While Li Qi was muttering to himself and feeling overwhelmed, Shen Shuibei's words stopped him in his tracks.
"Huh? There's a threshold for the ninth rank?"
The puzzled rabbit tilted her head, looking surprised.
Li Qi couldn't find the words to respond and fell silent.
Forget it; there was no point arguing. She was a fifth-rank master with a good nature, but that didn't mean she lacked ability.
"Miss Shen, thank you so much for your help. However, I have one more question," Li Qi bowed sincerely to Shen Shuibei.
He truly appreciated her assistance. Without her, reaching the ninth rank would have been extremely difficult.
Only someone standing at the peak could easily think of using thirty strands of pure water qi to break through to the ninth rank.
Other fifth-rank masters might also be able to do this, but why would they help him for free?
If he wanted to pay or offer compensation, what did Li Qi have that would be valuable enough to make them think about a problem that offered no benefit to them?
Definitely nothing.
Thus, Li Qi felt deeply grateful for Shen Shuibei's help and resolved to find Luo Fu Niangniang for her.
Gratitude must be repaid.
The best way to repay Shen Shuibei was by helping her find Luo Fu Niangniang.
"What else is there?" Shen Shuibei asked without any impatience, leaning in to listen to Li Qi's next question.
After all, such questions had been asked many times before. Whether reading the book "Wu"
, encountering issues during cultivation, or chatting in the wilderness, Li Qi often sought her advice to enhance his knowledge and experience. Shen Shuibei was used to his inquiries.
"It's about today's matter concerning the cursed gold—"
Li Qi began recounting all the events of the day, including the old blind woman's story, their agreement, and everything that happened after he dealt with the gold.
After finishing his explanation, Li Qi asked, "Miss Shen, logically, this makes sense, but does it hold up in terms of Daoist principles? I've heard that cultivators often have some strange methods that can't be understood by common sense."
Shen Shuibei tilted her head after listening.
"It sounds fine, but Old Horse's background is like this? Why didn't he tell me?" Shen Shuibei wasn't concerned with the truth of the matter but rather focused on Old Horse.
"The fall of a nation and the death of an old master are things better left unsaid, causing Old Horse unnecessary sorrow. He hasn't transformed yet, even if he has opened his wisdom, it's limited. No need to bring it up," Li Qi explained.
"Okay!" Shen Shuibei nodded, not thinking much further.
She rarely overthought things, generally believing whatever Li Qi said.
And Li Qi indeed thought that way too.
There was no need to reopen wounds and cause Old Horse guilt. Even if he had some wisdom, it was limited, like a child. Why force him to speak about painful matters?
It was better to handle it himself.
With Shen Shuibei's affirmation, Li Qi continued asking how to deal with the ghost or communicate with it.
But when Shen Shuibei heard this question, she asked back, puzzled, "You have a peachwood charm from the Household God, the aura of Gods Shentu and Yulei, and that willow branch from Great Zhu. You're a Zhu practitioner. The ghost should be afraid of you, not the other way around. What are you worried about?"
Well, that made sense.
With her affirmation, Li Qi felt reassured.
Then, he continued practicing.
First, practice, then read.
Consistency brings rewards.
---
The next day, Old Horse and Shen Shuibei were still waiting in the woods while Li Qi wrapped his long knife in cloth, disguising it as a walking stick, and headed into town.
He walked to near the Wang family estate but didn't enter. Instead, he found a small vendor nearby and bought a copper-wire hairpin for fifty qian. It was pretty and affordable, a local craftsman's work.
Buying the hairpin, Li Qi kept it and used it as a conversation starter, "Sir, this house with stone lions seems quite wealthy. Why is it so quiet outside, with no servants sweeping or tending to it?"
"Oh? You mean the Wang family? Well, I don't know what happened, but they were doing well until last year when misfortune struck," the talkative vendor started gossiping.
"Just before the New Year, the Wangs had a shipment to deliver to the provincial city. They hired the most reliable escort service, but it was robbed en route! The escort company honored their contract, reimbursed the goods, and even paid an extra ten gold pieces. But the goods were time-sensitive, and the merchant in the provincial city demanded fifty gold in penalties for late delivery. Master Wang cursed and ranted outside the escort office for a whole hour."
"There's also the servant issue. Their servants seem to have bad luck, constantly falling and injuring themselves. One poor soul even got run over by a carriage and broke his leg. The Wangs spent forty to fifty thousand qian treating their servants' injuries and eventually dismissed them all."
"If you ask me, they must have done something wicked to deserve this divine retribution!" the vendor declared confidently.
"Wickedness? What wrongdoings did they commit to warrant such punishment?" Li Qi feigned curiosity.
"Well… actually, I'm not sure. The old lady Wang has always been kind, and Master Wang is honest. They give out porridge every year. But rich people, who knows if they're really good? If they were truly good, how did they get rich?" the vendor bluntly stated.
Li Qi nodded and didn't press further, continuing to gather snippets of gossip before leaving with the hairpin.
Walking around another street, he asked several neighbors and vendors.
The stories were all similar.
Li Qi pondered this information, circling back to the Wang family gate and knocking.
The old blind woman and Master Wang had been waiting behind the door and quickly opened it upon hearing the knock.
"Senior apprentice, have you eaten breakfast? I prepared some snacks. We can go to the tomb after eating," the old woman greeted.
"Sure," Li Qi agreed, stepping inside the Wang family compound.
Indeed, a meal was already prepared. Though called snacks, it was quite substantial, including meat porridge, egg soup, pickles, and a plate of fried fish—a very satisfying breakfast.
Li Qi didn't hesitate and sat down to eat.
"Have you eaten?" Li Qi asked.
"We have, senior apprentice. Please enjoy," the old woman replied.
It was close to noon, and the food was slightly cold, but Li Qi didn't mind and started eating.