Chapter 27: Returning Home and Conserving Spirit

This is a drumstick, made of ebony.

It feels slightly heavy in the hand, and is carved with coiled dragon patterns.

Although it can be considered exquisite, in this era, it really doesn't count for much.

However, Li Yan's heart was already filled with inexplicable shock.

The moment he touched the drumstick, the substitute statue in his dantian suddenly burst into tremors, producing a strange suction force.

At the same time, a surge of power gushed out from within the drumstick.

This power was full of warmth and carried an indescribable momentum; as soon as it entered his body, it transformed into thousands of strands, like spirit snakes, swimming everywhere along his meridians.

But in the end, they all converged into his dantian and were absorbed by the statue.

Li Yan immediately understood what this was.

A Heaven-Earth Spirit Treasure!

He never expected the original form to be a drumstick, and hidden in this stable, no less.

If not for a stroke of luck, he likely wouldn't have found it even after searching for several years.

This Heaven-Earth Spirit Treasure could transform into a snake and scheme to take human souls; clearly, it had already developed intelligence and was struggling to escape.

Its fortune, not just the Gang Qi but also some unknown auras, was extremely agile, capable of manifesting in thousands of ways and darting about, trying to avoid the dantian.

Even its original form, the drumstick, began to tremble slightly.

However, all struggles were in vain.

Before long, the fortune was completely absorbed by the substitute statue.

During this process, not a single trace of aura leaked out to attract the attention of others.

No one could know that in such a short time, a Heaven-Earth Spirit Treasure held in Li Yan's hand for a while had turned into an ordinary object.

Li Yan couldn't help but reveal a smile at the corner of his mouth.

He had discovered another function of the substitute statue.

Heaven-Earth Spirit Treasures are things that even those "treasure-seekers" have to exhaust their minds to capture using Qimen Dunjia and the principles of the Five Elements.

But he only needed to touch them to devour their fortune.

The raw material for the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coins was also a Heaven-Earth Spirit Treasure, but the substitute statue had no reaction, indicating that only original spirit treasures were useful.

After devouring this Heaven-Earth Spirit Treasure, the substitute statue also underwent changes.

Originally mottled and dilapidated, its surface now began to become smooth, and at the same time, a vague message was transmitted: the quality of the statue had improved, and it could withstand more damage.

Although it didn't replenish his Life Fire, Li Yan was still excited.

This represented hope.

There are many types of Heaven-Earth Spirit Treasures; there would always be something that could continue his Life Fire.

"This young brother."

Seeing him staring intently at the drumstick, Steward Lu couldn't help but laugh: "Could it be that you also enjoy this? That's right, among all kinds of music, only drums and gongs have the most imposing momentum. Others love Jiangnan ditties, but I alone love these majestic drums and gongs."

"I heard that several families have successors this year, and the competition for the Drum King will definitely be extremely exciting. If you are interested, you can go to Chang'an on the fifteenth of the first lunar month to witness it."

"That goes without saying."

Li Yan wore a smile and returned the drumstick to Steward Lu.

"This pair is quite well-made."

On the other side, Sha Lifei had also picked out a saddle and changed it for the big black horse.

"Many thanks, Old Uncle Sha."

Li Yan was in a great mood; he looked at Sha Lifei as if he were a lucky star.

Having obtained a Heaven-Earth Spirit Treasure by accident, he now had no regrets. After leaving the mansion, he mounted his horse and cupped his hands with a smile: "Daoist Wang, let us part here. I will await your arrival at Li Family Fort."

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and laughed: "That is natural; I will follow shortly."

He was also in a good mood. Cooperating with Li Yan could compensate for his own shortcomings. If he took on a few more big jobs, he could obtain the magic tool he had long desired, and perhaps even renovate the Patriarch's Altar.

Sha Lifei's eyes rolled, and he had his own plans in mind.

He had also received a reward just now, which was much more cost-effective than leading the wheat harvesters with such hardship. Since these two were getting rich, he couldn't just watch; he had to get a share of the profits.

Thinking of this, he immediately patted his chest and said: "Young Brother Yan, go ahead without worry. Leave the Daoist's safety to me; I will definitely serve him properly."

Li Yan raised an eyebrow: "Ho, can you handle it?"

Seeing this, Sha Lifei became anxious: "How could I not? Go and ask around, my Sha Lifei's way of doing things has always been..."

"Alright, alright."

Li Yan waved his hand: "Just pay attention to safety. Farewell!"

Sha Lifei's skills were mediocre, but he was well-versed in the ways of the Jianghu. Coupled with Wang Daoxuan, who had also traveled far and wide, there would be no problem with self-preservation.

Thinking of this, he turned the reins and rode away.

Watching the smoke and dust gradually disappear in the distance, Wang Daoxuan also turned around and looked at the small hill behind him: "Let's go. The mountain terrain here is gentle. Although there is no Feng Shui dragon vein, finding an auspicious burial site is not a problem. Let's get it done today."

"Alright!"

Sha Lifei gave a silly laugh, shouldered his tools, and followed the Daoist up the mountain.

After everyone left, Steward Lu also hurried back to the backyard.

In the side room, Squire Lu was blankly staring at the First Lady.

"Master, they have all left." "Hmm, you all go down. Let me stay with the Madam for a while."

Squire Lu chased away the servants, then looked around before slowly kneeling on the ground. With tears in his old eyes, he said in a trembling voice: "Princess, could it be that you are unwilling?"

"Even if you are unwilling, there is no way. We barely escaped with our lives, why can't you let go? The imperial court is full of jackals and wolves; we cannot fight them. Isn't it good to hide our names and live a stable life..."

"You saved my life that year. I, your old servant, have served you all my life and dared not be the slightest bit negligent. This can be considered as repaying your kindness."

"The kindness is repaid, but I, your old servant, have failed the ancestors' bloodline. From now on, I must plan for myself. I hope you will forgive me..."

After muttering for a while, he wiped away his tears, stood up, and left.

After returning to the side courtyard, two concubines immediately stepped forward to serve him.

Squire Lu had now returned to his dignified appearance. He picked up a teacup, took a sip, and said indifferently: "How is it? Have you found any lovers in these two days?"

Seeing the two concubines remain silent, he sneered: "What are you still pretending for in front of me? I am still letting you choose now. Conceive a child to inherit the family line for me, and I can guarantee you a life without worry about food or clothing."

"Being coy and hesitant, could it be you want to go to the 'Club of Clubs'?"

"That will not be up to you!"

!.

Hearing "Club of Clubs," the charming-faced concubine in red flashed a trace of fear in her eyes and hurriedly said in a trembling voice: "This slave feels that Young Brother Li is not bad."

"Hehe, sure enough, girls all love the handsome."

Squire Lu didn't seem angry. He took a sip of tea and shook his head: "That is a Jianghu man, and with phoenix eyes and dragon pupils, his destiny is extraordinary. There might be trouble in the future."

"Just choose one from those wheat harvesters. What I want is stability."

Having said that, he put down the teacup and turned to leave.

After he left, both concubines breathed a sigh of relief.

The concubine in white rolled her eyes and asked: "Sister Cuilan, why didn't you mention Commandant Zhao? I saw it that night..."

"Shh!"

The concubine in red was startled, hurriedly told her to be quiet, looked out the window, and then smiled bitterly and shook her head: "You know what this old thing is like. He says one thing and does another, and never treats us as human beings."

"If he knew about this, I definitely wouldn't survive. Even if I continued his family line in the future, I'm afraid he wouldn't let us go to cover this up."

A sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the concubine in white: "Sister, there is an opportunity right now."

"It just depends on whether you have the guts..."

…………

Riding a horse, the speed of the journey was naturally not slow.

Li Yan traveled during the day and found places to camp at night, finally returning to Li Family Fort at dusk three days later.

"Young Brother Yan, why are you back?"

"Where are they?"

The people of Li Family Fort were also busy.

The wheat on their side was also about to be harvested.

Seeing Li Yan return early, they thought something had happened.

"Everyone, rest assured. They took on a big job and are doing just fine."

Li Yan explained patiently, not feeling annoyed.

In this era, communication was underdeveloped, and various places were relatively isolated. Sometimes, a girl married to a neighboring village would have to specifically find someone to pass a message, which would only be received days later.

It was all Guanzhong, but Xianyang was already a faraway place for Li Family Fort.

After passing on the news, Li Yan rode his horse back home.

From afar, he saw his grandfather, Li Gui, sitting at the door, holding a large tobacco pipe. In the sunset, his white hair was messy, and his eyes were cloudy.

Li Yan felt a pang in his heart. He hurriedly dismounted, stepped forward, crouched down, and squeezed out a smile: "Grandfather, I'm back. Didn't I say it would only be a few days?"

"Ah, you're back. It's good that you're back..."

Li Gui's voice was very flat, but it couldn't suppress that trace of trembling.

"You haven't eaten yet, right?"

Li Yan's face was very bright: "Exactly, I learned a dish while out this time. I'll stir-fry it for you, and keep you company for a cup."

"Hmph, what kind of dish could you learn..."

"Just watch, I can at least be a cook in the future..."

…………

Night fell, and Li Family Fort was silent.

In the darkness, Li Yan sat cross-legged on the bed. First, he regulated his breathing, then rubbed his palms to make them hot, and then massaged his scalp, temples, ears, back of the neck, shoulders, and arms in turn...

Conserving Spirit is a static practice; these were all preparations before cultivation.

The purpose is to relax the mind and spirit, make the blood circulation throughout the body smooth, and make perception more sensitive, using heaven and earth as the foundation, and the three lights of the sun, moon, and stars as the connection.

Therefore, by guarding the One and conserving the Truth, one can communicate with the spirits. After cultivating to a certain realm and having Daoist practice, one can "form an altar and visualize" during rituals, giving the Dharma altar "momentum."

Between heaven and earth, famous mountains and great rivers, Feng Shui dragon veins, all have "momentum."

Only when the two energies of Gang and Sha circulate can "momentum" or "layout" be formed.

And to touch these, Conserving Spirit is the first step.

Li Yan closed his eyes slightly, regulated his breathing, quietly felt himself, visualized the five internal organs, six viscera, the triple burner, the Mud Pill palace, and finally focused on the center of his eyebrows...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 28 =====