Chapter 212: Head Cocooned Like Silkworm, Skull Radiating Divine Light
After bidding farewell to Warehouse Keeper Fang, Chen Shun’an first went to find Lin Shou Zhuo, asking him to keep an eye on the movements at the Three Forked Road and look after Tun Mengzi and the other porpoises, then prepared to set off overnight back to Wuqing County.
First, the Ran Yi Calming Water reserved at Crouching Tiger Well had been exhausted in the past few days and needed to be replenished.
Second, with Zhao Guangxi, the Wellhead himself and his direct superior, not using his influence now to pressure the Wuqing Stick Bureau through him—when would he use it?
A good leader is one to be used.
……
Another small-scale secret meeting ended.
Lu Jing returned to his residence.
Under the eaves stood a woman dressed in a long skirt, its hem slit to reveal a pair of straight long legs.
Seeing Lu Jing, Yun Ruo immediately came forward to greet him.
“Lu Jing, your injuries…”
Yun Ruo’s delicate brows furrowed as she looked Lu Jing up and down.
Last time, Lu Jing and the others had joined forces to slay Zhao Guanghui.
Although successful, Lu Jing had fought fiercely for many days, even just returning from Funiu Water Marsh, with serious injuries and even turbulent Divine Essence, overdrawing his Foundation.
Yun Ruo had thus hurried nonstop to Tongzhou City to seek Master Zhong Yuan the Imperial Physician to treat him.
In the end, Yun Ruo had just arrived in Tongzhou City when she received the news.
Lu Jing’s injuries were healed!
He had even broken through not by destruction but by rebirth, slaying Five Thieves!
Others might think this was Lu Jing’s extraordinary talent, a martial path monster unseen in the world.
But Yun Ruo, having followed Lu Jing for many years with secret affections in her heart, vaguely felt something was off.
Yun Ruo reached out, instinctively wanting to grab Lu Jing’s sleeve.
Lu Jing subtly dodged, letting her hand fall empty, his expression somewhat cold as he said,
“Yun Ruo, I’m not interested in romance between men and women. You shouldn’t mislead yourself.”
Yun Ruo’s face paled slightly, her jade teeth lightly biting her red lips, yet her gaze firmly fixed on Lu Jing as she said,
“My heart turns to you—what does it have to do with you?”
“Do as you wish then.”
Lu Jing flicked his sleeve and entered the room, instructing those on either side,
“I’m going to rest for a while. Don’t let anyone disturb me.”
“Yes, Leader Lu.”
Several martial artists nodded, their gazes sharp as lightning, standing guard at the door.
Yun Ruo fell silent for a moment, about to leave.
Then she saw Shi Lin hurrying over, only to be stopped by the door-guarding martial artists.
“Leader Lu has ordered no visitors tonight.”
“This…”
Shi Lin showed a troubled expression but could only retreat dejectedly.
“What business do you have with Leader Lu?”
Yun Ruo’s voice came.
Shi Lin turned and saw the newcomer, involuntarily showing some respect, cupping his hands as he said,
“Replying to Senior Yun Ruo, it’s about a batch document. It’s Chen Shun’an…”
Shi Lin did not conceal it and explained everything in detail.
Oh, Chen Shun’an?
Hearing this, a strange light flashed in Yun Ruo’s eyes.
Clearly, she still remembered him.
“Give me the batch document. I’ll pass it on for you. Tonight, I’ll keep watch for Leader Lu.”
Shi Lin clearly knew of Yun Ruo’s relationship with Leader Lu, so he didn’t hesitate, took the batch document from his bosom, handed it to her, and quickly left.
Night deepened, snow falling densely.
The night watchman at the alley entrance struck three watches, the clapper’s sound passing through the snow curtain, muffled.
Yun Ruo leaned against the corridor pillar, gazing at the snow in a daze.
She suddenly sensed something, her gaze turning outside to the lane paved with cobblestones.
There, a peddler-dressed servant carrying a shoulder pole came swaying along.
When he drew near, the servant set down his load, revealed his identity, lifted the cotton cloth, and said,
“Honored sirs, I’m from ‘Fresh Fish House’ at the fish market, here to deliver midnight snacks to Leader Lu—fresh Purple Crab Silver Fish…”
Lu Jing’s fondness for Purple Crab Silver Fish was no longer a secret.
He had even specifically instructed that if Fresh Fish House had fresh fish catch, they must deliver it to him.
Yun Ruo carefully inspected the servant and, confirming nothing unusual, nodded silently.
Seeing this, the door-guarding martial artists first went in to report, then let the servant into the room.
Inside the room.
Lu Jing had just finished the Minor Heavenly Cycle circulation, his palms still warm with Qi and Blood.
Seeing the servant with his shoulder pole, he pointed to the table and calmly said,
“Put it there. I’ll cook it myself. You can go.”
“Yes, Master Lu!”
The servant didn’t dare dally and left after setting down the load.
In no time, a steaming white vapor mixed with spicy and fresh aromas filled the room.
Lu Jing stared at the bright yellow copper hot pot when suddenly his intent shifted, as if sensing something. From the scalding edge of the copper pot, in the gripped handle that was clamped, he unexpectedly drew out a wax pellet.
Crushing the wax pellet, he unfolded the secret letter.
Lu Jing raised a brow, somewhat surprised.
“Guangxi wants me to immediately give the Purple Iron Cattail Milk to Chen Shun’an, and also take out a piece of Wan Gong Iron Essence for him?”
Purple Iron Cattail Milk was one thing.
But Wan Gong Iron Ore was no ordinary item either.
It was the Iron Essence from the iron ore vein in West Mountain where Master Tie Yu had passed away sitting, his intent undying and infecting it.
Ordinary Iron Essence was just material for forging superior treasure blades.
But this Wan Gong Iron Essence, refined by Master Tie Yu’s remnant intent, was fiercely baleful and contained extremely faint Grandmaster intent.
Facing Wan Gong Iron Essence directly and visualizing with it, enduring the intimidation of its balefulness, one might even glimpse a bit of Master Tie Yu’s former splendor.
And to enter Master Tie Yu’s tomb and treasure hunt in the iron ore vein, one needed to first use Wan Gong Iron Essence to familiarize oneself with the remnant Grandmaster pressure in the iron ore vein.
Equivalent to a certain key or credential.
So…
Lu Jing’s expression suddenly became somewhat odd.
“Does Guangxi have some handle gripped by Chen Shun’an? Probably even more than his own father…”
“Wait, Chen Shun’an has some incense ties with Tongzhou Zhang Family… Zhang Xiangling arrived in Wuqing County a few days ago… Could Guangxi be planning to connect with Zhang Xiangling through Chen Shun’an, using her relations to scheme for a quota at Ao Shan Daoist Academy’s Year-end Grand Celebration?”
In an instant, Lu Jing’s thoughts turned, vaguely perceiving Zhao Guangxi’s intentions.
“Whatever, if Guangxi values Chen Shun’an so much, he has his reasons.”
Lu Jing nodded silently, exhaling strength to turn the secret letter to dust.
After the meal.
Lu Jing sat back on the bed, closed his eyes in meditation, silently circulating his profound art.
Lu Jing had now slain Five Thieves, with only the Tongue Thief left unsLAIN.
Yet even with Lu Jing’s aptitude, taking this final step to Six Thieves perfection was quite difficult.
Without some opportunity or fortune, it would likely take over a decade of stagnation for any progress.
Gradually, Lu Jing fell into meditation.
His entire consciousness seemed to retract into his glabella.
He vaguely saw a haze of black smoke and foul qi, from which radiant lights emerged in myriad paths, with strange noises roaring, demonic shadows flying like a frenzied tide startling into flight, extremely chaotic.
And at the same time, on his physical body in reality.
Suddenly, strands of flowing golden threads appeared, seeming to have some autonomous intelligence, circulating along his Qi and Blood, crawling through his flesh and blood and Meridians, ultimately surging together toward his head.
Sometimes emerging from his nostrils, sometimes drilling out from under his eyelids, then transforming into a kind of silkworm cocoon, wrapping his entire head.
The cultivation method Lu Jing practiced was called《 Jade Flaw Imperfect Art》, an extremely superior method not visualizing birds and beasts, insects and fish, or other creatures.
Abandoning tempering of the skin membrane, gathering all Qi and Blood strength into the Jade Tree, quenching the Bones to the extreme.
Then, using the jade-like Bones to drive advancement of skin membrane and True Intent, forcibly breaking through to True Intent Realm.
What was visualized in the True Cultivation Manual was a【 Nine-Orifice Jade Spirit】.
At this moment, with the strange golden threads appearing, Lu Jing’s whole body emitted a faint glow, almost turning jade-like, especially at his head, where a mass of divine radiance bloomed, with rising smoke and clouds.
Within, something seemed to be gestating.
Providing nutrition for some kind of fetus.
“Eh? What’s that commotion?”
Outside the courtyard, Yun Ruo vaguely sensed something and, in a daze, saw strange radiance on the wall of Lu Jing’s room.
Worried, she leaped forward and in an instant arrived outside Lu Jing’s room.
“Eldest Brother Lu?”
No one answered.
Yet on the room’s window, flickering golden radiance appeared bright then dim.
Curious, Yun Ruo poked through the window paper and peered inside.
Inside the room, Lu Jing’s back was to her.
But his head was cocooned, divine radiance emanating from his skull.
Then Lu Jing’s body suddenly trembled and spasmed.
Thus, the cocoon cracked.
One by one, little spirit figures like locusts drilled out from within.
Their five senses blurred, only eyes, ears, nose, tongue protruding violently, and another little spirit figure with complete five senses and full intelligence, which then looked outside the window at Yun Ruo.
“Ah!”
Yun Ruo couldn’t help covering her mouth in a startled cry, her heart in turmoil, instinctively turning away.
Then her whole person was thoroughly shrouded in a shadow.
She dazedly looked up to see Lu Jing’s face with distinct facial contours.
But at this moment, Lu Jing was exceptionally cold, even making her feel utterly unfamiliar.
“You… saw me?” Lu Jing stared dazedly at Yun Ruo.
……
Moments later.
The various haze of black smoke and foul qi in Lu Jing’s mind suddenly dissipated, along with those strange noises and demonic shadows, all vanishing.
A sensation of thorough clarity, purity, freedom, and perfection arose.
Lu Jing thus ended his cultivation and slowly opened his eyes.
Qi and Blood flowed like River and Sea, intent light and nimble as if hosting a spirit.
Tongue against the hard palate, saliva dripped like sweet dew nectar, making his whole body shudder.
“Eh? After just one cycle of cultivation, why has my cultivation advanced so much? Why is there a sign of slaying the Tongue Thief?”
Lu Jing felt puzzled and looked at his hands.
Clenching his fist slightly, it was like muffled thunder rolling, the exhaled Turbid Qi five or six feet thick, yet as light as lifting a feather, not even stirring a thin sheet of paper on the table.
“But it seems normal?”
The suspicion rising in his heart soon dissipated.
Lu Jing habitually accepted his bizarre transformation.
He rose from the bed, ignoring a pile of human-shaped powder at his feet, walked outside to the courtyard, called a trusted subordinate, removed his personal waist token, and said,
“Give this waist token to Chen Shun’an. Go to Martial Arts Hall immediately and have them prepare Purple Iron Cattail Milk and Wan Gong Iron Essence, and give them all to him.”
“Yes, Lord Lu!”
A flash of shock passed through the trusted subordinate’s eyes. He took the waist token and hurried off to find Chen Shun’an.
The sky was still dark.
Lu Jing returned to the room, preparing to rest a bit.
Suddenly, tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.
He touched with his hand, his fingers wet.
Puzzled, he stared dazedly at his palm for a moment.
Bewildered, pained, struggling.
In an instant, he returned to normal.
He silently lay down on the bed to rest.
