Chapter 20: The Peculiar Village

Page 1/3

Seeing Liu An awake, the chimera looked at him with a face full of grievance and complaint.

Liu An carefully recalled the few remaining memories before he lost consciousness, feeling quite embarrassed. He scratched his head awkwardly and hesitated before approaching the chimera, gently stroking its fur to comfort it. "I know you've made a great sacrifice for me. I promise to repay you doubly from now on."

The chimera spoke skeptically, "You're swearing this right to my backside."

Annoyed, Liu An gave the chimera’s rear another light tap, causing it to bare its teeth and yelp wildly once again.

"Liu An, now that you're awake, what do you plan to do with your shed old skin?" Sword One handed Liu An a few wild fruits as he asked.

Liu An had no recollection of this and wasn’t sure what significance the shed skin held.

"Senior Brother, could you offer some advice?"

"I suggest you burn it immediately. You see, there are secret rumors among cultivators that the shed old skin is tied to some great terror. As for the actual effects, there’s no record at all. I’ll burn it for you," Sword One said decisively.

"Alright, let's do as you say," Liu An agreed promptly.

In truth, Liu An felt a vague unease about the shed skin, though he couldn’t quite explain it. Rather than risk trouble, it was better to deal with it and be done.

With a fire sparked in Sword One’s palm, he tossed the skin into the flames. Black smoke rose slowly before swiftly turning to ash.

"Junior Brother, we've wasted two days. We need to pick up the pace. During these days, Little Flower said she remembers the way to the human village. Next, we’ll follow Little Flower out of this dense forest and then consider our next move."

Liu An rode atop Little Flower’s tiger back, cradling the chimera in his arms, while Sword One flew through the air on his sword.

The two men and two beasts traveled all morning. When Liu An asked how much farther, Little Flower vaguely estimated about one more day’s journey, which made Liu An feel the trip was dull and tiresome.

"Senior Brother, now that I’m a first-level cultivator, can I learn some divine techniques? Like 'Universe in the Sleeve', 'Shrinking the Earth', or..."

"Stop, stop! Your appetite is way too big. Aren’t you afraid of biting off more than you can chew? Those aren’t techniques for someone at your level. I don’t even know them."

"You can barely learn basic elemental control of water, fire, earth, and teleportation at first level. The first level mainly differentiates cultivators from mortals. A hundred years is but a blink for stronger cultivators. High-level cultivators sleeping once can mean a hundred years pass in the mortal world. If one reaches immortality, it’s said they can live as long as the heavens, neither dying nor decaying. Though no one knows if that’s true."

Page 2/3

Liu An listened attentively. "Is the Master an immortal then?"

Sword One pondered for a while before answering, "I don’t know if Master is immortal. He’s lived too long. From the time I can remember until I became his disciple, it’s been a hundred years, and there were several senior disciples before me. Master’s appearance has never changed, as if time has left no trace on him."

Liu An was deeply shocked. Thinking of his own master knowing the Master and holding his own against him gave him a great sense of reassurance. He thought to himself that this was a powerful ally indeed.

"By the way, Junior Brother, how many meridians and acupoints have you broken through?"

Liu An silently examined himself. The acupoints already opened faintly glowed under the flow of qi.

He counted carefully and told Sword One: three hundred and one.

Sword One was truly stunned, almost dropping his jaw in disbelief. He thought it was a hallucination. "Three hundred and one? Wow, this so-called prodigy who was called a freak by Master back then is nothing compared to Liu An. I only have one hundred and fifty-three, barely half more than you."

Sword One looked up at the sky without showing emotion. "The sky is so blue, the clouds so white."

"Senior Brother, what’s wrong? I didn’t manage to break through completely and failed to meet your expectations," Liu An said sincerely, lamenting his inability to persevere.

"Cough, cough. Junior Brother, don’t be discouraged. You’ve done very well. Though you haven’t opened all the acupoints, you’re almost catching up to me. With future effort, you’ll be just as excellent."

Liu An was moved by his senior brother’s words.

"Then, Senior Brother, how many acupoints did you break through when you advanced from the first level?"

This sudden question left Sword One momentarily speechless, but to maintain his image, he told a small white lie.

"I was amazed by you, Senior Brother. I didn’t want to hurt your pride. Junior Brother, remember not to compare yourself to others. Be down-to-earth. Cultivation forbids vanity and restlessness."

"I’ll remember your teaching, Senior Brother."

Seeing Liu An so easily fooled, Sword One relaxed a little.

The day passed quickly. When they finally saw the human village, Liu An was excited.

Though Little Flower was the most tired, she felt the hardship was worth it, as she was about to escape a life of servitude and regain freedom.

Page 3/3

"Let’s stop here. Little Flower, you can’t show yourself anymore; you’ll scare the villagers." Liu An jumped down from the tiger’s back and patted Little Flower’s head.

"I really don’t want to leave you, Little Flower. Before you go, shouldn’t you be grateful that we spared your life? Let me see your tail..." Liu An teased.

Hearing Liu An still had his eye on her tail, Little Flower, no longer feeling tired, darted back into the forest without looking back.

"Junior Brother, did you hear the monks chanting and the wooden fish being struck? It seems the village is holding a Dharma assembly. Let’s go take a look," Sword One said, sheathing his sword as he floated gently to the ground.

Entering the village, it was very lively. In the center stood a large tree beneath which a burly monk, clad in robes and holding a meditation staff, chanted scriptures in an unfamiliar language.

Liu An squeezed into the crowd of villagers and quietly asked an old man nearby, "Sir, why is the village so lively today? What are they gathered for?"

Startled by the close presence, the old man turned and saw Liu An’s face very near. He exclaimed, "You’re clearly not from our Stone Village. Today, Master Duren is giving a Buddhist sermon, using incense ash and holy water to ward off evil and cure diseases. Don’t make any noise."

Hearing the old man’s reply, Liu An felt a headache coming on. It seemed every day brought new troubles.

He was about to turn and leave but was pulled back firmly by Sword One.

"Don’t be impatient. Watch a little longer. Not all these monks are fake. That little monk in hemp clothes looks interesting," Sword One whispered to him.

Though Liu An was uninterested in the chanting monks, he observed the villagers with growing curiosity.

Most villagers shared a common, unsettling trait: their hands and feet appeared as dry and withered as dead wood, with vine-like palms that sent chills down one’s spine.