Ghost Pot

Chapter 97

"Let go!" Nizi said, swinging her left arm. With a "bang," a faint shadow of an arm flew out and struck Youliang's chest. The powerful impact of "Severed Arm Standing in the Snow" knocked him to the ground, almost breaking his ribs.

Youliang lay on the ground, tears of humiliation blurring his vision, hatred etched into his very bones. He bit his lower lip tightly, drawing drops of bright red blood...

No! I absolutely cannot give up, Chen Caihua. Unless you kill me, Youliang will follow Nizi forever... Youliang endured the excruciating pain in his chest, resolutely got up, and staggered towards the cave entrance.

Just then, he noticed the small skull that had rolled onto the ground and Nizi's canvas travel bag...

Youliang picked up the small skull, put it in his travel bag, and then chased after it out of the cave, but Nizi and Shen Caihua were already gone. He looked to both sides and suddenly noticed that the bushes not far to the east seemed to have moved slightly. "So, Shen Caihua, you think you can sneak away with Nizi and run away with me? Not so easy!" Youliang took big strides like a madman and rushed straight towards the bushes.

Upon closer inspection, they were taken aback to see three police officers in blue uniforms lurking behind the bushes, quietly observing the fight unfolding over the pool.

Upon hearing footsteps, a policeman turned around and saw Youliang, and was greatly surprised.

"Officer, bad guys have kidnapped my sister..." Youliang said with a mixture of joy and surprise, as if he had encountered a savior.

"Shh..." Boss Tang put his finger to his lips, signaling Youliang to keep quiet. The people by the pool were all experts; it would be terrible if they noticed. He sized up the boy who had suddenly appeared, his gaze slowly falling on the canvas travel bag. He recognized that the bag looked very much like the one carried by the little girl who was with Jia Shiming.

"Come here..." Boss Tang beckoned and said in a low voice.

Youliang quickly squatted down next to the policeman and said anxiously, "You guys hurry up and catch the bad guys!"

"Let me see this bag." Tang grabbed the travel bag, opened it, and peeked inside. A sudden warmth filled his chest. A dark brown skull, about the size of a goose egg, with six holes, lay there quietly...

"'Ghost Pot,' it really is a 'ghost...ghost pot'!" Boss Tang was so excited that he couldn't speak coherently.

"Brother, is this the 'Ghost Pot' we've been looking for?" Tang Lao Er asked in surprise, staring at the skull.

“That’s right, that’s what the director said, a shrunken ‘Feng Hou’ skull,” Tang Laoda replied.

"In that case, let's hurry up and take the 'Ghost Pot' and leave. The water here is too deep; we might fall in if we're not careful," Tang Lao Er urged excitedly.

"Alright, let's retreat." Boss Tang stuffed the skull into his shirt pocket and then gave the order.

"Police officers, you..." Youliang looked at them with great confusion.

"Kid, the police are busy. Why don't you take a nap here?" Before Tang Laoda could finish speaking, he had already slapped Youliang on the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. Youliang collapsed limply to the ground.

Using the bushes as cover, Tang Jia San Shao crouched low and quietly slipped away along the road they had come from to the east. Once they were far away, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. After leaving the Yuxi Grand Canyon, they returned to the national highway, hurriedly jumped into the van, and then headed straight for Beijing without stopping.

Chapter 147

Qigong is a general term for ancient breathing and guiding techniques. The ancients were proficient in the principles of qigong, but people today value fame and fortune while neglecting the principles of qigong. In particular, the nationwide qigong craze that arose in the early 1980s has gradually deviated from the traditional categories of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, and instead pursued novel and extraordinary abilities.

The orthodox breathing techniques of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, though varied in form, never deviate from their origin: "Confucianism adheres to the middle way, Taoism maintains the middle way, and Buddhism maintains emptiness."

Jia Shiming's "Innate Qi Gong" is the orthodox school of the Quanzhen Taoist sect, while Master Qiao's Qi Gong is "Confucian Qi Gong," also known as "Confucian and Mencian Qi Gong."

The most distinctive feature of Confucianism is that it integrates normal social life, moral cultivation, and practice. Unlike Buddhism and Taoism, which aim to transcend the world, Confucianism focuses on actively engaging with society and governing the country.

Confucian practices, though seemingly simple, are profound in their essence. Mencius divided this practice into two stages: the first is "preserving the night's energy," which involves cultivating the clear, lucid energy of midnight to dawn before interaction with the outside world. The second stage involves cultivating sincerity and nurturing the vast, righteous energy. Sincerity is enlightenment, while nurturing the vast, righteous energy is a primordial energy that is "extremely great and strong, nourished by uprightness without harm, filling the space between heaven and earth."

"Hahaha..." Master Qiao laughed heartily several times, then stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic, in the chapter 'Suwen: On the Five Constant Principles of Governance,' says, 'Qi begins to generate and transform, Qi disperses and takes form, Qi spreads and flourishes, Qi ends and forms change. Heaven accumulates Qi, Earth accumulates form, and man accumulates Qi to form a body. Only when Qi is present can form exist; when Qi disperses, form perishes.' Master Jia, what is your opinion on this?"

Master Jia snorted and slowly said, "Does Master Qiao perhaps wish to discuss the Dao with this humble Taoist?"

Master Qiao chuckled and said, "That's right, theory first, practice later. Today, Master Qiao wants to prove a fact: the merits of Confucianism far surpass those of Buddhism and Taoism."

Master Jia looked at him disdainfully and remained silent.

Confucius believed that the righteous energy of heaven and earth is the fundamental source of all life and transformation in the universe. What is the nature of human beings' learning of this energy? The *Book of Rites* states, "Those who in ancient times wished to manifest their bright virtue to the world first ordered well their states. Wishing to order well their states, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their personal lives. Wishing to cultivate their personal lives, they first rectified their hearts. When the heart is rectified, then the personal life is cultivated; when the personal life is cultivated, then the family is regulated; when the family is regulated, then the state is ordered well; when the state is ordered well, then the world is at peace." Therefore, Confucianism's habit of engaging with the world, serving the nation, and caring for the people is of paramount importance. And what about Taoism? It focuses on learning this energy. Yet, his aim was to transcend the world, seeking only his own liberation, indifferent to human suffering, unconcerned with the plight of all living beings, and lacking any grand ambition. Even his Taoist practices were nothing more than imitating the breathing techniques of some animals, such as "fetal breathing," which originated from mimicking the breathing of turtles or infants. "Practicing holding one's breath and swallowing it is called fetal breathing; practicing spitting out the spring under the tongue and swallowing it is called fetal food." In reality, it's just subtle breathing, child's play, hahaha..." Old Master Qiao spoke eloquently, spittle flying everywhere, and finally burst into arrogant laughter.

Actually, what Master Qiao said is not wrong. Laozi and Zhuangzi said in the Tao Te Ching, "Empty your mind, fill your belly, concentrate your breath and achieve gentleness, can you return to the state of an infant?" Taoism followed this and created the method of fetal breathing, which led to the two major schools of Zhengyi and Quanzhen.

Upon hearing this, Master Jia sneered twice and said, "You pedantic scholar."

Seeing that the other party had no answer, Master Qiao announced on his own: "History will remember this moment. Jia Shiming of the Quanzhen School lost to Master Qiao, the leader of the Confucian School in the Central Plains, in the debate on Qi and reason."

At this moment, Master Jia, the Hakka nanny, and Old Man Song realized that this Master Qiao from the capital was actually the head of the Confucian School.

"Alright, now let's see how Confucianism's Kung Fu can defeat the Taoist Quanzhen School's 'Innate Qi Kung Fu.' Master Jia, make your move..." Master Qiao said with his hands behind his back, looking at Master Jia with a relaxed expression.

Master Jia had never seen such an arrogant person before, and he was furious. However, being an old hand at the game, he knew that although this man appeared crazy and arrogant, it might be a deliberate attempt to lull him into a false sense of security, and he had to be careful. He glanced around and saw Shen Caihua pulling Nizi's hand as they emerged from the bushes, and he felt relieved.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Master Jia activated his "Innate Qi Gong," his robes fluttering and his figure graceful. He struck out with a palm towards Master Qiao, who was about ten feet away. Since he did not know Master Qiao's true strength, he only used three or four tenths of his power to test his strength.

"The Quanzhen Qigong truly possesses an otherworldly and ethereal quality, exuding a transcendent aura," Song Diweng thought to himself, praising it inwardly.

"Heaven and earth possess righteous energy, which manifests in myriad forms..." Old Master Qiao stood with his legs together, his face solemn, reciting the poem. At the same time, he raised his left hand to the sky and pressed his right hand to the ground, striking a pose like a Red Guard during the Cultural Revolution. He continued reciting, "Below, it becomes rivers and mountains; above, it becomes the sun and stars. In man, it is called the vast and righteous spirit, filling the boundless sky..."

Old Man Song, listening from the side, felt uneasy. Why was Master Qiao reciting Wen Tianxiang's "Ode to Righteousness" during his duel with Jia Shiming?

Facing the incoming burst of energy, Master Qiao calmly raised his right hand, clasped his left hand in a circle, and spun around his right foot. "The earth's axis relies on it to stand, the heavens' pillar relies on it to be revered. The three cardinal principles are truly vital, and morality is its root..." With the resounding "Ode to Righteousness," he easily deflected Master Jia's palm strike.

"What amazing skills!" Song Diweng exclaimed in surprise.

Jia Shiming was taken aback. This Master Qiao's Confucian skills were so bizarre. With just one or two poses and four or five lines of ancient poetry, he had completely neutralized his Xuanmen Qi.

The Hakka woman stood by the pool, wondering to herself where the energy from that palm strike had gone.

"Master, this is Momo." Shen Caihua led Nizi to the edge of the pool and said happily to the Hakka nanny.

“What’s wrong with her…” The Hakka nanny could tell that Nizi was mentally controlled.

Shen Caihua chuckled and recited the "magical" incantation backwards again, thus releasing the restriction on Nizi.

"Haha, Master Jia, show us what other skills you have." Master Qiao laughed, then slightly bent his body, his legs turned into a bow stance, his left palm held above his head, his right hook hand flicked back, striking an exaggerated pose similar to that of the Cultural Revolution.

The leader smiled and nodded. As expected, Master Qiao lived up to his reputation. He combined the ancient and modern, and was indeed a grandmaster. He had found the right person.

At this moment, Master Jia, in a fit of rage, channeled all his power. His innate qi fluttered as his robes billowed, and then, with a roar, he thrust both palms towards Master Qiao. The friction of the air carried a faint rumbling sound of thunder...

Seeing that Jia Shiming was about to fight to the death, Master Qiao dared not be careless any longer. With a sudden movement, his coat and underwear burst open with a "snap," revealing his fair and rosy skin. Surprisingly, the pores on Master Qiao's body were dozens of times larger than those of an ordinary person, the size of mung beans, densely packed as if he had survived smallpox...

With a loud "bang," the innate qi struck Master Qiao's upper body. All the pores on his body opened, like tiny mouths, making a "squeaking" sound as they greedily sucked in the qi...

Everyone was stunned...

"For General Yan's head, for Attendant-in-Ordinary Ji's blood. For Zhang Suiyang's teeth, for Yan Changshan's tongue. Or for the Liaodong hat, pure and upright as ice and snow. Or for the Memorial on Dispatching the Troops, heroic and tragic, moving even ghosts and gods to tears. Or for the oar crossing the river, generously swallowing the barbarian hordes. Or for the tablet striking the traitor, shattering the head of the rebel. This is the overwhelming spirit, its fierce power enduring for eternity..." Master Qiao recited loudly, and after absorbing all the protective energy that Master Jia had attacked, those little mouths immediately closed.

Shen Caihua was surprised to find that Master Qiao seemed to have gained a lot of weight...

"Master, why does the old man with the white beard have so many little mouths on his flesh?" Shen Caihua asked, puzzled.

After pondering for a long time, the Hakka woman shook her head and said, "This is the first time my master has ever seen such a strange person."

Master Qiao straightened up, his expression solemn and serious. "Master Jia, the Quanzhen School's 'Innate Qi Gong' is nothing special. I've learned my lesson. Practice has proven that the cultivation methods of Buddhism and Taoism are far inferior to those of Confucianism. Why did Dong Zhongshu of the Han Dynasty 'dismiss the hundred schools of thought and exclusively honor Confucianism'? Historically, there have been many instances of foreign tribes invading the Central Plains, but they were ultimately assimilated and absorbed by Confucianism. This demonstrates the profound and all-encompassing nature of Confucianism. Confucian breathing requires merging with the cosmic energy field, not the superficial methods of 'turtle breathing' or 'fetal breathing.' It involves opening all the pores of the body to exchange with the universe and absorb pure, righteous energy. How can your unorthodox methods compare to such Confucianism?"

Master Jia was furious. The supreme martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect had been defeated by Master Qiao! His own innate qi had been so easily absorbed—it was an utter disgrace! His face flushed red, and he lifted his robe to reveal his belly. He unleashed the "Nine Forms of the Dantian," opening his navel and channeling his inner energy. With a "whoosh," he expelled a stream of celestial qi, condensing it into a beam that shot directly at Master Qiao. This move, called "Spraying from the Dantian," was one Master Jia had used once before when giving birth to a spiritual fetus at Putuo Temple on Xieshan Mountain in Poyang Lake.

"Hmph, you, Master Qiao, have a whole bunch of little mouths on your body, don't you? I'll concentrate my energy and attack one point. What use are a lot of mouths?" Master Jia pondered to himself.

Seeing a stream of energy shooting towards him from Master Jia's navel, Master Qiao quickly changed into a pose once popular during the Cultural Revolution. He stood on tiptoe, pivoting on one hand, one fist raised high above his head, and loudly recited: "My heart is filled with sorrow, how boundless is the heavens! True character is revealed in times of adversity, its deeds recorded in history..." He then rapidly spun around, his small mouths opening to inhale... but they immediately closed again, for this energy was extremely impure, filthy and foul-smelling, with a stench like rotten fish and shrimp...

With a loud thud, Master Qiao lost his balance and stumbled back several steps. The spot on his chest where the qi had struck him was now bruised and swollen.

"You..." Old Master Qiao gasped, "What kind of innate qi is this? It's utterly repulsive!"

Master Jia said seriously, "What good stuff could be in your belly? Let me tell you, it's nothing but shit and farts..." After saying that, he burst into laughter.

Master Qiao rubbed his chest and said resentfully, "Master Jia, it's my turn to make a move!" With that, he shook his arms, and the small mouths on his skin opened up, each shooting out a thin beam of true energy like lightning.

Master Jia quickly channeled his "Innate Qi" to protect his body, but a series of hissing sounds rang out as countless tiny holes, the size of pinholes, were pierced through his upper garment. A gentle breeze blew, and torn pieces of cloth fluttered down. Fortunately, he was protected by his Qi, so he was not seriously injured, but his bare skin was still covered with tiny blood spots from the punctures...

With a low growl, Ni Zi swung her left arm out suddenly, a faint shadow of which slammed into Old Master Qiao's plump back...

Chapter 148

With a muffled thud, Master Qiao, caught off guard by a sneak attack from behind, stumbled and turned around to look, but found no one there... He shook his head vigorously. Just now, some of the foul odor exhaled by Master Jia had been absorbed into his pores and traveled along his meridians to his head, making him feel a little dizzy. In fact, it was the "fragrance of the abalone shop" originally emitted by the Hakka nanny, which was absorbed by Jia Shiming's navel and then mixed with his internal energy.

"Bang bang bang..." Several more blows followed, and the shadow of "Severed Arm Standing in the Snow" slammed into Master Qiao's forehead in mid-air. Although Nizi's true energy was still shallow and could not seriously injure him, it was enough to make him dizzy.

"So it was you, you little brat, causing trouble!" Master Qiao discovered the little girl waving her arms by the pond. He was furious. With a sudden movement, several tiny mouths opened on the pores of his chest, shooting out several thin streams of true energy towards the girl...

Nizi had no combat experience and did not realize the danger approaching. The Hakka nanny, seeing the situation was bad, quickly pulled her over, but it was too late. One or two beams of true energy were struck in Nizi's shoulder, passing straight through her floral shirt and piercing into her flesh. She cried out in pain.

When Shen Cai saw that this plump old man dared to lay a hand on the girl, he flew into a rage. He shoved the suction tube into the Hakka nanny's hand, rapidly chanted a spell, and with a "Heavenly Gate Opens" move, raised his index finger and slashed it at Master Qiao with a "whoosh"...

Hearing the sudden sound of airflow, Master Qiao was startled and hurriedly dodged. As the Zhu You True Qi swept across his head, he felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, and several strands of white hair suddenly floated down in front of him...

“毳毴毵毶毷毸毹毺毻毼毽毾毵氀……氁毛氃氋氄氅氆氇……” Shen Caihua’s incantation changed, and his hands moved back and forth in a sawing motion. He rushed forward and, without regard for anything else, cut towards Master Qiao’s crotch. This was his most proud and signature move, “No poison, no manhood.”

Old Master Qiao had no idea what this crazed boy was up to. Suddenly, he felt a chill on his crotch; his pants had been slashed open…

Everyone looked closely and discovered that Master Qiao had no genitals...

It turns out that Mr. Qiao was an asexual person, neither male nor female, which is extremely rare in the world. The probability of genetic mutation is about one in a hundred million, and there are only a few words about it in ancient books.

In an instant, Master Qiao's face turned red with embarrassment and anger. He bent over and spread his arms, letting out a loud "whoosh." Countless beams of true energy shot out at Shen Caihua, who was right in front of him, and it was clear that he could not dodge them.

Seeing that things were not going well, the Hakka nanny threw the suction tube at Shen Caihua the instant Master Qiao raised his arm. With a "sizzle", the suction tube opened its belly in mid-air and quickly wrapped around Shen Caihua, who then fell to the ground and rolled back to the edge of the pool.

The suction tube was riddled with tiny holes, each the size of a pinprick, from which green fluid seeped. It slowly stretched out its abdomen, releasing Xiao Caihua, then curled up in pain. The two large, round, black eyes on its abdomen had lost their former depth, weakly blinking at Chen Caihua, two crystal tears slowly streaming down its face…

The suction cup slowly closed its eyes...

Shen Caihua gazed at it silently, tears streaming down his face... The suction cup was the first pet he had ever acquired in his childhood. This primitive creature from the Nmai River in northern Myanmar had saved his life many times. It didn't have vocal organs and wasn't as articulate as Dudu, but it always silently dedicated itself to its cause.

Shen Caihua's eyes gradually became bloodshot. He slowly stood up, took off his shirt, revealing his thin, bony chest, turned to face Master Qiao, grinned, revealing two rows of sharp white teeth, and rubbed them back and forth, making a "squeak, squeak" sound. He uttered a series of strange musical notes: "尸屎屃屙屚屟屦屟屦屩屪屫属屭..."

This is the fourteenth move of the Zhuyou Divine Skill, "Grinding Teeth and Sucking Blood." This skill is extraordinary. When Guo Pu created this move, his temperament changed drastically, and he bit the maid next to him to death.

While everyone's attention was focused on Shen Caihua's strange behavior, no one noticed that a tiny figure, no longer than a finger, secretly crawled out from the pile of clothes thrown on the ground, quietly climbed onto the underside of the suction tube, its white eyes wide open, drool dripping from the corner of its mouth, its two small hands clutching the dried dust of "Feng Hou's" corpse, mixing it with the saliva in its mouth, and quickly smearing it on the wound of the suction tube...

With a "crack," a gleaming white tooth flashed from Shen Caihua's mouth like lightning, heading straight for Old Master Qiao's head.

At that moment, Lou Yi, who was standing guard beside the leader, hurriedly cried out in alarm, "Master, danger!"

The leader remained unmoved, observing coldly; it wasn't time for him to make a move yet.

Master Qiao caught a glimpse of a white light projectile hurtling towards him and hurriedly used his arm to deflect it. But he heard a "crack" and then felt a sharp pain in his arm. Upon closer inspection, he saw that a piece of flesh had been bitten off his arm, and it was covered in blood.

Just as she was stunned, a series of "crunch, crunch..." sounds rang out, and several gleaming white teeth flew before her eyes, biting indiscriminately at her body and head. In the chaos, her two nipples and upper eyelids were bitten off by the sharp teeth, dripping blood and blurring her vision.

Master Qiao flew into a rage, his arms outstretched in a folding motion. He channeled the true energy of Confucianism into his Ren and Du meridians, igniting his inner universe. Every pore on his body opened wide, spewing out a thin mist of red blood. He shouted hoarsely, "The universe is bright and clear, heaven and earth are clear and bright! Righteous energy drives away demons and illusions! In the three realms, only I, the Confucian Master..."

The gleaming white teeth that Shen Caihua had spat out vanished instantly. The highest level of Confucianism erupted, eliminating the "grinding teeth and sucking blood" aspect of the "Pig Fat Divine Skill." Old Master Qiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, Lou Yi, who was guarding the leader, suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He hurriedly turned around and saw two people dressed in gray Zhongshan suits walking towards them. Everyone had been focused on watching the battle and no one had noticed them.

The old man had a full head of white hair, long eyebrows and a bushy beard, a short and stout build, high cheekbones, and round, protruding eyes like goldfish bubbles. He also had gap teeth and did not look like someone from the Central Plains. The young man beside him was tall and thin, but his facial muscles were twisted and deformed, making him quite ugly. His eyes were vacant, indicating he was blind. The old man supported his arm as they walked.

The two were none other than Ao Lao and Huang Jianguo, assassins who had come from Myanmar.

Old Ao whispered, "Son, remember what I said. The leader is among the group of people ahead. He is the target of our assassination operation. When the leader starts to speak, I will pinch your arm. Once you pinpoint his location, immediately drain him dry, understand?"

"Okay, Dad," Huang Jianguo replied casually, rubbing his stomach.

Looking ahead, Ao Lao noticed a chaotic scene. A plump, white-bearded, bare-chested old man with his pants open was fighting with a shirtless little boy. Others were watching, and another person was lying on the ground. It seemed that the group's identities were quite complicated, and they weren't entirely the leader's men.