Chapter 5: When the Five Viscera Are Strong, the Body Flourishes

"I'm back!"

As he pushed open the courtyard gate, a crisp chill once again enveloped Shang Lu, making him exclaim with delight. All the pent-up irritability and anxiety in his heart vanished in an instant, swept away by the freshness of the air.

Neither Sun Ying nor Inspector Ma could have imagined that the so-called “haunted house” in which Shang Lu lived, far from endangering his life, actually brought him a rare sense of tranquility and peace. Their attempts to disturb his mind, to scatter his vital energy and distract him from his cultivation, were all in vain.

Carrying the sacrificial animals and the medicinal herbs into the kitchen, Shang Lu didn’t rush to handle them. After washing his hands, he turned into the main room and, smiling, drew a wooden hairpin from his sleeve.

“I saw someone selling hairpins at the herb market, so I bought one. I don’t know if you’ll like it.”

He placed the wooden hairpin on the table and waited for a moment. Seeing no movement, he turned back to the kitchen to start the fire.

After he left, a light breeze lifted the hairpin, suspending it in midair. It slowly rotated, as if an invisible hand were turning it this way and that, examining it closely. Though the main room was empty, a strange sense of joy seemed to fill the air.

Moments later, the hairpin rose higher, stopping about five feet above the ground, as if someone had just tucked it into their hair. The bronze mirror in the room suddenly shifted, casting its reflection over. Yet the clear surface showed nothing, not even the hairpin, which seemed to vanish into thin air.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Shang Lu had finished lighting the fire and was boiling water. To offer sacrifices to the temple of the five viscera, the offerings must be consumed. Shang Lu, though determined to become a true gourmand, couldn’t bring himself to eat raw meat—he had to cook the pheasant, wild duck, and goose first.

The birds seemed to sense their fate, fluttering frantically in the kitchen, but with their wings and legs bound by straw cords, escape was impossible.

After stoking the fire and adding another handful of wood, Shang Lu took up a kitchen knife and whetted it on the stone with a few sharp strokes. Then, picking up the pheasant, duck, and goose, he swiftly slit their throats one by one, his movements decisive and efficient.

He didn’t forget to place three large bowls to collect the blood. Rich in iron and protein, the blood was a precious resource for his cultivation—none could be wasted.

Once the blood was drained, the water in the pot was boiling. But before Shang Lu could act, a large wooden basin drifted into the kitchen, as if carried by invisible hands. At the same time, the wooden ladle on the stove began to move on its own, scooping hot water from the pot into the basin, one ladleful after another.

Instead of being frightened by this eerie sight, Shang Lu broke into a delighted smile.

“My dear wife is truly virtuous.”

He approached, placed the slaughtered birds into the basin, took up another ladle, and began pouring hot water over them. The scalding water released a pungent odor as it doused the birds.

When the water in the pot was finished, the feathers were sufficiently loosened. Shang Lu squatted down and began plucking the pheasant.

At the same time, the feathers on the goose seemed to be diminishing as well. Shang Lu’s hands moved quickly, and soon the pheasant was plucked clean.

Reaching for the duck, he suddenly felt a light slap on his hand—cool, soft, and a little tender, but neither too light nor too harsh.

“Hm?” Shang Lu was surprised, but soon realized why his hand had been brushed aside. The just-plucked pheasant was now lifted by an invisible hand, which carefully picked away any missed feathers, one after another, quite a number in fact.

Though the kitchen was silent, Shang Lu could almost hear a faint snort, as if someone were blaming him for his lack of thoroughness.

“Uh, I’ve never plucked birds before…” he explained sheepishly.

Knowing his wife was dissatisfied with his sloppy work, he simply stopped plucking and returned to tend the fire.

Soon the water began to boil again, steam curling up and filling the kitchen. Whether it was the mist or merely his imagination, Shang Lu fancied he saw a woman crouched beside the basin—not her face, but her focused, attentive posture.

With a smile on his lips, he watched her so intently that he nearly burned his hand adding more wood to the fire.

Before long, the pheasant, duck, and goose were all plucked clean, then gutted and washed along with the medicinal herbs. When everything was ready, the three sacrificial animals lined up and “jumped” into the pot, one after another.

There were few seasonings at home—just some ginger, scallions, garlic, and salt. Yet whether it was the quality of the wild game or his wife’s superb skills, even with such simple ingredients, the aroma from the pot was utterly tantalizing.

Even though Shang Lu had already eaten lamb offal soup and baked flatbread at the market, he couldn’t help swallowing hungrily now.

When the birds were nearly cooked, the wooden lid floated up by itself, and the eight medicinal herbs, one by one, flew into the pot. After simmering a while longer until the medicinal properties were fully released, the lid once again rose and set aside.

The three sacrificial beasts, now bathed in a pale golden broth, floated out of the pot and into a nearby basin, followed by the now-cooked ginseng, poria, and other herbs. Soon a bowl of fragrant wild game soup was ladled out and set beside the basin, clearly meant for Shang Lu to partake of the original broth.

A warm glow filled Shang Lu’s heart. He didn’t stand on ceremony, going over to grab a piece of the succulent meat, but just as his hand reached out, he felt himself gently pushed away. Slightly puzzled, he offered no resistance and was shepherded to the well, where he realized his wife wanted him to wash his hands before eating.

He had just been killing and plucking birds and tending the fire—his hands were indeed a mess.

“All right, all right—wash before eating, rinse after meals. Whatever my dear wife says, I’ll do.”

He grinned as he washed, splashing water on his face as though scolded with playful affection.

Returning to the kitchen with clean hands, he saw the feathers had already been swept into a pile, the fire put out, and a cloth was busily wiping the grease from the stove.

“To have married you, my dear wife, is truly the blessing of two lifetimes,” Shang Lu declared.

At those words, the rag on the stove paused as if shy.

Chuckling, Shang Lu decided not to tease her further and dug into the pheasant. The meat was perfectly cooked—tender yet chewy, with a wild flavor accentuated by nothing more than a pinch of salt, yet incredibly delicious.

He ate and praised, soon finishing the pheasant, duck, and goose, as well as all the medicinal herbs, and downed two large bowls of soup before wiping his mouth in satisfaction and focusing his mind.

On the altar of the temple of the five viscera, the sacrificial offerings of the three animals and eight treasures were duly placed, along with a large bowl of golden, sparkling broth.

As the spirit of the spleen absorbed the offerings, Shang Lu could clearly see the once dilapidated temple changing: new bricks patched the crumbling walls, gaps large and small were sealed, broken tiles repaired and replaced, even the dusty windows were cleaned and freshly papered.

The five deities enshrined within, though still cracked in places, were no longer missing limbs or broken—each statue now sported a fresh coat of paint.

Apart from the spleen spirit, the other four statues were still shrouded in mist, their details obscured, but Shang Lu could sense all five had undergone the same transformation.

Nor was the change confined to the temple alone. Shang Lu found that all his bodily functions rapidly improved after the spleen spirit received its offering—the damage to his five viscera truly healed by a significant margin!

With strong viscera comes a robust body.

In that moment, Shang Lu was filled with complete confidence that he would pass next month’s assessment with ease.