Dead Man's Body

The dazed youths jolted awake from their dreams and hastily threw on their clothes before rushing out.

They didn't wash their faces or brush their teeth. Some didn't even put on their pants, tumbling out of bed, kicking on their shoes, and then scrambling out.

It was Hu Ma's first day here, and he was completely bewildered, but he could only follow along dazedly.

Second Master stood in the middle of the courtyard, holding his bronze pipe. Seeing anyone moving too slowly, he'd deliver a kick and send them out of the yard.

Hu Ma also managed to get up and walk out of the side room. He was slow-witted and hesitant, and Second Master almost kicked him too.

Upon seeing it was Hu Ma, he retracted his foot, merely grunting, "Hurry up, keep up."

Hu Ma felt his limbs grow cold and wanted to ask something, but he didn't know where to start. He followed them out of the courtyard.

After running on the mountain for a good while, the youths finally started to liven up, and laughter gradually began to ring out.

Some hadn't even put on their shoes, yet they ran incredibly fast. After circling half the mountainside, they saw a clear spring bubbling out from under a rock, forming a small pool at the bottom of the slope. The youths ran to it and all crouched down, haphazardly scooping up spring water to splash on their faces.

Not only did they wash their faces and rinse their mouths, but some, caught up in the excitement, even took off their pants and jumped right in.

But splashing around, they hadn't even washed a few times before some were already laughing and running back, shouting:

"Whoever runs slowest licks the widow's ass..."

"..."

The group immediately erupted into chaos, scrambling up from the edge of the pool. Hu Ma finally caught up.

He only felt his limbs were weak, cold, and heavy, and his doubts grew.

Logically, after exercising for so long, even if his body was a bit cold, it should have warmed up by now.

But instead, the more he ran, the colder he became, his face pale, not a drop of sweat on him.

Looking at the energetic youths ahead, who seemed to have endless stamina, he didn't want to lick the widow's ass, but he felt his body growing heavier and heavier.

However, if he truly wanted to keep up, it seemed he could.

His body was cold, which made one spot feel exceptionally hot: his lower abdomen, the location of his furnace.

Last night, after practicing his cultivation, this spot had become hot and full, and it still was.

Whenever he thought about picking up the pace, he vaguely felt this furnace fire spreading from his lower abdomen throughout his entire body.

It was this furnace fire that prevented him from fainting, despite feeling cold and weak, and even allowed him to keep up with the youths from a distance.

But in doing so, the furnace fire was clearly weakening.

Didn't Second Master say that as long as he didn't break his chastity, the furnace fire would continuously grow?

Thinking carefully, Hu Ma grew increasingly astonished.

By the time he managed to run back to the courtyard, everyone else was already lining up.

At this point, a large pot had been placed in the courtyard, along with a basket, a winnowing fan, and a pile of coarse porcelain bowls.

The youths who had returned from running the mountain took their bowls and lined up to get their food, looking ravenous.

To their surprise, there was meat.

As Hu Ma held his bowl to get his porridge, he discovered that within the rice porridge were pieces of salted meat, about as thick as a thumb, cooked together with the porridge. When serving the porridge, one piece was placed in each bowl.

The youths were clearly most interested in these pieces of meat. As they got their porridge, their eyes widened, and they argued with the person serving:

"That piece, that piece, give it to me... Damn it!"

"..."

"You damn brat, like you've never eaten meat before..."

A slightly chubby youth in front of Hu Ma craned his neck, turned around cursing, "They've all been snatched up."

Hu Ma, preoccupied with his thoughts, subconsciously asked, "What is that?"

"Mountain Meat..."

The youth said, "White Ganoderma. There's only this much each day. We rely entirely on this to get through the day..."

"Why is the White Ganoderma black?"

Hu Ma was dazed, then he realized. That's right, since it was cured, it would naturally be black...

These youths were all growing lads, and with such high physical exertion, they relied entirely on this dried meat cured from White Ganoderma to sustain them throughout the day.

No wonder they were so eager when mealtime arrived.

But he heard Second Master say that the adults in the village usually couldn't even eat this White Ganoderma. So, was this a special treat for the young disciples learning their craft?

His limbs were cold, and his mind seemed to be slow as well.

He wasn't craving this Tai Sui Meat, but he was also eager to eat something warm to warm his body.

Finally, it was his turn. He held up his bowl like everyone else.

But the tall, thin youth serving the food glanced at him and said with a grin, "Young Master Hu is still fighting us for meat?"

As he spoke, he scooped out a spoonful, but just as he was about to pour it into the bowl, he flicked his wrist.

The piece of meat happened to fall back into the pot.

Hu Ma looked up and saw the other person grinning, as if asking why he wasn't leaving yet.

This person seemed to have some hostility towards him...

But Hu Ma was preoccupied and couldn't be bothered to pay attention. He just took his porridge, grabbed two steamed buns, and walked to the side to eat slowly.

They didn't even have a long table here. Eating meant squatting here, squatting there, slurping away.

Some even ate and messed around, snatching the dried meat from each other's bowls.

But as Hu Ma ate, he felt extremely strange.

The porridge was still hot. Many youths nearby held their bowls and drank from the edge, afraid of burning themselves.

But Hu Ma drank it down bit by bit, yet still felt a chill throughout his body. He could feel the heat of the porridge, and it still felt hot on his lips.

But somehow, after it went into his stomach, he couldn't feel even a trace of warmth; it just disappeared.

How could this happen?

He hadn't even felt this way when he was staying in the village before...

He was starting to feel a bit scared of this cold sensation.

"Little Hu Ma, come inside!"

Just then, Second Master came out from the main hall and beckoned Hu Ma, calling him into the room.

"You just lit your furnace. Eat this bowl of meat."

"..."

"Hm?"

Hu Ma looked in surprise and saw a bowl on the square table inside, containing large, glistening chunks of stewed meat.

He turned his head again and saw that the piece of meat Second Master had hung on the beam yesterday had been cut into a portion.

"Isn't this the gift Old Woman gave Second Master for taking me as a disciple?"

Hu Ma steadied himself and recognized the meat he had brought yesterday. It was a decent size, but different from the Blood Ganoderma he usually ate; its color was slightly darker.

He said to Second Master, "That was for you, Second Master. I'll just eat with the others."

"Eat it if I tell you to,"

Second Master glared at him. "Old Woman gave me such a large piece of Green Ganoderma. That's how your Hu Family upholds traditions."

"But Second Master, I'm already so old, why do I need this supplement?"

"Just eat it. Learn your skills quickly so you can earn your own to show your filial piety to me."

"..."

Hu Ma was a little touched, but seeing that Second Master wasn't being polite, he sat down and ate slowly, thinking about how to phrase his question.

But before he could ask, after swallowing a few pieces of meat from the bowl, Hu Ma suddenly felt a faint, surging warmth rise within his chest.

This warmth slowly drove out the coldness in his limbs and bones, and he once again felt a sensation of heat.

Even the cold talisman on his chest could be felt again, and he realized it was blocking the heat within him.

Following the traces of the talisman, it slowly returned to his lower abdomen, and the furnace fire there also seemed to flare up faintly.

This feeling of his body, like being frozen, gradually reviving, made Hu Ma pause his chopsticks for a moment.

"Second Master..."

He tried to keep his voice steady and said in a low voice, "After eating this meat, I feel the furnace inside my body is burning stronger..."

"How surprising..."

Second Master chuckled when he heard Hu Ma's words. "This Mountain Meat, you can call it Taisui, is the most nourishing thing."

"When you eat it, your fire energy increases, and then with the Yin energy from Liu'er's mother guiding that fire energy into your belly, wouldn't the furnace naturally grow stronger?"

"It's like adding good firewood to a stove; it burns brighter and brighter. Otherwise, why do you think those kids are so greedy for that bit of dried meat?"

"Then..."

Hu Ma vaguely understood but felt even more uncertain. "If... if I don't eat Tai Sui Meat?"

"If you don't eat it, as long as you clear your mind and don't break your chastity, the furnace will still burn stronger. People have a natural fire foundation."

Second Master said, "Your generation is lucky. We didn't have White Taisui to eat in the early years; we relied on ourselves to endure, but the furnace could still be lit."

"Buzz..."

Second Master's rambling words made Hu Ma's scalp tingle. He cautiously asked his final question:

"Then, without eating Tai Sui Meat, if the body has no heat at all, and even the lit furnace grows weaker?"

"..."

"What nonsense are you talking, you silly boy?"

Second Master looked at him strangely. "If a person's body has no heat at all, wouldn't they be dead?"

"!"

Hu Ma was startled by his words and realized his true problem.

"I lit the furnace and didn't feel any discomfort, so I'm not an Evil Spirit."

"I can even use this furnace fire to resist Evil Spirits from getting close. But the real problem has never been this..."

"The real problem is, am I a dead person!?"