Chapter 409: Bewildering Soul Finger

Zhang Xiaohua’s guess was indeed correct; it was precisely the forbidden ground that He Tianshu had pointed out to him earlier.

At this moment, the white mist in the forbidden ground was still as thick as ever, completely blocking all vision. Even Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense could only penetrate the outer edge, unable to see anything clearly within.

By now, Zhang Xiaohua already knew that the white mist before him was merely a manifestation protecting the restriction. As long as the restriction could be broken, the white mist would dissipate. However, Zhang Xiaohua merely stood at a distance, with no intention of stepping forward to try.

This restriction was clearly different from the orange-red barrier restriction on the deserted island. If one wished to break in, it would certainly require careful contemplation, and only after being completely confident could one make a move. Of course, Zhang Xiaohua believed that if he used the small sword in his hand, he would surely succeed. Unfortunately, breaking restrictions with the small sword was his final trump card. Now that he had learned the way of formations, he naturally wanted to use normal methods as much as possible. If he simply relied on brute force, using such a crude method, not only would it seem like forcing things, making himself dull, but more importantly, wouldn’t he never become truly proficient in formations?

Therefore, when it came to restrictions like this that could be used for practice, Zhang Xiaohua was still willing to train more.

Moreover, Piaomiao Manor was no longer the territory of the Piaomiao Sect. The Heaven’s Way Alliance, as fierce as wolves and tigers, was still lingering nearby. If he broke the restriction now, wouldn’t the ones to benefit from nothing be the Heaven’s Way Alliance? His money pouch could no longer hold any more large items! How could Zhang Xiaohua do something that only benefited others and not himself?

Rubbing his chin, Zhang Xiaohua turned and left, deciding to leave this matter for another time. After all, he wasn’t returning empty-handed today.

In the darkness, Zhang Xiaohua looked around in all directions. Sigh, what was wrong with his sense of direction? How did he end up here? Really…

After entering the underground, Zhang Xiaohua made several escapes before finally arriving near the archway. Looking back at the dimly lit Piaomiao Manor, Zhang Xiaohua felt a complicated mix of emotions.

When he returned to the inn, it was still early. Zhang Xiaohua saw that there was still a small lamp burning in Nie Qianyu’s room, so he gently knocked on the door and asked: “Little Fish Nie, you’re still awake?”

“Eh~” A surprised voice came from inside: “Big Brother Ren, since when did you become so polite? Why not just push the door open and come in?”

The voice drew closer, and as the door creaked open, Nie Qianyu looked curiously at Zhang Xiaohua, then craned her neck to peer behind him.

Zhang Xiaohua asked in confusion: “Little Fish, what are you looking for?”

“Of course, the helper you went to find tonight! If there wasn’t an outsider, how could you be so well-behaved?”

“Ugh~” Zhang Xiaohua was speechless and said: “Little sister, am I really that rough? I even thoughtfully call you Little Fish, but if I just called you Bighead Carp instead, what would you say about me!”

“Pfft—” Nie Qianyu burst out laughing, the faint worry between her brows easing a little. She asked: “Big Brother Ren, enough joking. Didn’t you find any helpers?”

“When did I ever tell you I was going to find help?” Zhang Xiaohua was quite surprised.

Nie Qianyu was even more surprised, and a bit anxious: “Didn’t you go out to find someone to help unlock Little Orange’s acupoints? If not, then what did you go for? Don’t tell me you’re giving up on helping Little Orange.”

“Big Brother Ren, Little Orange has been sealed for several days now. I’ve been checking her pulse every now and then, and… and her pulse is getting weaker and weaker.”

At this moment, Nie Qianyu had completely lost the mood for joking with Zhang Xiaohua; she spoke rapidly, truly pleading with him.

Zhang Xiaohua frowned, took a deep breath, and asked: “Then, when do you think Little Orange will…”

He didn’t dare finish the sentence.

Nie Qianyu answered without hesitation: “Big Brother Ren, maybe this time tomorrow, or maybe early the day after tomorrow. In any case, I don’t think Little Orange can last past the night after tomorrow.”

“I see.” Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua felt a heavy weight on his shoulders.

Indeed, he had never dealt with acupoint sealing before, and to try and unlock the mysterious elder’s seal with just a day or two of contemplation was really a bit…

Sigh, but if not this way, what better method did he have?

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said: “Don’t worry, Little Fish. Today I went to find an old acquaintance from my sect. The senior wasn’t in today, but his disciples said he might return early tomorrow morning. You can rest easy and get some sleep. When you wake up tomorrow, maybe I’ll have already invited a master who can unlock the acupoints. By then, I’ll return you a perfectly healthy Little Orange.”

“Really?” Nie Qianyu cheered up a little and smiled: “Big Brother Ren, you… you’re not lying to me, are you?”

“Thud—” Zhang Xiaohua almost tripped, rubbed his nose, and secretly chuckled: “Little Fish, am I really that untrustworthy?”

“No, no!” Nie Qianyu hurriedly explained: “I would never doubt Hero Ren. It’s just that you say it so easily, it’s almost like… like when my father used to coax me at home.”

“Are all mature men like this?”

Zhang Xiaohua silently questioned himself in his heart.

Then he waved his hand and said: “Alright, you should get some rest early. Once you’re well-rested, tomorrow…” Yes, what about tomorrow? Zhang Xiaohua didn’t know what else to say.

Nie Qianyu was very perceptive and smiled: “Then, Brother Ren, thank you. I’ll thank you on Little Orange’s behalf for saving her life.”

Zhang Xiaohua hurriedly waved his hand: “No need, no need, we’re not outsiders.”

“Oh, not outsiders, then we’re insiders?” As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Xiaohua muttered this to himself.

Nie Qianyu clearly didn’t catch the other meaning in his words. She turned to go back into her room, but still worried, she looked back and asked: “Big Brother Ren, how about… how about you go and keep watch at your elder’s place tonight, just in case?”

“Clang—” Zhang Xiaohua barely managed to steady himself, forcing a wry smile: “Big sister, just go and rest easy. I’ll handle these matters myself.”

Nie Qianyu bit her lip, but in the end said nothing more and closed the door behind her.

Zhang Xiaohua sighed. It wasn’t as if he didn’t understand Nie Qianyu’s concern for Little Orange, but in the end, everything still depended on himself.

Back in his room, he lit the oil lamp and took out all the basic books on acupoint sealing. Since it was still early, it was better to start studying as soon as possible. If Zhang Xiaohua didn’t always fall asleep at midnight, perhaps he would have already borrowed an awl and some rope from the innkeeper for practice. [TL_Note: The mention of “awl and rope” in this passage is an allusion to the Chinese idiom 悬梁刺股 (xuán liáng cì gǔ), which literally means “hanging one’s head from the beam and stabbing one’s thigh with an awl.” This idiom originates from stories of ancient scholars who, in order to stay awake and study diligently, would tie their hair to a beam so they wouldn’t fall asleep (Sun Jing), or stab their thigh with an awl to force themselves awake (Su Qin).]

He had taken a total of seven manuals on acupoint sealing from the library, and Zhang Xiaohua naturally started with the simplest one.

Zhang Xiaohua wasn’t truly learning the acupoint sealing techniques themselves; he just wanted to find a way to unseal acupoints and understand the principles behind them, so he read rather quickly. Moreover, ever since he started cultivating Immortal Dao techniques, his mind had become much sharper. He remembered that when he read the Arhat Fist manual a few years ago, there were many things he didn’t understand and had to ponder over slowly. Now, reading these acupoint sealing manuals, which were a hundred times more profound than the fist manual, he actually felt at ease and in control.

After reading for a long time, the oil lamp’s flame began to dim. Then, with a soft “pop”, a bit of lamp wick burst, and Zhang Xiaohua, still unsatisfied, set the sixth manual aside.

These six manuals, arranged from basic to advanced, explained in great detail the principles and techniques of acupoint sealing and unsealing. Although Zhang Xiaohua had never studied acupoint techniques before, by now he had gained a rather profound understanding of the subject.

In fact, as previously mentioned, martial arts techniques all originated from the Immortal Dao, and this was true for acupoint techniques as well.

Within the Immortal Dao, there were arts such as Binding Techniques, Restraining Techniques, and Petrification Techniques, all of which used incantations to harness the world’s spiritual energy to immobilize opponents. But as the world’s Yuan Qi dwindled, Immortal Dao arts could no longer be performed for lack of this energy. Still, these arts had proven highly effective in combat, so martial artists sought ways to achieve similar effects without relying on spiritual energy or incantations. Thus, they blazed a new trail, devising methods to act directly upon the human body—this was the origin of acupoint techniques.

By channeling their unique martial internal energy into specific acupoints of the body, martial artists could interrupt the flow of internal energy or blood, rendering the target immobile. As their understanding of acupoints and acupoint techniques deepened, over the ten thousand years since the decline of the Immortal Dao, martial acupoint techniques saw great development. Every sect developed its own distinctive methods for sealing and unsealing acupoints. If one did not understand the method used to seal an acupoint and simply applied their own unsealing technique, at best, it would be ineffective, and at worst, it could cost a life.

Thus, unsealing acupoints could be said to be simple or difficult—it all depended on the practitioner: “For those who know, it is not hard; for those who do not, it is impossible.”

Letting out a soft sigh, Zhang Xiaohua rubbed his temples with his thumb. He realized he had been too naive, underestimating the depth of martial arts, thinking he could achieve in just a few days what others had spent years mastering. He had the will, but not the ability.

Thinking of Nie Qianyu’s disappointment tomorrow, Zhang Xiaohua felt quite troubled.

Indeed, this was a seal set by that mysterious elder, a technique approaching the power of an Immortal Dao cultivator. How could it possibly be so easily undone?

With a bitter smile, Zhang Xiaohua picked up the last manual, “Bewildering Soul Finger”. This, too, was a manual on acupoint techniques, and it did not indicate that it belonged exclusively to the Heaven’s Way Alliance. Perhaps it had simply not been retrieved in time when the Piaomiao Sect was destroyed.

Deserving its place as a manual from the third level of the library, upon careful reading, it proved to be a hundred times more complex than the previous six. Its techniques involved meridians, acupoints, and the dantian, and even faintly referenced the Niwan Palace. The more Zhang Xiaohua read, the more shocked he became. He could not imagine who had created this “Bewildering Soul Finger”, as many parts pointed directly to the Immortal Dao. Although Zhang Xiaohua had not learned any Immortal Dao arts such as Binding or Bewildering techniques from this book, he gained a clear understanding of both types of spells.

This manual was undoubtedly a direct inheritance from the Immortal Dao, created based on the techniques of the ancient Immortal Dao!