To be honest, the methods of the "Shousui" people sounded quite eerie, and upon closer thought, even a bit terrifying.
Ordinary people strive to live, but the Shousui people actually seek death? It sounded rather absurd.
However, this bizarre and terrifying method happened to be the perfect remedy for my condition.
I was stuck with a corpse-like body, only able to function like a normal person thanks to the miraculous Blood Tai Sui.
But even the Blood Tai Sui was only a temporary fix, not a permanent solution.
The Shousui method of refining death into life, however, could precisely address the biggest issue with my body.
"But..."
After receiving the method, Hu Ma also realized that his next steps in cultivation required caution.
The old shopkeeper had warned him that the method should not be shared, and the path of cultivation was quite peculiar.
He couldn't let the other workers see him practicing it.
It seemed he would have to let Zhou Datong sleep in the communal dormitory for a while.
As he pondered this, he returned to his side room, only to find that Zhou Datong wasn't there, and even his bedding was gone.
Curious, Hu Ma went to ask around and found Zhou Datong looking terrified, shaking his head repeatedly.
"Brother Hu Ma, I can't sleep with you anymore."
"?"
Hu Ma noticed the strange looks from the other workers and quickly scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about? We were sleeping just fine..."
"No, no..."
Zhou Datong shook his head vigorously, pulling Hu Ma outside and whispering, "Is that little ghost from your family still following you? I just... I just saw the sword on your bed moving by itself..."
"Ah..."
Hu Ma immediately understood what had happened.
He told Zhou Datong not to spread rumors and then took an oil lamp back to his room.
Looking up, he saw Xiao Hongtang sitting on the beam, playing with the red wooden sword.
When Xiao Hongtang held something, ordinary people usually couldn't see it.
For example, the basket left by his grandmother—Xiao Hongtang, missing her, carried it with her every day, but others couldn't see it.
If Hu Ma took it from her, to others, it would seem like Hu Ma had suddenly produced a basket out of thin air, a scene both bizarre and magical.
Hu Ma had heard from Second Uncle that this was because ghosts could obscure objects.
Some powerful ghosts could even obscure people, making them invisible to others and vice versa.
That was why, when Xiao Hongtang had ridden on Cui Xie'er's shoulders and covered his eyes, Cui Xie'er had been disoriented, not knowing where to strike.
But this wooden sword was different.
Even though Xiao Hongtang held it, the sword remained visible, as if floating in mid-air.
No wonder Zhou Datong had been scared enough to move out in the middle of the night, refusing to sleep with Hu Ma anymore.
Feeling relieved, Hu Ma watched Xiao Hongtang cradling the old sword, clearly enamored with it.
He found it strange and asked, "Aren't you afraid of this sword?"
He had tested the sword himself the previous night.
The old artifact was quite powerful—with just thirty percent of his furnace fire, he could unleash seventy percent of its strength.
Any evil spirit hit by it would be severely injured.
Xiao Hongtang, being a type of evil spirit herself, was usually terrified of Second Uncle's furnace fire.
So why did she like this old artifact so much?
"Not afraid," Xiao Hongtang replied, hugging the sword and curling up on the beam.
"The old thing feels comfortable."
Hu Ma was curious and asked a few more questions before understanding.
The old artifact indeed had a spiritual nature, having been cleansed by spiritual energy, akin to having its meridians opened.
When Hu Ma used it, his furnace fire flowed smoothly, activating the sword's spiritual nature, making it exceptionally powerful.
But when he wasn't using it, the sword contained no fire energy.
Xiao Hongtang liked it because the sword's yin energy flowed freely, making it a comforting object for her, much like sitting on the beam.
Although Hu Ma's foundation was still weak and he didn't fully grasp the subtle differences, he was glad Xiao Hongtang liked it.
He set down the oil lamp and looked at his left hand, which was already lifeless, the blood flow cut off, and he could no longer feel it.
He knew the hand was almost completely dead.
He cut a strip of cloth from the bedsheet and wrapped it around his left hand.
According to the method taught by the old shopkeeper, he needed to rekindle the life in this hand, bringing part of his body back to life.
Now, he had achieved his small dream of having his own room and beam, obtained the method to cure his condition, and even got the old artifact Xiao Hongtang wanted.
He felt a sense of joy and satisfaction, the heavy burden he had carried since his rebirth lightening somewhat.
As for what came next...
He pondered, recalling the gaze he had felt from behind the white-papered window in the inner courtyard when the old shopkeeper had taught him the method.
Who was that? It definitely wasn't the old shopkeeper's servant or the old cook in the inner courtyard.
If his intuition was correct, it was a woman! But he had been at the estate for quite some time and had never seen her.
In fact, apart from the drinking companions called by the shopkeeper and the mustached steward when he first arrived, he hadn't seen any women in the estate at all...
Had she been hiding in the inner courtyard all this time?
Moreover, the old shopkeeper had refused to take him as a disciple but mentioned that he would need Hu Ma's help in the future.
What did that mean? On the surface, it seemed like he would need assistance come spring, but was that really all there was to it?
Also, while he had obtained the method and everything seemed to be going smoothly, he had earned it through his own efforts.
But for someone like the old shopkeeper, who clearly had his own agenda, did the strange Tai Sui he had given, his status as a disciple of the Red Lantern Lady, and his future usefulness really outweigh the value of the Shousui method in their eyes?
Second Uncle and Erguotou had both warned him about the difficulties of learning such methods...
Hu Ma was grateful to the old shopkeeper for teaching him, but he wasn't naive enough to think everyone was a saint.
Falling into a trap from the sky might seem easy, but it could leave you with a broken tooth.
"Whoosh..."
After carefully considering these questions, Hu Ma finally shook his head.
He wished the world was full of good people, so he could be a good person without worry.
With these thoughts in mind, he lay down on the bed, slowly practicing his cultivation, and continued to ponder.
It was always wise to be cautious.
Whether the old shopkeeper truly needed his help in the future or simply wanted an assistant, he had to remain vigilant.
After all, the method of refining life was intricate and delicate, and even the slightest mistake could turn him into a walking disaster like Ouyang Feng...
To be safe, he should find an opportunity to ask Erguotou if the method taught by the old shopkeeper was reliable.
However, he wasn't entirely sure if Erguotou, who didn't follow the Shousui path, could help him.
...
...
"Dad, when will it be ready?"
While Hu Ma was secluded in his room practicing the Shousui method, the old shopkeeper had extinguished the oil lamp and entered the main hall.
In the inner room, someone was waiting anxiously.
As soon as he entered, a weak voice called out.
The old shopkeeper hurried into the side room, lit the oil lamp, and saw the girl in the vat, her face pale, looking at him.
The clear water in the vat now had a reddish tint, a result of the blood pills Xu Ji had sent over.
On the girl's forehead and chest were patches of greenish-red cloth, made from the rare Tai Sui Hu Ma had given him, specially prepared as a medicinal paste.
"Isn't the pain gone?" he asked nervously, carefully examining her.
"The pain's gone," the girl in the vat complained, "but I don't want to stay in the vat anymore, Dad. My body's almost rotting from being soaked."
"Be good, be good," the old shopkeeper coaxed her, looking at her wrinkled hands with a pang of guilt.
But he could only patiently console her, "It'll be over soon, very soon... I've already taught him the method, but he still needs to learn it..."
...
...
Meanwhile, in the side room of the estate, Hu Ma, immersed in his cultivation, gradually drifted into sleep.
Since coming to this world, he might not have been diligent in many things, but when it came to cultivation, which was a matter of life and death, he had never slackened.
This focus made it easier for him to concentrate, allowing him to achieve precision and subtlety in his practice.
It had even become a habit, so much so that he continued his cultivation even as he fell into a dream.
In his dream, he found himself in the small temple.
It wasn't a day for meeting Erguotou, but Hu Ma noticed something strange.
He was using his furnace fire to cleanse his meridians and rekindle the life in his left hand.
In the dream, this furnace fire manifested as three incense sticks on the altar.
To his surprise, as he practiced, one of the incense sticks burned rapidly, its smoke merging with the dark red mist around him, causing the mist to swirl and flow.
The incense stick was clearly diminishing, but it wasn't wasted—it was transforming into another form, circulating within the broken temple.
As the mist swirled, Hu Ma suddenly saw a faint golden light emanating from behind the altar.
Startled, he focused his gaze and saw that it was the idol behind the altar, shrouded in darkness.
Now, the idol's left hand was marked with golden streaks, glowing like the life force in his meridians.
This discovery shocked Hu Ma, and he stared intently for a long time.
Eventually, he was filled with wonder, unsure of how this miracle had occurred, but he had a vague certainty: "Perhaps I don't need to rely on Erguotou to verify the authenticity of this method... I have my own way now!"
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(End of Chapter)