Chapter 43: They're Here for Us!
After being sent out of the Quiet Heart Manor’s bamboo forest, Ye Tian could finally no longer suppress the expression on his face.
His features were alight with delight as he picked up the jade thumb ring, turning it over and over in his hands, studying it intently.
“It really is the Guide to the Immortal Road!”
Years ago, Ye Tian had heard his fifth master mention a cultivator from the recent past, one who had come closer to achieving immortality than anyone else in living memory.
That immortal claimed the title “The Hermit of Embracing Mountains,” meaning he delighted in wandering and living among the mountains, never entangling himself with the mortal world.
This great figure was the one who had refined the art of the inner elixir beyond the pinnacle, reaching heights no one else had ever attained.
The art of the inner elixir is divided into four realms: refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, refining spirit to return to emptiness, and merging emptiness with the Dao.
According to legend, the Hermit of Embracing Mountains had surpassed even the highest peaks of these four realms, reaching an unparalleled summit that had never been crossed since ancient times.
Thus, he was called by those in the arcane world a “Living Immortal upon the Earth.”
Yet, for all his heavenly means and the visage of an immortal, it was said that in the end, he failed to ascend and was reduced to dust.
And this “Guide to the Immortal Road” was exactly as described by his fifth master—the same jade thumb ring that the Hermit of Embracing Mountains had worn on his hand!
Even its effects were identical.
“As Master said, those who practice orthodox inner elixir techniques and wear the Guide to the Immortal Road are constantly absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and the excess energy is stored in the ring, to be accessed at will!”
To put it bluntly, if Ye Tian’s usual absorption of spiritual energy was like drinking through a straw, now it was as if he had become a water pump!
And the surplus energy would not go to waste, but would be preserved by the ring, available for use at any time, just as if it were stored in his own body!
“No wonder Old Man Tang said he couldn’t sense any spiritual wonders—how could a rough martial artist like him sense any spiritual energy at all?”
For Ye Tian, however, such a ring was the perfect complement to his abilities!
“Today I truly made a fortune!”
Overjoyed, Ye Tian hurried back to the city center before dusk fell.
He first composed a message to Gu Qingcheng, telling her to meet at the Tianhua Hotel the next morning.
They were setting out to gather wild ginseng!
There was no need to bring too many people on this trip; in principle, Ye Tian intended to bring only one person—his senior sister.
First, because she was close to him and would not leak any secrets; second, only someone with her strength could truly be of help. Anyone else would likely only get in the way.
…
The next morning.
“So mysterious.”
At this moment, Ye Tian was already on the bus heading to the foot of Qianlong Mountain, with the bleary-eyed Gu Qingcheng sitting beside him.
“Senior sister, were you out catching ghosts last night?”
“How did you know!” Gu Qingcheng glared at him. “Are you a fortune teller, little brother?”
Ye Tian: …
After some explanation, Ye Tian learned that his senior sister had indeed gone ghost-hunting.
Of course, that was just the common way to put it. To be precise, one of her young lovers had been plagued by nightmares for several nights in a row.
And in every dream, he saw the same female ghost!
Frightened out of his wits, the young man had no choice but to turn to Gu Qingcheng for help.
As it happened, she had picked up a few exorcism techniques from their masters and had spent the night keeping watch with him.
“And the result?”
“Nothing happened at all,” Gu Qingcheng replied with a yawn, looking exasperated. “Wake me up when we get there. I need some sleep.”
“We’re here.”
“What?”
“I just said so.”
“But… we really are here.” Ye Tian looked innocent, pointing ahead. A winding ridge stretched from the distance, and before them was the base of the mountain.
“We’ll enter from there.”
Gu Qingcheng’s fair cheeks turned pale at once, and she wailed, “I don’t care, you’re carrying me!”
Ye Tian could only give in, handing her his travel bag, then squatting down so his delighted senior sister could climb onto his shoulders.
“Oh, look at this—an expert of the Northern Dipper Realm, giving his sister a ride!” Gu Qingcheng laughed, waving her arms in excitement.
“Senior sister, that’s enough.”
Laughing and joking, they finally reached the base of the Qianlong Mountains. Ye Tian took a small path up the mountain.
Luckily, the sun was not too harsh that day. Ye Tian carried Gu Qingcheng for more than two hours along the mountain trail without feeling tired.
The beauty on his back seemed to be enjoying herself even more.
Every now and then, fruit peels and scraps fell from above—remnants of Gu Qingcheng’s snacks.
“Senior sister, at this rate, you’ll finish our week’s worth of rations in a day.”
“What, you think I eat too much?” Gu Qingcheng pouted. “If that’s how it is, you can forget about sharing a bed with me!”
Ye Tian was left speechless.
What kind of logic was that…
Still, after some coaxing, Gu Qingcheng finally stopped her reckless eating and even considerately opened a bottle of mineral water, giving Ye Tian a drink.
They traveled past noon. By four in the afternoon, the sky dimmed once more.
A strong wind began to blow through the mountains, making the treetops sway and even the towering trunks bend and twist.
“This weather is actually pretty pleasant, huh?”
“It is,” Ye Tian nodded.
“It’s just that the wind is a bit too strong, and the noise is so sharp it feels like a helicopter is circling right above us.”
“I feel the same,” Ye Tian agreed.
At that moment, the wind’s roar was beginning to hurt their eardrums.
The next second, his eyes widened in shock.
“Damn, if you take away the ‘feels like,’ there really are helicopters above us!” Unable to help himself, Ye Tian cursed as he looked up to see seven or eight helicopters circling above the mountains!
Good heavens, what was happening?
The helicopters seemed to be searching for something, flying low just above the treetops, their massive rotors thundering.
One passed right over their heads, circled, and returned.
“Little brother, do you think they’re looking for us?” Gu Qingcheng craned her neck, just as one of the returning helicopters hovered directly overhead.
“No way,” Ye Tian waved his hand. “Judging by their design, these are Dragon Nation military helicopters. We haven’t done anything to offend the military. Why would they be after us?”
“But, little brother,” Gu Qingcheng continued, “look at the pilot—isn’t he aiming the machine gun at us?”
At her words, Ye Tian looked up. Sure enough, the barrel of an M134 minigun was pointed straight at his head.
“Senior sister, you guessed right—they really are here for us!”
With that, Ye Tian gave a great leap and, with a wild yell, jumped straight off the mountain ridge, plunging down from thirty feet up!