Despite the major events of the previous day, Xu Qing taught Yu Hu for an hour tonight, just as he always did. After seven o'clock, Yu Hu headed back home.
BUZZ! BUZZ!
At that moment, the figure of the Blood Demon Desire Woman, Qinglian, appeared. A closer look revealed that she no longer had a physical body; she had become transparent, like a drifting ghost.
It turned out that Qinglian had been severely wounded in the great battle the day before. Coupled with the backlash from the Golden Armor Corpse King's self-destruction, her life force was completely depleted, and she was on the verge of death.
On top of that, while fleeing, Qinglian had even used the Blood Demon Disintegration Technique just to escape the battlefield.
One could only say that Bu Wuyun and Wei Wohu were far too powerful. Both of them were at the level of Innate Gang Qi, just one step away from becoming Immortal.
Furthermore, with Qingbei Town's gates sealed and Government Officials and constables on patrol, Qinglian had no chance to escape, and that was on top of her grievous injuries.
In the end, Qinglian had run out of options.
She had no choice but to use the Blood Demon Sect's secret technique, the Demon Soul Secret Technique. It involved completely draining the essence of her own flesh to nourish her soul, allowing a Demon Soul to gestate within her empty shell.
The Demon Soul could then break free from the body.
After that, she could either find a suitable body to possess or find a place with enough Yin Qi to transition into a Ghost Cultivator.
It had to be said that Qinglian was incredibly lucky to be alive. She had succeeded in using the Demon Soul Secret Technique, but because her physical body was already on its last legs, the resulting Demon Soul was not powerful enough.
Originally, Qinglian had calculated that once she gestated her Demon Soul, she would be like a ghost, invisible to the naked eye, and could find a way to escape Qingbei Town.
Moreover, Qinglian knew of a place outside Qingbei Town with relatively dense Yin Qi. Based on her original projections of her Demon Soul's strength, she should have been able to reach it.
But the result fell far short of her expectations.
The Demon Soul she gestated wasn't strong enough, leaving her without even a chance to escape Qingbei Town. If the sun hadn't already set, she might have been obliterated by the sunlight.
And now, she could only cower in a corner.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Qinglian detected a fluctuation of extremely pure Yin Qi. For her current Demon Soul state, it was the most potent Tonic in the world.
"That is…"
Qinglian looked up and saw a sturdy-looking young boy walking toward her. The threads of extremely pure Yin Qi she had just sensed were emanating from the Wooden Token around the boy's neck.
"Extremely Yin Wood."
Qinglian was overjoyed. "It's Extremely Yin Wood."
This sturdy-looking young boy was none other than Yu Hu, who had just finished his martial arts practice with Xu Qing and was now walking home. His steps were light, and from time to time, he would strike a Baji Fist pose.
"The heavens have not abandoned me, the Blood Demon Desire Woman! The heavens have not abandoned me!!!"
Qinglian could barely contain her laughter.
Without a moment's hesitation, with a single thought from Qinglian, her Demon Soul—on the verge of dissipating—transformed into a streak of bloody light and burrowed into the Wooden Token around Yu Hu's neck.
From beginning to end, Yu Hu noticed nothing unusual.
"Huh?"
Yu Hu touched his neck, feeling a sudden chill pass over him. "It's a little chilly. I'd better hurry home. They've probably already stewed pork trotters and are waiting for me."
'Training in martial arts is the best.'
'All I have to do is train every day, and I get to eat so much good food. Dad and Mom don't scold or hit me anymore.'
'Yu Hu is going to train every day from now on.'
With that thought, Yu Hu ran the rest of the way home.
Meanwhile, back at Xu Qing's residence.
Xu Qing was completely unaware of what had just happened to Yu Hu. He had no idea that the Blood Demon Desire Woman of the Blood Demon Sect had been grievously wounded and on the brink of death. Nor did he know that she had been forced to refine herself into a Demon Soul and had latched onto Yu Hu's Extremely Yin Wood Token.
Right now, Xu Qing was taking stock of his gains from the previous day.
First, between Qianbao Tower and other locations, Xu Qing had plundered a total of over forty thousand taels in silver notes. Adding that to what he already had…
"Fifty thousand taels."
Xu Qing took a deep breath, a look of delight spreading across his face. 'I can't believe I made so much silver in just one night.'
'With this much silver, I won't have to worry about money for a while. And now that the situation is resolved, I can focus on my Cultivation in peace for some time.'
'Thinking about it, should I be thanking that mastermind behind the scenes? If they hadn't caused such a huge mess, where would I have gotten all this silver?'
After a moment of thought, Xu Qing decided it was time to move. It would be best to buy a large courtyard house; if the property was large enough, his neighbors wouldn't notice even if he made a lot of noise.
'I really should find a new place,' Xu Qing thought.
Having made his decision, Xu Qing decided to wait until the next day to act, as it was already too late.
Aside from that, Xu Qing took out the book that looked like a mess of graffiti—the one he had found on the top floor of Qianbao Tower. He held it in his hands and flipped through a few pages, but he really couldn't make any sense of it.
'Is it really just a useless book?' Xu Qing wondered.
"Record."
After a moment of contemplation, Xu Qing focused his mind and communicated with the Encyclopedia of All Things. The Encyclopedia flashed with a fluorescent light, successfully recording the book in his hands.
The corresponding information materialized in his mind.
[Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique Level 1: 0/10 (This is a Blood Curse Secret Technique recorded in a graffiti-like book using a special arrangement and a unique recording method. After mastering this technique, one can create a 'Beast Taming Blood Spell' to command various beasts.)]
"So there really was something good hidden inside."
Xu Qing was pleasantly surprised.
In fact, Xu Qing had chosen this book for two reasons. The first was that the tattered book his grandfather, Nine Fingers, had left him was also filled with nonsensical content, yet after being recorded by the Encyclopedia of All Things, it had yielded the Snake Body Technique.
The second was that the book had been placed on the highest floor of Qianbao Tower, which meant it had to have an extraordinary origin and considerable value.
It seemed his gamble had paid off.
BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!
The next moment, the characters in the book before him seemed to come to life, transforming into tiny figures that formed a torrent and poured into Xu Qing's mind.
BOOM!
At the same time, Xu Qing's mind trembled. His consciousness seemed to enter a mystical space where he endlessly comprehended and practiced the Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique.
Gradually, Xu Qing came to comprehend and master the Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique.
Then, he returned to his senses. He opened his eyes, which glinted sharply as if he had just experienced a profound enlightenment. For a fleeting moment, a blood-red Talisman seemed to flash within their depths.
"Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique."
Xu Qing murmured, 'It requires my own blood as a medium, infused with my spiritual imprint and combined with a special Dharma Seal to be cast successfully.'
'Unfortunately, this Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique only works on ordinary beasts and the like.'
'Also…' Xu Qing frowned. 'Leveling up the Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique seems a bit troublesome. I only gain one Experience Point for each successful Beast Taming.'
'But, at Level 1, the Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique can only control one tamed beast at a time.'
'It's a bit underwhelming,' Xu Qing thought to himself.
Furthermore, according to the information provided, the Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique was a prerequisite ability for becoming a 'Curse-Sealing Beastmaster.' Generally speaking, one had to learn this skill to become one.
As for 'Curse-Sealing Beastmasters,' they represented an Extraordinary path completely different from the Martial Dao.
One had to understand that in this world, the Martial Dao was not the only path.
The Martial Dao was merely one of many paths to the Extraordinary.
It was simply the most accessible and achievable path for ordinary people.
"I've got it."
Xu Qing's eyes lit up. He had thought of a good way to quickly raise the Level of his Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique. However, it was too late now; he would have to wait until tomorrow to try it out.
Next, Xu Qing practiced a few sets of the Life-taking Thirteen Swords, gaining five Experience Points.
[Life-taking Thirteen Swords Level 2: 6/60.]
Afterward, Xu Qing put on the Evil Ghost Mask and went to bed.
「Meanwhile, at Yu Chen's residence.」
Late that night.
"Honey," Wang Cuilan, Yu Chen's wife, said worriedly. "I'm concerned about Hu'Er running back and forth every night. The roads aren't safe!"
"Especially after what happened yesterday."
"I know."
Yu Chen nodded. "Cui Lan, you have a point. But I can't ask Xu Qing to come all the way to our house to teach Hu Zi. I don't have that kind of influence."
"So, I have to make Yu Hu do the running. I can't possibly make Xu Qing do it."
"Then what should we do?"
Wang Cuilan frowned. "If something really happens, it'll be too late."
"How about this," Yu Chen said after a moment's thought. "If it comes to it, we'll have to move. We'll find a house closer to Xu Qing. That way, it'll be safer for Yu Hu to go back and forth."
"That could work."
Wang Cuilan nodded. "But honey, why are you so insistent on having Hu Zi study under Xu Qing? He's just a student at the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. He can't possibly compare to the Instructors at the other Martial Arts Halls. If you really want Yu Hu to learn martial arts, I think it's best to send him to a proper Martial Arts Hall."
"You don't understand." Yu Chen shook his head.
"What don't I understand?" Wang Cuilan retorted.
"You're just a woman, what would you know?" Yu Chen snapped, and said no more.
"You…"
Wang Cuilan huffed and also fell silent.
The night passed without another word.
「The next day.」
In the morning, Xu Qing ate a piece of Tai Sui Spirit Meat, then left his residence and headed for a brokerage in the Outer City of Qingbei Town. He planned to find a house he liked through the brokerage and then buy it.
"Without even realizing it, I can already afford to buy a house here."
Xu Qing couldn't help but chuckle, but then he recalled the sixteen years of memories with his grandfather, Nine Fingers. A wave of sadness washed over him, and the smile vanished from his face. "It's a pity, Grandfather. You left too soon. Your grandson can't give you a life of comfort now."