Li Qi was analyzing the demonic thoughts of a hundred demons from Chan Zhi's side.
anwhile, Shen Shuibei had already arrived at Guangyang City.
Unlike Li Qi who was cautious and ticulous, she rushed directly to Guangyang without hesitation.
While Li Qi landed on the ground respectfully at the city's edge and proceeded on foot, Shen Shuibei neither knew nor cared about this taboo.
She traveled by wind, turning into a rainbow streak across the sky, leaving a trail behind.
At that mont, the city defense commander was yawning while playing pai gow with his colleagues.
There were rarely any disturbances in Guangyang City; on the contrary, rchants would go out of their way to please the city guards.
The job was lucrative and easy, which described this position perfectly.
Once he had many ambitions, but after holding this position for over thirty years, he had grown complacent and corpulent, neglecting his cultivation as an Eighth Rank martial artist.
However, just then, a soldier stumbled in urgently.
"Commander! There's... there's a light trail heading towards Guangyang City!"
The soldier hurriedly knelt down, shouting to the commander who was still at the pai gow table.
The portly officer looked annoyed and scolded, "What are you yelling for? What light trail? Haven't I told you before, anyone daring to fly in Guangyang City's no-fly zone must have so backing. Maybe it's so young master from a noble family, understand?!"
The soldier imdiately understood the commander's aning and stamred, "Then, Commander, should we just ignore it? Pretend we didn't see anything?"
"You're new here, aren't you? Well, I won't hold your interruption against you. Let give you so advice: keep your eyes closed and ears plugged if you want to live long!" said the fat officer.
This remark made the surrounding card players laugh heartily, creating a lively atmosphere.
The irritated commander waved his hand dismissively and told the soldier, "Get lost! You've ruined my luck! Next ti, if you do sothing so annoying, I'll demote you!"
The soldier hurried away, fearing further retribution.
Thus, the light trail visible across the entire city entered Guangyang City nonchalantly, and not a single person tried to stop her.
There were other Eighth Rank fighters around, but they assud that since the city guards didn't interfere, this person must have special permission.
The city guards thought that whoever dared to enter like that must have significant backing.
With both sides ignoring her, the rabbit flew in as if no one else existed.
Shen Shuibei didn't find anything unusual about this.
She had always done things this way and no one ever stopped her.
"Find... Wang Baisan, soone from the Golden Wave Sect," Shen Shuibei thought to herself.
"Wang Baisan, Wang Baisan, Wang Baisan, Golden Wave Sect, Golden Wave Sect..." she muttered repeatedly, afraid of forgetting.
Midway through her muttering, she suddenly slapped her forehead, rembering sothing: "Right, I can't let others see . Li Qi said it needs to be secretive. This is Guangyang City, soone else's territory."
Thinking this, she cast a spell on herself.
The Concealnt Technique, which she used when she first encountered Li Qi, hiding in the black mist.
This technique could hide all her aura fluctuations, making her seem almost nonexistent.
Similar to an invisible bomber, she could still be seen with the naked eye, but detection spells would find it hard to locate her. Even Li Qi relied on the power of Dao Resonance to detect her.
Had Li Qi not discovered her back then, she would have quietly slipped away through the black mist, but unexpectedly, he pulled her out.
But perhaps it was for the best.
No, it shouldn't make much difference.
In any case, the Great Invoker wouldn't let her leave.
As these thoughts swirled in her mind, she continued simulating thods to restore Yang Spirit, using less than one ten-thousandth of her brain capacity to navigate and search.
Rabbits were never foolish.
However, most of her ntal capacity was dedicated to pondering Dao techniques and academic matters.
Her Yin Spirit had been restored with the help of the Moon Essence fragnts Li Qi helped her recover, but transforming Yin Spirit into Yang Spirit required much more effort.
Yang Spirit leads the divine essence to roam the heavens, activating life.
Yin Spirit stabilizes form, born from nothingness, thus forming Yang Spirit.
It requires external Yang energy and internal Yin energy, alternating and intertwining to connect primordial spirit, internally protecting true essence, nine orifices receiving life, preserving soul and spirit, settling myriad spirits, ensuring three gates remain intact, allowing spiritual herbs to flourish, ascending with spirit, crafting Jade Purity.
Upon completion, swallow breath thirty-nine tis to stabilize thirty-nine gates, qi flowing abundantly throughout the body. If one can abandon burdens and transcend worldly dust, securing spirit and soul, blocking death qi at nine gates, stabilizing life palace at upper gate, only then can Yang Spirit be achieved.
Currently, her thirty-nine gates were nearly shattered into ninety-three pieces.
As for the three passes and nine apertures, forget about saving them—they're long gone. Now, her body's ridians are shattered into pieces, and she's only hanging on by constantly finding ways to keep herself alive each day.
Regarding the three gates and nine orifices, not only had they not been preserved, they were completely gone. Now, even her ridians were severed, requiring her to constantly find ways to maintain vitality.
If her body were intact and only her cultivation had vanished, with her Fifth Rank physical strength, she could easily punch Monk Chan Zhi to death with a small fist.
The gap between Seventh Rank and Fifth Rank was too vast to describe.
Unfortunately, lanting about it was pointless. She needed to proceed step by step.
Therefore, Shen Shuibei devoted over ninety-nine percent of her energy to ntally combining different yin-yang hexagrams, forming various techniques, and testing them one by one to see which worked for her.
Only a tiny fraction of her attention was spent dealing with the outside world, making her appear sowhat absent-minded.
Like now.
Landing in an unoccupied area, Shen Shuibei drifted ghost-like through the streets, searching ticulously.
She intended to conduct a thorough search, examining every signboard on the street to find the Golden Wave Sect.
Shouldn't be a problem, right?
She thought to herself.
Wandering aimlessly, street by street.
After about an hour, covering more than a dozen streets, checking every signboard and storefront, she still hadn't found the Golden Wave Sect.
Shen Shuibei began to feel anxious.
Normally, she wouldn't worry.
To her, ti was cheap; she could spend decades daydreaming.
But now was different. Li Qi had been captured, and she couldn't find the thod he instructed her to use to save him.
What was going on?
This concern made the rabbit pause her contemplation of restoration techniques.
Previously vacant-eyed and wandering, the rabbit's eyes now sparkled with focus, hinting at intense concentration.
Closing down her work mode, releasing all the mory resources, she thought,
"The Golden Wave Sect... Li Qi ca to Guangyang City for provisions. Given his motive, he would likely seek those involved in food supplies. Therefore, the Golden Wave Sect must be related to the grain industry."
Her mind quickly beca agile.
Entities associated with the grain industry would require substantial transportation and storage facilities.
In an instant, Shen Shuibei recalled the entire map of Guangyang City from her previous aerial view, having scanned the city with peripheral vision. Previously forgotten details were now accessible with freed-up mory.
Photographic mory was basic for her.
Every street, intersection, landmark, and area of Guangyang City vividly appeared in her mind.
"Storage and logistics operations need space and road access..."
ntally noting this, she quickly eliminated possibilities and compared routes.
Within monts, she identified her target.
Through statistical analysis and arrangent of all possible options, she swiftly determined the most probable and shortest patrol route.
In just four to five seconds, Shen Shuibei shifted from aimless wandering to purposeful searching.
She moved swiftly along the streets, almost causing a breeze.
She chose not to fly or use spells because after engaging her mind, she noticed sothing odd about the nearby pagoda—Chan Zhi's location according to Li Qi.
A Seventh Rank Buddhist cultivator.
Tricky. Best not alert him. Hopefully, he hadn't detected her swift arrival.
Analyzing professionally, she saw the pagoda was sealed inside and out, seemingly isolated from the outside world. Its true essence lay beyond, separated from reality.
Luck indeed favored her, remaining unseen.
From now on, caution was paramount.
He had no reason to stay inactive once spotted. If he acted, she'd be helpless.
Thus, relying on local assistance rather than revealing her own cultivation was wise.
These decisions were made instantly, with the rabbit arranging everything in a flash.
Minutes later, she reached her first destination.
"Cloth shop... not it." After confirming it wasn't a granary but a cloth shop, she turned away.
But within a minute, she was intercepted.
Several ragged, shifty-eyed thugs blocked Shen Shuibei's path.
The leader eyed her covetously, saying, "Miss, you seem to be rushing around looking for sowhere to stay or eat?"
Another thug added with a grin, "If you need a place, co with us. We can find you work."
Such a beautiful woman appearing publicly alone...
Probably due to recent events at the border.
These ruffians often engaged in such activities lately.
Prices at brothels had recently dropped by over two hundred coins thanks to their efforts.
Seeing gold in Shen Shuibei, they surrounded her.
Such beauty was unprecedented.
Presenting her could make her the next decade's top courtesan, earning them hefty commissions.
Having observed her solitary wandering for an hour, confirming her lack of cultivation and cluelessness, they finally approached.
Seeing them, Shen Shuibei's eyes lit up.
Searching alone was too slow.
Nodding, she asked, "Really?"
Surprised by her compliance, they laughed and assured her, "Of course!"
Leading her away, they planned to groom her. Obedience ant smooth sailing; disobedience ant harsh asures.
Their punishnts left no marks but ensured won felt unbearable sha.
No woman could withstand it.
---
It was afternoon.
Warm sunset light bathed everything comfortably.
Wang Baisan was relaxing at ho.
Engaged in calligraphy, painting, cleaning inkstones, burning incense, brewing tea, arranging flowers, and doing minor chores beneficial for health—keeping blood circulating smoothly.
While steeping tea, he lounged, closing his eyes to ditate, murmuring,
"Hmm... Calculating the ti, Li Qi should be facing conflict now. That demonic monk will react accordingly, breaking the mountain-water formation. Thus, Guangyang Prefecture will confront the Swallowing Sky Demon Nest... Big profits, big profits!"
Clearly, he was in high spirits.
Suddenly, a servant rushed in, reporting, "Sir! A man from the Lower Nine Gates specifically requests to see you!"
Frowning, Wang Baisan asked, "Why 'specifically'? Doesn't he know ? If he wants to et, why not co directly?"
The Lower Nine Gates weren't a single sect but a coalition of nine groups involved in shady businesses, backed by Eighth Rank cultivators, controlling beggars, human traffickers, brothels, construction, gambling dens, etc.
Their leader was called Horse King, a title passed down through generations.
Horse King was practically the underground emperor of Guangyang City, alongside Wang Baisan, holding sway over its livelihood.
Anyone living in Guangyang depended on their industries.
The flustered servant replied, "Not exactly. They have a new Horse King!"
"A new Horse King?!" Wang Baisan was shocked.
The Lower Nine Gates were complex, and outsiders couldn't grasp their power dynamics. He knew the previous Horse King well, highly respected and authoritative.
How could he suddenly be replaced?
"Who replaced him? One of the gate leaders? Impossible, strict rules prevent such power grabs. What happened? Tell everything!"
"We don't know the specifics, but the new Horse King is a woman, and she specifically requested to see you right after taking power!"
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