The immortal is beside me

Chapter 109: The Dual Cultivation Method of the Grassland Goddess

"Fuck, from what you said, that girl is quite fierce."

At the entrance of Liangzhou Wholesale Market, Li Jie got out of the taxi door while commenting sharply on the conversation just now.

"I don't dare to get close to this kind of woman. She's too strong. If I'm not careful, I'm afraid she'll kill me. Brother Zhou, you can actually control her. That's awesome."

Zhou Qing stood beside him, rubbing the plastic bag in his hands. Just now, under Li Jie's barrage of gossip, he had simply recounted the events of the past in a way that ordinary people could understand, and this was the response he received.

Is he that strong? In his impression, apart from the initial battle in Taihang Mountain, Xiao Yao's attitude in front of him was not actually that strong.

She just pursued what she wanted, but would not force him. If he rejected her, she would leave on her own and come back next time. She went back and forth like this for more than a hundred years.

In his opinion, compared to some celestial being or some powerful being, Xiao Yao at that time was more like a little girl obsessed with toys, but the toys she wanted were about conquering the world and fighting for life and death.

This may be difficult for ordinary people to understand, but for the Khitans and the nomadic peoples of the grasslands, it is commonplace.

Most nomads grew up in nature, and the habits of primitive beasts flow in their blood. Wild beasts are always accustomed to sharpening their claws and fangs, and there are many strange habits among them.

For example, some people have previously discovered that during the breeding season, many wild beasts in pairs will exhibit abnormal aggressive behaviors. Males and females will fight and bite each other, conquer and counter-conquer each other, and complete mating in bloody fights.

Despite her beautiful appearance, Xiao Yao was truly a beast. Evenly matched battles delighted her, and the more unconquerable the target, the more excited she became. However, compared to her strength, the number of powerful individuals who could pique her interest was too few. Consequently, she could only wander the world, searching for targets of her interest.

So later she came to me.

At that time, he just thought that this Khitan girl was really annoying, but now he thinks that the path of cultivation is too complicated, and countless people get lost halfway and forget their original intentions. She can consistently pursue what she wants, which in a sense can be regarded as clear-minded.

Isn’t it a blessing to be able to do whatever you want throughout your life?
The conversation ended here, and the topic of outsiders and ex-girlfriends was over. Zhou Qing and Li Jie walked into the wholesale market side by side and began to purchase the things they needed on the unit's item list.

This market in the old city is very large. Unlike ordinary shopping malls, it is not as neat and standardized, but has the noisy and chaotic atmosphere of old street markets.

The vegetable and fruit stalls are next to the clothing wholesale, and the hardware stalls are next to the potted fish tanks. The overall look is a patchwork, but this also makes it easier to find bargains. As long as you walk around, you can always find lower prices in the corners.

Zhou Qing and Li Jie walked together through the market alleys, selecting and comparing products at the stalls.

In reality, this was completely unnecessary for him. If he wanted, he could simply sweep his mind and instantly take in all the sounds and information in the market. He could simply pick out the stall he wanted, walk over, and call it a day.

But the scenery in this market is not just the dazzling array of goods.

Along the way, old men and women were bargaining in front of the vegetable stalls, vendors in the hardware store were selling goods through live broadcasts on their mobile phones, the owner of the noodle shop was busy in front of the steaming steamer, and the child behind her was doing homework on the table piled with flour. The goods may be similar, but there is a different world in front of each stall.

For most people, and even for him in the past, these were just passing clouds on the way to the goal, and they would not care too much about it. But now he loves to see such scenery along the way, and the goal of buying things is just a by-product in comparison.

"Hey~ With my head resting on the Yellow River and my face facing the sky, the water from northern Shaanxi flows through the mountains of northern Shaanxi"

The sound of storytelling mixed with music came. Following the sound, I saw a circle of people gathered at the door. A man with a sanxian in his hands and a clapper tied to his feet was sitting on a chair in the middle, singing the lyrics and beating the clapper with his legs. In front of him was a QR code for receiving tips from the audience.

This is Shaanxi storytelling, a unique performance form in the Guanzhong region. He had heard similar storytelling in the countryside of Guanzhong hundreds of years ago. Now, hundreds of years have passed, and the performance form remains the same.

"Brother Zhou, we still have three things to buy." Li Jie reminded him when he saw him suddenly stop.

"It doesn't matter when you buy something; this storytelling will be gone in a moment," Zhou Qing said. "Those who rush lose sight of the scenery, while those who walk slowly gain perspective. It's not worth it to blindly pursue your goal and miss the scenery along the way."

"Hiss!" Li Jie gasped and slowly raised his thumb. "Brother Zhou is awesome! This is the first time I've heard someone describe slacking off at work in such a refreshing and refined way."

As he said this, he came over and said, "But that's true. Since the boss is not here anyway, I might as well take this opportunity to relax today."

Xiaoyao? Zhou Qing nodded. This statement was somewhat consistent with the current situation.

The so-called freedom does not mean indulging in sensual pleasures, but rather achieving complete freedom of mind, unburdened by external things, unconstrained by goals, and truly being able to follow one's heart. He now enjoys such a carefree life and the scenery he sees along the way.

Come to think of it, she had said something similar to him before.

"Brother Zhou! Come and try these candied dates from the grassland!"

At the post station outside Bianjing City, Xiao Yao enthusiastically handed a small cloth bag to him and said, "A few days ago, I led my troops on a western expedition and conquered the Zhubu Kingdom. This thing is produced everywhere in that place. I brought it here for you to see, Brother Zhou!"

Zhou Tong weighed the cloth bag in his hand. He had heard that the Liao Kingdom had recently been expanding westward, destroying several countries with ease, and its territory had expanded rapidly, already unifying most of the northern grasslands. Xiao Yao's hand was undoubtedly involved in this.

Of course, on the grasslands, the concept of "unification" has always been questionable. Nomadic peoples often focus on attacking rather than defending, often leaving an area unattended and allowing it to flourish wildly. The Khitan were no exception.

So, as soon as Xiao Yao conquered a country, she rushed to the Central Plains to compete with him. For her, the meaning of conquest was not in what she gained, but in the conquest itself. Compared to the war of annihilation, fighting with Zhou Tong was more satisfying for her.

"Zhubu is too desolate. Your Central Plains is more interesting."

While sharing the spoils, Xiao Yao sighed, "I passed by Bianjing when I came here. There are so many delicious and fun things to do in that city. When I passed by, I happened to see a troupe performing a play. It seemed to be about the Three Heroes fighting Lü Bu. Is this also a historical play from the Central Plains?"

Halfway through her conversation, she noticed that Zhou Tong seemed to be lacking interest in this matter: "Why, Brother Zhou, don't you like the operas in Bianjing?"

"I haven't been to Bian Jing many times." Zhou Tongdao.

In recent decades, the world of cultivation has been seriously short of manpower. There are too many wars that require his participation, and most of them are scattered in various places. Therefore, wandering has become his daily state. He often stays in one area for only a few days before moving on to the next one. He rarely has the leisure to visit ordinary cities, and even less time to watch a play.

He had heard that the Song Dynasty's capital, Bianjing, was now very prosperous, with some shadows of the prosperous Chang'an, but even a powerful Tang Dynasty could be destroyed overnight by the An-Shi Rebellion, not to mention that beneath the prosperity of the Song Dynasty were countless hidden dangers visible to the naked eye.

So he cannot stop, he must nip all hidden dangers in the bud.

Xiao Yao seemed quite surprised by this. "Brother Zhou, you guard the Central Plains day and night, but you don't go out to see the scenery of the human world? Isn't that boring?"

"I don't have that much free time." Zhou Tong shook his head. "The time I have for leisurely strolls and watching plays is enough for me to solve countless problems."

Xiao Yao looked at him quietly, with confusion in her autumn-water eyes.

"Every time I see Brother Zhou, you're either settling a problem or on your way to solve it. There are so many cultivators in the Central Plains, why do you have to bear everything alone?" "Many things are beyond the reach of ordinary people, only I can do them, so I will do my best to suppress them."

"What about yourself?"

Xiao Yao said, "Although I don't know the teachings of the various sects in the Central Plains, shouldn't the purpose of cultivation be to break free from shackles and be free and at ease? Brother Zhou, since you have such strength, why do you have to constantly tie yourself down to these external matters?"

This is the morality she has always adhered to.

She is a free eagle of the grasslands, born to be free and unfettered. She conquers one sky after another, never stopping at a single branch, nor being bound by any ties. Therefore, her path of cultivation is smooth and unimpeded, and she can reach the summit of the grasslands and receive the blessings of heaven.

So she didn't understand. If one couldn't follow one's heart and be free, if one conquered the world but didn't enjoy the fruits of conquest, if one only blindly guarded the small plot of land beneath one's feet, what was the point of cultivation?
"I don't need others to judge my actions." Zhou Tong turned around and said, "I'm leaving."

"But you haven't tasted the candied dates yet."

"We'll talk about it later."

"."

The woman stopped talking and just looked at his back, as if thinking about something.

“That’s what I said to him at the time.”

Sitting in the business car, Xiao Yao supported her face with one hand, her eyes reflecting the buildings passing by rapidly outside the window.

"He was a proud man who always wanted to take everything on himself. Once he made up his mind to do something, no one could stop him - and I was the same at that time."

"So in the end, neither of us convinced the other."

Xue Duo, who was sitting next to her, pondered for a while. Although she was only listening to Xiao Yao's retelling, just these few words made her seem to have touched the figure from a thousand years ago, and touched the man who remained in the memory of "Divine Eagle".

Just as Xiao Yao said, that "Zhou Tong" was indeed a man of extreme pride. In his eyes, others were weak and unreliable ants, so he only trusted himself, and so he had to withstand everything on his own.

Considering the dilapidated state of the Central Plains cultivation world during the Song Dynasty, it really needed such a person to turn the tide. Just by listening to Xiao Yao's few words, Xue Duo already had a deep respect for him in his heart.

There are few strong people in this world, and even fewer who are willing to help the world. From her perspective as a descendant, the historical Zhou Tong undoubtedly had great merits and was a hero who guarded the Central Plains for hundreds of years. If he were to live today, he would at least have a separate temple.

But, can one person really handle everything?

Xue Duo's heart moved, and when he thought of what Xiao Yao said about Zhou Tong's eventual death, he felt that he had guessed the reason for all this.

It is indeed admirable for one person to hold up the sky, but everyone has their limits. No matter how strong a person is, there will come a day when he can no longer hold on.

The saying "too much rigidity tends to break easily" is nothing more than this. This is probably Zhou Tong's final fate.

An inexplicable emotion swept through Xue Duo's heart. He fell silent for a moment and stopped talking. He just stared at Xiao Yao by the car window.

At this moment, she was leaning against the car window, quietly looking at the city scenery. Under the sunlight, her beautiful face looked peaceful and gentle. It was hard to imagine that she was the same person as the unbridled Eagle on the battlefield just now.

Is she also thinking about the deceased?

Xue Duo was thinking secretly in her heart, and when she was distracted, the cell phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated. She picked it up, and then her expression suddenly changed.

"Have you found out the results of the background investigation on the Soul-Sucking Evil Cultivator? Okay, I got it. Send me a copy right away so I can take a look."

At the same time as she put down the phone, an encrypted electronic document appeared on her mobile phone. Xue Duo flipped through the document with her fingers, and her face became more gloomy with every page she turned.

"Is there anyone else behind those rats?" Xiao Yao, who was standing next to him, had obviously heard the content of the phone call and turned around to ask.

"I'm afraid it's not just 'others', you see."

Xue Duo took a deep breath, held up the phone with both hands, and continued talking.

"This incident is not an isolated one. Based on the investigation and the divination results from the Tianji Academy, at least a dozen sects are behind this."

"Most of them are concentrated in Yingzhou and its surrounding areas, and several implicated forces are moving here. Judging from this situation, this is likely another attempt to restore feudalism."

Xiao Yao listened to her while flipping the screen of her phone with her fingers. There was not much fluctuation on her face reflected in the fluorescent light.

Displayed on the phone was a list of sects suspected to be involved in the evil cultivation incident. As Xue Duo said, in addition to several small and medium-sized sects near Yingzhou, it also included large sects such as Huangshan Cangtian Sect and Yizhou Yulu Sect.

"Something happened recently in Ganzhou, and there are also forces exerting pressure in the border areas. I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to gain much external support at this point in time. They must have chosen this opportunity to come."

Xue Duo's tone became increasingly serious: "With the current manpower of our branch, I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with a restoration operation of this scale."

"It doesn't matter, I'm here."

The intelligence file reached the bottom, Xiao Yao turned off the screen, and handed it back to Xue Duo.

"I will single-handedly suppress these calamities in all directions."

Time has passed, and the free eagle has landed on the branch that belongs to her. Now she is no longer free, and she will take action to resolve all problems.

Just as he did back then.

p.s. This update is a supplement to last night’s, and will be updated normally today.

Just a quick survey: Do you find the current writing style of the two perspectives interspersed with flashbacks confusing? If you find it difficult to understand or feel tired, please leave a comment in this chapter. I will make appropriate adjustments based on your feedback.

(End of this chapter)