Chapter 7: These Lone Cultivators, How Could They Understand Unity?

The Mid-Quality Technique artifact, the Spirit-Binding Rope, is standard issue for the Qing Xi Fang Peacekeeping Unit.

Gao Jian trained with it constantly and wielded it with extreme familiarity, swinging it like a swift, living serpent.

"Shiiii~ Paa!"

Using the rope as a whip, he lashed it straight across Wu Jinyan's face.

Because he held back, Wu Jinyan only suffered split skin and torn flesh—not a blown-out skull—suggesting Gao Jian still had a shred of humanity.

"Why the hell did you hit me?"

He summoned a wooden bowl artifact to shield himself, clutching his ruined face as he asked in fear.

Gao Jian's ambush was too swift—he landed it effortlessly, and the entire hall erupted into chaos.

Wang Rongyuan instantly stepped between the two Wang brothers, while Zhong Tianshuo channeled spiritual energy to shove his daughter, Zhong Lingyao, into the back chamber.

Tang Nianqiu, seemingly startled, belatedly moved to stand beside Wang Rongyuan.

"Why hit you?

The Qi Xin Fee was collected to make Qing Xi Fang better. My master spent an entire day studying to determine how much each shop must pay.

You dare complain it's too much? Do you even deserve to? Does your Wu family even own a shop in Qing Xi Fang?

Or are you, on the surface, a lone cultivator, but secretly a bandit cultivator, trying to sow discord among Qing Xi Fang's cultivators?"

Zhong Tianshuo and Wang Rongyuan had already stepped in—both were roughly equal in cultivation to him.

Seeing he couldn't keep whipping, Gao Jian retracted the Spirit-Binding Rope, but piled on even heavier accusations.

In truth, there's no need for so many "whys."

The Wang family can't be touched; the Red Eyebrow Recluse can't be defeated.

So who else is left to hit?

I can't teach __ a lesson, but I can still punish you!

"Brother Gao Jian, brother Gao Jian, how about this—I'll pay one hundred and twenty spirit stones. Here they are. Don't say another word. Old Wu isn't a bandit cultivator."

Taking the small bag handed to him by the Red Eyebrow Recluse, Gao Jian first hefted it, shook it twice, then grinned in satisfaction.

"Ah, Brother Red Eyebrow, why didn't you pay earlier? Then none of this would've happened. Hahaha. Of course, it's not too late now."

As he spoke, he swung the Spirit-Binding Rope in his hand.

Seeing the Red Eyebrow Recluse pay, Tang Nianqiu had no choice but to hand over fifty spirit stones—the entire one-and-a-half-month profit of Zhi Wei Fang vanished.

Gao Jian then glared at Wu Jinyan, clutched the Spirit-Binding Rope, and swaggered out, arrogant and domineering.

These lone cultivators don't understand the bigger picture—unless you beat them a couple times, how can they ever grasp Qi Xin?

For the sake of Qing Xi Fang's merchants and cultivators, for the sake of Hong Deng Zhao's interests—do you think it's easy for me? Do you think it's easy for my master?

When you must beat, beat—once the whip strikes, the spirit stones appear instantly~

What Wang family? Before Hong Deng Zhao, even if it's a dragon, you'll coil up!

"This guy's just a thug!"

Zhong Lingyao emerged from the back chamber, looked at the silent crowd, and couldn't help but curse.

The Red Eyebrow Recluse silently applied ointment to Wu Jinyan's face.

Wang Rongyuan shook his head and spoke softly to the two Wang brothers.

"This is your first lesson."

After seeing off Wu Jinyan, Wang Rongyuan, and the others, the Red Eyebrow Recluse finally turned to his daughter and disciple.

"Father, Hua Feng Ju shouldn't have paid so much—the high one and his master probably stole a portion of it!"

Zhong Lingyao simply couldn't understand why her father had paid the damn "Qi Xin Fee" so readily.

That was one hundred and twenty spirit stones—Wang Rongyuan only got one hundred from his family in a whole year!

So many spirit stones, just snatched away by Gao Jian's filthy mouth!

Listening to Zhong Lingyao and Zhong Tianshuo's conversation, Wang Yulou standing nearby felt awkward.

It wasn't because Zhi Wei Fang paid so little.

Zhi Wei Fang sells drinks and food—its profit margin and turnover are far lower than Hua Feng Ju's.

What Wang Yulou hadn't expected was that the Red Eyebrow Recluse's daughter was the very female cultivator Wang Yuan had seen yesterday—naked.

That idiot Wang Yuan spent over a dozen glances at her today—now the Wang family's face is completely lost.

"Probably? Definitely! That Jiang guy is just a..."

Mid-sentence, Zhong Tianshuo spotted Wang Yulou and Wang Yuan, and fell silent.

"This is my daughter, Zhong Lingyao. Call her Lin Lin Lin Lin Shijie."

"Lingyao, teach them the basics of fire control. I'm going out."

The Red Eyebrow Recluse seemed to have urgent business—he gave a brief assignment and left Hua Feng Ju directly.

Zhong Lingyao glanced at Wang Yulou, then at Wang Yuan, and grew nervous.

She desperately wanted to grab her father's hand and ask why he was so sure she could teach these two cheap disciples well.

"Um... you two... seem pretty young?"

"Thirteen, Lin Lin Lin Lin Shijie Lingyao. I'm thirteen this year."

Wang Yulou subtly stepped left, maintaining a slight but not total distance from Wang Yuan.

Zhong Lingyao, fifteen years old, still a youthful girl, but under her father's orders, forced herself to appear mature and composed as she replied to Wang Yuan.

"Hmm, thirteen is a good age to begin learning fire control."

After speaking, the girl realized how stupid that sounded.

So stupid...

She'd just mimicked her father's tone, but ended up looking like a clumsy imitation of a tiger.

Thinking of this, her fair cheeks instantly flushed with nervousness.

Wang Yuan didn't understand why his senior sister had blushed; he merely licked his lips and asked.

"Lin Lin Lin Lin Shijie Ningyao, what's the difference between Control Fire Technique and Flying Fire Technique?"

Wang Yulou knew the Flying Fire Technique—it was similar to the fireball spell in xianxia novels, a common spell used by Qi Gathering and Qi Refining cultivators.

But the Flying Fire Technique was more refined, emphasizing maximum attack effect with minimal spiritual energy.

Power wasn't important; what mattered was combining it with other artifacts and spells to achieve a systematic combat style—brute force alone was a dead end for ordinary cultivators.

Ordinary hermits lacked sect or family transmission, so their Flying Fire Technique was crude.

At the same Qi Gathering Second Layer, Wang Yulou could now fire over a dozen Flying Fire Techniques in succession.

But an ordinary Qi Gathering Second Layer hermit might exhaust his spiritual energy after three or five.

"Flying Fire Technique is for combat; it becomes useless after Foundation Establishment."

"Control Fire Technique is the introductory spell of the fire cultivation system, primarily used for refining the Dao."

"Didn't the Wang family send you here to learn refining the Dao?"

Wang Yuan wanted to lick his lips again, but Wang Yulou had no patience.

"Please, Lin Lin Lin Lin Shijie, instruct us."

Cultivation demands seizing every moment; he had no time to watch Wang Yuan ramble.

"Fine, follow me."

Gratefully glancing at Wang Yulou, Zhong Ningyao led the two youths to the back hall of Huafeng Residence.

In the center of the back hall stood a massive alchemy furnace, glowing red, its engraved surface pulsing with silver-white light, radiating an unmistakable aura of rarity.

On one side of the furnace was a pile of charcoal taller than Wang Yulou's height, seemingly some kind of spiritual material.

On the other side was a table made of wrought iron, clearly where Master Hongmei placed his materials during alchemy.

"There's a basin of water—go fetch two basins from the well; then we can begin practicing Control Fire Technique."

Pointing to the basin in the corner of the back hall, Zhong Ningyao found the feeling of teaching Dao techniques.

"Practice Control Fire Technique with water?"

Wang Yuan either had a brain fart or wanted to chat more with the beautiful senior sister—he actually asked such a question.

"Yes, hurry up, hurry up."

Zhong Ningyao actually preferred Wang Yulou; Wang Yulou never asked such useless nonsense, while Wang Yuan not only talked too much but also stared at her directly, like an idiot.

Soon, under Zhong Ningyao's guidance, the two placed their hands into the basins and stared blankly at her, waiting for the senior sister's next instruction.

The teenage girl clasped her hands behind her back, pretending to be a grown-up, pacing around the furnace, recalling her father's words when he taught her.

"The first step of Control Fire Technique is to generate fire in water—without any external fire source, relying solely on your own spiritual energy to ignite flame."

Fire is fierce; even my father, when struggling with alchemy, often lost control of the flame."

"I had you fetch water because you need it to suppress the influence of fire-elemental spiritual energy in heaven and earth on Control Fire Technique, so you can gradually gain mastery over the flame."

"Now, I'll teach you the incantation for Control Fire Technique—this is a secret transmission; you must not reveal it to anyone!"