Chapter 441: Chapter 433 Heart-stabbing Old Taoist

Winter days are short and nights are long, a season fit for lazy idling; yet Qin Liuxi is tremendously busy. First, she helped Old Chou make a prosthetic limb and taught him how to use it. Old Chou was so overjoyed he nearly knelt down to kowtow in gratitude and expressed a desire to stay by Qin Liuxi’s side and continue as her driver.

However, Qin Liuxi refused; if she were truly a lady of a prestigious secular family, she would definitely not let go of a retired soldier with military prowess and some investigative skills.

But she is a follower of the Dao and has no need for such an expert, and Old Chou has his own path to follow.

Old Chou didn’t insist further, but he deeply remembered this great kindness in his heart.

Moreover, Qin Liuxi was busy drawing talismans and spirit talismans, as well as acquiring precious medicinal ingredients for alchemy with Si Lengyue to try to resolve a Blood Curse.

Of course, Fu Xiu, that shadowy merchant, didn’t forget his role either, pressing her hard. Not only did she refine many precious medicines, but she also produced a good amount of other salable drugs.

Throughout all this, Qin Liuxi never forgot to keep her two apprentices by her side for instruction. They weren’t yet ready to graduate, and as for refining medicine themselves, that would just be a waste of ingredients; however, learning to recognize and understand the properties of drugs was essential.

Beyond medical skills, she also kept up with teaching them talismanic arts.

After dealing with numerous matters, Qin Liuxi did not put on any weight during the winter. Instead, she became somewhat leaner, her eyes growing even deeper and brighter.

As such, day by day, time moved on to the year’s end, and Qin Liuxi received several New Year gifts, all of which were sent to the Daoist Temple.

The first came from Mr. Teng, who had someone deliver it along with a thick letter for Teng Zhao. Knowing the ascetic life of temple cultivation, the gifts were practical rather than decorative: some precious tonics and medicinal ingredients, along with a stack of silver notes amounting to five thousand taels.

According to Mr. Teng, this money served as incense money, a tribute for apprenticeship, and a nurturing gift.

Qin Liuxi was very satisfied and patted her eldest apprentice’s head, saying, “Your father is truly a sincere man! Although you have entered my discipleship, you are still bound by kinship. Our Daoist Sect is impoverished; we need not return comparable gifts. You can also draw peace charms; just craft one or two spirit talismans as filial piety and a reciprocal gift for your father, that will be enough.”

Teng Zhao glanced at the stack of silver notes. Five thousand silver notes in exchange for two peace spirit talismans – what a huge profit.

He agreed and indeed used his own spiritual energy to draw two spirit talismans for his father and Mr. Du. When both of them received these talismans, they were so moved that their eyes reddened and shed tears, then they got utterly drunk.

Besides Mr. Teng, even Qi Qian sent New Year gifts, though somewhat ornamental, expressing his gratitude and also included a handwritten letter informing her of his current governmental position.

Additionally, Mu Xi, the young heir, also sent a cartload of precious yet showy items.

Although Qin Liuxi was surprised, she did not return any gifts, and only picked out a few medicinal ingredients before instructing the bearers to take everything else back as it came.

In her eyes, they were noble scions high above, whereas she was just a Xuanmen Daoist. Their paths were different, and there was no need to maintain close interactions like family or friends.

Their relationship, as she saw it, was merely that of a doctor and patients.

However, Yu Changkong sent medicinal ingredients and several valuable books on mystical techniques, all rare editions from long ago, as well as a fragmented map accompanied by a handwritten letter.

Qin Liuxi checked the fragmented map and took it to Master Chi Yuan for inspection. She hadn’t recognized what it was, but it appeared to involve an array.

Master Chi Yuan took it, flipped it over, and in his excitement, ripped out a few of his beard hairs. Then he cautiously reopened it from the beginning.

“These, these are…”

Seeing him so excited, Qin Liuxi raised an eyebrow: “Do you recognize it?”

“This seems to be one of the major arrays not passed down by our Qingping Sect, the Trapped Immortal Array,” Master Chi Yuan’s hands trembled slightly.

“Trapped Immortal Array?” She leaned in, looking at the fragmented map that only contained half of the diagram, obscured and fragmented by the passage of time, it depicted the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams but was incomplete because of damage; the lower half looked as though forcibly torn in two, making it impossible to discern what array it was depicting.

Qin Liuxi said, “No, this map is incomplete, how could you recognize this as the Trapped Immortal Array?”

“Of course, I’ve read the historical records of our Qingping Temple.” Master Chi Yuan raised a finger and tapped her forehead: “I told you to memorize the history of our Qingping Temple, you must have let my words go in one ear and out the other.”

Qin Liuxi yelped and then held her forehead: “That so-called history you mentioned wasn’t even as thick as a fingernail, I’ve memorized it long ago, but I’ve never seen a fragmented map like this before.”

“It’s not depicted, but it was described. The Trapped Immortal Array, based on the Four Symbols and Eight Trigrams Array, added with a central axis, forms the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams. Burying the Big Dipper into its foundation to gather the forces of heaven and earth, traps all things within the array. It was said that this array was created by Master Jiuyang of Tianshu Peak, who had Golden Core cultivation, capable of trapping a Demigod… What are you mumbling?”

Qin Liuxi: “I didn’t say anything.”

“You did.”

“Oh, I just said you make it sound so miraculous, even trapping a Demigod. Could they truly cultivate immortality back then? If Master Jiuyang had Golden Core cultivation, certainly he wasn’t the only one in the whole Sect, right? Capable of creating an unparalleled array like the Trapped Immortal Array, how did such a formidable Qingping Sect fall into such a desolate state of poverty?”

Master Chi Yuan puffed up his beard and glared: may our ancestors forgive this evil disciple, she’s insolent but gifted!

“What do you know, in those days demon cultivators ran rampant, leading to the outbreak of the Human Demon War, countless Righteous Path sects were extinguished for the sake of all living things. Qingping Sect was continued by some external disciples, who did not receive the true teachings, their learning was limited, and together with the gradual scarcity of Spiritual Energy in the world, very few Daoists achieved true Enlightenment and Ascension. The inheritance declined after transitioning from Sect to Temple, cultivation became even more scarce, and the longest-lived among those disciples who aimed for eternal life was the first temple master, who lived only two hundred years.”

He spoke with a hint of lament.

“Stop sighing, now that we live in the mortal world, even a Daoist with immense capabilities can only achieve Enlightenment and Ascension by turning a blind eye to certain things, and even then, Heavenly Tribulation must come lightly, otherwise, not even seven strikes out of the forty-nine needed to withstand the Tribulation can we hope to survive.” Qin Liuxi pointed upwards with her index finger.

“Let’s not talk about that, back to our main point, study this Trapped Immortal Array carefully, see if you can complete this fragmented map. No, you need to complete this fragment.” Master Chi Yuan pointed sternly at the fragment.

Qin Liuxi jumped up: “Why should I?”

She has so many issues to deal with, where would she find the time to study this fragmented map?

“Because Evil Buddha Siluo is secretly brewing a big move, and you still hold something of his.” Master Chi Yuan eyed her sideways: “If he comes looking for it, and you lack a powerful method to counter him, can you defeat him?”

Qin Liuxi: “…”

That hits hard, old Taoist!

Oh Changkong, oh Changkong, you’re making this year quite exhausting for me!