Chapter 466: Early Winter Observations

In three years, Wang Yu had achieved introductory mastery in both secret arts.

For the Thunder-Fire Tianshu Secret Art, Wang Yu, who possessed the two extraordinary spiritual items—Black Demon Thunder and Ice Dragon Pill Flame—only needed to refine them a second time to condense a Thunder-Fire Seed within his Qi Sea, as required by the art. This would complete the secret art. After all, it was merely an explosive art, its power directly proportional to the grade of the two spiritual items. Future derivations suggested it could even be used at the God Transformation stage.

The Heaven-Star Condensing Arrow Technique was primarily intended for use with the Twelve Phases of Guanghan. It didn't require profound mastery and could serve as an auxiliary secret art.

Only the Return to the Void Heaven-Concealing Curse was of considerable rank. It was also perfectly suited for his current stage, and after three years of study combined with the Heavenly Enlightenment Platform, he had achieved initial mastery.

Meanwhile, the state of being afflicted by demon flames was nearing its end under the continuous dissipation of the Prajna Heart Sutra. Once his injuries healed, Wang Yu could consume various precious pills to rapidly enhance his strength. Counting the time, it was also time to prepare.

To quickly digest the fifth-grade precious pills, he had prepared a set of geomantic arrays to aid in refinement. Additionally, he had set up a hidden stronghold outside the city. This was for alchemy. The elixirs he refined could easily invite moral condemnation in Taihu, so it was best to proceed discreetly.

And so, several more days passed.

The crisp voice, like that of a skylark, once again sounded by Wang Yu's ear.

"Hey, why are you lying down again?"

The person was none other than Dou Zhao, Miss Dou from the Xishan Dou clan. Ever since their chance encounter in the marketplace three years ago, for some reason, Miss Dou had become convinced that he was some kind of "hidden master." After the liquor store opened, she would often visit. Using the pretext of buying wine, she would chat with him, and over time, their relationship evolved into a friendship that hadn't quite matured.

Wang Yu had a high tolerance for such impish, unrestrained behavior. Of course, people were hypocrites; if an ugly person spouted nonsense, he would immediately dismiss them.

Facing the question, Wang Yu raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. "My body isn't well. What's wrong with getting some sun?"

"But you look quite robust."

"That's just a facade."

To be frank, the effects of the demonic flames had not fully subsided. Conservatively, it would still take several months to half a year for him to completely recover to his peak condition. While it looked like he was just lying there doing nothing, in reality, his mind was deeply immersed within his body, carefully controlling everything with his spiritual sense to ensure no mistakes occurred during the demon flame tempering process.

Dou Zhao pouted, but didn't press the matter, instead adopting a serious expression. "After today, I won't be able to come often."

"It makes no difference whether you come or not."

"Oh!" Her composure shattered in an instant, Dou Zhao said indignantly. "How can you be like that? Actually, I've always had a question for you."

"Speak."

"Have you ever met a mysterious old man who just happened to give you something, like a jade pendant, a token, or a charm?"

At this point, Wang Yu understood why Dou Zhao had always bothered him. Although he was good-looking, his appearance like a thin bamboo pole when they first met was that of a dying person, someone with whom interaction seemed unlikely. Over the past few years, his physical appearance had gradually recovered, perhaps adding a bit of emotion, but not much—just a little. More than anything, it was curiosity.

As for what Dou Zhao was referring to, Wang Yu realized it was the token Yin Gui had given him! According to Yin Gui, it was something that could grant access to the forbidden ancestral grounds of the Xishan Dou clan. Perhaps Dou Zhao had some kind of resonance with the token; after all, the Sea Heart Ring was merely a storage space, not a place isolated from the world.

After a moment's thought, Wang Yu flipped his hand and produced the token. "Is it this item?"

"That's it!" Dou Zhao's eyes lit up. Her initial invitation for Wang Yu to dine wasn't entirely out of kindness; the unspoken reason during her argument with the two martial maids was this very bloodline resonance. This young woman was already at the eighth level of Qi Cultivation at such a young age, indicating remarkable talent. The fact that she could sense this token, which was related to the Dou clan's bloodline, suggested something significant.

As Wang Yu pondered, Dou Zhao, looking embarrassed, said, "Boss Wang, could you perhaps let me have this token? Name your price."

"I won't sell it."

"Not for any price?"

"No."

Dou Zhao reconsidered and put the token down. "Then, could you tell me, Dou Zhao, how you obtained this token? Don't tell me it was given by some mysterious old man!"

Wang Yu choked. He had indeed intended to respond using Dou Zhao's earlier suggestion, but she had predicted it. This girl was truly shrewd. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It was given by an old acquaintance. Is that answer satisfactory?"

"—Impossible!"

"Why impossible?"

Dou Zhao's pretty eyebrows furrowed into a knot, and she stammered, "In short, this blood token is from eight hundred years ago. It was a personal item of an ancestor-level figure of my Dou clan. How could it be given by an old friend? Then you..."

Eight hundred years ago? Wang Yu calculated in his mind. To cross the Black Mountain Demonic Lands without a safe route map, one would need at least Foundation Establishment cultivation. Yin Gui had only escaped from Taihu to Chiyuan at the peak of Foundation Establishment. She was now approximately over a thousand years old; her talent was quite impressive. As for Dou Zhao, Wang Yu suspected she might be a bloodline descendant of Yin Gui's lineage.

This seniority gap... he might accidentally become the little girl's grand-uncle?

These thoughts flashed through Wang Yu's mind in an instant. In reality, Dou Zhao muttered to herself, her eyes widening with each word until she was completely speechless. Wang Yu immediately smiled. Teasing the young girl was indeed amusing. Compared to her age of eighteen or nineteen, not yet twenty, Wang Yu, an unheralded prodigy in the cultivation world, was already considered an "old-timer."

"Then what about me?"

Dou Zhao was silent for a moment, then said distractedly, "Then aren't you an old monster over a thousand years old?!"

"Hmm, not quite. By my calculations, I'm only about 207 to 208 years old; I don't remember the exact number. But by seniority, you should call me Grand-Uncle."

This sudden revelation left Dou Zhao a bit bewildered. But more than that, she was skeptical. For instance, why would a cultivator in his early two hundreds have such a deep connection with an ancestor who was over a thousand years old? It sounded a bit like a fairy tale. If she knew that Yin Gui called him "Brother Wang," she would probably be even more incredulous. There was no need to elaborate on that; the shock for the young girl was already sufficient.

At this moment, two martial maids emerged, carrying the filled wine containers. "Miss, we've bought the items. Let's go."

"Oh..." Dou Zhao left, distracted, her mind clearly elsewhere.

Wang Yu, feeling idle, just chatted idly.

Several months later, early winter arrived.

The season of falling snow arrived abruptly. Pedestrians exhaled white mist, hunched their shoulders, rubbed their hands, and hurried into the liquor store, shouting loudly.

"Brother Jiu, a pot of fire-grass wine, the strongest!"

Being called "Wine Brother" repeatedly, he eventually became "Brother Jiu," "Old Jiu," or "Boss Jiu." Wang Yu didn't mind the address and instructed the shop assistant, "Go fetch some wine, and give San Ge'er an extra half-jin."

"Yes, boss." Then he turned to the customer and said, "San Ge'er, this winter is much colder than previous years."

"Isn't it though?" Having unexpectedly received an extra half-jin of good wine, San Ge'er's smile became noticeably more sincere. His small eyes darted left and right as he whispered, as if imparting top-secret information. "Have you heard? Ever since the demon cultists from Chiyuan re-invaded Lingxi Province two years ago, there have been battles at Binghe Pass this year. They say cultivators from Cold Blood Peak are manipulating the weather. We're also within the affected area. Many people in the shantytowns are likely to freeze to death."

Although he was merely a mortal, living in a place like Shuiyun Immortal Capital meant that even a moderately well-off family would have some exposure to matters of the cultivation world. Unlike remote places such as Shihu City, where the entire city only had about twenty Qi Cultivation cultivators, Shuiyun Immortal Capital was the provincial capital, guarded by Nascent Soul cultivators. Accessing news about the cultivation world was relatively easy here; it was quite possible that some relatives were Qi Cultivation cultivators serving in various households, and with keen ears, one could hear many tidbits of information.

Wang Yu, on the other hand, deliberately avoided contact with cultivators from Taihu. His sources of information were quite limited. After all, his pure demonic essence would undoubtedly invite trouble if exposed. Listening to these "informants" provided a unique flavor of news.

Some major events simply couldn't be concealed. For example, the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect and Yellow Spring Monastery led the charge, entering directly into the Taihu Spiritual Domain from Black Mountain Pass. Tianling Province in the far north of Thunder-Fire Daoist Temple's territory, Lingxi Province in the far east of Sword Sect's territory, and Zehu Province in the southernmost part of Azure Cloud Sect's territory—these three provinces were the front lines of the demonic invasion. Now, it had turned into complete chaos. The Joyful Demonic Sect was clashing with the main forces of the Thunder-Fire Daoist Temple, continuously attacking around the "Lust Demon Seal" in the Black Mountain Demonic Lands. It was clear their desire to release the ancient demon remained strong. In this regard, Crane Returning Valley from the inland region of Taihu had also dispatched reinforcements to assist. After all, the Black Mountain battlefield was too close to the three provinces, making it easy for the enemy to form alliances and achieve major strategic gains, necessitating strong defenses.

These events had occurred over the past two years. The intensity of the war was gradually escalating, with casualty rates skyrocketing. The battle at Binghe Pass saw an escalation this year, with the Nether Mountain Cult, some disciples of the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect, and Nascent Soul cultivators from Cold Blood Peak leading the offensive. The Azure Cloud Sect and Blazing Sun Sect were responsible for defense, and the fighting was also extremely fierce. Now, they were even employing weather tactics. Wang Yu could even guess that this was likely the work of Ice Soul Fairy or Old Man Lan Xin. Taihu prided itself on righteousness and nobility. With temperatures continuously dropping, a large number of mortals would freeze to death. The righteous sects would have to intervene, and given Taihu's population, if they were to manage it completely, a significant portion of their active forces would be tied up. This was a blatant open strategy. The demon cultivators had plenty of ways to deal with these "gentlemen" who stood on moral high ground. The previous forceful attacks were merely probing attempts. After discovering that their old adversaries remained formidable, despite years of recuperation during peacetime, they naturally resorted to these insidious schemes.

After chatting with San Ge'er for a while, Wang Yu was quite moved, but his participation in the war was impossible. His major healing task would be completed in a few days, and he still needed significant time to digest the resources accumulated over the years. He was far from being ready to venture out.

After seeing off several groups of customers, dusk had already settled. Wang Yu then instructed, "That's about it for today. You all should head home early. It'll probably snow tonight."

"Yes, Brother Jiu."

"Um... Boss, could I get an advance on this month's wages? We've been burning quite a lot of charcoal at home these past few days."

"Certainly." Wang Yu readily agreed; he didn't rely on this income for a living. Over the past three years, many people on this street had come to him for loans. Some, whose businesses failed, sold their shops to Wang Yu. Others were simply struggling financially. Within his capabilities, he would help whenever he could, earning him an excellent reputation. He received numerous gifts during festivals and holidays. This also allowed him to experience a completely new way of life.

After the assistants had left, Wang Yu was about to close the shop and head home when he suddenly heard a timid, childish voice from nearby. "Uncle, can... can you give those things on the table to Nannan?"

Wang Yu paused, surprised. He saw a small girl in old clothes squatting under the eaves. Her hair was messy, and she looked dirty, staring at his unfinished leftovers and swallowing. Unless necessary, he rarely used his spiritual sense to constantly monitor his surroundings, as doing so might alert other Nascent Soul cultivators in Shuiyun Immortal Capital to his abnormalities. Since he was disguised as a mortal, Wang Yu handled many things personally, truly living as an ordinary person. He had indeed been momentarily careless.

He immediately squatted down and gently patted the little girl's head. "Those dishes are cold now, eating them might upset your stomach. Uncle has other food here; could you wait a little longer?"

"Mm-hmm, Nannan will wait here. Thank you, Uncle."

"You're welcome." Wang Yu, using his spiritual sense after a long time, quickly steamed several buns and egg custard, and sliced a small plate of braised beef. "Come in and eat."

As the little girl sat at the table and began to gobble down the food, Wang Yu felt a bit of an appetite himself and smiled. "Eat slowly, no one's going to snatch it from you."

"Mm..." Wang Yu waited until her initial hunger pangs subsided before asking, "Little girl, where are your family members? Why are you squatting alone in the corner?"

She then seemed to realize, covering her face with her small hands, and said, "Mommy went to buy black stones. She told me to wait here for a while."

Wang Yu: "...When was that?"

"When the sun came up."

The childish voice was innocent, but Wang Yu felt a sense of unease. Waited since morning? No wonder she was hungry! Immediately, he extended his spiritual sense like threads, spreading it towards the surrounding charcoal shops. When he passed a dark alley, his expression hardened.

A moment later, in the alley, Wang Yu stood before the body of the middle-aged woman, realizing she had been dead for some time. There were no external injuries on the corpse, nor any signs of freezing to death. Instead, her soul had completely dissipated, suggesting the work of a cultivator. But how could a mere mortal, simply out to buy charcoal, have been killed by a cultivator?

That night, Wang Yu took in the little girl for the night. The next day, the child's father came looking for her. After returning the girl amidst the father's thanks, Wang Yu went out to inquire about the charcoal shops nearby yesterday.

And indeed, there was a problem. The owner next door, who ran a three-story tea shop, had a good relationship with Wang Yu, often drinking at his place. When he heard Wang Yu ask about yesterday's events, he immediately started talking. "Brother Wang, you wouldn't believe it, but yesterday, a group of disciples from the Azure Cloud Sect delivered new charcoal. I was standing on the third floor and saw everything clearly. A woman was pushing to snap up the new charcoal and accidentally bumped into one of the cultivators. That person immediately became furious. Not only did she not get the charcoal, but she also offended a cultivator. I don't know what happened afterward, but her fate wouldn't have been good."