Stealing Heavenly Secrets from Covering the Heavens Section 23

After hanging up, Zhou Mei seemed to sense Li Zhi's preoccupation and said, "Honey, I'm fine now. You don't have to stay home with me every day. The kids have the childcare nanny to look after them, so we don't need to worry. If you have things to do, go ahead."

Li Zhi smiled. "Nothing urgent. You haven't even finished your postpartum confinement yet—how could I leave you and the kids at home?"

Zhou Mei laughed. "You're treating me like a child again."

He took her hand, still smiling. "In my eyes, you'll always be a young girl."

Zhou Mei's smile grew even sweeter. "Brother Dapeng keeps calling you every day. You should go see him."

Li Zhi seemed reluctant to discuss work in front of Zhou Mei, so he changed the subject. "Mei'er, what do you think about renovating the house back in our hometown? The old place is still livable, but it's been nearly twenty years since my father oversaw the last renovation. Now that we've carried on the Li family line, shouldn't Ji Zu and Xian'er get to live in a new house built by their father?"

Zhou Mei nodded. "Whatever you say. Once the kids turn one, let's take them back to our hometown for a while. Let them meet the relatives and friends there. Then every winter and summer break, we'll bring them back to stay, so they remember the taste of home."

Li Zhi said, "That's perfect. Only by living in the old hometown as children can they understand how our Li family rose to success."

In truth, Li Zhi's plan to renovate the house was to fortify the old residence like an iron fortress, storing the means for the Li family to stage a comeback.

The family's inherited skills must never be allowed to break their lineage.

A few days later.

Li Dapeng drove, carrying Li Zhi to a stop outside the Xu family's Jing'an Hall.

Sitting in the car, Li Dapeng pointed and said, "This is the place. That Old Man Xu comes here almost every day to see patients for half a day."

Li Zhi sized up the ancient, imposing Jing'an Hall through the window. A faint sense of desolation struck him, and he asked, "Does he have any family left now?"

Li Dapeng said, "That Old Man Xu is a ruthless one too. To bring down the Yao Family, he didn't back down even when his eldest son was framed and sent to prison on charges of illegal medical practice. In the end, he made that Yao family suffer badly. Word on the street now is that the Yao guy has some treasure—whoever finds Yao Le's whereabouts will strike it rich."

Li Zhi nodded slightly. "I'll go meet this legendary Old Man Xu."

Li Dapeng asked, "Why are you looking him up? He's being watched closely by the higher-ups now. He probably doesn't dare do that kind of business anymore."

All along, Li Dapeng had assumed Li Zhi had him watch those families to find new sources of antiques.

In the antique trade, you can't always rely on clean, open-market goods. You inevitably have to deal with grave robbers to keep a steady stream of new stock.

"Brother Dapeng, wait in the car. I'll go talk to Old Man Xu alone." After observing for a few more minutes from the car, Li Zhi spoke.

"I'll go with you." Li Dapeng was worried Li Zhi might run into trouble and volunteered.

"No need. I'm visiting Old Man Xu, not to talk business." Li Zhi refused.

Li Dapeng said nothing more and waited outside in the car.

Li Zhi walked into Jing'an Hall and saw an old man seeing patients in the main hall.

He was vigorous, with a sharp, gleaming gaze.

When he saw Li Zhi enter, he gave no reaction.

Only after Li Zhi sat down in the chair across from him did Old Man Xu speak. "Young man, you've come to the wrong place."

He could tell at a glance whether someone was sick or not.

"I'm not here to see a doctor. I heard you have a cultivation method passed down from the Ancient Era. I'd like to buy a copy from you. What do you think?" Li Zhi said bluntly.

"Ten million." Old Man Xu was even more direct, throwing out the price as if this wasn't the first time someone had come asking to buy the method.

"Deal." Li Zhi was even more straightforward, accepting Old Man Xu's exorbitant price on the spot.

A flicker of surprise showed in Old Man Xu's eyes. "Who exactly are you?"

Li Zhi smiled confidently. "Someone willing to spend money on a cultivation method."

Old Man Xu seemed to misunderstand something and said, "I only have a rubbing, not the original. If you want the original, go find the Yao family."

Li Zhi said, "I just want the method. Whether it's the original or not doesn't matter."

Old Man Xu frowned slightly, cautious. "May I ask your honorable name, young sir?"

Li Zhi said, "My surname is Li."

A hint of shock appeared in Old Man Xu's eyes, as if he connected Li Zhi to some powerful Li family up top. "My apologies for not recognizing you."

Li Zhi hadn't thought of that. "When can I get the method?"

Old Man Xu said, "Cash on delivery."

Li Zhi glanced at the computer on the counter. "Let's do a transfer."

Under Old Man Xu's astonished gaze, Li Zhi transferred ten million in cash to Jing'an Hall's account.

Seeing the money arrive, and that Li Zhi didn't seem worried about being cheated, Old Man Xu confirmed his suspicions.

He then went to the back room and brought out a photocopied version of the Longevity Sutra, handing it to Li Zhi.

He still had three more copies of the same book.

After receiving the Longevity Sutra, Li Zhi flipped through it briefly and knew it was a complete Wheel and Sea Scroll cultivation method.

He then gave Old Man Xu a slight cupped-fist salute. "Money and goods settled. Farewell."

After seeing Li Zhi out, Old Man Xu sat in the main hall for a long time. Only when his eldest granddaughter, Xu Miaomiao, called him home for dinner did he let out a deep sigh.

As if waking from an ethereal dream of immortality.

The footsteps of time never pause to wait for anyone.

The river of years never flows backward for any event.

The sorrow of parting forever belongs to those who cannot let go of the past.

Only those who keep looking forward earn time's protection.

After successfully obtaining the Wheel and Sea Scroll of the Longevity Sutra, Li Zhi began his cultivation with undivided focus.

Unfortunately, the thin Heaven and Earth Essence made cultivation exceedingly difficult.

The West Mountain Villa area where he lived was no gathering place for Spiritual Veins, and Li Zhi was no cultivation prodigy who could open the Bitter Sea without a teacher.

Though his cultivation yielded little progress, he gradually developed his own insights into the Wheel and Sea Scroll of the Longevity Sutra.

The Longevity Sutra was profound and extraordinary, seemingly focused on cultivating the Wheel of Life, pursuing its flawlessness and purity, allowing a Cultivator to retain eternal youth.

Cultivating merely the Wheel and Sea Scroll could grant a person five hundred years of Lifespan.

Li Zhi did not yet know how many years of Lifespan an ordinary Cultivator who had completed the Sea of Wheels Realm could possess, but it would certainly not exceed five hundred.

Unless they were an ancient Cultivator who cultivated a single secret realm.

The Longevity Sutra excelled in Life Force but was ill-suited for combat.

One line in the scripture summarized this trait: "In the same realm, one is three parts weaker than others."

As for whether "others" referred to Cultivators of Great Emperor Scriptures, Sage Scriptures, or ordinary Cultivation Methods, Li Zhi was unclear.

After all, he had yet to enter the cultivation world, had no contact with other Cultivators, and lacked samples for comparison.

Though cultivation remained elusive, Li Zhi eagerly anticipated the subsequent scriptures of this Longevity Sutra.

How could a Cultivation Method with such astonishing Life Force be ordinary?

Perhaps it was even a Great Emperor Scripture.

Unable to make progress in cultivation, Li Zhi turned his focus to studying the intricate patterns on the rubbings.

By chance, he glanced at the large satellite map hanging on the wall.

He suddenly felt that some mountain ranges in the Qinling Mountains, viewed from above, closely resembled certain patterns on the rubbings.

Li Zhi grew intrigued. He copied the patterns onto transparent glass paper and began comparing them with the mountains and rivers of the Qinling Mountains.

Finally, in the central Qinling Mountains, at a place called Worship Terrace, he found a clue.

To the west of Worship Terrace lay a mountain range with a very peculiar orientation. Only when covered in winter snow could one see that the range resembled a giant dragon lying across the Qinling Mountains, with Worship Terrace positioned exactly where the Dragon Pearl would be.

Based on the crude Feng Shui Secret Art Li Zhi had mastered, that place was where the dragon soul ascended to heaven.

Could the subsequent scriptures be hidden there?

This unexpected discovery delighted Li Zhi. If that place was a hermitage for ancient Cultivators, it must be a Treasure Land. Perhaps cultivating there would allow him to sense the existence of the Bitter Sea.

After greeting Zhou Mei, Li Zhi immediately packed his things and set out for the Qinling Mountains.

This time, he traveled alone, bringing all his family heirlooms.

A Luoyang Shovel, an oil lamp, a small brush, a small flat shovel, a compass, and that exceptionally sturdy Snakeskin Bag that even bullets couldn't penetrate.

Li Zhi planned to strap it to his body and use it as bulletproof armor in critical moments.

If necessary, he could also crawl into the bag to avoid danger.

Just as Li Zhi set off.

Yao Le, who had been hiding abroad for over half a year, seeing the heat die down, sneaked back into the country.

He didn't return alone this time but brought a group of foreigners fluent in Chinese.

Moreover, those foreigners all had yellow-skinned faces.

They arrived at the Worship Terrace deep in the Qinling Mountains one step ahead of Li Zhi.