Chapter Twenty: The Young Cultivator Qiu Fu

Qiu Fu, a shop assistant at the Treasure Pavilion in Nanshan City, was of mediocre talent, but at least possessed a humble wood-attribute miscellaneous spiritual root. Taking advantage of his work breaks, he persisted in meditative cultivation every evening. At sixteen, he had achieved the initial stage of the first layer of the Qi Refining period.

Though this hardly qualified as entry-level cultivation, let alone true initiation, it set him apart from ordinary civilians. The wages he earned at Treasure Pavilion, if saved, would be more than enough to purchase a house of his own.

His family lived in East City, adjacent to the cultivators’ market, in a standalone courtyard residence. Just past midnight, as Qiu Fu was channeling spiritual energy and meditating, he failed to notice a tiny mosquito silently emerge from the drainage outlet just outside his front gate.

Xiao Wenzi had flown through the underground drains for over an hour. Only after confirming with infrared senses that he was beneath a residential area of Nanshan City did he cautiously rise to the surface.

“Hmm—could I be this lucky? Have I just stumbled upon a rookie who’s freshly stepped into the world of cultivation?”

Taking a risk by entering the city, Xiao Wenzi’s goal was to find low-level cultivators to feed upon. With his cultivation at the pinnacle of the first layer of the Demon Qi realm, he could easily sense faint fluctuations of spiritual energy in the air.

Indeed, the source was the residence before him. Judging by the level of spiritual energy, its owner’s cultivation could not be high. Elated, Xiao Wenzi slowly floated over the courtyard wall, heading toward the house.

Ordinary insects posed no threat to Qiu Fu, a cultivator. To better absorb ambient wood spiritual energy, he kept his doors and windows wide open. Immersed in his cultivation, he failed to notice the tiny mosquito, which landed gently on the right windowsill, undisturbed by any breeze.

“Damn—looks like he won’t be sleeping. No chance for a sneak attack; I’ll have to strike directly.”

After waiting for some time and seeing the young man still engrossed in meditation, Xiao Wenzi lost patience. He rose silently from the windowsill, approaching Qiu Fu as quietly as possible.

“Hmph—asking for trouble!”

Even at the first layer of Qi Refining, Qiu Fu possessed a sensitivity beyond ordinary people. Though absorbed in a critical moment of cultivation, his spiritual awareness remained acute. Despite Xiao Wenzi’s efforts to suppress his demonic aura and move soundlessly, as he drew near—before he could bite—Qiu Fu’s eyes snapped open, and murmuring to himself, he slapped fiercely at the intruder.

Since cultivating spiritual energy, Qiu Fu had not been bothered by mosquitoes for a long time. Even the boldest were easily dispatched, and he paid little mind to the tiny mosquito before him.

But just as his hands came together, his vision blurred, and a sharp, needling pain pierced his left eyelid, followed by an unbearable itch. Even without the advantage of surprise, Xiao Wenzi, who had reached the late stage of his Blood Spirit Technique, was not someone Qiu Fu could contend with. Infusing his demonic energy into his wings, he easily dodged Qiu Fu’s slap.

Novice cultivators typically hadn’t developed their spiritual sense. Attacking Qiu Fu’s eyelid to obstruct his vision was a tactic Xiao Wenzi had prepared beforehand.

“Damn, how is this mosquito so fast? Could it be a demon mosquito?”

With his left eyelid itching and painful, Qiu Fu muttered angrily and slapped his face again. A crisp sound echoed; his eye socket and left temple tingled, but when he lifted his hand, there was no blood or mosquito remains.

A prickling itch arose on the back of his neck as the mosquito struck again. Qiu Fu realized he hadn’t killed it and hurriedly slapped at his neck.

Xiao Wenzi, knowing cultivators were not to be trifled with, took only a quick sip before darting away, making Qiu Fu’s swipe miss once more.

“Unforgivable, daring to toy with me like this—I’ll crush you for sure!”

Cultivators usually began studying basic techniques after reaching the full first layer or second layer of Qi Refining. As for spiritual sense—allowing mastery over minute movements like petals falling or ants twitching their antennae—it typically appeared after achieving the third layer. Of course, some geniuses or special techniques might allow earlier development.

Qiu Fu, merely a shop assistant, had received a poor quality cultivation method. Only after breaking through to the second layer could he learn two minor techniques: Entangling Spell and Celestial Eye.

Thus, though at the first layer, he didn’t know how to properly use his spiritual energy. Xiao Wenzi’s repeated sneak attacks had enraged him.

Qiu Fu rolled off his bed, quickly went to the window and door, and bolted them shut—clearly intent on trapping his foe.

Before he could grab his fire chain to light a candle, his vision blurred again, and a sharp itch stung his right eyelid.

Now, his left eyelid was swollen and itchy, making it hard to see normally. With his right eyelid also under attack, anger and frustration overwhelmed him.

“Damn mosquito, just wait—I’ll crush you bit by bit!”

Slapping his right eye, cursing aloud, Qiu Fu finally found the fire chain and began striking it.

Xiao Wenzi seized the opportunity, biting at the lower eyelid on Qiu Fu’s left side. But, focused on lighting the candle, Qiu Fu ignored the pain, enduring it stoically.

“Time to exchange—finally got a first-layer system coin.”

As Qiu Fu busied himself with the fire chain, Xiao Wenzi effortlessly drew enough blood, lighting up all nine blood drop icons to a vivid red. Elated, he left the young man’s face and began his exchange.

A soft hum sounded as the candle ignited, spreading rings of light and illuminating most of the room.

Yet, another prickling pain and itch arose at the back of Qiu Fu’s neck. He slapped at it fiercely, retreating swiftly to the shadow behind the candle.

This time, he glimpsed the mosquito fleeing with outstretched wings—slightly larger than normal, but otherwise indistinguishable from ordinary mosquitoes. However, its speed was extraordinary, several times faster than usual, always escaping his grasp at the last moment.

Xiao Wenzi was not some common insect doomed by candlelight. Despite the illumination making Qiu Fu’s attacks more precise, the demonic energy infused in his wings allowed him to easily harass the novice cultivator.

However, each bite yielded only a drop or two of blood, and his demonic energy was not limitless.

Fortunately, he had dozens of ordinary system coins, enough to exchange for three droplets of Demonic Spirit Dew, which could instantly restore his cultivation three times.

With this, he should be able to accumulate five first-layer system coins and exchange for the second-layer Blood Spirit Technique without much trouble—provided the rookie before him didn’t seek help from high-level cultivators, and ideally continued to foolishly tangle with him.