Chapter 18: Charging the Meridian, Breaking Through the Realm!

After returning from the yamen, Shanglu continued to drive himself relentlessly, pouring all his energy into cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty days passed, and the date of the merit examination was right around the corner.

During these days, Shanglu devoted nearly all his time and spirit to cultivation. Even the times he accompanied Third Lady to climb the treetops, gazing at the moon and counting the stars, had dwindled significantly. On the rare occasions he went out, it was only to the herb market to purchase sacrificial beasts and rare medicinal ingredients, or to hear reports from Du Feng and the others—never wasting a single moment.

Du Feng and his companions had begun their investigation the very day Shanglu assigned them the task. Yet after more than twenty days, they had uncovered precious little of value. How many monstrous serpents lurked within the thick mists of Mount Yunhua? Were there other malevolent spirits besides the serpents, and what was their strength? What was the state of the villages scattered across the mountain, and were there any survivors?

All the intelligence Shanglu most urgently desired, they had not managed to uncover.

Only Du Feng had found something of note. In his inquiries, he discovered that in the past month, several disappearances had occurred in the villages and towns surrounding Mount Yunhua. Each time someone vanished, it was accompanied by fog and other strange phenomena. No one had reported these incidents to the authorities, for seeking help from the yamen would mean being extorted for all sorts of fees and, in the end, likely finding nothing. Moreover, the affected families had not suspected supernatural involvement, attributing the disappearances to people losing their way in the mist and meeting with misfortune. They had relied on relatives and friends to search, but none of the missing had ever been found.

Beyond that, Du Feng learned that the thick fog on Mount Yunhua had appeared several months prior. At first, it only shrouded the summit’s Mayang Slope. Over time, not only did the mist fail to dissipate, but it grew denser and spread wider, enveloping multiple villages on the mountain—and even showing signs of creeping down its slopes.

To Shanglu, this was enough to confirm the presence of true malevolence on Mount Yunhua.

He immediately took Du Feng to report to Captains Niu and Ma. However, after hearing their account, the two captains merely instructed them to continue investigating, making no effort to report the matter to the magistrate or the Wuyuan.

Shanglu could only have Du Feng and the others persist in their investigations, hoping to gather more useful information. As for himself, he redoubled his cultivation, preparing to ascend the mountain and investigate personally once the merit examination was done.

Fortunately, during this period, Sun Ying and the Blackwind Gang had restrained themselves, no longer harassing him, allowing Shanglu to focus wholeheartedly on his training.

All this was thanks to his performance at the yamen, where he played the victim so convincingly that, afterward, Captain Ma personally warned Sun Ying and the Blackwind Gang not to make things difficult for him.

It wasn’t that Captain Ma had suddenly grown a conscience. Rather, he wished to avoid pushing Shanglu too far and provoking trouble before the merit examination. Although Captain Ma had connections in the prefectural government, should a major incident occur before the exam—like a violent clash between Shanglu and the Blackwind Gang, or Shanglu driven to despair and suicide—he would not escape blame.

Naturally, Sun Ying was unwilling, but he had no choice but to obey.

Still, he did not intend to let Shanglu off. He planned to settle accounts after the merit examination, once he had replaced Shanglu as a full-fledged constable.

Though there had been no enmity between them before, Shanglu had nearly ruined Sun Ying's chance to advance. To block a man’s path is a greater crime than killing his father! Whether Shanglu had meant it or not, Sun Ying held him responsible.

With the stifling heat of late summer, Sun Ying's hatred and murderous intent toward Shanglu only intensified. Though he no longer openly sought trouble, he watched Shanglu’s every move, both openly and in secret.

It was then that Sun Ying noticed Shanglu’s frequent visits to the herb market on market days, always buying sacrificial animals and medicinal herbs.

Of course, Sun Ying had no idea that Shanglu was using these offerings to sacrifice to the Spleen Spirit at the Temple of the Five Viscera, gradually restoring his damaged organs.

Nor did he know that, through repeated sacrifices, Shanglu’s severely injured organs had fully recovered—indeed, they were stronger than ever.

Less still did he realize that after his recovery, Shanglu’s cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds—improving at an astonishing pace, day by day.

To Sun Ying, Shanglu’s repeated purchases of sacrificial animals seemed nothing short of madness. Sacrifice was a serious matter, requiring the selection of an auspicious day and ritual purification before the ceremony. Who would ever perform sacrifices so frequently and carelessly? Such half-hearted rituals could never move the spirits; they were not household pets to respond at a whim.

As he mocked Shanglu, Sun Ying cursed him more than once: “Keep worshipping your gods and ghosts! May some evil spirit notice you and take you away as a sacrifice, you worthless wretch!”

But despite his malice, the curse never came true.

Nor could Sun Ying have imagined that the man he saw as weaker than a dog had already restored his cultivation to the peak of the Bone-Cleansing stage—and, a few days prior, had broken through to perfect mastery.

Such progress was due not only to the Spleen Spirit’s power, but also to the bloody meat paste given by Third Lady. Whatever its origin, it had worked wonders on Shanglu’s cultivation. As his organs healed and his power grew, the meat paste Third Lady provided became even more potent, ensuring Shanglu’s continued rapid advancement.

There is nothing like the care of a loving wife.

Not only did Shanglu’s cultivation progress in leaps and bounds, but over these days he also honed the Severing Tendon and Breaking Bone Blade to perfection. Should he face the monstrous serpent again, he would not repeat his previous mistakes.

With his current strength, passing the merit examination was assured. Yet Shanglu did not relax; he persisted in his rigorous daily training, for he knew that after the exam he would likely face Sun Ying’s vengeance and that of others. That would be the true test.

Without sufficient strength, he would be doomed.

Moreover, he still intended to rid Mount Yunhua of its demons, to gather more serpent gall and other blood-rich offerings for the Spleen Spirit.

He longed for his power and vision to improve further—so that he could see Third Lady even more clearly, and finally achieve his modest dream of holding her close as he slept.

On this day, after eating the meat paste specially prepared by Third Lady, Shanglu, as usual, trained in the Five Beasts Vitality Technique in the courtyard—again and again, tireless.

In the midst of this, he suddenly felt a current of heat surge from his lower dantian. It was his vital energy! Hot as molten metal, it surged upward like a torrent, crackling as it burst through one barrier after another.

This was much like when his energy had once crashed through his spine, but this time, it was the acupoints along the Ren Meridian at the front of his body that were under assault.

The vital energy was fierce, blasting open each acupoint in turn, joining them into an unbroken line. After piercing through the Chengjiang point beneath his chin, it did not stop but rushed onward, breaking through the Baihui point at the crown of his head, then, following the Du Meridian down his back, continued to strike through acupoints.

After a moment of astonishment, Shanglu suppressed his excitement, focusing all his will to assist the vital energy in breaking through, striving to connect the Ren and Du Meridians into a single circuit.

Once the Ren and Du Meridians were linked, his vital energy would circulate in a Small Heavenly Cycle throughout his body. Then, his strength would not only greatly increase, but flow endlessly and ceaselessly.

This signified that he had stepped into the Circulating Meridian Stage!

Even at the entry level, reaching this realm would give him the strength to challenge Captain Ma and the Blackwind Gang head-on.

At that time, even if they left him in peace, Shanglu would hunt them down himself and settle every score one by one.