Chapter 7 Turbulence
Cao Sen walked through the mountain cave and came to a valley, from the moment he stepped into the valley, he felt the strangeness of the valley.
The canyon was very quiet, so still that even the slightest breeze didn't blow, everything seemed to be frozen in place, and everything was motionless. The absolutely still scene before his eyes and the familiar picture in his memory created a certain sense of dissonance, which made Cao Sen feel quite uncomfortable. Looking around again, Cao Sen discovered an even stranger phenomenon.
There were countless thick and disordered energy streams in the air, dancing randomly like a tangled mess, filling the entire valley. Cao Sen was surrounded by this chaotic energy flow, with energy streams swirling around his eyes, head, and body everywhere. He tried to analyze one of them, but felt dizzy and nauseous, with a wave of discomfort in his chest and abdomen that almost made him vomit. Cao Sen hastily dispersed the spiritual power gathered between his eyes, taking a few quick steps before feeling slightly more comfortable. He was shocked in his heart - what had happened in this valley to make it like this?
Walking further ahead, a girl was lying by the side of the road. Cao Sen immediately recognized that it was Xiang Xiang's sister and hastily walked over to take a closer look.
The girl had her eyes tightly closed, a thread of fresh blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, her complexion was waxen yellow and her breathing weak, her long eyelashes quivered lightly, as if she were enduring some kind of pain.
Cao Sen didn't know what to do, thought for a moment and didn't disturb her, continuing to walk forward. Turning around a bend, several thatched cottages appeared in front of him, Cao Sen quietly walked into one of the cottages, seeing four or five men lying horizontally and vertically inside, including young and middle-aged men, all in the same state as Xiang Xiang's sister. He came out and looked at all the cottages, they were all the same, it seemed that Lao Shu Pi was right, they had indeed gone mad.
Cao Sen didn't know how to rescue them. According to the martial arts way of speaking, Cao Sen would have to give them a boost of strong internal energy, suppress the chaotic true energy inside their bodies, and then the group of masters would thank him for saving their lives, willingly acknowledging him as their leader, and for the rest of their lives, they would follow him devotedly.
The problem is that Cao Sen doesn't have any internal energy at all, and he doesn't even know what internal energy is. As for rescuing everyone, it's not even worth mentioning. He irritably turned around in circles a few times, deciding to go see Xiangxiang's sister first. If possible, he wanted to carry her out of the valley and let Lao Pishi come up with a plan.
He came to the girl's side, and Cao Sen was thinking about how to hold the girl. From his special forces first aid knowledge, he knew that when a person is injured and lying still on the ground, they should not be moved easily, as this might worsen their injuries. However, there were no external wounds on the girl's body, and the internal injuries she had suffered were beyond Cao Sen's knowledge, which made him somewhat worried - if he acted rashly with good intentions, he might end up harming her instead.
Cao Sen finally decided to use his ability to see through energy to give the girl a preliminary diagnosis, and perhaps discover something. He focused his eyes between her eyebrows, avoiding the chaotic streams of energy that were everywhere, and slowly scanned over the girl's body. After looking, Cao Sen understood.
A very faint white energy thread surrounded the girl's body, and inside the thread, that is, inside the girl's body, Cao Sen found many small energy streams chaotically drilling in and out. The characteristics were the same as those of the large energy streams in the valley, only much smaller. It should be these small and disordered energy streams that made the girl become like this, and if they were eliminated, the girl would naturally recover.
Recalling the scene where he shattered the boulder earlier, Cao Sen stretched out his hand and attempted to merge with and control those energy flows. A cool and smooth sensation swept across his palm. Cao Sen slightly closed his eyes, imagining the energy flow slowly entering his body. What delighted him was that the tiny energy flows were extremely easy to control, obediently flowing out of the girl's body, smoothly passing through his palm and into his own body, instantly dissolving like a gentle spring breeze, making him feel comfortable all over, a feeling even more pleasant than the moment when he released it.
Not bad, this feeling is not bad. Cao Sen sat down beside the girl, increasing his intake of energy flow. A thread of coolness, like a gentle stream, slowly flowed into Cao Sen's body. He closed his eyes contentedly, savoring an experience he had never had before.
The girl's chaotic energy had long been absorbed by Cao Sen, and at this time, the energy that flowed into Cao Sen's body was the chaotic energy that ran wild in the canyon. They seemed to have finally found a place to settle down, just like millions of streams flowing into the sea, rushing towards the girl's body, and then flowing into his body through Cao Sen's palm. Even the chaotic energy on the bodies of the alien ability holders in the thatched cottages flowed into Cao Sen's body. When Cao Sen discovered that the incoming energy was getting bigger and bigger, gradually forming a turbulent torrent, he couldn't help but absorb it.
The last scene that flashed through Cao Sen's mind was when he fell into the floodwaters while saving Zhu Jianjun at Wufeng Mountain, those towering waves and the overwhelming torrent, then everything went black.
When he woke up, the first thing he saw was Xiang Xiang's big eyes staring at him. She was leaning on his face, carefully studying his features with a pen and notebook in hand. A page of paper already had an outline of a person drawn on it, apparently she wanted to draw Cao Sen very meticulously. Cao Sen suddenly opened his eyes, startling Xiang Xiang, who slapped him on the ear.
"I'm sorry, really sorry, I'm used to it...I didn't mean to hit you, don't be angry." Xiangxiang apologized repeatedly, at a loss for what to do with her hands and feet.
"Get out!" Cao Sen replied irritably. He had just woken up and was scolded, not hitting back was already giving Xiang Xiang face.
Xiang Xiang was extremely wronged, using all her might to hold back tears. Cao Sen saw that she still hadn't left and very bluntly gave the girl another word - "Scram".
Xiang Xiang finally burst into tears and ran away crying.
Cao Sen first touched the Klock pistol under his armpit, which was still there. He looked around and found himself in a thatched hut, with no one else but himself. He got down from the bed to stretch his limbs, recalling the scene before he fainted, and hastily checked his body for any abnormalities. The surging energy flow that had flooded into his body seemed like a dream, and now that he was awake, there were no signs of it left.
A flurry of footsteps hastily approached, led by a middle-aged man. Upon entering the house and seeing Cao Sen's nonchalant demeanor, he let out a long sigh of relief. Earlier, he had heard Xiang Xiang's crying and mistakenly thought something was wrong with Cao Sen, rushing over in alarm, only to find it was a false alarm.
"Brother Jin Da Chui, representing all fellow Taoists on the ancient path, thank you for saving my life. May I ask your honorable surname and given name?" The middle-aged man was very polite, his tone also very sincere.
"Zao Sen." Zao Sen simply introduced himself.
"Please sit down, Mr. Cao, please take a seat." Jin Daqiang warmly invited him.
Jin Da continued to ask questions, getting a clear understanding of Cao Sen's basic situation, and then introduced the local situation.
This canyon, or ancient path, has gathered more than 20 eccentric practitioners to cultivate here. Among the crowd, there is no clear affiliation or organization, only friendships; as long as one can open the stone door to enter, the ancient path will have a bed for them. However, for the overall benefit and daily convenience, everyone still elects Jin Da Chui as the title-less leader, responsible for some trivial daily chores.
Jin Da introduced the familiar sister duo to Cao Sen, the elder sister named Mei Fang, 21 years old, and the younger sister named Mei Xiang, 16 years old, a pair of sister flowers on the ancient road, very eye-catching.
Cao Sen wanted to know what kind of abilities the people in the ancient path had, so he asked Jin Da Chui. Jin Da Chui hesitated and didn't answer, only repeatedly thanking Cao Sen for saving everyone, and instead used words to probe Cao Sen about what kind of special abilities he possessed and how he subdued the powerful energy flow in the ancient path.
Just as Cao Sen was about to ask questions on this aspect, Mei Fang rushed in, "Mr. Cao, my sister and Lao Shu Pi have an urgent matter to find you, please follow me."
Jin Da Hammer wanted to speak but hesitated, sighed and said nothing.
Cao Sen realized his mistake, and from Mei Fang's actions and Jin Da Chui's expression, he understood the situation. He apologized to Jin Da Chui and followed Mei Fang out of the thatched cottage.
The two of them arrived at a quiet place, Mei Fang looked straight into Cao Sen's eyes and said: "I thank you for saving me, and also thank you for saving my sister Xiang Xiang. Mr. Cao..."
"Call me Cao Sen."
"Cao Sen, you're not familiar with the situation on this ancient path. Everyone here keeps their abilities a secret, even when they're cultivating, they do it behind others' backs. Except for Jin Da Chui, from now on, no matter who asks you about your special abilities again, don't answer them, they might not have good intentions."
These words made Cao Sen feel quite surprised, he didn't think that the heterodox practitioners in the ancient way would be wary of each other, and it seemed like there was some unpleasantness that had happened, but considering Mei Fang's sisters' personalities, their views might be a bit extreme.
"And also, don't easily shake hands with people from the old way." Mei Fang said again.
"Why?"
"Some people use evil magic and when they shake hands with you, they absorb your special energy."
Is there such a thing? Cao Sen thought of Jin Yong's "Xī Xīng Dà Fǎ" (The Devouring Stars Great Method), "Why didn't anyone stop this evil technique?"
"Hmph, apart from Jin Dadao, everyone is only looking out for themselves and doesn't have any good intentions. Who would bother to intervene in other people's business?" Mei Fang said disdainfully.
"Thanks, Mei Fang, thanks for reminding me, I'll be careful." Cao Sen really didn't expect the interpersonal relationships in Gudao to be so tense.
"You're not leaving today, are you?"
Cao Sen shook his head, "Of course not."
"Alright, when Jinda arranges your accommodation later, just tell him you want to stay in our sister's room."
Cao Sen was taken aback, what does it mean? Immediately after that he understood, Mei Fang was worried that he would be taken advantage of by living elsewhere, so she asked him to move into their sister's residence. Hey, if I, Cao Sen, have fallen to the point where I need a little girl's protection, then I might as well not live in this world anymore.
"Thank you, no need, I and the girl can't sleep in one room."
Mei Fang's face changed color, wanting to flare up but finally holding back, "Then you and Jin Da Chui sleeping in the same room is also safe."
Cao Sen cannot refuse again, Mei Fang is repaying kindness and also a good intention.
"Damn it, sister! He's being kind to a donkey, let him go die!" Meixiang said, emerging from behind a tree with a furious expression, followed by Lao Shupi.
The old tree skin shook his head with a thousand regrets, and the opportunity to live with two beauties was wasted. I don't know if he had a problem with his nerves or brain. He looked up and down at Cao Sen, feeling a little uneasy in his heart, wondering if this guy had a cut sleeve habit?
"Huh? Old Tree Bark let out a surprised hum, pointing at Cao Sen's belly and saying: "Cao Lao Da, inside your belly...inside your belly, uh, I can't say it clearly, you take a look yourself."
The old tree bark turned its head to Xiangxiang and said: "Quickly, take us two to your room. There is a mirror in your room, right?"
Cao Sen and his sister looked at each other in confusion, seeing the old tree's face filled with a mixture of surprise and anxiety, clearly having discovered something off about Cao Sen.
Mei Fang said, "Follow me," and took the lead. Xiang Xiang, on the other hand, was gloating at Cao Sen, saying, "You're so capable, aren't you? I hope there's a little baby in your belly, let's see how you give birth to it!"
Four people arrived at Mei Fang's residence, Lao Shu Pi found a round mirror on the simple dresser, lifted Cao Sen's clothes and said, "Cao Lao Da, take a look yourself."
Cao Sen's eyes were fixed on the mirror, and he was also shocked.
In the mirror, what was reflected back was his exposed abdomen. Through the skin, Cao Sen saw a whirlpool composed of white energy flows. The whirlpool was made up of four or five white ribbons that slowly rotated around the center and converged into a ball of starlight at the center. Upon closer inspection, the ribbons and the light ball were composed of countless tiny light points, each emitting bright rays of light. The twinkling lights gathered together to form an exquisite and magnificent picture. The starry sky contained in the picture was vast and seemed to have no end, as if it had a magical power that attracted all things. Cao Sen's spiritual energy almost got sucked into the center of the whirlpool, and he quickly shook his head, pulling his spiritual energy back.
Why does this scene look so familiar? Cao Sen searched his memory - the Milky Way, that's right, the overall shape of the Milky Way is like this. So to speak, the Milky Way has run into my belly, where is the Earth then? And where am I?
The old tree's bark was bent over, also observing Cao Sen's belly. His gaze was drawn in by the swirling energy, and his old face leaned in closer and closer to Cao Sen's stomach, almost sticking his skin to it, and the distance between them continued to decrease.
Cao Sen hastily pulled down his clothes, barely avoiding intimate contact with Old Tree Bark.
The Mei sisters looked at each other, wondering if this old and young pair had some special hobby or something.
"What is it?" Cao Sen asked Old Tree Bark.
"The energy in the ancient path." The old tree bark replied, "It seems that they form a very stable shape in your belly, and I saw rules among them."
"Rules?"
"Yes, rules, they form another world, a brand new space. In this space, it has established its own rules."
"What kind of rules?" Cao Sen asked.
"I don't know," said the old tree bark thoughtfully, "from the perspective of modern astrophysics... it's close to an independent galaxy, or rather a brand new universe with only one galaxy..."
"Wait, wait," Xiang Xiang listened to a bunch of nonsense, isn't it just a bellyful? How did the universe, galaxy and modern astrophysics all come out, what's the connection here?
"What are you talking about? Old tree bark, do you think you're a physicist or something? You're just a piece of wood, a movable log." Xiangxiang said impatiently.
"Haha, you're laughing at me, I just flipped through a few books that tourists left behind when I had nothing to do, and I was just talking nonsense." Old Tree Skin wasn't angry at all, his face skin was indeed thicker than tree skin. Seeing the two sister flowers looking at him hoping for an answer, he explained with pride what he saw earlier.
Cao Sen knew that Lao Shu Pi's words had some truth to them, but he couldn't believe them entirely. What he wanted to know most now was what kind of impact this energy vortex in his belly would have on his body. Otherwise, if a stellar explosion were to occur one day and rip him apart, it would be troublesome.
After finishing explaining the old tree bark, the Mei sisters were very curious and without asking Cao Sen's consent, they directly lifted his clothes, two heads leaned in to carefully observe, but nothing was found.
Cao Sen hoped to get some explanation about the energy vortex from the two sisters, and did not stop their actions.
"Old Tree Skin said to Cao Sen's mind: 'Cao Lao Da, they can't see the energy vortex. You can try to make it appear and merge with your spiritual power. Imagine the vortex floating on the surface of your belly, maybe they'll be able to see it.'"
Cao Sen took action, and the effect was immediate. The two sisters let out a wow of amazement, their four eyes fixed on Cao Sen's abdomen, unable to look away.
A panoramic view of the vast universe, galaxy and star system appeared on Cao Sen's abdomen, with countless diamond-like bright spots emitting brilliant light, forming a new world that seemed to be limited but actually contained infinite space.
Two girls were almost stunned, Xiang Xiang decisively stuck her face on it and murmured: "Too beautiful, if my belly had such a pattern, I would wear a midriff-baring top in winter too."
Cao Sen pushed her away and put down his collar, Xiang Xiang stubbornly buried her head in Cao Sen's arms, repeatedly shouting: "Let me take another look, just one more look, good brother, just one more look!"
"Get out!" Cao Sen said bluntly, walking to one side and thinking about how to get more information on this aspect. He came up with an idea.
After lunch that day, Cao Sen sat under a big tree with his upper body lifted up to reveal his abdomen. All the ability holders in the ancient road gathered around him, silently studying his belly. Some people occasionally reached out to touch and feel, while others put their ears on Cao Sen's belly to listen carefully, but ultimately shook their heads and continued to ponder in confusion.
Xiang Xiang stood alone, watching with a cold eye, muttering to herself that they were all acting crazy, and this scene was quite like a gynecologist's consultation, wondering if they could tell whether the villain was having a boy or girl.
"Ah, I know!" A childish voice broke the silence.
The speaker was a boy of about 10 years old, with a large and peculiar head perched on his thin shoulders, and a pair of narrow, slanted eyes growing out of that big head. He looked quite strange, like an alien. The boy's name was Ludi, an orphan who could control the energy to launch attacks just like Xiangxiang, and had been living in Gudao for three or four years.
"Little brother, what do you know?" Cao Sen asked with a smile.
"Cao Dage, the energy vortex in your belly is actually all the energy flows that originally existed in the ancient way." Ludi loudly announced his discovery.
Needless to say, everyone thinks this is obvious.
"And this whirlpool is fierce, I feel its energy has increased several times stronger than before."
Nonsense, everyone thought in their hearts, and this was also obvious to everyone.
"And its strength is born from itself, and has nothing to do with Brother Sen, it's just its own thing."
The old tree nodded in agreement with Ludi's words.
Ludi saw that someone agreed with him, and he became spirited. "I just tried to absorb energy as I usually do, you absolutely can't imagine it, I did it, and it was absorbed from this vortex."
The crowd erupted in a frenzy of excitement. The energy flow of the ancient path all rushed into Cao Sen's belly, and everyone had thought that they would never have another chance to absorb energy to enhance their heterodox abilities. But Ludi said he could do it, and even a child could do it, so naturally they also could. So the crowd began to use their own techniques to absorb the energy from the vortex, and the look of surprise on their faces showed that they had succeeded as well.
Cao Sen's face was expressionless as he looked at the crowd in front of him, saying calmly: "You're absorbing energy, shouldn't you ask me if I agree or not first?"
