FVN Chapter 29 The Pervert
Chapter 29 The Pervert
The newcomer is hostile; it's best to strike first! A thought flashed through Fang Shi's mind, and the hand seals were already formed.
A pale blue light surged from his palm, instantly transforming into a fist-sized water ripple seal, which crashed down towards the dark figure.
As soon as he made his move, he noticed the difference—there was no turbidity blocking his meridians, his magical power flowed several times more smoothly than usual, and the Little Water Cloud Seal had just entered a state of proficiency.
The speed at which the hand seals were formed and the power of their rotation were incomparable to those of the past.
In an instant, the Water Ripple Seal, carrying a cool and sharp mist, left a blue trail in the dim tent before slamming into the chest of the dark figure.
boom!
The hand seal struck the dark figure squarely in the chest, producing a dull thud.
The dark figure was struck by an unseen behemoth, flying backward and crashing heavily onto the open ground outside.
Fang Shi took a deep breath, suppressed his chaotic thoughts, and carefully crawled out of the tent, his hand forming a hand seal.
The pale light of the Bright Light Talisman illuminated the man's face in every detail—it was Zhao Hu.
He lay on his back, his face ashen, his lips purple, his eyes deeply sunken, and a putrid stench wafted from him.
Fang Shi forced himself to suppress his nausea and looked down. He saw that his chest had been pierced by the Little Water Cloud Seal, with a large hole around the edge that was wet and was oozing dark liquid.
The liquid was viscous and thick, but it did not spread out. Instead, it slowly surged and condensed like a living thing, changing shape on his chest.
In a short while, it solidified into the shape of an ancient book.
The cover was dark and the spine was square, with three words printed on it: "Minor Breath Convergence Technique".
Wait...books?
……
Like Fang Shi, Zhao Hu couldn't sleep either.
He sat cross-legged in the rough cloth tent next door, circulating his own cultivation technique to absorb the sparse spiritual energy around him into his meridians, bit by bit.
Although the spiritual energy here has not been purified by the Tianyuan Nine Mountains Purification Array and is somewhat impure, he doesn't mind—it's just less efficient, but it doesn't mean he can't cultivate.
He was already at the peak of the second level of Qi Refining, just one step away from the third level.
This step had been holding him back for almost two years; he had been dreaming of overcoming it.
He is twenty-eight years old this year. Most people his age would have already settled down, started a family, and given up their spiritual practice, but he insists on continuing.
He didn't aspire to Foundation Establishment; he just wanted to reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining.
By then, their status will be different, they will be more financially secure, they will be able to marry a better wife, and they will have more money to raise the next generation.
At the very least, one must be at the third level of Qi Refining—the efficiency of earning Qi Shards is incomparable to that of the second level of Qi Refining.
The spiritual energy struggles to travel through the meridians, while impurities crash against the meridian walls, stumbling and bumping along, like an oxcart with uneven wheels traveling on a gravel road.
He channeled his inner energy, pushing forward little by little, forcibly refining the impure spiritual energy into magical power and storing it in his dantian.
My dantian is already full, so full it's swollen, like a sack filled with water, ready to overflow if I pour in another drop.
But that barrier remained as solid as a rock, completely unmoved.
Suddenly, a surge of spiritual energy rose up from the ground.
It was so dense it was almost impossible to dissolve, and it was also very pure—as if someone had turned on a valve underground and generously poured the kind of first-grade mid-level spiritual energy that was only found in the cultivation rooms of Peach Garden Town into this tattered tent.
Zhao Hu was suddenly seized by a sudden inspiration and, without thinking too much, took a deep breath.
The spiritual energy surged into the meridians, like a torrent breaking through a silted riverbed, sweeping away everything in its path and heading straight for the dantian.
The rock-solid barrier in his dantian shattered instantly under the impact of this torrent, breaking into countless points of light that merged into his magical power.
Zhao Hu paused for a moment, then scrambled to his feet, cupped his hands, and said, "May I ask, steward, what is the meaning of this?"
The steward waved his hand and said, "Why be so formal? My name is Zhou De'an, and you are now my junior brother. Just call me senior brother."
Zhao Hu was increasingly confused and asked again, "May I ask, Steward, what is the meaning of this? And what about that spiritual energy just now—"
Zhou De'an nodded slightly and said, "That's right, it was given to you by me. Did you think the ley lines in this tent area were still open? Taoyuan Town, Qiyuan Town, Qingshi Town, Songyuan Town, all the ley lines have been sealed off, even Panshi is closed, where is there any spiritual energy for you to cultivate? The spiritual energy just now was drawn from Sanpan Temple by me, specifically for your breakthrough."
Zhao Hu was startled and didn't know what to say for a moment.
Zhou De'an continued, "What did you think today's inspection was checking? It was checking aptitude. The division into Zone A and Zone B is based on this. Those in Zone A have decent aptitude and are worth nurturing; those in Zone B have mediocre aptitude and can only be placed in positions of responsibility. Your placement in Zone A is a sign of your potential. And your ability to break through to the third level of Qi Refining in one fell swoop when spiritual energy was poured into your body is further proof of that."
Zhao Hu asked doubtfully, "But... I didn't even get into Songyuan Academy back then."
Zhou De'an said, "Songyuan Academy only accepts fifteen or sixteen-year-olds. Even if you are a genius, they won't accept you if you take the exam at twenty-eight."
Zhao Hu remained silent.
Zhou De'an continued, "Sanpan Temple suffered considerable losses in this earth vein leakage and is short-handed, which is exactly the time when we need people. Now we are recruiting disciples with potential again, regardless of age, only looking at their aptitude and character. You have lived in Qiyuan Town for so many years, and your cultivation has never been neglected for a single day. At the age of twenty-eight, you were able to break through to the third level of Qi Refining. This character is much better than those fifteen or sixteen-year-old kids."
Zhao Hu's eyes stung a little. He lowered his head, blinked hard, and said, "I see... Thank you for clearing up my confusion, Steward."
Zhou De'an looked at him with a half-smile and said, "Still calling me in charge?"
Zhao Hu was taken aback, then spoke, his voice trembling slightly, "Senior Brother Zhou."
Zhou De'an nodded with a smile and said, "Junior Brother Zhao, come with me to the Three Plates Temple."
Zhao Hu took a deep breath and then nodded heavily: "Okay."
……
Qi Xueyi stood in front of the Sanpan Villa, somewhat dazed. The gatehouse remained majestic as ever, with the plaque reading "Sanpan Villa" hanging above the lintel, gleaming in the sunlight.
The blue stone steps in front of the gate are polished smooth as a mirror, and there is a stone beast on each side, with its fangs exposed, looking majestic.
Two young disciples stood on either side, their eyes fixed straight ahead, just as when their senior brother was present.
Just as she was about to step onto the stairs, the sound of clashing swords and galloping horses suddenly exploded from the void.
"Xueyi..."
Qi Xueyi trembled and blurted out, "Father?"
Xuan Ge's voice rang out like the clang of metal: "Hmph, what were you trying to do just now?"
Qi Xueyi lowered her head, staring at the smooth, reflective bluestone steps beneath her feet, and remained silent.
Xuan Ge said, "I only sent you to retrieve the 'Lovebirds,' not to send you to your death."
Qi Xueyi's voice was soft, yet clear: "But without the deepest and most sincere love, how can there be a pair of lovebirds? Father, what exactly happened? My senior brother..."
Xuan Ge's voice turned stern, staining half the sky a dark red: "Shut up! That traitor Zhou Yan, I don't know what kind of bewitching drug he took, not only destroyed the earth's veins but also blew himself up! He died, so be it, that's clean enough! But he also released the Five Yin Demons, and now the area around Pan City is full of their remnants. If we don't handle this properly, and that Five Elements Hermit takes the opportunity to revive, it will be a huge problem!"
Qi Xueyi raised her head and looked at the sky that was tinged with dark red.
After a long silence, she whispered, "Because of all attachments, deluded emotions arise. These emotions accumulate without ceasing, giving rise to the 'water of desire.' Therefore, when sentient beings recall delicacies, their mouths water; when they remember their ancestors, whether with pity or hatred, their eyes fill with tears. Greed for wealth causes saliva to flow, making the body glisten; attachment to lust causes the two genitals to naturally secrete fluids. Ananda, although all desires are different, their flow and accumulation are the same. The moisture does not rise but naturally falls. This is called the inner part."
Her gaze shifted from the distant horizon to the plaque of the Three-Panel Villa. "Father, am I bewitched by a lustful demon?"
Xuan Ge said, "It's good that you know."
Qi Xueyi asked, "Now that we've all become the medium for the resurrection of the Five Elements Hermit, what are the temple's plans to do?"
Xuan Ge said, "We'll seal it off first, then deal with it. All the towns around Pan City have been sealed off. However, the deputy abbot has deduced a solution based on the 'Crimson Script Decree' and is preparing to recruit talisman-drawing cultivators to suppress the remnants with the power of the Crimson Script Decree."
Qi Xueyi smiled slightly and said, "I see."
After saying that, she stepped onto the high steps.
Xuan Ge said, "Xue Yi! What are you doing!"
Qi Xueyi's footsteps did not stop, but her voice came steadily: "Since that lecher is like 'the moon in the water'—"
"Then I will pluck the flower from the branch."
……
Monsters drop secret manuals?
The thought flashed through Fang Shi's mind, and he found it absurd—it's not a game, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
But that book, "Minor Breath Convergence Technique," was indeed condensed from Zhao Hu's body.
Before I could think any further, a series of howls suddenly erupted from the surrounding tents.
The voice was deep and hoarse, like that of a wild beast, sending chills down one's spine.
The curtain was torn open from the inside by a gray-white hand.
A rogue cultivator dragged his stiff legs and wobbled out, his knees unable to bend, like a puppet on strings.
His face was ashen, his lips were purple, his eye sockets were deeply sunken, his eyes were cloudy, his pupils were dilated, and dark saliva hung from the corners of his mouth.
The curtain of another tent was also torn open, and another rogue cultivator came out, with the same expression, the same posture, and the same emptiness.
One, two, three...
One tent flap after another was torn open, and the rogue cultivators poured out, swaying and densely packed, like dead people crawling out of their graves.
Fang Shi looked closely and, good heavens, none of them were rogue cultivators; they were all Zhao Hu, all zombies.
No, it's not a zombie—he immediately realized that the zombies in the movies of his previous life were never this fast.
Although the movements of the rogue cultivators were stiff, they were surprisingly fast. In the blink of an eye, they had already closed in on Fang Shi.
The fingernails were as black as ink, and extended from the fingertips, reaching a length of three inches.
Fang Shi recalled ancient texts describing flying zombies: "They are as hard as iron, leaping over mountains and crossing streams, undeterred by weapons, and their claws are highly poisonous. Those poisoned by them suffer festering flesh and die within three days."
The speed and black claws of these monsters were remarkably similar to those of the flying zombies.
Before he could think it through, the hand seals had already been formed.
A pale blue light surged from his palm, transforming into a fist-sized water ripple seal, which crashed down on the nearest flying zombie.
The hand seal struck the zombie squarely in the chest with a muffled thud. The flying zombie was sent flying backward, crashing into two tents behind it and rolling several times on the ground.
[Small Water Cloud Seal Proficiency +1]
【Small Water Cloud Seal (Proficient): 1/200】
Fang Shi saw it—the liquid that flowed out from where the Little Water Cloud Seal struck actually solidified into the shape of a book.
Goodness, another one has exploded in popularity.
He had no time to see what the book was, because more flying zombies were already swarming over.
Their speed was astonishing; in the blink of an eye, they were densely packed, completely surrounding him.
Fang dared not let them get close, and retreated while using the Small Water Cloud Seal.
One seal after another flew out. One seal shattered the chest of a flying zombie, another blasted off the neck of another flying zombie, and yet another blasted away a third one that pounced on him.
But the number of flying zombies is increasing.
They surged in from the tent like a tidal wave, and no matter how hard you fought them, they couldn't be stopped.
Fang Shi still had more than 80% of his magical power remaining, but the flying zombies in front of him still stretched as far as the eye could see.
If this continues, he'll surely die here.
What should I do?
He suddenly had a flash of inspiration—aside from Zhao Hu and the first flying zombie, none of the others he killed had dropped anything.
This suggests that those two books weren't just randomly leaked; they are probably the key.
Taking advantage of the gap in the hand seals that repelled several flying zombies in front of him, Fang Shi suddenly ducked and rushed towards Zhao Hu's corpse.
The book "Minor Concealing Breath Technique" still lay on the ground, its cover dull and dark, gleaming faintly in the pale light of the Bright Light Talisman.
He grabbed it, and the moment his fingertips touched the cover, a prompt appeared in his mind—
Should I learn the "Minor Breath Convergence Technique"?
Fang Shi didn't have time to think much; he silently recited in his mind: Study!
As soon as he finished speaking, the book transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into his chest.
A vast amount of knowledge flooded his mind; the words, diagrams, and routes of magical power were instantly and deeply imprinted in his memory.
The Lesser Concealment Technique—conceals one's aura, allowing one to blend into the environment undetected by living beings. It is ineffective against those with significantly different cultivation levels, but it is more than sufficient to deal with these unintelligent flying zombies.
Fang Shi took a deep breath and, following the operating route in his mind, completely concealed his aura.
His breathing slowed, his heartbeat slowed, and even his body temperature seemed to drop a few degrees.
The flying zombies that had been frantically rushing towards him suddenly stopped, as if they had all lost their way at the same time.
Their heads turned stiffly, their cloudy eyes scanning the surroundings empty, but they could not catch anything.
A moment later, they let out a low, confused howl and began to wander aimlessly in place.
Several even walked right past Fang Shi, their jet-black nails almost brushing against his sleeve, yet he ignored them completely.
Fang held his breath and remained motionless.
The flying zombies lost their target and gradually dispersed, some walking away into the distance, while others wobbled back into their tents.
The open space finally fell silent, with only the low, mournful sound of the night wind whistling through the ruins.
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency -1]