Immortal Formula

   Chapter 5 The Journey

  Gu Yan was walking on the road alone, and in her bag was the consistent money she had accumulated over the years. Over the years, she has become accustomed to seeing the cold eyes of others and the scorching world. Therefore, as she grew older, she did not dare to easily show her women's clothes, but only willing to dress in men's clothes. Although she is no longer afraid of those thieves in the rivers and lakes, she still has to be careful with the idea that it is better to do less than one thing.

   The short sword around her waist was polished with a broken weapon she picked up back then. She once used this sword to kill a Dengzi who coveted her beauty. The man followed her quietly, intending to be indecent. After being discovered by her, after a fight, he drew his sword and killed him. It was her first murder in her life. Maybe it was because she saw a lot of blood when she was a child, but she was actually very calm and her hands didn't tremble.

  Before the trip, she spent three months practicing a spell called "Fire Control". This is one of the most superficial spells recorded in the back of that booklet. It is a means for beginner disciples in the qi refining period to familiarize themselves with the operation of spiritual qi. Although this is only the most superficial means, it is enough to deal with ordinary Jianghu people. She still remembers how her mother was powerless in front of the person who only had one or two levels of qi refining. This was the gap between an immortal cultivator and a mortal. It was like a moat, which was short but insurmountable.

  Yunyang City is a medium-sized city in the north of Yue Kingdom. It is located on the west side of the Tianmu Mountains. Tianmu Mountain is known as one of the "Thirty-six Caves in the Sea". There must be many immortal practitioners haunting it. After stepping into the threshold of the Immortal Cultivation Realm, she couldn't help being a little excited. She wanted to see what those monks who truly possessed great supernatural powers were recorded in the foundation-building and even the alchemy stage.

   The place where she was located was in the southeast of Yue Kingdom, and to go to Yunyang City in the north, she had to walk at least seven or eight hundred miles. She only had money, and she was reluctant to use it to hire a car, so she could only rely on walking. Although she is an immortal cultivator, she has no magic weapon nearby, and the second level is not high, so she can only walk a few dozen miles a day.

   Now the world is unstable, there are wars everywhere, and refugees are everywhere. When someone saw her alone as a teenager, they wanted to rob her halfway. They were all shearing thieves. After she performed a fire control technique, she ran away in fright. Some even offered all their robbery proceeds as an apology. After several times, Gu Yan actually accumulated a small amount of money, probably as much as a few dozen dollars.

   With this money, Gu Yan wanted to find a city, and then find a reliable caravan to follow them all the way, so that it would be safer. Although the world is now full of flames, business has not withered because of this, but has become more and more prosperous. What she has seen most along the way is a caravan escorted by samurai, and sometimes even guarded by the army, walking around. And these caravans are sometimes willing to absorb some armed single travelers to join.

   At noon that day, she went to a place called Dongnae. This is a transportation fortress with a radius of hundreds of miles, extending in all directions, with the most business trips. She went to the city, found a place to eat, and then went to the market in the east of the city.

   Generally, such a big city has a large-scale market in the outer city. It is a place where all kinds of people are waiting to come and go. To inquire about news, this is the best place.

  Gu Yan is now dressed as a teenager. She was originally taller than her peers, just like a teenager of thirteen or fourteen years old. In addition, with a short sword on her waist, they all thought she was a swordsman who came out alone. In troubled times, nothing is more respected than force. So in such a big city, there is no one to provoke her.

   When she arrived at the market, she inquired at random and found that although there were many caravans, they all went south, not north from here. She was slightly surprised and asked the local broker for details.

The broker was a middle-aged man in his forties, very shrewd. Hearing her inquiries, he smiled and said, "I heard that the Yue Kingdom and the Song Kingdom are at war again, and the generals on both sides are very powerful. Stop it. It’s just hard for us people, the army is in chaos, who would dare to go north, even the caravan that was originally going to the north is now rushing to the south.”

  Gu Yan frowned, although she had no problem dealing with a few thieves, but if she encountered well-trained soldiers, she was not sure that she would be able to deal with it. It is better to find a strong caravan to accompany you. He asked, "Didn't you go north?" Then he took out the money from his pocket and put it on the table, "If you can find it, the reward will be yours."

The broker's eyes lit up, he hesitated for a moment, and said, "Yesterday, a lady came to the city, and I heard that she is going to Yunyang City in the north. It's just that the path to take is very dangerous and the journey is fast. There are many martial artists in the city, but they are unwilling to **** them. Young master may wish to go and have a look."

   Gu Yan smiled slightly, asked the direction, and went to find it by himself. Sure enough, in an open space in the southeast corner, there was a young man sitting there. Gu Yan stepped forward and asked, "Are you going to Yunyang City?"

The young man saw that she was a young man with a sword, his eyes lit up, and he said, "My wife has an urgent matter to go to Yunyang, but the north is in chaos. Are you interested?"

  Gu Yan looked at his thin body, the name of this "strong man" is really strange. She couldn't help but touched her nose and said, "I also want to go to Yunyang to visit friends, why don't I go with you!"

  The young man said happily: "This is the best. If you arrive safely, my wife is willing to pay ten gold beads."

  Gu Yan raised her eyebrows, a little surprised. She has experienced many world events in the past few years, and knows that in such a troubled world, gold is very valuable. A hundred taels of money may not necessarily be exchanged for a tael of gold. Ten gold beads, at least seven or eight taels.

   But she was not immediately tempted. Having lived alone in this troubled world for several years, she has learned to be cautious about anyone. He asked the young man, "I don't know where Madam Zun is from, why did you go to Yunyang City?"

  The young man hesitated and said, "My wife is from a big family in Yue Kingdom. She went to Yunyang City to visit an old friend."

   Gu Yan sneered, turned around and left. In such chaotic years, women from aristocratic families traveled to visit friends. Are these words used to deceive ghosts?

   At this moment, a very gentle voice said, "Young man, walk slowly." Gu Yan looked back, and saw a soft sedan seat not far away, with a curtain hanging around, and there was a figure inside, which could not be seen clearly. It must be the lady who recruited here. It's just that Gu Yan's eyes didn't look at her, but at an old man and a young man standing beside the sedan chair.

  The old man was dressed in Taoist attire, about forty or fifty years old, with a few strands of hair that had turned white. The young man was only in his twenties, and he was very tall, about a head and a half taller than her. Standing in front of the sedan chair, the old man was standing behind him, a little like being below him. Gu Yan had seen in the booklet left to her by her father that the world of immortals has always been based on cultivation, regardless of age. It's not surprising. It's just that the youth and the Taoist priest have a clear immortal cultivator's breath!

  According to the rules of the Immortal Cultivation World, people of the same rank can sense each other's breath, but cannot detect the other's cultivation level. Therefore, these two people must be in the same Qi period as her. It's just that she instinctively felt that the Taoist priest's cultivation base was higher than her own, and the young man must be stronger. It turned out that this lady was guarded by an immortal cultivator, she suddenly became a little vigilant, and looked at the two with scrutiny.

  The young man also looked at her. The two eyes met in mid-air and then separated again. Gu Yan faintly felt that this young man was much stronger than her. She cupped her hands in the sedan chair: "It turns out that Madam has an expert guard, so she was reckless." After speaking, she was about to leave.

  The lady said softly: "The northern land is not very peaceful now. The young man is going to Yunyang, why don't you come with me, and after arriving, the concubine will give her a gift."

  Gu Yan didn't stop, but a soft voice came out from the sedan chair: "How about a piece of spiritual stone?"

  Gu Yan stopped abruptly, her eyes showing a very complicated light. Spirit stones can be said to be the most popular items in the world of immortality, because the aura between heaven and earth is messy and disordered, the best way is to cultivate by absorbing the aura contained in spirit stones. The spiritual stone ore veins on this land have grown slowly after countless years of changes. Basically, they are kept in the hands of the Xiu Xian sect and some big families. It is very difficult for ordinary casual cultivators to obtain spirit stones. This lady must have a deep background, otherwise, how could she be a spiritual stone when she is a stranger to her?

  Gu Yan glanced at the young man, and said lightly: "If Madam doesn't tell the details, I'm afraid that this piece of spiritual stone may not be fortunate to get."

  The lady said: "There are many people here, and it is inconvenient to speak. Why don't you go back to the place where your concubine is staying and discuss in detail?"

  Gu Yan is not afraid. If there is not a deep hatred between immortal cultivators of the same level, or a conflict of interests, they rarely do anything with each other. After all, once you start, most of them will lose both. I didn't have anything to make the other party think about, so I followed him generously.

   The place where the lady stayed was not remote. It was a small courtyard in a large inn. She probably wrapped it all up, and it was very quiet inside. The sedan chair didn't fall until it was carried to the courtyard, and a maid opened the sedan curtain for her.

   Gu Yan took a careful look, this lady is only a mortal, and she smiled in her heart. If this lady even had a maid who was a cultivator, it would be a bit shocking.

  The lady stepped out of the sedan chair, her face still covered with a veil, and she was wearing a gorgeous dress. She was dignified and elegant. She smiled at Gu Yan and invited her in.

   (end of this chapter)