Chapter 1 Yes, Indeed!

Yes!

As long as people are alive, their bodies will constantly produce heat, or yang energy.

Therefore, Second Master's method is very simple: to accumulate this yang energy and guide it into one's own "furnace."

The hotter the furnace burns, the stronger the person becomes, the more abundant the yang energy, and the less they fear evil spirits. Even things like Tai Sui meat are simply very nourishing, allowing the body to produce more yang energy, which can then burn one's furnace red-hot and blazing.

But what happens when a person has no yang energy at all without eating Tai Sui meat?

A dead person!

Only dead people are ice-cold, without any heat.

Forget about using one's usual heat to practice and stoke the furnace; it's possible to extinguish the fire that's already been lit.

…

Hu Ma understood all of this, and his heart couldn't help but feel horrified.

He realized his problem: the roaring fire he stoked last night was just an illusion.

He was able to light the furnace smoothly last night because of the Tai Sui meat he had eaten before, the blood Tai Sui. This bizarre and nourishing substance allowed him to light the furnace smoothly, and even made his body as warm as a normal person's.

But when this heat entered the furnace, and the Tai Sui meat he had eaten was completely digested, he was immediately knocked back to his original state…

This body wouldn't produce even a trace of heat.

In Second Master's words, it was the body of a dead man.

This body was always cold. Not only would it not produce new heat usually, but it would even consume the "fire" in the furnace until he ate meat again at Second Master's place, the valuable green Tai Sui. Only then did this body warm up.

Only then could he continue to guide this heat into his furnace.

"So, why did I suddenly wake up freezing in the early hours of the morning?"

He vaguely had an answer in his heart: "Because I didn't eat the meat that Granny gave me all day yesterday."

Once he stopped eating that kind of meat, his body would become ice-cold.

Not only would it be unable to fill the fire in the furnace, but it would even consume the fire in the furnace little by little.

Once the fire in the furnace was completely extinguished, what would be the consequences?

Hu Ma didn't even dare to imagine.

…

…

"Alright, there's a lot you need to learn. Let's take it one step at a time."

Second Master didn't know what Hu Ma was thinking. He urged him to quickly finish the few pieces of meat in his bowl and left the main room.

After swallowing this bowl of green Tai Sui, Hu Ma felt that everything was normal again.

He couldn't feel any difference between his current self and when he was alive in his previous life. He had the same energy and his body was just as warm.

Moreover, he could easily circulate the "xing gong" (circulating energy) method that Second Master had taught him last night, diverting the heat that constantly arose in his body into the furnace in his lower abdomen.

He felt that he was no different from the other young men around him.

Or rather, his condition should be much better than theirs, right? They only had a little bit of white Tai Sui to eat each day.

What he was eating was green Tai Sui, a large bowl of it.

But…

…alas!

Now, the only thing he didn't understand was the reason for this state.

Was it due to some problem with his original body, or his identity as a "transmigrator"?

…

…

"You all follow Second Master to learn the skill of worshipping Tai Sui, to earn money and start a family."

At this time, Second Master had already gathered all the young men together and was loudly lecturing them, "Second Master doesn't have much to teach you. First, it's lighting the furnace. Don't even think about joining the meat-cutting team if you can't light this furnace. But lighting the furnace is just the beginning."

"You have to run in the mountains, bask in the sun, and practice your stances. The stronger your body, the more abundant your yang energy, and the bolder you become, the hotter your furnace will burn…"

"Of course, the best thing is to eat Tai Sui, but even your Second Master can't afford it, so don't even think about it."

"…"

Second Master didn't hide his disdain for the young men in the village, but after a pause, he said, "So, there's only one trick to learning skills from Second Master: endure hardship and be patient. The most important thing is not to think about women."

"If you can endure hardship, your body will become strong, your yang energy will be abundant, and you'll have courage and ruthlessness. If your temper is fierce, even a butcher can overcome evil spirits."

"With me, Second Master, I'm not afraid of you being naughty or fighting. We have plenty of black oil ointment. The only thing I'm afraid of is that you can't control yourselves. You're not learning good things at a young age. Our village is located outside the stockaded village precisely because we're afraid that you'll get tempted when you see women."

"Alas, for the sake of you little brats, I, Second Master, don't even dare to raise sheep…"

"Alright, alright, today we're still practicing stances. After that, follow Second Master to patrol the forest!"

"…"

The young men cheered as they listened. At this age, their energetic appearance made Hu Ma envious.

But with his mind in a daze, how could he have any intention of joining in this excitement?

"Little Hu Ma, come here…"

Second Master didn't know what Hu Ma was thinking at this time. Seeing him standing aside absentmindedly, he thought he was unable to keep up with the progress and couldn't integrate, so he smiled and beckoned to him, "Don't be afraid, our stances are simple. Just spar a few times, and you'll learn them too…"

"This…"

Hu Ma wasn't really interested, but he could only step forward. Just as he was thinking about what to say, he suddenly heard a faint call in his ear:

"Brother Hu Ma, I've come to bring you food…"

"…"

"Little Hong Tang?"

Hu Ma recognized the voice and subconsciously turned his head, only to see Little Hong Tang hiding outside the door, with only her little head sticking out.

Subconsciously, he turned around and walked towards the outside of the village.

Second Master was surprised, "Where are you going?"

Hu Ma quickly pointed to the door and said, "Someone's looking for me. Maybe Granny's here."

"Granny's here?"

Second Master was also taken aback. The young men who had been lively just now suddenly lowered their voices, looking surprised and whispering to each other:

"Did you see anyone?"

"No, it's said that the Hu family can summon ghosts. He's…"

"Could it be that he's afraid of getting beaten and is pretending?"

"…"

"Brother Hu Ma, why aren't you coming out…"

Outside, Little Hong Tang's cry became more urgent. Hu Ma was surprised for a moment and walked out. Second Master was worried and followed him.

When he got to the door, he saw a bamboo basket on the ground that was about the same size as Little Hong Tang, covered with a piece of red cloth. Little Hong Tang was nowhere to be seen. Second Master glanced at the basket and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "It really is that girl, go ahead!"

With that, he put his hands behind his back and returned to the village.

Hu Ma stood at the entrance of the village courtyard. After Second Master returned to the village, Little Hong Tang sneaked over, strolling along the street.

Hu Ma quickly walked over and asked in a low voice, "Where's Granny?"

He had questions he wanted to ask Granny and couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

He realized that this problem might be very serious, but he vaguely felt that he shouldn't ask Second Master directly.

It was better to ask Granny.

"Granny went into the mountains to find someone."

Little Hong Tang squatted on the ground, looking at the basket in front of her and said, "She asked Little Hong Tang to bring you food."

"Bring food?"

Hu Ma opened the red cloth on the basket and saw a large bowl of square-shaped meat inside.

Blood Tai Sui.

There was even a plate next to it, with two white steamed buns on it.

"When will Granny come over?"

Hu Ma took a deep look at the bowl of meat, already deeply aware of its importance.

"Granny didn't say."

Little Hong Tang just squatted opposite the basket, resting her cheeks on her small hands, and said to Hu Ma, "But Granny told me to bring you a message."

"She said that Brother Hu Ma should stay obediently with Second Master to learn skills. If you feel cold at night, don't be afraid. Just eat meat. Tai Sui meat can cure diseases, so we should eat more. If you eat a lot, your furnace will be more vigorous than others'…"

"But, you've only just recovered, so you have to save your energy and don't overwork yourself…"

"…"

"This…"

Little Hong Tang was very cute when she imitated Granny's way of speaking, but Hu Ma didn't have time to pay attention to that. This message, spoken in Granny's tone, suddenly made his heart sink slightly.

Could it be that Granny had already guessed the problem he would encounter after lighting the furnace?

She deliberately conveyed this message, which must not be groundless. It was more like giving him a reassurance.

There was no firewood in his furnace, so it couldn't be lit.

So, she was comforting him, or guaranteeing him, that he would be able to eat blood Tai Sui every day?

Or rather, her meaning was that although his body couldn't automatically burn the furnace now, as long as he kept eating blood Tai Sui and the furnace burned brighter and brighter, then the state of his body could be gradually changed?

Even better than others?

He couldn't be sure for a moment, but looking at Little Hong Tang's delicate and silly appearance, he knew he wouldn't be able to get any answers from her.

She was just running errands to deliver things and pass on messages.

After a long silence, Hu Ma picked up the bowl and said to Little Hong Tang, "Tell Granny that I've remembered it."

"Then eat it!"

Little Hong Tang smiled and narrowed her eyes, "After you've finished eating, Little Hong Tang still has to take the basket back for Granny to check…"

"Little Hong Tang is very obedient and didn't steal any, although…"

"…I really want to eat it."

"…"

Looking at Little Hong Tang's pitiful eyes, Hu Ma nodded and said, "Yes, I can see that!"

With that, he continued to eat.