Ke Mansion.
On this winter day, the sun was about to dip into the Qingshui River, extinguishing its fiery glow, while the sprawling Qinghe County was bathed in a mesmerizing rosy hue.
Under the sunset, the Ke Mansion seemed rejuvenated, and at this moment, the family was enjoying dinner together.
Ke Dalong, who had just returned from the Ying family’s old house, spoke with a hint of fear about the disaster beast they had investigated that day.
“That disaster beast was truly terrifying. Preliminary assessments suggest it was at least a fifth-grade disaster beast. When we arrived, it was covered in sword wounds—it must have died just last night.”
“Fifth-grade? Thank goodness it’s dead… But who could have killed it?”
In a small county like Qinghe, Ke Dalong, serving as the county magistrate (equivalent to a police chief), was only at the Internal Breathing Realm. If that disaster beast, which was about the strength of a human in the Inner Scene Realm, went berserk, the consequences would be unimaginable.
“I find it strange too.”
Shaking his head, Ke Dalong animatedly added, “There were no signs of a struggle at the scene, yet there were all these sharp sword wounds on the disaster beast, like the trace of an antelope’s horns, leaving no clues behind. Son, do you have any ideas?”
Old Mr. Ke had to admit that in martial arts, his son was already much more authoritative than he was.
“Cough…”
Ke Mo glanced at the snow-white Ice Chunk and lightly coughed, “It’s probably some absolute master who dislikes mundane troubles. After attacking, they just swished away, hidden in plain sight.”
“There doesn’t seem to be a sword expert in Qinghe County capable of such a feat…”
“Who says there isn’t?”
Ke Mo immediately protested. Just then, Ying Bing picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and placed it into his bowl.
“Who?” Ke Mo asked.
“Correct, it was your son! I was almost going to become a hero of the Sword of the Skylarks, just a hair away.”
Ke Jianxian bent his thumb to point at himself.
“Tsk…”
Both parents rolled their eyes, their expressions obviously dubious.
“…”
Yantian Sect!
I could stab you a thousand times and still not be enough!!!
Little Ke secretly thought how fortunate it was that he wasn’t a typical arrogant character from a story; if he held a grudge this deep, wouldn’t he eliminate everyone in a family?
Back to the point.
Ke Mo put down his chopsticks and said seriously, “Dad, Mom, I’m going out for a while.”
“It’s almost New Year, where are you going?” they inquired.
“I’m heading to the Ziyang Mansion. I haven’t reported back to my master since returning from the South Border, so I should go and let my mentors know I’m safe, and pay them a visit.”
“Oh, look who’s growing up.”
You see, Little Ke actually didn’t want to lie to his parents.
But if he told the truth that he was going to con some notorious demonic cult, how could he even say that?
Ying Bing furrowed her delicate brows and glanced at him.
…….
After dinner, Ke Mo returned to his room. He recalled that he had an investment feedback he hadn’t claimed yet, so he summoned his system.
【Congratulations, host. You have successfully invested in ‘Ying Bing’ and freed her from nightmares.】
【You have a pending investment feedback to collect.】
“May Ice Chunk bless me.”
Little Ke, with a serious expression, was about to do something unprecedented—engage in a quick little xuanxue moment.
You see, it’s called a last-minute hug around the Ice Chunk’s leg.
The feedback from Ice Chunk was generally good, but it was sure to be able to save him in a pinch…
【Investment Feedback: Shenshi Lingzhu】
【Shenshi Lingzhu】: “This orb can simulate various phenomena, even cultivating your aura, allowing the host to appear 45 degrees to 15 degrees, fabulously and coolly from all angles.
Your imagination determines how powerful you look—though it’s only limited to appearances.
It is advised to have a bit of experience in impressing others before using it; otherwise, you may…”
“…..”
Ke Mo summarized the description of the item.
In short, this thing just gives him a special effect, right?
In his palm, a thumb-sized round orb appeared; although small, it seemed to contain the weight of twilight, with divine intent stirring within.
“Can I also change my aura at will?”
As Ke Mo pondered deeply, a wave of energy suddenly surged within him.
Inner Scene!
Outer Scene!
Law Body!
Mastering the Mysteries!
Reaching the Mysteries stage, his aura finally came to a halt; after all, the strongest being he had encountered was the Void Buddhism Monk.
Setting up.
Going beyond the Heavenly Realm, he hadn’t even seen; naturally, he couldn’t add any special effects there.
“Goodness, this feeling… is incredibly powerful.”
Ke Mo clenched his fist, then shook his head.
No matter what effects were added, it was ultimately fake; his power level hadn’t changed compared to before. He could dupe others, but he mustn’t deceive himself…
This also indicated the item was extremely mystical.
Unless in combat, others wouldn’t be able to see through it, which made it quite handy.
Bang—
The door suddenly swung open.
“Huh?”
When Ke Mo looked up, he saw Ying Bing standing at the threshold, sword in hand, her eyes serene yet serious.
However, when she noticed the aura of Mysteries emanating from Ke Mo, her seriousness turned into confusion.
“Ice Chunk?”
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, I just temporarily hugged your leg, and the effect was great.”
“?”
As the pressure from Mysteries dissipated, Ke Mo held the Shenshi Lingzhu in his palm and explained everything to her.
“Simulating aura and phenomena…”
Ying Bing stepped into the room, peering at Ke Dalong and his wife in the distance. She closed the door behind her, saying, “You’re not planning to use this to fool the Huanmo Sect people again, are you?”
“!!”
Seeing the quiet expression on Ice Chunk’s face, Ke Mo leaned back slightly, his heart skipping a beat.
He hadn’t said anything!
But it seemed like she knew exactly what he was thinking.
“Ice Chunk, do you have some sort of superpower, like mind-reading?”
“Hearts connect? There is such martial arts in the Buddhist sect, but I haven’t practiced it.”
“Then how do you know I’m not going back to Qingyuan Sect but to Ziyang Mansion…”
“Because you didn’t let me tag along.”
Ying Bing’s clear, mirror-like gaze made him feel slightly dazed.
“……”
Ke Mo pouted, feeling helpless, “It’s not that I’m deliberately hiding it from you, it’s just that those people from the Huanmo Sect primarily want to test me now. Me going alone is enough.”
Ying Bing softly replied, “I can help you.”
“But adding another person increases the risk, this time it’s different from the master of the Hall of Beasts last time.”
As Ke Mo spoke, he noticed her pursed lips, and he immediately became serious, “No calling me ‘stinky little brother,’ just ‘brother’ is fine.”
He feared he wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Ying Bing stared at him for a moment before finally speaking, “Then I won’t follow; you release your consciousness soul.”
“Are we double cultivating right now?” Ke Mo asked.
“Not that. I’ve gained new insights into the Taiyin Divine Intent, combined with ‘Phoenix Chirping in the Heavenly Marsh,’ creating a martial art somewhat similar to ‘Heart Connection.’”
“When did you create that?” Ke Mo thought, puzzled.
Aside from hammer techniques, it wasn’t that easy for him to create his own martial arts through comprehension.
“Just now.”
“？？？？”
Before long, Ying Bing imparted the method to him.
It seemed she really had just created it, as it was tailored specifically for the two of them.
The premise of using it was that both had to possess Taiyin Divine Intent.
Once activated, it felt like opening an all-encompassing video call, allowing them to connect their consciousness souls through the Taiyin, ignoring the distance in space.
They could see what the other saw and hear what the other heard.
Of course, there were limitations; it could only be used at night when the moon was out.
“Ice Chunk, did you name this new martial art yet?”
Ke Mo looked towards the rising moon in the night sky, asking casually.
“Not yet.”
“Then how about calling it ‘Climbing the Moonlit Path’?”
With newfound confidence, Ke Mo exhaled a sigh of relief and smiled.
Ying Bing’s eyes flickered, and she gave a light nod.
She also silently looked at the moon. Tonight’s moonlight might just be splendid.
I wonder if her mom and dad were like this many years ago, standing side by side, watching a full moon rise just like they are now?
…….
PS: Xiao Pu Jie once wrote about an idea for giving himself special effects, but unfortunately, it was aborted later. Haha, this at least fulfills a little of my own regret.
