Paralyzed

Finishing his patrol duties, Old Man Xiang locked the door and returned home.

His son wasn't back yet.

After eating, he lay down on the bed.

Feeling like he couldn't digest his food, Old Man Xiang put on his clothes and sat in the courtyard.

Using the moonlight, he opened the Venerable Soul Banner in his hand.

The foot-long Venerable Soul Banner felt cold to the touch.

It was refreshing.

It felt as if just holding the Venerable Soul Banner brought a sense of security, and his heart calmed down.

This thing was definitely a treasure.

It was a pity Old Man Xiang didn't know how to use it.

He had originally thought of handing it over to the Hall of Offerings, but he had delayed for a while, and now Old Man Xiang had no intention of handing it in.

Anyway, those Immortal Masters wouldn't know a treasure was missing.

A lifelike ghost face was drawn on the Soul Banner.

He had looked at it many times.

He had been scared when he first saw it, but although there was still a faint sense of creepiness, he was used to it now.

Black background with red edges, it was very exquisite.

It was a hundred times more exquisite than the handkerchiefs he had seen those important figures carry before.

Tu Shan Jun inside the Soul Banner frowned. He was no different from being in prison right now.

He had originally wanted to get rid of Li Qing Feng's body, but that plan was now shelved.

Moreover, without the follow-up scripture, Old Man Xiang had no way to become a Qi Cultivator.

Without becoming a Qi Cultivator, there was no Magic Power, and thus he couldn't activate the Venerable Soul Banner.

Missing this link was equivalent to a direct disconnection.

The journey had been difficult, so Old Man Xiang hadn't thought much about it.

Now that he was free, he could finally study it in peace.

"How do Immortal Masters activate treasures?"

Thinking this, Old Man Xiang channeled his Internal Qi through his palm into the Venerable Soul Banner.

Tu Shan Jun's eyes widened sharply. The Internal Qi being transmitted actually contained a trace of Magic Power properties.

It was just too little in quantity.

There was no way to perform the Dream Entry Technique at all.

But it could allow Tu Shan Jun to influence the Venerable Soul Banner.

Tu Shan Jun suppressed the excitement in his heart.

He quickly urged the black energy to surge on the Soul Banner.

Old Man Xiang found it a little strange.

Why did black mist appear on this small banner after channeling Internal Qi into it?

And it was condensing crookedly.

It looked like... text.

"Pour, Internal Qi."

"More come."

Old Man Xiang read them out one by one.

He was so scared that he immediately threw the Venerable Soul Banner onto the ground.

Without the Internal Qi, Tu Shan Jun's path was directly cut off. The text on the Soul Banner instantly dissipated, turning into gray mist and fading, finally disappearing.

Old Man Xiang was on high alert.

He stared for a quarter of an hour but saw no unusual movement from the Soul Banner.

Only then did he pick the Soul Banner back up, muttering in disbelief, "It's not... alive, is it?"

With suspicion, Old Man Xiang input Internal Qi again.

"Internal Qi, more come."

Indeed, text appeared on the palm-sized banner surface, but this time there were only four characters.

As a Second-Rate Expert in the martial world, Old Man Xiang had a considerable amount of Internal Qi storage.

Half the night passed.

Until Old Man Xiang exhausted all his Internal Qi.

Tu Shan Jun shook his head. Internal Qi was ultimately not Magic Power.

Although it carried a trace of Magic Power's properties, even this much wasn't enough to refine the Magic Power needed to use the Dream Entry Technique.

It only allowed him to move within a larger range.

"Since Yin Soul Pills can help Qi Cultivators cultivate, can they help Old Man Xiang's Internal Qi advance?"

Tu Shan Jun didn't know if it could, but at this point, he could only treat a dead horse as if it were still alive.

The black mist flickered, and an egg-sized Yin Soul Pill rolled out from the black banner, landing on the stone table in the courtyard.

Old Man Xiang's eyes were already wide.

He exclaimed in surprise, "The treasure laid an egg!"

He had only heard of chickens and geese laying eggs, never of such a treasure doing so.

And it was an Immortal Master's treasure at that.

This time, the words on the Soul Banner changed again.

There was only one.

"Eat."

Old Man Xiang muttered.

His eyes were completely filled with fear.

This thing was too strange.

Swallowing Internal Qi was one thing, but it could even lay eggs.

The black egg didn't look like a good thing.

And now this thing was telling him to eat.

Eat what?

Eat this egg?

Tu Shan Jun was also helpless; he truly had no other way.

Whether or not to believe it was up to Old Man Xiang himself.

If he could continue to improve the quality of his Internal Qi, bringing it closer to Magic Power, it would allow him to perform the Dream Entry Technique, and thus find a way to transmit the scripture to Old Man Xiang.

Regardless of whether he had a Spiritual Root, he could at least try.

Even without a Spiritual Root, there was a backup plan.

One Yin Soul Pill shouldn't kill someone.

But besides this method, Tu Shan Jun had no other way.

Old Man Xiang reached out to touch the Yin Soul Pill, but his aged arm hovered above it for a long time, not daring to make a move.

He took out a coarse cloth handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped the egg-sized Yin Soul Pill in it.

A chill could even be felt through the handkerchief onto his hand.

He didn't dare to eat it.

Things of unknown origin shouldn't be eaten casually in the first place.

Moreover, it was so strange.

Old Man Xiang was even less daring to eat it.

Furthermore, for several days, he stopped supplying Internal Qi to the Venerable Soul Banner.

Without the Internal Qi that possessed the properties of Magic Power, Tu Shan Jun inside the Venerable Soul Banner couldn't do anything and could only continue to study martial arts, scriptures, and techniques within the Soul Banner.

Tu Shan Jun could understand Old Man Xiang's thoughts.

Anyone else wouldn't dare to eat it either.

The Venerable Soul Banner itself looked gloomy and terrifying, with the ghost face depictions appearing lifelike.

Black, twisted characters would also appear on the banner's surface, and it even spat out black things that looked like eggs.

Not to mention ordinary people wouldn't dare to eat it, even Qi Cultivators wouldn't dare to test the medicine on themselves; who knew if they would die.

Tu Shan Jun just felt it was a great pity.

Such a good place as the Great Prison, yet he could only watch helplessly.

With so many criminals, even if a hundred or so died, it wouldn't be noticed.

Moreover, the number of bodies carried out of the Great Prison every day was countless.

The three-tiered Great Prison held thousands of prisoners.

If he could obtain all of them, perhaps it could evolve into a Peak Grade Magic Tool.

"Be patient and tolerant."

Tu Shan Jun cautioned himself.

It truly was a twist of fate. Old Man Xiang didn't hand over the Venerable Soul Banner, and the Qi Cultivators in the Hall of Offerings didn't investigate thoroughly. This led to Tu Shan Jun's current awkward predicament.

He had originally planned to enter the Hall of Offerings. With so many Qi Cultivators inside, anyone who got the Venerable Soul Banner could use it.

First, he would properly settle Li Qing Feng's remains, and then assist a Banner Master to become stronger.

He never expected such a major incident to occur, resulting in Old Man Xiang keeping the Venerable Soul Banner in his own hands.

This directly put all of Tu Shan Jun's plans on hold.

Another day dawned.

Old Man Xiang, as usual, put on his Embroidered Uniform Guard black robe, hung his waist knife, and left the house before dawn, carrying a lantern.

The moment the main gate opened, Old Man Xiang's eyes widened sharply.

Lying at the entrance was a man covered in blood.

His hands and feet were twisted at unnatural angles.

The lantern in Old Man Xiang's hand fell, dropping to the ground.

"My son!"

Old Man Xiang scrambled forward, stumbling, and helped his son up.

He checked his son's injuries.

His tendons in his hands and feet were completely severed, and his legs were fractured and limp.

The man was still unconscious.

His wife, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, saw her son at the doorway, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted directly.

By the time the sun was high in the sky.

A doctor carrying a medical box walked out of the door.

"Doctor Feng, my son's condition," Old Man Xiang quickly asked.

The doctor, wearing a square hat, shook his head and sighed, saying, "From now on, he can only lie on the heated bed. He will never be able to stand again."

"Your wife's illness is due to emotional distress affecting her vital energy. This can only be treated with rest."

Old Man Xiang saw the doctor off and sat alone at the doorway.

He looked even older.

The hideous scar on his face seemed to have turned into deep wrinkles.

Old Man Xiang sat there in a daze, his lips trembling, his remaining single arm pressed against his waist knife.

"All these years, handling cases and matters, how many people have you offended?"

"Can the Embroidered Uniform Guard have a good end?"

"You still tried to be brave and gave up the Hereditary Centurion position."

"They came for revenge!"

His pale-faced wife angrily scolded and blamed Old Man Xiang.

The moment she woke up, she was by her son's side, her face bathed in tears.

Centurion Xiang closed his eyes, his body trembling.

He turned around and walked out of the room.

He looked up at the sky.

Tears flowed down his wrinkles.

He had been strong all his life, decisive and resolute.

He had solved major cases, earned merits, and saved noble people.

Yet, this was his final outcome.

In the inner room, the young man lying on the couch was pale-faced, his eyes dull.

He turned his head to look at his mother.

He said in a weak voice, "Mother."

"I'm here, I'm here," the old woman quickly gripped her son's hand.

"Mother, I don't want to lie on... the couch my whole life."

"Help me."

His gaze fell upon the rat poison used to kill rats.

The old woman shook her head, saying, "Son, Mother will get the best doctor. You will definitely get better."

"Mother, I beg you."