Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Monster and Taohua Mountain Traveling Post

Wang Xi flicked his finger.

Three sparks landed on the three corpses.

FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!

The bodies instantly ignited in brownish-red flames. In less than a few breaths, they were all reduced to ashes, leaving no trace behind.

Wang Xi bent down, picked up the broom on the ground, and examined it.

"Strange Wooden Broom: A broom that accompanied Mrs. Zhang Sr. for twenty years. She often used it to sweep the side rooms and courtyard, telling it stories of the Zhang Family’s past.

For some unknown reason, even when the old lady was advanced in age with failing eyesight, as long as she held this broom, she could see her surroundings clearly on the darkest of nights.

Originally an old balance rod from the Zhang Family pawnshop, it witnessed the rise and fall of countless families in Qingwei Town. The old lady once used it to discipline her fourth son, who was addicted to ’Dream Porcelain Shards.’ After it broke, it was repurposed into a broom handle."

’This broom...’

Wang Xi’s fingers gently caressed the broom’s handle, touching the worn, almost faded graduation marks. A strange warmth spread through his fingertips, as if he were touching a living object.

He became more and more certain that this broom held an unusual power. Otherwise, why would the vendor be interested in it?

Wang Xi gathered the valuables from the ground, but instead of keeping them, he ran back to the Zhang Family Mansion. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, he placed the items outside Mrs. Zhang Sr.’s side room before finally departing.

It was now the hour of Hai-zheng, just past ten at night.

He followed the directions to the temporary resting spot the vendor had left him, heading straight for the south side of town. After leaving the main street, he passed through a sparsely populated residential area and followed a small path out of town.

Soon, Wang Xi arrived at a remote field ridge and saw the old, crooked-neck tree.

By the moonlight, he saw a small, square thatched hut standing next to the tree. It was enclosed by a simple wooden fence, with some vegetables planted inside.

A table and chairs were set up in the yard. The vendor was sitting there alone, fiddling with an erhu while sipping wine. A plate of fennel beans sat on the table, serving as a snack to go with his drink.

"Ah, you’ve arrived, young man?"

The vendor took a sip of wine, set down his erhu, and turned to smile at the young man in the long black coat standing outside the fence gate.

"If you don’t mind, care for a couple of drinks?"

"The wine can wait." Wang Xi pushed open the gate, walked straight to the table, and smiled. "Vendor, I’ve brought the items you required."

As he spoke, he placed the parcel of paper cuttings and the old broom on the table.

"Hmm..." The vendor hummed thoughtfully as he unwrapped the parcel to examine its contents. He took out the stack of tattered paper cuttings, a gratified smile spreading across his face as he began to recite:

"Paper horses neigh across the frigid river, / a crimson blade writes a path to the Yellow Springs. / Three souls return to their old mounting, / seven spirits attach to the new paper. / Above, a white crane guides the way, / below, a black tortoise carries spirit coins. / By the grace of the Supreme One’s compassion, / may these shears cut through the netherworld to see blue skies."

"Just as I thought, the work of the ’Taixu True Cutting Pavilion.’ Though these paper cuttings are damaged, they still retain a trace of that Miss Qi’s Primordial Spirit. Excellent."

’Taixu True Cutting Pavilion? Is that the name of a Sect?’ Wang Xi wondered.

The vendor then lifted a merchandise cabinet from the side, pulled open the bottom drawer, and carefully placed the stack of paper cuttings inside.

Next, he picked up the broom.

"A twenty-year broom grown old gains a spirit, / by night it transforms to a crimson-robed sweeper of fallen petals. / Child, come with me."

Just as Wang Xi was marveling at the vendor speaking to the broom, an angry, childlike voice cursed in his ear:

"Bah! You damned, short-lived ghost! Let me go home! The old lady is still waiting for me to sweep the yard... Her eyes are blurry. If she trips and falls at night, who’s going to light the way for her?"

SHIMMER—

Following the soft sound, the scene before Wang Xi’s eyes suddenly changed.

Where was the broom in the vendor’s hand? It was clearly a child in crimson robes with his hair tied up, his lips red and teeth white!

The Child held a yellow paper lantern, but the vendor had him in a death grip by the back of his collar. No matter how he kicked his legs and flailed his arms, he couldn’t break free.

"Alas, humans and Monsters walk different paths. It is better to forget each other in the wider world than to struggle together in hardship... Her life is nearing its end. If you stay any longer, I fear you will suffer from grief and calamity, leading to your Demonization," the vendor lamented.

Hearing this, the Child froze for a moment, then burst into tears. "Old lady, don’t die! I still have to light the way and sweep the dust for her!"

The vendor, however, said no more. With one hand, he pulled open one of the top drawers, and with the other, he began to stuff the Child inside.

Amidst the wailing cries, the Child was forcibly shoved into the drawer.

CLICK!

The drawer shut, and silence returned.

Wang Xi was stunned by what he had just witnessed.

"Vendor, what was that?"

"Demons are falsehoods of man; sprites are born of spiritual energy; ghosts are lingering souls of the dead; Monsters are those of abnormal form. All four defy the heavenly dao and disrupt the human order. They are the scourges of yin and yang, the very seeds of calamity."

The vendor tossed a fennel bean into his mouth, took a sip of wine, and sighed with feeling.

"That was a Monster, a broom that gained a spirit and grew a lantern-eye. I’ve named it the ’Lantern Boy.’"

"Lantern Boy..." Wang Xi was taken aback.

"When the heavens oppose the seasons, it is a disaster. When the earth opposes its nature, it creates demons. When the people oppose virtue, it is chaos. And from chaos, demons and disasters are born."

The vendor’s expression grew serious as he said in a low voice:

"In this age of feuding warlords, the people suffer, the heavens and earth are in turmoil, and demons and disasters are rampant... If I were to leave the Lantern Boy to its own devices, it would surely undergo Demonization upon Mrs. Zhang Sr.’s death, bringing calamity to all of Qingwei Town."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xi grew pensive.

The "Demonization" the vendor spoke of was very similar to the "Darkening" in the Fairy Tale Realm, but it wasn’t caused by black pollution.

’No, that’s not right.’

A thought suddenly flashed through Wang Xi’s mind.

’Perhaps the Profound Mysterious Realm also has this pollution, but the form of Darkening is different... Maybe it’s more subtle, harder to detect.’

He had a strong intuition that this so-called "Demonization" was just another form of "Darkening."

"You’re very capable, young man." The vendor clapped his hands with a beaming smile. "You’ve completed both tasks I entrusted to you, and flawlessly at that."

He turned to the side and pulled two yellowed, string-bound booklets from the middle level of his cabinet. "As promised, these two Martial Arts Manuals are your rewa—"

"Hold on." Wang Xi suddenly raised a hand to interrupt. Under the vendor’s puzzled gaze, he rubbed his hands together and said with a shameless grin, "Mister Vendor, do you... happen to have any Cultivation Techniques for Cultivators?"

The vendor’s brow furrowed, a strange look on his face. "What? Are you thinking of breaking our agreement, young man? You want to trade the Martial Arts Manuals for a Cultivation Method?"

He shook his head. "I’m afraid that’s not possible."

"You misunderstand, Mister Vendor." Wang Xi waved his hand with a cheeky grin. "I was just asking casually."

Although the vendor didn’t answer directly, his momentary hesitation made Wang Xi’s heart leap.

’He basically admitted it!’

’Looks like I’ve finally found a lead on this whole Cultivation business!’

"Young man, let me be frank with you." The vendor shook his head gently, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "The path of a Cultivator is not as simple as you think."

He leisurely straightened his sleeves, his gaze suddenly growing profound. "This is not a path everyone can walk. Without great talent, great perseverance, and great opportunities, forcing it is merely a futile effort."

"I can see you have exceptional perseverance, and our meeting here can be considered an opportunity... but as for talent, that’s not something easily judged."

As he spoke, he suddenly put one of the manuals from the table back into a drawer and took out a yellowed journal instead.

He pushed the two books side by side in front of Wang Xi.

"One is a Martial Arts manual, the other a traveler’s journal. Perhaps they can open a window for you, point you toward a path. If you can truly embark on the path of cultivation one day, what you find today will be your first stepping stone."

Wang Xi picked up the two booklets.

They were the Ink Zen Nineteen Techniques and the Taohua Mountain Traveling Post. The former was a staff technique, the latter a travel journal.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir."

He cupped his fist in gratitude.

...

...

The vendor invited him several times, and unable to refuse his hospitality, Wang Xi stayed outside the small thatched hut and shared three cups of wine with him.

It was ordinary yellow wine, not very strong, with a hint of osmanthus fragrance. Wang Xi wasn’t much of a drinker, so while the vendor played the erhu for entertainment, he took the opportunity to snatch most of the fennel beans.

To avoid displeasing the vendor, Wang Xi even sang a rendition of "Bring in the Wine" to go along with the music.

Putting other things aside, although the mournful sound of the erhu made the originally rousing song seem a bit desolate, Wang Xi’s singing voice was top-notch, causing the vendor to glance over at him repeatedly.

And since there was no Li Taibai in the Profound Mysterious Realm, the vendor even exclaimed in praise that the poem was exquisitely brilliant.

The bright moon hung high in the sky. It was the hour of Zi-chu.

Wang Xi took his leave.

The vendor watched the young man depart into the distance, closed the fence gate, and chuckled in admiration. "What a line, ’When life is full of joy, one must revel to the fullest.’ And what a sentiment, ’Heaven gave me talent, so it must be put to use’..."

He shook his head again.

"As for my own sorrows, there is no one to share them with."

「A moment later.」

Wang Xi returned to his side room in the martial arts school’s inner courtyard.

The first thing he did was light the oil lamp and open the books.

He read for a while.

"You have discovered a Martial Arts Manual!"

"Do you wish to receive the teachings of ’Elder Gu’?"

’Yes,’ Wang Xi thought.

A ball of green light flew out of the staff technique manual and entered the space between his eyebrows. He immediately opened the other booklet and began to look through it.

"You have discovered a special Cultivation Technique!"

"Do you wish to receive the teachings of ’Master Chu’?"

’It’s actually a Technique Card?’

He was surprised, but gave an affirmative reply.

Another green orb of light flew out.

’Kaos, extract.’

"300 Energy consumed (2400 remaining)"

The three Green Cards in his mind were all drawn out.

VMM—

Flowing Clouds Chasing the Moon was the Lightweight Body Technique of Feng Qiang, a Whiteboard Four-star Martial Artist. It excelled at agile maneuvering, using momentum to leap, and negating the force of a fall.

Ink Zen Nineteen Techniques, a staff technique created by an old man named "Elder Gu" who lived as a hermit in a valley. The old man practiced Martial Arts in his youth before retiring to cultivate Zen and excelled at calligraphy.

This staff technique fused Zen principles with calligraphy, based on the tenet: "A character has its brushstrokes, just as a Zen phrase has its insight." The movements of the staff were like writing a sutra—dignified and solemn.

Taohua Mountain Traveling Post was a travel journal, but it was also written in a fluid, cursive script resembling coiling dragons and snakes, and it recorded insights on calligraphy and Inner Strength.

"Hm?"

Wang Xi examined the two Green Cards from the vendor, a strange expression on his face.

’Did the name I casually made up for myself really form some incredible, unseen connection with the Profound Mysterious Realm?’

The Martial Arts and Cultivation Technique the vendor had given him were both related to calligraphy...

After a moment of thought, Wang Xi first unequipped the Huo Family Eight Extremes Splitting and Hanging Palm and then picked up Flowing Clouds Chasing the Moon and Ink Zen Nineteen Techniques.

’Kaos, synthesize.’

The three Martial Arts Green Cards vanished from his hand at the same time.

In the fissure of his mind, gray fog churned, and a deep green light bloomed—

"One Stroke of Mountains and Rivers (Skill Card / Deep Green One Star)"

Its description read: "Wield the brush like a staff, move the ink like a palm, write the characters like the wind, a single stroke contains mountains and rivers."

Wang Xi held the new card, speechless for a long time.

Finally, he muttered under his breath:

"I’ve really become a master calligrapher."

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