Pick Up Your Palms

With two dull thuds, two severed palms landed on the ground, their fingers still twitching with nervous spasms.

Han Tieshan stared blankly for a long moment before the piercing, heart-wrenching pain finally registered.

He immediately let out a blood-curdling scream, collapsing to his knees to roll on the ground and howl in agony.

Shen Chu stepped forward, pinning Han Tieshan's chest to the floor with his foot, and applied a slight pressure: "Speak. Who taught you this evil art?"

Though Han Tieshan was drenched in sweat from the pain, he gritted his teeth and stiffened his neck. "Shen Chu! You'd better let me go! If our Flag Master finds out, he will never let you off! By then, you won't even know how you died!"

Hearing this, Shen Chu did not show a hint of fear; instead, he let out a soft chuckle.

His gaze drifted slowly downward, landing on Han Tieshan's right hand—the one that had been broken some time ago but was now as good as new. He said indifferently, "I recall that your hand was broken by the Second Young Master's men a while back, yet now it has recovered completely. It seems that Flag Master healed you, doesn't it?"

Han Tieshan's expression shifted instantly.

Shen Chu continued, "You are so stubborn now because you are relying on the Flag Master's backing, thinking that even if your hands are severed, they can be reattached."

He paused, his gaze shifting to the two severed palms still twitching on the ground. His tone remained flat, yet it carried a chill that made one's spine crawl. "If I were to grind these two hands into a pulp, do you think your Flag Master would still be able to reattach them for you?"

Han Tieshan's pupils contracted violently, and the fierce, blustering facade on his face vanished completely.

Looking into Shen Chu's calm, ripple-free eyes, he finally realized that Shen Chu was truly unafraid and truly capable of doing it.

He finally broke, stammering out his confession.

It turned out that after he left the Li Family, someone had approached him, wanting to recruit him into an organization called the Red Lotus Sect.

At that time, he was still counting on the Second Young Master to help him return to the Li Family, so he naturally refused.

But later, after his plans were ruined by Shen Chu, Sun Ping, and Steward Li, and his savings were stolen by his two disciples, his right hand was broken when he went to beg the Second Young Master for help.

With nowhere left to turn, he had no choice but to join the sect, and it was the Red Lotus Sect's Flag Master who had healed his broken hand.

"Who is the Flag Master?" Shen Chu asked.

"I don't know... I really don't know!"

Seeing Shen Chu's displeased expression, Han Tieshan shook his head frantically. "I only know he calls himself the Flag Master and is a leader within the Red Lotus Sect. I know nothing else!"

"What does he want?"

"I'm not sure... He only told me to settle down for now, saying he would have a use for me later."

Shen Chu asked several more questions in succession, but Han Tieshan was clueless about everything.

It wasn't until Shen Chu asked about the origin of the evil art that Han Tieshan hurriedly said, "The Flag Master taught it to me! He said I was full of resentment and suited to practice this. He even gave me a secret manual; it's on me, you can take it!"

Shen Chu reached into Han Tieshan's robes and rummaged around, pulling out a thin booklet.

Written on the cover in five archaic characters were the words: Nether Ghost Control Technique.

Shen Chu read it by the moonlight, casually asking Han Tieshan questions about the cultivation methods as he flipped through the pages.

Han Tieshan, his courage shattered, answered every question honestly.

After Shen Chu had asked the same questions in different ways to confirm that Han Tieshan was not lying, he sat cross-legged right in front of him and began to practice according to the methods in the Nether Ghost Control Technique.

Han Tieshan watched, dumbfounded, momentarily forgetting the pain in his severed wrists.

The Nether Ghost Control Technique was not a profound method to begin with, and with the support of the [Twice the Result with Half the Effort] skill, Shen Chu quickly grasped the fundamentals.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he felt a cold, yin energy emerge within his body. It existed independently of his martial artist's qi and blood, yet they coexisted without interfering with one another.

At the same time, a new line of text appeared before his eyes:

Successfully joined as a cultist, obtained initial skill: Incense Offering to All Living Beings lv1

Incense Offering to All Living Beings: Can absorb the residual essence of demons, ghosts, and those who practice evil arts upon slaying them. Once accumulated to a certain level, it can be used to break through cultivation bottlenecks.

Immediately after, another line of text appeared:

Passive skill: Breath Concealment

Breath Concealment: Can hide one's own cultivation and aura, preventing others from peering into your aura or true realm.

Nether Ghost Control Technique (1/100)

Shen Chu slowly opened his eyes, a dark, gloomy light flashing through his pupils before returning to calm.

Seeing him remain silent, Han Tieshan felt increasingly uneasy and spoke cautiously, "Shen... Brother Shen, I've said everything I know, and you've taken the manual. Can you let me go now?"

Shen Chu glanced at him and said indifferently, "I, Shen Chu, am clear about my debts and grievances. You used evil arts to harm me, but you have already paid the price. Now get lost, and do not let me see you again. If we meet again, I will show no mercy!"

Han Tieshan was overjoyed, cursing Shen Chu as a fool in his heart.

Once he found the Flag Master and had his hands healed, he would make this brat wish he were dead!

But on the surface, he put on a look of profound gratitude, bowing and scraping to Shen Chu repeatedly. "Thank you, Brother Shen! Thank you, Brother Shen! I'm leaving! I'm leaving right now!"

He turned to run, but just as he reached the door,

"Pick up your palms. Pick up your palms!"

Shen Chu's voice came from behind, carrying a hint of helplessness.

Han Tieshan remembered, turned back, knelt on the ground, and scooped his two severed palms into his arms.

Then, clutching his severed hands, he scrambled out of the house in a pathetic state and plunged into the night.

He sprinted down the alley, his mind already calculating how to find the Flag Master and how to take revenge on Shen Chu.

Just as he reached the corner of the alley, he looked up and froze in his tracks.

Under the moonlight,

Shen Chu was standing at the alley entrance, watching him quietly.

Han Tieshan paused, then squeezed out a smile uglier than a cry. "Brother... Brother Shen... are you taking this path too? What a coincidence, what a coincidence..."

Shen Chu sighed softly, his tone tinged with a hint of regret. "I already said that if I saw you again, I would show no mercy. Since you insist on taking this path to meet me, I can no longer hold back."

"No, it was clearly you..."

Before Han Tieshan could finish his sentence, a blade of light flashed before his eyes. Before the smile on his face could fade, he felt his field of vision suddenly soar upward.

Then he saw a headless torso still standing in place, blood gushing from the neck like a fountain.

Huh?

Such a familiar body.

Who is that?

Right, that is my body...

Then, Han Tieshan's consciousness plunged into eternal darkness.

The head landed on the ground and rolled twice, still wearing that fawning smile.

At the same time, the [Incense Offering to All Living Beings] skill within Shen Chu's body began to operate on its own!