In truth, nearly two hundred Merit Points were by no means a small sum. Some Cultivators might not be able to accumulate so many in a decade or more. But compared to the amount Yu Ci owed, these 200 Merit Points still fell short.
Bao Guang was not a fool. His gaze was always fixed on the bundle on Yu Ci's back, filled with suspicion.
Seeing his expression, Yu Ci smiled, "Have you forgotten something?"
"Eh?" The young Taoist didn't react for a moment. He was stunned for a while before he suddenly remembered his treasure, "The Ghost Yarn Cloud!"
Yu Ci grinned, "First, take out your Merit Card!"
Bao Guang felt inexplicably confused, but still took out his Merit Card as instructed and handed it to Yu Ci. Yu Ci then crumpled the Ghost Yarn Cloud into a ball and handed it to him.
"Hey, be gentle!"
Bao Guang took it with a pained expression. As soon as he unfolded it, he noticed something was wrong, "Why is there blood?"
His voice shot up an octave. At that moment, he heard a "ding" sound. Turning his head, he saw Yu Ci handing him his Merit Card.
"I'm sorry, Junior Brother Bao Guang, I couldn't wash out this bloodstain. Now that the item has been returned to its rightful owner, here is a token of my apology."
Using the method taught by Old Daoist Yu Zhou, Yu Ci transferred 100 Merit Points to Bao Guang. It was not only compensation but also a token of gratitude for lending him the treasure. Regardless of the long journey or escaping from Sky Rift Valley, the Ghost Yarn Cloud had been of great help. It was only right to give thanks.
Bao Guang accepted it in a daze. He didn't bother about the change in Merit Points, instead staring at him with wide eyes, "Senior Brother Yu, are you injured?"
Interacting with someone like Bao Guang was indeed comforting. Yu Ci patted his shoulder and laughed, "No, it's someone else's blood."
Then he saw the young Taoist's eyes light up, "Ah, Senior Brother Yu, your trip to Sky Rift Valley must have been very thrilling. Tell me about it, tell me all about it!"
Children who had never left home always saw things from a different perspective. Yu Ci was taken aback, then burst into laughter, walking arm in arm with him, "Indeed, it was very thrilling. Now, listen to my story."
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"That was indeed a hair-raising adventure."
The speaker was Old Daoist Yu Zhou. After hearing Yu Ci's recounting, he stroked his beard and sighed. To earn such a comment from an old man who had lived for three hundred years and weathered countless storms, Yu Ci felt quite proud.
That being said, Old Daoist was more interested in his personal experiences. Although he pondered over the major events involving the Demons and the cold wave in Sky Rift Valley, he wasn't particularly surprised.
Yu Ci understood that a massive organization like the Lichen Sect would have its own special information channels. He had been back at Still Heart Temple for over ten days. If Old Daoist had received related information beforehand, it wouldn't be strange. He just wondered what kind of response the Lichen Sect would have to this situation.
With these thoughts in mind, he chuckled, "I must be having a good run of fortune. Otherwise, I would have died in the valley many times over, and wouldn't be here to boast about it."
"Indeed, it's all about luck."
Yu Zhou sincerely agreed, "In a situation where nine out of ten people perish, the survivors may be strong or talented. But if you can make it out of a situation where all ten would usually die, it's undoubtedly all down to luck."
Yu Ci laughed at this, as he didn't want to mention the Divine Bronze Mirror to anyone for the time being. Thus, he focused on keeping his story "concise". Anything that could be left unsaid was left unsaid, and what was said was kept brief. So, what he told Yu Zhou and the others boiled down to three things:
1. Demons had invaded the Sky Rift Valley.
2. He had a conflict with the White Sun Mansion.
3. An abnormal cold wave had erupted in the Sky Rift Valley, ultimately causing turmoil.
As for the battle between the Ghost Beasts and the Two-headed demon, the relationship between the Xuan Yin Sect and the Pure Water Sect, the possession by the "Divine Soul of Zheng De", the Monster Nest, and saving Monk Zheng Yan, these more in-depth details were left out, as they involved the Divine Bronze Mirror. This omission was also more in line with his identity as an ordinary "Spirit Communicator" Cultivator.
What he told the Old Daoist was carefully considered and finally formed. The clues in his story were complete, though there were vague areas in the details. But this was only natural. If every detail were complete in such an intense situation, it would be truly strange.
For this reason, if the listeners needed an acceptable explanation, "luck" was probably the best choice.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Additionally, Yu Ci had a hidden thought, "How does a small ant watch giants fight?"
Naturally, it climbs to a far-off mountain to watch.
If it stays under the giant's feet, it's destined to be crushed!
He felt he had delved too deeply into the matters of the Sky Rift Valley. Because of the Divine Bronze Mirror, things that he shouldn't have touched at his level were now imprinted in his mind. Fortunately, so far, the "giant" hadn't noticed him, the "small ant". But if he were to foolishly stay under the giant's feet, he would be crushed sooner or later.
Thus, playing dumb was a good strategy.
Of course, the ultimate solution would be to become a giant himself, at least earning the right to watch from a close distance. But this goal seemed too far-fetched.
"You must strive harder, Yu Ci," he muttered, holding the stone box containing the Fish-Dragon, his palm slightly damp.
Yu Zhou hosted a welcome party for Yu Ci in the western garden, in the same pavilion where they had once confronted the people from the White Sun Mansion. They enjoyed wine and admired the snow and plum blossoms by the stove. It was quite elegant and intimate.
After hearing the story, the Old Daoist personally poured wine for him. Yu Ci temporarily let go of his doubts and drank the wine in his cup.
At this point, he had one more thing to explain to the Old Daoist. He took out the well-preserved Ghost-Face Flower and Underworld Tree Root, handed them over, and expressed his regret:
"Who would have thought that the situation would change so rapidly? In the haste, I only managed to get these two medicinal ingredients. I'll keep the Jade Slip for now and will surely complete the collection of these herbs in the future."
This was not mere courtesy. The Old Daoist had opened the door to the Immortal Path for him, yet he had not fulfilled the latter's entrusted task. It was indeed a matter of guilt. However, Yu Zhou simply shook his head and laughed.
"You managed to bring back two, which is already beyond my expectations. Especially this root of the Yin Realm Tree, where the Fish-Dragon often resides on its trunk, communicating with the Primordial Qi, the medicinal properties are even better. It's extremely precious, if I were to put a price on it, it would at least be worth two hundred merits. He should be very satisfied."
The last sentence was somewhat vague. Yu Ci was slightly taken aback, but he no longer cared about the 200 Merit Points and so he let it pass. He took a deep breath, pushing the stone box he had taken out earlier in front of the Old Daoist. Inside, the Fish-Dragon was still in deep sleep, but this little thing was tied to his future fate.
"Taoist Yu, with this Fish-Dragon, can the matter of the Outer Disciples be settled?"
Yu Zhou laughed but did not answer, simply drinking the warm wine in his cup. Strangely enough, even though the Old Daoist did not give a straightforward answer, seeing his smile, Yu Ci felt a sense of tranquility, knowing that the matter was already ten-tenths certain!
In fact, from the moment he caught the Fish-Dragon, he knew that there would be no more obstacles to his initiation. However, because the matter was of great importance, he still needed to ask the Old Daoist for reassurance. Seeing the Old Daoist's reaction, he realized that he had been a bit petty, so he didn't say much more, simply raising his cup and drinking it all in one go.
Bao Guang on the side was laughing so hard his eyes disappeared.
After he had finished his cup of wine, Yu Zhou lightly tapped the stone box as if keeping a beat, "This Fish-Dragon is of excellent quality, with piercing scales and ascending horns. But because of its high quality, using it for tool making or medicine refining would be a waste. We need to think of a better way to handle it."
Yu Ci laughed out loud, "No matter how good the Fish-Dragon is, it's just an external object. For my Path of Seeking Immortality, it's not of much use. Temple Master, you can dispose of it as you see fit."
Yu Zhou eyebrows twitched, but he shook his head, "It's good that you're not moved by external objects, but in the pursuit of the Immortal Path, you've made a big mistake. And who said that the Fish-Dragon is useless for seeking immortality?"
Yu Ci was startled, then an endless curiosity arose, "What do you mean, Temple Master?"
However, Yu Zhou did not immediately respond, only smiling and saying, "The wine is too light, and even with conversation, it is still inadequate."
With that, he turned to Bao Guang and ordered, "Go to my cellar and bring that jar of Thousand Day Intoxication."
Bao Guang responded with a grunt and hurriedly left. Yu Ci watched the young Taoist's departing figure with slight confusion. Before he could ask Yu Zhou, Yu Zhou answered first, "Bao Guang is pure-minded and inexperienced, his temperament is not yet settled, he is not on the same path as you and me. Some things, if he hears them, it would do more harm than good!"
"Not from the same path?" Yu Ci found something strange in these words.
At this moment, Yu Zhou stopped his action of tapping on the stone box, and instead raised his finger, asking Yu Ci to look his way, "Fish-Dragon has another name, do you know what it is?"
Yu Ci vaguely remembered that Yu Zhou had mentioned it before, but he couldn't recall it at the moment, so he could only shake his head.
Yu Zhou smiled faintly, and in the deep lines of his face, each one seemed to contain an emotion that was hard to decipher, "Fish-Dragon is also known as Tao Worm."
"Tao Worm?" Yu Ci finally remembered. It was in this pavilion that Yu Zhou first mentioned this term after seeing the Fish-Dragon.
"Seeker of the Tao Worm, Great Tao Worm, Destroyer of the Dao, all refer to the same."
His words hung in the air like a layer of fog, enveloping Yu Ci.
Yu Zhou did not expect Yu Ci to understand immediately. He was still smiling, slightly intoxicated, his fingers seemingly randomly sketching in the void, "The so-called Fish-Dragon, with the body of plants and trees, transforms flesh and blood into blood marrow, acquires the spirit of the True Dragon, cultivates both life and death, until it leaps through the Dragon Gate and acquires the True Form of the heavenly dragon. Every step is on the path of the Dao, hence it is named Tao; the same Fish-Dragon, starting from the body of plants and trees, does not relate to its kind, but instead steals vitality, kills Primordial Qi, transforms its nature after changing its substance, and then absorbs all living beings' life energy, essence, and blood to fatten itself. Along the way, it does not know how many living beings it has harmed, how much killing karma it has created, hence it is named Worm. Combined, it is this Tao Worm!"
Yu Ci was stunned as he listened, but there was another reason for his astonishment.
That was as Yu Zhou's finger sketched, on the stone table in the pavilion, within the several feet square of void, there was actually a Fish-Dragon with piercing scales and ascending horns, leisurely circling in smoke and mist, as if it had been summoned out of thin air. Yu Ci initially thought this was an illusion technique, but his eyes and aura sensing told him that it was not the real thing summoned, nor was it any illusion technique. It was a picture drawn by Yu Zhou using his finger to stimulate sword energy, using it as both pen and ink, in the void where there was nothing!
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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e