Chapter 51: Leader's Wife

"Why am I here?"

Grandma Si emerged from the thatched cottage, her voice choked with emotion. "I worked so hard to raise you, and you just ran off with a fox spirit without a word, leaving me all alone. And you ask me why I'm here? You're all grown up now; with a fox spirit, you don't need Grandma anymore! Little fox spirit, how do you want to die?"

Qin Mu quickly chuckled, "Grandma, you've misunderstood. I accidentally met Fox Ling'er, and when she mentioned the Flooding River Dragon Palace, I went to take a look. I got completely absorbed in comprehending the true dragon within the palace and ended up staying there for two extra days."

"Not two days, but four! Wait, did you say comprehending the true dragon?"

Grandma Si asked in surprise, "The little fox spirit didn't drain your essence or absorb your vital qi?"

Fox Ling'er, shy and a little scared, hid behind Qin Mu.

Qin Mu activated his vital qi and smiled, "Grandma, please watch!"

A low dragon's roar resonated. Qin Mu's vital qi surged out, forming a large dragon that coiled around his body. Its two dragon claws merged with his arms. As Qin Mu moved, he unleashed a punch, followed by a thunderous boom and the eruption of thunderous sounds.

He threw punch after punch, and the resonant thunder echoed through the valley, rumbling and vibrating ceaselessly!

"Azure Dragon Vital Qi!"

Grandma Si was utterly shocked. She knew Grandpa Ma hadn't taught Qin Mu the Mahayana Sutra of Tathagata, which meant Qin Mu lacked a suitable cultivation method for the Eight Thunderclap Forms. Therefore, no matter how abundant his vital qi was, his mastery of the Eight Thunderclap Forms couldn't be very high.

Yet now, Qin Mu was actually generating thunderous sounds with his punches, like galloping thunder, almost producing lightning itself!

To achieve this level in the Spirit Embryo realm, without the corresponding internal cultivation method, was almost impossible!

But the most crucial thing wasn't just that; it was the Azure Dragon Vital Qi!

The Azure Dragon coiling around Qin Mu just now was the unique Azure Dragon Vital Qi of the Azure Dragon Spirit Body, one of the Four Great Spirit Bodies!

This was already the third attribute his Overlord Body Vital Qi possessed!

Qin Mu had observed water and fire, giving his Overlord Body Vital Qi water and fire attributes, corresponding to Black Tortoise Vital Qi and Vermillion Bird Vital Qi. And now, he also possessed the lightning attribute of Azure Dragon Vital Qi!

"Could it be that Mu'er drained the little fox spirit and significantly improved his cultivation? No, I never taught him any demonic cultivation methods for draining others... What did he mean when he said he saw a true dragon?" Grandma Si wondered.

Qin Mu concluded his stance, and the Azure Dragon formed by his vital qi smoothly entered his body, appearing incredibly lifelike from head to tail, as if it were a real divine dragon.

He felt both surprise and joy, never expecting to be able to generate thunderous sounds!

He had envied the young monk Mingxin for generating thunderous sounds when performing the Eight Thunderclap Forms. Qin Mu could also produce thunderous sounds if he used the Demonic God's Great Power Seal, but that technique consumed a lot of vital qi.

The Eight Thunderclap Forms consumed less vital qi. Moreover, the 'Overlord Body Three Elixir Technique' was better suited for cultivation during combat, allowing for cultivation advancement with almost no vital qi depletion during battles.

Being able to produce thunderous sounds would allow his strength to make significant progress!

He recounted his experiences in the Dragon Palace, and Grandma Si listened with fascination. When Qin Mu mentioned encountering the skeleton in official robes and the mummified corpse, Grandma Si's eyes gleamed as she said, "Two different ways of dying, that's strange. You must be careful if you go in there again."

When Qin Mu then spoke of the young dragon sealed by the Dragon Pearl's mystic ice and Gu Linuan, Grandma Si clapped her hands and laughed, "There's something strange about that old fellow Gu Linuan. Those skeletons in official robes must have died by his hand and been consumed by him! People in officialdom always devour others without leaving bones. How did you trick him?"

Fox Ling'er listened in admiration. This old woman had never seen it herself, yet she made the same judgment as Qin Mu just by hearing about it. Could she also be a fox spirit?

Qin Mu explained how he was taught the Heart of Alchemy Art and then took out the Junior Protector Sword.

Grandma Si took it to examine, then praised it, saying, "The Junior Protector Sword is indeed a rare treasure in the world. The Eternal Peace Empire forged sixteen first-rank ceremonial swords with the full might of the nation. These included the Junior Protector Sword, Grand Protector Sword, Grand Tutor Sword, Junior Tutor Sword, Grand Preceptor Sword, Junior Preceptor Sword, Three Offices Sword, Cavalry General Sword, Crown Prince Sword, Commandery Prince Sword, Duke Sword, Grand Commandant Sword, Minister of Works Sword, and Heavenly Strategist Sword. They were bestowed respectively upon the Crown Prince's Junior Protector, Grand Protector, Grand Tutor, Crown Prince's Junior Tutor, Grand Preceptor, Crown Prince's Junior Preceptor, Kaifu Yitong Sansi, General of Agile Cavalry, Crown Prince, Commandery Prince, Duke, Grand Commandant, Minister of Works, and General of Heavenly Strategy. Although the Junior Protector Sword is not as powerful as a true first-rank sword, it is more than sufficient to be considered the foundational treasure of other sects."

"That precious?"

Qin Mu was startled and asked, "How does this sword compare to the Xiqiluo Staff?"

Grandma Si replied, "They're about the same, not much difference in power. The Xiqiluo Staff has the Tathagata's blessing, while the Junior Protector Sword, as a ceremonial sword of a first-rank official, carries the national destiny of Eternal Peace, making its power extremely formidable."

Qin Mu asked, "He said the sword arts of Eternal Peace are the best in the world. I didn't learn them; I only learned the Heart of Alchemy Art's sword control technique. Was I right to do that?"

"Not learning them was correct," Grandma Si said. "The National Master of Eternal Peace's sword arts are naturally good, but Gu Linuan was a member of our demonic path back then, and his sword arts might not have reached the level of the National Master. Sword arts depend on the person. No matter how good the sword art, if the master teaches poorly, it will leave countless flaws. Look at the young monk Mingxin; he also cultivated the Eight Thunderclap Forms, but because his master taught poorly, it left the flaw of his throat exposed."

Grandma Si advised earnestly, "Therefore, when learning sword arts, you must choose the best master. You absolutely cannot pick a half-baked master."

Qin Mu was puzzled. Gu Linuan was a first-rank official of the Eternal Peace Empire, the Crown Prince's Junior Protector. Could he also be 'half-baked'?

"Little fox, I won't kill you anymore."

Grandma Si smiled, "Mu'er, let's go home. The villagers must be worried sick, thinking you were eaten by a beast on your first hunting trip. Only Grandma is smart enough to know you were enticed by the little fox, so I've been waiting here. Oh, and little fox, Grandma looked through those ancient books of yours and added annotations for you. You can read them yourself; they'll help you avoid some detours."

Fox Ling'er looked ashamed and dejected, "I can't read..."

Grandma Si was surprised and chuckled, "Well, you're an honest fox spirit. Since you didn't harm Mu'er and even allowed him to gain an opportunity, alright, Grandma won't deceive you anymore. If you were to cultivate according to my annotations, you would definitely suffer qi deviation and die a miserable death. Who told you to entice my child?"

Fox Ling'er shivered, thinking, "Young Master Mu was right. The old men and women in their village are masters of deception. They're old foxes who've become spirits!"

Not long after, they arrived at Old Cripple Village. Qin Mu was slightly taken aback to see that an additional village had appeared beside Cripple Village at some point!

This new village was clearly recently built, much larger than Cripple Village, and extraordinarily grand, with buildings and pavilions that exuded a sense of luxury!

The houses in Cripple Village were all simple mud-walled structures with thatched roofs that sometimes leaked. On rainy days, Qin Mu often had to carry a basin to catch the rainwater inside the house. Compared to the suddenly appearing neighboring village, Cripple Village seemed much shabbier.

Grandma Si's expression suddenly turned grim. Without a word, she led Qin Mu toward Cripple Village.

The new village was located right by the road at the entrance of the village. At that moment, strange-looking people emerged from that village and stood by the roadside, old and young, male and female.

Every time Grandma Si passed someone, that person would bow respectfully and say, "Madam."

Even elderly people with white hair would bow and respectfully address her as "Madam," their expressions and tones exceedingly humble.

Grandma Si's face grew increasingly dark. Without saying a word, she held Qin Mu's hand and walked all the way to Cripple Village. Along the way, Qin Mu heard "Madam" hundreds of times, feeling utterly astonished.

At the village entrance, the Village Chief and the Apothecary were drinking tea. Opposite them sat a young man, also slowly sipping tea, with an old man standing beside him.

"Madam," the old man bowed.

The young man looked up, his voice impossibly ancient, and leisurely said, "Youyou, aren't you going to greet your Ancestral Master?"

Grandma Si's body stiffened. She stopped, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Ancestral Master."

The Enforcement Elder looked at Qin Mu, smiling so widely his eyes almost disappeared, and said, "Madam, is this your son?"

Grandma Si glared at him, snarling, "Talk nonsense again, and I'll rip your mouth apart! Mu'er was found by me; he's not my son!"

The Enforcement Elder had an "I understand everything" expression, which made Grandma Si's teeth itch.

The Apothecary smiled faintly, "Grandma, our friends from the Heavenly Devil Cult have been here for a few days. They just haven't seen you, and they're unwilling to leave."

Grandma Si's face grew even darker. "Mu'er, go back to the village first."

"Grandma, you should go back too," the Village Chief said calmly.

Grandma Si frowned. The Village Chief said softly, "Since you've entered the gates of my Cripple Village, you are one of us. Your burdens, the people of Cripple Village will bear them with you."

The young man opposite him sipped his tea and smiled faintly, "Brother Dao, you're as domineering as ever. But this matter concerns our Cult Master, Cult Master's wife, and sacred texts. If Cripple Village tries to bear this burden, I'm afraid it won't be able to."