CHAPTER 92: CHAPTER 90: THE SWORD CULTIVATOR’S MERIT, THE LOTUS PILL METHOD

Wei Qingye looked bewildered.

It’s quite rare to see a Sword Cultivator show such an expression.

He lowered his head to glance at the bamboo sword in his hand, stretching out his finger to gently stroke the blade.

"The Sword Vein Bamboo Shoot has already been transformed into a Lifebound Magical Artifact by my sect’s Secret Technique."

"If it dies, I will also suffer severe injury."

"If Yang Ke Dao You has any questions, feel free to ask. As long as it doesn’t involve secrets of my cultivation path, I’ll speak freely."

This is clearly a severe issue, but after saying it, Wei Qingye became considerably calmer.

For a doctor, a patient’s stable emotions are indeed the best outcome.

Li Ye also felt somewhat relieved, asking, "I’ve already helped you soothe it once; logically, there shouldn’t be any issues.

Or perhaps, what exactly did you do to make it so resentful of you?"

"Perhaps it’s due to the circumstances of how I acquired it being somewhat..." Wei Qingye thought for a moment and said with a wry smile, "a bit arduous."

Before Li Ye could ask if it was convenient to explain in detail,

the Sword Cultivator continued, "I wasn’t its first master; when I discovered it in the bamboo forest, a junior brother had collapsed in the forest.

I took this Sword Vein Bamboo Shoot from his hand."

Such encounters seem not uncommon in the Cultivation Realm.

After all, cultivators explore predecessors’ cave mansions or ancient tombs, acquiring many things in this manner.

Not to mention, outside, killing and taking treasures aren’t uncommon either.

"Could it be some misunderstanding between Yang Ke Dao You and that cultivator?" Li Ye continued inquiring.

"Quite the opposite."

"That junior brother and I were on very good terms, entering the sect and practicing swordsmanship together. At that time, I had actually already obtained another Sword Vein Bamboo Shoot but still picked it up."

"Back then, I just wanted to see his sword."

Wei Qingye stroked the bamboo sword blade again, this time the sharp Sword Qi and blade cut his finger, blood spreading over the blade.

If Wei Qingye wasn’t lying, then the only thing Li Ye could suspect was this Sword Vein Bamboo Shoot. The former owner unexpectedly perished; the current owner is about to be severely injured...

Well, considering the Qi of the Five Elements...

He frowned: "I’ll use Magic to help Yang Ke Dao You communicate with the Sword Vein Bamboo Shoot, perhaps finding the reason, but I can’t guarantee the outcome."

"Haha," Wei Qingye laughed, "Has anyone told you that you’re actually very kind? You didn’t have to deal with this mess."

The Sword Cultivator took out two jade bottles from the Storage Ring: "Regardless of the outcome, this Jia Wood Qi and Gui Water Qi are yours."

By now, Li Ye had gently summoned the Xiguang Bell.

He said, "Has anyone told you that you’re quite clever for generously offering such benefits?

I really can’t refuse."

Before the Sword Cultivator could respond, he flicked a finger against the Xiguang Bell.

"Ding ling ling~"

The recently evolved power of the Xiguang Bell gently enveloped the Sword Vein Bamboo Shoot.

Following Wei Qingye’s instructions, he tried to soothe the Sword Vein Bamboo Shoot concerning the loss of its old master.

At first, Li Ye didn’t sense anything during his exploration.

But then the Sun and Moon Ring on his wrist, separating Yin and Yang, briefly flickered with golden light.

As if piercing through something.

He suddenly vaguely sensed a faint golden radiance inside the Sword Vein Bamboo Shoot, holding its own against the sunlight of the Xiguang Bell.

That glow was quite familiar to him.

’Merit...’

Li Ye said in his heart.

Looking at Wei Qingye, who was completely immersed in communicating with the Sword Vein Bamboo Shoot, the Sword Vein Bamboo Shoot actually contained Merit, contradicting his earlier suspicion of it causing harm to its master.

Also, it turns out that the Qi Fortune Shining Gold could detect Merit?

Well, it’s not something he should worry about; he’s just a healer now, nothing more.

He continued no further exploration but simply helped Wei Qingye communicate with the Sword Vein Bamboo Shoot using the power of the Xiguang Bell.

After a while,

the ’near-death’ condition of the Sword Vein Bamboo Shoot miraculously disappeared.

Even more bizarre was that a stream of Merit was being transferred over from Wei Qingye’s side.

Just like when he rid the Zhou Family Spirit Land of the Miner Ghost, threads of it scattered onto the Jianmu seed.

Helping him somehow brought Merit?

This was indeed an unexpected joy for Li Ye, who desperately needed Merit to help Jianmu grow quickly, but what was the reason?

Wei Qingye exhaled deeply and opened his eyes.

His body was already drenched in sweat.

But he still smiled happily, "Your Divine Techniques truly live up to their name. I’ve used some methods to completely integrate with the Sword Vein Bamboo Shoot, utilizing my own essence and blood to sustain its existence.

It finally agreed to fully merge with my Divine Sense and Essence Blood."

Li Ye waved his hand, "I’ve only done what I should, and besides, you’ve paid such a high consultation fee. If you need further assistance in the future, feel free to seek me out."

"Then many thanks, Yang Ke Dao You." Wei Qingye expressed a solemn bow.

"I will continue cultivating near Huiya Marketplace in the coming days and should be able to find more Qi of the Five Elements, which I’ll trade with you then."

Just like last time, after solving the problem, this Sword Cultivator took his leave with a big stride, eager to test his sword.

But Li Ye hesitated for a moment and still went to find the Spiritual Mechanism Vine, informing his senior brother about gaining Merit from Wei Qingye.

With the weather growing increasingly hot, the Spiritual Mechanism Vine no longer sold goods outside. When Li Ye found it, it was lazily lounging in a pool of Spiritual Water.

Each vine leaf was steaming with a faint blue mist, as if soaking in a hot spring.

After listening to Li Ye’s account, it replied, "That kid probably possesses some Qi Fortune, but his fortune isn’t smooth sailing; instead, it requires enduring hardships.

By being his benefactor, you naturally gained Merit.

Moreover, you once purified a Hungry Ghost Evil Bone and used your power to dispel much Resentment Qi as well as Miner Ghosts; your Qi Fortune is undoubtedly substantial.

When I first saw you, you seemed pleasing to my eyes—I assume this is due to your Qi Fortune."

It paused, its tone growing severe, "In the future, refrain from casually treating others. Once you learn the Qi Observation Method, decide for yourself whether to offer assistance."

"The Qi fortune on your body is quite abundant, not everyone can bear it."

These words unraveled a lot of confusion in Li Ye’s heart. He had always felt his luck was quite good, and now he realized it was due to the Qi fortune he carried.

But where did the initial Qi fortune come from?

Could it be from saving the Flint Fire Crystal Insect and the Silver Moon Grass?

If that’s the case, he indeed should interact more with Wei Qingye; this is like walking with merit!

"I understand, Senior Brother." Li Ye nodded, showing concern, "Senior Brother, you seem weary lately. Is there anything Junior Brother can help with?"

The Spiritual Mechanism Vine lazily waved its hand.

"It’s just the nature of summer."

"You go about your own business."

"Then I shall take my leave!"

Li Ye quickly left the room.

...

He returned home and took out the two jade bottles Wei Qingye had given him, which contained "Jia Wood" and "Gui Water" from the Five Elements.

Of course, the first one to be examined was Jia Wood.

It is said that this special Qi of the Five Elements could only be obtained from dense forests of towering trees, belonging to the Yang side of Wood Qi.

When Li Ye wrapped it with his spiritual power and took it out, his entire palm was stained a deep green.

"This is the Qi of Jia Wood."

He brought this unique spiritual energy to the dwelling place of the Gourd Spirit Turtles and found the most pleasing wood turtle to pass the energy to.

The gourd on the turtle’s back immediately absorbed all the energy, turning deeper green from its original light green.

Then it trotted over to its own gourd seedling, opened its mouth.

"Hoo!"

Spat out a stream of spiritual energy at the base of the gourd, followed by some turtle blood.

The gourd seedling, having absorbed enough spiritual energy, released a stream of its own in return.

The turtle cozily nested in the root of the gourd seedling, touching it with its shell, quickly fell asleep with its head retracted.

Somehow, Li Ye felt as if he was watching an affectionate couple frolicking.

A ludicrous thought flashed in his mind:

"Could you also have offspring with a gourd?"

This question was destined to remain unanswered for now, but given the previous love story involving a gourd and a turtle, Li Ye accepted it quite readily.

After dealing with the Jia Wood Qi, he gave the Gui Water Qi to another Gourd Spirit Turtle; as for the other turtles, they would have to wait.

When he was about to leave, he posted a notice outside the Four Seasons Tower, hoping to obtain more Qi of the Five Elements soon.

After resolving the gourd issue, he turned to the place cultivating the Spirit-Uniting Lotus, which was ready for harvest after ten days.

"I wonder what it tastes like and what effects it has?"

Just as he was about to reach out to pluck it, the silent Earth Demon Ginseng suddenly sent a wave of consciousness—implying it knew a Lotus Pill Method.

It could help Li Ye refine the lotus seeds of the Spirit-Uniting Lotus into Lotus Pills.

"Oh?" Li Ye looked at it, half-smiling, thinking this was the ginseng showing vulnerability earlier than he expected.

He didn’t make things difficult for it, just curious.

"Where did you learn this method? I’ve never heard of a magic that can refine lotus seeds into pills."

——From a fox.

A fox?

Could it be the Earth Wishing Spirit Fox he encountered before, whose tail he still wore?

If it were techniques from a powerful member of the Fox Race, he’d indeed be intrigued.

Immediately, he extended his divine sense to communicate with the Earth Demon Ginseng.

After about half a cup of tea’s time, Li Ye slowly opened his eyes, still carrying some doubt in his gaze.

The Earth Demon Ginseng indeed imparted a magic technique to him, but it wasn’t as he imagined, directly refining on the lotus flower. Instead, it required crafting a "Lotus Lamp."

After connecting the Lotus Lamp with the lotus flower using a special magic, the flower’s spiritual energy could burn in the lamp to refine the Lotus Pill.

"So it means to use the Essence, Qi, and Spirit of the lotus flower and the spiritual power of the seeds, root, and leaves for this."

"But isn’t there a flaw in this method?"

"If the Essence, Qi, and Spirit are all used for the lamp’s flame, how will the plant grow properly?"

Li Ye identified a potential issue here, but the Earth Demon Ginseng replied: I can supply the Essence, Qi, and Spirit needed.

It gently stretched its ginseng tendrils, its attitude resolute under Li Ye’s gaze.

"Very well then."

With this explanation, Li Ye didn’t have any more doubts.

He focused on studying the manufacturing method of the Lotus Lamp.

It turned out that making the lamp wasn’t complicated; the difficult part was the runes on the lampstand.

Fortunately, Li Ye’s divine sense control was strong, which was crucial for drawing runes.

After purchasing materials and spending a night, he crafted a jade Lotus Lamp.

He placed the Lotus Lamp among the now fully bloomed lotus flower, and the flower bud automatically closed, revealing only the upper part of the lamp outside.

Soon after, Li Ye pointed his finger at the lamp to light it.

A golden-red flame flickered at the tip of the Lotus Lamp.

It burned extremely slowly, with the intricate runes on the lampstand faintly shimmering, drawing upon the Essence, Qi, and Spirit of the lotus.

——More precisely, drawing from the Essence, Qi, and Spirit of the Earth Demon Ginseng, as its spiritual power was already entirely linked with the Spirit-Uniting Lotus, allowing it to provide for the process.

"It will take seven days to refine, huh."

Li Ye watched for a while, deciding to see the final product in seven days. Besides, the first batch of silk from the Qingsui Silkworm should also be ready by then.

"When the Lotus Lamp burns out, and the Qingsui Silkworms spin their silk... the Life Spirit Ink is also prepared.

But considering the time, I should soon be leaving this marketplace."

He sighed lightly.