Confusion (Thanks to Huangliang Mengchang)

They had not even entered the Lost-Trace Forest, yet Master had already planned everything they needed to do on this trip, down to drawing a map.

But as they traveled, rain began to fall again.

Fine rain drifted through the air.

Xu Feng saw a faint white mist rising above the Lost-Trace Forest not far away. It shrouded the entire forest, making it look like a fairyland.

Even the daylight

seemed pressed lower than usual by the gloomy rain.

Neither Xu Feng nor Master wore a rain cape, but fortunately, they had no need to worry about catching a chill. As Master put it, they would "borrow this breath of true fire and try forcing their way into the forest."

Gazing at the forest,

Master asked, "Remember everything I told you on the way?"

Xu Feng said, "I remember. Tie the rope to the stone marker at Li Family Village, and we can get out!"

"Yes! Last time we went in, we never reached the entrance to Li Family Village, so we didn't see the marker. If I remember right, there's also a woman's corpse outside it.

"If we can,

"we should bring her corpse out and burn it.

"Of course, if we still can't bring it out by dusk, I'm afraid we'll both lose our lives here.

"Are you afraid?"

"No!"

He meant it. With a sharp blade in his heart, his killing intent had awakened.

His vital energy blazed like a roaring fire, bolstering his courage.

Even Xu Feng had not expected, before coming here, that a village had once stood inside the Lost-Trace Forest.

With his instructions finished,

Master's face turned indescribably grave.

He stood outside the forest and planted three sticks of incense facing it.

Then he planted another three.

He found another spot and planted three more.

Nine sticks of incense in all!

After watching them a moment and confirming they showed no sign from Incense Divination, Master slipped off the harness of the wheelbarrow and began distributing weapons.

Looking at the nine incense sticks, Xu Feng asked, "Master, what's the purpose of this?"

"First, an offering to Houtu.

"Second, an offering to our ancestors.

"Third, an offering to the souls who died here.

"Once we've paid our respects and they've received the incense, we can go in."

Xu Feng took the iron shovel, red thread, paper packets, incense ash, incense sticks, spirit money, and other supplies. Master asked, "You've never carried a corpse on your back, have you? When the time comes, will you be afraid?"

"Not afraid," Xu Feng replied.

Master nodded in satisfaction.

Xu Feng peered into the depths of the forest. Unable to see anything, he said, "Master, I thought the corpses in the Lost-Trace Forest would crumble away on their own as soon as they were dug up.

"So we have to carry them out before they'll fall apart?"

Looking into the forest, Master said, "Yes. Inside this forest and outside it are two different worlds. If you want to talk about that, there's a great deal more to tell.

"I'll have to find time to explain it properly."

As he spoke, Master took out a bottle of wine. Unusually, he drank from it first, then poured the rest onto the ground before him. Only after making his offering to the land did he say, "The way forward for the two of us may lie in there.

"A person needs roots, one way or another."

Xu Feng pondered that, but Master quickly changed the subject rather than say more. "Good lad. Once we've dealt with this and toughened up your body,

"there's nothing pressing at the Earth God Shrine lately, so I'll take you on a long trip to Dayuan Town."

"All right, Master. Whatever you say.

"But is Dayuan Town far from here? Should we hire a cart and horse?

"And Master, can we only have our needles made in Dayuan Town? Is there some master craftsman there?"

The questions came like a volley of firecrackers, but Master showed no impatience.

"Of course. Every trade has its masters.

"In Dayuan Town, there's a craftsman named Zhang Kun who specializes in making needles. His family has done it for generations. Whatever sort of needle you want, he can make it, and he even has certain rare materials.

"That's not all. Zhang Kun has methods of his own. They say even Daoists have bought ritual implements from him."

Xu Feng was a little surprised. "Master, can we make ritual implements too?"

Master looked surprised himself. "What are you thinking?"

As he spoke, Master took from his satchel the things Xu Feng had seen last time and arranged them outside the Lost-Trace Forest.

Smoke curled from the nine incense sticks. Master waited patiently for it to drift into the forest.

As he worked, he said, "Where would trades like ours, among the Lower Nine Classes, get ritual implements? These are the tools we use to earn our keep!

"We have to order our needles specially because they're different from the needles ordinary folk use for embroidery and sewing. They need fine adjustments, and only Craftsman Zhang can manage that!

"As for ritual implements?

"My own needles were handed down from your grandmaster.

"I've tended them for years, and all they can do is hold down a little of the baleful and harmful energy in some corpses.

"They're still a long, long way from true ritual implements!"

He shook his head.

Xu Feng nodded slightly. "I understand, Master. So once I have my needles, I can help you stitch corpses and handle the difficult cases?

"Then the two of us will have two sets of needles for corpse stitching?"

Master burst out laughing. "Difficult cases, my ass. Do you think we're wandering physicians or imperial doctors?

"I told you to have a little kindness in your heart, and now you've gotten ideas above your station.

"Your eyes are higher than your hands! Watch it, or I'll give you a beating!"

"They treat the living; we give the dead their dignity. Different work, but just as important! One heals the body, the other the heart. Heaven is high and the sea is vast, but there's no difference!"

Master raised a hand as if to strike him. "You little rascal, where did you pick up all this fancy nonsense? If a doctor heard you, he'd tear your mouth apart!"

But when Xu Feng showed no fear, Master dropped the act.

Lowering his hand, he said, "I've spoiled you rotten! You want to cultivate another set of needles? Do you have any idea how hard that is?

"It's like a carpenter's ink line or a tailor's shears. They say these tools can be useful, but you have to cultivate them until they have power, until they have spirit!

"You haven't learned to walk, and already you want to run?"

Then Master's expression darkened. "Since you have such lofty ambitions, I suppose you've mastered everything I taught you on the road? If you have, show me."

Xu Feng understood.

Master had not struck him for "talking nonsense,"

but he plainly intended to test him on his lessons and see what he was made of.

Judging by Master's expression,

he meant to take Xu Feng down a peg.

Fortunately, Xu Feng was not afraid of that.

After all, his studies had earned him [Broad Learning and Rapid Recall].

More importantly, Xu Feng had not only anticipated what Master would teach him—he had also "studied ahead" outside the game!