Chapter 35: I Will Give You One More Chance to Choose Your Words Carefully

Because of Sakura’s gaze, the firewood chopper, though lacking limbs, silently shimmied behind Zhao Yu.

Once the chopper was out of sight, Sakura’s expression returned to normal. She gave a wry smile and said, "My husband, did that chopper say something foolish?"

"No, no, not at all," Zhao Yu replied with a dismissive laugh.

Deep down, he was grumbling to himself. He remembered his wife saying that Xiao Wanzi and Mu Han shouldn't know the chopper could talk, so why was she being so open about it now?

Seeming to sense his concern, Sakura’s voice softened again. "My husband need not worry. We will always be husband and wife, and Mu Han and Xiao Wanzi will always be here at home to stay with us."

"Then I’m off to study the cultivation manual."

Zhao Yu immediately brushed aside the minor details and headed for the study. He trusted his wife wouldn't lie to him... or so he hoped.

As soon as Zhao Yu entered the study, Xiao Wanzi stared at the door for a long while before letting out a soft, mocking laugh. "Sister, that firewood chopper in Brother-in-law's hand is actually the Nine-Spirit Phoenix Wing. To think that neither I nor that sickly one could tell... Sister, you really don't trust your sister, do you? Hehe..."

"That’s not it," Sakura replied nonchalantly, continuing to eat her noodles.

Xiao Wanzi let out an eerie giggle. "Oh, isn't it?"

Sakura didn't respond, simply continuing to eat in silence, chewing slowly and gracefully, possessing the refined air of a noble lady.

Xiao Wanzi suddenly felt a surge of self-doubt. Could it really not be? She wanted to test her again, but feared provoking Sakura. In the end, Xiao Wanzi left the main hall and returned to the doorway of her room, staring outside with a slightly manic look in her eyes.

It was almost time. As soon as Zhao Yu began his practice and generated spiritual power—it didn't need to be much, just a single thread would suffice.

***

In the study, Zhao Yu sat in his chair, flipping through the manual repeatedly. Yet, it was the same as before: he recognized every character, but when put together, they made no sense.

The firewood chopper, perched on his shoulder, chattered incessantly. "You scared the blade out of me! I almost thought my meager essence was going to return to the void..."

Zhao Yu muttered, "Stop squawking. My wife is so gentle, how could she possibly hit you?"

"Right, right, your wife is the gentlest," the chopper grumbled, holding back a string of insults.

After studying for nearly another hour, Zhao Yu lay back in his chair, dazed. "Strange, why can't I understand this?" It didn't make sense. Should he go ask his wife? No, that wouldn't do. If his wife found out he couldn't even understand a single manual, it would severely damage his dignity as the head of the household. But if he didn't ask her, he truly couldn't grasp it.

Unable to understand meant unable to cultivate. How infuriating!

The anxious firewood chopper blinked and let out three loud laughs. "You still don't get it after all this time? Zhao Yu, are you trying to laugh me to death?"

Zhao Yu, already in a foul mood, gave the chopper a menacing look. "I’ll give you one more chance to rephrase that!"

The chopper, mid-mockery, suddenly choked on its words.

"Chopper, why did you stop laughing?" Zhao Yu asked with a forced, stiff smile.

"Well... you see..." After stuttering for a while, the chopper gave a dry laugh. "I know you've actually understood it, but I still want to share my thoughts. Why don't I say them out loud for you to critique? You can see if I'm right or not?"

"Let's hear it," Zhao Yu’s eyes lit up. A broken piece of firewood—he had it under control.

The chopper hurried to explain, "Actually, it’s quite simple for you to practice the Heaven-Sealing Technique. You just need to eat this book, and then consume something else that is pure and precious, and the technique will operate on its own." At the end, the chopper added eagerly, "Tell me, am I right?"

Zhao Yu didn't skimp on the praise. "Not bad, not bad. You’re starting to have a bit of my flair."

The chopper let out another dry laugh, though the look of suppressed rage on its face was evident. Zhao Yu pretended not to see it and looked back at the book. Eating the book wasn't the hard part; the trouble was, what did the chopper mean by "something precious"? He hadn't understood the book at all, so he really didn't know.

Wait! He had an idea.

"Ahem..." Zhao Yu coughed twice and looked at the chopper with great gravity. "Let me test you again."

"Go ahead," the chopper muttered, clearly wanting to curse.

Zhao Yu grew even more solemn. "What do you consider to be good, precious things? Don't misunderstand; I’ve already grasped the concepts, I just want to test your insight."

"Let me think..." The chopper fell into deep thought, its face twisted in irritation. It then mumbled, "That's not right. You should just need to eat the book... whether it's the little rabbit you ate earlier or the wolf leg just now, those were both very rare, precious things."

"Not bad, not bad. Now you’ve got five-tenths of my flair," Zhao Yu praised again. He looked at the book. It was such a thick tome to eat all at once... but oh well, it was all for the sake of cultivation.

Zhao Yu closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and shoved the manual into his mouth. Fortunately, perhaps to avoid being unpalatable, the moment he pushed it in, the book dissolved into a warm current that flowed into his body; there was no need to chew.

Zhao Yu felt pleased. "I must be a cultivator now, right?" He was going to soar through the skies and tunnel through the earth!

The chopper, perched on his shoulder, looked blankly at him. "It doesn't seem like it."

"Huh?" Zhao Yu’s excitement faltered.

The chopper peered at him for a while before muttering, "It’s true. You have no spiritual power in your body, and nothing in the house has changed."

Zhao Yu fought the urge to swear. "As I thought, you only have five-tenths of my flair!"

The chopper looked genuinely puzzled. "That shouldn't be. You've eaten so many rabbits over the years, and that wolf earlier... why do you have no spiritual power?"

Zhao Yu, no longer caring about his dignity, began to curse. "You know I can't read the manual! If you ask me, who am I supposed to ask?"

The chopper immediately seized the chance to mock him. "Illiterate..."

Zhao Yu threatened viciously, "You useless piece of firewood! You’d better figure out the reason, or I’ll bury you in the dirt and let you feel the warm embrace of Mother Earth!"

"Go ahead and try burying me! Without me, you wouldn't even be able to catch a rabbit!" the chopper retorted, no longer backing down.

"I will bury you! You think I don't dare?"

"If you bury me, don't come digging me up when you can't catch any more rabbits!"

After trading threats for a while, the chopper hopped onto the table, deep in thought. After some time, it suddenly jumped up happily. "I know why!"

Zhao Yu perked up. "Why?"

The chopper didn't explain, but gave him a knowing look. "You’re about to have two wives!"

Zhao Yu’s eyes widened reflexively. "Nonsense! In this life, I will only ever love my wife!"

The chopper sprouted a small hand and waved it. "Oh, regardless, it’s a good thing."

"That’s a good thing?" Zhao Yu was stunned. Whether it was the shocking news of an extra wife or the tragic truth that he hadn't successfully begun his cultivation, how could any of this be good?

The chopper waved its hand again to explain, "You need to eat other precious items. I’ve thought about it carefully, and if I’m not mistaken, if you eat a piece of Incense Crystal, you should be able to generate spiritual power within your body."

"Incense Crystal? What’s that?" Zhao Yu had truly never heard of such a thing.

The chopper explained, "On the surface, this stuff is formed by divine power, but in reality, it is condensed from the humanistic energy that deities absorb. The essence of an Incense Crystal is actually the manifestation of humanistic power. If you swallow one, you will definitely be able to generate spiritual power."