Two figures soared above Luodu, leaping to the highest tower.
This place was the Wenfeng Tower, standing eighty meters tall, where one could admire the beauty of the rivers to the left and overlook the entire city to the right.
He Huan brought two flasks of wine, handing one to Gu Wen, then half-reclined as he drank heartily.
Noticing Gu Wen hadn’t taken a sip, he said, “This wine is brewed from spiritual materials and is beneficial for cultivation.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Wen picked up the flask and gulped it down in one go.
Thirty-two Years of Heavenly Essence
Another year of Heavenly Essence.
He Huan smirked, “You really have become addicted to cultivation.”
Gu Wen replied matter-of-factly, “Only cultivation is true; everything else is mere illusion.”
Without cultivation, nothing could be accomplished.
With cultivation, one might not be omnipotent, but they would not live like livestock.
This was the realization Gu Wen had come to in his first five years; possessing power was undeniably correct.
He raised the wine flask and drank the last few drops.
He couldn’t quite discern the flavor as he drank too quickly, only noting it was slightly sweet and quite enjoyable.
“Where did you get this?”
He Huan answered, “From one of the taverns run by the miscellaneous sects. They excel at brewing wine from leftover medicinal dregs and low-grade spiritual herbs, amplifying the medicinal effects several times. The advantage is low cost, but the downside is a low ceiling; it’s a profitable venture.”
“The path of cultivation truly is ever-changing and endless,” Gu Wen couldn’t help but exclaim, feeling even more drawn to the world beyond.
The Three Teachings and Nine Streams, encompassing Buddhism, Daoism, and Demonic practices.
The Three Teachings refer to Buddhism, Daoism, and Demonic practices, which hold the highest status and cover the broadest range, with almost all sects originating from these three teachings, akin to Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism.
The miscellaneous sects refer to the branches under the Three Teachings, specializing in certain skills such as talismans, alchemy, and artifact forging; anything primarily focused on these is called the Miscellaneous Path.
Even orthodox sects like the Three Clear Dao Sect practice alchemy, though they are not as proficient as the Miscellaneous Path, dedicating their entire lives to research.
Among them, the most famous and powerful are the Military Families, which are even subtly on par with the Three Teachings.
“How much is this flask of wine?”
“About five hundred taels of silver.”
Only five hundred taels?
Gu Wen maintained a calm exterior, but inside he was already calculating, his mind racing with the enormous profits.
Previously, in Bianjing, he had purchased fifty inferior medicinal fruits for a thousand taels, a steep markup.
Ten Longhu Pills cost seven hundred taels, also with a markup.
Yet this flask of wine only required five hundred taels for a year’s worth.
Gu Wen was different from other cultivators; he only needed the Heavenly Essence from the pills.
Other cultivators also required the special medicinal properties of celestial materials, but they had to choose the best without Dan Poison, which was easier to absorb and refine.
The price difference between inferior and superior Longhu Pills was tenfold, but the superior ones only had an additional year of Heavenly Essence.
But the poor Daoist has no money now; all his funds are with Nan Shui, and he currently has no safe way to send a message.
Tai Fu Si!
Gu Wen collected his thoughts and gazed down; about five li from the tower was Tai Fu Si.
Compared to Bianjing, it was much smaller, but it was still a vast warehouse covering the area of five football fields.
The Luoshui River served as a transit point for the entire Da Qian, radiating through half of Da Qian along the river, so there should be no shortage of spiritual materials here.
“When do we strike?”
“Wait for Murong Dao You to bring the tools. I scouted the place a few days ago; the Luoshui Tai Fu Si has protective formations. I’m afraid that if we trigger the formations, we won’t get anything and will end up getting beaten.”
He Huan shook his head, perhaps fearing Gu Wen would act impulsively, and added, “The Tai Fu Si in Bianjing had an old eunuch guarding it, and he wasn’t skilled in formations. If he casually set up defenses, he would only complicate things when encountering disciples from certain sects skilled in formations. But here it’s different; the actual power holders of Luoshui are the Five Great Families.”
Gu Wen keenly sensed the issue, asking, “Do these families have sect support behind them?”
Since the sects had the ability to dismantle Da Qian, they must have always held influence, which meant those so-called prestigious families.
On the surface, the imperial power and the scholar-officials shared the world, but in reality, it was the sects and the Daoist monarchs who ruled together.
“Exactly, so we need to be cautious. After all, most sect guardians are at least third realm old-timers.”
“Are there True Monarchs?”
“There are three, and the lowest cultivation level among them is at least sixth stage Dao Foundation.” He Huan repeatedly advised, “We’re only discussing Dao Foundation; a True Monarch must have at least seventh stage Dao Foundation and two stages of perfection. Can you ask that heavenly maiden for help?”
“Only if necessary; I won’t ask her to intervene.”
Gu Wen shook his head, then began to carefully consider the matter.
He needed Heavenly Essence, but not at the cost of consuming Yu Hua’s lifespan.
From the duel with Xiao Yunyi this morning, it was evident that there were many cultivators in Luoshui.
Currently, not taking action against them likely meant he didn’t want to benefit others or hadn’t formed an alliance.
This didn’t mean he could act recklessly; at the very least, he couldn’t openly confront them.
If he had a perfected seventh stage Dao Foundation, the entire Luoshui would belong to him!
Gu Wen set aside his delusions, calming his mind to think rationally.
He Huan said, “Then let’s proceed according to the original plan. We’ll sneak in rather than storming the gates.”
The two waited for about a stick of incense, when a robust figure climbed up the tower, casting a large shadow over them.
Murong Suyue smiled shyly at them, saying, “Thank you for waiting, it took some time to prepare the devices to disrupt the formations.”
She then pulled out a small bag from her Qiankun pouch and handed it to Gu Wen.
“Brother Hongchen, this is your elixir. Fox Immortal asked me to send her regards and hopes to befriend you when the opportunity arises.”
Gu Wen took the bag, checking the elixirs inside while casually saying, “This poor Daoist is focused on cultivation and has no interest in mingling with her, let alone being her dog.”
A female cultivator’s sect, especially a demonic one, and not even the Hehuan Sect, how could it pique one’s interest?
As for what Lu Chan looked like, he cared even less; he would rather return to see Yu Hua, at least able to touch her during the transmission of skills.
“The Fox Immortal said that if you become friends, she won’t charge for alchemy. She’s quite skilled in alchemy, and ordinary people have to pay half of the finished product to seek her out.”
“I prefer to cultivate good relationships, so I thank Dao Friend Lu for this.”
Gu Wen’s expression changed rapidly as he saw the thirty Longhu Pills in the bag.
Ten Longhu Pills equated to a year of Heavenly Essence; the superior ones were twice as potent as ordinary Longhu Pills, so thirty pills meant six years.
This was simply too sincere.
Little by little, gathering sand into a tower, six years of Heavenly Essence would be enough for him to refine the first layer of the new body technique, Moonstep.
Gu Wen never rejected such a beneficial relationship; revealing his talent naturally attracted others to seek connections.
Just like with He Huan, the other party initially wanted to invest in his future, valuing his talent.
The initial Yu Hua was the same; goodwill was never without reason.
What his future held was a matter for later; thinking about dividing profits before even opening a shop was a sign of madness.
Gu Wen only considered surpassing the dog emperor in strength, and the first step was to defeat the general Wenren Wu.
Murong Suyue looked a bit stunned, scratching her cheek as she said, “Dao Brother is truly approachable.”
Compared to Xiao Yunyi’s aloofness, sending elixirs might even seem like an insult.
Gu Wen, being a more talented prodigy than her, not only accepted the benefits but also expressed gratitude.
“In life, having more friends opens more paths.”
Gu Wen stored the superior Longhu Pills; as an old farmer, he couldn’t afford to be picky, saving them for later to exchange for wine.
Given the value of superior Longhu Pills in Bianjing, exchanging them for lower-cost spiritual wine could yield several times the return.
“Since Murong Dao You is here, let’s get started quickly.”
He Huan spoke up, “This isn’t just a whim; I’ve learned something. Half a month ago, countless medicinal pearls suddenly surged near Luoshui. The court and various families organized the populace to collect them, and those spiritual materials were sent into the city like carts of rice.”
“Here are a few I managed to steal during that time.”
He took out three jade-white ‘chestnuts’ from his sleeve.
Gu Wen took one and tasted it; his Heavenly Essence increased slightly.
The quantity was minuscule, but if there were hundreds of jin, the amount of Heavenly Essence would be significant.
This haul could potentially bring him to a perfected fourth stage Dao Foundation, equating to eighth stage cultivation, allowing him to defeat Xiao Yunyi.
Gu Wen asked, “Are all these things in Tai Fu Si?”
“At least seventy percent are,” He Huan replied. “Years ago, Da Qian had conflicts with the sects here, and the five great families in the city lost. Therefore, they had to submit seventy percent of the spiritual materials to the court. Only the Zhejian Mountain outside Luoshui doesn’t require any tribute; the court even has to spend a large sum to purchase its Tianquan water.”
“This phenomenon is worth the harvest of the past five years, and many are eager to act, which is why I brought Brother Hongchen along.”
Gu Wen understood and nodded, “So how will we divide the spoils once we succeed?”
“You get six, I get two, and Murong Dao You gets two,” He Huan proposed the division, then explained, “Brother Hongchen has the strongest strength, while Murong Dao You will handle the formations, and I’ll provide information and lead the escape.”
“Agreed.”
Gu Wen was eager; could eight hundred jin of spiritual materials allow him to gather two hundred Heavenly Essence and complete the remaining four spiritual aspects to form his primordial spirit, achieving a perfected fourth stage Dao Foundation?
The three masked themselves, then leaped down, each using their techniques to glide from the heights into the Luoshui Tai Fu Si.
Before Gu Wen even landed, he felt the entire ground of Tai Fu Si was infused with strands of spiritual energy, circulating according to certain patterns, resembling the meridians during cultivation.
Murong Suyue continuously threw out small flags from her Qiankun pouch; when a flag was planted at a certain node, a portion of the spiritual energy would stagnate.
Once they landed, the entire formation fell into a standstill.
(End of Chapter)