Volume One: Carefree Journey Through the Indistinguishable Paper Leaves Chapter Twenty: Hurting Others, Harming Oneself

Yang Ning was on the verge of tears. Cursing heaven, earth, and fate, he had thought that after three days had passed, the Wood Deity would surely have departed by now. Even if he was still somewhere in the mountains, the chance of the two of them meeting amidst the endless ridges was surely infinitesimal.

But never in his wildest dreams had Yang Ning expected that, barely an hour after leaving the stone chamber, the old monster would appear beside him like a phantom, as if a tracker had been installed on his person.

The Wood Deity’s hair was disheveled, his clothes tattered, his eyes bloodshot, wild as a madman. Those razor-sharp eyes fixed on Yang Ning, and his voice was already hoarse: “Do you think you can ascend to heaven or escape to earth? The Six Harmonies Divine Skill cost me two years to acquire, how could I let you profit from it, boy?” With a low growl, he lunged, his hand outstretched to seize Yang Ning.

Yang Ning cried out and turned to flee. The Wood Deity’s arrival was as swift as his words, and Yang Ning could already feel a gust of force rushing at him from behind. Knowing that his life hung by a thread, a flash of inspiration came to him in that instant. His body spun halfway, and with a single step, he slid aside—executing the footwork of Carefree Walk.

He had spent nearly every moment of the past few days practicing that set of movements, until he knew them intimately. Now, acting on instinct, he made a step just as the Wood Deity’s grasp swept past, narrowly evading the deadly clutch.

The Wood Deity was visibly surprised, clearly not expecting Yang Ning to dodge so skillfully. Yet he reasoned it must be mere luck, and his figure flickered like a specter as his withered hand reached for Yang Ning once more.

After dodging, Yang Ning’s mind focused on the steps of Carefree Walk. The first step led naturally to the second, and the Wood Deity’s initial attempt missed. He believed his second would surely succeed, but just as his fingers were about to clutch Yang Ning, Yang Ning’s body slipped aside like a phantom.

The Wood Deity exclaimed in astonishment, and after several failed attempts, his face betrayed a look of horror.

He had previously probed Yang Ning’s body, knowing that Yang Ning possessed no foundation in internal energy, merely an ordinary young man.

Yet now, Yang Ning’s steps were obviously profound and mysterious. Though he appeared to stagger drunkenly, the unpredictable changes in his footwork made it nearly impossible to anticipate his movements.

Yang Ning himself had no idea what style the Wood Deity was using. He simply kept moving, feeling the old monster drifting around him, his heart pounding with nerves. Immersed in the moment, he was unaware that his steps had already left the Wood Deity stunned, nor that he had evaded over a dozen attacks solely relying on Carefree Walk.

The Wood Deity was alarmed, but he was no ordinary man—he noticed that while Yang Ning’s footwork was ingenious, his movements lacked polish. He deduced that Yang Ning must have just learned the technique. Suddenly, he bellowed, thunderous as a storm, activating his internal energy.

That fierce shout startled Yang Ning, who was focused on his steps. His movement slowed, and from the corner of his eye he saw the Wood Deity’s hand reaching for him. Shocked, Yang Ning forgot which step to take next and stumbled blindly—colliding with a tree.

Before he could recover, his shoulder was gripped tightly. The Wood Deity’s hand rested coldly on his shoulder as he sneered, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Yang Ning’s steps faltered, and the Wood Deity spotted his weakness. He could have killed Yang Ning instantly, but seeing the profundity of Yang Ning’s footwork, greed flared in his heart. He suspected the boy had stumbled upon a stroke of luck and resolved to force the secret out of him.

Yang Ning’s heart sank into despair. Having narrowly escaped death, he was now caught in the old monster’s grasp. He forced a bitter smile: “Greetings, Elder Wood.”

“Spare me the nonsense. Where did you learn that footwork?” The Wood Deity’s eyes glinted with avarice. “Speak honestly, and I might spare your life.”

Yang Ning thought, at this point, death was certain. Even so, he would not let the old monster profit from him. He reflected on his brief ten days in this new world, feeling dejected. “What footwork? You must be mistaken. I just made it up as I went along.”

“You, with such skill?” The Wood Deity’s eyes showed contempt. He sneered, “Looks like you refuse to cry until you see the coffin. Let me show you true power.” Internal energy surged from his withered hand, intent on inflicting agony to force Yang Ning to reveal his secret.

As the internal force flowed into him, Yang Ning felt as though a thousand-pound weight pressed on his shoulder, followed by a torrent of energy flooding into his body. The veins and vessels from his shoulder seemed ready to burst, the pain far worse than any flesh wound.

Though Yang Ning was resilient, the torment forced a cry of pain from his lips. The Wood Deity’s expression was icy as he asked, “Will you talk?”

The sensation of his veins about to rupture nearly robbed Yang Ning of consciousness.

He felt the meridians in his left shoulder swelling as though inflated. If the pressure was not released, his veins and vessels would surely burst.

Yet the internal force kept pouring in, wave after relentless wave. Instinctively, his mind recalled the diagram of the red line on the left shoulder from the Six Harmonies Divine Skill. The diagram’s starting acupoint was the Quepen Point at the shoulder, passing through Zhongfu, then to Shencang, spreading to Lingxu and Shenfeng, ultimately entering the chest’s Tanzhong Point.

He was nearly fainting, but as his mind focused on the red line, he sensed internal energy stirring in the Quepen Point. He considered moving that energy to Zhongfu to ease the pain in his meridians.

Strangely, with his eyes closed and concentrating, the energy in Quepen began to move as if he could control it. At first, it resisted, but in a flash, it poured downward, flooding into Zhongfu.

Once the energy surged from Quepen to Zhongfu, the splitting pain in his shoulder’s meridians diminished greatly, though the vessels near Zhongfu now began to swell.

Yang Ning felt he could guide the internal energy, and without hesitation, followed the red line’s path prescribed by the Six Harmonies Divine Skill, moving the energy from Zhongfu to Shencang, then through Lingxu and Shenfeng, finally pouring into Tanzhong.

The Wood Deity had not yet realized that his internal energy was being drawn into Yang Ning’s Tanzhong Point, and continued to pour more, intent on breaking Yang Ning’s resolve.

At first, hearing Yang Ning’s cries, the Wood Deity was dismissive. But soon, Yang Ning’s cries faded. The Wood Deity wondered if Yang Ning had lost consciousness. He had initially wanted to kill the boy outright, but after witnessing the Carefree Walk, his intentions changed; he did not want Yang Ning dead.

He merely wanted to inflict suffering to force Yang Ning to reveal the secrets of Carefree Walk, not to kill him. When Yang Ning fell silent, he assumed the boy had fainted and prepared to withdraw his internal energy.

But when he tried to gather his energy, he found it was like a breached river, impossible to recall and still pouring out uncontrollably.

The Wood Deity frowned and tried to lift his hand, but it wouldn’t budge; his palm seemed glued to Yang Ning’s shoulder, unable to break free.

His expression changed dramatically.

He still did not realize his internal energy was flowing along a path Yang Ning had guided, being drawn incessantly into Yang Ning’s Tanzhong Point.

In truth, when Yang Ning first tried to move the energy in his shoulder, it was difficult and slow. He had no internal energy foundation; for masters, his meridians were like a river clogged with silt. To clear them would require years of cultivation.

But today, the Wood Deity’s intent to inflict pain had sent a torrent of internal energy surging into Yang Ning’s blocked channels, providing immense help.

Yang Ning used the flood of energy to guide it along the desired path, easily clearing all the acupoints and meridians along the way.

At first, the energy trickled gently to his chest’s Tanzhong Point, but once the channel was open, the internal energy flowed like a flood.

The flow grew faster and faster. The Wood Deity felt his energy pouring into Yang Ning’s body as if a dam had burst, his face pale with shock. He tried several times to lift his hand, but it remained fused to Yang Ning’s shoulder. Though he was experienced and deeply versed in martial arts, this was a situation he had never encountered, and he had no idea what was happening.

He knew that if this continued, his internal energy would be drained completely. Eyes cold and fierce, he resolved that since Yang Ning was the source of the problem, killing him would solve everything. He bellowed fiercely, channeling an even greater surge of energy into Yang Ning.

At this moment, survival mattered more than the secrets of footwork. In his mind, this flood of energy would surely kill Yang Ning, perhaps even cause a master’s meridians to burst.

But to his surprise, the energy vanished into Yang Ning as if a stone ox had sunk in the sea, leaving no trace.

Though Yang Ning was not dead, he was far from comfortable.

The Wood Deity’s energy, guided into Tanzhong, relieved the pressure elsewhere, but the massive influx caused turmoil within that acupoint, burning like wild fire. The more energy poured in, the fiercer the flames became.

It was like a starving man confronted with a feast; at first, eating brought pleasure, but forced to continue, every bite became agony. This was how Yang Ning felt now, desperately wishing the Wood Deity would stop, unaware that the old monster, though desperate to withdraw, was powerless to do so.

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