Five Immortal Sects

Chapter 15: Cultivation

At this moment, in the grand hall of the General’s mansion within Green Mountain Pass, General Hong sat alone on a large, wide wooden chair. He leaned back against the chair, gazing up at the ceiling, his eyes rotating constantly as he stroked his chin with one hand, deep in thought.

“The guards over there reported that Li Yan was called into the room by Ji Wenhe this morning. I guess he has officially become his disciple. The next step would be to start his cultivation,” a voice came from a corner of the grand hall, but there was no one in sight.

Upon closer inspection, a sturdy man was found standing in the shadow of a giant pillar, his body blending seamlessly with the pillar’s shadow.

He was not tall, wearing a dark blue robe, and his body was as sturdy as the pillar’s base.

“He didn’t let the kid become his disciple immediately last night, which already surprised me. Given his current deteriorating physical condition, it’s impressive that he can still be so calm and composed,” General Hong said, still gazing up at the ceiling.

“Then, Senior Brother, you may be able to tell whether he really can’t suppress the poison in his body, or he is just pretending?” the dark blue-robed man asked.

“It’s likely true, judging from the guard’s reports and his actions over the years. He’s not pretending. But even so, we have little chance of winning if we use force. His martial arts is the sum of our two combined, and even in his current state, we are still no match for him.” General Hong continued.

“Don’t underestimate him, brother. Although his martial arts skills have reached the highest level, he still needs to allocate a significant amount of internal energy to suppress the poison within him. Moreover, you and I have been stuck at the Supreme Expert level for over ten years now, and we’re only one step away from reaching the Transcendent Expert. Combining our powers, we might still be able to take him down,” the dark blue-robed man said with a hint of confidence.

“Brother, that’s our last resort. What I’m thinking now is how to get our hands on that kid. His previous disciple, who entered the military strategist’s mansion, never came out again and died an unnatural death within a month. It’s difficult to get close to him. Now, I’m wondering if he’s truly unable to cultivate or if his cultivation method is indeed unique to those with special physiques. If it’s the latter, wouldn’t all our efforts be in vain?”

General Hong still gazed up at the ceiling, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Brother, in the martial arts world, there’s no cultivation method that can’t be learned, even if it’s a toxic or evil technique. As long as you obtain the method, you can cultivate it. The only difference is the speed and outcome of the cultivation. I’ve never heard of any internal energy requirement for a specific physique. Take our sect’s heart methods, from the lowest to the highest levels – if we teach them to our disciples, which one can’t cultivate? It’s just a matter of speed.”

The dark blue-robed man also frowned, saying, “What you said is exactly why I’m unwilling to give up. Even if it’s an evil sect’s martial arts, we can still cultivate it if we want to. It’s just a matter of whether it’s worth it or not. He must have his reasons for not wanting to spread it, but what’s so special about Li Yan and that previous disciple?”

“I tested Li Yan’s meridians on the military training grounds yesterday, and they’re quite ordinary, not even as good as many of the soldiers. Yet, he was chosen from among tens of thousands of people in the military. That’s what I really can’t understand.”

The grand hall fell silent once again.

After a moment, General Hong turned to the dark blue-robed man and said, “Brother, regardless of the conditions he uses to accept disciples or what he does with them, he must teach them some methods. What we need to do is try to get close to Li Yan and obtain those methods from him. With our experience, we can definitely find some clues from those methods and make further plans.”

The hall fell silent again, and then the sound of footsteps gradually faded away. General Hong remained seated in the large chair, silent and still, with the hall quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

In the evening, at Great Green Mountain…

Chang Bo and his son Li Wei returned from the fields as usual, although the harvest was already settled after the locust disaster. Farmers have a deep emotional attachment to their crops, just like a mother’s love for her child, and every grain is hard-earned.

Every day, someone from the village would go to their fields to tend to the remaining crops. Chang Bo would always return home before evening, when the sky was still bright, and his wife and four daughters would have a simple dinner prepared.

They would eat dinner before it got dark, to avoid having to light the oil lamps for too long, as they had to be frugal with their limited resources.

Since Li Yan left yesterday, the atmosphere at home had been tense.

“Father, do you think the village head will return today?”

Li Yan’s mother looked at the others, who were eating their mountain yam, but she hadn’t touched her food. She looked worried and asked her husband. 

“I’ve told you many times, why do you keep asking? It’ll take at least two days to get there and back, and you’re still worried?”

Chang Bo looked up, his face also showing anxiety and frustration, and tapped his bowl with his chopsticks, making a “ting-ting” sound. 

Li Wei and Li Xiaozhu looked at each other, wanting to ask questions, but seeing the atmosphere, they didn’t dare to say anything more. They knew that even if they asked, their father wouldn’t know the answer, but it was just a way to comfort themselves by talking about it.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside, followed by a loud and clear voice. “Chang Bo, I’m back! I’m back, haha…”

As soon as they heard the voice, everyone’s spirits lifted, and the room was suddenly filled with the sound of chairs and tables being pushed aside, and people rushing out of the house.

Li Yan’s mother looked at the overturned chairs and tables, the scattered chopsticks and the half-eaten mountain yam in the bowls, and let out a sigh. “Stupid, aren’t you also worried!!”

Then, she too quickly got up and rushed out of the house.

Outside, Li Guoxing was walking towards Li Yan’s house, followed by a group of village children and villagers. Before he even reached the door, three figures rushed out of the house.

Upon closer inspection, it was Chang Bo and his two children, followed by Li Yan’s mother, all looking anxious and flustered.

Chang Bo saw Li Guoxing and quickly stood up straight, and Li Wei and Li Xiaozhu also gathered around. Chang Bo took a deep breath and smiled, saying, “Guoxing, you’re back! Come in and have some water, let’s talk slowly.”

Li Guoxing looked at Chang Bo’s forced calm face, which was actually filled with anxiety, and couldn’t help but laugh again. “Haha… Chang Bo, I won’t go in. The horse carriage is still tied up outside, and I haven’t visited Li Yu and Li Shan’s families yet. I’ll come back to you after I’ve finished reporting to them.”

Chang Bo nodded repeatedly, “Okay, okay!”

Then, Li Wei and the others looked at Li Guoxing with expectant faces.

Li Guoxing was gently patting the village children who were circling around him, playing and laughing.

“Go, go, go! Hurry back to your homes and let your parents know that I’ve brought back the things you needed from the city.”

He wasn’t just bringing back things for Li Yan’s family, but also for other families in the village.

The children cheered and left, some running back to their homes, while others ran to the villagers who had come with Li Guoxing.

These villagers, who had met Li Guoxing at the village entrance, were now standing with their arms crossed, or patting their children’s heads, listening to the news that Li Guoxing had brought back from the city.

Li Guoxing waited for the children to leave, then turned to face Li Yan’s family, who were all smiling and eager to hear the news.

Li Guoxing’s face turned serious. “Chang Bo, I didn’t go to Li Yu and Li Shan’s families first, but came to you first because I have some extraordinary news to share with you.”

“Oh, Uncle Guoxing, what’s the good news?” Li Wei asked, and the others also leaned in, their faces tense with anticipation. The villagers around them also stopped their children from playing and gathered around, forming a small circle.

Seeing this, Li Guoxing didn’t tease them anymore.

“Chang Bo, the Feng Shui of your ancestral tomb seems to be very good, and Li Yan has been recruited into the Imperial Guard, but what’s surprising is…”

Li Guoxing then told them about his trip to the city, including stories about Military Advisor Ji, to make sure they knew who Li Yan’s master was.

As he spoke, more and more villagers gathered around, listening in awe. At first, they were stunned, then suddenly erupted into a hubbub of voices and discussions.

Chang Bo’s family was stunned, unable to believe the news.

Li Yan had actually become a disciple of Military Advisor Ji, a man with a reputation even greater than General Hong’s?

But seeing Li Guoxing’s confident expression, the villagers chose to believe him.

Mountain villagers were simple and trusting, and the village head was the highest authority they knew. Occasionally, a small official would come to the village, and they would treat them like royalty. Similarly, the villagers were pure and honest, and they always trusted the village head’s words.

“Oh my heavens, oh my heavens, oh my heavens…”

Li Yan’s mother stood among the crowd, muttering to herself as if in a dream. Chang Bo stood still, with two lines of old tears already streaming down his face…

At the military advisor’s residence, Li Yan’s room door had been closed since noon, with a small black wooden plaque hung on the door handle.

Li Yan didn’t choose the empty room next door as his cultivation room; he thought it was fine to cultivate in his own room.

After hanging the black wooden plaque and closing the door, he pulled out a chair, sat down at the desk, and picked up the small wooden puppet. He carefully thought about the “Breathing Guidance Technique” and its route in his mind.

Then, he carefully confirmed the route with the small wooden puppet, repeatedly thinking about the mantra in his mind. He didn’t want to end up like that senior brother.

After about an incense stick’s worth of time, he put down the small wooden puppet, sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, and began to cultivate according to the mantra.

However, he had already decided that if he sensed anything wrong, he would immediately stop cultivating.

What Li Yan didn’t know was that the cultivation he started today would change the trajectory of his life, setting him on the long and arduous path of seeking the truth.