Chapter 19: Successful Qi Refinement and a New Neighbor
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The existence of the Yin netherworld soil implied that if a person died and turned into a ghost, they would have a place where they could exist and live. With the existence of the netherworld Qi, ghosts could also cultivate.
As time passed, the number of ghosts in the Yin netherworld increased, and various ghost kings fought for supremacy. They even slowly opened up communication channels between various parts, which was called the netherworld realm.
In the netherworld, there were various ghost kings, some strong and some weak. They fought, cooperated, and had endless disputes. They had even begun to affect the people in the Yang realm.
Moreover, these ghosts lived in the netherworld and weren't controlled by the Yang realm. From time to time, they would come to the Yang realm to absorb some Yang energy, causing worry to the Imperial Court.
As a result, in order to deal with this power that affected their rule and stability, the Imperial Court of the past dynasties would confer titles on the deceased officials and soldiers, burning incense to nurture their souls into spirits. They would guard the temples in various places and have netherworld officials to deal with the ghosts and ensure the safety of those in the Yang realm.
And then ...
After a hundred years, when a new dynasty was established, the City God of the previous Imperial Court became the ghost king of the netherworld ...
"Is this... an infinite loop?"
Master Mingzhang shook his head. "There's nothing we can do about it. Fortunately, the great Jing dynasty is strong and powerful. Back then, it was founded on martial arts and had many soldiers and generals. Now that 600 years have passed, it is said that many City God's have already invaded the netherworld."
Lu Zheng shook his head. Unless they could construct a system that manages the netherworld, otherwise ...
Lu Zheng came to a realization. Of course, the Imperial Court of every dynasty wanted to do this, but they were not strong enough.
According to legends, even though Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and Emperor Fengdu were in charge of the netherworld, all kinds of evil ghosts often appeared.
No matter which world it was, power was the key.
"Lord Yelan is one of the ghost kings of the netherworld near Tonglin County."
Master Mingzhang explained, "although he's a ghost king, his strength is only average. He's on par with the City God of Tonglin County."
"Eh, can ghosts come out at any time?"
"It's not that easy. It's true that the strong ones can come and go at any time, but for ordinary ghosts, they have to go through a fixed passage. Moreover, these ghosts generally don't appear in the Yang realm.
After all, other than the City God who specifically targets them in the Yang realm, there are also various cultivators. It's very dangerous for them to come out. "
"Then, this ghost..."
"Skin-painting can conceal one's aura. It's difficult to detect unless one is powerful."
"Oh." Lu Zheng nodded. He had a rough understanding of the situation. "What about demons?"
He still remembered that Master Mingzhang had just said that there were demons around Tonglin County!
"Demons..."Master Mingzhang thought for a moment. "You'll know when you meet one."
Lu Zheng was speechless.
After a long conversation, the sky gradually turned dark. Lu Zheng left all of the ghost's belongings in Baiyun Temple and took his leave respectfully.
Although today's matter looked like a deal, it was actually Lu Zheng who had benefited greatly.
Without any future trouble, he exchanged two techniques that he couldn't use for a breathing technique. He also knew about the City God and the netherworld realm.
Therefore, Lu Zheng was very grateful and was ready to go to the modern world to purchase some gifts for Baiyun Temple.
...
This time, he returned to Tonglin County even later, but he did not encounter any accidents.
After sending Uncle Li off to rest, Lu Zheng returned to his bedroom.
"Upgrade!"
Then, three rays of the light of providence in the jade seal suddenly disappeared. A faint sense of Qi suddenly rose in Lu Zheng's energy center and began to circulate in his body according to the route that Master Mingzhang had pointed out.
"Tsk, tsk, it's actually not that difficult to sense Qi."
Lu Zheng chuckled. "I'll upgrade again!"
"Swish!"
A ray of light disappeared, and the energy in his body increased by another level.
"More!"
It was only when the fourth ray of light of providence was used up that Lu Zheng finally became adapted.
At this moment, the Qi movement in his body had already strengthened.
Cool!
Lu Zheng rose to his feet and let the Qi circulate in his body.
He could feel that the Qi was slowly changing his body, increasing his energy and spirit. It made his body healthier and his mind clearer.
And this was just a side effect. Lu Zheng could sense that the Qi had an even more magical effect, but he just didn't know how to use it yet.
No wonder everyone wanted to cultivate!
Hence, Lu Zheng didn't return to the modern world. Instead, he washed up and fell asleep.
...
After obtaining the breathing technique, Lu Zheng began to cultivate in both worlds. The theory he came up with was both good and bad.
It was possible to cultivate in the modern world, but the progress was so slow that it was almost negligible. The Qi that was cultivated was condensed from one's own body.
Therefore, Lu Zheng had proven that there was some kind of gas that could accelerate cultivation in the ancient world. He had also proven that cultivation could also be done in the modern world, but the results were poor.
...
Lu Zheng spent the next few days inspecting shops that sell medicine and sugar in Tonglin County. Nothing else happened, and his life entered a rare period of peace.
Later, he heard that a scholar in the county reported to the government that a girl had gone missing, but nothing came of it.
"Yes, there's a shop for sale. However, the price is actually 200 kan."
"Indeed, we only need one shop to open a medicine shop. However, we need to hire someone who knows the business."
"To open a sugar store, I have to buy a sugar-manufacturing factory. Well, perhaps that's not necessary, I could pretend to buy from a factory."
"I don't have money... I don't have anyone..."
From what he observed, Lu Zheng felt that things were very difficult.
No wonder people said that starting a business was like drinking poisonous soup. I already have a special ability, but I still think that starting a business is troublesome.
After spending another day in the county, Lu Zheng was holding some malt candies that he had bought from the store. He ate as he walked.
As soon as he entered the alley, Lu Zheng saw a few large vehicles parked next to his courtyard. Porters were coming in and out, carrying boxes of things.
"Eh, the house next door has been bought?"
On the street where Lu Zheng lived, there were houses with their own courtyards, as well as houses where several families lived in the same courtyard. Of course, there were also empty houses.
He had just arrived and was a loner, so he only nodded at the neighbors and did not have any further contact with them.
Moreover, although the house he had chosen was close to the end of the street, the two houses next to it had always been empty and abandoned. No one lived there.
Now it seemed that the house next to his had been sold.
When he passed by the entrance, Lu Zheng peeked in and saw masons and carpenters working. An old man in his fifties or sixties was directing the porters.
The old man spotted Lu Zheng with a single glance. He walked out with a smile on his face and cupped his hands. "My surname is Liu. Are you Young Master Lu from next door?" he asked. I just went to visit and the servants said you went out. "
"Nice to meet you, Master Liu." Lu Zheng cupped his hands in return.
"I don't deserve to be called a master. You can just call me Old Man Liu." The old man said with a smile.
Lu Zheng chuckled. "You don't have to call me young master either. Just call me Lu Zheng. Where did you come from, sir?"
"I'm from Yao state, and my family has settled in Tonglin County. I'm planning to open a clinic here, so I'll need your help in the future."
"You're welcome. I've only been here for less than a month. We'll take care of each other."
After chatting for a while, Lu Zheng bade his farewell and returned home for dinner.
-- Gift
received