Chapter 39

The sword's edge had already pressed a bloody mark into Yu Qing's neck, but Tie Miaqing was clearly hesitant.

Yu Qing glanced at Cheng Shanping, who was unfriendly towards him, fearing that he might incite Tie Miaqing to act rashly. He quickly added, "Madam, don't you want to know how I found out that your husband was in trouble?"

Tie Miaqing was already suspicious and, upon hearing this, immediately shouted, "Speak!"

The others also waited with bated breath, including Xu Fei and Chong'er, who also wanted to know how Yu Qing had found out.

But Yu Qing said, "Some things are hard to explain, and even if I did, you might not believe me. I need to tell you in a way that you can understand, so I need to know what you are doing here. Madam, there's no harm in telling me. I'm already in your hands; do you think I can run away?"

Tie Miaqing was at a loss, unsure whether to tell him. She wanted to know the truth but feared that it would make her look foolish.

Cheng Shanping sternly questioned, "Boy, aren't you good at divination? If you are, why do you need to ask us?"

Yu Qing, already injured internally by Cheng Shanping, still felt a burning pain in his cheeks. He, the esteemed master of Linglong Temple, had suffered this great humiliation, and his money had been taken. He was repeatedly provoked, and his pride was deeply wounded. However, he was no match for them, so he could only secretly vow to make them pay, especially to ask his junior uncle to help settle this score.

Despite his deep resentment, he did not show any anger on his face and sighed, "That's why I said, some things I can't explain to you."

Cheng Shanping sneered, about to mock him, but Sun Ping, the shopkeeper, raised a hand to stop him and said, "Aishi Heng, as a practitioner, you must have heard of Youjiao Town, right?"

"Somewhat," Yu Qing glanced at the Youju token on her waist, remembering the 'Miaqing Hall' sign. If he could escape this predicament, he would definitely seek revenge one day!

"Since you know Youjiao Town, you must also know what 'Youyan' is. Youyan has recently issued a task, the target being three 'Fire Crickets.' We came to the Ancient Tomb Wasteland to complete this task." Sun Ping, seeing the shopkeeper's dilemma, explained their purpose to gauge the situation.

Yu Qing, having heard about Youyan's tasks from his master, knew that any shop that completed a task could make a request to Youyan, which would be granted as long as it was within the rules.

But he was still puzzled, "What are Fire Crickets?"

Sun Ping: "We don't know exactly what they are or what they are used for. We only know that they look like crickets and live near the lava. They blend into their environment, making them almost invisible. They are highly alert and react quickly, often escaping before you even notice them. They can even dive into the lava, moving freely in the high temperatures, like spirits of fire."

At this, Sun Ping's husband, Zhu Shangbiao, also sighed, "Every time we spot one, it's just a fleeting glimpse. We've even tried using poison, but these fire spirits seem immune to it. It seems that only a 'High Xuan' level expert could catch them."

From their tone, Yu Qing could tell that these people had been thoroughly frustrated by the Fire Crickets, otherwise they wouldn't be so discouraged in front of an outsider.

Cheng Shanping sneered, "Experts of that level wouldn't bother with such a task. Youyan wouldn't agree to their conditions, and they wouldn't deign to do this."

Yu Qing understood this. Once a practitioner reaches the Xuanshi realm, each step is extremely difficult. Most people are stuck at the initial Xuan level for their entire lives. Those who reach the Upper Xuan level are already formidable experts. It is said that there are only about a hundred people in the world who have reached the High Xuan level, and Xiya Lady is one of them.

Such experts, though not as powerful as the top-tier semi-immortals, can almost get anything they want in this world and wouldn't bother to run errands for others.

Sun Ping observed Yu Qing, who was silent, and broke the silence, "We've told you what you wanted to know."

Yu Qing, who was thinking about how to respond, met her gaze, knowing that this was a reminder to give them an answer. He said, "Incense, the kind used for worship. Do you have any? Give it to me."

Everyone was stunned. Zhu Shangbiao asked, "What do you mean?"

Yu Qing: "Give me the incense, and I'll give you the answer you want."

Cheng Shanping coldly said, "Who carries that stuff around, especially in a place like this? Are you trying to avoid the issue by making it complicated?"

Yu Qing: "Can't you try to find some? I saw on the map that there are many demon territories nearby. With your status as merchants from Youjiao Town, borrowing some incense shouldn't be a problem, right?" He wanted to use this opportunity to confirm which demon territories were nearby to determine his location, which would help him escape if he got the chance.

But Cheng Shanping immediately shouted, "No!"

Yu Qing was getting angry, suspecting that this guy was deliberately causing trouble because he didn't want to return his money.

The situation was against him, and he was an outsider. They were a group, and he had no right to challenge them, so he had to quickly think of another plan.

He looked around and walked towards his sword, which had been taken from him. As he bent down to touch it, a figure flashed, and a foot stepped on the sword. Yu Qing looked up and saw the same hateful guy.

"What are you trying to do?" Cheng Shanping said coldly.

Yu Qing, young and wild, had grown up in the mountains. If not for the unexpected incident, he wouldn't have become the master of Linglong Temple so young. He was still unrefined and had already killed several people since leaving the mountains, regardless of their status.

Now, he had to submit because his life was in their hands.

But Cheng Shanping's repeated provocations were making him lose his temper. He stood up and retorted, "Don't you want an answer? I want to give you an answer, but you keep saying no. How do you expect me to give you an answer?"

As he spoke, Cheng Shanping suddenly grabbed his neck, making it hard for Yu Qing to move. He sneered, "Still trying to be tough?"

At that moment, a hand gently touched his arm.

It was Tie Miaqing, signaling him to let go.

Seeing the shopkeeper's attitude, Cheng Shanping had no choice but to comply. He grunted and pushed Yu Qing away.

"Cough, cough." Yu Qing staggered back, clutching his neck and spitting out blood.

He looked at Tie Miaqing, knowing that his impulsive action could cost him his life. This experience taught him a lesson, and he would know how to handle similar situations in the future.

He bent down and picked up the sword, unsheathed it, and swept the ground, quickly leveling the uneven stone surface.

He then pointed the sword at the surroundings, indicating that everyone should step back.

Tie Miaqing and the others exchanged glances, not fearing that he would run away, and stepped back a few steps. The next scene left them stunned. Yu Qing suddenly raised his sword to the sky, looked up at the heavens, and began to mutter something incomprehensible.

Everyone could sense a fraudulent aura from Yu Qing.

Suddenly, he pointed the sword at the ground and began to draw symbols on the stone surface. He quickly drew a talisman, then another, and another, until he had drawn eight different but intricate talismans around him.

This scene left Xu Fei and Chong'er breathless.

Tie Miaqing and the others were also stunned. Although they couldn't understand what Yu Qing was drawing, they could see that these talismans were not improvised. They exuded a powerful aura, and the eight talismans created a formidable presence. The patterns were meticulously drawn, and the strokes were fluid, indicating that Yu Qing was not a novice at this.

Clearly, this was not a fraud, but the work of someone who had practiced this skill.

This realization left everyone in awe. Here was someone who had reached the True Martial realm in martial arts, passed the imperial examination, and now could perform this ritual. What kind of prodigy was he?

After drawing the eight talismans, Yu Qing drew a circle on the ground with his sword, stood still, and pointed the sword at the sky. After muttering some more, he sheathed his sword and walked out of the circle, heading to the cave where they had spent the night. He drew a small talisman above the cave entrance.

Everyone held their breath as Yu Qing sheathed his sword and entered the cave.

They exchanged glances, unsure what he was doing, and gathered at the cave entrance. Suddenly, they heard Yu Qing's voice, "Don't disrupt my ritual. Madam, come in alone; the rest, stay back."

They hesitated, but Tie Miaqing, considering Yu Qing's strength, waved for the others to step back and entered the cave alone.

Inside, in the dim light, she saw Yu Qing tidying up the dry grass from the previous night, piling it at the bottom of the cave.

"What are you doing?" Tie Miaqing asked.

Yu Qing: "I wanted to burn incense to pray, but you prevented me. Since you insisted on seeing proof, I have to burn the grass as incense and set up an altar to seek the gods' forgiveness for my disrespect."