Chapter Six: The Second Cleansing of the Bones

Shang Lu was still brimming with excitement when, all of a sudden, a powerful surge of warmth rose from his stomach. The sensation startled him—he had truly not expected that the offerings meant to nourish his five internal organs could also be converted by the Spirit of the Spleen into vital energy and blood, feeding back into his body. It was an unexpected delight.

This, however, also reminded Shang Lu to seize the opportunity to cultivate; otherwise, the effects of the vital energy nurturing his body would diminish considerably. He regulated his breathing, using the coolness in the courtyard to calm his mind, and resumed practicing the Five Beasts Vitality Technique.

This time, Shang Lu could keenly sense the changes in his cultivation brought about by the recovery of his internal organs. His body had once been like a rusted machine—no matter how hard he pushed it, nothing ran smoothly, resulting in excessive depletion of his energy and blood, and the cultivation effects had always been disappointing.

Now, though the machine wasn’t brand new, at least it had been oiled and the rust removed. Shang Lu could distinctly feel that, under the command of his internal organs, the energy and blood could be directed precisely to his tendons, bones, and skin, nurturing and strengthening them, making them resilient and powerful.

His control over his muscles and bones, as well as the transmission of force, all became crystal clear at that moment—something he had never experienced before. Even with the slightest thought, he could relax or tense his muscles and bones at will, unleashing tremendous power.

For the first time, Shang Lu realized that cultivation could be so smooth, no longer like rowing upstream with every step a struggle. This series of changes allowed his imitation of the Five Beasts not only to capture their form but also their spirit. Naturally, the effectiveness of his practice was greatly enhanced, surpassing any previous attempt.

After finishing his cultivation, Shang Lu felt the skin on his body, now tough as cowhide from the nourishment of his energy and blood, and his spirits soared. He understood that these changes within and without signified he was once again touching the threshold of the Bone-Cleansing realm.

Previously, he had exhausted every means, yet remained always outside the gate, unable to enter. Now, he had found the door again—one push, and he would regain his Bone-Cleansing cultivation.

With the Temple of Five Viscera and the Spirit of the Spleen, Shang Lu was confident that opening this door would not be difficult. In fact, he was already thinking beyond merely restoring his Bone-Cleansing strength—he wanted to go even further!

He was keenly aware that regaining his strength and passing the performance assessment was only the first hurdle. Sun Ying, Constable Ma, and even the Black Wind Gang would not let matters rest. To settle these people and troubles, he needed even greater power! Otherwise, after the assessment, he might well meet his end in the line of duty once more.

Not only because he had taken a regular constable’s post, but also because he had rapidly recovered his cultivation after severe injuries.

So, after a brief rest, Shang Lu embarked on a new round of cultivation. This time, however, he did not practice the Five Beasts Vitality Technique. Instead, he took up the Tendon-Severing, Bone-Slicing Blade Art that he had learned after becoming a constable.

This blade technique, as its name implied, was designed to sever tendons and break bones with every strike—perfectly suited to his profession as a constable.

But since his "rebirth," Shang Lu had scarcely practiced it. Previously, he had been wholly focused on restoring his energy and cultivation—every spare moment and ounce of energy went into practicing the Five Beasts Vitality Technique and building his strength. Who could spare a thought for blade work?

Now, things were different. Brimming with confidence in his restored cultivation, Shang Lu resolved to revive his neglected blade technique. While blade practice could not raise his realm, it would certainly boost his combat power.

Having not practiced for so long, even though the memories were still in his mind, each movement felt unfamiliar. He had to repeat the routine many times before the motions began to flow together smoothly.

Exhaling a heavy breath, Shang Lu paused to rest, shaking his head. The Tendon-Severing, Bone-Slicing Blade was a combat technique—solo practice, no matter how familiar the forms, would yield little progress. If only he had someone to spar with, to feed him moves and drill with him!

It would not only help him master the technique faster but also build real combat experience.

“Perhaps I should find someone at the yamen to spar with?” Shang Lu considered, but quickly dismissed the idea. Sun Ying, not yet knowing his organs had healed, was already impatiently sending Black Wind Gang thugs to harass him. If Sun Ying or Constable Ma learned that his energy and cultivation were rapidly recovering, they would surely move to stop him. At that point, it would be more than mere threats or harassment.

For the same reason, he could not visit any of the martial halls in the county. Those places had deep connections to the regular constables; he could well imagine that if he set foot inside one, word would reach Sun Ying and Constable Ma before he even left.

“Forget it, I’ll just keep practicing on my own,” Shang Lu sighed, unable to think of a suitable sparring partner, and once more swung his blade alone.

But just then, a cool breeze suddenly swept through the courtyard. Several leaves were blown from the branches, flying toward Shang Lu as swift as arrows.

He was caught off guard—these leaves slipped past his blade and struck his throat, abdomen, and lower back.

Luckily, though the leaves were fast, they carried no real force, and shattered against his body on contact. Even so, Shang Lu felt a chill—had those been hidden weapons, he’d have been seriously hurt if not killed.

The realization struck him. “Sanniang, are you controlling these leaves? Are you feeding me moves?”

No one replied, only the rustling of branches in the courtyard. Yet Shang Lu seemed to sense an answer, and burst out laughing. “Good, good! My Sanniang truly is a treasure. Come, let’s continue.”

At his words, more leaves shot down from the treetops, speeding toward him.

“Well struck! Watch my blade—” Shang Lu faced off against the flying leaves, engaging in a unique duel that lasted deep into the night.

He was “killed” several times, but never grew discouraged; time after time he rose to fight again, mastering the Tendon-Severing, Bone-Slicing Blade with each round. He was certain that, with his cultivation restored, his mastery of the blade would surpass what it had ever been before his “rebirth.”

After his training, Shang Lu washed up meticulously before heading to bed. Left to his own devices, after a full day’s training he’d barely want to move, and washing would be perfunctory at best. But Sanniang had established a rule early on—he had to be clean before getting into bed, or he’d be trapped in a ghostly maze, endlessly wandering the room but never able to lie down.

Lying in bed, Shang Lu gently bade goodnight to the empty space beside him. When he fell into deep sleep, a faint, indistinct figure gradually appeared at his side.

The figure wore a red bridal gown, with a red veil covering her head, concealing her face from view.

Under the red gown, a pale, delicate hand emerged, lifting the veil slightly to reveal a cascade of black hair and a wooden hairpin nestled within.

“I like it very much…”

In the courtyard, the lush canopy of branches and leaves swayed under the moonlight, their rustling sounding almost like whispered words.

…

Shang Lu slept deeply and peacefully, waking refreshed and full of vigor. On the bedside cabinet, breakfast was already set out.

Alongside a bowl of bloodied chilled meat paste, there was a steaming bowl of medicinal broth and a stack of flatbreads.

Seeing the latter two, Shang Lu was surprised, then couldn’t help but smile, “So you really did prepare a hot meal for me.”

A casual comment from yesterday had been remembered by Sanniang, which moved him deeply. Even before tasting the hot soup, his heart already felt warm.

After washing up, Shang Lu sat in meditation, inspecting the Temple of Five Viscera. Seeing the incense sticks still burning on the altar, he let out a sigh of relief. It seemed he would not have to consume the incense wax every day after all—an unpleasant taste, hard to swallow.

Turning his attention back, he ate breakfast while speaking of his plans, “Today, I intend to return to the countryside for a visit. Come with me, won’t you? Ever since we married and moved out, you haven’t returned home.”

Since the Black Wind Gang had come to threaten him, they might well threaten his parents in the countryside. He needed to check on them to be at ease.

No voice answered from inside or outside, but the oiled paper umbrella by the door floated over by itself, landing gently at Shang Lu’s side.

He smiled, stroking the umbrella—Sanniang had agreed.

After breakfast, the bowls and chopsticks floated away on their own. Shang Lu, who had planned to wash the dishes to earn some favor, was gently pushed out of the kitchen by an unseen force. Helpless, he could only return to the courtyard to practice the Five Beasts Vitality Technique.

On his third repetition, a sudden chill raced up his spine, making him shudder violently.

He thought Sanniang was playing a prank, and was about to protest, when his energy and blood were unexpectedly roused. Starting from the back of his neck, the energy surged down his spine like a torrent, pounding through each vertebra.

A series of muffled pops and cracks resounded from within him. The energy rushed from top to bottom, clearing all obstructions in his spine before spreading out through his entire skeleton.

The crackling continued as if every blockage was being blasted through by his revitalized energy and blood.

Throughout the process, all his bones were transformed—becoming not only harder and more resilient, but better able to transmit force and even serve as weapons themselves.

His strength soared, and he could wield it with perfect control.

Shang Lu knew: this was the sign of “Bone Cleansed, Tendons Awakened; Power at a Thought, Flowing Through the Whole.” He had returned to the Bone-Cleansing realm!

Yesterday he had found the door; today, he had pushed it open.

Shang Lu was elated. He looked up at the towering tree basking in the dappled sunlight, and with heartfelt joy, exclaimed,

“Sanniang, having you by my side is truly a blessing.”