Chapter 95: The Way of Asking for Death

Superior Grade True Qi?

Superior Grade Qi Refining Method?

Chen Ci heard these words, but he didn't act startled; he looked at Lin Banshan with a somewhat strange expression for a few moments.

In any case, if he were to learn the whereabouts of a Superior Grade Qi Refining Method, he certainly wouldn't tell anyone else; let alone tell others, even if an earthworm were passing by, he would have to split it in two vertically to feel at ease.

Moreover, given the state of Ma Family Village, if there really were a Superior Grade Qi Refining Method, the Ma Family Ancestor would be a genuine Dao Foundation expert, rather than someone using some not-so-clever Life Extension Method to linger on for two hundred years.

Chen Ci did not believe the reason that chasing after and killing that man surnamed Ma would yield a Superior Grade Qi Refining Method.

Chen Ci could, however, believe a bit more in the reason of chasing after and killing the people of the Ma Family to take back the Spirit Spring Medicine Field of Qingquan Village.

And as for the talk about how interfering in the affairs of Qingquan Village again would lead to being abandoned by both heaven and man—tch, he was putting on quite the act.

"Brother Lin, you and I are of one heart; the Health-Preserving Pills that cost ten taels of gold each, a whole bottle for just one Spirit Pearl, I didn't even frown when I lent them to you, but what about you?"

Chen Ci shook his head, looking heartbroken: "Why do you always have some little scheme to calculate against me? My He Mountain Sect is a prestigious sect of the Immortal Dao; let's not speak of such things as going back on one's word to waylay and kill. If this were to spread, how could I still establish myself in the Changping County region?"

Lin Banshan: "."

No, the sect style of this He Mountain Sect doesn't seem to be like this, right?

Lin Banshan gave a bitter smile. He had done a great deal of mental preparation before revealing this news. If it weren't for the fact that today's matter truly relied on Chen Ci to hold the line, and that the opportunity could not be missed, he would not have leaked something concerning his Dao path to others.

A Superior Grade Qi Refining Method—even a Golden Core True Person would not think they had too many.

"Brother Chen, do you think I am still doing this for the sake of Qingquan Village?"

Lin Banshan's expression was solemn: "If I, Lin Banshan, plot for even half a fraction of the land of Qingquan Village again, may my Dao path be severed and my body and clan perish; let heaven and earth bear witness for you and me!"

Are you being serious?

Seeing that Chen Ci was still half-doubting, Lin Banshan shook his head and sighed: "Even if the people of Ma Family Village were to die out today, I would never step foot into Qingquan Village again. An oath is a matter of the heart; if it were in private, that would be one thing, but since I have asked surrounding fellow practitioners to bear witness, the loss to me for breaking the oath would far exceed a single Spirit Spring Medicine Field."

After a pause, Lin Banshan extended his palm and gave a light cough: "Brother Chen, shall we test our Qi?"

Testing Qi, to put it bluntly, is a means for two people to have their True Qi touch, generally used by masters and apprentices or fellow disciples to examine the quality of one another's True Qi cultivation.

Chen Ci frowned. The quality of one's True Qi is the foundation of a cultivator and is not easily revealed to others. But seeing that Lin Banshan's expression did not seem like a joke, Chen Ci thought for a moment, then also extended his palm. The Three Yin True Qi he cultivated breathed slightly, intersecting with Lin Banshan's True Qi.

Upon the first touch, Chen Ci discovered to his surprise that the quality of his own Three Yin True Qi was actually a notch inferior to Lin Banshan's, and it was immediately pressed back.

"The True Qi method I cultivate is the first half of the Middle Grade Qi Refining Method passed down in the sect. Although it cannot be considered a marvelous technique, it is not something a miscellaneous family inheritance can compare to."

Lin Banshan said in a deep voice: "Just now, while I was in the Ruyi Water Cloud Smoke, I was initially holding the upper hand, but the True Qi all over that man surnamed Ma's body surged, and in an instant, it shattered my protective True Qi, nearly costing me my life. The quality of his True Qi was far superior to mine; I can think of no other reason than that it is Superior Grade True Qi."

"Could it be some kind of secret technique?"

Chen Ci rubbed his chin and asked in return.

"It doesn't look like it. Although I cannot be certain, it truly does not look like a secret technique. I feel it is simply a change in the True Qi itself..."

Lin Banshan said earnestly: "I am seven or eight parts certain that the man surnamed Ma cultivates Superior Grade True Qi, but to tell the truth, the possibility that there is a Superior Grade Qi Refining Method in Ma Family Village is less than half a part; it is more likely to be some kind of fortuitous encounter."

Chen Ci's expression also became serious. Setting aside the Superior Grade Qi Refining Method, the possibility that the man surnamed Ma truly cultivates Superior Grade True Qi, as stated, is indeed not small.

But the difficulty of the Dao path is such that, let alone half a part, even if there were only a one-percent chance, one would have to try it to be content.

It is just that the truth of this matter is truly difficult to distinguish.

"Regardless of what kind of fortuitous encounter it is, there is always an inheritance. If it were a great sect whose lineage had been severed, that would be one thing, but if there is a name and a surname, and a master's lineage, then even if one obtains a great method, the fortune or misfortune remains unpredictable."

Lin Banshan poured out another Health-Preserving Pill and swallowed it, his eyes narrowing slightly: "In such matters, the more people who know, the benefits do not necessarily increase, but the risks will grow. There is no benefit in dragging this out; rather, you and I are just in time, and both have our hearts set on the Dao path. Brother Chen, can you assist me?"

Chen Ci's heart did not stop; he looked at Lin Banshan for a few moments and asked softly: "And this injury of yours?"

"Although this injury is heavy, I have fierce tiger-wolf medicine that can suppress it for three days; my combat power will not be damaged too much."

Lin Banshan frowned slightly: "However, it will greatly damage my vitality and may even affect my lifespan. Brother Chen, if you are interested, I will cast the spell and take the medicine; it will only take two quarter-hours."

Sigh.

Chen Ci sighed. Since coming to this world, although he had been involved in many deaths, he truly had not killed indiscriminately. Even when his need for Essence Refining was at its most desperate, he would rather spend more silver and expend more energy than use refugees or beggars to practice any bit of Evil Method.

But today, is he about to break his own bottom line?

Today, for the sake of a Dao path method, he is going to waylay and kill others.

Tomorrow, for the sake of an Evil Method or secret technique, will he kill indiscriminately to practice them?

In this world, is it impossible for someone in a Side Door sect to be a good person and still seek Longevity?!

After only a few breaths, Chen Ci made his decision. He looked at Lin Banshan and said earnestly: "Brother Lin, the act of waylaying and killing goes against my original heart. Believe it or not, I often consider myself a disciple of a prestigious Immortal Dao sect. This kind of thing, I truly cannot do."

Lin Banshan's expression changed repeatedly, and finally, his furrowed brows turned into a sigh.

Truly pedantic!

Although he did not hold out hope that there was a Superior Grade Qi Refining Method in Ma Family Village, what if there was? Otherwise, where did that man surnamed Ma's True Qi come from? If he didn't figure that out, he was truly unwilling to give up.

If he missed this opportunity, the cost of trying to investigate Ma Family Village later would be too high.

"Brother Chen, you..."

Lin Banshan shook his head, wanting to persuade him further, but he saw Chen Ci turn his head to look at him, seemingly surprised: "Brother Lin, why are you still dawdling here? Why haven't you cast the spell and taken the medicine yet?"

Lin Banshan: "???" No, what do you mean? Didn't you just say you weren't going?

"That man surnamed Ma uses living people for Corpse Refining; he is asking for death. Brother Lin, when you see such a tragic event, do you not have the slightest bit of compassion?"

Chen Ci frowned slightly: "Since I am a disciple of a prestigious Immortal Dao sect, when I encounter an evil person, I must do a good deed. If I don't kill him, should I let him go on to harm more innocent people? One must eliminate evil completely to reach the end. Although we are Side Door cultivators, we must also draw a clear line with those Leftist Cultivators. Brother Lin, remember this."

"Brother Lin, hurry up, okay?"

Chen Ci took a deep breath, feeling as if the light of the righteous path were shining upon the earth.

Lin Banshan: "."

No, who the hell taught you to eliminate evil completely like this?

With the words on the tip of his tongue, Lin Banshan forcibly suppressed the urge to vomit, and said: "Fine, I will cast the spell now."

Lin Banshan fished out a piece of white-fat-like sandalwood from his bosom, lit it, and slowly closed his eyes.

Learned something; he would do this next time too.

That man surnamed Ma was indeed asking for death; it had nothing to do with what True Qi he cultivated or what fortuitous encounter he had obtained.

Hmm, that is how it should be.

Copper Stone Mountain, Ma Family Village.

Compared to Qingquan Village or Shi Sanniang's Qingyun Village, the Ma Family Village does not have a very good relationship with the Liang Kingdom; the long distance is one thing, but their style of conduct is another.

If the former could still be called mountain folk, then the Ma Family Village could only be called raw barbarians, living their lives on their own little plot of land deep in the mountains.

The Ma Family Village is also over a hundred miles of mountain road away from Qingquan Village, making travel quite inconvenient; if Ma Jinshun were alone, it would be fine, but carrying four Copper Corpses made the journey even more difficult, especially since one of them had sustained some damage, which made Ma Jinshun ache with distress, rushing through the night to return to the village to properly nurture it.

Otherwise, he would have had to go to Qingyun Village to have some fun.

Being able to refine four Copper Corpses that are connected to his spiritual sense is no easy task.

"Fortunately, I successfully took Qingquan Village this time; the Ancestor has enough spirit medicine to wash away the metal energy, so he might have a few more decades to live."

"Having performed this service, when the Ancestor passes on in the future, it will surely be me who inherits his mantle, heh."

Ma Jinshun also sat in a bamboo sedan chair, being carried by others, eyes closed to rest his mind.

That Dao Tome in the village is indeed powerful; although it is very obscure and difficult to understand, scattered and lacking a system, whether it is the cultivation of True Qi or this newly pondered method of Copper Corpses, it is indeed much more brilliant than the Ancestor's Corpse Dao inheritance, though it is also ten times more difficult; if it weren't for the fact that Copper Stone Mountain itself is rich in five-metal materials, he would find it hard to reach his current level of cultivation.

"If I were practicing the Ancestor's Corpse Refining Method, my cultivation might be much higher now, but since I have chosen this path, there is nothing to regret."

Ma Jinshun tapped the armrest lightly; he is no longer young, and since the Ancestor's Corpse Refining Method cannot forge a Dao Foundation, he might as well practice this technique directly; by then, absorbing Five Metal Essence Qi to extend his life might be even more useful than Corpse Evil True Qi.

But suddenly, a wisp of fragrance drifted past the tip of Ma Jinshun's nose—neither flower, nor grass, nor wood—which was exceptionally abrupt in these mountains, immediately triggering his vigilance as he shouted, "Who!"

There are no shortage of experts in the use of poison among the mountain folk, and the Ma Family Village is among the best of them, so naturally, they have an understanding of and defenses against all kinds of methods.

But by the time he jumped out of the sedan, the servants carrying the sedan were already limp and boneless, collapsed on the ground without a sound, and even the four bamboo sedan chairs carrying the Copper Corpses had fallen askew in the mountains.

"Who?"

A fierce light appeared in Ma Jinshun's eyes: "The one surnamed Lin? You are courting death!"

A soft sigh echoed in the mountains; Lin Banshan walked out from a hilltop, his face pale and devoid of any blood, but although his complexion was poor, looking at his posture, it was as if he were not injured at all, showing no signs of impairment.

"It really is you; you people from outside the mountains cannot be trusted at all, ptooey!"

Ma Jinshun narrowed his eyes and sneered: "You don't think that by intercepting me, you can still take over Qingquan Village, do you?"

"Ma Daoyou is joking; since I have already admitted defeat and sworn an oath before many fellow Daoists, I will never go to Qingquan Village again; the Spirit Spring Medicine Field there naturally belongs to your Ma Family."

Lin Banshan said slowly: "I came this time because I cannot stand you, Ma Daoyou, refining corpses with living people, which harms the harmony of heaven, so I have come specifically to deliver you."

"Hmm?"

Ma Jinshun's eyes widened by a third; he seemed to have not reacted to what this one surnamed Lin was saying.

He heard it, yet it was as if he hadn't understood it.

"You surnamed Lin, have you gone sick in the head?"

Ma Jinshun finally couldn't hold back and demanded: "Get lost quickly; I will just assume you have gone insane and will not hold it against you."

"No, I have simply attained enlightenment."

Lin Banshan's expression was somewhat wistful: "Brother Chen, for someone like this who refines corpses with living people and is destined to die, let us not talk about morality; let's attack together."

Chen Ci, who was lying in ambush on another hilltop, couldn't help but roll his eyes.

This one surnamed Lin actually learned quite quickly, huh.

He was still preparing to stay in ambush and cut in from the side.

Fine, presumably this Lin Banshan was afraid of being taken out in one move, so he thought about it and jumped out, his face solemn: "Hmm, it should be so."

"There is another one?"

Ma Jinshun's expression sank, but he suddenly laughed: "Just the two of you? Heh, perfect; I am missing two fine corpses for refining; killing you and taking your bodies to sacrifice and refine, I might even be able to advance further."

"Take Qingquan Village, perform a service."

"Kill you both, refine the technique."

"Haha, double happiness at the door!"

Ma Jinshun grinned broadly, his teeth ghastly, his eyes turning red, his face full of malice: "You think my four Copper Corpses only have these few tricks? Since I refined these few Copper Corpses, I have never used my full strength; today, being able to die in my Five Metal Evil Corpse Array can be considered your good fortune!"

"Five Evils as one, metal energy enters the body, kill, kill, kill!"

The four Copper Corpses darted out from the bamboo sedan chairs, surrounding Ma Jinshun, evil energy surging around their bodies as if connecting into one piece; the aura on Ma Jinshun's body was also skyrocketing, his already burly frame growing another third, even more fierce than when he was fighting Lin Banshan.

Chen Ci's expression changed slightly.

This isn't right, is it?

Since when do villains use their ultimate moves the moment they meet?

Now that he has encountered a tough nut to crack, he has to have a real, solid clash.

In this brief moment, both Chen Ci and Lin Banshan were like facing a great enemy, pondering what methods to use to deal with this one surnamed Ma, preparing to meet the thunderous offensive that was about to follow.

The next second, Ma Jinshun, whose True Qi was surging and whose momentum was as fierce as a war god, gave a ghastly smile and killed in the opposite direction of the two, unstoppable.

In the blink of an eye, he had run out over ten zhang, abandoning even those four Copper Corpses, turning and advancing like the wind.

Lin Banshan: "." Stunned.

Chen Ci: "." Speechless.

This old guy shouted so loudly, looking like he was going to take on ten people, yet he actually ran!

Five Metal Evil Corpse Array?

Five Evils as one?

Metal energy enters the body?

Damn, he acted so realistically!

"Damn it, to eliminate evil, one must see it through to the end!"

"Red Bell, get him for me!"

(End of chapter)