Chapter 17 Borrowing Bones to Shape Skin He really wanted to strip himself naked right now...
!!
Lou Yan shuddered and reached behind him, whereupon he touched his own soft fur.
It's over.
He quickly held his breath, pondering the magic technique for solidifying his form. His spiritual energy surged wildly, and he tried several times but failed to retract the tail.
The heat made him sweat profusely, and his clothes were immediately soaked through.
However, the tail stubbornly dangled behind him, even swaying with his rapid breathing.
what to do……
Lou Yan felt that this must be the most panicked and helpless moment in his more than two hundred years of life.
In his anxiety, many images flashed before his eyes: the deity who personally washed his dirty tail, the decades of painstaking effort to finally transform into human form, and the sword strike from Heng Qichun at Tiantai Pond in his previous life that revealed his true form—everything was vivid in his mind.
If Heng Qichun hadn't used that sword strike to expose his demonic wolf tail, he might not have ended up falling into demonic possession.
Tail.
Lou Yan fumbled for his tail and pinched the flesh beneath the fur hard. The force was so great that even he trembled involuntarily, and his eyes immediately turned red.
In the excruciating pain, everything before his eyes became blurry. He thought that this time he probably wouldn't be able to be thrown into the Tianchi Terrace—he was going to die from the heat.
"Silence, recite the Return to Origin Mantra." Just as he was dying, a fragrance of lotus suddenly wafted from behind him.
Heng Qichun got up and walked behind him at some point, gently placing a hand on his head. The fragrance from her sleeve was faint, but enough to dispel the suffocating heat.
Lou Yan quickly calmed down the hand on her head, closed her eyes as instructed, and silently recited the mantra in her heart.
—Bone borrowed from Heaven and Earth, skin shaped by Yin and Yang.
Returning to the origin.
The wolf's tail swayed twice, then disappeared into nothingness under a golden spiritual force. Its robes billowed, and nothing else could be seen.
"Why are you still so impulsive?" Heng Qichun patted Lou Yan's hair, then withdrew his hand, his tone carrying a hint of reproach. "The older you get, the less settled you become."
Lou Yan was covered in sweat, as if he had just waded through water. Hearing this, he made a "hmm" sound and nodded obediently, "I'll be more careful next time."
"Oh."
The person at the head of the table suddenly let out a cold laugh, and Lou Yan immediately tensed up and pricked up her ears to listen to Heng Qichun's words.
He had a gut feeling that it wouldn't be anything good.
"Now you know how to behave, isn't it time to tear your teacher's clothes?"
really.
Lou Yan craned her neck and tilted her head, her eyes fixed on a small section of Heng Qichun's robe hem, and many questions arose in her mind.
What's wrong with tearing clothes?
Is that against common sense?
If Heng Qichun hadn't warned him as a child that he had to wear clothes when he was outside, he would have wanted to strip naked right now.
It's so hot!
The scorching heat of the night did not dissipate with the disappearance of the wolf's tail; on the contrary, it seemed to intensify. The hot wind rattled the windowpanes, causing the wooden windows to creak, and reawakening the hidden restlessness in people's hearts.
Heng Qichun stood with his sleeves tucked in, his gaze sweeping lightly downwards, and he could tell what his little apprentice was thinking in just one glance.
"Can't you draw the heat-avoidance talisman?" he asked. "Don't you know how to use the heat-avoidance incantation?"
Lou Yan listened to the reprimand with his head down, his canine teeth almost grinding into his gums. He remained silent for a long time with his neck stiff, and finally admitted it with a grumble.
"None of them."
At this time in his previous life, he was still struggling in the Heavenly Pool. When he climbed out, he had already fallen into the demonic path and had no chance to learn these two low-level spells. Otherwise, he would not have asked Heng Qichun to cast the Summer Heat Relief Spell on him in the sweltering heat.
Now that Heng Qichun is seriously injured, the secret to avoiding the summer heat has become a luxury.
"Just hang in there," Lou Yan thought.
“Raise your hand,” Heng Qichun suddenly said.
Lou Yan was taken aback, not knowing what Heng Qichun wanted him to do, but he still instinctively stretched out his hands. The next moment, he saw Heng Qichun's middle finger and thumb touch, forming a lotus hand seal in the air, and a light-colored spiritual energy condensed at his fingertips.
"Master!" Lou Yan was startled and tried to pull himself up from the ground, but before he could speak, Heng Qichun pressed him back down with a look.
He knelt on the ground, watching as Heng Qichun channeled the spiritual energy from his fingertips into his open palm. Only then did he belatedly add the unspoken words, "Nanxu said you cannot use spiritual energy."
Heng Qichun's expression was aloof and indifferent. Upon hearing this, he parted his thin lips slightly and uttered only two words—"It's nothing."
Again, it's "It's nothing."
Lou Yan looked at Heng Qichun's increasingly pale face and felt as if he wanted to chew those two words up and swallow them whole.
Some people, after sitting upright on the lotus platform for a long time, don't know how to show weakness or cry out in pain. They insist on sitting down while supporting their bones, as if they are so capable.
He's really sick!
With his palms filled with spiritual energy, Lou Yan felt a cool sensation spreading through his fingertips, and his chaotic thoughts found a foothold. He immediately wanted to interrupt Heng Qichun's actions.
"Don't move."
Lou Yan felt the spiritual energy in his palms gathering more and more, soon reaching a point where it was uncontrollable. He subconsciously curled his fingers and heard Heng Qichun say, "Mobilize spiritual power and form the Frost Seal."
"Recite it—and you will be immune to the heat of summer, and all the summer heat will dissipate."
Lou Yan did as instructed.
With a slight movement of his lips, he performed hand seals and chanted incantations as instructed by Heng Qichun. He immediately felt a wave of tingling and softness throughout his body's spiritual meridians. Then, spiritual energy from Heng Qichun began to flow into his fingertips.
As the summer heat subsided and the cool air spread, frost once again condensed in the ice-filled basin beside the bed.
Lou Yan raised his hand in surprise to sense the temperature around him, his eyes widening in astonishment as he finally revealed his surprise without any attempt to hide it.
So this is... the secret to escaping the summer heat!
He learned it!
The summer heat-avoidance spell quickly enveloped the courtyard, making both the inside and outside of the house cool. Lou Yan got up, closed his eyes, and recited the spell again. The atmosphere inside the house gradually cooled down.
He turned his head excitedly, but before he could even utter the word "Master," his face immediately darkened.
Heng Qichun was seen holding onto a small table beside him with one hand, while the other hand was pressed against his chest. His skin and flesh rose and fell beneath a thin garment, and violent coughing sounds leaked from his throat.
"Cough cough cough—"
This is the consequence of recklessly activating spiritual power.
Lou Yan's initial excitement vanished instantly. He rushed over and helped Heng Qichun back to the bed, staring at her pale face, clearly wanting to say something but holding back.
What can you say about him? Overestimating his abilities? Showing off his own strength?
Despite being so badly injured that he couldn't get out of bed, he still acted like an omnipotent god.
Ha, I beg you to teach me.
But Lou Yan has no right to say these things at this moment.
With a sour face, he raised his hand to transfer spiritual energy to Heng Qichun. His cultivation method was taught by Heng Qichun, so there was almost no obstruction when transferring spiritual energy. The golden spiritual energy circulated around the bed a few times before Heng Qichun's complexion improved slightly.
The night breeze swept across the windowpanes, the setting moon shone brightly, and the candlelight was about to go out.
The sound of the night watchman's drum was very close in the alley; they clearly heard it strike three times—one fast and two slow—"Midnight, all is well—
Heng Qichun slowly opened his eyes.
Inside the bed curtains, it was dimly lit. He sat upright on the inner side of the bed, his features serene and his gaze as calm as water.
He frowned slightly, and after another series of banging sounds, he caught a commotion and asked, "What's going on outside?"
Lou Yan was listening intently.
The alley was quiet at first, then a restless breeze swept in, and then voices began to clamor.
There seemed to be a mixture of a woman's screams, a child's cries, and an old man's lamentations, which sent a chill down one's spine.
What happened?
Could it be that Xu Shengzi has come looking for us?
Just as Lou Yan was about to open the window to listen carefully, the door to the outer room was knocked on twice quickly.
"God." It was Nan Xu.
The boy's clothes were damp with dew and still tinged with the summer heat. He was breathing unevenly when he was brought over, and looked extremely anxious.
“A person died in the street just as the town market was closing, causing panic and uproar among the crowd,” he said. “The baby started crying again at night, and the town was in complete chaos.”
Heng Qichun remained silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out and grabbed his coat from the bedside, put it on, and stood up with the help of Lou Yan's outstretched hand.
"God?" Nan Xu asked in confusion.
Heng Qichun's face was still pale, but he forced himself to straighten his clothes and said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go see."
Lou Yan wasn't particularly surprised by this. His master was ill; he valued the common people more than his own life, wanting to save the living and care for the dead alike.
There's no meddlesome business in the world that he can't handle.
Seeing Heng Qichun get up to leave, Nan Xu hurriedly stepped to the door to stop him, "Your Majesty!"
"You must not use your spiritual power rashly now. That Taoist priest is still hiding somewhere. If you encounter any danger..."
"If he wants to go, then let him go." Lou Yan interrupted him with her arms crossed, looking nonchalant, and said quietly, "Most of the things my master wants to do can't be stopped."
The Pixiu cub was fast asleep in the outer room, so Lou Yan simply left it behind and went with Heng Qichun.
The place where the accident happened was not far from the courtyard where Nan Xu was staying. Heng Qichun did not use his sword and arrived in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
It was at the end of an alley, dimly lit, with only a lantern providing illumination. The noise of people was deafening, and the closer you got, the stronger the human scent became, mixed with the sweltering heat.
Lou Yan trailed behind his master like a tail. Upon seeing the dense crowd, he first let out a "whoosh," then squeezed past Heng Qichun, shouting, "Make way, make way!"
Someone turned around and saw a group of three people walking towards them.
Heng Qichun exuded such an imposing aura that it was immediately obvious he was from a celestial sect. The surrounding crowd parted to make way for him, watching quietly as the three approached the center of the crowd.
The stench of blood was overwhelming.
In the dim light of the candle, Lou Yan saw an old man lying on the ground, his veins bursting open, his eyes wide open, and blood oozing from his seven orifices.
Its tragic appearance drew sighs from onlookers, who speculated that it was likely the work of a demon.
"Master!" Lou Yan's eyes widened suddenly. His gaze swept over the scattered gongs in the distance and the clapper in the old man's hand. He said with certainty, "This man is the night watchman who will be on duty tonight!"
A note from the author:
----------------------
See you tomorrow! Give me a paw print in the comments! [kiss][kiss]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
