Hunting the Tiger

Carpenter Zhou had nightmares for half the night.

He slept soundly and comfortably for the first half of the night, but then he woke up groggily and started having strange dreams when he went back to sleep.

In his dream, he was like a tiger or leopard, crashing through fences, killing pigs and sheep, breaking down wooden doors, and entering other people's homes under a dim sky.

The moment the homeowner screamed in terror, he suddenly transformed into a madman wielding an axe, chasing and hacking at others in the bustling marketplace.

The dream was chaotic and disorganized.

The next moment, he couldn't tell whether he was a human or some kind of beast. He was worshipping the moon on the cliff, barely clothed, tearing at his own flesh.

Knock knock knock!!

The knocking startled Carpenter Zhou awake; he was drenched in sweat.

His wife sat up beside him, rubbing her eyes and looking outside.

The couple looked at each other, recalling what had happened last night, and neither knew what to say.

Carpenter Zhou was thinking even more. It wasn't just last night; for several days now, he had been doing some ridiculous and absurd things, as if he were possessed by a demon.

Knock knock!

The knocking sounded again, and the wife quickly said, "I'll go open the door."

The wife was startled when the door opened.

Standing at the door was a robust middle-aged man in a pale white scholar's robe, with a Baiyu tied horizontally in his hair. He had a dignified appearance and a slight beard, but his eyes were bluish and his lips were purple, making him appear somewhat weak.

The fabric of those clothes was clearly silk.

Why would someone of such status come to my door?

Carpenter Zhou also hurriedly stood up.

"My name is Tan Yu."

The scholar bowed respectfully towards the room and said, "Brother, has your temperament changed drastically lately? Are there frequent disputes at home?"

The Carpenter Zhou and his wife looked bewildered, wondering why such an important person would ask about this matter.

"So that you two may know, my home has recently been plagued by evil spirits, and I was fortunate enough to encounter a Daoist priest."

Tan Yu's expression showed a slight unnaturalness.

"With a flick of his wrist... he calculated and solved my family's problem. He also discovered that the evil spirit had harmed many others, so he ordered me to deliver some medicine to help them recover."

The carpenter couple were both surprised and delighted.

Tears welled up in the wife's eyes. "So there was a demon! I knew it! I knew my husband wasn't that kind of person! It turns out there was this damned demon!"

Carpenter Zhou gritted his teeth. "That damned demon, how could it be so harmful to people!"

"Luckily, I was slaughtered by the old immortal! Good riddance, benefactor, good riddance!"

Tan Yu, holding his breath, said, "Yes, well done."

Just as anger welled up inside him, he felt a sharp pain in his head. Startled, he quickly said, "That Daoist priest looks to be only twenty years old. He is not an old immortal, but a young one."

Carpenter Zhou quickly said, "What is this little deity's name? I must offer incense and express my gratitude."

Tan Yu simply said, "Please accept the medicine first. Being harmed by evil spirits isn't something that can be easily cured. In a couple of days, the little immortal will invite you to meet him again."

Those Demonic Dao techniques corrupt the mind.

Even if the power of the Moon Turbidity is withdrawn before reaching its limit, a person's heart is still as if a huge rock has been thrown down, creating vast waves.

When the mind is greatly stimulated, the body will also be affected.

Unless someone casts calming spells on them every day, it's not that easy to solve.

Thinking of this, Tan Yu felt a surge of malice, wanting to see her make a fool of herself, but then she immediately felt a headache coming on.

He knew it was a spirit that had returned to his body with his soul last night and was now residing in his mind.

In today's world, those who follow the path of "External Dharma Nexus" only seek to make the magic treasure's foundation solid and prevent it from developing a spirit. Other schools of thought, however, do not study magic treasures in sufficient depth.

Artifact spirits are extremely rare, and what's even rarer is that this artifact spirit resides within Tan Yu's body and is even stronger than Tan Yu's soul.

With this spirit present, Tan Yu dared not disobey Chu Tianshu's orders in the slightest.

Although the left leg received the most injections, the other three limbs were also affected.

After using up all the needles on his body, Chu Tianshu sat down at the table and drank a cup of tea.

Shitou diligently refilled his cup.

Lu Yuande's nose twitched slightly, and he said, "Fellow Daoist has already used the Cloud-Rolling Sleeve. With your cultivation level, why not choose a higher-level prescription?"

This "Cloud-Rolling Sleeve" is only a medium-grade prescription.

For Chu Tianshu, after the medicine entered his body, it mixed with his internal energy and filled his body surface, like an invisible protective garment. It could ensure that he could eliminate the Moon Turbidity within six hours, making him feel comfortable in body and mind.

If one focuses intently on introspection, enters a meditative state, and remains secluded, the effects of one dose of medicine may at most last for two days.

However, if one uses martial arts or actively absorbs the power of heaven and earth during this period, the duration of the medicine's effects will be somewhat reduced.

Chu Tianshu smiled but remained silent.

Because yesterday, he only had enough money to buy a medium-grade prescription, and only one serving.

As for today, the medication is effective enough for now.

After a while, we probably won't need to worry too much about the medicinal herbs anymore.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, have you ever heard of Shen Minglai?"

Lu Yuande was taken aback. "Shen Minglai, the Purple-Forehead Tiger, is one of the top masters of Denglai Mountain Market?"

"I've heard that this person also cultivates Daoist techniques, but his path is almost demonic. He's ruthless and his gang is full of vicious wolves, which is terrifying. I've heard of him before, but I've never met him."

After the anomaly in the moonlight, many old sects split up due to differing opinions regarding the methods of Moon Refining.

Some sects manage to survive internal strife by identifying a victor, while others gradually perish in the process.

However, their secret techniques and methods are not so easily destroyed and are often lost to the outside world.

In the past century, countless people around the world have obtained cultivation secrets for this reason.

However, only a small fraction of them actually made a name for themselves through rigorous training over the years without burning themselves out.

Shen Minglai was one of them.

His good fortune lay not only in the secrets he acquired early in life, which were more reliable and complete than those of others, but also in his choices.

After achieving some success in his cultivation, he resolutely ventured to Denglai Mountain Market. He was ruthless and capable of doing any dirty work, and was hired by several companies.

Once he had accumulated savings and connections, he took over those employers, replacing them and becoming the representative of certain powerful factions in the area.

Chu Tianshu said, "He is not close to being a demon, but has truly learned Demonic Dao secret techniques."

"However, in the past two years, his cultivation technique has reached a bottleneck, forcing him to stop practicing. His backer, however, is holding back, unwilling to easily give him the family's highest secret technique."

"In the past few months, he has already made contact with people from Celebration of the Sage Temple, and it seems he is considering changing masters."

Lu Yuande asked in confusion, "How did you know that, fellow Daoist?"

"That's not important."

Chu Tianshu laughed, "The needles in your body won't move for two quarters of an hour. You stay here, I'm going out."

Lu Yuande seemed to sense something and hurriedly said, "Fellow Daoist Chu, if one truly cultivates Demonic Dao secret techniques, their combat power is astonishing, often surpassing the internal strength foundation of my Dao-Seeking Shennong lineage, which was formed through elixirs..."

"In fact, it's much stronger than the normal internal energy cultivated through arduous practice without much medication in the past."

Chu Tianshu had already pushed open the door and left, leaving only one sentence behind.

"Don't worry, I heard about it yesterday too, and I'm just about to consider it."

Anyway, Chu Tianshu's internal energy quality is abnormal.

But he did want to gain some experience.

Let's see what wonderful uses those unique True Qi cultivated through Demonic Dao secret techniques might have.

(End of this chapter)