Rest and Recuperation

A Chen later.

When Li Qi, holding a Tang sword and carrying Jin Buhuan's head, entered Clear Mist City, the entire city fell silent.

After a while, the whole city was in an uproar.

Some people panicked and hurriedly ran away.

Some people were overjoyed, cheering and singing, and were extremely happy.

Some people sighed, their faces full of confusion, wondering what it had to do with Jin Buhuan.

Some people looked worried, their brows furrowed, lost in thought.

Some people were very polite and came forward to congratulate Li Qi and invite him to the banquet.

Some people wept bitterly, rushed forward to kowtow to Li Qi, and called him their benefactor.

Others gritted their teeth at Li Qi, but dared not come forward, and could only swallow their anger.

A thousand people are a thousand faces, and there are millions of people in Clear Mist City. There are countless faces, and countless people who are happy, angry, and worried.

Jin Buhuan's death will lead to a major reshuffling of all forces in the city, naturally bringing joy to some and sorrow to others.

But there is only one thing in common.

That is reverence for Li Qi.

Even those of the eighth rank looked at Li Qi with nothing but awe.

Li Qi, without glancing to the side, carrying Jin Buhuan's head, walked to the entrance of the inn under the gaze of countless people.

At the inn—

The place was in complete disarray, with corpses strewn all over the street.

The array constructed by Shen Shuibi was also quite damaged, but fortunately, no one managed to break through it in the end.

After all, it was Shen Shuibi, and Li Qi trusted her completely.

While Li Qi was away on business, there was bound to be people who would launch surprise attacks on this place and attempt to assassinate him.

As Li Qi wandered the streets, countless people secretly guarded him, and countless others wanted to kill him. Every time Li Qi turned a street corner, four or five people would die.

Blood gushed from the alley, and the glint of a knife occasionally reflected on Li Qi's face. Every step he took as he slowly knocked on each door was stained with blood.

The power struggles among these hidden forces were also quite exciting, but unfortunately Li Qi didn't have much time to learn about them.

So much happened that night, it was truly earth-shattering.

Fortunately, the dust has settled.

When Li Qi appeared at the city gate carrying Jin Buhuan's head, all the fighting subsided, and all that remained was the redistribution of benefits.

Redistribution—what a peaceful term to use!

But behind those three short words lie countless Lineage rise and fall, love and hate, and separation.

However, those things had nothing to do with Li Qi.

He walked to the entrance of the inn and knocked three times.

With a creak, the door opened.

Shen Shuibi opened the door and looked at Li Qi with a smile.

For a moment, Li Qi felt a sense of Anxin.

"You're back?" Shen Shuibi tilted her head and glanced at Jin Buhuan's head.

"Yeah... I'm back. I'm not good enough anymore. You figure it out..." Li Qi let out a long sigh, threw the head out, and collapsed.

Shen Shuibi quickly caught him, crying out in alarm, "Hey! Hey! Don't die! How did you get like this?!"

But no matter what, the matter has finally come to an end.

Li Qi fell into Shen Shuibi's arms with a thud. Luckily, she caught him, otherwise he would have hit the ground.

"Really... what did you do to get so badly injured?" Shen Shuibi sighed.

From Shen Shuibi's perspective, it was a truly tiring night.

More than one eighth-rank official attacked her here, but she managed to block them all. Later, others also intervened and stopped her from being in real danger.

However, there is one downside.

While she was defending against the attacks from outside, she asked Piaoxu to make her some late-night snacks.

Piaoxu hands were shaking the whole time, and the taste of what I made was much worse.

I'm unhappy.

But that's understandable.

But I'm still not happy.

However, seeing her eating her midnight snack while fending off several eighth-rank attackers, the other attackers all withdrew. Perhaps they saw how delicious her food was and wanted a midnight snack too, so they all went back.

So it seems that eating does have its benefits.

They waited until morning when Li Qi finally returned.

She was initially happy, but he fainted immediately upon returning. She quickly checked his pulse and discovered that Li Qi was practically half-dead.

His injuries were so severe that Shen Shuibi was puzzled as to how he managed to survive.

When the heart meridian is broken and the Fire Qi is almost exhausted, the fire energy is reversed, so the Yang Energy is exhausted and the Yin Qi enters.

When the wood element is excessive, the muscles and tendons in the body become cramped, the liver meridian becomes turbulent, the liver evil invades the heart, and the yin descends to the metal and water elements. If this condition is present, death will occur within a day.

Moreover, he couldn't even heal himself, because his original physical strength and energy had been mobilized into his personal microcosm, which was now sealed off, seemingly suppressing something.

This seal is constantly draining his life force to maintain the suppression.

The five elements within the body have already been reversed, and life force is being continuously drained.

This is such a hassle.

However, there seem to be a lot of medicines outside, many Spirit Flower, and a bunch of ores, gold, iron, and the like.

These were all gifts that Jin Buhuan sent yesterday.

Have you used it yet?

Shen Shuibi thought for a moment, then pushed open the door, gathered some things she could use, and carefully carried them back to the inn before closing the door.

After that, she offered up Three-Five Furnace.

Let's start refining the pills, or Li Qi will die.

We need to hurry.

Two days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Qi sat on the bed, looking half-dead.

In front of him was a bedside table.

The table was laden with delicacies, all of which were highly nutritious.

However, Li Qi's expression didn't seem to indicate that he liked it.

On the contrary, his face was covered in cold sweat.

First, Li Qi's favorite crab porridge was served as the main dish. This porridge was full of fat, white as solidified fat, with a yellow and sweet navel. It was white in color and tender in taste, with no residue when chewed. Its deliciousness needs no further explanation.

There was another pot of Spirit Flower soup, which contained angelica, cattail, lotus root, bamboo shoots, fern, fresh flowers, wormwood, and chrysanthemum. It was cooked in tender chicken broth, and also included dried clams, whelks, and pickled fish. It was served with sweet goji berries and was exceptionally delicious. All of these were Spirit Flower medicinal herbs that nourish Yang Energy.

There was also a simple dish of stir-fried eggs with chives. Although it was plain, the aroma was strong, the flavor was delicate and crisp, and the taste was sweet and delicious, even better than rich and meaty dishes.

These are all considered normal.

What really made him sweat were the things that came afterward.

First, there's a pot of penis soup, containing bull penis, sheep penis, pig penis, dog penis, and donkey penis. That's fine, but the most outrageous thing is that there's even a tiger penis. It's made by boiling white mutton with rehmannia root, dried ginger, borneol, chicken blood vine, aconite, deer antler, and angelica in one pot. Just looking at it makes my kidneys ache.

Then came a stew of poultry, made with ginseng, cinnamon, tiger bone, bamboo shoots, sparrow, and goose leg.

Next, crushed deer kidneys, epimedium, and paper mulberry seeds, along with spices, are stuffed into the pigeon's belly, roasted until the skin is crispy, and then stewed.

In short, just looking at this table made Li Qi feel unwell...

"Miss Piaoxu, is it really that bad? Who told you to do this?" Li Qi had a headache, pressed his temples, and looked at Piaoxu who was serving him the dishes, not knowing what to do.

"Uh, Mr. Shen asked me to do it. She said that you are still recovering from a serious illness. The root of the problem is that your life force has been drained, your Yang Energy is lacking, and your Fire Qi is completely depleted. So you need to replenish your Yang Energy so that you can recover as soon as possible."

"She said she planned to use pills directly, but after feeding you some at the beginning, Mr. Li, some erysipelas has accumulated, so it's better to use dietary supplements instead," Piaoxu explained.

"No, you should understand that's not what I meant. Miss Shen doesn't know, but you should!" Li Qi couldn't stand up and could only sigh helplessly on the bed.

Piaoxu covered her mouth and chuckled, "But that's what Mr. Shen ordered, so I have no choice but to do as he says. Your health is important, so please eat quickly, sir."

After saying that, she hurriedly pushed open the door and went out, covering her mouth and bending over. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought she had stolen something.

Xia Li Qi lying on the bed, looking at the table full of dishes, his expression and mood both subtle.

"Oh Qi Ya, I can only move my hands now. If I really eat this whole meal, what do you think I should do?" Li Qi tilted his head and asked the little fox on the windowsill.

"Squeak?" Qi Ya tilted his head, seemingly confused.

The little fox, who hadn't yet Form Transformation, didn't understand at all, and Li Qi was also unable to move and was a bit bored, so she jumped out of the window, Xia Li Qi alone in the room.

Now I'm really all alone.

Never mind.

Eat up.

He picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

There weren't any main dishes on the table; it was mostly soup or stew, all made to make it easier for him to eat.

This is my first meal since waking up.

After returning that day, he remained unconscious for more than a day, and Shen Shuibi used all her strength to bring him back to life.

As expected, dealing with two mouthfuls of eighth-grade golden energy at the same time was still too difficult.

However, I guess it was a worthwhile experience?

Li Qi stretched out his hand, and two streams of golden energy flowed directly from his fingertips, swiftly slicing the various whips into pieces for easy chewing.

Yes, those two breaths of golden energy, with the microcosm of the human body as the central energy, Xianghe yin and yang, becoming one, and thus became Li Qi's own.

Normally they can be separated, but when driven by the microcosm within the human body, they can unite yin and yang into one, bursting forth with extremely terrifying power. Their speed can reach ten miles in a single breath, cutting through anything, and they are as responsive as an extension of one's own arm, as long as Li Qi can react in time.

However, Li Qi's reaction speed is not yet perfectly controlled. These two bursts of golden energy are too fast, and when they are unleashed at full power, he cannot control the killing range at all.

Because of this, Li Qi even temporarily changed the direction of his Inner Gods cultivation.

To progress from the ninth to the eighth rank, one needs to condense twelve spirits within the Inner Gods.

Five Peaks Mountain God of the Five Sacred Mountains in human form, Four Rivers Water God, two Sun Moon Heavenly God, and one Primordial Spirit guarding the small world.

There are a total of twelve statues, which correspond to the twelve Earthly Branches.

If one cultivates the Shaman, then what is needed at this time is to condense ten Inner Gods, corresponding to the number of the Heavenly Stems.

If one cultivates the Human-Ghost branch, one needs to condense six deities, which correspond to the six gods within the body. The six gods that are usually described as "the six gods are without a master" or "the six gods are uneasy" refer to this kind of six gods.

The Inner Gods the Human-Ghost branch has some connection with one of the sects of Daoism. The two seem to have learned from each other, but they are also each with their own system. Li Qi is not very clear about the specifics.

After all, he belongs to the Earthly Deity branch.

The three lineages of the Shaman —Heavenly Gods, Earthly Deity, and Human-Ghost —while interconnected, each possesses its own area of specialization. Li Qi discovered that his teaching materials largely lacked coverage of the specializations of other schools.

It's probably copyrighted, so it's difficult to give it away.

That being said, Li Qi initially planned to start refining from the Five Sacred Mountains and Four Great Rivers, because this would maximize the resilience of the microcosm within the human body.

However, he now intends to start with his Primordial Spirit. If he can condense his Primordial Spirit, then these two wisps of golden energy should be able to function perfectly and be controlled like an extension of his own arm.

The God of Yuan, the character Yuan, represents the beginning, for example, "Qian Yuan" means this.

Having Primordial Spirit, one can perfectly control these two golden energies. This is something even Jin Buhuan cannot do; for Jin Buhuan, using these two things comes at the cost of damaging his lung meridians.

But now, thanks to the position and balance of the human body's microcosm, Li Qi can use these two divine weapons without any side effects. Separately, they are mid-level eighth-grade weapons, but when combined, they can reach the pinnacle of eighth-grade. The difference between them is not small.

The differences between items of the same grade are ridiculously large.

Those who have just entered the ninth rank, facing someone like Li Qi and Jin Buhuan, could probably kill hundreds of them in two or three minutes without even breaking a sweat.

If he could truly master these two golden energies, Li Qi would even dare to say that he had reached the pinnacle of combat power among the ninth-rank cultivators.

He wouldn't dare say he's invincible. The world is vast, and there are countless heroes and powerful figures. Who knows how many people have formidable Trump Card? Li Qi dares not be as arrogant as he was when he first started out.

The more you know, the more insignificant you feel.

The reason why Jin Buhuan and Elder Si are so arrogant is mostly because they are illiterate.

While thinking about these things, Li Qi controlled his golden energy to cut the hard-to-chew things into slices, then picked them up with chopsticks and put them in his mouth to eat.

I wonder what Jin Buhuan would think if he saw this.

But just then, the door was suddenly pushed open, accompanied by a "plop..."

Li Qi subconsciously turned his head to look towards the door.

Then I saw a beautiful woman, covering her mouth with her delicate hand, probably unable to hold back her soft laughter.

Li Qi glanced at the tiger penis he was chewing, then looked at the person at the door.

His face immediately darkened.

The beauty stopped laughing and swayed as she approached, "Sir, you seem to have a particular taste in food and drink, which suggests you are someone who knows how to maintain your health. My Clear Mist Sect does have some Secret Method, I wonder if you would be interested?"

"Senior, please don't... please don't make fun of me." Li Qi blushed.

To be honest, it's really hard to hold back.

"This is only natural, sir. What is there to be ashamed of? Have you forgotten what kind of business my Clear Mist Sect does?" The beauty smiled and sat down opposite Li Qi.

Li Qi knew who she was.

She was no less beautiful than Hu Xian'er, the Clear Mist Sect, but her temperament was completely opposite. If Hu Xian'er was as elegant as a fragrant plum blossom, exuding a subtle fragrance, this person was as vibrant as a peony, charming and graceful, with a rich and heavy allure.

Her body was as smooth as jade, her waist slender, her eyebrows delicately arched like distant mountains, her eyes sparkling with charm, and her hair adorned with a phoenix hairpin slanted into her cloud-like bun.

She was stunningly beautiful, and one wanted to carefully touch her smooth, supple skin and bones to experience what it felt like.

She is the number two figure in the Clear Mist Sect, and is also a seventh-rank Hu Meier.

Li Qi didn't know what to say, unsure whether to swallow the tiger penis in his mouth or what to do next, so he could only sit awkwardly on the bed.

"Sir, you are quite generous. These two wisps of golden energy are treasures, yet you use them as a dining knife. You truly have the demeanor of a master." Hu Meier took the initiative to pick up the conversation, preventing the atmosphere from becoming awkward.

"It's just an external thing, why would I need it?" Li Qi recovered from his embarrassment, swallowed the tiger whip, and asked, "Why did you come here, senior?"

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