Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 364 - 218: Desolate Village Paradise, Sunrise over Jiushan_2

Chapter 364: Chapter 218: Desolate Village Paradise, Sunrise over Jiushan_2

No matter whether he sought in the markets or ventured back into the secret realms, his secrets were prone to exposure.

In the end, traditional Xuanwei cultivators, firstly, cannot discern the truth, and secondly, cannot help themselves. They always end up revealing their secrets, but these people have been waiting for hundreds of thousands of years, naturally they are not lacking in patience.

"Nine Reincarnation Golden Core Method" should not be passed on before it is clarified, but "True Method of the Milky Way" can be shown to others.

"You mean Sunset Sword Immortal?"

Master Pang was startled and immediately understood the meaning behind Zheng Fa’s words.

"Yes, this time the quantity of Tai Chu Gang Qi is enormous, its value very high, Sunset Sword Immortal said he would personally deliver it this time."

...

Sunset Sword Immortal, Elder Han, was on his way to the Jiushan Realm.

Short in stature, yet his sword light was both long and fast, only occasionally stopping at night to rest — though it was said to be rest, in truth it was because people from the Great Freedom Demon Sect were too numerous in the vicinity, and even he had to be cautious, ensuring his spiritual power was full and his divine energy perfect to prevent any mishaps.

That day, he happened to stop in a village.

The village looked deserted; no people were in sight, whether in the fields or beside the houses.

Dozens of households, neither smoke from cooking nor light from lamps to be seen.

Yet by looking at the fields, one could tell that although rice seedlings were no longer there, the land had not been long fallow — probably less than a year.

Obviously, this place did not look like this a year ago.

Sunset Sword Immortal paused, walked towards a house, and knocked on the door.

Inside, a trembling voice responded: "Who is it?"

He did not answer, and after a long while, the door was opened by an old crone, who had no lamp in her hand and squinted her eyes to see him with difficulty.

"You are..."

"A traveler seeking shelter," said Elder Han loudly.

"Please come in!"

The old crone led him to a bedroom and said, "This was my son’s room previously. Esteemed guest, if you don’t disdain its humbleness, please stay."

Elder Han nodded gently.

The old crone seemed embarrassed as she spoke, "I’ve not even offered you a drink of water, we have no oil for the lamp... I can’t see clearly."

Elder Han looked towards the kitchen outside the room.

With his divine sense, he could clearly see that this household had not only no lamp oil but not a grain of rice in the jar nor oil in the pot.

In the water jar, there was indeed a shallow layer of water, not much, probably the old crone could not carry it herself.

Elder Han then asked, "Where are the villagers?"

"People? They’ve left... Nowadays, one day people from Immortal Sect come, the next day people from the Holy Sect arrive..."

"They all demand things, everything must be handed over..."

Elder Han gently nodded, the old crone’s words were not without merit:

Not to mention the Great Freedom Demon Sect ravaging everywhere for supplies, but the Hundred Immortals Alliance also lacked materials at present.

It’s heard that resources from various spirit fields of the Hundred Immortals Alliance have been invaded by the Great Freedom Demon Sect, and the sect’s own resources were extremely scarce.

The resources have diminished, but the number of people supported by the Hundred Immortals Alliance has not decreased at all.

Tongming Master has gathered several major sects, with many smaller sects affiliated; these cultivators have relatives and families, and all these relatives need to eat.

If spirit grain is unavailable, ordinary food will suffice to fill the stomach.

Naturally, the frequency of extraction from below has increased.

To this old crone, be it Immortal Sect or Holy Sect, there was little difference.

Though the Hundred Immortals Alliance and the Great Freedom Demon Sect seemed to be involved only in petty conflicts from the perspective of the Immortal Sects, for these people — their lives were utterly transformed.

"Where did they go?"

"The city, where they find work for the disciples of the Immortal Sects," said the old crone with a smile, "My son and daughter-in-law also went there; there’s work to be done, and there’s food, they won’t starve..."

"What about you? Didn’t you follow?"

"I am but a burden," the old crone laughed softly, "The state of the world is deteriorating... with one less person to feed, they..."

Elder Han looked at the old woman in front of him, his heart filled with pity — his hearing was superior; from the entrance of the village, he had heard the old woman’s stomach rumble like thunder, her breathing almost insubstantial, starved for two more days, and she might have died.

Had it not been so, he would not have knocked on the door.

Elder Han said nothing more.

The next day at dawn, the old crone struggled to get up, went to see her son’s room, to find the beddings neatly arranged and the room empty.

Outside the door, the old crone saw a small date tree in front of the house.

It was not the season for dates to bear fruit, yet there was a date on the tree, green with hints of red.

The old crone, already famished, could not help but salivate at the sight of the date, reached out to pick it, and popped it into her mouth.

Once the date was consumed, she felt both warm and full, and even her thirst was quenched.

At that moment, Elder Han’s distant voice carried over, "This tree is offered as compensation for the lodging, one fruit per day, with no need to fear the coveting of others."

The old crone was stunned, then suddenly knelt on the ground, shouting loudly, "Thank you, immortal, thank..."

In the sky, Elder Han curled his lip and cursed:

"Damned immortals!"

...

"Thank you for your troubles, Elder Han!" Zheng Fa sincerely thanked: "If not for you, Elder Han, I would not have known where to find this Tai Chu Gang Qi."

He had previously sent communiques to the Hundred Immortals Alliance and Yan Wushuang, wanting to purchase large quantities of Tai Chu Gang Qi.

But the responses were not promising — although Tai Chu Gang Qi was available, the quantities were small.

It was Elder Han who said he had ways to purchase it and personally delivered it, resolving Zheng Fa’s urgent need.

"I was at leisure anyway."

After exchanging pleasantries, Zheng Fa glanced at Zhang and took out the jade tube and yellow gourd they had obtained from the Water Mansion, asking, "Elder Han, do you recognize these two items?"

Elder Han frowned slightly, first taking the yellow gourd and examining it, then reading the jade tube for a while before opening his eyes in surprise, asking, "True Method of the Milky Way?"

"Yes, we obtained it from a Water Mansion."

"This..."

Elder Han frowned, pondered for a moment, then said: "This ’True Method of the Milky Way’ has no issues, it doesn’t deviate much from the teachings of our sect... it’s not left by our ancestors."