What’s with this "eat jujube and take medicine" nonsense? Is there really a cure for all poisons? Am I dealing with a scammer?
Li Qingjun looked unhappy and was about to say something when Li Qinglin waved him off and handed over some silver. “We’ve come to the mountains to seek an immortal, but we don’t have much time to waste. Little brother, you live here and know the area well. Would you be willing to guide us up the mountain? We’ll pay you handsomely.”
“I’m not going,” Qin Yi said lazily as he stood up and turned to walk back into the house. “What’s the point of seeking immortals? Just eat, sleep, and live without worries; isn’t that what immortals do?”
Young Li Qingjun shouted angrily, “Hey! What kind of attitude is that!”
But Qin Yi had already gone inside.
Li Qingjun was so mad he was about to get off his horse, but his brother grabbed him and said, “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Why are you being so polite to him? He’s clearly a scammer. There’s no such thing as a cure for all poisons!”
Li Qinglin urged his horse forward. “According to Li Liu’s report, there have been many cases of poisoning in the mountains lately, and a boy from the village named Qin was cured by one medicine. He might be familiar with the special poisons in the mountains and have a more targeted remedy than what we brought. Besides, don’t you think this boy is a bit special?”
“Most likely just putting on a show, with the villagers helping him create an atmosphere to cheat people.”
Li Qinglin chuckled softly.
Li Qingjun caught up to his brother and asked, “If you think he’s useful, why not insist on hiring him as our guide?”
Li Qinglin smiled slightly. “There’s no rush... A guide can show us the way, but can he really help us find an immortal?”
Li Qingjun was momentarily stunned.
Of course, he couldn’t.
They weren’t here just to hike and watch the sunrise; they were trying to find an immortal in the mountains. The mountain wasn’t that big, and the rumors of having a connection with immortals had been around for years. What place hadn’t been searched? So there wasn’t really a specific destination, and naturally, there was no right path. They were just going in to test their luck, so why would they need a guide?
Feeling a bit discouraged, Li Qingjun slumped his straight shoulders. “So you’re just like everyone else, not taking this journey to find an immortal seriously…”
Li Qinglin looked back at where they had come from. “That Qin Yi, what he said at the end was quite interesting…”
“Just a country bumpkin, full of himself, spouting nonsense. I could poke a hole in him and see how carefree he is then.”
“Ha…”
The sound faded into the distance as Qin Yi lay back in the house, resting his head on his arm with a spiked club beside him. He could vaguely hear the brothers’ conversation and chuckled at the end, finding Li Qingjun’s words amusing.
A voice suddenly echoed in his mind, “What are you laughing at? Those two brothers seem to be quite skilled in martial arts. They might really poke a hole in you.”
This voice felt like it reached his very soul, and it was hard to tell where it came from. It didn’t sound like a voice at all, more like a thought forming directly in his mind, which was very strange. But Qin Yi seemed used to it and replied lazily, “I’m laughing because there really are girls dressing as boys in this world. Why would they think others can’t tell?”
The voice paused for a moment and said, “How do you know she’s a girl? Young people usually don’t have prominent Adam’s apples, and a high-pitched voice is common.”
“Because you don’t have a nose and can’t smell her fragrance.”
“…”
“Besides, how can there be such a pretty boy? That small face is full of collagen, with beautiful features, red lips, and white teeth, trying to look heroic. You can sense that feminine charm even with your eyes closed! Do you think there’s a beauty filter?”
“What’s collagen? What’s a beauty filter?”
“...Not your concern.”
The voice sighed, “Whether she’s a boy or a girl doesn’t matter. You see how many people are seeking immortals with such devotion? If they really had a chance, they’d probably kneel for three days and nights without complaint. Why won’t you cultivate?”
“Aren’t I already cultivating? Look, I plan to stay up all night…”
“This is what you call cultivating? Don’t try to fool me with what you tell them.”
Qin Yi replied coldly, “Don’t try to fool me with your nonsense either!”
As he spoke, he casually tossed the spiked club into the footbath.
The voice in his mind became frantic. “I won’t say anything if you use me to crush herbs or hammer nails, but if you put me in the footbath, I won’t let you off the hook!”
The spiked club suddenly jumped out of the water and swung at Qin Yi. He kicked it mid-air, and it spun a few times before crashing against the wall and sliding down to the floor, bouncing a couple of times before stopping.
There was a strong sense of resentment in the club.
“Hey, club…”
“I’ve told you a thousand times, my name is Liusu.”
“A spiked club spirit named Liusu… Are you serious? Who was your original owner? Can’t you have a bit of self-awareness?”
Liusu remained silent, scoffing.
Qin Yi asked again, “Do you think those two can handle the problems in the mountains?”
Since Qin Yi had crossed over, the mountain had started to change. First, there were more poisonous mists, and people were getting sick as soon as they entered. Second, a strange winged tiger had appeared among the rocks. The poison wasn’t real poison; it was the resentment from Liusu’s space. The winged tiger had nothing to do with Liusu but was a result of the “demon transformation mist” left behind by the two men before.
Both issues were connected to Qin Yi.
Liusu said lazily, “I told you to cultivate with me, but you refuse to learn. Otherwise, how could you not handle a tiger that just started to transform a few days ago?”
“Because it can’t take my life, but you can.”
It had been some time since Qin Yi had crossed over, and he could clearly remember how it all happened.
That was when Liusu was trying to take over, and he happened to cross over, wanting to devour his soul directly. But the cultural differences from his own world made Liusu spit him out, and he ended up occupying the body instead. Liusu’s soul power, built up over countless years, was severely weakened and retreated back into the club, barely surviving.
So, Liusu claimed to teach him how to cultivate, hoping to help it rebuild its body in the future.
But Qin Yi didn’t dare to learn.
He knew that the original owner’s soul had already been devoured by Liusu, and that wasn’t a good thing. Who knows if the cultivation methods it taught had hidden traps for it to take over again? Qin Yi didn’t consider himself that reckless and didn’t dare to try.
At one point, he even thought about throwing away the spiked club, but he was too curious about this world of cultivation, so he kept it with him. After all, it was quite weak now, right?
Very tempting.
Liusu sneered, “I can tell you that this resentment will dissipate on its own soon, and it doesn’t need anyone to solve it. But that tiger has already started to transform into a demon. With just the binding formation I taught you, especially since you haven’t cultivated, you won’t be able to hold it for long. It will start hurting people sooner or later. To completely solve this problem, you must cultivate with me.”
Qin Yi pursed his lips and held back for a while before saying, “I’ll find a way to solve it.”
Liusu laughed derisively, “Your plan is to spread the word about this forgotten immortal site to attract seekers to deal with the tiger?”
“Better than relying on the villagers. I think those Li brothers have some skills.”
Liusu said, “If you want to take that route, I have a more foolproof idea.”
“What is it?”
“The Li siblings are either rich or noble. If you can trick them into falling victim to the tiger, someone is sure to skin it and take its bones. You’d just need to remind them to flee when they realize they can’t win, and the tiger won’t chase them…”
“Pah!” Qin Yi jumped up, ran to the corner of the room, picked up the spiked club, and shoved it back into the footbath.
Liusu started cursing in the water, “Foolish mercy! If they get hurt and escape, the first one to take it out on you will be them!”
Qin Yi ignored it and walked to the corner of the room. There was a small stove with a pot warming up, giving off a faint scent of medicinal herbs.
The art of making medicine and alchemy, along with some simple formations, was not only Qin Yi’s way of satisfying his curiosity about cultivating in this world but also Liusu’s attempt to show, “I can really teach you how to cultivate.” They both found common ground in this area, with one learning earnestly and the other teaching diligently, without any noisy arguments.
Qin Yi stared at the stove for a while, silently calculating the time. He casually grabbed a jug of wine and walked to the window, taking small sips.
The sky had turned completely dark, and the stars and moon shone brightly.
The sounds of the world faded away, with the chirping of insects and the faint sound of cicadas. A little tipsy from the wine, Qin Yi felt that this environment was almost like paradise. Away from the noise of carriages and the scheming of people, the moonlight’s clarity and the fragrance of the fields—how much do ordinary people notice? Seeking immortals, in the end, isn’t it just a deception like his own?
Qin Yi always felt that if he could solve the problems in the mountains, living here for a lifetime wouldn’t be so bad. After all, he had fallen to his death in his previous life, and crossing over here was like getting a second chance at life. Isn’t it good to enjoy life?
He sang “The Good Song” not to pretend to be in a fairyland but because he had seen many seekers and felt inspired.
“You know, this night is so beautiful…” he murmured, almost like dreaming.
Liusu, in a huff, scoffed, seemingly dismissive.
In fact, it was precisely for this reason that Liusu believed Qin Yi was very suitable for cultivating. He had a calm aura, not obsessed, not deluded, without thoughts of gaining power in the world. It seemed like a simple cottage could suffice for his whole life. Such a person was more suitable for cultivation than those who bowed in devotion and desperately sought after it.
But sadly, he refused to cultivate.
Who knows, in Qin Yi’s world, this so-called calmness and detachment had another name: being a homebody.
(End of Chapter)