Chapter 122: The Barefoot Immortal, Gathering Ding Fire to Obtain Divine Iron
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The following day, Cao Kong sensed the powerful aura outside the house and wore an astonished expression.
The presence was immense, and it seemed to be deliberately revealing itself so that he could detect it.
He went outside to welcome the visitor and saw a Taoist priest clad in a Taoist robe, a precious talisman hanging from his waist, and a plantain fan in his hand. His face held an amiable smile, and his eyes shone with vitality.
The Taoist waved his plantain fan and said with a laugh, “I heard that the wine in this residence smells irresistible. My feet simply refused to obey me and brought me here. I wonder if I might trouble you for a cup?”
Cao Kong took in the scene, smiled, and cupped his hands. “This poor Taoist is Dongzhen. Greetings, Great Immortal. If you wish to drink, then please come in. As it happens, brewing wine is precisely my specialty.”
When the Barefoot Immortal heard Cao Kong’s Taoist title, he became even more certain of the guess in his heart. Yet he was also surprised. How had Cao Kong recognized his identity? Strictly speaking, the two of them had never dealt with each other before.
With a curious sound, he asked, “May I ask how you knew who I was, little friend Dongzhen?”
Cao Kong smiled and glanced downward. The Barefoot Immortal followed his gaze and saw a pair of completely bare feet. His smile deepened.
“It seems I was careless.”
“Please, Great Immortal, come inside and sit for a while.”
The Barefoot Immortal entered the courtyard with a smile. The two sat at a stone table before the loquat tree. With a sweep of Cao Kong’s sleeve, several jars of spiritual wine appeared, along with a cold-jade gourd.
“I have Icefire Brew, Hundred-Fruit Wine, Pidong Wine, and several others. I brewed them all myself. I hope you will not find them lacking.”
“They suit me perfectly! Perfectly!”
The Barefoot Immortal inhaled the fragrance of the wine, and his smile grew even broader. He then asked, “Is your master, little friend Dongzhen, the one from the Azure Radiance Bliss Realm?”
Cao Kong smiled and nodded. “Indeed.”
The Barefoot Immortal understood at once and praised him. “No wonder you possess such attainments in the art of brewing. It seems this old Taoist is in for a fortunate day.”
The two then drank cup after cup. The Barefoot Immortal was easygoing by nature and upright and forthright in character, and he shared many fascinating stories of Heaven and Earth with Cao Kong.
For instance, in the earliest days of the world, there had been Ten Continents and Five Islands. Giants from the Dragon Earl Kingdom had fished up six enormous sea turtles, and thus Mount Daiyu and Mount Yuanjiao, no longer supported by the giant turtles beneath them, had sunk into the sea and vanished. Such strange tales followed one after another.
This was the first time Cao Kong had heard the story, and he was repeatedly astonished. Seizing the opportunity, he asked, “Great Immortal, I once heard my master say that there are people in this world who undergo tribulation rather than evade it. May I ask who this person is?”
The Barefoot Immortal was drinking merrily. At these words, one of his brows twitched, and he lowered his cup.
“This is hardly a secret. Few of the immortals in the Heavenly Court are unaware of it. It is none other than the current Jade Emperor, the Great Heavenly Venerable. He endured one thousand seven hundred and fifty tribulations and attained the Infinite Great Dao.”
Cao Kong shuddered. “There is only the Great Heavenly Venerable?”
The Barefoot Immortal pondered for a moment. “At least, that is all I know.”
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“Little friend Dongzhen, surely you are not considering undergoing tribulation yourself? I advise you to abandon the thought. Evading tribulation is already difficult enough, let alone enduring it.”
Cao Kong said nothing more. He did not mention that his master had left the choice to him. Instead, he merely said, “I was simply curious. Thank you, Great Immortal, for answering my question.”
Just then, Cao Xiang returned from practicing medicine. The little leopard rather enjoyed the feeling of being admired. What had begun as a way to earn a few copper coins had now become a source of genuine pleasure.
Cao Kong reflected that this was a good deed, one that accumulated virtue and merit, so he let his younger brother continue.
When the Barefoot Immortal saw Cao Xiang, his eyes flashed with astonishment. He naturally possessed the art of observing a person’s aura, and he saw that a canopy of fortune hung above Cao Xiang’s head. He also sensed the inheritance of an old friend.
“This is?”
“This is my younger brother, Cao Xiang. He studies under the Star Lord of Longevity and is currently only a nominal disciple.”
The Barefoot Immortal looked at Cao Kong, then at Cao Xiang, and thought to himself:
“Incredible, truly incredible. One brother possesses extraordinary natural talent, while the other is blessed with fortune vast as a canopy. To have disciples like these is enough to make anyone envious.”
Cao Kong called Cao Xiang over to meet the Barefoot Immortal, and the three of them drank together.
During their conversation, they spoke of Cao Xiang’s medical practice. The Barefoot Immortal listened with increasing delight. He was upright and kindhearted, and he had the greatest fondness for people who possessed compassion.
He also asked why the two brothers had come to this place.
Cao Kong naturally answered truthfully: they had come for the Ding Fire essence within Furnace Mountain.
“Hahaha! Then you have certainly come to the right place. I deliberately drew the Ding Fire here and borrowed the mountain’s terrain to refine a treasure. I have come this time precisely to retrieve it.
“Perfect. Once I take the treasure, all the Ding Fire essence within Furnace Mountain will belong to you.”
A look of surprise appeared in Cao Kong’s eyes. When Cao Xiang had previously mentioned that something seemed to be hidden within Furnace Mountain, Cao Kong had guessed that the mountain had an owner. He had never imagined, however, that its owner would be the very immortal standing before him.
Though the Barefoot Immortal was merely an unattached immortal, he was in truth a Grand Luo Heavenly Immortal. His strength and foundation were unfathomably deep. The treasure he could refine must possess astonishing power.
Cao Kong could not help pondering this silently.
* * *
That night, Cao Kong prepared a room for the Barefoot Immortal in the small courtyard. To his surprise, the Barefoot Immortal settled there.
The two brothers were delighted. They entertained him with fine wine every day, and whenever they encountered difficulties in their cultivation, they went to seek his guidance. The Barefoot Immortal was easygoing and held nothing back, explaining everything he knew. It was truly a rare opportunity.
Two months later, the spiritual wine Cao Kong had brought was nearly exhausted. He was even considering returning to Hidden Mist Mountain to fetch more.
At that moment, the Barefoot Immortal said, “Little friend Dongzhen, the time has come to retrieve the treasure. Come with me.”
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Cao Xiang asked doubtfully from the side, “Great Immortal, when I went to look before, I saw that the treasure would need another two or three years before it could emerge.”
The Barefoot Immortal smiled faintly. “Can I not simply fan the flames?”
With that, he rode a cloud into the air. Cao Kong and Cao Xiang followed, and before long they arrived above Furnace Mountain. The Barefoot Immortal took the fan from his waist and waved it once.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Winds suddenly rose throughout Heaven and Earth, coming from all eight directions. Like bellows beneath a furnace, they stirred the strands of gentle fire essence, which erupted into life in an instant.
Boom!
Flames ignited everywhere across the mountain. Yet they clung to the terrain without burning the trees. The sight was wondrous beyond measure, truly like a furnace refining a supreme treasure. Cao Kong could not help admiring the Barefoot Immortal’s skill.
Cao Kong looked toward Qingyun City in the distance. Seeing that no one in the city seemed alarmed, he understood that the Barefoot Immortal had employed an illusion to conceal the spectacle.
The Barefoot Immortal continued fanning the flames for an entire day and night. Then Furnace Mountain suddenly trembled.
The tremor shook the mountain range again and again. Had it spread unchecked, birds and beasts alike would surely have been killed or injured.
The Barefoot Immortal spoke a single word:
“Still.”
At once, the surging earth dragon came to a halt. Then an object radiating a rich, divine brilliance flew out from within the mountain.
The object was sentient. The moment it emerged, it tried to flee, but with a turn of the Barefoot Immortal’s hand, it was seized.
“Little friend Dongzhen, all the Ding Fire essence throughout this mountain now belongs to you.”
Cao Kong bowed. “Thank you, Great Immortal.”
He immediately descended into Furnace Mountain and used the method of absorbing Ding Fire from the Five-Element Primordial Unity Condensation Art. As he breathed in and out, all the Ding Fire essence throughout the mountain flowed into his mouth and nostrils, and it obeyed him with extraordinary docility.
Cao Kong instantly understood that this must have been the Barefoot Immortal’s work. He could not help sighing at the immortal’s generosity and benevolence.
About a day later, Cao Kong opened his eyes once more. The Ding Fire essence throughout the mountain had been completely absorbed. All that remained was to condense it into a sword.
At that moment, the Barefoot Immortal also smiled.
“Now that we have each obtained what we needed, everyone can be said to be satisfied. It is time for this old Taoist to depart.”
As he spoke, he rode a cloud into the heavens. Two objects then fell from above. One was a piece of iron, which landed in Cao Kong’s hand; the other was a pear, which landed in Cao Xiang’s.
“You have entertained me with spiritual wine these past months, so this old Taoist should naturally offer something in return.
“This iron is what remained after I refined my treasure. The pear is a communion pear. In the future, have Cao Xiang seek fire jujubes from his master. Using the two together should produce remarkable results.”
Well, I am a college student, so I humbly ask for monthly votes. Please take pity on me. (*▽*)