The Sword Awakens the Five Elements Chapter 120: The Divine Hua Elixir Formula

The attendant followed Li Qingqiu’s instructions and led Luo Jinghong to a distant area to view the spirit pets.

As a highly favored confidant of Emperor Xiao Qian, Li Qingqiu flicked a sleeve, manifesting two mahogany grandmaster chairs.

"Regarding what Feng Yu’an said about 'people relying on clothes and horses on saddles,' Fellow Daoist Su, you have not grasped the true essence," Li Qingqiu said. Being of higher rank than Feng Yu’an, Li addressed him by name without hesitation.

"Having traveled the length and breadth of the Great Qian and experienced the ebb and flow of life," Su Ye replied with a calm smile, "I am not material for the imperial court. I prefer to wander the world, valuing freedom and spontaneity above all. These simple, loose-fitting robes and trousers suit me better."

"Fellow Daoist Su is consistently broad-minded and clear-hearted; I have long admired that."

Li Qingqiu’s expression remained quiet and indifferent. In those long, narrow phoenix eyes lay the vastness of the celestial heavens, revealing neither joy nor sorrow. Since embarking on the path of sword cultivation, Su Ye had met only two people whose mental states surpassed his own: the first was Emperor Xiao Qian, and the second was the Taoist Tiancang, who was on the verge of ascension. The cultivation levels of these three went without saying.

Su Ye could banter with village children just as easily as he could converse with the Son of Heaven. Despite knowing he had just pinched a "money bag" from Li Qingqiu, he felt no fear before such a supreme cultivator and asked softly, "General Li, those who have reached your level of cultivation generally avoid burdening themselves with worldly karma. Why did you personally involve yourself in the affairs of the Sacred Fire Sect?"

"I have been favored by His Majesty, holding a first-rank official post and serving as an Elder Protector of the Yuntian Sect. Should His Majesty face any difficulty, I would not hesitate to die ten thousand times over."

Walking with a monarch is like walking with a tiger. Having followed Xiao Qian for hundreds of years and still retaining his trust, Li Qingqiu’s political prowess was far beyond that of ordinary men. Those two sentences perfectly displayed his masterful skill in flattery.

Su Ye smiled. "Forgive my presumption, but in my view, General, this action must have had another motive."

The Bureau of Attendants was permitted to keep retainers. If it were merely to carry out the Emperor's order to eliminate the former sect leader, Li Qingqiu would not have needed to act personally; a subordinate could have handled it. The intelligence Nan Lian had obtained was irrefutable: the former leader, Leng Tianxiong, had perished by Li Qingqiu’s Dragon-Horn Mace.

"Speculating on the motives of others is an easy way to invite trouble."

"Is that not the case?" Su Ye was not intimidated by Li Qingqiu’s feigned mystery and maintained his smile.

Li Qingqiu chuckled, extending a slender right hand. From his palm, a fine golden radiance drifted out, coalescing into a golden egg brimming with fire-attribute spiritual energy. Having reached the upper three realms, he possessed a semi-immortal body, capable of lifting mountains, crossing seas, and shifting stars. Minor tasks like storing spirit treasures required no jade gourd.

Sensing the aura of the golden egg, Su Ye was inwardly startled. "This... this is..."

"A phoenix egg. If you are interested, I can bestow it upon you."

"As the saying goes, one should not accept a reward without merit... I fear I cannot accept such a generous gift, General."

Li Qingqiu retracted the phoenix egg and laughed lightly. "Fellow Daoist Su is forthright, so I shall not hide the truth either. Although I served the Emperor, I have ultimately taken on worldly karma, which is detrimental to my upcoming tribulation and ascension. My decision to slay Leng Tianxiong was, first, to fulfill my duty, and second, to search for a pill formula left behind by Yuyangzi before he ascended."

Yuyangzi was the namesake of Danyang City and a master of alchemy. Though he lacked the title of "Pill Saint," he was a recognized titan of the alchemical path. It was no surprise that he would understand methods to evade the Great Heavenly Tribulation. As the leader of the demonic sect who controlled the underground trade routes of the Great Qian, the chances of him possessing such a formula were indeed far higher than for an ordinary person. Li Qingqiu’s words confirmed Su Ye’s hypothesis.

"Did you find it, Senior?"

"Yuyangzi was a master of divine calculations; fearing the judgment of the Three Saints, he hid the key ingredient of the formula." Li Qingqiu’s voice was soft. "I am unversed in alchemy, and the pack of useless fools under my command are hardly worth mentioning."

"The people at the Bureau of Alchemy refused to help you, General?"

"Court matters are not as simple as they appear in the mundane world," Li Qingqiu said with hidden meaning. "If a crisis arises, the Bureau of Alchemy has other, more vital uses."

Su Ye understood immediately. If the current sixty-year campaign against the demons were to drag on for years, it would inevitably affect the livelihoods of the Great Qian people. The immensely wealthy Bureau of Alchemy would naturally serve as a reserve treasury. As a favored aide to the Emperor, Li Qingqiu knew exactly who to lean on and when.

"Was the phoenix egg you showed me earlier the reward promised to me?"

Li Qingqiu lifted his right hand, and the golden radiance reappeared, condensing into a silk scroll with jade rollers. "This scroll contains the formula for the Divine Brilliance Pill... If you can fill in the missing piece, I will gift you the phoenix egg."

Luo Jinghong trotted back to Su Ye’s side, hands behind her back, and asked with a smile, "Brother Su, guess what kind of spirit pet I bought?"

"A Jade Deer?" These naturally pure and nimble creatures had always been favored by female cultivators across the three thousand worlds; in paintings, the immortals were often depicted riding them.

"Guess again." Luo Jinghong beamed, clearly delighted with her purchase.

"Something like a spirit bird?"

"Guess again."

"A Kun?"

"Close!" Luo Jinghong extended her hand to show off the large shrimp she had bought. "The attendant said this is a creature from the East Sea Dragon Palace, capable of both water and lightning arts. Once it grows a bit larger, it can cast spells."

"..."

Su Ye turned his head and said decisively, "General Li, I accept your proposal."

Seeing Li Qingqiu’s benevolent smile, Luo Jinghong immediately reined in her own joy and whispered, "You two talk; I shall go look around some more." With that, she turned and hurried away. After walking a dozen steps, she pretended to look at the caged pets while pricking up her ears to eavesdrop.

"I have long heard anecdotes about you and Luo Jinghong. I never expected your fated companion to be quite so interesting."

"She is pure by nature and honest in her dealings," Su Ye replied with a genuine smile.

"Complementary natures are better than similar ones," Li Qingqiu remarked. "Two overly clever people often find it difficult to get along."

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior." Su Ye bowed, then looked up. "I have one more question, if you could enlighten me, General."

"Ask away... as long as it does not touch upon taboos, I shall answer everything I know."

"Are the three existing Saints of the Great Qian the Dharma bodies of the three Ancestors of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism?"

"That is a question I dare not answer."

"Have the Dharma bodies of the three Ancestors placed some sort of restriction on high-level cultivators?"

"I do not know."

"Is it only those who dare to accept their destiny who can gain the favor of the three Ancestors and have these restrictions lifted?"

"I do not understand what you are saying, Fellow Daoist Su."

"I understand now." Su Ye looked at the scroll in Li Qingqiu’s hand. "General, if you trust me, you may hand the scroll over."

He tucked both the golden egg and the scroll into his jade gourd.

"The scroll was a relic of the pugilistic world; I was merely keeping it safe... Now that you lead a sect, it should return to its rightful owner. We shall meet again at the Dragon Virtue Hall."

As his voice faded, Li Qingqiu’s figure became translucent, vanishing into thin air along with the grandmaster chairs.

Su Ye braced himself, steadying his stance, and muttered, "That old man could have at least said goodbye."

Luo Jinghong ran back to his side and asked cautiously, "Who was that General Li? Is his rank very high?"

"Do you know the Grand General of the Jinwu Guard?"

"Of course," Luo Jinghong said with reverence. "That is the supreme commander of the Great Qian’s Demon Suppression Division!"

"General Li’s rank is even higher than that of the Grand General of the Jinwu Guard."

"Was I too impolite just now? He wasn't angry, was he?" Luo Jinghong glanced nervously toward the staircase, as if Li Qingqiu had left that way.

"General Li was not angry at all; in fact, he admired your optimistic nature and gifted you a spirit pet." Su Ye produced the phoenix egg, casually bestowing it upon her.

It easily surpassed the shrimp in Luo Jinghong’s heart, becoming her new favorite spirit pet.