Liu Shiba must be the only person in this world who was not a practitioner and yet had kept a hoard of spiritual materials. This secret chamber behind the study was not large, but there were many precious spiritual materials and medicinal herbs in it. There was such a large variety that they dazzled the eyes. There were also some rare antiques, not in the least less valuable than those kept in museums. Liu Shiba was said to be the grandmaster of all tomb raiders. Surely, such a man would have in his possession antiques. Those antiques he fancied and had kept here were naturally the cream of the crop and all very valuable.
However, these antiques did not interest Ning Tao in the least. After entering Liu Shiba's treasure chamber, he started to select his spiritual materials. All he had picked up were put by Qing Zhui into her large hempen sack.
To refine the Immortality Elixir, he must of course take the required spiritual materials away. But he was more con
By four in the morning, Ning Tao had already mended the Heavenly Hossu. The hossu which had been repaired was now gleaming as fresh paint, like a secondhand product having been refurbished. But it was still the same situation—he could not use an ordinary practitioner's magic tool. He could use this hossu as a duster, but could not unleash its magic prowess.Xu Fu's Immortality Elixirs had also been refined. Ning Tao had brought back a great deal of spiritual materials to refine them, but he only managed to refine six. After refining them, he put five into a porcelain vial and the last elixir on the ledger of bamboo slips for identification.A few seconds later, identification information appeared on the ledger of bamboo slips: "A premium aphrodisiac for renewed spring vigor and reproduction, useful for treating infertility. Both men and women will become fertile upon taking it. Shriveled testicles will produce sperms and empty ovaries eggs. A woman will be
The alley was still the same alley. There were some differences in the courtyard houses by its sides, but the place was by and large the same. The weather had changed though. The sky was wan yellow in a setting sun. It ought to be dark and yet it was not. A youth in Manchu costume wearing a queue was bending over a nearby wall, gingerly spying on something.Everything seemed to have frozen."What is he watching?" Ning Tao felt curiosity in his heart. He was not concerned over whether this hallucination from the past would vanish. He strode to that youth.In the past, the moment he moved, these hallucinations would disintegrate and vanish.But this time, he had moved his legs and taken a step. Yet that youth with the queue had not disappeared.Ning Tao was astounded. This was something which had never happened before. His stride gave him a bizarre feeling, as if he was not walking in a Beidu alley in the 2000s, but on a
When he came to the door, the Howling Celestial Dog scampered out, yelling and shaking its tail at Ning Tao.Ning Tao fondled the Howling Celestial Dog's beastly head. "Where's Xiaoji?"The Howling Celestial Dog stared around, looking quite furtive. "She's watching cartoon. I let her choose between Big Brother Bear and Little Brother Bear. Otherwise, she'll keep treating me like a horse. I'm a dog!"Ning Tao said, "Take good care of her. If she has any strange actions, report to me at once."The Howling Celestial Dog said, "Then buy me a cell phone, Dad. I want a smartphone with a big screen."Ning Tao was speechless.Qing Zhui and Jiang Hao were standing in the courtyard within the doorway. One was alluring in green clothes, the other clad in a smart uniform. They made up a visually attractive pair."Hao, when did you come back?" Ning Tao stepped in.Jiang Hao said, "I just came
In the study of the subsidiary building, Liu Shiba was lying in a pool of blood. There was only a single wound on his body, but it was a fatal one. A sharp weapon had pierced through his heart. Blood gushed out from his body, dying the floor red.Other than Liu Shiba having been killed, Reverend Qingsong had also been murdered. His head had been hacked by a saber, cleaved apart directly. The killer had struck deftly. The wound was not jagged and he had been killed in one stroke.The killer had obviously struck in the study, but there was no signs of a scuffle in the room. Nor did they find anything wrecked or knocked over. Other than splashes of blood, the study was very tidy. The murder scene did not need to be cleaned up, since the killer had not left behind any signs.Who could kill a practitioner like Reverend Qingsong in one saber stroke, without even a scuffle? Ning Tao was astounded. Even if he were to attack himself, he could not have d
The night was quiet.Beep, beep, beep...Incoming messages from the practitioners' club continued to beep continuously.Doctor Ning: I have just received news. Liu Shiba is dead.Bai Shengsheng, the White Hare Spirit: Huh? Ah!Black Bear Spirit from Changbai Mountains: Is this true? Admin, don't scare me! I just paid him 5 million for my membership!Divine Horse of the Steppes: @Doctor Ning, what happened?Chief of Wudang Mountains: In other words, the practitioners' flea market will be closed. What shall we do?Next-door Practitioner Old Wang: The news is true. I called up my disciple and queried him. His son is a police superintendent of Beidu. He said that Liu Shiba's body is still in the morgue. Some weapon had pierced his heart. Another person dead is Reverend Qingsong, whose head had been cleaved apart. It seems that Liu Shiba's spiritual materials and antiques had all been
Holding the third-version Ancestor-seeking Elixir in his hand, its elixir scent crept into his nostrils. Soon, Ning Tao had an allergic reaction. His eyes lapsed into darkness and could see no light, nor could he hear any sound. Even more bizarrely, Jiang Hao was standing right next to him, yet he could not smell her odor.After more than a dozen seconds of darkness, light appeared again before Ning Tao's eyes.It was a bright moment just before sunset. Outside the window, there were fiery crimson clouds floating in the westerly horizon.A flock of pigeons were flying in the sky. But they were frozen in this scene.His father was sitting on a worn fabric sofa, reading the local gazette of Shan City. He could see the date on the newspaper—June 11, 2000. He was only a small boy of five and had not yet attended school. His father was wearing a pair of ordinary spectacles for shortsightedness, and his face was lean. His blue worker's u
The plot of land approved by the authorities was beside a village west of Beidu. To its left was the village, to its right, hills, There was a section of the Great Wall meandering in the hills. It was a nice environment, but quite remote, but since they were not buying real estate properties, its remoteness was acceptable. It was quite suitable for conducting surreptitious business.The construction contractor had just arrived and construction had not yet started. A contractor in charge wanted to see Ning Tao, but Ning Tao was not keen to see him. He got Jia Yinhong to meet him, while he and Jiang Tao roamed around the plot still covered in weeds. Jiang Hao made him pose and took a few photos just for show.After discussing with the contractor, Jia Yinhong came to Ning Tao and Jiang Hao."Doctor Ning, the contractor asked if you would like a groundbreaking ceremony. If not, he will start laying the foundations." Jia Yinhong came straight to the
The Genesis Biotech Company was just ahead about 200 paces away. Genesis Tower was a skyscraper at least 200 meters high. Its blue glass walls seemed like a mirage in the fog and haze, almost "fairyland-like."Ning Tao raised his head to look at its summit, encircled in a cloudy fog. Then he walked towards Genesis Tower. As he walked, he took out his cell phone and dialed Yin Molan again.Yin Molan's cell phone was still off.Worry overwhelmed Ning Tao's heart. "Don't be in trouble, or..."Or what? He dared not think. He was the one who made Yin Molan investigate the Genesis Biotech Company. If something untoward were to befall him, Ning Tao would be conscience-stricken.Genesis Tower loomed nearer. A few security guards in special service uniform were standing outside the entrance. In the eyes of most men, they were mere security guards. But to Ning Tao, they were warriors with exceptional internal strengths.