Even Blind Man Felt He Had Been Out of Line

"Blind Man, what does the Wu Family of the Nine Gates want the Zhang Family's Black Gold Ancient Saber for? Do you know?"

The three lay side by side in the little courtyard, basking in the warm sunshine as their rocking chairs swayed leisurely. They chatted on and off, perfectly at ease.

"I don't know what exactly they want it for, but they're definitely trying to bait Mute. Xiao Yu, you'd better keep an eye on him. He's a hot commodity. Everyone wants him."

"No need," Zhang Qiling said coldly.

"I've always known that. How did you answer the Wu Family?"

"I just said the Zhang Family Ancient Tower was too dangerous, that Blind Man barely escaped with his life and didn't bring the Black Gold Ancient Saber out. Shame I won't get the final payment, though."

"Heh, those people have it all neatly calculated. Come to think of it, Wu Xie and Xie Yuhua will be born soon. The Wu Family has been laying the groundwork for this scheme for a long time."

"It might not be just the Wu Family. Break their bones and the tendons still connect the Nine Gates."

"Yeah. The first generation of the Nine Gates is still alive. Before they die, we should collect some interest." Yu Zhi thought again of the torture Zhang Qiling had endured in the sanatorium. They should get a taste of being bled and having their flesh cut away too.

"Speaking of that, things are already in chaos over in Golmud. They're secretly arresting people named Zhang Qiling all over the country. I hear Zhang Dafoye is on his last legs. Mute, you'd better be careful for a while." Blind Man told the two of them what he'd heard lately.

Zhang Qiling nodded.

"Once we've dealt with your situation, we'll make a trip to the Palace of the King of Lu. We won't show our faces out in public."

"The Palace of the King of Lu? The Tomb of the King of Lu with the Seven Star Coffins of Doubt?" Blind Man asked.

"Right. You've been there too?" Yu Zhi was curious. If he hadn't been there, he'd never have known about the Seven Star Coffins of Doubt.

"I have. Last time I went, I didn't get the final payment either. Maybe Blind Man isn't fated to have money. I can never seem to earn any."

"Then why don't you just collect the full payment upfront?" Yu Zhi was curious too. If he kept missing out on the final payment, shouldn't he reflect on that?

"Sigh, it's because Blind Man is kindhearted. I figured I'd collect the money once the job was done."

"He has a bad reputation. If they pay him in full, they're afraid he'll leave all his employers behind in the tomb," Zhang Qiling said, exposing him.

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Blind Man, you need to watch your reputation."

"Mute, believe it or not, I'll go sleep on your bedroom floor tonight," Blind Man threatened.

"Come on, then. Can you take a beating?" Zhang Qiling raised an eyebrow.

Yu Zhi looked at the suddenly domineering Zhang Qiling, and his mind began wandering down improper paths again.

"Xiao Yu, feeling lovesick? Want me to give you two some privacy?" Hei Xiazi watched Yu Zhi stare at Mute with flushed cheeks. He even pretended to cover his sunglasses with one hand, his grin nearly splitting his face from ear to ear. He looked ready to fan the flames and had no intention of leaving them alone.

"Damn you! Zhang Qiling, beat him up for me!"

Hei Xiazi was once again subjected to a storm of blows from Zhang Qiling.

"I'll stop, I'll stop! Mute, stop hitting me! Help!"

"Can you talk properly now?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

Once the commotion was over, the romantic mood from before had vanished without a trace.

"Mute, Xiao Yu, I'll go to the Palace of the King of Lu with you," Blind Man said seriously.

"You want to go?"

"Yeah. There are plenty of vicious creatures in there, just right for Blind Man to cultivate with."

"Sure. Let's deal with the possessing ghost first, then we'll go together. We'll split the things inside three ways, which should be just enough. We'll leave the Palace of the King of Lu picked clean, so when they get there, all they can do is sweep the tomb!"

"Good idea. It's settled, then."

The three hit it off at once.

"Blind Man, it's time. Are you mentally prepared?" Yu Zhi asked.

"Anytime. Blind Man fears nothing." His words were remarkably carefree.

"Good." Yu Zhi took out the tablet he had prepared long ago and handed it to Hei Xiazi.

"In a moment, press this to your forehead, then carefully memorize what's inside. I'll guide you through a full circulation first.

"Remember the path through the meridians, then circulate it yourself. I'll help and remind you.

"Follow the Soul-Devouring Primal Spirit Art to devour the possessing ghost. You must hold on when the time comes. In your situation, you can only deal with the possessing ghost while drawing qi into your body. Otherwise, you'll die a horrible death."

"Okay, Xiao Yu."

Hei Xiazi was actually quite bewildered. He had never encountered anything so mystical, and Yu Zhi wasn't a good teacher either. There were things that could only be understood intuitively and couldn't be put into words, and he didn't know how to teach them.

"It's all right, I'll guide you. The worst that can happen is you fail to draw qi into your body and both you and the ghost end up badly hurt. I can treat you," Yu Zhi reassured him.

"Yeah, let's begin. Blind Man isn't afraid."

With that, Hei Xiazi got into position. Yu Zhi held his wrist and, while Hei Xiazi received the cultivation art, sent a thread of spiritual power as fine as a hair through the meridians in his wrist and began circulating the art. He had recorded the art himself, so he knew exactly how it worked. He kept an eye on the possessing ghost while circulating his spiritual power to help the other man operate the cultivation method.

Once he sensed Hei Xiazi begin to circulate it on his own, Yu Zhi used his spiritual power to assist from the side. The moment Hei Xiazi succeeded in drawing qi into his body, Yu Zhi said, "Calm your mind, focus, and use the art to devour it."

At that moment, Hei Xiazi naturally knew what to do.

Yu Zhi quickly withdrew, so he wouldn't interfere with the devouring process or get hurt by accident.

Seeing Yu Zhi withdraw, Zhang Qiling stepped forward, pulled him into an embrace, and lightly touched his lips to his. He was moved; Yu Zhi had helped Hei Xiazi because of him.

The two communicated silently as they stood guard.

The Soul-Devouring Primal Spirit Art was indeed a perfect fit for Hei Xiazi. The process of devouring the possessing ghost had its scares but no mishaps. Yu Zhi was highly sensitive to the aura of life, and once he sensed that the ghost had completely disappeared and all that remained was absorbing spiritual power, he stopped waiting there. He told Zhang Qiling, "Keep a good eye on him."

"Mm. Get some rest."

He wanted to return to his room and rest. What he'd just done had taken a great deal of mental effort: he had circulated an unfamiliar art while guiding the other man to draw qi into his body. His spiritual consciousness and cultivation weren't on the same level, after all.

Generally, someone at the Golden Core Stage could do such a thing at will. Even with Nascent Soul spiritual consciousness, doing it with Qi Refining Stage cultivation was still a strain. But with the plot approaching, he felt a sense of crisis, and helping Hei Xiazi resolve his problem sooner would also add to their fighting strength.

He really should have meditated to recover at a time like this, but being so close would surely affect Hei Xiazi. So he simply lay down on the bed and went to sleep. Surrounded by Zhang Qiling's scent, he soon drifted off.

He slept until the next morning. That felt wonderful!

He sensed the fluctuations of spiritual energy and found that Hei Xiazi was still immersed in cultivation. Yu Zhi pushed open the door and saw Zhang Qiling sitting nearby, staring blankly at the sky.

"What are you sitting here for?" Yu Zhi was puzzled. Had he been sitting there all night?

Hearing this, Zhang Qiling answered with a calm expression, "You told me to keep a good eye on him."

Yu Zhi was at a loss. He beckoned him over. "He's cultivating normally. How long were you going to watch him? I only meant for you to keep half an eye on him."

"Oh."

"Never mind. Come rest for a bit. I'll go buy breakfast." He took Zhang Qiling by the hand, led him to the bed, and told him to rest.

At the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, going without sleep for a month, let alone a day, was no problem. But Yu Zhi still felt a little sorry for him. The sight of him staring blankly at the sky had reminded him of Zhang Qiling when he'd lost his memory.

"Okay."

With that, Zhang Qiling wrapped an arm around Yu Zhi's waist, pulled him astride his lap, and looked up to kiss him.

Yu Zhi lay against Zhang Qiling as the two lost themselves in intimacy.

"Ahem. Well, I know it's not right to interrupt you, but Xiao Yu, look at me. Is this normal?"

Hei Xiazi was covered in filth, looking as though he had just crawled out of a sewer, and giving off an indescribable smell.

"It's normal. Now get lost." Yu Zhi was furious. He hadn't finished earlier or later-he really knew how to pick his moment.

"All right, all right. I'll go take a bath. You two carry on, carry on."

He left as soon as he finished speaking, without another unnecessary word. Hei Xiazi really did feel that speaking up at that moment had been out of line, and that he'd let his brother Mute down a little. But seeing that those two were about to put on an adults-only show, he had to say something.

Yu Zhi pressed a hand to his forehead and gave Zhang Qiling a push. "I'm going to buy breakfast. Do as you please."