A month later.
Green Bamboo Abode.
"Riiip..."
Xu Taiping tore a page from the almanac on the wall, revealing the next one-ninth day of the seventh month: auspicious for receiving guests, inauspicious for travel.
"In the blink of an eye, nearly a month has passed since Sister Lingyue fell asleep."
He stretched and murmured to himself.
"That demon tiger's wounds have probably healed by now, haven't they?"
At the thought of the demon tiger eyeing him like prey, Xu Taiping's gaze suddenly sharpened.
After breaking through to the Gate Opening Realm, the childishness in his face had vanished completely, replaced by a cultivator's keen edge. Unless he deliberately reined it in, even his slightest movement could exert an indescribable pressure on ordinary people.
"I'm not afraid of it, even if it comes."
Xu Taiping clenched his fists and looked out the window, determination in his eyes.
Though only a month had passed, Xu Taiping had spent that month cultivating almost without rest or sleep.
Having broken through to the Gate Opening Realm, he could now go half a month without food without harming his body, and he could replace sleep with meditation.
As a result, the time he had available for cultivation had doubled.
Cultivators who trained for no more than six or eight hours a day naturally had even less hope of comparing with him.
During those days of arduous cultivation, Xu Taiping had more or less mastered the Ice Breath Technique Fairy Lingyue had taught him. He had also made great strides in the martial art he had previously practiced, Green Ox Fist. For instance, where he had once managed only a dozen or so punches with Charging Ox Breaks the Formation, he could now unleash the full sequence of one hundred and eight punches, with considerable power.
During that time, he had also purchased a copy of Seven-Kill Blade to compensate for his lack of mid-range offensive power, and by now he had more or less mastered it too.
Together with the flying sword magic artifact he had obtained from the Tiger Wraith and his remaining Qi-Gathering Pill, Xu Taiping now at least had the strength to protect himself against that demon tiger.
Bang, bang, bang!
Just as Xu Taiping was about to fetch some water to wash up, someone suddenly knocked on the courtyard gate of Green Bamboo Abode.
"Is the fellow Daoist of Green Bamboo Abode home? We are disciples of the Azure Profound Sect's Fifth Peak, and we have some questions to ask today."
A young girl's pleasant voice sounded outside the gate.
"Disciples of the Fifth Peak?"
Something stirred in Xu Taiping's heart.
He remembered that Liu Qingmei's younger sister and Lu Chen, who had caused Liu Qingmei's death, were both disciples of the Fifth Peak.
"May I ask if the fellow Daoist of Green Bamboo Abode is home?"
The girl called out again.
"I'm..."
Bang!
Xu Taiping had almost reached the front courtyard and was just about to answer when someone kicked the gate open.
Green Bamboo Abode's barrier guarded against demons, not people.
"He's just an outer-sect rogue cultivator. Why bother being so polite to him?"
After kicking the gate open, a tall, handsome young man walked in, cursing.
"Oh, so you were in the courtyard all along?"
Seeing Xu Taiping standing in the middle of the courtyard, the young man raised his chin slightly and gave him an arrogant glare.
Xu Taiping said nothing. He merely watched the young man in silence.
It was not the powerful fluctuations of the young man's aura that had frightened him into silence. Rather, he had recognized his face.
Indeed, this was Lu Chen, the Fifth Peak disciple who had caused Liu Qingmei's death.
"Speak up! Why did you keep quiet for so long? Were you up to something you couldn't let anyone see?"
When Xu Taiping remained silent, Lu Chen sneered and turned the accusation on him.
"According to the Azure Profound Sect's rules, anyone who trespasses in another person's residence will be punished. An Outer Sect Disciple will be expelled from the Mountain Gate outright. An Inner Sect Disciple will receive one demerit and be confined for three months."
Disgust for Lu Chen flashed through Xu Taiping's eyes before he met his gaze with a calm expression.
"You dare threaten me? A mere outer-sect Unregistered Disciple dares threaten me, Lu Chen?"
Lu Chen scoffed, murderous intent bursting from his eyes.
"If you don't leave my courtyard, I'll report you to the higher-ups right now."
Xu Taiping took out a Message Talisman.
After that meal, Raging Wind Hall had specially sent someone to deliver it as a gesture of goodwill toward Ninth Uncle.
"You wouldn't dare!"
Though Lu Chen continued to talk tough, his shifting gaze made it clear that he was deeply wary of the Azure Profound Sect's rules.
One reason Xu Taiping was unafraid of Lu Chen was that he knew how strict the Azure Profound Sect's rules were, especially for Inner Sect Disciples. Once they accumulated enough demerits for their offenses, they would certainly be expelled from the Five Peaks.
"Senior Brother Lu!"
The girl beside him tugged Lu Chen back, then addressed Xu Taiping with an apologetic expression.
"Please calm down, young fellow Daoist. Senior Brother Lu is merely a little impatient. He means no harm."
Xu Taiping glanced at Lu Chen's ice-cold face, then at the exquisitely beautiful girl, and silently put away the Message Talisman.
Seeing Xu Taiping's expression soften, a hint of joy immediately appeared on the girl's face, and she quickly continued.
"I'll pay the full cost of repairing your gate. But before that, there's something I'd like to ask you, young fellow Daoist."
"What would you like to ask?"
Xu Taiping looked at the girl calmly.
"I wanted to ask whether you've seen a woman around here in the past six months who looks somewhat like me. She's a little taller than I am, and her hair is a little longer..."
As she spoke, the girl gestured earnestly, doing her best to describe the appearance of the woman she was looking for.
"That's roughly what she looks like. Have you seen her, young fellow Daoist?"
Having finished her description, the girl looked at Xu Taiping with eyes full of anxiety.
Meanwhile, Lu Chen stood beside her without saying a word, his gaze fixed intently on Xu Taiping. He seemed even more concerned about Xu Taiping's answer than the girl was.
"I did encounter a woman during the past six months."
As Xu Taiping spoke, his gaze drifted casually toward Lu Chen, who stood beside the girl.
The moment Lu Chen heard those words, murderous intent appeared in his eyes, and his hand went straight to the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Before you continue