Wei Junzhi didn’t deserve death, so I didn’t chase after him.
A small lesson was enough, but I never expected so much trouble to happen on a simple trip to the beach.
What a pain.
D*mn! Wei Junzhi’s pants reeked! I shook my head and quickly threw it away.
My hand speed was already fast, but it still couldn’t compare to Long Qingyang’s skill at stealing br@s.
Back then, Wang Ziyan’s br@—something worn so close to her body—had been stolen without her even noticing. If I had that kind of ability, wouldn’t I be able to take advantage of anyone I wanted?
I jumped down from the wall and retraced my steps back to the hotel.
Pushing open the door to Tang Shuyao and Qin Mengdie’s room, I walked in.
“How’s Qin Mengdie’s foot?” Inside, Sister Lin and the others were still there, with Qin Mengdie lying alone on the bed.
“Shh!” Sister Lin hushed me. “Keep it down. She just managed to fall asleep. After spraying some medicine, it’s gotten much better.”
“Then why are you all still here?” I asked Sister Lin in a low voice.
Sister Lin shot me a look and said irritably, “Tang Shuyao thought you might’ve gone to take revenge on that guy, so they were worried about you. I just stayed to keep them company…”
“If everything’s fine, why stick around? Don’t we have to wake up early tomorrow to see the sunrise?” I said helplessly, looking at the girls.
Only after hearing that did they finally return to their own rooms.
“Goodnight, Mei’er!” I smiled at her.
Mei’er also smiled. “Goodnight, Xia Tian…”
Back in my room, I collapsed onto the bed. I’d expended too much energy today. Even though my True Qi had been replenished, mental exhaustion couldn’t be recovered so easily. Soon after lying down, I saw the daughter of the Duke of Zhou beckoning to me seductively.
Early the next morning, Sister Lin woke me up. Before I could even wash up, she dragged me out.
“Ah…” I yawned. “My most beautiful sister, can’t you at least let me wash my face?”
“If we’re any slower, we’ll miss the sunrise!” Sister Lin said anxiously.
“Xia Tian’s here, let’s go!” she called out to the other girls.
But why did they all look as dazed as I felt?
I turned to Tang Shuyao. “Where’s Qin Mengdie?” Mei’er, Xu Xin, and Wang Ziyan were all here—only Qin Mengdie was missing.
“Huh?” Tang Shuyao blinked, then said, “Oh…”
Oh, my ass! I was asking why Qin Mengdie wasn’t here!
“Mengdie’s foot is still hurt, so we didn’t wake her,” Sister Lin explained, then cheered, “Let’s go! Sunrise time!”
Aside from the overly excited Sister Lin, everyone else looked half-dead as we shuffled our way to the park.
Pigeon Nest Park was the best place in Beidaihe to watch the sunrise, but I wasn’t in the mood for it. I just wanted the sun to rise quickly so I could go back to the hotel and sleep.
I only glanced at it briefly. Compared to a sunset, a sunrise had a vibrant, uplifting energy—like Xia Tian slowly rising to prominence.
Sister Lin, however, was completely absorbed. At least I took a look—everyone else, except Mei’er, who stayed with Sister Lin the whole time, actually fell asleep. Just how tired were they?
“Xia Tian, did you see that? The sunrise was so beautiful!” Sister Lin sighed beside me.
“Heh…” I forced a dry laugh. “Yeah… beautiful…”
My original wish had been to watch the sunset alone and the sunrise with a group, but I was starting to realize that wishes and reality often clashed.
“The water-element spiritual Qi here is unusually dense…” Mei’er whispered to me on the way back.
I chuckled. “Well, we’re by the sea, so of course there’s a lot of water Qi…” Then I suddenly realized something and asked, “Wait, what’s water-element spiritual Qi?”
“Ancient cultivators believed the world was composed of five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Nothing exists outside these five, so later generations also divided the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth into these five types,” Mei’er explained seriously.
“Metal, wood, water, fire, earth—the Five Elements. I know that much!” I laughed. At least I had some basic knowledge, though I never expected cultivation to actually incorporate them.
But I still had questions. “Then what about the Qi we normally absorb from the air? Which of the Five Elements does that belong to?”
“In most mundane places, spiritual Qi is chaotic—it contains all five types, but since the elements counteract each other, you could also say it has no specific attribute…” Mei’er patiently explained.
I sighed. “Then what’s the point of the Five Elements Qi?”
“The use of Five Elements Qi only becomes possible after reaching Six Tails. It’s the foundation for casting elemental spells.” Mei’er lowered her voice as Sister Lin leaned closer.
So I’d need to reach Moon Shadow’s later stages to use it. Right now, I was only at Star Vortex’s peak, half a step into Moon Shadow—still a ways to go.
“If I cultivate using this Five Elements Qi, will I level up faster?” Since it was specially categorized, there had to be something special about it.
Mei’er shook her head with a smile. “Five Elements Qi can’t be absorbed and refined into True Qi. It can only be harnessed to cast spells.”
“So that’s how it is…” I nodded, then suddenly remembered—Mei’er had claimed to know nothing about human cultivation, so why was she so familiar with Five Elements Qi?
“Mei’er, I thought you were completely clueless about human cultivation. How do you know so much about this?” I asked.
She smiled. “Five Elements Qi isn’t exclusive to human cultivation. We demons know about it too. Though our methods differ, the essence is similar.”
“But logically, since you were originally a nine-tailed fox immortal, shouldn’t you know something about human cultivation? Why do you seem so ignorant? Is it because of the seals?” Her situation puzzled me. Despite being a high-level nine-tailed fox, she knew nothing about human cultivation.
If it was due to the seals, then once all nine were broken and her memories returned, would she become a violent, cruel demoness? The thought sent a chill down my spine.
Mei’er shook her head. “Mei’er’s nine-tailed power wasn’t obtained through cultivation, so it has nothing to do with the seals.”
Hearing that eased my worries.
“What are you two talking about?” Sister Lin leaned over, curious.
This woman really never missed a chance to meddle!
I forced a dry smile. “Nothing…”
“Really?” She looked skeptical.
I said irritably, “Really!”—only to realize I’d spoken too loudly.
Tang Shuyao jolted awake, mumbling, “Earthquake! Earthquake!”
Her outburst woke Xu Xin and Wang Ziyan, who blinked in confusion.
“Where’s the earthquake?” they asked in unison.
Tang Shuyao froze, her face reddening. “I… I think I had a nightmare…”
Everyone burst out laughing.