Chapter 371: The Master Returns

Time flies.

Late November, the "Light Snow" solar term.

The two jujube trees had shed all their leaves, their branches bare, and the dry fallen leaves scraped against the stone slabs, making a rustling sound.

Wulong lay on the threshold, its two large black eyes staring intently at the leaves drifting from left to right, then from right to left.

Fan Xinglai tightened his clothes, ran to sweep away the last fallen leaves from the eaves.

Liang Qu practiced spear techniques early this morning, and the spear wind he brought blew away the last few leaves on the jujube tree.

Fortunately, they all fell off today, and there wouldn't be any more until next autumn.

Fan Xinglai shoveled the fallen leaves into a dustpan, preparing to bury them in the tree pond, when he suddenly heard a knock on the door. He pressed the broom onto the dustpan and ran to open the door.

As soon as he pulled it open, the withered and thin old monk in a patchwork robe, carrying a knapsack on his back, came into view.

Fan Xinglai was overjoyed.

"Master!?"

In the quiet room.

Liang Qu sat motionless, golden light swirling around his whole body.

After a major cycle.

Liang Qu stopped breathing, dissipated the golden light, and ended his morning practice.

Looking inward at his own body.

At the Lower Dantian, a blurry golden little person was looming, not to mention facial features, even the limbs were blurry, appearing but not yet appearing.

Even so, Liang Qu was still satisfied.

The Withered Wind Daffodil of the Three Great Merits was extraordinary.

Swallowed half a month ago, the Dragon-Tiger Golden Body surged forward, directly condensing a golden little person at the Lower Dantian!

This performance was a symbol of the "Dragon-Subduing Tiger-Felling Jin Jin Gang Gong" having achieved something!

The more condensed the golden little person, the stronger the golden body, and the defense of the whole body would have no loopholes.

And apart from the harvest of the golden body, the profit of water essence was even more terrifying!

Liang Qu communicated with the Ze Tripod, his consciousness sinking.

In the Ze Tripod, the blue-gray long energy and the red energy were intertwined.

Under the two long energies, the azure water essence surged, colliding with the tripod wall, making a vast tidal sound.

The most water essence Liang Qu had accumulated at one time was when he broke through to Galloping Horse, with a full 14,000 points.

But just one Withered Wind Daffodil treasure plant contributed 13,632 points of essence at the moment!

Plus the Seven-Colored Rainbow Stream, the precious fish sent by the Dragon-men one after another, the daily contribution of the old giant clam, and other gains.

Liang Qu's total accumulation reached an unprecedented 19,203 points!

Approaching 20,000 points of water essence!

Rich, extremely rich!

With such a huge amount of water essence, Liang Qu could completely use it to evolve water beasts, and could create a Great Spirit Monster at the Wolf Smoke level!

"It's a pity that I can't try 'Calling Wind and Summoning Rain' for the time being..."

The Withered Wind Daffodil can cause small-scale rainfall on the full moon of every month, having the effect of praying for rain.

After Liang Qu swallowed it, he suspected he had obtained part of its ability, which increased his 【Calling Wind and Summoning Rain】, and there were changes. The longer the time, the more obvious the feeling.

However, Pingyang County was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, so Liang Qu did not rashly practice it.

"Try it on the Great Marsh another day."

After setting the plan, Liang Qu took out another treasure box from his arms, the Morning Dew Insect.

Analyzing from the medicinal properties, the Morning Dew Insect and the Withered Wind Daffodil did not conflict, but whether they did specifically, practice is the only way to test the truth.

No one was so extravagant as to swallow two treasures with a total value of five great merits in succession just to verify the relationship between medicinal properties.

To be safe, the common practice when facing precious treasure plants and treasures was to swallow them half a month apart.

Today is the "Light Snow" solar term, and it was the "Start of Winter" when he swallowed the Withered Wind Daffodil.

It was exactly fourteen days apart, just about right, and the time had come.

Liang Qu pulled open the wooden box and was surprised to find that the water in the treasure box storing the Morning Dew Insect had dropped a lot, and the fresh fragrance had dissipated by one-third. The Morning Dew Insect inside was still curled up, and except for being greener, there was no change.

The treasure box was jade-bone wood, which had a metallic sound when tapped, and in a closed state, it was unlikely that the water would evaporate.

Did the Morning Dew Insect absorb it?

Liang Qu thought of the state when he got it.

It took more than half a month to send it from Nanzhili to Pingyang. In this way, the water should have been full when it was sent, and it was consumed on the way.

Raise it for two more days?

The instructions for swallowing did not explain the composition of the water.

But the color change of the Morning Dew Insect made Liang Qu feel that the water was a good thing. Drinking the water that soaked the insect was not really drinkable, and spilling it was not really worth it.

After thinking for a while.

The treasure box closed.

Wait two more days, until the fifteenth day is full.

Liang Qu left the quiet room to eat breakfast in the kitchen. Passing through the veranda, he suddenly found the door of the west wing open and took two steps forward to look.

"Master?"

The old monk was organizing the bookshelf and putting the books in order, and he bowed to Liang Qu when he heard the sound.

Liang Qu stepped over the threshold: "When did Master come back? Why didn't you notify me?"

"I haven't been back long. I heard that the benefactor was in seclusion, so I didn't disturb you." The old monk looked at Liang Qu twice, "Congratulations to the benefactor for the progress in your golden body."

"Master has eyes like torches! I swallowed a treasure plant."

Liang Qu didn't find it strange. He had just finished practicing, and his aura had not yet dissipated.

The old monk must have practiced the "Dragon-Subduing Tiger-Felling Jin Jin Gang Gong," so it was not difficult to distinguish.

The old monk put his hands together: "The benefactor has great luck."

Liang Qu laughed and changed the subject to ask about serious matters: "Master, did you gain anything on this trip to Huazhu County? Did you catch the evil monk?"

The old monk said: "On the day I rushed there, there were indeed a few traces of energy-gathering in some parts of Huazhu County. As for the evil monk, I didn't find him."

The dike collapse was indeed the work of a black hand!

Liang Qu hurriedly asked: "Was it evil energy that was collected?"

"I don't know."

So much time had passed, many traces were blurred, and even though the old monk had been in contact with the evil monk, he couldn't tell now.

However, Liang Qu knew that it was mostly correct.

The old monk said he didn't know, simply because a monk does not lie.

Eating energy is so difficult, and collecting it requires special containers, which must be prepared in advance.

In a disaster-stricken large county, what good energy could there be?

Even Liang Qu's own "Withered Wood Meets Spring" energy had to be withered once before it could be collected.

While his thoughts were flying, the old monk suddenly said: "Although the other party gathered energy, they did not succeed."

"Didn't succeed?" Liang Qu looked up, "How can Master tell?"

"Long energy is elusive. Once energy-gathering is successful, it becomes a tangible object in the container, deriving energy mechanisms. There are traces of energy-gathering in Huazhu County, but no energy mechanisms remain, as if it were at the moment of being born but not yet born, falling short of success."

Liang Qu kept an eye on it.

Would successful collection leave an aura?

Deriving energy mechanisms?

"In Huazhu County, there is no energy mechanism at all?"

"No."

Huh.

Did I not leave an energy mechanism when I collected the "Withered Wood Meets Spring" energy?

Could it be that I collected it too cleanly?

Thinking about it, Liang Qu felt that this was the only possibility, but then he realized another serious problem.

"The other party didn't succeed this time. If there is a chance in the future, wouldn't they come again?"

The old monk turned his prayer beads and did not speak.

Not speaking meant acquiescence.

Liang Qu's brows furrowed. Knowing that there was a peak Great Martial Artist in Huaiyin Prefecture who was stirring up trouble made him feel uncomfortable.

Who knows if the evil monk will come out to stir up trouble next time, and whether it will affect him.

This time it was a dike collapse and flood, which basically had no effect on martial artists.

Next time, maybe the evil monk will stir up trouble, cause blood debts, and deliberately lure Great Demons ashore, which would be difficult even for Wolf Smoke experts.

"Must go tell Master."

Liang Qu hit his palm with his fist.

What's the use of him thinking about it? It's mostly a Great Martial Artist who is only one step away from eating energy and entering the Grandmaster realm, a great expert that he can't deal with at all.

The imperial court has many capable people.

It's not his turn, a Galloping Horse martial artist who hasn't reached Wolf Smoke, to think blindly. ===== CHAPTER 372 =====