Chapter 32: Observation Qi

"In the end, it was not a waste of effort."

Chen Ci looked at the Black Jade Rice seedlings that had already sprouted in the backyard and nodded; aside from the slightly strange atmosphere of the cultivation environment, everything else was fine.

Burying Corpses in yin ground and planting Spirit Rice on top of the Corpses—it always felt a bit wrong.

But fortunately, it seemed there was no need for fertilizer.

"This courtyard has heavy yin energy, so there are no snakes, insects, rats, or ants to disturb it year-round, and there is no need to worry too much about the seedlings being damaged; looking at it this way, there isn't much to worry about."

Chen Ci was suddenly overjoyed; eating Spirit Rice on the day of the autumn harvest was no longer a dream.

He took another look at his Gold Finger panel.

Five Yin Evil Qi Bag: 6th layer Prohibition/94/100

Tears welled up in his eyes; wasn't life getting better now?

Chen Ci leisurely went to the front hall of the temple; his cheap head Apprentice Niu Ji had gone to Fuhu Altar a few days ago to offer Essence Refining, and calculating the time, he should be back.

With eight merit points, he had to calculate whether to go to Xishan Prefecture in a while to spend the merit points, or to save them up a bit more and strive for the Tiger Sha Breaking Aperture Pill.

"Damn it, why does this feel like financing—greedy for returns, yet afraid of a crash."

Chen Ci rubbed his fingertips slightly, feeling a bit conflicted; just then, a dusty figure walked in from outside Sanyin Temple—who else could it be but his head Apprentice Niu Ji?

"Greetings, Master!"

Niu Ji had not expected to run into his Master the moment he returned to the temple; he opened his mouth to say something, but seeing his Master's slightly furrowed brows, he subconsciously hushed and dared not speak.

"What is it?"

Seeing this expression, Chen Ci guessed that it was nine times out of ten not something good, so he waved his hand: "Speak plainly, it is fine."

"Reporting to Master, this subordinate went to Xishan Prefecture this time to deliver the offerings and was scolded by the Immortal Master of Fuhu Altar."

Niu Ji spoke rather tactfully: "The Immortal Master said that our Changping County's offerings fall behind others every month, and he hopes Master can strive for progress and not be lax."

Chen Ci:.

"You've worked hard, go down and rest."

Chen Ci was not angry; after letting Niu Ji go down, he couldn't help but shake his head. Although he knew those cheap fellow disciples were competitive, he didn't expect them to be this competitive!

Two hundred drops of Essence Refining offerings were ranked at the bottom; if those fellow disciples didn't have dozens of human lives in their hands every month, no one would probably believe it if it were said out loud.

Chen Ci touched his neck, feeling that he should be safe.

However, Fuhu Altar was not a pushover; if he stayed at the bottom, it would be easy to kill the chicken to warn the monkey, and he shouldn't become an optimization target for the He Mountain Sect at the end of the year.

"Those bastards at Fuhu Altar, they only know how to bark."

Chen Ci spat fiercely; in his past life, if business targets weren't met, at most money was deducted, but if this immortal cultivation business target wasn't met, who knows what might be lost.

He really had to find a way to increase the amount of Essence Refining.

"The Observation Qi Method in the Small Heavens Qi Absorption Pill Method can be used like this?"

In the dense forest, Chen Ci looked around at the path while lightly waving the Spirit Iron Short Sword in his hand to chop away the branches blocking the way.

The surroundings were filled with a faint smell of soil, but it was also mixed with almost imperceptible animal scents. Once Chen Ci operated the Observation Qi Method, those faint traces seemed to become a bit clearer, letting him know that a living creature had passed through here.

But what specific creature it was, he did not know.

Chen Ci simply chose the most obvious scent and chased after it, wandering around in the forest, analyzing footprints, feces, and animal trails in a half-understanding way. After more than an hour, he actually caught three wild boars—two large and one small—on the other side of the mountain.

He happily gained five drops of Essence Refining.

"Observation Qi Method..."

Chen Ci pressed the slightly aggrieved Five Yin Evil Qi Bag, lost in thought. In fact, many things were interconnected; the Observation Qi Method could observe pill qi, so naturally, it could be used for other purposes, though the effect might be slightly worse.

"It's just like how if you master the Fire Control Method, even if you can't be an alchemist, you can be a cook; if you master the Observation Qi Method, at the very least you can be a hunter. However, wanting to hunt beasts to refine Essence Refining with this method is not impossible, but it will ultimately delay one's own cultivation time."

Chen Ci shook his head; hunting was not as simple as one thought. Even for experienced hunters, it was normal not to hunt big game for several days, and catching live animals was ten times harder.

Last time, Shi Sanniang sent five live fierce beasts; even with her personally taking action and having skilled mountain folk subordinates assisting, they still had to use a fox to make up the number, which showed how difficult it was.

"It can be kept as an emergency measure for shortfalls."

Chen Ci's heart suddenly stirred; he held his breath and focused, operating the Observation Qi Method. A moment later, he suddenly gave a soft 'eh', and sure enough, he captured his own aura in the mountain forest; although it was faint and almost imperceptible, it could still be traced.

Infusing Three Yin True Qi into his body surface, Chen Ci vaulted dozens of steps through the trees in the forest, and when he stopped again, he could no longer find his own aura.

One little cultivation trick a day, applied flexibly—it might save his life at a critical moment.

Pretty good.

Then Chen Ci gathered his Qi and leapt to the top of a large tree, carefully observing the surroundings, wanting to see if he could use the Observation Qi Method to spot any blessed lands, ominous lands, or signs of human habitation, but he gained nothing.

"Perhaps my practice is not up to par."

But he was just thinking about it; the Small Heavens Qi Absorption Pill Method had been circulating in the world for several kalpas, and he had never heard of any rogue cultivator who had practiced this thing into the Emperor's Qi Observation Art.

Chen Ci stood at a high place, identified the direction slightly, jumped down, and headed west.

Yunshi Shan, Qingyun Village.

"Yo, isn't this our Master Chen? How could you bear to come to my place?"

The spring chill had not yet retreated, and the temperature in the mountains was much lower than outside. Shi Sanniang lay on her side on a wooden bed, wearing a thin purple gauze outer garment with a red bodice underneath. Her hair bun and neck were full of gold and silver ornaments. Perhaps because she was on her home turf, her expression had much more of the wildness of a mountain dweller, lacking the little-girl demeanor she had when she came to beg for talismans.

Chen Ci scanned the room; although the wooden building in this village could be considered exquisite, aside from the extra gold and silver ornaments, the rest was decorated with furs, and the quality of life was more than a notch worse than the wealthy merchants and powerful clans in Changping County.

"I have come to collect a debt this time."

Chen Ci looked at the turbid wine on the table, shook his head, and put down the wine cup: "Sanniang, you haven't settled the final payment for the talismans from last time, have you?"

Uh...

Shi Sanniang sat up straight, revealing a stunning curve, and said angrily: "Master Chen, you wouldn't go so far as to ask me for such a small amount of money, would you?"

Chen Ci's eyelids twitched several times; he once again swallowed the sugar-coated bullet and fired it back, saying indifferently: "Business is business. *Cough cough*, Sanniang, stop shaking; Master is feeling a bit dizzy from the milk... but it's not impossible to negotiate."

"Sanniang, although the scenery of your Yunshi Shan is not bad, it is not considered rich. If the experts in your village can catch big game in the mountains and send them alive to my Sanyin Temple, Frost Sugar, grain, wine, and cloth—everything is negotiable."

"Fine, I will give the order, but Master Chen, don't hold too much hope. Although there are many wild beasts in the mountains, big game is hard to catch, and catching them alive can only depend on luck."

Shi Sanniang rolled her eyes and lazily lay back down: "There are only a hundred or so experts in my village; if I send them all out, I reckon the monthly yield will only be a few big animals. However, Frost Sugar is a good thing; they should be diligent about it."

Shi Sanniang clearly did not care; Yunshi Shan was the foundation of her Shi family, and no matter how poor things got, there was no way she, a cultivator, would lack for food or clothing; it was unlikely she would put in any effort to improve the lives of the mountain folk below.

This was not the result Chen Ci wanted.

"If there is something of sufficient value—"

Chen Ci thought for a moment; it seemed there were not many things in his possession worth a cultivator putting in great effort for: "Soul Fixing Talisman, Bigu Pill, and Spirit Rice are not out of the question."

Still too poor, after all.

"Bigu Pill?"

Shi Sanniang suddenly sat up, her whole body practically lunging over, her eyes filled with burning heat: "Great Master Chen, do you have Bigu Pills in your hands?"

Huh?

This thing isn't even that valuable, is it?

Chen Ci nodded: "Mm, I have some."

"Oh, my Great Master Chen, what kind of tiger, leopard, jackal, or wolf do you want?"

Shi Sanniang's face was full of shyness: "This concubine wouldn't mind putting on some fur and playing the part."

Chen Ci: "."???

Good heavens, when this woman gets casual, she really isn't human!

Going out for a trip and she seems to have become stupid... terrifying.

(End of chapter)