Chapter 108: Unexpected

Wu Tie woke up.

Itching all over his body was unbearable, and a burning sting came from his skin.

He opened his eyes; a pale red filled his view. Wu Tie was soaking in a thin red liquid, and a mixed medicinal power seeped into his body from all sides, brutally repairing his wounds.

A golden light flashed at his brow, and Wu Tie shot up into the sky.

He saw that the place he had just been soaking in was a pond, a hundred meters long, about three meters wide, and roughly one meter deep.

Besides him, several dozen men with blurred faces were also soaking in the pond.

Judging by their builds, they were all vigorous and strong men.

His right hand still gripped the White Tiger Split tightly; Wu Tie landed heavily at the pond's edge and stared around.

It was an iron cavern about a li in diameter; floor, walls, and dome were cast from black iron. The matte black iron was polished to a high standard, the walls seamless with no visible seams.

On the dome, dozens of small False Suns about a foot in diameter emitted bright light.

Wu Tie understood clearly: he had escaped alive from Zhu Zixi's grasp.

He still remembered what happened before he lost consciousness: someone had trapped Zhu Zixi with a formation and then attacked her with powerful metal puppets, which saved him.

Those metal puppets looked familiar… Wu Tie remembered that when he and Lao Tie emerged from that secret realm, the Mist Blade Chief Steward had led a large force to surround and kill them, and the Chief Steward had once thrown out two similar puppets.

Just as he thought of the Mist Blade Chief Steward, a black shadow flickered ahead; a figure suddenly appeared out of thin air, and a flash of cold light silently sliced toward Wu Tie's neck.

The cold light was extremely fast, almost reaching Wu Tie in an instant.

Wu Tie gave a cold snort, slapped his waist where the brocade carp were kept, and twelve tiny green carp leapt out, spiritingly circling and dancing around him.

The cold light clashed violently with the twelve little carp; with a "ding-ding" sound, the green carp swayed and jumped, and the incoming cold light was neutralized.

Wu Tie let out a low shout; his right hand wielding the White Tiger Split produced a piercing hiss as it tore through the air, thrusting straight at the black figure's chest.

The black figure gripped a strange-shaped seven-foot straight blade with both hands, raised it over his head, and silently brought it down.

Another loud bang rang out, sparks flying everywhere.

The black figure's seven-foot blade was shattered by a thrust of the White Tiger Split, countless fine iron fragments scattering outward. The figure grunted, staggered back several steps, his body flickering into a black mist that vanished and reappeared a hundred meters away.

"Kid, what's your name?" the black mist condensed, and the Mist Blade Chief Steward materialized out of nowhere.

"Wu Tie." Wu Tie looked at the Chief Steward: "You're Mist Blade; I recognize you… you're not dead?"

"Someone betrayed me, betrayed the entire Mist Blade. They wanted me dead, but it's not that easy." The Mist Blade Chief Steward gave a cold smile, his gaze sweeping gloomily over Wu Tie's White Tiger Split.

"No matter what, Mist Blade has been passed down in the Cangyan Realm for many years… its history is even older than the three great clans of the Cangyan Realm today; wiping out Mist Blade's lineage is not that simple."

"Your spear is not bad… 108,000 catties?" the Mist Blade Chief Steward gritted his teeth, his tone a little strange: "Do you know how much I paid to get you back? Just because of this spear, how could it be so heavy?"

Wu Tie gripped the spear with both hands.

The medicinal power of the red liquid in the pond was insufficient—not only weak in potency, but also impure in nature. Flesh had regrown on his right arm, his wounds had healed, but the new flesh itched and stung terribly.

Unaccustomed to moving, Wu Tie silently circulated his Vast Righteousness Qi; wave after wave of strong breath washed over his body, and dark reddish mixed plasma continually seeped from his pores.

Gripping the long spear with both hands, ignoring the Chief Steward's words, Wu Tie brandished the White Tiger Split, practicing the basic spear techniques with all his strength for a full hundred repetitions.

Over and over, thrusts, thrusting continually in all directions.

Over and over, drawing circles, tracing long and short, complete and incomplete arcs.

The extraordinarily heavy White Tiger Split split the air; its dull booming sounded like a giant swinging a mountain, awe-inspiring.

The Mist Blade Chief Steward also remained silent, merely watching Wu Tie quietly.

After completing a hundred basic spear drills, Wu Tie's whole body was coated with a layer of dark reddish viscous plasma.

He drew a deep breath; a speck of golden light flickered at his brow, as large amounts of water vapor in the air condensed, quickly forming a clear pool several meters across that enveloped Wu Tie. The water spun rapidly, quickly washing the blood from his body clean.

"Heavy, but its power matches its weight." Wu Tie held the spear in one hand, lightly planting the White Tiger Split on the ground.

With a "thud," the ground trembled slightly.

Wu Tie looked at the Mist Blade Chief Steward and said in a low voice: "I never expected it to be you who saved me… you took over my turf, brought people to attack me and Lao Tie—let's call it even; we owe each other nothing."

He grinned and nodded: "That secret realm—I'll return someday. When the time comes, we'll see who wins and compare our abilities."

The Mist Blade Chief Steward pursed his lips: "Calling it even? Fine. Besides, that secret realm is now Changsheng Sect's territory; if you go back, all the better."

He let out a light hum, then glanced again at the White Tiger Split: "Don't you want to know what price I paid to save you? This spear is too heavy; bringing you here came at a terrible cost."

Wu Tie looked proudly at the White Tiger Split, raising his eyebrows as he smiled: "I didn't ask you to save me; we were enemies before. Your unsolicited rescue surely means you want something from me."

"So…" Wu Tie broke into a bright grin: "Either tell me straight what you want me to do, or I'm leaving."

The Mist Blade Chief Steward closed his mouth.

He looked at Wu Tie helplessly, inexplicably feeling a headache.

Although Wu Tie had grown tall enough, his face was still childish and immature; he was clearly only a few years old, still a little brat.

But the Mist Blade Chief Steward had never seen such a troublesome little brat.

Wu Tie smiled, also surprised by his own performance.

It seemed that after experiencing a life-and-death crisis, Wu Tie had become much smarter?

Some of the things Lao Tie had said before, which Wu Tie had previously been unable to understand or absorb, he could now comprehend fully.

Even some of the superficial knowledge and techniques passed down by Lao Tie, while Wu Tie was unconscious, seeped into his mind like a dream, as silently nourishing as spring wind turning to rain.

For example, the subject of "Business Negotiation Skills"…

What is "Business"?

Wu Tie wasn't entirely clear on it, but the text explained clearly how to bargain with people and how to grasp their psychology.

Wu Tie held the White Tiger Split, smiling amiably at the Mist Blade Chief Steward.

Although awkward, this was the first time Wu Tie had ever used self-taught techniques.

"In the world, there is no hatred without cause, nor love without reason."

"As an assassin organization, Chief Steward, you could not possibly have saved me for no reason."

"What do I have that is worth your regard?"

Wu Tie patted the heart-protection mirror.

Whether it was that white egg, the cosmos bag, the moon-shaped mark stuck on his arm, or the koi carp wrapped around his waist, all were intact.

"You didn't take advantage of my unconsciousness to steal my valuables; instead you used your secret medicine to help me heal my injuries… Although the quality of your secret medicine is indeed lacking, this gesture is what matters."

"You want something from me!"

Wu Tie looked at the grave-faced Chief Steward and said calmly, "If you're a man, just speak plainly: what do you want to do, or rather, what do you want me to help you do?"

Extending his left hand and raising one finger, Wu Tie said in a low voice, "Brothers settle accounts clearly; besides, we aren't blood brothers, and I owe you nothing. No matter what you want me to help you do, however much profit there might be… I want half."

"Impossible." The Chief Steward, flustered by Wu Tie's seasoned and sharp words, hastily blurted, "Impossible… I saved you…"

"You've taken over my and Old Tie's territory, you brought people to attack us, and you even directly caused Old Tie to fall into slumber… This is a deep hatred." Wu Tie's voice carried a deep, cold intent.

"You saved me, at most I'll cancel the debt with you… I don't owe you anything; if you want me to work for you, you must give me adequate compensation." Wu Tie said sternly, "Otherwise, I'll turn and leave—can you keep me?"

The Chief Steward fell silent.

In the pond behind Wu Tie, several sturdy figures leapt up, jumping out and bracing their hands on the floor as they panted heavily.

They drew in big breaths, continuously spitting out red fluid from their mouths and nasal cavities.

After a good while of tossing about, these few sturdy men finally straightened their bodies, instinctively leaping a few steps to stand behind the Chief Steward, lining up side by side with fierce eyes fixed on Wu Tie.

Wu Tie looked at these men with a faint smile.

Due to having soaked in the medicinal liquid, these men's original skin had become unusually pale and tender, but the newly grown flesh was a patch of tender red; the contrast of white and red made it easy to see the injuries they had previously sustained.

Their bodies were covered in scale-like wounds, and many of the wounds were through-and-through.

These fellows had suffered severe injuries, been brought back here, and only by relying on this pond for emergency treatment had they managed to preserve their lives.

Wu Tie smiled: "Your subordinates can't accomplish certain things; perhaps I can?"

Narrowing his eyes, Wu Tie said in a low voice, "Hmm, let me guess… the formation you used to save me, and those metal puppets, are things you brought back from that place with your trusted aides these past days?"

Wu Tie glanced at the few men who had leapt out of the pond, then at the silhouettes still soaking and unconscious inside, and chuckled: "Hmm, so many people injured? How many didn't make it in time for treatment and died there?"

"How many loyal, trustworthy aides do you still have? How many are you willing to sacrifice?" Wu Tie smiled at the Chief Steward: "You're surely unwilling to accept this; you surely still want to reclaim Mist Blade, even to take revenge on the Changsheng Sect…"

"Otherwise, how could you have just happened to save me? You must have been monitoring the Changsheng Sect's movements all along, even personally sneaking to scout that old fellow's activities…" Wu Tie said with a laugh: "Let's lay it all out plainly… I want half the profits."

The Chief Steward stared fixedly at Wu Tie for a long time, then finally shook his head helplessly.

"You're practically an old ghost over a hundred years old, not some kid in his early teens."

After letting out a heavy sigh, the Chief Steward said in a low voice, "Half is impossible; thirty percent is my limit… I still have so many subordinates, I still need to bring Mist Blade under my control, and I still have to deal with the Changsheng Sect… while you're just one person."

Wu Tie furrowed his brow, seriously studying the Chief Steward, pondered for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "That place—what is it?"

The Chief Steward immediately replied, "It's the ancestral land of my Mist Blade… in other words, the place where my Mist Blade originated."

Lifting his head to gaze at the metallic dome, at the small 'False Suns' about a foot in diameter overhead that emitted a bright snowy light, the Chief Steward said in a low voice, "Many, many years ago, the ancestors of my Mist Blade emerged from that place of origin…"

"There…" the Chief Steward drew a deep breath: "Inside there are many good things, but also many traps, many terrifying ambushes."

"I personally witnessed you instantly kill a Chonglou Realm expert with a single strike." The Chief Steward looked at Wu Tie with the eyes of one beholding a monster: "You are far stronger than my subordinates. So I think you should be able to help me."

"You possess great strength… great defense… and these are exactly what I lack, even what I am missing." The Chief Steward sighed: "Our cultivation paths differ; I have speed and attack, but I lack strength and defense."

"And to explore an ancestral land, you need strength—absolutely formidable strength—and even more, you need sufficiently strong defensive power; otherwise…" The Chief Steward pointed at those figures in the pond: "you'll end up just like them, beaten to a pulp."

Wu Tie's face twitched.

He fell silent for a good while, then slowly nodded: "Thirty percent, just thirty percent… but if there are good things, I must be the first to pick."

It was obvious that the Chief Steward wanted to find a meat shield to explore the secret realm.

The risk Wu Tie bears is far greater than that of the Chief Steward; the profit has already been squeezed down to thirty percent, and if he doesn't get priority selection, Wu Tie would definitely not find it worthwhile.

"As you say." The Chief Steward gave Wu Tie a deep look: "Perhaps you could consider joining my Mist Blade… in that case, fifty percent wouldn't be out of the question…"

Wu Tie burst out laughing "haha", waved his hand, and changed the subject: "Speaking of strength and defense, you should look to cooperate with those giants."

The Chief Steward also laughed "haha", gave a few dry laughs, then chuckled "hehe" twice, looked coldly at Wu Tie, and said: "You think I'd be stupid enough to do that? You think the giant bloodline of the Shi Family came about for no reason?"

Wu Tie blinked his eyes, staring straight at the Chief Steward.

The Chief Steward waved a hand and said in a low voice, "Let's talk as we walk… those giants, heh, are adept at bullying and looting… giant bloodline… humph…"

Wu Tie glanced at the people soaking in the pond, hoisted the White Tiger Split, and with heavy steps followed the Chief Steward out of the steel cavern.