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Chapter 151 Strange Phenomena and the Peach Blossom Mountain Travelogue

Wang Xi flicked his finger.

Three sparks landed on the three corpses.

Bear! Bear! Bear!
The corpse immediately burst into brown-red flames, and within a few breaths, it was all burned to ashes, destroying all evidence.

Wang Xi bent down to pick up the broom from the ground and examined it closely.

"The Strange Wooden Broom: A broom that has been with Old Mrs. Zhang for twenty years. She often uses this broom to sweep the side rooms and courtyard, and tells it stories of the Zhang family."

For some reason, even though the old lady was old and her eyesight was failing, she could still see clearly around her even on the darkest night as long as she held this broom.

Originally an old scale beam from the Zhang family pawnshop, it witnessed the rise and fall of countless families in Qingwei Town. The old lady used it to discipline her fourth son for indulging in "Dream Porcelain Shards." After it broke, it was repurposed into a broom handle.

'This broom…'

Wang Xi's fingers gently traced the broom handle, touching the worn, almost blurred markings. An unusual warmth emanated from his fingertips, as if he were touching a living object.

He became increasingly convinced that the broom possessed unusual power. Otherwise, why would the peddler be interested in it?

Wang Xi tidied up the valuables on the ground, but instead of keeping them for himself, he went back to the Zhang family mansion and, when no one was around, put the valuables back outside Old Madam Zhang's room before leaving.

It was already past 10 PM, the hour of Hai (9-11 PM).

Following the temporary rest stop left by the peddler, he headed straight for the south side of the town. Leaving the main street, he passed through a sparsely populated area and walked along a side road out of town.

Soon, Wang Xi arrived at a secluded field ridge and saw the old, crooked tree.

By the moonlight, he saw a small, square thatched hut standing next to a tree, surrounded by a simple wooden fence, with some vegetables growing inside.

A table and chairs were set up in the courtyard, where the peddler sat alone, playing his erhu and drinking a little wine. On the table was a dish of fennel beans, serving as a side dish with his wine.

"Ha, the young man is here?"

The peddler took a sip of wine, put down his erhu, turned his head and smiled at the young man in a long black coat standing outside the fence gate.

"If you don't mind, how about a couple of drinks?"

"Please enjoy your wine slowly." Wang Xi pushed open the fence gate and went straight to the table, smiling. "I've brought you what the peddler needed."

As he spoke, he placed the package containing the paper cutouts and the old broom on the table.

"Hmm..." The peddler hesitated for a moment, then untied the package and examined it closely. He took out the stack of tattered paper cutouts, a relieved smile appearing on his face, and began to recite:
"Paper horses rustle as they cross the cold river, crimson blades serve as pens to write of the Yellow Springs. The three souls return to their original mountings, the seven spirits return to their new paper. Above, white cranes guide the way, below, black tortoises carry spirit coins. May the Supreme One's compassionate power cut through the netherworld to reveal the blue sky."

"As expected of the work of 'Tai Su Jian Zhen Ge'. Although this paper-cut is incomplete, it still retains a trace of Miss Qi's spirit. Not bad."

Tai Su Jian Zhen Ge?
Is it the name of a certain sect?

Wang Xi pondered to himself.

The peddler picked up the container from the side, opened the bottom drawer, and carefully placed the stack of paper cutouts inside.

Then he picked up the broom.

"After twenty years of using a broom, I have gradually gained spiritual insight. At night, I transform into a black robe to sweep away fallen petals. Boy, come with me."

Just as Wang Xi was surprised that the peddler was talking to the broom, he heard an angry, childish voice cursing:

"Pah! You damned, short-lived wretch! Let me go home, the old lady is waiting for me to sweep the yard... Her eyesight is failing, if she bumps into something at night, who will light the way for her?"

wow-

With a soft sound, Wang Xi's vision suddenly changed.

What broom was the peddler holding? He was clearly a child with a simple black robe, tied-up hair, and red lips and white teeth!

The boy was carrying a yellow paper lantern, but the peddler was holding him tightly by the back of his collar. No matter how much he kicked and waved his arms, he couldn't break free.

“Alas, humans and monsters are destined to be apart. It is better to forget each other in the vast world than to cling to each other in hardship… She is not long for this world. If you stay any longer, you will only suffer sorrow and misfortune and turn into a demon.”

"The peddler sighed."

Upon hearing this, the boy was startled, then burst into tears, crying, "Grandma, don't die! I still need to light the way and sweep the dust for her!"

The peddler said nothing more, but pulled open one of the top drawers with one hand and stuffed the boy inside with the other.

Amidst the wailing cries, the boy was forcibly stuffed into a drawer.

pat!

Once the drawer was closed, the surroundings became quiet again.

Wang Xi was stunned by what he had just witnessed.

"Sir peddler, what's this?"

“Demons are artificial creations of humans; spirits are imbued with spiritual energy; ghosts are restless souls of the dead; and monsters are those that are different from the ordinary. All four violate the way of Heaven and disrupt human relations, becoming scabies of Yin and Yang, and truly the seeds of calamity.”

The peddler popped a fennel bean into his mouth, took a sip of wine, and looked on with a sigh.

“This is a strange thing. The broom has become spiritual and has grown into a lamp. I named it ‘Lantern Boy’.”

"The boy holding the lantern..." Wang Xi was stunned.

"When the heavens go against the seasons, disasters occur; when the earth goes against its nature, monsters appear; when the people go against their virtue, chaos ensues. Chaos breeds monsters and disasters."

The peddler's expression gradually turned serious, and he said in a deep voice:

"In this day and age, warlords are in power, the people are suffering, the world is in chaos, and demons are rampant... If I leave the Lantern Boy alone, it will surely become a demon because of Old Lady Zhang's death, bringing disaster to the entire Qingwei Town."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xi looked thoughtful.

The "demonization" mentioned by the peddler is similar to the "darkening" in fairy tales, but it is not caused by black pollution.

That's not right either.

A thought suddenly flashed through Wang Xi's mind.

'The mystical realm may also be corrupted, only the form of corruption is different... perhaps it's more hidden and harder to detect.'

He had a strong intuition that "demonization" was a form of "darkening."

"You're quite capable, young man." The peddler clapped his hands with a smile. "You've completed both of the two tasks I asked you to do perfectly."

He turned sideways and pulled two yellowed, thread-bound booklets from the middle shelf of the container, saying, "As agreed, these two martial arts manuals are your reward—"

"Wait a minute." Wang Xi suddenly raised his hand to interrupt. Under the peddler's questioning gaze, he rubbed his hands together and shamelessly smiled, "Peddler, do you... have any cultivation techniques for cultivators?"

The peddler frowned, a strange look appearing on his face: "What? Young man, are you perhaps going to break the contract and exchange the martial arts manual for a cultivation method?" He shook his head: "That won't do."

"Mr. Peddler, you've misunderstood." Wang Xi waved his hand with a grin. "I was just asking casually."

Although the peddler did not give a direct answer, that momentary hesitation made Wang Xi's heart skip a beat.

This is clearly an admission!
It seems I've finally found the right path in this cultivation journey!
"Young man, let me tell you the truth." The peddler shook his head slightly, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "The path of cultivation is not as simple as you think."

He slowly rolled up his sleeves, his gaze suddenly becoming profound: "This path is not for everyone. Without great talent, great perseverance, and great opportunity, even if you force it, it will be in vain."

"It's clear that you have extraordinary perseverance, and it's quite a coincidence that we met here... However, it's not easy to make a hasty judgment about your talent."

As he spoke, he suddenly put a secret manual back into the drawer and took out a yellowed handwritten note instead.

The two books were pushed side by side in front of Wang Xi.

"One is a martial arts manual, and the other is a travelogue by someone who came before. Perhaps they can open a window for you and point you in a direction. If you can truly embark on the path of cultivation one day, what you see today will be your first stepping stone."

Wang Xi picked up two books.

These are "Nineteen Styles of Ink Zen" and "Travelogue of Peach Blossom Mountain". The former is a staff technique, and the latter is a travelogue.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir."

He clasped his hands in thanks.

...

...

The peddler invited him several times, and Wang Xi, unable to refuse his hospitality, stayed outside the small thatched hut and drank three cups with him.

It was just ordinary Shaoxing wine, not very strong, with a touch of osmanthus fragrance. Wang Xi didn't really like it, but while the peddler was playing the erhu for entertainment, he managed to snatch most of the fennel beans.

To avoid upsetting the peddler, Wang Xi even sang a song called "Bring in the Wine" to accompany him.

Putting aside everything else, although the mournful sound of the erhu made the originally passionate poem seem a bit lackluster, Wang Xi's singing voice was first-rate, attracting the peddler's frequent glances.

Since there was no Li Bai in the Xuanmiao Realm, the peddler exclaimed in amazement, praising the poem as exquisite.

The bright moon hangs high in the sky, at the beginning of midnight.

Wang Xi took his leave.

The peddler watched the young man leave, closed the fence gate, and chuckled softly, sighing, "What a fine saying, 'Enjoy life while you can,' and what a wonderful 'Everyone has their own unique talents'..."

He shook his head again.

"But my sorrows have no one to share them with."

After a while.

Wang Xi returned to the courtyard room of the martial arts school.

The first thing he did was light the oil lamp and open the book.

I read for a while.

"You've discovered a martial arts manual!"

"Should we accept the teachings of 'Old Man Gu'?"

'Yes. '

Wang Xi said secretly.

A ball of green light flew out from the staff technique manual and disappeared into his brow. He then opened another book and began to look through it.

"You've discovered a special cultivation technique!"

"Will you accept the teachings of 'Master Chu'?"

'It's a cultivation technique card?'

He was surprised, but gave an affirmative answer.

Another green orb of light flew out.

'Caus, extract.'

"Consume 300 energy points (2400 remaining)"

All three green cards in my mind were drawn out.

hum-

"Flowing Clouds Chasing the Moon" is the light-body technique of Feng Qiang, a four-star martial artist with no special skills. It is characterized by his ability to move around, use leverage to leap, and deflect force when falling.

"Ink Zen Nineteen Styles" is a staff technique created by an old man known as "Valley Elder" who lived in seclusion in a valley. The old man practiced martial arts in his youth, but later retired to practice Zen and was skilled in calligraphy.

This staff technique blends Zen philosophy with calligraphy, taking "the brushstrokes within the characters, just as the eye is within the sentences of Zen" as its guiding principle. The staff movements resemble writing scriptures, conveying solemnity and gravity.

"A Travelogue of Peach Blossom Mountain" is a travelogue that also records insights about calligraphy and inner strength in flowing, unrestrained cursive script.

"Ok?"

Wang Xi examined the two green cards given to him by the peddler, a strange expression on his face.

The name he casually made up for himself actually had an incredible connection with this mysterious world.
The martial arts and techniques the peddler taught him were all related to calligraphy...

Wang Xi thought for a moment, then first removed the "Huo Family Eight Extremes Splitting Palm" from his body, and then picked up "Flowing Clouds Chasing the Moon" and "Ink Zen Nineteen Styles".

'Caius, synthesize.'

The three martial arts green cards disappeared from his hands at the same time.

Gray mist churned in the cracks of my mind, then deep green blossomed—

"A Brushstroke Through Mountains and Rivers (Skill Card/Dark Green One-Star)"

It is described as "holding the pen like a stick, wielding the ink like a palm, writing characters like the wind, and concealing mountains and rivers in a single stroke."

Wang Xi held the new card, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, he muttered softly:
"He's truly become a master calligrapher."

(End of this chapter)