After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 175: Chapter 176: Open Celestial Eye

”My dear, we are going to Xiazhou to establish a foothold, recruit soldiers, and build a great enterprise. A good Pill Master is indispensable for that.” Hee Chunhua certainly knew how to placate his wife. ”Shihuan City is full of Daoist Sects and teeming with talent. It’s better to find a suitable candidate here than to hire one after we’ve already gone to Xiazhou. From this perspective, perhaps Chuan’Er wasn’t being so thoughtless after all.”

Madam Ying trusted her husband the most, so her anger now turned into skepticism. ”But it’s just a monkey. Can it really refine good pills?”

”I’ve heard of the Chishin School.” Hee Chunhua, who harbored ambitions for the world, had of course studied the various Daoist Sects. ”They are world-renowned for their Alchemy Skill. Although it’s a Demon Sect, the pills refined by their Medicinal Apes are in no way inferior to those of human Pharmacists—superior, even. This is what they call ’a master of one’s craft.’ If we were to hire a reputable Pill Master, we might not find one even for double the price.”

Highly skilled talent was never cheap. What’s more, this talent was being recruited in the Vice Capital, Shihuan, but was expected to work in Xiazhou. The salary would have to include relocation fees and other hidden costs.

Of course, Hee Chunhua didn’t know there was another reason why this Medicinal Ape from the Chishin School was so cheap.

There was always a catch to a bargain.

Madam Ying had lived in Qiansong County for a long time, and her impression of demons was that they were savage, brutish creatures who did nothing but rob and plunder. Hearing that a monkey could perform such a delicate task was a great novelty to her.

...

Hee Lingchuan returned to his room and handed the monkey two catties of succulent honeydew melon, along with a batch of medicinal herbs. ”Please help me refine Soul-Hooking Incense.”

As its name implied, this incense was used to hook a living person’s Life Soul and was often used by those with crooked intentions. Ordinary pharmacies and Pill Masters didn’t sell it. If you expressed a desperate desire to buy it, you might even be reported.

But the Ape Demon, Lingguang, clearly didn’t possess such a strong moral compass. It took the items and said, ”It will be ready for pickup in one double-hour.”

It wasn’t in a hurry to light the furnace and start refining. Instead, it took the melon to a basin, washed it, broke it open, and slowly savored it.

Hee Lingchuan paid it no mind, took out the tofu he had bought at the market, and went to an empty space outside to practice his sword technique.

He had used his military merits to exchange for a Body Technique and a Sword Technique from Panlong City’s Merit Department. Although the two were eventually meant to be combined, at his current level, he could only practice them separately.

As for fluid, graceful sword techniques or earth-shattering moves, he couldn’t even think about them at the beginning.

He could only practice on tofu.

He placed a whole block of soft tofu on his palm and sliced at it with his long saber.

The basic requirement was to slice it as thin as a cicada’s wing, with each slice translucent enough to let light pass through.

Before learning the key techniques, Hee Lingchuan never knew that the prerequisite to becoming a good swordsman was to first become a good chef. But the general principles of the Sword Technique explicitly stated that ”stability” and ”precision” were the foundations of the Martial Dao, upon which one could not slack off, just like the foundation of a hundred-foot-tall tower.

As for moves, skills, and Divine Techniques—or the idea that in all the martial arts in the world, only speed is unbeatable—those were all part of the superstructure.

If the foundation isn’t solid, the superstructure will be unstable.

Hee Lingchuan made ten slices, most of which came out as tofu slivers as thick as leaves.

Fuzzy Peach clapped from the side. ”Eldest Young Master, you’re amazing! To have this level of skill on your first try!”

Hee Lingchuan shot him a fierce glare and held a slice of tofu up to the light—

Opaque. A failure!

This wasn’t his first time.

He had already practiced for five days in the Dream Realm. The first day had been an absolute tragedy—he’d sliced a layer of skin off his own palm.

Now, as he reached his thirtieth slice under Fuzzy Peach’s watchful eye, the blade trembled along with his hand, and the tofu was cut with a jagged edge.

’This is so damn hard.’

When he finished ruining one block of tofu, Fuzzy Peach, who was standing by, quickly handed him another.

Today’s mission was to get through fifty blocks of tofu.

Of course, the soldiers and citizens of the Panlong Dream Realm couldn’t bear to waste food like this, so there was another option: slicing paper. A stack of one hundred sheets of thin paper was placed together, and one had to slice them with the saber. Every time a sheet was sliced off, the ones underneath couldn’t move.

This method sounded much easier than slicing tofu, and the paper could be reused. This was how Hee Lingchuan had practiced in the Dream Realm.

The first two months of comfortable living after crossing over to this world had indeed made him think about just coasting, waiting for death, and carving out a peaceful corner for himself. After all, striving to become stronger was too difficult. How could it compare to the comfort of just lying flat?

But two subsequent heart-pounding adventures—whether it was being tricked by National Preceptor Sun and sent to the Panlong Desert, or the fierce battle against the Rebel Army at Immortal Spirit Lake—had shown him the gap between himself and his opponents.

He had won and survived eighty percent by luck, with little to do with his actual strength.

Even though Hee Chunhua considered his eldest son a lucky charm, Hee Lingchuan himself understood that a person couldn’t live on good luck forever.

This Mortal World was far more treacherous than his previous one, with ordinary people struggling to stay afloat in a mire. If he wanted to live a long life, his only choice was to rely on the saber in his hand to carve a path to shore.

Six months ago, he was still slacking off at work and lazing around in his free time. His biggest worry was his salary not being enough, not matters of life, death, and his future.

Thinking back on it now, it felt like a lifetime ago.

...No, that’s not right. He had indeed been reborn into a new life.

By the time Hee Lingchuan finished slicing the forty-ninth block of tofu, his right hand could no longer lift the saber. Despite the biting cold of the dead of winter, he was covered in sweat.

Fuzzy Peach had been staring at him with a burning gaze. Hee Lingchuan snapped, ”What are you looking at? You slice the last one!”

”Me?” Fuzzy Peach was taken aback but surprisingly agreed. ”Alright.”

He also placed the tofu on his palm, pulled a short dagger from his boot, and his hands flew left and right.

”...?” ’Why do Fuzzy Peach’s movements look so fluid?’

In just a few breaths, the tofu was sliced. Fuzzy Peach used his dagger to lift a few slices and said with a grin, ”Eldest Young Master, please take a look!”

Although they weren’t yet as thin as a cicada’s wing, each slice of tofu was as uniform in thickness as a leaf.

One had to understand, he wielded the dagger freely, finishing in one go without any pauses. This was much more difficult, and his technique was exceptionally skilled.

Hee Lingchuan grabbed him by the collar. ”You’ve practiced this in secret before?”

”Yeah, this is how we make a living. How could I not practice?” Fuzzy Peach used to be one of the Sand Bandits. He knew he wasn’t as strong as others, so he had to find a way to surpass them with skill.

He comforted Hee Lingchuan in the tone of an experienced elder, ”Eldest Young Master, don’t be discouraged. With your aptitude, you’ll get it in seven or eight days.”

”Discouraged? Which of your dog eyes saw me being discouraged?” Eldest Young Master Hee snorted and ordered him to fetch a rope and tie it between two trees.

The saber practice was over for now. Next was the Body Technique.

The rope was as thick as a little finger, tied neither too tight nor too loose as required, so it drooped slightly.

Hee Lingchuan leaped onto it, landing on one foot. With nothing above or below to brace himself, he wobbled twice before quickly sinking his qi to his Dantian and finally steadying himself.

His original body had practiced on plum blossom poles, so its sense of balance was good. This much didn’t pose a challenge to him.

So, the next step was to put his hands behind his back, close his eyes, and stand still.

Not two breaths after closing his eyes, Hee Lingchuan felt the world spin.

He quickly opened his eyes and found himself falling, nearly landing headfirst.

A person’s sense of balance falters once their eyes are closed.

He leaped back onto the rope. This time, before he could even get steady, a strong gust of wind blew past...

”Again!”

Fuzzy Peach watched anxiously from below. ”Eldest Young Master, to what extent do you have to practice this?”

Hee Lingchuan gritted his teeth. ”When the rope is replaced with a thin thread, and I can still run on it freely with my eyes closed, that will be considered a minor success.”

”And a major success?”

”Standing on the thin thread with my eyes closed, rapidly slicing tofu, with every slice as thin as a cicada’s wing and done without interruption.”

”...”

”Eldest Young Master,” Fuzzy Peach said cautiously, ”take me with you. Even if I don’t end up mastering the Divine Techniques, I can at least join a circus troupe and make a living.”

Hee Lingchuan casually picked out a Flying Locust Stone and threw it at his face.

Fuzzy Peach let out a strange cry and dodged.

The force of the throw made the rope shake endlessly, forcing Hee Lingchuan to expend a great deal of effort to find his balance again.

’Huh, this method isn’t bad either. Kills two birds with one stone.’ It trained both his Body Technique and his throwing accuracy.

Hu Min had said that throwing, just like archery, required practicing to develop accuracy and a good feel for it.

”Go pick it up for me!” He took out two more Flying Locust Stones and aimed them at Fuzzy Peach’s butt.

For the next half double-hour, the small courtyard was a scene of chaos.

The servants of the Hee Mansion came and went. Seeing this scene, they either found it amusing or shook their heads. The Eldest Young Master was never one to stay still; he had just arrived in Shihuan and was already causing a ruckus.

Then, Medicine Ape Ling Guang appeared, landing lightly and gracefully on the rope. In its hand was a bundle of black incense sticks. ”Master, the Soul-Hook... the incense you wanted is ready.”

It seemed to be as light as a feather; the rope didn’t even twitch.

Hee Lingchuan looked down and saw its ten toes gripping the rope firmly. It was unspeakably steady.

’How much effort would he have to put in to catch up to its innate talent?’

He sighed and took the bundle of incense. ”Thanks! If you have time, please help me refine some Yin Yang Powder. Here, this is the prescription.”

...

Hee Lingchuan returned to his room, closed the doors and windows, and lit a candle.

Only when the candle flame was burning straight up, steady and unmoving, did he light the Soul-Hooking Incense, climb onto the bed, sit cross-legged, and begin his Meditation.

After closing his eyes, the world plunged into darkness. Hee Lingchuan could only hear his own long, rhythmic breathing and smell the peculiar scent of the Soul-Hooking Incense wafting around him.

He silently recited the Heart Method from the Meridian Technique. Gradually, he could no longer even hear his own breathing, but blurry images began to form in his mind.

They seemed to be the furnishings of his room, but there was no color, no light or shadow—only lines and outlines.

Hee Lingchuan understood this was because he wasn’t observing his surroundings with his eyes, but was attempting to open the so-called ”Celestial Eye” from the Meridian Technique. To put it simply, it was Divine Thought.

The sensation was exceptionally strange and difficult to describe in words. Perhaps it was similar to how a bat ”sees” objects using echolocation?

The Meridian Technique had a dedicated Chapter in its Heart Method compendium that explained how to cultivate and practice Divine Thought.

The Ancient Immortals could extend their Divine Thought to avoid danger, and it was even more effective than the five senses. When Hee Lingchuan saw this Chapter, he felt as if he had found a Supreme Treasure. After all, both large-scale battles and personal duels were full of uncertainty. You never knew who was lying in ambush, waiting for a chance to strike; who was firing a sneak arrow; or who was trying to pin blame on you...

The first attempt to extend one’s Divine Thought was especially important, and also very difficult. If it failed, one would have to wait at least three to five months before trying again. That was why Hee Lingchuan had specifically asked the Medicinal Ape to refine Soul-Hooking Incense to aid him.

In the utter silence, even the scent of the medicinal incense seemed to fade away. Yet, the things he ”saw” in his mind grew more and more numerous, and clearer and clearer.