Chapter 176 - 152: Bone

Chapter 176: Chapter 152: Bone

Bitterness filled Ma Rong’s heart. If it weren’t for this incident, this favor alone would have surely brought the two of them closer.

After some thought, he flipped his hand and produced a shimmering female cultivator’s Daoist Robe and a jade tablet, handing them to Li Changsheng. He said earnestly, "Junior Brother, this matter was truly not my intention. It was my clan members who saw your sister’s extraordinary aptitude and brought her into the sect..."

"This is an apology gift I prepared for your sister. Junior Brother, please don’t refuse it."

"This..."

Li Changsheng glanced at them and was secretly astonished.

This Daoist Robe was even better than the one he was wearing; it was a Top-Grade Magic Robe. As for the jade tablet, it contained an energy that he found utterly alarming.

Beside them, Tan Hu chuckled and said, "Junior Brother Ma, you’re quite generous." He then turned to Li Changsheng. "Go on and take it. Just consider it a welcoming gift for your little sister."

After speaking, he flipped his hand and produced a palm-sized black jade tablet, tossing it into Li Changsheng’s arms.

He feigned a sigh of melancholy. "I’m saving up to advance to the Late-Meridian Condensation stage, so I’m completely broke right now. I can’t afford things like Daoist Robes or Jade Talismans."

"This Soul Nourishing Jade contains two little ghosts at the Late-Stage Qi Cultivation realm with fairly high Spiritual Wisdom. They’re good enough for helping with minor chores."

Ma Rong pressed the two items into Li Changsheng’s hands, and before he could refuse, said directly, "If you don’t accept them, Junior Brother, then I’ll be too ashamed to even be here."

"I... this..."

Li Changsheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Who ever heard of people falling over themselves to give you things and not taking no for an answer?

After hesitating for a few moments, he helplessly cupped his hands. "In that case, I’ll thank you two senior brothers on Pang’Er’s behalf." ’Once the Concentration Flowers mature,’ he thought, ’I’ll have to prepare a return gift for them both.’

Tan Hu waved his hand dismissively.

Ma Rong breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.

Li Changsheng poured them both a cup of tea, then placed the Daoist Robe and the jade items on the table between them. Facing their confused gazes, he said helplessly, "Have you two senior brothers forgotten? My little sister is inside the sect."

Tan Hu and Ma Rong were stunned for a moment, then laughed awkwardly.

Tan Hu waved his hand to put the items away and said with a laugh, "I’ll be returning to the sect in a few days. I can take them to her."

Li Changsheng nodded.

The three of them then fell into casual conversation.

They had only exchanged a few sentences when Ma Rong suddenly asked, "Junior Brother, I’ve noticed your subordinates, Yan Shaoyuan and that Bai Shui fellow, seem to be quite close with Steward Ke. Are you aware of this?"

"Hm?"

Upon hearing this, Li Changsheng’s brow furrowed instantly. Then, he let out a cold laugh. "They’re probably trying to avoid me."

His words left both Tan Hu and Ma Rong looking confused.

Tan Hu asked, "Did he offend you, Junior Brother?"

Li Changsheng gave a slight nod but offered no explanation.

Tan Hu and Ma Rong exchanged a look, a stern glint appearing in both their eyes, and immediately changed the subject.

After chatting for a while amidst the downpour, the two of them took their leave together.

Li Changsheng tried to persuade them to stay, but seeing their minds were made up, he walked them to the door.

He watched as two streaks of rainbow light vanished into the rain-swept sky.

Li Changsheng stood quietly watching the rain for a while before turning to go back to the third floor, where he swallowed a pill and began cultivating by absorbing a Spiritual Object.

Meanwhile, the two men, traveling as streaks of Escape Light, left Ten Thousand Serpent Lake and landed on a rooftop not far from the Spirit Field Hall.

They were directly opposite a small courtyard where, by the candlelight, three figures could be faintly seen drinking and making merry.

Ma Rong stroked the ruyi scepter in his hand and sighed softly. "Junior Brother Li didn’t come up through the sect, after all. He’s too kind-hearted."

"It’s better that he’s kind-hearted," Tan Hu said, shaking his head. "If everyone were black-hearted, how could anyone have friends?"

"Indeed, indeed..."

Ma Rong nodded in agreement, then asked, "In that case, Senior Brother, how far should we take it?"

Tan Hu looked up at the curtain of rain and sighed. "It’s a pity we’re in a Spiritual Land. There are certain things we can’t do here."

Ma Rong’s expression flickered, and he nodded lightly.

"Injured, but not dead. Can you manage that, Junior Brother?" Tan Hu asked, turning to Ma Rong with a smile.

Ma Rong nodded lightly, saying nothing.

The two of them leaped up and landed outside the wooden house.

The lively atmosphere inside the house instantly froze.

Within a hundred-meter radius, the curtain of rain suddenly began to steam and evaporate.

The colossal shadow of a beast was slowly cast upon the wooden house.

ROAR—

「The next day.」

The rain had not stopped; in fact, it had grown even heavier.

「Ten Thousand Serpent Lake, mountaintop.」

Two figures in tattered clothes staggered toward the central courtyard, leaving faint crimson trails where they stepped.

In a small courtyard at the edge of the mountaintop, a woman with a veiled face and a man with plain features stood side-by-side, silently watching the two figures in the rain.

After a moment, the man scratched his head and said, "I can’t beat them, and I don’t want to fight them either."

Hao Yuegui froze for a second, then nodded lightly. After a brief hesitation, she asked, "Then will we...?"

The man thought for a moment before saying seriously, "He’s a fool, but I’m not."

"Mm."

Hao Yuegui pursed her lips into a smile and nodded gently, then snuggled into the man’s embrace.

Meanwhile, the two figures in the rain staggered to the gate of the central courtyard and knelt down directly on the ground.

With a crisp CLINK, followed by a series of thuds—BANG, BANG, BANG—the two of them kowtowed three times. Then they stood, placed a storage bag on the wooden gate, and turned to leave.

From his third-floor window, Li Changsheng watched the pair enter a small courtyard at the edge of the mountaintop. He then turned his attention back to his own gate, and with a slight stir of his will, several insects rose up, dragging the storage bag to the third-floor window.

Li Changsheng took the storage bag, watched the endless curtain of rain for a moment, and closed the window.

He returned to his soft couch and infused the storage bag with Spiritual Power, opening it.

A pile of Spirit Stones, three jade boxes, and five pill vials appeared on the table.

There were ten thousand Spirit Stones.

Inside the jade boxes were a jade slip, a bone covered in blood-red veins, and a jade vial.

The pills consisted of three bottles of Spirit Fusion Pills, one bottle of Spirit Stabilizing Pills, and one bottle of Water Rhythm Pills.

The jade slip recorded experience and cultivation methods for growing Water Spirit Flowers.

Li Changsheng took out the jade vial from one of the boxes. As he uncorked it, a dense wave of Spiritual Qi billowed out.

He hurriedly recorked the vial, a slight smile on his face.

He then picked up the bone webbed with blood-red veins.

’A demon bone...’

Li Changsheng sensed the faint aura of power it emitted. After examining it for a moment, he tried to channel his Spiritual Power into it.

"Huh..."

A hint of surprise appeared in Li Changsheng’s eyes.

As his Spiritual Power flowed into the demon bone, he came into contact with a complete magical circuit.

Within a few breaths, the exposed, blood-red veins on the demon bone began to light up one after another.

After a moment, Li Changsheng stared at the demon bone flashing with bloody light in his palm, a curious glint in his eyes. ’Interesting.’

Sensing his connection to the magical circuit within it, he looked at the wooden table and activated it with a thought.

SWOOSH—

In an instant, a ray of bloody light shot out from the demon bone and struck the wooden table.

Li Changsheng looked on with anticipation.

However, even after more than ten breaths, the wooden table showed no change whatsoever.

Confused, Li Changsheng inspected the table; it was completely unscathed.

’Could it be that this isn’t a demon’s innate magic? Or did I use it wrong?’ Li Changsheng frowned, examining the demon bone again. After a moment of thought, he walked down the stairs.