Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Ancient Jade Body Refining Changes Root Bone

Jiang Sanjia’s painful groan abruptly brought Mu Xiaoyun back to her senses.

“Madam Liu, what do you plan to do next?” An Jing turned his head to look at Mu Xiaoyun.

Xue Chen had died, indicating that Cao Gang had been prepared for her plans all along. Now, with another assistant dead, their situation had undoubtedly gone from bad to worse.

If they still intended to go to Shuangmu Forest to rescue Liu Qingshan, it could only be described as fraught with extreme difficulties.

“Haven’t you always wanted the Ancient Jade? I can give it to you now.”

Mu Xiaoyun lifted her head, her beautiful eyes staring intently at An Jing.

The Ancient Jade was the treasure Mu Xiaoyun had once promised to An Jing, and it was also listed in the Earth Book as an item that could change An Jing’s Root Bone.

An Jing was slightly stunned, then said, “It seems the Ancient Jade is on your person.”

“Yes.”

Mu Xiaoyun nodded slightly, then took out a red cord from around her waist, with an Ancient Jade hanging on it, glowing with a gentle luster.

The moment he saw the Ancient Jade, a gleam flashed in An Jing’s eyes.

Mu Xiaoyun looked at the Ancient Jade in her hand and calmly said, “This piece of Ancient Jade is a relic from the Great Zhou Dynasty, given to me as a betrothal gift by my husband Liu Qingshan. I have always carried it on me.”

An Jing couldn’t help but laugh, “Are you not afraid I might kill you to seize it?”

Not to mention that both were injured, even without injuries she wouldn’t be his match. Previously, Mu Xiaoyun had been wary of him, which was why she had given him only a painting scroll of Ancient Jade to appease him.

Mu Xiaoyun said, “I am afraid, but I trust Mr. Zhou’s character.”

“Character? Are we that familiar?”

An Jing touched the sword at his waist, his voice devoid of any emotion.

Mu Xiaoyun wouldn’t easily hand over the Ancient Jade; her taking it out now must mean she wanted An Jing to do something for her, but that something was surely more difficult than killing her.

Jiang Sanjia was stunned for a moment but looked over as well.

“I believe in Brother Zhou’s character,” Mu Xiaoyun repeated.

“Now tell me, what do you want?” An Jing asked indifferently.

“I want Xue Chen’s intact corpse,” Mu Xiaoyun said softly.

Xue Chen’s corpse had already been taken away by the experts of Cao Gang and hidden somewhere. If they were to look for it, it would take time. They would have to wait until the Ullambana Festival to attempt to snatch it during the public execution.

On the Ullambana Festival, with countless experts from Cao Gang and the four great families of Jiangnan Dao present, who would dare to snatch the body in such a public space?

“I have already died and now you want me to come back to life?”

An Jing laughed involuntarily.

Now, everyone in the world believed that mysterious swordsman was dead, which undoubtedly was a great thing for him. Someone else had taken the fall for his previous actions, and he no longer had any entanglement with Cao Gang.

Mu Xiaoyun gently twirled a strand of her hair, her beautiful eyes serious as she said, “If Brother Zhou is willing to make a move, Mu Xiaoyun will owe you a favor, and if there is an opportunity in the future, I will surely repay it with my life.”

An Jing was silent for a long while, then said, “This piece of Ancient Jade is only good for one use from me.”

Originally, he could have killed Mu Xiaoyun and easily taken the Ancient Jade from her hand.

“Just this once.”

Mu Xiaoyun smiled.

She knew An Jing had agreed.

“Brother Zhou, here.”

The Ancient Jade traced an arc through the air, then was caught by An Jing, and instantly a warm sensation spread from the palm of his hand throughout his limbs.

“Change locations, place the mark behind the broken temple’s Buddha statue. After the deed is done, I will find you.”

An Jing, holding the Ancient Jade, said.

Mu Xiaoyun nodded heavily, aware that many forces were currently searching for them, and not just Cao Gang. This place was indeed too dangerous.

“Brother Zhou, next time bring some roast chicken and wine, the best being from the Wuyang Winery, and preferably roast chicken from Yutian Pavilion,” Jiang Sanjia reminded him.

An Jing smiled faintly, “Sanjia, if you are still alive, I can treat you to it.”

Jiang Sanjia’s face darkened, “I’ve calculated—unless there’s an accident, I still have thirty years of life to live.”

“Unfortunately, life is full of accidents.”

An Jing waved his hand and walked towards the outside of the broken temple.

“Wait!”

At that moment, Mu Xiaoyun called out to him.

“What is it?”

“Be careful!”

An Jing couldn’t help but smile and slowly walked out of the broken temple.

……

Outside Yu State City, a dense forest.

Deep in the lush, densely layered forest, far removed from the official roads and bustling markets.

An Jing sat on a massive rock, then took out the Ancient Jade.

The crystal-clear jade seemed to have something flowing inside it.

“Is this the treasure that can change one’s Root Bone?”

An Jing toyed with the jade in his hand, talking to himself.

As the foundation of the physical body, the Root Bone could manifest in four types: clear, strange, ancient, and odd; most martial arts prodigies typically had the clear type, with the strange type being exceedingly rare.

And An Jing’s Root Bone was precisely this second type, a heaven-sent rarity.

If the Root Bone is high, the cultivation of Qi becomes smoother and reaches closer to perfection.

The reason he managed to reach First Grade Cultivation within ten years was not only due to the help of the Earth Book but also his heaven-sent rare Root Bone.

“Hiss!”

Just then, a faint, shadowy line appeared in the jade; An Jing’s Qi seemed to be stirred, spontaneously beginning to circulate the Daluo Heart Method.

“Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!”

Following this, the red line began to move, like a clever snake trying to break free from its cage.

“This is…..”

An Jing blinked, and the red line burst out from the Ancient Jade and surged into his body.

The moment the red line rushed in, it felt as though thousands of steel needles were stabbing his body, instantaneously spreading a stabbing pain throughout every meridian in his body.

“Crack! Crack!”

An Jing clenched his teeth tightly, and in an instant, cold sweat densely covered his forehead.

He did not know how much time had passed when the stabbing sensation finally began to fade, replaced by a warm touch that started to travel along his meridians.

“This feels somewhat strange…”

An Jing opened his eyes, looked at his palm, and then his thoughts turned to the Earth Book.

Cultivation: First Grade

Life Fate: Favorable Star Shining

Root Bone: Once in a Hundred Years

Martial Arts: Sword Drawing Skill, Hidden Sword Skill, Sword Control Technique, Nine-character Sword Technique, Soaring Nine Heavens Body Technique, Daluo Heart Method, Concealing Qi Technique, Hundred-step Flying Sword (Fifth Layer).

Prompt One: The host’s Life Fate has not yet taken root (ten months remaining); when displaying martial arts, one must not reveal the host’s identity, otherwise a dark fortune will be incurred.

Prompt Two: In Fa Xi Temple’s Vilu Hall lies a blue fortune under the Buddha statue, sealing an unknown ancient item.

Prompt Three: Fa Xi Temple harbors a dark fortune, acquiring it will bring misfortune and pursuit.

….

Once in a Hundred Years, a glint of light flashed in An Jing’s eyes on seeing this.

His Root Bone had progressed from a heaven-sent rarity to Once in a Hundred Years, an immense enhancement that had unexpectedly also elevated his Hundred-step Flying Sword.

And this was just what could be seen; there were many more invisible enhancements.

For instance, his sudden insights into swordsmanship seemed to have reached a new level of enhancement, a sensation immensely profound.

According to the swordsmanship levels in Jianghu, An Jing was now at the peak of the Fourth Level Sword Skill, just one step away from reaching the Fifth Level.

In today’s world, only a handful of people had reached this level.

Moreover, his swordsmanship, mental methods, and movement techniques all felt noticeably easier than before, and with each additional practice session, he gained new insights.

This enhancement of the Root Bone might not seem significant in the short term, but it is a long-term strategy.

“In the entire Jianghu, there are definitely no more than five individuals with a Root Bone like mine.”

An Jing slowly exhaled.

Just how formidable a Root Bone of Once in a Hundred Years is, he might well be the top disciple among the Seven Factions, his talent second to none under heaven.

He wondered if after Once in a Hundred Years his Root Bone could still enhance, perhaps Once in a Thousand Years?

And then there were new prompts from the Earth Book, all centered around Fa Xi Temple, among which was also a dark fortune, warranting caution to avoid inadvertently attracting this dark fortune.

“It’s getting dark, time to head home.”

An Jing felt the pain nearly gone, then with a leap, he sprinted towards Yu State City.

……