From stable boy to peerless immortal

Chapter 16 Strange Events

In the courtyard, Shen Yuan was practicing the "Golden Snake Swimming Body Fist".

This set of boxing movements is strange, with a soft and boneless feel, like a humanoid serpent stretching its body and breathing in the essence of heaven and earth.

It may not seem to have much power, but Shen Yuan could feel that all the muscles, bones, and flesh in his body were being strengthened.

In particular, the major tendons in his body have been thoroughly tempered and nourished by qi and blood, becoming increasingly tough and powerful!

Because of the accelerated circulation of abundant and powerful qi and blood in Shen Yuan's body, his skin turned red all over, and his whole body was as red as a cooked crayfish, with wisps of heat rising from it.

After the boxing practice was over, Shen Yuan sat down cross-legged and began to use the breathing technique of the "Ghost Python Breathing Method" to circulate his qi and blood, expelling the old and taking in the new!

"As expected, my physique is extraordinary, with a body of steel and abundant blood and energy. Under these conditions, my progress in martial arts cultivation is extremely rapid, far surpassing that of ordinary people!"

After a long while, Shen Yuan opened his eyes.

At this moment, the blood-red skin on his body gradually faded, restoring his original fair complexion. He appeared to be normal, but his demeanor subtly changed.

At this moment, Shen Yuan could clearly feel that the major tendons in his body were as taut as a bowstring, strong, resilient, and elastic.

With the slightest movement, it can accumulate strength and be ready to unleash its power!

Tendon strengthening is the second minor stage of the Martial Master realm. It can effectively unify the power of the whole body, twist it into one, and exert its full strength.

Although it was his second time cultivating, he had already tempered the major tendons in his body by about 10%.

In other words, he only needs another ten days to half a month of cultivation to master the tendon refining stage and enter the bone refining stage!

While this cannot compare to yesterday's one-day mastery of skin refining, it is still an extremely terrifying speed!

"Every gift from Fire Rome enhances my physical strength and subtly refines my innate talents, strengthening my foundation. This passive process is far more effective than taking any elixir!"

Shen Yuan got up, took a shower, changed his clothes, and sat in the courtyard, lost in thought.

"Cultivating martial arts is a proactive and systematic process that gradually unlocks all the potential within me and transforms it into effective combat power."

"In this way, the two complement each other!"

Shen Yuan's eyes flickered, and he felt a little thirsty. He poured himself a cup of tea and slowly drank it.

"According to Yinling'er, children from aristocratic families like Hua Rongfu are nourished with rare and precious herbs from birth to build a solid foundation. When they begin to practice martial arts, they will also take elixirs to aid their cultivation and accelerate their progress."

"That's why these scions of noble families have made far greater progress than their ordinary peers...and their future achievements will be even greater!"

"I have the cheat code of Fire Rome clone, so in this respect I'm on the same starting line as them."

Thinking about the continuous gifts from the Fire and Rome in the future, and feeling the powerful blood and energy surging within his body, Shen Yuan hesitated for a moment, "However, although we are on the same starting line, others are walking, while I may be sitting in a car."

......

In the afternoon, Shen Yuan carried a jar of wine, as well as roast chicken, braised beef and other food wrapped in oil paper, to a secluded courtyard.

At this moment, the courtyard gate was open, and a one-armed, thin old man was sitting in the courtyard drinking alone in sorrow.

"Old Niu."

Shen Yuan stood at the door, not rushing in.

"It's you, kid. Come in."

Old Niu glanced at him and saw that Shen Yu had changed from his previous servant's attire to a fine blue robe, which didn't seem strange to him.

"I apologize for my intrusion, Elder Niu..."

Shen Yuan smiled. He was quite familiar with Old Man Niu, so he didn't feel awkward at all.

First, he placed the wine and meat on the table, then took out a bowl, filled it with wine, and sat down.

"You're quite lucky, kid. You actually caught the young lady's eye and were promoted to manager."

Old Niu picked up the bowl, drank it all in one gulp, then tore off a chicken leg and slowly began to gnaw on it.

Shen Yuan poured wine: "Thanks to you, Miss has taken a liking to my horse-raising skills, which is why I have the honor of working under her."

"You're quite the smooth talker."

Old Niu gave him a playful look: "But this has nothing to do with me. It's because you have exceptional talent that you caught the young lady's eye."

Shen Yuan didn't continue on this topic, but smiled and said, "Old Niu, try this beef. It's Chen's braised beef from the outer city. It should suit your taste."

"Hmm, not bad...it tastes just like before."

Although Old Man Niu's surname was Niu, he didn't have any taboos about not eating beef. He pinched two pieces of meat, stuffed them into his mouth, and nodded slightly.

"As long as you like it."

Shen Yuan didn't stand on ceremony and started eating, taking a sip of wine and a bite of meat.

The two chatted casually while eating.

The content mostly consisted of gossip about the Hua Rong Mansion, but of course, it didn't involve the masters, mistresses, young masters, or young ladies.

In addition, there are some strange things that have happened in and around Liucheng.

For example, a mandrill appeared in a mountain village outside the city. It liked to eat brains and harmed many local villagers. Eventually, the government had to step in and send experts to eradicate it.

For example, a river demon was causing trouble in the neighboring county. The river demon used to live a peaceful life, enjoying the offerings of incense and occasionally protecting the residents on both banks. It had never done anything evil, so the local government turned a blind eye to it. But recently, the river demon went mad and began to attack fishermen frantically, feeding on living people, causing widespread panic among the locals.

Ultimately, the matter alarmed the government, which dispatched a highly skilled Taoist priest from the Demon Suppression Division to subdue the demon. The priest was an old Taoist with an air of otherworldly grace. He summoned heavenly lightning to strike the river. As the thunder roared, echoing for miles, soon after, the corpse of a black fish demon, over ten meters long, covered in scales and badly mangled, floated to the surface.

The blackfish carcass was taken away by the government officials, but a lot of fish meat, bones and scales were left in the water. They were snatched up by the nearby fishermen, who regarded them as "miracle objects" that could cure diseases and strengthen the body.

Then something terrible happened.

Those fishermen who ate the fish gradually lost their minds, went mad, and their bodies became rotten but not decayed, stiff but not rigid, and possessed immense strength, like living corpses, and began to attack the living people around them.

Ultimately, these "living corpses" were eradicated by the government, who explained that the black fish demon had become possessed, and its flesh and blood contained demonic energy. Those who consumed the flesh and blood containing demonic energy would naturally be affected as well.

For example, a wealthy merchant living in Liucheng, though still vigorous in his old age, took a new concubine. The concubine was incredibly beautiful and had a melodious and lively voice. She was skilled at singing, and the merchant became completely infatuated with her, indulging in revelry every night.

However, as time went on, many strange things began to happen in the wealthy merchant's mansion.

First, several servants in the mansion died without cause. Then, the wealthy merchant's sons, grandsons, wives, and concubines also suffered misfortunes one after another. Before long, someone noticed something was wrong and went to visit. They found that the wealthy merchant's entire family, including servants, totaling more than 130 people, had all died.

This incident alarmed the Demon Suppression Division, a special agency established by the Great Zhou Dynasty. They then sent experts to investigate, only to discover that the culprit was actually the wealthy merchant's newlywed concubine.

Just as the Demon Suppression Division captured the concubine, the woman turned into a bizarre paper figure in full view of everyone and was burned to ashes by real fire. The real culprit, however, has disappeared without a trace.

This incident caused quite a stir, spreading like wildfire and developing into several versions. Although it was quickly suppressed by the government, those who needed to know already knew.