Hanyu was immersed in a wondrous aura, while the Glazed Bottle in his mind bounced about in delight.
Once the fortune had condensed to a certain degree, the Glazed Bottle swallowed it all in one gulp.
Little Glazed burped repeatedly in his mind, her voice childish and milky, like an overstuffed child.
After the fortune had been nurtured inside the Glazed Bottle for a while, Mysterious Yellow Qi slowly sprayed from its mouth. It soon wrapped around the bottle, then used itself to smelt the bottle.
"What about the Fire Element Supernatural Power you mentioned?"
Hanyu watched eagerly and could not help urging her on.
"What's the rush? Wait a little longer." Little Glazed spoke in her childish voice.
After the bottle had been smelted for some time, it gradually reached saturation, and the remaining Mysterious Yellow Qi was swallowed back in.
Pfft!
Just like the fire that had erupted in his mind last time, a mass of Mysterious Yellow substance spurted from the bottle's mouth. After exploding, it formed a blaze even more ferocious than the previous one.
The raging fire not only tempered the bottle but also tempered Hanyu's consciousness. He and the Glazed Bottle seemed to grow even more closely connected.
As the flames gradually shrank, they slowly formed a lotus-shaped flame.
"Try taking it out as if you were retrieving a pill." Little Glazed reminded him.
Hanyu hurriedly visualized taking out the flame. Soon, a cluster of red fire appeared in his palm.
Hanyu's expression darkened. "This is the Fire Element Supernatural Power you mentioned? What can a little flame like this do? Start a fire to cook, or light a lamp?"
"There's no such thing as getting something without putting in the work. You need to cultivate it."
Hanyu's expression darkened even further. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I ate the Life Creation Pill, so I can't cultivate at all. What use is this supernatural power to me?"
"Who says you can't cultivate? Your cultivation is me!" Little Glazed said with a grin.
"As long as I receive feedback, I'll send part of it back to you. That way, your supernatural power will keep growing stronger."
Minzhou City.
Two days had passed since the Xiao Clan incident, but the commotion surrounding it only continued to grow. Every day, curious onlookers would stand far away and take a look.
Someone had seen two Tianshui Sect disciples drag a corpse each out of the Xiao Clan that day.
"Isn't that the little girl who broke off the engagement?"
Someone recognized Qiu Susu.
After giving it some thought, those with ulterior motives pieced together the whole sequence of events—from breaking off the engagement to suffering a loss and then the killing afterward. It seemed both sides had lost people, and no one had truly come out ahead.
It was hard not to sigh over it.
Amid the broken walls and ruins, Xiao Shui stood alone, his desolate back facing the world. The Xiao Mansion was nearly destroyed.
Lu Dayou paced in and lightly coughed a few times.
"Lord Lu."
Xiao Shui cupped his fists in greeting. Lu Dayou had protected the Xiao Clan before. Even if it had merely been his duty, Xiao Shui was still deeply grateful.
Lu Dayou had changed into a loose robe today, though his complexion remained rather pale. His condition finally allowed him to walk around, and whether out of emotion or reason, he had wanted to make this trip.
"What are you planning to do?"
Lu Dayou came to his side and asked in a solemn voice.
"Rebuild the Xiao Clan." Xiao Shui looked bitterly at the collapsed towers and courtyards around him and gave a wry smile.
Lu Dayou sighed and patted his shoulder. "Find a place they can't locate instead. You can't stay here anymore—for the sake of the Xiao Clan, and for the sake of Minzhou City."
The Tianshui Sect had lost an elder of the Peeping God Realm. The two sides now harbored an irreconcilable grudge. When the time came, it would not be one or two people who arrived; the entire Tianshui Sect might descend in force.
A single Death-Seeking Taoist had already driven the Xiao Clan to this state. If the entire Tianshui Sect mobilized, the Xiao Clan would certainly perish.
Xiao Shui remained silent. Only after a long while did he slowly nod and sigh. "I understand. I'll leave tomorrow."
"What price did you pay this time?"
Before leaving, Lu Dayou finally gave in to his curiosity and asked. Considering the change in Xiao Shui that day and Hanyu's presence, it was not hard to guess that Hanyu had given him another pill.
"Ten years of fortune!" Xiao Shui said as calmly as if he were discussing the weather, but Lu Dayou's hair stood on end.
Ten years of fortune and thirty years of bad luck. Lu Dayou felt a chill just thinking about it. If he had to endure thirty years of misfortune, he probably would not sleep soundly for the rest of his life.
Not thirty years—there were nine years before that. He had lost thirteen years of fortune.
He had thirteen years of fortune!
Lu Dayou realized it in an instant, and his gaze toward Xiao Shui immediately changed.
To possess thirteen years of fortune meant being favored by Heaven and Earth.
If he had not lost it, would he not have become a major figure in the future?
He looked at Xiao Shui with deep regret.
"I'm wondering whether I should go back and find Lord Lu, give him a pill, and exchange it for some fortune."
Hanyu smacked his lips and suddenly thought of Lu Dayou.
Little Glazed had said that people blessed with great fortune were rare. Generally, only that small portion of people favored by fortune possessed it.
Everyone else could only receive ordinary feedback from pills, focusing on steady accumulation, drop by drop until it became a river.
Hanyu was eager to let his single spark start a prairie fire, so he immediately set his sights on Lu Dayou.
"Forget him. That one year of fortune came from relying on the dynasty in the first place, and now it's already been squeezed dry." Little Glazed spoke with undisguised disdain.
On a narrow winding path, Hanyu once again lay atop a Big Yellow Ox. There was no helping it—the whole Minzhou Prefecture had too few horses, while yellow oxen were everywhere.
Yellow oxen had their advantages too. On paths this difficult, they walked as if on level ground. Sitting atop the broad, steady back, Hanyu found himself quite comfortable.
He reclined and gazed at the horizon. Gradually, he saw the tip of a tower. As time passed, its outline grew clearer, and then he saw the tower itself.
It was a Nine-Story Tower. He had just glimpsed its ornate carvings when the distant sound of chanting scriptures drifted out from within.
It turned out to be a Precious Temple, and Hanyu immediately lost interest.
Just as he tugged the reins, preparing to make the ox turn around, something in his robes suddenly stirred.
Curious, he took it out. It was the Command Token for the Rogue Cultivator Self-Strengthening Sect that Yixian had given him. If he remembered correctly, Yixian had said it could still be used to request aid.
Holding the Command Token, he turned in all directions. At last, when it pointed toward the towering Nine-Story Tower, it began to throb rapidly.
Someone really was calling for help.
A Rogue Cultivator's cry for help coming from a temple chanting Buddhist scriptures—however he thought about it, it felt strange.
He continued forward, and a small temple soon appeared right before him.
The place was not large. There were only four or five side rooms to the east and several small lofts to the south. The rest was occupied by the Nine-Story Tower. Standing outside the temple, he could hear Buddhist chants without end, as though someone were standing beside his ear and reciting them directly to him.
"White Bone Temple?"
Hanyu stood at the entrance and glanced at the signboard, wondering if his eyes had deceived him. When he looked again, he felt it read "White Moon Temple."
Was it White Bone Temple or White Moon Temple?
Standing behind the door, he gently knocked. Soon, a young novice came to answer.
When the door opened, a young novice, his childish features not yet faded, stood there timidly with his palms pressed together. "Greetings, benefactor."
Hanyu blinked and improvised an excuse. "Little Master, I lost my way in these mountains and am tired and thirsty. Could I come in for a bowl of water and rest for a while?"
The young novice looked at him, seeming somewhat hesitant. "Please wait a moment. I'll ask the Abbot for permission."
With that, the door closed again, and Hanyu could still hear the young novice running inside.
Hanyu rubbed his nose and waited outside the door.
After a moment, the young novice opened the door with an apologetic look. "The Abbot says this temple is only a small wilderness monastery and does not receive guests. Go west down the mountain for half an hour; there's a farmstead over there."
With that, the door closed again.
A temple that did not receive guests? That was certainly a curiosity.
Entering through the door was one option. Naturally, there were ways to enter without using the door.
How hard could it be to climb a wall? Hanyu found an inconspicuous spot, vaulted over it, and jumped inside.
The surroundings were utterly silent. Even the young novice from before had vanished without a trace.
Hanyu hunched down and crept along the wall toward the tower. By then, the Buddhist chants had grown louder and louder.
At the base of the tower, a group of monks, both young and old, sat cross-legged in a circle. They chanted in unison after an old monk seated in the center.
The young novice from before was among them as well.
At a glance, there seemed to be nothing amiss with the scene.
Yet the Command Token in his robes was throbbing faster and faster.
Was the person inside?
Before you continue