Immortality Path: From the Blind Man at the Pharmacy-Chapter 71 - 69. The Yang Body Protects the Soul Bad News from

Chapter 71: 69. The Yang Body Protects the Soul, Bad News from the North

Chapter 71: 69. The Yang Body Protects the Soul, Bad News from the North

Midnight, several ladies had already fallen asleep. On the stone table in the courtyard was a pitcher of sour plum soup made that evening, meant to dispel the heat of this late May night.

The Taiyin hung in the sky…

In the blind boy’s vision, the pure white lines of the daytime had long vanished, replaced by what seemed to be ink diluted by clear water, flowing freely in threads upon the canvas of the sky, enveloping the boundless world below.

White was Yang.

Black was Yin.

Yang was life.

Yin was death.

Song Cheng had long become familiar with this black and white ink-wash world, having comprehended its essence deep within.

Without eyes of flesh, unable to witness the colorful, bustling human world, he could still glimpse Yin and Yang with greater clarity.

This perhaps was the meaning of the “Heart’s Eye.”

Beholding the bright moon in the sky, with the inky threads above growing denser, the young man no longer hesitated. He took out a green jade bottle from his pocket, swiftly removed the cork, poured out a Soul Strengthening Pill, and while replacing the cork, sniffed it before quickly tossing the pill into his mouth.

At first taste, the Soul Strengthening Pill resembled mint candy.

But Song Cheng soon realized that “mint candy” was merely a facade.

As his tongue licked away the outer layer, a sensation akin to an ice river breaching its banks exploded in his mouth.

The fortress walls of flesh felt as though they had been unexpectedly breached, and with that breach came a swarm of hornets.

The Martial Artist’s blood and Qi within him were instantly incited, surging back in retaliation, like “Fire Nation soldiers” discovering the airborne invasion of “Ice Nation soldiers.”

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Though potent, the icy aura within his body was no match for the blood and Qi.

It seemed like the “soldiers of the two nations” were about to engage in close-quarters combat, and the “Ice Nation soldiers” were nearly all but defeated.

Suddenly… a Nether Pagoda emerged from the void, appearing within the boy’s flesh. Though inside his body, it seemed to exist in a separate dimension, merely overlapping with it.

The “Ice Nation soldiers” saw the tower as a sanctuary and with a quick “whoosh,” all fled into the tower.

The “Fire Nation soldiers” could not see this tower, so they diligently searched within the boy’s body, but finding no “Ice Nation soldiers,” they all returned to their posts.

Though it was said slowly, it all happened quickly…

Song Cheng witnessed the rapid changes within his body.

He finally understood what “Hua Wen, the second-floor attendant of the Thousand Treasures Pavilion” meant.

These soul-type pills were indeed unsuitable for Martial Artists.

The stronger the flesh, the more impossible it was for the Divine Soul to leave the body.

Because the flesh was like a sturdy wall with no door; the stronger it was, the less the Divine Soul could escape.

No wonder those on the second floor of the Thousand Treasures Pavilion were all at the “Power Realm” or even ordinary people below it; so that was the reason.

Song Cheng understood in his heart.

This rule originally applied to him as well, for his body’s flesh was like Yang Fire, utterly unsuited to harbor a cold Yin Soul, making this expensive “Soul Strengthening Pill” no more than an “icy mint candy” to him…

But with that Nether Pagoda, everything had changed.

Other Martial Artists could not achieve Out of Body Divine Soul, but he could.

For others, taking the “Soul Strengthening Pill” was a waste, but it worked for him as well.

The “Ice Nation soldiers” took refuge in the Nether Pagoda.

After some time, sensing that the besiegers outside had dispersed, they quietly emerged from the tower.

This time, the “Fire Nation soldiers” did not react, as if the “Ice Nation soldiers” had turned into their own after mingling in the Nether Pagoda.

The “Ice Nation soldiers” easily “pierced a breach” in Song Cheng’s fortress of flesh.

The moonlight, once blocked outside the fortress of flesh, found an entry point, and threads of inky hue were drawn in, enveloping the boy’s Divine Soul, strengthening it…

A growing feeling of nausea and distortion emerged from within Song Cheng’s heart.

But immediately afterward, an odd taste of “ashes” burst on his palate.

The nausea and distortion brought by the moonlight vanished instantly.

An indescribable sense of fulfillment arose from within Song Cheng’s soul.

After about half a stick of incense, the “breach” closed.

Song Cheng continued for another two hours to complete the absorption.

Taking the “Soul Strengthening Pill” for him was merely a cool sensation in the mouth, a chilled spreading through his body, then the medicinal efficacy melting down into a ” ashes” flavor.

He sensed the process yet only mused idly over it, speculating on things such as “the flesh protects the Divine Soul,” “the Divine Soul strengthens after exposure to moonlight,” and “moonlight might be problematic since its color is black, and he felt nausea and distortion under moonlight,” “the Soul Strengthening Pill contains at least two main components, one helps you open a breach to absorb moonlight, the other protects you,” “his tower is not simple, like an independent visualization space, where his Divine Soul jumping out wouldn’t be affected by moonlight,” and so on and so forth…

However, these were all mere conjectures without evidence, noted by Song Cheng for future verification at a later time.

At this moment…

He rose, yawned, looked up again at the inky mass hanging overhead, and a wordless unease stirred within him.

Then he calmed himself, quietly opened the door to Madam Tong’s room, and softly undressed to climb into the bed.

Madam Tong seemed aware and murmured, turning over, her petite body clinging to him like a cicada, then squeezing, squeezing, squeezing in the little bed as if trying to push Song Cheng off.

Song Cheng gently embraced her, closed his eyes, and let his Divine Soul Out of Body.

His body was no longer ordinary, even when his Divine Soul left it, it wouldn’t turn cold anytime soon.

A gently floating Yin Soul drifted out from the young man’s forehead, feeling as though the cold of the night had dissipated significantly, he flew triumphantly, feeling as though walking through spring breezes…

Had the night ceased being cold?

Of course not.

It was that his Yin Soul had grown stronger and better adapted to the external environment.

…

…

The next morning, upon opening his eyes, Song Cheng saw Madam Tong blinking at him, asking, “Song, when did you come back last night?”

Song Cheng found her question riddled with loopholes.

Madam Tong seemed to ask one question but actually threw out two.

After brief deliberation, Song Cheng deemed the latter unimportant, saying, “Why don’t you call me the master of the house?”

Madam Tong replied, “Sister An calls you that, why can’t I, Song?”

Song Cheng wanted to say more but stopped, nodding heavily, “Alright, boss, call me whatever you want.”

“Bah.” Madam Tong lightly punched him.

Then Song Cheng asked, “Did you not feel when I came back?”

Madam Tong said, “I felt it a bit, but then fell asleep and forgot…”

She lay on the boy’s strong chest, her elbow propping up her chin, one leg tilted back raising a small tent under the thin blanket, her toes dangling and shaking the entire blanket.

Sunlight filtered through the window screen, casting the green of several banana plants outside, shadows swaying, leaves rustling, and suddenly a wind chime sounded.

Song Cheng, feeling the small weight on his body, asked, “Where is the wind chime from?”

Madam Tong said, “Song, it’s Ling who hung it, she felt everyone was a bit down, so she decided to make wind chimes, but she must have hung it just now.”

Song Cheng turned his head, glimpsed outside, indeed spotting a figure walking back and forth.

“Get up.”

Madam Tong pushed off from the boy’s chest, put on her boots, slipped on her pants, and pulled on her shirt, sitting in front of the dressing table to brush her hair, then grabbed a knife by the bed and was about to leave.

Song Cheng said, “Use the one in the corner.”

The one in the corner was his previously favored “Huntian Poqi Crossbow Arrow” with a “+10” combat power added.

He had a new weapon now, so naturally handed the second best one to Tong Jia.

Madam Tong, without hesitation, grabbed it up.

Instantly, her stats changed from “13~23” to “15~26.”

Song Cheng hesitated for a moment, then understood… She needed the strength to truly wield a blade’s sharpness.

His “Fine Blade” required internal force to unleash its power, thus Madam Tong only acquired “+5” points in strength from it.

In the same way, the “Mechanical Shield” he acquired yesterday also required Gang Qi to be fully effective.

This was also good.

Others thought he could only use the shield’s solidity; his “full usage” became another minor trump card.

More trump cards gave him peace of mind.

Just as he was thinking, Madam Tong had already run out the door, exchanged a glance with Ying coming out from across the hall, and began practicing her blade skills.

With a small stool, Ling ran up and down, hanging wind chimes.

Tong Jia, Ying practiced their blades.

The ice-like Miss An slowly opened the door.

And the son-in-law was still lazily lying on the bed.

Such a scene slowly froze in time.

…

…

Yesterday, Song, the son-in-law, went out, truly spending money like water, experiencing the thrill of “spending the Flower Lady’s money to grow stronger.”

Today, not going out, just sharpening his blade.

So, Song Cheng carried a stool, brought a basin of water, and went outside the Scripture Pavilion to sharpen his blade.

In the Scripture Pavilion, any Martial Artist puzzled by something could come out and ask him; he would casually provide guidance, helping these Martial Artists become stronger quickly.

Martial Artists who had pondered something for ages yet couldn’t figure it out would, upon hearing his few enlightening words, gain sudden and profound clarity, then repeatedly thank him before leaving.

…

…

At dusk, members of the trade association came running in from the outer warehouse, nervously finding An Chenyu: “President, it’s terrible, the city is in lockdown!”

Miss An asked, “What else?”

The person said, “There’s also news from the north, it’s said a County was slaughtered by the Barbarians.”

Miss An nodded, “Send more people, continue the investigation.”

…

…

Thus.

At midnight.

The city was in a state of turmoil, fear boiling over.

More trade association members ran in.

The news from the north was more complete now.

“Miss An, the County slaughtered was Xiegu County. They say most of the people in the County were slaughtered, and the Barbarians only took young women, livestock, grains and other supplies to other Counties.

That Ghost Tide from this year completely cut off food supplies to the villages and Counties. The prefectural city is well-stocked, so it seems alright for now, but it’s starting to be complete chaos outside.

Regarding the women, everyone says a multitude of people stays safe even in the midst of the Ghost Tide, so… so the Barbarians want to use our Central Earth’s women to…”

“What about the Six Towns?” An Chenyu interrupted.

“They say they fought but lost miserably, can only defend the city for self-preservation, no capacity to aid other Counties. Now in the prefectural city, everyone is panicking, all wanting to flee.

But they can’t, the city’s locked down, the Magistrate won’t allow anyone to leave!”

The reporting voice trembled somewhat.

“Oh, right, President.

There’s also… also the Ma Family from North City, the family dealing in horse trading.

They got wind of it yesterday and fled early… but afterward… afterward today when the city was sealed, their heads were thrown back into the city.

All men, none of the womenfolk…

I knew Old Six Ma well. We shared a meal not long ago, when our trade association bought horses.

But seeing him now, he’s just a head.”

The reporting voice bordered on tears, “The Barbarians might have already surrounded the prefectural city.”

An Chenyu, however, remained composed, calmly saying, “Don’t panic. If the sky collapses, there are taller ones to hold it up. For now, Hanping Prefecture is still safe.”

Her voice always gave a sense of concealed cards, the one reporting seemed to be influenced, calming down slightly before taking their leave.