Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Grandmaster

The outer sect disciple started crying, “It’s Xu Jian! I saw him poisoning his food, and brought people to kill him at night . After that they threw his body over a cliff . I told you, so please spare me senior!”

Qin Yu put some strength on his finger, causing his eyes to roll back and lose consciousness . Then turned around and left, his black clothes bathed under moonlight seem to absorb it making him more obscured .

“Xu Jian…” Qin Yu turn was like an evil spirit, with the ruthless rage showing in his eyes rage, but still kept his reasoning .

The ones that killed Lang Tu isn’t just Xu Jiang, he will take revenge on all of them . Even if there is a Foundation Establishment among them, with no attacking techniques, he can only use the demonic item Corpse Sealing Nail, since at close range might not win .

Qin Yu lifted his right hand, looking at the now white s.h.i.+ning finger, muttering, “Poison?”

As the night pa.s.ses, the sunlight gradually envelops the land . The Sacred Mountain Sect’s quiet surroundings is pierced by bustling outer sect disciples that one by one are leaving their homes to begin their work . Unbeknownst to them, one wakes up scared, and when found that everything is normal, decides to keep silence .

Qin Yu easily enters Xu Jian’s courtyard, who as a leading figure, not only has a bigger residence, but also more complex built, obvious from the wine cellar . With arches built from bluestones, the floor is wiped clean and with oaken barrels of wine letting out an intoxicating fragrance .

Qin Yu looked around and found a wine jar, with some left over inside . This wine must soon be drunk, or it will turn sour after being left too long in the open air .

Carefully opening the jar, put his hand inside, and touched the wine with his finger . Soon after removes his hand and restores the jar to the state before, then turns around and leaves .

Xu Jian is very good with wines, it is known by many . The reason why he has so many followers, is because each year the Xu clan outside the sect sends him a great amount of good wine . He uses this wine with his followers to win them over .

Tonight, is no exception .

After killing Lang Tu, he personally thrown him over the cliff, where at the bottom there is a raging river, from which you can’t come out of . He was a real problem, even poison still had strength . Just thinking about it, Xu Jian felt pain in his stomach .

At least he is dealt with . As for Qin Yu, even if he is alive, after a year of being attacked of pill poison he’ll be howling in pain and die .

‘Humph, dare to mess with me . No one will have an easy death!’

While thinking, he raised his head and downed the wine cup he toasted with . His eyes flas.h.i.+ng with doubt, ‘how come it’s more fragrant than yesterday, was it the air?’

Xu Jian’s face turn pale, with no sign of blood, and collapsed on the floor, opened his mouth to shout but no sound came out . His body started twisting like a centipede, fingers scratching on the floor quickly losing their nails and bleeding everywhere . His eyes filled with fear, reflecting the courtyard filled with twisted bodies, struggling in pain, stiffening in despair .

Qin Yu standing on a tree, gazing coldly inside the courtyard, waited for Xu Jian’s body to cease its movements and then left . Without leaving any trace of his meddling .

Not lingering, Qin Yu returned to the Pill Disposing Facility’s underground herb field beside a cenotaph . Sitting on the ground, without wine or food .

“Tu Dou, look . It’s so easy to kill without a trace, and make them suffer before it . So you must admit that young master, I, is smarter than you . I can’t help but scold you, for learning to call me young master, instead of learning and become smarter, to not die so easily . Do you know what you missed? Young master, I, was prepared to share the Little Blue Lamp with you!”

Clapping his hands, he then takes out the Little Blue Lamp from his chest, “This is the Little Blue Lamp . I named it to be easy to remember . Weren’t you curious why Wei Wei had such a turn of fate? I will tell you, it’s all due to this lamp . Can you see? I already managed to reach Foundation Establishment!”

Talking for a long time, showing off for even longer, he even placed some pills in front of the burial mound .

Qin Yu felt his mouth dry, wiped his face with his hand, and took back the pills one by one, “You won’t be needing them now . I’ll be leaving and will let you have the t.i.tle of young master . Rest, no one will be coming here . ”

He turned around and left, climbing the tunnel and arriving at the dirty bed . This is the first day in eight years that he doesn’t cultivate and just sinks into a deep sleep .

This sleep, goes on for three days and three nights, as if to remove all the exhaustion and weariness from his body in one go . And as he opens his eyes, his mind is completely peaceful, at least on the surface .

Once again begins cultivating, even more determined, and immersed .

Because, Qin Yu was once weak, Lang Tu’s death made him realize, that only with enough strength, you can live longer .

After a few days, he stops . Now that he reached Foundation Establishment, using the same pills, he soon finds out that they have less effect and can’t sustain the same cultivation speed . The pills meant for Qi Refining are weaker for higher cultivation, and must be replaced with pills of higher grade .

When the night descends, Qin Yu comes out of the facility and takes a direction, quietly disappearing in the darkness .

After a year, the underground furnace’s amount of waste pill is almost gone, and if he wants to cultivate, he can only go out in the world . Although dangerous, but after careful consideration, Qin Yu still decided on leaving . If there are no major problems, he will get a lot of benefits .

…

Dongliu City isn’t big, only has seven-eight streets, with a range of a thousand li and is famous for trading . Zeng clan’s Treasure Pill Pavilion has a long-established reputation, specialized in trading ingredients and pills . With good quality and fair price, it became known even outside the city .

Under the light coming from the stained-gla.s.s lamp, head shopkeeper’s brows are furrowed, carefully a.s.sessing the shops books, constantly changing his expression .

Since half a month, they sold 421 pill ingredients, over twice the usual amount, and bought less than a hundred, with pill sales consisting of almost forty percent .

Being in this business for fifty years, head shopkeeper formed an instinct, immediately finding that something is different .

“Go and investigate what’s going on . ” Head shopkeeper waved his hand and the shadow in the corner disappeared . Zeng Clan has been the top of this city for over a hundred years . The clan’s strong members are the reason for this, but also the troops trained in secret .

Head shopkeeper believes that once Zeng clan moves, no matter where it came from, this incident will be solved .

After two hours, several papers appear in front of the head shopkeeper . He looks through them and soon his indifferent att.i.tude changes, with sweat begining to show on his forehead . Not delaying one moment, he shouts for the carriage to be readied and with the papers in hand rushes to the Zeng clan residence .

…

The boundless mountains rise like a giant beast from the earth, extending to the edges of the horizon, for tens of thousands of li . On these mountains there is a poisonous fog, with the demonic beasts roaming around, the few traces of people are proof of the amount of spiritual plants here . With Dongliu City’s status, and being close to this mountain, countless hunters and herb gatherers make their living from these mountains .

Cao Hua is one such hunter .

He has been roaming these mountains for almost eight years, managing to survive until now, proof enough of his toughness . He gradually got a reputation, and the people who respect him are all calling him Brother Cao .

“Brother Cao, you’ve been quite leisure lately, haven’t seen you on the mountains for many days now . ” At a street wine shop, opening the flaps at the front, a stout man calls out in a loud voice .

Cao Hua laughingly joked, “Can’t I even rest for a while? Always going on the mountain, be careful not to lose your life there!”

The wine shop was filled with laughter, not few grinned on the inside, ‘Since you’re a hunter, your brain fell to your belt . If you won’t hunt, how can you get pills to increase your cultivation?’

If you’re scared of death, then you don’t belong here!

Cao Hua walks hurriedly into an alley, leaving the sounds of laughter behind, with a mocking smile .

Fools!

‘I am already earning a lot of spirit stones; how can I go risk my life in the mountains . ’ Thinking about that small courtyard, Cao Hua felt excited, with an anxious look, “As time pa.s.ses more peopl will know about this . Better hurry and earn as much as I can . ”

As he was thinking, he increased his gait, to almost running, and looks in the direction of the small courtyard .

But soon his smile froze .

Several carriages stopped on the street . A big carriage among them takes a part of the street, with even the horses decorated luxuriously . But what drew Cao Hua’s attention is the clan’s emblem with brambles on it .

Zeng Clan!

The items on him are exactly materials from Treasure Pill Pavilion, causing Cao Hua to break out in cold sweat . This, all happened in an instant; being on the edge of the knife for so many years, he has some instincts . Cao Hua lowered his head and with a revered look, walked towards a side alley .

Just then, a sound from the carriage rooted him in place .

“Just him?”

“Yes, young miss . ”

“Go ask . ”

“Please wait . ”

This simple dialog wasn’t rushed, seemed even casual . Cao Hua had enough time to leave, but his legs seems to have grown roots not moving an inch .

The head shopkeeper bowing in front of the carriage, straighten himself, and with a cold stare, “Good that you didn’t run, making me waste less time . Come here, and tell this old man what were you doing here . ”

Cao Hua walked over with a blanch face .

A moment later, the head shopkeeper returned to the carriage and respectfully said: “Little miss, the exchange is three to one . ” Finis.h.i.+ng, he watches the small courtyard with a deep gaze .

The inside of the carriage was quiet, as the miss was contemplating, then pushed the carriage door and gracefully climbed down . Her features are only average, the corner of her eyes showing her naivety, but when you take all her traits in, she possesses incredible charm, with every movement stirring the heart .

Sweeping her gaze at the closed door of the ordinary courtyard, Zeng Mo’er pupils flashed, “I will go and take a look . ”

Head shopkeeper open his eyes wide, “Mustn’t…”

Zeng Mo’er waved her hand, “I am just asking for a pill, and based on their demand, they will still dare not to accept?” She threw a vague look at the last carriage, her mind growing calmer .

Head shopkeeper unable to stop her, prepared the materials and followed behind muttering, ‘Little miss is the Patriarch’s cherished daughter, if anything happens, it won’t be any different from dying sooner, with no way out’ .

*Knock*

The door opens, showing a tall and straight young man, not particularly handsome, but still carries a heroic air . Just that his eyes are bloodshot, like he hasn’t rested in a long time, and his tone was inevitably harsher .

“You also want pills? You know the rule . ”

Zeng Mo’er smelling the medicine fragrance, saluted calmly, “I heard that Dongliu City has been bestowed with the Grandmaster’s presence, therefore Zeng Mo’er from Treasure Pill Pavilion came to request a pill . Didn’t expect for Grandmaster to be of such a young age, truly amazing . ”

The youngster’s face changed, waved his hand repeatedly, “Don’t speak nonsense, I’m just the errand boy . ”

“Um, sorry for the rudeness, wanted to ask fellow Daoist to announce that junior Zeng Mo’er is here to see him . ” Zeng Mo’er smiled lightly .

The youth shook his head, “Grandmaster doesn’t receives guests . If you want a pill, then offer the ingredients, if not then just leave . ”

Zeng Mo’er face froze, and coldly said, “Fellow Daoist, you better go and announce, my Zeng Clan in Dongliu City is the ruler here . Can it be that I don’t even have the right to see the Grandmaster?”

The young man rolled his eyes, and closed the door with a bang, the sounds of footsteps quickly moving further away .