Man brought forth all things to nourish Heaven, yet Heaven had nothing to repay man!

To investigate whether the Li Household had ties to the Demon Bandits, quite a few expert Attendants stood by at the Yamen.

Once the Scarlet Qilin Guard sent word, Tie Fengzhang arrived near the Commandery Princess's Manor in mere moments.

Linghu Qingmo took the lead. Spotting Li Jing and the Scarlet Qilin Guard heading toward Clear Spring Lane, he approached with his sword and asked:

"Elder Li, are there traces of demonic evil here?"

"Shh~"

Li Jing studied the Demon-Searching Compass carefully. Sensing that the source of the Blood Baleful Qi was nearby, he retrieved his sword from the side of his horse.

Ji Shiqing, who hailed from the Mysterious Fox Temple, had intended to exchange information, but the moment he entered the lane, his brow furrowed. He drew an Eight Trigrams Disc from his wide Daoist sleeve, infused it with qi, and examined its surface. After scanning the buildings, he raised a hand and pointed toward the center of the lane:

"The source of the Blood Baleful Intent is there."

"Spread out and surround it. Don't disturb Her Highness the Commandery Princess."

Tie Fengzhang raised his right hand. The elite Military Soldiers accompanying him split off to either side and leaped onto the houses, approaching the residence from all directions.

Linghu Qingmo had also been holding his breath and focusing his qi to track the source, but after advancing a little farther, he suddenly realized it was near residences five and six. His heart jolted!

Because the Commandery Princess's Manor was too noisy, courtyards five, six, and seven in Clear Spring Lane had never been occupied before. Now, only Xie Jinhuan had spent one tael and seven mace to rent courtyard six.

Could Xie Jinhuan have fallen victim to the Demon Bandits?!

At that thought, Linghu Qingmo felt as though lightning had struck him. Scenes of his interactions with Xie Jinhuan over the past few days began flashing through his mind like a revolving lantern-being beaten, having his chest groped, being forced to do housework, having his backside groped...

Although his first impression had been less than favorable, Xie Jinhuan's hatred of evil and his uncanny pursuit of criminals were real. He had even flung himself into the fray at Three Harmony Tower to save the day. How could such a good person die young, nursing bitter regrets?

Linghu Qingmo gripped his sword tightly, forcibly suppressing the impulse to rush over recklessly. Only when the seniors had completed the encirclement did he suddenly leap forward.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-

In an instant, more than a dozen figures shot out and landed around the residence.

Holding his Azure Edge Sword, Li Jing swiftly surveyed the surroundings!

Beneath his sleeve, Ji Shiqing secretly formed a hand seal, blue-white lightning visibly flickering around his right hand!

Tie Fengzhang likewise mustered his qi throughout his body, guarding against a Demon forcing its way out of the encirclement!

But the next moment, every Attendant and soldier froze.

Warm autumn sunlight spilled into every corner of the elegant courtyard.

A small table stood on the steps outside the tea room, with drinks and snacks arranged on it.

An intellectual beauty dressed in an exquisite ruqun sat on the ground at the edge of the white stone steps, cupping her cheeks in both hands. Beneath her gold-rimmed glasses, her eyes brimmed with the bashfulness of first love as she gazed toward the center of the courtyard.

On the white stone path, a young man wearing only trousers balanced upside down on two fingers, his legs crossed in an exceedingly awkward posture, qi circulating madly through him!

Beside him, a large black bird also wanted to try standing upside down, but because it was too difficult, it merely kept doing backflips...

"Coo~ coo~ coo..."

??

The many experts present could be considered widely experienced, but this was truly their first time witnessing such a bizarre scene. All of them started to speak, then stopped.

As more than a dozen figures sprang out, Lin Wanyi and Coal Ball were clearly startled, their eyes darting around in alarm:

"Huh?"

"Coo-cheep?!"

Xie Jinhuan also flipped upright in a flash, looking around as though facing a formidable enemy before his eyes filled with bewilderment:

"Miss Linghu? Seniors, what are you...?"

Seeing that Xie Jinhuan was unharmed, Linghu Qingmo felt a weight lift from his heart. He cautiously scanned their surroundings:

"There's Blood Baleful Qi here. Did you notice anything unusual just now?"

"Blood Baleful Qi?"

Xie Jinhuan looked around. "Is there? Miss Lin, did you see any?"

Caught meeting a man in private, Lin Wanyi naturally flushed crimson:

"What Blood Baleful Qi? You must have made a mistake..."

Tie Fengzhang knew how formidable Xie Jinhuan had been these past few days. At this sight, he too felt there had been a misunderstanding and turned to look at the others:

"Elder Li? Daoist Ji?"

Holding the Demon-Searching Compass, Li Jing could clearly see its needle wavering-and pointing at Xie Jinhuan!

Ji Shiqing had obtained the same result, and his brow knitted tightly:

"Young friend Xie, what cultivation method were you practicing just now?"

Xie Jinhuan looked perfectly composed. "I just made a bet with Miss Lin, saying I could cultivate in reverse. She didn't believe me, so I demonstrated it for her."

"Cultivate in reverse?"

Everyone was utterly baffled.

Zhou He, a Hundred-Household Commander of the Scarlet Qilin Guard, noticed that events were taking an unexpected turn. He secretly frowned, but still interjected:

"Any cultivation method capable of producing 'Blood Baleful Qi' is an evil art of the Demon Path. Those words of yours tread on something of a taboo, Young Master Xie."

Xie Jinhuan spread his hands. "How could it be an evil art of the Demon Path? Normal cultivation methods draw on the spiritual energy of Heaven and earth to nourish one's vital essence and physique. Cultivating in reverse naturally means dispersing one's qi, turning one's flesh and blood into nourishment, and feeding it back to Heaven and earth..."

His explanation left everyone even more baffled.

None of these experts had ever heard of such an idiotic cultivation method. Just as they were about to ask, Linghu Qingmo spoke up beside them:

"He really can do that. I saw it last time. It's called... um... the Upside-Down Candle!"

"What?!"

The moment he finished speaking, several short exclamations of astonishment rang out around the courtyard.

The experts wore peculiar expressions.

Even Li Jing, who had been the very picture of a lofty expert, craned his head slightly and thought:

The Upside-Down Candle? Isn't that the woman riding on top...?

If this method that turns the heavenly order upside down is real, the name is rather apt...

Noticing their odd expressions, Linghu Qingmo asked:

"What's wrong?"

Tie Fengzhang could hardly explain bedroom arts to a young girl. He leaped down into the courtyard and scrutinized Xie Jinhuan:

"Young friend Xie, you've repeatedly rendered outstanding service recently, and I don't wish to suspect you. But the law is clear: any sign of demonic evil must be thoroughly investigated. Forgive the intrusion."

With that, he carefully examined Xie Jinhuan's muscles and bones, blood vessels, sea of qi, and so on.

As their "demonic evil consultant," Ji Shiqing also landed in front of him and conducted a painstaking examination.

Xie Jinhuan was entirely clean, so naturally he had nothing to fear from an examination. Offering no resistance, he asked:

"Is cultivating backward illegal?"

Was this a question of legality?

Li Jing held his sword behind his back with both hands. After some thought, he replied:

"Some cultivation methods run counter to the proper course, but even those aim to increase one's power in a short time, regardless of the cost. There are also plenty of methods in this world for completely dispersing one's cultivation and starting anew.

"But cultivating entirely backward, making it a case of 'man brought forth all things to nourish Heaven, yet Heaven had nothing to repay man,' hmm... it's not that you can't, exactly. It's just that no one throughout history has ever done anything so irrational."

Strictly speaking, it was idiotic!

As Tie Fengzhang examined him carefully, he also nodded:

"This art is even more ruthless than 'cutting off one's flesh to return it to one's mother and stripping away one's bones to return them to one's father.' I've never heard of its like."

Xie Jinhuan flashed a sunny smile:

"I was making a bet with Miss Lin. I only tried it on a whim."

Ji Shiqing examined him with great care, but apart from a martial artist's pure True Qi, there was nothing unusual whatsoever inside Xie Jinhuan. Bewilderment appeared on his face as well:

"There's nothing wrong with your sea of qi, muscles, bones, skin, or flesh. You couldn't possibly have practiced a Demon Path cultivation method, yet Blood Baleful Qi did indeed appear just now. Demonstrate that cultivation method again."

Xie Jinhuan cooperated fully, mustering his qi throughout his body. Energy coursed madly through every limb and bone, stirring a breeze in the courtyard.

Whoosh, whoosh~

Tie Fengzhang carefully sensed the flow of qi through his channels. He soon discovered that the energy inside Xie Jinhuan surged like mighty rivers. After the pure True Qi originally in his sea of qi completed a full circuit along a complex route through his body, it began breaking apart and dispersing outward.

Then his own vital essence and blood were swept along by the chaotic energy, scattering into Heaven and earth through his skin and breathing.

It looked as though he were dismantling himself!

Ji Shiqing had been holding the Eight Trigrams Disc all along. Discovering that the Dharma Artifact in his hand detected signs of Blood Baleful Intent even though Xie Jinhuan was not practicing any Demon Path art, his eyes flashed with profound admiration:

"It really is caused by the cultivation method! The construction of this art could be called craftsmanship that rivals Heaven itself. It's just... hmm... calling it an art of liberation through the corpse doesn't quite fit either..."

Tie Fengzhang also realized that the construction of Xie Jinhuan's cultivation method could shake Heaven and earth and make ghosts and gods weep! Yet it was utterly useless for anything but suicide, and his expression grew complicated:

"Is that the only thing this cultivation method does?"

"Of course not."

Without holding anything back, Xie Jinhuan gathered qi in his right hand and began showing off his skills to everyone:

Crack, crack~

As qi circulated throughout his body, two tiny sparks of electricity popped from his palm.

The Military Soldiers present all looked slightly startled at the sight, recognizing it as Daoist Thunder Magic, reputed to be "first among all arts, unmatched in killing power"!

Only...