The next day.
After tending the Spirit Field, Li Shuidao was ordered to take his mistress, Qin Yue'e, and his master, Golden-Faced Gentleman, to the Five Poisons Sect Marketplace.
He rode the White Feather Crane steadily, eyes fixed straight ahead. Qin Yue'e and Golden-Faced Gentleman stood tall on the crane's back, their bearing as lofty as immortals descended to the mortal world.
With Qin Yue'e's cultivation, she could easily stand on the crane's back. Golden-Faced Gentleman had already reached the Spirit Refining Realm and could fly through the air on his own, crossing the skies without support. He rode the White Feather Crane only to accompany his wife to the Marketplace.
"Husband, of your four great arts, the only one I can cultivate is the Taiyin Finger. When are you going to teach it to me?" Qin Yue'e blinked her limpid eyes and asked pitifully.
Golden-Faced Gentleman gave his wife a stern glare.
Qin Yue'e immediately covered her mouth.
Her husband, Golden-Faced Gentleman, had always been cautious. His four great arts were kept secret, and no one but her knew of them. Outsiders had not even figured out who his Spirit Companion was.
Now there was another person on the crane's back. She had let something slip.
After a moment's thought, Golden-Faced Gentleman used voice transmission to say, "Although every cultivator of our sect possesses a poison ability, to poison an enemy, you must smear the toxin onto a sharp blade and cut the enemy's skin before you can kill them with it..."
"But once you've mastered the Taiyin Finger, all it takes is a finger pointed from a distance. The poison becomes an invisible, icy force that passes through an enemy's clothes and skin, sending the toxin straight into their body. If they're struck by the Taiyin Finger, they won't have a single wound on them, yet the poison will seep into their meridians and blood, killing them when it takes effect..."
"The Taiyin Finger is a technique for administering poison. Its power grows with the strength of your poison ability. In other words, this Daoist art has no upper limit..."
"The reason cultivators from other sects tremble at the mere mention of ours is that the Taiyin Finger is immensely powerful, strikes without a trace, and is almost impossible to defend against. It deserves the lion's share of the credit."
Qin Yue'e listened, entranced. "Husband, then when will you finally teach it to me?"
Golden-Faced Gentleman continued speaking through voice transmission. "Yue'er, as the saying goes, the Great Dao is simple. The incantation for the Taiyin Finger isn't complicated, but mastering it requires a treasure."
Qin Yue'e blinked and began to wheedle. "My dear, hurry up and tell me what treasure I need!"
Golden-Faced Gentleman smiled faintly and continued explaining through voice transmission. "The key to cultivating the Taiyin Finger is the Poison Dispelling Pearl. Without the pearl to protect the heart meridians, the poison will inevitably reverse course and invade the meridians, rotting the five viscera and six bowels until the cultivator dies."
"What kind of treasure is that? I've never heard of it." Qin Yue'e looked astonished.
"The Poison Dispelling Pearl is refined from the remains of a cultivator of our sect who has reached the Void Nascent Realm and passed away. Only Cultivation Families with deep foundations in our sect possess one. Its effects are astonishing, too. Carry it on your person, and you'll be protected from first- and second-rank poisons."
"It's that powerful? Does that mean that with one of these, even your poison arts would be useless, husband?" Qin Yue'e asked in surprise.
"Hmph! Although my Daoist arts focus on poison, I have more than just poison techniques. If some little Spirit Channeling Realm cultivator dares to challenge me with a Poison Dispelling Pearl in hand, I'll let him taste the might of my Ice Jade Palm." Golden-Faced Gentleman scoffed.
"Then does your family have one?"
"No." Golden-Faced Gentleman shook his head. "You know my family has long since fallen into decline. I mastered the Taiyin Finger with the sect's Poison Dispelling Pearl. Renting it costs two hundred merit points a day, and you need it for at least a month. What's more, the cultivation takes place in the sect's Scripture Hall. The pearl is absolutely forbidden from leaving the hall..."
"So cultivating the Taiyin Finger takes at least six thousand merit points?" Qin Yue'e asked.
"That's right."
"Husband, I'm still short more than five thousand merit points. Could you help me make up the difference?" Qin Yue'e pleaded pitifully.
Golden-Faced Gentleman furrowed his brow as well and gave a wry smile. "Yue'e, you know I'm short on merit points too. To earn six thousand, I'd have to take part in the sect trials."
Qin Yue'e replied unhappily, "Husband, you're so powerful, and Golden-Faced Gentleman is a name that commands respect. How could you be afraid of the trials against your fellow disciples?"
Golden-Faced Gentleman was at a loss for words. He knew Yue'e had a point. He sighed softly. "Yue'e, I'm sorry. But merit points don't grow overnight; they take time to accumulate. Are you really going to be angry with your husband over this?"
Qin Yue'e's eyes reddened, and she pouted. "How could I dare be angry with you? I've decided to take part in the trials myself and earn the merit points to cultivate the Taiyin Finger."
"Don't you know how dangerous the sect trials are? How could I let you take part?" Golden-Faced Gentleman looked at her tenderly and spoke softly. "Yue'e, don't be sad. I'll buy you a Yuheng Pill when we get to the Marketplace."
"I promise you, once I've accumulated enough merit points, I'll send you to the Scripture Hall so you can cultivate the Taiyin Finger."
Only then did Qin Yue'e turn her tears to laughter. She gazed at Golden-Faced Gentleman with gratitude and said gently, "Husband, you're such a kind man."
The White Feather Crane landed outside the Five Poisons Sect Marketplace, and Golden-Faced Gentleman and Qin Yue'e entered hand in hand.
The enormous White Feather Crane couldn't stay there, so it had to rest in a nearby valley.
Li Shuidao guided the White Feather Crane into the valley.
There were quite a few White Feather Cranes in the valley, along with many birds and beasts Li Shuidao didn't recognize.
These spirit beasts were all tamed spirit pets, each watched over by a young cultivator.
Li Shuidao found a grassy patch beside a stream and let the White Feather Crane catch fish and shrimp on its own while he stood guard nearby.
He wanted to stroll around the Marketplace too, especially since he had heard that Daoist Books for cultivation could be bought there.
What a pity...
The Five Poisons Sect Marketplace was so close, yet he couldn't go in and broaden his horizons.
The White Feather Crane had to be watched, or someone would steal it.
A White Feather Crane was worth dozens of spirit stones—far more than a Spirit Channeling Realm disciple.
That was why, even though Qin Yue'e could ride a White Feather Crane herself, she had insisted on hiring a dedicated chauffeur.
Suddenly,
a voice called from behind him. "Brother Shuidao, is that you?"
Li Shuidao turned around and was delighted to find that it was his Li Family kinsman, Li Yijun.
Li Shuidao hurried over to Li Yijun and clasped his hand tightly. "Yijun, it's been so long! What are you doing here?"
Li Yijun happily pointed to a large crane behind him. "Brother Shuidao, I never expected we'd both be lucky enough to become spirit beast tamers. Look, this is the White Feather Crane my master taught me to ride."
Li Shuidao studied the two White Feather Cranes carefully. They really did look almost identical.
If one got stolen, there'd be no getting it back.
"Yijun, whose tutelage are you under?" Li Shuidao asked.
"Scorpion Shadow Venerable," Li Yijun replied.
"Shuilang and I became disciples of Golden-Faced Gentleman."
"What is Brother Shuilang doing now?" Li Yijun asked.
"He's already taken leave and gone home."
"To get married and have children?"
"Of course."
"So now he's...?"
"That's right. He's working at it day and night, waiting for results."
"By the way, where is Golden-Faced Gentleman's cave abode?" Li Yijun asked.
"On the eastern slopes of Poison Dragon Ridge."
"Where is Poison Hand Old Man's cave abode?"
"On the southern slopes."
"That's quite a distance apart," Li Shuidao said regretfully.
"We're both spirit beast tamers. We have to take our White Feather Cranes out for a stretch every day, so we can just arrange to meet somewhere."
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