An Unwelcome Guest

A soft thwick sounded as the silver needle pierced deep into the wooden door, its long tip emerging on the other side.

Gao Xian was both surprised and delighted. The White Plum Needles were much heavier than ordinary sewing needles because of their special material, and once propelled by magical power, they packed a much greater punch.

But the claim that they could pierce heavy armor from ten paces away was clearly Huang Ying's sales pitch. He couldn't take it at face value.

Back home, Gao Xian felt as though he'd been taken for a ride. He'd probably overpaid for the White Plum Needles.

Still, they were useful enough. It wasn't money completely wasted.

Huang Ying had also had two special pouches sewn into his sleeves. They were essentially pockets with separate compartments.

His sleeves had already had pockets, but these custom-made ones were more refined, with a more practical arrangement of compartments.

The two pouches let him sort and store talismans, Spirit Stones, pills, magical artifacts, and the like, making them easy to retrieve.

Gao Xian was quite pleased with the change. His Lightning Dragon Hand was both quick and nimble, and keeping everything in his sleeves meant he could grab what he needed at once.

With so many things tucked into his sleeves, he had to be even more careful when using the White Plum Needles.

The needle holes in the Silver Bracer sat right against his wrist. One wrong move, and he could injure himself.

Runes were hidden inside the hollow Silver Bracer. By activating them with magical power, he could shoot the White Plum Needles out of their concealed slots.

According to Huang Ying, the White Plum Needles were extremely light and required very little magical power to activate, making them perfect for a cultivator like him, who was only at the second level of Qi Refining.

However, to control a White Plum Needle after firing it, he needed to nourish it with magical power every day until he and the needle formed a stable connection. Only then could he wield it as he pleased.

Huang Ying knew he had no idea how to control a magical artifact, so she kindly explained a great many basics to him.

Following Huang Ying's instructions, Gao Xian held a White Plum Needle and focused his mind, visualizing as he summoned his magical power.

Sister Lan appeared in the depths of Gao Xian's brow. A flash of spiritual light fell from her, and in a daze, Gao Xian felt an invisible connection form between him and the White Plum Needle.

Gao Xian tried to control the needle. His intention passed to Sister Lan in the depths of his brow, and she then summoned magical power to wield it.

At the same time, he silently recited the incantation for activating the White Plum Needle.

With his mind, voice, and body resonating as one, the three-inch silver needle slowly floated into the air.

Gao Xian could control the White Plum Needle, but it always felt unsteady, as though he couldn't quite exert himself or keep it under control.

He remembered learning to ride a bicycle for the first time. Getting on wasn't hard, but it was difficult to keep his balance. The bike wobbled, and he couldn't control its direction or force.

This flying needle was like that hard-to-control bicycle, only much more difficult.

Fortunately, Sister Lan held the fort, helping him gather his intent, form the runes, and control his magical power. He didn't have to handle the trickiest technical details himself, which made wielding the White Plum Needle much easier.

After only a few tries, Gao Xian had already grasped the basics of controlling the White Plum Needle.

But once he put the needle in the Bracer's hollow slot and fired it with magical power, its speed became tremendous, and controlling it grew a hundred times harder.

It was like someone who could barely ride a bicycle climbing onto a motorcycle going two hundred miles an hour.

The White Plum Needle shot out and immediately went out of control, piercing the wooden door at tremendous speed and missing the spot Gao Xian had aimed for entirely.

Fortunately, each shot consumed very little magical power, allowing Gao Xian to practice over and over.

Accustomed to the stable order of his previous life, Gao Xian simply couldn't get used to this dangerous world of cultivation. He was constantly on edge.

In modern society, even if you chose to do the bare minimum, you could still eat your fill and stay warm. At the very least, your life wouldn't be in danger.

In this world, one wrong move, and someone could kill you.

The surest way to protect himself was to increase his own strength.

If he had no way to do that, he would have had to accept it. But he possessed a wondrous treasure like the Wind and Moon Mirror, and a clear path to grow stronger. He had to get in the grind and become the cultivation world's ultimate try-hard!

With that resolve, Gao Xian spent all his time practicing spells and the White Plum Needles.

Thanks to his two secret arts, the Great Idol Spirit Method and the Lightning Dragon Hand, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds—truly a thousand miles in a single day.

In just a few days, he had raised the White Plum Needles to Proficient Level.

Gao Xian could now fire four White Plum Needles at once, and make them change direction or accelerate mid-flight.

Within ten paces, his aim was fairly good. Beyond that, the White Plum Needles began to wobble and go out of control.

Once he reached Proficient Level, his skills improved noticeably more slowly.

With Ice Arrow Art and Flame Bomb, as well as the White Plum Needles, Gao Xian finally had a little confidence.

Cultivation wasn't just about fighting and killing. Most of life still revolved around the everyday necessities.

Gao Xian wanted to spend all day cultivating, too, but he still had pills to make.

Only by refining pills could he earn Spirit Stones, and only with Spirit Stones could he buy spirit rice, magical artifacts, pills, and all the other necessities.

He had enough ingredients left to refine one more batch of Foundation Strengthening Pills. He needed to get to work as soon as possible and make them.

All the ingredients were ready. Gao Xian lit the fire and set up the furnace.

Gao Xian had become so adept at refining low-grade pills like the Foundation Strengthening Pills that the work now came to him with effortless ease.

During the dull, tedious stretches of pill refining, he could pet the cat, read, or meditate.

Cooking, though, was out of the question. Fortunately, one White Dew Pill could sustain him for a whole day, providing more spiritual energy than spirit rice or demonic beast meat.

It was simple, convenient, and quick to take—a miracle drug essential for home and travel alike.

Gao Xian had boiled some strips of demonic beast meat for the kitten ahead of time, enough to last it.

After three days of work, a fresh, piping-hot batch of Foundation Strengthening Pills was ready.

They were one big lump of green goo, looking a bit like thick mung bean porridge.

Gao Xian rolled the pills by hand and coated them with cinnabar to seal in their medicinal properties. Thanks to the Lightning Dragon Hand, he got through these simple tasks as quickly as an automated assembly line.

At last, he'd finished the job. Now he could put his plan into action.

Gao Xian couldn't help humming a tune. Just as he was feeling cheerful, he heard a faint noise.

His heart clenched. It was the middle of the night, and it was raining. Who would come knocking now?

He hurriedly wiped his hands and pulled a Golden Body Talisman from his sleeve pouch with his right hand, ready to use it.

At the same time, Gao Xian blew out the oil lamp beside him.

The room fell dark. Only the remaining coals in the pill furnace glowed a dim red.

Gao Xian moved out of the coal's glow and carefully pressed himself against the wall. He raised his left hand, aiming a White Plum Needle toward the door.

He had no experience dealing with a sudden threat like this. His heart was pounding, his breathing quick, and even the hand gripping the Golden Body Talisman had grown clammy.

After a while, the night rain kept pattering outside. Its rushing sound only made everything seem eerily quiet. Apart from that, he couldn't hear a thing.

The stillness only made the atmosphere more oppressive. Unable to help himself, Gao Xian called out, "Who's out there?!"

He was so nervous that his voice came out shrill, though he didn't notice it himself.

Old Wang, hiding outside the door, heard it and sneered in contempt. That little brat usually put on a fine act. He'd even blown out the lamp and hidden himself just now—quick on the uptake, all right. But he was scared half to death!

Old Wang had worried for nothing. There was no need to be so cautious.

Now that Old Wang had sized up Gao Xian, he felt more confident.

He stepped forward and knocked twice on the door. "Xiao Gao, open up. It's me!"

Over the rushing rain, Old Wang's aged voice sounded even more sinister.

Gao Xian's heart lurched in the pill room. It really was Old Wang!

He hurriedly said, "I'm refining pills. It's not convenient right now. Come back tomorrow..."

"That won't do. I have urgent business."

Old Wang impatiently shoved at the door, making it bang loudly, but couldn't push it open.

Gao Xian was timid, so he'd long since bolted the solid wooden door shut with a thick bar.

Old Wang was experienced, too. Rather than waste his strength on the door, he threw himself at the window, smashing the frame to pieces and crashing into the pill room.

"What are you doing?!"

Gao Xian shrieked and shrank into the corner, hurriedly activating the Golden Body Talisman.

A flash of golden light passed through his sleeve and coated his body in a faint, dusky yellow glow.

Activating this kind of talisman also required a corresponding incantation. With Sister Lan's help, Gao Xian could activate the Golden Body Talisman silently, in an instant.

It felt as though he'd put on a layer of translucent, skin-tight armor, wrapping snugly around him.

His muscles tensed of their own accord, and his body filled with strength. Though he didn't know exactly what the Golden Body Talisman could do, it made him feel two shades safer—and a little more confident.

In the dim pill room, lit only by the coals, Old Wang didn't notice anything unusual about Gao Xian.

He pointed his sword at Gao Xian and sneered. "Look at you, cowering there. What the hell are you afraid of? I don't eat people..."

The pill room was thick with the scent of medicine. Old Wang spotted a large spread of pills on the table.

He couldn't make out what they looked like in the gloom, but the familiar scent of Foundation Strengthening Pills gave them away.

Old Wang's eyes lit up. With this many Foundation Strengthening Pills, they had to be worth at least dozens of Spirit Stones...