Chapter 81 You Can't Obtain the Spirit Technique

After returning to the training ground, Ling Shu asked Boss Zhang for details about how she was murdered and who the real culprit was. Boss Zhang said that she had hired a cultivator to protect her house, and after a period of peace, she discovered that it was the work of a powerful family.

There are five prominent families in this world: Wang, Li, Zhou, Xu, and Lü. The Wang, Li, and Zhou families are noble families on the path of cultivation. The Lü family is of noble birth, but we will not mention them for now. Only the Xu family does not care about the path of cultivation, but only seeks the path of officialdom. The Xu family has been an official family for generations, and two of their ancestors once served as prime ministers.

The matter of Mr. Zhang's land was orchestrated by Xu Fangshi, the husband of Xu's second aunt. Mr. Zhang claimed that a Taoist priest helped him uncover his background.

Xu Fangshi was originally an actress. She had a son, but her position was not secure. The Xu family preferred daughters to sons, believing that women were fertile and could carry on the family line. Men were merely sons-in-law who married into the family to continue the lineage. The Xu family considered themselves an official family and looked down on Xu Fangshi's background. Xu Fangshi could only win over her wife's heart by having a child.

Xu Fangshi heard the sorcerer say, "Kun and Qian are mutually generating, and the earth is Kun. The land represents women. If there is fertile land under one's name, it means that the wife's favor will belong to him."

Driven by the inexplicable "favor of the wife," they began to extensively search for fertile land, forcing homeowners to sell it. If they refused, they would use the power of the Xu family to carry out threats, resulting in more than one murder case. Zhang Yunjin was implicated despite possessing valuable land, and had no way to appeal to the authorities.

The Xu family was powerful, and the conservative prefect dared not provoke them. He accepted the case but found Xu Fangshi innocent. With no way to appeal, he had no choice but to appeal to higher authorities. This angered Xu Fangshi, who, relying on her superior numbers, injured the seven cultivators hired by Boss Zhang, forcibly kidnapped Boss Zhang, and forced her to buy and sell fertile fields.

Boss Zhang wasn't buying it. This was the business her mother had left her. At this point, Boss Zhang spat, "Bah! I'd rather buy it from a poor farmer at a low price than sell it to some bully who abuses his power! Men like you are utterly worthless!"

Ling Shu asked, "Did the animal die?"

Boss Zhang: "I don't know. I was locked in the woodshed afterwards, which made me furious. My mother survived a terrible ordeal, so she must be blessed with good fortune. I will definitely fight him to the end!"

Ling Shu clapped his hands and said, "Good! Okay, I won't go back to the sect after the natural disaster."

Mr. Zhang patted her shoulder and said with a smile, "Miss, you shouldn't offend the Xu family for my sake. The Xu family has no grudge against you."

Ling Shu stood up and served her a cup of tea: "My mother told me to call you Aunt, so you are my Aunt. When I was in great trouble, you came out to find me late at night. It was so cold then, and your hands were red from the cold."

How could Boss Zhang dare to drink this cup of tea? Ling Shu is now the first disciple of the Immortal Venerable, and her status is beyond the reach of ordinary people. She is also the daughter of Sect Leader Wang and has become an elder of the Danmai lineage. She can be described as a rising star in the cultivation world. Zhang Yunjin is just an ordinary person and a small business owner.

Seeing that she was being resistant, Ling Shu held the tea in one hand and shook Boss Zhang's arm with the other, imitating Li Chang's coquettish manner, saying, "Drink, drink! If you don't drink my tea, I'll force you to drink it, Auntie~" Boss Zhang couldn't resist. He remembered that Yao Yao was also so coquettish and spoiled. This meant that she treated her like one of her own. What else could he say but drink!

Boss Zhang was coaxed into happily drinking the tea. In high spirits, she started talking about other things: "Speaking of which, the cultivator who helped me find out about the Xu family is actually a capable person from your sect."

Ling Shu: "Who is it? I'll definitely report it to the elders when I get back and give her a good reward."

At this point, the two were drawn to the voices of two people outside the teahouse.

An orange-clad female cultivator was being pointed at and scolded by a black-clad female cultivator. The black-clad female cultivator was very angry and was about to swing her sword at the orange-clad female cultivator's forehead. Just before she hit her, she stopped, but the sword was never drawn. The orange-clad female cultivator pinched her ears and shrank back to avoid the blow.

"I'll teach you a lesson for recklessly saving people, I'll beat you to death..." He couldn't bring himself to say anything harsher, "Can't you see that person is a thug who robs and plunders? Is that big knife in her hand just for show? I told you to memorize the story of the farmer and the snake, have you memorized it to the point of having a pig's brain?"

"I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong." She pinched her ear to hide. "Calm down."

"If I hadn't held you back, you would have been cleaved off the mountain by her sword long ago." The sword swung again, and the three downward thrusts all came to a steady stop.

"Zhao Chi, I was wrong."

Zhao Chi ignored her, crossing her arms with her sword clasped around them. Li Chang tugged at her sleeve again, carefully observing her expression, and said softly, "Senior Sister Zhao, Sister Zhao, Sister Zhao... please forgive me?"

Zhao Chi's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and his anger subsided a little, but he was still angry: "She covets both your beauty and your money. She's a heartless and wicked bastard. If she can't have you, she'll destroy you. Please, Miss, be smart. You have these eyes, but you don't need them. You can donate them to me. I'll refine them into pills and feed them to the dogs. At least the dogs can live longer."

This is the vitality that Zhao Chi should have.

After saving Zhao Chi last time, Zhao Chi slept for three days and three nights. When she woke up, her complexion was finally better. The first thing she did after getting up was to take off the clothes that Zhuang Jinfu had given her, wash them, fold them neatly, and return them to Zhuang Jinfu.

She specifically chose an evening when Zhuang Jinfu was free to go. Zhuang Jinfu was reading in the study when Zhao Chi knocked on the door and came in, respectfully holding the clothes. Zhuang Jinfu did not answer directly, but tapped her fingertips on the table a few times, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, she said, "Here you go."

"I can't take it."

"I said, it's yours." The tone left no room for argument.

Zhao Chi had two fears in life: death and power. In her eyes, Zhuang Jinfu was an unassailable force. What she feared was that a person in a high position could crush her like an ant with a single wave of their hand. Because of her Ling Shu, she was not completely reduced to dust in front of Zhuang Jinfu.

No matter how good Zhuang Jinfu is, she is ultimately a cultivator of the Path of Ruthlessness. She cannot have a Daoist partner. As long as she sits in this position, she will never be able to break free from the constraints imposed upon her by the Path of Ruthlessness and her high position.

You cannot obtain Ling Shu.

Ling Shu would be sad if I died, so no matter how much you mind my existence, you can't kill me and make me disappear from Ling Shu's world.

The two things they feared most in life were both resolved because of Ling Shu. What did it matter how close they had been? Zhuang Jinfu was someone who had no future with Ling Shu, while she and Ling Shu were both mortals, and their marriages were in their own hands. They had no restrictions.

You can't accompany Ling Shu as she grows old, but I can.

She loves you so much, are you willing to let her experience the pain of growing old from a young girl to an old woman, while the one she loves will always have a youthful and good-looking face?

Therefore, in front of Zhuang Jinfu, she appeared submissive, but in reality, she did not completely bow her head.

This garment was one of the reasons why Zhuang Jinfu felt threatened by her presence but didn't take her seriously.

This garment is no ordinary item; it is made from the silk spun by a silkworm demon, which yields only two feet of silk per year. When it is woven, magical power is infused into it, making it impervious to swords and blades. The preciousness of this item lies in the fact that this silkworm demon is extremely rare. Legend has it that it was wiped out when cultivators massacred the demon race. Rarity makes things valuable, and even a corner of this garment is worth a thousand gold pieces.

Zhuang Jinfu must be thinking that Zhao Chi is someone who depends on her gifts to survive.

There was no reason for Zhao Chi to continue wearing this garment.

The black feather robe must be returned.

Zhao Chi smiled slightly, revealing a polite smile: "Immortal Venerable, I have cultivated the Golden Core."

Zhuang Jinfu paused in his tapping of the table, looked up with a cold and sharp gaze, and said, "Then congratulations."

Zhao Chi respectfully walked up to her, placed the black feather robe in front of Zhuang Jinfu, took a step back, and said, "Without the robe you gave me, I wouldn't have been able to cultivate my Golden Core again so quickly. I've encountered danger so many times, and it's all thanks to this robe that I've been saved from misfortune."

Zhuang Jinfu chuckled and said, "Then why don't you kneel down and thank the immortal for his grace?"

Zhao Chi's lips froze, but she maintained her expression: "If you want me to kneel, fine. I owe you a debt of gratitude. This garment protected my life, so I should repay your kindness. This kneeling is to thank you for your divine grace. From now on, I will owe you no more favors." She lifted her skirt and knelt down.

Zhuang Jinfu still felt a tightness in his chest.

"go out."

Zhao Chi got up from the ground, released her hands from lifting her skirt, clasped her hands together in front of her waist, and said solemnly, "Immortal Venerable, no matter what, I will not leave Ling Shu's side."

"roll."

Before leaving, Zhao Chi added, "Please don't misunderstand, I'm staying by her side as a friend, not as a suitor."

Zhuang Jinfu glanced at her.

“I respect all of Ling Shu’s choices. I won’t interfere when you two are together. I support you being together because she truly loves you. I just hope that she can never care about the things you can’t give her, and that the knife that hurts her can fall a little slower.”

After saying this, Zhao Chi turned and left.

After she closed the door, Zhuang Jinfu got up, grabbed the garment, and threw it into the brazier to burn.

In the following days, Zhao Chi did indeed stay by Ling Shu's side as she had said, and when she saw Zhuang Jinfu coming over, she would tactfully walk away, so Zhuang Jinfu did not take her disrespect to heart.

Li Chang didn't care much about her own feelings, but she was very clear about the feelings between Ling Shu, Zhuang Jinfu, and Zhao Chi. She was afraid that Zhao Chi would be sad, so she often went to play with her.

However, when it was time to evacuate, Zhao Chi and Li Chang left with the city lord's convoy. Why come back now?

Ling Shu didn't go over to greet him; she was talking to Boss Zhang and didn't want to interrupt their conversation to go find someone else. Boss Zhang's eyes lit up when he saw the newcomer.

Mr. Zhang: "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear."

Ling Shu looked at the newcomer: "Zhao Chi?"

Boss Zhang: "Who?"

Ling Shu nearly dropped her jaw in shock: "It's Li Chang?!"

Mr. Zhang: "Yes, Master Li is very familiar with everything down the mountain. In just a few days, he found out everything. He's even more capable than the officials in the government office!"

Of course she was familiar with it. She would go down the mountain every few days to play until she was exhausted. She had explored all the streets and alleys in the major cities. She knew all the anecdotes and rumors, and the story of a noble lady falling in love with a female butcher.

She was still a Foundation Establishment cultivator, while for ordinary people, the Qi Refining stage was already quite impressive. Moreover, with the Li family as her backer, she could come and go freely throughout the city.

To avoid Zhao Chi, Li Chang spotted Ling Shu and Boss Zhang in the teahouse and rushed over, saying, "Boss Zhang, I thought I'd never see you again."

"It was the Immortal Venerable and Miss Ling who saved me."

Li Chang asked a few more questions about her family's affairs. After learning that the matter was not completely resolved, she became very angry and shouted that she would go and arrest Xu Fangshi.

Ling Shu asked, "What are you doing here?"

Zhao Chi lifted the curtain and came in, just in time to hear this. He said, "Li Chang insisted on coming to help you. I told her not to cause trouble, but she insisted on going out. If I hadn't chased after her, she would have died on the way."

Li Chang: "You're talking about me again!"

Zhao Chi: "Don't you know how to write the phrase 'profiting from someone's misfortune'?"

Li Chang made a face: "Hehehe."

Zhao Chi rolled up his sleeves, his fists already clenched. Li Chang rushed to Ling Shu's side, crying out, "Cousin, save me!"

The word "cousin" startled Boss Zhang again. She sighed, thinking how lucky she was to have encountered such a person just by hiring a cultivator. She silently wiped the sweat from her brow.

Ling Shu placed a hand on Li Chang's forehead to stop her from rushing at him: "Don't shout!" But she was thinking of something else.

Zhuang Jinfu asked her to take the Five-Colored Furnace and help her build the barrier of Nanxi City before the natural disaster. Ling Shu was busy dealing with various matters when evacuating the people.

Thinking that Zhuang Jinfu would call her when needed, she put the matter aside for the time being. She hadn't forgotten about it, but Zhuang Jinfu hadn't asked her for help yet. Now that the disaster was over, she hadn't even used the Five-Colored Furnace.

Zhuang Jinfu can handle it all by himself, so why call her over?

Could this be an excuse to call her over?

No, I have to go and ask her.

Ling Shu: "You guys chat, I have something to discuss with the Immortal Venerable."