Chapter Ninety: The Secret of the Spirit Fish, the Essence of Water

Who in this world does not cling to life? Since hope of survival now stood before him, how could he bear to refuse it? The old man was clearly in such a state.

The medicinal fragrance wafting from the pill in the bottle seemed able to pass even through the jade vial. It was plainly an excellent spirit pill without question.

A single breath was enough for him to feel the power within his body stir more vividly.

In the end, the old man accepted the pill, then bowed deeply to Lin You and said with gratitude, "Today, my granddaughter and I have received the saving grace of a true immortal. We have no way to repay it. I wonder whether your side lacks someone to sweep and tend to things. This old man would like my granddaughter to remain here with a broom in hand and serve you, to repay this kindness!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liunian at the side let out a quiet laugh.

He spoke of repaying a kindness, but in truth he was also seeking a future for his granddaughter.

After all, the spiritual energy within the Crimson Pine Dao Palace was abundant; it was a true immortal land. If one could cultivate here, it would be far better than struggling through the mortal world.

This was only human nature and could not be blamed.

After hearing him out, Lin You shook his head and declined politely. "This poor Daoist is one who cultivates in seclusion beyond the world. I am not used to being waited upon."

The old man's heart tightened at once.

The true immortal before him not only possessed vast powers, but was also skilled in alchemy. If his granddaughter could enter the other man's tutelage, then the road ahead would be bright indeed.

Moreover, among all the cultivators and strange adepts he had met, this immortal's character was without equal. He was even more worthy of entrusting his granddaughter to.

After weighing everything, he decided to add another bargaining chip. He asked Lin You, "Does the true immortal know the origin of this spirit fish?"

Without waiting for an answer, he said plainly, "This fish came from a place of spiritual blessing!"

As soon as he said this, Jiang Liunian's eyes widened.

A place of spiritual blessing? He had roamed the world for more than ten years and had never discovered any such place besides the Crimson Pine Dao Palace.

Lin You was also somewhat surprised. He had not expected a place of spiritual blessing to still exist in this age of fading laws. He could not help but glance at the spirit fish in the basket.

The fish had a golden body and red tail, scales like jade, and two short whiskers at the corners of its mouth. It was unmistakably a spirit carp.

What was more, tears hung from its eyes, and its expression carried a faint sorrow, as if it believed its life was nearing its end. It looked highly intelligent.

What drew Lin You's attention most was the aura emanating from the spirit fish.

Aside from a faint fluctuation of spiritual power, it was also tainted with an extremely yin, extremely gentle water-path essence. It was somewhat similar to the nature of a spirit spring, yet entirely different.

One must know that a spirit spring was a treasure enlightened by a Dao seed and nurtured within a Dao domain. Anything that could compare to it was unquestionably a heaven-and-earth treasure.

Seeing Lin You fall silent, the old man hurriedly pressed his advantage. "Please allow me to explain, true immortal. The reason this old man was able to cultivate to the second level of True Qi in merely ten years is entirely because I relied on that place of blessing. Originally, that site was to be passed on to Yu'er, but since you have saved the lives of the two of us, I can think of no better way to repay you than with this!"

At this point, he chose to retreat a step rather than advance, and no longer mentioned having his granddaughter serve as a maid.

Lin You naturally understood his little scheme, but he did not take offense. Instead, he asked, "Is that place of blessing within a body of water?"

The old man nodded and said, "Exactly so. Over these ten years, this old man captured twenty spirit fish from that place to aid my cultivation, and only then reached my present level!"

Lin You nodded. He was now certain that there was indeed a water-path treasure in that body of water, which had allowed many fish to awaken their intelligence.

And from the descriptions in several cultivation methods he had obtained, that treasure was very likely the Water Essence among the Five Elemental Spirits.

The essence of the Dao, to build your Dao foundation; the spirits of the five elements, to nurture your golden core; the true qi of the three luminaries, to transform and give birth to the infant; shedding the corpse and casting off the body, only then does the primordial spirit become true; roaming the three isles, then ascending in feathered flight...

When the ancient Immortal of Crimson Pine lectured on the Dao, there had once been such a passage.

To cultivate an Mysterious Core, one had to gather the five elements. So it was said: the Dragon-Tiger Mysterious Core is completed in a single day; when the five elements harmonize, one proves immortality!

And the five elements referred here were precisely the Five Elemental Spirits.

Yet innate Five Elemental Spirits were not common even in antiquity.

If one could obtain even one of them and refine it into the body, then one could use it to evolve the remaining four spirits. Afterward, by refining and harvesting the energies of the divine and baleful breaths, one could unite the five elements within the body and forge a Dragon-Tiger Mysterious Core.

If someone could gather all five innate spirits and refine a Great Dao Mysterious Core, then not only would their mana be vast as mountains and seas, but their path would hold promise and their primordial spirit would be within reach.

But as the age of fading laws drew near, traces of the Five Elemental Spirits in the world became nearly impossible to find.

Thus later generations mostly refined acquired five-element essences into pills, using them to accumulate the five energies within their bodies.

The mysterious core formed in this way could not become an excellent great pill, but it could still extend life by a thousand years and grant the small fruit of immortality.

Lin You pondered for a moment, and a decision was already made.

Although his present path of cultivation differed somewhat from that of ordinary people, and he did not know whether forming a pill required the Five Elemental Spirits, since he had encountered one, he could not let it pass by.

Thinking of this, he said to the old man, "That place is of use to this poor Daoist, so I will not decline any further. However, I am presently entangled in many affairs and have no time to go there for now. Would you two be willing to temporarily keep watch over it for me? I shall reward you with spirit pills. How does that sound?"

With that, he took out two more bottles of Essence-Nourishing Pills and placed them before the pair.

When the old man saw this, his eyes nearly popped out.

When others traded spirit pills, it was usually one at a time, and they treated each one like a priceless treasure.

Yet this true immortal before him had casually produced several bottles at once. It was extravagance beyond measure.

That his granddaughter had failed to enter his tutelage was truly the loss of a tremendous opportunity.

But things had come to this, and though the old man felt some regret, he knew better than to press the matter.

In any case, since he would be guarding that spiritual blessing site for this true immortal in the future, there would still be chances for contact. Then he could look for another opportunity and see whether he might somehow get his granddaughter accepted as the immortal's disciple.

For now, these two bottles of pills were probably enough for his granddaughter to step into the first level of True Qi.

Seeing the old man take the pills, Lin You nodded and said, "I imagine you have both heard that this poor Daoist has established the path of merit. Fellow Daoist Jin Yu need not stay at my side to cultivate. She only needs to accumulate merit, and when the time comes, she too will have spiritual medicines for cultivation."

Upon hearing this, the old man's face brightened at once.

Since the true immortal had said so, the path of merit was surely no falsehood. That was far more reliable than wandering through deep mountains and old forests every day in search of spiritual medicine.

Thus he hurriedly said, "We obey the true immortal's decree! This old man will take my granddaughter back to the Cang River at once and guard the spiritual blessing site for you!"

Lin You thought for a moment, then took out two jade talismans from his robe and handed them to the pair. These were two Wind-Riding Talismans, enough to help them escape danger once should they encounter it.

"If you meet a strong enemy invading, you may use the spirit apricot kernel to contact this poor Daoist. If the foe cannot be resisted, then you may use the jade talismans to flee on your own," Lin You instructed.

Holding the jade talismans, the two of them were filled with boundless gratitude.

Especially the old man. In the past, he had seen too much of the deceit and treachery of the world, and had never before encountered a senior as magnanimous as the one before him.

His eyes reddened slightly as he said in a deep voice, "The true immortal treats us with sincerity, and this old man will likewise spare no effort in guarding the spiritual blessing site for you. If I break this vow, then may I die on the spot and have my Dao severed!"

When he finished, he and his granddaughter bowed together to the ground, kowtowed, and departed.