449 Effortless

Seeing that Sikong Tu's wife had already understood what was going on, Meng Qi had no need to explain anything further. He sighed and said, "When he was on his deathbed, Mr. Sikong asked me to pass these items to you."

A bundle appeared in his hand out of nowhere as he spoke.

Meng Qi had addressed Sikong Tu as 'Mr. Sikong' instead of 'Mr. Si', confirming Sikong Tu's wife's guess. Her body swayed a little as if she were too weak to even withstand a gust of wind, and then she accepted the bundle with much grief and pain.

She slowly unwrapped the bundle. Inside was a long sword with a sparkling, crystal-clear sword body that seemed to be hiding wisps of clouds. There was also an accessory that appeared to be both jade and gold at once, a script, and two small jade vases.

"A Precious Weapon..." Sikong Tu's wife murmured, in a trance.

Precious Weapons were highly valuable, but there was a small market for them. No matter how big a sect or an aristocratic family was, they would never complain of having too many Precious Weapons. As such, Precious Weapons were hardly ever leaked outside their families unless it concerned a beneficial exchange, and burying them with their wielders was not very likely either. Even if the fortunes of aristocratic families or sects went into decline, they would rarely hand over their Precious Weapons because it was their hope of restoring their establishments. Only a handful would deliberately ruin that chance by selling their Precious Weapons. These people had absolute disregard for their former glory for the sake of living a luxurious life in the present.

Hence, despite the fact that Sikong Tu was considered very affluent and had robbed many graves, he had never managed to obtain a Precious Weapon.

Now that the long sword with the cloud aura right in her face, Sikong Tu's wife could not help but stand dazed and at a loss for a moment.

"Sikong Tu gave his life in exchange for these, especially that script which can improve one's body potentials, but has a mysterious curse -- Only one person can read it, otherwise it will be destroyed on the spot. And if the technique is passed on to other people, an evil ghost will haunt them and they'll experience sudden death." Meng Qi intentionally cautioned them about the script. Anything gained from the Dominator always had a catch to it.

Sikong Tu's wife nodded, fraught with a mess of emotions. She seemed to be talking to herself as she muttered, "Things hardly end well for people like him. Ever since I married him, I've been persuading him to turn over a new leaf. Every time he goes out, I always fear that bad news will return."

"This time, he said that he found an ancient tomb and if he excavated it, he could give our little Xing a worry-free life and the chance to become a true hero. I was happy and worried; happy because after that he would abandon the life of a criminal life and no longer do such dangerous acts anymore. He could bring his son up well and enjoy spending time with his family, and I would no longer have to fret over him anymore. I was worried, though, because ancient tombs are always dangerous, and I feared that he would not make it out alive."

"And indeed, in the end, he didn't manage to push open that final door."

Tomb raiders were often faced with many bizarre things and rarely met with a good end. As such, Sikong Tu's wife was not surprised by the mysterious curse, and only cared about Sikong Tu turning over a new leaf.

"90 miles is but half the distance of a 100-mile journey." Meng Qi sighed and said, trying to encourage himself.

There were suddenly two streams of tears flowing down the wife's face. The glistening teardrops glided over her smooth skin and silently fell to the floor. "Actually, I don't care about whatever treasures or money, as long as he can live well. We are not want for anything now and his kung fu is more than enough to teach our little Xing, so why did he have to risk going on this last adventure?"

Sikong Tu was still a normal Half-step Exterior Scenery-level master, and he had robbed many graves on top of that. He was most definitely not lacking in terms of skills.

Wiping her tears, Sikong Tu's wife softly said, "Sir, you've come from far away to deliver these items left behind by a stranger without being greedy and taking anything. Apart from your generous and gallant heart that motivated you to do this, there's probably something else you want, don't you?"

"Mr. Sikong promised to give me a particular secret technique, the one on transferring karma." Meng Qi did not feel embarrassed and straightforwardly told Sikong Tu's wife his intention.

He was not close to Sikong Tu at all. Unless there was something that benefitted him, why would he keep a promise to a tomb raider?

Sikong Tu's wife paused. "That secret technique? It only works when the opponent is willing to be under its influence and counts as an intensification of the Soul-pledging Oath. May I know what you want it for, Sir?"

She asked the question as a subconscious response to Meng Qi's reply. After all, that secret technique was of little interest to her, as it was not on the same level of value as the items in the bundle.

"I have my own uses for it." Of course, Meng Qi was not going to tell her that he was merely using it to ponder the Dharma Access of transferring karma and from there, and to understand bladesmanship.

Sikong Tu's wife gently nodded. She did not press further, turning and heading towards the table to write the secret technique down in silence. Meng Qi, on the other hand, described the effects of the Dragon-lined Pendant and the other items in detail.

The secret technique was not long, and Sikong Tu's wife soon completed writing it down. Her facial muscles were contorted into an expression of grief as she passed the paper to Meng Qi.

Meng Qi did not evade the issue. He carefully read the paper in front of her, contemplating and digesting the meaning behind every word and imprinting the secret technique into his mind.

Gradually, he felt like something from the obscureness vanished and his whole body was suddenly relaxed. His Vital Spirit was lively, his physical body was at ease, filling him with an unspeakable comfort.

"This is what it feels like to bring an end to karma?" Meng Qi seemed to be lost in thought.

It was different from other kinds of karma because this particular one had been transferred from Sikong Tu and forced on him. Hence, the sensation that arose when it disappeared was naturally very apparent.

As string after string of connection was severed, Sikong Tu's request and transfer of karma, as well as Meng Qi's current relaxed state of liveliness, swelled up in Meng Qi's soul. It seemed to deepen his understanding of karma.

Meng Qi felt a mild burning sensation at his mid-brows, as if it were about to split open to reveal Heaven's Eye. There was a slight change in the sensing of his surroundings. It felt like he could see the wind, hear the sunlight, and closely examine everything from an entirely new "perspective". They harmoniously blended together, to the point where they seemed to be excluding Meng Qi yet welcoming him into their embrace. It all depended on how the spiritual energy he projected outward worked with his Inner World.

"Another step closer to achieving the Heaven-man Connection..." Meng Qi closed his eyes and gave a slightly emotional sigh.

Back when the karma had been transferred to him, it restricted him from breaking through to the Exterior level. Hence, after reaching the level of nine apertures, the karma he was entangled in slowed the cultivation of the Hidden Latch at his mid-brows.

Given that Meng Qi had already concentrated his Primal aperture to begin with, he should have been able to attain the Heaven-man Connection in three to four months, a rate much faster than that of Jiang Zhiwei. However, in the one month that he had taken to travel from Sword Washing Pavilion to his current location, he had only managed to cultivate "Supernatural Power of Shaking Heaven and Hitting Earth" to the next level. The improvement in his realm had been insignificant. Now that he had finally broken free from his shackles, he could make rapid progress.

"Here are a few recommendation letters from several sects. Without Mr. Sikong, your family is in a dangerous position. After choosing a sect, I suggest quickly selling off your property and heading down South," sincerely reminded Meng Qi.

Sikong Tu's marriage and the birth of his child were tightly kept under wraps. As long as his wife and son sold their current compound and secretly traveled down South without any servants, nobody would be able to find out about Sikong Xing's birth.

Sikong Tu's wife was also a former member of Jianghu. She was decently-skilled and naturally, understood the crucial point in Meng Qi's message. Nodding, she replied, "Thank you for your kindness, Sir. Tonight, we shall travel down South."

It seemed that she intended to leave their estate behind and only flee with some money and valuables, lest suspicion be aroused when she sold the house and they ended up targetted by evil-doers.

Meng Qi did not speak any further. He was about to take his leave when he suddenly recalled something. "Mrs. Sikong, there's something else I would like to ask about."

"What is it?" Sikong Tu's wife asked.

"Have you ever heard of a 'Carefree Valley'?" Meng Qi calmly posed his question.

Previously, Ruan Yushu and Jiang Zhiwei had flipped through numerous ancient manuscripts but their search turned up nothing about the location of Carefree Valley. Remembering that Sikong Tu was adept at raiding tombs and could possibly know about many secrets, Meng Qi casually asked about it, refusing to give up in the face of a desperate situation.

Sikong Tu's wife knitted her eyebrows together and thought about it for a moment. "I believe my husband has mentioned it once before."

"Really?" Unexpectedly, Sikong Tu really did know about it. Meng Qi was taken aback and blurted out a question in reply.

Sikong Tu's wife sighed. "If I correctly heard him, it was 'Carefree Valley'. When he discovered a certain ancient tomb, he obtained some predecessor's records of his search for Carefree Valley. He even said that he would go investigate the place in future if he had the chance."

"Would you happen to know where those records are?" Meng Qi suppressed his elation and attempted to maintain as cool an exterior as possible.

Sikong Tu's wife sighed again. "He previously intended to leave his grave-robbing days behind, so he had all such records buried in his own cenotaph to show that he has severed all ties with his past. His cenotaph is located..."

She told Meng Qi where Sikong Tu's cenotaph was situated-- just outside Leli city. At the same time, she mentioned the various traps lurking inside it.

As a famed tomb raider, there was no way Sikong Tu would let others easily rob his own grave.

Meng Qi was overjoyed. With a placid expression, he thanked Sikong Tu's wife and then bade her farewell with the intent of excavating the cenotaph later that night.

When he reached the street outside, Meng Qi had barely taken a few steps when he suddenly froze. He cast his gaze at someone standing not too far away.

The person was rather young. A set of brocade robes complete with jade accessories at the waist was beautifully draped over his body. His eyebrows were thick and messy, and his gaze appeared sharp and brutal. Even though he was simply standing there, he resembled a ferocious beast disguised as a human.

Their gazes crossed. There seemed to be a sizzling sound produced, while their surroundings faded, leaving only the two of them behind.

"Shangguan Heng. Are you 'Killing Blade' Su Meng?" The young man's voice was overflowing with the intent to battle.

There were many onlookers from the shops and restaurants on both sides of the street, because Shangguan Heng had been waiting there for a long time. The man with the Lulong accent was also present, as well as the table of Great Jin Dynasty merchants who he had been arguing with. They had never thought that such a confrontation would appear in a small city like Leli.

Was the man ranked second on the Ranking List of Young Masters deserving of his title, or had Great Jin Dynasty's Six Fan School really been belittling North Zhou Dynasty's masters?

"Indeed I am." Since Meng Qi was answering with his true identity, it meant that he intended to accept the challenge. Moreover, with such a huge commotion, Wolf King would believe that he was just roaming around instead of trying to infiltrate into the grasslands.

Shangguan Heng took a step forward and the ground quaked a little. In a loud and clear voice, he challenged, "Do you dare have a match with me?"

"Bring it on." Meng Qi smiled, calmly unsheathing his saber.

He slowly spread his senses. Gradually, his surroundings were reflected in the still lake of his soul and he had more or less grasped Shangguan Heng's strength:

The man had opened his nine apertures not too long ago and his mental energy was much worse than Meng Qi's. Since he was ranked eleventh on the Ranking List of Young Masters with such a realm, he probably had some extraordinary moves or battle power. It was possible that he possessed Dharmakaya ultimate moves.

If that was the case, then he would attack Shangguan Heng's weaknesses with his own strengths!

Seeing and experiencing different supreme art moves was one aspect of challenging oneself, and flawlessly executing what he had learned was another. Meng Qi was about to test the latter.

His aura changed into one of vastness and indifference. He was like the heavens looking down at the earth, or an immortal or Buddha who was used to seeing the cycles of changes. The blade in his hand struck outwards in an unpredictable manner!

Shangguan Heng clenched his hands into fists, ready to greet Meng Qi's attack. All of a sudden, he realized that his surroundings had changed. He was no longer in the middle of the street, but a village.

"Rouge powder, good quality rouge powder..." Shangguan Heng found that he was an itinerant peddler, selling his goods as he passed through the village.

Just then, a door opened and a woman covering her face with a handkerchief said, "Bring it over for me to try."

Shangguan Hengshen was well aware of what was going on. He quickly stepped forward and entered the woman's house, turning the bedsheets as crumpled as rippling red tides.

With a bang, the door was kicked open. A man gripping a bull horn knife barged in and furiously hollered, "Damned adulterers!"

The knife swung down, and everything went black.

When he could see light again, Shanggua Heng suddenly felt tremendous grief in his heavy heart. He could not help but weep as a pair of strong hands wrapped around him and someone said in a low voice, "My wife, although we could not be born on the same day at the same time, we can now die together."

Everything felt like reality to Shangguan Heng. He experienced being a widow, whoremonger, and popular courtesan amongst many other identities as he went through round after round of Samsara, until his soul felt like it had lost its way.

Out of the blue, the scene shattered and Shangguan Heng was thrown back into reality. He was trying to regain his bearings when he noticed the strangely-shaped saber pressed against his neck. Although it had yet to break through his Protective Upstanding Qi, its very position was enough to make his heart pound.

Meng Qi had just displayed a version of "Supernatural Power of Shaking Heaven and Hitting Earth" driven by the Ananda Oath-breaking Blade. Based on One Heart Affecting Another, it managed to awaken memories of Shangguan Heng's previous lives!

"I-I lost..." Shangguan Heng was dumbstruck.

"Thank you for the win." Meng Qi sheathed his saber and strode past the defeated man with his hands behind his back. "I know you are unwiling to accept the outcome of this match, so I will wait for you to come find me when you've thought about how to defend this move of mine."

If they had been normally fighting, it would probably have taken him a long, hard battle to defeat Shangguan Heng.