Perfected Furnace Fire

It was true that he wanted to beat Cui Xie'er up, and it was also true that he was panicking right now.

Hu Ma didn't want trouble, but even a clay figurine had a temper. Cui Xie'er was always being sarcastic and targeting him every day; if he didn't respond, it might lead to bigger problems.

Furthermore, this guy's targeting wasn't just verbal. In the morning, when dividing the White Ganoderma, he always shortchanged him. While this amount of White Ganoderma was insignificant compared to his current daily meals, this stuff was his lifeline. Every penny counted...

Instead of dragging things out, it was better to settle it once and for all.

Even so, Hu Ma first convinced Xiao Hong Tang to secretly help him, planning to beat the guy black and blue to teach him a lesson.

But wasn't this guy the strongest in the village besides Second Master?

Why was he so… brittle?

While the other children were still flustered, Hu Ma had already rushed out of the village and dragged Cui Xie'er, who had fallen into a patch of sour date bushes and was unconscious, back.

Looking at his pale face, Hu Ma yelled for someone to go to the forest and call Second Master back, while simultaneously pinching Cui Xie'er's philtrum and performing CPR. He was sweating profusely, almost to the point of kneeling.

"What happened?"

Outside the village, Second Master's startled cry soon rang out. He was returning from patrolling the forest and happened to run into the messenger.

Upon seeing the scene in the village, he gave Hu Ma a look as if he'd seen a ghost and hurriedly shouted, "Quick, bring the Black Oil Paste!"

Not all the flesh from a mountain of flesh could be eaten. For example, Black Taisui could cause illness or even poisoning if consumed.

However, Black Taisui wasn't entirely useless. If it was cut and mixed with various herbs gathered from the mountains, it could be refined into an oil paste called Black Oil Paste, which was excellent for treating external injuries.

Second Master lacked many things, but he had plenty of this Black Oil Paste, which he kept specifically for letting these youngsters fight boldly and practice their Skills.

Second Master grabbed a handful of the black, lard-like paste and, tearing open Cui Xie'er's shirt, began to rub it into his chest.

His technique was more effective than Hu Ma's. Soon, Cui Xie'er groaned and slowly regained consciousness. But the moment he opened his eyes and saw Hu Ma looking at him with concern, his face contorted in fear, and he shouted, "Ghost! Ghost!"

"Stop being a disgrace, help him to bed to rest."

Second Master angrily swatted the back of Cui Xie'er's head, almost knocking him back out.

Whether there were ghosts or not wasn't important. What was ridiculous was that someone learning skills under Second Master was so terrified of ghosts.

"You, come with me!"

After having Cui Xie'er helped back to his room, Second Master glared at Hu Ma and turned towards the main hall.

Hu Ma felt uneasy: Is he going to scold me?

Unexpectedly, upon entering the room, Second Master shut the door and suddenly turned to face Hu Ma, his face full of surprise:

"How did you knock him out?"

"..."

"I..."

Hu Ma was a little slow to react and said cautiously, "I used a little strategy..."

"That's not what I mean."

Second Master said anxiously, "I mean, this little Cui has been with me for almost three years. He's been through Blood Food and mining expeditions, his furnace is burning very hot, and he's obedient. His family even found him a wife, but he's too scared to even hold her hand. How did you manage to knock him out?"

"You almost scattered his furnace fire!"

"..."

"I just hit him like this..."

Hu Ma couldn't explain it clearly and gestured with his hands to describe what happened.

Second Master's expression turned grim. After a moment of thought, he quickly called Hu Ma over and placed his hand on Hu Ma's lower abdomen:

"Cultivate!"

"..."

Hu Ma didn't understand but didn't dare to slack off. He could only follow his usual cultivation technique and circulate the fire energy within his body.

At this moment, if the furnace in his lower abdomen was just a pile of glowing embers, then his current cultivation was like suddenly fanning the flames. The embers immediately flared up brightly, and then burst into roaring flames.

He felt his body instantly become scorching hot, especially at the spot where Second Master's hand was placed. A surge of heat emanated from it, pushing Second Master's hand away.

"Oh my god..."

Second Master took a few steps back, his voice sounding like a groan, "How is your furnace burning so hot?"

"This..."

How could Hu Ma answer this? He asked in confusion, "Is this very hot?"

"It's burning my hand, and it's not hot?"

Second Master, looking completely bewildered, suddenly seemed to realize something. He looked at Hu Ma and asked, "Normally, besides having Xiao Hong Tang bring you steamed buns and good food, did the Old Woman bring you anything else?"

Hu Ma knew Second Master had figured it out. He hesitated for a moment, then met Second Master's gaze and nodded cautiously.

Second Master's voice trembled slightly, "Did she bring you Green Ganoderma every time?"

Hu Ma was about to nod, but he noticed something from Second Master's expression.

Although Second Master was now confirming with him, judging by his expression, he had already guessed what Xiao Hong Tang had been bringing him daily based on the depth of the heat.

Thinking of the relationship between Second Master and the Old Woman, there was no point in any more obvious lies.

So, he remained silent, neither confirming nor denying.

"My heavens..."

Second Master slowly smacked his forehead, his voice changing tone, "Did the Old Woman invite Lord Tai Sui to our home?"

"Is Second Master feeling down?"

Seeing Second Master's dejected state, Hu Ma didn't dare to speak too loudly.

Second Master's eyes clearly held an unusual look at this moment.

It was like someone who was expecting a dowry of three followed by five zeros suddenly encountering a bathhouse with three followed by two zeros.

He stared at Hu Ma, wanting to speak several times, but then closing his mouth.

That huge piece of Green Ganoderma, he had actually cut it up and cooked it for Hu Ma like regular meat.

He had originally thought his actions were an astonishing waste.

If it weren't for his gratitude for the Old Woman saving his life back then, and knowing the great trouble the Hu Family was in, he wouldn't have been willing to part with it. But, after Hu Ma had almost finished this large piece of Green Ganoderma, he realized that his painful sacrifice was merely a snack.

No, how could anyone treat something so precious as a daily meal?

Wouldn't it be better to use those small gold cakes to marry a wife or buy a house?

Second Master wasn't inexperienced either; he had lived in the city when he was young.

Even the young masters from wealthy families didn't eat like this. Their little bit of wealth was used to keep the old patriarch alive. Not to mention the rich merchants and nobles, even those high and mighty lords of the Red Lantern Society couldn't afford such Blood Food...

... No, you're eating that every day, and you're still eyeing my piece of Green Ganoderma?

"It's not exactly every day..."

Hu Ma was a little worried and replied in a low voice, "Just occasionally, one or two days..."

"Even occasionally one or two days is too much..."

Second Master sighed, "That thing isn't meant for people to eat, it's meant to be exchanged for money..."

"I wanted to say that occasionally, one or two days, I also had nothing to eat."

Hu Ma thought to himself, "Besides, if we exchanged this for money, wouldn't it just be eaten by someone else anyway?"

Of course, he didn't say this aloud, afraid of further upsetting Second Master.

Fortunately, Second Master's sixty years of virgin cultivation was extraordinary. After a short while, he smoked two packs of cigarettes and slowly recovered.

He sighed and said to Hu Ma, "Forget it, it's a good thing in the end."

"But you should have told me earlier, so I could have helped you exchange for a Talisman in time..."

"..."

The big and small eyes stared at each other.

Hu Ma pondered, "You never mentioned anything about exchanging for a Talisman before, you just said to watch the pig's backside to know your progress..."

"Who could have imagined your progress would be so fast?"

Second Master also pondered, and then suddenly remembered something, "Are you lustful for women?"

"?"

Hu Ma was taken aback by the question, "Is there anything one wouldn't be lustful for?"

However, perhaps because his mind was preoccupied with other matters, his attention was divided, and he didn't seem particularly eager.

"Pay attention, everyone else progresses step by step, but you've become so aggressive all at once, it's easier to mess things up."

Second Master sternly warned, "Don't touch married women in the village, widows are also off-limits, and even that sheep pen, you should go less..."

"What is all this..."

Hu Ma was speechless, "I might be lustful, but I'm not that lustful..."

Second Master truly saw that he wasn't like those disappointing ones. He rekindled the fire pit and took out the willow branches they had brought back from the forest together. He had Hu Ma take off his outer jacket and sit by the fire to wait.

He muttered a few incantations to himself, then lit one end of the willow branch. He began to draw on Hu Ma's chest again, and just like last time, the touch was ice-cold, and the Yin energy gnawed at his bones.

But this time, Hu Ma's Yang energy was vigorous. As the Yin energy touched his body, it was dispersed by the heat.

"Huh?"

Second Master frowned. He drew repeatedly, but Hu Ma's Yang energy was too strong, and he couldn't draw properly.

It was like a paintbrush lacking ink. After drawing several times, he could barely make a mark.

Once the rune had barely taken effect, Second Master looked at the dry, shriveled willow branch in his hand and threw it directly into the fire, sighing:

"We'll have to go to your godmother's to get another one."

"..."

Hu Ma asked curiously, "Do you have to change this often?"

"Of course."

Second Master explained, "Igniting the furnace is to use Yin energy to seal the Yang energy within your body, so that it can burn brighter and brighter."

"But as your furnace fire burns, the initial Yin energy will gradually be diluted. At this point, you need to use more Yin energy to replenish the Yang Sealing Talisman for you."

"For us, this is called changing the talisman."

"Normally, after changing the talisman once, you can directly go down into the mine."

"But yours..."

He couldn't even finish his sentence. The entire willow branch couldn't form a talisman in one go. How should he calculate the heat?

Master never taught him this...

Hu Ma thought of the Blood Ganoderma the Old Woman brought him every day. He sighed softly and said, "What can I say? It's all because the Old Woman is good to me."

"Huh?"

Second Master looked at him in surprise and said, "You actually have some sense!"

"Since you know it's not easy for the Old Woman, then don't be lazy."

As he spoke, he stood up and said, "Now, now that your heat is right, I, Second Master, should also teach you some real skills."