Chapter 51: The Mysterious and Enigmatic Amber Sphere

"Mmmmmm..."

Shang Lu clutched his throat, emitting painful moans. The amber stone sphere, no larger than an egg, was far harder to swallow than he had imagined. It was too solid to chew, forcing him to gulp it whole, yet its rough texture made it nearly impossible; as soon as he managed to swallow, it lodged in his esophagus, neither going down nor coming up, unreachable by his fingers—a torment.

But Third Mistress had anticipated this predicament and stood ready with a bowl. Seeing his distress, she immediately handed it over, signaling him to drink its contents. Shang Lu assumed it was water, but upon inspection, the bowl was filled with a crimson liquid, exuding a metallic tang—it was a bowl of blood.

He didn’t ask whose blood it was; the stone sphere was still stuck in his throat, leaving him unable to speak. All he could do was tilt his head back and gulp down the blood.

A bone-chilling cold surged straight to his crown, making him shiver violently. This blood was far colder than the bloody minced meat he had consumed before. Normally, such icy blood would induce a constrictive reaction in the esophagus, making the stone sphere even harder to swallow. Yet, the reality proved otherwise.

As the blood passed down his throat, it first washed over the amber stone, lubricating it considerably. At the same time, it stimulated the esophagus above the stone, causing it to contract and squeeze the sphere downward. Realizing this, Shang Lu quickly focused his mind, exerting precise control over his muscles, triggering a peristaltic contraction in his esophagus.

Just as a snake swallows an egg, he squeezed the amber stone bit by bit until it slid down.

At last, the sphere was forced into his stomach.

"Phew..."

Shang Lu caught his breath, exhaling deeply, still trembling with lingering fear. "Third Mistress, I truly owe you," he said.

He was, after all, a vice-captain; to die choking on a stone would have been humiliating. His recent trip to the blacksmith to commission iron undergarments had already sparked curiosity—if word spread about such a bizarre death, who knew what rumors might circulate about his unusual proclivities. How pitiful, considering he hadn’t indulged in anything of the sort.

Third Mistress took the empty bowl from his hands and pointed at his stomach. Though she said nothing, Shang Lu understood her meaning—he should pay attention to the amber stone now residing in his belly.

Was this stone about to cause more trouble?

Startled, Shang Lu quickly focused his mind on his lower abdomen to check the situation.

After swallowing, the amber stone was immediately transferred to the Temple of Five Viscera and offered before the statue of the Spleen Deity.

This hard, unbreakable, bizarre stone, impervious to teeth and blades, was utterly powerless before the Spleen Deity.

Shang Lu watched clearly as a golden light radiated from the Spleen Deity's statue, enveloping the amber stone and gradually breaking it down and digesting it.

"The Spleen Deity truly is formidable, able to digest even such a hard, strange stone," Shang Lu marveled, thinking, "If I encounter useless magical treasures in the future, could I also swallow them and offer them to the Spleen Deity, converting them into vital energy for cultivation?"

Judging by the scene before him, it was not impossible.

Just as he pondered this, a wild surge of energy erupted within his body, causing his organs to churn, his meridians to quake, and his muscles, bones, and skin to throb with pain!

It felt as if his body was being torn apart from within.

Shocked, Shang Lu hurriedly cleared his mind and examined his internal state.

He then witnessed a strange and astonishing sight:

The Spleen Deity's statue had only broken down the stone's shell, and the vital energy sealed inside burst forth!

This energy, once imprisoned within the amber sphere, now freed, rushed to escape, and its ferocity overwhelmed the Spleen Deity’s control, rampaging through Shang Lu’s body, seeking an outlet.

His body, under the onslaught of this wild energy, underwent bizarre changes:

First, several ugly tumors sprouted on his arms, swelling larger by the second;

Next, the flesh on his abdomen bulged, as if a monstrous hand was about to burst forth;

Elsewhere, his muscles swelled uncontrollably, growing bigger and tighter, giving the impression they might explode at any moment.

His body temperature soared from the wild energy, his skin turning redder than a monkey’s backside, resembling a boiled shrimp.

Just as Shang Lu felt he was about to combust, Third Mistress placed a wooden tub beside him.

The tub exuded bone-chilling cold, and Shang Lu hurriedly climbed in, immersing himself in the cold liquid; instantly, he felt much relief.

However, steam began to rise from the tub.

His body, like a scorching iron, heated the cold liquid, turning it to vapor.

What exactly was the origin of the amber stone? The energy within was both strange and violent.

In his shock and lingering fear, Shang Lu also felt a surge of excitement.

Such powerful, wild energy—if he could refine and absorb it all, or channel it to break through his meridians, his cultivation would surely advance greatly.

Without hesitation, Shang Lu began to practice the Internal Classic Diagram of Visceral Refinement within the tub.

He adjusted his breathing, making each inhalation and exhalation resonate audibly, while visualizing the five viscera and meridians in his mind.

He had already studied the diagram in detail back at the station. The Internal Classic Diagram not only included breathing, energy circulation, and visualization methods, but also depicted detailed visualization charts.

These charts, however, did not represent anatomical organs, but rather interconnected, uniquely featured miniature worlds.

Each miniature world represented a transformed viscus, linked by meridian pathways resembling the Milky Way.

Though it was his first time visualizing the Internal Classic Diagram, Shang Lu possessed the Temple of Five Viscera and had seen the Spleen and Liver Deities, making the process smooth.

In his visualization, Shang Lu took a god-like perspective, overlooking the miniature worlds within his body.

This vantage point allowed him to observe everything occurring inside with crystal clarity.

Thus, he saw the wild energy, like a rampaging beast, wreaking havoc everywhere.

"Found you!"

Immediately, Shang Lu employed the energy circulation technique, mobilizing his viscera and meridians to channel the wild energy, directing most of it into the liver’s miniature world.

The Liver Deity resided there; as soon as the wild energy arrived, it was imprisoned, unable to cause further destruction.

A smaller portion of the energy was guided by Shang Lu to roam his body, nourishing and strengthening his muscles, bones, and skin.

Although Shang Lu had already entered the Meridian Passage Realm, he could not neglect the refinement and fortification of his body.

During this process, he found that as the Liver Deity imprisoned the wild energy, it also decomposed a large amount of harmful substances from it.

These toxins were expelled immediately—thankfully, through pores and sweat, rather than bodily waste, for Shang Lu was still soaking in the tub.

With the toxins expelled, the bizarre symptoms vanished, and his body temperature returned to normal.

Climbing out of the tub, he glanced back and saw the once-clear cold liquid now turbid, exuding a foul stench.

It resembled rotten, spoiled egg fluid.

Reflecting on the recent events, Shang Lu grew ever more curious about the origin of the amber stone.

What exactly was that thing—both miraculous and sinister? Had he not activated the Liver Deity’s statue, he might have been torn apart or transformed into a monster.

No wonder Third Mistress forbade him to swallow it in the strange mist—had he done so, he might have ended up as hard as the stone itself...

Shang Lu exhaled a breath of turbid air and continued to practice the Internal Classic Diagram, drawing a thread of wild energy from the Liver Deity’s statue to refine his viscera and break through his acupoints.

As Shang Lu was absorbed in his cultivation, Sun Ying located Shi Fan and brought him back to the county town.

He did not take him to the county office, for Shi Fan’s condition was peculiar.

He had lost his mind.

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