The two of them sipped the spirit wine in silence, each lost in thought.
It was hard to tell how much time had passed when Wei Hongqing finally asked, "Xiaolou, what's on your mind?"
Liu Xiaolou took a deep breath. "That bastard stole the formation disk I spent months refining. He said I should trade it for information about Lord Xingde. I gathered seventeen different materials for that plate, ran myself ragged, spent three full months on it, and used up five spirit stones to finish the thing. It was brutal. I don't even know if I'll ever be able to make another one."
Wei Hongqing went quiet again. After a long pause, he gave a small nod. "Go wait for me at that house in Yangliu Bay. I'll contact you when I have something."
Liu Xiaolou didn't say anything else. He got up and left. When he returned to the rundown house, he picked a room, sat cross-legged, and began cultivating. Holding a spirit stone in his hand, he started working on opening the Laogong acupoint.
Laogong acupoint is located in the center of the palm. Once opened, it can ease internal heat in the five hearts, calm anxiety, and make meditation and cultivation far more effective. It's also one of the key meridian acupoints for storing true qi. The moment Liu Xiaolou began channeling, he felt the effect immediately. He could tell that to fully open the acupoint and fill the primordial pool would take at least four or five spirit stones.
He only had four left. No idea if that would be enough.
But like the old saying goes: sharpening your spear last minute before battle won't make it sharper, but at least it'll shine. Every bit of progress counted.
He cultivated alone in the abandoned house for three days. Then, all of a sudden, he heard a noise outside the courtyard. He stood up to take a look. A head poking over the top of the wall.
Their eyes met, and Liu Xiaolou couldn't help but smile. "Brother Tan."
Tan Bajhang swung himself over the wall and grinned. "Here I am, here I am. You look pretty relaxed, Xiaolou."
Liu Xiaolou sighed. "Relaxed? Hardly. I'm worried sick."
Tan Bajhang clapped him on the shoulder and started wandering around the house. "Hard to believe it's already been a year," he said. "Think this place is haunted? You know how they say if someone dies with strong enough spiritual will, they linger in the world. That's what mortals call ghosts. And that's where all those ghostly techniques come from…"
Liu Xiaolou rolled his eyes. "Even if, what were their names again? Right, even if Lu Zi'an and Pinggu turned into ghosts, they wouldn't be here. They're buried a hundred miles east of here."
Tan Bajhang went on, "I remember there used to be some cured meat hanging in the kitchen, right? What happened to it? I was hoping to steam a couple pieces…"
"No ghosts, but there are plenty of stray cats and dogs. You really think that meat was gonna wait around for you?"
Just then, Wei Hongqing arrived. "Who's waiting for Bajhang?"
Tan Bajhang grinned. "Brother Wei, did your cultivation break through again? Feels like you're a whole level ahead of me now…"
Wei Hongqing gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Stay sharp. Don't slack off, not even for a day."
Tan Bajhang let out a discouraged sigh. "How am I supposed to stay sharp? I'm busy every day just trying to scrape together food and money for spirit stones. The big sects really do have it good; nothing to worry about except cultivating. I've been making decent progress, I think, but I'm still nowhere near opening all nine acupoints of the Hand Jueyin Meridian. I've been stuck on the Neiguan acupoint forever."
Liu Xiaolou couldn't help bragging a little. "The Neiguan acupoint? I just broke through it not long ago."
Tan Bajhang's eyes went wide. "You're only at the third layer and you're already working on the Hand Jueyin Meridian? Come on, Xiaolou, you've gotta tell me how you opened the Neiguan acupoint. That one's tough as hell. No matter how hard I push, I can't seem to get any traction. The more energy I pour in, the harder it bounces back. I've already burned through three spirit stones on it!"
"Three spirit stones should've been enough, honestly," said Liu Xiaolou. "The real glutton of true qi in the Hand Jueyin meridian is the Laogong acupoint. When I broke through Neiguan, I used less than three. From what you just said, I'm thinking maybe you need to take a more roundabout approach."
Tan Bajhang leaned forward, eager. "What do you mean?"
"You can't force it directly. Start from the outer gates. Alternate strikes left and right, then the inner main gate's lock."
Tan Bajhang muttered the instructions under his breath, trying to visualize the flow. Liu Xiaolou chuckled. "That's all you need to remember. Cultivation isn't something you can rush. When you have the time, you might want to find a female partner for dual cultivation and really focus on understanding it."
Tan Bajhang's eyes lit up. "Wait, is this from your Sanxuan Sect's Yin-Yang Secret Art? Brother Wei, you've seen a lot. Do you think that would work?"
Liu Xiaolou just smiled, saying nothing. Wei Hongqing laughed and scolded him, "Why does everyone think I've 'seen a lot'? What nonsense!"
The three of them laughed and chatted in the courtyard. Late into the night, Zuo Gaofeng arrived, the last of the group. He bowed repeatedly. "Sorry I'm late, truly. I passed through Songmaoping at dusk; there was a landslide in the mountains. Half the village got buried. I stayed to help with the rescue, which is why I'm so delayed."
Wei Hongqing's face turned serious. "Songmaoping? Were there casualties?"
Zuo Gaofeng sighed. "Fairy Huangye, Zhang Shihua, the seven brothers from Guzhang Mountain, and old Hu Du were all there. I helped too. We managed to get most of the villagers out, and luckily, the injuries weren't too serious. But the Lin family's elderly couple didn't make it. They got caught in the collapse. Only their little boy survived; he's the last of the line."
Liu Xiaolou's face darkened. "That Lin boy's only three…"
Zuo Gaofeng nodded. "Yeah. So we followed the old custom. Everyone got together and decided to place him with another family in the village. Those who could spare it each gave a tael of silver. We left the boy in Songmaoping with Lin Laoshi and his wife. They've never had kids of their own and agreed to raise the boy like he was their own son."
Liu Xiaolou and Wei Hongqing both said, "They're good people. Count us in."
"I'll give ten taels!" added Tan Bajhang.
Zuo Gaofeng shook his head. "Brother Tan, you're still new to the mountain, so let me explain. When it comes to helping out villagers like this, it's customary for each cultivator to donate just one tael. A few dozen taels total is usually enough. If someone gives too much, it breaks the balance. Makes things awkward and unsustainable in the long run."
Tan Bajhang nodded. "Got it. Steady and lasting; that's the right way."
Zuo Gaofeng went on, "Aside from the aid money, there's also the matter of rebuilding the village. Songmaoping's near where the Guzhang Mountain brothers are based, so they've taken the lead. Over ten cultivators are already involved, so they've got it covered. But they'll still need plenty of silver for tools, clothes, food, everything the villagers lost. At the meeting, we agreed that those who could afford it would give two taels…"
"I'm in."
"Me too."
"Count me in."
Zuo Gaofeng collected the silver on the spot. It was just three taels from each of them, but Wei Hongqing, Liu Xiaolou, and Tan Bajhang all handed it over with sincerity. Tan Bajhang didn't have any small change, so Liu Xiaolou exchanged it for him.
With that business wrapped up, everyone turned to Wei Hongqing.
He said, "The reason I asked Brother Zuo and Bajhang here today is because Xiaolou's run into a problem. Let me be clear. This is no small matter. The risks are high, and the reward is uncertain. It might not even pay off at all. As always, you both have the choice to join or sit this one out."
"If I'm here, it means I'm willing," Zuo Gaofeng replied. "We're brothers, when one of us is in trouble, who cares about rewards? And as for risk, we're cultivators of Wulong Mountain. What do we do that isn't risky?"
Tan Bajhang chimed in, "Just tell us, Brother Wei. Who are we hitting? Where are we going?"
Wei Hongqing nodded. "Hou Sheng, inner inspector of the Qingyu Sect. He's at the tenth layer of Qi Refinement and carries the sect's Groundbinding Spirit-Scattering Cord. Word is, he's never lost a fight in the Taoyuan Mountain Range. Real battlefield reputation. What's unusual is, he always acts alone; rarely works with others from the sect. But I've managed to borrow something useful. With the right timing, it should counter his Qingyu soul techniques."
Zuo Gaofeng and Tan Bajhang exchanged a glance, then slapped their palms together in unison. "Let's do it!"