Walking the Ten Thousand Daos

Chapter 70: Entering the Ranks

Cultivators definitely earn money far more easily than ordinary people.

Previously, Li Qi toiled as a boat hauler for over two years and saved nothing; he was a pauper.

But now, simply by hunting in the wilderness, he could earn six or seven thousand qian.

It was the same for the blind old woman.

With a single divination, she could determine which businesses were profitable, which crops would yield a good harvest this year, and when it was advisable or inadvisable to leave the house.

With such a cheat, earning money was surely effortless.

After returning, being a cultivator, she maintained herself well. Although she had left home at twelve or thirteen to study at Wushen Mountain and only returned in her forties or fifties, she still appeared to be thirty. So, she married and bore a son.

With her help, the Wang family, in just twenty years, transformed from a small landlord into a wealthy household in Yixian, owning two thousand three hundred forty-two mu of land, with an annual income of a hundred gold pieces.

And the Wang family daughter was now over seventy years old.

Her husband had passed away, and the household had dozens of servants. Although her son was a bit foolish, he was filial and sensible, and harvests were not difficult.The blind old woman felt her life had been quite sufficient.

Her family at childhood was well-off; she had never suffered hardship and hadn't developed a delicate temperament.

As an adult, she had visited Wushen Mountain and seen the truly vast world, not remaining a frog in a well.

In her old age, she was prosperous enough, with a son to care for her and servants to command, enjoying wealth and peace.

What more could a person ask for in such a life?

Of course, there was more.

It was the world after death.

A burial site.

Old Lady Wang, this blind old woman, wanted to choose a good place to be buried.

This would not only ensure her descendants received protection from the ancestral grave but also allow her to sleep peacefully and reincarnate well.

But precisely, it was in choosing this grave that trouble arose.

Old Lady Wang divined herself, surveyed the qi, and chose a geomantically auspicious spot for her burial.

Then, her house servants went to purchase the land, and Master Wang himself personally oversaw the construction of the tomb chamber, laying the foundation and furnishing it for his mother's afterlife.

They brought hoes and picks, preparing to dig out a tomb chamber, but with one strike of the hoe...

They discovered a tomb chamber already existed beneath.

"Wait, you dug up someone else's grave?" Li Qi felt a chill down his spine as he listened.

Wow, in this place teeming with ghosts and monsters, unearthing someone else's tomb would definitely lead to trouble; it would be abnormal if it didn't.

No, actually, trouble arising would be the truly "ghostly" part.

Old Lady Wang sighed: "Precisely. That spot was indeed a geomantically auspicious place. I was momentarily muddle-headed, only seeing the benefits of a good geomantic location, but failing to realize that such places are always contested... The spot already had an owner."

"My son, unaware of the intricacies, saw a cavity inside and still entered it, disturbing the original owner's peace. The tomb-guarding beast within the tomb spewed a cloud of miasma, corrupting our family's qi, and even my son's life is now short," the blind old woman lamented.

As she spoke, she pulled back Master Wang's clothes.

Li Qi clearly saw streaks of death qi circulating within his body, refusing to dissipate.

Seeing this, Li Qi was startled and blurted out: "Death qi from a tomb-guarding beast? The tomb's owner is still there?!"

"The tomb owner might be an Eighth-Rank expert. Though the body is dead... the spirit-soul still remains, circling within the tomb. Perhaps for other reasons, it was not captured by the Underworld Messengers. Now, its consciousness is half-lost, in a state of confusion, making communication difficult."

"For my son's life, I ventured into the tomb myself, crippling my own eyes to seek forgiveness, but it was useless. I nearly died inside, and my family's qi remain severed. Unless the curse is removed, my son will not live more than three years." Old Lady Wang's voice was already choked with sobs.

"With our qi severed, our financial source gone, and people abandoning us, all our servants have been dismissed. Now, only this old woman and my son remain to live out our days. My son is not yet married or has children; he cannot die... If he dies, my Wang family line will end," tears streamed from the old woman's cloudy eyes.

"Senior Brother is a ritual priest, able to communicate with both humans and spirits. Please, Senior Brother, save my son's life. There are still twenty gold pieces of liquid assets in the household, which I am willing to fully offer to Senior Brother. And as I said before, I will use my remaining life to corrupt the karmic clues on Dragon Steed Shadow Trace, so Senior Brother will have no further worries." Old Lady Wang wiped away her tears, her voice returning to its previous calm demeanor.

After her explanation, Li Qi generally understood the situation.

"So that's it. If that's the case, I might be able to try," Li Qi nodded.

If the situation was truly as Old Lady Wang described, then her family couldn't really be said to be at fault, as they didn't know the geomantically auspicious spot was already inhabited.

In that case, and if it could also relieve his own worries, why not?

"Do you have paper and a brush?" he asked Master Wang.

"Hurry!" Old Lady Wang nudged Master Wang.

Master Wang immediately ran into the house, rummaging through boxes and cabinets, and soon brought out a wooden board and some charcoal pencils.

"The... the house has no ink or brushes left. I found charcoal pencils," he stammered.

"That'll do," Li Qi nodded, picked up a charcoal pencil, and quickly scribbled a list of items on the wooden board.

Looking closely, it was a list of items for sacrificial use.

"You go ahead and prepare these things. I'll go back for a moment. I'll come again tomorrow and take them there," Li Qi said.

"Thank you, Senior Brother," Old Lady Wang bowed deeply.

"No need, then I'll be going," Li Qi sighed, saying so.

"Master Li, travel safely!" Master Wang also bowed in haste.

Li Qi paid them no mind, leaving directly. He first bought his supplies, then exited the city, and headed into the wilderness.

He let out a whistle.

Before long, Shen Shuibi and the old horse arrived.

"Here, Old Horse, your beets and oats. Remember not to eat only oats; mix in some grass and leaves, otherwise you'll get internal heat," Li Qi poured out the oats and scattered a handful of beets.

The old horse whinnied twice, then buried its head and began to eat.

Meanwhile, Li Qi found Shen Shuibi.

"Miss Shen, I now have thirty strands of pure water qi within me, and they are very refined. I want to apply them to the Carp Flowing Intent. How do you think I should best do it?" Li Qi humbly sought Shen Shuibi's advice.

Carp Flowing Intent was merely a table-propping technique of Luofu Mountain, as simple as an elementary school problem to Shen Shuibi, so this shouldn't be a problem for her.

After listening, Shen Shuibi was a bit puzzled: "Thirty strands of pure water qi? Li Qi, how did you get them?"

Li Qi immediately explained the process of his sacrifice using the gold.

This amused Shen Shuibi greatly; she kept praising Li Qi's cleverness.

However, after her praise, she also began to think seriously about what to do.

Li Qi's understanding of cultivation was far inferior to hers, so he waited patiently beside her for her to think.

After a moment of thought, she suddenly looked up: "Li Qi, I've thought of a method. Do you want to enter the Ninth-Rank of the Martial Dao?"

Li Qi felt a jolt.

Entering the ranks!?

....