Cultivating Again

Xiao Yan watched his still-flippant figure retreat and shook his head helplessly. The little gratitude he had felt was instantly replaced by an urge to laugh and cry at once.

"This guy... he really is a character." He withdrew his gaze, put the matter out of his mind, and headed toward the quiet little courtyard he had not visited in so long. Whatever else had happened, the immediate crisis had been resolved for now. More importantly, he finally had hope of recovering his strength.

Yet when Xiao Yan pushed open his courtyard gate, the faint ease on his face froze instantly. The sight before him could only be described as "too horrible to behold." The courtyard was a complete mess. Yellow talisman papers had been scattered everywhere by the wind, some stuck to the walls, some resting on the stone table, and others lying crumpled in the grass.

Most conspicuous of all was the... wooden frame on wheels in the middle of the courtyard that Xiao Yi had called a "Ritual Altar." It now lay tipped over to one side, its strange painted markings looking especially ridiculous in the morning sunlight. Xiao Yan could even see a few wood chips beside it, probably remnants of last night's fierce "battle."

Looking at the mess strewn across the ground, Xiao Yan unconsciously touched his forehead, where three bumps still seemed to throb faintly. The sight of Xiao Yi chasing him around with that battered Wooden Sword last night, along with the horrifying scene of Yao Lao being forcibly knocked out, surfaced in his mind again.

Xiao Yan let out a long sigh, stepped around the wreckage of the "ritual implements," and entered his room. He shut the door, sealing out both the disturbances of the outside world and the mess in the courtyard. This was no time to dwell on those things. His most urgent task was to see whether he could truly carry out his resolve.

The room was still fairly tidy, a stark contrast to the "disaster site" outside. The familiar furnishings let him relax a little, as though this were the only safe harbor that could shut out the absurd chaos beyond. He sat down beside the bed, his gaze sweeping over the neatly arranged books on the table, and a hundred emotions stirred within him. After all the frustration and resentment of recent days, all the mockery and estrangement from others, there finally seemed to be a glimmer of hope, like sunlight breaking through the clouds.

Although that hope rested on an outrageous lie about "exorcising a ghost," and although Xiao Yi, who called himself a "fellow townsman," acted like a lunatic and never stopped causing trouble, the result... seemed good? At least he could openly and honorably return to the path of cultivation.

At that thought, he could not help recalling Xiao Yi's carefree expression as he was hauled away, still winking and making faces at him. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"What a... strange fellow," Xiao Yan murmured, shaking his head as if to throw all those jumbled thoughts out of his mind. Then he took a deep breath, cleared away his distractions, and slowly closed his eyes, forming a cultivation seal with both hands before him. His awareness sank into his body.

This time, to his astonishment, he discovered that the familiar yet unfamiliar suction really seemed to have vanished! His Dou Qi was still pitifully sparse, like a thin trickle of water, but it no longer disappeared without a trace the moment it gathered, like a clay ox sinking into the sea. It remained steadily within his Qi Vortex. Faint though it was, it truly existed!

It worked! It really worked! An indescribable excitement surged through Xiao Yan, and he almost could not resist opening his eyes.

Just then, Yao Lao's voice came from the ring, sounding both disgruntled and torn between laughter and tears. "Hmph, a 'ghost'? That tall tale of yours nearly had even me believing it!"

Xiao Yan answered silently in his mind, a wry smile curling his lips. Wasn't the truth precisely that an old, energy-sucking ghost lived inside his ring, secretly siphoning off his Dou Qi? Besides, Xiao Yi really had "knocked" him out with a sword strike last night.

At that moment, a figure emerged from the shadows in a corner of the Xiao Clan grounds. "He really has begun cultivating again... That 'ghost' story is utterly absurd."

Ling Ying snorted inwardly. Naturally, he did not believe any of that talk about ghostly possession or curing ailments through exorcism. Yet he could also sense that the subtle but powerful soul force that had lingered around Xiao Yan, causing his Dou Qi to vanish, had indeed withdrawn considerably. It was no longer actively absorbing Xiao Yan's Dou Qi.

It seems the old monster in that ring has reached some sort of compromise... Very well. This is Xiao Yan's opportunity. As long as he doesn't let it go to his head and do anything that harms the young lady, I have no need to interfere.

Ling Ying's gaze sharpened again, like an old farmer guarding his vegetable patch, watching for any "pig" that might root up his tender, succulent cabbage.

However, this calm observation did not last long. Without warning, those chaotic, ridiculous scenes flashed through Ling Ying's mind.

At the thought of Xiao Yan's bedraggled, aggrieved appearance, the corner of Ling Ying's mouth seemed to twitch ever so slightly on his eternally icy face. The faintest trace of a smile nearly escaped his control.

Then an even more spectacular scene surfaced-Xiao Yi brandishing the Wooden Sword, leaping high into the air, and chopping down at Xiao Yan, striking the plain, ancient ring he wore. Then... an illusory old man, clearly a soul form, had been caught completely off guard and forcibly "knocked" straight out of the ring! The bewilderment, shock, and fury mingling on that old soul's face at the time...

"Pfft!"

Ling Ying could no longer hold it in. That so-called Venerable Yao hiding inside the ring had actually been beaten out with a battered Wooden Sword! It was simply... the most ridiculous thing under heaven! Struggling not to laugh aloud, his shoulders began shaking violently.

Silent, wild laughter battered his chest, forcing him to clutch the tree trunk beside him just to keep from falling out of the tree. A Dou Huang expert was now like a child who had heard the funniest joke imaginable, his face flushed bright red from holding back his laughter, even involuntary tears seeping from the corners of his eyes.

"A battered Wooden Sword... hitting a soul form... hahaha..."

Fortunately, Ling Ying's mastery of suppressing his breath and concealing his presence had reached perfection. Otherwise, his laughter would have carried across half the Xiao Clan grounds. But as he laughed, he suddenly stopped.

"Wait... talismans? Attacking a soul form?" The wild laughter on Ling Ying's face froze instantly, replaced by astonishment and contemplation.

Xiao Yi's methods had seemed utterly absurd, like a shaman capering through a ritual, but... had they actually injured a soul form? Otherwise, there was no explaining how Venerable Yao had been knocked out. If this "exorcism technique" really could attack souls directly... what would happen if it were used against those elusive members of the Hall of Souls who delighted in toying with souls?

Those fellows excelled at soul attacks and capturing souls. Ordinary Dou Qi had limited effect against their soul techniques, but if they encountered an "exorcism master" like Xiao Yi, who played by no conventional rules and specifically "countered" souls...

Heh heh heh... a cackling slaughter spree? An absurd yet seemingly reasonable thought suddenly sprang into Ling Ying's mind.

"Pfft-hahahahaha!!!" This time, Ling Ying completely lost the battle to hold it in.