Chapter 22

(Please give a recommendation every day, please add to your bookshelf, important things repeated three times, really shy.)

The ancient osmanthus tree twisted and gnarled, its bark cracked, like an old kylin crouching on the ground.

Under the tree, two Taoist priests were very excited. Another young Taoist, who looked very refined and carried a long sword in its scabbard, mused, "This old mountain ginseng should be enough to trade for an Open Heaven Pill from Senior Uncle Jingwu. It might even be worth a bit more. If we work a bit harder and add some extras, we can get two."

"Exactly!" The fat Taoist beamed, "The Foundation Establishment Pill is hard to refine. Only a few are supplied to us in the outer court each month, and they are all controlled by those bastards. If we keep waiting, it might be one or two years before it's our turn. But with our Foundation Establishment skills, at most one year, we can fully master the sixth and seventh levels. If we don't seize the opportunity, we'll miss the best time for Foundation Establishment."

In the martial world, the younger one is, the better for Foundation Establishment, as it is the time when one's vitality is most vigorous.

Even the fat Taoist, who was in the outer court, had seen many disciples attempt Foundation Establishment over the years. Out of ten, only one could successfully open the dantian and qi sea, nurturing internal family true qi, which was already quite rare. This was still in a major sect like Wudang. In first-class sects or martial families, or even lower-level martial people, it might take dozens to produce one success.

This shows how difficult it is for martial people to establish their foundation. Internal family true qi is hard to come by, and the first realm after Foundation Establishment is called the Open Heaven Realm.

Because successfully establishing the foundation and opening the dantian and qi sea to nurture internal family true qi is no less significant than opening the heavens and earth. If the dantian and qi sea are the world, then internal family true qi is the source of the first life.

Thinking of this, the two looked at each other. The refined Taoist gritted his teeth and said, "We discovered this old mountain ginseng half a year ago, and it still lacked some refinement. Ten years is a cycle, and now it has completed three cycles. We should harvest it now. I suspect the news has already leaked. These scoundrels from the Xiaoyao Valley, even though they are prisoners, still think they are from noble families and high officials, and they are like rats, always scheming in the Wudang Mountains."

The fat Taoist also widened his eyes but then sighed, "These noble families have been operating for generations, and no one knows how deep their roots are. Even as prisoners, their relationships are intertwined, and it's no wonder they secretly contact each other. Their interests are heavily weighted, and they are not like us poor disciples. We see them as pigs and dogs, but they may not even look at us."

"They say the Han Emperor is benevolent, but that's not necessarily true. It's not that he dares not kill, but he cannot easily do so. These noble families have deep connections, and many experts are hidden in the shadows," the refined Taoist sneered, "The emperor's heart and the political arena, what do they have to do with the martial world..."

"Be careful what you say!"

The fat Taoist covered his mouth, looking around nervously, and said in a trembling voice, "You really have no sense of propriety. How many historical records show that words can bring disaster!"

"What's to be afraid of? It's just the two of us, known only to heaven and earth," the refined Taoist pushed away the fat Taoist's hand, annoyed.

Rolling his eyes, the fat Taoist said, "How many extraordinary skills and techniques are there in the world? Even in Wudang, with its twenty-seven veins and seventy-two peaks, how many martial arts and techniques do you remember?"

His face turned slightly embarrassed, and the refined Taoist became angry, scolding, "You eat the most and talk the most!"

On a cliff about ten yards away, Su Qignian stood tall. His lips twitched slightly, and he was somewhat speechless about the two young Taoists. However, his gaze soon fell on the old mountain ginseng tied with a red string.

Su Qignian knew little about pharmacology, even in his previous life, where his family was known for its love of ancient books and rare editions. He had only read a brief section of the "Huangdi Neijing" about ginseng. In a book called "Yanpu Zaji," he read that digging wild mountain ginseng, commonly known as "fangshan," involves a group of people in the deep mountains and forests, using wooden sticks to part the wild grass and search for ginseng, which is called "pressing the mountain." Another method is "duoshan," where people search separately and communicate by tapping wooden sticks. In both methods, speaking and eating are strictly prohibited. The fangshan people have rules: if they disturb the ginseng spirit, the ginseng will run away.

After finding the ginseng, they tie it with a red string to prevent it from escaping.

So, Su Qignian wasn't really underestimating the two young Taoists. From some minor details, it was clear that they were not ordinary people. After all, to be selected by a major sect like Wudang and admitted, one must have some talent and insight.

Wudang's Tai Chi is harmonious and can do good, but it is not a place for refugees. The inheritance of the sect is a matter of great importance, and there can be no carelessness or arbitrariness.

Suddenly, Su Qignian's gaze shifted, and he focused his attention.

Under the ancient osmanthus tree.

The refined Taoist took out a medicinal shovel and carefully untied the red string from the old mountain ginseng's leaf stem, wrapping it around his wrist. Upon closer inspection, the red string was not ordinary, containing ancient copper threads.

After a short while, the soil was dug and cleared, and a foot-long old mountain ginseng was extracted. Seeing the bright yellow wild ginseng, the two were shaken, their eyes gleaming with excitement. At this moment, both were filled with anticipation. With a few more months of accumulation, they could trade for two Open Heaven Pills from Senior Uncle Jingwu. With the Foundation Establishment Pills, they had at least a thirty percent chance of successfully opening the heavens and earth and nurturing internal family true qi.

"Good fortune for the two junior brothers."

Just as the fat Taoist and the other were about to wrap the old mountain ginseng in a prepared green cloth and keep it close, a voice came from a distance, filled with mockery and amusement, making the two Taoists shudder and their faces turn pale.

Turning around, the two saw a young Taoist, about twenty years old, walking into the valley. He had one hand behind his back, a handsome face, and a smile on his lips. His eyes sparkled with a sense of control, as if everything was within his grasp.

"Jiang Qingliu!" The refined Taoist said with a stern face, "You were following us!"

"Junior Brother Qingyu, you're being too formal," the young Taoist Jiang Qingliu laughed lightly, "Going into the mountains to gather herbs is such a hard job. Who else is suitable for it besides the prisoners from the Xiaoyao Valley? I feel very sorry for Junior Brothers Qingyu and Qingye, who are proper disciples of the True Wu Emperor. I am willing to take over to save them the trouble."

On the cliff, Su Qignian's mental acuity was sharp, and every word of the three people's conversation reached his ears.

"Wudang has four generations: Qing, Jing, Ning, and He. These three are indeed outer court disciples, the 107th generation of Wudang, the 'Qing' generation. The 'He' generation, over a hundred years old, is said to be few and far between, like dragons seen but not fully revealed. Even the outside world doesn't know how many of Wudang's descendants remain."

While Su Qignian was thinking, under the ancient osmanthus tree, Qingyu and Qingye were already furious, as two more people arrived behind the young Taoist.

"Junior Brothers, I am willing to share your hard work."

"Senior Brother Qinghu is right, it should be so."

The two young Taoists, standing a few yards apart, seemed to be wary of each other. As they walked into the valley, Jiang Qingliu's fists clenched under his robe but soon relaxed. His eyes flashed, and a smile appeared on his lips. "I didn't expect the two senior brothers to be here. I suggest we each take a third, so that Junior Brothers Qingyu and Qingye are not favored more or less. What do you think?"

"Not bad, Junior Brother Qingliu has keen eyesight, just as I wished."

The three outer court disciples looked at each other and smiled, their tense muscles in their robes relaxing. They had the same goal but belonged to different factions and did not want to easily fall out. This distribution was acceptable and avoided a conflict. They were about the same age, knew each other well in the outer court, and had roughly the same cultivation in the "Turtle Snake Technique." A real confrontation would be hard to predict. (Please give a recommendation every day, please add to your bookshelf, important things repeated three times, really shy.)