txolops Chapter 189 The Feeling of Loneliness
Chapter 189 The Feeling of Loneliness
Li Ping did not attend the funeral of the Bai family patriarch.
In fact, he had already fallen out with the Bai family because of the Bai Lin Foundation Pill incident. His failure to attend the funeral of the Bai family patriarch was also a way of showing everyone that he had no relationship with the Bai family and would no longer provide any endorsement for them.
Li Ping personally attended Old Man Lin's funeral to bid a solemn farewell to the old man with whom he had some acquaintance.
At the funeral, Li Ping also saw Zhang Tie's son, who had changed his name to "Lin Zhi'en." The five-year-old child was tugging at Zhang Tie's clothes, looking somewhat confused.
Li Ping smiled and patted his head, without saying anything more.
As the son-in-law of the Meng family and in charge of logistics and distribution, Zhang Tie now holds an extraordinary position in Xiancheng, wielding considerable power and influence.
Old Man Lin's funeral was quite a lively affair, with even Foundation Establishment cultivators in attendance.
Li Ping even spotted Meng Qingyi, the current leader of the Immortal City.
"Fellow Daoist Li, it's been a long time." Meng Qing also greeted Li Ping with a smile.
Li Ping smiled and nodded in return: "Fairy Meng."
Back then, when he had just broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, Meng Qing was also a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator and a second-tier mid-grade talisman maker.
In front of Meng Qingyi, the city lord's disciple, he was just a novice.
But now, thirty-four years later, he has broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, while Meng Qingyi, although more powerful than him, is still a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The two were roughly on the same level in terms of cultivation.
Furthermore, Meng Qingyi's talisman-making skills remained at the mid-level of the second tier, while his talisman-making skills had already surpassed Meng Qingyi's, reaching the high-level of the second tier.
Unbeknownst to him, Li Ping, relying on his unparalleled talent, had already surpassed his teacher.
Now, he could completely reverse the roles and guide Meng Qingyi in talisman-making techniques.
Of course, he doesn't intend to reveal his true talisman-making skills on the surface.
At this rate, he might surpass Meng Qingyi in cultivation in the near future.
……
Meng Qing also approached Li Ping and waved his hand to create a magical shield, blocking out outside sounds.
"Fellow Daoist Li, I heard from my ancestor that your talisman-making skills have broken through to the middle grade of the second rank." As he spoke, Meng Qingyi's eyes showed a slight shock.
She never expected that Li Ping, who was only a first-tier high-grade talisman maker back then, would have to ask her for advice on talisman making techniques.
In just over thirty years, she has become a mid-grade second-tier talisman maker, just like her. She had studied for one hundred and twenty or thirty years to achieve her current level of skill in talisman making.
Of course, as a fellow second-tier mid-grade talisman maker, she believed that her success rate in making second-tier mid-grade talismans was far superior to Li Ping's.
Li Ping may surpass her in the future, but at least for now she is still in the lead.
Li Ping smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Indeed, my talisman-making skills have improved so quickly, and I must thank the fairy for her guidance back then."
As he spoke, he silently added in his mind that he should thank Meng Qingyi for the second-hand talisman pen.
"Fellow Daoist Li is too modest. I only shared some superficial opinions back then. Fellow Daoist's rapid progress in talisman-making skills shows that you truly have talent in this field," Meng Qingyi said with a slight smile.
Li Ping smiled calmly: "Not at all."
Meng Qingyi was unaware that while he was highly talented in talisman making, his true talents lay in alchemy and puppetry.
"By the way, Fellow Daoist Li, due to the war, many cultivators from Immortal City went to Yan Kingdom to assist in the battle. Immortal City is currently short of manpower. Would you be interested in joining Immortal City as a guest elder?" Meng Qingyi extended an invitation to Li Ping with a smile: "If Fellow Daoist is willing to join Immortal City, I can make a copy of the third-level talisman-making inheritance in the Immortal City's Secret Method Pavilion for you."
Upon hearing Meng Qingyi's invitation, Li Ping was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Meng Qingyi to contact him about this matter.
"Join the Immortal City?"
After realizing what he had done, he shook his head slightly.
As a third-tier alchemist, a third-tier puppeteer, and a second-tier high-grade talisman maker, with his own strength reaching the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, he could live a comfortable life wherever he went.
Joining the Immortal City would actually restrict his actions.
For example, if the war were to spread to the Western Wilderness and Western Regions in the future, he, as a rogue cultivator, could simply hide in the secret cave that Yan Liming had discovered and lay low for the time being.
But once you join the Immortal City, you're bound by rules and can't just run away whenever something happens.
Besides, Meng Qingyi's conditions were too low—just a third-tier talisman-making inheritance, which he didn't even consider worth mentioning.
Thinking of this, he smiled and shook his head: "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, fairy. I have a leisurely nature and don't want to be bothered by worldly affairs, so I won't consider joining the immortal city."
Upon hearing Li Ping's outright refusal to join the Immortal City, Meng Qingyi frowned slightly. She then continued, "Fellow Daoist Li, to be honest, I have already gathered enough medicinal herbs for one batch of Essence Pills and plan to refine them soon. If you are willing to join the Immortal City, you will also receive a share of the Essence Pills you refine."
The Essence Pill is a high-grade second-tier pill. It can help mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators break through the bottleneck of the late Foundation Establishment stage.
It can be said that its value is no less than that of the Foundation Establishment Pill, and it can be called one of the most coveted pills for mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Even Meng Qing, the lord of a city, spent a long time searching before finally managing to gather enough spiritual herbs for a batch.
She is not far from reaching the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and at that time she can use the power of the Essence Pill to break through to the late-Foundation Establishment stage.
As a fellow mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, she refused to believe that Li Ping would remain unmoved by the Essence Pill.
Can--
"Essence Pill?" Li Ping was speechless.
This kind of pill, which is extremely valuable to other mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators, is actually of no use to him, who is cultivating the Nourishing Life Technique.
He shook his head: "Fairy, there's no need for further words. I have no intention of joining the Immortal City."
"In that case, it is Qingyi's presumption." Meng Qingyi's eyes flashed with disappointment when she saw that even offering the Essence Pill could not tempt Li Ping.
The Essence Pill was the best she could offer to demonstrate her sincerity, but if that couldn't sway Li Ping, what else could she do?
You can't exactly use your beauty to ensnare her, can you?
Although this fellow Daoist Li in front of her has achieved some success, he is not worthy of her doing this.
Afterwards, Meng Qingyi chatted with Li Ping for a while before hurriedly leaving.
As the true ruler of the immortal city, she has a very busy daily schedule.
Li Ping sat for a while, chatted briefly with Gu Musheng, Cheng Yao and others who came to offer their condolences, and then left at a leisurely pace.
……
Not long after returning to Xiantao Mountain, as the year was drawing to a close.
He received a letter from Yan Hengchuan from the Jiang Kingdom, and only then did Li Ping realize that after parting ways with him in the Yan Kingdom, the young man went straight back to his hometown in the Jiang Kingdom and had never returned to the Immortal City.
In the letter, Yan Hengchuan explained the current situation of the Jiang Kingdom to him.
The Jiang Kingdom is ruled by the Jiang family, a family of cultivators. Just like the five kingdoms of the Western Regions, the Jiang Kingdom has also formed an alliance with seven other cultivator kingdoms in the Central and Southern Regions, including the Yun Kingdom, and is known as the Eight Kingdoms Alliance.
The Eight Kingdoms Alliance, led by the Crimson Flame Sect of the Cloud Kingdom, is considered a formidable force within the Defenders Alliance.
Upon receiving the order from the Defenders Alliance, the Crimson Flame Sect hastily mobilized cultivators from sects and families across eight kingdoms, led by the late-stage Core Formation cultivator "Crimson Cloud Child," to head north and support the Liang Kingdom.
In the letter, Yan Hengchuan wrote.
Ji Shuwen, a cultivator of the Crimson Flame Sect, also went to Liang Kingdom to participate in the war with the cultivator army of the Eight Kingdoms Alliance.
Li Ping paused for a moment upon seeing this.
Ji Shuxuan has already answered the call of Xiancheng to go to Yan State, and now Ji Shuwen has gone to Liang State. The Ji family has been deeply involved in this war.
He shook his head and continued reading.
Yan Hengchuan also mentioned that he fell in love at first sight with Yu Peiling, a newly promoted Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Yu family of Bifeng Lake, and they planned to become Daoist partners.
I hope that if my master has time, he can return to Jiang Kingdom to attend their wedding banquet.
"Yu Peiling?" Li Ping's eyes showed a thoughtful expression.
He remembered returning to the Jiang Kingdom once shortly after Zhang Tie established his foundation.
At that time, he visited the Yu family at Bifeng Lake regarding the matter of the sacred site of Xiaomeishan.
During the sparring match, he easily defeated the Yu family patriarch by wielding two top-grade magic weapons, which convinced the patriarch to sell the Xiaomeishan spiritual land to Li Ping.
At that time, the person who served him tea was Yu Peiling, a young member of the Yu family.
Yu Peiling's mother, Yu Xuewei, was Li Ping's good friend when they were young. The two had feelings for each other, but for various reasons, they did not end up together.
"This little girl has also reached the Foundation Establishment stage? And she's even gotten together with Yokokawa." A hint of reminiscence flashed in Li Ping's eyes.
He truly felt that he was getting old.
In fact, Li Ping, who is nearly 74 years old this year, would probably be old and gray-haired if he had not embarked on the path of cultivation.
However, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could still live to be 160 or 170 years old, and he still had a long life ahead of him.
Looking at the wedding date, it was at the end of next year, almost a year away. Li Ping planned to return to Yan State to attend the wedding and see his third senior brother.
Third Senior Brother is over eighty years old this year. Although Li Ping secretly used the power of the Nourishing Life Technique to nourish his essence, a mortal body that has lived to this age is not far from its end.
Perhaps this will be the last time Li Ping sees him.
At the end of the letter, Yan Hengchuan mentioned that his parents and grandfather were all old, and he planned to stay in Jiang Kingdom to accompany them for the rest of his life, and did not intend to return to the Immortal City. He hoped that his master could understand.
Li Ping put down the letter and sighed softly.
Yan Hengchuan's situation is more unique than Zhang Tie's and Gu Musheng's.
He possessed the aptitude of five spiritual roots, meaning he would have had no chance of establishing his foundation at all.
Fortunately, Yan Liming provided an assist, which enabled him to successfully establish his foundation.
Having successfully established his foundation with the aptitude of the Five Elemental Roots, he was clearly satisfied and no longer desired a higher realm.
After all, even though he used the "Foundation-Seizing Technique" to plunder Yan Liming's Dao Foundation, his own aptitude improved.
But let alone forming the core, even reaching the mid-Foundation Establishment stage is incredibly difficult.
When things are beyond our control, choosing to give up in time can be a form of wisdom.
In the remaining two hundred years of my life, managing the family, raising children and grandchildren, and living each day to the fullest would be enough to make this life worthwhile.
Zhang Tie, Gu Musheng, Cheng Yao, Bai Qing, and Yan Hengchuan—all these close associates abandoned their cultivation paths after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.
At that moment, Li Ping felt a sense of loneliness as he climbed alone.