Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When the young lad saw that the blind man was here, he immediately rushed over. He even shouted, “You guys have received the deposit…” He had not finished when his vision blurred suddenly and little Chi Maojiu had already barred his way. He said coldly, “Our shop is ruined, so we won’t be doing any business over the next few days!”
Little Chi Maojiu heard that something had happened to his family, so he no longer had the desire to fool around. It was already polite of him for not throwing the young lad out the door.
There was no way that the young lad would surrender, but looking at little Chi Maojiu’s mannerisms, he dared not reach out to grab the man. His face flushed red with anger and he kept mumbling, “I’ve paid the deposit, I can’t…”
The blind man knew what was happening. He did not wait for someone to ask him and immediately started explaining to Wen Leyang, “Ma Zi had accepted this business not long ago, saying that he wanted to rescue someone using Witchcraft. He charged a high price and the client had already paid the deposit.”
Although the Shudao’s Linen Suits were scammers, Ma Zi had a child who possessed the witchcraft power of the profound orthodox sect. The blind man also had some admirable qualities in the Art of Poison. They ran this business quite well. Especially this deal to rescue a person and because of its high price, Ma Zi had poured his heart into it. He stayed in his room and forced Leyang Wangle to cultivate the spell for him.
As he said this, a strange smile appeared on the blind man’s face, “When your group just got here, Ma Zi was forcing the child to cultivate Witchcraft…” Following this train of thought, it was thanks to the young lad and the middle-aged fat man that Wen Leyang was able to find the descendants of Painting Town.
The blind man was still speaking when the ground shook again. A wave of aftershock reached them silently.
The people on the street were scared out of their wits by the first vibration. They screamed and ran in all directions. They were in a mess in the blink of an eye. The two servants who carried the stretcher lost their footing. The stretcher swayed a few times, and the casualty it carried eventually fell onto the ground.
Wen Leyang had only gotten a good look now. The casualty was a young girl. Her exposed skin was reddened as if there was a layer of molten lava flowing under her skin.
Fat Monk Shui Jing exclaimed in surprise. He seemed to have recognized the casualty. He pulled on Wen Leyang’s sleeve, “We must save this person!”
The fat man ran over and wrapped the casualty up in a blanket amidst flustered movements. He shouted towards his subordinates and nephew, “We’re not getting treated here. Let’s leave!”
Judging from appearances, the fat man was a clever man. He understood now that the blind man was held hostage by Wen Leyang and the others. The identity of the casualty whom he brought over was a great secret. He was only worried that he would get into trouble there and then. He cared less about saving the person. He turned to leave but Old Monk Ji Fei had already blocked his way.
The fat man was shocked and angered. He made a spell-conjuring gesture with his hand and shouted at the old monk, “Are you looking for a fight!?”
Fat Monk Shui Jing, however, lowered his voice and continued talking to Wen Leyang, “This woman was a beauty from the north borderland. She’s the daughter of the shopkeeper of ‘Three Steps Away’!”
Wen Leyang frowned. He never expected that everything would have come so easily. Four years ago, the seven old shops in the north borderland had been uprooted, ‘Three Steps Away’ was one of them. It specialized in manhunts.
The brothers Ji Fei and Shui Jing were extremely familiar with the place of the outer fringe. Also, the casualty had quite a name for herself in the north borderland. She was quickly recognized by the two of them.
Chi Maojiu had no time for nonsense. He flapped his empty sleeves, turned around, and went away. A dark black long vine silently crept out of the ground. In an instant, it rolled up the casualty, stretcher included, and followed him.
The middle-aged fat man was frightened by Chi Maojiu’s method. Fat Monk Shui Jing chuckled, “You guys have met a living buddha, but you don’t even know it!” After he finished, he pulled the fat man and followed. Although the shop had collapsed, some dilapidated walls still stood. They could still manage to have some privacy, it was much quieter than it was outside.
The casualty was burning hot. She was like a cooked crab, glowing in a peculiar hue of red and was long unconscious. Chi Maojiu roughly analyzed her condition, while Wen Leyang also checked her pulse with all apparent seriousness. After a while, he turned to look at the fat man, “How come Three Steps Away is in your hands?”
The fat man questioned in return, “Are you guys truly Shudao’s Tuo Xie disciples?”
The two Tuo Xie disciples had not spoken yet when Ji Fei, Shui Jing and the blind man snorted, “Answer our questions!”
The fat man hesitated for a brief moment. Finally, he gritted his teeth with contempt and told them the series of events that had unfolded.
The middle-aged fat man was also a businessman from the north borderland. When his ancestors first came to the place of the outer fringe, he had received much help from ‘Three Steps Away’; their families had since developed a strong bond. The fat man’s nephew and ‘Three Steps Away’s daughter were childhood friends and had a liking towards each other.
Four years ago, the old shop ‘Three Steps Away’ was butchered by someone overnight. This woman did not die. She was secretly hidden by the fat man and his nephew.
Although she did not die, she was not really living either. She had been unconscious these few years. The fat man and his nephew dared not spread the news and racked their brains in secret, but they came up with nothing useful. Up until not long ago, they heard that ‘Shudao’s Linen Cloths’ was the famous codename of Tuo Xie.
The fat man’s family had lived in the place of the outer fringe for generations, so of course they could not be fooled easily, but when his nephew’s wife ‘reddened’ even more, it seemed that she could not last any longer. He decided to be hopelessly optimistic and believed in Ma Zi for now.
That was all that the fat man knew, which was not the least useful to the investigation of the Heaven’s cone nail descendants.
Chi Maojiu pondered slightly for a while. He did not even look at the fat man and his nephew, whose faces were brimming with expectations. He said to Wen Leyang, “First, I’ll use Ben Ming to keep her in limbo, then I’ll use our Witchcraft to carry out a blood exchange transfusion on her. It should be possible. Leave Leyang Wangle here with me.”
As he said this, he looked towards the child and made a warm smile, “After this, I’ll be casting a spell. Look closely, alright?”
The child nodded with great joy.
Chi Maojiu chuckled as well. Then, countless dark black long vines crept out from the courtyard amidst strange rustling sounds. They formed an airtight vine cage in the blink of an eye, covering up the child, Chi Maojiu, and the casualty.
Old monk Ji Fei was a schemer. After he came out, he moved closer to Wen Leyang and mumbled in a whisper beside Wen Leyang, “Isn’t it a bit inappropriate to save a person just like this?”
Wen Leyang had not said anything when fat monk Shui Jing glared at him, “Who do you take Chi Maojiu for?”
The old monk was shocked, “What do you mean…” Then, he understood. He raised a hand and gave the monk a slap. He did not know whether to laugh or cry as he scolded, “You dirty-minded thing! Of course Chi Maojiu isn’t the kind of person who would jeopardize a task for lust.”
Then, the old monk ignored the fat monk and continued in a low voice to Wen Leyang, “I think that all this is slightly too much for it to be a coincidence…”
He had not finished when suddenly, a squall rose sharply from the lull. The black long vines which had just been weaved into a cage were like snakes who had their nerves removed. They fell lifelessly onto the ground!
After the vine cage fell apart; Chi Maojiu’s face turned extremely pale. Occasionally, a peculiar flush of red flashed across his face. His gaze was also extremely dim. Leyang Wangle looked frightened. He stood beside him and the duo did not budge as they faced Wen Leyang.
On each of their shoulders, a slender palm rested. The big and small witch was subdued by someone else!
The young lady who was at the gate of death had turned into a man with a pair of deep-set eagle eyes, who could only be described as charming. The reddish hue on his body was completely gone, and in its place was a delicate fair luster. The gaze that was directed towards Wen Leyang was so gentle that it almost exuded water. A satisfaction and madness that could not be suppressed shone in his eyes.
The fat man and his nephew smiled at the same time. They walked to the back of the man and stood shoulder to shoulder.
The monk was completely dumbfounded. His eyes stared at the other party, but he did not understand what was happening. How did the woman turn into a man in the blink of an eye? The casualty was the great enemy.
Chi Maojiu was under the control of another person, and he looked to be injured as well, but he was unyielding. He snorted and said to Wen Leyang, “This demon person disguised himself and put on a show as a casualty. He ambushed me while I was activating Ben Ming, and I was powerless to fight back.”
The charming man giggled, “It wasn’t a disguise, but it was a face-changing method. Both Arts are extremely different.” As he said this, he even winked playfully at Wen Leyang.
Wen Leyang could not help but shiver. He lowered his voice and asked, “Who are you guys?”
The middle-aged fat man shouted, “My master is the chieftain of the Wuhuan tribe, mister Mulou! My ancestor followed the immortal maser teacher to exterminate demons and eradicate evils. Now, my master has reentered the world. Demons and clowns like you should just surrender to your fate!”
Wuhuan Mountain was the land of the northern barbarian tribes in ancient times. The looks of this Mulou person was nothing like a Han national.
Mulou raised his eyebrows and gave a lovely chuckle, “The Heaven’s cone nail descendants were not up to the task, so the immortal master teacher sent me to pick up their slack.”
When he spoke, a lump the size of a thumb suddenly bulged upon his fair neck. Something inside it was wriggling desperately, but Mulou seemed not to have noticed. He continued to smile, “Everyone was talking about what great capabilities the Tuo Xie disciples had. Now that I’ve seen it, you guys seem very lax.”
Wen Leyang said nothing.
In the span of a sentence, the lump under Mulou’s neck was burst open by the thing inside it. An ugly tiger moth struggled clumsily, attempting to crawl out. Finally, after breaking half its wing, it broke free.
The tiger moth was in no hurry to fly away, but it stayed on Mulou’s neck. Its huge belly bulged as it panted strenuously.
After that, more lumps wriggled from under his neck and face. The spots where the lumps grew were where Mulou could not see them.
Ji Fei and Shui Jing were completely flabbergasted. Chi Maojiu did not turn around from the beginning, but he seemed to know what was happening. A sinister grin had appeared on the edge of his lips long ago.
Mulou seemed to be in high spirits. He beamed with joy at Wen Leyang, “There are always fools who wanted to investigate the disaster that befell the seven houses four years ago. The immortal master teacher’s plan is naturally not something that can be pried into by others. These few years, the disciples of Wuhuan Mountain have been busy!”
Kong Nuer’s planning was meticulous. The scheme of the place of the outer fringe was extremely critical. He was not at ease even after he sent someone to kill all the cultivators that cultivated in the place of the outer fringe. He was still worried that someone might obtain some clues from this incident. He ordered Mulou to change his face and pose as a Three Steps Away remnant who was skilled in tracking.
When someone wanted to know about the truth behind the massacre of the seven houses, they would almost definitely look for the survivors. By that time, they would only be throwing themselves right into their trap.
Mulou had enough of his laugh. He sized Wen Leyang up before continuing, “Among the Tuo Xie disciples, the most famous one is Wen Leyang. Has he come? Are there more of you in the place of the outer fringe?”
Insects crawled out from under his skin ceaselessly. It was not entirely tiger moths, but there were mosquitoes, flies, bees, and even little dragonflies. All the insects did not fly, but they stayed where they were silently. In no time, Mulou’s neck, chest and under his clothes where the eyes could not see were densely covered with all kinds of insects. However, he himself did not feel anything. He was still looking at Wen Leyang with that gentle and lovely gaze.
Wen Leyang almost had goosebumps in his eyes. He pointed at his own nose and answered honestly, “I am Wen Leyang.”
Mulou was slightly shocked. He frowned and smiled, “How can you be Wen Leyang? He’s only no more than twenty.”
Even Ji Fei and Shui Jing knew that victory was in their hands. Wen Leyang felt even more relaxed. He answered with a smile, “I’ve disguised myself!”
Unexpectedly, Mulou strangely burned with rage. He almost looked hysteric as he leaped and cursed, “F*ck you! There’s no disguising ability under the heavens that can deceive the Dharma eyes of the Wuhuan disciples!” The Art of Face Changing of the line of Mulou was unique under the heavens. It was much more profound compared to the other Art of Disguise; it was more vivid. The Wuhuan Mountain sect had been proud of this face for generations.
From Mulou’s point of view, him not seeing through it although Wen Leyang himself said that he was disguised, was even more spiteful than calling him an effeminate man. However, when he moved as he cursed, the insects all over his body were also surprised. They buzzed and took flight!
At first, Mulou still could not understand why he was surrounded by so many mosquitoes and flies. Only when he tore his sleeve and saw that there were broken wriggling lumps under his skin from which insects crawled out, that he understood. He was under a powerful spell by someone else!
Then, a heart-wrenching pain erupted throughout his entire body. His strength was completely devoid in an instant. Other than falling down, Mulou could not do anything else! Even from his opened mouth, insects occasionally made their way out of his tongue. They shook their wings and flew lightly…
The two subordinates of Mulou were shocked and angered. Even if they were loyal, they dared not touch their master now. They each yelled and took out their magic weapons at the same time. They had just wanted to pounce towards Chi Maojiu when the black vines that had fallen to the ground earlier started twitching. The fat man and his nephew only saw the world going dark as they were bound by layers and layers!
Not only did the black vines bound the fat man and his nephew, they slowly tunneled into their mouths, noses, eye sockets, navels, and all the other slits they could find. The vines moved slowly but surely.
Just as Cone Nail had said, the most outstanding cultivators under Kong Nuer’s command were the elites of Heaven’s cone nails. Wuhuan Mountain’s method of practice was focused on face changing, which had limited powers in actual combat. Mulou’s cultivation base, compared to Shudou, Rust, and the others were far weaker. There was no need to mention the two subordinates.
The reason why Mulou looked down on the Tuo Xie disciples and dared to attack single-handedly was that he was framed by old grandmother Shudou…
After the Tuo Xie disciples, Wen Leyang’s name was the most famous. Naturally he was the strongest, but grandmother Shudou had complained to Mulou earlier that Wen Leyang was not that skilled himself. All he had was his three powerful magic weapons. The ones he truly had to be careful about was Cone Nail, Chang Li, and the few peerless demon immortals.
The place of the outer fringe was a world of its own. Unless Wen Leyang brought the devil fetus rock tower through the entrance, he could not use his magic weapon since he was inside the place of the outer fringe, while his magic weapon was outside. The other Molten Metal Fire Bell had erupted into a million pieces in front of everyone’s eyes four years ago. As for the power of Ning Jiao’s sting and bony Ning Jiao, it was very limited in the eyes of the Heaven’s cone nail descendants.
Without the rock tower and giant sword, Mulou did not even think that Wen Leyang was anyone significant, let alone the other Tuo Xie descendants.
However, whether it was Shudou or Mulou, they did not know. Not only did Wen Leyang’s Art of Poison improved greatly, even Chi Maojiu, the foolish uncles, and Luo Wangfu – this first generation of Tuo Xie disciples who managed to combine the three Arts into one had already joined the ranks of the first-class elites.
Chi Maojiu stooped down and picked up the dumbstruck Leyang Wangle. He chuckled and said to him, “When we use our Ben Ming, we witches have no power to defend ourselves. Especially for these people of unknown origins, we must cast powerful spells on them beforehand to protect ourselves.”
After he finished, he looked at Wen Leyang with satisfaction, “I have already cast the spell when I was inspecting his wounds!”
Wen Leyang smiled quite happily. He strangely said, “Me too. When I was checking his pulse!” As he spoke, a patch of greyish poison silently flowed out from Mulou’s wrist and slowly made its way towards the soles of Wen Leyang’s feet, “If I had known that you’ve done that, I needn’t have troubled myself!”
Ever since he was reborn from the Mourning Cauldron, other than Wen Leyang’s body being sturdier and his powers improving greatly, the other perk was that he could communicate with the Poison of Life and Death which had flowed out of his body. After the Poison of Life and Death had infiltrated the enemy, it was up to his will whether it lies dormant or is activated.
The two Tuo Xie disciples looked at each other and smiled.
Within the place of the outer fringe, Kong Nuer’s great scheme was hidden somewhere. Wen Leyang dared not let his guard down even for an instant. He had seen the abilities of the Heaven’s cone nail descendants first-hand, and he had also experienced the meticulousness of Kong Nuer’s thoughts. Although the north borderland was an extraordinary place, the cultivators there were not stronger than the Five Blessings.
However, for the ones who Kong Nuer must kill no matter what, how could they survive that easily?
The fat man and his nephew hid a survivor. They did not send the person away but had looked for help within the place of the outer fringe.
Even if Shudao’s Linen Clothes was a scam before this, the name of the Tuo Xie arbiters was added, and Kong Nuer’s subordinates would naturally want to come and have a look.
The fame of the Tuo Xie disciples was also shocking right now, but this fame was earned by killing people, not saving them.
Wen Leyang felt that something was off, but although he could not confirm that the three people who came here were the enemy, how could he not be on guard? Alas, on this rare occasion where he utilized his brain, in the end… The brothers Ji Fei and Shui Jing strode up to Chi Maojiu. Both of them gave him a thumbs-up and praised him loudly, “It seems that the brother from the Miao family had some good senses!”
Wen Leyang was quite helpless. The spotlight was completely snatched away by Chi Maojiu.
The blind man had long collapsed as he leaned on the wall. He had only truly understood now, what kind of ancestor they were posing as before this!
Chi Maojiu giggled and passed the child to Wen Leyang. He did not bother about the grueling look of Mulou who was covered in insects. He pulled him behind another dilapidated wall and started interrogating him.
