The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 9

A’Ling held onto her last breath, crawling onto the street. She spent money to hire someone to push a flatbed cart, taking her to the nearest medical hall. Upon arriving, she spent more money to expedite her treatment and cut in line.
Perhaps her injuries were truly too horrific, as even the demonic cultivators, who usually adhered to their turn, made way for her. A medical hall that could operate in the city’s eastern district was naturally no ordinary establishment. A’Ling’s injuries were too severe, so the hall master personally attended to her. A’Ling recognized him; he was a medical cultivator at the Core Formation stage with a good reputation. Hearing him say there was no danger to her life, she felt relieved. As long as she wouldn’t die, it was fine.
The hall master handed A’Ling a cork stopper and told her to bite on it, as he was about to set all the broken bones in her body. A’Ling took it, placing it in her mouth and biting down firmly. However, after the bone setting, she felt as if she hadn’t needed to bite on it to suppress any sound. After all, she had just experienced a pain that pierced her very soul; these minor pains now couldn’t even make her frown.
The hall master had treated many mortals and cultivators, but it was his first time seeing such a brave young girl. If his master hadn’t previously instructed him that healers only treat illnesses and don’t inquire about the cause, he would have truly wanted to ask A’Ling what she had encountered.
A’Ling heard the hall master say that none of her injuries had damaged any vital points and her internal organs were all fine. Only then did she truly relax. As for the hall master regretting that the wound caused by the Crimson Lotus Ring would leave a mark even after healing, and worrying that she, being a young girl, valued beauty, he comforted her by saying that if she cultivated diligently, she could use a cultivation technique to remove it at the Mahayana stage. A’Ling, however, didn’t care.
Let alone if the mark was on her body; even if it were on her face, she wouldn’t care. Instead, it could remind her to remember today’s humiliation, to never be foolish again in the future, and especially not to lightly trust Shi Qingqian again!
Seeing that A’Ling genuinely didn’t care, the hall master regarded her with a bit more respect. He diligently treated the wound caused by the Crimson Lotus Ring, filling it with a Nine Revolutions Bone Regeneration Pill to promote new flesh growth, and instructed her not to let it touch water for the next few days. He had done all he could; the rest depended on A’Ling’s own recovery. The same wound would require different recovery times for different people, and the extent of recovery would also vary.
Generally speaking, the higher one’s cultivation, the faster they would recover. He detected that A’Ling had not yet reached Foundation Establishment, but some true spiritual energy had already condensed within her body. It was possible she was only missing an opportune moment to reach Foundation Establishment. Once she reached Foundation Establishment, aided by true spiritual energy, her injuries would recover much faster.
A’Ling took the external medicine prescribed by the hall master, paid the consultation fee, and expressed her thanks. The hall master saw that someone was waiting outside to pick her up, so he simply had the medicine boys carry a chair and take her to the flatbed cart outside.
At the entrance, besides the flatbed cart owner who brought her, there was also Shi Qingqian, who had followed all the way. All the way from the Huo Residence to the medical hall, Shi Qingqian followed half a step behind. A’Ling couldn’t even be bothered to give her a glance, pretending not to see her.
The flatbed cart driver had originally come to the city’s east to deliver goods and was just about to head back after finishing his delivery when he was stopped by A’Ling. Seeing the generous reward, and because A’Ling, this young girl, was so heavily injured and looked so pitiful, he decided to get involved in this extra matter. It was only this matter of transportation; he didn’t want to get involved in anything else, such as the relationship between the girl who followed them to the medical hall and the injured girl. Earlier, while waiting outside with him, he had seen her face full of nervousness. Yet, if she was truly concerned, she only stood outside and didn’t go in to accompany the girl.
The injuries on A’Ling’s back were too severe, so the medicine boys helped her lie face down onto the flatbed cart. A’Ling thanked the medicine boys and told the driver to head back. The driver looped the flatbed cart’s ropes back around his neck and, with a steady squat and rise, pushed the cart forward. Seeing A’Ling was more conscious than when she arrived, he couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
“You, young girl, are truly remarkable,” he exclaimed. “Injured so severely, others would probably cry themselves to death, but you haven’t shed a single tear. Truly tough. Moreover, while I was waiting earlier, I saw the hall master setting your bones, and you didn’t utter a sound. I once injured my leg, and when the doctor set my bones, I screamed in pain.”
“Do you think I don’t want to cry?” A’Ling sighed, knowing this was another person who misunderstood her. “I can’t cry.”
A’Ling stated a fact, but the two people who heard her clearly misunderstood. The driver’s face was filled with admiration. “Young girl, you are truly strong. You will surely achieve great things in the future.” Shi Qingqian, who was following half a step behind, furrowed her brow, faintly feeling that these words held a deeper meaning as she gazed deeply at the slender figure lying on the flatbed cart.
The driver’s pace was not slow, and the medical hall was not far from the Huo family, so A’Ling was quickly sent home. Shi Qingqian hastened two steps to the side of the cart, reaching out to try and carry A’Ling down.
“Get lost.”
A’Ling swatted Shi Qingqian’s hand away, accidentally tearing at the wound on her back. A burst of piercing pain made her hiss, “Sss—”
Shi Qingqian’s hand froze in mid-air, not daring to move forward, as if afraid A’Ling would get hurt again. The driver had long sensed a conflict between the two, but with the young girl’s injuries all over her body, he, being a rough man, didn’t know how to carry her. A’Ling endured the recent burst of pain and, seeing the driver’s troubled expression, waved her hand.
“No need to trouble yourself. I just bought a pair of Feng yuan Bone Staff from the medical hall.”
A’Ling spread her hand and recited the incantation the hall master had taught her. These two finger-length white bones rapidly grew larger, like trees growing against the wind, instantly extending into the size and length of a pair of crutches. She leaned on these two white bones and struggled to stand up.
“Young girl, you are truly something!” The driver gave a thumbs-up. “Injured like this, and still able to get up on your own, with such a calm demeanor. Truly admirable.”
A’Ling bore his admiring gaze, gritting her teeth. Once her feet touched the ground and she had taken two steps, ensuring the driver couldn’t see her expression, she finally grimaced and silently cried out in pain.
By the time she moved back into her room, her eyes were already blurry from pain, and everything she saw was double-imaged. A’Ling heard footsteps behind her. Disregarding the injuries on her hand, she swung the white bones, slamming the door shut with a loud bang. She stumbled to the side of the bed, no longer able to hold on, and her body softly slid down to lean against the bedpost, sitting there. It took a very long time for her to catch her breath before A’Ling finally endured the waves of pain in her body.
At the foot of the bed stood a human-height glazed mercury mirror. Just now, when she passed by, A’Ling had lowered her gaze, unwilling to look. She didn’t need to look to know what she looked like now; she must have been as miserable as she was wretched. She lowered her head and glanced at the torn rags on her body, which could barely be called clothes, merely covering her body.
After A’Ling regained her strength, she pulled out a pair of scissors from the bedside cabinet and cut off her clothes along the collar. But in many places where her skin and flesh were torn open, they had stuck to the fabric, making it not so easy to remove. A’Ling could only carefully press on the wounds, meticulously tearing away the parts stuck to her flesh, bit by bit. However, some places were stuck too tightly. Despite being so careful, she still inevitably tore off some skin and flesh.
The pain made A’Ling break out in another cold sweat. She gnashed her teeth and bitterly swore, “I will repay this grudge today sooner or later. If I don’t flay Huo Zhen alive, I’ll take his surname!” After taking off the first layer of clothing, A’Ling felt as if she had just shed a layer of skin. She then added another layer to her original vow: “After stripping off a layer of skin, I’ll then gouge out a layer of flesh, let him recover for a month, then I’ll do it again!” This tearing made the wounds that had originally been getting better bleed again.
Specks of fresh blood stained the lotus-root colored bedsheets. A’Ling no longer cared about whether it was dirty or not; she truly couldn’t hold on anymore and slowly crawled into a prone position. The injuries on her back were the most severe, so A’Ling could only choose to lie face down with her back exposed to sleep. She thought that with the wounds hurting so much, she would have to struggle for a while before falling asleep. However, perhaps due to excessive blood loss, as soon as A’Ling lay down, she fell asleep.
Outside the door, Shi Qingqian had maintained a single posture since earlier, her gaze slightly lowered as she stared at the tightly closed carved door, her hands at her sides clenched into fists. Cultivators generally have stronger five senses the higher their cultivation. Every single sound from inside the room, from A’Ling’s curses to her heavier breathing from pain, completely reached Shi Qingqian’s ears.
Once the only sound inside gradually became gentle breathing, Shi Qingqian gently knocked on the door. When no one answered, Shi Qingqian let out a sigh of relief and pushed the door open to enter. Unexpectedly, she saw the figure on the bed, not wearing a stitch, with an exposed back covered in dense, horrifying scars crisscrossing it. Shi Qingqian’s steps halted. She quickly averted her gaze, took a breath, and looking only at the ground beneath her feet, walked to the bedside and sat on the edge of the bed with her back to A’Ling.
Out of the corner of her eye, Shi Qingqian saw that A’Ling seemed to have sensed something. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she was about to wake up. Shi Qingqian quickly took out an Ice Soul Silkworm Quilt from her Universe pouch and covered A’Ling from head to toe. This Ice Soul Silkworm Quilt couldn’t keep one warm, but it could gather one’s spirit, purify their aura, stabilize the mind, and help one sleep better.
Shi Qingqian leaned slightly to the side and bent over, lifting the quilt that had accidentally covered A’Ling’s head. She placed her palm on A’Ling’s forehead and gently sent in a wisp of true spiritual energy. A’Ling’s brow gradually relaxed. She had originally felt an unpleasant scent and various parts of her body beginning to ache. Before she could fully wake up, a wave of refreshing coolness suddenly entered her body, making her feel as if she was embraced by a gentle spring. The coolness within her body made the dull aches throughout her body disappear considerably.
Originally, A’Ling hadn’t been sleeping soundly, but now this coolness made her sleep more deeply. What was most surprising was that A’Ling felt a cool stream of energy heading towards her Dantian. She felt a bit nervous, and her breathing became a bit hurried. She worried that this stream of energy would dissipate midway. However, this stream of energy was different from those she had previously drawn in; it didn’t require her guidance and very obediently flowed directly towards her Dantian. A’Ling was overjoyed. In her dazed state, she even began to recite the cultivation method she had painstakingly memorized at the Hongjian Academy, following the cultivation method’s incantations to gradually gather the energy in her Dantian, bit by bit. Gradually, her breathing became long and smooth, and the pain in her body also gradually dissipated. Slowly, A’Ling finally fell into a deep sleep.
When A’Ling vaguely woke up, the sky outside had already turned dark. This sleep was comfortable; she felt no pain at all while asleep. She originally didn’t want to wake up, but her stomach was too hungry. Seeing the tall glazed bowl on the side table by the bed, clearly seeing it contained her favorite chicken soup wontons and was still steaming slightly, surprise flashed in A’Ling’s eyes. She hadn’t expected Aunt Sun to be able to cook for her at just the right time.
Struggling to sit up, she realized she had slept with her back exposed like this. Unwilling to go to the trunk at the foot of the bed to get clothes, A’Ling pulled the quilt from the side and casually wrapped it around herself to cover up. Anyway, there was no one else in the room. A’Ling first took a sip of the soup. It wasn’t hot, just warm and perfect. After a bowl of chicken soup wontons, A’Ling felt a bit unsatisfied. Not only was it not enough to satisfy her cravings, but she also wasn’t full. Aunt Sun had given her too little. Glancing at the sky outside, A’Ling didn’t want another bowl.
Soon, she no longer cared about this slight dissatisfaction, because she seemed to recall that she had drawn spiritual energy into her body in her dream. Just now, she checked and found it was actually true! A pure stream of true spiritual energy had indeed gathered within her body. She had actually gathered a stream of energy in her sleep! A’Ling’s eyes lit up; she was overjoyed. She felt the energy within her body again. “Oh Heavens, how does this work?! Did she just awaken her spiritual root because she got beaten? Is she some kind of physique that thrives on being beaten? No, impossible.” A’Ling quickly dismissed this thought. She pondered over it; before, she had clearly used the same method. The only difference was that this time, she succeeded in her sleep. She understood! A’Ling knew why she had been unable to gather spiritual energy before. Because she didn’t like to sleep! So, it was easier to gather spiritual energy in one’s sleep.
No, this won’t do. She had to go to sleep quickly. A’Ling pulled the quilt open and continued to lie face down again. This time, she was a bit disappointed; she didn’t feel any spiritual energy gathering and simply fell asleep.
In the west wing room of the courtyard, Aunt Sun was helped up by Shi Qingqian to take medicine, and she said with deep guilt, “Qingqian, for the next few days, why don’t you hire someone outside to cook? Deduct it from my wages.” During the day, she had fainted twice from the horrifying scene of Huo Zhen hitting someone. In the evening, her whole body felt weak and she developed a fever.
“Mm, you rest well.”
After Shi Qingqian checked Aunt Sun’s pulse, determining she was only startled, she told her to rest assured. Leaving Aunt Sun’s room, Shi Qingqian turned and walked towards A’Ling’s main room, stopping at the door to listen for any movement. She then knocked on the door, and when no one answered, she finally pushed the door open and entered.
Seeing the empty bowl on the side table by the bed, Shi Qingqian pursed her lips, sat by the bed with her back to it, and sighed. Turning sideways, she saw a bit of white foam at the corner of A’Ling’s mouth, looking like wonton skin. Shi Qingqian frowned, thinking of what happened today. She was momentarily annoyed, as she had only wanted to slightly punish A’Ling and tell her not to disturb her life.
In just half a year more, she would be able to leave this place and wouldn’t bother A’Ling at all. She didn’t know what kind of awful temper A’Ling had; every word that came out of her mouth was terribly crude and unpleasant. However, this time, she truly hadn’t expected Huo Zhen to be able to act so ruthlessly. She knew he was someone who prioritized profit over feelings, but A’Ling was, after all, his biological daughter. She was still just a mortal, yet he could strike with such heavy hands. The Crimson Lotus Hellfire Whip created too much blood karma. She was only missing one meteorite crystal to refine a magic artifact that could restrain it. To compensate for her mistake, Shi Qingqian quietly planned in her mind how she could get the item into A’Ling’s hands.
Shi Qingqian’s gaze fell on A’Ling’s shoulder. The red mark there had already penetrated deep into the skin, exuding an evil aura. She reached out and touched that spot. The icy touch on her fingers startled her. She lightly drew a talisman and silently recited an incantation. Around the red mark, specks of light gradually gathered, drilling into the skin. Soon, beads of sweat appeared on Shi Qingqian’s forehead, yet the mark under her finger didn’t fade in the slightest. As expected, it couldn’t be removed. Shi Qingqian also knew that this evil mark could only be removed at the Mahayana stage, and she was currently only at the Core Formation stage.
She believed she could reach the Mahayana stage, but by then, she didn’t know where the person before her would be. This was the karma she had created, and it should be removed by her. Nevermind. When the time comes, she would go find her.
Shi Qingqian gave up on removing the red mark. She took out the medicine she had obtained from Apothecary Yang Xia from her Universe pouch, reapplied it to A’Ling’s wounds, and sent another stream of true spiritual energy. Only then did she carry the empty bowl out.
The next morning, A’Ling woke up to the aroma of food and found that the energy within her body had increased again. Her eyes widened in astonishment. Indeed, sleeping allowed for better spiritual energy gathering. A’Ling also discovered that not only had the energy within her body increased, but her injuries were also recovering extremely quickly. Wounds that were still bleeding yesterday had actually scabbed over today. Is this the benefit of cultivation? No wonder so many mortals rushed forward one another, wanting to cultivate.
Even that pig-like scoundrel Huo Zhen had put in arduous effort back then. Thinking of his cultivation close to the Nascent Soul stage, A’Ling narrowed her eyes. After she reached Foundation Establishment, she would definitely cultivate day and night, and sooner or later surpass Huo Zhen. Thinking of the Crimson Lotus Hellfire Whip that had beaten her, A’Ling resolved to refine her Wandering Amethyst Gold Whip sooner. Her Wandering Amethyst Gold Whip could restrain the Crimson Lotus Hellfire. Refining magic artifacts required many materials. Besides those she could find herself, some needed to be bought with money. A’Ling glanced at the money pouch she had thrown on the bedside table, noting the character ‘Huo’ on it.
Beaten like this, and he only gave her a few spiritual stones. Once she recovered, she would definitely get money from Huo Zhen. She had to start with Huo Zhen’s money house.
Before she could come up with a good plan, A’Ling had already finished a full bowl of rice, and sleepiness attacked her again. Thinking that sleeping could gather spiritual energy, she readily curled up in her quilt and fell asleep.
When she woke up again, it was already evening. She also heard the sound of Shi Qingqian returning; only her footsteps had that rhythm, without any variation in pace or lightness. “Even a reincarnated hanged ghost wouldn’t be as creepy as her prancing around!” A’Ling cursed inwardly, then quickly stopped to check if the true spiritual energy in her body had increased. After a thorough check, A’Ling’s face fell. This daytime nap actually didn’t gather even a wisp of energy. Had her sleeping method stopped working?
A’Ling was unwilling to give up. After settling down, she silently recited her cultivation method and breathed deeply. She found that although this nap hadn’t increased her true spiritual energy, the energy within her body had integrated extremely well. She was about to try drawing in some more energy when the door suddenly opened. A’Ling was startled and abruptly opened her eyes, meeting the gaze of Shi Qingqian, who had just pushed the door open to enter.