Could it be that I am the cruel villain?
Chapter 43 Exploring the Path for the First Time

Chapter 43: Chapter 43 Exploring the Path for the First Time

The next morning, at dawn.

Just as the sky turned a faint light, a young man in the backyard was continuously busy carrying a bucket of water; he had not woken up early, but instead slept late.

Recently, his mental and physical states had been exceptionally well—after all, he had found the key to the door of cultivation. Though somewhat rushed, he had made thorough preparations. These past few days, both the Yan Family and the County Magistrate had taken a particularly keen interest in him.

This was the best opportunity.

Because the pressure that kept mounting from behind left him no time to rest.

Having poured the last bucket of water into the bathtub, the young man’s expression showed no sign of relaxation. He proceeded directly to the kitchen, where instantly, an overpowering, pungent smell hit him in the face!

"Are the steps not wrong? Is this smell a bit too strong?"

Standing before the stove, the young man couldn’t help but display a complex expression. If it weren’t for the large backyard of his home, by now, people would probably be knocking on his door with complaints.

That smell similar to boiling excrement was enough to shatter his spirit.

Especially at the thought of having to soak in such a liquid later to absorb its medicinal properties...

"Maybe I should just give up on becoming an immortal?"

"Thicken my skin, head to Yan Mansion tonight to discuss the marriage and finish it off quickly?"

"Or should I just go now and stick around at the Yan Family’s place, waiting for Uncle Yan to come back?"

It was the first time Mr. Jiang had been so utterly defeated by a smell. But despite his mouth saying no, his body was honest; he carried the large jar of concoction towards the backyard, seemingly nothing more than a jar of herbal medicine boiled together.

But that was the legendary Body Tempering Liquid.

Pulling out a piece of xuan paper from his chest, where was detailed record of the various herbs needed for Body Refining, including the cooking time and method of use. He was quite certain he hadn’t done anything wrong because the liquid he saw in Wang Qi’s memory was exactly the same as what he had brewed.

But why didn’t the memories he searched include this terrible smell!

Staring at the pitch-black, thick liquid in front of him, the young man’s face became slightly numb, but still decisively poured the entire jar down.

Gurgle—

Quite suddenly, the clear water in the bathtub turned as black as mud, and despite being diluted, it still emitted a sticky texture and an indescribable enticement?

"Just this bucket of stuff costs dozens of silver."

"No wonder they say cultivation burns through money, and it’s no surprise that the Immortal Sect’s elimination rate is even higher than the civil service exams..."

He shook his head with a wry smile, just mouthing off some complaints. But at this point, his heart still held some trepidation. He took off his clothes, revealing his well-defined muscles and...

A dense array of the character "正".

Who knew whether brothel women all had a bit of mischievous fun in them; even someone like Su Yi, who appeared very proper, put in extra effort when it came to teasing men.

She was a very responsible teacher; earnestly, she had drawn the route of Spiritual Energy circulation on Jiang Feng’s body for Body Refining. While the meridians were intricate and complex, it wouldn’t be difficult for someone as clever as Jiang Feng—just a little reminder would suffice.

Thus!

At every intersection of the meridians, she drew a tiny "正" character, to correctly guide the flow of Spiritual Energy.

Taking a deep breath, he continued to adapt himself to the pungent odor in the air, a smell so intense that even keeping his eyes open was a challenge, yet he still clenched his teeth and jumped right in.

The next second.

The sensation of suffocation submerged the young boy’s consciousness completely!

"Shit!"

His body’s instincts prompted him to struggle, a severe feeling of suffocation overwhelmed his entire being. It wasn’t like drowning, but rather as if every pore was clogged, inducing an inevitable sense of suffocation.

Holding his breath and concentrating, his wildly beating heart gradually calmed down. Now, only his head remained above water. Closing his eyes, the quietened boy began to feel the Spiritual Energy constantly swirling around him and, as usual, he tried to draw it into his body.

Suddenly, the Spiritual Energy seemed to have found a home and crazily surged into the boy’s body!

"How can this be..."

His body trembled.

The heart-wrenching pain was even more intense than when he had groped his way through cultivation a few days ago. He could feel his body, like a vortex, drawing in the Spiritual Energy continuously, but this time it didn’t enter as usual.

It was blocked by the Body Tempering Liquid.

Barely maintaining a sliver of consciousness, he followed Su Yi’s instructions to start absorbing the Spiritual Energy, steadily increasing the intake, but even this simple action nearly made him faint!

Now he finally understood why the first step in cultivation becomes an insurmountable hurdle for countless people.

"This thing is really too...sshh~"

Seated in the bath barrel, his body began to spasm, teeth clenched, his expression terrifying and fierce. He only felt as if every pore in his body, under the stimulation of the medicine, was struggling desperately to open and greedily absorb the dark liquid in the barrel.

The highly irritating liquid, upon entering the body, began to display strong signs of rejection, squeezing out impurities bit by bit. This process might sound easy, but it was unbearably painful.

He felt as though every pore in his body was being torn open and impurities were painstakingly picked out with a needle, a nearly torturous experience.

Time ticked by, second by second,

After about an hour of intense pain, there seemed to be signs of relief. Not that it wasn’t painful anymore, but the body began to numb, or rather, gradually adapt to the prolonged agony.

And the Body Tempering Liquid began to penetrate every pore at an excruciatingly slow pace, moisturizing his entire body, cleansing his meridians. Now, he finally understood why Su Yi had instructed him to start cultivating while soaking.

Because only in this way could the full medicinal effect be absorbed and fundamentally improve his physique.

Maintaining this pace, he slowly absorbed the Body Tempering Liquid. Not knowing how much time had passed, an odd coolness suddenly brought Jiang Feng’s fading consciousness into sharp focus.

It was what it felt like when Spiritual Energy entered the body.

Feeling the warmth enter his body, he almost instinctively began to circulate the most basic cultivation technique. The Spiritual Energy entered his body and traveled through the meridians, but suddenly stopped at a junction.

Turning, it went off in another direction.

"What’s this?"

For a moment he hadn’t realized what happened, and then he immediately recognized it. That spot must have been where Su Yi had marked with the character "Zheng" using a calligraphy brush, intended to guide the most suitable path for the Spiritual Energy.

Continuing to control the Spiritual Energy traveling within his body, although still painful as it moved, both the speed and scale of its flow had increased considerably.

Following Su Yi’s instructions, let that wisp of Spiritual Energy temper all over the body, which is the most basic method of cultivation, and finally lead it into the Dantian.

Unexpectedly, however, the tempered Spiritual Energy did not overflow from all over the body and dissipate as usual.

Instead, it quietly settled in the Dantian, motionless.

"Did it... succeed?"

This thought flashed through his mind, he didn’t even have time to feel joy before his brain lost consciousness, and then promptly fainted very straightforwardly.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.