Xia Yunzhao lowered his head in thought, but no matter how long he considered it, he could not make sense of the situation.
Was the Fang family raising Human Plagues as fighting forces? But Human Plagues were not particularly strong; their main danger was how contagious they were. What benefit would the Fang family gain from turning everyone into Human Plagues? Besides, the Fang family had previously supplied pills to the camp precisely to prevent the Human Plague infection from spreading…
Suddenly, an extremely faint sound came from outside. If Xia Yunzhao’s hearing had not been extraordinary, he might not have noticed it at all.
“Who’s there?” He sprang to his feet, only to see a figure flash past outside the courtyard and disappear in an instant.
Xiao Xia moved, activating the Lightness Technique. “Who are you? Stop!”
The person was not slow, however, and seemed exceptionally familiar with the surrounding terrain. In only a few steps, he had already put considerable distance between them.
Xiao Xia chased relentlessly. I’m going to see exactly what kind of monster you are today!
Unexpectedly, once the man left the western part of the city, he slowed down and even laughed softly. “You’re pretty fast.”
Xia Yunzhao froze. That voice sounds familiar!
The man stopped in an open area and turned around—and of course he sounded familiar! It was the proprietor of Wanglai Pavilion!
Xia Yunzhao watched him warily. “Why are you here? Were you following me?”
The first thing the man did after landing was unhook the wine gourd at his waist and take a swig.
Xiao Xia looked at that enormous gourd. This man clearly had never intended to hide his identity.
After drinking, the proprietor lazily leaned against the wall. “I originally planned to sneak over and save him. Who knew you’d already done it? Saves me the trouble.”
“Save him?” Xiao Xia looked at him. “You knew Zhong Kai’s injury couldn’t heal on its own?”
The proprietor smiled. “Told you you were clever.”
Xiao Xia ignored the compliment and continued analyzing. “You knew ordinary methods couldn’t heal his injury and that only a cultivator’s methods could save him. You heard their argument outside Fangcun Pavilion, and from only those few sentences, you figured out that much. You know what’s going on? You know what that monster that injured him was? Are you working with the Fang family?”
“No.” He immediately overturned that possibility himself. “If you were working with them, you wouldn’t have been rushing to save someone. Are you opposing the Fang family? What exactly are they doing in secret? Your cultivation looks pretty high. Why can’t you just save people openly? Why sneak around?”
The proprietor said helplessly, “Do you know how many people the Fang family has? There are more than four hundred people surnamed Fang, including over fifty cultivators. Most of them are only in the Qi Refining stage and aren’t much individually, but enough ants can still bite an elephant to death. Plenty of other cultivators have also joined them as guest retainers. They’ve operated in Qingxi City for years. If I, an outsider, arrive and immediately try to overturn their whole operation, do you think I have a death wish?”
Xia Yunzhao was speechless. “Looks like your cultivation isn’t all that high either.”
The proprietor: “…”
The sky was growing dark. Qingxi City had a curfew, so the pedestrians on the road were all hurrying home.
The proprietor glanced at the sky and beckoned to him. “We’ll talk after we get back.”
Xia Yunzhao followed him into Wanglai Pavilion. The first thing he did was glance at the bundles of spirit plants on the floor… Sure enough, he spotted a bundle that looked very much like Silver-Thread Grass, and half the tension in his heart immediately eased.
The proprietor collapsed into the chair behind the counter. “Sit wherever.”
Xia Yunzhao did not stand on ceremony. He found a place to sit, then changed his tone. “We’ve known each other for this long and still haven’t exchanged names. I’m Xia Yunzhao. May I ask your surname?”
The proprietor lazily gave two words. “Du Yan.”
Xia Yunzhao froze. “Your surname is Du?”
The proprietor raised his eyes toward him. Xia Yunzhao tentatively asked, “Do you know the Du family of Beiliang City?”
Du Yan paused. “Beiliang City lies west of Liancui Mountain. It’s one of the three cities near Liancui Mountain. What, do you want to go there?”
Xia Yunzhao said, “I want to send a letter to the Du family in Beiliang City. Do you know a way?”
“Ordinary letters can be sent through the city’s teahouses,” Du Yan said. “Urgent letters cost extra. If you want a cultivator to deliver it, I can find someone for you. We can negotiate the price.”
Xia Yunzhao thought about it. Du Qianshan’s remains had almost crumbled into mud already, so the matter probably was not particularly urgent. He therefore rejected the latter two options and decided he could simply visit a teahouse when he had time.
He returned to the earlier topic. “What exactly is the Fang family doing? Before this, I only thought they squeezed treasure hunters for resources or bullied mortals from time to time. Are they involved in something else behind the scenes?”
Du Yan yawned. “Do you know how old the Fang family ancestor is?”
Xia Yunzhao shook his head. How would I know? I don’t even know who the Fang family ancestor is.
Du Yan said, “The Fang family ancestor is at the Foundation Establishment stage. Foundation Establishment cultivators only live around two hundred years. But the Fang family has stood in Qingxi City for four hundred years. According to rumor, their ancestor was already a hundred years old when he first established himself here.”
This arithmetic problem was not difficult. One hundred plus four hundred. “So the Fang family ancestor is five hundred years old?”
Xia Yunzhao murmured, “A Foundation Establishment cultivator should only live two hundred years, but he’s lived five hundred. So he’s been using some crooked, unorthodox method behind the scenes to extend his life?”
“I already told you. The Fang family has operated here for so many years that an outsider like me can’t unravel everything in a short time. These are only my guesses.” Du Yan sat up. “You’ve been asking me questions this whole time. Now it’s my turn. Why are you asking about the Du family in Beiliang City?”
Xia Yunzhao spread his hands. “That’s another problem of mine. I owed someone a favor and promised to deliver a letter for him. And since he really did help me a lot, I thought it would be even better if I could help him look for his enemy too…”
He was still muttering when Du Yan stared at him for a moment and suddenly said something startling. “Was that person named Du Qianshan?”
Xia Yunzhao nearly jumped. “You know him? How did you… Oh, right, your surname is Du. Are you relatives?”
“We actually are…” Du Yan rubbed his forehead. “No wonder… How is he now?” He paused and changed the question himself. “Is he still alive?”
Xia Yunzhao looked at him regretfully. “He died quite a few years ago. I buried him. I can take you to see his grave another day?”
Du Yan fell silent and took two long swigs of wine.
Xia Yunzhao felt sorry for him. “I found the clue to him inside that storage pouch—the one I bought from you. If you’d searched it more carefully back then, you might have found him yourself.”
Du Yan froze. “The storage pouch? Wasn’t the character embroidered on it ‘Xu’?”
Xia Yunzhao froze too. That’s right! Why did Du Qianshan’s storage pouch have the character ‘Xu’ embroidered on it? Did he pick it up somewhere?
Du Yan continued drinking. “I’ll deliver the letter for you. No charge.”
Xia Yunzhao took out Du Qianshan’s final letter and handed it over. He also laid out the Du Family Cultivation Method, the Compendium of Liancui Mountain Spirit Items, and Du Qianshan’s cultivation notes.
After reading the letter, Du Yan took only the Du Family Cultivation Method. “This is useless to you, so I’ll take it. Since he said the rest was for you, keep it.”
That suited Xia Yunzhao perfectly. He did not stand on ceremony and stuffed the remaining items back into his storage pouch.
Du Yan continued reading the letter. His gaze paused on the name “Fang Yanya,” as though committing it to memory. “Fang… Everyone in the Fang family is surnamed Fang.”
Xia Yunzhao stared at him speechlessly. What a revelation.
Du Yan continued muttering to himself. “The Fang family ancestor’s name seems to contain the character Yan too…”
He asked, “What condition were the remains in?”
Xia Yunzhao gestured as he explained. “The flesh had dried until only a thin layer remained. The bones crumbled into powder when touched, and the magical treasures on his body had lost their luster.”
“Then he had been dead for at least a hundred years,” Du Yan said. “Did the Fang family ancestor ever appear publicly a hundred years ago?”
That was something the two of them would have to investigate slowly. At the very least, the Fang family ancestor had not appeared for a very long time now.
With one major matter taken off his mind, Xiao Xia remembered another. Pointing at the Silver-Thread Grass, he asked, “How many spirit pearls for this bundle?”
Du Yan quoted the price smoothly. “Seven hundred.”
Xia Yunzhao jumped. “That expensive? Isn’t Silver-Thread Grass only Level One?”
Du Yan did not even raise his head. “Hard to find, rare, and useful. I paid six hundred and fifty spirit pearls for this bundle.”
Xiao Xia’s mouth twitched. You bought it for six-fifty and you’re selling it for seven hundred. Aren’t you losing money…? Still, he knew perfectly well that Du Yan was giving him a friendly price for Du Qianshan’s sake.
Seeing his difficulty, Du Yan said directly, “If you don’t need this much and only want two or three stalks, I can give them to you.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Xiao Xia calculated. He really did not have many spirit pearls left. He had originally possessed over three thousand, but the two Flame Talismans had just cost him two thousand in one go, leaving only fifteen hundred.
His storage pouch, however, still contained plenty of other resources.
So he leaned over the counter. “Come on, Brother Du. Let’s do another deal first.”
He had already consumed all the Mighty Slaughter Bear meat, but the hide, bones, paws, and gallbladder remained. He could not bear to sell the paws, but the hide, bones, and gallbladder could all be exchanged for money. Then there was the little green snake, which he had already broken down and refined, along with several pills and spirit plants he did not need…
Xiao Xia took them out one by one and placed them on the counter.
Even though Du Yan already knew the child had excellent luck, seeing so many spirit items at once still surprised him. “A Mighty Slaughter Bear? You killed it yourself?”
Xia Yunzhao grinned. “Everyone helped.”
Du Yan usually looked as though he could not muster enthusiasm for anything, but now even he sat upright with some interest and began carefully assessing the items.
“The essence of a Mighty Slaughter Bear is concentrated in its paws and meat. The other materials aren’t especially difficult to obtain…” Du Yan pushed the hide, bones, and gallbladder to one side. “Five hundred spirit pearls for the lot.”
Xia Yunzhao immediately knew this was another friendly price. Other buyers would pay at most three hundred and fifty. He quickly nodded and agreed.
Du Yan took another drink and continued. Xia Yunzhao had already separated the green snake into its skin, bones, meat, gallbladder, and blood. The meat and blood had been further refined into pure essence, so naturally he could not bear to sell those. He had brought out only the skin, bones, and gallbladder.
Du Yan looked at him. “You’ve got a good eye for someone so young. Everything you kept for yourself is the essence.”
Xiao Xia looked a little smug. “Of course.”
Du Yan considered it. “A Green-Skinned Snake is originally a lowest-level slaughter beast, but this one must have encountered some opportunity. Its flesh and hide already carry a wind attribute, and it had begun transforming toward a Greenwind Snake. That makes it worth somewhat more… Five hundred and fifty spirit pearls for the lot. How about it?”
Naturally, Xia Yunzhao agreed. Then he asked, “Brother Du, can slaughter beasts evolve?”
“It isn’t exactly evolution. Green-Skinned Snakes and Greenwind Snakes are the same species. It’s simply that Green-Skinned Snakes have no attribute, while Greenwind Snakes are wind-attribute slaughter beasts. You should know that even at the same level, slaughter beasts with an attribute can be several times more destructive and worth several times as much. Be careful if you encounter one in the future.”
Xia Yunzhao nodded obediently, taking the lesson to heart.
Next came the pills. Xia Yunzhao had obtained quite a few from Du Qianshan’s belongings. He could use things like Qi-Replenishing Pills and Bloodstanching Pills himself, but Level-Two Golden Light Pills, which assisted the cultivation of metal-attribute methods, were not especially useful to him.
There were also Level-Two Rosy Cloud Pills, which could temporarily improve comprehension when taken during the Foundation Establishment stage. They were useful, certainly, but who knew how long it would take him to reach Foundation Establishment? Perhaps by the time he got there, he would already know how to refine Rosy Cloud Pills himself. He might as well sell them for money now.
The moment Du Yan saw the two bottles, he smiled and glanced at Xia Yunzhao. Xiao Xia stood completely justified. Du Qianshan said they were mine! I built him a grave!
Du Yan carefully examined the two bottles and nodded. “The quality is good. I’ll take both. Golden Light Pills go for five hundred spirit pearls each at market price. Rosy Cloud Pills are eight hundred each.”
Xia Yunzhao quietly sucked in a breath. Level-Two pills are worth this much? There were five Golden Light Pills and three Rosy Cloud Pills in the two little bottles. Together, that was a considerable sum. And from the way Du Yan spoke, he intended to keep both bottles for himself?
Realization immediately dawned. So he’s a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Besides those, Xiao Xia took out a large miscellaneous bundle of low-level spirit plants, spirit ores, slaughter-beast hides, and the like. Most had simply been gathered or caught casually on the mountain. They were not worth much, but they took up plenty of space.
Du Yan was generous enough to offer another friendly bundled price of two hundred spirit pearls.
After this round of clearing things out, Xia Yunzhao’s storage pouch immediately became much tidier. Everything left inside was useful to him personally.
And he had earned a substantial amount from the sale—six thousand one hundred and fifty spirit pearls in total! Added to the thousand-plus he already had, his savings broke through seven thousand again!
The spirit pearls went clink-clink as they poured into his little money pouch, once again stuffing it so full that it could no longer make any sound when shaken.
Xiao Xia counted out seven hundred spirit pearls and bought the bundle of Silver-Thread Grass.
Du Yan drank as he watched him untie the bundle, inspect the goods, and carefully roll them up again. Then he casually asked, “Why didn’t you bring any pills you refined yourself this time?”
“I’ve been too busy lately. I haven’t had time to refine pills.” Xia Yunzhao answered without thinking, then realized something was wrong and turned back speechlessly. “Why are you trying to fish for information?”
Du Yan swirled the wine in his cup and laughed.
By the time they finished sorting everything out, the moon was already high above the treetops. Xia Yunzhao waved to Du Yan, opened the door, and disappeared into the night.
Before leaving, he asked, “When are you going up the mountain to visit Du Qianshan?”
Du Yan said blandly, “When the Du family arrives. I’ll go with them.”
Xia Yunzhao understood. It was probably something like feeling nervous when nearing home. Having family with him would be better.
Qingxi City did indeed have a curfew, but enforcing one against cultivators was difficult.
He activated the Lightness Technique, and within thirty minutes, he was already outside the city. The patrolling guards never even noticed someone had passed beside them.
Xiao Xia was not deliberately challenging other people’s rules. He simply had something to do tomorrow and had no choice but to return tonight.
When he reached Liancui Mountain, he saw firelight unexpectedly flickering in the camp at the foot of the mountain. He stopped and hid himself somewhere to watch carefully—a group of Fang family guards emerged holding torches and followed the path up the mountain. Cultivators from the Fang family were leading them again.
They’re going up the mountain this late? Did another Human Plague appear?
Xiao Xia frowned in thought. In the end, he did not follow them and instead quietly returned to the lakeside camp.
The moment he entered his little grass shelter, Xiao Qing impatiently hopped out. Xia Yunzhao had been extremely busy lately, and Xiao Qing had been sensible enough not to fuss for food. But now that it saw his bulging money pouch, it finally could not resist.
Xiao Xia could not bear to keep starving it either, so he grabbed a handful of spirit pearls and stuffed them inside.
The bronze alchemy furnace swayed happily. The progress bar flashed in front of it.
Xia Yunzhao watched for a while and sighed. The amount of spiritual power required by the progress bar had increased again. It now took roughly five hundred spirit pearls to fill a single bar.
Fortunately, as Xiao Qing upgraded, the formulas and cultivation methods it drew were also getting better.
What else could he do? He would simply have to work hard and earn money!
＊
After one night, the rain still had not fallen, and the sky remained gloomy.
After breakfast, Xiao Xia headed straight for the valley… Today was the day he and Shang Shuangze had agreed to meet.
He had already left quite early, yet when he arrived, that white figure had clearly been waiting for a long time.
Xia Yunzhao was surprised. “You came this early?”
Shang Shuangze nodded. “Not early. I heard Jadewater Toads only appear late at night, so I searched here for the entire night.”
Xia Yunzhao asked curiously, “Did you find one?”
Shang Shuangze replied calmly, “No.”
Xiao Xia held himself back, too embarrassed to laugh. This guy’s emotions really are incredibly steady.
He cleared his throat and patted his storage pouch. “I found two of the things you need!”
He took out the Bloodmoon Sand and Silver-Thread Grass. “My brother gave me the Bloodmoon Sand, so I can only spare you part of it.”
Shang Shuangze examined them carefully. “That is enough.” Then he asked, “What are they worth?”
Xiao Xia waved his hand. “I already said they’re a thank-you gift. I don’t want money.” Then he asked instead, “What are you looking for now? How many are still missing?”
“I have already found Moonlight Moss and Spirit Licorice,” Shang Shuangze said. “What remains are Clearheart Flower, Jadewater Toad Venom, and Hundred-Year Resilient Vine.”
“Clearheart Flower…” Xia Yunzhao thought for a moment, then simply took out the Compendium of Liancui Mountain Spirit Items and flipped through it right in front of him.
“…Clearheart Flower is a Level-Two spirit plant. Its petals are pale blue and shaped like a lotus. Its leaves are pale green and slightly translucent… It is commonly found on the eastern side of Liancui Mountain, prefers to grow near water, and often appears at the source of mountain springs or beside spirit pools…”
Xia Yunzhao closed the book. “Have you searched the eastern side already? It says they like growing near water sources.”
Shang Shuangze waited until he finished reading before answering. “Twice.”
Xia Yunzhao thought about it. “Why don’t we search again? If we go together, maybe we’ll find something.”
Shang Shuangze nodded in agreement and turned, activating his movement technique—just as he was about to set off, Xia Yunzhao grabbed him from behind. “Wait, wait, wait! Fellow Daoist, east! East! You’re heading west!”
Shang Shuangze paused…
Xia Yunzhao carefully controlled his expression. “Um… maybe take a look at the sun?”
…
One white and one blue-green figure moved through the mountain forest.
Both were extremely fast, though their styles were completely different. The white figure ahead took one leisurely step and appeared more than ten meters away in the next instant, almost as though shrinking the earth beneath his feet.
The blue-green figure behind him did not fall behind at all. His body flickered, leaving a string of afterimages behind. By the time one focused properly, he had already vanished.
The two figures reached the eastern side of Liancui Mountain one after another and landed.
Xia Yunzhao looked around. “Source of a mountain spring, beside a spirit pool…”
He thought that when he had time, he really needed to make the Spirit-Seeking Compass. It would definitely be useful at moments like this.
Shang Shuangze raised one hand. Several points of light formed from spiritual power flew outward. A short while later, a few returned and hovered before him to indicate a direction. He immediately turned. “This way.”
Xia Yunzhao followed behind him. “What’s that?”
“A small technique for finding direction,” Shang Shuangze said. “Its range is limited.”
So it served roughly the same purpose as the Spirit-Seeking Compass, except that the compass consumed less spiritual power.
After walking for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they heard the burbling sound of running water. Sure enough, an exceptionally clear mountain spring flowed nearby, precisely the sort of environment Clearheart Flowers preferred.
Xiao Xia silently repeated the Clearheart Flower’s appearance in his mind as he searched carefully. He finished checking the left side and found nothing. Just as he was about to move to the right, Shang Shuangze stepped sideways to block him and murmured, “Someone’s coming.”
Before the question mark in Xiao Xia’s mind had even finished forming, Shang Shuangze had already carried him up into a large tree. The two stood close together among the dense foliage and looked down.
Xia Yunzhao caught a faint scent, something resembling the fragrance of flowers. Shang Shuangze had probably picked up the scent while gathering some spirit plant.
Shang Shuangze quietly shifted one step to the side.
Xiao Xia hurriedly grabbed him and whispered, “Don’t move! This tree is so tall. What if you fall?”
Voices were already coming from beneath the tree.
Xiao Xia shifted his attention away from Shang Shuangze and looked down. He froze. The newcomers were none other than Fang family guards, led by the same four cultivators he had seen the previous night.
“This isn’t good…” Xia Yunzhao murmured. Two of the four cultivators were at the first layer of Qi Refining. He could not see through the other two, which meant they were at least at the third layer.
Beside him, Shang Shuangze seemed to know what he was thinking and said quietly, “One is at the third layer of Qi Refining. The other is at the fourth.”
Xiao Xia’s expression grew more serious. Du Yan had previously said that most of the Fang family cultivators were in the Qi Refining stage. Someone at the fourth layer was already part of their middle-level fighting force. Why had the Fang family sent cultivators like this out here?
Just then, one of the guards pushed aside a patch of grass and exclaimed delightedly, “There’s one here!”
Xiao Xia immediately leaned forward. Inside the grass was precisely the Clearheart Flower he had just failed to find! The Fang family is searching for Clearheart Flowers too?
The fourth-layer Fang cultivator walked over, glanced at it coldly, then pointed with two fingers. Fire leapt from his fingertips and reduced the Clearheart Flower to ashes in an instant.
“Wh…” Xiao Xia nearly cried out but managed to stop himself. They searched for it just to destroy it instead of gathering it?
Clearheart Flowers were Level-Two spirit items. They were hardly common on Liancui Mountain. Even picking one and selling it would bring a substantial profit. Why burn it without even looking twice?!
That makes absolutely no sense!
Beside him, Shang Shuangze looked down at his sleeve, which Xia Yunzhao was still clutching. The person who had just told him not to move for fear of falling was now so absorbed in watching below that if he leaned forward any farther, he would be the one falling. Shang Shuangze had no choice but to catch him with one hand while holding his other hand slightly behind Xia Yunzhao’s body protectively.
Xiao Xia suddenly turned his head and whispered, “Have you seen them in the forest these past few days?”
“Yes. Whether Clearheart Flowers or Soul-Calming Grass, whenever they find spirit plants that can clear the mind and calm the spirit, they destroy them immediately. Besides that, they seem to be searching for something else…”
“We still haven’t found the Moonlight Cicada Slough. Once all the Clearheart Flowers here are burned, go look for it!” the Fang cultivator ordered coldly.
The Fang guards hurriedly answered, “Yes!”
“Moonlight Cicada Slough…” Xia Yunzhao repeated the unfamiliar name. “There’s no such spirit item in the Compendium of Liancui Mountain Spirit Items…”
“The last Moonlight Cicada Slough found on Liancui Mountain appeared a hundred years ago. Supposedly, no one has found another in the century since. Legend says the slough can prolong life and regenerate the body. When people cannot find a Moonlight Cicada Slough, they often search for a Moonlight Cicada instead. A Moonlight Cicada sheds its skin once every hundred years. The slough contains the true essence, while the insect itself has much weaker medicinal effects, but it is still better than nothing,” Shang Shuangze explained quietly.
Something stirred in Xia Yunzhao’s mind. “What does a Moonlight Cicada look like?”
“I have never seen one personally either. I only heard that it resembles a wood carving and neither moves nor makes a sound.”
Xia Yunzhao suddenly remembered the first time he climbed Liancui Mountain and encountered the man-eating Blackwind Hound. The Fang guards had taken only the spirit medicine from the dead man’s clothes before descending the mountain. That was also when Xia Yunzhao first met Brother Xing.
At the time, Brother Xing had looked at the spirit medicine the Fang guards took and said only that he was searching for the same thing.
Xia Yunzhao carefully recalled what that spirit medicine had looked like. Brown, about the size of a fist… It seemed to have been a Moonlight Cicada!
At the time, he had thought it was a little wooden box. Thinking back now, didn’t it look exactly like a wood carving?
Could Brother Xing also have failed to find a Moonlight Cicada Slough and settled for searching for a Moonlight Cicada instead?
Below them, the Fang cultivators destroyed another two Clearheart Flowers, then hurried away with their people just as quickly as they had come.
Only then did the two jump down from the tree.
“This is bad. They destroyed all three Clearheart Flowers. We need to move faster. Are there any other water sources nearby?” Xiao Xia looked at Shang Shuangze.
Shang Shuangze pointed in one direction. “There.”
They followed the points of spiritual light through a stretch of thorn forest and into a narrow, secluded area. Sure enough, they found a quiet, tranquil pool.
Two Clearheart Flowers bloomed peacefully beside the water.
Xiao Xia immediately picked them and stuffed them into his storage pouch. Shang Shuangze sent out more points of spiritual light and soon found another two.
Four Clearheart Flowers were safely in their possession.
Xiao Xia breathed a small sigh of relief. Only then did he have time to pay attention to the pool. The water glowed with a clear jade-green light, while the sand beneath it was pure white. “Something seems different about this pool… Why can I sense spiritual power?”
“This is a low-tier spirit pool,” Shang Shuangze said. “The water contains a small amount of spiritual energy. Qi Refining cultivators can soak in it to improve their physiques and increase the rate at which they absorb spiritual power. The white sand beneath it is Purified Sand, a low-tier artifact-refining material.”
Xia Yunzhao immediately remembered. Purified Sand and Thousand-Jointed Bamboo could be used to refine a Water-Purifying Gourd. And if this pool was suitable for Qi Refining cultivators, didn’t that mean it was perfect for him?
He turned and looked eagerly at Shang Shuangze. “Do you have anything urgent to do next? Can I soak for a while?”
Shang Shuangze raised his eyes and found himself looking into a pair of bright eyes, clear amber irises shining beneath them. Xia Yunzhao wore a faint smile and made his request without the slightest hesitation… At a time like this, it seemed impossible to refuse.
…The white-robed cultivator gave a slight nod. “Go ahead.”
“Thank you!” Xia Yunzhao said happily. “I knew you’d agree!”
He removed his outer robe and shoes, folded them neatly beside the pool, then stepped into the water wearing only his inner clothes… and immediately shuddered.
Not from cold, nor from any unpleasant shock. It was simply too, too… comfortable!
The pool was actually warm. Being wrapped in it felt like soaking in dense spiritual energy. The abundant spiritual energy needed no deliberate guidance at all; it entered his body directly through his skin and every pore.
The Qi-Guiding Origin-Connecting Art began circulating automatically, filling his second acupoint before rapidly surging toward the third… There was practically no obstruction. Almost instantly, the third acupoint lit up.
He had only just entered the water, yet he had already broken through from the second layer of Qi Refining to the third. His absorption of spiritual energy accelerated even further, forming several small whirlpools around him.
Even Shang Shuangze, standing on the shore, was surprised. What extraordinary talent and comprehension this young man has!
He instinctively looked over and happened to see Xiao Xia’s inner robe soaked through with water, revealing the slender lines of his shoulders beneath it. Wet strands of hair clung to his cheeks, droplets hung from his eyelashes, and he looked astonishingly beautiful… Shang Shuangze turned his face away again.
The pool was not deep, reaching only to Xiao Xia’s chest. Endless spiritual energy poured into his meridians, but he did not rush to break through another layer. Just as before, he patiently began polishing the acupoint he had only just opened.
He swallowed a Dew-Condensing Pill. The itching pain in his meridians disappeared immediately, and the polishing process accelerated.
The newly opened major acupoint went from dim to bright, then gradually filled with spiritual energy… Time seemed to lose all meaning as Xia Yunzhao immersed himself in the comfort of cultivation.
When he opened his eyes again, the moon was already high overhead. It was not that he could not continue cultivating; rather, he could somehow sense that this small low-tier spirit pool was nearly exhausted by him. He should leave some for whoever came afterward and preserve a thread of vitality for the pool itself.
As for Xia Yunzhao, he had gone all the way from the second layer of Qi Refining to the fourth, and his foundation was extremely stable.
A sudden noise came from the shore. He turned and saw Shang Shuangze standing with his back toward him, calmly looking up at the moon. The sword in his hand stabbed casually backward, piercing an enormous centipede. It writhed a few times and then went still.
Xia Yunzhao smiled. Having someone protect me while I cultivate feels incredibly reassuring.
He returned to the shore in a few steps and circulated his cultivation method. The pool water clinging to him, infused with spiritual power, was absorbed away, and his clothes immediately dried. He put on his outer robe and shoes, then remembered to collect several buckets of Purified Sand and tuck them into his storage pouch.