Martial Cultivator

Virtually in that instant, Chen Chao suddenly let out a low roar, his whole person going mad in an instant, his eyes now bloodshot.

This gave the shopkeeper a huge fright, who keenly sensed that the young man in front of him might have lost control of his mind, invaded by a heart demon. However, he did not understand why. Judging from his conversation with the little girl just now, this young man did not seem to have a close relationship with her. The two were probably just chance acquaintances. If that were the case, why would the young man lose control of his mind at this moment?

But the shopkeeper did not have much time to ponder. If he did not do something now, this young man might be consumed by his heart demon. If it was minor, it would send his internal qi into chaos, causing severe injuries on the spot. If it was slightly more serious, the chaotic internal qi would wreak havoc within his body, resulting in immediate death.

The shopkeeper muttered to himself, ”He’s given me quite the multiple choice question...”

But as he watched the young man’s aura grow increasingly chaotic, the shopkeeper gritted his teeth. Finally, he seemed to make up his mind, ”Damn it, meeting him must be fate. I’ll help him!”

With that said, the shopkeeper quickly rummaged through the bookshelves, eventually finding a small wooden box tucked away in a corner. After taking it out, he looked at Chen Chao with a pained expression on his face, and then shook his head with some reluctance. ”I only have this one good thing after half a lifetime. I was originally saving it to break through to the next realm. The Great Dao is long, I reckon I won’t live to see that day. Damn it, take it, take it! I won’t dream anymore.”

Opening the wooden box, inside was a pill, crystal clear and exuding a fragrant aroma.

Taking the pill, the shopkeeper directly reached out and stuffed it into Chen Chao’s mouth.

After feeding Chen Chao the pill, the shopkeeper seemed to collapse as if all the strength had been drained from his body, sinking down as he let out a long sigh.

The pill was called ”Mind Tranquility Pill,” one of the most unique among the many spiritual medicines in the foreign lands. Its primary function was to calm the mind of cultivators during breakthroughs, shielding them from distractions. As cultivators progressed in their cultivation, breaking through became increasingly difficult. If there were unresolved matters in their hearts, it would greatly increase the chances of failure during breakthroughs. At this critical moment, the effects of the Mind Tranquility Pill became more pronounced. Therefore, cultivators of higher realms were willing to spend a fortune to obtain such a pill.

As for himself, he had too many unresolved matters in his heart, making it difficult to take the next step forward. Thus, he had long been preparing for his breakthrough, saving up for half his life to finally purchase such a medicinal pill. He was always cautious, fearing that news of his acquisition would attract powerful individuals seeking to snatch it away. He was vigilant every day, not daring to even talk in his sleep. But now, looking at the young man in front of him, whom he had met by chance, he did not know why, but he inexplicably took out this long-cherished pill.

However, after he watched Chen Chao swallow the pill, the shopkeeper suddenly froze. At that moment, he had never felt that his Dao heart had been so clear as now.

His own obsession dissipated along with the dissipation of the Mind Tranquility Pill.

As those thoughts dissipated, the shopkeeper’s aura gradually soared. After a moment, he actually crossed that threshold.

Returning to his senses, the shopkeeper stared at Chen Chao, whose aura had stabilized considerably, muttering to himself, ”Damn, is this a blessing in disguise?”

Chen Chao’s current situation was actually quite dire. At the moment the little girl died, the voice in his mind had already begun speaking, ”See? A momentary lapse in judgment, and three lives are lost. If you had hardened your heart a little more, you’d at most have felt guilty for a while. Why did you come back?”

Chen Chao muttered to himself, ”It’s my fault, it’s my fault...”

”Now that you realize your mistake, what good does it do? The dead cannot be brought back to life.”

The voice in his mind said with a sneer, ”Wavering back and forth, even if you’re talented, what good is it?”

Chen Chao did not know how to respond. At this moment, his mind was filled with the little girl’s final words.

”I’m sorry... Big Brother... I lost... the gift... you gave me...”

That little girl, he did not even know her name before, but up until the end, she had no intention of blaming him.

Chen Chao felt unbearable pain.

”What do you want this body for? It’s better if I use it.”

The alluring voice in his mind sounded out.

Chen Chao’s mind had already lost its defenses.

But in the next moment, a refreshing aura began to spread throughout his body, as if a hand had reached out and pulled Chen Chao out of the quagmire.

Chen Chao suddenly opened his eyes, the blood red color in his eyes receded, returning to clarity. Yet, he was still covered in sweat.

Chen Chao looked tiredly at the shopkeeper sitting on the ground and whispered his thanks, ”Thank you for your help, sir.”

He was not stupid, that instance of refreshing sensation must have been this shopkeeper’s doing.

The shopkeeper snorted coldly, ”Consider yourself lucky, kid. I only had that one Mind Tranquility Pill.”

”Mind Tranquility Pill?”

Chen Chao came to a sudden realization. Although he was just a martial artist, thanks to Xie Nandu, he had read many books in the small courtyard, and he remembered medicinal pills like the Mind Tranquility Pill. However, he also knew that such pills were extremely rare and precious. Even if the Xie Family had them, they would not easily take them out.

Chen Chao thanked again, ”Thank you very much, sir. Your kindness will be remembered, and I will repay it in the future.”

The shopkeeper’s expression was cold, ”I only have one Mind Tranquility Pill. If you keep dwelling on this matter, the next time the heart demon invades, even if the gods themselves come, they won’t be able to save you.”

Chen Chao’s expression dimmed.

The shopkeeper’s tone softened a bit, and he said softly, ”You don’t need to thank me either. I’ve been hoarding this Mind Tranquility Pill for years. In the end, it was my heart that was confused. After giving it to you, the obsessions in his heart dissipated along with this Mind Tranquility Pill. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, and I took a step forward. It seems like I’ll live a few more years.”

Chen Chao said softly, ”Regardless, Sir has shown me great kindness.”

The shopkeeper shook his head, ”Hurry up and leave. You’ve provoked the cultivators of Clearwater Mountain. If you delay any longer, you might bring a fatal disaster upon yourself. Luckily, there’s no curfew in Clearwater Commandery. You can still run away now.”

Chen Chao said, ”You’re already implicated because of me.”

The shopkeeper said indifferently, ”I’m all alone. The only things I can’t let go of are these books. I’ll just find another place to open a bookstore. No one will find trouble with me. But you, didn’t you cause trouble at Clearwater Pavilion and kill many cultivators from Clearwater Mountain?” ”How can that Daoist Sage Tianyi let you off?”

Chen Chao raised his head and suddenly said, ”It’s probably too late.”

The shopkeeper was taken aback. Chen Chao slowly laid down the girl’s body and took out a bag of skygold coins from his bosom, saying softly, ”Could you do me a favor, sir? If I don’t come back, could you find a beautiful place with clear water and bury this girl for me?”

The shopkeeper pushed back the bag of skygold currency. ”It’s just a small favor, but have you really thought it through? The entire Clearwater Mountain isn’t something you can just deal with however you want!”

Chen Chao shook his head and whispered, ”I must kill people tonight.”

He had a grudge in his heart that needed to be resolved, and he could not let it go unresolved.

The shopkeeper glanced at the broken saber at Chen Chao’s waist, but did not say anything more.

”If I haven’t returned by dawn, leave the city, Sir”

After saying these words, Chen Chao left the bookstore and walked into the pouring rain.

Currently, in Clearwater Commandery, there was a heavy downpour. The sound of raindrops hitting the roofs of houses was deafening.

Countless cultivators braved the rain and entered the city.

Then they gathered at the Clearwater Pavilion.

The middle-aged cultivator at the forefront had a cold expression. After stepping into the Clearwater Pavilion, he went to the second floor and saw the corpse of Ge Ming, which was a dreadful sight to behold.

The current Ge Ming was practically a lump of minced meat.

The middle-aged cultivator said coldly, ”That person was a martial artist?”

The cultivator who had been guarding at the Clearwater Pavilion nodded and said, ”He was dressed in black, carrying a broken saber, and he wasn’t very old. After rushing into the Clearwater Pavilion, he started killing people without telling why. It seemed like he was targeting Senior Brother Ge. Afterwards, it seemed like he even asked Senior Brother Ge...”

The middle-aged cultivator waved his hand. ”No need to say more. No matter who he came for, daring to commit murder in Clearwater Commandery, he deserves death.”

The cultivator fell silent.

”When has my Clearwater Mountain ever suffered such humiliation? When we find this person, I’ll tear his corpse to pieces, flay his skin, and crush his bones!”

But before he finished speaking, a tragic scream sounded out from outside the door.

The middle-aged cultivator turned around, just in time to see two corpses being thrown in, smashing many tables and chairs.

A young man in black appeared at the door, looking at the Clearwater Mountain cultivators inside.

”It’s him, Martial Uncle, he’s the one who killed Senior Brother Ge!”

One of the Clearwater Mountain cultivators who had witnessed Chen Chao’s actions before shouted loudly.

The middle-aged cultivator looked at the young man in black with a cold expression and said in a solemn voice, ”You’re really bold, to dare to act recklessly here. You’re really courting death!”

The young man in black did not have any reaction, he just said, ”Before I killed Ge Ming, he told me that causing trouble in Clearwater Mountain’s territory was seeking death. I didn’t listen to him at the time.”

The young man in black slowly drew the broken saber from his waist, spitting out a turbid breath before saying, ”But is this place really Clearwater Mountain’s territory?”

Clearwater Commandery was located in White Deer Prefecture.

White Deer Prefecture was one of the Great Liang’s nine prefectures.

Clearwater Commandery had always been a part of Great Liang’s territory.

The logic was simple, but it was clear that the cultivators present did not understand.

Tonight, Chen Chao did not want to reason with them, nor did he want to teach them any logic.

Because saying anything to dead men was a waste of breath.