Chapter 62: Tongtian Cannon

From Old Eight, he took only two things: a large lacquered wooden box, no bigger than a palm, containing just a small piece of beast hide.

The edges of the beast hide bore obvious tooth marks.

This was Old Eight's spirit grain fodder, likely from some powerful beast-like anomaly.

Judging by the tooth marks, Old Eight could not eat too much each time either.

Xu Yuan could also use this as fodder to strengthen his Skin Pill.

Moreover, Old Eight was already a Seventh-Rank Wu Xiu, with a body of impenetrable "Copper Skin," yet he still dared only to eat a little at a time; this piece of beast hide must be extraordinary.

If he consumed it all, Xu Yuan believed his Skin Pill could at least cover an entire arm.

At the same time, its defensive power would increase greatly.

The other item was an ancient text, presumably Old Eight's cultivation method, titled "Tongtian Cannon."

Old Eight's body of copper skin and iron bones, fighting with the ferocity of an ancient ferocious beast, made Xu Yuan quite envious.

So he took this item; if the opportunity arose, to cultivate a Wu Xiu path alongside... just thinking about it felt thrilling.

Xu Yuan used a small knife to cut at the beast hide, but helplessly found he could not cut through it.

A Seventh-Rank Wu Xiu's body was exceptionally tough; teeth could bite through it, but the Saint Lady's small knife could not.

Xu Yuan simply swallowed it whole.

This was also the difference between a Dan Xiu and a Wu Xiu.

A Dan Xiu was best suited for fodder cultivation, keeping it in the abdomen to slowly refine it with "Abdominal Fire."

A Wu Xiu could not do this.

A Wu Xiu reaching Sixth-Rank and above might have the chance to cultivate some form of "Organ Fire Qi," but it could only be used to enhance the power of their strikes, not for fodder.

Therefore, Old Eight dared only to eat a little at a time; if he ate too much and it accumulated undigested in his abdomen, he himself would be affected, transforming into an anomaly!

Xu Yuan did not sleep until the middle of the night, continuously refining the beast hide.

The "Five Cauldrons Boiling" technique had extraordinary effects, yet in half a night, only about half a percent had been refined.

When he brought out the Skin Pill again, the glove could now spread to cover half of his forearm.

If placed on his chest, it could already cover his entire left side.

After dawn, Xu Yuan lingered in bed for a while.

There was nothing to do today; he was simply waiting at home for the people from the Filth-Removal Bureau to come find him.

The stepmother had risen at dawn, busy preparing breakfast; Xu Yuan had expected to be called up, but unexpectedly, Lin Wanmo had let him off today.

After eating herself, the stepmother went out.

Xu Yuan took a second nap, then got up and checked the almanac:

Today's prohibitions: approaching rivers, shaving hair, breaking ground.

Xu Yuan slowly finished washing up, went to the kitchen, and saw that the stove hearth had deliberately left charcoal embers to keep warm.

In the large iron pot remained a bowl of thin porridge and four steamed buns.

On the cutting board, two dishes of pickles were covered with a bamboo dome.

One dish was vinegar-sauced cucumbers, the other pickled mustard greens.

All were Xu Yuan's favorites.

He picked up a bun, took a bite; it was still meat-filled, fragrant, with oil dripping all over his hand.

This meal was just right.

The stepmother was from the Sichuan-Chongqing region; whether she was lazy or diligent was another matter, but her cooking skills were undeniable.

After finishing his meal, Xu Yuan stood under the eaves; the sky was overcast, and a drizzle had already begun to fall.

"Today prohibits approaching rivers," Xu Yuan suddenly felt uneasy.

Yesterday, the power behind Elder Qiao had killed eight people in one go.

Last night, they took no further action; by today, the retaliation should surely come, shouldn't it?

And, of course, today was a weather pattern prone to incidents!

These past two days, the servants in the Chen household had been extremely cautious, especially those near the Master.

The Master's retirement and return to his hometown had actually put him in a good mood; after all, having been demoted to Nan Du, he had already lost his power.

After returning home, he read books, visited friends, and engaged in idle conversation; without so many constraints, he lived very leisurely.

But these past two days, the Master's expression had clearly darkened.

At breakfast today, he ate only one bite before saying he had no appetite, then took Master Ji to the back garden.

Master Ji had specially carried his sword on his back today!

Back garden, Xuchun Pavilion.

Master Chen felt that his decades of breathing-cultivation were now being tested.

The incident had happened yesterday, yet none of Xing Guolong's eight men had returned; at the county yamen, the Filth-Removal Bureau occupied half the courtyard, tightly guarded by county officials and their men, with no news coming out.

Master Chen had waited all night last night, and up to now, had received no definite news.

He only knew that Xu Yuan was still alive and that no one from the Filth-Removal Bureau had died.

The Patrol Captain had led men to the scene of the incident and found the bodies of Old Four and the others in a nearby shop.

Except for Old Four, the others bore not a single wound on their bodies.

Yet their "Pulling Thread Technique" had clearly been activated, yet not a single soul had returned!

Someone capable of breaking the "Pulling Thread Technique" must be extraordinary—this made Master Chen uneasy.

Pouring himself a cup of tea and drinking it slowly, Chen Liangxuan could no longer hold back; he slammed the teacup onto the table and shouted angrily, "Are all the people I raised useless?"

Eight people were dead, and not even a message could be sent out?

Master Ji stood aside with his sword on his back and said soothingly, "Old Lord, don't be angry—news should arrive soon."

As if to confirm Master Ji's words, light footsteps sounded outside the door, and a middle-aged man with an utterly ordinary face knocked: "Old Lord."

"Come in!"

The middle-aged man entered, knowing the Old Lord was anxious, and cut straight to the point: "We still have no word on who the Purification Office has sent."

But based on all the vague intelligence gathered, Xu Yuan has likely reached some agreement with the Purification Office."

"And this morning, Fu Jingyu and the others were preparing to travel—it looks like they're leaving the city."

Chen Liangxuan frowned tightly and glanced outside: "It's going to rain—today they won't be able to leave."

River ban is in effect today.

If the rain grows heavy, the roads will turn to rivers—setting out would truly be 'taking the road.'

The middle-aged man added, "I risked activating a secret agent in the county office and finally learned that Fu Jingyu and the others may be heading to Qihe Terrace Town."

The Old Lord paused slightly in his movements, then his frown eased; after a moment of thought, he said, "You've done well—go collect your reward."

"Thank you, Old Lord."

The middle-aged man withdrew.

Chen Liangxuan's expression grew increasingly solemn; Master Ji ventured, "Old Lord, should I go to the county office to check whether Ma Tianshou has arrived?"

Fu Jingyu and Song Lu are there—if the Purification Office has indeed sent a high-ranking official, it must be Ma Tianshou.

"No need to check," Chen Liangxuan sneered faintly. "Ma Tianshou is certainly hiding inside the county office! Qiao Ziaang, that fool, has exposed himself and drawn Ma Tianshou's attention to Ghost Wushan!"

Master Ji's expression changed: "Then what do we do?"

Chen Liangxuan looked outside—the rain had already grown heavier; dark clouds gathered from all directions, plunging the sky into deep gloom.

The Old Lord made his decision, rose, and said, "Master Ji, come with me—we're going to see Mr. Gao!"

"If Ma Tianshou insists on walking into our trap, we'll eliminate them all!"

"If the great matter succeeds, what is one old man's life to me?"

He was seventy-two this year, with few years left to live—sacrificing himself would bring blessings to his descendants.

The Chen family might even become the foremost surname in Southern Jiaozhi!

Two chapters posted together.

The Old Lord is desperate now.



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(End of Chapter)