This attack can truly be described as sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight, with the snipe and the clam grappling while the fisherman reaps the profit.
If the Black Abyss Divine Scripture had been given a chance to utter its dying words,
it probably would have blurted out, "What a cheap camper!"
At this moment, the light in the eyes of the Black Rock Bear was somewhat dim.
Xie Guannan did not dare to linger for long.
Wielding the Xuan Sword, he stabbed directly toward the head of the Scaled Serpent.
True, the Scaled Serpent was venomous, but he was holding the Xuan Sword! This was not the ordinary short blade he had brought with him from the Xie family.
The head of the Scaled Serpent was abruptly pierced open.
Inside lay a demonic core the size of Xie Guannan's head.
This was a Tier 5 demonic core!
Naturally, his current physique was not yet capable of refining it.
He quickly plucked the demonic core into his storage ring to prevent the dispersion of Spiritual Power.
At the same time, he stowed the corpse of the dragonized Scaled Serpent into another storage ring.
Xie Guannan turned toward the Black Rock Bear, and with a swift stroke of his blade, he extracted its bloody demonic core.
That was precisely the Rank 4 demonic core of the Black Rock Bear.
As for the carcass of the Black Rock Bear, there was no need to hesitate—it went straight into his storage space.
He dashed rapidly into the cave, where a fruit shaped like a snake's head grew conspicuously deep within the Scaled Serpent's lair.
After scanning the area and finding no other precious herbs,
he snatched it up. Unable to refine it on the spot, he stowed the Serpent Saliva Fruit into his storage ring and turned to leave.
This time, his storage space was thoroughly packed to capacity, and Xie Guannan did not wish to stay in this place a single second longer.
He still lacked any trump card to save his life! Staying an extra second meant boundless danger.
This was no outer zone.
Fortunately, the lingering auras left behind by the two beasts fighting earlier freed him from any worries.
Sword flight!
He had to get out of here fast.
In the dead of night, a figure stepped on a flying sword and sped swiftly through the air, the wind howling all around.
It was none other than Xie Guannan returning from the core buffer zone.
Those high-tier fierce beasts might glance over because of his aura, but they would never spare Xie Guannan a second look, directly dismissing him as a mere ant.
Xie Guannan's own cultivation level was low, which in the eyes of those high-tier demonic beasts made him no different from thin air.
Even so, Xie Guannan had still been more or less affected by the clashes between those fierce beasts.
"Almost there, I'll be at the fringe zone soon! It really is thrilling inside! Until I have absolute strength, I shouldn't even think about picking up easy scraps."
This time, Xie Guannan could only consider himself immensely lucky.
......
The sun shone like a cinnabar pill; it was already afternoon.
"Kid, with cultivation as meager as yours, you shouldn't go out for trials at night!" said the guard, noticing that Xie Guannan, who was flying on his sword, was covered in injuries.
Unwilling to waste words, Xie Guannan gave a few perfunctory replies and left.
"To be able to fly on a sword with such meager cultivation—I wonder which family's genius he is." The guard watched Xie Guannan's receding figure with an approving gaze.
The rosy glow of twilight faded.
A magnificent and imposing building came into view, leaving Xie Guannan clicking his tongue in admiration.
The Ci Family's Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
Xie Guannan walked straight in. Having been brought back by Ci Qianluo, the guards at the door were already quite familiar with his face!
Thus, his passage was completely unobstructed!
Entering the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, Xie Guannan said to the steward, "Inform the eldest young lady that I have returned." Xie Guannan spoke calmly, though he bore quite a few injuries on his body at the moment.
"Distinguished guest, wouldn't it be better if I found you a room first to recover from your injuries? This... the eldest young lady might still be resting, so I'm afraid it might be somewhat inconvenient?"
Ignoring the steward, Xie Guannan walked straight toward the stairs, but before he could step onto them, he was blocked by the steward and the others.
"Distinguished guest, you really can't do this. If we offend the eldest young lady, we won't be able to account for it!" The steward's expression was serious, showing no intention of letting him pass.
"If you block him outside, you won't be able to account for it either!" A cold voice came from upstairs, carrying a hint of anger.
Everyone looked up to see a cold and stunning beauty stepping forward with light paces, though her steps were slightly unsteady.
She stopped at the corner and looked down at the scene below.
"All of you, withdraw! This young lady wishes to speak privately with this distinguished guest!" Ci Qianluo said to the crowd.
Glancing at one another, the crowd hurriedly dispersed from the area.
Xie Guannan shook his head helplessly and then went upstairs.
Once everyone had moved far away,
"I became a distinguished guest on my very first day here, haha," Xie Guannan asked with a smile.
"Alright, alright, my great benefactor! You're finally back. What on earth were you doing? You left me behind without saying a single word." Ci Qianluo instantly lost her young lady's temper, blinking her cold, limpid eyes as she shook Xie Guannan's arm.
The movement touched Xie Guannan's wounds, causing him to flinch sharply. Despite the pain, he did not push Ci Qianluo away, and could only let out a helpless sigh.
"Oh dear, how did you get hurt? What on earth did you do today?" Ci Qianluo reacted, noticing the wounds on Xie Guannan's body, and asked with concern.
－018 Snatching a Life from the Gates of Hell
Xie Guannan did not answer. Instead, he leaned closer to Ci Qianluo, looked the beauty before him in the eye, and said, "We've only been apart for a day, how is it that you can't even walk steadily?"
Ci Qianluo understood Xie Guannan's implication all too well. She swung her fist at him and protested, "That's only because I walked too much, humph!"
"I didn't do a thing, you know. Don't try to pin this on me!" Xie Guannan waved his hands hastily.
"Pfft, indecent!" Ci Qianluo let go of Xie Guannan, turned around, and ignored him.
"Hisss—it hurts!" Xie Guannan's cry of pain came from the side.
Ci Qianluo hurriedly turned around to steady Xie Guannan, saying apologetically, "I'm sorry! Let me help you go take a rest!"
Xie Guannan honestly wanted to just lie flat on the floor.
"Let's drop the jokes. Help me to a quiet room first so I can recover my injuries and Spiritual Power," Xie Guannan said earnestly.
"Alright!" Ci Qianluo gave a light nod, putting aside her playful demeanor.
Xie Guannan sat cross-legged. Circulating the Five Elements Arts, the Spiritual Power around him condensed into a vortex. Inside his body, the incoming Spiritual Power instantly transformed into five different energies, flowing toward his five viscera.
The time was very short before Xie Guannan opened his eyes!
He saw Ci Qianluo staring right at him from the side, her gaze resembling that of a hunter eyeing its prey! Seeing him open his eyes, she abruptly withdrew her gaze.
Xie Guannan couldn't help shuddering; he had practically invited a hunter to his side!
Even so, he didn't mind. Influenced by the Dao oath, Ci Qianluo could not possibly harbor any murderous intent!
So what else could it be?!
.......
"Alright, let's go see your great-grandfather. Just a few more acupuncture needles and he'll be fine!" Xie Guannan withdrew his gaze and said to Ci Qianluo.
"Okay," Ci Qianluo nodded.
Right now, her great-grandfather was merely hanging on to life by a thread. To truly recover, the origin poison of the Scaled Serpent within his body had to be removed.
Ci Qianluo pulled Xie Guannan over to the side of an old man.
"Will my grandfather really get better?" Ci Qianluo asked, still somewhat worried.
Xie Guannan nodded and told Ci Qianluo, "Help me fetch some silver needles!"
Ci Qianluo proved quite obedient, returning shortly with a quaint-looking box in her hands.
"Here!"
Xie Guannan reached out to take the silver needles, turned to Ci Qianluo, and said, "Stand further back so you don't get hurt!"
Ci Qianluo rolled her eyes and retorted unconvinced, "Hey, I'm at the Foundation Establishment realm at least, you don't have to look down on me like that!"
"Be a good girl." Xie Guannan smiled faintly.
Ci Qianluo turned around with a cold huff, walked off to the side, crossed her slender legs, folded her arms across her chest, and fixed her gaze on Xie Guannan.
After Ci Qianluo had moved away, Xie Guannan shook his storage pouch, and immediately, a huge dragon horn materialized in the room.
Ci Qianluo was startled by the massive dragon horn, which was swiftly followed by a face full of puzzlement!
Xie Guannan was in the middle of performing acupuncture and couldn't be disturbed, otherwise, no matter what, she would have demanded a clear explanation.
"What is a dragon horn this big used for? Wait no, how did someone at the Mid-stage Qi Condensation realm manage to get his hands on such a huge dragon horn?" Ci Qianluo had easily a hundred thousand whys she wanted to ask Xie Guannan.
The moment the dragon horn was released, the toxic Qi and dragon might inside it burst forth instantly, the remaining pressure buffeting Xie Guannan to the point where he could barely steady himself.
In the distance, Ci Qianluo's hair fluttered wildly from the residual pressure, and she felt a secret shock in her heart—just what kind of background did this dragon horn have?
However, that residual pressure was not something Xie Guannan needed to worry about. He blocked it directly with the Xuan Sword in front of him, instantly diminishing the pressure somewhat. Although the beast was dead, its Tier 5 might still lingered.
Xie Guannan then stabbed a silver needle into the dragon horn, and after a moment, he pulled the needle out and pierced it into the old man's heart.
"What is he doing? Could it be fighting poison with poison?!" Ci Qianluo was clearly shocked by Xie Guannan's maneuver.
Wasn't he just sticking a silver needle straight into the heart?!
Though she knew nothing of medicine, Ci Qianluo could only worry anxiously from the sidelines.
Did Xie Guannan understand medicine very well? Naturally, he wasn't deeply proficient; he was simply doing the most straightforward thing.
Sucking out the poison! Using toxins sharing the same attribute as the Scaled Serpent to lure it out, the silver-white needle turned a bluish-black before long.
Xie Guannan quickly pulled out the needle, his own hand suffering no small amount of injury.
Fortunately, Xie Guannan had kept the Five Elements Arts running continuously within his body; while adjusting the balance of the five elements internally, it also minimized the impact from the outside world.
This snake venom was far too potent, allowing him only to slow down its infiltration, while total isolation was completely out of the question.
Unless Xie Guannan was in the Fourth Realm or Fifth Realm.
Yet how could Xie Guannan stop now? He continued to pick up silver needles to draw out the toxin.
A quarter of an hour later.
Xie Guannan's hand was already covered in blue veins, turned a purplish-blue!
An anxious voice rang out: "That's enough! Wait until you've recovered before doing acupuncture!" Ci Qianluo couldn't bear to watch any longer.
"Don't worry, I won't die. What, worried? If you're worried, stand further back!"
"If you die, it won't really affect me—the Dao oath would terminate right there, and I'd regain my complete freedom. But why don't I feel happy at all? Instead, I feel worried, upset, anxious... could it be—?" Ci Qianluo's heart raced, and her face flushed instantly.
She shook her head a moment later and said coldly, "Stop! Grandfather has already had an accident; this young lady won't allow you to get hurt too!"
Xie Guannan was speechless. Just who was the master of this oath? Shaking his head helplessly, he muttered, "Mere fatal injuries... wait, it's nighttime!"
Xie Guannan could distinctly feel how the night empowered him, making him feel as though he were a child of the night, embraced by the power of darkness.
Yet this power of darkness was invisible to others!
The next instant, Xie Guannan's cultivation surged explosively!
Gone was any trace of the Mid-stage Qi Condensation realm feel.
"How did he suddenly break through? It doesn't quite look like a breakthrough, but he simply feels so much stronger." Ci Qianluo could not puzzle it out.
Xie Guannan rejoiced inwardly: "Heaven helps me!"
The consumed Spiritual Power was replenished in an instant, and the purplish-blue poison on his arm was suppressed as well.
He hadn't been infected by the toxin; he had merely touched it voluntarily, not enough to end up like the old man.
Xie Guannan's hand movements also sped up a fraction.
The ruined silver needles were tossed by Xie Guannan onto the dragon horn, while the toxins at the old man's heart continuously surged toward the needles.
After ruining countless silver needles,
the old man coughed lightly and spat out a mouthful of stagnant blood.
Xie Guannan withdrew the silver needle from the old man's heart. Looking at the pile of needles near the dragon horn behind him and his own purplish-blue arm, he could only offer a helpless, wry smile.
His own strength was still simply lacking.
Xie Guannan picked up the remaining few silver needles, stabbed them into his own acupoints, and circulated the Five Elements Arts, causing the toxins to slowly drift out of his body.
Doing this, he was more or less free of any major problems.
Before long, the old man's eyelids fluttered.
Xie Guannan stored the dragon horn back into his storage ring.
Immediately afterward, he was pulled up by a force—it was gentle, with a soft-as-cotton touch. Seeing that it was Ci Qianluo, he offered no resistance and let her pull him out of the room.
With a complex expression, Ci Qianluo tugged at Xie Guannan and said, "Come with me, I have something to ask you."
"What? You want to kiss me? Cough, cough, that wouldn't be very good, would it!" Xie Guannan teased.
Ci Qianluo stuck out her tongue and retorted, "How indecent, keep dreaming! I have some questions to ask you."
－019 Just a Title
The two walked to the doorway of Ci Qianluo's room.
"Ask away then, why go into your room? You wouldn't be planning to do something to me, would you!" Xie Guannan said with mischievous intent.
Ci Qianluo's face flushed all the way to the roots of her ears. With a cold huff, she dropped a parting remark and entered the room. "Humph, you're so irresponsible!"
"How am I irresponsible?" Xie Guannan asked himself, women were truly incomprehensible.
Was he not supposed to follow her inside? What was there to fear—could she possibly eat him?
Xie Guannan stepped into the room after her and took a seat.
Ci Qianluo had already seated herself in the main seat. Once Xie Guannan, who entered behind her, sat down, she spoke up: "You are the young master of the Xie family in Jianghai City."
"You could say you have no background; your father doesn't love you and your mother doesn't care. Since childhood, you've been idle and good-for-nothing, living a decadent life without putting your heart into cultivation. It also seems you have an engagement with the An family of the Liuyun Dynasty!"
Xie Guannan nodded without denying it. "How does she know so much?! Can an investigation really uncover things this clearly?" Xie Guannan felt unsure of himself.
"What do you want?" Xie Guannan had a feeling of being cornered. Even so, there was no way Ci Qianluo could know his ultimate trump card.
The Black Abyss Divine Scripture!
"I wonder if you've ever heard of the Southern Heavenly Domain's Ci Family Myriad Treasures Pavilion?" Ci Qianluo asked.
Xie Guannan took a casual sip of tea, nodded, and said nothing.
Ci Qianluo continued: "I am the eldest young lady of the Ci Family Myriad Treasures Pavilion's branch. My status is not something your Jianghai City Xie family can compare to. If word gets out that I've sworn a Dao oath to you and obey your commands, coupled with the fact that you already have an engagement—you should be well aware of what this means for me and for you!"
Xie Guannan said calmly, "State your purpose then!" This sounded rather malicious.
Xie Guannan was already numb; she was truly a two-faced woman! These few sentences brought pressure upon him that felt as heavy as mountains.
Without missing a beat, Ci Qianluo handed over a piece of paper and casually said, "If you can accept it, just sign it!"
"What on earth is this that you're making me sign?" After glancing at it, Xie Guannan spat out a mouthful of tea.
"What? A marriage certificate?!"
Staring at the two characters "Marriage Certificate" on the paper, Xie Guannan froze in place with his mouth wide open; this was completely unexpected.
He had thought she would try to pressure him somehow—who would have thought she'd hand him a marriage certificate instead.
Seeing Xie Guannan holding it without moving,
"What, are you unwilling, or am I not worthy of you? Don't overthink it, this is just nominal, just sounds good when spoken aloud," Ci Qianluo bit her lower lip to conceal her inner hesitation.
"The status of a maid simply isn't worthy of this eldest young lady!"
Xie Guannan was no blockhead either.
Xie Guannan thought to himself: "I've already taken advantage of her, and she's taken a Dao oath; no matter what, I can't leave her without a proper title. Signing it won't cause me any loss anyway."
"I'll sign!" Xie Guannan only paused for a moment before readily agreeing.
Ci Qianluo let out a soft sigh.
"Don't you feel like you've just sold yourself off?" Xie Guannan pressed his thumbprint onto the paper and chuckled mischievously at Ci Qianluo.
Ci Qianluo turned her head away, murmuring under her breath, "No way! Wait, no!"
Xie Guannan waved his hand. "Isn't there anything else you want to give to your fiancé?"
"The only thing of any value on my entire body was the Xuan Sword, and I've already given it to you. What else could I possibly give you?" Ci Qianluo dismissed the only valuable item on her person; after all, she had only come here with a specific task in mind, so naturally there was no need to bring many things.
Xie Guannan smiled, "Think about it carefully!"
Waves rippled in Ci Qianluo's eyes as the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. "A lonely man and a widow—cough, a lonely man and an unmarried woman sharing a room, I do happen to have eighteen years of cherished purity here, do you want it?"
"Cough, cough, cough, no need!" Xie Guannan hastily coughed dryly to conceal his inner embarrassment; the contrast here was simply too huge!
There were still too many unpredictable variables with Ci Qianluo; he couldn't afford to get too close to her!
"Hand over your Ci family sword techniques so I can study them." Xie Guannan didn't even feel embarrassed; he genuinely didn't have any decent martial skills he could pull out.
What's wrong with asking his fiancée for a battle skill?
Ci Qianluo's eyes flickered with hesitation. Moments later, she gave a shake of her head, retrieved a sword manual from her storage ring, and handed it to Xie Guannan.
Taking the manual and seeing the four characters 《Falling Ci Sword Technique》 inscribed on it, Xie Guannan nodded inwardly.
He then said, "It's getting late, I'll be leaving first. You can keep the marriage certificate here!"
After Xie Guannan left.
"Ah, this little rose of mine finally has an owner. Humph! With this, my family shouldn't nag me about marriage anymore, right?" Ci Qianluo murmured to herself, her eyes crinkling into crescents with a smile at the corners of her mouth.
A voice drifted in from outside the room.
"What's got our Luo girl so happy? Share it with your grandfather!"
Ci Qianluo's body shook violently, and she hurriedly got up to open the door. The moment she opened it, tears welled up and spilled over.
The old man before her bore no trace of his previous lifelessness.
He was clearly bursting with vitality.
"Grandfather, are you feeling much better?! Has your cultivation fully recovered?" Ci Qianluo asked with concern.
Ci Sheng nodded and said, "Much better. By the way, where did you find such a brilliant physician? I remember walking right to the gates of Hell itself. Oh right, why was there a Mid-stage Qi Condensation kid leaving your place just now? Did he do something to you?!" The old man's tone grew noticeably displeased toward the end.
"Grandfather, come inside and sit down first, hurry and sit down!" Ci Qianluo tugged on the arm of her great-grandfather, Ci Sheng, and led him into the room.
Once Ci Sheng was seated,
"Grandfather, that man is my fiancé!" Ci Qianluo said, her face brimming with joy and pride.
"What kind of background does this punk have to come and flirt with my precious granddaughter?" Ci Sheng flew into a direct rage, his expression turning displeased.
"He's from the Xie family in Jianghai City, no particular background!" Ci Qianluo said with a guilty conscience.
"Him? A mere Qi Condensation kid from some tiny Jianghai City family—he isn't worthy of your status!" Ci Sheng's expression grew visibly darker upon hearing those words.
"Grandfather, grandfather! He's the one who saved both your life and mine!" Seeing her grandfather displeased, Ci Qianluo's voice trembled slightly, leaving no trace of her previous cold elegance.
"Him? How did he save us? He's only at the Qi Condensation realm, how could he possibly remove the innate poison of a Tier 5 Great Demonic Beast?" Ci Sheng refused to believe it.
"No way, I do not approve of this match. Go break off the engagement!"
"Grandfather, grandfather! To make him save you, I swore a Dao oath! I have to obey his every command, I can't take it back," Ci Qianluo pleaded, tears shimmering in her eyes.
"Besides, I'm not breaking off this engagement—even if I die, I won't break it off! Humph!" Ci Qianluo crossed her arms over her waist.