At first glance, the jade bottle didn’t seem remarkable. In reality, however, it was made from a type of jade material that could lock in spiritual energy. Things contained inside wouldn’t decay even after a thousand years.
Kong Hou’s originally fairly calm expression turned to wild joy after confirming that what was contained in the bottle was dragon blood. Kong Hou was someone who liked to smile. When encountering interesting food, beautiful flowers and plants, as well as familiar people, she would reveal a smile. But she rarely smiled so foolishly, smiled so unreservedly—even though grinning with her mouth open wasn’t very attractive, it still couldn’t calm her excited emotions.
“Huan Zong, we found it, found it, found it!” Kong Hou turned to embrace Huan Zong and bounced in place a few times. “Wonderful!”
Huan Zong reached out his hand to gently pat Kong Hou’s back, a smile also appearing on his face.
Lin Hu stood to the side, watching this couple embrace. He grabbed the salted fish uncle who was still lying on the ground watching the excitement, twisted his body around, and made him maintain a posture with his back to Kong Hou and Huan Zong.
Pursing his lips, the salted fish uncle sat down on the spot, not wanting to pay attention to Lin Hu.
After carefully putting away the dragon blood, Kong Hou took out several pieces of fine jade material from Huan Zong’s storage ring. She took out the Shuishuang Sword and with several swift strikes made a new stone table to place in the cave dwelling. She also used storage bags that could preserve things for a long time to pack many delicious spiritual fruits and place them on the table.
“I’ve heard dragons like beautiful things…” Kong Hou found a chest of precious gemstones in her storage ring and placed it on the ground. Only then did she stand up and pat the dust from her skirt. “Huan Zong, let’s go.”
The four walked out of the cave dwelling and discovered that the tide had risen on the sea at some unknown time. The originally small island had already been submerged by seawater by more than half. Kong Hou looked at the surrounding seawater and turned to say to the salted fish uncle: “Uncle, this time many thanks for your assistance. Only with you could we find the precious dragon blood…”
“No need to thank me. Although I didn’t help with anything, this bottle of dragon blood truly was knocked out by me. If you want to thank me, give me a small courtyard and a shop in Yong City. I’ve traveled through the entire cultivation world and discovered that Yong City’s atmosphere suits me best.”
Hearing this, Kong Hou smiled: “Since Uncle plans to settle in Yong City, why not travel to Yong City together with us? If you don’t mind, please come drink a cup of celebratory wine at mine and Huan Zong’s dao companion ceremony.”
“Dao companion ceremony?” The salted fish uncle’s gaze swept over Kong Hou and Huan Zong. He said neither coldly nor warmly: “Congratulations. I won’t come to the dao companion ceremony.”
Kong Hou didn’t insist. She pulled out a flying jade boat from her storage ring. The four stepped into the jade boat, which rose from the ground. Very quickly it left the rising seawater behind below.
Looking back behind them, Kong Hou saw many lazy woman fish playing in the azure seawater in the distance. Sunlight scattered on the sea surface, reflecting brilliant golden light.
“The ocean is very beautiful.” Perhaps because her mood was good, Kong Hou saw everything as beautiful—even the messy stubble on the salted fish uncle’s face carried a rugged beauty.
“What you said is indeed correct.” The salted fish uncle nodded. “The ocean’s magnificent waves and mystery are things you… small cultivators cannot experience.”
Kong Hou smiled and nodded.
The four traveled all the way back. They didn’t encounter sea monsters, much less encounter mazes. They didn’t even encounter the wild wind and violent rain that commonly appeared on the sea. It was so calm and peaceful it was incredible. No one knew how far Lin Hu had rushed in his haste the previous night. Kong Hou and the others spent three days and three nights before riding the flying jade boat back to land.
Descending from the flying jade boat, Kong Hou discovered that this dilapidated town had already changed. The originally dilapidated, tottering city walls had all been renovated. When the common people outside the city gate saw them, although their eyes still held fear, they also carried some gratitude and hesitation.
A flying heavenly horse pulled a carriage running through the air. Kong Hou didn’t enter the city. She turned to ask the salted fish uncle: “Uncle, do you need to enter the city?”
“Enter for what? Nothing to eat, nowhere to live.” The salted fish uncle turned his head, his face full of disdain.
Kong Hou: “…”
So what were you suddenly rushing here for before? Don’t tell me you wanted to eliminate evil for the people?
The carriage didn’t look large, but the space inside was very big. Even lying several grown men horizontally inside would be no problem. However, the salted fish uncle didn’t want to squeeze together with two young people who were dating, so he sat outside the carriage with Lin Hu.
His origins were mysterious, but Huan Zong and the others never opened their mouths to inquire, just as he also wouldn’t ask Kong Hou why she wanted to find dragon blood. They maintained a strange balance with each other.
At night, the four didn’t continue traveling but instead stopped at a place with beautiful scenery. The salted fish uncle watched the artifact in Huan Zong’s hand fall to the ground and transform into a magnificent palace. He rubbed his hands together. “Nowadays artifact refiners are getting more and more formidable. They can make anything.”
“Humans will always continuously progress.” Kong Hou raised her head to look at the sky. “The night is so beautiful tonight. Let’s make barbecue.”
Lin Hu turned to look at Huan Zong. Huan Zong smiled at Kong Hou: “Alright.”
Salted fish uncle: “…”
Young people nowadays had very unusual hobbies.
The skewers and grilling rack were ready-made. Lin Hu’s storage ring contained various food ingredients and seasonings. The salted fish uncle, who came to join the excitement, contributed a piece of preserved meat and several fresh fish.
Kong Hou’s eyes lit up when she saw the preserved meat. The preserved meat that had been stewed on the deck before hadn’t even been eaten when it was knocked over by sea monsters—this was an unspeakable pain in her heart.
When washing vegetables and cutting meat, the advantages of cultivators were demonstrated. They washed cleanly without hurting their hands. The precious sword was sharp—every slice of meat could be cut to uniform thickness, neither too thick nor too thin.
Huan Zong skillfully brushed seasoning on the meat slices and turned them to roast. No one could believe that he had once done the act of taking things others roasted and passing them off as his own work. As a cultivation genius rarely seen in a thousand years, he naturally understood that after telling a lie once, it wasn’t about making the lie grow bigger and bigger, but rather making the lie come true.
The things burned on Mingjian Peak were sufficient proof of Huan Zong’s efforts.
“Careful, it’s hot.” Huan Zong handed the roasted preserved meat to Kong Hou. Kong Hou puffed out her cheeks blowing on it. After eating one slice, she remembered Huan Zong hadn’t eaten yet. She blew on another slice to cool it and fed it to Huan Zong’s mouth.
The salted fish uncle, watching these two people’s sickening sweetness, turned his head and stuffed the burnt meat into his own mouth. The scalding meat sizzled in his mouth. Lin Hu secretly turned his head to glance at him once. What kind of constitution did this person have that eating such scalding things, he had no reaction at all?
After eating their fill, Kong Hou raised her head to look at the bright crescent moon: “After finding the cloud-seeking branch, our medicinal ingredients will all be gathered.”
Hearing these words, the salted fish uncle looked at Kong Hou with a strange expression.
“No rush. We’ll search slowly.” Huan Zong took a cloak embroidered with magnificent patterns and draped it over Kong Hou. “We still have a long time.”
“Mm.” Kong Hou nodded and held Huan Zong’s hand.
“Wait,” the salted fish uncle finally couldn’t bear it anymore. “Aren’t there two cloud-seeking trees being raised in your carriage? Where else do you need to look?”
“In our carriage?” Kong Hou’s brain went blank for a long while. After a long time, she screamed in disbelief: “Uncle, you couldn’t be talking about those few grasses in the flower pots that have grown for over ten years but haven’t grown much taller?”
“Cloud-seeking trees are difficult to bloom and even more difficult to bear fruit. Being able to grow a little taller in ten years is already vigorous growth.” The salted fish uncle looked at Kong Hou with a shocked expression. “Don’t tell me when you were raising them, you didn’t know what they were?”
“That was something I randomly dug out from a secret realm and planted casually…” Kong Hou’s expression was somewhat dazed. She stood up and ran to the carriage, moved out a flower pot, flashed to appear before the salted fish uncle, and still unable to believe it, asked: “This one, is it really a cloud-seeking tree?”
“Cloud-seeking trees can’t be judged by appearance, but rather they have a unique spiritual energy on them. I don’t need to look to be certain it’s a cloud-seeking tree.” The salted fish uncle reached out his finger to flick the cloud-seeking tree’s leaves twice. “This tree is still in the seedling stage. However, the cloud-seeking branch you mentioned might not be a tree branch, but rather when the cloud-seeking tree is first growing, it will grow an extremely delicate young branch. That young branch will turn into a trunk of the cloud-seeking tree within seven days. As long as the delicate young branch becomes a trunk, it represents that this tree can survive.”
Speaking to here, the salted fish uncle’s eyes showed a pitying expression: “If I’m not mistaken, what you all need is that tender branch so delicate that a gust of wind could break it. But the cloud-seeking tree has already matured. The cloud-seeking branch… is gone.”
The most painful thing in the world wasn’t having no hope, but rather obtaining hope only to discover that the opportunity had already been carelessly lost. When wanting to obtain it again, it might be even more difficult than ascending to heaven.
Lin Hu could almost not accept the salted fish uncle’s explanation. He stared blankly and shook his head: “How could this be…”
The salted fish uncle looked calmly at his nearly collapsing emotions without offering words of consolation. He turned his head to look at Huan Zong. Instead, this party who needed to use the medicine was calmer than anyone, as if he wouldn’t produce fear toward anything that might possibly happen in the future.
“A tender branch that might break if the wind blows…” Kong Hou turned to glance at Huan Zong, then looked at Lin Hu whose expression was somewhat pained. “I have it here.”
Lin Hu’s brain was a mess. Hearing Kong Hou say she had it, he instinctively turned to look at Kong Hou.
Kong Hou was made somewhat embarrassed by Senior Lin staring at her with such burning eyes. She retreated behind Huan Zong, stuck out her head, and explained: “Not long after we planted the cloud-seeking trees, we discovered they had grown strange tender branches. Later, when you lifted the curtain, wind blew in and the tender branch on the cloud-seeking tree near the door was blown off. I saw that little branch was emerald green and crystalline. I thought it was beautiful and cute, so possessed by a strange impulse I picked it up and even put it in a jade box that could preserve and lock in spiritual energy…”
“So… the medicine the young master needs is just gathered like this?” Lin Hu looked at Kong Hou in a daze. Young master, you should just obediently pledge yourself in marriage while also working like an ox or horse for the rest of this life. Otherwise, with so many coincidences, all the benefits went to the young master?
The salted fish uncle looked at Kong Hou with a subtle expression. What normal person would pick up a grass branch blown off by wind and even put it in a jade box? Not only was this girl’s brain not quite normal, her behavior also differed from ordinary people.
Could this be the legendary fortune of fools?
“Let’s not sleep tonight. Let’s go find Zhenren Wuming and Uncle-Master Qingyuan.” Kong Hou put the cloud-seeking tree back on the carriage. “Senior Lin, according to story book rules, important matters can’t be delayed. They must be handled immediately, otherwise there will definitely be problems.”
Having said this, she put away the palace artifact: “Senior Lin, I must trouble you to rush on the road again.”
Salted fish uncle: “…”
What were story book rules? Why would there be problems?
In the evil cultivation world, Jiu Su, who had been in closed-door cultivation for a long time, finally emerged under his subordinates’ expectations.
“Venerable Lord!”
“Congratulations on the Venerable Lord emerging from closed-door cultivation!”
“Congratulations on the Venerable Lord’s cultivation reaching Great Circle.”
“Venerable Lord, the female disciple Kong Hou of Yunhua Sect and Liuguang Sect’s Zhong Xi Zhen…” The reporting evil cultivator almost let the honorific title slip out. But seeing the Venerable Lord’s gloomy expression, he immediately changed his words: “This pair of scoundrels will hold their dao companion ceremony on the eighth of next month.”
“Dao companion ceremony?” Jiu Su sneered coldly. “This seat will turn their joyous occasion into a funeral.”
When the newlyweds who had bowed to heaven and earth thought they could finally live happily forever, he would make the entire Yunhua Sect stained red with fresh blood. That would definitely be the most wonderful great gift.
“Venerable Lord, on the day of the dao companion ceremony, experts will gather like clouds. Why don’t we kill the two now and make the famous orthodox sects have no successors?”
“Zhong Xi’s spiritual platform hasn’t healed. That female disciple of Yunhua Sect’s cultivation isn’t strong. If we killed them now, why would this venerable have needed to enter closed-door cultivation for ten years?” Jiu Su’s eyes were blood red. How could he forget the shame of the sword strike Zhong Xi gave him that day?
What was most painful?
Completely shattering the perfection one already possessed—only then could one make people feel true despair.