Chapter 342: Initiation – The Crisis in Cang County

Lu Qing used his cultivation techniques to select the finest rice seeds. The villagers had never witnessed anything so miraculous—stunned silence fell over them all. With the aid of his magic, Lu Qing swiftly sifted through the entire batch of rice, isolating the best grains.

Gazing at the bamboo basket filled with plump, golden kernels, Lu Qing nodded in satisfaction.

"Zhang Ye Ye, I’ve finished selecting. The rest can be taken back by everyone."

"Only this little bit? Is that enough? Shouldn’t I get you more?" Zhang Da Ye, still dazed by the spectacle, finally snapped out of his trance and hurriedly asked.

"It’s enough. I don’t need more right now." Lu Qing smiled.

At his current cultivation level, the number of seeds he could refine with each invocation of the technique was limited. And although the spirit fields cultivated on the mountain were growing, they were still small. The selected seeds were more than sufficient.

"Alright, then. As long as you’re sure. If you need more later, I’ll have the villagers bring you more." Zhang Da Ye nodded, no longer pressing the issue.

"By the way, Zhang Ye Ye, you all went to so much trouble gathering these seeds for me—it was quite a burden. Here’s some silver; please distribute it among the villagers as a token of my gratitude."

Lu Qing pulled out a small money pouch from his robe.

Before Zhang Da Ye could respond, the other villagers immediately waved their hands, protesting.

"A Qing, what kind of talk is that? We’re all from the same village—just a few seeds, what’s the big deal? Why would you give us money?"

"Exactly! You’ve treated our illnesses for free, never charging a single coin for medicine or consultation."

"Right! And what about the magic you used to protect the village the other day—we haven’t even thanked you yet!"

...

The villagers weren’t foolish. Ever since the strange phenomenon had occurred in the village, they’d sensed subtle changes. They knew Lu Qing had done something significant—something good.

In the past few days, their sleep had improved dramatically, their bodies felt stronger, more energetic. Even some elderly villagers noticed their long-standing ailments slowly fading.

Of course, they all knew—this transformation was due to Lu Qing.

In this world, good health was a rare gift. Compared to that, a few seeds were nothing. They wouldn’t even consider accepting silver. Worse, they feared he’d force it on them, so they grabbed their baskets and, laughing and chatting, headed down the mountain without giving him a chance to hand out money.

The conversation on the way down was dominated by the magic Lu Qing had just performed.

Lu Qing stood there, silent, watching them go. After a few breaths, he chuckled softly, tucking the money pouch back into his robe.

Well, if this is what they truly want, then I’ll accept it.

"You were right, Zhang Ye Ye," Lu Qing said. "They really wouldn’t take the money."

"I told you," Zhang Da Ye replied with a smile. "You’re just too polite. It makes people feel distant."

"Zhang Ye Ye is absolutely correct," Lu Qing said, humbly accepting the gentle reprimand.

"Hey, A Qing—do you need wheat seeds too?"

A voice suddenly spoke from beside him—Lin Lao Tou, finally finding his moment.

"Wheat seeds…?" Lu Qing paused. "Does your family have good wheat seeds, Lin Ye Ye?"

"Of course! I won’t boast about other things, but when it comes to wheat, I can say with confidence—no family in our village, or even the neighboring ones, has better seeds than mine!"

Lin Lao Tou’s face lit up with pride.

Zhang Da Ye, though slightly embarrassed by the old man’s boasting, nodded in agreement. "True. When it comes to growing wheat, Lin Ye Ye is unmatched in the area."

Hearing even Zhang Da Ye say so, Lu Qing didn’t hesitate.

"Then if you have such excellent seeds, I’d be grateful if you could spare a portion for me."

He could always try cultivating spirit wheat once the weather cooled.

"Then I’ll go get it right away!" Lin Lao Tou’s eyes sparkled with joy, and he dashed down the mountain with surprising speed.

"Wait, Lin Ye Ye—take it easy! I’m not in a rush!" Lu Qing called after him, worried the old man might stumble.

"Let him go," Zhang Da Ye chuckled. "That old man used to be so crippled by leg pain he could barely get out of bed. You cured him completely. Now he’s practically itching to walk ten laps around the village every day."

Lu Qing: …

He hadn’t expected the old man to have such boundless energy.

Lin Lao Tou returned quickly, carrying a sack of wheat seeds. Lu Qing opened it and peered inside—each grain was plump and flawless. No exaggeration. These were truly rare, top-quality seeds.

"Didn’t I tell you? In ten li, there’s no one with better wheat than mine!" Lin Lao Tou declared triumphantly.

Lu Qing nodded. He could feel the vitality within the seeds—stronger even than the rice he’d selected.

"Then I’ll take them all. I’ll buy them from you, Lin Ye Ye."

"Buy? What are you talking about? These are gifts! You wouldn’t take money from the others—so why should I?"

Lin Lao Tou glared, his face hardening, as if Lu Qing offering silver was an insult.

Lu Qing paused. He understood—Lin Lao Tou was stubborn, even a bit reclusive. He didn’t get along well with many in the village. This was clearly a challenge to prove he wasn’t any less generous than the others.

"Alright, then. Thank you, Lin Ye Ye, for your generous gift."

Hearing this, Lin Lao Tou beamed. He chatted with Lu Qing for a while before finally heading down the mountain with Zhang Da Ye.

"Little Master," the voice of Yan echoed in Lu Qing’s mind once the others had left. "The villagers here are truly simple and sincere."

It had sensed every moment clearly.

"They’ve always been kind to me and Xiao Yan," Lu Qing smiled. He thought back to when he first arrived—how different things might have been in another village.

Yan said nothing, but it now understood why Lu Qing had invested so much effort in setting up the array here.

"Yan Elder," Lu Qing asked, holding the two bags of seeds, "are there any special preparations needed before using the Dian Ling Fa?"

"There are no special requirements. Your mastery of the technique is already profound. Refining a single spirit grain should be no issue."

As it spoke, Yan recalled how Lu Qing had absorbed the Dian Ling Fa—a process that still left it stunned.

For Lu Qing, the difficulty of a technique seemed nonexistent. A mere glimpse, and he grasped it nearly perfectly. His cultivation insight was nothing short of terrifying.

With that reassurance, Lu Qing felt at ease.

He returned to the house, prepared everything, then filled a wooden basin with water. He instructed Xiao Yan and Xiao Li not to disturb him, then entered the Master’s private meditation chamber.

Inside, he placed the basin before him.

Calmly, he focused his mind, gathering a thread of spiritual essence at his fingertip. He gently touched the water.

As his inner cultivation flowed, the surrounding qi—especially the wood-element energy—poured in, coalescing into vibrant spiritual vitality and infusing the water.

Soon, the water shimmered with a faint green glow, transformed into a living, life-giving elixir.

Then, Lu Qing slowly poured the selected rice seeds into the basin.

At that moment, as Lu Qing concentrated on refining the spirit seeds, a different scene unfolded in Cang County.

Four figures appeared before the city gate.

"Cang County," the leader said, eyes fixed on the gate, "according to our latest intelligence, over two years ago, a major incident occurred here. The Northern Frontier Tian Cang Sect’s Xian Tian Jing Elder, Wang Cangyi, once led his disciples to besiege a minor noble family in this town—reportedly in search of a sacred treasure. But they were repelled by a mysterious master and disciple.

The younger disciple, a youth, was said to have already reached Jin Gu Jing cultivation, defeating one of Wang Cangyi’s Inner Foundation Jing disciples who was at the Wan Man stage.

Moreover, it’s rumored that a disciple from the Tian Ji Lou was also present here at the time, preventing a full-scale Xian Tian Jing battle.

All these clues suggest the youth in question may be the same Lu Qing from the Qian Long Bang."

"Indeed," another voice added. "And the one who slaughtered Xuan Ming and others in Sheng Cheng? That was likely a master as well. So this Lu Qing is almost certainly the person we’re looking for."

"Yǒu Chāng Lǎo," one of the others asked, "should we return to the Secret Realm to report?"

"Not yet," the leader shook his head. "These are still just theories. We need more confirmation."

"How do we confirm?"

"According to our intelligence, there’s a Wei Family minor aristocratic household in this city that appears closely tied to the mysterious master and disciple. Once night falls, we’ll infiltrate and capture two key members of the Wei Family. After questioning them, everything will become clear."

"Excellent plan," the others agreed.

They were no strangers to such operations.

So they didn’t enter the city. Instead, they settled into the shadows just outside, waiting for darkness to fall.

The people of Cang County had no idea that a group of terrifying Xian Tian Jing Qiang Zhe were lurking beyond their walls.

Time passed. As dusk approached and the city gate began to close, a hunched, elderly figure in simple clothes, carrying a bamboo basket, appeared at the gate.

"Old man, it’s getting late. Are you still planning to enter?" The city guard, puzzled, asked.

The old man smiled gently. "I’m a doctor. I’ve been treating patients in nearby villages these past few days. My herbs are nearly gone—I need to buy more supplies."

The guard glanced at the herb basket on his back and the herb hoe at his waist. No suspicion.

"Ah, the Old Doctor! Please come in quickly. We’re about to close the gate. If you wait much longer, you won’t make it."

The old man nodded and stepped into the city.

After passing a few streets, he arrived at a massive mansion. The gatekeeper, seeing him, rubbed his eyes in disbelief. After confirming it was really him, he stiffened, then bowed deeply and hurried down.

"Chen Laodaifu! What brings you here?"

"Just passing through," the Old Doctor said. "I have a matter to attend to. Is the Family Head in?"

"Of course! The Family Head and the Lady of the Wei Family are both inside. Please, come in!"

The gatekeeper escorted him in. The second gatekeeper had already dashed inside to report.

A dozen breaths later, the Old Doctor had just stepped into the front courtyard when Wei Xinghe emerged from the rear, face bright with surprise.

"Chen Lao Qian Bei! What an honor to have you visit!"

The Old Doctor chuckled. "I’ve been on a round of free medical visits. I happened to be in the nearby villages, so I thought I’d stop by."

"Of course!" Wei Xinghe’s respect deepened. He knew the Old Doctor’s cultivation was beyond comprehension—far beyond even his own Xian Tian Jing level.

Yet such a legendary figure still humbly traveled to remote villages, healing ordinary villagers without payment. Such boundless compassion was truly admirable.

"Just doing my duty as a physician," the Old Doctor said modestly. "By the way, Wei Family Head, I came here with a request."

"Please, Chen Lao Qian Bei, speak."

"I’ve been treating some difficult cases in the nearby villages. One is urgent. But my medicine supplies are nearly exhausted. If I go now to gather more, it might be too late. So I thought… I’d come to you, hoping to purchase some."

"Chen Lao Qian Bei, you’re making me feel ashamed!" Wei Xinghe said, waving his hand. "A few herbs? Why so formal? Just tell me what you need—I’ll have them brought immediately."

"Here’s a list. Please check if you can gather them all."

The Old Doctor pulled out a small paper slip.

Wei Xinghe took it, glanced at it, then handed it to Wei Da Zong Guan.

"A Hai, go to the storehouse and fetch these herbs. Deliver them to Chen Lao Qian Bei at once."

Wei Da Zong Guan didn’t hesitate—he took the list and rushed off.

"Chen Lao Qian Bei, where’s Lu Xiao Langjun? He didn’t come with you?"

"A Qing has other matters to attend to. He stayed behind this time."

"I see. And you haven’t had dinner yet, have you? Why not join us?"

"Good idea," the Old Doctor replied without refusal. These past few days, he’d been too busy with medical visits—meals had been haphazard. Today, he’d only eaten a little in the morning.

Wei Xinghe immediately ordered the kitchen to prepare a feast.

Not long after, Wei Fu Ren arrived, having heard the news. She greeted the Old Doctor warmly, exchanging pleasantries.

As the Old Doctor waited for dinner, the sky outside grew completely dark.

Outside Cang County’s walls, four shadowy figures emerged from the night.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end