Shen Qingxue Comes Home

The shopkeeper sat behind the counter. Seemingly noticing Wang Mengde's predicament, he spoke blandly:

"If you can't afford the spell you want, save up and come back later."

He paused, then added unhurriedly:

"Or... pay in installments."

Installments.

Wang Mengde froze slightly, then shook his head again and again.

Before the original owner's father died, he had repeatedly warned him:

Never, under any circumstances, take out an installment loan.

Because on Rosy Cloud Island, installment plans used a cultivator's body as collateral.

Two of his father's friends had taken out installment loans.

One had been speared to death by swordfish while at sea.

The other had been electrocuted to death by a demon electric eel while fishing.

His father suspected that when the Evergreen Sect needed materials, it deliberately engineered such accidents.

For high-level cultivators, creating an accident was far too easy.

He was making money quite quickly now. His three spells and cultivation were about to break through, and his earning speed would soar again.

There was absolutely no need to use his body to pay off a debt.

Just then.

The shop door was pushed open.

A dark-skinned middle-aged cultivator walked in and headed straight for the shopkeeper. "I've decided. I'll buy the Water Escape Technique in installments."

The shopkeeper gave the middle-aged man a glance and spoke calmly. "You are at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement and over fifty years old. Your body can be mortgaged for five hundred and fifty spirit stones. You still need to make up thirty-two spirit stones."

The middle-aged man pulled a small cloth pouch from his robes and placed it on the counter with both hands. "There are exactly thirty-two spirit stones here."

After the old man verified the count, he took out a contract and handed it to the middle-aged man.

Wang Mengde turned his head and looked at the other two wooden boards in the shop.

One listed body-tempering techniques.

Mighty Bull-Demon Body, five hundred and eighty spirit stones.

Vajra Glazed Body, seven hundred and twenty spirit stones.

Wind-Thunder Bone Tempering Formula, eight hundred and fifty spirit stones.

Wang Mengde's eyes burned with desire, but desire was all it could be.

Even the cheapest cost five hundred and eighty spirit stones.

He could not afford it.

The other wooden board listed talisman-drawing arts.

Fireball Talisman Inscription Method, five hundred and twenty spirit stones.

Water Arrow Talisman Inscription Method, five hundred and fifty spirit stones.

Golden Armor Talisman Inscription Method, nine hundred and eighty spirit stones.

Wang Mengde gave it a glance and silently withdrew his gaze.

He could not afford those either.

He had earned one hundred and one spirit stones today and thought he had struck it rich.

Now it seemed that this little amount could not even buy a decent spell, let alone a body-tempering technique or talisman inscription method.

Wang Mengde smiled bitterly inwardly.

Poor.

Truly poor.

Far too poor.

By then, the middle-aged man who had signed the contract had already left.

The old man withdrew his gaze and looked at Wang Mengde.

A gently coaxing smile hung on his face as he said warmly, "Young man, are you really not considering installment payments?"

He paused, his tone still mild. "At the second layer of Qi Refinement and in your twenties, you can mortgage yourself for two hundred and fifty spirit stones."

Two hundred and fifty?

In the other man's eyes, his life was worth only two hundred and fifty.

Wang Mengde shook his head, his expression calm.

"No need, Senior. I'll buy the Water Arrow Technique."

A flicker of disappointment passed through the old man's eyes, but he said nothing more.

Instead, he took a thin booklet from beneath the counter, opened it to a certain page, and pushed it before Wang Mengde.

"You may buy the spell, but you must first swear a soul oath."

The old man pointed at the words in the booklet. "This is the oath. Just read it aloud."

Wang Mengde lowered his head to look.

Several lines of tiny characters were written in the booklet.

I, so-and-so, purchase the Water Arrow Technique at Rosy Cloud Pavilion today and hereby swear this soul oath.

This spell may only be cultivated by myself. I shall never teach it to any third party, never transcribe or copy it, and never divulge even the slightest part of it.

Should I violate this oath, I, along with my wife, children, and parents, shall have our souls and spirits utterly destroyed and never be reincarnated for all eternity.

Wang Mengde's mouth twitched slightly.

That oath was ruthless enough.

But he could understand it.

The Evergreen Sect relied on monopoly to sell spells.

If everyone could casually teach them to others after buying them, what money would they have left to make?

Wang Mengde raised his left hand and swore the soul oath according to the text.

He felt nothing at all.

I wonder if it will really come true if I break the oath, Wang Mengde secretly doubted.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper put away the booklet in satisfaction.

He took a jade slip from beneath the counter and handed it to Wang Mengde.

"The Water Arrow Technique, fifty-two spirit stones."

With a pained heart, Wang Mengde opened his cloth pouch, counted out fifty-two spirit stones, and handed them over.

Then he took the jade slip and carefully tucked it into his robes.

Including what he had spent on pills earlier, he had only three spirit stones left on him.

Overnight, he was back before liberation.

But it was worth it.

With the Water Arrow Technique, he finally had a real offensive method.

But this was still not enough.

He set several small goals for himself.

Save up to buy the Water Escape Technique, Finger Arrow Technique, and Golden Body Technique.

Then buy a body-tempering technique.

His first goal: the Water Escape Technique.

Wang Mengde put his remaining two spirit stones into his robes, turned, and left Rosy Cloud Pavilion.

Carrying the Bloodscale Fish, he strode toward home.

Just then.

A figure suffused with immortal grace flew past from the horizon on a sword.

The figure stood atop the flying sword, robes fluttering, hands clasped behind her back, impossibly carefree and elegant.

"Quick, look! That's a disciple of the Evergreen Sect!"

A young Rogue Cultivator by the roadside suddenly cried out, pointing at the sky with eyes full of envy.

Everyone looked up.

Wang Mengde stopped as well and raised his head.

He saw the figure sweep over the street at tremendous speed, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

"Flying on a sword..."

A middle-aged Rogue Cultivator murmured to himself, his eyes full of yearning.

"I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to fly on a sword in this life."

"Stop dreaming. The Sword-Controlling Technique costs one thousand nine hundred and eighty-five spirit stones. You couldn't afford it even if you saved for a lifetime."

"Thinking doesn't cost money."

"That's true..."

"I heard every outer disciple of the Evergreen Sect knows the Sword-Controlling Technique."

"I'm dying of envy."

"Ah, Rogue Cultivators like us are born to be oxen and horses for others."

"Accept your fate. Being alive is already not bad."

The crowd discussed it animatedly, their voices filled with envy and wistful sighs.

Wang Mengde gazed in the direction where the sword light had vanished, and his heart stirred slightly.

Flying on a sword.

That was the dream of countless cultivators.

One day, he too would fly on a sword like that immortal maiden.

He withdrew his gaze and continued toward home.

Just as he reached the entrance to the little courtyard, he heard Qingyue's angry voice from inside.

"Brother-in-law was going to take me to test my spirit roots. I was the one who didn't go. Don't badmouth Brother-in-law! Leave now! I don't want your disgusting cultivation technique!"

Her voice was loud and filled with anger.

Wang Mengde frowned and quickly pushed open the courtyard gate.

In the courtyard, before the main hall's door, stood two people.

One was Shen Qingyue. Her little face was flushed red with anger, both hands clenched into fists, her body trembling slightly.

The other was a very beautiful woman, around twenty-three or twenty-four years old. She wore a pale blue dharma robe, her long hair pinned up to reveal a slender neck.

She seemed to be the woman who had just flown past on her sword.

She bore a thirty-percent resemblance to Shen Qingyue, though she was fuller and more mature.

Her figure was willowy, her curves exquisite. Simply standing there, she carried an indescribable charm.

Wang Mengde was slightly stunned.

Then he recognized her.

The original owner's wife, Shen Qingxue.

The woman who, after advancing to the third layer of Qi Refinement, had abandoned the original owner without hesitation and never returned.

But compared with his memories, she was somewhat more mature, somewhat fuller, and her temperament had changed greatly.

Most importantly, faint threads of spiritual energy fluctuations inadvertently radiated from her body.

The fifth layer of Qi Refinement.