The Immortal of Plague begins by establishing the root of lung fire.

Inside the iron cage, the silver scorpion's stinger swayed in mid-air, emitting a shrill human voice: "I want fresh blood."

The golden snake coiled its body and raised its head high: "Bring me the meat."

"Give me your skin." The silver spider, with its eight legs, clung to the back of the bronze rooster.

The sounds echoed in the dimly lit bungalow, varying in tone and revealing greed.

Jiang Yangge felt a tightness in his chest, but he was prepared. His left arm was still broken and could be used to retrieve materials. He used his good right hand to pull out the short knife from his waist, and pressed the blade against the bleeding wound on his left arm and slashed hard.

Blood beads rolled down as he hung his arm above the iron cage, the blood dripping onto the silver scorpion's back and instantly seeping into the metal.

Then he gritted his teeth, used the tip of his knife to pick up a piece of flesh from the edge of the wound on his left arm, cut the fascia, and threw it into the open mouth of the golden snake.

Finally, he made two parallel cuts on the back of his left hand, peeled off a small strip of skin, and threw it to the silver spider.

The three strange beasts swallowed the offerings, bobbing their heads up and down and making satisfied chewing sounds.

The bronze rooster stands in the middle, unresponsive, its surface covered with verdigris cracks.

Jiang Yangge knelt down again, his head hitting the ground: "Sir, please enlighten me."

The beast on the bronze rooster's back moved; a golden toad clung to the rooster's neck, its limbs gripping even tighter, the metal scraping together producing a piercing sound.

"Little brother," the toad said in a rough, masculine voice, "I've already collected the threshold fee, so just tell him. Without me collecting the threshold fee for you every day, our threshold would have been worn down by outsiders long ago."

The bronze rooster remained unmoved, and the iron cage was deathly silent.

The golden snake twisted its body and spoke in a sarcastic voice: "Big brother, stop talking. Although you helped him so much before, second brother has now passed the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official. He can oversee the entire Qianzhou Prefecture, so he has no time to care about us relatives."

The silver scorpion crawled forward two steps, its voice aged and hoarse as it said, "Son, I've suffered my whole life. Your elder brother toiled in the fields his entire life to support your education. I don't want you to repay me with great wealth or status; I just want you to nod your head and help the family so that my elder brother can find a wife and continue the family line."

Several metallic beasts were sobbing in their cages, their cries mournful and plaintive.

The rooster remained silent, only its bronze-cast body trembled violently, the cracks expanding outwards with the vibrations, and fine copper slag falling off.

The silver spider stopped what it was doing and let out a shrill female voice: "Alright, that's enough. I've woven cloth my whole life, my eyes are practically blind from it all, and I've raised a heartless wretch. What kind of literary genius is this? He's clearly just an unfilial son!"

These words were spoken.

The bronze rooster stopped vibrating, and a single, murky droplet of water seeped from its tightly closed metal eyes, sliding down the verdigris.

Jiang Yangge lay on the ground, his face taut. He had used this strange object to escape death several times, and each time the scene was eerie. This twisted conversation made him feel cold inside.

The golden snake turned its head and looked in the direction of Brother Jiang Yang.

"Second Brother thinks it's not enough," the snake's voice turned cold. "But he doesn't want to see this filth. Let's take it ourselves, and hurry up, before Second Brother opens his eyes to see it."

Upon hearing this, Brother Jiang realized something was wrong. In previous inquiries, he had always received an answer after offering the food; there had never been any attempt to take the food by force.

He braced himself with his hands on the ground, about to get up and back away.

The strange beasts in the iron cage suddenly sprang up, their bodies elongating strangely, except for their main bodies which were still stuck to the rooster's back.

The silver spider opened its mouth and spat out a sticky silver thread, which stuck directly to the back of Jiang Yangge's intact right hand. The white thread tightened, and the spider suddenly pulled it back.

laugh.

A large chunk of intact skin and flesh on the back of his right hand was ripped off, exposing the bone and flesh underneath.

The golden toad opened its mouth wide, its long tongue shooting out over the rooster's head and snatching away the remaining large copper coin. The golden snake's neck stretched several feet, biting into the muscle of Jiang Yangge's right arm and tearing off a chunk of flesh. The silver scorpion's stinger swelled, piercing directly into Jiang Yangge's right hand, and it gulped down blood.

As excruciating pain struck, Jiang Yangge mobilized his lung qi, causing external flames to surge wildly across his body, attempting to burn away the metal limbs. However, the flames had no effect on the beast, and the fire simply bypassed it.

He clenched his teeth, swallowing back his screams. Large beads of cold sweat dripped from his forehead and fell to the ground.

Forget it, if he can't leave, he won't leave. He's already come this far, leaving would mean all his previous efforts were in vain. As long as his life isn't in danger, he has to pay the price.

After a dozen or so breaths.

The beasts retracted their limbs, retreated back onto the bronze rooster's back, and returned to their original sculpted form.

The golden snake swallowed the piece of meat and said, "Second Brother, we've finished everything."

The drop of water at the corner of the bronze rooster's eye had dried up. It slowly opened its sharp metal beak and uttered a dull syllable.

"Yes."

As soon as he finished speaking, two more deep cracks appeared on the back of the bronze rooster, threatening to shatter into pieces at any moment. Meanwhile, the metallic luster on the toad, snake, scorpion, and spider on its back became extremely bright and lifelike.

The iron cage fell silent again, with no further movement.

Jiang Yangge slumped to the ground, panting heavily, feeling even weaker.

He got the answer he wanted: the family's Qi-refining technique was indeed in Song You's hands. Although the price was high, it was worth it.

Jiang Yangjiao, the younger sister, brought the items to Pozang Temple, where they eventually ended up in Song You's pocket.

He stared at the torn flesh and deep, bone-revealing wound on his right hand, blood dripping from his fingertips. This strange object was far too malevolent; the price it paid grew ever higher.

Judging from the extent of the cracks in the bronze rooster, it can only be used two or three more times at most before it completely shatters.

He struggled to pull the gray cloth over with his left hand, covered the iron cage again, and kicked it back under the bed to the deepest part.

The next step is to figure out how to get the items back.

Forcibly taking it is definitely not going to work. I have lost an arm and my right hand is seriously injured. My cultivation level is also inferior to the other party's, and my background is not as deep.

During the day, he took the initiative to show goodwill by giving Song You the Daqian copper coins; this move was the right one. Song You currently harbors no direct hostility towards him, and he needs to maintain this relationship, slowly infiltrating Song You's inner circle and looking for an opportunity.

As long as Song You leaves Po Cang Temple to participate in the mid-year trial, or during a moment of laxity, he will find an opportunity to retrieve the Qi Refining Method.

I've had many opportunities, and I'm sure I'll have more chances in the future.

Jiang Yangge stood up and rummaged through the cabinet for wound medicine and clean strips of cloth. Instead of treating the old wound on his left arm, he haphazardly sprinkled the powder on the new wound on his right hand and tightly wrapped it with the cloth.

He glanced at the sky outside the window; it was past midnight, time to go see Song You.

At the same time, inside the outer courtyard bungalow, Song You sat cross-legged on a wooden bed.

The room was pitch black, with only a faint gray-white light emanating from his chest area.

He was circulating the "Lung Fire Technique," controlling his breathing and feeling the abundance of power within his body. The wild beast essence had broadened his limits, and the high-calorie food provided a continuous source of fuel. His cultivation was steadily progressing in the early stages, growing stronger with each passing moment.

He gathered his lung energy, pressing the outer flames back deep into his lungs, and the fire in his chest cavity stabilized.

Song You opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air. His physical condition was excellent; although he still felt weak, the fatigue had vanished.

Knock knock.

Two very soft knocks sounded on the door.

Song You turned to look at the wooden door. The timing was perfect; it was Brother Jiang Yang who had arrived.

I hope he knows about the leak.