The four guards exchanged glances, their faces paling slightly. The one in charge of the keys frantically searched his waist, pulled out the keys, and hurriedly unlocked the gate. He entered and checked all the important items he could remember, and only after confirming that nothing seemed to be missing did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
They returned to the main gate, standing back in their original positions, pretending nothing had happened, though they quietly discussed among themselves. Eventually, they unanimously decided that since nothing important was missing, they would conceal what had just occurred.
This couldn’t entirely be blamed on their negligence. They were merely the lowest-ranking individuals in the Lin family. If the household department learned of their collective fainting, regardless of whether anything was stolen or not, they would undoubtedly face severe punishment.
Li Tan soon returned to the desolate courtyard, fetched some water to wash up, and was just about to begin training his soul when a sudden knock on the door interrupted him.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.” “The butler?”
“Come in.”
With Li Tan’s permission, the butler pushed open the gate and entered.
“Regarding my illness…” He stood respectfully in front of the bed, his expression anxious and uneasy.
“Hmm, just find a place to sit down first.”
Li Tan, who had nearly forgotten about the butler, replied indifferently.
“Chair? Oh right.”
The butler hesitated for a moment, a flicker of joy crossing his face. He quickly found a wooden chair to sit on, eagerly anticipating the moment his chronic illness would be cured.
“As I mentioned last time, the root of your problem lies in the blockage of meridians caused by Fire Spirit Cultivation, leading to an accumulation of excessive heat in your body, making it unbearable… Hmm, bring me some acupuncture needles; I’ll perform some acupuncture on you.”
Li Tan spoke solemnly, although in reality, this was merely a minor ailment misdiagnosed by an incompetent physician. Even without any treatment, it would eventually heal on its own. Naturally, Li Tan had no intention of revealing this truth, as it would only cause unnecessary complications.
“Can acupuncture needles treat such a condition?
“I’ve never heard of this before.” The butler’s joy faded slightly, giving way to a hint of unease.
“Hmph, if that’s the case, then please leave. I’m very busy.”
Li Tan curtly turned his back on him without hesitation.
“No, no, no! Look at my foolish mouth, how despicable of me! I’ll go get the needles right away. Please wait a moment.”
The butler slapped himself on the face once, then rushed out like a reincarnated soul. Upon returning, he brought with him the silver needles commonly used by ordinary physicians.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve touched you. Has it been a few hundred years?” Li Tan murmured softly, his eyes momentarily distant, but quickly regaining his indifferent expression as he looked at the butler.
“Just sit still and don’t move.”
Before the butler could react to the remark about “a few hundred years,” Li Tan swiftly inserted a needle through his clothes into his shoulder.
The butler was startled, a slight numbness causing him to instinctively tense his muscles.
Li Tan twisted the silver needle between his thumb and index finger, quickly inserting another one, feeling resistance that displeased him.
“Is your flesh made of iron?
Why are you so tense?”
“Ah, sorry.” The butler quickly composed himself. Li Tan then swiftly continued with the acupuncture, and in about fifteen minutes, the butler was covered in silver needles of varying lengths.
Although this technique was typically used for ordinary people, it could also be applied to cultivators. However, very few people possessed this skill. Fortunately, the senior who had taught Li Tan alchemy happened to know it and had casually passed it on.
After carefully collecting and storing all the needles, Li Tan chuckled and glanced toward the gate.
“You may leave now.”
“What? Is it already healed?”
“Yes. Don’t waste my time. Leave quickly.”
Li Tan’s tone carried a hint of impatience. The butler, in utter disbelief, stood up and patted himself down as if inspecting a piece of fine jade. Soon, he began trembling with excitement, no longer paying any attention to Li Tan, and walked out with a radiant, beaming face, brimming with joy.
“I won’t dwell on past matters. You’d better behave yourself.”
Li Tan watched the butler’s back disappear, then withdrew his gaze with a slight smirk.
The hand that had just held the acupuncture needles lifted up, and a Soul Jade materialized out of thin air in his palm. He smiled faintly.
“The Soul Jade is truly a wonderful item. Without it, I wouldn’t dare recklessly use my spiritual power so freely.”
Li Tan sat cross-legged on the bed, the Soul Jade hanging from his chest as he turned his gaze inward toward the Desolate Pagoda. The young eagle wasn’t causing trouble, but it kept chirping.
“Hmm, it doesn’t seem afraid. Is it looking for me?”
At that thought, the young eagle appeared in his hand, chirping even louder and flapping its tiny wings toward him.
“You shouldn’t move around. Oh, here.”
Li Tan hesitated slightly, then took out a spirit stone from the second floor of the Desolate Pagoda. The hungry young eagle immediately shifted its attention and flew toward the spirit stone.
With no further distractions, Li Tan finally prepared to begin his cultivation. However, a sudden vision of a white-robed woman appeared no more than a meter away from him.
“Why did you come out?”
Li Tan was somewhat at a loss. He tried to recall Jiang Xin into the Soul Jade but failed. Upon closer inspection, she wasn’t staring at him but at the young eagle feasting on the spirit stone.
“What’s going on?”
Li Tan scratched his chin in confusion. On a sudden whim, he took out another spirit stone and waved it from side to side in front of Jiang Xin. Her gaze followed its movement.
“Do soul spirits also enjoy spirit stones?”
Li Tan’s expression turned strange. He tested this by tossing the spirit stone in front of Jiang Xin’s soul form. She lowered her head to look at it, but after a long while, the spiritual energy stored within the stone remained completely unchanged.
“She just tends toward places with denser spiritual energy, huh? This might be useful.”
Muttering thoughtfully, Li Tan tightly shut the doors and windows and finally entered a meditative state to cultivate. Due to his earlier use of the Spiritual Storm, his spiritual energy needed thorough recovery; otherwise, irreversible damage could occur.
The night grew darker, like ink continuously dripping into a pool, and the half-moon traced a semicircle across the sky. As night receded, dawn arrived, and the first rays of sunlight bathed the vibrant earth.
Li Tan slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of stale air, and turned his head from side to side.
The young eagle was dozing off, having turned the spirit stone into a drained one. Jiang Xin’s soul form, unaffected by the sunlight as legends might suggest, stood still, her semi-transparent body appearing even more ethereal under the morning light.
“Come back now.”
Li Tan collected the other spirit stone, which still radiated strong spiritual energy, and Jiang Xin obediently returned to the Soul Jade, which was soon stored back inside the Desolate Pagoda.
Li Tan stood up, stretched his arms wide, and his bones cracked audibly. He glanced a few times at Jiang Xin’s exquisite portrait on the wall before leisurely stepping into the front courtyard to enjoy the warmth of the morning sun.
But suddenly, the door was violently kicked open with a loud bang, and five or six servants wielding clubs entered one after another.
Li Tan slightly furrowed his brows, casting a distant glance at them, his hand hidden in his sleeve ready to draw the dagger at any moment.
“Li Tan, you’re in big trouble. Come with us.”
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