Chapter 354

Thus, Liu Xiaolou learned Han Gao's Spirit-Sealing Step with fear and trepidation.

This movement technique is not complicated, and it can't even be called a cultivation technique; it is just a very practical cultivation skill. It is not difficult to cultivate; usually, one eats July Fragrant Orchid, applies Purple Gold Lotus Fragrant Paste when performing it, and assists with a formula of less than a hundred words when practicing. That is all.

Liu Xiaolou had been eating July Fragrant Orchid for almost two months and had the foundation for cultivation. After applying the seal paste and practicing the formula, he entered the door in just three days.

This Daoist technique was very effective. As soon as he entered the door, Liu Xiaolou felt the wind blowing around him; it could truly be called wind rising from flat ground.

Han Gao assisted from the side, frequently attacking Liu Xiaolou with a flying sword. In the process of dodging, Liu Xiaolou clearly perceived the spiritual power carried on the flying sword.

In the past, in Liu Xiaolou's perception, these spiritual powers were a kind of perception, a kind of aura, or a kind of smell, but now, these spiritual powers were touched by the body, like a kind of invisible energy.

Dodging again at this time, what he was dodging was no longer the attacking magic tools and Daoist techniques, but the most essential spiritual power. Compared with the past, although it was only a small deviation, this deviation was enough to make Liu Xiaolou's dodging skill take a big step forward, easily dodging many moves that he couldn't dodge before and could only take head-on.

Liu Xiaolou was very satisfied with this. In addition to flying swords, insect techniques, array techniques, illusion incense, and Yin-Yang techniques, he had one more movement technique for escaping. If he couldn't beat them, he would escape; it was truly like adding wings to a tiger!

If a tiger has wings, wouldn't it be even more unstoppable when escaping?

These days, Liu Xiaolou and Han Gao were happily communicating in the small bamboo courtyard, studying Yin-Yang techniques and the Spirit-Sealing Step together, and both gained a lot.

Every mealtime, Lin Shuangyu and the others would come up, and the six people and two beasts would sit together to eat. The small bamboo courtyard would become even more lively, with all kinds of geese flying and cats jumping, fireworks rising, and laughter, cursing, complaining, quacking, and meowing sounds rising one after another.

Compared with the coldness and loneliness of the past few years, this kind of life truly had a different kind of interest.

It had been more than half a month since he went to Zhanglong Mountain to report, and Liu Xiaolou had almost forgotten that a great battle was waiting for him.

But what was meant to come would eventually come. By the end of April, Zhanglong Mountain finally sent an inner sect disciple.

It was not an ordinary deacon, but an inner sect disciple named Zang Qianli.

The Zang family of Eyang Mountain had managed spiritual fields for the Zhanglong Sect for hundreds of years and was an important branch of the Zhanglong Sect. Every generation had outstanding disciples, and Zang Qianli was the most outstanding Zang family disciple of this generation.

More than ten years ago, his good friend Wei Hongqing lost his beloved, and Liu Xiaolou also lost his sister-in-law. The culprit was this Zang Qianli. Of course, Zang Qianli himself did not know about this past event, so Liu Xiaolou forgave him; otherwise, he would never have gone to his house to help harvest spiritual rice.

At that time, Zang Qianli had just entered Foundation Establishment. Today, more than ten years later, he had already touched the threshold of late Foundation Establishment, and his cultivation progress was quite fast.

If it were the Liu Xiaolou of the past, he would never have been able to get close to Zang Qianli, but now as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even if he had just entered Foundation Establishment, he had the qualifications to be looked at squarely by Zang Qianli.

Not to mention that he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator of Wulong Mountain.

"Liu... Sect Master?"

"It is indeed me. It is truly a fortunate event for my Ganzhu Ridge that Fellow Daoist Zang has come in person!"

"Actually, I heard about you a long time ago. At that time, it was the Great Battle of Zhuoshui, and the war was urgent. The Sect Master ordered me to go to Mount Shenwu to report, so I stayed at the Su family for several days. Unfortunately, we missed each other and could not meet."

He was talking about the time when Su Jing went to Zhuoshui for training and was trapped in Gengsang Cave. After the Zhanglong Sect found out, they sent him to the Su family to report. Bringing up the old matter was also to pull closer the relationship between each other—Lin Shuangyu, Wu Changgeng, Su Jing, and Song Axia of the Nanhai Sword Sect also came to the small bamboo courtyard at this time.

Lin Shuangyu naturally thanked him again for this, and then Zang Qianli smiled and said that he didn't help much, so he and the people of the Nanhai Sword Sect became three points closer.

Lin Shuangyu asked about his intention: "Is there news?"

Zang Qianli replied: "Yes, Elder Bai has already led the team to Dongting first and ordered me to come and inform everyone to go together."

Lin Shuangyu nodded and asked again: "Are we leaving now?"

Zang Qianli said: "There is no need to be so anxious. There are three days; let's see what everyone still needs to prepare?"

Lin Shuangyu said: "There is nothing..." She turned and asked: "Sect Master, what do you think..."

Liu Xiaolou said: "Then let's go. Um, wait for me to instruct those two guys to guard the mountain gate well."

Zang Qianli asked: "Who?"

Han Gao leaned over and asked: "Fellow Daoist Zang, can we all go?"

Zang Qianli hesitated for a moment and said: "The more helpers who go, the better, of course, but... when the cave dwelling is taken in the future, we will still enter according to the number of people previously discussed. As far as I know, the Three Mystical Sect reported four people..."

Liu Xiaolou immediately said: "I went up the mountain a few days ago to seek an audience with Elder Bai, and he agreed to add one person for me!"

Zang Qianli asked: "Which day?"

Liu Xiaolou said: "Seven days... yes, seven days ago, I went up the mountain at noon and saw Elder Bai at Yunjing Pavilion. Deacon Six led me into the mountain gate."

Zang Qianli thought for a moment and said: "When we get to Dongting, we will know by asking Elder Bai. This is not a problem."

Lin Shuangyu immediately assigned: "Sect Master, let Dabai and Xiaohei cook. Since we are entertaining guests, it is also a farewell for our Three Mystical Sect. Also, Guest Elder Han, go and help. Let's set off after the meal."

"Understood!" Liu Xiaolou responded and rolled up his sleeves: "Dabai! Xiaohei—"

Han Gao confirmed that he could go to Dongting, and was the only substitute among the six people, so his heart was much more open. He happily walked toward the depths of the bamboo forest: "It rained just last night; I'm going to find some fresh bamboo shoots..."

Liu Xiaolou stopped him: "Brother Han, I'll let Dabai handle the bamboo shoots. Please take a trip to Guimeng Cliff; there are many ghost wood ears on the cliff slope..."

Han Gao turned down the mountain: "This is good, I love to eat them, I'll go pick some more..."

Before long, Zang Qianli was pulled to the wooden platform by Lin Shuangyu to sit and drink tea, listening to Lin Shuangyu's explanation while watching the lively scene of Dabai and Xiaohei busy cooking, with Liu Xiaolou and Han Gao helping out.

After being full of wine and food, Lin Shuangyu reluctantly said goodbye to Dabai and Xiaohei, instructing them to guard the mountain gate well, and waved her hand to issue the order: "Set off!"

Thus, the six people of the Three Mystical Sect, together with Zang Qianli, went down the mountain and headed toward Dongting.

Liu Xiaolou didn't know how many times he had walked this road, and he was very familiar with it. He led the way in front, stayed overnight at Xingde Mountain halfway, and arrived at Dongtinghu in two days, resting for another night by the lake.

The next morning, a small boat sailed over on Dongtinghu with full sails. After docking, the Qingyu Sect deacon who came to pick them up on the boat called out: "Fellow Daoists, which sect are you from?"

Zang Qianli stepped forward and showed a plaque: "I am Zang Qianli of the Zhanglong Sect, ordered to pick up the people of the Three Mystical Sect to go up the mountain!"

The deacon saw the plaque, nodded, and said: "There is the Three Mystical Sect... Board the boat. Your Sect Master Qu arrived last night and is now on Junshan Island."