Chapter 141 Final Harvest

Two days later, early in the morning, a fine drizzle was falling, wrapping everything between heaven and earth in a thin veil that felt both ethereal and infinitely illusory.

As the old saying goes, one need not return in sloping winds and fine rain. This sentiment applies not only to fishermen reveling in landscapes, but even more so to merchants eagerly pursuing maximum profit.

A gentle breeze stirred, and the fine raindrops, framed by the green grass, resembled a gauze scarf gently waved by a beauty, or perhaps the swaying skirt of a fairy from the nine heavens. They brushed lightly across the cheeks of passersby, lifting straw hats to reveal faces filled with various worldly desires. Some of these faces were young and still retained a hint of childishness, while others were past sixty, their features lined with the rings of life.

Among the crowd were martial artists on horseback and merchant caravans driving carriages. Long before the fourth watch of the morning, the wide road leading from Mingling City toward the Qiumu River was already packed with people.

Carriages rumbled, horses neighed, and travelers carried bows and arrows at their waists. Was this not the exact bustling scene presented right in front of the He Family Tavern?

Boss He Sheng had inherited this suburban shop from her old man more than thirty years ago. This was her first time encountering such a lively spectacle, and her heart couldn't help fluttering with excitement. She leaned sideways against the dilapidated gatehouse, striving to thrust out her chest, which long ago exceeded ordinary proportions.

Oh, it seems it hasn't been mentioned yet that this He Sheng was actually a woman—a super-formidable character who had managed her own shop for over thirty years while keeping her husband willingly running errands.

"How far is it still to Mingling City?"

A middle-aged knight wearing a bamboo hat and a coir rain cape leaped down from his horse, looked around, and furrowed his brows. Nevertheless, he strode toward the proprietress He, whose eyes were already gleaming.

"Less than twenty miles to go. The honored guest is coming from afar, right? Look at this horse—tsk, tsk, what fine hooves, truly a magnificent steed, it's just a pity it's worn out from exhaustion."

He Sheng hurriedly stepped forward, thrusting out her chest while plastering an exaggerated smile on her face. She tried hard to imitate the demeanor of the courtesans she had seen in the city, but she quickly abandoned this approach upon seeing the knight's impatient expression, shifting her focus to the horse instead.

Yet He Sheng miscalculated once again. This majestic-looking fine steed, easily worth a hundred pieces of gold, was not what the knight cared about either. In the past, He Sheng would have cursed inwardly and simply given up on this big deal, since such eccentric people were extremely rare, and encountering one could only be blamed on bad luck. Over the past few days, however, she had seen plenty of such individuals.

Therefore, He Sheng split her wide mouth into another smile and said, "You've had a hard journey, honored guest. Why not rest your feet at our humble shop? Though unassuming, it truly boasts some rustic rural flavors, not to mention aged wine. In our little shop, we have people from all corners of the country. If there is any slight disturbance in Mingling City, someone here will always know about it. You have no idea how lively it's been these past few days; everyone has been talking about the events in Mingling City!"

At this, He Sheng saw the knight's furrowed brows finally relax. Seizing the iron while it was hot, she shouted, "Old Nine, you lazy ghost! How long have guests been standing at the door? You old bones are still rotting inside without coming out—do you expect me to invite you personally? Stop dawdling and lead this horse to the backyard at once, and feed it the most tender grass!"

Immediately, a hunchbacked old man rushed out from the house. Paying no heed to the knight standing nearby, he went straight up, took the reins of the horse, and darted around to the back of the courtyard like a wisp of smoke.

At this point, the knight knew that refusing to go inside was no longer an option. However, he had intended to do so anyway, so he was not annoyed. Guided by He Sheng, he stepped into the modest little tavern.

Inside, the tavern was packed to capacity. A crowd of conspicuous-looking martial artists from the pugilistic world were eating and drinking heartily, while at several nearby tables, refined-looking members of a merchant caravan conversed in low voices from time to time.

Yet this was merely a facade. The knight noticed that nearly everyone in the tavern had fixed their attention on a single table right in the center. Seated on one side of this table were a man and a woman, both dressed in cyan attire.

The man had an ordinary appearance with a somewhat bronze-toned complexion that was not particularly striking. Overall, he looked completely unremarkable and would be utterly lost in a crowd. Yet upon a second look, one's heart would brighten, and he would instantly stand out from the rest. His vitality and spirit were truly abundant.

The woman beside the man had a graceful figure and wore a colorful bamboo hat. A thin, delicate veil hung down from the brim of her hat, obscuring her face. However, judging solely by the piece of jade-white arm exposed at her cuff, her looks were bound to be extraordinary.

Seated opposite them were three martial artists dressed like scholars of the pugilistic world, and beside them sat a fat man who was drinking wine and eating meat in huge mouthfuls. At that moment, everyone's attention was focused on this fat man.

"Speaking of that day, when Eldest Miss Yu threw the embroidered ball to choose a husband, why didn't it go anywhere else instead of landing right on that unremarkable person? There is a story behind this. I'm afraid that person was no ordinary man at all; the destruction of the Yu family estate is inextricably linked to him. It's just a pity that Eldest Miss Yu possessed such fairy-like grace, yet withered prematurely before she could fully bloom."

As soon as the fat man spoke, the knight's attention was instantly hooked. Compared to this, the woman of unknown appearance was hardly worth noticing.

"Tell us quickly, stop playing the fool! Damn it, good wine and meat are keeping you fully fed, what more do you want? If you don't speak up, I'll send you to meet Eldest Miss Yu myself."

Some pugilistic hero could not help slamming the table in fury.

"Hurry up, fatty, stop talking nonsense. Even if Eldest Miss Yu were still alive, could you make her bloom? Tell us quickly, we still have to go conduct our business!"

These were the words of the refined accountant from the merchant caravan.

In short, at that moment, the entire tavern was in an uproar. Urged on by the angry shouts of the crowd, the fat man no longer dared to hold back and spilled everything he knew.

After a while, the crowd dispersed in satisfaction, and the fat man vanished without a trace. Before long, another batch of arrivals rushed in, naturally accompanied by familiar guests who understood the inside story.

Outside the tavern door, the cyan-robed man from the central table stood quietly. He glanced at He Sheng, who was leaning against the doorway with a seductive smile soliciting customers, and then looked at the scruff-bearded men eating and drinking heartily inside. A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he murmured, "Who would have thought such existences could be found in this secular world? They must be great heroes living in seclusion among the common folk. What formidable disguise techniques."

"In terms of methods, this couple is extraordinary. Even if they don't reach the level of figures like Black Jiling, they probably won't fall too far short."

"It's just that to me right now, all of this is far too weak. After all, an insurmountable chasm lies between the immortal cultivation world and the mortal realm."

The young man sighed softly, then stepped forward into the fine drizzle. Close behind him, the cyan-robed woman also walked further and further away.

Needless to say, these two were none other than Hu San and his natal spirit corpse, Yu Ning!

Ever since leaving the Yu family estate that night, Hu San had traveled in one breath to the outskirts of Mingling City. He was well aware that Geng Yulou was the ruler of the Mingling Kingdom, and within the territory of the other party's sphere of influence, it was best to behave himself.

Of course, things also turned out somewhat beyond Hu San's expectations. Originally, he thought that even if Geng Yulou did not hunt him down with full force, he would at least frame him for everything and incite the Wuling Sect to pursue him. Yet over the past two days, Geng Yulou had made no move whatsoever. Not only was there no pursuit, but judging by recent rumors, it seemed Geng Yulou had not even bothered to shift the blame onto him.

If Hu San's guess was correct, the supernatural phenomena occurring at the Yu family estate that the pugilistic folks whispered about were likely the work of cultivators from the immortal world. In other words, cultivators had already appeared.

Judging from all the stories, which shared largely the same details, it seemed the Wuling Sect had misjudged their direction and started tracking down a nonexistent person. Countless pugilistic experts who entered the Yu family estate were probably being misled by them, continually spreading seemingly ridiculous pieces of information.

To Hu San, who knew the inside story, all this information carried only one meaning: *You bastard can't run away; we already know who you are. If you know what's good for you, have your masters escort you here to confess your crimes in person and return the breathing soil. Otherwise, our Wuling Sect wouldn't mind letting you go down to the Yellow Springs to search for the breathing soil yourselves.*

Yet it remained unknown whether the Wuling Sect had truly found the 'culprit' or was merely putting up a bluff.

Regardless, Hu San could finally breathe a temporary sigh of relief.

Being inadvertently dragged into the whirlpool of the Yu family estate this time brought Hu San gains that were by no means small. In fact, the mere refinement of a top-grade natal spirit corpse alone was enough to win back all his capital, even including the Black Wind Array which could no longer be used.

Aside from a top-grade natal spirit corpse and its accompanying Profound Yin Corpse-Refining Great Art, Hu San had also acquired over a hundred spirit stones. Although the vast majority of these were defective items of little monetary value, they were extremely precious to a rookie like Hu San who had just stepped into the world of immortal cultivation.

Not to mention, he had also obtained a lower-grade special magical artifact, the Myriad Ghost Banner, a middle-grade offensive magical artifact, the Black Ruler, and a bronze cauldron artifact used for alchemy. These completely filled the gap left by his Ice Shuttle Sword, which had been on the verge of shattering, and significantly strengthened his arsenal.

Of course, the natal spirit corpse of Old Man Yu, who possessed four-fold Dharma Gathering cultivation, was also a fine acquisition. However, if he wished to turn this harvest into practical application, he would have to acquire a manual on corpse-control arts, which was hardly achievable for Hu San at present.

Then there was that small pinch of lotus soil. With it, Hu San at least possessed the hope of repairing the Black Wind Array. However, he did not yet know just how massive an issue this tiny pinch of lotus soil involved; otherwise, perhaps he would not have chosen to seize the item.

Excluding the lotus soil, the genuinely immature top-grade Mingling Grass was Hu San's greatest achievement of this trip. Although this item had not yet fully matured, its efficacy was presumably still preserved to a certain extent.

As long as there was even a shred of possibility to increase a cultivator's lifespan, this top-grade Mingling Grass would be a hot commodity in the immortal cultivation world. Although Hu San had not truly experienced this world deeply, it did not prevent him from making this judgment.

Yet this item was truly a hot potato. Before his strength reached a certain level, once he exposed it, the reward awaiting him would likely not be endless spirit stones, but rather being skinned and deboned.

In a true sense, the greatest harvest from this trip that Hu San could put to immediate use was that bottle of Wuling Pills!

Living up to its name as a foundational elixir of the Wuling Sect, while its efficacy could not be called overwhelmingly powerful, it served exceptionally well in consolidating one's foundation.

Hu San had obtained a total of thirty-six Wuling Pills this time. He had consumed two in the urgent situation back then, and another four over the past two days.

A total of six Wuling Pills had not only eliminated the hidden dangers caused by his forced conversion of dharma power at the time, but had also pushed his Qi energy—which was already on the verge of breaking through due to life-and-death combat—a step further, reaching the peak of the eighth fold. Furthermore, his Water Cloud Technique, which was at the third fold of Dharma Gathering, had also advanced to the mid-stage level, seeming only a step away from the late stage.

If he finished consuming all the Wuling Pills, his Water Cloud Technique would undoubtedly reach the fourth fold of Dharma Gathering. Of course, this came with one prerequisite: they could not be used to drive the enhancement of his Qi energy.