Seeking Immortality

"I am Qingxu Liu Ziqing, and I want to see you, Daoist Xu. Can you please meet me?"

Hearing the voice coming from outside the door, Xu Qingfan woke up from his meditation and slowly opened his eyes, but a trace of solemnity flashed in his eyes

"Liu Ziqing? The Liu Ziqing who secretly controls the Qingxu Sect? Although I have always been curious about him, isn't it too early to meet him without any preparation?"

Though thinking so in his heart, Xu Qingfan still stood up from the bed immediately after the gentle voice fell, walked quickly to the door and opened it.

Although judging from the information Xu Qingfan got, this Liu Ziqing is definitely not a simple person. The changes in the Qingxu Sect over the years have been secretly controlled by him, so without perfect preparation, Xu Qingfan is not sure to meet him without leaving any flaws, but since Liu Ziqing came to ask for an interview in person, Xu Qingfan can't help but meet him.

When he opened the door, he saw a man in white waiting quietly outside. He was about 30 years old, with a handsome face, a calm expression, and deep eyes. He was playing with a purple folding fan in his hand, opening and closing it, with a strange melody. He was uninhibited but calm, elegant but restrained, which made people feel good after seeing him.

Xu Qingfan knew that the man in white should be Liu Ziqing. In terms of demeanor, Liu Ziqing was only inferior to Zhang Xusheng, whom Xu Qingfan had seen before. It turned out that Senior Liu had come to visit, and it was an honor. "

After Xu Qingfan took a quick look at Liu Ziqing, he hurriedly bowed and said.

While Xu Qingfan was looking at Liu Ziqing, Liu Ziqing was also constantly looking at Xu Qingfan. At the same time, his originally calm eyes kept fluctuating, as if his mind was fluctuating, but in the blink of an eye, he regained his calmness. He chuckled and said to Xu Qingfan: "I am unworthy of the title of senior. As a casual cultivator, Fellow Daoist Xu does not need to care about the seniority of my Qingxu Sect. What's more, I was accepted as the last disciple by the Purple True Immortal four hundred years ago. If we talk about the time of cultivating immortals, it is not much longer than Fellow Daoist Xu, so it is better for you and I to address each other as equals. "

Hearing Liu Ziqing say this, Xu Qingfan was secretly shocked. He had never thought that Liu Ziqing was actually the last disciple of Zizhen Immortal. This was not mentioned in the Jiuhua Sect's information or from Zhang Pei's pass. You know, although Zizhen Immortal said that he had many disciples, most of them were registered disciples. There was no disciple in the room. As far as Xu Qingfan knew, there was only Qing Lingzi, the direct disciple. The four words "last disciple" not only represent that this is the last disciple of Zizhen Immortal, but also prove that Liu Ziqing is the direct disciple of Zizhen Immortal.

But according to Xu Qingfan's judgment, Qing Lingzi It is no doubt that Zi was imprisoned, and it is also very likely that Zi Zhen Xian was trapped and unable to leave the cave where he was in seclusion. Otherwise, he would not have come out for so long. And Liu Ziqing in front of him played an extremely important role from beginning to end.

So, what was the reason that Liu Ziqing spent so much effort to imprison or trap his senior brother and master? You know, this is not good for him at all.

This thought only flashed through Xu Qingfan's mind, but Xu Qingfan did not show any strange color on his face. He just laughed and said, "In this case, then I will obey your order respectfully. "

Speaking of this, Xu Qingfan quickly stepped aside to let Liu Ziqing enter the room and take a seat.

When Liu Ziqing entered the room first, Xu Qingfan followed behind Liu Ziqing, with a solemn look in his eyes.

Xu Qingfan knew. The moment he accepted Xuan Lingzi's invitation, he was like walking on a tightrope. If he was not careful, he would be doomed. For the "Qingxu Sect", as long as it could preserve its reputation, there was no hesitation in sacrificing an unknown cultivator like him. And the sudden disappearance of a cultivator like Xu Qingfan would not cause any waves in the entire cultivation world.

The problem now is that Xu Qingfan did not reveal any clues when he came to the "Qingxu Sect" this time, so the people of the "Qingxu Sect" only suspected him, so the people of the "Qingxu Sect" were not sure about Xu Qingfan's intentions. Qingfan's background, and whether there is someone behind Xu Qingfan's instructions, so it's not easy to act rashly. But once Xu Qingfan reveals his true colors, it is expected that a large number of Qingxu Sect members will come to capture Xu Qingfan, and then Xu Qingfan will really be in a state of panic.

And this Liu Ziqing, according to Dai Guan Zhang Pei's previous words, is the number one strategist in "Qingxu Sect". Although this may be exaggerated, this visit by Liu Ziqing is undoubtedly the most severe test for Xu Qingfan to come to "Qingxu Sect". Although Xu Qingfan has been mentally prepared for this test, he did not expect that this test would come so quickly.

"From now on, I will imagine myself as a casual cultivator who has never seen the world, and I must not reveal any flaws. "

Xu Qingfan thought secretly.

While Xu Qingfan was thinking secretly, Liu Ziqing had already arrived at the guest room and sat down first. Xu Qingfan also quickly gathered his emotions, with a calm smile on his face, and slowly sat down opposite Liu Ziqing.

But after Xu Qingfan sat down, Liu Ziqing spoke first: "I heard from Senior Brother Xuan Lingzi that he met a master among the casual cultivators during the Qingxu lecture this time. His peculiarity is rare in the world of immortal cultivation, so I was curious and couldn't help but rush to visit him. Will Fellow Daoist Xu blame me for being presumptuous?"

Xu Qingfan smiled and said: "How could it be? I have been in seclusion in the Southern Wilderness for many years. Now I have just entered the world of immortality. I am just trying to make more friends. Fellow Daoist Liu took the initiative to come to see me. It is too late for me to be happy."

Liu Ziqing seemed to be very happy when he heard what Xu Qingfan said. The smile on his face became even stronger. He couldn't help playing with the purple folding fan in his hand. After a moment, he suddenly asked: "I happened to meet Dai Guan and Zhang Pei when I came here just now." Those two juniors, I heard that Fellow Daoist Xu seemed to be very interested in me. When I asked about the situation of Qingxu Sect, I had the most questions. "

"So he was the one who instigated Zhang Pei to reveal Qingxu's secret before? No wonder, this is indeed the easiest way for me to reveal my flaws, but most people don't dare to use it easily. I guess the previous spying increased my suspicion, and Is Liu Ziqing coming here to make sure for the last time? It seems I need to be more careful," Xu Qingfan thought to himself.

Although he was thinking this in his mind, Xu Qingfan's face remained calm. He did not deny it and just replied: "Indeed, when I was preaching at Qingxu before. When I heard those monk friends talk about Qingxu Sect, they all talked about the two seniors Xuan Lingzi and Huan Lingzi, but there were few I mentioned Fellow Daoist Liu, but when I heard the introduction from the two Daoist Fellows Zhang Daiguan, they highly praised Fellow Daoist Liu, and their evaluation was hardly lower than that of the two seniors Xuan Lingzi and Huan Lingzi, so I can’t help but feel a little curious. Please don’t blame me, Fellow Daoist Liu. ”

Xu Qingfan knew that he had two biggest flaws before.

One is that during the "Qingxu Lecture", he suddenly boldly mentioned the matter of Zizhen Immortal to Xuan Lingzi, although he made up a lot of lies. But they are all unverifiable. And this kind of unverifiable statement is the easiest to arouse others' doubts. More importantly, Xu Qingfan clearly said that he wanted to express his gratitude to Immortal Zizhen, but after learning that Immortal Zizhen could not come out of seclusion. The matter was never mentioned again, and according to human nature, Xu Qingfan should ask Xuan Lingzi to express his gratitude on his behalf. However, Xu Qingfan was only thinking about Xuan Lingzi at that time, but he ignored this. Thinking about it now, he regrets it.

The second flaw is that Zhang Pei deliberately talked too much when he was tricked by Liu Ziqing not long ago. There is much more interest in the secrets of Qingxu than those monks who are just regular guests. It always gives people the feeling of having ulterior motives.

So Xu Qingfan talked with Liu Ziqing this time. In addition to dealing with Liu Ziqing's successive probings and not exposing any flaws, he also had to repair the two previous flaws without leaving any trace. For Xu Qingfan, who is not good at scheming, the difficulty and worry is no less than breaking through to the real elixir stage.

Just now, Xu Qingfan attributed his second flaw to curiosity. Although it didn't seem to be very credible, it was at least an explanation that could reduce Xu Qingfan's suspicion at this time.

Hearing Xu Qingfan's words, Liu Ziqing chuckled and kept shaking his folding fan. The expression on his face did not show any belief, but there was no trace of doubt either. He just said: "I see, but those are all rumors among the people. Forget it, my two senior brothers, Xuan Lingzi and Huan Lingzi, had already reached the golden elixir stage when I was practicing immortality. Their strength will only be higher now, and I have only barely reached the late stage of the real elixir. , How can you compare with those two?”

Xu Qingfan said with a smile: "How could it be? The demeanor of Fellow Daoist Liu is the only one I have seen in my life. He is really the most ordinary person in the world. As for cultivating immortality, Fellow Daoist Liu has only been cultivating for a short time, and he will reach the golden elixir stage in a short time. . Besides, if Senior Brother Liu is so inferior in his cultivation in the late stage of the Real Pill, how should he deal with himself in the middle stage of the Virtual Pill?"

Liu Ziqing shook his head solemnly, and said in a slow voice: "When it comes to style, I met someone who is better than me a long time ago."

Hearing Liu Ziqing's words, Xu Qingfan suddenly flashed the image of Zhang Xusheng in his mind for some reason, but he knew that with Liu Ziqing's identity, he would never know Zhang Xusheng. At the same time, he showed curiosity on his face and asked: " Oh? There is someone who is better than Fellow Daoist Liu in terms of style, but I don’t know who he is. Can Fellow Daoist Liu tell me, and give me a chance to meet him?”

Liu Ziqing had a sad look on his face, and said slowly: "Since we said goodbye that day, I haven't seen that old friend for many years."

Xu Qingfan also sighed with regret.

But Liu Ziqing suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, I've been feeling strange since just now. Has Daoist Fellow Xu been practicing in the Southern Wilderness before?"

Xu Qingfan's heart condensed slightly and he nodded in agreement. Then he asked: "Indeed, I have been cultivating immortality in the Southern Wilderness for a hundred years before, and there was no breakthrough in successive retreats. That's why I decided to go down the mountain to travel. But I don't know what is strange about Daoist Liu?"

Liu Ziqing looked at Xu Qingfan and smiled, then looked unconcerned, frowned and asked softly: "Actually, it's not a big deal. What's strange to me is that since Xu Daoyou is a casual cultivator, he has been in seclusion alone for more than a hundred years. , Judging from the experience of the casual cultivators I have interacted with before, such casual cultivators are often not good at talking when they first enter the world of immortality. However, I see Taoist friend Xu, who is skillful in conversation and good at talking, which is different from what I have done before. It’s quite different.”

Said. Liu Ziqing seemed to be very interested in the folding fan in his hand. He lowered his head and kept playing with it, without looking at Xu Qingfan again. But Xu Qingfan could clearly feel that although Liu Ziqing in front of him seemed casual at this time, he was observing him all the time, or maybe it was just the corner of his eye, but it was as sharp as a sword! !

Hearing Liu Ziqing's question, although Xu Qingfan's face remained calm, his heart was shocked. However, he found another flaw in Liu Ziqing's words, which was what he had shown from beginning to end. Too talkative. It is very different from the kind of casual cultivator who goes down the mountain for the first time after many years of seclusion.

Xu Qingfan never thought of this. Now that I think about it, this flaw is so obvious.

While secretly complaining in my heart. Xu Qingfan laughed and smiled at Liu Ziqing: "This is not surprising. My master and I both came from scholarly families before we cultivated immortality. So when we were not cultivating immortals, we often debated on some classic issues, so although cultivating immortals is boring, However, my eloquence did not deteriorate. Later, my master passed away, and I stayed in seclusion in the Southern Wilderness for more than a hundred years. In my loneliness, I longed to get along with others. After I came down from the mountain, I could not find any trace of my cultivation, so I simply stayed in the mortal world. I have lived in a small town for half a year, so I don’t stutter when talking to others.”

After finishing speaking, Xu Qingfan secretly broke into a cold sweat in his heart. Although Liu Ziqing's question just now was simple, it pointed directly at Xu Qingfan's flaw. Fortunately, Xu Qingfan was still a little quick-witted, and had no choice but to lie again to fill the loophole. Of course, this lie was one that could not be proven.

"It seems that I am still inexperienced. I am not born to be a spy. I leaked such an obvious flaw without even knowing it." Xu Qingfan thought secretly: "And from now on, even when being spied on, lies cannot be Say more, let’s not mention that I am not good at lying. More importantly, the more lies there are, the more flaws there will be.”

But he saw a look of interest on Liu Ziqing's face, and asked softly: "Oh? Fellow Daoist Xu has been traveling in the mortal world for half a year? Hey, I have been practicing in Ronghua Mountain since I was accepted as a closed disciple by Immortal Zizhen, but I have been practicing for a long time. I have forgotten what the mortal world is like. Can you, fellow Taoist Xu, explain it to me?"

Xu Qingfan smiled slightly and began to tell Liu Ziqing about the scenes in the mortal world at this time. Fortunately, Xu Qingfan had seen some scenes in the mortal world before, otherwise he would not be able to answer Liu Ziqing's question.

But after Liu Ziqing heard Xu Qingfan explain the general trend of the mortal world at this time, he sighed slightly, with a trace of pity on his face, and then asked Xu Qingfan some detailed questions, all of which he had never lived in the mortal world. It cannot be noticed, and Xu Qingfan reads a lot of poems and books in his spare time, some of which describe the situation of war in the mortal world. Regardless of history or reality, the scenes of the mortal world during war are ordinary, so Xu Qingfan also picked up some one by one. Reply to Liu Ziqing.

After Xu Qingfan finally managed to deal with this wave of problems, Liu Ziqing suddenly smiled and said, "These topics are too heavy. Let's discuss some lighter topics."

"Oh? What topic?" Xu Qingfan was secretly on guard, but his face showed curiosity.

But I heard Liu Ziqing laugh and say: "I have also studied the meaning of the classics a lot. How about you and I debating some of the meanings of the classics?"

Xu Qingfan smiled and said: "Fellow Daoist Liu, please give me a question."

Then, Xu Qingfan and Liu Ziqing began to debate the meaning of the scriptures. After no one could convince the other in the end, Liu Ziqing asked Xu Qingfan some questions about the Southern Wilderness. Xu Qingfan had already expected that he was a loose cultivator in the Southern Wilderness. At this point, after hearing Liu Ziqing's questions, he told Liu Ziqing everything about Nanhuang.

Just when the two of them were talking about each other, Liu Ziqing suddenly asked: "By the way, there is a question I have always wanted to ask Fellow Daoist Xu. Fellow Daoist Xu's cave is in the Southern Wilderness, and the Valley of Penance is also close to the Southern Wilderness. The Valley of Penance has always been there. We are recruiting accomplished monks from all over the world, but why haven’t we invited fellow Taoists?” After hearing Liu Ziqing’s words, Xu Qingfan said with a smile, “It’s probably because my master and I have rarely left the cave.”

Liu Ziqing gently closed the folding fan in his hand and said with a smile, "That's it."

Then, the two talked about some other topics. Seeing that it was late, Liu Ziqing stood up and left.

Xu Qingfan stood up and sent Liu Ziqing to the door. Xu Qingfan seemed to suddenly remember something, and suddenly said to Liu Ziqing: "I remember just now, Fellow Daoist Liu said that you are a closed disciple of Immortal Zizhen, so now I want to ask Fellow Daoist Liu for something." I wonder if Fellow Daoist Liu will agree?"

Liu Ziqing was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "You and I hit it off as soon as we met. If you have anything to ask for, please tell me."

Xu Qingfan showed hesitation on his face, and after a moment he said slowly: "That's the case. I think Fellow Daoist Liu already knew it before, right? I have been saved by Master Zizhen before. So can Fellow Daoist Liu please tell Zizhen on my behalf?" The immortal thanks you?"

After a pause, Xu Qingfan continued: "I have mentioned this matter to Senior Xuan Lingzi before, but perhaps because my request to see Immortal Zizhen was too abrupt, Senior Xuan Lingzi did not say more about this matter. What, and naturally I don’t dare to mention it again, but this is one of the master’s wills, so I can only ask Brother Daoist Liu.”

A look of surprise appeared on Liu Ziqing's face, and then he responded with a smile.

As the door slowly closed, whether it was Xu Qingfan at the door or Liu Ziqing outside the room, the relaxed smiles on their faces suddenly disappeared and turned into serious and thoughtful expressions.

I saw Xu Qingfan turned around and walked slowly to the bed, then sat cross-legged on the bed again, frowned and pondered for half a minute, and thought to himself: "I didn't reveal any flaws in the conversation with Liu Ziqing just now. I even tried to find a way to combine the two previous conversations. Every flaw has been repaired, so the Qingxu Sect’s suspicion of me should be much lessened now, right? But it’s hard to eliminate suspicion once it appears, so I should be careful in the future.”

Then, Xu Qingfan thought again: "But Liu Ziqing is really amazing. Not only is his eyesight sharp, but he also discovered flaws in his speech and behavior and the Valley of Penance that I had never thought of before. What's even more amazing is that , he was not confused by my words at all, but he could always attack from the details. If I hadn't known a lot about wars in the world, read a lot of scriptures, and grew up in the Southern Wilderness since I was a child, what would have happened just now? After talking about it, I have to show my flaws. Although the words I just said can deceive others, it is definitely impossible to eliminate Liu Ziqing's suspicion. It seems that I will have to be more careful with Liu Ziqing in the future. "

But Xu Qingfan didn't know that when he was secretly guessing about Liu Ziqing, Liu Ziqing also showed a relaxed look on his face, as if the person who had been probed about the evil in his heart just now was not Xu Qingfan but him.

But after Liu Ziqing closed the door, he let out a gentle breath, and then his eyes revealed a strong killing intent. But this trace of murderous intent only fleeted away, and was replaced by a look of contemplation.

"Although the fluctuation on Xu Fan's body is less evil, it is definitely correct. This Xu Fan is that person's subordinate. Could it be that my detention of Qing Lingzi allowed him to see something about my identity? Why did you send someone to spy on me? I've been keeping a low profile all these years, but he still found out?"

Thinking of this, Liu Ziqing showed a look of panic on his face.

After calming down, Liu Ziqing murmured again: "No matter what, this Xu Fan is determined not to move now. Otherwise, it will only cause more trouble. It seems that the only way to dispel the doubts in other people's hearts is first. But this Xu Fan Little guy Fan performed well. Although the explanation at the last moment was a bit redundant, this spying did not reveal any flaws, and he also repaired all the previous flaws. It seems that he has more and more talents under his command. , I have to step up my pace.”

Then, Liu Ziqing sighed slightly, then turned around and flew towards the "Qingxu Hall" on the top of "Ronghua Mountain".