Chapter 32

The thing that emitted a bright light was the piece of brocade containing the先天功 (Xiantian Gong) technique.

More accurately, it was the golden patterns on the brocade, which Ding Qi had previously considered to be meaningless decorative elements, that were now emitting light.

Since obtaining the Xiantian Gong, Ding Qi had kept this piece of brocade, whose material was indistinguishable, close to his body.

It had been half a year since then.

Now, these patterns, which resembled both text and images, were emitting light that pulsed with his breathing, as if they were responding to each other.

Ding Qi, who was asleep, was unaware that this unusual phenomenon had been ongoing for quite some time.

Even before he had mastered the first level of Xiantian Gong, this phenomenon had already begun.

However, the golden patterns only emitted light when he was deeply in meditation or asleep, and the light was so faint that it was invisible to the naked eye. Since it had never affected him, Ding Qi had never noticed it.

In fact, even if Ding Qi could see the unusual patterns on the brocade, he would only be puzzled and wouldn't understand their significance.

However, if a true cultivator saw the golden patterns, they would quickly understand and show a very serious expression, because it was clear that the patterns were a sealing array inscribed on a magical artifact, which was being refined and unsealed.

The golden patterns on the brocade were not text or images, but a sealing array inscribed on it. The thin brocade, whose material Ding Qi could not identify, was a magical artifact used by cultivators.

Judging from the continuously contracting and expanding golden patterns, this was not an ordinary magical artifact that could be refined with a simple blood recognition ritual, but a high-end magical artifact that required time and effort to refine and nurture.

Over the past half year, Ding Qi had kept the brocade close to his body day and night, which perfectly matched the method of nurturing and refining the magical artifact. After this period, there were signs that Ding Qi and the magical artifact had become connected through blood, and the brocade was gradually being refined and nurtured by him.

The sealing array on the magical artifact was also being refined and was gradually becoming loose.

Clearly, something was sealed within the brocade-like magical artifact, which is why a golden sealing array was inscribed on it.

Now, due to Ding Qi's refinement, the seal had become loose. Once he truly refined the magical artifact, the sealed contents would naturally be revealed.

However, Ding Qi was still completely unaware of the situation with the brocade on his body. The next day, he woke up as usual.

According to the previous plan, he was preparing to go to Liangcheng to buy the Beast Repelling Powder he would need in the future.

During the time he spent practicing Xiantian Gong in the mountains, Ding Qi had already made many trips to Liangcheng to buy the Beast Repelling Powder, and he was already very familiar with the process. Additionally, after buying the powder, he would return to Qixia Mountain to practice Xiantian Gong, so he didn't stay in Liangcheng for too long.

Soon, Ding Qi boarded the carriage back to Qixia Town.

While he was on the carriage, it suddenly jolted and came to a stop. If it were an ordinary person, they would have likely fallen and hit their head on the carriage. Fortunately, Ding Qi's coordination far exceeded that of an ordinary person, so he merely swayed and quickly stabilized himself.

"What's going on? What happened?" Ding Qi frowned.

He knew that such a sudden stop indicated an emergency. Otherwise, the driver wouldn't do something that could damage the carriage and injure the passengers.

"Is the carriage broken?" A terrible thought crossed Ding Qi's mind.

The carriage he was riding in was the oldest and most dilapidated, with the only advantage being its low price.

Ding Qi's current income was just the silver he earned from tending the medicinal garden, and he had no money on him. This was why, every time he went to Liangcheng, he could only choose this old, dilapidated carriage that looked like it could fall apart at any moment.

If it weren't for the need to practice, which required him to save time, he would have walked back to Liangcheng on foot without even taking a carriage.

Over time, he had encountered the carriage breaking down on the road a few times, which was quite common.

If this were the case, Ding Qi might have to walk back to Qixia Town this time, and the entire day would be wasted.

With this worry, he slightly lifted the curtain to see the actual situation and confirm whether it matched his guess.

However, when Ding Qi truly saw the situation outside, he found it even worse than he had imagined.

This sudden stop was not just because the carriage was broken.

Looking outside, Ding Qi's face turned grim.

The carriage he was in was surrounded by a group of bandits.

Several months ago, Ding Qi had already known that a group of bandits had gathered around Qixia Mountain. Recently, with the worsening relations between the states of Xia and Lu, the surrounding regions had become increasingly chaotic, and several more groups of bandits had appeared around Qixia Mountain.

This time, he had encountered them.

Recalling that similar incidents had occurred during his recent trips to Liangcheng, Ding Qi's expression became even more grim.

Ding Qi secretly scanned the bandits, estimating their number to be about twenty to thirty. However, when he saw the leader of the bandits, he was initially taken aback, and his expression changed slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

He then looked at the driver in front, who was pale and trembling with fear.

Seeing this, Ding Qi couldn't help but shake his head.

"Is there anyone in the carriage? If there is, come out immediately. Otherwise, don't blame us for our lack of control. We're in a good mood today and won't make things difficult for you. Just be honest and leave your valuables and the carriage behind, and I guarantee no one will be harmed," the leader of the bandits shouted at the carriage, his tone intimidating, though it was unclear if his words were sincere.

Hearing this, Ding Qi narrowed his eyes slightly, then lifted the curtain and leaned out.

After getting off the carriage, Ding Qi forced a smile and greeted the leader with a bow, "Leader Wu, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's you!" The man Ding Qi called Leader Wu furrowed his brows, his face showing surprise.

It seemed that the bandits and Ding Qi were quite familiar with each other.

Whether it was an illusion or not, after seeing Ding Qi come out of the carriage, Leader Wu's originally intimidating attitude changed.

The one who should have been in a position of strength, Leader Wu, actually showed a defensive stance, as if he was wary of Ding Qi.

Ding Qi merely pretended not to notice the change in Leader Wu's attitude and awkwardly laughed.

Then, Ding Qi looked around at the surrounding bandits and glanced back at the carriage, his eyes flashing with a glint, as if he was about to say something.

---

The page with ads starts here.

The page with ads ends here.