What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

"Azure sky..."

Master Liu murmured something in a low voice, his tone tinged with a sense of vicissitude.

"That child was indeed a bit playful back then."

Changbai Mountain couldn't keep him; he insisted on going south to explore, saying he wanted to use the earth's energy to shed his skin and transform.

Unexpectedly, he ended up imprisoned in a small space.

He raised his head, looked at me, and said with a more sincere tone, "Thank you, Mr. Chen. Although this child is not good enough, he is still a member of the Liu family."

Returning this item severed one of his ties, allowing him to focus on his spiritual practice in the ancestral hall in peace.

I nodded without saying anything.

At this moment, what I'm recalling are the words Chang Tianqing said to me in the dream of Qianjia Village in Jiangcheng.

He mentioned my grandfather.

He said he had seen the Liu family patriarch receive a distinguished guest from within the Great Wall. That guest had a menacing aura and was carrying a willow-leaf knife. He helped the Liu family patriarch stitch up the celestial wound left by the tribulation.

The distinguished guest's name was Chen Xuan.

Looking at Master Liu in front of me, I knew exactly what was going on.

If Chang Tianqing, a junior member of the Liu family, could recognize my grandfather's lineage through his aura, how could Liu Sanye, an old fox who has lived for over two hundred years, not know?

From the moment we met, he probably recognized the menacing aura emanating from me.

It could even be earlier.

But from the moment Li Qing and I entered the room until now, he has acted too naturally.

From beginning to end, he only talked about the transaction, the Breath Soil, and the snake eggs.

He didn't mention a single word about the great kindness my grandfather Chen Xuan had shown to the Liu family, or the favor the Liu family owed him.

Faced with this favor, he chose the smartest approach—to play dumb.

I sighed inwardly.

Guan the Blind was right; Master Liu was pragmatic to the core.

If Li Qing and I were to foolishly use personal connections to visit the Liu family and ask for the Breath Soil as soon as we arrived in Fengtian, I would not only be disappointed, but I would also find it quite difficult to actually meet that old fox.

However, the current situation is quite good. A deal was made to acquire the Dragon Vein Soil, avoiding some unnecessary twists and turns.

I know very well that debts of gratitude are the hardest to sever.

Moreover, the Liu family owes my grandfather a favor, which is a complicated and unresolved matter.

While Master Liu's shrewd and pragmatic business practices may seem disheartening, upon closer examination, they do save him a lot of trouble.

Since Master Liu is pretending to be confused and not mentioning this matter, and Li Qing and I have achieved our goal of going north this time, I will not say anything to spoil the mood at this time.

I said slowly, "Third Master, the goods have been delivered, and I have accepted the snake eggs."

Now that the matter is settled, Li Qing and I will not disturb you any longer.

I pointed to the packet of Dragon Vein Breath Soil on the table: "I'm taking this with me."

Master Liu laughed heartily, stood up, and remained calm.

"Mr. Chen is so straightforward! I just love dealing with smart people."

It's getting late, and the roads in Fengtian are difficult to travel at night. I originally intended to let you two stay at the old house for the night, but I think the two young people might not be used to the gloomy atmosphere of the old house.

"Someone, see the guest out!"

He didn't try to stop me, nor did he say another word about my background.

When Li Qing walked out of the Liu family's old house, he was holding the bag of Xirang in his arms, so excited that he was almost floating.

"Old Chen, we've really struck it rich this time! Dragon vein soil!"

This is a treasure that you wouldn't even dare to dream of anywhere else.

With it, not only can my apricot-yellow flag be repaired, but it might even be improved!

He muttered to himself, then glanced back at the grand mansion before speaking again.

However, this time his tone carried a hint of disdain:

"But this Third Master Liu is really something else."

"You helped him so much, and he won't even treat us to a meal! So stingy!"

I sat in the back seat of the car, watching the Fengtian street scene rushing past the window, and said calmly, "He is a great demon and the head of a family, so it's normal for him to be realistic."

He felt burdened by too many favors owed to him; he didn't want to repay them, nor did he dare to.

Li Qing was taken aback for a moment, then realized: "You mean, he recognized you and your grandfather?"

"If Chang Tianqing can recognize it, there's no reason why he wouldn't," I said calmly.

"But it's all good this way. We got what we needed and got things done."

He didn't mention any favors, so we were happy to have some peace and quiet.

In this world, relying on your own skills and connections is far more reliable than relying on the favors of others.

It was already past midnight when we got back to the Shengjing Hotel.

The first thing I did when I entered the room was to close the doors and windows and draw the thick curtains.

I took the wooden box out and placed it in the center of the desk.

Then I looked at Li Qing and said, "Keep the Xirang safe for now. We can't rush the flag repair. We'll discuss it again tomorrow."

Tonight, I need to check on the little guy first.

Li Qing nodded, his expression turning serious: "Okay, you go ahead with your work."

"I'll stay here and guard this place. If anyone dares to barge in now, I'll show them the power of a geomancer's successor."

I took a deep breath and sat cross-legged at my desk.

I opened the wooden box, and the grayish-white snake egg looked somewhat lifeless under the dim light.

Then, I extended my right hand, and the internal energy of my body began to circulate in a specific rhythm.

The mercury-like malevolent energy surged through my meridians, finally converging at the tip of my index finger.

I gently bit my fingertip, and a drop of bright red blood seeped out.

As I placed my fingertip on the eggshell, a warm sensation instantly seeped into my bloodstream.

I closed my eyes, and my consciousness seemed to penetrate the thick eggshell and enter a dark and cold space.

At the center of that space, a faint, blue-red glow was trembling violently.

That was the original demonic energy left behind by Master Liu, and it was also the child's last lifeline.

"Don't be afraid," I whispered.

I guided the evil energy within my body, carefully enveloping that ball of demonic energy, guiding it little by little along the trajectory of the evil energy within my body.

This is an extremely mentally taxing process.

The evil aura is inherently malevolent, and that wisp of demonic energy looked as if it would dissipate with a single gust of wind.

I need to control the evil energy so that it doesn't dissipate this demonic aura, and guide its flow.

Time passed by, second by second.

Sweat streamed down my face and landed on the table.

I don't know how much time passed, but I felt that the blue-red light finally stabilized, and even produced a very faint feedback with a sense of dependence.

I slowly withdrew my fingers and exhaled a long breath.

The snake egg was still the same snake egg, and its appearance had not changed at all.

I leaned back in my chair, looking at the snake egg, a feeling I couldn't quite describe welled up inside me.

At this moment, the sky in the east outside the window was already turning a pale white.

In the early morning in Fengtian, the air was filled with a cold, earthy smell.

I stood up and stretched my stiff limbs.

"Li Qing, wake up."

I nudged Li Qing, who was dozing off on the sofa.

"It's dawn, we should get down to business."