Chapter 47: My Lord! There

Ji Shiqing, as a Daoist, might have never seen such a weak Thunder-Control technique in his life—he was afraid even breathing too hard might blow it out, and after holding his breath for a long while, he asked:

“What is this?”

“Palmar Thunder!”

“Really?”

Ji Shiqing wanted to refute it, but after staring closely for a long while, he realized this truly was the method of Palmar Thunder!

It was just that the “pouring wax backward” technique was so absurd that its power approached zero.

Xie Jin held a tiny electric spark in his palm like a lighter, and seeing the baffled expressions of the masters, he explained seriously:

“This is my own devised Palmar Thunder, which indeed differs from Daoist thunder arts.

“Moreover, my technique may seem utterly useless, but it can carve a unique path to achieve ‘universal mastery of all schools’!

“As long as I know any divine art or technique in the world, I can manifest it without fail—though its power is weaker.”

The integration of all schools’ arts was the highest realm sought by every cultivator of this age, for only by reaching this state could one approach the Daoist concept of the “One” infinitely.

But Shang Lianbi, the legendary genius hailed as the strongest of this age, who single-handedly suppressed Dragon Bone Beach, had merely dabbled in “immortal, buddhist, martial, shaman, and demon” arts—he never dared mention the phrase “universal mastery of all schools.”

Both great masters nearby, with high cultivation, understood Xie Jin’s logic and realized his “pouring wax backward” method could indeed achieve universal mastery through clever means.

But what good was it?

By using extraordinary skill to split refined true qi into five parts, then taking one and discarding four, the usable qi energy dwindled to only two-tenths.

With these two-tenths of qi, even if one mastered the most supreme thunder art and doubled it with the divine blade Zhenglun, one could at most unleash only four-tenths of one’s true strength…

You’re a martial cultivator—why waste time like this instead of just slashing someone with a blade?

Everyone exchanged glances, unsure whether to praise Xie Jin as a prodigious genius or condemn him as having gone astray, squandering his astonishing talent on a blade’s hilt.

Yet Xie Jin himself was quite satisfied with this creation, since it was still in development and its potential remained unknown; seeing their strange expressions, he added:

“The ancient ancestor who first tried climbing onto a horse’s back and ended up bruised and swollen must have been laughed at by his companions.

“But if no one had ever tried, how could our descendants have today? If this technique reaches completion, I believe founding a sect is entirely feasible!”

The masters present, with their high discernment, could see the profound mastery behind Xie Jin’s technique—it must have taken years of refinement.

If the flaws like “taking one and discarding four” and “slow qi ascent” could be fixed, it would truly achieve “unifying immortal, buddhist, shaman, and demon arts,” and could indeed found a new sect, making him the progenitor of a new martial path.

But this path of “inverting the Heavenly Gang” would inevitably be harder than scaling heaven, littered with thorns.

Li Jing’s eyes held a touch of awe as he interjected:

“This path is extremely difficult—even the Martial Ancestor himself never walked it. You seem humble, but your ambition towers above the heavens, just like Zi Su—you’re both once-in-a-century demonic geniuses, your talent so great it makes one’s vision go dark.”

Xie Jin, receiving this recognition, slightly bowed his hands:

“Master Li, you flatter me. Today was truly a misunderstanding—I’ll be more careful next time. I sincerely apologize for disturbing you all, esteemed elders.”

Tie Fengzhang and the others now understood: Xie Jin had merely been showing off to impress a girl, dissipating his essence and blood qi by accident, producing blood-demon energy resembling a demonic art.

No abnormalities had been detected, and further intrusion would be inappropriate; Tie Fengzhang prepared to give instructions and withdraw his team.

But Zhou He, among the crowd, was thoroughly confused; after a moment’s thought, he made a subtle gesture without a word.

The Chi Lin Guards behind him immediately understood and whispered:

“My lord, Master Xie seems unproblematic—should we still search the residence according to regulations?”

Zhou He swiftly raised his hand: “If all these esteemed elders deem it fine, why search?”

“Oh…”

…

Though spoken softly, the words were clearly audible to all present masters.

Tie Fengzhang blinked his tiger-like eyes, feeling they hadn’t strictly followed procedure; after a moment, he said:

“The government has ironclad orders to investigate demonic threats. Though Master Xie is not suspected, we must still follow protocol and search the residence. We apologize for the intrusion.”

Xie Jin, falsely accused, knew that if the government office came to search, someone would be trying to steer attention toward hidden contraband inside the house.

Hearing the Chi Lin Guards’ veiled warning, Xie Jin frowned inwardly—he sensed the situation was more complex than he’d imagined.

Yet he still wasn’t certain whether the Chi Lin Guards acted out of negligence or intent; he maintained his innocent facade and replied calmly:

“Please, my lords, search freely.”

Tie Fengzhang was about to order his men to search when, from behind the house, a commanding, elegant female voice rang out:

“Stop!”

At the sound from behind the house, everyone fell silent.

Xie Jin knew the landlady had appeared; he turned to look—and froze slightly.

Above the back courtyard stood several people, mostly guards; House Manager Hou was among them, his eyes darting like a weasel’s, as if to say—let me see what’s going on…

Ahead of them stood a noble young lady.

Her figure was plump and graceful, clad in a warm yellow qixiong ruqun with golden cloud patterns along the edges; beneath the semi-transparent sleeves, her ivory shoulders and arms gleamed like sheep fat, and her ample bosom stretched the embroidered peony and peacock on her corset into a plump-headed peacock.

Her face was dazzlingly beautiful: her jet-black hair coiled into a suiyun bun, adorned with a lavish dangling hairpin set with pearls and gems; her round, peaceful face glowed in the sunset’s glow, radiating imperial grace—as if she were a princess or imperial consort from the palace.

Xie Jin had heard the landlady’s voice every night and assumed she was a seven-foot-tall, busty dominatrix like a night demoness.

Now seeing the real person, though her chest was indeed substantial, her stature was plump and rounded, her doll-like face appearing no older than seventeen or eighteen—he was genuinely surprised.

Tie Fengzhang and the others immediately bowed:

“There was a minor misunderstanding here—we apologize for disturbing you, Your Highness.”

Princess Changning had a fiery temper and disliked disturbances on her territory, but she didn’t order them out; her tone remained calm:

“I personally vetted Xie Jin before allowing him to rent here—I know his background. There’s no issue. You come to ransack his home, implying I’m shielding demonic rebels through favoritism?”

This was meant for the Chi Lin Guards.

Princess Changning had seen those three crimson-robed demons lurking outside Qingquan Alley yesterday; today she found them following to search—she knew the Chi Lin Guards had schemed behind the scenes, fearing Xie Jin would be framed, so she intervened.

But Xie Jin didn’t know the Chi Lin Guards had come yesterday; seeing the landlady step forward so loyally to shield him, he felt genuine goodwill—and stuck to his original plan, acting openly:

“Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness. The government office follows protocol—it should treat all equally. If this isn’t investigated, rumors might tarnish Your Highness’s reputation. I stand upright, unafraid of shadows—I have no objection to the government office’s search.”

Princess Changning wanted to warn Xie Jin he’d been framed, but such indirectness would only make him seem guilty; she said no more.

Tie Fengzhang had admired Xie Jin greatly the past two days; seeing his openness, he knew today was a misunderstanding—but to uphold justice, he waved his hand:

“Search the residence thoroughly. Don’t damage anything.”

“Yes!”

Over thirty Wu Zu from the Wang Fu leapt into the courtyard and began carefully inspecting the rooms; the Chi Lin Guards joined them.

Xie Jin watched calmly; Tie Fengzhang, to ease the awkwardness, chatted idly for a moment.

Behind them, Zhou He waited silently for the search results.

The response came quickly: the thirty-plus men scoured the estate, and within moments, a voice rang out from the back bedroom:

“My lord! There’s something here!”

Xie Jin, playing his part, froze his expression, feigning confusion, and hurried toward the back courtyard; several masters followed closely behind…

(End of Chapter)