Stealing Immortal

The snow was melting, and a dampness filled the small courtyard.

The once pure white snow had long been sullied by dust, turning it filthy and black. Patches of water seeped out from beneath it, disappearing through the cracks between the courtyard’s bricks.

The sun was high in the sky, warming the ground.

Chen Qingyang recalled the lively New Year festivities back in his hometown. If he weren’t in the Tai Xu Sect, he would surely be able to witness the grand spectacle.

As he stood lost in thought in the courtyard, the young woman from the house next door, Lin Qingxuan, walked over. Not far away, under the eaves, Zhang Ping stood before a stove, spatula in hand, and nodded at him.

The young woman’s slender fingers held a coarse porcelain bowl, which contained a serving of wild chive noodles.

They had been eating these noodles for a long time. Sometimes, Li Sheng would even complain, "I’m sick of them."

"Senior Brother Chen, Zhang Ping said you were leaving late today, so he prepared a bowl of noodles for you as well."

Chen Qingyang would never refuse such a kind gesture, especially since she had already brought it right to him.

"Thank you."

"Um... the technique you taught me for the Hongling Token is working very well. I’ve basically got the hang of it now. By the way, I heard you don’t go there anymore, Senior Brother Chen?"

"That’s right. I’m at the Golden Peak Pill Institute now."

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Qingxuan asked again, "Does that mean you can learn real Immortal Family skills at the Pill Institute?"

’They’ve been here for less than a month, haven’t they? It’s normal for young people to be impatient.’

"Don’t be in a rush. There’s plenty of time ahead, so much that you might even get bored. You’ll get to experience everything in due course."

As he said this, Chen Qingyang took a bite of the noodles. It really was delicious.

Of course, without many other seasonings, its flavor was limited to just that savory taste.

If one looked closely, they would find the young woman opposite him to be quite pretty, with a kind of reservedness within her delicate appearance. She was like a young willow tree whose leaves were just beginning to turn green—not full, but captivating enough. This was especially apparent when she bit her lip.

"Senior Brother Chen... I... I wanted to ask again, how can I get to the Golden Summit?"

It was clear she had great Wish Power when it came to Immortal Cultivation.

Chen Qingyang slurped up the last of the broth. "If you achieve something, and I’m still around, I’ll put in a good word for you."

His tone was so casual it was almost like a thoughtless promise made by a street vendor during idle chatter, yet Lin Qingxuan still nodded. "Thank you, Senior Brother Chen."

"Mhm, thank Zhang Ping for me. I’m heading up the mountain now."

"Okay."

Lin Qingxuan took the bowl back.

On the way to the Golden Summit, Chen Qingyang inexplicably recalled how the middle-aged men who originally lived in the courtyard had once been just as earnest. But in the end, time had changed everything.

In the center of a clearing, several magnificent halls were arranged on three sides. They were imposing, yet the swirling mist gave them an air of Immortal Qi. Chen Qingyang once again stood before the Cloud Scripture Jade Pavilion.

The same youth was guarding the gate, but he didn’t recognize Chen Qingyang now. "Halt. Who goes there?"

Chen Qingyang showed him his Pill Institute Token. "I am a Miscellaneous Task disciple, here to retrieve two Pill Formulas for Senior Sister Liu Tao from the Pill Institute. This is my Token."

The youth remained as listless and indifferent as before. "Mhm."

Then, he paid him no further mind.

Chen Qingyang went inside and looked around. His mood was completely different from his last visit. Last time, he had a clear goal and was in a bit of a hurry. This time, he was in a leisurely mood, ready to browse through everything from top to bottom.

There were several hundred Pill Formulas. Though he didn’t need to master them all, he had to get a general idea of which ones would be useful in the future and what their effects were.

By the time he left, the sun was directly overhead.

"Senior Brother, look..."

Remembering that the youth had specifically checked what he was carrying on his way out last time, Chen Qingyang offered the transcribed Pill Formulas for him to inspect. Unexpectedly, the youth didn’t even raise his eyelids, just waving a hand dismissively. "Get going."

’I see. Next time I come, I can take the latter parts of the One-Origin Sword.’

The Golden Summit of the Four Golden Peaks was immense.

Besides this clearing and these palaces, the four sides of the mountain were divided into numerous courtyards. A total of thirty-four Foundation Establishment Masters had established their Dao Fields here, accepting disciples for Cultivation.

The Pill Institute, however, only occupied a small corner on the periphery. When Chen Qingyang arrived, he ran into a familiar figure.

It had been many days, and Qi Xiuyuan had clearly lost a lot of weight.

The sword was on his back, his face was as sharp as if carved by a knife, and his eyes, though gentle, were profound.

’It seems his trip to the Nine Deaths Treasure Mirror yielded quite a harvest!’

Chen Qingyang had been preparing himself to run into him for the past two days, so he met his gaze head-on. "Greetings, Senior Brother Qi!"

Qi Xiuyuan’s eyes were brimming with killing intent, but he managed to restrain himself. "Hmph, your Cultivation has progressed quickly for a Miscellaneous Task disciple."

His voice was low, husky, and strangely charismatic.

"Senior Brother Qi must know, it was all thanks to Senior Sister Liu Tao’s support. Without her, I would not have reached Qi Refining."

"Heh, Liu Tao!" He spat the name out through gritted teeth, his hatred palpable. But then, it was immediately masked by a smile. "She is my dear Senior Sister, after all. How could I possibly blame her? Everything she does is for my own good!"

Seeing him muttering to himself, Chen Qingyang said, "Senior Brother Qi, I’ll take my leave then."

"Stay right there!"

From the moment he saw him, Chen Qingyang had been clutching the Warm Jade Scroll, ready for an attack at any moment. The shout made him even more tense.

But Qi Xiuyuan just sneered, leaning in close. "Relax, I won’t do anything to you. You’re just a... heheh, a Miscellaneous Task disciple. Now, hurry and take me to see Liu Tao."

"Yes, Senior Brother Qi."

’As for what tricks he has up his sleeve, I don’t want to think about it for now. Liu Tao’s Cultivation is far beyond his, so going to her is the right move.’

「In the Alchemy Room.」

When Liu Tao saw it was Qi Xiuyuan, she first glanced at Chen Qingyang. Seeing he was unharmed, she said, "Junior Brother Qi, you’ve come out of seclusion?"

As Qi Xiuyuan looked at Liu Tao, a trace of envy was in his eyes. "I never expected that in such a short time, Senior Sister, you would overcome that great tribulation and even begin your Nine Acupoints Ascension!"

The so-called Nine Acupoints Ascension was another name for the Essence Condensation Realm, reflecting its unique Cultivation method, which differed from the Qi Refining Realm. As for the specifics, Chen Qingyang had no idea.

But Liu Tao had no desire to exchange pleasantries with him. She got straight to the point, "So, are you here to congratulate me or to cause trouble?"

Facing Liu Tao, Qi Xiuyuan’s attitude became sincere once more. "To congratulate you, of course... and also, to apologize to you, Senior Sister!"

As he spoke, he took an object from his sleeve.

It was a small Sword, only a foot long. Its blade gleamed with a cold light, and the hilt was exquisitely carved with auspicious clouds. Two pieces of Dao Rhyme Pattern were pieced together to form the handguard.

Although Chen Qingyang didn’t recognize this Magical Treasure, he was very familiar with the Dao Rhyme Pattern.

It was a Flying Sword.

"Senior Sister Liu, this Flying Sword was originally meant for myself. But Master said it could be ages before I break through to Essence Condensation, so today I will gift it to you."

"Senior Sister, don’t look down on it. This item cost me a great deal of effort. I even had someone specially perform Sacrificial Refinement on its Array, and it was forged with Xuannan Blazing Sun metal. It’s perfectly suited for your Fire Control Three Acupoints."

Such a treasure made even Liu Tao’s eyes burn with desire. She even reached out to stroke it, but at the last moment, she didn’t take it into her hand.

"Out with it. What are your conditions?"

At this moment, Qi Xiuyuan was like a different person. No matter what happened, he could keep his temper in check.

He smiled and shook his head. "We all come from the same lineage. Since when did we become so distant, Senior Sister? I also understand that there was a misunderstanding between us before. We were never meant to be enemies. In fact, this misunderstanding..."

"Hmph!" His tone suddenly turned sharp as he pointed the Flying Sword at Chen Qingyang. "...was caused by this loose-lipped Miscellaneous Task disciple! If not for his instigation, things would never have reached this point. Senior Sister, you only need to hand him over to me. Is that not enough?"

’He’s really willing to go all out. Anything that can be called a Flying Sword is an extraordinary item. How could a mere Miscellaneous Task disciple be worth so much?’

Furthermore, with Liu Tao’s Essence Condensation Realm Cultivation, if she had such a Magical Treasure, taking someone’s head from a hundred miles away would be a simple matter.

’To be honest, I’m really getting nervous. That look in her eyes just now was quite greedy.’

Liu Tao stroked her chin and began to think seriously. "Something’s not right about this."

Qi Xiuyuan, who believed victory was within his grasp, kept a smile on his face. "What’s not right? If Senior Sister thinks it’s not enough, I can satisfy any further requests."

But Liu Tao said, "Junior Sister Xu’s sudden death is no small matter. It was only because you stopped this Miscellaneous Task disciple of mine that day that I learned from him that you were involved. I didn’t dare to conceal it and immediately reported it to our Master. So, you see, this whole thing was my idea from start to finish. Is Junior Brother Qi suggesting I should kill him to vent my anger? I don’t think that would vent anything, since the blame lies entirely with me!"

Hearing her say this, Chen Qingyang felt relieved and even a little touched.

Across from him, Qi Xiuyuan could no longer hide the fury in his eyes. "Senior Sister, we are both from an Immortal Sect. We naturally understand the principle of karma. If this isn’t settled today, I’m afraid it won’t be resolved for a hundred, or even a thousand, years to come!"

The more he acted like this, the angrier Liu Tao became. "Heheh, if you want to think about what happens in a thousand years, you can do it after you have a chance to become a Golden Core True Monarch!"

Seeing that it was a lost cause, Qi Xiuyuan began to sneer again. "Senior Sister, you should remember this: in the past few hundred years, I am the only one in our sect who has made it through the Nine Deaths Treasure Mirror."

"Wait."

Hearing Liu Tao say this, he stopped. "What, has Senior Sister had a change of heart?"

But Liu Tao just snorted, and a flash of Fire shot toward Qi Xiuyuan. It seemed like a casual flick, but Qi Xiuyuan was forced to his knees. "I think you’ve forgotten what my Cultivation level is."

"Fine. Just fine, Senior Sister!" Veins bulged on Qi Xiuyuan’s forehead. Without another word, he backed out of the room on his knees.

Liu Tao slammed the Alchemy Room door shut and glared at Chen Qingyang with a fierce look in her eyes. "Chen Qingyang, do you know that you owe me a Flying Sword now? In the future, whether you go to Cyan Bamboo Peak or anywhere else, you will get one for me!"

"I..." Chen Qingyang was stunned for a moment. "Okay."