Crow Immortal: I Can Duplicate Infinite Resources

Chapter 232: Defaulting and Fleeing

“Hehe…”

The giggle seemed to linger right beside his ear. Subconsciously, Bai Shiqi reached out to cover the mouth that made the sound.

“Vinegar Saucer, keep it down. You can’t laugh like that. If the Beggar Chief hears us—”

His hand swiped through empty air and landed on the cold, hard surface of a bed.

The room around him was exquisite and luxurious, designed with refined taste. It was the residence his Master, Elder Bai, had arranged for him. Yet, it felt empty. Desolate.

A dull throb pulsed in Bai Shiqi’s temples, and a constant buzzing rang in his ears.

He knew he had reached his limit. His body screamed for rest.

But the moment he thought of Vinegar Saucer’s corpse, the blood in his veins seemed to flow backward, surging with a rage and grief that made stopping impossible.

He closed his eyes. Every fiber of his being was exhausted, begging for sleep. But the rest he got was never enough.

Outside the window, a white crane paced slowly. It was Bai Lingyun’s spirit beast—the very same one Vinegar Saucer used to hug around the neck, acting coquettish and affectionate to beg for rides.

Now, the crane’s neck was bare. The little beggar who had depended on him for survival was gone.

Bai Shiqi felt as though the last warmth in his life had vanished with Vinegar Saucer.

A terrifying calm settled over him. He didn’t need rest. He needed power.

He rose to cultivate. He swallowed the pills Elder Bai provided, absorbed Spiritual Qi from Spirit Stones, and ate only spirit rice. The perfect synergy between his Wood Attribute Single Spirit Root and the Green Grain Qi Cultivation Method allowed him to make rapid, terrifying progress every single day.

He would push his daily Spirit Breath accumulation to the absolute limit, then force the Circulation Cycle until his Meridians swelled with pain before stopping.

Then came technique practice.

He would cast until his Spirit Breath ran dry, meditate to recover, and then cast again.

There were 12 two-hour periods in a day. He didn’t know how many he spent cultivating. He only knew he stopped when he passed out from exhaustion or when his Master physically forced him to sleep.

Elder Bai advised him constantly to balance work and rest, reminding him that revenge wasn’t a race to be won in a day.

Bai Shiqi would agree verbally, but in his heart, he knew the truth: there would be no balance in this life. Only when the Demonic Sect was annihilated could he truly avenge Vinegar Saucer.

He closed his eyes to cultivate again. When he opened them, Elder Bai was there, accompanied by a worried-looking Bai Lingyun.

“Seventeenth Brother, you have to rest properly,” Bai Lingyun whispered. “Don’t destroy your body.”

Bai Shiqi was grateful for their concern, but he couldn’t let the tension in his heart release. If he relaxed, he might fall apart.

He simply nodded, with no intention of changing his ways.

Elder Bai didn’t press the issue. He knew the boy was suffering from the depth of his loyalty and grief. Words were useless now. He had tried persuasion before; now, he understood that the best way to help was simply to support him.

He handed Bai Shiqi a bottle of verdant liquid. “Drink this. It will aid your cultivation.”

Bai Shiqi took a sip. Instantly, the fatigue in his bones evaporated, and his condition returned to its peak. His spirit lifted. “Master, what is this?”

“I exchanged this specifically for you. It is Wood Spirit Liquid,” Elder Bai explained. “Combined with our cultivation method and your Single Spirit Root, it will accelerate your progress and keep exhaustion at bay.”

“Great-grandfather,” Bai Lingyun asked curiously, “what is the difference between this and the Ancestral Tree Spirit Liquid?”

“The Ancestral Tree Spirit Liquid is a supreme treasure that Wanchun Valley disciples can only exchange for after achieving Major Merits,” Elder Bai replied. “Naturally, it is superior. For example, the portion you received was obtained by Bai Kexing risking his life in the Central Heaven Domain to gather intelligence.”

“However, the exchange for Ancestral Tree Spirit Liquid has been suspended.”

“Why?” Bai Lingyun blinked.

Elder Bai’s expression turned complicated. He didn’t explain.

On one hand, the safety of the Ancestral Tree was tied to the safety of the Sect; restricting access to the Thousand-Year Sunkwood Heart and the Spirit Liquid was only logical.

On the other hand… Han Yu had visited the Ancestral Tree before leaving. That single visit had drained so much wood essence from the tree that it wouldn’t be producing Spirit Liquid anytime soon.

These matters involved Sect secrets—and Han Yu’s secrets. He couldn’t speak of them.

“Master,” Bai Shiqi asked suddenly, “I am at the fourth layer of Qi Refining now. Can I compare to Senior Brother Han when he was at the fourth layer?”

“I heard people say that at the fourth layer, he could defeat ninth-layer opponents. They called him the most powerful genius in the Southern Domain.”

Elder Bai chuckled. “Why do you ask?”

“Han Yu’s strength lies in actual combat. Your strength lies in your cultivation speed, granted by your Single Spirit Root and its compatibility with our arts. You are two different types of geniuses.”

“You cannot force a comparison between the two.”

“If only I could be like Senior Brother Han,” Bai Shiqi murmured, clenching his fists. “If I had his combat power, my chances of revenge would be higher.”

“Ah, you child… Forget it. In the future, go to the Battle Hall to practice. When I have time, I will spar with you myself.”

Bai Shiqi bowed his head. “Thank you, Master.”

He understood his Master’s care. But until Vinegar Saucer was avenged, he had no choice but to cultivate as if his life depended on it.

Either he would take revenge, or he would die trying.

……………

Great Zhou Dynasty, Black Mountain Market.

The market took its name from the massive, barren black mountain it nestled against—a peak where not a blade of grass grew.

Old Daoist Li, his long face solemn, stood behind a puppet belonging to a traveling merchant. He had been assisting the “merchant” with business all day.

As the sun dipped below the western horizon, Old Daoist Li and the puppet left the Black Mountain Market. They boarded a flying artifact bound for the Ten Thousand Beasts Market, a lawless hub for Rogue Cultivators.

The artifact was disguised as a dark cloud, drifting high in the sky without attracting any attention. Inside, however, it was fully furnished with tables, chairs, and beds—a flying ship cloaked in shadow.

Sitting at a table by the “window,” Old Daoist Li poured himself a cup of wine.

He glanced at the puppet standing motionless nearby and smiled. “Boss, having me escort a puppet to conduct business… I truly didn’t expect that.”

“Right now, inside this artifact, it’s just me and this wooden shell. You aren’t even here, Boss… It’s quite the setup.”

“I’ve seen puppets before, but one controlled so freely from such a distance? That is a rare sight.”

The puppet emitted a dry, mechanical chuckle. “Is that so? Just a little trick of the trade. Nothing worth mentioning.”

“You suddenly chatting me up like this… is there something on your mind?”

“Indeed there is,” Old Daoist Li said, setting down his cup. “Boss, regarding our agreement… it’s about time, isn’t it?”

“I’ve been dutiful these past days, running all over the Southern Domain for you. The payment you owe me—it should be settled now.”

“Oh, that matter. Indeed, it is time to settle accounts,” the puppet’s voice buzzed. “After we conclude the transaction at the Ten Thousand Beasts Market, I will pay you in full.”

Old Daoist Li nodded, glanced at the puppet, and said nothing.

“Fellow Daoist,” the puppet asked again, “how do you find the life of a traveling merchant? Have you gained some insights?”

“Watching and learning… it’s inevitable one picks up a thing or two,” Li replied noncommittally.

“Since you’ve learned the trade, why not stay and continue helping me? What do you say?” The puppet’s voice took on an inviting tone.

“That won’t be necessary—”

As Old Daoist Li spoke, his expression suddenly shifted. He looked sharply at the puppet. “Boss, what is the meaning of this? Are you defaulting on the debt?”

“It’s only called defaulting if you’re caught,” the puppet chuckled.

A faint purple mist hissed from the puppet’s joints, filling the cabin instantly. “If no one finds out… won’t you simply become my sixth Foundation Establishment puppet?”

Old Daoist Li sighed, shaking his head. “Can’t you learn from Wanchun Valley? A man should keep his word.”

“Honesty isn’t suitable for people like us who know too much,” the puppet sneered. The mist surged forward to envelope the Daoist.

But as the mist touched him, the “Old Daoist Li” sitting at the table didn’t panic. Instead, his form collapsed, dissolving into a pool of dark red blood.

Clearly, this Old Daoist Li was not his true body.

“In that case, I shall take my leave without farewell!”

The voice echoed from the blood as it shrank into a tight sphere and shot out the window of the artifact, vanishing into the night.

The traveling merchant puppet didn’t bother to chase. Destroying a ball of essence blood was pointless, and hunting down Li’s true body in the vast wilderness would be a waste of time.

The puppet simply shook its head and laughed.

“That old fox… he really came prepared. Runs fast, too!”