Cultivating Immortality Begins with Acting as a Girl Chapter 182

Two days later.

Above the azure sky, a stream of light streaked across the vast expanse.

“Yuxi, Little Junior Sister, there’s a city ahead. How about we rest there tonight?”

Wen Xingwen’s voice was gentle and steady. He stood at the front of the flying boat, his gaze piercing through the clouds, already spotting the distant outline.

“We’ll listen to Senior Brother.” Song Ling nodded obediently, and Ji Yuxi had no objections either.

To avoid disturbing the mortals in the city, Wen Xingwen did not let the flying boat land directly in the city, but instead landed on the official road ten li outside the city.

After putting away the flying boat, the three walked towards the city.

This distance was nothing to them. Soon, they arrived at the city gate.

But to their surprise, the city gate was tightly shut, with no people coming or going. Several masked guards in iron armor and holding long spears had stern expressions, stopping the three and saying:

“Stop, there’s a plague in the city. The City Lord has ordered strict prohibition of entry and exit.”

“Plague?”

Wen Xingwen raised an eyebrow. Although the plague was fatal to mortals, it posed no threat to cultivators. A circulation of spiritual energy through their bodies would eliminate all diseases.

“It’s fine, just open the gate and let us in,” he said indifferently.

“Why can’t you understand—”

Before the guard finished speaking, a flash of spiritual light appeared on Wen Xingwen’s body, and the powerful pressure made several guards almost unable to stand.

Fortunately, this pressure came and went quickly, dissipating without a trace in just an instant.

“So it’s Immortal Master who has arrived!”

The guard leader walked forward with a respectful expression, directly leading the other guards to kneel and kowtow to Wen Xingwen and the other two:

“Immortal Master, please save our Lihua City! This plague has been raging for three whole months, and countless people die every day. If this continues, it won’t be long before our Lihua City turns into a dead city!”

Wen Xingwen asked Ji Yuxi beside him, “Yuxi, what do you think?”

Ji Yuxi said without hesitation, “Since we’ve encountered it, we definitely have to save them.”

Song Ling was not surprised by Ji Yuxi’s answer. From the first day they met, he knew that her personality was quite upright and kind, completely different from other cultivators who regarded mortals as ants.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have regarded him as a thief until now, just because Princess Zhaoming had once indiscriminately killed mortals.

Wen Xingwen pondered for a moment, then said to Song Ling, “Little Junior Sister, I heard that the cultivation technique you practice in the early stage of Qi Refinement is ‘Rippling Water Zen’, which is mainly for healing. If you go in to save people, you’ll probably have to exert a lot of effort. What do you think?”

“Of course I’m willing. As a princess of Zhao, how can I watch my people die just to save spiritual energy?” Song Ling said sincerely.

“Hypocrite, let’s see how long you can keep up the act.” Ji Yuxi snorted coldly.

Song Ling’s lips trembled, but he didn’t refute anything in the end, just lowered his head, his expression dim.

Wen Xingwen frowned slightly. After observing for the past few days, it seemed that Song Ling was not the kind of person Ji Yuxi described. However, for some reason, Ji Yuxi seemed to hold an extremely strong prejudice against her.

He said indifferently:

“Yuxi, Shaohua is our Little Junior Sister after all. You don’t have to be so harsh with her.”

“Senior Brother, you’re actually speaking up for her?” Ji Yuxi was full of disbelief. “Didn’t I tell you that she’s a wicked woman who used her status as a princess to kill countless people? Now she’s saying something as utterly hypocritical as ‘can’t bear to see her own people die’. It’s disgusting!”

“Yuxi, don’t forget that Little Junior Sister spoke up for you just two days ago. Besides, she’s only fifteen this year, still young. As her Senior Sister, you should show more tolerance and understanding,” Wen Xingwen said patiently.

“I…”

Ji Yuxi was momentarily speechless. It was true that Song Ling had spoken up for her two days ago. Her current attitude seemed like repaying kindness with enmity.

“Second Senior Sister, Senior Brother, don’t argue anymore.”

Song Ling spoke weakly at this moment: “I did make a lot of mistakes in the past, and it’s understandable that Second Senior Sister dislikes me. I don’t blame her. In the future, I will prove with my actions that I have reformed. As for now, let’s quickly enter the city to save people. The sooner we go in, perhaps we can save one more person.”

“Little Junior Sister is right.”

Wen Xingwen nodded, then said to the guard leader who was still prostrate on the ground, “You lead us in to take a look first.”

“Thank you, Immortal Master! Thank you, Immortal Master!”

The guard leader was overjoyed, kowtowing repeatedly.

Subsequently, the guard leader got up, ordered his subordinates to open the city gate, and led Song Ling and the other two into Lihua City.

Upon entering the city, the three immediately felt a suppressed and heavy atmosphere.

There were few pedestrians on the streets, and most shops were closed. Occasionally, a few people walked by in a hurry, all with their faces covered by masks and brows furrowed with worry. There were also cries coming from afar, filling one’s heart with desolation.

“This plague is so severe, why are there no physicians coming to treat it?” Ji Yuxi asked with a frown.

The guard leader’s face showed bitterness as he explained, “It’s not that no physicians are willing to come, but this plague is too fierce. Many physicians who came in were also infected, and none survived. Now, most of the physicians in the city have died. The most crucial thing is that this plague seems to have no end. Every time we isolate a group of infected people, new infected people always appear again, and we can’t find the source.”

“Can’t find the source?”

Wen Xingwen was thoughtful. This didn’t sound like a naturally occurring plague; it seemed like someone was secretly manipulating it.

Under the guidance of the guard leader, the three soon arrived at the City Lord’s Manor.

The City Lord’s Manor was also in chaos. Many servants were busy moving supplies, while the City Lord sat in the main hall with a haggard face, clearly exhausted by the plague.

The guard leader quickly stepped forward and whispered a few words into the City Lord’s ear. The City Lord’s eyes immediately lit up, and he excitedly knelt down before Song Ling and the other two, shedding tears as he said:

“The three Immortal Masters have arrived! Heaven truly hasn’t forsaken our Lihua City! Please save the people of this city!”

“City Lord, please rise and speak.” Ji Yuxi’s face showed sympathy.

“As Immortal Master commands.” The City Lord trembled as he stood up, his eyes full of anticipation.

Wen Xingwen looked around and said calmly, “Let’s go see the patients first, understand the specific situation of this plague, and then make plans.”

The City Lord nodded repeatedly and personally led Song Ling and the other two to the isolation area.

The isolation area was in the residential area of the North City. Along the way, all they saw was desolation. Almost every house had white banners hanging outside, indicating that a family member had passed away.

In addition to the smell of herbal medicine, the air was mixed with the scent of incense and sorrowful cries, shrouding the entire city in a haze.

After a while, the group arrived at the makeshift open-air isolation area. Patients lay on simple wooden beds, either coughing or groaning. Many had lost the color in their faces, and their eyes held both a strong desire for life and a fear of death.

…