Chapter Thirty-Nine: Sparks from Friction

Then they saw a young man in a white undershirt open the back gate of the courtyard, swaying as he walked out. The corpse stood in front of him, as though waiting to greet him.

The young man shuffled forward in small steps, gradually approaching the corpse. He seemed sober now, for Chen Yushu could clearly see the terror in his eyes, his face pale as death from fright. He opened his mouth, apparently trying to scream, but no sound came forth.

He could not control his own body; he was like a puppet, manipulated from afar. He walked out from his room, opened the back gate himself, and step by step moved to stand before the corpse.

The corpse opened its arms and embraced him tightly, as if welcoming a wife returned after years apart, driven by longing to an oblivious display of affection.

But the young man struggled fiercely, his body trembling in resistance, trying desperately to break free from the controlling force. His eyes, wild with agitation, nearly bulged from his sockets.

All his efforts were in vain.

The corpse dragged him, step by step, to the edge of the pond, and like bound lovers resigned to a tragic fate, they toppled in together.

The water’s surface grew cloudy, bubbles rose in clusters and then ceased altogether...

Seeing this, Chen Yushu hurried away.

Shi Hao followed closely behind.

After they had walked a distance, Shi Hao finally spoke, his voice trembling, “That was terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. But... thrilling, too.”

Chen Yushu cast him a glance.

“Brother, does this mean Ma Dong is doomed now? Does this make us accomplices to murder?” Shi Hao continued, only now beginning to feel anxious.

“Unless you’d like to die in his place?” Chen Yushu replied quietly.

To be honest, he was unsettled himself.

But the world was as it was; unable to confront the corpse directly, he could only abide by its rules.

This was the best outcome possible.

Shi Hao had escaped the corpse’s pursuit, and Chen Yushu had obtained the treasured fish, trading it for the cultivation resources he needed.

All was well.

On the way back, they did not take the winding paths through the fields as before, but turned onto the street.

In the darkness, few people walked the streets. There were only a couple of drunkards slumped at the roadside and some beggars lying in corners. Of course, from afar, he could see lights shining from a few homes. Across the water, boats glowed with lanterns, shadows moved within, and faint laughter drifted out.

Beyond that, he also saw a handful of wandering spirits.

He now understood these to be the so-called lonely ghosts.

Some drift for a few days before dissipating naturally; others linger in certain areas for years, lost and unaware of time and change, eventually fading unless something unusual occurs.

Only those ghosts born of resentment, driven by obsession, gradually grow stronger, transforming into vengeful spirits or fierce ghosts...

Chen Yushu ignored them all.

Soon, the two returned to the riverside, at the backyard of the Liu family’s pharmacy.

“Well, your matter is settled. This is where we part ways,” Chen Yushu said, glancing at Shi Hao.

“Wait, brother! If I ever need help again, can I come find you?” Shi Hao asked urgently.

“You expect to have more trouble? Best not seek me out, even if you do. My abilities are limited,” Chen Yushu replied, waving a hand and pushing the backdoor open.

Fortunately, he had left the door unlocked earlier, and no one had come to secure it. He pushed it open and walked inside.

...

The next day.

Chen Yushu stood practicing his stance as usual.

He had made many preparations the day before, even carrying the Soul Severing Ruler with him. Thankfully, he hadn’t needed it, and he felt relieved.

“But such matters are far too risky. In future, I must avoid them if possible and not risk everything for small gains,” he muttered inwardly, finishing his round of stance training.

Medicine King Stance +1

Heat surged through his body, slightly strengthening his constitution and power. Though minor, such gains accumulate over time.

He relished the feeling of growing stronger each day.

Aside from martial arts, what pleased him most was the progress of his White Tiger Visualization method.

His meditative state had advanced from shallow to minor tranquility. Not only could he now enter meditation at any time to cultivate, but his efficiency had improved dramatically.

Each session of visualization multiplied the increase in his spiritual power.

Especially last night, after several rounds of practice, he began to sense a fullness, a sense of completion.

This feeling was mysterious.

It made him realize his spiritual power had grown to a point where he could attempt to ignite the “Heavenly Fire.”

“Igniting the ‘Heavenly Fire’ means I’ll truly enter the Dao, possessing incense merit. Some basic methods of Yin-walking can also be tried then.”

The thought stirred excitement within him.

After all, Yin-walkers do not train martial arts, but when facing ghosts, corpses, or even zombies, without proper countermeasures, death is inevitable.

Not all corpses are as ‘reasonable’ as the one he met yesterday.

Violence is often unavoidable.

Thus, every Yin-walker has their own set of techniques.

“Still, there’s no rush. I’ve only just started to sense this fullness. According to the White Tiger Visualization manual, only when spiritual power is strong enough to create ‘electricity in the void’ is it truly at its peak—the best moment to kindle the fire.”

Chen Yushu soon calmed himself.

Without a master’s guidance, he had to explore many cultivation steps on his own.

He preferred progress to be slow and steady, rather than risking reckless attempts.

As for spiritual power being strong enough to ‘generate electricity in the void,’ he understood this to mean a phenomenon of externalized spiritual force.

When spiritual power leaves the body and interacts with the air, friction can produce electricity.

His current spiritual power could not yet leave his flesh, let alone become externalized.

...

Upon entering the front of the pharmacy,

He saw Steward Zhou beckoning to him.

“Greetings, Steward Zhou!” Chen Yushu bowed.

“The matter you asked of me yesterday has some progress. I’ll give you half a day to settle it. This is my friend Chen Shi, a gentleman with a scholar’s degree. His family’s house is the one for rent,” Zhou said, pulling Chen Yushu to the shop entrance, where a middle-aged scholar, about forty, stood waiting.

“Brother Zhou is too kind. What use is a scholar’s degree when I can barely support myself? If not for some inheritance from my ancestors, I’d be starving,” the scholar said with a laugh, waving his hand dismissively.