Chapter 116: Retreat, Retreat, Ga-ga-ga (6k)

This time, Zhou Qing still fell at the second wave. Ten Golden Core late-stage wandering souls left him in a flurry of chaos.

If it weren't for the doubled gravity restricting his movements, combined with the *Great Azure Thunder Sword Art* that suppressed yin-evil entities, he wouldn't have been so wretched, even if he couldn't win.

Especially since the Fire Spirit Blood Paste he had absorbed over the past half-month had increased his cultivation base, which seemed to have correspondingly enhanced those wandering souls as well.

"This is getting a bit tricky!"

Lying on his bed, Zhou Qing sighed. Thirty mid-grade spirit stones had gone down the drain without even a ripple.

"If only I could refresh more points by ignoring things, that way the probability of being overlooked would be higher."

However, being in the sect, and now a "cripple," opportunities to farm points were scarce.

Two days later, Yan Xiao came running over, holding the old hen, looking excited.

"Fourth, come to my place, I've got something good to show you!" Yan Xiao said, his face full of excitement.

Before Zhou Qing could refuse, Yan Xiao pulled him along and hurried toward his residence.

"Do you have someone you're fond of lately?"

After landing from the flying sword, Zhou Qing looked at the surroundings of Yan Xiao's courtyard. It used to be barren everywhere, like a Gobi desert due to the hen's habits and its tendency to get inflamed, but now, green trees were starting to grow.

Although few, it was at least a good sign.

Yan Xiao curled his lips: "Women only slow down the speed of my blade. But I have to admit, you're very observant. Actually, I've dug a secret base."

After saying that, Yan Xiao activated the courtyard barrier, pulled Zhou Qing inside, and then peeked out sneakily to make sure no one was following before quickly closing the door.

"Here, here!"

Once inside, Yan Xiao put the old hen aside and slowly moved a water vat.

Immediately, a clattering sound came from the ground, and layers of stairs began to appear.

Zhou Qing looked puzzled.

Yan Xiao smiled: "Remember that black market in Lingyun Prefecture? I got the inspiration from there. I've already built a huge secret room underneath. To prevent anyone from noticing, I planted trees outside to cover it up."

Then, Zhou Qing followed him down with curiosity.

"You aren't going to harvest my kidneys, are you?" Looking at the pitch-black space in front of him, Zhou Qing couldn't help but speak.

Yan Xiao didn't answer; he snapped his fingers, and the entire secret room instantly became bright.

It had to be said that it was indeed quite large, paved with huge blue bricks, and by the looks of it, it was a full thousand meters wide.

"When did you dig this?" Zhou Qing exclaimed in admiration.

Yan Xiao said: "It didn't take long. After all, your senior brother is a Nascent Soul cultivator now. By the way, you're the first person to come to my secret room. If I'm not home in the future, I'll probably be here."

"No, why build this place?" Zhou Qing felt like his Third Zhou Shixiong was doing something unnecessarily complicated.

You aren't afraid of being assassinated; why build this? To hide a beauty in a golden house?

Facing Zhou Qing's inquiry, Yan Xiao said seriously: "You're an ordinary person now. Sometimes when you practice certain divine abilities, you might be seen by others. It's so much better here; you can perform them as much as you want without anyone noticing."

"Besides, I added soundproofing arrays and other things outside; no one will ever discover it."

Hearing Yan Xiao's words, Zhou Qing froze, his eyes turning red. Yan Xiao turned around and continued: "I have Nascent Fire now, and refining things is quite dangerous, so I had been digging this place for a long time."

"Before going to Lingyun Prefecture, I had already dug half of it. I thought that if I found pill materials, I could refine them here quietly. I didn't expect it to be ready-made. See that meditation cushion? That's where I broke through to Nascent Soul."

As Yan Xiao pointed, Zhou Qing withdrew his moved tears.

I thought it was built specifically for me; it turns out it was just a side benefit.

"By the way, I came to find you this time mainly for this!"

Soon, Yan Xiao slapped his storage bag excitedly. A large drum, two people tall, appeared.

The drum body was a deep dark purple, made of neither gold nor wood, appearing to be layered with the scales of some ancient demonic beast, each scale shimmering with a cold, eerie luster.

Besides that, a pair of pitch-black drumsticks lay on the drum surface; judging by their shape, they seemed to be forged from the humerus of some powerful demonic beast.

"What is this?" Zhou Qing touched it with some amazement.

Yan Xiao looked smug.

"A while ago, I gave Old Mo a supreme-grade spirit stone to help me get some suitable powerful techniques. It just so happened that the Exchange Hall had a treasure at the bottom of the box, and Old Mo exchanged it for me. This is it!"

Yan Xiao leaned against the drum and held up three fingers: "This drum is called the 'Retreat Drum.' It's worth a full three thousand mid-grade spirit stones. The only drawback is that it requires two people to use..."

"Wait, what did you call it?" Zhou Qing interrupted.

Yan Xiao was a bit embarrassed, but still said: "Retreat Drum. Don't look down on its name. Once this thing is struck, the ripples it produces will immediately slow down the speed of anyone approaching us, as if they were mud oxen entering a pool, just like that gravity zone."

Zhou Qing's eyes lit up; this was quite good!

"What does it mean by requiring two people?" Zhou Qing asked curiously.

Yan Xiao took out a manual: "Look at this. This is the mental cultivation formula. One person strikes the drum to slow down the enemy, while the other coordinates with the corresponding formula to drive these ripples, forming sharp spiritual power blades to kill the enemy. Neither can do without the other."

Zhou Qing suddenly understood.

"So, Zhou Shixiong thought of you immediately. When we were being chased by Qian Dafu and his men, if we had had this, we wouldn't have been in such a sorry state. Alright, start practicing; I'll strike the drum, and you shout."

Yan Xiao picked up the drumsticks.

Zhou Qing looked at the formula and shook his head immediately; he felt it was a bit embarrassing.

"I'll strike the drum, and you shout!" Zhou Qing snatched the drumsticks.

Yan Xiao "tsk-ed" and said: "I knew you were thin-skinned. Fortunately, I'm already familiar with the formula."

After saying that, he released several wooden dummies. Under the control of spiritual power, they began to advance toward the two of them bit by bit.

Zhou Qing took a deep breath. As his spiritual power circulated, the drumsticks emitted a bright light, and then he swung them down fiercely.

With a loud "Boom," the Retreat Drum instantly let out the first thunderous sound.

The drum surface vibrated violently, and ripples of brilliant light spread in all directions like a surging river.

These ripples were colorful—red as fire, blue as the deep sea, purple as a nebula—each one like a nimble spiritual snake, lunging at the wooden dummies.

The wooden dummies' movements became abnormally slow, while Yan Xiao leaned forward, his legs slightly bent, his small eyes wide.

His right hand was raised high, his five fingers pressed tightly together and spread apart, constantly forming seals.

Then he took a step forward, gathered spiritual power in his throat, and shouted: "Retreat! Retreat! Retreat..."

Each "Retreat" character instantly turned into a tangible sound wave, entering the ripples.

And those ripples seemed to resonate with it, instantly turning into many sharp blades, frantically cutting at those wooden dummies.

Zhou Qing's face twitched; this was why he would rather strike the drum than shout.

But it had to be said that those spiritual power blades were very sharp and moved incredibly fast.

"What are you dazing for? Go all out!"

Seeing Zhou Qing dazed, Yan Xiao shouted hurriedly.

He had to determine how long the two of them could hold out.

Hearing this, Zhou Qing came back to his senses. His arm muscles tightened, and he used all his strength to swing the drumsticks, striking the drum surface fiercely.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The deafening drum sound exploded like thunder, each strike seemingly shattering the surrounding air.

With each strike of the drumsticks, Zhou Qing could clearly feel the spiritual power in his body being drawn out like threads, flowing along his arms and into the drumsticks, then injected into the Retreat Drum.

And beside him, Yan Xiao stomped his feet on the ground like a war drum, his face flushed red, veins bulging on his neck, shouting hoarsely: "Retreat! Retreat! Retreat..."

When Zhou Qing crawled out of the secret room with trembling arms, he felt like his whole body was going to go limp.

"I've never had such a large amount of exercise before. I feel like eating will be a problem for the next few days," Zhou Qing said, leaning against the wall with his soft, limp arms.

Yan Xiao was also covered in sweat, his voice hoarse and sharp: "No... today's effect... is great..."

Zhou Qing stopped him immediately; the sound of a duck was better than his voice right now.

"I know, I know. You'd better rest; I'm going back!" Zhou Qing said, rising and fleeing.

Yan Xiao hurriedly followed behind, his face flushed red, his voice sharp: "Remember... tomorrow... ga..."

Zhou Qing was speechless and quickened his pace.

Do you think my arms will be better by tomorrow?

I have more important things to do; I must get the Fire Spirit Blood Paste from the first and third pools as soon as possible to accumulate energy for my breakthrough.

Just as he returned to his residence, he saw Lu Yaoyao standing there, and besides her, Li Daoxuan stood straight.

No, my Zhou Shixiong has already gone out to comprehend the intent for Soul Formation; how come you, as the Sect Master's eldest disciple, are still hanging around home all day, guarding your Lu Shimei?

Isn't that a bit unpromising?

Seeing Zhou Qing staggering back with his limp arms, Lu Yaoyao was startled and hurried forward.

"Zhou Shixiong, what happened to you?" Lu Yaoyao asked anxiously.

Zhou Qing shook his head: "It's nothing, I just don't have any feeling in them right now; I'll be fine after a rest. Are you here for something?"

Lu Yaoyao reached out and touched them, confirming that his arms were still there, and then let out a long sigh of relief.

Then she said: "It's nothing major, I just came to visit and wanted to invite you to go fishing in the back mountain, but now that you're like this..."

Lu Yaoyao hesitated.

Zhou Qing looked at her with deep meaning.

Last time he just asked where the first Fire Spirit Blood Pool was, and she immediately drew the whole map and location, excitedly guessing he was up to something, saying she could help him, and even left that sound-transmission paper crane.

She hadn't looked for him for five days, and now she couldn't hold back anymore.

Is she creating an opportunity for him?

And it just happens to be on the back mountain side.

Li Daoxuan didn't eat his vinegar as a mortal anymore, and the "Poor Person" tag above his head was still striking: "Yes, fishing is the best way to calm the mind. You've been cooped up at home lately; you could go for a stroll."

"It's a pity there are no more Ice Soul Ghost-Scaled Fish, otherwise it would be something to look forward to," Zhou Qing said.

Speaking of this, Li Daoxuan said: "Come to think of it, to this day, no one knows who caught the other two Ice Soul Ghost-Scaled Fish; it's truly strange."

Lu Yaoyao's eyes turned: "Perhaps, we could organize a fishing competition?"

Zhou Qing was stunned.

But thinking about it, he decided against it. Everyone was so busy now; who would have the mood to accompany her fishing?

Besides, even if he forced everyone together for ordinary fishing, he couldn't create a multi-person, tense, and exciting environment to farm points.

Now that he was such a "cripple," everyone would probably drive fish toward him with spiritual power just to make him happy, and they would be watching him all the time.

Boring!

"Forget it. My arms are limp, and I estimate it will take two days to recover. Why don't you come in for a cup of tea?" Zhou Qing invited.

Lu Yaoyao was about to agree, but Li Daoxuan pulled her gently and smiled: "No, Zhou Shixiong, you should rest first. We won't disturb you. Come visit the Divine Peak when you have time."

"Zhou Shixiong, how can we visit without going in?" Lu Yaoyao couldn't help but say after they came out.

Wasn't that a bit disrespectful?

Li Daoxuan said: "I smelled a strong sweat odor on him, and his arms were so limp; he must have just come back from outside. If I'm not mistaken, he must have started body refining."

"Body refining?" Lu Yaoyao's eyes lit up.

Does that mean he has regained his confidence and started walking another path?

Could it be because the Supreme Elder let him soak in the second Fire Spirit Blood Pool, which gave him back his confidence?

Li Daoxuan nodded with a smile: "Yes, he probably just wants to lie on the bed and sleep, or take a good bath and sleep. If we go in, he'll have to entertain us. That would be very inconsiderate of us."

Lu Yaoyao felt embarrassed.

She hadn't thought of that point.

"How come I didn't smell any sweat? Zhou Shixiong, has your nose become like Zhou Shixiong's now?" Lu Yaoyao giggled.

Li Daoxuan was speechless: "I am me; I don't compare myself to anyone. Let's go."

Then the two left the Small Spirit Peak.

And just as Li Daoxuan guessed, Zhou Qing wanted to take a bath, but his arms were so sore and weak that he couldn't use any strength at all, so he just lay on the bed and fell asleep.

Thus, a full three days passed before he recovered.

"This Retreat Drum is really not easy; I wonder how Third Zhou Shixiong's throat is?"

Zhou Qing muttered to himself, but then again, the item was indeed good. Everyone or everything within the drum's ripples had their speed greatly reduced, including various weapons.

It was as if it formed an independent field, and only the ripple blades formed by Third Zhou Shixiong's "Retreat, Retreat, Retreat" were unaffected.

"Perhaps I really should find Lu Yaoyao. She's in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and there's a 90% chance she can ignore me, but there are only two people, and one is of the opposite sex. As long as she isn't stupid, she'll always remember someone is by her side."

Zhou Qing scratched his head.

Unless there were Nascent Soul cultivators like Li Daoxuan and He Han around, then it went without saying; they would definitely keep a close eye on him.

"Unless, she isn't home!" Zhou Qing's eyes lit up instantly.

Then, he took out the paper crane and decided to lure the tiger away from the mountain.

He checked the almanac; yes, today was a good day for traveling.

He left immediately, and just as he was about to find Niu Guangmo, he saw Yan Xiao coming.

"Third Zhou Shixiong, just in time, take me to the Divine Peak!" Zhou Qing said hurriedly.

Yan Xiao opened his mouth: "What... ga... your hand... ga-ga..."

Zhou Qing's face twitched: "Your throat still isn't better?"

"Hurt... ga... throat..." Yan Xiao pointed to his neck.

Zhou Qing understood and signaled him to speak less.

"You practiced so hard; why don't you go to the Exchange Hall on the way and see if there are any throat-clearing pills?" Zhou Qing suggested.

Yan Xiao shook his head immediately: "No... ga... money."

Zhou Qing: "..."

That seemed to be the case. Since Zhang Wanbao brought two Nascent Soul pills, the two of them had given almost all their money to him to pay off part of the debt, including the medicinal herbs they had already procured for refining Nascent Soul pills.

After all, it was better to owe less favor.

Later, they each got two supreme-grade spirit stones. Third Zhou Shixiong used one for his breakthrough to Nascent Soul, and the other was given to Master to exchange for suitable techniques, including the Retreat Drum.

Thinking about it, Third Zhou Shixiong was truly penniless now.

"Wait, you aren't here to borrow money from me, are you?" Zhou Qing couldn't help but ask.

Yan Xiao looked embarrassed, and just as he was about to open his mouth, Zhou Qing raised his hand: "I only have those two left. One is almost absorbed, and the other has a major use."

The energy required for the dual pills was too much, and now he had to risk sneaking into the Supreme Elder's territory to get Fire Spirit Blood Paste for his own accumulation; how could he have spare money?

Yan Xiao felt disappointed.

It seemed it was time for him to return to the world and lead his eight brothers to make some money.

Not long after, Yan Xiao took Zhou Qing down from the flying sword, and then left in a hurry.

Looking at the bustling Task Hall in front of him, Zhou Qing quietly went to a remote place, ensured no one was paying attention, and took out the paper crane to start speaking.

"Lu Shimei Lu, do you have time today? I have something to ask you." After speaking, the paper crane flapped its wings and left.

Time passed, and soon the paper crane flew back, with Lu Yaoyao's happy voice inside: "Yes, yes, of course I do! Zhou Shixiong, wait a moment, I'm coming right over."

She sounded very happy, which made Zhou Qing feel a bit ashamed.

"If there's a lot, I'll give you a piece as compensation!" Zhou Qing said.

Then, he came to the entrance of the inner mountain of the Divine Peak, hid quietly, and waited until he saw Lu Yaoyao leave on her sword before walking over to register.

The registration disciple didn't even ask Zhou Qing what he was doing; he just looked at him with sympathy.

A perfectly good core disciple, now reduced to a cripple; it was truly a pity.

Until no one was paying attention, Zhou Qing quickened his pace, even using the *Silver Dragon Step*.

After arriving at the core disciple area, he slowed down, and after several turns, finally found Lu Yaoyao's residence.

"Is anyone home?" After arriving, Zhou Qing shouted a few times, and after confirming no one answered, he released his spiritual sense to check again.

He went straight to the secret passage... next to the latrine.

"It really is the most dangerous place that is the safest!" The entrance was decorated with stones in the grass.

Moving one of the stones revealed the dark hole below.

Zhou Qing jumped down and carefully covered the entrance again.

After confirming the direction with the map, he flew toward the destination.

Not long after, he stopped and carefully compared it with the location map Lu Yaoyao had drawn, then looked up.

"It should be here. Heaven bless me!"

Zhou Qing immediately took out his hoe and began to dig upward.

"Digging, digging, digging in the little tunnel. Searching for precious spiritual paste, delicious and great..."

He didn't know how much time had passed before a familiar fragrance hit his face.

Zhou Qing's face lit up with joy. He quickly put away the hoe and carefully used his hands to pull it open, and a piece of Fire Spirit Blood Paste appeared before his eyes.

"Dug it, really dug it!" Zhou Qing's eyes shone with excitement. Just as he was about to take it out, a pair of large hands suddenly grabbed his ankles.

Zhou Qing's face turned pale: "Finished—"

Immediately after, he was pulled down violently by those hands.

After landing, he hurriedly climbed up, just about to explain, when he saw a man in black staring at him in astonishment.

And above his head floated the tag: 【Gifted Little Doll】.

Zhou Qing froze, feeling incredible, and subconsciously said: "Second Grandfather, when did you come back?"

"My goodness, you can recognize me like this?" Second Grandfather pulled off his mask in disbelief, revealing a stranger's face, but soon changed back to his familiar look.

Then, he looked at Zhou Qing in surprise: "No, why are you here? Wait, that's not the point. The point is, how did you discover this secret passage?"

At this moment, Zhou Qing felt embarrassed—embarrassed to the point of overflowing.

He never expected Second Grandfather to return suddenly today and catch him red-handed.

What kind of bad almanac was this? Today was not a day to go out.

At this moment, Zhou Qing smiled awkwardly and kept scratching his head.

"Second Grandfather, listen to my sophistry... how should I put it... it was all an accident, fate, a coincidence; I just fell down, and then, I came in..."

Zhou Qing felt a bit incoherent; everything had happened too suddenly, and he hadn't had any mental preparation at all.

Second Grandfather didn't pay attention to him but looked up at the top.

He reached out his right hand, and the Fire Spirit Blood Paste that Zhou Qing had dug out from the soil was instantly sucked down, landing steadily in his palm.

Looking at the Fire Spirit Blood Paste in his hand, Second Grandfather's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise: "Good fellow, it actually condensed into this thing. Why didn't I discover it before?"

(End of chapter)