19. Temple Deep Alley Heard Great Sorrow (Part 1)

  "This is no ordinary knife, it's a magic weapon!" Lai Jixue said, leaving many people even more confused. Tang Lao and Sun Lao seemed to understand something upon hearing this.

  "Xiao Lai, you said earlier that this knife is a Feng Shui artifact?" Tang Lao felt he understood the value of the knife.

  "Whether or not, this knife is much stronger than ordinary Feng Shui instruments. It should be an attacking instrument, more like a legendary treasure. Fortunately, I can see the aura, otherwise I would have really missed it. 30 million, it's really a big bargain. That Japanese person should have seen it too, huh? Where did that Japanese person go?" Lai Jixue couldn't hold back his excitement, and as soon as he mentioned it, everyone found out that Abe Kiyoyama had already left without anyone noticing.

  "Lai Dashi, can you let us see the wonders of the law enforcement tool?" Xu Qian made a request on the side, which was also everyone's wish.

  "Xiao Xu, the effect of the artifact is an invisible aura, you might not be able to see it!" The speaker was Tang Lao, who obviously had experience with artifacts before, or else he wouldn't have said that.

  "No big deal, I can demonstrate it, but some things might get damaged, I don't know if the owner will have any objections?" Lai Jixue said with some difficulty.

  "Don't worry, I'd like to see it for myself too!" The owner of this place is surnamed Rong, a member of the illustrious Rong clan in China. The Rongs are a renowned family that has produced high-ranking officials, including vice premiers.

  Lai Jixue had everyone clear a space and put down a stool, on which was placed a cup of water. He stood behind it, not allowing anyone to stand there. Lai Jixue retreated, about one zhang away from the cup, drew his knife out of its scabbard, revealing a blade over a meter long that shone with a cold light. Liu Zhizhi carefully observed Lai Jixue's movements. Although this technique was something he had unintentionally mastered, previously he hadn't thought much of it, and when using it, he relied on his own internal energy to activate it, unaware of other ways to use it. Liu Zhizhi paid close attention to Lai Jixue's hand movements, focusing his mind to sense any changes.

  Lai Jixue held the knife in his right hand, pointing it at the water cup, while his left hand lightly swept across the blade. The others didn't understand the subtlety of this action, but Liu Zhizhi sensed it clearly.

  Lai Jixue's left hand fingers moved swiftly, with few but complex movements, as if constructing something. A thought flashed in Liu Zhi's mind: Array! The dark and ominous energy in the entire hall rapidly converged on the knife, which suddenly let out a loud hum, emitting a cyan glow. A cyan python-like snake darted out like lightning, and wherever it passed, cups shattered with a "peng" sound, water splashing everywhere like rain. What's more, the stool also split into two, falling to both sides.

  This move not only shocked everyone, but also startled Lai Jixue. He had thought that there would be an invisible force to shatter the cup, but unexpectedly it transformed from invisible to visible, condensing into a green python, its power far exceeding his expectations.

  It's not his fault, the law enforcement equipment he usually sees is far different from what real practitioners say, and it's even inferior to the peach wood sword Li Yi gave to Liu Zhi. The surface of Feng Shui law enforcement equipment often has symbols or auspicious patterns, good Feng Shui law enforcement equipment is often naturally tempered in a better Feng Shui location, having a great resolving effect on intangible evil spirits. On the other hand, practitioners' law enforcement equipment often utilizes the material properties to trigger its unimaginable wonders, far beyond human imagination.

  Lai Jixue's performance was already a divine skill, and the crowd had not yet recovered from their shock. Lai Jixue sheathed his sword and bowed to Liu Zhizhi, which was an ancient ritual to express gratitude to Liu Zhizhi. After all, the Lai family came from a traditional and deeply rooted aristocratic family.

  "Thank you, Brother Liu! I was able to obtain this treasure only because of you!" Lai Jixue sincerely thanked Liu Zhi.

  "No need to thank me, I've already donated it, this knife has nothing to do with me now. To be honest, I'm quite regretful, if I had known the knife was so valuable, I wouldn't have donated it and wouldn't have argued with that person, it's your good luck!" Liu Zhi said, glancing at Huang Weiguo, who also looked shocked. To be honest, he had always downplayed the Miao knife, but it turned out to be such a treasure, which was beyond his expectation. Seeing Liu Zhi looking at him, he forced a smile, feeling a bit pleased in his heart that Liu Zhi was at a disadvantage.

  Liu Zhi knew that Huang Weiguo's smile was a facade, and he felt like punching him in the face. It would be a lie to say it didn't hurt. The Liu family had money, but it was inherited from their ancestors. Although they were similar to nouveau riche, Liu Xingxu's household rules were still quite correct back then, with strict control over finances. None of his descendants became truly extravagant. Liu Zhi didn't have much disposable income, although compared to ordinary families, he had a lot more. However, it wasn't enough for him to be reckless with his spending. Relatively speaking, among the rich second generation, he was considered to be in a difficult situation.

  He would have known that this knife was worth several million, Liu Zhi would not have donated it at all. Several million slipped away from his fingers. Although Liu Zhi did charity and donated tens of thousands, which was still bearable to him, donating three hundred thousand was a heartache for Liu Zhi, but fortunately he didn't take money too seriously, otherwise he wouldn't have chosen physics as his major, which seemed useless to others.

  "Lai Dashi, I and Liu Xiaodi bought our knives in the same store at the same time. Will my Miao knife also be a magical artifact?" Cheng Zhenqian couldn't help but feel hopeful about his own Miao knife after seeing Liu Zhizhi's knife sell for 30 million.

  "Do you have a similar knife?" Lai Jixue didn't dare to believe that there would be two Faqi Miao knives, but he also had some hope. "Alright! Tomorrow night I'll invite everyone out, and Brother Cheng will bring the knife for me to take a look. Liu brother, you come too tomorrow."

  Three people left their phone numbers and made an appointment.

  ……

  This is a family-style restaurant hidden in the alley, I don't know how Lai Jixue knew about it, but he seems to be familiar with the boss, apparently not his first time here.

  "The dog meat dish here is exceptional, and the other dishes are also home-style cooking, extremely delicious. Compared to big restaurants, not only is it affordable, but the taste is great, more importantly, I know the boss buys very fresh ingredients and cooks cleanly, so I feel at ease eating here!" Lai Jixue said to the two people in the small private room, where there were only three people, and Lai Jixue hadn't invited anyone else.

  "Nowadays, food that can be trusted is not simple! I kind of miss the food in the poor mountainous elementary school, although it was simple, but absolutely trustworthy!" Liu Zhi knew a little nostalgia.

  "The dishes made by the principal's wife of your school are great, but now some top chefs may not be as good as her! Especially that Osmanthus wine, it's a rare good wine!" Cheng Zhenqian couldn't help but recall the food he had that day.

  Lai Jixue showed some interest and asked, Liu Zhi said simply.

  "Only those places that have not been developed industrially can retain their good flavor, that place, with its deep mountains and dense forests, who knows when I'll go on a trip there, and at that time I'll still look for Brother Liu!" Lai Jixue said.

  "If I were there, you could go directly, even if I weren't there, the local villagers would still be quite hospitable!" Liu Zhi said with a smile.

  "Right, let me take a look at the knife!" Lai Jixue said.

  Cheng Zhenqian handed the knife to Lai Jixue, and Liu Zhizhi had a number in his heart. This knife was just an ordinary knife and could not be a magic weapon at all. Lai Jixue drew out the knife, slightly narrowed his eyes, looked carefully, and shook his head: "This is just an ordinary Miao Dao, not a magic weapon."

  Cheng Zhenqian was somewhat disappointed, but it was okay. He didn't have high hopes to begin with. He still asked a question: "Lai Dashi, how did Liu's knife become a magic weapon?"

  "Don't call me Master, Brother Cheng calls me 'Older Brother', I should be older than Liu Zhi Zhi, from now on I'll also call Liu Zhi Zhi 'Older Brother'! It's hard to come by a Dharma instrument, Older Brother Liu is lucky, how did he become a Dharma instrument, I'm not clear either. Older Brother Liu, what's your secret?" Lai Ji Xue humbly asked.

  "It's not that I'm lucky, but rather Lai Ge is unlucky. The knife was in my hand and I didn't even notice anything unusual. What secret do I have? I'm just a martial arts practitioner." Liu Zhi knew couldn't help but smile wryly, still feeling a bit heartbroken to this day.

  "Little brother practicing martial arts? What level has he reached?" Lai Jixue was somewhat curious.

  "Brother Liu is quite formidable. During the National Day holiday, I went on an adventure with him in the mountains and encountered a giant python. I was so scared that my soul flew away, but Brother Liu beheaded it with one knife, which was the very same knife you bought. Last night at the auction, when they said it was used to behead a python, they were telling the truth."

  After he finished speaking, Liu Zhi Zhī said: "Now I should have reached the level of hidden strength!"

  "This remark surprised Lai Jixue, who exclaimed: "I didn't expect that Liu was a master, and an expert in internal energy. No wonder he could behead the python! I remember now, yesterday when I tested my sword, the python's shadow flashed by, it must have been the python's spirit being absorbed into the sword at the time of its death. I understand now, there is a record in our family's scriptures about a Blood Refining Technique that can create a powerful artifact, and this sword must be one such artifact created through blood refining when Liu beheaded the python! But the success rate is very low, that python must have been on the verge of becoming a spirit itself, otherwise it wouldn't have transformed into an artifact! What exactly happened when Liu beheaded the python?"

  Lai Jixue inferred a possibility, Liu Zhizhi knew it wasn't the case, he can now refine artifacts, of course, he understands why the Snake-Slaying Knife became an artifact, but it's not good to say, the reason he said he was a master of dark energy is actually because Liu Zhizhi planned to appear in society with this identity, as for his cultivation and other things, it's better not to mention them, this kind of humility is actually influenced by his grandfather Liu Xingxu, who possessed the Five Ghosts Technique but never revealed it in front of others, not even his family members.

  Cheng Zhenqian told him about what had happened that day and then asked, "Shouldn't I also go kill a similar wild beast so the knife can become a magic weapon?"

  "There is such a possibility, but it's extremely small. If the one being killed is a demon that has already cultivated its instincts, the success rate will be even higher!" Lai Jixue said.

  Cheng Zhenqian thought for a moment and dispelled the idea: "Although I learned some knife skills from Liu's brother, going to slay demons would probably end up with me being the one who dies. Let's just forget it! However, in the future, killing a wild rabbit or something like that might be doable."

  As soon as he said that, Lai Jixue and Liu Zhizhi both burst out laughing. Just then, the waiter pushed open the door and brought in a large bowl of steaming hot dog meat, accompanied by various side dishes.

  "A bottle of white wine! The kind that your boss brews himself, barley wine!" The waiter asked what wine to use, Lai Jixue was obviously a regular customer and gave the order.

  He turned back to the two and said, "This homemade barley wine is not inferior to famous wines. Don't worry about it being fake. Bosses usually don't want to bring it out. I know the boss, so I know that eating dog meat without drinking strong liquor doesn't have that feeling!"

  A waiter brought over a jar of wine, Liu Zhi knew that the jar was not large, and it had more than two kilograms. The waiter opened the jar and poured wine for the three people. Liu Zhi picked up his cup and sniffed it, indeed it was mellow and pure, should be good wine, but there was a hint of unripe fire, if it were to be stored for a few more years it would be even better.

  Liu Zhi didn't really understand wine, but what he didn't know was that his way of thinking, which he thought was normal, actually unintentionally grasped the essence of alchemy, gaining a deeper understanding of different natures. This wasn't just reflected in his alchemy, but also showed a natural, intuitive grasp of all things, a kind of instinctual feeling rather than mere comprehension.

  Liu Zhi Zhi looked up at the waitress and said: "Miss, is there pear?"

  "Sir wants to eat pears, shall I ask?"

  "It's not that I want to eat pears, but peel two slices of pear and put them in the wine jar. This wine is still lacking in age and has a hint of fiery nature, using the cool nature of the pear to cover it up makes the flavor even better!" Liu Zhi explained the reason, and when he looked up, he saw Lai Jixue and Cheng Zhenqian staring at him like they were looking at some kind of monster.

  The waiter answered and went to do as he was told.

  "Liu, you've only taken a sniff and you can already smell the wine and a hint of fire, is this for real? You're incredible, are you a master wine taster?" Cheng Zhenqian asked disbelievingly.

  "Of course it's true. In modern chemistry, the esterification of alcohol is not enough. There are fruit esters in pears, which can adjust the fire properties. When you drink it, this wine has a slightly spicy and pungent mouthfeel. Don't believe me? Try drinking some now, and then compare it with the wine after soaking pears. You'll see that I'm right!"

  Liu Zhi was taken aback by his question, but fortunately, he had solid scientific knowledge. He immediately thought of the fact that part of the aroma of wine comes from the esterification of alcohol, which is a small portion of ethanol being oxidized to acid and then reacting with alcohol to form an aromatic ester. The content of this ester is just right to guarantee the flavor of the wine, but this reaction is very slow, so the older the wine, the more fragrant it becomes. This point was even mentioned in high school chemistry.

  Coincidentally, Liu Zhi could feel that the wine had not yet reached its optimal state.

  "Liu younger brother, this move of yours can only be appreciated by those old guys in our family. I didn't think you had such a profound skill!" Lai Jixue said with emotion.

  "That boss still hasn't gotten over the fiery wine? It turns out that Lai Daishi brought a friend, I'm the boss, Li has arrived! Came specifically to meet this master, didn't expect it was your friend!" The door was pushed open and a middle-aged man with a flushed face walked in.

  Lai Jixue introduced the two, this is the boss. The boss told the truth, because the wine sells well, the old wine is sold out. This jar of wine is still one or two years short of age, and it's specially brought as a gift.

  Three people stood up and said it was nothing, the boss toasted a round of wine and bid farewell. Only then did Cheng Zhenqian feel relieved. Cheng Zhenqian savored it carefully and found that the wine in the pear-shaped container with two slices of pear added to it had less of that strong pungent flavor than the wine in his cup earlier, and was much milder and more full-bodied.

  Dog meat with white wine is really enjoyable. The three of them ate and sweated a bit. As they ate and chatted, the distance between the men immediately narrowed after drinking wine.

  Unconsciously, they talked about some traditional Chinese customs, from tradition to the inheritance of some aristocratic families. These stories were completely unknown to both Liu Zhi and Cheng Zhenqian before, after all, neither of them came from that level of society. Many of these stories were heard for the first time. Among the Chinese aristocratic families, the Kong family in Qufu, Shandong Province is the most renowned, being the descendants of Confucius, with a history spanning over 2,000 years, never declining. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, although they suffered some impact, it did not affect their foundation much, and can be called the number one aristocratic family in China.

  Secondly, among the numerous Zhang and Li families in Longhushan, there is a saying that "the south has Zhang and the north has Kong". Among other ordinary families, some are related to martial arts practice, such as the Qian family of Wuxi, the Wang family of Jinling, the Xie and Yu families of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the Jin family of Northeast China, the Li family of Shanxi, the Liu family of Sichuan, the Yan family of Chenzhou, and the Lai family of Lingnan, among others. None of these were known to Liu Zhiji and Cheng Zhenqian before.

  Three people were full of wine and food, the restaurant was in a deep alley, it wasn't early anymore, the alley was very narrow and long, cars couldn't enter, after walking nearly 50 meters, the alley became slightly wider, one side was ordinary residential houses, the other side was surprisingly a small Buddhist temple called Puzi Temple, which can't be compared to those large temples like Jade Buddha Temple, monks in the temple hadn't rested yet, faintly transmitting chanting sounds.

  Although the three of them had drunk a considerable amount of wine, Liu Zhi knew how to hold his liquor and was not greatly affected. Lai Ji Xue had obviously taken a different path in his cultivation and had a higher tolerance for alcohol. Only Cheng Zhen Qian showed some slight signs of intoxication.

  It was already very late, and there were few pedestrians on the road. In the alley, a long stretch had only one street lamp, and the light was somewhat dim. The three of them were walking along when suddenly three people appeared in front and behind them, each holding an iron rod, and they closed in from both sides.

  "Who are you?" Liu Zhi didn't panic, he was a master of dark energy, these few people looked tall and strong, but their movements were not coordinated, even if they had practiced, they hadn't entered the door, so he wasn't afraid. Liu Zhi was confident that he could take down the six men in a short time, Lai Jixue also looked very relaxed, obviously he also had enough confidence, only Cheng Zhenqian was a bit tense, gripping his dagger tightly.

  "Who is Liu Zhizhi? Our boss wants to have a word with you!" one of them said.

  "Who is your boss?"

  "Our big brother is the notorious Hei Hu Ye Han Jianye from Shanghai, and he's here to give you some face!"

  "I've never heard of him! I don't know him, and I don't have time!" Liu Zhi said calmly. Han Jian had heard of him once in passing when he was in school, but he was just a hoodlum, and Liu Zhi didn't even consider it for a moment before refusing.

  "Liu Ge, don't waste your breath on this kid. Just knock him out with one stick, cover him with a sack, and send him to that Japanese guy. As long as he's not dead, Korean Grandpa has already taken the money!" Another small hoodlum said disdainfully.

  "Japanese?!" Liu Zhiji and Lai Jixue exchanged a glance, and a person flashed in their minds - Abe Yoshisan. As for the reason why he came to catch Liu Zhiji, both of them had a rough idea.

  "I hate the Japanese the most, you're actually serving as their running dogs, then get down for me!" Yu Zhi's anger ignited, and he exchanged a glance with Lai Ji Xue, nodded, and as soon as the words fell, Yu Zhi and Lai Ji Xue had already rushed out. Yu Zhi charged towards the three people in front, while Lai Ji Xue rushed towards the three people behind, Cheng Zhen Qian was stunned on the spot.

  "Looking for death!" Liu Ge raised the iron rod and slammed it towards Liu Zhi, Liu Zhi's body dodged to one side, the iron rod scraped against his clothes and missed, Liu Zhi's fist had already struck Liu Ge's shoulder blade, the shoulder blade immediately fractured, the iron rod fell, Liu Zhi didn't let him off, a kick with the sole of his foot, directly kicked on the right leg's shinbone, also immediately fractured, a miserable cry, Liu Ge immediately fell to the ground and fainted.

  Liu Zhi didn't stop, his body turned around, and the person next to him hadn't reacted yet. A punch burst out, and in his ear, he heard the sound of ribs breaking. The person immediately fainted. At this time, the third person finally came back to their senses, the iron rod had just been raised, but hadn't fallen yet. Liu Zhi didn't give him a chance, he had already pressed into his chest, with one elbow down, accompanied by the sound of bones breaking, the person was also sent flying out.

  The whole process took less than a minute. As Liu Zhi was an expert in dark energy, and he hated the other party for working for the Japanese, his moves were more ruthless. Fortunately, he didn't want to take their lives, so he controlled his strength well, otherwise these three would have lost their lives.

  On the other side, Lai Jixue also finished, Liu Zhizhi although took action, still paying attention to that side, Lai Jixue made a move, two people rushed up, one person rushed towards Cheng Zhen's front, the opponent hit down with a stick, Lai Jixue's body dodged low, horse sinking bridge, mouth shouting "crane cry", hand holding, cutting off the opponent's elbow, another fist in the crane cry sound, instantly bursting out, but it was an inch of power, walking in the style of Southern Fist, an inch of power came out, immediately knocked down one person, followed by a side kick, and another leg bone stood broken.

  Another person rushed towards Cheng Zhen, and when he saw the opponent coming with a fierce momentum, he was startled. The knife in his hand didn't even have time to be unsheathed, both hands grasped the knife, the knife followed the waist and chopped forward. It turned out that for more than a month, Cheng Zhen had not practiced in vain. On that day, he learned from Liu Zhi the Miao Dao's one-step three knives and three-and-a-half knives method, and after a month, it had become a conditioned reflex.

  The scabbard-wearing knife chopped down on the opponent's arm holding a short rod, and at that moment, a cracking sound was heard. Cheng Zhenqian instinctively turned his hand over, thrusting forward, fortunately the knife had not left its scabbard, otherwise the opponent would have been killed for sure. The thrust landed squarely on the opponent's abdomen, eliciting a pained cry as he went limp and fell to the ground.

  "Good swordsmanship!" Lai Jixue praised. Cheng Zhen calmed down and smiled: "Brother, I've also become a master!"

  "Be careful!" Liu Zhizhi and Lai Jixue almost shouted out at the same time.