Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 2 Three Souls
Leaving the pawnshop

Head south along the main street

After crossing the Rouge River, which encircles the central city, you arrive at the southern city area.

Li Wushou did not rush home, but instead went to a riverbank first.

The area is densely wooded and quite secluded.

Li Wushou found a willow tree on the bank, knelt down on the bank, and reached into the river to retrieve a tattered fishing net he had set out with.

After searching for a long time, I found nothing; the old fishing net had long since disappeared.

"It's truly a case of misfortunes never coming singly!"

Fortunately, the wire securing the fishing net was still there, and Li Wushou managed to bring it ashore.

I carefully looked around to make sure no one was there.

Li Wushou took off his hemp shirt and sat down on the shore.

After straightening the wire, he suddenly inserted it into his abdomen, cutting an opening.

A pool of unusually thick, dark red liquid flowed from the abdominal cavity, and upon closer inspection, it appeared to contain mud and sand.

Then Li Wushou reached into his abdominal cavity and groped around diagonally towards the upper left of his heart.

He pulled out something that looked like a blood vessel and threw it into the river.

When Li Wushou first heard that he had to cut his wrists to drip blood when pawning at Wusheng Pawnshop, he was very distressed!

I don't have any blood myself, so why am I dripping like that?
Having exhausted all other options, Li Wushou dug up some blood-soaked soil outside the woods where Zhang the butcher slaughtered his livestock, mixed it with water on the riverbank, and ate it.

He then asked Butcher Zhang for some unwanted cow hearts, pieced them together to form a blood vessel, and inserted it into his arm.

When Li Wushou cut his wrists, he squeezed his stomach desperately, managing to squeeze out a few drops of thick liquid through the cow's heart tube.

The result was very successful; neither the man in white nor the divine messenger noticed.

The result was another failure, because he failed to obtain the rice and grain he was promised.

The thick, muddy liquid flowed for a long time before finally slowing down.

Li Wushou scooped up river water and washed his abdominal cavity clean. It was empty inside, without the internal organs of a normal person.

Indeed, as the monks of Blood Buddha Temple said, it is nothing but an empty shell.

But Li Wushou doesn't think of himself as something leftover from being eaten, because he's always looked like that since he can remember. Compared to his former appearance, he's gained a lot of weight now.

Once the shadow has absorbed the living soul, some flesh and blood will grow back.

I just don't know when I'll grow up to look like a normal person.

After passing the wire through the membrane several times, the membrane reassembles itself due to the wire's insertion.

He got up and put on his clothes, but the wire remained on the membrane.

Li Wushou didn't care, because the skin would soon heal, just like his wrist, which had just been cut and was now healed.

Gazing silently at the river, the shadows of the dark figures mingled with the shadows of the willows on the bank, baring their fangs and claws, like demons and monsters, with faint sounds of mournful howls, or perhaps the sobbing wind from the shore.

Li Wushou was lost in thought!
He was starting to doubt whether he even counted as a human being anymore.

Although the old beggar was always terrified but also insisted that he was the real beggar, Chen Gou'er always chimed in with his agreement.

But it should be a person, right?

There are several strange-looking eyes and noses in the south of the city.
It's just that I'm a bit more eccentric.

For example, one's own shadow can devour living souls, or one has multiple perspectives.

A way of seeing things through one's own eyes, just like a normal person.

Another option is a panoramic view that offers a bird's-eye view of the entire scene.

When they are concentrating, they can even see things that ordinary people cannot.

In comparison, my physical body is in good condition.

It's just that their developmental pace is a little different from that of ordinary people.

It might be a better way to develop a body first, and then let the inside develop slowly.

Of course, Li Wushou also occasionally felt that he might not be human.

Wu Zhuangyuan, a storyteller in a teahouse, once told tales of immortals and gods. He said that people in this world cultivate the three souls of Heaven, Earth, and Man, and condense the three flowers at the top of their heads, thus becoming immortals.

With one's own human soul and physical body, the shadow of the earthly soul, and the heavenly soul looking down, isn't that being a born immortal?

Thinking of this, Li Wushou was speechless. How could an immortal be so miserable?
Although he had just eaten two living souls, he was still very hungry, a hunger that was deeply rooted in his soul.

He wanted to eat everything: the gods who enjoyed the incense offerings, the evil spirits that wreaked havoc in the area, and even the people walking in front of him!

Aside from the old beggar and Chen Gou'er, Li Wushou guessed that it must be because they were too dirty.

He would be willing to beg for food if he could get enough to eat.

After all, the old beggar is the best at asking for things!

Li Wushou had followed the old beggar for many years, so naturally he knew how to do it too.

Of course, there are times when you can't get it, and at those times Chen Gou'er would say, "Then let's just rob it!"
Li Wushou would always try to persuade him, but he always felt that the child was wicked and always thinking of crooked ways.

There are three people, one old and one weak, and he is the only strong one. If he tries to take it, the job will fall on his shoulders.
Although Li Wushou is somewhat different from ordinary people, it is still uncertain who will win or lose if they really face off.

In fact, he did have some achievements, but Li Wushou doesn't admit it. He was once sat on by the tiger girl from Wu Zhuangyuan's family and almost died.

Feeling the last two copper coins in his pocket, Li Wushou decided to buy some food to at least get through the next two days!
Composing himself, Li Wushou prepared to return.

After passing through the dense forest, we arrived at the market street in the south of the city, which was no different from the market street in the main city, except that it seemed lifeless.

The streets are full of people with multiple eyes.

This time, the monk from Blood Buddha Temple was blind, so most of the monks had eyes.

Standing in front of a sesame seed cake shop, I looked up and glanced at the signboard that read "Ancestral Dalang Sesame Seed Cake".

"Boss, six sesame seed cakes, please."

Li Wushou handed over the last two copper coins.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

The shopkeeper took the coin, replied, but his eyes darted around, looking like he was looking for a chance to leave.

Li Wushou wasn't afraid. Since his own life force was weak, these people, with their snobbish and materialistic nature, wouldn't even look at him.

Sure enough, after wandering around for a few moments, the boss closed his extra eyes with a hint of disgust.

Smelling the aroma of the sesame seed cakes, Li Wushou decided to resist!
A family recipe saved you!

Before he could even leave the market after receiving the sesame seed cake, a group of constables escorted a blind monk dressed in a yellow robe as he entered.

Li Wushou and the other residents retreated to both sides of the street, where they heard one of the constables shouting as he walked.

"The Immortal's Technique is nearing completion. In three days, every resident of the South City will need to have a pair of spiritual eyes implanted! Pay five taels of silver to be exempt from having one eye implanted!"

"Whoosh~ Hiss~"

The crowd on both sides of the street instantly erupted in uproar. They had just planted saplings a few days ago, and now they were planting more? How could they possibly survive?

Forced by the power of the monks of Blood Buddha Temple, no one dared to speak, but the uproar still aroused the dissatisfaction of the blind monk!

"Hmph~!"

A cold snort fell silent instantly, as if struck by a thunderbolt.

The two ordination scars on the top of the eyeless monk's head slowly opened, and two blood-red eyeballs darted around.

"Ah~!"

A cry of pain rang out, and tears of blood streamed from the eyes of the people on both sides.

After the group had gone far away, the street gradually became noisy, filled with all sorts of worried words.

Li Wushou was also very worried, and the sesame seed cake in his hand didn't taste good anymore!
As soon as the eye was implanted, Chen Gou'er complained of pain, saying he felt like he was going to die along with the old beggar. He wondered what would happen if he had to have two more implanted.

As for paying money, Li Wushou, like most ordinary people, didn't even dare to think about it.

Two people and four eyes, that's twenty taels. In the past, people would only give three taels of silver to buy Li Wushou!
The old beggar said he originally wanted to sell it, but the buyer didn't show up, so the deal fell through, and he kept talking about it for a long time.

How to do it?

Li Wushou was very troubled; he actually hated trouble the most.

(End of this chapter)