Chapter 114: Sorrowful Breeze

It has been a month and a half since the Golden Flower Mother Cult’s failed siege. It seems the news of their defeat—a force of over ten thousand routed once again—has spread to all corners of the land. The reputation of Qingliu County has reached its zenith, and even the surrounding demons and monsters have seemingly fled in fear. For hundreds of miles in every direction, not a single trace of a demon can be found. In a trance, the county seems to have returned to the peaceful, prosperous era of years past.

In a small courtyard residence, Qi Xiu sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion that emitted a tranquil, faint fragrance. A black aura and a purple aura swirled around his body, merging into the likeness of an ink-colored flood dragon and a purple tiger. He inhaled and exhaled spiritual energy, refining it into "Gang" energy. Beside him sat a jar filled with orange-yellow, crystal-clear fruits shaped like honey tangerines. Whenever Qi Xiu’s aura flickered, a cloth doll beside him would promptly take a fruit and place it in his hand. Once consumed, his aura would stabilize.

After six hours of deep cultivation, as the last fruit from the jar was ingested, Qi Xiu exhaled a long breath. The ink dragon and purple tiger returned to his body, and his turbulent internal energy settled.

"Finally, I’ve touched the threshold of condensing a True Gang Seal." Feeling the three hundred and sixty strands of Gang energy within the Primordial Pearl at his heart center, Qi Xiu nodded silently. With just five more strands of energy, he would successfully condense his first True Gang Seal, formally transitioning from the initial stage of the Dao-Entry realm to the early stage.

"It hasn't been easy. Over two months just to condense the first True Gang Seal, and there are still a second and third to go. The road ahead is long and arduous." He shook his head and clicked his tongue, looking genuinely self-critical.

If other cultivators heard this, they would surely want to tear his smug face apart. To condense the first True Gang Seal in just over two months? Calling that slow? If this speed were considered slow, ninety percent of the disciples from grand sects and noble families would be driven to bang their heads against a wall in despair. For an average cultivator, this process typically takes three years.

The accumulation of Gang energy is incredibly slow: inhaling spiritual energy, converting it into Gang energy, and then using that energy to scour the body’s protective True Gang until a seal is formed. The waste and inefficiency during this process are immeasurable. However, thanks to Qi Xiu’s "effort-must-yield-results" supernatural logic, he suffers no loss or wasted effort. Furthermore, relying on his talisman-making skills, he has sold a vast number of Dao-Entry talismans through the Shen Clan’s Myriad Goods Firm, accumulating significant wealth. After exhausting his spiritual pills, he spent lavishly, under the envious gazes of many, to purchase ten jars of Treasure Spirit Honey Tangerines. These fruits are nearly free of impurities, rich in spiritual power, sweet, and nourishing to the physical body. They are beneficial in every way, but their only flaw is their price: one jar costs one hundred Dao coins. Ten jars cost a thousand!

"Although these Treasure Spirit Honey Tangerines are effective, they are still slightly inferior to spiritual pills. Moreover, such rare fruits and pills containing spiritual energy are far too scarce at the Shen Clan’s firm. I don't know when the next shipment will arrive." Looking at the empty jar, Qi Xiu finally understood why Daoist Qingya had said he was lucky to obtain a magical item like the Spirit Pill Bag. After reaching the Dao-Entry realm, the greatest factor constraining a cultivator’s progress is spiritual energy. Simply and honestly inhaling the meager spiritual energy between heaven and earth to convert it into Gang energy is an agonizingly slow process, as everything in the world is silently competing for those same limited resources.

This is why disciples of grand sects and noble houses advance faster than those of ordinary schools; their scriptures are more profound, and their efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy is higher. Yet, even so, sitting in meditation is the slowest way to improve. Thus, rare fruits and pills rich in spiritual energy are highly sought after by all cultivators, leading to exorbitant prices and extreme scarcity. The ten jars Qi Xiu had acquired were obtained only by paying a premium and calling in favors. Otherwise, they would have been snapped up the moment they reached Qingliu County.

"Actually, there is another way to quickly improve my cultivation, but my personality isn't suited for that path. Staying steady and working silently is the most appropriate and safest way." Setting the empty jar aside, Qi Xiu walked into the house. The method he mentioned was his final trump card. Both the purple tiger and the ink dragon possessed supernatural traits; how could the secret essence of the Primordial Dragon-Tiger Scripture, which served as the foundation, be limited to only one Primordial Pearl?

...

"Senior Wu, here is this week’s shipment. Please count it." In the top-tier VIP room of the Shen Clan’s Myriad Goods Firm, Qi Xiu waved his hand and produced five hundred "Suppression Talismans" for the Dao-Entry realm from his dragon pool. These talismans were refined versions he had redesigned; made of brass, over a foot long, and engraved with ancient patterns at both ends, they exuded an air of nobility. At a glance, one could tell they were extraordinary.

"What’s there to count? I wouldn't doubt you. Try this—it’s a specialty from the Tuoluo Gate Kingdom, a 'Beauty’s Finger'." Wu Lincong pushed a plate of crystal-white, finger-shaped fruits toward Qi Xiu and smilingly tucked the talismans away. Recently, thanks to these exclusive talismans, their branch’s performance had soared, and they had even received commendations from the provincial headquarters. If he could keep this up, he would be promoted to the head manager of this branch by year-end, and perhaps even transferred to the provincial office next year.

Glancing at the fruits but not touching them, Qi Xiu asked offhandedly, "Senior Wu, is there any news on what I asked you to watch out for?"

"No specific news yet, but don't worry, I’ve already asked my colleagues at every other branch. As soon as there is news, I will notify you immediately."

"It’s just a pill formula. I’m not asking for the finished product. Is it really that hard to find?" Qi Xiu’s voice lowered, a hint of displeasure appearing on his face.

"Oh, my little ancestor, is that just an ordinary pill formula? 'Sorrowful Breeze'..." Lowering his voice significantly, Wu Lincong covered his mouth and whispered, "That thing is a forbidden drug! If you only wanted a bit of the finished product, I could find a way to get some for you. But you want the complete formula. If word gets out, it would mean the execution of our entire clan."

Sorrowful Breeze! It was a legendary super-narcotic Qi Xiu had read about in an ancient book of curiosities. After being poisoned, one sheds tears like rain, hence "Sorrow"; one cannot move a muscle, hence "Numbness" (Su); and the poison gas is colorless and odorless, hence "Breeze." Since reaching the Dao-Entry realm, as the level of his enemies increased, his mundane "Fish-Fragrance Soft-Muscle Powder" had become obsolete. Even though Qi Xiu had updated it to version 7.0, it had no effect on Dao-Entry cultivators, let alone tough demons and evil practitioners. That was why he had sought the top-tier upgrade—Sorrowful Breeze—and asked Wu Lincong to find the formula.

However, because this drug was so effective, it was ranked forty-seventh on the Great Xuan Dynasty’s list of forbidden substances. Even though the Shen Clan’s Myriad Goods Firm claimed they could buy and sell anything in the world, they found it difficult to procure such a government-prohibited item, especially the complete formula.

"I know it’s difficult, but I still hope you can keep asking around, Senior Wu. If this succeeds, I might be able to help you move even further up." Qi Xiu slowly extended his right hand, handing Wu Lincong a small talisman, three inches in size and carved from jade.

"This is..." Seeing a talisman he had never encountered before, Wu Lincong’s eyes brightened. But when he touched it and felt the aura contained within, he suddenly stood up, staring at Qi Xiu in disbelief. It took a long time for him to squeeze out two words: "A Sword Talisman?"

...

That night, in the backyard of the Qingliu County branch of the Hundred Herbs Hut. A short figure clad in black robes and a bamboo hat, covered in eight "Breath-Concealing Talismans" and carrying three "Nether Mirrors" to disrupt perception, slipped through the thick darkness and instantly ducked into the room of Xie Changling, the head manager of the Hundred Herbs Hut.

*Clang!*

A sharp fan made of eerie blue feathers was pressed directly against Wu Lincong’s throat; its bone-chilling aura made the blood in his neck feel as if it were about to freeze.

"Breaking into a private residence at night—do you have a death wish?"

"Are you blind? You can't even recognize me?" Pulling off the black cloth from his face, Wu Lincong rolled his eyes at Xie Changling and swatted the feather fan away.

"It’s you. Why are you running over to my place in the middle of the night? Are you here for the 'Everlasting Vitality Pill' again?" Xie Changling teased, eyeing his strangely dressed old friend.

"Everlasting your head! Sit down. I’m here for a serious matter." Seeing Wu Lincong’s solemn expression, Xie Changling stopped joking, sat in a chair, and poured tea, saying, "Speak, then. What is it that has you sneaking around in the middle of the night?"

Taking a deep breath, Wu Lincong stared at Xie Changling with intense eyes: "Give me the formula for Sorrowful Breeze."

*Pfft—*

Xie Changling sprayed a mouthful of hot tea all over Wu Lincong’s face and body. Ignoring his friend, who had tea dripping down his cheeks, Xie Changling stood up abruptly: "Do you know what you’re asking? You might as well just take my life!"

"I’m serious."

"I’m serious too." Tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table, Xie Changling lowered his voice, staring at Wu Lincong: "Do you want the Hundred Herbs Hut to be shut down by the imperial court?"

"Don't worry, I can swear on my Dao heart that I will never reveal the source of the formula."

"That still won't work! Besides, why do you need the formula? You don't know how to refine pills, and that stuff is a forbidden drug of the Great Xuan. I only dare to dabble in it secretly... In any case, it’s impossible. No discussion."

Seeing his old friend waving his hands repeatedly with no room for negotiation, Wu Lincong’s eyes darkened, revealing a flicker of grim determination. Looking at his friend, who had turned his back to him with no defenses, he slowly raised his hand, spread his five fingers, and whispered:

"Fifty thousand! Fifty thousand Dao coins!"