Chapter 124: Delivering Culture to the Countryside

"Qing Mo brother, this is a gift I give you!" Cheng Xin said with a smile.

"Demon bead?" Wei Yuning asked. The bead was dark and profound; when he looked into it, his spirit eye seemed to be drawn in.

"Exactly. This is a premium demon bead I personally selected from the Black Water Temple's storeroom. If I hadn't vouched for your character to the abbot, he wouldn't have given me such fine goods!"

"Master, what exactly is this demon bead used for?"

"A spirit-vision cultivator can use it to temper inner demons; a mortal cultivator simply eats it. You... just eat it directly!"

"Eat it directly?"

"Don't worry, these demon beads have been consecrated by senior monks, so they contain no evil qi!"

Wei Yuning naturally trusted Master Cheng Xin completely.

He took the beads, glanced at Master Cheng Xin, who smiled and nodded. Wei Yuning tilted his head back and the three beads entered his throat. He had expected it to be difficult to swallow, but the beads melted like ice, a cool, pleasant chill spreading from his stomach through his organs and body; he shivered pleasantly, feeling as if something had changed, yet noticing no real difference.

"Qing Mo fellow cultivator, all cultivators know that mortal cultivators are bodies of yang spirit, yet few realize that among demonic cultivators there exists a yin demon called the Yin God. Cultivators often say that extreme yang gives rise to yin, and extreme yin gives rise to yang. In the eyes of Buddhist cultivators, at the ultimate point there is no yin or yang; all is emptiness. The union of yang emptiness and yin emptiness forms a single void, called the Void-void. The Buddhist Pure Land of Buddhist Bliss is also called the Void-void realm. Void-void is both emptiness and contains all things; this is the Way of Void-void." Cheng Xin fell silent at this point.

Wei Yuning felt something stir; he knew Buddhist cultivators love to spar verbally, turning white by playing with words, never laying bare the "Dharma." In their view, once the Dharma is fully exposed, its Zen essence and power are lost. This subtle realm is profoundly mysterious, yet parallels the insight of Daoist techniques in a strikingly similar way.

Fortunately, he was not completely ignorant of Buddhist cultivators and could vaguely grasp that conception.

Wei Yuning closed his eyes and again activated the Fusion Earth technique. This time, his trace vanished in the glazed mirror on the wall, yet he was certain he remained seated on the chair. A thought arose, and Wei Yuning reappeared.

"Marvelous! Only a fellow cultivator with such a transparent body could have this opportunity; this monk envies you, and cannot even envy himself!" Cheng Xin laughed heartily.

"Thanks, brother!" Wei Yuning said gladly.

Although the concealment lasts only a few breaths and cannot be used consecutively, the technique's value in real combat cannot be overstated.

Moreover, his new technique is almost identical to the high‑level Spirit Butterfly, a form of the Boundary Butterfly spell; when attacked, it instantly hides the user in another space, evading further enemy strikes.

"Very well, good and evil cannot coexist; the higher the cultivation of a Qing Mo fellow, the more strength the righteous path gains. I still have to thank you!" Cheng Xin said meaningfully.

"Master Cheng Xin, what plans do you have lately?" Wei Yuning asked.

"Buddhist cultivators of the ascetic lineage treat the earth as home; the road itself is cultivation, with no destination. However, now that we have the Bailian Shangmei White Sail Jade Card, we can trade bulk goods. So, besides slaying demons, this monk also wants to do business to earn spirit stones, build more temples, and spread the Buddha's teachings," Cheng Xin said.

"Oh, in that case, tomorrow Master, come with me to a place that yields many kinds of ore; perhaps they'll have what you need!" Wei Yuning said with a smile.

Tomorrow we go to Xi Country; although he is brimming with confidence, it's his first time leaving the sect to handle matters, and he feels a bit uncertain. If Cheng Xin, the seasoned wanderer, is there, he'll be much more at ease.

"Fine, okay!" the monk Cheng Xin replied plainly.

The two arranged to meet the next morning at the Secret Medicine Pavilion; after that, Cheng Xin would rest at the inn, while Wei Yuning returned to the Danyao Peak Valley cave to rest.

In terms of safety, Danyao Peak Valley, a sect stronghold, is far safer than the publicly accessible Kelaifeng.

Before setting out on the second day, Wei Yuning still rose early to catch some Moon Beetles.

"Qing Mo overseer!"

"Qing Mo senior uncle!"

Along the way, various attendants kept greeting him.

His appointment as the herb garden attendant and the Dan Medicine Hall's idle attendant chief has been officially announced. Some attendants know the new overseer, some do not. Regardless of whether they know Wei Yuning, maintaining good relations with the new overseer is essential.

The Yunyin Sect's attendant disciples are divided into two groups: those with fixed positions and those who help out wherever needed. The former receive at least five low‑grade spirit stones per month, the latter at least three. The difference is nearly double; for disciples who have not yet established a foundation, each spirit stone is precious, especially when constructing visualizations, where the abundant spirit qi of the stones often plays a crucial role.

Therefore, a stable job or higher‑paying odd jobs are extremely important to the attendants.

Wei Yuning initially greeted everyone with a smile, but later grew too tired to even nod; eventually he stopped nodding altogether and walked forward without making eye contact.

"The new overseer is hard to get along with!"

"Yeah, they don't even look at us!"

"At least Overseer Qing Yun is better!"

"Indeed, indeed!"

Listening to this idle chatter, Wei Yuning finally understood how hard it was for Qing Yun; no wonder he always kept a gentle expression yet disliked greeting others—it's all something he cultivated.

Soon, Wei Yuning also adjusted his expression to a "Qing Yun face." Indeed, it was much better; at least the attendant disciples wouldn't mind his indifference.

After returning from catching insects, Wei Yuning encountered a group of enthusiastic attendant disciples.

"Running a sect isn't easy, supporting such a huge group of idle attendants. Though the Yunyin Sect has abundant spirit‑stone veins and doesn't lack stones, leaving the attendants with nothing to do after cultivation is undesirable; it's best to find them tasks, which can also earn extra income," Wei Yuning said, maintaining a smile without eye contact while his mind raced.

After the recent Great Demon Lord emergence incident, the sect lost several hundred disciples, mainly attendants, which made many previously popular external sect missions much quieter; disciples now prefer not to earn spirit stones rather than venture into dangerous wilderness.

However, the sect's internal jobs are already fully staffed, so to give attendants something to do, new employment opportunities must be created.

"How about having these idle attendants do some artistic work—singing, dancing, even filming movies and TV series!" At this thought, Wei Yuning perked up. "The Lingering Image Stone in my hand can be put to use, bringing Earth's entertaining media into the cultural desert spirit‑beast world!"

Originally, a hefty sum was spent to have Senior Xuyan forge the Lingering Image Stone, with the intention of producing Earth‑like movies, also as a nostalgic nod to Earth life. Now, with so many ready hands, there's no need to shoot documentaries; we can actually make real movies.

Moreover, each cultivator possesses unique skills, allowing spectacular scenes to be filmed without special effects.

The more Wei Yuning thought, the more excited he became; in an instant, countless ideas formed in his mind.