Demoness, Stop! - Chapter 5 - Chapter 5 – Becoming Famous At Baiyun Temple

Jiang Li was stunned for a moment, uncertain, “Huh?”

Li Yu flicked his fingers, and a pill slid into Jiang Li’s mouth.

Originally, Li Yu planned to sell a Qi Gathering Pill to exchange with Elder Sun for a low-level artifact or a talisman for protection. But after hearing Jiang Li’s words, he changed his mind.

Spirit coins are precious, but friendship is even more valuable.

Artifacts and talismans can be slowly saved up for—true friends like this are rare.

As the Qi Gathering Pill entered Jiang Li’s body, he felt a surge of spiritual energy rushing wildly inside him. Soon after, a foul-smelling black substance began to appear on his body.

Li Yu had anticipated this and kept his distance as he fed the pill to Jiang Li.

Not long after, by a stream somewhere in the Baiyun Mountain range—

A figure descended from the sky. Li Yu had already changed into his own clothes and had brought a set for Jiang Li as well. It was best to take the Qi Gathering Pill outdoors; if taken indoors, the room would be uninhabitable for at least ten to fifteen days.

Li Yu placed the clothes on the riverbank. Jiang Li stayed in the water and said, “Throw the clothes down.”

Li Yu didn’t say much, picked up the clothes, and casually tossed them down. Although Jiang Li was generous, he was also shy and hesitant—almost like a woman. If it weren’t for his flat chest, Li Yu might have thought he was a girl.

Jiang Li possessed the Water Spiritual Vein and cultivated water-element techniques, so there was no worry about his clothes getting wet.

Soon, Jiang Li put on the clothes and emerged from the water. Because Li Yu was taller, the clothes looked slightly baggy on Jiang Li, making him look somewhat comical.

Jiang Li awkwardly straightened his sleeves and curiously asked Li Yu, “Where did you get your Qi Gathering Pill from?”

The price of a Qi Gathering Pill was not cheap; it usually cost at least 500 spirit coins. Jiang Li couldn’t imagine where Li Yu had managed to gather so many spirit coins.

Li Yu shrugged and said, “Picked it up…”

“…”

Jiang Li was speechless but could only sigh and admit Li Yu’s luck.

On their way back to Baiyun Temple, they encountered many disciples. Many looked at Li Yu strangely. To be exact, the male disciples’ gazes were tinged with envy and jealousy, while the female disciples’ looks were mostly peculiar.

“Has Li Yu really succeeded in condensing Qi?”

“Of course. I saw it with my own eyes—Chen Ming got punched and was sent flying, and Li Yu can fly through the air. If that’s not Qi condensation success, then what is?”

“In three months, the sect officials will come to select disciples. He’s really lucky…”

…

Everyone’s gazes were filled with envy. After all, succeeding in condensing Qi meant officially stepping onto the path of cultivation, unlike them—two years in, still stuck at the Qi gathering stage, and soon to be expelled from Baiyun Temple.

A female disciple quietly approached a young woman and asked, “Senior Sister Zhou, is what they say true? Did you see it?”

The young woman blushed, recalling a certain scene. Seeing this, the other female disciples couldn’t help but be shocked. “Li Yu… Li Yu… who would have thought…”

…

Three days later, Li Yu appeared once again before everyone.

During these three days, he stayed shut indoors, focusing on sorting through his memories. Even his meals were brought to him by Jiang Li.

Li Yu’s current body was exactly eighteen years old this year. His memories before sixteen were unremarkable—just those of an orphaned boy struggling and clawing his way through life in this world.

The turning point in his life came at sixteen.

That year, he encountered a demoness.

From then on, a mysterious and splendid new world opened its doors to the boy.

Now that he had officially entered the Qi Gathering stage, during his secluded cultivation these days, Li Yu concentrated on digesting memories related to cultivation.

Long ago, the ancients of this world began the pursuit of immortality. Numerous cultivation methods blossomed like flowers, but over time, many heterodox or side-path methods faded into obscurity, leaving only a few surviving schools.

Li Yu and Jiang Li cultivated Daoist methods. It is said that if one cultivates the Daoist way to the extreme, they can break through the boundary and ascend to the legendary Heavenly Realm, living as long as heaven and earth, shining with the sun and moon.

The Qi Refining stage is the first step in Daoist cultivation. During this stage, practitioners focus on the meridians. The ancients divided the 360 acupuncture points of the human body into five spiritual veins, each with seventy-two acupuncture points corresponding to the Five Elements. To complete the Qi Refining stage, one must fully open all seventy-two acupuncture points of a single spiritual vein.

Li Yu looked at his hand. Although he could now store spiritual energy, he could only store it in the Shaochong acupuncture point on his right hand. He still needed to open eight more acupuncture points to reach the second layer of Qi Refining.

Each layer consists of eight acupuncture points, and there are nine layers in total for the Qi Refining stage.

Opening acupuncture points was not easy. Those with good talent might finish from layer one to nine in a few years; those with poor talent might need decades. The worst might never establish a foundation in their lifetime.

Li Yu did not think he had particularly good talent. Under normal cultivation, it might take him a long time to reach the second layer, so he was eager for a second meeting with the demoness, hoping to use his eloquence to get some more benefits from her…

Unfortunately, Li Yu had no way to contact the demoness and could only wait for her to come to him.

Around noon, Jiang Li walked in from outside and called Li Yu to go to the dining hall.

The meals at Baiyun Temple were simple. Li Yu took a steamed bun and some cabbage tofu but felt as if everyone around was watching them. At one point, he couldn’t help but turn to Jiang Li and ask, “Don’t you think they’re staring at us?”

Jiang Li cleared his throat and said, “Maybe… they’re just jealous that you succeeded in condensing Qi.”

Li Yu had not gone outside in these three days and was unaware that he had already made a name for himself among the disciples at Baiyun Temple—not because of his Qi condensation success, but for something else…

As Li Yu buried his head in his meal, a fragrant breeze suddenly blew past him.

He turned his head and saw a young, beautiful woman walking towards him.

Li Yu recognized her well—her name was Zhou Zixuan. Famous at Baiyun Temple for her stunning looks, she was considered the temple’s “flower,” constantly pursued by many admirers. She herself had reached the first layer of Qi Refining.

Li Yu had a good impression of her. Several times when Chen Ming wanted to attack him and Jiang Li, she had intervened. If not for her, they would have suffered many more losses at Chen Ming’s hands.

Seeing her stand beside him, Li Yu took the initiative and asked, “Senior Sister Zhou, is there something you need?”

At Baiyun Temple, the disciples had not formally joined Kunlun Sect, so they didn’t have to address each other as senior or junior siblings. Among acquaintances, it was normal to call each other by name, while closer relationships used the “brother-sister” terms.

Senior Sister Zhou smiled and said, “There is a task with a generous spirit coin reward, and we need a teammate who has reached the Qi Refining stage. Junior Brother Li, are you interested?”

In the cultivation world, worldly money like gold and silver couldn’t be used. Spirit coins were the currency here; they were needed to buy pills, artifacts, cultivation manuals, and so on, which could be purchased from Elder Sun.

The only way Li Yu and the others could earn spirit coins was by taking on various tasks within the temple.

Although Li Yu really needed spirit coins, he didn’t agree immediately and instead asked, “What kind of task is it?”

Senior Sister Zhou smiled and said, “Yesterday, a wealthy gentleman came to the temple saying that his new house was haunted and asked us to help drive away the ghosts. He offered many incense offerings to the temple, and this task’s reward is a full 100 spirit coins. After completion, Junior Brother Li will receive 20 spirit coins.”

Li Yu had already rebuilt his worldview and knew this world had demons and ghosts. Some powerful demons could even rival top cultivators, but this was the territory of a Daoist Sect. No matter how strong the ghost, it wouldn’t dare act recklessly. At most, they were just restless spirits incapable of harming people, and cultivators at the Qi Refining stage could easily deal with them.

Usually, these ghost-exorcising tasks required just one person, two for safety, and three would be excessive—because the reward would have to be split more ways.

For this kind of task, Senior Sister Zhou didn’t have to find Li Yu at all; this was purely out of kindness toward him.

Li Yu didn’t want to refuse the goodwill or the spirit coins. Besides, the reward was quite generous, so he nodded and said, “Thank you, Senior Sister Zhou. I’ll join.”

Senior Sister Zhou was delighted, “Great! This task is urgent, so no time to waste—we’ll set off immediately.”

Li Yu thought for a moment and said, “Senior Sister Zhou, can I bring one more person? I want to bring Jiang Li, and his spirit coins will come out of my reward.”

He naturally wouldn’t forget his good brother when it came to earning spirit coins. To avoid affecting others’ benefits, he was willing to earn a bit less himself.

When Senior Sister Zhou heard it was Jiang Li he wanted to bring, she immediately agreed and generously said, “If Junior Brother Jiang comes too, that’s even better. I can give you both fifteen spirit coins each…”

Jiang Li had no objection to Li Yu’s decision. They went back to their rooms to prepare, then came to the Baiyun Temple entrance, where Senior Sister Zhou was already waiting.

Beside Senior Sister Zhou stood a figure—it was Chen Ming.

As the two most attractive disciples of Baiyun Temple, Li Yu and Jiang Li walking side by side was quite a sight, catching many eyes. Senior Sister Zhou stepped forward with a smile, “Junior Brother Li, Junior Brother Jiang, you’re here…”

Chen Ming’s eyes widened in disbelief, “The other two teammates Junior Sister Zhou mentioned… are they really them?”

Senior Sister Zhou said, “Don’t worry, their payment will come from my spirit coins. Brother Chen’s fifty spirit coins will remain unchanged.”

Although a little annoyed, Chen Ming couldn’t complain. The task was jointly taken by two people, and as long as his own reward wasn’t affected, Zhou Zixuan could bring as many people as she wanted—more people meant more help.

However, he had originally seen this task as an opportunity to be alone with Junior Sister Zhou, so he was frustrated that she brought along two unwelcome people—two he disliked the most in the entire Baiyun Temple…

Li Yu had already condensed Qi, so Chen Ming had nothing to say to him. He turned to Jiang Li and said to Senior Sister Zhou, “I’m just saying, Li Yu is one thing, but Jiang Li hasn’t condensed Qi yet. Bringing him along won’t just be a burden?”

Jiang Li glanced at him coolly and said, “Who said I haven’t condensed Qi?”

As soon as the words fell, his body slowly floated up at least three feet from the ground. Chen Ming stared in shock, “You—you’ve condensed Qi too!”

Looking at Jiang Li and then at Li Yu, both had stepped into the Qi Refining stage. He probably had no chance for revenge now. If he provoked them again, he’d likely get beaten badly once more.

Chen Ming gritted his teeth in hatred, letting out a low growl, “You two really deserve to die…”