The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

“No, no, no, calling me a benefactor is already too much. I didn't really do anything, and 'saint' is even more of an exaggeration.”

Lu Jing shook his head. He整理 (zhengli - organized) the information he had collected so far and asked, “Earlier in the restaurant, did you control Jie Liancheng's body? Does your behavior… have any restrictions?”

“As expected of my benefactor, your insight is sharp,” the man praised. “I’m actually already dead. What’s attached to that secret manual is just a wisp of lingering will. I rely on a breath of unwillingness to remain in this world, so what I do must be related to the unwillingness in my heart.”

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“So, you can harm martial artists by luring them to improve their cultivation, but you can't directly attack, right?” Lu Jing realized. “No wonder you only blocked my path in the restaurant. Except for that last palm strike, you never laid a hand on me from beginning to end.”

“That's right. Even that palm strike couldn't hurt your body, benefactor. I just forcibly sent my wisp of lingering will into your mind through that palm strike.”

“That works too?” Lu Jing was stunned.

“That's almost my last resort, and I wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary. Because when I enter your body, you can also see the memories that remain in my lingering will. And the resentment you just saw was from those who died at my hands. I drove them to find flaws in you.”

“As long as there's even a trace of a thought to improve your cultivation in your heart, they would definitely take advantage of it. But I didn't expect that it was ultimately your unwavering mind that dispelled them and the unwillingness in my heart.”

After listening to the man's words, Lu Jing finally had a roughly clear understanding of this so-called lingering will in the book.

This thing is formed from the strong unwillingness in a person's heart when they die. It attaches to something and can harm people through that thing, but the means of harming people can only be related to the obsession before death.

By harming people, it can gain experience and level up, unlocking skills, uh, that is, spells, to make it more convenient to harm people, until someone can dispel its obsession, and then it will disappear.

Having figured out the key to this, Lu Jing also broke out in a cold sweat.

He knew very well that he wasn't really unmoved by the divine skill manual. It was only because of the bug on his body that he didn't want to improve his cultivation, which is why he didn't fall for it like others.

According to the man, he initially only used some psychological suggestions and false cultivation improvements to lure the host deeper and deeper. But when he unlocked the second spell, it was simply mass hypnosis, and anyone with even a slight flaw in their heart would be tricked.

Someone as proud as Wei Zixian couldn't escape it either. If all the heroes were killed by him tonight, how powerful would it become afterward? Lu Jing simply couldn't imagine it.

The man seemed to see what Lu Jing was thinking and sighed again, “Tonight, I am very grateful to my benefactor, otherwise, I would really be deeply sinful.”

Lu Jing asked, “Can… uh, after you disappear, can those who were affected by your spells in the restaurant return to normal?”

“After I disappear, the effect of the spells will naturally be gone, but their minds have been shaken and need to be slowly adjusted and restored through sleep. After waking up, they will probably hardly remember what just happened. Even if they recall it later, they will mostly regard it as a ridiculous dream, but they won't be able to repay my benefactor for saving their lives,” the man said with regret.

“Ah, that doesn't matter,” Lu Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

He was only worried about the safety of Xia Huai and the others. As for repayment, Lu Jing himself was only trying to save his own life, and saving others was just a side effect.

If someone was willing to repay him, he certainly wouldn't refuse, but if no one repaid him, he wouldn't feel like he was at a loss.

After asking about the events of tonight, Lu Jing could finally get to the main topic. He scratched his head, “You reached the first-rate realm in your lifetime, can you answer some of my confusion about martial arts?”

The man was stunned when he heard this. In his eyes, Lu Jing should be a saint who didn't care about martial arts at all, otherwise, there was no reason he could break his so strong obsession.

However, although he felt strange in his heart, he still respectfully said, “Please speak, benefactor.”

Then he heard a strange question that he had never heard in his life.

“I just want to ask, besides breaking through acupoints, what other methods are most effective for consuming the internal energy in the dantian?”

“Benefactor, are you asking about methods for consuming the internal energy in the dantian?”

The man suspected that his ears had misheard and asked again specifically.

“Yes, it's consumption,” Lu Jing said with certainty, while looking at the man in front of him with anticipation.

“Uh, benefactor, allow me to think for a moment.”

… … … …

An incense stick later, Lu Jing felt that he had gained a lot. The only regret was that after losing his obsession, the time that the man could exist was too short.

The man got up and bowed to Lu Jing again, then his body began to gradually fade. At the last moment, he seemed to have thought of something again and said.

“Benefactor, Jie Liancheng has always carried that secret manual with him. I can transfer it to your body. After I leave, it will return to normal. You can take it and practice. Although the things on it are obscure and difficult to understand, if you can comprehend it, it can indeed help you improve your cultivation.”

Lu Jing's face changed drastically when he heard the last sentence, “No, no, no, don't give me that thing! ”

During the cutscene animation before, he was worried, afraid that he would accidentally see the divine skill recorded in the manual. Fortunately, it was basically fragments and flashbacks, and Lu Jing only saw half a page at most.

All martial artists dream of this thing, but it's useless to him, and he will be targeted by others. It's like a ticking time bomb. Even if it only passes through his hands once, it will attract endless trouble.

A strange look flashed across the man's face when he heard this. After being silent for a moment, he seemed to have made up his mind, “Okay, then I will directly destroy the secret manual, so as to save someone from repeating my tragedy in the future. Since you don't want the secret manual, benefactor, then I, can I… ask you for one more thing?”

Lu Jing felt a little strange when he heard this. He didn't understand why he had to ask for one more thing if he didn't want the secret manual, but there was no time to ask at this moment. He could only say, “Please speak.”

“There is a child named Amu, whose situation is somewhat similar to mine, but not quite the same. We have been dependent on each other for these years. Now that I am leaving, no one will be able to take care of that child. I want to entrust her to you, benefactor. That child is very pitiful, and I can only rest assured if she is with you…”

The man's voice became smaller and smaller.

“What child, Amu? Where is she?” Lu Jing wanted to ask again, but the man's figure had completely disappeared, and when Lu Jing blinked again, he was back in Gonglou.