Open a Clinic to Cultivate Myself

Ning Tao covered Sun Lanxiang with the clothes the erroneous plucking talisman had pulled out. Although he still wanted to shame her, he did not want to engage in an important conversation while she was still naked waist down.

If not, their conversation would seem frivolous.

Sun Lanxiang started to feel more at ease. She opened her mouth. “Wu Yue is the Zetian Fairy. I’ve heard my grandfather say she is a descendant of Wu Zetian. After cultivating, she adopted the name Zetian Fairy and roamed the practitioners’ world.”

She stopped speaking at this point.

Ning Tao reached out to touch that plucking talisman on her face. “Go on.”

A flicker of hatred could be seen flashing across Sun Lanxiang’s eyes, but a second later, she had avoided Ning Tao’s gaze. She continued, “She saved my grandfather’s life, so in order to repay her, my grandfather remained by her side, serving her. She, my grandfather said, is the most gifted practitioner he has ever seen. She had been in a retreat since the middle of the Ming Dynasty, only coming out at the start of the Qing Dynasty. Right now, she has reached the Small Nirvana Realm. She’s only a step away from the Great Nirvana Realm.”

Ning Tao was utterly shocked. He had not even overcome the Core Formation Realm and the Nascent Soul in his internal elixir was no bigger than a pea. Yet Wu Yue had already almost mastered the Small Nirvana Realm, just a step away from the Great Nirvana Realm! After that, she would be able to undergo the trial. If she overcame it, she would be an immortal!

Based on his understanding of the cultivation realms, a practitioner’s foremost task was to liberate his soul. In other words, he must first summon his innate spiritual sense and unlock the door to cultivation. It might look simple, but barely one out of 100,000 would succeed.

After liberating the soul, he must consolidate the foundation by cleansing his marrow and meridians. This would lay the foundation for his cultivation body and consciousness.

After that came Core Formation, building an internal elixir in one’s Niwan acupoint. It must absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to nurture its spiritual power.

After that would be Nascent Soul cultivation. The internal elixir cultivated would engender a Nascent Soul. Once it was successfully delivered, breaking out from the core, the Nascent Soul would take over the job of absorbing and refining the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. But this process was merely “rearing the soul”. This soul was of course one’s own spirit. By absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it would gain substantial presence. Someone once said that a soul weighs 21 grams. Although this could not be verified by science today, souls really existed in the practitioners’ world. The heavier your soul was, the more powerful it would be. And it would be easier to undergo the trial when the time came to attain immortality.

After the Nascent Soul Realm, the soul could travel out of the body. The Nascent Soul could then separate from its body and start cultivating alone. Chen Pingdao had reached this realm. Chen Pingdao had once tricked Ning Tao by making his soul enter the body of a dog.

After this Out-of-Body Realm, one would reach the Small Nirvana Realm. After that, there was the Great Nirvana Realm and finally, the trial. Ning Tao hardly knew anything about these three realms, yet he could easily guess how far Wu Yue’s cultivation was ahead of his. Three full realms!

It would be impossible to defeat her given their disparity.

“Are you feeling scared now?” Sun Lanxiang’s voice seemed to be gloating. “You’re not her match at all. If she turns up at your door, she can nab or kill you. You won’t be able to do anything at all.”

Smack!

A crisp slap.

Ning Tao had smacked on Sun Lanxiang’s butt again. Her barely concealed pants quivered and almost slipped off.

Sun Lanxiang bit her lip in shame, her eyes full of murderous malice.

Ning Tao ordered coldly, “Go on!”

“She…” Sun Lanxiang controlled her emotions before continuing. “Later, I was born. My grandfather first liberated my soul and then taught me cultivation. She saw me and liked me a lot, so she asked my grandfather’s permission to take me as her disciple. My grandfather agreed. After that, she helped me a great deal. I could have any elixirs and spiritual materials I wanted, as well as manuals…”

“I led a particularly fulfilling life during that period. I concentrated on practicing, wondering how to repay her kindness. Back then, I didn’t know what she was planning. Nor did I know what my grandfather was doing under her. Until one day…”

“She made me kill a man. That man was only a butcher who slaughtered pigs. I didn’t even know him, and I didn’t believe he could be a hindrance. But I still did what she wanted. That was the first time I killed a man. After that, she trusted me and I managed to get close to her…”

“She was an extremely ambitious woman. She regarded her ancestor Wu Zetian as a deity. She wanted to establish a cultivation empire, with herself the mighty Empress lording over all. During the reign of Emperor Yongle, she established the Superior-to-Ming Sect, meaning to surpass the Ming Dynasty, with herself a presence even above the Ming Emperor. But after she emerged from her retreat, that dynasty was overthrown. Her former followers had all either died or dispersed… So she established the Superior-to-Qing Sect. She was an eminent guest of the Kangxi and Qianlong Emperors. Even the Yongzheng Emperor called her ‘high deity’. She went into another retreat again and…” When she reached this point, Sun Lanxiang suddenly stopped.

“And the Qing Dynasty was also overthrown.” Ning Tao completed her words for her.

How frustrated would she look?

“Superior-to-Ming” and the Ming Dynasty was overthrown.

“Superior-to-Qing” and the Qing Dynasty was overthrown.

She wanted to be a sovereign above all, yet Heaven would not allow it!

Sun Lanxiang glanced with strange eyes at Ning Tao. She seemed afraid that he might smack her bottom again. She continued. “After that, following the Reform-and-Opening-Up period, she went out of her retreat. She gathered her old followers and their descendants and started the Genesis Biotech Company.”

Ning Tao said, “It is now a democratic world. Most monarchs left behind by feudal societies no longer wield power and are only figureheads. There are very few with real power. Her dream of becoming the supreme sovereign must be over, right? She’s indeed the descendant of Wu Zetian, so ambitious about worldly control. So how can she be an immortal through cultivation? It’ll be an absurd dream!”

“This is all I know about her,” Sun Lanxiang said.

Ning Tao said, “You missed a point. How did she end up with Zhu Hongyu’s skull fragment? Did she participate in the ambush to kill Hu Ji and Zhu Hongyu?”

Sun Lanxiang turned silent.

Ning Tao reached out and started rubbing the plucking talisman gently on her face.

Sun Lanxiang continued. “Yes, she… did. It was Master Fakong who openly sent out the invitations, calling on all practitioners to annihilate those demons. But…”

“But what?”

“But she was the one who disclosed their secret to Master Fakong.”

“Go on!”

“In the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, Hu Ji and the Ancestor-seeking Elixir suddenly appeared. No one knew where Hu Ji was from. She captured cultivating doctors to help her refine the elixir. None of them survived. Those cultivating doctors refined a large quantity of the Ancestor-seeking Elixirs for her. All the practitioners and demons who took them experienced a vast increase in spiritual power. But a fraction of those who took them went crazy and died…”

“During that period, everyone in the practitioners’ world was scared of Hu Ji. And at that time, a rumor spread about the Ancestor-seeking Elixir. It claimed that the Ancestor-seeking Elixir was an elixir of immortality from the magic ancient age. Whoever took it could reverse time and avoid the trial, turning into an immortal instantly…”

“She might have known even more, but she told me nothing. She went to Master Fakong in private and the latter then ordered the extermination of that demon thanks to his eminence in the practitioners’ world. All the practitioners were afraid Hu Ji might come looking for them one day. So they mostly followed his order. They pursued Hu Ji to the ends of the world to kill her…”

They were in fact trying to rob Hu Ji of her elixir prescription. Ning Tao understood this, but did not say it.

“After a siege, Hu Ji was seriously injured but managed to escape. For a long time, there was no news of her. But later, someone found out she had married Crown Prince Zhu San and bore him a daughter. She had inscribed the Ancestor-seeking Elixir prescription on her daughter’s skull using some secret skill. At first, those who survived the siege gathered again to continue their pursuit. Then, there was the incident on the northern slope of Holy Mountain…” Sun Lanxiang paused for a while before continuing. “This is all I know. Every single word is true. You must fulfill your promise and release me.”

Ning Tao said, “You haven’t told me Wu Yue’s elixir prescription yet. Tell me or write it down for me. Then I will let you go.”

“I don’t know!” Sun Lanxiang’s emotions suddenly went out of control.

Ning Tao said blandly, “I am someone who adheres very strictly to agreements. I asked two questions and you have only answered one. So how can I fulfill the verbal contract between us?”

Sun Lanxiang said angrily, “I’m just an assassin under her, so why would she tell me this secret?”

Ning Tao said, “I don’t care about that. I have two questions and you only answer one. I can’t let you go. Besides, although you may not know, your grandfather is loyal and has been her follower for a long time. I’m sure he does. You will remain here for the time being until he brings the elixir prescription in exchange.”

“You despicable jerk! Shameless! Bastard! May you die a horrible death!” Sun Lanxiang cursed loudly.

Instead of getting angry, Ning Tao smiled. “You seem to feel uncomfortable here. Since you have told me so much, I will put you in another cell. You will feel more comfortable there. Would you get up yourself, or do you need my help?”

Sun Lanxiang had been struggling to get up, but the oppression from the good-evil tripod kept weighing her down. She gnashed her teeth and propped herself up one foot high, then collapsed again, panting frantically and feeling awful.

Ning Tao said, “It looks like I must help you.”

He walked over to her, a hand sliding down her neck, the other hand down the back of her knee. Then he lifted her up.

“Release me! You bastard!” Sun Lanxiang’s reaction was like a weak woman being molested. She was filled with tension, fear and shame.

Ning Tao ignored her. He carried her to the door of the Scriptures & Scrolls Store. Then he pushed open the door and walked in.

Sun Lanxiang discovered Ning Tao’s spiritual field and all sorts of spiritual materials growing in it. In that instant, she forgot her shame and terror, her eyes full of astonishment.

Ning Tao did not slacken his pace. He carried Sun Lanxiang to the second door of the storeroom, walking in after pushing the door open.

The Scriptures & Scrolls Store II was empty. There was nothing in there. It was most suitable for confining female prisoners.

Ning Tao put Sun Lanxiang down. “This is your cell. Be good and stay here.”

After arriving this place, they could no longer see that face on the good-evil tripod. Sun Lanxiang clearly felt better. Although there was still some oppression, it was bearable. Her situation gave her an idea. Her eyes shifted to the door of the Scriptures & Scrolls Store II.

Ning Tao said nothing, turning to go.

Whoosh!

Sun Lanxiang suddenly bounced up from the floor and bolted for that door like a white javelin. As she neared it, her body streaked forward to push that door.

Bam!

A muffled thud. Sun Lanxiang’s body flew backwards, crashing heavily against the wall opposite. Then she slithered down the wall.

Ning Tao turned back and glanced at her, saying with a smile. “I forgot to remind you, only I alone can open the doors here. This will be the outcome if you try to force them open. Also, don’t piss or defecate here, unless you want to feel that oppression outside again.”

“You…” A trickle of blood appeared at the corner of Sun Lanxiang’s mouth. Her eyes were bloodshot. “How… do I relieve myself?”

Ning Tao thought for a while. “I’ll bring you a pot.”

Sun Lanxiang was speechless.

Ning Tao pushed open the door and walked out.

He had kept Sun Lanxiang imprisoned for another reason other than using her to exchange for the elixir prescription. If Wu Yue, Sun Pingchuan or anyone from the Genesis Biotech Company were to do anything to his friends or family, then sorry, he would surely kill Sun Lanxiang!