"Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, when practicing the profound prajñāpāramitā, saw that the five aggregates are all empty, and overcame all suffering and difficulty."

Xinhai pressed his palms together, a faint golden light emanating from his body. The glow cast a halo around him, possessing a unique power that calmed the spirit.

The two children, whose faces had been contorted in fear, gradually grew calm as the Buddhist chant reached their ears. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

CRUNCH!

Zhu Ju, shovel in hand, dug a large pit and placed the villagers’ bodies into it one by one.

He glanced sideways at the unguarded Xinhai, a thoughtful look on his face.

’The Cultivators of this world are very peculiar. Their Cultivation isn’t high, yet they can borrow the Power of Heaven and Earth.’

’Profound Light?’

In the midst of his work, he asked casually, as if it were an afterthought:

"Master Xinhai, what is Profound Light?"

"Donor Zhu," Xinhai said, looking puzzled.

"Didn’t your master teach you?"

"My master told me to cultivate, so I cultivated. I never asked any questions," Zhu Ju said, a ’confused’ look on his face.

"That’s why I’m asking for your guidance, Master."

"Oh, I wouldn’t dare presume to teach." Xinhai waved his hands repeatedly. He was so simple-minded that he truly didn’t doubt Zhu Ju’s story.

"This is all common knowledge. You’re being too polite, Donor Zhu."

"Whether it’s martial arts or Magic, everything begins with sensing and Illuminating Profound Light. There are no exceptions."

"Once you’ve Illuminated Profound Light, you’ll gain all sorts of Superpowers, like a Magician’s Mysterious Techniques, a Martial Artist’s powerful Physical Body, and so on..."

’Magician?’

’Martial Artist!’

A thought stirred in Zhu Ju’s mind.

Xinhai’s ability to borrow the Power of Heaven and Earth undoubtedly made him a Magician, much like the Cultivators of the Main World.

The only difference was that in the Main World, one had to reach the Innate Realm to use such abilities.

But here, it seemed you could do it sooner!

"I am a Monk," Xinhai continued. "I studied the scriptures of the Buddhist Family from a young age, began my Cultivation at twelve, sensed the Profound Light at fifteen, and Illuminated the Profound Light to become a Magician of the Buddhist Sect at seventeen."

"If you can use the Profound Light to break through the Ancestral Acupoint, you become a Mage. If you then nurture a Buddha Heart within the Ancestral Acupoint, you become a Great Mage."

"And if you can comprehend a supreme Secret Technique of the Buddhist Sect and cultivate a Heart Image, you become a living Bodhisattva, or a True Man of the Daoist Family."

At this point, he scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

"I don’t know much about the Realms beyond Profound Light. Most of what I’ve heard came from my martial uncles, and I don’t really understand it all."

’Magician!’

’Mage!’

’Great Mage!’

’A Buddhist Sect Bodhisattva, a Daoist Family True Man!’

Zhu Ju quickly organized the Cultivation Realms Xinhai had mentioned and couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

Although he hadn’t yet encountered the true powerhouses of this world, it was obvious there would be no shortage of beings similar to Innate Qi Refiners.

Perhaps,

some were even stronger than the Innate Realm!

’Looks like I need to be more careful exploring this world. Maybe I should wait until I’m stronger before coming back.’

"Oh, right."

Xinhai remembered something and said:

"The flesh on the back of these Rat Demons’ heads contains their blood and Essence. Eating it can strengthen your body, but it also contains Evil Qi, so you can’t eat too much. Otherwise, in a mild case, your Tendons and Bones will break all over, and in a severe case, your mind will succumb to a Fallen Demon and you will die."

"A person of your skill, Donor Zhu, probably doesn’t need such things, but you could take it out and sell it for some silver coins."

"..." Zhu Ju’s hands paused for a moment, but his expression didn’t change much.

"Thank you for the advice, Master."

After he finished burying the bodies, the two chatted for a while longer, and he took the opportunity to ask about the surrounding area.

Seeing that the hour was growing late, Xinhai hoisted up his shoulder pole with some effort, placed the two children in the baskets at either end, and set off on his way.

Watching Xinhai’s figure recede into the distance, Zhu Ju smiled faintly, flipped his hand over, and produced a money pouch, which he tossed in his palm.

"What a good person!"

He had collected the pouch from the villagers’ savings, and it contained several hundred of this world’s coins.

And that wasn’t all.

He had also happened to find the village registry for this place called ’Xiahe Village’, which would allow him to perfectly integrate into this world as a survivor from the village.

Of course,

the most important thing was Xinhai’s unintentional reminder.

Demon Beast Flesh!

Zhu Ju’s eyes lit up. He flashed toward the corpses of the Rat Demons and swung his saber, slicing open the back of a rat’s head.

A piece of red meat the size of a quail’s egg came into view.

"It really is Demon Beast Flesh..."

"The legendary treasure that can increase Cultivation and strength, something useful even to an Innate Qi Refiner!"

Zhu Ju grinned widely.

"Evil Qi?"

"Don’t the people of this world know how to dissipate Evil Qi?"

*

*

*

All sorts of strange energies exist between heaven and earth, such as the miasma in deep abysses, the toxic vapors where snakes and insects gather, the deathly air from piled corpses, and so on.

Evil Qi was one of them.

It mostly existed in sinister, inauspicious places and within the bodies of savage, malevolent creatures.

Of course,

legendary monsters also carried it, and it was said the Evil Qi from a monster could directly harm a person.

This was the reason for the saying ’humans and demons walk different paths.’

If a human and a demon stayed together for a long time, the human would gradually die from the demon’s Evil Qi.

"Strange energies..."

Zhu Ju extended his palm and silently circulated his Inner Qi.

"Inner Qi is a type of it, too!"

This was especially true for Innate True Qi, which could be like a Fierce Flame, a biting frost, a hidden poison, or a cadaverous yin—all were strange energies.

Since so many strange energies existed, methods to counteract them had naturally evolved as well.

Even for those not at the Innate Realm, the Evil Qi could be dispelled with the help of certain medicines.

"The people here cultivate Profound Light and the Ancestral Acupoint, allowing them to use the Power of Heaven and Earth to perform all kinds of Mysterious Techniques. But it seems they have no concept of Inner Qi, nor any means of dispelling Evil Qi. Or perhaps, Xinhai just doesn’t know..."

"All the better for me!"

"Ma Xun!"

"Here." Ma Xun, who had been practicing his Saber Technique, stopped and hurried over.

"Young Master."

"Prepare the carriage," Zhu Ju said.

"We’re going to the pharmacy."

"Yes, sir," Ma Xun replied.

...

"Money Grass, Evergreen, Purple Orchid..."

As Zhu Ju listed the names of the herbs, the pharmacy’s Shopkeeper, Liu Youx, retrieved the corresponding ingredients from various cabinets.

Before long, the counter was piled high.

"Young Master," Liu Youx said, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he watched the pile of medicines grow.

"These are all the pharmacy’s finest reserved medicines. If you take them all at once, I’m afraid we won’t be able to restock for some time."

"It’s fine," Zhu Ju said, his expression unchanged.

"I have an urgent need for them."

"Yes, sir."

Liu Youx sighed helplessly.

"Zhu Ju!" A familiar, crisp voice called from outside. Before the person appeared, a faint, sweet fragrance wafted in.

"We meet again. Are you feeling unwell, buying so many herbs?"

"Yuann Tong." Zhu Ju turned around.

"What a coincidence!"

"A friend of mine has been afflicted with Evil Qi, so I’m getting some medicine to help him dispel it. Was it Yufu who told you I’d gone out?"

"Don’t get the wrong idea." Zhou Yuantong shrugged.

"I was just nearby and saw your carriage. You’d better not go back and wrongly accuse Yufu."

"I won’t," Zhu Ju said with a slight shake of his head.

"Hmm..." Zhou Yuantong propped her chin on her hand and circled him.

"How come I never noticed before? You’re so cautious, so wary of those around you, even afraid of others revealing your whereabouts?"

"Is all that really necessary?"

Zhu Ju gave a wry smile.

Here, he was just an ordinary rich young master, so of course it wasn’t necessary.

But in the Qi Blood Martial Arts World, he held a high position.

There, countless people coveted what Zhu Ju had, so he had to be careful. Once a habit is formed, it’s hard to break.

"Yuann Tong!"

Just then, a commanding voice came from outside the door.

"It’s time to go!"

"Yes." Zhou Yuantong’s smile vanished, and she nodded seriously.

"Just a moment, Brother Yeh."

"Zhu Ju, I’ll come find you when I have time. Remember to tell me the rest of the story. No more putting it off."

"Zhu Ju?" Zhou Ye squinted at him, his face cold and stern.

"Brother Zhu, it might be better if you stayed indoors more. Every time I see you, something bad happens nearby."

"Let’s go!"

He beckoned and strode away.

’Strange!’

Zhu Ju rubbed his chin. In the past, even if Zhou Ye disliked him, he would at least be polite on the surface.

’Why is he so hostile today?’

’No!’

’It’s more that the aura around Zhou Ye has changed. It’s fierce, domineering, and even exudes a sense of danger.’

’What happened?’