Assembling a Person

When Xu Yuan finished hanging the clothes, Lin Wanmo was walking to Aunt Wang's door.

Aunt Wang's stewed dish shop was at the west end of the alley, and how long could an alley be?

This shows how quickly Xu Yuan washed his clothes!

The shop doesn't open at night.

The canal bypassed Ghost Witch Mountain and flowed past the south of the county town.

About seven or eight li from the county town was a dock, where boats plied the river like shuttles. Hundreds of laborers in the city relied on the dock for a living.

Those who pulled carts and carried goods, when they ran out of money, would come to the stewed dish shop for a meal.

Aunt Wang's shop had been open for over a hundred years and was a family tradition.

Aunt Wang's parents were from the same generation as Xu Yuan's grandfather and were among the earliest residents of River Worker Alley.

The small shop in front was used for business, and a room in the back was Aunt Wang's living quarters.

The stepmother entered through the back door. The back room was narrow and dim, filled with a strange, oily aroma.

No one was in the room. From the attic came the sound of chopping bones.

Duang, Duang, Duang!

"Aunt Wang?" Lin Wanmo called out towards the staircase.

The sound of chopping bones stopped. After a moment of dead silence, a head floated out from the staircase.

Her hair was gray and messy, her expression wooden and cold.

Seeing Lin Wanmo, the head revealed a kind smile: "Xiao Mo is here."

Then, footsteps sounded from the attic, and a body descended the stairs.

The head and body were synchronized, separated by three feet.

Halfway down the stairs, she suddenly slipped and fell down the stairs.

But her head remained floating above, her face filled with concern as she called out, "Oh dear... be careful!"

Her body tumbled down the stairs, landing on the ground with a thud, scattering like building blocks.

Two arms, two legs, two hands, two feet, and internal organs like the heart, liver, spleen, and kidneys rolled out from the torso...

Scattered all over the ground, yet not a drop of blood was seen!

Lin Wanmo sighed, skillfully turned around, and closed the door to prevent passersby from seeing and startling them.

Then she helped Aunt Wang put her hands and arms back together.

"Alright, alright, I can do it myself," Aunt Wang said with a smile.

Truly a scramble, she put her whole body back together, stuffing her organs into her belly.

Finally, she caught the floating head with both hands and placed it on her neck. The spine didn't seem to be connected properly, so she twisted it left and right, and with a click, it was finally mobile.

"There..." Aunt Wang had just said, when she suddenly grimaced, reached into her belly, and adjusted the position of an organ, then felt comfortable.

"Now I'm really fine."

Lin Wanmo felt heartache: "Aunt Wang, you've suffered."

Aunt Wang smiled, not worried about herself at all: "I'm not suffering, it's you, girl, who is truly suffering."

Aunt Wang took her hand, patted it gently, and chided, "Xu Huanyang, that heartless man, has made things so hard for a good girl like you, Xiao Mo."

A hint of stubbornness appeared on Lin Wanmo's face: "This is my fate, I don't blame him. He has been immensely kind to my family; without him, I would have died long ago."

"Forget it, forget it," Aunt Wang waved her hand. "Let's not talk about him. Don't worry, even for your sake, I'll at least hold on until the Ghost Festival next year."

"Thank you, Aunt Wang. If it weren't for the help of you elders, I don't know if I could have fulfilled Xu Yuan's father's dying wish."

Aunt Wang asked, "Did you come today for something?"

"Xu Yuan is back."

Aunt Wang was surprised: "He's back so soon? You sent him away in the first place to keep him out of this... Wait a minute!" Aunt Wang looked incredulous: "He..."

"He succeeded!"

Aunt Wang stood up abruptly, pacing excitedly in the small room, her head involuntarily separating from her body and floating up.

"Hey! Look at me, an old woman, getting carried away when I'm excited."

Aunt Wang reattached her head: "That kid is something! I think he's more promising than that old fossil Xu Huanyang!"

Lin Wanmo was a little worried: "But he has some hidden dangers."

She then told her about the Cannon Powder Inner Pill.

As for the Pingtian Society, compared to the problems the Xu family was facing, it was nothing.

Aunt Wang was surprised: "This kid... he's really bold."

"You are also a Pill Cultivator. I'm uneasy and didn't dare to tell Xu Yuan. I came to you first to think of a solution."

"Condensing an Inner Pill with Cannon Powder! I've never even heard of such a situation, let alone encountered it. This kid is truly bold, truly bold, and the key is that he actually managed to do it!" Aunt Wang walked back and forth, head down: "Don't worry, let me think..."

Lin Wanmo didn't blame Xu Yuan for this matter. From Xu Yuan's account, it was clear that the priority at the time was to survive first!

Xu Yuan also knew that condensing an Inner Pill with Cannon Powder would have future repercussions.

Aunt Wang muttered to herself as she walked, "Before the sixth flow, it was alright. The power of the Inner Fire was limited."

"But after the sixth flow, the Inner Fire's power increases greatly. The Pill Cultivator themselves becomes like a large furnace. A mass of Cannon Powder within could explode at any moment, and then it would be utter destruction..."

Lin Wanmo couldn't help but stomp her foot. Auntie, I came to you for help and ideas, not to make me more panicked!

Aunt Wang realized this and said apologetically, "When people get old, they tend to talk too much."

She closed her mouth, walked around for two more laps, and suddenly clapped her hands, "I've actually thought of a way."

Lin Wanmo's face was full of anticipation. "What way?"

Aunt Wang looked at her, hesitating.

"Please, elder, do tell."

"Let him also cultivate as an Artisan Cultivator. He can weave a cage for his own Inner Pill."

Lin Wanmo's brows furrowed deeply.

In the dark, narrow room, a dead silence suddenly fell.

After a long while, Lin Wanmo finally said, "You should know that once a member of the Xu family becomes an Artisan Cultivator, they cannot escape that destiny. This is the consequence of the Xu family losing that gamble in the past!

If you lose, you must accept your Fate. For all descendants of the Xu family, this is 'fated'!

Xu Yuan's grandfather and father both met terrible ends!"

That's why Xu Yuan's father never passed down the methods of an Artisan Cultivator to Xu Yuan, even though the Xu family's talent for Artisan Cultivation was unparalleled in the world.

That's also why Lin Wanmo fought with all her might to secure a sliver of a chance for Xu Yuan to become a Fate Cultivator.

The preciousness of "Old Year Grain" far exceeded Xu Yuan's imagination.

Only by becoming a Fate Cultivator was there a slim chance to "change Fate."

If he couldn't become a Fate Cultivator, other cultivation paths would be of little use. It would be better to just be an ordinary person.

Finally, I can see myself on the new book list, haha.

Thank you, everyone. I'm still asking for monthly votes. Stay steady, stay steady.

Three updates of 6,000 words a day isn't considered little during the new book period. I'll do my best to write more!