The Heavenly Silkworm Demonic Dao and the Heavenly Silkworm Divine Art
Han Baiyu remained silent for a long while.
There was a lot of information in that last sentence.
She pondered for a moment, then decided to reveal some things she had originally intended to conceal. She reached out and shook hands with Chu Tianshu before beginning her story.
In his previous life, Han Baiyu was from Fulong Dazu, Fog City, Fulong Town. He fell to his death in 2002 while working on poverty alleviation in the mountains.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself to be a baby.
After passing through the initial period of infancy when her brain was underdeveloped and she was in a daze, she discovered that there was a token in her mind.
That was a place where Han Baiyu was helping others, a gift from a child, incomplete and broken.
It was the only gift she received in the area, and she carried it with her at all times. Unexpectedly, it ended up being worn with her during her travels.
However, for the first ten years or so, that token had no effect whatsoever.
"When I was very young, my village was burned down by the Tibetan monk's men. I followed my adoptive father, wandering from place to place, joining many rebel armies, and witnessing their defeats—"
"Sigh, some of them I'm even embarrassed to call 'righteous army,' they're more like bandits than bandits themselves. Before the government troops even arrive, I'm already thinking of killing those bandit leaders myself."
Han Baiyu put away the tinderbox and, while recounting his story, strolled casually through the hall, eventually circling around to the front of the Buddha statue.
"I'm a time traveler after all, so I advised my dad that if we wait another twenty or thirty years, it will be the perfect time to rebel."
"What a pity."
She smiled and pointed to the Buddha statue.
"My father isn't the kind of person who's made of Shitou. He can't stand by and do nothing for another twenty or thirty years, so I have no choice but to play along with him and risk my life."
I don't know if it's because they're determined enough to court death, have mastered the skills, or simply that the time has come.
Two years ago, that token suddenly shone brightly in her mind, allowing Han Baiyu to learn about many of its uses.
Chu Tianshu silently calculated in his mind.
If Han Baiyu and I truly came from the same world, and it's not just that we share a similar historical background.
So, she time-traveled in 2002 and has been here for eighteen years.
The flow of time in this world is roughly two times that of my hometown.
Although Han Baiyu's token was damaged, it was still very useful.
Once the other party is identified as having sufficient sincerity and a willingness to trade, the token can list the items they possess, ranked from highest to lowest value, for the purpose of trading.
Currently, it can be exchanged for three main categories of things: physical objects, cultivation techniques, and bloodlines.
More importantly, Han Baiyu can temporarily store the items he has traded within the token.
For example, after she bought the provisions and military equipment, she stored them in her token and carried them with her at all times.
"While stored within the token, none of these items will expire or spoil."
Han Baiyu laughed, "For a period of time, I used to store large amounts of hot porridge and pickled vegetables in my token. They're easy to digest and also replenish the necessary salt."
"Later, as our rebel army grew larger, we changed our strategy from stockpiling grain to storing military equipment."
Chu Tianshu pointed to the ground. "So, all these weapons were captured by the rebel army?"
"No."
Han Baiyu held up one finger and shook it, "We bought this from Yu Province."
Yu Province is the Central Plains in a narrow sense. The Yuan Dynasty stationed a considerable number of troops there, and it was also rich in resources.
The rebel army in Central Shu took the money they had seized in Chuanshu and went to Yu Province to do business with the officials there.
"I only intended to scavenge some grain over there; I never imagined they'd be even bolder than me."
Han Baiyu smiled helplessly when he talked about this.
"After they mistakenly thought I possessed supernatural powers like the Five Ghosts Transport Things, they dared to bring out warehouses upon warehouses of weapons to trade with me. They're truly invincible! Absolutely invincible!"
"What's even more outrageous is that I recently discovered that the petty officials there are incredibly audacious. The clerks who actually deal with me embezzled two million, leaving only one million to be sent to their Shangguan."
Chu Tianshu couldn't help but chuckle.
"Let's get down to business first. Where is your seriously injured friend?"
Han Baiyu's expression turned serious, and he quickly led the way.
After leaving the monastery and walking about ten miles along a mountain path, there was an abandoned courtyard ahead.
Now that Chu Tianshu knew where the target was, he had naturally sensed the situation in the courtyard.
Several nuns stood there nervously, practicing their internal energy in preparation.
"Tingyue, it turns out Senior Chu is an old friend of mine. We've already had our conversation down."
Han Baiyu said these words first before arriving at the courtyard gate and pushing it open to enter.
The nuns were both surprised and delighted, and quickly bowed again.
Chu Tianshu stepped in, his gaze lingering briefly on the pointed-eared nun, sensing that this person possessed a subtle aura and likely had some unique talents.
Immediately, his gaze was drawn to the snow-white silkworm cocoon inside the room.
"You call that an injury?!"
Chu Tianshu's expression changed; his eyesight could penetrate the cocoon and see what was inside.
Broken leg, broken waist, pierced through the chest----
Especially that huge hole in his chest—even Chu Tianshu himself would probably be dead from such an injury!
This shouldn't be called being seriously injured; it should be called being beaten to death.
Strangely, this person was still alive.
Chu Tianshu approached, gently pressed his palm against the silkworm cocoon, and carefully sensed it.
He had no Spiritual Qi or monsters; he was just a legitimate human martial artist.
What normal human being could survive such an injury?
Chu Tianshu's eyes brightened dramatically.
"Brother, what kind of kung fu is that?"
The person inside the cocoon was barely breathing, but Han Baiyu quickly replied, "This is the ' Heavenly Silkworm Divine Art '."
The person inside the cocoon is named Zhang Yining.
To be precise, his original surname was Zhang. He came from a poor family and was sent to become a Daoist priest, with the Daoist name Yining.
He was originally a young Daoist novice who gathered herbs in the mountains, and had only learned a little bit of the Five-Animal Frolics for lightness and health.
A few years ago, some evil masters from the Miao Territory kidnapped young men and women, and they also took this Daoist boy with them, imprisoned him in a mountain cave, planted a Gu poison in him, and taught him internal energy cultivation.
The evil sorcerers were practicing the "Heavenly Silkworm Demonic Art," a technique renowned throughout Miao Territory but which had been lost and whose whereabouts were difficult to trace.
He wanted these young men and women to cultivate to a certain level, so he would wrap them up separately with silkworm silk, turn them into a solution, and have them swallow it, using both poison and energy to increase their power.
Who knew he would go mad and die in the cave, the poisonous gas spreading, and only three or five children escaped from the cave.
The group trekked through the deep mountains for more than ten days, drinking mountain spring water and dew, eating wild grass and pine needles, struggling to survive, but some of them still lost control of their powers and died one after another.
Zhang Yining was the one who survived to the end.
But by then, the young Daoist was already skin and bones, too weak to bury his last companion. He could only manage to recite a passage from the Spirit Treasure Scripture of Salvation and a passage from the True Martial Precious Proclamation, wishing him good fortune in his next life.
What's terrifying is that the "Heavenly Silkworm Demonic Art" caused his body to develop a craving for the corpses of his companions when it was on the verge of its limit.
His legs were no longer strong enough to support him as he left the area.
He sat beside the corpse until the next day, almost believing he was dead, but then he saw the sunrise.
Zhang Yining saw the sun as an egg yolk, imagining himself biting it off to resist his appetite for his companions.
On the fourth day, at midnight, he thought he would never be able to open his eyes again, but he heard the sound of pine trees and saw the moonlight filtering through the cracks in his eyes.
The moonlight, like water, soothed his thirst.
When Han Baiyu, who happened to be passing by, found him, he only saw a quiet, decaying corpse and a serene, almost inhumanly thin Daoist boy.
It was several months later when Han Baiyu learned about Zhang Yining's past experiences.
The Heavenly Silkworm Demonic Art should have been eager to devour the essence and blood of others, constantly enhancing its demonic poison and undergoing layer-by-layer transformation.
In Zhang Yining's case, it transformed into the "Heavenly Silkworm Divine Art," a skill that emphasizes never eating people, appreciating the sun and moon, seeking answers for oneself, and living towards death.
"Heavenly Silkworm Demonic Art, Heavenly Silkworm Divine Art ----"
Chu Tianshu's expression was subtle. He moved slightly closer to Han Baiyu and asked softly, "Are you sure his Daoist name is Yining, and not Sanfeng?"
Han Baiyu was stunned. "Sanfeng? Isn't Zhang Sanfeng an old man who came from Shaolin and later switched to Taiji?"
"When I first learned that this place was home to many sects and a flourishing martial arts community, I made a special trip to inquire about it. But there was no Zhang Sanfeng on Mount Wudang, and no Shaolin or Nine Yang Art Jueyuan Shaolin Temple."
Chu Tianshu shook his head vigorously.
"Who says Zhang Sanfeng was necessarily a little monk who started with the Nine Yang Art? You're way too simplistic in your understanding of martial arts."
Han Baiyu clasped his hands together. "Oh, please, let's not talk about that! Please, please, let's save them first!"