novelapdf Chapter 73 Changing Type
Chapter 73 Changing Type
Shen Qing closed his eyes and focused his inner energy, which flowed slowly along the meridians on his face.
He could feel his facial bones gradually becoming more flexible under the influence of spiritual energy, like hardwood being soaked in warm water, slowly losing its original shape.
The first step was to sculpt the bones. Shen Qing began to sketch a person's appearance in his mind: sword-like eyebrows that slanted into the temples, a high and straight nose, slightly protruding cheekbones, and a thin but resolute chin.
For Shen Qing, simulating that face he had spent seven years with day and night was too easy.
Mo Wentian.
His senior uncle was a disciple accepted by the Taoist Master Fushan in his later years.
Although they started learning later than him, their extraordinary talent allowed them to quickly surpass him in cultivation.
Shen Qing was much older than him. Although they were uncle and nephew, they had lived and eaten together on the mountain for nearly twenty years. Their relationship was not particularly deep, but it was not shallow either.
Mo Wentian reached the Foundation Establishment stage at the age of nineteen, and by his early thirties, he had already reached the fifth level of Foundation Establishment.
When leaving Qingyun Mountain, Mo Wentian only said, "I want to go out and have a look," and then carried an iron sword down the mountain.
Twenty years have passed since then, and there has been no news of him since.
Shen Qing's reasons for choosing to impersonate Mo Wentian were quite valid.
First, he knew Mo Wentian's mannerisms and expressions very well, making it difficult for him to imitate them flawlessly.
Secondly, with Mo Wentian's cultivation level, he was enough to intimidate the Huang family in Qinghe County, and even the county magistrate Zhao Yuanlang.
Furthermore, Mo Wentian was originally a disciple of the Qingyun Sect, so his return to Qinghe was not abrupt. Given his status, taking back Qingyun Mountain would save him a lot of trouble.
Third, Mo Wentian's most distinctive feature is his "Sword Heart Clear" physique, and his sharp and piercing temperament is something that ordinary people simply cannot imitate.
Shen Qing is able to do this now. Although the sword intent nurtured in his dantian is still immature, it already possesses the unique sharpness of a sword cultivator.
This is the prototype of the sword bone bestowed upon him by the Lingyun Sword Manual. With just a slight release, it can create an imposing aura of sword energy.
But Shen Qing's biggest problem right now is his cultivation level.
The Illusion Technique can change one's appearance and aura, while the Concealing Qi Technique can simulate one's cultivation aura. With the two combined, disguising a low cultivation level is a piece of cake for Shen Qing.
To impersonate Mo Wentian requires raising one's cultivation to an extremely high level. For a cultivator who has just established their foundation to impersonate someone who has surpassed the late stage of foundation establishment is a completely different level of difficulty.
Shen Qing tried several methods, but simply releasing the spiritual energy from his dantian would reveal his true cultivation level.
Shen Qing tried to reverse the Qi Concealing Technique, attempting to expand his own aura, which had some effect, but was still not enough.
After several failed attempts, Shen Qing had a flash of inspiration and focused his attention on the twelfth-grade flawless Dao platform in his dantian.
The twelfth-grade Dao Platform is a rare and perfect foundation-building achievement in ancient times. Its aura is completely different from that of ordinary Dao Foundations. Shen Qing had seen the aura of Fu Shan and Mo Wentian after they achieved their foundations.
Shen Qing could naturally sense the gap between himself and them, so when he actively released part of the Dao Platform's aura, his own aura was instantly amplified, like the difference between pure gold and gilded gold.
He tried to release the Dao Platform aura at 30% of its power, while simultaneously reversing the Qi Concealing Technique and combining it with the Illusion Technique to merge the two powers in his dantian, so as to achieve a mutual amplification effect.
A moment later, Shen Qing opened his eyes and used his divine sense to observe his own aura.
Its sharp edge was fully revealed, and a chilling sword aura surrounded its body, which far surpassed the aura of Mo Wentian at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment.
By now it was dawn, and Shen Qing stared at her reflection in the stream for a long while in silence.
In the water was a face exactly like Mo Wentian's, with sword-like eyebrows, eyes like cold stars, and a slightly raised chin that exuded youthful arrogance.
Shen Qing tried to smile, and the face in the reflection smiled back, but the smile only appeared at the corners of the mouth, while the eyes were devoid of any warmth, instead appearing even colder.
That's the feeling. Mo Wentian never smiles, or rather, when he smiles, he's even more frightening than when he doesn't.
Shen Qing stood up. The first snow in the pine forest had not yet melted, and it made a slight crunching sound when she stepped on it.
Instead of rushing down the mountain, he found a dry spot under the sheltered rock face to continue meditating and regulating his breathing.
His divine sense spread out and enveloped the entire Qingyun Mountain. The Huang family's craftsmen were putting the finishing touches on the work. Several mansions were already taking shape, with blue bricks and gray tiles, much more magnificent than the Qingyun Sect of yesteryear.
Shen Qing could even hear several craftsmen discussing that Master Huang was in a hurry and that all the furniture had to be completed before the end of the year so that the old master could spend the New Year in the new house.
New year.
Based on their discussion, Shen Qing calculated that he had been buried in the grave for more than two months, and now there was less than half a month left until the end of the year.
Having gone two months without food or water, Shen Qing can now survive by abstaining from grains and consuming only the aroma of air, but he still lacks the comforting warmth and comfort of everyday life.
Shen Qing withdrew his divine sense and got up to walk downstream along the mountain stream.
The mountain stream was not yet frozen in winter, and the water was crystal clear, with several palm-sized crucian carp swimming among the rocks.
Shen Qing didn't go to catch fish; his divine sense had already detected something more tempting: a half-grown wild boar cub was digging through the frozen soil by the stream, searching for grass roots to eat.
Shen Qing raised his hand and pointed, a wisp of sword energy shot out from his fingertip, and the wild boar cub fell to the ground before it could even grunt.
Shen Qing picked up the piglet, weighed it in his hand, and found it to be about twenty pounds, just enough for one meal.
They gutted him, scraped off the hair and washed him clean, gathered dry branches and firewood, and started a fire by the stream.
No salt, no seasoning, just the most basic charcoal grilling.
The pig skin was roasted until it was golden brown, and the grease dripped onto the charcoal fire, making a sizzling sound and sending up wisps of smoke.
Shen Qing tore off a piece of scalding hot meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it.
There's only one word to describe it: Fragrant!
Shen Qing leaned against the rock wall, looking at the gray sky above, and suddenly felt that it was really good to be alive!
After eating and drinking my fill, sleepiness washes over me like a tidal wave.
Perhaps it was the lingering worldly habits within him that made him feel the need to lie still and get some sleep, even though he was full of energy after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage and had been lying in a coffin for two months.
Shen Qing leaned against the rock wall and closed his eyes. Having achieved Foundation Establishment, he now possessed a physique impervious to heat and cold, and was not worried about falling ill as a result.
Accompanied by the sounds of pine trees and streams, Shen Qing slept soundly.
When he woke up, it was already late at night. The campfire had long since gone out. Shen Qing got up, stretched his limbs, and used his divine sense to probe the Huang family disciples in the mountains.
"Third Master said that the set of huanghuali furniture in the main hall must be transported to the mountain before the New Year. The old master wants to spend the New Year in the new house, which is a great joy for our Huang family and cannot be delayed."
"As for us staying on this hilltop for now, after the craftsmen finish building the courtyard wall, it will be our turn to come down the mountain. Second Master, you are considerate of everyone's hard work. At that time, each of you will be rewarded with two taels of silver and one shi of rice and flour."
A middle-aged man who looked like a manager was giving orders to several servants, his tone revealing undisguised smugness.
Two servants on night duty sat chatting by the brazier. One said he would treat himself to a good meal at the Red Mansion after they got down the mountain, while the other muttered to himself that the night wind on the mountain felt eerie and that it would be better to go down the mountain sooner.
From these fragments of information, Shen Qing quickly pieced together the general situation: the Huang family's new house was basically completed, and even the matching furniture had been transported from the county town.
But that bastard Huang Yuanji doesn't seem to be on the mountain.