Chapter 23: Chapter of Strange Arts: Three Arts, Unharmed

But this time, something was different.

As the pages turned, they did not stop, continuing straight to the back, while the Book of the People itself emitted faint glimmers.

Immediately afterward, three lines of text floated into the air.

Chapter of Strange Arts: Fire Art, Dog Art, Concealment Art

Fire Art: Full name Tamed Fire Art, a strange art currently prevalent in the Xiangxi region, originally derived from Daoist magic—Manipulate Fire Art; its roots trace even back to the Daoist divine skill Sitting Fire. Tamed Fire Art is a later, degraded revision of Manipulate Fire Art, and in modern times, it has degenerated into mere stage magic—purely relying on technique and secret potions to perform illusions, devoid of any real power.

Thus, this Tamed Fire Art actually has three levels: beginner’s trick, proficient Tamed Fire Art, and mastered Manipulate Fire Art.

Dog Art: Divided into three categories: Mountain-Driving Dog, Exorcising Dog, Wolf-Pack Dog.

An ancient secret art developed over generations by hunters. Hunters possess three treasures: first dog, second bow, third trap—with the dog ranked first. Since ancient times, the concept of Mountain-Driving Dog has existed, and there are deep methods behind it; the strongest can be trained into formidable, invulnerable, fiercely loyal beasts capable of killing tigers, said to originate from the ancient Shu region’s myth of Erlang Shen hunting demons.

Exorcising Dog is tied to the folk legend of black dog blood warding off evil. This is a Daoist technique later infiltrated into folk practices and left-path sects through fake Maoshan methods. The ideal choice is a five-black dog, next a black earth dog, last a vicious dog; then, through secret training, one obtains an Exorcising Dog with strong suppression over ghosts and yin energy.

Wolf-Pack Dog is a product of East-West power collisions during the Ming and Qing dynasties, incorporating elements of Japanese Ōkami techniques. Trained properly, it produces a disciplined, loyal army that understands human speech and acts like a wolf pack, led by a single alpha dog with both combat prowess and strategic intelligence.

The final art: Concealment Art.

The simplest of these three arts, with no complex categories or levels—only one function: concealment.

Conceal one’s whereabouts. Conceal one’s soul.

It allows one to erase traces in complex environments, making ghosts unable to detect oneself. But in the physical realm, even if traces are erased, hiding places are limited, so one can still be found—this is not an invisibility or teleportation technique.

Fire Art, Dog Art, Concealment Art.

These are the three new inherited arts.

“The arts of the Chapter of Strange Arts… truly incomparable to the earlier Earth Method Chapter!”

Louis gazed at these far more complex arts and sighed.

In ancient times, any one of these three arts could make a person a famed mystic among the common folk—especially the Concealment Art, which gave Louis the confidence to survive when facing Mary Xiao.

But why had the Book of the People suddenly unlocked the Chapter of Strange Arts?

After brief thought, Louis understood: evidently, his status as an inheritor still held some value.

But was this opening permanent—or only temporary this time?

Regardless, the appearance of these three arts was good news for Louis; for a long time ahead, he would need to study them deeply.

…

Daylight broke fully.

As pure sunlight streamed through the window into the room, Louis finally relaxed slightly.

Though Mary Xiao and many American spirits could travel by day, the warmth of sunlight still soothed the soul—especially under daylight, his yang energy received a modest boost.

“Good, it seems I owe it all to my adoptive father.”

Louis first bowed to the image of the Kitchen God, frowning at the cracks upon it.

After a night’s passage, the cracks had slightly repaired themselves, but there was still a long way to full restoration.

“I don’t know how to accelerate healing or strengthen spiritual essence—right now, I can only let time heal naturally.”

He took a deep breath, washed his face with cold water to clear his mind, then stepped out of the room.

He met David, who had just woken and was preparing to call the others up.

“Uncle.”

David paused. “Louis? Up so early? Didn’t sleep well? If you’re tired, go back to bed—missing breakfast once won’t hurt.”

Seeing Louis’s pronounced dark circles, David looked concerned.

Louis rubbed his eyes. “I’m fine. Had a nightmare last night. Felt uneasy here—you know, in our traditions, encountering a violent death funeral is considered bad luck.”

David nodded, frowning. “Alright, let’s eat breakfast and leave quickly. You can sleep in the car.”

Louis felt relief—he was glad David wasn’t one of those classic stupid horror movie characters. He’d deliberately said that to make David hurry them out.

And David truly cared for him; once he understood the reason, he made no further questions and decided to leave immediately.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

Saying this, he went downstairs to eat breakfast.

He didn’t notice David’s hesitant, unspoken expression.

Though Louis was fostered, David had long regarded this obedient, sensible, intelligent, filial child as his own son—yet after all this time, the boy still called him “uncle.” Had he done something wrong?

“I hope this trip to Camp Clara goes well—Angela’s plan. Having a mother might help them feel family warmth better.”

Correct. This trip wasn’t just for sightseeing—it was also to make friends. Yes, female friends.

He had been single for eight years for Emma’s sake. Though he occasionally visited clubs to satisfy physical needs, that wasn’t sustainable. A home couldn’t have only a father—it needed a mother’s role too.

Recently, Angela had been introducing him to potential dates. Emma knew. This time, the person she introduced was supposedly high-quality, with many options—including foreign immigrants. The only problem: they all lived in the neighboring state, hence why he had to go. Let’s hope this works out.

David shook his head and knocked on his daughter’s door.

Emma’s expression was calm, but her fists were clenched tightly as she opened the door. After asking where Louis was, she went downstairs.

Esther, however, seemed off—David knocked for a long time before she answered.

Inside the room.

Esther, startled awake, looked panicked. What had happened last night?

Why had she inexplicably returned to bed?

Wasn’t I talking to that boy Louis?

No—I must hurry and put on makeup!

Esther frantically applied cosmetics before the mirror, swift and practiced.

At the same time, she replied to David: “Sorry, Dad, I just woke up—I’ll be down soon.”

“Oh, good. Breakfast’s ready. Hurry up.”

“Alright.”

In the mirror.

Black powder smeared across Esther’s brows and eyes, revealing an older face beneath—contrasting oddly with her petite frame, creating an unsettling, unnatural discomfort.

(End of Chapter)