Curse

After the examination ended, Jiang Feng and Xie Shu returned to the Medicine Hall's main hall.

They chatted and laughed along the way, and their relationship seemed to have grown closer than before.

"Jiang Feng, you brat—you even managed to fool an old man like me. You weren't at the seventh level of the Blood-Moving Realm at all. You were at the eighth, weren't you?"

As a genuine Skin-Refining Realm martial artist, Xie Shu had a keen eye. The moment Jiang Feng made his move, he had already noticed something was amiss.

Jiang Feng scratched his head, a bashful smile on his face.

"Shopkeeper Xie, I truly didn't mean to hide it. I only broke through recently, and my realm hasn't stabilized yet. I was afraid people would laugh if I said so."

Xie Shu stroked his beard and laughed heartily. He admired humble, grounded young people like this most of all.

"It's good to know how to be modest, but when it's time to show your edge, you should let it shine. Only when others see what you're capable of can you win more resources and more say for yourself."

"Thank you for your guidance, Shopkeeper. I'll remember it."

Under Xie Shu's lead, Jiang Feng entered an elegant tea room.

Xie Shu personally poured a cup of tea and handed it to him with a smile.

"Here, give it a try. This tea was brewed with thirty-year-old blood ginseng. It nourishes the blood and replenishes qi. You've just finished your examination, so drinking it now will have the best effect."

Jiang Feng accepted the teacup, somewhat overwhelmed by the honor, and quickly thanked him.

He had never imagined that Xie Shu would bring him into this tea room, reserved especially for entertaining distinguished guests, and personally brew tea for him.

Compared with the treatment he'd received before leaving the Medicine Hall, it was like night and day.

He understood that his increased strength was certainly one reason, but Song Huai's connections had likely played a part as well.

The clear tea rippled gently in the white porcelain cup, releasing an invigorating ginseng fragrance.

Jiang Feng gently blew away the steam and took a careful sip.

The instant the tea entered his mouth, a warm current began to flow slowly through his limbs and bones. His eyes lit up, and he praised it sincerely.

"Excellent tea. Truly excellent. Just one sip, and I can already feel the qi and blood in my body growing richer."

Xie Shu smiled, raised his cup, and took a small sip. His tone carried the rueful wisdom of experience.

"For a Martial Apprentice in the Blood-Moving Realm like you, Blood Ginseng Tea may still offer some nourishment. But at my age and in my realm, drinking it is little more than a matter of taste."

He drained his cup, set it down, and looked at Jiang Feng with a serious expression.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll be a guard at the Medicine Hall.

"Just go straight to the Guard Hall and report to Tie Rong.

"You've seen Tie Rong before—the big fellow who sat beside me in the stands today."

The image of the tall, burly man immediately came to Jiang Feng's mind, along with Xue Zhao, who had stood beside Tie Rong.

After a brief hesitation, he asked cautiously, "Shopkeeper Xie, is that Tie Rong... close with Xue Zhao?"

Xie Shu thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Tie Rong isn't close to anyone. There's only one thing he cares about—money.

"As long as you can pay enough silver, he might even risk his life for you. But if you're broke, he's an extremely difficult man to deal with.

"You'd best not show up empty-handed tomorrow, or things may not go smoothly."

Jiang Feng nodded in understanding, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

He'd been afraid Tie Rong and Xue Zhao were in cahoots. If that were the case, joining the Guard Hall would be like escaping the wolves' den only to throw himself straight into the tiger's lair.

Just then, Jiang Feng seemed to remember something and followed up with another question.

"Shopkeeper Xie, now that I'm a guard, can I learn a new technique?"

Xie Shu nodded and set down his teacup, speaking as though it went without saying.

"Of course. Techniques like the Iron Stake Technique, which is only a low-grade first-rank technique, serve only to test whether an apprentice has the bone structure for martial arts. They do little to improve one's strength.

"Once you join the Guard Hall tomorrow, you'll be able to learn the Medicine Hall's internal technique, Rock Strength, which is a high-grade first-rank technique.

"With your talent, reaching the Skin-Refining Realm through this technique should only be a matter of time."

Jiang Feng couldn't help feeling a little anticipation.

He still had no idea what grade the Exquisite Breathing Method he cultivated was, but the thought of learning another new technique made him genuinely happy.

At the same time, he recalled the strange change in his own body. After some consideration, he asked cautiously, "Shopkeeper Xie, while I was at the outpost earlier, I also discovered something related to evil spirits."

At the words "evil spirits," Xie Shu's expression turned serious, and even his tone grew heavier.

"What is it?"

"I saw a mass of extremely strange, pitch-black markings on another person. They spread across his body like blood vessels, as if they were trying to burrow into his heart... Do you know what that might be?"

Xie Shu furrowed his brows and fell silent for a long while. His frown deepened, and he kept glancing at Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng felt cold sweat trickle down his back under that scrutiny. He almost thought he'd said something wrong and aroused the other man's suspicions.

Just as he was about to force the conversation onto another topic, Xie Shu spoke.

"What you're describing sounds a lot like a Curse of the Evil Spirit."

"A Curse of the Evil Spirit?" Jiang Feng had never heard that name before.

"That's right. It's also called an Evil Spirit Mark.

"It's usually an evil spirit's final counterattack before death. It takes root in a human body, not only suppressing the growth of qi and blood but also feeding on them to strengthen itself. If it isn't dealt with in time, once the mark reaches the heart, that person is doomed."

As Xie Shu spoke, a trace of doubt returned to his eyes.

"However, based on what you told me earlier, the thing you encountered should have been an ordinary Chang Ghost. It shouldn't have been capable of leaving a mark.

"There's something suspicious about this, Jiang Feng. Who was that person you mentioned? Is he still alive? A dangerous threat like this must be dealt with as soon as possible."

Jiang Feng felt his scalp go numb. How could he admit that the person was himself? He immediately shook his head.

"Don't worry, Shopkeeper Xie. That person is already dead. I was just curious, so I asked."

Only then did Xie Shu nod in approval, his expression easing.

"If he's already dead, then that's all right. Otherwise, if he'd gone wandering elsewhere, he'd most likely have caused a huge disaster."

Jiang Feng kept his expression calm, pretending he was merely curious, and pressed further. "Is it really that dangerous? If someone is afflicted with this mark, is there truly no chance of curing it?"

Xie Shu smiled wryly and nodded, letting out a sigh.

"There are ways, but every one of them is harder than climbing to heaven.

"First, you can kill the evil spirit that planted the mark.

"Once its true body dies, the mark becomes a duckweed with no roots and naturally fades away.

"Second, you can use pills or special spirit plants to forcefully raise your cultivation. When your realm far surpasses that of the evil spirit's true body, the mark will lose its effect as well."

He paused, then sighed again, his tone turning more helpless.

"Those are the only methods I know.

"But for an ordinary martial artist, neither path is easy to take.

"So, to prevent trouble before it starts, the safest course is still to deal with anyone bearing the mark outright."