Chapter 18: The Price is High
Liu Shunyi was quite clear about his role.
He was just a porter.
As for anything else? That was none of his business.
No matter how much it was,
His only duty was to ensure Chen Qiaoli’s safety.
But from the looks of it,
If he were to kick the bucket, Chen Qiaoli wouldn’t even break a sweat.
She was just too cautious.
In fact, excessively so.
The journey that could normally take a day to Kangzhuang City,
Became a grueling seven-day trek under Chen Qiaoli’s guidance.
And during these seven days,
They weren’t just loafing around.
For instance, Chen Qiaoli went ahead and procured over a hundred defensive talismans, another hundred attack talismans,
Some of the best leather armor,
And personally crafted fireproof, poison-proof, and waterproof outfits.
She even wore necklaces to repel mosquitoes and hairpins to prevent mental attacks.
She prepared every conceivable item without missing a beat.
As for Liu Shunyi?
He was also adorned with numerous talismans.
And there were antidote pills, Qi Recovery Pills, and various other potions,
All stuffed into his pockets as per Chen Qiaoli’s insistence.
“If they have formations restricting cultivation, or spells restricting consciousness, storage bags won’t help, so keep some things on your person!”
Chen Qiaoli said very seriously.
Liu Shunyi thought about it and agreed.
He placed some items outside his bag.
But in the end,
An unexpected incident still occurred.
When they finally reached the gates of Kangzhuang City, they were stopped by the stationed cultivators.
The reason?
Their hoods were so conspicuous.
Passersby couldn’t help but take a second glance.
“Identity, name, and purpose!”
They pulled Liu Shunyi and Chen Qiaoli aside for questioning.
Chen Qiaoli didn’t want to reveal her identity,
And ended up wrangling with the two cultivators.
After a tug of war, Chen Qiaoli had to cough up two hundred low-grade spirit stones before they were allowed in.
But the hoods stayed on.
Instead, they donned two additional wide-brimmed hats with veils.
Liu Shunyi said nothing.
He just carried the enormous water barrel on his back, trailing behind Chen Qiaoli.
However, Chen Qiaoli’s mind was heavy with thoughts.
“Sigh, I never expected to encounter such a hiccup; now my plan to eliminate that evil cultivator has dropped by two percent!”
Liu Shunyi was curious.
“What’s the initial plan, Senior Sister?”
Chen Qiaoli whispered, “It was ninety-eight percent before; now it’s down to ninety-six!”
Liu Shunyi: “…”
Wow, she was really playing it safe.
But hey, the more cautious she was, the better!
It just meant she could protect herself, and he wouldn’t have to lift a finger.
After what felt like ages,
Liu Shunyi was led by Chen Qiaoli to a small courtyard.
“I bought this courtyard a while back; we’re resting here tonight. Don’t go anywhere, got it?”
Liu Shunyi nodded.
“Got it!”
With that, he set down the giant barrel on his back.
But the moment he did,
A hand chop came down on the back of Liu Shunyi’s neck.
Liu Shunyi turned around to see Chen Qiaoli’s utterly bewildered face.
Both of them locked eyes, and silence fell for a moment.
Eventually, Liu Shunyi asked,
“Do I need to play dead?”
Chen Qiaoli took a deep breath.
“No need, but how about a glass of water?”
With that, she poured a cup of water for Liu Shunyi.
He gulped it down without a second thought and then collapsed.
Chen Qiaoli sighed in relief.
Afterward, she placed Liu Shunyi inside the house.
After a moment of thought,
Chen Qiaoli took out a pill.
This pill was called the Forgetful Pill.
Taking it would make you fall into a deep sleep for seven days and forget anything that happened in the last month.
She pried open Liu Shunyi’s mouth and popped the pill in.
“Sorry, Junior Brother; it’s for your own good!”
Chen Qiaoli said.
She then stuck a few more talismans on Liu Shunyi.
Once done with that,
Chen Qiaoli finally left.
After confirming she was gone,
Liu Shunyi finally got up.
No reason to dawdle.
He quickly began refining the spiritual energy within him.
The Forgetful Pill was still a pill, after all, and naturally contained a wealth of spiritual energy.
Liu Shunyi had no choice but to refine it.
However,
The difference was,
Even though Liu Shunyi was at Full Circle of Qi Refinement Twelfth Stage, he still couldn’t break through to Foundation Establishment,
The refined energy began to nourish the thunder within him.
Moreover, the more energy he refined, the thicker the thunder became.
Not only that,
As the power of the thunder grew,
His physical body was slowly being tempered.
Of course,
He couldn’t feel any pain; it was all pleasurable.
Because his body was becoming stronger.
Not just stronger,
Liu Shunyi felt increasingly adept at controlling electromagnetic forces.
Just by thinking, the numerous metallic objects in the room floated into the air.
With another thought,
The temperature of those metals began to rise, even warping.
Suddenly, Liu Shunyi’s eyes lit up.
He pulled out an iron piece and placed it on his fingertip.
As he compressed and gathered the electromagnetic force,
The iron began to glow red.
Liu Shunyi quickly stopped.
“So this is what it feels like to be a cannon sister!”
His heart raced with joy.
He didn’t expect that practicing the Crazy Thunder Sutra would grant him this ability.
Thus, Liu Shunyi prepared a storage bag full of the cheapest iron nails.
After all, this would just be a medium to help him concentrate his electromagnetic force.
As for the power?
That depended on the energy he outputted through his electromagnetic force and spiritual power.
Just thinking that he could now strut around like a human cannon made Liu Shunyi feel a lot more at ease.
At least, he had another means to save his skin.
“Wait!”
Liu Shunyi suddenly remembered something.
If he were to use the Thunderbolt Sword,
And then compress the electromagnetic force while injecting a ton of thunder and spiritual power,
What kind of scene would unfold when he swung that sword?
Liu Shunyi felt a surge of excitement.
Without further ado, he dashed outside.
In an instant, he vanished.
Not long after,
A terrifying sword qi cut through the air.
The power was enough to make anyone tremble.
As a result,
The owner of the city, a Golden Core cultivator, soared into the sky.
His divine sense scanned the entirety of Kangzhuang City and its outskirts.
Under the overwhelming pressure of this Golden Core expert,
All the cultivators in Kangzhuang City trembled in fear.
Especially when that divine sense swept over them,
It sent shivers down their spines.
Some timid cultivators even wet themselves in fright.
Of course,
Liu Shunyi, who had already returned to his courtyard, was no exception.
Under the divine sense of this Golden Core cultivator, he turned pale.
Liu Shunyi could even feel that if this Golden Core wanted to kill him,
It would only take a fleeting thought.
Damn it.
The world of cultivation was just terrifying!
Of course,
Liu Shunyi recalled that sword technique he had just devised.
That was equally terrifying.
With that slash, his arm would be instantly wrecked.
If it weren’t for Chen Beiping,
He’d be toast right now.
But even so, the thought of Chen Beiping’s name dimmed by a third spoke volumes about the cost of this move!
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