Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 22 The Beast Often Walks Alone

In the lobby.

While Fang Shu and Qin Min were immersed in their first practice session, Master Du was not idle either.

On the contrary, she paid even more attention to the two of them than when she was teaching them the secret techniques. Her two old eyes, which were originally cloudy, were now like two knives stabbing into the two of them.

Of course, to be more precise, it was poked at that rustic Qin Min.

After a careful examination, the owner of the inn remained expressionless until her gaze fell upon Fang Shu, at which point a hint of surprise appeared on her face.

"You've mastered the basics so quickly, and you can even draw spiritual energy into your body. Is it because you have good comprehension, or have you learned breathing techniques and consumed spiritual energy before?"

But she was only surprised for a moment before looking away.

In such cases, it might simply mean that the child has decent comprehension or strong endurance, making him more suitable for insect cultivation.

However, without spiritual roots, they are all just mortal Daoist disciples. She has seen too many of them in her life, so it is not surprising.

The owner of the villa made the following statement:
"Yu'er, you stay here and watch over them. After they finish practicing, check on their health. If there's nothing serious, you don't need to tell me."

“Yes, Grandma.” A woman in yellow, about seventeen or eighteen years old, stepped out from the side to indicate that she understood.

The owner nodded, then hunched over and walked out of the hall with incredibly stealthy steps, his footsteps silent and undetectable.

Not long after.

Fang Shu gradually came to his senses.

The moment he woke up, a sharp pain swept over his limbs and entire body, causing his face to twitch. Fortunately, the pain only lasted for a moment, followed by a numb feeling all over his body.

He looked down and found that the so-called "ant master" was long gone from his body. Instead, there were complex and intricate ant tracks, some red and some purple, on his chest, back, palms, and legs.

A voice sounded from the side:

"Put your clothes on first, then go out."

"There are nine secret inscriptions, large and small, on your limbs, chest, abdomen, and other parts of your body. These are the core of the Insect Technique and must not be known to outsiders."

Fang Shu looked up and saw a woman in yellow smiling as she explained things to him.

The other party continued, "These insect marks can last for one to two months. Remember to study them from time to time after you go back. Study as much as you can."

Otherwise, once the insect marks dissipate, you'll only be able to borrow the secret manuals in the library and learn the esoteric texts from inanimate objects, which would diminish their spiritual essence.

Fang Shu immediately nodded: "Yes, thank you, Senior Sister."

He turned his head and saw that the girl named Qin Min next to him had already woken up.

The other person seemed much more lively and relaxed, as if nothing had happened, and their rustic air had also diminished considerably.

Qin Min had faint insect marks on her neck, but instead of looking ferocious, they gave her a certain beauty.

"Senior Brother Fang." The girl hurriedly and awkwardly bowed when she saw Fang Shu.

The woman in yellow watched this scene with a smile, and then spoke:
"You two have just finished practicing your skills, so it is not advisable for you to further strengthen your energy. In addition, you should not use your skills for at least six hours."

"Qin Min is new here, Fang Shu, you should take her around and help her get familiar with the dojo."

"Yes, senior sister."

"Yes, Senior Sister Yu'er."

Fang Shu and Qin Min responded one after the other.

Fang Shu then led the girl, Qin Min, slowly towards the outside of the hall. She followed like a rabbit, head down, half a step behind.

Once outside the lobby, Qin Min seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and looked around curiously.

Fang Shu diligently performed his duties, leading the other party around one by one:
"Life at the dojo is simple: the main training hall, the kitchen and dining hall, and the dormitory. It's a straight line between these three places. Qin Min, you'll be going there often in the future."

During the conversation, Qin Min glanced at Fang Shu nervously and said in a low voice:
"Brother Fang can just call me Bao'er, that's what my older sister calls me."

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu didn't think much of it and blurted out:

"Okay, then I'll call you Qin Bao'er. I'm two years older than you, so you can also call me Fang Ge'er. That's what that scoundrel Li Hou'er calls me."

Qin Min quickly replied, "Yes, Brother Fang."

Fang Shu raised an eyebrow slightly, but did not correct the other person.

Suddenly, Qin Min stopped. She tugged at Fang Shu's sleeve, pointed to a spot on the floor of the hall, and asked somewhat fearfully, "Brother Fang, what are you doing there?"

Fang Shu turned his head and saw a commotion coming from the noise. There were sobs, cries, and curses, as if a fight was about to break out.

He didn't avoid it, and led Qin Min over directly. The sounds they heard became even clearer.

"My dear husband, what will become of our Hua'er?" a woman cried.

A man immediately spoke up: "What else can we do? At least she still knows how to protect her reputation. She can just get married."

Others jumped up and down, pointing at the young Taoist boy lying on a door panel, staring blankly at the sky, and cursing loudly:
"You're a piece of trash! I spent so much money to support your cultivation, and you've ruined yourself. You'll have trouble even selling your blood in the future. I've wasted my time supporting you."

This scene made both Fang Shu and Qin Min's hearts sink.

What's even more heartbreaking is the sight of a brother and sister, who are kneeling before a seated Taoist boy, the sister sobbing uncontrollably.

"Father, Father!"

"Sister, why is Father still practicing his martial arts? When will he wake up?"

The seated Daoist boy was the oldest of the six, a middle-aged man. He was also a ruthless individual who had taken potent medicine and entered the pit of scorpions to undergo tribulation.

Even now, the man remains in a stiff, cross-legged position, his face bearing a half-smile, but his complexion is ashen, as if he has lost all life.

Fang Shu and Qin Min both fell even more silent as they watched this scene unfold.

The scene before us is the tragic end of a poor family who finally managed to cultivate their skills to the point of being able to transcend tribulations, only to fail in doing so.

Compared to the scene in the lobby, this scene before us seems to evoke even more resentment, indignation, and heartache.

Fang Shu glanced at the main hall behind the crowd and said calmly:
"Remember this, this is the pharmacy. Don't go to the wrong place next time."

After saying that, he turned and walked away without looking back.

"Wait for me, Brother Fang."

Qin Min was slow to realize what was happening and fell behind by several steps before she hurriedly caught up.

The transmission of skills ended, and life went on as usual.

Next.

With the help of the Daoist talisman and the guidance of Li Hou'er, Fang Shu quickly collected all nine secret texts of the Insect Technique into the talisman.

The Taoist talisman is constantly analyzing the secret text.

This technique is indeed not crude; its analysis takes twice as long as the "Fur Transformation Technique."

Even so, it was only because Fang Shu had insect-marked secret characters on his body and was in the dojo, where he could ask others for advice.

By absorbing knowledge repeatedly, he managed to compress the time to a total of two months.

Without the Dao talisman, it would take him two years to master these nine secret runes alone. Although he could still practice cultivation during those two years, so it wouldn't be a complete delay.

After learning the secret technique.

Fang Shu's need for blood food was also increasing, and he ate more in the canteen, earning him the reputation of "Hungry Beast".

Fortunately, with the secret skill he possessed, he gradually gained control over his intestines and no longer needed to eat and defecate frequently to prevent his intestines from bursting.

It has been changed to only needing to empty and fill the intestines twice a day, morning and evening, and once before and after practicing the exercises, for a total of four times.

Even so, there are still a few like him in the dojo.

This meant that, apart from Li Hou'er, he still hadn't made any friends. The other people in the brothel were merely familiar faces to him; he knew their names at most.

However, the granddaughter of the sect leader, Senior Sister Yu'er, is considered half of one. She is friendly to all the young disciples in the sect, skilled in medicine, and possesses the benevolence of a healer.

As for Qin Min, the girl who initially called him "Brother Fang".

After adapting to life at the dojo, the other person gradually distanced themselves from Fang Shu, at most exchanging nods when they bumped into each other on the street.

This woman no longer walks with her head down like she did when she first entered the museum; instead, she has shed her rustic air and become bright-eyed and radiant.

However, all of these things were fleeting and insignificant to Fang Shu, and he didn't need to care about them.

He was completely absorbed in the cultivation of the secret technique, unable to extricate himself from eating, sleeping, and practicing!

The "Hundred Insects Blood Refining and Health Nourishing Secret Technique" is a blood refining technique of immortals.

It can draw spiritual energy into the body, and with the constant reminders from the Dao talisman, Fang Shu can feel every bit of progress he makes. Even his lifespan limit, which had been temporarily suspended, has begun to recover significantly again.

This feeling of becoming stronger made Fang Shu feel great. Nothing and no one could touch his heartstrings!
Until someone came looking for him.

(End of this chapter)