Chapter 11 The Shousui Tradition

I did indeed make this Huang Gou village matter happen, and in theory, the old shopkeeper should pass on the method, but is it really that easy? Upon hearing these words from the old shopkeeper, Hu Ma vaguely felt some suspicion. However, he remembered his principles: listen more, think more, and don't ask too many questions.

The old shopkeeper's face was unreadable, neither happy nor angry. He paused slightly before saying blandly, "There's no need to overthink it. This manor lacks a steward and someone who can stand alone. I'm willing to teach you, the faster you learn, the better."

"But once you learn this method, you'll have entered the path. The dangers within are probably beyond your imagination. Are you prepared?"

Hu Ma took a deep breath and said solemnly, "If I can learn this method, I fear nothing."

"If you, shopkeeper, are willing to teach me this method, even if I don't call you 'Master,' I will remember this kindness."

"There's no need to be so cautious. We'll know what's true and what's false when the time comes."

The old shopkeeper smiled upon hearing this and looked at Hu Ma again, saying, "The Shousui (Year Watcher) method isn't difficult to teach you."

"But before I teach you, you must first understand, what is a Shousui?"

"This..."

Hu Ma revealed a look of confusion, pretending that he only knew the name "Shousui."

The old shopkeeper smiled and said softly, "This is the method of our trade. I imagine your family elders wouldn't know it."

"Not abandoning what's left and right is called shou (guarding), the transition between old and new is called sui (year)."

He slowly opened his mouth and said, "Shousui people are those who guard the boundary between yin and yang, between life and death."

"Of course, some also say that we Shousui people are named that because we often deal with the Grand Duke of Jupiter (Tai Sui), and that's not wrong."

"When the Grand Duke of Jupiter descends, he leaves boundless blessings for the people of this world. If we can spend our lives guarding the Grand Duke of Jupiter, that would also be a fortunate thing..."

Hu Ma listened carefully to his words, his heart already pounding slightly.

Shousui walking ghosts, nourishing life and connecting with the yin...

There are many paths in this world, and only by entering these paths can one have a chance to survive in this world.

Now, the path of the Shousui has quietly opened to him...

"However, after all is said and done, entering this path still requires a key..."

Shopkeeper Wu sat down beside the stone table. With his voice, the light from the surrounding oil lamps seemed to dim a little.

He said softly, "And that key is... death!"

"Ah?"

Hu Ma didn't suppress his surprise and suddenly looked up at Shopkeeper Wu.

"You heard correctly."

Shopkeeper Wu seemed very satisfied with Hu Ma's surprise, smiled faintly, and said, "Entering this path, the first word is 'death.'"

"Currently, you apprentices are all chosen from various families and clans. Your primordial yang hasn't been damaged, and your life force is at its peak. Even if you haven't cultivated any methods, your body is like a blazing furnace, warding off evil spirits and ghosts. Wandering spirits will avoid you."

"However, the isolated yang cannot produce life. At this step, you've reached your limit. Further down the line, marrying and having children, your body will flourish, and your life force will begin to decline."

"But our Shousui path is to choose this time to go against the current."

"From life to death, and then from death to life, ultimately existing between life and death, neither alive nor dead, both dead and alive."

"Hehe, it is said that dusk is the boundary, yin and yang are divided, living people and evil spirits each take their own path, but we Shousui people aren't born at the dividing line. We are people who can go anywhere."

"From life to death, and then refining life from death?"

Hearing these words, Hu Ma was even more surprised. He understood why his婆婆 (pópo – paternal grandmother) wanted him to learn this.

He couldn't help but ask, "Then... what should I do?"

At this point, the old shopkeeper looked at Hu Ma with a smile that wasn't quite a smile and said, "I'm telling you all this, aren't you afraid?"

Hu Ma immediately said, "The old shopkeeper is teaching me skills, why should I be afraid?"

The old shopkeeper looked into his eyes, seeing only anticipation and no confusion or fear. He sighed softly.

"Earlier, seeing that he had such abilities and was also promised such good conditions by Xu Ji, he was suppressed to the point that he couldn't lift his head. I occasionally wondered if he had a big background and was just putting on an act, having other plans for me."

"Now, it seems I was overthinking it. He really is from the village. He's not stupid, and he has methods, but his mind is still simple and unworldly."

His doubts completely gone, he smiled at Hu Ma and said, "What I told you just now is the method. To say how to do it, that's the doorway."

"To truly become a Shousui, first, you must let a part of your body die."

"After dying, use the Shousui's method to refine death into life. Once this step is completed, you'll have your own abilities."

"This is both the method and the reliance."

"Since you've entered this path, you'll inevitably have to deal with the Grand Duke of Jupiter in the future, and you'll also encounter those evil spirits and monsters, strange and bizarre things. Whether you can turn misfortune into good fortune, ward off evil and avoid disasters in the future all depends on this 'death' character."

"Of course, how much you can die, how much you can live, ascend the stairs and enter the mansion, cross the bridge and return home, to which step you can reach, can only depend on your own fortune."

"What I can tell you is that the highest cultivation level in our path is called 'Living Dead.'"

"Those are people who have completely died once and have borrowed death to refine life, transcending yin and yang."

As he spoke, he supported the teapot beside him, secretly adjusting the fire. His palm actually became like a red-hot iron, and the teapot was gradually burned red and hot, the tea boiling.

Then, he withdrew his hand and said to Hu Ma, "Pour me some tea."

"Ascend the stairs and enter the mansion, cross the bridge and return home... Living Dead?"

Hu Ma carefully thought about what the old shopkeeper had said to him, his eyes looking at the teapot. It looked like it had just been taken from the stove, faintly emitting a scorching red light. He didn't know how hot it was.

Knowing that he would be burned, he still reached out to take it.

The old shopkeeper directly laughed and brushed his hand away, saying, "Silly boy, you're really going to take it?"

Saying this, he reached out with his other hand and picked up the teapot.

Hu Ma looked carefully. Since he could use one hand to burn the teapot red, he could naturally avoid being burned, but he didn't use his furnace fire. He simply reached out and grabbed the red-hot teapot.

Immediately, his skin couldn't withstand it. With a "sizzle" sound, it was directly burned, and there was a faint smell of焦糊 (jiāohú – burnt).

But the old shopkeeper didn't care. He slowly raised his palm.

Hu Ma noticed that his hand was ashen and cold, stiff and dead, without any vitality.

But he didn't know how he did it. He circulated his qi, and the hand gradually came alive. The burned area gradually healed.

"This is the skill between life and death, and it's also the specialty of the Shousui."

The old shopkeeper smiled as he withdrew his hand and poured tea for himself, saying, "Cultivating this method will not only make you impervious to water and fire, but even highly poisonous evil spirits won't be able to harm this hand. Picking money from an oil pot is a piece of cake for us. This is the skill."

"However, if you want to cultivate this skill, you must first die partially."

Saying this, he pointed to the surrounding oil lamps and said softly, "Limbs, muscles, bones, internal organs, eyes, and brain. Each part refined from death to life will allow you to learn different skills, until finally, you refine your mind and soul once as well, and this skill will be greatly accomplished."

"Now I've lit these lamps for you. Each one represents a different part, used as a guide for you to cultivate this method."

"It depends on your affinity. Pick one first. Wherever you start dying, you'll end the practice there..."

Hu Ma turned his head to look. The lamps were all different, and without exception, the flames flickered, carrying a mysterious aura.

It was only at this time that he understood the purpose of lighting these oil lamps.

In addition to feeling strange and shocked, he also felt some extra emotion and joy.

The old shopkeeper was still waiting for him to pick a lamp, choose a part to die, and then cultivate this method...

But in fact, he could choose any of them.

Because his whole body had already died, waiting only to seek life.

Joy filled his heart, and he showed it very easily. He stood up and bowed to the old shopkeeper, saying, "I'll listen to you, shopkeeper."

"Which lamp do you want me to choose?"

Seeing Hu Ma ask this, even the shopkeeper looked at him with some surprise.

His mood seemed to improve, and he pointed at Hu Ma, saying, "I say you're ignorant, but you have a good brain. Fine, it's precisely because of your nature that you have the opportunity to enter our path. Did you see that blue lamp on the left? Pick it up and take it back to your room!"

Hu Ma looked at the lamp, not knowing what it represented, but he calmed his mind and reached out to pick it up.

The lamp was on the left, so he naturally used his left hand to pick it up.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he picked it up, he felt a slight numbness in his left hand, and then he felt a strange aura seeping in from his left fingertip.

He looked down and saw that his left hand had already appeared with strands of dark purple, spreading along his blood vessels to his entire palm and even half of his forearm. This was indeed unexpected, but he held it steadily and didn't throw it away.

"This lamp contains a secret medicine made from Black Tai Sui, which will destroy the vitality of your left hand."

Shopkeeper Wu looked at his calm appearance and became more appreciative. He said softly, "Now it's just poisoning. After a cup of tea, your left hand will be completely dead."

"But this is just the beginning. After dying, you must mobilize your furnace fire and re-refine this hand to life."

"I don't expect you to progress too quickly. Before next spring, if you can cultivate an arm and a foot, you might be able to help me."

"Yes, I will do my best."

Hu Ma quickly agreed, holding the oil lamp and listening carefully to the shopkeeper's teaching of the method.

The shopkeeper also sighed softly and then pointed out to Hu Ma the method of running the furnace fire, refining death into life.

Listening carefully, this method wasn't unfamiliar. In fact, it was essentially the same as the method Hu Ma learned from Second Master to accumulate his own furnace fire.

However, that method was just guarding an yin talisman, moving vitality, while the old shopkeeper's method now was guarding the meridians and activating the vitality of the left hand. There were many more subtleties.

It was clear that it was a much more brilliant method.

He listened and remembered everything, not revealing anything, and then solemnly thanked the shopkeeper and left the inner courtyard.

From life to death, refining death into life...

The problem that had troubled him for so long had finally found a solution.