Blood Qi and Masculine Vigor

Chapter 19: Blood Qi and Yang Vigor

Hong Yi's soul had just turned to drift back when he suddenly felt a chill run through his entire body, as if he were being watched. He looked at the faint red glow flickering above the roof and realized it wasn't actual light, but the powerful, vibrant blood qi and yang vigor sensed by his soul.

"The blood qi of a Martial Saint is actually this powerful!" Hong Yi thought. He had just reached the level of Night Wandering, and he couldn't get anywhere near such intense yang energy. It was better to head back.

He had finally learned what it meant for blood qi to be so oppressive that ghosts could not approach. Just as he passed through the wall and reached the main gate of the Marquis's estate, he saw the faint red, flame-like glow above the roof, as if the estate were on fire. Even from a distance, the blood qi felt overwhelming.

Hong Yi knew that his father, Marquis Wuwen, had returned. As a Martial Saint, he wondered if his father had been practicing his martial arts today. With this thought, his soul drifted toward the central residence of the estate.

The estate was now bustling with noise; torches illuminated the grounds, and many guards swarmed in. Among them were elite martial masters clad in iron-scaled armor and helmets, wielding fine steel sabers.

"What? Wandering ghosts spying on me?"

Hong Yi was shocked. A scorching heat rushed toward him, making him feel as if he were standing next to a furnace or being pricked by ten thousand needles. His entire being felt so uncomfortable that his soul nearly dissipated.

"Not good!"

Hong Yi's soul was in such agony that he shifted his focus, finally managing to drift away.

Just as Hong Yi retreated, he realized that Hong Xuejiao hadn't discovered him. She had simply been practicing her martial arts near where his soul was hovering, and the intense yang vigor of her blood qi had made it impossible for him to breathe.

Hong Yi knew, of course, the importance of the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist; it was the best technique for a martial artist to advance from the level of a warrior to that of a martial master.

"Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist? Isn't that a secret technique of the Great Zen Temple for refining bones? Even Bai Ziyue didn't obtain it; he had to practice the Flying Spirit Bone Refining Method and spend three years using Tiger Bone Paste to reach the level of steel-like bones. How did it appear here?"

Seeing the book placed on the ground, Hong Yi was only slightly surprised. He had heard Bai Ziyue mention it and knew its origin and specific effects. However, ever since he had obtained the Amitabha Sutra from the Martial Classic, his awe for such manuals had diminished significantly.

After thinking for a moment, he looked toward a dark corner nearby but found nothing.

Since he was a wandering soul, he couldn't turn the pages of a book, but he could watch Hong Xuejiao practice. This was even better than reading; it was like having a living martial master teaching him fist techniques.

Hong Yi didn't approach Hong Xuejiao. Instead, he paced to the side of the courtyard, memorizing every punch and posture of her practice.

Just as Hong Yi drifted into a dark corner, two men in black suddenly appeared at the other end of the building!

These two men were of medium build, with high topknots secured by jade pins, indicating they were Taoists.

"Wusheng Dao, Xuanye."

"Zhenkong Dao, Xuanzhen."

The two black-clad Taoists each announced their names and sects, then added, "We have come to kill you!"

"Hmph! Using soul-projection to assassinate with flying swords—it is merely a petty trick of ghosts and gods. Striking from a hundred paces is no stronger than a bow and not as fast as a crossbow. You dare to assassinate me? You know not the height of the sky or the depth of the earth."

The voice belonged to his father, Hong Xuanji.

As the sword light flew, one could even see chrysanthemum-like cloud patterns on the blades in that split second, and the edge carried a suffocating sensation of a slit throat.

Hong Xuanji's voice came out unhurriedly. However, facing these two streaks of sword light, he suddenly extended his right hand. His hand, crystalline and spotless, reached out to catch the blades. With his thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers, he forcefully pinched the two flying swords.

"Bai Ziyue? That fifteen-year-old martial genius from the Bai family of Yuantu? Relying on him to duel me is still a bit too naive," Hong Xuanji said arrogantly.

With a twist of his wrist, the two swords spun between his fingers. Hong Xuanji shook his arm, and the swords flew out of his hand, whistling as they tore through the air. Their speed was twice as fast and twice as fierce as when they had first flown in.

"Ah!"

Two sprays of blood erupted. The two swords pierced deep into the chests of the black-clad Taoists, projecting out from their backs and pinning them firmly to the ground.

These were purely martial techniques—power and precision. Once the physical bodies died, two intangible, formless yin spirits emerged from them.

"Hmph! You two yin spirits cannot withstand such powerful yang blood qi."

Hong Xuanji's voice came again. At the same time, the main gate of the residence was thrown open, revealing a man in brocade robes and a purple-gold crown, standing straight and imposing like a demon god.

It was indeed the Marquis Wuwen, Hong Xuanji!

Hong Xuanji stepped forward to the two Taoists. Seeing that they still had breath despite being run through, he asked with a cold sneer, "What are the Wusheng Dao and Zhenkong Dao? Why have you come to assassinate me?"

"Hehe... Hong Xuanji, are you truly confused or just pretending? Bai Ziyue's predecessor was one of the Eight Great Demon Immortals of the World... Wusheng Parents, Vacuum Hometown..."

The two Taoists spoke with difficulty.

"Wusheng Dao, Zhenkong Dao... Where did these evil cults come from? In my Great Gan Dynasty, the only officially recognized Taoist sects are the Taishang Dao, Zhengyi Dao, and Fangxian Dao. There is no Wusheng Dao or Zhenkong Dao. You evil clowns want to stir up the hearts of the people, assassinate court officials, and disrupt the order of my dynasty?"

Hong Xuanji closed his eyes, his expression extremely solemn.

"Hehe... Hong Xuanji, don't be so smug. I heard that Bai Ziyue of the Yuantu Bai family has already arrived in Yujing to challenge you. Once you are exhausted from your duel with him, just wait for the endless assassinations from our Wusheng Dao and Zhenkong Dao."

"One of the Eight Great Demon Immortals of the World, is it..."

"Marquis Wuwen is truly a supreme expert of the world, a person who has achieved the status of a Martial Saint... to be able to sense our spying..."

The two Taoists could no longer hold on. At the final moment, they chanted eight strange words and then breathed their last.

Boom!

The two yin spirits could not withstand the powerful yang blood qi and were instantly blasted into nothingness, vanishing between heaven and earth.

"Just had a lapse in concentration and seemed to let a wandering soul get away."

Hong Xuanji's gaze flashed, as if he could see the formless yin spirit. He suddenly threw two punches, striking the space where the spirits had been.

Hong Yi, hearing this, felt his soul tremble. He realized how terrifying his father, the Marquis Wuwen, truly was. This feeling was even more profound than the oppressive sensation that had made his legs go weak in the hall that day.

"Wusheng Parents... Vacuum Hometown..."

Hong Xuanji chewed on these two phrases, falling into deep thought once more.

Meanwhile, Hong Xuejiao had finished practicing and put away her book, returning to her room. Shortly after, Hong Yi heard her instructing a maid to heat water for a bath.

Hong Yi, however, had already drifted out of the Yunting Studio.

"Ziyue taught me the Ox Demon Great Strength Fist, which is for refining flesh, tendons, and membranes, but it only reaches the level of a warrior at most. To go further and reach the level of a martial master, one must have the secret method for refining bones. Since this Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist is here, I should take a look, though my soul cannot turn the pages..."

Hong Yi's thoughts raced. He knew that if he wanted to practice, he had to do it step by step; there was no shortcut.

"Wait, my father has returned. He is a Martial Saint. I wonder if he has been practicing his martial arts every day."

Hong Yi's thoughts turned, and his soul drifted toward the central residence of the estate.