Second Realm - Opening the Orifices

Chen Zhuo took a deep breath, suppressing the agitation in his heart.

With this massive sum of money, he could do so much.

At the very least, his martial arts cultivation would certainly see a qualitative leap.

During the Autumn Hunt, he would finally be able to go all out.

At this moment, the words of the Old Blind Man echoed in his mind, along with the image of those young girls in the mansion, waiting like lambs for the slaughter.

In this world, others are the butcher's knife, and we are the fish on the block.

What he needed to do was become that knife.

Chen Zhuo opened the two bundles and consolidated everything, including the silver, into a single pack, tying it securely to his back.

Looking at the sleeping shopkeeper, he hesitated for a moment before pulling him out from the cabinet, placing him on a chair, and dressing him properly.

His gaze swept past the wooden board on the wall, and he turned to walk out.

After stepping outside, Chen Zhuo braved the scorching sun. He did not choose to leave the Ghost Market immediately, but instead headed east, toward the Old Blind Man's fortune-telling stall.

I just don't know if the Old Blind Man is still at his stall in this kind of heat.

After a brief moment of thought, Chen Zhuo did not change his mind.

He had a fortune on him, but if he couldn't get it out, it would all be for nothing.

According to his estimation, the Ghost Market at this time must be crawling with the "ghosts" of the Long River Gang.

Every exit would surely have corresponding inspections.

While it seemed calm and peaceful now, this was the worst time to try and leave.

Soon, amidst the rolling heat waves, he spotted the Old Blind Man's fortune-telling stall.

Beside the stall, the Little Black Donkey lay listlessly on the ground, tongue lolling out, panting heavily.

What surprised him was that despite the scorching sun and the oppressive heat, there wasn't a single other stall owner or passerby in the vicinity.

Yet, the Old Blind Man hadn't sought out a cool place to rest; instead, he sat leisurely in front of his stall, eating peanuts and sipping wine.

"Old sir..."

Chen Zhuo called out, his footsteps not faltering as he walked up to the Old Blind Man.

However, the moment he sat down in front of the stall, he discovered a refreshing, heart-soothing chill emanating from the spot.

"This is..."

Chen Zhuo's nostrils flared slightly, and his jawline tightened.

He smelled the scent of demon blood coming from the Old Blind Man's wine gourd.

At the same time, his gaze locked onto the Old Blind Man.

As the wine went down, wisps of imperceptible white mist constantly swirled around the old man's body, emerging from his pores only to slowly retract back in.

It was as if he were exhaling clouds and inhaling mist.

Such a technique was far beyond what the Body Tempering realm could touch.

The second realm, Aperture Opening?

No wonder he could deal in the trade of demon blood.

Chen Zhuo observed the Old Blind Man in silence.

The other party continued to drink casually, showing no intention of hiding anything from him.

After a long while, the Old Blind Man's gourd seemed to hit bottom. Only then did he speak with a faint, enigmatic smile: "Kid, have you seen enough?"

Chen Zhuo snapped back to reality and nodded mechanically.

No wonder the legends said that when martial arts reached a profound level, one could overturn rivers and seas, or shatter a mountain with a single punch.

The ability to exhale white mist had already transcended his understanding of traditional martial arts.

"Want to learn?"

The corners of the Old Blind Man's mouth curled upward.

Chen Zhuo did not answer. Instead, he unslung his bundle and placed it directly in front of the Old Blind Man.

The heavy bundle hit the wooden table with a dull "thud."

The Old Blind Man's expression shifted slightly. He sniffed hard, and his face immediately lit up with excitement.

"Silver?"

"Count it and see if any is missing."

Chen Zhuo didn't respond, instead reaching into the bundle to pull out the silver and handing it over.

"Did you rob a silver shop or slaughter someone's entire family? You went out for a stroll and actually struck it rich."

The Old Blind Man took the silver in surprise, weighed it in his hand, and nodded. "Not a penny less. You're a man of your word, kid."

After saying this, he placed the remaining two bottles of monster blood in front of Chen Zhuo.

Chen Zhuo gathered all the porcelain bottles containing the monster blood into his bundle, prepared to lift it, and tied it back onto his back.

A withered, large hand suddenly pressed down on the bundle, and at the same time, the voice of the Old Blind Man sounded once more.

"Are you truly uninterested in learning the techniques I displayed just now?"

Chen Zhuo looked at the Old Blind Man, making no move to stop him, and merely chuckled: "The techniques are fine, but it's not as if the yamen doesn't teach them."

"Heh..."

The Old Blind Man pursed his lips and sneered: "The yamen?"

"If you were talking about the Northern Suppressing Faction far away in the Capital City, they might possibly teach you second-realm martial arts, but the Baiyun County yamen..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the implication was clear.

Chen Zhuo raised an eyebrow: "You know of the Northern Suppressing Faction? And furthermore..."

He paused, looking the Old Blind Man over carefully, and said: "You seem to know quite a lot about the affairs of the yamen?"

"Some old, dusty matters. Not worth mentioning."

The Old Blind Man shook his head, extended a finger, placed it before Chen Zhuo's eyes, and steered the conversation away: "Kid, I'll ask you one more time: are you truly uninterested in learning my skills?"

As he spoke, a wisp of white mist suddenly emerged from his fingertip, swirling around it incessantly.

Chen Zhuo was slightly stunned, his eyes fixed on the white mist, unable to look away in the slightest.

The Old Blind Man's voice sounded again: "I see that you are young, yet your skin, flesh, and bones are exceptionally solid. You are on the verge of blood-refining; if you do not learn a meridian-opening martial art soon, I fear you will waste your years in vain."

The Old Blind Man steered the topic back to the white mist, his words dripping with temptation.

Chen Zhuo admitted that it was very enticing.

But he still didn't take the bait.

The reasoning was simple.

Meridian-opening martial arts were undeniably precious to ordinary people.

Yet the Old Blind Man was being so proactive, as if he would force them upon him if he didn't agree.

Even though he was young and already in the Bone-Entering Realm, and others might see his natural talent as top-tier, in this world, there is no such thing as love without a cause.

With no family ties or friendship, even if one's talent were superior, what benefit could it bring to a stranger?

His intuition told him there was a trap here.

"You kid, you're using your cleverness in the wrong place."

The Old Blind Man withdrew his finger and said in a gentle tone: "I have a deep friendship with Yan Ming; there is no way I would ever cheat you. If I say it is a meridian-opening martial art, then it is a meridian-opening martial art. I can swear a poisonous oath—if you don't believe me, I'll take it out and show you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Old Blind Man hunched over and pulled a thin book from the foot of his fortune-telling table, waving it in front of Chen Zhuo:

"This martial art is not bad at all. Once mastered, it can help you open the nine meridians. Looking across the entirety of Baiyun County, it can be considered a fine piece."

"And most importantly, the price is cheap."

"No need, I have my own sect's inheritance."

Chen Zhuo steadied himself and flatly refused the Old Blind Man.

"Hey, hey, hey, are you really ignorant or just pretending? The more meridian-opening martial arts you have, the more meridians you can open. Having an extra martial art is a massive boon that will have immeasurable value for nourishing your spirit in the future."

The Old Blind Man was getting a bit anxious.

The more anxious the Old Blind Man became, the less urgent Chen Zhuo felt.

After a stalemate, the Old Blind Man finally seemed to concede, sighing lightly: "Fine, fine. Since you were introduced by Yan Ming, I'll give you a fifty-percent discount. How about fifty taels?"

"That is already the lowest price."

Fifty taels of silver... could a bottom-tier meridian-opening martial art actually be any good?

"May I take a look at it first?"

After a moment of thought, Chen Zhuo decided to take a look before making a decision.

"Certainly."

The Old Blind Man generously handed him the thin book.

Chen Zhuo took it and flipped it open; the first page bore six large characters.

"Minor Heavenly Cycle Qi Circulation Method"

He continued to flip through it, and by the time he reached the end, his expression had become exceptionally colorful.

"A fifty-tael meridian-opening martial art—is it actually real?"

If he had only read the book, he wouldn't have dared to judge its authenticity.

But the line of small text that appeared before his eyes was enough to prove that this martial art could not possibly be fake.

[Practice Method: Minor Heavenly Cycle Qi Circulation Method: 0/80 (Not Yet Initiated) (Gray)]

Chen Zhuo was engrossed, and the Old Blind Man's coaxing voice sounded in his ears once more.

"This martial art is definitely genuine, but its only drawback is that it is somewhat obscure and difficult to understand. Of course, if you wish, I can teach you everything I know; I would never hoard my knowledge."

"It's just that the fee for instruction is fifty taels per session. It's not expensive."

"Ordinary people are dull-witted and would need twenty-three sessions to learn this, but you are different—you are naturally gifted, so ten or eight sessions should be just about enough..."