Scripture of Days Past

Thanks to his eidetic memory, Chu Qiguang was able to memorize the Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts after hearing Ning Chigong recite it just once.

Even without a physical cultivation manual, Chu Qiguang’s Dao pursuer eyes were able to assess the Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts through its dragon ocular power.

”Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts. A cultivation art that uses qi and blood to refine and strengthen the tendons and bones. 60 days 12 hours 34 minutes 55 seconds.”

Even with my aptitude and my mastery of the fourth level of the Blood Activation Arts, it’ll still take me this long to cultivate the Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts? If that’s the case, someone like Yang Ling could easily spend years on it without making any progress!

Instead of immediately leaving to cultivate the newly acquired Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts, Chu Qiguang continued questioning Ning Chigong, who obediently answered his questions like a new employee.

”Why are you hiding your power, Ning Chigong?” Chu Qiguang suddenly asked. ”Who are you working for?”

Ning Chigong was caught completely off guard by the question. His first instinct was to play dumb, but he could tell that the cat fiend wouldn’t be fooled by his lies.

”You possess power comparable to that of certain thousand-man commanders in the Demon Vanquishing Department, but it’s fine if you don’t want to tell me,” Chu Qiguang continued. ”We fiends never judge others by their past. Now that you’re a fiend, we’re family, and that’s all that matters.”

Ning Chigong felt as though the cat fiend could see right through him, and it was a rather unsettling feeling.

Through his interrogation of Gao Yi, Chu Qiguang had learned that Ning Chigong had been taken in by the Tribulation Religion as a child.

After several years of training, he and his companions were sent to the major counties and manors of Shu Province, where they joined various factions with the support of the Tribulation Religion.

They infiltrated all levels of society, and thanks to the exceptional martial arts aptitude that he had displayed from a young age, Ning Chigong managed to join the Demon Vanquishing Department.

During his younger days, he had performed exceptionally well in the Demon Vanquishing Department, earning him much praise and support from his superiors in the Tribulation Religion.

After risking his life to obtain several key pieces of intelligence from the Demon Vanquishing Department and passing them on to the Tribulation Religion, Ning Chigong came to a realization. For a mole like him, the higher he climbed, the more valuable he became to the Tribulation Religion, but the greater the danger as well.

If he were utterly useless, the Tribulation Religion would no longer be able to use him, and he would be much safer. However, he couldn’t bear the thought of spending the rest of his life as a worthless pawn.

Thus, he began hiding his true power while secretly building connections, trying to accumulate power and influence while exposing himself to as little risk as possible.

His biggest goal was to become the most unremarkable Demon Vanquishing Department hundred-man commander of Shu Province, but those aspirations had been rudely shattered by Chu Qiguang.

Now, he had become a fiend and gone from being a double agent to a triple agent. To make matters worse, the Ba Manor was about to become a battlefield for the Tribulation Religion and the Heavenly Master Religion.

The mere thought of his current situation was enough to plunge Ning Chigong into despair.

”Do you know who in Shu Province has mastered the Vajra Laws?” Chu Qiguang suddenly asked, snapping Ning Chigong out of his depressed reverie.

”The Vajra Laws used to be a Vajra Monastery martial art,” Ning Chigong said. ”After Buddhism was stamped out, the Hunter Hand Faction claimed the Vajra Laws as a prerequisite for cultivating the Sumeru Strength Scripture. Aside from Martial God Bai Shihe, the only ones in Shu Province who possess the Vajra Laws are the Dao Comprehension Seeds.”

Chu Qiguang nodded thoughtfully, then instructed, ”Take this cat with you. From now on, we can contact one another through him.”

White Rice stepped forward as Chu Qiguang continued, ”From now on, I want you to report to me on all developments concerning the Heavenly Master Religion, the Tribulation Religion, and the Demon Vanquishing Department in the Ba Manor.”

If a battle breaks out in the Ba Manor, the Demon Vanquishing Department will surely seize the opportunity to join forces with the Heavenly Master Religion to oppose the Tribulation Religion together, Chu Qiguang thought. On the Tribulation Religion’s side, I can tame their demons. As for the Demon Vanquishing Department, I can save some Dao Comprehension Seeds and obtain the Vajra Laws from them.

In Chu Qiguang’s eyes, the imminent conflict in the Ba Manor was going to present many opportunities.

Before dismissing Ning Chigong, Chu Qiguang asked him one final question. ”Who has the largest book collection in the entire Ba Manor?”

Even though Chu Qiguang had just obtained the Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts, he had no intention of spending sixty days cultivating it when he could take shortcuts by receiving boons.

***

That night, Chu Qiguang returned to his human form, put on his mask, and snuck into the Miao Clan’s estate.

The Miao Clan’s estate was situated to the west of the city, and it was a sprawling behemoth that encompassed three entire streets.

It was said that it cost more than ten taels of silver just to keep the entire estate lit each night, and twenty to thirty servants were required to complete the task.

Chu Qiguang casually strolled through the estate. He encountered several patrolling guards along the way, but he evaded them with ease.

After some searching, he finally found the Miao Clan’s scripture library.

Wealthy and powerful clans like the Miao Clan understood the importance of accumulating knowledge, particularly in the form of scriptures related to martial arts and Dao arts.

However, Chu Qiguang had no specific objective in mind. Instead, he was going to let his Ring of Ignorance guide him.

After infiltrating the scripture library, he made his way through the rows of bookshelves, running his fingers over the books he passed. Finally, he came across one that caught the attention of his Ring of Ignorance.

As Chu Qiguang’s gaze fell upon the book, a passage of text appeared before his Dao pursuer eyes.

”An apocrypha of the Vajra Monastery, containing doctrines that have been tampered with. Someone well-versed in Buddhism will be able to find leads on Buddhist fire through this scripture. Since ancient times, Buddhas have always been accompanied by flames, and Buddhist fire is integral to understanding the secrets of Buddhism.”