Chapter 1 "Creating Livestock?"

Hu Ma felt deeply uneasy hearing these words.

Instinctively, he wanted to look closer, but he hesitated, and in the dim light of the main room, he saw that Wu He no longer had any skin.

All that was visible were patches of scars and exposed muscle tissue. Amidst the scent of herbs, he could smell a foul odor, emanating from the festering wounds all over her body.

She was the beauty the outer courtyard workers dreamed of day and night, the stunning woman they dared only imagine, yet she was a person without skin.

Or perhaps, she did have skin.

That skin was hanging on the wall behind him, only it was the pelt of a dog.

"She was turned into livestock by the method of 'creating livestock,'" the old shopkeeper's voice sounded from behind Hu Ma, laced with coldness and indignation, and a deep sense of guilt: "I'm sorry to her. My skills are limited. I tried everything I could, but I could only tear that dog skin off of her."

"But she can't live without herbal ointment, or leave the house. Every day, she has to endure the pain of venomous fire burning her. If she can't bear it..."

He paused, then said in a low voice, "She can only put on that dog skin and live in the world as livestock."

"You sending the Qingyu Paste (Azure Jade Paste) was a great help. It eased her suffering for a while, and she was able to go out and get some air."

"Qingyu Paste (Azure Jade Paste)? That small piece of *taisu* (flesh-spirit) I gave you before?"

Hu Ma suddenly understood. When he gave the old shopkeeper that piece of *taisu* (flesh-spirit), the old man had asked him, without any pretense, if he had any more.

At the time, he thought the old shopkeeper was greedy.

But he never imagined that that little thing was so important to Wu He. If it had been him, he probably would have been even greedier.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say, and he slowly backed out of the side room.

He looked up at the old shopkeeper and said, "Who did this?"

"The Tan'er Sect," the old shopkeeper said in a low voice: "A group of low-lives who specialize in unspeakable deeds, creating livestock, harvesting and cutting, exorcising ghosts, learning evil and immoral techniques."

"Perhaps you've wondered why there's only a single shopkeeper in this estate, with no old hands around?"

"Heh, it was them too."

"Five lives, three cripples, and a large amount of blood offerings, all thanks to them."

Hu Ma's heart stirred slightly as he listened.

Was this the bloodbath Erguotou had mentioned? Were those evil spirits brought here by this Tan'er Sect?

He had wanted to understand what happened, but didn't know where to start. He didn't expect the shopkeeper to bring it up.

The old shopkeeper sighed softly and said, "After that incident last year, I should have returned to the city, but I begged my old friends to plead for me, and insisted on staying in this estate, just to wait for those *xingzi* (ones who travel) to return."

"Now it looks like it's soon."

"Since one has appeared, it means the others will be back soon as well. We didn't wait in vain…"

Hu Ma didn't understand what happened last year, or why the old shopkeeper was so insistent on waiting.

But he knew that he should pretend to know nothing, so he waited patiently.

But the old shopkeeper didn't say anything more. He suddenly turned to look at Hu Ma and said, "How's your art coming along?"

Hu Ma's heart tensed slightly. He quickly unwrapped the cloth strips on his left hand and showed it to the old shopkeeper. "Look."

"When I fought the peddler, I was struck by a move and blocked it with my left hand."

"The needles should have been poisoned, but I used the Transcendent Death, stopped my blood circulation, and avoided the poison. Now, the wound is almost healed."

"Very good."

The old shopkeeper held up the oil lamp and looked at it. There were only a few inconspicuous needle marks on the back of Hu Ma's hand.

He sighed, put the oil lamp back, looked at Hu Ma, and said seriously: "You are calm and decisive, and are suitable to cultivate the Path of the Night Watcher. This progress is not slow."

"After you've finished refining your left hand, you can work on refining your right leg. When you have the skills of one hand and one leg, you can help me…"

"He had mentioned helping before."

Hu Ma thought to himself: "So he wasn't referring to worshipping the Taisui (Grand Duke Jupiter) next spring, but to these people?"

His mind raced, but he said, "I'll do whatever the shopkeeper tells me."

"Not to mention your kindness in imparting the art, but simply because…"

He subconsciously glanced at the side room, paused slightly, and said, "Just because of these outrageous people, I am duty-bound."

These words were not false. Transcendent Ones are different from the people of this world in many ways, but there are some things that can form a rare resonance due to the same righteous indignation.

There are always some bottom lines that cannot be broken at any time when you are a human being.

For example, the practice of creating livestock, harvesting and cutting, at any time seen, or even heard, will produce a deep, scalp-numbing fear.

And when the shopkeeper heard Hu Ma say this, he was slightly stunned, and a look of surprise seemed to flash in his eyes.

Inside the side room, there was a slight sound of water, as if Junior Sister Miao Miao was trembling, mixed with soft sobs.

The old shopkeeper seemed to be touched by Hu Ma's words. After a long time, he looked at Hu Ma solemnly and sighed softly, "Now that we're here, I might as well make things clear to you!"

"I'm teaching you the art, but I'm not taking you as my disciple. I don't want the title of master and apprentice, otherwise it would be like using this title to kidnap you. In such a short time, even if you really call me master, I'm afraid I won't be able to foster the kind of affection that would make you go through hell and high water with me."

"Furthermore, to be clear, the disciple I wanted to choose before was Xu Ji…"

After a slight pause, the old shopkeeper looked at Hu Ma and said: "Not because he gave heavier gifts, but because his family's power has fallen, and he dared to make a poisonous oath to serve me. So, when those lowlifes return, I will use him to risk his life for me as much as possible…"

"As for you, I think you're not bad. If you can survive, it's not impossible for me to pass on a key secret to you before I die."

"There's such a thing?"

Hu Ma was slightly startled, feeling a bit bizarre, but thinking about it carefully, it really matched the old shopkeeper's attitude.

"But in the end, it's all fate. Xu Ji is too reckless, and his life won't be long."

The old shopkeeper sighed and said: "In this way, I can only rely on you."

"If those people don't come back, you can just learn some skills and be a worker in this Red Lantern Association, but since they are coming back, you can't escape."

"Originally, I didn't have to say anything. You learned my skills and you're in this estate. When they come, you can't avoid them. But since things have come to this point, I might as well make things clearer. I'm teaching you to deal with them. Are you willing to wholeheartedly help me this time?"

"If you agree, I will not only pass on the art to you, but I can also provide you with more blood offerings to help you cultivate."

Hu Ma could feel that when he said these words, he stared at him, his eyes filled with a heavy pressure.

It seemed like he was asking, but could he really refuse?

So he pretended to think for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "I still say the same thing."

"Even if the shopkeeper doesn't allow me these things, I can't tolerate those unscrupulous people."

"But the shopkeeper also knows how much ability I have. What I can promise now is that I will do my best, and help as much as I can."

These words were very real. He was going to help, but how did the old shopkeeper want him to help?

"What you said is true…"

The old shopkeeper listened to Hu Ma's words, and was silent for a moment, but also sighed and said, "The Tan'er Sect is not so easy to deal with, and your current cultivation is not enough."

"But there's nothing we can do, we can only hurry up!"

As he spoke, he opened a cabinet on the side of the main room, and saw that the three layers inside were filled with oil lamps.

He took out one of them, put it on the table, lit it, and said to Hu Ma: "Take it away, and refine this leg as soon as possible. With one hand and one leg, you will have a little confidence to protect yourself when facing these guys."

"From now on, eat this meal every night, come to the inner courtyard to eat, and supplement more blood food."

"Yes!"

Hu Ma saw that he still didn't elaborate, so he didn't ask, and could only agree, and picked up the oil lamp.

This time, unlike the last time, his left hand didn't become numb, but felt cool to the touch, and his right leg felt slightly cool.

He knew that this seemed to be the Path of the Night Watcher.

Those oil lamps are the parts that the Night Watcher needs to practice. Each oil lamp contains carefully formulated poison, which is equivalent to killing the corresponding part of a person.

And this is also the reason why the old shopkeeper can only teach one person. Not to mention the supplementation of blood food, just these oil lamps alone need to be carefully modulated for each one. If one person uses it, it will not be effective for another person.

To put it bluntly, for the Night Watcher, accurately and completely killing a part of his body is itself a problem in cultivation.

Of course, Hu Ma could actually skip this step, but there was no need to say it.

Picking up the oil lamp, Hu Ma was about to leave, but when he reached the door, he turned around and looked at the side room and said, "He Meizi (Sister He), thank you for saving my life today."

"If you need any rouge, powder, or jewelry in the future, just tell me."

"Ah, yes, I still have a jar of black ointment, which was personally formulated by the people in our village."

"I'll send it over later, I think it will also help you."

"Thank… Thank you, Brother Hu Ma."

It took a while for Wu He Meizi's (Sister He) voice to sound, with a trembling tone: "But I beg you…"

"Please don't tell anyone…"

"Absolutely not!"

Hu Ma promised and was about to turn around and walk out of the house, but the old shopkeeper hesitated slightly and said in a low voice, "Wait."

Seeming a little hesitant, he slowly took out an exquisite porcelain bottle from his sleeve and put it on the table.

He sighed softly, "I won't use you for nothing!"

"Since you have agreed to help me, we will never hide anything from you. This is a very good thing. Take it back and take care of your body!"