Painting of the Nine Immortals
chapter-129

"What? You think I’d poison you?" Ling Xian frowned and glared at him, "If I wanted to kill you, I would not do it in a way that causes me this much trouble."

"No no, brother, you have misunderstood," Mo Qing Fu smiled wryly and explained, "I am not afraid you might poison me, I am just… just…"

"It’s a bit hard to believe?" Ling Xian looked at him teasingly.

Mo Qing Fu blushed a little, confirming Ling Xian’s comment.

Ling Xian smiled reassuringly and said, "Once you consume it, you will believe me. Don’t overthink it, this Dan’s effects will exceed your expectations."

Seeing how confident Ling Xian was, Mo Qing Fu grew certain. He thought this powerful youth before him might actually be able to achieve things beyond his imagination and cure him.

He thought about it, then he waved his hand, and the fragrant red Dan flew into his mouth. The moment it entered his body, the Dan turned into pure medicinal energy.

He waited for a long time, and yet he didn’t feel any physical differences. Mo Qing Fu frowned as disappointment washed over his face. He sighed. "Brother, thank you for all your efforts. But this kind of injury is hard to cure. I will have to think of another method."

"Why are you being so impatient? The effects of this Dan will show up in a little while." Ling Xian grinned lightly, displaying again, his confidence and relaxed attitude. He firmly believed that the Healing Dan will cure Mo Qing Fu.

This was Liao Cang Qiong’s miraculous creation after all!

Sure enough, as soon as Ling Xian finished talking, a strange power poured out of Mo Qing Fu’s body and slowly entered his organs, bones, and finally, his dantian.

Boom!

As if an army of soldiers and a fleet of horses were galloping forward and as if a tidal wave was washing away the shores, Mo Qing Fu’s chest pounded without any indications of slowing down. His shrunken spiritual energy veins started to expand, and his cracked dantian was recovering at a fast speed.

"It… it really is working!" Mo Qing Fu was in disbelief. He could feel his energy growing inside of him little by little. He couldn’t help it but shed a few tears out of joy and excitement.

This went on for a short while, and his Qi level reverted from the eighth level back to the tenth. A frightful vigor howled out of him!

He was back in the Undefeatable Realm!

"Ha ha, I am cured. I really am cured! I can’t believe it!" Mo Qing Fu bellowed with his head held high. Tears continued to fall due to happiness as he let his demeanor pour out of him and flood the storage cave.

People only learn to cherish what they’ve lost.

To have fallen from a Heaven’s Favorite in the Undefeatable Realm to a regular cultivator with a Qi level of eight, this sudden drop in capabilities made Mo Qing Fu experience despair. Though this degradation only lasted for a few hours, it was the darkest experience he’s had since he was born.

To still possess the title Heaven’s Favorite but to have lost the capability to be one.

His pride and his ego were all lost in that moment. Now that everything has returned to him, how could he not be excited? How could he not be ecstatic?

Seeing the out of control Mo Qing Fu, Ling Xian coughed and reminded him, "Don’t be too over your head. You still need to train a little to make sure you stay in the tenth level."

Mo Qing Fu, hearing this, suppressed the exhilaration he felt in his chest and bowed down deeply to Ling Xian. He declared in a serious tone, "Brother, I will never forget what you did for me in my life time. I will one day repay you for everything."

"I saved you not because I expected a repayment. After all, we can be considered acquaintances." Ling Xian waved his hand, indicating that it was not a big deal.

"I understand. However, even small favors should be returned. You’ve done something for me at such a grand scale, how can I just simply take it?" Mo Qing Fu’s expression was stern, he continued in a low voice, "Brother, you have granted me the chance to live again. If you didn’t cure my injury, I would have remained a handicap my entire life. I would’ve died of old age in the mortal world as an ordinary being."

"You are exaggerating. It was the least I could do." Ling Xian grinned softly.

"No, I am not exaggerating. To you, it might’ve just been a simple task, but to me, it was the same as saving my life. This kindness is as big to me as the sky is to people. I will imprint what happened today onto my heart and remember it for life." Mo Qing Fu’s words were heavy and sincere. He was a member of the Hao Ran House. Growing up, he was taught to be respectful, to be appreciative, and to behave as an admirable cultivator.

To Ling Xian, what happened today really was next to nothing. However, to Mo Qing Fu, it was as hefty as the mountain and as deep as the ocean. Therefore, he was overflowing with thankfulness and was now willing to die for Ling Xian without regrets or hesitation.

Mo Qing Fu’s determined words and expression made Ling Xian shake his head helplessly. "Do as you will. But I recommend you to sit and work on your training a little. If your energy falls back to the eighth level, don’t blame me for not reminding you."

"Yes, I will train right now." Mo Qing Fu’s expression changed slightly. He hurriedly sat in the lotus pose and closed his eyes. Like an old monk, he peacefully summoned his level 10 Qi and cultivated.

Just then, an ancient gold scroll appeared above his head. It fluttered slightly, and a mysterious power swooshed out of it. The band of energy poured into his chest and nourished him.

[Wow, the rumors are true. The usual Hao Ran House descendants cultivate with Qi from Heaven and Earth, the same as other cultivators. However, the descendants with supernatural talents and skills cultivate with the Hao Ran Qi from the Hao Ran Scroll. This type of Qi has the ability to make even the devils and the ghosts back down. In the entire universe, its special properties are something to be jealous of.]

Gawking at the special spiritual energy coming from the Scroll, Ling Xian’s eyes flashed with anticipation. He thought to himself, [Once he’s done with training, it will take time for me to drink the Drunken Immortal Brew and break through to the foundational level. This time, I must reach it flawlessly without leaving any side effects.]

During the lost century, because Ling Xian consumed an imperfect Foundational Dan and because he overdosed on Dan of the Evil heart, his supernatural abilities were greatly damaged. As a result of that, he fell down the ranks in the Taoism community and could only be an ordinary cultivator with no ability to achieve his goals and no end to his journey.

This time, he will not end up the way he did in the Fantasy Territory!

He must perfectly achieve the foundational level, fly above the clouds and become an Immortal!

"Luckily, I have acquired the Drunken Immortal Brew. How fortunate." Ling Xian smiled as he glanced at the other eight platforms. After observing for a while, he couldn’t help it but feel a little disappointed.

There were 10 platforms in total in this cave, other than the Drunken Immortal Brew and the Golden Pages, all other platforms contain valuable treasures, but were all protected with powerful arrays. Even after he achieves the foundational level, he cannot break the seals and take the treasures.

However, other than being slightly disappointed, he didn’t have any other negative emotions. He had already been more than lucky on this trip. Even if he got the other treasures, he could not unleash their true potential with the level of training he had now. By the time he could use the treasures freely, he probably would have unlocked all nine uses of his Inner Eyes. There would be no need for those treasures.

"This Dan really is miraculous. Not only did I get back to the tenth level, I even improved and advanced further than I was before. It won’t be long before I reach the peak of the tenth cultivation level. This saved me over three months of training." Mo Qing Fu opened his eyes wide. A white ray of light flashed under his eyes.

A ferocious atmosphere slowly filled the cave. His face was again full of joy as he bowed down to Ling Xian once more and exclaimed, "Brother, thank you. You granting me with cultivation abilities is something I will never forget even when I get old."

Seeing his excited and happy face, Ling Xian said teasingly, "Now you believe what I said before?"

"Of course I believe you. Before I have offended you in many different ways, I hope you find the graciousness in you to forgive me." Mo Qing Fu’s attitude had lightened exponentially and was now again polite and respectful. His eyes were no longer dim, rather, they were filled with happiness.

"As long as you believe me. I don’t like it when people doubt me." Ling Xian lightly smiled.

Mo Qing Fu’s face turned red. Somewhat embarrassed, he changed the subject. "Brother, I must ask, what is the name of this Dan?"

"The Healing Dan," Ling Xian responded with three words.

"What a great name. Healing… This name alone shows its ability to bring back the fallen cultivators," Mo Qing Fu complimented then asked the question he had been holding onto for a while. "This Dan isn’t high in realm, yet it has such miraculous effects. Under a normal circumstance, it should be well known and should have rattled the community. How come I have never heard of it?"

"About that…" Ling Xian frowned. He didn’t want to speak the truth. Everything about Liao Cang Qiong was sensitive information, and he was not willing to tell it to anyone. Even to Mo Qing Fu, who has all the attributes of a respectable man.

This was because his life was on the line.

If the news got out that Ling Xian owned the Encyclopedia of Dans and that Liao Cang Qiong’s soul was currently living in Ling Xian’s body, every single cultivator in the Taoism community would go absolutely crazy. They would find him at his front door and force Ling Xian to tell them everything Liao Cang Qiong has taught him.

After all, it has been 30,000 years since the last Immortal has risen in the Taoism community. Countless powerhouses and heroes have had children, yet none of them have been able to push open the door to immortality. No matter how talented or earth-shatteringly capable the Heaven’s Favorites were, nobody has been able to reach above the clouds. It was simply a fact that was difficult for those who wished for immortality to accept.

The fact that the already risen Liao Cang Qiong’s soul has reappeared in the mortal world was unbelievable and unimaginable news. It was an event without precedent.

If this news spreads around, everyone in the community would converge and inquire Liao Cang Qiong about what he did to reach immortality. When that time comes, not only will Ling Xian lose his life, the soul of the nine immortals will likely be destroyed as well.

To prevent that, Ling Xian would rather die than to utter a word.

"Could it be that you single-handedly created the recipe for this Dan?"

Mo Qing Fu took a wild guess after seeing Ling Xian’s tightly knit brows.

Single-handedly created the recipe?

Where did this thought even come from?

Ling Xian was speechless. The Healing Dan was never passed on, and its name was unknown. The only two people who know of its recipe was himself and his master. To say that he single-handedly created it was not bad of an explanation.

He didn’t speak; a silent acceptance of Mo Qing Fu’s guess.

"Unbelievable… It’s true…" Mo Qing Fu’s heart was shaking with astonishment. His eyes were full of incredulity.

It was not hard to accept the existence of a 15-year-old alchemist. The fact that this youth had incredible alchemist skills and at the same time a Heaven’s Favorite was also acceptable. However, to be able to create a Dan himself makes him an absolute monster. Mo Qing Fu could not accept that!

Brewing a Dan was easy, any alchemist could do so. However, creating Dans was exponentially harder!

It required an immense amount of knowledge regarding alchemy and usually could only be achieved by alchemists above the third-realm!

[How… How old is he? How could he create such a Dan? A Dan with such miraculous effects!]

Gawking at the handsome youth, Mo Qing Fu’s face was drowning in astonishment. He was astonished at an emotional level he had never been before.