Chapter 7: Advancement of Kung Fu

  Xie Yu Xiao sat quietly in a rattan chair at the Er Hu's home, under the dim yellow light, his complexion still looked somewhat pale, although his complexion was not good, but from his expression, it could be seen that he had completely regained consciousness.

  Xi Ya and Xi Ting stood upright on either side of Xie Yu Xiao, like personal bodyguards. Old Man Xie sat at the edge of the kang, comforting Er Hu's mother who was anxiously pacing back and forth on the kang, muttering to herself nonstop. It was no wonder that Er Hu's mother was acting this way, as at this moment, Er Hu's father was lying inside the kang, holding his head in both hands and groaning incessantly. The bedding on the kang had been bunched up into a ball and was tightly clutched between his bent legs.

  Xiao Ge

  A bare-armed and bare-legged, dazed-looking young man with a buzz cut strode in wearing slippers and said to Xie Yu Xiao on the rattan chair: "Brother Xiao, please save my dad, just save my dad! From now on, Er Hu will listen to you."

  Xie Yu Xiao glared at the two tigers with slanted eyes and said, "What nonsense are you spouting? Scram to the side! I will definitely save your father. What's the hurry? If I don't save your father, what face would I have as a spiritual master? In the future, if you say such things again, be careful that I won't kick you to death with both feet."

  The two tigers honestly retreated to one side, smiled foolishly and repeatedly said yes.

  Xie Yuxiao took out the holy water he had just mixed from his pocket and handed it to Erhu. Erhu hastily accepted it and gave it to his mother. Erhu's mother was overjoyed, and with great difficulty, she pried open Erhu's father's hands, muttering words like "Drink it quickly, you'll be fine tomorrow" as she brought the glass bottle to Erhu's father's lips. Erhu's father trembled as he opened his mouth, slowly drinking it down...

  The matter has been settled, and Old Zhang thought there was nothing more to do, so he instructed Erhu to take good care of his father and not disturb him, telling him to have a good sleep. Erhu nodded repeatedly. At this moment, Erhu's mother felt much better and spoke more fluently, insisting on seeing them off at the door, but Old Zhang stopped her, and the four of them walked out together.

  Xie Yuxiao had fully recovered and didn't need anyone's support. He didn't return to his own home, but instead headed straight for Old Xie's house.

  As he walked on the road, Xie Yuxiao suddenly felt his blood surging and flowing incessantly. This was a sign of breaking through to the next level in his cultivation method, and he was overjoyed. Without hesitation, despite it being the middle of the night, he sat down cross-legged and began to circulate his energy.

  "Xiaoyu Ge, how can you suddenly start practicing?" Xiting looked at Old Xie with confusion.

  "If all goes as expected, the Blood Refining Technique of the Spiritual Master should be upgraded to the fourth level."

  "If I could suddenly rise to tenfold, it would be great. At that time, the master of the soul would not have to worry about anything and would no longer suffer."

  Xie Yu Xiao listened intently. He had been cultivating for ten years and was about to go crazy, he even dreamed about it, but it wasn't easy. It had been three years already, and even if he succeeded in advancing tonight, he would only reach the fourth level. However, he was still very excited. The Easy Blood Technique at the fourth level meant that one drop of blood was equivalent to six thousand drops of blood, so losing three or four drops of blood at once wouldn't pose any life-threatening danger, at most it would just make him dizzy and disoriented.

  At this moment, Xie Yu Xiao's entire body was flushed red, and the blood spirit pendant on his chest occasionally flashed with dazzling red light, making him look like a piece of glowing iron. Inside his body, the blood accelerated its circulation, repeatedly flushing against the blood vessel walls, and with each flush, the blood would boil up, and after boiling, countless new blood cells would merge in, jumping and flowing with the waves...

  After several hours, the blood rushing inside finally calmed down and flowed slowly. The red light all over my body also faded away at this time until it disappeared.

  "Congratulations, Lingzhu's Gongfa has been upgraded!" The Jade Maidens chorused in congratulations.

  Xie Yuxiao opened her eyes, took a long breath and said with some regret: "I love this feeling so much, it would be great if I could come every day."

  "Practicing the Taoist method should never be rushed, like the profound 'Xuan Xue Mo Jing', it's already difficult to achieve such a level of cultivation." Xie Lao worried that Xie Yu Xiao was too eager for quick results and reminded him in a roundabout way.

  "Haha, this feeling is really great, too great, I can have a good sleep tonight."

  ……

  That night, Xie Yuxiao had a good sleep. When he woke up, it was already past five in the afternoon. As soon as he got out of bed, Xi Ting brought him water to wash his face and handed him a toothbrush and toothpaste. After going back and forth for a while, there were four small dishes, two steamed buns, and a bowl of porridge on the wooden table in the living room. After finishing washing up, he sat down at the table, praised Xi Ting a few times, and then started eating heartily.

  Xiting had already eaten and was sitting on one side watching Xie Yuxiao devour the dishes she cooked. As she watched, she suddenly thought of the scene where Xie Yuxiao ripped open her shirt last night, and her face involuntarily flushed red, even her ears felt a little hot. She thought to herself: Does Yuxiao still remember what happened last night? Did he see my... What if he brings it up later...

  Xie Yuxiao ate quickly, and in the blink of an eye, she had cleaned her plate. She looked up to see Xi Ting staring at her with a bright red face, looking dazed. Xie Yuxiao found it strange and asked her what was wrong. Xi Ting stuttered and couldn't get the words out.

  Xie Yuxiao stretched out her finger and pointed at Xiting, laughing: "You must not have thought of anything good!" Xiting's ears turned red, and she forced out a sentence: "Not only do you not think of good things, but also don't do good things." She turned around and ran into the courtyard.

  Xie Yu Xiao was depressed, thinking to himself why he couldn't do good things. After sitting in the house for a while, smoking a cigarette, he got up and went to the courtyard, where he saw Xi Ting sitting on a small stool under the eaves, staring blankly. He asked: "Why can't I do good things?" Xi Ting didn't respond, pouting her mouth, getting up and wanting to go back to her room.

  Xie Yuxiao felt suspicious, but he knew that he couldn't get anything out of Xi Ting's mouth, so he didn't ask. After circling the courtyard a couple of times, he left and headed home.

  Deep down, he was quite reluctant to return home. At home, he couldn't feel any warmth or a sense of belonging. It's better for him to be free outside. Outside, he is the master, all villagers respect him, but at home, he is just a turtle son, an object of discipline.

  Xie Yu walked leisurely on the way home. After more than ten hours of sleep and a big meal, his spirit had fully recovered. Although he still had lingering fears in his heart about drinking human blood, he had already convinced himself with two reasons: one was to save people, and the other was that since the Blood Spirit Village people drank his blood, it was only fair for him to drink theirs, just a difference in quantity.

  The sun was setting, the sunset was about to be hidden behind the Qinling Mountains, and the remaining clouds were scattered. The sun was about to set, and the last golden light was sprinkled on the peaceful and serene Blood Spirit Village, on Xie Yu's slender body, and also on his lazy heart at this moment.

  From Xie Lao's house to Xie Yu Xiao's house, it only takes five or six minutes, but he walks exceptionally slowly, as if counting his steps. He walks while looking around in all directions. Many villagers who have finished their work in the fields greet him warmly, and he nods slightly with a hint of a smile. The respect from the villagers makes him feel extremely satisfied.