With that in mind, Chu Qiguang began asking questions about fiendification.

“Humans and fiends share a long, intertwined history,” Qiao Zhi explained. “At certain points in history, humans ruled over fiends, while the opposite has been true at other times. Sometimes, the two races have been at each other’s throats, and at other times, they’ve coexisted in harmony. At the moment, the conflict between humans and fiends is becoming more and more intense, and any fiend that appears in the Great Han Empire is certain to be hunted down.

“However, what most people don't know is that humans and fiends were once a single race, and each still possesses traits of the other. Fiendification is only a result of awakening the power of the fiendish bloodlines already present in one’s body.”

Why does this sound like an X-Man who’s awakened some type of inherited superpower? Does this mean fiends and humans can be traced back to the same ancestors?

“There is fiend within human, just as there is human within fiend,” Qiao Zhi continued. “They are two separate races, yet in truth, they are one. It’s much like the conflicting coexistence of yin and yang. This is something you’ll...”

Qiao Zhi trailed off. After a brief pause, he casually continued, “All I can say is that if the degree of the fiendification isn’t too severe, then I can still reverse it, but if it goes too far, then even I can’t do anything.”

Chu Qiguang could sense the hesitation in Qiao Zhi’s words, but he didn't mention it. Instead, he continued stroking his fur and asked, “Does that mean you can use the Heavenly Fiend Foundation Establishment Technique to temporarily fiendify someone?”

“Yes,” Qiao Zhi replied. “Alright, that’s enough. Now that your foundation has been established, it’s time for you to receive some nourishment.”

Qiao Zhi led Chu Qiguang into a clearing, where pieces of fresh meat had been skewered on tree branches and were roasted over a fire. The two feral cats stood on either side of the spit, rotating it to make sure that the meat cooked evenly.

Nearby, a monkey was pounding something in a stone bowl using a wooden pestle, and a fragrant medicinal aroma drifted from the mixture.

“What’re you waiting for? Your body is severely lacking nutrients, so not only do I need to use the Heavenly Fiend Foundation Establishment Technique to strengthen your foundation, you also need to eat everyday.”

The starving Chu Qiguang stared intently at the roasted meat, gulping down saliva as he pounced onto the offering. He began devouring it, constantly shifting it from hand to hand and blowing on it as the heat nearly burned his fingers.

As the juices filled his mouth and the rich aroma filled his nose, he was overcome with a deep sense of satisfaction.

Qiao Zhi smacked the back of his hand, then snatched the meat from him as he reprimanded, “Don’t eat so fast! You have to eat slowly and chew thoroughly to ensure proper digestion. This is an important rule for nurturing the body, one that you must follow daily. These little details may seem insignificant, but over time, they make a huge difference.”

Under Qiao Zhi’s instruction, Chu Qiguang chewed each mouthful of meat fully before swallowing. The meat was completely unseasoned, but as the saying went, hunger was the best seasoning.

After devouring around half a pound of meat, Chu Qiguang was still eager to continue, but Qiao Zhi stopped him again.

“Don’t eat too much in one sitting. Next, I’m going to apply some body-refining ointment to help you circulate your qi and blood and digest what you just ate.”

Chu Qiguang glanced at the remaining roasted meat, then licked his lips before asking, “Can I take the rest back with me every day?”

Ergou's mother and sister were still starving back home.

“Sure,” Qiao Zhi replied, and Chu Qiguang was overjoyed.

Finally, they would have enough food to fill their bellies.

After that, Chu Qiguang was instructed to strip off his clothes and stand still with both hands raised high.

Qiao Zhi first licked the pad of his paw clean, then dipped it into the medicinal ointment that had been pounded by the monkey before applying it directly onto Chu Qiguang’s body. After that, he began striking Chu Qiguang’s body again.

“This external stimulation is necessary to help you circulate your qi and blood, but make sure you don’t try this yourself because it requires extremely precise control and careful moderation of force,” Qiao Zhi warned.

With Qiao Zhi’s paw strikes, Chu Qiguang felt as though the flow of blood throughout his body, along with the movement of his internal organs, had all been accelerated. At the same time, he could feel a cool and refreshing sensation on the parts of his body where the ointment had been applied. His muscles, internal organs, and bones were all being strengthened by Qiao Zhi’s paw strikes.

“From now on, come here every day, and we’ll repeat this process to strengthen your body. That way, your martial arts cultivation will progress much faster,” Qiao Zhi instructed. “Unfortunately, you can’t find good medicinal ingredients to make ointment here. If we could use the Hundred Refinement Ointment from the Demon Vanquishing Department, the effects would be even better.”

After striking Chu Qiguang from head to toe, Qiao Zhi looked even weaker and more exhausted than before. He curled up into a ball and let out a sluggish yawn, looking as though he might fall asleep at any moment.

Chu Qiguang offered a few more words of praise and thanks, then asked, “Master Qiao, what is this Demon Vanquishing Department that you just mentioned? Is their Hundred Refinement Ointment really that effective?”

Qiao Zhi replied with half-lidded eyes, “The emperor of the Great Han Empire has a Heavenly Guard Personal Army, which consists of three departments: the Sky Walking Department, the Demon Vanquishing Department, and the Evil Warding Department. Among them, the Demon Vanquishing Department oversees all matters related to demons and fiends in the officialdom, similar to Daoist temples, except Daoist temples oversee civil affairs related to demons and fiends.

“As for the Hundred Refinement Ointment, it’s a body-refining ointment that was specially developed for the Demon Vanquishing Department by the Heavenly Master Religion.”

“What’s this Heavenly Master Religion?” Chu Qiguang asked.

“The Heavenly Master Religion is the Great Han Empire’s national sect,” Qiao Zhi explained. “The sect presides over all of the Daoist temples under the heavens. Not only do they have claim to three of the twenty-five orthodox arts, they also possess the world’s most advanced medicinal techniques. The Hundred Refinement Ointment that they’ve developed is said to contain over twenty medicinal ingredients, including terra flava usta, iridescent stone, figwort, red sage, and purple sage.

“The Heavenly Master Religion’s patented medicine refinement methods are used on these ingredients to create the Hundred Refinement Ointment, and when applied, the ointment can strengthen the body and condense qi and blood, allowing even those with the worst aptitude to reach the first state of martial arts.”

Qiao Zhi fought back his tiredness as he officially began to teach Chu Qiguang martial arts. Under his guidance, Chu Qiguang practiced a series of movements such as throwing punches and kicks, both to exercise his body and to enhance his coordination.

“These are the elementary first techniques of the Heavenly Master Religion called the Heavenly Spirit Body Refinement Fist Techniques. They’re perfect for novice martial artists to practice in order to improve their strength and coordination. Once you’re able to create an explosive sound with your punches, that’ll indicate that you’ve attained the strength and coordination to reach the first state.

“Even though you possess the aptitude of a heavenly immortal, practicing martial arts is not like pursuing Dao arts. Cultivating Dao arts is purely a spiritual pursuit, and changes can come very quickly, whereas refining and nurturing the body takes a very long time. Given how weak your body is after years of malnutrition, even with the enhancement effects of the Heavenly Fiend Foundation Establishment Technique, it’ll probably take you about two to three months of cultivation to reach the first state.

“It’s a real shame. If you were able to use Hundred Refinement Ointment to supplement your cultivation every day, then with your aptitude, you should be able to reach the first state in a week at most.”

“Is this Hundred Refinement Ointment really hard to come by?” Chu Qiguang asked.