30: Chapter 30 The Ritual of Refining the Thousand Tribulations Nirvana Gu

Old Ghost Yin Bone lay sprawled in the mud, his right arm twisted like a withered branch. The poisonous palm wind had long since dissipated, leaving only a face contorted by intense pain and terror.

He struggled, propping himself up with his only remaining left hand, coughing up blood froth as he hissed:

"Wait... wait! Kid... no, Senior! It was I who was blind! Take the Thousand Tribulations Nirvana Gu! I... I still have the refining methods for the 'Heart-Eroding Gu' and 'Blood Thread Worms' on me, as well as the secret marks for several branch altars of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect... As long as you spare my life, I will tell you everything! Right, the Five Poison Gu of that pair of Black Miao siblings, I can help you snatch those too..."

Jiang Hanzhou did not stop walking, not even glancing down at him.

"Gu?"

His tone was indifferent, as if speaking about some trivial, unimportant object.

"I don't need it."

As the words fell, he had already stepped in front of Old Ghost Yin Bone, raised his right foot, and stomped heavily down onto his chest!

"Wait! Spare—"

"Crack!"

The muffled sound of collapsing chest bones accompanied a shriek that was cut short.

Old Ghost Yin Bone's eyes bulged, and his last trace of life dissipated completely in incredulous despair.

Jiang Hanzhou withdrew his foot, not even sparing another glance at the gradually cooling corpse beneath him.

He leaned down, quickly rummaged through Old Ghost Yin Bone's robes for a moment, found several small jars of strange colors and a roll of leather map, and shoved them into his own pack.

He then removed a black wood token engraved with twisted insect patterns from his waist, looked at it, and put it away as well.

After doing this, he turned around and looked at the Black Miao siblings not far away, who were supporting each other, their expressions tense yet filled with gratitude.

"Th-thank you, Senior, for saving our lives!" The young man in Miao attire endured his pain, cupped his fists in a salute, and said sincerely, "This Junior is Yan Gang of the Black Miao tribe, and this is my younger sister, A-Yue. Senior's great kindness will never be forgotten!"

The girl in the purple dress, A-Yue, also bowed gracefully, her clear, large eyes gazing at Jiang Hanzhou. Besides gratitude, there was a trace of imperceptible inquiry in her eyes.

Jiang Hanzhou waved his hand, his tone remaining flat:

"No need to thank me. I have no interest in your Gu, and I didn't do this to save you."

He raised his hand to point at the corpse of Old Ghost Yin Bone on the ground, then looked toward the deep mountains where the tiger's roar had vanished:

"This person bore malice toward me and also disturbed my hunt. That is all."

Upon hearing this, Yan Gang was stunned, momentarily unsure of how to respond.

A-Yue's unique eyes stared at Jiang Hanzhou, silver light flickering slightly. She nodded gently to her brother.

Seeing this, Yan Gang's expression eased slightly, and the gaze he directed at Jiang Hanzhou held less apprehension and more sincerity.

After a moment of contemplation, he spoke: "Senior is straightforward, and Yan Gang admires that. Regardless, Senior truly resolved the life-threatening danger for my sister and me. I noticed that Senior seemed to show disdain for the 'Gu' that the old ghost mentioned earlier, but..."

He paused, as if weighing his words: "The 'Thousand Tribulations Nirvana Gu' that Senior carries, while already a top-tier Gu, might carry the risk of backlash if refined forcibly without knowing the proper method, or one might only obtain one or two tenths of its efficacy. My tribe's ancient texts have scattered records of a relatively stable refining ritual, which might help Senior absorb its essence completely within three days without leaving any hidden dangers."

Jiang Hanzhou's steps, as he was about to leave, paused slightly.

He indeed did not care about any Gu arts or evil methods, but since the Thousand Tribulations Nirvana Gu was in his hands, it would be a pity if it could only serve as a decoration or if most of it were wasted through rough absorption.

Especially since this Gu was said to be able to boost Qi and blood and temper one's Foundation, which was exactly what he currently needed.

He turned around, his gaze landing on Yan Gang's face: "Speak."

Concise and to the point.

Yan Gang's spirits lifted, and he hurriedly said: "This method requires 'Five Poison Gu' blood as a primer to outline the 'Spirit Fusing Pattern', then, combined with a specific Qi and blood circulation route, the Gu must be placed at the Danzhong acupoint on the chest. Using one's own Qi and blood as a furnace, it should be refined slowly over a low heat. The key lies in the drawing of the 'Spirit Fusing Pattern' and the control of the Qi and blood heat."

He took out a palm-sized, flat silver box from his robes. After opening it, inside was a viscous, five-colored liquid that emitted a pungent, fishy-sweet scent.

"This is the 'Five Poison Gu' blood, a secret concoction of my tribe. It was originally used to nourish the Five Poison Gu, but it happens to serve as a medium for the 'Spirit Fusing Pattern'." He then took out a slender bone brush, "I can draw the pattern required for the ritual and the Qi and blood circulation technique for you immediately."

Jiang Hanzhou did not take it immediately.

His gaze was calm, and the transparent insight brought by the promotion of his [Late Bloomer] fate to the fourth rank quietly activated.

When Yan Gang spoke, his eyes were open and honest, his breathing was steady, and there was no sign of hesitation or concealment. There were no abnormal fluctuations. This person was not lying.

At least, he believed what he was saying was true.

As for whether the method was effective... it could be verified against the incomplete records in the "secret record of blood gu". Combining the two might allow for the deduction of a more stable method.

"I have noted the method." Jiang Hanzhou spoke, his tone still flat, but it lacked some of the previous coldness. He took the silver box and the bone brush.

Yan Gang breathed a sigh of relief and immediately used his finger as a brush, quickly sketching on a relatively flat patch of mud on the ground.

He drew with extreme focus, explaining the direction and depth of the patterns, their correspondence with Qi and blood acupoints, and the subtle changes to be aware of during the refining process as he drew.

Jiang Hanzhou listened intently, the extraordinary Comprehension Ability brought by his fourth-rank fate fully displayed.

Complex and obscure patterns and techniques were clearly reproduced in his mind after hearing them just once, and he could even deduce why certain key nodes were designed that way, faintly touching upon their underlying principles.

In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Yan Gang had finished his explanation. Jiang Hanzhou had already memorized the entire ritual, deduced it several times in his mind, confirmed it was error-free, and found no conflict with the Cultivation Technique he practiced.

"This method is usable." He looked at Yan Gang, "What grievances do you have with the Ten Thousand Gu Sect?"

Yan Gang gave a bitter smile: "It is simply a case of an innocent man bearing a treasure. Our tribe lives in seclusion in the deep mountains, guarding the refining method of the Five Poison Gu for generations. The Ten Thousand Gu Sect somehow learned of it and has repeatedly sent people to demand or forcibly seize it; this Old Ghost Yin Bone was one of them. If not for Senior today, my sister and I would likely have met a tragic end."

Jiang Hanzhou did not ask further; Jianghu grievances were nothing more than this.

He took two small porcelain bottles from his robes and tossed them to Yan Gang. "Rejuvenation Pills. Apply externally and take internally to treat your internal and external injuries."

These were obtained from He Yunqi. After all, he was a divine physician, and the medicinal effects of the Medicinal Pill were indeed quite good.

Yan Gang caught them, pulled out the stopper, and took a light sniff, a flash of surprise appearing in his eyes. The quality of this Medicinal Pill was excellent, far superior to the ordinary injury medicine of their tribe. "Thank you, Senior, for the medicine!"

Jiang Hanzhou waved his hand, put away the silver box and bone brush, and cast his gaze toward the deep mountains again. Although the tiger's roar had faded into the distance, that fierce aura still lingered. With this method for refining the Gu, perhaps... he could adjust his plan. First, find a safe place, spend three days refining the Thousand Tribulations Nirvana Gu, and then, in his best state, go meet that strange tiger.

"I'm leaving." He said no more, his figure flickering like light smoke as he submerged into the darkness of the deep forest, disappearing with a few leaps.

Yan Gang and A-Yue watched the direction in which he left. After a long while, Yan Gang finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"Brother, this Senior... is so powerful," A-Yue whispered, shock still lingering in her eyes. "When he said he wasn't here to save us, it was true. In his eyes... there is only his own path."

Yan Gang nodded, gripping the medicine bottles in his hand: "The behavior of an expert is unfathomable. However, for him to accept the ritual method and gift us the Medicinal Pill, he has already done more than enough. A-Yue, we must leave here quickly; there might be more than just this one person from the Ten Thousand Gu Sect."

The siblings supported each other, took the Medicinal Pill, and cautiously dealt with the traces at the scene before hurriedly leaving in the opposite direction to Jiang Hanzhou. The night grew darker, and the mountain forest returned to silence.