Chapter Five

  Hujiazhuang is located on the gentle slope of Xiaolengshan Mountain, built along the mountain. The trees here are lush and dense, and at the top of the mountain there is a lake called Yingyue. The water in the lake is clear and sweet, full all year round. Except for the snowmelt from the high mountains flowing into it through the Yingxing Creek, the lake itself is a spring, never drying up throughout the year. There is also a small stream that flows out of the lake, winding its way around the village in a snake-like shape and emptying into the Xiaoleng River below the mountain. The two banks of the Xiaoleng River are agricultural land, but the land is not very vast, and the harvests are limited. In their spare time, the farmers of Hujiazhuang often go deep into the mountains to hunt or gather medicinal herbs to supplement their household income.

  Mr. Shi, after teaching, often climbed up to the small Liangshan, stayed at the foot of the mountain and gazed at the moonlit lake, sometimes taking a walk or thinking. As a result, he often saw the hunting objects and medicinal herbs collected by the villagers. Several times, he even discovered several rare and precious herbs. So, during casual conversations, he asked about the origin of the medicinal herbs and then secretly entered the deep mountains to collect them. After going back and forth several times, he had collected a considerable number of rare and precious herbs used in the secret recipes of practitioners. In his spare time, he would open his alchemy furnace to refine elixirs. This was his habit during his cultivation, how could he possibly give it up? Moreover, although his magical powers were not high, he was skilled in array formations and elixir refinement. Refining elixirs was also one of his favorite pastimes.

  Spring went and autumn came, three years passed like a fleeting dream. Shi Yi and his wife got along well with no issues. However, Liu's wife became very close to the elderly Mrs. Hu, who was kind-hearted and often taught her farming skills, childcare methods, and household management. Liu's wife also took care of the family matters properly, and the children were healthy and thriving, which brought great comfort to Shi Yi's heart.

  On the day after autumn, Shi Yi set up a formation in his house and asked Liu to bring her chubby grandson over, so that he could enter the formation to test the child's immortal body. What is called an "immortal body" is not the body of a true immortal, but rather a body that can be cultivated into immortality. It is not a matter of measuring bones or pulse, but rather measuring one's consciousness and spirit. A person has six senses: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. These six senses correspond to the six types of consciousness: form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and thought. The master of these six types of consciousness is the spirit. Ordinary people have a dull spirit and only possess the six senses, which can only perceive things, but they will never have any connection with the immortal path in their lifetime. A body with an immortal destiny has a lively and dynamic spirit, and can plan great things, communicate with the three realms, and understand the five elements. Therefore, becoming an immortal is a wonderful creation that cannot be achieved by human effort alone. Only those who are destined to become immortals can use the wonders of creation as a boat and cultivate themselves through hardship to reach the immortal path. However, the great path is without emotions, and even among billions of people, only one may succeed!

  As for the distinction between a mortal body and an immortal body, it cannot be known by measuring bones or testing pulses. Only those who have reached the realm of small round fulfillment in their cultivation can know it through sight. Therefore, the great ancestors created the law array to measure the immortal body. This law array is ingenious and has four sides and six positions corresponding to the six consciousnesses. If the six consciousnesses are active, the spirit appears like a baby's shape. This is called an immortal body. Liu's family was anxious and placed the child in the law array, standing by the door to guard it. His father, Shi Yi, sat cross-legged in the empty space of the law array, pinched his fingers together, and chanted incantations that produced a few strands of golden light that struck the low-grade giant energy stone that powered the law array. Suddenly, the golden light flashed, and the law array began to operate. The child opened its eyes wide, curiously looking at the glowing stone, bent down to pick it up, but was blocked by an invisible law net in the array. It changed angles repeatedly to get the stone, sometimes tilting its small head to ponder, looking adorable. Outside the array, Liu's family couldn't help but smile, staring intently at the six positions of the law array, their faces worried. As the six arrays moved together, five clear and distinct shapes appeared around the child's body, identical to the child's shape, while one position was empty. Shi Yi sighed and said:

  "Is it a joy or a worry? If I were an ordinary person, wouldn't it be better! Alas! ······"

  Liu's family finally let out a sigh of relief, but that mixture of joy and worry was still clearly visible.

  "Dad, the child's five senses are naturally strong and far surpass those of ordinary cultivators. However, one sense is still like that of an ordinary person. This kind of immortal body is very rare, yet it lacks one of the six senses!"

  "That's right!"

  "Father, is there a way to make amends?"

  "There is no mention of it in ancient classics! Ordinary cultivators of the six senses may have strengths and weaknesses, but lacking one sense, as far as I know, there has never been a case where the remaining senses are still genuine."

  "Father, can I still cultivate with this body?"

  Liu said nervously.

  "This should be okay, but I'm afraid it's much more difficult than usual!"

  "As long as I can cultivate, it's all right; otherwise, how can I be worthy of being a nun?"

  Liu's family sighed and said with a hint of redness at the corners of her eyes.

  Shi Yi glanced at his daughter-in-law and said:

  "This child lacks one of the six spirits, so he is insufficient; let's name him Shi Insufficient."

  "Too few stories, too few stories......Dad, this name is also too......"

  "Liu'er, you are a cultivator, and your name also has a destined word."

  "That's just not enough! Not enough, come here and come to Mom!"

  That's not enough. Looking at the stone slab disappear, even the strange thing that just appeared also disappeared. Without looking around and searching, it made Grandpa laugh loudly.

  After that, the two of them spent their days together. The grandfather taught him to recognize characters and read sentences, and also taught him some strange and mysterious texts. Before he knew it, another three years had passed. He was a clever and intelligent child, and he followed in his grandfather's footsteps, always carrying a book with him. His grandfather often went into the deep mountains to search for rare herbs and returned to refine them into pills. He also accompanied his grandfather in his free time to study the art of alchemy. The two of them were so engrossed that they forgot to eat and sleep. As time passed, he learned a great deal about rare medicines and remembered many prescriptions. Even when it came to using magic arrays to refine pills, he could learn from his ancestors how to set up the arrays and ask his grandfather to recite incantations to refine the pills. Later on, he was even able to refine magical pills himself. His mother, Liu, also found this strange and wonderful.

  It's another summer solstice, the mountain village is lush and green, the crops are thriving, and it's just before the busy farming season. One day, suddenly, a young man from the village came running to invite Mr. Shi:

  "Mr. Shi, the clan leader asked me to invite you over to take a look at Sheng Hu's brother. He was bitten by some kind of wild animal on both legs and is now unknown whether he is dead or alive."

  "Oh, hurry up and go take a look."

  Shi Yi followed the young man and ran out to a small courtyard.

  "Mr. Shi, come quickly, everyone make way, sir take a look..."

  Hu Jingzhai looked at Shi Yi with a worried expression. Shi Yi glanced over and first stopped the bleeding, then fed him medicine. But due to the prolonged injury time and excessive blood loss, this man called Sheng Hu's soul was gone, how could he be saved? Before long, he died. His family wailed loudly. Everyone cleaned up, wanting to bury him. As for the matter of his soul, Shi Yi did not mention it.

  Shi Yi returned home with a solemn expression. Liu's wife asked:

  "Father, isn't it strange that he was born with a tiger but died in a ditch?"

  His father said:

  "The corpse is terrifying to look at, but what's even more frightening is that its soul has been completely lost. It's clear that it was killed by an evil person or a wicked cultivator. Liu'er, pack up our things and let's leave immediately!"

  "Yes, Father"

  Liu's face was filled with worry as he returned to prepare.

  "Look at the wound on his mouth, it was inflicted by a beast, but whose soul has been taken away?"

  Shi Yi sank into deep thought for half a moment before making up his mind.

  "Whatever the case, I have to leave. But if I go now and the other party is just trying to lure me out, won't I be falling into their trap? Alas! Let's hide for a while first before leaving."

  The village was quiet for several days, but another man met with disaster, his death as before being devoured by a living tiger. Shi Yi Da Yu had great doubts. Several days later, several men carrying weapons went into the mountains together and did not return after many days, disappearing in the mountain forest. Their families wailed and begged their clansmen to go deep into the mountains to search for them.

  Shi Yi secretly followed the dozens of strong men into the mountains. These strong men each held bows, arrows, axes, and choppers, and there were also several skilled hunters who had been killing ferocious beasts for years, advancing towards the mountain forest in a mighty manner. Shi Yi was afraid of startling them, so he followed from afar, not daring to get close. Several days passed in the mountains without any results.

  On a certain deep night, Shi Yi hid in the dense leaves of a giant tree on a distant mountain ridge and sat down. Suddenly, he felt something unusual below the cliff, and quickly opened his eyes to observe it. He saw a wolf transform into a human figure, sneakily attacking a lone villager. The wolf demon spat out misty air, wrapping up the villager, and then a giant wolf head appeared in the mist, as big as a house, opening its mouth to bite the villager. Shi Yi watched with his Dharma eye, seeing the villager's three strands of essence and seven threads of spirit flying towards the wolf head, disappearing suddenly. The villager was unable to speak, falling to the ground without getting up. The wolf demon, still in human form, once again raised a wolf-headed jade Ruyi artifact, and with one bite, bit off half of the villager's body. Shi Yi observed that the wolf demon's magical powers were not very high, but he didn't know its true nature, so he didn't dare to act rashly, and ended up watching as the villager lost his life, slowly letting out a long sigh.

  "It's actually a shape-shifting monster. It doesn't seem like it's here to settle a score! But being detected by this monster isn't good, I'd better leave quickly!"

  Then he hid his tracks and quietly retreated to the back of the mountain.

  Shi Yifang was about to fly down the cliff, just as he was about to accelerate, when suddenly he saw something flickering with a faint red glow under a protruding rock at the foot of the cliff.

  "If it weren't for the dead of night, it would be hard to find this thing in the dark."

  The meaning of the law is fully revealed, and I recognized this thing early on. My heart was filled with great joy, and I quickly put aside the worldly concerns of life and death! With a humble heart, I approached the radiant light and carefully observed the object.

  "It's indeed this flower! Legend has it that this flower had long been extinct in the mortal world, yet I never thought it would grow here! Truly a wonder of heaven and earth, beyond comprehension!"

  He carefully plucked the flower, roots and leaves together, put it in a dark ice jade box and stored it in his law bag. After looking around to make sure there was nothing else, he sped up towards that mountain village.

  "Father, have you gone to search for the immortal grass and spiritual medicine again these past few days?"

  On the second day, early in the morning, Liu saw her father walking out of the hall with a happy expression and asked him.

  "That's right!"

  Shi Yi's face was smiling, but he didn't say much and went straight to the Caotang Village school. Shi wasn't enough early, and a group of children were chasing and playing loudly, while outside the thatched cottage, a child whistled.

  "The teacher is coming! The teacher is coming!"

  Everyone quickly threw away the sticks and branches, ran into the thatched cottage, sat upright on the wooden stool, spread out books and loudly recited poems. Shi Yifang opened his eyes early and discovered the children's movements, but didn't speak, only intentionally frowned and entered the thatched cottage.

  "Hu Hua'er, recite for me the 'Ode to the Great Wind' that I taught you a few days ago."

  The little girl stood up, and immediately several children shouted:

  "Little pigtails, wearing a flower dress. Doesn't look like a boy, doesn't look like a girl."

  Hua'er glared at them with a fierce gaze, then in a childish tone, began to recite from memory, but stuttered and stumbled over the words.

  "You guys! Every day is just play, play, and what you've learned isn't much to begin with, and you don't even remember it well. What will become of you when you grow up?!"

  "Oh no! Sir, he pushed me!"

  A child lying on the ground points at another and shouts loudly.

  "No shouting allowed."

  The teacher tapped his ruler on the large table in front of him a few times. The children quickly sat up straight. The teacher then pulled out a book and began to explain it to them. Some wrote, some recited, and the room was in chaos. The teacher himself read a book, with his eyes narrowed as if he were asleep, yet he knew everything that was going on among the children. Occasionally, someone would get their palm smacked by the teacher's ruler.

  After several days, a group of villagers who had entered the mountain returned. They only brought back a few mutilated corpses and a newly deceased villager. The village was once again filled with wailing and mourning. It took more than ten days for things to calm down. However, an atmosphere of fear enveloped the entire small mountain village, and men and women, young and old, did not dare to go out during the day to work in the fields. But with the harvest season approaching, how could they stay hidden? The children didn't dare come to school, and the grass hall was quiet and still. The old clan leader came to the Grass Hall village school and saw Shi Yidao:

  "Sir, with your lofty virtue and extensive learning, your insight is all-embracing. We beg of you to impart to us a clever strategy to extricate us from this predicament!"

  "I dare not! I observe that the wound was caused by a giant beast. Everyone should temporarily avoid entering the mountain, and instead stay near the village, gathering to work together during farming hours, preparing arms and fire equipment, and returning early in the evening. As time goes on, the beast will surely leave when there is nothing left to eat."

  "Alas! It can only be like this."

  On the second day, the clan leader issued an order, prohibiting villagers from entering the mountain. All men and women came out to work, bringing weapons and firearms. For a time, the farmland on both sides of Xiaoliang Mountain was like a battlefield.

  "Father, I'm afraid it's useless to try and catch that demon!"

  "Liu'er, you also know everything? Alas, we absolutely cannot make a move, the slightest mistake will result in certain death and no place to bury our bodies!"

  "But Father, we..."

  "You can't afford to! If you can't bear the humiliation, you'll lose the opportunity for our whole clan to avenge itself, and there will be no more legacy of my Shi family!"

  "Yes, Father."

  It had been peaceful for several months, and with the arrival of spring, it was time to resume farming. However, just as they were about to start planting again, another strong man was murdered. This time, it was the son of the village elder who was killed in the woods outside the village. Although the victim was tall and powerful, there were no signs of a struggle, and he had lost his life. The elderly couple was overcome with grief. When Liu's wife went to offer condolences, she could only wipe away her tears and keep them company.

  The Lius got along well with the old woman, and seeing that there were frequent funerals in the village, they were very entangled and wanted to take action, but were blocked by their husbands. Now it's just the only son of the Hu family who died. The elderly couple had only this one son, and losing him at an old age was a great sorrow! So they decided to take action and kill the demon. At that time, Ah-yong happened to be out again, and no one stopped them.

  So at night, he couldn't sleep well and flew out to search for something in the woods.

  That wolf demon was truly bold, swallowing the souls of ordinary people to increase its yang energy and prolong its transformation into human form. It frequently descended upon this village, killing people on a mountain slope ten miles outside the village, where it practiced its dark magic using the souls it had swallowed. When Liu found it, it was at a critical moment in its ritual, and with its spirit divided, it didn't speak, but instead raised its sword and launched a fierce attack. The wolf demon suddenly felt something was wrong and hastily recited an incantation to end its spell and block the sudden attack. But in its haste, it couldn't finish its magic formula, so it rolled on the ground, barely avoiding a fatal blow, but its leg was cut off by Liu's sword. The demon let out a loud cry and finally ended its spell, jumping up and raising an object to attack Liu - the wolf-headed jade scepter. This demon had reached the peak of its magical powers, and its abilities were similar to Liu's, while its magic treasure was even more powerful than Liu's. However, because Liu had attacked it with a clear mind, and also because its magic was difficult to interrupt, it suffered heavy injuries. When Liu saw the demon's magic treasure coming towards him, he was prepared, and with a wave of his hand, he sent out several talismans that flew towards the wolf demon, transforming into a giant sword that cut off its wolf head. Another talisman flew towards its severed leg, and just as it approached, a burst of flames erupted, burning up the leg.

  "Ah! My leg! You scoundrel, I won't let you off!"

  Then, with a loud shout, she launched a fierce attack on Liu's family with her jade Ruyi. Liu shouted "Explode" and three other talismans exploded in response, engulfing the jade Ruyi in flames that burned fiercely. The wolf demon saw this and knew that Liu had a strong intention to kill, so it didn't dare to fight back, leaving behind its magic treasure to fight Liu alone, while it turned around and escaped. Liu destroyed the jade Ruyi and chased after the wolf demon on her cloud, but couldn't catch up with it no matter where she went. So she returned to the village.