Qin Xiangbei

Wang Mengde withdrew his spell.

He took out a fresh Spirit Stone, held it in his palm, and circulated the Luan-Phoenix Harmony Formula to continue cultivating.

One circulation.

Two circulations.

When the thirty-fifth circulation was complete, the spiritual energy within the Spirit Stone had been exhausted, turning it into an ordinary rock.

Wang Mengde opened his eyes and stared at the stone in his hand, slightly stunned.

At the Third Layer of Qi Refinement, one Spirit Stone could sustain a hundred circulations of cultivation.

At the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement, one Spirit Stone could only sustain thirty-five circulations.

He silently calculated.

From the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement to Fifth-Level Qi Refinement required eight hundred proficiency points.

That was eighty thousand circulations.

Thirty-five circulations consumed one Spirit Stone.

In other words, refining one thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven Spirit Stones would allow him to break through to Fifth-Level Qi Refinement.

A sharp gleam flickered in Wang Mengde's eyes.

There were still nineteen Azure Jade Ghost Carp buried beneath the reef rocks in his storage bag.

Each of those Azure Jade Ghost Carp could sell for over two hundred Spirit Stones. Nineteen of them would fetch nearly five thousand Spirit Stones.

It was enough.

Then he would grind.

In one breath, he would raise his cultivation to Fifth-Level Qi Refinement as quickly as possible.

He continued calculating.

One circulation required a quarter of an hour.

Eighty thousand circulations meant eighty thousand quarter-hours.

Converted, that was twenty thousand hours, ten thousand double-hours.

Cultivating ten double-hours a day meant less than three years.

Three years.

From the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement to Fifth-Level Qi Refinement would take only three years.

For someone with a Five-Element Spirit Root, that speed was simply unimaginably fast.

If he bought some Essence-Nourishing Pills to assist his cultivation, the time would shrink even further.

The corner of Wang Mengde's mouth lifted into a faint smile.

Only...

The scorching heat of the spiritual energy within his body was becoming increasingly obvious.

He needed dual cultivation.

Wang Mengde's brows knitted tightly.

The drawback of the Luan-Phoenix Harmony Formula was becoming more and more severe.

He wondered when that girl Qingyue would return.

He took a deep breath and suppressed the restlessness in his heart.

Then he continued cultivating.

Time silently slipped away amid cultivation.

Three days later.

Noon.

Wang Mengde was cultivating when he suddenly heard knocking outside the courtyard gate.

"Knock, knock, knock."

He opened his eyes and used the Spirit Eye Technique.

His gaze pierced through the courtyard wall, clearly revealing the visitors outside.

A man and a woman.

The woman's face was fair and tender, carrying a touch of a young girl's innocent charm.

She wore the fitted azure uniform of the Island Patrol Guards. Her figure was fiery, her chest swelling against the fabric as if it might burst through at any moment.

She was Liu Yiyi, captain of the Island Patrol Guards Fifth Squad.

After not seeing her for several years, this woman's face had somehow become even more tender, like that of a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old girl, while her figure had grown ever more explosive.

Her innocent face and fiery body formed a stark contrast.

A trace of heat flashed through Wang Mengde's eyes, but he swiftly suppressed it.

This damned cultivation method was affecting him more and more.

The man was tall and slender, with handsome features and brows that bore a thirty-percent resemblance to Qin Xiangnan.

The spiritual energy fluctuations around him were those of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement.

This should be Qin Xiangnan's younger brother, an outer disciple of the Evergreen Sect—Qin Xiangbei.

The two stood at the courtyard gate with cold expressions.

Wang Mengde rose, straightened his clothes, walked out of the bedroom and across the courtyard, then opened the gate.

When the two outside saw what he was wearing, both were slightly taken aback.

It was an azure fitted uniform, with the emblem of the Island Patrol Guards embroidered over the chest.

Liu Yiyi frowned and looked him over before demanding, "Wang Mengde, when did you join the Island Patrol Guards?"

Wang Mengde remained calm and cupped his hands. "A month ago. Captain Yang Daqiang recommended me to join the Island Patrol Guards."

Liu Yiyi's frown deepened.

She had been in seclusion cultivating during this period and had only just emerged, so she did not know that Wang Mengde had joined the Island Patrol Guards.

A month ago was precisely when Qin Xiangnan and the others had met with disaster.

On that voyage, nearly all of the more than thirty people had died. Only three returned alive, and Wang Mengde had even brought back eight Azure Jade Ghost Carp.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he had joined the Island Patrol Guards.

The way she looked at Wang Mengde gained a few more traces of scrutiny.

Qin Xiangbei stared fixedly at Wang Mengde. "You are Wang Mengde?"

He had just emerged from seclusion when he heard that his elder brother had vanished. He immediately rushed over, went to the Island Patrol Office to inquire about the situation, and learned that the last person to see his brother had been Wang Mengde.

So he and Liu Yiyi, captain of the Island Patrol Guards Fifth Squad, had hurried over at once.

Wang Mengde nodded. "I am."

Qin Xiangbei stared at him, his gaze like a blade. "Can you tell me what happened then?"

Wang Mengde said, "At the time, more than thirty of us were fishing when we were unexpectedly surrounded by a school of Azure Jade Ghost Carp. Brother Qin and I, along with the others, broke out toward the west. Later, I used the Entwining Silk Technique to bind the Azure Jade Ghost Carp, while Brother Qin and the others attacked, and together we tore open a gap in the encirclement."

"But there were still many Azure Jade Ghost Carp chasing us from behind, so we fled at top speed."

"The Azure Jade Ghost Carp were fast and drew closer and closer. The situation was urgent."

"So we scattered and fled for our lives separately. After that, I never saw Brother Qin again."

As he said this, a trace of gloom flashed through Wang Mengde's eyes. "I never expected Brother Qin not to make it back."

"My relationship with Brother Qin was very good. We often went out to sea to fish together. He did not return this time, and I am deeply saddened as well."

Qin Xiangbei glared at Wang Mengde. "My brother did not return, yet you did—and you even brought back eight Azure Jade Ghost Carp."

Wang Mengde's expression did not change. "I escaped by luck. As for those eight Azure Jade Ghost Carp, I contributed the most when we broke through the encirclement, so I was allotted eight."

"Brother Qin received three. The Azure Jade Ghost Carp from Brother Qin's boat should still be on his boat."

Qin Xiangbei stepped forward. The spiritual pressure of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement erupted with a boom, crashing fiercely down upon Wang Mengde.

Qin Xiangbei stared at Wang Mengde and enunciated each word. "My brother was at the peak of the Third Layer of Qi Refinement. He had a magical flying sword and a Flowing-Light Lightness Talisman. He would not have died so easily, unless someone harmed him."

Under the spiritual pressure, Wang Mengde's body swayed slightly, but he remained firmly standing.

His expression unchanged, he said calmly:

"Fellow Daoist Qin, I know you are grieving, but it is inappropriate for you to make baseless accusations like this."

"Baseless accusations?" Qin Xiangbei coldly demanded. "Then tell me: why did my brother not return, while you came back carrying eight Azure Jade Ghost Carp?"

Wang Mengde's face darkened, and his voice turned cold as well.

"There were so many Azure Jade Ghost Carp pursuing us then. I only barely escaped with my life. Where would I have had the time to worry about why your brother did not return?"

Qin Xiangbei's anger grew even stronger at that retort.

Just then, Liu Yiyi suddenly spoke.

"Wang Mengde, did you kill Brother Qin and the others to seize the Azure Jade Ghost Carp?"

Wang Mengde's face completely sank.

He looked at Liu Yiyi with icy eyes. "Captain Liu, without evidence, you had best not speak recklessly. Do not rely on being a squad captain to casually slander a member of the Island Patrol Guards."

Liu Yiyi froze.

She had not expected this Rogue Cultivator, who had always been cautious and timid, to dare speak back to her like this.

That man who, when she investigated that incident years ago, had been submissive and terrified before her, barely daring to breathe—now actually dared to meet her eyes and speak to her in such a tone.

Her face flushed slightly as she said angrily, "I will definitely find the evidence and arrest you, you vile thing."

Wang Mengde looked at her coldly.

"Please do. Hurry up and investigate. Take care, and I will not see you out."

With that, he stepped back and shut the courtyard gate with both hands.

Bang.

The courtyard gate closed, barring the two outside.

Liu Yiyi stood at the gate, her face shifting from green to white.

A mere Island Patrol Guard, a Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement nobody, actually dared treat her like this.

Qin Xiangbei's expression was also incomparably ugly.

He stared at the tightly shut gate, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

After a moment, the two turned and left.

Once they had walked out of the alley, Qin Xiangbei suddenly stopped and transmitted his voice to Liu Yiyi. "Senior Sister, did you find the storage bag?"

Liu Yiyi took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in her heart, and replied via voice transmission as well.

"Junior Brother, I secretly used the Spirit Eye Technique just now and swept the area around the house. I did not find any storage bag."

She paused, then continued.

"If that bastard really killed your brother, he would not have hidden the storage bag here. He definitely hid it in the sea."