Chapter 46: All Things in Life Nourish Heaven; Heaven Gives Nothing Back!

To investigate whether the Li family had ties to demon bandits, numerous esteemed cultivators awaited orders at the government office.

Upon receiving word from the Red Qilin Guard, Iron Phoenix Zhang arrived near the Princess’s mansion in mere moments.

Linghu Qingmo led the way, spotted Li Jing and the Red Qilin Guard heading toward Qingquan Alley, drew his sword, and approached to ask:

“Master Li, are there signs of demonic presence here?”

“Shh~”

Li Jing carefully observed the Demon-Tracking Disc, sensed the source of blood-evil qi was nearby, and drew his sword from his saddle.

Ji Shiqing, from Xuanhu Temple, had intended to exchange information, but as soon as he stepped into the alley, he frowned, pulled out a Bagua Disc from his Daoist robe sleeve, infused it with spiritual energy to observe its surface, scanned the surrounding buildings, then pointed toward the alley’s center:

“The source of blood-evil qi is there.”

“Spread out and surround—don’t disturb the Princess.”

Iron Phoenix Zhang raised his right hand; the elite Wu Zu scattered left and right, leaping onto rooftops and advancing toward the mansion from all sides.

Linghu Qingmo had also been holding his breath, tracking the source, but after advancing a short distance, suddenly realized the origin lay near houses five and six—his heart jolted!

Because the Princess’s mansion was so noisy, houses five, six, and seven in Qingquan Alley had never been occupied—until now, when Xie Jinhuan rented house six for one tael and seven qian.

Could Xie Jinhuan have been harmed by demon bandits?!

At this thought, Linghu Qingmo felt as if struck by lightning; memories of recent encounters with Xie Jinhuan flashed through his mind—being punched, being touched on the chest, forced to do chores, being slapped on the buttocks…

Though his first impression wasn’t good, Xie Jinhuan’s hatred of evil and relentless pursuit of justice were real—he’d even leapt to rescue others at Sanhe Tavern. How could such a fine person meet such a tragic end?

Linghu Qingmo gripped his sword tightly, suppressing the urge to rush over, and only leapt forward once the elders completed the encirclement.

Swish-swish-swish—

In an instant, over a dozen figures shot out and landed around the mansion.

Li Jing, holding his green-bladed sword, swiftly scanned the surroundings!

Ji Shiqing secretly formed a hand seal beneath his sleeve, visible blue-white lightning flickering in his right hand!

Iron Phoenix Zhang also gathered his qi, prepared for a sudden demonic breakout!

But the next moment, all the esteemed cultivators and Wu Zu froze in stunned silence.

Only the warm autumn sun spilled across every corner of the elegant courtyard.

A small table stood on the steps outside the tea hall, laden with wine and snacks.

A refined beauty in an exquisite ruqun sat cross-legged on the edge of the white stone steps, cheeks cupped in her hands, her eyes behind golden-rimmed spectacles brimming with shy, first-love timidity, gazing at the courtyard’s center.

On the white stone path, a young man wore nothing but trousers, hands planted on the ground, inverted and cross-legged, in an awkward posture, his qi surging wildly!

Beside him, a large black bird tried to mimic the upside-down stance but, finding it too difficult, kept flipping backward instead…

“Goo~ goo~ goo…”

??

Though these high cultivators had seen much, such an absurd scene was unprecedented—they all opened their mouths but said nothing.

As the dozen figures appeared, Lin Wanyi and Meiqiu clearly startled, eyes wide with fear as they scanned left and right:

“Huh?”

“Gooji?!”

Xie Jinhuan also flipped upright in one swift motion, alert and scanning all around, then looked utterly bewildered:

“Miss Linghu? Elders, what is this…?”

Linghu Qingmo, relieved to see Xie Jinhuan unharmed, cautiously scanned the surroundings:

“There’s blood-evil qi here—did you notice anything unusual just now?”

“Blood-evil qi?”

Xie Jinhuan glanced around: “Where? Miss Lin, did you see it?”

Lin Wanyi, caught in private company with a man, flushed crimson:

“There’s no blood-evil qi—you must be mistaken…”

Iron Phoenix Zhang knew how formidable Xie Jinhuan had been these past days; seeing this, he too suspected a misunderstanding, and turned to the others:

“Master Li? Master Ji?”

Li Jing held the Demon-Tracking Disc—the needle was visibly trembling, pointing directly at Xie Jinhuan!

Ji Shiqing received the same result, his brow furrowed tightly:

“Young Master Xie, what cultivation method were you just practicing?”

Xie Jinhuan remained calm: “I was gambling with Miss Lin—I claimed I could reverse-cultivate. She didn’t believe me, so I demonstrated.”

“Reverse-cultivate?”

Everyone was baffled.

Zhou He, Company Commander of the Red Qilin Guard, sensing the situation had veered beyond expectation, frowned inwardly but still interjected:

“Any method that generates ‘blood-evil qi’ is demonic or heretical. Young Master Xie, your words are highly inappropriate.”

Xie Jinhuan spread his hands: “How could it be demonic? Normal cultivation draws spiritual energy from heaven and earth to nourish essence and body; reverse-cultivation simply disperses qi, transforms flesh and blood into nourishment, and returns it to heaven and earth…”

After his explanation, everyone was even more confused.

None of the high cultivators had ever heard of such a foolish method—just as they were about to question him, Linghu Qingmo spoke first:

“He really can do this—I saw it before. It’s called… uh… Upside-Down Candle!”

“Huh?!”

The moment the words left her mouth, murmurs of shock rippled through the onlookers.

The high cultivators wore strange expressions.

Li Jing, who had carried himself with dignified authority, now leaned forward slightly, thinking:

Upside-Down Candle? Isn’t that the woman-on-top position…

If this reverse-heaven-and-earth method is real, the name fits surprisingly well…

…

Linghu Qingmo noticed their odd expressions and asked:

“What’s wrong?”

Iron Phoenix Zhang found it awkward to explain bedroom arts to a young girl; he leapt into the courtyard and carefully examined Xie Jinhuan:

“Young Master Xie has achieved remarkable feats lately—I don’t wish to suspect you, but regulations demand we investigate any sign of demonic activity. Forgive me.”

He then methodically probed Xie Jinhuan’s tendons, veins, qi sea, and more.

Ji Shiqing, as the “demon consultant,” also landed nearby, meticulously inspecting him.

Xie Jinhuan was clean and unblemished—he had no resistance, and asked:

“Is it illegal to practice cultivation backwards?”

Could this even be a legal issue?

Li Jing, hands clasped behind his back, holding his sword, thought before replying:

“Some methods reverse the flow to gain power at great cost; methods to completely disperse cultivation and restart are common.

“But to fully reverse it—‘All things in life nourish heaven; heaven gives nothing back’—well, it’s not impossible, but no one in history has ever done such an irrational thing.”

Strictly speaking, it’s stupid!

As Iron Phoenix Zhang probed carefully, he nodded:

“This method is even harsher than ‘flesh returned to mother, bones returned to father’—I’ve never heard of anything like it.”

Xie Jinhuan flashed a sunny smile:

“I was just testing it out in a bet with Miss Lin.”

Ji Shiqing checked thoroughly, but found no trace of demonic influence in Xie Jinhuan’s body—only a pure, martial qi. He too looked baffled:

“Qi sea, tendons, flesh—all normal. You haven’t practiced any demonic method. But the blood-evil qi was real. Perform the method again.”

Xie Jinhuan complied immediately, gathering qi that surged wildly through his limbs and meridians, stirring a gentle breeze through the courtyard.

Hoo-hoo~

Iron Phoenix Zhang carefully traced the qi’s path, quickly realizing Xie Jinhuan’s internal qi flowed like a river—his pure qi, originally in the dantian, traveled a complex circuit before splitting and dispersing outward.

Then his essence and blood were swept along by chaotic qi, leaking through skin and breath into heaven and earth.

The effect looked like self-dissolution!

Ji Shiqing held the Bagua Disc, saw it detect blood-evil signs, yet confirmed Xie Jinhuan practiced no demonic art—his eyes flickered with deep admiration:

“It’s truly the method itself! The structure is masterfully ingenious—though… hmm… it doesn’t quite resemble corpse liberation either…”

Iron Phoenix Zhang also recognized the method’s structure as astonishingly brilliant—but useless except for suicide. His expression turned complex:

“This method… has only this effect?”

“Of course not.”

Xie Jinhuan, now generous, gathered qi into his right palm and began demonstrating:

Tap-tap~

As his qi surged, two tiny sparks of lightning flickered from his palm.

The Wu Zu present all reacted with slight shock—they recognized this as Daoist Thunder Art, famed as “the first of all arts, unmatched in killing power.”

But…

(End of Chapter)