500 years old and still alive... isn't it incredibly powerful? How much money do I have to offer it to move it?"

Meng Qingtong stared at the magnified and cleared spiritual energy patterns on the screen, and let out a soft "wow," saying, "Senior brother, you definitely didn't throw in much spiritual energy just now. In fact... the starting age of this ruin is more than 1,500 years."

"Huh?" Sun Shenglai's eyes widened. "How much is that?"

“Eighteen thousand. And that’s the current limit of this phone; it can’t measure anything above eighteen thousand. So, it’s at least eighteen hundred years.” Meng Qingtong let out a long sigh, her bright eyes sparkling with joy, and said with a smile, “This… we’ve landed a big order.”

Mr. Du subconsciously said, "My commission has nothing to do with what's inside the ruins, right? My only requirement is to fix the ruins according to the protection association's regulations. Once they pass the inspection, I'll pay the final payment according to the agreement. The old demons... the old cultivators inside are a different matter."

Meng Qingtong waved her hand, "Relax, relax. If it really wasn't a survey error, whatever we find inside, I can give you a discount, at least 20% off. Consider it my reward for taking advantage of your good luck."

Seeing her eager expression, Sun Sheng nervously said, "Junior..."

Meng Qingtong interrupted him, "Senior brother, I don't really like titles like 'senior' or 'elder.' They just don't feel right for us spiritual cultivators."

Sun Shenglai had no choice but to change his tune and say, "Alright, alright, Junior Sister Meng, don't you think this ruin might be beyond our ability to handle?"

Meng Qingtong nodded. "That's right."

"Phew..." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Then just use my phone to report this. Even if the Protection Association doesn't send anyone, the Ling An Bureau should at least do something."

“This ruin is indeed not something we two should handle,” Meng Qingtong opened her backpack and began picking out talismans and boxes and bags containing spiritual materials one by one. “This is my request, what business is it of yours, Senior Brother? I don’t have the habit of sharing my own food with others.”

Sun Shenglai was taken aback. "Junior sister, if your senses are correct, there might be a terrifying spiritual cultivator over 1,800 years old in seclusion inside these ruins!"

"so what?"

"So isn't it very dangerous?!"

"Why? That's spiritual cultivation, the same kind of spiritual practitioners as us, not some unapproachable, menacing demon." She pouted. "However, with such an ancient cave dwelling, I really have to be careful. If I damage even a little bit, even if the cave's owner is magnanimous enough not to beat me up, the leaders of the protection association will probably give me a good thrashing. Ah...right, Mr. Du, you should hurry up and decide whether to sign the commission. You're eager to start, and so am I. Time is money, my friend."

Hearing her recite a line from an online game in a affected tone at the end, Sun Shenglai couldn't help but chuckle, his tense emotions instantly relaxing. He vigorously rubbed his aching right shoulder and looked at President Du, "Boss, as a spiritual affairs assistant, I'm not responsible for bargaining, am I?"

Mr. Du cleared his throat, mentally preparing himself to raise the fee to build rapport, and put on a bright smile, saying very kindly, "Qingtong is so capable, you name your price. If it's reasonable, I'll transfer the full amount to you today. You just need to get my people on site and starting work within ten days. What do you think?"

Meng Qingtong sat on her backpack and neatly arranged the items she had taken out. She tapped and clicked on the calculator on her phone screen, and finally looked at the numbers and said, "20% off... um, that's multiplying by 0.8, right?"

Mr. Du was taken aback for a moment, secretly wondering if Dongding Second Hospital didn't teach academic subjects, and said aloud, "Ah, right, right, right."

"160,000." She looked at the location of the ruins, and with her back to President Du, she made a gesture of counting money. "This is the commission fee. In addition, the spirit talismans and array materials I used must be fully reimbursed. You can ask Senior Brother Sun to check the market price. I won't ask you for a penny more."

"Hiss—" President Du drew out a long breath through his teeth, his local accent coming through, "Damn, this price is way too expensive, isn't it? If it weren't for the discount, you would have made 200,000 from me on this one deal? Your senior brother's wages for half a year are only about that much."

Meng Qingtong raised her hand, first holding up her index finger, "First, there are very few spirit masters who are willing to take on commissions other than demon extermination, and even fewer who have the qualifications to explore ruins. Do you know how much money I spent to get this stupid certificate? If you don't come to me, you'll have to keep waiting for other willing spirit masters. Anyway, Senior Brother Sun doesn't have that ability."

She then raised a second finger. "Secondly, as you just heard, this ruin might not be a real ruin, but rather a secluded cave where a highly skilled spiritual cultivator has gone into seclusion. I'm very interested in people like that. I guess there aren't many spiritual masters as recklessly bold as me. Look at Senior Brother Sun; he doesn't seem to have any intention of exploring it at all. If you ask someone else, it probably won't be that easy."

"As for the third one... you can skip the deposit, see the effect first, and then pay." She curled up the third finger she had just extended along with the first one, leaving the second one waving behind her. "Anyway, I play with talismans and arrays, and I'm not afraid of unscrupulous bosses like you defaulting on your debts. If I want to do something, I can easily create an alibi, and the Ling An Bureau won't be able to find any fault with me."

Sun Shenglai laughed out loud and quickly said, "Alright, junior sister, stop trying to amuse my boss with this mix of scare and coaxing. Just tell me, why did you ask for this price?"

Meng Qingtong held a talisman and gently rubbed it with her fingertips, smiling as she said, "Because... I want to go in today. Since I can shorten the ten-day period to one day, asking for more compensation isn't unreasonable, is it?"

"Today?" President Du's eyes lit up. With the rapid development of spiritual arts, technology, and spiritual technology, the construction industry has already undergone tremendous changes. But no matter how it changes, construction can always be done sooner or better. In particular, the development of this small peak involves mountain restoration. The rental fee for the special equipment that is currently on standby nearby is already tens of thousands of yuan per day.

He immediately slapped his thigh, beaming, and said, "If you can really open up the ruins today, even if the association can only inspect them tomorrow, I won't ask you for a discount. Two hundred thousand, I won't shortchange you a single penny, I'll transfer the money on the spot! If you only accept cash, I'll have the driver go back to the city to get it for you right now!"

Meng Qingtong took a deep breath, and the proud curve of her long neck swelled and contracted noticeably. "Okay, take the power of attorney. Sign your name first, and I'll come and see it when I'm done."

After saying that, she walked to the steep cliff at the edge of the gentle slope, picked up the bag, reached in and pinched some of the mixed powder, and bent down to start setting up the formation.

Sun Shenglai followed her over, saying worriedly, "Junior Sister, President Du isn't a spiritual cultivator, he doesn't understand. But I know you're so young, and no matter how strong your talent is, your accumulation is ultimately limited. To cut out that cave dwelling from this hill perfectly intact, which is over 1,800 years old, isn't just about finding the entrance. Can your spiritual power withstand it? If it comes to the point where you need to consume spirit stones, it will be a loss."

Meng Qingtong rolled her eyes without any regard for her image. "Spirit stones are for researching spirit patterns and contributing to the development of the world. Using them to replenish mana is a waste of resources."

She continued to bury herself in the setup, glancing up every now and then to take out her phone, activate the spirit runes, take a picture to determine the angle and distance, and mutter to herself, "Don't worry, senior brother, I dare say, not to mention Dongding City, but in the entire Dongding region, you won't find a spirit mage willing to take on this job better than me."

She paused slightly, her tone returning to the self-deprecating humor she'd used before: "After all, not many spiritual practitioners need to rack their brains and work themselves to the bone to make money like I do." Sun Shenglai looked at the beads of sweat on her forehead and said softly, "Actually, if you wanted to, you could have been living a very good life a long time ago."

"Come on." Meng Qingtong clapped her hands, moved to another spot to continue setting up her formation, her tone seemingly much lighter. "The city is getting bigger and bigger, and houses closer to the city center are getting more and more expensive. If you want to persuade me to rent for the rest of my life, you should shut up now. I'm determined to save up a down payment before graduation... Who told us we don't have any pockets to help us pay?"

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about. Teacher Liu mentioned your situation when she was helping you find clients in the graduate group last time. You’ve been throwing the bulk of your income into the bottomless pit of the orphanage. How could you possibly be doing well?”

"You're making it sound like I'm really poor." Meng Qingtong smiled slightly, got up and did some calculations, then took the talisman back to the spirit array. "I'm just terrified of being poor. I haven't skimped on spending money where necessary. I collect at least 25% of the highest-grade talisman array materials at the academy's internal discount price. My expenses for a semester are almost enough to buy your boss's car."

"But you still dress like this, ride that beat-up bike uphill to save time, and you can't even bear to take a taxi."

She scoffed, "Senior brother, the taxi down there dares to charge me 250 yuan for such a short mountain road? Do I look like an idiot? As for my clothes... knowing I'm going to work in the mountains today, I even wore a little skirt. If it gets torn or scraped, I'll be the one who feels the pain."

Sun Shenglai hesitated for a moment and said, "Junior sister, I still don't understand. You are so young... um... so frugal, and so strapped for cash. When you entered school, why did you choose the most expensive cultivation method, spirit talismans, as your major? You also minored in spirit arrays. As far as I know, many rich kids can't afford this kind of cultivation path."

"There are many reasons, and I'm too lazy to explain them one by one." She carefully stuck the last talisman in her hand to the last empty corner of the spirit array, stood up and stretched. "Senior brother, since you've made up your mind to return to a normal life, then stay out of the mess here. Otherwise, one day you might get carried away and run to the front line to fight against the demons again."

Her bright eyes flickered, her gaze sweeping over Sun Shenglai's right shoulder, which he was trying to keep at an unnatural angle. Her tone softened slightly, "This guy surnamed Du doesn't seem like a good boss. If I meet someone more suitable someday, I'll introduce you to a new job."

Sun Shenglai said with a wry smile, "President Du is actually not a bad person, he just didn't have much formal education."

“Not bad… but this standard is a bit too low.” She raised her eyebrows slightly, opened her hand, stepped back to the backpack, gestured between the three set-up spirit arrays and the target location for a few seconds, pointed to the side, “To be on the safe side, let’s move closer to that side, so that the landslide doesn’t deviate from my expectations and bury us all alive.”

Completely bewildered, Mr. Du walked over to Sun Shenglai and asked in a low voice, "She finished it already? Only ten minutes? That's incredibly fast!"

Sun Shenglai took the signed power of attorney and said with some dissatisfaction, "The skills of using talismans and arrays are not shown in public, but they are highly efficient and require much more preparation time."

However, he was also very curious about what his junior sister was trying to do by drawing three slightly unconventional defensive spirit arrays.

Knowing that President Du was an outsider, he simply asked, "Junior Sister, are all three of your formations defensive? Are you using them to clear mountains?"

Meng Qingtong nodded. "Haven't you noticed? Regardless of the type of spiritual technique, when the same amount of spiritual power is invested, the defensive side is always stronger."

Sun Shenglai was taken aback, then seemed to understand something, "Now that you mention it... it seems that way."

"So, I've been thinking, since shields are harder, why can't we just use them to cut?" She snapped her fingers crisply, suddenly raising her voice, and the fluctuation of spiritual energy accompanied her clear voice, "Iron Wall!"

She called out the name of the formation, and the three formation diagrams immediately emitted a dazzling spiritual light.

But instead of giving the order to begin, she quickly continued chanting: "Flowing Light—Open!"

The twelve radiant runes lit up simultaneously, enveloping the array that had become a single entity after being activated.

Immediately, she moved her hands in unison, using dazzling and complex movements to send three already activated Iron Wall Formations into the earth and rocks of the mountain peak with flowing light talismans.

Regardless of whether it's a talisman or a spirit array, the truly effective part after activation is composed of spiritual energy. The talisman paper and array diagram are physical objects, but the effects of the talisman and spirit array are not, so they can naturally pass through the mountain and go straight into it.

Never having imagined that spiritual arts could be used in this way, Sun Shenglai was dumbfounded, appreciating his junior sister's genius from another perspective.

Then, something even more surprising happened.

"rise!"

With the command to activate the formation, the three cores of the copper and iron walls were activated simultaneously. The dazzling light was hidden inside the mountain, but the three huge shields formed by spiritual energy, with their powerful physical defense capabilities, were forcibly cut out from inside the rock wall, like three blunt knives emerging from a cake.

Earth and rocks rolled down, landslides occurred, and amidst the roar, dust and mist rose everywhere.

With meticulous calculations and precise control, Meng Qingtong easily—or rather, effortlessly—cut off three sides of the peak, preserving the central part of the mountain where the remnants were present, and precisely destroyed the protection of the cave entrance, all using only three Class B intermediate defensive spirit arrays.

She hummed a popular ancient-style song, picked up her backpack, and ran towards the cave entrance. When she was cutting, she had deliberately left this side as a gentle slope.

Sun Shenglai suspected that if she had enough time and materials, she might even be able to cut out the steps to climb up.

With a hand seal, he released a wind spirit blade, blowing away the swirling dust and smoke. Sun Shenglai quickly chased after it, wanting to see what was going on inside the thousand-year-old cave.

At this moment, Meng Qingtong, who was almost at the cave entrance, suddenly stopped.

She turned her head to the side, looking at the empty sky with a mixture of surprise and bewilderment.

Then, in a voice only she could hear, she murmured to herself, "Just now... was someone watching me?"

(End of this chapter)