A shocking turn

Xu Qi'an scrutinized the dragon energy host. The man was in his early twenties, about the same age as himself, with slightly rough and dark skin, clearly a wandering knight who had spent many years traveling.

Her facial features were decent, but not particularly outstanding; her most striking feature was her pair of eyes, which shone brightly.

Xu Qi'an had seen him once before at the brothel, from a sparrow's perspective, and his impression of him was not bad—men who frequent brothels are all fallen angels from their past lives.

In fact, when the woman of the night was implicated, Miao Youfang's first thought was not for himself, but for the woman's safety.

This is a rare quality among the group of Rogue Person break the law with their martial arts.

When dealing with the host of dragon energy, Xu Qi'an not only had to extract the dragon energy, but also had to understand the other party's character.

If he is a person of good character, he will choose to be honest and open with the other party.

If they are evildoers, then kill them without hesitation.

Miao Youfang was also sizing up Xu Qi'an, somewhat cautiously, because he vividly remembered the battle scene from yesterday. This person was the legendary Xu Qi'an.

Name, gender, age.

Xu Qi'an used the first three lines of his previous life's transcript.

Miao Youfang was visibly taken aback, seemingly unaccustomed to this opening. Intimidated by the man's fierce demeanor from the previous day, he answered truthfully:

Miao Youfang, male, is twenty-three years old this year.

Before answering, one should say "Yes, sir." Xu Qi'an silently joked, "Where are you from?"

Miao Village, Heiyang County, Qingzhou.

"Do you know why you're here?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"Because I am a genius," Miao Youfang said proudly. "This great hero has traveled the martial world for many years, killing street ruffians, local bullies who commit evil deeds, and corrupt officials who prey on the people. I have too many enemies."

As someone who aspired to become a great hero, punishing evil and upholding justice, he drew his sword to strike people down on many occasions when he saw injustice.

"However, I don't think those are the reasons."

Miao Youfang pursed his lips, "I still have some self-awareness."

His actions were mere trifles in the eyes of true powerhouses, and could not possibly have triggered yesterday's awe-inspiring battle.

"Senior, just give me a straight answer. Will I survive? If not, please act quickly. Although I've killed many people, I never torture anyone."

"What if I could live?" Xu Qi'an countered.

Miao Youfang looked solemn and sincere. "You are my father."

That's interesting! But no, you're too ugly to be my son.

Xu Qi'an grabbed his shoulders. "Whether you live or die depends on your performance later."

Seeing Miao Youfang's puzzled expression, he leaped into the air.

The two immediately disappeared from the first level of the pagoda and were teleported directly to the third level.

Miao Youfang looked around in surprise. It was a very large space, but not as spacious as the first floor.

There is a golden statue on the north and south sides, a broken arm on the west side, and a small couch against the wall on the east side, on which sits an old monk and a woman.

The woman was plain-looking, with a small white fox nestled in her arms. When she saw them enter, she quickly put her hands together in a devout gesture.

"Master, please examine him using Buddhist teachings."

Xu Qi'an clasped his hands together in prayer, and after the old monk nodded, he turned to Miao Youfang and asked:

"Is there any indiscriminate killing of innocent people?"

What does it mean to indiscriminately kill innocent people?

"A person who has never committed a capital crime."

"I only killed those who deserved to die."

"Has there been any rape, murder, or abduction?"

"I wouldn't stoop to that."

Seemingly to increase his persuasiveness, Miao Youfang raised his chin, looking proud:

"What beautiful girls aren't in brothels? And they know how to please people, so there's no need for rape or kidnapping. As for me, I can always earn a lot of money to spend at brothels."

He's a bike-sharing enthusiast. Xu Qi'an hummed in agreement and turned to look at the old monk.

The latter nodded.

Phew, finally found a decent dragon energy host. What kind of people have I encountered along the way?!

Xu Qi'an said, "You must be very curious as to why those people were chasing you so relentlessly yesterday, including why I imprisoned you in the tower."

Miao Youfang remained curious and nodded vigorously.

"Actually, your talent isn't that great," Xu Qi'an explained.

But he was immediately interrupted by Miao Youfang, who proudly raised his head:

"Although you are my senior, I shouldn't argue with you out of self-preservation. But you can say whatever you want about me, but saying I have no talent is unacceptable. Senior, I'm the best fighter in town."

Why don't you say you're the coolest kid on the block? He seems quite proud of his talent. Xu Qi'an suppressed the twitching at the corner of his mouth and calmly said:

"Most of your current achievements stem from something called dragon energy."

Miao Youfang was Qi Ingestion, but he also listened attentively.

"It is a kind of fortune formed when the dragon vein collapsed due to various accidents when Xu Qi'an, the Silver Gong of the Great Feng Dynasty, killed the tyrant. Well, Xu Qi'an, the Silver Gong of the Great Feng, was an extraordinary talent, a genius that is rare in hundreds of years. I don't need to elaborate on this, right? Those who obtain the dragon energy will have one adventure after another. Money is just a minor thing. They will also benefit from connections, cultivation progress, and so on."

"You know your own situation best. Did your luck suddenly improve a little over a month ago, and you were able to make friends wherever you went and receive all sorts of gifts from them?"

"My spiritual practice is progressing rapidly, and whenever I encounter a problem, someone will always come to my aid."

"Furthermore, you win nine out of ten times at a casino, making a fortune every day."

Miao Youfang listened and fell silent for a long time.

Everything this senior said is correct; it all fits perfectly. The reason for using this senior is that he saw through Xu Yinluo's intention not to reveal his identity.

A month ago, he returned home from traveling and unexpectedly caught the eye of the prettiest girl in town. The old master who taught him martial arts suddenly took out a secret manual and gave it to him, saying that he didn't have long to live and didn't want his unique skills to be lost.

He left the town and continued his travels, encountering one adventure after another. Apart from being chased by the same group of people from the previous day, he encountered almost no danger.

His cultivation level is improving rapidly every day.

Miao Youfang tentatively asked, "So..."

Xu Qi'an replied, "If the dragon energy continues to scatter outwards, the collapse of the dynasty is only a matter of time. And if it falls into the hands of foreign tribes, the change of rulers in the Central Plains is also foreseeable. Therefore, I must reclaim the dragon energy."

Seeing the struggle on Miao Youfang's face, he mocked:

"What, you're unwilling? You consider yourself a great hero, but you should know that the greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people."

He was met with silence. The dark-skinned young man lowered his head, the struggle on his face becoming increasingly apparent.

After a long while, he asked, "I am already a sitting duck for you, senior. You can take the dragon's energy yourself. Why bother telling me so much?"

Xu Qi'an said calmly, "If you're a villain, I won't waste my breath on you."

Miao Youfang stared at Xu Qi'an for a few seconds, then lowered his head again.

After a silence of more than ten seconds, he sighed:

"Although I'm very unwilling, I'm a chivalrous hero, and a chivalrous hero should act like one."

"If the dragon's energy can truly save the court, and if it's truly within me, then take it."

Xu Qi'an immediately took out the fragment of the Earth Book, faced the mirror towards him, and silently recited the Mnemonic.

A golden light suddenly flashed in Miao Youfang's eyes, as if a dragon shadow had flashed by. A thick golden dragon phantom shot out from above his head and reluctantly entered the fragment of the Earth Book.

Miao Youfang looked disappointed.

He didn't see any dragon energy, but for a brief moment, he felt that something important had left.

With this, I have three crucial items. Once I collect the final six, I will complete the mission. Xu Qi'an was overjoyed. In just over a month, he had collected three strands of dragon energy.

Moreover, the nurturing process of the Taiping Blade will be accelerated by this new dragon energy.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Xu Qi'an saw Miao Youfang looking dejected and listless, and in a good mood, he gave him a warning:

"A true strong person possesses an unbreakable heart. Without a courageous heart, no matter how strong one is, one can only bully the weak; facing someone of the same level, one is doomed."

Miao Youfang scratched his head. "I should be content. Without the dragon's energy, I probably wouldn't have achieved what I have today. Actually, I'm not very talented. The old master in town who taught me boxing also said that."

My fellow disciples all laughed at me for overestimating myself, thinking I was a great hero despite my mediocre talent. At the age of sixteen, I left the town to travel, and it wasn't until I was twenty-three that I saved enough money to hire a master of the Spirit Refining Realm to help me Aperture Opening.

"To save this money, I didn't change my shoes for two years, and I wore the same robe, patched and mended, for three years."

"Not long ago, my luck suddenly turned around, and I was finally able to become a legendary hero admired by thousands. Hey, what did the book say again? Right, a mirage."

But if it's not mine, then it's not mine.

He hung his head, dejected, like an ugly duckling that had been reduced to its original form.

"I happen to need a follower."

Miao Youfang suddenly raised his head and stared at Xu Qi'an, whose expression was indifferent.

Xu Qi'an said to himself, "To be my follower, you have to work hard without complaint, like a beast of burden, without a monthly salary, but you'll occasionally be taught a move or two."

Miao Youfang's expression was serious as he said, word by word, "Father."

Xu Qi'an's lips twitched.

Xiushui Town is located southwest of Yongzhou City.

Liu Hongmian sat on the roof ridge, one hand hugging her knee and the other supporting her chin, gazing listlessly at the distant scenery.

Xu Qi'an is truly amazing; he deserves to be called the most talented young man in the Central Plains.

Ji Xuan seemed to have lost his fighting spirit after being beaten. Could the death of the old Daoist priest with the banana leaf have affected him so much? He was clearly just an old Daoist priest with shallow cultivation.

The team's morale has collapsed, and I should find another way out.

Sigh, if only I could hook up with Xu Yinluo. I turned around and went back to the Wanhua Tower in Jianzhou to kick Xiao Yuenu out of the sect.

Liu Hongmian's thoughts wandered, drifting off into unrelated topics.

She turned her gaze to Ji Xuan in the courtyard. The young master was sitting on the edge of the well, having spent the entire night there.

"However, this may not be a bad thing for him. Only by overcoming this setback can he go higher and further."

Liu Hongmian clicked her tongue twice. She was still hoping to rely on Ji Xuan to launch a counterattack on Wan Hua Lou and reclaim her position as the lord.

Miao Youfang chose to stay by Xu Qian's side, becoming an unassuming follower.

"Unknown" is the definition he gave himself; in reality, this guy is a chatterbox and a natural at making friends.

"Feiyan Heroine, in all my years of wandering the martial world, you are the only person I truly admire. Feiyan Heroine, please say something!"

At first, Li Miaozhen would respond politely, but after realizing that this guy would keep saying hurtful things, she stopped paying attention to him.

"Brother Chu, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but if you could serve as an official in the court, why would you choose to wander the rivers and lakes? Scholars hold a very high status in our town."

Chu Yuanzhen didn't like to talk to him either, because this kid always criticized him for being willful. He had clearly been nominated for the top scholar in the imperial examination, but he still resigned. How willful!

"Brother Li, from now on I'll be in charge of serving tea and water to Senior Xu, and you'll be in charge of doing his laundry and cooking."

"I've told you many times, I'm not Senior Xu's follower."

"Okay, then you can be in charge of serving tea and water, and I'll take care of the laundry and cooking."

Seeing that Miao Youfang had become acquainted with everyone, Xu Qi'an led them away from the Pagoda of Buddha. After lunch, the group flew back to Yongzhou on their swords.

The destination is the underground tomb outside the city.

Luo Yuheng had long wanted to explore this place. When Xu Qi'an returned to the capital after emerging from the underground palace, he told Luo Yuheng about what had happened there.

After deducing the approximate era based on the clothing of the humans depicted in the murals, she searched through the annals of humankind but was unable to trace it back to that distant time.

In other words, the ancestor of the Human Sect in the underground palace may have existed even earlier than the Human Sect itself.

Luo Yuheng's interest in that patriarch of the Human Sect was not out of curiosity, but because this person had failed to transcend the tribulation but had not perished.

Instead, it shed its old form and severed ties with the past.

Luo Yuheng could not understand this matter.

Under the Heavenly Tribulation, everything will turn to ashes. From ancient times to the present, no one has ever succeeded in undergoing the tribulation of the second-rank Daoist of the Human Sect, and no one has ever survived the Heavenly Tribulation.

This person is extraordinary.

Upon arriving at their destination, Luo Yuheng stood at the cave entrance, turned around, and said:

"You stay outside, I'll go in with him."

The two Daoist School disciples, Li Miaozhen and Li Lingsu, were unwilling.

They agreed after just a casual glance from Luo Yuheng.

Therefore, the four holders of the Earth Book fragments, as well as Miao Youfang, Xu Qi'an's newly recruited henchman, remained outside the cave.

Xu Qi'an and Luo Yuheng leaped into the cave, and Miao Youfang's voice came from above:

"Female Swordswoman, how can you quickly become a great hero? I've spent years eliminating evil and upholding justice, but my reputation..."

"Ha, my junior sister's fame is half due to the reputation of the Heavenly Sect. Do you think she's entirely on her own merits?"

The rest of the conversation could not be heard. He led the way, and he and Luo Yuheng headed deep into the underground palace.

The underground palace was dark, and the further you went in, the darker it became, until you could not see your hand in front of your face.

Xu Qi'an lit the prepared torch and said:

"When I came here last time, I found that the seal on Shen Shu had loosened. If left unattended, it will break through the seal in a year at most."

"The Imperial Advisor can help reinforce the seal."

The fiery glow illuminated Luo Yuheng's exquisite and beautiful face, and she hummed in response.

After passing through the collapsed and chaotic underground palace, we soon arrived at a huge stone gate.

"Huh?"

Xu Qi'an frowned.

Luo Yuheng turned his head to look.

He explained, "I don't remember closing the door when I left last time."

As Xu Qi'an spoke, he walked into the main tomb chamber, not paying much attention, thinking that perhaps the ancient corpse had closed the door itself.

Zaza

The stone door slowly opened.

Xu Qi'an, holding a torch, entered the main tomb chamber.

The area is littered with rocks, as if it had just been quarried, remnants of the battle between Shen Shu and the ancient corpse.

He glanced around but didn't see the ancient corpse sitting cross-legged. He walked a dozen steps further in and saw a broken human figure lying on the ground.

The ancient corpse is dead?!