Chapter 34: Cultivation and Potion Synthesis

Ever since the tacit agreement was reached, Louis’s life has become significantly freer. He burns incense, worships deities, and practices secret oils without anyone batting an eye. He even curiously asks about which god is which, wondering if he can join in the worship. However, David still keeps a tight rein on his health and studies.

Meanwhile, Yulunka and her mother, Jenny, have officially begun their life in their new family. Naturally, things have not been entirely smooth. Emma finds them eyesores, especially Jenny, who appears to be a very pure adult. Yet, with Yulunka’s assistance and Louis’s "corrections" to Emma—which prevent her from harming anyone at will—Jenny has gradually secured her footing in the new household.

Under these circumstances, time drifted slowly by. A month passed in the blink of an eye.

In the woods behind the house, Louis, dressed in black, sat cross-legged on the ground. He suddenly opened his eyes, glaring fiercely. He opened his mouth.

Whoosh!

Red and yellow sparks of flame appeared out of thin air, growing rapidly in the breeze, igniting the entire tree within a few breaths. Louis flicked his fingers, and the violent flames became as docile as a dog in his hands, shifting into various shapes—trees, birds, tigers, arrows...

The next moment, Louis took a sharp breath, and the spreading flames were sucked into his mouth like a river flowing into the sea, leaving nothing behind. His mouth, which had been in direct contact with the fire, showed no trace of burns, making one wonder if the whole scene had been a hallucination. Only the charred, bare branches and the lingering smoke proved that a fire had indeed taken place.

Louis let out a sigh of relief. Among the three strange arts, the Art of the Hound relies on the breed of the dog, while the Art of Fire and the Art of Concealment depend more on personal talent. His talent is decent; after a month of practice, he has mastered the Art of Fire to the level of "Fire Manipulation." He can enter fire without harm, breathe fire, inhale flames, and play with fire at will.

The only drawback is that breathing fire and resisting burns for long periods require mana. As a fringe practitioner who has not yet entered the path and lacks formal cultivation techniques, he has no mana. He must use his body's innate Yang energy as a lower-tier substitute, which is quite draining.

"Having family support is certainly convenient."

"It’s a pity that purchasing various dog breeds requires a lot of time and effort, or else I could have made progress in the Art of the Hound this month as well."

Purebred Five-Black dogs are extremely rare, fine hounds are located overseas, and purchasing large numbers of fierce dogs like Pit Bulls is no easy task...

"Forget it, slow and steady wins the race. Take it one step at a time."

Louis sighed, walked to the other side, lit a few thin sticks of incense, and placed them in the burner. He muttered, "Please, Godfather, protect me and ensure that everything goes smoothly."

Before Louis stood a small shrine, and the deity enshrined within was none other than the Kitchen God!

The Kitchen God had undergone some changes. The original small clay statue had been replaced. With the Godfather’s silent approval, the old statue had turned back into clay powder and merged into the new one. The new statue was taller, made of better material, and its eyes held a more imposing dignity—it was clearly no ordinary object. The "Attendant of Good and Evil" beside it, however, remained as plain as ever.

The incense on the altar burned continuously, with smoke curling and lingering. Louis had hired people to come and offer incense every day. Although he didn’t fully understand the intricacies of the divine path, the Godfather hadn’t refused him through any dreams, so he assumed it must be of some use. As for proselytizing or anything of that nature, he was powerless; he was just a child with no real authority—what more could one expect?

After offering the incense, Louis glanced at the two members of the Kano family guarding the shrine and returned to the house.

As soon as he entered, he saw Emma and Yulunka locked in a confrontation over a piece of cake, while Angela stood to the side, looking conflicted. It seemed Yulunka was losing, as Angela handed the cake to Emma a moment later.

As for Yulunka’s mother? She was out with David. The two were inseparable, and given David’s good nature and Jenny’s submissive personality, they were already planning a wedding soon, so they were rarely home during the day.

Emma looked at Yulunka triumphantly, deliberately licking the cream off her lips with an expression of pure enjoyment. She loved the feeling of being the victor, much like how she felt with her collection of medals. Yulunka stared at her expressionlessly, though her small chest heaved with suppressed emotion.

*Fine, fine! Just wait until school starts...*

Yulunka’s greatest talent was utilizing her classmates, bullying, and controlling them to achieve her ends. After a month of school, she had become well-acquainted with her class and, under the guise of mutual assistance, had successfully become the leader of her peer group.

Actually, despite her small stature, Yulunka was already ten years old, two years older than Emma.

Louis, having just walked in, couldn't be bothered to intervene. He had known since the day Yulunka arrived that there would be trouble; she wasn't the type to be quiet. A born wicked child and a groomed wicked child—it would be strange if they didn't fight! But it didn't matter. As long as he kept a lid on them, whoever dared to cross the line would get a slap, and they could spend a few days suffering from nightmares and wailing in agony!

Seeing Louis return, both girls instantly fell silent. Emma rolled her eyes and went to watch TV, while Yulunka ran outside to play with her classmates.

Louis didn't care; he carried the newly arrived peach wood back to his room.

He opened the door. The room was filled with peach wood items: amulets, peach wood swords, pendants, ornaments, and—oh yes—a peach wood crucifix.

These pieces of peach wood were no simple timber. Although he couldn't consecrate them himself, he had his Godfather. Every piece of wood was placed in the shrine for a day after being carved before being moved to his room. Naturally, he relied on the family to obtain these materials. Not all peach wood has warding properties; only red peach wood that has been exposed to plenty of sunlight is effective. Outside of China, such wood is mainly found in Southeast Asia and Brazil. There isn't much effective red peach wood circulating in America's Chinatowns.

Louis didn't rest upon returning to his room. The family had gathered all the materials he needed by yesterday, and today was the night of the full moon—the perfect time to brew the physical enhancement potion.

Before starting, he had to prepare the ingredients and practice the process to minimize the chance of failure, as the materials were limited.

Soon, night fell.

He lit the fire, added the ingredients, poured the water, and adjusted the heat. Various materials from Portugal were added to the cauldron according to the steps: pine needle powder, holly oak, the baby tooth of a black kitten, dried lizard... Finally, he added a drop of his own blood.

Drip!

Whoosh!

A burst of hot steam erupted from the cauldron. The blood and the greenish liquid inside clashed rapidly. A few seconds later, the blood disappeared, and a hint of crimson appeared in the green liquid, which quickly began to change color.

A few breaths later, the pale red liquid rippled, emitting a rather alluring, refreshing scent.

"Success!" Louis smiled. This witchcraft potion was meant to strengthen specific organs, but he had attempted a full-body enhancement this time, and he hadn't expected to succeed on his first try. According to the diary, Amelia had failed dozens of times before succeeding.

Could it be that I am actually better suited for the Western witchcraft system? A warlock?