Chapter 604: The Residents of Dao Ruins

The pill-refining man was named Tang Feng, the one in the village responsible for refining pills. Upon hearing this, he quickly forced a smile and said, "Master, you may not know this, but our medicinal pills can only be refined once every ten years. Last time you came, Master, we had just finished a batch. To start a new batch, we'll have to wait another ten years."

Chen Shi's face showed difficulty. The purpose of his visit was to see if he could obtain more medicinal pills, using them to comprehend the mysteries of the external Dao of the Western Ox New Continent.

Shang Dugong shuffled over, smiling, "The pills Master took last time were too few to get a proper taste. Tang Feng, do we still have the herbs to start another batch?"

The big man Tang Feng said hesitantly, "All the other herbs can be gathered from our village, but we're missing one ingredient, the Fuling Immortal herb."

Shang Dugong said, "Is there any way to obtain this herb?"

Tang Feng said, "Our village doesn't have it anymore, but there should still be some in the Dao Ruins. If we can get some, we could refine another batch of pills for Master."

He showed a troubled expression, looking at Chen Shi, and said, "Master, to find the Fuling Immortal herb, I'll need to pass through several places that are claimed territory. I can't cross them alone. Could I borrow Master's prestige to pass through?"

"There are other people in the Dao Ruins?" Chen Shi was somewhat surprised.

Tang Feng revealed a simple, honest smile: "There are a few. It's just that they're shy and usually don't come out."

Chen Shi thought it over carefully, musing to himself, "My Dao Ruins earth spirits were given by the Celestial Court, with the Four Sovereigns' seals and the Jade Emperor's guarantee. This place is mine."

His courage immediately swelled, and he smiled, "Very well, I'll go gather herbs with you."

Tang Feng was overjoyed and quickly went to change into a pair of straw sandals suitable for mountain paths. He also brought a medicine basket, a sickle, and a coil of rope, saying, "Master, we can set off now."

The two walked out of Fulong Village and headed into the mountains.

The Dao Ruins were desolate and uninhabited, with no wild beasts either. Chen Shi followed Tang Feng for a long time without encountering any danger.

Chen Shi did spot quite a few immortal herbs growing wild in the mountains.

At this moment, he saw a woman in green clothes sitting on a rock beneath a large peony, her hands propped on the rock, swinging her feet, with a cliff below her.

The peony was a massive cluster, quite a spectacular sight.

"There are immortals here too!" Chen Shi said in surprise.

Tang Feng glanced over and said, "That's a peony that became a spirit and transformed into a fairy maiden. Don't underestimate her—she does have the strength of an immortal. If you ask for directions, she'll respond with pleasant laughter. But if you harbor ill intentions, she'll kill you and bury you in the soil as fertilizer for her flowers."

Chen Shi kept looking over. The peony fairy maiden noticed him and gave him a sweet smile, straightening up and waving vigorously at him.

Chen Shi gave a light wave in return. Tang Feng walked ahead, saying, "Master, be careful you don't end up as flower fertilizer."

Chen Shi caught up with him and looked back. The peony fairy maiden's expression had dimmed, as if saddened by his departure.

"Master, these wild mountains are full of monsters. The respectable-looking people you see are often not respectable at all."

Tang Feng said earnestly, "Don't be seduced by those enchantresses. Be careful not to lose your vital essence."

Chen Shi said, "I've already lost mine, Master."

Tang Feng said, "Then you need to be even more careful not to lose any more. Nurture your health. Look at me—I've nurtured myself to be incredibly strong!"

He wore a short jacket of plain cloth, with trousers that only reached his calves, revealing a body of rippling muscle, burly and powerful.

Chen Shi asked curiously, "Why do you train yourself to be this strong?"

"To find a wife."

"And you'll still lose your vital essence."

"Master, you don't understand. I can't explain it clearly to you."

...

Along the way, Chen Shi saw other immortal herbs and women as beautiful as celestial maidens, some sitting in trees smiling charmingly, some having built thatched cottages beside their immortal herbs living domestic lives, and others gathered in twos and threes admiring flowers and sipping tea, their laughter ringing merrily.

Some even loved the cool, clear mountain streams and would strip off their clothes and jump in, several fairy maidens splashing and playing in the water, utterly carefree.

Chen Shi kept craning his neck to look. Tang Feng urged him a few times before Master Chen reluctantly caught up.

"Master came out alone and was lucky enough to meet the kind-hearted people of our Fulong Village. Anywhere else, the grave grass over Master's head would already be ten feet tall." Tang Feng muttered to himself.

Their pace gradually quickened as they went deeper into the mountains. Chen Shi asked, "Why don't we fly over?"

Tang Feng said, "Too dangerous. If you fly through the air and carelessly enter someone else's territory, you could easily lose your life."

Chen Shi looked around and chuckled, "This Dao Ruins is clearly quite desolate..."

Just as he said this, he suddenly saw ahead, under the shade of a tree, two young attendants, one in blue and one in white, holding jade trays with wine and dishes upon them.

Seeing the two arrive, the attendant in blue stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Is the visitor Master Chen, the Lord of the Dao Ruins?"

Chen Shi stepped forward and said, "I am Chen Shi. And you two young gentlemen are..."

The attendants in blue and white spoke in unison: "We are dao attendants under Changchun Emperor, the master of this mountain. Our master heard that Master Chen was passing through and has prepared some simple wine and dishes. He humbly invites Master to grace us with your presence. Our master, Changchun Emperor, cannot personally welcome you due to illness, so please forgive him, Master Chen."

Chen Shi said solemnly, "How is your master's condition? If it's serious, would you like me to send for a physician? I do know quite a few people in the Celestial Court."

The attendant in blue said, "We wouldn't dare trouble Master Chen. Our master's illness has lingered for a long time. He has consulted renowned doctors far and wide, but to no avail."

Chen Shi sat down beneath the tree, where there were stone chairs and stone benches. The two attendants set down the wine and dishes. Chen Shi invited them to sit as well, but the two attendants quickly said, "We wouldn't dare."

Chen Shi raised his chopsticks and noticed the big man Tang Feng still standing to the side. He laughed, "They don't dare sit, but what about you? Sit, sit."

Tang Feng sat down, looking somewhat ill at ease.

Chen Shi set down his ivory chopsticks and poured him some wine, smiling, "Between you and me, why all this formality? Treat this as your own home."

Tang Feng gave his thanks, raised his chopsticks to eat, and drank a cup of wine, praising it repeatedly.

Chen Shi stole a glance at him and only relaxed when he saw he hadn't been poisoned before eating himself.

Eating the dishes alone produced no unusual effects. But after eating the dishes and then drinking the wine, he suddenly felt various Great Dao phenomena surging within him—azure seas and rising suns, majestic peaks rivaling Kunlun, misty waters and rosy clouds, cascading rivers of stars—all sorts of magnificent sights, accompanied by lingering Dao resonance, truly breathtaking and marvelous.

After finishing the wine and dishes, Chen Shi found that his cultivation had improved considerably, his cultivation base increased by as much as twenty percent. He was astonished.

"Changchun Emperor put a great deal of thought into this feast." He mused inwardly.

Tang Feng had also eaten to his satisfaction and stood up.

Chen Shi said to the two attendants, "Thank your master on my behalf. If there's ever anything he needs, just say the word."

The two attendants acknowledged. The attendant in white pointed toward a path in the mountains and said, "Master Chen, our mountain is full of seals and prohibitions. For ordinary people to enter is certain death. If you take that path over there, you'll be able to cross this mountain safely."

Chen Shi thanked them and set off with the big man Tang Feng along that mountain trail.

Indeed, the journey was safe.

They crossed the mountain and arrived at a valley. The valley was lush and verdant, with clouds and mists drifting through it, and a rainbow bridge spanning across. A fairy maiden dressed in crimson rainbow garments had been waiting for some time, standing on the rainbow bridge, gazing into the distance.

"Is the visitor Master Chen Shi, the Lord of the Dao Ruins?"

The young woman gracefully descended from the bridge, her lotus steps swaying as she approached the two, speaking with a smile, "I am the daughter of Lady Niangpo, Ding Sisi. By order of the Primordial Sovereign, I have been waiting here for Master Chen."

Chen Shi smiled, "I am Chen Shi."

The young woman Ding Sisi quickly knelt, her robes spreading on the ground, looking utterly pitiable and charming, saying, "The Primordial Sovereign has injuries and cannot move, so she could not come to see Master in person. Please forgive her, Master Chen. This young woman apologizes on behalf of her mother."

"Sisi, please rise quickly."

Chen Shi helped the girl up, and as his skin touched hers, he felt she was soft as if boneless, indescribably smooth and tender.

The young woman rose gracefully, lifting her eyes to cast him a sidelong glance full of hidden allure, making King Chen's heart stir, feeling a surge of chivalrous tenderness.

Tang Feng coughed once and said, "Master, now that you've been greeted, we should be on our way across the mountain."

Chen Shi remembered his business and patted the girl's hand, smiling, "Miss Sisi, hurry on back. Tell your mother that with her poor health, she should rest and recover well. Once she's better, I'll pay a visit in person."

Ding Sisi lowered her head and acknowledged.

"Master Chen, the Primordial Sovereign has prepared a purple-gold crown. Though not a great treasure, it was forged from Dao Ruins gold essence found by chance in the Dao Ruins, refined with dark purple arcane fire—it took considerable effort. Please do accept it, Master."

She took from the maidservant behind her a purple-gold crown. The crown was not large, but it was resplendent gold throughout with a hint of purple.

On the front of the crown was a fist-sized red orb, and on the back were phoenix feathers formed by five golden leaves, complemented by thirteen eastern pearl hairpins that could be raised as thirteen flying swords.

This treasure was exquisitely refined but had not yet been imprinted with Dao patterns. It was clearly made specifically for gifting. Once the new owner imprinted their own Dao patterns, it would become a personal magic treasure that only they could activate.

Treasures of this kind were considered private magic treasures, often used for self-defense or for striking enemies by surprise.

Lady Niangpo gifting this treasure to Chen Shi was indeed a thoughtful gesture.

Chen Shi accepted the purple-gold crown, thanked Ding Sisi and Lady Niangpo, took his leave, and walked out of the valley with Tang Feng.

"She's truly a good girl." He remarked with feeling.

Tang Feng said, "She's certainly formidable. I once stumbled into this place by accident and she chased me down, nearly beating me to death. I fled back to Fulong Village, and she blocked the entrance for three days."

Chen Shi was startled, thinking to himself, "Is Ding Sisi really that powerful? Then wouldn't Lady Niangpo be even stronger? Why would Lady Niangpo and Changchun Emperor choose to live in seclusion in a place as dilapidated as the Dao Ruins?"

"We're almost there!"

Tang Feng was quite delighted and quickened his pace. Chen Shi followed him, and the two climbed over a mountain pass, scaling the cliff face.

When they reached the top of the cliff, they saw a burly, imposing man tempering his physique beneath a tree of immortal herbs, forging his body.

This man had a leopard-like head and round, blazing eyes, exuding an awe-inspiring presence. He was even more muscular than Tang Feng, a mass of rippling muscle. Above his head was an expanse of void containing a world similar to a Dao Realm, alternately expanding and contracting, with bolts of lightning continuously shooting out from it to strike his flesh, only to be deflected by his smooth, tough skin.

"What formidable cultivation! What a fearsome physical body!"

Chen Shi couldn't help but marvel. This burly man's body had been tempered to the point where even lightning could not touch him, refined to pure yang indestructibility, unmatched in strength.

Could it possibly rival the Golden Body of the Bodhisattva of Great Strength?

The lightning not only tempered the burly man but also struck the immortal herb tree behind him. Bolt after bolt landed on the tree, yet it only made the tree more lush and vigorous.

"You scoundrel, you're back again!"

The burly man caught sight of Tang Feng and immediately flew into a rage. Forgetting his training, he leaped up and charged over, shouting, "This time I'll make sure you can't get away!"

His momentum was ferocious beyond measure. His overpowering aura pressed down on the surrounding space until it seemed to turn to stone. Chen Shi suddenly felt his physical body restrained, unable to move, and his heart shook violently: "He's even more powerful than I imagined! Could this burly man be some overlord entrenched in this area?"

Just as he thought this, he heard a thunderous crash. Tang Feng threw a single punch, shattering the burly man's seemingly invincible momentum, leaving his aura scattered and disordered.

Tang Feng threw another punch, hammering him face-down to the ground, his head buried into the mountain rock, half his lower body sticking out.

That punch was so ferocious it shook the entire mountain!

Chen Shi's eyes went wide. Tang Feng's two moves just now carried a sense of unadorned mastery, of returning to simplicity—this was precisely the supreme art comprehended from the Dao patterns on the green stele!

He had long known that the people of Fulong Village possessed extremely high cultivation, but he never imagined it could reach such a level!

"The people of this village eat medicinal pills once every ten years. Even that duck managed to comprehend extraordinary supreme arts from the green stele—its strength must be absolutely formidable!" Chen Shi thought to himself.

He truly couldn't beat that duck he had slapped twice.

The reason that duck was afraid of him was simply because Chen Shi had once beaten countless ducks, cultivating a kind of murderous aura that made ducks tremble at the sight of him.

He could still roughly gauge the burly man's cultivation level, but he couldn't see through Tang Feng's level at all.

Tang Feng pulled the burly man out of the rock, drew an ox-ear knife from his waist, set down the medicine basket, took out a sheet of white paper from the basket, and pressed the burly man down onto it.

The burly man shouted, "A warrior would rather die than be humiliated! Just kill me!"

Tang Feng said nothing. He raised the ox-ear knife and began shaving the burly man's beard.

Tang Feng shaved with great care and precision, afraid of breaking the burly man's skin.

The burly man struggled fiercely beneath his grip but couldn't break free. Eventually, he became dejected and let Tang Feng shave him as he pleased.

Tang Feng shaved his bushy beard completely clean, only then feeling satisfied. He picked up the burly man and tossed him aside, then carefully gathered the beard hairs from the white paper, laughing, "Finally got my hands on the Fuling Immortal herb."

Chen Shi came over, astonished: "This burly man is the Fuling Immortal?"

Tang Feng shook his head and smiled, "He's not. The beard is. Master, you may not know this, but this immortal tree is poisonous in both its branches and roots, and its sap is lethally toxic. Only when it transforms into human form does the beard it grows become the medicinal herb Fuling Immortal. So to obtain this herb, the only way is to shave its beard. An immortal tree that transforms into a human is rare enough, but one that transforms into a man is even rarer. Finding one is extremely difficult. That's why our village can only refine one batch every ten years."

The burly man shouted, "Once my divine art reaches great completion, I'll make you both pay!"

The two descended the mountain and returned along the same path to Fulong Village.

After returning to the village, Tang Feng began refining pills. Three days later, a batch of medicinal pills was finally completed.

Chen Shi was overjoyed. He stepped forward and grabbed a handful, laughing, "Now, at last, I can comprehend that external Dao!"

Tang Feng quickly said, "Master, there are still over forty pills in the furnace!"

Chen Shi waved his hand and smiled, "Keep the rest for yourselves. I'm off!"

He hurried away. The villagers of Fulong Village watched him go, and Bai Lu murmured, "We worked so hard to refine those pills, and he gave them all to us. This Master is truly interesting..."

"A great benefactor." Shang Dugong said.

The villagers nodded in agreement, with only the duck expressing its dissent.