Chapter 52 My Craftsmanship is Excellent. My junior brother's craftsmanship has always been excellent. ...
The system didn't answer his question directly, but instead kept him in suspense for a moment.
"Received, received. Speaking of advancement requirements, would you like to check out the new features of this system's update? Everything you want to know is here~"
After a long three-year sleep, the system has become increasingly intelligent and clever, much more considerate than its previous dull and clumsy mechanical self.
"oh?"
Fu Ming opened the Hunyuan Devouring Heaven Record again with great interest.
This set of books was originally only half a palm thick, but now it has dozens of new pages, making it feel heavy in your hand.
Fu Ming flipped through the last chapter of the cultivation technique he knew by heart and found that the first newly added page simply read "Instructions".
Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier? It would have saved him from asking so many questions.
The instruction manual begins by stating: This system is a civil servant system, designed to help promising individuals accumulate merit and ascend to immortality as soon as possible.
There are three thousand great paths, all leading to the same origin. The great paths are not constant, nor are they ranked in any order of importance.
Some cultivators progress extremely quickly in the early stages but lack strength later on, perishing halfway through their journey; others break through slowly but accumulate strength eventually, becoming true immortals. The difference lies in whether their actions align with the needs of the Heavenly Dao, which constitutes merit.
Heaven takes from the surplus and gives to the deficiency. The strong and the weak are one. The weak have no support, and the strong cannot survive either. The key lies in maintaining the balance of the world... (3,000 words omitted here).
Fu Ming summarized it simply: the Heavenly Dao is like a central control system that regulates the world order. The further you progress in cultivation, the more you have to work for the Heavenly Dao, otherwise you'll be struck by lightning and reduced to ashes.
Unfortunately, those who practice the Devouring Path have always been at the very bottom of the Heavenly Dao's hierarchy of contempt.
Therefore, in order to enter Mahayana Buddhism, in addition to one's state of mind and cultivation, one must also accumulate some merit.
Fu Ming drew a circle on the black text on the white paper with his fingertip and asked, "System, you didn't write this, did you?"
The system, far from being ashamed, was actually proud, puffing out its chest and saying, "Hehe, this system borrowed it from its senior."
As expected, according to Fu Ming's understanding, the system's level of education was not high enough to write such elegant and literary sentences.
Fu Ming read through the new section again. After completing several tasks to restore the ecological cycle in the Grand Competition Secret Realm, his merit points have now broken through the sixty mark and are steadily moving towards seventy.
However, according to the instructions, he still needs to accomplish one more major task before he will sense the opportunity for a breakthrough.
The real problem is how to deal with Xiao Huaiyuan; it's a real headache.
Just as Fu Ming was thinking of the forty-seventh plan to take down Xiao Huaiyuan, dark clouds suddenly loomed over his head, casting a heavy shadow that enveloped him.
Xiao Huaiyuan naturally pulled him into his arms from behind, his words slurred and sounding like he was still sleepy.
"Why did you wake up first, Senior Brother?"
Ha, Xiao Huaiyuan is really full of energy this morning. He's so lively and energetic. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the sect leader's peak was raising chickens.
After the Golden Core shattered, Fu Ming could no longer directly absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but he could absorb it indirectly and use it at will.
Xiao Huaiyuan was afraid that he wouldn't have enough spiritual energy, so he gave him a lot, making the spiritual energy stored in his meridians so abundant that it was almost overflowing. He could maintain the Golden Core stage level for at least three days.
Fu Ming casually conjured a protective shield to isolate the perpetrators, raising an eyebrow as he spoke.
"Xiao Huaiyuan, I can go with you about yesterday's events, but you have to tell me how you captured my soul."
It's really unsettling not being able to contact the main account.
Xiao Huaiyuan did not break through this fragile barrier, but simply lay on the transparent shell. The three small, dark holes on the side of his neck widened slightly with his breathing.
His posture resembled that of a giant serpent locking onto its prey, hissing and flicking its tongue as it spoke slowly.
“If you, senior brother, make a vow of faith and swear to the Heavenly Dao that you will not leave me, then I will tell you how to resolve this.”
The devil is always one step ahead of the saint. At worst, he can leave his clone to his junior brother and come back occasionally to visit the old man living alone. That way, he won't be considered to have left him. Fu Ming, who was good at finding loopholes, thought so.
Fu Ming stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then immediately made a three-finger oath.
"Fine, I'll swear it out today, Fu Ming, I'll swear it out to the heavens..."
"No, my senior brother has broken his promises too many times, I can't trust him."
As a victim of sweet talk, Xiao Huaiyuan learned his lesson. His lips curved into a barely perceptible smile as he interrupted Fu Ming's powerful vow.
"..."
What does Xiao Huaiyuan mean?
Fu Ming narrowed his upturned peach blossom eyes and threw a sharp glare at his junior brother, but unfortunately his domineering aura did not cause much harm to the lawless junior brother.
One reason was that he was sneaking around in the morning and didn't bother to comb his hair, so his black hair stood up in a mess, like a sparrow with its feathers standing on end after being rained on.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Huaiyuan couldn't help but reach out and smooth his senior brother's messy hair. He then conjured a wooden comb out of thin air and tied it into a decent-looking bun before stopping.
Without a continuous influx of spiritual energy, the protective barrier that Fu Ming had erected had dissipated; he had deliberately let Xiao Huaiyuan in.
My junior apprentice is always very good at combing hair.
This skill was trained by Fu Ming himself. He wasn't a real ancient person; he played wildly in the countryside when he was a child and naturally didn't understand complicated hair-combing techniques. He would just tie his hair into a ponytail with a hair tie every time.
Fortunately, after coming to Tianyan Sect, he had Xiao Huaiyuan, who pursued perfection in everything, who would stubbornly help him to tidy his hair, put on a crown and hairpins, so that he could be seen in public.
This is what they mean when they say that whoever can't stand it will be the one who gets the job.
As he combed his hair, Fu Ming seemed to return to his carefree and unrestrained youth. His head sank lower and lower, and he didn't notice the hand resting on his belt.
"Senior brother, this journey is fraught with danger. It would be best to replenish your spiritual energy." Xiao Huaiyuan's deep voice was extremely close, leaving no room for struggle.
Bang! The hair ornament that had been carefully tied fell off, and the hair that had been tied up came loose again, with black strands flowing down from the edge of the table and swaying in the air.
A fair hand with distinct knuckles waved wildly in the air, but after failing to grasp even a single straw, it finally drooped limply.
Fu Ming gained another piece of knowledge: never turn your back on a homosexual.
After being delayed by something, Fu Ming and Xiao Huaiyuan arrived in Zhongzhou at nearly noon, when the sun was high in the sky.
It's the height of summer now, and the scorching sun beats down, causing pedestrians on the street to break out in a thick layer of sweat.
A long line formed outside the old, dilapidated city gates of Los Angeles, with men, women, and children of all ages, their skin dark and sallow, waiting to enter the city. Occasionally, some unreasonable people would try to cut in line, and then they would start spitting at each other in their local accents, using rather vulgar language.
If it weren't for the guards with long spears patrolling the area from time to time, the hot-tempered people would probably have already started fighting.
Everyone else's attention was drawn to the troublemakers, while two young men carrying bamboo baskets quietly followed behind the crowd.
The taller one wore a bamboo hat and pulled his collar high in the sweltering heat. The slightly thinner one was pale, unsteady on his feet, and had to be supported by another person to avoid falling.
It was Fu Ming and Xiao Huaiyuan, who had completely disguised themselves.
Xiao Huaiyuan looked into the distance and found that the slow-moving dragon seemed endless. He transmitted his voice and said, "Why try to blend in with mortals? It seems we won't be able to enter the city before dark."
It was clear that Xiao Huaiyuan only associated with upper-class gentlemen and had no practical experience in gathering information from the working class.
Fu Ming smiled mysteriously, "What are you going into the city for? Go ask the city lord of Luo City. Do you think he'll tell you the truth honestly? You'd be better off listening to commoners arguing."
Large numbers of ordinary people have died, and entire villages have been abandoned. What could have caused this? Ordinary people should know best what happened.
The procession moved slowly forward amidst the chaos.
Upon reaching the muddy, low-lying moat, the already slow pace of their journey gradually decreased.
"You, what is your name, where do you live, and what are you doing in the city?" The city guard had very high cheekbones, and his sunken eyes stared like copper bells, making him look very fierce.
"Chen Aqiang from Chenjiazhuang, whose family's land has been eaten by insects, came to the city to borrow some money from relatives."
Fu Ming finished reciting his lines with his head down, then glanced awkwardly at the guard, who did indeed look like a rustic, country bumpkin. He then turned to look at Xiao Huaiyuan.
"That's my cousin Xu Aniu behind me. He's shy and doesn't speak very well. He's also here with me to stay with relatives."
The guards, however, did not let him off easily. Seeing his striking appearance, they joined their colleagues in mocking him.
"Oh ho, there's another sworn brother here. He's come to the city to sell his ass, isn't he?"
Several guards burst into laughter upon hearing this.
Chen Aniu's already fair complexion instantly lost all color. He pleaded, "Master, please let me in! I have no choice. My family is all dead, and we have no food left. If I stay outside any longer, I will only be able to become a beggar."
Unexpectedly, the group of thugs guards also lowered their heads: "Did someone in your family die?"
Behind them, an old man whose back was almost hunched over like a tortoise shell suddenly jumped towards Xiao Huaiyuan, reached out and ripped open his collar, and screamed in a muffled voice after seeing the few black holes.
"Come quick, look! This person has contracted that disease!"
Everyone, including the guards, scattered in an instant, clearing a circular open space.
"You damned wretch who won't live much longer, get lost!"
Several iron spears impaled Fu Ming and Xiao Huaiyuan outside the city. Now hated by everyone, they had no choice but to wander the wilderness. After searching around, they finally found a deserted village that seemed prone to being haunted and settled down.
"The trail has gone cold. All we know now is that a strange disease is at play, but we don't know how many people have died, what the symptoms are, or what the source is." After sorting through the information they had gathered, Xiao Huaiyuan frowned and analyzed the situation.
A warm bonfire was lit on the edge of the field. The Central Plains are hot and dry during the day, but a bit chilly at night, so people can only warm themselves by the fire.
Fu Ming was busy with his barbecue project again. He had shot a pheasant on the way, and now he had broken off a branch to skewer it and grill it. The oil dripping from the chicken skin made the flames leap even brighter, and with a crackling sound, Fu Ming swallowed hard.
"No rush, someone will come to us on their own."
He had completely forgotten Xiao Huaiyuan's remarkable achievement of being poisoned to the point of vomiting and diarrhea. Things change, and just because his cooking skills were bad before doesn't mean they're bad now, right?
"—Want some, junior brother? I'm a very good cook."
Flames danced in his pure, glassy eyes. Fu Ming tilted his head, and two fine hairs stuck out from his temples.
Unfortunately, Xiao Huaiyuan had a good memory; he still remembered being knocked down by his senior brother, so he held on for two more seconds despite the temptation of her beauty.
"good……"
"Shh, someone's coming." Fu Ming reached out and covered Xiao Huaiyuan's mouth and nose.
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