Chapter 29 Blood Refining Technique

Now.

The cell had a hidden door. Zhou Yi was outside. Lieutenant Zhu was inside.

“Old Zhou, laugh if you want. I can hold on!” Lieutenant Zhu was dressed in a pale prison uniform and had a long face. “Since we’ve been colleagues for so many years, can I ask a favor?”

Zhou Yi nodded and said, “Go ahead, Old Zhu.”

Lieutenant Zhu pleaded, “We’re suspected of committing a major rebellion, so we’ll definitely be raided and exiled. When the time comes, can you help us make some arrangements so that our wives and children won’t suffer?”

“How did you hook up with the princelings, Old Zhu?”

It was not that Zhou Yi looked down on others, but before the rebellion, the Crown Prince had already overseen the country. How could he take a fancy to a mere ninth-grade lieutenant?

“I hooked up with the heir of the State Duke Qi the year before last.” Lieutenant Zhu said, “Later on, with the help of the prison, we plundered a lot of silver from a few criminals. That’s how we caught the Crown Prince’s eye.”

The niece of the Duke Qi was the Crown Prince’s secondary consort. She was implicated in a conspiracy and the Duke of the country was demoted to a marquis. Some of the corrupt officials in the prison had hidden the stolen money before they were caught. Lieutenant Zhu used his position to torture and threaten them to take out the money.

The heir of State Duke Qi was in need of money to buy officials, so he did not care about Lieutenant Zhu’s lowly background and pulled him into the Crown Prince’s faction.

“Old Zhu, don’t worry about this. Your colleagues in prison will definitely take good care of your family.” Zhou Yi comforted him. “After they were sent to the place of exile, I will also greet the local bailiffs. It’s hard to say that they will live a carefree life. At the very least, they won’t do heavy work and be bullied.”

“Old Zhou, you’re so righteous!” Lieutenant Zhu was inexplicably touched. Most things in the world were icing on the cake, and few people could help in times of need.

Zhou Yi comforted Lieutenant Zhu. When his family was pardoned, he could arrange for them to be prison guards when they returned to the Divine Capital. They would be fine after settling down.

Cell C-9.

There was something wrong with the feng shui in this cell. Many big shots died when they entered.

Li Ye paced back and forth in the cell, looking at the aisle from time to time as if he was expecting something.

Li Ye’s three younger brothers were also in the same cell. They were from seven to ten years old. They looked terrified and pale.

Zhou Yi came to the outside of the cell and swept his gaze across the four of them. The three young ones were born in luxury and had never followed Li Wu to war. Their essence, energy, and spirit were far inferior to Li Ye.

Li Ye’s eyes flashed with joy as he probed, “Senior, you are..”

“That’s me.” Zhou Yi said via voice transmission, “Back then, I promised Li Wu that I would leave a bloodline for the Li family so that the heroes would not die out!”

When the old voice entered his ears, it was exactly the same as the senior who had secretly helped him previously. Li Ye heaved a sigh of relief. This was his father’s last chance of survival for the Li family.

“Thank you for saving my life, Senior.”

Li Ye observed his expression and knew that Zhou Yi was unwilling to expose his identity. He asked his three younger brothers to hide in the inner room.

Zhou Yi asked curiously, “How do you know my identity?”

Li Ye said, “Before Father died, he sent someone to pass on a message. If the entire family is imprisoned one day, the person who delivered the food while we wait in this cell will be the Li family’s last chance.”

Zhou Yi asked again, “Did the Li family participate in the Crown Prince’s rebellion?”

Li Ye was silent for a moment before answering truthfully, “I did contact the Eastern Palace and wanted the Crown Prince to ascend to the throne as soon as possible and seek survival in death. However, time was too short and I didn’t have the time to contact my old friends in the army.”

Zhou Yi said in surprise, “So the rebellion was orchestrated by Emperor Hongchang himself?”

Li Ye nodded and said, “As far as I know, the Crown Prince has never had the intention to kill with poison. He only wants to force the current Emperor to abdicate.”

Zhou Yi clicked his tongue in wonder. “Emperor Hongchang is also a ruthless person. In order to eliminate the Li family, he would rather abandon his own son. Clearly, he doesn’t have much time left.”

Li Ye bowed and said, “Senior, please save the Li family!”

Zhou Yi reminded him, “I promised Li Wu that I would only save one.”

The four sons of Li Wu were wanted by the imperial court, and all of them were thorns in Emperor Hongchang’s side. It was already very risky to find an opportunity to save one.

“I don’t dare to ask for too much. I’m already lucky to leave the Li family’s bloodline.”

Li Ye continued, “Father left behind a special technique for the late emperor. Now that the imperial family wants to destroy the Li family, I don’t have to abide by the oath. I’ll offer this technique in exchange for Senior taking my third brother as your personal disciple!”

“Third brother?” Zhou Yi wondered, “You’re the current Duke. If you die, most of the Li family’s connections in the army will be crippled.”

CON

“After Father died, those uncles avoided the Li family like the plague. How could I have any connections?” Li Ye said, “My martial arts talent is poor, and I already have no hope of becoming a grandmaster. My third brother is talented. If he can cultivate with you, he might be able to break through to the Connate Realm in the future.”

Zhou Yi asked, “Is it the Flying Sword special technique?”

Back then, when Li Wu lured and killed experts of the martial world, Old Bai had seen it with his own eyes. His flying sword could kill people as easily as cutting grass.

“The special technique is called a Blood-Refined Spirit Weapon. Only Connate Grandmasters can cultivate it.” Li Ye explained, “Find a spirit artifact and bathe it in your blood. It will then be connected to your mind and can be absorbed into your body over the years.”

Zhou Yi looked interested, but he shook his head and said, “Although the special technique is good, it’s a pity that I don’t accept disciples.”

The master-disciple relationship in this era was not as simple as a teacher-student relationship. It was not an exaggeration to say that they were parents of another surname

If the teacher had something to do, the disciple would do the work.

If a disciple committed evil, his master would also bear his sins.

Li Ye sighed dejectedly. The Blood Refinement Mystic Technique was the only thing that could be used. There was nothing else that could move a Grandmaster.

“But ..” Zhou Yi’s tone changed. “I have a cultivation technique that has a special requirement for one’s aptitude. Very few people in the world can cultivate it. If you can enter the elementary level and cultivate for decades, you will reach the Connate Realm!”

Li Ye pondered for a moment and understood that he had no choice. “Thank you for the technique, Senior. I’ll tell you the method of blood refinement first..” Then, he told Zhou Yi everything about the special technique.

“Such a special technique can already be considered a weapon refinement technique.”

Zhou Yi secretly pondered and found it even more mysterious. He asked, “How can I determine what a spirit artifact is?”

“I’m not sure either, but when my father was alive, he said that there were two spiritual items in the Divine Capital.”

Li Ye said, “The Mountain and River Cauldron enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the heirloom jade seal of the Fengyang Kingdom. These two items were passed down from the founding ancestor and the ancestral sword refined by Father back then. They are called the Three Treasures of Fengyang.’

“Both of them are quite troublesome.”

Zhou Yi had seen the Mountain and River Cauldron before. It was almost as tall as a person and weighed two to three tons.

Although the jade seal of inheritance was small, it was hidden in the depths of the palace. There were countless imperial guards inside and outside. Moreover, the exact location of the jade seal needed to be investigated personally.

“Let’s put this matter aside for now and plan slowly in the future.”

If Zhou Yi could wait, he could even wait until the Fengyang Kingdom was destroyed, and the Mountain and River Cauldron and jade seal would be at his fingertips.

“This cultivation technique of mine is called the Origin Returning Mantra. No one in the world can cultivate it.” Zhou Yi said, “Call your three younger brothers out and test their bones one by one. If they fail.. the other clansmen can try.”

“As you say, Senior.”

Li Ye did not force his three brothers to live. There were still Li Wu’s illegitimate sons and daughters in the other cells, as well as the Li family’s collateral relatives. How could a clan’s revenge plan be cut off because of distance!

“The world is dark and there’s no limit to it. When it merges, the essence energy will mix together..”

Zhou Yi taught the Origin Returning Mantra to the four brothers and waited for them to sit cross-legged and cultivate. There was no need for them to really refine their Dharmic powers. Instead, if they could attract the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it meant that they had cultivation potential.

About an hour later.

Li Ye was the first to stand up. He shook his head slightly and looked at his three younger brothers hopefully. Then, his second brother and third brother ended their meditation. No matter what, they could not sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth described in the Origin Returning Mantra.

Only the fourth brother, Li Hong, sat cross-legged in meditation. Not only did he not feel tired, but he also revealed a look of enjoyment.

“Is this.. a spiritual root?”

Zhou Yi keenly sensed that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth fluctuated slightly and gathered around Li Hong. The amount and speed were several times faster than when he was cultivating.

“The Li family has a successor!”