Lighting a great stove within the body to ward off evil, dispel illness, and resist the supernatural?
While marveling at the wonders of this world, Hu Ma found great comfort in his heart:
Firstly, in this bizarre world, he finally had a means to protect himself.
Secondly, according to Second Master, once the stove fire is lit, any evil spirits that come near would be scorched unbearably.
Doesn't that mean, even though he isn't an original inhabitant, he isn't like ordinary evil spirits that would be burned by this body?
Is it because of his identity as a "transmigrator," or are there other unknown reasons?
Perhaps, these questions can only be answered after talking with other transmigrators.
After checking and confirming that the stove had been properly lit for Hu Ma, Second Master took him to the side room to rest.
Good heavens, a large communal bed filled with half-grown boys.
When he first woke up, Hu Ma had been sleeping in the side room at home, with only an old woman chanting sutras all night and a little girl, Xiao Hongtang, who might be human or ghost.
Hiding in the side room, he felt lonely and fearful.
Now, he was suddenly surrounded by a dozen peers.
Each full of energy, running up the mountains and practicing martial arts during the day, and clearly not very particular about hygiene.
As soon as he entered the room, he was nearly knocked over by the smell.
Hmm, the strong odor of adolescent boys...
"At Second Master's place, you certainly won't be as comfortable as in the village."
Second Master noticed Hu Ma's immediate frown upon entering, showing great discomfort, and sighed: "The old woman spoiled you endlessly before, but now that you're here to learn skills, you'll have to make do. I can't possibly have you sleep in my room, can I?"
"..."
Hu Ma thought: I just came from your room, and the smell there isn't much better...
But he nodded on the surface, only asking Second Master where he should sleep.
Second Master glanced around and pointed to a boy by the stove, telling him to move outside to make room for Hu Ma.
This large communal bed had a stove built into the corner, connected to the kang bed.
Of course, no firewood was burning in the stove this season, but the chimney was still connected.
Because of this stove, the bed was divided into two halves, with seven or eight boys crowded together on one side.
On the other side of the stove, against the wall, there was only a narrow space of about half a meter, enough for just one person.
Compared to the conditions in the room, this was practically a single bed.
It seemed Second Master said he wouldn't give Hu Ma special treatment, but in reality, he did.
Hu Ma agreed and laid out his bedding.
Looking at the others, some had tattered quilts with cotton sticking out, others had thin blankets like rags.
But the old woman had brought Hu Ma a thick, wide black cotton quilt, half for padding and half for covering.
Others didn't have proper pillows, just a pair of cloth shoes under their heads, but the old woman had brought Hu Ma a wheat chaff pillow, making his sleep solid and comfortable.
"Go to bed early, get up early tomorrow to practice, and don't mess around at night. Focus on your cultivation, don't let your mind wander!"
Seeing Hu Ma obediently go to bed without making a fuss or complaining, Second Master was somewhat surprised.
Feeling something was missing, he sternly lectured the group of boys before slowly walking back to his main room.
"Ah, so envious, he gets to light a stove as soon as he arrives, such good treatment..."
"Hehe, can't even keep up with mountain running, and he gets to light a stove..."
"..."
As soon as Second Master left, the side room fell silent for a moment, then the boys began to whisper and make noises.
According to Second Master, these boys had all lit their stoves like him, and their fires were stronger, making them more energetic and restless.
At this age, they would cause trouble even without reason, and Hu Ma's better treatment naturally attracted their attention.
Hu Ma understood this and kept quiet, ignoring the others, lying down silently.
"Hey, Hu Ma, is it true your family eats meat every meal?"
"Does the old woman really raise little ghosts?"
"..."
Whispers and giggles arose, some testing the waters, others laughing softly.
But Hu Ma pretended not to hear, not uttering a word.
He needed to understand this world better before relaxing; for now, it was best to remain unchanged.
"Haha, such a big shot from the old woman's house, ignoring us..."
Seeing Hu Ma remain silent, the boys lost interest.
After a while, some quietly calculated when they could return to the village and what they could eat, others planned how much money they could earn by following the Tai Sui worship next spring, and how many years it would take to get a wife.
Occasionally, there were jokes like "You like Sister Dong" or "You're hard again," gradually drifting into sleep.
Hu Ma pretended to sleep, quietly listening to their conversations, trying to learn more about the village.
Only when everything quieted down did he silently reflect, turning his attention to the talisman drawn on his chest.
He could clearly feel that with this talisman, the heat in his body no longer dissipated but slowly accumulated.
Gradually building up, his body felt a bit bloated.
Hu Ma steadied his mind, following Second Master's instructions, pressing his tongue against the roof of his mouth, half-asleep, guiding the heat along the talisman drawn with willow branches on his chest, slowly directing it into his lower abdomen, storing it in his "stove."
To his surprise, Hu Ma found this first step, called "cultivation," surprisingly easy.
According to Second Master, this initial step required slow adaptation, as the body's yang energy was scattered and weak, needing careful guidance.
At first, it was hard to grasp the subtle feeling.
But Hu Ma found his internal fire strong and vigorous.
With little effort, it quickly followed the cold talisman, flowing into the stove.
The process was extremely comfortable, and soon he felt a warm, full sensation in his lower abdomen.
With his energy full, his courage also grew.
Hu Ma no longer felt the constant restlessness and timidity since his transmigration.
Thinking of the pitch-black night outside, he even dared to go out alone to relieve himself...
...
Better not.
But this discovery truly delighted him.
"Is this the truly useful method? Why didn't the old woman let me come earlier?"
He marveled, recalling how he had felt a chill and strange illusions when encountering evil spirits or at the old fire pit.
Some instinct made him realize that the heat now rising in his body was completely different from that coldness.
A warm body naturally fears no cold, and a strong stove fire repels evil spirits.
This method seemed even better than the old fire pit!
Relying on external objects isn't as good as strengthening one's own foundation, right?
If the old woman had let him learn this method earlier, he might not have feared those evil spirits.
Could it be...
...that the old woman was really just worried he wouldn't find a wife soon after learning this method?
These questions had no immediate answers, but for the first time since arriving in this world, Hu Ma felt confident.
With such effects from his first attempt at cultivation, once his stove fire grew stronger, where couldn't he go?
A sense of unprecedented calm and joy arose in his heart, and he tirelessly continued his "cultivation."
Making the fire in his lower abdomen burn brighter and brighter.
Then...
...
With a sudden gasp, Hu Ma woke up abruptly.
Looking up instinctively, he saw the window still pitch black, unsure of the time.
The boys around him slept soundly, some grinding their teeth, others lazily talking in their sleep, and some turning over, clutching their pants, rubbing continuously.
It was late autumn, almost winter, and the boys, with their strong fire, didn't mind the cold, sleeping with bare legs and half-naked.
But Hu Ma was woken by the cold.
He slept well, still wrapped in his thick quilt.
But his body felt like a block of ice, with a cold, eerie chill rising from his limbs, slowly seeping into his body.
Only when it reached his lower abdomen was the chill slightly dispelled, like the faint glow of a few remaining embers in a cold stove.
"This isn't right..."
The more Hu Ma felt his current state, the more uneasy he became.
Didn't Second Master say that after lighting the stove, the heat constantly emitted by the body would be sealed?
Guiding this heat to the lower abdomen would form a fire.
This fire should grow stronger over time, but why did his fire seem to be shrinking?
Why was his body emitting cold instead of heat?
This sudden anomaly made Hu Ma afraid to sleep.
He half-sat up, staring out the window.
The dark purple night sky had quietly turned pale, and in the distance, a rooster crowed.
"Boys, get up for mountain running..."
Outside, near the main room, Second Master's loud voice suddenly rang out.
(End of Chapter)