Chapter 227 - 172: Red Robe and Jade Feet

Chu Hongshang, Nanchu’s Nascent Soul Ancestor, knew Chu Duo was bringing Fang Qingyuan, so she made a point of seeing him. She lay languidly on a massive jade chair above them, clad in a fiery, iridescent red dress that radiated a scorching heat.

Fang Qingyuan only dared a single glance before looking away. But that one look was enough to burn Chu Hongshang’s image into his mind. It wasn’t that he was smitten. Rather, in the eyes of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator like him, the very existence of a Nascent Soul Cultivator like Chu Hongshang transcended mere physical appearance.

She was a volcano on the verge of eruption, an Ancient Desolate Fierce Beast walking among mortals. Fang Qingyuan had no doubt that Chu Hongshang could kill him with a single poke of her finger.

In front of Chu Hongshang, neither his ’God-Slaying Intent’ nor his ’Five-Colored Light’ would have the slightest effect. Once Chu Hongshang had the intent to kill, he could only close his eyes and await his doom.

Fortunately, after meeting Fang Qingyuan, Chu Hongshang only asked a few casual questions before letting Chu Duo lead him away. Fang Qingyuan’s heart only began to calm after he had left the great hall where Chu Hongshang resided.

Once he was far from Chu Hongshang’s unconscious, oppressive aura, the image of her languid, carefree posture in his mind began to dilute the feeling of suppression she had instilled in him. It was only then that Fang Qingyuan belatedly realized that Chu Hongshang’s jade-like feet were truly a beautiful sight.

A moment ago, while Chu Hongshang was reclining on the wide jade chair, her pair of fair, delicate feet had been exposed. It seemed she wasn’t wearing any shoes...

Seeing the fanciful look on Fang Qingyuan’s face, Chu Duo, who was beside him, let out a cold snort that jolted Fang Qingyuan from his reverie. Fang Qingyuan gave a few awkward laughs and obediently followed behind Chu Duo, flying toward the medicinal herb garden deep within Nanchu Mountain.

The Seven Emotions Five-Colored Heart Lotus was located in its own private garden, where this single Spirit Plant grew alone in a pond that spanned several acres.

Fang Qingyuan and Chu Duo passed through multiple layers of guardian Arrays to reach the garden. After a brief introduction from Chu Duo, he looked at Fang Qingyuan expectantly, gesturing for him to step forward at once.

On the way, Chu Duo had already given the life-extending Elixir Pills to Fang Qingyuan. This time, Fang Qingyuan hadn’t brought Jinbao along; he followed Chu Duo by himself.

Out of fear that Chu Hongshang might discern Jinbao’s true origins, Fang Qingyuan had left Jinbao with Situ Jingyu. ’Speaking of which,’ he thought, ’Situ Jingyu has been in the Southern Border for over a year. Now that her Sect Leader is here, I wonder if she’ll be going back with them.’

Pushing these thoughts aside, Fang Qingyuan focused his mind on the Spirit Plant before him. The Seven Emotions Five-Colored Heart Lotus lived up to its name. Its leaves were five-colored, and combined with its rhizome and seeds, they comprised the seven human emotions.

This top-grade Tier Three Spirit Plant had the miraculous ability to absorb a person’s negative emotions. According to Lechuan, it was added to Elixir Pills to reduce the residual toxins produced when the pills were consumed.

The toxicity of a Tier Four Elixir Pill wasn’t limited to simple physical harm; it could also affect a Cultivator’s spiritual soul. With this Spirit Plant, the pill’s mental and spiritual side effects could be greatly mitigated.

Fang Qingyuan had only ever seen one other top-grade Tier Three Spiritual Object: the little Fish Dragon he had lucked into acquiring. Now, with a new Tier Three Spirit Plant right before his eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a stir of temptation.

However, with Chu Duo watching him like a hawk, Fang Qingyuan couldn’t risk doing anything untoward. ’Maybe later I’ll ask if they need to use the entire Seven Emotions Five-Colored Heart Lotus,’ he thought. ’If not, I could ask to buy a few seeds to take back. I could try planting them in the Immortal Mansion. They might even grow.’

Fang Qingyuan calmed his mind and began to channel his Innate Qi Divine Techniques. He took the pure Primordial Qi generated within his Immortal Mansion, slightly transformed it with his Divine Technique, and began to irrigate the body of the Seven Emotions Five-Colored Heart Lotus.

Upon receiving the pure Innate Primordial Qi, the Heart Lotus’s leaves shuddered and unfurled, mixing with the surrounding Spiritual Qi and beginning to grow rapidly.

When Chu Duo, who was standing to the side, saw this, his somber, hawk-like demeanor softened, and the tension in his expression eased.

But the good moment didn’t last. After releasing the Innate Primordial Qi for only a short while, Fang Qingyuan stopped, his face pale. He looked at Chu Duo and said:

"More is not always better. If I infuse too much at once, the Heart Lotus won’t be able to absorb it all. In that short time just now, I’ve already infused a year’s worth of Innate Primordial Qi. That’s enough for this Heart Lotus to absorb for a very long time. Uncle Chu, I’m a bit fatigued. Is there a place here where I might rest?"

Chu Duo found Fang Qingyuan’s explanation reasonable. With a sweep of his hand, he took Fang Qingyuan to the back of the mountain to rest. He even arranged for two maidservants to attend to Fang Qingyuan’s needs.

But Fang Qingyuan was in no mood to chat with the beautiful maidservants. He locked himself in a Quiet Chamber, closed his eyes, and meditated, focusing on his cultivation.

After becoming a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, his Upper Grade Spirit Root Talent was no longer as effective as it had been during the Qi Cultivation stage. To continue progressing rapidly and advance a layer every three to five years, one needed at least an Earth Spirit Root.

As far as Fang Qingyuan knew, Zhao Liangde possessed an Earth Spirit Root, while Lechuan had a Celestial Spirit Root. Even with his talent, it took Zhao Liangde seven to eight years to advance a single layer. It had taken him nearly a hundred years to cultivate from the First-Layer Foundation Establishment all the way to Foundation Establishment Perfection.

Zhao Liangde was now around one hundred fifty or sixty years old, meaning he only had a few decades left before he passed the age limit for reaching the Golden Core realm. His frantic pursuit of wealth over the years was all for the sake of increasing his chances of a breakthrough.

Fang Qingyuan’s current five-element aptitudes were all just barely at the Top-grade Spirit Root level. His strongest, the Metal Spirit Root, was only at thirty-three points.

After reaching the Top-grade Spirit Root level, low-end spiritual materials had little effect. To quickly improve his aptitude, he now needed much higher-grade materials. Naturally, the cost of purchasing them was also much greater. Fang Qingyuan hadn’t yet had time to procure these materials before Chu Duo showed up at his door.

Otherwise, Fang Qingyuan would have already returned to Yuanling Mountain to manage his enterprises and gather the Five Elements Spiritual Materials he needed to improve his aptitude.

But there was no need to rush. Thanks to his Innate Qi Divine Techniques, his lifespan had greatly increased. The old feeling of being pursued by time had now faded. Fang Qingyuan’s current Spirit Root aptitude was good enough. He could even accept it if it took him ten years to advance a single cultivation layer.

What he did need to worry about now, however, was the hidden danger that came with his Lifebound Talent.

Fang Qingyuan hadn’t realized his Innate Primordial Qi could be applied to all sorts of things. Chu Duo’s arrival had served as a wake-up call.

’It was difficult to refuse Chu Duo, but what about Chu Hongshang?’

’If that Nascent Soul Ancestor made a request, even Chu Duo wouldn’t be able to refuse her. She was far more domineering. How could he possibly say no?’

’The Nanchu Sect was already like this. What if someone in his own Beast Taming Sect made a request? Say, the Huo Family, or Lechuan’s patron? If they came asking, would he have any room to refuse?’

At this thought, a chill ran through Fang Qingyuan’s heart. ’If they all come for a taste—one sip for you, one sip for me—they’ll pounce on me and suck me completely dry.’

’In such a repulsive situation, Fang Qingyuan didn’t dare trust in the moral character of others or place his hopes in their conscience.’

’Even though he had the Immortal Mansion to replenish his Innate Primordial Qi, he could not set this precedent. The hidden dangers that would follow could even lead to the exposure of the Immortal Mansion itself.’

Fang Qingyuan pondered for a long time but ultimately felt there was no easy solution. ’My Divine Technique and Talent are what they are; I can’t stop the greedy from coming after me. The only plan for now is to be like a cunning rabbit with three burrows. The next time a situation like this arises, I’ll have no choice but to flee and lie low for a while.’

Mulling this over, Fang Qingyuan sighed and immersed himself in his cultivation. No matter what happened, he couldn’t let his training fall behind. ’Becoming powerful as quickly as possible is better than any scheme.’

「For the next month.」

Fang Qingyuan went to the herb garden daily to infuse his Innate Primordial Qi into the Seven Emotions Five-Colored Heart Lotus. Thanks to the pure Innate Primordial Qi, the Spirit Plant thrived, even producing a batch of lotus seeds.

Fang Qingyuan brazenly asked Chu Duo for a seed. Seeing how diligently Fang Qingyuan had been working, Chu Duo gave him one without much comment.

After a month had passed, Fang Qingyuan finished infusing the promised thirty years’ worth of Innate Primordial Qi. True to his word, Chu Duo immediately sent Fang Qingyuan back to Celestial Gate Mountain.

Shortly after returning to the mountain and before he even had a chance to rest, Fang Qingyuan was summoned by Lechuan. He was to join several other Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the Grand Council Hall to discuss some major recent events on Celestial Gate Mountain.

Within the hall, Lechuan sat high in the master’s seat. Zhao Liangde stood in the first position to his left, followed in order by Qu Jianyan, the Head of Instructor Peak; Ling Ziqing, the Head of Precepts Peak; the council Elders Long Shuhong, Shi Boji, Zha Shaoyang, and Zou Yu; and last but not least, the freshly minted Closed-door Disciple, the most popular and currently unrivaled Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the de facto master of Yuanling Mountain and Yuanling Square—Fang Qingyuan!