The scene shifts, and Hao Yun appears in the wilderness, surrounded by tall weeds, with various flying insects buzzing around him.
[Current World: A Chinese Ghost Story 1 (Stay Time: 30 days)]
Screw you! Why is this a Chinese Ghost Story? System, are you kidding me? What am I supposed to do? I can fight people, but how am I supposed to fight ghosts?
Pushing aside the weeds, Hao Yun prepared to find a safe place to hide and wait for the 30 days to end. This world was full of deep malice towards him.
Even if you have superb martial arts skills, they are ineffective against ghosts. Look at the awesome swordsman Xiahou in the movie; he was ultimately killed by the old woman without any ability to resist.
After walking for a few minutes, Hao Yun became increasingly irritable. The grass was so tall, taller than a person, that he couldn't tell which way was which.
With a powerful leap, Hao Yun quickly surveyed his surroundings. There were no weeds on his left, so he realized he was heading in the wrong direction.
After landing, Hao Yun changed direction and, a few minutes later, finally left the grassland.
"Finally out. Why did they throw me into such a remote place this time? Did they throw me into Lanruo Temple?"
As the saying goes, what people fear most is what they are most likely to come to pass. After walking only a few steps, Hao Yun saw a collapsed stone tablet with three large characters written on it: Lanruo Temple.
Upon seeing this stone tablet, Hao Yun almost choked. Was the system afraid that he hadn't died thoroughly enough? Why did it throw him into the tree spirit's lair?
The only hope now is that Yan Chixia is here. If he's not, well, we're doomed.
In this godforsaken place, people are bound to pass by every ten days or half a month. Hao Yun didn't think his grandmother would let him off easily.
After years of weathering, many parts of Lanruo Temple have collapsed. The once magnificent Buddhist temple has become a den of demons, which is quite ridiculous.
"Master Yan! Are you there? If you are, please let me know."
After circling the yard, Hao Yun shouted at the top of his lungs.
Just as he was about to go inside to check, a window on the second floor was pushed open, and a burly man with a full beard poked his head out and started cursing.
"Which bastard is howling like a banshee so early in the morning? Are you looking for death?!"
Yan Chixia's appearance is quite intimidating; if there were any children there, they would probably be scared to tears.
But Hao Yun was different. When he saw Yan Chixia, he was so happy that his mouth almost stretched to the back of his ears, because with Yan Chixia there, his life was saved.
"Master Yan, I've heard so much about you. I came here especially to meet you after hearing that you were here."
"Hmph! If you have nothing to say, get lost. This isn't a place for you."
Although Yan Chixia's tone was harsh, Hao Yun knew that he was doing this for his own good. This place was overrun by demons, and Yan Chixia's actions could be considered a way of saving people.
"Master Yan, I would like to learn a few techniques from you for catching ghosts and exorcising demons. This world is too chaotic, and I want to do my part for the people."
Hao Yun spoke these words with an air of authority, but his true intention was simply to learn a few ways to protect himself.
Option 1: Become Yan Chixia's apprentice (Reward: Magic Sword)
[Option 2: Become Xiahou's apprentice (Reward: Xiahou Sword Technique)]
Chapter 31 Deceiving Yan Chixia
The system gave us two choices. Was there even a need to choose? Of course, we'd choose the first option: become Yan Chixia's apprentice. What's the point of becoming Xiahou's apprentice? Would we just die with him?
"Become an apprentice? I don't accept apprentices. You can leave."
Yan Chixia closed the window and ignored Hao Yun.
Hao Yun wasn't in a hurry. Anyway, Yan Chixia wouldn't run away since he was here. He lived right next to him, so even if he couldn't become his disciple, he wouldn't die. He didn't believe that Yan Chixia would stand idly by when the female ghost attacked.
After tidying up a bit, Hao Yun laid two sturdy-looking wooden planks on the ground, then covered them with some dry grass, thus creating a simple bed.
Hao Yun lay there, pondering how to get Yan Chixia to teach him a few skills. Threats and inducements were definitely not going to work; Yan Chixia was too upright, otherwise he wouldn't have resigned from his official post and hidden here.
With a quick glance around, Hao Yun went downstairs, set up a frame in the courtyard, and started cooking instant noodles.
Once the noodles were cooked, Hao Yun squatted down under Yan Chixia's window and started slurping loudly. Sure enough, less than a minute later, Yan Chixia was standing at the window looking down.
Hao Yun glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, a wicked smile creeping onto his lips. Heh heh, no matter how powerful you are, you still need to eat. I don't believe I can't seduce you.
Pretending to look up, Hao Yun greeted him with a smile.
"Master Yan, it's almost noon. Come and have some food with me. I've cooked a lot of noodles, and I can't eat it all by myself."
"No."
Yan Chixia coldly refused and turned to walk back.
"Master Yan, it would be a waste if you couldn't finish it. Wasting food is shameful."
Yan Chixia's throat moved. He had smelled the aroma long ago. He hadn't eaten anything since morning, so of course he was hungry. However, he was too embarrassed to go down. Hearing Hao Yun say this, he turned over and jumped out of the window.
"In that case, I'll have some."
Hao Yun picked up a bowl from the side of the pot, picked out a large bowl of instant noodles for Yan Chixia, poured half a bowl of soup over it, and added a sausage.
"Master Yan, please try my cooking."
Taking the bowl from Hao Yun, Yan Chixia initially swallowed in small bites out of consideration for his image, but after a couple of bites, he completely relaxed.
A large bowl of noodles was devoured by Yan Chixia in just over ten seconds.
"Master Yan, there's still some in the pot."
With five packets of instant noodles and three sausages, Hao Yun successfully bribed Yan Chixia. The two squatted downstairs, each holding a bowl and slurping up the instant noodles.
"Young man, your cooking skills are impressive. This is the first time I've ever tasted such delicious noodles."
"Of course, this skill was taught to me by a master craftsman surnamed Kang. I spent a lot of time learning this recipe."
Hao Yun started spouting nonsense, leaving Yan Chixia completely bewildered. In the end, he even brought out his family's secret recipe for chicken feet, roasted peanuts, and a bottle of baijiu, and began chatting with Yan Chixia.
After a glass of wine, Yan Chixia immediately elevated Hao Yun to the status of a confidant, and the two chatted happily.
"Alas! It's a pity that the world is too chaotic and the emperor is incompetent. Even if I have martial arts skills, I have nowhere to use them. If I encounter demons, I might die in the wilderness one day."
After drinking the wine in his glass, Hao Yun revealed a sad expression.
"Brother, what are you saying? I'll teach you a few tricks so you can escape even if you encounter demons."
The strong liquor made Yan Chixia's eyes blurry, and he immediately taught Hao Yun his signature skill.
[Selection complete. Rewards are being distributed. Please check your account.]
Hao Yun's lips curled up slightly. He had finally gotten it all sorted out: the Palm Thunder, the Shangqing Inner Martial Arts Heart Sutra, and an unknown Buddhist scripture.
"Thank you, Master Yan! Come on! Let's have another drink."
Almost all of the two bottles of liquor went into Yan Chixia's stomach, and he immediately passed out from the alcohol.
After sending the person back to their room, Hao Yun began cultivating the Shangqing Inner Martial Arts Manual. Without cultivating magical power, he would not be able to use the Palm Thunder.
The thirtyfold increase in comprehension brought Hao Yun a huge boost. The originally obscure and difficult Taoist scriptures were memorized after Hao Yun only heard Yan Chixia recite them once, and he cultivated magical power overnight.
The next morning, Yan Chixia got up, rubbing his forehead. As soon as he stood up, he remembered what had happened the day before.
"Drinking really leads to trouble!"
Rubbing his head, Yan Chixia prepared to go downstairs to get a drink of water. As he passed Hao Yun's room, he glanced inside and was stunned by what he saw.
Holy crap!
"I've mastered it!"
The Shangqing Neijia Xinjing (Inner Martial Heart Sutra) is an authentic Taoist practice with extremely high difficulty in cultivation. Even Yan Chixia himself practiced it for five or six years before he could even begin to cultivate and develop magical power.
Seeing Hao Yun cultivate magical power in just one night, Yan Chixia felt a deep sense of frustration.
Hao Yun, who had been cultivating all night, noticed the weak magical power within his body and couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. This was far too little; he probably couldn't even use Palm Thunder once.
Creak! The door was pushed open by Yan Chixia, his eyes wide as copper bells, and he asked loudly.
"You've developed magical powers?"
"Hmm, just a little bit, not even enough to set off a palm-sized grenade."
Looking at Hao Yun's dejected expression, Yan Chixia really wanted to smash his head against a pillar and die. You think this is too slow? It took me several years!
"Master Yan, do you recognize the characters on this Buddhist scripture?"
Hao Yun took out a Buddhist scripture from his pocket and flipped through a few pages. It was all in Sanskrit, and Hao Yun couldn't recognize a single word.
"I don't know him."
A dejected Yan Chixia turned and left the room. He never wanted to see that wretched brat again. Yesterday, the brat tricked him into drinking, not only revealing all his secrets but also wanting him to translate Buddhist scriptures. He was dreaming!
After putting the Buddhist scriptures into his system inventory, Hao Yun went downstairs to start cooking porridge. It was early in the morning, so he should eat something light.
When the porridge was almost cooked, Yan Chixia returned. To Hao Yun's astonishment, Yan Chixia grabbed a bowl and started eating. "I've already told you everything, so what's a little food from you?"
After swallowing a large pot of porridge, Yan Chixia wiped his mouth and said to Hao Yun.
"Since you've also practiced martial arts, come over and spar with me."
Yan Chixia, a martial arts fanatic, hadn't fought anyone in a long time and his hands were itching to get involved. Since Hao Yun said he had martial arts experience, he would test him.
"no problem."
Hao Yun drew his twin swords and stepped onto the field, assuming a fighting stance.
"You go first."
Yan Chixia disdained to take advantage of Hao Yun, so he let Hao Yun attack first.
"Here I come."
Wielding two swords, Hao Yun used the Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada technique, instantly rushing in front of Yan Chixia, delivering a fatal blow to his throat with one strike and another to his ribs.
Yan Chixia had long been famous in the martial arts world and his swordsmanship was extremely superb. How could he let Hao Yun succeed so easily?
The two became entangled, their fight sending leaves flying everywhere. After thirty moves, Hao Yun's twin swords broke, and Yan Chixia stopped in time.
"Practicing martial arts without internal cultivation is futile in old age; you've gone astray."
After the two exchanged blows, Yan Chixia realized that although his opponent's moves were exquisite, he had no internal energy and was only relying on brute force to fight him until now.
Hao Yun gave a wry smile; he had no knowledge of any internal energy cultivation techniques.
"Master Yan, no one teaches me how to cultivate internal energy, so I can't cultivate it even if I want to."
"I see. It seems that the person who taught you swordsmanship was just an ordinary person. You can be considered to have a special talent to have reached this level. The Shangqing Neijia Heart Sutra that you obtained from me is an orthodox Taoist practice. As long as you persist in practicing it diligently, you will eventually reap the rewards."