Chapter Thirty-Three: Truly Foolish
Shi Qi circled the barrier twice, certain that with his current strength, breaking through it would be nearly impossible. Even if he managed, should there be a formidable cultivator in seclusion or someone imprisoned inside, he would be in grave danger. After confirming there was nothing else worth exploring, Shi Qi slowly withdrew, exiting the stone cavern. He then triggered the mechanism, sealing the cave once more.
He glanced up at the sky; night had fully fallen. Shi Qi smiled faintly and soared above the dense forest, riding the Wind Control Technique.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Shi Qi returned to the place where Su Xiaomo had crashed against the stone wall. He flew to the top of the cliff, peered over, and saw that the tiger was nowhere to be found outside the mountaintop cave—it had most likely returned inside to sleep. Shi Qi had guessed earlier that this massive cave was probably the lair of this beast.
Controlling his spiritual energy, Shi Qi slowly descended to the cave entrance and peered inside. A vast corridor stretched ahead, and soon he was greeted by the sound of thunderous snoring from within.
“So the beast really is sleeping inside,” Shi Qi thought.
He continued down the corridor, and before long, his vision opened up into the main chamber of the cave. The interior was huge but crudely furnished; after all, the beast lacked intelligence and sought no comfort.
At the center lay a gigantic white tiger, its massive body rising and falling with each breath, snoring like rolling thunder. Nearby was the brown tiger with white forehead and hanging eyes—the very one Shi Qi had fought earlier that day.
“What would their offspring look like, mixing those colors?” Shi Qi mused.
He clasped his hands, spiritual energy coalescing in each to form two “Aqua Spirit Orbs.”
“Night has fallen,” Shi Qi declared softly, and then hurled the two orbs, aiming squarely for the tigers’ rumps.
Boom! Boom!
Two deafening blasts! The tigers, deep in slumber, were jolted awake by the searing pain, leaping up with a start.
“Roar!” The smaller tiger immediately spotted Shi Qi at the cave’s entrance, instantly recognizing the human who had bested him earlier and let out an enraged roar.
The massive white tiger also saw Shi Qi—this insignificant human dared attack it, and at the most unpardonable spot, no less! Had he never heard that a tiger’s rear is untouchable?
“Roar!” The great tiger’s bellow rattled stones from the cliff walls and sent a tingling numbness through Shi Qi’s ears.
With both beasts enraged and ready to pounce, Shi Qi slapped his own rear and shouted, “Catch me if you can, fools!”
That only further incensed the tigers, who both charged at him.
“Time to run!” Shi Qi pulled a talisman from his storage pouch, slapped it onto his leg, and shouted, “Swift!”
This was one of the many talismans Bai Qiu had given him before leaving: dozens of “Swift” and “Concealment” talismans, one “Thousand-Mile Divine Soaring Talisman,” and one “Thousand-Mile Burrowing Mist.” These were pre-inscribed and needed only spiritual energy to activate—no knowledge of talismanic arts required.
The “Thousand-Mile Divine Soaring Talisman” and “Thousand-Mile Burrowing Mist” were Bai clan treasures, invaluable for self-preservation.
With the talisman on his leg, Shi Qi felt as light as a swallow, and his Wind Control Technique doubled in speed!
The two tigers, seeing Shi Qi flying off, sprouted wings and leapt skyward after him, their speed even greater than his!
Glancing back at the rapidly closing tigers, Shi Qi thought ruefully that a flying sword would be best—after this, he must definitely acquire one.
As the tigers drew near, Shi Qi’s demon core spun at full speed, pushing him even faster.
The “Swift” talisman would last for only the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Even with his demon core at full throttle, the tigers would eventually catch up. But Shi Qi was unconcerned—he was almost at his destination.
The tigers, seeing the gap closing, pressed on relentlessly.
Man and beast soared through the night sky.
Just as the tigers were about to overtake him, a familiar landmark appeared ahead.
Dianxing Manor!
Shi Qi sneered, then darted straight into the manor.
“Senior brother, help! Save me!” Shi Qi gathered his spiritual energy and yelled.
The two gatekeeping disciples barely had time to react before a dark blur shot from the sky into the manor. As they moved to investigate, two more figures streaked from above.
Looking up, the disciples nearly fainted in terror.
“Wha—what are those things?!”
A white and a brown tiger crashed down from the sky!
“What’s all this racket! Disturbing my rest!” A man emerged from a building, grumbling as he walked—this was Yuan He, the young master of Dianxing Manor.
Yuan He stepped out, and at the rumbling overhead, impatiently looked up.
“Mother of—!” In an instant, he was wide awake. Wasn’t that the tiger that nearly killed him earlier today? And now there was an even larger one!
The brown tiger, spotting Yuan He, roared and charged him, the white tiger right behind.
Yuan He’s legs gave out, and he collapsed on the ground.
Inside the main hall, Yuan Chenglu had just concluded a friendly discussion and dispelled the soundproofing barrier. Tidying his robe, he was about to leave when the commotion erupted outside.
Frowning, Yuan Chenglu rushed out the door.
He looked up and shouted, “You beasts dare?!”
With that, he soared into the sky, golden light radiating from his palms, meeting the tigers head-on!
Boom!
Man and tigers collided in midair!
With a spurt of blood, Yuan Chenglu was struck down by the two tigers, crashing heavily to the ground.
Madam Wang, hearing the noise, rushed out just in time to see Yuan Chenglu fall.
“Brother!” she cried in alarm.
Yuan Chenglu struggled up and shouted to her, “These are millennia-old demon beasts! Hurry—summon my younger brother from seclusion!”
Madam Wang replied, “Understood!” and hurried toward the back entrance.
The manor’s dozen or so disciples, alarmed by the uproar, rushed out as well.
Wiping blood from his mouth, Yuan Chenglu ordered, “You all take the smaller one. Leave the big one to me!”
“Yes, sir!” The disciples drew their weapons, soared into the air, and attacked the brown tiger.
Yuan Chenglu, holding his breath and focusing, leaped skyward, conjuring a golden long blade out of thin air and charging at the white tiger. Man and beast clashed fiercely.
And where was Shi Qi?
He’d slapped on a “Concealment” talisman, channeled the power of extreme cold through his body to simulate a state akin to hibernation, and crouched quietly in a corner, observing the chaos.
Normally, his disguise would not fool a Nascent Soul expert, but with the manor under attack, Yuan Chenglu had no attention to spare for searching the grounds.
At that moment, Shi Qi spotted Madam Wang clutching a black object as she hurried toward the back gate. His eyes narrowed, and he silently followed.
She exited the manor, stopped by a massive boulder at the rear wall, and placed the black stone object atop it, twisting it halfway.
A stone door opened—this was the secret passage Shi Qi had discovered during his previous nocturnal exploration.
“So there’s a secret after all.” Shi Qi did not rush in.
His plan was halfway complete: by luring the millennia-old white tiger to Dianxing Manor, the manor would be forced to confront it. Yuan Chenglu alone could scarcely withstand such a beast—they would have to reveal their hidden trump card.
And that card likely lay beneath this secret passage. The barrier within was formidable; to enter rashly would be to court death, unless he could break the barrier as Madam Wang had done. The object in her hand was almost certainly the key.
Shi Qi stayed hidden and watched.
Meanwhile, Madam Wang hurried down the secret path to the barrier before the stone door. She pressed the black token to the barrier—a jet-black command token—which flared brilliantly with golden light.
The stone door and its surroundings trembled, the barrier faded, and the door slowly opened.
“Husband!” Madam Wang called anxiously from outside, “The manor is under attack!”
No response from within.
She called again, more urgently, “Husband!”
At last, a figure emerged: an elder with crane-white hair and the youthful face of a child, clad in a golden Daoist robe that shimmered with light—none other than Yuan Chengtian, master of Dianxing Manor.
“What’s going on?” Yuan Chengtian frowned deeply, clearly unsettled at being yanked from his secluded cultivation.
“Demon beasts are attacking the manor!” Madam Wang cried.
“Hmph!” Yuan Chengtian snorted, vanished in a flash, and shot skyward.
Madam Wang hurried after him.
From his hiding place, Shi Qi saw a streak of golden light burst from the stone chamber and soar into the sky. Madam Wang followed, pausing at the entrance to close the passage before dashing back toward the manor.
Shi Qi smiled faintly, crept up behind her, and delivered a swift knife-hand strike to the back of her head.
With only Foundation Establishment cultivation and caught completely off guard, Madam Wang collapsed in a faint.
Shi Qi searched her and found the command token, then went to the boulder, turned the mechanism, and slipped into the secret tunnel.
At the barrier, he tested the token against it.
As the stone door slowly opened, Shi Qi thought, “As expected, this is the key.”
He darted through the door, knowing the fight outside might not last long. How long the white tiger could be held at bay, he could not say. He had to move quickly.
Inside, the chamber was small, containing only a stone bed and several cabinets.
Shi Qi hurried to the cabinets and opened them to find rows of medicinal herbs, each exuding a rich fragrance.
Though not familiar with herbs, Shi Qi reasoned that anything stored in Yuan Chengtian’s seclusion chamber must be extraordinary.
Without further thought, he took out his storage pouch, ready to sweep the herbs inside.
But as he reached for the herbs, he suddenly stopped, slapped his own hand, and muttered, “How foolish of me—why take just the herbs? I can just take the whole cabinet!”
Grinning, Shi Qi hoisted the cabinet in both arms and stuffed it directly into his storage pouch.