Zhang Chen passed down the Blood God Child, and it was a spur-of-the-moment idea. As for whether it would bear fruit in the future, he didn't hold out much hope.
The second level of the Spiritual World has various major forces, and it wouldn't be easy for him to obtain all kinds of Spirit Medicine and Creation. If he could create chaos in this world and add some variables, he could take advantage of the confusion.
The key is that cultivating the Blood God Dao has a low barrier to entry and progresses quickly. By the time one summons the Blood River, an endless Sea of Blood would flow into the world, and even Divine Demons could be contended with then.
Zhang Chen didn't just pass down the cultivation mantra of the Blood God Child but also passed down the Blood Sea Array, Blood Flame, and other Divine Techniques of the Blood Dao. How far the other person can go depends on their luck.
"Thank you, little ancestor! Thank you, little ancestor!" Upon realizing the sudden influx of information in his mind, Xiu Liu couldn't help but feel overjoyed and hurriedly bowed to Zhang Chen.
"Don't thank me just yet. To master this Divine Technique, you must first peel off your own skin and refine your own flesh and blood bit by bit. This kind of torment isn't something the average person can endure." Zhang Chen patted Xiu Liu on the shoulder and gave him a talisman, "Only after you make it through can you be worthy of being my dog."
"I will succeed." Xiu Liu took a deep breath, his eyes filled with determination.
The chance to change his fate was right in front of him. If he couldn't grasp it, he deserved to be a beggar for the rest of his life.
Zhang Chen had already left by this point, waving a hand behind him to Xiu Liu, "Practice well, complete the task I've given you, and do not let me down."
Watching Zhang Chen's back, Xiu Liu was excited, "Rest assured, I will complete your task. Not only the children but also their parents; I will handle them all, as a way to give you and Erniu justice."
Zhang Chen paused in his steps and turned to look at Xiu Liu, "How did you know I wanted to avenge Erniu?"
"I deduced it. You only acted against the children, ignoring the villagers. I know a bit about Erniu's situation..." Xiu Liu fawningly explained.
Zhang Chen chuckled, "I underestimated you. I didn't know you were this insightful. Handle things cleanly, and don't cause a stir."
"I understand," Xiu Liu replied solemnly.
Zhang Chen turned back into the room, leaving Xiu Liu kneeling on the ground, eyes glued to his retreating silhouette, brimming with fervor.
As Zhang Chen exited the house, he pondered over the character of Xiu Liu, "A restless person, I hope he can cause some commotion."
What if Xiu Liu turned against him?
He was the master of the Blood Dao; the Sea of Blood resided within his Crystal Core, brimming with substantial Blood Dao destiny and holding the Blood Sea Red Lotus and Karmic Fire that specifically countered the Blood Dao. Even if Xiu Liu reached immortality, he would still be a mere subordinate in his eyes.
When Zhang Chen returned, Xu Erniu was still deeply asleep, scratching her cheek in her slumber.
He didn't wake her; children love their sleep. With Xiu Liu's child trafficking, a significant sum would come in, ensuring a better life for him and Xu Erniu.
The next step was to prepare for the journey to Qingcheng Mountain, to touch upon the mysteries of this world and see if he could resolve the Yin Yang Qi in his body and restore his Magical Power.
It was not until mid-morning that Xu Erniu awoke, seeing Zhang Chen sunbathing at the door, she sighed with relief, "It's already mid-morning, why didn't you wake me to gather herbs?"
Xu Erniu complained with discontent in her voice, "Do you know how much money we'd miss out on this morning?"
Zhang Chen glanced at Xu Erniu, "There's no need to gather herbs. We won't lack money anymore. I've found a way to earn money."
"You've found a way to make money?" Xu Erniu was taken aback.
Zhang Chen smiled, "Of course! At least we won't run out of money in the future."
He turned to Xu Erniu, "Let's rest here for a while. Once we've saved enough, we can head to Qingcheng Mountain."
The journey to Qingcheng Mountain is long, and one can't make it without a good body.
"Give me your copper coins, let's have buns today," Zhang Chen said to Xu Erniu.
Xu Erniu was puzzled, "Buns? They cost two copper coins each. Let's have pancakes instead, they're just one copper coin."
Zhang Chen glared at Xu Erniu, "Those pancakes are tasteless. I'm sick of them! Today we're buying ten buns and two pounds of pig head meat."
"Zhang Chen, are you sure your money-making method is reliable?" Xu Erniu asked worriedly, not arguing back, "Don't let it be that we spend the money, and your method doesn't work out."
Zhang Chen snorted, "You're questioning me? Of course, my method is reliable. Don't worry; haven't you seen my abilities?"
Is Zhang Chen's method reliable?
It's practically a joke!
This part of the story has been cut for brevity, bear with it. ...
Although Xu Erniu was reluctant, seeing Zhang Chen's confident demeanor, she cautiously fetched the copper coins from a corner. Together, they went to the city to buy buns and two pounds of pig head meat, then returned to their dilapidated temple and devoured the food.
In the dilapidated temple, Zhang Chen ate buns and pig head meat, eyes revealing a hint of scheming, "Two beggar children suddenly eating lavishly and spending freely will surely attract the attention of some ill-intentioned people in the city. This could be another way to make a fortune, abducting those scoundrels. After all, who doesn't want to bully two five or six-year-old beggar kids?"
It has to be said, Zhang Chen's tactics have become increasingly sophisticated, even plotting to fish for enforcement.
Night
The mountains were lit up by torches forming a long line, with urgent shouts echoing, and the dilapidated temple where Zhang Chen and Xu Erniu stayed was visited by dozens of people.
"Little beggars, have you seen any kids coming this way?" a man with a torch asked them from outside the temple.
"Nope," Zhang Chen replied.
The man turned and left without a word, prompting Xu Erniu to spit in disgust, "Rude."
Zhang Chen patted Xu Erniu's head, "Don't be mad. It's the love of parents. We must understand their parental feelings."
At that moment, Zhang Chen seemed to be possessed by a Saint, his voice gentle.
"You're such a do-gooder," Xu Erniu scoffed at Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen shook his head at these words and didn't argue with Xu Erniu.
Zhang Chen didn't care at all.
In the dark, with noise throughout the night, neither Zhang Chen nor Xu Erniu slept well. At night, Xu Erniu kept cursing incessantly at the anxious cries in the night, while Zhang Chen kept comforting Xu Erniu, saying, "They lost their children, you need to understand their anxiety. We just had a bad night's sleep, but they actually lost their children."
Upon hearing this, Xu Erniu said nothing more, but kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
After dawn, the calls still hadn't stopped; instead, they became more urgent, the hoarse voice echoing among the mountains.
Zhang Chen ate yesterday's leftover buns, sitting at the door listening to the urgent cries, while Xu Erniu couldn't sit still and ran out with her bun to investigate the situation. Before long, Xu Erniu came back excitedly, "Zhang Chen, something big happened! Over forty children disappeared overnight yesterday. Especially those who used to bully me, not a single one of them was missed, they were all abducted."
Zhang Chen stuffed a bun into Xu Erniu's mouth, "Eat your bun. Aren't you afraid of being seen by those villagers looking for their children with that schadenfreude look on your face? You'd end up bringing their anger onto yourself."
Xu Erniu was stunned at the words and then quickly shrank her neck, "Yes, yes, yes, you're right, we must keep a low profile, we can't let the schadenfreude show on our faces."
After the two finished eating their buns, Xu Erniu urged Zhang Chen again, "Where's the money-making opportunity you talked about? Is it reliable?"
She saw Zhang Chen didn't seem to have any intention of making money, which made her somewhat worried.
Zhang Chen smiled, "Don't worry. The buns we bought can last us another day."
With such a big case occurring in the village, where dozens of children were abducted, it naturally alarmed the officers, who then searched the mountains, but they still found nothing.
Some officers even came to question the two, and Zhang Chen and Xu Erniu shook their heads thrice in denial: "Didn't see! Didn't hear! Didn't know!"
The constable was helpless, and the matter could only be left unresolved.
Then Zhang Chen went to the city for a large-scale purchase, ostentatiously buying meat in the crowd, stirring envy in many hearts.
The third night
Xiu Liu led two brothers and arrived at the ruined temple to see Zhang Chen and Xu Erniu sitting by the campfire.
Xiu Liu held a package in his hand and directly kneeled before Zhang Chen, "Here is three hundred taels of silver, I ask the little ancestor to inspect it."
In front of the fire, Zhang Chen opened the package, and the sight of the shiny silver made Xu Erniu's eyes widen.
"Not bad," Zhang Chen praised.
"I plan to close my door and cultivate for twenty-one days next," Xiu Liu said cautiously, eyeing Zhang Chen carefully, "Recently, the constables have been strict, so it's a good time to lay low."
"Tell your brothers not to spend money recently, to avoid drawing attention," said Zhang Chen.
Xiu Liu immediately bowed respectfully at these words, "Yes!"
Zhang Chen nodded, signaling for Xiu Liu to leave.
Xiu Liu departed, and Xu Erniu directly pounced on the silver, disbelief filling her eyes, "So much silver? How many cakes could this buy?"
She then turned to Zhang Chen, "Why did Xiu Liu bring you money?"
"Because he's afraid of me," Zhang Chen said with a smile.
"But where did Xiu Liu get the money?" she was puzzled.
"It doesn't matter where Xiu Liu got the money; we're wealthy now," Xu Erniu's eyes turned into the shape of silver.
"We have the money to go to Qingcheng Mountain, let's head there tomorrow," said Xu Erniu.
"No rush, we need to rest for two months and properly nurture our bodies. With our frail condition, we might not last long," Zhang Chen reassured Xu Erniu.
Hearing Zhang Chen's words and then looking at the silver in the package, Xu Erniu scratched her head, "Since it's your money, we'll listen to you."
"We'll keep a low profile for now, and we shouldn't spend money recklessly," said Zhang Chen.
Time flew by, and soon twenty-one days passed. During this time, Zhang Chen lived quietly; even when going out to shop, he kept a low profile to avoid attracting attention.
On one deep night, Xu Erniu was in a deep sleep. Suddenly, Zhang Chen opened his eyes and saw a blood-red figure at the doorway in the dark.
"Have you completed your cultivation?" Zhang Chen sensed a mysterious Qi mechanism, opened his eyes, and looked toward the door, seeing Xiu Liu transformed into a blood-red shadow. The other had clearly turned into a Blood God Child.
"The little ancestor's divine techniques are vast, and the technique you bestowed is exquisite. With your transmission, how could it not succeed?" The blood-red shadow knelt, as respectful as before.
Looking at Xiu Liu who had turned into a blood shadow, Zhang Chen showed a hint of disdain, "You look too frightening. Next time, remember to wear a robe. Also, remember to find a physical body to possess soon, so as not to scare people."
Xiu Liu, now a Blood God Child, had refined his own physical body away, but could possess others, turning their bodies into his own.
Upon hearing this, Xiu Liu responded respectfully, "I will find a body tomorrow."
Zhang Chen nodded satisfactorily, and Xiu Liu cautiously asked, "What does little ancestor plan for me next?"
"Next? I need a large sum of money to go to a faraway place, for travel expenses," Zhang Chen replied to Xiu Liu.
Xiu Liu immediately understood, "I understand."
"Proceed with caution, and don't cause trouble," advised Zhang Chen.
"Rest assured, I won't cause any trouble for the little ancestor," Xiu Liu promised, patting his chest.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen smiled, "Let's hope so!"
After speaking, he waved his hand, signaling Xiu Liu to leave.