Chapter 94: Emergency! Cold Snow Official
Chapter 94: Chapter 94: Emergency! Cold Snow Official
It was just a name, after all. What she was called didn’t matter.
And so, in the end, the Spiritual Silkworm’s name became Zhu Sisi.
It sounded a lot like she was Zhu Ge’s daughter.
But for some reason—perhaps a congenital deficiency as a Spiritual Silkworm—Zhu Sisi had a cold personality, not as lively as Liu Jianjian or Hua Liusha.
Of course, that wasn’t important.
What was important was that Zhu Sisi could now communicate!
"Master, I have no hands and no feet. My appendages cannot perform those movements." Zhu Sisi’s thought process was very clear as she explained her inability to learn the Five Animals Qigong.
Zhu Sisi was a wild silkworm and did have prolegs, but they were not the same as human hands and feet.
Therefore, she couldn’t perform the movements of the Five Animals Qigong like Zhu Ge.
"No matter. Perhaps you can learn other movements, like those of a snake," Zhu Ge said. "Starting tomorrow, I’ll be going out to observe and learn anyway. You can just come with me."
His original plan was to find his own Martial Dao.
The Vajra Palm was not his path, nor were others like "Incense Lighting" or the Waist and Horse Skill.
He still needed to go out, study, and observe.
Even though his lifespan was dwindling day by day, he wasn’t anxious.
Some things couldn’t be rushed.
He would observe snakes and pythons, cattle and horses, apes and monkeys... as well as all kinds of flowers, trees, insects, fish, birds, and beasts.
He even had to observe the myriad facets of human life in the cities and villages to find his own path in the Martial Dao and forge his Martial Arts Heart.
As it happened, Zhu Sisi was in the same situation.
Hua Liusha and Liu Jianjian were already at the Second Realm. Their Ghost Heart and Demon Heart had already been formed and couldn’t be changed.
Zhu Sisi, however, was only at the First Realm. She had plenty of time to determine her future path.
Besides, a single silkworm wouldn’t affect Zhu Ge’s carrying load at all.
He might even be able to review what he knew and learn something new in the process of teaching her.
Of course, Zhu Ge had his reasons for being good to this Green Silkworm.
Loyalty!
That was the most important factor.
Whether it was Hua Liusha or Liu Jianjian, their most essential quality was loyalty.
Only with loyalty would Zhu Ge lend them a hand and help them grow.
"Yes, Master." Zhu Sisi’s voice was still chilly and detached.
"For now, I’ll continue my training. You continue to observe," Zhu Ge said.
A slight ripple entered Zhu Sisi’s voice. "Alright!"
At the mention of training, Liu Jianjian ran off again to continue digging at the coffin.
Hua Liusha also resumed flipping through the *Gusu Silk Annals* in Zhu Ge’s mind, studying the ways of a Sewing Master.
’This time, I’ll practice the Waist and Horse Skill...’
Zhu Ge began to practice his forms.
Zhu Sisi watched attentively, completely mesmerized, her body twisting along with his movements.
Zhu Ge only stopped practicing when the moon had risen high among the branches.
The moment he stopped, Zhu Ge began to eat.
This made him realize that one of the reasons for the decline of the Path of Body Refining was related to its massive food consumption.
If one practiced the Martial Refining Dao within a city, without enough food—protein, fat, and carbohydrates—they could forget about developing a strong physique.
However, Zhu Ge happened to be in the countryside.
And it just so happened that the Plague God Sparrow had gathered many Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Monsters with cultivation to its side.
This was Zhu Ge’s opportunity!
Before, Zhu Ge would have worried about accidentally wandering into the territory of some Third Realm Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, or Monsters.
But now, he no longer had that concern.
His path was clear!
Unfortunately, with so many cultivated beings gone, ordinary jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards were of no use to Zhu Ge for training.
He could kill a normal tiger or lion with a single punch. How was he supposed to hone his martial skills with that?
Of course, Zhu Ge had now changed his methods.
He wasn’t honing his martial skills, but observing and learning.
Just as Hua Tuo created the Five Animals Qigong and Venerable Rain Swift created the Xu Family Rain Swift Fist.
Zhu Ge also had to create his own Martial Dao and then forge his Martial Arts Heart.
However, just as he was about to resume his practice, a strange sensation suddenly washed over him.
’This feeling...’
Zhu Ge’s expression tightened.
This feeling was a bit like what he’d felt when he encountered the Plague God Sparrow.
Terrifying, boundless, powerful...
"Brother..." Hua Liusha started to say something, but her voice abruptly cut out.
Beside him, Zhu Sisi remained frozen in her observant posture, while not far off, Liu Jianjian, who had been digging at the coffin, stood up, an expression of horror half-formed on her face.
Time seemed to stand still.
"Hm?"
A soft sound of surprise echoed from the highest heavens, and immediately, everything around them came back to life.
The next second, a smiling young man appeared in their midst.
It was as if a piece of paper had fallen onto a painting; the person on the paper was completely out of place with the scene.
"Martial Dao?" The young man smiled, his presence as pleasant as a spring breeze. "It seems my colleague died at your hands."
’Colleague?’
’Died at my hands?’
Zhu Ge’s heart sank. His body’s Blood Qi immediately erupted, swirling around him.
’Run?’
’There’s no escape!’
’I might die!’
But if he was going to die, Zhu Ge wasn’t going to just wait for it to happen.
Shielded by his Blood Qi, Zhu Ge bellowed in a low voice, "Song of Righteousness!"
The Song of Righteousness!
Zhu Ge had long known of the Confucian Dao’s cultivation methods, but why hadn’t he practiced them?
The truth was, he wasn’t confident!
Could the Confucian Dao really generate Literary Energy so easily?
Even with articles and poems he had simply memorized from his past life?
Not necessarily!
And what if he accidentally overdid it, reciting something like the *Spring and Autumn Annals*, the *Tao Te Ching*, or the *Song of Righteousness*, causing his Literary Energy to surge and make him explode?
So, he had never tried.
But now that it was a matter of life and death, Zhu Ge couldn’t afford to worry about that anymore.
However, when he uttered the three words "Song of Righteousness," nothing happened around him.
’Just as I thought!’
’Just memorizing poems, songs, articles, and principles from my past life isn’t enough!’
"Hahaha, are you trying to recite a poem to strike me with Literary Energy?" The young man before him was all smiles. "Relax, no need to rush. Though he was my colleague, I didn’t know him."
’Colleagues, but they didn’t know each other?’
Zhu Ge said gravely, "I had my reasons for killing him."
The young man chuckled, and in an instant, Zhu Ge felt a warmth spread through his surroundings, a tangible sensation like being bathed in a spring breeze.
The young man smiled and shook his head, then his expression turned serious.
"I am the Cold Snow Official. I preside over... extinction."
’Cold Snow Official?’
’And... extinction!’
Zhu Ge was inwardly shocked.
The Raincoat Fisherman was the Jingzhe Official, who presided over taxation.
And Jingzhe was one of the twenty-four solar terms.
He never would have thought that the Cold Snow Official—another official named for a solar term—would be the one who presided over extinction.
Extinction!
The very word sent a chill down one’s spine.
"Are you a Great Immortal? A Great Confucian Scholar? And... you really won’t kill me?"
Zhu Ge relaxed slightly.
In any case, no matter what kind of official this person was, with a presence that felt even stronger than the Raincoat Fisherman’s, Zhu Ge knew he couldn’t win.
Since that was the case, why stay so tense?
’Better to relax.’
At this moment, Liu Jianjian and Zhu Sisi also hurried to Zhu Ge’s side.
It had all happened so suddenly that the two of them had only just reacted.
"Why would I kill you? You killed a despicable dog, a traitor to the Human Race. I’d say you did a good job!"