Stealing Immortal
Chapter 4 - 3: Liu Tao

Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Liu Tao

With the Sect’s laws in place, she couldn’t kill Chen Qingyang outright, but she could still torment him endlessly.

Chen Qingyang brushed off his sleeves, his expression serene and unbothered. ’As long as I can refine this elixir, they’ll all treat me like a treasure,’ he thought with absolute certainty. "Thank you, Senior Sister Liu, for the opportunity."

The ingredients for the Qi-Introducing Pill weren’t rare. The difficulty lay in the technique and the ability to control the fire.

Fortunately, this Alchemy Room was fully stocked with everything he needed. Chen Qingyang selected seven types of ingredients.

Dragon Spirit Seed, Snake Root Grass, Sai Yinghong, A Little Green in the Snow, and the two most important Immortal Grasses, along with one piece of Yellow Essence Stone.

The first step of Alchemy was to process the ingredients.

Although the room was fully equipped with all sorts of tools, Chen Qingyang had only ever read the theory. When it came to hands-on practice, he was bound to be a bit clumsy.

"Looks like you’re destined to be a Furnace Boy. Rest assured, I won’t let you live a single day in peace!"

The old woman already envisioned her victory.

Many of the disciples who had crowded in to watch sighed in resignation. One even remarked, "Senior Sister Liu has been practicing this art for a hundred years; the only thing she lacks is precise fire control. Now that she has a Furnace Boy, she won’t be short on Qi-Introducing Pills for at least a year."

"I’m not so sure. This man is ancient and just broke through. He’ll be dead within three months, no doubt about it."

...

"What a waste! Such a complete waste!"

Another disciple lamented that it would all go to waste as they watched Chen Qingyang place the processed ingredients into the Pill Furnace.

Unaffected by the onlookers, Chen Qingyang focused his mind solely on the Pill Formula. What happened next left everyone stunned.

Chen Qingyang sat down and extended his palms. The flames in the Pill Furnace flickered, their aura slow and steady, neither rushed nor impatient.

’What incredible Fire Control! Not many here can do that. He might actually succeed in refining a Qi-Introducing Pill.’

The old woman was right there. After a moment of uncertainty flickering across her face, she started waving her hands, shooing everyone away. "Stop watching! This old codger can’t possibly succeed! Everyone out, get out!"

Some people protested.

"But Senior Sister Liu, it looks like he might succeed!"

"You old crone, you see he doesn’t have a master. Don’t tell me you’re trying to keep his talent all to yourself?"

...

After a great deal of effort, she pushed everyone out and slammed the door shut.

This time, she didn’t rush him, simply waiting quietly by the side.

One hour passed, then two. She waited patiently until the sky had grown completely dark.

By the time Chen Qingyang withdrew his energy, a layer of fine sweat beaded his forehead.

Although he had mastered the Skill, his Cultivation foundation was simply too shallow, and his body was on the verge of collapse.

"Here, wipe your sweat!"

The old woman’s demeanor had softened considerably. She handed him a towel before turning to search inside the Pill Furnace.

"Success! And two of them at once!"

The Qi-Introducing Pills were dark, their surfaces even a bit pitted. She held one to her nose and sniffed. "It definitely has the potency of a Tier One Elixir."

She was beaming. When she looked at Chen Qingyang, her eyes shone. "My name is Liu Tao. And you are, Junior Brother?"

Chen Qingyang finally caught his breath, now in a position to negotiate. "I’m Chen Qingyang. You’ve seen my skills, Senior Sister. Shouldn’t we discuss a partnership now?"

"A partnership sounds great! How about I recommend you to join my lineage? You can just do your Alchemy here, and I’ll provide everything. What do you think?" Her tone was entirely open to negotiation.

"Let’s not rush into discussing me joining your lineage. For now, I just want to talk about our partnership."

Liu Tao didn’t hesitate, slapping the long table. "Fine! We’ll go by the rules. The ingredients and the Pill Furnace are mine; you provide the labor. We’ll split the refined products fifty-fifty. Just like these two elixirs—one of them is yours."

She passed it over, placing it in Chen Qingyang’s hand. The elixir was still warm.

"Deal. But I haven’t officially entered the Outer Sect yet, so I don’t want news of this getting out. I’ll need you to keep it a secret for me, Senior Sister."

This played right into Liu Tao’s hands; she wanted to hoard his talent for herself. "Don’t worry. As far as anyone else is concerned, you’re just my Fire Burning Boy. I do have one question, though. Where did you learn a skill like this...?"

Beyond the partnership, Liu Tao had many more questions.

"...Senior Sister, I don’t wish to speak about the rest for now."

Liu Tao nodded decisively. "Fine, I won’t ask. As long as you perform Alchemy every day, that’s enough."

The more she looked at this old man, Chen Qingyang, the more delighted she was!

’This old woman may be ugly,’ Chen Qingyang thought, ’but her Cultivation seems profound. With her Pill Furnace and vast supply of Immortal Grasses, I’ve finally found an opportunity to escape the life of a Miscellaneous Task disciple.’

...

The nights on Four Golden Peaks were not pitch-black.

Not only was there light from the Golden Summit, but even the mountainside was dotted with starlike glimmers.

Chen Qingyang didn’t linger for long. He walked down the bluestone steps and finally settled down under a Cangsong pine.

He swallowed the Qi-Introducing Pill. Just as the books described, the acupoints all over his body opened up and formed Qi Vortexes. A faint breeze stirred ceaselessly around him as nature’s spiritual energy flooded into his body at a rate dozens of times faster than before.

Chen Qingyang guarded his mind and slowly began the Refinement with the Tai Xu Energy-Introducing Technique.

After two hours, the Qi Vortexes began to subside, vanishing completely by dawn.

[Chen Qingyang]

[First Realm of Qi Refining]

[Tai Xu Energy-Introducing Technique: (2/200)]

[Tier One Qi-Introducing Pill: (1/100)]

[Available Immortal Seedlings: 9]

Just like that, his progress increased by one. ’In Immortal Cultivation, resources are truly more important than effort,’ he mused.

「In the small courtyard.」

The three of them were gathered for morning tea again. Seeing Chen Qingyang approach from outside, Liu Jinyuan came forward, holding a teacup.

"Senior Brother Chen, something happened yesterday. I was looking for you to tell you about it, but I couldn’t find you anywhere."

Chen Qingyang was cold and indifferent. "What is it?"

Liu Jinyuan made a show of sighing, then glanced at the other two. "It’s about Li Qianxue. I’ll tell you after you sit down. I’m afraid you might not be able to handle the shock at your age!"

His expression was one of concern, but his tone was mocking. ’This man is incapable of saying anything kind,’ Chen Qingyang thought.

"Just say it."

"Sigh! According to news from the Tai Hao Sword Institute, Li Qianxue’s Dao Foundation has been ruined. It’s because she was plundered by someone from the Yu Xiao Demon Sect using their Yin Yang Technique. You know they specialize in the arts of Joyful Union... Word is, she was your childhood fiancée, wasn’t she?"

Even though he knew Liu Jinyuan couldn’t be trusted, the hand holding his teacup froze in mid-air. His mind drifted back many years.

The moonlight was pure, the fairy cool and distant.

Dressed in white, even her sheathed sword seemed sacred.

"Brother Qingyang, the Tai Hao Sword Institute has no place for you. I’ve already arranged it—go find Senior Brother Zhang in the Inner Sect. He will look after you..."

"Also... this was left to me by my mother. I don’t know when I’ll come out of seclusion, or when we might meet again. We both came from the same place, and here in the vast Tai Xu Sect, we share similar pasts. Please, keep this to remember me by."

It was a Jade Hairpin, which was now stored safely in Chen Qingyang’s room.

Their relationship was something like that of childhood sweethearts, yet also held the affection of a brother and sister. In any case, it was far more complex than a simple childhood betrothal.

Even after bringing his predecessor to the Tai Xu Sect, she had looked after him for a full hundred years. It was only in the last seven years—perhaps because she was in seclusion, or for some other reason—that they hadn’t met.

In any case, this memory was etched quite deeply in his mind.

Seeing his silence, a malicious smile glinted in Liu Jinyuan’s eyes. "Mm, there are also rumors that Li Qianxue offered herself up willingly. If you ask me, she’s just promiscuous to the core. So much for being ’Heaven’s favored daughter’—in the end, she’s just a mortal who couldn’t escape her carnal desires..."

’This man is truly detestable,’ Chen Qingyang thought. ’His tendency to stir up trouble and spread vicious gossip is infuriating enough on its own.’

When Chen Qingyang looked up, a cold glint flashed in his ancient eyes. "With such a sharp and vicious tongue, how could the Great Dao ever favor someone like you!"

Hearing this, Liu Jinyuan couldn’t help but retort, "Hmph! Am I not speaking the truth?"

"Whether it is or isn’t, no longer matters."

With a light stomp of his foot, a blast of astral wind erupted, instantly knocking Liu Jinyuan back five steps.

He clutched his chest, his face pale and a trickle of crimson at the corner of his mouth. The other two, who had been hoping for a spectacle, were scared into silence.

’We always knew Senior Brother Chen’s foundation was deep,’ they thought, ’but we never expected that even at one hundred and twenty, with his vitality so diminished, he would still be stronger than us.’

With a flick of his long sleeves, Chen Qingyang walked away, ignoring the aftermath. His mind was already calculating how to take Liu Jinyuan’s Immortal Seedling.