Chapter 23: 23. Wonderful Use Perhaps because it was the first time in both his past and present lives that he had looted a corpse, Song Yan’s hands couldn’t help but tremble slightly. However, within just half an incense stick of time, he quickly finished searching. The two Official Disciples from Shadow Puppet Peak only had Identity Tokens on them. There might have been many Contribution Points inside, but when those two died, the Contribution Points became completely worthless; Song Yan couldn’t even see them. A typical case of "the person dies before the money is spent, and others can’t spend it for them, pure and unstinting dedication to the Puppet Palace." As for the two Loose Cultivators, there were more things in their arms. A small pouch of crystal jade, the size of soybean grains, emitting Profound Qi, of which the nature was unknown; A stack of silver notes from the "Nine Zhi Bank," whereabouts unknown; A book recording some cultivation insights of Flying Sword Cultivators; A Jade Scroll; Song Yan stretched out his hand and extracted a spell from it called "Qi Burst Technique," which surprisingly wasn’t a common Technique. It had an "entry-level requirement" of the "Third Layer of Refining Profound," clearly indicating that the Loose Cultivator obtained it externally, intending to cultivate it later after improving his own skill. Of course... Apart from the aforementioned items found in the pockets, there were also four Shadow Puppets, a Flying Sword, and a gourd that could release iron pellets. Song Yan examined those "Shadow Puppet Products" up close, noting the differences from his own Shadow Puppets. The first impression: Divine! These Shadow Puppet products appeared more spirited, as if really housing some strange Divine Soul within. Soon, Song Yan discovered the source of the Divine Soul — the eyes. Whether it was the two-headed wolf, the Flying Sparrow with beak like knives, or the White Thorn Deer, their eyes all seemed peculiar, full of vitality yet dead and eerie. Though they were painted using a simple "pigment technique," they gave Song Yan a feeling as if they were staring right at him. The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Song Yan locked eyes with the collapsed two-headed wolf. Suddenly, he raised his hand quickly and used the second mutation spell ’Torrential Rain Evil.’ Thud! Thud! Thud thud!! After four headshots. The heads of the four "Shadow Puppet Products" were gone, and naturally, the spirit in their eyes was also gone. Song Yan continued his onslaught until the Shadow Puppets were blasted apart, finally exhaling a long breath, sighing inwardly: ’That was close, really so close.’ If he hadn’t been looting the corpses and noticed that these four Shadow Puppets could indeed have some form of awareness. If he hadn’t looted the corpses and turned around to leave, only for someone coming later to use those four Shadow Puppets to find out what happened on site, he’d be doomed for sure. ’Truly, information determines life and death.’ Thereafter, Song Yan hastily bundled those items together, added some stones, and tossed them into the nearby river, turning back to see the Demon Beasts had already reached the four Cultivators’ corpses, beginning to feast on them. In Cuique Forest, bodies wouldn’t stay long. And for those items looted from corpses, Song Yan wouldn’t dare to risk carrying them away. Where would you hide a pouch of "jingling" crystal jade? How to explain if questioned later? It’s better to find out they hold value some day and then seize an opportunity to retrieve them from the river. Today’s gain was already substantial enough, no need to court additional trouble for mere trifles. ... ... The Azure Mountain was already snow-laden, yet, fluffy snowflakes continued to descend from the sky. Song Yan’s Profound Robe quickly turned white, and by the time he returned to South Bamboo Peak, it was entirely snow-covered. He heaved a long sigh, thoroughly expelling the foreign Profound Qi he had temporarily absorbed before striding forward. The South Bamboo Peak disciples on duty were well acquainted with his outings, raising a hand in greeting, smiling as they asked, "How’s that ’Skin Painting Technique’ coming along, Junior Brother?" Song Yan replied, "Not bad..." After he walked past, the on-duty disciple turned to his companion and chuckled, "This young one, such a stubborn mouth. What’s working? Just daydreaming, really think being a Skin Master is that easy?" The other on-duty disciple yawned, seemingly uninterested in the topic, suggesting instead, "Shall we head down to the small bazaar later? While it may not offer top-grade goods like the Great Wei Royal Family has in their Furnace, we might still chatter with certain Jianghu folk, perhaps catching the eye of a fine little lady." "As long as she’s pretty, I’m not banking on cultivating with a Furnace..." The tasks for South Bamboo Peak disciples ranged from "external purchasing" and "making Demon Beast Shadow Puppets" to "overseeing the Tannery Room," among other scattered duties. Guard duty was one of them. Yet, standing guard at the Main Peak of South Bamboo Peak wasn’t a role for the servants. Here, all were entry-level, Official Disciples who felt advancement was hopeless. They willingly guarded here because the Contribution Points were relatively higher and stable, a secure way to serve until old age. ... ... Song Yan entered the Cave Mansion, took off the Profound Robe, and Young Lady Qiu quickly brought a luxurious blanket to keep him warm, taking the Profound Robe to shake off the snow, hanging it under a skylight. Outside the skylight, heavy snow fell in torrents, piercingly cold. Inside the Cave Mansion hall, a blazing furnace fire roared, releasing a refreshing pine scent. It was Spirit Wood from the mountain, delivered by some servants, which could warm the body and purify the mind when burned. "Xuerou!" Song Yan didn’t see the Princess Consort, so he called out. On the other side, the Princess Consort swiftly lifted the curtain and walked out. Her pretty face surprisingly showed no trace of anger or resentment; instead, it carried a sort of lingering joy. "Song Lang, Song Lang! I discovered some mountain chili peppers, growing from a crack in a rock. Winter peppers, and grown in this Immortal Land, they are quite rare." Song Yan was also curious. He went to look and indeed saw that on the rocky area of the cave where the Princess Consort was, several pepper-like plants were growing. It was unclear what they were. However, he cautioned, "When did they appear?" "Just today." "Then tonight, you and Lianyue come sleep in my room. Tomorrow, after I’ve checked them, you can return to prevent any potential poisoning." "Okay, Song Lang. But... I’m sure they are chili peppers." "Why are you so certain?" "I grew up in the Shu Kingdom, where I loved to eat spicy food. So, I am very familiar with the appearance and taste of peppers. I was also fortunate enough to have once obtained a Spirit Flower Atlas, supposedly found by my grandfather from who knows where. The atlas states that these mountain chili peppers grow in the depths of winter, breaking through the stone, and should be a delicacy called ’Fire-Breath Pepper.’ Their spiciness is similar to regular chili peppers, but after ingestion, they warm the body, making them a fine delicacy. It’s said that eating one Fire-Breath Pepper means even if you sleep naked in the snow overnight, you won’t freeze to death." Cao Xuerou spoke quite a bit in one breath, then hurriedly continued, "I...I am in a mountain cave mansion, and although I don’t go hungry due to the Fasting Pills, I somehow still crave the delicacies of the mortal world... that’s why I’m so excited. Please don’t mind, my lord." "Hmm... I don’t mind." Song Yan nodded, he understood. That night. He shared the bed with the young lady Qiu and the Princess Consort. After a brief moment of absurd Essence Gathering. The two women weakly collapsed, snuggling on either side of him in his embrace. Before gathering, it was fine, but after gathering, Song Yan clearly felt that the ’Profound Qi gathered from the Princess Consort’ was much more. It was evident that the quality of a furnace was not just talk, and that the Great Wei Royal Family with ’extremely thin blood of the Multi-tailed Fox Race’ was indeed superior to ordinary women. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺 Song Yan sighed lightly. Gathering essence was truly not his original intention, and he did not need to practice cultivation through gathering. Looking at the Princess Consort sleeping soundly in his arms, he slowly withdrew his gaze and stopped thinking further. How could the weak transcend the rules? He had no choice. Nor did the Princess Consort. A muddled, carefree approach, enjoying the moment. It was all just to survive. ... Feeling that both women were asleep, Song Yan glanced at the panel: [Name: Song Yan] [Lifespan: 21/16524] [Magic] "Skin Painting Technique" (Not entry-level) "Little Five Elements Hand" (Not entry-level) "Qi Burst Technique" (Not entry-level) (Threshold: Refining Profound Third Layer) ... After some thought, he closed his eyes again. He did not intend to deduce the Skin Painting Technique to the extreme at once. Instead, he planned to spend a month’s lifespan each day to deduce it. In this way... the talent he exhibited as a Skin Master is thirty times that of a normal person. This would avoid any abruptness like "leaping forward in one step, making people want to dissect him or use Soul-Searching Skill to question his opportunities," without appearing too ordinary. Of course, if even thirty times his talent wouldn’t suffice, then... forty times, fifty times were also possible. ... For his trump card, he would deduce to the extreme in one go, like the previous Qi Arrow Technique and Breath Concealment Technique. But for those powers that needed to be displayed in front of others, he would operate this way. Knowing how to make good use of his talent required some skill. ’Tomorrow, let’s see how the sect handles the missing disciples near Cuique Forest, then decide...’ ’Also, find an opportunity to go to the market at the foot of the mountain to acquire some more techniques, like the Soul-Searching Skill. If I had that technique today, I might have learned more information.’ Song Yan calculated, feeling fatigue gradually overtake him. He withdrew his arm from under the heads of the two women, turned to casually embrace one, and pressed closely as he drifted into dreamland.