The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 55

Gu Jingyang stood frozen in place, the scene before her making her deeply uncomfortable. She didn’t know whether to advance or retreat.
A’Ling also seemed to have completely tuned out her words.
A’Ling was burning with anger, mixed with a hint of grievance.
For the past seven days, she hadn’t even stepped out, diligently caring for it day and night. For the first two days, she hadn’t slept at all, fearing this ugly dog might die if something went wrong. This time, its injuries were far more severe than in its previous life. For the first two days, her hands trembled as she applied medicine, terrified of accidentally making its wounds worse.
She thought she had been good enough to this ugly creature, yet it wouldn’t even give her this bit of face. She had thought it would finally show some gratitude this time. Now that she thought about it, it knew nothing. It was just a black-skinned ingrate!
A’Ling was seething with rage, using both hands to twist its two ears. There was no other way; its other parts were all bound in bandages, and its wounds hadn’t healed. Only its ears were left to twist.
“Are you going to bark or not? If you don’t, I’ll throw you out right now!” A’Ling ground her molars, delivering this ultimatum almost through gritted teeth.
Gu Jingyang quickly waved her hand, “No, A’Ling, you really don’t have to.”
Why on earth did she insist on hearing a dog bark?!
Gu Jingyang looked at the dog, whose ears A’Ling was pulling. Its entire body was wrapped in bandages, with faint traces of blood in several places, indicating very severe previous injuries. Even its eyelids had been stitched. When it looked at A’Ling, its stitched eyelid seemed to only lift halfway, drooping and revealing half of its dark eyes. Now its ears were twisted too, making the entire dog look utterly pathetic.
And, how to put it, the dog’s gaze towards A’Ling made Gu Jingyang feel a pang of pity. It seemed to be suffering greatly from A’Ling’s threat to throw it away, yet for some unknown reason, it stubbornly refused to speak. It didn’t seem to be deliberately going against A’Ling; it was as if it genuinely couldn’t open its mouth. If it were a person, Gu Jingyang could understand: it would be a matter of pride, a sense of shame.
Could this ‘dog’ also be acting out of shame?
On the other side, A’Ling had gotten into a standoff with the ugly dog. The more it refused to bark, the more she insisted. She had already picked the entire dog up from its bed.
“I’ll give you one more chance. If you still don’t bark, I’ll throw you out right now.”
A’Ling held the dog cradled on its back in her arms. Her words were fierce, but her movements were extremely gentle.
Gu Jingyang’s mouth twitched. Hadn’t she just said that was the last chance? And were such threats even useful? If she were that dog, she wouldn’t believe A’Ling would actually throw it away. Who throws a dog away after cradling it in their arms first?
She saw the ‘dog’ in A’Ling’s arms. As A’Ling picked it up, its drooping ears suddenly perked up. It felt like if its tail weren’t also bandaged, it might even wag a couple of times.
A’Ling watched the dog in her arms, which had started acting docile again, and her movements stiffened. What medicine had this dog taken? The dog from her previous life was so aloof and arrogant, but now it knew this trick.
“What are you looking at? Stare any longer, and I’ll gouge out your eyeballs! Hurry up and bark like a dog, like this: Woof!”
Hearing this loud ‘dog bark,’ Gu Jingyang’s temple throbbed.
She felt like she was going to shatter too. She had seen this scenario before. There was once a time when a distant relative came to their house, the kind you had to count back three generations to find a connection with. The old lady brought her granddaughter and immediately demanded the granddaughter call her ‘great-aunt’. At that time, Gu Jingyang was only a few months older than the granddaughter. She watched the little girl across from her, who was missing teeth just like herself, her face flushed crimson, unable to utter the title ‘great-aunt’. Later, the old lady grew anxious and started doing it herself, calling her ‘great-aunt’ repeatedly, as if to set an example for her granddaughter. Gu Jingyang remembered seeing a white-haired old lady calling her ‘great-aunt’ then, and she wished she could call the old lady ‘great-aunt’ back.
Just like now, A’Ling was already ‘Woof woof woofing’ at her repeatedly. She even hesitated whether she should bark too, just to end this farce.
“A’Ling…” Gu Jingyang wanted to say, Stop barking. If you keep barking, others will think there’s a dog fight going on here.
She regretted immensely coming to watch this spectacle. In the future, let alone raising dogs, even if A’Ling raised chickens, pigs, or caterpillars, she wouldn’t come to look.
This scene truly left her speechless and amused.
Gu Jingyang looked at A’Ling, who was now utterly serious and persistent, going from demanding a bark to earnestly teaching the dog how to bark. And then there was the ‘dog,’ with its drooping eyelids, watching A’Ling unblinkingly, its expression solemn as it gazed at her.
“A’Ling, don’t force the child anymore.” As soon as Gu Jingyang said it, she wanted to smack herself. Pfft, what child?
A’Ling’s face flushed crimson with anger. “I’ve clearly been too good to you! Fine, you won’t bark, will you? I’ll throw you out right now!”
A’Ling made to walk out.
Gu Jingyang grabbed her, her eyes lingering on the Mutated Beast in A’Ling’s arms. “A’Ling, is it possible that this isn’t a dog, which is why it can’t bark?”
A’Ling glared at Gu Jingyang, a look of disdain in her eyes. “So young, yet your eyesight is already failing. This is a dog.”
Besides, in her previous life, she remembered this dog had barked before. But she couldn’t quite recall when. Was it when it fell off the cliff at Hunyuan Mountain, or when they encountered the Chiji bees at Tianchan Ridge? Though it was only once, she was certain this ugly creature had barked. It definitely was a dog! Now it just wasn’t giving her face, just like in her previous life. She poured her heart out to it, and it ignored her.
Gu Jingyang saw a flicker of hurt in A’Ling’s eyes and was quite surprised. Hadn’t A’Ling just picked up this dog a few days ago, and hadn’t she said she wouldn’t raise it? Why did A’Ling’s feelings for this dog seem unusually deep? Could it be that A’Ling had always been fond of dogs? She hadn’t realized this before. If she had known, she would have given her one. The Gu family’s villa raised all sorts of guard dogs, and even the ugliest of them was far more beautiful than this one. To say ‘much more beautiful’ was an understatement; they were a thousand times better.
Gu Jingyang sighed, comforting A’Ling, “Perhaps it’s injured and can’t bark.”
A’Ling shook her head, disbelieving. “It’s just an ungrateful ugly dog like this. I’ll throw it away right now—”
“Woof.”
Before A’Ling could finish saying “it,” a “Woof” emerged from her arms, causing both people present to freeze. The bark was very soft, almost a whimper, and somehow, it sounded incredibly wronged and hurt.
A’Ling glanced at the ugly dog in her arms. The creature had buried its entire head in the crevice between its body and A’Ling’s, with only a pair of drooping ears visible. She turned her head, puzzled, to Gu Jingyang, “Did it just bark?”
Gu Jingyang nodded, still stunned. “Yes.”
She had heard it. She looked at the ugly creature in A’Ling’s arms in surprise. She hadn’t expected it to actually be a dog…
After that bark, the dog seemed to completely shatter, curling into a small ball, as if hoping to disappear from sight.
A’Ling’s arms stiffened around the dog. She hadn’t expected it to actually bark. But somehow, she didn’t feel happy either. Looking at the small ball in her arms, its drooping ears looking utterly pathetic, as if it had suffered an immense wrong, A’Ling’s previous behavior suddenly seemed like bullying the weak. A’Ling cleared her throat awkwardly.
“Um, what did you come to see me about?” A’Ling blinked, looking at Gu Jingyang, her eyes seeming to say, ‘If you have nothing, find something.’
Gu Jingyang’s temple twitched. A’Ling finally realized how twisted she had been, stubbornly bothering a dog. She sympathetically glanced at the ‘shattered’ dog, thinking that this ugly creature might actually be a dog. Other Mutated Beasts probably wouldn’t have such a good temperament. Only dogs, with their loyalty and tolerance towards humans over millennia, would retain their canine habits even after mutation. A’Ling’s dog had clearly mutated, otherwise it wouldn’t look like this.
Thinking of this, Gu Jingyang remembered that she indeed had a reason for coming to see A’Ling: it was about the demonic beast mutation. The whole ordeal with A’Ling had almost made her forget.
As soon as A’Ling heard Gu Jingyang actually had something to discuss, she swiftly put the ugly dog into its bed and led Gu Jingyang inside.
This was the first time Gu Jingyang had drunk tea personally brewed by A’Ling at her place. A’Ling also felt quite awkward. Fortunately, Lan Fushang had gifted her this tea set not long ago. Though she had thought it was too much trouble just for a cup of tea, now she felt this item was quite useful. As she went through the motions of preparing the tea, her earlier discomfort finally dissipated.
“Try this tea. Fushang sent it last time. She said the tea bricks have some medicinal herbs added, which can clear the mind and sharpen eyesight.” A’Ling poured a cup of orange-yellow tea into the teacup in front of Gu Jingyang.
Gu Jingyang lowered her head and glanced at it, a hint of hesitation in her eyes. “Have you drunk this tea before?”
A’Ling shook her head. How could she have the leisure for that by herself? “No, this is the first time it’s being used. Aren’t I good to you? I save all the good stuff to share with you.” A’Ling smiled, raised an eyebrow at Gu Jingyang, and pushed the teacup forward as if presenting a treasure. “Drink it while it’s hot.”
Gu Jingyang narrowed her eyes, suspiciously eyeing the overly solicitous A’Ling, then lowered her gaze to the strangely colored tea liquid.
She had never seen any tea leaves that could brew such a bright orange tea liquid, so bright it was almost dazzling. Was this really supposed to sharpen eyesight? It felt like just looking at it too much would hurt her eyes. She couldn’t very well drink it with her eyes closed, could she?
“A’Ling, are you… perhaps using me to test for poison?” Gu Jingyang half-closed her eyes, her scrutinizing gaze fixed on A’Ling, not missing the slightest expression on her face.
A’Ling’s smile froze. This child, why was she so hard to fool? She tried hard to maintain her smile, doing her best to look natural. “What are you saying? This was given by Fushang. How could it be poisoned?”
Gu Jingyang immediately thought of the poisonous mushrooms that had caused her hallucinations, which had also been given by Lan Fushang. She said nothing, narrowing her eyes as she looked at A’Ling, her meaning perfectly clear.
How could A’Ling have forgotten about the mushrooms? It was precisely because she remembered that she was now somewhat suspicious of anything Lan Fushang gave her. She had checked these tea bricks immediately; they weren’t poisonous. But she feared it would be like the mushrooms, where Lan Fushang’s medicine had removed the toxicity from the mushrooms, at least ensuring no life-threatening danger, but the hallucinations had been truly agonizing. She was just afraid that these tea bricks from Lan Fushang might also have such unexpected side effects. So, not drinking them wasn’t just due to a lack of leisure for brewing tea, but also a preciousness for her own life.
“Honestly, why are you so narrow-minded? Fushang only made one mistake, and you’re still holding a grudge. If you won’t drink it, I will.”
A’Ling said so, but her hand movements were as slow as if time had decelerated. As she reached for the teacup, she kept glancing at Gu Jingyang.
Gu Jingyang was amused by her transparent thoughts. Pretending not to notice, she picked up the teacup in front of her. “Alright, I’ll be generous this once.”
Gu Jingyang took a sip, her brows instinctively wanting to furrow, but seeing A’Ling’s eager and curious expression across from her, she suddenly had an idea. She deliberately kept her face straight, not letting any true emotion show. After taking a small sip, she took another large gulp.
“We’ve truly wronged Lan Fushang. This tea is quite good. I shouldn’t have been so narrow-minded. I apologize.”
Seeing Gu Jingyang’s expression, which suggested the tea was truly good, A’Ling felt relieved. She knew it. Lan Fushang was someone who would become the Peak Master of Summer Shadow Peak in the future; how could she be so unreliable? After saying all those words, she was already thirsty. She picked up the teacup, felt the water temperature was just right, and drained it in one gulp.
Drinking tea was just for quenching thirst. She couldn’t imitate Gu Jingyang’s refined manner of sipping slowly.
“Cough, cough, cough, gag—”
A’Ling hadn’t even swallowed a mouthful of tea before her stomach churned violently from the agonizingly sour and bitter taste.
“I’m going to die! What in the world is this?!”
A’Ling frantically grabbed the spring water used for brewing tea nearby, took a huge gulp, and then began rinsing her mouth.
“Didn’t you say it was good tea for clearing the mind and sharpening eyesight? Why did you spit it out?”
A’Ling rinsed her mouth seven or eight times before she finally managed to mostly clear the nauseating taste from between her teeth. She looked at Gu Jingyang, who was smiling brightly, and knew she had been tricked. But realizing she had tried to trick Gu Jingyang first, and had now shot herself in the foot, she was momentarily speechless.
After laughing enough, Gu Jingyang wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye. “A’Ling, you should still tell Lan Fushang: just drink tea as tea. Don’t add all these fancy effects. It makes the tea taste like bitter medicine with vinegar.”
Hearing her description, A’Ling’s stomach, which had just begun to settle, felt a little nauseous again.
She wondered how Lan Fushang managed to create such a shockingly disgusting taste. No wonder she would later form her own branch of medical cultivation; her creative ability was truly extraordinary.
“Maybe some people like to drink it. Don’t people like all sorts of sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy tastes? Perhaps someone likes the taste of her tea. Just because we don’t like it doesn’t mean no one else does. We shouldn’t tell her; let’s not stifle her creativity.”
“You call that creativity?”
Turning antidote into seasoning, putting medicinal herbs into tea bricks—such unreliable behavior had become ‘creativity’ in A’Ling’s eyes. Gu Jingyang was almost jealous. It seemed whatever Lan Fushang did, A’Ling could always beautify it.
A’Ling said as if it were obvious, “What else would you call it?”
Gu Jingyang was momentarily speechless. She really couldn’t describe what kind of behavior that was.
“Enough about her. I came to see you about something important.” Gu Jingyang didn’t want to hear A’Ling praise Lan Fushang in different ways anymore; she had serious business.
Hearing this, A’Ling asked curiously, “Good news or bad news?”
Gu Jingyang thought, ‘That’s hard to say.’
“There’s been a demonic beast mutation on Zhuoling Mountain. The cultivators sent to investigate haven’t returned. The Abode Master wants me to lead a team to check the situation and see if we can resolve it.” Gu Jingyang briefly explained the situation, omitting what Heng Qingyi had told her privately, as it wasn’t directly relevant to A’Ling.
“Zhuoling Mountain? Isn’t that one of the most frequent places for spirit cultivators to practice in the wild?” A’Ling asked in surprise. Moreover, she remembered that the demonic beasts in that area were relatively weak. Even if those small demonic beasts mutated, it shouldn’t cause much harm. How could cultivators go there and not return?
Gu Jingyang hadn’t expected A’Ling to know this. “Yes, it’s within the jurisdiction of the spirit cultivators, so the Spirit Cultivation Manor will send people to investigate this incident.” She paused as she spoke. Originally, before Heng Qingyi sought her out this time, she had really wanted to bring A’Ling along. Firstly, it would help with her cultivation, and secondly, it would increase her practical combat experience. But from Heng Qingyi’s words, this mission seemed dangerous, making her hesitate. However, regarding A’Ling’s involvement, she wanted A’Ling to decide for herself. After explaining the danger level of the mission, she asked A’Ling, “Do you still want to go?”
A’Ling answered without hesitation, “Of course I’ll go.” She rarely had the chance to participate in such matters before. Now that an opportunity arose, she naturally had to seize it.
Gu Jingyang already had that answer in her heart. She pursed her lips. “This matter is quite complex. The Sword Cultivation Manor has also sent people, though it’s unclear who exactly. I was thinking, since sword cultivators can participate, why don’t we invite Qingqian along?” Qingqian’s cultivation had already broken through the Core Formation and Nascent Soul realms, so she wouldn’t fear even the most formidable mutated demonic beasts. Gu Jingyang wasn’t worried about herself; she was already in the Nascent Soul realm. Normally, she wouldn’t be harmed by mere mutated demonic beasts. She was more concerned about A’Ling.
When A’Ling heard she wanted to invite Shi Qingqian, she felt displeasure. “Why bring her along? She’s capable, but her character is lacking. What if she pushes us out when danger arises? Then we’d be doomed.”
She knew Gu Jingyang wanted to bring Shi Qingqian because of her abilities, but sometimes, bringing someone more capable along didn’t necessarily mean greater safety. On the contrary, if that person had ill intentions, the more capable she was, the more dangerous it would be for them.
As Gu Jingyang hesitated, she sensed a gaze. Turning her head, she saw the little dog in its bed not far away, which had been curled up and lying down, had at some point sat up. It sat there ramrod straight, gazing in their direction.
“Hmm?” A’Ling saw Gu Jingyang suddenly fall silent and followed her gaze. The ugly dog had, at some unknown point, sat up and was watching them.
“Don’t mind it. Its injuries make it uncomfortable to lie down constantly; it’s probably in pain.” A’Ling estimated the time; there was still a while until the next medicine application. Painkillers couldn’t be used too frequently.
Shi Qingqian looked at A’Ling, her gaze weary and hurt. Was she truly so worthless in A’Ling’s heart…? No matter what she did, would A’Ling never forgive her?
Gu Jingyang raised an eyebrow. She always felt this dog seemed to understand their conversation. Not like understanding specific commands, but as if it understood their entire conversation, hers and A’Ling’s. It must be an illusion, Gu Jingyang scoffed at herself. She probably hadn’t seen such a peculiar ‘dog’ before, which made her overthink things.
She withdrew her gaze and looked at A’Ling. “Speaking of which, Qingqian has been in secluded cultivation for some time now. I don’t know when she’ll emerge. We have to depart in a month, so the timing might not work out.”
Since A’Ling didn’t want Qingqian to go, and Qingqian happened to be in secluded cultivation, then so be it. Gu Jingyang wasn’t insistent on bringing Shi Qingqian along anyway. Speaking of Qingqian’s current secluded cultivation, she hadn’t told anyone beforehand how long it would last. Gu Jingyang also didn’t know why she was cultivating in seclusion this time or how long it would take. Now, rumors were circulating on Mystic Crane Mountain, claiming that Qingqian’s position as Abode Master was merely due to her superior strength compared to Qiu Fanbo, and that she wasn’t popular among the sword cultivators. They even said her current secluded cultivation was her hiding because she dared not face anyone. Gu Jingyang naturally knew Shi Qingqian wasn’t that kind of person. She had another layer of concern: that Qingqian had been injured during the battle token competition and was now cultivating in seclusion to heal. Unfortunately, since she was currently in secluded cultivation, there was no way to check on her.
Thinking of this, Gu Jingyang said to A’Ling, “This time it’s likely dangerous. We’ll also need to find a medical cultivator to go with us. A’Ling, do you have anyone in mind?”
“Medical cultivator?” A’Ling raised an eyebrow, then suddenly broke into a smile. “Find Fushang! She’s skilled in the medical arts. Let’s bring her along.”
This time, even the muscles in Gu Jingyang’s neck twitched along with her temple.
“A’Ling, we’re going for serious business, not a picnic.”
A’Ling’s expression also turned serious. “I know! Fushang, in terms of medical arts alone, is no worse than the cultivators from the Medical Cultivation Manor.”
It’s just that the assessment for Soaring Rainbow Tower isn’t solely based on medical arts; otherwise, Lan Fushang would have already joined the Medical Cultivation Manor by now.
Gu Jingyang couldn’t quite understand where A’Ling’s innate trust in Lan Fushang came from. She hadn’t witnessed Lan Fushang’s medical skills, but she had certainly witnessed her unreliable antics.
“A’Ling, you’re not trying to use this as an excuse to spend more time with her, so she’ll quickly agree to be your dao companion, are you?” Gu Jingyang looked at A’Ling with a serious expression. If that were the reason, she wouldn’t agree.
A’Ling frowned unhappily. “Am I that unreliable in your eyes? I genuinely think she’s suitable.”
Gu Jingyang saw the seriousness in her eyes and felt slightly relieved. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly found a pair of large, dark eyes at her feet, startling her so much that she abruptly lifted her leg and moved away. Looking down, she saw that the dog, which had been sitting in its bed, had somehow silently walked to her feet. And it was staring at her with wide, round eyes. Its gaze was oddly bright, as if deeply puzzled, simply staring straight at her.
Gu Jingyang was completely bewildered. What had she done?
A’Ling had seen the ugly dog when Gu Jingyang was startled, assuming it had woken up and was bored. “Go on, scram, go play somewhere else.” She extended her foot, not daring to use force, merely gently nudging the ugly dog’s body, pushing it back a few steps.
Shi Qingqian, lacking the strength to resist, was pushed aside. She shook her ears in confusion, seemingly puzzled. What had she just heard? Dao companion? A contracted dao companion, forming an eternal bond between cultivators?
After A’Ling pushed the dog away with her foot, she continued speaking to Gu Jingyang, “If you don’t believe me, you can test her and see if what I’m saying is true.”
Although Lan Fushang wasn’t as strong now as she would be in the future, she was still a bit impetuous in her actions and had many unreliable ideas. But compared to the new cultivators in the Medical Cultivation Manor, she was still significantly stronger. She had seen the pills Lan Fushang sent before. After all, she had also been a medical cultivator in her previous life. Although she hadn’t learned much, she could still discern good from bad.
Gu Jingyang heard her speak with such certainty, and her doubts lessened. However, she still had another concern.
“This mission is likely dangerous. You want Lan Fushang to go with us, but she might not want to.” Gu Jingyang felt they should first ask for Lan Fushang’s opinion.
“Then I’ll go ask her.” A’Ling said, making to walk out. She had only taken one step when she was blocked by an ugly dog.
“Scram! Good dogs don’t block the way, and ugly dogs especially shouldn’t block the way!”
If a good-looking dog blocked the way, someone might even be willing to pet it because of its looks. But for an ugly dog like this to block the way, getting kicked would be a light punishment. Especially one this terrifyingly ugly.
A’Ling stepped forward, about to cross over it, when she suddenly heard a soft sound from the doorway. Someone had arrived.
“A’Ling, are you there?”
Gu Jingyang raised an eyebrow. What a coincidence. Did this person have ears that could hear the wind?
A’Ling broke into a smile. “What a coincidence! Look, she’s come herself. You can ask her directly now.” She quickly stepped over the ugly dog blocking the way and went to open the door for Lan Fushang. She walked quickly, completely unaware of the abnormality behind her.