Yes! As long as a person is alive, their body continuously generates heat, or rather, yang qi. So, Second Master's dharma method was simple: accumulate this yang qi and channel it into one's 'furnace.' The stronger the furnace burned, the healthier a person became. With more abundant yang qi, they would be less afraid of evil spirits. Even something like Tai Sui meat was simply an excellent tonic, allowing the body to generate more yang qi, thus fueling one's furnace to a blazing red.
But if a person didn't eat Tai Sui meat and had no yang qi at all, what was that about?
A dead person!
Only a dead person would be ice-cold, without a shred of heat.
Never mind using one's usual heat to practice and fuel the furnace; even an already burning stove fire might go out.
Hu Ma understood all of this, an unstoppable horror rising in his heart.
He realized his own problem: the intense furnace fire he had felt burning last night was merely an illusion.
The reason he could successfully light the furnace then was due to the Blood Tai Sui he had eaten before. This bizarre tonic had allowed him to ignite the furnace smoothly and even kept his body as warm as a normal person's.
However, once this heat was absorbed into the stove and the Tai Sui meat he had consumed was thoroughly digested, he immediately reverted to his original state…
This body is unable to generate even a trace of fire on its own.
According to Second Master, this was the body of a dead person.
This body remained icy cold. Not only did it fail to produce new fire, but it also consumed the 'stove fire' within the furnace. Only after he ate meat again at Second Master's place—valuable Green Tai Sui, no less—did this body warm up.
Only then could he continue to guide this fire into his own furnace.
So, why did I suddenly wake up freezing at dawn?
He already had a vague answer in his mind: Because I hadn't eaten the meat Granny gave me all day yesterday.
Once he stopped eating that meat, his body would become cold again.
Not only would it be unable to replenish the fire in the furnace, but it would even slowly consume that fire.
What would happen if the stove fire was completely exhausted?
Hu Ma dared not even imagine.
"Alright, there's a lot you have to learn. Take it slowly," Second Master said, unaware of what Hu Ma was thinking. He urged Hu Ma to quickly finish the few pieces of meat in his bowl and then left the main hall.
After downing the bowl of Green Tai Sui, Hu Ma felt completely normal.
He couldn't feel any difference between this moment and when he was alive in his past life; he was equally energetic, his body equally warm.
Moreover, he could easily perform the "practicing" dharma method Second Master had taught him the previous night, channeling the continuously generating heat within his body into the furnace in his lower abdomen.
He felt no different from the youths around him.
Or rather, my condition should be much better than theirs, right? They only get such a small amount of White Tai Sui to eat each day.
I ate Green Tai Sui, a whole big bowlful.
But...
A sigh escaped him.
The only thing unclear now is the reason for this state.
Is it due to some issues with my original body, or is it related to my identity as a Reincarnator?
At this point, Second Master had gathered all the young lads and was lecturing them loudly, "You all follow me, Second Master, to learn the skill of worshiping Tai Sui, to earn money, and to start a family. But I, Second Master, don't have much to teach you. The first thing is stoking the furnace. If this furnace isn't stoked, don't even think about joining the Meat Cutting Team. But stoking the furnace is just the beginning."
"You need to run in the mountains, bask in the sun, and do your practice exercises. The stronger your body, the more abundant your yang qi, and the fiercer your courage, the hotter your furnace will burn..."
"Of course, the best is to eat Tai Sui. But even I, your Second Master, can't afford it, so you lot can forget about it."
Second Master made no effort to hide his disdain for the youths of the village. After a pause, he continued, "So, learning skills here with me, Second Master, has one key: you must endure hardship, control your temper, and most crucially, you mustn't think about women."
"Only if you can endure hardship will your body become strong, your yang qi flourish, and you'll have courage, ruthlessness, and a fierce temperament. With such qualities, even a butcher can overcome evil spirits."
"Here with me, I'm not afraid of you being mischievous, nor am I afraid of you fighting. We have plenty of black oil ointment. The only thing I fear is you not being able to control your impulses, not learning well at such a young age. Our Manor is located outside the village precisely because I'm afraid you'll get ideas when you see women."
"Sigh, for you little rascals, I, Second Master, don't even dare to raise female sheep..."
"Alright, alright! Today, we'll do practice exercises again, and then you'll go patrol the forest with me!"
The youths cheered upon hearing this. Their energetic demeanor made Hu Ma envious.
But with his mind in a daze, how could he possibly have the heart to join in this excitement?
"Little Huma, come over here..."
However, Second Master, unaware of Hu Ma's thoughts at that moment, saw him standing absently to the side. Thinking Hu Ma was falling behind or couldn't fit in, he smiled and beckoned to him, "Don't be scared. Our practice exercises here are simple. After a few sparring matches, you'll get the hang of it..."
"This..." Hu Ma wasn't particularly interested but had no choice but to step forward. Just as he was wondering what to say, an ethereal call suddenly sounded by his ear:
"Brother Huma, I've come to bring you food..."
"Little Hongtang?"
Hu Ma recognized the voice. He instinctively turned his head and saw Little Hongtang hiding outside the door, only her small head peeking out.
He instinctively turned and walked towards the Manor's exit.
Second Master asked in surprise, "Where are you going?"
Hu Ma hurriedly pointed to the doorway and said, "Someone's looking for me. Perhaps Granny is here."
"Granny's here?"
Second Master was also taken aback. The youths, who had been lively just a moment ago, suddenly quieted down, their faces showing bewilderment as they whispered among themselves:
"Did you see anyone?"
"No. They say members of the Hu Family are walking ghosts. Is he...?"
"He couldn't be faking it because he's afraid of a beating, could he?"
"Brother Huma, why haven't you come out yet...?"
Outside, Little Hongtang's voice grew more urgent. Hu Ma was surprised for a moment, then headed out. Second Master, feeling uneasy, also followed.
Upon reaching the door, they saw a bamboo basket on the ground, about as big as Little Hongtang herself, covered with a red cloth. Little Hongtang, however, was nowhere in sight. Second Master looked at the basket, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "It really is that little girl. Go on, then!"
With that, he put his hands behind his back and returned to the Manor.
Hu Ma stood at the entrance to the Manor's courtyard. Only after Second Master had gone back inside the Manor did Little Hongtang casually stroll over from down the street.
Hu Ma quickly went over and asked in a low voice, "Where's Granny?"
There was something he urgently wanted to ask Granny, and he couldn't help but feel anxious.
He realized this issue might be very serious, yet he vaguely felt that he couldn't ask Second Master about it directly.
It would be better to ask Granny.
"Granny went into the mountains to find someone," Little Hongtang said, squatting on the ground and looking at the basket before her. "She asked Little Hongtang to bring you food."
"Bring food?"
Hu Ma lifted the red cloth covering the basket and saw a large bowl of squarely cut meat inside.
Blood Tai Sui.
Beside it, there was even a plate with two large, white steamed buns.
"When will Granny come over?" Hu Ma asked, gazing intently at the bowl of meat, already deeply aware of its importance.
"Granny didn't say."
Little Hongtang simply squatted across from the basket, cupping her cheeks with her small hands, and said to Hu Ma, "But Granny asked me to give you a message."
"She said that Brother Huma, you should just obediently stay here with Second Master and learn skills. If you feel cold at night, don't be afraid; anyway, just eating meat will be fine. Tai Sui meat can cure illnesses, so we should eat a lot of it. If you eat a lot, your furnace will burn even brighter than others'..."
"But, you've only just recovered, so you need to conserve your strength. Don't tire yourself out..."
"This..."
Little Hongtang's way of mimicking Granny's speech was incredibly cute, but Hu Ma had no mind for that. These words, delivered in Granny's tone, suddenly made his heart sink slightly.
Could Granny have already guessed the problems I would encounter after stoking the furnace?
She deliberately had this message conveyed; it certainly wasn't for no reason. It was more like she was trying to reassure me.
My furnace has no firewood; it can't burn.
So, is she comforting me, or perhaps assuring me, that I'll be able to eat Blood Tai Sui every day?
Or perhaps, she actually means that although my body can't automatically fuel this furnace right now, as long as I keep eating Blood Tai Sui and the furnace burns stronger and stronger, then this condition of my body can also slowly change?
Even become better than others?
I can't be sure for the moment, but looking at Little Hongtang's adorable and endearingly silly appearance, I know I won't get any more answers from her.
She's just running an errand, delivering something, and passing on a message.
After a long silence, Hu Ma lifted the bowl and said to Little Hongtang, "Tell Granny I've noted it down."
"Then eat!" Little Hongtang exclaimed, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "Once you finish, Little Hongtang has to take the basket back for Granny to check..."
"Little Hongtang is very obedient. I didn't sneak even a tiny bite, although..."
"...I really, really wanted to."
Seeing Little Hongtang's pitiful gaze, Hu Ma nodded. "Mhm, I can see that!"
Saying so, he continued eating.