Chapter 67: How should he explain taking care of his junior brother while preparing to meet his parents...?
That thing is getting closer and closer.
A colossal, dark structure, a true mausoleum, blotting out the sky and making it hard to breathe.
A desolate wind blew incessantly across the barren plains. Upon witnessing this strange phenomenon, mortals knelt down, clasped their hands together above their heads, and then kowtowed in worship, their ranks resembling broken rice stalks in a field.
"Gods above, please bless our family so that we may survive..."
"...We haven't had a proper meal in over a month."
"Let it rain!"
The Eastern Continent, east of the Kunlun Mountains, was originally incredibly wealthy. It was a renowned land of fish and rice, and also produced silk and porcelain, which were sold far and wide. As a result, most people in the Eastern Continent had no worries about food and clothing and had some savings.
However, since the river dikes collapsed and the river changed course, the streams and rivers have frequently dried up. Coupled with months of severe drought, large swathes of rice that were about to ripen withered and died, causing even the most leisurely Dongzhou people to complain endlessly.
The wailing echoed across the fields, carried by the wind, but the clouds in the sky seemed unable to bear such a heavy burden, carrying the palace away immediately and disappearing without a trace.
But Fu Ming knew that it would come again tomorrow.
They had been chasing this phantom for over ten days. Sometimes it would suddenly appear at midday, and sometimes it would lurk in the starless and moonless night, startling them out of the blue, as if it were tailing the two of them.
Seeing that the sky had turned a monotonous gray-white color again, the farmers and women who looked up were disappointed. Soon, a man in a long robe walked to the edge of the field and calmed their restless emotions.
He had a fair complexion and a sparse beard, looking every bit the schoolteacher, and his manner of speaking was inexplicably convincing.
"The time is not yet right. Once the Divine Palace opens, all of us brothers and sisters will ascend to the Land of Bliss, where there is an inexhaustible supply of white rice and white flour. At that time, we will no longer have to worry about not having enough to eat."
It's a cult, absolutely a cult.
Putting aside whether Phantom Palace is a divine palace or not, which divine palace doesn't store immortal herbs and spiritual fruits, and stuff its treasure vault with rice and flour?
Fu Ming couldn't help but complain. He had stayed in this small village for several days and knew that the schoolteacher named Master Sun was a member of the Tianfu Society.
No, it should now be called the Heavenly Restoration Church.
The Tianfu Society now accepts members not only without regard to spiritual talent or aptitude, but also accepts mortals who have no interest in the path of cultivation. They spread rumors that a divine palace has descended to earth and will guide everyone to a blissful land where they will have no worries about food and clothing and no pain or trouble. They are no different from cults.
After observing for a period of time, he discovered that the Tianfu Society was not truly indiscriminate in its recruitment. They preferred to attract eloquent people, who would then persuade ordinary citizens, and the word would spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred.
"Master is right. We should wait a little longer. The Heavenly Emperor will surely stand up for us."
The farmers echoed this sentiment.
The villagers trusted him completely, because Master Sun had told them to stockpile grain before the drought hit, which allowed them to have a few more days of peace. Unfortunately, as time went on and the drought continued, even their meager grain reserves were eventually exhausted.
"Why is Doctor Chen here? Where is your brother?" Master Sun probably had nothing to say, so he could only steer the conversation toward Fu Ming.
Fu Ming was leaning against the door of the small, dilapidated hut, watching the play when he suddenly became the center of everyone's attention.
"Oh, he stayed up too late last night and is sleeping inside," he replied lazily, pointing towards the door.
This elder brother, of course, refers to Xiao Huaiyuan.
Fu Ming and Xiao Huaiyuan were always together, but these past few days Fu Ming had been ignoring him and forcing him to enter meditation and not go out.
They are in a cold war, or more precisely, a cold war initiated unilaterally by Fu Ming.
Calling him "brother" really makes him think of himself as an older brother.
He had endured Xiao Huaiyuan's various lewd words and actions for a long time, only recently because he had tolerated him in every way because Xiao Huaiyuan was poisoned. Now that the medicine had been prepared and the poison had been cured, he had no reason to let his junior brother ride on his head.
However, Master Sun interpreted his words in a different way, whether intentionally or not, it is unclear.
"Brother Chen, you are probably not fully recovered yet. Doctor Chen's treatment and saving lives is of great kindness and virtue, but this illness is a punishment that Heaven is giving to the world, so it is bound to leave some lingering effects."
After retrieving the White Bone Lotus from the Blood Sea, Fu Ming did not return to the Demon Realm but instead went to the Central Continent. Shortly after the floods receded there, a plague broke out. Coincidentally, this plague was a strange disease caused by the Qi-Trapping Poison.
After several years of trade between immortals and demons, the strategy of allowing some demon cultivators to get rich first has begun to show results. His subordinates purchase medicinal herbs for him by the hundred catties, which are piled up in his mustard seed bag and he can't use them all.
The medicines that mortals take are naturally different from the spiritual medicines that cultivators take. He removed the few extremely difficult-to-obtain medicinal herbs and added large quantities of inexpensive mortal medicines, and the effect was surprisingly good.
Well, what can you do when he's a genius?
Fu Ming, who was good at coming up with quick ideas, was very pleased with himself.
Fu Ming now adheres to the principle that even mosquito legs are meat, and is dedicated to clearing out all the tasks, big and small, in the Immortal Realm. While refining medicine to feed Xiao Huaiyuan, he also used the alias Chen Ming to treat mortals in the Central Plains to practice his skills, wandering from south to north and then from north to south.
His merit points soared, and various small rewards fell into Fu Ming's pockets in all sorts of ways: large, pure spirit stones, rare but not too rare earth-grade spirit herbs, and earth-grade silver swords that could cut hair like mud.
If he were truly a newly initiated Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment disciple, these rewards would certainly be very useful, but unfortunately he is already at the Nascent Soul stage.
A belated stroke of genius is cheaper than grass.
After gaining fame, he was introduced to other areas where the plague was spreading.
After many twists and turns, we finally arrived in Dongzhou.
However, with the arrival of this powerful outsider, the local tyrant, Master Sun, was naturally not happy. He was keen to openly and covertly belittle Fu Ming's medical skills while promoting the advanced ideas of their Tianfu Society, a practice commonly known as "putting one down and praising another."
Fu Ming, who had been busy all night, was too lazy to pay attention to him, but he got more and more excited as he talked: "As for fate, it is determined before birth. If the heavens do not favor you, no amount of medicine will help."
"Who are you saying has developed a chronic illness?"
Xiao Huaiyuan appeared behind Master Sun like a ghost.
He brushed past Fu Ming, who nimbly darted to the side just before their shoulders touched, his slipperiness surpassing that of an eel, making it impossible for Xiao Huaiyuan to catch him.
Xiao Huaiyuan's expression darkened further. But he was always serious, and his brows were simply furrowed, so those who didn't know him well wouldn't notice.
Master Sun feigned composure. He was naturally eloquent and was not afraid of this big guy who had appeared out of nowhere: "No, no, I just noticed that Brother Chen's forehead is dark and he is weak. He should accumulate more good deeds in his spare time to improve his health."
This statement is exactly what you're asking for.
Xiao Huaiyuan glanced at Master Sun, causing the latter to shiver for no apparent reason.
The next second, Master Sun was pulled up by an invisible hand formed from spiritual power and thrown into a cracked rice paddy a mile away.
The farmers who had come to watch the spectacle scattered like birds and beasts, going off to cut bark and dig up roots. They were starving and had no strength left to stand up for Master Sun.
"Very good, you've recovered well." Fu Ming smiled and applauded his junior brother, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
The dry rice leaves rustled as they rubbed together. Water was scarce here, and even a cultivator like Xiao Huaiyuan felt thirsty. He spoke slowly and haltingly, a rarity for him.
"Are you still angry with me about the Blood Sea incident?"
Fu Ming crawled back into the thatched hut: "No way."
This recently abandoned thatched hut occupies a small area, containing only a window, a table, a bed, and a makeshift mat on the floor.
The floor mat was naturally Xiao Huaiyuan's; in Fu Ming's words, someone whose buttocks don't hurt doesn't need to sleep on a bed.
Fu Ming lay on the bed with practiced ease, allowing his aching lower back to relax slightly, when suddenly an overwhelmingly heavy black shadow pressed down on him from behind, like Mount Tai.
A wider, rougher hand clasped between the fingers of the other hand, binding it to the bed with practiced ease.
Putting aside martial arts techniques, Xiao Huaiyuan's physical skills are still better than Fu Ming's; they are strong, powerful, and deadly.
His junior brother always acted submissively and obediently to him, which made Fu Ming easily forget how dangerous he had been when he was at the height of his power.
The scalding breath splashed onto Fu Ming's earlobe, instantly turning it as red as a cooked shrimp.
Fu Ming's sensitivities are too superficial.
"Senior brother, you can speak frankly if you have something to say."
Xiao Huaiyuan's deep voice burrowed into his ear canal like a five-step snake, causing Fu Ming's back muscles to tense up suddenly.
"No, really! You're having a nightmare." Fu Ming couldn't stand this slow, agonizing torture and shook his head. "Do what you want to do, stop dawdling like this."
The matter of collecting white bone lotus in the sea of blood is neither a big deal nor a small one.
The boiling, churning sea of blood is the place with the heaviest demonic energy in the entire demon realm. Sometimes, even a high-level demonic cultivator like him would be tempted to have evil thoughts when he went there, let alone Xiao Huaiyuan, who is not often exposed to demonic energy.
To pluck the white lotus that resembled a curled finger bone, Fu Ming had to leap into a sea of blood. Just as he approached the edge of the cliff, Xiao Huaiyuan had an attack.
He moved in an instant, pressing his sword against Fu Ming's chin with one hand. The sword was heavy and wide, and extremely cold.
“If you choose to leave, I will hate you for all eternity, senior brother,” Xiao Huaiyuan said.
"Why have you fallen into demonic possession for no reason?"
Why did you just leave?
Why are you full of lies?
Except for the first sentence, which was slightly different, the rest of the statements were almost identical to those made when he advanced to the Nascent Soul stage and when the immortals besieged him, each sentence a veiled attack on his conscience.
That little brat almost made him fail his tribulation back then.
With a sword at his neck, Fu Ming decided to back down for the time being and continue the charade.
Fu Ming replied, "I am already a demon that everyone hates. What use would it be for me to go back with you?"
Xiao Huaiyuan's dark eyes were unfathomable: "I will take my senior brother to a place where no one can find him."
"...Restore your senior brother to his best form."
He saw his reflection twist and spin in the deep, dark pool, and then he smiled at it.
Fu Ming's lips trembled, and he raised his hand to slap him.
Xiao Huaiyuan developed a mental demon.
But knowing about the existence of inner demons would lead him into a dead end from which he could never escape. He had seen countless demonic cultivators die from inner demons, and he could not tell his junior brother about it.
In the lingering afterglow of the summit, the churning sea of blood gradually receded into the distance, and the scene before him transformed into a quiet, secluded village. Only one thing remained constant: the heat.
Sweat dripped onto the wooden bed, and a thumping sound came from the wooden window.
It was a white dove pecking at the window.
Fu Ming beckoned with his finger, opening the window from a distance and scooping the pigeon closer.
A letter was tied to the pigeon's leg. Upon opening it, Fu Ming discovered that the letter was from Xu Yan.
“Xiao Huaiyuan, please accept this. The Calabash Taoist has come out of seclusion and says he wants you and Fu Ming to go back together to discuss something.”
His master wants to see them?
Oh no, how is he going to explain taking care of his junior brother in bed?
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Author's Note: I unfortunately got food poisoning after returning from the comic convention... TT
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