Chapter 143 Untitled

Ji Feichen interacted with the immortals of the Profound Sect under the guise of the loose immortal Qinghong.

The friends visiting him today included Jingxuan of the Taiqing Sect; Zhang Yuanchu and Li Jingxun of the Purity and Virtue Sect; Liuzi Mo and Qinglan of the Wuwei School; Qin Wu and Wu He of the Taixiao Palace; and Yu Ming of the Lingwei School.

With everyone assembled, the day happened to be the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

In this world, there was no such thing as the Dragon Boat Festival. The closest equivalent was the Festival of the Five Poisons, a day dedicated to worshipping the Lord of the Five Poisons to protect the common people from being afflicted by the insects of the five poisons.

According to Ji Feichen's research, this Festival of the Five Poisons shared some similarities in meaning with the Dragon Boat Festival.

The Lord of the Five Poisons was originally a cultivator of the Profound Sect's immortal path. Proficient in the venomous worms of the five poisons, he had successfully refined the "Epidemic God Gu of the Five Poisons That Harms Heaven." Later, he inadvertently saved a few mortals in the mortal realm, and those mortals began to offer sacrifices to him in prayer for healing and disease prevention.

As time passed, this custom gradually spread. On the annual Festival of the Five Poisons, people would specifically worship the Lord of the Five Poisons and seek spiritual talismans of the five poisons to protect their families from being harmed by venomous insects. Consequently, the Lord of the Five Poisons attained the dignity of the divine path, becoming a deity equivalent to an earth immortal.

As for the custom of zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival, the most mainstream legend was associated with Qu Yuan. Although this was no longer his past life, Qinghong still thoughtfully prepared some "zongzi" on this day.

Of course, immortals do not eat grains. The cultivators present, even the weakest among them, Li Jingxun, rarely consumed mortal grains anymore. However, the grains in the Cloud Firmament Immortal Mansion had been deliberately planted by Qinghong. He selected superior "emerald-stemmed rice seeds," irrigated them with Three Lights Divine Water, and nurtured them into spiritual seeds. This emerald-stemmed rice was harmless to immortals; moreover, it harbored the essence of the sun and moon within, which immortals could use for cultivation to replenish their vital energy, essence, and spirit. After consuming it, there was no need to expel any impurities.

In fact, with their current immortal-human bodies, they expelled foul air merely through their breathing, having long since avoided certain physiological behaviors.

Wu He played with the cyan-wrapped zongzi in his hand and asked curiously, "Fellow Daoist, what is this? I feel it is no different from ordinary elixirs and spiritual waters." The cyan zongzi was tied into a four-cornered pyramid shape with colorful silk threads, with a wisp of spiritual energy faintly locked inside.

"I call this a zongzi, also known as a horned millet dumpling. It is polyhedral in shape and made from glutinous millet," Qinghong smiled mysteriously. "There is a special mystery to this thing; you will know as soon as you taste it."

The immortals looked at each other. After peeling away the outer leaves of the "zongzi," they revealed the crystal-clear emerald rice zongzi inside. The spiritual rice cultivated by the immortals was brimming with spiritual essence.

Li Jingxun picked up a zongzi, held it up in her palm, and examined it against the sunlight. The sunlight passed through the zongzi, which resembled cyan jade, revealing a bright red fire-jujube nestled within, presenting a deeply aesthetic appearance.

After studying it for a moment, Li Jingxun took a bite.

The texture was appropriately soft and waxy, leaving a lingering fragrance in her teeth and mouth after a light taste.

"Elder Brother's culinary skills are truly remarkable," Li Jingxun said with a hint of surprise. "The taste is wonderful. I never expected Elder Brother to possess such a skill."

"Just messing around when I have idle time, that's all."

He had prepared a total of forty-nine zongzi. There were preserved fruits such as fire-jujubes, longans, candied peaches, yellow pears, and vermilion fruits. There were also fillings made from peony petals and sweet red bean paste. Furthermore, he had cast spells into these zongzi.

Suddenly, Jingxuan covered his mouth, his face turning red as he silently circulated his inner energy aside. The vermilion fruit zongzi in his hand had been imbued by Qinghong with the "Blazing Fire Spell," which could temporarily enhance the power of the Three-Purity True Fire.

Upon swallowing it, his throat felt as if he had swallowed a burning piece of charcoal, burning with a searing pain. Jingxuan silently circulated his profound technique, managing with difficulty to refine the fiery force. Then, he opened his mouth and exhaled, sending forth a blazing crimson-gold divine fire of the Three-Purity that burned fiercely, its potency increased by ten percent compared to the true fire he usually practiced.

Jingxuan's face showed surprise, "Junior Brother's horned millet dumpling is a kind of spiritual elixir?"

"You could say that."

Finding the sight novel, the immortals eagerly tried other varieties of zongzi.

Fairy Yuzhi ate a zongzi with a peony petal filling, and a burst of peony fragrance drifted from the surface of her body.

Seeing this, Qinghong explained, "This is the Heavenly Fragrance Spell I cast. Eat this zongzi, and your body will be surrounded by floral fragrance for a full day."

Nearby, Qin Wu happened to eat the same kind of zongzi, and a burst of fragrance rose from his body. He shook his head, "This thing is truly troublesome." Silently sweeping it away with immortal light, Qin Wu wiped the floral scent from his body.

However, Fairy Yuzhi rather liked it. Along with Qinglan and Li Jingxun, she stood to the side discussing these floral zongzi.

As they talked, the three began to give names to the zongzi.

"Look at this fire-jujube zongzi. The cyan zongzi is as azure as the vault of heaven, and the red jujube rests within it—isn't this just the azure sky and the crimson sun?"

Page (1/3)

Page (2/3)

"By that logic, could this zongzi wrapped around a yellow pear be the moon?" Li Jingxun was struck by a flash of inspiration. "Then let's call it 'Clear Pool Reflecting the Moon.'"

Qinglan held up another fire-jujube zongzi and pointed at the fire-jujube at the top, saying, "The fire-jujube on this zongzi is at the very top, which恐怕 doesn't quite match the azure sky and crimson sun..."

Li Jingxun replied, "This is 'Vermilion Crown on Azure Clouds.'" The words tumbled out of her mouth. Beside her, Fairy Yuzhi pointed to the peony zongzi she had just eaten and asked, "Sister Li, what is the explanation for this one?"

"The peony is the king of all flowers; this is 'Peerless Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance.'"

"And what about this osmanthus zongzi?"

"The cyan jade is like a green toad crouching and gazing at the moon, and the osmanthus is a treasure of the lunar palace of Guanghan. Therefore, it is called 'Green Toad Plucking Osmanthus.'"

Her interest piqued, Li Jingxun pointed to the many zongzi before her and named them one by one. Moreover, she took out a vermilion brush she had obtained from the Lingwei Immortal Mansion and began writing inscriptions beside them.

"'Golden Dragon Riding the Clouds,' 'Begonia Drunk with Spring,' 'Emerald Lotus Jade Crown,' 'Jade Bridge and Sword Orchid'..." Her handwriting was delicate and elegant, which, paired with the evocative names, made Qinghong exclaim in continuous amazement.

"Junior Sister certainly has quite a bit of literary talent." Aside from her appearance being slightly inferior to Fairy Yuzhi and Qinglan, in every other aspect she was second to none.

"Of course she does," said Zhang Yuanchu. "Junior Sister is also a female immortal endowed with both virtue and talent within our Morality Sect. She is frequently ordered by the sect master to write Dharma edicts on the master's behalf."

The three female immortals amused themselves by writing inscriptions. Nearby, Jingxuan and the others mixed the zongzi together, drawing lots to try their luck and see who would eat one with a favorable spell, and who would be caught by the spiritual spells Qinghong had planted.

Qinghong had prepared many spells; things like the "Heavenly Fragrance Spell" and "Blazing Fire Spell" were merely minor tricks. Among them, three zongzi had been inscribed respectively with the "Diagram of the Dao Capital," the "Diagram of Dao Balance," and the "Diagram of Dao Connection." Anyone who ate these three zongzi would gain comprehension of the three diagrams and enter the realm of enlightenment.

However, after everyone finished eating the zongzi in front of them, no one had gained any particular enlightenment.

Seeing Li Jingxun writing inscriptions one by one beside the large basin of zongzi in the center, Qin Wu said speechlessly, "I must say, you female immortals, do you really have to do this? After you give them these names, how can we possibly have the heart to eat them when we see those names?" Qin Wu patted his stomach. "Besides, sooner or later they're all just going into our bellies—why bother giving them such nice names?"

Fairy Yuzhi gave him a sidelong glance and said to Li Jingxun, "Sister, look, what name should we give to the peony zongzi he just ate?"

Qinglan chuckled on the side, "Sister's peony zongzi is 'Peerless Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance.' But if Elder Brother Qin eats it, let alone fragrance, he can't even taste it—it's clearly a cow chewing peonies. I think that name fits him perfectly."

Hearing this, Li Jingxun quietly stepped forward and inscribed four corresponding characters on the zongzi leaf Qin Wu had left behind.

Facing the three women standing united against him, Qin Wu knew he couldn't outtalk them. Thus, he turned to Qinghong to change the subject: "Fellow Daoist, how did you make these horned millet dumplings? I think the spiritual spells inside are quite good; I can learn them later."

Qinghong smiled, "I had idle time in my mansion and grew grains. I was thinking of having a treat for a change, so I used this method to seal a few spiritual spells in them for fun."

With that, Ji Feichen explained the method of making zongzi: "Take emerald-stemmed rice and soak it in mountain spring dew, placing it on a dew-catching platform for three days and three nights to receive the essence of the sun and moon."

Upon hearing the first step, the immortals were speechless.

"The dew of the sun and moon is a treasure of heaven, an item we immortals commonly use for exchange. And you put it on a dew-catching platform?"

A dew-catching platform was an essential item for an immortal mansion, generating corresponding stellar dew every day for cultivators to refine elixirs, make medicine, or practice martial arts. Major sects naturally had them as well, but if any elder saw their junior using a dew-catching platform for this kind of thing, they would undoubtedly step forward and beat them away with a stick.

"After soaking, find wide leaves of spiritual wood to wrap them. Of course, before wrapping, cast spells on the leaves. Casting spells like this is similar to refining a treasure. Use the veins of the leaves to carve formation talismans. There aren't really any requirements for the shape of the zongzi."

"When the spells are cast on the leaves, wrap the preserved fruit fillings and the glutinous rice. Then use the cut five-colored spiritual thread to seal it so the spiritual energy doesn't leak out. Finally, use a steamer to steam them. Of course, the material for the steamer must also be a treasure woven from immortal spiritual bamboo."

"This step is of the utmost importance. Use a combination of gentle and intense fires to steam them until cooked, forcing the vital essence from the spiritual leaves into the zongzi. Likewise, the spells contained on the leaves will be driven into the interior of the zongzi. And because the exterior is bound by the five-colored silk threads, the power of the spells will not dissipate."

Steamers and the like were purely made up by Qinghong. When he steamed the zongzi, he used the Yin-Yang Dragon Whisker Fan, reversing Yin and Yang with the treasured fan and driving the Yin-Yang dual qi to steam the immortal zongzi.

Naturally, Ji Feichen dared not mention this method to Fairy Yuzhi. Otherwise, if the fairy heard that he had used her sect's supreme treasure to make snacks, she would probably fetch the Primordial Golden Dipper to chop him down.

Therefore, he falsely claimed to have used a steamer of immortal magical treasure grade.

Hearing this, the Fairy remarked, "Junior Brother is truly leisurely. However, the materials aren't troublesome. My Flying Cloud Island happens to have a bamboo grove, so I can go back and try it."

Page (2/3)

Page (3/3)

Li Jingxun chimed in, "I think Elder Brother's method of steaming can also be modified. Since we only need to carve formation talismans on the leaves, Sister Yuzhi can cut a few stalks of bamboo when she goes back and section them into bamboo tubes. Then, carve the spells inside the bamboo tubes, put in the glutinous rice and preserved fruit, and boil them immersed in water. First, the spiritual spells on the bamboo tubes can be reused repeatedly without consuming spiritual leaves. Second, there's no need for a steamer; you can just use spiritual spring water."

Upon hearing Li Jingxun's suggestion, Qinghong froze: "Tube zongzi?"

Drawing inferences from one instance, Li Jingxun had deduced an even more convenient method simply from Qinghong's words. Qinghong felt a silent wave of astonishment: Tube zongzi were not unheard of in his past life. It was just that he had been obsessed with the appearance of the zongzi at the start and hadn't thought in that direction. But Junior Sister Li is truly ice-snow intelligent, able to think of all this just from my words.

Moreover, watching Li Jingxun compose poetry and write inscriptions, Qinghong felt a few layers of affection for her grow out of nowhere.

While everyone was chatting, laughing, and carefully studying the making of the horned millet dumplings, a commotion suddenly sounded from outside.

Qinghong frowned and continued talking with Li Jingxun. "What Junior Sister says is right. This is similar to printing in the mortal world. What I did was merely the earliest block printing—wasting resources and squandering time and effort. But Junior Sister's idea is wonderful. Using bamboo tubes to carve spiritual spells can completely serve as an alternative kind of elixir, with an extra touch of flavor. Junior Sister, when you have time, shall we build a kitchen and cook for fun?"

Boom—sounds of earth and rock blasting echoed from outside.

"Alright. As long as Elder Brother has the time," Li Jingxun agreed with a smile. Their lifespans as immortals were long, after all. Aside from meditating and practicing cultivation, finding something to do in their spare time was quite normal.

Rumble, rumble—the noise outside continued, and the immortals grew irritated one by one.

"This is endless!" Liuzi Mo drew a circle with his right hand, raising a water mirror before him that reflected the traces of the demonic cultivators outside the immortal mansion.

"Demonic cultivators?" Qin Wu immediately grew interested. He was naturally someone who despised evil as an enemy. It was just that when he arrived, the demonic cultivators were nowhere to be found. But now that they had bumped into them, he looked eager to try.

Seeing this, Jingxuan said to him, "Junior Brother Qinghong's immortal mansion is constantly harassed by demonic cultivators, and he even captured a few and locked them up in the back. Later on, Daoist Brother Qin can press them into the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, which can also be considered as easing our tribulation. As for those outside, shall we capture them as well later?"

"That would be wonderful." Joy appeared on Qin Wu's face.

However, Qinghong said, "The immortal mansion is holding a banquet today, and I have invited you all as guests. Let those outside wait for now. My original intention was not to pay much mind to them. In any case, the demonic sect is facing the immortal-demonic killing tribulation; I will conceal the immortal mansion and let them make a fuss for a few days until they quiet down."

Yet the immortals did not think so.

Jingxuan said, "Since we are all here, there is no time like the present. It seems these demonic cultivators are simply out of luck. Since we've run into them, how can we watch your immortal mansion be harassed by them? Junior Brother, just raise the immortal mansion, and we will take charge for you!"

"Indeed, indeed, what Jingxuan says is right," Qin Wu agreed. "All of us are caught in the killing tribulation. If we can end the killing tribulation a step earlier, it can also be considered a good thing."

"Besides, there are many of us today. What if we aren't here one day, and the demonic sect mounts a massive invasion? What will you do, Fellow Daoist?"

The several Profound Sect immortals were eager to try. With a helpless expression, Qinghong could not help but look at Fairy Yuzhi beside him.

Knowing his true identity and seeing his helpless expression, the fairy thought to herself: *This brat is wily. He clearly prepared to deal with the demonic sect long ago, yet he insists on putting on a righteous front and letting others play the bad guy.*

Thus, the fairy spoke up: "Junior Brother, what these fellow Daoists say is not wrong. Junior Brother's immortal mansion is at the entrance of the Southern Border, which is of great significance. As the saying goes, there is no time like the present. Today, taking advantage of everyone's presence, let's establish the true master of the immortal mansion so we can avoid being pestered by the demonic sect in the future."

With everyone egging him on and Qinghong feigning repeated polite refusals before finally yielding to their enthusiasm, he had no choice but to raise the immortal mansion.

A sheet of golden rosy clouds dyed the ancient battlefield, and the magnificent immortal mansion appeared before the demonic cultivators of the Huangyang Demonic Sect.

"They've come out!" The demonic cultivators of the Huangyang Demonic Sect were all spirited, immediately transmitting the news back to the sect and sending people to seize the immortal mansion.

However, before the reinforcements could arrive, a sheet of thunderclouds erupted from above the immortal mansion, followed by Taiqing sword Qi filling the azure sky.

Qin Wu and Jingxuan struck simultaneously, one driving thunder and the other wielding sword Qi, annihilating the various demons in a few swift strokes.

Still unsatisfied, Qin Wu said, "Let a few of them go back and have them call over the elites of the demonic sect so we can have a proper ruckus in the Southern Border!"

Page (3/3)