Chapter 92: Chapter Ninety-Three: Strange Change

Bai Lang's Internal Force is indeed stronger than Murong Ronghua's; compared to Ma Yinglong it is actually not lacking; compared to Murong Jiu Xiu and Qin Lian'er it is even stronger by several measures. After all, this is the Internal Force of the Thirteen Tai Bao Golden Bell Shield—vigorous and unyielding, a top-tier external cultivation method. Bodhidharma's divine skill is hardly some petty trick, and Bai Lang being able to obtain such divine skill is also his fortune—this Yu Yu has never been simple......

It's just that Bai Lang cannot employ it properly—this cultivation method is flawless, yet the method of using qi for defense has many errors and omissions; only upon reaching the fourth level does this vigorous qi spontaneously circulate to protect the body, allowing one to display the true prowess of this divine skill. As for attacking opponents? Bai Lang's martial arts are actually quite crude—young man, martial arts with Internal Force are not used this way......

Bai Lang merely treats this Internal Force as a method to increase strength; his way of using it is roughly what he gathered from martial arts novels, and he still hasn't figured it out—given his current Internal Force, he should have already cultivated the ability to emit a piercing air blast; it makes no sense that his body is almost condensed into a black-and-white tiger yet he cannot use the piercing air blast.

The reason he was easily taken by Murong Ronghua is simply that his martial arts are too poor, completely incomparable to the true martial arts of this prestigious sect. So there's no future.... if he continues to linger in this little broken branch. Bai Lang more or less realizes this, his eyebrows twitching, 'So I'm not even a lowly disciple?'

Murong Ronghua then joked, 'What is this lowly disciple?' Bai Lang gave a laugh, 'There's also cover within cover, all trivial trifles.' Hahahaha.

Just then, the winds and clouds shifted suddenly; everyone present changed expression, and what Bai Lang felt was a strange qi—something he had never sensed before. It was filth, decay, in short, this kind of feeling qi, formless and substanceless yet seeming to constantly drill into the nostrils—not smelled, but directly felt as this nauseating qi.

'What is this thing?' Bai Lang's expression looked rather grim, while Ma Yinglong directly said two words, 'Yin thing!'

Bai Lang pushed the door and went out; their rooms were on the second floor of the inn. He walked along the corridor and looked out toward the city's wards. A grayish mist enveloped the city, yet everyone in the city seemed utterly unaware, going about as usual. Not long after, this ill omen began to fade, finally vanishing without trace......

'No wonder, they said survive ten days. The place where this ill omen lies must certainly have that unnamed yin thing demon.' Murong Ronghua said thus; as soon as his words fell, another qi surged forth. It was a qi like flames and like acids and alkalis alike, and Bai Lang even felt that the skin and meridians on his body seemed to be corroded.

'Demonic qi? There are actually demons here?' Again Ma Yinglong, this time he was a bit flustered. 'Is this demonic qi?' From Bai Lang's position he likewise saw outside the city a black qi rising like beacon smoke, yet strangely the people below still seemed unable to see it......

'What's going on?' Bai Lang asked without shame, 'Those who cannot circulate qi through their meridians cannot see it; only those who have cultivated a meridian and know martial arts can see it.' Murong Ronghua answered Bai Lang's question. 'Is this demon strong?' Bai Lang, being inexperienced, Murong Jiu Xiu glanced at him, 'It's a bit stronger than everyone here.'

'We're all relying on you to hold the line—who made you practice external hardening? This time, don't give me a sudden disappearance, Senior Brother Bai!' Murong Jiu Xiu said to Bai Lang with a smiling squint, appearing not very tense. Ma Yinglong only initially showed a slight change in expression, but after seeing that demonic qi he also returned to calm.

'Does "survive ten days" mean these things will come attack us? But why?' Bai Lang, being a newcomer, a small fry in the martial world, didn't understand and asked. 'Because we martial artists have vigorous blood and qi..... to such yin things and demons, this also counts as a great tonic.' The one speaking and explaining was Qin Lian'er; as a disciple of the Medicine King Valley, she has authority on nutrition.

Bai Lang thought it over, feeling that perhaps eating demons could also be a great tonic, maybe this is also an opportunity.

Everyone fell silent, each returning to their rooms to regulate breath—one could imagine that after the sun sets, this change will likely come. Before nightfall, everyone came downstairs to eat and drink while quietly awaiting events. 'At the beginning of night there is still yang qi; I think we'll probably have to wait until the third watch......' Murong Ronghua wrote with chopsticks dipped in alcohol on the table.

The waiter was yawning, about to put up the door panels, while Ma Yinglong tossed a small piece of silver, 'We still want a drink, waiter, boss, you can go rest—this money is for the lamp oil......' The waiter and boss, having seen this sort of thing many times, after another round of liquor they left.

Bai Lang and company seemed a bit drunk as well, merely sitting at the table, occasionally eating some side dishes, drinking cup after cup not too quickly, and the lamp light was nothing special, still crackling and occasionally sputtering a spark. The night grew deeper; at the second watch the waiter had come to look once, but afterward he did not continue coming.

Outside, the clapper sounded; the third watch had already arrived......

The lamp light gradually dimmed——the lamp oil was about to burn out, the flame grew smaller and smaller, finally looking like a mung bean; this brightness could no longer illuminate the wine on the table, only able to light a tiny spot on one's own lamp.

The lamp light swayed slightly; just as it was about to go out but not yet, the mung‑bean‑sized flame suddenly turned into a line, puffed a few times, then flared up again gently...... Every oil lamp was like this; for a moment it seemed as if they had returned to the brightly lit state of dinner.

Several people exchanged glances, 'Here it comes!' Bai Lang thought silently, but this time he did not feel that qi. Just as the lamp flickered, the sound of a door opening and closing came from above, followed by footsteps walking to and fro. This isn't scary at all—midnight guests in the inn, or the waiter, walking back and forth is quite normal, right?

'Not normal at all!' Bai Lang shouted in his mind—it's not a hotel, there are people coming and going at midnight too, but this is just an ancient inn! The inn's guests are certainly not only these few, yet the coming and going footsteps didn't attract anyone else, not even the waiter appeared.

'Go or not?' Bai Lang communicated with others through the look in his eyes; personally he leaned toward not going. At that moment, the flame burning in the oil‑less lamp suddenly went out. In the darkness, the footsteps that had been upstairs appeared right beside Bai Lang.

Bai Lang listened to the wind to locate the source, then formed his hand into a tiger claw and grabbed toward the direction of the footsteps—Ma Yinglong had long said that after a martial artist's true qi moves the flesh and blood, they can completely reach and injure those yin things.