On the third hour after sunrise, Gao Xiancai woke up.
Last night was truly too stimulating, with battles, killings, disposing of bodies, and handling loot, all of which consumed a great deal of Gao Xian's energy.
After practicing the Great Occult Divine Technique with Sister Lan, Gao Xian was exhausted to the extreme.
He didn't even have the energy to worry about the consequences of killing someone and slept soundly.
Sitting on the bed, Gao Xian fell into a daze, replaying the events of last night in his mind.
He touched his chest, feeling the tough and resilient texture of the black scale armor, confirming that everything in his memory was real.
Gao Xian couldn't help but sigh.
He had always been diametrically opposed to gambling and drugs, a truly good person.
Even though the reasons for killing Old Wang were justified, he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.
Peeking through the window crack, he glanced outside.
There was no one in the courtyard, not even a ghost.
Under the scorching sun, the muddy ground had dried up, leaving behind many pockmarks and holes, but no traces of blood could be seen.
"Meow..."
A black cat called out to Gao Xian from a distance.
Its tail was taut, its waist slightly arched, displaying a very vigilant and tense posture.
Gao Xian was puzzled.
He played with the cat every day, and their relationship was intimate.
Why was the little cat acting like this today?
He reached out to beckon, but the black cat slowly backed away.
"Is it just too hungry and in a bad mood?"
Gao Xian didn't pay much attention.
His mood was not high, and he wasn't in the mood to coax the cat.
After getting off the bed, he first performed a cleansing technique on himself, taking care of his personal hygiene.
Then he washed rice, cut meat, and cooked.
By the time the food was ready, Gao Xian served a small bowl for the black cat and a basin of food for himself.
The spiritual rice was fragrant, and the demon beast meat was rich in fat and oil.
Gao Xian was also very hungry, so he made a large bowl of food and ate until he was full.
He then drank a pot of boiled water, feeling content.
The black cat waited for Gao Xian to leave before cautiously approaching to eat, all the while keeping a watchful eye on him.
Gao Xian gave the black cat a big white eye.
The ungrateful little thing had forgotten about him but not about the food!
After eating and drinking his fill, Gao Xian habitually sat cross-legged to cultivate, circulating the Five Elements Qi through the seventy-two meridians.
After finishing his cultivation, Gao Xian's mind was clear, and his thoughts were particularly active.
He began to review the gains and losses of last night's battle.
He had performed poorly last night, making several mistakes.
If it weren't for the Golden Body Talisman, he would have been killed by Old Wang's sword.
In battles between cultivators, life and death could be just a moment away.
He must never be so careless in the future.
Fortunately, Sister Lan was truly remarkable.
During the battle, she could spontaneously help him condense talismans, enhance his strength, and strengthen his senses.
In terms of casting spells and using magical tools, Sister Lan helped him save many tedious steps and procedures, playing a crucial role.
It could be said that Sister Lan was the fundamental key to victory.
The Great Occult Divine Technique was more important and powerful than the Electric Light Subduing Dragon Hand.
However, the amount of human essence light required for advancement was too much.
It would not be possible to upgrade in a short period of time.
Furthermore, the White Plum Needle had decent power, but its upper limit was not high and could not be relied upon.
On the other hand, spells had greater power and a higher upper limit, making them worth practicing diligently.
Lastly, physical skills were indeed very useful.
Old Wang was right; in close combat, a sword was much stronger than spells.
Even with Sister Lan's help in condensing talismans and casting spells, Gao Xian's speed in using magical tools and spells was not as fast as Old Wang's sword.
Of course, the distance between them was also too close.
This was something he must pay attention to in the future.
Training in physical skills could make the body more agile, reactions faster, and strength stronger.
In the battle last night, he could clearly see Old Wang's movements, but his body couldn't synchronize to react, indicating that his physical skills were too weak.
The owner of the weapon shop, Huang Ying, also said that regardless of the cultivation path, the physical body was the foundation.
Therefore, he needed to find opportunities to train in physical skills.
Gao Xian felt that relying on training in physical skills was not reliable enough.
He thought of finding a way to enhance the Electric Light Subduing Dragon Hand, perhaps taking a shortcut...
Ultimately, he had to rely on the Book of Wind and Moon to fully tap into its energy!
Using the Book of Wind and Moon required human essence light.
How could he quickly obtain more human essence light?
Gao Xian had not yet figured out the mechanism for generating human essence light.
He speculated that it was related to the matters of the Book of Wind and Moon.
By helping Zhu Qianniang and Qingping with their "healthcare," he obtained human essence light, and the cause and effect relationship in this was very simple.
He could also understand the logic behind it.
The problem was that Deer Antler Powder could also bring human essence light, which was difficult to explain.
When others took Deer Antler Powder and then indulged in pleasure, they generated human essence light.
But how did the Book of Wind and Moon know about this process? And how did it obtain human essence light from it?
From the Deer Antler Powder perspective, as long as he could guide the matters of the Book of Wind and Moon, it was possible to obtain human essence light.
Would circulating a copy of "The Golden Lotus" for circulation help collect human essence light?
Or opening a massage parlor to provide "healthcare" services for female cultivators could also be a shortcut...
As long as Old Wang's matter didn't come to light, the future looked bright.
Thinking of this, Gao Xian suddenly felt uneasy.
The fleeting black shadow from last night somehow surfaced in his mind.
"Suspicion breeds demons! Just killing an old thief, no need to scare yourself!"
Gao Xian felt that it might be because it was his first time killing someone that he was being so paranoid!
He forced himself to remain calm and not dwell on these thoughts.
The alchemy room had been damaged by Old Wang, providing the perfect opportunity to execute the Fire Dragon Plan!
Throughout history, whenever there was a discrepancy in accounts, the Fire Dragon Plan could be used to resolve it, a truly divine plan!
Five hundred White Dew Pills exchanged for a Red Blood Pill, this deficit could not be made up no matter what.
Gao Xian had figured it out that day.
Since he couldn't make up for the loss, he might as well not try.
By telling Zhu the truth, he would be handing over leverage to the other party.
From then on, he would have to let Zhu control him.
Instead, using the Fire Dragon Plan to burn everything down.
Even if it meant accepting the loss!
Although he would be the one bearing this part of the loss, Zhu wouldn't be able to find fault with him.
This was crucial.
Of course, before setting the fire, he had to make the most of the medicinal materials.
Gao Xian gathered his spirits, putting the shadow behind him.
Whether the shadow was real or an illusion, it hadn't emerged yet and hadn't truly affected him.
Now, it was time to focus on the task at hand.
Gao Xian sorted a batch of medicinal materials, leaving behind only common herbs that could barely be enough to refine a furnace of Deer Antler Powder.
The broken window in the alchemy room didn't affect the alchemy process.
It was late summer, and the weather was still a bit hot.
The broken window actually improved ventilation.
Taking advantage of the perfect weather, Gao Xian began alchemy.
When it came to Deer Antler Powder, he was a master.
During this period, he had been refining medicines continuously, making great progress in all aspects.
Before nightfall, the Deer Antler Powder was ready, yielding over a hundred and twenty pills.
To distinguish them from other Deer Antler Powders, Gao Xian added blue cherry blossoms to the cinnabar, mainly for coloring.
He repackaged all the Deer Antler Powders he had previously made into blue pills.
Gao Xian packed the Deer Antler Powder.
These were not just pills but also human essence light!
Calculating based on the more than ten thousand cultivators at Feima Gathering, there were at least six to seven thousand male cultivators.
Even if only one-tenth were old lechers, they could consume hundreds of Deer Antler Powders in a day.
This business had great potential.
However, with Old Wang dead, he needed to find a suitable agent.
Gao Xian knew very few people and couldn't think of a suitable candidate for the time being.
The cooperation with Old Wang had made him realize the ferocity of cultivators.
Choosing a partner had to be done carefully.
Once he dealt with Old Wang and resolved the issue of the medicinal materials deficit, he wouldn't have much to worry about.
These matters could be handled slowly.
Gao Xian first went to the medicine shop, delivering the refined Essence Consolidating Pills and Qi Returning Pills.
Fortunately, Zhu Qianniang wasn't there, only Zhu, the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper was very pleased with Gao Xian's proactive behavior and praised him a few times.
However, the praise was only superficial.
There was no substantial reward, not even an invitation to dinner.
Returning from the medicine shop, Gao Xian cooked, ate, cultivated, and circulated the Qi through the seventy-two meridians.
When he opened his eyes again, the sky had completely darkened.
Gao Xian packed up his important items, searched around for the black cat, but couldn't find it.
Deciding to let it be, as long as it wasn't in the room.
Gao Xian cast a Flame Blast spell at the room where the medicinal materials were stored.
The flammable charcoal and wood were ignited by the high temperature, and some of the herbs quickly caught fire.
He then cast two more Flame Blast spells, blasting holes in the back wall of the room.
With the front and back ventilation, the flames rose quickly, soon engulfing the beams and turning the roof a bright red.
Satisfied with the result, Gao Xian hurriedly ran to the medicine shop to find someone.
By the time the shopkeeper arrived with Gao Xian, the roof had collapsed.
The blazing house illuminated the courtyard, and the shopkeeper gave Gao Xian a cold glance, suspicion evident in his eyes...
(End of Chapter)