After that, as the golden halo dissipated, Wang Ping could survey his surroundings—he was in a storehouse.
Dim lights flickered inside.
Ten incredibly lifelike bronze statues stood in the open clearing. Wang Ping stood among them, looking like a husky mingling in a pack of wolves.
This is bad.
Wang Ping quickly reviewed the memories that came with this transmigration, his mood growing heavier. His current situation was not necessarily any better than the Great Shun Dynasty.
Strictly speaking, it was even worse.
Because in the immortal sect, 【Lishi】 were not allowed to possess consciousness. They only retained necessary knowledge and acted entirely according to preset commands.
In other words, a 【Lishi】 is merely a humanoid inanimate object. My current state—possessing an independent personality and the ability to think—is undoubtedly problematic. Once discovered, it will likely bring immediate destruction. I must not expose myself before the 【Otherworldly Heavenly Demon】 cools down.
This was actually incredibly difficult.
The biggest difference between a living person and a dead object is the ability to think. With thoughts and emotions, many reactions cannot be suppressed simply by wanting to.
I have to find a way.
Wang Ping secretly gritted his teeth and dug deeper into the 【Lishi】 memories in his mind, trying to extract useful intelligence.
It proved that the immortal sect truly lived up to its name.
There really is something!
Even the lowest grade of Lishi were not stiff, rigid puppets. In the Lishi’s memory, Wang Ping unexpectedly found a complete spell!
The spell was called 【Qi Ward】.
By circulating this method within the body, one could refine a peculiar power known as 【True Qi】, which possessed the might to stop bleeding, regenerate flesh, reconnect bones and sinews, and render the body invulnerable to weapons.
Thinking of this, Wang Ping felt an unbearable itch.
If the environment weren’t unsuitable and he didn’t need to keep a low profile, he would definitely practice 【Qi Ward】 a few times to enjoy the sensation of casting a spell.
After all, practicing spells required actual execution; mental simulations were useless.
However, Wang Ping wasn’t in a hurry.
It doesn’t matter. I am currently a cultivation tool, and it seems someone has already ordered me. I definitely won’t lack opportunities to practice spells later.
With this in mind, Wang Ping waited patiently.
Time passed. He only snapped out of his study of 【Qi Ward】 when a loud noise suddenly echoed outside the storehouse.
Clang!
The main doors opened.
Blinding light pierced Wang Ping’s vision, revealing the scene outside the storehouse: a natural, rustic Daoist temple.
The temple seemed nestled deep within an ancient forest. A blazing sun hung overhead, and verdant wilderness stretched below. He saw singing birds, fragrant flowers, drifting auspicious clouds, and flowing light everywhere. Inside the temple, at the storehouse entrance, Wang Ping spotted three figures standing opposite each other—one on the left, two on the right.
“Senior Sister You, here are the ten 【Lishi】 you requested.”
Of the two on the right, one was short and stout with a round face, flashing a mouthful of sharp teeth when he smiled. The other was tall, thin, and possessed a horse-like face.
The third person stood opposite them.
She was a Daoist nun. Dressed in a blue-and-white Daoist robe with waist-length hair, she looked ethereal, like a fairy ready to ride the wind.
“Many thanks, Junior Brothers.”
Her red lips parted lightly, delivering a crisp, melodic sentence. This instantly stripped away a fraction of her otherworldly aura, adding a touch of mortal desire.
Wang Ping never considered himself a lecher. Yet, the moment he saw this nun, unprovoked lust flared in his heart. Almost instinctively, his mind conjured violent fantasies of dragging her down from the clouds, pinning her to the ground, and tearing apart that ethereal demeanor.
…Wait!
The moment the thought formed, Wang Ping realized the problem. He focused his mind entirely on the Lishi memories, and all wicked thoughts subsequently subsided, vanishing into nothingness.
Almost simultaneously—
“Hmm?”
The nun, who had been conversing with the two delivery disciples, suddenly knit her brows. She turned around, locking her gaze onto the storehouse.
Fortunately, ten 【Lishi】 occupied the storehouse.
At this moment, Wang Ping could clearly feel the ‘weight’ of the nun’s gaze. It felt like soft little hands caressing his body, stimulating his senses.
In response, Wang Ping could only pour all his focus into reading the 【Lishi】 memories, forcing himself to ignore everything else.
“Senior Sister You?”
Seeing Nun You staring blankly at the storehouse, the stout sect disciple asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Does this batch of 【Lishi】 not suit your liking?”
“…You misunderstand, Junior Brother.”
Nun You shook her head and spoke flatly. “The quality of the 【Lishi】 is quite good. They are more than sufficient for practicing the 【True Interpretation of the Immortal-Slaying Gourd】.”
Wang Ping’s heart skipped a beat.
The 【True Interpretation of the Immortal-Slaying Gourd】—he also had this technique in his memories as a 【Lishi】, because this was originally one of their designated uses.
“Under the immortal sect’s rule, millions of various methods exist. Yet, without exception, they all derive from the 【Three Daos, Eight Methods, Seventy-Two Arts】. The sect places no restrictions on the 【Seventy-Two Arts】, allowing anyone to learn them. However, only true disciples have the qualifications to view the 【Three Daos and Eight Methods】.”
And the 【True Interpretation of the Immortal-Slaying Gourd】 is one of the Eight Methods.
Wang Ping knew this because this specific technique required 【Lishi】 to act as ‘whetstones’. Cultivating it required the active cooperation of the 【Lishi】.
It’s a bit like dual cultivation.
Even so, he only knew the parts relevant to being a ‘tool’.
This included the 【Qi Ward】 spell in his memories; since whetstones inevitably suffered wear and tear, this spell allowed them to self-repair.
Fuck me, the tool even has to handle its own daily maintenance?
Wang Ping couldn’t help but curse internally. This successfully diverted his attention, making him momentarily forget that Nun You was scrutinizing him.
The result was a lucky strike.
A short distance away, the two delivery disciples suddenly wailed loudly. Their previously straight backs bowed imperceptibly.
“Senior Sister… please spare us!”
The stout disciple begged first, hunched over and whining, “You possess an innate Blissful Immortal Physique and passed the Mortal Tribulation early on. How could we possibly withstand it?”
“You misunderstand, Junior Brothers.”
Nun You shook her head. Her red lips parted slightly, and her tone grew gentler. Her ethereal aura plunged into decadence, slowly revealing a sensual, lavish mortal allure.
“It’s just that your Senior Sister is short on funds recently.”
“I truly cannot gather enough Dharma Coins to purchase the Lishi. That’s why I resorted to this poor strategy, to see if you might accommodate me and let me pay through… other means.”
As she spoke, her blue-and-white Daoist robe slipped silently from her shoulders.
Beneath it lay a rather tight undergarment, barely containing her full figure and exposing a large expanse of snow-white skin. Her proud breasts caught the sliding robe, preventing it from hitting the ground.
Yet, her expression remained utterly serious, maintaining the cold, aloof demeanor of an otherworldly fairy.
This contrasting display instantly drained the color from the delivery disciples’ faces. Their qi and blood surged uncontrollably downward.
In that moment, both sect disciples couldn’t help but curse in their hearts:
This damn evil witch! If we don’t submit, she probably won’t stop. But if she taints us, what hope do we have for our immortal path in this life?
Despite their inner cursing, the two quickly shouted:
“We’ll, we’ll discount it!”
“Senior Sister, please withdraw your divine technique… Cost price! Just ten Dharma Coins! We will cover the deficit ourselves, and sell this entire batch of 【Lishi】 to you!”
As they yelled, they wore expressions of sheer terror, as if avoiding vipers, yet their bodies moved uncontrollably, stepping closer to the nun.
On the other side, a look of relief washed over Nun You.
Circulating my spiritual power with my Tribulation Transcendence cultivation will force ordinary people to harbor wicked thoughts toward me, which I can then sense. Yet I detect no third person.
It seems I overthought it.
Or perhaps it was someone I met earlier; someone far away conjuring wicked thoughts of me using my portrait, triggering my senses.
Wang Ping’s caution was entirely justified.
Nun You had indeed sensed something amiss earlier. While she appeared to be targeting the delivery disciples, she was actually testing the reactions of the 【Lishi】.
Sigh, I’m just too poor.
Nun You shook her head. Despite her repeated tests, her suspicions were hard to dispel.
The optimal solution was to simply destroy all the 【Lishi】, pull the problem up by the roots, and exchange them for a new batch. That would solve everything, regardless of any actual issues.
But she had no money.
She had practically broken the bank just to get this batch. Being short on funds wasn’t a joke; where would she find the money for a new batch?
Resolving the issue in her mind, Nun You stopped dwelling on it. She turned to the delivery disciples, retracted her mortal allure, and chuckled softly.
“In that case, let us settle the bill.”
With that, she retrieved ten radiant paper talismans from her sleeve. They were engraved with countless Dharma runes on both sides, with faint wisps of blue smoke drifting around them.
What is this? Dharma Coins?
Meanwhile, Wang Ping, sensing the disappearance of the lust-inducing power, quietly regained his wits. Peeking secretly, he couldn’t help his curiosity.
“Ten Dharma Coins, received with thanks!”
The two sect disciples stepped forward, eagerly stuffing the talismans the nun offered into their sleeves like starving beasts. Sincere smiles resurfaced on their faces.
“We wish Senior Sister early success in cultivating divine techniques and attaining the Dao through qi refinement.”
“If you lack a handy spiritual treasure by then, you can purchase one at our Heaven-Earth Pavilion.”
After speaking, the delivery disciples formed hand seals and chanted spells. Riding streaks of light, they launched themselves out of the temple as eagerly as refugees fleeing a disaster.
Bizarrely, the moment they crossed the temple’s threshold, they vanished entirely from heaven and earth.
Not a shadow remained.
A second later, Nun You sneered. “Heaven-Earth Pavilion? Those sect parasites, reselling precious sect assets… they are truly mad for money.”
“Everyone knows their backer is the Divine Weapon Institute. With the 【Eight Trigrams Furnace】, refining treasures is as easy as taking a shit, and the cost is practically zero.”
“Yet, they sell them at extortionate prices, under the guise of protecting intellectual property rights. It’s all bullshit. They are clearly exploiting ordinary disciples like us. Even if I have to buy second-hand treasures at the 【Ghost Market】, I will never pay that damn idiot tax to the Heaven-Earth Pavilion!”
Her words dripped with resentment.
Following this, she clasped her hands behind her back, turned around, and looked at Wang Ping and the rest of the 【Lishi】. Her cold voice echoed through the storehouse.
“Alright, step out.”
—Wang Ping didn’t move.
Furthermore, he didn’t dare form a single thought. He once again forced himself fully into the persona of the perfect human livestock tool from his memories.
She didn’t form the seal!
According to his memories, every batch of 【Lishi】 required a driving talisman seal, similar to a boot password. Without it, the 【Lishi】 would not activate.
Although Nun You issued a command just now, she didn’t form the seal. At least, Wang Ping felt no prompt from the talisman seal within his body. Thus, he absolutely dared not move. Doing so would equate to announcing the presence of a fake 【Lishi】!
She’s testing us!
She spoke those words on purpose, and now she’s using the activation seal to probe… She genuinely suspects an impostor among the 【Lishi】!
Wang Ping dared not think any further.
For a time, silence reigned in the storehouse. Nun You issued a few more commands, sometimes using the seal and sometimes omitting it, testing them several times.
Wang Ping handled them flawlessly.
Strictly speaking, he truly was a 【Lishi】, just one with self-awareness. Given his deliberate concealment, such probes couldn’t root him out.
Even so, it scared Wang Ping half to death. Why did these sect disciples play so many mind games, repeatedly testing based on a mere sliver of suspicion?
…………..
A long while later, Nun You finally ceased her probing, seemingly dispelling her doubts.
“Step out.”
This time, she applied the talisman seal. Wang Ping followed the other Lishi, slowly walking out of the storehouse and into the temple, lining up in a single row as instructed.
“Stand still.”
“Next, everyone will circulate 【Qi Ward】 at full power. Elevate it to the level of invulnerability. No dodging allowed. You must forcefully endure my incoming attack.”
This played right into Wang Ping’s hands.
The moment Nun You finished speaking, he eagerly circulated the method. An invisible, formless thermal current erupted from within his body.
This was 【True Qi】.
True Qi shrouded his body, repelling blades and weapons—this was the so-called invulnerability.
To injure Wang Ping in this state, an attack must either exceed the defensive threshold of 【Qi Ward】 or target a vital spot devoid of True Qi coverage.
Thinking of this, Wang Ping secretly observed the nun again.
What is she trying to do?
Not only did she line up all the Lishi, but she also ordered them to activate defensive spells at full power. It was exactly like setting up targets before practicing swordmanship…
…….Hmm?
Oh no!
Rumble!
The exact moment Wang Ping realized the truth, Nun You, standing right in front of the Lishi, moved. Her red lips parted, and a sword light shot forth, accompanied by a clear, piercing whistle.
This sword strike leaped up like a moon cresting the branches, blindingly white. It seemed slow but was unimaginably fast. It surged like a mighty river, yet branched off mid-way into countless majestic tributaries, churning foam, before simultaneously slashing every single 【Lishi】, sending them flying backwards in a spray of blood.
Wang Ping was among them.
Pfft!
Spewing a mouthful of hot blood, Wang Ping looked down at his waist. His body, previously protected by True Qi, was nearly cleaved in two by this single strike!
And this was just one sword strike.
He saw it clearly: Nun You’s sword light had split, significantly diluting the power that landed on each 【Lishi】. If she focused it all on a single point…
I would definitely die!
Forget 【Qi Ward】 and invulnerability; in front of this Nun You, he was as frail as paper. The terrifying power gap was like the difference between heaven and earth.
This dump is even worse than Great Shun!
Wang Ping smiled bitterly, deeply feeling that he had merely leaped from the tiger’s den into the wolf’s lair.
However, he quickly rallied his spirits, desperately circulating 【Qi Ward】 to repair his injuries. While comprehending its subtleties, he didn’t forget to encourage himself:
Hold on!
Although surviving as human livestock in the immortal sect after transmigration was like walking on thin ice, as long as he weathered this storm, he could take his immortal cultivation spells back to the Great Shun Dynasty and crush everyone!