To advance in cultivation, one must rely on elixirs, and to refine superior elixirs, one needs superior materials."
Li Banfeng was astonished and said, "You use people to refine elixirs? You are capable of doing such a heartless thing?"
No one in the family uttered a word after he spoke.
The coachman sighed and said, "I had no other way. Initially, whenever there was a cultivator above the fifth layer in the territory, I would go and chat with them. Considering my status, I would banter with them, and they wouldn’t mind,
When the time was right, I would take them back to refine elixirs, and outwardly, I would say that they had won my favor and become my disciples,
But the population in the Bridge Yesong area was not plentiful, and there weren’t many high-level cultivators. The cultivators above the fifth layer were soon killed by me, leaving those below the fifth layer, who couldn’t help refine Xuanyun Pills and were of no use to me,
To continue enhancing my cultivation, I had to spread some information, hoping to attract people from outside,
At first, I said that the Local Deity of Bridge Yesong was willing to accept disciples and wanted to find someone fated to pass on all his skills, but unexpectedly, it was too straightforward, and no one believed it,
Thus, I made the message more subtle, starting with the customs of Bridge Yesong, turning the acceptance of disciples into forming an affinity, then turning the affinity into lifting the palanquin. Later, I simply didn’t explicitly state the matter, only spreading a saying: lifting the palanquin three times brings a flood of fortune,
The more obscure the words, the more high-level cultivators came. I would first investigate their background, then find opportunities to approach them. Once the banter succeeded, those who managed to escape were very few,
I remember among those who escaped, there was one called He Haiqin, and another called Lu Dongliang. After our banter, they both sensed something was wrong and never came back to Bridge Yesong,
After them, the next one was your younger brother, Li Qi, who originally couldn’t have escaped, but I didn’t expect that he would have an elder like you."
There was a burst of laughter from the room, and the coachman didn’t know what they were laughing about. He continued, "After collecting Li Qi, I planned to collect He Yuxiu next. The land patchers were of poor quality, and it would take several people to produce one Xuanyun Pill."
Li Banfeng asked, "Why insist on using land patchers? Why didn’t you think of luring a couple of those Above the Clouds here? Above the Clouds cultivators yield more elixirs!"
The phonograph sneered, "Beloved husband, look at his demeanor. Would he dare to approach those Above the Clouds? After one banter, he probably wouldn’t survive."
The coachman was somewhat afraid, not expecting Li Liu would also practice alchemy, worrying that Li Liu might refine him.
Li Banfeng asked, "How did you know my brother was Li Qi, and from whom did you get information about He Yuxiu?"
"The information was obtained from the prominent families of Bridge Yesong. All major families in Bridge Yesong have the habit of worshipping the Local Deity, offering incense and burning paper during significant events, seeking the Deity’s protection,
The woman from the Xiao family, Sun Huiqin, told me about Xiao Yecai’s affairs. With a little investigation, I learned that Li Qi and He Yuxiu had come to Bridge Yesong, and by then, I already had my sights set on Li Qi."
Li Banfeng looked at the coachman and said, "Have you never thought about properly managing the territory of Bridge Yesong, earning cultivation from the human energy of the territory?"
The coachman shook his head and said, "What good does managing a territory do, even if it’s well managed? Even if there are an additional ten thousand people, cultivation only increases slightly. How much effort does it take for these ten thousand people to exchange for it?
Taking a pill makes cultivation grow significantly; finding a few land patchers can yield a good elixir. This is the right path of cultivation."
Li Banfeng asked, "What is your relationship with the Chase the Light Group?"
The coachman didn’t dare to circle around, speaking directly: "I have had no dealings with those brats, but they came to Bridge Yesong probably to find me,
I know they want to make a move on me, and I’ve contemplated attacking them, but since they are numerous, attacking outright wouldn’t be advantageous, so I can only temporarily avoid them."
Li Banfeng remained skeptical: "I suspect you are a member of the Chase the Light Group."
The coachman shook his head and said, "What use is there in joining that group? All I want is cultivation, and these brats don’t have a proper Taoist Sect or level, and they can’t refine good elixirs."
This method of alchemy sounded very familiar to Li Banfeng: "What tool do you use for alchemy? The pill furnace?"
The coachman replied, "Sort of, but not an ordinary pill furnace. The instrument I use for alchemy is one of the world’s most precious treasures."
"Tell me about it."
The coachman answered, "The Mysterious Red Life Lotus."
There was a moment of silence in the Portable Residence, followed by a burst of laughter.
Li Banfeng sighed and said to the coachman, "We’ve spent so much time together, at least you should show a bit of honesty."
The coachman said, "I haven’t lied. The Mysterious Red Life Lotus has always been with me. After refining elixirs, lotus seeds will form on the Red Lotus’s Lotus Heart. To peel the lotus seeds, I must touch the Red Lotus,
Once the Red Lotus is touched, Heavenly Light will be drawn. To avoid being illuminated by the Heavenly Light, I use a special array to generate a strong wind in my territory, using the wind and sand to prevent the Heavenly Light from locating me."
"Can wind and sand really block Heavenly Light?"
"It sounds a bit far-fetched, but this method is particularly effective. All these years, I have never been illuminated by the Heavenly Light."
Li Banfeng smiled and said, "You know a bit about the Red Lotus, but a lie is still a lie. Anyway, you’re about to die. I’ll let you gain some insight one more time."
After saying that, Li Banfeng moved the Red Lotus in front of the coachman: "Look carefully, this is the Mysterious Red Life Lotus."
The coachman stared at the Red Lotus for a long time, utterly shocked.
Li Banfeng said to the phonograph, "Wife, let’s set the table."