inspire-indiana Chapter 112 has only one problem: it's too weak.
Chapter 112 has only one problem: it's too weak.
Chapter 112 has only one problem: it's too weak.
After running quite a distance, Qin Chuan stopped and turned to look in the direction of Xiang Man Lou. Seeing that Liu Rushi hadn't caught up, he breathed a sigh of relief.
His previous behavior was obviously intentional, because he sensed something was wrong.
When Qin Chuan saw Liu Rushi looking so pitiful, he felt a pang of sympathy and just wanted to comfort her, no matter what it took.
But as his hand was pulled away, he suddenly realized something was wrong. No, he had no relation to this woman, so why should he give her so much?
Not only does he not write poems and lyrics, but he also won't even let her touch his little hands more than a couple of times. When did Qin Chuan become such a sucker?
He's seen plenty of beautiful women; if he really wanted to sleep with someone, he could choose any girl he wanted from Heaven and Earth. Where did Liu Rushi get such great charm? Just because of those foxy eyes?
Qin Chuan leaned against the wall at the street corner, closed his eyes, and went through the whole process from beginning to end.
The final conclusion is that Liu Rushi is definitely a woman with a problem!
Recalling the first time he met Liu Rushi at Xiangmanlou, it was because of her soft voice and the way her eyes moved that he unconsciously said many things he shouldn't have said. He even recognized Xiaoxiaosheng's identity so easily and wrote a poem for her.
Looking back, he thought he had just seen a beautiful woman and was feeling young and ambitious, wanting to show off in front of her. Now it seems he probably fell for her tricks without even realizing it.
As for why he was able to react today, Qin Chuan had a sudden thought. He opened the panel and looked at the passive skill of [Suppressing Evil Ghosts]: [Ghosts Fear Evil People (Passive): Surrounded by turbid yang energy, your aura has a natural repulsive effect on ghosts. Ordinary ghosts dare not approach you, and the chance of being possessed or bewitched by ghosts is greatly reduced.]
That's probably why he was able to react later.
Having experienced the dream before, Qin Chuan now knows that this world is definitely not as simple as it seems. The mountain spirits, water monsters, and wandering ghosts described in those strange tales are probably not all just made up by the ancients to scare people.
Looking at it now, it's highly likely that Liu Rushi isn't human, but we don't know what she is. However, upon closer reflection, it seems that Liu Rushi doesn't seem to have any great malice towards me.
Last time I only asked him to say a few words and draw a picture. This time I just want him to write a poem. But this thing is not human after all, so I should try to avoid it in the future.
Qin Chuan recalled Liu Rushi's earlier reminder, "You should stay away from that Young Master Zheng in the future."
At the time, he only thought that the woman was disgusted by Zheng Ding's weak appearance, but now, considering that she was not human, he realized there was another layer to it.
The claims of being "dead of vitality" or "not a good person" are nothing but perfunctory excuses used to fool people.
What Liu Rushi was saying was probably that Zheng Ding was entangled in something she couldn't say outright. Qin Chuan's brows furrowed even more, and a deeper thought surfaced: that seemingly ordinary painting might really be hiding something.
Zheng Ding was just an ordinary scholar. If there was anything unclean around him, the source was most likely that painting.
If Liu Ru hadn't come uninvited today and sat beside him the whole time, preventing that thing from showing itself, he doesn't know what he would have encountered.
"call!"
Qin Chuan let out a long sigh of relief. There were too many things to deal with, and he couldn't quite make sense of them all.
In short, it all boils down to one point: he's too weak!
If he were strong enough, he wouldn't need to be so cautious when facing Zheng Ding, nor would he need to run away when facing Liu Rushi. He could just go straight for her and fight her head-on, regardless of whether she was a demon, a monster, or anything else. He would just throw a punch, and if she wasn't satisfied, he would throw another punch.
All the unease and concerns ultimately boil down to the same problem: insufficient strength!
I still need to work harder at my training!
After leaving Xiangmanlou, Zheng Ding returned to his room and placed the painting on his desk.
When he came to his senses again, he found himself lying in bed. Looking to his side, he saw Lianniang at the desk looking at the painting he had brought.
"Lianniang," Zheng Ding called out.
Lian Niang turned around and softly called out "Zheng Lang." After a tender moment of intimacy, she picked up the scroll and began to question Zheng Ding about the events that had occurred when he met Xiao Xiaosheng. Zheng Ding recounted everything in detail. Suddenly, Lian Niang stopped him and asked, "Who is Liu Rushi?"
.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Ding didn't think much of it and proceeded to explain Liu Rushi's background in detail.
After listening, Lianniang didn't say anything, but just told him to continue. Her eyes were on the scroll in her hand. In the corner of the scroll, a small white fox, about the size of a thumb, had appeared.
Her plan to have Zheng Ding take the painting to Xiaoxiaosheng was a scheme to kill two birds with one stone.
Firstly, he wanted to use Zheng Ding's eyes to see who Xiaoxiaosheng really was, and secondly, he wanted to deliberately leave a faint trace of his own presence on the painting.
If the person who destroyed her fragment of soul had nothing to do with Xiaoxiaosheng, then he wouldn't have reacted to the painting, and this wisp of energy would have remained intact, allowing her to continue with her plan.
However, if that person is truly connected to Xiaoxiaosheng, they will surely notice the aura in the painting and probably assume it is a remnant. In that case, they will definitely try to erase the aura, leaving a trace on the painting that belongs to that person.
The marks left on the scroll are those of a fox, proving that the one who erased her aura was a fox spirit. Combined with Zheng Ding's description, the identity of that fox spirit is obvious: it is none other than Liu Rushi.
"It turns out a vixen ruined my plans."
Lian Niang felt somewhat annoyed. If she hadn't been sealed by that Taoist priest, what was a mere fox spirit? But now she had just come out of the seal and her strength hadn't been restored yet.
They could only endure it for now, and once they had absorbed enough essence, they would make that fox spirit know what was good for her.
A few days later, the wooden house was filled with steam and the aroma of medicine.
Qin Chuan stood up from the wooden tub, wiped the water off his face, and let out a long breath. He felt his muscles and bones relax, as if there was an extra layer between his skin and flesh.
This is a sign that you have entered the world of "Iron Body".
Although it cannot withstand swords and blades, it has a strong resistance to common blunt force attacks.
Upon seeing this, Liu Ding asked, "Is it done?"
"It's done." Qin Chuan nodded, stepped out of the wooden tub, grabbed a cloth and wiped himself haphazardly a few times, then stood in the open space in the center of the room.
He was moving his wrists and ankles.
At first glance, his muscles were more defined than before, his shoulders were broader, his waist was narrower, and he was a bit taller. Standing there, he already looked somewhat like a martial artist.
"That's good," Liu Ding said to Qin Chuan. "You can start with the Iron Body Technique and continue practicing diligently to make your body stronger. When you try to break through to the Bone Forging Realm in the future, the stronger your foundation, the higher your success rate will be."
Qin Chuan nodded, and Liu Ding then asked, "How are your Five Elements and Twelve Forms?"
"I've mastered it all." As he spoke, Qin Chuan got into position and started fighting.
Starting with the tiger form, with feet gripping the ground and back opening and closing, the posture progresses to the light and graceful deer form, then to the heavy and solid bear form, followed by the agile and nimble ape form, and finally ending with the graceful bird form.
The five forms and twelve styles are seamlessly connected, with no hesitation whatsoever.
Especially the tiger form, with its fierce aura that emanated from its very bones, even Liu Ding couldn't help but nod repeatedly upon seeing it.
After finishing his routine, Qin Chuan stood still, his chest rising and falling slightly, but his breathing remained steady.
Seeing this, Liu Ding nodded and said, "Well done. To be honest, you're not much worse than me, especially the Tiger Form. The true meaning behind it is even a little frightening to me. What you lack now is just the accumulation of qi and blood. You need to train day after day to increase your qi and blood and refine your strength."
Qin Chuan nodded, indicating that he already knew, and then inquired about the situation at the store.
He's been busy with various things these past few days and hasn't been to the shop for a few days.
Upon hearing this, Liu Ding smiled and said, "Our shop is doing very well now, and its reputation has spread far and wide. With the imperial examinations approaching, many people from Qinghe County have come, and we are now short of supplies."
"Really?" Qin Chuan also became interested. "Let's go take a look."
After tidying up, the two headed towards Rouge Lane.
As they approached the alley entrance, they could see the shop in the distance, with a large crowd gathered in front of it. Upon seeing this, Liu Ding remarked, "I told you, the shop's reputation has spread far and wide; people are lining up to eat here."
Qin Chuan glanced at it and sensed something was wrong: "This doesn't feel like a queue; it feels more like a disturbance."
Two tall, burly men were blocking the shop entrance in the crowd.
"Come quick, everyone! This shop is a rip-off!" The leader, shirtless, stood with one foot on the threshold and pointed inside the shop, shouting red-faced and throbbing, "We found a dead rat in our bowl! A rat! This is not food for humans!"
Another man echoed, holding up a bowl in his hand, and inside the bowl, a rat's head was extremely conspicuous.
He pointed at the contents of the bowl: "Look! Look closely! What is this? It's a rat's head! The ears, nose, and teeth are still there! How dare you serve such filthy things to people?"
A gasp rippled through the crowd. Some looked up at the contents of the bowl, while others covered their mouths and took two steps back, their faces showing disgust and revulsion.
"Rat meat? No way!"
"Looks like it, the rat's head is still there—"
"I ate at this restaurant yesterday, and just thinking about it makes me nauseous."
Aunt Liu was trapped behind the door, her eyes red with anxiety.
She shouted in protest, "You're talking nonsense! I've used only fresh ingredients in all the time I've been running this shop, and I've never had any rats in! You're framing me!"
Aunt Liu's voice trembled, filled with grievance and anger.
The two men ignored him completely, and the leader became even more emboldened, kicking over a bench by the door with a loud crash.
He slapped his thigh, his voice rising several octaves: "We came all the way from out of town to Qinghe County to take the martial arts exam! We heard your shop was famous, so we came to patronize your business! And what happened? You fed us rat meat! Now we're sick, what if we fail the exam? Who's responsible? Can you afford to compensate us?"
Another man held up the bowl of braised pork for everyone to see, then said, "This is a dead rat! You still won't admit it? Pay up! You have to pay up! If you don't, we'll go to the authorities and sue you! We'll sue you for murder for profit! We'll sue you for poisoning! We'll get the government to shut down your black-hearted shop!"
The two sang in unison, attracting a growing crowd. Some shook their heads, some sighed, and some muttered curses at the shopkeeper for being heartless. There was a flurry of discussion, with all sorts of opinions.
Aunt Liu stood there, blocked in the doorway, unable to move forward or backward. Her lips trembled, and her eyes were already red.
The two men exchanged a glance, a smug look appearing in their eyes. The reason they did this was simple: they were out of money.
Both of them came from Dashi Village. The one in the lead was called Shishu, and the one holding the bowl was called Shimu. They were cousins.
They came to Qinghe County to participate in the martial arts examination. In fact, they had brought a lot of silver with them, enough for the two of them to eat and drink for more than a month.
However, since they arrived early and the martial arts test had not yet started, the two decided to stroll around Qinghe County. They then wandered to Rouge Lane and saw the "Beauty Portrait" painted by "Xiaoxiaosheng" hanging in Xiangmanlou.
Heaven have mercy! These two men, who prided themselves on having traveled far and wide and seen much of the world, had never seen anything like this before. The beauty in the painting had spring in her eyes, a smile on her lips, and her clothes were half-undone, as if she wanted to cover herself up but was also shy.
If any normal man were to come into contact with the beautiful woman in this painting, he would be unable to resist her.
Moreover, both of them were martial artists at the Blood Condensation Realm, and their fiery tempers were naturally undeniable. For the next few days, the two of them did not leave Xiangmanlou until today, when they had run out of money and had no choice but to come out.
When the results came out, things went wrong!
The money is all gone.
The two were hungry when they smelled the delicious aroma coming from Aunt Liu's shop. They saw that only Aunt Liu was busy working, and then they learned that the shop didn't have any special background. It was just run by a widow with no one backing her up.
Shi Shu and Shi Mu exchanged a glance, and the two immediately hatched a wicked plan. They first killed a rat, then went into the shop and ate and drank to their hearts' content. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they took the rat's head out of their pockets, put it in a bowl, stirred the remaining soup in the bowl, and let the rat's head half-submerged and half-floating outside. Then they shouted loudly.
Originally, the two just wanted to get a free meal and drinks, but after shouting a few times and seeing so many people supporting them, their desires suddenly surged up. Now they not only wanted to eat and drink for free, but also wanted Aunt Liu to pay them back.
Seeing that he had built up enough momentum, Shi Shu turned to Aunt Liu and said sternly, "Pay up quickly, or I'll smash up your shop."
""
Shi Mu chimed in, "Yes, we'll lose money."
Aunt Liu, however, refused to listen. She knew perfectly well whether she had released the dead rat or not. "I didn't release the dead rat. You two put the rat's head there; you're just trying to extort money from me."
Shi Shu gave Shi Mu a look, then stepped forward, blocking Aunt Liu's way, and said, "Hmph, of course they put some in. Mu Zi, go lift the lid of that pot, there's definitely more inside."
Upon hearing this, Shi Mu understood Shi Shu's meaning. He was being instructed to throw the rat carcass into the pot to provide conclusive evidence. "Alright."
As he was speaking, Shi Mu was about to lift the pot lid and put the dead rat from his sleeve inside, but the next moment, a hand reached out from next door and grabbed his arm.