Chapter 1484: Short Selling, Corpse Liberation (Two-in-One)

"Then we shall trouble King Huai; the upcoming waterway construction and the arrangement of the Long Lingxiao will require King Huai to expend much thought and make frequent trips."

Yun Bo directed the Cloud Giants to carry basket after basket of treasure fish and Long Lingxiao onto the ship, making their final farewells; the disciples at his side had eyes shining bright, just short of drooling.

"What words are these? For the Whale Emperor, no toil is spared; let alone such a heavy gift — truly, gratitude knows no bounds."

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"Hahaha, the Whale Emperor has always been thus: merit must be rewarded." Yun Bo appeared quite proud.

"Indeed so." Liang Qu sighed with emotion, "Every time I come to Cloud Heaven Palace, I never fail to return with a full harvest. No more words needed; words of thanks are kept in my heart. The Whale Emperor's kindness can never be repaid. Brother Yun Bo, I am boarding the ship."

"Good!"

Liang Qu leaped onto the deck.

Yun Bo waved his great fin, transforming into a white cloud that merged into the seawater; behind him, he upheld the Creation Treasure Ship, which sped back to Pingyang like wind and lightning.

Watching Cloud Heaven Palace slowly vanish from sight, Liang Qu withdrew his "reluctant" gaze, turned toward the deck, and waited at every moment for a summons — until they entered the passage, still without incident.

He was completely baffled.

Really over?

It's ended.

Nothing else?

Exactly the same as the previous visits to Cloud Heaven Palace.

Give advice, give rewards, leave — nothing else.

Over a month, no walking on thin ice, no trembling with fear, even three parts leisurely; the Marsh Cauldron showed no movement either, everything normal. Or could it be the Whale Emperor's methods are too brilliant, so that he and the other three Immortals saw nothing at all?

Could it really be a good Whale Emperor?

Liang Qu felt he himself was beginning to be bewildered.

"No, cannot be careless; this is a strategy to wear down the enemy. If the enemy moves first, one sees their form; if they are agitated and I am calm, it exhausts their strength — "

In any case, dragging it to the later stages is advantageous to him!

"Crackle!"

The fish tail flicked, splashing water droplets.

Ta Ta took out a small notebook and tallied the Whale Emperor's bestowed rewards one by one.

Total: three Creation Treasure Fish, one hundred top-grade treasure fish, three thousand upper-grade treasure fish, ten thousand catties of middle- and lower-grade treasure fish.

An exaggerated figure, cannot be called anything but bountiful.

Especially the Creation Treasure Fish — of those Liang Qu had encountered to date, they could be counted on one's fingers; he was extremely tempted.

Without a doubt, just by proposing treasure fish as rewards, the Whale Emperor waved its great fin and the entire ship was stuffed full to bulging.

On the matter of rewards, be it said or not, not a flaw could be picked out.

Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe, the brothers, selected two fish baskets, weighed the treasure fish, estimated their value, and distributed the prizes in order according to this simulation's rankings. The top ten on the scoreboard even obtained Whale Pearls of varying sizes, their harvest extremely bountiful.

Thereafter they picked out two more baskets and held an impromptu grilled fish banquet as a reward for their labors.

"Pingjiang, have the Merfolk Tears all been returned?" Liang Qu asked.

"Returned, the count matches exactly, not one missing." Long Pingjiang answered.

Three hundred Martial Hall disciples — impossible for every single one to be monitored with the "Ear Identification Method"; a guaranteed floor of two thousand taels profit each, inevitably worrying that someone might inexplicably steal some.

"Then that's good."

Liang Qu glanced at the Marsh Cauldron.

【Water Marsh Essence: 45,849,000】

Before going to the Netherworld, Liang Qu had barely managed to maintain the essence count at the forty million level; later, sporadic income amounted to only a hundred thousand essence or so.

A surge of five million!

In this "internal test," he cleverly discovered that the concealment level of the Merfolk Tears had greatly increased, while correspondingly, the number had increased by another two thousand pieces, raising the competition's fault tolerance and accumulation degree.

The more Merfolk Tears, the higher the corresponding redemption price, meaning players must spend more time and effort collecting them — equivalent to indirectly extending the competition duration.

Seeing this situation, he casually swept them all up along the way.

Be it said or not, every trip to the East Sea is heart-pounding, yet the gains are tangibly rich.

So far, the only furnace-bestowed treasures Liang Qu can access are of the highest grade; the Great Shun national treasury doesn't even count — they merely have an indirect connection to Immortals.

Guard against what needs guarding, eat what needs eating.

If nothing's wrong, then purely enjoy; Liang Qu would love for a few more rounds — every treasure fish the Whale Emperor gives will turn into a Water Dragon Spear shot at it!

Returning to the study, Long Eying rose from her cushion, closed the windows, and lit candles.

Liang Qu lay prone on the desk, sorting through this trip's gains.

First, the Whale Emperor's various extraordinary abilities, all recorded for reference — especially the eerie beast-creation ability; making a Yao Dragon is acceptable enough, but it can actually manufacture an existence with "Ripples."

The Yao Dragon among Yao Dragons.

Even the Lip Dragon of old might not have been able to achieve this, right?

Four Passes Seven Roads — cultivation trains the "Root," the relative difference in "hardness" between inside and outside; the stronger the self, the weaker external influence.

Four Passes, Galloping Horse — point, line, plane lay the foundation; from Entering Zhen Xiang the Heavenly Palace begins to perfect, Transforming Rainbow is a complete world. By this point it is almost thoroughly independent, ten thousand things cannot touch the body.

Correspondingly, naturally, it is a high degree of control over one's own world.

The control the Whale Emperor displayed at the Great Hunt, and the creation of the "Control Console," both indicate it is likely even closer to the concept of the "Transforming Rainbow" independent world than the Great Li Founding Ancestor!

Liang Qu's head ached, his thoughts stalled; then he felt a pair of hands press against his temples, gently kneading with the finger pads.

He leaned back along with the motion, resting against a soft, bulging mound, sinking into it like a freshly steamed glutinous rice cake — fragrant, soft, and sticky.

He felt as if he had plugged in a charging cable; at once he felt much better, his stagnated thoughts turning again, continuing to sort.

Making a guide requires a comprehensive understanding of the enemy. Following that is a planned sorting of oneself — where the advantages lie, what content can be improved.

"The Merfolk Tears should be pure essence; after all, they are East Sea Merfolk, deep foundation, far more generous than the Jianghuai Merfolk — Merfolk Tears numbering in the thousands at a turn. Treasure fish carry risk, but the risk isn't especially great — Long Lingxiao — damn, it's going to depreciate!"

Liang Qu felt blood surge in his heart; he thought of the second task he had been entrusted with.

Within one year, set up "viewing platforms" across the whole world.

All the Dragon Dragon Lingxiao he had on hand added up could barely supply the theaters of thirteen fiefs.

According to the Whale Emperor's idea, ten bolts per county — his volume could barely supply a few prefectures; if the Whale Emperor dumped it like this, wouldn't it depreciate all the way to his grandmother's house?

"No, I have inside information now, quickly tell Ci Wei and Quan Linghan to go back and short!" Liang Qu wrote furiously, "Demand for Dragon Dragon Lingxiao is too huge, Dragon Dragon Lingxiao will definitely be insufficient. According to the Whale Emperor's meaning, we should borrow the Venerable Artifact Heavenly Mother Cloud, use Shark Gauze and Dragon Gauze to convert — these two should rise in price, can we go long? No, no, Dragon Dragon Lingxiao has higher value, can short, but whether we can go long needs careful consideration————"

Long Eying lowered her head, watching quietly, the corner of her mouth curving upward.

"Building waterways still requires using the White Ape identity to frequently run to the East Sea————"

Liang Qu's brush moved like dragons and snakes.

He liked writing, using records to massage his own brain.

Just like doing vertical notation for math problems, even if he could calculate mentally, he habitually used the pen tip to organize his thoughts — more reassuring, more reliable.

Of course.

All written content, he would replace anything involving Ze Ding.

Ghost knows whether those furnaces have any special methods.

One year left, there are too many tasks that need doing.

The great medicines in the Imperial Capital treasury — previously only advanced one rank, the second rank not yet replenished, also improved seeds, such things need not be said — the primary few tasks————

"One, search for the Giant Spirit; if there is a Giant Spirit Position Fruit, that would be the Cang Ming Realm among the One Great Three."

"Two, refine the remaining Minor Position Fruits, appoint Dragon Lords, can assist my sublimation of the Long Right; enlightenment 'relationship' should be more reliable — can I have water beasts help me refine Position Fruits? Calamity-attribute Minor Position Fruits, refining is too difficult."

"Three, gather the Guanzhu as soon as possible, provide the Yituo."

The ink traces slowly dried; three main objectives leapt onto the paper.

Life in a moment gained order and direction.

Liang Qu tapped the tabletop, thoughts unceasing.

The Position Fruits lacking in the Calamity Realm are on the Whale Emperor's fins — can't count on them. What he can do is only hope for the Giant Spirit lacking in the Cang Ming Realm.

Giant Spirit.

River Spirit Jue Ti, Claw Hua Dao Shuai.

River Spirit is Giant Spirit. Hua is Mount Hua. Shuai is Mount Shuai. Palm holds it, foot treads it.

The Yellow River blocked by Mount Hua and Mount Shouyang winds and turns; the Giant Spirit split Mount Hua with his hand, kicked away Mount Shouyang with his foot, letting the river pass through, leaving his palm print and footprints on the mountain body.

The legendary River God who split Mount Hua, creator of mountains and rivers, producer of rivers.

This is the true origin of the Giant Spirit, not some elite monster padded by a monkey's staff, even Giant Spirits combining to produce Chaos — a creator god akin to Pangu.

Giant Spirit roars, splits two mountains, flood waves spray and shoot into the East Sea.

Its main characteristic is simply boundless strength, colossal form————

Liang Qu thought for a moment, wrote two names on the white paper, then drew two circles.

"Shen Da Xi————"

"Da Li Taizu's gigantification————"

Liang Qu's expression became conflicted.

"Roar! Fragrant, too fragrant!"

"Otter Master's grilled fish is peerless, claws holding cilantro scattering scallions, the world has no other otter like this!"

Cheers came from outside the study; wisps of fish meat fragrance seeped in.

Long Pingjiang knocked on the door: "The banquet has started, Elder."

"Good, I'm coming out right away." Liang Qu set down his brush.

Fingers massaging his temples paused; the gentle pressure from behind his head came up, letting Liang Qu sink into it; two arms like white pythons encircled his neck, sliding all the way down.

Gentle sliding, pressing against his back; Long Eying leaned against Liang Qu's shoulder: "Ten more days until the New Year festival; how to spend this year's festival? Go to the Long Gong, or————"

"Spend it at home; going to the Long Gong every year is meaningless anyway. By the way, recall the Blood Sha Divine Ability Order to the Long Gong; this year no need to go to the North Sea to find the Sea Fangzhu."

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"Yeah, going to the North Sea every year; now everyone says the Sea Fangzhu will be the Water Lord's Lady————"

"Cough, isn't that nonsense! Fei Ke Niu Si————"

February 4th.

Bitter cold; promised to discuss waterway construction after the New Year; Yun Bo took his leave.

Ci Wei coordinated supplies, registering one by one; what needed penning was penned. Liang Qu exhaled a breath of hot mist, saw the flowing-water banquet at the street side, and instantly understood whether Fourth Senior Brother succeeded or not.

Perhaps this year there will be more than one.

Under massive resource supply, Hui Zhen and Qi Wu Yan likewise progressed with godlike speed.

"Little Ci!"

"Great King!"

Liang Qu handed over a page: "A bit of inside info — Dragon Dragon Lingxiao value may plummet; taking advantage of the New Year, hurry and stop losses————"

Qing Gu Valley.

Jin Chi Heavenly Centipede pushed aside the little centipede, pried open the latch, spread its wings, about to take flight yet not quite.

Yellow, white, gray three mice ran wildly, nearing the table edge; the yellow mouse leapt up, hugged the Heavenly Centipede's butt; the white mouse hugged the yellow mouse's tail; the gray mouse grabbed the white mouse's tail.

Plop.

Li Xianghan slid and knelt at light speed, reached out and pinched the gray mouse's tail: "Heavenly Centipede Great Worm, I beg you, don't leave me! Without you how can I live? That kind of life, can't go back to it!"

The Heavenly Centipede coldly snorted, golden light flashed, flung the mice away, retracted its leg segments, resolutely, decisively, beat its wings and flew high!

"No! Want! Ah!"

Li Xianghan rushed to the window.

Three rats lay prone on the ground, stretching their little claws forward, calling out deeply.

"Holy Maiden, don't what?" the maid at the door asked.

"No, nothing——"

Li Xianghan collapsed, hair disheveled, soul lost and spirit scattered.

With the New Year approaching, the water in the vats had frozen a finger-thick layer of ice, and all of Yixing was already filled with a thick festive atmosphere; every household had hung red lanterns early.

At the Marquis of Huai's residence, Liang Qu, who had hurried back from the capital, leapt out of the pond, tidied his appearance, and had Fan Xing go summon him; a quarter-hour later, he met Ge Zu, who was staying at Pingyang Temple.

"Ge Zu! Quick, please sit, since our parting in the netherworld, long time no see!" Liang Qu personally poured tea, "Truly sorry, just finished business in the capital, delayed a while."

"Marquis of Huai!" Ge Zu cupped his fists in salute, "The delay matters not; conversing with King Ming and Master Huizhen also yielded gains. Since parting over a month ago, upon receiving the Marquis of Huai's letter from Louguan Terrace, I hurriedly set out, not knowing what important matter the Marquis has?"

Liang Qu got straight to the point: "Wonder if Ge Zu knows of Corpse Liberation?"

"Corpse Liberation?" Ge Zu was puzzled, "Why would the Marquis ask about this matter?"

"Naturally there is use."

Ge Zu stroked his beard: "Know it I do; Corpse Liberation is originally our Daoist school's saying. To speak of it, the Yin-Yang Creation Method is originally derived from the concept of Corpse Liberation. Corpse Liberation means the transformation of the corpse form, the refining and shedding of the true self, the body's quality escaping and transforming."

Liang Qu pondered a moment, then spoke measuredly: "Ge Zu might as well speak more plainly?"

"Er——" Ge Zu paused, "The ancients believed that through certain cultivation, a person's true form could shed the corpse body and not die, and they called this undying cultivation method 'Corpse Liberation'. It is just like a summer cicada molting; people clearly see him die here, yet see him again in another place."

"For an example, the most common Corpse Liberation is mostly Fire Liberation, one of the methods, requiring a male sparrow be taken on a Bingzi day night, kept in a small cage, raised beside the Daoist's head; when used, a thread is tied to the sparrow's head, and upon seeing a great fire, the sparrow is thrown into the fire, and an incantation is recited."

"Why a sparrow?"

"Because the sparrow is the Vermilion Bird", belonging to fire in the Five Elements, corresponding to Fire Liberation. This Fire Liberation method not only contains the Five Elements, but the person also does not need to personally experience burning by fire; it is a variation of Fire Liberation. Those who perform Fire Liberation all deliberately self-immolate; developing to later generations, basically no one personally experiences fire burning, all have things to substitute."

Liang Qu was amazed: "Does it work?"

"Of course——" Ge Zu chuckled, "It is useless; if it worked, why pursue furnace longevity?"

Liang Qu was speechless: "Then what is this method for?"

"One, it is the immortality method the ancients speculated; two, it condenses remnants, able to enhance the power of the rituals made after death."

Liang Qu understood, then asked: "Poison erodes the six viscera, Corpse Liberation spreads plague — this phrase, does Ge Zu have any insight?"

"Poison erodes the six viscera, Corpse Liberation spreads plague?" Ge Zu concentrated, pondered a bit, "It sounds like it might be Drug Liberation, but the words 'spreads plague' are quite inhumane—— why does the Marquis ask this?"

Liang Qu's eyes lit up: "What is Drug Liberation?"

"Also a kind of Corpse Liberation; Drug Liberation, as the name implies, is the method of Corpse Liberation using elixirs. Drug Liberation is a common Corpse Liberation method after the Golden Elixir school became popular."

"Then dwelling on weapons, feeding on slaughter qi to live?"

"Weapon Liberation!" Ge Zu answered without hesitation, "Or Sword Liberation, relying on weapons!"

"Living without water, dead yet not stiff?"

"Hmm, sounds like Five Crown Liberation?" Ge Zu hesitated.

Liang Qu suddenly realized.

He vaguely had a more profound understanding of the Four Calamities Position Fruits' special nature.

Calamity Position Fruits are not only fourteen thousand, but only four matching the Water Lord as king can form a "Calamity Realm", corresponding to the minor Position Fruits' calamities. The reason they can form a set appears to be entirely because they need to "Corpse Liberate" once?

Seeing Ge Zu speak eloquently, Liang Qu understood he had found the right person, and no longer concealed anything.

"Ge Zu's authority 'die first then return to soul', can it be considered a clever form of Corpse Liberation?"

Ge Zu was stunned; he had never thought of such a question, pondered repeatedly: "If the method is suitable, it can be said so; the Yan and the concept of Corpse Liberation correspond."

"Pa." Liang Qu clapped, "Then it's perfect, I have Position Fruits, highly need Ge Zu's hand, help refine them!"

"Zhi ga!"

Chair legs scraped brick, exceptionally harsh; Ge Zu's pupils dilated, he stood up in shock.

"The Marquis still has an unrefined Position Fruit on hand?"

Just how many Position Fruits does he have on him?

Ge Zu's scalp went numb.

Self-cultivated one, advanced one, refined one, and now he tells him there's still one on hand?

Wait, what he just asked about was actually the refinement method?

Ge Zu's head was a bit muddled, a bit dizzy.

Why would Liang Qu be so clear and targeted about the Position Fruit refinement method?

Has he really awakened?

He questioned himself once more.

"No." Liang Qu shook his head.

The muddle vanished, the dizziness gone; Ge Zu smelled the tea fragrance, and at once recovered clarity, slowly sitting down.

"Two." Liang Qu raised his index finger and middle finger.

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