Chapter 108: Dan Cultivator Seventh Flow

Fu Jingyu looked utterly baffled, but Yan Lao and Lu Lao caught on to something and turned away, smirking silently.

Bai Lao’s house wasn’t in good shape—many parts were broken and patched with crude wooden planks, hardly better than his makeshift huts in the mountains.

The old mountain runner might have done it on purpose—he felt more at ease in his hovel.

Bai Lao opened the door, and the four entered; Yan Lao glanced around and his expression turned serious.

The rafters hung with all sorts of strange “materials.”

Three pieces of zombie scalp, still with hair, the dried blood hardened into lumps!

A dried ghost-faced flower vine.

A yellow weasel, the size of a wild boar, split cleanly in two.

On the shelf by the wall sat a giant seashell, inside which rested a shrunken, wrinkled “woman’s head,” no larger than a fist!

The old mountain runner had his own methods—the contamination on these “materials” had faded to near nothing.

All fine goods—if the Cleansing Office’s Craft Cultivators saw them, they’d go to any length to bargain and buy them from him.

Xu Yuan stared at the seashell longer than the others, wondering if this was one of the “sisters” from Beauty Dam.

Bai Lao noticed his gaze and said, “Like it? I’ll give it to you.”

Xu Yuan quickly waved his hands to refuse.

Bai Lao went on, “Or you could hunt one yourself—I’ll teach you how to tan and shrink a woman’s head to this size.”

“Mine didn’t turn out right—too many wrinkles. I’m planning to make another…”

Xu Yuan replied sincerely, “Thank you for your generosity, but I truly don’t need it.”

Bai Lao snorted, “Don’t think this thing’s useless. I heard your village has a Beauty Dam—I know those cursed women, chattering nonstop, so noisy!”

“Wear this around your neck, and when you pass by again, I guarantee they’ll all shut up—none will dare bother you.”

Bai Lao pulled back his feather cloak, revealing a clinking necklace—besides the shrunken woman’s head, there were several other cursed and bizarre components, fashioned into “ornaments”!

Each more bloody and terrifying than the last…

Xu Yuan nodded, “No wonder no curses dare trouble you when you walk the mountains.”

Bai Lao grinned proudly, “I’ve got eleven on my neck. Gao Guanzi has even more—eighteen! Want to learn? I can teach you this skill.”

But Xu Yuan still refused: “I’m still young—I plan to marry and carry on the family line. If I wear your things, I’ll never have a chance with any good woman of the Ming Dynasty.”

“What’s so great about women?” Bai Lao muttered, then added to the four, “I’ll show you where to sleep tonight.”

He opened a side door—behind it wasn’t a room, but a sloping tunnel descending underground.

No steps—only claw marks covered the walls.

Xu Yuan was certain this wasn’t dug by Bai Lao himself—he must have captured some burrowing aberration and forced it to dig.

Below were two large hollows.

No beds—just two iron stakes, each tied with thick iron chains.

At the end of each chain hung a large meat-hook, like those in a butcher’s shop.

Still stained with uncleaned traces of unknown substances…

Yan Lao and the other two exchanged glances—this wasn’t Bai Lao’s guest room. It was a prison.

Xu Yuan chuckled bitterly, “You’re letting us sleep here?”

The old mountain runner still kept some suspicion toward them.

Bai Lao rubbed his hands and said, “My place is small. This spot isn’t pleasant, but it’s clean and warm. Staying with villagers wouldn’t be wise—you know that, Xiao Xu.”

Xu Yuan nodded, licking his lips. “Fine, we’ll stay here.”

“I’ll go get you something to eat,” Bai Lao said. Xu Yuan refused: “No need—we’ll eat our rations.”

You put us in a prison cell—we won’t risk eating your food.

Bai Lao nodded. “Then sleep.”

He turned to leave, but Xu Yuan called out, “Master, wait—I have another matter to discuss.”

Bai Lao stopped. The five sat cross-legged on the ground. Xu Yuan asked, “Why hasn’t Haikou Chan appeared? Is it on bad terms with the other head aberrations?”

This was directed at Bai Lao.

“Haikou Chan’s strength is slightly higher than the Ghost Temple Idol. The other head aberrations avoid it—they fear it might say something that drags them in.”

“But they’re not exactly enemies. Why it hasn’t shown up—I don’t understand either.”

Yan Lao asked, “Xiao Xu, what’s your thought?”

Xu Yuan had one: “Someone might have delayed Haikou Chan for us.”

“Who?” Yan Lao said. “We should thank them.”

“No need to thank them—it might not be good for us,” Xu Yuan said. “To reach Old Crow Mouth, we must pass through the village. Let’s stay right here!”

Xu Yuan turned to Bai Lao: “Master, go ask Zhang San’s father to keep watch on the road outside the village tonight. If anyone passes by, have him come tell us immediately—I’ll give him ten boxes of matches and ten catties of fine tobacco.”

Everyone was baffled.

That night, Yan Lao and Lu Lao shared one room; Xu Yuan and Fu Jingyu shared another.

After eating their rations, they prepared to rest. Xu Yuan took out the “Ghost Temple Idol” trapped in the carriage.

The aberration was dead.

And because it had devoured too much belly fire, the shattered statue—now one and a half feet tall—had no trace of contamination left.

And the nine snake skins from She Ganzǐ.

All fine materials!

Both aberrations were slain by Xu Yuan—naturally, they were his to keep.

Xu Yuan asked Fu Jingyu for a stink-bag and put the snake skins inside.

When Xu Yuan asked, Fu Jingyu gave it to him.

Fu the Young Master never told Xu Yuan the bag cost seventy taels of silver.

If he had, Xu Yuan would have shouted, “This is robbery!” and returned it. But Xu Yuan wasn’t afraid of contamination.

…

At midnight, Fu the Young Master slept soundly. Xu Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, unsealed the stink-bag, and swallowed all nine snake skins at once.

Shen the Elder’s ointment was still active. Xu Yuan activated the Five Cauldrons Cooking Scripture, fully refining the snake skins to nourish his Skin Dantian!

By morning, the ointment’s effect was completely spent.

Xu Yuan had fully refined all the snake skins into his Skin Dantian.

Xu Yuan inwardly marveled—Shen the Elder’s ointment was truly remarkable!

This speed was more than ten times faster than when he refined the skin from Old Ba.

The Skin Dantian, now replenished, hadn’t grown much in size—but it now covered his entire body.

Its defensive power matched She Ganzǐ’s own.

If concentrated into a single spot—say, his chest—Xu Yuan estimated he could even withstand a try from the Pingtian Society’s bronze artillery!

Moreover, with his Skin Dantian greatly strengthened, Xu Yuan’s cultivation level in the Dan Sect had risen to Seventh Flow!

(End of Chapter)