Yakshas Meditation Method

"Master, this is where that person lived."

Steward Huang's demeanor became even more respectful, tinged with a hint of fear.

It was not just because of the strength Zhou Yan had displayed, but also the nonchalant air the man carried when taking lives, which sent a chill deep into his bones.

A person like this must have had countless lives on his hands to remain so indifferent.

He felt as though he could smell the suffocating scent of blood just by standing near Zhou Yan.

"That's enough, you may go. I will stay here for the night and leave tomorrow morning," Zhou Yan said indifferently.

"Please, rest well."

After Steward Huang spoke, he scurried away quickly, as if a malevolent ghost were chasing at his heels.

Perhaps, to him, Zhou Yan seemed even more terrifying than a ghost.

Zhou Yan did not care; in fact, this was exactly the effect he had intended.

Once Steward Huang had departed, Zhou Yan's eyes lit up, and he began to search the room thoroughly.

Although he had already confirmed his cousin was the mastermind behind the ghost-controlling murders, he had always been curious about how the man managed to do it without leaving a single trace.

The two Taoist masters had fallen victim to his treachery precisely because of this.

Had they known he was a practitioner, even with his injuries, he would not have been able to scheme against them so easily.

Soon, Zhou Yan unearthed a collection of items related to cultivation.

"Yakshas Meditation Method!"

Zhou Yan found the man's cultivation technique and flipped through a few pages, his eyes widening in realization.

The man had only been practicing a meditation method and lacked any technique to condense spiritual power, which explained why there was not a trace of it on him.

Of course, Zhou Yan suspected that, like himself, the man had stumbled upon the Yakshas Meditation Method by chance and possessed no other cultivation manuals.

Because, aside from the Yakshas Meditation Method, he also discovered the Lamp Lighting Method and the Starfire Method—likely the techniques of those two rogue cultivators, whose entire fortunes had ultimately fallen into the man's hands.

The Lamp Lighting Method and Starfire Method were useless to Zhou Yan, but the Yakshas Meditation Method filled a significant gap in his repertoire.

Beyond the accumulation of spiritual power, the means to protect one's path, the growth of the soul, and the refinement of one's state of mind were all vital.

The Yakshas Meditation Method was precisely a technique for strengthening the soul.

Most importantly, while it appeared to be a dark art, it was actually a most orthodox Buddhist practice.

This was why the man had not only hidden his tracks well but also suffered no ill effects on his body.

Such was the value of an orthodox mystic technique!

"A fool casting pearls before swine; to take a proper, orthodox mystic technique and turn it into a wicked path of ghost-controlling," Zhou Yan cursed inwardly.

He continued his inspection, finding only common, low-grade magical artifacts—inferior even to his own Soul-Fixing Lamp and Soul-Suppressing Bell in terms of utility.

Still, if sold, they might fetch a bit of money.

Beyond that, there were some banknotes and scattered silver dollars, totaling less than eighty.

It seemed the life of a rogue cultivator was a difficult one indeed.

Finally, Zhou Yan found records of various incantations—standard ones like the Evil-Expelling Incantation, Dharma Eye Curse, Corpse-Suppressing Incantation, Mind-Clearing Incantation, and Ghost-Suppressing Incantation. To him, these were treasures.

While orthodox mystic practitioners might view these as mundane or even beneath them, Zhou Yan had had no way to learn them.

His excitement upon finding them was indescribable.

Only after mastering these incantations could he truly be considered a proper master.

Once his excitement subsided, Zhou Yan's gaze fell upon the Zombie, and a crucial question came to mind.

He composed himself and quickly channeled the Corpse-Controlling Technique.

"Come here."

The Zombie moved swiftly to Zhou Yan's side and stood motionless.

Zhou Yan removed the Zombie's bamboo hat and examined its eyes; finding no signs of bloodlust, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

While the Profound Yin Corpse Refining Technique was marvelous, it carried a massive drawback: the risk of losing control.

The Zombie had just consumed the blood of a practitioner, and Zhou Yan had feared that its strength would surge, making it difficult to control or even leading to a backlash.

But as it stood, everything seemed normal.

He used the refining technique to sense the Zombie's strength and found it had indeed increased significantly.

Fortunately, his proficiency in Corpse Refining had reached Proficient (23/200), and Corpse-Controlling had also reached Proficient (37/200).

Thus, even with the increase in the Zombie's power, it could not break free from the constraints of the refining technique, nor would it cause a backlash.

"Hmm, it seems my preparations were well-made. Aside from needing to improve the Mystic Yin Art, both Corpse Refining and Corpse-Controlling need to be leveled up. I should max them out as soon as possible," Zhou Yan thought to himself.

With Taoist Ma as a cautionary tale, Zhou Yan did not want to stumble in this regard.

Once his mind was at ease, Zhou Yan sat cross-legged and began to study the Yakshas Meditation Method in detail.

Such a precious technique was a temptation he could not resist.

Never mind a single night without sleep; even if it meant staying awake for several days and nights in a row, he would commit the Yakshas Meditation Method to memory, not daring to forget a single word.

Inside the room.

Dong Lei sat high upon his seat, his concubine kneeling before him. They were the only two in the room.

"Why?"

Dong Lei's voice was not loud, but his expression betrayed the fury in his eyes, a fire that could almost consume the person before him.

The concubine trembled with fear at first, but then she seemed to give up all pretense, casting caution to the wind.

"Why? To live, of course. To live well, to live with dignity..."

"I am nothing but a prostitute. What I want is wealth and glory, a reliable pillar for my future, not some precarious, illusory dream..."

"She treated me well, but in the end, whether it was you or her, you were both just using me. You valued the identity of a noble lady I forged, and for the sake of your grand schemes, you pushed me again and again..."

"Since I would be exposed sooner or later, I couldn't escape death anyway. Even if I didn't die, I would never go back to living a life worse than a beast's..."

"So, I want money. Lots and lots of money..."

"And I want a man I can rely on..."

"You cannot give me these things, so I have to find them myself..."

"That fellow Tang He may not be a good man, but he can give me security and wealth. That is enough..."

"..."

Dong Lei watched the woman, who seemed to have gone mad, and slowly closed his eyes.

When she had finished venting, he opened his eyes once more, his gaze as still as an ancient well.

He reached out his hand and placed it upon the top of her head.

"Bang..."

With a soft sound, the concubine's eyes lost their focus, her body slumped to the floor, and she breathed her last.