The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 132 Success in Thunder Magic
Having received this guidance, Jia Jing's understanding of the technique naturally deepened.

In just a moment, Jia Jing's complexion became rosy, and a surge of true energy circulated and strengthened within his body.

His whole body radiated waves of heat, leaving Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Zhen, and the others dumbfounded.

He hurriedly looked at Li Jingxiao, who waved his hand, signaling him to be quiet.

After an incense stick had burned, Jia Jing finished his practice and felt that the true energy in his body had increased by 10% compared to before. He couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He bowed to Li Jingxiao and said, "Your guidance is a great kindness, like a second life. I am deeply grateful."

Li Jingxiao stood up and moved aside, and couldn't help but think that Jia Zhen was willing to give him his two younger sisters-in-law in order to please him.

This means that you'll have two more experience-boosting babies and a beautiful woman to enjoy.

Li Jingxiao smiled and said to Jia Jing, "Uncle Jing, what are you saying? In a few days, my nephew and Brother Zhen will be brothers-in-law."

He is related to Brother Zhu by marriage, and he is also a brother to Brother Lian.

Rong'er has been calling me "uncle" for a long time, there's no need to be so polite.

My nephew must congratulate Uncle Jing on the fulfillment of his long-cherished wish.

Congratulations!

Upon hearing this, Jia Jing, Jia Zheng, and Jia She nodded repeatedly.

Jia Zhen, Jia Zhu, and the others also had smiles on their faces.

After Li Jingxiao finished speaking, he reached into his sleeve and took out one exorcism talisman and one fire-controlling talisman from his game inventory.

The saying goes, "If you're going to help someone, go all the way." Since Jia Jing cultivated his own true energy, Xuanzhen Temple certainly wouldn't lack books on talismans and incantations.

With a little time and effort, Jia Jing could learn something sooner or later, and then he could be a good person again.

Jia Jing thanked him again. Having cultivated Taoism for many years, drawing talismans was already quite familiar to him.

However, Li Jingxiao's instruction on how to channel his inner energy into the talisman paper through the brush did indeed save him a lot of time.

After failing more than ten times, Jia Jing finally succeeded in drawing his first real exorcism talisman. Overwhelmed with excitement, he recalled that he had been practicing Taoism for many years but had never been able to even get the basics right.

He couldn't help but burst into tears of joy.

Jia She and the other male members of the Jia family were equally excited.

This means that from this moment on, the Jia family embarked on a different path that would allow the family to prosper for a long time.

Li Jingxiao took the opportunity to offer his congratulations again, and Jia Jing and the others looked at him with even more kindness.

If Yuan Chun weren't the only eligible girl, he would have loved to marry off several other girls to him.

Ultimately, without Li Jingxiao's influence, Maoshan would not have passed on its cultivation techniques to him.

Without Li Jingxiao's personal explanation, it might take several years to draw a real talisman.

Jia Jing's thinking was simpler: if he cultivated true qi, while immortality was uncertain, longevity shouldn't be difficult.

Although he had already mastered the basics, Jia Jing knew even more clearly that he would still need more guidance and instruction from Li Jingxiao, the 'pioneer,' on his future path.

In this way, we can avoid taking many detours.

Li Jingxiao, however, was not worried at all that Jia Jing and the Jia family posed a threat to him.

With Jia Jing's current skill level, even the talismans he draws wouldn't be enough to deal with a slightly powerful monster.

Not to mention those old monsters who have cultivated for hundreds of years and can transform into humans.

Moreover, if this old man goes astray, Maoshan will certainly not allow him to act recklessly.

Use Jia Jing to suppress Jia Zhen, and use Maoshan to suppress Jia Jing.

Then, by using Jia Zheng and his son Jia Zhu to restrain Lady Wang, Li Jingxiao's smile grew even brighter.

Seeing him smile so happily, the Jia family members secretly thought that Li Jingxiao was truly sincere towards their Jia family.

During dinner that evening, Li Jingxiao pondered for only a moment before adding the 1 attribute point he had gained from leveling up to his comprehension.

体质16、根骨16+2、悟性17+1。

The Proficiency of the Longevity Technique and the Sword Control Technique is currently increasing by 2 points per hour.

Lightning Strike Fist costs 2.6 points per hour. Li Jingxiao thought for a moment and decided to upgrade Lightning Strike Fist to the master level first.

This technique is extremely effective at suppressing evil spirits, and it has been used the most since I started practicing it.

Moreover, the lightning flashing around him was indeed quite intimidating to humans.

After allocating the attribute points, Li Jingxiao thought to himself that this trip to the Jia family had been very fruitful.

In a great mood, he single-handedly took on the entire Jia family at the dinner table.

By the end, Jia Jing and the other men from both households were incredibly impressed by his drinking capacity.

The news that Jia Jing had cultivated true qi and could use Taoist magic had already reached the ears of the women in the inner quarters, including Grandmother Jia.

Lady You, a new bride who had only been married for a few years and whose presence had always been rather low, suddenly became the object of flattery by Grandmother Jia and others.

Madam Xing and Madam Wang, her two aunts, kept toasting her.

Even Old Lady You, Second Sister You, and Third Sister You became the objects of everyone's care.

However, when faced with Yuan Chun's toast, the four members of the You family, mother and daughters, dared not put on airs.

Instead, they kept congratulating Yuan Chun.

Second Sister You and Third Sister You even directly called Yuan Chun "Big Sister".

They were afraid that Yuan Chun and the Rongguo Mansion would change their minds and not allow their sisters to accompany them in their dowry.

Yuan Chun naturally knew all this. It was because she was about to marry Li Jingxiao that everyone, from the old lady and her own mother to her sister-in-law and aunt, was so close to her and even fawned over her.

She loved Li Jingxiao even more deeply.

Even before she was married into the family, her heart was already filled with Li Jingxiao.

When the news that Jia Jing had entered the Daoist path spread from the Jia family to other noble families in the capital, while people envied the Jia family, they also began to pay more attention to Li Jingxiao.

Unfortunately, Li Jingxiao, as always, refused to see outsiders.

He was single-mindedly focused on going to the yamen for his shift, cultivating his spiritual practice, and going home to spend time with his wife.

Occasionally, the retired emperor would summon him to the Daming Palace to discuss philosophy.

As for the Taoist priests accompanying the retired emperor, they were neither from Maoshan, nor from the Celestial Master's Mansion, nor from the Zaoge Sect.

It is not of the Zhenwu lineage either.

Li Jingxiao neither gets close to people nor keeps them at arm's length.

It was obvious to everyone that he didn't want to get too close to these Taoist priests.

Since they could see that Li Jingxiao was avoiding suspicion, the Taoist priests around the retired emperor naturally had their own pride.

Their attitude toward him cooled down.

Li Jingxiao naturally wished he had nothing to do with these Taoist priests.
-
Before we knew it, it was already the eighth day of the Lunar New Year.

The Chen family next door have basically moved out all their belongings in the past few days.

Early in the morning, Li Jingxiao served as a sparring partner for Qin Keqing, Baozhu, and Ruizhu, earning 450 experience points.

After having breakfast, I went next door.

Before long, when several neighbors and the village headman, who were witnesses, came to the door, Xia Shouzhong, the chief eunuch, also came with a smile, accompanied by craftsmen from the Imperial Household Department.

With Xia Shouzhong present, the handover process went very smoothly.

Li Jingxiao and Chen Jun settled the payment for the house on the spot, and the 14-acre, three-courtyard mansion became the property of the Li family.

After seeing off the neighbors and the village head, Li Jingxiao led Xia Shouzhong and the craftsmen on a tour of the new house.

I was busy until noon before I finally came up with a rough plan.

Xia Shouzhong waved his hand and only accepted 1 taels of silver from Li Jingxiao, guaranteeing that the renovation would be completed within one month with high quality and quantity. Li Jingxiao knew that 1 taels of silver was definitely not enough.

When I moved into the house I live in now, the furniture inside and outside was all made by the Imperial Household Department and cost several thousand taels of silver.

If you include the renovation of the new house, even 20,000 taels might not be enough.

Xia Shouzhong's fawning over him was merely a ploy to win him over for the emperor.

But it would be foolish not to take advantage of a benefit.

Not to mention, refusing would only make the emperor uneasy and dissatisfied.

Since that's the case, let's just hand it all over to the Crafts Department of the Imperial Household Department.

After dinner, Li Jingxiao chatted with his wife for a while before going to the study.

I've been practicing the Lightning Thunder Fist these past few days, and I've finally mastered the skill (498/500), and it's about to be upgraded.

In less than an hour of meditation, the thunderous power nurtured within his body suddenly expanded by one size.

Then, lightning crackled around Li Jingxiao's body.

He looks like Thor reincarnated, giving people a sense of dread just by looking at him a few times.

In an instant, people within a hundred meters of the courtyard could see faint streaks of lightning emanating from the Li family's direction.

The servants, maids, and old women in the house all turned their gazes toward the study.

Startled, Qin Keqing, Baozhu, and Ruizhu rushed out to check.

Fortunately, Qin Keqing had already mastered the basics of internal energy cultivation and knew that she must not disturb her husband at this time.

He hurriedly instructed the maids and servants to tell the others not to make a sound.

The next morning, residents within a hundred meters were all saying that there had been flashes of lightning and thunder at the Marquis of Xing'an's residence the night before.

It's obvious at a glance that the Marquis has mastered the art of thunder magic.

While feeling envious and jealous, she also felt both at ease and somewhat worried about living near Li Jingxiao.

With a Taoist master like Li Jingxiao around, there's definitely no need to worry about evil spirits causing trouble.

But if Li Jingxiao were to accidentally cause a problem in his cultivation, he might destroy a large area of ​​houses in the surrounding area.

What's even more unsettling is that if he were accidentally injured, even if Li Jingxiao paid with his life, he wouldn't be able to be resurrected.

Li Jingxiao could even find an excuse to say that someone being struck by lightning and killed had nothing to do with him.

It was lightning from the sky that struck and killed that person.

Kang Chengze, an imperial censor from the Censorate and the neighbor to the right of the Li residence, didn't sleep a wink last night, fearing that a bolt of lightning might strike him on the head if things went wrong.

After much deliberation, he realized that Chen Jun of the Ministry of Justice's Bureau of Clerks was smarter than him.

They sold their house to Li Jingxiao early on and moved to a new house not far away.

The new house isn't far away, so there's no need to worry about evil spirits causing trouble.

There's no need to worry about being too close and living in constant fear.

Thinking of this, Imperial Censor Kang simply discussed with his wife whether they should move away as well.
But his wife refused outright, saying, "Master, the Marquis's family is all at home. If they are not afraid, what are we afraid of?"
Besides, the Marquis cultivates the true teachings of Zhenwu Temple, which is the most orthodox Taoist practice.

It's unlikely to be like evil magic, and it wouldn't accidentally harm ordinary people.

Moreover, no matter how many powerful and influential people came to him seeking favors, the Marquis never paid them any attention.

Your Excellency, you visited the Marquis twice to offer your congratulations, and each time the Marquis personally received you.

How could we possibly turn down such an opportunity?

After thinking about it, Imperial Censor Kang finally agreed with his wife.

He suddenly chuckled, "Madam, prepare some local specialties from our hometown. Last night, the Marquis must have made a breakthrough in his magic. I'll go and congratulate him."

Madam Kang was overjoyed and kept praising her husband's wisdom.

Imperial Censor Kang laughed heartily, and soon after, he arrived at the door with his steward and two servants.

We presented them with local specialties from Huizhou: Lu'an melon seed tea, Gujing Gongjiu liquor, crispy candy, and dried silver fish.

Although it's not worth much money, it's definitely a good item.

Li Jingxiao, who was having breakfast, was taken aback when he heard that Imperial Censor Kang had arrived.

He ordered someone to invite Imperial Censor Kang to the reception room.

He finished his eight-treasure porridge, and then, with the help of his wife, Baozhu, and Ruizhu, dressed himself and went to the front yard.

After some pleasantries, Li Jingxiao treated Imperial Censor Kang with considerable courtesy and respect.

This guy is notoriously stubborn and always likes to cause trouble for the provincial governors.

As for whether he was honest or not, Li Jingxiao didn't care at all.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had been established for a hundred years, and the retired emperor had been on the throne for several decades. It's easy to imagine that the officialdom had long since become extravagant.

After seeing off Imperial Censor Kang, Li Jingxiao couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

Originally, I planned to buy the mansion of Imperial Censor Kang as well, but now it seems that since he is an imperial censor, he is not afraid of powerful people forcing him to sell the house.

Even given Imperial Censor Kang's personality and character, even if the Prince forced him to sell his house...

Instead of being angry, Imperial Censor Kang was excited and immediately went to impeach the prince, hoping to make a name for himself.
-
Back in the inner quarters, Li Jingxiao instructed Qin Keqing not to send anyone to keep a close eye on the renovations and alterations next door.

The people from the Imperial Household Department will handle things perfectly.

Qin Keqing agreed verbally, but in her heart she thought that after the official went to the yamen, she should go to the house next door herself to take a look.

To avoid over-standard construction.
-
After Li Jingxiao led his men into the palace to report for duty.

He stayed in his public housing to meditate and cultivate himself.

After breaking through to mastery with the Lightning Strike Fist last night, the experience I've accumulated over the past few days is almost enough to level up.

After playing with Qin Keqing that evening, I had double the good news and successfully leveled up to level 20.

Level 20 (30/4000)

After the upgrade, for the first time, Li Jingxiao didn't go looking for Baozhu and Ruizhu after playing with his wife.

Instead, he cuddled his wife while sleeping.

After Qin Keqing fell into a deep sleep, Li Jingxiao closed his eyes and directed his character in the game to enter a level 20 map to grind monsters.

And in the new map, some of the monsters have started to become spirits.

What rabbit spirits, flower fairies, rat spirits, and the final bosses guarding the gate are actually the meticulous ghost and the clever insect.

For the first time, the little character that Li Jingxiao was commanding was killed by an NPC in the game.

Fortunately, only some health and mana potions dropped; I didn't lose experience or the newly acquired level 20 equipment.

More importantly, it has no impact on Li Jingxiao in reality.

It took me all night, dying no less than 5 times, just grinding through mobs. My character had already leveled up to level 23 before I finally managed to defeat the Fine Ghost and the Clever Bug.

A red gourd popped out.

As for level 20 equipment, I have managed to collect a complete set.

Level 20, 'Flying Radiance Sword': +3 Sturdiness, +3 Sharpness, +3 Penetration
Level 20, Water Splitting Fan: Spell power +20%, spell cost -20%.
Level 20 jewelry, Spirit Gathering Necklace, increases spell power by 20%, and grants +2 to Comprehension.
Two level 20 ruby ​​rings, increase spell power by 15%, and grant +2 to Constitution.
Level 20, Centennial Serpent Scale Armor, Defense +5
Level 20 Three-Mountain Hat, Spell Resistance +20%
Level 20 Wind Chaser Boots, speed increased by 20%.
With just these equipment, their strength has increased by 20% to 30%.

Moreover, the necklace and two rings have an additional 3 attribute points, increasing cultivation speed by 30%.

Lightning Strike Fist, now gains 3 proficiency points per hour.

Both the Longevity Technique and the Sword Control Technique grant 2.4 proficiency points per hour.

(End of this chapter)