27

Upon hearing this, Qingchen chuckled softly, a knowing look on his face. "Brother Yun, how could I not understand?" he said.

"Tonight, both this room and the inner room are prepared with the finest delicacies, though the preparation methods differ.

How Brother Yun wishes to enjoy them, and which dish to try first, is entirely up to you."

As he spoke, he stepped aside, gesturing towards the inner room.

"Brother Qing, you truly understand me perfectly, hahaha!"

Li Muyun indeed rubbed his hands together, appearing somewhat impatient, muttering, "Brother Qing understands me best," before lifting the curtain and entering the inner room without looking back.

Qingchen's smile vanished instantly as the curtain fell.

He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, silently counting the hours. The 'medicine' he had prepared for Li Muyun would induce extreme excitement, clouded senses, and increased talkativeness.

...

Sure enough, just a quarter of an hour later, the curtain to the inner room was abruptly thrown open.

Li Muyun emerged, slipping on his shoes, his collar askew, revealing a sweat-stained chest. His flushed face wasn't from drunkenness, but from the effects of the drug.

He straightened his clothes with satisfaction, casually sat back in his chair, grabbed the wine jug, filled his cup, gulped down a large mouthful, wiped his face, and laughed:

"Great! Brother Qing really knows how to get things done!"

After Li Muyun left, Niu Dali, along with several Shuangying Society men,

entered from outside, ready to handle the matters Qing Chen had entrusted to him.

Qingchen picked up his wine cup and gently touched it to Li Muyun's. "I'm glad Brother Yun is satisfied. Speaking of which, these past few days guarding the city have been quite leisurely, so I've been flipping through a few books.

They're about immortals riding swords and summoning wind and rain, it sounds like storytelling, I wonder if it's true or not? I'm really envious."

Upon hearing this, Li Muyun burst into laughter, putting down his wine pot. "Storytelling? That's not storytelling! Cultivating immortality really exists, it's just that it's not our destiny."

He paused, then picked up his wine cup and took a sip. "However, the path of cultivation is not one that everyone can tread. Only one in a thousand, it requires a talent called spiritual root.

Without this spiritual root, no matter how diligently you cultivate, how hard you try, it will all be in vain, a complete waste of effort."

Qingchen suppressed the pounding in his heart.

He feigned ignorance: "Spiritual root? What's that? Like ginseng? Or is it something you're born with?"

"Born with!"

Li Muyun slammed his hand on the table and sighed:

"Back in my youth, I also longed for it, I dreamed of it. Alas, I lacked that spiritual root, and was destined to be barred from the path of cultivation. However, being able to enjoy wealth and glory in this mortal world isn't such a loss."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly: "This isn't my own insight, it's what my wife said. She once told me that the path of cultivation requires a spiritual root as its foundation.

Years ago, the city lord took all his children to the capital of Jing Kingdom. He asked the imperial advisor to determine their spiritual roots, but unfortunately, none of them could be found. What a pity."

Qingchen silently memorized the words "imperial advisor" and "capital," but feigned even greater curiosity, pressing for more information:

"So, having a spiritual root means you can cultivate immortality? Do you also need secret manuals and elixirs? Like the 'Jade Forging Technique' I practice, which requires a master?"

Li Muyun pursed his lips, leaning back in his chair, his drunkenness gradually taking hold, his eyes beginning to glaze over:

"My wife once said that even with a spiritual root, it's useless in Jing Kingdom, and certainly not a guarantee of success. Because our Jing Kingdom lacks a certain crucial element, it's difficult to cultivate immortality.

Only by boarding a celestial ship, flying over the Thunder Pool, traversing countless miles, and reaching a truly suitable place for cultivation, can one begin to cultivate.

This isn't a secret, not a hidden matter. Most of the kings and generals of Jing Kingdom are well aware of it."

Qingchen feigned curiosity and pressed on, "That large ship? I wonder how much silver it costs to buy a ticket to board?"

Upon hearing this, Li Muyun couldn't help but scoff, "Silver? Hmph, even if you brought a mountain of silver or a mountain of gold, you might not be able to sway those immortals.

Immortals aren't so easily dismissed. Let me tell you the truth, to board the ship, you need a special token."

Qing Chen readily chimed in, "A token? That must be something valuable, something extremely precious. Ordinary people probably can't even see one; I've never heard of it!"

His heart pounded fiercely, he could almost feel the blood rushing to his head, but he maintained a respectful expression.

Li Muyun laughed smugly, "Haha, that's true. Ordinary people certainly can't see one. Even those who have been granted titles and high positions haven't all seen one.

However, my wife has seen one with her own eyes. Back then, the city lord rendered outstanding service to the Jing Kingdom, and the king bestowed upon him a token as a reward."

"But where is that token now? Where it's hidden, I have no idea, and I haven't asked Madam about it."

He then let out a hiccup, clearly quite drunk, and his words were somewhat incoherent.

Hearing this, Qingchen was overjoyed.

His biggest worry was that Jincheng didn't even possess a single token; the situation was far better than he had imagined.

He quickly followed up with flattery: "Lord City Lord truly lives up to his title of Military Governor; even a celestial artifact has been bestowed upon him!

Back when I worked at the brothel, I heard of Lord City Lord's reputation; they said 20,000 elite troops repelled 50,000 enemy soldiers—truly formidable!"

Li Muyun, his eyes glazed with drunkenness, swayed and said, “Brother Qing, you probably don’t know the inside story. Let me tell you.

These wars are nothing more than a game played by the immortals. My wife once told me that every twenty or thirty years, a national war breaks out between these countries. It’s all forced by the immortals; they manipulate it from behind the scenes.

In return, every thirty years they issue tokens and elixirs, allowing a select few to board that mysterious immortal ship, thus embarking on the path of cultivation and attaining immortality.”

As he spoke, he let out a loud hiccup, the stench of alcohol hitting Qing Chen’s face.

Qing Chen subtly shifted to the side, inwardly sighing: So, the life and death of mortals are nothing but a farce in the eyes of the immortals.

He recalled the feeling of being a slave to the powerful in a brothel;

He recalled the ruthless act of strangling a prisoner with his own hands in the Beiman Mountain tunnel, driven by the need to advance his immortal path;

he recalled the anxiety of three months of arduous cultivation, yet unable to sense any spiritual energy…

Qingchen's fingers slowly clenched, his nails digging into his palms, the pain making him even more lucid.

He looked at the drunken, incoherent Li Muyun before him, filled his cup again, and downed it in one gulp.

Who could resist such an opportunity to cultivate immortality?

Qingchen hoped that one day he too could break free from the control of these immortals and truly take control of his own destiny.

He didn't want to be like his past life, drowning himself in wine, trying to please others with forced smiles.

He didn't want to live a life without hope, suffering further humiliation!

He would climb step by step to the very top!