Chapter 343: Divine Zang, Listening to Sound

The Longhu Longhu Dadan is now Master Li's most treasured item, comparable to the king of spiritual pills, and he has to admit, he's a little tempted.

But he felt this was a pie drawn in the sky.

No other reason — with Old Long's status and position, only one Longhu Longhu Dadan appears every fifteen years, and the Longhu Temple is the Tianxiadan Sect.

Ten king-grade spiritual pills like the Longhu Longhu Dadan?

Glancing at the faceless old man before the tower gate, Li Yuan didn't quite believe it, and even suspected the old fellow might be using a false identity.

Setting aside whether the Star-Plucking Tower even has that many Long Long Modadan, even if it did, could a Heaven-ranked assassin just distribute them at will?

"This old man's heart is sincere; surely my little friend doesn't doubt it?"

Seeing Li Yuan hesitate and stay silent, behind the mask, the white-robed woman was already grinding her teeth.

This kid clearly wouldn't cast his net without seeing the rabbit.

"This junior naturally believes you, but drawing the blade is truly a bitter task. Last night I took three hundred blades head-on, and right now I'm still feeling dizzy."

Believe you, my foot.

Watching Li Yuan spout barefaced lies, the white-robed woman nearly laughed from anger, yet still had to feign bold generosity:

"As agreed with my little friend, the thirty spiritual pills — this old man has already prepared them, placed inside Hundred Beasts Mountain, in the very cave where you first went to fetch the Explosive Qi Pill."

"…Many thanks, Senior."

Li Yuan's eye twitched; the spiritual pills this old fellow was offering him were most likely stolen goods.

But strangely, he hadn't heard of anyone within the sect having their spiritual pills stolen either.

"This old man can guarantee that I will never make an enemy of the Longhu Temple."

The white-robed woman simply let go: "Furthermore, if my little friend has any requests, this old man will fulfill them all as well."

"Senior is too courteous."

With words reaching this point, Master Li no longer stood on ceremony; he rubbed his hands together:

"The Long Long Modadan is famous far and wide, but this junior truly wishes to feast his eyes on it."

I'd have eaten it long ago if I had it.

The white-robed woman was a little at a loss for words.

The old fellow really is drawing a pie!

Li Yuan grumbled inwardly, yet felt a touch of surprise — he had already steeled himself for haggling, but hadn't expected this old fellow to be stumped by his question.

Old, but not sly?

Li Yuan gave his assessment inwardly and stopped dwelling on it:

"This junior is obsessed with Wu Gong; as for legendary Shen Gong and supreme techniques, I truly do yearn for them as well."

Saying so, he paused briefly: "Senior wouldn't be deceiving me, would you?"

"Naturally not!"

The white-robed woman came back to herself; she pinched her fingers and deliberated for a moment:

"Shen Gong is mostly created based on one's Lingxiang. Before entering the Dao, it's almost impossible to begin learning it; forcing it would instead cause harm…"

Based on Lingxiang?

Li Yuan's heart stirred slightly, but he said nothing, simply watching.

"Mm… the Shen Gong this old man practices isn't suitable. However, in earlier years, this old man obtained several incomplete volumes of Shen Gong. Though they are fragments, they are extremely precious — and, what's harder, they suit my little friend perfectly."

The white-robed woman deliberated for quite a while, after all this wasn't a drawn pie; she couldn't just open her mouth and produce it.

"I'm all ears."

Li Yuan's spirits lifted. Up to now, among what he had learned, only the introductory chapter of the Bai Shen Zheng Fa could be counted as Shen Gong, along with the Zhun Shen Gong-grade Long Xiang Heliu.

"Mm, my little friend, wait a moment."

Having a plan in mind, the white-robed woman no longer felt so stifled. She flicked a finger, and strands of purple light wove together before the tower — this was her true qi.

Hum—

Under Li Yuan's gaze, as the true qi pulsed and flowed, it astonishingly transformed into a martial arts manual.

'This tower master's control over true qi is extremely high.'

In the blink of an eye, several thousand characters were outlined with true qi — Li Yuan asked himself and knew he couldn't do it. This required not only control but also extremely high spiritual power.

A thought turned in his mind; he had already mastered the 【Divine Fire Bone-Forging Ring (Fifth-Tier)】, and with the blessing of 'photographic memory,' he quickly committed all those thousand characters to heart.

Memorize first, ponder later.

"This is a Zhang Fa."

Comparing it with the light screen before him, Li Yuan pondered briefly, and his gaze subtly shifted.

This Zhang Fa was indeed profoundly deep, covering visualization, qi meridians, and other aspects, but the more he looked, the more familiar it seemed. Before he had even finished reading, he had already recognized its origins.

"Shen Zhang Jing!"

Li Yuan's heart jolted.

Ever since using that fragmentary Shen Zu Jing to connect the two great acupoints, he had also tried to master items he had previously acquired.

Regarding the Bai Shen Fa, there were quite a few gains, but after the Shen Zu Jing, the other arts such as the Shen Zhang and Shen Zang Jing were too severely damaged, their visualizations flawed, so he had not attempted them.

"A complete Shen Zhang Jing!"

Li Yuan's heart surged.

Knowing his memory was astonishing, the white-robed woman let the complete scripture flash only briefly before flicking her finger again, summoning another several thousand characters.

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"I've learned a bit."

"Please give me some guidance, Senior."

Li Yuan humbly sought instruction, as if it hadn't been him haggling earlier.

The woman in white gazed at him for a long moment, realizing she had still underestimated this kid, but she didn't refuse, and explained these two scriptures to him.

Much like the Divine Foot Scripture, these two Wu Gong also had two methods of cultivation: the first was naturally to find a deity to enshrine and worship, the second was to cultivate through one's own bitter effort.

The latter was extremely difficult, and the demands were also very harsh.

Li Yuan, blessed with an epoch-defying talent, asked a few key questions and already understood completely in his heart, knowing how to cultivate them.

"Many thanks for your guidance, Senior."

Li Yuan bowed and gave thanks.

"Mm."

The woman in white felt slightly relieved: "If there's anything else you don't understand, you may tell me all of it."

"This junior currently has no doubts."

Li Yuan looked toward the bronze pagoda, feeling some hesitation in his heart; he always felt that the person before him was still hiding something.

"... Then, little friend, please go ahead and cultivate for a bit. If you have any doubts, you may ask me at any time."

The woman in white didn't even grit her teeth this time.

She was somewhat weary at heart; this kid was truly a little too cautious.

When had she ever experienced this before?

It was more exhausting than fighting a Grand Master.

The woman in white sighed inwardly, knowing Li Yuan had doubts in his heart, and didn't urge him to draw the saber now, generously indicating he could take a few days' rest first.

"Many thanks for your consideration, Senior."

Li Yuan naturally wouldn't refuse; if he wanted to draw the saber, he would need to activate the Splitting Sea Mysterious Whale Hammer.

With Old Longtou, he wasn't afraid, but with this Bronze Pagoda Master whose identity might not be genuine, he had to weigh things carefully.

After watching him leave, the woman in white turned and entered the pagoda.

She felt stifled in her heart and wanted to find Wan Wan Zhuliu for a fight.

Boom—

"This pagoda master is pretty poor."

In the room, Li Yuan opened his eyes; he was fairly satisfied with the outcome of this negotiation.

Mainly because he had never forgotten about the Bai Shen Fa.

"Logically speaking, this pagoda master needs something from me, so she shouldn't be faking it, but being cautious is never wrong."

Li Yuan mulled it over in his heart, not rushing to try.

He recalled the conversation between the two in the divine realm, deliberating:

"A top-tier assassin from the Star-Plucking Tower... it would be great if I could ask Wang Lao, but clearly there's no time. However, this person clearly knows Wang Lao, and probably isn't an enemy."

After deliberating for a long time, Li Yuan felt it could be confirmed that this pagoda master came from the Star-Plucking Tower; as for whether her identity was genuine, that was hard to say.

"Mm, refining the viscera will take another ten days. Let's see what reaction this one has next."

The night was deep at this moment, and Li Yuan felt sleepy. While pondering these two scriptures and comparing them against the incomplete scriptures he had obtained, he stroked the cat.

After a moment, he yawned, lay down in his clothes, and his drifting thoughts settled into the Weapon-Soldier Space.

Hum—

In the Fragrant Incense Stove, wisps of incense drifted out; every night before sleep, he would listen to the sounds several times, jotting down any intelligence whether useful or not.

Although most of it was useless, if he happened to run into a big fat sheep like Brother Brother Sikong, that would be a huge profit.

【Fourth-Tier Sound-Listening Register】

【Available Heavenly Sound listens: once every one and a half years (usable)】

【Activated: Sound-Listening Register (Fourth Tier)】

【Listen to two hundred Fourth-Tier sounds to advance to Fifth Tier】

The advancement of the Sound-Listening Register was very fast; Li Yuan hadn't deliberately pushed it, yet it had already advanced to Fourth Tier, but after Fourth Tier, he temporarily set it aside.

Although there was no shortage of Fourth-Tier incense in the Fragrant Incense Stove, he still wanted to save it, using it first to satisfy the needs of weapon-forging and weapon-merging.

"After the Sound-Listening Register advances to Fourth Tier, the sound-listening obtainable from First-Tier incense is comparable to Fourth-Tier listening at First Tier. The value is very high; for now, it's enough for me."

Li Yuan murmured to himself.

The advancement and use of the Sound-Listening Register were both very simple: using heavenly materials and earthly treasures as offerings, one listened to the various sounds from heaven and earth.

The quality of the heavenly materials and earthly treasures determined the tier of the sounds listened to.

The advancement of the Soldier Talisman raises the lower limit; a fourth-rank Sound-Listening Talisman, the lowest sound it can hear, has already reached the fourth rank.

Whooo—

A wisp of first-rank incense flame drifted into the Sound-Listening Wooden Talisman, and text along with sound emerged together:

"Among the Dayun Empire's three great violent agencies, the Jingping Bureau is chiefly responsible for arresting the world's fierce bandits, gathering intelligence, and monitoring all officials. Beneath the three Bureau Chiefs, the eight famous constables are all top experts of the realm…"

Jingping Bureau?

Li Yuan's heart stirred, and his interest was piqued.

Also belonging to the Dayun Empire's three great violent agencies, the Jingping Bureau's presence is not as strong as the Zhenwu Hall, its personnel distribution is far inferior, and it leans more toward being an intelligence agency.

But in terms of strength, it is also extremely formidable.

The Grand Bureau Chief is listed on the Divine Ranking, the second and third Bureau Chiefs are also great experts on the Hero Ranking, and beneath them, the eight famous constables are also renowned experts of the martial world, each possessing a divine skill for pursuing criminals.

"The famous constable Jin Jin Zhu Feng, bearing the decree of the Qian Emperor, has traveled thirty thousand miles, wishing to capture the thief who stole the Yun Xiang Ding…"

The sound stopped abruptly at this point.

"A single Yun Xiang Ding actually alarmed the Qian Emperor?!"

Li Yuan was startled, realizing he might still have underestimated the impact of the incense flame theft.

"That Brother Sikong Xing is probably still in Fucheng."

After a moment of shock, Li Yuan could hardly sit still. He recalled the night of the black-eating-black scheme and felt he had not left any loopholes behind.

But the problem was, having been intimidated several times by the Dragon Dao Lord, he was genuinely a little worried; his understanding of the Dao Sects and the imperial court was somewhat lacking.

"The people sent down by the Qian Emperor are by no means ordinary."

Li Yuan's heart instantly grew Solemn. The Dao Sects dominate a region with powerful forces, but the imperial court is nominally the common sovereign of heaven and earth, with deep foundations.

"Again."

Feeling somewhat worried, Li Yuan's sleepiness mostly vanished, and he began listening to sounds frantically.

"Ancient legends say that among the twelve Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing lies the secret to the 'Bafang Temple'…"

"On the shores of the East Sea, fishermen going out to sea at night saw a vessel as massive as Rushan sailing across the sky…"

"In a certain Fucheng of Yanshan Dao, the Xieshen Sect held a ceremony, and a slaughter broke out…"

The intelligence on the Sound-Listening Wooden Talisman was jumbled and disorganized, with little useful information; much of it was completely irrelevant.

At this moment, the benefit of having plenty of incense flame became apparent.

First-rank incense flame—Daoist Li didn't feel the slightest heartache, tossing it out as if it were free. After many attempts, he still managed to catch some useful things:

"Brother Zhongli Wang Luan, an elder of the Sanmei Grotto, has joined forces with a branch of the Long Yin Hall, setting up in the city, intending to capture the divine thief, Brother Sikong Xing."

"…Ouyang Ying, the City Garrison Commander of Hengshan Dao, and the Master of Mount Hengshan Wutang, after a secret meeting, are also hunting Brother Sikong Xing…"

"Brother Sikong Xing is hiding as a groom in a certain wealthy household in the east of the city, rising before dawn each day and sleeping only at night, diligent and cautious, while secretly preparing to plot something big…"

After quite a while, Li Yuan finally extracted several useful pieces of intelligence from the various chaotic sounds.

"Still wanting to pull off something big—this Brother Sikong Xing really doesn't fear death."

After a rough recollection, Li Yuan was somewhat speechless. As the saying goes, audacious as a thief—this divine thief perfectly proves the point.

With at least three forces wanting to capture him, he actually still wants to pull off something big.

"Greedy for money, heedless of life."

Li Yuan was practically impressed.

This Brother Sikong Xing's stealth arts are truly something—not just in technique, but also in experience. For so long, he has stubbornly remained hidden in the east of the city, right under the Dao government office's nose.

"Before Jin Jin Zhu Feng arrives, I must find a way to deal with this trouble."

Glancing out the window, Daoist Li's thoughts wandered. He was the type to think of danger in times of safety; such potential trouble was best nipped in the bud.

……

East of the city, a certain grand residence.

Neighhhh—

From the stable came the whinnying of a flood-dragon horse.

"I'll slaughter you sooner or later, you beast!"

Brother Sikong Xing, dressed as a groom, pushed open the door and stepped out, glaring at the tall flood-dragon horse in the stable as he added fodder for it.

"The time is about right."

After soothing the flood-dragon horse, Brother Sikong Xing cautiously slipped toward the rear courtyard.