Vampire Cultivation Notes

A day when heavy snow was falling.

The resounding bell awakens the morning in Taipingfang Market.

Li Jieqing scrambled out of bed, stretched his legs which had gone numb from meditating all night, and then began to wash up to the sound of the buzzing bell.

After washing up, time was running out.

Without even having time to eat, Li Jieqing hurriedly pushed open the door and went straight to his assigned pill workshop to start work.

"If I had known that cultivating immortality would end in never even having a hot meal, why did I ever leave the mortal world in the first place?"

Li Jieqing squatted in front of the alchemy furnace, his stomach churning like a drum, fanning the fire and adding charcoal while shaking his head and laughing at himself.

The fire inside the alchemy furnace gradually brightened.

In the flickering flames, Li Jieqing seemed to see a vision of himself before he was a mortal.

It was a small town in the countryside of a mortal dynasty.

After recognizing reality, a baby who has been reborn from another time earns a reputation as a child prodigy in his early years. He plans to study hard, pass the imperial examinations, and strive to make a name for himself in history, so as not to waste his rebirth.

As a result, when he was thirteen years old, during the imperial examination for children, a celestial being from a superior sect suddenly flew to the county town, wanting to test people's spiritual roots and take on disciples.

It was then that I learned that there were actually cultivators in this world.

Think about it too.

Time travel is common, so what's so surprising about a cultivator suddenly appearing?

Needless to say, forget about being remembered in history; once you become a deity, you yourself are a piece of history.

After that, he immediately abandoned the preliminary examination for children and recommended himself as a child prodigy, seeking guidance from an immortal to be accepted as a disciple.

However, things did not go as planned.

The cultivator immediately tested his innate talent and, full of gloom, said he had a mixed five-elemental spiritual root, then dismissed him and left with a cultivator who had a three-elemental spiritual root.

Forty years have passed since then.

……

The alchemy furnace was already hot. The alchemist Dong Lao, recruited by the alchemy workshop, arrived. He touched the inside of the furnace, stroked the flames, and stroked his beard with satisfaction, nodding.

After glancing again at Li Jieqing, who was tending the fire, Old Dong raised his hand and pointed to the unprocessed medicinal herbs outside the door.

"Go now, I'll call you again when it's time to add firewood."

Li Jieqing knew that this man surnamed Dong was very good at preventing people from secretly learning alchemy, so he wasn't too surprised. He nodded and went outside to handle the batch of medicinal herbs as instructed.

The medicinal materials are several hundred-year-old ginseng plants, whose bodies have basically turned into wood. They need to be refined using special alchemy techniques and are used specifically to prepare mid-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills to assist cultivators at the fourth level of Qi Refining in their cultivation.

"Will I ever be able to use this kind of elixir again in my lifetime?"

Li Jieqing picked up the ginseng and shook his head again.

He's only at the third level of Qi Refining yet.

Back then, after witnessing the departure of cultivators in the mortal world, Li Jieqing still did not give up his desire to cultivate immortality and began to relentlessly seek immortals and ask questions everywhere.

Ten years later, after his parents passed away, he disregarded the pleas of his hometown and relatives to stay and left alone to pursue the path of immortality.

Another ten years of hardship and sleeping in the open, ten years of seeking guidance from the blind.

Finally, he settled down in Taipingfang City, a place where independent cultivators gathered, and successfully entered the Qi Refining stage.

More than a decade passed, and he finally reached the peak of the third level of Qi Refining.

Yes, it can be said to be close to the early stage of the fourth level of Qi Refining, a state of near perfection.

A few years ago, Li Jieqing felt that he had accumulated enough Qi to break through.

And that's how I got stuck until now.

This is probably the reason behind the saying that there is a bottleneck in the cultivation realm.

As it turns out, there was a reason why that immortal master looked so unlucky when he tested his spiritual roots back then.

If he's not qualified, then he really isn't good enough.

"Uncle Li, did Chef Dong kick people out again?"

Yu Fanyi, a handyman hired by the alchemy workshop last year, was also tidying up herbs nearby. He was peeking into the workshop while muttering to Li Jieqing.

"I'll let it go, but Uncle Li, you've been working here longer than Master Dong. It would be too disrespectful to you."

"Hmph, you're not being honest."

Li Jieqing glanced over and snorted coldly.

The family of the man surnamed Yu has many cultivators living together as a clan. As a result, he has seen a lot of the world since he was a child. Last year, he came here to work, hoping to secretly learn the art of alchemy and become an alchemist.

His thoughts are written all over his face, no wonder people are wary of him.

Now they're trying to provoke and incite me to take the lead?

You really underestimate your old man!

He was nothing more than an ant at the second level of Qi Refining. If it weren't for the fact that his family had connections, I would have slapped him across the face.

Hmph, I'll put up with him for now.

"Brother Xiaoyu, get to work first. If you want to learn alchemy, you have to calm down. There will always be a chance in time."

"It's been quiet for almost two years!"

Yu Fanyi ignored Li Jieqing's earlier snort and continued to laugh.

"I only earn two spirit stones a year at most. What's that worth? It'll be gone after two dual cultivation sessions in the back alley. Uncle Li, you earn more than me, so of course you're not in a hurry."

"Just avoid going to the backstreets, won't that solve the problem?" Li Jieqing said.

"It's too slow to cultivate Qi on your own. You spend all day harmonizing the dragon and tiger, distributing Yin and Yang, and seeking a hundred-fold refined Qi to circulate throughout your body. You can't afford to make the slightest mistake."

"What could be more fulfilling than cultivating together with someone, progressing side by side?"

As Yu Fanyi spoke, he couldn't help but slurp a mouthful, as if recalling various flavors.

Imagine those beautiful women with skin like jade, holding warm and soft jade in your arms. Isn't the point of cultivating oneself to enjoy such pleasures?

"Lack of ambition".

Li Jieqing sneered again: "If you had kept that spirit stone for yourself, you would have already made great progress in your magic power and reached the peak of the early stage of Qi Refining, just like me."

"Come on, Uncle Li. I've heard that when you first came here, you weren't exactly well-behaved either, and you were always looking for traces of fairies."

"..."

"It's a pity, though," Yu Fanyi said to himself. "It is said that the upper sect has issued a decree, saying that our Taiping Market has existed for many years, and the operation of the formation is inevitably obscured. In order to prevent evil spirits and heretics from infiltrating, the market is required to undergo repairs."

"After the renovation, I wonder if the bustling scene of women in the back street will still be there."

As he spoke, Yu Fanyi sighed again: "It's hateful that evil demons and heretics are rampant in the wild. Otherwise, with my abilities, I could go out and search for treasure lands and visit grotto heavens, and do whatever I want. Now I'm just wasting my life working odd jobs in this small workshop. It's clear that the cultivators of the upper sect are ultimately heartless and should be replaced by someone with virtue."

"Young people are so arrogant. Be careful, or the higher realm might take notice and strike you down with lightning."

"Then, Uncle Li, what are your thoughts?"

"If the highest rank is occupied by the virtuous... what does that have to do with my annual income of three spirit stones?"

Yu Fanyi was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled.

"Uncle Li, you are truly a remarkable person. No wonder you came from the mortal world alone... But it's such a pity that you're still in the early stages of Qi Refining at your age. What's the point of all this effort? If you had been a wealthy man living a life of luxury in the mortal world, it would have been far better than this."

After he finished speaking, no one responded for a moment.

It wasn't until Yu Fanyi looked over, sensing something was amiss, that he heard the echo.

"Heh... You were born a cultivator, so naturally you wouldn't understand."

I could have endured the mortal realm if I had never seen the gods and immortals.

After a hard morning's work, Li Jieqing stood up, carrying the processed ginseng, and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead.

For decades, I have worked day and night in this way. If I were to describe the hardships, there would be countless words to tell.

But if you were to ask, "If only I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?"

The two words "no regrets" are enough.

……

At the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), the last drumbeat came from the Wanbao Pavilion in the market.

The sound of the drums signaled the closing time of the market.

At the same time, it was also the off-duty time for the alchemy workshop.

They arrived at dawn and left at dusk, working eight hours a day. Even though Li Jieqing was a cultivator, he felt dizzy and lightheaded for a while after leaving the alchemy workshop.

Fortunately, the alchemy workshop distributed this quarter's pay today. Holding a grayish-white stone less than three inches in size in my palm made me feel quite satisfied.

"Although the income from odd jobs at the alchemy workshop is stable, I'm almost sixty years old, and my body probably can't handle doing hard labor all the time. It's time to plan my future cultivation..."

While pondering his future, Li Jieqing walked towards his residence. He had already saved up a sum of spirit stones in order to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining. Once he broke through, his net worth would definitely increase.

Just then, several calls came from above.

"Uncle Li, please wait a moment!"

Fighting was strictly prohibited in the market, so Li Jieqing was not flustered and stopped to take a look.

But then, it was the young man, Yu Fanyi, who came chasing after them from behind.

Upon approaching, Yu Fanyi smiled and lowered his voice, saying, "Someone invited me to Wangyue Valley to gather herbs in three days. I was thinking it would be better to invite Uncle Li to go with me. Even if we don't find any great treasures, just digging up a hundred-year-old ginseng would be better than a year of hard work."

"Wangyue Valley?"

Li Jieqing considered it for only a moment before decisively refusing.

"It's too far from the market town; it's not worth going. I advise you not to go either, lest the person you're meeting with is unpredictable."

"Hahaha!"

As if he had expected this answer, Yu Fanyi smiled and said, "We agreed to only linger at the entrance of Wangyue Valley and not go deeper. Moreover, the person who invited me was none other than Jiang Wei and his wife."

"Oh? Well... I'm afraid it's possible. I even took care of their only daughter for a while when she was little. Tell me more about her."

Li Jieqing became interested.

The cultivation world is full of evil and heretical sects, and the early stage of Qi Refining is at the bottom of the food chain. Li Jieqing was able to come from the mortal world to the cultivation world and reach this age by always being cautious and avoiding trouble.

Upon hearing that Jiang Wei and his wife were acquaintances, he questioned them carefully before finally agreeing.

Of course, it was inevitable that he would go to Jiang Wei's house again to inquire later.

This Jiang Wei is none other than the one who guided Li Jieqing when he was still a mortal. He went through great hardships to find the outside of the immortal Taiping Market, but was blocked by an array and could not enter. It was only with the guidance of this person that he was finally able to step into the market.

It could be said that he was half of Li Jieqing's mentor in the path of cultivation.

"Then it's settled. We'll meet at the archway on the main street in three days."

When Yu Fanyi saw that Li Jieqing had relented, he was overjoyed for a moment before bowing and taking his leave.

He knew that Li Jieqing, despite his advanced age, had a good reputation in the market, so there was no need to be wary of him when they went out together.

This is the effect of word-of-mouth.

He's almost sixty and still only at the third level of Qi Refining, yet he doesn't compete or fight (although he can't compete or fight with others anyway). He just relies on the power of the Pill Refining Hall to work hard and cultivate. How could such a person have a bad reputation?

After bowing goodbye, Li Jieqing turned around, muttering to himself.

"If I want to go out to collect herbs, I have my own hoe and ointment to mask the smell, but I also need to buy a few jade boxes to store them."

"Oh, and the protective magical artifacts also need to be carefully nurtured..."

……

Three days later.

Li Jieqing took leave, carrying a medicine basket on his back, tucking his trousers in, and keeping his magic weapon, the Green Water Sword, close to his body as he went out.

This Qing Shui sword is two feet three inches long, with a dark green blade and fine lines. Seven years ago, Li Jieqing bought it from a stall on North Street in the market for five spirit stones.

In short, secondhand goods.

I don't know if the stall owner killed someone to steal the treasure or just found it somewhere.

However, after being nurtured by Li Jieqing's qi for seven years, their compatibility is still quite good.

In front of Wangyue Valley.

The organizer of this herb-gathering trip, Jiang Wei, who was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, looked at the map in his hand and carefully instructed, "Due to the terrain, we will split up to search for herbs here. If we encounter any monsters, we will not disturb them. We will regroup every hour."

That's how it should be.

Everyone in the group nodded.

Yu Fanyi picked up the map of Wangyue Valley that he had bought, and Li Jieqing picked up the medicine hoe, splitting up to climb the rock wall.

Cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining cannot fly, and Li Jieqing did not have any flying artifacts. He could only use his Lightness Technique to leap among the white rock walls.

Hidden by snowflakes, we finally found a few ginseng plants along the way, but unfortunately, the most were only twenty or thirty years old. They might be considered rare in the mortal world, but in the cultivation world, they weren't even qualified to be used to refine low-grade Qi-nourishing pills.

Li Jieqing did not pick any of them. An hour later, as agreed, they gathered in front of Wangyue Valley.

"...Huh?"

The agreed meeting place in front of Wangyue Valley was unexpectedly quiet; there wasn't a single person there.

Li Jieqing frowned, held his breath and put down the medicine basket and hoe. After thinking for a moment, he took out the Qingshui Sword and carefully followed the route that Yu Fanyi had taken earlier.

soon.

After climbing over a giant rock wall, one sees a scene below the cliff: blood splattered on the snow, forming plum blossoms.

Yu Fanyi, who came from a family of cultivators, fell to the ground, bleeding profusely, and fell silent.

Meanwhile, the Jiang couple, acquaintances standing nearby, were searching his belongings, their movements quite practiced.

Sudden.

Jiang Wei, who was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, looked up and stared directly at the top of the cliff.

"This is bad!"

Meeting that fierce gaze, Li Jieqing already knew what was going on.

"I'm sorry, Brother Li, my daughter's entry into a sect has been very expensive."

Jiang Wei and his wife leaped up the cliff and surrounded Li Jieqing, who was unable to escape.

"...Am I going to die too?"

Li Jieqing looked around and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"It's all my fault for letting me know that you painstakingly saved up a sum of spirit stones, specifically to break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining."

Jiang Wei sighed inwardly. They had been friends for nearly twenty years, and he didn't want this to happen.

"Watch out, Wei-ge!"

A gasp of surprise suddenly rang out.

It was Jiang Wei's wife calling anxiously to come closer.

Clang!

The tip of the Azure Water Sword was already in front of Jiang Wei in the next instant, and the magic power it contained exploded, stirring up countless snowflakes on the cliff top.

Amidst the swirling snowflakes, Jiang Wei met those resolute eyes.

boom!

Rumble!!!

After an incense stick has burned.

Jiang Wei and his wife retreated, panting, still filled with anger.

"This old man dared to risk his life; he almost got you killed!"

"No..." Jiang Wei, the husband, shook his head at the corpse of Li Jieqing in front of him, his hand still stroking the neck where the needles still clung.

"Brother Li, you're trying to stir up trouble and summon monsters to perish with us."

"That's even more hateful!"

"well……"

After searching the area, Jiang Wei and his wife pushed the already lifeless body off the cliff and buried it in the snow.

Twenty years of worldly ups and downs, forty years of stumbling on the path to immortality.

Reborn as a human, Li Jieqing died here.

……

The snowfall in Wangyue Valley was getting heavier, and Jiang Wei and his wife dared not linger, so they hurriedly returned to the market.

After the two left, night fell, the heavy snow finally stopped, and a full moon broke through the clouds, hanging above the Moon Gazing Valley.

Under the moonlight, a withered, seemingly inhuman hand emerged from the thick snow below the cliff.

With a deathly pale face, Li Jieqing raised his head and stared blankly at the bright moon in the sky.