Chapter 531: Underground Herb Gathering, Nameless Corpse

"Hoo!"

Zhou You put down the things in his hands and stretched his back against the sunlight.

These days had kept him so busy he couldn't attend to everything, spending his whole day either refining medicine or strengthening weapons.

But such busyness had its rewards!

A silver-gray short staff shone brilliantly; it was a genuine treasure of the Hidden Charm, forged by fusing the remains of 4 small Hidden Charms.

He swung it a few times; the short staff cut through the air with a solid sound, felt comfortable in his grip, and moved fluidly.

This item had been baptized by his Intermediate Martial Master Qi and blood, possessing infinite potential; it could continue to be used even after Qi Qingdi advanced to a Martial Master.

The weapon technique Qi Qingdi primarily practiced was indeed the short staff, and this Hidden Charm treasure was specifically crafted for him.

Zhou You put the short staff away for now; Qi Qingdi had recently been in seclusion, training hard in fist techniques and weapons, so he would gift it to him after he came out of seclusion.

On the table to the side, a bottle of pills and a liquid contained in a round bowl were placed separately.

The former was the Silver Tide Whale Swallowing Pill; although Qi Fengzi could refine it, Zhou You still wanted to see if his own medicine refining technique could match the current level.

Facts proved that although he had shelved this craft for a long time, with the enhancement of the panel, his craft had not regressed but advanced, improving rapidly.

This Secret Medicine was refined casually; he had focused most of his energy on that bowl of liquid, which was used to process Blood-Dropping Pearls.

Blood-Dropping Pearls were a very peculiar heaven-sent treasure that grew in underground spaces hidden from the sun; they would instantly turn into green smoke upon seeing sunlight, so they had to be soaked in a special medicinal liquid to be brought back to the surface.

After Zhou You successfully prepared the medicinal liquid, he calculated the time and realized there were still some days before the Monarch's instruction, so he could go to the Underground Cave to collect the fruits first.

The Monarch was busy with a myriad of affairs and had to find time to fulfill the rewards.

Ranked ahead were Yanshan and Cao Wudang; they had been waiting the longest and were still waiting now for the Monarch to have time.

After they finished, it wouldn't immediately be Zhou You and the others' turn; they still needed to wait for a period of time.

Taking advantage of the time, Zhou You decided to make a trip to the underground space to collect the Blood-Dropping Pearls.

He prepared thoroughly, telling Zuo Shier and the others that he would be away for a few days and that the martial arts hall's affairs should run as usual; if anyone came to challenge the hall or cause trouble, and if Zuo and the other person were no match, they should just keep the doors closed and wait for him to return to handle it personally.

After everything was settled, Zhou You waited until late at night, arrived at the edge of the city wall alone, held out his palm, and pointed, "Detain!"

The Seal Script 'Detain' could also be used on himself, allowing him to be sent to a designated location.

Back when he was in the Underground Cave, Zhou You had already pre-set the teleportation target, all for the sake of today.

Swish! The wind wrapped around him in layers, enveloping Zhou You three layers inside and three layers outside, and the movements around him gradually faded away.

The next moment...

Zhou You was like a rocket, pushed out with a whistling airwave with a "whoosh"; his speed broke through the limits of his realm, exceeding the speed of sound, even reaching 2-3 times the speed of sound.

The most intuitive feeling was that when he first started, he was punched in the face by the air, and his nose even felt sour.

With his Intermediate Martial Master physical body, exposed to this speed, even if he were rigid yet supple, the immense pressure brought by the extreme speed would destroy the fixed form of his flesh, skin, and bones, kneading him into a pile of rotten meat like plasticine.

However, the Seal Script Power was quite miraculous.

Zhou You was wrapped in a clear breeze, which acted as acceleration and protection; the world before him was a flat plain, allowing him to gallop at will.

Obstacle after obstacle, object after object, flashed past on both sides; the speed was so fast he simply couldn't stop.

Zhou You felt his facial skin go somewhat numb, and the world in his line of sight tended to blur because of the fast movement speed.

He didn't know how long had passed when everything came to an abrupt halt.

The flowing lines and chaotic color blocks all returned to their original positions, and an incomparably clear world presented itself before him.

Under his feet was the edge of the rift valley; he was standing exactly on the edge, with his toes pointing toward the bottom of the valley.

Calculating the time, from Fucheng to this place, it was no more than two or three hours.

Zhou You paused for a moment, activated the power of the Seal Script 'Detain' again, and leaped down into the bottom of the valley; the light around him gradually weakened. The sound of dripping water rang in his ears.

After Zhou You squeezed through the gap, he appeared at the destination of this journey, the Underground Cave.

The large snake was originally coiled into a mosquito coil shape, its head resting on its tail, sleeping with its eyes closed, when it suddenly sensed something and raised its head vigilantly.

Seeing that the person who arrived was Zhou You, it relaxed and put its head back on its body.

"Well done."

Zhou You looked around; the number of Blood-Dropping Pearls had not decreased, but rather increased because they had matured one after another.

The small, reddish fruits like blood drops were round and smooth like pearls, truly a creation of heaven and earth.

He slung the round bowl over his waist, wore a pair of fish-skin gloves on his palms, and bent down to pick the Blood-Dropping Pearls one by one.

Every time he picked one, he put it into the round bowl to soak in the medicinal liquid; before long, the round bowl was filled with fruits of various sizes.

After being air-dried, the Blood-Dropping Pearls could be put into the Hunger Pouch to be brought out to the surface.

With the processing of the medicinal liquid, the Blood-Dropping Pearls would not disappear even if exposed to sunlight.

"Hoo!"

After picking about 300 to 400 Blood-Dropping Pearls, Zhou You let out a breath and looked at the surrounding grass; the large patches of blood color had faded, leaving only the emerald green, immature fruits.

After soaking, the fruits were placed in a ventilated place to air dry...

Suddenly, the large snake swam to Zhou You's front, its gaze seeming to have something to say to him.

"Don't worry, your benefits won't be lacking."

Zhou You patted the large snake's body; this mountain-like long worm had scales larger than his head, and perhaps it had been stifled underground for too long these days while guarding the Blood-Dropping Pearls.

By the way, he remembered he still had a large earthworm on hand, which was also suitable for underground activities.

"Well, for the next few days, it's still early for the fruits to mature, so you can move around freely."

Zhou You took out a Poison Nest and released the large earthworm on the spot; this soft, long worm was terrified when it saw the large snake, curling into a ball, and only let go after a long time.

The large earthworm was indeed suitable for the local environment and soon swam around the surroundings.

"Well, you are responsible for guarding the fruits here..."

Before Zhou You could finish speaking, the large earthworm suddenly arched toward a certain piece of ground, and a large patch of loose soil was flipped away.

Seeing this scene, how could Zhou You not understand? There was something underground.

A moment later, in a large pit that had been dug open, sat a corpse in tattered clothing.

As the saying goes, a thousand years in the dry, ten thousand years in the wet, but only half a year in the half-wet, half-dry.

This corpse was buried in damp soil, isolated from the outside air and shielded from light, which kept the physical body intact without it rotting too severely.

However, most of the items on his body were difficult to decay, making it impossible to identify his identity or origin.

Yet, a corpse appearing in the place where Blood-Dripping Pearls grow, ten thousand meters beneath the ground, was certainly no ordinary person.

Zhou You walked around the corpse a few times, then slapped his forehead—how could he have forgotten?

He took out the Corpse-Punishing Whip; this Cursed Charm treasure had finally found an opportunity to open for business.

Given the well-preserved state of the corpse, it could withstand at least three to seven lashes, enough for Zhou You to ask about his identity and origin, the reason he had come to this place, and why he had died here.

"Crack!"

(End of this chapter)