Earlier, Hu Ma had heard Er Guotou mention that in the Lifebound Spirit Temples of other Reincarnators, there was always a Divine Statue behind the incense table. That manifested their lives and could reflect their Cultivation. It also made their Cultivation progress faster than that of ordinary people. However, Hu Ma could only imagine what it was like because behind his incense table, there was only darkness.
But now, having just tested the Shousui dharma method, Hu Ma actually saw a part of that Divine Statue.
Moreover, what he saw was precisely the left hand he was refining life into from death. Not only that, but the strands of golden traces that emerged within that left hand perfectly aligned with the practicing path he had just attempted with the refining method, to such a degree that it was flawless.
My Divine Statue can also reflect Cultivation?
Hu Ma was both surprised and delighted. He carefully observed it again, increasingly convinced of his speculation.
Yet, aside from the left hand, manifested with strands of golden traces, the rest remained lifeless and unchanged.
Could it be that because my body is essentially dead, the Divine Statue is also lifeless and unclear to discern?
Now that I begin to attempt refining life from the left hand, does the left hand of the Divine Statue begin to reveal itself too?
He felt an inkling of a guess in his heart, yet was still unsure.
However, Hu Ma knew that the matter of the Divine Statue was his biggest difference from the other Reincarnators. Even if he had questions, he didn’t feel right asking anyone else.
So he speculated silently, deciding to proceed with his practicing quietly and continue experimenting.
Sure enough, as he started practicing the Shousui refining life method, the third stick of Life Incense in the incense burner began to burn faster. It transformed into strands of life energy, permeating the meridians and blood vessels of his left hand, as if reawakening its life force.
This was exactly in line with the dharma method instructed by the old shopkeeper. But what delighted Hu Ma the most was that the meridians and blood vessels traversed by this life energy manifested without exception on the left hand of the Divine Statue.
To confirm this, Hu Ma mustered the courage to deliberately guide a strand of life energy into the wrong path.
The left hand of the Divine Statue promptly showed corresponding traces.
It was just that the color was a bizarre, blood-red streak, and there was a faint indication that the meridian was being impacted, seemingly on the verge of breaking.
He quickly withdrew the strand of life energy, already having understood the answer.
He couldn’t quite describe the joy in his heart. After all this time waiting, do I finally have what other Reincarnators have?
Earlier, when he received the Shousui dharma method from the old shopkeeper, he had felt a bit uneasy. When he had not received the dharma method, he had only thought about seeking it earnestly. After obtaining it, he worried: what if the old shopkeeper had held something back? What if he had taught him wrongly on purpose?
In this bizarre world, even learning a Cultivation dharma method was like walking on thin ice, requiring extreme caution. This was especially true for the Shousui dharma method, which transitioned from life to death, and from death to refining life, focusing meticulously on the intertwining meridians of the body.
Practicing this dharma method was like a blind person doing embroidery. Although extremely careful, one could still easily go astray, leaving hidden troubles that would only become apparent once something went wrong.
But now, things were being reflected at all times, leaving no worries.
Thinking about this, Hu Ma felt more at ease. He seized the opportunity to practice quietly, becoming increasingly skillful and adept.
「A night passed by, and Hu Ma felt refreshed.」
He wrapped his left hand in cloth and slung it around his neck because his left hand was already "dead" and unresponsive.
This was a process every Shousui man had to go through: first killing a part of themselves, then refining life from it later. Hu Ma, however, could actually skip the "dead" step by simply cutting off the blood energy supply to that part.
Initially, he used an oil lamp to naturally cut it off. Maybe in the future, even the oil lamp could be omitted.
Of course, for now, he still needed to nourish it. Even though after a night’s practicing, he felt a slight warmth in his left hand, it wasn’t yet flexible enough to be controlled. Besides, he didn’t want others to see the state of his left hand, so he wrapped it up.
Others just assumed he had been injured the previous night and didn’t suspect otherwise.
Meanwhile, in the outer courtyard, all the workmen were already up. When they saw him, they gathered around enthusiastically, trying to please him.
The previous day, due to Xu Ji’s death, and after running all night and being frightened, they had all been somewhat listless. After resting overnight, they knew some changes were happening in the courtyard. Now, they looked at Hu Ma with more reverence, as if he were their superior.
After all, he was in the old shopkeeper’s Dharma Eye. Never mind what skills he had learned; his status alone was different now.
From that day on, Hu Ma was not just holding the position of a manager; he truly had the status of a manager. The monthly payments, grains, and Blood Food would all be handled according to a manager’s status.
"Don’t just stand around here."
Hu Ma, seeing the restless emotions among the workmen, waved his hand and added, "Diligent work is what’s proper."
The workmen responded awkwardly, assuming he was starting to put on airs, yet they dared not complain.
But as they turned away, Hu Ma thought for a moment and added, "Have someone go cut some meat at noon and charge it to the shop’s account."
"You all worked hard yesterday too. Take good care of yourselves and eat well."
The workmen were momentarily stunned, then cheered, looking at Hu Ma with more warmth in their eyes.
This was the difference in how he handled things compared to Xu Ji. During Xu Ji’s time as manager, he only ordered the workmen around. He was close to the Shopkeeper but always stern-faced towards the workmen.
Now that Hu Ma had become a true manager, they worried. Was the previous camaraderie Hu Ma had shown them just an act? Once he reached his goal, would he change completely?
If he did act that way, there was nothing the workmen could say. After all, just two nights before, when Xu Ji had called out, most of them had followed him without hesitation.
But now, Hu Ma had suddenly said he would give the workmen an extra meal. This undoubtedly meant drawing a line under past matters and signaled his intention to be on good terms with them.
Thinking that their days would get better, everyone felt happy.
"Hu... Brother Hu Ma..."
As Hu Ma watched the workmen cheerfully get to work, their efforts in sweeping the courtyard seeming much more enthusiastic, he turned around. Then he heard a somewhat weak voice calling him. It was Li.
His complexion was pale as he held onto the door frame. He called out to Hu Ma, and suddenly, his knees gave way. He knelt on the ground, saying in a sobbing tone, "Brother Hu Ma, I know I was wrong! You were the ones who treated me well..."
"Don’t say that. Get up first!"
Hu Ma frowned, pulled him up, and looked him over. "Are you all right?"
The other night, Li had been pulled into the well by the Yin Ghost, his body frozen stiff. Although Hu Ma had brought him back, he had not been sure if he would survive. The Shopkeeper from the inner courtyard had given him a pill, which they had forced down his throat with water. He had woken up but remained dazed and unresponsive. Unexpectedly, he seemed to have recovered now and was speaking normally.
"I’m... I’m all right..."
Li’s body seemed extremely weak. As soon as he spoke, he was on the verge of tears again. "That Xu Ji wasn’t a good person! He was always thinking about bullying others..."
"They said... they said if you hadn’t gone down into the well bare-chested to pull me up, I’d have been dead for sure..."
No wonder he’s so moved...
Hu Ma understood now. Seeing people watching, he helped Li into the room.
In truth, he had not initially intended to save Li. He had thought Li was dead and was surprised that Li had woken up. However, it was clear Li had heard from others about him going into the well to save him, so this gratitude was not feigned.
Of course, Hu Ma did not feel the need to clarify everything.
Ignorance is sometimes bliss!
He helped the frail Li sit on the bed and observed him closely. Although Li was awake, just the day before, he had been a robust young man. He would salivate at the sight of a sheep’s rear and could lift a fifty-pound stone roller as if it were nothing.
But now, he appeared incredibly weak, as if he had ejaculated sixty times in one night, with only a spark of life left in him.
Hu Ma understood this but did not say it out loud.
This batch of youths had been selected for the Red Lantern Lady’s Club because they had cultivated stove fire, and their skill was not shallow. If an ordinary person had been pulled into the well by a Yin Ghost like Li was, they would have died long ago. But because Li had stove fire within him, he had held out a little longer. However, he had endured by consuming the fire qi from his internal stove. Although he survived, the stove fire inside him was now utterly depleted, and his body had even been corroded by yin qi.
Now, he was worse off than an ordinary person.
"Datong, Liang, Zhu, stop peeking and come in!"
Realizing this, Hu Ma called out towards the door. Zhou Datong, along with Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu from Dayang Village, came in. Seeing Li’s condition, their expressions softened a bit. They might have disliked him, but being young, they did not truly hate him to such an extent.
"I wasn’t satisfied with what you did before, and neither were Datong, Liang, or Zhu."
Once everyone was in, Hu Ma looked at Li and said seriously, "We came from the same village, yet you didn’t trust us."
"Instead, you chose to trust an outsider?"
Listening to this, a flush of shame crept over Li’s pale face.
"Frankly, you brought this upon yourself. I shouldn’t have saved you."
Hu Ma continued, speaking to Li, "But before Second Master left, he instructed me that since we all come from the same village, it wouldn’t be good to leave anyone behind."
"The four of us are doing well here. If something happened to you, how could we face your parents when we return to the village? Would we watch other families celebrate with lanterns and decorations while your family hangs white mourning banners and offers incense at your grave?"
"Or, what if we few struggled here, while you alone found a powerful backer and returned to the village in glory?"
Hearing this, Zhou Datong paused, his playful demeanor diminishing somewhat. Zhou Datong, Zhou Liang, and Zhao Zhu felt these words hit home, and they looked at Hu Ma with a touch of admiration.
As for Li, he merely nodded, unable to find any words.
Hu Ma sighed deeply and refrained from saying more. He only gestured, "Rest well. Given your current condition, I won’t tell the Shopkeeper for now; otherwise, they’d definitely send you back."
Li felt a mix of shame and gratitude, almost kneeling again.
The other youths from the village were also inarticulate and not good with words.
But everything was already understood without needing to be said.