Chapter 67: Unburdened Heart Breaks Free From Mortal Chains
Bought land.
The subsequent matters of building houses and laying tiles, including officially registering household registration in Gu Ling Town after owning the property, and other miscellaneous affairs.
Fang Shu handed everything over to his second uncle, Yu Le.
This time, he had earned a family business for his second uncle, and while he was overjoyed, he also felt greatly relieved.
After all, with this house, his second uncle only needed to live peacefully in Gu Ling Town from now on; even if he fell to the point of selling blood to supplement the family expenses, he should not turn into a blood ghost.
With work and a family business, apart from not having a wife, Fang Shu felt he had made ample arrangements for his second uncle.
What he needed to do next was to devote himself wholeheartedly to his own cultivation, free from worldly affairs.
In an instant, Fang Shu felt as if a shackle had been released from his heart.
He sensed something.
That day, he entered the quiet room of Du Gu Guan and, using this sense of lightness in his body and mind, he pushed his qi and blood, and tempered his tendons and bones.
After just one night, the text in his Dao Talisman showed changes:
【 Realm: First Tribulation Refining Essence Human Immortal （ Eighty-nine percent ）】
His cultivation progress had indeed surged, and although it was only “three percent,” it was still a rare and valuable gain compared to his usual cultivation.
Especially since Fang Shu was now only “one percent” away from cultivating his First Tribulation realm to ninety percent!
In such a situation, according to the books, impatient immortal cultivators could even try consuming potent medicine to make up the last ten percent in one go and attempt to pass the Second Tribulation.
While rejoicing, Fang Shu suddenly realized:
“Aside from a clear mind, an unburdened heart is also beneficial for cultivation.”
One night passed.
He didn’t feel tired at all and, with his current detached state of mind, continued to cultivate in the quiet room, attempting to increase his cultivation progress to ninety percent in the shortest possible time.
With an unburdened heart, one should strive with all one’s might!
…………………………
On the other side.
After selling his property voucher and some other goods, Xiao Hu finally managed to purchase another precious medicine.
Clutching the precious medicine, he returned to Shao Wei Guan at a brisk pace and headed straight for the inner courtyard.
Along the way, disciples from Shao Wei Guan saw him.
Seeing Xiao Hu in such a hurry, with none of his former demeanor as a manager, they couldn’t help but chuckle:
“If only they had known. It’s only because the Dojo Master is kind-hearted; otherwise, this father and daughter, one who depleted the hall’s funds and dared to buy property, and the other who went out of town privately and fell prey to a wicked technique… these two unlucky souls would have been expelled from any other dojo.”
A disciple chimed in:
“Exactly. It’s purely due to the Dojo Master’s kindness. Considering the old dog’s past efforts, and the misfortune his daughter suffered, not only did he not drive him out, but he also waived his debt and even gave several precious medicines to save his daughter’s life.”
Xiao Hu heard the disciples’ discussions on the way, his eyes darkening, and his teeth clenched tightly, but he didn’t stop. He pretended not to hear and continued to hurry towards the inner courtyard.
After he had gone a distance, some disciples were still discussing, their voices drifting over, and even louder:
“I heard that this fellow, out of jealousy for Senior Brother Ling, tried to frame Senior Brother Ling with his daughter, saying that Senior Brother Ling harmed his daughter, and even tried to involve Black Tiger Hall, almost causing our hall’s shame to be exposed.”
“Right, right… Later, the old dog chickened out again. I guess it was because of his decent attitude that the Dojo Master was willing to provide precious medicine to save his daughter’s life.”
“Speaking of which, his daughter seems to have ventured out of town precisely to make up for the deficit. Has she now gotten her wish?”
The constant discussions behind him made Xiao Hu’s teeth nearly shatter.
He wished he could rush into the inner courtyard’s quiet room right now and summon Ling Bai Quan, who was supposedly confined but actually in seclusion cultivating.
He wanted to have a fierce argument, a life-and-death struggle.
Although Xiao Hu was an old dog, even old dogs had teeth!
However, the next moment, he saw the room ahead, from which a medicinal scent wafted even before he got close.
He murmured to himself again, “No, I still have Li Li to take care of.”
With a creak!
Xiao Hu pushed the door open, the gloom on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a look of joy.
Holding the medicine bag in one hand and a pastry in the other, he feigned pride and said:
“Look what Dad brought you, osmanthus crystal cakes from Granny Wang’s pastry shop. Her shop makes them with fresh osmanthus flowers.”
Xiao Hu mumbled, causing the figure on the bed to stir.
The figure struggled to sit up from behind the bed curtains, and after a long effort, managed to raise her upper body.
Seeing this, the smile on Xiao Hu’s face froze. He was heartbroken and wanted to help, but he had to restrain himself, standing awkwardly in place.
“Dad,” a weak voice sounded.
Xiao Li Li lifted the bed curtains and smiled, looking at Xiao Hu at the doorway.
The woman’s face was sallow, her eyes were dull and unfocused, her hair was as dry and yellow as grass, and her abdomen was distended.
She was now the complete opposite of her former bright-eyed and rosy-cheeked appearance, and could no longer be described as merely “sickly” but rather as “lifeless” and “on the verge of death.”
Xiao Hu looked at Xiao Li Li and quickly responded, “Yes.”
The father and daughter then exchanged a few words.
Xiao Hu first administered the medicine, then placed the pastries on the bed. After everything was done and seeing that his daughter’s condition was stable, he carefully left the room to continue his busy work.
But as soon as he left, Xiao Li Li, who had been forcing a smile, immediately adopted a numb expression, her eyes vacant and silent.
She lay on the bed in a daze, clearly feeling the precious medicinal efficacy she had just ingested being greedily absorbed by the “flesh ginseng” in her chest and abdomen, while her physical body could barely utilize even one-tenth of it.
But it was precisely because the “flesh ginseng” absorbed the medicinal energy that she was able to cling to life.
Xiao Li Li’s thoughts churned again.
Although her father had always said there was a way to remove the “flesh ginseng,” she already knew that a method did exist.
However, the wicked technique she had cultivated was rooted in her internal organs, and its tendrils had already sunk into her bone marrow. At this point, to remove the ginseng, even a Qi Refining Spiritual Immortal would have a one-in-ten chance of surviving.
Besides forceful extraction, what the father and daughter now sought was the “ripen and fall” that the Dojo Master had spoken of.
They were hoping that after the “flesh ginseng” matured, it would naturally detach from the human body, and then she would be fine.
But… would this wicked technique truly reach a point of “ripen and fall”?
Xiao Li Li did not know.
She only knew that she had long passed the so-called “seven days of planting the ginseng,” and the human ginseng in her abdomen could already be removed and used as a precious medicine.
…………………………
Time flowed, and soon another half a month passed.
Fang Shu opened his eyes vaguely in the quiet room and looked at the bright white moon overhead.
Streaks of moonlight were falling from the sky, which he inhaled into his abdomen.
However, this wondrous sight didn’t last long, and the moonlight stopped falling.
The residual moonlight on his body seemed to melt like snowflakes.
Fang Shu took a deep breath, drawing all the moonlight into his abdomen, considering it an extra supplement of spiritual energy.
That night.
He put away his cultivation method, didn’t even stand in the basic stance, and simply lay quietly at the bottom of the well, gazing at the perfectly round moon in the well.
Fang Shu’s mind was calm, tranquil, and worry-free, savoring the moonlit scene.
After a period of seclusion, his First Tribulation Refining Essence Human Immortal realm had reached ninety percent cultivation, and his qi and blood were completely stable.
“It’s time to redouble my efforts, find a way to purchase more precious medicine, and cultivate to ten percent in one go,” Fang Shu’s thoughts stirred in his heart.
To purchase suitable precious medicine and prepare for the subsequent passing of the Second Tribulation would require a considerable amount of Talisman Money.
Fang Shu immediately recalled the Immortal’s Remains, Painted Skin Mask, and other goods he had left in the wilderness.
So, with a powerful heave, he stood up from the bottom of the well and easily leaped out of the quiet room.
“I need to go out, retrieve those things, and then head to the monster market to fence them.”
The so-called monster market refers to the black market located outside the town. It is said to be run by monsters from the mountains and contains items not found in the regular market, selling goods that regular markets dare not sell.
It was in the monster market outside the town that Fang Shu’s second uncle, Yu Le, had sold his magic spells to gather enough money for his tuition fees.
In such a place, where the crowd is mixed and discerning between humans and monsters is difficult, disposing of the remains of a Black Tiger Hall disciple would not even cause a ripple.
Fang Shu’s thoughts moved, and he waited for dawn.
In the afternoon, he was prepared, walked out of town, retrieved his belongings, and headed straight for the location of the monster market.
