9ooo Chapter 222 Return from the Brink of Death (Part 2)
The guest rooms of the Elders' Hall in Jindu City are located in Songtao Villa. Najia is the residence of Chongying, who lives outside Fengdu City. It is very large and quite far from the altar, but after descending the altar, a winding path leads directly there. There are also guides available.
Xiao Ruonan and Xiao Tang were brought here by a disciple of Songtao Villa. Zhang Tao, the deputy manager of the guest rooms, was already waiting with a fake smile on his face, and a woman in green with average looks was standing next to him.
He glanced at the newcomer, a flicker of disappointment crossing his eyes. But when he saw Xiao Ruonan's beautiful face, he froze. Absolutely stunning! Beautiful!
Zhang Tao, the assistant manager of guest rooms, is a fourth-generation outer disciple. It's unclear what favors he offered his senior, the head of guest rooms, to secure the position.
Normally, the elders don't concern themselves with these mundane matters. They leave them to their designated disciples. Therefore, the person in charge here wields considerable power.
Managing Songtao Villa is not only an easy job, but also a lucrative one, one that most people wouldn't even get. This is because the residents here are not from Fengdu City, but important guests from other cities, people of status. Therefore, the head and deputy head of the guest rooms must be shrewd and adept at diplomacy. These guests are generally generous, occasionally tipping them in exchange for services. As a result, the lucrative income here is several times greater than the monthly salary of ten low-grade crystals.
Crystals can quickly replenish a cultivator's life force and can also be used as currency among cultivators. They are divided into three grades: superior, medium, and inferior, with an exchange rate of 1 superior crystal to 4 medium crystals to 40 inferior crystals. This is related to the purity and total amount of life force they contain.
Each guest room attendant disciple receives a monthly stipend of ten low-grade crystals, a deputy attendant fifteen, and a supervisor fifty. However, their extra income is several times higher; it's quite possible for one to earn tens or even hundreds of low-grade crystals a month. A supervisor and two deputy attendants (male and female) receive even more tribute from the attendant disciples.
At first, Zhang Tao was curious about the origins of these people after being greeted by his senior brother. Upon closer inspection, he saw a man dressed in the robes of a fourth-generation inner disciple, but his cultivation level was pitifully low. The other woman was dressed in a disheveled state and had no cultivation whatsoever; she was just an ordinary person. However, this woman was exceptionally beautiful!
She was somewhat similar to the senior sister's coldness, and I was momentarily stunned.
Xiao Ruonan frowned in disgust.
"Senior Brother Zhang, Senior Sister instructed that this young lady stay here!" The disciple in charge of the guest room couldn't stand it any longer and coughed respectfully before Zhang Tao. But inwardly, he cursed, "Damn it, she's not even good-looking, and she still has this attitude. If Senior Sister finds out, she'll be skinned alive."
However, he dared not complain to his senior sister. How could he dare bring up such a trivial matter?
Zhang Tao snapped out of his daze and put away his **. He laughed and said, "This young lady's room has been arranged. Junior Sister Bi, please accompany her!"
The woman in green, Junior Sister Bi, looked at Xiao Ruonan in surprise, likely also attracted by her beauty. This woman, without any cultivation, possessed such a beautiful face and figure, and her aloof demeanor was captivating to men. She didn't stand on ceremony and led Xiao Ruonan towards the women's guest room. Xiao Tang wanted to follow, but Zhang Tao stopped him.
"May I ask your surname, senior brother? You look unfamiliar. I'm sorry, that's the women's section; men are not allowed to enter." Zhang Tao smiled again, but the smile was utterly fake, and his eyes were filled with disdain.
He was indifferent and looked down on Xiao Tang.
"I am her uncle, and I have something to ask her. Could you please grant me this favor, junior brother?" Xiao Tang said, his anger rising within him.
Zhang Tao sneered, his smile forced, "That won't do. If the deputy manager of the female guest department finds out and complains to Senior Brother Zhujian, I can't afford the consequences."
"Then how can I see my niece?" Xiao Tang asked in a deep voice, having no other option but to swallow his anger.
"Once the senior supervisor agrees, we'll naturally be able to meet! Ha, please excuse me, I'm very busy here. Hey!" Zhang Tao sneered.
He pointed to a disciple standing beside him and added, "If you have any questions, you can ask him. Excuse me, I'll be going now."
Without waiting for Xiao Tang's reply, he left.
They didn't take Xiao Tang seriously at all!
Xiao Tang was furious, but he kept telling himself that the strong are respected!
"What a piece of trash! His cultivation is even inferior to that of a sixth-generation disciple, yet he's dressed in the robes of a fourth-generation inner disciple. Hmph, he doesn't even know how to show respect, and he actually wants to do favors!" The voice was neither loud nor soft. Xiao Tang heard it immediately.
His face was as red as a pig's liver; he tolerated it!
The Third Elder did indeed give him one hundred low-grade crystals, telling him to cultivate diligently. He naturally treasured them and used them sparingly, unaware that he had to bribe his fellow disciples before doing anything.
Compared to the officialdom outside, things here are much more blatant, and he finally realized it. Here, you don't need to be shy. As long as your cultivation level is high, you can walk sideways. As long as you have crystals, you can get by smoothly. If you want to get things done, first take out your crystals!
The disciple standing nearby, who knew a bit about the senior sister's special reception of Xiao Ruonan and her entourage, realized these people must be quite important. So, after Deputy Manager Zhang left, he comforted her, saying, "Brother Xiaosai, there's no need to be angry. Your niece will be brought out by Junior Sister Bi after she's finished washing up. So please wait a moment! You can come with me now; I'll let you know as soon as Junior Sister Bi comes out."
"Thank you!" Xiao Tang said, then followed the outer disciple to wait.
When they saw Xiao Ruonan again, it was an hour and a half later. After washing up and having a small meal, Xiao Ruonan was in much better spirits, her face was rosy, and she looked even more stunning.
"Brother Xiaosai, Junior Sister Qi, I won't disturb your reminiscing any longer. If you need anything, feel free to call me from outside!" Na Li 1 escorted Xiao Ruonan to the front yard and left with this disciple in charge, his eyes sharp and menacing.
However, Xiao Tang and Xiao Ruonan were originally in a senior-junior relationship, but now they were senior and junior disciples, which made him smile wryly. Xiao Ruonan also smiled secretly, showing the playfulness of a girl.
"Second Uncle!"
"Hey, girl, sit down and talk. Are you tired now? If you're not feeling well, go and rest first. We can talk again tomorrow." Xiao Tang smiled wryly, but then became happy again.
Xiao Ruonan shook her head, put her bag aside, and said, "I'm not tired! Second Uncle, please ask me anything."
"Okay!" Xiao Tang nodded.
He was indeed worried about the safety and opportunities of the rest of the Xiao family. If more members of the Xiao family obtained demon seeds, their power in the outside world would be even stronger.
Xu Wenbo and his colleagues probably shared the same thought.
“Although you didn’t obtain the demon seed, it doesn’t matter. Once your second uncle can defeat the demon vine, I will get one for you,” Xiao Tang said cautiously to his niece Xiao Ruonan, but he was quickly interrupted.
"Second Uncle! Who said I didn't obtain the demon seed?" Xiao Ruonan said with a slight smile. Only in front of her family could she smile, but her smile revealed her arrogance.
"What?" Xiao Tang's eyes widened. He thought he had misheard.
Xiao Ruonan remained silent, carefully opening the bag to reveal a fist-sized spherical crystal, inside which a dark seed was dormant.
It's dreamlike and incredibly beautiful!
It contained an aura that rarely leaked out, but the slightest glimpse revealed its immense power in life, which explains why most people, lacking sufficient cultivation, couldn't sense its presence at all.
Xiao Tang's eyes widened as he cautiously took the crystal, looking at it with disbelief before glancing at his smiling niece. He exclaimed, "A demon seed?!"
He had naturally seen the demon seed that the Third Elder had given him before. It was similar in appearance to the crystal, but the demon seed inside was crimson, the demon seed of the Fire Demon Vine!
Xiao Ruonan's demon seed was black, a pitch-black seed!
"What kind of demonic creature is this? What level is it?" Xiao Tang wasn't sure for a moment. However, he then burst into laughter; this was truly a huge surprise!
He thought Xiao Ruonan had failed her training. But unexpectedly, it was a pleasant surprise!
"Haha, no matter what level it is, our Xiao family has another plant cultivator! Once we return to the mortal world, the rise of the Xiao family will be just around the corner!" Xiao Tang said excitedly.
"Good job, girl! Tell your second uncle how you obtained it." Xiao Ruonan smiled slightly upon hearing her second uncle's praise, and then began to recount the process of obtaining the demon seed. Xiao Tang listened attentively, and she explained in detail.
"Oh? There are wild beasts in the ancient wilderness? And they are extremely fast?" Xiao Tang's expression changed when he heard the beast's roar just as Xiao Ruonan was about to capture the demon.
The captain of the Xiao family's guards would not lie. The beast was golden and moved like lightning. It passed by in the binoculars in a flash. How could he not have seen it clearly?
Clearly, everything here cannot be measured by external standards; even the wild beasts here are far more powerful than those in the outside world.
Xiao Tang also gained another insight: there are still wild animals here, but the demonic vines are more famous.
"You're very lucky! Although the Ancient Wilderness is the habitat of the Demon Vine, wild beasts also survive there, and these beasts are definitely no less powerful than the Demon Vine. If you really encountered a wild beast, it would be much more troublesome if it had thick skin, tough flesh, and was extremely fast, and if it attacked while moving! Fortunately, fortunately!" Xiao Tang said after hearing this.
“Yes, but we only encountered that one along the way,” Xiao Ruonan nodded and said.
"Girl, I plan to ask the Third Elder to implant your soul!"
Seeing Xiao Ruonan's confusion, Xiao Tang proudly laughed and said, "The Third Elder also has the surname Xiao and can be considered the ancestor of my Xiao family. Of course, the Xu family's ancestor was the Eighth Elder, the Lin family's was the Tenth Elder, who was a woman, and the Zheng family's ancestor was the Thirteenth Elder. It's a pity that the Li family's ancestor was originally the Seventh Elder. But the Seventh Elder actually passed away ten years ago!"
However, there was something Xiao Tang didn't mention. Although the Li family patriarch was dead, the king-grade demon seed "Thunder Vine" he left behind had to be handed over to Old Master Li in the mortal world. After all, he was the "patriarch" of the Li family in this group. In this way, the Li family might be weak in the cultivation world, but stronger in the mortal world. This was a possibility.
In summary, the death of the Seventh Elder is more detrimental than beneficial to the Li family.
"I'll follow Second Uncle's arrangements!" Upon hearing that it was about cultivating a soul, Xiao Ruonan's eyes lit up with longing. She naturally knew that she was about to step into the ranks of cultivators, and the image of the lofty Xuan Qingbai's warship appeared in her mind again!
I must cultivate myself diligently and learn from her! However, the gap between them is currently enormous.
"Hehe, good!" Xiao Tang said happily.
The uncle and niece had only been sitting for a short while when Junior Sister Bi returned and immediately congratulated them, saying, "Congratulations, Xiaosai, on becoming a fourth-generation outer disciple! From now on, we're sisters!"
This stunned both of them.
Fourth-generation outer disciple? Xiao Ruonan didn't understand what this position meant, so she felt confused.
Xiao Tang, however, understood the strict rules here and was overjoyed upon hearing this!
But he couldn't understand why the elders would give Ruonan such a high status.
In fact, the junior sister Bi who delivered the message was also confused and very jealous. After all, she had been promoted step by step, while Xiao Ruonan had directly reached the ranks of the fourth generation of outer disciples. It was infuriating to compare oneself to others.
"Junior Sister Bi, what's going on?" Xiao Tang decided to ask for clarification.
Junior Sister Bi shook her head and said, "This is the First Elder's decision. We'll rest for a day. The First Elder sent Xiao Sa to see the Third Elder! I don't know anything else, but it's a good thing!"
"Haha, thank you for passing on the message, Sister Bi!" Overjoyed, Xiao Tang took out five low-grade crystals and handed them over. "I hope Junior Sister Bi will take good care of my niece, Ruonan, in the future!"
Junior Sister Bi accepted it after a slight hesitation. Wen Xia became even more enthusiastic towards Xiao Ruonan.
After Junior Sister Bi left, Xiao Tang said cheerfully, "If you can't figure it out, don't think about it anymore. Have a good rest for a day, and I'll take you to see the Third Elder tomorrow!"
"Yes!" Xiao Ruonan nodded.
News of what happened on the altar will spread quickly outside.
"I heard that those who returned from the teleportation altar are no ordinary people; they even moved into Pine Wave Villa. It seems they've returned from some training trips?"
In the city of Qingshan, groups of low-level disciples chatted amongst themselves, and the news spread like wildfire. Everyone knew that Xuan Qinghui, the top young expert, had been at the teleportation altar for ten days, receiving those emerging from it.
Who could possibly receive such treatment? It makes one curious.
Although Xuan Qingwen is young, he is of a high generation, being the grandmaster or great-grandmaster of those fifth and sixth generation disciples.
Although Fengdu City is large, it's densely populated with people everywhere, filled with restaurants, teahouses, and markets. No topic can be kept secret; what was discussed a second ago will likely be the talk of the town a second later.
Let me talk about the imitation market.
The Imitation Market is the favorite place for cultivators. It's like a market in the outside world, where many people bring out their acquired treasures or homemade items to exchange or buy with crystals. It's like a trading market.
And every city, regardless of its location, has one or more market towns.
This Qingshan Market is a relatively large market in a corner of Fengdu City. Tens of thousands of people come and go every day. Of course, there are other markets as well, and they are not insignificant in reputation either.
"Your information is outdated. Do you know why these people can stay at Songtao Villa?" a young disciple gossiped, glancing mysteriously at the crowd who had caught his attention, looking very smug, as if he really knew some secret.
"Hurry up and tell us, stop keeping us in suspense!" someone finally urged.
"Hey, let me tell you, my brother's brother-in-law's brother-in-law is a fourth-generation inner disciple. This news came from him. These people are not simple. They may be the illegitimate children of some rogue cultivators!" the young man immediately revealed.
"Tch, really? A rogue cultivator wants to join our Fengdu City? Since he's a rogue cultivator, his strength must be quite high. Getting a demon seed shouldn't be difficult for him." Someone raised a doubt.
"You don't know this, which powerful rogue cultivator doesn't have a harem of wives and concubines? Tsk tsk, naturally, they also have a harem of children." The young man's face was full of filth.
But those who listen to gossip don't analyze things seriously; they just enjoy it. This is the plant cultivation world, where the birth rate is shockingly low. Even with one son and multiple daughters, the number of children isn't necessarily large.
“I heard that these people are participating in a training exercise. Some of them found spirit-grade demon seeds, and some of them obtained…” At this moment, a thin, half-grown boy named Ruoruo said.
"Erzi, get out of the way!" The young man was immediately displeased when he saw that it was this person who interrupted.
This young man, barely out of school, was an ordinary child from a nearby farming family. He yearned for cultivation, but lacked the talent and the necessary demonic seed. The difference in levels between ordinary people and cultivators here was vast.
Zhang Tao overheard their conversation and initially scoffed, but then stopped in his tracks. His junior brother beside him asked, "Senior Brother Zhang, are these people telling the truth?"
“Yeah, those people are staying in the guest rooms, that’s Senior Brother Zhang’s territory!” another person said.
Zhang Tao smugly replied, "Of course I know! But those people are just ordinary people. Their physiques are weaker than even the mortals of our Fengdu City. You think they can even think of demon seeds? And spirit-grade ones? Hmph."
Seeing that those people weren't worth much, he simply stopped paying attention to them for a while, and naturally didn't know anything about any of them. However, he had seen that young Liu. He was just an ordinary person with a mortal physique, and had failed his training.
As for the claim that someone had obtained a spirit-grade demon seed, he simply did not believe it.
"Haha, I knew it! Senior Brother Zhang, I'll treat you to dinner today at Green Willow Restaurant!" the disciple who asked the question immediately said.
Zhang Tao nodded in satisfaction, and the group left the market.
The news from the teleportation altar is spreading like wildfire. Indeed, some people have returned in the past ten days or so, nearly a century ago, on the ancient wasteland. This is already considered the limit of everyone's survival.
As the journey progressed, the team's strength dwindled, and the survivors faced increasing danger.
Among those who returned was Lin Hongwu.
Lin Xian was also in the room where Lin Hongwu was staying.
"Damn it, this demonic vine is terrifying! If it weren't for Captain Qin's help, we wouldn't have been able to get this demonic seed at all!" In Songtao Villa, Lin Hongwu recounted his experience with a look of fear, but his face was also full of excitement.
He was one of the few who successfully returned! He obtained a common-grade demon seed, the Blue Leaf Grass demon seed! This greatly relieved Lin Xian. As long as they returned safely, that was good. Lin Hongwu had actually obtained a demon seed, even a common one, which was still a pleasant surprise!
"Although Captain Qin assisted, it's alright!" Lin Xian said.
Lin Hongwu looked at his uncle with a puzzled expression and asked, "Third Uncle, is everything alright? What's wrong?"
"The Tenth Elder said that the demon seed must be obtained independently. Otherwise, the compatibility between the seed and the individual during the soul-planting process might not be sufficient, affecting cultivation progress, because this demon vine is also a life form, and it only submits to the strong!" Lin Xian said helplessly. "However, the Tenth Elder also said that if a master plants the seed for the beginner, the impact won't be significant."
"Oh, I see. You scared me! I'm not going again, I could easily lose my life! Xu Ming isn't planning to come back yet. I wonder if he'll get the demon seed!" Lin Hongwu said with a sigh of relief. "Zheng Haixing was lucky. Although he almost lost his life, he finally got a demon seed!"
"Yes, the girl from the Xiao family among you is the luckiest. She encountered a rotten demon vine and basically managed to entice it without any real danger. She's the most successful among you to obtain the demon seed!" Lin Xian nodded and said. Lin Hongwu was also surprised and felt somewhat uneasy.
"Third Uncle, Zheng Haixing got a Snake Star Grass demon seed, which is a common one. He was lucky; the demon vine was allergic to snake medicine from the outside world, which played a significant role in his success. In the end, he still managed to get it. Xu Ming won't give up until he achieves his goal, and he's still stalling. What grade of demon seed did Xiao Ruonan get?" Lin Hongwu asked, concerned about Xiao Ruonan's gains.
As for Li Lizheng, he was not concerned about him and simply excluded him.
Competition exists among young people, and this is also reflected here.
During this time, Xiao Tang was all smiles, but whenever someone asked what grade of demon seed Xiao Ruonan had obtained, he wouldn't answer, only smile.
Lin Xian was also puzzled. He had considered whether he had obtained a spirit-grade demon seed, but he didn't believe it himself. How could a spirit-grade demon seed be so easy to obtain?
"Let's talk about it again in a few days when they all come back. Hongwu, although you've all consumed the Brain Beads, which has greatly enhanced your strength, there are still two other members of the Lin family's guards who have obtained demon seeds. You need to pay close attention to them; these people will be the backbone of the Lin family in the future. Make sure you maintain good relationships with them!" Lin Xian said.
"Third Uncle, don't worry." Lin Hongwu naturally understood this.
Four members of the Lin family's guards returned. Two of them successfully obtained the demon seed, but the other two were a pity, as only one survived. Among them, the one who obtained the demon seed was Captain Qin, the captain of the Lin family's guards.
Meanwhile, besides Zheng Haixing, one other member of the Zheng family successfully returned and obtained the demon seed. The rest failed!
In the Xiao family, besides Xiao Ruonan, only one other person succeeded, while the rest failed!
No one from the Xu family has returned yet!
As for the Li family, three people returned, all of them guards. None of them obtained the demon seed. Surprisingly, Wang Chengzhou and Li Lizheng did not return immediately, seemingly waiting for an opportunity. This was good news, as the two were not currently in any life-threatening danger.
The return continues.
On the other side, across the boundless wasteland, a colossal golden beast galloped past, leaving behind billowing yellow dust that resembled a giant dragon.
"Stop!" Suddenly, a person stood up on the beast and shouted to stop.
The golden beast stopped abruptly at a great height, but the person on its back was thrown off. Fortunately, the person was very agile. After a few flips, they landed steadily on the ground more than ten meters away.
"Damn it, how many times have I told you to stop and slow down gradually? You're running so fast, and you stop so fast. If there's a cliff ahead, I'll fly off!" the man cursed, pointing at the golden lion-unicorn.
He is Zhang Zaidong.
After being lured into subduing the unicorn lion "Great Golden Horn," the two embarked on a wild adventure across the wasteland. They dug for medicinal herbs, challenged demonic vines, harvested demonic seeds, and amassed a fortune!
More than twenty days passed in a flash, and the harvest was plentiful, especially in terms of medicinal herbs. Many herbs that were unavailable outside could be found here, and each one was of low-grade quality, suitable for alchemy. The better herbs were of medium-grade or even high-grade quality, and there were more than thirty herbs that were over a hundred years old. In addition, the biggest harvest was a Purple Spirit Fruit, the oldest and of the highest quality. This was the name given by Zhang Guodong. It was clearly a top-grade spiritual herb, surpassing all the other herbs. Zhang Guodong even suspected that it was a thousand-year-old herb, a grade higher than the best herbs he had collected outside. Unfortunately, there was only one of them.
There are over a hundred kinds of precious medicinal herbs, totaling seven or eight hundred plants. There are also over ten kinds of high-grade medicinal herbs, totaling dozens of plants. As for appreciating medicinal herbs, like the Purple Spirit Fruit, there's only one kind! One plant!
Another major gain was the demon seeds. However, all of them were ordinary-grade demon seeds; he already had seventeen! This number probably surprised everyone, but Zhang Guodong was somewhat dissatisfied. With his alliance with Big Golden Horn, perhaps they could jointly hunt down spirit-grade demon seeds?
Of course, he didn't know exactly how big the difference in strength was between a spirit-grade demon vine and an ordinary one.
Once he set his sights on it, Zhang Guodong was no longer satisfied with ordinary demon species.
To his dismay, despite traversing thousands of square kilometers at his Great Golden Horn speed, he hadn't encountered a single spirit-grade demon vine! Looking at the ancient wasteland, it stretched endlessly, without a single mountain in sight. Zhang Guodong was even more frustrated and considered giving up.
It's been almost a month since Zhang Guodong separated from everyone, and he's constantly weighing the time until he can return. Missing that window would be a disaster! He doesn't want to stay here forever.
His wife and children were waiting for him outside!
Big Golden Horn let Zhang Guodong scold him, but kept his head down and remained silent. His beastly eyes looked at him innocently, making Zhang Guodong unable to vent his anger. In fact, he was also looking for trouble, after all, it was too lonely to be alone in this wasteland, and he could only talk to Big Golden Horn.
"A hundred-year-old red Ganoderma lucidum, well, something is better than nothing." Before him stood a solitary red Ganoderma lucidum, which Zhang Guodong knew without careful examination was a hundred years old.
He has encountered no fewer than five such Ganoderma lucidum plants during this period.
After accepting the medicinal herb, Zhang Guodong glanced around. He reluctantly decided to return. There were indeed many good things here, but he worried about missing his return journey. On the ancient wasteland, he could hardly see anyone who had come out with him anymore; some were dead, some had returned, and he had missed Xu Ming, Lin Hongwu, and Xiao Ruonan many times. Their numbers dwindled with each passing day.
"Big Golden Horn, I'll take you somewhere, then we'll go back together!" Zhang Guodong said with a smirk. That laughter sent a chill down Big Golden Horn's spine!
I'm dizzy, the word count without any warning actually reached 7,000 on the internet, and I can't shorten it. Please don't scold me. The protagonist is back, but this time his luck isn't so good, which shows how vast the ancient wilderness is. It's frustrating, but his victorious return will be exciting and fulfilling. He has to be arrogant and cocky, right? Will he grab everyone's attention? Everyone, wait and see.
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