Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

Zhuang Xing read it down and saw that things had gone quite smoothly at first, with everyone in the family supporting him.

The fetuses they nurtured were children born later, and when the children were young, they taught them exactly what they were supposed to do, saying that they would contribute to the ancestors of the tribe in the future.

It wasn't until later, when the "flesh fetuses" failed to meet the standards, that an elder forcibly abducted children from the family's younger generation to be used as test subjects, which became the beginning of the conflict.

The book records who died, how the Li family split into several factions and fought internally several times; it's practically a bloody history of resistance.

According to the book, the Li family, which had grown from a large clan of over a thousand people, declined to a mere hundred or so people in just over ten years.

Among these hundred or so people, there were four factions: the revenge faction, whose children had been harmed and who wanted to seek revenge; the royalist faction, who were still determined to live and even thought about reincarnation; the money-grubbing faction, who only wanted to take a share of the family property; and the peace faction, who felt that everyone was one family and should sit down and have a good talk.

In the end, the revenge faction got their revenge, the last ancestor of the royalist faction died in the womb, and the money-grubbing faction discovered that their family fortune had long been squandered and the Li family was penniless and almost had nothing left. Only then, with the help of the peace-seeking faction, did they suddenly realize their mistake and form the current Li family.

The last ancestor, Li Mingyue, said this when he died: "Birth, old age, sickness, and death are the will of Heaven, and cannot be defied." This served as a warning to the Li family.

Zhuang Xing was surprised that Senior Li Ruyu didn't mind at all that he, an outsider, was watching such exciting content.

However, upon closer reflection, almost everyone involved in that incident, whether good or bad, has died. The reorganized Li Family Village is a new Li Family Village. They are not afraid of this family history, but rather regard it as a warning, face it squarely, and never forget it.

Zhuang Xing understood the old man's intention. The old man had specifically asked him to read these two books, saying that they contained Taoist principles to pique his interest, but in reality, he was advising him not to make the same mistakes as those described in the books.

He had gained some insight and kept reading until late at night. Before he knew it, the oil in the lamp had burned out, and Xiao An crawled into the Yin-Yang Stone to sleep.

In the following days, Zhuang Xing spent a great deal of time studying those two classic texts.

The Li family history is one thing, but the Taoist practices related to ghosts also intrigued Zhuang Xing.

For example, there is a Taoist technique called "Night Wandering Technique," which allows the soul of a living person to briefly leave the body and wander at night like a ghost. It was originally developed by the ancestors of the Li family to test the compatibility of the "physical body."

The soul leaves the body and is extremely weak, but it can pass through walls, float in the air, and fly. Later, the Li family used this method to explore mountains and find paths, which could avoid many dangerous things. Sometimes it also had wonderful uses. The book records an incident where a lecherous guy used this method to peep at his cousin taking a bath. He was caught, stripped naked, and hung in front of people for two whole days.

That night, Zhuang Xing turned to the page on "The Art of Night Wandering" again.

Xiao An floated to his side, causing the flame in the oil lamp to flicker.

The little ghost's eyes drifted back and forth to the thick book on the table. It was clear she was bored. Even though she couldn't read a single word, she still tried to read like Zhuang Xing.

"Xiao An, do you want to learn to read? Do you want your brother to teach you?" Zhuang Xing asked her.

Boredom, dullness, monotony, and tedium—such a life is hard to endure. Locking someone in a dark room can drive them crazy.

Zhuang Xing wanted Xiao An to learn to read so that she could read some miscellaneous books to relieve her boredom. Anyway, it was still quite a long way to the capital, so teaching Xiao An along the way wouldn't hurt.

"I want to learn!" Xiao An replied. "If I learn to read, I can read books too, right?"

“After we leave Li Family Village, I’ll take some time to teach you to read.” Zhuang Xing smiled. “Next, I’m going to try out this night-walking technique. Xiao An, can you keep an eye on the surroundings for me? This spell can’t be disturbed while it’s being cast. If anyone comes, make the stone vibrate.”

"Okay." Xiao An nodded and went to the corner of the wall to listen to the sounds outside.

Zhuang Xing sat on the bed. He had studied this method of night travel for a long time and knew exactly how to perform it.

This was his first time trying it, and he was a little nervous and excited. He wondered what it would be like to have his soul leave his body.

He focused his energy and used his nighttime travel technique.

I felt light and airy all over, as if I were lying in the clouds.

He felt a little cold, and the book said this was a normal phenomenon, indicating that his soul was leaving his body.

When he opened his eyes again, he turned around and saw himself sitting cross-legged.

It was an incredible, one-of-a-kind experience. He knew that the person sitting over there was him, and the person looking at him was also him. The two were connected, and it was as if he had two bodies. For a moment, he couldn't switch between them.

Chapter 185 Spreading the Seeds

Zhuang Xing tried hard to adapt to the feeling of his soul leaving his body. The feeling was very unfamiliar and completely different from walking.

He felt like a landlubber who had fallen into the water, his whole body becoming light and airy, like a leaf floating on the surface of the water, unable to control his movements.

Fortunately, he was only physically separated from his body; his own body acted like an anchor, holding him in place and preventing him from drifting away like a small boat adrift on the current, without any support.

Just by having his soul leave his body, he sensed how terrifying the world of ghosts was.

If a person dies and becomes a ghost, even a gust of wind can sweep him away like a storm, just as if he were swept away by a flood, and he would be unable to resist.

However, aside from the terrifying aspects, he also experienced its mysteries.

He relaxed like someone learning to swim for the first time, and then he found himself floating.

Compared to his clumsiness, Xiao An was very agile and came to his side, circling around him.

"How come there are two older brothers? Brother, you're dead too!"

"What are you saying, that's bad luck? This is a night-walking technique." Zhuang Xing tapped Xiao An on the head.

"Ouch!" Xiao An exclaimed.

"Are you alright?" Zhuang Xing hadn't expected to actually hit Xiao An and was a little afraid he might have damaged her brain.

"It seems... nothing's wrong..." Xiao An said.

"Did you yell out just now because you felt pain?" Zhuang Xing asked.

"It doesn't hurt... Brother Zhuang, could you tap it again?" Xiao An said.

"Your request is really strange."

Zhuang Xing wondered if the child had some strange hobby, but he didn't hit her head again. Instead, he reached out and tried to stroke her forehead.

I actually touched her, but the touch wasn't warm; it was icy cold, like touching a soft stone.

Xiao An squinted and grabbed Zhuang Xing's hand. Being patted on the head by Zhuang Xing seemed to make her very happy.

There was nothing she could do; she hadn't had any contact with anyone for a very, very long time.

As a little ghost, she couldn't touch anything. At most, she could only create a gentle breeze, which would be great as a free air conditioner in the hot summer. But other than that, she couldn't participate in the world of the living. She could only crawl into that skeleton and walk around or touch things.

Zhuang Xing was completely absorbed in the moment, truly understanding how difficult things had been for Xiao An.

He tried to hold Xiao An's hand and touched her.

However, he couldn't get used to the feeling yet. He felt his foot slip and he fell to the side, or rather, floated away.

It was Xiao An who pulled him back; Xiao An was much more agile than him.

After all, he was just an apprentice ghost. He found himself being carried away by Xiao An and began to have an idea.

He had Xiao An fly him around the room twice. Xiao An grabbed his hand and floated him up, circling the roof beams, moving around in the small room.

He grasped a certain feeling, which was actually a bit like swimming. He slowly let go of Xiao An's hand and took flight on his own.

He slowly grasped the knack, but accidentally used too much force and flew off the roof.

It was an indescribable experience; it was as if he had stumbled into a dream.

A sky full of stars came into view, and a bright moon hung in the night sky. A gentle breeze blew in his face, as if it would carry him far away.

He felt a kite string connecting him to his body, and as he opened his arms, he felt as if he had become a kite as light as a feather.

Seeing Xiao An peek out with his little head, he nervously called him back, and only then did he return to the house hidden by stone bricks and blue tiles.

This was his first experience using the art of night travel. It was mysterious and profound. He had never known that such a technique existed in the world, which broadened his horizons.

After that, he spent three more days memorizing the entire contents of the two books. There were eleven different kinds of techniques recorded in them, but none of them were as unique as the Night Travel Technique. Most of them were just ordinary Taoist techniques.

We stayed in Lijiacun for a total of seven days, and it was about time to set off.

Zhuang Xing returned the two books, and Li Ruyu had another long chat with Zhuang Xing.

Before leaving, Yunling took out the seeds of the Earth-Hidden Vine and demonstrated how to use them to the Li family.

“This Earth-Hidden Vine doesn’t have many requirements for growth. Just plant it in the soil, and it will grow into a vine in about a year and a half,” Yunling said. “Planting them outside the village or next to the fields can help people defend against monsters.”

Li Ruyu accepted the seeds, saying she would plant them and try it out.

They were skeptical of Yunling's claims, as they had never heard of such a protective plant before.

Yunling was not in a hurry. She said that after the Tu Yin Teng matured, it would flower and bear fruit. If the Li family thought the seeds were useful, she hoped they could help spread the seeds to other people in Pingzhou.

"But why are you doing this?" Li Ruyu asked, puzzled. "What good will it do you?"

The corpse drivers transport corpses to earn money; it's their job. They don't understand why Yunling would do good deeds for no reason.

"My father died in the jaws of a tiger demon. I just hope that things like this will happen less often, which is why I planted this Earth-Hiding Vine," Yunling said. "If I had this Earth-Hiding Vine, perhaps my father wouldn't have died back then..."

Yunling looked a little sad. Her father was just one step away from being rescued.

If they delay a little longer, Yan Huai'an will be able to track down the tiger demon and reach the village.

But she was just one step away from her father's death.

That's why she wanted to do something for others, or rather, for her younger self.

Li Ruyu agreed to Yunling's request, saying that if the spiritual plant was truly useful, she would have the corpse-driving people from all over Pingzhou spread the seeds along their journeys.

As for what will happen in the end, that will only be known years later.

The day after returning the books, Zhuang Xing and Yunling left Li Family Village and headed towards their next destination.

Li Ruyu told Li Ting to let the Li brothers see them off.

He wasn't acting as a corpse driver, but rather as a guide for the master's family, dressed in ordinary clothes, leading the two across the Pingzhou territory.

There was probably also an element of friendship involved. Both Xuanqing Temple and the place where corpses are driven have a history of hundreds of years. Only through friendly exchanges in this generation can the friendship be passed on to future generations.

In the future, if any difficulties arise, both sides can lend a helping hand.

That's how the old Taoist priest and Li Ruyu met back then, right?

Having more friends means having more options, so Zhuang Xing was naturally happy to have someone guide him.

After traveling and resting for fifteen days, a month after their journey from Yidu, they finally reached the end of Pingzhou and were about to travel to the next prefecture, Xizhou.

Chapter 186 He Actually Traveled with the Sword Immortal All the Way

With the Li brothers leading the way, Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling rarely had to sleep in the wilderness again along the way.

The corpse-driver knew the locations of all the villages in Pingzhou by heart and could always lead the two people to a place to stay.

With the "special permit" given by the prefect, they traveled along the official road and did not need to pay for lodging or horse feed when staying at post stations. They passed through checkpoints without any hindrance and arrived at a mountain town on the edge of Pingzhou.

Before me lay magnificent green mountains and dark green waters, reflecting the misty landscape. Several small boats propelled the boats away, their oars, draped in straw raincoats, creating ripples in the water—a scene straight out of a painting.

Li Ting led the two men and one horse to a large canopy boat, where they were negotiating the price with the boatman.