Cultivating Immortality in a World of Chaos

Chapter 40: Bestowing Names

Along the main road, they spotted a sobbing young boy intermittently running and stopping - it was Gouzi.

“What happened?”

In a flurry of fluttering garments, Fang Xi, Mu Canglong, and Han Feipeng swiftly surrounded Gouzi.

“Waaah… Hurry up and save our boss! He’s been attacked by some monster!” Upon seeing Fang Xi and his companions, Gouzi rushed towards them as if finding his saviors.

“What? Another monster?” Mu Canglong felt overwhelmed. “What kind of monster is it?”

“Sob… I-I don’t know… We couldn’t even see it, but blood started pouring from our boss, Xiao Yun, Little Shu…” Gouzi wept uncontrollably, gasping for breath.

“Could it be… another ‘devil’?” Mu Canglong’s expression turned grave.

“No! It definitely wasn’t a devil!” Fatty Han composed himself and analyzed, “In an old text I once read, it mentioned ‘two devils shall not coexist’, meaning only one devil can appear within a given region! Since Blackstone City already has the Demon Tree, what Zhang Junming encountered must have been a unique type of beast!”

“A beast?” Fang Xi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

If Zhang Junming had indeed faced another devil, Fang Xi would have turned back without hesitation. However, encountering a mere beast was different.

He had always planned to hunt beastfolk for selling their meat!

With progress on the Everlasting Spring Art stagnating, it seemed like the right time to purchase medicinal pills and accelerate his cultivation using their power. This required spirit stones - lots and lots of them!

“Master Mu, take Gouzi back to the caravan. Fatty Han and I will go investigate!” After considering briefly, Fang Xi swiftly made his decision.

“Why me specifically, Old Han?” Fatty Han looked somewhat dejected.

“Naturally, because your strength is greater,” Fang Xi chuckled. Internally, he reasoned that even if they encountered danger, this mountain of flesh could both serve as a shield and draw more attention than himself. Why choose anyone else over Fatty Han or Mu Canglong?

Within the dense forest, bloodstains covered the gnarled roots of ancient trees.

Fang Xi’s brow furrowed as he pulled a piece of fabric from one of the branches.

“It’s from Zhang Junming’s clothing!”

Fatty Han took out a handkerchief and wiped away his oily sweat. “Looks like Zhang Junming wasn’t so fortunate, Brother Fang. Why don’t we just leave now? This place is eerily unsettling.”

“Yes… An invisible beast, quite intriguing indeed,” Fang Xi mused thoughtfully. “Perhaps… after its hunt, it hasn’t left yet?”

With this idea in mind, he discreetly activated the Everlasting Spring Art, channeling two strands of wood attribute magical energy into his eyes.

These were the spiritual vision techniques used by cultivators!

Of course, without specialized training for enhanced perception, their effectiveness in the cultivation world was limited. Primarily, they were useful in the mundane world to detect objects with high spiritual energy.

But in Great Liang?

Demon flesh and similar items also possess considerable spiritual energy.

A faint green glow flickered in Fang Xi’s eyes as he scanned the surroundings.

Suddenly, his movements halted.

Just beside Fatty Han, hidden among the ancient trees, lay a semi-transparent monster!

The creature appeared to be entirely made of glass, moving stealthily through the jungle. Its long tongue slowly extended and reached Fatty Han’s side.

“Abomination!”

Fang Xi’s voice thundered like spring lightning as he unleashed a punch towards Fatty Han.

“Agh!”

Caught off guard, Fatty Han instinctively activated his ‘Swallowing the Heavens Art’ for defense. Suddenly, he felt something elongated wrapping around his waist, accompanied by a slimy texture and foul odor.

“What the hell is this thing?” With a furious roar, his body expanded rapidly, resembling a round ball, and managed to forcefully pry open the monster’s tongue.

Simultaneously, Fang Xi struck the creature with explosive Primordial Strength!

Bang!

A series of powerful blasts erupted, sending green blood splattering everywhere.

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground echoed.

Only then did Fatty Han notice a monstrous beast lying on the forest floor, gradually regaining its dark green hue…

This creature was over three meters long, with sharp limbs covered in scales. Its bulging eyes spun with keen intelligence, and at the base of its neck, there was a frilled collar-like membrane, giving it an imposing appearance from afar.

“What a massive chameleon beast!”

For some reason, when Fang Xi saw the membranous collar around its neck, it reminded him of a dog’s protective cone-collar, causing him to burst out laughing, “Ha ha ha… Fatty Han, you nearly became a delivered meal there!”

Undeniably, this fat fellow made for quite a competent meat shield.

As he observed, a large bloody hole marred the back of the chameleon beast, surrounded by scattered green scales.

“Damn, we almost got taken down today,” Fatty Han growled menacingly. “Tonight, Old Han is feasting on this beast’s flesh!”

With a furious roar, his bulky frame leaped high and crashed down like a mountain collapsing. “Swallowing Heavens Palm!”

Fang Xi shook his head, “I doubt you’ll be able to stomach it!”

Nonetheless, he joined forces with Fatty Han in their attack.

The chameleon beast wasn’t particularly strong; its main advantage lay in its ability to hide seamlessly, making it elusive and formidable. However, once Fang Xi disrupted its ‘Invisibility Spell’, it became rather ordinary.

Soon enough, the beast lay motionless on its back, transforming into a lifeless corpse.

Fang Xi wasted no time, pulling out a dagger to gut the chameleon beast and locate Zhang Junming’s mutilated remains.

“Uh… seems like it really can’t be eaten…” Fatty Han shook his head, slightly disappointed.

“Sigh… who would’ve thought that our early morning farewell today was actually for the last time! However, since we didn’t find Xiao Yun’s body, perhaps she managed to escape?”

A sudden sense of life’s unpredictability struck Fang Xi.

Having shared some acquaintance with them, he joined Fatty Han in burying Zhang Junming’s corpse. Afterwards, he sent Fatty Han away first.

Once Fatty Han had left, Fang Xi tapped his bag of holding, retrieving the ghost-headed blade with a hint of excitement on his face: “This beast’s skin should be useful for crafting special magical artifacts… And its meat along with bones, not bad at all, could fetch some spirit stones.”

At that moment, he inwardly expressed gratitude once again to his lucky charm friend.

Without this buddy’s sponsored bag of holding, hiding the chameleon beastfolk’s corpse would have been quite troublesome.

Back at the caravan…

“Don’t worry… Da-shixiong is exceptionally skilled, already a martial artist level expert. He’ll surely bring your boss back.”

Mu Piaomiao was comforting Gouzi when suddenly, a distant mountain of flesh slowly descended and landed before them.

“Where’s my boss?” Gouzi immediately asked.

“He’s dead!” Fatty Han sighed, handing over a bloodstained piece of clothing to Gouzi.

Gouzi broke down, sobbing uncontrollably until he fainted.

“That’s just how life goes; try not to dwell on it…” Shaking his head, Fatty Han returned to indulge himself inside his carriage.

Indeed, after allocating one carriage for Fang Xi, he had summoned all his concubines to join him in his own, leaving everyone amazed by the sheer strength of the horse pulling it - truly a divine steed!

“Master is back!”

As Fatty Han entered the carriage, he was instantly enveloped by several tender arms.

“Heh heh…”

Casually retrieving a bottle of fine wine from beneath the seat, he took a swig. “Mm… I’m back.” His eyes narrowed contentedly, barely visible through the slits.

‘That Fang Xi definitely has secrets, but they’re none of old Han’s concern.’

‘Living carefree and joyful is the key to longevity… Greed begets no good, no good indeed. Each day with lovely wives and beautiful concubines, well-fed and content, that’s happiness enough, pure happiness…’

Shortly thereafter, Fang Xi returned to the caravan.

“Let’s set off - continue our journey!” He surveyed the group and issued his command.

The convoy slowly moved forward, and Fang Xi approached Gouzi. “Do you have anywhere else to go?”

“No…” Gouzi replied, eyes vacant as he stared ahead.

“In that case, come with us to Three Essences City. I’ll introduce you to Baiyun Dojo; at least you can earn your keep there!”

Fang Xi casually prepared to pass on this burden to Mu Piaomiao. After all, once Mu Canglong reached Three Essences City, it was highly likely he would need to sustain himself by reopening a dojo.

“Oh right, do you have a name?”

“No!” Gouzi answered.

“Well then, let me give you one. Since you’re joining Zhang Junming, we’ll use the surname Zhang… As for the given name? How about ‘in jest amidst grand ambitions, life is best savored in intoxication’? Let’s call you Zhang Zui… No, wait, Zhang Mingding sounds better!”

“Zhang?” Gouzi pondered briefly before nodding firmly. “From now on, my name shall be Zhang Mingding!”

“Hmm, excellent choice!” Fang Xi nodded, feeling a sense of continuation for Zhang Junming’s legacy in this world, just as the ancients sought.

‘Heh… pity that such continuation is merely superficial!’

‘Whether it’s family lineage, bloodline, spiritual heritage, or leaving a mark in history…none compare to living oneself as the embodiment of history!’

‘I must achieve Foundation Establishment for eternal longevity!’

With a determined gleam in his eyes, Fang Xi’s resolve strengthened even further.

Several days later.

At Qingzhu Mountain Market’s shantytown, Fang Xi returned with an unassuming expression.

The scent from the Three Days Incense had long dissipated, and throughout his journey, he noticed no signs of heightened suspicion or alarm.

After all, deaths outside the market were commonplace, and people had grown accustomed to it. Unless someone significant perished, they would quickly be forgotten.

‘Besides… if the Hundred Skills Pavilion is searching for a burly brute selling Beefwood meat, what does that have to do with me, a mere spirit farmer?’

Having discreetly gathered information, Fang Xi felt reassured.

However, Chen Ping was nowhere to be seen; likely either in seclusion or bothering Fellow Daoist Lu again.

Fang Xi paid him no mind and decided to approach Di Qi directly.

“What?! Fellow Daoist Fang, you actually killed a beastfolk?” Di Qi scrutinized Fang Xi, as if reevaluating this spirit farmer entirely.

“Just got lucky, really. This particular beastfolk wasn’t very strong…” Fang Xi smiled modestly. “The carcass is at my place; I’ll show it to you…”

Naturally, he wouldn’t reveal his bag of holding in front of Di Qi, so he had already placed the neatly cut beastfolk meat at home beforehand.

Upon entering Fang Xi’s log cabin and seeing the piles of beast meat along with stark white bones, Di Qi finally believed him. “Indeed, you’re remarkably lucky, Daoist friend… Are these meant to be sold?”

“Yes!” Fang Xi rubbed his hands nervously, seemingly hesitant to broach the topic. “With all the cutthroat competition at the market, I dare not risk drawing attention myself. Would it be too much trouble for you, Daoist friend, to handle the sale on my behalf? If willing, I can offer you a ten percent commission!”

‘This deal sounds promising!’ Di Qi’s eyes lit up instantly. His family had needs in this regard, and successfully managing this could even earn him minor merit.

The key advantage was… he could profit from both ends!

His enthusiasm surged as he asked, “What is the rank of this beastfolk? How many pounds does it weigh?”

“Approximately low-tier first rank…” Fang Xi replied candidly. “There’s around three to four hundred pounds of meat, with bones counted separately… As for the hide, I’ve decided to keep that.”

Even for a spirit farmer, striking luck and hunting down a beastfolk seemed plausible enough.

After all, fortune favors the unpredictable; who could predict such chances?

Regardless, Fang Xi had no intention of selling a second beast through Di Qi after this instance.