Chapter 127 - 120 Ancestor Witch Dharma Image

Chapter 127: Chapter 120 Ancestor Witch Dharma ImageUpon hearing about Wuzuo, Lv Mingkun’s expression darkened, "So that group has come to Mingjiang Prefecture, very well, very well." "They’re working for the kidnappers now." Zhou Xuan recounted the memories of Zhao Mazi he had seen, carefully describing them to Lv Mingkun. "Wuzuo’s Tangkou has been getting worse and worse. They used to at least be bandit leaders, kidnapping people for ransom. Now they can only work as lackeys for kidnappers to earn benefits... pfft, a bunch of losers." Lv Mingkun cursed angrily. Zhou Xuan, having little knowledge of the martial arts world, asked Lv Mingkun, "Aren’t Wuzuo supposed to be coroners? Checking corpses and such, why are they either bandits or doing shady deals for kidnappers? Can’t they earn a proper living?" "Doing a proper job for them doesn’t bring in money, nor does it help collect much incense," Lv Mingkun explained to Zhou Xuan, In the state capitol of Jing Country, there were many proper trades, but few suitable for Wuzuo. Wuzuo only had two skills—they were good with corpses and had a quick hand with a knife. Dealing with corpses could either mean performing purification rituals for burial grounds or being a real ’Wuzuo’ for the constabulary, but the pay was low, and life was hard. "Some Wuzuo who can’t collect enough incense will do it, but as soon as they can maintain two incense, they no longer want to do such hard jobs. As for making a living with a quick knife, that means becoming a slicer. Although it’s dangerous, with blood on the knife’s edge, employers pay high, and life can be comfortable. But not everyone agrees..." Lv Mingkun said. "Who?" Zhou Xuan asked. "The current Hall Master of Wuzuo, this Hall Master only treats the disciples as cash cows, machines to collect incense. If all the disciples become slicers for a comfortable life, who will help him earn money and incense? This man has a short-sighted vision, no long-term planning, naturally leading the disciples to do dirty work. Wuzuo and the kidnappers collude together, kill on a whim, to avoid trouble." Lv Mingkun became increasingly agitated, his breath quickening with excitement. Zhou Xuan then pointed at the ceiling, saying, "Let’s not talk about Wuzuo right now. The thing inside this wall is eating people." "Little junior brother, it’s not eating people, it’s a sacrifice." Lv Mingkun explained, "That female corpse was no ordinary person in life. When she died, she held an obsession, becoming an Evil Ghost, making a sacrifice with the ’Yin Eye’ in the room. She received part of the Yin Eye’s power, and the former store owner, Boss Zhao, was made into a sacrifice." "Will we be made into sacrifices?" Zhou Xuan asked. "It doesn’t dare try, this Yin Eye can’t overpower us... uh... actually, it can’t overpower you." "Me?" "You have the Sukuna Hand, which isn’t an ordinary God but one of the nine Heavenly Gods! Except for the Alien Ghosts who’ve grown formidable and daring beyond measure, what other Yin things would dare treat you as a sacrifice?" Lv Mingkun patted Zhou Xuan’s shoulder, saying, "Even without the Sukuna Hand, the one you carry on your back... also has a background. The Yin Eye in this house doesn’t have the guts to bother you." When ’the one on your back’ was mentioned, Lv Mingkun suddenly realized something, asking, "Hey, your speed at absorbing food energy is so fast, could it have something to do with her?" "Yes, indeed." Zhou Xuan held nothing back from Lv Mingkun, saying, "When I was absorbing Jiang Qi, the bride in the Secret Realm made two motions... I followed them in the Secret Realm, and then the speed of absorbing food energy suddenly increased." "There are movements... could I..." Lv Mingkun was tempted, wanting to learn. Zhou Xuan immediately started teaching him. He demonstrated personally, first showing the ’Little Deer Drinking Water’ action, his head nodding towards the ground little by little. Lv Mingkun watched intently but couldn’t help finding it somewhat ridiculous. Actually, it wasn’t just him who thought so; Zhou Xuan himself thought it was funny, feeling an odd sense of shame and immaturity while demonstrating, even laughing out loud at one point. "Haha, the movements are indeed a bit strange. Fifth Brother, laugh if you want, I’m laughing myself." After completing the ’Little Deer Drinking Water’ movement, Zhou Xuan went on all fours, mimicking the ’Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain’ motion. This action was even more comical, especially when lifting his head to mimic a tiger roaring in the mountains. During the first three attempts, Zhou Xuan couldn’t help but crack up halfway through. "Have a sense of conviction, you need a sense of conviction!" Encouraging himself, Zhou Xuan finally achieved the momentum of a tiger’s roar in the mountains on the fourth try, successfully completing the motion. "Do these two movements really speed up the absorption of food energy in the Secret Realm?" Lv Mingkun maintained a strong sense of skepticism. "It should! Fifth Brother, practice yourself, I’m heading back to the inn to sleep. When you return to the inn, remember to bring Little Fuzi back." The second floor had not yet been tidied up, so Zhou Xuan’s luggage was still at the inn. Once Zhou Xuan left, Lv Mingkun sat cross-legged on the floor, preparing to meditate on ’Little Deer Drinking Water’ and ’Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain’ in the Secret Realm. "These two moves have strong comedic effects, but the effectiveness on food energy absorption is probably..." He wasn’t very confident in the two moves, but with a let’s-try-it-out mindset, he started the meditation. Starting with ’Little Deer Drinking Water,’ when Lv Mingkun mimicked the ’nodding to drink water’ action, the dense Yin Sha Qi released by the Yin Eye in the room converged into an unseen stream, pouring into his body. When he visualized ’Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain,’ especially the final ’Tiger Roar in the Forest,’ the stream expanded into a river, which became a mighty torrent, crashing hard against Lv Mingkun’s body. The speed of absorbing the Yin Sha Qi suddenly became fierce, and there even appeared a few traces of ink drips collecting on Lv Mingkun’s eyebrows, his body barely able to withstand it. "What kind of move is this? How can it be this effective?" Lv Mingkun opened his eyes, feeling the incense in his heart burning fiercely—never had it burned so vigorously, as if a small furnace was installed in his chest. He felt a sense of relief, grateful for being designated by Zhou Lingyi to come to Mingjiang Prefecture. Initially, when he was chosen, he wasn’t particularly willing to come to Mingjiang. Lv Mingkun preferred to stay in the Zhou Family’s Troupe all day, mainly because of the sewing corpse purification work at Silence Hall, which allowed him to steadily collect incense. Suddenly moving to an unfamiliar place would disrupt this stable collection of incense. But now, Silence Hall? *I just want to run a shop with my little junior brother!* ... "Ancestor Witch Dharma?" Using the link between the branches of the Ancestor Tree and Zhou Xuan, Zhou Lingyi could observe everything her brother was doing. When she saw Zhou Xuan teaching Lv Mingkun the ’Little Deer Drinking Water’ and ’Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain,’ she couldn’t even smile. Her incense level was very high, higher than Lv Mingkun’s, and from Zhou Xuan’s movements alone, she could infer that these two actions were the Ancestor Witch Dharma. "What’s Ancestor Witch Dharma?" Yuan Buyu, whenever nothing was going on or he wasn’t napping, would lie beside the Ancestor Tree, occasionally asking Zhou Lingyi if his apprentice had encountered anything new or interesting in Mingjiang Prefecture. Zhou Lingyi got off the chair and demonstrated the ’Little Deer Drinking Water’ and ’Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain’ movements. With her deep understanding of witches, her movements naturally weren’t as comical as Zhou Xuan’s. Her mimicry of the deer was so vivid and graceful it seemed to bring the deer’s spirit to life. Her mimicry of the tiger, while merely a subdued growl, was imbued with force as she concentrated her strength for the low roar. "The body unites with the earth, the voice joins with the sky, the Dharma Image merges with nature... Is this your clan’s Breathing Method?" At a low level of incense, one might feel that all the various Tangkou are different. But with a high level of incense, one starts to see that all Tangkou methods ultimately lead to the same destination. Even a storyteller could perceive the remarkable techniques of the Wu Family. Yuan Buyu greatly praised these two moves. Zhou Lingyi said, "Legend has it that the Ancestor Witch in the Snow Mountains, observed nature, mimicked all living creatures, and developed the twelve Dharma Images. The Images derived from nature must align with nature. Using natural momentum for inhalation and exhalation allows natural energy to flow into the body with fewer barriers and hindrances, making it much more effective than many Breathing Techniques. Although the Ancient Clan’s records contain illustrated representations of the twelve Dharma Images, the illustrations lack many intricate details." Yuan Buyu nodded and said, "My apprentice didn’t comprehend these Images himself; instead, I assume they were taught by the bride in the Secret Realm. This bride truly has a remarkable heritage." The ’Ancestor Witch Dharma,’ even incompletely recorded in the Old Hall, could be vividly demonstrated by the bride, indicating two things. First, the bride must have been part of the Wu Family. Second, the bride held an extremely prominent position within the Wu Family. "Class Leader, can you deduce the bride’s identity from this Dharma Image?" Yuan Buyu asked. "I can’t deduce it. The Wu Family and the Taoist sects have a long history, like two great rivers dazzling with stars. There are countless talented and outstanding individuals, making deduction difficult based merely on the Dharma Image." After listening, Yuan Buyu said, "Sigh, my apprentice is involved in so many peculiar situations. For an opportunity of two incense, he attracted many prominent figures, whom even those vying for five incense or six incense couldn’t invite." He sighed, walking slowly in the direction of his room. When he was near the door, he suddenly hastened his pace, rushed into the room, and with a click, locked the door behind him. Then he began to mimic Zhou Lingyi, performing the ’Little Deer Drinking Water’ and ’Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain’ actions. Outside, with many people around, he couldn’t put aside his dignity to act on his curiosity. Each action was repeated fifteen times, and Yuan Buyu broke into a sweat. "These moves are great. They can actually exhaust me." Yuan Buyu felt physically refreshed and mentally rejuvenated, much less sleepy than before. The Wu Family’s Breathing Technique isn’t limited to only the Wu Family members. "Doing these actions a few times daily, it doesn’t matter whether incense progresses; the physical and mental fortitude from them is beneficial, very healthy." ... East Market Street at midnight was still bustling. The funeral street, with plenty of people coming out to work in the middle of the night. All major paper figure and paper horse shops remained open, and with so many people on the street, there were two guests dressed in long robes and wearing hats walking side by side along the street. Their bellies swelled and contracted, releasing sounds unheard by ordinary folk. "Legend of the Hundred Spirits, Sukuna Hand emerges, the Ancient Clan’s opportunity has come." "Sukuna Hand is named Zhou Xuan. Go meet him quickly, the Ancient Clan will soon come to guide him!" "If he is brought back to the Yunluo Mountain Range, the Tattoo Clan, Jade Gate Ascension awaits!" The Legend of the Hundred Spirits was the dark piece laid down in the Mingjiang Prefecture by the already departed ’Yumen High Priest’ of the Ancient Tattoo Clan. This covert piece had been in place for twenty-three years, extremely discreetly established. Even Peng Long and Peng Hu didn’t know who the ’Legend of the Hundred Spirits’ really was. They could only pass along East Market Street, using the Tattoo Clan’s ’Tattoo Sound Transmission Method’ to convey the words of the Copper Coin Priest to the Legend of the Hundred Spirits.