Who Let Him Cultivate?!

Shang Zhongtian spoke in a low voice, “I treaded carefully along the cold and dry tunnel, lit on both sides by fist-sized Night Pearls that had been glowing for who knows how many years. Their dim blue light only illuminated figures without revealing any facial features. I felt a lingering sensation of being watched, and it made my hair stand on end. But when I turned around, there was nothing to be found. I merely thought it was some illusion.”

“I followed the light through the rugged passage to the main tomb.”

“The scale of the main tomb was breathtaking. For a moment, I forgot that this was a dark and terrifying tomb.”

Shang Zhongtian paused, eyes closed, as though he was recounting the minute details of the scene he observed. After he finished recalling, he slowly started, “I have never seen a tomb of this magnitude. The ceiling was so high that it appeared like the dome of the sky. Under the dome, numerous clay soldiers wielding sharp copper spears were faithfully guarding the tomb. The spectacular funerary objects were arrayed in the Eight Diagrams formation. All of them which mysteriously embodied the general laws of nature.”

“The ancient corpse that had been dead for centuries was still emanating terrifying waves of energy from the coffin that made my heart palpitate. It was as if the Old Freak of the Nascent Soul Stage hadn’t died and was merely sleeping, on the verge of awakening.”

“Indecision isn’t in my nature, I made an immediate decision, and took half of the funerary objects. Just as I was about to leave, the sound of footsteps echoed in the bare tomb, sending a chill down my spine.”

“What happened next was something horrifying that I had never experienced in my years of entering the profession.”

At this point, both Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye leaned forward, eager to hear the rest of the story.

Shang Zhongtian displayed an expression of extreme anguish, his voice trembling, “I encountered the descendants of that Nascent Soul Stage individual who came to worship their ancestor!”

“What?” Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye heard clearly but hadn’t registered in.

“These people brought offerings and magic artifacts to pay tribute to their ancestors—praying for their family’s longevity, the constant emergence of talented individuals, and successful careers in life. Along the way of their visit, they noticed my presence in the tomb and apprehended me. It was so horrible at that moment, even recalling it now sends cold sweats down my forehead.”

“… I think their reaction was pretty normal”, Lu Yang spoke the truth-considering you were not killed on the spot means they exercised good restraint.”

“So this is your so-called great terror?” Tao Yaoye asked.

Shang Zhongtian scratched his head, not understanding their reaction, “Exactly, meeting the descendants of the tomb’s owner while robbing a tomb; could anything be more terrifying than that?”

“And then?”

“Then, I got a good beating which caused my realm to fall from the peak Qi Refinement to mid-stage Qi Refinement. I was thrown into jail and the government made me compensate with all the stolen items. After being incarcerated for ten years, I decided to turn over a new leaf and start a new life, away from all these troubles.”

“To be honest.”

“I can’t show face in my field anymore.”

11 11

Shang Zhongtian’s sincerity left both Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye at a loss on what to say.

After Shang Zhongtian personally took care of the burial of Mr. Zhang’s skinless body, he invited Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye to stay an extra night before leaving. But Tao Yaoye declined the offer.

If it were not for the plan to draw out the Skin-Peeling Ghost, Tao Yaoye would have never chosen to stay overnight. Traveling at night posed no difficulties for two individuals at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Before leaving, Lu Yang went back to find Shang Yuan and gently pet the parrot’s head.

If the people of Taiping Village hadn’t mistaken the parrot for a Demon Beast, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to handle the Skin-Peeling Ghost in the Shang Family’s home.

“This parrot isn’t bad, it might really be a Demon Beast, you should cultivate it well.”

Shang Yuan was startled and quickly inquired about the reason.

“The strength of a Demon Beast in the Early Stage is quite uncertain; it’s not easy to differentiate it from a wild beast—I couldn’t make out a thing.”

“But Xiao Lu didn’t go far after leaving your house. Instead, it kept flying around Taiping Village. It knew your home was in danger yet didn’t approach. It could have been a coincidence, or it might be a precursor to developing its intelligence. It’s hard to say.”

Lu Yang just smiled, not saying anything more.

Shang Zhongtian felt he hadn’t been a good host. After all, they had saved twelve lives in the Shang Family. But all he could offer in return was to share the story of his retirement.

“These are my experiences of tomb raiding. If you don’t mind, you can have them. It might come in handy one day.” Shang Zhongtian took a blue book out from his breast and handed it over.

Lu Yang accepted politely. After that, they bid their farewell.

On their way back, Lu Yang asked, “Do you want this book on tomb raiding experiences?”

Tao Yaoye shook her head; she has no interest in tomb raiding, so she doesn’t need such a book.

Lu Yang also felt it was of no use, but still kept it.

“Why didn’t you tell me when you were poisoning my room?” Tao Yaoye still held a grudge about this matter.

Lucky for her, as a Feather Transformation Immortal body, she was highly resistant to all poisons, otherwise, wouldn’t she have ended up with athlete’s foot like Mr. Zhang?

Is it appropriate for a beautiful girl to catch an athlete’s foot?

Lu Yang shrugged. Of course, he had released the poison after confirming that the poison would not harm Tao Yaoye: “I did tell you.”

“When?”

“During dinner, with my eyes.”

“Oh, so you weren’t asking me to pass your dish?”

“I’m not that superficial.”

The two of them successfully returned to the Seek Dao Sect, coincidentally, Meng Jingzhou had also just completed his task and was complaining to the Senior Brother who assigned the task.

“Junior Brother Meng Jingzhou, your task was pretty straightforward, how did it end with a complaint from the Fox Demon about your attitude and unwillingness to cooperate?” The Senior Brother was somewhat puzzled. They were just offering a book of Dual Cultivation Techniques, what attitude problem could there be?

“Senior Brother, I am telling you, there’s something suspicious about that Fox Demon. I was just going there to provide Dual Cultivation Techniques, but she demanded to ‘inspect the goods’ and insisted that we practise the Dual Cultivation Techniques together to test their authenticity.”

An angry Meng Jingzhou said, “If it wasn’t for the fact that I have a pure yang body and couldn’t break my virginity, I would have practised the Dual Cultivation Techniques with her!”

It was unclear whether he was angry at the fact that his pure yang body had deprived him of an extraordinary encounter, or whether he was offended by the Fox Demon undermining his commitment to the path of cultivation.

Seeing the task-assigning Senior Brother looking helpless, Lu Yang stepped forward to help out: “Senior Brother, we have completed the task of dealing with the Demon Beast.”

Lu Yang went into detail about how the people of Taiping Village had mistaken a parrot for a talking Demon Beast, how he and Tao Yaoye had lured out the Skin-Peeling Ghost and subsequently dealt with it.

In the end, Lu Yang handed over the ashes of the Skin-Peeling Ghost to the Senior Brother.

“To have executed the task so successfully on the first attempt is quite impressive.” The Senior Brother looked at Lu Yang with newfound respect. When he had assigned this task, he had thought it to be quite straightforward and had not expected the additional complications.

Hearing how Lu Yang had employed the poison tactically and how he dealt with the Skin-Peeling Ghost swiftly, raised his admiration to another level. If the ghost hadn’t been poisoned, subduing it would have been a challenge, and it might even have slipped away.

Most importantly, this junior brother was carrying a poison that could infect someone with athlete’s foot. The senior brother, considering this, subtly moved his seat farther away.

“Both of you have exceeded the task requirements, hence your original contribution points are quadrupled. You’ll receive 120 contribution points, and Junior Sister Tao Yaoye, who played a supportive role, will receive 90 contribution points.”

Tao Yaoye had no objections. In this task, Lu Yang played a vital role while she was merely bait.