To begin with, Gu Wei had gone cold and hungry these past days under immense mental pressure. His body had grown increasingly feeble, his strength far from what it once was.
And now, thoroughly pinned down by Qiao Zhi and the cat monsters, he lay on the ground, unable to budge.
Chu Qiguang said unhurriedly, "Once the boatmen and trackers nearby fell asleep, I knocked them all unconscious. Even if you scream your lungs out, no one is coming to save you."
Gu Wei struggled to open his eyes. His face was covered in his own blood, and he could barely see Chu Qiguang sauntering over to him. In terror, Gu Wei gasped, "You... you're colluding with monsters..."
Chu Qiguang asked leisurely, "Have you spoken to anyone about me?"
Gu Wei panicked. "N-no... I haven't told a soul! Just treat me like a fart and let me pass! I'll leave Qingyang County first thing tomorrow morning and never come back!"
On the other side, Lao Tu sniffed around inside the makeshift shack, eventually turning up a letter and bringing it over to Chu Qiguang.
Chu Qiguang tore open the envelope. A quick glance showed that the crammed pages were all intelligence Gu Wei had gathered about him over these past days.
Shaking his head, he shredded the letter into pieces and scattered them into the river.
Watching this, Gu Wei pleaded in despair, "M-Master Chu..."
With a sharp crackle of force, Chu Qiguang brought his foot down onto Gu Wei's chest. After several more stomps, Gu Wei's breath grew faint, and he could only wheeze, "Colluding with monsters... Dao Lord Xuantian will take your life..."
"If Dao Lord Xuantian were truly efficacious, he should have claimed you first," Chu Qiguang said coolly. "Since he's always so slow to manifest his miracles, I might as well send you to see him myself."
With that, Chu Qiguang delivered one final, vicious stomp to Gu Wei's chest. With a faint snap, Gu Wei completely ceased breathing.
Wiping the blood from his foot, Chu Qiguang felt the pent-up malice in his chest vanish completely. His mental state rose steadily, surging toward a bottleneck.
During this period, Chu Qiguang had meditated daily to cultivate Daoist arts, striving to save himself whenever an episode struck.
And Heaven indeed did not mistreat one who worked hard. His sustained efforts finally yielded a reward. At this moment, he felt as if his mental realm had shattered a barrier, abruptly ascending to a new stage.
Chu Qiguang marvelled inwardly, *The third stage of Daoism. From now on, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, I can enter tranquility at any time. My mind will be as steady as Mount Tai, completely free of stray thoughts. I'll also have a photographic memory, and a two-hour meditation each day means I won't even need to sleep.*
He chuckled to himself, *Heh, a photographic memory. If only I had this ability back on Earth.*
*Advanced again, and again, and again?* Qiao Zhi, being the first to sense the change in Chu Qiguang, looked at him in surprise. "You... your Daoist cultivation broke through?"
Seeing Chu Qiguang nod in acknowledgment, Qiao Zhi felt a twinge of jealousy. *First a bone fracture, then avenging his father, not to mention dealing with so many people and putting up appearances all day long—and yet he still reached the third stage of Daoism so fast. Comparing a cat to a human really makes a cat want to die of envy.*
Looking at Gu Wei on the ground, Baimi asked, "What do we do with this corpse?"
Chu Qiguang swept his gaze over the docks and said nonchalantly, "Isn't there such a big river right here?"
Under Chu Qiguang's direction, the cat monsters found an iron chain, weighed Gu Wei down with stones, and sank him into the river.
Watching the body disappear into the water without a trace, Chu Qiguang said, "Master Qiao, on regular days out on the streets, have the dog monsters and cat monsters report directly to you. I'll still meet them at the ruined temple or in the courtyard, but let's avoid contact in ordinary circumstances."
"We still need to be cautious."
Qiao Zhi nodded in agreement.
Yet shortly after the corpse sank, under the bright moonlight, an enormous dark shadow emerged from the river, churning up huge waves.
The old yellow dog, Lao Tu, barked furiously toward the water as if confronting a mortal enemy. The cat monsters bristled instantly, their fur standing on end, issuing menacing low growls toward the river out of instinct.
A piercing shriek rose from the dark shadow in the river. It was utterly unlike any sound an animal of this world could produce—in fact, it did not seem to belong to this world at all.
In the next instant, as the dark silhouette breached the river's surface, the horror of the unknown shattered the psychological defenses of every human and monster present.
The outline and form of that "thing" were deformed beyond any standard Chu Qiguang could describe. Asymmetrical mouthparts lined each malformed "limb," churning and spewing foul-smelling, yellowish-green sludge.
Enveloped by the monster's slime and contorted organs, Gu Wei's upper body was ripped apart in an instant and swallowed into the shadow's maw.
Blood bubbled up incessantly from the riverbed, and once Gu Wei's remains had been completely devoured, the dark shadow vanished without a trace.
On the bank, the cat monsters remained bristled, letting out low growls tinged with both threat and terror. A chill like nothing he had ever felt before ran down Chu Qiguang's spine.
Chu Qiguang asked solemnly, "What kind of monster is that?"
"No idea what kind of abomination it is... It was too dark to see clearly... but to be that huge... I've never heard of anything this massive around the docks," Qiao Zhi said, shaking his head. "Lately there've been rumors of a water monster haunting the docks. Maybe that was it."
As for the exact appearance of that shadowy shape in the water, none of them wanted to dwell on it afterward. At least Gu Wei's body had been thoroughly disposed of, so there was no need to linger any longer.
Gazing at the water, now calm and pitch-black once more, Chu Qiguang sighed, "This world really is too dangerous. I'd better come out less at night from now on."
On the way back, having just killed a man alongside Chu Qiguang, the cat monsters seemed rather excited.
As monsters, they felt a sense of belonging, coming to view Chu Qiguang as one of their own.
Meanwhile, Chu Qiguang was chatting with Qiao Zhi. "Last time you told me Hao Xiangtong cultivated Shenxian Dao's Principles of Terminology. That's one of the Twenty-Five Orthodox Arts, right? Where did she get it?"
Qiao Zhi chuckled, "Heh-heh. Shenxian Dao allied with the northwest wolf demons long ago and even presented Principles of Terminology and Elixir of Immortality from the Twenty-Five Orthodox Arts to them. Hao Xiangtong cultivated Principles of Terminology after going to the grasslands."
Chu Qiguang asked in surprise, "Isn't Shenxian Dao a human cult? Why would they turn to the demon race?"
Qiao Zhi explained, "Since you know they're a human cult, they naturally don't worship Dao Lord Xuantian, and their tenets never said monsters were mortal enemies. Of course, the most crucial reason is the current leader of Shenxian Dao, Heavenly Immortal Dao Master. His divination art is said to be second under the heavens. He claimed to have divined that monsters will triumph over humans for the next century and that the demon race will unite the world, which is why he defected to the northwest demon race."
Chu Qiguang asked, "Second in divination under the heavens? Then who's first?"
"First is naturally the reigning Son of Heaven," Qiao Zhi said. "The Great Han imperial family's mastery over feng shui, destiny, and divination stands supreme under heaven. Among the Twenty-Five Orthodox Arts, the only art pertaining to feng shui, Five Songs of Earthly Origin, is held by the imperial house, and only successive emperors are permitted to practice it. It is said to perceive all spiritual veins across the realm, allowing one to adjust feng shui and destiny, or even strip someone of their cultivation stage across vast distances..."
Listening to Qiao Zhi's explanation, Chu Qiguang finally understood why so many people in the Great Han Dynasty placed such great stock in feng shui and destiny. The imperial family was the most obsessed with feng shui and destiny in the entire realm; how could those below not follow suit?
Chu Qiguang probed further, and indeed, the Great Han Dynasty forbade anyone from damaging the spiritual veins throughout the realm, punishing violators with severe penalties.
Chu Qiguang mused inwardly, *Famous mountains across the land... as long as they are designated as spiritual veins, they cannot be touched. Wouldn't that hinder the development of all kinds of mining industries?*
Returning to the courtyard, Chu Qiguang seized the time to practice the Yaksha King Fist. After an incense stick's time, realization dawned on him, and a flicker of delight crossed his face. *As expected, each time after an episode ends, not only does my mental realm improve, but the results of my martial training are greatly enhanced as well.*
...
Early the next morning, as soon as Chu Qiguang stepped out the door, he saw Hao Xiangtong waiting at the end of the street. Seeing him emerge, she immediately waved happily.
"Miss Hao? Are you looking for me?" Chu Qiguang looked at her, sensing that Hao Xiangtong's attitude was a bit different today.
Hao Xiangtong said, "It's not me looking for you. My father wants to meet you and consult you on a few matters."
"Eldest Brother has already asked for leave from Yinglue Academy on your behalf. Would Young Master Chu do us the honor of visiting my home? My father said that regardless of the outcome, there will surely be a handsome reward."
Chapter 68