Mysterious Library, Old Man of Ghost Scribbles

The moment those words were spoken, everyone froze.

There was even a tenth level beyond the ninth?

Aunt Lan gathered her skirts and sat on the stone bench by the library entrance, explaining generously, "Iron Shirt isn't some rare martial art. Its essence is simply strengthening the body's defenses. As long as your physical defense can still increase, you can keep cultivating it indefinitely."

At this point, she paused.

"But after breaking through the sixth level, improving your body's defense even a single step becomes immensely difficult. Every advancement is the work of water wearing through stone. Reaching the tenth level is basically unrealistic."

"Then why continue cultivating Iron Shirt?"

Zheng Hao asked in confusion.

"Hehe. As for why Armor Forgers like us cultivate this kind of hard-body technique, once Old Man Du shows you how to forge a soul artifact tomorrow, you'll understand part of the reason."

Armor Forgers?

Chu He had caught another new term.

At this moment, he increasingly felt that the Armor Forging Hall was more than merely a place for forging divine weapons and sharp tools. It might serve some other purpose behind the scenes.

"Alright, that's enough for today."

Aunt Lan rose, her skirts fluttering as she drifted forward. Turning back to look at them, she asked, "Do you want to look around, or continue..."

"I want to take a look inside this library."

Chu He suddenly said.

"At this hour?" Aunt Lan glanced at the sky, then looked back at the library behind her. "You can, but you can't stay too long."

Chu He was completely baffled. Was there a time limit?

Aunt Lan did not explain further and turned to the other two.

"I'm going home to share the good news with my father."

"I... I want to ask about cultivating Iron Shirt..."

Aunt Lan nodded, brushing back the loose hair at her forehead. "Then tomorrow, I'll take you to meet Master Du and watch him forge a soul artifact."

Everyone agreed, then went their separate ways.

Chu He turned and entered the old library. Dim candlelight met his eyes. The plaster on both walls had peeled away, and the aged floorboards groaned and creaked beneath his feet like grinding teeth, making the place seem gloomy and eerie.

A few books sat scattered across each row of disorderly shelves. Everything was a mess, mildew stank through the air, and the whole place looked abandoned.

Chu He spread his fingers slightly, utterly unable to make sense of the library's overall condition. He could not understand why it was so neglected and dilapidated.

He picked up a yellowed book and casually flipped through it, but after only two glances, Chu He's eyes widened.

"What the hell is this stuff?"

He flipped through a few pages. They were all filled with ghost scribbles, while the few words he could understand concerned bones, organs, and the like. No matter how he looked at it, it had nothing to do with weapon forging. The entire book had been written in red dye.

One look was enough to make his skin crawl.

Chu He refused to believe it and checked several more books in succession. Most were no different from the first, though a small number seriously recorded the forging process for various weapons, including the handling of heat and hammering techniques.

He passed rows upon rows of bookshelves at the front and reached the deepest part of the library. The books here were comparatively newer, with few that were yellowed or curled at the edges.

He looked around.

"Where are the martial arts manuals?"

Chu He pulled out a book and flipped through it casually, only to find more of those ghost scribbles. Annoyed, he shoved it back onto the shelf.

Now Chu He understood why no one came here.

Who could possibly read these incomprehensible ghost books?

And why did the library even have books like these...

As he wondered whether he should keep wasting time here, Chu He suddenly noticed that the texture against his fingertips felt wrong. He raised his hand and swept it through the lamplight, finding a faint red smear on his finger.

Seeing the residual red dye, Chu He froze.

He hurriedly turned back, pulled out the book he had just shoved onto the shelf, flipped to the same page, and looked closely. One of the ghost scribbles in the upper-left corner had indeed been accidentally smudged away by nearly half.

Chu He's gaze sharpened. He lifted his finger and wiped another symbol. It felt wet to the touch, and the writing blurred beneath his fingertip. It had not dried yet!

It was as if... as if it had just been written!

Tap!

Something hit the ground, kicking up dust.

Chu He spun around and swept his gaze across the surroundings. The chaotic, cramped aisles between the bookshelves lay under wavering firelight, bright and dim by turns as shadows tangled together.

He carefully backed away, no longer intending to linger here.

Rustle, rustle...

The sudden sound of a writing brush scraping across paper echoed by his ears. It was as though someone were writing furiously, or scratching the ground with their fingertips.

Chu He's expression changed slightly, his eyes turning cold.

"Playing tricks..."

Buzz—

Golden Bell Shield activated on its own without any conscious prompting, brilliant golden light illuminating the surroundings.

In that instant, Chu He whipped his head around and looked to the left.

An old man with his backside raised was crouched in a corner, his back to Chu He. His shoulders moved faintly, as though he truly were writing something.

Chu He's clenched fist loosened slightly, hesitation appearing in his eyes.

If it had been something strange, he would have struck without another word. But upon seeing the old man's attire, an image of a sweeping monk inexplicably surfaced in his mind.

His eyes shifted slightly as he cupped his hands in salute. "Senior..."

The other party gave no response and remained hunched over.

"Since Senior is here, this junior won't disturb you."

Unable to discern the man's background, Chu He chose to avoid the sharp edge for now.

When he met Aunt Lan tomorrow, he would ask around about this person properly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu He slowly backed away. But just as he was about to leave this aisle, the old man's aged, decayed voice suddenly rang out, calm in tone. "What you want is in the second bookcase of the third row—the third book on the first shelf. Go take it."

Chu He was delighted upon hearing this, secretly thinking that he truly was an unparalleled master!

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior!"

He turned and left, silently repeating the old man's directions as he searched row by row. In the end, he found that bookshelf in a dim corner.

Chu He stared at the disorderly books, searching while making guesses.

What could it be?

Could it be some peerless martial art?

Or perhaps something related to...

"Found it!"

Following the old man's instructions, Chu He took the third book from the first shelf. Its cover was gaudy and colorful, revealing nothing.

He opened it full of anticipation. The instant the first page came into view, Chu He's eyes widened, and his fingers flipped through the pages faster and faster.

"Damn it! I've been played!"

He hurled the book onto the ground, his face filled with fury.

The pages fluttered open, revealing one mosaic-covered illustration after another.

It was unmistakably an erotic picture book!

"That old bastard was messing with me on purpose?"

He stormed back to where the man had been, only to find that he had already vanished. Another book filled with ghost scribbles had been left where he had been crouching.

"Just who the hell is that old man?"

Chu He no longer had any desire to remain. He recalled Aunt Lan's earlier warning and the awkward smile she had struggled to hide.

She definitely knew something!

Finding nothing after checking around, Chu He left the library. Before departing, he glanced once more at the old signboard, then vanished into the faint night.

After Chu He left, a pair of scarlet eyes appeared in a dark corner. The next moment, the library doors shut by themselves without any wind.