Chapter 136: Qing Xiaohu’s Method for the Tenth Level of Qi Refining

A large wooden basin filled with dragon fish splashed and thrashed, spraying water as it landed right in front of Qingzhen.

"Oh my, the moment I see these little fish, my mouth starts watering."

"Mine too. Isn't this a Hengluo dragon fish?" Shou'an stared in astonishment at the half-foot-long fish in the basin. He couldn't help but scoop one out to take a closer look. "I’m not mistaken, am I? This is definitely a Hengluo dragon fish!"

"What Hengluo dragon fish? Isn't this just a flower-tailed dragon fish?" Qingzhen took a small knife, slit open the fish's belly, and removed its innards. He then scraped off the scales and snipped off the fins. He even chopped off the fish head with a sharp *clack* and tossed it aside.

Catching sight of this, Shou'an immediately exclaimed, "Wait, you’re not eating the fish heads? This is a Hengluo dragon fish! I’ve heard of people who even eat the bones."

Qingzhen’s hand froze mid-air, his face full of shock. "Really?"

"It’s not unheard of. In places where food is scarce, people will even clean and boil fish guts to eat," Qingjin explained with an air of worldly wisdom.

Shou'an: "..."

She Qi burst into laughter. If those big shots in Wendu City knew someone had mistaken them for starving disaster victims, they would surely laugh until they collapsed.

"What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Qingjin asked, confused.

"No, nothing. That’s exactly how it is!" She Qi roared with laughter.

Qingjin and the others were even more bewildered. However, those who had been to Wendu City, like Balie, wore strange expressions. Balie offered a bitter smile. "Young Master Shen, whether in Wuding City or Wendu City, such delicacies are said to be found only in the Hengluo Sea, which is why they are also called Hengluo fish-dragons. They are extremely rare. Wanting to eat one isn't a matter of money—it's a matter of status and quotas. Even those high-ranking figures rarely get a chance to eat them, so whenever they do, they eat even the bones, let alone the heads."

Hearing this, Qingzhen tossed the cleaned fish into a basin of clear water. "Qing Xiaohu, do we need to fish the heads back out?"

"Fish them back out for whom? I’m not eating them, are you?"

"Not me," Qingzhen said, shaking his head quickly.

"How about you throw out a few more dragon fish, Qinghu? Let everyone have a taste," suggested Qingjin.

"My fish, and I should give them away for free?" Qinghu shook her head flatly.

"Think of it as a promotion. Give everyone one to sample. Later, you can set a price, and you can have your Fourth Brother open a fish market," Qingjin immediately proposed a solution for his sister. Since the fish had already been identified, being stingy would make a bad impression. There was no need for that, especially since he knew Qinghu had plenty more in her little shell.

"That could work. I’ll give you a cut of the profits," said Qingzhen.

"Fine, then." *Thump, thump, thump*—Qinghu tossed out several more large wooden basins, each packed to the brim with crowded flower-tailed dragon fish. "Come, come! Everyone who said they’d look after my Fourth Brother’s detox herb business, come and claim a fish to try."

The newcomers were amazed, while the veterans wore strange expressions, some stifling chuckles. The leaders of the various small groups stepped forward to collect their share. Heigouzi and Heizhan immediately stepped in to handle the distribution. Even Wei Dongting and his group received theirs.

Ning Qi and the others also got their dragon fish. Chai Ning, Xie Wu, and Ruan Qingwu cooked their fish together; the three girls stayed as a group, while Ning Qi joined the Baiyang brothers. The rest of the humans joined Wei Dongting and Helan Che. Everyone brought out their pots and pans to boil the fish.

Meanwhile, Qinghu’s rice was almost steamed.

"Big Brother, what happened after you went in? Why were you so covered in soot?"

"Don't even ask. As soon as I fell in, I found myself in an underground palace. Before I could find any treasure, I ran into Ning Qi, Xie Wu, and Chai Ning, who were being chased by corpse beetles. We fled together. There were just too many beetles on the ground; just as we were cornered, we saw a few other soot-covered people being chased. They found an underground entrance before we did, so we followed them in. It was a drainage channel for the palace, filled with black sludge, debris, and filthy water. I won't even mention the smell. Once we jumped in, no one stayed clean."

Qingjin said gloomily—who would want to be covered in black soot? It was just a matter of having no choice.

"It was a maze down there, and for some reason, there weren't many corpse beetles. We hid, but every time we tried to surface, the beetles chased us back down. We hid like that for several days. Finally, the ceiling of our hiding spot collapsed. We saw light from the upper level and rushed out, and that’s when we met you."

Listening to his brother, Qingzhen felt he was lucky; at least he hadn't ended up covered in soot.

"Big Brother, I had bad luck too. I fell into the palace and was chased by beetles into a vertical shaft. The walls were high and slippery, and there was no way out. We were trapped for days without food or water. Then, Qing Xiaohu found me somehow and dug a hole to pull me up with a rope," Qingzhen recounted briefly.

"Well, you’re doing better than me, at least you didn't end up looking like a chimney sweep," Qingjin laughed.

"Heh, I guess so, I guess so." Qingzhen chuckled and served his brother a large bowl of fish with broth, then heaped a bowl of rice for him.

As Qingjin ate the fragrant, piping-hot meal, he felt his very soul singing with joy. Qingzhen and Qinghu joined in for another meal, eating until they were full and burping. Qingjin glared at them—those two had been able to score a free meal from anyone since they were kids.

After everyone tasted the delicious dragon fish, they came over to curry favor with Qingzhen, promising to visit his fish shop once it opened. The Hengluo dragon fish alone was worth the visit. Qingzhen hadn't even returned home yet, and he already had two shops lined up. He couldn't help but beam with satisfaction.

"Father really should have given me more shops. Maybe by the time I get back, I could have saved up enough for four or five."

Qingjin looked at him, thinking: *You have no idea how unreliable you are, do you?*

"Father really should have given you more shops; Fourth Brother, you’re much better at managing things than he is. That man, he gives a thirty percent discount to everyone he meets. Then he meets someone else and waives their payment. Then he meets another person and says, 'Oh, old friend, we haven't seen each other in years, how could I charge you? From now on, you don't have to pay for anything here.' If he keeps doing that, he'll go bankrupt sooner or later," Qinghu mimicked their father’s tone.

Qingzhen burst into laughter. "How do you do that impression so perfectly?"

Qingjin was left speechless. "Father has his reasons."

"Forget it, if he can't manage, he can't manage. We’d laugh at him regardless. He thinks he’s doing a great job when he’s clearly terrible at it. Hmph. Mother was right—if it's too painful to watch, just don't look," Qinghu pouted.

"Mother is actually even more unreliable. Father gives away money, but Mother is just lazy and doesn't like to work," Qingzhen whispered.

Qingjin glared at him. "Enough. When we get home, don't tell Father to his face that he can't manage; that would hurt his pride." *Father,* Qingjin thought, *I can only do so much for you. If your daughter thinks you can't manage, what can I do?*

Ruan Qingwu, listening from the side, burst out laughing.

"Young Master Shen is absolutely right," Chai Ning said, immediately defending him.

"You think everything Shen Qingjin says is right; you really are the devoted wife following the husband's lead," Ruan Qingwu teased.

"You’d better watch what you say. If people hear you, it will ruin Chai Ning’s reputation. Whether or not you care about your own, don't drag an innocent person like Chai Ning into it. Don't act like Zhang Xingxing; it’s disgusting," Xie Wu retorted sharply.

Ruan Qingwu’s face changed. She looked coldly at Xie Wu. "You’re a demoness from the Ancient Saint Sect—what do you care about reputation?"

"I’m a demoness, so I don't care, but Chai Ning does. Don't ruin her reputation with your loose tongue. Putting aside whether she marries Shen Qingjin or not, his parents wouldn't like a daughter-in-law with a tarnished reputation. If you keep blathering, who knows what rumors will spread? There are more than just you humans here. You could ruin her whole life."

Ruan Qingwu was stunned into silence. She hadn't thought that far ahead.

"I’m sorry, Chai Ning. I was being immature and spoke without thinking."

"I..." Chai Ning wanted to say she knew it was just a joke, but that would negate Xie Wu’s effort to stand up for her. Besides, if her reputation really were tarnished, the Shen family might not accept her.

"Accept her apology. Otherwise, if she keeps speaking without thinking, she’ll end up hurting someone. One can't be a child forever; one must be responsible for what they say," Xie Wu said.

Chai Ning accepted the apology. "I forgive you."

However, after this incident, both Chai Ning and Ruan Qingwu felt uncomfortable and subconsciously distanced themselves from Xie Wu.

Xie Wu didn't mind. She had grown up in the Ancient Saint Sect and had seen all sorts of strange people. To her, both Chai Ning and Ruan Qingwu were hothouse flowers who had never weathered a storm. Since they were distancing themselves, Xie Wu simply moved over to Shen Qinghu’s side. A powerhouse is a powerhouse—after eating her fill, she was already drinking spirit liquid. That large jug held at least ten pounds of it, and it was eighth-grade quality.

"Is that spirit liquid tasty?" Xie Wu asked, walking over.

"It's alright. Want a jug?" Qinghu offered.

"I don't have enough spirit stones to buy a jug of eighth-grade liquid right now," Xie Wu said with a bitter smile.

"You can put it on credit."

"Alright then, give me a jug."

The two of them clinked jugs and started chugging. Even Qingzhen and Qingjin didn't dare drink like that, but unexpectedly, Xie Wu’s stomach was a bottomless pit; she had no trouble at all. In no time, a quarter of the jug was gone.

"Not bad," Qinghu said, pleasantly surprised to find a companion who could chug with her.

"It's alright. Though I think if I finish this, I might break through to the Foundation Establishment stage."

"What cultivation level are you at now?" Qinghu asked.

"Ninth level of Qi Refining. If I drink a bit more, I’ll definitely break through. Maybe I shouldn't—if I break through to Foundation Establishment, it might take a few days, and this environment isn't suitable for it," Xie Wu said.

"Why not break through to the tenth level of Qi Refining before Foundation Establishment?" Qinghu asked, puzzled.

"Easier said than done. I’ve heard of the tenth level, but many people just jump from the peak of the ninth level straight to Foundation Establishment. I’ve never even felt the existence of a tenth level. Besides, my aptitude is only average. I heard only those with superior talent can reach the tenth level," Xie Wu said, shaking her head bitterly.

"Drink some more. Let me see what's going on," Qinghu said.

"What if I start breaking through to Foundation Establishment?"

"So what? I have so many people here, surely we can protect you during your breakthrough?" Qinghu asked in surprise.

Xie Wu thought about it and agreed. She proceeded to chug another half-jug of the eighth-grade liquid. Because she had consumed so much, spiritual energy began to steam off the top of her head.

"Start cultivating, quickly," Qinghu reminded her.

Xie Wu put down the jug and began to meditate. Sure enough, within an hour, a surging tide of spiritual energy pushed her through the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, heading straight toward the Foundation Establishment barrier.

Qinghu watched without blinking as the vortex of spiritual energy in Xie Wu’s dantian compressed inward, and a liquid began to form at the bottom. If that first drop solidified, she would definitely break through to Foundation Establishment. Qinghu carefully observed Xie Wu’s condition, then quickly reached out and tapped several points on her dantian.

Xie Wu’s body trembled, and she focused even harder on her cultivation. Under Qinghu’s guidance, the vortex in her dantian spun faster and faster, but at a subtle, tilted angle. After another hour, the liquid at the bottom hadn't solidified, but a faint cyan hue appeared in the vortex.

When Xie Wu finally opened her eyes, she saw Qinghu sitting in front of her, watching her with boredom.

"I’m at the tenth level of Qi Refining! Thank you so much!" Xie Wu jumped up, excited, and hugged Shen Qinghu.

"What do you mean, tenth level?" Qingjin asked, stunned. Chai Ning and Qingzhen, who were nearby, were equally shocked.

Ning Qi rushed over. "Tenth level of Qi Refining? Senior Sister, you reached the tenth level?"

Although Xie Wu was his senior sister, her talent was limited. He had already reached Foundation Establishment, while she had only just reached the ninth level this year. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so passive in the black market. If she had been at the Foundation Establishment stage, it would have been easier to escape or even put up a fight.