Fate, Its Mysteries Never Cease to Amaze

Early the next morning, Shi Feizhe got up early to practice standing meditation. He also helped the elderly couple who owned his lodging chop some firewood.

In return, he got to eat an extra mixed-grain steamed bun for breakfast.

After eating, Shi Feizhe took the copy of the Nether Springs Divine Shadow Record he had written out, a fresh sheet of yellow paper, and a charcoal pencil, and headed to Three Talents Manor.

While practicing his stance just now, he had already made a plan. For the next half month, he would practice the True Origin Sword Finger Technique in the mornings, then spend the day at Three Talents Manor studying the Nether Springs Divine Shadow Record. Next month, he would find some work to support himself while continuing to practice.

In three to five years, he would no longer be a beast of burden!

Perhaps because he had arrived early, there were still relatively few people at Three Talents Manor. Shi Feizhe came to the Stele Forest where the Nether Springs Divine Shadow Record was recorded, and found no one else there. A few well-dressed people nearby were discussing the Immovable Wisdom King Contemplation Method.

Shi Feizhe took out the copy of the Nether Springs Divine Shadow Record he had made the day before yesterday and squatted down to compare it against the words on the Stele Forest.

This was a second pass, to make sure he hadn't copied anything wrong the day before yesterday.

As he checked the text, Shi Feizhe suddenly felt someone tap him.

He looked up and saw Hua Xiaomei, dressed in a blue-green robe.

With a whoosh, Hua Xiaomei opened the folding fan in his hand. He had just used it to tap Shi Feizhe.

"Young brother, you really did come to Three Talents Manor!" he said.

Shi Feizhe saw four characters on the fan: "Perfectly Ordinary."

"So it's Brother Hua!" Shi Feizhe stood and clasped his fists toward Hua Xiaomei.

"You came to Three Talents Manor and didn't even tell me!" he said, looking at Shi Feizhe, who was holding a charcoal pencil and yellow paper.

"I didn't know where you were, Brother Hua!" Shi Feizhe replied.

"Huh?" Hua Xiaomei paused. "Didn't I say I was at Three Talents Manor?"

"Weren't you here on business? Have you not finished yet?" Shi Feizhe said, playing dumb.

The truth was, he didn't want to trouble anyone. Especially not someone like Hua Xiaomei, who was obviously a martial arts expert, with the pride of a master in every gesture. The gap between him and such people was still too wide. Going to seek out someone like that would be like pressing a hot face against a cold butt.

In a few years, though—just you wait...

"The matter's a little complicated. I haven't finished yet." Hua Xiaomei noticed the Nether Springs Divine Shadow Record in front of Shi Feizhe, and a strange glint flashed in his eyes. "Young brother, have you taken a liking to this manual?"

"Indeed! It's relatively complete. I even copied it down so I can study it slowly." Shi Feizhe held up the yellow paper in his hand.

"Oh? I wonder how much of it you've understood, young brother," Hua Xiaomei said.

"About fifty or sixty percent, I guess. There are parts I don't understand," Shi Feizhe said.

Hua Xiaomei looked Shi Feizhe over again and sighed. "I never expected you to be so clever, young brother. What a pity you didn't join a good sect! If you'd practiced martial arts from a young age, you might already have made a name for yourself."

"Understanding fifty or sixty percent means I'm clever?" Shi Feizhe asked.

"Martial arts manuals are both difficult and simple. Experts can reason their way through them from a higher vantage point. They can even force people to practice and test the techniques!" Hua Xiaomei seemed to recall something, and suddenly sighed.

"I've studied this Nether Springs Divine Shadow Record a little. To meet you again today must be fate. I'll explain it to you once. How much you remember will be up to fate!"

"Huh?" Shi Feizhe froze, then was overjoyed. "Really?"

"Fate—its mysteries never cease to amaze! Listen closely as I send my voice to you!" As he spoke, Hua Xiaomei gathered his voice into a thin stream and sent it into Shi Feizhe's ear, explaining the Nether Springs Divine Shadow Record from the beginning.

He covered everything in great detail, from blood qi and techniques to the effects of medicinal herbs.

Shi Feizhe knew he couldn't let this opportunity slip by. He listened intently, quickly taking notes on the yellow paper with his charcoal pencil.

Hua Xiaomei stood by the Stele Forest and spoke for a full hour before explaining everything clearly. Seeing Shi Feizhe bent over, recording it all with his charcoal pencil, a peculiar smile touched his lips.

Young brother, this is fate!

You're the one who wanted to practice the Nether Springs Divine Shadow Record!

Even if he didn't explain it, in a few days someone else would have talked with Shi Feizhe bit by bit and let details of the Nether Springs Divine Shadow Record slip, intentionally or otherwise.

The Nether Springs Divine Shadow Record was precisely the medicine-man technique for the Eastern Mountain God Prison Law Codex he practiced.

A medicine-man was someone cultivated into a great medicine for a particular technique.

Spirit herbs and other rare treasures took decades, even centuries, to grow. They also needed careful tending to keep people from stealing or snatching them. It was terribly inefficient.

Why not have people cultivate themselves into great medicine? Then, when the time came to use the technique, one could not only seize all the person's true qi, but also take their innate essence and vital essence to replenish oneself. It was truly the perfect shortcut to rapid cultivation!

Best of all, this technique was hidden among the Stele Forest, there for anyone to choose.

Who would suspect there was something wrong with a technique they had chosen for themselves?

Who would suspect anything wrong with a technique they had obtained after so much hardship?

They would only work themselves to the bone earning money to buy medicinal herbs, then work themselves to the bone practicing, hoping to seize that one chance to change their fate.

In the end, when they encountered demonic cultivators from a faction like Hua Xiaomei's, they would be stripped of everything without the slightest suspense.

One day, when this young brother—what was his surname again?—was robbed of all his cultivation, would he regret this fateful meeting?

And how fascinating would the look in his eyes be?

Hua Xiaomei smiled warmly at Shi Feizhe, whose hands were now completely black with charcoal, and asked, "Do you have any other questions, young brother?"

"I do, I do!" Shi Feizhe said eagerly. It wasn't every day he came across an opportunity like this, one that could help him obtain a complete martial arts manual. Of course he had to ask all the questions he had.

Sure enough, a smiling wage slave never had bad luck!

Damn, he really was lucky!

Shi Feizhe was even more certain that he was a lucky boy.

He quickly asked Hua Xiaomei several questions about things he hadn't understood during the explanation. He was especially confused about how blood qi, spirit, and the other elements united to condense true qi.

Hua Xiaomei wasn't impatient at all. He patiently explained, saying, "The four elements of essence, qi, and spirit uniting to glimpse the truth—that stage is quite mysterious."

"Take me, for example. Before I learned martial arts as a child, I was rather introverted and quiet. But after I started practicing, there was always a restless energy in me, making me want to punch someone twice."

"Of course, with the pitiful few moves I knew, I got beaten up every time."

"But once I started practicing, my blood ran hot, and courage naturally rose in my heart. It felt as though there was nothing in the world I couldn't overcome!"

"That powerful?" Shi Feizhe asked.

"Haha, it was really just an illusion," Hua Xiaomei said with a laugh. "When your essence and spirit are perfected, you simply feel bright and energetic, full of vigor. Your strength throughout your body aligns with the thought and spirit in your heart. The moment they unite, true qi is born."

So much for fate. It was all a trick!