"Hurry up and get something to eat so you can continue to Cultivate once you're full." the old man shouted.
"Oh."
Lu Yu immediately wilted, walking out of the cave with his head hanging low.
The moment he turned around, a look of anger reappeared on Lu Yu's face.
He hadn't felt any pain last night; it must have been the old man's doing.
However, he was currently the fish on the chopping block. To survive, he could only pretend not to know and continue acting like a ghost.
He also had to play dumb to lower the old man's guard, only then might he have a chance to get the antidote.
The small yellow ox outside the cave had already attracted many flies.
Ever since Lu Yu's parents passed away, he could only find a few shreds of meat in his second uncle's pig feed during festivals.
Now, looking at Xiao Huang, he was salivating with hunger.
Lu Yu turned back into the cave, wearing a harmless smile, and said.
"Ghost Grandfather, could you lend me your precious sword for a moment?"
The old man's mouth twitched as he looked at Lu Yu. This is a precious sword, and you want to use it to slaughter an ox?
"Clean it after you're done."
The old man ultimately threw the precious sword to Lu Yu.
"Thank you, Ghost Grandfather. I'll roast an ox leg for you later."
Lu Yu picked up the precious sword, gave a fawning smile, and walked out of the cave again.
Before long, Lu Yu had butchered Xiao Huang into pieces, making a stinking mess everywhere.
He then chopped down a crooked tree above the cave and used the branches to build a campfire.
Just as Lu Yu was wondering how to start a fire, the old man inside the cave performed a hand seal and pointed forward. A spark flew out of the cave and landed on the woodpile.
Boom.
The fire suddenly ignited, giving Lu Yu a fright.
"Ghost Grandfather, you're amazing. You can actually produce flames."
While Lu Yu praised him, his heart sank.
The more powerful the old man was, the slimmer Lu Yu's chances of survival became.
"As long as you Cultivate well, you'll be able to do the same in the future."
"I can too? That's wonderful."
Hearing this, Lu Yu feigned an excited smile and hurried to roast the beef over the fire.
A moment later, the aroma of roasted beef wafted over, making Lu Yu feel even hungrier.
Once the beef was ready, Lu Yu used the precious sword to cut off a large piece and handed it to the old man.
Seeing the old man devouring the food with grease all over his mouth, Lu Yu became increasingly convinced that this old ghost was definitely a fraud.
After finishing his meal, Lu Yu sat cross-legged to meditate again.
Every night thereafter, the old man would give Lu Yu a Medicinal Pill and watch him swallow it.
Each time he took a Medicinal Pill, Lu Yu would be in agonizing pain.
However, for several days in a row, Lu Yu sensed nothing; Spiritual Qi simply didn't exist for him.
Seeing that ten days had passed and he still hadn't sensed any Spiritual Qi, Lu Yu couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.
Lu Yu was anxious, but the old man was even more so. Ten Medicinal Pills had gone to waste, and his gaze toward Lu Yu grew increasingly gloomy.
"Kid, it's about time. Go get some food."
The old man's way of addressing Lu Yu never changed, as if reminding him that his time was running out.
"Oh."
Lu Yu exhaled a breath of turbid air, picked up a water flask nearby, and climbed down the vines on the cliff.
After these ten days of Cultivation, although Lu Yu hadn't sensed Spiritual Qi, his physical condition had improved significantly, and he soon reached the bottom of the cliff.
Below the cliff was a dense forest where many wild fruit trees grew.
There was also a stream in the distance, the sound of rushing water echoing from afar.
Lu Yu hadn't bathed in several days and was covered in smelly sweat. He ran straight to the stream, stripped off his clothes, and dove in headfirst. A loud splash echoed through the stream as water sprayed everywhere.
"Sigh." After washing for a while, Lu Yu let out a sigh.
"If I still can't sense Spiritual Qi in five days, will the old ghost kill me to vent his anger?"
At the thought of this, his speed increased, planning to finish washing quickly and get some food to return and continue his Cultivation.
Hiss. Hiss. Hiss.
Just then, the sound of a snake flicking its tongue came from the grass on the bank.
Startled, Lu Yu turned toward the source of the sound and saw a Large Black Snake, about two fingers wide, raising its head in the grass and staring at him with cold eyes.
"A snake."
"This is good stuff. I'll use you to nourish myself."
Lu Yu looked delighted as he slowly approached the bank.
Lu Yu's parents had died when he was young, and he used to wander around often.
Whether it was venomous snakes or wild rabbits, as long as it was a living creature that could run or jump, Lu Yu's eyes would light up upon seeing it, completely unafraid of getting an upset stomach.
In Lu Yu's words, dying from poison was better than dying of hunger.
If he had to die, he'd rather die with a full stomach.
Seeing Lu Yu approach, the black snake turned and slithered into the grass, fleeing downstream.
"Don't run."
Lu Yu shouted, quickly climbed onto the bank, threw on a piece of clothing, and gave chase.
Man and snake raced along. Many parts of Lu Yu's body were scratched by thorns, and his already tattered clothes became even more ragged.
Even so, Lu Yu couldn't outrun the Large Black Snake, and the distance between them grew.
Seeing it about to dive into a hole at the base of the cliff, Lu Yu grew more anxious.
"Ahhhh."
Thud.
Suddenly, Lu Yu tripped over something, his foot slipped, and he fell flat on his face.
"Ouch."
It was a nasty fall. Lu Yu lay on the ground groaning, unable to get up for a long time.
Beneath Lu Yu's feet was a jade green gourd, the culprit that had tripped him.
The green gourd wasn't large; its widest part was only about seven inches, and it stood about a foot high.
The belly of the gourd was stained with blood from Lu Yu's leg.
Eerily, the blood was disappearing bit by bit, as if being absorbed by the gourd.
"Ouch."
Lu Yu struggled to sit up. Looking at his bleeding calf, he couldn't help but curse.
"You dead old ghost, have you ever seen a ghost bleed? And red blood at that."
At least, Lu Yu had never heard of such a thing.
Lu Yu bent over to pick up the culprit. He opened the lid and peeked inside, but it was a vast expanse of white; he couldn't see anything.
"Forget it. Having an extra gourd for water means I can make fewer trips in the future."
Lu Yu glanced at the hole at the base of the cliff, then reluctantly turned away, limping back toward the stream where he had been bathing, gourd in hand.
Before long, Lu Yu arrived at the stream with the gourd in one hand and a few medicinal herbs in the other.
He endured the pain to clean his wound, then chewed the herbs and applied them to his injuries.
Then he picked up the green gourd and the water flask to fill them at the stream.
Glug. Glug. Glug.
The water flask bubbled continuously and was soon full.
He capped the flask and then used the green gourd to collect water.
"Eh?'
The green gourd continued to fill for a long time without ever becoming full. Lu Yu let out a soft sound and lifted the green gourd.
"What's going on?"
Lu Yu looked inside the gourd; it was still a vast expanse of white with no water to be seen, and its weight hadn't increased at all.
Lu Yu turned the gourd upside down to see if any water would come out.
Splash. Splash. Splash.
A massive amount of water poured out of the gourd's mouth like a torrential downpour, leaving Lu Yu completely dumbfounded.
"Could it be that this is actually a treasure?"