Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 12 Lying Down and Living Like an Old Man
Fang Shu even subconsciously took a few steps forward.

When he tried to get a clearer view, the figure disappeared from his sight in the blink of an eye due to the dense crowd in front of the hall. He didn't know where it had gone.

When he came to his senses, Fang Shu's face still showed surprise and doubt.

He muttered to himself, "It shouldn't be like this, it shouldn't be like this."

The figure that had startled him just now was remarkably similar in stature and gait to his second uncle in his memory!
However, as far as Fang Shu knew, his second uncle lived a very comfortable life in the Xianjia Market, enjoying a life of luxury and even becoming a disciple of the market's Taoist temple.

His second uncle should be striving to join a sect right now, and would never be selling blood in this blood hall to make a living!

Fang Shu paced back and forth in the corner, trying repeatedly to suppress his distracting thoughts, but the familiar figure from earlier kept popping into his mind.

So he gritted his teeth.

He also walked towards the Blood Reincarnation Hall, wanting to confirm its authenticity; otherwise, he felt as if a large stone was lodged in his heart.

"It shouldn't be that bad," Fang Shu muttered to himself as he walked.

He touched his throat again, thinking to himself, "My second uncle has the resources to give me a spell and a demon tongue. If I have to sell my blood to survive, how could I afford these?"

At the entrance of the Blood Hall, the servant who had spoken to Fang Shu earlier greeted him warmly as he approached, "Oh! Fellow Daoist has arrived. Please come this way."

Fang Shu simply nodded, then walked past the man and headed into the hall on his own.

Passing by the crowd queuing to sell blood, Old Lu noticed that they all had protruding bellies and greeted Fang Shu with smiles.

"Brother Fang, you're here too!"

"Brother Fang, come quick, we've saved a spot for you in the team."

Old Lu and a few others even joked around with the people behind them in line:

"Cut in line? What do you mean by cutting in line? You look all respectable, but you speak so rudely."

"Those belong to our brothers!"

Fang Shu paused slightly, bowed to the group, and continued walking forward.

His gaze swept across the line of people waiting to sell their blood, but he didn't see the figure that resembled his second uncle. A huge weight was lifted from his heart.

"Even if that person is my second uncle, he shouldn't be here to sell his blood, but rather to buy blood-forging artifacts or medicinal herbs," he thought to himself.

This time, the main business of the Blood Hall is collecting blood, so naturally they also sell blood.

In addition, according to what Fang Shu heard along the way, Huixuetang was also a top-notch herbal medicine shop in the market. It was backed by a powerful organization called "Qingmu Daoguan" and had many alchemy masters working there. It was very wealthy and powerful, and it accounted for at least a quarter of the herbal medicine business in the market.

As he entered the hall, the aroma of medicinal herbs filled Fang Shu's nostrils, subtly invigorating his blood and energy.

Finally, he spotted the figure that resembled his second uncle inside the hall.

As expected, the other party was not in the line to sell blood.

But Fang Shu's steps came to an abrupt halt, and he dared not take another half step forward.

The figure, with its back to Fang Shu, paced hesitantly along the edge of the crowd.

The man pulled out a bill from his faded Taoist robe, then held up a wooden board, hung it in front of his chest, and bowed to talk to those who were about to sell their blood.

The man had a big smile on his face, constantly bowing and nodding, as if he were selling something, but he spoke shyly.

Fang Shu could vaguely make out the words "Blood Voucher" on the wooden board in front of the other person's chest.

Most of the blood sellers who were approached by that person were initially interested, but soon became impatient and told the other person to leave.

"Is there some kind of trickery involved with your blood vouchers? If one voucher can be sold for one and a half times the price, why don't you just sell it yourself instead of begging me?"

Some people questioned, "Was it really drawn from a fortune stick? Or was it stolen?"

The man, who appeared to be the second uncle, blushed upon hearing this. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he just let out a sigh, grinned, nodded, and patted his chest.

Just then, a servant from the Blood Return Hall passed by, laughing merrily as he spoke:

"What else could it be? It's because I've already sold my blood this month, and quite a lot of it. If I sell any more, I'll die."

But he was afraid that the blood vouchers he had worked so hard to obtain would expire, so he came to sell them.” The blood hall servant sneered, then pointed at the man and cursed:
"You blood demon!"
Others at least offer a price and sell it, or split the profits 30/70. Why do you expect others to help you for free, with all the extra money going to you?

"Bah, wishful thinking!" the servant cursed fiercely before leaving.

Those in line heard this and immediately understood. Some took the opportunity to lower the price, while others even tried to get the coupons for free.

Someone kicked out and shouted, "Get out!"

The figure that resembled Fang Shu's second uncle was someone who didn't get angry even when others scolded him.

Even if you hit him, he won't get angry. Instead, he'll apologize and then move on to the next person. He seems to have no temper at all.

Seeing the man being mocked like this, and the more Fang Shu looked at him, the more he felt that the man's figure was very similar to his second uncle, he felt a pang of resentment.

He still felt a little flustered and inexplicably didn't dare to go forward and identify them directly.

So Fang Shu stepped aside and silently walked back to Lu Laodao and the others, wanting one of them to help identify the person.

But at the last minute, Fang Shu changed his mind.

He took out a pearl the size of a pigeon egg from his sleeve, approached the enthusiastic servant at the entrance of the Blood Hall, and asked him to help him check on the person with the sign hanging on his arm.

Look at that person's left cheek, near their ear; is there a scar there?

The servant weighed Mingzhu in his hand. He was initially reluctant, but seeing the ordinary air about Fang Shu, he made a move and asked Fang Shu to make sure to look for him when he came to sell his blood later.

After Fang Shu agreed, the servant from the Blood Hall finally stepped forward.

Just when Fang Shu thought that the enthusiastic servant was unintentionally helping to observe,

Unexpectedly, the servant walked straight over, his expression changed, and he called out to the man who looked like his second uncle: "You, come here and let me take a look!"

Then he grabbed the other person's hair and roughly looked at it.

Despite being treated so rudely, the man remained unperturbed. Only when the servant released him and waved for him to leave did the man bow and walk away.

Upon seeing this, Fang Shu involuntarily clenched his teeth slightly.

Seeing the servant return, Fang Shu quickly stepped aside and went outside the hall.

"There's no scar below the ear, but there is a scar on the earlobe." The servant found him, his expression becoming familiar again, and he explained enthusiastically.

Fang Shu was stunned upon hearing this.

Seeing his appearance, the servant of the Blood Hall laughed and said, "What, are you related to that Yu Lao Er?"

The servant shook his head and said:
"If he's a relative, I advise you to stay away from him and not go up to acknowledge him, or he might try to take advantage of you."

This guy is completely rotten. He doesn't farm, he doesn't mine. And he wouldn't dare do anything like monster hunting or treasure hunting.

The servant from the Blood Hall continued to mutter to himself as he played with the pearl Fang Shu had given him:
“Every month, I would sell my blood in the market to make a living. In the past, people would say that this was called ‘living in a daze,’ meaning to live without desires or wants, and to live in a daze ahead of time.”

Now, that guy has become so lazy that he doesn't even speak anymore. He only gets a little angry when he shakes the fortune stick each day. He's just a walking corpse.

Hey! Why are you glaring at me? Are you two really related?

The servant clutched the pearl tightly, glared at Fang Shu, and then ran away in small steps, afraid that Fang Shu would renege on his promise and take the pearl back.

After the other person had walked away, Fang Shu withdrew his cold gaze, his expression turning wistful.

That’s right!
The "blood demon" selling blood coupons was none other than his second uncle!

The other person not only had a scar on his earlobe, but also had the nickname "Yu Lao Er".

Fang Shu lay prone at the entrance of the Blood Returning Hall, secretly watching the bowing and scraping figure in the crowd, his gaze filled with complex emotions.

He stepped over the threshold, wanting to go forward and recognize the other person, but his other leg remained stuck outside the threshold.

In the end, Fang Shu withdrew the leg that had stepped through the door, and simply watched from afar, silently...

(End of this chapter)