Nine-fold entrance

"Wait a minutet. I'll talk to you after I finish stir-frying this plate of rice."

Uncle Ming quickly flipped the wok, and the firelight made his face turn bright red.

Since he had said so, Yin Xiu wasn't in a hurry. After greeting several old men at the stall, he sat down at a table in the corner.

"Uncle He, here's your fried rice, without scallions. Take your time!"

After attending to the last customer, Uncle Ming finally sat down beside Yin Xiu and leisurely lit a cigarette for himself.

"A place like Portland Street is a mixed bag of people. I have the astral qi on me, and it's not convenient for me to go there. Those two beasts can easily detect me."

"So, what do you mean, Uncle Ming?"

"I mean, you have a new face, so you can go."

Uncle Ming glanced at him and took out a black wooden box from his pocket, motioning for Yin Xiu to open it.

Yin Xiu took it. He felt that although the box looked ordinary, it was heavy in his hand and gave off a chill.

He carefully opened the box, and there were three pieces of yellow talisman papers lying inside.

Yin Xiu was stunned for a moment and didn't know what to do with the three talisman papers in front of him.

"Can't understand them, right?"

Uncle Ming picked up the talisman papers and placed them on the table one by one.

"This is a Thunder-Fire Talisman, this is the Liuding Body Protection Curse, and this one, you can use it when you're running for your life."

Uncle Ming took out an ancient hexagonal bell and handed it to Yin Xiu. "Take this bell with you. When those monsters get close to you, the bell will ring, and then you can detect them."

Yin Xiu took the bell and the talisman papers. The talisman papers should come in handy. As for the bell, he didn't plan to use it. If he could hear it, wouldn't the fox demon and the werewolf also be able to hear it?

Presumably, Uncle Ming thought that he hadn't opened his celestial eyes yet and couldn't distinguish monsters, so he gave him this bell for protection.

After accepting his kindness, Yin Xiu said, "Uncle Ming, do you want me to get rid of them?"

"You?"

Uncle Ming rolled his eyes and said indifferently, "You're like the God of Longevity hanging himself. Do you think you have too long a life? Just follow them and don't alert them. It would be best if you can find their lair. That's all. Don't do anything unnecessary."

After Uncle Ming said this, Yin Xiu actually felt relieved and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Although he vaguely felt that killing the fox demon and the werewolf might unlock a milestone and earn him some rewards.

But after the last incident, in just two days, his strength hadn't improved much.

He could only say that he had gained some experience in dealing with enemies. With his current martial power at the second level of the Mysterious Gateway Realm, either the fox or the werewolf could definitely easily defeat him.

"You little rascal, I know you have some skills."

Uncle Ming glanced at him. "But don't be too self-righteous. The human body has nine levels of the Mysterious Gateway. Once you master them all, you can explore the three great hidden treasures. After unlocking the three great hidden treasures, you'll reach the realm of a celestial being. It's said that one can hope to attain the Dao and ascend to immortality.

However, in this era, no one like that has appeared in over two hundred years. Ordinary people with better martial arts skills go to work as bodyguards for the rich. Those who have a cultivation method go to look at feng shui and refine elixirs. Immortality? Attaining the Dao perfectly? Who would believe that?"

Uncle Ming's words piqued Yin Xiu's curiosity. Although he had vaguely heard of the nine levels of the Mysterious Gateway, he was basically in the dark about its divisions and details.

Especially regarding the methods of advancing through the nine levels of the Mysterious Gateway, although it was possible that as long as he kept practicing, his realm would improve accordingly, Yin Xiu was afraid that he might miss something and take a wrong path.

So he quickly asked, "Uncle Ming, is there any trick to improving one's realm?" "A trick?" Uncle Ming sneered twice. "Well, it's not that there isn't any. Genetic modification, taking drugs, full-body prosthetic modification, installing meridians. There's always a method that suits you."

Uncle Ming said it casually, but Yin Xiu just felt cold sweat breaking out. Even those unhinged evil cultivators in history probably rarely used the methods he mentioned for enhancement.

"Looking for dragons and dividing gold depends on the Mysterious Gateway. Each level of the Mysterious Gateway is like a different heaven. In the path of cultivation, there's no shortcut."

Uncle Ming patted him on the shoulder. "Kid, you still have a lot to learn."

Just as they were talking, a regular customer came, shouting that he wanted to buy glutinous rice.

Uncle Ming said, "If you have time, go take a look at Portland Street. Remember, don't fight with them. If anything happens, notify me immediately."

After warning Yin Xiu with his eyes again, he got up to attend to the customer.

...

Yin Xiu didn't rush to Portland Street right away. He first went back to his residence.

The last time those two monsters had made his room a complete mess. When the landlady came to check, she thought there had been a battle.

After politely declining the landlady's invitation to stay at her place for a while, the other party, with a dark face, demanded compensation.

Fortunately, the money he got from selling the demon core was quite a lot. After paying for the damages, Yin Xiu had enough to move to a new place.

It was still a property under the landlady's name. It was much more spacious than the previous one, and even the rooftop where it was located was a bit higher than the surrounding buildings.

The more dangerous things you're about to do, the less you should change your habits easily.

After practicing the Return to Origin Technique once, Yin Xiu felt much more comfortable all over, and the slight fatigue from a day's work dissipated instantly.

After coming down from the rooftop, he started packing his things.

A black windbreaker, a felt hat that could just cover most of his face, and a pair of dark anti-cut gloves were his best choice of attire.

First, he carefully placed the three talismans given to him by Uncle Ming close to his body, putting them in different pockets to avoid taking out the wrong one in an emergency.

He thought about it and decided to take the bell with him, but he wrapped it with a piece of sponge to minimize the noise.

After all, Yin Xiu wasn't sure if his [Eyes of the Clear Mirror] could immediately spot those two monsters.

Then he prepared his weapon.

Although a firearm was a very convenient thing, after all, they weren't from the underworld. Getting involved with gun smugglers would inevitably cause some trouble at the moment.

Therefore, Yin Xiu only had a dagger at hand. Although it was short, it was sharp and could be well-hidden in his windbreaker.

Next, he checked his arm.

Yin Xiu carefully peeled off the bionic skin covering it, revealing the silver-colored mechanical prosthetic limb.

He skillfully opened the cover of the fuel compartment, poured out the coal ash inside, and then picked up a small dish and poured the fresh coal powder from the dish into the compartment.

After finally filling the fuel compartment, his arm glowed with a flame and made a slight trembling sound. It was the joyful hissing of the gears and springs after feeling sufficient power.

It was ten o'clock at night. People who had worked hard all day had already turned off the lights and gone to bed. Even those who couldn't fall asleep were reluctant to light the lamp and waste extra money.

So Guangmingli where Yin Xiu was located was now in complete darkness. Apart from the chirping of insects, there was only a faint sighing sound.

And in the distance, the brightly lit main urban area of Hong Kong Island, the nightlife had just begun.