Chapter 229: I Am The Shaman Immortal!
“Woo woo um!”
On the incense table, the comatose Scholar Ma’s eyelids trembled, his breathing rapid, yet he did not wake.
The dream suddenly shifted: he failed the Xiangshi Examination, his travel expenses exhausted, returning home on foot.
His wife in a simple hairpin and coarse skirt wove cloth at home to make ends meet.
He could only write characters and sell paintings, act as an amateur performer, barely scraping by.
Time flew by; his wife fell ill from overwork, no money for medicine, coughing all day, coughing up blood.
He pawned his only old cotton robe, still powerless to save her, watching helplessly as his wife breathed her last in the dilapidated house.
With no money for a coffin, he wrapped his wife’s body in a straw mat and buried her at the mass grave outside the village.
From then on, Scholar Ma was solitary and bitter, in his eighties, blind and deaf, still copying books for others in exchange for rice.
In the end, he froze to death alive in the drafty thatched hut!
Before dying, he only saw the beams covered in dense spiderwebs, just like his inaction life.
“Ah?!”
Scholar Ma cried out in alarm and finally woke, drenched in cold sweat, soaking the clothing on his back.
He saw that the tea on the table was not yet cool, still steaming.
Just like a yellow millet dream.
Then, he suddenly looked up and met County Magistrate Wang’s face, which seemed expectant, curious, and somewhat coldly aloof from a superior vantage.
“Do you still want to be an official now?”
At this moment, Scholar Ma was silent for a long time.
Recalling the perils of officialdom strife in the dream, the misery of his wife’s death and family ruin, as if personally experienced.
Finally, Scholar Ma came to his senses, looked at his own faded clothing, and slowly said,
“I still want to.”
“Be a high official, be a clean and upright good official.”
Who would have thought, probably not even Chen Shun’an expected it.
Over the years, Scholar Ma had countless times resigned from office, unwilling to buy a position through donation, enduring countless white eyes from others.
He wanted to be an official more than anyone!
“Good, good, good!!”
Who knew County Magistrate Wang seemed quite satisfied with Scholar Ma’s answer, unable to hold back his laughter, clutching his belly,
“What a clear Dao Heart, unwavering resolve, plus this unpolished jade and pure gold talent of a banished immortal, you are destined to enter my sect and become my disciple!”
County Magistrate Wang suddenly stood up; his ordinarily unremarkable face in this instant became as handsome as jade, exuding an incomparably noble aura with every glance.
As he exhaled and inhaled, five-colored rosy clouds swirled, a mountain-like massive Literary Spider Toad floating within, as if the ‘qi’ of this heaven and earth had been plundered by him in an instant, turning into an absolute vacuum surging toward him, guarding him.
In this instant, he was no longer the treacherous minister County Magistrate Wang, but the immortal of Yue Shan Daoist Academy, 【Wu Du Immortal】 Pan Hu!
“Thirty-three heavens, the heaviest heaven, immortals emerge from within white clouds; immortals are made from mortals, only fearing mortals’ hearts are not firm.”
“Ma Liangcai, since your heart is so firm, then tell me… who am I?!!”
Pan Hu’s voice rang like a great bell, deafening.
Scholar Ma dazedly looked up at the Literary Spider Toad swallowing heaven and earth spiritual qi, murmuring,
“Mon, monster!”
“Insolent!”
Pan Hu’s eyes showed displeasure, loudly rebuking,
“What monster? I am a shaman immortal!”
……
The wind stopped, the snow ceased.
Inside White Tiger Hall.
Shen Mochuan stood silently in the room, cupping his hands toward County Magistrate Wang, expressionless as he said,
“My lord, a forced melon is not sweet; why must you make things difficult for my classmate?”
County Magistrate Wang picked up the hand warmer, glanced at him, and said,
“So?”
“Please show mercy, my lord, and share a bit of the ‘obstruction mist gauze qi’ gathered from Brother Ma. I am willing to sign a 【Undertaking of Heavenly Principles】 with you.”
A silkworm’s first silk is called a hu; ten hu make a thread, ten threads make a hair.
County Magistrate Wang was not angry, instead stroking his beard with a smile, saying,
“Blend light and dust; the child can be taught.”
Back then, Shen Mochuan’s success in the imperial exams and entry into officialdom naturally could not have been without County Magistrate Wang’s ‘benevolent assistance’.
Benevolent assistance was extremely popular in the Sacred Dynasty: some wealthy merchants would preemptively sponsor promising poor scholars, and once they rose smoothly, it was like branding them with one’s own faction.
Some even snatched sons-in-law from under the lists, grabbing new jinshi right when the results were announced as sons-in-law.
Even if the other party later turned ungrateful, no one would dare use him, forcing compliance.
This gained a reputation for charity and closeness to the people, while also absorbing new blood to strengthen the clan—what was there not to like?
And this was the same for immortals.
The character for immortal is formed by man leaning on mountain.
Naturally, the more ‘mountains’, the better!
Little by little accumulates to much, piling earth into mountains.
All the talents under heaven enter my palm!
And in this giving and receiving, it becomes a 【Undertaking of Heavenly Principles】, the mysteries within hard to describe.
“It’s just a pity…”
County Magistrate Wang gazed at the flying snow outside the window, shook his head, and sighed faintly,
“Back then that Ma Bowen was just like today’s Ma Liangcai; this Ma family has the same clear Dao Heart and talent of a banished immortal, yet is just as stubborn! Refusing to be a proper high official, insisting on being a clean and upright person!”
“What’s good about being human?”
“Longevity and eternal vision, flowers bloom in an instant; I am an immortal of heaven and earth.”
……
“Landlord Guan, we’ve searched everywhere, not even a ghost shadow.”
The sky turned fish-belly white.
Outside Wuqing County.
Guan Sheng listened to his subordinate’s report, his face somewhat gloomy.
A full day and night!
Yet not a trace of Tian Xuan Saint!
Tian Xuan Saint surely wouldn’t have met with mishap.
She must be busy, held up by something.
Yes, yes, it must be that…
I’ve put in so much effort, most of my fortune, even offending so many people…
Even with Huang Xing’s full support!
Tian Xuan Saint can’t die!
Otherwise, the one to die would be him, Guan Sheng.
“All of you search carefully for me! Don’t miss an inch of ground!” Guan Sheng bellowed deeply, his voice shaking the snow to rustle down.
These people had dug three feet deep inside and outside the county, from Lingguan Temple to Banye Ferry Crossing, even flipping the backyards of brothels and taverns, yet found nothing.
Facing Guan Sheng’s raging fury, these Pounding House gang members, though frozen stiff in hands and feet, dared not complain, only lowering their heads, using scabbards to poke through roadside piles of firewood, snow in wall corners, searching carefully.
As the atmosphere grew tense, everyone suddenly saw a flash of white light before them, and the wind and snow abruptly stopped.
Instinctively looking up, they saw not far away, at some point, an ethereal immortal figure standing.
Tian Xuan Saint was surrounded by faint white qi, blending into the night snow, her eyes calm and still, yet exuding an intimidating pressure.
“Saint!!”
Seeing the arrival, Guan Sheng lit up like meeting a savior, face full of ecstatic joy, immediately going forward, saying,
“Saint, you finally…”
“Pfft!”
The next instant, Tian Xuan Saint waved her hand, a beam of azure light flew out, landing directly on Guan Sheng.
He shook all over, spewing blood wildly, rolling to the ground, smashing several large trees, his whole body crookedly slumped against the pile of rocks.
He just stared blankly at Tian Xuan Saint, saying,
“Why, why kill me?”
Why kill you?
Because you lost face!
Tian Xuan Saint coldly glanced at him.
Tian Xuan Saint originally wanted to turn Guan Sheng into fertilizer, but with so many people present, she couldn’t compost in public; she had to maintain the immortal’s face.
She could only let him die simply.
Without an answer, Guan Sheng’s neck stiffened, and he died on the spot.
The on-site Pounding House gang members were silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to breathe, fearing Tian Xuan Saint would kill them indiscriminately.
“Hee hee hee, Senior Sister has such a fiery temperament…”
A silver bell-like laugh suddenly rang in everyone’s ears.
Yu Xiaoquan wearing a pair of silver earrings, grinning cheekily, slid down from the tree top, landing before Tian Xuan Saint.
Pear Blossom Cudgel hanging at her waist jingled crisply, a storybook always in her hand.
But Tian Xuan Saint strangely glanced at Yu Xiaoquan.
Today’s Yu Xiaoquan seemed a bit shorter.
Yu Xiaoquan widened her beautiful eyes, saying,
“Eh? Senior Sister, you still haven’t found the Azure Gang Yang Huo? Could it be that Chen Shun’an isn’t the one you’re looking for either?”
Tian Xuan Saint said coldly,
“There was a mishap; a martial arts expert calling himself ‘Fierce Locust’ stuck his nose in, and Chen Shun’an escaped… But I indeed didn’t detect the Azure Gang Yang Huo aura on him.”
Tian Xuan Saint really wasn’t lying.
Wasn’t it exactly because ‘Fierce Locust’ stuck his nose in!
And she truly didn’t detect the Azure Gang Yang Huo aura on Chen Shun’an.
With the sect’s secret method, as long as close enough, even if the Azure Gang Yang Huo was taken by a 【Qi Absorption】 immortal, Tian Xuan Saint could discern it clearly.
But…
On Chen Shun’an, it was empty, as if he really didn’t take it.
Hearing this, Yu Xiaoquan shook her head, saying,
“He actually escaped? Fine then, Junior Sister will behead him for you; count it as you killing him, I won’t secretly tell Master~”
Meaning she would tell directly.
Tian Xuan Saint’s gaze unchanged, saying,
“A mere martial artist, just raised human livestock; whether he dies early or late, what does it matter? The urgent task is still to complete Master’s mission.”
“Alright then… If you need my help, you must say so.”
Yu Xiaoquan licked her rosy lips, saying,
“This time, Junior Sister will only eat one finger of yours, absolutely no more.”
Tian Xuan Saint lowered her gaze, looking at Yu Xiaoquan with a hint of chilling killing intent, saying,
“Junior Sister seems convinced she’ll win.”
“Of course.”
Yu Xiaoquan nodded like a pecking chick, seriously saying,
“I will carefully and diligently eat Senior Sister you, and those senior brothers and eldest senior brother! Eat you all into my belly; when I achieve success on the immortal path in the future, you all will share in the glory!”
“I certainly won’t betray your expectations and dreams for the immortal path!”
Truly mad…
Even though Tian Xuan Saint was very familiar with her little junior sister’s temperament, hearing this, she couldn’t help but feel secretly alarmed.
But fortunately, I have achieved divinity!
“What did you come here to find me for?” Tian Xuan Saint asked faintly instead.
Hearing this, Yu Xiaoquan’s face grew slightly more solemn, with added annoyance, gritting her teeth,
“Zhang Xu… Senior Zhang from Taixuan Lingzhi Peak… has come to Wuqing County!”
“And without regard for immortal virtue, bullying the weak with strength, sneak-attacking this junior!”
Even if Zhang Xuling was shameless in sabotaging.
As the victim, Yu Xiaoquan, even behind his back, only dared to honestly call him ‘senior’.
Hearing this, Tian Xuan Saint then noticed Yu Xiaoquan’s walking posture was off, swaying side to side; her waist seemed broken, crooked, hence appearing shorter.
