Chapter 53: Cut Vein, Capture Dragon

After clearing the table, Shen Yi saw the old woman about to bring up introducing him to a girl again.

He quickly made an excuse and turned back to his room.

There’s a saying: marry first, then build a career—but he hadn’t even stabilized his footing yet, and his job was one where life and death were uncertain; how could he have the leisure for such thoughts?

He shut the door and sat down beside the bed.

Shen Yi swallowed three Kai Mai Dan pills; their intense bitterness instantly spread across his tongue, like biting into a piece of coptis.

Fortunately, he had once swallowed foul-smelling beast cores, so this wasn’t much.

Shen Yi’s gaze remained calm as he summoned his interface.

【Jade Fluid. Cut Vein, Capture Dragon (Unlearned)】

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: Three Hundred Years】

These years of lifespan were originally reserved for emergencies.

If he exhausted them all and encountered a powerful demon, his current foundation would only allow him to unleash the Heavenly Gang Blood Chaos once before collapsing from exhaustion.

Moreover, now that he had joined the Demon Suppression Bureau, his path to breaking through the Jade Fluid realm’s internal art was secured; once he grew slightly more familiar with the environment, acquiring more should not be difficult—surely this place was also a major consumer of lifespan.

Under these circumstances, holding three hundred years of demon lifespan now felt almost insufficient.

Shen Yi shook his head, cast aside distractions, and began pouring the demon lifespan into Cut Vein, Capture Dragon in batches.

No matter what, every bit of progress meant greater chances of survival in danger—first survive, then talk of anything else.

……

【Year One, you thoroughly studied the text and simultaneously refined the medicinal power within your body; having never tasted a treasure pill before, you were extremely frugal, wasting not a single trace of medicinal energy】

【Year Three, you swallowed your second pill; your meridians and acupoints expanded again; you had long memorized every word of the text, and countless details about meridians surged into your mind—your eyes held a clarity untouched by knowledge】

【Year Nine, you fully absorbed the effects of your final pill; your major acupoints expanded by a full tenfold; you felt a faint satisfaction, though you still didn’t fully understand what meridians were, you continued diligently observing all things】

……

No wonder the Regional Commander only taught each disciple one ultimate technique.

If the Fourfold True Qi Gang was about breath control, Cut Vein, Capture Dragon was the ultimate art of the physical body—two entirely unrelated domains.

Each required vast years of immersion; mastering even one was already extremely difficult.

Mastering one technique could dominate peers of the same realm, because those who could learn it were inherently extraordinary.

For someone of average talent, they might spend their entire life without grasping its true essence.

“I want them all.”

Shen Yi took out decades of demon lifespan and poured it in again.

……

【Year Twenty-Six, you reached out your palm and gently stroked the rough bark; your fingertips danced across the trunk, and as you pressed your ear close, you seemed to hear the tree’s “heartbeat”】

【Year Forty-Eight, you lifted a massive boulder; it felt like a stone egg, brimming with life; a mad grin spread across your face! Ei! You’ve understood!】

【Year Sixty-Nine, you slumped to the ground in despair; you understood nothing—you were just insane. You pushed yourself up and struck the weather-worn boulder in a fit of rage; moments later, you stared blankly, murmuring: “This stone… seems dead.”】

【Cut Vein, Capture Dragon: Entered】

【Year Seventy-One, your mastery of fist and palm techniques took effect; your palm strikes grew increasingly fluent; Cut Vein, Capture Dragon reached Minor Completion】

【Year Seventy-Three, once you finally understood what “the meridians of all things” meant, all that remained was mastering the timing of your strikes; Cut Vein, Capture Dragon reached Major Completion】

【Year Seventy-Five, Cut Vein, Capture Dragon reached Perfection】

……

One moment of enlightenment.

The sudden surge of progress made Shen Yi suddenly recall he had once been a genius in fist and palm arts; the years he had spent on Cloud-Pushing Fist hadn’t been entirely wasted.

In five years, he had advanced a Jade Fluid realm fist and palm technique from entry to perfection.

This was the experience of exceptional talent.

Indeed, as long as it didn’t involve the mysterious concept of comprehension, he still possessed considerable strength.

He closed the interface.

Shen Yi closed his eyes and savored his gains.

The most obvious sensation was the overwhelming surge of qi filling his major acupoints—far beyond what it had been moments ago.

For others, such an increase might merely mean doubled physical strength.

But for Shen Yi, he could now unleash a far more potent Heavenly Gang Blood Chaos, no longer the “low-power” version forced by insufficient foundation.

Moreover, his qi refinement speed had doubled, and he still needed only five years of demon lifespan to replenish his depletion.

“Cut Vein, Capture Dragon is, in essence, a method of imposing restrictions.”

Shen Yi spread open his pale, finely-boned palm.

Without breaking the skin, his palm became a blade, severing the meridians.

Sealing the acupoints, cutting off vitality.

He recalled how Lin Baiwei had once been struck by a similar demonic art; she was at the peak of Jade Fluid realm, yet the demon that reduced her to such a state was likely Golden Core.

A Jade Fluid realm martial art could already touch upon higher-level techniques.

These seventy-five years were well spent.

……

The days that followed were relatively comfortable.

In Baiyun County, one must always be wary of demons snatching one’s head.

But within this quiet courtyard, one could enjoy moments of peace.

After all, beyond the walls lay the Demon Suppression Bureau’s compound, spanning twenty-eight hundred mu; everyone wore black robes with cloud patterns, and countless qi signatures converged like blades piercing the clouds.

This was the safest place in all of Qingzhou.

Even Shen Yi couldn’t help but relax for a few days, giving his tightly wound nerves a rest.

He had already obtained the martial art; his agreement with Lin Baiwei was fulfilled.

But the old woman’s pickled cabbage was exceptional—paired with rice porridge, it wasn’t filling, yet incredibly appetizing.

Since she didn’t mind, Shen Yi was willing to stay a few more days.

Of course, it would be better if Fang Heng didn’t always wear a faint sneer on his face when demonstrating Cut Vein, Capture Dragon.

Shen Yi didn’t know where he had offended the man.

Nor did he have the time to dwell on it.

He was neither skilled nor interested in flattery; otherwise, he wouldn’t have ended up as he did in his past life.

“Tell me your insights.”

Fang Heng finished his stance, his eyes coldly fixed on the distance.

Shen Yi stood to his side and behind, thinking: “Very good.”

Fang Heng’s Cut Vein, Capture Dragon was barely into Minor Completion; his fist and palm movements already showed some mastery. Considering Fang Heng’s age, and comparing it to Shen Yi’s own seventy years of deduction to grasp its essence…

Though still somewhat crude, it was truly impressive—Shen Yi admitted he was far inferior.

“Hmph.”

Hearing the hollow, evasive reply, Fang Heng’s lips curled into a barely perceptible sneer.

He said nothing, merely dressed himself and turned back toward the room.

Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps echoed outside the courtyard.

“Brother Shen, come out quick.”

Liu Xiujie poked his head through the gate, whispering: “Hurry up and get ready—we’ve got work to do.”

“Alright, give me a moment.”

Hearing this, Shen Yi rubbed his wrists; he had rested enough—he couldn’t let his inner edge wear away completely.

No matter how peaceful this place was, it had nothing to do with him; it couldn’t protect him forever.

He stepped back into his room to retrieve his blade.

At that moment, the sturdy figure slowly turned around.

Fang Heng regarded him coldly, raising an eyebrow, his voice calm but edged with chill: “Who gave you permission to accept?”

“...”

At these words, Shen Yi’s body froze slightly.

He turned to meet Fang Heng’s gaze.

After a moment, a faint smile curled on Shen Yi’s handsome face.

A faint aura of danger surged in his eyes.

(End of Chapter)