Chapter 63: Old Four, I

After returning to his room, Zhou Qing stared at the old hen with bulging eyes as it gazed blankly at a wooden pillar; filled with pity, he took out the spirit eggshell, a high-grade spirit stone, and the hollow shell of a supreme spirit stone, crushed them, and placed them before it.

“This loss is simply too great!”

The old hen seemed to smell something and quickly lowered its head to peck at the crack in the brick.

Zhou Qing quickly straightened its head.

Watching it eat with relish, Zhou Qing finally rose, returned to the table, and took out the two mid-grade spirit stones bestowed by Duanmu Shu; only then did he feel slightly better.

“Adding these two, plus the three thousand low-grade spirit stones I earned from the Jiaoyi Society, this is all my wealth!”

Zhou Qing carefully put them away, then took out the broken sword and examined it closely.

“This sword seems never to have broken at all—could it have been made this way from the start?”

Zhou Qing muttered to himself, then fetched a whetstone and began working on it.

Sparks flew as he rubbed, but not a speck of rust came off—it was stubbornly firm.

“Forget quality for now—at least this sword is highly deceptive. Anyone seeing you pull out such a rusty, broken blade would ignore it; some might even lean in and dare you to strike, mocking its chipped edge for being dull!”

Zhou Qing imagined the scene and burst out laughing.

Then he raised the broken sword and swung it a few times at the whetstone before bringing it down.

The whetstone shot off instantly, slamming hard into the hen’s rear; the old hen flapped its wings wildly, clucking loudly.

Zhou Qing’s smile froze instantly; he stared at the sword in disbelief.

“No way?”

How could such a dull blade hurt anyone?

Could it have some hidden property, like tetanus?

Zhou Qing tried channeling spiritual power into it, but nothing changed.

Did I spend such a huge cost just to get this thing?

Zhou Qing’s heart sank halfway, then he began to comfort himself.

“Don’t rush, don’t rush—wait till tomorrow, use the [Daily Inspection] and see!”

After putting away the broken sword, he took out the main prize of this haul—the jade slip of the [Cang Lei Sword Art], his excitement rising.

The jade slip was entirely silver, radiating a mysterious, unfathomable aura, as if containing boundless, mighty power.

Zhou Qing took a deep breath and slowly pressed the jade slip against his forehead.

As his spiritual sense entered, a vast, overwhelming force surged violently into him.

Before him appeared an endless, boundless void, where thunderclouds churned like a furious ocean, lightning and thunder crashed like heaven collapsing and earth splitting.

The might of the lightning seemed capable of annihilating the entire universe in an instant.

Thick, dragon-like bolts of lightning raged wildly through the void, radiating dazzling, mesmerizing light.

Each bolt of lightning carried terrifying destructive power capable of obliterating heaven and earth, inspiring dread and making the soul tremble.

Then, sword qi surged across the expanse.

The piercing sword qi resembled countless peerless divine swords, slicing through the void with razor-sharp precision, emitting shrill, piercing cries that could split metal and shatter stone.

The sharpness of the sword qi seemed capable of severing all tangible and intangible things in the world.

Countless sword qi intertwined and converged, forming a vast, surging ocean of sword energy, its might shaking heaven and earth.

Zhou Qing stood stunned, immersed in this awe-inspiring vision, his heart swelling with boundless heroism.

Soon, the intertwined images of thunder and sword qi transformed into lines of silver characters that sent chills down the spine.

“Cang Lei rises, spiritual power surges, Baihui opens, spiritual intent gathers, Shanzhong concentrates, thunder power is born…”

Zhou Qing immediately sat cross-legged and began cautiously following the incantation step by step…

Early the next morning, Zhou Qing, having cultivated all night, opened his eyes just as a knock came at the door.

“Old Four, Old Four—”

Hearing the call, Zhou Qing was speechless.

He first checked his clothing, then rose to open the door.

The moment he opened it, seeing Yan Xiao Hu’s haggard face, he was startled.

“Third Master, what happened to you?” Zhou Qing asked urgently.

Yan Xiao Hu looked at Zhou Qing with bloodshot eyes: “Old Four, I might be dying!”

“What exactly happened?” Zhou Qing’s heart tightened.

Yan Xiao Hu said: “Thanks to your warning yesterday, I realized I really can kill plants with my urine—my urine is poisonous! No, more precisely, I’ve been poisoned—someone is trying to kill me!”

Zhou Qing: “...”

“The poisoner’s technique is truly masterful—I checked myself thoroughly and found nothing. Desperate, I went to the Exchange Hall last night and took two detox pills. Guess what? Today, the plants where I urinated turned yellow again.”

“Old Four, our shit and piss are the best fertilizer for plants—let alone cultivators! Look around your courtyard, everything’s lush green; mine’s turning into a desert.”

“Tell me what to do!”

Yan Xiao Hu’s eyes were filled with despair.

Zhou Qing quickly comforted him.

When facing the Cangyan Dao Palace’s attack, you weren’t afraid of death at all—why are you this terrified over something baseless?

“Third Master, don’t panic—have you found Master?” Zhou Qing pulled him inside and poured him a cup of water.

Yan Xiao Hu gulped it down in a few swallows, wiped his mouth, and sniffled: “Master’s gone—he was called away by the Sect Master. Who knows when he’ll return? Old Four, you’ve got to help me this time!”

“Of course I will—but Third Master, how can I help you?” Zhou Qing sat across from him and asked.

Yan Xiao Hu immediately leaned forward, grabbing Zhou Qing’s hand: “Your nose is so sharp—you can smell even obscure substances like Ling Ao fluid. Just pee a little into this teacup, and let me smell it—tell me what toxin it is, so I can treat it properly!”

Zhou Qing: “...”

“Third Master, let’s go straight to Shen Yue Peak and find Master—he’ll definitely figure it out.”

“What if he can’t? Then at least let me smell it—more preparation is better.”

“I’ve got a cold, my nose is blocked—achoo, achoo—come on, come on, I’ll go with you.”

“But—”

“No buts—let’s go now!”

…………

When they saw Mo Xingjian, they immediately bowed.

“Did you two get into trouble again?” Mo Xingjian noticed their odd expressions, especially Yan Xiao Hu’s pallor, and asked anxiously.

Both shook their heads; Yan Xiao Hu immediately burst into tears and recounted his condition.

“Master, is this retaliation from them? I’m the first target—please, you must save me—”

Yan Xiao Hu sobbed.

Mo Xingjian immediately signaled silence, glanced around to confirm no one was nearby, then placed his fingers on Yan Xiao Hu’s pulse to examine him.

His expression changed drastically.

Seeing this, both felt their hearts lurch.

“Ah~”

Mo Xingjian released his grip, sighed deeply, and looked at Yan Xiao Hu with a complex expression.

“W-what’s wrong?” Yan Xiao Hu felt his throat dry, his vision blur, and nearly fainted.

But Mo Xingjian didn’t answer; he turned to Zhou Qing.

“Looks like your rank needs to rise—you’re now Old Three!”

Before Zhou Qing could react, Yan Xiao Hu clutched his chest, rolled his eyes back, and collapsed straight to the ground.

(End of Chapter)