Chapter 154: Layout, Implementation

Hoeing the fields waiting for rain is not as good as diverting the water.

The five-hundred-year lightning tribulation was right before his eyes, not to mention the double disasters of Yin Fire and Biting Wind waiting behind it. If he could dodge them, fine; if not, he would surely be unable to escape the fate of flesh and bone dissolving, leaving not even a corpse behind.

In Xu Qing's eyes, rather than waiting for the disaster to arrive, it was better to lay out his plans early. As long as he placed enough pieces, even if he were a poor chess player, there would always be a time when they connected like stars to light up the path ahead.

Xuan Yu had never traveled far, and its sources of incense were limited to dealing with rat infestations or solving trivial matters.

Things like tearing down the Fertility Temple and dealing with the tiger infestation were already bigger than catching a hundred-catty fish in its mind.

As for solving the hunger of the commoners of the world and obtaining human canonization, that was something Xuan Yu didn't even dare to imagine; it was almost no different from daydreaming and praying for small fish to fall from the sky.

And that was the truth. In the current world, demonic atmosphere was rising everywhere, and robbers were rampant. Ordinary people had to be prepared to risk their lives just to walk within the borders of the Great Yong, let alone cross the vast ocean to unknown regions ten thousand or even a hundred thousand miles away.

The sea route was even more dangerous than the land.

The road ahead was long. As the head of the Cat Immortal Hall, Xu Qing naturally had to take precautions and plan ahead. As for whether the Old Black Crow could reach the other shore and bring back the seeds of hope...

It was up to the crow. The Old Black Crow was no longer young. If it didn't give it a try, its cultivation realm would only stop at its feet. But if it were willing to take the risk, it wouldn't just benefit the Cat Immortal Hall and the common people of the world; the Old Black Crow would also inevitably break through its cultivation limits and take a step further because of this merit.

Old Crow clearly knew this too. Its voice was somewhat hoarse as it said: "The sea is not like the mountains or the land. There are too many dangers within it. Legend has it there are even flood dragons in the sea..."

"For an old fellow like me to fly across, it's nothing short of a fool's dream. Even if I were lucky enough to reach the shore, how could I guarantee a smooth journey back?"

Xu Qing smiled freely: "The path of cultivation is like sailing against the current. Having a path to walk is better than having no path at all. This can also be considered a path I've chosen for you, Old Crow, to continue walking. As for how to choose, it still depends on you."

"I am already old. Why didn't you choose other immortals, but instead came to find me?"

"When you helped me tear down the Fertility Temple and helped me deliver babies for others, I knew you were an immortal with principles and a sense of chivalry."

"Furthermore, birds have the ability to fly across the sky, so crossing the ocean should be more convenient..."

The reason Xu Qing chose the Old Black Crow wasn't just because he valued its character and aerial ability; there was an even more important point: this crow had nowhere else to go.

At this time, if there was a bright lamp to guide the way, even if it were just a flickering flame about to go out, it could potentially ignite the other's belief in a desperate fight.

Only those whose paths are cut off and encounter hope again are less likely to give up halfway.

The Old Black Crow spread its wings and looked left and right: "I have cultivated for over a hundred years, and I have been to all the rivers and mountains, but I have never crossed the vast sea."

"Today, I am honored by Fellow Daoist Xu's regard, but if I don't return from this trip, I fear I will be unable to repay your kindness in the future."

Only when the road ends do you know the Shu path is flat; when kindness is deep, you feel the autumn clouds are thick.

The Old Black Crow's path ahead was already at an end. It was Xu Qing who had thought of this new path of cultivation for it. Regardless of whether the path ahead could be walked smoothly, the kindness of this guidance alone was not something it could ever repay.

Xu Qing shook his head slightly and said: "No need to repay. Speaking of which, this matter is also beneficial to me. If my Cat Immortal Hall can obtain a share of incense in the future, it should be me thanking you, Old Crow."

Here, after giving the Old Black Crow time to arrange its affairs, Xu Qing went to Mount Yuehua alone.

Mount Yuehua sounded like a paradise beyond the world, but when Xu Qing truly arrived, he found that it was filled with poisonous miasma and fog, looking nothing like a blessed land for immortals.

Passing through the damp, soft forest, there were many long worms gathered along the way. Sometimes, as Xu Qing walked along, a colorful long snake would suddenly dangle down from the branches in front of him.

Fortunately, as a zombie, he wasn't afraid of these things. Even if a snake bit him, it couldn't pierce his skin, and even if a snake with good teeth managed to graze his skin, he was completely unafraid.

He had never heard of any zombie being poisoned to death; this wasn't even recorded in the corpse classics!

The only thing mentioned was one sentence: "The zombie is the focus of evil energy, immune to all poisons. Even if epidemics run rampant, the corpse poison is self-solidifying."

If he were truly poisoned, for a zombie, it might just be like drinking a small cup of wine—at most, he'd be slightly tipsy, let out a wine burp, and perhaps it might even help with digestion...

By the time Xu Qing walked out of the forest and arrived at the Hundred Herb Cave on Mount Yuehua, there were already several small snakes in his sleeves and around his neck.

Snakes like Yin energy, and Xu Qing happened to be cold and heavy with Yin energy, so not only did they not bite him, but they treated him like a fragrant treat.

Standing outside the Hundred Herb Cave, a small Willow Immortal went in to announce him.

The small flower snake swam into the cave and happened to see the White Immortal Lady spitting out her inner core to cultivate in the depths of the cave.

Light swirled on the fist-sized demon core. Seeing the small flower snake, the big white python opened its mouth and swallowed the core.

"White Aunt, a good person has come to visit outside, saying he is the head of the Cat Immortal Hall."

Although the small flower snake was small, that was only compared to the white python before it. If viewed alone, even this small flower snake was as thick as a thigh.

"I am already aware of this. You go and find some melons, fruits, and food to entertain the guest. After I change my clothes, I will go and meet him."

Outside the Hundred Herb Cave, Xu Qing sat by a stone bench. In front of him, the flower snake held a ceramic pot in its mouth, pouring tea into the teacup before him.

Xu Qing watched the tea flow over the snake's fangs and into the cup, thinking to himself that it was fortunate he was a zombie. If it were anyone else, wouldn't they just lie flat after a mouthful of this tea?

"What kind of tea is this?" Xu Qing sniffed the teacup. As a zombie, he almost never drank tea, but the tea before him seemed somewhat unusual.

"It is morning dew collected by the small Willow Immortals from the flowers and grasses in the mountains. I heard that human cultivators also consume this, so we used these things to entertain you. I hope the guest will not mind."

Xu Qing took a shallow sip, his expression strange: "How did they collect the dew?"

The small flower snake didn't seem to realize the severity of the problem and said as a matter of course: "Naturally, by holding it in our snake mouths."

"..."

Are you sure this isn't your saliva?

Seeing Xu Qing put down the teacup, the small flower snake said somewhat embarrassed: "We often eat frogs and rats, and we don't usually drink fine red grain water like other immortals. We can't eat that stuff."

"Thinking it over, there was only this flower dew and wild fruits to entertain the guest."

Xu Qing bared his teeth, thinking that this was worse than using wild game to entertain him.

As the zombie and the snake were talking, before long, a young village girl wearing a coarse white dress walked out from the cave entrance.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, long time no see."

Hearing the familiar voice, Xu Qing was somewhat surprised: "Are you the White Immortal Lady?"

The woman in the coarse white dress smiled subtly, then walked gracefully to the stone bench and sat opposite Xu Qing.

"Speaking of which, when you punished the evildoers and helped us eradicate the scum of the immortals, I haven't yet thanked you."

"That's unnecessary. I am also the head of the Cat Immortal Hall; these things originally didn't count for much."

Watching the White Immortal Lady naturally pick up the teacup and sip the "saliva" inside, Xu Qing only felt that her image of being ethereal and untainted by the world instantly collapsed and disappeared.

Xu Qing had something on his mind. After exchanging pleasantries with the White Immortal Lady for a while, he went straight to the point and asked about avoiding disasters.

"I met Fellow Daoist Xuan Yu of the Cat Immortal Hall last time. It seems there is still some time before its disaster."

"It's not early. Xuan Yu already has over four hundred years of cultivation base; we cannot wait until the disaster is upon us to make plans. To be honest, I came to visit you this time to ask for some experience in passing the tribulation."

The White Immortal Lady pondered for a moment and said: "When a demon has five hundred years of cultivation, it will gestate a demon core. Once the core is formed, its lifespan can increase to a thousand years. This is an extraordinary path, which has always been intolerable to heaven and earth."

"If you want to keep the fruit of the Dao, you must resist the tribulation sent by heaven."

"The disaster experienced at five hundred years is called the Lightning Disaster. When I experienced this disaster, I happened to encounter Yin Lightning. Although the process was dangerous, Yin Lightning is actually a good thing for demons. Coupled with the incense to resist it, I managed to keep my five hundred years of bitter cultivation."

Xu Qing thought thoughtfully: "Then if it's not Yin Lightning, how should one pass it?"

The White Immortal Lady frowned: "If it's not Yin Lightning, then it can only be Yang Lightning or Divine Lightning."

"Yang Lightning is born to restrain demons. If you encounter Yang Lightning, it means you are fated to have no connection with the immortal path. However, you humans all like Yang Lightning and dislike Yin Lightning, which is different from us."

"As for Divine Lightning, there are many types of this lightning. I only heard that this is the lightning of heavenly punishment, which governs killing. All those who trigger this lightning are demons addicted to killing. A thousand years ago, a demon in Xiangyin died under Divine Lightning."

"Xiangyin?" Xu Qing frowned: "Does Fellow Daoist White know what kind of demon that was?"

"It is said to be a zombie. Such anomalous beings are born like wild beasts. Even if they cultivate for five hundred years, they still eat raw meat and drink blood, so naturally, they are not favored by heaven."

"..."

Xu Qing silently sipped the snake-saliva water to calm his shock. In the face of the heavenly Divine Lightning, the snake-saliva water before him didn't seem like something he couldn't swallow after all.

"Fellow Daoist White, if that's the case, whether human or demon, when facing the lightning disaster, doesn't it all depend on luck? If you encounter lightning with a compatible attribute, it's easy to pass; if it's not compatible, isn't it ten deaths and no life?"

The White Immortal Lady nodded: "Cultivating immortality is also cultivating life. Just as humans are born easily to become immortals, demons must learn to be human, understand human language. To understand human language, one must first learn bird language, and to learn bird language, one must learn the bird language of the four seas and nine provinces. Only after being capable of everything can one have a human voice and take on a human form."

Finally, the White Immortal Lady looked at Xu Qing with some envy: "Like Fellow Daoist Xu, you are a natural seed for immortality. Humans have five hundred years less bitter struggle than anomalous beings, and if you are a noble or a scholar, you have three hundred years less hard work."

"It's just a pity that everyone in the world knows that being an immortal is good, but few are willing to let go of worldly thoughts and concentrate on cultivating the Dao."

Xu Qing sucked his teeth. Others had a choice of two when passing the tribulation—choose between Yang Lightning and Yin Lightning.

He was better off—three choices, two of which were wrong, and only one correct answer.

Was this even letting a zombie live!

Seeing Xu Qing's not-so-good expression, the White Immortal Lady pursed her lips and smiled: "Fellow Daoist Xu is really attentive to Immortal Xuan Yu, but you don't need to worry too much. Fellow Daoist Xuan Yu still has some time before the disaster. During this time, as long as the Cat Immortal Hall accumulates more incense, even if the situation is not right, you can use the power of the incense to offset it a little."

Xu Qing sighed and said: "Many thanks for your guidance, Fellow Daoist White. For now, this is all I can do."

Watching Xu Qing leave, a cabbage snake with a hundred years of cultivation swam to the White Immortal Lady's side and spat out a red tongue: "Senior Xuan Yu has four hundred years of cultivation, but who knows how many years it will be before it faces the cultivation disaster. Headmaster Xu is human; he might not live until then, so I don't know what there is to worry about."

The White Immortal Lady smiled and shook her head: "You don't understand. Humans don't live as long as demons, but humans always like to think about long-term things. Thinking back to when I..."

When she said this, the White Immortal Lady suddenly stopped.

After a long silence, the White Immortal Lady sighed faintly, then turned into a pale giant python and swam back into the cave.

Over the next few days, besides assisting Sun Erzhuang in obtaining the deed for the burial clothes shop, Xu Qing spent a lot of effort drawing many talismans.

Besides talismans, Xu Qing also prepared many elixirs and even specially bought a compass. These things were all prepared for the Old Black Crow who was about to travel far.

At the end of the sixth month, at the Linhe ferry.

Xu Qing and Xuan Yu came to see the Old Black Crow off.

"This is a Strength Pill; you can take it if your strength falls short. This is a Green Origin Pill, a wonderful medicine for healing. This is an antidote, this is cooling powder..."

"The black talisman bag contains the Fire-Avoiding Talisman, the white one contains the Lost-Track Talisman, the red one contains the Ice Soul Talisman, and the yellow one is the Peace Talisman..."

"You can keep these things in your incense dharma realm. If you encounter danger, don't be stingy. You must know that these things only have value if you are alive."

The Old Black Crow didn't expect Xu Qing to prepare so many things for it. It had never fought such a wealthy battle!

"Little Xu..."

Xu Qing looked at the Old Black Crow's speechless appearance and smiled: "A poor family has a rich road. You are the Presiding Immortal of my Cat Immortal Hall; I certainly cannot let you go without preparation."

Old Crow took a deep breath and said: "Thanks to the headmaster's trust, I, the Presiding Hall, accept this immortal practitioner job!"

"How long until you can return, Old Crow?" Xuan Yu asked.

"If I didn't have these things gifted by the headmaster, I might not be able to return in a year or two. Now, at most half a year, at least two or three months, I will return."

"Returning to the slope" in the immortal practitioner trade refers to the immortal returning to the mountain; "falling off the slope" refers to the immortal descending the mountain.

Although the Old Black Crow was old, it was still full of ambition.

"The journey is long with many mountains and rivers. I hope you will take care, Old Crow."

The Old Black Crow nodded upon hearing this, then flapped its wings and flew into the high sky.

Circling the zombie and the cat for a moment, the Old Black Crow let out a caw, as if saying goodbye to this home.

Xu Qing stood on the pier extending into the river, looking up at the high sky, and bowed to the black crow circling in the air.

Beside him, Xuan Yu followed suit, standing on its hind legs like a child bowing, looking up and bowing to the sky.

Not until the black dot in the sky completely disappeared at the end did Xu Qing return home.

Behind him, while Xuan Yu followed step by step, it still turned its head from time to time to look at the sky behind the pier.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 155 =====