Episode 46

  The girl stroked the strings, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and let out a soft sigh. The sound flowed from the strings, first gentle as a breeze rustling through flowers, then another note emerged, chasing after the first, the two notes entwining, wanting to disperse but gathering again. Suddenly, an oriole appeared, singing softly. Watching the dance of the two butterflies, it felt a surge of malice. It flew at the two butterflies, one of which died, and the oriole fled. One butterfly circled around, refusing to leave, only surrounding the dead butterfly's broken wing, mourning for a long time. Outside this scene, a beautiful woman watched with rapt attention. She detested the oriole's cruelty, pitied the butterfly's misfortune, and secretly lamented her own ill fate. She performed a fluttering dance, pouring her emotions into it, mourning the butterfly's death, yearning for the butterfly's spirit, and lamenting her own lack of good fortune! Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. The music played by the girl was extremely sorrowful, even the cultivator couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, thinking that the path to enlightenment was difficult to achieve, and time was fleeting! He couldn't hold back his tears, which flowed freely down his face. The piano daughter felt her heart ache early on and wept silently. When the music ended, after a long while, the piano daughter said:

  "Father, I'll have a drink with you!"

  "Good! Excellent sound! The two words 'absolute sound' are indeed deserved! Its tone is like a blade, directly entering the human heart and spleen! Painful! Joyful!"

  The monk raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp. Gu Niang also praised him, saying:

  "Heavenly music is like this, I dare not play the zither anymore!"

  Jin San was downstairs, quietly listening to the music played by Ya Er. His heart was stirred with a thousand emotions and a hundred feelings intertwined. He thought of old grudges and new resentments, feeling that life is short and fleeting, like an enemy that cannot be avenged, a hatred that cannot be dispelled, a great way that cannot be pursued. Even if one is born again, what's the use of pursuing?

  The cultivator upstairs and Qin Niang had a good drink at night, and by the time it was about to dawn, Qin Niang was already very drunk, and Ya'er supported her to sleep.

  Suddenly, the cultivator let out a loud roar:

  "Who counts me? Who counts me?"

  Jin San rushed upstairs and saw the cultivator with his eyes closed, hands clasped in a seal, and mouth chanting incantations, using his immortal technique to force out the wine from his belly. He was shocked. After a moment's thought, his face suddenly turned resolute. Taking a deep breath, he concentrated all his strength on the sword he had obtained, and launched a fierce attack on the cultivator. The cultivator did not dodge, but instead used his body to block it. A mournful cry echoed out as the sword snapped in two.

  "Ah! Its body is as hard as steel!"

  Jin San was shocked! But the cultivator also stopped his spell and coldly laughed at Jin San:

  "Who are you? How dare you plot against me in secret! Are you a remnant of the Shi family?"

  "Hmph!"

  Na Jin San let out a cold hum.

  "You won't deny it, so you've acknowledged your identity! You little brat, in half an hour, I'll strike you down and take back the treasure that's rightfully mine! Perhaps this is a great opportunity!"

  "Hmph! Now that I've discovered you, how could I possibly spare your life!"

  "I am the culmination of the refinement of the peak, and the distinction between separation and gathering is only half a step away! You are still in the initial stage of your cultivation, and at the end of the day, you have not yet shed your ordinary appearance. What can you do to me? Even if some people cannot move their magical powers or use their spells at this time, how can you harm me?"

  This Jin Sanzheng is not the one who is insufficient, but the one named Shi Hua or Ya'er is actually the one played by Jin Chan'er. It turned out that Insufficient had designed to obtain it from the exterminated Fangzhou family's cultivator, and had bribed Hu Zhanggui with gold, silver, and money. He only thought that Chan'er was a good guqin player and admired her name at Gu Niang's place to learn the art of playing the guqin, but unfortunately, there was no way to get in, so he sought his help. When Hu Zhanggui saw the color of gold and silver, he was overjoyed and didn't suspect anything! He easily exchanged Gu Niang's maid and servant with Chan'er and Insufficient. Earlier, Insufficient had learned that the cultivator who loved to gamble had extremely high skills, and had discussed with Chan'er, so they decided to use the Closed God Dan to borrow wine to open it up, and lure him into drinking it to prevent him from using his divine powers. What is the Closed God Dan? It's a kind of elixir made with the main ingredient being the God-fearing grass! The God-fearing grass is one of the many immortal symbols used in immortal medicine, including the famous Fixed Body Symbol, Fixed Spirit Symbol, and Bewildering Immortal Wine. Only the Closed God Dan has no color or smell, and it's a good thing for yin people. But Insufficient thought that if he didn't get what he wanted, he would be recognized by him, so he used Chan'er's wonderful music to disturb his mind, making it easy to take action. It turned out that the cultivator who loved to gamble was indeed easily deceived. However, once he had fallen into the trap, there was nothing he could do. The cultivator's body-refining skills were truly unimaginable! After a mortal body had been refined to perfection, it could become stronger with deeper divine powers, and even immortal swords or magical instruments couldn't harm it in the slightest! In fact, Insufficient's thinking was overcautious. For ordinary people in the mundane world or those with low divine powers, there was indeed nothing they could do, but if their cultivation levels were similar, then their physical strength would be similar, and their skills and magic would be close, making it easy for them to kill each other, just like in a battle between mortals.

  Insufficient internal energy, he used the Dan Tian, with the must-kill technique and mental method taught by the old prisoner who had gone mad. He concentrated all his strength in both fists and struck the practitioner's head with great force. "Hmph!" A loud shout, the practitioner was knocked flying dozens of feet away, his face showing pain, his eyes revealing a shocked expression, he fell to the ground and couldn't get up. Not enough time had passed before he rushed forward again, another punch, but this time he himself felt unbearable pain. However, he clenched his lips tightly, one punch after another, each punch gathering all his strength. After dozens of punches, his hands were covered in fresh blood, his expression wooden, only to continue with a few more steps and strike again with great force. Jing Er stared at him blankly, not saying a word. When he had struck 57 punches, the practitioner's eyes revealed fear, and he couldn't help but say:

  "Spare me! You let me go, and I won't pursue you either. Think about it, my lifespan is almost over, how many good years do I have left? But you still have a long way to go, what do you say?"

  Insufficient also did not answer, only to strike again with a fist on his head, this time hitting the cultivator's mouth and nose bleeding. In the midst of punching, Insufficient was constantly tense, thinking about the force, angle, and technique of the punch. However, he had yet to reach the highest realm spoken by the old mad prisoner. If he didn't kill him, then there would be no way out for this life! He paid attention to his feelings. As the frequency of punches increased, Insufficient gradually forgot about the cultivator in front of him, and simply felt the unity of his essence, energy, spirit, strength, and technique. The fist's power gradually appeared, the angle of the punch gradually became mysterious, and the power gradually penetrated through his body. The cultivator finally changed color, and the force of his punches actually surpassed his cultivation! At this time, what the cultivator absolutely did not expect was... Another few punches, and the cultivator finally wailed and begged:

  "Hero, spare the humble one! I am willing to offer all my life's savings and be a slave for life in exchange for a life. How about it? My family is quite wealthy, with all sorts of spiritual elixirs, magical materials, ritual instruments, and precious objects at our disposal. Even providing for your cultivation would not be a problem!"

  Insufficient, with his entire body and mind fully immersed in the realm of combat, was like a being without self or object. Suddenly, a flash of insight burst forth in his mind, and he achieved a state of great enlightenment. His eyes shone brightly, and his essence, energy, spirit, strength, and technique merged together in a most profound way, bursting forth in an instant. His movements were elegant and agile, his power natural and smooth, his demeanor ethereal and serene. Where was there even a hint of clumsiness or forcefulness? The cultivator's heart sank, knowing that he was doomed. He decided to forcefully awaken the potential within him, causing his body to explode in a desperate bid to join insufficient in death. At the same time, insufficient's final blow struck the cultivator's skull. With a loud crash, the cultivator flew out of the window like a leaf on the wind, spinning wildly before landing with a splash in the water pavilion outside the building. The impact was so great that it splashed half the water out of the pool! The cultivator's head burst open like a melon hitting the ground, and his brains and blood spattered everywhere. Not a single bone remained intact, and the fragments were embedded deep within the wall pillars. Only a headless corpse lay motionless on the ground, as if it had not moved at all. Even Qinger was shocked, never having imagined that insufficient's blow would be so powerful! The way he used his strength was ingenious, striking the cultivator's skull with precision while leaving his body unscathed. She also saw that insufficient had been knocked back by the force of the counterattack, but he quickly regained his footing and pushed himself out the window, using a gentle touch to guide him into the water, thus saving his life.

  Chang'e rushed into the pool, picked up Yu Nü, and fed her a few grains of elixir. After a moment, Yu Nü finally came to. By this time, over ten people had gathered around, staring in amazement and asking:

  "What's going on? How did this little guy end up being thrown into the pond?"

  "Hum! Now these rich folks, with their stinky money, where do they still treat people as human beings?!"

  Ying'er wept and wailed, supporting herself on the railing as she re-entered the small tower of longing. Of course, no one dared to go up and take a look, fearing that they would offend Master and suffer bad luck. Although Qinniang had taken the antidote, under the influence of the medicinal wine, it would be five or seven days before she could wake up! Insufficient accompanied Ying'er as they ascended the stairs, whereupon a bloody aura assailed them, and they saw that the entire tower was in disarray. Insufficient said:

  "Chang Er, search carefully and see if there are any clues of the enemy's whereabouts, and what they plan to do next!" Chang Er took down her magic bag and then went back up to the top floor to retrieve some magic tools and a few books on Taoist scriptures.

  "Nothing good, brother, no valuable items, just a few pieces of jade!"

  "It's not like I'm asking you for money!"

  He spoke in a weak and listless tone, as if his soul had been scattered, his eyes dull, his face waxen yellow, his body slumped in the chair, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

  "Insufficient older brother, how are you?"

  "It's nothing serious, just overexertion, rest for a few days and you'll be fine!"

  "You should be more careful, don't exert yourself or get agitated! Ah yes, didn't Grandfather leave behind some medicinal pills? Eating some will help nourish your body and speed up your recovery. We two can't stay here for long!"

  "Got it!"