The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 890 - 489: Worries (Part 2)

This was sent by the shortest of the three Hidden Guards, whose True Body is a Wolf Weasel. He said that in one household, an old man, also a member of the Ren Family, despite all persuasion, refused to move away. Normally, such a situation wouldn’t be unusual in the tribe, but what was strange was that the old man looked terrified and murmured words like "I committed these sins, I must stay to atone" — snippets that sounded odd to the Wolf Weasel with his keen hearing. However, when he went inside, the old man let out a most miserable scream upon seeing him, wrapped himself in a thick quilt, and cried, "Grandpa Immortal, I was wrong, please don’t kill me."

Dou Er knew that though this Wolf Weasel Demon had white eyebrows and a fierce Duke of Thunder-like mouth, he wasn’t hideous enough to make someone wail, so the old man’s behavior probably had other reasons. Thinking this, he headed towards that household.

Only upon getting closer did he realize this old man’s family was actually one of the wealthiest in the area. The protective walls were high, the gates were lined with iron sheets, and the two children could drink yak milk every day. Even the corral had ten tail-tailed sheep, while an average household was considered comfortable with just two or three.

Moreover, the old man maintained his health well, with a fair and plump appearance, hands soft and fairer than a woman’s, although his hair and mustache were all white, and his eyelids drooped with a forehead full of wrinkles. He was just over fifty but looked as if he were in his seventies. Dou Er, who traveled the world often, deeply understood "Appearance Reflects the Heart" and figured the man must have done something guilty before, held by guilt despite not having any material worries.

The old man’s son came up to greet Dou Er and then smiled bitterly: "Ever since returning from the gathering earlier, my father has been like this. Nothing we, the juniors, say can persuade him. With the two hours almost up, he still won’t leave, and it’s driving me crazy!"

Dou Er nodded: "He’s affected by a delusion, let me take a look." Ignoring Mr. Pu’s struggles, he pressed down on his pulse. Although only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, Dou Er knew a bit about Medicine Elixir Skill and, with careful sensing, diagnosed: "Liver Qi stagnation, mental disturbance," meaning the old man usually had something weighing on his mind and was greatly frightened today.

He frowned: "Has Mr. Pu behaved oddly before?"

Mr. Pu’s son hesitated and was about to speak but stopped. Dou Er’s expression turned stern: "Speak the truth, or I can’t save him!"

Swallowing hard, Mr. Pu’s son finally whispered: "This morning, when the immortals arrived, my father was so scared he went pale and kept muttering, ’Retribution has come, retribution has come.’ We asked for details, but he wouldn’t respond."

Dou Er probed: "Could it be related to Wu Chi’er Mountain?"

Mr. Pu’s son quickly waved his hands, "Immortal Master, though my father lived favorably his whole life, he was just a regular person, nothing that would connect him to the Snow Mountain."

Dou Er, however, felt something worthy of investigation and asked someone to bring him a cup. Taking out a piece of yellow paper talisman from his pocket, he burned it to ashes, mixed it into the cup, and then made Mr. Pu drink it. Although his knowledge of Divine Arts was limited, he knew many unconventional methods, and strictly speaking, this was the "calming talisman water" from the Witch Evil Skill. The talisman technique had developed such that a proper cultivator could trigger effects just by casting a talisman, but Dou Er’s "calming talisman" required burning into ash and mixing with water for the patient to drink to be effective.

The room silently waited for some time. Perhaps the concoction really tasted awful, as Mr. Pu vomited several times, with no improvement in his illness, only looking more fearful at Dou Er. Amidst the mortals’ suspicion and the Hidden Guards’ amusement, his face burned with embarrassment. While frustrated at his low cultivation level, he was also secretly alarmed by Mr. Pu’s deep anxiety, having fostered a Heart Demon, with the usual talisman water proving ineffective against his symptoms.

Fortunately, he still had some cultivator’s sixth sense, vaguely feeling that what the old man was hiding might be significant for Ning Xiaoxian. Thus, he cleared his throat to cover his embarrassment and said, "Restrain him, take him with us when we relocate. My lord will surely get the reason from him." The old man’s son was overjoyed, nearly kneeling in thanks. He knew that in the current chaos where the entire tribe was bustling, Dou Er’s words essentially saved his father’s life, or else, at the start of the migration, countless stubborn ones would be left behind to fend for themselves.

A Hidden Guard behind Dou Er stepped forward, his hand extending, fingers transforming into curved, flexible branches, binding Mr. Pu tightly in his terrified gaze. This Hidden Guard was an authentic tree demon, entirely different from the imposter Ning Xiaoxian had first pretended to be when joining the Hidden Stream. Simultaneously, Dou Er shoved a medicine pill into the old man’s mouth to prevent him from dying of a heart attack due to excessive fear, instructing them to toss him onto the cart once ready to move.

Once people get busy, time passes particularly fast. The two-hour limit whisked by amid everyone’s frantic hustle. Dou Er had long grown impatient, unwilling to delay any further, commanding immediate departure with no leeway for procrastination. Yet as the convoy set off, it meant separating from their massive estate, from the ancestral lands, a tearful moment of separation for those unwilling to leave... Many clung to each other weeping, their feet seemingly rooted to the spot.

Only then did Dou Er realize how difficult the task Ning Xiaoxian had assigned him was, and couldn’t help but let out a long sigh toward the heavens. Behind him, a Hidden Guard, noticing this, muttered in dissatisfaction, then transformed into his True Body—a vibrant, fiery-patterned tiger—stepping forward to roar loudly.