Although Qiu Xia had not yet entered the Three Souls Realm, his mana reserves bolstered by the limits of his previous realms and the tempering of his body through Sage's Theft put him at the absolute peak among Earth Masters. In terms of raw volume, he possessed more mana than those who had just stepped into the rank of Heavenly Master.
Under these circumstances, the sheer power Qiu Xia could mobilize in an instant was terrifying. It was easily comparable to the full power strike of a third or fourth-rank Earth Master. Thunderous light erupted, illuminating more than half the village.
The spirit from Wang Family Village was a mere Evil Ghost. How could it possibly withstand a blow equivalent to an Earth Master's full power? (The hierarchy of spirits went: Living Soul, Departed Soul, Vengeful Ghost, Evil Ghost, Ghost General, Ghost King, Ghost Emperor, and finally, Ghost Immortal. An Evil Ghost was only on par with a Human Master, if not weaker.)
"Good grief, was this ghost just a scam artist? It looked so terrifying, yet it vanished with a single palm strike!" Qiu Xia stared at the spot where the Evil Ghost had dissipated, a look of speechless disbelief on his face. After standing there in a daze for a long time, he finally turned back toward the Mortuary.
Uncle Jiu had sensed the discharge of the Five Thunders Palm and was already heading over to check on his disciple. Before he could reach the site of the confrontation, he saw Qiu Xia strolling leisurely back toward him.
Seeing his disciple completely unharmed, Uncle Jiu was taken aback. "How are you alone? Where is the ghost?"
Qiu Xia scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish. "Master, that ghost's appearance was truly disgusting, and it was incredibly greedy. When it tried to approach me, I hit it with a Five Thunders Palm. I think I used a bit too much mana."
"So, you blasted the ghost into nothingness with one strike!" Uncle Jiu snapped, giving him an exasperated look.
"Master truly has a brilliant and exquisite mind. That is exactly what happened!"
"Nonsense! 'Exquisite intelligence' is a term for women. Why would a grown man like me want to be called that? And another thing, Qiu Xia don't you know that as cultivators, we should never kill a ghost unless it is a last resort? Otherwise, it damages your karmic merit. Usually, we capture them. We only kill them directly if they are utterly irredeemable and overflowing with sin."
Uncle Jiu continued, "The ghost you killed had already murdered several people in the village, so it was technically eligible for execution. However, if you can capture them alive, you should. You feel satisfied by ending it in an instant, and so does the ghost, in a way. But if you hand them over to the Underworld, they'd have to take a long, painful trip through the Eighteen Levels of Hell."
Qiu Xia nodded as he listened. "I understand, Master. Next time I encounter a ghost like that, I'll be sure to capture it and send it to the Underworld."
"Good. You are a student worth teaching."
With the Evil Ghost dealt with, Uncle Jiu and Qiu Xia performed a final sweep to ensure no other spirits were lurking about. Finding none, the three of them collected their reward and headed back to the Mortuary.
Although the head of Wang Family Village had invited them to stay for a meal, Qiu Xia was anxious to return to his cultivation. Uncle Jiu, feeling the pressure from his disciple's relentless work ethic, didn't dare relax either. Even though Qiu Sheng wanted to stay and eat, the group made their way back.
Upon returning to the Mortuary, Qiu Xia resumed his daily routine: researching Daoist Arts and Ninjutsu by day, and tempering his soul with Stellar Power by night. Sage's Theft continued to devour the starlight to strengthen his divine body. Several days passed in the blink of an eye.
One night, while Qiu Xia was in the courtyard drawing upon the power of the stars, a frantic knocking suddenly erupted at the gate of the Mortuary. The rapid, desperate pounding sounded as if the person was being pursued by a pack of mad dogs.
Alerted by the commotion, Qiu Xia immediately ceased his meditation. He met Uncle Jiu, who had also been drawn by the noise, and they walked to the entrance together. When they opened the gates, they found three men standing there, faces etched with anxiety and bodies covered in numerous wounds.
The moment they saw Uncle Jiu, the men collapsed to their knees. "Uncle Jiu, save us!"
"Get up, quickly. What has happened? If there is anything this humble priest can do to help, I will not stand idly by."
Qiu Xia added, "That's right, big brothers. My master is known as the Ghost-Sorrow of Maoshan Sect. Even demons fear him, and zombies turn tail at the sight of him. Whatever you've encountered, you can rest easy now that you've found him."
A line of black appeared on Uncle Jiu's forehead. Ghost-Sorrow of Maoshan? Demons fear me? Since when? It sounded incredibly strange. Is this kid making fun of me? Should I treat him to a helping of bamboo-strip-fried meat?
Perhaps comforted by Qiu Xia's words, the three men relaxed slightly. Looking at Uncle Jiu, one said, "Uncle Jiu, we are from Zhang Family Village near Ren Family Town. We work in the town during the day and walk home together at night. Today, we had to work late because the shop was busy. On our way home, we ran into a weasel that was standing upright."
"That weasel had a human skull on its head and was wearing a tattered, bloodstained shirt. It stopped us and asked if it looked more like a human or a god."
Uncle Jiu's expression instantly turned grim. "And how did you answer?"
"At first, we didn't say anything. We tried to run, but no matter where we went, it appeared right in front of us. Finally, we told it that it looked like a human. The weasel flew into a rage, grew several sizes larger, and began attacking us. If we hadn't helped each other, we probably would have died at its hands."
Hearing the man's account, Qiu Xia thought for a moment before looking at Uncle Jiu. "Master, is this 'The Weasel's Request for a Title'?"
Uncle Jiu nodded gravely. "Indeed. Whether it's an official Immortal Family or a rogue spirit, a weasel seeking a title is never a good sign. Those with a conscience might look after your descendants after receiving a title, but based on this man's description wearing a skull and bloodied clothes this thing is anything but benevolent. In a case like that, no matter how you answer, you face retaliation."
"Then Master, we need to find a way to deal with that weasel quickly," Qiu Xia said. "I remember those things are incredibly spiteful. If we don't handle it, it could plague their families for eighteen generations."
Hearing this, the three blood-stained men turned even paler. They fell to their knees again, pleading, "Uncle Jiu, please, you have to help us!"
Uncle Jiu shot Qiu Xia a warning glare before speaking to the men. "Stand up first. I will deal with that weasel for you. But the priority right now is to tend to your wounds, or those injuries will become a serious problem. Qiu Xia, go get the medicine." The first part was for the men; the last part was directed at his disciple.
As a proper priest of the Maoshan Sect, Uncle Jiu was highly skilled in medicine as well as the mystical arts. The Mortuary was well-stocked with various medicinal herbs. Qiu Xia had also studied medicine, and while he didn't use the skill often, he was competent.
"Master, no need for the herbs. I can handle this directly," Qiu Xia said. "Did you forget that among the things I brought back, there are Medical Daoist Arts?" Ever since Qiu Xia had translated the various ninjutsu from the Scroll of Seals,
Uncle Jiu had insisted on calling them "Daoist Arts." His reasoning was simple: ninjutsu had originally been stolen from the Central Plains during the Tang Dynasty. If they called it ninjutsu over in Japen, it should return to its proper name Daoist Arts now that it was back home.
When a ninja performed Medical Ninjutsu, the glow was green, like the color of trees. However, when Qiu Xia used it, the light was a brilliant gold, like pure sunlight. Different colors implied different effects; the potency of Qiu Xia's healing probably exceeded even that of Tsunade.
Tsunade was a Medical Saint, but she used Chakra for her techniques. Qiu Xia used mana, which, in the context of the Shinobi World, was effectively natural energy. It was only natural that Qiu Xia's mana-based recovery was superior to chakra-based healing.
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