Chapter 6: A Battle of Arts

“This jiangshi has been secretly suppressed by my talisman and can no longer cause harm. I can use it to lure out the evil cultivator hiding in the shadows.”

“I don’t know what demonic arts this kind of evil cultivator possesses. I must be fully focused to avoid being taken advantage of by this fellow…”

Just then, a shrill voice cried out, “Lingmen, you dare to ruin my good work and even plot against me! How can I not repay this grudge?”

A cloud of black smoke, wrapping two long black nails, flew from outside the Chen family’s courtyard wall, heading straight for Lingmen.

Lingmen was already on guard. A small bell flew from his sleeve, jingling twice. The two black nails slowed for a moment. The person hiding outside the courtyard wall hastily recalled the black nails, circulated their true qi once, and then launched them again.

One inside the courtyard, one outside, the two began to battle.

Chen Qianliu had been a cultivator in his previous life, and his experience was far richer than Lingmen’s. He could see that the reason the jiangshi couldn’t get up was not just because of Lingmen’s suppressing talisman, but also because all the hard bones in its body had been shattered, which was why it was so limp.

He could also see that someone was controlling the jiangshi, and that the hidden evil cultivator would inevitably make a move next. Worried about being caught in the crossfire, he hastily took two steps back, wanting to return to his room.

But now, seeing the two of them driving their respective magical artifacts and starting to fight, his heart calmed slightly. He thought, “So they’re not particularly powerful figures.”

Only upon reaching the third level of Qi Refining, “Condensing Qi into the Apertures,” could one remotely control a magical treasure. At the second level of Qi Refining, one couldn’t truly control a magical treasure; it was equivalent to a martial artist using hidden weapons, “throwing” the treasure out. Although one could use the treasure’s own spiritual properties to manipulate it slightly, as soon as the true qi was exhausted, the treasure would fall to the ground. It had to be quickly retrieved after a single strike.

Both combatants were at the second level of Qi Refining. Lingmen’s cultivation was about the same as Chen Qianliu’s in his past life, only at the second level. However, he was younger, had better talent, and cultivated a more profound technique, so his future was much brighter. The evil cultivator’s skill was comparable to Lingmen’s.

This kind of fighting was very inconvenient. Otherwise, Lingmen’s Shaking Silver Bell wouldn’t have been able to force the opponent to retract the Black Dog Nails.

The Shaking Silver Bell was adept at disrupting true qi. If the attacking evil cultivator desperately launched the Black Dog Nails, even if he could injure Lingmen, once his true qi was scattered, he wouldn’t be able to retrieve the two nails.

In his previous life, Chen Qianliu had cultivated bitterly, but he died at the age of eighty-six without ever being able to reach the third level of Qi Refining, stuck at the second level, “Boiling Liquid into Qi.” Thinking of it now still made him sigh.

He watched the fight for a moment, originally intending to flee. But on second thought, a cold sweat broke out on his back. He mused, “This evil cultivator is so vicious. If Lingmen loses the fight, I’m afraid the Chen family will be exterminated. When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain intact? I must lend Lingmen a hand. Helping him is helping myself.”

He secretly observed the direction from which the Black Dog Nails came. After searching the ground for a moment, he found a broken piece of brick. Using his will as the brush and the air as the paper, he secretly drew a Still character talisman. He walked a few steps toward the courtyard wall. When the Black Dog Nails were launched again, he threw the brick with all his might, hitting them squarely.

Lingmen’s eyes lit up. He let out a clear shout, and the Shaking Silver Bell jingled several times in succession. A shrill voice cursed, “Who used a trick to ruin my technique?” The Black Dog Nails became slightly unstable, turned, and flew several dozen feet before they could no longer be sustained and promptly fell to the ground outside the wall.

Chen Qianliu’s talisman didn’t actually have much power. After all, it was drawn in a hurry. Even though he had comprehended the art of the Heart Talisman, it was only the foundation of magical arts, not a true spell. It couldn’t compare to a magical artifact that the evil cultivator had refined for many years. Hitting the Black Dog Nails could at most slightly disperse the true qi controlling the evil treasure, but it was enough for Lingmen to use his Shaking Silver Bell to knock it down.

Having knocked down the Black Dog Nails, Lingmen rushed forward a few steps, leaped up onto the courtyard wall, and shouted, “Let’s see how much ferocity you have left!”

The black-robed Daoist was terrified. He didn’t even bother to pick up the Black Dog Nails. He took out a small banner from his robes, and with a shake in the wind, black smoke billowed out, concealing his body.

Lingmen didn’t know what kind of magical treasure this small banner was or what wondrous uses it had, so he didn’t dare to attack.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the black smoke dissipated, and the black-robed Daoist was nowhere to be seen.

Lingmen leaped down from the courtyard wall, picked up the two Black Dog Nails, and returned to the Chen family estate.

Now, without its master’s control, the jiangshi was motionless. He glanced at the Black Dog Nails in his hand, and with a backhand motion, drove them into the jiangshi’s forehead and heart. He ordered, “Add some tung oil to strengthen the fire.”

Although Chen Qianliu’s father felt the pinch, he still called for people to bring two buckets of tung oil and pour them onto the fire. The flames immediately grew much larger.

Chen Qianliu adopted the most well-behaved posture, standing obediently to the side. He had the experience of his previous life and knew that if he went forward to present his contribution now, it would easily be met with dislike. It was better to act like a mature young boy, which would be more pleasing to the immortal.

He still hadn’t given up hope and wanted to try his luck for an opportunity.

Daoist Lingmen’s skill was not deep, but he was, after all, a disciple of the Heshan School, with a proper lineage.

Lingmen glanced at him and, sure enough, felt a slight increase in affinity. He thought to himself, “This child is quite clever, and also bold yet careful. If he hadn’t thrown that brick and hit the Black Dog Nails, my Shaking Silver Bell might not have been able to knock down that treasure.”

“This child also wants to become my disciple. He does have a heart for the Dao. Unfortunately, his aptitude is too poor, and he has no fate with cultivation. Later, I’ll give him a book of fist techniques to strengthen his muscles and bones, for longevity and to ward off illness, as a reward for the merit of throwing that brick.”

Lingmen was only at the second level of Qi Refining. He neither saw the talismanic art Chen Qianliu had hidden in the brick nor did he detect his cultivation. Therefore, he still had no intention of taking him as a disciple.

Chen Qianliu waited with eager eyes for a while, but saw no sign of Daoist Lingmen mentioning his brick-throwing. He sighed inwardly, thinking, “Why is it so difficult to find a master?” He turned and left the front courtyard, returning to his residence in low spirits.

He wasn’t worried about the evil cultivator returning. The opponent was only at the second level of Qi Refining and had lost his powerful magical artifact. As long as he was given some time to draw more talismans, he wouldn’t fear such an evil cultivator.

In just over two hours, the jiangshi was burned to a pile of ashes.

The onlooking villagers were overjoyed, everyone saying that a great hidden danger had been removed and the village would be peaceful from now on.

The master of the Chen family let out a huge sigh of relief, thinking, “This Daoist Lingmen truly has magical powers, not some charlatan out to cheat money.”

Daoist Lingmen waited until the fire died down, then used a fire-warding art to retrieve the two Black Dog Nails. He said to the head of the Chen family, “This humble Daoist has already eliminated the evil creature and must return to the mountain.”

The master of the Chen family was startled. He was worried the black-robed evil cultivator would return and didn’t dare let Lingmen go. He grabbed the Daoist’s robe and said, “That black-robed Daoist could refine one jiangshi, he can surely refine a second. If he makes a comeback, the village will have no peace.”

“Daoist Master’s arts are profound. Why not eliminate this root of disaster for our Chen Family Village?”

Lingmen pondered for a moment. He was just passing by and had other important matters to attend to; he couldn’t stay here for long.

Besides, the black-robed Daoist had lost his magical artifact, and refining a corpse was an extremely arduous task, often taking several years to complete one. Cultivators also strongly believed in feng shui. Having lost his advantage in this place, the chances of him returning were extremely slim. It was just that, for a moment, he didn’t know how to explain this to these mortals.

The new book urgently needs investments, library adds, and monthly tickets. Everyone, please work hard, let’s get it!

(End of this chapter)