Chapter 23: The Mountain God Invites You Into a Dream

As soon as he entered the village, he smelled a pungent scent of sandalwood.

Walking along the wall, he hadn’t gone two steps before he heard faint chanting.

Li Qiuchen followed the light and saw an Old Daoist Priest with white hair and beard, possessing an immortal aura, sitting on a high platform in the village. He held a whisk in his hand, with a prayer banner stuck beside him, looking very serious.

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The villagers were all gathered before the Daoist Priest, kneeling on the ground with their eyes closed and hands clasped, softly chanting scriptures of unknown meaning along with the Daoist Priest.

What surprised him even more was that Old Third Song’s two sons were standing on either side of the Daoist Priest, presenting themselves as loyal Protectors of the Dao.

Is this right? Your father already has a Spiritual Root… Li Qiuchen noticed the village chief’s family among them and immediately felt a bad premonition.

It’s likely they’ve all been deluded… Honestly, Pharmacists Blessing is indeed a great temptation for Mortals.

Dispelling disasters and troubles, achieving eternal life.

How could Mortals refuse something that countless emperors throughout history failed to obtain their entire lives?

Precisely because he understood, Li Qiuchen held no naive illusions about persuading these Mortals who had already begun to believe in the Pharmacist.

This place is not suitable for a long stay.

Before anyone noticed him, Li Qiuchen quietly backed out of the village step by step, signaled to the Stupid Bird in the sky, and then ran off at full speed.

Back at the lake, Li Qiuchen shook his head and said, “They can’t be saved. These people have been bewitched by the Pharmacist’s followers. Whatever you say to them will be useless.”

What moral ethics, what righteous beliefs, can compare to the temptation of eternal life?

The White Crane squawked excitedly, flapping its wings vigorously, sending feathers flying.

But Li Qiuchen was unmoved.

“Do you know what Pharmacists Blessing is?”

Hearing Li Qiuchen say this, the White Crane immediately quieted down.

The classic of scenic clouds book had long been ruined by water, so Li Qiuchen couldn’t produce any proof. He could only sit down and explain the concept of Pharmacists Blessing and the manifestations of this power.

Although the Stupid Bird was stupid, it could still understand human speech.

“So, you understand now, right? It’s not that I won’t save them, but that the Pharmacist gives too much. As long as that Daoist Priest doesn’t expose his true colors for a day, and only focuses on healing the sick, saving people, and dispelling disasters and troubles, they won’t believe anything you say.”

The White Crane was silent for a moment, then straightened its neck, its eyes revealing Killing Intent.

Then let’s kill him!

No, buddy, you… Li Qiuchen covered his face and sighed.

You seem to be a little too obsessed with justice, my friend.

Please don’t tell me your family also believes in strange things.

“It’s not easy to do.”

A trace of determination flashed in the White Crane’s eyes.

It’s not easy, but it must be done! If you don’t do it, I will!

Do what? Make you into grilled chicken wings?

Li Qiuchen closed his eyes and began to think.

If that Daoist Priest was a figure like Great-Uncle, or even just had thirty percent of Great-Uncle’s strength, he and the Stupid Bird would have no chance of winning.

But this old fellow seems very good at bluffing people. Maybe he can drop some good stuff like Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals?

He just so happened to be lacking a Cultivation Technique from the Pharmacist faction.

“Let me think first.”

With too little information currently gathered, Li Qiuchen couldn’t jump to conclusions. He could only casually fob off the Stupid Bird: “Don’t be too extreme. What I told you is just the worst possible scenario. What if that Daoist Priest is a good person? Wouldn’t it be too much for us to just rush in and kill him indiscriminately?”

Hearing him say that, the Stupid Bird also hesitated.

Birds are so easy to fool.

Seeing that it was getting late, Li Qiuchen found a clean and comfortable spot and continued his daily, unwavering meditation and Cultivation.

In a trance, a cool mountain breeze brushed across his face.

Li Qiuchen, in meditation, suddenly shivered and heard someone say in his ear, “The Mountain God Lord requests the two distinguished guests to come to his residence for a discussion.”

Li Qiuchen opened his eyes and saw a hazy scene before him, as if he were in a dream. The White Crane also appeared beside him, their eyes meeting, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Who?

Mountain God Lord?

There’s really a Mountain God here?

What virtue do I possess… Before Li Qiuchen could finish his internal monologue, a soft urging came from ahead again.

Two young Maidens in White, holding paper lanterns, stood not far away, gently beckoning, seemingly guiding their way.

Li Qiuchen stood up and followed the two maidens into the mist.

Amidst the enchanting haze, a small mountain path extended from beneath their feet.

After winding and turning for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the mist suddenly dispersed, revealing an Immortal Cave beneath a cliff.

The two lantern-carrying maidens arrived at the entrance, bowed slightly, and pushed open the Immortal Cave’s gate.

A refreshing, invigorating coolness wafted into Li Qiuchen’s heart as the Immortal Cave opened.

Entering the Immortal Cave, a round of moonlight descended from above, illuminating the cave as if it were daytime.

On a stone bed in the cave, a young man with long hair sat cross-legged, his hair reaching his shoulders, his appearance handsome, and his complexion like jade.

Seeing the man and the crane approach, the man nodded slightly, gesturing for them to sit on the meditation cushions before him. A Maiden in White then brought forth a cup of fragrant Spiritual tea from the side and quietly withdrew.

“Please, both of you.”

The man spoke, his voice gentle, unhurried, and subtly imbued with a reassuring power.

Li Qiuchen had doubts, but dared not disobey. From this posture, it wouldn’t take much effort for the other party to crush him.

He picked up the Spiritual tea and drank it in one gulp, immediately feeling the lingering fragrance on his lips and teeth, a surge of heat in his abdomen, and a rumbling sound.

Li Qiuchen’s face instantly turned bright red.

This Spiritual tea was quite miraculous; just one cup was equivalent to seven days of his body tempering efforts. Countless Impurities within his body were washed away in that instant.

“Thank you, Mountain God Lord, for the tea. May I ask what important matter the Mountain God Lord summoned us for…?”

The man waved his hand slightly, indicating that Li Qiuchen didn’t need to ask. He dipped a finger in a little tea water, flicked it into the air, and it instantly transformed into a misty water screen, displaying a splendid scene by the lake.

That was the scene from two and a half months ago, where Li Qiuchen mixed poison into furnace ash to scheme against Call Break Heaven’s group of bandits. After they fell into illusions and fought each other, he then killed them to silence them.

Li Qiuchen only glanced at it before he dared not look up again.

At the time, he had felt a bit strange, thinking that the poison he casually made shouldn’t have been so potent, vaguely sensing that an expert had secretly helped him.

Now it seemed that Call Break Heaven’s rude words and actions had indeed angered the Mountain God Lord.

He had originally thought his scheme was perfect, handling everything cleanly without leaving any hidden dangers.

Yet, he never expected that this Mountain God Lord, despite his dignified appearance, also had a hobby of secretly taking photos and videos.