Controlling Magical Artifacts, Secrets

Treating the sick and healing people!

Many disciples knew that the sect master and Elder Li were skilled physicians, but this was the first time Qingxiao Sect had made money through medicine. Many were curious and gathered at the new courtyard to watch.

As a result, Li Dongyue used the Spring Return Ghost Immortal Needle to cure the merchant's daughter with just three needles, astonishing the merchant. He immediately took a piece of Green Jade from his chest as thanks, saying it could fetch a thousand strings of cash. Yang Jueding examined it and confirmed that it was indeed worth a great deal.

The merchant's surname was Liu, and his given name was Fanzhou. He was not from Guzhou, but merely did business there. He was stout and had been wiping sweat ever since he climbed the mountain. Besides his daughter, he had brought two guards, who carried precious blades and helped them with their luggage.

Liu Fanzhou's daughter did have a strange illness, but only because impurities had blocked a few hidden acupoints. It was not life-threatening. Once the Spring Return Ghost Immortal Needle opened her acupoints, she was cured. His daughter immediately felt full of energy and began bouncing around the room, moving Liu Fanzhou to tears.

For such a generous tycoon, Li Qingqiu received him personally and observed every courtesy.

"Sect Master Li, I've heard that Qingxiao Sect has the air of a Daoist school. I wonder if you know any spells to exorcise evil. I know someone who's been plagued by a demon. If you could help him, he'd surely reward you handsomely. He's far richer than I am." Liu Fanzhou suddenly spoke as he drank tea with Li Qingqiu.

Besides Li Qingqiu, Zhang Yuchun was also keeping him company. He was very interested in this merchant, who had wealth spilling from his pockets.

When he had gone down the mountain before, Zhang Yuchun had heard of Liu Fanzhou. He was no ordinary man of the streets, but a genuine tycoon.

"Richer than you? Just how rich is he?" Zhang Yuchun couldn't help asking.

Li Qingqiu glared at Zhang Yuchun. Why was this kid so vulgar? It was unbecoming. Couldn't he wait until later to ask?

Liu Fanzhou laughed. "My fortune is less than a tenth of his. But he has a special status—he's an official."

So he was a government official.

Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun understood. Officials were all rich in this day and age.

"You said he's plagued by a demon. Could you tell us more?" Li Qingqiu asked.

As a cultivator, he wasn't frightened to hear about demons. If anything, he was intrigued.

Liu Fanzhou's smile faded as he recalled the matter. "Every night at midnight, ghosts haunt his residence. Aside from people, no living creature in the house survives the night. He's had the residence searched several times, but no one could figure anything out. He even asked experts from the White Emperor Mansion to keep watch overnight, but it did no good. As long as they put any nonhuman living creature in the house, it would die mysteriously, even with experts watching over it."

"Did anyone keep their eyes on the creatures?" Li Qingqiu pressed.

"Of course. Four first-rate experts watched the chicken coop. The moment midnight came, all the chickens dropped dead. It scared the wits out of those experts."

Whenever Liu Fanzhou spoke of it, he shivered, and the sweat on his forehead grew heavier.

"That's eerie!" Zhang Yuchun exclaimed. He immediately had second thoughts and didn't want to take the job.

Liu Fanzhou nodded. "It is. How else could you explain it, if not as the work of evil spirits? So many experts have gone there, and none could do a thing. His residence is an official residence, too, and since no one has died, it can't be demolished. He can only endure it, trembling with fear every night."

After hearing this, Li Qingqiu didn't think it sounded like the work of evil spirits. If it were really haunted, how could anyone live there?

Still, the matter wasn't worth his going down the mountain himself. Sending other disciples might draw them into some unknown trouble, so he decided not to take it on.

"Exorcism is a method of the immortals. Though Qingxiao Sect aspires to the immortal path, for now we're still within the realm of martial arts. We can't resolve this matter either," Li Qingqiu said.

Liu Fanzhou wasn't disappointed. He had only mentioned it in passing, and the trouble belonged to someone else anyway.

He was quite interested in Qingxiao Sect. Li Dongyue had cured his daughter with three needles, which was simply miraculous. He asked to stay on the mountain for three days, and Li Qingqiu agreed. There were plenty of houses below the sect, some set aside specifically for guests.

After chatting a while longer, Li Qingqiu got up and left, leaving Zhang Yuchun to keep Liu Fanzhou company.

Zhang Yuchun was very interested in the merchant's trade and began asking Liu Fanzhou for advice. Over the next three days, he often spent time with him.

Three days later, Liu Fanzhou's daughter, Liu Yan, insisted on becoming Li Dongyue's disciple and refused to go down the mountain. Liu Fanzhou could only ask Li Qingqiu, who eventually agreed.

After Liu Yan became Li Dongyue's disciple, Li Qingqiu immediately opened the Legacy System to inspect her attributes.

Unfortunately, despite having recovered from her serious illness, Liu Yan had no special Fate. Her aptitude and comprehension were both mediocre.

As time went on, Li Qingqiu actually began to think that even being mediocre counted as a kind of genius. After all, this was a measure of cultivation aptitude, and many people received only the lowest, worthless rating.

Overjoyed that his daughter had become a disciple, Liu Fanzhou immediately prepared to leave, saying he would send someone with a grand gift.

That was an unexpected bonus.

Night fell.

Li Qingqiu went alone to the underground Spirit Lake. With his current cultivation, it didn't take long to get down from the mountaintop.

He took out the little knife Jiang Kuotian had given him back then and once again infused it with Origin Energy.

When he had still been at the fourth layer of the Yangyuan Realm, he had failed, but he had clearly felt that the backlash from the restriction inside the knife wasn't as strong. So he was certain he could succeed once he reached the fifth layer.

The underground Spirit Lake shimmered with a faint glow. Spirit Stones embedded in the cave walls gleamed like brilliant jewels. A faint breeze stirred through the subterranean space, making the atmosphere even more tranquil.

Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged by the lake, his robe fluttering slightly. As he infused Origin Energy into the little knife, spiritual energy gradually gathered around him.

After a while,

The little knife in his hand began to glow silver. He opened his eyes and smiled.

Success!

He had broken through the restriction inside the knife and left his own mark of Origin Energy on it. As he began forming a kind of mental connection with the knife, he also received some information.

The little knife was called the Flying Fish Blade. It came with a spell that could cut through Origin Energy, and it was incredibly sharp.

"As expected of a cultivation artifact. It's truly wondrous."

Li Qingqiu was fascinated by the restrictions inside the artifact. They had been imprinted with Origin Energy, yet could carry information and turn mechanisms into something immaterial. This was beyond the realm of martial arts.

If he understood these restrictions, perhaps he could learn how to forge artifacts.

One day, every member of Qingxiao Sect would have an artifact of their own. Otherwise, how could they be called a cultivation sect?

Li Qingqiu began practicing how to control the Flying Fish Blade. Now that it had recognized him as its master, he could wield it as easily as his own arm. The more he played with it, the more he liked it.

Then he left the underground Spirit Lake and went into the woods. He hurled the Flying Fish Blade away, wanting to see how far he could control it.

Even after the Flying Fish Blade left his line of sight, he could still sense its direction and distance. The sensation was remarkably strange.

The farther away it went, the weaker his control over the Flying Fish Blade became.

After it had flown about three hundred zhang, his connection to the Flying Fish Blade snapped. He took a few steps forward, sensed it again, and raised a hand to call it back.

Three hundred zhang was no short distance!

In modern terms, its speed and range were already comparable to a sniper rifle.

With a sharp whistle as it cut through the air, Li Qingqiu raised his hand and caught the Flying Fish Blade as it shot back. The moment it landed in his hand, its force dissipated, making it easy to catch without the slightest jolt.

"Completely unscientific. This is the marvel of cultivation."

Li Qingqiu murmured to himself. He raised his other hand and ran it along the blade. The spiritual energy within it dispersed, leaving it like an ordinary weapon. Only then did he feel at ease.

Even if he encountered a cultivator in the future, it would be difficult for them to detect anything unusual about the Flying Fish Blade.

"I should have a scabbard made to fit the Flying Fish Blade, then hang it at my waist."

As he thought this, Li Qingqiu headed up the mountain.

He didn't move particularly fast. Out of habit, he kept his steps light and silent.

As he passed through a stretch of woods, Li Qingqiu turned his head. He heard someone practicing swordplay in the distance.

He went over to take a look and saw a young man practicing with a sword among the trees. Looking closely, he realized it was Xue Jin, who had joined the Thirteen Sword Disciples.

Xue Jin was one of the few disciples in Qingxiao Sect with good cultivation aptitude and comprehension. Li Qingqiu had personally recommended him to the Thirteen Sword Disciples, so he remembered him well.

Why was he practicing swordplay alone so late at night?

This place was two or three li from the courtyard where the Thirteen Sword Disciples lived. Was he afraid someone would find out?

Li Qingqiu watched quietly and realized he had never seen Xue Jin's sword style before. He had once watched Jiang Zhaoxia teach the Thirteen Sword Disciples, but hadn't seen her teach this set of moves either.

It seemed Xue Jin had a secret.

Li Qingqiu opened the Legacy System and confirmed that Xue Jin's loyalty hadn't decreased. Then he thought no more of it and continued up the mountain.

Everyone had secrets. As long as they posed no threat to Qingxiao Sect, that was fine.

The winter snow melted, and spring winds swept in.

A month after leaving, Liu Fanzhou returned with people in tow. This time, he brought a great many—more than a hundred. In a lively procession, he set about building a mountain road for Qingxiao Sect.

"Your Qingxiao Sect is wonderful in every way, but getting up the mountain is too difficult. A sedan chair can't make it, so I have to climb, and it's terribly inconvenient. My daughter has already joined Qingxiao Sect, and I'll surely be coming often from now on. Not building a road would be like taking years off my life."

Wiping away his sweat, Liu Fanzhou grinned at Li Qingqiu.

Faced with such generosity, Li Qingqiu could only thank him profusely and didn't dare refuse.

First, Qingxiao Sect needed the road. Second, Liu Fanzhou had brought so many people. If he refused, the loss would be irreparable—and they might even become enemies.

Liu Fanzhou also said that wherever he went from then on, he would spread the word about Qingxiao Sect and encourage more people in need to come up the mountain for treatment.

"Tycoon Liu, I'm truly grateful for your kindness. But when you tell others about this, don't exaggerate too much. My junior sister might not be able to cure them, and that wouldn't just tarnish my sect's reputation—it would embarrass you as well," Li Qingqiu said with a smile.

"Understood, understood. You can trust me to handle it!"

Liu Fanzhou waved his sleeve as he spoke, brimming with confidence.

Li Qingqiu liked him more and more. He decided to look after Liu Yan a little more in the future, and once her loyalty reached a certain level, teach her the first layer of the Taiqing Primordial Scripture.

The two hadn't chatted for long before Zhang Yuchun pulled Liu Fanzhou away. They were twenty-three years apart in age, yet seemed like friends from different generations. Their temperaments matched, and they never ran out of things to talk about.

Building the road would take time, especially with the mountains stretching on without end. Liu Fanzhou left a servant behind to supervise the workers. He had other business to attend to, so he took his two guards and went back down the mountain.

Li Qingqiu stood atop the mountain, looking down over the ranges. With his keen eyesight, he could just make out the workers bustling at the foot of a distant mountain.

If you want to get rich, build roads first. Everything was moving in the right direction.