Chapter 99 Absorbing Senior Brother's Righteous Qi

My junior sister's hands are quite thin, but they feel a little soft, warm, and hard to the touch.

The last one refers to the calluses on the web of her left hand and the base of her little finger, where she often holds a bow.

Regardless, Ouyang Rong's heart skipped a beat when his junior sister suddenly grabbed his hand.

The main reason was that he couldn't help but think of Wei Lai's little hands holding the tea set last night...

Inside the carriage, someone's momentary reverie did not diminish his merit, since a gentleman judges by actions, not intentions.

"Junior Sister really doesn't treat me like an outsider..." Ouyang Rong thought to himself, forcefully pulling his right hand back, but Xie Lingjiang grabbed it, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"Don't move around. Check if you're pinching too hard. I couldn't control my spiritual energy at the time, and I took a sudden step at the last minute."

Ouyang Rong immediately became obedient and glanced at his junior sister, who was looking down at his right forearm.

Her profile was normal, her eyes focused, as if she hadn't thought too much about it; it was just a junior sister's simple apology and concern for her senior brother.

"What are you looking at, senior brother?"

As if sensing his gaze, Xie Lingjiang didn't look up and said calmly:

“Senior brother is a well-known gentleman, I… I have no reason to be wary of him. Even when a sister-in-law is drowning, one would still lend a helping hand, let alone senior brother and sister.”

She paused, looked up at Ouyang Rong, and slightly tugged at the corner of her mouth: "Fortunately, no bones were broken. Senior brother, go back and have your personal maid apply a hot water bottle."

Xie Lingjiang, without changing her expression, neatly lowered Ouyang Rong's sleeve and released his right hand.

Ouyang Rong withdrew his hand and immediately nodded obediently, "Okay, thank you, junior sister."

"Thank me for what? You're such an idiot. I was the one who caught it by accident. Now I've borrowed my senior brother's 'qi' to advance to the seventh rank of Vermilion Qi. I should be the one thanking my senior brother."

Ouyang Rong laughed and said, "Being able to reach the seventh rank is due to your own talent, Junior Sister. But Junior Sister said you borrowed my energy, what does that mean? Could it be that this thing can absorb energy back?"

He couldn't help but glance at his wrist, a little worried that it might suck him dry.

Xie Lingjiang shook her head:

"It's not about absorbing, but about observing, then practicing and comprehending. We Qi practitioners, in the end, are cultivating just one breath."

"Each mythological lineage cultivates a general range of qi. Confucianism emphasizes rectifying the mind and making the will sincere, Buddhism emphasizes understanding the mind and seeing one's true nature, Taoism emphasizes solitude and non-action, Yue Nu emphasizes purifying the mind and reducing desires, and sword cultivators must forge ahead without hesitation..."

"However, relying solely on Qi cultivation techniques to cultivate this true Qi will result in extremely slow growth of spiritual Qi cultivation. It is very difficult to cultivate it successfully. It is no exaggeration to say that dripping water can wear away stone. Of course, it also depends on the individual talent of the Qi cultivator. With the same amount of time and effort, some cultivators are naturally suited to it and are more likely to have an epiphany and cultivate this Qi."

"Besides that, there is another method that is considered a shortcut to Zhongnan Mountain, which is like me, who can borrow energy from my senior brother to observe, cultivate, and have a sudden enlightenment, and finally achieve advancement in one go."

"However, this method is really hard to come by, because different lineages, different cultivators, and even different stages require different breaths. To meet someone with the right breath at the right time and in the right realm is like finding a needle in a haystack."

"However, this is also one of the reasons why Qi cultivators need to go into the world to experience and grow. The more they travel and see, the more they experience, the more they will gain something. What if they encounter something or someone and suddenly have a clear understanding and enter the ranks in one go?"

“I see.” Ouyang Rong nodded. “No wonder my junior sister sometimes stares at me; she’s been diligently cultivating.”

"..." Xie Lingjiang was speechless.

Ouyang Rong casually asked, "Isn't there any elixir or magic pill that can make one's cultivation progress by leaps and bounds?"

Xie Lingjiang's expression turned serious:

"Why is Senior Brother asking this? You can't just take this kind of cheap shortcut. It's already in the category of external alchemy. Right now, orthodox Qi cultivation techniques all belong to internal alchemy, which focuses on cultivating oneself. External alchemy, which involves taking external substances, has become a heretical and evil art. Only those fearless immortals and sorcerers are doing it."

"Even the Jade Purity Pavilion of Zaoshan, the most skilled alchemist in the Southern Daoist sects, can only refine some pills to replenish spiritual energy or regenerate flesh from bones. Those so-called immortal formulas that can lead to longevity, immortality, or advancement in rank should not be believed blindly."

"Just asking." Ouyang Rong smiled and then asked, "So, Junior Sister is now a mid-level Qi Refiner? Her spiritual energy is crimson?"

My junior sister once mentioned that there are nine ranks for Qi cultivators. The top three ranks are already legendary. The remaining six ranks are divided into upper, middle and lower levels, with each two ranks forming a major stage.

Rank 9 and Rank 8 are low-grade Qi cultivators, with blue spiritual energy; Rank 7 and Rank 6 are mid-grade Qi cultivators, with vermilion spiritual energy; Rank 5 and Rank 4 are high-grade Qi cultivators, with purple spiritual energy.

Junior Sister advanced to the seventh rank tonight, thus moving from a low-rank Qi cultivator to a mid-rank Qi cultivator.

This step is even greater than the leap from the ninth rank to the eighth rank, a huge improvement. Even the color of the spiritual energy has changed. It's just a pity that Ouyang Rong can't see the energy at the moment.

“That’s right, senior brother, I’m no longer a gentleman. From now on, please call me the Book Turner.”

Xie Lingjiang stood tall and proud.

Ouyang Rong nodded, "Okay, book turner, I'll be your book tearer."

"?" Xie Lingjiang.

The two joked around for a while, and Ouyang Rong asked, "Junior Sister, you've used my energy to enter the seventh rank this time. Will it be difficult for you to advance to the next rank?"

Xie Lingjiang looked at him with a strange expression, "That's not it..."

"What's the meaning?"

She said, a little embarrassed:

“At the time, I was thinking about what my senior brother did. He was promoted to the seventh rank after refusing to drink, so logically he had no more energy to borrow. But then my senior brother refused to drink in a way I hadn’t expected, and then I saw ‘energy’ in my senior brother again.”

"..."

Good grief, here we go again?

You're addicted, aren't you? You want to suck me dry?

Ouyang Rong subconsciously shrank further into his seat.

He suddenly felt like he was his junior sister's valuable experience package.

The traitorous senior brother is confirmed.

Ouyang Rong shook his head, no longer joking, and asked seriously, "If we encounter that demon from the East Warehouse again, would Junior Sister be able to subdue him immediately?"

Xie Lingjiang nodded:

"Mid-grade Qi cultivators and low-grade Qi cultivators cannot be compared. Although they still cannot release their true Qi and ride the wind like high-grade Qi cultivators, they can flexibly use the true Qi in their dantian and attach it to any part of their body."

As she spoke, she calmly spread out one slender palm and, in front of Ouyang Rong, gently covered the surface of the bench with her hand.

Before Ouyang Rong could see how his junior sister exerted any force with her slender arms and hands, the speed of the entire carriage beneath him suddenly slowed down; the wooden carriage began to creak and groan, as if it had been gnawed by rats and was about to collapse; at that moment, the labored neighing of several horses came from the curtain...

The next moment, all sounds returned to normal.

Ouyang Rong looked around in a daze and realized that his junior sister's slender hand had already left the seat.

"Master, Miss Xie, are you alright?" Liu Ashan's surprised voice came from outside the carriage.

"It's nothing, just a minor accident. You can continue driving," Ouyang Rong reassured him.

He turned around and couldn't help but glance again at his junior sister's delicate hands, which were half-rolled back into her snow-white sleeves, like a lotus bud just beginning to emerge.

Who would have thought that this delicate hand, imbued with true energy, could become so powerful?

Xie Lingjiang smiled at him.

Ouyang Rong suddenly realized that the fact that his right forearm hadn't been crushed on the spot was truly thanks to his junior sister's restraint and leniency.

Thinking about it this way, it's actually quite heartwarming; my junior sister really is like a warm cotton-padded jacket...

Under the cover of night, the carriage slowly drove into Luming Street and stopped in front of the Su residence.

Xie Lingjiang bid farewell to Ouyang Rong, and before stepping out of the carriage, she paused, turned back, and said:

"Didn't my senior brother say he would discipline me when we got back?"

"Maybe we should just forget about it."

Someone secretly wiped away a bead of sweat... Junior sister's combat prowess is off the charts, who would dare to mess with her? It's not certain who will discipline whom.

Xie Lingjiang smiled, but unfortunately, she was facing away from the large red lanterns in front of the Su residence outside the carriage. The angle of the light made it difficult for Ouyang Rong to see his junior sister's expression for a moment. He only heard her say crisply:

"That's fine then. But senior brother, look at how well junior sister performed tonight. It's a testament to your effective discipline. Don't you feel even a little bit of accomplishment?"

Yes, yes... I think.

"How about a small reward?"

Someone gets a headache when they hear the reduplicated adjective 'small':

"What reward would you like, junior sister?"

"I haven't thought about it yet. I'll tell you when I do. Senior brother, please remember this for me. I owe you a small wish!"

Before the words had even finished, the junior sister's long legs had already nimbly jumped off the carriage and entered the Su residence.

Only Ouyang Rong, who inexplicably owed a wish, remained sitting blankly in the car, muttering to himself;

"You owe me a small wish? You're clearly taking advantage of me, and you still want a reward... Ah Shan, am I losing out?"

Liu Ashan, separated by a blue cloth curtain, appeared expressionless, as if he hadn't heard anything. He whipped his horse and returned to the Sika Deer Park.

If you clicked on this because you misunderstood the title, I'll punch you twice! (Just kidding!)

(End of this chapter)