Liu Zixi picked up the spiritual fruit on the table, and a refreshing fragrance wafted into his nose, making him unconsciously swallow. His body instinctively told him to eat it! It was delicious!
"Snap!"
Liu Zixi put it to her lips and took a bite. She felt the fragrance linger on her lips and teeth. The fruit pulp turned into liquid and melted in her mouth. After swallowing it, it transformed into a huge amount of primordial energy.
"uh-huh……"
The sudden surge of spiritual energy was so immense that Liu Zixi's eyes widened, and he let out a muffled groan. Before he could say anything, he immediately began to circulate his inner energy cultivation technique, focusing on refining that spiritual energy.
Xiao Ning remained calm and focused, ready to make a move at any moment.
Fortunately, although Liu Zixi had not yet entered the second stage, she had laid an exceptionally solid foundation. With the help of the spiritual fruit, she was able to advance smoothly and successfully.
"Pop!"
After an unknown amount of time, a soft sound was heard coming from Liu Zixi's body. Then, Xiao Ning saw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth frantically pouring into Liu Zixi's body.
It was visible to the naked eye that Liu Zixi was undergoing a complete transformation; the skin on her face became smooth and elastic, and the half-white hair on her head turned black one by one.
In an instant, Liu Zixi seemed to have regained his youth. The innate true essence in his body transformed into magical power, and a powerful aura burst forth from his body, soaring straight into the sky.
"Ha ha……"
Liu Zixi stopped his stance and stood up, laughing heartily.
"Congratulations Elder Liu on your advancement! You now have the hope of achieving immortality and the path to becoming a celestial being!"
Xiao Ning congratulated him with a smile on his face.
"Thank you, Elder Xie, for bestowing upon me the spiritual fruit. It was through this that I was able to advance to the Profound Realm of Magic Power. Otherwise, I fear I would have had no hope in this lifetime!"
Liu Zixi bowed deeply and said.
…………
Liu Zixi's advancement to the Profound Realm of Magic Power greatly increased his lifespan from five hundred years to one thousand years, a truly joyous occasion for Qingxu Temple.
After a day of lively celebration with everyone in the sect, Xiao Ning finally left with Xu Xian and returned to Qiantang County.
For the next two weeks or so, nothing major happened. Both Xiao Ning and Xu Xian devoted themselves to cultivation. Xiao Ning's cultivation level hardly improved, while Xu Xian's cultivation level progressed rapidly.
He not only mastered many basic Taoist spells, but also learned a powerful innate sword technique—the Dugu Nine Swords.
While the two of them were practicing meditation on the mountain, a great upheaval occurred in Qiantang County at the foot of the mountain.
Liujia Village is more than 20 miles away from Qiantang County. The entire village has only about 100 households and about 500 to 600 people.
There are many such small villages near Qiantang County. Liujia Village is just an ordinary village among the many villages and towns in Qiantang County, and there is nothing special about it.
As night fell, the entire village fell into silence, with only the occasional crowing of a rooster or barking of a dog.
A tall figure appeared unsteadily at the village entrance, and then walked towards Liu Family Village.
Not long after, the figure stopped in front of a house. This family was considered well-off in the village, with a son and a daughter, making them a family with both a son and a daughter.
The figure stood in front of the gate, seemingly pausing for a moment as if confirming something, before leaping up and silently vaulting over the high wall.
He walked to the front of the room, which was pitch black. He saw the other person approach the window, blow a breath into it, and then push open the window and jump inside.
In the blink of an eye, the other person jumped out of the room, carrying two small figures in their hands. Anyone who saw them would recognize them as the family's son and daughter.
The figure carrying two small children quickly left Liu Family Village and disappeared.
Early the next morning, a piercing scream came from this house, and soon the whole village was alarmed.
The villagers rushed over, and with everyone talking at once, they quickly figured out the truth of the matter.
The Liu family's two children were stolen. The children who slept in the same bed with the couple simply vanished without the couple noticing.
Early in the morning, the couple opened their eyes and found that their two children were missing. They were stunned at the time. After realizing what had happened, Liu Er's wife immediately started crying and screaming.
"Report it to the authorities. The most important thing right now is to report it to the authorities first, and then we can figure out how to find the child."
An elder, being experienced, quickly stabilized the situation after the initial panic and came up with the best solution at hand.
“What’s the use of reporting it to the authorities? This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, but so far, the authorities haven’t even found out why the child went missing.”
However, even if some people murmured, it was no use. Liu Er and his wife went to the county government office to beat the drum immediately.
Inside the county government office, Su Kangnian, the county magistrate, was frowning as he looked at the officials below him.
The county lieutenant and the county assistant were originally the county magistrate's two main assistants, one in civil affairs and the other in military affairs. However, they took advantage of the fact that Su Kangnian was an outsider with little local influence and had always been secretly obedient to him.
However, after Su Kangnian met Xu Xian, they were completely convinced of his abilities.
At this moment, several powerful figures in the county, including Li Gongfu, the county magistrate, and the county assistant, were present. However, the atmosphere in the room was somewhat stagnant, creating an extremely oppressive feeling.
Su Kangnian sat high in the head seat, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Speak up! Are you all mute? How should this case be handled to give our fellow villagers an explanation?"
After hearing his words, everyone remained silent. They were all seasoned veterans of the officialdom, and based on their years of experience, they knew that this case was not simple. Who would dare to get involved so easily?
Su Kangnian took in everyone's reactions and turned his gaze to Li Gongfu, directly addressing him: "Officer Li, as the head constable of the third shift of this county, tell me, can you find the dozen or so boys and girls who have gone missing in the past half month?"
In less than half a month, more than a dozen boys and girls went missing without a trace in Qiantang County. With such a big mess, County Magistrate Su Kangnian could not escape responsibility.
If it were just one or two children who were missing, it wouldn't be a big deal. But if more than a dozen were missing in an instant, and there were one or two missing almost every day, then it's quite unusual.
The matter has now spread throughout the county, causing widespread panic among the people. If it is not handled properly, Su Kangnian may not be able to bear the consequences if his superiors hold him accountable.