Duanmu Ren was still unwilling to give up the power and status he had spent half his life fighting for.
His goal in taking an immortal master and cultivating was simple and pure: he merely hoped it would help him gain promotions, never giving a thought to living forever.
Li Chengxuan did not force the issue.
As long as Duanmu Ren ingested qi to enter the Dao and cultivated the High Shaman lineage, three great benefits would fall into his hands: the favor of the cultivation world's Heavenly Dao, the enhancement of Mount Taixuan's atmosphere, and the accumulation of Inherit Extinct Teachings Merit.
As for why or how Duanmu Ren cultivated, Li Chengxuan let him do as he pleased.
Li Chengxuan watched Duanmu Ren drive away, then asked Liu Zhijian, "What do you think of him?"
Although Liu Zhijian could not peer into human hearts, having ingested qi to enter the Dao through the Kan Water atmosphere of the Old Man on the Stream, he had still gained some profound insights. After pondering for a moment, he said, "He appears flexible, adaptable, and humble on the surface, but in truth, he harbors a deep, hidden ferocity."
"Yet I constantly feel that even his brutal savagery is merely a facade."
"As to what his true heart actually is, forgive your disciple's lack of foresight, but I truly cannot see through it."
"There are plenty of brutal and tyrannical people in this world. Some possess only brute courage, while others bully the weak. Most of them have no grand aura features to speak of." Li Chengxuan nodded slightly and mentioned that when he went to Shiling County, he had met two other people besides Li Jiabao.
The first was Hu Shihao, an underworld boss in Shiling County. His defining battle had been strapping dynamite all over his body during a mine dispute to force back over a hundred enemies. Over the past twenty years, he had taken human life more than once, truly earning a reputation for utter villainy.
However, his ferocity was motivated solely by money, making it thoroughly low-class. Consequently, the aura features on his body were so thin as to be unworthy of mention.
The second was the new county magistrate replacing Duanmu Ren.
According to Li Jiabao and Hu Shihao, this man was advanced in years and close to retirement. His reputation for insatiable greed and lust was known to all. The final stop of his career had been assigned to a major coal-producing county precisely so he could line his pockets heavily and amass a fortune for his retirement.
By right, this man's status, greed, and ferocity were no less than Duanmu Ren's, yet his aura features were utterly wretched, carrying even a whiff of decay. Far from comparing to Duanmu Ren, he was not even on par with Hu Shihao.
Only then did Li Chengxuan confirm that Duanmu Ren's ability to condense the High Shaman aura features was indeed extraordinary.
His original idea of finding any corrupt official at random to replace Duanmu Ren had clearly understated Duanmu Ren, and even more so understated the High Shaman lineage.
Liu Zhijian listened and pondered silently.
The stone from another mountain can be used to polish jade.
Having already ingested qi to enter the Dao and embarked on the path of Kan Water cultivation, studying other lineages would not only broaden his horizons but might also serve as a useful reference.
Although Li Chengxuan's return to Earth had focused on Duanmu Ren, he also held high hopes for Liu Zhijian and offered him guidance from time to time. Seeing him lost in thought, Li Chengxuan said with satisfaction, "The matter of Deng Gang affected you greatly, to the point of unsettling your mind. Forcing your cultivation right now could easily spawn inner demons."
"Why not set aside your cultivation entirely and relax for a while?"
"There is no spiritual qi here, making cultivation impossible anyway. It is the perfect place."
"You can fish and rest here, or return to your hometown for a visit."
"In your spare time, you can also exchange notes with Duanmu Ren."
In the past, a down-on-his-luck angler trying to converse with a county magistrate would likely be completely at a loss.
However, having entered an immortal sect, the various rules of the mortal world were reduced to mere laughingstocks.
Though Duanmu Ren possessed some standing in the mortal realm, he was merely a registered disciple of Mount Taixuan.
As the eldest disciple of the Sect Master, Liu Zhijian could naturally handle him with calm composure.
"Understood." Liu Zhijian could feel Li Chengxuan's earnest intentions and accepted all the arrangements calmly.
As for returning to his hometown, Liu Zhijian no longer harbored such a desire.
What was left in his hometown anyway?!
Two old, uninhabitable houses.
A few relatives devoid of familial affection.
Three or five long-lost friends.
Going back would do nothing but add to his troubles.
...
...
Duanmu Ren had a bit of a headache.
Wanting to cultivate immortality required getting a tattoo first—an absurdity on par with "To master this art, one must first castrate oneself."
Fortunately, the Sect Master had said that once he ingested qi to enter the Dao, he could cast a spell to hide it.
Otherwise, during his annual physical exam, if he took off his clothes to reveal full-sleeve and full-back tattoos, he would likely become a viral sensation overnight.
The second troublesome matter was requesting leave.
Although he had barely managed to untangle himself from the Taixuan Villa storm and landed safely, so to speak,
according to the unwritten rules, he had become a "tainted official" and was now a primary target of observation.
If he took a long-term leave of absence, people might suspect he was planning to flee the country, touching a sensitive nerve among certain figures.
Fortunately, Duanmu Ren possessed quick wits. His official reason for requesting leave was to search for the missing Hua Chunning and bring her back to testify, thereby completely clearing the lingering suspicions surrounding himself.
Privately, he was equally frank and direct: he was going to seek medicine for his godfather.
The old gentleman had now become a vegetable.
Even his biological children had given up on him, caring only about dividing the inheritance.
Duanmu Ren still possessed some filial piety, thinking that since Hua Chunning could cure pneumoconiosis, she might also be able to save his godfather.
Clearly, the latter reason was far more persuasive.
After hearing this, the city leadership said nothing, patted Duanmu Ren on the shoulder with deep emotion, waved their hands, and approved it directly!
Having successfully obtained his leave, Duanmu Ren breathed a total sigh of relief.
Who could have guessed that the first hurdle on his path to immortal cultivation would be asking his superiors for leave?
Next, he had to face the second hurdle.
Tattoos!
Or rather, carving shaman runes!
Duanmu Ren found the highest-rated tattoo parlor, hesitated at the door for quite a while, and finally walked inside.
Inside the shop, a girl with a great figure and full-sleeve tattoos was playing on her phone. Sensing someone entering, she immediately stood up to welcome him. But upon taking one look at Duanmu Ren, her heart jolted, and she preemptively spoke up: "Uncle, we're a fully legal and compliant tattoo parlor. We never serve minors. If your kid got a tattoo, it definitely has nothing to do with our shop!"
"No," Duanmu Ren said, somewhat embarrassed. "I'm the one who wants a tattoo!"
"You?!" The tattooed girl sized up Duanmu Ren, who practically oozed bureaucrat demeanor from head to toe, and suddenly came to a realization: "Oh! I get it! It's because of that trending short-video challenge, right? Something about 'belated rebellion'—people born in the 90s all dyeing their hair yellow or red."
"You must be an 80s child, so even more rebellious—going straight for a tattoo!"
After all, if you dye your hair, you can always dye it back.
Once you get a tattoo, trying to laser it off is a massive hassle.
"Right, right, right, that's the one." Duanmu Ren let out an unexplainable sigh of relief and urged impatiently, "Can you do it or not?! If not, I'll go somewhere else!"
"Of course we can, absolutely!" The tattooed girl had tens of thousands of followers herself and considered herself a trendsetter in this small city. She immediately asked with great enthusiasm, "What does Uncle want to get?! A River-Crossing Dragon, or a Mountain-Descending Tiger?!"
There was no helping it—the older generation just loved those classics!
"The pattern is right here; I brought it myself." Duanmu Ren carefully produced the shaman rune pattern Li Chengxuan had given him.
Accustomed to odd customers, the tattooed girl hadn't thought much of it at first. But when she took it and looked, her eyes instantly widened. The blue-black pattern was extraordinarily complex, carrying a faint sinister aura. Judging by the scale, it was meant to cover his entire body! After looking closely, she stared at Duanmu Ren in utter disbelief: "Uncle, this... is way too tasteful and way too courageous!"
...
...
Li Chengxuan returned to Mount Taixuan.
Xue Yang of Qixia Mountain was already waiting in the General Affairs Hall.
Clearly, the Gengjin sword talisman Liu Zhijian had displayed carried immense deterrent power.
Not only was Xue Yang far warmer in tone than before, but he also harbored a degree of awe, even speaking more intimately than their acquaintance warranted by tactfully asking if he could borrow the sword talisman to slay demons and eliminate evil.
Li Chengxuan naturally would not agree.
Xue Yang obviously had not expected to actually borrow it either. Laughing heartily, he moved on to discuss the affairs of Nanya Province.
Once Mount Taixuan's sword talisman appeared, every faction had been struck with fear.
Even the Qingyun Sect, which had suffered a major loss, had not dared to say much.
Furthermore, with Deng Gang having been refined into a human pill, the Deng Kingdom was left leaderless and plunged into total chaos.
Mount Taixuan was the suzerain sect and held the moral high ground.
The Qingyun Sect, after all, held the title of Imperial Preceptor, giving them a pretext to intervene as well.
The Nanya Immortal Alliance also bore the responsibility of oversight and would not sit by and watch an entire kingdom remain in turmoil.
Hearing this, Li Chengxuan's expression remained calm. "In a few days, I will send someone down the mountain to clean up the aftermath."
"Will it be Fellow Daoist's eldest disciple?" Xue Yang asked with a smile, clearly having been deeply impressed by Liu Zhijian.
Li Chengxuan shook his head without a word.
Xue Yang did not press further. He glanced over at Hua Chunning, who was serving tea as a guest maid, frowned in thought for a moment, and then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "I remember you! When you were a child, your grandfather brought you to Qixia Mountain."
"I remember back then your aura features were lacking and your destiny was obscure, leaving you with no hope of entering the Dao in this lifetime."
"Yet now your aura features are actually complete, and you have even begun gathering qi!"
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