txolops Chapter 283 A Belated Feast
Chapter 283 A Belated Feast
"My cultivation is shallow and my experience is insufficient. I have no ability to discern such things. However, since Fellow Daoist Li has said so, then it is probably true," Guo Huaifu said with a wry smile.
"Li has read some books about spiritual roots. Whether it is the basic five elements spiritual root, the destiny spiritual root, the yin and yang spiritual root, or other types of spiritual roots that I have not yet understood, as long as it is a mutated spiritual root, it will be much stronger than the corresponding basic spiritual root."
However, the Yin-Yang spiritual root is much stronger than the Five Elements spiritual root, and is basically similar to the Five Elements heterogeneous spiritual root. If we compare them in this way, we can imagine how powerful the Yin-Yang heterogeneous spiritual root is.
Fellow Daoist Guo's future path of cultivation is unimaginable. If he does not perish, he will surely become an extraordinary figure in a few hundred years. I, Li, congratulate you here." Du Fan straightened his expression and clasped his hands in greeting.
"Fellow Daoist Li, this matter is too sudden, and I can't accept it for a while." Guo Huaifu became more and more excited as he listened, and in the end, his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Du Fan glanced at Guo Huaifu, smiled slightly, and didn't speak immediately. Instead, he waited until Guo Huaifu calmed down a bit before patting his storage bag with one hand, taking out a dark green jade slip, placing it on the wooden table, and saying:
"This jade slip contains several minor Five Elements techniques that I, Li, have cultivated, including a Buddhist and Taoist secret technique. Since Fellow Daoist Guo possesses such a special spiritual root, these techniques should be able to be cultivated. If you don't mind, please accept it."
"Fellow Daoist Li, is what you say true? Thank you, Fellow Daoist. In that case, I won't stand on ceremony, haha." Guo Huaifu was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with joy. After laughing heartily, he picked up the jade slip on the wooden table.
"Fellow Daoist Guo, there's no need to be so polite. I also have a storage bag here, which I'll give to you as well." With a flick of his wrist, Du Fan produced a gray cloth bag and tossed it directly to Guo Huaifu.
"Haha... Thank you, thank you." Guo Huaifu smiled broadly and took it from him.
"These are one hundred low-grade spirit stones." Du Fan moved his arm, and a spiritual light immediately appeared. After the light faded, a "clattering" sound was heard. Before long, one hundred low-grade spirit stones were piled on the wooden table.
"Fellow Daoist Li is too kind, haha." Guo Huaifu couldn't stop smiling, but judging from his appearance, he accepted everything offered. He immediately patted the storage bag he had just received and put all the spirit stones on the table into it.
"Here are ten pale yellow demon cores, which should be of great help to your cultivation in the near future." As Du Fan spoke calmly, ten pale yellow demon cores shot out and were immediately put into Guo Huaifu's storage bag with a look of ecstasy.
"Fellow Daoist Guo, are you satisfied with these?" Du Fan glanced at the other party and said calmly.
"Satisfied, satisfied, haha, it would be even better if I had a few more talismans for protection." Guo Huaifu laughed heartily, his eyebrows dancing with pride as he spoke.
Upon hearing this, Du Fan's lips twitched, but he still patted his storage bag at his waist, took out more than ten mid-level attack and defense talismans, and tossed them to the other party expressionlessly.
"Ah! There really are talismans. Fellow Daoist is so wealthy. I admire you. Since Fellow Daoist Li is so kind, I will accept them without hesitation. Haha." Guo Huaifu's eyes were brighter than ever before, and he didn't even realize that he was drooling. With a wave of his sleeve, he put all the talismans into his storage bag.
Du Fan glanced at Guo Huaifu, who was gesturing excitedly, and his expression darkened slightly. However, he didn't say anything immediately, but just sat there and watched coldly.
"Ahem, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Although I, Guo, am not very talented, I still understand this principle. Fellow Daoist Li, please speak frankly. If it is within my power, I will certainly do my utmost!"
After a long while, Guo Huaifu finally calmed down. He first coughed lightly, then gave Du Fan an awkward smile before turning serious and speaking solemnly.
"If one day I, Li, leave this place, I hope Fellow Daoist Guo can take care of the Green Forest Village." Du Fan stood up, glanced at Guo Huaifu, and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Judging from your words, fellow Daoist, you are planning to leave Green Forest Village?"
Fellow Daoist Li, in my humble opinion, the bandit's den is indeed an excellent place for us low-level cultivators to cultivate and seek refuge. If we leave here, we are very likely to be discovered by the people of the Enforcement Hall on the island.
Especially since Fellow Daoist Li's cultivation has not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he will inevitably face the fate of being enslaved for life. Fellow Daoist, you should think this over carefully." Upon hearing this, Guo Huaifu couldn't help but show a hint of surprise on his face. He also stood up and frowned.
"Fellow Daoist Guo is unaware of Li's specific situation. In any case, it's only a matter of time before I leave Green Forest Village," Du Fan seemed to sigh.
"I can only promise you, fellow Daoist, that as long as it is within my capabilities, I can guarantee that the Green Forest Stronghold will be safe and sound!" Upon hearing this, Guo Huaifu stopped trying to persuade him and, after thinking for a moment, said this.
"That's enough. Before that, I have two more requests, which Fellow Daoist Guo must grant," Du Fan said slowly, his eyes flashing.
"Please speak, Fellow Daoist Li!" Guo Huaifu nodded.
"First, the fact that I, Li, am about to leave Green Forest Village and that we are both cultivators must be kept secret and not revealed to the public."
Secondly, your spiritual root aptitude is special, and you need to cultivate with women to improve your cultivation. I can't and don't want to interfere with these matters. However, you are not allowed to touch any of the women in the Green Forest Village!
"If one day I find out that you have done something to betray the Green Forest Village, even if you have extraordinary talent and unfathomable cultivation, I will use every means to kill you!" Du Fan took a deep breath, looked at Guo Huaifu, his eyes flashing like lightning, and said with great solemnity.
"Fellow Daoist Li, you can rest assured about this matter. Even a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow. If I need a woman, I can just go to the nearby towns to find one," Guo Huaifu said with a wry smile, then patted his chest to assure him.
"That's for the best. Fellow Daoist Guo, you must remember the promise you made today!" Du Fan's expression softened slightly, and he nodded gently.
……
After personally seeing Guo Huaifu off at the village gate, Du Fan went straight back to his bamboo house.
"Next, I can start preparing for the transition to a stabilization period and continue to improve my cultivation. The stabilization period is relatively easy to manage; I can force my way through it by relying on a large number of pale yellow demon cores. However, when my cultivation reaches the early stage of the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage, things will get a bit more complicated."
"With my cultivation at the seventh level of Qi Refining, the effect of consuming ginseng Qi essential oil is already minimal, and I still cannot consume spirit gathering essential oil. The only way to quickly improve my cultivation now is to consume the deep yellow demon core."
Du Fan sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, his eyes gleaming as he pondered his future cultivation plans.
"To merely raise one's cultivation to the mid-stage of the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm, it would conservatively require three to five hundred deep yellow demon cores. Each deep yellow demon core is worth eight hundred spirit stones on the market. That translates to at least two hundred and forty spirit stones. My current net worth isn't even enough to buy forty..."
Du Fan frowned, then muttered, "Buying hundreds of deep yellow demon cores... is obviously unrealistic. After my stabilization period ends, I should prepare for going out to sea to hunt demon beasts."
"No matter how the voyage goes, I'm afraid I'll have to return to Langlin Valley after I sail back. My time in Green Forest Village will not exceed one month."
Thinking of this, Du Fan sighed, then closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a while. He then patted his storage bag with one hand, took out a pale yellow demon core and swallowed it. Immediately afterwards, a bottle of core-refining water followed. Then, with the help of the demon core, he began to advance to the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage and the stabilization stage.
The next morning, Du Fan went to the Four Elders of the Green Forest alone and took the initiative to propose a gathering, bringing together all the brothers in the stronghold, including those from the Green Forest branch strongholds, to have a good time.
Du Fan's suggestion was immediately supported by the four elders. Elder Shen even suggested that since the event was to be held, it should be a big event. Invitations should be sent to all other Jianghu gangs within a hundred miles, inviting their leaders to the banquet. In this way, the influence of Green Forest Village could be expanded and the prestige of our village could be enhanced.
Du Fan had no objection to the Jianghu factors mentioned by Elder Shen. The reason he came here to discuss such mundane matters with the Four Elders of the Green Forest was that he wanted to have a party with the bandits of the Green Forest Village before leaving.
Everyone ate meat and drank wine together, which was a way of putting an end to their last attachment to this mortal world and also giving their brothers an explanation.
As for the rest, let those four old men do whatever they want; Du Fan won't interfere.
……
Ten days later, before sunrise, the bandits, who were usually fast asleep, all came out of their houses and, under the command of a few core bandits in the stronghold, began to get busy.
Today is the day of the grand banquet in Green Forest Village, and the whole village is celebrating.
Five or six bandits carried in several fat pigs weighing about 300 pounds each from somewhere, hung them on a big tree to slaughter them, and cut off large pieces of meat from different parts of the pigs and placed them in different wooden basins, which were then cleaned by the women of the village.
Several bandits brought in a few live sheep, and without saying a word, they swung their broadswords and killed them with a single blow. After draining the blood, they cut off the sheep legs one by one, preparing to roast them over the campfire when the feast began.
Several bandits brought in a few horse-drawn carriages, which were piled high with jars of wine. Judging by the number of jars, there were probably over a thousand.
Similar scenes are playing out in every corner of the Green Forest Village compound.