Chapter 386 (1): Another Spring

Chapter 386 (1): Another Spring

Chen Ping'an had a huge internal debate with himself before eventually deciding to allow Cui Dongshan and Shi Rou into his room.

Just like before, Cui Dongshan used his golden flying sword to draw a large circle around them, blocking out the outside world. Chen Ping'an was very curious, and he couldn't help but ask Cui Dongshan what kind of mystical ability this was.

Cui Dongshan smiled and replied that this was an ancient mystical ability wherein one would draw a perimeter and form a prison. This ability could be used to protect those inside the perimeter, and it could also be used to imprison people as well, preventing the targeted people from leaving the area.

Later generations had refined this ability and gradually transformed it into several dozen types of immortal techniques. However, most of them had strayed from the correct path and were barely worth a mention.

After sitting down, Cui Dongshan was filled with enthusiasm as he talked about Shi Rou, praising her for her impressive aptitude and affinity. He said that apart from using two pouches of gold essence copper coins to "open the door" to the immortal body, everything else had gone relatively smoothly.

Thanks to her remarkable determination and great fortune, Shi Rou had genuinely managed to transform the colored glaze golden body of the Ascension Tier cultivator into a blessed land to house her soul. Even though there was still some tension between Du Mao's immortal body and Shi Rou's soul, it was only a matter of time before this issue would be slowly resolved. Everything had gone well, and there were no longer any major issues.

After revealing this big piece of good news, Cui Dongshan started to nitpick on the specifics, saying, "Opening the door and wresting control of the immortal body is only the first step. Shi Rou is uniquely talented, so if someone had recognized her talent earlier and was willing to invest a significant amount of resources into her, it would have been no issue for her to become a first-rate formal god of one of the Five Mountains in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

"Shi Rou managed to obtain this huge fated opportunity because of her impressive aptitude, but this doesn't necessarily mean that she possesses an equivalently impressive aptitude when it comes to cultivation. In fact, she has failed to advance her cultivation by any noticeable degree after living as a wandering ghost for several hundred years. She failed to become a ghost king or whatever, and apart from her time serving her previous master, it's quite evident that her cultivation talent can't be regarded as exceptional.

"In other words, the obstacles that lie before Shi Rou are relatively troublesome. She won't be able to overcome the restrictions of this colored glaze golden body, meaning that it will be incredibly difficult for her to take another step forward and achieve genuine control and freedom."

Chen Ping'an retrieved a pot of osmanthus wine, and Cui Dongshan accepted it, tilting his head back and taking a hearty swig. He wiped his mouth clean and continued, "Fortunately, she managed to enter this brilliant host body that's essentially like a mountain of gold. Even if she's a pitiful little ghost who can only carry a small amount of gold each time, she'll eventually become a filthy rich ghost after keeping at it for tens of years or hundreds of years.

"Afterward, she only needs to use the most elementary techniques to keep pushing forward. She won't face any big challenges in terms of cultivation, and this is what makes immortal bodies so valuable and coveted. She can advance all the way up to the Upper Five Tiers without needing to form a golden core, without needing to nurture a nascent soul, and without needing to pay any heed to internal demons. Who wouldn't be jealous of this?"

Cui Dongshan chuckled and added, "Of course, you naturally wouldn't be jealous of this with how mentally strong you are. As for me, your disciple, there's no need for me to feel jealous because I already have a similar treasure in my possession. In any case, I'm still inferior to you in this sense, Master."

"No matter how many gold essence copper coins are required for Shi Rou's cultivation, I'll always keep six coins in my possession. You don't need to think about trying to get these coins from me," Chen Ping'an informed his disciple.

Cui Dongshan put on a serious expression and replied, "It's a great honor for those four ants from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land to have such a respectful and benevolent master. This is truly a blessing that they've earned over many lifetimes. If they don't understand how to cherish this blessing, however, then they truly deserve to be punished by divine lightning.

"Please rest assured Master, your disciple is capable of using some abilities pertaining to the Five Lightning Righteous Technique of Mount Longhu. In fact, I might have greater mastery over these abilities than some ordinary Daoist priests from the Heavenly Master Residence. Master, you only need to give me a shout, and I can act on behalf of the heavens and punish those ants at any time."

Chen Ping'an shook his head and replied, "I still hope that we can maintain a good relationship with those four people even if we eventually part ways."

"Master, why aren't you asking me about how you can firmly control Shi Rou after sixty years?" Cui Dongshan asked in a quiet voice.

Chen Ping'an smiled and replied, "Will you not tell me if I don't ask? When it comes to making transactions and devising schemes, I concede that I'm far inferior to you. However, I believe in you, and I further believe that you won't act sneakily beyond the path of the Great Dao. Otherwise, I would be underestimating you far too much."

Cui Dongshan was almost moved to tears, and he exclaimed, "Who would have thought that I've already become such a considerate person in my master's mind? Since you are willing to believe in me, how can I not serve you with utmost loyalty, even if it means marching into death?!"

There was utter disbelief on Shi Rou's face as she stared at Cui Dongshan, and an expression of uncontrollable fear finally spread across her face. This was a sense of fear greater than the fear of death.

Shi Rou had once sat on a stone tablet inside a city god temple in the Colorful Garment Nation, and she had softly hummed a tune that Chen Ping'an had mistaken for an ancient ballad from the nation. She had initially thought that no one would be aware of these secrets anymore, especially since they were ancient matters from hundreds of years ago that had already been destroyed and buried by an alliance of many forces in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

Moreover, even if someone had coincidentally come across scattered verses of this ballad in some damaged ancient text, how could they possibly determine her true identity from just this alone? How could they find the true weak point of a measly ghost like her?

Cui Dongshan extended two fingers, causing a golden flying sword to shoot out from his glabella and fly around his fingers. In the end, the flying sword surprisingly drew a long-lost golden talisman in the air. It was as if a dignified golden lotus were blooming from the tips of Cui Dongshan's fingers.

Shi Rou wanted to open her mouth and beg for mercy, yet she realized that she couldn't make a sound no matter how hard she struggled. She could only watch on helplessly as that person's finger continued to move toward her glabella.

Shi Rou closed her eyes, with her lips moving slightly as she silently sang the opening ballad of that Daoist side branch that she had once belonged to.

She was prepared to die, yet she discovered that Cui Dongshan had already retracted his hand when she slowly opened her eyes. He was looking her up and down with an expression of pity.

Cui Dongshan straightened his back and rubbed the sole of his shoe against Shi Rou's face for a bit. It was as if he were cleaning his shoe after stepping in a puddle of mud.

He shot a glance at Shi Rou who had just escaped from the brink of death and warned, "This better not happen again."

Shi Rou nodded softly in response.

Cui Dongshan had only just taken a few steps forward, yet he suddenly turned around and violently stomped on Shi Rou's head, causing it to sink more than halfway into the wall. His expression was furious as he roared, "I spared your life, yet you're not even going to thank me?"

Shi Rou pulled her head out from the wall before falling to her knees and silently kowtowing three times to Cui Dongshan.

Cui Dongshan sat down beside the table and snapped, "I won't follow Master around the entire time, so remember not to waste this sturdy body of yours after I leave. If my master becomes injured because you failed to fight with your full strength, then I'll extract that speck of Dao Seed from the depths of your soul regardless of how minor or severe my master's injuries are. I'll then plant the Dao Seed into the body of a Buddhist monk."

Shi Rou slowly raised her head, and there was deep anguish and pain on her face as she looked at Cui Dongshan. He looked like an ethereal immortal, yet his mind was cold, cruel, and calculating. "How can there be someone as terrifying as you in the world?" she murmured.

Cui Dongshan sniggered and said, "It wasn't Master who taught me this. Rather, I mastered this by myself."

Shi Rou stood up, and she only dared to stand near the wall.

Cui Dongshan slammed the table with his hand and exclaimed, "Are you not going to piss off back to your own room? Are you staying here to seek death? Do you believe me when I say that I'll chop off the wiener between your legs and force you to eat it?"

The grief-stricken Shi Rou lowered her head and hurriedly walked out of the room that was much like hell on earth.

Cui Dongshan flipped open the books written by literati from the Azure Phoenix Nation, and the more he read the angrier he became. He slammed the books shut and cursed, "What complete bullshit that saying is. Your speech will become drab and your appearance will become detestable if you don't read for three days? Reading this nonsense is like having someone smear a big pile of shit all over my face. Not only that, but it's fucking diarrhea as well."

Cui Dongshan couldn't fall asleep, and this made him feel incredibly bored. Thus, he quietly left the inn and went to wander around in the county city.