Chapter 22: Teaching the Dao to Settle the Debt

It was easy to promise compensation, but far harder to actually produce the money — right now he was completely broke, having just been cleaned out by the Scripture Repository.

If he were still the Third Young Lord of the Marquis's manor, he could of course write a letter and have the manor send a "resupply." But from now on, he would have to rely entirely on himself.

As he said this, he reached down and patted the large black cat at his feet. Yuanbao immediately understood, leaping up with a hint of excitement and landing in the crook of his arm.

He lifted Yuanbao and parted the black fur, revealing a clear through-and-through wound — entering from the back and exiting through the side of the abdomen. The wound had not fully healed and was still seeping thin threads of foul-smelling, yin-cold toxic blood.

Beyond that, there seemed to be a cold, sinister aura lingering inside Yuanbao's body. He couldn't quite make it out at the moment and planned to take a closer look once he returned to his room.

That Bone Spike of Yin Xunshan's was a wicked thing. It was no small feat that Yuanbao had survived.

"This cat of yours is rather pitiful. It looks like it was struck by a yin-cold magical artifact, and the yin poison has taken hold. If it isn't purged soon, it will definitely leave lasting damage."

Zhao Keyu stood gracefully atop a smooth, rounded river stone. As a light breeze passed, her slender figure appeared all the more elegant. When she saw Li Qingyun examining the large black cat's wound, a faint trace of pity and sympathy finally surfaced in her sharp, bright eyes.

"How about this — since you're short on funds for the moment, I have a proposal. I once tried to cultivate Thunder Arts myself, but couldn't grasp the essentials. Even when I asked a Daoist master to explain it, I made little progress.

Why don't you, Junior Brother, share with me your insights on comprehending and casting it? As long as it gives me some inspiration, that can count as repayment for the damages…"

Hearing this, Li Qingyun felt a surge of relief and gave a gentle nod of agreement. "That works."

"Good, then come sit at my wooden cottage for a while!"

Seeing that he was willing, Zhao Keyu was pleased as well, and for the first time a smile appeared on her face.

The wooden cottage in the stream valley was bright and refreshing.

The two sat cross-legged facing each other — one speaking unhurriedly, the other listening with focused attention, occasionally interjecting with questions about things they didn't understand.

A fresh mountain breeze, carrying the cool moisture of the stream, playfully drifted into the cottage from time to time, stirring the hair and robes of the young man and woman inside. For a moment, there was an indescribable sense of leisurely ease.

Li Qingyun's insights, drawn from observing the mysterious Dao Effigy against the dark curtain wall in his mind, were naturally extraordinary. His understanding of the Thunder Seal technique clearly surpassed Senior Sister Zhao's by a considerable margin.

As he explained, he gently stroked Yuanbao, who lay beside his leg, quietly channeling Dharma Power into the cat to dispel the yin poison clinging to its wound and encourage healing.

Dharma Power imbued with a faint trace of thunder intent had a powerful suppressive effect on the yin poison. By the time he repeated his explanation of the Thunder Seal method for the third time, Yuanbao's condition had improved considerably — the cat's eyes were far more alert and lively.

By then, night had begun to fall, and a veil of darkness had settled over the quiet stream valley.

"Senior Sister Zhao, I think you've got a good grasp of it now. It's getting late — I'll come bother you again next time!"

Li Qingyun glanced at the darkening sky and took the initiative to bid farewell.

Though he had genuinely enjoyed the atmosphere of sitting across from her in the stream valley cottage and discussing the Dao, they were an unattached young man and woman — it was fine during the day, but lingering into the night would be a bit much.

Through his earnest explanations, he had gained something for himself as well, feeling that his own understanding of the Thunder Seal had deepened somewhat.

"Mm, thank you, Junior Brother, for sharing your knowledge. It's been a great inspiration to me. Then… take care on your way."

Zhao Keyu had clearly gained a great deal and seemed reluctant to stop, but she didn't try to keep him. She rose and walked Li Qingyun to the door.

With light steps across the river stones, Li Qingyun spread his arms slightly to maintain his balance, his Daoist robe billowing in the wind. He launched himself forward as if riding the wind, then descended like a wisp of cloud some fifteen meters away, repeating this over and over until, in a brief moment, he had swept out of the stream valley and onto the riverside path ahead.

The large black cat was no slower than Li Qingyun — leaping high and crouching low, bounding like lightning, following close behind.

In the blink of an eye, the pair — man and cat — had landed on the bank above the stream valley.

As Li Qingyun walked into the maple tree forest, he instinctively turned to look back. There in the stream valley, Zhao Keyu's graceful silhouette still stood in the night, and he could almost feel the soft touch of the night breeze lifting the strands of hair against her cheek.

At the same moment, the distant Zhao Keyu seemed to smile and wave at him, then turned gracefully and walked back into the wooden cottage.

When he returned to the bamboo quarters, He Xiao had not yet come back.

The large black cat Yuanbao wandered around the bamboo quarters, even jumping up onto He Xiao's bed and desk — the great cat lord seemed to be familiarizing himself with the new environment.

"Yuanbao, come here and sit still. Let me take a look at what that cold, sinister aura inside you is all about."

Once Yuanbao had grown accustomed to the room, Li Qingyun beckoned it over.

If his guess was right, Lady Cui or Yin Xunshan had also planted a gu on Yuanbao — just as they had done to him.

Fortunately, he had now entered the path of cultivation and had a more practiced command of a Thunder Arts technique.

The six hand seals of the Thunder Seal were not merely for casting and channeling — the deeper he comprehended it, the more he felt there were additional applications waiting to be developed.

"Just as I thought!"

He sent a thread of Dharma Power into the cat's body. The moment it made contact with the blood-sucking gu worm lurking inside Yuanbao, before the gu could react, his Dharma Power suddenly transformed into a binding Thunder Seal and yanked the gu worm straight out!

Under the might of the Thunder Seal, the gu worm trembled with fear.

"Die!"

Pulled free, the blood-sucking gu was fat and grotesque, its entire body a deep crimson — who knew how much of the black cat's blood and vitality it had devoured.

Back on the carriage, Yin Xunshan must have activated this blood-sucking gu to catch Yuanbao off guard, hampering its combat ability and nearly getting it killed by the Bone Spike!

Li Qingyun showed no mercy whatsoever. He compressed the Thunder Seal inward, and the blood-sucking gu instantly burst into a flash of bloody light, which was then vaporized into nothingness by his Dharma Power!

Lady Cui and her son had regarded him as a thorn in their side, and knowing full well that Yuanbao was no ordinary cat, they had naturally intended to eliminate both man and cat when they struck, leaving no loose ends.

But for all their scheming, how could they have known that Li Qingyun would undo it all in a single stroke!

"Meow!" Yuanbao rubbed its head gratefully against its master's hand.

The litter-scooping servant had finally shown some real ability — not a complete waste of the great cat lord's long-standing care and protection.

"Go find yourself a spot to rest, but don't go over to the other side…"

Li Qingyun waved his hand, letting Yuanbao find its own place to settle, and then was left speechless.

The large black cat let out a couple of meows and burrowed into the prime spot at the head of his bed, settling down in comfortable repose, eyes half-closed in a feigned doze.

Fine, whatever…

He shook his head and sat down cross-legged, taking out his copied transcription of the Thunder Seal to study.

In truth, he was channeling it into his mind and beginning to freeload off the mysterious Dao Effigy's imprinted ripples of thunder technique knowledge behind it.

Since he intended to go down the mountain with Zhao Yifan to slay demons and subdue ghosts, the deeper his comprehension of the Thunder Seal the better — it would surely prove invaluable, and it wouldn't do to take thirty percent of Senior Brother Zhao's Spirit Stones and Contribution Points for nothing.

He Xiao returned late into the night, still in high spirits, a faint fragrance of perfume drifting from his person.

"Junior Brother Qingyun, you actually bought a spirit cat! It seems the Marquis's manor thinks quite highly of you — a spiritual companion like this is worth a small fortune!"

Noticing the large black cat that had appeared in the room, He Xiao's interest was immediately piqued, and he was clearly envious. He reached out to pet it, but Yuanbao bristled and bared its teeth, sending him stumbling back several steps with a rather sheepish look.

"Careful, Senior Brother — my cat has a bit of a temper, and its claws and fangs are quite sharp…"

Li Qingyun smiled and warned him that Yuanbao was not to be casually petted.

It was his cat — what business did anyone else have petting it!