Chapter 133 - 132: Screw It, Kill
Chapter 133: Chapter 132: Screw It, Kill
Mountain Mist City. The Pine Wave Martial Arts Hall.
He Bai was restless, pacing back and forth in the main hall and sighing from time to time.
Night had fallen, but he hadn’t the slightest inclination to sleep.
His Guards ran in and out of the hall, but none brought back any news of Stone Ox.
As time ticked by, He Bai grew more and more desperate.
"Young Master Wu is here!"
At the startled cry from outside the hall, He Bai shot out the door in an instant.
He hurried forward a dozen or so steps before spotting a massive figure ambling unsteadily alongside Wu Chen.
THUMP! THUMP!
He Bai couldn’t help but rush forward and give the figure two hard kicks.
"I told you not to run off! I told you!"
Stone Ox didn’t even try to dodge, just grinned foolishly.
"Master, don’t be angry. On this trip, I killed eight fiends!"
"I told you to kill eight fiends, did I? I told you to... to get cocky!"
The old man was so furious he could barely form a coherent sentence, just repeating himself over and over.
At the mention of killing eight fiends, the old man flew into an even greater rage, leaping up to deliver two more kicks.
"Without Young Master Wu, you big oaf, you’d have never made it back!"
"..."
"But... it’s good that you’re back. It’s good that you’re back."
After venting for a while, He Bai discreetly wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, smoothed back his disheveled white hair, and composed himself. He then turned to the figure at his side, clasped his fists, and bowed.
"I am deeply indebted to Young Master Wu for saving him! I hope this small token will not be found lacking."
With that, he pulled two silver banknotes from his sleeve and offered them over.
"It was nothing."
Wu Chen nodded and accepted them. He didn’t stand on ceremony, nor did he care about the amount.
After all, while rescuing Stone Ox, he had also harvested a good number of fiend heads. His storage bags were now well-stocked, allowing him to prepare for a big score in the near future.
Though Wu Chen expressed no dissatisfaction, He Bai himself felt that two thousand taels in silver banknotes was a paltry sum.
First, he had escorted their convoy of medicinal herbs, and now he had rescued Stone Ox, completely unharmed, from the hands of who knows how many fiends.
It was a debt to Young Master Wu that could never be fully repaid!
He knew it was utterly inadequate, which was why he had already prepared something else—something he was confident would move this wandering Ranger.
"Young Master Wu, I have a granddaughter named He Le. She is now in the prime of her youth."
"If you would not find it beneath you, sir, you could take her as a concubine. The hundred or so souls of this martial arts hall, young and old, would also be at your command..."
He Bai’s words were utterly humble.
To offer his own precious granddaughter as a concubine, and not even a primary wife, showed just how much resolve he had mustered.
Moreover, he had no grandson to inherit his legacy. This was less about marrying off his granddaughter and more about handing over his entire ancestral enterprise to Wu Chen.
He refused to believe Wu Chen would reject him out of hand!
’Repaying a favor by trying to trap me...?’
Wu Chen complained internally, waving his hands to refuse hastily. "The two thousand taels of silver is more than enough for my troubles. Old Master He, you don’t need to feel indebted in any way!"
’If I were only in the Body Tempering Realm,’ Wu Chen thought, ’I would have gladly become a live-in son-in-law here.’
Then he could quietly raise his realm within the martial arts hall and, in the end, secretly astound everyone.
’Though, if I really were only in the Body Tempering Realm, he’d probably be singing a different tune.’
But regardless, he was in the Organ Refining Realm now. He was about to head to the Blood Road trial to fight for opportunities, so how could he possibly stop here!
As He Bai finished speaking, a delicate little face peeked out from behind a pillar, its owner’s eyes bright and lively.
One couldn’t help but meet her gaze and feel a sense of pity and affection.
Wu Chen had to admit she was tempting, but he had no intention of changing his mind.
He would just laugh and say, ’Old Master, you’re a truly sharp judge of character!’
After all, even the most beautiful face will one day become a pile of dry bones. Only Martial Arts are eternal, an endless source of aspiration.
’So how do you explain that classic, *The Plum in the Golden Vase*?’
’That’s just a detailed anatomical study! Otherwise, how could my blade be so swift? How could every strike hit a vital point?’
"I’ll be leaving Mountain Mist City within two days."
Wu Chen pulled his gaze away, not letting it linger on the girl’s face for a second. Instead, he looked at Stone Ox, who was busy picking his nose.
Stone Ox felt Wu Chen’s gaze and quickly flicked away the booger in his hand.
"Mhm!" He stood up straight, ready to listen to what Wu Chen had to say.
Wu Chen’s expression turned serious.
"The fiends outside Mountain Mist City will probably lay low for a while, but it’s still best for you to stay put. You never know what other malicious people might be watching you."
"The four sects outside the city are holding internal competitions soon. Afterward, they’ll have to prepare for the Spirit Road Trial, so they won’t have any people to spare."
"If you get into trouble again, there won’t be anyone to rescue you."
"If you’re really itching to go out, then first, raise your realm to the Organ Refining Realm. Only then will you have the power to protect yourself. Even if you run into danger you can’t beat, you’ll at least have a chance to escape."
Stone Ox didn’t really absorb most of the long speech, but he did understand one thing: Wu Chen was leaving.
He wanted to say something—that he wanted to go with him, whether to kill fiends or just carry his bags and run errands.
But when he thought of Wu Chen’s calm strength, taking on a hundred enemies at once, he realized he would only be a burden. He could only nod in agreement.
He watched as Wu Chen turned and walked away.
...
「Three days passed in a flash.」
Wu Chen had been gone from Mountain Mist City for a day. He had already passed the territories of the four sects and was now standing on a mountain peak deep within a range of mountains.
[Deep Red Host] Wu Chen
[Martial Arts Realm] Organ Refining Realm, Second Level
(Qi Power: Earth-Shaking Wild Bull) (Stamina: Unending Qi Power)
[Martial Arts & Cultivation Techniques] ’Bone-Eroding Wind Blade - Intent’, ’Spirit Swallow Leaf-Plucking Step - Intent’, ’Purple Sun Breathing Skill - Perfection’...
The breathing technique he had acquired from the Refining Valley’s Arsenal, the one for training the lungs, had been fully upgraded that very night.
Wu Chen’s realm had risen accordingly, reaching the second level of the Organ Refining Realm.
"It’s a shame. It’s only been a few days since I got the Martial Arts technique. If I go back to the Arsenal now, it’d be hard not to arouse suspicion."
"Besides, I traded all my Contribution Points for storage bags. I don’t have any left for another exchange..."
"I need to hurry up and ’restock’ from the Blood Slaughter Sect!"
With a hint of resignation, Wu Chen dismissed the panel and gazed at the distant, mist-shrouded green peaks that stretched out layer after layer.
’In terms of realm, I’m already on par with the Red-Robed Elders recorded in that registry of fiends.’
’But just steamrolling through them all will probably be a bit difficult.’
Wu Chen recalled flipping through the registry of Blood Evil fiends back at Refining Valley. It only listed a dozen or so Red-Robed Elders at the Organ Refining Realm.
But Wu Chen wasn’t foolish enough to believe the Blood Slaughter Sect only had a dozen or so Red-Robed Elders.
There were those who appeared and disappeared like ghosts, operating in the shadows, unrecorded by the four major sects. There were those who had come from all over for the Blood Road trial. And then there were the higher-ups of the Blood Slaughter Sect.
"All told, if not a hundred, there must be at least forty or fifty Organ Refining Realm experts."
Wu Chen’s eyes lit up, but he quickly suppressed his killing intent, deciding to proceed with caution for now.
After all, no one could guarantee that a Blood Coagulation Realm expert wouldn’t show up for this great Blood Road event.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Wu Chen looked down at the map he’d bought on the black market for three hundred taels of silver.
Naturally, the location of the Blood Slaughter Sect wasn’t on the map.
However, Wu Chen already had a general idea of the direction of Purple Mist Mountain, where the Blood Slaughter Sect was located, so the map was just a secondary aid.
He just needed to make sure his general direction of travel didn’t stray too far off course.
After matching the distant peaks to the markings on the map to get his bearings, Wu Chen put the map away in his storage bag and began to move at a steady pace.
It wasn’t that he was in no hurry, but that he knew deep down that in these vast mountains, one must always maintain a stable level of stamina.
Only then would he have the strength to deal with any sudden dangers.
He walked like this for five days.
RUSTLE RUSTLE!
A sound came from the woods to his side.
Wu Chen stopped, a hint of caution in his eyes. He looked up, ready to counter whatever move was coming.
But from between the thick trees came a sultry voice that could make one’s heart itch with desire:
"Young Master, you must also be heading to the Blood Slaughter Sect for the Blood Road trial. The journey is long and lonely for one person. Why don’t we travel together?"
As the voice faded, a figure emerged from the woods, dressed in a dark red martial uniform with intricately embroidered patterns on the cuffs.
This attire marked her, without a doubt, as a disciple of the Blood Slaughter Sect.
Perhaps the uniform had been deliberately tailored to be tight-fitting; beneath it, the girl’s figure was voluptuously curved, a sight that seized one’s attention and made it difficult to look away.
A single glance was enough to leave any man with lingering, amorous thoughts.
Her almond-shaped eyes were full of charm, her red lips slightly parted. She watched Wu Chen, her gaze filled with anticipation.
It seemed that if he were to agree, she would press herself against him without a moment’s hesitation.
She saw him staring intently at her face, his eyes filled with an unconcealable fire—a genuine show of emotion.
She knew how to be most alluring, and she knew she needed to add a little more fuel to the fire.
She immediately turned her head away, deliberately revealing her pale, slender neck, and said shyly:
"What does the Young Master think of this humble girl’s proposal?"
"Fine!"
Of course Wu Chen had no reason to object. It had been several days since he’d last seen a disciple of the Blood Slaughter Sect!
Hearing him agree so readily and watching the handsome young man willingly approach her, the girl’s smile grew even brighter. The packet of medicinal powder in her hand was ready to be used.
’It’s not every day you meet a lad this handsome. Of course, I’ll have to suck him dry before ripping out his heart...’
As she thought this, she could already picture him begging for mercy, pleading with her to grant him a quick death.
However, right at that moment, she felt a slight breeze brush against her face.
It was immediately followed by a chill on her neck.
SWISH—
"Hck!"
The sound of the wind whispered past. The chill quickly spread through her entire body, and her breathing became ragged.
She subconsciously reached up, wanting to clutch at the thin line of blood that had appeared on her neck, but she couldn’t summon any strength. Even lifting a single finger felt like a monumental effort.
Her gaze finally settled on the young man, who stood less than two feet away.
She saw that his eyes were still fixed on her, burning with that same intensity, as one of his hands reached out and grabbed the top of her head.
POP!
With a simple, easy lift, she felt something leave her head, and her whole body suddenly felt lighter.
Then, her vision began to move. The world, the sky, the trees—they all spun around her. She even saw her own alluring body, still standing in place.
Finally, everything went dark.
Wu Chen tossed the head into his storage bag and patted the bag, in a rather good mood.
"Travel together, you said!"
Then, he turned his gaze back toward the distant forests and mountains.
"I originally thought the trial started in half a month or so. But for the Blood Slaughter Sect, it seems to have started the moment the disciples began their journey back?"
"Now that’s interesting!"
Wu Chen looked in the general direction of the Blood Slaughter Sect, wondering just how many of its disciples he would encounter on this journey, and how many more fiend heads he would collect.
But his gaze quickly grew pensive again.
An aloof, cold face had just flashed through his mind.
’Didn’t I have another reason for coming to this Blood Slaughter Sect?’
Wu Chen rubbed his chin, unable to place the face that had appeared in his mind.
He gave his head a firm shake, casting the extraneous thoughts aside.
"Whatever. Time to kill!"