Chapter 50

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Not long after.

In the side hall of the inn where Wang Shouzhe and his group were staying, Wang Zhong, who had quickly changed his clothes on the way, placed the loot he had gathered and the dry gold used as bait on the table, his voice trembling slightly: "Master, I have not failed you."

Clearly, today's incident was a bit too thrilling and dangerous for the family retainer Wang Zhong.

"Wang Zhong, you did well," Wang Shouzhe praised, then added sternly, "But you must remember to keep this a secret. These are the accomplices of the Ghost Domain bandits who initially injured Elder Longyan. We are avenging and clearing the hatred."

He was very satisfied with Wang Zhong's overall performance in the mission. Among the two family retainers who came with him, Wang Yong had better talent and strength, but for a task of this difficulty, Wang Zhong was more intelligent and composed.

Wang Zhong grew up listening to the legends of Elder Longyan and his contributions to the family, and he held the elder in high regard. His eyes immediately filled with hatred: "These bandits deserve to die. Master, rest assured, I will take this matter to my grave."

Then, Wang Shouzhe waved his hand and rewarded him with 20 pieces of dry gold. Wang Zhong was both surprised and delighted, thanked him, and left.

When only Wang Shouzhe and Elder Longyan were left, Wang Shouzhe placed the other batch of loot on the table and began to carefully examine it.

To be honest, this operation was somewhat hasty and reckless for Wang Shouzhe, but he had to do it. After all, it was about avenging Elder Longyan, who had been tormented by the Yinsha poison for fifty years, a pain no one could imagine.

As for capturing that "independent cultivator" and forcing him to reveal his master, Wang Shouzhe had certainly considered it. However, the difficulty and risk of such an operation were too high, and it could easily bring disaster to the family. Moreover, even if he forced the information out, what good would it do? This "independent cultivator" was clearly just a minor figure, and the mastermind must be at the Lingtai realm.

Such matters, if mishandled, could lead to the destruction of the family, and he dared not get involved.

Elder Longyan also understood this. Removing one of their pawns had already dispelled much of the hatred, and she was satisfied. Given her deep affection for the family, she did not want Wang Shouzhe to take excessive risks.

"These are just ordinary items, scattered dry gold, pearls, a small Peiyuan Pill, and various other things, no letters or identity seals," Wang Shouzhe organized the loot, taking out the valuable items. Apart from the miscellaneous items, the most noteworthy were an ancient, bound book and a jade gourd-like object.

The bound book had no title, but upon opening it, he discovered it was a method for refining the Yinsha power of heaven and earth, integrating it into the body, and gradually transforming Xuan Qi into Yinsha-attribute Xuan Qi.

In addition, the book contained a unique technique for hiding the Yinsha aura within the body, making one appear like an ordinary Xuan Wu cultivator to others.

This showed that Elder Longyan's sensitivity to Yinsha aura was indeed very acute, far surpassing that of ordinary Lingtai realm elders.

However, upon seeing the book, Wang Shouzhe was momentarily stunned, his heart racing as a thought formed in his mind, though this thought ultimately...

"Shouzhe, your expression is uncertain and hesitant. Have you discovered something?" Elder Longyan, after a brief rest, opened her eyes and said.

Although she had only killed two Qi Refinement realm minor figures, she had to ambush and put in her full effort to prevent any accidents, which was still somewhat taxing for her.

"Grandmaster, please take a look at this book," Wang Shouzhe respectfully handed the book to the elder.

Elder Longyan first calmly examined it, then her expression also became uncertain. After a while, she closed the book and closed her eyes, clearly deeply affected by it.

Wang Shouzhe did not disturb her, standing by patiently waiting.

After a long while, Elder Longyan slowly opened her eyes and looked at Wang Shouzhe, saying, "Shouzhe, what do you think of this?" With each performance, she valued Wang Shouzhe more, and for such a critical matter, she even wanted to hear his opinion.

Wang Shouzhe pondered for a moment and said, "Before making a decision, let's review the situation. This book, based on initial judgment, should be a method for refining Yinsha power and converting it into Yinsha Xuan Qi, given to temporary outer disciples by the Yinsha Sect. It is likely used to cultivate outer disciples and is not a core cultivation method of the Yinsha Sect."

Elder Longyan nodded in agreement, acknowledging that if it were a core cultivation method of the Yinsha Sect, it would not be so easily leaked.

After a pause, Wang Shouzhe continued, "But how confident are you in this basic refinement method?"

Elder Longyan composed herself and said, "Although this Yinsha refinement method is basic and used to cultivate outer disciples, it is still an outer tradition of the Yinsha Sect, not a trivial matter. For ordinary outer disciples, their understanding of Yinsha power is not deep, so they will not progress quickly. But I... should be very fast!"

Wang Shouzhe understood.

Elder Longyan had been tormented by Yinsha poison for fifty years, fighting it day and night. The poison had spread throughout her organs and even her entire body.

Her understanding of Yinsha poison far surpassed that of even inner disciples and core disciples of the Yinsha Sect.

"Grandmaster, if you hesitate, there must be some drawbacks," Wang Shouzhe thought aloud. "If you convert the Yinsha power, your cultivation realm may not advance."

"Indeed," Elder Longyan said. "This secret method is not a core cultivation method of the Yinsha Sect. It cannot support me on the path to the Celestial Realm. If that were the case, I would be satisfied with reaching the mid-Lingtai realm. However, doing so would mean completely betraying my master and辜负师恩. Moreover, I must act covertly to avoid being mistaken for a spy of the Yinsha Sect."

These were all drawbacks, especially since Elder Longyan had a strong sense of belonging to the Zifu Academy. She joined the academy at eighteen and reached the mid-Lingtai realm by sixty. Her master, Canglan Shangren, even bestowed her with the spiritual artifact "Turtle Scale Treasure Shield," showing the academy's cultivation and expectations for her.

If not for the incident fifty years ago, with Elder Longyan's talent and ability, she might have become an important figure in the Zifu Academy.

"Given this, we should not cultivate this method," Wang Shouzhe said after some thought. "We already have a solution. As long as Grandmaster's injuries can be healed, with accumulated strength, further advancement is not impossible."

"No, I will still cultivate the Yinsha power," Elder Longyan hesitated for a moment and finally made up her mind. "The previous solution was too lengthy and resource-intensive. If I can convert the Yinsha power within my body, it will save a massive amount of resources."

Another consideration she did not mention was that she did not want Wang Shouzhe to bear such a heavy burden. Even if he could do it, it would be better to use those resources for the family.

"Master, Master, Longyan is being capricious again. Your kindness, I can only repay in the next life," a deep sense of guilt flashed in Elder Longyan's eyes.

"Alas!"

Wang Shouzhe sighed inwardly. Knowing Elder Longyan, once she made up her mind, even the rebirth of Zouxuan Grandmaster might not change her decision.

However, with Wang Shouzhe's mindset as a穿越者, whether it was Yinsha Xuan Qi or Zifu Xuan Qi, they were both forms of power. Power itself has no right or wrong, it ultimately depends on the user's mindset.

"This jade gourd bottle," Elder Longyan picked up the object, examined it, and said, "This should be a container for storing Yinsha power, and it still contains some Yinsha power, which is useful to me. Shouzhe, I will go and study the Yinsha conversion method and the method to hide the Yinsha aura. You go back and rest."

With that, she left Wang Shouzhe and returned to her room.

Wang Shouzhe was slightly taken aback. To think that Elder Longyan was truly a heroine. Once she made up her mind, she acted immediately without hesitation.

He silently collected the gold notes and other loot, his thoughts drifting. Although Elder Longyan's decision had various drawbacks, the advantages were also very clear.

First, it would save a large amount of resources, and second, her recovery would be much faster than the original plan. Once her long-standing illness was cured, it would likely be the end of the Zhao and Liu families.

This was probably one of the main reasons for Elder Longyan's decision. She could not wait to avenge and clear her hatred.

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