The inn's windows weren't properly sealed, and the moonlight that leaked in shone like shattered silver on the bluestone floor, illuminating Li Qingshan's cross-legged figure.
His dark Daoist robe fluttered gently in the night breeze. The traces of lightning tribulation remaining on the robe had been repaired by divine power, but occasionally a flash of Purple Gold lightning could still be seen.
That was a mark left after fighting with the young Hengyu, who was in Humanoid Lightning. Even with repeated refinement, it was difficult to completely erase.
His divine sense sank into his body, Sun True Fire in the Sea of Bitterness Secret Realm floated like a glass lamp.
Tiny star-like points were flickering at the core of the flame; these were fragments of Universe Dao that had inadvertently merged into the flame after absorbing the Lightning Tribulation Liquid.
Each pulse of true fire draws in the purest yang energy of heaven and earth, while the faint yin energy drifting from the direction of the eatery several miles away seems to echo it.
In his mind, he sketched out the mysterious trajectory of Yin-Yang flowing, sometimes intersecting, sometimes entangled, finally transforming into a phantom image like Taiji diagram, and then dissipating.
" The Secret Realm Method emphasizes destruction before construction."
Li Qingshan opened his eyes, and a wisp of Sun True Fire condensed at his fingertips. Under the moonlight, the flame was not as intense as usual, but instead shone with a warm golden-red hue.
" The Sea of Bitterness Divine Source, the Dao Palace nourishes the five internal organs, the Four Extremes connect heaven and earth, Dragon Transformation to reverse the universe. This is the ladder for mortals to embark on the path of cultivation."
A talent like the Taiyin Physique already has the foundation of the secret realm hidden in its bloodline.
"Physical constitution is a key given by heaven, while the Secret Realm Method is a man-made path."
Li Qingshan withdrew the true fire into his body. "Only by combining the two can one forge Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon like Emperor Hengyu, using Yin-Yang as fire, and forge one's own path."
But Tingting's key is too sharp; without a suitable path, it might hurt her instead.
When the rooster crowed for the third time outside the window, the morning mist had already enveloped the bluestone-paved streets of Green Forest Town.
Li Qingshan finished his practice and stood up, taking out a Spirit-Calming Fruit from a warm jade box in the Bitter Sea.
This fruit grows beside the spiritual veins on the edge of the Eastern Wasteland. Although it is only a low-grade spiritual fruit, it can nourish the mind and spirit of mortals and has a calming effect on those with an unawakened Yin constitution.
He then carved runes on the wooden table in the inn to conceal his presence.
As the runes flowed, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a three-mile radius became calm, which could both isolate the malevolent energy and avoid the detection of cultivators' divine sense.
After doing all that, he carried the two fried dough sticks he bought from the breakfast stall at the edge of town. The oil paper bag was still steaming, and the aroma of oil mixed with the dampness of the morning mist as he walked towards the eatery.
The wooden door of the restaurant had just been removed, and Old Jiang was bending over to sweep the fallen leaves in front of the door. The bamboo broom made a rustling sound as it swept across the bluestone slabs.
Seeing the figure of the young man in black emerge from the mist, the old man straightened up, a familiar smile spreading across his face, "It's Young Master Li! Why have you arrived so early?"
Please come in quickly, Tingting just woke up and is saying she wants to "pour water for her big brother."
The stove was already lit, steam was rising from the iron pot on the stove, and the small oil lamps had been replaced with natural daylight, which made the grain of the wooden table even clearer.
Little Tingting, wearing a patched floral jacket, was sitting on a small stool helping her grandfather wipe the bowls. The porcelain bowls twirled a little clumsily in her small hands, but she wiped them very shiny.
Seeing Li Qingshan enter, her eyes immediately lit up. She tiptoed off the stool, her short legs propelling her down. "Big brother!"
Li Qingshan placed the fried dough sticks on the table, then took out a box and handed it over. "These are fruits for Tingting; eating them will make her feel better."
The moment the jade box was opened, a refreshing fragrance wafted out, and the Spirit-Calming Fruit inside was pure white, gleaming with a moon-like luster.
Curious, Xiao Tingting reached out and touched the fruit. A faint white light appeared on the surface. She immediately withdrew her hand, her eyes wide as she looked at Li Qingshan: "Big brother, the fruit glows!"
Seeing this, Old Jiang quickly declined, saying, "Young Master Li, you're too kind. I already paid extra for the meals a few days ago."
"Don't be so polite, sir."
Li Qingshan smiled and handed the box to Xiao Tingting. His gaze swept over the old bowls piled behind the counter; although the rims were slightly chipped, they were spotless. "I'll be staying in this town for a while, and I might have to come and bother you often in the future. This little token is nothing."
For the next few days, Li Qingshan came to the restaurant every day.
On the first day, I brought some powder made from Linggu grains and asked Old Jiang to mix it into pancakes for Tingting to eat.
The spirit grain contains a trace of spiritual energy, which can strengthen the body of ordinary people. It also has a subtle nourishing effect on Tingting's Yin constitution.
The next day, I brought a folk painting book depicting the mountains and rivers of the Eastern Wasteland. I told Tingting that a treasure pool was hidden beneath the waterfall in the Spirit Ruins Paradise, and that cultivators could fly by controlling their qi and split mountains in two with a single sword stroke.
On the third day, he helped Old Jiang repair the leaky roof of the restaurant. He used his divine power, and the wood-elemental spiritual energy condensed at his fingertips brought the rotten oak tree back to life.
Old Jiang saw this and simply handed over a cup of hot tea.
Little Tingting always rests her chin on her hand, her big, round eyes wide open, occasionally asking innocent questions, "Big brother, do immortals eat braised meat too?"
"Do they have a stove like Grandpa's in the palace on the moon?"
Li Qingshan would answer patiently, occasionally mentioning words like "cultivation" to observe Old Jiang's reaction.
He noticed that whenever these things were mentioned, the old man would lower his eyelids, slow down his work, and a complex emotion would flash across his eyes, like a memory or a pain, as if he was deliberately avoiding something.
That evening, as the sunset painted Green Forest Town orange-red, several wolf howls suddenly echoed outside the restaurant.
The voice was hoarse and shrill, carrying the ferocious aura unique to wild beasts, and the dogs at the west end of the town immediately began to bark wildly.
Xiao Tingting was drawing on the table when she heard the sound. Her body trembled slightly, and the charcoal in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud." She subconsciously gripped her grandfather's clothes tightly, and her little face turned pale.
Li Qingshan's eyes flickered slightly; he had already sensed several Bitter Sea wolves lurking in the mountains outside the town.
These wolves are over ten feet long, with fangs that gleam coldly; it would take an average hunter team of five to barely deal with them.
Seeing Tingting's unusual reaction, he asked, "Grandpa, Tingting seems very afraid of wolves?"
Old Jiang sighed, added a piece of firewood to the stove, and the firelight made the wrinkles on his face appear even deeper. "Some time ago, a gray wolf broke into the west end of the town and injured a hunter's child."
The Li Family family said that the hunter had offended a mountain spirit, which attracted the wrath of a ferocious beast.
" The Li Family?"
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow; he had already heard this name in town.
The richest family in Green Forest Town has three or four members who cultivate in the Yanxia Cave Heaven, making them the only force in town with access to the cultivation world. Ordinary villagers keep their distance from them.
This is the source of Jiang Tingting's hardships in the early part of her life in the original novel.
Old Jiang paused, his voice lowering even further. "It's not just that she's afraid of wolves. Ever since Tingting's parents left, she's been afraid of the dark and the roars of wild animals. She always has nightmares at night."
He looked up at Li Qingshan, a pleading look finally appearing in his eyes, "Young Master Li, you are so knowledgeable, do you know any way to help the child sleep more soundly?"
Li Qingshan pondered for a moment, then took out a jade pendant from his robes. It was carved from ordinary warm jade, with simple energy-gathering runes engraved on it. Although it had no offensive power, it could gather the peaceful energy between heaven and earth.
He handed over the jade pendant. " Tingting pendant. It can calm her mind and spirit, and the aura of ordinary ferocious beasts cannot get close to her."
The moment the jade pendant touched Tingting's fingertips, the girl's tense body visibly relaxed, and she even reached out to touch the runes on the surface of the jade pendant.
Upon seeing this, Old Jiang's expression finally changed. His hand gripping the jade pendant trembled slightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. "Young Master Li, who exactly are you?"
This jade pendant is definitely not an ordinary item; it's far too precious. We absolutely mustn't have it."
Li Qingshan knew the time had come. He got up, walked to the door, and closed the wooden door of the restaurant. The sunset outside was shut out, and only the dim light of the stove fire remained in the shop, casting the shadows of the two men swaying on the wall.
A faint aura emanated from him, and Old Jiang immediately sensed a difference from ordinary mortals. "Old man, to tell you the truth, I am a cultivator."
"A practitioner."
Old Jiang murmured and repeated those three words.
This word was not unfamiliar to him; it was a past he had deliberately avoided over the past year.
He suddenly staggered back a step, bumping into the counter behind him. The porcelain bowls on the counter clattered, but he seemed oblivious, staring intently at Li Qingshan: "You, you weren't sent by the Li Family?"
" The Li Family?"
Li Qingshan's voice was calm and even, yet it carried a reassuring power. He completely concealed the aura he was exuding, and the suffocating, invisible pressure in the shop vanished instantly.
"I have traveled here and have never had any dealings with the Green Forest Li Family, much less beholden to them."
His gaze was clear as he calmly met Old Jiang's look, which was filled with surprise and fear.