This situation is as if Liou Yuan now possesses the Star Acupoints of two people, cultivating as if the strength of two is combined into one.
Liou Yuan didn't have time to delight in this for long; starlight was already seeping into his body through the Two-Star Gold Acupoint and the One-Star Water Acupoint.
At this moment, every sense in Liou Yuan's body was enveloped by a gentle force.
It was as if he were bathing in a pool of warm water.
That was the power of the stars.
"Now's the time!" For the first time, Liou Yuan drew star power into his body. He dared not be negligent, hurriedly focusing his mind, then activated the Qi Absorption Skill from the Five Mansions Star Gazing Breathing Skill.
He set the Five Mansions in motion, breathing in and out the starlight that had penetrated his body.
Bang! Bang! Bang! All Five Mansions resonated together.
At this moment, Liou Yuan could clearly hear the vibration of his internal organs echoing in his ears.
It was also at this moment that he truly set out on the path of cultivation.
While Liou Yuan was devotedly cultivating the Five Mansions Star Gazing Breathing Skill—
Time in the outside world kept flowing.
An hour later.
Outside the door, in the corner at the bend of that shadowy street—
Behind the two constables assigned to keep watch, two figures emerged silently.
One of them was Chief Constable Luo Jie, and the other an old man dressed in a deep blue long gown who limped on one leg, unable to stand steady, his body tipped slightly to the left where he was disabled.
When the two constables spotted the old man, they showed no sign of disrespect for his infirmity. Instead, both looked highly respectful.
Even Luo Jie, standing beside the old man, regarded him with utmost deference.
"Mr. Ge!" The two constables called out softly, their tone full of respect.
The old man called Mr. Ge nodded slightly in reply. Yet from the instant he appeared, his gaze locked onto the door of Liou Yuan's neighbor's house.
"What's the situation?"
"Reporting to Mr. Ge, no anomalies at all," the two constables answered truthfully.
Mr. Ge seemed indifferent to their report and turned his gaze to Luo Jie. Clearly, he trusted Luo Jie's word more as chief.
The latter then spoke in a low voice: "It's been investigated. According to several elderly women familiar with Ms. Qiao, it's true she hasn't left her house for almost a month—precisely during the period of the Auspicious Star's cycle."
"And her son and daughter-in-law, who work at Fushun Restaurant, haven't shown up for a month either."
People like Mr. Ge, who often handled cases involving Star Evil, understood exactly what this meant.
At once, a frown creased his aged yet dignified face.
"An anomaly this obvious—why is this only being clarified now?"
Mr. Ge's tone was tinged with reproach.
"If that boy from the Liou Family hadn't come looking for you, would you have forgotten all about it?"
"It was indeed my oversight." Luo Jie managed a sheepish grin and offered no defense, accepting Mr. Ge's criticism.
In truth, Luo Jie could hardly be blamed. Liou Yuan's incident was already two months past, and Ms. Qiao only slipped up a month ago.
Yanhe City was vast, and last month was the rotation of the bloodthirsty Star Evil—just in Luo Jie's jurisdiction, there were a dozen cases involving Star Evil. It was near impossible for him to be everywhere at once.
"This is more than just negligence—it's treating your future like it's worthless," Mr. Ge's tone became even harsher.
"Is the Liou Family some ordinary folk? Never mind the late Mr. Liou, who left comrades in the government office—even more, Liou Yuan's elder brother, Liou Zhen, is no one to trifle with."
"Last time Liou Yuan barely survived. That was our luck. If anything happens again, when Liou Zhen returns, he'll make the Yanhe Government Office a living hell."
"By then, you'll be the scapegoat, and even I'll get dragged into the mess."
Speaking of Liou Zhen, Mr. Ge's face showed clear wariness.
Luo Jie himself was no cultivator and had no idea what the name Liou Zhen meant in Yanhe City now.
But seeing Mr. Ge's expression, Luo Jie dared not utter a word, only nodding continuously: "Luckily, nothing happened to Liou Yuan or Doctor Bai Xin."
With time pressing, Mr. Ge could not linger on scolding Luo Jie, but after shooting him a vicious glare, he once more fixed his gaze on Ms. Qiao's door.
Then Mr. Ge reached into his robe and produced a long black wooden case, about the length of his forearm.
He opened the case. Inside, a white jade writing brush lay resting.
Gazing at the brush, Luo Jie, standing to the side, couldn't hide the envy in his eyes.
The two other constables bowed their heads even lower, not daring the least bit of disrespect.
"Enough talk. Let's handle this first." Ignoring those around him, Mr. Ge picked up the brush and ordered Luo Jie and the other two constables, "Draw your weapons."
It was clear this wasn't their first time working together.
All of them skillfully drew their weapons and placed them in front of Mr. Ge.
Mr. Ge began to chant, a solemn look on his face, and with the brush in hand, he touched Luo Jie's and both constables' weapons, drawing a unique symbol onto each blade.
The moment the symbols took shape, each erupted in a burst of white light, and was absorbed into the corresponding weapon.
Ordinary blades and swords now took on a different aura.
After drawing the three symbols, the previously energetic Mr. Ge looked visibly deflated; even his voice grew weak.
"As always, this magic of mine only lasts half an hour."
"If it's not settled in half an hour, withdraw at once."
Luo Jie's weapon was a great saber with silver rings. Now empowered by Mr. Ge's magic, he'd been itching for action; hearing the warning, he only grinned and said, "Relax, this isn't our first time."
With that, menace flashed in Luo Jie's eyes. He gave a dramatic wave, voice low and grim: "Get ready. We move."
At the same time—
The scene shifts back to Liou Yuan's courtyard.
An hour had passed since Liou Yuan began officially operating the Five Mansions, cultivating with the Star Gazing Breathing Skill.
Throughout the time he used Yunwu Prefecture to activate the Five Mansions and guided the star power with the Breathing Skill—
—his internal organs never ceased their resonant shaking, not for a single instant.
This undeniably put tremendous strain on his body; the heat generated caused a faint mist to rise from his skin.
Fortunately, it was the Breathing Skill's ability to absorb starlight, constantly moistening his organs and viscera enough to prevent injury.
Otherwise, just operating Yunwu Prefecture in the usual way shouldn't last even the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before he'd collapse.
Even so, an hour was already Liou Yuan's limit.
He felt that if he kept going, something bad would really happen to him.
"Cultivation isn't accomplished in a single day. According to Liou Zhen, being able to persist for half an hour on the first try is already good."
"I've lasted more than an hour—time to call it quits."
With this in mind, Liou Yuan immediately cut off the Qi Propulsion Skill of Yunwu Prefecture, opened his mouth, and exhaled the breath from his chest and belly.
The sound of vibrating organs stopped abruptly.
At the same time, Liou Yuan opened his eyes.
It was only now that he noticed a chill enveloping him.
His clothes were soaked head to toe in sweat, clinging to his skin in a way that was indescribably uncomfortable.
But the trivial discomfort was quickly ignored by Liou Yuan.
He immediately sprang up from the ground, energetically punched the air twice, his eyes shining brighter and brighter.
"This feels amazing."
Even though one day of cultivation hadn't let Liou Yuan sense the breath described in the Five Mansions Star Gazing Breathing Skill—
—his physical energy, vitality, and spirit all clearly surpassed what they'd been before.
Not long ago, his frail body could barely withstand a breeze atop Virgo Peak, yet now, he felt like he had boundless strength.