Liu Xing took several steps until he was right behind a clerk who was counting money. The clerk verified each stack before putting it into coin bags and moving on to the next name on the list. As Liu Xing observed them working silently, the office filled with the creaking of their chairs and the clinking of coins, and he wondered if his assumption was wrong. Perhaps some people would get their pay tomorrow; after all, bagging the servants' monthly payment on payday seemed a bit tight. It would make more sense if it were done the next day. However, since he didn't know the inner workings of this clan, he couldn't assume too much. He hadn't come here to audit people, after all.

Liu Xing rubbed his chin, debating whether to take the money without leaving a spirit stone. His first instinct was to leave one. This was the pay for the workers and servants of the clan, not the clan itself. He didn't want to steal from people who worked diligently to earn their wages. However, he was fairly certain the amount of money here wouldn't be enough to be exchanged for even a single spirit stone. He would be losing money if he did that.

"What to do, what to do," Liu Xing muttered as he paced around the table. His voice was a mere whisper. It should have been loud enough to jolt the four clerks, but it was as if his voice were traveling to a different dimension.

He thought for a moment, sitting on the open window sill, and then came to a decision.

Liu Xing began to expel some qi from his body. As usual, the energy flowed out of him with a movement so swift it was as if no flesh and bone stood between his qi paths and the world. He willed it to encase each and every coin on the table, the bags already filled, and the coins inside them. When he was sure he hadn't missed a single one, Liu Xing opened his spatial bag.

He was invisible and his presence so dimmed that he was actively ignored, but this ability was not without weakness. People who already knew about him wouldn't suddenly forget him, so his enemies would still look for him. The same applies here. While he was currently invisible, if the coins suddenly floated away and vanished, they would instantly realize someone was stealing their money. Not that he intended to wait for them to be gone before taking the money. He planned to take it right here and now, not caring too much if they realized he was there. However, he decided to add a bit of mystery to how the money would vanish from the table.

Liu Xing began to encase the chairs with his qi until they were firmly under his control. Then, he smiled, wondering what their faces would look like. The wind caressed his hair, the sun shone brightly, and at that moment, Liu Xing ordered the qi that encased the chairs to spin.

Instantly, the chairs whipped around, their speed so great that one moment they were facing the table, and the next, their backs were. Some of the clerks jolted and screamed, but one just blinked owlishly, as if he didn't understand what had just happened. Liu Xing couldn't help but laugh a little as he ordered the coins—whether on the table or already inside bags—to jump into his spatial bag. As a Core Splitting cultivator, his reflexes and speed were tremendous, and the simple task of sweeping the money away took merely a fraction of a second. At the same time, he took one spirit stone and placed it on a tray in the middle of the table.

In the end, he decided to suffer a small loss so that the workers would still get paid and the clan itself would not lose anything. It was not a wise or smart thing to do, but it was more satisfying to his heart.

"What happened?!" a man exclaimed.

"S-senior, turn around! The money... it's gone!" another one said while pointing at the table.

Liu Xing decided it was time for him to go, so he stood on the window frame, turned, and jumped. A moment later, he landed on the side of the building and walked leisurely as more and more shouts and hysterical voices sounded from the second floor. He snickered. He imagined they were quite bewildered by what had happened. Hopefully, they would realize he had left a spirit stone, and then they could exchange it for the money and split it among the workers.

Soon, Liu Xing arrived at a straight path leading toward the gate, but he decided not to return hastily to Fang Ruxue. Instead, he looked at the main building and rubbed his chin. At first, he had decided he would suffer a loss from this exchange, but after a moment, he thought it didn't need to be so. After all, money could be exchanged for many things: goods, services, and knowledge. Since this was a cultivator's clan, why not just peek into their library and pick a technique or two? It would make things even.

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It was a brilliant idea, considering he would get quite a bargain for the spirit stone he had expended. However, this city was so far from the Purple Moon Sect that the standard of cultivation was not as high, so their techniques likely weren't very good either. He was quite sure he would only find Base Grade Techniques in this clan's library. Still, it was better than nothing.

Liu Xing smiled, then nodded at the idea. Without thinking too much, he turned around and continued his roaming.

The compound drew in qi from the outside, but instead of concentrating it in one place, it allowed the energy to suffuse the entire grounds. To be fair, the qi concentration here was a lot worse than in his cave. Hell, even the concentration within the Liu clan, where the original Liu Xing had spent his early life, had more dense qi. Still, it was not too bad. It would be sufficient for someone to cultivate slowly.

Liu Xing, however, could sense a few places in the compound that had a bit more qi. Some were underground, but there was one closer to him. He followed it and soon stood before a room with a giant double door almost twice as high as him. It was made from wood and seemed to emit a hint of qi. The door was open, revealing dozens of bookshelves inside.

"A library," he muttered. "I thought I would arrive at a treasure room, but this is even better."

Liu Xing took a few steps until he was finally inside. It was a library with only two levels, filled with rows upon rows of shelves containing books and scrolls. The lighting was terrible, making the room look dark and feel cold. He looked up and saw there was only one yellow, shining gem in the entire room, which wasn't sufficient to illuminate the library. He took several steps to a nearby shelf, and when he saw it was covered in dust, he raised his eyebrows.

He turned to the side and saw a table right across from the double door. Everyone who came inside would first see this table, as well as the person who sat in a chair behind it. He was an old man with wrinkled skin and a bald head. He wore a simple white robe accentuated with blue, and tied diagonally around his shoulder and waist was a simple rope attached to a sheathed sword on his back. He was sitting peacefully in his chair, eyes closed, his posture relaxed, and his breath even. This old man was a cultivator, one at the peak of the Lock Opening realm. However, since he already looked so old, his talent must be poor..

As Liu Xing arrived right in front of his table, the old man suddenly opened his eyes, revealing eyes as bright as the ocean. He stood from his chair slowly, clasped his hands, and bowed lightly toward him. "This junior greets Esteemed Senior. My name is Qing Jianqing. What brings you to my humble library?"

Liu Xing's eyes opened wide; he was startled by the old man's actions.

"You can see me?" Liu Xing finally said.

"No, I can't," the old man said. "However, this library is my home. I've been living here for almost ten years. I know how the wind moves through it, where the dust has accumulated, and many other things. Your concealing technique is superb, Senior. It's almost heaven-defying. If we were outside, I wouldn't know you were there. It was difficult to focus on you, and your voice seemed to fade away, as if the world wanted me to ignore you. Even when I greeted you, I felt like a fool trying to greet the wind. I was quite surprised when you replied to my greeting.

Liu Xing encased a chair near a shelf with his qi, pulled it to his side, and sat on it. When he sat, the old man also sat.

"Amazing. You're not the first person who could detect me when I'm invisible; however, almost all of them relied on tricks."

The old man smiled. "Thank you for your praise, Senior. It's especially flattering coming from you, a cultivator with such vast power that I had to enhance all my senses to their maximum to detect you."

"I'm not that powerful, actually, only a mere Core Splitting cultivator."

The old man's eyes widened a little bit, before he lowered his head a little more. "A Core Splitting realm cultivator and the word 'mere' cannot be in the same sentence. You are a master among masters. If you're 'mere,' then what am I and the masters in this city?"

Liu Xing rubbed his chin. "Is that so? Then I'm sorry for offending you. Reaching the peak of the Lock Opening realm is indeed an achievement."

Reaching the peak of the Lock Opening realm was indeed an achievement. Even at the Purple Moon Sect, there were cultivators who had not yet reached this level. However, in the grand scheme of things, it was not that impressive. Still, he wouldn't say something so rude to this old man. After all, he wasn't even a guest; he was just a trespasser.

"It's no problem, Senior," he replied with a smile. "Is there any way I can help you?"

"The reason I came to this clan was a mere coincidence. I needed to exchange some spirit stones for mortal currency, and I already got that. The reason I came to you specifically is because I'm wondering why this library is so... dusty and looks abandoned. I thought you were the librarian here."

"I'm sorry to show you this sorry state of our library, and it is indeed shameful for me to let it accumulate so much dust. However, it's not without a reason. Senior, I'm actually dying. A poison is currently rampaging inside me. If I move too much, then the poison will instantly kill me."

Liu Xing raised his eyebrows. "Poison?"

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