Shi Xuan was not overly concerned with whether Xu Tianqi could escape the Xia Family's secret retaliation in the future. After all, Du Bai was the one he had dealings with; he was not particularly familiar with Xu Tianqi. Since Xu Tianqi himself saw things that way, there was no need to say more.
The two returned to the residence, first building a fire and then creating signs that it had burned for a long time. They then split up to release the acupoints of the three people still lying there. Just as Shi Xuan released Mu Jin's acupoints, he heard Meng Yuqiong's pleasant voice ask, "Brother Tianqi, where did that White Shadow go?" It seemed this beauty's internal cultivation was above even Xu Tianqi's. She had at least opened one of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians; otherwise, she would not have awakened the instant her acupoints were released. Earlier, Xu Tianqi had still needed quite some time to awaken, even after Shi Xuan released his acupoints and fed him Internal Energy.
"That White Shadow looked vicious, but it could not actually harm people. We held out until nearly dawn, and it dispersed," Xu Tianqi told Meng Yuqiong, repeating the story he and Shi Xuan had agreed upon.
"Oh, so that was it." Meng Yuqiong did not press further. As for whether she believed it in her heart, that was impossible to know. In Shi Xuan's view, she was probably more likely not to believe it. Otherwise, why had she not continued asking about the other details?
By the time Xu Tianqi revived Xu Jinyi, Mu Jin had only just awakened as well. Both were frightened and curious about what had happened the previous night. Xu Jinyi kept pestering Xu Tianqi with questions: was that White Shadow a ghost, how had they escaped the evil ghost afterward, what did the ghost look like, could it use magic, and so on. Her chattering gave Xu Tianqi a pounding headache. Many of her questions even went beyond the story the two had prepared, leaving Xu Tianqi stammering and unable to answer.
With no other choice, Xu Tianqi secretly told Xu Jinyi that she should seize the chance to show concern for Meng Yuqiong. Only then did Xu Jinyi, rather perceptively, come over to Shi Xuan.
"Senior Brother Shi, I never imagined you were so capable. Only you and my Fifth Brother held on until dawn." Xu Jinyi gazed at Shi Xuan with a beaming smile. Mu Jin, though not good with words, also watched Shi Xuan with bright eyes, filled with curiosity.
Shi Xuan could not help laughing. This girl was trying to fish for information, so he said, "I am not that capable. It was all thanks to Senior Brother Xu."
That was not enough to send little Xu Jinyi away. She struck while the iron was hot. "Then tell me what that ghost looked like, all right? Did it have no facial features? No, that is wrong—it only had a huge, bloody mouth! I remember being scared unconscious by something like that!" As she spoke, she gestured with her hands.
"Senior Sister Jinyi, it was not like that. I remember a deathly pale face, high-arched brows, and blood flowing from its mouth," Mu Jin refuted her based on his own experience.
"Nonsense. Is that even a ghost? That is not scary at all." Xu Jinyi scorned Mu Jin's unoriginal description, then looked at Shi Xuan with tearful eyes. "Senior Brother Shi, you have to judge fairly."
Shi Xuan considered it before answering, "You are both right." Seeing Xu Jinyi about to pout and argue, he quickly waved for her to listen first. "Ghosts generally retain the appearance they had in life, only paler and blurrier. As for the ghost we saw last night, we actually saw its true face afterward."
Xu Jinyi immediately grew excited. "What did it look like? What did it look like? Then why did I see it like that?" She shaped a huge bloody mouth with her hands again. Mu Jin nodded along in agreement.
Just as Shi Xuan was about to answer, he suddenly frowned. His keen senses had detected that although Meng Yuqiong seemed to be attentively listening to Xu Tianqi's animated account of last night, her attention had remained fixed on him. Still, Shi Xuan could not concern himself with that for now and could only continue. "After we started the fire, the White Shadow did not dare approach and could only howl from afar. Through the fire, we saw that it was a male ghost with a vicious face, scars all over it, loose hair, and the appearance of a man in his forties or fifties. As for what you saw, it was probably caused by its Illusion Technique affecting you."
"An Illusion Technique? That sounds amazing—just like in the storybooks I have read." Xu Jinyi's eyes nearly shone.
"But in the storybooks and operas, shouldn't it be a female ghost in a situation like this?" Mu Jin said regretfully. Who would have thought this dull, shy kid liked storybooks—and had such a heavy taste for female ghosts?
Shi Xuan laughed awkwardly. "Do not storybooks also have male monsters like rat demons and Five-Powers God seducing women of good families? That shows male ghosts and male monsters both exist." Although the conclusion had little to do with the reasoning, it was better than bluntly saying storybooks were all made up. What if the two of them were die-hard fans? This load of ghost talk was still preferable.
The two did not bother analyzing the logic before and after Shi Xuan's answer, instead moving on to another question they cared about.
"Senior Brother Shi, did that male ghost suddenly stretch out a long tongue toward your foreheads?"
"No. What you are describing sounds more like a zombie, does it not?"
"Senior Brother Shi, did that ghost use any spells? Like summoning lightning, or waves of black mist?"
"If it had used spells, do you think we would have survived? Besides, if it summoned lightning, would the lightning strike the ghost first or people first?"
Before they knew it, dawn had arrived. Xu Tianqi and Meng Yuqiong finished talking and came over. Xu Tianqi said, "Since it is already light, I do not think that ghost will appear again. We need not stay by this fire any longer. It is time to head back."
Only then did Meng Yuqiong ask, "I wonder how Brother Xia and the Xia Family's two Elders are doing?"
Xu Jinyi suddenly realized something. "I knew something was missing. So that wastrel was carried off by the ghost."
Xu Tianqi stepped forward and said, "They probably were not carried off by the ghost. We only saw it whip up a violent gale and blow all three of them out of this residence. We only had time to grab the three of you. Sigh, the ghost in this residence seems never to have taken a human life. I hope they are the same—well, may good people be blessed by Heaven."
Shi Xuan grumbled inwardly, That is far too fake. Given the relationship between you two, you should be gloating now, not putting on a grave and sorrowful act.
Sure enough, little Xu pursed her lips. "I hope wild dogs drag them away."
Since those three had already been blown out of the residence, even if they wanted to look for them, they would have to leave the residence first. After extinguishing the fire, the five of them departed together.
The early morning air was fresh and faintly sweet, and waves of cool breeze brushed against their faces. The five, having just left the residence, could not help feeling their moods brighten, and their spirits improved considerably.
Once they stopped outside, Xu Tianqi was hesitating over whether to perfunctorily search for Xia Wenhui and the others. As he instinctively looked toward the exit of that dead-end alley, he saw Xia Wenhui's group of three emerge. Upon seeing them, the three cast a vicious glare their way before turning and leaving. Blade Sword Double Kill in particular looked as though they wanted to swallow Xu Tianqi whole alive.
Xu Tianqi clapped his hands. "Look, Sister Yuqiong, they are perfectly fine and are hurrying home now. Let us head back too."
Meng Yuqiong nodded faintly, and the five headed toward the Xu Residence. Aside from Xu Jinyi skipping about and asking question after question, while Shi Xuan and Xu Tianqi casually fobbed her off, everyone remained quiet all the way to the Xu Residence.
Shi Xuan politely declined Xu Tianqi's invitation to go in for breakfast and watched the four walk toward the side gate. Xu Jinyi dawdled behind until she was last. Just after stepping onto the first stair, she suddenly turned and hurried two steps back. Under Shi Xuan's startled gaze, she whispered, "Senior Brother Shi, you cannot fool me. I know what my Fifth Brother is like better than you do! But hehe, I really like hearing your ghost stories."
Without waiting for Shi Xuan to reply, she took several large strides to catch the other three and entered the side gate with them. At the instant she went through it, Shi Xuan saw Meng Yuqiong turn around as well and give him a meaningful smile.
Shi Xuan thought mournfully, Who would have thought little Xu Jinyi, who looked so innocent and pure, was so calculating too? Did she make a fool of me, or did she make a fool of me? And Meng Yuqiong... sigh, I cannot underestimate women's intelligence in the future.
Shi Xuan waited outside for Xu Tianqi to send a steward with a bundle containing the agreed five hundred taels of silver. After eating breakfast outside, he returned to the small courtyard for his daily morning practice, mainly regulating his breath and circulating his energy, then practicing his fists to strengthen his body.
Shi Xuan was not worried that Xia Wenhui's group would come looking for him. In theory, since the Xia Family did not dare retaliate openly against Xu Tianqi, he, as Xu Tianqi's little follower, would likely have a hard time escaping retaliation. But the Xia Family could not find him. When Xu Tianqi had previously come to the small courtyard, Xia Wenhui's group had not known about it. As for afterward, Xu Tianqi had said he would not leave home until his cultivation broke through, much less come here. Moreover, Xu Tianqi would surely restrain Mu Jin and Xu Jinyi from coming over. Meng Yuqiong, whom he could not restrain, likewise did not know where Shi Xuan lived, just like the Xia Family.
Of course, Shi Xuan was so unconcerned because even if the Xia Family truly came to his door, he was not afraid. If a few came, he would destroy a few. With confidence in his heart, he naturally did not panic.
Sure enough, over the next half year, neither Xu Tianqi nor the other three came by. Shi Xuan, meanwhile, focused on visualizing Soul Strengthening, practicing his cultivation, and nourishing his energy. His progress was extremely swift. He had already opened seventy-one minor meridians; only the final one remained before he could connect all his meridians and form a Major Heavenly Cycle.
Shi Xuan also dug out the new "Returning to Truth Art" created by Old Daoist Xu. He did not intend to cultivate its internal art, but rather to practice the various moves collected and created in its later sections. While preparing for his future journey, Shi Xuan discovered that things like top-grade cinnabar and yellow paper made from old peachwood were difficult to buy and exceedingly expensive. After searching the entire city, he only bought enough materials to draw twenty or thirty talismans, and even that cost more than a hundred taels of silver. He now had less than fifty taels left. Talismans were therefore precious and had to be used sparingly. Left with no alternative, Shi Xuan practiced these moves, striving to use them to deal with minor troubles.
Shi Xuan's Internal Energy was now abundant, and his progress in martial arts techniques was astonishingly fast. In less than four months, he had mastered every move in the new "Returning to Truth Art" until they rolled off him as easily as reciting a familiar text. Though their destructive power was lacking due to the nature of his Internal Energy, with cultivation nearing the Major Heavenly Cycle, he judged according to Blade Sword Double Kill's estimate that dealing with opponents who had not fully opened the Eight Extraordinary Meridians should not be a problem.
Before you continue