Gu Qin carried her bag to Daishan, but on the way, she felt a strange sensation, as if someone was following her. She looked around and even used her Heavenly Eye, but saw nothing. It was completely dark, but it didn't affect Gu Qin. She quickly reached the foot of Daishan. These paths had little effect on her qi.

Gu Qin's cultivation had entered the stage of refining essence into qi, which was relatively simple for her due to her past experience. She could quickly enter this stage, but later stages were more challenging. The qi in modern times was much less than in her previous era, making cultivation increasingly difficult.

Similarly, there were fewer cultivators in this era. She had only seen one before, the woman who helped the Su family, and hadn't seen her again.

Today at the auction, the man named Mr. Qin was somewhat mysterious to Gu Qin.

She went straight to Daishan, heading for her usual cultivation spot, which was also the place with the densest qi on the mountain. As soon as she stepped in, the qi whip inside her bag started to stir. Previously, Gu Qin had sealed the qi whip with several layers of talismans. If not for the talismans, the negative qi would have already attacked her.

At the location, Gu Qin placed the qi whip on the auspicious spot without hesitation. She then took out cinnabar, brushes, and ink to draw an array on the ground. She sat cross-legged in front of the qi whip, which became even more agitated. It was an evil object that thrived on negative qi. If exposed to positive qi, it would feel uncomfortable.

Gu Qin directly struck the talisman onto the qi whip, and after a few strikes, the qi whip emitted a buzzing sound, its body vibrating. Gu Qin didn't dare to be distracted and continued striking with talismans. Though she had drawn many talismans, it was unlikely to subdue the qi whip easily. It wouldn't be considered earth-grade or heaven-grade if it were that simple.

The buzzing sound grew louder as Gu Qin bit her teeth and struck the talismans harder. The negative qi seemed to be trying to break free, but the talismans held it back. Gu Qin couldn't use all the talismans at once and continued drawing talismans with her qi.

For a while, neither side gave in. This negative object, having gained self-awareness, was hard to subdue. Gu Qin refused to give up. Half an hour passed, and she had used half of her talismans. Her qi still had some strength left.

However, the negative qi on the qi whip grew more violent. Gu Qin bit her finger, letting blood drip onto the qi whip. To subdue such a weapon required one's essence and blood. Initially, she was hesitant to feed it blood, as it might contain strong negative qi. But without feeding it, she couldn't subdue it. Now, seeing it tired, she hurriedly dripped her blood onto it.

Sure enough, the qi whip stirred violently, emitting a buzzing sound that made Gu Qin's ears ring. She felt dizzy as the negative qi began entering her body. The negative qi's resentment filled her mind, and she struggled to maintain her focus. She bit her tongue to stabilize herself and continued drawing talismans with her qi.

One, two, five... Gu Qin felt increasingly exhausted. Despite her early cultivation level, her qi was comparable to higher levels due to her unique abilities. But she still had limits. She had already cast dozens of talismans.

Gu Qin gritted her teeth and continued, drawing talismans with her qi. The buzzing grew louder, and her hallucinations worsened. Negative spirits surrounded her, their mouths wide open, ready to bite her...

Almost unconsciously, Gu Qin continued casting talismans at the qi whip.

Just as Gu Qin was about to lose her strength, she heard light footsteps behind her. Her face changed, annoyed at her own carelessness. She realized someone had been following her since the journey. Was this person a fellow practitioner? She cursed herself for being careless, knowing she had no defense against an attack.

But the person behind her didn't harm her. Instead, they sat down behind her, their voice gentle like jade. "Calm yourself, continue. I'll help you. Don't worry."

Gu Qin froze for a moment, recognizing the voice as Mr. Qin from the auction. Why was he following her? Did he follow her all along? At this point, she focused on continuing her task. She felt a surge of qi from behind, replenishing her energy.

Gu Qin knew it was not the time to ask questions and continued casting talismans.

Time passed, and it was 2 AM. She had started at around 8 PM and lasted until 10 PM. Now, four hours had passed, and the qi whip seemed to calm down.

Mr. Qin's voice sounded again, "Feed it your blood, then continue..."

Gu Qin bit her finger, dripping blood onto the qi whip. It buzzed again, and the negative qi stirred. Gu Qin continued until it calmed, then fed it more blood and continued subduing it.

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This process continued until dawn. When she fed it blood again, it finally stopped moving. Gu Qin heard a faint buzzing sound in her mind, no longer menacing but gentle. She sensed the qi whip's affectionate intent and felt the negative qi dissipate entirely.

Gu Qin sighed with relief, elated. She had finally subdued it. Exhausted, she collected the qi whip and stood up, followed by Mr. Qin.

Gu Qin turned to face him, noticing he was tall, her chin barely reaching his jaw. She disliked looking up and stepped back slightly. "No need for thanks, sir. Thank you for your help today."

"Subdued it well," Mr. Qin's voice sounded tired. "Let's head down the mountain."

Gu Qin nodded and they descended. She had many questions but didn't want to disturb him. She wondered who he was and why he helped her. She never believed in random kindness; there had to be a reason—like kinship, friendship, or money. She didn't know him and had only met him at the auction. Why help her?

They walked in silence. Gu Qin noticed Mr. Qin was walking slowly and didn't want to rush him. They slowly descended the mountain. By the time they reached the city, it was already bright. She saw his pale face and realized he was injured.

"Are you hurt? Your face looks terrible," Gu Qin said, embarrassed.

Mr. Qin shook his head. "I'm fine. Let's hurry back to the city. I'm quite hungry."

Gu Qin understood and decided to invite him for breakfast after asking about his help.

Both were exhausted. They found a bus to the city center. Gu Qin paid for their seats. It was early, so the bus was nearly empty. They sat in the back, with Gu Qin inside and Mr. Qin outside.

Mr. Qin wore casualbusiness suit, neat even after a night on the mountain. His hair was slightly disheveled, falling over his forehead. He was handsome, more so than Ji Ziyu, standing around 190 cm tall. His figure was proportionate, tall and slender, with a handsome face and pale skin. Passengers, both men and women, couldn't help but look at him.

He closed his eyes, resting. A few young women occasionally glanced back, eventually sitting closer to him. One long-haired girl blushed and said, "Excuse me..."

The girl's gaze fell on Mr. Qin. Gu Qin remained silent, too tired to speak. Mr. Qin opened his eyes, "Yes?"

Her face reddened further. "Sir, can I have your phone number?"

"I'm sorry," Mr. Qin smiled gently. "I don't have a phone."

Her face turned white, then red. Mr. Qin didn't comfort her, and the girls returned to their seats. He glanced at the sleeping girl next to him.

The bus soon reached the city center. Gu Qin woke up and prepared to leave. Mr. Qin followed, "Let me treat you to breakfast."

They entered a nearby breakfast shop. Gu Qin asked, "What would you like?"

Mr. Qin looked at the menu. "Steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and soy milk."

Gu Qin ordered soup noodles for herself and six steamed buns, two fried dough sticks, and a cup of soy milk for Mr. Qin. He ate politely but finished quickly.

His face remained pale. Gu Qin hesitated. "Sir, thank you for yesterday. Is there anything you need? I'll try my best to fulfill it."

"Rest," Mr. Qin said.

"Rest?" Gu Qin nodded. "There's a hotel nearby. Let's go there. I'll book a room for you and leave."

Mr. Qin nodded. They went to a hotel. Gu Qin asked, "Sir, aren't you from Daishan?"

Yesterday, he bid millions at the auction and seemed to be a fellow practitioner. If he were from Daishan, Jiang Ni and Ji Ziyu should know him, but they didn't.

Mr. Qin nodded. "No, I'm not from Daishan. I'm here for other reasons."

Gu Qin was even more suspicious. Why did he help her? Last night, he suddenly stopped bidding. Could he have been raising the price deliberately? But it didn't seem like it. Gu Qin couldn't understand what kind of person Mr. Qin was. She led him to a nearby hotel, booked a room, and let him in.

They stood in the room. It was spacious, with a large bed. Gu Qin said, "Rest, I'll leave."

Mr. Qin nodded. His face grew paler, and Gu Qin noticed beads of sweat on his forehead. His lips were pale, and he sat on the edge of the bed. His hair was damp, covering his black eyes.

Gu Qin knelt down. "Sir, are you okay?"

Mr. Qin didn't respond. Gu Qin realized he had closed his eyes. She pushed him gently, and he collapsed onto the bed.

Gu Qin was startled. She didn't understand what was happening. He was clearly stronger, having sustained her for hours. What was wrong now? She stayed, unsure of what to do. After a few hours, her qi recovered. She touched his wrist, intending to transfer her qi to him. But as soon as she transferred a little, she felt a strong negative qi surge towards her, far more intense than the qi whip's.

Before the negative qi could enter her, Mr. Qin suddenly opened his eyes, pushing her away. "Don't touch me. Go back. If you don't mind, leave your number. I'll call you when I wake up." He closed his eyes again.

Gu Qin blinked, bewildered. Why would transferring qi cause negative qi to attack her? She couldn't understand.

Xu Qin finally decided to stay in the room and accompany Mr. Qin. She had never seen Mr. Qin in such a condition before. He was also ancultivate one's moral character person, and a orthodox practitioner of Daoism, not a Warcraft. If he were a Warcraft, she would have been able to tell at a glance. But why did Mr. Qin's body contain such heavy yin qi?

Her own vitality certainly could not save him, and Mr. Qin himself had said not to touch him. Xu Qin did not touch him; instead, she sat beside him watching.

He must have been in great pain. Although he had fainted, sweat continued to pour from his forehead, soaking his clothes. His eyebrows were tightly knitted, and his right hand clenched into a fist over his chest. His body was slightly arched.

Seeing his appearance, Xu Qin felt a bit guilty. At the auction, he seemed fine, but after subduing the Sleeve mace for her, he became like this. It looked as if he had become like this because of helping her.

Xu Qin hesitated for a moment, then went forward and took off his suit jacket. It was quite cold outside, and he only wore a shirt underneath, which was soaked with sweat. The room had the heating on, and it gradually became warm. Xu Qin, disregarding any sense of propriety between men and women, helped him take off his shirt, then went to the bathroom to get a towel to wipe off his sweat.

Mr. Qin looked slender, but without his clothes, his physique was quite noticeable. He was slim. If it were in her previous life, Xu Qin would never have dared to undress a man. However, coming to this era, she gradually accepted the local customs.

She felt something was wrong. Mr. Qin still pressed his right fist against his chest. She couldn't help but open her Eye In The Sky and saw a gasp. Extremely dense yin qi seemed to be breaking out from his body. These yin qi were all concentrated in his chest area. In simpler terms, they were trying to break out from his chest.

Xu Qin was stunned. This was the first time she encountered such a situation. For now, she could only wipe off his sweat and cover him with a blanket.

Apart from that, she could not do much. Xu Qin sat on the sofa. After such a night, she was also tired and fell asleep sitting there. When she woke up, it was almost dark, and it was already past four in the afternoon.

Mr. Qin had not woken up yet, but he seemed to be better. His complexion had recovered somewhat. Xu Qin thought they had only eaten breakfast, and lunch was not yet eaten. She planned to ask the hotel to send some food. However, since she did not go home last night, she was afraid Cheng Yinxiang would worry. So, she went out to make a call, but to avoid disturbing him, she went to the corridor.

As soon as she called, Cheng Yinxiang answered, "Hello, is it Qu Qu? Why haven't you come back yet? Is nothing wrong?"

Xu Qin replied, "Mom, I'm fine, don't worry. I might be late tonight. I'll eat outside and won't be going home for dinner."

Cheng Yinxiang felt uneasy, "Qu Qu, don't get into any danger. Mom worries about you."

"Mom, I know. Please rest assured, everything is fine. I'm just eating outside, and I'll be back after I finish eating."

Cheng Yinxiang sighed with relief, "That's good. Come back early after eating."