Chapter 9: Chapter 8 Old Lu, Please Listen to the Question! (Thanks to Overlord cklyt!)
[In the first year, you look at the texts of the Soul Searching Technique as if staring into a Heavenly Book, well aware of your exceptional talent but only able to heave a sigh.]
[In the eleventh year, you gaze intently at the cultivation technique, when suddenly, it’s as if a bright lamp lights up in your mind.]
[You have a revelation, so that’s how it is, the Soul Searching Technique is not so Heavenly Book, if one wishes to master such a secret technique, one only needs to do it like this and like that…]
[Soul Searching Technique. Dark Rank Lower Grade (Entry-level)]
[In the forty-fifth year, you desperately try to make further progress in the Soul Searching Technique, but your talents continuously hinder your ambition, the obscurity and complexity of the technique far exceeding your imagination.]
[In the five hundred and twenty-eighth year, you rack your brains but still can’t figure out how to advance your cultivation of the Soul Searching Technique any further.]
[You begin to question life, thinking that such a secret technique must be the frivolous trick of so bored individual, that such an evil technique is not worth practicing! But at this mont, you recall the woman who haunts your dreams, and suddenly, you have an epiphany.]
[Soul Searching Technique. Dark Rank Lower Grade (Small Accomplishnt)]
[In the one thousand four hundred and fiftieth year, you are white-haired from tireless study, holding the secret manual of the Soul Searching Technique feeling utterly powerless, believing that Small Accomplishnt is your limit.]
[In the two thousand three hundred and forty-third year, with a head full of white hair, sitting in the wilderness like a beggar in deep contemplation, trying to grasp that glimr in your mind.]
[Your life is nearing its end, but it seems as though you’ve co to understand sothing.]
[Soul Searching Technique. Dark Rank Lower Grade (Great Success)]
[Ti remaining for Refining Ti: Nine hundred and ninety-nine years]
…
“Phew…”
Ning Daoran took a deep breath. His mind was still in chaos, as if he had been through a ntal storm; the understanding and insight into the Soul Searching Technique would still take ti to digest.
But he knew now was not the ti to digest these insights. If soone saw Old Lu’s body, it would put him in a dangerous situation.
“Soul Search!”
He imdiately cast the Soul Searching Technique on Old Lu’s body, and with the surge of powerful mana, his spiritual power surged forth, forcibly wresting Old Lu’s soul from the corpse!
“Uh…”
Old Lu’s soul had white eyes and was still sowhat confused, unaware of what had happened.
“Heh heh…”
A smile hooked on the corner of Ning Daoran’s mouth.
“You… you…”
Old Lu, enraged and flailing about, tried to struggle: “Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I spent half my life cultivating and couldn’t even enter the door of the Soul Searching Technique. How did you manage to succeed in such a short ti?”
“Enough with the nonsense, you don’t need to concern yourself with the affairs of a genius!”
Without wasting words, Ning Daoran proceeded with the Soul Search, instantly learning the location of Old Lu’s secret hideout!
In a flash, he released the Soul Searching Technique, conjured a fireball, and turned Old Lu’s body into ashes. With a wave of his hand, his thick magical power transford into a gust, blowing Old Lu’s ashes away.
…
“Hmm…”
Ning Daoran first left the area with the Big Stupid Deer, then after a mont’s thought, he decided to return to Yellow Dragon Square to raid Old Lu’s hideout, to avoid any unforeseen complications during the night.
After all, the networks of Robbery cultivators were dense, and most of those they ca in contact with were up to no good.
Descending the mountain quickly but not taking the sa path, Ning Daoran led the way as he and the deer made a detour, erging on the other side of Yellow Dragon Square, then entered a cramped alleyway.
With his mana, he disabled three layers of disguises and a decaying door appeared.
After pushing open the door, the interior was surprisingly spacious and clean; this was Old Lu’s residence. Following the mories obtained from the Soul Searching Technique, Ning Daoran easily found a small pile of spirit stones and so of the Spirit Grass that Old Lu had stored.
This was all of the possessions of Old Lu, a mid-stage Qi Refining Robbery cultivator; of course, the most valuable thing on Old Lu was the green small sword, which was actually a First-tier Middle-grade Magical Artifact. Unfortunately, it was shattered during the fight.
Yet, the spirit stones on Old Lu’s person totaled a whopping seventy-three, which was more than enough.
Ning Daoran was sowhat amazed; indeed, no horse grows fat without night grazing, he had earned so many spirit stones just from this venture, far outstripping the inco from growing Spirit Rice on the mountain!
Of course, such endeavors also ca with great risk, and it was best not to encounter them if possible.
Ning Daoran quickly left the place with the Big Stupid Deer and soon after, re-entered Yellow Dragon Square.
A sudden thought struck him, and he ventured into a shop selling Spiritual dicines, not to buy dicines, but to purchase a bunch of spirit herb seeds—Yan Ling Grass, Spirit Stream Grass, Blood Transformation Ginseng, and other low-level Spiritual dicines, spending over twenty spirit stones in total.
…
By the ti this series of events wrapped up, and he returned to Chaotic Sect, it was already dark.
In the early spring season, the mountain wind was cold, snow still covered both sides of the path, the forest was silent, only the sound of mountain stream water flowing incessantly by.
“Ao?”
Suddenly, Big Stupid Deer stopped in its tracks, its large eyes gazing into the distance.
“What’s the matter, Old Lu?”
Ning Daoran crouched down, looking in the direction Big Stupid Deer was eyeing: “Is there sothing there?”
“Ao!”
Big Stupid Deer sniffed and nodded vigorously, then stepped forward, with Ning Daoran quickly following suit.
“Sothing’s not right.”
Ning Daoran’s heart stirred; there seed to be a spreading fla energy ahead, and where there should have been snow and ice on the sides of the stream, everything had lted away.
Further steps forward revealed a man lying in the stream.
He was a young man, dressed in the Chaotic Sect’s white vestnt robe, its edges embroidered with fiery red, exquisitely made, even the robe itself counted as a magic artifact with certain protective and spirit-gathering effects.
He was gravely injured, with a greenish wound on his chest as if he had been poisoned, and his whole body was wrapped in an ominous aura.
If he wasn’t saved, he would likely die.
However, Ning Daoran’s mind flashed with the thought of stripping off the vestnt robe and then leaving without anyone noticing. Though the idea was despicable and shaful, it was also genuine and logical.
“Ao~~~”
Big Stupid Deer let out a light call, wanting to save this person.
Ning Daoran’s brows furrowed tightly as he fell deep into a moral struggle.
In the Cultivation World, the number one rule for survival is to minimize entanglents with karma as much as possible to live longer. Logically, he should have stayed as far away from this situation as possible.
But since he had already co, he thought, well, let’s make an exception this ti!
He imdiately stepped forward and pulled the young disciple out of the cold stream water.
Upon contact, he was taken aback; the young disciple’s body was as hot as a burning coal, quite scorching to touch! Left with no choice, Ning Daoran could only muster the mana of the Third Level of Qi Refining to counter it, barely managing to handle the heat.
…
Upon entering the Sect, Ning Daoran handed the injured disciple over to an Outer Sect Deacon, then returned to the Spiritual Field with Big Stupid Deer. Now that karma had been slightly incurred, it was even more imperative to keep a low profile.
77 Spiritual Field Courtyard.
“Old Lu, ti for a lesson!”
The mont he stepped into the Small Cloud Mist Array, Ning Daoran felt uneasy, and imdiately indicated that he wanted to give Big Stupid Deer a lesson.
For the pursuit of immortality and the well-being of both man and deer, this lesson must be taught!
With a “patter,” a self-made small chalkboard was set up by Ning Daoran in the courtyard.
“Ao~~~”
Big Stupid Deer had an extrely proper attitude towards learning and quickly grabbed a stool, sitting upright in front like a student.
“Humph!”
Ning Daoran, with indignation, skillfully drew a circle on the chalkboard using a homade charcoal pen.
“Old Lu, listen to the question!”
“Ao~~~”
Big Stupid Deer sat even straighter!
“Please answer!”
Ning Daoran gently tapped the circle on the chalkboard and said, “If you see a frail woman lying on the roadside, barely alive, would you save her or not?”
“Ao!”
Old Lu’s voice was high-pitched — he must save her!
“Wrong!”
The answer was negated on the spot.
“Old Lu, listen to !”
Ning Daoran said, “It’s not wrong to save the woman, but what if she bears a bloody vendetta? After being saved by you, she may seek out to learn martial arts. Once skilled, she might seek revenge. Sure, her enemies deserve to die, but she would also kill their wives and children, and those children were just at the age of starting school. Dying young, can you truly say you did the right thing? Don’t their deaths have anything to do with you?”
“Ao…”
Big Stupid Deer’s montum weakened significantly.
Ning Daoran lightly arched an eyebrow: “I’ve told you before, don’t get easily involved in other people’s karma, because every person you save will involve a host of other matters. So are good, so are bad. How can you be sure it won’t affect your own path?”
“Ao~~”
Big Stupid Deer straightened up, responding loudly; it understood and would listen to Big Brother from now on!
After the lesson, Ning Daoran slumped into the chair, lost in thought.
He began to replay all the events of the day. He had kept a low profile when selling Spirit Rice and buying seeds, yet sohow still attracted attention and caused an incident.
Fortunately, after the Soul Search, he learned that Old Lu had almost no friends in the Cultivation World and belonged to the type who took risks as his Lifespan was about to end. Liuxi Square’s owner was also only in the Early Stage of Qi Refining, so the chances of him seeking revenge for Old Lu were slim.
A killing had been a killing, and this ti there was unlikely to be any trouble afterward.
Even though the owner of Liuxi Square kept his distance from Robbery Cultivation, but… well, it’s better to jot this down for now; plenty of opportunities would co later.
As for saving the Inner Sect Disciple, that situation remained uncertain and would need further observation.
In any case, it was imperative to keep an even lower profile now, to further reduce the presence of himself and Old Lu in the Sect!
…
The next day, spring was in full bloom.
He acted as if nothing had happened the day before, and man and deer resud their happy lives.
Tending to the 77 Spiritual Field was a must—loosening the soil, weeding, etc. Ning Daoran and Big Stupid Deer were now skilled, even having reached the Second Layer of the Rain Transformation Technique, which they started using to moisten the crop growth.
In the evening, while Ning Daoran and Big Stupid Deer were playing on the field ridges, a figure appeared: Old Lu returned.
“Fellow Daoist Ning, you seem to be in good spirits!”
Ning Daoran turned around to greet him: “Fellow Daoist Lu, have you returned from exploring the Secret Realm?”
“Hmm, I have!”
Old Lu, with a cheerful face, pulled out a purple dagger from his sleeve, smiling: “After collaborating with several Fellow Daoists and enduring several months, we finally opened up the Prohibition left by that perished Cultivator and managed to get a First-tier Lower Grade magic tool for myself. The trip was certainly not in vain.”
“Congratulations!”
Ning Daoran showed a refreshing smile on his face, but inside, he was dying of jealousy. Having seen the power of that green small sword, he desperately craved a magic artifact!
Yet, if he were invited to a Secret Realm again, he would naturally still decline. The risk was too high—there was no need for it!
Just quietly farming the Spirit Rice would be enough; ti was on my side.
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