Vampire Cultivation Notes

Having accepted the chicken blood vine, Li Jieqing took advantage of his trip today to settle all outstanding accounts for spirit charcoal, jade dew, and other items.

He first took out the spirit stones and counted them, but found that they were not enough, so he took out two Heart-Fulfilling Pills that he had just refined that day and handed them over as payment.

"Hmm... Fellow Daoist, the quality of this pill is getting better and better." Old Liu took the pill, examined its medicinal properties, and laughed, "It's clear that refining a high-grade pill this time will be a piece of cake."

"Then I am honored by your kind words."

Li Jieqing had finished settling his accounts and was about to leave when Old Liu handed him a book with an antique feel.

"This is?"

"I'll give you a sword manual for controlling the sword as a bonus."

"Sword technique?!"

Li Jieqing's voice grew louder. When had Taipingfang City ever seen such a good thing—given away for free?!

Who exactly is setting a trap for me?!

"Fellow Daoist, please don't misunderstand." Seeing this, Old Liu hurriedly explained, "It's not a sword technique that only high-level sects have, which can't produce sword aura. It's just a technique that a rogue family improved upon, which adds a touch of mystery to controlling a magic sword."

"Fellow Daoist Zhao also recognizes that family. They are the Yu family, who live outside the area. They were affected by the previous beast tide and are now selling off some of their property to make ends meet."

The proper sword manual has never been sold in Taiping Market. Old Liu certainly doesn't have it, and even if he did, he wouldn't show it off, otherwise Master Baozhou might come to question him personally.

"That's... much better."

Li Jieqing took the Yu family's magic manual and said, "Of course, it's not that the Yu family is better off suffering a disaster. I, Zhao, have never been petty and don't mind what happened when they blocked my door back then."

"Of course," Old Liu said with a smile. "Upon hearing of our comrade's misfortune, we felt his pain deeply and were filled with sorrow."

"Absolutely! Absolutely!"

Li Jieqing nodded repeatedly, packed his things, bowed, and left.

Nearly two years later, hearing news about the Yu family again, and with such bad luck, almost made him laugh out loud in sadness. He had to leave quickly to avoid losing his composure.

Leave North Street.

Li Jieqing thought for a moment, then took out the Yu Family Sword Manual and examined it several times.

I spent a month studying the book "The Art of Nourishing Treasures" that I obtained from the Jiang family's Wangyue Valley cave. It took me even longer than studying the previous cultivation method, "The Secret Record of Blood Heart Freedom." Only recently have I finally felt that I understand it and can begin to grasp the basics.

When the time comes, the Treasure-Nourishing Technique will naturally be applied to the second-generation Azure Water Sword. It wouldn't be wrong to learn a little about the ways of sword control from a rogue cultivator beforehand.

Before long, they left North Street and passed Wanbao Pavilion.

Along the way, none of the Yu family members in the market stepped forward to cause trouble for the guy who was swaggering around with the Yu family's sword control technique.

Upon arriving at South Street, Li Jieqing closed the book on the Yu Family's Sword Control Technique, glanced around, pursed his lips, picked up the book, and headed towards the bluestone alley.

However, as soon as he took a step...

Not far from Li Jieqing, in the direction of the market archway, a group of wounded and blood-soaked cultivators came from the crossroads, their heavy footsteps causing onlookers to hurriedly give way.

"The Yu brothers, Scorpion Lady... and Yu Mingli, that uncle from the Yu family? What a coincidence."

With a thought, Li Jieqing put the Yu family's sword control technique into his sleeve and hurried to the crossroads to call out to them.

"Yu Da and Yu Er, have you two returned from Wangyue Valley?"

Upon hearing this, the two Yu brothers stopped. Seeing that it was Li Jieqing there, their expressions instantly became incredibly varied.

There were both complaints and an embarrassing feeling that couldn't be shared with others.

"You must have gained a lot from the demon-slaying scrolls," Li Jieqing said with a smile.

"Stop...stop making fun of me."

Yu Da hardened his expression, intending to reprimand him, but in the end, he sighed abruptly and turned his head away.

Seeing this, the pale-faced Scorpion Lady chimed in, bowing and saying aggrievedly, "Don't say anymore. We went to avenge you, but we lost to that beast and lost all our possessions. Now we can only ask you for a few pills on credit to heal our wounds."

As they spoke, Yu Da and Yu Er realized that was also the case, and the two of them surrounded them again.

They were already two burly men, and with the men exuding a strong aura of blood, it was quite intimidating.

"It's best to say less about avenging me, lest you become a laughingstock."

Li Jieqing didn't pay much attention to these veteran rogue cultivators' act of being poor and arrogant, but in order to find out information, he still agreed: "Healing pills are fine, I just refined a batch of Rejuvenation Pills a few days ago."

He took out a bottle of pills as he spoke.

The Scorpion Lady gave a flirtatious wink, her face half-stained with blood, making her look alluring.

"Explain in detail," Li Jieqing said.

Ignoring Yu Da and Yu Er's expressions, the Scorpion Lady put away the pill bottle by herself and laughed, "It's really hard to believe. We chased the demon tiger's tracks in the valley for two days, searching for six hundred miles, but who knew that the beast would ambush us instead. It came and went without a trace, and we were utterly defeated. We almost didn't make it back."

This was the second time that the Scorpion Lady had been brutally beaten by the demon tiger, and now she dared not call out to the cat anymore.

"That demonic tiger is actually so powerful?" Li Jieqing felt that the value of his escape from Wangyue Valley was getting higher and higher.

"No matter how strong you are, it's useless."

Scorpion Lady's smile faded, and she sighed, "When I was fleeing for my life, I saw Master Baozhou enter the valley. That demonic tiger was doomed, and the great treasure is no longer for us."

"well--"

When this matter was mentioned, all the rogue cultivators present sighed and couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks.

Taiping Market is the place where the Upper Sect opened up its own territory. It has always been strictly managed. Any opportunities or treasures will be taken away. People like them who mingle here are like fish in a net or birds in a cage, rarely seeing the light of day.

"It seems the matter of the demon tiger has indeed become quite a big deal..."

Li Jieqing did not sigh along with him, but pondered to himself.

The strict management of Taiping Market is a good thing for low-level independent cultivators, as they are less likely to die suddenly as long as they don't leave the market.

Li Jieqing went through the same process back then, so he shouldn't only complain about the strict rules of the market when he became a top figure in the food chain of rogue cultivators.

"But I wonder, how much of the precious, fragrant spiritual energy from that demonic tiger remains in your possession?"

Li Jieqing suddenly asked a question.

He had no complaints about the strict management of Taipingfang Market.

However, the point about controlling the knowledge and resources for promotion is truly unreasonable. Master Baozhou acted so quickly this time; I wonder what signs he has discovered.

"That spiritual energy? It seems to have faded a bit," Yu Da said.

"It's reduced by several tens of percent," Scorpion Lady recalled. "Most of it is because that demonic tiger has finished digesting it."

"In that case, even if we kill the demon tiger, we probably won't be able to get the treasure out." Li Jieqing breathed a sigh of relief. The spiritual energy was fading, and even if Master Baozhou caught the white tiger, he would probably have a hard time determining the true form of Qinglianzi in a short time.

"Absolutely, absolutely."

The previously depressed rogue cultivators' expressions brightened considerably upon hearing this.

Just then, a figure in a boat passed through the magic array above Taiping Market and headed straight for the center of the market at an extremely fast speed.

The wandering monks at the crossroads gazed silently for a while, then turned back and exchanged glances.

"Didn't you come back a little too quickly?"

"How is the white tiger?"

"How about... we ask someone to inquire about it?"

"Scorpion Lady is the most seductive; call her over."

"Bullshit!"

Scorpion Lady was furious. She thought that even if it was a bargain for alchemy, it shouldn't be a bargain for these barbarians.