Free Web NovelChapter 23: Chapter 20: A Visitor
Chongyun Peak.
Xuzhuang reined in his streak of light and descended from the clouds to see a figure waiting in front of his cave residence. Upon spotting Xuzhuang, the person’s face lit up with joy. He quickly took two steps forward, about to prostrate himself on the ground. "Disciple pays his respects to Master."
It was Li Changfeng, whom Xuzhuang had taken on as a Registered Disciple back at the Taixuan Sect’s Meteor Dojo. Xuzhuang had not yet found the time to meet with this disciple since returning to the sect. It was only after emerging from his seclusion that he had specifically summoned him to Chongyun Peak.
"Rise." A smile appeared on Xuzhuang’s face. With no visible movement from him, an invisible force supported Li Changfeng, preventing him from kneeling. Xuzhuang chuckled. "I am not one for excessive ceremony. There’s no need for such formalities with me."
"Thank you, Master," Li Changfeng said, rising to his feet and bowing instead.
A glint appeared in Xuzhuang’s eyes as he sized him up. He was slightly surprised. "Changfeng," he asked, "I observe you are brimming with essence and qi. It seems your cultivation has advanced significantly?"
At the mention of this, Li Changfeng grew visibly excited. "Reporting to Master, it is all thanks to the Six Orifice Purifying Pill you bestowed upon me. After returning to the sect, I cultivated diligently and have finally broken through the seventy-two apertures of pure and turbid qi. With a bit more cultivation, I should be able to reach completion."
"Excellent." Xuzhuang nodded slightly. After a moment’s thought, he retrieved a small, blue-covered booklet from his sleeve and handed it to Li Changfeng. "This contains some of my recorded cultivation experiences and a few insights on Swordsmanship. I hope it will be helpful to you."
"You must remember that cultivation is like rowing a boat upstream—if you don’t advance, you fall back. You cannot afford to be complacent. If you can one day merge the pure and turbid qi and refine it into Magical Power, you may well be able to join the ranks of the true disciple candidates."
"Yes." Li Changfeng respectfully accepted the booklet. "I will not fail to live up to your expectations, Master."
"Alright, let’s head into the cave residence." Xuzhuang led Li Changfeng inside as he spoke. "I summoned you for another matter. Now that I’ve been promoted to the rank of a true disciple, I’m entitled to my own peak, or I could choose to reside on a Spirit Island. But I’ve been cultivating on Chongyun Peak for a long time and can’t be bothered to move, so Chongyun Peak has now been placed under my authority."
This was one of the matters Xuzhuang had already arranged with Steward Zhu. Li Changfeng listened intently, not daring to miss a single word.
"Soon, the Ministry of Affairs Hall and the Celestial Craft Hall will dispatch Daoists to survey the feng shui. Great Strength Divine Demons will arrive to move a Spirit Vein, and the Ghost Axe Taoist will renovate the peak... You will be responsible for coordinating all of it."
"Furthermore, there are still a few fellow Daoists residing on Chongyun Peak. Here are their locations. You are to visit each of them and explain the situation. If they wish to move their residences and leave, our peak will facilitate their departure. If they wish to remain, we will not be ungenerous... but they must cooperate with the upcoming renovations." frёewebnoѵēl.com
By the time he finished speaking, they were already inside the cave residence. Xuzhuang led Li Changfeng through its halls and corridors until they reached a small chamber. "You will cultivate on Chongyun Peak from now on," he said. "Stay here temporarily for the next few days. Once the renovations are complete, you may find yourself another place rich with spiritual energy to continue your cultivation."
"Yes, Master." Li Changfeng was overjoyed.
After settling his disciple in, Xuzhuang didn’t linger. He returned to his usual meditation chamber to deal with the real matter at hand.
Namely, dealing with that fool, Chen Yuanji.
With the man in his grasp, Xuzhuang could do as he pleased. Killing him with a single sword strike was out of the question; he would eventually have to be handed over to the Law Enforcement Hall. However, Chen Yuanji would have no recourse when Xuzhuang decided to collect a little interest first.
The corner of Xuzhuang’s mouth curled into a smirk. With a flick of his sleeve, a ball of mist tumbled onto the floor. It billowed outwards, blanketing the ground and creating the illusion of an Immortal Realm amidst the clouds. Within the swirling vapor, Chen Yuanji’s form appeared.
Being restrained by the Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture was no different than being afflicted by a standard Detention Technique. He could not move, hear, see, or smell... He was completely cut off from the outside world, left with nothing but the agonizingly slow passage of time.
Xuzhuang had just withdrawn his Divine Technique, and Chen Yuanji was still in a daze, completely unresponsive. But Xuzhuang had no patience for pleasantries. Without waiting for Chen Yuanji to regain his senses, he formed a hand seal, produced a yellow talisman paper with his other hand, and uttered a single word: "Bind!"
With a flick of his finger, the yellow talisman shot out and slapped onto Chen Yuanji’s forehead. Now *this* was a proper Detention Technique.
Chen Yuanji, who had just begun to stir, instantly fell still again. After a moment, however, his limbs started to twitch faintly, and a low gurgle escaped his throat.
"Hm?" Xuzhuang’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t expected Chen Yuanji to have any strength left to struggle. ’Is the quality of this talisman paper too poor?’ he mused. ’I’ve already used a tenth of my Magical Power, yet it’s still not enough to completely restrain him.’
One-tenth might not sound like much, but even though Xuzhuang hadn’t fully replenished his reserves, the sheer ’force’ of his Magical Power at his current cultivation level was already incredible. It seemed this Chen Yuanji wasn’t a complete pushover after all.
Xuzhuang covertly circulated his profound art to enhance the suppression. He then channeled almost half of his available Magical Power before he finally managed to restrain Chen Yuanji completely. Like a wooden dummy, his body went ramrod straight and utterly still. Only then did Xuzhuang nod in satisfaction.
With a beckoning gesture from his other hand, a stream of miscellaneous items flew from Chen Yuanji’s lapels, sleeves, and waist, hovering before Xuzhuang.
’Is this considered pilfering, or just blatant robbery?’
The thought came to Xuzhuang unbidden, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. Shaking his head, he pushed the idea aside and focused on the loot. He first picked out the most conspicuous item: a palm-sized jade censer. He weighed it in his hand. ’Excellent material. Hm? The restrictive seals are perfect, and it’s dual-purpose for both refining and converting? How rare.’
A Magical Artifact with such perfect restrictive seals was incredibly valuable. In fact, of all the items Xuzhuang possessed, perhaps only his sword pellet could compare.
