Spiritual Energy

Shan Tianzhu stared at the blood-seeping bundle on the table, then at Lin Chongshu's face.

His mouth opened and closed, while his legs shook incessantly.

In the corner, his wife held their child and covered the child's eyes tightly with one hand.

Lin Chongshu swept a glance over the scattered coins on the table, casually picked one up and flipped it between his fingers. "Tell me. What do you need done?"

Shan Tianzhu's lips trembled, but no sound came out.

Lin Chongshu stacked the coins on the table one by one into a neat pile, then slipped them into his pocket.

He then raised his eyes and glanced at Shan Tianzhu. "Don't lie to me. I was outside the door just now. I heard everything."

Shan Tianzhu looked as though his spine had been ripped out. His gaze bounced between the blood-seeping bundle on the table and Lin Chongshu's face.

His legs were still shaking, yet his hands had clenched into fists. He was considering whether to risk his life fighting Lin Chongshu.

Lin Chongshu glanced at him, lowered his head to look at his palm, and said something inexplicable. "Looks like you've been pretty busy today. Didn't even have time to use the toilet."

Before Shan Tianzhu could understand what that meant, agonizing pain exploded in his abdomen.

It was the familiar twisting pain, but more precise than yesterday. The Gold Sand was no longer churning wildly in his stomach; it twisted section by section along the path of his intestines.

His whole body slid off the bench. His knees struck the floor, then his forehead struck it as well, and a garbled wail escaped his mouth.

"Mercy, sir! Please spare me! I'll never dare again..."

Lin Chongshu did not look at him. He was looking at his own hand.

The sensation of the Gold Sand was actually feeding back to his hand. He could sense its location inside the other man's body, as well as its own flow.

Controlling the same Gold Sand consumed at least thirty percent less stamina than before.

With a thought, he split off a small portion of the Gold Sand, sent it upstream, then drew it back. The entire process was exceptionally smooth.

A thought flashed through his mind: Was it because he had Chakra now?

When Naruto cultivated Sage Chakra, Jiraiya had explained that Sage Chakra was formed by perfectly balancing Natural Energy, Physical Energy, and Spiritual Energy in a one-to-one-to-one ratio.

Physical Energy and Spiritual Energy were the two components of ordinary Chakra.

Before this, he had no talent for Chakra and could only use Physical Energy to train taijutsu. The Spiritual Energy portion had always been empty, and his control over sand and gravel had relied entirely on brute stamina.

Just now, after he killed that Hidden Mist rogue ninja, the system had extracted the traits of Water-Nature Chakra for him. Though it was only a small amount of Chakra, it had supplemented his body's long-missing ability to balance Spiritual Energy.

Physical Energy and Spiritual Energy were finally operating along the same track. His responsiveness had risen, while consumption had dropped.

He even felt that, with the sensation he had experienced just now, if he encountered that Hidden Mist rogue ninja again, he could manipulate Gold Sand and gravel to pierce through his palms and twist off his ankles.

But that moment lasted only a few seconds. Soon, a wave of mental exhaustion washed over him, and the Gold Sand's precision fell back to its original level.

He had too little Chakra now. He could not sustain such high-precision control for long.

Lin Chongshu looked down at Shan Tianzhu, who was still trembling on the floor, and the corner of his mouth lifted unconsciously.

Shan Tianzhu's wife saw all of it. She did not know what Lin Chongshu was pleased about. All she saw was him smiling after beating her husband.

Holding her child, she shuffled two steps forward. "Sir, please spare him. He truly won't dare again."

Lin Chongshu stood up and looked down at Shan Tianzhu. "I remember that, when you were outside the door just now, you wanted to give your wife to me."

He pointed at the money on the table. "This is the bride price you prepared to beg me to take your wife, isn't it?"

Shan Tianzhu's wife froze, her eyes widening enormously.

Shan Tianzhu raised his head. A flash of rage crossed his face, but it lasted only an instant. The twisting pain in his gut immediately made his neck go limp.

He hung his head, his forehead nearly touching the floor, and cried out in a completely broken voice.

"Yes, yes, sir. I offer her to you. Please accept her and this bride price. Please, spare me."

Lin Chongshu picked up the money, lifted the still-dripping bundle in one hand, and walked toward the inner room.

At the doorway, he paused and looked back at Shan Tianzhu's wife. "What is it? You unwilling?"

The woman looked down at the man kneeling on the ground, clutching his stomach and groaning. He was curled into a ball with his face buried against his knees, not even strong enough to lift his head.

She then looked at the blood-soaked bundle in Lin Chongshu's hand. Holding her child, she lowered her head and followed Lin Chongshu into the inner room.

The door to the inner room closed.

Shan Tianzhu remained kneeling alone on the floor, still groaning softly.

Inside the inner room.

The woman placed the child in the cradle and stood by the door. Her lips moved several times before she finally forced out a question. "Can you... do it?"

Lin Chongshu turned his head and glanced at her. "Want to find out?"

"No, no!" The woman hurriedly waved her hands, so fast that her face reddened.

"Go bring me a basin of warm water."

The woman nodded and turned to open the door. When she reached it, she looked back at Lin Chongshu.

The boy was lowering his head as he undid the leather clasp on the ninja tool pouch. His fingers were steady, and his face was expressionless. He looked completely different from the person who had smiled while tormenting her husband in the courtyard just now.

"Still not moving?" Lin Chongshu did not even raise his head. "Want to sleep with me first?"

"No, no!" The woman hurriedly pulled open the door and rushed out.

In the courtyard, Shan Tianzhu was still kneeling where he had been. Hearing the door open, he raised his head.

When his wife reached him, she paused, bent down, moved her lips, and silently formed a sentence for him in an extremely soft whisper.

Shan Tianzhu stared at her lips and read the words.

"Nothing happened. It's okay."

The woman straightened and quickly headed toward the stove.

Inside the room, Lin Chongshu turned the ninja tool pouch he had taken from the Hidden Mist rogue ninja upside down.

This Hidden Mist rogue ninja's belongings were far more plentiful than those of the Land of Wind border sentries.

There were dozens of Military Ration Pills. Most were ordinary, but two were clearly different. Fine patterns covered their surfaces, they felt heavier than normal Military Ration Pills in his hand, and they carried a faint herbal scent when brought close.

Lin Chongshu turned the two over in his hands several times, not daring to eat them carelessly.

Besides the Military Ration Pills, there was a pile of Kunai and Cross Shuriken, along with seven or eight Explosive Tags.

Then there were scrolls. Besides the one the rogue ninja had taken out before his death to beg for mercy, there were three more.