Chapter 35

The yellow-skinned gourd was only the size of a palm, with a smooth and crystal-clear surface. The gourd's mouth was sealed with a wooden plug, and when held in hand, it felt delicate and jade-like.

"The wooden plug is a soul-taming wood. From this, it seems Wu Ruoqiu used this as a soul-nourishing gourd."

As Su Yi thought this, his eyes took on a peculiar gleam.

He flicked his fingertip, and the wooden plug sealing the gourd's mouth fell off. Immediately, a surge of crimson ghostly mist erupted out.

Woo woo woo~~

The ghostly mist was eerie, exuding an evil aura that weighed heavily on the mind.

A child appeared in the ghostly mist, about three or four years old, with a ghastly pale complexion and blood-red eyes. The originally innocent and adorable face was as if smeared with a layer of blood-red rouge, looking bizarre and terrifying.

As this child appeared, a terrifyingly vicious aura spread like a tidal wave, causing the grass and trees in the courtyard to wither and die instantly.

Not far away, on the old locust tree, the red-robed female ghost let out a terrified scream: "Ghost infant! This is the ghost infant that Daoist Wu has raised for six years!"

Almost simultaneously, the ghost infant let out a wailing scream, its mouth suddenly splitting open to reveal two rows of long, saw-like, sharp fangs.

It lunged viciously at Su Yi, who was just a few inches away!

But Su Yi's right hand was even faster, thrusting a sword.

Puff!

The peachwood sword pierced the ghost infant's open mouth, piercing through its body and impaling it on the sword.

Peachwood naturally restrains ghosts.

The piece of green peachwood that Huang Qianjun had chosen for Su Yi had been aged for twenty years, containing pure yang energy.

Sizzle!

Black smoke rose from the ghost infant's body, causing its face to contort in pain, and it let out a fierce scream, struggling wildly to attack Su Yi.

But it was in vain.

In the blink of an eye, the ghost infant's soul was completely incinerated, dissipating into nothingness.

Looking at the peachwood sword, its color had dulled, and it showed signs of corrosion, clearly no longer usable.

Su Yi tossed the sword aside and looked back at the yellow-skinned gourd. "Not bad, this thing is clearly born in a spiritual land, already carrying a hint of spirituality, which is extremely rare in this mundane world."

He had already seen that this yellow-skinned gourd was Wu Ruoqiu's trump card.

If the other party had used this thing at the beginning of the confrontation, it might have caused him some trouble.

"You can come out now."

Su Yi sat back in the bamboo chair, casually playing with the smooth and crystal-clear yellow-skinned gourd.

Qing Wan descended from the old locust tree, floating in the air with trepidation, her head lowered, and her voice weak.

"Immortal Master, please don't kill me. I... I can serve you."

"What can you do?"

Su Yi was interested.

Qing Wan thought for a moment and timidly said, "Singing and dancing, playing the zither and flute, playing chess, and painting... I know a little of each."

Su Yi was taken aback. What was this, a talented female ghost?

Qing Wan wore a blood-red dress, with a petite figure, skin as white as snow, and a clear, slightly chubby face that added a touch of cuteness.

She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, in the prime of her youth.

Unfortunately, she was ultimately just a ghost, not a living person.

Seeing that Su Yi remained silent for a long time, Qing Wan became even more anxious and said nervously, "Immortal Master, as long as you don't kill me, I can do anything, even scare people for you."

Her soft, sweet voice was tinged with a hint of crying, looking pitiful.

Su Yi sighed lightly and said, "If I had the cultivation of the Primordial Dao, I could help you transcend and free you from this world. But now, I'm afraid I can't help you."

Qing Wan was stunned, then delighted. "Immortal Master, you don't plan to kill me? That's great!"

She smiled, her big eyes squinting, inadvertently revealing a stunning allure, yet her appearance was still clear and innocent, forming a unique charm.

Su Yi raised an eyebrow. If this girl knew the methods of ghost cultivation, she would surely become a monstrous evil in the future...

"Do you really not remember anything from your past life?" Su Yi asked.

Qing Wan's eyes were blank, her face showing worry. She said, "I won't hide it from Immortal Master, I still don't know how I became like this..."

Su Yi stared at Qing Wan for a long time and said, "I can now be certain of one thing: either you are lying, or there is something wrong with your ghostly soul."

Qing Wan's figure trembled, and she said urgently, "Immortal Master, I dare not deceive you in the slightest, I can swear to the heavens."

Su Yi said calmly, "Regardless of which it is, it doesn't matter much to me. However, I won't kill you, nor will I let you leave just like that."

Qing Wan sighed in relief and said, "As long as Immortal Master doesn't kill me, I am already very grateful."

Su Yi raised the yellow-skinned gourd and said, "This is a soul-nourishing gourd. If you hide inside, you won't fear the daylight. Go in yourself."

Qing Wan hesitated and said, "Immortal Master, will... will you let me out later?"

Su Yi smiled and said, "You underestimate me too much. I won't seal this thing. On the contrary, when the time is right, I might even teach you a secret ghost cultivation technique."

Qing Wan was delighted and nodded repeatedly. "I'm willing!"

With that, her figure transformed into a red light and entered the yellow-skinned gourd.

"A ghostly soul that can possess such a pure and rare soul body, yet forget its past memories, is itself problematic..."

"However, with my abilities, I will have the chance to find out the truth in the future."

As Su Yi pondered, he got up and started cleaning up.

Soon, the corpses and blood in the courtyard were all cleared away.

Then, Su Yi returned to his room.

He casually hung the yellow-skinned gourd on the side of his desk and lay down on the bed, falling into a deep sleep.

The next morning.

Su Yi got up before dawn.

He glanced at the yellow-skinned gourd on the side of the bookshelf, ignored it, and walked out of the room.

The soul-nourishing gourd was not sealed, and if Qing Wan wished, she could leave at any time.

But this clear and innocent female ghost had been very quiet and well-behaved all night, without making a single sound.

After washing up, Su Yi chewed a piece of Nine-Leaf King Ginseng and began practicing the Pine Crane Body Strengthening Technique under the locust tree in the courtyard.

By the third round, Su Yi felt his tendons and muscles stretching, his body feeling lighter, and a sense of floating.

This was the sign of entering the "tendon refinement" stage!

At this level of cultivation, the blood and qi are concentrated, the internal breath surges, the strength is like that of a tiger or leopard, and the movements are as agile as a cat.

"Son-in-law, this is a medicinal dish specially prepared for you by Master Wu."

Soon, the manager of Apricot Yellow Medical Hall, Hu Quan, arrived, carrying a food box and smiling as he presented it.

Su Yi nodded and said, "Please thank Master Wu for me."

He looked at the medicinal dish in the food box, which contained many precious herbs, a rich combination, and was very suitable for martial artists to replenish their bodies.

"Son-in-law, please enjoy your meal. I'll go to the medical hall now."

Hu Quan smiled and left.

"Living here is indeed much better than living at the Wen family."

Su Yi thought to himself.

Just after finishing his meal, Huang Qianjun's voice came from outside the courtyard:

"Brother Su, I've already informed Old Master Wang Tianyang. We can go now."

He walked in excitedly, his eyes full of enthusiasm.

Then, he sniffed and asked, "Why is there a faint smell of blood in the courtyard?"

This kid has a pretty good nose.

Su Yi glanced at the young noble and said casually, "There was a ghost last night."

"Ghost?"

Huang Qianjun was startled. Recalling the rooster blood, willow branches, and peachwood he had prepared for Su Yi yesterday, he immediately imagined a series of terrifying ghostly scenes, shuddering all over.

"Let's go."

Su Yi walked out of the courtyard.

Huang Qianjun immediately stopped his wild thoughts and hurriedly followed.

...

In a street in the eastern part of Guangling City, there was a sword forge belonging to the Huang family.

When Su Yi and Huang Qianjun arrived, a long queue of young men and women was already waiting outside the forge.

"Business is so good?" Su Yi was surprised.

Huang Qianjun quickly explained, "Business has always been good, but it hasn't been as bustling as it has been in the past few days. The reason is that in half a month, a 'Dragon Gate Banquet' will be held on the Dacang River."

"At that time, the outstanding young people from Guangling City and Luoyun City on the other side of the Dacang River will participate, competing in swordsmanship and martial arts."

"If the martial artists from Guangling City come in first, they will receive a thousand taels of gold, three spiritual herbs, ten hu of pearls, and a top-tier Yellow Rank secret technique from the Luoyun City Lord's residence!"

"Conversely, if the martial artists from Luoyun City come in first, the Guangling City Lord's residence will also have to provide the same reward."

After hearing this, Su Yi said, "The reward is quite substantial."

Huang Qianjun's eyes sparkled with longing. "Besides the reward, the most important thing is the reputation! Every year, the winner of the Dragon Gate Banquet not only becomes famous in both cities but can also easily enter the Qinghe Sword Mansion's inner gate for cultivation!"

Su Yi nodded.

He had practiced at the Qinghe Sword Mansion for three years and knew that for all the young people in the Yunhe Prefecture's nineteen cities, being able to enter the Qinghe Sword Mansion for cultivation was already extremely rare.

If one could become an inner gate disciple, it would be like a fish leaping through the dragon gate.

Back then, Su Yi had practiced hard for three years to become the outer gate sword leader of the Qinghe Sword Mansion, already having the qualifications to enter the inner gate, but due to an accident, he became a discarded disciple of the Qinghe Sword Mansion...

Of course, misfortune and fortune are interdependent, and he also awakened his past life's memories because of this.

Su Yi said, "So, these people queuing up are buying weapons to participate in the Dragon Gate Banquet?"

"Exactly."

Huang Qianjun, thinking of something, added in a low voice, "Brother Su, Old Master Wang Tianyang has a bad temper and a very eccentric personality. Even my father gives him three points of respect. When we meet him, if he says something unpleasant, please don't take it to heart."

"Lead the way." Su Yi said.

Huang Qianjun hurriedly went ahead. As the eldest son of Huang Yunchong, he naturally didn't need to queue.

However, just as they were about to enter the sword forge, a group of people walked out.

At the head was Wen Jueyuan, the leader of the young generation of the Wen family, followed by other young people from the Wen family.

Wen Shaobei was also among them.

Seeing Su Yi and Huang Qianjun, Wen Jueyuan was taken aback, then showed a look of disgust, shaking his head and saying,

"A penniless son-in-law and a young noble, a pair of despicable friends!"

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