Chapter 262: Skillful Hands Empty

Green Water Beggar stood before him. He Jiaqing panicked for a moment, but quickly calmed down. The button on his chest was still vibrating, indicating that communication had not been cut off. He Jiaqing was confident he could escape, but only if he wasn't affected by Green Water Beggar's techniques before doing so.

"Senior, is there any grievance between us?"

"No grievance," Green Water Beggar chuckled. "I have a friend who wants to ask you a few questions. He wants to know your sect, your cultivation level, and what your intention was running into his house to cause trouble for no reason."

He Jiaqing was startled and replied respectfully, "Senior, I can tell you my sect and cultivation level, but when you say I went to your friend's house to cause trouble, I'm quite confused."

Green Water Beggar raised an eyebrow. "If you say you're confused, then you're not being sincere."

Below his eye, a pustule burst open, and green pus slowly flowed down his cheek. He Jiaqing's eyelid twitched. He knew Green Water Beggar was about to act. "Senior, I know the rules of Green Water Bay. By rights, you can only show yourself once a year. Isn't it a waste of such a precious opportunity to spend it on me? There's clearly a misunderstanding between us. Before it's cleared up, please act as if you haven't seen me, and I'll act as if I haven't met you. Let's just pretend you never showed yourself. Do you think this is appropriate?"

Green Water Beggar frowned slightly, then his brow smoothed out. "You're quite articulate, and you even know my weakness. Unfortunately, you've miscalculated. To tell you the truth, I haven't shown myself because I haven't left my home. This is my home!"

He Jiaqing asked in surprise, "Senior, you can't possibly mean that the entire Green Water Bay is your home, can you? You might trick me with that, but you can't trick the rules."

Green Water Beggar's smile didn't falter. "I'll say it again: This is my home."

Hearing this, He Jiaqing glanced at the passing pedestrians out of the corner of his eye. He Jiaqing was currently a well-dressed, civilized gentleman, stopped by a beggar covered in pustules. The beggar's face was full of arrogance, while the gentleman was extremely humble. Faced with such an abnormal sight, there wasn't even a single bystander on the street. All pedestrians treated them as if they were invisible, walking and chatting as if these two people didn't exist on the street at all.

He Jiaqing immediately understood the situation: Green Beggar had indeed not left his home; He Jiaqing himself had entered Green Beggar's domain. Green Water Beggar's home was a dimension imperceptible to ordinary people. He hadn't violated the rules of Green Water Bay; He Jiaqing simply couldn't understand why he had entered Green Water Beggar's domain.

By accident? Impossible. The probability of such a coincidence was negligible. The real reason was that Green Water Beggar had used a method to lure He Jiaqing into his domain. This proved that Green Water Beggar had been waiting for He Jiaqing and was well-prepared.

How did Green Water Beggar know his whereabouts? As his thoughts raced, He Jiaqing's first thought was of Lu Maoxian, who had seen him in the cinema. How would Lu Maoxian know I was in Puro Province? Xiao Zhenggong must have given him the information. What was the relationship between Xiao Zhenggong, Lu Maoxian, and Green Water Beggar? This was still unknown. The immediate priority was how to escape from Green Water Beggar's grasp.

"Senior, it was my fault for trespassing on your residence. I, your junior, apologize first." He Jiaqing bowed respectfully.

As he bowed, He Jiaqing suddenly extended his right hand to touch Green Water Beggar. His movement was extremely fast, so fast that even Green Water Beggar couldn't clearly see the trajectory of his hand. But Green Water Beggar's experience was too vast. He was prepared in advance and dodged a step ahead, stepping to the side.

"'A Thousand Miles Apart'. At your age, you can cultivate to the ninth level of Travel Cultivation."

Green Beggar smiled. His judgment was correct; He Jiaqing indeed wanted to use the 'A Thousand Miles Apart' technique. If he just pushed Green Water Beggar, He Jiaqing could escape.

With one move missed, He Jiaqing swept his arm, attempting to touch Green Water Beggar again. The pustules on Green Water Beggar's body burst, and the pus transformed into a misty vapor, spreading out.

"You dare to touch me? Aren't you afraid of getting infected? You're quite bold!" Green Water Beggar smiled.

The pus mist didn't spread very quickly, and it wouldn't be difficult for He Jiaqing to avoid it. But he had nowhere to run. Because he couldn't escape Green Water Beggar's home, and the pus mist would undoubtedly cover every corner. If He Jiaqing got a single drop of pus on him, his life might be lost.

This battle seemed to be over. Green Water Beggar was pondering how to deal with He Jiaqing—whether to kill him directly or keep him a bit longer to ask some questions. Suddenly, He Jiaqing shouted sternly, "Life and Death Apart!" As his words fell, an invisible barrier appeared between Green Water Beggar and He Jiaqing, blocking all the dense mist.

Green Water Beggar stopped smiling.

"Shared Principles and Rules?" Green Water Beggar looked at He Jiaqing in surprise. "What level of Literary Cultivation are you?"

He Jiaqing used the Literary Cultivation technique, Shared Principles and Rules. Green Water Beggar was a lost soul, and He Jiaqing was a living person; between life and death, he used the technique to create a barrier. Literary Cultivation techniques depend on one's cultivation level; low-level cultivators' techniques have limited effect against high-level cultivators. But He Jiaqing's technique was very effective; the pus mist was completely blocked, proving that his Literary Cultivation was no lower than his Travel Cultivation.

Seizing this opportunity, He Jiaqing bowed again and said, "Senior, I admire you greatly. I've long wanted to visit you. Can we speak a few words peacefully?"

"Alright, let's speak frankly!" Green Water Beggar coughed and spat out a mouthful of thick phlegm. The thick phlegm stuck to the barrier, which began to smoke as a hole was corroded through it. The pus mist spread over. He Jiaqing still wanted to use the Shared Principles and Rules technique, but didn't dare to speak rashly. There was a strange smell in the air. Besides the pus, Green Water Beggar had also spread other pathogens. He Jiaqing had likely already been infected. If he spoke, inhaling more pathogens, he might die on the spot.

The situation was critical, and no delay was permissible. He Jiaqing actively removed the barrier and pulled a pocket watch from his pocket. Pressing open the watch case, the three hands spun wildly. A vortex formed on the dial, sucking in all the surrounding pus mist and pathogens.

Green Beggar smiled. "Good artifact, let's see how much you can absorb!"

The pus from his body continuously gushed out, and the pocket watch quickly reached its limit. Seizing this opportunity, He Jiaqing rushed forward, extending his hand towards Green Water Beggar again.

Green Water Beggar frowned. "You still dare to touch me?"

The pus quickly spread over Green Water Beggar's body, but He Jiaqing genuinely found a small gap on his collar. That gap had no pus and was barely larger than a sesame seed. Seeing He Jiaqing approach, Green Water Beggar's entire body splattered pus like raindrops. He Jiaqing's fingers deftly dodged all the pus, and he touched the gap with his fingernail. In that instant of contact, He Jiaqing's body rapidly retreated and disappeared in a flash.

'A Thousand Miles Apart' had succeeded. Green Water Beggar's body retreated as well, but only two steps. He pushed back the 'A Thousand Miles Apart' technique, preventing himself from being sent flying. But He Jiaqing had already flown away; the 'A Thousand Miles Apart' technique disregards obstacles.

Green Water Beggar stood silently for a long time, muttering to himself, "In my own home, he actually managed to escape. What a powerful young man. Travel Cultivation at the ninth level, Literary Cultivation at least at the ninth level. At such an age, how could he have such cultivation? Is this the marvel of the Profound Genesis Red Lotus? Is he really a double ninth-level cultivator? Why did he dare to touch me?"

Green Water Beggar stared at his tattered clothes. After a moment, he seemed to find the answer.

"Could it be 'Sleight of Hand'? If it really is 'Sleight of Hand', then it makes sense. Should I tell that old geezer about this? We'll see. First, I'll say he's double ninth-level, to scare him a bit."

Green Water Beggar sat in his home, watching the passing pedestrians on the street. He really wanted to go out begging, to find a place as simple and unsophisticated as Blue Willow Village. As long as he didn't receive three alms, he could go out and do whatever he pleased. He could find a place to eat, drink, and be merry. He could also find a local earth deity nearby and teach them a lesson, seizing some territory. He could spread a minor plague in a certain place, eliminating all the old and weak. He could also spread a major plague in a certain place, causing unrest throughout the entire region. He could also make the entire Green Water Bay completely peaceful; as long as there were no people left, it would be truly peaceful.

Should he really do that?

"Will this young man come looking for me again?" Green Beggar chuckled. "Waiting a bit longer is fine. Let's see if he can survive first."

Using the hook's positioning, He Jiaqing flew all the way into the deep mountains and old forest, landing beside Wan Jinxiang. Seeing He Jiaqing, Wan Jinxiang quickly went to meet him. "Jiaqing, what happened? I just heard you fighting someone. Who was that person?"

He Jiaqing sighed. "I'm afraid to tell you, it might scare you. That person is... *hiccup*"

Mid-sentence, He Jiaqing hiccupped. It wasn't a normal burp; it was the kind of hiccup that wouldn't stop once it started, medically known as diaphragm spasms. He Jiaqing hiccupped incessantly. Wan Jinxiang watched for a moment and realized something was wrong. This was an illness, a severe one!

Without saying more, he prepared to use his medical cultivation technique to draw out the pathogens. He Jiaqing waved his hand. "You can't, definitely not!" He knew how serious his condition was. With every hiccup, his internal organs were shifting; in less than a hundred hiccups, his internal organs would be torn to shreds. Could he stop it? If it were that easy to stop, it wouldn't be Green Beggar's technique.

He Jiaqing looked at his left hand, then at his right. After a moment's thought, he chose his left hand. He rolled up his sleeve and shouted at his left hand, "Flower Shift, Wood Connect!" This wasn't Shared Principles and Rules; this was Word Made Flesh.

A moment later, He Jiaqing stopped hiccupping, and his left hand began to tremble periodically. He had transferred the illness from his diaphragm to his left hand.

Wan Jinxiang said, "I see the root of the illness. Just let me handle it."

He Jiaqing stopped him. "I told you, you can't. This is an illness rooted by your grandmaster. If you absorb it, you'll lose your life."

"Grandmaster, you mean..." Wan Jinxiang's cheek twitched; he didn't dare to utter that person's name. "Jiaqing, you have to get rid of this root illness quickly, otherwise your hand will be crippled..."

Before he finished speaking, He Jiaqing drew his knife and cut off his left hand. Wan Jinxiang's eyes widened as he looked at He Jiaqing's still bleeding wound.

He Jiaqing frowned. "Stop staring, quickly stop the bleeding!"

Wan Jinxiang immediately bandaged He Jiaqing. "Jiaqing, why put yourself through this? Let's think of another solution!"

"Solution?" He Jiaqing gave a bitter laugh and said no more. He had elixirs and artifacts on him, and he knew some methods could slowly resolve the root of the illness. But this required time. Green Beggar never gave anyone time. First his hand would tremble, then his arm, then his whole body. After a few minutes of trembling, his entire body would fall apart.

He Jiaqing lit a fire and burned his left hand to ashes.

Old Wan kept smacking his lips. "What are you doing now? Keep your hand for now, and we can reattach it when there's a chance."

He Jiaqing shook his head. "It can't be reattached. This hand is already useless. I need to hurry back to Waizhou; Zhou Changhong's side has been exposed."

Old Wan said, "So what will you do about your hand?"

He Jiaqing sighed. "I'll go to Three-Headed Fork and try my luck to see if a new one can grow. Time is critical, and there's no other good way."

Wan Jinxiang said with a worried expression, "Jiaqing, don't rush back to Waizhou yet. Deal with your injuries first. Those guys in Waizhou won't dare to do anything to you."

He Jiaqing shook his head. "I'm not worried about the people in Waizhou; I'm worried about my own family. I'm afraid someone will leak the news."

At the He family mansion, He Haiqin sat in the room, not saying a word. Hearing that He Haiqin hadn't eaten for nearly a day, He Yuxiu was terrified. For a Food Cultivator, not eating for a day meant serious trouble.

"Brother, what's wrong? Tell your sister if something's bothering you."

He Haiqin's expression was blank as he looked at He Yuxiu and said weakly, "Sister, someone said Jiaqing is back in Puro Province."

He Yuxiu asked in astonishment, "Brother, what nonsense are you talking about? Isn't Jiaqing lying in a hospital in Waizhou?"

"Yes, everyone says he's in the hospital. But my own son, he's back in Puro Province now, and I didn't even know. Can you believe that?"

I always thought only heads could grow there.