Chapter 98 (The Severed Hand)
The next day, perhaps because he was too tired the day before, Pingyu found himself sleeping soundly.
She was startled as soon as she opened her eyes, because someone else's face was right in front of her.
Seeing that the girl had woken up, the Taoist grinned and said, "You're awake?"
Without waiting for Ping Yu's reply, the girl threw a heavy punch first.
Lu Ya didn't dodge, but let out a cry of pain and stumbled back several steps. Once the other person was gone, the previously obscured cave entrance was revealed. The daylight was already bright, casting Lu Ya, who was sitting on the futon with his eyes covered, as a silhouette. Ping Yu, seeing the old man's seemingly serious injury, felt a pang of guilt. But then she thought he was deliberately trying to scare her, and said irritably, "Master, what are you doing!"
Lu Ya: "I was just wondering whether or not to wake you up, since you were sleeping so soundly."
He was still a little aggrieved, and added through a gasp, "You look so skinny and small, but you've got quite the energy!"
"Is something wrong?" Pingyu asked.
The Taoist priest said decisively, "Something big has happened."
The girl got up and tidied up the bed: "This is deep in the mountains, even if something terrible happens, there's nothing I can do."
So, amidst Lu Ya's repeated cries of "misfortune for our sect," Ping Yu calmly went to wash up.
He ordered Little Bear Cleaner to continue cleaning the cave, and Pingyu followed "Panda" Lu Ya back to the forest lake from yesterday.
Their first lesson today was still meditation in the lake. Ping Yu was about to immerse herself in the lake when Lu Ya stopped her. The old man restrained her arm and said, "What's the point of a girl always soaking in cold water? Don't go around saying that I, your old man, have mistreated you after you've mastered the skill."
"This works well."
Pingyu remained still.
Lu Ya said irritably, "You've already become an apprentice, why are you still taking the unorthodox path? Don't you know to ask questions about things you don't understand? Be careful you don't go astray in your cultivation."
Pingyu knew that the other party was about to start teaching, so she chuckled and waited patiently for the other party to continue.
Ping Yu thought to himself, "So that's where all these words came from."
"If we compare a person to a vessel, an ordinary person is like an empty box with a tightly closed lid, while a cultivator needs to open their lid to draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Therefore, when a person meditates, the nine orifices on their body are opened. The opening of these orifices proves that the channels through which external things can enter the body are no longer restricted..."
He suddenly stopped talking and looked at Ping Yu.
Pingyu, receiving his master's gaze: ...
666, and there's also an interactive segment.
She was already listening and organizing her thoughts, so she quickly interjected, "Not only the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but also the wandering ghosts floating around can enter the body. It's easy to be possessed by ghosts, which is why it's called 'going into a demonic possession'?"
“That’s right.” Lu Ya looked at him with an expression of aptitude: “With me by your side to keep you in check, naturally no wild ghosts will dare to possess you. But if you soak in the lake in the forest with your orifices open, it’s very easy for evil spirits to enter your body, turning the spiritual energy you absorb into yin energy. At that time, your peaceful cultivation will turn into ghost cultivation. If your mind is not at peace, recite the ‘Purity and Tranquility Sutra.’ That way, the Ancestral Master will be watching over you and will help you calm your mind so that nothing goes wrong.”
Pingyu nodded; she already knew the *Qingjing Jing* by heart. The girl lowered her eyes and quickly read the words on the bamboo scroll, then handed it back. Just as she was about to sit down to meditate, she heard Lu Ya say again, "Those who can transmit information in the water are either spirits of the water or vengeful ghosts. Sending off ghosts who die with unresolved grievances is also one of our duties as cultivators."
Lu Ya said, "Listen carefully when you meditate today, and I will use that to teach you the next subject."
Judging from Lu Ya's reaction yesterday, Ping Yu thought the other party didn't care about this matter. It turns out he did care, but rather saved it for today's teaching activity. The girl nodded slightly in surprise, then sat cross-legged and closed her eyes.
She quickly entered the state of mind today, though not as dramatically as yesterday when she first inhaled qi. The wind still swirled, creating visible air currents around the girl. Her fingertips, immersed in the water, remained perfectly still, yet ripples rose on the lake's surface. Pingyu heard a "clinking" sound in his mind, like someone striking a piece of metal, or perhaps laughter. Soon, the sound from yesterday echoed again:
Find me... put me back together...
It's here!
The sound paused, and Ping Yu saw the ground in front of her begin to ripple. Because Lu Ya Daoist was watching over her, she wasn't worried that he was playing tricks. Then, as if an invisible hand had pulled something from the ground, the source of the sound came into the girl's view: it wasn't any person or animal, but a slender, pale white arm that emerged from the ground.
Can hands talk?
Pingyu only saw distinct palm lines, her pink nail bed, and long, sharp nails. Pingyu didn't see any other organs that could be present, but she recognized it as a woman's hand.
Faced with this extraordinary scene, the girl, realizing this was a world of high magic, felt relieved. She patiently repeated her question, "How do you want me to help you?"
As she spoke, the fingers of that arm curled up like claws. Ping Yu saw her leap up, her long, slender, white fingertips and her neatly cut forearm standing upright, looking like a tall-legged spider. Perhaps because it had appeared before Ping Yu, the voice it emitted was no longer ethereal.
Clear words came from the severed hand: "They left me here in pieces to pray for rain. If my body is broken, I won't be able to reincarnate. Little Taoist priest, little immortal, you're the only one who's come to this place all these years, and you're the only one who can hear me. Please, have mercy and help me, and put me back together, okay?"
The hand's voice was alluring and gentle, as if even a fragrant breath was being exhaled. Ping Yu thought that if the severed limbs were pieced back together, the finished product would surely be a beautiful woman. But the girl didn't believe the magical severed hand's one-sided story. She asked warily, "Who are you? What kind of person are you? Why did they dismember you and leave you here?"
Her words were accompanied by her actions; she ran her thumb across her neck and grinned at the severed hand.
Lu Ya, on the shore, sneezed, filled with doubt and surprise: Could it be that bear cub from yesterday?
Judging from the voice, the severed hand laughed: "Don't worry, little immortal. I still want to turn my hand back into a human, I wouldn't dare lie to you."
Ping Yu nodded with a tense face, sat down, crossed her arms, and said, "Okay, then you can speak!"
The girl held the severed hand level, no longer looking down on him.
"I've forgotten how long I've been separated..." The severed hand scraped the ground, recounting the story: "But they said that separating me would bring rain, and putting me back together would bring a great drought."
Author's note: On the shore, Lu Ya sneezed loudly: Was that bear talking bad about me?
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