Chapter 3: The Human Heart

Seasonal, Xu Shen

But is that possible

Then there was another awkward silence. The old lady did not speak again, and neither Ji Chang nor Xu Shen uttered a word, as if no one could do anything to the other.

The little girl, along with the two small ones, has already woken up and is staring eagerly at the empty clay pot, but neither Ji Chang nor Xu Shen shows any intention of cooking.

Li Si initially thought that none of them had the habit of eating breakfast, but he soon realized that the three of them were still in a standoff.

Shut up, go to sleep

First, it is the degree of alienation pollution

Yes, he is very desperate. Even though he still does not understand this world well enough, just a few deeply unsettling details are enough to explain everything.

The little girl nestled in the arms of Senior Sister Jiang, speaking very softly.

The beastly man Ji Chang, despite being gravely ill, maintained a seated posture, exuding an impressive demeanor.

Li Si did not know why he was able to traverse here, but he could mostly guess how he had usurped another's place.

At this moment, Sister Jiang looked towards Li Si, Zhu Wazi, and Shan Wazi.

Indeed, it was these few practitioners who provided him and others with a safe haven, but without sufficient cultivation resources, forcing oneself to practice would only deplete one's own fortune.

Even the pig junior brother and the mountain junior brother remained completely silent, with not a single sound of breathing audible from anyone.

Sister Jiang's expression was somewhat unpleasant. She did not look at the old lady again, hesitated for a moment, and then stood up with some difficulty while holding the water pouch. As soon as she stood up, Li Si was astonished to discover that her right leg was completely missing below the knee.

The old lady fell silent, and after a long while, she let out a faint sigh, "Indeed, I have acted on a whim, facing great peril that can only be overcome with extraordinary powers. Ji Chang, Xu Shen, this Demon-Slaying Sword Qi of mine is one of the finest divine abilities of our Floating Cloud Sect, incomparable to ordinary techniques. Do not let down my earnest efforts, my dear disciples."

Even now, he still feels no drowsiness at all; the sense of novelty and excitement brought about by traversing to another world has now been completely submerged by the overwhelming truth of despair and fear

After nightfall, the howling of wolves and the wailing of spirits outside the stone house grew increasingly severe

On this night, nothing happened. The next morning, Li Si woke up and felt a soreness all over his body, accompanied by fatigue. Although he was only 14 years old, he felt as if he were 60, on the verge of death.

I am unable to move easily; which one of you three is willing to carry me outside the village to fetch water

Why did the Floating Cloud Sect take him as a disciple, and why did they choose to impart their techniques to him?

However, now that the power of the evil god has fully infiltrated this world, they can no longer find even a small amount of resources for cultivation, which has led to their current state of destitution

Ji Chang slapped him back; this fool, if he could study, would there be a need for them to perform the deep master-disciple drama here?

At first glance, there seems to be no issue, but all of this consumes the fortune of the Fourth Dog.

Senior sister, I am hungry

"Master, let me learn, I will protect you." In the corner, the piglet that had been sleeping soundly suddenly sat up excitedly.

The body that Li Si has traversed into is only 14 years old, yet the degree of alienation pollution has already reached 35%

Therefore, in reality, even if he does not encounter more dangerous accidents, it would still be a great fortune for him to live to the age of 18

The old lady spoke with great seriousness about the impending doom and the life force left by heaven and earth, which nearly left Li Si in a daze. However, he soon heard the beastly man named Ji Chang let out a miserable cry, his breath becoming quite chaotic.

Thus, despite the fact that the degree of alienation pollution of the four dogs was only 35%, they still died silently and without a sound

Bastard

That Sister Huang, who appeared to be at least forty years old, was holding the little girl, while the other two small children had already fallen into a deep sleep.

That refers to his current state, the age he can reach under the condition that the degree of alienation and pollution no longer increases

The Beast Skin Senior Brother and the Robe Senior Brother sat cross-legged by the fire, remaining completely still

Yet Li Si waited for a long time, ultimately unable to hold on any longer, and fell into a deep sleep

Eerily alarming

Ah, junior sister, why do you come here in such distress

The predecessor, this pitiful creature known as Si Gouzi, is most likely dead, and only then did he traverse over.

Li Si could guess that the three cultivators from the Floating Cloud Sect first imparted the Returning Heaven Sutra to Si Gouzi, then taught him Taoist techniques, and subsequently, under the pretext of training, had Si Gouzi continuously produce talismans for warding off evil and the Demon-Slaying Spearhead

The bonfire in the stone house had long since extinguished, yet it was somewhat bright outside. The old lady was still dozing off, showing no signs of the impending end.

Ji Chang said with a troubled expression, yet his hands moved swiftly, directly handing over three pieces of talisman paper that shimmered with a faint light

"It's gone, don't believe me?" Ji Chang sighed and tossed over a water pouch the size of a fist. When Sister Jiang took a look, it was indeed the case. At that moment, she softened her tone.

Even the wooden doors began to bang and rattle incessantly, as if a female ghost were truly haunting the place

Li Si felt fortunate that he did not wake up at this moment, otherwise, unprepared as he was, he might have been scared to death by the members of the Floating Cloud Sect

Sister Jiang's expression was somewhat hesitant; she undoubtedly knew about the argument from last night. Finally, she said to Brother Ji, "Brother Ji, is there still water in the clean water pouch? There are also the exotic herbs that Junior Brother Li hunted yesterday. Let's prepare a breakfast."

This is a supernatural ability beyond the realm of Taoist arts; three hundred years ago, the old immortal before us would have looked down upon passing it on to them

The elderly lady scolded angrily, yet she had no further words to say. At this moment, Xu Shen, who appeared to have just recovered from a serious illness, spoke softly, "Master, why go to such lengths? With two disciples here, we can surely protect you well. You also know that the cost of cultivating such divine powers is truly too great. Why not take a look at these junior brothers and sisters? Perhaps one of them can practice it?"

Therefore, my own share of gray fortune must not be recklessly disturbed under any circumstances

"The disciple is present." The beastly man and the robed youth responded in unison

Snap

After much contemplation, Li Si could not find a way to break the deadlock. Ultimately, when he himself was on the verge of dozing off, he suddenly heard an old voice speak up; it was that cheap old lady, his master.

Master... Master, the disciple is experiencing stomach pain, oh dear...

He is well aware that this is the side effect of the alienation pollution level reaching 35%, and he is now akin to a cancer patient, waiting for death

Therefore, it is better to endure for a while; once Senior Brother Ji has finished healing, this small matter is hardly worth mentioning

This thing can be understood as a malignant tumor; once it spreads to 100%, it will inevitably lead to death, and there is no way to be exempted from it

At that moment, the old lady, whose eyes had been squinting, opened them, hesitated to speak, and ultimately let out a long sigh before closing them again

They should be the last cultivators of immortality in this world

This time, neither Qi Chang nor Xu Shen spoke; they merely pretended not to have heard.

As a teacher, I have just been inspired by a sudden impulse. I sense that my time is drawing near, and the tribulation I face is daunting. I reflect on how our Floating Cloud Sect was once so illustrious and carefree a thousand years ago, yet now it is all tainted by the evil gods. As a teacher, I cannot close my eyes in peace. Tonight, the earthly energy is murky, and the heavens harbor murderous intent. This is a glimmer of hope left by this realm. Therefore, before I depart, I wish to impart a great divine ability to both of you, hoping that you will shoulder the responsibility of inheriting the legacy of the Floating Cloud Sect.

Senior Brother Ji, please work a little harder and fetch some more water. I, as a foundation-building cultivator, can still hold on, but several of the junior brothers and sisters are unable to endure any longer

As for the cause of the death of the Fourth Dog, it should not be attributed to being killed by someone else, but rather to his role as a vanguard, a vanguard of the Floating Cloud Sect, which serves as a tool for undertaking perilous tasks.

"Junior Sister, I am currently healing. Why not endure a little longer?" Ji often displayed a pained expression, while Xu Shen, sitting opposite him, did not wait for Sister Jiang to speak and directly shook his head, saying: "Junior Sister, do not come looking for me. I am only responsible for maintaining the village's defensive array and truly cannot spare the time."

The information on that fragment states that he could theoretically live until the age of 34; if one truly believes that he can live to 34, then that would indeed be exceedingly naive

Secondly, it is the human heart

However, everyone in the stone house remained very quiet, and the inexpensive old lady master still kept her eyes half-closed, dozing off, without saying a word from beginning to end

Originally, Si Gouzi had one hundred portions of gray luck, but after he crossed over, only one portion remained. No, it is even possible that this one portion is the luck he brought with him.

Then there is the sound of rolling on the ground

Even a single glance at that black fog, or having a meal, inevitably increases the level of pollution

I went to fetch water, but according to the rules, fetching water comes with a reward: one Demon Slaying Talisman, one Swift Movement Talisman, and one Invisibility Talisman, give them to me