Chapter 26: That Works Too

“Look at this mission. People are getting pregnant one after another. What’s so strange about that?” Ancient people placed great importance on heirs, and men and women didn’t exactly use contraception on purpose, so getting pregnant shouldn’t be unusual. Bian Chunzhou had to admit that it was his damn curiosity that drove him to take this mission.

Besides, the deadline for this investigation mission was very generous. They could finish the other two missions first before tackling this one. Even if they failed to complete it, they could just hang the mission back on Kaiyuan Peak’s mission board.

“Speaking of which, are there any pills like a Fertility Pill in the cultivation world?”

This question clearly hit Wen Xu’s blind spot. Lately, he had dabbled a bit in artifact refining and formations, but when it came to pills, he had almost no contact with them, aside from the basic pills Alchemy Peak had gifted him after he harvested the King Danxiang Grass. For now, he had no interest in alchemy either.

“Yes,” Chen Zui suddenly spoke up.

Bian Chunzhou: …Why did the answer coming from this big, silly dog’s mouth feel so off?

Chen Zui, however, didn’t notice his friend’s shift in mood at all. “My mother said she only gave birth to me after taking a Fertility Pill.”

Good grief! Was that for real?

“Your mother was definitely pulling your leg! If cultivators could get pregnant just by taking a Fertility Pill, why on earth would they have such a hard time having children?”

It was no secret that cultivators struggled to have offspring. As for the reasons, they were simple. First, cultivators defied heaven to extend their lifespans, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to focus on their personal paths. Few would choose to become Dao companions. After all, mortal couples only lived together for a century at most, and even then, many couldn’t make it work. In the cultivation world, lifespans easily reached hundreds or thousands of years. If a relationship went sour, divorce was a minor issue; the real trouble was the damage it could do to one’s state of mind. Therefore, whether male or female, unless they were obsessed with reproducing or hopelessly infatuated, most cultivators chose to remain single.

Even if some cultivators enjoyed physical intimacy, it was usually just for pleasure rather than emotional connection.

Second, it was the restriction of the Heavenly Dao. When two cultivators paired up, it was extremely difficult to conceive. However, once they did, there was a high probability the child would possess spiritual roots. This was how certain cultivation clans came to be. Talented descendants would focus on their personal cultivation, growing strong to protect the clan. Meanwhile, those with spiritual roots but little talent would marry far and wide. As long as the numbers were high enough, they would eventually produce heirs.

“Speaking of which, you always bring up your mother. Is she a cultivator too?”

Chen Zui nodded. “Yeah, my mother is amazing. She can catch my blade with a single finger.” Unfortunately, she wasn’t willing to teach him cultivation and had even kicked him out of the house. Chen Zui felt a bit sad; he hadn’t seen his mother in a long time.

“Wow, that powerful? Then she was definitely tricking you.”

“I knew it!” Chen Zui said indignantly. “I’m going to cultivate hard. Once I’ve succeeded in my studies, I’ll be able to defeat my mother.”

Bian Chunzhou encouraged him, “Great ambition! I’ve got high hopes for you, Chen Zuizui. Come to think of it, you’re the only one among the three of us who still has family elders.”

Chen Zui looked at his two friends. “You don’t have mothers?”

“Nope. I only remember my dad; I’ve never even seen what my mother looks like.” Bian Chunzhou searched his memories and confirmed there was no trace of a mother. He hadn’t even seen her grave. Perhaps once he reached the Golden Core stage and could travel for his cultivation, he could make a detour to the Rogue Cultivators Alliance to ask around, and sweep his cheap old man’s grave while he was at it.

Chen Zui looked at Wen Xu, who hesitated for a moment before speaking. “My adoptive father passed away three years ago. I was adopted.” However, his master had told him last time that his blood relatives should still be alive.

Hearing this, Chen Zui immediately offered generously, “If you guys want a mother, I can introduce mine to you.”

“…Kid, I’ve got to hand it to you.” How could you just give away a mother like that? No wonder his mother wanted to beat him up all the time.

The last time Wen Xu and Bian Chunzhou entered Langyuan City, they had been penniless, barely managing to stay and cultivate in the city by relying on the reputation of placing first in the preliminary trial. Now that they had joined Yonglu Mountain, the situation was naturally completely different.

All three wore the disciple nameplates of Yonglu Mountain at their waists. Even though the highest cultivation level among them was only the ninth layer of Qi Refining, the treatment they received upon entering the city was night and day compared to before.

“It looks like Tinghe Villa is just ahead. I asked around about it. It’s a very famous wealthy household in Langyuan City. Unfortunately, no one in the main branch seems to be able to cultivate. However, a branch family produced a cultivator with three spiritual roots, who reportedly reached Foundation Establishment last year.”

Bian Chunzhou had always been good at gathering information, even picking up rumors of questionable authenticity. “These pills must have been bought for that Foundation Establishment cultivator. With such a large sack of pills, no wonder the Alchemy Peak elder was willing to spend contribution points to hire someone for home delivery.”

If not for Wen Xuxu’s storage ring, carrying such a large sack of pills on their persons would have inevitably attracted the attention of ill-intentioned people.

It was also after seeing so many pills that Bian Chunzhou immediately adjusted the order of their missions: deliver the pills first, then harvest the herbs, and finally investigate the strange pregnancy occurrences.

“Please wait a moment, Immortal Masters. I will go report to the Villa Master right away.”

The master of Tinghe Villa was named He Gan. He was fifty-six years old this year, but because the cultivation world was rich in spiritual energy and pills were prevalent, as long as one had money, even those who couldn’t cultivate could take pills to prolong their lifespan.

He Gan looked to be only in his early forties, though his face showed clear signs of exhaustion, as if he had run into some trouble. Even so, when cultivators came to his door, he had to come out to greet them even if the sky were falling on his household.

Not only that, but he also had to offer them warm hospitality. Of course, He Gan was more than willing. After all, these three Immortal Masters came from Yonglu Mountain. If he could build a connection with them, even just one of them, it would bring endless benefits to Tinghe Villa.

After all, these three were inner sect disciples of Yonglu Mountain. He had a sharp eye and could tell at a glance that those were the disciple nameplates only inner sect disciples could wear.

Unfortunately, one of the three seemed to have poor eyesight, the one carrying the blade couldn’t understand human speech at all, and the one who did understand human speech was far too slippery. In the end, he couldn’t even present them with any gifts of respect.

“That was close. Good thing we slipped away fast, otherwise we’d have been saddled with an extra task.”

Only after they had walked a long way did Bian Chunzhou pat his chest and speak. “You didn’t see Villa Master He’s face just now. He’s definitely run into trouble.”

Chen Zui said, “Really? It’s not like he could beat us anyway.”

“He has. I smelled it. Villa Master He had a very strong scent of medicine on him. Either he’s gravely ill, or someone close to him is. Otherwise, he wouldn’t carry such a heavy medicinal smell.” Perhaps those pills weren’t all meant for that Foundation Establishment relative of his, either.

“Now that you mention it, I think I smelled it too. Good thing we slipped away fast. Come on, let’s go eat first. Tonight we’ll go harvest the grass. I heard the path to Yueyu Forest isn’t easy to travel, so we might need to head out early.”

Wen Xu was speechless. Chunzhou was great in every way, except he cared far too much about food.

The three of them were still in the Qi Refining Stage, so they naturally hadn’t abstained from food^[1] yet. But according to Bian Chunzhou, even if he reached Foundation Establishment, he would never choose to stop eating. After all, cultivators were still human. If life lacked delicious food, what was the point of living so long? To watch others eat delicacies while he could only swallow his own spit?

“My mother said that as cultivators, we should be proactive, punish evil, and uphold justice. If that’s the case, why didn’t we listen to Villa Master He’s request?” Once the three of them sat down and ordered their food, Chen Zui suddenly asked in confusion.

Bian Chunzhou scratched his head, thinking to himself that Chen Zui was indeed the blockhead Wen Xuxu had certified him to be. “Your mother really worries herself sick over you. You must show her proper filial piety in the future.”

Chen Zui said, “…You didn’t answer my question.”

“Uh, well, Wen Xuxu, you handle this. I’m going to eat my griddle-cooked chicken!” Ah, chicken in the cultivation world tasted three times better. As expected of chickens raised on spiritual Qi! He loved it so much.

Honestly, if he didn’t become a talisman cultivator, he could consider becoming a culinary cultivator. That seemed like a great option too.

Chen Zui looked at Wen Xu. Wen Xu tossed a booklet over from his storage ring. “I think you’ll need this.”

“What’s this?”

“A survival guide for cultivators traveling abroad. Take Villa Master He just now, for example. If he really had an extremely urgent trouble that only cultivators could resolve, he would have immediately posted a quest requesting cultivators to come solve it. But he didn’t. Obviously, the trouble he’s facing isn’t that urgent, or perhaps, it’s not entirely proper.”

“Since that’s the case, there’s no need for the three of us in the Qi Refining Stage to get involved. Tinghe Villa has operated in Langyuan City for a long time, so they must have familiar cultivators they can turn to. Even if their relationship isn’t deep, it’s still better than relying on the three of us, right?”

Chen Zui understood. “You’re right.”

“Furthermore, instead of seeking help from those cultivators, he hesitated in front of the three of us, who are just newly initiated Qi Refining cultivators. Either it’s something truly hard to speak of, or he wants to drag us into the mess. If things blow up, we would inevitably have to ask our sect elders for help.”

Chen Zui half-understood. He flipped through the guide booklet in his hand. “So in the future, we should just ignore situations like this?”

“It depends on the situation, but… as long as it’s not a matter of life and death, don’t rush.” Since they were traveling together, Wen Xu naturally didn’t want Chen Zui dragging them down. “Patience brings success. Keep those words in mind. When you can’t make up your mind, take a moment to slow down. If you still can’t decide, you can send a transmission talisman for help.”

“What if the transmission talisman doesn’t work?”

Bian Chunzhou looked up from his griddle chicken. “Then do what the booklet says. Wen Xuxu’s brain is always more useful than yours.”

Chen Zui was convinced. “Makes sense. I’ll memorize this booklet.”

Wen Xu was speechless. That worked too.

With the hearty eater Bian Chunzhou around, Wen Xu and Chen Zui couldn’t help but join in. The three of them ate until their bellies were round, and finally set off toward Yueyu Forest.

Actually, rumor had it that Yueyu Forest was once called “Yueyulin^[2]“. It was near a government-run mine, where criminals sentenced to hard labor in the city were sent to work. One day, a group of these mining convicts broke out of prison together and fled into Yueyulin. They were suddenly trapped there for no apparent reason. When the searching soldiers found them the next day, they had all died violent deaths on the spot, their blood completely drained.

The name Yueyu Forest was only adopted later.

“Is that true?”

“Just a rumor, who knows if it’s true. Anyway, we’re only here to gather Moonlight Grass. We’ll leave as soon as we dig them up.”

With baskets on their backs, the three of them waited for midnight to arrive. Having nothing better to do, they chatted about the various rumors and ghost stories surrounding Yueyu Forest. Just as the moon was about to reach its zenith, Wen Xu suddenly heard a flurry of messy footsteps.

The wind also carried the scent of three people.

“Boss, are we really burying him here?”

“Yueyu Forest doesn’t eat people, so move faster! A man actually getting pregnant… The old hags at Biyu Tower^[3] would never take such a jinxed piece of trash. If we don’t bury him, are you going to carry him around? Hurry up, do you hear me!”

The three of them were stunned. What on earth did they just hear? A pregnant man?!