Chapter Ninety-Five: Lu Lingzi

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“Zhou, come with the Daoist to drink!” The door was kicked open, and Zhou Qian looked helplessly at the newcomer—it was the Wine Daoist. For more than ten days now, around the hour of Chen, this wine-loving immortal would invariably drag Zhou Qian along to drink and revel, treating him like a mere drinking companion.

“Immortal of Wine, can’t you take a day off?” Zhou Qian smiled wryly.

“There are elixirs and spiritual medicines in the cup, and wondrous cultivation methods in the goblet—how could one not drink? One must drink every day, every moment!” The Wine Daoist belched drunkenly, his eyes glazed.

“Sister Zhao’er, why don’t you send someone else to accompany him? My young master has truly had enough these past few days!” Sister Zhao’er frowned. After becoming familiar with the strange Daoist, she found him easy to get along with, but her lover spent more time with this elder than with her, which was unacceptable. Drinking harms the body, after all, so she thought of a reasonable excuse.

“No, I like this kid; he has to come with me,” the Wine Daoist twisted his face into a grimace and joked, “Wine is a cure, beauty is a blade that scrapes the bones; I heal the disease, you want his life—I’m better than you!”

He grabbed Zhou Qian by the neck and dragged him out. Sister Zhao’er stomped angrily, thinking, “How can this elder say such things? Am I a fox spirit’s concubine? Of course not—it’s Zhou Qian who first...” She felt uneasy.

“Senior, where are we going to drink today?” Zhou Qian sighed as they walked down the street.

“I heard the wine on the flower boats of the Qinhuai River is good, so we’ll go there,” the Wine Daoist decided.

“Drink... flower... wine?” Zhou Qian stopped abruptly, dumbfounded.

“Hurry up, boy!” The Wine Daoist turned, displeased.

Zhou Qian quickly stepped forward, firmly opposing, “Senior, that’s not good! You’re a first-rate sword immortal, transcendent and refined, and I have a fiancée at home. This just won’t do. Let’s go somewhere else.”

The Wine Daoist glanced sideways at him. “Today, this old Daoist is in high spirits; we have to go, no matter what. You want to go, fine; don’t want to go, you still have to!”

Zhou Qian’s face fell. This immortal was fond of bullying with power. If he refused, the Daoist would drag him along anyway. Zhou Qian had tried to run before, but whenever the Wine Daoist touched him, he became powerless, as if shackled—truly a fish at the mercy of a butcher.

Meanwhile, outside the city walls of Luodu, a nine-foot-tall demon quietly lingered. This demon, with a green face, fangs bared, and purple-tinged muscles, was none other than the fourth disciple of the Green Lotus Patriarch of the Demonic Sect—Zombie Daoist Lu Lingszi. Entrusted by his grandmaster, he sought a child infected by the Golden Crow Qi. Why had it taken four or five years to arrive here? There was a reason.

The child, young Zhou Qian, should have been in the northern borderlands, but by chance Zhou Xun had brought him to the southern territories. Zhou Qian was a beggar with no record in the imperial registry. The Zombie Daoist had scoured the northern borderlands in vain, exhausted and having fought several battles with righteous cultivators, truly unfortunate.

Even worse, he had encountered Situ Ming, a third-generation disciple of the Emei Sword Sect and disciple of the Heavenly Yang Daoist. The Heavenly Yang Daoist was one of the thirty-one masters of the previous generation of Emei. To protect his beloved disciple, he begged the Sect Leader Fang Shuming to lend one of the five Pure Yang swords of Emei—the Azure Dark Sword. This sword could even slay the primordial spirit of a heavenly tribulation expert, let alone Lu Lingszi. Yet he was drenched in sweat, beaten, and fled in disgrace, all his treasures and talismans destroyed.

Fortunately, fate was not without mercy. During his escape, Lu Lingszi befriended two sword immortals from different sects: the Fire Toad Xiang Jie and the Winged Guest Zhao Lei. Xiang Jie was a wandering immortal with profound Daoist cultivation but no sect, while Zhao Lei was a disciple of the Red-Clad Sect, a remnant of the Demonic Sect, and the direct disciple of Elder Lu, the sect’s leader. Zhao Lei was rumored to be a master of the elusive flying sword technique, with strange and unpredictable power, and proficient in occult arts, inheriting the Red-Clad Sect’s secret sky-covering techniques.

Together, the three defeated Situ Ming, though they failed to kill him by a narrow margin. They were kindred spirits, indulging in killing, soul-stealing, and other wicked deeds, growing bolder by the day. Xiang Jie once had a flash of insight and deduced that the Golden Crow-infected child was in Luodu city, bringing great joy, and they planned to eliminate him.

Fortunately, many righteous sword immortals dwelled in the central southern lands, with four of the seven great sects established there. With sword immortals entering the world, they had to be cautious. They divided into three groups, agreeing on a rendezvous time and place. Zombie Daoist Lu Lingszi arrived first and waited there.

Soon, a black light and a red light silently approached. Lu Lingszi’s iron-blue face finally relaxed.

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“Senior, are you saying I am the key to the sword immortal conflict?!” Zhou Qian was stunned.

The two sat facing each other in a small, exquisitely decorated chamber, permeated with rouge and feminine fragrance, furnished with a brocade screen, wardrobe, and jewelry box, with a small table between them. Outside, the sounds of orioles, swallows, laughter, and playful scolding filled the air. The Wine Daoist calmly sipped a local specialty, the delicate Daughter’s Red wine, occasionally savoring it. They had not invited any courtesans, much to Zhou Qian’s relief, until the Wine Daoist revealed the matter.

“There are countless born on the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the Bingchen year at the third quarter of the noon hour. Every additional one increases the chance of breaking the formation. Otherwise, why would this Daoist invite you to drink every day? It’s to protect you,” the Wine Daoist said, rolling his eyes at Zhou Qian.

“Then why didn’t you stop me when I went to the First Emperor’s tomb?” Zhou Qian was puzzled.

“That is another matter. Originally, the Emei hotshot wanted to use you as bait to eliminate the demonic cultivators, but the plan changed. Several juniors were chased by the evil sect, and the old ghosts Tian Pingzi and Madam Changyue rushed to assist. Later, the Demonic Sect sent four experts who had survived a heavenly tribulation. The Daoist had to aid the battle! Fortunately, the Grandmaster Taiyi reversed fate. No one could predict where you were, so it didn’t matter.”

“Then why have you come back again?” Zhou Qian asked.

The Wine Daoist was about to reply when he glanced outside, shaking his head. “Someone’s coming.”

Soon, the door opened, and a middle-aged woman with a half-exposed bosom and seductive attire entered. Her eyes brightened when she saw Zhou Qian, covering her mouth with a coquettish laugh: “Why didn’t young master Zhou give a word before coming? If the girls hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known you were here!”

Before she finished, she twisted her waist and tried to sit beside Zhou Qian. He awkwardly explained, “Lady Wu, this senior likes to drink, so I brought him here for a few cups. No need for company, so I didn’t notify you.”

Lady Wu rolled her eyes and said coquettishly, “Here just for drinking? Rare indeed!”

“Truly so, truly so!” Zhou Qian almost swore to the heavens.

Seeing he seemed sincere and noticing the old Daoist was only drinking and ignoring her, Lady Wu believed him halfway. She leaned close to Zhou Qian’s ear, whispering, “These wines are for the common folks. The good ones I keep for myself! I’ll serve some soon so you can drink your fill.”

“Thanks, thanks.”

“Don’t need a courtesan to accompany? I can come myself~” Lady Wu deliberately loosened her outer garment, providing quite a feast for the eyes.

“Forgive me for declining,” Zhou Qian bowed repeatedly.

“Still look down on us Qinlou women?” Lady Wu’s expression turned sour, nearly in tears.

“There are... family... matters...” Zhou Qian almost knelt down.

“Hmph!” Lady Wu rolled her eyes and turned to leave, but suddenly spun around, quickly pinched Zhou Qian’s vital spot, giggled, and sashayed away. Outside, laughter and playful shouts erupted.

Zhou Qian gasped, clutching his groin and crouching. Across from him, the Wine Daoist chuckled, “Boy, lose too much yang energy and even immortals can’t cultivate.”

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“This isn’t my first time here; the first time was also eventful,” Zhou Qian shook his head with a bitter smile, sensing the Wine Daoist’s disbelief.

“Oh? Then why do people call you ‘boss’?”

“According to imperial regulations, this floating pavilion and seven or eight other establishments in Chu territory are all under my name,” Zhou Qian said embarrassedly.

The Wine Daoist spat out his wine, coughing repeatedly—such a thing even startled an immortal.

“Does your master know you do this?” the Wine Daoist asked oddly.

“Not as you think,” Zhou Qian sighed. “I have a friend, Lady Hu, who was the real owner. She was brutally killed a few months ago. Without someone powerful backing them, the girls would have met a grim fate. So I took over in name. Most profits go to the court. The girls can leave if they want; if not, they stay. No one dares to harass them or cause trouble. This is the best I can do.”

The Wine Daoist suddenly understood. “Looks like you mortals have done quite some good.”

Zhou Qian changed the subject, “You were about to say why you came back?”

“This is a rare great matter even among my Dao,” the Wine Daoist’s face grew serious. “The Grandmaster Taiyi of the Qian Kun Cave is a rare figure who survived two heavenly tribulations, but he has been besieged by the Demonic Sect. Also, the day to break the formation approaches—I must take you away!”

“Looks like I have no choice,” Zhou Qian sighed.

“This old Daoist is not boasting—if the Demonic Sect gains the upper hand, the mortal realm will be no better than the ghostly underworld. When the Demonic Sect allied with the Hu tribes to seize the central lands’ fate, even a slight advantage led to chaos. Imagine if they win this battle—the world would suffer a hundredfold more misery!”

Zhou Qian nodded. “Then let’s go. When do we leave?”

“When the forces from Fire Island and Emei arrive, we’ll depart!”

“With such a formation, even sword immortals can’t guarantee their safety. Looks like I’m facing death a thousand times over,” Zhou Qian said seriously.

“You were brought here by the Daoist. If you die, how would I save face?” The Wine Daoist burped and lazily added.

“Eh?” The Wine Daoist suddenly looked surprised. “Fellow Daoists are coming? Could they be early?”

“No! Not fellow Daoists! It’s the Demonic Sect!”