Chapter 120 - 119: The Blue-Skirted Girl, the Bird-Beaked Boy, and Uncle Teng
The Experience Points for the Immortal Golden Body hadn’t increased by much when Su Bai finished reading the Human Skin Scroll.
After reading it, Su Bai’s expression turned strange.
’The person who created this Cultivation Technique had an understanding of the Martial Dao as vast and deep as an abyss!’
Indeed, this was Su Bai’s genuine thought after reading the Human Skin Scroll.
Immortal Golden Body! Third Transformation Lower Chapter!
Its techniques were complex and numerous, but they could be summarized as...
First Transformation: A punch descends like a cloud!
Second Transformation: A punch descends like a mountain!
Third Transformation: A punch descends like the sea!
After reading the entire text, Su Bai felt the most familiar with the Chapters on the first two transformations, and his insight into them was the deepest.
This was a pure Body Cultivation Technique, one that championed breaking the Ten Thousand Laws with absolute strength!
Through its cultivation, one could absorb Demon Evil Qi and Shocking Thunderbolts to constantly strengthen a Martial Artist’s physique, ultimately attaining the supreme realm where absolute strength could shatter the Ten Thousand Laws!
Unfortunately, the complete Immortal Golden Body technique had long been lost to time.
This ancient Cultivation Technique had been lost in the river of time, impossible to recover.
The Third Transformation Lower Chapter of the Immortal Golden Body in Su Bai’s hands was also largely incomplete. It was completely impossible to cultivate and could only be used as a reference for observation.
Otherwise, the high-ranking members of the Royal Family would have taken such a Cultivation Technique long ago. They would never have allowed it to remain with Longbo Hai.
Time slowly passed...
’That’s about enough!’
Two hours later, Su Bai saw that the Demon Evil Qi seeping from the cave entrance had grown thin, so he stopped absorbing it.
’Almost twenty thousand more Experience Points. Not bad at all!’
A pleased expression appeared on Su Bai’s face after he glanced at the technique panel.
He was quite satisfied.
It was a simple truth: you have to walk a path one step at a time, just as you eat a meal one bite at a time.
’And you have to harvest leeks one batch at a time!’
’That’s enough for today!’
Su Bai glanced into the cave.
He still had no intention of going down to investigate. With his mood considerably lifted, he returned to his quarters.
...
It seemed the rainy season had arrived.
Ever since Su Bai had obtained the Third Transformation Lower Chapter, a drizzling rain had begun to fall over the Imperial City.
You could use an umbrella when going out, but it was a bit of a hassle.
But if you didn’t, your robes would get soaked.
It was the kind of situation that would make anyone prone to indecision furrow their brow.
Under the influence of the seemingly incessant rain...
As a result, even Su Bai’s quarters within the prison had succumbed to the dampness.
It was like an old farmer just back from the fields, sweating uncontrollably; everything was clammy to the touch.
WHOOSH!!
Su Bai circulated a wisp of True Qi, and a sliver of golden flame ignited at his fingertip. Under the control of his Divine Thoughts, it snaked around the room.
Finally, the golden flame danced across his hanging robes like a miniature Golden Dragon, swiftly drying them.
Feeling considerably more comfortable and dry, Su Bai slowly withdrew the golden flame.
Today was supposed to be Su Bai’s day off, but due to the matter with the Holy Robe Sect, the holidays of many Martial Artists in the Prison Suppression Bureau had been postponed. They were all required to pitch in for a while.
In the early morning, he changed into a dry set of robes, picked up the saber resting to the side, and stepped out under his umbrella.
Perhaps because everyone’s holidays were being used, Ning Fengyun had given the Prison Suppression Bureau’s Martial Artists special permission to skip the scheduled roll call.
As long as there were no mishaps during prisoner escorts, all was well.
Walking down Cyan Dragon Avenue, Su Bai wolfed down a fried pancake in just a few bites.
As he was walking, he heard someone call his name from nearby.
"Friend Su! Friend Su!"
Su Bai looked toward the voice and saw the owner of the Daoist Study standing in front of his shop, waving at him with a cheerful smile.
"Care to come in for a drink? I just got a new shipment in!"
"Can’t, I’m on duty!"
Su Bai patted the hilt of the saber at his waist. The sharp, crisp sound reached the bookstore owner’s ears.
Realization dawned on the man. He cupped his fists in a salute to Su Bai and stepped back inside.
Su Bai glanced up and peered inside the shop.
In the main hall of the study, he saw a young girl in a blue robe, about twelve or thirteen years old. She wore a silver jade hairpin and was deftly and skillfully flicking away the dust from the books with a feather duster.
’A bookstore this small is hiring child labor?’
Su Bai muttered to himself, averting his gaze.
"Friend Su, don’t just say things like that! That’s my daughter!"
The flustered voice of the bookstore owner drifted out, sounding like a desperate defense!
Shaking his head, Su Bai paid him no mind.
The bookstore owner was, after all, a Martial Dao master at the Ninth Level of the Spirit Transformation Realm.
’It was only normal for him to have a few quirks.’
He had barely taken two more steps when he suddenly stopped.
He sensed a trace of Demon Qi.
Although it was faint and extremely subtle—not easily detected—it could not escape the perception of Su Bai’s Divine Sense.
This was the first time Su Bai had encountered a demon hiding in plain sight in the city streets.
This wisp of Demon Qi was coming from above.
Su Bai continued walking, casually glancing in that direction.
A common, gray-faced bird was perched on a brown eave.
Raindrops fell on its damp, gray feathers, but it paid them no mind, simply staring intently in a certain direction.
’How interesting.’
Su Bai detected a wisp of Demon Qi within the bird’s black eyes, and the direction it was facing was precisely the Daoist Study.
’The bookstore owner was a master hiding in plain sight, but to think he had already given himself away!’
’Who knows who he offended to end up being watched like this.’
’Still, this had nothing to do with him. As long as the Daoist Study didn’t get shut down, he didn’t care.’
Snapping out of his thoughts, Su Bai held his umbrella and ambled away through the misty rain, an observer of the myriad affairs of the mortal world.
...
「Somewhere in the Imperial City.」
"Uncle Teng! Is this the person you were looking for?"
A boy with a bird-like beak, dressed in a black robe, spoke respectfully.
In his hand, he held up a screen of light, which displayed the exact scene the bird was witnessing.
The burly, cyan-robed young man remained expressionless, his eyes narrowing slightly.
On the screen...
...a young man with a saber passed by the study, holding an oil-paper umbrella.
Inside, a middle-aged man in a long gown sat at a table, calmly sipping tea.
Beside him stood a young girl in a blue dress. Her eyes were tinged with red, and she waited quietly.
Upon seeing the girl, a light flashed in the burly young man’s eyes.
"To think this girl would appear here..."
After a long moment, he finally spoke.
"Keep a close eye on those two. Don’t miss a single detail. Otherwise..."
The burly young man’s expression darkened as he let out a cold snort.
"I understand! I understand!"
The bird-beaked boy at his side looked as if he’d been struck by lightning. A trickle of dark blood flowed from the corner of his mouth as he hastily bowed his head, nodding again and again.
The burly young man named "Teng" gave him a cold stare but said nothing more.
After a moment’s thought, he vanished from the room.
Outside, Teng walked into the rain.
He tilted his head back, gazing up at the sky.
It was shrouded in dark clouds, filled with a misty drizzle.
Gazing up at the countless silver threads of rain, the burly young man slowly spread his arms.
At that moment,
a pure, almost childlike smile touched the corners of his lips, and his Heart Spirit relaxed.
Then, in a flash,
his figure vanished from where it stood.
It was as if he had transformed into a puff of green smoke, a wisp of thin mist, a drop of gentle water...
...and completely merged into the vast, fine rain!