A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

The Demon Monster stirred, but its mutated limbs of flesh and blood had already been carbonized. They crumbled into countless fragments after just two steps, and its ten-foot-tall spider-like body collapsed to the ground, splashing blood everywhere.

Even so, it was not yet dead.

"Kill... kill me..."

A plea, desperate for release, came from the Demon Monster’s face, where its features were still vaguely discernible.

The youth in the Jade Crown stepped forward expressionlessly and beheaded the wailing, out-of-control Demon Cultivator with a single sword strike. After sheathing his sword, he let out a long sigh and turned around, his face now bearing a smile.

"I’ve really troubled you, Fellow Daoist!"

As he spoke, he handed over a dark blue Token.

’Is this the Yongling Order?’

Lü Zhong reached out and took it, feeling its smooth, warm texture between his fingers.

Upon closer inspection, he could tell the Token was made of a type of blue jade. The back was as smooth as a mirror, without a single carving, while the front was engraved with the two words "Yongling."

’I wonder how they prevent Tokens like this from being forged.’

Thinking this, he placed the Token into his Storage Bag.

"My name is Lan Yuming. And you are, Fellow Daoist?" the youth in the Jade Crown asked with a smile, clasping his hands.

Lü Zhong saw no reason to hide his name.

So he clasped his hands in return and said, "Lü Zhong."

"So it’s Fellow Daoist Lü." Lan Yuming committed the name to memory and smiled again. "I live in Miaoyin Square in the south of the city. If you ever have the time, Fellow Daoist, please feel free to visit me at my home."

"I certainly will!" Lü Zhong replied.

After watching Lan Yuming leave, he secretly cast Malice Detection.

Compared to before, the warning in his heart had not diminished. In fact, it had grown even stronger.

’If you want to die, then I’ll grant your wish!’ Lü Zhong didn’t even glance at the ink-faced old man behind him. He looked at the sky, which was just beginning to brighten, and walked toward the gates of Silver Treasure Village.

From within the crowd, a murderous glint flashed in the ink-faced old man’s eyes as he watched Lü Zhong’s departing figure.

CLICK.

A brown sphere dropped from his sleeve. With a series of mechanical whirs, the sphere unfolded into a palm-sized Mechanical Flying Bird before it even hit the ground. It flapped its wings and flew off in pursuit of Lü Zhong.

***

Leaving Silver Treasure Village, Lü Zhong continued toward Yongling City.

He had been worried about where he would live after entering the city, since staying at an inn would be extremely expensive. But now that he had a Yongling Order, that worry vanished completely. He no longer had to fret over the problem.

He traveled northwest, the direction of Yongling City.

「Around noon.」

He arrived at the edge of a small forest.

Lü Zhong’s eyes narrowed. He suddenly stopped and began to back away slowly.

"Trying to run? Too late!"

Several Mechanical Beasts leaped out of the woods, surrounding Lü Zhong in an instant.

"Heh heh, I’ve been waiting for you!" the ink-faced old man sneered, riding atop a Mechanical Giant Tiger. "You dare to snatch the Yongling Order from me? You really don’t know how to write the word ’death’!"

Lü Zhong’s expression remained unchanged as he sized up the Mechanical Beasts surrounding him.

There were seven Mechanical Beasts in total, all wolf-shaped. Their vital points were covered in iron armor, and the glow of a Magic Skill shone from their mouths. One look was enough to know they wouldn’t be easy to deal with.

But Lü Zhong wasn’t afraid.

’Everyone knows that Puppet Mechanicians have a weakness.’

He formed a hand seal and started Chanting. A layer of magical Spirit Wind shielded him, and then the Spiritual Light of his Dharma Robe flashed. At the same moment, he shot forward at extreme speed, the Golden Devourer Sword now clenched in his hand.

With a fleeting flash of golden light, Lü Zhong crossed several dozen yards and appeared before the ink-faced old man.

He swung his sword, slashing at the astonished old man.

Unexpectedly, a protective barrier materialized and blocked the strike.

Lü Zhong wasn’t surprised. ’After all, Puppet Mechanicians aren’t idiots. How could they not guard against their own weakness? It’s not strange for him to carry a Protective Jade Talisman.’

Forcibly enduring the excruciating, tearing pain in his body, he condensed an azure Magic Sword in his hand.

SWISH! The sword struck the barrier.

The barrier was more fragile than Lü Zhong had imagined. It was clearly from an ordinary Protective Jade Talisman. Blocking one blow from the Golden Devourer Sword was its limit; how could it possibly withstand a strike from the Late Sun Magic Sword?

SQUELCH. The sensation of a blade sinking into flesh followed as the ink-faced old man’s Dantian was pierced by the sword.

Before he could even utter a plea for mercy, another azure sword-light flashed past in the next instant.

His head flew high into the air.

Lü Zhong dispelled the Magic Sword in his hand, his face impassive.

Seeing the Mechanical Beasts collapse without anyone to control them, he began to search the ink-faced old man’s body.

Everything the man had was stored in a Storage Bag.

Inside were two Magical Artifacts. Although both were Lower-grade Magical Artifacts, they showed little wear and could be resold for a good price.

There were two spare Protective Jade Talismans.

As for Talismans, there were three Golden Light Talismans and a number of other Cleaning Talismans and Candlelight Talismans.

And there were ninety-three Spirit Stones.

Additionally, there were various Puppets and Mechanical Beasts whose functions Lü Zhong didn’t recognize, more than twenty items in total. However, most of them were non-combat auxiliary Mechanical Beasts.

He also found a book as thick as three fingers. The title was not the least bit fancy, simply called *Puppet Mechanism Beast Introduction*. Its content was about how to create Puppets and Mechanical Beasts.

A quick flip-through revealed that most of the ink-faced old man’s Puppets and Mechanical Beasts were based on this book.

After stowing everything away, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but laugh.

’So he was a Money-Sending Boy!’

***

「Two days passed in the blink of an eye.」

After days of travel, a dust-covered Lü Zhong finally laid eyes on Yongling City.

Yongling City was built on a plain crisscrossed by a dense network of rivers. It was a huge and prosperous metropolis. The buildings grew taller the closer one got to the city center. It happened to be nightfall, and the entire city was ablaze with lights, illuminating half the sky as if it were day.

Walking on the hardened roads that spread out from the city like a spiderweb, he saw glowing streetlights at regular intervals. Seeing all this, Lü Zhong was suddenly struck by a strong sense of unreality.

To be honest, compared to the ridiculously prosperous Yongling City, the Jiangnan water-town charm of Qingliu Market or the rustic, ancient architecture of Yanling Mountain Market—both of which were built in the perilous wilderness—better matched his image of the Cultivation Realm.

But the Yongling City before him completely overturned his understanding.

"So this is Yongling City?" Lü Zhong murmured.

"That’s right, this is Yongling City."

Beside him, a four-wheeled carriage laden with Talisman Grass had stopped at some point. A burly man driving it laughed heartily, "Young man, you look tired from walking. How about you come up and take a seat?"

"Big Brother, come sit with us!" a little girl next to him, holding a doll, also invited him with a cheerful laugh. She even patted the dust off the seat beside her, her enthusiasm making it hard to refuse.

Lü Zhong didn’t answer immediately, just smiled as he looked at the two of them.

At this moment, in the vision of his Qi Observation Skill, the surfaces of their bodies were both a dim gray.

’A mortal father and daughter?’

’They don’t seem to have noticed I’m a cultivator. Is it because my clothes are too down-to-earth?’

Lü Zhong thought to himself, somewhat tempted by their invitation.

Sometimes, experiencing more of life is greatly beneficial to one’s state of mind and cultivation.

He cast Malice Detection again, confirming that the two of them were truly harmless.

And so, a long-unseen smile appeared on his face as he said, "Thanks, brother!"

"Hahaha, don’t mention it!"

"HYA—!"

With a shout from the big man, the two old horses pulling the cart started moving their hooves, and the large vehicle began to roll once more, speeding along the flat, solid, hardened ground.

"This is a really nice cart. So smooth and steady," Lü Zhong praised.

"Of course it is!" The little girl holding the doll looked proud and began rattling off its features as if they were family treasures. "The wheels are glued with Sea Moon Jelly, so we’re not afraid of bumps on the road anymore. The axle is made of Hundred-Forged Refined Steel—one of these is worth ten ordinary ones! And it even has top-quality iron spring suspension. Daddy treats it better than he treats me!"

At this, the little girl puffed out her cheeks, looking like a little ball of jealousy.

"Pfft, young man, don’t listen to Nannan." The driver couldn’t take it anymore. He quickly stopped drinking his water and explained, "It’s not that I wanted to spend so much money, brother, but I had to. Take this cart of Talisman Grass, for example. I hear the Talisman Paper made from it is even better than Talisman Parchment, but it’s just too delicate and can’t handle being jostled. Tell me, if I didn’t upgrade the wheels and suspension, could I land a good job like this, hauling a whole cart that pays... this much?"

Seeing the man make a ’six’ gesture with his hand, Lü Zhong figured he must mean six talismanic coins.

Six talismanic coins was indeed a lot of money for a mortal.

"I’d say so," Lü Zhong agreed.