Chapter 119: Chapter 115: Yellow Millet
Ruins.
Utter chaos.
The pale-faced Hek Dianli picked his way carefully between the corpses, his eyes filled with terror.
Jile Workshop was an expensive establishment.
Most of its patrons were of high standing.
This time...
The casualties were catastrophic!
The commotion at Jile Workshop had been so immense that it couldn’t have gone unnoticed. The men from the Government Office arrived swiftly.
However, the scene before them was clearly not something they were equipped to handle.
"Sir."
Covered in blood and missing his left arm, Feng Hongda knelt on the ground, spreading out several painted scrolls before him.
"Xing Suanzi appeared respectable in public, but in secret, there was no evil he wouldn’t commit."
"He refined countless women into paintings for the amusement of others, all to earn a fortune. Here is the wife of the Wang Family, the concubine of the Zhou Family..."
"Silence!" Hek Dianli’s expression changed drastically.
"Put those away, now!"
Huh?
Feng Hongda froze. He noticed many people nearby straining to listen, their gazes furtive, and panic seized his heart.
Many women in the scrolls had special identities. If word of this got out, there was no telling what disaster it would bring.
Perhaps some could withstand the consequences, but he certainly couldn’t.
And neither could Hek Dianli!
"Young Master Zhu."
One of the government officials inquired,
"When did you arrive here?"
"I had an appointment with Xing Suanzi today to view the Night Parade of Hundred Ghosts. I came at his invitation," Zhu Ju said.
"Fortunately, I had a breakthrough."
?
The official immediately shut his mouth.
A breakthrough meant the man was now a Mage. And a Mage was not someone a common official like him could presume to question.
"Look!"
Someone pointed to the sky, exclaiming,
"What is that?"
"Quiet!"
Hek Dianli stepped forward and shook out his long sleeves.
"General Wan has arrived."
The General of Yidu, Wan Zhengyang!
At these words, the crowd fell silent, their gazes turning to the sky with a mixture of awe and trepidation.
The night was hazy.
A streak of red light shot across the sky, drawing closer from the distance.
On closer inspection...
The red light was the silhouette of a living person.
Flight!
Zhu Ju’s heart pounded at the sight. This was a skill that not even someone at Late-Stage Qi Cultivation could necessarily master.
In the Main World, only a Dao Foundation Cultivator could truly fly without the aid of external objects.
No!
That’s not it!
Zhu Ju gently shook his head.
The red light wasn’t a person riding Qi into the air, but a ghostly creature holding him up, allowing him to fly high in the sky.
This method was more akin to using a Magical Artifact.
"My son!"
Before he even landed, Wan Zhengyang let out a grief-stricken roar. The red light dissipated in midair, revealing the figure of an armored general.
The man had well-defined features, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. He wore a suit of gleaming silver armor and a great red cape.
His majestic aura was laced with an extraordinary killing intent.
"General Wan."
Hek Dianli hurried forward, cupping his fist in his hand.
"This humble one is Wan Youfu, a clerk from the Government Office. I was ordered to come investigate after we heard of the incident at Jile Workshop."
"My son!"
Wan Zhengyang paid him no mind whatsoever. With a flick of his cape, he was enveloped in a gust of wind and lunged toward Wan Zian’s body.
He cradled the dismembered corpse, wailing loudly as a palpable grief filled the air.
"G-General." The two men who had accompanied Wan Zian were deathly pale. One of them stammered,
"It was Xing Suanzi..."
"I know you two." Wan Zhengyang looked up, his expression unreadable as he stared at them.
"You often accompanied Zian for his leisure and amusement. You have a reputation for being lazy good-for-nothings, but as long as Zian was happy, it didn’t matter."
"But..."
"You should not have brought him to such a dangerous place."
"General!" The two men dropped to their knees with a THUD, their bodies trembling.
"Jile Workshop has always been safe!"
"Safe?" Wan Zhengyang shook his head.
"Then why is my son dead?"
"General!" The two men seemed to realize what was coming. Terror filled their eyes as they began to kowtow frantically.
"Spare us! Please, spare us!"
"Zian always kept you around. He must have been very fond of you," Wan Zhengyang said slowly.
"In that case, you can go and accompany him."
"SWOOSH!"
Two red shadows shot out from his cape, pounced on the two men, and then returned to the cape.
And in the space of a single breath, the two kowtowing men were reduced to bare skeletons, all their essence, blood, skin, and flesh completely gone.
’What a technique...’
Zhu Ju’s brow twitched.
’Terrifying!’
"Huh?"
Killing the two men meant nothing to Wan Zhengyang, but as he gathered his son’s remains, his movements suddenly froze for some reason.
His body began to tremble slightly, and an aura of rage, indignation, and despair surged from him.
"This is..."
Hek Dianli, who was standing nearby, stared with wide eyes.
"A Parasitic Demon Bee!"
What?
Zhu Ju froze.
’Don’t tell me Wan Zian had a Parasitic Demon Bee in his head, too?’
"ARGH!"
Wan Zhengyang suddenly roared at the sky, then transformed into a streak of red light and rocketed toward the General’s Mansion.
His speed was astonishing, covering a dozen li in a flash.
"BITCH!"
Hovering above a side courtyard, Wan Zhengyang’s expression was twisted. He shook his cape violently, and streaks of red light immediately dove toward the ground below.
This sight caused the faces of everyone in the side courtyard to change drastically.
"My lord!"
"What are you doing?"
"General, spare us! Mercy!"
"..."
The crowd’s shouts and pleas for mercy did nothing to stop Wan Zhengyang’s actions. The red shadows swiftly swept over every living person in the courtyard,
including a noblewoman dressed in fine silks.
’Who was it?’
The corner of Wan Zhengyang’s eye twitched. The blood-red shadows didn’t just bring back Essence and Qi Blood; they also carried fragments of residual memories.
Soon.
His gaze hardened.
"Bamboo Mountain Temple!"
*
*
*
「Main World.」
「Dragon Head Peak.」
"Grudges of life and death... they never end..."
Shaking his head, Zhu Ju flipped his hand over to produce a long, black whip. He gave it a casual crack before setting it aside.
’Still, Xing Suanzi was truly poor!’
As the master of Jile Workshop, it was no exaggeration to say he raked in a fortune daily, yet he hadn’t left a single coin behind after his death.
No wonder he was always trying to freeload off him.
After Xing Suanzi’s death, aside from a few Magical Secret Manuals, Zhu Ju’s only spoils were a long whip with a faint trace of Spirituality, a bit of Spirit Jade, and some incomplete Cultivation Techniques.
As for the Night Parade of Hundred Ghosts...
It was naturally confiscated by the men from the Government Office.
That item belonged to the Celestial Capital Sect; if it had fallen into his hands, it would have only brought unnecessary trouble.
’It seems all the profits Xing Suanzi made over the years were snatched away by the person backing him. The man was pitiful in his own way.’
After steadying his thoughts,
Zhu Ju sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion and began to silently circulate his Cultivation Technique.
A Mage!
Their Divine Soul Power far surpassed that of a Magician, and their perception of the outside world was much more acute.
Without even opening his eyes,
Zhu Ju could clearly perceive every rustle of the grass in the wind within a ten-zhang radius, as if he were looking at the lines on his own palm.
It was said that,
a Great Mage could perceive things up to thirty zhang away, and could flip over an object weighing more than a hundred jin with a single thought.
’Innate Qi Refiners perceive the outside world through their Qi flow and physical senses, but a Mage is like they’ve opened a third eye.’
’In terms of spiritual acuity, they far surpass Innate Qi Refiners.’
Now, when he activated the Jade Hairpin, its speed was nearly double what it was before. Its transformations were more refined, almost reaching the point where it could move at the speed of thought.
’For me, after breaking through to become a Mage, the increase in my Divine Soul Power will also accelerate my Cultivation speed for the Five Peaks True Form Force.’
’My Saber Technique...’
’Not just my Saber Technique; the power of all my Martial Skills will be stronger.’
’And my perception of killing intent and hostility will be sharper, so I won’t have to worry about sudden sneak attacks.’
With a smile, Zhu Ju gently rubbed the space between his brows.
’The greatest benefit, though, is that it’s like opening an extra Acupoint. The True Qi in my body now far surpasses that of a Qi Refiner who has just entered the Innate realm. And my Eye Acupoints can now be opened ahead of schedule.’
Originally,
he had estimated that opening the first Eye Acupoint would take at least a year and a half to two years, but not anymore.
When he opened his Forehead Ancestral Acupoint, his Eye Acupoints had been stimulated into trembling, causing his progress to surge forward unexpectedly.
Within a few months,
he should be able to open them.
’A powerful Divine Soul Power allows for faster Refinement of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi and Demon Beast Flesh, increasing my Cultivation.’
’And if I were to become a Great Mage...’
After a moment of thought,
Zhu Ju rose and walked out of his courtyard.
......
"Brother Ge."
"Junior Brother Zhu."
Ge Wen was an Inner Sect Disciple of the Dragon Head Lineage. He was over seventy years old and had a Cultivation of Breaking Three Acupoints.
With his level of Talent and strength, he ordinarily wouldn’t have been able to join the Inner Sect.
However, he possessed an extraordinary talent for Alchemy; nearly half of the Elixirs produced by the Dragon Head Lineage were from his hands.
With such accomplishments,
it wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to grant him the status of a Core Disciple, let alone an Inner Sect Disciple.
"In less than half a year, I can already see the Spiritual Mechanism surging within you, Junior Brother. This is a sign that a Spiritual Acupoint is about to open."
Ge Wen stroked his beard, his voice tinged with admiration.
"Junior Brother, your Talent is extraordinary. It’s truly enviable!"
"You praise me too much, Brother," Zhu Ju said with cupped hands.
"It is all thanks to the Sect’s support."
In his Martial Arts Cultivation, his Talent was far inferior to his aptitude for Magic; this progress was simply a side benefit of his breakthrough.
’Well...’
’And my regular consumption of Demon Beast Flesh.’
"Did you need something from me, Junior Brother?"
Ge Wen blinked.
"Junior Brother Zhu is a famous Ascetic, after all. You wouldn’t pay a visit to your old brother here if it weren’t for something important."
"You’re joking, Brother." Zhu Ju gave a dry cough and took out two recipes.
"I do have a reason for being here."
"I happened to come across two ancient formulas, but I’m a bit unclear on some of the ingredients and their medicinal principles, so I came to ask for your guidance."
"Oh!" Hearing that they were ancient formulas, Ge Wen’s interest was piqued. He sat up straight and reached for them.
"Let me see."
"Bright Soul Soup... Purifying Spirit Pill..."
"The names of these ingredients seem a little strange, but since they’re ancient formulas, the names have likely just been changed over time."
He muttered to himself, his rough fingers slowly tracing the recipes. His brow would furrow in concentration one moment, then his expression would clear with sudden understanding the next.
After a long while,
Ge Wen finally lowered the Pill Formulas.
"Junior Brother, many of the ingredients in these two ancient formulas have strange names. This brother has never heard of them, so I can only make educated guesses and substitute them with ingredients that have similar effects."
Zhu Ju nodded.
These two formulas came from the Magic World; it would be strange if he had heard of the ingredients.
"However, medical principles are universal, so the logic isn’t hard to follow," Ge Wen continued.
"What’s recorded in these ancient formulas must be for strengthening and nourishing the Divine Soul. If you want to concoct them, Junior Brother, it’s not impossible."
"It’s just..."
"They’ll be incredibly expensive!"
"Oh!" Zhu Ju frowned.
"How expensive?"
"Of course." Ge Wen nodded.
"Nourishing the Divine Soul is useless for most Innate Qi Refiners, but it is extremely important for Dao Foundation Cultivators."
"Therefore, ingredients of this type are all extremely expensive. You’ve used Calming Incense before, Junior Brother. It contains residue from ingredients refined by Dao Foundation Elders."
’Is that how it is?’
Disappointment showed on Zhu Ju’s face.
’It seems my plan to fleece the Main World for resources won’t work. Even the Dao Foundation Cultivators here need to nourish their Divine Souls.’
’When it comes to wealth,’
’how can I possibly compare to people like that?’
"However, the effects of your formulas aren’t that potent. If you want to achieve a similar result, it doesn’t need to be so complicated,"
Ge Wen added,
"There is a type of rice called Yellow Millet. Consuming it also has the effect of Nourishing the Spirit."
"The price isn’t cheap, but it’s relatively more affordable. This stuff is grown in many places, so you can ask around for it, Junior Brother."
Zhu Ju’s eyes lit up.
He wouldn’t forget his foundation. He certainly couldn’t stop cultivating the Five Peaks True Form Force in the Main World, so it was best to rely on taking medicine to increase his Divine Soul Power.
