Chapter 69

Seeing this scene, Gui BuGui’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. It wasn’t until the green light completely disappeared that the old man finally managed to close his mouth, blinking his eyes and muttering, “If I had put in a bit more effort back then, who knows whose seed this would have been. By the way, I remember you have the pills for immortality. Lend me one. After I find the formula, I’ll refine a few and pay you back with interest.”

Wu Mian could hear the intense jealousy in the old man’s words. The green light that had just appeared was likely the thing that eliminated his immortal constitution. It seemed that he had avoided the same fate as the old man thanks to the seed in his body. When he heard Gui BuGui ask for the pill, Wu Mian casually shook his head and said, “You’re too late. I lost them a few days ago, don’t know where.”

Hearing Wu Mian’s response, the muscles around the old man’s eyes twitched involuntarily. He took a deep breath and said to Wu Mian, “Impossible, something so important, you can’t just lose it. Little ancestor, I’m not joking. I’ve told you before, I became immortal when I was on the brink of death. Now that my immortal constitution is gone, I probably won’t last much longer.”

“Lost is lost. Even if you die in front of me, what’s gone is gone,” Wu Mian rolled his eyes and looked at Gui BuGui, saying, “You treat those pills like treasures. If you wanted them, you should have asked earlier. I would have given you one with just a casual gesture.”

Gui BuGui understood that Wu Mian was just being mean-spirited, but he wouldn’t lie about something as serious as the pill of immortality. However, he had lost his immortality and didn’t know how long he could last. Thinking about this, the old man’s expression darkened.

Gui’s two sons didn’t see the struggle between the green and white lights. They had intended to help their old father rest outside the palace and then search for their dozens of brothers. But when Wu Mian suddenly appeared, Gui Lai and Gui Qu changed their minds. After the old man’s words came to a pause, Gui Lai directly said to Wu Mian, “There are still over forty of my brothers inside. We have to find them—”

Before he could finish, a child of about five or six years old suddenly ran out from around the corner. It was the ginseng doll they had met a few times.

The little ginseng doll shouted loudly, “Old immortal, if you have the guts, keep going.” He hadn’t finished his sentence when he saw a white-haired Wu Mian appear next to Gui BuGui. The ginseng doll was clearly unprepared for the white-haired man’s appearance. After a moment of shock, the little doll turned and ran back. But after a few steps, a flash of lightning appeared behind him, and the ginseng doll fell to the ground, his small body curling up and convulsing.

The old man shouted to his two disciples, “Don’t just stand there, go grab this little brat!” Seeing the ginseng doll fall, Gui BuGui’s previously dejected expression suddenly became excited. When Gui Lai carried the ginseng doll over, the old man smiled and said, “I thought I only had a few more years, but who would have thought that you, this little brat, would show up so soon. This is good, I can trade you for a few thousand years of life. I don’t believe Xu Fu could take the formula for immortality to the sea.”

Pausing, Gui BuGui turned to look at Wu Mian, his show-off nature flaring up again. He chuckled and said, “I thought I was done when you said you lost the pills, but it seems heaven is so kind. To gain immortality, lose it, and then regain it—throughout history, I might be the only one to do that.”

At this, the ginseng doll stopped convulsing. Hearing Gui BuGui’s words, he lifted his eyelids and looked at the old man, making a gesture and saying, “Old immortal, I have a question. The pills you mentioned, were they in a porcelain bottle of this size? The pills were wrapped in wax, and there were two, each as big as my thumb. Is that right?”

After the ginseng doll finished speaking, Gui BuGui’s eyes widened. When he recovered, he yanked the ginseng doll off Gui Lai’s back, glaring at the little guy and said, “You’ve seen them, haven’t you? Did you pick up those two pills? Where did you hide them?”

As he spoke, the old man started searching the ginseng doll’s body. Unfortunately, the little doll wasn’t wearing pants, just a small belly band. It was clear at a glance that there was no place to hide anything.

Failing to find anything, Gui BuGui glared at the ginseng doll again, saying viciously, “Where did you hide the pills?”

Despite being in the old man’s hands, the ginseng doll showed no fear. He said in the same tone, “I said I hid them. How could I tell you so easily? Old immortal, let me tell you something. I’ve tested the effects of the pills. They can indeed grant immortality, but they conflict with ginseng. To put it simply, someone who has eaten ginseng can’t take the pills for a while. I’m a ginseng spirit, much stronger than ordinary ginseng. Guess how long you can’t touch the pills after eating me?”

Gui BuGui’s expression froze. After a moment, he carefully placed the ginseng doll on the ground and put on a smile, saying, “That was all a joke. How could I bear to eat such a pitiful little doll? How about this? You give me the pills, and you can drink as much good wine as you want. How does that sound?”

Hearing about the wine, the ginseng doll, despite knowing it was a trick, couldn’t help but swallow. He said, “They’re in the main hall up ahead…”

Though his words were harsh, his voice was still childlike, giving the impression of a child imitating an adult. But at this moment, Gui’s two sons had no interest in teasing the ginseng doll. Hearing that Gui BuGui had found the pills, Gui Er immediately asked the ginseng doll, “What about the forty-odd people who came down with us? Where are they?”

Hearing Gui Qu’s question, the ginseng doll blinked his eyes in confusion and said, “Where are your people? Ask me? The blind one told you, we ginseng spirits have the ability to see for miles?”

Seeing his brother’s ineffective questioning, Gui Lai pulled Gui Qu aside and stared at the ginseng doll, saying, “Didn’t anything unusual happen here? You were nearby, you must know something.”

“You’re giving me too much credit,” the ginseng doll said in a childlike voice. “Walk around inside, and you’ll see how big it is. A few people? Even if a thousand troops came in, they could disappear.”

While speaking, the ginseng doll kept glancing at Wu Mian, showing a deep-seated fear of the white-haired man. After finishing, he said to Gui BuGui, “The porcelain bottle with the pills is in the main hall up ahead. You’ll see it as soon as you go in. We agreed, when I go up, I can drink as much good wine as I want…”

The little doll turned to face the door and started walking over, deliberately avoiding Wu Mian. But just as he was about to reach the entrance, a blur appeared, and the white-haired man was standing in front of him.

The ginseng doll was startled, covering his head with both hands and backing away. He kept retreating until he reached Gui BuGui’s side. The old man grinned at the ginseng doll, saying, “It’s not that easy to get good wine. Lead us to the main hall, find the pills, and then show us around to find our people. After that, you can go up and drink.”

“Why can’t you just—” The ginseng doll’s words were cut off as he suddenly turned and ran into the palace. But after a few steps, he heard a rumbling thunder. A lazy voice accompanied the thunder, saying, “If you do that again, it won’t be the same. I can’t guarantee you won’t end up as roasted ginseng.”