Chapter 33 Fangshi
A quarter of an hour later, Hu Yanran came in again, using her magic power to hold up two wooden plates.

Two wooden plates were presented, and on the left was a magical object, a booklet.

"This spiritual object is a wood-type spiritual object, ivy. The booklet contains the secret technique of our clan, 'Turtle Shell Strategy.'" Hu Yanran said as she pointed.

Gu Qingyuan took the spiritual object emitting green light in his hand. It was a spiritual vine, about the size of an arm. This thing often grows in mountain streams. It is the sprout of a tree struck by lightning. To thrive, it needs to be near water and backed by mountains. It absorbs water and earth energy and nourishes wood energy. It will grow like this for a hundred years. When it matures, the earth dragon turns over and it becomes a plant. If you use gold tools to hit it, it will be evergreen for a thousand years.

He flipped through the book again and found that it was about a divination technique. It must be what Lord Yinshan wanted.

If you acquire another wood-element spiritual object, you can start preparing for building the foundation.

Gu Qingyuan thought, shaking the booklet in his hand: "Do you feel resentful for handing over this secret technique to me like this?"

"No." Hu Yanran replied quickly.

"to be honest."

"I dare not have it."

"You are quite honest." Gu Qingyuan laughed.

Hu Yanran explained: "Although my practice has some flaws, I have also built a foundation for immortality, obtained some minor magical powers, and have the help of secret techniques. I can distinguish good from bad, and know good and bad fortune, so I dare not deceive you."

Hearing this, Gu Qingyuan couldn't help but feel more yearning for building the foundation. His mind was full of thoughts, but his eyes fell on the wooden plate on the right.

There were three piles of round coins on it. The first pile had several hundred coins, all crystal clear. The second pile was white as jade, with more than a dozen coins. The third pile was white with purple patterns, with only two lonely coins.

"What is this?" Gu Qingyuan asked.

Hu Yanran didn't think much about it and just assumed that he had just left the rich and noble mountain gate and went down the mountain to gain experience.

"These are the currencies used by the monks. This coin is engraved with 'Forge the Eternal Spirit' on the front and a bamboo leaf on the back. They are generally called small coins, also known as bamboo coins," Hu Yanran pointed to the second pile. "This coin is engraved with 'The Immortal Secrets Are Released' and a picture of the sun breaking through the clouds is on the back. It is called cloud money.

The last one is engraved with "Fuyun Changlong" and painted with auspicious dragons and phoenixes. It is called the Lucky Coin, the Great Auspicious Talisman. They are all exchanged at a ratio of one to ten, but there is often a premium when exchanging them. They are made of spiritual stones and spiritual objects using secret methods. They can be crushed to replenish mana when necessary."

After Hu Yanran finished her introduction, she stood with her hands clasped.

Gu Qingyuan picked up a coin and played with it. The coin was only the size of two fingers, with exquisite carvings and was very cute.

After a while, when Hu Yanran's forehead was sweating, he spoke: "You are still sincere enough to let you live."

He took the secret book again, pondered for a moment, took out the brush, and scribbled on the yellowed pages. Soon, the pages were full of writing.

"Your booklet is of little use to me. I have noted down the omissions and highlighted the key points of cultivation. It is just a return gift. How do you think?"

Hu Yanran took it quickly, without even glancing at the booklet, and just knelt on the ground: "Thank you for your help, sir. I would never repay you even if I die a thousand times."

Gu Qingyuan waved his hand: "Don't say anything empty. The return gift is not in vain. I need you to do something."

Hu Yanran, who took the booklet, was much more proactive: "Please give me your instructions, sir."

"It's not a big deal. You were able to reach the foundation-building stage. I'm sure there must be a lot of books about cultivation in your house. I'll get some about the surrounding customs and habits, as well as miscellaneous books and strange stories. I've been alone since I left the mountain, and I need to learn about them." Gu Qingyuan raised the banner for the sect's disciples to go out of the mountain for training.

Hu Yanran had no doubts. Although she only saw a few scales and hairs in the Zhelong Temple, she knew it was the residence of the True Lord Zifu, and the people who came out of there would not covet anything from a little demon like her.

After Hu Yanran left again, Gu Qingyuan waved his sleeves and collected the coins on the plate.

As for the remaining wood-type spiritual object, perhaps I should go to the market where the monks trade to inquire about it.

Gu Qingyuan urgently needs to enhance his own strength as he lacks a sense of security in this world.

After staying here for three days, Gu Qingyuan finally decided to leave.

During these three days, Gu Qingyuan read through all the books in the Hu Mansion, and Hu Yanran served him morning and night, waiting for his orders without any slackness.

"Do you know where the monks trade nearby?" Gu Qingyuan asked Hu Yanran beside him.

"Three hundred miles southeast of here, there is a Lingyun Ferry. There are large treasure ships transporting precious medicines and spiritual objects. A market town has been formed here, called Qianniufang. Usually, the monks do their business here." Hu Yanran said as she placed snacks on the table.

"Give me a copy of the map, and you can get one third of the items handed over by those little monsters." Gu Qingyuan looked at the pile of things and found them to be basically useless.

After some refusal, Gu Qingyuan made some hand gestures and left.

Seeing the mansion in the dense forest turning into a black dot in the sky, Gu Qingyuan flew away, and the air currents he created startled flocks of birds.

We still need to build the foundation as soon as possible. With the skill of flying in the clouds, it will be much more convenient to travel.

As Gu Qingyuan ran, he couldn't help but think of the cloud-flying method recorded in the books of the Hu Mansion.

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"Come and have a look. My animal bones are as strong as steel. They only cost one hundred and twenty coins!"

"Pure elixirs and magical medicines, professional alchemy, only one tenth of the handling fee!"

"Practice the secret method, practice the secret method!"

Gu Qingyuan arrived at Qianniufang just after noon. He paid two small coins to the guard as the entrance fee and walked in.

This market was not as prosperous as Gu Qingyuan had imagined. There were no shops on both sides. The streets were filled with stalls. The stall owners were either sitting cross-legged in meditation or standing up to promote their wares. There were all kinds of people and the hawking was deafening. "Daoyou, I just took this remnant out from the place where the Purple Palace was sitting and dying. Although it is not shining now, if it can be repaired, it is also a good treasure. It is not expensive to charge you twelve large auspicious talismans." The stall owner stared at Gu Qingyuan and sold his wares.

Gu Qingyuan fiddled with the broken knife in his hand and looked at it carefully. Not to mention the Purple Palace, it looked like it was dug out from the underworld. There was not a single bit of spiritual energy. It could not be deader.

With a long sigh, he turned and walked away.

"Hey, don't go. The price is still negotiable. You should at least bargain. Twelve small coins will do." The stall owner behind him lowered the price as much as possible to attract customers.

After a casual stroll, Gu Qingyuan couldn't help but feel disappointed. The stalls had a wide variety of products, but the quality was not high. There were only some recycled scraps, broken bones and inferior pills. Some of them were scams like Broken Knife, or some garbage of unsatisfactory quality.

It's okay to buy it for fun, but it's extremely difficult to find real spiritual objects. However, it is a good place to pick up bargains.

Maybe with my eyes, I can find one or two.

Gu Qingyuan's mind moved, a golden light flashed in his eyes, and he patiently walked past each stall.

The stalls were not big, but they were crowded together. After walking around the market for two hours, Gu Qingyuan found nothing.

It seems that I am not destined to be the protagonist, and I don’t have the fate to pick up bargains every time there is a market.

Just as I was thinking about it, I heard someone shouting:
"The treasure ship is coming!"

Qianniufang is right next to Lingyundu. Unlike the market town, Lingyundu is not as shabby as the market town. The platforms that can accommodate hundreds of people are all built with precious materials and wood, and they are shining with spiritual light.

There were guards standing guard every few meters around the square platform. All of them looked very energetic, with a faint halo surrounding them. It was clearly a magical treasure protecting them, which was a hundred times better than that of the poor monk Gu Qingyuan.

Now there is a line of people standing on the side of the stage, all of them are the heads of chambers of commerce from all over the place, they are waiting for the treasure ship to land so that they can hand over the goods.

As soon as the words were spoken, clouds were seen rolling above the platform. Suddenly, wind blew, pushing away the thick clouds, revealing the wooden bottom of the large ship.

The ship was dozens of meters long and had three floors. The decks were full of people. A circular shield surrounded the ship, which was sprinkled with colorful light and slowly descended to the ferry platform.

As soon as it landed, the protective shield disappeared, and the people on the deck rushed down. The cultivators in the Qi Refining Stage carried a large amount of precious materials down like ordinary laborers and handed them over to the people on the platform.

People in the market watched from afar.

"What a huge treasure ship! I wonder when we can build one like this."

"I think you are dreaming. You are clearly a wild cultivator who can't even get enough food. Do you know that once this treasure ship moves, there will be millions of taels of gold. Only the big sects with the Purple Mansion can afford it. Let's wait for a good rebirth in the next life!"

The exclamations and self-mockery caused a burst of laughter.

Gu Qingyuan was drooling as he looked at the treasure ship. It was made of precious materials. Not to mention the sophisticated formations inside, but once the materials were dismantled, he wouldn't have to worry about the spiritual objects all the way to Zifu.

"Look, it's Master Yinyuan!" someone shouted.

To be called a True Lord, it must be Zifu. Gu Qingyuan has never seen Zifu. That Taoist Xu doesn't have any authority at all, which is not very knowledgeable.

I saw a yellow-robed monk getting off the treasure ship accompanied by three people. He was not riding a cloud, nor was he shining, but walking like the moon surrounded by stars. He looked to be about thirty years old, with a sword slung around his waist, a red mark on his forehead, two silver rings on his wrists, and a gentle aura like jade, truly a godly figure.

"hiss."

Gu Qingyuan was watching when several people beside him sighed softly, lowered their heads and rubbed their eyes. Looking nearby, some people had tears in their eyes and their eye circles were red.

Someone with broad knowledge said, "The Purple Mansion True Lord is a person who has cultivated great supernatural powers. His aura is as deep as the sea, and his every move carries the charm of Tao. We have not yet reached the foundation-building stage, and we are mortals after all. The trace of supernatural power that the True Lord has revealed is not something we can see."

"Yes, I have heard that if one's cultivation is not good enough, looking closely at the Purple Palace is like facing its fundamental magical power. If one is not careful, one will be scared crazy by the great principles contained in the magical power."

"I know this. Back then, Demon Lord Ning Wudao attacked Piao Miao Sect and no longer restrained his Blood River magical power. All the disciples of Piao Miao Sect below the level of true disciples witnessed it, and half of them shouted 'I have understood the great way, the Blood River has enlightened me' and died of madness, while the remaining half had their bodies damaged and were mutated by the Blood River magical power, with multiple hands and eyes. They were thrown into the Blood River and became alien species with magical powers." Someone said.

"What happened to Ning Wudao later?" someone asked.

"What can I do? I was surrounded and killed by the elders of Xiaju Sect, one of the three major sects. I sacrificed half a river of blood to escape with my life."

"That's right, otherwise why would Ning Wudao be labeled as a demon? It's because he couldn't defeat the righteous."

"Shh, shut up, you're going to die!"

The topic quickly went off topic, and Gu Qingyuan was still pondering the information that had just been revealed.

The supernatural power is invisible? Died of madness? Alienation? The supernatural power is different?
What is this invisible, unknowable and indescribable Cthulhu Purple Palace?

Gu Qingyuan thought again of the characteristics of the Jindan cultivators mentioned in "Jindan Shentongqi": whenever there is a call, there will be a response.

Bastard, what kind of immortality are you practicing?

I am Cthulhu, the great golden immortal of the Nine Netherworlds and the Abyss of the Water.

Gu Qingyuan touched his arm and felt goose bumps. Seeing the crowd disperse, he let out a long sigh and thought it was a wasted trip. Those monks from the Chamber of Commerce all had valuable treasures and would not trade with others here.

Just as I was about to turn around and leave, a voice came:

"Fellow Taoist, please stay."

(End of this chapter)