Chapter 20: Dojo Daily Life, Scorpion Basin Tribulation
“Pah! Tofu, tofu again.”
Li Hou Er squatted beside Fang Shu, taking a bite of steamed bun and a bite of tofu, his face full of bitterness: “And damn it, it’s burnt. Why is my dad so stingy.”
Fang Shu heard this, shook his head, and silently gnawed on the plain steamed bun in his hand.
In just a few big bites, he swallowed the steamed bun that was three finger-widths thick, then thumped his chest and continued to grab another steamed bun from the side, wolfing it down.
Li Hou Er saw this scene and clicked his tongue:
“These blood steamed buns are fishy and hard, even hard to swallow with water. Normally, they can be used directly as bricks in fights.
Only Fang Ge Er, you have good teeth and a tongue sword, able to eat so many.”
Fang Shu heard this and showed a bitter smile on his face, but he didn’t say much and continued to bury his head in eating.
He had been in the Du Gu Guan for half a month now. The dojo had a large bunk room, and with Li Hou Er leading the way, he rarely went home.
For the first ten days, including the day he became a disciple, under the Dojo Master’s guidance, he took one Essence Nourishing Pill every day to nourish his body, replenish qi and blood, and learned some methods from Li Hou Er to build strength and aid digestion of the pill’s effects.
After ten days, the Essence Nourishing Pills were exhausted.
Second Uncle probably didn’t know he would consume them so quickly and hadn’t sent new pills, and Fang Shu knew the family situation, so he didn’t ask for any.
Fortunately, Fang Shu discovered that gnawing on the dojo’s steamed buns could greatly replenish qi and blood!
Because these steamed buns were not ordinary ones; they were made by simmering deer blood and tiger bone powder, steamed and sun-dried nine times each. Apart from being extremely fishy in taste and as hard as ironwood, they had no other flaws.
More importantly, the dojo provided food and lodging, and these blood steamed buns were unlimited—you could take as many as you could eat, as long as you didn’t waste them.
The kitchen staff often steamed thousands at a time. Anyway, this stuff kept well, and if it expired, it could be fed to demon pigs.
However, Fang Shu gnawing on the steamed buns wasn’t all benefits.
Apart from his wild eating manner and huge appetite like a hungry beast, and getting the nickname “hungry beast” from hanging out with Li Hou Er, he also had to relieve himself six times a day, up to nine at most.
It could be said he ate and then shat, gnawed and then dumped; his nickname almost became “straight gut” because of it.
But he had no choice; eating so much without timely evacuation, he would likely get food buildup in his stomach, bloating his intestines and belly until they burst and he died.
After wolfing down eight large steamed buns in one go, Fang Shu took a sip of water but didn’t dare drink much, then quietly headed toward the toilet.
But his action still drew attention from others in the dining hall, and a burst of laughter and pointing immediately arose:
“Why does this guy eat and then shit right away? Why not eat blood essence rice?
One bite of that stuff equals a whole steamed bun.”
“Poor ghost, that’s why—he can only ruin his own body.”
Fang Shu ignored them and continued walking into the toilet as if no one else was there, then several Daoist Children hurriedly ran out of the toilet.
They pinched their noses, held up their pants, with exaggerated disgust on their faces, laughing as they joined the others’ teasing.
Li Hou Er was squatting in the corner; he immediately stood up and glared angrily at these Daoist Children. But it was no use; instead, he got several cold glares.
So Li Hou Er silently squatted back down and ate his bitter tofu.
After a small half cup of tea.
Fang Shu came out of the toilet with light footsteps and a relaxed face.
He looked around the dining hall and suddenly showed a surprised expression; all the twenty or so people in the hall were gone.
Only Li Hou Er jumped up to meet him, then excitedly said: “Let’s go, Fang Ge Er, leave first!”
Fang Shu went along with it, walking while listening to Li Hou Er explain:
“The Du Dojo Master is opening the basin today to help several old Daoist Children in the dojo with cultivation practice to enter the Dao.”
Soon, in the dojo’s main hall, heads crowded together, over a hundred people.
It was Fang Shu’s first time seeing so many people in the dojo. Looking closely, he saw that menial laborers, kitchen helpers, cooks, and so on had all come to watch the excitement.
The two arrived late and could only stand in the corner, looking like underlings.
Fortunately, Li Hou Er was quick-witted and fetched a wooden bench from the dining hall; otherwise, the two brothers could only see heads and not the situation in the hall.
In the center of the hall entrance was a pool a zhang wide and a zhang deep, with a pungent smell inside, crawling with snakes and insects, toads, centipedes, geckos, and the like, tangled and densely packed, making Fang Shu’s scalp tingle just looking at them.
“This is called the Scorpion Basin. The blood inside is said to be hundred insect blood; a small sip can poison a giant elephant to death.”
Li Hou Er whispered in Fang Shu’s ear: “Listen carefully later. Every time the Dojo Master helps someone enter the Dao, she explains some cultivation principles.”
“Mm, thanks for the reminder, Li brother.”
Fang Shu nodded, immediately widening his eyes and perking up his ears.
Tribulation to enter the Dao was precisely his most important goal for joining the dojo to cultivate!
“Everyone’s here?”
The Du Dojo Master wore a dark floral robe, with chicken-skin hair and crane-like white hair; a strange smile on her face. She glanced around, her gaze sweeping over Fang Shu and the others one by one.
“The First Tribulation of Immortality is called ‘Ten Sicknesses and Nine Pains’, also known as ‘Free from Illness and Few Ailments’. To pass this tribulation, one must refine ‘Precious Blood’ in the body.”
Her voice hoarse, she spoke:
“Refine ginseng blood, and you may have a long life, extending your lifespan; refine tiger-ox blood, and your strength surges, up to nine oxen and two tigers’ power; refine iron-sand blood, and your skin becomes like copper and iron, immune to cold and heat; refine lewd eel blood, and your yang energy surges, genitals greatly enhanced…”
The Du Dojo Master lightly shouted:
“These essence bloods are the bait medicines for your cultivation. The Three-Six Pill Method, refining pills as bait, refers exactly to them!
Without essence blood entering the body, no Precious Medicine within, no matter how many techniques you learn or how well you cultivate, in the end, it’s all for nothing.”
In the hall, the Dojo Master continued lecturing.
Fang Shu listened with full concentration, his face excited.
Today, he finally heard the specific key to passing the First Tribulation—”Blood Refining and Blood Change”!
That is, metamorphosing the mortal blood in the human body into metal and stone blood, bird and beast blood, plant and wood blood, snake and insect blood, and so on.
After obtaining Precious Blood, the physical body is no longer mere mortal flesh but initially takes on the air of an immortal cultivator: free from disease, immune to cold and heat, unknowing of pain, and able to freely wield magic tools relying on the Precious Blood without harming the body or shortening lifespan.
This realm is called “First Tribulation Refining Essence Human Immortal”.
While Fang Shu was slowly pondering and digesting this, the Du Dojo Master finished lecturing. Without any dragging, she pointed at several Daoist Children who had been in the dojo for one or two years and ordered:
“Enter the basin.”
Fang Shu immediately gathered his focus on the so-called Scorpion Basin.
Six Daoist Children stepped forward with a snap.
Among them were males and females, mostly around seventeen or eighteen, with only one looking weathered and resolute, a middle-aged man.
The six Daoist Children stood before the Scorpion Basin, looking at the snakes, insects, and poisonous creatures inside; everyone’s face turned pale.
Especially when someone in the crowd suddenly shouted and threw a rabbit flying into the Scorpion Basin.
Hiss hiss! In an instant, the rabbit was entangled by snakes and insects, and in the blink of an eye, it stopped twitching, turning into pus and blood.
Clearly, this Scorpion Basin was no mere showpiece for play; inside were all fierce poisonous insects that bit at any living thing and pounced at any newcomer.
The Du Dojo Master sat steadily before the Scorpion Basin, reaching out to receive a cup of brewed tea from a disciple.
She sipped slowly and said:
“Life and death are fated, wealth and honor depend on heaven.
Those who enter my Scorpion Basin will have their qi and blood stimulated by the hundred insect toxins, forcing them to circulate their cultivation. The longer you persist, the greater the chance of entering the Dao, and the more benefits.”
The Du Dojo Master paused:
“Of course, the chance of disability or death will also be greater.
Think it over carefully. Life is only one; the chance to enter the basin is only once.
If someone goes in and comes out immediately, it’s self-destroying their future, harmful without benefit, and wastes my Treasure Bugs’ energy. Better to die inside and become insect food.”
These words made the six Daoist Children’s faces even paler.
One of them moved his lips and chose to step back.
He kept his head low: “Dojo Master, I think I can still practice more cultivation; my family might save more money for me.”
This action immediately drew boos from the hall, along with laughter:
“What a coward!”
But the Du Dojo Master didn’t mind, just nodded.
At this moment, plop!
Before anyone could react, a splash sounded in the Scorpion Basin; someone had jumped in, instantly stirring up hisses from the snakes and insects.
Aaah! By her figure, it was a woman. After entering the basin, she immediately screamed and thrashed wildly in the Scorpion Basin.
In just ten breaths, the woman lost all signs of life and fell face-up into the insect blood in the basin.
The Du Dojo Master sighed lightly, flashed forward, reached in, fished out the female Daoist Child, and shook her gently, causing all the snakes and insects on her to fall off and the blood water to shake clean.
Then, the Du Dojo Master publicly cut open the female Daoist Child’s robe, exposing her chest, abdomen, flesh, and groin without any covering.
But no one in the arena looked at the female Daoist Child with lewd eyes.
Because her originally white tender skin was now mottled green and purple, almost no good flesh left on her body, swollen and shiny like a giant’s corpse.
The Du Dojo Master’s hands became afterimages, quickly rubbing and pressing the female Daoist Child’s body several times, squeezing out the poisonous blood from within, and tasting it in her mouth.
She said flatly: “Overly clever, but salvageable. Take her down; ask the leech master to help suck it out.”
“Yes, Master.” Immediately, Daoist Children and menial laborers fetched a prepared plank, placed the female Daoist Child on it, and quickly carried her out of the hall.
The originally packed crowd parted ways without needing instruction.
Fang Shu watched this scene, feeling a chill in his heart and smacking his lips in shock.
He couldn’t help saying: “This… is it always this miserable normally?”
The nearby Li Hou Er watched; though his eyelids twitched, he seemed used to it, clicking his tongue:
“This senior sister was quite clever, entering first. The Dojo Master must have paid extra attention to her.
See, her face is basically fine; she probably applied medicine. Good chance of survival, and unlikely to be crippled.”
These words made Fang Shu’s heart tighten even more.
He had thought the female Daoist Child was purely ruthless, jumping in on a hot-headed impulse.
Unexpectedly, she had such calculations and had applied medicine; no wonder the Du Dojo Master commented “overly clever”.
Though Fang Shu had been in the dojo not long, after hearing the Dojo Master explain the Scorpion Basin blood refining principles, he knew that at such times, resisting with the body was the only solution.
Even if applying medicine, it could only be nourishing medicines or potent medicines to stimulate qi and blood, not insect-repelling or poison-avoiding drugs.
Otherwise, it would damage potential and lower the success rate of blood refining.
While the two whispered in the corner, another figure hesitated before the Scorpion Basin, gritted his teeth, and suddenly jumped into the basin.
After entering, he clenched his teeth tightly, his face quickly turning red, then purplish in an instant.
He didn’t fall but practiced a set of fist techniques in the Scorpion Basin, desperately stimulating his own qi and blood.
But after ten breaths, his movements went awry; after twenty, the fist frame completely collapsed; before thirty, his whole body went numb, on the verge of collapsing in the Scorpion Basin.
The Du Dojo Master was quick; she leaped and scooped him up, then patted his body bang bang, forcing out some of the poisonous blood inside.
Expressionless, she instructed: “Take him down to the leech master.”
With two already failing in the Scorpion Basin, none lasting thirty breaths, the remaining three Daoist Children all changed expressions, filled with suspicion and shock.
After a full hundred breaths, under the Du Dojo Master’s cold snort, someone finally mustered courage, gathered qi, and leaped into the Scorpion Basin.
After entering, he sat cross-legged, circulating his whole body’s cultivation; his body surface even emitted waves of heat like a furnace, making the bloody smell in the hall even thicker.
Fang Shu watched from the side and immediately heard someone say:
“Stimulating qi and blood so fast—did he take potent medicine?”
“Probably; the effects look strong. If he doesn’t break through this time, even if he survives, his latter half of life will likely be ruined.”
After sixty or seventy breaths, amid the crowd’s sighs and pity, the meditating man stiffened; the Du Dojo Master noticed something wrong, grabbed his head, and yanked him out upside down from the Scorpion Basin.
Even after being carried away, this pill-taking Daoist Child remained seated unmoving, his qi and blood congealed, body rigid as wood, unable to soften.
He was carried away still sitting, a weird half-smile and flushed tide on his lips.
Clearly, this person also failed the tribulation, falling short at the last step.
Only two left now.
One was skinny and weak; after dawdling for half a cup of tea, he closed his eyes and jumped into the Scorpion Basin for tribulation.
Under the crowd’s watch, he gritted his teeth and persisted for forty or fifty breaths, finally crawling out himself, but still ended in failure.
So far, one withdrew, four severely injured with unknown life or death.
The last remaining one stood alone before the Scorpion Basin, his face a spectacle of emotions, breathing tensely as if forgotten, face turning purple.
Not just him—even the surrounding Fang Shu and others, regardless of newbie or veteran, Daoist Child or menial laborer, were all very quiet, the atmosphere extremely oppressive.
The Du Dojo Master seemed quite tolerant toward this last lone seedling today.
He dawdled for over a hundred breaths without adjusting his qi and blood, yet the Du Dojo Master didn’t urge him, just closed her eyes and waited.
In the oppression, suddenly a man-sized toad hopped in from outside.
It croaked loudly without regard: “Dojo Master, Dojo Master, the leech master says it’s full from sucking.
If you send more people, it’ll quit and leave as a demon, done working.”
The toad’s croaking made many in the hall look odd.
Thump! The Du Dojo Master suddenly opened her eyes, not looking at the last Daoist Child, but replying directly:
“Got it.”
After speaking.
The Du Dojo Master turned, lifting a zhang-wide and zhang-thick large stone carved screen from behind. The base was like a pot lid or stone mill, the upper part carved with scorpions, centipedes, poisonous insects, and such, lifelike.
She placed the stone carved screen over the Scorpion Basin like picking up an empty gourd, sealing the basin mouth.
Though her movements were effortless, the moment the Scorpion Basin closed, a heavy thud sounded like something landing, and even the hall floor trembled.
“Disperse.” The Du Dojo Master instructed flatly.
She turned back again, took several incense sticks, faced away from the crowd, and slowly lit incense and candles before the five poisons hanging painting on the altar table wall.
In an instant.
Voices buzzed in the hall as many discussed the earlier scenes.
Only the last Daoist Child remained silent, his face a mix of relief and regret, as if having lost something, somewhat dazed and lost.
Watching the Du Dojo Master burn incense on her own, he moved his lips as if to speak, but in the end lowered his head, silently blending into the crowd and quickly leaving the hall.
With the last one gone, Fang Shu fully withdrew his gaze.
His face dazed, he murmured: “Entering the Dao via tribulation is actually this dangerous?”
Today, six attempted tribulation: two withdrew, four failed and perished. Du Gu Guan could be called a total wipeout, zero gains.
Moreover, per the Du Dojo Master, whether these six tried or not, they were either physically wrecked or lost heart; they could never enter the Scorpion Basin for tribulation again in this life—entering would be suicide.
Hearing Fang Shu’s mutter, nearby Li Hou Er sucked his teeth, grinned:
“No no no, not necessarily.”
“Hm?” Fang Shu immediately looked at him brightly.
Li Hou Er gazed toward the Scorpion Basin and explained:
“Scorpion Basin tribulation is actually the guaranteed welfare of our Du Gu Guan. Anyone cultivating here over a year, with Immortal Merit comprehension decent enough, can try it.
But tribulation methods aren’t limited to this one path.”
Li Hou Er counted on his fingers:
“To pass tribulation and ascend to immortality, you can burn thatch and strike the tripod, enter red lead, refine autumn stone, and consume women’s milk; supplement yang by harvesting yin, rub navel to pass qi, high person pours top; fast with bigu, consume spiritual items; invite immortals to spirit writing, gods open orifices… plenty of methods.”
Fang Shu heard this, hesitated, and pointed questioningly at the sealed Scorpion Basin in the hall.
Li Hou Er understood, shrugged, and chanted with a sway:
“This is called: the poor rely on risking life, the rich have divine connections.”
“Money can connect to gods!” Li Hou Er winked and rubbed his fingers.
Fang Shu fell silent.
He understood: those who went up earlier were all poor disciples in the dojo, or ordinary Daoist Children, who could only hope to pass tribulation by risking life after nourishing qi and blood.
In such a process, at most taking potent medicines to stimulate the physical body, naturally it was extremely dangerous, with less than one in four surviving.
But with money and connections, no need for such danger.
That said, this extremely dangerous Scorpion Basin tribulation was still a welfare for old Daoist Children, only available after a full year in the dojo.
Having gained a great deal of insight, Fang Shu saw the hall emptying and cupped hands toward the Du Dojo Master, planning to leave with Li Hou Er.
At that moment, the Du Dojo Master, examining the wall hanging, suddenly spoke:
“Fang Shu, stay.
Your qi and blood nourishment is not bad; seems recovered over half.”
The Du Dojo Master paused: “I can transmit techniques to you, teach you cultivation practice and blood refining.”
Fang Shu first praised inwardly: this Du Dojo Master has sharp eyes.
Because of his gorging, per the Dao Talisman display, his lifespan upper limit had recovered to fifty-five years.
And recovery was slowing; the rest would require accumulated daily nourishment or stronger pills, no longer quick fixes.
Hearing the Dojo Master’s follow-up, Fang Shu paused for a breath, his mind clearing of distractions.
Great joy appeared on his face; he immediately bowed:
“Yes, Master!”
