Chapter 343 - 231: Accomplishment in Music, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting
Chapter 343: Chapter 231: Accomplishment in Music, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting
The flute’s melody was strange, shrill, and hurried, like a small boat bobbing up and down in a turbulent stream, in constant danger of capsizing.
The moment he heard the flute, Chen Yi’s True Essence instantly circulated throughout his body.
Inside his Forehead Acupoint Sea of Qi, Spiritual Essence flowed out from the Four Divine Positions, sealing his ears.
’This is... the Illusory Sound Sect’s Sound Killing Technique?’
Realization dawned on Chen Yi, and in a single step, he landed on a nearby roof, searching for the source of the music.
But before he could find the person striking from the shadows, he saw the granary guards in the distance standing completely still, allowing the barbarian slaves to kill them.
’Mind control?’
Seeing this, Chen Yi was now certain the attacker must be a deviant from the Illusory Sound Sect, a follower of the Evil Demonic Dao.
’No wonder these barbarian slaves managed to escape. Someone really is helping them.’
As he thought, he scanned his surroundings, his gaze mostly directed to the east of the East Market—toward the dark, sparsely populated shadows.
The now-unimpeded barbarian slaves were also fleeing in that direction.
However, as government officials were arriving, one of the barbarian slaves voluntarily stayed behind.
Facing the government officials, he shouted without looking back, "Jiasule, go—"
"Fucking barbarian! You dare act so insolently within the borders of Great Wei?"
"Kill him!"
"Pursue!"
Chen Yi ignored the chaos nearby and darted off in pursuit of the barbarian slaves.
As he leaped and bounded, he picked up a guard’s long blade, vanished into the shadows, and followed the barbarian slaves from a distance.
「Before long.」
Chen Yi saw a figure completely wrapped in black clothing appear diagonally ahead of him, staring at him with a sinister gaze.
"Sir, stay out of this!"
Chen Yi stopped, glanced at the distant barbarian slaves, pulled his bamboo hat down slightly, and asked:
"From the Illusory Sound Sect?"
As he spoke, he took another look with his Qi Observation Skill and frowned inwardly.
’Just a Seventh Grade Realm Martial Artist?’
"Since you know the name of the Illusory Sound Sect, you should leave. Otherwise, don’t blame me for what happens next!"
"What happens next?"
Chen Yi smiled and shook his head, walking toward him with the long blade in hand.
His steps seemed slow, but in reality, he had already used the Meteor Butterfly Step and appeared before the black-clothed man in the blink of an eye.
One strike—a flash of cold light.
A bolt of silken blade light slashed straight down—his Saber Intent as cold as frost.
Before the blade arrived, a chill had already enveloped a ten-zhang radius.
"Great Success Saber Dao?!"
The black-clothed man’s eyes widened, and he hastily raised the flute in his hand to block.
But it was too late.
As the light of the blade flashed past, the flute was split in two, and one of his arms was severed and sent flying along with it.
"Ah—you!?"
Before the black-clothed man could make another move, Chen Yi pressed the long blade to his throat, stopping the rest of his words.
The black-clothed man instantly broke out in a sweat, clutching his bleeding shoulder.
"S-Sir... you... I..."
"I don’t know how I’ve offended you, but I beg you... I beg you to spare me..."
Chen Yi’s eyes lifted slightly, revealing only the line of his jaw, and he asked coolly:
"I’m curious, why are you helping those barbarian slaves?"
The black-clothed man said frantically, "I... it was for the reward from Bright Moon Building... P-please don’t blame me, I have no connection with the Barbarian Race."
He assumed Chen Yi was someone who hated the Barbarian Race, and so he begged repeatedly for his life.
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly. ’Someone from Bright Moon Building?’
"Isn’t Black Tooth dead?"
"I wouldn’t dare lie to you. I received the mission in the Western State... N-no, not Shu State."
"Then do you know how those barbarian slaves escaped, and why they burned the grain?"
"They... someone knocked out those Poshisu Country horse bandits, allowing them to escape."
"After that, after that they... Ah!"
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Yi saw his eyes suddenly burst.
No, not just his eyes; blood gushed from his mouth, nose, and ears.
In just three breaths, the black-clothed man was dead.
Chen Yi frowned, glanced at the body, then scanned his surroundings.
After confirming there was no movement nearby, he used his Qi Observation Skill to examine the black-clothed man.
He saw strands of black qi spread throughout the man’s meridians.
Especially around the heart and head, the black qi was entwined, deep as ink, as if two large holes had been bored into those spots.
’It’s not poison or a Gu Insect, yet it can kill from a distance...’
’Poshisu Country’s Black Magic?’
’Did someone place a Black Magic curse on him beforehand?’
Chen Yi had long heard that the techniques cultivated by the Jianghu People of Poshisu Country were exceedingly bizarre, and he had also heard rumors of Black Magic.
’I never thought I’d encounter it here.’
This inevitably reminded him of the Poshisu native who had once controlled his body’s previous owner into fleeing a marriage.
At this thought, a chill entered Chen Yi’s eyes, and he immediately transformed into a black shadow, quickly chasing after the barbarian slaves.
But he followed the trail all the way to the East City Gate and saw no further sign of the barbarian slaves.
Even the footprints and bloodstains had vanished.
’It’s as if someone hid them in an incredibly short time.’
Unwilling to give up, Chen Yi slowly retraced his steps, searching.
’I’m certain of it. The one who took these members of the Barbarian Race hasn’t left the Prefecture City. Otherwise, I would have definitely seen something.’
’Strange,’ Chen Yi thought as he scanned his surroundings.
’Given that they’re barbarian slaves, they’d surely try to get back to the Barbarian Race after escaping.’
’This was the perfect chance, but they didn’t take it. Why?’
Chen Yi had no answer, so he stopped dwelling on it and focused on figuring out where the barbarian slaves might be hiding.
’North of here is the bank of the Quchi. Taking the waterway would be a good way to leave Shu State.’
’To the south... that would be east of Yanhua Lane.’
’It’s a place where the Mountain Race, people from Poshisu, and outsiders trying to make a living all reside. A real melting pot, which makes it a good place to hide.’
However, Chen Yi was more inclined to believe they’d gone toward Quchi in North City.
Just as he was about to head that way to investigate, he heard a light footstep behind him.
Following it came a lazy voice: "You, I’m talking to you, the one with the blade."
"Turn around slowly. Let your Uncle Liu see which master of the blade this is."
Chen Yi froze for a moment. ’Liu Lang?’
’What’s he doing here?’