Gou Zai, a corpse sewn into a spirit in a mortuary during the Republic of China era, became a spirit

In Xie An's mind, only some legendary mountain spirits, demons, evil spirits, or people who cultivate immortal arts can absorb the essence of the sun and moon.

I've only just started practicing stance training, yet I can already absorb extremely small amounts of moonlight... It's simply outrageous.

While Xie An was excited, he also felt more and more that... this new Republic of China was probably far more terrifying than many people thought.

What I have come into contact with so far... is probably just the tip of the iceberg of the Great New Republic.

"We need to speed up our martial arts training."

call.

Xie An took a deep breath, cleared his mind of distractions, and continued practicing his stance.

As time passed, he could clearly feel drops of moonlight seeping into his body through his skin pores, nourishing his muscles, bones, and flesh. This greatly relieved the fatigue in his muscles and bones.

Even after practicing stance training for a long time, I don't feel tired.

Before we knew it, the eastern sky began to lighten, and the once-silent village was lit again, with a faint commotion coming from within.

Xie An then stopped practicing and sat on a stone in the courtyard, panting heavily.

My clothes were soaked with sweat, but I could clearly feel that my muscles and bones were more solid, and my previously loose body had become much firmer.

"With the effect of absorbing moonlight, I was able to practice standing meditation all night long, which is unbelievable... Although I was a little tired, the feeling of my body becoming stronger was really comfortable."

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the west courtyard, and Li Erniu's voice could be heard.

"Young Master, it's time to open the Yang Gate."

"Here I am." Xie An didn't even bother to take a bath; he just threw on a traditional Chinese jacket and went out.

It's March now, not too cold.

As for the main gate, it's a rule passed down from the elders of the village: at night, the village only opens the side gate or the underground cellar door. Every morning at dawn, the village head must personally burn three sticks of incense and recite the "Cleansing House Mantra" before opening the main gate. This signifies that the village begins its business for the day.

This task was originally Xie Bingxiang's daily work, but now that his legs are injured, the responsibility naturally falls on Xie An.

After leaving the west courtyard, Xie An led Zhou Xuli, Xu Chun, Zhang Da, Liu Hu, and Li Erniu to burn incense and chant incantations in front of the main gate before opening for business.

Although it was Xie An's first time presiding over the opening ceremony of Kaiyang Gate, everyone was initially a little worried. However, seeing Xie An burning incense steadily, chanting incantations fluently and devoutly, and successfully presiding over the opening ceremony, everyone felt that this young master was already capable of handling things on his own, and they all felt relieved.

Once the gates to the living room were opened, everyone busied themselves with their own tasks. Zhou Xuli was in charge of the accounting and reception affairs, while he sent Zhang Da and Xu Chun outside to carry the coffins and collect the bodies. Liu Hu and Li Erniu, on the other hand, carried lanterns to the main hall to inspect each coffin, checking if the lids were loose to prevent the bodies from rising. They also needed to check if the incense burner ash was even, if the ever-burning lamp was extinguished, and to change the water and add incense... There was quite a lot of miscellaneous work to do.

If a bereaved family brings a coffin into the village during this period, the body must be examined to determine the cause of death, whether it was a violent death or if there was any resentment, and the duration and cost of keeping the body in custody must be agreed upon.

If the corpse is not presentable, it is necessary to collect and sew it up.

Xie An inspected the area and, seeing that everything was going smoothly, went to the main house to report to his father. After having breakfast, he returned to the west courtyard and devoted himself to practicing his stances.

Although Xie An had mastered the Hunyuan Stance by reshaping his bones and absorbing moonlight, he was still not very proficient and could not step into the second level of concentrating his mind and nourishing his qi, nor had he cultivated any sense of qi.

Even so, Xie An continued to practice diligently.

It wasn't until the fourth day that my body finally started to change.

That noon, Xie An, as usual, stood in a stance under the old locust tree in the courtyard.

The stance had become second nature, requiring no deliberate adjustment; my body felt like an old pine tree with its roots firmly planted. My breathing was almost imperceptible, gradually replaced by the steady, resonant beat of my heart. I stood for three hours straight, yet my sweat was unusually minimal—my pores opened and closed with effortless ease.

In this hazy state between sleep and wakefulness, a sudden sinking sensation came from the lower abdomen, specifically the dantian.

The sensation was extremely subtle, like a soybean soaked in cool water, sinking three inches below his navel. At first, Xie An thought it was just a misperception caused by fatigue in his abdominal muscles, but the "sinking sensation" not only did not dissipate, but came alive with a long exhale.

It trembled slightly, transforming into a wisp of ice that rose gently from the dantian and traveled upwards along the inner wall of the spine.

He slowly withdrew from his stance, exhaling, his entire body muscles and bones seemingly contracting and undulating in response.

"So this is what 'qi sensation' is..."

The second level of Hunyuan Zhuang – Concentrating the Mind and Nourishing Qi – has been completed.

Xie An opened his eyes and could clearly "feel" a breath circulating within his limbs and bones. His control over his hands, feet, and breathing had reached a new level.

After casually swinging his arms and legs, he discovered that he had reached an unprecedented level of control over movements and force.

The feeling was like chopping a radish, holding the radish in one hand and a knife in the other. An ordinary person wouldn't dare to chop it off in one stroke, lest they cut off their hand. But at this moment, Xie An felt that he could chop it off in one stroke without hurting his hand.

It's like the oil seller who can steadily pour oil into the square hole of a copper coin without the coin getting a drop of oil on it.

This is the extraordinary control over body movements and the precision of force application.

In the martial arts world, this is called reaching a higher level.

"Although this Hunyuan stance is difficult to practice, it is extremely profound."

"I feel like I have inexhaustible strength in my hands and feet. I should go find Zhou Fu and ask him for some martial arts techniques to practice." Xie An clearly felt that his body was particularly restless at this moment, and he had an instinctive desire for martial arts.

Without further hesitation, he went to the main house to find his father, dug out a jar of old liquor that he had treasured for twenty years, and then took a few silver dollars and hurriedly left.

……

The courtyard of Zhou Fu's house.

Zhou Ji went to school, and Aunt Lan went to buy groceries. Only Zhou Fu was left at home.

While sipping the strong liquor Xie Anxin had given him, Zhou Fu sat under the eaves eating crunchy fried peanuts, mumbling incoherently, "Two jars of strong liquor for a book of Hunyuan stance training, you're not losing out. But as an elder, I really can't bear to squeeze your father's old liquor dry. From today onwards, you'll go back and take good care of the mortuary. Martial arts training ultimately depends on innate talent and aptitude; you can't force it..."

This was the excuse Zhou Fu had prepared long ago. He figured that Xie An had taken the Hunyuan Stance back and practiced it for a few days, so he should know that Xie An was definitely not cut out for martial arts.

Xie An did not answer, but stood up straight with his feet shoulder-width apart, then bent his knees slightly, as if he were sitting but not sitting.

The so-called layman looks at the excitement and the insider looks at the doorway.

Zhou Fu's eyes narrowed immediately.

It's starting to smell.

Immediately, Xie An crossed his arms, as if embracing a ball or the moon... and began to adjust his hand posture. He had clearly achieved internal tension and external relaxation, with complete control over his movements. This was a sign that he had mastered the first level of the Hunyuan stance.

Zhou Fu slowed his eating of peanuts, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. He thought to himself, "This kid's not bad. Logically, he shouldn't have been able to do this in three to five years, but he actually…"

However, what happened next surprised Zhou Fu once again.

After adjusting his posture and relaxing, Xie An became incredibly focused, his breath and internal energy surging in harmony, as if he were seated on the earth, breathing along with it.

This is a sign that you have mastered the second level of Hunyuan Zhuang (Primordial Stance), which is called "Concentrating the Mind and Nourishing Qi".

Zhou Fu could no longer remain calm. He stopped drinking and slowly stood up, his eyes filled with a burning passion.

Even for a boy with exceptionally good bone structure, starting to practice stance training at age six, it would take a year and a half to reach the second level. As for someone whose muscles and bones have fully developed by age fifteen, it would take three to five years to achieve that.

How did this kid do that?

call!

After Xie An finished practicing a set of stances, he let out a long sigh of relief, then stopped and bowed respectfully to Zhou Fu: "A few days ago, when Master Zhou gave me this set of Hunyuan stances, he said that if I gritted my teeth and mastered it, Master Zhou would pass on his martial arts to me. Master Zhou can't be cunning."

In fact, Zhou Fu never said that. His original words were: "If you grit your teeth and succeed, then come find me again."

Xie An made some artistic adjustments...

Zhou Fu narrowed his eyes and said nothing. He took a step in front of Xie An. His steps were as light as a cat's footsteps on snow, landing silently, yet carrying an undeniable pressure.

Before Xie An could react, a rough, warm, calloused hand pressed against his shoulder blade.

"Don't move, relax. Let me feel your bones again."

Zhou Fu's fingers began at the Dazhui point on the neck, stroking and pressing down inch by inch along the muscle grooves on both sides of the spine. It wasn't a caress, but more like a craftsman examining the grain of wood, the force penetrating the skin and flesh, reaching straight to the bone.

"snort……"

Xie An groaned, feeling as if the bone beneath the skin had been burned by hot tongs where the finger had passed, before quickly turning into a tingling numbness.

"The bone joints are tight, and the medullary cavity is full..." Zhou Fu murmured, his fingertips hovering near Xie An's Mingmen acupoint on his lower back. He gently tapped it, then closed his eyes, as if "listening" to the sounds within the bones.

Only the sound of the wind and the faint rolling of peanuts at the bottom of the bowl in the wind remained in the courtyard.

After a full half-cup of tea time, Zhou Fu slowly released his grip, his eyes swirling with complex emotions.

"Strange... Heavy bones and strong tendons, marrow containing cold essence. This is not 'good physical constitution,' this is... the foundation of jade bones and ice marrow."

He stared intently at Xie An, his tone suddenly turning sharp: "Your bones feel like old jade dug out of an ice cellar after twenty years—cool to the touch, firm and smooth inside. But your bone age is clearly fifteen or sixteen! Kid, tell me the truth—"

He took a step forward, his aura pressing down like a mountain: "Have you... swallowed some kind of yin-cold precious medicine? Or, have you come into contact with some extremely yin earth marrow substance?"

Xie An's heart skipped a beat, but his face immediately showed a mixture of confusion and recollection as he hesitated, saying, "Master Zhou, now that you mention it... a few days ago when I was looking for Master Wang at the mass grave in the back mountain, it seems... I accidentally ate a herb growing next to the withered bones. The herb was completely black, with only three leaves, and it felt icy to the touch. I thought it was some kind of wild ginseng from the mountains, and I was extremely thirsty at the time, so I chewed it..."

"Three Leaves? Black? Ice Hand?" Zhou Fu's pupils shrank sharply as he frantically searched his memory, muttering, "Such a miraculous medicine actually exists. The world is truly full of wonders, far beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. You really stepped in some dog shit for luck, kid."

Xie An scratched his head, revealing a simple-minded expression.

Zhou Fu pondered for a long time before letting out a long breath reeking of alcohol. "This body... tsk, it's a perfect match for my lineage of Bajiquan."

Xie An noticed Zhou Fu's softening tone and quickly climbed up the bamboo pole, pretending to kneel down, "Master, please accept my bow..."

"Eh eh eh."

Zhou Fu quickly reached out and grabbed Xie An, "I haven't even taken in my own son. If I did, your Aunt Lan wouldn't let me sleep on the kang tonight. Here's what we'll do: I'll teach you some real kung fu today."