Chapter 115: Dominating the Sacred Heart

"How much?"

Turning to the side, Xie Changling suppressed a glimmer of sharpness in his eyes and stroked his short beard.

"Do you know what 'Sorrow-Dispelling Clear Breeze' is? It is ranked forty-seventh on the Great Xuan Dynasty's list of prohibited poisons! Even for a cultivator at the Dao-Entry stage, unless they maintain their protective true aura at all times, they will collapse the moment they inhale it. Do you really think a mere fifty thousand Dao coins could make me betray my conscience as a healer?"

Shaking his head with a sigh, Xie Changling put on a stern face and waved his hand repeatedly.

*Conscience? You just want more!*

After a string of silent curses, Wu Lincong gritted his teeth, considering the potential profits he could secure if he held the exclusive rights to sell the sword talismans. "Fifty-five thousand! That is the absolute limit."

"Alas, you still don't understand my meaning..."

"Take it or leave it." Wu Lincong flicked his sleeve and turned to push the door open.

But before his foot could even cross the threshold, Xie Changling had already grabbed him and pulled him back, a smile returning to his face as he said softly, "Look at you, we are old friends—let's discuss this further."

"We can discuss it?" Wu Lincong raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Not afraid of betraying your conscience anymore?"

"Conscience is conscience, and business is business. One cannot mix the two, wouldn't you agree?"

...

"Here, Master Bai, as promised. This is what you wanted."

Wu Lincong pushed a piece of Soul-Sealing Jade, wrapped in several layers of golden protective cloth, toward Qi Xiu. This jade contained the complete recipe for the Sorrow-Dispelling Clear Breeze.

"Oh? You found it?"

A hint of joy appeared in Qi Xiu's eyes. He picked up the jade and was about to peel back the cloth when Wu Lincong hurriedly spoke up.

"Master Bai, don't be in such a hurry."

"What is it?" Qi Xiu looked at him, puzzled.

"You know as well as I do that Sorrow-Dispelling Clear Breeze is a prohibited poison under the imperial court. The private circulation of such recipes and substances is a capital offense. You must keep this transaction strictly confidential. The recipe must never be leaked; if word gets out, the consequences will be dire. Furthermore, this jade has been placed under a seal—it can only be viewed by one person. Once the cloth is removed, the jade will self-destruct in a quarter of an hour. Please be careful, Master Bai."

It cost fifty-seven thousand Dao coins to get this recipe. It would be a lie to say Wu Lincong didn't feel the sting, but for the sake of the exclusive rights and his future prospects, the money had to be spent.

"Rest assured, Senior Wu. We are both law-abiding citizens. I am merely curious about the effects of this forbidden poison. You have my word—I can swear upon my Dao heart—that I will not leak a single word of this recipe. Even if discovered in the future, I will never mention the Shen Family Emporium or you. If I break this oath, may my heart be pierced by ten thousand demons and may I be struck by heavenly lightning!"

"Good, good, good. I believe your word, Master Bai."

"Then let us leave it at that for today. I shall take my leave."

Storing the Soul-Sealing Jade, Qi Xiu stood up to depart. Wu Lincong followed him a few steps, then added, "Master Bai, since you are satisfied with the recipe, what about the sale of the sword talismans..."

"Hahaha, my apologies, my apologies. I was so excited by my new acquisition that I forgot the main business. Do not worry, Senior Wu. Next week, in addition to the five hundred [Suppression Talismans], one hundred [Sword Talismans] will be delivered at the same time. Rest assured."

With Qi Xiu's guarantee, Wu Lincong let out a long sigh of relief. The heavy stone hanging in his heart had finally fallen. If things went smoothly, he might be promoted to the provincial headquarters this year...

...

With the long-desired Sorrow-Dispelling Clear Breeze in hand, Qi Xiu returned home, opened the Soul-Sealing Jade, and imprinted every word of the recipe into his mind.

*Sorrow-Dispelling Clear Breeze. A Great Xuan Prohibited Poison! Anyone who reads this recipe must remember: do not abuse this poison, for it brings disaster to the world, or you will surely face divine retribution!*

The very first line of the recipe was a blunt warning. It was clear that this poison had once caused significant damage; otherwise, the Great Xuan Dynasty would not have listed it as a prohibited substance under strict control.

The ingredients flashed through his mind one by one.

"Nine main ingredients, twelve auxiliary ingredients, thirty-nine adjuvant ingredients, and three messenger ingredients."

The total number of ingredients for the Sorrow-Dispelling Clear Breeze was not large—less than a third of the Li-Dust Pill he had refined previously. However, most of the ingredients were extremely rare and precious; some were so scarce that they were practically priceless. Among them, five main ingredients, fifteen auxiliary ingredients, and seven adjuvant ingredients were themselves prohibited substances controlled by the imperial court.

*With the wonders of my second-stage alchemy, I can only waive a portion of the adjuvant ingredients. Refining this Sorrow-Dispelling Clear Breeze will likely be a long road ahead.*

Once the quarter-hour mark passed, the jade in Qi Xiu's hand cracked on its own, crumbling into a pile of dark grey lime that dissipated into the air.

*Take it slow.*

Although the situation in the Dianchuan Province remained turbulent, the area around Qingliu County had become significantly quieter. After the Mother of Golden Flowers Sect was driven out, even the demons and evil cultivators in the vicinity had vanished completely. It was almost disappointing; he had hoped to take advantage of the chaos to capture a few demons to refine into pills, but he hadn't had the chance.

His gaze was calm. After experiencing several disasters, Qi Xiu’s temperament had become more mature and steady. He was no longer like a frightened bird, startled by every rustle in the grass. Or rather, having become a Dao-Entry cultivator and mastered exquisite techniques like the "Small Five Elements Water-Touring Evasion" and the "Formless Sword Scripture," and now protected by the merit of humanity, he was no longer threatened by ordinary demonic calamities unless a powerful Blood-Dyed stage cultivator specifically targeted him.

"It is not that the environment has improved. It is I who have... grown stronger."

Looking down at his hands, a faint smile spread across Qi Xiu’s face, revealing inner peace and composure.

...

The fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

In the blink of an eye, the weather had turned sweltering and dry following the bitter, snowy siege.

In a low valley deep within the old-growth forests stood a deformed, twisted inn constructed from a mixture of flesh, white bones, soil, corpses, and rotting wood. The stream outside the inn was a glaring, blood-red, emitting a thick, fishy stench. All sorts of abnormal auras converged into clusters of mist—some seductive and graceful, others hideous and ugly. In the surrounding dense forest, strange and brutal figures passed by from time to time, their heavy demonic auras filling the air and turning this land into a permanent dwelling of terror and death.

Inside the inn, demons and evil cultivators whispered in the darkness. Their forms were twisted and deformed, their faces hideous, their eyes—sallow, crimson, or pitch-black—constantly rolling, revealing their cruelty and malice.

"Long Tengzi, you gathered us all here, what exactly do you want? I'm busy, so speak your mind and be done with it."

The speaker was an old man covered in long, brown hair, his back hunched, his eyes a sickly green, and a mouth full of rotten teeth protruding from his lips—utterly grotesque.

"Indeed, we are all busy. We don't have time to play games with you here," added a man with a copper coin mask and a pervasive aura of corpse rot, his voice stiff.

"Heh heh heh, everyone, calm down. I invited you here today to discuss an important matter."

Long Tengzi was a handsome, delicate-looking young man in a blue robe. He appeared to be an ordinary human, yet he was able to mingle in this demonic inn and gather such creatures, proving he was anything but mundane.

"Gentlemen, look."

Long Tengzi opened his palm to reveal a bright red, swollen flesh sac that pulsed like a living heart, faintly showing countless faces of agony. As soon as the sac appeared, a thick, strange aroma filled the entire inn. Sensing the scent, the demons present grew fanatical and excited, staring at the sac and unable to restrain their urge to pounce.

"What is this? It smells so sweet!" the hyena-like old man exclaimed, his green eyes bulging and his sinewy hands stretching out like claws.

Taking in the sight of the demons, Long Tengzi smiled inwardly and said calmly, "This is called the 'Heart of Scornful Holiness.' Once planted, it takes root and bears fruit known as 'Jade Eggs.' These Jade Eggs are highly nourishing for us. And the core of the Jade Egg is a new Heart of Scornful Holiness. I have summoned you today to gift these hearts to you."

At these words, the demons exchanged suspicious glances. While they were brutal and vicious, they were not stupid. Why would Long Tengzi give them such a precious item for nothing?

Sensing their doubt, Long Tengzi chuckled. "I know you have your suspicions. The truth is, the Heart of Scornful Holiness is not without side effects. Every time one is planted, the surrounding environment will rapidly deteriorate, forming an 'Evil Domain' where ordinary living beings cannot survive. The more hearts planted, the larger the Evil Domain will grow, until it spreads across the entire Dianchuan Province. However, this 'Evil Domain' has no effect on us; in fact, it will only make things more pleasant."

The demons looked at one another. After hearing the consequences, they fell silent for a moment before erupting into discussion.

"What does that have to do with us?"

"Are you stupid? If ordinary beings can't survive, what will we eat?"

"I'm stupid? I think you're the stupid one! If there's nothing to eat in this province, can't we just go eat in another one?"

"Hmm! You make a very good point!"

The demons roared with laughter. The terrifying side effect that would turn a vast province into a graveyard for the living was, to them, a trivial matter they didn't care about at all.

"I have a question."

In a remote corner that no one had noticed, an arm was raised.

"Please, go ahead," Long Tengzi said, a gentle smile on his face.

"Such a brilliant idea—who came up with it?"

Slowly standing up, Qi Xiu, dressed in a simple white gown, wore an expression of indifference. From his wide sleeves, a continuous stream of azure talismans poured out, instantly filling the entire inn.

"Woooo..."

Suddenly, a muffled sobbing sound began to resonate. Soon, the faint weeping spread like a plague. Every demon and evil cultivator in the inn began to wail in terror.

The situation spiraled completely out of control.

...