CHAPTER 222: GET MOVING

He lowered his body slightly into a squat, pressing both hands firmly against the ground as if attempting to lift the massive boulder embedded in the earth.

Seeing this, Chen Tianlu hurried forward to stop him, calling out anxiously.

"Mr. Gu, please stop—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Chen Tianlu’s expression suddenly froze.

To his astonishment, the frail-looking Mr. Gu effortlessly hoisted the boulder, which was the size of a millstone, above his head. His face was calm and composed as if lifting the boulder posed no challenge at all.

Chen Tianlu's mouth hung slightly open, stunned by the scene unfolding before him.

Those arms, as thin as bamboo poles, stood in stark contrast to the millstone-sized boulder, creating a visual impact no less shocking than watching a Body Tempering Realm martial artist effortlessly slay an Innate Realm expert.

Moreover, he hadn't sensed any fluctuation of Blood or Qi. This meant that Gu Xian had actually accomplished this feat relying solely on his own raw strength.

This power was no weaker than that of a mid-stage Body Tempering Realm martial artist.

However, what truly stunned him was that such immense strength was hidden within Gu Xian’s frail-looking body. It was enough to leave one utterly shaken.

Seeing that Gu Yu hadn’t put down the massive boulder, but was instead swinging it from side to side, Chen Tianlu hurriedly spoke up.

“Brother Gu, that’s enough! Please put it down quickly.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Yu exerted slight force with both hands and tossed the stone aside. A proud look appeared on his face as he said

"Now you know how strong I am, right? So, what do you think? Can I help out now?"

Chen Tianlu's expression was filled with respect.

"Brother Gu, you've truly been hiding your strength. It’s an honor for the family to have your assistance.”

"Great! Then hurry up and assign me some work. I haven't exercised in a while, and I really miss it!"

Seeing the look of yearning and anticipation on Gu Yu’s face, Chen Tianlu decided not to press the matter any further. This Brother Gu was skilled with both the pen and the sword. I really shouldn't underestimate him!

"Then, Brother Gu, this way, please."

"Mm."

Gu Yu gave a faint nod and followed Chen Tianlu with his hunched figure.

It was true—he hadn't moved around like this in a long time. By his count, nearly two years had passed since he turned into a tree.

That’s right. It wasn't the aged Gu Yu, whose life was nearing its twilight, who possessed such strength, but Ji Yang—who had seized control of this body through the divine art Soul Snatch and Spirit Seizure.

However, Gu Yu’s body was controlled by only a faint wisp of Ji Yang’s consciousness. If his spiritual sense were any stronger, this body likely wouldn't be able to withstand it.

At the same time, Ji Yang sensed that his consciousness couldn’t remain in the body for more than an hour. If he exceeded that limit, the wisp of consciousness would dissipate along with the original owner’s soul.

That was an outcome Ji Yang absolutely did not wish to see.

As for why he chose Gu Yu instead of someone from his own family, that too was the result of careful consideration.

He didn’t want to disrupt the family's normal operations, nor did he want to get involved in family affairs. All he wanted was to experience moving his limbs again. After all, Brother Gu lived with only an elderly spouse at home. Aside from teaching the younger generation, he spent most of his time lying down. At such a young age, wasn't he afraid his body would rust away? It would be better to let him help out and get some exercise!

I’m sure Gu Yu would thank me if he knew.

The young men who came to help the family with construction were all strong and came from the surrounding villages. Though they weren’t true martial artists, they were still quite sturdy.

But when they saw Chen Tianlu leading an elderly man who looked as if he were on his deathbed, they all paused, puzzled as to what was going on.

Many of them recognized Brother Gu and knew who he was. They also knew he was not a martial artist—in fact, he would get out of breath after just a few steps.

“Here, catch!”

The next instant, Brother Gu was seen landing steadily on the ground, hefting a large stone, and stacking it onto the family’s outer wall under construction. Then, with a light leap, he soared upward and shouted to the stunned crowd

“What are you standing around for? Hurry up! Move, move, move!”

Snapping out of their daze, the others quickly resumed their work. Yet, as they worked, their eyes kept drifting toward Brother Gu; their faces were filled with astonishment.

Who would have thought that this scholarly gentleman could not only teach and nurture the young, but also leap across rooftops like a martial hero?

As they worked, everyone seemed to put in even more effort. After all, how would they ever live it down if others saw them moving slower than a man in his fifties?

More than half an hour later, Gu Yu lightly leapt down from the tall wall and said to the group behind him

"I'm old now. Can't keep up anymore. The rest is up to you young folks."

"Take care, Mr. Gu!"

"Mr. Gu, go home and get some rest!"

Seeing that Mr. Gu didn't plan to continue working, everyone present secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, he’s gone! If this had kept up, they would have been worked to death.

In just half an hour, they worked at twice their usual speed.

“Will Mr. Gu be coming again tomorrow?”

An ill-timed question rang out from the crowd at that moment.

Gu Yu casually waved his hand:

"Don't worry. I'll be back tomorrow!"

Hearing this answer, many villagers shot unfriendly looks at the speaker.

The man who asked the question felt awkward. I was just asking out of curiosity. What does this have to do with me?

On the way back, Gu Yu pulled a locust leaf from his robe.

Of course, the strength he displayed didn’t come from Gu Yu’s body itself, but from his own immense vitality.

However, despite his abundant life force, Gu Yu’s body couldn’t withstand it for long. That was why he needed to use his vitality to nourish it.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, the leaf began to emit green light.

While the leaf worked its healing magic, Gu Yu flipped his hand and produced another locust leaf.

It looked almost the same as the first one, except it had been plucked after Ji Yang obtained the ability known as "The Agile Dog of the Mountains."

He was preparing to test his new ability.

The next moment, he infused a trace of Yin energy into the locust leaf in his hand.

As the energy flowed in, the leaf's color shifted quickly from green to black and then to a faint gray—the pure hue of Yin energy.

Once the gray had completely covered the leaf, it began to emit a soft glow.

Standing still, Gu Yu held the glowing leaf and started walking in different directions.

Each time he changed direction, the leaf's glow subtly shifted.

Of the directions he tested, two stood out, showing particularly strong reactions from the locust leaf: one pointed toward the Ancestral Hall and the other toward the Chaotic Burial Mountain.

It wasn’t hard to deduce that these two places were saturated with Yin energy.

The closer he moved toward them, the brighter the leaf glowed. When he got within a hundred meters, the leaf grew faintly warm as if to warn whoever was holding it.

Once Ji Yang dispersed the Yin energy, the leaf returned to normal and showed no further signs of change.

Ji Yang then tested it with soul energy. The reaction was strongest in the direction of the Ancestral Hall, while other areas showed only faint responses, likely because Ji Yang had already cleared the area of lingering soul remnants once before.

It stood to reason that blood and Qi, aside from Yin and soul energy, might also produce a similar effect.

In certain situations, this could provide an early warning advantage, which would be extremely useful for the family. Moreover, his locust leaves could store these different types of energy, which would be beneficial against hostile spirits and for aiding clan members.

The range of this divine ability was ten li, which is already quite a distance. It was truly worthy of the name "The Agile Dog of the Mountains"!

[TL Note: The protagonist's true body will never take human form. He will always remain a tree. The Soul Snatch and Spirit Seizure ability is mainly for one or two minor plot points and won't affect the main storyline. And Ji Yang controls Gu Yu's body by Soul Snatch]