Wedding ceremony tomorrow

Chapter 14 The Power of One Star

In the small courtyard.

A corpse lay lifeless on the ground, covered in a pool of blood.

A bloody hole was torn open in his chest.

At this moment, bright red blood was gushing out from inside.

The heart inside has vanished!

It was almost exactly the same scene I saw at the Guanyin Temple last night!

A bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped Luo Qingfeng's entire body.

Nightingale gripped the knife and cautiously went inside to check. Finding nothing amiss, she came out, knelt down in front of the corpse, and began to examine it with a solemn expression.

"It's that villager. I saw him that day. Judging from the wounds, he's the same as the villager who was killed at the Guanyin Temple. He died from having his heart ripped out, and the time of death should be... about 15 minutes ago."

She suddenly looked up at Luo Qingfeng at the door and said, "What a coincidence! We were just about to come looking for him when he was killed."

Then, his eyes flashed and he said, "No, I should say, you were just about to come looking for him."

Luo Qingfeng stared at the corpse on the ground, his face grim. He remained silent, seemingly terrified by the scene before him.

Nightingale stared at him for a while longer, then stood up and said in a softer voice, "Don't be afraid. I'm not doubting you; you don't have the ability, nor the reason to kill. I'm just wondering if this whole series of events is targeting you? Back when you went to Linshan Village to fetch your bride, you encountered an illusion created by a demon..."

At this point, she suddenly frowned and said, "But that doesn't make sense either. If it were really targeting you, given their strength, there would be no need for them to go to such lengths..."

Luo Qingfeng suddenly spoke up: "I came to find this villager, but I didn't tell anyone except you."

The nightingale pondered, "Could it really be a coincidence?"

It's certainly not a coincidence.

Luo Qingfeng thought to himself.

From last night until now, two villagers have been killed one after another, both of which occurred just as he was preparing to go and find them.

What a coincidence that two coincidences could happen at the same time?

But he couldn't tell the woman in front of him about this yet; otherwise, he would alert her and be the one to die.

What happened that night in Linshan Village left him with a deep shadow.

In a critical moment, these people won't care about his life or death.

"Could the killer be a demon?"

He asked a question that he was afraid of.

Nightingale's expression was grave. She stared at the bloody hole in the corpse's chest for a while, then said, "It's not certain yet, but I suspect it is. We need to conduct further examinations."

He paused for a moment.

She sheathed her knife and said, "Let's go. I'll go call for help. Be careful, that demon might still be around."

Upon hearing this, Luo Qingfeng immediately left the room.

The nightingale glanced around warily before leaving the courtyard.

She thought for a moment and said, "You and your bride should also be careful. Two villagers from Linshan Village have died in succession. I don't know if other villagers will be killed next. I suspect that the murderer may have a grudge against your Linshan Village. First, he massacred the village, and when he saw that some people were escaping, he came to hunt them down."

"Of course, this is just my guess."

Luo Qingfeng suddenly said, "Do you think there could be two murderers? One is a human, and the other is a demon? The demon was killed that night, while the human chased them to the town?"

If that's the case, then it explains why the exorcists in the city didn't detect the other party.

Nightingale pondered for a moment, then said, "It's possible. It could be two demons. I'll inform the authorities later and have them send people down to re-check the entire town's population to see if any strangers have entered the town in the last two days."

Luo Qingfeng asked again, "Could it be a monster?"

He had read a brief introduction to monsters in that book; monsters seemed to be more powerful and mysterious than demons.

After the five villagers from Linshan Village arrived in the town, Wangxing City must have sent someone to check them out. If they weren't demons, could they be monsters?

"monster?"

Nightingale was taken aback by his words, then stopped and looked at him seriously, saying, "I advise you to avoid mentioning those two words in the future."

Luo Qingfeng asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Nightingale narrowed her eyes and said, "Because it might bring you unnecessary trouble."

"Will it cause trouble if I just mention it?"

"Yes."

The nightingale answered very seriously, but did not offer any further explanation.

Luo Qingfeng, puzzled, changed the subject: "By the way, I wanted to ask, can ordinary people cultivate like you? How long does it take to succeed?"

Nightingale was slightly taken aback by his words, gave him a deep look, and said, "You want to cultivate?"

Luo Qingfeng met her gaze without flinching: "Of course, who doesn't want to become stronger?"

Nightingale smiled faintly and said, "Indeed, everyone wants to become stronger, especially after encountering a demon, but... not everyone has the opportunity."

He paused for a moment.

She slowly began to speak: "To embark on the path of cultivation, firstly, one needs exceptional talent; such a person is perhaps one in several thousand. Secondly, one needs cultivation resources—a master, cultivation techniques, and various elixirs, etc.—all of which are cultivation resources. Ordinary people can't even come into contact with them, so how can they talk about cultivation?"

"As for your question about how long it takes to succeed in cultivation, that's hard to say. Many people spend their entire lives without being able to light the Star Lamp, while many others succeed but remain stuck at the First Star of Creation. Of course, there are also those who are exceptionally talented and have constant opportunities, allowing them to keep progressing, but such people are extremely rare."

"As for you, ask yourself first: are you rich and talented, or do you have resources?"

Luo Qingfeng paused for a moment, then asked, "So, what realm are you demon exorcists at?"

Nightingale chuckled self-deprecatingly and didn't hide anything: "I've been hovering around the fourth level of the Opening Heaven Realm, and our captain is only at the fifth level. That's why we were so scared by that demon that night that we ran away as fast as we could. The initial level for us human cultivators is the Opening Heaven Realm, while the initial level for demons is the Demon Transformation Realm. That demon was at the late stage of the Demon Transformation Realm, which is much stronger than any of us."

Luo Qingfeng then asked, "How long does it take to go from an ordinary person to a true cultivator?"

Nightingale glanced at him again and said, "Only by fully illuminating the star lamps in the Sea of ​​Mansions can one be considered a true cultivator. To illuminate the star lamps, one must first establish a connection with the stars in the sky. The entire process may take a month for those with good talent, a year for those with average talent, and a lifetime for those without talent."

Luo Qingfeng was secretly surprised.

He only practiced for two nights, how come it feels like he's almost fully enlightened?

Could it be because of the blue text in his mind?

"Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore. It's no use knowing all this. You should focus on your studies and become the top scholar in the imperial examination. Your dear sister has to go now, remember to take care of yourself."

Nightingale lightly stroked his cheek, then immediately became serious after leaving the alley, and strode away quickly with her long legs.

Luo Qingfeng watched her slender figure disappear quickly into the distance, and without lingering on the street, he headed straight home.

He originally wanted to go into the shop to check on the situation, but for safety reasons, he didn't dare to go.

With his current strength, what difference would it make if he knew the truth?

It will only become more dangerous.

Let's hurry up and practice our skills!

We can't investigate any further for now, otherwise he'll turn into a murderer like Conan, causing death wherever he goes, even more bizarre than a real killer.

He slipped through the alley and secretly returned to the Song family home through the back door.

Just as he entered through the back door, he suddenly heard a loud "bang" from the courtyard not far away.

That older cousin's courtyard?

He hesitated for a moment, then walked over.

The courtyard gate was ajar.

In the courtyard, a figure dressed in a blue robe was practicing boxing.

"Bang!"

He punched a wooden stake in the yard, and the stake shattered into pieces.

Just then, Aunt Yang Lan's excited voice rang out: "Chuan'er, that's wonderful! You finally succeeded!"

The one practicing boxing was Song Chuan.

He shattered the wooden stake with a single punch, then, beaming with pride, said, "Mother, it's been exactly three months. I've fully lit the Star Lamp in just three months. Master said that if you can fully light the Star Lamp within five months, you'll have a bright future and will receive special training from the branch sect, and might even gain the attention of the entire sect. At that time, I can fight for all kinds of cultivation resources and won't have to spend a single penny of the family's money anymore."

Yang Lan's voice choked with emotion as she wept with joy: "I knew it! My Chuan'er is a genius! Your father's money wasn't wasted. When he comes home tonight, I'll tell him, and he'll be even happier than his mother."

Song Chuan smiled proudly.

Luo Qingfeng stood outside the door, listening to the conversation between the two, and thought to himself: So my cousin has joined a sect, no wonder he has cultivation techniques.

It took only three months to fully light up the starlight, so it seems they do have some talent.

He didn't dare listen any longer and turned to leave.

Just then, Song Chuan suddenly shouted from inside the door, "Who's out there!"

Having said that, he darted over and opened the door.

"Oh, it's you?"

Song Chuan was stunned when he saw him.

Yang Lan also arrived at the door. Upon seeing him, her face immediately darkened: "Weren't you sick in bed? What are you doing here?"

Luo Qingfeng had no choice but to stop, cup his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "Aunt, Cousin, I feel a little better, so I got up to take a walk around. Just now when I got to the backyard, I suddenly heard a loud noise coming from here. I thought something had happened, so I came to check. I didn't expect it was just Cousin practicing martial arts. I'm sorry to disturb you."

Yang Lan's face immediately turned cold: "You saw Chuan'er practicing martial arts?"

Luo Qingfeng lowered his head and said, "I only saw my cousin throw a punch."

He then praised, "Cousin, you're really amazing. You smashed that wooden stake with just one punch. If it were me, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have the strength to chop it down with an axe."

Song Chuan was pleased with the praise, but he gave a mocking smile: "Practicing martial arts? Heh, let's just call it practicing martial arts. Hmph, once I've mastered it, I can smash not just a wooden stake, but even a rock, or even a mountain, with a single punch."

Luo Qingfeng praised again, "Cousin is really amazing."

Yang Lan said with a gloomy face, "Alright, go back to your studies. Don't come to the back again. Be careful that Chuan'er doesn't hurt you when he practices martial arts. Your body can't take it. If you get injured, we won't be able to explain it to your uncle."

Luo Qingfeng bowed and took his leave.

After he had walked a distance, Song Chuanfang sneered, "What a bookworm! He doesn't even know what cultivation is, yet he calls it martial arts. Even if he were to peek, what could he possibly learn?"

Yang Lan said unhappily, "It's inconvenient to have outsiders at home. Your father is really something, taking in one after another. We're not a place for beggars. I'll talk to him properly when he comes back tonight. After all, you're going to cultivate, and your expenses will be huge in the future. How can we afford to support outsiders?"

Luo Qingfeng returned to the courtyard, the scene he had just witnessed replaying in his mind.

The book says that at the first star level of the Heavenly Creation Realm, the use of star power increases one's strength dramatically, enough to kill ferocious beasts; at the second star level, one can withstand blows and crush stubborn rocks; at the third star level, star power can be released outwards, transforming into fist-shaped orb beams that can destroy steel; and at the fifth star level, star power can even be released outwards, capable of killing someone from ten feet away...

In other words, even at the first star level, one is already far more powerful than an ordinary person.

My older cousin had just fully lit up his star lamp, which is the first star level. He smashed the wooden stake into pieces with a single punch. If he had hit a person, his bones would probably have been shattered. He could indeed kill a ferocious beast.

Those who cultivate themselves are indeed more secure than ordinary people.

Thinking of this, he immediately closed the windows and doors, took out the cultivation manual, and began to read it.

He decided to memorize both books word for word and then destroy them.

The situation is unclear and fraught with danger, so he must be careful.

Evening came quickly.

Just as he finished putting away his books and lay down on the bed, Su Zhao'er, dressed in a red dress, rushed into the courtyard. Then, her clear, bell-like voice rang out: "Brother Feng! Brother Feng! Auntie said you're feeling better. Can we get married tonight?"

Luo Qingfeng quickly closed his eyes.

After thinking for a moment, he punched himself in the eye with a "bang".

(End of this chapter)