Chapter 981: I Don't Have Money Either

The Gourd stayed by Chen Changsheng's side, refusing to leave for even a moment.

The years spent inside the spirit cage had been long and drawn out. After emerging, it had come to Yunfu Mountain, a true blessed land and earthly paradise. Over time, its spiritual sentience had gradually refined, and by now, it possessed the intelligence of a human child.

"Alright, alright."

Chen Changsheng smiled and soothed it, and only then did the Gourd settle down.

Once they descended the mountain, they found Ning Bufan hiding beneath a tree.

The two streaks of sword light from earlier had likely been too shocking, leaving him gripped by a lingering dread.

Ning Bufan finally understood why Mister Chen hadn't let him go up.

If he had, he probably never would have come back down.

"Mister Chen! Mister Chen!"

Ning Bufan hurried over to greet him, only to notice an unfamiliar Gourd floating by Mister Chen's side.

The Gourd flew a circle around Ning Bufan.

"Eh? What's this?" Ning Bufan was confused.

The Gourd floated to a stop right in front of his eyes, as if sizing him up.

"Mister, what is this?"

"Hmm..." Chen Changsheng thought for a moment, not entirely sure how to explain.

Ning Bufan, however, jumped in surprise. "Is this a spiritual artifact?"

The Gourd bobbed its top like a nod, adopting an air of at least you have a good eye.

Ning Bufan's eyes shone as he studied it.

Chen Changsheng raised a hand, beckoning the Gourd back. "The matter is settled. Let's go."

Ning Bufan blinked. "That's it?"

How long had the Mister even been up there? It had only been a few minutes.

Chen Changsheng looked at him. "We shouldn't stay here long. If we want to rest, we should find somewhere else."

"Huh?" Ning Bufan was perplexed.

The scenery here was beautiful, and the spiritual energy was incredibly abundant. No matter how you looked at it, it was a wonderful place. Why couldn't they stay?

Chen Changsheng didn't elaborate. The two boarded the Bamboo Raft, and before long, they set off.

Traveling a short distance, they came across a cultivator market town.

They found an inn and settled down to rest.

After wandering for so long, Ning Bufan was exhausted. He lay down in his room and fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up, however, Mister Chen was nowhere to be seen.

The inn's waiter mentioned that the Mister had gone out early in the morning, leaving a message that he would return later.

Only then did Ning Bufan relax. As long as he hadn't been abandoned, everything was fine.

Bored, he struck up a conversation with the waiter. He didn't know much about the Cultivation World and was naturally curious, making the talkative attendant the perfect person to chat with.

The waiter happened to be free, so he sat down and began gossiping about everything under the sun.

They discussed the nearby immortal mountains and the deeds of various immortals—tales that were exceedingly common in these parts.

Ning Bufan listened with great relish.

The waiter then remarked, "You don't seem very familiar with these things. You must not be from around here. Where do you hail from?"

"From the Mortal World," Ning Bufan answered.

"Ah?" The waiter looked astonished.

"Is something wrong?" Ning Bufan asked.

The waiter paused. "That's incredible! I hear the Mortal World is a land bereft of magic. For you to have walked out of there is truly remarkable."

Ning Bufan coughed lightly. "I'm not the incredible one. I just followed a Mister here."

The waiter finally understood. "Then why come here? This place is considered a remote corner of the Cultivation World. Not many immortal masters visit."

"Have you heard of Yunfu Mountain?"

"Ah? Hmm?"

The waiter froze.

Before he could ask, Ning Bufan continued, "I followed the Mister to Yunfu Mountain to fetch a few things, and we just came back. We're resting at your inn along the way."

The waiter opened his mouth, but the words seemed caught in his throat.

"What is it now?" Ning Bufan asked, puzzled.

The waiter smacked his lips and pressed, "Did you truly just come from Yunfu Mountain?"

"Why would I lie?"

"Truly Yunfu Mountain?"

"Hey now, I'm telling you the truth and you still don't believe me. It's that mountain hanging upside down beneath the clouds—Yunfu Mountain."

The waiter sucked in a sharp breath, unable to stop himself from saying, "You truly possess great skill!"

"Huh?" Ning Bufan was confused. "Why do you say that?"

This caught the waiter off guard. He gave Ning Bufan a look and asked, "Isn't coming back alive from Yunfu Mountain proof of great skill?"

A look of confusion washed over Ning Bufan's face.

The waiter stared at him. "Do you not know whose domain Yunfu Mountain is?"

Ning Bufan paused, thinking back. "I heard the Mister mention a cultivator surnamed Zhao. Is something wrong?"

The waiter sucked in another breath of cold air and stood up. "Do you really not know, or are you just pretending?"

Ning Bufan hesitated, baffled. "Is there something I should know?"

"Zhao Yuqing!"

The waiter's hands trembled. "Yunfu Mountain is Zhao Yuqing's domain! He is known to countless immortal masters as the number one demon of the Cultivation World! A great fiend who kills without blinking, feared by everyone who sees him!"

Ning Bufan froze.

His lips parted slightly as a wave of lingering fear crept into his heart. "It... it can't be that bad, right?" he muttered.

The waiter hopped from foot to foot in anxiety, forcing a helpless laugh. "You dared go to Yunfu Mountain without even knowing who Zhao Yuqing is?"

Ning Bufan swallowed hard. "I just..."

He had assumed everything would be fine as long as he followed Mister Chen, so he hadn't bothered to ask.

The waiter sighed. "You truly are..."

He gave him a thumbs-up.

Ning Bufan looked embarrassed, but his curiosity won out. "It can't be that terrifying, can it? I saw Yunfu Mountain with my own eyes—beautiful scenery, overflowing with immortal energy. Zhao Yuqing doesn't necessarily have to be a demon. Why do you talk about Yunfu Mountain as if it's purgatory?"

The waiter was quite knowledgeable and had heard his fair share of rumors. He immediately replied, "Since you've been to Yunfu Mountain, there's a certain tale I should tell you. Rumor has it that the gate of Qinyue Palace used to sit right at the foot of Yunfu Mountain. If that's the case, you must have seen it."

"I... I don't think so," Ning Bufan said. "But there was a stretch of ruined palaces, battered completely beyond recognition."

"Then that's it!"

The waiter slapped the table. "Back in the day, Qinyue Palace was a renowned, great immortal sect in the Cultivation World. But guess what..."

The waiter leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Just because a few notes of their qin music weren't pleasing enough to the ear, they upset that demon. On that very day, Qinyue Palace was nearly wiped out by him! From then on, the sect fell into decline, lost its standing in the Cultivation World, and now it has vanished without a trace."

Ning Bufan hissed in a breath. "Is he really that terrifying?"

"Isn't he just!" the waiter said. "That's exactly why I said coming back alive means you truly possess great skill."

Ning Bufan's entire perspective was overturned once again.

He finally understood what the Mister had meant by We shouldn't stay here long.

But then again...

The Mister actually had ties with a demon?

Chen Changsheng took a stroll outside. Truth be told, there was nothing much worth seeing; he simply didn't know what else to do yet.

Life was just a series of aimless circles, and the idler a person was, the more they wandered.

Looking at this and that made things feel a little less dull.

The candied fruit was delicious.

Chen Changsheng sat by the street, looking much like a beggar. He took the candied fruit from his sleeve and watched the people walking back and forth before him. He ate the fruit, asking nothing and saying nothing.

He sat there for a long time before finally heading back.

His mind was always a tangled mess, his moods fluctuating between good and bad.

But this was a good thing. A person had seven emotions and six desires; only then were they truly alive. At least, that was what Chen Changsheng believed.

Perhaps acting on a sudden whim after finishing the candied fruit...

Chen Changsheng fished a Red Bean from his pocket. He smiled and tossed it out.

In the blink of an eye, the Red Bean transformed into a tiny person.

Chen Changsheng immediately froze in surprise.

He leaned closer, placing the little figure in the palm of his hand. He could see its meridians revealed and its dantian glowing faintly.

"It worked!"

Chen Changsheng felt a surge of pleasant surprise, though he couldn't quite understand why it had happened.

He had pondered over this for many days without making any progress, so why did it successfully take shape now, just from a casual toss?

Divine abilities were profound and mysterious, truly baffling to the mind.

Unable to figure out the reason, Chen Changsheng simply tossed out a handful of Red Beans. The results this time were less than ideal. Only two or three out of ten tiny figures possessed meridians; the vast majority were useless.

However, this was already more than enough for Chen Changsheng.

"Wonderful, truly wonderful..."

Chen Changsheng smiled and said, "Divine abilities and mystic arts are truly marvelously profound."

He gathered the tiny figures into his sleeve and returned to the inn.

By the time he returned, Ning Bufan was still chatting merrily with the waiter.

He was mostly asking about various matters. The waiter told him many tales about Zhao Yuqing, which deeply shocked Ning Bufan. He had never imagined that a cultivator in this world could live in such a manner.

"The Mister has returned."

Seeing him, the waiter hurriedly stepped forward and bowed with clasped hands. "This lowly one greets the immortal master!"

Chen Changsheng paused in surprise, not quite understanding the sudden reverence, but he replied, "You are too polite."

The waiter straightened up and said, "Then, this lowly one will go prepare some tea for the Mister."

"Thank you for the trouble."

Chen Changsheng walked over, sat down across from Ning Bufan, and asked, "What were you chatting about?"

Ning Bufan replied, "We talked about Yunfu Mountain and the rumors concerning Zhao Yuqing. After hearing about our trip, he was filled with deep admiration for you, Mister."

"Is that so..."

Ning Bufan asked, "Why didn't you tell me earlier, Mister? Thinking back on it now, I'm still a little scared. If I had known, I wouldn't have gone with you."

Chen Changsheng chuckled. "Those are just false rumors spread by the outside world. Zhao Yuqing isn't as exaggerated as they say."

"Then the incident at Qinyue Palace was fake?"

"That is actually true."

"And chasing down and killing those cultivators who gossiped—is that fake too?"

"That..." Chen Changsheng said, "is also true."

"What about Yun Manor nearly being overturned by a single sword strike?"

"Cough, cough..."

For a moment, Chen Changsheng didn't know how to refute it.

Ning Bufan looked at the Mister and blinked.

Seeing him like this, Chen Changsheng let out a helpless sigh and said, "In short, it's not what you imagine. He really isn't that difficult to talk to."

Ning Bufan asked curiously, "By the way, how did you meet Zhao Yuqing, Mister?"

"Him..."

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "We have been friends for a long time, I suppose."

It traced all the way back to his past life. As for exactly when they met, he wasn't entirely clear on the details himself.

Ning Bufan stroked his chin, falling deep into thought.

He wondered if the Mister's way of doing things might be just like Zhao Yuqing's.

He just hadn't seen it yet.

"What nonsense are you thinking about all day?"

Chen Changsheng smiled helplessly. He waved his hand and headed upstairs.

"Eh..."

Ning Bufan's eyes sparkled brightly, growing increasingly curious about Mister Chen.

Chen Changsheng returned to his room in the inn. After sitting down, he took out the physical bodies transformed from the Red Beans.

With a raise of his hand, he summoned eight separated strands of his divine sense.

Chen Changsheng looked them up and down.

He blew a breath over them.

"Enter!"

The eight strands of divine sense fell into the eight physical bodies formed from the Red Beans.

Immediately after, the eight tiny figures began to move.

The eight of them looked at each other before turning their gazes upon Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng offered a warm smile and cupped his hands in greeting. "I must trouble you all."

The eight figures cupped their hands to return the greeting.

"You are too polite. Too polite."

Then, they began attempting to cultivate Magical Power.

The eight tiny figures sat neatly cross-legged in front of the window.

Their bodies were no larger than a palm, and their appearances all differed. After all, they were transformed from Red Beans, and combined with Chen Changsheng's lack of proficiency with the divine ability, the tiny figures were a bit ugly. But as long as they were useful, that was all that mattered.

Chen Changsheng observed the little figures with curiosity.

He was mostly curious about how long it would take them to refine Magical Power.

Of course, he expected the yield wouldn't be much. This was partly because the figures were too small, but ultimately, it boiled down to his lack of proficiency.

The response was quick.

In less than an hour, one of the tiny figures had refined its first wisp of Magical Power.

Now, that wisp of Magical Power resided within its physical body. Although it was weak, it was true, genuine Magical Power. Furthermore, because these physical bodies were fundamentally untainted, the Magical Power they refined was incredibly pure. While it might not match the Magical Power once stored in his hair, it wasn't far off.

Chen Changsheng laughed and muttered, "Wonderful, truly wonderful."

Now, he only needed to spend more time studying the art of Scattering Beans to Form Soldiers.

Perhaps in the future, this Scattering Beans to Form Soldiers could become a true external avatar. Cultivating with it would surely yield twice the result with half the effort.

But speaking of which, he really ought to settle down and cultivate properly for a period of time.

The great upheavals across the world were not far away.

It was best to make preparations early.

...

At night, Ning Bufan was upstairs in the inn, looking at the moon.

He had plucked a stalk of foxtail grass from somewhere and held it in his mouth, lying on the roof tiles as he gazed at the moon.

Having been out here for several days, he was actually starting to miss the Mortal World.

Even though this place was far better than the Mortal World, he still felt like something was missing.

He pulled his thoughts back, went downstairs, and sought out Mister Chen.

"Mister, when are we returning to the Mortal World?"

"Return to the Mortal World..."

Chen Changsheng pondered for a moment and said, "This Chen might have to stay in the Cultivation World for a while longer. Do you want to go back?"

Ning Bufan opened his mouth, then admitted, "A little."

Chen Changsheng thought it over and said, "Lingyue Immortal Island in the Cultivation World runs a flying vessel business that can reach the Mortal World. You could go back using that."

Ning Bufan paused for a second before saying, "That costs money, right? I'm completely broke, Mister..."

"It won't cost money," Chen Changsheng smiled. "This Chen will just call in a favor."

Ning Bufan blinked and asked, "Why wouldn't we use money?"

Chen Changsheng said, "Because your Mister doesn't have any money either."