Chapter 83

Since the young Taoist priest went to chase the high-level master of the Gu (poison) technique, he returned and locked himself in his room, barely greeting anyone. This behavior was completely different from his usual calm and composed nature.

Some people, who were quick to catch on, had already guessed that the young Taoist must have gained some benefit.

Ye Qing was still in a daze, unable to snap out of it.

Throughout the journey, the Taoist, though just a youth, had not yet honed his body, yet his martial arts were extremely high, and his movements were elusive.

He could slash through the divine mechanism arrows, rivaling a grandmaster of martial arts.

He could casually mention the blood-coagulating herb growing beside the snake's den, and could easily mix medicines for interrogation, showing his expertise in pharmacology. Seeing him casually give away the century-old cold year herb to treat the illness of the prime minister, he was generous and magnanimous.

Ye Qing, traveling with him, had long been deeply impressed by this young man. He had never thought that there could be such a young man in the world who was not only well-versed in pharmacology and possessed rare herbs but also had outstanding martial arts and astonishing movements, comparable to a grandmaster of martial arts.

However, his admiration was still from the perspective of an ordinary person, still within the bounds of the secular world.

But this time, he personally witnessed the young Taoist priest simply patting his hand on the cloth bag, and the dark clouds in the sky were drawn into it. This move was akin to divine magic, far beyond the ordinary.

When he saw the young Taoist again, he was still dressed in light-colored Taoist robes, with a gentle and mild smile.

The same appearance, but the meaning in Ye Qing's eyes had changed. The original respect had turned into profound reverence.

Originally, he only thought that this young man was extremely skilled and outstanding, so he respected and admired him, treating him as a peer, or even higher. But now, his reverence was like a believer's sincere respect for the deity in the temple.

Qin Xianyu naturally noticed this, but he had a faint sigh. Originally, Ye Qing treated him with respect, like a friend, but now the reverence had become somewhat distant. The young Taoist knew it was because he used the black cloth bag to collect the winged divine bees, which was indeed as astonishing as divine magic, and it was no wonder his mindset had changed.

Qin Xianyu sighed and said, "Little Taoist is leaving the prime minister's residence."

Ye Qing was slightly stunned.

...

Qin Xianyu did not ask about the reason for Wu Ya's attack on the prime minister.

He packed his belongings, tied them into a bundle, hung the black cloth bag at his side, and slung a sword over his shoulder.

He was heading to the place where the earth's qi condensed.

On the journey, he might cultivate eight inches of true qi, and the remaining one inch of true qi would be cultivated near the earth's qi. Once he achieved the external release of true qi, he would condense the sha qi and enter the Gangsha realm.

When he heard that Qin Xianyu was leaving, the prime minister personally saw him off.

Everything was kept simple. Qin Xianyu disliked complexity, so all the formalities, banquets, and farewells were waived. The young man simply bid farewell to the prime minister and prepared to set off.

The prime minister smiled and said, "Little Taoist Qin, after you achieve your cultivation, will you come to the capital?"

Qin Xianyu nodded slightly and said, "The capital is the capital of the Great Virtue Holy Dynasty, so I should visit it. Even if I miss the Immortal Map Conference, I still want to see the prosperity of the capital and the figures of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau."

"That's good," the prime minister nodded and said, "I have done my best to seek the various herbs you need. I have obtained eight of them so far. I will have my people search for more to complete the set and send them to the capital. When you arrive in the capital, you can go to the prime minister's residence to collect the herbs. As for your search for a jade sword, I will inquire more in the capital. If there is a real opportunity, I will sacrifice some face and perhaps obtain a good piece of jade. If not, there should be some in the national treasury."

Qin Xianyu was naturally delighted and bowed, saying, "Little Taoist thanks the prime minister in advance."

The prime minister shook his head and said, "I owe my life to you, so sacrificing some face is nothing. If not for fear of disrespecting the emperor, I would have already asked for the emperor's grace to grant a good piece of jade from the national treasury."

It was still early, but it was better to start the journey early.

Qin Xianyu clasped his hands and noticed that all the familiar people from the prime minister's residence were there, including the guards who accompanied the convoy, but Su Wenxiu was missing.

After inquiring, he learned that the gentle and weak woman with a scholarly air had already rushed to the capital with a letter due to the Gu insect incident yesterday.

"Is that so?"

Qin Xianyu smiled and bid farewell to everyone.

The tall figure gradually moved farther away.

He was just a youth.

But he was a Taoist.

A young Taoist seeking immortality and the Dao.

Lao Liu sighed.

The prime minister turned to look at him, somewhat puzzled.

Lao Liu whispered, "In my lifetime, I have seen some cultivators, but such a young man with such abilities is truly inconceivable. Compared to the young heroes of the martial world, they seem like clay figures, far inferior to him."

...

Su Wenxiu put away the homing pigeon and looked at the note in her hand, slightly silent.

Qin Xianyu had already left the prime minister's residence.

"Who is this young Taoist?" Su Wenxiu sighed softly to herself, "He was previously unknown and not a young hero of the martial world, yet his skills are as profound and unfathomable as a grandmaster of martial arts, and he is also well-versed in medicine."

The maid, who had heard many stories about the young Taoist, couldn't help but giggle, "Could he be someone who has been practicing diligently for over ten years in a blessed land of an immortal mountain, only now coming down the mountain? This is like the story of a disciple of an immortal sect coming down the mountain to achieve great deeds. Hmm... maybe he's an old monster who has practiced for many years and hasn't aged."

Su Wenxiu chuckled, "Is it really that mysterious?"

"What's so mysterious about it?" the maid laughed, "Miss, look, with someone as powerful as him, he should be very famous, even if he is low-key and quiet, he should still have some fame. Look at those young heroes of the martial world, they don't have much skill, but they have a lot of fame. So, he must have been practicing since he was young, and because he hasn't come down the mountain, he doesn't have any fame. Besides, he's a Taoist, and aren't Taoists and monks always seeking immortality and enlightenment?"

Su Wenxiu found it interesting, and suddenly another homing pigeon flew in. She opened it and immediately showed a pleased expression, "One of the herbs has already arrived in the capital."

The maid's eyes were somewhat strange.

Su Wenxiu asked, "What's wrong?"

The maid teased, "Miss, you heard that the young Taoist was seeking some extremely rare herbs, so you inquired everywhere. You heard that one of the herbs was being transported to the capital to be delivered to the Imperial Medical Bureau. As soon as you got this news, you rushed to the capital and even notified Doctor Tao to keep the herb. It seems you are very concerned about this matter."

Su Wenxiu said, "This trip was originally to go to the capital, and his herb matter just happened to coincide."

"Is that so?" the maid was somewhat disappointed and asked, "But the Taoist is leaving the prime minister's residence, and Miss couldn't see him off, which is a pity."

"What's so pitiful?"

"If Miss had seen him off, maybe she could have seen Miss cry... Ow..."

Su Wenxiu tapped her on the head and scolded, "Talking nonsense again."

Just then, another homing pigeon flew in from the sky.

Su Wenxiu read the message and found out the young Taoist's background.

"Qin Xianyu? A medical family lineage?"

"Currently the top physician in Fengxing Prefecture, he once treated the venom of the blood-stain snake and cured the Miss of the Liu family. His medical skills are extremely high, surpassing all the famous physicians in Fengxing Prefecture, including the retired Deputy Chief of the Imperial Medical Bureau, Lord Gan."

"So it's him? He was the one who presented the century-old cold year herb at the Shangguan family's birthday celebration. No wonder it was so coincidental that this young Taoist had the century-old cold year herb on him. It turns out that the century-old cold year herb he was escorting was originally from him."

"Then his marriage contract with the Shangguan family..."

Su Wenxiu felt a bit depressed, her mood slightly low.

Moreover, the young Taoist's parents were no longer around, and he might not return to Fengxing Prefecture.

Just as he appeared in Qingyuan Prefecture suddenly, he would likely be unpredictable in the future.

Such a dragon showing its head but not its tail, once he left, it was unknown when they would meet again.

Another sigh, like the autumn wind.

...

As the sky grew darker, Qin Xianyu walked through the mountains and fields.

With his current cultivation, he was no longer afraid of the dangers of the mountains and fields. He could easily draw his sword to kill fierce birds and beasts, without any fear.

However, although he lived alone, this was his first time camping in the wild. After the lively atmosphere of the prime minister's residence, he now walked alone in the mountains, the surroundings silent, and he couldn't help but feel lonely.

"Master Guanxu has been seeking immortality and the Dao for decades, and such nights of camping in the wild must have been many."

Qin Xianyu thought to himself, "But I am different. Now that I have the cultivation method, my future path is clear. After forming the Gangsha, I can build a hermitage and live a leisurely life. Such a peaceful cultivation does not require living in the wild."

The forest was dark, and the night wind howled.

Such a night, such a desolate mountain, always made people uneasy.

Qin Xianyu intended to find a cave to spend the night, but after looking around, he could only lean against a tree and spend the night there.

When he climbed the tree, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

True qi vibrated, and his blood qi suddenly paused.

Qin Xianyu's body stiffened, and then he felt intense pain inside, as if something was gnawing at his bone marrow.

The Gu insect was acting up!

Qin Xianyu's innate primordial qi was the source of qi, capable of nourishing all things. The Gu insect originally only absorbed blood qi to grow, but in Qin Xianyu's body, it could also absorb the innate primordial qi, thus growing faster and waking up sooner.

After being triggered by the winged divine bees, the Gu insect remained dormant for two days before acting up.

Qin Xianyu's face turned pale. He took off the black cloth bag and threw the long sword aside, to avoid accidentally injuring himself when his mind became confused.

After doing this, Qin Xianyu leaned against the tree, curled up into a ball, and quietly waited for the Gu insect to stop.

At night, in the forest.

A figure trembled slightly, gritting his teeth, silent.

With a crack, a large piece of bark was torn off by his hand.

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