Chapter 128: Lord Qian's Generous Gift

It was just past midnight on the fourteenth day of the second month.

"Brother, why did you suddenly stop?"

Li Qing reined in his horse, looking at Li Shun in puzzlement after seeing him come to a halt.

Li Shun did not answer. Instead, he silently calculated in his heart.

'Once I absorb the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth, it will inevitably trigger heavenly punishment. There is no escaping it. My only option is to activate Threefold Self-Reflection.'

'Based on last time's experience, the moment the reset is complete, Great Qian's Directorate of Celestial Observation will notice the missing Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth. There is even a chance the Great Siming will personally come to investigate.'

'Appearing at the scene of the crime twice in a row would make me far too suspicious. I need to get as far away as possible...'

'Judging by Moonlit White's speed, we should arrive around the eleventh hour tonight.'

'With two commanderies separating us, that should be enough to avoid suspicion.'

After carefully weighing everything, Li Shun lightly nudged his horse's flank and continued onward.

Traveling beneath the stars through the night, the two of them finally reached their destination before darkness fully settled.

Kuaiji Commandery.

Shangyu County.

Without wasting any time, they headed straight for Lord Qian's Shrine in the city.

The shrine stood beside the Qinglang River, whose waters flowed through the city. Mist drifted over the riverbanks, lending the place an especially quiet and secluded atmosphere.

Aside from a handful of shrine keepers, there was not another soul in sight.

Outside the shrine stood an old weathered stone stele, recording the achievements of Lord Qian during his lifetime.

Li Shun stopped before it and carefully read the inscription.

"Qian Yuan was never the chief administrator of Kuaiji Commandery. During his lifetime, he served only as the Water Administration Clerk of the commandery."

"Before he took office, floods ravaged the Shangyu region year after year, and the common people suffered endlessly. During his more than thirty years in office, he personally supervised the construction of levees and dams, excavated canals, and dredged waterways. Through sheer perseverance, he transformed what had once been a land plagued by mountains and floods into the richest land of fish and grain in all of Kuaiji Commandery."

"Because he devoted himself entirely to public affairs, his cultivation inevitably fell behind. In the end, he remained at Peak Spirit Resonance throughout his life, unable to break through to the next realm, and passed away filled with regret."

"It is said that Lord Qian possessed extraordinary talent. Had he devoted himself wholly to cultivation, reaching the Celestial Phenomena realm might not have been beyond him. Yet he chose to dedicate his entire life to the mountains, rivers, and people of Shangyu..."

After finishing the inscription, Li Shun could not help but feel genuine admiration.

Although he had come here to obtain the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth, that did not prevent him from respecting someone whose achievements would benefit countless generations to come.

"Since we're already here, let's offer incense and properly pay our respects to this worthy predecessor."

Li Shun spoke solemnly.

Li Qing silently nodded.

Inside the shrine stood an incense altar. Li Shun stepped forward and asked,

"How much is a stick of incense?"

"Five hundred yuan each. Fair price for young and old alike."

Li Shun's hand, which had been reaching for his money, froze slightly.

"I beg your pardon? How much?"

Without even raising his head, the incense seller lazily held up five fingers.

"Five hundred."

Li Qing's temper flared immediately.

"What are you selling, some miraculous immortal pill? Five hundred yuan for a single stick of incense? How can it possibly cost that much?"

The seller merely snorted.

Not only was he completely unafraid, he even put on a righteous expression.

"If you can't bear to spend such a tiny amount, then your heart clearly isn't sincere! Think about how much Lord Qian sacrificed for the people of Shangyu back then. Yet when it's your turn to honor him, suddenly you begrudge spending a little money?"

"And let me make this perfectly clear. You can only buy incense from me. Don't even think about bringing in so much as half a stick of that cheap incense from outside. Either buy it, or get lost. We don't welcome cheapskates here."

His eyes were filled with contempt, his tone unbearably arrogant.

Li Qing had never tolerated such insolence.

He immediately rolled up his sleeves, ready to teach the profiteering scoundrel a lesson, but Li Shun raised a hand to stop him.

"Five hundred it is. Pay him."

Li Shun's voice remained perfectly calm, revealing neither anger nor joy.

No matter what, his elder brother's words had to be obeyed.

Although still fuming inside, Li Qing reluctantly took out the money and purchased two sticks of incense.

As they entered the shrine, Li Shun's eyes flickered the moment they landed upon Lord Qian's stone statue.

Sure enough.

Wisps of Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth coiled faintly around it.

However, compared to the shrine of Lord Ge, the Xuanhuang Qi here was noticeably thinner.

'It seems the quantity of Xuanhuang Qi is closely tied to the purity of the incense offerings it receives from the people.'

'Compared to Lord Ge's shrine, this place is indeed much quieter. Furthermore, having such a greedy scoundrel guarding the entrance is itself a needless stain upon Lord Qian's reputation.'

'If things continue like this, the Xuanhuang Qi here will eventually dissipate completely.'

Li Shun pondered silently.

After respectfully offering the incense, he fixed his gaze upon the drifting strands of Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth as his divine sense slowly reached outward.

Having learned from his experience at Lord Ge's shrine, he acted with far greater proficiency this time.

As swift as lightning, his divine sense latched onto the Xuanhuang Qi.

Before Lord Qian's stone statue could become wary, he intended to gather as much of it as possible into the Fangcun space.

Lord Qian's statue reacted almost exactly the same way as Lord Ge's.

At first, the Xuanhuang Qi lay completely unguarded, allowing him to collect it with ease.

But the moment a single strand entered the Fangcun space, every remaining strand instantly became as heavy as mountains, refusing to budge no matter how hard he tried.

What completely exceeded Li Shun's expectations, however, was that...

This time, collecting the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth did not summon heavenly punishment.

Nor did Lord Qian's statue glare at him like Lord Ge's had upon catching a "thief."

'Hm? What's going on?'

A trace of bewilderment arose within Li Shun.

Instinctively, he looked into Lord Qian's eyes once more.

Shrouded in the hazy glow of the Xuanhuang Qi, the lifeless stone statue seemed to awaken.

There was not the slightest hint of anger upon its face.

Instead, it simply gazed at Li Shun with quiet serenity and boundless compassion.

Immediately afterward, a vast torrent of information surged back through his divine sense.

Countless scenes flashed through his mind in rapid succession.

Only after a long while did Li Shun finish digesting the fragmented memories.

A look of sudden understanding appeared in his eyes.

"Hey, hey! Time's up already! The incense is practically burned out. Why are you still standing there daydreaming?"

"If you want to keep paying your respects, that's fine. Just buy another stick."

The incense seller's voice abruptly shattered Li Shun's thoughts.

Li Qing instantly flew into a rage.

He pointed toward the incense burner.

"Are you blind? The incense has only burned halfway. How can you say it's already finished?"

The seller planted both hands on his hips.

"If I say it's burned out, then it's burned out. What? You got a problem with that?"

"You..."

Veins bulged across Li Qing's forehead as his anger finally reached its limit.

"We're leaving."

Li Shun suddenly chuckled softly.

He stopped Li Qing with one hand and forcibly led him out of Lord Qian's Shrine.

"Brother, you're actually willing to let that bully get away with it?"

Even after they had walked quite a distance away, Li Qing still spat angrily.

"No rush. Let's investigate him first. Someone who acts this brazenly must have something backing him."

Li Shun answered calmly.

Hearing that his brother clearly had no intention of simply letting the matter end there, Li Qing's spirits immediately lifted.

Night had already fallen, so the two found an inn and stayed there for the evening.

The following day, the fifteenth day of the second month.

It did not take them long to uncover the incense seller's background.

"What?"

"That fellow is actually Lord Qian's descendant?"

Li Qing found it almost impossible to believe.

"How could a great hero like Lord Qian possibly have such a disgraceful descendant?"