Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 62: A Successful Search of the Corpse and Bone Analysis; A Chance Encounter on a Night Return
Fang Shu carried a skeleton and wandered around the mountains and forests for quite some time before finally finding a cave and crawling inside with the skeleton.

And these remains were none other than those of a First Tribulation Immortal.

As immortals who have entered the Dao, Fang Shu and the others are treasures from head to toe.

Last time in the paper mill, he was wary of the Black Tiger Pavilion, so he didn't dare take Cheng Guanzi's bones. He only took the other's precious blood to feed the Long Tongue Sword. But now that he's in the wild, no one can see him, so there aren't so many rules and regulations.

As long as he handles the matter properly and doesn't bring the items back to town, even if Black Tiger Mansion has methods even more formidable than a tagalong, they won't be able to tell that it was Fang Shu who did the dirty work.

Hidden inside the cave, Fang Shu held the skeleton in his hand and began tapping on the bones.

But a hint of disappointment appeared on his face.

While the skeleton was still quite hard, it was clearly not as hard as Cheng Guanzi's.

"It seems that the reason why Cheng Guanzi's bones are so strong must be related to the purple lead cloud breast milk."

After careful consideration, Fang Shu still focused his gaze on the other person's bones, his eyes slightly brightening.

The immortal who was sent out to do such dirty work was clearly of a lower status than the "Rat Lord" mentioned by others. He probably relied on medicine to break through his tribulation and could not possibly enjoy a large amount of precious medicine.

Even in this situation, the person's bones are still quite impressive, which proves that the Black Tiger Pavilion's secret techniques or magic are very advanced in terms of bone structure!
as predicted.

Fang Shu carefully examined the skeleton and found that there was nothing unusual about the skin, muscles and other parts of the body. It was not like the lead-based or insect-based martial arts that could form secret characters on the body surface.

This further proves that the Black Tiger Pavilion's secret techniques are most likely cultivated on the skeletal structure.

After much deliberation, Fang Shu straightened up, took out a corpse-dissolving talisman from his sleeve, stimulated it with his qi and blood, and then quickly threw the talisman onto the corpse.

Zizizi!
A wisp of foul-smelling smoke suddenly rose from the corpse, causing Fang Shu to take several steps back.

It was his first time doing this kind of "killing thieves and robbing goods" job, so he was quite inexperienced.

When purchasing the talisman, he only knew that the Corpse Dissolving Talisman could dissolve all the facial features and flesh of a corpse, leaving only a skeleton, also known as the "Bone Removal Talisman".

It greatly facilitates the immortals in destroying corpses and eliminating evidence, but he was unaware that the talisman made quite a commotion when used, and that it smelled so unpleasant.

Fortunately, after enduring it for a while, the talisman's effects were quite remarkable.

The once burly and robust man had been reduced to a skeleton. He only needed to be washed with sand or water to remove all traces of flesh and blood.

At the same time, the true nature of the opponent's entire skeletal structure was completely exposed to Fang Shu's eyes.

Its color is yellowish, thick and rough, with each secret inscription appearing like a carving on each bone, especially the opponent's spine.

Fang Shu looked on in amazement, and the Dao talisman in his mind stirred slightly, quickly absorbing all these secret texts into the Dao talisman.

Secret texts are the essence of a particular technique or spell.

According to Taoist texts, as long as one knows the secret characters of any spell, even without knowing the specific steps of its practice, one can deduce the entirety of the spell.

This is precisely why the people from the Black Tiger Pavilion took away Cheng Guanzi's remains.

Of course, it is too difficult to deduce the full picture of magic. Even among the nine disciplines of immortal studies, only immortals of the "divination and numerology" discipline generally have the mental and physical strength to do so.

Ordinary immortals are already extremely rare and valuable if they can decipher the cryptic texts, understand their general meaning and uses, and repair any deficiencies in the methods.

“But I’m different.” Fang Shu pondered, his eyes flickering.

He picked up the bones of the Black Tiger Pavilion disciple one by one, leaving no stone unturned.

After examining all the traces on the other party's bones, he found a total of sixteen new secret characters, which he recorded in his Daoist talisman.

Once these esoteric texts are entered into the Daoist register, the register immediately begins to analyze and compare them with the esoteric texts that Ke Fangshu has already mastered:
The "Seventeen Secret Techniques of Black Tiger Pavilion" has been included and is currently being analyzed and deduced... Completeness unknown... The effects of the method are unknown, but it is suspected to be a bone-refining secret technique... Missing materials...

The analysis and calculation are estimated to take 1,375 days. The person in charge of the divination can collect the bone fragments, dissect them, and examine them; this may expedite the process.

Seeing the words appear in the talisman in his mind, Fang Shu's expectant look faded slightly, and he sighed softly:
"One thousand three hundred and seventy-five days, which is almost four years... Never mind."

If he had waited four years, not to mention the second tribulation of marrow refining, he would have already passed the third tribulation of fat refining long ago.

Furthermore, although the Black Tiger Pavilion's secret techniques seem extraordinary, the lead and insect techniques he cultivates are also remarkable. He already possesses two immortal techniques, one orthodox and one auxiliary.

According to the owner of the private club, if Fang Shu practices any more, it will likely be a waste of effort, or even counterproductive.

Fang Shu then turned his attention away from the so-called "bone material" and ignored the suggestion in the Taoist talisman to "dissect and examine it".

Rather than wasting these "resources" on promoting the deduction, it would be better to keep them and sell them when the right opportunity arises.

After making the decision, Fang Shu immediately stopped the deduction of the Dao Talisman in his mind, simply storing the seventeen secret texts in the secret text library, and then letting the Dao Talisman continue to wholeheartedly deduce the Gu technique.

Although the deduction attempt "failed" and he failed to obtain the Black Tiger Pavilion's techniques, Fang Shu was not unhappy at the moment and still had considerable expectations.

This expectation is not for those esoteric texts, but for the Taoist talismans.

"Although nearly four years is a long time, I was able to deduce the entirety of the Dharma just by relying on the secret texts passed down from the corpses, and the speed of deduction could also increase along with the number of secret texts I comprehended."

If outsiders were to learn of this, it would still be considered a shocking and unconventional act.

Fang Shu's eyes were expectant:
"If I don't try to fix the whole thing, but only fix the fragments, the speed of deducing and repairing the Dao talisman will undoubtedly be faster and higher."

Today, he is compiling some secret texts found on the bodies of the Black Tiger Pavilion disciples, and he is also trying out the wonderful uses of the Daoist talismans.

As he expected, the Daoist talismans, in addition to analyzing the secret texts according to the methods, can also deduce the methods based on the secret texts.

With this effect, Fang Shu's channels for obtaining cultivation techniques and secret arts will undoubtedly be much broader in the future.

He thought to himself, "Complete methods are rare and precious, but I've heard that there are quite a few incomplete or fake methods in the demon market outside the town."

Perhaps what he will need to worry about in the future is not the variety or number of cultivation techniques and secret arts, but rather that his spiritual power is limited and he simply cannot deduce them all in a short time.

Therefore, if in the future one is to select fragments of the Dharma for deduction, Fang Shu must select those extremely precious and powerful techniques, or those that are exactly to his liking, so as not to waste the precious time of the Daoist talisman.

Thinking of this, his thoughts suddenly drifted to the long-tongued sword in his hand:
"Last time, when Cheng Guanzi was killed, Dao Lu grew as a result. But not this time."

I wonder if it will grow stronger the next time I obtain the blood of a second-stage immortal, or after I have passed my second tribulation.

Unfortunately, such things cannot be verified in a short time.

Moreover, the precious blood he obtained today was not even enough to properly nourish the Long Tongue Sword in his hand, making it impossible to refine it into a Second Tribulation Tongue Sword, let alone transfer it to the Dao Talisman. After calmly considering the matter, Fang Shu immediately focused his mind.

He then took out the painted skin mask made by Su Qingao and examined it carefully. He discovered that even through the firelight, he could see the secret characters on the skin, which was as thin as a cicada's wing.

Without much thought, he immediately used the Daoist talisman to add these secret texts to the secret text library.

Immediately afterward, Fang Shu thought of something and began searching again on the remains of the Black Tiger Pavilion disciple.

Even Su Qingao has crafted a magical artifact called "Painted Skin." As a first-stage immortal, it's impossible that he's only practicing cultivation without even having mastered a single spell.

Sure enough, Fang Shu noticed that the other person's left hand bones and metacarpal bones were very thick in the pile of bones. Upon closer inspection, they seemed to be tiger bones rather than human bones.

He boldly moved it around and discovered that as he rubbed the other's metacarpal bones, each finger bone had sprouted a half-foot-long claw, which, when combined, covered an area of ​​about a foot in size.

Moreover, those protruding claws also concealed secret characters, which had formed a network-like structure and could receive the infusion of qi and blood, making it a magical artifact with a first-level restriction.

Fang Shu gently flicked the hand bone, and a clanging sound of bronze and metal could be heard. If he were to slap a person, he could easily tear a living person to pieces.

As usual, Fang Shu recorded the hidden inscriptions on the hand bone, but he did not take the hand bone away.

He sorted through the goods, and wrapped them all in a satchel except for a pile of talisman coins and three black notes. He then went out of the cave, found a secluded corner, buried them among the rocks, and affixed a hiding talisman to them.

This talisman can isolate spiritual energy and smells to a certain extent, prevent wild animals from digging holes, and is also an essential talisman for homes when wild animals are out and about.

Its drawback is that its spiritual power is limited and it is easily corroded by rain and other things. If placed in the wild, it can only last for about half a month.

Fortunately, this was enough for Fang Shu. Once things calmed down, he could take all of these things away at his leisure.

Then, Fang Shu carefully soaked all the talisman coins and black notes in the medicine, and changed all his clothes, throwing the discarded items into the rushing river.

Feeling that he had done everything perfectly, he breathed a sigh of relief and considered backing out.

At this moment, Fang Shu looked up and found that the sky was already dark, and it would be completely dark in just a short while.

"Let's go home!"

His heart tightened, and he immediately headed straight for the location of Guling Town.

Once night falls, the monsters, demons, and even ghosts and spirits outside the town will come out to roam. Lacking experience, even though he is now a celestial being, it would be best for him to obediently return to the town first.

whoosh!
Fang Shu transformed into a fox and roamed through the mountains and forests.

Along the way, he did not encounter any other searchers, clearly they had all left in disappointment.

However, on a main road very close to Guling Town, he suddenly noticed movement ahead.

Being cautious, he immediately chose to lie prone in the forest and wait for the other party to leave.

A voice came from the direction of the town; the voice sounded human, not demon.
"Senior brother, it's already late. Do we really have to come out? I heard that the large group of people we sent during the day all returned empty-handed."

"Shh! Quiet." The other person didn't answer, but lowered their voice as they passed the main road.

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu held his breath even more tightly.

Soon, two figures rushed past on the main road and disappeared from his sight and hearing range.

He squinted and could only make out by their shapes that one figure was muscular and the other slender, and that they should be a man and a woman.

Fang Shu waited until the other person was completely out of sight before straightening up.

He pondered their conversation and was momentarily surprised.

Although the two did not exchange names, his voice sounded quite familiar.

Fang Shu quickly searched his mind and found an identity that strongly resembled that of the other person.

The two people passing by on the main road were none other than Ling Baiquan and Xiao Lili from the Burning Tail Pavilion!
The fact that these two people came out in the middle of the night, even though the other said he was also searching for Su Qingao, Fang Shu still felt that something was wrong.

A thought stirred in his mind, and he had the idea of ​​going forward to investigate.

But as he hesitated, Fang Shu recalled what had happened at the Shaowei Inn. In particular, he looked up and glanced at the sky; the wilderness was dangerous, and he must not take any risks.

Whoosh.

Fang Shu immediately chose to return along the same route, putting aside what he had just seen and heard, too lazy to bother with it.

Not long after nightfall, he successfully reached the outskirts of Guling Town.

Staggering into the town, Fang Shu chose a secluded corner where no one and no demons were around, peeled off the fox skin, and wandered around the town a few more times before returning to the Dugu Pavilion without any further ado and lying down to rest.

Meanwhile, outside of Guling Town.

Xiao Lili was dressed in a smart outfit, looking heroic and spirited, but she was nervously following Ling Baiquan through the wilderness, repeatedly hesitating to speak.

Seeing this, the white dog finally slowed down and explained:

"Don't worry, junior sister. It's precisely because our forces failed during the day that we need to come out at night."

You must know that the woman surnamed Su is someone both the market and the Black Tiger Gang have put a bounty on her head. This woman burned down an entire street, and who knows how many families she probably robbed. Leaving aside the fact that capturing her would earn the Black Tiger Gang's goodwill...

"If we could obtain the valuables this woman carries and hand them over to my uncle, it might be enough to cover the losses, appease my master, and avoid punishment."

Upon hearing Ling Baiquan's explanation, Xiao Lili's face showed a hint of interest, but she remained hesitant.

At this moment, even the white dog's tone carried a hint of impatience:

"Junior sister, do you not believe your senior brother?"
If you don't believe me, you can go back on your own. But don't tell anyone about what happened between us tonight. Await your good news, brother!

Xiao Lili looked flustered and quickly said, "No, no, Senior Brother, please don't blame me."

Then, she rallied her spirits and smiled with relief, saying:
"I almost forgot, Senior Brother is a Second Tribulation Immortal. With Senior Brother's protection, how could there be any danger in the mere hundred miles of wilderness?"

"You know that's good," the white dog replied calmly.

So, unnoticed by anyone, the two chatted and laughed as they moved further and further away from Guling Town, disappearing into the deep mountains.

(End of this chapter)