Chapter 357: One Inch of Sinew (Three-in-One)

The black phantom thorn, the dancing quicksand, and the strange insects that trapped the two mountain runners all lost control the instant the corpse fell.

Only the Three-Headed Great Ghost was taken by the Six-Eyed Eyed Minge.

The phantom thorn seemed to have been waiting for this day all along.

It bit off my lord's arm without hesitation, then rose into the air, swayed once, and began to vanish from the void...

But it had not expected that Lord Xu was already prepared for this.

The Three Hairpins killed my lord, and immediately the Skin Pill surrounded it.

The phantom thorn flashed, broke free from the Skin Pill, and its form floated between the real and the unreal.

It would occasionally "appear and disappear" outside of Xu Yuan.

It looked quite arrogant, its momentum domineering.

Xu Yuan sneered disdainfully: "You had a chance to escape, yet you still didn't run. Truly, you are brainless."

The Six-Eyed Eyed Minge flew over; a Yin Soldier poked its head out, sucked on my lord's corpse—and drew the soul right out.

Given my lord's status, there certainly could not be anything like the "Pulling Thread Method" on his person.

Thus, Xu Yuan then learned all the weaknesses of the strange phenomena on my lord's body!

The phantom thorn possessed the ability to "shuttle through the void."

But in reality, being only fifth-rate, it certainly could not shuttle at will; its ability was confined to a range of five zhang.

That is to say, it could only flash to a point no more than five zhang away.

By this time, the phantom thorn still had not reacted.

This could not be blamed on it; its form was simply a pitch-black, slender bone spike.

Killing was its most fundamental instinct.

It truly did not grow a brain, after all.

The Skin Pill descended from the sky, expanding like a skin bag until it reached ten zhang, and swallowed the phantom thorn headfirst.

The phantom thorn then discovered it could not escape.

It teleported, and the Skin Pill moved along with it.

Then Xu Yuan spat a mouthful of fire into it.

The phantom thorn suffered in pain.

After being burned for a while, the entire pitch-black body of the phantom thorn turned white from the heat.

After all, it was only fifth-rate; while the sixth-rate Fu Zhong Huo could make it feel pain, actually refining it was not so easy.

Xu Yuan did not intend to refine it in that manner anyway.

The Skin Pill could not be immune to its own Fu Zhong Fire; for Xu Yuan to burn the phantom thorn without burning his own Skin Pill, he relied entirely on the superb fire-control technique of the "Five Cauldrons Cooking."

Outside the Skin Pill, the quicksand monster and the strange insects had already scattered in all directions.

Seizing the opportunity while the phantom thorn distracted Lord Xu, they fled until they vanished without a trace.

Da Fu pursued them for a while, devouring over a dozen strange insects, but since these insects flew off in different directions, Da Fu could not possibly catch them all.

Now only the phantom thorn remained.

Only then did Xu Yuan leisurely release the Tiger-Headed Cleaver, and then retract the Skin Pill.

The phantom thorn suddenly realized: "I am free again!"

Immediately, a "Crack!" sound was heard, and then it was pressed down beneath the cleaver...

Lord Xu controlled it perfectly; the Skin Pill and the Tiger-Headed Cleaver connected seamlessly.

The phantom thorn currently had no master; it was a wild evil spirit.

The Tiger-Headed Cleaver must be used to execute it.

Xu Yuan slammed the cleaver down heavily, and the phantom thorn was chopped into two pieces with a "Crack!"

It could be said that this was the evil spirit Xu Yuan had cleaved most effortlessly with the Tiger-Headed Cleaver.

"Brainless ones are easy to deal with," Xu Yuan said, shaking his head and swaying, as if showing off to the phantom thorn: "Look, I have a brain, and you do not."

Afterwards, Xu Yuan inspected it; the phantom thorn had left behind a fine piece of material: a bone bead embedded in its body.

Xu Yuan placed it into the Xing Guo Zi.

He then looked at my lord's corpse.

After the Yin Soldier consumed his soul, Xu Yuan learned that my lord's surname was Qi, his given name Qi Yue, and he was the fourth son of the current head of the Qi Family in Nan Du.

He currently held a fifth-rank, from-grade, idle post in Zheng Zhou.

But his person was tied to something of immense consequence, for he possessed a "Ticket of Passage" issued by Master Ruan Tian!

This Ticket of Passage did not belong to him, but to a vast interest group that included the Qi Family.

Qi Yue was the one within this group responsible for doing the dirty work.

Although everyone disliked him somewhat, he was indeed very important.

Xu Yuan retrieved the Ticket of Passage from Qi Yue's body.

This object was a blood-red bone plate with a unique symbol upon it.

This symbol corresponded directly to Master Ruan Tian.

No other existence, not even the Dragon King of the Canal, could usurp this symbol.

Unless they personally killed Master Ruan Tian.

The Ticket of Passage was stored in a craftsman-made iron box—this iron box served a function similar to the Xing Guo Zi; it could completely isolate the terrible corruption on the bone plate.

Xu Yuan carefully stored it away.

Although he dared not take it out to use, it was nevertheless an item of incomparable value.

As Xu Yuan turned the corpse over, the body had already turned into a pile of rotting flesh.

Because the strange entities imprisoned within the tattoos on the corpse died along with Qi Yue as their power waned.

The stronger ones had already seized the opportunity just now to quietly burrow underground and slip away.

Yet Xu Yuan still discovered that one strange entity had failed to escape.

Instead, it had fully manifested itself.

These were the scales that protected the vital points on Qi Yue's body.

From Qi Yue's memories, he learned that this was a special kind of strange entity.

Born in the great sea, it took the form of thick scales.

It was not rare in itself, but not easily captured.

It attached itself and grew upon certain giant fish in the sea.

It seemed capable of enhancing the giant fish's defensive capabilities.

It possessed no direct offensive power, yet it was hard, firm, and grew rapidly.

Those giant fish entangled by it either grew too many of these strange entities, becoming so heavy they could not swim, sank to the seabed, and were crushed to death by the seawater.

Or the things grew so densely that they sealed the fish's mouth, causing it to starve to death alive.

Those who cultivate the "Pattern Art" would seek every means to find such strange entities and imprison them within themselves, equivalent to wearing a layer of soft armor close to the body.

And the defensive power of this strange entity was extremely strong, comparable to a fifth-rate Wu Xiu.

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then extracted other items from the corpse before spitting a mouthful of fire at the body.

Let's see what burning yields—though there might not be any gain, but what if there is? Trying it does no harm.

At worst, my lord's "sins" would simply increase by one: reducing Qi Yue to ash and scattering his bones...

My lord, after all, does not care.

Qi Yue carried more than five thousand taels of silver notes on his person.

Neither more nor less, enough for his daily expenses.

Xu Yuan thus cursed inwardly; the South Capital was extravagant, and the children of these great families were even more luxurious, with daily expenses requiring several thousand taels!

Because transactions with strange entities did not use silver, he had not brought much more.

Besides this, there were a few crafted items, though their standard was not high, as Qi Yue was accustomed to fighting with strange entities; these crafted items were merely auxiliary tools.

However, Qi Yue possessed no cultivation method, which left Xu Yuan slightly regretful.

My Lord Xu was quite curious about the "Pattern Art."

Several hundred taels of silver were also searched from the bodies of Qi Yue's two subordinates.

The items on the Dan Xiu held no value for Xu Yuan, as their standard was too low.

However, there was a cultivation method named "Thunder and Fire Regulation."

Xu Yuan flipped through it for a general look; this cultivation method had quite a few worthwhile aspects.

It focused on refining "Strange Pills."

It refined the various abilities of strange entities into Longzhu Waidan for one's own use.

Among them were techniques for "stripping" the abilities of strange entities, uniquely conceived and exceedingly clever.

The Wu Xiu, however, gave my lord a pleasant surprise.

He carried a composite spear on his person, which was a sixth-rate crafted item.

Additionally, there was a pair of arm guards, which were also sixth-rate!

Xu Yuan could not help but smile: the Wu Xiu must have died in extreme frustration.

His entire skill set was never deployed; he simply died of illness!

After my lord finished inspecting these items, Qi Yue's corpse had also burned to ash.

Inside lay a single shell.

Xu Yuan smiled and stored it away with satisfaction.

The effect of the turtle-shell divination just now still remained; my lord is extremely auspicious today!

This material clearly originated from that scale-type evil spirit.

Its defensive power must be quite considerable; later, I will hand it to the stepmother, who can refine it into a fine crafted item.

Once all the gains were organized, Xu Yuan finally moved to prepare to release the two mountain runners.

The two mountain runners looked up at my lord with eager eyes.

That strange mucus, as those strange insects fled, had already begun to gradually solidify.

The breathing of the two had already become somewhat difficult.

Xu Yuan inspected them and said, "Endure it."

Xu Yuan exhaled a wisp of flame, burning away the mucus layer by layer.

During this process, the two were like being placed inside a clay jar and roasted over a fire.

Although they clearly knew my lord was saving them, they still felt... this was a method of cooking!

My lord had just encountered the Human-Cooking Old Woman not long ago; could he have learned a trick from her?

It took a full incense stick's time before the two were finally rescued.

My lord's control over the flame was exceptionally exquisite; not a single eyebrow of the two was burned off.

However, the skin of both was completely red, like two crabs that had been baked to perfection.

The moment they regained mobility, the two plunged headfirst into the nearby river.

Splash!

Splash!

Hiss—

Two plumes of white steam shot up from the river!

Xu Yuan couldn't help but laugh, waiting on the riverbank.

Suddenly sensing something, he took the folded note from his bosom to look, and it was news from the Naga:

Meet tonight at Wind Ridge.

Xu Yuan had originally wanted to leave the mountain immediately, but could only stay one more night.

He replied to the Naga with a single "Good."

Putting the note back into his bosom, he saw two heads emerging from the river.

However, both heads were covered by a mass of tentacle-like, writhing water weeds.

These were Water Ghost Weeds, a common evil spirit in the mountain rivers.

These things often conspired with drowned ghosts and ghost infants in the river, working together.

When an ordinary person fell in, the top would be entangled by these things covering the whole head, while the bottom was hugged by a drowned ghost or the like.

No matter how they struggled, they would eventually sink slowly to the riverbed.

These things loved to eat human scalps.

More accurately, human hair.

Once a corpse sank to the riverbed, it would simply peel off the scalp and leave.

Leaving the rest entirely for its partners.

But the two mountain runners were a completely different case.

Two Water Ghost Weeds floated up with their heads, while a drowned ghost floated up beside each of them.

They had killed them right in the river.

Then, with a casual pull, they tore the Water Ghost Weeds off, tore them to shreds in a few strokes, and threw them back into the river.

The two mountain runners climbed up themselves.

Their hearts were filled with emotion.

In this Ghost Wushan, we may not say we roam unchecked, but ordinary evil spirits really don't hold much sway over us.

Yet meeting outsiders like Qi Yue, they were captured without much resistance.

In the end, they had to rely on my lord Xu to save them.

Gao Guanzi was still holding a live fish in his hand, which he threw to Dafu in a bid to please him.

After all, Dafu had eaten those strange insects, which counted as avenging them.

But this act earned him Dafu's disdainful gaze.

I don't eat fish!

Gao Guanzi scratched his head. You don't eat it?

There is a pond in Gao Family Village.

But Gao Family Village really hasn't raised ducks or geese for many years.

"You two tidy up; we will spend the night in the mountains tonight, and I will leave the mountain tomorrow morning."

"Yes."

The two mountain runners picked up all the weapons from the ground.

They definitely could not go to the Divine Mother Shrine tonight.

The hut by the river was not built in vain.

After tidying up, the three entered the hut.

Xu Yuan could not distinguish which of those tree eyes was the true seed.

He could only wait until he left the mountain to find Aunt Wang for help before he could advance to the Fifth Rank.

When there was nothing to do in the hut, he fed Dafu the herbs Dafu had found.

To strengthen his own medicinal pills.

Xu Yuan first showed these herbs to the two mountain runners.

Neither of them recognized them.

The villagers knew how to dig up herbs, which was also one of their important "mountain goods" in the past.

The two mountain runners knew exactly which herbs were produced in Ghost Wushan.

But Xu Yuan was very certain that these herbs could cure certain ailments of the Pus Crows.

Xu Yuan asked the two mountain runners to memorize the appearance of the herbs; if they dug them up in the future, they were not to sell them to others but keep them all for himself.

Bai Laoyan and Gao Guanzi naturally agreed to the order.

However, Bai Laoyan still said, "I have been in these mountains for decades, and I have never seen this kind of herb before; I fear it is very rare in these mountains."

Xu Yuan's heart stirred slightly: Why is it rare?

Could it be that the Pus Crows also knew this herb was their nemesis, so they secretly destroyed it?

In the evening, Qiu Ningtai's four subordinates passed by the river carrying a bamboo basket, heading toward Pig Scream Rock.

They did not notice the hut among the large rocks by the river.

Xu Yuan and the other two naturally did not come out either.

Having obtained the true seed, Xu Yuan absolutely did not want to create extra trouble.

The battle between Qiu Ningtai and the Pus Crows had nothing to do with him; he would keep his distance and absolutely not meddle blindly.

When these four returned, Xu Yuan suddenly remembered another question:

Qi Yue was carrying a ticket of introduction.

And Tian Jing said a new buyer had arrived on Guanghuo Street.

It was most likely Qi Yue—but what had Qi Yue bought? Xu Yuan had found nothing special on Qi Yue himself.

"Ask Jiao tonight."

After dinner, the sky quickly darkened.

Xu Yuan pulled the mud mask back on and said to the two of them, "I'm going out for a bit; wait here for me."

"Good."

The two had no intention of following.

They already had a very clear understanding of my lord Xu's current strength.

For any evil spirit my lord could not handle, even if they followed along, they would only be useless.

They might even become a burden to my lord.

Xu Yuan crawled out of the shack and slowly made his way alone to Guofeng Ridge.

He waited for one shichen.

During that time, several evil spirits passed by nearby.

Fortunately, their levels were not high; three of them even tried to invite Xu Yuan, this "fellow," to travel with them.

Xu Yuan bared his teeth and drove them all away.

Jiao's massive body moved through the mountains.

The other small evil spirits were all scared away.

This time, Jiao and Tian Jing came together.

As soon as they met, Jiao immediately said, "I have learned news about the Ghost-Needle Wood. This buyer who came to the street is also looking for the Ghost-Needle Wood, and one of his subordinates can track the Ghost-Needle Wood's whereabouts..."

Xu Yuan spoke plainly, "I have already found it."

"Uh..." Jiao did not know what to say.

He had worked hard to learn news about the Ghost-Needle Wood and rushed to tell my lord Xu like someone presenting a treasure.

But the other party had gotten there a step ahead and found the Ghost-Needle Wood directly.

Xu Yuan waved his hand and asked again, "What did Qi Yue come to Guanghuo Street to buy?"

Jiao's eyes rolled; I just now did not mention the buyer's name.

Hmm, this Qi Yue must have already fallen into my lord's hands.

Jiao asked no further questions and answered truthfully, "He wants to buy one inch of tendon from That One."

Xu Yuan paused for a moment, "What?"

"My lord heard correctly, he wants to buy... one inch of tendon from That One." Jiao repeated it, then lowered his voice, "Qi Yue came with a mission and would not act without purpose. That means... the existence state of That One very likely has a physical body."

Xu Yuan was greatly shocked in his heart.

After quite a while, he said, "If they are plotting against That One's body, how could That One allow Qi Yue or anyone else to walk out of Guanghuo Street?"

Jiao smiled.

"The price offered was extremely high; it did not insult That One."

Jiao sighed with regret, "Originally, we thought that since Qi Yue had come, every household could gain some benefit—I heard this from the great evil spirits on Guanghuo Street; the people behind Qi Yue are dripping with wealth.

In the previous visits, everyone made a huge profit.

But we did not expect that this time his target was clear; he only wanted that one item.

Although the price offered was very high, That One could not possibly sell it anyway. So he left Guanghuo Street to search for the Ghost-Needle Wood."

Xu Yuan frowned, "What use is that one inch of tendon?"

"I knew my lord would definitely be interested, so I asked around in advance," Jiao said. "This thing is incredibly precious, but its uses are actually very narrow.

The great evil spirits on Guanghuo Street know of two uses: first, for a Wu Xiu to advance to First Class.

Second... it is for the Great Perfection of the Dragon Transformation Art!"

Xu Yuan remained silent for a long time.

Dragon Transformation Art!

Is someone in Nandu about to achieve Great Perfection?

They must be at least First Class level.

But there has long been a saying among the common people: The True Dragon Son of Heaven.

A True Dragon in Nandu, a Son of Heaven in Beidu.

Can they coexist?

Xu Yuan exhaled a cloud of turbid air with considerable worry.

Jiao read his expression and comforted him, "My lord need not worry. In this world, evil spirits at the level of That One are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Moreover, only those with a physical body possess that one inch of tendon.

That makes the number even smaller.

If That One is unwilling to sell, the other few must also be unwilling to sell."

Xu Yuan nodded; indeed, that was the logic.

If it were a First Class Wu Xiu, it would be fine, but if it truly is the Great Perfection of the Dragon Transformation Art, the hidden danger is far too great.

Xu Yuan suddenly thought of another question: If the Great Perfection of the Dragon Transformation Art requires "one inch of tendon," why not ask the Canal Dragon King?

The Canal Dragon King's level is even higher.

The Dragon Transformation Art was transmitted by Him...

Could it be a First Class Wu Xiu rather than the Great Perfection of the Dragon Transformation Art?

Or perhaps—the Canal Dragon King does not wish for a "True Dragon" to appear?

At least for now, I don't want a true dragon to appear.

Xu Yuan shook his head; these matters were still far too distant from him.

"Qi Yue didn't achieve his goal this time—he won't give up. Someone may come to Ghost Wushan again after a while. Keep a close watch."

"We will."

"I'm leaving the mountain tomorrow. If you need any goods, have Bai Laoyan notify me anytime."

Jiao nodded: "Good."

The folding note was already one page full; this item has limited capacity and can only be used for emergency contact.

After settling these matters, Xu Yuan returned.

Jiao and Tian Jing returned together to Guanghuo Street.

Tian Jing still put on an act before Master Xu, but once they were alone, he revealed some sinister postures.

Jiao watched, heart aching, and let out a soft sigh.

Tian Jing didn't care: "You don't need to worry about me. This state is actually fine now. Those fellows on Guanghuo Street used to be suspicious of me—now they won't be anymore…"

As he spoke, the man and the dragon suddenly stopped.

They both looked up toward the left slope.

A tangle of roots suddenly burst out of the soil.

Then it flailed about like a headless fly.

It crashed into a large tree, yanked it out without hesitation, stripped off its roots, and grafted the trunk onto itself.

But whenever it attached a tree trunk, the wood would wither completely within a short time.

Ghost Root had pulled up seven large trees and still hadn't found a suitable one…

On nights like this, the mountain's yin energy was thick.

Ghost Root grew frantic.

Tian Jing's eyes gleamed with interest.

"I've been worrying about how hard it is to move around like this!"

"This treasure is meant for me!"

Jiao was about to stop him, but Tian Jing had already lunged forward on all fours like a beast.

He leapt into the air over the slope, his legs firmly planted into Ghost Root.

Ghost Root trembled.

Whether Ghost Root's roots merged into Tian Jing's legs—or Tian Jing's flesh and blood enveloped Ghost Root—no one could tell.

They fused together smoothly and perfectly!

Layer upon layer of purple-black light flashed in Tian Jing's eyes, and his body hair grew wild and tangled like the roots.

He seemed to lose control, on the verge of fully transforming into a malevolent spirit.

But immediately afterward, his body hair stopped growing and slowly retracted.

His eyes gradually regained clarity.

He controlled Ghost Root, swiftly descending the slope, and smiled at Jiao: "Almost lost control."

Jiao couldn't smile—he wore a grim face and sighed with a shake of his head.

Xu Yuan still knew nothing of this change; if he had known, he too would have felt conflicted, unsure whether to call it Tian Jing's "fate" or his calamity.

…

The next morning, Xu Yuan woke and flipped through the yellow almanac.

Today's prohibitions: visiting friends, sword dancing, chanting, shouting in the mountains.

This was not a good day.

Rank Dan Xiu, Wu Xiu, and Wen Xiu would all be affected to some degree.

Xu Yuan's heart burned to return home.

"We leave today!"

He saw Qiu Ningtai leading his men toward Pig Squeal Rock.

His men pleaded: "Master, why must you go yourself? We'll fetch that thing for you."

Qiu Ningtai shook his head: "I'd rather you not come at all. There's only one piece of Blood Cake. Even if I can't cure this illness, at least I'll save my own life.

If all of you come along and catch the disease, how will we divide one piece of Blood Cake?"

Several men said: "Hua Lingzi is also a malevolent spirit—how can we trust her words? What if the Blood Cake doesn't cure Ju Ya's illness? Master, don't go—leave it to us…"

They spoke and walked away.

Xu Yuan nodded silently; Qiu Ningtai treated his men well—no wonder they were so loyal.

After they left, Xu Yuan crawled out of the shack: "Let's hurry."

We must hurry—don't want to run into Qiu Ningtai again when he returns.

My medicine pills cured Ju Ya's illness yesterday, but they may not work today.

Ju Ya's condition is clearly worsening day by day.

Coming to Ghost Wushan to seek the True Seed was long planned, yet every kind of trouble has delayed us.

Xu Yuan felt a bad omen.

So whenever possible, avoid related troubles.

The two mountain runners hurried after him.

Master Xu had stepped onto Fire Wheels!

The two mountain runners had no choice but to unleash their full skill and sprint to catch up with him.

A few hours later, the three returned to Gao Family Village.

Gao Guanzi warmly invited my lord to enter the village and rest, but Lu Yuanxiang refused without a second thought.

Next, passing through Wang Xiang Village was the same.

That day, Lu Yuan emerged from Ghost Wushan.

When Qiu Ningtai's group arrived near Pig Cry Rock, his subordinates, seeing that earnest persuasion was useless, exchanged a glance and then all knelt on the ground, clutching his two legs tightly.

Then one man threw his life away and rushed down, stuffing that small beast covered in pus-filled sores into a bamboo basket.

As expected, he fell ill too.

Qiu Ningtai angrily drove the others away and personally treated him.

Qiu Ningtai possessed some means to isolate the disease.

He and the other subordinates remained quite healthy.

But until dusk, he still could not cure the one who had fallen ill.

In the end, he could only feed the blood cake to the subordinate; this was a defeat to the Pus Crow.

After the subordinate ate the blood cake, he indeed recovered greatly.

Yet who would have thought that by night, red sores suddenly erupted on everyone's bodies, and high fevers would not break!

At that very same time, along the entire route from Pig Cry Rock back to the camp, all grass and trees fell ill and withered to death.

(End of this chapter)