Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

The six-eared rabbit pinned to the ground gradually faded away, but the heartbeat that resonated with its own did not disappear.

It seemed to exist forever, yet it also seemed to burst forth from Ning Che's own chest, one wave after another, making his whole body go numb.

After an unknown amount of time, the shattered landscape before him suddenly collapsed, and the clear light swept back, disappearing entirely into the jade rabbit and jade tablet in his hand.

Ning Che snapped back to reality, staggering back half a step, his back already soaked with cold sweat. He raised his hand to his chest, where his heart was still pounding, but his fingertips still retained that mysterious feeling of being one with the world.

A breathing technique had been completely imprinted in his mind. Without conscious effort, the rhythm of each breath, the flow of every breath, was as clear as if etched into his very bones. It could be divided into three parts, each conveyed through the three scenes just described.

The first part is the body-strengthening method, which induces the circulation of qi and blood throughout the body, tempering muscles and bones; the second part is the qi-cultivation method, which opens up the qi channels throughout the body and circulates magical power. Only the third part, even though he personally experienced the feeling, he did not understand what it was.

But there is no doubt that it is extremely powerful and wondrous; even if the physical body is destroyed, it can still maintain a thread of life.

He suppressed the shock surging in his heart and stroked the cool jade tablet with his fingertips.

This breathing technique doesn't have a name yet, so let's call it the Moon Rabbit Breathing Technique.

His thoughts wandered slightly, recalling Yue Can's words that the path to Taiyin was severed. He also thought of the dilapidated Moon Palace he had seen, and the Six-Eared Rabbit pierced by a massive weapon…

It seemed that a fragment of a turbulent and magnificent history had been revealed to him. Ning Che was filled with longing, yet deeply aware of his own inadequacy.

Outside the window, the light was dim; night had not yet fallen. He pushed open the door and looked around. Worried that the presence of the sun might hinder his practice of the Moon Rabbit Breathing Technique, he instead took out the Crescent Moon Blade.

The blade was as white as jade, but when tapped with a finger, it produced a metallic, resonant sound. It felt icy cold to the touch, and its material was unknown. If someone had told Ning Che before that it was transformed from a piece of rusty, ordinary iron, he probably wouldn't have believed it.

Magic is that ability to turn the mundane into the extraordinary.

He infused his magic power into the blade, clearly feeling it flowing through his body as if it were still within him, without any stagnation. In high spirits, he practiced the eight forms of the "Thick Earth, Edgeless Blade" taught by the village chief several times. Although he still hadn't quite grasped the essence of focused defense, his movements were still quite impressive.

The moon rises in the east.

Ning Che sheathed his sword, closed his eyes, and began practicing the Moon Rabbit Breathing Technique.

He felt that unprecedented clarity again, as if his body had been made up of countless parts, and only now, with the help of the Moon Rabbit Breathing Technique, could they be unified.

In this state of oneness, he can fully and completely temper himself, rather than training any particular part or muscle. Moreover, there are some special aspects as well.

For example, he used to think he could inhale air down to the soles of his feet, and it turned out that wasn't an illusion. He could actually store the air he inhaled in every inch of his body. Although he couldn't yet breathe directly through his pores, this was already enough to surprise and delight him.

For example, he now seems to have developed an instinct to deflect force. Even if he does nothing, the force attacking him will be distributed to his limbs and bones, and he will bear it all at once.

At the same time, the Dao talisman flickered slowly in rhythm with his breathing. The cool moonlight poured down, falling on him and giving his skin a cool sheen.

When I opened my eyes again, the moon was already as high as the mountain.

Ning Che was overjoyed. He found that he didn't feel tired at all. Moreover, in just a short while, his physical strength had already significantly improved. If he continued to improve at this rate, his physical attributes would likely increase several times over in a few months, far exceeding the range of ordinary humans.

Moreover, the feeling of practicing the Moon Rabbit Breathing Technique is very comfortable. The sense of harmony and clarity is intoxicating, and one wishes to immerse oneself in it day and night without doing anything else.

But he resisted the urge to continue his spiritual practice.

Firstly, he still needs to quickly improve his strength to deal with what will happen in two days. Secondly, Shi Xiujuan didn't return today for some reason.

Ning Che frowned, picked up his coat draped over the back of the chair, and pushed open the door to go out. He walked slowly along the village path, his super hearing spell quietly activating, allowing him to hear every rustle of wind within three hundred paces.

Finally, by the old well in the center of the village, he heard a familiar, intermittent humming sound.

Shi Xiujuan sat on the edge of the well, her hair disheveled, holding a cold stone in her arms, gently patting it while humming an off-key lullaby. The moonlight shone on her, casting a long, thin shadow that made her appear exceptionally lonely.

"Mother," Ning Che called softly.

Shi Xiujuan raised her head, her cloudy eyes giving him a blank look before she lowered her head again to continue patting the stone in her arms, repeatedly murmuring, "Good boy, Xingxing, go to sleep... The moon is out, the rabbit has run away..."

Ning Che paused in his steps.

"The moon...the rabbit..."

These words pierced his heart like needles. He subconsciously touched the jade tablet with the moon rabbit hidden close to his body, and a bold guess suddenly surfaced in his mind.

He stepped forward, not immediately helping her up, but simply standing before her, looking at her calmly. When she murmured those words again, Ning Che's fingertips twitched slightly, and he quietly unbuttoned his robe, revealing a corner of the jade tablet's gleaming white surface.

The moonlight fell precisely on that corner of the jade tablet, giving it a faint, clear glow.

The old woman, who had been acting erratically, suddenly stopped moving.

She seemed frozen in place, staring intently at Ning Che's chest, her cloudy eyes regaining focus for the first time. The stone in her arms clattered to the ground, and she stretched out her withered hand, gripping Ning Che's clothes tightly, her nails almost digging into his flesh.

"The moon... the rabbit... ran away..." She kept repeating these words, her voice trembling uncontrollably, her eyes filled with a complex mix of fear, longing, and despair that was chilling to behold.

Ning Che's heart sank, realizing to himself that it was true.

Shi Xiujuan's madness is probably not as simple as the original owner of this body knew before.

He didn't immediately take out the complete jade tablet, nor did he ask any further questions. He simply let her hold onto the hem of his clothes and slowly helped her walk home.

They remained silent the entire way. Shi Xiujuan was unusually quiet, only clutching his clothes tightly, her eyes never leaving the patch of his shirt that shimmered slightly under the jade tablet.

Back in the stone house, Ning Che sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) with Shi Xiujuan in his arms. He hesitated for a moment, then finally took out the complete, lustrous, full-moon jade tablet and gently handed it to her.

Shi Xiujuan's eyes lit up instantly, the light from the jade tablet reflected in her cloudy pupils, as if stars were twinkling within them. She stretched out her withered hand, her fingertips trembling slightly, and gently touched the cold surface of the jade tablet.

The moment she was touched, she recoiled as if burned, her hand clenched behind her back, her knuckles turning white.

After a moment, she timidly stretched out her index finger again, tentatively touching it. This time she touched it for a little longer, but suddenly she shuddered and pulled back, knocking over the water bowl on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), which shattered on the ground with a "crash".

Ning Che did not move, but simply held up the jade tablet quietly.

The third time, her fingertips finally landed steadily on the jade surface. In that instant, Shi Xiujuan's cloudy eyes reflected a complete moon image—not a reflection, but something that only she could see, something buried deep in her memory.

Her lips began to tremble violently, and she made a series of gasping sounds in her throat, like a fish thrown ashore. Then, she suddenly clutched her head, her fingers gripping her hair tightly, curled up into a ball, and slammed her head against the corner of the wall.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!" Her voice was shrill, almost tearing, but it wasn't directed at Ning Che; it was at someone in the void. "Brother Meng, save me! The moon is shattered... the moon is shattered! The rabbits are all dead... there's blood everywhere... don't come any closer!"

As she spoke, her voice suddenly turned into a low, broken sob, and she hugged her knees and shook them back and forth, as if comforting someone who wasn't there: "Don't be afraid...don't be afraid...Mother's here..."

Ning Che silently put away the jade tablet, a deep thought flashing in his eyes.

Shi Xiujuan must know information related to this jade tablet, and perhaps even more secrets hidden deep within the Taiyin inheritance. But why? How did she know all this?

He stood there for a long time until Shi Xiujuan finally calmed down and lay down on the bed.

He covered Shi Xiujuan with a quilt, and then placed a bowl of water and a few pieces of dried meat on the kang (a heated brick bed). Only then did he turn and leave, returning to his own room, closing the door, and preparing to rest.