Chapter 5

One of the brocade boxes contained a ring-shaped jade pendant, strung on a red cord, resembling an ornament.

Li Wan held it in his hand for a while, sensing faintly that it might be a valuable treasure, but after examining it from all angles, he still couldn't figure it out, so he casually hung it around his neck.

He then opened another box, and instantly, red, yellow, green, white, and black light shone brightly, illuminating the entire room.

What appeared before Li Wan was a small, pigeon-egg-sized object, completely transparent and radiating with a flowing light. It looked like a drop of multicolored clear spring water, with different waves of light rippling on its surface, yet distinctly separated, exuding an extraordinary vitality.

Li Wan's face showed a hint of shock, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Five Elements Spirit Qi?"

He had never imagined that this brocade box contained the precious Five Elements Spirit Qi.

In the cultivation world, the most important thing is one's innate qualities. Apart from a few geniuses born with complete Five Elements Spirit Roots, most ordinary people must go through the process of cultivating a spiritual field and building a foundation before they can embark on the path of cultivation.

The Five Elements Spirit Qi is extracted from rare and precious materials and used as an aid in cultivating a spiritual field!

Most people with cultivation potential already have Five Elements Spirit Roots, which can resonate with the elemental energies of heaven and earth, refining a trace of innate true essence needed to build a foundation. However, since humans consume a variety of grains and are subject to the five thieves that steal life, their innate true essence is often insufficient for use. They must rely on these rare materials to make up for the deficiency to meet the needs of cultivation.

When Li Wan's name was recorded in the broad register, the Daoist hall's steward had already verified that he had complete Metal, Fire, and Earth Spirit Roots, which could meet the needs of cultivation. However, his Water and Wood Spirit Roots were slightly deficient, and he needed a sufficient amount of Five Elements Spirit Qi to advance to the Qi Cultivation stage.

The production of Five Elements Spirit Qi was controlled by noble families and major sects, making it difficult for ordinary people to obtain. This was an opportunity that one could only get after being selected for the outer court.

"Excellent! Simply excellent!" Li Wan said excitedly. "I thought that after leaving the Righteous Qi Sect, I would never have the chance to cultivate again, but I didn't expect to fulfill my wish today. Hahahaha."

Li Wan looked at Yin Shaohua, whose expression was a mix of red and white, unsure if it was from pain or anger. He couldn't help but laugh and say, "Yin Shaohua, you ruined my path to cultivation, but now the Five Elements Spirit Qi has fallen into my hands. This is truly karma!"

Putting aside everything else, just the Five Elements Spirit Qi alone was already beyond what Li Wan had expected. He deduced that Yin Shaohua had just obtained it, as evident from his conversation with the steward.

Overjoyed, Li Wan didn't waste any more words. He put everything back into the如意囊 (Ruyi Pouch), tucked it into his chest, and prepared to leave.

But just as he was about to open the door and go out, Li Wan suddenly remembered something and turned back. He squatted down and said to Yin Shaohua, "Boy, after I leave, you will definitely ask the steward to send people to hunt me down, right?"

Yin Shaohua, fearing to anger him, shook his head repeatedly.

Li Wan sneered, "No matter what, I can't just leave like this. I need to make some arrangements."

With that, he picked up Yin Shaohua and walked out of the room, then boldly walked out of the front courtyard and arrived at the bamboo grove outside the mountain.

Not far from the bamboo grove was an abandoned mountain garden, where some named disciples had planted their own vegetables and fruits. Beyond this garden, a few hundred steps away, was a mountain stream.

Crossing the mountain stream, Li Wan found a sheltered earthen ridge and threw Yin Shaohua into it, then untied the cloth.

Yin Shaohua struggled to spit out the sock in his mouth, gagged for a while, and then asked in fear, "You... What do you want to do?"

Li Wan drew a dagger and waved it.

Yin Shaohua's face changed abruptly, and he quickly said, "I beg you not to kill me, Senior Brother Li. I was wrong before, and I apologize, yes, I apologize. Please spare me..." As he spoke, he kept bowing.

He had a bit of cunning and didn't dare to act like a spoiled young master at this moment. However, when he bowed, a hint of hidden resentment and cruelty flashed in his eyes.

Li Wan laughed, "If you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have done it in the first place."

Seeing that Li Wan still wouldn't relent, Yin Shaohua's body trembled violently, and he collapsed in fear, unable to speak.

Li Wan glanced at him with disdain and said, "Don't worry, I, Li Wan, am a reasonable and principled person. I won't kill you unless necessary. However, you did ruin my path to cultivation, and you colluded with the steward to embezzle the sect's rewards and make a profit on the side, which I overheard. I don't care where you hid the ill-gotten gains; I only took this windfall. I brought you here to buy myself time to escape."

After saying this, Li Wan suddenly said softly, "Don't blame me for being heartless. If you must blame someone, blame your bad luck." Then he stuffed the sock back into Yin Shaohua's mouth, grabbed his wrist, and plunged the dagger in with a "pu" sound.

"Ugh!" Yin Shaohua let out a惨叫 (anguished cry), feeling a piercing pain that made him tremble uncontrollably, drenched in cold sweat.

Seeing that Yin Shaohua's face had turned blue, Li Wan didn't hesitate. He turned the blade and cleanly severed his hand tendons.

Yin Shaohua rolled on the ground in pain but was lifted by Li Wan, who repeated the process, severing the tendons in his other hand and both feet.

Li Wan's actions were precise but cold and ruthless, like a hunter gutting his prey.

After finishing, Li Wan threw Yin Shaohua to the ground and stomped on him with a loud "pa" sound.

He used the hidden strength from the Righteous Qi Technique, and the force was so great that it crushed Yin Shaohua's entire right arm.

Yin Shaohua's eyes rolled back, and he finally fainted.

Only then did Li Wan's cold expression soften, and he began to bandage Yin Shaohua's wounds.

"Severing the hand and foot tendons, crushing the arm bone... in the mortal world, this would likely result in a disability. But with your good family background, this minor injury isn't a big deal. Go back and get some spirit medicines, and you'll be fine. Even if you're not, your family is wealthy enough to support a cripple without much trouble." Li Wan chuckled, "I want to see if you will send people to hunt me down first or save you first."

Li Wan was very clear that he would be pursued for taking the Five Elements Spirit Qi, as it was a crucial item for cultivating a spiritual field and equivalent to an opportunity to become a cultivator.

He did all this not to satisfy a sadistic urge but to buy time and a chance to escape.

Not long after, Li Wan entered the bamboo grove at the back of the mountain and followed the stone path used by the kitchen servants to carry firewood and water, disappearing into the vast mountains.

***

The next day, the servants of the Yin family searched for a long time but couldn't find their young master, which made them curious but not overly concerned.

Li Wan's plan worked. It wasn't until midday that someone realized something was wrong and discussed whether to report it to the outer court steward.

This outer court steward was named Qiu, who had been a contemporary disciple with Yin Shaohua's great-grandfather and had received his help many times, so they had a good relationship. The servants of the Yin family, feeling lost without their young master, could only rely on him.

But by this time, it was already afternoon.

When the servants reported to him, Qiu was puzzled. His first thought was that Yin Shaohua couldn't bear the hardships of cultivation and had secretly run down the mountain to indulge in food, drink, and women.

But then he thought it was unlikely. If Yin Shaohua wanted to go down the mountain for fun, he wouldn't leave early in the morning without his attendants.

So he mobilized the disciples of the Daoist hall and the servants of various families to search everywhere and sent people to verify the night watch. At the same time, he used the secret techniques of the Daoist sect to track the aura, but found that Yin Shaohua was still on the mountain, though his exact location was unknown.

This search continued through the night. It wasn't until dawn the next day, when the east was beginning to turn white, that a disciple found Yin Shaohua, who was barely alive, in the orchard.

"Shaohua, what happened? Who did this to you!" Qiu, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, was shocked by Yin Shaohua's condition.

He never expected that Yin Shaohua would have his hand and foot tendons severed and his arm bone crushed, and be brutally abandoned in the wilderness.

If they had found him any later, the consequences would have been dire.

"Old Qiu, it was Li Wan, that bastard! He broke into my room, tied me up, stole my things, and did this to me... You have to do something!" Yin Shaohua, seeing Qiu, couldn't help but shed tears and sob.

"Li Wan?" Qiu was stunned.

"It's the disciple you dismissed the other day..." someone reminded him softly.

Qiu finally reacted and, enraged, asked, "Where is Li Wan?"

"Old Qiu, Li Wan... he has already fled!"

"What, fled?" Qiu's face was full of anger.

He knew what Yin Shaohua had done and what the "thing" he mentioned was.

But after examining Yin Shaohua's injuries, Qiu couldn't help but draw a sharp breath, suppressing his anger.

"What a ruthless move. He's trying to cripple Shaohua. Truly a wolf in sheep's clothing! Shaohua, your condition is very critical. I must take you back to the sect for treatment immediately. If you end up disabled, your future will be ruined."

Yin Shaohua was stunned and, after a long pause, asked unwillingly, "What about... Li Wan?"

Qiu said, "Fang Ming, Shi Buyi, I'm entrusting this matter to you two. If you can catch Li Wan, I will speak well of you to Elder Yin, and he will surely reward you. Understand?"

Fang Ming and Shi Buyi, who had accompanied Qiu on this mission, bowed and said, "Old Qiu, rest assured. We will definitely catch Li Wan!"