Chapter 173 A Leak of Righteousness: Ouyang Lianghan

"This should be the only plausible explanation."

Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes, straightened his sleeves, and said.

The image of the glass of wine that Liu Ziwen had offered him before he left at the ribbon-cutting luncheon flashed quickly before his eyes.

Some things can only be discovered by looking back and reviewing them, revealing the subtleties and mysteries in the details.

Xie Lingjiang stared blankly at Ouyang Rong for a while.

She took a deep breath.

She stood up and paced back and forth in the lobby.

"The lovebirds are exotic birds from overseas, with males and females, that inhabit some islands in the East China Sea. This poison is made from the brightly colored tail feathers of these birds. The male bird has red tail feathers, while the female bird has blue tail feathers, corresponding to two bottles of poison, one yang and one yin..."

These days, Xie Lingjiang, who had been sending letters everywhere and asking Confucian elders and friends of the five surnames and seven clans to inquire about the situation of the lovebirds, frowned slightly and pondered:

"The antidote is said to be made from the inner core of this bird, which is quite consistent with the pharmacological principle that antidotes and poisons are often found together."

"Regardless of whether they are mortals or demonic beings, the inner core that naturally grows within their bodies is the linchpin for storing spiritual energy, and it inherently possesses the characteristic of being extremely difficult to metabolize..."

Ouyang Rong interrupted:

"An inner core? A strange demon? Are there really demons that cultivate in this world?"

Xie Lingjiang casually said:

The Book of Rites of the Elder Dai states that there are five kinds of insects within the universe: snails, scaled creatures, hairy creatures, feathered creatures, and insects. Humans are merely the leaders of snails, while other different kinds naturally exist.

"Moreover, the Qi cultivation techniques of the mythical lineage are not exclusive to human Qi cultivators. There are also some mythical creatures in the world. Although such creatures have become extremely rare since the Qin Dynasty, with almost no trace left in the world, and ordinary mortals rarely see them, they should now be mostly found overseas compared to the mainland of China."

"Besides, these strange monsters aren't the terrifying demons from popular folk tales and novels, capable of slaughtering entire cities and blotting out the sky. They're not that bizarre and evil... So it shouldn't be us who are afraid of them, but rather they who are afraid of us."

Ouyang Rong asked curiously:

"Just like my junior sister said before, in the ancient pre-Qin period, there were many dragons in the Wu and Yue regions of the south, but they were all killed by that first Yue maiden with her sword, right?"

Xie Lingjiang nodded: "The story of the Yue woman slaying the dragon is a very ancient myth that has been passed down in this Wu and Yue land. It echoes this pre-Qin historical fact in the Qi cultivation classics."

Ouyang Rong listened with great interest. Xie Lingjiang paused, then suddenly turned around and said:

"Since the antidote was made from the inner core of the Lovebirds, it's very likely that it's still remaining in Senior Brother's body, not completely gone, but..."

She looked at Ouyang Rong, hesitant to speak.

"But what?" Ouyang Rong asked, then pondered for a moment before nodding and saying, "If the antidote is still in my body, it means I'm still immune to this poison. Why don't we try and see?"

As he spoke, he calmly reached out and grabbed two small porcelain bottles next to the teacup on the table.

"Senior brother, no!"

Xie Lingjiang's face suddenly turned anxious, her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she flashed to Ouyang Rong's side, tightly grabbing his outstretched right wrist with her two jade-like hands.

"It's too dangerous! You...you mustn't do anything foolish!"

"Uh, it was just a joke."

"No jokes allowed."

Xie Lingjiang silently released Ouyang Rong's hand, took a step back, and seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief on her pretty face. Then, staring into the eyes of her senior brother in front of her, she said, word by word:

"You're not allowed to make jokes like that anymore, not in the future."

Helpless, Ouyang Rong nodded obediently and made a promise under the death stare of his junior sister.

Xie Lingjiang wrinkled her delicate nose slightly and patiently warned:

“You’re not a Qi cultivator. If the antidote is ineffective and you get poisoned on the spot, it might be even more serious than what happened to the Jade Cup Fairy.”

"Okay, I understand."

Wait a minute, isn't he the senior brother? Isn't the junior sister being too nosy... Ouyang Rong thought to himself.

"Actually, to be honest, it's because Senior Brother doesn't know how to cultivate Qi. If he were a Qi cultivator, he would have a hundred ways to verify whether the antidote for the inner core of the Lovebirds is still inside him..."

Xie Lingjiang looked thoughtful, pondered for a while, and then sighed.

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong stroked his chin and said:

"Should one start learning Qi cultivation techniques early? Is it too late after a certain age? Is that true for me?"

Actually, he should have asked this question a long time ago, but he was busy with disaster relief and flood control to accumulate merit and didn't pay much attention to spiritual energy cultivation.

Previously, he only regarded it as the kind of martial arts training and physical skills that required hard work and perseverance, which could not be achieved overnight. Not only did he not have enough time, but he also felt that he could not endure such hardship.

I'm starting to get interested now.

Xie Lingjiang shook her head:

"Not entirely. Among Qi practitioners throughout history, there have been those who entered the path late but accumulated knowledge and skills before achieving great things."

"It mainly depends on innate physique, just like talent. It doesn't consider social status or birth lineage; it's purely a matter of what God bestows upon us. Although our eldest brother is intelligent, studious, and good at reading, his physique..."

Xie Lingjiang and Ouyang Rong exchanged glances, then Xie Lingjiang paused, before speaking more tactfully:

"Actually, the eldest brother's physique is within the normal range, just like most people in this world, which is perfectly normal."

Well, like most people in the world, I'm not suited for practicing Qi cultivation.

Xie Lingjiang muttered to herself.

Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly. He rolled up his sleeves and waved his long, slender, fair right hand:

"Junior sister, there's no need to comfort your senior brother. Do you think I don't know myself? Aunt Zhen said that I've been bedridden and sickly since I was a child... It only got better as I grew up. Back at Bailudong Academy, I often did morning exercises to keep fit, at your father's suggestion."

He shook his head and smiled bitterly.

Xie Lingjiang's eyes showed a hint of reluctance, and her slender hand subconsciously reached out, as if to grab the sleeve of someone in front of her, but she silently withdrew it halfway.

She whispered, "Senior brother, don't underestimate yourself. You still have me..." She paused, "And us?"

Ouyang Rong took it as a consolation. In the quiet, undisturbed lobby that morning, she muttered to herself for a while, then turned and asked curiously:

"But didn't my junior sister tell me before that I have some kind of aura that you can see... How is this aura different from the aura cultivated by you Qi cultivators? Is there any technique to convert it into spiritual energy cultivation?"

Ouyang Rong paused for a moment, seemingly also finding such a idea a bit far-fetched, and shook his head, saying:

"Isn't that a rather naive and unsophisticated question?"

"No, it's normal for Senior Brother to have this question."

Xie Lingjiang also gently shook her head:

"The eldest brother is indeed full of 'qi', and is even the most domineering person I have ever seen among the younger generation of the academy. It's just a pity that having intangible qi alone is not enough. He needs a suitable container to hold it and refine it into tangible cultivation within the microcosm of the human body. This is also the orthodox way of internal alchemy."

"The human body is like a microcosm, a container, but unfortunately, most people's containers are leaky on all sides. Even if they are born with abundant Qi, they cannot contain it, let alone cultivate Qi..."

Xie Lingjiang's voice grew softer and softer.

Ouyang Rong instantly understood what she meant; she was talking about him, or rather, most people in the world.

There is no leak-proof container in the body; air leaks everywhere. Whatever enters, it also flows out, resulting in a deficit. How can it contain "spiritual energy cultivation"?

"Looking at it this way, the saying 'righteous energy leaking out' really wasn't wrong. You were always muttering about it, and now look what happened! You jinxed it, and it really did leak out, wasting all that righteous energy..."

Ouyang Rong seemed to have thought of something, and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"What are you talking about, Senior Brother?" Xie Lingjiang asked curiously.

"No, it's nothing."

Ouyang Rong snapped out of his daze, shook his head, and then couldn't help but ask in a low voice:

"Junior Sister, is this leakage related to being a virgin?"

Xie Lingjiang was taken aback, then shook her head, "No, it doesn't matter."

After speaking, Xie Lingjiang pursed her lips, stood up, and began to wander around the room again.

Seeing her lingering like this for a while, Ouyang Rong faintly heard the woman pacing with her head down muttering to herself:

"Actually, it's not that the path is completely blocked. A leaky constitution can be repaired into a flawless, glassy body later on. However, such a level of rebellious divine medicine only exists in legends."

"Even the rare and precious elixirs that can repair a minor deficiency in one's vital energy are extremely rare, even for immortals, and are only kept in the secret vaults of those well-known reclusive sects or Daoist families..."

Xie Lingjiang muttered to herself in a low voice, glancing northward towards the door every now and then.

Upon hearing certain words, Ouyang Rong gave him earnest instructions:

"I was just asking out of curiosity, Junior Sister, don't waste your time. Let's get back to business. Do you have any ideas about the poison of the Lovebirds?"

Xie Lingjiang withdrew her gaze from the clouds above the eaves, glanced at Ouyang Rong beside her who was giving her worried instructions, and remained silent.

Ouyang Rong was about to ask another question when Xie Lingjiang suddenly said:

"Senior brother, I'm going out to Gezao Mountain to find the antidote."

"Gezao Mountain? Yuqing Sect?"

Ouyang Rong frowned. He did know a bit about the Taoist sects in the world. After all, Taoism was considered the state religion and had a great influence on the Great Zhou and its predecessor. Moreover, he had heard his junior sister mention it a few times before.

The Taoist sects in the world are divided into North and South: Louguan in the North and Sanqing in the South.

The Louguan Taoist sect was the most powerful, and its ancestral temple, Zongsheng Palace, was located in the Zhongnan Mountains, which in turn stretched across Guanzhong.

When the Daqian Kingdom was established, the Daoist priests of the Louguan sect made great contributions to supporting the emperor and had a very close relationship with the Daqian royal family, which led to Daoism being established as the state religion of Daqian.

Although the current ruler of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Empress Wei, promotes Buddhism and uses it to suppress Taoism, the Louguan Taoist sect is still considered the leading Taoist sect in the world, overpowering the Southern Taoist sect.

The Sanqing sect in the south is relatively low-key and weak, but this only applies to the Louguan sect in the north.

The Three Pure Ones sects are the Taiqing sect located on Longhu Mountain, the Shangqing sect located on Maoshan Mountain, and the Yuqing sect located on Gezao Mountain.

Although it was divided into three, they are collectively referred to as the Three Mountains Talismans, or the Three Schools of Talismans.

Unlike the Northern Louguan sect, which emphasizes Taoism over magic, the Southern Sanqing sect emphasizes magic over Taoism and is skilled in using talismans.

Xie Lingjiang said softly:

“That’s right, I have to go to Gezao Mountain. My father has some connections with an old Taoist priest named Yuqing. I’ll go and see if I can get some elixirs to cure the poison.”

Ouyang Rong immediately asked, "Why not go to the closer Longhu Mountain Taiqing Sect? This Gezao Mountain seems to be even farther away. Is there anything special about it?"

Xie Lingjiang nodded and explained:

"Taiqing, Shangqing, and Yuqing, these three talisman sects, although all belong to the Three Mountains Bloodline generation, each has its own specialties."

"The Blood-Dripping Generation of the Three Mountains?"

"The blood of the three mountains... Senior Brother can understand it as the blood oath of these three Taoist mountains. It means that when the disciples of the Three Pure Ones are ordained, they all use the same generation name, which means that they are all one in terms of Taoist lineage and come from the same lineage."

"The Three Pure Ones are headed by the Taiqing Sect of Longhu Mountain."

"The Taiqing Sect has the deepest foundation, the most Qi cultivators, and is more skilled in internal alchemy cultivation. It is also more secluded and is one of the hidden sects like the Yunmeng Sword Marsh."

"The Shangqing Sect has the fewest Taoists, and most of them are single-lineage disciples. They do not accept disciples of different kinds. They are half worldly and half otherworldly. The worldly disciples who walk at the foot of the mountain are chivalrous and skilled in spirit writing and invoking gods."

"On the contrary, the Yuqing Sect is the one with the most Taoists among the Three Pure Ones. It recruits many disciples, so naturally there are fewer Qi cultivators. However, it is the most deeply involved in the world and the wealthiest."

"Because of its expertise in traditional Chinese medicine and alchemy, Gezao Mountain was a popular place of worship, with numerous palaces and grand ceremonies. It was highly sought after by officials, merchants and wealthy families in Jiangnan, far surpassing the Pure Land Donglin Temple on Dagushan Mountain in Longcheng. Even powerful families in Guanzhong and nobles from the two capitals would often send people south to burn incense and seek elixirs."

"Are you seeking elixirs at Gezao Mountain? When will Junior Sister return?"

"Is Senior Brother... not used to Junior Sister leaving?"

Xie Lingjiang lowered her eyelids, not looking at anyone, but staring intently at the half-cup of lingering tea on the small tea table beside her, and asked casually.

Ouyang Rong choked for a moment, but after thinking for a moment, he nodded seriously and said:

"It's a long way, I'm worried."

"oh."

Xie Lingjiang responded calmly, but quickly picked up her teacup to cover her upturned lips, took several sips of tea, and then uttered the words indifferently through her sweet-tasting lips:

“Gezao Mountain belongs to Yuanzhou in Jiangnan Circuit, so it’s not too far. If we travel day and night, it will take at least half a day or ten days. Once we find the antidote, we will return immediately.”

"Half a decade, a full decade..."

Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes slightly, murmured for a moment, then raised his eyes, a refined smile appearing on his face:

"Alright, have a safe journey, junior sister."

"Please rest assured, senior brother." Xie Lingjiang nodded.

"When are you leaving?" he asked again.

"Now, the sooner we go, the sooner we'll return."

Ouyang Rong sighed and nodded.

Xie Lingjiang stood up and reached out to him, saying without any politeness, "To get medicine, I'll need to borrow something from my senior brother for now?"

"What is it?" Ouyang Rong was taken aback.

"I need to borrow my senior brother's blood..."

Half an hour later, outside the county government hall, Liu Ashan and Yan Liulang, who had delivered the goods, disappeared one after another.

Meanwhile, at a table in the lobby, Xie Lingjiang was putting a small porcelain bottle filled with some kind of thick red liquid into a wooden box. The wooden box was filled with ice packs, which wrapped the small porcelain bottle.

Xie Lingjiang put away the blood storage box and turned to look at her senior brother, who was standing quietly beside her with his fingers wrapped in white cloth.

"Does Senior Brother have any further instructions?" She looked away and turned to ask him.

Ouyang Rong shook his head.

"Then I'll be going." Xie Lingjiang nodded, turned around and walked towards the door.

Ouyang Rong suddenly said, "Wait a minute."

Xie Lingjiang stopped almost instantly.

"Just like his father, so talkative."

She had her back to Ouyang Rong, and her tone seemed to indicate a slight dissatisfaction.

Ouyang Rong lowered his head, took a long sword from his waist, stepped forward, and tied it to Xie Lingjiang.

“This is…” Xie Lingjiang lowered her head.

It was that moonlight longsword.

"Actually, I'm not a sword cultivator, so I probably won't need it."

"Take it."

Xie Lingjiang glanced at her senior brother with slight curiosity, but seeing his stubborn expression, she had no choice but to accept it.

"He's really gone."

The woman, sword at her side, turned her back and walked away, waving her hand dismissively as if in annoyance.

"Um."

Ouyang Rong nodded slightly, watching his junior sister's departing figure, lost in thought.

The woman's figure had long since vanished, and it was unknown how long she had stood there in front of the door. The eldest disciple sighed softly, uttering the words he hadn't spoken aloud:

"It's okay if you come back late. By the time you return, I'll be on my way again..."

(End of this chapter)