On July 31, 2023, by True Person Treading Snow
With a deafening roar, lightning tore through the night sky and heavy rain, illuminating the courtyard.
Old Wang, with half of his head missing, lay prostrate on the ground, vividly reflected in Gao Xian's eyes.
Gao Xian shuddered.
The sight of Old Wang, with part of his brain missing, was truly terrifying!
His mind now clear, Gao Xian knew he couldn't wait any longer.
It wouldn't be good to dispose of the body once daylight broke.
He consoled himself, accepting what had happened and resolved to handle it properly, ensuring it wouldn't affect him.
Killing Old Wang, Gao Xian's main concern was avoiding any connection to himself.
He felt no guilt whatsoever.
On the contrary, he felt a sense of relief.
Old Wang not only intended to rob him but also to kill him, so Old Wang deserved to die!
However, the gruesome sight of Old Wang's death made him slightly uncomfortable.
After mentally preparing himself, Gao Xian grabbed Old Wang's belt and lifted the body.
Old Wang was already thin, and with half his head missing and having lost a lot of blood, he wasn't heavy to lift.
Gao Xian estimated Old Wang to be around a hundred catties, and with his second level of Qi cultivation, lifting two hundred catties wouldn't be difficult.
After taking a few steps with Old Wang, Gao Xian noticed something was wrong.
Old Wang was still bleeding...
The rain was heavy, but it might not completely wash away the bloodstains.
Moreover, he needed to retrieve the White Plum Needles.
These artifacts were quite valuable and shouldn't be wasted.
The murder weapon also needed to be properly dealt with!
Suppressing his disgust, Gao Xian turned Old Wang over.
With sharp eyes, he managed to locate the four White Plum Needles stuck in Old Wang's chest in the darkness.
As he pulled out the needles, the sensation was tight and gritty, making Gao Xian feel uneasy.
He gently pressed Old Wang's chest and felt something tough, smooth, and slippery, clearly not right.
After some hesitation, Gao Xian opened Old Wang's Daoist robe and discovered a layer of shiny black scales.
"It's an inner armor..."
Gao Xian suddenly realized why Old Wang could withstand the White Plum Needles.
He had wrongly accused Huang Ying.
Gao Xian fell silent.
This inner armor of Old Wang looked lightweight and comfortable, and most importantly, very effective.
Was it inappropriate to take Old Wang's belongings? But since the man was already dead, Gao Xian decided not to dwell on such details.
Everything was for the sake of survival, and even though taking a dead man's belongings was not honorable, his own life was more important!
Gao Xian was adept at rationalizing his actions.
Since the man was already dead, there was no need to fuss over such details.
He efficiently removed Old Wang's inner armor.
Despite the heavy rain, Gao Xian could still make out the surroundings.
His Dragon Subduing Hand technique was exceptionally dexterous, allowing him to find the buttons under the armor effortlessly.
Quickly stripping off the inner armor, Gao Xian took the first step.
He then searched Old Wang's pockets without any difficulty.
There weren't many items on Old Wang: a dozen spirit stones, a few talismans, and a few bottles of elixirs.
Without much inspection, Gao Xian gathered these items and placed them inside the house.
He also took Old Wang's sword.
It was a good sword and shouldn't be wasted.
Lastly, Gao Xian realized an important issue: there might still be two White Plum Needles in Old Wang's head.
To address this, he had to use his Fire Control Technique to conjure a large flame in his palm.
With the help of the firelight, Gao Xian reluctantly searched inside Old Wang's half-head for a while.
To confirm, he even felt around the remnants of Old Wang's brain but found no needle holes.
Feeling reassured, Gao Xian believed the two White Plum Needles must have been blasted away by the flames.
After a thorough check, Gao Xian's hands were covered in bloodstains, but he had grown accustomed to it.
Apart from feeling a bit nauseous, it wasn't any more uncomfortable than working overtime!
Gao Xian then used his Water Control Technique to freeze the remaining half of Old Wang's head, preventing further blood dripping.
After dealing with the body, Gao Xian went back to his room to find a rainproof bamboo hat.
He then went back to fetch a piece of cloth to cover his face before carrying Old Wang outside.
The rain had lessened, but the road was particularly muddy.
The advantage was that at this time, no one would be out, and Gao Xian's anxiety lessened as he carried Old Wang.
He walked cautiously, one step at a time, until he reached a secluded grove outside Feima Village.
Initially intending to find a hidden spot, the deep woods made him uneasy, as if something was lurking in the shadows, watching him.
Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed in the corner of his eye, causing Gao Xian's hair to stand on end.
He quickly turned to look but found nothing.
Gao Xian stared in that direction for a while, but still found nothing.
He thought he might have been mistaken.
Nevertheless, Gao Xian was still afraid.
He tossed Old Wang into a bush and hurriedly left.
It was said that there were many wild beasts and various demonic beasts in the surrounding mountains and forests.
Old Wang's body would likely be devoured soon...
Emerging from the deep woods, Gao Xian encountered no incidents.
His anxiety lessened as he carried on his way back.
However, on the way home, Gao Xian couldn't shake the feeling that something was following him.
He looked back several times but saw nothing.
Upon reaching home, Gao Xian closed the door and peered out the window for a while, finding no signs of disturbance, which eased his nerves.
After trekking back and forth in the night rain, Gao Xian was completely soaked.
As he regained his senses, he felt uncomfortable all over.
This situation couldn't be resolved with his Cleansing Technique.
Gao Xian boiled a pot of hot water.
Lacking a wooden tub for bathing, he made do with a wooden basin to wash himself.
He found a piece of cloth, scrubbed himself clean, and then wiped his body with the hot water.
After spending almost half an hour tending to himself, Gao Xian ensured his body was clean, using his Cleansing Technique twice to remove any traces of blood and the smell of blood.
Finally, he changed into fresh undergarments, robes, shoes, and tied his long hair into a Daoist bun.
Feeling refreshed and clean all over, Gao Xian relaxed.
The previous battle, Old Wang's death, and the fleeting shadow no longer seemed as significant.
Gao Xian now yearned for a good night's sleep, but he couldn't yet.
There were still some loose ends to tie up.
While tidying his robe, he found several fragments of Golden Body Talisman in the sleeve.
After activating the talismans, most of them disintegrated into ashes, leaving behind a few small pieces the size of fingernails.
Taking out all the items from his robe, Gao Xian washed the discarded clothes, including the black scale armor he had removed from Old Wang, to ensure everything was clean.
Gao Xian had intended to clean his shoes as well, but they had become so worn out from soaking in water that he had to leave them in the yard to deal with in the morning.
With these tasks completed, Gao Xian carried the black scale armor, long sword, and other miscellaneous items back to his bedroom.
The dim light of the oil lamp emitted a faint smell of blood.
Gao Xian wasn't sure what kind of oil was used in the lamp, perhaps some kind of fat from a demonic beast.
Normally, he wouldn't use oil lamps as his vision was sharp enough to see things clearly in the room.
Besides, he only practiced or slept at night, so there was no need for lighting.
However, tonight was different.
He needed to inventory the seized items.
Naturally, the most important item was the black scale armor.
It resembled a thick leather vest, weighing around two catties.
The outer layer was made of fine scales, while the inner layer was soft and thick leather.
The armor had four eyelets under the armpits, with finely crafted black scale buttons.
Unable to resist, Gao Xian tried it on.
Despite being much taller than Old Wang, the armor was stretchy and fit him snugly, feeling like a bodysuit that provided strong protection without hindering movement.
To his surprise, the seemingly thick armor was incredibly breathable.
Wearing it didn't feel stuffy at all.
He then took off the armor and tested it by stabbing it with the sword.
Even with seven to eight points of force, the armor remained undamaged.
Gao Xian was very satisfied with the black scale armor.
Wearing it was akin to wearing a bulletproof vest!
In theory, he shouldn't wear stolen goods to avoid being discovered by others.
However, it would be a waste not to wear such excellent armor.
Old Wang's sudden robbery made Gao Xian realize how dangerous Feima Village was.
He felt no sense of security.
After much consideration, Gao Xian decided to wear the black scale armor close to his body.
After all, his own life was the most important, everything else was secondary.
The sword left by Old Wang was of excellent quality, thinner and weighing about ten catties.
Despite numerous small nicks on the blade, it remained very sharp.
It was a good sword, but not suitable for him, and carrying it openly would be too conspicuous.
Gao Xian decided to hide the sword in a safe place.
The restroom seemed like a suitable spot.
As for the remaining spirit stones, there were only fourteen pieces.
Given Old Wang's cultivation level, these few spirit stones were quite meager.
There were a few talismans: one Golden Body Talisman, one Ice Arrow Talisman, and two Feather Flight Talismans.
Gao Xian speculated that Old Wang was reluctant to use talismans.
Without hesitation, he placed the talismans in his sleeve pocket.
The pockets of his Daoist robe were simple, and items were stored haphazardly, making it inconvenient to retrieve them.
After sorting out these items, Gao Xian yawned deeply.
After a night of busyness and expending a great deal of mental and physical energy, he was exhausted.
He consumed a Solidifying Yuan Pill, forced himself to meditate, circulating the Five Elements Qi through the Thirty-Six Heavenly Circuits.
Finally, with his eyes closed, he went to practice the Great Occult Art with Lan Jie...
(End of Chapter)