At dawn the next day, Fan Wuqi set off down the mountain.
Many disciples who had accepted commissions also began their journeys. Most of them had their own traveling tools—immortal techniques, spiritual treasures, talismans, flying spirit pets, flying swords... all sorts of things.
Often, Fan Wuqi felt that the sect was like a company in the Cultivation Realm.
Recruiting disciples, disciples earning credit for the sect, the sect paying disciples... there were those who worked diligently, those who coasted by, those who slacked off... Some disciples would travel using various extravagant modes, while others relied solely on their own two legs.
Fan Wuqi was the latter.
However, traveling like this was a breeze for him.
With the Unwarranted Qi Creation Skill, his aura was exceptionally tenacious. This is what is meant by deep inner strength, though it did not manifest in skills or flashy techniques.
Smelling the mountain air, with morning dew.
Fan Wubing's steps were steady and quick. Some Qi Refining Stage disciples who set off with him were fast at first but soon slowed due to unstable qi, allowing him to overtake them.
By noon, he had already reached Weiri City, where the commission was located.
Weiri City was built on the foothills of the Eternal Immortal Sect and had developed because of it. Thus, interactions between the mortal and immortal were very frequent, and trade between the two was thriving. In the city's streets and alleys, while not filled with cultivators, they were far from rare as in regular secular cities.
Fan Wuqi first used a low-grade spirit stone to exchange for some worldly money and went to the flea market to procure some props to semblance a cultivator.
There was no problem with his appearance; many people in the Eternal Immortal Sect looked down on him for his low cultivation base, but no one dared to say he wasn't handsome.
At fourteen, he was already the height of an average adult. Due to daily practice of the Unwarranted Qi Creation Skill, he had a well-proportioned physique and an extraordinary presence. His face was a mix of elegance and strength.
Otherwise, would that junior sister named Luo Qingyao have taken a fancy to him at a glance?
Imagine if the one meditating in front of the Enlightenment Stele was a 200-pound, 1.5 meters tall, heavily wrinkled fatty, would she still be interested at a glance?
In this aspect, Fan Wubing was quite confident.
The reason for dressing up was to look the part when the time came.
He couldn't just show up empty-handed. If you were the client, wouldn't you be apprehensive seeing a youngster arriving empty-handed?
Furthermore, this family's commission had failed several times in a row; ensuring no psychological shadow was left was crucial.
By the time he arrived at the Li Family, it was already dusk.
Fan Wubing got straight to the point, displaying his Sect Token and commission documents,
"Landlord Li, I am the disciple Fan Wubing, who accepted your commission 'Hefty Rewards for a Son' at the Eternal Immortal Sect."
Landlord Li was tall, thin, with heavy eye bags and a somewhat pale face—obviously weak even without sensing his qi and blood. He looked up and down at Fan Wubing, seeing he carried quite a bit, he said,
"Immortal, please come in quickly."
On the way, Landlord Li explained the specifics of the situation to Fan Wubing. It was consistent with what Fan Wubing remembered of that small side story, but in the real world, it felt more vivid,
"Fan Immortal, would you prefer to see the madam first, or?"
"Let's have a look at the household situation first."
Fan Wubing then took out an Eight Trigrams Mirror he had bought for ten coins, glancing at the mirror and at the house, walking here and there, murmuring under his breath at times and pausing to think deeply at others. After this performance for a while, he appeared enlightened and then said confidently,
"Landlord Li, let's meet the madam."
Intrigued, Landlord Li inquired,
"Fan Immortal, what were you just doing?"
Fan Wubing replied with a smile,
"People are like rootless trees; they grow roots wherever they go. But if the place where they take root is impure, it naturally won't sprout good shoots or bloom fine flowers."
This kind of vague talk invites others to interpret its meaning. Such words could be spoken by anyone, but it depends on who says them. If said by an ordinary person, Landlord Li might not care, but coming from a disciple of the Eternal Immortal Sect, it surely leads to overthinking its implications.
People are most inclined to believe in the things they imagine themselves.
"Are you saying there's an issue with my house?" asked Landlord Li.
Fan Wubing closed his eyes and shook his head,
"Hard to say. Let's see the madam first."
Upon entering the inner house, they met Landlord Li's wife.
If not told, Fan Wubing might have mistaken her for Landlord Li's daughter.
She was young and beautiful, with a voluptuous figure. As she walked gracefully, her skirt swayed like willow branches in the breeze, and her upper body was in constant motion, large and fine, fine and large. Her face was lightly adorned, lips red and teeth white, brows holding shyness, eyes carrying allure.
With such charm, it was understandable why Landlord Li looked so haggard.
The fresher the land is tilled, the older the ox grows eating it.
"Greetings, Lady Li," Fan Wubing said.
Despite her natural allure, Lady Li held herself with exceptional poise and did not appear as a wanton woman. The commission also stated that she and Landlord Li were very much in love, prompting him to raise a hefty sum to seek help in having a son.
"Greetings, young immortal," she responded.
Fan Wubing then took out a piece of yellow paper, dipped it in cinnabar, and quickly sketched a charm before lighting it on fire and circling around Lady Li.
There was no practical effect—merely going through the motions.
After finishing, Fan Wubing looked troubled and said,
"I didn't expect it to be this kind of situation."
Nervously, Landlord Li asked,
"Fan Immortal Family, what exactly do you mean?"
"I'm afraid, sigh..."
Fan Wubing was pretending to be profound, and Landlord Li followed up by asking,
"Do you need me to avoid arousing suspicion?"
"Arousing suspicion?" Fan Wubing was puzzled, "Why avoid suspicion?"
Landlord Li said,
"Several Immortal Family members before mentioned healing Madam's Inverse Yin Poison, saying it was inconvenient to have excess Yang energy around, so I should avoid suspicion."
As he spoke, Lady Li shyly turned her face away.
Looking at it this way...
Click, there are rotten apples in the Eternal Immortal Sect!
Lady Li said softly and delicately,
"If it's like this with the young Immortal Family, I will cooperate."
Looking at Landlord Li again, he had an expression that suggested he was accustomed to it.
Fan Wubing felt numb, with some sympathy for Landlord Li in his heart.
Although Lady Li was exuberant with nourishment, becoming particularly radiant, even if Fan Wubing had a thousand guts, he wouldn't dare to step forward.
He knew very well that Lady Li was in fact a dignified and honest person, so why was she ever exuding a seductive aura?
This was the "Tongue Desire" longing to feast.
In "Endless Immortal Path," there was a long side quest involving the "Six Desires" among the seven emotions and Six Desires of "eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, intent," each "Desire" had a story, containing a treasure.
And the matter of Lady Li was the content of the "Tongue Desire" part.
The so-called "Tongue Desire," while referring to the desire of the mouth and tongue, its effect was "taking in external objects to nourish internal affairs," manifested in Lady Li as... turning everything that entered her body into her essence and blood.
Therefore, she became younger and more radiant the longer she lived, but the price was... she couldn't conceive. It wasn't some mysterious Inverse Yin Poison concocted by quack doctors to swindle money.
Poor Landlord Li, one head with the fresh green grass flowing serenely, another suffering from the unpleasant "Tongue Desire."
In "Endless Immortal Path," the "Tongue Desire" is very straightforwardly set, once learned, you can increase your maximum health by taking nourishment.
So, as soon as Fan Wubing saw the commission, he immediately thought of this side quest and took it without hesitation.
After collecting all Six Desires, one can obtain a very powerful passive, but that's not something to think about now. Because the places where the other desires are found are very far from here.
Now, the effort must be to get the "Tongue Desire" from Lady Li.
In the game, there are two ways, one is to directly kill Lady Li and loot it from her; the second is to sit face to face with her, meditate for an hour, and seize it through thoughts.
Back then, many players, during their first attempt at this side quest, could not endure that hour; either they killed her directly to take it, or they didn't have enough determination and were sucked dry by "Tongue Desire."
Perhaps, Wei Changkong's brother who lost dozens of pounds was the latter.
Fortunately, Landlord Li is a mortal, with not much to be absorbed, allowing him to persist for so long.
After contemplating, Fan Wubing said righteously,
"Landlord Li, I will now cleanse the misfortune from this mansion and then remove the Inverse Yin Poison from Madam's body. Please watch from the side to help increase my determination!"
"Watch from the side to increase determination? Isn't watching from the side more likely to affect determination?"
Fan Wubing said sternly,
"Matters of the Immortal Family, you should not interfere."
"Alright, Fan Immortal Family."
Fan Wubing put on a show of dancing some moves, making the whole process ceremonial, then sat face-to-face with Lady Li on a bed.
Honestly, facing the ever-so-alluring Lady Li, no, facing "Tongue Desire," even with Fan Wubing's nearly ten years of sitting quietly at the Enlightenment Stele determination, and without any "being watched" proclivities, he almost couldn't control himself.
He had to stand up a few times in between, scaring himself into recalling his most distressing experiences in his two lifetimes repeatedly, barely managing to suppress it.
[Beneath the tongue lies desire, in the belly is the ocean, swallowing stars in the heavens, chewing the moon in the mortal world]
[You visualize this technique and obtain the non-attribute Cultivation Technique "Devour Star Chew Moon"]
["Devour Star Chew Moon," can through nourishment, increase health value limit, the specific value depends on the quality of the intake object. Upon perfect mastery, gain the innate passive "Tongue Desire"]
[Current progress: 0/100]
"Non-attribute Cultivation Technique!"
Neither Immortal Dao nor Martial Dao. It can also be regarded as both Immortal Dao and Martial Dao. Any non-attribute Cultivation Technique possesses the "uniqueness" effect, meaning only one person can practice it simultaneously.
In the game world, only players practice, but here,
"Only me!"
Fan Wubing's emotions surged, his entire aura was like a rainbow, his face like a banished immortal, making both Landlord Li and Lady Li beside him even more convinced.
He could not resist clapping and feasting, so he asked,
"Landlord Li, I have exhausted myself using Immortal Technique excessively, feeling somewhat hungry, could you prepare some food?"
"Of course! Of course! Someone, quickly light the kitchen fire, prepare a meal for Fan Immortal Family!"