54: Is it related to me?

A small courtyard to the east of the county office.

Inside the living room.

Yan Qingyao's face was pale, and there was an added sense of frailty about her. She forced a smile and took the jade box that Liu Xuan handed to her.

"Only when one falls on hard times does one truly know who is warm and who is cold. Brother Liu, Qingyao will keep this kindness in her heart!"

Since her injury, the harm Yan Qingyao suffered was not only physical but also psychological.

Many who had previously fawned over her changed their attitudes overnight; there were even those who mocked and insulted her.

If it weren't for her status as an Inner Sect Disciple, her fate would likely have been even worse!

Yan Qingyao's status as an Inner Sect Disciple was not permanent. If she had not reached the Middle Stage of Qi Refining by twenty-five, or the Late Stage of Qi Refining by forty, her Inner Sect Disciple status would be stripped away.

Given Yan Qingyao's current predicament, it would be difficult to even live a peaceful life without her Inner Sect Disciple status.

How many people rushed to fawn over her when she was a Genius, and now that she had fallen, just as many wanted to step on her; it was quite fair, in a way!

"Miss Qingyao, there is no need to be so polite. It is just a small gesture; it won't be of much help."

Liu Xuan waved his hand and said.

It was only a few thousand Spirit Stones; with good luck, one thousand would be enough. Liu Xuan earned more than two hundred Spirit Stones a month, so he could save up enough in a few years at most.

But the math didn't work like that. Liu Xuan had to Cultivate himself, support his Dao Companion, maids, and servants. Plus, he had three children and a bunch more about to be born waiting for money, so there wasn't much left over.

Well, that couldn't be helped!

Liu Xuan was also powerless to help.

While he might be lecherous, Liu Xuan's determination toward the Dao had never wavered!

"Miss Qingyao, what are your plans for the future? Although I cannot help with any major issues, I can certainly handle some small matters within my ability."

If Yan Qingyao intended to live a quiet life, Liu Xuan was willing to give her a home.

Although this was taking advantage of her situation, if one looked at it differently, wasn't it also offering help in her time of need?

Just because Liu Xuan couldn't help her at this stage didn't mean he couldn't help her later.

After a few years, when Liu Xuan had developed further, a mere few thousand Spirit Stones might be something he could easily produce.

"Plans?"

Yan Qingyao's expression became resolute.

"This bit of hardship cannot defeat me! Once my injuries recover a little, I will join the combat team. If that doesn't work, I will go hunt demons or go on adventures!"

"Even if I have to become a Robber Cultivator, I must continue to Cultivate, until the day I die!"

Liu Xuan was taken aback!

He hadn't expected this young woman's determination toward the Dao to be so firm. In that case, unless he could solve her problems directly, she would certainly not be willing to be his Dao Companion.

Since that was the case, there was no point in saying anything! Liu Xuan exchanged a few polite words and took his leave.

After Liu Xuan left, Yan Qingyao opened the jade box he had given her, only to see a black solid lying inside, emitting a pleasant, sweet fragrance.

"black crystal honey!"

Yan Qingyao had never heard of this type of honey. Liu Xuan had just said it had the effect of nourishing the Divine Soul, but she didn't know how effective it would be!

She broke off a small piece and tasted it. Her eyes suddenly lit up; the discomfort in her Divine Soul disappeared quite a bit, and her entire mind felt much clearer.

"Just this small piece is actually more effective than a Low Grade Soul-Nourishing Pill!"

This piece of black crystal honey weighed two taels, and its value was likely about the same as a bottle of Soul-Nourishing Pills, no less than twenty Spirit Stones.

"In my current situation, for Liu Xuan to still be willing to give me such a valuable item, he truly treats me as a friend!"

"Sigh!"

She let out a sigh.

"I wonder if I, Yan Qingyao, will have the opportunity to repay him in this lifetime!"

Yan Qingyao understood that Liu Xuan had feelings for her, and she wasn't particularly repulsed by him, but her determination toward the Dao was firm; she was destined not to become obsessed with romantic relationships!

She broke off a large piece of the black crystal honey and ate it. Taking advantage of her Divine Soul's restored perception of Spiritual Qi, Yan Qingyao began to Cultivate with a focused mind.

The Spirit-Dispersing Water didn't erode the Origin of the Divine Soul, but rather blocked the Divine Soul's perception of Spiritual Qi.

As long as she took Spirit Medicine to nourish her Divine Soul, Yan Qingyao could continue to Cultivate; this was the reason she hadn't given up hope yet.

She was currently at the second layer of Qi Refining. If she took Soul-Nourishing Pills to Cultivate, she could break through to the Middle Stage of Qi Refining within five years and keep her Inner Sect Disciple status. Everything still had a chance!

A bottle of Low Grade Soul-Nourishing Pills cost twenty Spirit Stones, and she needed to take two at a time to maintain one day of Cultivation!

Normal Cultivation for a month required one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones, and that didn't even include the Spirit Stones for the Cultivation Chamber and regular Medicinal Pills.

Without that many Spirit Stones, the only way was to reduce the frequency of her Cultivation. If she only Cultivated for ten days a month, her expenses could be reduced to one-third.

Fortunately, her Spiritual Root was as high as the fourth grade, so even if she reduced her Cultivation time, she still had a chance to break through to the Middle Stage of Qi Refining within five years.

The Spirit-Dispersing Water was equivalent to weakening Yan Qingyao's fourth-grade Spiritual Root talent to an eighth or Ninth-Grade Spirit Root. Thinking of those fellow disciples who died on the spot, Yan Qingyao felt that she was actually quite lucky!

...

The main hall of the county office.

Liu Xuan came to report to Zhao Deliang and, at the same time, to inquire about the reason for the incident involving the Law Enforcement Team.

"This matter might be related to you. Be careful lately; it's best not to go too far from the county town."

Zhao Deliang warned.

"Ah?!!"

Liu Xuan was dumbfounded.

"How could it be related to me? I haven't even been here these past few days!"

"Could it be related to those Families that defected?"

If this matter were truly related to him, the only possibility Liu Xuan could think of was those Families that had defected to Zhao Deliang through him.

Zhao Deliang nodded. "The Lu Family and the Chen Family have operated in the entire Yongning Cultivation World for many years. In addition to themselves, they have also gathered various large and small Families from all over."

"The actions you and I took earlier were equivalent to splitting the forces of the Yongning Cultivation World; of course, it would provoke their counterattack."

Zhao Deliang tapped his fingers on the table, looked at Liu Xuan, and said, "Remind those Families you contacted earlier to also be careful lately. I'm worried that someone might take action against them to make an example of them!"

"Have Xia He send more people to monitor the situation, and report any abnormal circumstances immediately!"

"Yes!"

Liu Xuan nodded solemnly.

Leaving the main hall of the county office, Liu Xuan felt very depressed. He had thought it was just a small matter, but he hadn't expected it to involve such a large storm.

Liu Xuan no longer had any doubts about Zhao Deliang's purpose. His target was not the Lu Family at all, at least not for now.

His real target was the entire Yongning Cultivation World, those hundreds of Cultivation Families, and the tens of thousands of Qi Refining Cultivators.

Zhao Deliang wanted to seize the resources of the entire Yongning Cultivation World; it was no surprise at all that the Law Enforcement Team encountered a counterattack.

Recalling those Families that had defected to Zhao Deliang through him, Liu Xuan found that they all had one thing in common: the Clan Chief was very old, or they had no hope of making a Breakthrough.

Only Families whose leaders had no hope of promotion were willing to spend five years of the Family's time and thousands of Spirit Stones in exchange for stability.

For those Families that still had a chance to improve their cultivation, Zhao Deliang's actions were equivalent to blocking their path of the Dao.

Blocking someone's path of the Dao is like killing their parents!

"Damn it!"

Liu Xuan realized that he had boarded a pirate ship.