From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

"How could they be the same?"

Lu Jin said with dissatisfaction, "We searched for ancient books not just to learn the ancient methods within them, but to understand the differences between ancient and modern methods."

"Forget it, I'm not going to talk about this with you guys anymore, it's boring."

Hong Guniang said, "It's dark here, and we don't know how much time has passed. Let's go out and check the sky before making a decision."

"Alright."

With one of the three scourges of the mountain eliminated, the Xuanjiao Serpent and the Mo Pipa remain, hiding in the other caves of Ping Mountain or in the woods outside. There's nothing else to scavenge here, so Jiang Liu plans to leave.

After Jiang Liu kicked the twenty-four-layered Bagua prism beneath the three legs of the alchemy furnace out of the ground, it weighed about 3,600 jin, or about one ton.

Ordinary people couldn't lift it at all, but Lu Jin and Li Muxuan both had the strength to lift a cauldron, and before their energy was exhausted, moving it out would be a piece of cake.

Once back at the bottom of Bottle Mountain, the chickens had already devoured all the centipedes there. Jiang Liu tossed a piece of Earth Dragon King's meat in front of the Angry Sun Chicken.

The angry rooster immediately began pecking at the centipede, its head bobbing up and down. In just over ten bites, it had devoured the centipede's flesh. As it spread its wings and crowed, its vital energy surged, as if it had opened up the Ren and Du meridians, emitting a wave of heat that startled the surrounding hens into giving way.

Seeing that the Angry Sun Chicken had made such progress after eating only a piece of meat, Jiang Liu had to admit that after beasts gained Qi and intelligence, their cultivation improved faster than that of humans because of their simple minds.

Then he tossed another piece to the Angry Sun Chicken, but after eating the second piece, it couldn't eat any more—it seems that it can't be refined immediately just by eating it.

Jiang Liu then cut the remaining centipede meat into long strips, dried them with the high temperature of the Heart Monkey Fire Qi, and stored them in a bamboo cage to serve as the future food for the Angry Sun Chicken.

The Angry Rooster, having eaten its fill, strutted around like a great general. It seemed to notice that the bamboo cage behind Jiang Liu was already full of various things, but instead of jumping up, it quietly followed behind him.

"Truly intelligent!"

Jiang Liu exclaimed in admiration and stepped into the passage. Nu Qing immediately followed, as if she had truly acknowledged him as her master.

The passage dug by the cave-dwelling armor was wider than when they came in. It seemed that when Partridge Whistle and the others left first, considering that they still needed to move the alchemy furnace out, they had the cave-dwelling armor widen and raise it, and cleared away the rubble and soil to make it easier for them to pass.

After exiting the passage and walking out of the mountain crevice, Jiang Liu saw that the sun was setting in the west, around two or three o'clock in the afternoon. He then asked Lu Jin and Li Muxuan to temporarily put the alchemy furnace in the nearby woods and called Hong Guniang to go up the mountain along the nearby path to search for any traces of the Xuanjiao Snake and the Mo Pipa.

However, Ping Mountain was too large, and in addition to poisonous insects, there were other large creatures. The four searched for half a day until the sun set, and they had to give up.

On the way down the mountain, passing the open space on the southern shoulder of Bottle Mountain, Jiang Liu saw the demonic mirage emerging from the deep ravine again. He took out the Gu jar once more, lit the Golden Silkworm Gu inside, and used his magnetic field to send it into the underground palace below.

Apart from the Angry Sun Chicken that followed him, the rest of the chickens temporarily settled in the area at the foot of Ping Mountain. Since ordinary poultry are straightforward, they would probably get hungry soon and would follow the scent of insects, climb up the corridor, and peck at the centipedes that had been "drunk" by Jiang Liu's incense made with the Golden Silkworm Gu.

After the Gu jar fell to the bottom of the underground palace, the demonic mirage in the deep ravine was also blown away by the wind in a short time, returning to nature without leaving any trace.

Although the demonic mirage is poisonous, it is dispersed in nature to the point that it is invisible to the human eye. Ordinary people can inhale it without any harm, as their internal organs can resolve it on their own. However, they cannot live near this Bottle Mountain for a long time, otherwise the toxins in the demonic mirage will accumulate in their bodies and weaken their internal organs.

After doing all this, Jiang Liu dispersed the crowd and called everyone to go down the mountain together. But after walking a few steps, they encountered Partridge Whistle and his group coming down from the mountain peak.

Unlike their relaxed demeanor when leaving the underground palace, Partridge Whistle and Old Foreigner both wore solemn expressions. Hua Ling, in particular, was being carried on Partridge Whistle's back, her face ashen and her body turning purple, clearly indicating that she was deeply poisoned. Without a miraculous cure, she probably wouldn't survive until sunrise the next day.

"Brother Jiang!"

Upon seeing Jiang Liu, Partridge Whistle grasped at a straw, hurriedly put Hua Ling down, knelt down, and kowtowed to him, pleading, "Please save Hua Ling!"

"stand up!"

Jiang Liu pulled her up and squatted down beside Hua Ling. Looking at her bluish-black skin, which looked like the poison had seeped into her bones, he asked in confusion, "Have you been poisoned by corpse poison? Aren't you Mountain Moving Taoists supposed to have great resistance to corpse poison?"

"It's not corpse poison..."

Seeing Jiang Liu's doubt, Partridge Whistle's heart skipped a beat. He realized that the other party might not be able to cure the poison. Back then, in the underground palace, he was able to resist the drug incense made from the heterochromatic iris. He might have relied on his strong life cultivation to help them break free, or he might have used some means to shock their brains and make them wake up!

# Chapter 160 Rescue and the Red Curse

"Hua Ling has been poisoned by scorpion venom!"

At this point, Partridge Whistle could only hope that Jiang Liu really had a way to detoxify.

Seeing Hua Ling's pained expression, Jiang Liu no longer hesitated. He patted his chest and abdomen and spat out the exquisite inner core of the relic.

The flower spirit is so deeply poisoned that if it is still held in its mouth and used, the effect will be too weak; it must be removed.

Upon seeing the exquisite inner core of the relic and smelling its pleasant fragrance, Partridge Whistle was shocked: "An inner core! And it's a golden core! So perfectly round, it can definitely be called a golden core! But can a golden core really be taken?"

Even the old foreigner couldn't believe it!

The girl in red was utterly astonished!

Jiang Liu ignored Partridge Whistle, Red Girl, and Old Foreigner. Four of the Five Gods—Mind Monkey, Will Horse, Golden Duke, and Wood Mother—emerged simultaneously. Mind Monkey and Will Horse used the power of water and fire, Golden Duke circulated the exquisite inner elixir of the relic, and Wood Mother transported wood qi to revitalize the life force within Flower Spirit's body.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, the exquisite inner core of the relic emitted a seven-colored radiance, shining upon Hua Ling.

In an instant!

The bluish-black color on Hua Ling's body was fading at an extremely fast speed, but her skin also became extremely pale, lacking any vitality.

The detoxification method of the Relic Exquisite Inner Elixir relies on stabilizing and regulating the five internal organs and stimulating the body's immune system to autonomously resolve the toxins that invade the body. Therefore, it consumes the body's own Qi and blood.

So Jiang Liu immediately took out the centipede meat jerky from the bamboo cage behind him, rubbed it between his hands until it turned into meat powder, had Lu Jin pry open Hua Ling's mouth, and told Li Muxuan to stuff the meat powder into Hua Ling's mouth and pour water down her throat.

A dried centipede has less moisture than a whole centipede, but it contains the same amount of energy as two bowls of rice. Moreover, Hua Ling's body is currently extremely craving nutrition, and she digests and absorbs it very quickly.

After feeding Hua Ling five more centipede meat powders, she finally woke up, and the blackness on her skin had completely faded away, though her face was as red as a monkey's bottom!

Before Partridge Whistle and the old foreigner could even express their surprise, she pushed them aside, ran into the nearby bushes, unbuckled her belt, pulled down her trousers, and... well, you know it.

Hearing the deafening fart and smelling a foul odor, the group wisely walked down a short distance.

Jiang Liu withdrew his Mind Monkey, Will Horse, Golden Duke, and Wooden Mother, and swallowed the exquisite inner core of the relic back into his stomach. He said to Partridge Whistle, "My detoxification method relies on regulating the five internal organs to awaken the body's potential, so the poison is still in her body and needs to be excreted through excretion. She needs to drink more water recently."

Partridge Whistle nodded somewhat blankly.

"This inner core was not refined by me, but obtained from the body of a corpse demon. Once swallowed, it will not be digested. It can stabilize the five internal organs and regulate the six viscera, making one immune to all poisons. Even if one accidentally ingests lead or mercury, this core can absorb it and then expel it through the mouth, thus preventing the body from being harmed by lead or mercury."

Seeing that Partridge Whistle, Red Girl, and Old Foreigner hesitated to speak, Jiang Liu explained the origin and approximate use of the Relic Exquisite Inner Elixir, "I hope you will not spread it widely. Even if I am not afraid of others trying to seize it, I am worried that the powerful and wealthy will come to me for treatment after hearing about it... After all, I really don't know any medicine."

"Brother Jiang, rest assured, we will keep this secret to ourselves and never tell anyone else. Otherwise, even if our lineage of the Mountain Moving Daoists were to perish, we would never find the Muchen Pearl!"

After Partridge Whistle finished speaking, he and the old foreigner swore an oath to the heavens.

Hong Guniang also promised not to tell anyone.

What exactly is the Muchen Pearl?

After Hua Ling returned to the group with a blush on her face, Li Muxuan took the opportunity to inquire about the Muchen Pearl.

"Look."

After this experience, Partridge Whistle gained trust in Jiang Liu and the others. He then peeled off his shirt, turned around, and revealed a red, eyeball-like mark on his shoulder.

Upon seeing the red-eyed man, Jiang Liu's body involuntarily trembled, a chill running down his spine.

Fortunately, the four gods within his body suppressed his internal organs, the innate talisman drawn on his arm bones stabilized his mind, and the inner world was stabilized by the reversal of the eight directions and the rebirth of the nine realms, which allowed him to calm down.

Looking at Lu Jin, Li Muxuan, Hong Guniang, and the others, they only showed curiosity.

[Could it be that only my spiritual sense was sharp enough to feel that shiver?]

A hint of seriousness appeared in Jiang Liu's questioning eyes—

Just how many incredible beings are hidden in this world below one person?!

"This is the fundamental reason why our Mountain Moving Taoist lineage is searching for the Muchen Pearl—to break this curse!"

According to Partridge Whistle's description, their ancestors were not Han Chinese, but Semu people from the Western Regions. They settled in an area called the Mazhatag Mountains, also known as the Zaglama Mountains, and discovered a deep cave there.

Therefore, they are also called Zagrama people!

Their ancestors worshipped the bottomless cave, and a prophet predicted that there was a "jade eye" in the east through which one could see the whole cave.

However, it was unwise to go east to search for the "Jade Eye," so the Zagrama people made one themselves. But perhaps this act angered the gods in the abyss cave, who cursed the entire Zagrama tribe, causing all of them to have their blood turn golden after they turned forty, then suffer from difficulty breathing and eventually die a painful death.

Moreover, this red spot curse can be passed down from generation to generation. As long as a child has Zaglama blood, regardless of whether their appearance is no different from that of a Han Chinese, they will inherit this red spot curse.

“Some of our ancestors also sought help from Taoist priests in the Central Plains, but to no avail. It is said that during the Song Dynasty, one of our ancestors wanted to forcibly break the curse by refining Qi. He entered the Celestial Master’s Mansion, practiced the Golden Light Mantra, and was granted thunder magic, making him qualified to inherit the position of Celestial Master. However, after the age of forty, his blood gradually turned yellow. His profound cultivation could not prolong his life. He only lasted until the age of forty-five before passing away.”

Partridge Whistle was a little downcast, but he quickly cheered up and said with a smile, "It was from that time that our clan stopped focusing on Qi refining and instead followed our ancestral teachings to start searching for information about the Muchen Pearl."

To explore ancient tombs hidden in various mountains and deserts, the magic needed must be of the type that can excavate and investigate, such as the Mountain-Penetrating Tomb Armor or the Beast Master. No matter how powerful other methods are, they will not be of much help in lifting our curse.

We, the Mountain Moving Taoists, are called "Taoists" because our cultivation methods are related to Taoism.

However, because we have taken the path of "tomb raiding for medical treatment," most Taoist priests nowadays look down on us, and we also avoid genuine Taoist priests.

If one's heart is not in control, how can one's body be in control of one's own destiny?

This statement is not appropriate for the Zaglama people, such as Partridge Whistle. They are truly not in control of their own lives. You can't just tell them to live obediently until they are forty years old because of this, can you?

forty!

He's only in his prime!

If you die at this age, it's no different from having lived in vain!

Jiang Liu did not show any sympathy for them, because Partridge Whistle, Old Foreigner, and Flower Spirit did not need sympathy. In order to find the Muchen Pearl, they searched for various tombs and traveled together. Their words also revealed optimism. They were a group of indomitable fighters who resisted the curse of fate!

# Chapter 161 The Location of the Three Evils

After learning about Partridge Whistle and the others' origins, Jiang Liu asked, "Do you have any leads regarding the Muchen Pearl?"

"No."

Partridge Whistle sighed, "Before coming here, we went to the ancient tomb of the King of Yelang, but we didn't find it. The last time we rescued the leader of the Unloading Ridge Warriors, we agreed to explore Bottle Mountain together, just to try our luck."

"Didn't find it in Ping Mountain?"

Red Girl asked.

"It's not confirmed yet."

Partridge Whistle shook his head and began recounting his exploration of the tomb of a Yuan Dynasty general—

After leaving the underground palace and emerging from the crevice at the foot of the mountain, Partridge Whistle, Old Foreigner, and Hua Ling immediately climbed to the top of Ping Mountain and indeed located the tomb of the Yuan Dynasty general!

Considering the steepness of the cliff, they decided to dig a tunnel from directly above Ping Mountain, releasing the mountain-penetrating burial armor to begin digging and enter the tomb chamber.

The process went smoothly, and they did not encounter any traps along the way, easily finding the location of the coffin of the Yuan Dynasty general.

The Yuan people had different traditional customs from the Han people, and they did not set up too many traps in their tombs. Moreover, when the Yuan people entered the Central Plains, their control over the Han people was not strong enough. Besides, this Yuan general came here to suppress the local Dongyi people and died far from home. How many skilled craftsmen were in the army?

But to everyone's surprise, when the coffin was opened, a scorpion the size of a calf crawled out!