Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 684 – An Encounter with White Jade Jiao

“Three Tailed Immortal Fox?” Elder Ying asked looking at Qing Shui.

“Yes, I really need some Three Tailed Immortal Fox Blood right now.” Qing Shui said as he walked alongside the old men.

“Yes, you mentioned that before. As you can see, the depths of Mountain of Longevity are filled with spiritual energy so there are many special and rare beasts living here. In addition to that, the unique ecology that allows the four seasons— spring, summer, autumn and winter to coexist mean that this place is suitable for all sorts of demonic beasts. You have to take note of one point though. It is extremely dangerous in the very depths of the mountain and that is a forbidden place in the Village of Longevity. In the Village of Longevity, only peak Martial Saints can access that location and even so they must not travel further than one thousand li.” Elder Ying said in a serious manner after he gave it some thought.

“So if I would like to just try my luck there, sir, will you approve?” Qing Shui considered for a while but still decided to proceed.

“Qing Shui, I think very highly of you. Don’t call me practical but everyone is the same. From your journeys, you should know that I think you are a most outstanding young man with the highest potential. I really don’t wish for you to take such a risk.” Elder Ying sighed.

“Thank you for your concern. I have already thought about it. I won’t venture too deep into the mountains. I should be able to defend myself under such circumstances.” Qing Shui replied giving a faint smile.

“Alright, it’s up to you!” Elder Ying contemplated then laughed.

They had already reached the top of the Mountain of Longevity and he could see the entire village. Regardless the season that peak had, there were gigantic trees growing. The houses were all under these huge trees. The gigantic trees reached up to the skies and their canopy provided shelter against the rain and the wind. They also provided fruits and food for the village.

As the canopy of the trees are is high, thunderstorms were nothing to worry about since the houses were under the trees. The trees were so tall that even if the canopy was struck by lightning, the electric discharge would not even be able to reach the ground.

There were many old people around. There were also many young people and middle aged people. The people here all have very long lifespans. Qing Shui and the other old men were now at the ‘Spring’ mountain peak.

Old men with little or no cultivation and children lived on the Spring Peak and Autumn Peak.

There were the least people on the Summer Peak. Notably, there were actually many people living on the Winter Peak as many people liked winter. The beautiful winter scenery was very attractive and for people with high cultivation, the temperature basically did not affect them much. As a result, most of them actually chose to live on the Summer or Winter Peaks.

“Qing Shui, what do you think of this place?” Elder Yin chuckled.

“Great! It’s great! Of all the places I’ve ever been, this is the best. It isn’t a stretch to say that this is paradise on earth.” Qing Shui said sincerely and laughed.

The few of them entered a large courtyard. There were no beautiful pavilions or luxurious decorations. Everything was simple and natural yet still very beautiful.

Many of the small houses were made of wood and had another sort of exquisiteness and elegance. The women here all bear a different sort of grace. To Qing Shui, the place reminded him of how some of the northern minorities lived in his previous life.

The large courtyard was also divided into two areas. The front was the hall and the back was the living area. Houses surrounded the hall on four sides.

There were old and young people within the courtyard.

“Elder brother!”

“Father!”

“Grandfather!”

“Great Grandfather!”

……

A group of people of all ages greeted Elder Ying respectfully. Those who called him Great Grandfather were about five to six years old. The children were pure and innocent and very friendly.

Elder Ying carried two of the children happily. “All of you should just be like these two children. Just be natural and easy going! All of you are developing backwards with all your training.”

The others just smiled, helplessly. Elder Ying introduced Qing Shui. They all actually knew who he was so they cheerfully welcomed Qing Shui as well.

There were many cultivators in the Village of Longevity, young and old. The number of cultivators was relatively higher than that of other places. It could possibly be because of the density of spiritual energy in their environment.

Ying Clan was the largest clan here. When one mentions the Village of Longevity, they most likely referred to the Ying Clan. Elder Ying was the current head of the clan. He had seventeen brothers and most of them shared the same birth father but different mothers.

The small party that went up the mountain included Qing Shui, Elder Ying and three others. It was apparent that the main building was Elder Ying’s residence while the surrounding buildings belonged to other people from the Ying clan.

The few of them laughed and chatted as they entered a sightly taller building in the front courtyard. Once they entered, Qing Shui discovered that the interior was entirely different from its exterior. The building looked simple and unadorned from the outside but the interior was lavishly decorated in a manner that was not in any way inferior to a high-class residence in the capital city.

Qing Shui was dazed for a moment but quickly regained his composure. This was actually normal, such a thing was actually normal.

The banquet was already prepared. The various dishes were all the specialities of the Village of Longevity. The aroma of food permeated the air and one glance at the food whetted everyone’s appetite.

“Qing Shui, this is my first grandson. Even though he can’t compete with you. He’s quite good.” Elder Ying pointed out one of the men who looked slightly older than Qing Shui.

“I am Ying Lie. I am delighted to make your acquaintance. I am really happy to be able to meet you today.” The man was comparably more discreet, he spoke with a friendly tone, neither subservient nor overbearing. He made a favourable impression.

“Brother Lie, we are all friends, you don’t have to be so courteous.” Qing Shui replied.

Qing Shui knew the Elder Ying did this to recommend his grandson. After all, his grandson’s age was close to his and he was quite talented. The old man probably wanted to maintain their relationship so he arranged for the two younger men to have more interactions.

After the meal, Qing Shui more or less got to meet the members in Elder Ying’s immediate family. Acquaintances can be chosen and not everyone had to be remembered. Qing Shui only briefly acknowledged some of the people since he knew that there were only so many people that could really help him.

In the end, Ying Lie brought him to his accommodation in the Village of Longevity. It was a small building that was only a hundred meters away from the main building and looked to be of a slightly higher grade.

The interior was similarly lavish. It would be ridiculous to let Qing Shui live in a place that was any less decorated since the banquet was held in such a luxurious looking place.

“Brother Lie, are you always here at the Village of Longevity?” Qing Shui asked casually.

“I spend most of my time here in the Village of Longevity training. I do go out a few times a year but I usually only spend a maximum of two months outside.” Ying Lie replied with a smile.

“It is a privilege to be able to live here peacefully, guarding your own family. Furthermore, this mountain is an enchantingly beautiful place.” Qing Shui commented honestly.

Since he was sixteen, he had been travelling all over the world. He had struggled with so many life and death encounters. From Qing Clan’s manor to Hundred Miles City, then the Skysword Sect, Cang Lang Capital City, Southern City, Heavenly Palace, Greencloud Capital City and so many other places in between such as Flowerfruit Mountain. Now he was in the Central Continent and had established himself in one of the countries. It invoked some mixed feelings as he thought of this.

“Everyone has different life experiences, so what you yearn for is usually different from what you expect. I actually feel that it is a little boring here but since my Grandfather had already made plans for the progress of my cultivation, it is not really convenient for me to leave.” Ying Lie smiled, looking like he had no way out.

“You will soon know the benefits of that. Elder Ying is a wise man. He definitely has his own reasons for this.” Qing Shui said out of politeness.

“I know quite a lot about you, especially your encounters with death. I really admire that you have gone through all those events but it must have been difficult for you.” Ying Lei commented after some contemplation.

Qing Shui just smiled and did not say much. Many people admired him now but who could understand the pain that he had to go through. Especially during the time of his ‘Rebirth’. He had to persevere through an inhuman torture that not many people would be able to withstand.

Qing Shui sensed for Ying Lie’s ability and found that the man was at the peak of Grade Three Martial Saint. The man wasover forty but his capabilities were really not bad. It wasn’t surprising since he was recommended by Elder Ying.

Ying Lei only stayed for a while and left shortly. They built a mutual understanding and could now be considered friends. While there were limitations to such a friendship, Qing Shui treated all his friends very well. Since they have decided to become friends, Qing Shui would accept the person sincerely unless the other party decides against it.

Qing Shui spent three days in the Village of Longevity. During this time, Elder Ying, the brothers and Ying Lei brought Qing Shui around to look at the scenery nearby and told him a lot about the Mountain of Longevity.

Qing Shui now said his farewells to the old man heading towards the depths of the Mountain of Longevity. He had rejected the old man’s offers to have people accompany him. The old man did not insist as having a group of people to follow Qing Shui seemed like they were trying to monitor him.

Qing Shui decided to head down the path from the Winter Peak since Three Tailed Immortal Foxes prefer an extremely cold climate. He had only intended to just visit the Village of Longevity, he did not expect to see such marvels. The Mountain of Longevity was actually the largest and most famous mountain the the area and its depths presented multiple dangers.

Since he had already decided to search for some Three Tailed Immortal Fox blood within half a year, Qing Shui would never cower. His abilities had already improved significantly so Qing Shui did not feel nervous at all. He felt more relaxed this time since he overcame all the previous dangers.

Following the cold ravine, Qing Shui continued into the depths. After he walked about fifty li, there was a sheet of white in front of him. It was a boundless snow covered land; the snow was fresh.

The ground was covered with cold-resist vegetation which was covered by the fresh snow. Just like an ice tree, despite the piercing cold, there were many wild beast and bird types which were resistant to the cold.

Even though Qing Shui had already travelled for a hundred li, he did not meet any demonic beasts. Elder Ying had mentioned that the place was extremely dangerous, even a Peak Martial Saint may lose his life if they travel past the thousand li mark.

Three hundred li!

Qing Shui spent two days travelling this three hundred li. This was because he had to survey and check that the area was safe before he can proceed, he trusted Elder Ying’s words.

While Qing Shui was observing his surroundings, he suddenly spotted something that made his heart beat faster.

It was a White Jade Jiao crawling on the ground!