Chapter 38: The Origin of the Bloody Flesh Mud (Please keep reading!)

"That's different."

Sanniang shook her head. Though her voice was soft and indistinct, it carried a gentle, sweet quality that gave off an impression of pure, innocent foolishness.

Of course, this last thought was something Shanglu would never, under any circumstance, say aloud.

Otherwise, Sanniang would likely show him just who the real fool was.

Shanglu had only asked out of casual curiosity. Lingfat was said to be a refined essence produced within secret realms, requiring a complex process. Even if Sanniang possessed such skill, where would she find a secret realm to begin with?

Surely, she couldn't really have obtained it from the mist and rain of Yunhua Mountain?

As this notion crossed his mind, Shanglu suddenly froze, his gaze falling on the bowl filled with bloody minced flesh. Hesitantly, he asked, "Sanniang, where did you get this meat from?"

He had asked this question before.

But back then, he could neither see Sanniang nor hear her voice, so there had been no answer.

"From the mountain... I told you before."

"The mountain? Yunhua Mountain? There's truly a secret realm there? Wait, you told me before? When? Oh... right, you did tell me."

Shanglu raised his hand and smacked his forehead, recalling that after he’d once asked this question, a small stick had begun tracing patterns in the mud of the courtyard, as if writing something.

Yet those characters had been twisted and strange, bearing no resemblance to the script of the Ba Kingdom or any other neighboring nations. Shanglu had been unable to decipher them.

Now it seemed, those bizarre symbols had been Sanniang’s answer.

A pity he couldn’t understand them, or he would have been able to communicate with her much sooner.

"So it’s Yunhua Mountain? There really is a secret realm there?" Shanglu pressed again.

"Yes," Sanniang nodded.

"A new secret realm, no wonder it attracted the sorcerer-officials."

Shanglu clicked his tongue in amazement. Such unexpected fortune had befallen Luoshui County.

Once a new secret realm was confirmed, Luoshui County would instantly rise to become a first-grade county. The county magistrate, chief clerk, and other officials would see their ranks elevated. Even low-ranking clerks like himself would benefit, enjoying improved treatment.

But Shanglu frowned again. "Then why do you say that the bloody meat paste is different from the Lingfat? Isn’t it also refined from the essence of the secret realm?"

"It’s not," Sanniang shook her head.

"It’s really flesh, then? From the monstrous snake?" Shanglu continued.

Again, Sanniang shook her head.

A shiver ran through Shanglu.

"It can’t be... from those villages in the mountains, can it?"

Though he couldn’t see Sanniang’s face, Shanglu was certain she was glaring at him.

At the same time, her voice, tinged with annoyance, reached his ears, "No."

"I knew it wasn’t. How could our good Sanniang, so kind and virtuous, ever let me eat people?"

Relieved, Shanglu quickly offered a stream of praise to placate her, then asked, "So what meat is it?"

"Snake," Sanniang replied, pausing before adding, "A different kind of snake."

Still a snake? But not the monstrous snake? Perhaps, judging by the intense vitality contained within the bloody meat paste, it must have come from a formidable, ancient snake demon.

It was said that the birth of secret realms was often accompanied by strange and malevolent entities. A snake demon was hardly a surprise.

"Are the people from the mountain villages still alive?" Shanglu asked. He had long suspected the truth, but still wanted to confirm it.

Sanniang shook her head in silence.

As expected… Shanglu sighed.

Not to mention the snake demon Sanniang had cut meat from—even the monstrous snakes alone would be deathly dangerous to anyone lacking the right methods. Even cultivators like himself would be ground down and killed, so how could ordinary villagers hope to survive?

In a world as bizarre and treacherous as this, diligent cultivation and the pursuit of strength were the only real priorities.

Otherwise, when danger struck, one would end up like the mountain folk of Yunhua—helpless, unable even to resist.

He exhaled a heavy breath, adjusted his mood, and did not press Sanniang further.

He scooped up the bloody meat paste and ate several bites, then swallowed the Lingfat as well.

Since Sanniang could slice flesh from a snake demon in the secret realm to feed him, she must truly disdain the Lingfat, so Shanglu saw no reason to be polite.

The taste and texture of Lingfat were entirely different from the bloody meat paste. It was like a large lump of pork fat, melting instantly in the mouth, yet without any greasy aftertaste. Quite delicious, though there was only a single piece.

The imperial court was stingy indeed; Sanniang was far better.

He focused his mind on his lower dantian and, within the temple of his five viscera, he saw both the bloody meat paste and the Lingfat placed as offerings upon the altar.

Both items were being sacrificed before the shrine of the Spleen Spirit, rapidly being transformed into vital energy.

As Shanglu was about to finish his inner observation, he suddenly noticed that as the Spleen Spirit processed the Lingfat, aside from generating vital energy, it was also expelling wisps of black-and-red intertwined vapor.

"What is that?"

Shanglu was curious, but his brow soon furrowed.

The black-and-red vapors made him feel uneasy, casting a shadow over his mood and stirring restlessness in his internal energy.

He had experienced similar sensations recently, though then it had been caused by the stifling, uncanny weather.

Adjusting his breathing to calm himself, he watched as the black-and-red vapor, refined by the Spleen Spirit, was drawn away by a neighboring statue enshrouded in mist.

Instantly, Shanglu’s agitation and the turbulence in his blood energy vanished.

He exhaled deeply, glancing at the statue that had absorbed the toxic vapor.

Though it was still shrouded in mist, Shanglu recognized it as the one whose fog had thinned after he’d consumed the bile of the monstrous snake.

He had speculated before that this statue corresponded to the liver among the five viscera.

Snake bile was said to clear the liver and brighten the eyes, so after consuming it, the mist around the statue had diminished, and his own vision had improved.

The liver also served to detoxify the body, so it made sense that the "toxic" black-and-red vapor would be absorbed by the Liver Spirit, sparing Shanglu from harm.

However, the mist covering the Liver Spirit had not yet fully dissipated, which meant it had not been fully activated. For now, it could only absorb the poison, not expel it.

"I need to find more monstrous snake bile and fully awaken the Liver Spirit, so I can expel the black-and-red vapor as soon as possible," Shanglu thought to himself.

At the same time, he wondered in curiosity—what exactly was that black-and-red vapor?

Was it a curse? Who had placed it?

The imperial court? The Sorcerer’s Institute? The sorcerer-officials? That seemed unlikely—would such lofty figures pay attention to a mere constable like himself? If they really wanted to deal with him, wouldn’t it be easier to simply act directly?

Could it be something inherent to the Lingfat? Perhaps, during the refining process, it had become tainted with the eerie energies of the secret realm?

So it was a defective product? Damn it—giving out defective goods as rewards, just how much had those responsible embezzled? Their consciences must have been devoured by dogs!

Shanglu grumbled under his breath, feeling fortunate to possess the temple of the five viscera. Otherwise, having swallowed it directly, even if he was unharmed for now, disaster would surely strike later.

As the refined vital energy continually flowed from the temple, Shanglu set aside his distracting thoughts and began to practice the Five Beasts Health Cultivation in his room.

However, before he could even complete a single round of the technique, there came an urgent pounding at the door.

Along with it, a voice called out anxiously:

"Constable Shang, are you home? Open up! Hurry, open the door!"