Su Mu was born under the sign of the Ox in his past life, possessing a stubborn nature; he was never one to surrender easily.
After leaving the Forging Workshop today, Su Mu headed straight to the Market. He bought ten pounds of paper, two pounds of ink, one brush, and returned to the courtyard. After drinking a bowl of the new dicinal soup concocted by the Pharmacist, he prepared to write.
"I won't believe it."
The Inscription Manual is filled with sixteen thousand five hundred seventy-two words. Though obscure and difficult to understand, the incredibly retentive Su Mu had already committed it to mory.
However, he did not transcribe directly, as doing so risked exposing the Forging Workshop's secret skills. He took out the Hundred Gu Scripture he acquired after slaying the Black Insect Elder and began to comprehend it.
In the courtyard, a gentle breeze rustled the branches and leaves of the locust tree with a rustling sound.
Inside the house, the young man disregarded the outside world, wholeheartedly focused on the ancient texts in his hands.
Scribble, scribble.
Page after page, Su Mu's brows furrowed continuously. The thods for refining Gu insects in the Hundred Gu Scripture were extrely ruthless, often involving feeding live human flesh and blood, even exploiting children's hearts and livers as guides.
As Su Mu watched, his fists clenched tightly in anger, producing a series of crackling sounds.
After an hour, having read through it once, Su Mu's heart was filled with murderous intent, his eyes flickered with strong hatred.
"Focusing and settling the mind is also a form of cultivation. My concentration is not enough... continue!"
Su Mu took several deep breaths to calm himself, then started to read the book thoroughly for a second ti, the text revealing 'cruelty' and 'slaughter' between the lines, his strong comprehension leading to a careful read.
In Soul Incarnation state, Su Mu faintly experienced being in the scene, witnessing the cruel scenarios of refining Gu with live humans unfold before him.
On the third read, Su Mu could faintly hear the cries of n, won, old and young before they died miserably.
On the fourth read, the sll of blood overwheld him.
After the fifth read, Su Mu's eyes once again manifested a chilling murderous intent.
Gu Technique (Entry 1%)
Seeing Gu Technique appear in the skill column, Su Mu did not feel any joy. If the Black Insect Elder resurrected before him now,
Su Mu would kill him dozens of tis over!
"Red Peak Gu, one of the low-level Gu insects, requires imrsion in fresh blood for seven days and nights during refining. It must be fed the host's blood daily and aided by secret Gu marks to establish a bond... Once ford, it must regularly be fed live human blood or it will retaliate against the master..."
"Celestial Beetle Gu, an odd variety among low-level Gu insects, requires placent in an iron box mixed with cinnabar and the host's fingertip blood daily for fourteen consecutive days without interruption during refining. Once ford, it needs monthly feeding of tal fragnts and visceral pieces..."
Su Mu found within it the two types of Gu insects controlled by the Black Insect Elder. As for the lifebound Gu, the Black Snake was even more cruel, requiring the consumption of hearts from children under a year old for refining.
Hoo------
Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, Su Mu began transcribing. He managed to transcribe over forty Gu Techniques before the sky gradually lightened with dawn.
Unnoticed, the night had silently faded away.
"Ti is gold, but gold cannot buy ti..."
Suddenly realizing ti was insufficient, Su Mu put down the brush and paper, went to the courtyard, stretched his muscles and applied a layer of Black Jade Tiger Bone Ointnt, then started cultivating Vajra Body.
He finished as the eastern sky brightened and the sun began to rise.
Vajra Body (Great Success 31%)
Afterward, Su Mu quickly sliced several pounds of at to stir-fry with condints, cooked a large pot of noodles, ate, and headed to the Forging Workshop.
While transcribing today, Su Mu couldn't help recalling the Hundred Gu Scripture. His thoughts disordered, the pen naturally beca disorderly.
Zhao Ju observed without speaking much, a hint of unusual color flickering in his eyes.
A day later, Zhao Ju inspected Su Mu's transcription for the day, his brows furrowed. Its quality was even worse than the previous day.
"Well, Su Mu is only fifteen this year after all, youthful and inevitably impulsive, not so easy to thoroughly calm down... observe for a few more days."
Zhao Ju recalled that back then he transcribed for over half a year before beginning contact with subsequent skills, and he was not as young as Su Mu.
Quickly Zhao Ju's heart cleared; his current frustration was clearly a result of having expectations too high for Su Mu.
On the evening of three consecutive days.
Su Mu suddenly felt an oppressive discomfort in his chest, and a burning sensation seed to be igniting.
"Master Zhao, I wish to take a few days off."
"Go ahead, the way of inscriptions cannot be rushed."
After leaving the Forging Workshop, Su Mu headed straight to the dical clinic. Upon seeing him, the Little Doctor imdiately sensed sothing was wrong, "Su, what's wrong with you... I, I'll go call Master."
"Lie down quickly, I will examine you." The Pharmacist, hearing the news, imdiately paused his research. After a swift check, his expression shifted slightly.
"Xiaoyou, have you been consuming the newly concocted dicinal soup lately?"
"Yes."
"You should not continue consuming that soup." The Pharmacist was surprised; he had just examined Su Mu a few days ago, the sudden change was unexpected.
"Xiaoyou, have you often been angry lately?"
"Pharmacist, your eyes are sharp. I recently acquired a Book of Gu Insects, and its ruthless refining thods have stirred with anger day and night, and I often recall it during the day."
"Xiaoyou, you are suffering from Heart Fire attacking the mind."
The Pharmacist, upon hearing, realized the situation; daily exposure to the furnace, the Book of Gu Insects, while consuming dicinal soup had combined to cause Heart Fire to attack the mind.
Considering this, he gazed at Su Mu with more fondness and an extraordinary glow in his eyes; his Xiaoyou's nature was pure and good, not a sinister person.
"Xiaoyue, fetch the ninth dical book from the third row on the left shelf."
With a worried expression, the Little Doctor imdiately ran to the pharmacy, soon returning with a yellowed-cover book, bearing the title Sutra of Clear Heart.
"Xiaoyou, you might try contemplating or transcribing this dical book in the coming days. I will prescribe so dicine to lower Heart Fire, but rember not to get angry."
Upon finishing, the Little Doctor spoke with eyes full of anticipation.
"Su, why don't you co to the clinic and transcribe with these days?"
Together transcribing?
Su Mu was taken aback; sothing that seed distant was right before his eyes. How could he have forgotten the Little Doctor? When it ca to calligraphy and calming the heart, the Little Doctor was indeed a good teacher.
Over the course of this year, Su Mu had never seen the Little Doctor lose his temper. In this regard, he should learn from the Little Doctor.
"During the rest days, I will co to disturb Pharmacist and Little Doctor."
"Then it's settled."
The Little Doctor quickly agreed, while Pharmacist smiled without saying a word.
At the urging of the Little Doctor, Su Mu moved into the dical hall that very day, bringing along the "Hundred Gu Scripture" with him, "Pharmacist, this book should be helpful for detoxification, please accept it."
Having heard about the Book of Gu Insects from Su Mu, Pharmacist's interest was piqued. He accepted the book straightforwardly, "Good, I'll take this book. If Dear Friend is interested in dical skills in the future, you are welco to borrow any dical texts from the hall as long as you don't take them outside."
Return of peach for plum!
Su Mu's eyes glead. He hadn't expected that a single Book of Gu Insects would grant him the opportunity to borrow the entire collection of the dical hall. Su Mu clasped his fists in gratitude.
"Thank you, Pharmacist."
At this mont, the Little Doctor used the pretext of brewing tea to hurry them along, "Master, Su should go copy the Heart Sutra."
Pharmacist smiled helplessly, "Then you two go."
The Little Doctor, triumphant in a small sche, led Su Mu to the study. When the two left the room, Pharmacist frowned slightly.
"This dicinal soup isn't suitable for Dear Friend... it needs to be changed..."
Although the dicinal soup was potent, it lingered in the body for too long, leading to fire toxin buildup with long-term use. Even without the Hundred Gu Scripture, such a consequence would have inevitably occurred, not as an accident.
"It needs to maintain potency without remaining in the body for too long... what should I do?"
Pharmacist fell into deep thought, as if he had returned to when he first studied dicine. The ti he spent contemplating now far exceeded past decades.
This kind of contemplation was imnsely taxing on the mind, causing wrinkles to appear on what was once a youthful face, but Pharmacist remained content, imrsed in thought.
Initially, Pharmacist acted to repay Su Mu for saving his life, but now he had other thoughts regarding Su Mu. He had to give his all to detoxify Su Mu.
anwhile, in the study, the Little Doctor was preparing ink for Su Mu. As he leaned over, a subtle fragrance like orchids wafted into Su Mu's nose.
"Su, let's copy together, starting from the beginning."
"Alright."
Turning to the first page of the Heart Sutra:
Before the Supre Purple Mist, the Void Emperor, The Great Dao's Jade Morning Ruler.
An idle dwelling, the Ruilu composes in seven words, Transforming five forms into myriad spirits.
After both glanced over the Heart Sutra, the brush fell to the page. In comparison, one page was gentle and elegant, while the other was crooked like worms.
After copying a sentence, the Little Doctor eagerly looked at Su Mu's writing. At first, he was taken aback, then burst into laughter, "Su's handwriting... is actually not too ugly, pfft..."
Before finishing the sentence, the Little Doctor laughed again, filling the study with a joyful atmosphere.
"Su, let teach you. You should hold the brush like this, co, write with ."
After an entire night:
Calligraphy (entry-level 1%)
Su Mu's eyes shone. Seeing such a skill appear in the skill bar brought him more joy than mastering entry-level martial arts.
By the next day, Su Mu's copying gradually progressed, and his mind began to calm down.
Ti flew by, and it was the fifth day by dusk.
The Little Doctor took out a collection of Su Mu's original works to compare with what was written that day. His delicate face was full of wonder.
"Su, how did you do it? Write another sentence and show !"
Their conversation caught Pharmacist's attention. As soon as he arrived at the door, he heard the Little Doctor exclaim inside the room.
"Master, co quickly... Co and see."
The Little Doctor waved her pale, lotus-like arms, signaling Pharmacist to co in quickly. Pharmacist was intrigued, knowing his apprentice's talent in writing and painting. What exactly had gotten Xiaoyue so excited?
When Pharmacist approached, Xiaoyue first handed over what Su Mu had written on the first day, noting the puzzled expression on Pharmacist's face. Su Mu's face turned slightly red.
"Master, don't look at that. This one is what he wrote on the third day."
Pharmacist took it and looked again, a puzzled expression crossing his face as he compared the two writings repeatedly. The difference was too vast; could it really be written by the sa person with just a day's interval?
"Master, there's another one just copied; look at this."
This ti, as Pharmacist took a look, he trembled all over, blurting out, "Was this done by soone else?"
Cough, cough.
Su Mu felt a bit awkward and coughed a few tis. The reason for such a significant difference over five days was that Su Mu had just begun to grasp the basics of calligraphy on the first day.
By the third day, he had achieved Small Success, and on the fifth day, he had fully entered the realm of Small Success. This was attributed to not only Su Mu's extraordinary comprehension.
But also due to the one-on-one teaching from the Little Doctor, who poured out his decade of calligraphy experience and insights.
With the combination of an exceptional teacher and strong comprehension, Su Mu, like a voracious tiger, accepted all, absorbing the Little Doctor's knowledge and experiences.
Therefore, he completed in just five days what would usually take others over ten years, rapidly advancing his calligraphy to the realm of Small Success.
Click, click.
Pharmacist put down the 'Su Mu's original work' in his hand again, revealing a look as if seeing a monster, a look shared not only by Pharmacist but also by the Little Doctor.
In this situation, Su Mu could even picture Master Zhao from the Forging Workshop looking at him the sa way.
"You two continue. I will go research a new formula... Maintaining the effect while leaving no toxin behind, and preferably controlling the retention ti..." Pharmacist mumbled as he walked out.
The Little Doctor tilted his head, "Is Master going to brew a new dicinal wine?"
"dicinal wine..." Pharmacist furrowed his brows, then a bright glint flashed in his eyes, "Yes, wine it is!"
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