Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi

Chapter 196: Celestial Sword Sect, The Overbearing Luo Zhenming

The Official Roads were trade routes built by the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty to facilitate commerce between the various states.

Most of the eight great merchant families of Qing State, for instance, used these trade routes to travel and trade goods. However, the largest merchants operating between states were the Imperial Merchants, which naturally involved even greater profits.

The Imperial Family had naturally set its sights on these profits. They had Imperial Merchants in every state—not just in name, but merchants who truly worked for the Imperial Family, with the majority of the profits ending up in its hands.

Qing State also had such Imperial Merchants, but the Cyan Yuan Sect paid them no mind, allowing them to develop freely.

As long as they didn’t threaten the Cyan Yuan Sect, the Sect wouldn’t interfere. This was their bottom line, a line shared not just by the Cyan Yuan Sect but by other sects as well.

The carriage wheels rumbled over the lustrous white marble road, their sound like pattering rain. The polished surface reflected the scorching sun and the clattering wheels. To the chime of carriage bells, they pressed ever onward.

Three horses galloped abreast, maintaining a respectable speed on the Official Road.

Inside the carriage, Yang Chan gazed at the unfamiliar surroundings. On the fourth day of their journey, they had left Qing State and entered the territory of Yu State. Yang Chan had some recollection of Yu State; after all, it was home to the Celestial Sword Sect, which the Three Major Sects had tried to win over. However, due to a natural disaster, their reinforcements had failed to arrive in time.

That was the official story, at least. Yang Chan didn’t know if a natural disaster was the real reason, but he did know that the Celestial Sword Sect coveted what the Cyan Yuan Sect had.

As the carriage traveled on, Yang Chan took advantage of their rest stops to consume various medicines, applying all the Potential Points he gained to his Wind-Stepping Technique.

The Potential Points he’d gained over the past few days were about what he’d expected; his Daily Potential Point Collection always started with a ’2’, which wasn’t a huge amount. This was despite the many oral medications he had prepared. Since he couldn’t use his medicinal baths, decoctions, or Medicated Ointments, his Potential Point gain was lower than usual.

He could replace these with Elixirs in the future. After this triennial Pharmacist Exchange Conference was over, Yang Chan planned to substitute things like Medicated Ointments and decoctions with better medicines. After all, Elixirs had the best effects.

Among the medicines he took, a single Elixir was basically equivalent to many other types, with better and more varied effects. Naturally, they were much more helpful to Yang Chan.

The carriage continued on its way, then suddenly, it stopped.

Yang Chan’s focus shifted ahead. He sensed a group of strangers up front, but he couldn’t make out the specifics. He’d have to go outside to know for sure, but he wasn’t in a hurry. After all, he wasn’t one of the escorts.

If there was trouble ahead, Elder Ji Feng and the others would be the first to investigate. There was no need for him to get out and check.

"Elder Yan, there’s a caravan ahead. It looks like people from Yu State’s Celestial Sword Sect. They’re probably also a group heading to White Jade City."

A moment later, Ji Feng’s voice suddenly carried into the carriage, tinged with a hint of caution. Yang Chan, sitting inside, naturally heard him, and a strange expression crossed his face.

’I can’t believe we ran into people from the Celestial Sword Sect here.’

When they first entered Yu State, he’d wondered if the Celestial Sword Sect would try something against them, but the thought was fleeting. If the Celestial Sword Sect made a move, it would ignite a war between the two Major Sects, a conflict of a level that would surely affect both Qing State and Yu State.

Moreover, it would be during the triennial Pharmacist Exchange Conference. If the Celestial Sword Sect were to act now, it would be a direct insult to the Pharmacist Alliance, since the Cyan Yuan Sect was a participant.

At that point, caught between the Pharmacist Alliance and the Cyan Yuan Sect, not even the Celestial Sword Sect could withstand the pressure.

Once Yang Chan thought it through, he understood why Elder Ji Feng, Elder Yan, and the others were so calm. They hadn’t chosen an alternate route but had deliberately taken the Official Road through Yu State.

"It seems Old Man Luo is also on his way to White Jade City. He must have been waiting for us. Interesting."

Hearing Ji Feng’s words, a sarcastic smile crossed Elder Yan’s lips.

The Celestial Sword Sect’s main focus was Swordsmanship. They called themselves gentlemen of the sword, and they defined their actions as acts of justice.

You could say that anything aligning with the Celestial Sword Sect’s principles was ’justice’, while anything opposing them was the ’Demon Dao’. Compared to the Cyan Yuan Sect, they were a much more domineering Sect.

The reason Elder Yan was so sure about who was ahead was that the Celestial Sword Sect had only one Advanced Pharmacist: Luo Zhenming, the man Elder Yan called Old Man Luo. The two had harbored a grudge since their youth and were on terrible terms.

For these people to be waiting here meant they surely had ill intentions, which was why Ji Feng’s expression was a bit tense. Although they guessed the Celestial Sword Sect wouldn’t attack them, one still had to be vigilant.

"Old Ghost Yan, you’ve come all the way to Yu State. Aren’t you going to pay your respects to me?"

A fierce voice boomed from ahead, carrying a sharp, stabbing sensation as if it were laced with blades.

Hearing this voice, Yang Chan frowned, putting on an expression of discomfort.

He did this intentionally, as the Elite Disciples guarding the carriage were reacting the same way. The voice was infused with a Sound Wave Skill, which caused the discomfort. Since Yang Chan didn’t want to reveal his true Cultivation, he naturally had to play the part.

However, from this Sound Wave Skill, he could tell that the speaker was at the Inner Refining of two viscera at most. He seemed stronger than Yang Chan, but his true Combat Power was likely inferior. The sense of aged weakness in his voice was obvious, a consequence of his advanced years.

Although an Inner Master’s Lifespan was much longer than an ordinary person’s, and they rarely grew senile in old age, the decline of their Qi and Blood and Essence Qi was unavoidable.

Take the Cyan Yuan Sect’s Supreme Elders, for example. They were all experts at the Inner Refining of the Five Viscera, but their chances of breaking through to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster realm were much slimmer than those of Sect Leader Liu Xuan. This was the advantage of youth.

If a Direct Disciple within the Cyan Yuan Sect failed to break through for a long time, their Qi and Blood and Essence Qi would also decline. Their probability of becoming an Inner Master would shrink, and they would be stripped of their Direct Disciple status, demoted to a position like a Steward.

"Old Man Luo, you still haven’t changed that flashy personality of yours. Be careful or someone’s going to get you killed one of these days."

Yan Jinfeng immediately countered with his own Sound Wave Skill, directing it not only at Luo Zhenming but also at the Celestial Sword Sect disciples. He was giving them a taste of their own medicine, refusing to suffer any disadvantage, while also getting even for his own Cyan Yuan Sect disciples.

At the same time, he released a burst of power from his body to counteract Luo Zhenming’s technique, allowing the escorting disciples to recover.

"I’ve been doing just fine all these years! My appetite is still big enough to eat a whole cow every day, unlike you. I bet you can’t even finish a single chicken anymore!"

A burst of power from his Martial Seal erupted from Luo Zhenming, neutralizing Yan Jinfeng’s technique. He immediately shot back a taunt. Whenever the two met, things were never harmonious.

Trading insults like this was a common occurrence for them. This time it was on an Official Road in Yu State; they had done it before in White Jade City, and on a much grander scale.