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After Ma Qiuniang finished explaining things to Ma Shun, she dutifully went into the inner room.

Although Chen Xuan didn’t really need "housing," ever since he came to the Ma Family, the whole family had cleared out the largest of their three rooms especially for his use.

Chen Xuan couldn’t be bothered to decline and simply did a bit of remodeling, making it better suited to the status of the Lord of Flesh and Blood. Now the earthen walls, once covered in fine cracks, were nowhere to be seen, replaced instead by countless layers of muscle fibers; the beam overhead had been swapped out for a stark, bony framework, and the floor was a mass of writhing intestines in neat rows, soft and springy underfoot.

He admitted that this design took inspiration from the Tower of Flesh and Blood, and he was gradually beginning to understand why that monster which attacked Chang’an City had shaped itself that way... First, the types of materials were limited; second, a tall tower looks far more imposing than a huge slab of meat slumped bonelessly on the ground.

When Ma Qiuniang walked into this room she couldn’t help shivering; to say she wasn’t afraid would be an outright lie.

What normal person wouldn’t be afraid? In just a few days, the house had turned into a "living being" that breathed; such a reality-warping sight was usually the sort of thing only Demon Fiends and malevolent spirits would produce.

In the past, Chen Xuan might have felt a certain empathy with her, but now... perhaps because these things had all been created by his own hand, his perspective on them had shifted as well.

For example, the intestine-like tubes covered in fine hairs were not slippery at all; they could absorb water and moisture, keeping the room dry and comfortable. Once the walls were sheathed in muscle bundles, the room’s rigidity increased sharply, and the same went for the skeletal beams above. Moreover, the flesh-and-blood domain could, by Chen Xuan’s will, capture all invading life forms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. In other words, although this room looked eerie and terrifying, in reality it was a perfectly sterile space with top-tier cleanliness—fit for performing open surgery without the slightest issue.

"The Pei State Government announced the immortal fate a bit more than a month ago, right? Before that, you were always staying here in Baihe Village, chopping wood and making charcoal for your family?" Chen Xuan got straight to the point.

She didn’t answer immediately; she thought it over before speaking. "To answer you, my lord, I only stay here to help with family chores when autumn turns to winter. The rest of the time I go to the city to do odd jobs."

As expected, compared to the other villagers, she had seen a bit of the world, even if that "world" wasn’t all that large.

"What kind of work?"

"Odd jobs at Mingde Academy—laundering clothes, sweeping floors, folding paper, tracing characters... I’ve done it all," she replied.

"You even know how to write?" Chen Xuan was rather surprised.

"No, no, no, only a tiny bit..." Ma Qiuniang waved her hands quickly. "The academy’s Teacher Zhang is a very good man. When he lectured the students, he wouldn’t drive me away even if he saw me eavesdropping outside the room. Later, when he realized I really understood what he was teaching, he even had me help prepare the tracing-copy sheets for calligraphy practice. After doing that over and over, I’ve more or less learned to write a little."

Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow; no wonder she seemed a bit different from the other villagers—turns out she did count as someone who had studied.

This was a pleasant surprise.

"This Mingde Academy you mentioned... is it open to ordinary commoners?"

"Uh... from what I’ve observed, the academy’s disciples fall into two kinds. There are the sons of wealthy families, and there are children from ordinary households. But they basically attend separate classes, and the teachers who instruct them are not the same," Ma Qiuniang answered truthfully.

So in other words, as long as you paid, you could get in.

That was already very close to the concept of a school.

Still, having a school within the Lotus Cloud Sect was not surprising at all. Before retreating into the Grotto Heaven, the Sect had been the most advanced organization around and had even incorporated some modern ideas. Besides, most of the survivors in the Grotto Heaven were descendants of the Sect and refugees from surrounding areas; it was only natural that some of their educational ideals would be carried on.

Chen Xuan regarded her with interest. "If I ask you to teach the other villagers to read and write, can you manage it?"

"Huh?" Ma Qiuniang blurted out instinctively, then realized this was quite rude in front of an Upper Immortal and hastily covered her mouth. "Lord Xuan, you overestimate me! I’m just a village girl; the little I’ve learned is hardly worth mentioning. I’m not fit to serve as anyone’s teacher!"

She didn’t realize that the fact she could even say "village girl" about herself already put her ahead of ninety percent of Baihe Village’s residents.

"I’m not asking you to start teaching right this instant." Chen Xuan smiled. Originally, he had intended to have her go to Yongtang City to recruit a few such people, but after discovering Ma Qiuniang’s potential he changed his mind. After all, she was both a villager and one of the first "believers" to undergo Fusion; having her lead the lessons would certainly be more appropriate than letting outsiders do it. "I plan to send you back to the academy to study for half a month, and then you can start teaching. This time you won’t be going as a menial worker, but as a student for further study. As for the cost... naturally, it will be provided by the followers of flesh and blood."

Followers of flesh and blood? Funding her studies? She was stunned.

"That’s right. They’re the most seasoned of my followers, willing to give everything for the Taboo," Chen Xuan fabricated casually.

After all, he could read her mind, but she couldn’t read his.

"Forgive me, I didn’t mean to question you..." Ma Qiuniang came back to herself from her intense shock. "It’s just... just..."

She hesitated a moment before mustering her courage. "Half a month is really too short. I’m afraid I won’t be able to fulfill your instructions."

Chen Xuan was unconcerned. "Hold out your hand."

She froze for a second, then hurriedly extended her right hand.

He lifted a finger and tapped her palm. "There, that’s enough."

Ma Qiuniang withdrew her hand, her face full of confusion. "I... don’t quite understand. Could you perhaps explain in a bit more detail?"

"I’ve granted you a new boon. It will let you move with ease in your studies; half a month will be more than enough for you."

What he had bestowed upon her was precisely "Linguistics."

This ability wasn’t limited to learning foreign tongues; basic communication alone was never enough to be called mastery of a language.

Of course, he didn’t need to be face-to-face to grant someone an ability; doing it this way simply felt more mysterious, giving it a bit more ceremonial flair.

Ma Qiuniang stared wide-eyed at her own hands, scarcely able to believe that a boon could work like this.

Chen Xuan answered the thought in her heart directly. "Why couldn’t it? A person’s strength depends on how developed their muscles are; whether someone is clever depends on their brain... all of these are parts of flesh and blood, and thus all fall under my dominion."

As though being instructed, she lowered her head deeply. "Yes, I will keep that firmly in mind."

A moment later, Ma Qiuniang pressed her lips together again, as if there was something she wanted to say but couldn’t.

"You want to ask why I chose you instead of Ma Shun, and why I’m going to such trouble to teach the villagers to read and write?" Chen Xuan’s lips quirked up as he took the initiative and voiced the doubts in her heart.

Each time such a moment came, he could feel a faint trickle of Spiritual Qi seeping into his body.

So Lord Taboo really can see through people’s hearts. Ma Qiuniang felt both reverence and fear. "Please forgive my foolish, wandering thoughts..."

"It’s fine to tell you." Chen Xuan didn’t mind in the least. "Although Ma Shun received the boon earlier than you, you noticed the changes in your body faster than he did— even if I grant boons impartially to every fusion-bearer, there will always be some who can bring out greater power. That’s a kind of talent; you should be proud of it."

"As for your second question..." He deliberately paused. "First of all, this isn’t some huge effort; for me, it’s something I can do in passing—calling it a pastime wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Second, if all the fusion-bearers were illiterate bumpkins who can’t recognize a single character, how would they spread the truth of flesh and blood for me? No matter how far back you look, among those figures who could summon a response with a single call, was there ever one who was a completely illiterate ignoramus with an empty mind?"