Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 353 Plum Blossom Pavilion (Part 5)

"Tao Qingtang?" Han Yi looked at a woman who was close to him.

She wore a conservative light blue dress, her long hair was styled in an updo with a simple turquoise hairpin, and her face was elegant and graceful, giving her the air of a lady from a prominent family.

"It's me." Tao Qingtang stood up. "Have you finished reviewing the contract?"

“Good. No problem,” Han Yi replied.

"And the investment amount? One thousand taels per month?"

"can."

"A one-year contract, renewable upon expiration, is that acceptable?"

"no problem."

"Then it's settled." Tao Qingtang took out a contract from beside her, quickly signed her name, and handed it to Han Yi.

Han Yi took it, glanced at it, signed his name, dipped his finger in red ink, and pressed his fingerprint on his name.

"This is the first month's investment." Tao Qingtang handed over a gold note.

"I'm short of money lately, can I get an advance?" Han Yi has been severely short of money lately, and there are large gaps in funds for many things, such as cultivation, the library, and daily food.

“No problem.” Tao Qingtang pulled out a large wad of gold notes from his pocket. “This is the largest amount of money I can use right now.”

"Alright, come find me at Jingtian Manor if you need anything." Han Yi took the gold note and stuffed it into his pocket.

After saying that, he got up, went downstairs, and left.

Tao Qingtang sat down again and began tidying up his things.

The hot tea poured for Han Yi on the table was still covered, steam slowly seeping out from the cracks. They chatted back and forth, the entire conversation lasting no more than two minutes.

"This?!" Yue Hongying hadn't reacted yet. She looked at the door of the private room that had just been closed before realizing that Han Yi had already left and the matter was over.

She suddenly shouted, "Tao Qingtang, didn't you hear a thing I said?!"

Good heavens, a thousand taels of gold notes a month! Even my family's investment in the Yangzhi Academy only gets this much. Aren't you just throwing money down the drain?

Yes, this person is capable and has good character, but why didn't you make any more requests, try to negotiate the price? You didn't make any requests at all!

There was a hint of disappointment in her words.

Tao Qingtang didn't say anything, just quietly watched her.

Bang!

"You...you...?!?!" Yue Hongying grew angrier the more she thought about it. She grabbed her hat and coat, slammed the door, and left. *Bang!*

With another slam of the door, Yue Hongying stormed back in, fuming.

She was so angry just now that she forgot all about this. This is her house, why is she leaving?

"Tao Qingtang, you're just so stubborn! You've always been this stubborn since you were little! Once you've set your mind on something, you won't turn back until you hit a brick wall and are bleeding!" She put her hands on her hips, looking fierce.

"Alright, alright, Hongying, aren't we going to Linxiu Garden this afternoon to browse the latest trendy styles from Kyoto? Let's go together," Tao Qingtang said calmly.

"I'm not going, you go by yourself!" Yue Hongying was still angry.

"Together."

"Don't go!"

"Go." "No!"

"If you're not going, then I'll walk there by myself?" Tao Qingtang stood up and was about to push open the door to the private room.

"Walk there? You didn't give away all your pocket money, did you?" Yue Hongying was getting a little frustrated.

"That's why I asked you to come along." Tao Qingtang smiled.

“…...”

Yue Hongying was speechless, so angry she felt like her lungs were about to explode.

She watched as Tao Qingtang pushed open the door and was about to go downstairs, and she was so angry that her teeth itched.

She knew her best friend's temperament; if she said she'd go, she really meant it.

"I'm really impressed by you. What kind of person are you? You gave me money for a ride just because someone said one thing?"

They were very generous with the money just now, giving away a large sum at once, all of it at once.

Now what? Do you know that even a hero can be brought down by a penny?

How come you haven't remembered any of the many lessons Uncle Tao taught you? You should always leave some room for maneuver in your actions...

Tao Qingtang!!! Slow down! It's so cold, are you trying to freeze to death without wearing an outer robe...?

Behind her, the two guards looked at each other, speechless.

…....

…....

Wow.

Han Yi gently turned the pale yellow pages in his hand, reading the book.

A gentle autumn breeze, carrying a hint of chill, scattered bits of fallen leaves and branches onto the floor. The servants responsible for cleaning immediately grabbed brooms and swept away the withered, yellow leaves.

The library is very large and contains many martial arts manuals; this is something everyone knows.

This place not only has a large number of acrobatic martial arts, but also many secret techniques and methods—that is, ways to better utilize strength.

However, these methods are extremely expensive, not just expensive. A secret technique that might not be mastered can cost a hundred gold coins.

If it were the old Han Yi, he would definitely have been short of money and given up.

But now, thanks to the wealthy woman's financial support, his situation is completely different.

After meeting Tao Qingtang that day and leaving Songshixuan... he was still a little dazed.

A full six thousand taels of gold notes, a six-month supply, were simply stuffed into his hand by Tao Qingtang...

Six thousand taels of gold notes, what does that mean? The Qionghua fish he eats every day is considered to be of the best quality among demon beast meat. Buying one pound would cost one hundred taels of silver, or ten taels of gold, at the price for an inner court disciple.

Six thousand taels of gold notes are enough to buy six hundred catties of the finest Qionghua fish meat.

If it were replaced with Juqing beef, which is much cheaper on the market, it would be enough to buy about one or two thousand kilograms!

He eats it every day, even until he vomits, and it would take him a year and a half to finish.

No wonder so many senior students in the inner courtyard lived such comfortable lives, burying themselves in their studies every day without needing to take on extra part-time jobs.

He's now experiencing the allure of money. With a rich woman supporting him, earning a pittance through part-time jobs really doesn't seem very meaningful.

This one trip alone is worth six years of his tuition.

This time he had enough money, so he could behave himself for a while.

Of course, Tao Qingtang might cause a lot of trouble in the future, which he will need to resolve.

But that's not a problem, since Tao Qingtang values ​​his combat ability... his ability to defeat a second-level martial artist of the same rank...

He was confident that he could solve Tao Qingtang's problems.

After all, he won't lose his power.

Moreover... the reason he came to the library was to resolve the issue of breaking through to the next level of true skill, and then obtaining the third level of true skill...

"Returning to Oneness and Tranquility," "Nine-Colored Peaceful Breathing Method," "Jade Cicada's Unstable Technique," "Turtle Breathing Technique"...

This is a booklet containing numerous secret techniques, located inside the library.

The contents of this book contain secret techniques for concealing one's aura and disguising one's strength.

Of course, the content here only includes names and brief introductions. The actual cultivation methods are not here. This is also a unique feature of the library: the books on the shelves will never contain specific cultivation methods, only texts that exaggerate the power of secret techniques and methods, in order to attract disciples and get them to pay for the real content.

It can be said that the higher-ups at Jingtian Manor, who built the library, really went to great lengths to make money.

Soon, he obtained several secret manuals of techniques that were said to conceal one's aura and disguise one's cultivation level.

His purpose in coming to this library was to find a secret technique that could create the illusion of dissipated internal energy.

Moon Concealment was a secret technique he learned a long time ago. Its principle was to temporarily suppress the activity of Qi and blood, making Qi and blood dim, so as to hide his strength.

The Moon Concealment Technique was something he had learned and used when he was young. He wasn't sure if he could hide it from others, especially Dean Zhong Yunxiu.

That's why I made this trip to the library today.

By drawing upon the experiences and techniques of various other secret arts, the Moon Concealment Secret Art was redesigned and optimized.

Soon, half a month passed, and Han Yi, who spent all his time in the library, got the result he wanted.

The reason why a martial arts practitioner's dual cultivation identity can be seen through is entirely because the qi and blood in his body are disordered, and an abnormality will be detected at a glance.

Therefore, all you need to do is reduce the fluctuations in qi and blood from practicing martial arts while circulating qi and blood, so that the qi and blood flow of the Cold Yin Nine Curves Palm can be maximized and the qi and blood can be harmonized, which will create the illusion of dissipating power.

Secret techniques are ultimately not martial arts manuals.

So-called secret techniques are merely a martial artist's skill in utilizing the internal energy and blood, unlike martial arts which are generally impossible for ordinary people to deduce.

Han Yi was quite perceptive, so after figuring out the key point, it was time for him to finish modifying the Moon Concealment Technique.

"In that case, we'll need to use the Secret Technique: Heart Locking to conceal our power... combined with the Secret Technique: Willow Blossom's aura burst, and finally, the Moon Concealment Secret Technique..."

The necessary parts of the secret technique are retained, while useless techniques are eliminated.

Soon, under his bold and decisive actions, a brand-new secret technique, or rather, a secret technique cobbled together from various sources, emerged.

Name: Han Yi (19/200)

[Realm]: Mid-stage Meridian Opening, Second-level Martial Master

[Martial Arts]: Qianyang Gong (Entry-level martial art, Qianyang Jin, characteristics: Rejuvenation, Evil-dispelling, Perfected Strength); Feilong Gong (Entry-level martial art, Youlong Jin, characteristics: Speed, Fire Poison, Ignition, Perfected Strength); Hanyin Jiuqu Zhang (Second level of True Skill, characteristics: None)

[Secondary Cultivation]: Heaven-Mending Technique (Third Layer, Characteristics: Strengthening the Foundation, Returning to the Origin)

[Secret Technique]: Concealed Spirit (Special Effect: Conceals Qi, Gathers Blood); Reverse Scale Form (Special Effect: Increased Strength, Enhanced Speed, Increased Burst Damage)

[Elemental Power Value]: 0

The secret technique, Concealing the Spirit, works by hiding one's internal energy and blood, greatly gathering the unique energy and blood of the Cold Yin Nine-Bend Palm, and increasing its fluctuations and friction.

This is a flexible technique for utilizing qi and blood energy; it's not difficult, but it's quite ingenious.

Han Yi closed his eyes, then with a thought, slowly opened them again.

He slowly got up and walked step by step out of the courtyard.

As he moved, the qi and blood fluctuations from his other martial arts training gradually disappeared. In their place came the incredibly intense qi and blood fluctuations of the Cold Yin Nine Curves Palm.

He has mastered the art of concealing spirits; all that remains is to practice continuously, further refine it, and make it second nature.

What he needs to do next is to verify it.

Let's test whether the Secret Technique: Concealment can achieve the effect he desires...

......

......

Jingtianzhuang, Huahu Lake.

The sound of flowing water echoed through Huahu Lake, with yellow fallen leaves floating on its surface. Several white ribbons of water formed at the bends in the water, resembling continuous white silk, as the water flowed ceaselessly.

A rocky clearing by the lake, rarely visited by anyone.

Han Yi and Huang Rong, with their minds focused and their spirits concentrated, faced each other face to face.