Chapter 756: Medium-Rare

Puluo Continent, Dao Dao Guiling.

Cui Ti was in the temple, collecting the divine statues from the sunflower discs. Although Li Li Banfeng had previously introduced the functions of the sunflowers, Cui Ti was still shocked to see the actual effects.

"So much human Qi; the storage efficiency is terrifyingly high." Cui Ti picked up a divine statue and pressed it against his own head. The pure human Qi caused him to experience some hallucinations.

"It feels like a new life is gestating within my body!" Cui Ti was extremely excited. "I have new inspiration."

"I see my dreams drawing closer and closer to me..."

Immersed in joy, Cui Ti suddenly withdrew his smile, looking toward the outside of the temple with a face full of vigilance.

There were sounds, fighting, and someone had broken into the Scoundrel Ridge. Cui Ti could not be certain of his judgment; his method of enhancing his hearing was to induce a certain degree of pathology in his auditory nerves. This allowed him to strengthen his capture of subtle sounds, but it also weakened his ability to distinguish them.

"It could be the sound of the wind, it could be falling mountain rocks, or it could be the frolicking of the Dao Labor Ghosts." For the sake of caution, Cui Ti disguised himself as a Dao Labor Ghost and followed the sounds to Songde Village. In a cornfield, he saw Lady Zuo Anna being besieged by Dao Labor Ghosts.

The corn was growing very well, which made Cui Ti very happy; Dao Labor Ghosts also needed to eat grain.

Lady Zuo Anna's condition was not very good. Cui Ti was still hesitating about how to deal with the situation; although he and Lady Zuo Anna usually addressed each other as sister and brother, Lady Zuo Anna was, after all, an intruder.

"Ming Ka~"

Cui Ti let out a low, muffled roar, and the Dao Labor Ghosts besieging Lady Zuo Anna temporarily stopped their attack.

Lady Zuo Anna's body was covered in scorch marks and bloodstains. There wasn't much skin left on her originally beautiful cheeks. Her vision was very blurry, and her consciousness was just as hazy. Instinctively, she held her staff, still attempting to make a final resistance.

"Don't act recklessly! I can provide you with a certain degree of help, provided that you no longer threaten the safety of this place." Cui Ti's voice made Lady Zuo Anna calm down slightly.

Lady Zuo Anna lowered her staff. She couldn't see Cui Ti's appearance clearly, and even if she could, it would be difficult to identify him.

She followed the direction of the voice and said, "Give me some medicine and food, and I will leave immediately."

Cui Ti really wanted to do as she said; after all, this could save a lot of trouble.

But before the Dao Labor Ghosts could bring the medicine and food over, Lady Zuo Anna had already fallen into a coma. Cui Ti had no choice.

He could only bring her to the cave in Dao Dao Guiling.

After simple treatment, Lady Zuo Anna woke up. She rested for a while and wanted to leave Dao Dao Guiling, but was stopped by Cui Ti.

"Out of consideration for your safety and mine, you must tell me the cause and effect of the matter."

Lady Zuo Anna shook her head and said, "Just pretend you know nothing, pretend you have never seen me. It is safer for you that way."

Cui Ti persuaded Lady Zuo Anna, "Some things, when spoken, might make people feel sad, but we must clarify one thing: I do not want to be dragged into some kind of turmoil because of you."

"You came to Scoundrel Ridge, and you have already dragged me into the turmoil. If you left without a word, I would become an unwitting victim, without preparation, and even less able to cope, just like what happened in the past."

As a member of the White Falcon Alliance, Lady Zuo Anna needed to abide by confidentiality regulations, but under the current circumstances, she felt Cui Ti's request was reasonable. "I received some news and went to the Shang Kingdom to execute a very important mission, but in the process of executing the mission—"

Cui Ti shook his head and said, "The efficiency of this kind of communication is too low. Be more direct: what was the mission?"

Lady Zuo Anna hesitated for a moment and said, "We went to Moyi to attack the Shang Kingdom's Dangkou Camp. Before this, we received intelligence and also verified the reliability of the intelligence."

"But in the process of the attack, we fell into the Shang Kingdom's trap. Seventy percent of the more than one hundred wizards were killed in action. The remaining thirty percent followed me as I struggled to escape Moyi."

"After leaving the Shang Kingdom, we were hunted down again. The opponent was an expert with extremely strong combat power. To help the other wizards retreat, I chose to act as bait to distract this expert's attention."

"But I didn't expect that even after I fled to Puluo Continent, I still couldn't avoid the pursuit of this expert. With no other choice, I could only ask you for help."

Cui Ti pondered for a moment and said, "There is still a serious problem with our communication efficiency. Can you be clearer? What kind of person is the expert hunting you, and what is their combat power?"

Lady Zuo Anna said, "As far as I know, he can control the dead. In terms of pure combat ability, some of his dead are even above me."

Cui Ti had a rough deduction: "The person hunting you is a Demon Cultivator, and their cultivation has definitely reached Above the Clouds. This type of person has a very serious restraint against my Dao Sect. You have brought me great risk and threat."

Lady Zuo Anna lowered her head and said, "I express my deep apologies for this. I will leave immediately."

Cui Ti frowned and said, "Do you think that if you leave here now, that Demon Cultivator will let me go? You have put me in a very dangerous situation!"

Lady Zuo Anna was speechless. She didn't want to implicate Cui Ti, but it seemed she already had. She wanted to find the Demon Cultivator and settle things directly, but going there now would just be throwing her life away.

Cui Ti carefully thought about the response plan: "I have a lesion that can attack dead souls, but for the lesion to take full effect, it needs at least six hours. Within these six hours, the lesion cannot kill a powerful dead soul; it can only cause limited weakening to the dead soul. Moreover, the transmission efficiency of the lesion targeting dead souls is extremely low. If he has a large number of Ghost Servants, it will be difficult for me to resist."

After roughly analyzing the strength of both sides, Cui Ti introduced three tactics to Lady Zuo Anna: "The first tactic,"

"I will hand you directly to that cultivator to express my sincerity in stopping the battle. If the other party is willing to sign a contract, then this promise has some guarantee. If the other party is unwilling, he is very likely to continue to threaten my safety after taking you away."

Lady Zuo Anna lowered her head and said, "I don't have many opinions on this tactic of yours, I just hope you don't discuss it with me so frankly in front of me."

Cui Ti explained, "The reason I am so frank is that I am worried I won't get your cooperation in the process of executing the tactic."

Lady Zuo Anna raised her head and said, "How else do you want me to cooperate? Should I tie myself up?"

Cui Ti said, "Just tying up might not be enough. Let's talk about the second tactic: I will spread the lesion that counters dead souls, and then delay as much time as possible to kill all of the other party's Ghost Servants."

"The difficulty in executing this tactic is that I can't find a way to delay time. I am not good at individual combat, and you basically have no combat ability now."

Lady Zuo Anna said, "Is there a third tactic?"

"Yes, the third tactic is to avoid the Ghost Servants and attack the cultivator directly. I will complete the surprise attack and plant a lesion on him that will take effect as quickly as possible."

"This tactic has the highest return, but the risk in executing it is the greatest. I need to grasp more information and also need a bit of luck."

Lady Zuo Anna said, "I can describe the battle I encountered to you in detail."

"It's too late." Cui Ti looked outside the cave. Rhythmic whistling sounds were approaching.

The ground shook. Cui Ti asked, "This should be the other party's Ghost Servant, but I can't tell the Ghost Servant's ability. Judging from the sound, he seems to be a Tyrannosaurus Rex!"

Lady Zuo Anna said, "Are you talking about the Dragon Lizard from your hometown? The Tyrannosaurus Rex in the Outer Continent has long been extinct. How could you have heard their sounds?"

Cui Ti was very dissatisfied: "Do you think this is the focus of the argument? If the other party can control a Dragon Lizard,"

"We had better not leave the cave now. The Dragon Lizard's body is huge, and the cave environment is not conducive to it exerting its advantages."

"I don't think it's a Dragon Lizard," Lady Zuo Anna listened carefully for a moment, "I think it's a train!"

Hu Wei~ Hu Wei~

It really was a train!

Because his ability to distinguish sounds was insufficient, Cui Ti had misjudged the sound of the train as the footsteps of a Dragon Lizard.

Lady Zuo Anna asked, "Are we still going to hold the cave?"

Cui Ti was hesitating: "Is this train real or fake? Is it just an illusion?"

Lady Zuo Anna couldn't give an answer. The other party was a cultivator; she didn't know what kind of Ghost Servant the other party would use.

Wu Ao~

The steam train drilled into the cave, and Cui Ti saw the headlight.

The oncoming gale made Cui Ti immediately abandon the idea of holding the cave. He picked up Lady Zuo Anna and ran wildly in the cave.

"I heard the sound of rocks being crushed and impacted. This train is real. This Ghost Servant should be a Craftsman Cultivator. This train is a weapon he carries with him. But how can a train become a weapon carried with him!"

Cui Ti rushed out from the other end of the cave and hid behind a huge mountain rock, thinking about how to respond after the train rushed out.

After waiting for a long time, Cui Ti didn't see the train, but heard someone talking nearby.

"If you had stayed in the cave, I definitely wouldn't have dared to go in, because you would have set up many traps in the cave."

"Even if I let the Ghost Servant go in, I would also feel it is very unwise. Ghost Servants are also very precious and cannot be wasted at will, so I thought of a way to make you come out. Do you think my train of thought is correct?"

Cui Ti walked out from behind the mountain rock and looked at the man in front of him.

This man was very tall, and by visual estimation, he should be over two meters three.

He was very thin, and the outline of his skull could be seen on his slender face, with sparse long hair scattered on his temples and forehead.

Cui Ti asked very politely, "What is your name?"

The man opposite pondered for a long time. This question was not easy to answer: "Are you asking me, or the person speaking?"

Cui Ti also pondered for a short while: "Is there a difference between the two?"

"Yes, the difference is very large. My name is Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang, and the person speaking to you here is called the Megaphone."

Cui Ti understood this time: "Your true body is not here."

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang said, "Do you think I'm crazy? How could I let my true body appear in front of you?"

Cui Ti looked back at the cave and asked again: "The train in the cave is also not real?"

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang's tone was very calm, and a hint of pride could be heard: "That is an illusion, it is a phantom scene created by another Ghost Servant of mine. When have you ever seen someone carry a train with them to fight? I just used an illusion to trick you out of the cave. Do you think I am very clever?"

Cui Ti looked at the cave: "If I go back to the cave now, is it still in time?"

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang really thought about this question: "Theoretically, such a possibility exists, but the risk is extremely high."

"The Megaphone in front of you is a Traveling Cultivator dead soul. His speed is faster than yours, and he can catch up with you very easily."

"And you must focus your vision on him. There is a Traveling Cultivator technique called 'Flowers in the Mist'. You should have heard of it. Although the technique is difficult, the Megaphone uses it very skillfully."

Cui Ti gave an objective evaluation: "You are a very rational and very sincere person, but there are some details I still want to discuss with you."

"Just now in the cave, I not only heard the sound of the train, I also felt the impact brought by the train and the temperature brought by the steam. Is this also an effect created by an illusion?"

"Illusion does not just refer to changes in vision. Hearing, touch, smell, taste, and even including certain psychological shocks are all important components of illusion. If we talk about it seriously, these detailed problems can be discussed for a day and a night."

Cui Ti nodded and said, "This knowledge is too valuable. I am interested in listening."

"But I don't have that much time. You definitely have corresponding techniques that can make my Ghost Servant infected with a lesion. Dragging it out is extremely unfavorable to me, so let's settle it quickly."

The Megaphone moved his ankles and prepared to take action against Cui Ti.

Cui Ti pressed his palm down, signaling the other party to be calm: "Don't be in a hurry. I have a better way to resolve this dispute. I will hand Lady Zuo Anna to you now, and our fight will end here. Do you agree?"

The Megaphone stood in place for nearly a minute without making any response.

After careful consideration, the other party finally reached a conclusion: "I object. Even if you keep your promise, after I get Lady Zuo Anna, I may not be able to leave Dao Dao Guiling alive. For me, killing you is the safest and wisest choice."

"If you say so," Cui Ti sighed lightly, "then there is nothing to discuss."

As the words fell, Cui Ti picked up Lady Zuo Anna and began to run wildly. The Megaphone wanted to use the 'Flowers in the Mist' technique, but couldn't use it; his speed was not fast enough.

The Megaphone gave up the technique and chased Cui Ti directly. He felt his legs were very heavy, and he could feel obvious soreness when running.

The Megaphone's voice became very hoarse. He immediately sent a message to Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang: "I have been infected by his lesion."

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang's voice came from his ear: "I didn't expect it to take effect so quickly."

"You shouldn't have wasted your breath on him; you should have just taken his life."

"When a chess player meets a worthy opponent, or a general meets a talented soldier, it's rare to encounter someone like him. If I hadn't exchanged a few words with him, I would have felt like I was the one losing out."

"Aren't you losing out now?"

"I'm not losing out; you're the one losing out. The overall situation is still fine, and for now, it's still under control."

Cui Ti carried Lady Zuo Anna and ran toward the temple, where the blade-labor ghosts were most numerous, which could effectively block Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang.

But Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang had been prepared in advance. Cui Ti had only run a little over a mile when he was intercepted by the wandering soul of a martial cultivator.

Cui Ti had no choice but to fight the opponent. Lady Zuo Anna said, "You should just hand me over; perhaps that could help you stall for a little more time."

"The point is, I don't just need a little time. If I only needed ten or twenty minutes, I would have sent you out long ago. But I need several hours, so I must find the right moment to send you out."

Lady Zuo Anna gasped, "I really don't think you need to say thoughts like that to my face."

"You didn't say it back then, but you did it. Otherwise, my younger brother wouldn't have starved to death."

Cui Ti rushed out of the cave and began fighting the martial cultivator ghost servant. While he was speaking just now, he hadn't even wanted to look at Lady Zuo Anna once.

At dusk, Cui Ti checked his pocket watch; he had already stalled for over five hours.

But he was doubting one thing: was this stalling actually worth anything?

The previous traveling cultivator megaphone had lost the ability to fight due to severe illness, but Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang had already replaced it with another megaphone.

He had a large number of ghost servants that could be replaced at any time, and their combat power was not mediocre.

The key was that they didn't appear all at once. The latest batch of ghost servants had appeared in front of Cui Ti for the first time five minutes ago, which meant Cui Ti had to stall for another six hours against this batch.

What was most hateful was that throughout the entire battle, Cui Ti had never been able to walk out of Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang's soul-bewitching formation; he couldn't find an opportunity to ask the blade-labor ghosts for help.

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang was a tactical master; he used patient and thorough tactics to keep Cui Ti from being able to fight back.

And at this moment, Cui Ti was covered in wounds, and his stamina was nearly exhausted.

Looking at the plump and enchanting megaphone before him, Cui Ti offered a suggestion: "I'll give up resistance; just give me a quick end."

The megaphone was a woman, but the voice was a man's: "I object. Someone like you could never give up their life. You've prepared a trap and want to lure me into it."

Cui Ti bandaged his wounds simply, looked at Lady Zuo Anna, and smiled: "Look what you've brought me? I don't even have a chance to seek death now."

Lady Zuo Anna lowered her head, and she shed tears: "I'm sorry, I don't know what else I can say..."

Cui Ti didn't want to hear anything; he took two handguns from his waist.

Handguns had limited use in Puluo Province because the rate of misfires was very high. All other weapons for dealing with wandering souls had been exhausted; these two guns were all that were left.

Cui Ti fired three shots at the martial cultivator ghost servant rushing toward him, but not a single shot went off.

He had expected the martial cultivator ghost servant to strike back, but instead, he saw him walking toward the bottom of the hillside with an expressionless face.

This ghost servant seemed to have lost control.

"Where are you going? Stop right there!" The megaphone wanted to intercept the martial cultivator ghost servant, but the ghost servant casually threw two stones and knocked the megaphone to the ground.

The megaphone struggled to get up and wanted to pursue, but a man's voice came from the hillside: "You can't stop him; be careful he doesn't hurt you."

"Who's speaking?" The megaphone looked around, but could never see the other person.

"You're a smart person. In this situation, there's no chance of winning anymore. Why not leave sooner?"

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang said, "How are you so sure I have no chance of winning?"

"That martial cultivator ghost servant just now—he isn't loyal to you. You rely on binding methods to control him, but in reality, the so-called binding methods of a demonic cultivator are just an invisible rope. I'm not wrong, am I, Senior?"

"But that rope has already snapped, and the end of the rope is in my hand. As far as you're concerned, that martial cultivator ghost servant belongs to me now."

Cui Ti heard this person's voice, and it was very familiar.

Is this person He He Jiaqing?

Why would he come to Blade Dao Guiling?

Cui Ti's judgment was correct; the person who had come was indeed He He Jiaqing.

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang had heard He He Jiaqing's name but had never met him in person. To meet for the first time today and have his ghost servant stolen by He He Jiaqing—this level of ability deserved a word of praise from Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang: "He's a capable young man."

"Senior, you made a name for yourself in Puluo Province over ten years ago. Counting it up now, you aren't very old. We're both young men. For the sake of this encounter, I'll spare your life. You should go."

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang felt insulted, but he wasn't annoyed: "You've only controlled one of my ghost servants and you want to defeat me completely? Don't you think that's a bit childish?"

He He Jiaqing said, "One ghost servant is enough. He knows where you are, and he'll find you very soon. Once I see your true body, I can easily kill you."

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang said, "You think I won't move? You think I'll stay where I am waiting for you to kill me?"

He He Jiaqing really did trust his own judgment: "I'm betting you won't move. This is Blade Dao Guiling; it's not easy to find a hiding place. If you move around, you might lose your life."

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang said, "Things might not be as pessimistic as you imagine. I've already held my ground on Blade Dao Guiling for several hours, and no blade-labor ghost has discovered me."

He He Jiaqing also offered a word of praise: "I admire you very much. An old senior once wanted to ambush Doctor Cui on Blade Dao Guiling, but he didn't succeed, yet you did."

"Someone as excellent as you doesn't deserve to die just like this. You should learn to cherish your own life."

The megaphone stopped speaking.

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang's true body, hiding in Zhong Huaien Village, was weighing his options.

If he could kill Cui Ti and Lady Zuo Anna, he would gain great prestige and status after returning to Chaoge.

In the future, he definitely wouldn't be driven by Nian Nian Shangyou anymore, and his status might even be higher than Nian Nian Shangyou's.

But if the bet was his life, he had to think about it from a different perspective.

After weighing it repeatedly, Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang finally decided to give up this opportunity. He walked out of the house, and just as he reached the courtyard, he saw He He Jiaqing at the courtyard gate, waving at him.

"Come, let's have a good chat."

Upon hearing this voice, Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang realized this was the He He Jiaqing who had just been speaking to him on Blade Dao Guiling.

He had been speaking on the mountain just a moment ago; how did he arrive at the courtyard in the blink of an eye?

"How did you get here so fast?" Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang couldn't believe it was real. "The ghost servant who led the way for you hasn't even returned yet."

He He Jiaqing laughed: "I said I'd let him lead the way, and you actually believed it? I found that rope; I can find him, and I can find you. Ropes all have two ends."

No wonder He He Jiaqing could enter the battlefield so quickly. His target from the start wasn't a person, but the demonic cultivator's technique for controlling ghost servants.

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang placed his hand at his waist, fumbling for something.

He He Jiaqing took out two pieces of yellow paper: "Are you looking for this? Don't be impulsive. When it comes to sneak attacks, you're still far behind."

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang wasn't flustered: "You're a thief; when it comes to stealing, I'm definitely not as good. Then let's not do sneak attacks. My skills are pretty good too; let's face each other head-on."

He He Jiaqing raised his index finger and placed it by his lips: "Don't make too much noise. Cui Ti has already issued a kill order; the blade-labor ghosts will find you soon."

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang felt that He He Jiaqing wouldn't dare make any noise either: "Can't the blade-labor ghosts find you?"

He He Jiaqing shook his head: "I'm different from you. When I act, I can do it without making a sound."

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang's expression looked slightly desperate, and two lines of tears slid down from his eye sockets.

He He Jiaqing was stunned: "Why are you crying?"

Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang sobbed: "Because I'm sad."

"Why are you sad?" He He Jiaqing was stunned for a moment, feeling his nose turn sour.

Half an hour later, He He Jiaqing returned to the hillside and arrived in front of Cui Ti, followed by several blade-labor ghosts.

On the way, He He Jiaqing had exposed his tracks, effectively being escorted back by the blade-labor ghosts.

Cui Ti said: "Your skills have regressed. How did you get discovered by the blade-labor ghosts so easily?"

He He Jiaqing didn't speak; he found a rock and sat down. Only then did Cui Ti notice that He He Jiaqing's eyes were red from crying.

Cui Ti was very surprised: "Why are you crying? Could it be because you killed Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang and feel bad inside?"

He He Jiaqing shook his head: "I didn't kill him. He also cultivated crying cultivation. I was hit by his technique; my skills really have become worse."

Cui Ti sighed: "Possessing such powerful intelligence and also cultivating two sects—Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang, this person is limitless."

"Yes, he's quite a formidable person. Fifteen years ago, he was just a demonic cultivator, and he could already make Puluo Province tremble with fear. Who could have imagined he would cultivate crying cultivation to this level?" He He Jiaqing wiped his eyes, but the tears wouldn't stop.

Cui Ti thought for a moment: "His name is Yuan Watch Yuan Youshang; perhaps he cultivated crying cultivation back then, but very few people knew."

"Young Master He, you saved my life. I don't like to owe others. What kind of reward should I pay you?"

"You don't need to pay; someone has already paid for you."

Cui Ti thought for a moment: "Are you talking about the Peddler?"

He He Jiaqing didn't answer. He looked at Cui Ti with tears in his eyes and said: "Do you know? I'm very lonely."

Cui Ti increased the distance between himself and He He Jiaqing: "Please don't say things like that to me."

He He Jiaqing stood up and disappeared into the night.

Lady Zuo Anna asked Cui Ti: "The Peddler knew you were in danger, so he sent He He Jiaqing to save you?"

Cui Ti nodded: "According to my deduction, that should be the case."

"The Peddler actually keeps track of the blade-labor ghosts' situation at all times?" Lady Zuo Anna was very surprised.

"You think there are so many blade-labor ghosts here, and the Peddler would just let them be? If he really didn't care, my dream would have been realized long ago." Cui Ti helped Lady Zuo Anna bandage her wounds and turned back to tend to the small flowers in the tin can.

After watering them and adding some fertilizer, Cui Ti turned back and asked Lady Zuo Anna: "Why did he say he was very lonely?"

Lady Zuo Anna looked at Cui Ti, her tone carrying a hint of gentleness: "Perhaps it's because he remembered someone."

+

Li Li Banfeng entered the Leaving Suishenju, starting from the main room, room by room, walking toward the back.

There was one room when he first entered, and another room would be added after each promotion of one layer.

He skipped the tenth layer. The four layers above the clouds weren't promoted in the Leaving Suishenju. Counting the three rooms, the Leaving Suishenju had a total of thirteen rooms.

Walking all the way to the thirteenth room, Li Li Banfeng stopped his steps, activated the technique of the Connected Lian Dongfang, and slowly fumbled along the side wall.

He felt a slight gap, pushed hard, and the gap immediately disappeared.

Still not quite there.

Li Li Banfeng used the technique dozens of times in a row, pouring his full strength into each one.

His eyes were bloodshot, but Li Li Banfeng didn't stop for a single moment, and finally, he pushed open a door on the wall.

Creak~

Behind this door, Li Li Banfeng saw a wooden staircase.

He smiled; he was very familiar with this staircase.

Following the staircase to the second floor, he saw Jiang Linger.

Jiang Linger was sitting by the bed doing embroidery. She raised her head, looked at Li Li Banfeng, and revealed a faint smile.

"The Connected Lian Dongfang—you've practiced it to seventy percent proficiency."