Chapter 156: Harvesting Yin to Nourish Yang

With that, the man actually walked out right in front of us in his absolute birthday suit, leaped straight into the rockery's pond, and plunged in with a heavy dive. Xiao Qi flew into a rage and wanted to go fight him to the death. Knowing full well that this girl was capable of anything when angered, and despite being utterly furious myself, I held her back and said, "Xiao Qi, bear with it for now. Let's see how things play out."

Xiao Qi shot me a look, her eyes still blazing with fury, but eventually nodded and muttered, "Sooner or later, I'm going to skin this old bastard alive!"

"He truly is a beast in human skin." As a man, it wasn't jealousy I felt, but a profound, overwhelming sense of disgust.

I turned to Fatty and asked, "Fatty, what on earth is going on here? Is that guy really Sun Liancheng's grandfather? Judging by his looks, he seems more like his father! If his grandfather is this young, how old was he when he got married? Eight? But that still doesn't make sense. He's from the same generation as my grandfather, so he should at least look like an old man."

"Don't you remember the dual-cultivation scriptures Fatty told you about?" Fatty replied. "Many schools of thought have some form of dual-cultivation texts. Back when the path of Daoism flourished, male and female practitioners would often form dual-cultivation partners. However, there were also sects that practiced wicked arts—specifically, the art of harvesting yin to supplement yang. These are the ones you would call evil cults. Because these practices of absorbing yin and replenishing yang went against the natural order, yet were simple and easy to learn, they became wildly popular among high-ranking officials and nobles in ancient times, almost becoming mainstream. Later on, Mount Longhu joined forces with Mount Wudang and Mount Mao to launch a massive purge, which finally brought them to a halt. Such things became extremely rare even in ancient times. Who would have thought that in this day and age, this old bastard would still be proficient in it? Those spring palace paintings in his room are basically postures for harvesting yin and replenishing yang—absorbing the female essence to nourish his own male vitality, which is why he looks so much younger. Hmph, that girl from the A family is the absolute best cultivation furnace in this old bastard's eyes. If he manages to get his hands on that woman, it could add ten years to his cultivation."

"Fatty, you come from a righteous, prominent sect. You ought to exterminate this demonic Daoist!" I urged.

Fatty gave me the side-eye and retorted, "Times have changed, my friend. If Fatty actually went and hacked this old fellow to pieces, wouldn't I be breaking the law? Besides, didn't you look at the situation? Those girls are indeed affected by the Joyous Fragrance, but that's just a novelty item. Nine times out of ten, it's a willing transaction—didn't you hear them mentioning money?"

I was utterly speechless and had no way to refute Fatty's logic, left only to lament the moral decay of the world and the loss of ancient virtues. Just at that moment, the man emerged from the pool, still stark naked. I wasn't quite sure whether to call him a middle-aged man or an old geezer, but let's just temporarily refer to him as Sun Liancheng's grandfather. Upon stepping out of the pond, he finally accepted a bathrobe handed to him by Sun Liancheng, draped it loosely around his body, and walked over to us. As he drew closer, I noticed that his youthfulness was quite different from genuine youth. His face felt thoroughly bizarre; for a split second, he looked ancient, yet the next moment he appeared youthful. In short, he gave off an intensely uncanny, ghostly vibe. This eerie aura was naturally different from Sun Liancheng's—Sun Liancheng's features carried a handsome, fox-like charm, whereas this man gave the direct impression of a living old monster.

He glanced at us and said, "Come, let me guess. The boy from the Ye family, the girl from the Li family. I heard Old Lady Li dotes on Little Qi the most; that would be you, I presume?"

Xiao Qi had zero tolerance for this man—preventing her from trying to kill him was already a miracle—so she naturally ignored his remark. Sun Liancheng's grandfather didn't get angry. Instead, he looked at Fatty with a fascinated expression and said, "Decades ago, I heard that the True Person He had taken in a brilliant disciple, and recently I've also heard that someone from the Jade Emperor Sect suddenly appeared in Jiudaohazi. That must be this young brother here. Your cultivation is profound indeed, truly living up to the reputation of True Person He's disciple. The younger generation is indeed formidable."

"Old master, your art of harvesting yin to replenish yang is also unmatched throughout the ages. Little Fatty truly admires it," Fatty smiled, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Next time I visit Mount Longhu, if there's a chance, I might just help you ask for a few rare unprinted manuscripts. Back when Mount Longhu slaughtered every last sect practicing yin-harvesting, they confiscated quite a few ancient texts. I refuse to believe those old Daoists were willing to burn every single one of them."

Fatty could be truly venomous with his words at times. Wasn't this a blatant threat to report this old man to Mount Longhu? Hearing this, the old man wasn't upset in the slightest. In fact, with an air of absolute impunity, he smiled and said, "In that case, Sun must offer his thanks in advance."

Fatty chuckled, "You're too kind."

By this point, whether Xiao Qi failed to catch the hidden meaning in Fatty's words or simply couldn't stand the old man any longer, she frowned and demanded, "Let's talk about business."

"This is no place for conversation. Come, let's chat inside," said Sun Liancheng's grandfather.

"No thanks, let's talk right here where it's bright," I interjected immediately. I certainly didn't want Xiao Qi falling victim to that Joyous Fragrance a second time.

The old man cast a glance at me and smiled. "I almost forgot. To set the mood, I added a few other fragrances to the incense in the room. Little girl, don't be angry; after all, your grandmother and I are old acquaintances. Besides, I never force anyone against their will or violate another's wishes."

"Enough, you're making me sick. Tell me, where is my grandmother?" Xiao Qi demanded.

"Ah, so you are asking a favor of me then? But I lack nothing." With that, he extended his nose and sniffed the air in front of Xiao Qi, remarking, "Except that I do have a fondness for the fragrance of a maiden."

At the sight of his behavior, goosebumps broke out all over my body. Xiao Qi raised her hand to deliver a slap across his face, but Fatty intercepted her. Taking a step forward to stand right in front of Sun Liancheng's grandfather, Fatty said, "Exercise some restraint, Mr. Sun. What kind of honor is there in frightening a little girl? I'm not looking down on you, but even if Xiao Qi agreed right now, would you dare lay a finger on Old Lady Li's most cherished granddaughter? Even if Old Lady Li spared your life out of regard for past ties, would the Bent-Back Lao Liu let you keep your head? Hmm?"

Sun Liancheng's grandfather burst into loud laughter. Pointing at Fatty, he said, "I like your temper."

With that, he turned sharply on his heel and began to walk away. Over his shoulder, he called out, "The day before yesterday, Li Xianglan and Sun Zhongmou did indeed come looking for me, but they have already left. They are no longer in the Sun residence. The Sun family long ago severed ties with the ghost path and no longer meddles in its affairs. Follow me; Sun Zhongmou left something for his younger brother. Take the item and be on your way."

I realized I had never loathed anyone this intensely before. Originally, I had a rather favorable impression of Sun Liancheng, but because of this old man, even looking at Sun Liancheng now filled me with disgust. Fatty looked at Han Xue and me, warning, "Both of you, keep a lid on your tempers. This old man is no pushover; he's at least on the same tier as Ye's grandfather, if not higher. Fatty is no match for him. A wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him—don't provoke him!"

"Is he really that powerful?" I asked.

"Yeah. Back then, your grandfather restrained his internal aura, but I could still sense his power on that night of the blood moon. This old man isn't hiding his aura at all. Just now, Fatty tested the waters a bit and felt that compared to him, my little bit of cultivation was like a drop in the ocean," Fatty said with a wry smile.

After saying that, Fatty still took the lead to guide us forward. When we reached another main hall pavilion further ahead, Sun Liancheng's grandfather had already changed his clothes. Instead of inviting us inside, he tossed a box out through the doorway and said, "Sun Zhongmou knew you would come looking for him. He and Li Xianglan have gone off to undertake a major undertaking within the ghost path. This is what he left for you. Take it and get out. I want nothing more to do with the ghost path."

Fatty stared at him and sneered, "I always heard that back then, the death of Guo Zhongyong of the ghost path was due to a betrayal by someone he trusted implicitly. I didn't believe it before, but after meeting the old master today, certain things are finally starting to make sense!"

"You're courting death!" Fatty's remark seemed to instantly ignite the old man's fury. Glaring fiercely at Fatty, the old man lunged forward and delivered a devastating cannon punch straight to Fatty's chest. Fatty had no time to react whatsoever. The force of the blow sent him flying backward until he crashed hard against a tree and finally came to a halt. Fatty's face turned pale, then flushed to a purplish red, before he coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood!

"Are you a rabid dog or what?" I rushed forward to prop Fatty up, turning my head to curse at the old man.

"Are you courting death as well?" he glared at me.

"What, did Fatty's words strike a raw nerve? This probably isn't much of a secret, is it? You must be terrified that they'll come back to kill you, which is why, despite your advanced age, you still resort to harvesting yin and replenishing yang without ever daring to stop, right? Huh?" Even in his battered state, Fatty shot a cold, mocking smile at the old man.

I lowered my voice and hissed at Fatty, "Didn't you tell us not to provoke him? What on earth are you doing?"

"How the hell was I supposed to know he'd resort to violence so fast?" Fatty wheezed, struggling to speak. "You and Xiao Qi run if you can, don't worry about me. I refuse to believe he'd actually dare to kill me."