Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 7 Discovery

Li Shiming thought back to his initial encounter with Chief Escort Wang in the garden—it was right here, by this specific rockery, where the man had requested to meet him.

If he were being hunted while possessing a treasure he couldn't carry, he would certainly hide it somewhere he could keep under constant surveillance.

It was highly probable that Chief Escort Wang had stashed the object nearby. Instead of disturbing anything on the Chief Escort's corpse, Li Shiming began a thorough search of the immediate area.

However, Li Shiming was well aware that his own investigative skills were lacking and wouldn't yield much.

He considered utilizing the massive IBM z15 server located within his machine room space, but this required the server to receive a direct visual feed of what he was seeing.

To use his eyes as a data source, he needed to integrate them as an input device for the IBM z15.

He attempted to configure a new input device within the Linux system settings, linking his consciousness to the input module. Almost instantly, the system identified an available device.

The installation was automatic, requiring no external drivers.

Operating the IBM z15 by interfacing directly with its internal components was a first for Li Shiming. After several trials, he successfully registered his eyes as a legitimate input device for the server.

He scanned the rockery and its surroundings, feeding the environmental data into the IBM z15 to generate a high-definition video file.

Closing his eyes, he used his consciousness to review the footage on a loop.

While his personal experience was thin, the sheer number of digital repetitions was bound to reveal any hidden inconsistencies.

“Found it!” After roughly a minute of analyzing the file nearly a hundred times, he finally detected an anomaly.

Li Shiming walked to the southern edge of the rockery. While the grass appeared identical to the rest of the lawn, the average height in this specific patch was marginally taller.

This minute variation was invisible to the naked eye, but the digitized analysis of the IBM z15 made it glaringly obvious.

In just that single minute of processing, the server's power consumption had already hit the warning threshold.

Chief Escort Wang was a master of concealment. Had Li Shiming relied on his natural vision, the secret would have remained buried forever.

Carefully, Li Shiming pried up the section of sod, uncovering a wooden box hidden beneath the earth.

A surge of excitement hit him the moment the box came into view.

Upon opening it, he discovered two manuals and a small wooden sword.

The surface of the small wooden sword was etched with dense, intricate patterns so precise they rivaled the finest printing technology of his previous life.

When he lifted the wooden sword, he was shocked by its heft; it weighed approximately eight kilograms.

“This is no common object; it might actually be a Daoist artifact!” Its unnatural weight confirmed its extraordinary status.

After stowing the sword away, he turned his attention to the two books.

The titles read: The Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique and Introduction to Runes.

Li Shiming scanned through the pages quickly, paused to reflect, and then returned them to the box.

He realized a potential danger—Chief Escort Wang was dead, but the Daoist cultivator was still at large and would likely continue his search.

He was unsure of the Daoist cultivator's mystical abilities or if the man could track the item to this location.

It was safer to leave a decoy. If the Daoist cultivator arrived, he should be led to believe the box only contained these two manuals.

The contents of the books were already safely stored within the IBM z15, accessible to him at any moment.

With the data recorded, the server transitioned into hibernation mode to conserve energy, as it would be unusable without a fresh power supply soon.

After ensuring the contents were settled, he painstakingly restored the grass to its original state.

He then transferred Chief Escort Wang’s corpse into the machine room space; he wasn't fond of the idea, but leaving a body in the garden was far riskier.

He meticulously scrubbed the area, particularly where the Chief Escort had collapsed, removing every trace of the struggle.

Only then did he return to his courtyard with a sense of ease, the crushing weight of anxiety finally lifting.

That night, he pushed himself to the limit of exhaustion, using his consciousness to power the generator before falling into a deep sleep.

The following day passed quietly. The local authorities had found no sign of the Daoist cultivator or Chief Escort Wang.

However, late on the second night, the sound of drums echoed through the courtyard—an alarm signaling a major event in Nanling Prefecture.

He hurried out to investigate and encountered Mo Yan, who was rushing toward him with news.

“Young Master, a terrible tragedy has struck! The Weiyuan Escort Agency has been slaughtered. Chief Escort Wang’s entire family and every member of the agency—thirty-five souls in total—have been murdered!” Mo Yan reported breathlessly.

Li Shiming’s face paled. He knew instantly that the Daoist cultivator was the culprit.

The cultivator had likely turned to such brutality after failing to locate Chief Escort Wang.

By butchering the agency and the Chief Escort’s kin, he hoped to provoke the man into revealing himself through sheer desperation and rage.

It was a cold-blooded massacre—thirty-five lives snuffed out without hesitation.

Given that this happened within Nanling Prefecture, the sounding of the drums was expected; the city guards and perhaps even nearby military units would be mobilized.

Li Shiming’s concern deepened. The object the Daoist cultivator sought was in this very garden, and there was no guarantee that finding the box alone would appease him.

He had already taken the small wooden sword. If that was the primary target, his entire household could be in grave danger.

He doubted the local authorities could withstand a Daoist cultivator; in all likelihood, they stood no chance.

He needed to implement a backup plan before the box was discovered.

“Mo Yan, are the materials I asked for ready yet?” Li Shiming asked with a sharp edge to his voice.

“I’ll expedite the process; they will certainly be here by tomorrow morning!” Mo Yan promised, sensing the Young Master's urgency.

Li Shiming abandoned his original plan of constructing a full electric arc furnace. Even if the materials arrived, manufacturing the silicon carbon rods and charging the UPS would take far too much time.

With a furnace, he could have used his consciousness to forge precision metal tools and self-defense weapons.

Pressed for time, he had to pivot to a different strategy.

A new concept formed in his mind.

Utilizing the resources in the machine room space, he conducted a chemical experiment to extract a small quantity of white phosphorus through the simplest means available.

The IBM z15 provided over a dozen methods for synthesizing the substance. He chose the fastest one, as the purity of the phosphorus was secondary to its immediate availability.

Once he had the white phosphorus, he returned to the garden. He placed the chemical trap inside the buried wooden box and once again erased all signs of his presence.

He had done everything within his power; now, the outcome rested in the hands of fate.