It’s not only the bed that’s cold; in fact, the entire house is a bit cooler than outside. However, the difference is not obvious enough to be noticed. Why is that?
Such a phenomenon easily stirs up thoughts and associations with rumors of ghosts and hauntings.
Li Tan glanced at the sky, half of which was painted with rosy clouds. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “This house really is a bit strange. I wonder when the so-called wronged soul will appear. I’d like to see just how powerful it is.”
With a mocking murmur, he withdrew his gaze, crossed his legs into a meditative position on the bed, adjusted his breathing, and slowly began to practice Qi absorption. With rhythmic rises and falls of his chest, he gradually entered a state of cultivation.
If there had been a martial arts master present whose skills surpassed the Xiantian realm at that moment, one would have noticed a faint yellow glow, like a gauzy halo, enveloping Li Tan.
This was the Yun Ling Jue, a spiritual cultivation technique Li Tan had practiced for many years before his rebirth. It was the kind of treasure that, if revealed publicly, would easily incite bloodshed and chaos.
It possessed the general attributes of spiritual martial arts techniques—strengthening one’s spiritual awareness—and also had a rare ability uncommon among such techniques: mind control.
Mind control had a wide range of applications. The basic technique Li Tan used the previous night to deal with Lin Cui was a foundational aspect known as “Mind Storm.” As the name suggested, it was a storm composed of spiritual force. If one’s spiritual power was strong enough, a single glance could kill an opponent instantly.
However, mind control required a solid foundation of spiritual awareness to use. Otherwise, one might end up in a situation where glaring at someone has no effect, but ends with oneself collapsing unconscious on the ground.
In any case, it wasn’t long before Li Tan fully entered his meditative state. The invisible Qi in the air swirled toward him, entered his body through his meridians, circulated once through his energy channels, and then flowed into his dantian.
After continuously repeating this process for half a morning, Li Tan rose from the bed, slightly shaking out his numb limbs. With a slightly helpless sigh, he fell backward onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. “All the Qi that enters the dantian dissipates completely. After so many years, I never expected to experience this terrible feeling again in this way.”
Generally speaking, when Qi flows into the dantian, part of it remains while part escapes. The gradual accumulation of Qi is the most basic form of cultivation. However, Li Tan’s dantian was like a bucket with a hole in it—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t retain any Qi. This was the root cause of his inability to cultivate.
However, Li Tan was quite fortunate. One after another, unexpected events had solved the problem with his dantian.
In reality, his dantian wasn’t like a bucket with a hole, but more like a large sponge. To retain the Qi, all that was needed was to wrap the sponge in a layer of clay.
The “clay” used to wrap the “sponge” had a beautiful name: Nine-Turn Azure Spirit Pill. Besides repairing the dantian, the Nine-Turn Azure Spirit Pill also had the effect of cleansing the marrow. Therefore, it could also eliminate the deadly poison lurking within Li Tan’s body, making it extremely important for his current state.
Most of the ingredients required to concoct the Nine-Turn Azure Spirit Pill could be easily purchased on the market, but three of them were quite rare. There were limited ways to obtain these three ingredients: one was the Domain of Fallen Immortals, which he had already visited once but returned empty-handed; the other two were the black market and auction houses.
Each had its own advantages and disadvantages. The black market often involved violent incidents like murder and robbery, while at auctions, desired items could easily be bid up to exorbitant prices.
For Li Tan, all three places were viable options, but the Domain of Fallen Immortals was his top priority, and the reason was simple—it didn’t cost any money.
That’s right—Li Tan was now completely broke, not even a single copper coin in his pocket.
As Li Tan was planning to train his spiritual awareness for a few more hours, hoping to add an extra layer of security for himself in his current powerless state, his stomach let out a very untimely growl.
Only then did he remember—he was no longer the peerless Human Emperor, but an ordinary person who couldn’t even practice the art of fasting.
With a helpless sigh, he stood up and slowly walked outside. This time, he didn’t feel the temperature change, as the sky had already turned completely dark, and a round, bowl-like moon hung high in the sky. Looking around the courtyard, the rooftops, the dry well, and the main hall were all unusually quiet, with nothing unusual to note except for the occasional black cat darting across the eaves.
Li Tan carefully examined every corner but did not leave, continuing to stand still in place. However, his pitch-black pupils began to emit a faint golden glow. If any ordinary person had approached at that moment, they would have instantly fainted or even fallen into a coma.
This was one of the ways spiritual force could be used—extending one’s spiritual awareness outward, often used for alertness and detection.
A moment later, Li Tan’s eyes returned to their normal black. With a slightly helpless tone, he muttered, “Still too weak. If my power were just twice as strong, maybe I could unravel the mystery of this courtyard.”
Partly due to the influence of the ruined pagoda, Li Tan’s current spiritual power was comparable to that of a martial artist at the Xiantian realm. With the Yun Ling Jue, he could instantly kill a martial artist at the peak of the Houtian realm. Combined with his extensive combat experience, even a Xiantian expert would find him a formidable opponent. Unfortunately, his spiritual energy depleted too rapidly, forcing him to act cautiously and avoid direct confrontations whenever possible, lest he suffer a humiliating defeat in a prolonged battle.
“I’ll come back later to check again. Something should happen tonight.”
Thinking of the common folktales about ghosts and spirits, Li Tan couldn’t help but feel a growing curiosity and desire to explore this mysterious house.
Tap, tap.
Stepping out of the courtyard, Li Tan turned a few corners, and gradually, more servants appeared around him. In the pavilions and terraces, some were carrying tea and water, others were cleaning, and a few were chatting in small groups—but none of them recognized Li Tan.
“What a truly pitiful son-in-law I’ve become.”
With a self-deprecating joke, Li Tan slightly quickened his pace, but suddenly someone called out to him.
“Stop there in front!”
It was a soft, feminine voice.
Li Tan slowly turned around, barely suppressing a smile.
A girl, probably around the age of thirteen or fourteen, was standing there with a serious expression. She was holding bedding taller than herself.
“You’re Li Tan, right? The new son-in-law?”
Li Tan nodded twice. “That’s right. Young lady, do you have something to say to me?”
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