thefictionvixens Chapter 23 Qi Body Source Flow, Old Celestial Master: Big-Eared Thief!
Chapter 23 Qi Body Source Flow, Old Celestial Master: Big-Eared Thief!
After escaping from the Tang Clan's mountain gate, Zhang Huaiyi headed south.
He suppressed the Dan Shi at his waist, his mind flashing back to the image of his grandson Zhang Chulan, and gritted his teeth.
"Chu Lan, Grandpa may not be able to accompany you this time."
Recalling the happy life the three of them had shared in the past, Zhang Huaiyi's determination grew stronger.
"We should at least take these old guys down with us, for Chu Lan's sake!"
With that thought in mind, he moved even faster through the night, heading towards his next target.
Yang Lie drove the Earth Flowing Stream, using the Tang Clan's Flowing Steps, closely following behind Zhang Huaiyi. After noticing that Zhang Huaiyi had suddenly accelerated a lot, he stopped abruptly.
"Have you begun to burn your primordial Qi?"
His figure appeared like a ghost on a treetop. He gazed at the specks of Qi emanating from Zhang Huaiyi's body and said in a deep voice, "Zhang Huaiyi is starting to fight desperately. It seems that the Dan Shi (a type of medicinal pill) is still working on him."
The primordial Qi is the origin of the human body.
When a person is born, their innate vital energy begins to slowly leak out with the first cry after birth.
Cultivators temper their life force, trying their best to delay the leakage of their primordial Qi.
Therefore, for practitioners, longevity and few illnesses are perfectly normal phenomena.
But when the innate vital energy in the human body dissipates and dries up, a person's life also comes to an end.
Unless faced with a life-or-death crisis, most extraordinary individuals would not ignite their innate Qi to gain a fleeting moment of opportunity.
The Daoist path values life, and this is not just empty talk.
This is also why Yang Lie judged that Dan Shi had an effect on Zhang Huaiyi; he figured that Zhang Huaiyi wouldn't have much of a chance to live after this battle.
Now that Zhang Huaiyi has forcibly burned his own innate Qi, his cultivation has greatly improved, and he cannot be pursued further.
Yang Lie gazed in the direction Zhang Huaiyi had fled, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
"No matter what's suppressing Dan Shi, Zhang Huaiyi must die this time!"
"As for 'The Origin and Flow of Qi,' it would be best if it could be preserved, but otherwise, let it be lost!"
"Huh? There are other people?"
As Yang Lie was pondering what to do next, he suddenly turned his head and looked in the direction behind him.
About a dozen people were rushing towards Yang Lie's direction under the cover of night.
As the two drew closer, Yang Lie's figure slowly disappeared into the treetops, leaving only a faint outline visible.
"News came from various places a couple of days ago that Zhang Huaiyi started from Central China and broke into the gates of various sects of extraordinary people overnight, killing many elders. His whereabouts are uncertain, and he is being chased by many people. It is likely that these people are either seeking revenge, but more likely they are after the 'Qi Body Source Flow'."
As he watched the approaching group of people, Yang Lie's eyes flickered slightly, his mind replaying the intelligence from the past few days.
"Yanwu Hall, Huangmen Sancai, Yiqilu, Ziranmen, Tiangong Hall, Shuzimen... Tangmen..."
"Ha! The Thirty-Six Thieves, what is Zhang Huaiyi's intention in breaking into the Thirty-Six Thieves' sect at night?"
Yang Lie gradually sorted out his thoughts and vaguely guessed Zhang Huaiyi's route of action.
"Never mind, I don't want to think about it anymore. Now I see he's heading southeast..."
"Southeast, Huode Sect! Follow behind this group and keep Zhang Huaiyi hanging."
Yang Lie watched the pursuers heading towards Zhang Huaiyi from below, silently hiding in the treetops as they gradually disappeared into the distance.
Cautious, he did not head directly to Huode Sect. Instead, he followed the pursuers at a distance, chasing after Zhang Huaiyi's path.
With a quick step, Yang Lie, using his illusion barrier, followed the tracks left by his pursuers.
……
Longhu Mountain, Celestial Master's Mansion
The night passed quickly, and the sun rose again for a new day.
The bright sunshine spread across the earth, bringing people enthusiasm for a new day.
But the atmosphere at the Heavenly Master's Mansion was somewhat silent.
The doors and windows of the old Celestial Master's room on the back mountain were tightly closed, and a silent shadow enveloped the small room. The sunlight could not penetrate the defenses of the doors and windows, leaving the interior with a slightly dark atmosphere.
The old Celestial Master sat cross-legged on the bed with a blank expression and his eyes closed. He was wearing a white undergarment, and an open Taoist scripture was casually placed on the bed.
It seems that the old Celestial Master was not in the mood to read these calming Taoist scriptures at this moment.
Beside him lay a stack of blank yellow papers, with not a single word on them.
Beside the old Celestial Master's bed, his junior brother Tian Jinzhong sat in a wheelchair, head bowed and silent, staring intently at the patterns on his Taoist robe.
The shadows shrouded Tian Jinzhong's face, making it impossible to see his features.
Neither of the two brothers spoke, and silence, accompanied by shadows, filled the entire room.
"Buzz—"
Suddenly, the yellow paper that had been quietly placed beside the old master began to glow with a faint red light, like cinnabar, which slightly dispelled some of the darkness.
The red light surged on the yellow paper, gradually outlining neat characters on the blank surface.
This is a secret technique of Taoism related to long-distance communication, generally used for communication between different branches and the main lineage of Taoism.
The Zhengyi sect is headed by the Celestial Master's Mansion, which oversees all branches that recognize Longhu Mountain as their ancestral altar.
The one sending the letter to the Celestial Master now is his eighth disciple, Liang Guofu, who is in charge of all the information and intelligence of the Zhengyi sect.
The characters appear to be written with cinnabar, making them stand out prominently on the yellow paper.
Soon, amidst the surge of red light, a long article was generated on the yellow paper.
After all the characters were generated, the red light on the yellow paper gradually faded into nothingness, leaving only the neat rows of vermilion characters on the bright yellow paper.
The old celestial master opened his eyes, glanced at the yellow paper covered with runes, and then raised his hand to remove the top rune.
The dry yellow paper was unfolded in the old celestial master's hands with a whoosh.
With two aged hands holding the bottom corner of the paper, the old master calmly and carefully examined the inscriptions line by line, bathed in sunlight streaming through the window beside his bed.
"Ugh!"
After reading it, the old master sighed.
"What did Guofu say?"
Tian Jinzhong's slightly hoarse voice came from the wheelchair. He raised his head slightly, his red eyes fixed on the yellow paper in the old master's hand.
"Last night, Huaiyi broke into the gates of the Tang Clan and the Huode Sect again, killing four disciples guarding the two sects and injuring countless others."
The old master was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and supported himself as he spoke.
After saying that, he threw the yellow paper in his hand into the brazier beside the bed.
The yellow paper burst into flames as soon as it fell into the basin, illuminating a corner of the room and the solemn expressions on the faces of the two elderly people.
The flames quickly consumed the paper, and with nothing left to burn, it gradually dissipated in the dark brazier.
Only a few black ashes remained in the basin.
"The Tang Clan and the Huode Sect are under martial law now. I wonder if anyone has come out. There must be about twenty people following Huaiyi around, right?"
Tian Jinzhong suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence, and asked the old master with concern.
"Ha, twenty? Far more than that, you've overlooked the Quanxing Sect."
The old master stared at the ashes in the basin without looking up, "Now no one can count how many people are behind him."
"That big-eared thief!"
The old master sighed, then raised his head expressionlessly, looking at the dark space inside the room.
"Senior brother, do you think Huaiyi will come back?"
Seeing the old master's expression, Tian Jinzhong moved his lips and asked softly.
"The door is open; people can come and go as they please. But I'm afraid they won't want to return to this remote mountain area."
The old master's words were filled with a hint of anger, but he quickly calmed down, "Don't worry about it, his foot is on his body, he can come back if he wants to."
He turned to Tian Jinzhong, who looked worried, and comforted him, "It's all about fate, you can't force it. That big-eared thief is cunning; since he dared to do this, he must have his reasons."