Neighbor Seeks Help (Asking for Monthly Votes, Follow-ups)

A cold glint flashed through Qin Xiangbei's eyes.

Liu Yiyi looked at him and sent a voice transmission reminder:

"Junior Brother, return to the sect first. I'll keep an eye on that bastard.

"He has to go out to sea eventually, and he'll have to retrieve the storage bag.

"When that time comes, we'll catch him with the goods. He won't be able to deny it."

Qin Xiangbei fell silent for a moment before replying through voice transmission:

"Senior Sister, there's no need to trouble you with this."

Liu Yiyi frowned as she looked at him.

"The Evergreen Sect has rules. Evergreen Sect disciples must not attack Rogue Cultivators from the various islands without cause.

"Don't violate the immortal rules by secretly arresting someone and torturing a confession out of him."

A smile tugged at Qin Xiangbei's lips, but there was not the slightest warmth in it.

"Senior Sister, don't worry. I won't act recklessly."

He looked at the tightly shut courtyard gate in the distance, his voice icy.

"I'll only make my move and arrest him when he retrieves the storage bag. I'll hand him over to you alive."

Liu Yiyi looked at him and added another warning:

"Remember, don't secretly arrest anyone and torture a confession out of him.

"What if he wasn't the one who did it? Then you'd be wronging him."

Qin Xiangbei nodded.

"Understood."

The two parted ways at the mouth of the alley.

Liu Yiyi headed toward the Island Patrol Guards.

Qin Xiangbei remained where he was, watching her back disappear around the street corner.

Then he turned back and looked once more at that tightly shut courtyard gate.

Murderous intent filled his eyes.

His brother was dead.

How could he wait that long?

Once that bastard went out to sea, he would strike directly.

He would capture him, skin him, pull out his tendons, and torture him brutally.

He refused to believe he could not pry open the other man's mouth.

As for evidence?

He did not need any.

As for wrongful accusations?

Then so be it.

He would slaughter him to accompany his brother in death.

He was only a fourth-level Qi Refinement cultivator. He had no background. Killing him was no big deal.

It was an honor for him to accompany his brother in death.

Wang Mengde returned to his room, narrowing his eyes.

That bastard Liu Yiyi had secretly used the Spirit Eye Technique just now, scanning everywhere.

She was most likely searching for the storage bag.

Wang Mengde used the Spirit Eye Technique and watched the two departing figures.

He saw Qin Xiangbei staring at the courtyard gate, his eyes brimming with chilling killing intent.

It seemed that—

For the time being, he could not retrieve the items from the storage bag.

Still—

He had more than nine hundred spirit stones on him.

It was not enough to support his cultivation until the fifth level of Qi Refinement.

But it was enough for more than a year of cultivation.

He would cultivate properly for a while first.

Wang Mengde entered the bedroom, took out a spirit stone, and began cultivating.

One circulation.

Two circulations.

As his cultivation technique revolved, spiritual power surged through his meridians like a tide.

That burning sensation grew increasingly severe.

Wang Mengde frowned deeply.

After advancing to the fourth level of Qi Refinement, the heat within his spiritual power was even worse than he had expected.

Qingyue likely would not come anytime soon.

Suppressing it was not a solution. It would cause problems. He had to find a way to resolve it.

Wang Mengde closed his eyes and continued cultivating.

One circulation.

Another circulation.

[ Luan-Phoenix Harmony Formula +1 ]

[ Spiritual Power Cultivation +1 ]

Immediately afterward, wisps of insight surfaced in his mind.

Those insights concerned the circulation of the Luan-Phoenix Harmony Formula and the mysteries of balancing yin and yang. Bit by bit, they merged into his soul.

Wang Mengde closed his eyes and quietly absorbed those insights.

He opened his eyes.

His brow furrowed even more tightly.

The heat within his spiritual power had become even worse.

That feeling was not merely heat.

It was more like a craving.

An instinct.

A restlessness rising from the depths of his body.

He drew a deep breath and suppressed that restlessness.

But soon, it surged back up again.

Wang Mengde fell silent for a moment, his gaze involuntarily shifting next door.

Lin Xiaowan lived in the neighboring courtyard.

Zhao Youming's wife.

Over the past two years, whenever he cultivated the Spirit Eye Technique, his gaze passed through walls, and he would always accidentally see things he should not have seen.

The beautiful neighbor living alone in an empty room would quietly reward herself in the dead of night.

Those scenes, those sounds.

Wang Mengde's Adam's apple bobbed.

He had previously killed his good neighbor Zhao Youming, leaving Zhao Youming's wife alone and helpless.

For a mortal woman, living alone in this world of cultivation was indeed difficult.

Perhaps he could help Zhao Youming by taking care of his lovely wife.

Surely Zhao Youming, if he knew in the underworld, would be grateful to him.

That thought flashed through Wang Mengde's mind.

Then he repeatedly shook his head.

The influence of this damned cultivation technique was simply too great.

It had actually made him entertain such evil thoughts.

Take care of her?

Take care of what?

He had just killed her husband, and now he was thinking about taking care of his wife?

What a complete bastard.

Wang Mengde took a deep breath and suppressed the fire in his heart.

He could not cultivate anymore.

He needed to cool off.

If he kept cultivating, something was bound to happen.

He rose to his feet, left the bedroom, and entered the courtyard.

His hands formed a seal.

Palm Thunder Technique.

Spiritual power surged within his body, traveling along a specific route before gathering in his palm.

Crackle.

A thin arc of lightning appeared in his palm.

The arc was as thin as a strand of hair and about three inches long. It danced in his palm a few times before dispersing into the air.

The Palm Thunder Technique was truly weak at the beginner stage.

This arc of lightning probably could not even electrocute a chicken to death.

He was not disappointed and continued practicing.

Crackle.

Crackle.

One thin arc of lightning after another appeared in his palm, danced, and vanished.

[ Palm Thunder Technique +1 ]

After practicing for half an hour, the Palm Thunder Technique's power improved somewhat.

The restlessness within him also subsided slightly.

He continued practicing.

It was not until deep into the night that he returned to the bedroom and fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning.

Wang Mengde had just awakened when he heard knocking outside the courtyard gate.

"Knock, knock, knock."

He sat up and habitually used the Spirit Eye Technique.

His gaze passed through the courtyard wall, allowing him to see the person outside clearly.

Lin Xiaowan.

The neighbor next door.

Zhao Youming's wife.

Wang Mengde was slightly startled. He got up, straightened his clothes, left the bedroom, crossed the courtyard, and opened the gate.

Outside, Lin Xiaowan stood with graceful poise.

Today, she wore a long red dress.

The dress was cut perfectly, outlining her figure in all its beauty.

Her waist was slender enough to encircle with one hand.

Her oval face was fair and delicate, and her brows and eyes carried a natural charm that made it difficult to look away.

Her jet-black hair was gathered behind her head, exposing her fair neck, which gleamed faintly beneath the sunlight.

The red dress could not conceal her exquisite curves in the slightest.

Wang Mengde's gaze lingered on her for a moment before shifting away.

Lin Xiaowan looked at him as well.

Today, Wang Mengde wore the fitted azure uniform of the Island Patrol Guards.

He stood tall, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted. The fitted uniform made him appear valiant and spirited.

His face was sharply defined, his features rugged. He was even more handsome than he had been several years ago.

Lin Xiaowan's eyes paused slightly.

This fellow truly was becoming more handsome by the day.

Not only had his cultivation improved, but he had also joined the Island Patrol Guards.

Simply standing there, he possessed an unhurried and composed bearing.

Wang Mengde looked at her. "Sister-in-law, is something wrong?"

Lin Xiaowan hurriedly came back to herself.

The moment she thought of why she had come today, her heartbeat involuntarily quickened.

She felt ashamed in secret.

She, a married woman, actually...

But she truly had no other choice.

She was only a mortal woman. She had no spiritual roots and could not cultivate.

She had relied on Zhao Youming before. Though he was away from home year-round, she had never lacked food or clothing.

Now Zhao Youming was dead.

The rent was about to come due.

With no family or friends, she truly had nowhere to go.

She wanted to find someone to rely on.

Lin Xiaowan bit her lip and raised her head. "Brother Wang, could you... do me a favor?"