The next morning, Li Mingfu woke up to the smell of food.
When he walked downstairs, breakfast was already prepared.
He sat down
While Little Flower and Little Moon stood beside the table.
Li Mingfu smiled.
"Come sit."
The two girls hesitated.
Little Flower said.
"Servants shouldn't eat with the master…"
Li Mingfu was stunned, then said with a frown.
"Is that why you two didn't eat while I was eating?"
They didn't speak but nodded slowly.
Li Mingfu waved his hand.
"From now on, we will eat together. It will help us get to know each other better."
After a moment of hesitation, the two servants sat down.
Thus, from that day forward, they always ate together.
Once finished, Li Mingfu quickly ran toward the library.
His two servants started to clean up when he left.
Li Mingfu spent hours searching for information about Shadow Qi.
But no matter how many books he read, he couldn't find the exact method to draw it in.
Finally, he walked to the front desk.
The old Elder looked up from his book.
"What do you need?"
Li Mingfu bowed respectfully.
"Elder, I need help understanding Shadow Qi."
The Elder rubbed his beard.
"Drawing in Shadow Qi is difficult at first. But once you understand it, it becomes easier."
He continued calmly.
"However, Shadow Qi is dangerous. It is cold and corrosive. If you absorb too much too quickly, it can damage your meridians and Qi pathways. So guide it carefully."
Li Mingfu nodded seriously.
"If you still can't figure it out," the Elder added, "come back in a few months. I can try to help."
Li Mingfu bowed again and returned to reading.
After a while, he ran back home for lunch.
While eating, he sighed.
I should have gotten servants earlier.
No cooking, no cleaning, no laundry.
The Elder was right.
I'm an idiot.
Over the next few months, Li Mingfu continued training.
His days were filled with:
Hunting animals in the forest
Practicing dagger draws.
Training Shadow Drift Steps
The only problem he had was finding a way to absorb Shadow Qi
He tried every possible idea.
Cultivating inside caves.
Cultivating beneath tree shadows.
Cultivating only at night.
Cultivating under the moonlight.
But nothing worked.
Months passed.
Finally, Li Mingfu gave up and ran back to the library.
He burst through the door.
"Elder! I need help! I'm stuck!"
The Elder slowly closed his book.
"I only know a little about Shadow Qi."
He continued speaking.
"Most spirit stones contain neutral Qi, meaning anyone can absorb them."
Li Mingfu nodded.
"But there are also elemental spirit stones."
"For example… Dark spirit stones."
Li Mingfu's eyes lit up.
"With those stones, you could absorb Dark Qi and refine it into Shadow Qi."
The Elder shook his head.
"But they are extremely rare and expensive."
"I do not recommend buying them unless you have plenty of contribution points."
Li Mingfu sighed.
He had seen the prices before.
Completely impossible.
The Elder continued.
"Normal Qi behaves like breathing. It flows toward life."
"But Shadow Qi behaves like an absence."
"It avoids life."
"So when cultivating Shadow Qi, you must understand that it disperses easily and becomes corrosive if forced."
Li Mingfu bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Elder!"
Then he ran home again.
During lunch, Li Mingfu suddenly asked,
"When you hear Shadow Qi, what do you think of?"
He explained everything the Elder had told him.
Little Flower spoke first.
"Maybe cultivate inside shadows?"
"I tried that."
"At night?"
"I tried that too."
She continued suggesting ideas, but Li Mingfu had already attempted every one.
The room fell silent.
Then Little Moon quietly spoke.
"What about… Corpse Qi?"
Both Li Mingfu and Little Flower looked at her.
Little Moon continued softly.
"It might sound demonic… but corpse energy avoids life too."
"It might contain Shadow Qi."
Li Mingfu froze.
Then he slowly muttered,
"Corpse Qi… avoids life… and is attracted to death…"
His eyes widened.
Suddenly, he burst into laughter.
"Little Moon! Excellent!"
"What do you want as a reward?"
Little Moon panicked.
"N-Nothing! Being here is already better than the servant district."
Li Mingfu laughed even harder.
Then Little Flower spoke.
"You could let us leave the courtyard and gather information for you."
Li Mingfu frowned.
"Isn't that dangerous?"
Little Flower smiled.
"We are officially registered as your servants. As long as we remain respectful, nothing will happen."
"If we get into trouble, we can send you a message through our identity cards."
Li Mingfu blinked.
"Wait… there's a function like that?"
Little Flower started laughing.
Little Moon covered her mouth to keep from laughing too.
Little Flower stopped laughing and said.
"Young Master… Do you not have any friends?"
Li Mingfu suddenly looked depressed.
"No."
"The disciples my age are too childish."
"The senior brothers and sisters treat me like a baby."
Little Flower laughed again.
"Young Master… you are a child."
Li Mingfu stared at her.
Then he burst into laughter.
"You're right. I am a child."
The three of them continued joking and laughing for the rest of the meal.
Teasing Li Mingfu about being a child trying to act like an adult.
Even though it has only been a few months, Little Flower and Little Moon started to grow closer to Li Mingfu.
Whenever he interacted with them, he would treat and talk to them less like servants and more like friends.
At first, their meals together were quiet, and he tried to start the conversations.
Nothing seemed to work at first, then he started to joke around and laugh at things.
This at least brought smiles to their faces, but the conversations were still short.
He asked them about their lives before and during their time in the sect.
Still only short answers.
It was not until he told them that his family sold him off to the sect.
When they heard him say he was sold off, they tried to comfort him, but he simply laughed.
"It is alright, even though I am only six-years old. I am perfectly fine."
After that meal, they started to join in the conversations.
Little Flower was up front and talked more.
Little Moon was quiet but very intelligent.
When Li Mingfu finished eating, he stood up.
"Make sure you guys eat dinner tonight. Don't make me any. I should be back for breakfast."
"Also, go outside and enjoy yourselves, but stay safe and respectful."
Then he quickly ran out of the villa.
Leaving his two servants to clean up.
Li Mingfu ran toward the sect's burial grounds, located on the side of Sect Master Peak.
When he approached the entrance, two guards stepped forward.
"Halt!"
"Trespassers will be killed on sight!"
Li Mingfu quickly bowed.
"Senior Brothers, I am a new inner sect disciple."
He handed them his identity card.
The guards inspected it and returned it.
One of them asked,
"Why are you here, little brother?"
Li Mingfu said respectfully,
"I heard this is where the brave heroes of our sect rest."
"I want to pay my respects."
The guards exchanged glances.
Then one shrugged.
"Fine. But don't stay long."
Li Mingfu bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Senior Brothers!"
Then he ran inside.
He quickly searched through the graveyard.
Soon, he found a grave that emitted a thick aura of Corpse Qi.
Li Mingfu sat down beside it.
"I probably only have one or two hours…"
He slowly drew the Corpse Qi into his dantian.
As the Corpse Qi sat inside his dantian, he carefully observed it.
The Corpse Qi was:
Extremely active
Dense
Chaotic
Very easy to absorb, but hard to control
For two hours, he studied it.
But he couldn't find any clue.
So he expelled the Corpse Qi and ran back outside.
"Thank you, Senior Brothers!"
The next day, he returned.
This time, he even brought flowers.
The guards let him enter again.
He sat at the same grave and repeated the process.
Observing.
Separating.
Analyzing.
Day after day.
For an entire month, Li Mingfu repeated this routine.
One day, the guard stopped him.
"This will be the last time."
"If you keep coming here, we will report you for practicing demonic arts."
Li Mingfu bowed politely.
"Understood, Senior Brothers."
Then he quickly ran inside.
He sat beside the grave again.
He drew in Corpse Qi.
Carefully observing every movement inside his dantian.
Suddenly, he noticed something.
A tiny strand of Qi that was different from the rest.
It wasn't as chaotic as Corpse Qi.
Cold.
Silent.
The Qi seemed to be hiding within the Corpse Qi.
Li Mingfu's eyes widened, and he shouted with excitement.
"Shadow Qi!"
Using all his concentration, he separated the tiny strand from the Corpse Qi.
Then he expelled the rest.
Leaving only the pure Shadow Qi inside his dantian.
Li Mingfu immediately drew in more Corpse Qi and once again separated the Shadown Qi from the Corpse Qi.
He kept doing that until he had a good amount of Shadow Qi sitting in his dantain.
He then quickly stood up and ran toward the exit.
Once outside, he bowed deeply to the guards.
"Thank you for letting me visit!"
Then he hurried away.
Inside his dantian, Shadow Qi slowly drifted around, trying to find a place to hide or disperse.
The first step of Black Vein Tempering Scripture had been completed.