The sounds of wails and pleas from the basement reached our ears.
It seemed Zhang Youguo was disciplining the man who had harmed Chu Yue.
We didn't go to disturb them.
It was not our business, nor did we want to get involved.
After all, that man was just an ordinary person, not someone from an evil cult.
He was beyond the scope of governance for us Taoists.
So, we left the front yard directly, without bidding farewell to Zhang Youguo, and departed from the villa…
After leaving the villa, Master and Daoist Tang remained silent, the atmosphere was heavy.
Mo Ting and I followed, unsure of what to say.
It was only after we left the neighborhood and Master and Daoist Tang took separate taxis that Mo Ting and I finally felt relieved from the oppressive atmosphere.
"Brother Qin, what's the deal with our masters? They act like sworn enemies whenever they meet."
Mo Ting said, lighting a cigarette.
I spread my hands:
"Who knows? Let's just head back and rest early too."
Mo Ting stubbed out his cigarette:
"It's too early for me to sleep.
I'm planning to go to the internet cafe across the street for a while.
Want to come with me? My Yasuo is super good."
I smiled and shook my head. I was tired from the day's events and had no inclination for gaming.
"You go ahead! I'm heading back!"
"Alright then!"
With that, Mo Ting didn't hesitate and headed straight to the internet cafe.
I hailed a taxi and returned to my rented room.
By the time I got home, it was past eleven at night, and I felt completely exhausted.
After taking a shower, I didn't rush to sleep.
Lately, before falling asleep, I would practice meditation and breathing exercises.
After all, in our line of work, strength is paramount.
If I wanted to continue on this path, I couldn't afford to slack off.
Now, I could clearly feel the circulation of true qi within my Dantian.
A person's cultivation strength was also related to the strength of their internal true qi.
The stronger the true qi, the more potent the Taoist energy for casting spells, and naturally, the higher the cultivation level…
I was currently in the middle stage of the Lingquan Realm.
To break through to the late stage, the only way was to cultivate, continuously condensing spiritual energy.
It wasn't until past midnight that I finally settled my qi to my Dantian and stopped practicing.
Although I had only practiced for about an hour, the fatigue in my body had significantly lessened.
As soon as I lay down, I quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, I felt energetic, as if my body had inexhaustible strength.
As usual, I took a bus to Wan Fu Tang for work.
However, when I arrived at work today, I saw Master sitting inside, whittling wood.
I was puzzled. Why was Master whittling wood so early in the morning?
"Master, why are you whittling wood so early?"
With curiosity, I placed the breakfast and soy milk I had brought aside.
Master, holding his pipe, looked up at me:
"Making peach wood swords."
"Master, there are so many peach wood swords in the shop, why are you personally making them?"
I looked at the bundles of peach wood swords beside me with a hint of suspicion.
Master picked up a piece of peach wood and examined it:
"How can those peach wood swords compare to the ones I make?
Now that you have cultivation, you need a suitable weapon.
This is a piece of twenty-year-old peach wood. I've had it in the shop for several years.
Today, it finally has a use."
After speaking, he placed the peach wood in front of him and began shaving it with a plane.
"Swish, swish, swish," pieces of red wood shavings fell.
When Master told me that it was a custom-made peach wood sword for me, I became excited.
As a Taoist now, I understood how powerful peach wood swords were.
Ordinary wandering spirits wouldn't dare to get close, let alone be struck by one.
These were the peach wood swords we mass-produced from the factory.
If this twenty-year-old peach wood Master was using was made into a sword and then consecrated,
its power would be unimaginable, definitely very strong.
After all, peach trees generally only lived for twenty to thirty years.
Twenty-year-old peach wood would definitely possess abundant Yang energy.
I said with a bit of excitement:
"That's great, Master. From now on, I'll have my own exclusive weapon."
Master didn't look at me, still puffing on his pipe:
"The weapon is secondary. The most important thing is the person.
There are no customers now, so put things away and practice your qi over there.
In a couple more days, there might be a fierce battle.
Don't mess up then."
"Understood, Master!"
I nodded and quickly left the counter.
Then, inside the room, I sat in meditation and absorbed qi.
This was something I had been doing every day since I became his disciple.
When there were customers, I would serve them. When there were none, I would study books on talismans and spells, or practice qi.
By the time I finished work in the afternoon, Master had finished my peach wood sword.
It looked very impressive, and he even made a scabbard for it.
But he didn't give it to me, saying he planned to carve a Big Dipper formation on it.
He said this would enhance the power of the peach wood sword.
In the future, when I used this sword to subdue demons and ghosts, it would greatly increase the damage dealt…
Master was the authority on these matters, so I didn't argue.
After work, I got a call from Zhang Chuyue.
She had slept for a day and a night and had finally woken up.
She said she hadn't had any more nightmares and hadn't been startled awake, her spirits were good, and she was very grateful to me.
She also asked me about my fees.
I chuckled on the phone and said it was good that she was better.
As for the fees, I didn't have the heart to ask for them.
After all, we were elementary school classmates.
My original intention was just to help her as much as I could, I didn't want to earn money from her.
I just wanted to accumulate some merit and a little extra for incense.
I simply told her that if she or anyone around her encountered similar trouble again, they could come to us.
If there was a next time, I would have to charge her.
Chuyue giggled and said she definitely wouldn't want that again.
She then invited me to dinner to express her gratitude.
But how could I have the time these days?
After all, I had important matters to attend to in two days.
So, I politely declined for now, saying we could arrange a meeting once she had fully recovered.
We chatted for about ten minutes, and even had a video call for a few minutes.
Seeing that Chuyue's spirits had indeed recovered, I felt relieved and hung up the phone…