The Husband Was Once The Long Aotian

Chapter 40

From the beginning of the cultivation to the ascension, a cultivator has to go through six stages: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, God Transformation, and Tribulation. Each stage eliminates countless cultivators; some achieve Foundation Establishment overnight, while others may never enter the immortal gate in their lifetime.

Through the journey from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, the cultivator forms a Golden Core within their body. The transition from Golden Core to Nascent Soul involves the formation of the Nascent Soul inside the cultivator’s body.

Upon hearing that Qin Wanwan intended to form her Nascent Soul here, Xie Gutang couldn’t help but furrow his brow. “Miss Qin, why have you chosen this place to form your Nascent Soul? This is too risky.”

The process of forming a Nascent Soul is extremely difficult. A moment of carelessness can lead to minor issues like losing control of one’s mind at best, or can result in a fatal explosion of the body in severe cases, leading the cultivator to his death.

Qin Wanwan surveyed her surroundings, pressed her lips together, and explained, “Daoist Xie, do you remember I mentioned that I met a young man named Song Shi in the temple in the back courtyard? He looks almost identical to the statue of Lin Yanzhi and was very kind to me.”

“I remember.” Xie Gutang nodded, “Why are you suddenly mentioning him?”

“That day, we were all searching for who in Guicheng possessed the mysterious spirit beast, Riddle Hide. I happened to meet him, and he told me about Hua Rong. We also learned from him that Hua Rong was raised by Lin Yanzhi and has a special bond with him. Moreover, Jian Xingzhi looks remarkably similar to Lin Yanzhi. In fact, it was because of his words that we became certain we must send Jian Xingzhi to find Hua Rong.”

“Indeed.”

“But this person, he died a long time ago.” Qin Wanwan reminded Xie Gutang, “Not only is he dead, but his looks resemble Lin Yanzhi’s more than Jian Xingzhi’s. With his appearance, whether as a male concubine or as Lin Yanzhi’s substitute, he shouldn’t have stayed in the back courtyard all this time.”

“Could it be Miss wants to say that?”

Xie Gutang began to understand: “The Song Shi back then wasn’t the real Song Shi at all. Perhaps he was Hua Rong, or one of Hua Rong’s subordinates. In any case, he was sent by Hua Rong to guide us in delivering the Senior to him.”

“Exactly. So that raises a second question: why does he want no one but Jian Xingzhi?”

Qin Wanwan analyzed, “His back courtyard is full of people resembling Lin Yanzhi. He has set up such a large formation to gather spiritual energy. He might also be trying to find a way to obtain the White Dragon Jade, bringing it into existence here. The White Dragon Jade itself is a mass gathering of spiritual energy. With all this power in hand, he continually seeked a body that closely resembles Lin Yanzhi’s. Hua Rong was raised by him—what do you think his intentions are?”

“He’s trying to resurrect Lin Yanzhi?!”

Xie Gutang reacted: “Resurrecting the dead, it is a heaven-defying technique.”

“He wants Jian Xingzhi’s body to resurrect Lin Yanzhi. This brings up a third question: why doesn’t he just capture Jian Xingzhi directly?”

Xie Gutang shook his head: “I don’t understand.”

In that moment, Qin Wanwan felt as if she and Xie Gutang shared an atmosphere akin to Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang. She placed her hand on her knee and revealed a hint of inscrutability on her face. “I suspect it’s because he lacks the ability. He must trick Jian Xingzhi into a certain place to take his body. Nan Feng’s capture wasn’t an accident. So, the purpose of this formation is twofold: either to resurrect Lin Yanzhi in Jian Xingzhi’s body, or… to grant him the power to defeat whoever controls Jian Xingzhi. But in either case, as long as I drain the spiritual energy here, his formation won’t take shape. Whether it’s switching bodies or killing Jian Xingzhi, he won’t be able to do it.”

[T/N: Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang are fictional characters from Chinese literature and film, depicted as a detective duo in stories set during the Tang dynasty. Di Renjie is typically portrayed as a wise and capable detective, while Li Yuanfang serves as his assistant.]

“The process of forming a Nascent Soul consumes a large amount of spiritual energy…” Xie Gutang murmured. “So, you plan to use this act of forming the Nascent Soul to cut off his resources at the source.”

“That’s right.” Qin Wanwan nodded: “So you go to get reinforcements to save Jian Xingzhi while I drain the spiritual energy here. Once I form my Nascent Soul,” Qin Wanwan pursed her lips, “I will go with you to save him.”

“But if you are forming a Nascent Soul, no one will be here to protect you anymore. Once Hua Rong notices any disturbance here, he’ll come straight to intervene…”

Qin Wanwan remained silent for a moment before calmly responding: “That is to say, it’ll only happen if Jian Xingzhi is dead. Otherwise, Hua Rong wouldn’t appear in front of me to prevent me from forming a Nascent Soul.”

“But Jian Xingzhi,” Qin Wanwan smiled, her eyes filled with trust, “he can’t possibly be dead here.”

After all, he’s the Dragon Overlord of the Immortal Realm. He couldn’t possibly die at the hands of a mere City Lord.

“Go.”

Qin Wanwan urged him: “If it’s too late, he might be in danger.”

Hearing this, Xie Gutang looked at Qin Wanwan who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, and faintly discerned shadows of Jian Xingzhi from Qin Wanwan.

He raised his hand in a bow to Qin Wanwan, then turned coldly and brushed his hand across the sword blade, letting a few drops of blood drip onto the ground. The formation that Jian Xingzhi had just discarded on the ground lit up. Qin Wanwan glanced at Nan Feng and commanded him, “You should follow Daoist Monarch Xie outside, it’s easier to communicate this way.”

“Oh,” Nan Feng said, a bit aggrieved. “In your eyes, I’m no different from this banana.”

“Being useful is already a good thing,” Qin Wanwan comforted him. “Many people are useless.”

“Miss Qin,” Xie Gutang said seriously, “I’m leaving, take care of yourself. ”

“Master,” Nan Feng climbed onto Xie Gutang’s shoulder, looking at Qin Wanwan with concern. “You must take good care of yourself.”

“Don’t worry.” Qin Wanwan’s face was calm and composed, as if Zhuge Liang was alive, planning and strategizing, “I know what to do, you go.”

Xie Gutang nodded, and as he spoke, the sword in his hand shone brightly with brilliant light. He slashed towards the sky. A big hole instantly appeared on the roof above, and Xie Gutang charged straight into the light.

Qin Wanwan, looking like an immortal hermit, watched as Xie Gutang shot into the sky like a rocket. The moment he vanished, she could no longer maintain this noble image of calm temperament, righteous valor and chivalrous, and her facade instantly crumbled.

She raised her hand to cover her face in pain and began to soothe her panic.

“It’s okay.”

Her legs trembled as she comforted herself: “Don’t be afraid, Hua Rong can’t get here. It won’t hurt, it’s just forming a Nascent Soul, it won’t…”

It won’t hurt at all!

Comforting was useless, and it even has the opposite effect.

Because she read too many books, she knew clearly that to form a Nascent Soul, not only does the cultivator need to reach the Nascent Soul level in terms of the comprehension of the Dao, and have sufficient spiritual energy, but the body must also be refined to the point that can withstand the intensity of the spiritual energy required for forming a Nascent Soul.

Her understanding of the Dao was solid; she had even survived a tribulation. She had enough spiritual energy now, which was also a minor issue.

Her problem was to refine the body. For temporary body enhancement, she only had one method.

To strengthen her spiritual veins herself, she would have to use the Chunsheng Heart Method to continuously repair them.

It would be better to let Jian Xingzhi beat her to paralysis. How can the pain of expanding the spiritual roots be compared with the pain of broken bones?!

Qin Wanwan pondered anxiously, wringing her hands. Sensing her distress, 38 carefully advised, “Master, the great female lead isn’t afraid of pain…”

“Shut up, What great female lead? With my personality, I should have been in a sweet romance novel, eating and drinking. Can’t I rely on my looks to win over people!?”

Upon hearing 38’s voice, Qin Wanwan became furious. Filled with sadness and pain, she mourned: “Why am I stuck in a story about being a great female lead, enduring so much pain and suffering? Are you blind?!”

“Well…” 38 struggled to explain, “maybe the heavens couldn’t stand your lack of ambition. After all, being proactive is the true positive energy.”

This choked Qin Wanwan on her words. For a moment, 38 seemed to be standing on the moral high ground. Qin Wanwan held her anger for a long time and could only ask: “Are you cold? If you are, just come down from that high place.”

“Don’t worry,” 38 didn’t understand her implications, “The system doesn’t get cold.”

Qin Wanwan took a deep breath. After the argument, her emotions had eased a little.

She thought about it and decided to accept the reality.

Since she was going to stay, she might as well refine her body properly.

Qin Wanwan raised her hand and began setting up the formation beneath her feet. Once she prepared the array to expand her spiritual roots, she took a deep breath and raised her hand to form an array in front of her.

She was so afraid of pain that she specially prepared another illusion, thinking that immersing herself in the illusion later perhaps could alleviate some of the pain.

Once everything was set, she closed her eyes and sat calmly. The formation lit up, and spiritual energy instantly surged towards Qin Wanwan, violently rushing into her body and pulling at the spiritual roots she used to circulate the energy.

Qin Wanwan immediately entered the illusion, where she sat at a dining table, eating barbecued meat and drinking milk tea. Although she didn’t understand why her whole body hurt while sitting there, the pain was still much more bearable compared to facing it directly.

No one can refuse milk tea, especially with coconut fruit jelly.

While Qin Wanwan was refining her body, Xie Gutang jumped out of the cave. As soon as he was out, he immediately noticed that the entire City Lord’s residence had undergone a dramatic transformation.

The sky was ominously dark, filled with red streaks like blood. The entire city was silent, as if the people in the city had vanished into thin air.

Xie Gutang looked down at the banana in his hand, pressed the red seal, and called out: “Senior.”

Jian Xingzhi was lying in a coffin, being transported by Cuilu to Hua Rong’s location. Upon hearing Xie Gutang’s voice, he instinctively felt something was off. “Why is it you? What happened to Beicheng?”

“Miss Qin decided to stay in the cave to form her Nascent Soul, drawing spiritual energy to assist you.”

Xie Gutang replied honestly, and Jian Xingzhi instantly became furious. “What’s wrong with you? Every time I ask you to protect her, you run off! Do you even mean what you say?”

Jian Xingzhi’s scolding words made Xie Gutang’s expression darken, but he restrained his emotions and replied, “I’ll call for assistance on behalf of the Senior and then return to protect her. Senior, how can I confirm your location now?”

“Assistance? Do you think I need assistance? I told you that she is very timid…”

“Senior,” Xie Gutang interrupted him, “Miss Qin is a cultivator, she is not a child.”

Jian Xingzhi was taken aback by this remark. Xie Gutang repeated, “How can I confirm your location?”

“I just probed around. According to the route I took just now and the arrangement of the rockery, this Guicheng is likely to be a Taiji Shangqing Formation. If you treat the entire city as a formation and look for the eye of the formation, you’ll be able to locate me.”

Jian Xingzhi quickly snapped back to attention from Xie Gutang’s words and immediately explained to Xie Gutang how to confirm his location.

Xie Gutang nodded: “I understand.”

After finishing, he stuffed the banana into his clothes and used his Divine Sense to scan the surroundings. Once he confirmed Shen Zhiming, Jun Shu, Liu Feixu, and Ning Buyan’s location, he thought for a moment and then dashed toward Shen Zhiming’s room first.

“Daoist Monarch Xie,” Nan Feng reminded him, “You can just call them all out and notify them.”

“No.”

Xie Gutang denied Nan Feng’s opinion: “If I do so, I must accompany them to save the Senior, otherwise they will suspect that I deceived them, and may hesitate to take action. But I also need to go back to protect Miss Qin.”

“What should we do then?” Nan Feng asked in puzzlement. Xie Gutang remained silent for a moment, his expression was cold, “Just watch.”

Xie Gutang didn’t head straight to Shen Zhiming’s room, but instead passed by and went to the kitchen, grabbed two chickens, and after cutting them, splashed the blood on himself. He then slashed at his own body to create fake wounds, filled a water pouch with chicken blood, and set Nan Feng aside. “Nan Feng, wait here for a moment, we will go find the Senior later. For now, hide here.”

Nan Feng nodded blankly, and watched Xie Gutang taking a mouthful of chicken blood, stumbling towards Shen Zhiming’s courtyard: “Shen… Daoist Monarch Shen…”

Shen Zhiming was discussing something with Jun Shu when he heard Xie Gutang rushing in. He immediately rushed to Xie Gutang’s side, supporting him as he fell to the ground.

Xie Gutang spat out a mouthful of chicken blood onto Shen Zhiming’s hand, lifting his pale face, he trembled as he said, “The White Dragon Jade… has appeared… My friend has been captured…”

“Where has the White Dragon Jade appeared?” Jun Shu asked urgently. Xie Gutang spoke word by word, as if it were his dying declaration, “Taiji Shangqing Formation… Eye of the formation… I beg you…”

Xie Gutang handed the banana to Shen Zhiming. “You can contact Xingzhi… save him…”

Before Xie Gutang could finish his sentence, his body suddenly stiffened, his eyes losing focus. Then his head tilted, and he collapsed onto Shen Zhiming’s arms.

Xie Gutang was covered in blood and devoid of any spiritual energy, so his true condition went unnoticed by Shen Zhiming and Jun Shu, who were too focused on the mention of the White Dragon Jade. In addition, Xie Gutang was a truthful person, they didn’t suspect him of lying and quickly used their Divine Sense to identify the eye of the formation of the so-called Taiji Shangqing Formation. Together, they rushed toward that location.

As soon as the two left, Xie Gutang instantly opened his eyes and rushed to Liu Feixu’s courtyard. Following the same tactic, he grabbed Liu Feixu’s hand and, after relaying the location, looked into his eyes, trembling as he pleaded, “You must save… save…”

“You can rest assured,” Liu Feixu said, his eyes filled with sorrow as she held Xie Gutang’s hand. “I will definitely save Jian Xingzhi for you.”

Hearing this, Xie Gutang smiled with relief and closed his eyes.

Liu Feixu sighed sadly, stood up, and hurried toward the eye of the formation in urgency.

As soon as he left, Xie Gutang sprang up and rushed to Ning Buyan’s room.

Ning Buyan was in poor health, hiding in the inner room. Xie Gutang staggered into the room, knelt in front of Ning Buyan, explained the location and what happened. Then he looked earnestly at Ning Buyan: “You must save my friend…”

“Don’t worry,” Ning Buyan said, moved by Xie Gutang. He immediately stood up, saying, “I’ll go get the White Dragon Jade… no, I mean, I’ll go save him. You can rest assured.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Gutang slowly bowed his head in gratitude, but he didn’t rise again.

Ning Buyan’s face showed sorrow as he turned, bringing with him a sense of urgency. He left with his sword in hand, cutting through the wind and snow.

Once Ning Buyan left, Xie Gutang immediately sprang up. He found a teacup and took a sip of water to dilute the disgusting bloody smell and taste in his mouth. Nan Feng, still in a daze, squatted on the window as he stared blankly at Xie Gutang: “Daoist Monarch Xie, next…”

“Quickly follow me; we need to save the Senior,” Xie Gutang returned to his usual composed demeanor of an old cadre, as if the earlier performance with astonishing acting skill had never happened. He instructed Nan Feng, “When the time comes, Miss Qin will contact you. You go protect her and I’ll meet up with you later.”

“Okay, Daoist Monarch Xie, take care.”

Nan Feng nodded and quickly left after finishing speaking.

Xie Gutang turned around and ran back to the rockery.

At this time, Shen Zhiming raised his hand and pressed the seal on the banana, contacting Jian Xingzhi: “Daoist Monarch Jian, are you alright? Where are you? ”

Jian Xingzhi was in the coffin. Hearing another person’s voice transmitting from the other side, he asked in confusion: “Who are you? Where is Xie Gutang?”

“I am Shen Ming,” Shen Zhiming lied without blinking an eye, “I was entrusted by Daoist Monarch Xie to rescue you. We need to find the center of the formation and need your cooperation.”

“What about Xie Gutang?”

Jian Xingzhi asked persistently. Shen Ming remained silent for a moment before saying sadly: “He has died.”

Jian Xingzhi was stunned. He was fine just a moment ago, but he’s already dead?!

Xie Gutang was a cultivator at the God Transformation stage. What could have happened? Were the enemies really that strong!? Could this really be possible?

Seeing Jian Xingzhi silent, Shen Ming thought he was overwhelmed with grief and tried to comfort him. “Don’t be too sad. We will come to save you. You must not let Daoist Monarch Xie’s sacrifice go to waste. Though he is gone, he will always live on in your heart!”

Jian Xingzhi: “…”

This was a mess, even more nonsensical than what Gu Beicheng did previously.

While Jian Xingzhi was drowning in confusion, Qin Wanwan meridians were about to explode from pain. Her illusion was shaking as if teetering on the brink, but she still persisted.

After finishing the barbecue, she indulged in dessert, and after that, treated herself to a spa. The more her body ached, the more her spirit craved enjoyment.

But at some point, she began to sense a ghostly voice surrounding her, calling out, “Save me…”

“Illusion.”

While munching on fried chicken, Qin Wanwan told herself, “It must be an illusion trying to drag me out of this illusion. There are no ghosts in this world; I don’t need to be afraid.”

“Save me… I am Hua Rong…”

“Even blatantly lying like this.”

Qin Wanwan took a sip of beer to calm herself down: “It seems that my mind is not firm enough, and the illusion cannot be solidified. I am not leaving this place.”

“This is not an illusion… Save me! Save me!”

The other party’s voice became more agitated. Qin Wanwan gulped down a few more sips of beer. Feeling that she couldn’t calm down, she closed her eyes and decided to follow Jian Xingzhi’s example, starting to chant a mantra to find her focus.

“Thus have I heard: all conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow, like dew and lightning…”

“Enough!”

The other party finally couldn’t stand it anymore and cursed angrily, “Damn you! You immortal idiot, whether you want to stay in the illusion or not, what does that have to do with me?! You can’t even tell the difference between hallucinations and real cries for help. How have you survived this long?! I am Hua Rong, the City Lord of Guicheng. If you don’t come to save me…”

“What happened to you?”

Qin Wanwan was momentarily stunned by the rain of insults. The other party was silent for a moment, then seemed to realize their outburst and calmed down, speaking coldly, “I’m begging you.”

 

[Mini Theater – 1]

Reader: Daoist Monarch Xie often seems out of place due to his overly serious demeanor.

Xie Gutang (wearing women’s clothes): Sorry, (coughing up blood). The only defining trait of my character is that I can bend and stretch as needed to achieve my goals.

[Mini Theater – 2: How to leave the cave]

Xie Gutang: With a resounding roar, flames erupted. Xie Gutang rose from the ground like a long white dragon, soaring into the sky…

Qin Wanwan: Daoist Monarch Xie, can you launch with Nan Feng?