Filth Room

"Though this world had immortals, the way ordinary people lived was not much different from the feudal dynasties of the Iron Age. Productive capacity was low."

"Perhaps because immortals and mortals did not mix, powerful individuals lacked the Concept of Joint Development. Or perhaps immortals simply did not see mortals as their own kind."

"It was not impossible that this world contained an Inner World like an 'immortal realm,' perhaps with an entirely different World Structure."

In the wood shed, Chu Zheng curled himself up, preserving as much body heat as possible as he habitually began analyzing the social background of the current era.

Unfortunately, limited by how little his Original Body had studied, the information he could obtain was quite scarce.

In the blink of an eye, midnight approached, and the moon hung high in the sky.

Chu Zheng did not waste the Five Restoration Opportunities granted by the panel, using all of them on the Body-Fitting Fist.

Name: Chu Zheng

Cultivation: Zero Order

Cultivation Method: Body-Fitting Fist (Zero Order/Incomplete), Wind-Chasing Swordplay (Zero Order)

Restorer: Zero Order (5/1000)

Daily Remaining Restoration Count: 0

Currently Repairable: Body-Fitting Fist (5/10)

Chu Zheng watched the panel and continued waiting for time to pass.

Past the halfway mark of midnight, the panel changed again. Just as he had expected, the restoration count that had reset to zero refreshed, and he once again used all of it on the Body-Fitting Fist.

The Body-Fitting Fist (10/10) had been repaired.

Grade: Zero Order

A fairly ordinary fist technique. Its creator perhaps never intended to use it to hurt anyone. Long-term practice could strengthen the body and improve one's health. It seemed to hold further potential waiting to be uncovered, but with your current abilities, you could not do so for the time being.

A stream of information entered Chu Zheng's mind—a Breathing and Qi Circulation Incantation.

This fist technique comprised two methods: its forms and its Breathing Method. The Song Family had taught only the forms and had not passed down the Breathing Method.

Mortal Martial Arts tempered the five body parts, then condensed Internal Qi. When qi condensed into an edge, one became a Grandmaster of a school.

Without a Breathing Method, even if one trained to the limit, it could only temper the physique. There would be no hope of condensing qi for one's entire life.

What surprised Chu Zheng most was the panel's description of the Body-Fitting Fist.

For someone who had once been an Antiquities Restorer, the Ancient Information contained within those artifacts was their true value.

He could not help sighing. If he had possessed the panel in his Previous Life, perhaps much Ancient History buried away could have seen the light of day again.

After carefully savoring the Breathing Method within the Body-Fitting Fist, Chu Zheng's gaze gradually changed.

When restoring artifacts in his Previous Life, he had inevitably come into contact with many ancient texts. Several of those texts recorded the Breathing and Qi Circulation Methods of Pre-Qin Qi Refiners.

He had once devoted himself to studying such Breathing Methods for a time. To understand Meridian and Acupoint Theory, he had even studied Traditional Chinese Medicine for several years, yet he had never grasped the key to it and gained nothing.

But now, comparing them with the Qi Circulation Incantation in the Body-Fitting Fist, he seemed to gain some insight. The two appeared to share something in common.

Chu Zheng immediately sat up cross-legged, with Five Hearts Facing Heaven, and tried to capture the Energy Between Heaven and Earth to Condense Internal Qi.

He had done this for years in his Previous Life, so he was quite practiced at it now.

According to ancient texts, Qi Eaters were Divine and Long-Lived. Those who achieved success in qi refinement could live three to five hundred years as a matter of course.

But no one in Later Generations believed such claims anymore.

Research data of every sort showed that among all ancient ruins, no Human Skeleton with a Bone Age exceeding one hundred and thirty had ever been found. Thus, the claim was Self-Destructing.

Closing his eyes and stilling his mind, Chu Zheng sat in meditation for two hours. Helplessly, he opened his eyes and rose to move about. His Tendons and Bones had already been frozen stiff, and the night wind made them faintly numb.

Whether it was the Breathing Method of the Body-Fitting Fist or the incantations of the Pre-Qin Qi Refiners, he had gained nothing at all.

He had thought too simply. He was now exhausted and blood-deficient; trying to condense qi was simply too difficult.

Glancing casually at the panel, Chu Zheng's eyes suddenly narrowed.

Cultivation Method: Body-Fitting Fist (Zero Order), Wind-Chasing Swordplay (Zero Order), Grand Cycle Qi Circulation Compendium (Sixth Order/Incomplete)

Currently Repairable: Grand Cycle Qi Circulation Compendium Introductory Chapter (0/100)

The panel had changed. What he had just done had not been meaningless.

The following evening, the snow had passed and the sky had cleared.

Whoosh—

The wood shed door was pushed open again. Chu Zheng reflexively raised a hand to shield his face. The dim yellow glow of the sunset pouring into the room dazzled him so badly that he could not open his eyes at first.

Two figures walked in slowly. At their head was Song Yun, accompanied by an elderly man nearing sixty, carrying a wooden case and steeped in the strong scent of medicinal herbs.

The old man stepped to Chu Zheng's side first. After taking his pulse, he nodded slightly.

"His pulse is normal. His essence has failed, his blood is weak, and his stomach qi is depleted. He has gone at least four days without so much as rice water."

This was a Necessary Step, to prevent him from secretly eating.

If anything unusual was discovered, the punishment would only be harsher. The Song Family valued rules above all else.

Having said that, the old man turned and opened his medicine case. He took out a porcelain bottle, poured out a round pill, and stuffed it into Chu Zheng's mouth.

"Take this Qi Replenishing Pill. Rest for two days, and you will be fine."

The Song Family never mistreated its servants. Rewards and punishments were clear-cut. Once someone had been punished for making a mistake, they would not be overly harsh afterward.

Combining Grace and Authority was the Way of Managing Subordinates.

After the physician left, Song Yun stepped forward slowly and casually tossed down a porcelain bottle.

"The Eldest Young Lady specifically instructed this. Go directly to the Filth Room. Bedding has already been sent over. If there is nothing urgent, do not go to the Front Courtyard. When leaving the manor, use the side gate. Remember to clean the Filth Room thoroughly. I will inspect it in a couple of days."

Chu Zheng opened the porcelain bottle and took a look, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Inside were two jet-black pills the size of longans.

Essence Pill (Zero Order): Prepared from dozens of herbal ingredients, including ginseng, astragalus... and licorice. It replenishes the middle and boosts qi, strengthens the blood and generates fluids. Unfortunately, its Medicinal Potency was damaged during preparation. It is recommended that you consume it after restoration.

This panel was far more than a tool for repairing Cultivation Methods. Even pills fell within its scope of restoration.

"Thank the Eldest Young Lady for me."

The Qi Replenishing Pill gradually took effect. Chu Zheng's stomach warmed slightly, and some strength returned to his body. He slowly rose and walked out of the wood shed.

He casually grabbed a handful of lingering snow from beneath the eaves and stuffed it into his mouth to quench his thirst, then headed straight for the Filth Room from his memories.

This old Song Family residence had been passed down for nearly three hundred years. Though it had undergone several renovations and repairs, it still bore the Traces of Time.

As Chu Zheng walked along, his eyes shone.

To him, these buildings steeped in Ancient Charm were always filled with a breathtaking beauty—the marks left behind by the Baptism of Time.

The Filth Room stood in the northwest corner of Song Manor, covering an area of five or six zhang square.

The moment he pushed the door open, dust billowed into the air. The room was piled in considerable disorder with old things accumulated over many years.

Water-Soaked Wood Tea Tray (Zero Order/Incomplete): It was once deeply beloved. After its owner passed away, its existence was gradually neglected as well. Deprived of the nourishment of tea for a long time, it had developed a few cracks.

Aged Journal (Zero Order/Incomplete): A diary written by a martial artist surnamed Song. After restoring it, you may use it to pass the time.

Tiger Head Shoes (Zero Order): Carrying memories, they had gradually been forgotten with the Passage of Time.

After circling the Filth Room once, Chu Zheng grew increasingly satisfied. It was secluded and undisturbed. To him, it was undoubtedly a precious plot of land.

When he left, Chu Zheng took the tea tray and that incomplete Aged Journal with him.

"There was a Golden House in books" was a truth Chu Zheng had always believed in. Reading more could never do any harm.

Before methods of storing information changed, books had been the most important link for inheriting information and culture. Reading had practically become a habit ingrained in his bones.

Handwritten Notes resembling diaries in particular allowed Chu Zheng to peer through the passage of time and glimpse an ancient person's life and circumstances. They were exceptionally precious.

There was a side room beside the Filth Room. The bed had already been made. Less than one zhang in length and width, it was somewhat narrow and cramped. This was Chu Zheng's residence.

Chu Zheng did not mind. He sat cross-legged directly upon the couch and quietly waited for the Midnight Hour.

Knock... knock knock...

Just as darkness fell, someone knocked on Chu Zheng's door.