Chapter 21

Pitiable ox tribe warrior.

When he went to the mushroom patch to gather edible mushrooms, a black-ringed snake sprayed a mouthful of venom directly at him.

The ox tribe warrior reacted quickly, he desperately dodged, but the venom still sprayed onto his left eye. His eyeball quickly corroded into bloody water, and the venom rapidly spread toward his skull.

Shi Lingqing carried a very effective detoxifying potion.

Hearing the sound, she rushed over and gave the ox tribe warrior the detoxifying potion; the warrior's life was not in danger, but losing an eye reduced his combat power by at least thirty percent.

The aftereffects of the venom spreading in his skull made this unlucky ox tribe warrior's speech become incoherent, his thinking somewhat confused.

This, at least, would deduct another ten-plus percent of his combat power.

Wu Tie stood on a small hill, silently watching the flustered Shi Lingqing and her group.

Far away, seven or eight li out, Luo Lin's group also gazed this way. All eight of them were present, none missing, they were over there.

"Really, what an unlucky ox tribesman. Clumsy and slow-footed, doesn't he know that black-ringed snakes like to hide in mushroom patches or fern groves to ambush prey?" Wu Tie sighed: "Fortunately, it's just a black-ringed snake; if it were a black mamba, you'd be dead."

It's quite obvious that this ox tribesman's attack has nothing to do with Luo Lin and his group.

At least Wu Tie could see no connection whatsoever.

Several li out, Ding carried Luo Lin on his back and ran swiftly toward Wu Tie's side. Hearing the movement, Wu Tie slapped his left hand on the diamond-shaped protrusion on his chest; the tight-fitting armor writhed, and his hands and head were quickly covered by the armor.

Ding placed Luo Lin several dozen meters away; Luo Lin, whose body had been fractured in multiple places by Wu Tie's beating yesterday, slowly, relying on his own strength, walked step by step to Wu Tie's front.

He carried no weapons; he deliberately patted his waist, and there was no animal-skin pouch wrapped around his waist, nor were the two short blades capable of flying and striking to kill obviously carried on his person.

Wu Tie's grip on his spear loosened slightly; the armor on his head writhed, the faceplate slid open silently, revealing his youthful face: "An old fellow once told me, a warrior never lets his weapon leave his side."

Luo Lin stood ten meters away, sat on a rock, and shook his head: "We are not warriors. We are Mist Blade; have you heard of us?"

Wu Tie shook his head. Mist Blade? He truly had never heard of it.

Luo Lin exhaled, glanced at the position of Shi Lingqing and her group, and saw the wounded ox tribe warrior still screaming hoarsely.

"Really unlucky, huh?" Luo Lin laughed, looking at Wu Tie and said in a low voice: "Mist Blade… we are assassins, killers, bloodthirsty ones who walk in darkness. Put more plainly, whoever pays us, we help them kill people."

Wu Tie looked at Luo Lin, pointed toward Shi Lingqing in the distance, and asked: "Someone is paying you to kill them?"

Luo Lin shook his head, looked at Wu Tie, and calmly said: "This is personal revenge, unrelated to money… What do you think Shi Lingqing is like as a person?"

Wu Tie was extremely sensitive to this question; his heart jumped violently, he said somewhat flusteredly: "What kind of person is she? How would I know?"

Luo Lin gazed deeply at Wu Tie: "Old Wu said that around here there aren't many traces of human activity. Here, are you the only one?"

Luo Lin said in a low voice: "Wearing indestructible ancient-treasure armor, holding a spear with astonishing sharpness… likely also an ancient treasure."

"Your cultivation level is probably just having condensed essence blood into yuan? Just broken through the first level of the Foundation Establishment realm? Not even having condensed firm strength?"

"But your strength actually can completely suppress me."

"I cultivate the Mist Blade's secret transmission, the Mist Shadow Blood Kill, which counts as a top-tier Foundation Establishment secret art; I have already half-stepped into sensing the profound, almost condensing spiritual power. Yet I, in fact, am being suppressed by you in strength."

"Your Foundation Establishment cultivation method completely surpasses the Mist Shadow Blood Kill."

"Alone, not old, possessing an ancient treasure, with supreme cultivation… you must be a youngster who mistakenly entered this desperate place and fortunately obtained an ancient inheritance."

Wu Tie was stunned by Luo Lin's words.

He didn't know what to do, retreated a few steps, and looked at Luo Lin in panic.

How could they know this so clearly? How could they know it in such detail? They practically seemed to have seen Wu Tie's entire experience of coming here.

Luo Lin firmly looked at Wu Tie: "Did you see among my brothers the one who likes using the chain blade, 'Qiao'?"

Wu Tie looked over; the chain blade is a strange-door weapon, a sickle with a handle about one foot long and a blade about two feet long, with a fine iron chain several meters long attached to the handle.

During yesterday's fight, Wu Tie paid close attention to this strange-door weapon.

The user of this strange-door weapon is a youth with a pale complexion, somewhat handsome, and a slightly effeminate demeanor.

"Is it him… figured out?" Luo Lin reclosed his faceplate, enveloping his whole body in armor. Only thus could he gain a sense of security.

"We spent one night searching everything within a two-hundred-li radius." Luo Lin chuckled softly: "Qiao's judgment says you came here probably less than a year ago."

"Traces are few, clues are obvious; Qiao is our squad's strategist, he has been clever and cunning since childhood, skilled at these things." Luo Lin laughed softly: "So I specially came to visit you."

Wu Tie interrupted Luo Lin's words: "What do you want to explain? You are many, you can suppress me?"

Luo Lin fell silent for a moment, then his tone suddenly became extremely stiff and cold: "If your family were killed by someone, and killed you in the most cruel manner, what would you do?"

"Revenge!" Wu Tie's eyes heated, he shouted without hesitation.

"I am taking revenge!" Luo Lin's gaze icy as he looked at Wu Tie: "Shi Lingqing, she is the mastermind behind my sister's death. Why are you stopping me? Is it because she is beautiful?"

Wu Tie's heart fluttered in panic; he wanted to say something.

But he couldn't get it out.

In his subconscious, he agreed with Luo Lin's opinion: family killed must be avenged. Moreover, Lao Tie had instilled in Wu Tie the idea that revenge must be total extermination, root and branch.

Lao Tie was certainly never a kind-hearted good guy!

What he instilled in Wu Tie were many extremely radical, extremely dangerous notions of killing.

But from Wu Tie's true heart…

Regarding Shi Lingqing… Wu Tie's voice trembled: "She is the mastermind behind your sister's death? Perhaps you have made a mistake?"

Luo Lin deeply glanced at Wu Tie: "We have eight people. We can rotate in three shifts. You are only one person; your energy cannot compare to ours. We are Mist Blade, we master every means to cause death."

"In a direct confrontation, we would want to kill you, or it would require a considerable cost. But if it's other means." Luo Lin struggled to rise, stepping toward Ding one step at a time: "Qiao asked me to give you a message… we don't want to be your enemies, but you also shouldn't overestimate yourself."

Wu Tie felt a flush of heat and a wave of shame and embarrassment.

He gripped his spear tightly and lunged forward a step; Luo Lin had already spread his arms, laughing at him: "How? Do you want to kill an unarmed enemy?"

Wu Tie's steps stalled; looking at Luo Lin, he felt his thoughts tangled, not knowing how to deal with it.

Luo Lin laughed, lightly returned to Ding's side; Ding glared fiercely at Wu Tie, then quickly left with Luo Lin on his back.

After Luo Lin and Ding had gone far away, a metallic spider scuttled out from a fern grove, and Lao Tie's stiff voice sounded.

"Little rookie, just a few words and they've already found out your details."

"But this isn't your fault… this bunch of little guys are far more professional than you."

"What should I do?" Wu Tie looked at the metal spider, at a loss. He knew Old Iron was using this metal spider to stare at him in some unknown way.

"Look at your own decision." Old Iron said: "Ask your heart. Do you believe Luo Lin's words? Or choose to help Shi Lingqing?"

"Humans, social intelligent beings, you must learn to interact with your own kind." Old Iron heeheed: "Grandpa I can teach you many things, but there are many things you cannot learn from me."

"Grandpa I am merely an ancient divine weapon, not a person." Old Iron's tone carried a hint of gleeful schadenfreude: "Besides, this is a rare training opportunity… those poor hippopotami and gray rock lizards can no longer threaten you… From today on, sleep with one eye open…"

"Learn well how to deal with people!" Old Iron laughed: "In this process, Grandpa I will neither remind nor help you. Use your wisdom to resolve this matter… although, Grandpa I don't believe there are even a few drops of wisdom in your little brain."

The metal spider retreated.

Wu Tie kicked a stone in slight annoyance.

Does Old Iron's words mean that he, Wu Tie, is stupid?

Gritting his teeth, Wu Tie leapt up and glided swiftly, rushing toward the direction where Luo Lin and his group were. He landed on a small dirt mound a hundred meters away from Luo Lin et al., and issued a stern warning again with a fierce expression.

"I don't care who you are or what your reasons are. Anyway, this is my turf; you're not allowed to fight here." Wu Tie waved his hand threateningly; a fist-sized stone shot up from the ground with a sharp whistling sound, flying out swiftly.

With a swish, the stone grazed past Luo Lin's cheek and slammed heavily into a stone stalactite behind him.

The thick stone stalactite, as wide as a person's embrace, was chipped out a square-foot hole by the stone; large fragments flew, looking terrifying.

"If you dare to attack, don't blame me for being ruthless." Wu Tie brandished his long spear, leapt back lightly, and slid far away.

Luo Lin, Wu Lao Da, and the others looked gloomily at the broken stalactite.

When Wu Tie controlled dozens of stones to strike wildly, the spectacle was grand but the lethal power limited.

But when he exerted the full power of 'Control of Heaven and Earth' to control just a single stone, that stone's individual lethality became terrifying. At the very least, Wu Lao Da and the others reckoned that if struck by Wu Tie's sneak attack, they would at least suffer serious injury.

"A troublesome brat, but if he's alone… it's useless."

Chain dagger on his shoulder, the pallid, yin-tinged Qiao laughed softly: "As long as the plan is good, eliminating Shi Lingqing isn't hard… especially, I've become a bit interested in the ancient inheritance this little fellow obtained."

"Brothers, what do you think?" Qiao glanced at Wu Lao Da, then Luo Lin, then each of the other youths: "Judging by his appearance, he's about eleven or twelve. At Foundation Establishment first layer, he can suppress Old Three, who is nearly breaking through Foundation Establishment… hey, this inheritance, are you interested?"

Wu Lao Da, Luo Lin, and the others exchanged glances and burst into excited laughter.

Luo Lin had just gone to visit Wu Tie specifically to find out his details… now they were certain that in this strange realm, Wu Tie was the sole fortunate one, with no other clansmen present.

With just that, it wouldn't be hard to take down Wu Tie.

"Let's do it that way. Qiao, you need to plan meticulously." Wu Lao Da laughed softly, very pleased.

Over the next few days, Shi Lingqing's group faced constant trouble.

Various strange poisonous insects kept attacking her guards, and various odd mishaps occurred several times.

Besides, two human guards beside Shi Lingqing were bitten by poisonous spiders; although they promptly took antitoxin, they still lost most of their combat ability in a short time.

Moreover, an Ox Tribe warrior went to the riverbank to fetch water, somehow startling a giant water python; the python whipped its tail at him, nearly breaking his spine. Under his companions' cover, he managed to escape back, but don't expect him to fight for a month.

Shi Lingqing's group became gloomy and miserable; seeing this continue, they would all perish here.

Wu Tie silently observed for several days; he also felt something was off. That day, having eaten and drunk his fill, he finally approached Shi Lingqing's wooden shed and looked at the unfortunate guard whose toe had just been bitten by a small flying snake.

"You've been rather unlucky these two days." Wu Tie looked at Shi Lingqing and said dryly.

Shi Lingqing's little face looked rather pale; likely the wound from the bloodstain broken-tooth snake's sneak attack a few days ago hasn't healed, and when she walks, her steps feel somewhat odd.

She looked pitifully at Wu Tie and whispered: "Young master, this is no accident; it's clearly the work of those ruthless, vicious people…"

Shi Lingqing suddenly burst into tears, two streams of clear tears flowing down: "They, they, they used this shameless method to slaughter hundreds of my Qianyu City Shi Family clansmen… over a thousand family warriors were all poisoned in the water source by them and wiped out in a single night!"

Wu Tie swallowed a spit, "Over a thousand family warriors?"

How mighty the Shi Family of Qianyu City must be… at the Wu Family's peak, qualified family warriors numbered only a few dozen.

Wu Tie wanted to say something, but he had no experience comforting an opposite-sex girl; he stood there like a wooden post, when everyone heard the distant thudding footsteps.

Among Luo Lin's group, the youth carrying a long bow came rushing forth with a howling gale, shouting hoarsely "Monster!" as he darted past Wu Tie.

Before Wu Tie could figure out what happened, a blue egg the size of a basin smashed heavily onto him, cracking with a "pa" and shattering.

Wu Tie wasn't wearing a helmet; the egg liquid splattered all over his head and face.

The ground trembled slightly, then the shaking grew stronger.