Peachwood Sword

Most of the villagers in this world were simple and honest. Seeing that Lu Qingshan was a fine-featured youth, the village girls did not pry too much into his origins.

After the village girls and women finished washing their families' clothes, they tidied up a little, picked up their wooden basins, and rose to lead Lu Qingshan, who had been waiting beside them for quite some time, back to the village.

The moment he entered the village, Lu Qingshan saw people milling everywhere. Many villagers were gathering and heading in the same direction.

The village girls were puzzled by the sight as well. The eldest among them happened to see Old Man Wang from next door passing by, so she casually stopped him to ask what was going on. "Old Man Wang, why are you all rushing off in such a hurry?"

"What else could it be? We're going to watch Daoist Bai Piao perform a ritual!"

In this xianxia world where demons, monsters, ghosts, and spirits truly existed, ordinary folk had always believed deeply in the legendary Daoist arts.

A Daoist performing a ritual to exorcise demons was a lively spectacle one might not see even once in years. Naturally, everyone wanted to join in the excitement.

"It's not even the Hour of the Monkey yet. Didn't the Daoist say he wouldn't set up the altar until the Hour of the Rooster?"

"He had planned to perform the ritual at the Hour of the Rooster, yes. But just now, Li the Second saw a ghostly shadow in his backyard again. He scrambled out in blind panic and ran to find the Daoist.

The Daoist immediately decided to head to Li the Second's house and perform the ritual at once, eliminating harm for the people. Enough talking—I have to hurry over. If I'm late, I won't see anything at all."

After explaining, Old Man Wang hurried off toward Li the Second's home.

Lu Qingshan, standing to the side, narrowed his eyes slightly.

A ghost appearing in broad daylight?

This was starting to get interesting.

If an untrained ghost were struck directly by the blazing sun, its soul body would be injured.

Thus, not to mention a Yin Soul that had developed intelligence—even a Vengeful Spirit left with only instinct would avoid appearing during the day.

The village girls still had to take the clothes in their hands home first, so Lu Qingshan bid the women farewell and headed alone toward Li the Second's house.

Though he did not know the way, he only had to follow the villagers going to watch the excitement.

Li the Second was a brewer who ran the village's only wine shop. He was considered one of the village's wealthy households.

By the time Lu Qingshan arrived, a ring of people had already gathered outside Li the Second's house, though the doors were tightly shut.

"What's the situation now?" Lu Qingshan spotted Old Man Wang and walked straight over to ask.

Old Man Wang turned around and saw it was the fine-featured youth who had been following beside the eldest village girl earlier. Not suspecting anything, he said, "Daoist Bai Piao said the ghost was extremely dangerous and ordinary people like us must not approach rashly. So he locked the doors and went in alone to perform the ritual."

Lu Qingshan's eyes flickered at those words. He withdrew from the crowd, circled Li the Second's house once, and finally stopped beneath the backyard wall.

With a slight push from his legs, Lu Qingshan flipped directly onto the wall.

The villagers were ignorant and dared not enter after being fooled by that Daoist, but Lu Qingshan was not afraid.

Lu Qingshan sat astride the wall and looked into the yard.

Inside the yard stood a wooden table laid crosswise. An incense burner sat atop it, holding three lit sticks of incense, white smoke curling through the air.

A thin middle-aged Daoist in a blue Daoist robe stood before the table, holding a Peachwood Sword and muttering under his breath.

His appearance was indeed as the village girls had described: sharp-mouthed and monkey-cheeked.

"There isn't even an audience here, yet you can still put on such a serious act and pretend to perform a ritual. That's quite professional of you," Lu Qingshan teased.

"Who is it?" Daoist Bai Piao turned toward the voice. Upon discovering Lu Qingshan sitting atop the wall, he frowned and snapped, "You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting?

You've got some nerve. Didn't I warn everyone not to approach this yard, lest the ghost possess someone and escape?"

Lu Qingshan jumped down from the wall into the yard. Looking at the Peachwood Sword in Daoist Bai Piao's hand, he said, "This sword does have a few wondrous qualities. As for you, though, you're merely putting on a show and playing tricks."

This world did indeed possess Daoist arts, but the Daoist before him was not a cultivator capable of casting spells. He was merely an ordinary mortal.

Still, the Peachwood Sword in this Daoist's hand was truly no ordinary object. If Lu Qingshan was not mistaken, it should be a Spirit Artifact.

"With this Peachwood Sword, you've driven away quite a few ghosts. You can hardly be called a mere con artist.

But today's situation is not something your Peachwood Sword can resolve.

Give me this Peachwood Sword as payment, and I'll help you deal with this trouble and save your life. How about it?" Lu Qingshan said.

Daoist Bai Piao's expression changed. "Who are you?"

People like Daoist Bai Piao, who had spent years navigating the streets and marketplaces, were the most slick and cautious.

From Lu Qingshan's few words, he immediately realized something. He no longer underestimated Lu Qingshan simply because he looked young.

Lu Qingshan did not answer directly. Instead, he circulated the spiritual energy within his body.

One of the incense sticks in the burner on the long table suddenly rose into the air.

Controlling objects was the most basic application of spiritual energy.

With Lu Qingshan's Qi Refining Second Layer cultivation, he could only barely control relatively light objects like this, and he could not move them any great distance.

Though it had no practical use, it was more than enough to bluff a mortal.

"A cultivator?!" Daoist Bai Piao cried out as he stared at the floating incense stick.

Lu Qingshan nodded faintly. "It's good that you know what a cultivator is."

Seeing Lu Qingshan admit to being a cultivator, Daoist Bai Piao's expression shifted between light and dark for a moment before quickly turning into a smile.

Holding the Peachwood Sword flat in both hands, Daoist Bai Piao walked up to Lu Qingshan and said respectfully, "This Peachwood Sword is a family heirloom. For a True Person to favor it is its honor."

Daoist Bai Piao was all smiles, but his heart was bleeding without end.

Daoist Bai Piao had not exaggerated. This Peachwood Sword truly was a family heirloom, passed down from his ancestors.

In his youth, he had loafed about and learned no trade. With no means of making a living, he had a sudden inspiration in his time of hardship: taking his inherited Peachwood Sword and swiping a Daoist robe from a Daoist temple, he pretended to be a Daoist master capable of performing rituals to earn a living.

He knew his own limits. At first, he had only intended to fire one shot and move to another place—if he could fool one person, that was one person fooled.

But who would have thought that he later discovered the places where he had faked rituals truly never suffered any strange disturbances again?

Naturally, he did not believe this was due to his rituals. After thinking it over several times, he finally concluded that the Peachwood Sword left behind by his ancestors truly possessed some wondrous qualities.

Relying on this Peachwood Sword, Daoist Bai Piao gradually built up quite a reputation.

It could be said that this Peachwood Sword was the tool he used to put food on the table.

How could he not feel heartache at giving up the very tool that fed him?

But the youth before him was a cultivator from legend, one who could wield Daoist arts. What if he revealed even the slightest reluctance and was burned to ashes by a single spiritual flame?

Fortunately, he had accumulated quite a bit of savings over the years. He would use it to start some business after returning. Without the Peachwood Sword, dealing with ghosts again made his skin crawl.

Lu Qingshan took the Peachwood Sword from Daoist Bai Piao's hands and looked at the fawning Daoist with a half-smile. "Do you think I'm using my power to forcibly seize your Peachwood Sword?"

"This Peachwood Sword was clearly given to you willingly because I admire the bearing of a True Person. How could it be said that you snatched it from me?" Daoist Bai Piao declared righteously.

"You really are a slippery Daoist Bai Piao. Still, you need not feel resentful, because if I had not come today, there was an eighty or ninety percent chance that you would have met your death here.

One Peachwood Sword in exchange for one life—you haven't lost out."

As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Daoist Bai Piao to respond, Lu Qingshan held the Peachwood Sword and swung it toward a corner of the yard. A purplish-blue sword beam shot straight from the Peachwood Sword.

The instant he touched the Peachwood Sword, Lu Qingshan obtained all of its information.

Peachwood Sword

Grade: High-grade Mortal Artifact

Description: Peachwood is the essence of the five woods, and thus suppresses evil qi. This is a Sword Weapon refined from the heartwood of a century-old peach tree and possesses many wondrous qualities.

Spirit Artifact Effect: Exorcism +1

Active Effect: Thunderbolt

Century-old peachwood can slowly absorb the thunderbolt power of heaven and earth and store it within the sword core. By using the thunderbolt power stored in the sword core, you may release a Lightning Sword Beam. Effective attack range: 10 zhang.

Thunderbolt Power (20/20)