The pawnshop was dark, lit only by a single oil lamp.
When a hoarse voice echoed from outside the door, every hair on Shen Bai's body stood on end.
He knew that voice all too well. He'd heard it just last night—it was the old Daoist.
Zhang Chaofeng had told him just this morning that the old Daoist had died at the Qian Family's residence. 'So how could he be at the pawnshop tonight?'
'Are ghosts and other such wicked things actually real?' Shen Bai gripped the rusted Iron Sword resting on the table.
He was extremely adaptable; the moment the thought occurred, he had already accepted it.
It wasn't as if he had a choice.
He'd already experienced transmigration, so what was this in comparison?
After the voice spoke, silence fell outside the door.
But then, the oil lamp on the table began to flicker.
Suddenly, the sound of a footstep echoed within the pawnshop.
The pawnshop's layout was wide open. Other than Shen Bai, there was no one else there.
The footstep, however, reminded Shen Bai that this second arrival might not be human.
Just as he had that thought, the oil lamp flickered once.
A voice spoke from Shen Bai's right.
"Give me the Peach Wood Sword."
Shen Bai whipped his head around.
In the corner to his right, the old Daoist was squatting on the ground, his hair disheveled and his back facing Shen Bai.
As if sensing Shen Bai's gaze, the old Daoist lifted his head, his back still turned.
A full one hundred and eighty degrees, as if his neck had been brutally snapped. The back of the old Daoist's head pressed against his own back, and he stared at Shen Bai with an inverted gaze.
By the light of the oil lamp, Shen Bai could see the tip of a Peach Wood Sword in the old Daoist's mouth, stained with crimson blood.
CRACK!
It was the sound of shattering bones.
The joints in the old Daoist's elbows reversed. With his palms planted on the ground and his back facing downward, he scuttled toward Shen Bai at an incredible speed.
His eyes were sinister and cold. As he moved, the sword tip in his mouth jutted in and out.
"Give me the Peach Wood Sword... Give me the Peach Wood Sword..."
When he reached Shen Bai, a sharp piece of broken bone jutted out from his elbow and thrust toward Shen Bai's chest.
'An elbow strike? Really?'
Beads of sweat dotted Shen Bai's forehead, but his mind was perfectly calm.
Shen Bai swung the Rusted Longsword.
In that instant, he executed the Sword Dance Technique to perfection.
A magnificent, righteous aura flared, dispelling the vile presence.
The Rusted Longsword swept past, flashing brilliantly in the lamplight.
The old Daoist's elbows shattered, and his back slammed hard onto the ground.
Shen Bai reversed his grip on the Rusted Longsword and plunged it downward, piercing the old Daoist's forehead.
The old Daoist's limbs began to thrash.
After a moment, the thrashing gradually stopped.
Black smoke rose from the old Daoist's body, and soon, he dissolved into smoke and vanished.
[Anomaly Slain. One Wisp of Evil Qi Acquired.]
'Evil Qi?'
Before Shen Bai could even recover from the harrowing ordeal, he saw the smoke before him coalesce into words.
'I can get Evil Qi by killing anomalies?'
Shen Bai confirmed it several times, suddenly understanding the source of Evil Qi.
As for what an "anomaly" was...
Did he even need to ask?
The old Daoist, who had died and then reappeared looking something like a ghost, was undoubtedly an anomaly.
'This gives me an idea.'
Shen Bai rubbed his chin, thinking, 'Perhaps I have a lead on how to get more Evil Qi.'
At that moment, everything around him fell silent once more.
The crisis was over. Shen Bai now knew what Evil Qi was, and he had even obtained a wisp of it.
Now was the time to use it.
Smoke reappeared before Shen Bai's eyes.
[Sword Dance Technique Level 2 (Swordsmanship +2, Anti-Demon +2): 1000/1000]
[Metamorphosis available. Requires one wisp of Evil Qi.]
Shen Bai wasn't the type to hoard things. If he had Evil Qi, he would use it.
With a mere thought from Shen Bai, the wisp of Evil Qi vanished. The words for Sword Dance Technique began to twist and reassemble like writhing snakes.
A moment later, the Sword Dance Technique underwent its metamorphosis.
[Blood Sword Dance Level 3 (Swordsmanship +4, Anti-Demon +4, Vibration +4): 0/5000]
When the Sword Dance Technique became the Blood Sword Dance, a new flood of information poured into Shen Bai's mind.
The first two abilities were the same as before, just with their Attribute bonuses doubled. The key was the new Vibration ability.
Vibration involved using the sword dance to make his own Qi and blood resonate, which in turn increased the power of his Swordsmanship.
Shen Bai lifted the Rusted Longsword and began to swing it idly.
After reaching Level 3, the stream of hot Qi in his body had strengthened once again.
As Shen Bai performed the sword dance, he could feel his own Qi and blood begin to resonate with the surging stream of energy.
The power of each sword strike was on a completely different level than before.
'The stream of energy as the guide, my own Qi and blood as the medium... This Swordsmanship is incredible.'
Shen Bai practiced with the sword for a while before stopping.
[Blood Sword Dance +1]
'Time to grind!'
With a new skill to master, Shen Bai couldn't contain his excitement.
The stream of hot Qi in his body could clear away fatigue. While it didn't mean he could go without sleep for long periods, he could certainly manage for a short time.
Without hesitation, Shen Bai resumed practicing the Blood Sword Dance.
After reaching Level 3, every strike of the Blood Sword Dance required him to stir his Qi and blood, so his Skill Level increased more slowly.
Shen Bai would grind until his stream of energy was nearly depleted, then stop to let it recover.
He repeated this cycle until the next day arrived.
...
When sunlight streamed in, Shen Bai let out a long breath.
Smoke appeared before his eyes, gradually coalescing into words.
[Blood Sword Dance Level 3 (Swordsmanship +4, Anti-Demon +4, Vibration +4): 400/5000]
Four hundred points in one night. Considering the slower Skill Level increase and the time needed for his energy to recover, the progress was still decent.
'Time to open for business.'
Shen Bai's stomach was growling with hunger.
Stirring his Qi and blood consumed a massive amount of energy; it was only natural for him to be hungry.
Shen Bai left the shop, slinging the Rusted Longsword at his waist as he went.
After the anomalous events of last night, Shen Bai felt unsafe without a longsword at his side.
...
「At a breakfast shop.」
To the shop owner's astonishment, Shen Bai devoured three entire steamers of buns before paying and heading back.
'No wonder they have that saying about "poor scholars and rich warriors." Just by stirring my Qi and blood, I'm already eating three times as much as before,' Shen Bai thought on his way back.
Fortunately, the pawnshop's profits were decent enough to support his new appetite.
Shen Bai decided that when he got back, he would have Zhang Chaofeng watch the front of the shop while he went to the backyard to practice the Blood Sword Dance in private.
When it came to grinding, he couldn't let up for a single moment.
Lost in thought, Shen Bai soon arrived back at the pawnshop entrance.
Just as he was about to open the door, someone called out to him.
"Are you the Shopkeeper of the Shen Family Pawnshop?"
Shen Bai frowned and turned around.
Behind him, a middle-aged man wearing a Ziyi robe stood not far away, flanked by a dozen or so constables.
In Shengyun County, a Ziyi robe signified the rank of Chief Constable.
Shen Bai didn't know why they were looking for him.
The Chief Constable in the Ziyi robe stepped forward and spoke before Shen Bai had a chance to. "I am Zheng Yuan, Chief Constable of the County Magistrate's Office. I've come to ask you about something. I heard that not long ago, an old Daoist redeemed a Peach Wood Sword from you?"