Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

Chen Mo opened his eyes, his gaze filled with darkness.

But sitting idly by and waiting for death is definitely not in his nature.

Tianjin is only about 50 kilometers away from Linhe County. Chen Dachuan had taken the original owner of this body to the ghost market there twice, and the yin talisman paper was bought from there.

It was a gathering place for all sorts of unorthodox individuals, outlaws, information brokers, and all sorts of shady dealings.

Perhaps there really are unorthodox remedies or miraculous methods that can alleviate or even cure this deadly yin energy.

But the ghost market is not a good place.

The place is a mixed bag, the rules are unclear, and fraud and double-crossing are commonplace.

For him to go there in his current exhausted state would be like a lamb entering a tiger's den.

Last night's looting of the Black Tiger Gang's secret vault gave him the capital to enter the market, but he understood the principle that possessing a treasure can be a crime.

"We must first restore some of our self-defense capabilities, at least... enough to hold out until the Ghost Market and return safely."

Chen Mo clenched his fist, feeling the coldness from his fingertips, but his eyes grew even sharper.

"I wonder if the Black Tiger Gang has any medicine in their collection to temporarily suppress Yin energy?"

Without further hesitation, he got up, walked to the door, flipped over the wooden plaque that read "Du'e Zhai" to reveal the crooked words on the back: "Owner has something to do, business is temporarily suspended." Then he carefully closed the shop door and bolted it shut.

The interior was even dimmer, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering in through the gaps in the window paper.

He walked behind the counter, squatted down, and groped for an inconspicuous blue brick near the corner of the wall.

Following the order in memory, gently press on several specific locations on the brick surface.

With a soft "click," the blue brick caved inward, and then a larger brick next to it slid away silently, revealing a narrow opening that could only accommodate one person.

This is the true secret location of the Chen family's paper-making shop, and it is also the secret room that the original owner's father, Chen Dachuan, accidentally discovered and secretly modified.

Upon returning last night, Chen Mo immediately transferred his most important findings here.

He climbed down the makeshift wooden ladder and lit the oil lamp fixed to the wall.

The dim light illuminated the small space, which was only about ten feet square and just high enough for a person to stand.

In the corner were some old paper materials and spare tools collected by Chen Dachuan, while in the center were the things he brought back last night.

The most conspicuous items were two sturdy burlap sacks and a bulging satchel.

He untied the first burlap sack, inside which were silver dollars wrapped in oiled paper, roughly estimated to be about 1,500.

For reasons unknown, the Black Tiger Gang didn't have a single silver note; all they had was cash.

The other sack contained loose pieces of gold and silver jewelry, a few small gold bars, and a bag of opium of excellent quality.

Inside the satchel were several more valuable mahogany boxes and a sandalwood box.

Chen Mo carefully lifted the talisman on the first mahogany box, whose spiritual power had already dimmed. The moment he opened it, a burst of intense yang energy mixed with a faint smell of blood rushed out, causing the yin energy around him to freeze!

The box was lined with red silk, on which were placed three irregularly shaped, dark gold-red crystals, each the size of a pigeon egg, with fine blood-like veins flowing across their surface. They were warm to the touch, contrasting sharply with the coldness of the surroundings.

"This is... Crimson Sun Blood Crystal?" Chen Mo's pupils contracted slightly as he recognized the object from the original owner's scattered memories and fragments of the "Netherworld Paper Making Technique" scroll.

This material is made by martial artists who cultivate Yang-based techniques or Qi and Blood Martial Arts by mixing their own essence and blood with certain Yang-attribute precious medicines. It has remarkable effects on replenishing Qi and blood and resisting Yin evil.

However, because it contains the essence and will of a martial artist, it is wild and untamed. If someone who does not have the corresponding martial arts technique absorbs it rashly, their qi and blood will easily surge backward, causing them to explode and die.

"Good stuff." Chen Mo carefully put it back.

This might be something Lei Laohu prepared for himself to protect himself or for cultivation, or it might be a gift he intended to present to a martial arts master.

The second wooden box was opened, and a sudden surge of yin energy followed.

Inside were several dark bone fragments, faintly shimmering with phosphorescence, and chillingly cold to the touch.

"Wraith bones... materials for crafting certain evil magical artifacts, or for casting curses." Chen Mo shook his head; this thing would only aggravate the Yin energy within him.

The third wooden box was the smallest and most inconspicuous, containing only a clump of something grayish-brown like old cotton wool.

"Yin Soul Fragments?" Chen Mo touched them with his fingertips, and a chilling sensation that sucked away life force wafted over. This was the essence left behind after a Yin Soul dissipated, often used to nurture ghosts or cultivate Yin-attribute techniques. For him, it was more harmful than beneficial.

It seems that the unorthodox materials collected by Lei Laohu tend to be either fierce or insidious, and there are no gentle tonics that directly address the difficult and complicated condition of Yin Sha entering the body.

He sighed and turned his gaze to the sandalwood box.

After opening it, he skipped the account book and secret letter and picked up the thin booklet wrapped in oilcloth directly—"The Method of Strengthening the Body with Punishment and Injury".

The moment the fingertips touched the rough oilcloth, a strange change occurred!

In the sea of ​​consciousness, the Moonlight Treasure Mirror, which had been quietly suspended, suddenly began to shimmer with light, its surface rippling like water, and lines of ancient yet clear silver characters quickly appeared.

[Special inheritance carrier detected - "The Body Tempering Technique of Punishment and Shamanism" (a fragment of the Executioner lineage)]

[Technique Type: Unorthodox/Hereditary - Martial Arts Body Tempering]

[Grade Determination: Yellow Rank, Mid-Grade (Fragmented)]

[Core Principle: Drawing upon the murderous aura of the execution ground, the blood and energy of slaughter, or specific yin energy, to enter the body, using special methods to temper and refine the muscles, bones, and skin, strengthening the blood and energy, and enhancing the physique. At its deepest level, one can possess a formidable aura, making all evil shunned, and granting boundless strength.]

[Current Status: Severely Incomplete (Only basic methods for attracting evil and preliminary bone-forging techniques remain; no subsequent chapters on condensing, neutralizing, or protecting the spirit are available)]

[Holder Status Fit Analysis:]

Advantages: The body contains pure Yin energy, and the strength of the soul (Grade B, Medium) exceeds the minimum requirements for cultivating this incomplete technique, thus possessing the basic foundation for managing risks.

Disadvantages: Extreme deficiency of Qi and blood, damage to the body's fundamental source, forcibly drawing evil into the body may worsen the situation, with the risk of Qi and blood depletion.

Suggested deduction/supplementation: Driven by the Moonlight Spirit, you can try to deduce and supplement some missing chapters, or perform targeted integration with the existing technique "Netherworld Paper Making Technique" to create a new method that is more suitable for the current situation.

[Do you wish to add this technique to the Moon Essence Treasure Mirror? After adding it, you can perform in-depth analysis, deduction, and integration at any time.]

Chen Mo was startled, and his pupils contracted slightly.

The Moon Essence Treasure Mirror can analyze an unfamiliar cultivation technique so clearly, and even provide compatibility analysis and suggestions!

This feature is more powerful and intelligent than he had anticipated.

It seems that the Treasure Mirror is not a rigid tool, but rather possesses a certain spirituality.

The core of this book, "The Method of Strengthening the Body by Punishment and Killing," is to guide the evil energy of punishment and killing into the body, forcibly tempering the muscles, bones, and flesh.

"Using malevolent energy to forge the body... turning harm into benefit?"

A bold and crazy idea took shape in Chen Mo's mind.

The Yin Sha within his body is a deadly poison, but this "Punishment Sha Body Forging Method" provides a possible path to transform the poison into fuel!

However, this cultivation technique guides the killing and evil energy, while the energy within him is yin and evil, so the two are different.

"Or you could give it a try!"