Chapter 4: Heavenly Devil Creation Technique (2/2)

Village Chief was stumped. Despite him being extremely knowledgeable, he had never seen a situation like Qin Mu’s. To cultivate the most common Daoyin Technique to this extent had already surpassed everybody’s understanding of the breathing technique.

”Qin Mu, you will learn to tailor from granny today. No more fist training.” Granny Si called out to Qin Mu.

The hunchbacked old woman walked over carrying a small basket filled with needles and thread. As her small steps took her out of the village, Qin Mu rushed forward and took the basket from her arm, asking, ”Granny, aren’t we supposed to learn to tailor in the village? Why are we going outside?”

”We are going outside today to teach you how to really tailor and make... real clothes.”

Granny Si chuckled. ”Old Ma, Cripple, and the rest of those old fogeys have recently gotten around to teaching you some actual skills. In light of that, Granny can’t be stingy. Today, I’ll be teaching you what a tailor does best.”

What a tailor does best? Qin Mu thought in confusion. Doesn’t a tailor just make clothes?

In spite of his confusion, Qin Mu followed Granny Si out of the village and down to the river. Even though Granny Si was a hunchback, her footsteps were surprisingly quick. Qin Mu had to make full use of the leg technique that Cripple taught him just to keep up with her. After dozens of miles, they reached an area of grassy knolls at the foot of a mountain. Around two hundred paces ahead of them, a herd of elks was grazing and frolicking about.

Granny Si plucked a silver sewing needle from a ball of thread inside the basket and gave it a flick. The needle disappeared in a flash of light. In the following instant, Qin Mu saw one of the elks collapsed to the ground, the other elks fleeing in fear.

Granny Si moved forward and Qin Mu followed her. As they approached the elk, he realized that it was still alive. However, Granny Si’s needle had penetrated the space between its brows, somehow preventing it from moving.

”Take a good look at this, Mu’er. The needle has pierced the elk’s Heaven Soul.”

As Granny Si had Qin Mu remember the location where the needle protruded from, she took out another needle and stabbed it into the elk’s tailbone.

”This needle has stabbed into its Earth Soul,” she said.

She then took out another sewing needle and stabbed it into the elk’s navel. ”This needle has pierced the elk’s Life Soul. Aside from these three souls, seven spirits remain. The first spirit called the Canine Corpse, which is located at the top of the head.”

Granny Si took another silver needle and stabbed it in between the elk’s brows near the first needle. ”The second spirit is called the Concealed Arrow. The Concealed Arrow is located at the ajna, a part of the brain. But remember! It’s easy to confuse the Heaven Soul with the Concealed Arrow. Both needles may seem like they’re pierced at the same place, but one is deeper than the other. Do not mix them up.”

”The third spirit, the Yin of Sparrow, is located in Adam's apple,” she continued, pointing at Qin Mu’s neck. ”Do you feel a small, triangular indentation when touching your own? That is where the Yin of Sparrow is hidden. This needle will pierce the elk’s Yin of Sparrow.”

Granny Si moved quickly, taking out needle after needle and stabbing them into different parts of the elk.

”The fourth spirit, Seizing Thief, is located here, in the heart where all blood converges.”

”The fifth spirit, Not Toxic, is located also in the navel. Do not mistake the Life Soul for the Not Toxic.”

”The sixth spirit, Remove Filth, is located in the perineum, near where one disposes of their waste.”

”The seventh spirit, Smelly Lung, is located in the lungs, where you cycle between fresh and stale air.”

Granny Si finished stabbing needles into the three souls and seven spirits of the elk and said, ”Binding the three souls and seven spirits is the most important step in tailoring proper clothing. It is called ‘Soul Bind.’ Do you understand, Mu’er? Once you do, we begin the tailoring process.”

Qin Mu didn’t understand what did all of this had to do with tailoring, but he still diligently memorized every location by heart, then said, ”I’m done.”

Granny Si took a pair of scissors from her basket and set about skinning the elk, starting from its lips. Soon, all of the elkskins had been peeled away. Strangely enough, even though the elk had been stripped of its skin, not a single drop of blood flowed from its bare body.

”I have bounded the elk’s soul to its skin, trapping all of its blood, energy, and spirit within. The elk’s body may be dead, but it still lives within its skin. However, some techniques still need to be used to truly refine it into proper clothing. Watch closely, Mu’er. Remember where I point!”

Without warning, hunchbacked Granny Si threw the elkskin into the air. Using her finger in place of a needle, she poked the skin as it arced through the sky.

Qin Mu concentrated on committing the scene to memory and saw that Granny Si pointed out three hundred and sixteen spots before the elkskin even landed on the ground. Every spot was different, and each strike of her finger carried vital qi that entered the elkskin.

When the elkskin landed, it didn’t crumple on the floor. Instead, it stood up like a living elk! It shook its head and wagged its tail—one wouldn’t be able to tell it was actually just skin!

The bizarre sight caused Qin Mu to stare blankly.

Granny Si chuckled and opened the elkskin, wrapping it around Qin Mu. ”This is the kind of clothing that we tailor should make.”

Suddenly, the elkskin began to squeeze Qin Mu. It got tighter and tighter, making him feel as if it were becoming a part of his body, then forced him to fall on all fours.

He felt like he had actually become an elk! He could even feel his tiny elk tail!

Granny Si took a mirror out of her basket and placed in front of him, allowing Qin Mu to look at his own reflection. Upon doing so, he saw that he had really turned into an elk!

Qin Mu tried to speak, but he could only let out the bleatings of an elk.

Then, out of nowhere, a booming voice rang out.

”The Heavenly Devil Creation Technique! What sorcery! I would never have expected to find a rouge devil teaching a devil brat such sinister techniques in this desolate area of the Great Ruins!”