Retiring After Success

"Heh, this world really was so realistic and cruel. I was born with a useless body for cultivation..."

Li Qingyun withdrew his gaze and shook his head with a self-mocking smile, yet he remained calm and unruffled.

Picking up a bottle of True Essence Pills and looking inside, he saw ten sky-blue spiritual pills lying within. Each was the size of a peanut, yet each exuded abundant spiritual energy.

Merely smelling them made him feel the flow of spiritual power within his body quicken by a fraction.

"They truly are good medicine. They say a single True Essence Pill is worth at least ten spirit stones!"

With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he stored away the pill bottle.

He headed toward the main hall of Zhou Mansion.

The newly changed azure Daoist robe he wore today fluttered lightly, making him appear ever more handsome, serene, and detached.

In the hall, Madam Zhou, still immersed in the grief of losing her husband, stood with Zhou Heng and another rosy-cheeked, adorable little girl.

"Daoist Li, are you leaving?"

Madam Zhou looked at the handsome young man standing tall in the hall. Her eyes held gratitude, as well as a measure of reluctance.

During the great upheaval in Yinshan Town, Zhou Mansion had stood at the heart of the chaos. Their entire household had nearly perished, and it was only thanks to Daoist Li Qingyun, who had slain Qin Qing and the other rebels before standing guard until now.

"Yes. My senior brother should be returning soon. Once he does, I'll set off immediately."

Li Qingyun nodded, then asked with concern, "Commander Zhou unfortunately met with disaster. Madam Zhou, what are your plans?"

While chatting with Li Ke earlier, that Grand Prefect had mentioned that Old Ghost Tushan had been blasted to death.

That ghost creature had been stuck at the Dao Foundation Realm for a long time. This time, conspiring with Jia Song, it had intended to blood-sacrifice the entire town, devour an ocean of living souls and yang energy, and break through to the Opening Mansion Realm. Yet who could have expected Li Qingyun to shatter its plans in advance, leaving it to end in ashes and smoke?

But Jia Song was extremely cunning. Relying on a magical artifact meant for concealment and escape, he had hidden away in the depths of Great Yin Mountain.

If Madam Zhou's family remained in Yinshan Town, they would very likely suffer Jia Song's secret retaliation. That was why Li Qingyun had asked.

"My husband had several old friends in Youjing with whom he was close. So, in a couple of days, I plan to settle our properties, then take Heng'er and Yu'er back to Youjing to live. The Youdao Division has also said it will send people to escort us, so Daoist, you needn't worry about us..."

Speaking of her late husband, sorrow inevitably surfaced in Madam Zhou's expression again.

But she knew that at a time like this, she had to hold herself together. Everyone in the household depended on her.

"That's good."

Li Qingyun's expression relaxed, and he was reassured.

Just then, Zhao Yifan's delighted call came from outside the door.

He drained the tea in his cup, rose to his feet, walked over to Zhou Heng, and rubbed the boy's head before drifting gracefully out.

Whoosh!

Big Black Cat leaped out and unhurriedly followed behind its litter-scooping servant.

"Big Brother, will I be able to see you again?"

With tears of reluctance streaming down his face, Zhou Heng clutched the paper butterfly in his little hand and called after him.

Without spiritual power sustaining it, this paper butterfly would revert to an ordinary folded paper toy after a day or two.

"If you can enter the Daoist Academy, perhaps we'll meet again someday."

Li Qingyun lightly waved behind him without turning back.

He passed through halls and corridors, and beneath the rare afternoon sunlight of this season in Yinshan Town, he drifted away light-footed, carefree, calm, and elegant.

Zhou Heng, Madam Zhou, and everyone else in Zhou Mansion watched their benefactor leave, until his figure mounted a horse and merged into the crowd on the street.

As though by prior agreement, they all bowed deeply in a grand farewell.

On the official road beyond town, two riders galloped at full speed.

"Junior Brother, this trip down the mountain was truly heart-stirring and soul-shaking, but the gains were great too! The Youdao Division rewarded us with twenty spirit stones, and with the temple's mission reward added in, this is simply wonderful!"

Zhao Yifan's left arm was injured and wrapped in bandages, so he could only hold the reins with one hand. Yet he was high-spirited, looking utterly pleased with himself.

"Mm, not bad."

Li Qingyun smiled faintly, somewhat perfunctorily, without much particular joy.

The cultivators of this world were simply too cold-hearted. Even his senior brother Zhao Yifan was the same.

Five hundred and six people had died or been injured in the Yinshan Town incident. What terrible carnage. Yet Zhao Yifan, Chi Hui, and the others seemed not to care much at all. Instead, they relished talking about the rewards they had obtained, delighted and jubilant.

Li Qingyun made a rough calculation as well. On this trip down the mountain, he had obtained the Nightmare Eye Orb, the Hundred Treasures Pouch, three bottles of True Essence Pills worth several hundred spirit stones, and more than sixty spirit stones in direct income.

Compared with Senior Brother Zhao, who was smug with delight, he had gained far more.

"Senior Brother, I was fortunate to accompany you down the mountain this time. I gained much and even broke through in battle, so I can be said to have entered the gates of cultivation. However, I've always liked peace and quiet and do not wish to be disturbed by worldly entanglements. After we return to Lingbao Temple, I hope Senior Brother can help conceal things for me."

"Haha, I understand, Junior Brother. Don't worry! I only want to quietly pull you into our Scripture Lecture lineage..."

At dusk, Li Qingyun and the other arrived at a deserted village and spent the night there.

Occasionally, wandering souls and Corpse Dogs caused trouble at night, but Li Qingyun no longer regarded them as worth his attention and easily destroyed them.

At noon the next day, they returned to Lingbao Temple.

Zhao Yifan went to the External Affairs Hall to report the completion of the mission and collect the reward. He said there would be twenty spirit stones, as well as a sum of contribution points.

On the road, Zhao Yifan had already said that they would split the temple's reward equally.

Li Qingyun had performed too outstandingly on this descent from the mountain. As the senior brother, Zhao Yifan was too embarrassed to take more.

The two had completed the mission of suppressing ghosts and calming the people of Yinshan Town, then returned safely and smoothly. This stirred some discussion among Lingbao Temple's upper ranks as well.

That Azure Blood Golden Talisman that had shot into the heavens had even been seen by Lingbao Temple all the way over here at Maple Mountain.

Naturally, the big figures in the temple knew what an Azure Blood Talisman represented. Thus, seeing Zhao Yifan and Li Qingyun, that useless idle disciple who had only recently joined the temple, return safely, they were all rather astonished.

A deacon even specifically summoned Zhao Yifan and asked with great interest about the beginning and end of the incident.

With Li Qingyun's instructions, Zhao Yifan naturally downplayed his performance and role, sparing him quite a bit of trouble.

At the rear mountain, dusk had fallen, and the maple forest remained brilliantly red.

Compared with Yinshan Town, Lingbao Temple was far more peaceful and harmonious.

Li Qingyun walked lightly toward Bamboo Lodge. A clear breeze brushed his face and stirred his robes and hair. From afar, he heard the mountain wind moving the wind chimes before Bamboo Lodge's door, producing their familiar, pleasant, delicate tinkling. His travel-worn heart suddenly settled into calm.

He pushed open the door. The room was empty and still.

His roommate, He Xiao, was absent again. He was probably still doing odd jobs at the front temple and had not yet returned.

As for the two talisman papers on the desk, they remained as before, unfinished.

The figure of the Cai Family of Luoshui's young madam could not help but flash through Li Qingyun's mind.

"It's time to change to a more private single-person residence. But first, I should make a trip to the Scripture Repository and exchange for the later levels of the Precious Furnace Qi Absorption Art."

"At the rate my spiritual power grows through meditation, reaching the great completion of the Qi Refining Realm would take no more than half a month. This time, I'll simply buy all the essential formulas for the Qi Refining Realm!"

"If Dust Avoidance Technique, Cleanse Technique, and those other everyday minor spells aren't expensive, I should learn a few as well. Otherwise, they still waste quite a lot of time in daily life."

"Also, I should pick up a movement technique..."

With wealth strengthening his Dao heart, Li Qingyun's confidence surged.

He set down his gourd, then took out the robe and underclothes he had changed out of from his bundle, still unwashed, intending to wash them in a nearby spring pool tomorrow.

He wrapped thirty spirit stones and some gold into a small bundle, carried it in his hand, and went out again, heading toward the Scripture Repository in the twilight.

The Hundred Treasures Pouch was not yet suitable for revealing to others, so he kept it close against his body.

As for Yuanbao, the Big Black Cat, he let it go as it pleased. Its owner gave it enough freedom, as long as it did not cause trouble for him.

After coming up the mountain, the cat lord had vanished without a trace. Who knew where it was enjoying itself at this moment?