7: Chapter 7 Su Qinghan's Change of Attitude

Qi Yang slowly walked out of the dense fog, holding the black turtle shield before him.

He looked at Scarface lying on the ground, his eyes devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

Beg for mercy?

If he, Qi Yang, had lost today, the enemy would have certainly skinned him alive.

Qi Yang raised his hand, green light gathering at his fingertips.

*Pfft!*

A sharp wooden thorn shot through the air, precisely piercing Scarface right between the brows.

Scarface's eyes widened, his body twitched twice, and then he breathed his last.

In less than half an incense stick's time, all three Rogue Cultivators were killed.

Qi Yang stood in place, gasping heavily for air.

Although he had held an absolute advantage relying on the Formation and poison, slaying enemies of a higher realm still nearly drained the Spiritual Qi within his body.

Without delay, he stepped forward and deftly looted everything—the Storage Pouches, Magical Artifacts, and even the loose Spirit Stones hidden in the three corpses' clothes.

Afterwards, he pulled out corpse-dissolving water and poured it onto the three bodies.

Accompanied by pungent white smoke, the corpses dissolved into puddles of yellow liquid.

Qi Yang then cast several Spirit Rain Techniques, thoroughly washing away the surrounding bloodstains, poison powder, and traces of battle.

Confirming there were no flaws left behind, Qi Yang retrieved his Mist-Baffling Formation Plate, swallowed a Qi Recovery Pill, and departed the Misty Forest under the cover of night.

Murder and arson bring wealth.

Patting the bulging Storage Pouches in his robe, Qi Yang felt even more committed to his belief in keeping a low profile to grow stronger, and ensuring absolute lethality whenever he struck.

Day broke, at the Xuantian Sect Outer Sect Herb Garden.

The withered wooden door squeaked softly in the morning breeze.

As usual, Qi Yang wore his faded coarse hemp clothes, trouser legs rolled up to his knees, carrying a worn-out hoe on his shoulder as he ambled toward the spiritual fields in the back courtyard.

His back was still stooped, his head of white hair looked sparse and messy, and his face was covered in deep wrinkles.

Anyone who saw him would think he was just an old handyman with one foot in the grave, waiting out his final days in the Sect.

Who could have imagined that just a few hours ago, this very old man had slain three Rogue Cultivators in the Misty Forest without even batting an eye?

Reaching the edge of the spiritual field, Qi Yang put down his hoe, bent down, and began pulling weeds around the Spirit Rice.

After working for less than half an incense stick's time, he straightened his back, clutched the ridge between the fields, and coughed violently, looking as if he might breathe his last at any moment.

"Cough, cough, cough... These old bones really are useless now."

While coughing, Qi Yang wiped his forehead with the back of his muddy hand.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a crimson figure.

Su Qinghan had walked out of the West Wing Room at some point, standing quietly at the edge of the field ridge and observing him.

Her injuries had clearly improved significantly; her previously pale complexion had regained some rosy color, though her beautiful Phoenix eyes now held an air of scrutiny and inquiry.

Qi Yang felt a slight tightening in his heart, but instantly plastered on a flattering smile, bowing and nodding repeatedly: "Fairy, why have you come out? It's windy outside, and your injuries haven't fully healed yet. You should rest more."

Su Qinghan paid no mind to his pleasantries, instead directing her gaze toward the surrounding Herb Garden.

"Did you tamper with the Spirit-Gathering Array in this herb garden?"

Su Qinghan's voice was cool, cutting straight to the point.

Qi Yang's hand holding the hoe paused for a moment.

The Spirit-Gathering Array in this herb garden had fallen into disrepair over the years, operating clunkily and gathering Spiritual Qi very slowly.

To absorb more Spiritual Qi while Cultivating in the underground secret chamber, Qi Yang had covertly altered the positions of a few array eyes under the cover of night a few days ago.

He used the black gourd to mature a few special Ores containing Spiritual Qi, plugging the flaws in the Formation.

The method was so subtle that even an Outer Sect deacon wouldn't be able to spot any clue.

Unexpectedly, Su Qinghan had managed to notice it.

As expected of a Luoxia Sect Genius, her perception was remarkably sharp.

Qi Yang calculated a countermeasure in his mind, but outwardly instantly put on a terrified look, coughing violently: "Cough, cough, cough... Fairy, you flatter this old man too much! With my negligible cultivation at the Qi Condensation Third Layer, how could I possibly understand profound Formations?"

He put down his hoe and pointed at several newly placed bluestones in the corner of the herb garden, explaining with a bitter smile: "This old man has been in this herb garden for nearly a hundred years, watching this array operate every single day."

"It rained heavily a few days ago, and water leaked into the array eye. Fearing that the Spiritual Qi would scatter and I wouldn't meet my tribute quota, I just blindly messed around, moving a few stones to plug it up. It's just crude farmer work—how could it be considered tampering?"

Su Qinghan looked in the direction he pointed. Though the placement of those bluestones appeared casual, it subtly aligned with the principle of mutual generation among the Five Elements, perfectly remedying the flaw in the Formation and doubling the efficiency of the Spiritual Qi flow throughout the herb garden.

Blindly messing around with crude farmer work?

Su Qinghan looked at Qi Yang's honest, weathered face, remaining half-skeptical.

The Dao of Formations was profound and vast; without famous masters to guide someone or years of arduous study, achieving such a level was completely impossible.

Yet the old man before her had dull eyes filled with foolishness, looking in no way like a hidden master.

Could it really be a coincidence? Practice makes perfect after living long enough?

Su Qinghan fell silent for a moment, the inquiry in her eyes gradually fading.

Regardless, after the old man altered the Formation, the Spiritual Qi in the herb garden had indeed grown much richer, which was of great benefit to her healing.

Moreover, back when Deacon Wang Hu came to cause trouble, it was also this old man who stepped forward to defuse the situation for her.

Thinking of this, Su Qinghan's bias against Qi Yang completely dissipated into thin air.

She had originally thought the Xuantian Sect was foisting a useless good-for-nothing onto her, but now it seemed that although the old man had low cultivation, he was at least dutiful and held a bit of cleverness.

"Since you were just blindly messing around, don't touch it carelessly again, lest you break the Formation entirely."

Su Qinghan's tone softened considerably, no longer as frosty as when she had first arrived.

"Yes, yes, yes, Fairy is right. This old man will definitely never touch it recklessly again."

Qi Yang nodded repeatedly, quietly letting out a sigh of relief in his heart.

The morning mist gradually dispersed as sunlight bathed the spiritual field.

Su Qinghan did not return to her room immediately, instead walking over to a patch of spiritual field planted with purple leaf grass.

Looking at those Spirit Medicines growing somewhat droopily, she knit her brows slightly.

Although the Luoxia Sect was a small School, as the daughter of the Sect Master, she had been exposed to the cultivation of many Spirit Medicines since childhood.

She could tell that the stems and roots of these purple leaf grass plants were slightly yellowing, clearly due to insufficient Spiritual Qi absorption.

"How do you usually water this purple leaf grass?"

Su Qinghan uncharacteristically lowered her stance and took the initiative to ask.

Qi Yang froze for a moment.

This high-and-mighty Young Miss actually cared about how to farm?

He hurriedly shuffled forward, pointing at the ditch along the field ridge: "In reply to Fairy, this old man diverts spring water from the back mountain to irrigate them once every morning."

"Spring water belongs to Yin, while purple leaf grass prefers Yang."

Su Qinghan shook her head, her tone carrying a bit of instruction: "You should warm the spring water slightly with fire-attribute spells at noon before watering. Only then can you activate the medicinal properties of the purple leaf grass."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yang feigned an expression of sudden enlightenment and slapped his thigh repeatedly.

"Ah! So that's how it is! Thank you for your guidance, Fairy! This old man has farmed for a lifetime and didn't even understand this principle; I've truly lived in vain!"

On the surface he appeared deeply grateful, but in his heart he thought nothing of it.

Watering with warm water could indeed stimulate medicinal efficacy, but it would accelerate the aging of the purple leaf grass, shorten the harvesting cycle, and lead to a loss of potency.

Qi Yang intentionally watered them with cold water to suppress their growth speed. When needed, using a single drop of green liquid from the black gourd to mature them directly would yield true top-grade plants.

Naturally, he would not expose this. Going along with her words could satisfy her sense of superiority and bring them closer together—why not do it?

Seeing Qi Yang humbly taking the instruction, Su Qinghan felt a strange sense of accomplishment rise in her heart.

She nodded and said nothing more, turning to walk back to the West Wing Room and closing the wooden door.

Qi Yang looked at the closed door, unable to help letting out a faint smile.

Not interfering with each other, while occasionally exchanging thoughts on farming—this was the most perfect neighborly relationship.