Chapter 83: Fourteen Hearts, Open an Online Store

【Evil Spirit Material Selected: Primarily “Mighty Sword Soul” Trait, Beginning Blending…】

【Martial Art Material Selected: “True Record of Breaking Into Shaolin”…】

【Simulation Complete:】

【“Fourteen-Heart Fire Fist Frame.”】

A human possesses fourteen hearts; if all are cultivated into furnaces, at peak strength, each strike carries the force of fourteen furnaces—whatever is touched, iron cracks, stone shatters.】

Three unite as one; martial skill can forge a god. When this method is perfected, one stands at the summit.】

Knock down a seven-foot bronze Buddha statue; a flick of the finger surpasses a volley of fire guns!】

Chu Tianshu didn’t understand—how had a demon spirit trait focused on swords and blades, when fused and simulated, ended up enhancing the heart?

He didn’t know.】

Iwaiba Hachirō, this island nation’s sword master from over a century ago, belonged to a school called “Heart-Shape Sword Style.”】

In his youth, he was melancholy and charming, capable of delivering two cuts in the blink of an eye.】

The arcs of his blade-slashes spread left and right.】

To ordinary eyes, they left behind a heart-shaped afterimage; women of Kyoto’s pleasure quarters, regardless of fame, were often crazily devoted to him.】

The true meaning of Heart-Shape Sword Style was “Power originates in the heart, manifests without.”】

It was a school intensely focused on studying heart-powered exertion, using heart refinement to replace bodily blood, then strengthening tendons and muscles.】

If divided by the three paths of the Republic-era world, Heart-Shape Sword Style simultaneously engaged both “Food as Immortal” and “Dragon-Wrapped Body.”】

Of course, the human body is a whole; once blood, heart, and muscle are strengthened, bones benefit too—though compared to other parts, the bone’s progress was too minor to mention.】

Just like Chu Tianshu—he had now perfected Dragon-Wrapped Body and achieved over eighty percent mastery in Food as Immortal.】

His bones were naturally stronger than before, but to someone who had cultivated “Guanyin Bones,” this amounted to barely twenty percent mastery.】

Moreover, benefits gained through dependency are only effective in the early stages.】

If Chu Tianshu ceased practicing other martial arts,】

then even if his “Food as Immortal” reached one hundred percent mastery, his bone strength would no longer improve significantly.】

Chu Tianshu carefully felt the newly acquired fist technique knowledge in his mind, savoring each segment, growing ever more impressed by its subtlety.】

Although the name of this fist technique contained the word “heart,” it did not primarily refer to the heart inside the chest.】

The fourteen hearts—the one in the chest accounted for only one-fourteenth.】

The other twelve “hearts” were paired: upper arm, forearm, palm, thigh, calf, sole.】

Finally, there was the crown of the head.】

According to the manual, these areas had the most vibrant qi and essence, easiest to sense and influence.】

It was as if each held a hidden heart.】

Using the “Fourteen Hearts” as the pivot, breathing and fist movements expanded and contracted, vibrating—muscle force continuously compressed bones, cleansing and refining them.】

This was the most balanced fist technique.】

If a person’s internal organs were weak but other parts strong, practicing this method would primarily strengthen the organs.】

If bones were weak but other parts strong, the training effect would focus primarily on the bones.】

“Brilliant!”】

Chu Tianshu silently praised.】

Though blended and optimized with an Evil Spirit trait, the core of this fist technique clearly originated from Yu Dayou’s martial philosophy.】

This famed general, who campaigned south and north, broke into Shaolin, and commanded armies, realized that every school emphasized cultivating one particular strength.】

If one wished to enhance their strength, they could simply find existing fist techniques.】

There was no need for a general like him to compile or invent new ones.】

But research on compensating for weaknesses was severely lacking.】

Most people, upon discovering their weakness, could only seek a specialized skill to train it.】

Yet such training inevitably distracted from their original practice, and due to stylistic differences, the new martial art might even distort the body, undermining prior gains.】

The “Breaking Into Shaolin” fist manual he left behind required no self-identification of weaknesses.】

Simply train this method diligently, and the technique would automatically channel effort into filling the gaps.】

But how far the gaps could be filled still depended on the practitioner’s results and the body’s inherent limits.】

In an instant, Chu Tianshu envisioned his future training pattern.】

Use Palm Thunder and electric training to raise his limits; use “Breaking Into Shaolin” to fill his weaknesses.】

This was, after all, a military base; Chu Tianshu did not linger long, temporarily returning to Fang Jun’s residence.】

Even victims’ families like Yin Fengxin had fixed time slots to visit their loved ones.】

That night, everyone rested well.】

Yin Fengxin’s Evil Spirit had been expelled; his father, as a victim, had entered the military base—but seeing him whole and unharmed, Yin Fengxin felt more at ease.】

Better than wondering where his father was out there, what kind of work he was doing.】

Staying there gave Yin Fengxin a sense of quiet reassurance, even amid worry.】

The next day, when he woke, he found it was already past nine.】

As he pulled back the curtains, the outside light blinded him.】

Standing at the second-floor window, his eyes gradually adjusted to the brightness, taking in the courtyard, the path, the willow-lined pond, the white clouds and sky.】

He breathed deeply, as if reborn.】

Until the bitter taste in his mouth jolted him awake—he hurried to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face, then dressed.】

Downstairs, he saw Chu Tianshu sitting in the living room chair, connected to the electric device.】

Inside the box-like machine, a faint buzzing hum echoed.】

“Awake!”】

Chu Tianshu opened his eyes and smiled, “Breakfast is in the fridge—heat it in the microwave.”】

“Fang Jun went to work; heard he’s writing all kinds of incident reports today and sorting out his adoptive father’s social connections at the meeting.”】

Chu Tianshu clasped his hands together, smiling like a Buddha.】

“I’ve found the Special Capture Bureau quite good—but best to stay as a consultant.”】

“If you actually join, all the reports and meetings will make you want to spit bubbles.”】

His complaint wasn’t just about Fang Jun.】

This morning, Lin Baishui also received a report transferred from the Macau region—immediately called over the phone.】

They chatted for over half an hour.】

Besides discussing these incidents, he kept urging Chu Tianshu to return soon.】

After reviewing recent events, Lin Baishui truly felt Macau had become as chaotic as the northwest.】

Chu Tianshu mentioned his own plans—he’d stay a few more days—and gave Baishui a heads-up.】

He said that after returning to the mainland, he might travel to places like Mount Tai.】

Finally, what left the deepest impression on Chu Tianshu was the “report.”】

As Chu Tianshu’s recommending liaison, Lin Baishui had to file a report on every single thing Chu Tianshu had meddled in.】

Fortunately, these reports, once submitted, would likely receive commendatory responses.】

Lin Baishui’s internal merit points would rise further.】

Though he filed them merely to accelerate the merit point disbursement process.】

Still, Chu Tianshu couldn’t help being stunned.】

Baishui was from the Action Team.】

Even members of the Action Team were this burdened in their spare time—imagine the Logistics Team, the clerks.】

Yin Fengxin stared at Chu Tianshu: “Uh, Brother Chu, you’re currently electrified—isn’t it risky to make that clasped-hands gesture?”】

Chu Tianshu’s dorsal veins twitched faintly; his fingertips seemed to crackle with static.】

He calmly separated his palms and placed them back on the armrests.】

“Fine. I can handle it.”】

Chu Tianshu said, “Are you eating breakfast? If not in a hurry, take a look at the plan on the table.”】

Yin Fengxin sat on the opposite sofa and picked up the paper.】

Called a plan, it was merely a crude outline.】

“Open an online store?”】

Yin Fengxin flipped through it, “Online stores started appearing around 2003, right?”】

“These past few years, I’ve heard they’re doing great on the mainland, but here, I haven’t seen many such businesses.”】

Yin Fengxin, being an internet worker, couldn’t help feeling nostalgic.】

“Hong Kong and Macau’s economy has always been highly developed, but in terms of internet transactions and convenience, the mainland is probably overtaking us.”】

Chu Tianshu shook his head: “You say ‘mainland’ and ‘Hong Kong and Macau’ as if the mainland’s size were comparable to theirs.”】

“In truth, given the mainland’s vastness, online stores still haven’t taken root in many places.”】

Chu Tianshu spoke confidently, but inwardly blushed.】

He’d wanted to recruit Yin Fengxin as his employee; earlier, he’d found it troublesome—opening a pharmacy required more startup capital than he had.】

Besides, even if he opened a pharmacy, he’d prefer Jianghuai as the first location—whether waiting to open a branch here later or inviting Yin Fengxin to the mainland, it all seemed too complicated.】

Last night, after scrolling on his phone for a long while, he suddenly remembered.】

Oh right—online stores exist now!

Of course, even for an online store, opening a pharmacy requires many procedures and permits.

Chu Tianshu changed his approach, thinking he could start by selling sleep aids like incense sachets, pillows, and medicinal wine.

“I’ll provide the formulas and initial capital; I’ll hire you to manage the online store and handle communication with the platform and customers.”

Chu Tianshu said, “Over the next few days, I’ll prepare the first batch of goods. You’ll learn how to handle the ratios—it won’t be hard. We’ll set up the warehouse here in Ao District.”

“Given what I’ve done, I already have a solid reputation in certain circles here in Ao District. These products should sell well.”

“If after selling the first batch you can’t reach me, first consult Fang Jun, collect your salary, use the store’s income to buy more herbs, continue making and selling them, and when I contact you again, transfer the profits to my account.”

Yin Fengxin’s head was spinning: “Wait, Brother Chu, are you saying I’m… quitting my job? I have zero experience with online stores, and I…”

“Do you really want to go back to that company and be a human typewriter?”

Chu Tianshu asked with a smile.

Yin Fengxin fell silent for several minutes.

Chu Tianshu added, “Besides, don’t you want to learn cultivation techniques?”

Yin Fengxin looked up suddenly, startled and delighted: “Can I really learn cultivation? Don’t I need innate talent or spiritual roots?”

Chu Tianshu smiled: “If you’re talking about spiritual roots, you’ve already carved one out for yourself.”

Through sheer willpower, Yin Fengxin reversed the influence of the malevolent spirit; in this near-superhuman endurance, his will had become extremely pure.

He was only a hair’s breadth away from opening his dantian.

He might not match the legendary sages of ancient times who, unaware of cultivation, attained true enlightenment through mastery of a single craft.

But once Yin Fengxin opens his dantian, he will surely enter a phase of explosive advancement.

“Later, I’ll send you two encrypted digital files. Each morning, visualize them; each afternoon, practice your fist forms. See which path leads you to open your dantian first.”

As he spoke, Chu Tianshu lowered the machine’s intensity by one level.

While under electric stimulation, moving erratically and speaking, he felt a tingling itch on his skin.

Yin Fengxin stared blankly: “There are two secret manuals for me to choose from? How could this be so good?”

Chu Tianshu said calmly, “That sword was left behind by Li Shizhen. You gave me something like that—what’s teaching you cultivation compared to that?”

“I paid little for that sword, and I couldn’t use it anyway. Besides, you saved my life…”

As he spoke, Yin Fengxin suddenly laughed. “Forget it—it’s all too tangled. We both feel like we got the better deal.”

He said seriously, “Brother Chu, you’re a good man.”

“Don’t you want to call me Master?”

Chu Tianshu asked in return, then laughed aloud himself: “At your age, don’t make me sound old. ‘Brother’ is fine.”

At this point, Chu Tianshu suddenly thought of something.

If I’m going to take the Sanqi Divine Sword through the portal, should I avoid inputting mental energy these days? Would that reduce the cosmic cost?

If I infuse it with mental energy, it becomes a sword brimming with concentrated mental energy; if not, it’s just an ordinary sword.

Hmm, there should be a difference, right?

But to bring this sword along, I’ll have to leave the Iron Charm Copper Rope and the Golden Thread Divine Armor behind in the homeland.

(End of Chapter)