Chapter 51: The Cult Leader's Wife
"How did I end up here?"
Granny Si walked out of the thatched cottage, sobbing. "I worked so hard to raise you to this age, and you ran off with a fox spirit without a word, leaving me all alone. And you ask me how I ended up here? Your wings have hardened—once you got a fox spirit, you didn't want your grandmother anymore! Little fox spirit, how would you like to die?"
Qin Mu quickly smiled and said, "Granny, you've misunderstood. I ran into Hu Ling'er by chance, and when she mentioned the Yongjiang Dragon Palace, I went to take a look. Because I was so absorbed in comprehending the true dragon in the palace, I lost track of time and stayed an extra two days."
"Not two days—four days! Huh, did you say comprehending the true dragon?"
Granny Si looked surprised. "The little fox spirit didn't drain you, absorbing your primal energy?"
Hu Ling'er, shy and timid yet also frightened, hid behind Qin Mu.
Qin Mu activated his primal energy and smiled. "Granny, take a look!"
A low dragon's roar echoed as Qin Mu's primal energy surged forth, transforming into a great dragon that coiled around his body. Two dragon claws merged with his arms. As Qin Mu shifted his stance and threw a punch, a thunderous boom erupted, and the sound of thunder burst forth.
He threw punch after punch, and the resonant thunderclaps rolled back and forth through the valley, booming and rumbling without end!
"Azure Dragon Primal Energy!"
Granny Si was utterly shocked. She knew that Old Man Ma hadn't taught Qin Mu the Tathagata Great Vehicle Sutra, and without a suitable technique for the Thunderclap Eight Forms, no matter how profound Qin Mu's primal energy was, his mastery of the Thunderclap Eight Forms couldn't be too high.
Yet now, Qin Mu had actually produced thunderclaps with his punches, each strike like a bolt of lightning—he was only missing the actual lightning itself!
At the Spiritual Embryo realm, without the corresponding mental cultivation method, achieving this was nearly impossible!
But the most crucial thing wasn't this—it was the Azure Dragon Primal Energy!
The Azure Dragon wrapping around Qin Mu just now was the unique Azure Dragon Primal Energy exclusive to the Azure Dragon Spiritual Body among the Four Great Spiritual Bodies!
This was already the third attribute his Overlord Body primal energy had acquired!
Qin Mu had observed water and fire, granting his Overlord Body primal energy the attributes of water and fire, corresponding to Black Tortoise Primal Energy and Vermilion Bird Primal Energy. Now, he had also gained the thunder attribute of Azure Dragon Primal Energy!
"Could it be that Mu'er drained the little fox spirit and greatly advanced his cultivation? No, I never taught him any demonic techniques for draining... He said he saw a true dragon—what's that about?" Granny Si was puzzled.
Qin Mu withdrew his stance, and the Azure Dragon formed from his primal energy slithered back into his body. From head to tail, it was vivid and lifelike, as if it were a real divine dragon.
He was also pleasantly surprised, never expecting to be able to produce thunderclaps!
When Little Monk Mingxin used the Thunderclap Eight Forms and produced thunderclaps, Qin Mu had been envious. He could also produce thunderclaps using the Demonic Divine Power Seal, but that technique consumed a lot of energy.
The Thunderclap Eight Forms consumed less energy, and combined with the "Overlord Body Three-Dan Technique," which was more suited for cultivation in battle, his primal energy barely depleted during combat.
Producing thunderclaps would allow his strength to make a significant leap!
He recounted his experiences in the dragon palace, and Granny Si listened with rapt attention. When Qin Mu mentioned encountering the skeletal officials in robes and the dried corpse, Granny Si's eyes flickered. "Two different ways of dying—that's suspicious. You must be careful when you go in."
When Qin Mu spoke of the young dragon sealed in the Dragon Pearl's icy prison and Gu Linuan, Granny Si clapped her hands and laughed. "That old Gu Linuan is suspicious. Those skeletons in official robes must have died by his hand—he ate them! People in officialdom always devour others without spitting out bones. How did you trick him?"
Hu Ling'er was full of admiration. This old woman hadn't witnessed anything firsthand, yet based solely on hearsay, she had reached the same conclusion as Qin Mu. Could she also be a fox spirit?
Qin Mu then told her about being taught the Danxin Technique and took out the Junior Guardian Sword.
Granny Si took it and examined it, praising it. "The Junior Guardian Sword is indeed a rare treasure in the world. The Yan Kingdom poured the nation's strength into forging sixteen first-rank official swords, including the Junior Guardian Sword, the Grand Guardian Sword, the Grand Tutor Sword, the Junior Tutor Sword, the Grand Preceptor Sword, the Junior Preceptor Sword, the Three Departments Sword, the Cavalry Commander Sword, the Prince Sword, the Commandery Prince Sword, the Duke Sword, the Grand Commandant Sword, the Minister of Works Sword, and the Heavenly Strategy Sword. These were bestowed upon the Junior Guardian, Grand Guardian, Grand Tutor, Junior Tutor, Grand Preceptor, Junior Preceptor, Open Mansion Equal to Three Departments, Cavalry General, Prince, Commandery Prince, Duke, Grand Commandant, Minister of Works, and Heavenly Strategy General. Although the Junior Guardian Sword isn't as good as the top first-rank swords, it's more than enough to serve as a sect's treasured artifact."
"That valuable?"
Qin Mu was startled. "How does it compare to the Xiqiluo Monk's Staff?"
Granny Si said, "About the same, not much higher. The Xiqiluo Monk's Staff has the Tathagata's blessing, while the Junior Guardian Sword, as a high-ranking official's sword, carries the Yan Kingdom's destiny and is extremely powerful."
Qin Mu asked, "He said the Yan Kingdom's swordsmanship is the best in the world. I didn't learn it, only the Danxin Technique for controlling the sword. Was that the right choice?"
"Not learning it was the right call. The Yan Kingdom's National Teacher's swordsmanship is naturally excellent, but Gu Linuan was once a demonic cultivator like us; his swordsmanship might not reach that level. Swordsmanship depends on the person. Even if the technique is good, if the teacher is poor, it will be full of flaws. Look at Little Monk Mingxin—he also practices the Thunderclap Eight Forms, but because his teacher taught him poorly, he has a weakness at his throat."
Granny Si spoke earnestly. "So, when learning swordsmanship, you must choose the best teacher. A half-baked teacher is absolutely unacceptable."
Qin Mu was puzzled. Gu Linuan was a high-ranking official of the Yan Kingdom, a Junior Guardian—could he also be half-baked?
"Little fox, I won't kill you."
Granny Si smiled. "Mu'er, let's go home. The villagers must be frantic, thinking you were eaten by a beast on your first hunt. Only I was smart enough to know you were lured away by a little fox, so I waited here. Oh, little fox, I went through those ancient books you had and added annotations. Read them yourself—they'll help you avoid some detours."
Hu Ling'er was ashamed and hung her head. "I can't read..."
Granny Si was surprised and laughed. "An honest fox spirit. Since you didn't harm Mu'er and helped him gain an opportunity, I won't trick you. If you followed my annotations, you'd definitely suffer qi deviation and die horribly. Who told you to seduce my child?"
Hu Ling'er shuddered, thinking, "Young Master Qin wasn't wrong—the old folks in his village are all masters of deception, old foxes in human form!"
Soon, they arrived at Old Disabled Village. Qin Mu was startled to see that a new village had appeared beside it!
This new village was clearly recently built, much larger than Old Disabled Village, and exuded an air of luxury with its towers and pavilions!
Old Disabled Village's houses were ordinary mud walls with thatched roofs that sometimes leaked. On rainy days, Qin Mu often used basins to catch the rainwater inside. Compared to this suddenly appearing neighboring village, Old Disabled Village looked shabby.
Granny Si's face suddenly darkened. Without a word, she led Qin Mu toward Old Disabled Village.
From this new village at the roadside, strange people emerged one after another, standing by the path—old and young, male and female.
Every time Granny Si passed someone, that person would bow respectfully and say, "Madam."
Even white-haired elders would bend at the waist, greeting her respectfully as "Madam," their expressions and tones full of humility.
Granny Si's face grew increasingly grim. Without a word, she held Qin Mu's hand and walked all the way to Old Disabled Village. Along the way, Qin Mu heard hundreds of "Madam" greetings, his heart filled with astonishment.
At the village entrance, the Village Chief and the Medicine Master were drinking tea. Across from them sat a young man, also sipping tea slowly, with an old man standing beside him.
"Madam," the old man bowed.
The young man looked up, his voice inexplicably aged, and said leisurely, "Youyou, don't you greet your patriarch?"
Granny Si's body stiffened. She stopped, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Patriarch."
The Enforcement Elder looked at Qin Mu, a smile spreading until his eyes nearly squinted. "Madam, is this your son?"
Granny Si glared at him fiercely. "Say that again, and I'll tear your mouth apart! Mu'er is someone I found—he's not my son!"
The Enforcement Elder wore an expression of complete understanding, which made Granny Si's teeth itch.
The Medicine Master smiled. "Granny, some good friends from the Heavenly Demon Sect have been here for a few days, but since they didn't see you, they refused to leave."
Granny Si's face darkened further. "Mu'er, go back to the village first."
"Granny, you stay too," the Village Chief said calmly.
Granny Si frowned. The Village Chief said softly, "Since you've entered Old Disabled Village, you're one of us. Whatever your troubles are, we'll bear them together."
The young man across from him sipped his tea and smiled. "Brother Dao is as domineering as ever. This matter concerns our sect's leader, the leader's wife, and the sacred scripture. I'm afraid Old Disabled Village can't bear it."