Preparation for Seeking Immortality and the Dao

Shi Xuan wasn't too concerned about whether Xu Tianqi would escape the Xia Family's private retaliation in the future. After all, his connection was with Du Bai, and Shi Xuan wasn't close to him. Since the other party had already made up his mind, Shi Xuan wouldn't say any more.

The two returned to the house, built a fire, and then made it look like they had been there for a long time. Afterward, they split up to unseal the acupoints of the three people still lying there. Just as Shi Xuan finished unsealing Mu Jin's acupoints, he heard Meng Yuqiong's pleasant voice ask, "Brother Tianqi, where is that white shadow?" It seemed this beauty's internal energy cultivation was still above Xu Tianqi's. At the very least, she had unblocked one of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, otherwise, she wouldn't have woken up as soon as her acupoints were unsealed. Previously, even after Shi Xuan unsealed Xu Tianqi's acupoints and infused him with internal energy, it took him a while to wake up.

"That white shadow looked fierce, but it didn't actually harm anyone. We held on until almost dawn, and then it dissipated," Xu Tianqi told Meng Yuqiong, repeating the story he and Shi Xuan had agreed upon.

"Oh, so that's how it was." Meng Yuqiong didn't press further. Whether she believed it or not was unknown. In Shi Xuan's opinion, it was more likely she didn't believe it. Otherwise, why wouldn't she ask about other aspects of the situation?

By the time Xu Tianqi rescued Xu Jinyi, Mu Jin had just woken up. Both of them were both scared and curious about what happened last night. Xu Jinyi incessantly pestered Xu Tianqi with questions about last night, such as whether the white shadow was a ghost, how they escaped the evil spirit, what the ghost looked like, if it knew magic, and so on. She chattered so much that Xu Tianqi's head was spinning. Many of her questions even went beyond the agreed-upon story, leaving Xu Tianqi stammering and unable to answer.

Xu Tianqi was at his wit's end. He secretly told Xu Jinyi to seize the opportunity to show concern for Meng Yuqiong. Only then did Xu Jinyi, with a knowing look, walk over to Shi Xuan.

"Senior Brother Shi, I didn't expect you to be so capable. Only you and my Fifth Brother persisted until dawn," Xu Jinyi said with a smile, looking at Shi Xuan. Beside her, Mu Jin, though not eloquent, also looked at Shi Xuan with bright, curious eyes.

Shi Xuan chuckled speechlessly. This girl was trying to trick him into revealing information. He replied, "I don't have any skills. It was all thanks to Senior Brother Xu."

This wouldn't deter the young girl Xu Jinyi. She seized the opportunity, saying, "Then can you tell me what that ghost looked like? Was it faceless? No, it only had a gaping bloody mouth. I remember being scared unconscious by that!" As she spoke, she gestured with her hands.

"Sister Jinyi, it wasn't like that. I remember it had a pale face, its eyebrows were raised high, and blood was flowing from its mouth," Mu Jin countered based on his own experience.

"Nonsense. What you're describing doesn't sound like a ghost at all. It's not scary at all." Xu Jinyi scorned Mu Jin's uncreative description and then looked at Shi Xuan with teary eyes, saying, "Senior Brother Shi, you must be fair."

Shi Xuan thought for a moment and replied, "You are both right." Seeing Xu Jinyi about to pout in protest, he quickly waved his hand, signaling her to listen first. "Actually, ghosts generally resemble their former selves, just paler and more indistinct. Like the ghost we saw last night, we actually saw its true form later."

Xu Jinyi immediately became excited and asked, "What did it look like? What did it look like? Then why did I see it like that?" She even made a gaping bloody mouth shape with her hand. Mu Jin also nodded in agreement.

Just as Shi Xuan was about to answer, he suddenly frowned. Shi Xuan had keenly sensed that although Meng Yuqiong appeared to be listening intently to Xu Tianqi's animated account of last night, she had been focusing her attention on him the entire time. However, Shi Xuan couldn't deal with that now and continued, "Later, after we started the fire, the white shadow didn't dare to approach, only howling from afar. Through the fire, we saw it was a ferocious-looking male ghost with disheveled hair, covered in scars, appearing to be in his forties or fifties. As for what you saw, it was likely caused by its illusions."

"Illusions? How amazing! It sounds very good, just like in the storybooks I've read," Xu Jinyi's eyes were almost sparkling.

"But in storybooks and operas, it's usually a female ghost in such situations," Mu Jin said with some regret. He didn't seem like a shy and reserved person, but rather someone who enjoyed storybooks and even preferred female ghosts, having a rather dark taste.

Shi Xuan chuckled and said, "Aren't there also stories about rat monsters and male spirits seducing female family members in storybooks? This shows that male ghosts and male monsters do exist." Although the conclusion of this argument had little to do with the process, if he directly stated that storybooks were fabricated, and the two opposite him were fervent fans, this roundabout explanation was better than nothing.

The two opposite didn't pay attention to analyzing the logical coherence of Shi Xuan's answer and then asked about other issues they cared about.

"Senior Brother Shi, did that male ghost suddenly extend a very long tongue towards your foreheads?"

"No, that sounds like a zombie, doesn't it?"

"Senior Brother Shi, did the ghost use any magic? Like summoning lightning, or a dense black mist?"

"Do you think we would have survived if it had used magic? Besides, if it summoned lightning, would it strike the ghost or the person first?"

Unknowingly, the sky had brightened. Xu Tianqi and Meng Yuqiong finished their conversation and walked over. Xu Tianqi said, "Since it's already dawn, I don't think the ghost will appear again. We don't need to stay near this bonfire anymore. It's time to go back."

At this moment, Meng Yuqiong finally asked, "I wonder how Brother Xia and their two Xia Family elders are doing?"

Xu Jinyi suddenly realized, "I felt like something was missing. So, that prodigal son was captured by the ghost."

Xu Tianqi stepped forward and said, "He probably wasn't captured by the ghost. We only saw the ghost blow a gust of strong wind that blew all three of them out of this house. We only managed to grab the three of you. Alas, the ghost in this house has never taken a life. I hope they are okay too. Well, may good fortune be with them."

Shi Xuan scoffed inwardly, That's too fake. Given your relationship, you should be gloating right now, not looking so solemn and sorrowful.

As expected, the young girl Xu pouted and said, "I hope they were carried off by wild dogs."

Since the three people had already been blown out of the house, even if they wanted to find them, they would have to search outside. Therefore, after extinguishing the bonfire, the five of them left together.

The morning air was fresh and slightly sweet, coupled with a gentle cool breeze that brushed against them. The five people who had just left the house couldn't help but feel their spirits lift, and their minds cleared considerably.

Standing outside, just as Xu Tianqi hesitated about whether to perfunctorily search for Xia Wenhui and the other two, he subconsciously glanced towards the exit of that dead-end alley. He saw Xia Wenhui and the other two emerge. Upon seeing them, they glared fiercely before turning to leave. Especially the look and expression of Blade Sword Double Kill seemed as if they wanted to devour Xu Tianqi alive.

Xu Tianqi clapped his hands and said, "Sister Yuqiong, look, they're fine and rushing back. Let's go back too."

Meng Yuqiong nodded slightly, and then the five of them headed in the direction of the Xu Residence. Along the way, apart from Xu Jinyi skipping and asking questions, and Shi Xuan and Xu Tianqi giving casual, perfunctory answers, everyone was very quiet until they reached the Xu Residence.

Shi Xuan politely declined Xu Tianqi's invitation to have breakfast together and watched the other four head towards the small gate. Xu Jinyi dawdled at the back. Just as she stepped onto the first step, she suddenly turned and walked back two quick steps. To Shi Xuan's astonished gaze, she said in a very low voice, "Senior Brother Shi, you can't fool me. I know my Fifth Brother very well! But, hehe, I really enjoy listening to your ghost stories."

Without waiting for Shi Xuan to reply, she quickly caught up with the other three and entered the small gate together. As she entered, Shi Xuan saw Meng Yuqiong also turn back and give him a meaningful smile.

Shi Xuan thought sadly, I never expected the seemingly innocent and pure young girl Xu Jinyi to be so calculating. Was I fooled by her, or was I fooled? And Meng Yuqiong too. Sigh, I can't underestimate women's intelligence in the future.

Outside the gate, Shi Xuan waited for a steward sent by Xu Tianqi to give him a package containing the agreed-upon five hundred taels of silver. After having breakfast outside, he returned to his small courtyard for his daily morning routine, which mainly involved regulating his breathing, circulating his internal energy, and practicing boxing for body conditioning.

Shi Xuan wasn't worried about Xia Wenhui and the others coming to find him. Although, logically, since the Xia Family didn't dare to retaliate against Xu Tianqi openly, his little follower would likely bear the brunt of their revenge. However, the Xia Family couldn't find him. When Xu Tianqi came to his small courtyard before, Xia Wenhui and the others didn't know about it. As for afterward, Xu Tianqi had said he wouldn't leave his residence until his cultivation broke through, let alone come to Shi Xuan's place. Furthermore, Shi Xuan believed Mu Jin and Xu Jinyi would also restrain Xu Tianqi from coming over. As for Meng Yuqiong, whom he couldn't restrain, she, like the Xia Family, didn't know where he lived.

Of course, Shi Xuan wasn't worried because even if the Xia Family did find him, he wouldn't be afraid. He could defeat any number of them who came. With confidence, he naturally wouldn't panic.

As expected, within half a year, Xu Tianqi and the other three never came. Shi Xuan focused on Visualization and Soul Strengthening, practicing his skills and nurturing his energy. His progress was extremely rapid. He had already unblocked seventy-one minor meridians, with only the last one remaining before he could connect all meridians to form the Major Heavenly Cycle.

Additionally, Shi Xuan dug out Old Daoist Xu's newly created "Returning to Truth Art." He didn't practice the internal energy cultivation within it but rather practiced the various moves he had collected and created later. This was because, while preparing for his future travels, Shi Xuan discovered that rare cinnabar and old peach wood for making yellow paper were difficult and expensive to buy. He searched the entire city but only managed to buy enough materials to draw twenty to thirty talismans. These alone cost him over a hundred taels of silver, leaving him with less than fifty taels. Therefore, talismans were precious and had to be used sparingly. Shi Xuan had no choice but to practice the moves, hoping to use them to solve minor troubles.

Shi Xuan's internal energy was abundant now, and his progress in practicing martial arts moves was rapid. In less than four months, he had mastered the moves in the new "Returning to Truth Art." Although the lethality was insufficient due to the nature of his internal energy, with a cultivation level close to the Major Heavenly Cycle, he estimated that he could handle opponents who hadn't fully unblocked all their Eight Extraordinary Meridians, based on his mastery of Blade Sword Double Kill.