Fu Wan inserted a few more silver needles into Fang Chao while they wait to inhibit the poison until he can take care of this mess. Why he saved Fang Chao when he was a boy only the gods know... It was storming and he was rushing back to his home in the mountain.
Fan Wu recalls that day. The rain was pelting his body after the strong wind snapped his umbrella in half. He wanted to keep walking when he saw a small dirty child huddled next to a woman's dead body. The frail boy was crying and soaked to the skin, his clothes in tatters.
He didn't want to waste a second look. Not my problem...my precious herbs are probably being destroyed...I need to hurry.
Unfortunately, a strange force made him slow his pace then stop. He couldn't fight the urge to pick up the child. He threw him over his shoulder and marched through the mud. He has been his unlucky star since that day..
He watches Sheng Lu's body blackened from the poison began to jerk about on the ground. when the soul entered.
Zhang Lu was getting a headache from being bounced about inside, he was regretting listening to that smooth talker Fang Chao. He should have just taken his chances there.
Fang Chao was also worried, what if Sheng Lu spitsout that weakling and his soul sticks to me again?
"What the hell Fu Wan! Why is his body jumping around like that!"
"Boy, how should I know I never transferred one soul to another."
They both stand dumbfounded at the strange scene. Suddenly a crowd of black robed men gather around like it was a traveling freak show. "What happened to Sheng Lu?"
Questions are repeatedly asked throughout the crowd. "He looks possessed!"
"..."
Damn, he's flopping around like a fish on dry land"
"..."
Both Fu Wan and Fang Chao silently agree it wouldn't be a good idea to tell the other disciples.
Fu Wan scratched his straggly white beard, and tried to calm the crowd," Just a reaction to the antidote, no worries."
When they didn't leave and stood motionless staring at Sheng Lu, he waved thin arms around, "Go back to practicing, I don't need an audience."
Fang Chao gives him a disgusted look, is that all you could come up with old man
The crowd disperse shaking their heads, without Sheng Yu who is going to make dinner?
After a few moments Sheng Lu lays flat on the ground, his eyes rolling around in his head.
Zhang Lu could hear the voices above him murmuring and it dawned on him I'm the damn cook? I definitely need to hop back into that bastard's body. I hate cooking, the only thing I can make is instant ramen. Judging from what I have seen I doubt they have a convenience store around here or a damn microwave!
Afraid the weakling will be dissatisfied and rebel Fang Chao decides to take action and snap Sheng Lu out of it. He bends over and slaps Sheng Lu with his palm.
"Lu..Lu.. get up.. Ling Bai just brought some girls from the brothel to celebrate."
Sheng Lu still doesn't move but now has a red swollen cheek with Fang Chao's hand print.
Zhang Lu- damn! that hurt!
Fang Chao looks at Fu Wan who shrugs his bony shoulders, "Brat, don't be so impatient"
Fang Chao walks over to the stream and gets a bucket of cold water. He tosses the entire bucket onto Sheng Lu.
His hair is now stuck to his head, water dripping down his face, his robe soaking wet. He still doesn't move. Fang Chao checks his breath and is relieved, he's breathing anyway.
Zhang Lu- that is so fucking cold, I'm going to kill you!...if this idiot wakes up.
Fu Wan, "Well, I guess I am going to need to feed him a Body/Soul Awakening Pill. I didn't want to have to do that, it's expensive, how are you going to reimburse me?"
"Are you telling me you knew he would need to ingest one to wake up but you are too cheap and don't trust me to pay you?"
"Yes"
"Can't you see your precious son has a huge problem here. I promised him a different body. I don't need him hopping back into mine! And you need to hurry up and expel the poison from me, I feel it creeping up my thigh."
"Precious son? Dream on! You are a scourge! I regret everyday picking you up!"
Fan Wu had his hands on his bony hips and raised his bushy white eyebrow "Have you considered how to pay me? I could take those Ice Fire Lotus Roots from you and the balance you could pay me later."
"You are worse than a Snake Mountain bandit!"
"So is it a deal?"
"Do it!"
Fu Wan pulled out a purple pill from his sleeve, using his gnarled fingers he pried open Sheng Lu's mouth. He retrieved his fingers after he heard the pill slide down Sheng Lu's throat then wiped the saliva from his hand on Fang Chao's robe.
"Old Man!"
They watch Sheng Lu slowly open his eyes looking around with a dazed expression on his face. He slowly sits up coughing, sweating profusely.
That tasted terrible, He shakes his head, his mouth feels like he had been sucking on an old piece of boar's meat. "Hey, Chao get me some water"
Fang Chao looks at the pitiful Sheng Lu in front of him, grabs an old cup of water from a nearby table.
Sheng Lu sat up, gulped the warm water down then wiped the sweat from his forehead onto his torn robe.
Fu Wan bent over peering into Sheng Lu's black eyes, he could see the other soul looking back at him.
"It worked, now if the gods don't snatch it back and punish you for your audacity to remove a carefully placed soul... you are good." He looks at Fang Chao's unusually worried look on his handsome face.
That boy never looks fazed, I guess he was actually afraid of that soul stealing his body. Hee...hee..hee should I tease him a bit. " Chao, let's go see if I can extract that poison before it makes you impotent."
"..."
Fu Wan leaned into Sheng Lu's ear,"Take some time to adjust I don't want the other disciples to be aware you are a transmigrated soul, if they should find out you need to leave. They are a superstitious bunch and most likely would kill you before the time it takes to light an incense stick.. So best you access Sheng Lu's memories and adapt quickly."
Fu Wan never minced words that was where Fang Chao got his straightforward personality from being raised by the snarky old man since a young age.
Fu Wan led Fang Chao to his room to finalize the extraction of the poison and a much needed lecture.
Zhang Lu was flooded with Sheng Lu's memories, he was pleasantly surprised, he was afraid he was just a cook. That sounded as boring as his civil service job. Apparently, Sheng Lu was a new disciple of Fu Wan's Sect and had adequate abilities. Fang Chao wass his senior and friend?
Fu Wan was the Old Master, the leader of the sect.
. No one knows how old he is he looks ancient, but is surprisingly strong and remains undefeated among the Seven Great Sects.
It is called the Mystical Hidden Cloud Sect, they were in need of a cook and he had a few skills. He had always wanted to cultivate further than the stage he had reached using his family's cultivation techniques.He was headed to the Sky Mountain Sect when he met Fang Chao.
Sheng Lu was putting some palm wrapped fish on skewers for his meal setting up for the night by the Silver Snake River. He had come half the distance to the mystical mountain range and was tired, his eyes half open as he readied the fish.
Fang Chao had been in the village buying supplies and selling some medicinal herbs. He was on the way back to the compound when he saw the smoke from the fire Without an invitation he had sat down next to Sheng Lu, told him he had some wild vegetables they could share a dinner.
Sheng Lu looked at the man who had just flown down from above. He was a warrior you could tell from his physique and the way his qinggong was so stealth. He didn't even hear a bit of movement as he approached. The stranger's aura was fierce yet he didn't feel a killing intent emanating from him.
Sheng Lu was exhausted. He was unable to use qinggong yet so he had no choice but to walk the entire distance being unable to afford a horse. He didn't know if this man would just kill him, steal his fish and eat while he watched him die. So he agreed and took the vegetables from the man.
During the meal Fang Chao admired his cooking skills and told him of his sect's need for a cook. Sheng Lu was set on going to the Sky Mountain Sect, a girl from his village was a disciple there and he had been in love with her since he was a boy.
Also, rumors said they had perfected the Soaring Sky Pill which would help their disciples when they hit a bottleneck in cultivation. He had definitely hit a wall in his cultivation. So he declined.
They went their separate ways but met again a month later under strange circumstances...