Chapter 401: Ten Thousand Years of Corpse Poison (Three-in-One)

Three Captain-level officers of the Shanhe Bureau thought that once Xu Yuan left the tent, he had returned.

Bai Laoyan thought Xu Yuan had merely stepped out for a short while.

Neither side would cross-check records; even if they did, in the night of Ghost Wushan, without timekeeping tools, it would be hard to discover that Lord Xu had been missing for an extra half-shi.

……

Another morning, before the decoy squad set out, Zhu Zhanlei suddenly felt a thumping sound coming from the copper-iron-wood box.

He dared not be negligent and immediately opened the box to retrieve the "He Ming Lu".

Fu Songyu's voice emerged from the craft-object: "For several consecutive days there has been no gain, merely wasting manpower; Lord Luo has already issued a strict order urging action, and today you must absolutely not slack off again!"

For several days now, you've been dashing around the mountains like headless flies, leading four Liu-level experts around as if playing with monkeys?!

Zhu Zhanlei instinctively crouched lower and obediently replied: "We shall certainly redouble our efforts today; I believe we will make some gains."

Zhu Zhanlei cursed bitterly behind their backs, but when truly facing the Four Liu, he was extremely timid.

This was a concept instilled in the hearts of all children of great surnames and noble families from a young age: one must always respect the powerful.

Even the Son of Heaven's authority lies beyond seven paces.

Within seven paces, a commoner's rage can make him willing to risk being flayed alive and dare to pull the emperor from the throne.

Let alone you, who are merely a scion of a great surname.

Zhu Zhanlei humbly accompanied them, obediently listening to Fu Songyu's lecture, and on the spot agreed to all sorts of instructions from the Four Liu.

After this contact ended, Zhu Zhanlei began to complain: "If the fish won't bite, don't blame the fisherman; instead, you want to find faults with me, the bait?"

The others dared not respond.

Zhu Zhanlei's background gave him the qualification to mutter complaints about the Four Liu behind their backs.

Others did not have such capital.

Xu Yuan patted Zhu Zhanlei's shoulder: "Come, let us go together to release the first morning stream."

A Captain-level officer of the Shanhe Bureau immediately stepped forward: "This subordinate will also go."

The three walked a bit farther, circling around several massive boulders roughly a zhang high, blocking Gao Wanli's line of sight.

Xu Yuan then pressed down on Zhu Zhanlei: "Don't move; I'll take off your Dragon Scab for you."

Before Zhu Zhanlei could fully comprehend, that Captain reached out to tear at his clothes.

Zhu Zhanlei was startled, but Xu Yuan held him down.

"Lord Xu Miaozhi privately passed a method to this subordinate, which can, at critical moments, remove the Dragon Scab for Lord Xu." The Captain explained swiftly, and a "Medicinal Stone" appeared in his hand.

The moment this item neared those several pitch-black flesh veins, the Dragon Scab suddenly trembled, quickly shrank back into Zhu Zhanlei's body, and reformed into a lump of flesh.

Zhu Zhanlei let out a long sigh of relief: "Xu... Miaozhi has not yet completely lost her mind."

Xu Yuan released his hand and patted him again: "There, are you reassured now? Put the Dragon Scab back on."

The Captain withdrew the Medicinal Stone, placed it inside a foul-smelling Xing Guo Zi, and sealed all its aura.

He then handed the Xing Guo Zi to Zhu Zhanlei: "Lord Zhu, keep it yourself."

Zhu Zhanlei, overjoyed, took it and pressed the Dragon Scab back onto his own body.

Because his mood was excellent, Zhu Zhanlei bestowed upon this Captain the honor of releasing water alongside himself and Xu Yuan.

Soon, three streams of water shot forth.

Then the water streams competed with one another, each urinating farther than the last.

At this very moment, none of the three was willing to fall behind.

This was a contest of dignity among men, unrelated to identity, status, or strength.

Before long, Gao Wanli saw the three emerge from behind that cluster of massive boulders.

She saw Zhu Zhanlei looking triumphant, with an air of a warlord flashing in his glances.

The other two looked listless, like eggplants frosted by autumn.

Xu Yuan was extremely dissatisfied; it wasn't that this official lacked strength, but rather that the opponent played without martial ethics—he used tools!

Who would have thought the "Dragon Scab" could even affect this aspect!

I only regret that this official's cultivation of the Dragon Transformation Method is currently all invested in the skin dragon.

Gao Wanli found it utterly baffling.

"Set out," Zhu Zhanlei issued the command.

……

Having been urged on, everyone's speed today was indeed somewhat faster.

By noon, they had arrived at a hillside.

Bai Laoyan said: "Beyond this slope lies a plot of land; it is the Gao Family Village's backup settlement.

If the Gao Family Village is not on its original mountain, they have likely moved here. We must be cautious and not let Gao Guanzi detect us and flee beforehand."

Thus, the group crouched low, burrowed into the grass on the hillside, and crept upward.

Blades of grass constantly brushed past them on both sides.

It felt as though tiny hands were gently stroking their bodies.

Suddenly, a ghostly claw would emerge from the middle, leaving a long, thin bloodstain on the body!

Gao Wanli's back was suddenly slashed open by a long blade of grass; pain made her scream in agony.

Bai Laoyan turned and glared at her.

Gao Wanli tightly shut her mouth.

She then took out an iron ruler two fingers wide and pressed down hard.

The iron ruler swiftly transformed into a set of light armor, covering her entire body.

Even as a craft cultivator, one cannot use craft-objects without limit.

Used too much, even Gao Wanli's life could not hold it back.

Zhu Zhanlei was cunning; he had long noticed that the wild grass before Xu Yuan seemed to actively part to both sides as Xu Yuan moved forward.

After Xu Yuan passed, they did not close immediately.

He then followed closely behind Lord Xu.

Reaching the hilltop, everyone took cover behind the vegetation and quietly peeked out.

Indeed, there was a village settlement behind them.

It was surrounded by dense, blood-red thorns.

But the village was utterly silent; no one lived there.

"Not here?" Bai Laoyan was surprised.

Xu Yuan was even more surprised.

According to last night's agreement, Bai Laoyan would appear here, then flee, luring them to Copper Coffin Cliff.

The Ancient Corpse Empress would step out to bait the fish, scare off the four Fourth-Flows, and seize the "Dragon Sickness" amidst the chaos.

But why had Gao Guanzi not appeared as agreed?

Xu Yuan volunteered, "I will go check. You stay here and do not act rashly."

"Good." Zhu Zhanlei was moved; at a critical moment, it was still my Brother Xu who could be relied upon.

Xu Yuan descended the slope and soon arrived outside the blood-red thorns.

Sensing something approaching, the thorns writhed like a swarm of snakes.

Their sharp points all faced outward.

Xu Yuan released his Sword Pill and hacked his way in.

Inside the village, the houses had been built many years ago, and many had already collapsed.

Xu Yuan circled the village and saw that the door of the main house stood wide open.

A thought stirred in Xu Yuan's heart, and he walked inside.

Tian Jing emerged from beneath the ground.

He smiled bitterly, "Your Majesty wishes to see you..."

Only then did Xu Yuan see that in the shadows behind the house stood a dark, blackish-green bronze ancient coffin.

Xu Yuan immediately sensed something was wrong, but above that ancient coffin, a green-black vortex of corpse qi appeared out of thin air.

The vortex emitted an extremely powerful suction force, instantly freezing the void within this part of the house.

Xu Yuan could not leave even if he wanted to.

A heavy, grating creaking sound rose up; the bronze ancient coffin opened, and an ancient female corpse sat up stiffly from within.

But it was not the Ancient Corpse Empress Xu Yuan had seen on Copper Coffin Cliff last time.

The female corpse's eyes were tightly shut; after sitting up, she faced Xu Yuan and suddenly opened her eyes wide.

A shadowy figure attached itself to the female corpse, sharing a pair of eyes with her.

Seeing those eyes, Xu Yuan confirmed: the Ancient Corpse Empress had arrived.

Xu Yuan bowed deeply, "I greet Your Majesty."

"Hmph!" The Ancient Corpse Empress let out a cold snort.

Xu Yuan immediately felt a power not his own surge up from an unknowable place within his body, capable of controlling everything about him!

"The Ancient Corpse Empress's Ten-Thousand-Year Corpse Poison!"

This time, this power acted upon the blood.

Thus, Xu Yuan's entire blood supply surged violently out of control, his blood vessels and heart seeming ready to explode.

Fresh blood immediately gushed out from his seven orifices.

Tian Jing cried out in alarm, pleading, "Your Majesty, show mercy!"

The Ancient Corpse Empress angrily turned her head to look at Tian Jing; the roots on her body reversed, binding herself, and instantly carved bloody marks all over Tian Jing.

Tian Jing screamed without ceasing.

"Your Majesty..." Xu Yuan spoke with difficulty, "This humble official has been working diligently..."

The Ancient Corpse Empress gazed at him with cold eyes, and Xu Yuan felt again that the power began to gather toward his heart.

His heart beat faster and faster, heavier and heavier.

Thump!

Thump, thump, thump!

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!

Xu Yuan's chest heaved more and more violently, unable to hold it back; that heart was about to burst out.

"Deceiving the sovereign is a capital crime!" The Ancient Corpse Empress finally spoke.

The various discomforts on Xu Yuan's body finally eased somewhat.

Xu Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

That Tian Jing could not persuade the Ancient Corpse Empress was within Xu Yuan's expectations.

Xu Yuan had even thought the Ancient Corpse Empress might order Tian Jing to summon him to Copper Coffin Cliff for another audience.

The only surprise was that the Ancient Corpse Empress possessed such a possession technique, able to project her own power to a great degree through an ancient corpse.

Last night, Xu Yuan and Tian Jing discussed how to persuade the Ancient Corpse Empress to lend her aid.

The agreed-upon argument was: the Ancient Corpse Empress killed the Heir's Consort last time, provoking retaliation from the court.

Four Fourth-Flows were lying in ambush behind Xu Yuan.

And Xu Yuan could not extricate himself from the situation because, after all, as the Chief Law Officer of the Pollution-Removal Bureau in Champa, he could not escape cases involving evil spirits.

Tian Jing was to play the role of the villain secretly practicing the Dragon-Transformation Method, luring "Fu Yuhuan" over, after which the Ancient Corpse Empress would strike, terrifying the four fourth-rate cultivators into retreat.

Amidst the chaos, a broken Master Master Master Ruan Tian ticket would be dropped.

Xu Yuan would ensure Zhu Zhanlei and Gao Wanli witnessed this scene firsthand.

The Imperial Court would then believe Tian Jing was under Master Master Master Ruan Tian's protection.

This would allow them to turn the spearhead against Master Master Master Ruan Tian.

Moreover, a person secretly practicing the Dragon-Transformation Method who could move through Ghost Wushan as if in their element would naturally raise suspicions that Master Master Master Ruan Tian was behind it.

"Why does Your Majesty say this?" Xu Yuan asked, looking deeply aggrieved.

"Where did you get that ticket?!" the Ancient Corpse Empress spoke again, her voice growing even colder.

Xu Yuan understood; she suspected this.

Xu Yuan took out the ticket, recounted its origin, and finally said: "If Your Majesty knew that this humble official had ambushed the ticket holder, You would certainly not spare me. I have already severed ties with that one; I could never betray Your Majesty!"

Under the Ancient Corpse Empress's power, Xu Yuan could speak Master Master Master Ruan Tian's name aloud without the other party sensing it.

The Ancient Corpse Empress's gaze softened somewhat, yet the various discomforts afflicting Xu Yuan did not continue to diminish.

"Since you left the mountain, why have you taken no action against that traitor?"

Xu Yuan knew this was the true reason for the Ancient Corpse Empress's anger.

Xu Yuan then recounted in full detail how he had planned to start with the Fish Gang, but as soon as he began laying his plans, An Chengyuan arrived, forcing him to postpone everything, telling the Ancient Corpse Empress the entire sequence of events.

Xu Yuan believed the Ancient Corpse Empress possessed some strange technique to distinguish truth from lies.

And everything Xu Yuan said was the truth.

Xu Yuan genuinely wanted to deal with Master Master Master Ruan Tian.

Of course, not for the Ancient Corpse Empress, but for himself.

Therefore, whether last time or this time, everything Xu Yuan said to the Ancient Corpse Empress and any promises he made were genuine.

But when to fulfill them... My Lord Xu himself did not know!

As Xu Yuan spoke, he spat out several more mouthfuls of blood.

After he finished, the Ancient Corpse Empress gazed at Xu Yuan for a long time.

Finally, Xu Yuan felt the pain in his heart, as if it were about to burst through his chest and leap out, slowly weaken.

Soon, it vanished completely.

Xu Yuan collapsed onto the ground, his entire body soaked in sweat.

The Ancient Corpse Empress had invested too much.

She had already helped Xu Yuan kill the Heir Apparent's wife and others.

And in the short term, she could absolutely not find a second person who matched Xu Yuan's cultivation and status while also being willing to assist her outside the mountain and exact revenge on Master Master Master Ruan Tian.

Xu Yuan at least had his beloved concubine as a guarantee.

Replacing him with someone else would be less trustworthy than Xu Yuan.

"Your Majesty!" Xu Yuan said earnestly: "This is actually an excellent opportunity. Once that ticket is discovered, the Imperial Court's spearhead will surely point at Master Master Master Ruan Tian!

He occupies this vast Ghost Wushan; the Imperial Court has long been dissatisfied, but has simply been unable to make the decision to launch a punitive expedition.

If it is proven that he shelters someone secretly practicing the Dragon-Transformation Method and has also murdered the Heir Apparent's wife, the Imperial Court will absolutely not remain inactive!

Especially... the one at the Canal, if they learn he is meddling with the Dragon-Transformation Method, will also fly into a rage."

The Ancient Corpse Empress asked: "Do you truly believe this plan is feasible?"

"This humble official has at least a seventy percent chance of success!"

"Then proceed according to the plan." The Ancient Corpse Empress closed her eyes; the ancient female corpse lay back, and the bronze ancient coffin slammed shut with a boom.

The vortex of corpse qi above the void quietly dissipated.

Then, the earth rippled like water, and the bronze ancient coffin sank in and vanished.

Tian Jing let out a breath, thinking to himself how close that had been.

Xu Yuan said: "Go quickly to the next location to prepare."

"Very well, I shall go first."

Tian Jing stretched his roots and burrowed into the ground, departing as well.

Inside the house, Xu Yuan used Fu Zhong Huo to evaporate the sweat on his body, then tidied his appearance before leaving the village.

Zhu Zhanlei and the others were waiting at the top of the slope.

"How did it go?" Seeing Xu Yuan return, Zhu Zhanlei hurriedly asked.

"The village has been uninhabited for a long time," Xu Yuan shook his head and said: "Let us go to the next place."

Everyone turned to look at Bai Laoyan; Gao Wanli, secretly nervous, asked: "Is there another location?"

Bai Laoyan stroked his chin: "There is one more."

"What place is it?" Gao Wanli asked again.

She was very afraid Bai Laoyan would mention Tongguan Cliff or Qidou Village.

Bai Laoyan: "Sanshuicha. The Gao Family Village has a backup village over there."

While speaking, Bai Laoyan stood up and led the way.

Zhu Zhanlei was surprised: "Does the Gao Family Village have so many backup villages?"

Bai Laoyan replied: "The Gao Family Village is different from us; Gao Guanzi believes a cunning rabbit has three burrows, and he always feels the evil spirits in the mountains are secretly watching the village, and that given any opportunity, they will surely break into the village to eat people.

So he prepared multiple backup villages.

We are not unwilling to do so, but only the Gao Family Village has the capability; their villagers..."

At this point, Bai Laoyan suddenly stopped, ending the topic with two dry laughs.

I almost let it slip.

Zhu Zhanlei was about to ask again, but Xu Yuan waved him off.

Don't go prying into others' secrets.

The two backup villages were far apart; halfway there, Fu Songyu used the "Heming Lu" to press for an update.

Fu Songyu had been pressed again by Luo Gongqiao.

When Luo Gongqiao pressured him, he turned around and pressured Zhu Zhanlei.

Fu Songyu also had grievances.

Luo Gongqiao's behavior treated himself as their superior.

Even though you hold an official rank, we're all fourth-tier, and our Fu family came here to assist.

Are you not overstepping by acting like a superior officer?

Zhu Zhanlei humored Fu Songyu with words while swiftly heading toward San Shui Cha.

As dusk approached, they finally reached the place where three small rivers converged.

Five li from the river, on a gentle slope to the west, a stone wall encircled a village.

Though equally aged, this one had signs of life.

"So they're here!" Everyone perked up.

Gao Wanli gritted her teeth: "We sneak in quietly—don't let Gao Guanzi escape…"

Zhu Zhanlei began giving orders, but Bai Laoyan waved him off and stepped back: "I only help you find the person. I still live in these mountains—I can't let the Gao family villagers see me."

As he spoke, he retreated into the forest, and with a flick of his feathered cloak, he merged seamlessly with the woods.

"Forget him," Zhu Zhanlei said. "We handle it ourselves. Just a mountain village—we'll take it easily."

Zhu Zhanlei, Xu Yuan, Gao Wanli, and three Captains each took one direction.

Then they silently crept toward the village.

Gao Wanli was the most focused.

I must capture Gao Guanzi here—no more letting him be taken to places like Tongguan Cliff or Qidou Village.

When she neared the village to within about two li, she suddenly saw a figure emerge atop the stone wall!

The man moved like a monkey, leaping over the wall and sprinting full speed toward the distant forest.

Gao Wanli screamed at once: "Gao Guanzi's running!"

Instantly, the village erupted with the clang-clang-clang of a gong.

Villagers surged out—men grabbing hoes, manure forks, and the like—to swiftly guard the gate and walls.

But no one went after the village—Gao Wanli immediately chased after Gao Guanzi.

Zhu Zhanlei and the others also rushed after him.

Xu Yuan changed course and charged over, shouting at Zhu Zhanlei: "Call for backup—"

Zhu Zhanlei slapped his forehead, stopped, and pulled out the "Heming Lu" to summon help.

Gao Guanzi tried to dash into the forest but was blocked by three Captains; he changed direction and fled along the riverbank.

Gao Wanli pursued relentlessly behind him.

This chase and escape quickly carried them over ten li.

As night loomed, Gao Wanli grew anxious: "Why haven't the Fu people arrived yet!"

She gritted her teeth and pulled out a craft artifact.

The artifact resembled a bellows.

She strapped it to her back, and it blasted a powerful gust of wind backward.

The force hurled Gao Wanli forward, doubling her speed.

Gao Wanli still clutched two powerful craft artifacts and wore a craft artifact armor.

Once combat began, this was her guarantee of invincibility.

But her life force was too weak—adding another artifact greatly increased the risk of being overwhelmed.

Now she had no choice but to risk it.

The effect was immediate: within a few breaths, she reached Gao Guanzi's heels.

In the entire pursuit, Gao Wanli and two others led, while the three Captains lagged hundreds of zhang behind.

Farther back, Fu Songyu and Fu Bai Zhou followed at a leisurely pace.

From their posture, both fourth-tier cultivators moved with ease.

In Fu Songyu's hand hung a thin golden chain.

The leather puppet dragon, Fu Hongyu, hovered hundreds of zhang above.

……

Gao Wanli was only three zhang from Gao Guanzi; she raised a large ladle in her hand and scooped it through the air toward him.

Instantly, a phantom black claw materialized midair and snatched Gao Guanzi up.

"Aaaah—!"

Gao Guanzi shrieked, flailing helplessly in midair.

Gao Wanli rejoiced—until a root, unseen and sudden, lashed out like a dragon's tail, striking the black claw with swift, powerful force.

Crack!

The ghostly claw shattered, dissolving into wisps of black smoke.

Gao Wanli cursed: "What devilish thing is that?!"

Then she realized—her heart dropped—and she spun around and fled.

"That villain has arrived!"

Not far away, Xu Yuan and Zhu Zhanlei also saw that root resembling a dragon's tail.

After saving Gao Guanzi, that thing suddenly sank into the earth, and immediately a clear bulge appeared on the ground.

It spread rapidly toward Zhu Zhanlei!

Zhu Zhanlei was so terrified his soul nearly fled his body: "Ah! No good!"

While running backward, he took the medicinal stone out of the blood-stained Xing Guo Zi, pressed it against his chest, and then ran away recklessly.

The "Dragon Sickness" artisan artifact quickly shrank into a ball and fell to the ground along with the medicinal stone.

From the bulge on the ground, a root suddenly sprang out and coiled around the Dragon Sickness—

But suddenly a roar like an exploding thunderclap rang out: "Where do you think you're going!"

A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky!

Crack!

It struck the root directly.

Instantly, the root was blasted into shattered fragments that flew apart.

Fu Songyu descended from mid-air, surrounded by swirling clouds and mist.

He clearly saw that the shattered root bore structures resembling dragon scales.

"So you have secretly practiced our family's secret method! You cannot be spared!"

Fu Songyu roared, and with a wave of his hand, bolts of lightning fell like mad snakes.

Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

The lightning pierced the ground, driving the thing beneath into a wretched state; after dodging seven or eight bolts of lightning in succession, it suddenly sank deep underground.

Fu Songyu could not find the opponent's trace, yet he was not at all panicked: "Nephew Hongyu!"

The leather puppet dragon floated over and then used its own senses to point out the direction for Fu Songyu: "Over there..."

Fu Bai Zhou galloped in from the ground; his appearance at this moment was one-third dragon, one-third human, and one-third ox!

A pair of curved black horns on his head made it impossible to tell whether they were dragon horns or ox horns.

In his hand, he held a heavy golden eight-sided great hammer, which was also a fourth-rate artisan artifact.

Thud!

He smashed the hammer heavily onto the ground.

More than a dozen nearby large trees were directly shattered by the shock.

The vibration transmitted downward, and before long, a black shadow was seen bursting out from beneath the ground.

Boom...

After that black shadow emerged, it used a deceitful technique, and wind and rain immediately arose.

Then its figure flickered and vanished.

"Dragon Spitting Mirage—mere trifling tricks!"

The leather puppet dragon easily located the black shadow's position, and Fu Songyu and Fu Bai Zhou rushed to attack together.

They were eager to capture that villain, yet they were completely unaware that the leather puppet dragon overhead, with a pair of eyes greedily fixed on the Dragon Sickness lying on the ground.

(End of this chapter)