Stealing Immortal
Chapter 23 - 22: Not Yet Stiff

Chapter 23: Chapter 22: Not Yet Stiff

This wine was like a woman: a bit spicy at first, but once you swallowed, you could savor its mellow warmth.

In any case, it was hard to forget once you’d had a taste.

The moonlight was beautiful tonight.

The snow in the small courtyard had been swept clean, casting a white glow over everything. Under a great locust tree that was a century old, a brazier warmed some wine. Beside it were an array of dishes and a pot of venison stew, bubbling and steaming.

The finest mountain-picked Sichuan peppercorns, paired with some dogwood berries and wild vegetables, were truly exquisite.

It was clear that Xu You was a man who enjoyed the finer things in life and had the means to acquire such rare delicacies.

Chen Qingyang picked up a piece with his chopsticks, placed it in his mouth, and chewed slowly. After swallowing, he downed another cup of warm wine, and a pleasant heat immediately spread through his body.

"Junior Brother Xu, you really have a way with things. To think, I haven’t had meat in two years... Delicious!" Xu Yong was eating the most ravenously, his words coming out in spurts.

Lü Yunshen glanced at Chen Qingyang, but offered a different opinion. "Those of us on the path of Cultivation should strive for a pure heart and few desires. If you can’t rectify your heart and clarify your nature, how can you hope to perceive the Profound Secret? A single indulgence is harmless, but I fear that constant craving will corrupt your Dao Heart."

Having said his piece, he popped the most succulent cut of meat into his mouth.

Xu Yong couldn’t be bothered to respond, but Xu You beside him chimed in, "Heh heh, well said..."

As steam billowed from the pot, Chen Qingyang began to feel full. The wine had hit the spot, so he set down his chopsticks. "Junior Brother Xu, your status in the Profound Light Association is comparable to Junior Brother Hu’s. I imagine your foundation is deep. You must have broken through long ago, right?"

"I did break through. I just didn’t go to the Outer Sect."

He answered with surprising frankness.

This time, it wasn’t just Chen Qingyang; the others also looked bewildered.

"Senior Brother Xu, don’t tell me there’s something here in the Miscellaneous Task division that you can’t bear to leave behind?" Xu Yong asked.

Xu You exhaled, his breath smelling of wine. "Once you’re on the Golden Summit, you’re at the bottom of the totem pole. Never mind a Foundation Establishment Master; you can’t even afford to offend a disciple in the middle and upper six realms of Qi Refining. But if you stay here... well, the benefits..." He glanced at the others. "Are self-evident."

Ascending the Golden Summit to become an Outer Disciple was the dream of nearly every Miscellaneous Task disciple, yet he spoke of it so dismissively. Xu Yong and Lü Yunshen were both stunned.

Chen Qingyang, however, remained calm. "But if you don’t go to the Golden Summit, you won’t have a master. How can you learn a Cultivation Method and pursue longevity? Surely you didn’t spend half your life toiling in the Tai Xu Sect just for a pot of wine?"

The other two looked over, sharing the same question.

"Not at all. I come from a wealthy family and was accustomed to a life of luxury in my youth. I’m certainly not lacking for a pot of wine. It’s just... I used to be short-sighted. Now, I see things more clearly."

Chen Qingyang pressed, "If you desire nothing, then why join the Profound Light Association? Isn’t that a bit redundant?"

The question left Xu You stunned. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Chen Qingyang chuckled. "It seems that before you joined the association, you hadn’t yet seen things so clearly, had you, Junior Brother Xu?"

"Haha..." Xu You roared with laughter, but when his eyes met Chen Qingyang’s again, his gaze was complicated. "You have a point. But I wonder, what keeps Senior Brother Chen so busy on the Golden Summit every day?"

Chen Qingyang answered without hesitation, "Thinking about breaking through, of course. About becoming an Outer Disciple. About one day attaining longevity, or even returning to my youth!"

CLINK. He drained the tea from his cup.

This time, the complexity in Xu You’s eyes was gone, replaced by a subtle, almost imperceptible trace of contempt and mockery. "Then why not just leave it to the Profound Light Association? Why go to all this extra trouble and rack your brain over it? As long as you give the word, Senior Brother Chen, I’m sure you could break through tomorrow."

His words made both Lü Yunshen and Xu Yong burn with envy. Breaking through with the help of the Profound Light Association was their dream as well.

Xu Yong, in particular, seemed genuinely concerned for Chen Qingyang. "That’s right, Senior Brother Chen! Why make things so difficult for yourself? You have connections on the Golden Summit. You could go even further!"

Lü Yunshen, however, was hesitant. After all, without Chen Qingyang, who would give him elixirs? "I think Senior Brother Chen is hesitating for a reason. He must have his own concerns."

This comment made Xu You give him a second look.

All eyes turned to Chen Qingyang.

"Heh, thank you all for your kind intentions. Someone told me my foundation is still lacking and that I need to build it up for a while longer. Let’s put the matter of the Profound Light Association aside for now."

At this, however, Xu You said something else entirely. "To be honest, Senior Brother Chen, my curiosity got the better of me, and I made some special inquiries on the Golden Summit. I haven’t heard about any senior brothers or sisters from the Tai Hao Sword Institute or any of the Other Peaks’ Inner Sects visiting this area. And yet, you claim to go to the Golden Summit every day to have someone assist your Cultivation. Isn’t that... a contradiction?"

’He really came prepared.’

Chen Qingyang didn’t panic. Ever since the day he saw an Outer Disciple helping Junior Brother Hong break through, he knew this information discrepancy wouldn’t last forever. He stared directly at Xu You. "Junior Brother Xu, what is your purpose here? Why not just say it plainly?"

Xu You let out a derisive smile. "Purpose? There’s no purpose. I just have this little habit of needing to get to the bottom of things. I just want to know what exactly is going on with you, Senior Brother Chen, and whether you’re still of great value to our Profound Light Association."

’Saying that was basically laying his cards on the table.’

Beside them, the two sharp-witted ones, Xu Yong and Lü Yunshen, also sensed the atmosphere had turned sour.

Chen Qingyang remained unhurried. "There are hundreds of Outer and Inner Sect disciples on the Golden Summit. Could you possibly know all of them, Junior Brother Xu?"

Xu You replied, "For something like this, you only need to ask a couple of people. It’s not that complicated."

"I see." Leisurely, Chen Qingyang took a pill from his sleeve. It was a Qi Gathering Pill refined by Xu Baoling. Its lustrous color and potent medicinal aroma immediately marked it as extraordinary.

It instantly drew everyone’s gaze.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Junior Brother Xu. This is just a trifle, hardly a worthy gift, but please take it for your Cultivation." He casually tossed it over. Xu You scrambled to catch it, examining it over and over.

This gesture made Xu Yong burn with envy.

’Could it be...?’ Xu You began to wonder if his information was wrong.

After all, hearsay was just hearsay. This pill, however, was real and in his hand. If it hadn’t been a gift from someone on the Golden Summit, how could a mere Miscellaneous Task disciple have obtained it?

"There’s no ’could it be.’ If you have time tomorrow, you might as well go and ask around again."

After finishing the last of his tea, Chen Qingyang returned to his room, leaving the others behind. The three men in the courtyard stood stunned for a moment before they, too, dispersed.

Back in his room, Chen Qingyang began heating water over the brazier again. As he placed a hot towel on his face, an image of Xu You appeared in his mind. Above Xu You’s head was Stealing Immortal, and a wisp of White Flame flowed from it and was absorbed.

Small golden characters floated into view, indicating he had gained 3 Immortal Seedlings.

’He still couldn’t resist taking the pill. That should put an end to any lingering suspicion.’

Once the effects of the wine had subsided, he began to meditate and practice his Cultivation again. He entered a meditative state quickly today, his mind sinking into that profound and mysterious realm.

One hour.

Two hours passed.

Chen Qingyang, as still as a pine tree, felt his eyelids twitch. Strangely, a vision appeared in his mind.

In a warm Alchemy Room, golden light shimmered.

Xu Baoling, also shimmering with light, was almost completely naked and pressed tightly against his chest.

’Could it be that I have impure thoughts about her?’

’To be honest, even after two lifetimes, as worldly and experienced as he was, he couldn’t change the fact that he was still a virgin. Xu Baoling’s effect on his Dao Heart had been immense.’

"Hmph. You think it, but you don’t dare say it. You say it, but you don’t dare do it... Oh, Junior Brother Chen, you’re so useless!"

"I’m right here, as helpless as can be. You can do whatever you want with me..."

"You’ve already killed me once. Surely you aren’t still afraid of me?"

Her seductive voice washed over him.

His mind seemed to fall into a strange state, and he began to reflect...

’Was killing Xu Baoling the right thing to do?’

’He even felt a trace of guilt. Maybe she never had any killing intent toward him; maybe it was all in his head.’

The moment this thought arose, Chen Qingyang’s mind snapped to clarity. As the Great Soul Scripture began to circulate, a cooling sensation spread through his body.

Here in this dreamscape, inside the Alchemy Room, he remained in a meditative posture, allowing Xu Baoling to dance before him.

"I knew it. You couldn’t be killed that easily. The Star Meteor Powder couldn’t harm your Divine Soul, and Liu Tao has never been very thorough."

’He’d sensed something was wrong that day. Xu Baoling was truly like a centipede that doesn’t topple even in death—dead, but not gone.’

"How can this be...?" The figure opposite him stopped dancing. In an instant, she was clad in a green Daoist Robe, looking holy and pure. With every step, a Golden Lotus bloomed beneath her bare, White Jade-like feet.

"Where did you learn such a Divine Soul technique? To think that my Righteous Great Divine Dao, combined with this beauty, can’t even subdue a mere Miscellaneous Task disciple. No, no..." Xu Baoling shook her head again. "You’re no Miscellaneous Task disciple. You have the Cultivation of the Third Realm of Qi Cultivation. Who in the world are you?"

Chen Qingyang sneered. "You can’t possibly think you’re still the one in charge, coming here to question me!"

As he spoke, he exerted a bit of force, and a fiery power surged forth, blanketing everything. This was the power of the Warm Jade Scroll.

"You... That old hag actually taught you this? If she won’t let me live in peace, then I won’t let you have an easy time either!"

Xu Baoling’s body began to spin, instantly transforming into a golden gale. The entire scene within Chen Qingyang’s mind twisted and was sucked into a golden vortex.

It spun round and round, making him feel nauseous and dizzy.

’Liu Tao had said that the strength of the Righteous Great Divine Dao lay in the Divine Soul. It seemed that was no exaggeration at all.’

Chen Qingyang didn’t dare to be the slightest bit careless. He pushed the Great Soul Scripture within his body to its absolute limit to resist her.

Sure enough, the storm in his mind instantly began to subside. All that was left was Xu Baoling wasting her strength.

"Since I can’t defeat you, I’ll just possess your body and see how many secrets you’re hiding! You dared to conspire with Liu Tao to murder me. When Master finds out, he will definitely avenge me!"

Chen Qingyang began to channel the Warm Jade Scroll again, pouring almost all his True Essence into it. A fiery power pulsed within his body, generating an immense force that began to pull at Xu Baoling.

Startled, Xu Baoling began to resist fiercely. Her furious cries echoed endlessly, but she could find no opening in Chen Qingyang’s defense.

SWOOSH...

Heaven and earth instantly fell silent. Chen Qingyang was in complete control of his body again. When he opened his eyes, the only light in the room came from the faint embers in the brazier beside him.

The Warm Jade Scroll was in his hand. Xu Baoling had been sealed within.

She was, after all, only a Divine Soul. If he so wished, he could incinerate this final wisp of her being and steal all of her Immortal Seedlings for himself.

But at this final moment, Chen Qingyang hesitated.

’Navigating the Tai Xu Sect, he was bound to face situations that Liu Tao couldn’t advise him on or handle for him. A captive Xu Baoling, under his control, could be immensely valuable.’

"Your life is in my hands now. If you want to reconstruct your body and live to see another day, you’d better think carefully about how you’re going to act from now on!"

The Warm Jade Scroll sealed shut instantly. Even if Xu Baoling had wanted to say something, Chen Qingyang gave her no opportunity.

’I’ll just let her stew for three days first.’