Zimu glanced at the boat and said, "You go back first, I'll find you again in three days."Zimu left without looking back, but I felt she was chasing that white fox. After I got home, I fell into a deep sleep and didn't wake up until the next evening. Han Zong brought me a bowl of braised meat and said, "Eat up!"As soon as I picked up the chopsticks, I felt something was off about the meat: "What kind of meat is this?""Fox meat, it's that stone fox."Han Zong poured me another bowl of blood-mixed wine and said, "There's also a bottle of fox blood wine, let's drink it together."I was immediately stunned: "You're not joking, are you?""First, eat something. I'll explain it to you slowly!"Han Zong handed me the chopsticks and said, "As for our family's skill of skinning people, it's really not something I invented myself. I just integrated the work of my predecessors and added my own insights to pass down this skill."Han Zong said confidently, "The practice of skinning people, although it was prevalent during the Ming Dynasty, actually originated in ancient times."The original purpose of skinning was not punishment, but rather for sacrifices and curses."The ancient sorcerers believed that artifacts made from human skin could connect heaven and earth, bridge the realms of yin and yang, and reach the spirits directly."Even summon the spirits to descend.Ancient sorcerers not only flayed and processed human skin, but also had extremely high standards for it.The finest material is the skin of a wizard."Because of this, there was an exceptionally talented wizard who, in order to escape the fate of being skinned alive, created the secret technique 'Borrowing Skin from the Underworld.'"That is, after having their own skin flayed, they borrowed a piece of skin from the underworld to extend their life.Back then, I also accidentally obtained the "Borrowing Skin from the Underworld" manual, but I never had the opportunity to use this technique.Until your grandfather came to ask me, I had completely forgotten about that book of secrets.I couldn't help but ask, "Did my grandfather use the methods from 'Borrowing Skin from the Underworld' to save me back then?"Isn't the skin on my body fox skin?Han Zong sighed and said, "The sorcerer who created 'Borrowing Skin from the Underworld' was an ancient powerful being who could traverse between the realms of the living and the dead."Your grandfather and I couldn't bring the human skin out from the underworld, so we had no choice but to take the risk of using fox skin to save you."We succeeded, but we also failed."My heart sank involuntarily: "What do you mean by that?"Han Zong said, "No matter how advanced the fox's cultivation is, it hasn't reached the stage of transforming into a human. Its fox skin still has certain flaws."We wrap the fox fur around you, which can only guarantee that you won't die for the time being, but we don't know what you'll become in the future."We wrap the fox fur around you, which can only guarantee that you won't die for the time being, but we don't know what you'll become in the future."
After the stone fox gave you a drop of fox blood, your grandfather and I knew we couldn't wait any longer.You have fox fur on your body; sooner or later, you'll turn into a half-human, half-fox monster."When I was feeling a chill in my heart from what Han Zong said, Han Zong suddenly changed the subject and said, 'Fortunately, the heavens arranged for us to meet Zimu, which gave this skin of yours its shape.'"Han Zong paused and said, "Although we have preserved your skin."However, you still don't understand the connection between you and the stone fox.I exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't the stone fox already dead?""The stone fox is dead, but one of its kin, a white fox, has escaped. That fox will eventually come looking for trouble with you."Han Zong said again, "Compared to that white fox, the karma brought by this fox skin is the real trouble.""You took its fox skin, which is equivalent to inheriting its karma."Some unexpected things will still fall upon you.I looked at Han Zong and said, "How can I not understand what you're saying?"Han Zong replied, "Beasts face numerous tribulations in their cultivation. When the stone fox died, the tribulations it was supposed to endure were transferred to you. Therefore, you need to perform good deeds to counteract the tribulations.""Of course, you are not a stone fox, and you can't practice immortality, so you won't encounter the heavenly tribulation."However, you definitely can't escape the earthly and human tribulations.You have no merit on you; when the calamity comes, you probably won't be able to escape.Han Zong paused and said, "Also, Zi Mu is not an ordinary water ghost."She saved you, so you are also entangled in her karma.You still have to settle this debt."Although Zimu hasn't told you anything yet, when she finally asks you to do something, it will probably be time for you to face a trial."I couldn't help but ask, "What could Zimu possibly ask me to do?""I don't know!"Han Zong said with a serious expression, "I always feel that what Zimu wants you to do is no small matter."This debt, you've really gotten yourself into deep trouble.I was momentarily stunned and took a long time to respond: "Can my debt ever be repaid?"Han Zong said, "Don't worry about having too much debt; just pay it off slowly!""By the way..." Han Zong seemed to suddenly remember something and immediately added, "Don't call me 'Grandpa' from now on, so you don't bring the karma on me along with you." Call me Old Han, or even Han the Old Ghost, it's fine."Eat the fox meat while it's hot!"It's good for you; this is a fully matured fox, and there's a part of its cultivation in its blood and flesh.Otherwise, by the time you reach my age, it would be a bit late to learn skills from me."I had no objections to learning from Han Zong, but I didn't want to start calling him 'Old Han' or 'Old Ghost.' However, Han Zong insisted that I had to change how I addressed him. We were at a standstill for two days, and I couldn't hold out against Han Zong any longer, so I ended up calling him 'Old Ghost.'"
By the third day, Zimu arrived, and this time, she walked into my house and stayed there openly.From that day on, Han Zong taught me martial arts, and Zi Mu taught me the secret techniques of sorcery. They taught me for eight years, and strangely enough, before I was infused with that heart's blood by the stone fox, I was just an ordinary child. My grades at school were among the bottom few, and even the teachers couldn't be bothered with me.After that disaster, it was as if I had an epiphany; I could learn anything instantly and even apply it to other situations. Zimu said: "That's because I fused with fox blood. Before long, I'll become as cunning as a fox. I guess it's a blessing in disguise." In eight years, I had emptied Han Zong's treasure chest and even learned his ultimate life-saving technique.Although Zimu taught me many secret techniques, she always withheld three moves from each one, refusing to teach them to me no matter what. Zimu said: When she teaches me until I'm twenty and my skills are somewhat complete, that's when I will leave the mountain. Han Zong has been quietly reminding me, "Before Zi Mu lets you leave the mountain, don't easily agree to her requests."To avoid encountering an insurmountable calamity in the future. I hadn't even waited for Zimu to make any requests when a problem came my way first. That morning, following my usual practice of cultivation, I was about to take my bucket to fetch water from the mountain spring. However, as soon as I opened the door, I saw Aunt Zhao from the village standing at my doorstep with a bamboo basket covered with red cloth. Judging by the dew on her head, she must have been standing there for quite a while. Before I could say anything, Aunt Zhao greeted me with a smile, "Xiao Jiu!"This morning, we steamed too many buns at home, and I thought, since no one cooks for you at your place, why not bring some over for you.Here, take it.Aunt Zhao shoved the bamboo basket into my hands and said, "You should eat it while it's hot!""Then she hurriedly ran off."