Chapter 60

"Earlier didn’t count, this is the first time! Old man, you wait, this isn’t over yet!" Just as the two Gui brothers were helping Gui Buigui to his feet, a chubby little head popped out of the ground behind them. While cursing, the little head grabbed a stone and threw it at the grandfather and grandson.

"Is this never going to end!" After the two Gui brothers endured a few stones, they pulled the wild grass tied to their ankles and the old man roared, running towards the spot where the ginseng child’s head had appeared. Unfortunately, he was a step too late. Just as he was about to grab the ginseng child’s little braid, the little guy’s neck retracted, and he instantly disappeared into the ground.

Gui Buigui wiped the blood from his face and shouted at his two grand-disciples, "Go get the pickaxes and iron bars! Dig up this little bastard, even if we have to dig three feet deep! This time, we won’t make any medicine; just split him in half, one half for each of you! What are you standing around for? Get the tools!"

The two Gui brothers didn’t have many followers, and most of them were sent to the nearby county town to buy medicinal herbs. Now that their master had spoken, they dared not disobey. The two brothers personally led three or four followers, carrying pickaxes, and began to furiously dig at the ground inside the inner cave. The entire cave was naturally formed, as hard as granite from top to bottom. Each strike of the pickaxe produced a shower of sparks, but the ground remained unscathed. The two Gui brothers and their followers’ muscles began to tremble uncontrollably.

After cleaning the blood from his face, Gui Buigui found the noise too loud and found a quiet inner cave, locking the door tightly to rest. The two Gui brothers were truly persistent. After a sleepless night, they managed to dig up the entire ground of the inner cave with their four followers, who were now foaming at the mouth. However, they still didn’t find a single hair of the ginseng child.

When it was light, the two brothers shivered as they went to report to their master, but they couldn’t find Gui Buigui in any of the nearby inner caves. With no choice, they dragged their exhausted bodies, searching for their master cave by cave. Just as they were about to reach the inner cave where Gui Buigui was hiding, they suddenly saw Wu Mian walking towards them.

After confirming they were looking for Gui Buigui, Wu Mian, who rarely helped, went into the inner cave to check. When he came out, he shook his head and said, "Your master isn’t here. Look somewhere else."

Although they hadn’t known Wu Mian long, they had already seen from their master that this white-haired young man was extremely difficult to provoke. After a few polite words, the two brothers turned and continued searching the other inner caves. However, they didn’t notice that as they turned, a strange smile appeared on Wu Mian’s cold face.

After circling the entire inner cave, the two Gui brothers still couldn’t find their master. With no choice, they circled again, this time calling out their master’s name as they searched each inner cave.

When they reached the inner cave Wu Mian had checked for them, Gui Lai pushed open the door and immediately saw Gui Buigui tied up like a dumpling. His mouth was stuffed with mud, and he was bound with vines, leaving him no chance to spit out the mud.

The two Gui brothers were shocked and quickly untied their master. After regaining his freedom, Gui Buigui spat out all the mud in his mouth. Just as the two brothers went to fetch water for him to rinse his mouth, the door of the inner cave suddenly opened, and Wu Mian strolled in.

Seeing Wu Mian, Gui Buigui’s face turned red. He jumped up from the ground and shouted at him, "When you came in earlier and saw that little bastard messing with me, you just stood there watching? Even if you didn’t want to help, you could have scared him off. I wouldn’t have had to suffer like this!"

Wu Mian waited until the old man finished speaking, then slowly looked at him and said, "That was your private matter, I didn’t get involved. Besides, when you tied him up earlier, I didn’t tie him either. I don’t meddle in your affairs; you deal with it yourselves."

As he spoke, Wu Mian walked to Gui Buigui’s side and threw a bundle of plant roots in front of him. After looking at the old man, he said slowly, "Don’t say I lived in your cave for free. This is the rent."

When Gui Buigui saw the roots, he was initially stunned but quickly realized what Wu Mian had thrown. He carefully picked up the roots and, just as he was about to ask Wu Mian where he got them, he noticed that Wu Mian had already left the inner cave while he was distracted.

A moment later, when the two Gui brothers returned with a basin of water, they saw their master holding the plant roots. Seeing the two brothers, Gui Buigui smiled faintly and said, "You’re lucky. Just now, your master used a bit of cunning to trick that little ginseng child. I cut off all his roots. Once your followers bring back the medicinal herbs, I can extend your lives by a thousand years..."

The two Gui brothers were stunned by Gui Buigui’s words. They couldn’t imagine such an outcome. Gui Lai, being more perceptive, didn’t say much but kept blinking, trying to understand his master’s words. Gui Qu, being less tactful, scratched his head and asked, "Then why were you tied up, and why was your mouth full of mud?"

Gui Buigui took a deep breath and said to his two disciples, "Can’t you see it’s an illusion? Are your minds so closed? I did that to deceive that little bastard. If I hadn’t, how could you two have gotten such a big advantage?"

The two brothers smiled and flattered their master, "Such a profound illusion, how could we have seen through it? Master, your skills are truly remarkable. With such a small trick, you managed to cut off the ginseng child’s roots..." "Yes, Master, your magic is powerful. Your illusion is not something ordinary people can see through. The mud you spat out looked so real; even my face was splattered. When you have time, you must teach me this skill..."

Gui Qu’s flattery sounded particularly grating to Gui Buigui’s ears. As Gui Qu kept talking, the old man pretended to cough and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, go about your business. After I fast and bathe, I’ll wait for the herbs to be brought back to make the elixir that will extend your lives by a thousand years."

He had intended to dismiss the two brothers, but then he thought about the ginseng child’s trickery. He changed his mind, "Forget about the bathing for now. We can’t waste any more time. While we wait, I’ll teach you a few basic techniques of the fangshi. It will save you from using low-level tricks like the fire-summoning spell to deceive people."

The two Gui brothers quickly stepped back, giving Gui Buigui space to demonstrate the techniques. However, at this point, Gui Buigui had no real ability to perform any magic. Realizing his disciples’ intentions, the old man’s face turned slightly red. After a moment, he said, "The way of the fangshi can be taught but not demonstrated. I will teach you the mental techniques, incantations, and spells. How much you can understand and master is up to your own destiny."

Saying this, Gui Buigui sat cross-legged on the ground and said to his two grand-disciples, "Regarding your fire-summoning spell, it should be able to gather fire quickly and release a fireball in an instant. Unfortunately, you only know the mental techniques and incantations but not the key points. Remember, when performing the fire-summoning spell, you must gather yang energy in your palms and yin energy in your abdomen. The two must not clash..."