Chapter 4, Shā'ǒu Lóulán
As Ai Hui's palm just reached into the yellow sand, he immediately felt the rich earth elemental force, as if his hand had fallen into a millstone, being crushed by the heavy earth elemental power. His entire expression changed, and golden elemental force spread throughout his palm, making his hand resemble a sharp dagger, plunging into the yellow sand
After a whole day of hard work, the venue has been completely transformed
"We have arrived, this is the Bingfeng Dojo," Loulan said, pointing to the old residence at the end of the alley ahead.
The skin is a pale yellow, with a gritty roughness, and the face is adorned with a black mask that appears to be made of some kind of hard rock
Two seconds later, the pupils of Loulan glimmered with a hint of light, and the scattered yellow sand gathered rapidly towards his body as if attracted by a magnet to iron filings
"Indeed, it is the neighbor." Loulan's deep voice carried a hint of excitement: "We are next door, is that your house? It seems like no one has lived there for a long time"
Ai Hui remained vigilant, and the quicksand in the middle of the alley immediately made him think of earth repairs
The area around the main gate is completely covered in cobwebs, and a thick layer of dust has accumulated on the wooden plaque above the gate, rendering the characters on the plaque indistinct. If one were not already aware that the four characters "Bingfeng Daochang" were inscribed there, it would be impossible to recognize them.
The primary use of sword grass is for the production of grass swords, and the weapon of Ai Hui is a grass sword made from sword grass
Remove the diseased leaves from the old gourd in the stone trough at the corner of the house, wrap its main vine around the pavilion column, hang the largest gourd under the eaves, and properly wind the other vines along the eaves, ensuring that the surface of each gourd is carefully cleaned.
It is so sudden, it is so irresistible
Louran let out a sound: "So you are a new student?"
Having spent three years in the wilderness, Ai Hui can now be considered a semi-expert in botany. Unfortunately, his constitution is not of the wood attribute; otherwise, he believes that his prospects in wood cultivation would undoubtedly be far greater than those in metal cultivation.
A deep and resonant male voice, tinged with a hint of hoarseness
The Sand Puppets are entirely composed of yellow sand, and the sand core is the key to the transformation of their bodies. Once there is an issue with the sand core, their bodies will turn into a pile of scattered sand.
The other party stopped struggling, glanced at him, and replied: "Yes, you can call me Loulan"
Not far from him, in the very center of the alley, a figure was trapped in a patch of yellow sand, struggling as if caught in quicksand
In the wilderness, there is a saying that to understand what a local cultivator is like, one should look at their sand puppet. Observing Loulan reveals that its master, Shao Shi, is indeed a local cultivator who is indifferent to worldly affairs and devoted solely to his cultivation.
It is a very simple method. Ai Hui casually corrected, picking up his old cloth bag and resting it on his shoulder: It can only be used in emergencies; you still need to recheck the sand core when you return
All doors and windows are opened for ventilation and air exchange
I will do it myself; once I have the money, I must get to work. Ai Hui said this while opening his old cloth bag, as he did not have the habit of leaving tasks for others to handle
Sand puppetry is one of the most beloved crafts of earth artisans. Its production is not overly difficult, repairs are easy, and it is characterized by diligence and a willingness to work hard, making it well-suited for physical labor. The heavy sand produced in the Huangsha Corner of the Five Elements Heaven is of exceptional quality, which has directly contributed to the popularity of this craft. During the wild times, Ai Hui has seen many sand puppets, allowing him to recognize them quickly.
Alright, then I will take my leave first. Loulan said no more, her body transformed into a pool of quicksand, seeping into the ground, and vanished without a trace
Endure it for a moment
Loulan followed closely beside Ai Hui and asked, "Where are you going?"
It is indeed not a very sophisticated method. In the wilderness, Ai Hui has seen earth cultivators use this approach to deal with problematic sand puppets more than once. Although it does not work every time, it is effective about seven or eight times out of ten.
He was somewhat taken aback
The second-to-last building in the alley? Ai Hui raised an eyebrow: "It seems we will be neighbors for a while."
Indeed. Ai Hui nodded, as he had already sensed that Lou Lan rarely went out
What troubled him even more was that these sword rushes were too coarse and old. If they were sword rushes that were five years old, they could still be sold for some money. At this stage, the size of the sword rush leaves was just right for making grass swords, while the leaves of older and coarser sword rushes were too large and thus not very useful
The intelligence of the sand puppets has room for growth. The battle sand puppets that Ai Hui encountered in the wilderness were all cunning and ruthless, truly instruments of slaughter
The wilderness is overgrown with vegetation, blocking the sky and obscuring the sun, making it difficult to move in many areas, and camping requires clearing a large open space.
The sulfur smell in the air has instead become faint. After approximately five minutes, the originally green sword grass clump has completely turned gray
"Alright." Loulan tilted her head and said, "You can wait for me to come over tomorrow."
Certainly, Loulan could not perceive that Ai Hui was a novice; instead, he felt that Ai Hui exuded the demeanor of a master.
"Is the Bingfeng Dojo here?" Ai Hui casually remarked
Ai Hui uncorked the bottle, and a strong smell of sulfur immediately spread throughout the air. The red wood, resembling molten lava, was poured into the sword grass cluster
Well, Ai Hui feels that he is perhaps overthinking things a bit. After all, he is here for the reward, and the dojo has nothing to do with him. The life and death of the homeowner are even less relevant to him.
A small red bottle was turned out by him; it contained a type of fire poison he had equipped during his time in the wilderness, known as "burning wood." Its toxicity is not particularly strong and cannot be used in combat, yet in the wilderness, it is an essential item that everyone carries with them. Its greatest function is to eliminate weeds.
However, at this moment, seeing the sword rushes growing taller than him all over the yard, his head immediately felt much larger. The texture of the sword rushes is extremely tough, far surpassing that of steel, and cutting sword rushes is a laborious task. What is even more perilous is that sword rushes grow in clusters; if one inadvertently ventures into them, there is an eighty to ninety percent chance of being cut and bruised all over.
Ai Hui suddenly spoke: "Shā ǒu?"
"Yes, it's an old problem," Lou Lan said somewhat helplessly. "Could you do me a favor? My master is Shao Shi, and he lives in the second-to-last building in the alley. Could you please pass a message to him for me?"
"It's just a small effort, my name is Ai Hui." Ai Hui waved his hand, signaling Lou Lan not to mind, and stepped forward, saying: "Let's go, we are heading in the same direction."
Thank you very much! Loulan sincerely bows to Ai Hui in gratitude: "I have yet to inquire about your esteemed name."
In the blink of an eye, not a grain of yellow sand remained on the ground, and the body of Loulan was restored to its original state. He moved his body a bit and spoke with a tone full of wonder: "What a miraculous technique, how did you accomplish this?"
The most prone to issues in a sand puppet is the sand core. The sand core is not a natural object, but rather is crafted from heavy sand through soil refinement, making it the most essential component of the sand puppet. Due to the varying levels of skill among individuals, each sand puppet's sand core is unique.
After standing at the door for a while and waiting for the dust to settle, Ai Hui finally walked in
Bang
As night falls, the gourd hanging under the eaves emits a soft glow, illuminating the venue brightly. The clean and tidy bluestone slabs, the old and rustic wooden house, the neatly arranged tools, and the faintly sweet aroma of the incense create a serene atmosphere
Sword grass, as a rather troublesome plant, can indeed be quite vexing; however, this does not include Ai Hui
However, this is his first practice, and no master of earth manipulation would allow a laborer to assist in repairing a sand puppet
Ai Hui skillfully shovels the ash from the grass and trees into the soil, which can effectively suppress the growth of weeds, as weeds do not favor the toxic scent of fire
The courtyard was in a state of decline, with weeds growing taller than a person, predominantly sword grass, which looked as if a cluster of swords was pointing towards the sky. Aihui's eyes twitched; it was indeed quite peculiar for the homeowner to cultivate sword grass in their own yard.
A muffled explosion erupted from within the yellow sand, and an invisible shockwave swiftly spread out, causing the writhing sand to momentarily freeze, while Loulan's body stiffened.
Building a dojo in such a remote location is truly..." Ai Hui shook his head, likely due to his three years of experience at a sword cultivation dojo, which made him much more sensitive to matters related to dojos. He had previously considered that the location of the dojo would be relatively remote, but seeing it with his own eyes made him realize it was even more secluded than he had imagined
The earth manipulation techniques possess many bizarre killing moves that are difficult to defend against. After a moment, with no other developments, Ai Hui carefully observed and noticed that the figure partially exposed was somewhat unusual.
The vitality of the wild plants is exceptionally robust, with weeds that are even tougher than sword grass proliferating in abundance, making them extremely difficult to manage manually. Ordinary flames are of no use; it is essential to employ fire toxins such as burning wood
Ai Hui shook his head: "I will handle it myself, you need to check the sand core. What we just did was merely a temporary measure and cannot solve the problem."
Puff!
The tranquil scene before him seemed to emerge from some dream hidden deep within his heart, appearing before him without any warning
As Ai Hui's voice fell, the gathered golden elemental energy in his palm suddenly erupted
Home
I can help," Loulan said to Ai Hui
The leaves of the sword grass, stained by the burning wood, immediately turned from green to gray, with the gray spreading at a visibly rapid pace
Take out the key, easily unlock the door, and find the right place
It is possible. Didn't the old man say that the homeowner has not been in contact for over twenty years? The implication is that he has no idea whether the person is alive or dead
The gray sword grass collapsed like an avalanche, leaving a ground covered in ash and debris.
The intelligence level of Loulan is quite high, it seems that I have a formidable earth cultivator living next door
His movements were swift, and in the blink of an eye, he cleared the yard completely. He fetched a broom to remove the cobwebs in the corners. Drawing water from the well, he scrubbed the floor clean; the dust was so thick that it would require at least five or six washes to be effective
The old wooden plaque, weathered by sun and rain, was hung back in the main hall by him. The bronze incense burner was cleaned, and a bundle of incense was found in the cabinet, three sticks were lit and inserted.
His old cloth bag was stuffed with all sorts of strange items: animal bones, furs, plant seeds, particularly colored stones, a hodgepodge of everything. This was his loot from three years in the wilderness, and it represented all his savings. The vast majority of it was collected by himself, some were rewards from Master Yuanxiu, and there were also scraps that other Yuanxiu deemed unworthy.
Is it yet another tragic figure of a boss type
Ai Hui has always been careful to keep his cloth bag safe; no matter what circumstances arise, he has never lost it
Ai Hui's footsteps came to a barely noticeable halt, but soon returned to normal: "No, what I accepted was a commission, responsible for cleaning."
Ai Hui shook his head with a bitter smile
It seems that you have encountered some trouble. "Ai Hui walked in front of Lou Lan and squatted down: "Is there a problem with the sand core?"
As the heavy door was pushed open, thick dust immediately cascaded down like falling snow