Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 5: Gathering Herbs on the Back Mountain

After he joined the Outer Sect, the label of “good-for-nothing” spread like wildfire. Being demoted from the Inner Sect—and as a top disciple of Elder Qingsong, no less—he became the subject of much gossip. Some openly provoked him. True to his nature, Su Mu would fight to the bitter end even if he couldn’t win; if his opponent was ruthless, he’d be even more so. However, due to his poor physical condition and low cultivation level, he was frequently bullied. Later, after he suffered a serious injury and the incident escalated to the point where Cheng Yao found out, she flew into a rage. She reported the matter to the higher-ups; her family held great influence in the Xiaoyun Kingdom, and the Outer Sect disciple who had injured Su Mu was severely punished. After that, no one dared to provoke Su Mu anymore; everyone knew that when he was an inner-sect disciple, he had been Cheng Yao’s junior brother. Qian Dafu pried a brick loose from the wall; to his surprise, it was hollow. He reached inside and pulled out a small gray vial. “Mu Ge, this is for you!” Su Mu couldn’t help but pause in surprise. “A Bone-Marrow Purification Pill?” “Yep. I just made up a quick lie to fool that big dummy. How could I possibly let something this precious go to waste?” Qian Dafu grinned smugly. Su Mu had been helping him carry heavy bundles all day and had seen him fall several times, even scraping his knees. He’d thought everything Qian Dafu had said in front of Zhong Qiang was true, but it turned out this fat guy was actually pretty shrewd. “I can’t accept this.” “People in the Outer Sect always look down on me, and sometimes they even bully me. It’s Mu Ge who’s always stood up for me and treated me like a friend. If you don’t take it, you’re not treating me like a brother.” “Da Fu, that’s not what I meant.” Su Mu was deeply moved. His situation was actually quite similar to Qian Dafu’s; the two of them stuck together for mutual support. Because this chubby guy was so good-natured that he never held a grudge when he got the short end of the stick. In the Outer Sect, the more you show weakness, the more others will try to walk all over you. Since he’d accepted this friendship, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Su Mu wasn’t exactly the type to beat up the troublemakers himself, but he had a senior sister behind him who held a high status and was highly skilled—which naturally made people think twice. So many people mocked him behind his back, calling him a “kept man” hiding behind a woman. “Take it! You’re more talented than I am. No matter how many Bone-Washing Pills I take, they won’t do me much good. I’m counting on Mu Ge to make a name for himself and look out for me in the future!” Qian Dafu was extremely straightforward; before Su Mu could refuse, he’d already shoved the vial into his hand. Su Mu explained the general reason for his arrival at the sect—that he’d been victimized at birth—but didn’t mention that the stagnant poison flared up every three years and had yet to be purged. This was his second year as an outer-sect disciple, and he had exactly two years left to live. At first, Su Mu was terrified and couldn’t help but feel despondent. He lay awake at night, constantly thinking of his father and the vow he’d made when he left the Dongli Realm. He had never given up hope for a single moment; even in his final breath, he would do everything in his power to survive. If he could open his fifth Source Vein, he would be able to purify his body, and there would naturally be a way to eradicate the poison within him. At the beginning of every month, he would use Bone-Cleansing Pills to flush his meridians, and gradually, he began to see some results—perhaps due to his relentless physical training over the past two years. Although a figure as esteemed as Elder Qingsong had explicitly stated that the stagnant poison within his body was difficult to eradicate, how could a few tiny Bone-Cleansing Pills possibly be effective? But Su Mu felt that his constitution had been far too weak back then; things were very different now. Perhaps a miracle might just happen. “Da Fu, I won’t bother saying ‘thank you’—it would seem too formal. This time, I have six Bone-Cleansing Pills. In a couple of days, I’m heading to the back mountains of Misty Peak to gather herbs. There’s a spot where an Eight-Leaf Qi-Nourishing Herb grows; combining this spiritual herb with the Bone-Cleansing Pills will yield remarkable results.” “The back mountains of Misty Peak? There are demon beasts there—it’s very dangerous!” “I’ll just have to be careful. If it were easy to find, it wouldn’t be available for me. This time, I absolutely must get my hands on it! I’m determined to advance from the Blood Refining stage to the Qi Refining stage this time—reaching the peak of the Innate Realm—so I can break through to my fifth Source Vein.” Su Mu realized that his biggest problem was that his cultivation hadn’t yet reached the Qi Refining stage. Once one reaches the peak of the Innate Realm, the first step in the Acquired Realm is the Bone-Washing丹. He had been stuck at the Blood Refining stage for a full year. He still had high hopes for this round of cultivation, which would involve absorbing the potency of the Marrow-Cleansing Pill. “Then I won’t be tagging along—I don’t want to get in your way. By the way, Mu Ge, you’ve publicly challenged Zhong Qiang to a duel at the Disciplinary Platform in seven days. Are you confident you can win?” “Zhong Qiang has been picking on us left and right these past few days. He’s really just doing someone else’s bidding—stealing other people’s Bone-Washing Pills was just a tribute to his boss. He’s just a lackey—I don’t know what he’s getting so cocky about. You heard what those guys said too. Am I supposed to just keep swallowing my pride? Even if I can’t win, I’ve got to fight. This isn’t about winning or losing anymore—I have to take action.” Qian Dafu let out an “oh.” “But Zhong Qiang is incredibly strong. He’s at the peak of the Innate Realm, and I’ve heard he’s about to break through to the Bone-Washing Realm.” “If I can break through the Blood Refining Realm, I’ll still be able to give him a run for his money. As long as the gap in our strength isn’t too great, I still have a chance.” “Mu Ge, I believe you can do it!” “It’s getting late. We’ve been working all day and are exhausted. Let’s get some sleep early—we’ve got another busy day ahead tomorrow.” After working nonstop for three days, returning only at night, the two were too exhausted to even speak and fell asleep the moment their heads hit the pillow. By the afternoon of the fourth day, they finally had some free time. Without permission from the Outer Sect overseers, Outer Sect disciples were not allowed to climb the peaks of Ling Xiao Mountain. His destination was the backside of Misty Peak, where such rules didn’t apply. The area was densely forested and the mountains were towering; demon beasts often roamed there, and some inner-sect disciples from Misty Peak frequently came to the backside to hunt. He didn’t see a single soul along the way, which filled him with delight. Half a month earlier, when he’d come here to gather herbs, he’d accidentally discovered a Eight-Leaf Qi-Nourishing Herb—though it hadn’t been ripe at the time. He had been absolutely thrilled at the time but had no choice but to wait patiently. Now, judging by the time that had passed, it should be fully mature and ready for harvesting. Once he finished harvesting, he could devote himself to breaking through his meridians tomorrow night. With only two days left until the scheduled duel, time was extremely tight. He had been the one to propose the duel, so naturally he hoped to win—he absolutely could not lose. Whether or not he could break through to the Blood Refining Realm depended entirely on this single mature Eight-Leaf Vitality Herb. The mist was also thick on the backside of Misty Peak. Fearing that someone might discover and harvest the spiritual herb, he couldn’t help but quicken his pace. His mind was entirely focused on this spiritual herb, so he completely failed to notice the dramatic changes unfolding in the sky above him.