Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty)

Chapter 885

AST 1057 – A familiar aura, Luan Luan and Yiye Jiange

Many Interspatial Silk Sachets awaited Qing Shui. When he looked through the contents, he discovered that it was quite a treasure trove. There were medicinal pills and medicinal herbs—that sort of thing. He found that many of the items were not bad. If the dead men knew that Qing Shui only rated their items as such, they would become so angry that they might come back to life.

Qing Shui decided to leave the items for his companions. These items would help to increase their strength quite significantly. As for Qing Shui, he only hoped to get some breakthroughs in his spirit energy.

In addition to that, Qing Shui found a few secret manuals in the Interspatial Silk Sachets. However, Qing Shui was unsure if he could actually use those techniques since they were based on Yin Qi.

There were also many weapons, metal ingots, as well as some bizarre items. However, Qing Shui did not find any powerful magic treasure. There were some pretty good items, but they were not useful to him, so he placed them back.

This entire search took about half a day. Based on the needs of the women, Little Fatty and Lin Zhanhan, he distributed the items so that everybody had a share.

His Heart of Roc was still at the large success stage. He was still unable to reach the Great Perfection Stage for that skill. To him, it was like a itch he could not scratch as Heart of Roc is a powerful pa.s.sive spirit energy skill.

Roc Spreading Wings was also another skill that Qing Shui wanted to improve on as it could boost his speed. If he could reach the Great Perfection Stage for both Heart of Roc and Roc Spreading Wings, he knew that his strength will instantaneously increase by leaps and bounds.

His Roc’s Might was still at a very basic stage. Other than tampering with his magic treasures, he practiced his Nine Waves Great Golden Buddha Palm. It was now at the 6 layer realm, once it reached the 7 layer realm, it would be a turning point for the technique.

Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation was still at an infancy stage, but Qing Shui looked forward to the future progress of this skill because of its impressive power. However, he had no idea when that will happen. He only hope that it will be sooner.

Qing Shui had already taken a more casual approach towards his training, perhaps because he had sufficient time now. He treated everything as a cycle and did not have an extensive plan because he found that quite redundant.

In the presence of time, everything else is powerless. Qing Shui does not possess an infinite amount of time, but the time he gained through his Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal is enough to change whatever situation he meets. It has already create a huge change in his life.

……
They had nothing planned for the next day. Since everyone was in quite a good mood, they decided to explore Common Origin City together in a group. Qing Shui wanted to explore all the spots they visited as he had time. As long as they were not in a hurry, this was what he usually did. But the others could not afford such luxury of time.

As the weather was cold, most of the people wore thick coats. Qing Shui and his companions also wore their fox fur overcoats. There were many other people who wore fox fur coats, but the quality of fox fur could be cla.s.sified into different grade.

It was not particularly because they needed it since they were already powerful cultivators. They can sense the temperature by the cold did not feel uncomfortable nor does it threaten their lives. But it was just a feeling they have. With the cold weather, even if one did not really feel cold, wearing thin clothes will trick the mind into thinking that one was cold. Similarly, one would feel warm wearing thick clothes in a hot weather even when they are not suppose to feel that hot.

When people feel cold, it is because they receive a signal in their brain from their skin. The skin sends such a signal as people will fall sick if they are too cold and might even lose their life. However, strong cultivators can feel cold, because all their senses are enhanced. However, they don"t feel uncomfortable. So they will still choose to wear thick coats when it is snowing in winter.

Every so often, huge flying beasts flew above the city. All of the riders look very arrogant as they looked down on the people below. This was just like a natural instinct. Because one had the advantage of being above, they could look down on others. Different people at different levels had different goals.

Not far from them, they saw a marketplace. There were many adults and children there. The s.p.a.ce was huge. It was much larger than those Qing Shui had seen in his previous life. It was very lively and there were all sorts of goods. There were even some performances and even a fighting ring. People enjoyed martial arts everywhere in the Main Continent, that was the reason why there would always be a fighting ring where people gathered.

The fighting ring was not merely for people to spectate, there were also betting tables for people to bet on the contestants they think would win. One would earn a little from the right bet, but a wrong bet would mean that the gambler would lose his entire bet.

Common Origin City was just small city and an exceptionally backward one. When Qing Shui and his group saw the people fighting in the ring, they immediately recognized that the people were just using very basic, primitive skills.

They don"t even have to worry that some expert would come over and interfere with their affairs. Every social circle had its own purpose. Just as one would not find interest in two ants fighting, Qing Shui was not really interested to find out who would win or going up to fight with them. In front of true experts, these mens were just as insignificant as ants.

Qing Shui and the women decided to place bets on a few rounds. They did not observe the contestants, but just bet on what they wanted. They just called the contestants, number one and number two. If Qing Shui were to bet on number one, the women would bet on number two. Rather than gambling, these people were just doing that just for fun.

They were just trying to see whose luck was better, so they each have their wins and losses. But Qing Shui would not waste this chance, the condition was that the biggest loser would have to spend the night with him…

With the conditions set, they challenge Qing Shui with their luck. They usually set the contestant on the left as the number one. Regardless, the change in position during battle, the person who ends up on the left of the ring would be number one. Thus, this was basically all down to luck.

In the end, the biggest loser was Yiye Jiange. Qing Shui did not understand how it happened nor Yiye Jiange"s reaction. She gave him a few angry glares, and swung her hips walking away. With this, everyone returned to the inn.

Every time they reach a new city, Qing Shui would buy some souvenirs. Regardless how expensive they were, Qing Shui would buy whatever he liked to keep as a memento. This was a habit of his so he bought some Lovers" locks here in Common Origin City.

He gave each of the women one, even Yiye Jiange. He felt awkward when he was giving them the locks but Yiye Jiange received hers happily. This surprised Qing Shui and he felt delighted. Lovers" locks were just any random thing that people could give and receive, it definitely represented something in their relations.h.i.+p.

Qing Shui had a relaxing and happy time that day, so he made himself remember the name of the city.

After ten days…

They had left the city and reached a small hamlet where the mountain villagers lived. They had to travel through this place to reach the Ancient Ruins.

Even though this area was covered with mountainous villages, the road was wide. The road had lots of ups and downs but it was smooth. If one were to speed down this road with a car, it would definitely be fun due to the smooth b.u.mps and ditches.

Perhaps because he was raised in a mountain village, Qing Shui had a good impression of this place. This place was slightly north of the center of the Northern Sacred Lu Continent, the further north a place was, the colder it was and the more powerful the people were. The locations at the border of the continents also harbor very powerful people, just like Ghost Sect that was located at the South border of the Northern Sacred Lu Continent.

The villages were spread over a large area. It was very different from the layout of a city, but it felt very homely to Qing Shui. The air and environment was extremely good. The environment in the world of the Nine Continents was well maintained and very good, but this place impressed Qing Shui the most with its serenity and cleanliness. It was definitely quieter here than in any bustling city.

Qing Shui and his group followed the large road in the middle of the hamlet and chatted light-heartedly.

Roar!

A roar could be heard vaguely from a far. It was deep and forceful. Qing Shui and his group looked in surprise at the area in front of them. There were very little wild beasts here as the wild beasts do not dare to approach the villages. Demonic beasts lived even further from this place as the hamlet would certainly be destroyed if they were nearby.

However, this was a Xiantian Demonic Beast.

The few of them decided to investigate. If they were in another location, they wouldn"t care if there was a Xiantian Demonic Beast, even if a Martial Saint Demonic Beast appeared, they won"t give it a second look, as they were on a different level.

They walked closer and closer!

Suddenly Luan Luan and Yiye Jiange exchanged glances with each other, "Mother, can you feel that? It is a familiar aura, it is so familiar."

Yiye Jiange nodded. "Luan Luan, let"s go over. Quick."

They ran toward the direction where the roar came from.

Yah!

They were shocked when they saw the scene before them. A boy, with three Armored Mountain Boars, was holding a bo staff and fighting ferociously with a Fire Leopard.

The Fire Leopard was a Xiantian Demonic Beast, while the three Armored Mountain Boars were all Late Houtian Demonic Beast. However, with their tasks and their ability, they managed to defend themselves against the Fire Leopard forcing it backward.

The roar of frustration was indeed produced by the Fire Leopard. The Armored Mountain Boars made very soft snorts. The boy"s eyes were lively and clear. He had a jade-like face, it was clear that he would become a beautiful man when he grow up. He would occasionally help the Armored Mountain Boars with his Bo staff whenever they were in danger, each time he will poke the Fire Leopard"s privates…

A demonic beast"s private parts were their weak spots, but they were usually protected by their tails. However, the boy was as nimble as an ape. Each time he somehow managed to move in an odd angle which allowed him to land his blows on the demonic beast"s weak spot. As the Fire Leopard was male, there was an additional…

Just when Qing Shui was about to say something to them, he turned back and saw Yiye Jiange and Luan Luan staring at a boy in a daze. The boy was about eleven or twelve, and he looked a little like Luan Luan. He even looked a little like Yiye Jiange…

When he saw their expression, Qing Shui"s heart reacted…

"Mother, I am so nervous. This aura is so familiar. I am sure he is related to me. But this is such a coincidence." Luan Luan said as she pulled Yiye Jiange to her side.

Yiye Jiange wasn"t looking any better, but she acted very calm, "You don"t have to be nervous. In the end, it is still a good thing. You should be happy."

"Yes, I should be happy!" Luan Luan was extremely excited. She remembered the day that her father sent her away…

"Could they be still alive? They should be alive, right?" Luan Luan exclaimed joyfully. She looked at the battle scene. There was the path up the mountains to the village. It was only ten over li from the village. Why would there be a demonic beast here? Is it normal for demonic beasts to appear here?

As they walked along the streets, Qing Shui could tell that normal people made up a majority of the population in the city. Even those that look well-built cannot stand up to a Xiantian Demonic Beast. He did notice some Xiantian cultivators but they were quite uncommon since he only sense one every now and then.

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AST 1058 – A fated reunion, Her brother, Yiye Tian

Roar!

In a moment of carelessness, the Fire Leopard"s abdomen which was one of its weak spots, was scratched by the Armored Mountain Boars" tusk. As a Xiantian demonic beast, the Fire Leopard might be way more powerful than the Late Huotian Armored Mountain Boars, however, the Armored Mountain Boars had a very high defence so their bodies were as hard as rocks.

At that moment, the boy viciously thrust his iron-bamboo bo staff into the Fire Leopard"s left eye and directly into its brain. Despite how powerful it was, the Fire Leopard only was the size of a cow. Most demonic beasts wouldn"t survive having a staff pierced through their brain. Likewise, the Fire Leopard quickly died from the injury. After all, it was only a single headed creature. The boy had a muscular and well-proportioned body for his age. He didn"t treat the affair like it was anything out of the ordinary, so it was obvious that this was not his first time doing this.

The boy had only noticed Qing Shui and his group at that moment. Once he saw them, he was visibly startled. He could tell from their clothes that the group of people before him were not from his village. He gave Qing Shui and the others a puzzled look.

Yiye Jiange and Luan Luan walked forward and removed their veils. A brief moment of delight appeared in the boy"s eyes but he quickly hid it. "What"s the matter?"

Qing Shui could sense that this boy was mature for his age. The boy"s eyes were clear but vigilant as he asked the question in a calm tone.

"Hi, can you tell me your name?" Luan Luan smiled.

"I am Ye Tong!" the boy replied after some hesitation.

Yiye Jiange and Luan Luan were stunned for a moment but they quickly regained their normal composure. His surname was Ye and not Yiye. Of course, it is possible that his surname had been changed, though people don"t usually do that. Unless it concerned life and death, one wouldn"t change their surname. It was a disgrace to do that and could even be considered as the worst form of submission to fate just to survive.

Luan Luan could sense a special aura from the boy. She felt an incredible connection to him, an immense feeling that made her certain that the two of them were related. She couldn"t help but to tremble with emotions as her eyes began to turn misty.

Qing Shui could tell that there was something odd going on. He knew the backstory as Yiye Jiange told him about Luan Luan and herself, however, Luan Luan was not that clear about the past because she was still very young then.

Qing Shui also began to feel very emotional, he hoped that what they had expected was true. If so, Luan Luan"s heart would be complete. After he talked to Luan Luan, they still maintained their father and daughter relations.h.i.+p but it was no longer like when she was young. Furthermore, Qing Shui was usually away. If she could find her real parents, she would be healed. Even if bones were broken, they could still be held together by sinews. This was also the wondrous power of familial ties.

When the boy saw Yiye Jiange and Luan Luan"s expression, he had a strong feeling that they looked very familiar but he knew that this was the first time he met them. Suddenly, he felt that the two women looked a little like his father, one of them also looked like his mother. Something suddenly struck him. He remembered a conversation between his parents that he had overheard once. It was about how old a girl was…

"We have to pa.s.s through here to get to our destination. What about you? Do you live here?" Yiye Jiange asked with a faint smile. Due to the Qi in the World of the Nine Continents, people matured and grew up very fast and healthily. Thus, even though the boy was only about eleven or twelve, he was already quite tall.

"Yes, I lived here since I was young." the boy replied honestly, feeling no ill intent from the woman.

"Are you the only child?" Yiye Jiange looked up at the village ahead.

"Yes. Where are you from? We rarely have visitors here." The boy said with a grin.

Qing Shui could still see a hint of caution hidden behind the boy"s eyes even now. Qing Shui was secretly quite impressed. He could tell that the boy was quite gifted. This was rare in mountain villages like this and usually meant that the person"s parent may be from another place.

"We have traveled for some time to get here. Is it possible to visit your home?" Luan Luan probed.

The boy hesitated as if he wanted to say something. He scanned the people in the group with some excitement in his eyes. Seeing that Luan Luan looked like his parents, he had a good impression of her even without any rational reason.

"Don"t worry, we don"t mean any harm. I just feel that you look a little like us. We have lost a few relatives, so we just felt that you could be related to us." Yiye Jiange explained gently.

The boy was still hesitant!

Luan Luan summoned her own Six-Headed Windfire Wolf and laughed, "Don"t worry. We really have no ill intent. I mean if we really want to hurt you, do you think you can do anything against it?"

"La.s.s, don"t scare him." Yiye Jiange quickly added.

The boy was shocked when he saw the demonic beast but he still nodded. "Let"s go. Just as she said, you could easily see my parents if you held me hostage and went to the village."

After he said that, he led the way with his three Armored Mountain Boars while he dragged the Fire Leopard along.

"Oh, did you tame those three Armored Mountain Boars?" Luan Luan exclaimed with some surprise. She started a conversation with the boy as they had nothing else to do while they headed towards the village.

"Yes. They helped me out a lot. If I were to fight with that Fire Leopard myself, it will be tiring. With them, it is so much easier." Ye Tong was exceptionally happy when he spoke about his Armored Mountain Boars.

Ye Tong"s house was right at the entrance of the village as if it served to protect the village.

"Ye Tong, are there many Demonic beasts like that in the mountains?" Qing Shui asked as he surveyed his surroundings.

"Just a few, they will appear every now and then and the people in the village will deal with them. I just happen to meet one today." Ye Tong said happily, feeling rather accomplished. After all, he was already a Xiantian cultivator even at his young age.

Without them knowing, they had entered the large house. All of the residences in the village had a large courtyard. A house with a courtyard was considered as an expensive property in the cities. Even though the World of the Nine Continents was very large, that didn"t meant that the land was cheap. In fact, land was expensive so only rich people could afford having courtyards.

The doors of the large house was made of jujube wood which was readily available in this particular region. It was stronger than pig iron, so normal wild beasts could not damage them. One of the magenta doors was opened while and the other was closed, and they could look into the courtyard through the opened door. The courtyard was about 660m2. Qing Shui saw a few chickens, geeses and a large dog. There were also a patch of something green, maybe some vegetables. Even though it was winter, some vegetables were like evergreen plants, so this was no longer a surprise for Qing Shui.

"Come in!" Ye Tong welcomed them into his house. His three Armored Mountain Boars had already rushed in. As Ye Tong tied the dead Fire Leopard onto one of his boars midway of the journey, the Fire Leopard was naturally brought into the house as well.

Qing Shui and his group followed Ye Tong into the courtyard of his house. As they were near the entrance of the village, the pa.s.sing villagers greeted Ye Tong when they saw him. They seemed to get along very well with the boy.

Ye Tong also politely greeted the villagers back, he was quite a sweet talker. He also only introduced Qing Shui and the others as his relatives.

When they had reached the edge of the courtyard, they saw a woman walking out. It was difficult to gauge how old she was. She carried an elegance and a well-endowed body, her simple clothes did little to hide her natural beauty.

Her general appearance looked rather similar to Ye Tong and even Luan Luan. Yiye Jiange was rather stunned when she noticed this but she did not know this woman. When she escaped with her brother, he was not yet married, so she wasn"t sure if this woman was her sister-in-law.

Luan Luan also looked blankly at the woman. She tried her best to run through her memories and recall that face. Yiye Jiange was at a loss when she saw Luan Luan"s expression.

Luan Luan could sense a familiar aura from the woman before her and she suddenly started to cry unconsciously!

The woman was also shocked when she saw the group of people that her son had brought to their house. She didn"t even had the chance to speak when she already noticed a beautiful girl looking at her, crying. Children are like the flesh of their mothers" hearts. It is said that a mother would be able to recognize her own daughter even if her daughter looked different as a child. Besides, Luan Luan still retained some of her features. The woman trembled as she walked toward Luan Luan. For a brief moment, she didn"t even dare to confirm if the girl was truly her daughter.

"Luan…Luan…"

"Is your name, Luan Luan?" the woman held Luan Luan"s hand and asked with overflowing emotions as her tears poured on her cheeks.

Luan Luan was dazed. Everything was real. When she spotted that woman from a distance, she could already confirm the woman"s ident.i.ty. Her Heart of Seven Orifices was very accurate when it came to such matters.

"Mo…mother, I am Luan Luan. I am Luan Luan…" as she said this, her tears started flowing uncontrollably down her cheeks.

Yiye Jiange also started to cry. Just then, a man came into the courtyard. He looked at the group of people and saw his wife hugging a girl as she cried. Before he could even wrap his head around this scenario, he heard a voice which made him froze on the spot.

"Brother, is it really you?!" Yiye Jiange immediately recognized her brother. After all, he was already a grown man when she was separated from him, so his looks didn"t change that much.

"Jiange, Jiange…" the man walked toward Yiye Jiange, unable to believe his eyes.

Qing Shui only saw the man clearly at that moment. He also could not tell how old the man was from his appearance. The man looked like sort of a mature, family man. From his mannerism, one could tell that he had been through alot, he even looked a little down-and-out.

"Haha! This must be a blessing. Yiye family lives." The man hugged Yiye Jiange as he looked up to the skies and exclaimed. He was filled with happiness and helplessness that he even bent backwards a little.

"Brother, that is Luan Luan. I found little la.s.s and lived with her all these years." Yiye Jiange pulled Yiye Tian and pushed him to look at Luan Luan and his wife.

"Luan Luan! My daughter is alive!" Yiye Tian was overjoyed when he saw Luan Luan.

"Daddy!"

When Luan Luan saw Yiye Tian, the memories of that day returned to her clearer than before. She hugged him tightly and cried. Ye Tong looked at them motionless, he was too shocked.

Qing Shui felt a tinge of jealousy when he saw Luan Luan with her actual father. After all, the girl had acknowledge him as her father all these years. It was weird for him to hear her call another man "Daddy". He had fed her, washed her clothes and even wiped her b.u.t.t. No matter what, he would always treat her as his daughter.

As if she understood what Qing Shui was feeling, Yiye Jiange walked over and asked, "Are you jealous?"

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