Chapter 304: Devoting to Learning
Chapter 304: Devoting to Learning
"What was Brother Pockmark up to yesterday? Who was he treating to a meal?"
"It sounds like an old lady's laughter?"
The next morning, the companions in the manor were baffled by the mess of cups and plates, especially the two roosters that had been drained of blood and half-eaten, and the table full of eggshells. They looked towards Hu Ma's courtyard, but none dared to ask.
What they didn't know was that a strange occurrence had spread in the nearby villages surrounding the manor.
It was said that an old man from Pole Village discovered his fence open during the night, and his large brown donkey was missing. This was a matter concerning the livelihood of his entire family, so he hurriedly lit lanterns and went out to search.
Normally, no one dared to venture out at night, but lately, things had been calm, and there hadn't been any reports of mischievous spirits in the area for a long time. Additionally, the old man felt he had lived a life without any guilt, so he mustered up some courage.
However, as soon as he reached the village entrance, he saw two yellow weasels carrying a paper palanquin, with an old lady inside wearing a blue robe, her head adorned with flowers, and a large mole with long hair on her face.
The old man was so terrified that he collapsed on the spot.
But the old lady in the palanquin came before him, not to harm him, but with a smiling face, she pointed in a certain direction.
Then, she took the dry pipe bag from the old man's waist and walked away, smoking as she went.
The old man, dazed and confused from the fright, forgot his fear and followed the direction the old lady had indicated, searching for about two miles.
To his surprise, he actually found his donkey grazing in a ditch.
He quickly led the donkey back home, and the news of the old lady in the palanquin spread like wildfire the very next day.
From then on, it became known that there was an additional old lady in the vicinity of the manor. Since she hadn't harmed anyone, they didn't bother to inform the little shopkeeper in the manor about her, and instead, word spread that this old lady had a kind heart and was willing to lend a helping hand.
Some families even encountered difficulties, lost items, or had questions they didn't feel comfortable asking the shopkeeper or companions in the manor, so they mustered their courage and sought the old lady's assistance.
To their surprise, they found that this old lady seemed even better than the little shopkeeper.
After all, what did the little shopkeeper and the managers know?
They only understood how to suppress spirits. If a family's cow went missing or if a lifelong bachelor wanted to know when he would find his marital fate or how to change his financial luck, they were clueless about such matters.
They couldn't even predict the future!
The old lady was different. At the very least, she could point out where lost items or missing souls of children could be found.
Some people were so grateful that they wanted to offer thanks, but they found that the old lady required very little in return.
Some offered a single chicken, while others offered two.
For those less fortunate, even a few red sugar eggs were enough to satisfy her, and soon, everyone was delighted. The word spread that a household guardian deity had appeared in the Green Stone Town area.
After sealing Seventh Auntie, Hu Ma sensed a peculiar tension in Bright State Prefecture. However, he didn't act hastily; instead, he quietly remained in the manor, mostly keeping to himself and contemplating.
He had already made arrangements with White Wine Miss, and she had agreed to help him once he was ready.
Hu Ma then gathered all his energy and focused on a few tasks.
First, he worked on the special skills of the New Year Guardian and prepared for entering the government office.
He had previously perfected the Five Viscera cultivation but hadn't continued with the Seven Apertures method, which left him stuck at this stage.
However, after his trip to Anzhou, he obtained the method for entering the government office, and thus, he also understood how to cultivate the Seven Apertures.
In essence, the Seven Apertures didn't require a specific cultivation method.
This also explained why Elder Shopkeeper Wu Hong only possessed the Five Viscera cultivation method and lacked knowledge of the Seven Apertures, and even the shopkeepers within the Red Lantern Society mostly stopped at the Five Viscera cultivation, unaware of the Seven Apertures.
The reason was that the Seven Apertures were cultivated together with the soul spirit, and they couldn't be separated. Therefore, only after obtaining the qualification to enter the government office could one cultivate the Seven Apertures after perfecting the Five Viscera.
According to the cultivation method, the Seven Apertures were the passages through which the soul spirit entered and exited.
As one cultivated the soul spirit, the yin energy would naturally nourish and transform the Seven Apertures, leading to extraordinary changes.
On the other hand, without the method to enter the government office, one couldn't forcefully cultivate the Seven Apertures, as any mistake could easily damage the soul spirit.
Hu Ma had already asked White Wine Miss to help him prepare the two oil lamps, but he didn't actually need them. He only did this to keep his secret of being a dead person.
So, it seemed like he was waiting for White Wine Miss to prepare the oil lamps, but in reality, after returning, he rested for a day or two to regain his energy and then began practicing the method of entering the government office.
However, the soul spirit and the soul spirit were both crucial, so he had to proceed cautiously during the initial stages.
While cultivating the soul spirit, he also started practicing the various special skills he had obtained from the Cave Li Clan, such as the Heart-Piercing Nail and Soul-Seeking Whip. These skills only required understanding the trick, and with minimal practice, he could use them effectively. However, the Great Stone Slapper and Chest Stone Crusher techniques required intense effort and practice.
Among them, the training method for the Great Stone Slapper was considered mysterious even to Hu Ma.
Every day, he would draw strange talismans on his hand and purchase specific herbs to brew into a medicinal liquid. Then, he would use that hand to strike a stone tablet until his palm was drenched in blood, merging with the talismans. After that, he would soak his hand in the medicinal liquid to heal it before repeating the process.
This cycle seemed endless, and even ordinary people could practice this skill, but it required a lifetime of dedication.
Guardians of the New Year had their unique characteristics; they recovered faster and had more stamina, so after a few months of practice, they would see results.
As for the chest stone crusher, it was similar to the Five Thunder Golden Toad Roar, a skill that utilized the power of the internal organs.
Hu Ma had put in great effort to master these skills, and since there weren't many stone tablets around the manor, he often went out at night to find and strike the tablets on graves.
On a few occasions, he disturbed the resting souls, who emerged from the graves ready to scold him, but a glare from Hu Ma sent them scurrying back, allowing him to continue his practice.
He guarded the New Year at night and learned to walk with ghosts during the day.
Or, to suppress spirits.
While helping Seventh Auntie with her sealing, Hu Ma also got a glimpse of the true foundation of the Hu family.
It was substantial.
Therefore, the next crucial step for him was to figure out how to utilize this foundation.
Based on the ghost hunters' methods and his understanding of the Year Guard Scroll, he set three in-depth thresholds for himself.
Shrine guardians, incantations, and warding objects.
When ghost hunters set up a ritual, they had shrine guardians, often played by small ghost hunters.
The Year Guard Scroll also mentioned these guardians, but they were different from those of the ghost hunters.
By combining the ghost hunters' methods with the scroll's teachings, Hu Ma understood the difference. When he first rescued Yang Gong in Niu Family Bay, he set up a ritual and summoned an old turtle from the river. At that time, he used straw to hastily make two straw men for the ritual.
However, he only knew that the method required making these straw men but didn't understand why.
Now he realized that these were the shrine guardians.
They didn't need to be kept and maintained; placing them beside the ritual was enough. As the ritual commenced, the guardians would appear.
Of course, one couldn't be careless with this; it was also related to one's skill.
The more lifelike the straw men, the more Yin energy they could withstand, making the ritual more realistic and effective in suppressing malevolent spirits.
It was like rope-making; the better the rope, the less likely it would be broken by a frenzied wild boar.
Hu Ma had spent a day at the Red Wine Miss's manor, specifically seeking her guidance on this skill. With practice, he gradually improved.
Undoubtedly, with continued effort, his straw men would become more lifelike. If his skill reached a certain level, the paper men he created could even come to life without the need for a ritual.
Apart from shrine guardians, there were incantations.
The Year Guard Scroll included punishment, killing, shackling, and exorcism spells.
These spells were used in conjunction with the scroll's rituals to summon ghostly powers. Hu Ma had memorized them and used them before, with good results. However, it was only after setting up a ritual with Zhang Agu that he truly understood their essence.
When ghost hunters performed a ritual, they recited a snake-driving incantation to drive away snakes, insects, and rodents.
The four spells in the Year Guard Scroll were similar, but the scroll was more domineering, leaving no room for mercy.
Hu Ma learned the practice of these incantations from Zhang Agu, which included different levels of depth. First, he needed to know what each spell did and the changes it brought. Then, he had to memorize these incantations perfectly.
By doing so, he could recite them effortlessly during critical moments, and the ritual would respond with divine transformations. The more incantations he mastered, the better he could handle various situations calmly.
But this was just the first level.
As he delved deeper into the incantations and advanced in his cultivation, he no longer needed to recite them orally. Instead, he could write them on paper beforehand and cast them during the ritual, creating the desired effects without uttering a word.
At this stage, they became talismans.
With further progress, he didn't even need to write the entire incantation on paper; a word or two would suffice.
These self-created talismans could be given to others, and they would still be effective, although perhaps not as powerful as when used during a ritual.
As for warding objects, this was the final step for Hu Ma to truly unlock the Year Guard Scroll.
These warding objects were not the strange and bizarre items he had collected before, but a specific item.
It was the object that the old lady in the extinct village had left for him.
Hu Ma knew that obtaining this warding object would mark his true entry into the path of the Year Guard Scroll...
...Of course, as a backup, he could also use the Mountain Lord!
(End of Chapter)
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