The Six Secrets of the Human Body

Xu Ying followed the Snake Demon toward Mount Wu Wang. The Qin Yan Cave where the Snake Demon lived was at the foot of Mount Wu Wang, though the journey there was a long one.

When they passed Huangniqiao Village, they saw a woman standing at the village entrance from afar. She was over ten feet tall and had four arms, each clutching a treasured sword as she looked around.

She was the deity worshipped by Huangniqiao Village.

"Guard every road! Do not slack off, no matter what!"

The woman instructed the villagers. "That man called Xu Ying will definitely pass through here. Do not let him escape!"

Xu Ying and the Snake Demon hurriedly stopped. They saw people guarding every road—even the rice paddies by the roadside had watchers stationed in them!

"The City God has issued a death warrant for me!"

Xu Ying's heart pounded wildly, and his vision grew hazy.

There were simply too many deities in Lingling. Lingling had eight hundred mountains, five hundred waterways, lakes, and countless villages and towns. The deities worshipped there, great and small, numbered more than two thousand!

With so many deities, Xu Ying could truly be said to have no way out, let alone flee all the way to Mount Wu Wang!

No matter which way he went, it would be a dead end!

"Watch this!" The Snake Demon chuckled before suddenly shooting out like an arrow loosed from a bow, charging straight at the villagers blocking the road.

When the villagers saw a huge serpent over thirty feet long charging at them with its head raised, they hurriedly threw down their weapons and fled for their lives, shrieking at the tops of their lungs.

"There's a Snake Demon!" "The Snake Demon is eating people!" "One bite per person!" "Empress, save me!" "The Empress has been eaten!"

Hearing those cries, Xu Ying almost thought they were coming from the Snake Demon.

Taking advantage of the chaos, he sped through Huangniqiao Village without alarming anyone. Not long afterward, the Snake Demon caught up, now bearing two additional sword wounds.

"It's nothing serious. The deity of Huangniqiao Village was a woman. She slashed me twice, but since she was a lady, I won't hold it against her." The Snake Demon spoke with great magnanimity.

Xu Ying said solemnly, "Thank you for saving me, Brother Snake. May I ask how I should address you?"

The Snake Demon answered earnestly, "My ancestor cultivated the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist, so he took the surname Niu. When I was born, my father said that venomous snakes like us were called yuan in ancient times. I was seventh in line, so he named me Yuan Qi. Yuan is pronounced yuan."

Xu Ying hesitated for a moment before saying, unable to hold back, "Brother Niu, the 'bull' in Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist doesn't mean cultivating oneself into a bull demon. It means that when cultivating this fist technique, one's spirit should be like that of a bull demon—fearless. This fist technique has nothing to do with bulls."

The Snake Demon Yuan Qi stared blankly, blinking several times. "You mean my ancestor misunderstood the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist? My name is fine, but my family's surname is wrong?"

Xu Ying ventured, "How about changing your surname?"

The Snake Demon Yuan Qi threw back his head and laughed. "My ancestor was surnamed Niu, and my father was surnamed Niu. How could I forget my roots? A true man never changes his name or surname. I'm Yuan Qi!"

As for the surname Niu, he cast it completely out of his mind.

Along the way, they encountered more blockades and pursuits from the Rural Deities. The Snake Demon Yuan Qi charged ahead and drew the deities' attention, while Xu Ying took the opportunity to slip away.

These deities were over ten feet tall and came in all kinds of strange shapes. Some had four arms, some had two faces, some had eyes growing from their foreheads, and some even had eyes growing from their palms, which they used to look around.

They were often the souls of the dead, attached to divine statues and receiving offerings from the living. Over time, they developed divine abilities and could move freely by borrowing the bodies of their statues.

Xu Ying did his best to avoid villages and towns, traveling through rarely visited mountain forests. Yet even the forests held Mountain God Temples and Land God Temples, which often enshrined Mountain Gods and land deities. Rivers in the mountains frequently had Water Gods dwelling in them as well. The slightest carelessness could alarm them.

These deities in the wilderness had often been gods conferred from the Demon Race.

They were great demons who had cultivated successfully. Once their Qi Gathering Stage cultivation reached its peak and their martial cultivation reached the seventh realm, they could transform into human form. After accepting the City God's appointment, they would be conferred as Mountain Gods or Water Gods and obey the City God's commands.

These deities were far more powerful than those in villages and towns. At the same time, they were wilder and harder to tame, making them even more dangerous!

According to the Snake Demon Yuan Qi, Xu Ying was currently only comparable to a great demon that had cultivated successfully. Compared with a Demon God at the Demon King level, there was still a great gulf between them.

The man and snake did their best to avoid villages, towns, and Mountain God Temples. Their progress was slow, and by noon they had covered only twenty li of mountain roads.

The Snake Demon Yuan Qi sniffed and said, "The air is heavy with water over there. There must be a water source!"

The fruit Xu Ying had been carrying had already been eaten, and he was desperately thirsty as well. He followed Yuan Qi. Before long, the sound of a stream reached them. Yuan Qi was just about to head over when he suddenly stopped. Ahead of the creek was a pool, beside which a carriage stood. A master and servant were drawing water.

The post road was not far away.

"It's fine. That's Sima Liu, Lord Liu!" Xu Ying's heart stirred, and he stepped out.

Liu Zongyuan's carriage was loaded with heavy chests, making it look as if he were preparing for a long journey. Xu Ying went forward and bowed. "Sima Liu, are you leaving Lingling?"

When Liu Zongyuan saw him and the Snake Demon, he was startled, then smiled. "So it's Little Brother Xu Ying. I received the Emperor's edict ordering me to enter the capital."

Xu Ying was genuinely happy for him. "When Sima Liu returns to the Capital City, you'll certainly receive the Emperor's favor. I haven't read many books and don't know how to put it, but you must have seen all the hardships of the people of Yongzhou. Once you rise high and prosper, don't forget Yongzhou's common folk. After receiving the Emperor's favor, remember to make sure they have food to eat."

Liu Zongyuan said solemnly, "Little Brother, rest assured. Once I reach the capital, I will eliminate old abuses, reduce excessive taxes and levies, carry out reforms, and restore an age of prosperity. I will not fail the hopes of the elders and villagers!"

Deeply moved, Xu Ying bowed. "This humble man of the mountains and wilderness awaits good news from Sima Liu."

Liu Zongyuan returned the courtesy. "You flatter me."

The servant finished drawing the water and climbed onto the carriage. "My lord, we should hurry on our way!"

Liu Zongyuan boarded the carriage. Xu Ying waved goodbye and watched the carriage disappear into the distance.

"Sima Liu has the world at heart. Life will get better from here on!" Xu Ying said to Yuan Qi with a smile.

Unfortunately, he could not see the future.

On this trip to the capital, Liu Zongyuan did not receive the Emperor's favor. Instead, he was repeatedly ostracized. Later, he was demoted to Liuzhou, and several years after that, he died in despair at the age of only forty-eight.

The Snake Demon Yuan Qi was puzzled. "Xu Ying, since you know this high official, why didn't you ask him to plead on your behalf and clear your name?"

Xu Ying smiled faintly. "Brother Niu, you just said that a true man never changes his name or surname. I have something to say as well."

He spoke with towering spirit. "A true man takes responsibility for his own actions. Why borrow another's hand? I killed the deity, so I'll bear all the consequences myself!"

"Well said!"

Suddenly, a voice of praise came from the other side of the waterfall, startling the birds in the forest into flight.

Xu Ying's heart jolted, and he looked toward the voice. A minor official in blue stood across the waterfall. He was in his twenties, with a scholarly air about his face and delicate features. Clearly, he came from a much better background than Xu Ying, a youth from the countryside.

Xu Ying's heart thudded twice.

An official!

The sort of person he feared most.

He had seen too many officials storm into villages, demanding rent and forced contributions, directly hauling away the villagers' cattle and sheep. No matter how people cried and wailed, those officials remained unmoved, their hearts harder than stone.

What was more, among the officials were Nu Masters, who commanded mysterious arts!

Hopefully, he isn't a Nu Master... Xu Ying's heart pounded.

"Well said indeed!" The minor official in blue applauded. "Xu Ying, since you say a true man takes responsibility for his own actions, then you have committed the heinous crime of harming a deity, violated the Heavenly Law, and killed Steward Jiang. You should surrender and submit to the law."

"Surrender to your grandmother!"

Xu Ying laughed aloud. "I can even beat a deity to death. Aren't you afraid I'll beat you to death too?"

The minor official in blue smiled faintly. He extended his index finger and thumb and gently plucked a tender leaf from a vine beside the pool. In his hand, the leaf sprouted branches and buds, growing rapidly. Before long, it was lush and verdant, climbing up the willow tree beside the pool.

Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. This was an official who had mastered Nu Art!

A Nu Master!

They possessed mysterious and unfathomable methods, opened the secret treasures of the human body, and wielded power beyond the imagination of ordinary people. They drove gods and ghosts, subdued demons and exorcised devils, and possessed the strongest battle prowess in the world!

"Crack!"

The willow tree collapsed!

The vines brought to life by the Nu Art of the minor official in blue were like great pythons. They twisted the bucket-thick willow tree apart into several pieces!

The corner of Xu Ying's eye twitched.

"My name is Ding Quan, Judicial Assistant of Lingling. Xu Ying, you cultivate Demonic Arts, don't you?"

The minor official in blue raised one foot carelessly and gently set it on the surface of the water. The pool rippled faintly, and lotus flowers and leaves rapidly grew beneath the surface!

One of the lotus leaves supported the foot of the minor official in blue, Ding Quan!

Ding Quan raised his other foot and stepped forward. Another lotus leaf grew from beneath the water and lifted his foot.

"Xu Ying, cultivating Demonic Arts has granted you powerful strength. You beat a deity to death, and that made your confidence swell. But the deity you killed was merely a village deity. Village deities have a nickname: Grass Head Gods."

Ding Quan stepped across the water, producing lotus flowers with every step as he walked leisurely over from the opposite bank. "We humans have a genuine path of cultivation. Why cultivate Demonic Arts? Even if Demonic Arts are cultivated to the highest level, they only reach the Qi Gathering Stage. The Six Secrets of the Human Body—open any one secret treasure, even the first, and you can surpass a village deity and even a Demon King!"

As he spoke, lotus leaves continued growing beneath his feet and lotus flowers blossomed. Behind him, however, the lotus flowers and leaves rapidly withered, turning into black ash!

Xu Ying clenched his fists and smiled. "May I ask which six secrets the Six Secrets of the Human Body are? Which secret treasure have you opened, and to what level have you cultivated it?"

He suddenly froze, realizing that there was nothing beside him. Clearly, the Snake Demon Yuan Qi had slipped away without a trace long ago.

Xu Ying felt somewhat disappointed, but then he let go of his worries.

This was his own affair to begin with. He did not want to drag Yuan Qi into it.

Ding Quan arrived opposite him, no more than two zhang away. The only difference was that Ding Quan stood on the water, while Xu Ying stood on the bank.

"The Six Secrets of the Human Body are the Crimson Palace, Yellow Court, Jade Capital, Gushing Spring, Jade Pool, and Muddy Pellet. Of these six secrets, only one can be opened. Finding these secret treasures isn't easy."

Ding Quan was in no hurry at all. He patiently explained, "The exact locations of each person's secret treasures differ. You need a Grand Nu of profound cultivation to help you with Dragon Seeking Positioning, locate the secret treasure, and then help you open it. How could ordinary people have such an opportunity? Only those born into prestigious lineages, with a Grand Nu in their household, can open a secret treasure, become a Nu Master, and master Nu Art."

He sighed. "That is why becoming a Nu Master is extremely difficult. It is not something just anyone can accomplish."

Xu Ying smiled. "I've only heard that Magistrate Zhou's family is a prestigious lineage. I've never heard of a prestigious lineage surnamed Ding. It seems there's another way to become a Nu Master: become a dog for a prestigious lineage."

Ding Quan's face darkened. "You're courting death!"

Xu Ying's words had struck his sore spot!

Suddenly, the earth beneath Xu Ying's feet churned and flew. Thick green vines burst from the ground, wrapping around both his legs and binding them tightly!

The green vines grew wildly, like venomous dragons and great pythons. They soon covered his entire body, twisting him into a huge knot!

Ding Quan's face was grim. He abruptly raised his hand, and the green vines lifted Xu Ying with a howl, holding him upright in midair more than ten zhang above the ground, towering over the forest!

His palm slammed downward. The green vines suddenly swung Xu Ying up and smashed him hard against the rocks beside the pool!

With a thunderous boom, Xu Ying crashed into the scattered stones, sending fragments flying!

Ding Quan spread the fingers of his right hand. One sharp green vine after another burst from the ground around him, stabbing at Xu Ying amid the rocks from every direction with a hissing sound, like green swords plunging into the place where Xu Ying had fallen!

Countless stones exploded upward and shot wildly in every direction!

Ding Quan clenched his right hand hard. Countless green vines wrapped around Xu Ying, forming a green sphere nine feet across. Then the vines twisted around one another, tightening and squeezing!

Even a stone inside would be squeezed dry and crushed to pieces!

"Don't blame me."

Ding Quan slowly loosened his clenched fist, the corner of his mouth twitching. "When fighting, don't strike the face. When insulting, don't expose another's weakness. You exposed mine, so you must die!"

As his palm relaxed, the green vines within the green sphere shattered one after another, turning into powder.

The might of his Nu Art was simply too powerful. The force it unleashed exceeded the limit those vines could withstand. Once the power of the Nu Art erupted, the vines were naturally shaken to pieces!

This was the might that came from the secret treasures of the human body!

Thanks to Baiyi Zhesan Zui Xiaoyao, Flowing Water Cherishing Ink, Flowing Books Stopping Ink, and This Su Yun Was Someone I Knew, the four alliance leaders, for the rewards~

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