Li Shun wept bitterly, tears streaming down his face as he kowtowed in gratitude for Fang Xun’s life-saving grace.
Fang Xun himself was deeply moved. That Li Shun had managed to survive such a calamity was nothing short of a miracle.
After putting on a convincing act, “Fang Xun” finally spoke, “If I remember correctly, your ancestral home is in Dongshan Town. As it happens, this official…”
His words suddenly halted. A trace of bitterness flashed across his face, and in the next instant, he changed his phrasing. “As it happens, I am also being demoted to serve as the garrison commander of Dongshan Town. Would you be willing to accompany me?”
Li Shun was naturally overjoyed and readily agreed.
They did not set out immediately. Instead, they remained where they were, resting as they awaited the arrival of a new day.
The snow-covered ground lay silent and still, no one able to discern the thoughts hidden within their hearts.
“There’s no way to rule out the possibility that someone is still watching from the shadows. The act must be carried through to the end.”
“Great Qian spans thirteen provinces, one hundred and eight commanderies, and three thousand six hundred counties. Lengshan lies on the northwestern frontier, while Dongshan Town is located in the east.”
“The journey is long. Though we could take the official roads, these troubled times are bound to bring complications. Better to depart tomorrow. With Threefold Self-Reflection in hand, even if something unexpected occurs, it can be reversed.”
The two closed their eyes, feigning rest, though inwardly they remained on high alert.
Meanwhile, within the Fangcun space, “Fang Xun” had already unsealed the hidden compartment containing real gold and silver.
For the moment, Li Shun ignored the gold. Instead, he drew over a portion of the silver and examined it closely.
“As expected.”
Floating beside the silver he had drawn over was another small, silver-white metallic sphere.
This sphere was none other than the byproduct that had unexpectedly formed when Li Shun previously cultivated the Lengshan Venerable.
Though he had long harbored a vague suspicion, he had never been able to confirm it.
Now, with actual silver in hand, comparing the two side by side, he finally verified that they were indeed the same substance.
A question immediately surfaced in his mind.
“Why is it that the process of cultivating and accelerating the growth of the Lengshan Venerable also produces silver?”
Searching carefully through Fang Xun’s memories, Li Shun found a possible answer.
“When yang reaches its extreme, it transforms into red gold. From supreme yin, silver is born.”
“This is a natural principle of the world’s cyclical flow. However, that was before the time when the Qian Emperor delayed the setting of the sun.”
“In the 165th year of the New Calendar, during the period when the Qian Emperor caused the sun to linger, the balance of yin and yang was disrupted. Since then, yang has flourished while yin has declined.”
“Yet yin and yang are inherently capable of mutual transformation. After so many years, a new equilibrium has gradually formed…”
At this point, Li Shun felt a faint headache coming on.
Fang Xun belonged to the Confucian lineage. Though he had some understanding of yin and yang, he was far from proficient.
Especially after the great shift in the balance of yin and yang, much of the knowledge once considered common sense had already changed.
“No matter. In any case, the cultivation of the Lengshan Venerable must be accompanied by the manifestation of yin energy. That is why silver is produced.”
“In Great Qian, gold and silver are truly valuable commodities.”
Li Shun felt the cool chill of the silver sphere in his hand, his gaze flickering.
He had once read, within the Emperor's Exegesis, the passage describing how the Qian Emperor gathered all the gold and silver of the world. At the time, he had assumed it was merely a means of unifying currency.
Only after absorbing Fang Xun and gaining access to his memories did he learn that the uses of gold and silver were closely tied to the Twelvefold Longevity Methods.
“As the saying goes, gold and silver can be transformed into tribulation qi.”
“The greatest use of gold and silver is that they can delay the tribulation of Heaven Reclaiming Lifespan.”
A torrent of information flashed through Li Shun’s mind.
“At the Mortal Physique Realm, no matter how many years one borrows from the heavens, Heaven Reclaiming Lifespan will only descend and erupt in the final year.”
“But as one’s cultivation rises and the number of borrowings increases, the moment of Heaven’s Reclaiming steadily advances.”
“As for how much earlier it comes, there is no fixed rule. It varies from person to person. However, in general, by the time one reaches the Grotto Mystic Realm, the tribulation may already descend when only half of the borrowed lifespan has passed.”
Realization dawned upon Li Shun.
“No wonder cultivators of Great Qian all practice the Twelvefold Longevity Methods, yet still differ in age and appearance.”
“And gold and silver can delay the arrival of Heaven’s Reclaiming.”
“Or more precisely, they can continuously push back the moment of its eruption.”
“If a Grotto Mystic cultivator borrows a hundred years of lifespan, then without any wealth to sustain them, after roughly fifty years, they will decline from their peak into a state of withdrawal. From that point on, they begin to wither. Though they may still live out the remaining fifty years, their youthful vigor is gone forever.”
“However…”
“With sufficient gold and silver, one can continuously delay the forced repayment of the latter six realms, pushing it further and further toward the end of one’s life.”
“In theory, at the absolute limit, it is even possible to compress the effects of the latter six realms into the final year, just like in the Mortal Physique Realm. Just like Zhou Xunzhen.”
“Of course, the amount of gold and silver required for such a feat is almost unimaginable. Even the highest officials in the imperial court may not be able to afford it. Thus, most can only act within their means.”
“Gold and silver truly are good things.”
Li Shun’s gaze drifted toward the two hundred taels of gold and silver within the Fangcun space.
“I have already grasped the method to cultivate Lengshan Venerable. Doesn’t that mean I can also produce silver endlessly?”
At this thought, his heart began to pound.
Fragments of Fang Xun’s and the Marquis of Changle’s experiences surfaced in his mind.
“Lengshan Soul.”
“That is the existence I sensed at the very peak of Lengshan Grass evolution. If Lengshan Venerable can manifest silver, then this Lengshan Soul…”
“Could it perhaps produce true gold?”
Li Shun recalled the details of when the Marquis of Changle had rewarded him with gold.
“That might actually be the case.”
“Her status is indeed noble, but not to the extent that she could casually hand out two hundred taels of pure gold as a reward.”
“And Fang Xun only borrowed twenty-three laborers. That alone wouldn’t justify such compensation. It felt more like someone who had suddenly come into a windfall and, for a short time, misjudged the value of gold and silver…”
The more Li Shun thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Yet in the end, he let out a quiet sigh.
“Unfortunately, that woman seems to have taken the Lengshan Soul. Otherwise…”
In the real world, Li Shun slowly opened his eyes and gazed toward where the Lengshan mine had once stood.
After the recent catastrophe of collapsing earth and shattered mountains, the mine had long since been buried deep underground.
To search for it again would be like trying to dig into the abyss itself.
“No wonder the Marquis of Changle rushed here despite knowing the dangers.”
The night passed in a storm of thoughts.
By dawn, the two of them had already set out toward Dongshan.
Before leaving, Li Shun cast one final glance at Lengshan.
Everything from the past had been buried beneath a vast expanse of white snow.
The world lay silent, broken only by the occasional howl of the wind.
“Twenty-six years… no, today is the second day of the first month. I have been trapped in Lengshan for a full twenty-seven years.”
“At last, I can leave this place openly.”
A surge of indescribable emotion welled up within him.
There was loss, a trace of confusion, and even a hint of unease.
But in the end, all of it was suppressed, transformed into a vision of the future.
“With Fangcun in my possession, the possibilities ahead are limitless.”
He took a deep breath and silently repeated those words in his heart.
“To cultivate the path of longevity, to expand the land of Fangcun, and to gather the heroes of the world.”
Then, with firm steps, he walked forward without hesitation.