The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 72

After traveling for a full day, Zeng Bilan led her team to rest near a mountain marked with a purple-fringed fish-scale banner.
No sooner had they landed than the sword cultivators and spiritual arts cultivators began to bicker again. Zeng Bilan no longer had the energy to manage them; the two groups had already fought no less than three times along the way. Although sword cultivators and spiritual arts cultivators were always at odds, this was the first time she’d seen them so on edge. Moreover, because she was the master of a spiritual arts cultivator’s Cave Abode, the few sword cultivators who had come along this time didn’t trust her much. If her cultivation base hadn’t been high enough, these people might even have dared to challenge her.
She somewhat regretted taking on this task. She sternly reprimanded both sides to stop their nonsense, then found a tree and sat down to meditate and regulate her spiritual energy.
Evidently, her words had little effect. The two groups exchanged glances and, with a tacit understanding, chose a more distant spot to begin their sparring.
“You spiritual arts cultivators, when trouble strikes your own mountain, we sword cultivators kindly help you deal with it, and you don’t even show gratitude, instead slandering us behind our backs. You truly mistake good intentions for ill will, not even a dog is so ungrateful!”
“Tch, as if we don’t know what you’re thinking! You’re just hoping to see if there are any benefits to be gained. Which time have you not relied on your cultivation to throw your weight around during missions, claiming all the good things for yourselves!”
“We sword cultivators are the strongest, and we contribute the most. Naturally, the good things should be ours.”
“What a joke! Which time isn’t it us spiritual arts cultivators charging ahead? You just wait to pick up the ready-made spoils. I don’t think you’re the strongest, I think you’re the thickest-skinned!”
The two sides refused to back down, exchanging barbs, and as expected, they ended up fighting again.
Shan Lei looked at the two groups fighting in the distance and quietly lowered her head. She then walked to a spot not far behind Zeng Bilan, sitting down to meditate just like her, as if the matter had nothing to do with her. She had received a reply from Shan Xinci, instructing her to fan the flames, which she was quite good at. The friction between sword cultivators and spiritual arts cultivators was already abundant on a normal day; she only needed to blow a little breeze, and the fire would ignite. Seeing the fight break out, Shan Lei’s lips curled into a slight smile.
But this time, the fight didn’t last long. It stopped on its own before Zeng Bilan even finished meditating to intervene. The two groups seemed to have discovered something, stopping their movements and arguments simultaneously.
Before long, someone came to call Zeng Bilan, rousing her from her meditative state.
Zeng Bilan was somewhat displeased. “What is it?”
The spiritual arts cultivator disciple looked anxious. “Abode Master, quickly come and see! Elder Zhao Shan, a sword cultivator who set out with Gu Jingyang and the others, is here too!”
Upon hearing this, Zeng Bilan quickly stood up. This place was still five days away from Zhuoling Mountain. How could Zhao Shan be here? When she saw the person, her confusion deepened. He was covered by a large datura leaf under a makeshift shelter, seemingly unconscious. She ordered a medical cultivator disciple to examine him.
After a thorough examination, Shan Lei reported, “He appears to have suffered severe injuries not long ago. It’s been windy and rainy these past few days, and the wound is somewhat swollen with pus from encountering water.”
But this injury had clearly happened several days ago. It must have looked quite serious initially, yet why was he unconscious now, after several days? There were no serious internal injuries within Zhao Shan’s body either. Shan Lei quickly realized that the person was feigning. After a careful inspection, Shan Lei was even more certain, but she did not tell Zeng Bilan this result.
“Do you need to wake him?” Shan Lei didn’t say whether Zhao Shan was unconscious or not, only asking Zeng Bilan if she wanted him awakened.
“Yes.” Zeng Bilan nodded. To know what exactly had happened, they would have to wait for him to wake up and ask. She looked around but didn’t see Gu Jingyang or the others.
Under Shan Lei’s treatment, Zhao Shan slowly ‘awoke.’ He opened his eyes and saw Shan Lei’s unfamiliar face before him. He thought this medical cultivator must be a newcomer with a low cultivation base, unable to discern if he was truly unconscious or faking it. He pretended to be in great pain, looking around at the people surrounding him with surprise. In truth, he had already heard their voices and knew they were from the Cave Dwelling; he had intentionally made some noise to attract their attention.
Zhao Shan’s gaze slowly swept over everyone. When he saw the familiar faces of a few sword cultivator disciples, his eyes reddened, and he choked up. “Are you here to save me?”
Although Zhao Shan wasn’t very popular in the Cave Dwelling, the few sword cultivator disciples felt sympathy upon seeing him so battered and miserable. “Elder Zhao, what happened to you?”
Zhao Shan heard his question and put on a face of indignation and grievance.
Zeng Bilan interrupted the sword cultivator disciple’s question. She spoke up, asking, “Where are the others? What happened to you, and who injured you?”
Zhao Shan’s expression grew even more indignant and aggrieved upon hearing her question. “It was A’Ling! A’Ling beat me into this state.” He no longer cared about losing face. He, a sword cultivator elder, was beaten to such a state by a spiritual arts cultivator newcomer. All he wanted now was for A’Ling to pay the price.
“It was A’Ling! A’Ling injured me to this extent!”
Zeng Bilan was startled. “A’Ling? Why would she beat you? Weren’t you heading to Zhuoling Mountain together to deal with the mutated beasts? Where are they?”
“That despicable A’Ling! We had a past conflict at the Soaring Rainbow Tower. This time, on a joint mission, she injured me just half a day into our journey, and then she directly abandoned me here to die!”
“I told her that this time the Sword Cultivator Cave Dwelling sent me to assist the spiritual arts cultivator disciples in dealing with the beast mutation, and we shouldn’t let personal grudges ruin the mission. But she said that they spiritual arts cultivators could handle it even without us sword cultivators, and even called us sword cultivators useless.”
“It’s my fault for not being skilled enough, losing face for the sword cultivators. But that A’Ling truly went too far, relying on her magic artifact, disregarding any camaraderie among fellow disciples. Her attacks were so vicious! Abode Master Zeng, will your spiritual arts cultivator Cave Dwelling truly not rein in such a person?”
His words made the sword cultivators present feel as if they had all been collectively insulted, and their gazes towards the spiritual arts cultivators burned with fury. Even their looks towards Zeng Bilan turned unfriendly.
“A one-sided account!”
Zeng Bilan didn’t believe Gu Jingyang and the others would act that way; Zhao Shan was probably intentionally slandering them. She thought for a moment, then had one of her spiritual arts cultivator disciples take Zhao Shan back to the Cave Dwelling to be handled by Heng Qingyi. She, meanwhile, would continue the journey with her people. There was no time to rest now; they had to find Gu Jingyang and the others as soon as possible. If anything had happened to them, this matter would likely become troublesome.
A’Ling had no idea that she had been slandered again behind her back. She was currently staring at a large iron pot, or more accurately, staring at the person washing the pot.
What exactly is Shi Qingqian trying to do?
She had taken over the cooking from Lan Fushang for them. A’Ling could barely, in her astonishment, come up with one explanation: perhaps Shi Qingqian disliked Lan Fushang’s cooking and wanted to do it herself. But just now, Lan Fushang said she was about to clean the dinnerware, and Shi Qingqian had again politely sent her away. Surely, she can’t be complaining that Lan Fushang doesn’t wash cleanly and wants to do it herself?
A’Ling wasn’t so foolish as to think Shi Qingqian didn’t want Lan Fushang to be tired and wanted to do the work for her. Shi Qingqian’s dislike for Lan Fushang was so obvious now that even A’Ling had noticed it.
So what exactly is she trying to do? A’Ling furrowed her brows slightly, watching the person slowly rise from the riverside in the distance. Seeing that person seemingly about to turn around, A’Ling immediately averted her gaze. For some inexplicable reason, a flicker of guilt arose in her heart. This is truly bizarre.
Her eyes darted left and right, landing on Lan Fushang. She saw that Lan Fushang had already set up the tents and laid out all the bedding. Her movements were very swift, even a little unusually fast.
Lan Fushang sighed in relief when everything was ready. She had been a little worried that Shi Qingqian might even take over setting up the tents; then she would truly seem useless. Looking at the three tents, Lan Fushang thought for a moment and said to A’Ling and the others, “I’ll give my tent to Qingqian. You three injured ones rest well, and I’ll sleep on the recliner.” Although it was winter, cultivators had inner energy to protect themselves from the cold. Besides, there didn’t seem to be any rain or snow tonight, so she wouldn’t even need a protective barrier.
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Jingyang chimed in, “Qingqian won’t agree.” How could Shi Qingqian possibly accept a tent ‘given up’ by Lan Fushang?
For some reason, A’Ling deeply agreed. Shi Qingqian truly wouldn’t agree.
Seeing Lan Fushang’s conflicted and hesitant expression, A’Ling’s eyes darted around, and she thought of a good idea. “How about this? I’ll squeeze in with Fushang. That way, there will be enough for everyone.” She finished, grinning at Lan Fushang. “Is that alright, Fushang? We can share a tent.”
Lan Fushang let out a soft “Ah,” seemingly a little surprised, but only a little, not averse. She rarely had such intimate co-habitation with others, but if it was A’Ling, it was fine. She was about to agree when a cool voice suddenly sounded nearby. “No need.”
Everyone looked up. Shi Qingqian had finished her tasks at some unknown point and walked closer to them. She said that one sentence, not even glancing at anyone else, and walked directly towards A’Ling. Then, under A’Ling’s astonished gaze, she gracefully and effortlessly lay down on the recliner where A’Ling had been sitting. This startled A’Ling so much that she jumped sideways as if her backside were on fire.
“I’ll sleep here.” Shi Qingqian said, closing her eyes, not bothering to check if A’Ling, whose recliner she had occupied, was pleased. Her hands were folded over her abdomen, looking as if she had fallen asleep then and there.
After recovering from her shock, A’Ling felt a surge of indignation. She hadn’t said she wouldn’t lie down anymore, so what was the difference between Shi Qingqian’s action and outright robbery? She wanted to pull the person off the recliner. As she reached out, she noticed that Shi Qingqian’s rolled-up sleeves hadn’t been pulled down, revealing a section of pale wrist conspicuously wrapped with thin red cord-like material.
What is that? A’Ling couldn’t help but be curious. Is it some magic artifact? I haven’t seen Shi Qingqian use it before. The color is too striking, making her slender arm appear even paler. A’Ling almost couldn’t bring herself to pull her up.
Forget it. This person hasn’t recovered her spiritual energy yet, and she’s been cooking and washing pots. She must be tired.
A gust of mountain wind blew, stirring the strands of hair at Shi Qingqian’s temples. A’Ling’s brow twitched, and she recalled seeing Shi Qingqian by the river just now. Under the subtle light of the water, A’Ling had for the first time seen a certain captivating quality in her, a gentleness she had never thought Shi Qingqian possessed.
Forget it, A’Ling sighed.
“Hey, get up. This is my spot. Go sleep in the tent.” A’Ling pointed to her tent. She decided she would sleep on the recliner tonight.
Shi Qingqian had felt A’Ling watching her earlier and didn’t know what she was going to do. She kept her eyes closed until she heard A’Ling speak, then Shi Qingqian slowly opened her eyes. She looked at A’Ling, who for some reason seemed a little annoyed. She remembered A’Ling’s earlier suggestion to ‘squeeze in’ with Lan Fushang. Her gaze went past A’Ling to Lan Fushang in the distance, then returned after just a glance.
“No need.” So they won’t have an excuse to ‘squeeze in’ later.
Shi Qingqian then closed her eyes irritably. She thought of A’Ling’s intentions; she actually wanted to find such a person to be her Dao companion. A person with low cultivation, weak ability, unclear intelligence, and unknown moral character. There was nothing good about her, no matter how she looked at it.
A’Ling saw that she had kindly offered her tent, yet this person showed no gratitude, acting as if A’Ling owed her something.
“Fine then.” A’Ling scoffed coldly. Such a person shouldn’t be treated too well. A’Ling huffily retreated into her tent, threw out a quick “I’m sleeping,” and cast a barrier.
Shi Qingqian subtly lifted her eyelids for a glance, said nothing, and continued lying there with her hands clasped, as if truly exhausted and about to sleep.
Lan Fushang and Gu Jingyang, observing the two of them arguing over some unknown triviality, suddenly felt that the mountain temperature had dropped significantly. Gu Jingyang deeply eyed A’Ling’s tent with the barrier, pursed her lips, and thought, Who is that barrier meant to keep out? Thinking this, she let out a light chuckle. Who could it possibly keep out anyway?
As the night deepened, A’Ling found herself sleepless. On Zhuoling Mountain, she had been on edge, constantly in a state of tension. When she was tense, her mind tended to be dull. Now that they were out of Zhuoling Mountain, the sense of danger gradually faded, and A’Ling’s mind also cleared up.
However, A’Ling also thought it might simply be because she had eaten too much and now wanted to exercise her mind to digest it. She slightly lifted her head and peeked outside. She couldn’t see the exterior through the tent, but she could feel that Shi Qingqian was still lying on the recliner.
A’Ling thought for a moment, activated her spiritual energy, and sent her Nascent Soul out to observe the situation outside. Indeed, Shi Qingqian was maintaining the same motionless posture as before A’Ling entered the tent. A’Ling recalled her Nascent Soul and scoffed. Even her sleeping posture is like a hanged ghost, so stiff.
She turned over, lying on her side with her hands clasped behind her ears. She really is sleeping under the open sky like that. Although she wasn’t sleeping on the ground, that recliner was indeed rather rudimentary. In fact, if Shi Qingqian was willing to lie in the mountain wind like that, Lan Fushang actually had another bed. It was the same one Shi Qingqian had slept on last night. I forgot to tell Fushang to get it out just now, A’Ling thought. Sleeping on a bed is always better than a recliner.
But then she immediately chided herself lightly. Why am I worrying so much about her? That dog won’t appreciate it anyway.
In her annoyance, A’Ling noticed her hand by the pillow. It was still wrapped in a piece of Wu Luo Bone Tendon Silk. A’Ling lifted her hand and used the moonlight seeping in to examine it. She had forgotten that this was another favor she owed.
She slightly unraveled the Wu Luo Bone Tendon Silk, wanting to see how her hand injury was faring. Fearing she wouldn’t see clearly, A’Ling conjured a faint glow of spiritual energy in her palm, weak like a flickering spark. This light couldn’t be seen from outside, but it was enough to examine the wound on her wrist.
A’Ling looked at the completely healed new flesh on her wrist. Aside from a slight difference in skin tone, there was no other discernible difference. A’Ling deliberately rotated her wrist and found that she could move it freely, without any problems. She completely removed the Wu Luo Bone Tendon Silk from her wrist and set it aside.
Looking at her wrist, which had been bare bone last night but now had new flesh, A’Ling felt a sense of unreality. Holding her perfectly intact wrist, A’Ling couldn’t help but lose herself in thought. No matter how severe the physical injury, there will always be a day it heals, just a matter of time. But what about the heart? There was a crack in her heart that she had never spoken to anyone about. And there was no one she could tell.
Gu Jingyang had told her that Shi Qingqian had exhausted her spiritual energy and risked her life to save her this time. A’Ling didn’t disbelieve it. In her previous life, Shi Qingqian had also risked her life to save her once.
And then what? Just as A’Ling was filled with gratitude, deeply reflecting on her past mistakes, and determined to let go of prejudice and repay Shi Qingqian well in the future, Shi Qingqian delivered an even more fatal blow. She had first saved her life, then made her wish she were dead, suffering every day. That memory was too painful; A’Ling never willingly thought of it. Whenever it did surface, she would quickly suppress it, as if another moment of thought would slice her heart further, and sharp claws would carve another bloody mark into the crack in her heart.
A’Ling clutched her heart, which had begun to ache faintly, and recalled the event that she still couldn’t forget to this day.
In her previous life, after A’Ling entered the Medical Cultivator Cave Dwelling, she was marginalized for several years until she finally got an outdoor mission. It was her abode master, Elder Qi Yu, who had painstakingly fought for it. Her abode master was an eccentric old woman, just like her, with little presence in the Cave Dwelling. But this time, she actually fought for this extremely rare quota for A’Ling. This wasn’t an ordinary outdoor mission; it was to subdue a rarely seen Ancient Fire Dragon Bird.
In ancient times, there were many powerful divine birds. Because of their outstanding abilities and significant achievements in the desperate battle against the Hellish Realm, many were granted divine status and became divine birds in the Nine Heavens, such as phoenixes and vermilion birds. This Ancient Fire Dragon Bird had strength not inferior to theirs, but due to its violent temperament and difficulty to control, it indiscriminately killed enemies and innocents alike in the battle against the Hellish Realm. Not only did it not gain divine status, but it was also struck down by heavenly punishment. Since then, for tens of thousands of years, the Ancient Fire Dragon Bird had been shunned by the Nine Heavens. Due to the heavenly punishment, this once vast species of ancient fierce beasts gradually withered, and now only a few remain. And because their appearance always brought slaughter, when their traces were discovered, cultivators would always send people to subdue them immediately.
This time, the person who was to subdue this newly discovered Ancient Fire Dragon Bird was Shi Qingqian, already known as Abode master Beiming.
A’Ling and Shi Qingqian’s conflict was not something everyone knew about in the Cave Dwelling, but it was certainly something many had heard of. However, due to the vast disparity in their strength, A’Ling’s various actions truly seemed like those of a jumping clown. As Shi Qingqian’s cultivation grew higher and her status became more revered, fewer people mocked A’Ling. It was as if mentioning A’Ling and Shi Qingqian in the same breath was an insult to Shi Qingqian.
Since Shi Qingqian was going to subdue the Ancient Fire Dragon Bird this time, A’Ling naturally couldn’t get into her main team. Her team was clearly there for experience. Shi Qingqian was incredibly powerful; one Ancient Fire Dragon Bird was nothing to her. Elder Qi Yu had told her the same.
That day, before departure, Elder Qi Yu for the first time allowed A’Ling into her Cave Dwelling. Looking at the object in her hand, A’Ling was very confused. “Abode master, what is the meaning of this?” A’Ling wasn’t very familiar with Elder Qi Yu; to this day, she didn’t know why Elder Qi Yu chose her as a disciple.
Elder Qi Yu glanced at the bewildered and ignorant person before her, first explaining the purpose of the item in A’Ling’s hand. “This is Spirit Suppressing Incense. It can suppress a cultivator’s cultivation. If you hold it and get close to Shi Qingqian, her cultivation will significantly decline.”
A’Ling was even more confused after hearing this. “Make Shi Qingqian’s cultivation decline?” They were going to subdue an Ancient Fire Dragon Bird, so why make Shi Qingqian’s cultivation decline?
“Yes, besides you, another Elder from the Medical Cultivator Cave Dwelling will also go. She has the Tiger-Dragon Demon-Binding Lock given by the Peak Master, which is a divine artifact that restrains the Ancient Fire Dragon Bird.” Seeing that A’Ling still didn’t understand, Elder Qi Yu explained the matter more directly. “After the Ancient Fire Dragon Bird is subdued, an Empress Fire Pearl will drop. Generally, whoever subdues the Ancient Fire Dragon Bird owns that item.”
“You might not know, but the Empress Fire Pearl is one of the best materials for refining the Soul-Gathering Pill. If we have that item, our medical cultivators can refine more Soul-Gathering Pills. This way, if a cultivator in the Cave Dwelling is unfortunately injured in their three souls and six spirits, we can mend them and save more lives.”
“So tell me, is it better for this item to fall into our medical cultivators’ hands than for Shi Qingqian to have it? If she has it, it only increases her own cultivation. If we have it, we can save more lives.”
A’Ling listened, her brows furrowed, and she understood. Elder Qi Yu wanted the Empress Fire Pearl to save more people. She nodded vigorously. “Abode master, rest assured, I will complete the mission.”
This is wonderful! Not only can it prevent Shi Qingqian from hogging the limelight, but it can also let the medical cultivator elder get the Empress Fire Pearl to save more people. A’Ling happily agreed, but she never expected things to turn out the way they did.
They pursued the Ancient Fire Dragon Bird deep into a masterless demonic cave within the Miaoying Dense Forest. At the medical cultivator elder’s signal, A’Ling quietly took out a bag of Spirit Suppressing Incense. As expected, Shi Qingqian, who was entangled in battle with the Ancient Fire Dragon Bird, immediately had her cultivation obstructed and was struck by the fire dragon bird’s wings, retreating several yards.
Good opportunity! A’Ling’s eyes lit up. She saw the medical cultivator elder, simultaneously with Shi Qingqian’s retreat, rushing forward with the Tiger-Dragon Demon-Binding Lock. However, unexpectedly, at the same moment, the Ancient Fire Dragon Bird suddenly went berserk for some unknown reason, instantly flying into a rage. The burst of Crimson Soul Flames directly incinerated those who were slightly closer into ash. A’Ling watched as the medical cultivator elder was incinerated before she could even let out a cry of agony.
A’Ling was so frightened she fell to the ground, and the bag of Spirit Suppressing Incense in her hand spilled out completely. Shi Qingqian looked down at the items at her feet, then with a wave of her hand, gathered them all into her Cosmos Pouch and threw them back to A’Ling.
Fool.
I’ll deal with her later.
Shi Qingqian’s spirit core was trembling from the shock of the berserk Crimson Soul Flames. Enduring the pain, which felt like thousands of screaming ghosts in her ears, she gathered her re-stabilized spiritual energy and attacked the Ancient Fire Dragon Bird.
Not good, Shi Qingqian realized the seriousness of the situation when she was forced back again. This Ancient Fire Dragon Bird before her was abnormal. Its rage wasn’t a momentary mental disturbance; usually, when a demonic beast went berserk, the increase in its attack power was limited. Just like a cornered rabbit would bite, but a rabbit was still a rabbit; its bite would never cause as much damage as a fierce tiger’s.
Shi Qingqian summoned a sword formation to trap the Ancient Fire Dragon Bird, urging everyone to flee. This demonic beast was abnormal.
In an instant, the demonic cave was filled with a bloody stench. After A’Ling put away the Spirit Suppressing Incense, she saw a fellow disciple who hadn’t managed to escape being trampled by the Ancient Fire Dragon Bird, a stomp so heavy that the person on the ground immediately spewed a mouthful of fresh blood.
“Help, save me—” The cultivator on the ground looked pained, his head turned towards A’Ling, and he cried out desperately for help. A’Ling had originally been about to flee with the other disciples, but upon seeing this, she instinctively summoned Little Wandering, wanting to save her comrade who was on the verge of death. As expected, not only did she fail to save her comrade, but she also put herself in danger.
As the blazing, fiery Crimson Soul Flames reached her, A’Ling regretted that her life was so short. Just as she was about to close her eyes and await death, Shi Qingqian rushed over, taking the full brunt of the attack for her.
“Get away!” Shi Qingqian roared, striking with all her might, sending A’Ling flying out of the demonic cave. A’Ling’s body rapidly receded backwards, and Shi Qingqian’s mouthful of fresh blood dispersed like mist before her, growing ever more distant.
“No!” A’Ling watched as the enraged Ancient Fire Dragon Bird launched another Crimson Soul Flames attack towards Shi Qingqian, who was already kneeling on the ground. The moment A’Ling landed, she desperately crawled towards the cave entrance. She had to save Shi Qingqian.
By the time she exerted all her strength to crawl back to the entrance, Shi Qingqian had already emerged, carrying the corpse of the Ancient Fire Dragon Bird. A’Ling stumbled to her feet and rushed forward. Shi Qingqian was covered in blood, like she had just walked out of a sea of blood, her white robe completely stained red. In stark contrast was her face, which was deathly pale and completely devoid of color. A’Ling wanted to support Shi Qingqian, who looked about to collapse, but she was covered in blood, and A’Ling didn’t know where she wasn’t injured. Her hands trembled, and she hesitated, unable to embrace her.
Suddenly, a heavy weight fell on her shoulder. Shi Qingqian, her body drained of strength, leaned against her, her head resting on A’Ling’s shoulder.
“Fool…”
Warm breath brushed against her ear. This was the last thing A’Ling heard Shi Qingqian say to her.