Chapter 109: There Is Still One More Person

The standard for a Rank Dan Xiu is to refine a "Dan" of seventh-tier quality.

Whether it is an Inner Dan or an Outer Dan, as long as it reaches seventh-tier quality, it suffices.

The skin Dan has already reached the seventh tier.

Without Uncle Shen's plaster, Xu Yuan would have needed at least another month, or even longer, to refine the nine snake skins.

"This rate of improvement is rare in the world," Xu Yuan knew in his heart.

The standard for ascending to the eighth tier is to condense an Inner Dan.

Other Rank Dan Xiu would carefully select and make future plans before deciding to condense an Inner Dan.

But Xu Yuan, forced by circumstances at the time, boldly chose gunpowder.

He easily became an eighth-tier cultivator.

This ascent from eighth tier to seventh tier actually relied on Uncle Shen's plaster.

There was likewise no bottleneck; it was accomplished in one stroke.

But in the art of the Rank Dan Xiu, Xu Yuan knew his future prospects were likely very limited.

But regardless, he was finally seventh tier!

Uncle Shen still had two plasters left, and Xu Yuan was even more reluctant to use them.

He must return them to the old man, so the old man could live a few more years.

Fu Jingyu also woke up, yawned, and opened a pocket almanac. Today's prohibitions:

Night travel, sacrifices, driving vehicles, bathing.

Xu Yuan immediately frowned; today, "driving vehicles" was surprisingly prohibited, so his war chariot could only be used in disassembled form.

It was a restriction, neither large nor small.

Those merchant caravans were in a sorry state today, losing a day for no reason.

During breakfast, Bai Laoyan told Xu Yuan: "Zhang Sanba said no one passed through last night."

The villagers were also unwilling to stay outside their houses at night.

Zhang Sanba was a bit different; upon hearing Xu Yuan's offer, he immediately eagerly shrank behind the fortress gate.

That night, he tucked his limbs and head entirely into his back, then watched the small road outside through the door crack, taking little risk.

After hearing this, Xu Yuan nodded: "We will trouble the village again today."

Outside, villagers went out in twos and threes to work, while Zhang Sanba yawned and returned to catch up on sleep.

The villagers had cultivated fields in the mountains, with farming seasons identical to those outside the mountains.

However, there were things around the villagers' plots helping to guard them.

The grain grown could only be eaten by the mountain people.

Long ago, a merchant entered the mountains, saw a melon field, felt thirsty, picked one to eat, accidentally swallowed a melon seed, and the seed quickly took root and sprouted in his belly; the merchant's entire vital blood became nourishment for the melon seedling.

His white bones stood by the field for over ten years, constantly reminding passing merchants: do not eat things randomly in the mountains!

Xu Yuan and the other four hid behind the fortress gate, able to see the small road outside through the crack.

People on the road could not see them.

Approaching noon, a fat man walked slowly and leisurely down the small road.

He carried no bundle on his back; he was not a merchant.

Fu Jingyu's face changed: "It is..."

Xu Yuan raised a finger: "Shh—"

Fu Jingyu and Xu Yuan had kept watch together at Iron Gate Fortress and had seen Zheng Rongkui once.

After seeing the approaching man, Xu Yuan shifted his gaze: "Don't stare, lest he notice."

Yan Lao asked: "Not moving now?"

"The Haikou Toad may be nearby; fighting would endanger the village. Wait until he has gone further."

Bai Laoyan glanced at Xu Yuan, feeling somewhat ashamed for having let them stay in the cave last night.

Uncle Rongkui bypassed the village and headed toward Crow Mouth.

Xu Yuan stood up and beckoned to everyone: "Follow him."

Xu Yuan put on the red wood and brass earpieces, listening to Zheng Rongkui's footsteps from afar, and led the group to follow from several li away.

Bai Laoyan thought for a moment and followed along as well.

They walked until they were twenty li from the village; Xu Yuan suddenly quickened his pace. Everyone knew action was imminent and followed closely.

Zheng Rongkui suddenly sensed something and turned his head sharply to look back.

In the mountain hollow behind him, two flashes of fire suddenly appeared; a person rode a fire wheel, rushing forward at great speed, holding a large spear in hand, about to thrust straight at him!

Zheng Rongkui seemed unable to dodge in time; the large spear had already pierced his chest.

Rrrrip!

The clothes on his chest suddenly tore apart, and a withered, hideous ghost claw extended from within, grabbing the large spear!

Xu Yuan urged the fire wheel but found the large spear utterly unmoving.

Xu Yuan manipulated the large spear; with a clang, the iron spikes inside the spear shaft shot out, yet they still could not cut through that ghost claw.

Xu Yuan immediately drew his three-eyed fire gun and fired three shots at Zheng Rongkui's head.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The three bullets passed through Zheng Rongkui's head and shot into the ground behind him.

It was merely a soul shadow.

Zheng Rongkui appeared ten feet away and asked curiously: "How did you suspect me?"

Fu Jingyu and the other four arrived in pursuit. Zheng Rongkui's face changed: "So the Wangxiang Village intervened; no wonder you survived."

The original soul-shadow dispersed, leaving behind only a withered black Yin Soldier on the spot, still clutching Xu Yuan's great spear tightly.

Xu Yuan said, "Chen Liangxuan and the others planned to persuade those few on Guanghuo Street to move away from Ghost Wushan. They arranged a city for them in Chenla, with half a million people as blood offerings.

On what basis could they make such arrangements? There must be capable people cooperating on the Chenla side.

And you happen to be in Chenla."

Zheng Rongkui sniffed: "Just because of this?"

"You kept saying you wanted to take me to the Demon-Extermination Army, and I always felt something was off, starting to suspect there was a problem with Second Uncle's side.

But yesterday, after that surname Qin revealed their entire plan, I suddenly understood; the one with the problem isn't Second Uncle, it's you!

You said Second Uncle was longing for me to come over, yet you weren't in any hurry; even when I helped the Purification Bureau ask you for aid and opened Tie Men Fortress to accept refugees, you only showed verbal urgency without any actual action.

Today I guarded the village, and the one who appeared was precisely you, which is enough to prove my guess was correct."

Xu Yuan took a step forward: "Who exactly are you?"

Zheng Rongkui sneered: "Do you think I would tell you?"

Of course, he would not voluntarily reveal his identity.

Seeing Fu Jingyu asked about the anger value: "Why does the Demon-Extermination Army want to cooperate with the Yong King?"

"The people of Chenla are stubborn; half a million people stubbornly defend a fortified city, and we cannot capture it after a long siege. Just as someone came knocking, wanting to feed them to evil spirits, why wouldn't we be delighted?"

This reason seemed logical on the surface, but it was hard to convince Xu Yuan.

Even if the Demon-Extermination Army was run by your family, the Great Ming still has a massive army in Chenla; they are the main force conquering the four barbarians.

The Canal Office also has Shanhe in Chenla; they are the financiers behind the army's deployment!

To coordinate all aspects together, how difficult would that be!

There must be hidden circumstances, and Zheng Rongkui is unwilling to say.

Even the exact relationship between Zheng Rongkui and Second Uncle has made Xu Yuan suspicious.

Zheng Rongkui originally only held a letter from Second Uncle; although the handwriting looked like Second Uncle's, Xu Chuanyang rarely wrote to the family, and Xu Yuan had only glanced at them before his father put them away.

If Zheng Rongkui forged the letter, Xu Yuan could not distinguish it.

Zheng Rongkui's previous behavior truly seemed like that of a "life-and-death brother of Second Uncle," so Xu Yuan had never suspected him.

And Zheng Rongkui must at least know Second Uncle.

The cooperating party of the Yong King faction in Chenla is most likely the Demon-Extermination Army.

(End of this chapter)