Chapter 88: Blood River Cart

"Clack!"

Seeing Chu Tianshu caught the knife, and without being polite, pulled the whole knife out to admire it carefully.

This knife had a straight back, a sharp angle at the tip, and the blade had a slight inward arc feeling.

The whole blade presented a dull silver color, with quite a few scratches, but one could still feel that the knife quality was solid and the edge was sharp.

The knife guard should be made of brass, shiny and bright, and the thin rope wrapped around the handle was old, already a reddish-black color, tightly integrated with the wooden handle.

Seeing Chu Tianshu tried to slash sideways, and the feel was excellent.

The center of gravity of the knife was just right, making people feel that the power could be fully exerted on the blade when swinging, and it wouldn't feel too heavy at the front, affecting flexibility.

The Tang knife shape, tempered a thousand times, had a fierce and murderous quality of breaking armor and killing people when touched.

After all, the Three-Seven Divine Sword was a Dharma artifact. In terms of feel alone, it really wasn't as particular as this pure martial fighting weapon.

And the most important thing about this knife was the essence soul inside.

Seeing Chu Tianshu turned on the spirit-communication perspective and looked carefully.

The sword soul didn't have a specific outline, flowing from the hilt to the tip, like a wisp of flowing blood, like a heavy autumn mood.

But when it reached the tip and suddenly returned to the hilt.

It was like a cool breeze entering through the window in the middle of the night.

Full of vitality in melancholy, and seemingly ruthless in coldness.

"This is the sword soul..."

Seeing Chu Tianshu was thoughtful.

The temperament of the sword soul was very similar to Cheng Xiazi Cheng, this master.

It's just that people are complex. Even if they possess a unique temperament, they won't be like horns growing on their heads, letting others see them at any time.

For those extraordinary people, most of the time in life, the feeling they give others is just ordinary.

The sword soul is different.

Although it originates from people, it is purer than people.

It's like extracting some of the most outstanding parts of Cheng Xiazi Cheng's personality and temperament and placing them alone outside.

Therefore, for those who can observe the sword soul, from any angle, at any time, the sword soul is so outstanding.

But it is precisely because of this purity that the sword soul cannot be self-generated or self-guarded and must rely on the sword master's cultivation.

If the sword master dies, the sword soul is a rootless tree, naturally it won't last long.

"If the relationship between the sword soul and the sword master is like this."

Seeing Chu Tianshu said, "Then it seems that the sword soul doesn't necessarily dissipate after the sword master dies..."

Cheng Xiazi Cheng said: "Not bad. If there are multiple soldier souls competing on a battlefield, and there is enough intense blood energy and fighting intent."

"Even if their masters die, there may be soldier souls that are about to dissipate, absorbing the essence of other soldier souls and the blood energy of the battlefield, surviving in a completely unrecognizable way, becoming an evil weapon."

"Daoist priests and monks call this type of evil weapon a 'wild soldier soul'."

"Wild soldier souls will choose a certain person, show extraordinary attraction to them, make people turn into puppets, and help it kill people to take blood."

Cheng Xiazi Cheng took a sip of wine.

"Such puppets also have a name, called 'blade-holding ghosts.' I have encountered them many times before. Some blade-holding ghosts can even perform the sword moves of the original owner of the evil weapon."

Seeing Chu Tianshu "hmm"-ed.

So there is a way for soldier souls to survive in this way.

But he didn't originally want to say this.

He was thinking that if the soldier soul could encounter someone whose personality, temperament, and physical strength were ninety percent similar to the original owner when the master just died.

Then let the second person perform the same Blood-Refining Weapon Art, perhaps they could match the soldier soul and let that soldier soul exist.

But this probability is indeed very small.

"I feel your mood is a bit different today, so I'll just say it directly."

Seeing Chu Tianshu put the knife back into the scabbard and returned it to Cheng Xiazi Cheng, "I want to learn your Blood-Refining Weapon Art. I can use money, or I can use high-level methods to practice strength to exchange."

Cheng Xiazi Cheng looked puzzled: "Why do you want to learn this? You people who study magical arts don't have pure enough essence and blood in your bodies, which is simply not enough to raise a soldier soul... No!"

He paused when he said this.

"I felt you used magical arts in the temple, so I just thought you were studying magical arts."

"Now that I think about it, could it be that you are the rare kind of person who can cultivate both magical arts and martial arts?"

Seeing Chu Tianshu smiled: "Yes."

Cheng Xiazi Cheng clicked his tongue: "So you are for this? My Blood-Refining Weapon Art is a method taught to the elite in the Great Tang army. It's said to be secret, but actually, many people have learned it."

"When the six Zhao merged that year, the Nanzhao army also learned this method. With your foundation and medical skills, you can just enter the city, find a Nanzhao official, and be a guest for a while, and you can get your hands on this thing."

Seeing Chu Tianshu also changed to a lazy sitting posture, holding a wine cup, and took a light sip.

"I'm too lazy to go."

He said, "Anyway, old brother, you are right in front of me, why should I look far away?"

Cheng Xiazi Cheng said coldly: "My price is very expensive. If you insist on buying it from me, then ten taels of gold."

Seeing Chu Tianshu "uh"-ed, and probed: "This will take a while to save up, can I pay on credit first?"

Cheng Xiazi Cheng rolled his "white eyes" and poured two more bottles of wine.

Pouring so much of this wine at once, Seeing Chu Tianshu felt bitter for him.

"Then I'll dictate it."

After Cheng Xiazi Cheng finished pouring the two bottles of wine, he closed his eyes, "Listen first, how much you can hear depends on yourself."

Seeing Chu Tianshu sat up straight and focused his attention.

There weren't many people in the lobby now, and Cheng Xiazi Cheng didn't change places.

His voice was low, but his pronunciation was relatively clear, and he didn't deliberately read too fast.

This kung fu of raising soldier souls is called "Blood River Cart."

"River Cart" is a Daoist saying.

The "Cantong Qi" of the Book of Changes in the Han Dynasty said, "Master of the five metals, the northern River Cart."

Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, Daoist masters have had many annotations on this, and the derived theories are each unique, but there is one consensus.

The so-called River Cart generally refers to the phenomenon of the transportation of Qi and blood in the human body. Blood is divided into true blood, ordinary blood, and miscellaneous blood.

Miscellaneous blood is quiet like a stream, ordinary blood surges like a river.

And true blood is the most refined and pure. Initially, when people transport Qi and blood, they must let the true blood circulate like a cart in the river, opening up the river channel and consolidating the riverbed.

Until miscellaneous blood and ordinary blood also transform into true blood, and the human body gradually becomes extraordinary.

Operating the River Cart has three passes. First, the Tail-Gate Pass, at the end of the spine.

Second, the Double-Spine Pass, located at the back of the heart, including a part of the thoracic spine.

Third, the Jade-Pillow Pass, located behind the brain, below the Jade-Pillow acupoint mentioned by physicians.

The entry standard for martial artists to learn the "Blood-Refining Weapon Art" is first to practice strength, have a coordinated and flexible body, and be able to feel the existence of the Tail-Gate Pass.

In the "Blood River Cart," there is the saying of the three carts: sheep cart, deer cart, and ox cart, corresponding to the stages of flushing the three passes.

The first stage, using intention and strength to breathe, must be light and dense, like a sheep pulling a cart, walking with small steps, fine, soft, and stable, combined with massage techniques for the kidneys to make energy full.

The second stage, wisdom like a deer, running fast with giant steps, combined with visualization breathing, must make the heart and lungs smooth, and the sound of breathing should be like the bleating of a deer, light and far-reaching.

The third stage, like a green ox pulling a cart, brave and solid. The green ox carries the saint out of Hangu Pass, and on the ox horns hangs what the saint described, the five thousand words recorded by the Keeper of the Pass.

This stage is not just relying on physical strength; it also has requirements for a person's temperament and experience.

For each stage, the ritual of taking blood to smear the weapon is also different.

In the sheep cart stage, blood is mainly taken from the waist and legs with small thorns.

In the deer cart stage, blood can be taken from the fingertips in turns.

In the ox cart stage, blood can be taken from the neck, earlobes, forehead, eyebrows, etc.

In fact, as long as one can practice for a few more years in the sheep cart realm, there is a chance to raise a soldier soul.

For those who can reach the deer cart realm, the mutual sensing between the person and the soldier soul is already relatively clear. In the ritual, the time of taking blood, the pattern of smearing, and the visualization and breathing do not need to strictly follow the inherent form.

As long as you act according to the feeling the soldier soul gives you, that is the most suitable for your own soldier soul.

As for those who have reached the ox cart realm or even further.

That kind of person's weapon is outside, fierce and sharp, like the master of the five metals.

And the person's vitality is inside, vast and long, like the lord of the north.

That has really reached the extraordinary realm described in the "Triplex Unity Accord" of the Zhou Yi.

Seeing Chu Tianshu listened to Cheng Xiazi Cheng's explanation and watched him dip his fingers in wine to leave patterns on the table.

The complexity of the "Blood River Cart" cultivation method far exceeds the "Jinchan School Taiji Fist."

Especially those visualization patterns, the quantity is not less than the visualization methods in the "Ghost Gate Witch Doctor Annotations."

However, mental power is opening the orifices outward, while martial artists are opening the orifices inward.

The role of these patterns in the "Blood River Cart" seems to be mainly to guide the Qi and blood in the human body.

But besides transporting Qi and blood and visualization patterns.

There are also many ritual steps in this secret art.

Seeing Chu Tianshu doesn't quite understand the role of this part, but it takes up a large space.

Fortunately, Seeing Chu Tianshu's cultivation of life and nature has reached this step, his energy is extremely vigorous, and his vision, hearing, and memory have naturally become stronger.

It's like in student days, some people will compare their ability to memorize quickly.

Just by looking once or twice, they can recite a text, but they might forget it the next day.

And Seeing Chu Tianshu's current quick memorization can at least recall Cheng Xiazi Cheng's long-winded description word for word and pattern for pattern within three or four days.

With this much time, it's enough for him to write down what he remembers.

"The Blood River Cart secret art is just this much."

Cheng Xiazi Cheng finished speaking and poured another bottle of wine to quench his thirst.

Seeing Chu Tianshu closed his eyes to recall it once, and summoned the token screen.

"Blood River Cart" indeed appeared in the cultivation method material column.

It can really be considered martial arts!

Seeing Chu Tianshu was happy in his heart, picked up the wine bottle, and wanted to pour another cup for Cheng Xiazi Cheng.

Cheng Xiazi Cheng suddenly got up, lifted his knife like a blind man's cane, tapped the ground a few times, and walked toward the guest room.

Lady Madame Wenjing was walking out from behind, having changed into a blue cloth white flower small jacket.

She was smiling, but saw Cheng Xiazi Cheng walking straight ahead, and couldn't help asking: "Why did you finish eating so early today?"

"Drank too fast today."

Cheng Xiazi Cheng paused slightly, "Lady Madame Wenjing, your cooking skills are good, but your wine-brewing skills are actually not very good. If you want the business to be better in the future, you should hire a wine craftsman."

Lady Madame Wenjing's face sank: "Stinky blind man, go to sleep!"

Cheng Xiazi Cheng shook his head, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he continued to step forward.

Lady Madame Wenjing walked angrily to the opposite side of Seeing Chu Tianshu, her cheeks flushed three points red because of anger, really apricot eyes and peach cheeks, more natural than any powder.

"Young Master Chu, did I provoke him? I even specially changed into this outfit..."

She sat down angrily, suddenly realizing, and laughed at herself: "I actually changed for the blind man to see!"

Seeing Chu Tianshu sipped the wine slowly: "You didn't provoke him, it seems like I provoked him."

Lady Madame Wenjing didn't understand: "Ah?"

"He was a bit wrong today, and after drinking with me, his mood was even worse. But after chatting with you, his mood got a bit better."

Seeing Chu Tianshu smiled, "Anyway, he definitely didn't mean to anger you, so you should be the bigger person."

Lady Madame Wenjing was a bit embarrassed, picked up the wine cup to cover it, and thought it was the blind man's wine cup, so she hurriedly got up and said: "I still have things to do in the back kitchen, excuse me."

Seeing Chu Tianshu's face was full of smiles.

This landlady is also over twenty, right? And she manages a wine house, usually quite generous.

How can she still be like a girl in love when encountering the blind man's affairs?

Really good.

Seeing Chu Tianshu ate dinner slowly, and asked for paper and pen to enter the room.

The night was deep, and he didn't light a lamp, sitting by the paper window, writing by moonlight.

The shadow of the curtain fell on him, his expression was as quiet as an ancient well, and the moonlight draped frost on his clothes.

Only the hand holding the pen was still moving, as if nothing else mattered except the words flowing from the pen.

However, after the first watch, the sound of the night watchman on the street had just moved away.

Seeing Chu Tianshu's ears moved slightly, revealing an expression of "as expected."

He put down the brush, blew the ink dry, organized the paper, and pressed it onto his bed.

After doing all this, the paper window suddenly lifted, his figure flashed, appeared outside the window, his right hand caught the corner of the window, and slowly closed it.

The next moment, Seeing Chu Tianshu's toes had already stepped on the outer wall of the wine house, looking into the distance.

Twenty feet away, Cheng Xiazi Cheng's figure was shuttling through the small alleys like a civet cat.

The shadows of the alleys and the corners of the eaves were used perfectly by him.

Making his whole person seem to disappear suddenly and appear in another position.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 89 =====