Please Lend Me a Hand, Senior

Hearing this, He Ping, who wore a paper-pasted ghost mask, felt a stir in his heart.

"A technique to steal solar longevity? I possess the Five Sons Escape Technique and the Incense Burner Spirit Nourishing Method, both evil arts for stealing lunar longevity, but a method capable of stealing a person's solar longevity—that is a rarity indeed..."

He Ping knew that if a mortal's cultivation broke through to the Dao Realm and they comprehended the Heavenly Dao, they would be truly entering the Dao. Anyone who reached this realm would see their cultivation surge and their lifespan greatly extended.

However, even for experts at the Dao-entry level, there was a limit to their lifespan.

Once a practitioner stepped into the Dao Realm, their lifespan could exceed a hundred years, and living to over two hundred was not impossible, but their vitality would eventually be exhausted, and they would fall.

"Only by breaking through to the Dao-entry level can one have the chance to increase solar longevity. Solar longevity is true lifespan, unlike lunar longevity, which offers little benefit to one's own body..."

Solar longevity could nourish blood, qi, and essence.

Once his solar longevity increased, the "blood-leakage syndrome" of withered qi and blood within He Ping's body could be alleviated to the greatest extent.

"Unless I can step into the Dao Realm in one go, it is difficult for me to increase my lifespan. This method of stealing solar longevity is quite useful to me. If I can obtain this bone bowl and acquire the secret technique for stealing solar longevity, perhaps I can alter my constitution..."

He Ping's gaze was deep and focused, a surge of urgent desire churning in his chest.

"Sigh!"

Cheng Zhi also let out a long, mournful sigh and said, "I think it must be this Life-Stealing Bone Bowl that brought such a heaven-toppling disaster upon our Cheng family."

"Are you saying the Cheng Family Ranch was destroyed because something had its eyes on this bone bowl?"

He Ping continued to press Cheng Zhi for answers.

"Yes! That Xie San of the Hu Ma Gang is the enemy who murdered my parents... but Xie San was merely a blade in the hands of the Prefect of Suian City, Sheng Qingzhi. Sheng Qingzhi is the true mastermind behind it all. It was he who directed the Hu Ma Gang and those people from the Long Wind Society to slaughter all forty members of my family and destroy the Cheng Family Ranch!!!"

Whenever Cheng Zhi recalled the tragedy that occurred at the Cheng Family Ranch that day, he would clench his fists tightly, his teeth grinding together with a grating sound born of hatred.

"My elder sister and I only escaped death by hiding in a broken water vat. We survived the inferno, and later, we encountered a stranger who helped us escape the pursuit of that gang... but too many of the Cheng family died under Xie San's blade. This blood feud must be settled with that dog-thief Sheng Qingzhi."

"A stranger?"

"He was a senior who taught us boxing, blade techniques, and other martial arts, and he even instructed my sister in a few mystical arts."

Cheng Zhi sighed slightly.

"It is a pity my aptitude is too poor; I only achieved success in physical martial arts, while I could barely enter the door of the mystical arts. By the way... Senior, when you saved me, did you happen to see my elder sister?"

Hearing this question, He Ping raised one eyebrow.

(This guy... does he really not know that Cheng Yujiao is already dead?)

His thoughts shifted slightly, and he spoke unhurriedly: "That Wandering Soul Ghost Village is located within a domain of yin and yang ghosts. I only stumbled into it by accident and saved you through a stroke of luck. As for your sister, I have not seen her."

Upon hearing this, a look of frustration appeared on Cheng Zhi's face. He then muttered to himself with extreme remorse: "It is all my fault. If not for me, my sister would never have met with such a disaster."

Seeing this expression, He Ping felt suspicious.

(This Cheng fellow was there at the time. Or perhaps the shock was too great, and he forgot? Or for some other reason, he truly has no memory of that event? Forget it...)

—Naturally, the possibility that Cheng Zhi was deliberately playing the fool could not be ruled out. But for a small character like him, playing games in front of him was meaningless; crushing him would not even require an extra finger.

"How do you know the true mastermind behind this is the Prefect, Sheng Qingzhi? And what does Sheng Qingzhi want with that bone bowl?"

He Ping asked another question.

Cheng Zhi's expression was gloomy, but hearing He Ping's inquiry, he answered honestly.

"We didn't know at first that this had anything to do with that dog-thief Sheng. It was only after my sister and I investigated in many ways that we found out... Also, that senior helped a great deal. It was thanks to him that we captured a villain involved in the Cheng Family Ranch incident. Through interrogation, we learned from his own mouth that it was the Prefect, Sheng Qingzhi, who ordered the attack."

Hearing this, He Ping sensed something fishy. His intuition told him that this so-called "senior" was highly problematic; the fact that he chose to help the Cheng siblings likely meant he had ulterior motives.

Thus, he continued to ask: "What is that man's name?"

"That senior is called Chixinzi, and he hails from the Immortal Puppet Sect. I wonder, does this Senior Chixinzi have any connection to you?"

Chixinzi—this man truly was from the Immortal Puppet Sect!

In an instant, He Ping's eyes lit up with a ghostly gleam.

"Do you know where this Chixinzi is now?"

Cheng Zhi hesitated upon hearing this.

"This... Senior Chixinzi seems very interested in that Life-Stealing Bowl. After he taught my sister and me martial arts and mystical techniques, he ordered us to come to Suian City. On one hand, to seek revenge against Sheng Qingzhi, and on the other, to find that bone bowl for him."

He continued: "That bone bowl is somewhat special; it was always kept in a pure white jade box. My ancestor, Cheng Tianyou, learned from an old beggar that the bowl is ominous and must be kept in a jade box to avoid trouble. Besides that, he passed down a special secret technique that allows those of the Cheng bloodline to sense the location of the jade box. Senior Chixinzi hopes we can help him find the whereabouts of that bowl."

"I see."

He Ping nodded.

"You and your sister are hiding in Suian City, intending to infiltrate the Sheng family and retrieve that bone bowl, aren't you?"

"Yes."

Cheng Zhi did not deny it.

"By the way, Senior, you must be well-acquainted with Senior Chixinzi, right?"

His face showed a hint of curiosity.

"Naturally."

He Ping spoke indifferently: "Chixinzi and I are from the same sect. I have not seen him for a long time; I did not expect him to be teaching you the arts of the Immortal Puppet Sect."

"As expected, Senior is also an expert from the Immortal Puppet Sect." Cheng Zhi's expression grew increasingly respectful.

He Ping's face remained impassive, though his thoughts raced like a rising tide.

It seems that this Chixinzi, much like myself, is plagued by a shortage of lifespan. He is hiding in the shadows, manipulating the Cheng siblings, all to track down the whereabouts of that Life-Stealing Bowl.

But why would Chixinzi go to such lengths? Sheng Qingzhi is merely a minor prefect within North Prefecture. While he might be a big shot in Suian City who can turn the world upside down with a single stomp, in the eyes of us practitioners, he is hardly a formidable character. Unless, his identity is far more complex than I imagined...

He Ping had interacted with Sheng Qingzhi and did not find the Prefect to possess any particular talent; the man was an ordinary official, unskilled in martial arts, let alone any Daoist sorcery or incantations.

No, if Sheng Qingzhi is truly just an ordinary official, why would he need the Life-Stealing Bowl? Could he be seeking to extend his life? Yet, he doesn't appear to be suffering from any chronic illness, nor does he seem to be like me, suffering from blood and qi depletion due to the study of sorcery...

The more he pondered, the more he felt this matter was not simple. What use would a prefect like Sheng Qingzhi have for the Life-Stealing Bowl?

One must remember that the Great You Dynasty has always looked down upon omens, secret prophecies, divination, and all manner of shamanistic cults and evil arts. In the past, they even strictly prohibited their spread among the common people. If word got out that a man surnamed Sheng was trying to acquire this Life-Stealing Bowl, wouldn't he fear being impeached by his peers in the officialdom and stripped of his position to become a commoner?

There is definitely something wrong here!

A cold glint flashed in He Ping's eyes, though his expression beneath the mask softened slightly as he turned to ask, "Do you have a way to contact Chixinzi? I need to meet with him."

"This..."

Cheng Zhi sighed, his face twisted in bitterness. "My sister and I have no idea how to contact that senior. He only told us to get in touch with him once we have stolen the Life-Stealing Bowl from the Sheng Family estate."

Hearing this, He Ping sneered inwardly. Did Cheng Zhi take him for a fool? His words were half-truths at best; it seemed he had no intention of letting him meet with Chixinzi.

However, Cheng Zhi is not stupid. My origins are unknown, and I am bluntly asking to meet Chixinzi. Who knows if there are other schemes or calculations behind this, especially since Chixinzi is the benefactor of the Cheng siblings...

"So that is the crux of the matter. Very well, Cheng Zhi."

He Ping conceived a plan.

"Do you wish to take revenge? I know that Sheng Qingzhi still has a son named Sheng Qinghong. If you want your vengeance, perhaps you could start with him..."

"Sheng Qinghong."

Cheng Zhi murmured the name.

In the end, as if he had made up his mind, he nodded resolutely.

"The blood feud of the Cheng family must be repaid. I beg you, Senior, to lend me your strength."