Chapter 46: The Beast Plague (Fourth Update)

Let us set aside the matter of the peach blossom buns for now.

Brother Chicken certainly enjoyed them. In the end, Chen Yu found that by omitting those bizarre additions, the taste was actually quite decent. The dough wrappers, steamed in the bamboo steamer and dipped in sauce, went perfectly with the rice. As for the toughness, it was not that noticeable.

After breakfast, he sat under the eaves, closing his eyes to listen to the pattering rain. Drops fell into the water vat, coaxing the fish to swim and play. There were two silver carp left from his previous catch; he planned to stew them with the final crab.

The loach? That had long since been consumed.

To this day, Chen Yu was no longer as confident in his culinary skills as he once was. After numerous fruitless fishing attempts, his butchery and cooking techniques had become increasingly unpresentable. Beyond a few simple home-cooked meals, every time he tried a new dish, all sorts of problems would arise.

"The only thing still holding up is the farming..."

In reality, the farming hadn't yielded anything definitive either; he often wasn't even sure of the purpose of what he grew, forcing him to ponder and guess.

But it was fine... Somehow, everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction, and that was enough.

"Fu Sheng Wu Liang Tian Zun."

He chanted the invocation and cast his gaze toward the acupoints within his body.

He had traversed a little less than half the journey of guiding Qi into his acupoints. Although the remaining points were still as vast as a sea of stars throughout his body, he was at least advancing steadily, without the difficulty increasing as he progressed further.

On the contrary, with the further refinement and improvement of his breathing technique—derived from the Spirit-Calling Body-Strengthening Method—and the increase in his proficiency, the speed of guiding Qi was far beyond what it had been at the start. Otherwise, he could not have completed the process for nearly a thousand acupoints in just over ten days.

His primal blood surged. At this moment, he could almost tangibly feel the power of this strength; it was not ethereal, nor was it mysterious—it was simply immense.

With every movement, vigorous blood and energy surged.

Now, as he performed a set of the Cloud Crane Stance, the galloping horse behind him could manifest completely. While it wasn't yet so lifelike that one could see the softness of its mane, it was truly miraculous.

He had tested it; under the agitation of his primal blood, he could even lift the stone mill and roller in the backyard! And this was without even exerting his full strength. The growth of such power was truly startling.

And this was only with forty percent of the acupoints filled with Qi. Chen Yu suspected that if he completed them all, perhaps the mere release of his blood and energy could frighten away a large group of second-rate experts.

Perhaps even first-rate experts would be scared half to death.

The increase in physical strength was secondary. The appearance of primal blood allowed for a clearer perception of his own body, as this refined blood was highly compatible with his spiritual power. The consumption during introspection was lower, which in turn allowed for a more detailed grasp of his bones, muscles, and internal organs.

Moreover, Chen Yu discovered that the primal blood and Qi had a high degree of compatibility. Since he had filled nearly half his body with Qi, each acupoint stored a wisp of it as a relay, making the connection and mobilization of energy exceptionally easy.

However, the breathing technique was still essential; it could not be omitted.

Chen Yu’s spiritual power could barely manipulate the Qi seeds condensed in his organs a second time. Even though his spiritual power was constantly being tempered and strengthened, those Qi seeds remained fixed, as if nailed into place, utterly immovable.

But his breathing technique could move them.

By combining his practical experience with the Spirit-Calling Art and the Viscera Rebirth Technique, along with various theoretical formulas and his own research into Qi, the breathing technique he had devised could at least make the Qi seeds budge.

Furthermore, perhaps because he had referenced the Spirit-Calling Art, although the breathing technique focused on respiration, it also had a vague, guiding effect on his spiritual power.

In this, he saw the hope of merging the three methods into one.

Chen Yu felt that if he could truly combine all these techniques, it would undoubtedly be the most suitable path for him—the fundamental method for his future journey.

Unfortunately, he had only just begun; success was still far, far away.

He circulated his blood and guided the Qi into his acupoints.

He dissolved another clot of flesh, and his primal blood grew imperceptibly. It was no longer weak; it now accounted for a significant portion of his blood volume. Several times, when he had forcefully utilized it to the point of boiling, he had experienced ruptured blood vessels and blood seeping through his skin. Chen Yu knew clearly that as time passed and the primal blood increased, a complete blood replacement would eventually occur.

In fact, he could have done it now, and perhaps even triggered more miracles after the replacement. But he was unwilling.

The heart and bones were the foundations of blood production. Of the five internal organs, only the liver had undergone transformation; the other four were still being nourished. The bones, while long nourished by primal blood, spiritual liquid, and Qi, showed no signs of transformation yet.

If these two foundations remained unchanged while the blood was replaced, he feared that the old and new blood would collide, affecting other tissues and organs. It was safer and more stable to keep the old blood as the foundation, supplemented by the primal blood.

The primal blood was gentle, posing no immediate threat.

...

The rain fell incessantly, and the wind blew into the Taoist temple, creating a mournful sound.

Chen Yu looked around, seeing the daylight fading.

A heavy rain was coming. He donned his bamboo hat and straw cape, intending to visit the mountain fields, just as he had during the spring rains. However, as summer approached, although the rain was fierce, it would not last for days, which might otherwise trigger a flash flood.

*Tap, tap, tap!*

Treading through the mud, he bypassed the peach grove and reached the mountainside.

The fields appeared in the veil of rain. Not far away, the mountain forest rustled, and streams gurgled, accompanied by the startled cries of birds.

With a hoe over his shoulder, he circled the fields. It was mostly broken wood clogging the irrigation ditches, causing the mountain water to overflow into the crops.

He simply cleared it away.

Before long, the sound of the rain softened.

Having finished the task, Chen Yu was about to return to the temple to continue his practice when he saw a small deer dart out in a panic.

*Bleat!*

A bright red bloodstain on its back was jarring in the rain.

Chen Yu approached quickly, his gaze turning cold as he looked at the dense forest behind the foolish deer. A flash of brownish-black passed by, accompanied by deep, heavy snorts.

His eyesight was sharp; through the rain, he clearly identified the creature.

A black bear.

Rainwater slid off its coarse fur, and on its hulking frame, a pair of black eyes burned with icy coldness. Its bloody maw seemed ready to open, revealing sharp fangs.

He lowered his hoe, holding it in one hand, and stepped forward with his right foot, his waist and back slightly arched.

He was like a taut, powerful bow, ready to strike!

*Snort... Roar!*

It was unclear what had provoked the bear to come out hunting in the rain, all the way to the outskirts of the Qingtai Mountain where the Cloud Crane Temple stood.

Chen Yu’s expression remained unchanged. If it were the version of himself from when he had first discovered the footprints and feared the beast, he might have been hesitant. But now, with the reinforcement of his primal blood, he did not shy away from a contest of strength.

Of course, he wasn't exactly eager for a fight either.

Chen Yu did not enjoy killing. If he could drive it away, or teach it a lesson so it would know this was the territory of a "stronger creature" and not dare to intrude again, that would be sufficient.

As his thoughts raced, seeing that the bear would not leave, he felt his primal blood churn. A low, rumbling sound, like distant thunder, echoed within him.

Amidst the patter of the rain, a wisp of blood-red energy began to swirl and steam around his body. In a trance, a crimson stallion seemed to emerge, kicking through the flames.

*Swish—*

The next moment, he hurled the hoe. It pierced through the rain curtain amidst the rising smoke of his blood and energy, striking directly in front of the black bear!