owlsbooks Chapter 56 Scorpion Beauty
Chapter 56 Scorpion Beauty
On the long street.
Zhong Xuan uttered a soft shout: "Hurry!" He then drew a line in the air with his sword.
He condensed his magic power into a line of azure light at his fingertips, which flew rapidly through the air and instantly drew out a mysterious rune shape.
It was the "Primordial Qi Regenerating Muscle Talisman" that he first comprehended at Qingyang Temple.
In an instant, the azure light subsided, transforming into a warm and jade-like radiance that silently disappeared into the broken leg of the Zhou family's child.
There was no dazzling light, nor any earth-shattering phenomenon.
But Zhong Xuan's mind changed: ordinary people value appearances, and if one is too plain, it will make one seem incapable.
So he flicked his fingertip and secretly activated a wisp of magic power, causing a faint golden halo to bloom at the wound, spreading out in layers like ripples.
The halo of light was gentle and not dazzling, yet it was enough for the surrounding neighbors to see clearly.
"Ah! It's glowing! The immortal is truly a divine being!" someone exclaimed.
"I heard yesterday that a true immortal had come to this mountain god temple, and it's true!"
The younger son felt a cool sensation at the site of his broken leg, followed by a strange feeling of itching and numbness. He couldn't help but grimace and cry out, "My leg doesn't hurt as much anymore! It's just... it's slowly getting itchy and numb. Please, have mercy, Immortal Master, help me again!"
Zhong Xuan replied calmly, "This itchy and numb sensation is the regeneration of necrotic flesh and bone in your leg, and the restoration of sensation in your blood vessels. Just bear with it."
Upon hearing this, the child's parents hurriedly offered money to express their gratitude.
Zhong Xuan raised his hand to stop him: "There's no need for that. Just be sincere and offer incense to the Mountain God of Cuiyun. Everything I do here is to accumulate merit for the Mountain God. If you need money, I will find a way to provide it. You don't need to make offerings."
He said this and turned to continue walking.
Unexpectedly, the youngest son suddenly had a flash of inspiration and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Master! The new flesh growing on my leg is itchy and numb. Is this... the same as what you said, 'Losing a horse is not a disaster, gaining an ox is not a blessing'?"
Zhong Xuan paused slightly, somewhat surprised, then laughed heartily twice: "This child is teachable."
Having said that, he didn't linger and strode towards the city gates.
The blue ox was already walking slowly ahead, as if it knew the way.
……
The man and the ox walked to the outside of the city, and the ox suddenly raised its right foreleg.
Its hooves moved with the agility of human hands, and its five fingers made a few quick calculations. A look of seriousness flashed across the ox's face: "We must hurry, the treasure is almost ready, and there's not much time left!"
Before the words were even finished, its four hooves suddenly rose into the air on auspicious clouds, and it flew straight into the sky, leaving behind only a piercing command: "Follow me!"
Zhong Xuan stood there, stunned, then chuckled helplessly, "I can't fly, how can I keep up?"
The Rakshasa woman beside him suddenly spoke: "Close your eyes."
Zhong Xuan turned to look at her.
The Rakshasa woman hurriedly looked away, seemingly unwilling to meet his gaze. Her ears turned slightly red, but her tone was firm: "I'll take you after them."
But don't open your eyes, hold my arm tightly... don't touch me.
Zhong Xuan chuckled softly, "I'll do whatever Yunniang says."
The Rakshasa woman's lips unconsciously curled up slightly.
A white cloud immediately rose beneath her feet, and she reached out to grasp Zhong Xuan's arm, carrying him into the air.
At first, the wind was gentle, like a spring breeze.
In an instant, the speed increased rapidly, with howling winds propelling the two as they raced after the blue bull shadow on the horizon.
Although Zhong Xuan had his eyes closed, he could still sense the changes in the airflow around him.
He secretly used the Mind Lake Qi Observation Method to sense and discovered that the Rakshasa woman's escape light contained a trace of disorder—a sign of imbalance of the five elements, yet she still stubbornly maintained her speed.
He sighed inwardly but didn't say anything.
Before long, both sides gradually slowed down.
Zhong Xuan felt the clouds beneath his feet begin to descend, so he opened his eyes.
As far as the eye could see ahead, there was an endless expanse of forest.
The forest is not made of ordinary trees, but of towering ancient trees with canopies that stretch out in undulating waves.
Sunlight spills onto the sea, shattering into countless green scales that sway gently in the mountain breeze, truly resembling a vast expanse of blue waves.
Where the sea meets the sky, a mountain range can be vaguely seen, its outline blurred, resembling a giant turtle lying on the sea surface. The main peak is rounded, just like its head raised, slowly emerging from the water as people approach.
"Where is this place?" Zhong Xuan asked.
The blue ox slowed its pace and walked alongside the two, its tone tinged with pride: "This mountain has no name; I call it Aotou Mountain."
"Look at the overall shape of this mountain range, doesn't it resemble a giant tortoise lying down? The main peak is like a tortoise raising its head high, and the forest below the mountain is called the Green Forest by the local rogue cultivators. It covers an area of eight hundred miles and is inhabited by many monsters."
The treasure we're looking for is hidden in the Purple Ganoderma Cave deep within Aotou Mountain.
Zhong Xuan pondered for a moment, his expression turning somewhat strange.
Starting from Jisaguo, about 800 li to the west, if I'm not mistaken... this is probably the area where the Monkey King overturned Laozi's alchemy furnace and fell to the mortal realm, creating the Flaming Mountain.
Is this just a coincidence? Or is it because people are already active in this area, so it's inevitable that they're more likely to run into each other?
He suppressed his thoughts and remained calm.
At this moment, Zhang Chengming, inside the wooden fish, suddenly spoke, addressing the green ox: "How many people in this world truly understand how to draw talismans? Even among the celestial beings, how many can learn to use a 'Primordial Qi Regenerating Talisman' to save lives in just a few moments, like this young man?"
Hearing the sound, Qingniu turned his head curiously, glanced at the wooden fish in Zhong Xuan's sleeve, then looked at the boy beside him before turning his gaze back to the forest in front of him and the Aotou Mountain that was gradually becoming clearer and larger in front of him.
It casually retorted, "So that talisman is called the Vital Energy Regeneration Talisman? It can be cast without yellow paper, and a talisman master can learn it in a few moments... Is that so strange?"
Zhang Chengming was speechless for a moment, and the wooden fish fell silent.
The Rakshasa woman interjected with a strange expression, "The problem is, he's not exactly a master of talismanic arts; he's only been practicing drawing talismans for a few days."
The green ox's eyes widened in disbelief as it looked at Zhong Xuan: "Then how many kinds of talismans do you control now? I'm not referring to the scribbles, but the ones that are the same as those mentioned by the Yin spirit in the wooden fish."
It refers to the true talisman that has grasped the true meaning of the talisman.
Zhong Xuan raised his hand and counted on his fingers, saying, "One Wind Summoning Talisman, one Vital Energy Regeneration Talisman, and one Heart Fire Talisman, just these three."
Upon hearing this, Qingniu gasped sharply and clicked his tongue in admiration: "If that's really the case, then you are indeed a rare genius in the art of talismans! I, Old Niu, have seen and learned a lot. In the art of talismans, it's not about hard work, but about one's understanding of the Dao."
Zhang Chengming remained silent.
To comprehend three true talismans in three days... even among the so-called geniuses on Longhu Mountain, very few could achieve that.
If he really wasn't a reincarnated immortal, his wisdom would probably be even greater than that of his ancestral master.
Hearing this, the Rakshasa woman, though not praising herself, still smiled.
Zhang Chengming remained silent, seemingly speechless, choked by the truth.
The green ox shook its head again, and warned with a hint of caution: "Although it is good to have such comprehension, I have heard that in the path of talismans, the higher one's comprehension, the easier it is to fall into obsession. You must remember, never take talismans as the way and imprison yourself in them."
Zhong Xuan nodded solemnly: "Thank you for your guidance."
The green ox snorted, shook its head, and turned to walk towards the mountain hollow of Xuan Gui Peak: "Let's go, the treasure is inside the mountain of this peak. If we are any later, someone else may get there first."
As they spoke, the two men and the ox had already reached the foot of Aotou Mountain.
The mountain is not steep, but it is full of strange rocks and ancient vines hanging down.
At the foot of the mountain, there is a naturally formed cave entrance, about two people high. The sides of the entrance are covered with dark purple moss. Looking inside, it is deep and unfathomable, with several winding paths that can be vaguely seen, like a maze.
The blue ox tapped the ground with its hoof: "We've arrived. The treasure is in the purple bamboo forest deep inside this cave."
"However..." it glanced at the cave entrance, "it's already taken."
As soon as he finished speaking, two little demons darted out of the cave.
A short, stout man with bumpy skin, clearly a toad spirit.
The other one was thin and dark-skinned, with pointed ears and a pair of membranous wings half-folded behind its back; it was a bat spirit.
The two demons, wielding steel forks, held them horizontally at the cave entrance and shouted sternly, "Who goes there? This is our king's place of seclusion! All unauthorized persons, leave at once!"
Zhong Xuan stepped forward and politely cupped his hands in greeting: "I was passing through this blessed land when I smelled the spiritual energy emanating from the mountains, which filled me with longing. I wish to enter the cave and take a look. May I ask your esteemed name, Your Majesty? Would you be so kind as to grant me this favor?"
The toad demon sized him up, and seeing that he was a young Taoist priest followed by a veiled woman and a blue ox, it immediately sneered:
"You? You dare ask my name? You'd better get lost, or I'll poke three holes in you with my fork!"
The bat demon joined in with a grotesque laugh: "Look at your delicate skin, you could make a few cups of corpse oil..."
Before she could finish speaking, a cold glint flashed in the Rakshasa woman's eyes.
Without saying much, she reached for her waist with her right hand, and a blue belt instantly transformed into a long sword gleaming with a cold blue light.
With a flick of his wrist, the sword split in two, and a short sword shimmering with purple light appeared in his left hand.
The purple and green swords were drawn, their blades gleaming coldly.
"So noisy!"
The Rakshasa woman's figure flashed, as fast as a ghost.
The toad demon only felt a blur before his eyes, and before he could even raise his steel fork, a sword had already pierced his chest.
The bat spirit screamed in fright and flapped its wings to flee towards the back of the cave, but the Rakshasa woman caught up with it with a sword flash, severing half of its wing. The bat spirit screamed and fell to the ground, tumbling and crawling into the depths of the cave.
In the blink of an eye, one was dead and the other was injured.
The Rakshasa woman sheathed her twin swords, rolling them back to her waist, and said coldly, "One escaped; it must have gone to inform others."
She turned to look at the blue ox, and seeing that the old ox was still leisurely grazing by the roadside, she was immediately furious: "Since you led us here, why didn't you stop that little demon from running away? If you had let that little demon go in and report, wouldn't that have added trouble to our treasure retrieval?"
The blue ox rolled its eyes, chewed on some grass, and mumbled something indistinctly.
Zhong Xuan heard it clearly.
The old ox whispered in his ear, "Tsk, women and petty men are indeed difficult to deal with; the ancients were right."
At the same time, the green ox said to the Rakshasa woman in an annoyed tone, "I'm just an ox. What can you expect me to do besides eat grass? This kid hasn't made a sound at all, so why are you blaming me instead of him?"
The Rakshasa woman coiled the purple and green swords around her waist, transforming them back into a belt, and replied naturally, "I know exactly how long Zhong Xuan has been cultivating. I came along to help him obtain the three-thousand-year-old Purple Ganoderma Spirit. How could he compare to you?"
The blue ox grunted and said nothing more.
Zhong Xuan looked into the cave and could see with the naked eye several forks in the road inside the entrance, each one dark and leading nowhere.
He turned to the blue ox and asked, "This cave looks so complicated, are we just going to go straight in?"
The green ox shook its head smugly and said, "The path in this cave is a natural maze, just like the Hetu and Luoshu on a tortoise shell. If you don't know anything about divination, you'll definitely get lost in it."
The Rakshasa woman pressed on curiously, "If that's the case, how did the Scorpion Demon find the treasure and allow her subordinates to move freely within the cave? Could it be that they all possess divination skills?"
The green ox exhaled a puff of white breath from its nose: "There are countless strange and unusual things in the world. What's so strange about a scorpion demon who knows the Hetu and Luoshu arts? So what if she has some skills that allow her subordinates to move freely? I can only know the facts, not the reasons behind them. I only know that there is a treasure here."
Rakshasa frowned upon hearing this and turned to Zhong Xuan, saying, "This is a bit troublesome. This Purple Ganoderma Spirit is a rare and precious treasure. I've heard it's the main ingredient for refining the Purple Gold Pill, and also one of the ingredients for refining the Nine-Turn Golden Pill."
Zhong Xuan looked surprised: "So precious? This scorpion demon must be quite powerful to occupy this place."
The Rakshasa woman said proudly, "I am not afraid of anyone stronger, but if you obtain this Purple Ganoderma Spirit and refine it, your cultivation will greatly increase. You must also promise to help me resolve the symptoms of the imbalance of the five elements. This time when we enter the cave, I will protect you."
Zhong Xuan solemnly said, "Don't worry, Yunniang. If I really have that ability, I certainly won't stand by and watch you fall into a predicament and be doomed."
After they finished speaking, the two prepared to enter the cave.
The green ox said slowly, "Why haven't you come to ask me for guidance yet? Do you only realize how dangerous it is when you're trapped in this cave?"
Zhong Xuan chuckled, his gaze falling on the ground at the cave entrance.
There was a thin trail of blood, left behind by the wounded bat spirit when it fled.
With a thought, he quietly activated the Tai Xuan Heart Lake Qi Illumination Technique, and the subtle flow of Qi in the cave was immediately reflected in his heart lake.
"No rush," Zhong Xuan said. "Let me see if I can find a way out first."
.....
Meanwhile, deep inside the cave.
Purple bamboo forest.
This is an underground valley shrouded by a natural dome, where a faint light shines through from an unknown source, turning the entire bamboo forest into a dreamlike purple.
The bamboo stalks are slender yet resilient, and the bamboo leaves gleam with a faint luster. When they sway gently in the wind, they make a soft sound like wind chimes.
In the center of the bamboo grove, there is a three-foot square pond.
The pool was not filled with clear water, but with soft, muddy soil that shimmered with a golden aura.
A purple Ganoderma lucidum took root there, its cap transformed into the shape of a horse, its four hooves curled up and its head lowered, as if it were asleep.
The entire Ganoderma lucidum shimmered with purple light, and the faint sound of horses' hooves treading on clouds could be heard emanating from its body.
It is the purple Ganoderma lucidum that takes three thousand years to mature.
Beside the pond, a beautiful woman in purple palace attire leaned against a blue stone.
Her skin was as smooth as jade, her eyes were bright and cheerful, and her long black hair reached her waist, with a purple jade hairpin inserted diagonally in her hair.
This hairpin was no ordinary object; it faintly gleamed with a cold light, and it was her natal magic weapon, crafted from her own scorpion tail.
At this moment, she was half-closing her eyes, casually fiddling with an amethyst bead, a lazy smile on her lips, her snow-white chest partially exposed, exuding a captivating charm.