darknovel Chapter 39 First Hearing of Dugu City
Chapter 39 First Hearing of Dugu City
The town of Sifang at the foot of the mountain was still bustling with activity, full of the lively atmosphere of people as the year draws to a close.
Once inside the Yunfu Sect's mountain gate area, it became much quieter. Many servants went down the mountain to enjoy themselves, while the young masters from noble families rushed back home.
Under the rule of Baiyujing in Zhongzhou, ritual and music order are highly valued, making ancestor worship during the New Year particularly important.
The warm winter sun pierced through the clouds and fell into the Qingmu Pavilion.
Brother Lingji casually closed the courtyard gate, and the newly repaired gate made a soft sound.
"It's still quiet in the mountains. It's lively down below, but if you stay there for too long, you can't keep your mind at ease."
As he spoke, he took out a small flask of wine. Upon seeing this, Li Ya quickly stopped him, saying, "Wait, wait! Senior brother, we've only had breakfast a short while ago, and you're already drinking?"
"It would be better to brew a pot of hot tea!"
"Alright!"
Li Ya recalled what had happened down the mountain earlier. It seemed that Huang Dan was incredibly audacious, daring to undermine Qianjin Pavilion. Was he really not afraid of being burned alive?
Fortunately, he never revealed his true identity. This batch of pills has stirred up a lot of trouble, and who knows if some busybody will try to find out the truth.
It's best not to move around too much during this period; instead, focus on your spiritual practice within the temple grounds.
After a night of arduous cultivation, the White Bone Seal has been imprinted on his entire skeleton, and Xiao Tianli Jin has completely fused with the bone.
Once the bones are formed, the tendons need to be strengthened.
The tendons and bones are connected; if the bones are like towering ancient trees, then the tendons are like entwined vines.
Bones are rigid, tendons are flexible; rigid bones can generate great strength, while flexible tendons can harmonize with each other.
The green mica is half gold and jade ore and half spiritual plant.
Now that the paste has been prepared, we can begin the fascia treatment.
The White Bone Seal refines the bones, and correspondingly, the Jade Tendon Seal strengthens the tendons.
Li Ya kept sketching the jade tendon in his mind, his index finger unconsciously tapping the stone table.
But upon hearing this voice, Senior Brother Lingji couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
The sound of the tapping was exactly the same as the sound of gold and jade being struck, clearly indicating that the bones and bones of the body were as fine as gold and jade.
Since moving into Qingmuxuan, Xiaoya has been cultivating diligently every day, never letting up.
Senior Brother Lingji's eyes were full of praise. Given time, Brother Xiaoya will surely soar to great heights and become a Daoist talent.
Just then, a series of light and steady footsteps came from outside the courtyard.
Li Ya slowly opened his eyes, composed himself, and turned to look at the courtyard gate.
The next moment, a graceful and elegant figure pushed open the door and stepped into the courtyard.
"Junior Sister Qin, are you here to see Brother Xiaoya?"
Senior Brother Lingji stood up, a playful smile flashing in his eyes, and teased.
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
After nodding in greeting, she turned to look at Li Ya, her eyes gentle and her smile subtle, showing no sign of distance.
"Junior Brother Li."
Li Ya also bowed slightly: "Greetings, Senior Sister Qin."
"Junior brother, there's no need for such formalities," she said, and took her seat.
"With the year-end approaching, sect classes have temporarily ceased, and the mountains are serene. I've come to inquire about Junior Brother Li..."
"...And Senior Brother Xie, do you have any plans for the next few days?"
"If we have some free time, we could visit the capital of Chu Nan Kingdom together..."
While asking questions, he seemed to be inquiring about the two's itinerary, but his gaze remained gently fixed on Li Ya, never looking away.
Upon hearing this, Li Ya felt a slight stirring in his heart. He wasn't made of wood; how could he not sense Senior Sister Qin's attention?
Senior Sister Qin is excellent in both appearance and personality. If she were to become a Daoist couple, that would be wonderful.
But right now, spiritual cultivation is more important to me; romantic love and other such things would only delay my spiritual practice.
Just as he was about to respond, Senior Brother Lingji suddenly interjected, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing: "What a pity, what a pity, Junior Sister Qin's good intentions are likely to be in vain."
Qin Xinru glanced sideways: "What do you mean by that, Senior Brother Xie?"
Senior Brother Lingji explained leisurely, "Junior Brother Li and I have already made arrangements. This year, we need to go to Dugu City with our aunt."
Qin Xinru's thoughts suddenly fell silent, and a slight bitterness welled up inside her.
"I see. I was being presumptuous. I didn't know you had made arrangements beforehand."
"Dugu City is the largest city in the Southern Region, and it's worth a visit."
Then, as if he had thought of something, his tone changed: "Perfect timing, I haven't been to Dugu City for several years, we can go together on the way."
"Hahaha, we can go that way!" Senior Brother Lingji laughed.
"What exactly is this Dugu place?" Li Ya asked curiously.
"It's a market town, a very large one! I've never been there before, but Junior Sister Qin has. Tell us about it!"
"Of course it's possible!" Qin Xinru then explained in detail.
"Dugu City is a market town controlled by the Dugu clan, the city lords, for generations. It's a melting pot of immortals and mortals, with an estimated population of several million, making it quite unusual among the many immortal markets!"
"There are thirty-six wards in this Dugu City, and the number has not increased or decreased over the years. Each of these thirty-six wards sells different goods. Some specialize in selling magical treasures, while others specialize in taming spirit beasts. Each has its own duties."
"Legend has it that the Thirty-Six Wards are actually thirty-six colossal magical treasures, possessing the power to burn mountains and boil seas!"
Li Ya felt something was off. A colossal structure? A magical artifact?
"What exactly is this colossal magical artifact?"
Senior Brother Lingji replied directly: "A mega-structure magic treasure, as the name suggests, is a magic treasure with a huge structure, such as the treasure ship that travels between the immortal ferries. Our Yunfu Sect's Tinglei Hall is a type of mega-structure magic treasure."
"This thing is too expensive. I don't know where the Dugu family got their money from to buy this thing."
A cultivation-themed version of an aircraft carrier?
The three chatted for a while longer, and seeing that Li Ya still needed to cultivate, they didn't disturb him any further and left with lighter steps.
Until Wen Wan's figure completely disappeared, Senior Brother Lingji could no longer hold back and turned to look at Li Ya, teasingly saying:
"Little Cliff, are you really stupid or just pretending? Can't you see such an obvious meaning?"
"Senior brother, I'm not blind!"
Hearing this, Lingji was taken aback at first, then asked, "Then why?"
"Why are you pretending not to know?"
"Senior Sister Qin is exceptional in both appearance and manner. I wouldn't say I'm emotionally involved, but my heart has certainly been moved."
"It's not that I'm inferior, but there's a significant gap between us in terms of cultivation and background. Besides, we're currently busy preparing for the Fallen Dragon Valley, so we really don't have time to be distracted. Let's talk about everything after we return safely from the Fallen Dragon Valley!"
Senior Brother Lingji nodded silently, saying nothing more.
"Alright, I won't disturb your cultivation."
Senior Brother Lingji turned and left: "I'll go tell my aunt to include Senior Sister Qin in the trip."
The entire Qingmu Pavilion fell completely silent for a moment, with only the howling north wind remaining.
Li Ya suppressed all distracting thoughts, walked into the training room alone, sat cross-legged, and returned his mind to cultivation.
He raised his hand and took out his personal jade box from the Ling Shu Cave Heaven. Inside the box lay a paste-like spiritual medicine that looked like green jade.
It was a plaster made from green ganoderma and mica. Li Ya first rubbed it repeatedly with his warm palms until it was scalding hot, and then quickly applied it to his limbs, shoulders, back, waist, abdomen, joints and fascia.
The ointment is thinly applied to the skin and flesh, and then the true qi of the whole body is guided to circulate, using the method obtained from the Ling Shu of the "Self-Sacrifice Sutra" to absorb the spiritual essence contained in the ointment.
Gradually, the mica essence is pressed and permeated inward, seeping into the gaps between the fascia layers.
Qingzhi Mica is different from Xiaotianlijin; its medicinal effects are milder.
The human body has countless fascia that crisscross and wrap around bones.
There are large tendons and small tendons. The fascia on both sides of the Du meridian on the back connects the entire dragon bone and is the main fascia that supports the dragon's momentum. It is also called the dragon tendon.
Where the ointment penetrates, the fascia feels tingly but not painful, since fascia is not like bone.
Once the fascia throughout the body is thoroughly moistened by the medicinal properties, the Jade Tendon Scroll can be condensed and drawn on the fascia throughout the body.
Every step Li Ya took in cultivating his physical strength was an immense ordeal for Yin Tianjue on White Bone Peak.
He could clearly sense the Daoist essence of the White Bone lineage constantly dissipating, yet he was powerless to stop it. He even considered crossing the vast ocean and turning the entire area around the Poyang Lake into a fiery inferno.
Electricity crackled in the void outside White Bone Peak. Twelve white skeletal demonic figures, as tall as the mountain, blazed with demonic fire. The peak was sealed off from both inside and outside, with no one allowed to enter or leave.