Rabbit Must Die
Chapter 79: Something’s Wrong!_1

Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Something’s Wrong!_1

Lv Dongbin glanced at Qin Shou and said, "Rabbit, there’s something peculiar about your body. When it comes to your physical strength, not many immortals can match you, but when it comes to other aspects, you’re even inferior to average little monsters. Based on your cultivation base, you’re merely a minor spirit. As for combat power, you could make those less able immortals call you daddy..."

"So what?" Qin Shou asked.

Lv Dongbin said, "So, you’re kind of a freak..."

Qin Shou: "mmp..."

Dog Xiaotian patted Qin Shou and said, "To be honest, I’ve lived for so many years, and this is the first time I’ve seen such a peculiar rabbit like you. Weren’t you asking for a cultivation method? In a while, I’ll pass one on to you; you can give it a try. It’s just that up there on your moon, sigh... no method will be of any use."

Qin Shou thought of the Moon Palace, where Yuan Qi was depleted, and sighed, "Well, it’s better than nothing. At least I can come to the Heavenly Court often to catch my breath."

Dog Xiaotian shook his head and said, "It’s not that easy. Cultivating a method from start to finish, once you close your eyes, it’s a matter of years. Otherwise, why would people say a day in the mountains is a millennium in the world? Do you really think there is a method that can snatch the essence of heaven and earth? It’s all about grinding it out over time... You can only stay in the Heavenly Court for the bit of time you’re here for schooling; there’s no way you can cultivate."

Lan Caihe laughed and said, "Indeed, either you don’t cultivate, or once you do, time flies without you noticing. A mere eight hundred years is nothing... It’s common for people to run out of lifespan during secluded cultivation without breaking through the lifespan bottleneck, perishing during cultivation, leaving behind all their magic treasures, methods, and pills to benefit others instead. Cultivation is a race against time..."

Qin Shou was shocked; he’d always thought cultivation was like in the martial arts and fantasy novels, where you could practice in the evenings and show off and face-slap during the day without a hitch... But it actually takes so long! No wonder immortals all live for so long, it turns out those who don’t live long enough just pass away during cultivation...

Unable to help himself, Qin Shou asked, "So how do you extend your lifespan?"

Han Xiangzi said, "There are many ways: natural treasures, each breakthrough in cultivation increases lifespan to varying extents depending on the species. For humans, the foundation is relatively poor, if they don’t become immortals in a million years, they’re destined to die.

Even if you become an immortal, if you don’t step into the ranks of the Golden Immortals to seek eternal life, you’ll still eventually kick the bucket.

Of course, once you become immortal, there are more methods to increase lifespan, like Flat Peaches, Ginseng Fruit, and so on..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Shou silently mourned for the people of this world for a few minutes; what a tiring life this is... But then he thought about those struggling people on Earth, with only around a hundred years of life, yet spending decades just to afford a house, and the rest of their lives paying off the mortgage. Suddenly, he felt that the people in this world were actually quite fortunate...

Thinking of the Earthlings, he thought of himself—seems like if he went into seclusion, he’d starve to death in a few days...

With that thought, Qin Shou instantly lost interest in cultivation, so he asked, "Isn’t cultivating just about absorbing Yuan Qi? Can’t I just eat to get it?"

He Xiangu laughed and said, "Who told you cultivation is simply absorbing Yuan Qi? While absorbing Yuan Qi is important, it’s not the fundamental aspect of breaking through in cultivation. Understanding the Heavenly Dao, comprehending the laws between heaven and earth, that is the purpose of cultivation. All magic is dependent on the Heavenly Dao; by understanding the Dao, many magic abilities become second nature. To cultivate is to seek enlightenment, and only with enlightenment can one achieve eternal life. Yuan Qi is merely the basis for wielding magic."

Lv Dongbin picked up a wine jug and said, "Think of Yuan Qi as wine and your body as this jug. The larger the jug, the more wine it can hold. But why does the wine pour out when the jug tilts... that’s the Dao! Without understanding the Dao, no matter how big your jug or how much wine you have inside, you can’t pour it out or drink from it. To put it even more deeply, without understanding the Dao, you wouldn’t even know how to fill the jug..."

Qin Shou started to understand; in this world, the Dao is the foundation, the most basic principle. It was like when he first learned mathematics—starting with the most fundamental basic formula that one plus one equals two. With these foundational understandings, one could then do other problems, learn more complex formulas, and solve more complex questions...

The Flower Fairy added, "Cultivation methods expand the container, increase the wine capacity, and integrate your mental state into the state of seeking the Dao. Yuan Qi can replenish the physical body’s consumption, allowing one to remain seated without fatigue, and a strong body supports longer meditation, thus enabling you to enter a deeper and longer state of enlightenment. I know an immortal who is perpetually in a state of enlightenment, basically never waking up."

Qin Shou was astonished, asking, "What’s the difference between a good cultivation method and a bad one?"

"The difference is huge. A good method allows for quick absorption of Yuan Qi, quick strengthening of the physical body, and most importantly, the better the method, the more it can simulate the operations of the Heavenly Dao, making it easier for you to enter a state of enlightenment and delve deeper into the levels of the Heavenly Dao... In short, good methods bring endless benefits, but alas, such methods are few and far between," Lv Dongbin lamented.

"I see..." Qin Shou nodded slightly, feeling like he had gained a deeper understanding of this world.

However, after all that talk, Qin Shou realized that it seemed to have nothing to do with him; he simply didn’t have the time to seek enlightenment! Plus, his container was inherently kind of frustratingly large...

As they were chatting, a Buddhist chant rang out, followed by all the Buddhas under the lead of the Tathagata Buddha, reciting together. Rays of Buddha light shone over the land, presumably liberating many aggrieved souls...

With the end of the recitations, it also signified the conclusion of this grand assembly.

There were no verbose concluding remarks from the leadership; as soon as the ceremonial officer announced the end, all the immortals stood up, paid their respects to the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother of the West, then dispersed.

The Jade Emperor and Queen Mother of the West each boarded the Dragon and Phoenix Palace and left, while the other deities opened portals one by one and departed through space.

The Eight Immortals and the Flower Fairy also stood up to say their goodbyes.

As everyone was leaving, Qin Shou and Chang’e exchanged glances. Qin Shou pondered, with everyone gone, there was still so much stuff left; should everything be packed up... Otherwise, leaving these tables and chairs here would be quite a waste.

Just as he was mulling over how to proceed, two people came over.

One was the ceremonial officer, and the other was Wenqu, dressed in elegant scholar-like attire.

The ceremonial officer was dragging a Moon Palace, handing it to Chang’e, "Fairy, this is the Moon Palace from last time courtesy of the Jade Emperor. Please take good care of it."

"Hang on a sec!" Before Chang’e could express her gratitude, Qin Shou called out first.

The ceremonial officer frowned and asked, "Oh? What seems to be the problem?"

Qin Shou pointed at the Moon Palace and said, "The Jade Emperor said he’d give three, why are you giving me just one? Don’t tell me you’re skimming off the top?"

PS: My wife’s gone to take an exam, and I’m all alone at home, hungry... There’s no one to help me catch typos anymore, sigh.