Lu Yu stood up and slowly walked toward the cave.
A gust of evening wind blew by, making him shiver.
"Huh? I'm already a ghost, so why do I still feel the cold?"
"How strange."
Lu Yu bypassed the skeleton and entered the cave.
Inside the cave, a black-robed old man with disheveled hair and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth sat cross-legged, staring at Lu Yu with a cold gaze.
Beside the old man lay a pitch-black precious sword, and in front of him was a book that had been flipped open, filled with dense small characters and a portrait.
Beside it was an oval stone the size of a millstone; the green and red light originated from there.
"Little ghost Lu Yu greets Ghost Grandfather."
Lu Yu mimicked the manner of an adult, making a fist with his right hand and covering it with his left palm as he bowed to the old man.
"Ghost Grandfather?"
"Hehehe." The old man's cold gaze softened as he tried his best to show what he thought was a very kind smile.
However, when he smiled, his teeth were exposed and blood seeped from his mouth, making him look even more terrifying, as if he had just eaten someone, causing Lu Yu to shrink his neck in fear.
"Lu Yu, is it? I have a Cultivation Technique here. As long as you Cultivate according to it, you won't be taken away by the Ghost Messengers of the Underworld."
After the old man finished speaking, the book in front of him flew toward Lu Yu on its own.
Lu Yu looked at the book floating in mid-air, feeling a surge of surprise in his heart.
"It seems this Ghost Grandfather really has some skill to be able to make things fly."
Lu Yu didn't know that the old man was currently gritting his teeth, his face flushed red; seeing him dazed by the book, the old man barked angrily.
"What are you dawdling for, kid? Hurry up and catch it."
"Oh. Okay."
Lu Yu responded and hurriedly caught the book.
The old man felt relieved and was somewhat out of breath; clearly, that performance just now hadn't been easy for him.
"This Cultivation Technique is called the Evergreen Art. Cultivating this technique will make your Yang Qi flourish, making you no different from an ordinary person."
"Turn to the first page, and I will teach you how to Cultivate."
Lu Yu looked at the book but felt a bit troubled.
"Ghost Grandfather, I don't recognize many of the words in this Cultivation Technique."
"No matter, I will teach you. However, you don't have much time; you must Cultivate to the entry level within half a month."
Lu Yu was only twelve years old, and his clothes were tattered; he looked like a child from an ordinary family. The old man guessed that Lu Yu was likely illiterate.
"I will first teach you,so recite it after me."
"Spiritual breath guides, Heaven and Earth merge."
"Spiritual breath guides, Heaven and Earth merge."
...
The introductory Cultivation Technique had several hundred words, and Lu Yu recognized nearly half of them.
This was because he used to hang around his Second Uncle's fat son.
After reciting with the old man a few times, Lu Yu could already read it.
"You can already read it. Now you just need to silently recite it every day, sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and then keep the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the Dantian area; then you will have reached the entry level."
"This is a Medicinal Pill I refined; it will help you better sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi."
After speaking, the old man took out a broad-bean-sized, dark Medicinal Pill and looked at Lu Yu with a beaming smile.
Lu Yu took the Medicinal Pill, examined it for a moment, and asked:
"Ghost Grandfather, why are you helping me?"
A hint of coldness appeared in the old man's eyes again, but it quickly vanished as he smiled and said.
"I am but a lonely wandering ghost and was truly bored. Having you around from now on can be considered having a companion."
"Don't worry, Ghost Grandfather. If you need anything in the future, just give the order. If you want to talk, you can find me."
After saying this, Lu Yu put the Medicinal Pill into his mouth.
The Medicinal Pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, turning into a warm current that flowed through his limbs and bones, making Lu Yu feel refreshed.
However, in the next moment, a piercing pain shot through Lu Yu's stomach.
"Ugh. Ahhhh."
"Ghost... Grandfather, what exactly did you give me to eat?"
Lu Yu clutched his stomach and doubled over, soon falling to the ground and curling into a ball, drenched in sweat from the pain.
"Jiejiejie." The old man quickly revealed a smile of a successful scheme.
"What I gave you is naturally a good thing. Why haven't you hurried to sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi?"
"Ugh. Ahhh."
Lu Yu hurriedly recited the technique in his heart to sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
"Jiejiejie."
The old man looked at Lu Yu, once again revealing a cold smile.
However, the old man soon stopped smiling.
In less than fifteen minutes, Lu Yu fainted from the pain.
In his sleep, Lu Yu dreamed of the blurry figures of his parents and of his Second Aunt scolding and beating him.
The scene shifted, and Ox-Head and Horse-Face appeared before him, holding iron chains and hopping toward Lu Yu.
"Lu Yu, your lifespan has ended. Hurry up and come with us."
"No, don't take me away. I won't go."
The old man opened his eyes and looked at Lu Yu, who was on the ground with a terrified expression, murmuring to himself, and a smile appeared on the old man's face.
"Jiejiejie."
"He really is an easy-to-trick little ghost."
The night passed in silence. The moon set and the sun rose, and it soon became bright outside.
Lu Yu opened his eyes groggily, preparing to get up and herd the cattle.
However, just as he sat up, he saw the green glowing stone and the old man in front of him. Lu Yu then remembered that he had already died.
"You're awake." Sensing that Lu Yu was awake, the old man also opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his face.
"Old ghost. What did you give me to eat last night?" Lu Yu shouted at the old man with a face full of anger.
"Humph." The old man's face instantly darkened, and he let out a cold snort.
Lu Yu once again felt a piercing pain in his lower abdomen, and he soon bent over, rolling on the ground in agony.
"Ahhh. Old ghost... You."
Lu Yu quickly realized that the pain in his body was definitely caused by the old man.
"You'd better be obedient; otherwise, I'll make it so you can't even be a ghost."
From behind came the old man's voice, sounding like a vengeful spirit claiming a life.
After a long while, the pain in Lu Yu's body gradually faded.
After panting on the ground for a while, he struggled to stand up. The anger on his face vanished, replaced by a fawning smile.
"Don't worry, Ghost Grandfather. I will definitely be obedient from now on and work hard at Cultivating."
"Gurgle, gurgle."
Just then, Lu Yu's stomach growled. The grass he had eaten yesterday had already been digested after that ordeal.
"Huh? Ghost Grandfather, I'm already a dead ghost, so why do I still feel hungry?"
"Do ghosts have to eat too?" Lu Yu looked puzzled; the more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong.
The old man sneered, "You have Cultivated the Cultivation Technique I gave you. Now you are no different from an ordinary person; not only must you eat, but you will also feel pain."
"If you don't believe me, try slapping yourself a few more times."
Lu Yu was skeptical and reached out his hand to give himself a light slap.
Slap.
Although the sound wasn't loud, Lu Yu did indeed feel pain on his face.
"It really works? Ghost Grandfather's Cultivation Technique is this powerful?"
Slap.
"I'm alive again."
"Hahaha."
Lu Yu gave himself another big slap, finally confirming he was no different from an ordinary person, and laughed excitedly.
"Little ghost, don't get happy too soon. If you cannot sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within half a month, you will still be taken away by the Ghost Messengers of the Underworld."
The old man's voice was like a bucket of cold water, causing Lu Yu's laughter to stop abruptly.