Dripping water pierces stone, rushing currents form rivers, hundreds of rivers flow into the sea, creating the vastness of the ocean...
Key words flashed through Xie An's mind one by one.
This is a top-tier inner strength technique capable of breaking through to the Grandmaster realm!
Compared to the inner strength techniques Xie An saw in the Demon Suppression Division's library during the day, this is far more advanced...
You must know that since the founding of the Jingtai dynasty, there have only been two Grandmasters in the entire Southern Prefecture!
This shows how difficult it is to produce a Martial Arts Grandmaster. The resources, talent, techniques, precious medicines, opportunities, etc. required behind it... are unimaginable.
The Eldest Princess gave away a top-tier inner strength technique so easily.
That's exceptionally generous.
The gift was too heavy, and Xie An felt a weighty pressure holding it in his hand.
However, Xie An didn't hesitate and accepted it directly, since he needed it now. As for the Eldest Princess's kindness, he planned to make it up to her in other ways in the future.
After thanking her, Xie An inquired about many precautions regarding the Water Drop Inner Strength Technique. Su Yuqing patiently explained them one by one.
After the exchange, Xie An had a detailed understanding of the Water Drop Inner Strength Technique.
In general, this inner strength technique is not considered fierce, emphasizing gradual progress and accumulation. The power becomes increasingly magnificent as you progress. It is quite compatible with the Health Cultivation Technique that Xie An practices.
Xie An was familiar with this approach.
It was indeed the most suitable inner strength technique for him.
After leaving the backyard, Xie An took the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen.
Chunlan happened to be busy in the kitchen. Seeing this, she quickly took the tray and glanced at the bamboo shoot slices, braised pork, and stir-fried youmaicai on the plate, which had hardly been touched... She couldn't help but mutter in her heart that the important people in the backyard were really wasting food.
Xie An returned to the courtyard and closed the gate.
The tree stump still hadn't sprouted new buds.
Xie An even went over and carefully examined the bark crevices again.
What if a tiny bud protruded from the bark crevices...
But there wasn't one.
Xie An was slightly disappointed.
He had been fertilizing it twice a day without interruption, and spending one hundred and fifty taels of silver on this tree stump every day... Although the profit was a hundredfold, he still felt that fertilizing it wasn't cheap.
The cultivation manual given by Su Yuqing was indeed useful. But it wasn't the decisive factor.
Its growth had no obvious pattern.
Returning to his room, Xie An opened a notebook.
It contained Yu He's handwriting, detailing the daily development of the treasure plant, as well as the timing and amount of fertilization.
Extremely detailed.
Xie An flipped through the pages one by one, trying to find the pattern of the treasure plant's budding.
Finally, he circled three keywords with a wolf毫 brush.
Winter thunder, cold, snow.
The Great Qian dynasty didn't have precise temperature measuring tools, nor did it have this definition. But there were already similar descriptions. For example, Yu He used: cold, freezing, extremely cold, to distinguish the daily temperature on the notebook.
Finally, Xie An made a rough judgment: Snow and cold weather are two indispensable conditions for the treasure plant's growth. The colder the weather, the faster it grows. Winter thunder is like a catalyst, which can make the treasure plant sprout and grow quickly.
It had been snowing for several days recently, but the treasure plant hadn't sprouted, probably because the weather wasn't cold enough.
Based on the records in the notebook, Xie An felt that his judgment was correct. Then he came to the eaves and looked at the flying snow in the sky, and couldn't help but worry.
If the temperature doesn't drop, that won't work either.
"I don't know if the temperature will drop in the next few days. It would be great if there was a weather forecast..."
The people of the Great Qian dynasty predicted the weather by observing the shape, color, and movement of the clouds. They also divided the clouds into mountain clouds, water clouds, drought clouds, and rain clouds, each of which predicted different weather.
In addition, they also judged the weather based on the direction of the wind, such as "East wind brings moisture, west wind dries, south wind blows warmth, north wind chills."
They could also predict the weather by observing the behavior of animals. Water droplets on spider webs indicate sunny weather, and swallows flying low, frogs croaking, and ants moving are all precursors to rain.
These were fine for meeting the daily farming needs of ordinary people, but they couldn't meet Xie An's needs.
"It's a pity this isn't the capital, otherwise I could ask the Directorate of Astronomy. That would be more accurate."
The Great Qian dynasty had a special institution for studying astronomy and calendar phenomena—the Directorate of Astronomy. It was said that the people inside were mostly strange people who were proficient in esoteric arts, studying celestial phenomena and calculating the calendar, and could accurately predict the weather conditions in the future.
This was of great help to the imperial court in governing the world, responding to disasters, or holding grand ceremonies to select auspicious days...
But Qingwu County was just a small border town...
Xie An put down the notebook and rubbed his temples.
Whether the treasure plant sprouts or not can only depend on God.
Closing the door, Xie An sat down cross-legged and looked at the Water Drop Inner Strength Technique, thinking about Su Yuqing's explanation just now, and then began to practice according to the mental formula.
The core of the Water Drop Inner Strength Technique is to regard the inner strength of the whole body as drops of water.
Separately, they are countless drops of water, combined, they are a vast river.
The artistic conception is very beautiful.
But tempering it is very difficult.
It's not easy to even get started.
This requires mastery of inner strength to a subtle level. The difficulty is much greater than connecting the Tiger Form Qi Gong.
But Xie An felt that this was his biggest shortcoming at present.
Previously, Xie An relied on the potential energy of the Health Cultivation Technique to quickly raise his inner strength to the seventh level, which had the meaning of forcing growth. As a result, Xie An hadn't even practiced inner strength techniques, and his control over inner strength was very rough.
Now it is equivalent to making up for the basics and repairing inner strength techniques.
Only when the control of inner strength reaches a subtle level can it be possible to go further.
The Water Drop Inner Strength Technique is undoubtedly the most suitable for Xie An.
Admittedly, this may be a long process, but Xie An can endure it.
Time passed day by day.
Xie An was still living a life of three points and one line.
The only difference from before was that in order not to leave Li Hao with a handle to attack, Xie An went to the Demon Suppression Division more diligently, and would stay in the Demon Suppression Division a little longer. That was nothing more than drinking a few more cups of tea with Chen Tie and the others.
At other times, Xie An was diligently polishing the Tiger Form Qi Gong, Bright Jade Skill, and Water Drop Inner Strength Technique.
The progress was very slow.
It was really a slow and meticulous work.
Fortunately, Xie An was not impetuous and still persevered tirelessly.
Seven days later, night fell.
At the beginning of Hai hour.
Liu Chun came to the door covered in dust.
Xie An stopped his practice and got up, opened the door to welcome Liu Chun in, "Captain Liu, is there a result for the matter I asked you about last time?"
Liu Chun ran very fast, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, "I just got the news, if Chief Xie is free, then come with me."
"Let's go."
How could he not be free?
The treasure plant hadn't sprouted again, but Xie An was still thinking about the white cocoon stone of the white fox. If he could collect 10,000 strands of demon essence as soon as possible, he could also advance the Fetal Breathing Technique into the Black Tortoise Breathing Method. If this advancement was successful, Xie An estimated that it would be even more powerful than the Bright Jade Skill.
Liu Chun came on horseback, and the horse was outside Xie's residence.
But there was only one horse.
Awkward.
Xie An increasingly realized the importance of getting a BMW. Although his speed of urging the Bright Jade Skill was much faster than a horse, the consumption was also great. If he encountered a long-distance road, he would be panting when he got there. How could it be as easy and happy as riding a horse?
In the end, Xie An borrowed a horse from the Tang Family Fort not far away, and then followed Liu Chun all the way to the home of a small vendor on the eastern edge of the city.
The house was not big, with a small courtyard.
The courtyard was full of bamboo, as well as polished bamboo strips. A man wearing a worn-out padded jacket was in the living room, picking up an oil lamp and weaving straw mats.
Liu Chun shouted as soon as he entered the door, "Liu Da, quickly put down the work in your hand. This is Chief Xie I mentioned to you."
The man quickly put down the work in his hand and made a big gift, "The commoner Liu Da has seen Chief Xie."
"No need to be polite." Xie An helped him up, "I'm just here to ask something, no need to be nervous. Just tell me what you know."
Seeing that Xie An was so amiable, Liu Da's nervousness disappeared for the most part, and he said everything in detail, "The commoner mainly makes a living by weaving mats and selling shoes, and occasionally makes bags and clothes from Ge cloth. Few people in the city use Ge cloth. The Ge cloth bag that Captain Liu gave me last time was made by me."
Xie An was overjoyed and gave Liu Chun a look.
Liu Chun understood and took out the Ge cloth bag from before and handed it to Xie An. Xie An handed it to Liu Da again, "Take a closer look."
Liu Da took the bag, carefully identified it, and finally said: "That's right. The shape of this bag is very special, and only I can make this kind. It is usually used to hold some tobacco... Sir, smell it, there is still the smell of tobacco inside."
Xie An took it and smelled it carefully, and there was indeed a smell of dry tobacco.
Tobacco is different from ordinary objects. Bags that contain tobacco all year round will be stained with tobacco dirt and leave a tobacco smell. Because of the residue of coal tar, etc., there is no Libai super-powered cleaner in ancient times, so it is difficult to wash it clean.
"Do you remember where this bag was sold later?"
Liu Da said, "I didn't sell it. This bag was woven by me for my own use. It's ugly, and no one wants it. Later, I gave it to Old Wang next door."
Xie An was stunned: "Old Wang next door?"
"Yes, Old Wang next door believes in Buddhism. He is a devout worshiper, and every few days he takes this bag to the Buddhist temple to burn incense and candles. About five years ago, Old Wang never came back. Some people said that he abandoned his wife and became a monk..."
Xie An thought to himself that Old Wang next door was really a talent...
But Xie An felt that something should have happened to Old Wang.
Otherwise, this Ge cloth bag would not have appeared in Bai Hu's hands.
Collecting his thoughts, Xie An synthesized the information in his mind and finally asked, "Do you know which temples Old Wang frequents to burn incense?"
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"He goes to the City God Temple and Baohua Temple in the city, but the incense money is too expensive for Old Wang. He mostly goes to the dilapidated temples outside the city to burn incense." Speaking of this, Liu Da looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "Old Wang also has a bad life. He married a shrewish woman who often scolds him for being useless and not earning money. She often berates him for being incompetent and often doesn't let him in the house. That's why Old Wang goes to pray to the Bodhisattva. I understand Old Wang."
Just then, Liu Da's wife came over with refreshments and tea.
Xie An had no interest in drinking tea. He took out two pieces of silver and put them on the table, then got up to leave.
Liu's wife was quite embarrassed, "Sir, have a cup of tea before you go."
Xie An turned back and looked deeply at Liu's wife, then took Liu Chun and left without looking back.
Liu's wife was very curious, "That gentleman was staring at me just now."
Liu Da glared at her, "Perhaps he's blaming you for not being hospitable enough, taking so long to make a cup of tea. It made the Chief Constable unable to even have a sip."
… …
Leaving the house, Xie An strolled down the street. Liu Chun followed closely behind.
"Patrolman Liu, do you know of any dilapidated temples near the city outside the walls?"
"That depends on the area. There are three towns within ten miles outside the city, and each town has temples. However, they are all small in scale, and some are not even accessible. You can only burn incense outside the small temple."
"What about in the mountains?"
"There are several hills nearby. Those with good feng shui have very small temples, inaccessible to people. Only the villagers go there to burn incense during festivals."
"Are there any large temples that people can enter?"
Liu Chun thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "There is one! There is a Mountain God Temple on Stone Mountain!"
Xie An's eyes lit up, "Where is it?"
Liu Chun walked forward to a crossroads with a good view and pointed to a dark mountain in the southeast direction, "That mountain is Stone Mountain. There is an abandoned ancient temple on the top of the mountain, which is the Mountain God Temple."
Xie An looked up and saw a mountain outside the city that was not very high, as black as ink in the moonlight, leaving a black shadow, "What's the story of this Mountain God Temple?"
Liu Chun said, "The mountain is next to the Huai River. There used to be a small village there. The mountain has high-quality marble mines. Many villagers made a fortune by mining and selling marble, so they raised money to build a Mountain God Temple on the mountain, also called the Stone Temple. Later, one year, the Huai River flooded and submerged the village. Most of the villagers died in the flood, and the surviving few said that they had angered the Mountain God by over-mining. So they moved elsewhere."
"Later, some greedy people tried to go back to mine, but they all met with misfortune. Since then, no one dared to think about the stone mine. However, there wasn't much stone left in the mine anyway. Otherwise, the government would definitely have exploited it."
"Chief Constable Xie, do you think there is something wrong with this village?"
Xie An shook his head slightly, "It's nothing, just curious. Thank you, Patrolman Liu."
"Hey, why are you being so polite with me? If there's nothing else, I'll go back. Patrolling all day has exhausted me."
After seeing Liu Chun off, Xie An stared at Stone Mountain in the distance for a long time, and finally activated the Bright Jade Skill, turning into a black shadow and flashing into the darkness.
Although Qingwu County has a curfew, Xie An has an official position and can freely enter and exit the city gate. But Xie An did not go to the gate, but climbed over the wall and went out. After walking six or seven miles in the night, he arrived at the foot of Stone Mountain.
Having made two deals with the white fox, Xie An was very curious about the great demon behind the white fox.
Moreover, Xie An basically judged that the great demon was seriously injured.
He could go and investigate.
Practicing martial arts certainly requires personal effort, but treasures and equipment are also very important.
Using Xie An's experience in Summoner's Rift in his previous life, even if they are both at max level, can a fully equipped character with six divine items be compared to a newbie with small orange items?
With the blessing of six divine items, one strike is enough to kill a newbie with small orange items of the same level.
Besides, Xie An is now at the nineteenth level of the Bright Jade Skill. As long as he doesn't encounter a Martial Arts Grandmaster, he will be basically safe. He's just secretly investigating, there's not much danger.
The foot of the mountain is next to the Da Huai River. Snowflakes flutter on the river, and the river water is gushing. Crows crow in the forest, the forest roars, the shadows of the trees are looming, and the cold wind is biting.
Xie An activated the Bright Jade Skill to the nineteenth level, fully opening his five senses and covering the surrounding area. After ensuring that the white fox was not following him, he accelerated up the mountain.
Whoosh ~
The extremely fast speed left only a trail of afterimages.
Moreover, under the blessing of the Bright Jade Skill, Xie An's body could be light or heavy. When it was as light as a swallow, it did not cause much movement. Before long, he arrived at the top of the mountain.
The top of the mountain is mostly rocks and pine and cypress trees.
Moreover, the pine and cypress trees are generally not tall, and the view is excellent.
Sure enough, on the edge of the cliff, he saw an abandoned ancient temple.
The fluttering white snow dyed the ancient temple silver, and the ground around the ancient temple was covered with a thick layer of snow. Xie An clenched the Demon Suppressing Blade in his hand and cautiously moved forward, stepping on the snow. After approaching the courtyard wall of the temple, Xie An quickly climbed up the wall and poked his head out to look inside.
The temple has a small courtyard, which is overgrown with weeds, all covered with snow. The gate of the temple hall is open, and there are no oil lamps inside, it is dark.
However, with his extraordinary eyesight, Xie An saw the scene in the hall: next to the three collapsed Buddha statues, a huge crimson fox was lying there.
This fox is bigger than a male lion, and incomparably mighty. At this moment, it was already asleep, making slight breathing sounds.
It has a smooth crimson coat, but there are conspicuous wounds on its skin, the wounds are already blackened, and the blood flowing out is also black.
Abdomen, head, neck, back... all have conspicuous wounds as long as a foot, which is simply shocking.
"Sure enough, there is a great demon! It's rare for a fox to grow so big..."
Xie An was lying on the wall, carefully checking. At the same time, he was calculating in his mind: They are all foxes, so the big brother behind the little white fox is this guy. But where did the white fox's treasure come from?
Xie An gently moved his body and adjusted his line of sight, and sure enough, he saw a large box two meters long and wide behind the red fox.
It seems that the treasure came from this box.
Xie An did want to move the whole box away, but what is the red demon's injury, and what is its strength... are all unknowns.
Xie An decided to take a look first.
After a while, a sound came.
He looked back and saw the little white fox biting a rabbit, walking da da da on all fours. After entering the hall, the little white fox put the rabbit down. Then it brought some dry firewood, and then found two flints from somewhere, and rubbed them together with its claws a few times, and started a fire.
Then, the little white fox used its claws to skin the rabbit, cut it open, took out the internal organs and intestines and threw them away, and then put the rabbit on the fire to roast.
The whole process was very skilled.
It doesn't look like a fox at all, but like a human.
After a while, the smell of roasted meat wafted out.
It made Xie An hungry... …
Xie An felt that this scene was very interesting and quite heartwarming, so he decided to continue watching.
After a while, the rabbit was roasted, and the white fox excitedly grabbed the rabbit and sent it to the red fox. It used its claws to scratch the red fox's head.
The red fox woke up leisurely, looked at the little white fox with great distress, then opened its mouth and ate half of the rabbit, leaving the other half for the little white fox. The little white fox kept shaking its claws, indicating that it was not hungry, and let the red fox eat. The red fox turned its head away, ignoring the little white fox.
Only then did the little white fox eat half a rabbit.
Then, the little white fox waved its claws and gestured around, indicating that the treasure plant had not grown yet.
The red fox snorted and continued to sleep.
Perhaps afraid that the red fox would get cold, the little white fox found some straw and covered the red fox. The red fox woke up and angrily lifted the straw, the white fox acted spoiled and shed tears, and the red fox obeyed.
After covering the straw, the white fox guarded the door, squatting under the eaves, looking around blankly, and couldn't help but shed tears. When the fire next to the fire pile decreased, the white fox went to add firewood, and then continued to squat alone at the door and guard it.
Xie An lay on the wall until dawn, watching the interaction between the two foxes.
At first, Xie An had his eye on the treasure in the big box, but as he watched, he didn't know why, but he was moved by the little white fox, and instead put his attention on the little white fox.
Got it wrong... …
Dawn, daybreak.
It's dawn.
The white fox walked to the red fox, gestured, and told the red fox to stay here and not move, and it would go find something to eat. Then the white fox left the ancient temple quickly.
After a long while, Xie An jumped from the courtyard wall to the outside and left, stepping on the snow.
After a night of observation, Xie An had been trying to use his five senses to distinguish the strength of the red fox, and felt that the red fox was ordinary, and felt that he could be easily manipulated. But Xie An instinctively felt that this fox demon was very dangerous.
Returning to simplicity, the great way is simple?
In the end, Xie An didn't do anything and chose to leave.
Perhaps he saw the loyal and righteous side of the white fox and was reluctant to do it?
Just as Xie An was leaving, the red fox, who was lying in the hall and sleeping soundly, suddenly opened a pair of golden eyes and spoke human words, "The Spirit Treasure Mirror is on him, and with the Spirit Treasure Mirror... there is also an extraordinary spiritual object!"
