My Lady Always Lacks Ambition

Chapter 686 - 670: Revenge Must Not Be Postponed Overnight

Qin Liuxi brought Teng Zhao and Wan Chuan to the restricted fifth floor of the Immortal Ascension Tower, first finding a herbal compendium for Wang Chuan to identify, then told Teng Zhao to browse through various historical records and miscellaneous notes.

"That row of books, browse through all of them for me," directed Qin Liuxi, pointing at the shelf.

Teng Zhao looked at her: "Where are you going?"

Qin Liuxi tugged at his crown and said, "Remember what I taught? Revenge must not be delayed overnight. Someone unknown has hurt my master, and as his disciple, I must seek justice for him and not let him be bullied in vain."

Teng Zhao thought: You’re saying this deliberately for me to learn!

Wang Chuan loudly expressed his filial piety: "In the future, I’ll protect my master. Anyone who bullies him, I’ll make them pay with their life!"

Teng Zhao pushed her head down: "Go identify your herbs."

"Okay."

However, Qin Liuxi was very satisfied, saying, "That’s how you should respect your master. I’m leaving now."

She reassured the two to continue reading while she herself ascended the stairs, Teng Zhao watching as she walked until she disappeared, then lowered his eyes and opened the book in his hands.

The very top floor of the Immortal Ascension Tower was protected by an Array, to prevent unauthorized entry. What seemed like ordinary stairs, if trodden wrong, could leave one perpetually climbing.

Qin Liuxi entered the top floor and sat directly on the floor, in front of her, a Taiji Bagua Diagram.

She intended to use the Da Yan Divination Method to divine Sha Yuanzi’s whereabouts.

Lighting incense to respect the gods and purifying her hands, Qin Liuxi clasped her hands together forming seals, chanting spells, and after opening her eyes, took out fifty stalks of Shi Grass hidden in the bamboo box, smoked them over the incense burner for a while, then randomly returned one stalk to the box, leaving forty-nine.

"The great number fifty uses forty-nine."

The remaining forty-nine stalks represented forty-nine strategies; she used them to perform divination, dividing them into two groups, placed on her left and right.

"Divide by four to symbolize the four seasons."

Qin Liuxi first took the Shi Grass in her left hand, counting in groups of four with her right hand, after counting, she set them down, then swapped, holding the grass in her right hand, counting with her left.

The Da Yan Divination Method consumed a lot of mental power, simulating myriad changes. If one’s concentration faltered, it could lead to failure and damage one’s Divine Soul. Daoists, cherishing their spiritual cultivation, rarely used this method for divination due to its intense consumption of spirit, especially those already injured, as even a successful divination could deplete their cultivation.

Therefore, Qin Liuxi forbade Master Chi Yuan, whose cultivation had already declined, from using the Da Yan Divination, fearing his cultivation might degrade further. Even if she gathered all the materials to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill, he might not catch up.

Human life is limited. As a cultivator, Master Chi Yuan had a longer life than ordinary mortals because of his cultivation practices; still, he was merely a man, and reaching a hundred years was already considered exceptionally long-lived. To extend it further, he must succeed in Foundation Establishment.

Qin Liuxi hoped he could stay with her longer.

During her divination, her mind was undistracted, her movements swift. Forty-nine Shi Grass divided into two, hung one, counted four, returned to one, the three changes forming the initial line. Qin Liuxi glanced at it, didn’t draw the divination figure, just memorized it in her mind, she didn’t command the grass again, instead repeated the process, after three changes, forming the second line, until the six lines were complete.

"So, you are here," Qin Liuxi lightly tapped the divination figure with her slender fingertips, her lips curving slightly, a cold light flashing in her eyes.

Not far from Qingping Temple, the vast expanse of the Wanhuai Forest, which stretches to the neighboring county, Kang City.

Wanhuai Forest, primarily composed of locust trees, dense and lush foliage, even at the peak of the afternoon when the sun is fiercest, the deeper parts are shaded by branches and leaves, making the light particularly dim, feeling almost cut off from daylight.

For this reason, Wanhuai Forest is also known as Wangui Forest, revered as a sacred place for wandering spirits in this locality, as locust trees nourish ghosts. The poor lighting here is more suitable for their activities, and as locust trees are inherently yin, coupled with countless wandering spirits gathered here, it makes the yin energy even more potent.

Thus, the name Wangui Forest is no falsehood.

Sha Yuanzi believed this place to be a sanctuary perfect for nurturing yin evil spirits, especially suitable for refining ghosts given its large number of wandering spirits.

In other words, in Wanhuai Forest, Sha Yuanzi felt like he was back home.

He placed the Five Ghost Formation Flags around him, sat down cross-legged, hands resting on his knees, adjusting his breathing.

He had just provoked Master Chi Yuan and was struck by his horsetail whisk, causing his own energy to be somewhat disturbed.

He didn’t leave because he felt that the most dangerous places could be the safest; thus, he stayed in the eerie atmosphere of Wanhuai Forest for recovery and to seek out the ginseng that might have gained sentience here.

He hadn’t expected Qin Liuxi to arrive so quickly.

The setting sun gradually shifted westward, and dark clouds gathered in the sky, covering the sun and casting the forest into darkness akin to night.

A storm was coming.

A breeze swept through, rustling the treetops mournfully, sounding like the wail of ghosts.

Sha Yuanzi suddenly opened his eyes, vigilantly scanning his surroundings with an ominous feeling.

This was bad.

He clapped his hands on the ground, twisted his body, and agilely performed a flip.

Boom.

A Five Thunders Talisman exploded at his previous spot.

"Junior brother, you actually found your way here," Sha Yuanzi said with a complex expression.

Even though he didn’t want to admit it, Qin Liuxi was indeed more formidable than he had imagined, pinpointing this location to kill him.

Qin Liuxi spoke no idle words, hurling a stack of trapped talismans consecutively and surrounding him, making escape impossible, with the Qilin dagger lunging towards him.

The dagger thrust directly at his neck.

Sha Yuanzi’s pupils constricted; she really wanted to kill him.

Why, because he found Qingping Temple and engaged with her master?

Sha Yuanzi didn’t dare to think too deeply, hastily retreating and drawing a military saber from his waist to block her dagger.

Ding.

Their blades met and instantly rebounded.

Qin Liuxi swiftly dodged the saber that reeked of evil spirits, stabbing and slicing Sha Yuanzi’s leg with the Qilin dagger.

Sha Yuanzi winced in pain, hacking downward with the saber in his hand, and took out a Bone Flute, beginning to play.

The piercing flute sound drilled into the eardrum, deeply agonizing. Qin Liuxi, seemingly unaffected, struck Sha Yuanzi’s other leg with the Qilin dagger again. Simultaneously, she stood on one foot while kicking the saber away with the other.

Sha Yuanzi’s flute playing paused, and he continuously retreated.

Qin Liuxi slid under his crotch like a snake, clamping her legs swiftly, climbed up, and perched on his neck, dagger ready to strike.

Ding.

Sha Yuanzi once again used his saber to block her dagger, falling to the ground while swinging the saber backward.

Qin Liuxi rolled to the side, yanking hard with her left hand.

Sha Yuanzi stunned, looked down only to find—without knowing when—a thin yet extremely tough thread had wrapped around his neck.

It was over; he was going to die.

Sha Yuanzi felt his neck being sliced open, blood pouring out, but his heart suddenly felt calm.

Dying by her hand seemed not to hold any grievances.

"Scum!"

A furious shout came from above, followed by someone wielding a Vajra Pestle, striking towards Qin Liuxi.