Chapter 22: The Secret of the Statue

In the valley below the cliff, heavy thuds echoed continuously, “bang, bang.” The loud thuds made the leaves rustle and shake, and mountain birds flapped their wings and flew away, not daring to linger.

In the valley, the demonic ape leaped into the air, clutching a massive boulder. It brought the boulder crashing down towards Qin Mu from mid-air.

Qin Mu dodged aside. Missing its target, the demonic ape picked up the boulder to strike again. However, Qin Mu leaped onto the boulder, then bounced off it, landing on the ape’s nose, and pressed his palm firmly onto its face.

Thunderclap Eight Forms, Third Form: Nine Dragons Commanding Wind and Thunder!

His palm strike contained nine layers of power. The first layer of power erupted from his palm, like an enraged dragon’s charge, sending the demonic ape crashing onto its back. Qin Mu moved his shoulders and hips together, channeling power through his entire body, mobilizing all his muscles and concentrating them in his palm. The second layer of power exploded, and the demonic ape’s head slammed into the ground, cracking the loose rocks beneath it.

Qin Mu’s muscles rippled across his body like coiling dragons. They drove the third layer of power in Nine Dragons Commanding Wind and Thunder to erupt, and the cracked stones began to crumble.

His muscles pulsed violently as the fourth layer of power exploded. Half of the demonic ape’s head was already embedded in the ground.

As the fifth layer of power from Nine Dragons Commanding Wind and Thunder erupted, a muffled tremor emanated from the ground, and the ape’s entire head sank beneath the surface!

The sixth layer of Nine Dragons Commanding Wind and Thunder erupted, like six charging dragons. Just as this power surged, the demonic ape reacted swiftly. Its mountain-sized fist slammed into Qin Mu from the side, sending him flying like a fly!

Qin Mu tumbled and rolled to the ground. The demonic ape laboriously pulled its head free, shaking it. Crushed stones flew from its thick fur, scattering in all directions.

Meanwhile, Qin Mu sprang back up and charged forward again, howling. The demonic ape, its head massive, pondered for a moment. It then leaped onto the cliff, squatted on the rock face, and waved a hand, saying, “Little one, no.”

Qin Mu’s steps were swift as he rushed forward. His feet rapidly touched the steep cliff face, and he surprisingly ran all the way up the cliff from bottom to top, attacking the demonic ape.

The demonic ape roared with fury. Standing on the cliff top, the man and the ape leaped about, battling furiously, sending rocks scattering everywhere.

After a long while, the medicinal power within Qin Mu’s body gradually depleted. The demonic ape was also too exhausted to move. Both lay on the cliff, unable to move, panting heavily.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Qin Mu recovered his breath. He sat up, regulating his breathing. He felt a surge of joy; his vital energy had made significant progress in such a short time. It had become tougher and more resilient, now capable of circulating freely and joyfully to every corner of his body.

More impurities were visible on his body. This was likely due to the medicinal power, activated during his battle with the ape, strengthening his vital energy and expelling more impurities from his body.

Qin Mu flicked his finger, and a gust of wind shot through the air. It produced a piercing “whoosh” sound, like an arrow streaking through the air!

The demonic ape, startled, quickly sat up as well, adopting a defensive posture.

Qin Mu stretched, feeling the ache in his muscles. He shook his head and said, “No more fighting.”

The demonic ape understood his words and let out a sigh of relief. It reached out, uprooted a tree as thick as an arm, stripped off a handful of leaves, and slowly chewed them. Then it offered the tree to Qin Mu, saying in a muffled voice, “Little one, eat.”

Qin Mu plucked a crimson fruit from the tree, peeled it, and ate it. It was moist and sweet as it went down.

The demonic ape cast a disdainful glance at him, judging his meager portion. It then forcefully thumped its chest and grunted, “Eat! Strong!”

Qin Mu, bruised and swollen from the beating, endured the soreness throughout his body. He stood up and demonstrated the Thunderclap Eight Forms before the demonic ape. Then he patted his own chest and declared, “Practice, strong!”

The demonic ape rolled its eyes at him, continued to slowly chew leaves, and said with disdain, “Believe what? Nonsense.”

After resting, Qin Mu leaped down from the cliff. His feet tapped against the cliff face as he bolted away, shouting, “Tomorrow, fight!”

The demonic ape blinked, waited until Qin Mu was out of sight, and then immediately jumped up. It began to mimic Qin Mu’s earlier movements with remarkable earnestness. Although its rendition of the Thunderclap Eight Forms was crude, given its immense strength, it managed to capture some of the essence of the Thunderclap Eight Forms, with a punch unleashing the sound of wind and thunder.

The demonic ape froze for a moment, then burst into ecstatic joy. It continued to strike, producing loud whooshing sounds that echoed across the cliff, shouting, “Strong! Strong! Strong!”

When Qin Mu returned to the village, the Apothecary immediately rushed forward, nervously checking his body. While dabbing some wound medicine on his face, he asked, “Are there any abnormalities?”

Qin Mu nodded, making the Apothecary even more nervous.

“Grandpa Apothecary’s spiritual pill is indeed effective,” Qin Mu said. “My vital energy is stronger.”

The Apothecary finally sighed with relief, smiling, “This spiritual pill is indeed effective for Overlord Body vital energy. As long as you didn’t die from it, it proves I’m on the right track. Keep this jar of pills for now; I’m off to research other formulas!” With that, he excitedly walked away.

The Blind man approached, leaning on his bamboo staff, and chuckled, “Mu’er, are you tired? If so, I can teach you a high-level eye technique.”

Qin Mu coughed and said, “Grandpa Blind, I’m here. That’s the outhouse over there.”

The Blind man turned around, smiling at the Butcher who was sunbathing on the millstone. “I’ve been thinking for a long time,” he said. “Your Overlord Body vital energy has no elemental attribute, so you can’t cultivate my usual techniques. However, this eye technique doesn’t require attribute-specific vital energy, so Overlord Body vital energy should be able to cultivate it too. Come with me. This technique of mine is called the Nine Heavens Eye Opening Method...”

Qin Mu felt a headache coming on, always finding the Blind man a bit unreliable. He braced himself and followed the Blind man.

He was utterly puzzled. The Blind man said he would teach him the Nine Heavens Eye Opening Method, but instead of teaching him how to refine his eyes, he brought him to observe the four stone statues in the village.

Qin Mu knew that everyone in the village was eccentric, and even the stone statues at the four corners of the village were peculiar. —In Crippled Old Village, peculiarity was the norm.

Though not tall, these four stone statues were incredibly heavy. Terrifyingly heavy, so much so that Qin Mu couldn’t budge them even slightly.

His current strength was immense, growing steadily stronger, especially after consuming the Four Spirits Blood. Recently, his vital energy had begun to temper his body, cleansing his muscles and marrow, making him increasingly robust. Yet, he still couldn’t move the statues an inch.

As a child, he often climbed onto the statues to play. However, Granny Si and the others would always chase him down, telling him not to disrespect the statues. During festivals, Granny Si and the others would offer sacrifices and light incense sticks to the statues, praying for peace in the village and the villagers’ safety. These four statues were not carved to be human figures, but merely had human-like forms. The statue at the village’s south corner had a bird’s head, squatted on a stone pedestal, its hands resting on its knees. Two wings were carved on its back, as if it were about to take flight.

The statue at the north corner was of a turtle-backed elder holding a whisk. However, the whisk was carved into a large white snake, its body emerging from the handle, coiling around the turtle-backed elder, its head raised, gazing into the distance.

The statue at the west corner was a female figure, wearing a feathered crown, with a tiger crouching at her feet.

This female statue was also very peculiar. An eye was carved into her brow, and within that eye, a bird’s nest was carved, containing three small birds.

The statue directly before him, located at the village’s east corner, depicted a dragon-headed monster. It carried a medicine basket on its back, containing several plants.

The Blind man instructed him to observe the statue carefully. However, Qin Mu had seen the statue countless times before, even climbing on it and misbehaving. He genuinely couldn’t see what was so remarkable about it.

“Mu’er, can you lift this stone statue?” the Blind man asked, noticing Qin Mu’s inattentiveness.

“No.”

Qin Mu shook his head. The statue was simply too heavy. It didn’t feel like mere stone. A stone taller than a person would weigh only about a thousand jin. With Qin Mu’s current strength, carrying a thousand jin stone would be effortless. Yet, he couldn’t move these four statues even a hair’s breadth.

The Blind man patiently coaxed him, “Do you know why the statue is so heavy?”

Qin Mu shook his head again. “I don’t know.”

“The statue isn’t actually heavy at all,” the Blind man said.

With a calm expression, the Blind man continued, “What’s heavy isn’t the stone itself, but rather what has been carved into it.”

Qin Mu was perplexed. Wasn’t something carved from stone still just stone?

The Blind man explained, “For example, you learned painting and calligraphy from the Deaf man. Your paintings and writing are gibberish, worthless. But the Deaf man’s calligraphy and paintings are worth more than ten thousand taels of gold! Both are just paper and ink, so why is the Deaf man’s art more valuable?”

Qin Mu seemed to grasp it, yet not entirely. Nevertheless, the Deaf man’s artwork truly possessed an extraordinary charm that far surpassed his own.

The Blind man raised his bamboo staff, pointing at the statue. “If these statues were made by ordinary people,” he said, “they wouldn’t be heavy at all. But the people who carved them were immensely powerful, and the content they depicted is terrifying. Therefore, the weight of these statues cannot be measured by common sense. Carrying one of these statues is equivalent to...”

His expression turned strange. After a moment, he said, “It’s like carrying a god!”