Mortal Bones

Xu Taiping didn't say anything in response, only giving a smile.

The tiger demon, unprepared for this reaction, found its anger being soothed somewhat, just as the ghost had predicted. This made it feel somewhat at ease.

"You little thing," the Tiger King snarled, "In three months, I will skin you, strip your muscles, and use your soul as a wick, burning in agony day and night!"

The Tiger King had never been mocked like this before. His furious roar, even as a mere spiritual projection, made the buildings of Qingzhu Manor tremble violently. Xu Taiping, standing opposite, was shaken, and his blood surged.

If not for the protection of the Remnant Sunset True Qi, he feared he might have fainted.

After that furious roar, the Tiger King's projection dissipated with a crash, as if the last of the power hidden within the ghost's body had been exhausted.

"Is this the strength of the Tiger King after being injured? If it weren't for the injury... How powerful must it be?" Xu Taiping's heart shuddered as he gained a new understanding of the Tiger King's power, based on what Qingmei and the ghost had said.

Though shocked, Xu Taiping didn't feel afraid; in fact, his fighting spirit was ignited. This was likely due to his upbringing—living alone since childhood, where any difficulty had to be faced head-on, unlike others who could rely on parents and choose to escape.

Whoosh…

Just as the flames from the trap died down, a sound of coins dropping to the ground echoed from within.

Xu Taiping cautiously leaned forward to take a look. Under the moonlight, he could see a pile of merit coins and two indistinct objects lying in the center of the ashes.

"Could these be things hidden by the ghost using some secret technique?" Xu Taiping wondered.

Previously, when reading an introductory text, he had come across information that ghosts and demons often hid their treasures in unusual places—like how tiger demons liked to hide items in their bellies and elephant demons in their noses.

"To be safe, I'll leave these for now. Once I've repaired the main formation in Qingzhu Manor, I'll come back to check."

Regardless of whether the items were treasures or not, Xu Taiping decided not to go down into the trap just yet.

Behind Qingzhu Manor, on Yanglu Mountain.

"Brave and cunning, I didn't misjudge him." An old man with white hair leaned against a large tree, nodding with satisfaction, clearly pleased with Xu Taiping's performance tonight.

"But the path of cultivation is long. Temporary courage and wisdom are but a small part. Ultimately, it depends on talent. If he can break through the Opening Gate stage in three years and show some ability in the Seven Peaks Sword Trial, I'll consider accepting him as my disciple." The old man stroked his beard and drank from a gourd.

"These lazy and greedy scoundrels from the Western Wind Pavilion, not only do they demand money from outer disciples, but even the water vein spring has been dug up, and no one's come to investigate. It's outrageous!"

His face darkened as his small eyes gleamed with sharpness.

"Such trivial matters, and they still need me, their ancestral master, to handle them? Ridiculous, ridiculous!"

With that, the old man stumbled to his feet, casually slinging the gourd onto his waist. Taking a step forward, he stepped into the air, and a bronze longsword shot up from beneath him, carrying him into the sky with a loud whoosh.

On Yanglu Mountain, Zizhu Forest.

Xu Taiping had spent four or five days repairing the blocked spring, and finally, he had not only dug it open but also activated the surrounding formation to conceal it once again.

"Today's luck is good. I've fixed the spring, and I even hunted a yellow goat." Xu Taiping looked at the yellow goat next to him, frozen solid by his Remnant Sunset True Qi, and couldn't help but smile.

With the ghost dealt with and his Remnant Sunset cultivation breaking through to the Icebound stage, everything was progressing smoothly.

"Taiping, you're finally back!"

"Uncle Bai?"

Just as Xu Taiping was dragging the yellow goat back to Qingzhu Manor, the long-missed spiritual bird, the White-headed Eagle, appeared at the gate. Standing beside the eagle was an old man with graying hair, a gourd hanging at his waist.

"Uncle Bai, when did you return?" Xu Taiping set down the yellow goat.

Although he was asking Bai Hong, his gaze shifted to the old man with graying hair.

"Just returned. This is a... friend I met on the road." Bai Hong seemed hesitant, and his usual authoritative tone was replaced with a slight stutter. "We're just passing by Qingzhu Manor, so we thought we'd come here for a meal."

Xu Taiping raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Uncle Bai, you're stuttering. Who is this 'friend' of yours?"

The old man, laughing, stepped forward and said, "Little friend Taiping, I've traveled a thousand miles with Bai Hong. We're famished. Could you please light a fire and make us a meal?"

Xu Taiping was amused. "Uncle Bai's friend? If he's a friend of mine, then there's no problem. But you, old man, will have to pay."

Xu Taiping had inherited his grandfather's straightforwardness, generous to friends but somewhat stingy with strangers.

"Taiping..." Bai Hong was about to say something when the old man interrupted him with a hearty laugh.

"Haha, Taiping little friend is right. If you want to eat, you've got to pay!"

The old man tossed a money pouch in front of Xu Taiping with a snap.

"Little friend, inside are three hundred merit coins. Is that enough for a meal?"

Xu Taiping didn't immediately respond. He counted out seven merit coins from the pouch and tossed the pouch back to the old man.

"I don't have much food at home. Seven merit coins will be enough for this meal."

After receiving the money, Xu Taiping looked at the old man and smiled.

The old man laughed heartily again and gave Xu Taiping a thumbs up. "Fair enough."

Bai Hong, seeing this, wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed in relief. "Taiping, do you know who you're dealing with here? Luckily, he didn't get angry."

However, Bai Hong had already been informed by the old man beforehand, so he kept his thoughts to himself.

In Qingzhu Manor's kitchen.

The old man, Lao Jiu, was stoking the fire. Bai Hong, with his eagle head and human body, was chopping vegetables, while Xu Taiping was stirring the pot, all three of them working busily.

"Taiping little friend, since I've stoked the fire, can't the meal price be a little cheaper?" Lao Jiu asked with a grin.

"You old man, still trying to bargain? If you hadn't helped me with the fire, the meal would cost eight merit coins!" Xu Taiping wiped the sweat from his brow and gave Lao Jiu a mock glare.

"Fair, fair." Lao Jiu laughed again.

Bai Hong, who was chopping vegetables nearby, nearly cut his own claws in surprise.

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