The Immortals Poison

by Stayrr

This is the story of the youth Wen Leyang, born into the family with an expertise in the cultivation of the Art of Poison. The enemy may not always be evil, and neither does someone evil necessarily be the enemy. However, one thing is certain. Wen Leyang is a frank and honest young man, a delightful hero who posseses a kind disposition towards any living creature.

1. 1

The Immortal's Poison

This is the story of the youth Wen Leyang, born into the family with an expertise in the cultivation of the Art of Poison.

The enemy may not always be evil, and neither does someone evil necessarily be the enemy. However, one thing is certain. Wen Leyang is a frank and honest young man, a delightful hero who posseses a kind disposition towards any living creature.

Learn about his journey as he embarks on an adventure of cultivating into an immortal.

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91,72,124,148,126,130,63,69,94,89,86,75,82,66 = 1.315m

Chapter 1: Ten Years

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Not a single root grows on the Wen. Never befriend a Miao. To die a dog's death on Crow Ridge.

A folk song which had been inherited and passed down for a millennium named the three powers beneath the heavens that one should never ever take on.

The Wen family that resided on the Nine Peaks Mountain to the west of the Chuan region were experts in the Art of Poisons. It was said that even the chili sauce at the Wen residence was made up of He Ding Hong, a poison akin to arsenic. Their chosen method of poisoning was also unbelievably outrageous. During the Ming dynasty, there was once a gang of outlaws who took the laws and regulations of the Imperial Court lightly. Unintentionally, they offended the Wen family. As a result, everyone living in their cottage died a violent death. Even the greenery growing on the mountains had withered overnight and for a good ten years, the mountain remained completely barren. That was how the Wen got the epithet of Wen Bucao – not a single root grows on the Wen.

In the central Shu region, at the foot of the Seven Maidens Mountain, there dwelled a clan of Qing Miao. The Qing Miao were devil worshippers and practiced black magic. Though eccentric and withdrawn, they were clear about love and enmity; to repay kindness with kindness and to repay enmity with justice. Travelers passing through the area near the clan had to be extra cautious to not leave behind any trace, be it a single strand of hair or a fingernail. Otherwise, they might be left puzzled when bereavements strikes one after the other in later years, wondering how they had offended the Miao clan in the first place.

Lastly, the Luo family on the Crow Ridge, at the south of Chuan, were the masters of the Secret Art of Zombies. Those who had bad blood with the Luos would not only die a dog's death, even the dead would not be able to keep their bones. The Luos would craft the skeletons into undead marionettes. For thousands of years, there was no peace nor reincarnation for the dead as they lived the wretched life of the undead; the zombies.

These three powers lived in seclusion and had always kept to themselves. They were not regarded as the gang of Jianghu, the underground world of martial arts, nor involved in the strife between good and evil. They seldom provoked others and in return, no one interfered with them either.

With the passage of time, thousands of years had passed.

Over time, the descendants of the three families have gradually integrated with the real world. There were less people in the world that still remembered the warning in the folk song of 'Not a single root grows on the Wen; never befriend a Miao; to die a dog's death on Crow Ridge'.

It was springtime in March, heralded by the budding of new shoots, the gentle flight of the oriole and a pleasant breeze while a spray of red apricot blossom hung over the wall. It was a scene of exuberant freshness and renewal.

On the 19th of March, the usually somber Wen family on the Nine Peaks Mountain suddenly became lively. The Major Examination of the Decade was around the corner and all of the immediate descendants who were away started returning home at this time.

In the eyes of outsiders, this was just a secluded village deep in the forest. Who would have thought that this was the very village who had made its name under the heavens thousands of years ago as the experts of poison; that they were known as the Wen Bucao and both good and evil avoided them like the plague.

Wen Leyang, a pure and honest youngster, was walking up the mountain while munching on a carrot. He is a direct disciple of the Wen clan, aged sixteen. As he was currently studying in the county town, he hurriedly made his way back to the mountain. He looked just like any other youngster from the village, slightly small and weedy with an average but honest look. Though nothing special in particular, there was a sense of sincerity in his bright eyes.

There were all sorts of vehicles parked at the entrance of the village; wagons of all sizes, two rows of cars and a trishaw. The descendants of the Wen clan were conveyed up the mountain in whatever manner that befits them.

Several old folks were laughing merrily at the entrance of the village. All of the returning unmarried descendants of the Wen clan, regardless of gender, were given a red packet which was filled not with money but a quantity of thin, golden leaves which felt substantial in the hand.

The moment Wen Leyang entered the village, he was immediately surrounded by his younger brothers and sisters. With some dexterous movements, he took a bag of sweets out from this backpack. Though the snacks were not of significant value, it was not a common find in a small village deep in the mountain. Therefore, he would always remember to bring some for his younger brothers and sisters whenever he returned home.

Wen Leyang smiled happily as he watched his brothers and sisters cheering and jumping jubilantly, revealing his white and tidy teeth. He then took a carrot out of his pocket and started munching, as carrots are his one and only favorite snack.

Some of the elders were smiling at each other upon seeing this because out of the youngsters who had gone out of the village, Wen Leyang was the only one to be so thoughtful and have always remembered the siblings at home.

The descendants of the Wen nowadays were actually living a tougher life compared to their ancestors in the ancient times. Apart from brewing medicinal potion and practicing martial arts, they had to attend school in the county town. It was the age of technology and in order to blend in with the world, members of the Wen clan held all sorts of occupations nowadays. The First Uncle of Wen Leyang, named Wen Tunhai, was even elected as the County Head. However, due to him having too many mother-in-laws, he had been dismissed from his position. He now concentrates on refining medicine with his First Grandpa in the mountain.

For the next seven consecutive days, the village of Wen would serve up scrumptious dinners and the whole clan feasted and drank joyously; having fried eggs and braised lamb every day with the resulting overindulgence leaving everyone with a bleeding nose.

Day 8, 26th of March.

The very first rays of morning sunlight had just dyed the clouds red. The distant sound of a bell tolling was heard by everyone and the peaceful village slowly began to wake. Although all of the descendants of Wen, regardless of age, was in solemnity for the impending examination, the joy and excitement in their eyes could not be contained. Silently gathered together, hundreds of them marched towards the back of the village towards Qing Shi Square.

As the Head of Village and the Head of Family, Grand Elder Wen was already waiting at the Qing Shi Square. Wen Leyang's First Uncle, Wen Tunhai, the Ex-County Head who had been dismissed from his position due to him having too many mother-in-laws, was standing respectfully in front of Grand Elder Wen.

Wen Leyang was anxious but excited and he felt like having a carrot.

Grand Elder Wen looked kindly down on everyone and he looked just like an ordinary amiable old man. However, when he was not so kind looking, he could poison a whole chicken farm to death with a flick of his fingers. The other two remaining elders of Wen – Second and Third Elder Wen, stood behind the Grand Elder with their gloomy eyes downcast and appeared almost like statues to the unsuspecting observer.

Clearing his throat lightly, Grand Elder Wen said with a loud and deep voice, "March 26th is the day for the Major Examination of the Decade for all descendants of the Wen. As usual, every disciple under the age of thirty is allowed to participate. Those who pass the exam would officially inherit the teachings and wisdom of our ancestors and become the Inner Disciple of the Wen Family on Nine Peaks Mountain." The Grand Elder smiled widely as he spoke.

The Major Examination of the Decade has been the rule of the clan since ancient times and was the stepping stone for the youngsters of the Wen clan to achieve success. Only by passing the exam could one inherit the mysterious and wondrous Secret Art of the ancestors and become the Inner Disciple of the Wen. However, the exam was undoubtedly difficult to pass.

When Grand Elder had finished talking, First Uncle Wen Tunhai took a step forward and said, "Every disciple who is above twelve and under thirty is allowed to take part. You can challenge me by all means, be it poisoning or medicine testing. If I am troubled in any way, you pass the exam." Although his tone was relaxed, no single disciple was taking it easy. He had said the very same thing during the last two Major Examinations and there hasn't been a single Inner Disciple for the past twenty years.

Wen Tunhai was the disciple who had passed the Major Examination thirty years ago. Ever since that fateful day, he had remained as the sole principal in the Clan of Wen Bucao apart from the three Elders.

About a hundred of the youngsters of the Wen clan formed a line in front of Wen Tunhai according to their age. They will walk up to Wen Tunhai and challenge him one by one. Wen Leyang was the last one in the queue and he looked as honest and pure as snow with an inconspicuous presence. He was simply an innocent youngster queuing up sincerely for the examination.

The first disciple bowed and saluted to Wen Tunhai. Without standing back up on his feet, a queer snake with skin as white as alabaster and eyes as dark as night sprung out from his sleeve and dove towards Wen Tunhai. The snake reached Wen Tunhai in the blink of an eye. However, the moment the snake drew close to him it let out a cry similar to that of a monkey. Its scales stood up and fear grew in its dark eyes. It twisted its body strangely in the air and slithered away, leaving behind a black mark on the pathway. "Little Whitey!" screamed the disciple and they ran after the snake.

Wen Tunhai scoffed, "Eliminated! Treating a stray snake as treasure, what a joke! Little Whitey?"

The second disciple also began with a bow while a piece of moss with a green shimmer secretly crept its way towards Wen Tunhai's body. The disciple was overjoyed thinking that they have succeeded and took out the antidote hastily. Alas, Wen Tunhai stomped his feet and the moss that was about to creep onto him withered instantly and fell off like dead skin. "Eliminated! There's some effect of poisonous moss if it is used as a medicinal plant. But you thought you have found a niche by using it as a weapon. You're making a fool of yourself, scumbag! While your moss is creeping its way to your enemy, there is more than enough time for the enemy to stab you to death!"

The third disciple carried a medicine bottle and Wen Tunhai took the bottle and poured all the medicine into his own mouth and started chewing. After swallowing everything down he sneered, "Eliminated! Ear of black fox, salt of moss and rosewood pod seeds. The three ingredients were alright, but the heat during the refining was not enough and the ratio was out. More importantly, you've missed out the strawberry leaves! Yuck, disgusting!"

This went on for the whole day and one by one, the disciples were eliminated from the exam and had to leave the line shamefully. By the time the sun set, all the disciples had left the line and it was finally Wen Leyang's turn. He had a small pill in his hand. It was white in color and looked as pure as snow.

With the same look of disdain on his face, Wen Tunhai took the pill and threw it into his mouth without asking about its properties or purpose. After chewing it a few times, a surprised look appeared on his face. The ever-glowing eyes suddenly retracted and pierced coldly toward Wen Leyang, " B*stard! This is the Wang Zai Mantou snack! Get lost!"

Wen Leyang had always been an honest and cheerful youngster in the family. Whenever his siblings made fun of him, he would play along and not be calculative and therefore remained lovable by others. Therefore it was a surprise to see that he had played a joke during the important Major Examination.

All the other disciples were having fun and never thought Wen Leyang had such a cheeky side to him, who only had his love for carrots. Some of the smarter disciples were secretly regretting not playing a trick and having some fun rather than being humiliated by the First Uncle.

Wen Leyang, with a sad expression, shook his head and said, "It's not a mantou snack, it's just the flavor. It's a medicine pill. You can't feel it right now, but when the time comes…"

Wen Tunhai impatiently waved his hands, "Get lost! Next!"

There was no other challenger after Wen Leyang. Although it was said that all disciples who were above twelve of age were allowed to take part in the exam, the disciples of the Wen would start the rhymed instruction of the Poison Art at the age of twelve as well. Without a few years of cultivation, there would not be any results observed. Youngsters like Wen Leyang, who took part at the age of sixteen, was considered very young indeed to participate in the exam.

With the same fate as the previous two exams, the Major Examination of the Decade concluded with no disciples meeting the standard requirement to become an Inner Disciple.

Grand Elder Wen sighed, "The younger disciples shall put in more effort in cultivation and re-attempt the exam ten years later. As for the older disciples, do not despair as you'll be the pillar of strength for the Wen. This property of our ancestors will one day be passed on to you." Although the words were encouraging, the disappointment was clearly shown in the face of Grand Elder Wen. After saying a few more words, he dismissed the crowd.

The Second and Third Elder Wen looked at each other coldly other and saw the disappointment in the other's eyes.

At night, the village of Wen was quiet and peaceful but the festive mood was gone because, for the past thirty years, no one in their clan had been able to pass the examination. A few snobbish disciples were discussing and complaining to each other softly and thought that the rules set out by the First Uncle were too strict. Every household then went to bed with a dispirited atmosphere lingering in the air.

Midnight, a thundering roar broke through the dark. First Uncle kicked down the door of Wen Leyang's house in a rage and pulled Wen Leyang out of his bed and yelled, "Little b*stard! What the hell kind of a pill did you give me?"

Wen Leyang was stunned and looked at First Uncle sleepily for a moment. Recalling suddenly and with a surprised tone he asked, "The medicine worked?"

Wen Leyang's father ran over while putting on his shirt and asked, "What happened, Big Brother?"

"Stay out of this!" Wen Tunhai picked up his nephew and said, "Come, let's go meet the Grand Elder!"

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Chapter 2: Tuo Xie Sect

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Grand Elder Wen did not seem to have slept at all and was sitting in his house fully dressed. He looked at Wen Leyang and smiled while he asked, "Little boy, what was it that you gave your First Uncle during the Major Examination today?"

Second and Third Elder Wen were both seated on the other side with their backs straight as always and were scanning Wen Leyang back and forth like two poisonous snakes analyzing the taste of their prey.

Feeling nervous suddenly, Wen Leyang knelt on his knees, saluted his three uncles and answered obediently, "Those were the Wang Zai Mantou snacks…"

Wen Tunhai scolded impatiently, "Don't you ever mention the Wang Zai Mantou snack again! Tell me what the medicine pill is!"

Wen Leyang nodded his head repeatedly and said, "It's Wang…in flavor, I've named it The Impotence Pill, and it has the opposite effects of an aphrodisiac. It affects solely 'that' ability and nothing else. It is made up of the tail of a red scorpion, hen's blood, coupled with the ash of Wu Tou grass. It is then cultivated in an icy cold bowl of jade. Lastly, ginger is used to get rid of the unpleasant odor…"

Not paying attention to Wen Leyang's ingredients, Grand Elder Wen stared with disbelief at the depressed Wen Tunhai and let out a roar of laughter that would scare away even the fiercest stray dogs. Wiping away tears while still laughing uncontrollably, Grand Elder Wen pointed his finger towards Wen Tunhai, "This is the best medicine for you! For someone having too many mother-in-laws to the point of being dismissed from the position of County Head, this serves you right! Hahaha…"

Feeling embarrassed, Wen Tunhai said with a smile, "I was…erm…'in action' with my wife tonight and it just didn't work no matter what we did. As the three of you know, we are soaked in the medicinal potion since young. Our body is said to be immune to all kinds of poisons, more even so when it comes to that matter." All the young ones of Wen, from the moment they were born to the age of twelve, were required to soak in the medicinal potion prepared by their parents every morning for an hour.

Grand Elder Wen was beaming with smiles while nodding his head repeatedly, whereas Wen Leyang's excitement was clearly shown in his eyes – he was not aware there was such an effect of soaking in the medicinal potion since young and immediately, his innocent face blushed again.

Wen Tunhai took a look at his First Nephew, not only had the anger in his eyes disappeared, it was replaced with a sense of admiration. He explained further, "During today's Major Examination, the challenges presented by those descendants, be it poisonous pills or powder, I know about all the ingredients that were used. With that in mind, those things definitely won't affect 'that' ability of mine. When I thought it over, it could only be Leyang's pill and it was indeed him. You've got me on this, Leyang, not bad at all! By the way, there should be an antidote for this, right?" Wen Tunhai waited nervously for Wen Leyang's answer.

"Of course, there is. It'll lose efficacy after thirty-six days. If you can't wait, just hold your urine for twenty-four hours will do the same trick," said Wen Leyang immediately.

Grand Elder, on the other side, was not as concerned about the antidote as Wen Tunhai and asked Wen Leyang with interest, "Young boy, the Wen has won resounding fame under the heavens with poison and all our ancient teachings in the rhymed instructions that were passed down from generations are all about making and using poisons. How come, unlike the rest of the descendants who've used poison in the exam, you'd come up with such a wicked medicine instead?"

Wen Leyang was initially inspired by the reckless magic potion advertised on a website, so sheepishly he said, "I thought if the pill was given to a lady, she can easily use it on anybody…This pill can't be considered as poison, I shouldn't have used it in the Major Examination." His answer was honest and truthful as always but it was clearly out of topic. As he was explaining himself, Wen Leyang absently pulled out a carrot with the intent of taking a bite when he suddenly realized where he was and hurriedly hid the carrot. He had somehow managed to bring the carrot along despite being dragged out of bed so late at night.

Third Elder Wen suddenly said, "The Wen had always been renowned in the world as the experts of poison. However, only the outsiders who know nothing about poison will associate poison with death. In fact, poisons can be categorized into the Five Elements and Yin and Yang. There's no difference between cultivating poison and cultivating Dao. It's true that poisonous medicine kills, but so is something that allows one to forget about his worries!"

Grand Elder smiled benevolently and said, "The Impotence Pill got the better of your First Uncle this round. In addition, you've managed to refine poison into medicine, which technically satisfies the ancient teachings of the Wen that had been handed down for generations."

Happiness can strike when you least expected it. As naive as Wen Leyang was, he understood the meaning of the Grand Elder's words. He stood up immediately, his beaming eyes were staring straight at the Grand Elder with so much excitement that his eyelids began twitching.

Laughing out loud, the Grand Elder stood right in front of Wen Leyang in the blink of an eye, his old and dry hand patted on Leyang's shoulders lightly as he said, "Starting from today, you're the Inner Disciple of the Wen clan as well as the disciple of the Tuo Xie Sect!"

Wen Leyang was surprised at the proclamation of his success in passing the Major Examination and becoming an Inner Disciple but he froze in confusion upon hearing the unfamiliar name of the 'Tuo Xie Sect'. He looked in befuddlement at Grand Elder Wen, "The disciple of Po Xie (Which means broken shoes, the two words have similar pronunciation)? First Grandpa, this name is…".

First Uncle gave a hard slap at the back of Leyang's head and scolded him, "What broken shoes! We don't mess with broken shoes! It's Tuo Xie!"

"The disciple of Tuo Xie (Which means sandals, they also share the same pronunciation)?

"Yes, the disciple of Tuo Xie!"

Despite the late hour, Grand Elder Wen proceeded with the admittance rites for Wen Leyang and lit the incense in the burner in front of the ancestral memorial tablet in the house. He respectfully kowtowed to a tablet with the wordings of 'The Ancestor of Tuo Xie' carved on it and began the rite.

Once the admittance ritual was complete Wen Leyang got back on his feet and looked at the three Elders and his First Uncle. He was immediately struck by the sense of respect and kindness in their eyes which were unlike the way they had looked at him before. He felt a happy moment of warmth in his heart.

"First Grandpa, the Tuo…Tuo Xie (sandals) Sect…" The wordings on the tablet were written in the ancient style which was from thousands of years ago and Wen Leyang had difficulty recognizing the words.

"It's the Tuo Xie Sect!" Grand Elder Wen had finally figured out about Leyang's strange pronunciation and corrected him with a smile, "Young boy, remember, it's the Tuo Xie Sect!" He paused for a while before continuing, "Our sect was founded during the West of Han's time and it has been over two thousand years since then. Our Great Grand Master was an eccentric man who understood the secret mysteries of the universe, his name was Tuo Xie."

Wen Leyang silently wondered if the ancestor should be carrying the surname Wen instead.

"The Land of Shu during the ancient times was a savage place. Our ancestor found this place and started building the village. He filled up the swamps with soil, fertilized the land, eliminated the devils and demons, and educated the barbarians…" Grand Elder Wen noticed the skeptical look on Wen Leyang's face and smiled. He could understand why Leyang had looked so dubious of these claims, as he himself had not believed it when his own father had told him of the same thing.

Clearing his throat, Grand Elder Wen continued, "During the West of Han's time, our Great Grand Master traveled to the Land of Shu and got himself three disciples. All three of them learned the same skill set before the age of twelve by soaking in the medicinal potion and practicing martial arts. When they turned twelve, each of them proceeded with their individual cultivation separately and weren't allowed to see each other. The Great Grand Master then promised to test their skills and elect one of them to be the official disciple to pass down his teachings and philosophy."

Wen Leyang nodded his head in agreement. The life of a disciple of Wen from birth until the age of twelve was to soak in the medicinal potion every morning, be it rain or shine, followed by martial arts practice with the seniors. Therefore, everyone's physique was exceptionally strong during the teenage years and nobody ever fell sick. After the age of twelve, each disciple would then be given sutras and scriptures of poison to study and practice alone without the supervision of adults. It seemed all that, together with the Major Examination of the Decade, were passed down and inherited from the Tuo Xie Sect.

While Wen Leyang was digesting this, Grand Elder Wen continued the narration of the past. Although the information was not considered top secret, only the Inner Disciple who had passed the Major Examination was deemed qualified to know about it.

Ten years later, the three disciples completed their cultivation and returned to meet their master. Jubilantly, Great Grand Master Tuo Xie praised all of them and decided to test them the very next day. On that fateful night, the weather turned bad with strong winds blowing and ominous thunder that seemed to tear down the heavens and earth. When it was over, the three disciples realized that their master had disappeared!

Whether the disappearance of Tuo Xie was due to the wrath of heaven, a thunder escape, rising above or even becoming the lightning conductor remained unknown, the truth was that their master was nowhere to be found. The three of them also realized that each has mastered skills that were very different from one another. The First Senior Brother was surnamed Wen and practiced the Art of Poison; the Second Senior Brother was a Miao who practiced black magic; the Junior Brother, Luo, studied the Secret Art of Zombies.

Wen Leyang could no longer contain himself and interrupted, "That's us! That's the Wen clan, the Qing Miao at the Seven Maidens Mountain in the Center of Shu and the Luo on Crow's Ridge in the South of Chuan!"

Grand Elder Wen nodded his head and did not seem offended by the interruption. "The ancestors of the characters in the folk song 'Not a single root grows on the Wen; never befriend a Miao; dying a dog's death on the Crow's Ridge' were indeed those three martial brothers. Now Great Grand Master's thunder escape…"

Wen Leyang noticed that the other two Elders and First Uncle Wen Tunhai twitched their mouths at the same time; they must be despising the description of the 'thunder escape' used by the Grand Elder.

After all, Tuo Xie had risen above in an extraordinary method and the three martial brothers each thought of themselves as the rightful inheritor. Yet neither dared to go against the will of their master to take each other out. In the end, the three of them made a pact that whoever found their master first would win.

Of course, they failed to find their master. The three martial brothers went their separate ways and continued with their own cultivation. Though none of them ascended to immortality through Taoist cultivation practices, they eventually settle down in the land of Shu and formed their own sects respectively which no one dares to mess with. The Major Examination of the Decade also became the common rule of the three sects and took place on the same date, commemorating the fateful day when their Master disappeared. All the disciples who made it through the exam would address themselves as the Disciples of the Tuo Xie Sect.

The pact between the three martial brothers eventually became the ancestral teachings and a meaningless innate mission for the Inner Disciples of the three sects.

Wen Leyang's eyes glimmered with curiosity as he asked cautiously, "First Grandpa, is the Art of Heaven's Cultivation the cultivation method of the Wen?" Just like the majority of the disciples, he too thought that the Wen clan was once a gang in the underground world of martial arts with the Art of Poison inherited from their ancestors. Never in their wildest dreams to think that they would have a background similar to that of a sect, dedicated to the practice of cultivation. Though no one could be sure of the cultivation part, the thunder that struck their Great Grand Master was equally strange indeed.

Taking a sip of tea, Grand Elder Wen replied diffidently, "That's for sure! Our Great Grand Master was an eccentric man who understood the secret mysteries of the universe, the secret art that he passed down could definitely be the Art of Heaven's Cultivation!"

The always silent Second and Third Elder snickered upon hearing this and looked at one another.

"But…" Grand Elder Wen cleared his throat and continued, "For over two thousand years, no one from the Wen, the Miao and the Luo has ever succeeded in ascending to immortality and sainthood. However, there's definitely no problem with the cultivation method. If it's not due to the imperfection of our cultivation, then it must be due to the lack of a great wisdom like the Great Grand Master for the epiphany of nature's secret."

The other two Elders snickered again.

Grand Elder Wen slammed on the table and pointed at his two brothers and said, "What are the two of you laughing at? That was exactly what our father told us the last time!"

Third Elder Wen took a look at Wen Leyang and said, "Don't take it too seriously when it comes to things like achieving immortality and sainthood through cultivation although there's no harm in working hard after all. Starting from tomorrow, you will practice and learn from your First Uncle."

Second Elder Wen had finally spoken up as well. With a voice as cold as a silver needle frozen in the ice for thousands of years, he said, "Listen here, whether the identity as the Disciple of the Tuo Xie Sect or the secret art that you're bound to learn in the future, don't you dare to reveal it to anybody! Else, you'd be left with an incomplete corpse when you die, according to the rule set by our ancestors!"

With a soft voice, Wen Tunhai further added, "When you've achieved some accomplishments a few years later, the Sect Leader will present you with a test. Upon passing the test only then will your apprenticeship be considered complete and for you to be regarded as a true Disciple of the Tuo Xie Sect."

Wen Leyang was awestruck as he knelt on his knees and took his vows while kowtowing. After the meeting was complete he then happily made his way home while munching on his carrot. He went straight back to sleep and his father did not ask him any questions. Though everyone lived in harmony in the Wen clan, strict rules were applied throughout. Whatever the Grand Elder had said to his son, not even the father had the right to interfere.

The conversation at the house of the Head of Village sent a thrill through the spine of Wen Leyang. The Inner Disciple of the Wen Clan, the Disciple of the Tuo Xie Sect and the legend about heaven cultivation. Wen Leyang suddenly felt like he was living his dream.

After the departure of Wen Leyang, the house of Grand Elder Wen fell silent again. The three Elders sat across each other in contemplation while Wen Tunhai stood at the side with his hands down. For a few moments, no one spoke a word. The silence was punctuated by the occasional coughing sound coming from the Third Elder. He had hurt his Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin accidentally from refining poisons in his earlier years and left him with an incurable cough since then.

Finally, Grand Elder Wen looked up at his two brothers and asked, "What do you think of this kid?"

Second Elder did not even bother answering his elder brother's question while only Third Elder answered with, "He's stupid and much weaker compared to the other two disciples in the mountain…"

Grand Elder Wen smiled but, not saying anything, he then turned to Wen Tunhai. After pondering for a while, Wen Tunhai said, "Amongst this batch of youngsters, Leyang's qualification and capability is not the best, but he's an honest and kind person; a good man among his siblings. Also, the redeeming feature about him is the way he thinks."

A sense of praise appeared in the eye of Grand Elder, "The way he thinks? What about it?"

With a wry smile, Wen Tunhai said, "The Impotence Pill may look like a child's play, but to a man, it is definitely an insidious trick. Of course, he didn't mean harm when he gave me the pill. The most it will mean was that he jokingly shared his treasure with me. However, to discard poison and use medicine for the Major Examination shows the maturity of his thinking at his age."

Grand Elder hit the table excitedly, "Well said, Tunhai! Those two points are exactly what I like about him. Firstly, he's honest in conduct, kind to his family, never fights with other kids even when he was bullied. Secondly, the way he thinks. He's not the most adept when it comes to using poison compared to the other disciples who took part in the exam and there was no chance for him to stand out. If that is the case, he might as well look for another way. Who cares if it's sweet or salty or if he hurts the body or the mind? As long as the enemy is taken down, it's real poison!"

Third Elder scorned, "What's so f*cking good about that? He has no talent!" Pausing for a while, he then looked up to the sky outside of the house.

A thick and dark cloud was approaching fast from afar, swallowing up the starry night. The once bright and starry summer night moments ago, all of a sudden, was replaced by a depressing storm of wind and rain.

"This much of a thunderstorm, just for this kid?" The voice of the Third Elder was soft as if mumbling to himself.

Grand Elder Wen did not hear his words, but he abruptly turned to Wen Tunhai and asked, "How's Old Nine and Old Thirteen doing?"

Wen Tunhai smiled and answered confidently, "Don't you worry, Ninth Brother and Thirteenth Brother are making progress. If I don't play up some tricks, I can't be sure to take both of them down at once nowadays."

Grand Elder nodded his head slightly and sighed unexpectedly, "That's good to know. The physiques of those two youngsters are exceptionally good, although it's too bad that they're not smart enough. Well, maybe it's better this way. On the other hand, how's the progress of that matter? Is there any improvement yet?"

Wen Tunhai shook his head, "Guess it is not time yet."

Grand Elder said with a bitter smile, "Well, you can't rush things through, just take your time. By the way, Tunhai, how did you not taste the medicine of The Impotence Pill?"

"If it's a highly toxic poison, it is more or less multiplying the effects of a poison. No matter how poisonous it is, I'm able to grasp how it works. As for a wicked trick like The Impotence Pill, I've never even heard of such a medicine nor of its effect. I didn't think about how it could affect 'that' ability of mine until night time…"

There was a rare gleeful look that appeared in the eyes of the Second Elder, "Then you'll refrain yourself from the 'action' for thirty-six days or not urinate for twenty-four hours?"

Wen Tunhai only hesitated for a moment before he grudgingly said, "I'll hold my urine!"

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Chapter 3: Medicinal Potion

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The disciples of the Wen who had successfully passed the Major Examination were allowed access to several benefits when they become Inner Disciples. These include the ability to transfer family members with no objections allowed. The Inner Disciple also gains access to the wealth of the clan at will and upon request; the money will be delivered to the disciple in charge without any questions.

The Wen clan's teachings had been handed down through the generations for over two thousand years and there were hundreds of direct disciples. Everyone was like a biological weapon with an identity card and the wealth accumulated was unimaginable.

The status of Wen Leyang at the moment was just next to the three Elders and his First Uncle Wen Tunhai, but so far he had no opportunity to enjoy those privileges yet. In fact, he was in deep trouble right now.

The very next morning after he was initiated, Wen Leyang ran excitedly to the house of his First Uncle to begin his first day as an Inner Disciple. Wen Tunhai was waiting for him and happily pointed to a vat before giving him this order, "Get in there! You have to soak in the medicinal potion every morning!"

"Again?"

"Cut the nonsense! There's a reason for this!" said Wen Tunhai in an authoritative tone although the joy of finally taking revenge on Wen Leyang was clearly showing in his eyes. Without further delay, he lifted his leg and gave Wen Leyang a real hard kick at the buttocks and sent him flying straight into the vat.

The boiling medicinal potion instantly covered his body and all three million and six thousand pores on his body gave out a sigh of relief. With the instructions from his First, Uncle, Wen Leyang sat quietly in the vat and waited for the medicine to take effect in his body. He had over twelve years of experience with soaking in the medicinal potion, and the effects usually begin after soaking for about an hour. First a dry and hot sensation would be felt as if a rat was prodding around all his limbs and bones, leaving one feeling itchy yet numb. He would then be lifted out by his parents and massaged at the seven mysterious acupoints. The prickly hot feeling would gradually subside and be replaced with an energized body and a sharp mind which never got tired and fatigued even after a whole day of sprinting up and down the mountain.

However, it was different this time. After soaking for a while, Wen Leyang immediately felt something was not right. The medicine slowly seeped into his body through his skin but instead of a prodding rat sensation like usual, it felt like thousands of knives instead.

His body felt as though it was being stabbed and cut by countless blunt and rusty blades. The pleasant feeling at the very beginning had disappeared entirely, every second spent in the vat felt like two hours in hell and Wen Leyang resisted with great difficulty. When he could take any more of it, he let out a groan of pain and looked at his First Uncle standing in the courtyard, "First Uncle, if you refrain from urinating for one day, you'll be able to get rid of The Impotence Pill's effect. I'm not lying…"

Wen Tunhai cursed at him and scolded with a smile, "Stop talking rubbish! I've got no time to play with you, just get out from there when the pain gets unbearable! You've got to know, only the Disciples of the Tuo Xie Sect has the privilege to soak in this potion while others can only dream about it!"

Wen Leyang gave a heavy nod and bit his lips without saying a word. His expression looked like he wanted to fight with the potion in the vat to death. Normally he is amiable and well-liked amongst his siblings but when he got serious, not even a God could change his mind.

With a smile, Wen Tunhai did not bother much. At that moment, his wife called out from the house, "Head of the family, breakfast is ready!"

Wen Yun Hai acknowledged his wife and reminded Wen Leyang again, "Boy, get out from there when you can't handle the pain anymore!" He then walked into his house. Not long after that, there came a furious roar, "Why is it always porridge? I don't drink water, porridge or anything that's liquid!"

After a while, Wen Tunhai yelled from the house, "Boy, that's long enough. Come on, get out from there!"

Not a single sound came from the courtyard.

With a bowl in his hand, Wen Tunhai walked out from his house looking puzzled. He cried out and a rice bowl instantly cut through the air with a piercing sound and made its way straight to the vat. Smash! The huge vat was shattered into pieces by an ordinary rice bowl and the medicinal potion exploded like a rocket and splashed out. The surface that came into contact with the potion immediately turned into ashes with an awful burnt smell, even an idiot could tell how poisonous the potion in the vat was by the looks of it.

Wen Leyang's limp body collapsed as he fainted but even so, he was still biting his lips tightly.

Wen Tunhai stomped his feet in anger, then force-opened Leyang's mouth and fed him a pill. Turning around, he then shouted at his wife, "Get me the bamboo needles now!"

The detoxification bamboo needle used by the Wen clan was slightly thicker than those used for embroidery and has a hollow body. The movements of Wen Tunhai's fingers was like the wind, so fast that one could not even see properly. After a short while, all thirty-six bamboo needles, green as jade, were studded all over Wen Leyang's body. He then injected medicine powder of various colors through the hollow centers of the needle into Wen Leyang's body. With that, Wen Leyang finally lets out a moan and lifted his eyelids shakily. A sense of pride was seen in his eyes as he said, "First Uncle, that should be long enough, right?" What he did not know was, he just took a walk around the Gate of Hell and nearly died moments ago. If it was not for Wen Tunhai's extraordinary skills of dealing with poisons, he would have died for sure.

Wen Tunhai wiped away the sweat from his forehead as he scolded, "B*llshit! It's not about how long you can soak! You've got to start practicing martial art immediately after the soak or else the poison will burn the meridians and you'll end up a wreck after all! A beginner should've gotten out from the vat when the pain got unbearable!"

"Huh? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" asked Leyang.

While pulling out the bamboo needles, Wen Tunhai said, "I kept asking you to get out from there when you can't stand it anymore! And you, you b*stard took no heed of my words!"

"So, right now…"

"If you don't start practicing right now, you'll be a wreck for sure and other than farting, you won't be able to do much at all!"

Wen Leyang gave out a cry and bolted up like he had been electrocuted, "Then let's get moving! But, which martial art do I practice?" After hearing the words from First Uncle, he now felt his skin, muscles and blood veins were getting tight, as if it will break apart in no time.

Without further delay, Wen Tunhai took out a small manual and threw it at him, "Follow this, it's the Art of Punching manual! Go!"

Even Wen Leyang knew soaking for way too long, topped with highly toxic poison in his body would create a seriousness matter for himself. He caught the slightly over ten paged manual that his First Uncle threw at him and got into posture right away. For the first move, he planted his face straight into the ground.

In the second move, he landed heavily on his back with a pebble coincidently poking right at his tailbone. Wen Leyang let out a cry and struggled up to his feet, he then proceeded to do the third move. Looking at his First Uncle with a bitter smile, "First Uncle, is this manual… printed correctly?"

The competency of Wen Leyang was not amongst the best. However, the body that went through cultivation in the medicinal potion since young and the hard work that was put into practicing martial arts had formed a steady fundamental in him. He had acquired attainment in terms of adaptability as well as strength in his Chinese punching skills. However, following this Punching Manual, he failed to carry on. In short, every move on this manual was about teaching one how to fall on the ground, heavily.

Take the first move for example, it required the body to lean forward and then be flung backwards with the Reverse Steps of Nine Temples; in the second move, it required his full body to be thrust forward with a right handed punch, striking the ground with great force, but with both legs jumping vertically with great explosive power.

The following movements were even more incredible. Wen Leyang took a glance at it and thought that there was no way he could pull off such complicated movements without getting a seizure. Just by the mere look of it, the movements that were recorded on the last few pages were especially problematic to practice. Martial Arts usually placed emphasis on overall body coordination. However, those moves required both the hands, the feet and even the shoulders to act on their own in separate ways. For example, the left shoulder would be drawing circles while the right shoulder had to move up and down; the left palm is in the posture of Tai Chi while the right palm in the posture of Black Tiger Digging Heart; left leg performing a split leap with the right knee circling in the form of Entangled Roots of the Old Trees.

Looking at Wen Leyang having so many comments even when he was faced with literal imminent death, Wen Tunhai scolded anxiously, "Open your useless eyes and look carefully, that book was handwritten by our ancestor!"

Even during such a critical moment, First Uncle Wen had managed to crack a bad joke.

Wen Leyang acknowledged the words by his First Uncles and realized that there was nothing wrong with the Punching Manual. Well, First Uncle gave the manual correctly, but whether there was anything wrong with the content of the manual, he reserved his opinions to himself.

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Chapter 4: The Faulty Punch

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wen Leyang looked like someone with a fit as he threw himself around with strenuous effort. Under the guidance of Wen Tunhai, he quietly went on practicing the first move. He had to channel all of his power and strength in each movement to ensure he fell extremely hard each time.

Following the Punching Manual, once he exerted force, his twisted joints would then be broken down by a contorted and yet opposing force; followed by the intimate contact between the body and the ground. However, each time after such a heavy fall, the feeling of hundreds of thousands of knives in his body got better and was replaced with an icy cold sensation gathering at his abdomen.

Wen Leyang continued his falling practice for two whole days. When the feeling of those blunt knives finally subsided, his whole body was heavily bruised and his face was so swollen that it was bigger than a wash basin. If it were not for his sturdy foundations built since young, he would have died by falling for sure.

Pointing to his abdomen, Wen Leyang said in surprise to Wen Tunhai, "First Uncle, is the lump of cold air in the dantian…Qi?" He was equally shocked and surprised at this development. The past two days were miserable with every single part of his body feeling like they have been literally trampled by an elephant. However, if this process somehow cultivated either Pre-celestial or Post-celestial Qi, which felt as big as a size of a brick, it was indeed like a crash course. Hailing the Aro of Heaven's Cultivation by his ancestor from his heart, Wen Leyang thought his ancestor had a well-deserved reputation.

Wen Tunhai chuckled, "First Nephew, it goes like this. Originally, after soaking in the medicinal potion, followed by cultivation according to the Punching Manual, not only will the person cultivate the ability for the refinery of profound poisons in future, the toxicity within the potion would also be absorbed by the body for its use during the refining of poisons. However, you've soaked in the potion for way too long, the acupuncture and medicine that I performed on you had cleared the most toxic part of the potion. The effect of the potion being absorbed into the body through the poison refinery and cultivation of martial art no longer existed. Do you understand me?"

Disheartened, Wen Leyang nodded his head.

"In short, other than to nullify the poison, the hard work of the past two days was for nothing."

"Then what's this cold lump in my stomach?"

Without saying a word, Wen Tunhai pointed to the toilet at the backyard.

Holding his stomach, Wen Leyang ran towards the toilet while shouting, "First Uncle, please help get me some toilet paper!"

With the release of the cold lump, the heart of Wen Leyang was turning cold as well. For the past two days, the number of times he fell was far more than the falls which had occurred amongst the others in the village added up. But it all seemed like it was for nothing.

Wen Leyang came out from the toilet holding his stomach, feeling cold from his throat all the way to the navel and he asked with a bitter smile, "First Uncle, this Art of Punching…"

Not waiting for Wen Leyang to finish his sentence, Wen Tunhai interrupted with a smile, "Boy, the poison of the Wen is not used to solely poison others, it is also used to poison ourselves!" Upon saying that, he suddenly turned over and leaped up in an odd posture, with the head pointing downwards, he touched the ground lightly with his right palm.

A layer of color as green as jade appeared and spread out in all direction instantly. In a blink of an eye, it disappeared again.

First Uncle then flipped open the soil with a piece of rock. The worms found underneath the spot where the force of the green palm was earlier on had all hardened and turned into black blight.

Wen Leyang gulped nervously.

There was a sense of pride in the eyes of Wen Tunhai. He was clearly satisfied with the effects of his palm strike, "Our ancestral Faulty Punch combines the toxin in the medicinal potion with the Meridian vessels. It not only strengthens the muscles and bones, it releases the toxic power that has accumulated in the Meridian vessels through the force of the palm! Be it refining poison or fighting your enemy, this Faulty Punch will serve as your weapon!"

Only then did Wen Leyang realize that the Punching Manual that instructed its learner to keep falling on the ground was called The Faulty Punch.

Since then, just like all the days in his past twelve years, Wen Leyang obediently soaked naked in the medicinal potion every morning. He would climb out from the vat as soon as his body was unable to stand the pain on any longer and began practicing the Punching Manual under the supervision of First Uncle. Having a youthful temperament, Wen Leyang obstinately continued ramming himself to the ground in the courtyard with the tenacity of a bulldog.

The three Elders would come visit occasionally and ended up playing mahjong with First Uncle in the yard.

Once, Wen Leyang got the chance to witness a fight between Grand Elder Wen and First Uncle with only The Faulty Punch without using the power of poison. They moved like two maniacs who had been injected with chicken blood; all the body parts including the head, the hands, the legs, the elbows, the knees, the buttocks, the back and even the teeth could be a point of attack. Every single part of the body was attacking crazily at the opponent like a violent storm and each attack was filled with strength that could separate gold and split the stone. Looking at both of them fighting each other was more entertaining and exciting than watching ten martial art experts in Wulin.

It was then that Wen Leyang comprehended, not taking into account of other factors, that the Faulty Punch had the ability to transform the fight from one person's fight to multiple persons' fight. It was the classic example of the art of a single person's gang fight.

Wen Leyang had slowly grasped the knack of practicing and cultivating the Faulty Punch. This particular punching style twisted the power and strength within the body, circulated the absorbed poison to the Meridian vessels through the flow of the internal energy where it finally accumulated and precipitated.

During the fight with the enemy, the poison would then be released together with the punch.

Other than that, the Faulty Punch emphasized on two points; balance and distraction. To complete a move, one's mind had to be diverted to all the limbs and joints of the body with the fists, the legs, the shoulders and the elbows having their own direction. It was impossible to allow the body to move according to the body's natural coordination, else, one would fall terribly for sure.

In other words, to balance was to divert.

Wen Tunhai explained to him before, "At the advanced stage, the secret art of the Wen clan's poison cultivation requires every part of the body to be used for cultivation. To cultivate up to hundreds of medicinal plants at the same time, at least ten pots and more are needed. Without mastering this Art of Punching, even with three heads and six arms and extraordinary martial arts, there's no way to accomplish the cultivation."

As Wen Leyang got more skillful with the Art of Punching, the less he fell. Soaking in the potion, followed by the practice of the Art of Punching, the effect of refining the power of poison was becoming visible. Wen Leyang was feeling great and full of energy each day. His muscles and bones were getting remarkably tougher, even after being struck by a mop's rod, not a single red mark was left behind.

Seeing his own physique getting stronger each day, Wen Leyang was overjoyed. He would indulge in himself for a while in the yard every time he finished practicing the boxing art.

One day, Wen Tunhai was squatting at the courtyard, slurping his piping hot corn porridge. When he saw the silly expression on Wen Leyang's face, he teasingly scolded, "How far have you progressed to make you feel so satisfied?"

Wen Leyang shook his head with a smile, "It may not be much progress so far. But if I continue soaking and practicing, my body will get stronger day by day. If few months won't do it, then a few decades' later my body will eventually be as tough as iron."

Ignoring him, Wen Tunhai finished up his corn porridge and let out a long sigh, "The Meridian vessels are just like rubber pockets with a limited absorbing capacity of the normal power of poison. The Faulty Punch is not only capable of storing the power of poison in the Meridian vessels but expanding the pocket at the same time. However, there is always a limit to it. Once exceeded, the Meridian vessels will burst and the toxic poison will erode your internal organs. By then, you might as well just wrap yourself up as a mummy and get exhibited in the Egypt Exhibition Center, it might even get you a good price. Go fetch me a carrot!"

Both the uncle and nephew squatted at the courtyard and munched on their carrots. "Soaking in the potion right now is just establishing your foundation. When you've completed all thirteen moves of The Faulty Punch, the poison bearing capacity of your Meridian vessels will be at its limit as well."

Wen Leyang acknowledged the words of his uncle, clearly disappointed as his dream of becoming Mr. Muscleman was shattered. He asked with concern, "It won't crash prematurely, right?"

With a chuckle, Wen Tunhai scolded, "Why is such an idiot like you selected as the Inner Disciple? At times crazily silly and at times a smart ass. But in a nutshell, a fool after all!"

Holding his half-eaten carrot to the sky, Wen Leyang pretended to act the fool.

"The thirteen moves of the Faulty Punch stress on taking it one step at a time. Without mastering the first move, you can forget about the second. The physique will also progress together. When you've reached the final step, the foundation established will be just nice! With so many Inner Disciples in the past, no one had ever died of poisoning from the potion without completing the thirteenth move."

Soaking in the medicinal potion and practicing the Faulty Punch was merely establishing the foundation for the refining and cultivation of the advanced Art of Poison in the future. Upon completing the Faulty Punch, the endurance of the Meridians towards the toxicity in the medicinal potion would have reached its limit as well. To have a breakthrough, the cultivator had to refine the toxin and poison according to his physique and then find a suitable toxin to be absorbed and resolved by the body to further strengthen the Meridian vessels. With this cultivation, one could only test the poison with his body repeatedly to find the most suitable poison strength that could be adapted to their body with no help from the others. There were many Inner Disciples of the Wen in the past generations that even with the effort of a lifetime, failed to identify the toxins of the Five Elements that best suited their body to progress further.

With a chuckle that revealed his teeth, it finally dawned on Wen Leyang.

Apart from practicing the Faulty Punch, Wen Leyang had been learning systematically the method of refining and discharging poisons from both First Uncle and Grand Elder Wen. The Wen clan categorized poisons according to the Five Elements, with a unique cyclic relationship that consisted of generation and inter inhibition of the Five Elements. There was only an ambiguous law in terms of the configuration and discharge for each poison type without a unified and strict procedure. To unleash the strongest power of poison, one could only practice and experiment with the generation and inter inhibition of the Five Elements.

After the age of twelve, the ordinary disciples of the Wen clan would cultivate and refine poisons according to the Manual of Poison in a similar process to cooking by following a recipe. By following the right quantities, the taste would not differ much from one another. Wen Leyang's learning, on the other hand, was just like learning the knowledge of Physics step by step, whether or not a nuclear bomb could be produced in the future, it was all up to his realization, comprehension, and opportunity.

The former was copying the form without understanding the substance and though it is simple, convenient and practical there was not much prospect for development; the latter, however, was about applying the theory into practice and once one has become enlightened, they would be able to raise their level of development vastly.

It was not until two years later that Wen Leyang finally completed the last move in the Punching Manual. By then, he was already eighteen years old, though not very tall in height, a little shy of 1.8 meters tall. He was not too burly either but solidly built. However, the innocent look on his face had not changed at all. He looked just like an honest and guileless youth who grew up in the mountain.

Overjoyed, Wen Tunhai brought him to see the three Elders.

Looking at the unpromising look of a delighted Wen Leyang scratching his ears and cheek in embarrassment, Grand Elder Wen laughed aloud, "Silly boy, what's there to be happy about completing the Punching Manual in two years? The body martial art that is freely practiced by all disciples of the Wen is to build the foundation for this Art of Punching. How long did your First Uncle take to complete this Art of Punching last time?"

"Twenty months."

Wen Leyang opened his mouth in astonishment.

With a stern look on his face, Third Elder Wen snorted and pointed to a big Chinese-scholar tree in the courtyard, "Show us some punches!"

Frowning, Wen Leyang said, "That tree is over four hundred years old now…"

"I've asked you to punch, you just do it! Cut your nonsense!"

Wen Leyang hurriedly agreed. He held his breath in for a short while and with deep concentration, he let out a cry suddenly and leaped upward. Every single joint of his body was oddly twitching, the fists and legs moved fast like the wind. Like a strange bird circling rapidly around the tree which was big as two persons walking abreast, the striking sounds rattled like bursting beans. A layer of blackness spread out immediately and penetrated into the tree with every punch. Before refining and cultivating the toxins of the Five Elements that are fit to be absorbed by the body, the power of the poison that burst forth through The Faulty Punch was of an ordinary black color. The power of the poison used by Wen Tunhai was of Wood element which gave out a verdant green color.

A layer of withered leaves fell off the tree and landed on the ground moments later. With Wen Leyang's ability in the Faulty Punch, that was all he could achieve at the moment. He was still far from killing a big tree with only a few punches.

The three Elders exchanged a look with satisfaction.

Wen Leyang finished his attack and looked at the three Elders and his First Uncle uneasily.

Not expressing a word, Grand Elder Wen instructed Wen Tunhai with a smile, "Bring him into the woods tomorrow!" He then went to the side of his bed and fumbled at the bottom of the bed frame. Finally pulling out a square-shaped red wooden box, he asked Wen Leyang, "Do you know what's inside?"

Holding back the answer of 'cinerary casket', he shook his head. Wen Tunhai, on the other hand, was thrilled upon seeing the box and pushed his First Nephew to kneel on the floor with a palm, "Hurry up and thank your First Grandpa!"

Inside the wooden box, there lay a jade cooking vessel tripod which was dark black in color.

With his eyes popping, Wen Leyang cried out in surprise, "It's the Black Jade Incense Tripod!"

The incense tripod is an essential piece of equipment for disciples of the Wen clan. When a special herbal plant was burnt inside the tripod, it would attract poisonous insects from the surroundings. After a fight, only the most poisonous insect would stay inside the tripod. This was the easiest and most convenient way of capturing these poisonous insects. However, the tripods of the normal disciples were mainly made up of stone or bronze, which had limited effects on the herbal plants and was inferior in attracting the magical beasts with extraordinary poisons. Even if the beasts were attracted to the tripod, it would not stay for long and will leave after a short while.

However, The Black Jade Incense Tripod was of a different caliber. Upon burning the herbal plants, the normal insects would be terrified to even get close so only the insects with extraordinary poison and a fierce temper would be attracted. Compared to the normal tripod, the former was a mouse trap while the latter was akin to a bear trap.

Grand Elder Wen passed the wooden box to Wen Leyang and said, "As a Disciple of the Tuo Xie Sect, you will be dealing with these poisonous insects for the rest of your life. I am gifting you this tripod, and I'm sure it will come in handy in no time."

Wen Leyang kowtowed in delight while Wen Tunhai looked slightly displeased and joked, "First Father, his tripod's better than mine!"

Glancing at him, Grand Elder Wen said, "Well, you can ask Le Yang and see if he'll exchange with you, I'm not bothered."

Not waiting for Wen Tunhai to utter a word, Wen Leyang let out a cry and held tightly onto the tripod while running away and shouted, "No exchange! No way! No way!"

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Chapter 5: Uncle

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Big, fat mouse? What do you mean?" Munching on a carrot, Wen Leyang asked with a look of curiosity. Carrying a bag, he had left the village with First Uncle the next day into the mountains. It was off the beaten track deep in the jungle and there were no roads to walk on. But after practicing the Faulty Punch, the Inner Disciples of the Wen clan were as nimble as squirrels. Though it was a rugged path, it was no different from walking on the flat roads for the both of them.

Along the way, First Uncle talked about the cultivation of the Art of Medicine of the Wens during his time.

Wen Tunhai sang in a sorrowful tone while moving his head around, "Fat mouse, fat mouse, don't eat my millet! I've been rearing you for three whole years and now you refuse to do me a favor…" The Book of Poetry was a lesson that every disciple of the Wen had to learn at an early age.

When he finished singing, First Uncle let out a sigh. With a stern look, he grimly told Wen Leyang, "To conclude the apprenticeship, the Disciple of the Tuo Xie Sect has to complete a question or task given by the senior. Only upon completion will one be allowed to address themselves as the Disciple of the Tuo Xie Sect. During my time, the question given by the Grand Elder was related to the song Big, Fat Mouse ."

Wen Leyang laughed, "It's really interesting but weird to use The Book of Poetry as the examination question for your cultivation method." While saying that, he was thinking not to ever simply use the title of Tuo Xie unless the situation called for it.

With a smirk, Wen Tunhai took a look at him, "Interesting and weird? You'll know when it's your turn. Well, the examination questions are multifarious till it's enough to crack your head."

Wen Leyang stuck out his tongue in astonishment and smiled, "Then, what did you do at that time…did you make a mouse drug?"

Wen Tunhai had been training his nephew for the past two years to know that at times he can be extraordinarily smart but yet he can also behave like a total fool. He shook his head while laughing and said, "Making the mouse drug when given Big, Fat Mouse as the title. Then, what about Papaya as the title? Do you make breast enhancing lotion instead? How could it be so simple? If I even handed the mouse drug to your First Grandpa then, he'd have beaten me to death! To complete the question task, we have to understand the question first. The Big, Fat Mouse is not a song about a mouse, but bitterness instead! Therefore, I've named my prescription medicine as The Mount Wu !" Clearly satisfied with his prescription used to answer the examination back then, Wen Tunhai paused for a while purposely and looked at his nephew with a smile.

Wen Leyang quickly asked, " The Mount Wu ? What's it have to with big, fat mouse and bitterness?" He was not just asking it for fun. In fact, Wen Leyang was indeed in deep admiration of both his First Uncle's and First Grandpa's capability. So, when he heard his First Uncle speaking about his past, there was an immediate interest to get to know more.

Wen Tunhai continued walking and even passed a mountain ridge, keeping the suspense up before he answered Wen Leyang slowly, "With this prescription, I'm referring to the hidden meaning from a poem – There are no clouds to one who has passed Mount Wu . The verse means one who has seen the world doesn't stop at small things. I've collected seventy-four types of herbs, six classes of insects, with over dozens of tests performed and refined it for six days and six nights. Then I finally succeeded in refining the Mount Wu drug! With this prescription, it is tasteless when first eaten but after a while, a sweet fragrance will directly rush deep into the bone marrow and there'll be nothing else in this world that can match the sweetness. Those who had tasted the Mount Wu drug, even when eating honey, will find it utterly bitter to even swallow. If swallowed forcefully, the stomach will find it extremely bitter and throw up everything!"

Shocked, Wen Leyang asked, "Nothing can be eaten, wouldn't one starve to death?"

Wen Tunhai snorted, "Without the antidote, one will starve to death for sure!"

Wen Leyang was taken aback by surprise, the prescription of Mount Wu sounded artistic in conception with a sweet aftertaste when eaten but in reality, it was a thousand times more toxic and poisonous than a poisoned wine. Comparing his Impotence Pill with the Wang Zai Mantou flavor to this, the former was child's play.

Wen Tunhai tapped on his shoulders with a smile, "Question titles like this are a test of the mind and thinking. With the refining of the Mount Wu drug, though the solution was accepted, the Head of Family commented that the dark side of my mind was not suitable to lead the clan and decided not to hand over the position to me."

Wen Leyang lifted up his head in shock and looked at his First Uncle with a stunned expression, he did not understand the purpose of his uncle telling him all these, nor what to say in reply.

Wen Tunhai, on the other hand, smiled liberally and smacked Wen Leyang on the head, "What're you thinking? What I mean is that you don't have to think about the way to answering the question right now because there's no way to fake it when it comes to the mind."

He paused for a while before continuing, "Poisons are categorized into Five Elements. There are also vegetation, birds, insects, and beasts. The attributes and properties of each of them, parts of them that can be used, the effect of synthesizing different materials and the effect of heat during the refining process, all this knowledge can never be fully memorized in a lifetime. Most of it is down to the comprehension, perception and the power of understanding of the individual disciple. Bringing you into the mountain this time is for you to learn some of the real skills left behind by our ancestors. Learn with all your heart and soul! In two to three years down the road and with a broader outlook on life, your heart naturally will have the answer when you receive the question from First Grandpa. If you manage to answer well, you too can play some mahjong with the three Elders then!"

Wen Leyang took a few steps ahead suddenly and walked side by side with First Uncle, "I've to first gain some experience in this mountain, learn some useful skills, refine some poisons that suit myself, wait two years for Grandpa to provide me with the question and pass the exam. With that, it's considered completing the apprenticeship?"

Wen Tunhai nodded, "More or less that's it. However, to refine the real thing that suits your own body by continuing to refine and cultivate toxins into the body through The Faulty Punch is not easy. It has to be done slowly."

"Will you continue to train me in this two years?"

Wen Tunhai laughed, "Boy, I don't have that much of time to spare, the Wen clan still has many responsibilities and duties to be conducted outside the village. Because of you, brat, I've been delayed for two years. Of course, by bringing you into the mountain, there'll be someone to teach you. You'll know when the time comes!"

Several steps later, Wen Leyang looked at First Uncle again and felt puzzled, "Do you mean I've to learn from the experiences left by the ancestors?"

Impatiently, Wen Tunhai waved his hand and said, "You'll know when the time comes, there's no point asking now."

"That's not what I mean, I was saying…" Wen Leyang puffed and blew for a long while, got his face red, then finally stammered, "No one from our ancestors managed to get the insight on the cultivation method of the Art of Heaven's Cultivation…if we learn according to their ideas, experience, and ability that were left behind, I think we may not…may not achieve immortality." Ever since he got to know of the immortality cultivation background of his family, he had always yearned for it. He could not be blamed for thinking so, being young, everyone wanted to achieve immortality immediately and to be able to fly in the sky around the world.

First Uncle staggered and gave the back of Wen Leyang's head a hard smack, "What the heck is this wooden brain thinking? For over two thousand years, the Wen clan has produced countless world-class geniuses who could unleash the power and scripture of poisons to maximum effect. But even they could not achieve immortality and sainthood! Not even the ancestor, Wen Lazi managed to cultivate successfully, so it is better for you to end this thought immediately and focus on refining and cultivating the toxins that best suit your body instead! As for Heaven's Cultivation, well to me it seems more like an unachievable dream. It's fine to think about it occasionally but too much of it will undoubtedly impair your learning and lessons!"

Stunned, Wen Leyang asked, "Ancestor Wen Lazi?"

First Uncle grunted without saying a word and continued his walk. He no longer seemed interested in discussing this topic further with him.

Pulling out a carrot, Wen Leyang started humming the song The Invisible Wings while munching on his carrot.

Invisible wings, keeping the dreams unvarying like the sky, giving myself a wish to imagine…

Laughing out loud, Wen Tunhai gave Wen Leyang's ass a kick.

Though they were joking along the way, there was not a single delay in their movements. They did not run about wildly either, merely jogging through the mountainous green grassland. Soon enough, their figure was completely engulfed in the wilderness.

Deep in the Nine Peaks Mountain, there was a large tract of indigenous forest with no trace of technology or civilization. The two of them chatted along the way and drank from the spring when thirsty. Eventually, it began to get dark. Wen Leyang helped his First Uncle poison some wild animals and the two of them, an ex-County Head and a high school dropout set up a campfire barbeque and feasted on the nationally protected animals.

After they finished their barbequed meal, First Uncle threw away the bones to the side and smiled to Wen Leyang, "Boy, take out your Black Jade Incense Tripod, I'll show you how to use it properly."

Wen Leyang was overjoyed as he had always wanted to try out the ability of his precious tripod. He quickly yet carefully removed the tripod and some herbs from his traveling bag. The herbs were lit moments later and a wisp of fragrant smoke rose into the air and diffused to the surroundings. The uncle and nephew climbed up a tree and with the light of the campfire nearby, they waited eagerly for the appearance of poisonous insects and beasts.

They were well hidden at a nearby spot. Wen Tunhai took the opportunity to remind Wen Leyang: "The ordinary poisonous insects are afraid of the fragrance coming out from this tripod so only the exceptional ones dare to come out. Be patient, if there's nothing special around this area, there might not be any movement for the whole night."

He had barely finished saying this sentence when a piercing cry broke through the still night. Something was approaching fast! Wen Leyang was staring with his eyes open wide excitedly in the tree, though he felt a little uneasy at the same time. From the sound of it, it did not sound like some kind of insect. In fact, it sounded more like a rhinoceros instead. If it was huge in size and landed on the tripod, the precious tripod of his would surely be crushed.

The continuous stomping sound came nearer until suddenly, the vision of Wen Leyang blurred, his pupils dilated, he stared at the empty space under the tree in disbelief.

From the wood came two burly figures.

The expression of the two men was dull-witted and they cheered happily upon entering the clearing. Ignoring the black jade tripod totally, they ran towards the leftover meat on the barbeque rack and started eating the meat, taking no heed of the heat.

For the first usage of the Black Jade Incense Tripod, Wen Leyang did not attract any poisonous insects but instead two foolish men.

The faces of the two men were so dirty with their hair and beard all entangled that Wen Leyang could not tell their age. They were fighting for the meat around the fire, and soon enough they finished eating all the meat. Wen Leyang cried out in the tree suddenly as he recalled the food was poisoned by him and First Uncle. They had soaked in the medicinal potion since birth and their bodies were immune to such toxins but it was lethal to ordinary people.

Like a strange bird, he dashed towards the bones in the hands of the two men while shouting, "There's poison in the meat! Don't eat it!"

"Someone wants to steal the meat!" Taking a look at each other, they both let out a loud roar. The two men then began beating Wen Leyang from head to toe.

Their fists, legs, elbows, knees, and shoulders were attacking all at once with an immense strength that pierced through the air. The two men were using theFaulty Punch from the Wen! Their attainments were clearly above him, in fact, they were almost as good as his First Uncle. He could barely get close to them to land a punch while the two men kept hitting him with their punches. If it was not for his practice in soaking in the potion and the stronger physique acquired during the past two years, he would have become dead meat by now.

Luckily, the two men did not infuse toxins with their punch or else, Wen Leyang would have turned as black as charcoal.

Wen Leyang was no match for them at all and yelled in panic, "Stop! Stop! The meat is mine! I'm Wen…" He did not get to finish his sentence as the two eccentric men suddenly let out a loud yell.

"Old Seven, the meat belongs to others!" Man A yelped.

"Old Eleven, faster run!" Man B turned and ran away.

"Old Eight, wait for me!" Man A followed the other crazy man in front and started running.

"Old Three, remember to take the meat!" Man B yelled again.

"Old Fourteen, I've eaten enough, let's run!" Man A took a look at the bones left on the racks and hesitated for a while before he started running.

If one listened with their eyes closed, one would think there was a group of people fighting for the meat.

Lying on the ground, Wen Leyang felt as though all of his bones were about to fall apart. Upon hearing the form of address used between the two eccentric men, his brain started hurting as well.

Then, Wen Tunhai jumped down from the tree while laughing out loud and shouted to the two foolish men, "Old Nine, Old Thirteen, stop running! Big Brother is here to see you!"

Wen Leyang felt like vomiting blood to express his 'respect and admiration' to the two men for their extraordinary attainment in mathematics.

The two silly men were at first startled when they caught sight of Wen Tunhai jumping down from the tree, but cheered jubilantly and dashed towards him laughing out loud. Their four greasy hands held on tight to Wen Tunhai and they laughed while jumping all around.

First Uncle did not mind their dirty hands at all and let the two foolish men hold on to him while his eyes filled with affection and love. He then turned around and smiled at Wen Leyang, "Boy, come and meet you Ninth and Thirteenth Uncle."

Wen Leyang climbed up from the ground shakily. The two fools saw him get up and wanted to run away again. Wen Tunhai was quick of eye and deft of hand to pull the two men back and said, "No need to run! The meat is roasted for you two!"

The two fools finally let out a long sigh and standing side-by-side, they bowed to Wen Leyang and called out,

"Ninth Uncle!"

"Thirteenth Uncle!"

The two men looked at each other looking puzzled, one of them then asked, "Am I the Ninth Uncle or the Thirteenth Uncle?"

"You're Ninth Uncle and I'm Thirteenth Uncle because of our age difference," the other man explained.

"I see," the first man acknowledged.

Wen Leyang brought some water over and took a closer look at the two smiling strange men. "Ninth Uncle? Thirteenth Uncle?" He then turned to First Uncle, "They're…they're my Ninth Uncle and Thirteenth Uncle? Since they use the Faulty Punch, they're the Inner Disciples of the Wen as well?"

Wen Leyang had never met these two eccentric men in his life before.

Wen Tunhai was helping to groom the two eccentrics who sat on the ground obligingly. By way of explanation, he pointed at his head while twirling his finger, "They have a screw loose." Giggling, the other two also held out their hands and pointed to their heads with their fingers.

"Both of their muscles and bones were outstanding, their physiques were superior in our generation, but they were ignorant of worldly affairs. Although they're unable to refine prescription that matches their body for further cultivation, your First Grandpa took them in and taught them the Faulty Punch. On normal days when there's nothing much to do, we'll just leave them playing around on the mountain. During your training and practice in the future, you can ask a fight or two from them. Even I'm no match for the fighting patterns that were created by them based on the Faulty Punch."

Wen Leyang listened to him while helping to groom his Ninth and Thirteenth Uncle while the two fools politely smiled and said to him, "Thank you, Seventh Uncle (Nineteenth Uncle)!"

It was clear that the concept of mathematics to the two was extremely confusing.

Wen Tunhai patted the shoulders of the two eccentrics and pointed to Wen Leyang, "He's your nephew, not uncle. You just call him Leyang next time."

Wen Leyang suddenly recalled something and looked at his First Uncle in panic, "First Uncle, these two uncles can't be the ones teaching me in the future, right?"

Wen Tunhai cursed, "B*llshit! They both do not understand poison and prescription, someone else will be teaching you."

With that, Wen Leyang let out a sigh of relief. His two foolish uncles looked at him and smiled happily, "Don't worry, Taiyang 1 the Old Fairy will teach you!"

Soon enough, after they finished cleaning and grooming the Ninth Uncle and Thirteenth Uncle, they were actually handsome and dignified in appearance without the beard. The only thing was the sluggishness in their eyes which became more obvious when they grinned.

Wen Tunhai looked at both his brothers affectionately, "Now, this is more like it. Just you guys wait, I'll each bring you each a daughter-in-law the next time I'm back to the mountain!"

Ninth Uncle and Thirteenth Uncle looked at each other excitedly, "Big Brother, is a daughter-in-law tasty?"

While the four of them were joking around, Wen Tunhai suddenly slapped his forehead, "Damn it! I nearly forgot about it!" With that, he suddenly threw his two brothers up into the tree and instructed in a low voice, "Nobody move!" He then added further, "Whoever moves is a b*stard!"

After being thrown up into a tree, they had thought about moving but once they heard the second sentence, they immediately turned into a clay sculpture with each holding onto a tree branch and did not move an inch at all.

Wen Tunhai pointed to the Black Jade Incense Tripod nearby and silently gestured to Wen Leyang. They then climbed up a tree quietly and almost did not make a sound.

It was midnight and surrounded by silence, Wen Leyang only noticed then that the chirping sound of the insects and birds had disappeared totally. There was an extremely soft sizzling sound like paper burning which was heard not far from there. Something was approaching very slowly towards them.

Wen Tunhai tapped on Wen Leyang lightly and pointed towards a certain direction. Wen Leyang looked over in the direction of the Northwest, where the lush grass was being parted to two sides in an abnormal and bizarre manner. This moving thin line was approaching from afar.

Wen Leyang had progressed much over the two years, his vision was a lot sharper than before. He could vaguely see from a distance even in the dark, more so when the object became nearer.

The speed of that moving thin line was extremely slow, with a short stop every now and then. A distance of no more than a dozen of meters took almost two hours. The two eccentrics were still holding on to the tree branches, with the exact same expression when they first went up, determined not to be a b*stard no matter what.

Wen Tunhai seemed to know of the approaching object and looked at his nephew and gently smiled, "Boy oh boy, life's is treating you good!"

Feeling excited and anxious, Wen Leyang carefully wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers as he anticipated the arrival of that strange creature that was attracted by the Black Jade Incense Tripod.

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Chapter 6: Top Secret

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The thin moving line crawled into the forest glade and a faint burning smell filled the air. Wen Leyang squinted and finally saw the incoming object clearly.

It was a little insect the length of a pinky finger, sparse with a few barbs around its body, dark red in color and fat in size. It looked just like an overfed caterpillar that had crawled through a tin of red paint.

The bug left a trail behind; there was burnt blackened vegetation and seared rocks as if they had been scorched by a hot burning rod.

The fat caterpillar circled around the Black Jade Incense Tripod for few times before it jumped into it with a high, squeaky sound. It almost sounded like it was overjoyed. It then went quiet inside the tripod.

After waiting a while, Wen Tunhai exclaimed with a smile, "Done!" He jumped off the tree and picked up the tripod before lifting the lid to check on the trapped bug. He then handed the tripod to Wen Leyang while exclaiming, "Boy, do you know what this is?"

Wen Leyang held the tripod in his hands and shook his head. The insect that had a grand entrance earlier on was now all curled up, lying still in the tripod comfortably, though he was unsure if it was sleeping or dead. Wen Leyang wanted to reach out and touch it but held back out of fear, because even a disciple of Wen dared not simply touch a poisonous insect that would be attracted by the tripod.

Wen Tunhai laughed out aloud, "Scaredy-cat! Don't worry, this insect is called the Buddha's Light Bug. Don't get scared of the burnt trail that it left behind, its toxicity is minimal, in fact."

Looking puzzled, Wen Leyang went, "Minimal toxicity?"

Wen Tunhai nodded with a smile, "This is only the larval stage. Wait till it undergoes the metamorphosis and become the Buddha's Light Fly, then it'll have the invincible Fire Poison! Put your hand in there!"

The two foolish uncles who were perched on top of the tree gazed at the ground in curiosity. However, neither of them made the first move. Only their eyes fixed unwaveringly on the tripod. It was almost as if they were trying to touch the tripod with their eyes.

Wen Leyang did not understand the purpose of his First Uncle's instruction, but he obeyed nonetheless and put his hand into the tripod cautiously. The small fat bug suddenly straightened up its body and quickly climbed up onto his palm, wriggling its plump body around playfully. Wen Leyang immediately felt a burning sensation on his palm. His body trembled and he wanted to pull his hand out but First Uncle held his wrist and said, "Don't move! You mustn't move!"

The Buddha's Light Bug frolicked for a while on Wen Leyang's palm before it suddenly looked tired and shakily wobbled back into the tripod. It then curled itself back up and went to sleep.

Only then did Wen Tunhai allow his nephew to remove his hand. "Boy, you've got to play with it every day starting from tomorrow. Remember, you've got to let it leave your palm on its own will before you even think of removing your hand from the incense tripod!"

Wen Leyang examined his palm in the glow of the moonlight. A fine red line was beginning to spread from his palm towards the shoulder along the blood vessels. There were countless fine holes on his palm that were caused by the barbs of the bug.

Wen Leyang was shocked by the seriousness of the matter because if the red line ever spread to his chest, not even the immortals could bring him back to life. He hurriedly reached for the medicinal powder from the chest pocket of his shirt. This powder has the property of drawing out poisonous pus from the body. He applied it to his palm while his other hand moved in a circular motion and continuously massaged the spot three inches below the arm's meridian vessels. The poisonous line soon stopped spreading and started moving back towards the palm. Moments later, a few drops of bright red blood was squeezed out from the wounds in his palm.

Ever since he started soaking in the extremely poisonous medicinal potion and practicing The Faulty Punch, venomous creatures such as scorpions and centipedes would avoid him. Once, he cornered a blood red centipede nearly three inches long which attacked him out of self-defense. The red centipede died instantly on the spot while he was totally unharmed.

As for the Buddha's Light Bug, though it was not regarded as a highly venomous creature by the Inner Disciples of Wen, it was in fact, lethal to ordinary people. This type of bug belonged to the Fire Element, playful in nature and was especially fond of small boys. However, none could escape death if they were to encounter one in the wild.

Seeing how skillful Leyang was in removing the poisonous pus by himself, traces of satisfaction were observed on Wen Tunhai's face. "Do play around with it whenever you have time. One day, if it leaves the tripod and moves your arm instead, this means it has acknowledged you as its master and you can then bring it along with you. If it manages to break out from its cocoon alive and becomes the adult fly out of sheer serendipity, boy, you're in luck!"

Wen Leyang nodded his head in excitement at first but then turn puzzled, "Out of sheer serendipity?"

The Buddha's Light Bug was a bug that had the Fire Element from the Five Elements. When it has transformed into an adult and becomes the Buddha's Light Fly, the fire poison within its body will also grow exponentially and it then becomes an exceptionally poisonous creature. However, according to the record by the Wen clan's ancestors, upon cocooning, this type of bug would typically die in their cocoon before their final transformation into an adult. The cause of this immature death remained unsolved.

Wen Leyang opened his eyes wide in awe and thought that since his First Uncle did not know the cause, he had no reason to further crack his head to find out. However, when he thought of the bug's capability of recognizing its master, on top of being such a fat worm, he found it interesting. The Wen clan had been playing around with poisonous insects since young and usually the higher the toxicity of the insect, the uglier and more ferocious the look, which in turn made this cute looking bug even rarer.

Finishing the advice for his nephew, Wen Tunhai pointed to Thirteenth Uncle and shouted, "Thirteen, you moved! You are a b*stard!"

Thirteenth Uncle let out a cry and jumped down from the tree, "I didn't move!"

"How'd you jump down if you didn't move?" Wen Tunhai burst into laughter while winking mischievously at Wen Leyang, "In the future, if the two brothers won't let you go, you just use this trick!"

Wen Leyang grimaced and replied, "I wouldn't dare call my uncles a b*stard." After pausing for a while he added, "I wouldn't dare call you a b*stard either!"

Wen Tunhai spat to express his exasperation, "Go to sleep, go to sleep! Whoever doesn't is a b*stard!"

Thirteenth Uncle felt bullied by First Uncle and refused to sleep. He took out a marionette which looks to be his all-time favorite toy from his chest pocket. However, his marionette was a lot more complex than ordinary ones and had countless control strings attached. Thirteenth Uncle skillfully fiddled with the marionette and it seemed to come alive with all its joints moving fluidly.

Ninth Uncle was attracted by it as well and shouted, "Yue Buqun, you despicable scumbag, return the five hundred lives of my Independent Regiment!" He came dashing while manipulating a marionette of his own.

Not backing down, Thirteenth Uncle replied, "Here's the Dharma God Punch from your Daoist Grandpa ancestor!"

The two brothers happily went on with the marionette fight and their shouts were met by the cawing sounds of frightened crows few miles away from them.

Wen Leyang followed his First Uncle deep into the mountain with the two foolish uncles accompanying them at their side, cracking jokes and playing around from time to time. Ninth Uncle and Thirteenth Uncle were as simple-minded and naive as toddlers, especially with their family around, they were in high spirits and messed around with everything. They got acquainted with Wen Leyang in no time.

Wen Tunhai did not have even a hint of impatience and on the contrary, he looked at his brothers with great affection and attachment in his eyes. From time to time, he would tell his two foolish brothers, "If Leyang gets bullied in the future, as his uncle, you must intervene!"

"I'll beat anyone who dares to bully our Taiyang till their intestines fall out!"

The two brothers could not remember the name Leyang, so they resorted to calling Leyang as Taiyang and he has since gotten used to that nickname.

As they headed deeper into the rolling mountains with its numerous peaks, Wen Leyang could hardly remember the path they took. All he could recall was that they kept walking West, passing one peak after another. Whenever there was time, he would put his hand into the tripod and played around with the Buddha's Light Bug for a while; followed by removing the poisonous pus in pain. Three days later, First Uncle finally pointed towards a clump of red leaves at a distance in the forest and exclaimed, "We're here, Leyang!"

They were surrounded by lush green mountains with spring in full bloom. The small patch of Red Leaves Forest looked like dancing flames against the sea of greenery; it was indeed a spectacular sight.

Wen Leyang said with a grimace, "First Uncle, can you now tell me what this place is?"

Not waiting for Wen Tunhai to answer, Ninth Uncle came over and held Leyang's hand, "Taiyang, I know. This is the home of the Old Fairy."

Thirteenth Uncle nodded hard and said solemnly, "That's right. There are many people in the Old Fairy's family and they eat meat every day! If you go there, you get to eat as well!"

The two had barely finished talking when an androgynous husky voice was heard suddenly, "If the two of you are here, you get to eat meat as well. Why didn't you come?"

Ninth Uncle and Thirteenth Uncle each let out a cry as though they had seen a ghost and hid behind the back of Wen Tunhai with Ninth Uncle warning Leyang in the name of brotherhood, "Taiyang, run! The Old Fairy's here!"

A light but rapid footstep was heard and an old lady, dressed in a robe with white hair and a face full of wrinkles, was walking towards them from afar in a quivering manner. In a blink of an eye, she was standing before them.

Wen Tunhai shouted to Wen Leyang quickly, "Come and greet the senior of the Wen clan!"

Wen Leyang went down on his knees immediately and bowed with his forehead touching the ground, "It's an honor to meet you, Grandma…" Without finishing his words, Wen Leyang's vision suddenly went black, his skin felt tight instantly like a dried cow's hide that had been splashed with cold water. This sensation mercilessly hit right to his bones and the extreme pain almost left him breathless.

Wen Tunhai held on to his nephew and said, "Boy, are you blind? This is your Fourth Grandpa, bow to him again!" He then turned to the old man, "Fourth Father, this kid has been foolish all his life, so don't take offense at his stupidity."

The three Elders in the Wen Village were all aged around eighty years old but looked after themselves well so they looked just over sixty years old. However, the Fourth Grandpa looked at least over a hundred years old with the shallowest wrinkle half an inch in depth, so old that one could not easily tell his gender. Wen Leyang had not heard about the Fourth Grandpa before and he was misled by his two uncles to address him as Grandma as a fairy is usually female.

The Fourth Elder Wen's sardonic reply was like an icy cold needle that pierced through the air and struck right into the eardrums of Wen Leyang.

Wen Leyang was trembling in pain but bowed again with the help from his First Uncle, "It's an honor to meet you, Fourth Grandpa. I was impolite earlier on, please forgive me."

With that, Fourth Elder Wen waved his hand lightly, "This is the disciple of Wen who passed the Major Examination this time around? It's getting worse by the generation!" Wen Leyang felt a sudden relief as the excruciating pain subsided in an instant.

With an obsequious smile, Wen Tunhai bowed to the old man before saying, "Fourth Father, please don't say so. If you've spent enough time with him you'll realize there's a redeeming feature about this boy." Wen Tunhai then asked, "Would you like me to tell him about the Red Leaves Forest, or do you want to tell him yourself?"

Fourth Elder Wen waved his sleeves impatiently and motioned to Wen Tunhai to speak while his cold eyes began scanning the Ninth and Thirteenth Uncle. Usually, the two fools refused to stop and rest without using the b*stard trick but now, under that look which was colder than poisonous snakes, they dared not move an inch and stood straight on the spot.

Wen Leyang was complaining deep inside and it looked like for the next two years, he would be eating meat with his Fourth Grandpa.

Ignoring the unhappy grimace on his nephew's face, Wen Tunhai pointed to the Red Leaves Forest and announced, "The Red Leaves Forest is an important place for the Tuo Xie Sect, it houses The Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death."

Wen Leyang felt a cramp in his brain suddenly. This time, after entering the mountain he had met his two foolish uncles whom he had no knowledge of, then came the unheard of Fourth Grandpa. Last but not least, the most important place of the Wen clan was here: The Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death.

Every power, be it a clan, a sect or an organization, had their own secret. The Wen clan, with 'Tuo Xie' as the master, entrenched in the Nine Peaks Mountain for over two thousand years and once considered as a forbidden place by the world, was no exception.

The Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death was the biggest secret of the Wen.

The Birth Trademark is a library of a vast variety of books, including the collection and summaries of experiences by the Wen Bucao's ancestors, the Five Elements of all creatures, the prescription of poisons and medicines and the strange art found in the folk. One could never finish learning all these even in several hundred years.

The Life Trademark is the storage of the bodies of the Head of Family. When they were alive, their skills in the art of poison was outstanding with large quantities of poison and toxins accumulated in their bodies. When they died, their bodies would not rot nor decay. They would poison the fish to death if thrown into the water, poison the land until no grass could grow where they were buried, and diffuse poisonous gas that would corrode the bones and rot the soul if the body was burnt. For the sake of nature, their bodies had been stored here.

The Sickness Trademark is the rearing place of a lot of poisonous creatures.

The Death Trademark is the secret base where disciples of the Wen cultivate and train for power, strength, and talent.

The Wen clan had endured for over two thousand years with an increasingly sophisticated Art of Poison and it all came down to having this important base.

Fourth Elder Wen was the absolute master of this place. Without his consent, even Grand Elder Wen would not be able to disclose to others on anything related to this place.

Fourth Elder Wen, expressionless, waited for Wen Tunhai to finish then took a harsh look at Wen Leyang before sticking two fingers up at him, "Two years. You're allowed to stay in The Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death for two years. You can read all the books within the square as you like, or ask me if there are any problems and you don't even have to inform me when you leave. But, you have only two years and whatever you manage to acquire and learn is none of my business. If you refuse to leave after two years, you shall remain here forever."

Wen Tunhai frowned with concern and asked, "Fourth Father, isn't two years a bit too short? There're so many ancient books and records in the square…"

Fourth Elder Wen shook his head stiffly with an emotionless face, "With this kind of talent, so what if there are ten years or a hundred years?"

Though he was blushing with embarrassment and anger, Wen Leyang asked politely, "Are there any rules in the square? Could you kindly advise?"

To that, Fourth Elder Wen replied in disdain, "There aren't many rules, I'll tell you the rest later. Basically, there's no limitation or restriction for other matters. If you think you're capable of burning this place down, you can give it a try as well." Not taking another look at Wen Leyang, he then turned to Wen Tunhai and asked abruptly, "How are things going?"

Shaking his head, Wen Tunhai took a look at the puzzled Wen Leyang standing next to him, not saying a word.

Fourth Elder Wen sighed unexpectedly, that was the first time Wen Leyang had sensed this emotion in this old man since they first met.

Fourth Elder Wen took out a red-colored square box from his chest pocket and threw it over to Wen Tunhai, "Bring this with you, be extra cautious in everything and don't work yourself too hard!" With that, he turned around and walked towards the Red Leaves Forest.

With the box in his hand, Wen Tunhai took a step forward and tapped lightly on Wen Leyang's back, "You're here to study the ancient books and records left by the ancestors in Birth Trademark. If you manage to get some insight, you'll naturally progress to another realm which in turn helps you in cultivating the most suitable poison prescription for your physique in future. If you can't, there's no harm in picking up more poison prescriptions. Fourth Father is someone who seems cold on the outside but he is warm-hearted inside. You'll know more about him once you spend some time with him. You better catch up with him quick, you'll learn a lot if you study hard. I'll come and pick you up in two years' time!"

Ninth Uncle and Thirteenth Uncle jumped over and pulled on Wen Leyang's sleeves and asked him solemnly, "Taiyang, we'll come look for you to play later?" Then, they secretly told him, "We'll teach you to control the marionettes. "

Wen Leyang nodded with a smile and then hurried after his Fourth Grandpa. Looking back, Wen Tunhai opened his mouth slightly as if to say something, but shook his head in the end. Reaching out to his two foolish brothers he said, "Let's go, Big Brother will play with you two on the mountain for a few days!"

Ninth Uncle and Thirteenth Uncle cheered loudly…

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Chapter 7: The Little Girl

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The area of the Red Leaves Forest was not very big. In each of the four directions, there were rows of wooden houses joined together like the fish scales, neatly arranged in such a manner that surrounded the few large houses at the center of the square.

There were some people living in the wooden houses and walking in the woods, but their expressions were all as cold as ice and they ignored Wen Leyang's innocent smile. In fact, they even ignored Fourth Elder Wen, it was as if they were treating themselves and others like air.

Fourth Elder Wen was indifferent to this treatment and walked ahead with both his hands at his back. He said to Wen Leyang without turning his head, "Without my consent, no one is allowed to walk in this wood for more than seven steps."

Shocked, Wen Leyang quickly tried to recall how many steps he had he taken.

Fourth Elder Wen snorted, "There's no need to count anymore. I've already dosed you with the antidote when you first entered so you'll be fine. You can access this place as you please for these two years but you'll have to notify me before you bring other people here! "

Wen Leyang said with his head bowed down, "Rest assured, Fourth Grandpa, I won't bring anyone here without your permission."

Fourth Elder Wen sounded as if he were smiling as he continued, "I'm telling you ahead of time, there is no need to be afraid."

Wen Leyang was just about to answer when suddenly there was a sound of tree leaves rustling above his head followed by an attack from an agile figure. During the sudden ambush, the practice and hard work for the past two years paid off as Wen Leyang dashed forward instinctively and bent over the ground with his feet attacking the assailant like a pair of scissors.

Bang!

A dull thud was heard and both Wen Leyang and the attacker grunted at the same time and staggered backwards. With a loud scream, a second attacker appeared on all fours and lunged at Wen Leyang like a beast; his face was contorted ferociously with his white teeth aimed at Wen Leyang's throat!

Wen Leyang defended himself and pounced like a wolf. He immediately exerted power into both of his arms, leaped on all fours and clashed head-on with his second attacker!

Fourth Elder Wen issued a warning sound and the two assailants instantly came to a stop and retreated to the side. Back on his feet again, Wen Leyang finally had a chance to have a closer look at his assailants. One of them was stooped over with both his arms dangling at the ankles like an ape whereas the other was crouched like a wolf with his nose constantly sniffing as if scenting the smell of a stranger.

Wen Leyang rolled his shoulders which were sore from the earlier clash and asked in a shocked tone of voice, "Are they from the Death Trademark?"

As emotionless as always, Fourth Elder Wen explained, "In this mountain, there are some highly spiritual beasts that stole and raised human babies when they lose their own cubs. I snatched one of them back from an old ape and rescued the other from the wolf's den. Just like you, they're considered as guests of the square." He then looked at the two eccentrics affectionately and said, "Come on over and meet each other, he's not an outsider from now on."

The two eccentric attackers nodded compliantly with difficulty. With a rumbling sound, they ran over to the side of Wen Leyang and rubbed against him lightly. Feeling sorrowful, Wen Leyang just stood still, not knowing what to do.

"Don't be afraid, you can either tap on their shoulders or touch their heads, they will no longer try to fight you in the future." Fourth Elder Wen went on with a quiet and low voice, "Luckily you're smart enough not to blend the poison strength into The Faulty Punch."

Wen Leyang smiled honestly and innocently.

"There's no one training in the Death Trademark right now and you're not allowed into the Life Trademark and the Sickness Trademark. Never mind if you can't remember now, but if you trespass you will lose your eyeballs immediately. And there's one other thing, you mustn't light the incense tripod in the Red Leaves Forest."

Wen Leyang acknowledged with a nod but could not help feeling surprised and bewildered by the fact that there was no one at the Death Trademark.

The door of a wooden house in the forest opened with a creaking sound. There stood a young girl, aged around twelve to thirteen years old who waved to the two eccentrics, "Yuan, Old Wolf! Come here now, Dinner is ready!"

The two freaks immediately let out a cry and ran into the house like the wind.

The young girl had a pair of elegant eyes which glanced over at Fourth Elder Wen while a puzzled Wen Leyang stood behind him. A look of joy appeared on her face, "Grandpa, you're back so fast! That's just great!"

The sincere and honest smile of the young lady brightened up Wen Leyang's eyes and a smile appeared on his face uncontrollably as he was affected by her pure emotions.

Fourth Elder Wen acknowledged the girl in his usual aloof manner and turned to Wen Leyang, "This is the little servant girl, Ya Tou, you can ask her about anything. Don't come to me apart from an issue related to your studies. Thirteen years ago…"

Wen Leyang gulped anxiously, worried that this young lady would suddenly devolve into a person who was raised by a giraffe or a blinded bear.

"…I picked her up from the river and she grew up in the square. She is well acquainted with the Birth Trademark. You can ask for her help when looking for books." After saying this short introduction, Fourth Elder Wen then walked past them into the largest wooden house in the Forest and shut the door up with a bang.

The young lady looked at Wen Leyang timidly while the latter was also silently observing her.

As a thirteen-year-old who grew up in the mountains, a trace of innocence could still be found on her face. However, it was this innocence and honesty in her eyes that made Wen Leyang feel so comfortable and at ease.

The innocence of Wen Leyang, accumulated in the past eighteen years was nothing worth mentioning when compared to the lady in front.

Stretching his hand forward, Wen Leyang introduced with a smile, "I'm Wen Leyang."

Baffled, the young lady looked at the hand in front of her not knowing what to do. She awkwardly started to pull on her braid unconsciously. She was abandoned by her parents in the river, swaddled in a wooden basin just days after she was born. When Fourth Elder Wen scooped her out of the water two days later, she barely made it out alive. She had stayed by the side of Fourth Elder Wen ever since she was saved. As she rarely left the mountain and spent most of her time in the Red Leaves Forest, she knew absolutely nothing about the social etiquette of the outside world. Wen Leyang grabbed her hand and brought it into his own and shook them while smiling warmly, "This is called a handshake, when people meet for the first time, they will shake their hands as a sign of courtesy and friendliness. My name is Wen Leyang, what's yours? Do you like carrots?"

In an instant, a crooked carrot appeared in the hands of the young lady.

The pair of big and beautiful eyes of the young lady was clearly glinting with excitement and with a hard nod, she replied Wen Leyang's question, "Grandpa calls me Ya Tou, so my name is Ya Tou."

Fourth Elder Wen's voice suddenly appeared from the wooden house, "Stay away from Ya Tou when you're working with poisons as she has never practiced the martial art of Wen! She has a name, called…Xiaoyi, Wen Xiaoyi!"

Wen Leyang twitched his lips in secret as he realized that the name was probably made up right on the spot, although he thought the name was pretty nice after all. The generation of his grandpa was indeed better than his dad's in terms of naming their children.

"Wen Xiaoyi…" The young lady carefully recited her name over and over again in pure excitement before pulling Wen Leyang along, "Wen Leyang, let's go get some dinner!"

Wen Leyang had a wonderful dinner of a few colorful dishes in green and red, a plate of cured meat and a bowl of porridge. Wen Xiaoyi blushed in embarrassment as a result of his praise and gave him a few extra rounds of porridge.

After the dinner, Xiaoyi showed Wen Leyang around. It was after all just a few rows of houses with the Birth Trademark at the East, Life Trademark at the South, Sickness Trademark at the West and Death Trademark at the North. Within the whole square, apart from Wen Leyang, there were only three other living beings in the area. These included Wen Xiaoyi, Yuan, and Old Wolf. As for the rest, including Fourth Elder Wen, in his eyes they were as emotionless as the walking dead.

According to Xiaoyi, Fourth Elder Wen had never taught the two eccentrics any form of Kung Fu. He had merely prescribed medicines and acupuncture to nullify the beastliness that had accumulated in them since young. Wen Leyang was left speechless as he knew very well that in terms of power, no more than ten ordinary brawny men could match up with his own physique while these two beastly children, who had no formal training before, were well-matched with him in strength.

While Wen Leyang was walking around the wooden house with Xiaoyi, a familiar chirping sounded from his backpack. The Buddha's Light Bug would call out to him to play once it had rested enough. He made sure Xiaoyi was at a safe distance from him before taking out the tripod and putting his hand in there to play with the bug.

Xiaoyi had hidden obediently behind a big tree. But she tip-toed and stretched her neck long to peep into the tripod. After studying for a while, she asked with a smile, "Wen Leyang, is that a Buddha's Light Bug that's inside the tripod?"

As the little girl grew up by the side of Old Fairy Wen, it was not surprising for her to recognize the purpose of the tripod. However, there was no way that she could see the Buddha's Light Bug which was rolling around on his palm inside the tripod from where she was standing. Wen Leyang could not help but feel curious.

Seeing Wen Leyang's expression, she explained calmly, "Only the Buddha's Light Bug will hide inside the tripod and insist for people to play with it. Am I correct, Wen Leyang?"

Wen Leyang nodded with a smile, "Fourth Grandpa has taught you quite a lot, you've got to help and teach me in the square in the future. "

Shaking her head she said, "Grandpa refused to teach us. I practically grew up in the forest and apart from taking care of Grandpa, Yuan and Old Wolf, I'm always reading. That's where I learned about the Black Jade Incense Tripod and the Buddha's Light Bug!"

Little Ya Tou was brought to the Red Leaves Forest by Fourth Elder Wen when she was still a baby and was nourished by drinking milk from the hundred beasts in the mountain. This made her naturally gifted and talented. She could read at the age of three and at four, she was already reading with ease. Though Fourth Elder Wen scrupulously abided by the rules of the sect to not pass on his skills to someone who was not an Inner Disciple, the books in the Birth Trademark were left for her to access freely.

Fourth Elder Wen had been single all his life with no wife or child and lived alone in The Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death. Unsociable and withdrawn by nature, he had grown fond of this little girl deep in his heart; he would place the fundamental books at easily accessible places for her whenever she was reading. Under his special care, Xiaoyi was learning systematically from the fundamentals to the advanced level and the majority of the books were about poison and medicine. She had indeed read quite a lot by the age of thirteen.

Xiaoyi knew nothing of the world outside. In her mind, apart from taking care of her grandpa, there was only reading as her other activity. She could read with great speed as she was able to concentrate intensely on the text. And though she does not have a photographic memory, she could recall most of what she had read. Moreover, she was still a young reader and would choose the books she liked to read, for example, a treatise with profound complexities on cultivation methods would often be returned to the shelves after she had glanced through it. She was far more interested in books about the attributes of insects and vegetation, intriguing folk prescriptions and other miscellanies. She would read them thoroughly like a storybook.

Though Wen Leyang was skeptical of her at first, three days later he realized he had found a little fairy maiden. With more than ten rooms of books, Wen Xiaoyi was exceptionally familiar with each and every one of them, be it the location or the contents of each book. As for the rest of the disciples of Wen who were arranging the books in the Birth Trademark, they were all as uncommunicative as a block of wood. They ignored Wen Leyang utterly as they went about the daily tasks of sun-drying the books and fixing aberrant copies.

The books in the Birth Trademark are categorized into four sections with the first section being known as the Basic Fundamentals of Materials, which focused on the Five Elements, properties of drugs and pharmacology of all living things.

The second section covered the theory of inimical remedies and synergism of drug properties as well as methods of refining drugs and poisons, which could be regarded as the Biochemistry section.

As for the third section, one would find information from the complete records of the cultivation practice to the practice of sorcery of other sects and the summaries of all observation and learning documented by the Wen ancestors.

The fourth section consisted of large varieties of effective but odd prescriptions and strange arts among the folk with some that have remained unsolved by the Wen ancestors.

Wen Leyang's main focus would be the first two sections, which consisted of thousands of books.

Theoretically, to maximize the effects when learning from these ancient books, the best method would be to combine both theory and practice at the same time. However, Wen Leyang was given only two years to do so. In the end, due to his stubbornness, he opted for the stupidest learning method – memorization! He was purely memorizing based on the books without understanding the theory and principle of each prescription, not to mention improvisations.

Wen Leyang was not the smartest among his generation, but he was pure-hearted and determined. Once he had set his mind to something, he would do it diligently like a fool. Not only were his days spent only at the stacks, he was even reciting them in his dreams. Wen Xiaoyi would come over and help with his recitation every day when she was not caring for Fourth Elder Wen.

Other than eating, sleeping and paying respect to Fourth Elder Wen, Wen Leyang was only doing four other things: training, reciting, playing with the bug and munching on carrots.

While playing with the Buddha's Light Bug, he would share with Wen Xiaoyi on the world outside, the crappy television shows that he had watched, the funny little things that happened during his training last time. It was the most anticipated time of the day for Wen Xiaoyi.

Fourth Elder Wen probably had never thought about this foolish approach at all. All of his brothers, including himself, had first started off with reading the summaries on cultivation and the prescriptions on refining methods documented by the ancestors. After finding out the most suitable refining method for themselves, only then would they begin to specialize in one area. According to the ancient method, everyone was born with different life destiny and personal astrology so not all Five Elements would be in harmony. Therefore, they would select medicinal materials and alchemy that best complements their element of destiny during the prescription refining and cultivation process. The method adopted by Wen Leyang, which involved reciting blindly, was unheard of.

Wen Leyang was reciting the books day in, day out without much understanding or question. The only time he would take the trouble to ask Fourth Grandpa would be when he was faced with unfamiliar words. However, Fourth Grandpa was equally unfamiliar with those words too.

Fourth Grandpa, therefore often felt ambivalent towards Wen Leyang.

More than ten days after Wen Leyang had arrived in the Red Leaves Forest, the Buddha's Light Bug inside the tripod began to get agitated and bad tempered all of a sudden. It refused to sleep or play with Wen Leyang and constantly circled around inside the tripod. There were times when it wanted to come out of the tripod but it would always jump back in as if could not bear to be parted from the tripod. Fortunately, things got back on track a few days later and Wen Leyang did not pay further attention to this matter.

Fourth Elder would usually chase Wen Leyang out from the Forest every ten days to half a month's time. Wen Leyang would then bring Wen Xiaoyi and the two beast children along with him and spend a good day in the mountains. Not resisting, Wen Leyang just obeyed his Fourth Grandpa as he had been used to making the best of any situation. After all, he is going to enjoy it when it was play time and study hard when it was time to recite.

Every now and then, the two silly uncles of Wen Leyang would also call out to him from outside of the Forest. Wen Leyang would then drop his things and go play with them all around the mountains and usually ended the night with a barbeque of poisoned animals.

Ever since Wen Leyang began his studies, he would hand in a monthly notebook stating down the repeated content he had found during his study to Fourth Elder Wen. He mainly focused on alchemy and the properties of materials as summarized by the Wen ancestors. The ancestors had summarized all their experiences and findings and made it into a record book with some repeated content. Wen Leyang had made a simple record on some of the major duplicated paragraphs that he had encountered so that the next reader would get to skip the repeated paragraphs entirely in the future. Fourth Elder Wen had never commented on his work, maintaining his zero degree Celsius icy cold attitude towards him as usual. However, with the increasing number of notebooks submitted, the level of disdain in Fourth Elder Wen's eyes had slowly begun to diminish.

Apart from Wen Leyang, Xiaoyi and the two beast children, everyone else in the Red Leaves Forest lived like the living dead, not making a single sound even when walking. Wen Leyang once attempted to strike up a conversation with the others and after a few fruitless tries, he gave up all hope of finding someone to talk to.

Six months later, from early spring to late summer, Wen Leyang was still reciting as usual with Xiaoyi seated next to him weaving a grass ring from weeds. Suddenly, there was a chuckle and Xiaoyi asked with a sweet smile, "Wen Leyang, why are you cursing?"

Overwhelmed with the recitation, Wen Leyang blurted, "Did I curse?" He then took a look at the book in his hands and laughed, "I didn't! The ancestor who wrote this book did!"

In his hand was the summary of the learning experiences gathered from the Art of Poison written by an ancestor of unknown generation in his twilight years. It was not too ancient from the look of the papers and ink, estimated to be only a hundred years ago. Wen Leyang had basically recited this book completely with this one being not much different from the other books; it documented the attributes and properties of materials as well as the description of poisons discovered from experiments, and the experiences and doubts encountered during the cultivation of the Art of Poison. As before, there was repeated findings and content found. Yet, towards the end of the book, it was written "B*llshit! The one who studies is no better than b*llshit! The one who regurgitates is just like b*llshit!

Taking a closer look at the book, Xiaoyi got interested and said, "Wow, the ancestor's saying you're just like b*llshit! I've only flipped through this book last time without paying much attention to it."

There were another few lines of words further down the swearing part that read: If we were to attack the enemy with poison, memorizing any one of the books in the square would be sufficient.

If we were to obtain the insight, none of the ancestors of Wen's had succeeded in immortal cultivation. What benefit would we obtain in studying the records and books left behind by these unsuccessful ancestors?

We are as dumb as pigs, fellow piglets! Regards, Wen Lazi.

Blinking her eyes, Xiaoyi stuck out her tongue and laughed, "Ancestor Wen Lazi was desperate it seems!"

Wen Leyang massaged his temples while frowning. He found the name of Wen Lazi all so familiar, yet he could not recall when he first heard it.

Nonetheless, it seemed that this ancestor shared the same thinking as him because he had asked a similar question when he first entered the mountain with his First Uncle.

To fight against the enemies with so many poison prescriptions documented by the ancestors in the square, to learn one from it would be more than enough.

Nevertheless, to realize the ultimate dream of the Disciple of the Tuo Xie Sect to become a cultivator that could attract the lightning strike anywhere he went, these ancient books only served as references and nothing else. The idea was similar to having over hundreds of university entrance examination dropouts giving tuition to a twelfth-grade high schooler.

None of the ancestors of Wen had achieved spiritual enlightenment to Daoism through cultivation over the course of over two thousand years, with the best achievement having lived to ninety-nine years of age. The cultivation methods and poison prescriptions documented in the ancient books were of the same category as an after-dinner walk. However, it was pleasing for the Wen to see that the Miao Clan and the Martial Art of the Luo at Crow Ridge were no better off as well.

As he was lost in his thoughts, the Buddha's Light Bug suddenly called up to Wen Leyang. Handing over the record book of Wen Lazi to Xiaoyi while taking out the tripod, Wen Leyang put his hand into the tripod to play with the bug.

"Let me see what else Ancestor Lazi cursed," Xiaoyi took over the book with a smile and flipped through the last few pages. After spending time with Wen Leyang for half a year, she knew that the Buddha's Light Bug would not leave the tripod when playing with Leyang and so she did not hide from it anymore. "Oh my, it's indeed messy!"

In the last few pages, it was all doodled with ink with only a few readable words in each line to link up the sentence. Wen Lazi must either be extremely troubled and distressed to keep alternating between drawing and writing.

"Without breaking, there's no…forming…to be the Meridians of Poison…" Wen Xiaoyi was working hard to identify the words from the mess of handwriting and doodles. Reading silently on the experiences left behind by Wen Lazi, her gaze became more and more intense with her eyebrows turning into a lovely question mark.

Sticking his head over while his hand still played with the Buddha's Light Bug, Wen Leyang studied the book together with Xiaoyi.

After a while, the two youngsters let out a breath at the same time and took a glance at each other with their eyes filled with horror and disbelief.

After cursing for a few pages, Wen Lazi eventually scribbled in his notebook his approach of using the Art of Poison of the Wen as a basis to practice Heaven's Cultivation. He intended to first cut off his own Meridian vessels and channel the accumulated toxins in the Meridian vessels into his body. Right before his body would be corroded by the toxins, he would gather the toxins with The Faulty Punch, remold the Meridian vessels and refine the toxins directly into the flesh!

Just when Wen Leyang was about to say something, he was momentarily stunned because the Buddha's Light Bug did not jump back to the tripod after rolling around in his palm. Instead, it arched its fat body and crawled inch by inch along his arm and out from the tripod. It finally curled itself up on his arm and looked up at him while its fat face swayed around.

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Chapter 8: Acknowledging The Master

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

One day, if it leaves the tripod and crawls upon your arm, this means it has acknowledged you as its master…

The words that Wen Tunhai told him kept repeating in his mind.

The sudden acknowledgment of the Buddha's Light Bug caught Wen Leyang off guard and he fumbled and threw the notebook of Wen Lazi aside.

Wen Xiaoyi had learned about the story of the Buddha's Light Bug acknowledging its master from the ancient books earlier on. She clapped her hands in joy and smiled, "Wen Leyang, the Buddha's Light Bug has acknowledged you as its master!"

Upon hearing Xiaoyi's voice, the Buddha's Light Bug suddenly became agitated and tightened its plump body before charging towards Xiaoyi with lightning speed! Wen Leyang cried out in shock because a poisonous bug like this was regarded as the king of insects and the majority of them are known for having a violent temper. Although its toxicity at the moment was not strong enough to hurt him, Xiaoyi was an ordinary girl who did not train in the way of Wen. If she was pricked by the barbs she would die a quick death with no chance of saving her at all!

The speed of the Buddha's Light Bug was fast like lightning and before anyone could do anything, it had climbed up to Xiaoyi 's white forearm. Furious, Wen Leyang let out punches like the wind and aimed to smash the little bug, which he had been playing around with for a few months now, to death. Though important, there was no way the Buddha's Light Bug could compare to the intelligent and cute Xiaoyi.

Xiaoyi, pale and frightened, looked at the bug on her arm helplessly.

Just as Wen Leyang's punch was about to smash the bug, an irresistibly giant force appeared suddenly behind his back, pulling him backward forcefully. Caught unawares, Wen Leyang let out a shout and rolled with his arms around his knees and the moment his body was in the air, he turned and charged towards his enemy like a ball. The odd moves of The Faulty Punch had become his natural instincts to defend himself without even thinking whenever he got attacked.

A cold snort that was so familiar to him for the past few months was heard.

Wen Leyang opened up his body at once, twisting his legs hard to change direction abruptly under the powerful inertia. Falling on the ground with his hands and legs all tied up, Wen Leyang shouted out in a hurry without even standing back up on his feet, "Fourth Grandpa, save Xiaoyi! Quick!"

With an ever so cold expression on his face, Fourth Elder Wen said emotionlessly, "What's there to panic about? Didn't Wen Tunhai tell you that after acknowledging its master, the Buddha's Light Bug will become telepathic with you and your friends and family become its friends and family as well?"

Wen Leyang climbed up to his feet, stunned, and took another look at Xiaoyi, who was now happily playing with the chubby Buddha's Light Bug on her arm.

The Buddha's Light Bug, with its barbs now softened and wrapped around its big, round stomach, was rolling around on the arm of Xiaoyi, which was as fair as a lotus root.

Seeing that Xiaoyi was unhurt, Wen Leyang let out a silent sigh in his heart and quickly plucked the bug up and said to Xiaoyi worriedly, "Be careful. It'll be disastrous to get hurt by it!"

He then came up to Fourth Elder Wen and stammered, "Fourth Grandpa, I'm not good at rearing this bug, I'll…I'll give it to you…" Growing up as an honest kid, the best things should always be reserved for the elders in Wen Leyang's mind, especially so with his families and friends. In fact, he was feeling reluctant to let go of the Buddha's Light Bug and the bug seemed to know of this and sadly lay on his palm motionless.

There was a trace of a smile deep in the eyes of Fourth Elder Wen that was so subtle it went unnoticed, "Boy, this bug is the coveted treasure to any poison refiner. Regardless if it manages to transform to the Buddha's Light Fly, as a larva, it has unlimited benefits in terms of prescription refining, self-defense and attracting other precious poisonous creatures. You just almost killed it, and now you want to give it away?"

Wen Leyang caressed the Buddha's Light Bug in his palm with a finger dearly and the fat bug immediately stuck out its head and rubbed against his fingertip with extreme intimacy, "I thought it was going to hurt Xiaoyi…and you're my elder. Well, I should…"

Fourth Elder Wen snorted, shook his sleeves, turned around and walked away, "What an insignificant bug, save it for yourself then! You can even name it if you like, this type of bug has extrasensory perception, it'll know through telepathy if you call out to it."

Overjoyed, Wen Leyang shouted to the back of Fourth Elder Wen, "Thank you very much, Fourth Grandpa!"

In return, Wen Leyang received a snort that was as cold as one that just came out from the freezer.

Rejoiced and curious, Xiaoyi got closer to Wen Leyang's palm and looked at the Buddha's Light Bug, "Wen Leyang, it's hot like a stove, can we just call it Stovey?"

Wen Leyang tapped on Xiaoyi's fine and upturned nose with his finger and replied, "No, I already have one in my mind, we'll name it You've Got Me !"

Frowning, Xiaoyi went, " You've Got Me ? What kind of odd name is this? It doesn't sound nice at all!"

"If I get into a fight with someone that I can't beat, I'll just yell out… You've Got Me! …" While explaining his reasoning behind the name, Wen Leyang played around with the Buddha's Light Bug and kept repeating its name, " You've Got Me, You've Got Me, You've Got Me …"

Xiaoyi, though simple-minded, was not a fool and she immediately pictured a scene where a smart, handsome guy like Wen Leyang, as if dancing, was caught up in a fight with an ugly and ferocious villain. Just when he seemed to be losing the match to the villain, he immediately shouted bitterly, "You've got me!" With the villain grinning hideously, a fiery red spirit insect shot out from the body of Wen Leyang like lightning… In the end, with the triumph of good over evil, the hero of the universe Wen Leyang leaned back and laughed out loud while lifting the spirit bug high into the air.

The Buddha's Light Bug indeed was in sync in mind with its master, upon hearing its new name – You've Got Me , it instantly lifted up its head and buzzed a few times to echo its master, making Wen Leyang and Xiaoyi laugh in joy.

You've Got Me crawled around the body of Wen Leyang for a while as if looking for a shelter. Xiaoyi then reminded him, "Don't move, don't you move! After acknowledging its master, the Buddha's Light Bug will then look for a place to stay on your body."

Wen Leyang thought for a while about the possible hiding place on his body for the bug and a terribly scary idea arose. Without uttering a word this time, he felt a sudden pain in his chest, followed by numbness and he quickly took off his shirt to have a look. " You've Got Me had squeezed into his chest forcefully and now looked like a dark red birthmark, with no trace of a gap between the bug and the chest when touched, as if it was a natural part of him.

Letting out a deep breath, Wen Leyang took out a carrot and started munching. "Luckily I'm a guy…" Without completing his sentence, he slapped his head hard, bent down to pick up the notebook of Wen Lazi and hurried off to find Fourth Elder Wen. He had suddenly recalled that he first heard about the ancestor's name of Wen Lazi from his First Uncle, who mentioned him when they were climbing up the mountain.

Fourth Elder Wen was sitting in his house with a surly expression as if thinking about something unpleasant. Upon seeing Wen Leyang walking in hastily with an ancient book in hand, a hint of subtle unease was observed on his face, thinking Wen Leyang must be here to ask about more unfamiliar words.

"Fourth Grandpa, this ancestor…" Wen Leyang obediently handed up the notebook and opened it to the page of Wen Lazi's cursing writing, thinking he should not be the only one who got scolded by their ancestor.

Fourth Elder Wen glanced lightly at the book then closed it and threw it back at Wen Leyang. "This ancestor was uncommonly gifted with an amazing endowment, passing the Major Examination at the age of thirteen, grasping The Faulty Punch within ten months and achieving mastery through an intensive study of the cultivation methods and experiences left by the ancestors after just four years. He was the very first person to do so in over two thousand years! He then left the mountains and traveled around. Having said that, the eccentric temperament of this ancestor is in contrary to the reclusive principle of the clan."

Fourth Elder Wen paused for a breath and closed his eyes as if to recollect the arrogance and willfulness of Wen Lazi, "It was during the troubled times when the Yuan and Ming Dynasty were at war and fights were happening all over the world. In Jianghu, the independent warlords strove for hegemony with four main sects fighting against each other. This ancestor of ours somehow went head on to challenge these people without a reason and defeated the Yin Yang Talisman of the Southern Palace in Jibei region, the Eccentric Escape of Duan Mu in the South of the Five Ridges region, the Art of Mechanism of the Ge's Clan in Shandong region and the Godly Thunder of the Sect of Bronze in Chenzhou region, all in just six years in his twenties! When people asked for a reason, he simply said that if he never tried, how would he know more about the Art of Poison?" Fourth Elder said with a rising pride.

Wen Leyang was enraptured by his ancestor's exploits and pushed on, "What happened next?" As expected, the disciples of an aristocratic family always got excited listening to the glorious deeds of their ancestors. A young man in his twenties who single-handedly defeated the four main noble families just for sake of training to test out his skills. Although he had found fault with others in the first place, such ability and pride were enough to stun the world and leave an amazing legacy.

"Next? He later returned to the mountain, left a Do Not Disturb note and went on with his closed-door cultivation while leaving behind a mess for the Head of Family to deal with. His doings had caused a lot of bloodshed in the Wen clan in the following few decades. Nonetheless, the four eccentric sects were gone eventually and our Wen clan is still standing tall at Nine Peaks Mountain! It's not until thirty years later that he came out from his cultivation." Knowing that the story had reached its climax, Wen Leyang pulled out a carrot but, not daring to eat in front of the Fourth Elder, he tightly clutched it in his hand with his eyes shining brightly with anticipation like onyx.

The wrinkles on the face of Fourth Elder contracted and with a strange expression, he continued, "Seeing that he had finally completed his cultivation, the family was overjoyed and thought there would be more glorious and stunning prescription of poison for the Wen, but who would have thought…do you know what he had been doing during the Closed Door Cultivation for the past few decades? He had been practicing the thirteen moves of The Faulty Punch!"

Wen Leyang's eyes widened in disbelief, "But didn't he master it in ten months?"

Nodding his head, Fourth Elder went, "Nevertheless, for the past three decades, this ancestor kept on practicing The Faulty Punch, merging all movement including eating, sleeping, defecation and scratching into The Faulty Punch. By the time he came out from cultivation, he'd forgotten how to walk or shake hands, with his whole body practicing The Faulty Punch all the time!"

In several decades, Wen Lazi had merged all the instinctive movements of the body into The Faulty Punch. He was laughing out loud when he came out from cultivation, mumbling nonsense that no one could understand and roared suddenly, "Not trying, how do we know if Heaven's Cultivation is not possible?" With that came the noise of muffled sound like popping beans all over his body, he was breaking his Meridian vessels inch by inch!

Disciples of Wen had been accumulating the toxins in their meridian vessels during the process of refining poison. Breaking his meridian vessels led to the explosion of the toxins which instantly burnt away his viscera.

Wen Lazi's body shook in a peculiar manner as if he was practicing the Faulty Punch. Alas, with a long sigh, he collapsed on the ground with his staring eyes left open and died with everlasting regret!

The life of Wen Lazi had been full of ups and downs, while the tone of Fourth Elder Wen's narration was ever so flat and cold; such a contrast created a strange and weird atmosphere within the house.

Taking another glance at the ancient book in Wen Leyang's hand, Fourth Elder Wen waved him off tiredly, "Just simply look through the notebook will do, don't ever take it seriously." With that, he turned around and closed his eyes.

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Chapter 9: Maniac

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wen Leyang walked out from the big house absent-mindedly while Xiaoyi came hopping around and took a bite of the carrot that she plucked from his slack hand, "What did Grandpa say?"

Shaking his head, Wen Leyang narrated the life story of Wen Lazi briefly to Xiaoyi. With the notebook of the ancestor in his hand, Wen Leyang proceeded to study it intensively. He had been reciting blindly in the past without looking through them carefully nor pondering the opinions in between lines.

Xiaoyi was also full of curiosity about this extraordinary ancestor and she stuck out her head which still held the fragrance of mountain flowers and studied intensively together with Wen Leyang.

For the next ten days, aside from eating and sleeping, Wen Leyang diligently studied Wen Lazi's notebook. The notebook was merely a flimsy booklet written sparsely with a Chinese brush and there was not much written in it. Wen Leyang was reciting wholeheartedly for the past half a year, with his mind so accustomed to reciting, he basically had all the content memorized unintentionally.

After going through the notebook numerous times, Wen Leyang finally lets out a long sigh and put the notebook down carefully. Turning sideways, Wen Leyang looked at Xiaoyi with a grin, "I've got it now."

Wen Xiaoyi stretched herself while twitching her lips, "I've got it a long time ago, what took you so long? This ancestor was a lot stronger than you, he had already made his name by your age now."

Dumbfounded, Wen Leyang explained, "I dare not compare myself to this ancestor! He passed the Major Examination at the age of thirteen and I nearly didn't make it to junior high school at the same age."

Wen Xiaoyi giggled.

Laughing along for a while, Wen Leyang continued, "The way I see it, ancestor Wen Lazi did not intend to go for the Closed Door Cultivation when he first returned home. He solely wanted to record down his experiences with the Art of Poison at first but changed his mind later on. He's a genius, endowed by nature with such unusual intelligence, who was so proud and arrogant to not fall into the same path like his predecessors; he was determined to obtain the insight of Heaven's Enlightenment through the Wen clan's Art of Poison."

Wen Leyang seemed to understand the mentality of Wen Lazi well. He was either too ambitious, reaching for what was beyond his grasp or had overestimated his own ability. The Art of Heaven's Cultivation was too much of an attraction for someone like Wen Lazi who made a name for himself when he single-handedly destroyed the four main families in Jianghu. To him, the other martial arts and cultivation methods in the world could no longer hold his interest. Moreover, with the Heaven's Cultivation background that was passed down verbally by the predecessors for generations, it was only normal for Wen Lazi to want a breakthrough in this.

Not limited to Wen Lazi, even Wen Leyang also had such a thought deep in his heart.

Shrugging her shoulders, Xiaoyi went, "It's not that easy." The Wen, Miao, and Luo had labeled themselves with cultivation methods that could achieve Heaven's Enlightenment. However, none of them had ever succeeded for so many years.

Wen Leyang shook his head with a smile, "That's why this ancestor of ours had cultivated himself to death." Feeling disrespectful to the ancestors after such a comment, he quickly worshipped to the heaven with his palms put together devoutly.

Xiaoyi followed suit and prayed for forgiveness to the ancestors before saying, "Unfortunately, the insight into the cultivation method that he came up with was too…frightening, to first break the meridian vessels, then re-gather the dispersed toxins with The Faulty Punch to forge the poisonous meridian vessels again. However, the moment the meridians break, one is as good as dead and the accumulated toxins will spread all over the body."

You've Got Me peeped out from Wen Leyang's chest and crawled out. It took a look at the two bored youngsters, hung around for a while before crawling back into its master's chest.

Nodding his head, Wen Leyang went, "That's why he spent a few decades just to make The Faulty Punch into his instincts, with the idea that when the meridian vessels break yet before the spreading of toxins into the body, he can nullify the toxins with The Faulty Punch. In fact, the so-called forging of the poisonous meridian vessels is actually refining the toxins directly into the veins, flesh, and skin. His idea was not all nonsense as meridian vessels are just a buffer. There's a limitation in terms of the poison's strength when the toxins are just accumulated in the meridian vessels. However, if the toxins are refined directly into the body and skin it'll be the real deal – the actual refining of poison into one's body…"

Wen Leyang pondered for a while as if searching for the right vocabulary, he then grudgingly said, "A saint's body!"

Xiaoyi waved her hands in front of a zoned-out Wen Leyang and tried to get his attention, "Hey, beware of Qi Deviation! I've read before saying that the cultivators of Heaven's Cultivation will have to start off with foundation establishment and imbuing your body with Qi to cultivate vitality and mentality."

Wen Leyang may have a humble personality but he was no fool, else he would not have passed the Major Examination of the Decade and instead would be learning mathematics with his two foolish uncles. Although the records in the notebook of Wen Lazi was not detailed, Wen Leyang was able to speculate accurately on the true intention of Wen Lazi after much deliberation.

Recovering from his own thinking, Wen Leyang smiled, "We cannot practice the Art of Poison this way because building a foundation on poison is as good as courting death. That's why ancestor Wen Lazi looked for a new path. The Daoist cultivators emphasize on cultivating from the inside whereas Wen Lazi did it the opposite way. If he really succeeded in gathering the toxins with The Faulty Punch after breaking his Meridian vessels and before the toxin outbreak corroded his body, who knows, he might have achieved the state of a saint's body!"

Xiaoyi became worried when she saw Wen Leyang's increasing interest in learning Wen Lazi's suicidal cultivation method so she shook her head and said solemnly, "That's incorrect! There are way too many paradoxical points with this method. Once the Meridians break, the toxins will immediately spread to the body with absolutely no time to regather the toxins with The Faulty Punch; once the Meridian vessels break, one will be so weak to even lift up a pair of chopsticks, not to mention practicing The Faulty Punch. Even someone like Wen Lazi who had merged The Faulty Punch to be one with his body was no match for the speed of the toxins that were spreading and corroding his body." Xiaoyi had belittled their ancestor out of desperation to prevent Wen Leyang from following Wen Lazi's suicide manual.

Wen Leyang nodded his head helplessly, but rose with hope again moments later, "What about people like me? I've very little toxin accumulated in the meridian vessels, so even if they were broken, the toxins in my meridian vessels will not kill me instantaneously. If I manage to practice The Faulty Punch, I might be able to re-gather the toxins in time for…"

Before he could even finish his sentence, an icy cold noise penetrated his eardrums. Unknowingly to the both of them, Fourth Elder was standing behind Wen Leyang with both his hands at the back, "Lunatic ravings! With your cultivation base right now, you can't even feel the existence of meridian vessels, much less to try to break them. By the time you've found the prescription that suits you, with enough power and skills to self-destroy the meridian vessels, the accumulated toxins in your meridian vessels will be enough to turn you into a puddle of rotten meat in an instant; if it's through external force, say I break your meridian vessels with a punch, your viscera will be completely mashed as well. Don't you ever mention the cultivation method left by ancestor Wen Lazi again!"

You've Got Me seemed unconvinced and climbed up to the shoulder of Wen Leyang. It hummed impudently at the old man before the shocked Wen Leyang hurriedly grabbed it in his palm.

It was at this moment that brisk but somewhat tumultuous footsteps were heard coming towards the direction of the Red Leaves Forest. Dozens of somber-looking men scurried into the woods, with every two persons carrying a rattan stretcher which was covered entirely by a thick black cloth. The leader was a middle-aged man of wretched appearance, thin and withered, with a thievish look that resembles a weasel which was sure to catch the attention of any anti-snatch theft police of at the train station.

Wen Leyang had been living in the Forest for half a year and had never seen anyone else enter the woods. After being stunned for a moment, he whispered to Xiaoyi, "Are these people from the Death Trademark?"

Xiaoyi knew something had happened as well and was hiding behind Wen Leyang with a pale face, "Yes, they left the Forest one month before you got here."

Emotionless as always, Fourth Elder Wen pointed those people towards his house.

The thievish looking man waved to his people behind him, "Move them in!"

The door was closed with a thud.

Half an hour later, the black wooden door creaked open again with Fourth Elder Wen's voice coming from the inside of the house, "Come in, Wen Leyang."

Not far away, Wen Leyang heard the call and quickly ran into the house. Upon crossing the threshold, a thick stench quickly enveloped his body through the nose, ears, eyes and even the three million and six thousand pores on his body.

Those strong men were standing still at a corner in the house while the stretchers were placed neatly on the floor with the thick black cloth removed revealing the human on the stretchers.

Apart from their head, the remaining parts of the corpses were all shriveled and caved in; the flesh, blood, and bones had all been completely removed, leaving behind a layer of translucent human skin.

The heads, on the other hand, other than being hairless, were all in one piece with a contented smiling expression, as if they were dreaming in their sleep.

Wen Leyang was slowly regulating his breathing, trying hard to suppress the horror of seeing the unearthly corpses and the odor that came from their innards. He then walked up to Fourth Elder Wen and bowed his head obediently, waiting for his instructions.

Without even looking at Wen Leyang and with a voice as cold as ever, Fourth Elder Wen said, "There is something that I have to take care of and I need to be away for a few days. When I'm not around, you'll be in charge of this place."

Taken aback, Wen Leyang wanted to object but dared not. He then hurriedly followed behind Fourth Grandpa and said, "There're…so many elders in this place…"Apart from the newly returned Death Trademark, there were close to a hundred of people in the Red Leaves Forest normally, taking care of the Birth Trademark, Life Trademark, and Sickness Trademark. However, Wen Leyang had only spoken to Xiaoyi and Fourth Elder in the past six months he was here.

Although The Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death belonged to the Wen, the atmosphere was entirely different from the Wen Village at the hillside, where everyone was from the same family and met each other on a daily basis, living harmoniously and lovingly. The people in the square, however, either did not know how to speak or disdained to speak and apart from Xiaoyi, no one else cared about him. Even if he greeted them joyously, they would just treat him like thin air, completely ignoring him. He even considered himself lucky that they did not just try to walk through his body.

"The Inner Disciple of the Wen is the master of The Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death. Naturally, you'll take charge when I'm not around." Hesitantly, Fourth Elder Wen picked up a Red Jade box the size of a lighter from the table and passed it to Wen Leyang, "Take care of this thing. If I don't return after three months, pass it on to your First Grandpa."

Having said that, Fourth Grandpa stood up and strode out of the house with the people from the Death Trademark following behind.

Wen Leyang carefully kept the Red Jade Box in his chest pocket and looked anxious and uneasy. Not knowing what to say, he followed behind those men. He had never seen such a thing before, seeing it was on the table of Fourth Elder just now, the people from the Death Trademark must have brought it back.

There was also a newspaper beneath the Red Jade Box that read – A mysterious ancient cave was discovered deep in Mount Emei . However, Wen Leyang did not get to read it in detail before running out from the house following Fourth Elder.

Fourth Elder Wen walked to the edge of the Forest and stopped abruptly, "Just now, inside the house, why didn't you use the Refreshing Breeze Powder?" Every disciple of Wen carries along with them Refreshing Breeze Powder to repel stench and to nourish one's lungs with a detoxifying effect.

Wen Leyang replied honestly, "I needed to remember that smell."

A rare trace of a smile was spotted on the face of Fourth Elder Wen as he continued walking while nodding his head with the people of the Death Trademark following closely behind.

"Go back now. Remember, if I don't return within the next three months, you're not allowed to leave the Forest, not even by half a step!" After this was said, he disappeared into the woods together with the others.

Fourth Grandpa was gone and he was now in charge of The Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death.

Wen Leyang tried saying loudly, "Hello!"

He was completely ignored but moments later, a pair of icy cold hands grabbed his arms from behind. Turning his head, Wen Leyang saw that a blanched-looking Xiaoyi who was barely able to stand, with her eyelids fluttering uncontrollably and a look of agony on her face.

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Chapter 10: The Head Of The Family

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wen Leyang yelled in shock as he quickly smeared some green powder on Xiaoyi's nostrils, followed by pushing a nullifying pill into her mouth. This pill had been the ancestral secret of the Wen to nullify hundreds of poisons, known as the Pill of a Hundred Antidote but it has rarely been used in the past decade.

The stench emitted by those weird bodies in the house was too much for an ordinary girl to withstand. The toxic odor had possibly leaked out from when he opened and shut the door earlier on. Wen Leyang and the people from the Death Trademark were, of course, immune to this toxin but Xiaoyi, who had never soaked in the medicinal potion and practiced the Art of Poison, could not handle the stench even if she only had a small whiff of it. Fortunately, she was not seriously poisoned.

Xiaoyi felt a cooling sensation from her nose, all the way to her heart and lungs. She shuddered as nausea and dizziness that she experienced earlier on had disappeared totally. She looked at Wen Leyang admirably, "That pill of yours tastes horrible!"

Pushing a carrot into her hands, Wen Leyang went, "Take a few bites to get the bitterness out of your mouth."

Wen Xiaoyi happily stuffed her mouth with the carrot, taking a bite with her straight, white teeth, "What was the horrendous smell earlier? What happened to have alarmed Grandpa?"

There were glimpses of gossip in her bright shining eyes that clearly spelled out the gossiping nature of women regardless of age.

Wen Leyang briefly explained the situation in the house to Xiaoyi, including how he was given the Red Jade Box. He then concluded, "I wonder if those bodies are the people of the Death Trademark. Those heads must be really heavy, else they wouldn't have needed two persons to carry them. It would be better for you to stay away from the main house unless you want to taste the antidote pill again. Fourth Grandpa didn't instruct me on what to do with those bodies and I can't handle them alone. What is the matter? If you don't feel like eating that, give it back to me." With that, he took the remaining half of the carrot away from Xiaoyi.

Not paying attention to him at all, Wen Xiaoyi frowned in her own deep thought, "If they use a spell called The Green Headed Widow, then the victim's body will be drained, left only with the hairless skull and a green scalp. However, the body will feel unusually heavy with a head weighing up to hundreds of pounds. It's the sorcery of the Seven Maidens Mountain."

Wen Leyang was shocked by this information as Wen Bucao and the Miao were of the same clan and origin, with both ferocious families standing strong for over two thousand years. If this really was the work of the Miao, whether it was Fourth Grandpa, the Death Trademark or the Wen, they were up against a really strong opponent this time around.

Wen Xiaoyi, on the other hand, was coolly ignorant. Staring at his tensed face, she giggled, "Don't be afraid, Wen Leyang. The surroundings of the Red Leaves Forest, as well as the mountain, were all planted with traps personally designed by Grandpa, whoever that messes around the Nine Peaks Mountain is as good as courting death!"

Wen Leyang shook his head with a wry smile and felt placated, there was no need to overthink on this at the present moment, he would only be worrying for nothing while munching on the carrot. He loitered around the Red Leaves Forest for a little while to get used to the feeling as the master of The Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death Place. Apart from Wen Xiaoyi who followed behind him diligently, no one else cared about him as usual. This young man eventually went back to the Birth Trademark awkwardly and carried on with his recitation.

There was nothing in the woods that required his attention while the others continued with their daily activities of being the living dead.

Two days later, Wen Leyang finally forgot about being the master of the square. As for the others, they never seemed to remember at all. It was the end of summer and the sky was getting dark earlier and earlier. Not too long ago there was a sunset glow at eight o'clock and now shortly after seven o'clock, the mountain was already covered in deep darkness.

Shortly after dinner, Wen Leyang let out a burp and took out a carrot. Resting lazily in a rattan chair, he was about to take a bite out of it when the two guys that were raised by beasts jumped up all of a sudden.

Startled, Wen Leyang lowered his carrot and went, "Do you guys want some too?"

Wen Xiaoyi also put down her chopsticks and admonished the two, "Old Wolf, Yuan! Sit down and eat!"

Both of them ignored Xiaoyi utterly, with Old Wolf carefully sniffing the air again and again while the grayish eyes of Yuan contracted into a sparkly thin line, scanning the surroundings in high alert.

Moments later, the two who were raised by the beasts wailed and howled at the same time before dashing out of the house like a fierce and malicious cheetah.

"Xiaoyi, stay in the house and don't come out!" With that, Wen Leyang stretched out his legs and ran out of the house, following behind the two closely.

The chaotic howling of beasts and the cawing of crows were heard from all around, surrounding the mountain from the ridge to the foot in tumultuous noise as though something had stirred up and alarmed all the birds and beasts!

A terrifying roar that sounded almost as loud as an autumn thunder broke the air from afar, subduing all the howling of the beasts and shook the hundreds of thousands of trees in the mountain, with the rustling sound of the leaves reverberating through the sky!

The two beast men were frightened by the roar and ran with their clothes fluttering in the air, looking like two bats out of hell. Yuan clambered up his usual tree in the blink of an eye and hid behind the leaves, not daring to move an inch. Old Wolf streaked into his small house and buried his head deep in the hay, revealing only his butt. Wen Leyang almost coughed out a stream of blood upon seeing the situation, not knowing to which of them he should direct his blood at.

Xiaoyi was not behaving as well as she followed them out of the house. Listening to the turmoil, Xiaoyi flushed and clutched tightly onto Wen Leyang's arm, "Are there enemies nearby?"

Wen Leyang covered Xiaoyi protectively with his back and smiled bitterly, "How could this be the enemy? It sounded more like a monster patrolling the mountain…"

There was no sign of any movement from the rest of the people in the square. All of them were safely inside their houses and not one dared to stick their head out.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, Wen Leyang yelled loudly, "Everybody out! Fourth Grandpa had said this earlier! When he's not around, I call the shots!"

"Hear ye!" Xiaoyi did her best to support Wen Leyang.

Finally, the others stepped out from the houses and looked him with their dull eyes, expressionless as usual. Despite the alarming situation, one would have expected them to have a reaction that befits the ambiance.

Not wasting any more effort, Wen Leyang went straight to the point, "The situation is exceptionally strange, and everybody should patrol the woods together with me to prevent the enemy…"

He was interrupted before he could finish his sentence by one of the old folk from the Life Trademark who said with a wavering voice, "I watch over the bodies in the daytime and at night, I only sleep."

The old folk was Wen Shulin, an old man in the Life Trademark who dealt with corpses all day long until he began to resemble one himself. If he lay down by the roadside, he would definitely be given a burial by any kind-hearted passerby.

The others also voiced out their opinions.

"I'm only in charge of the cleanliness of the house."

"I'm only in charge of copying the prescriptions."

"I'm only in charge of rearranging the books."

Wen Leyang was furious and a grinned fiercely, staring with hard eyes at this sullen group of uncaring people who've clearly stated that it was none of their business. "Fourth Grandpa has left the Forest. The Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death is the most important place for the Wen clan. We can never allow a stranger to simply enter this place! Although the surrounding woods had been personally laid with poisonous traps by Grandpa, but…"

Shrugging his shoulders, Wen Shulin elaborated, "It's not that we don't care, we just have no abilities as we're all normal people."

Wen Xiaoyi tugged on his clothes a few times, "They're like me, not knowing the Art of Poison and Martial Art, only the people from the Death Trademark know Martial Art."

Though Wen Leyang was still learning about things related to The Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death, he was being patient and had never asked about the others in the square. He had assumed Xiaoyi would share that information with him eventually. But he would never have guessed that the old people, whom he assumed to have great talents, were in fact just ordinary people after all.

Dumbfounded, Wen Leyang asked, "What if we were attacked?"

All eyes and fingers pointed towards Wen Leyang simultaneously, "Then you go!"

Deciding on the best course of action, Wen Leyang instructed them to put out the lamps, plunging the square into pitch blackness. The sky was also covered by thick, dark clouds which turned the clear starry night into total darkness.

Not long later, a glimmer of green light could be seen rising up slowly from the south. It floated in the air leisurely before gliding towards the Red Leaves Forest.

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Chapter 11: The Prohibition Spell

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"That's a Spirit Guiding Light!"

Wen Xiaoyi squinted her large, elegant eyes and stared at the sweep of strange green glow in the sky.

Wen Leyang asked "What is a Spirit Guiding Light?" as he retrieved two carrots from his pocket, giving one to Wen Xiaoyi.

Wen Xiaoyi pointed the carrot upwards and stomped her feet in irritation as she said, "How could you not know what a Spirit Guiding Light is? The people of Crow Ridge use them to lead the corpses to their destination. While grandfather is dealing with the Miao Clan of Seven Maidens Mountain, the people from Crow Ridge have seized the opportunity to sneak up on us! What should we do?! The villagers of Crow Ridge raise, refine and control dead corpses. Their practice is not based on any magic arts passed down from the mountain ancestors nor the martial art practice from the Tuo Xie Sect. Instead, it is a strange dark art passed down from oblique stone inscriptions. It is one of the evilest forms of dark arts in the world!"

"But…" Wen Xiaoyi paused in her speech and gazed upon the dark clouds in the sky while a cute little question mark formed in the wrinkle between her eyebrows as she asked, "How could the people of Crow Ridge dare to release the Spirit Guiding Lights at this moment?"

Wen Leyang remained calm and composed while munching on his carrot and said, "If they are capable of coming here, what else would they not dare to do?"

Wen Xiaoyi twitched her lips and muttered under her breath 'he's so ignorant'. She then continued her explanation, "The Spirit Guiding Light of Crow Ridge is similar to the legendary venomous insect called the Ben Ming of the Miao Clan. They take a lot of effort to release and the Spirit Guiding Light is most afraid of rainwater. Once the light is extinguished the resulting backlash will cause severe injuries to the person who released the light."

Wen Leyang laughed and thought, one should not fly a kite in the rain.

Wen Xiaoyi looked at him with slight astonishment, she was amazed that he could still laugh in this situation.

Wen Leyang had transformed from the anxious and terrified person from before into a calm and collected mood, munching on his carrot while wearing a reserved yet modest smile on his face.

"Do you have a plan to deal with them?" Asked Xiaoyi anxiously.

Upon hearing this question, Wen Leyang pressed his lips together and gave a forced smile while saying, "We can neither run nor hide, so what's there to be afraid of?" After saying that his regained his solemn expression and said, "You should go back and hide in the house. Don't come out unless you hear me calling for you."

Wen Xiaoyi firmly shook her head and disagreed, "It's safer for me to follow by your side!"

There was a squeaking sound and the old man, Wen Shulin, tottered out with hasty steps. He carried a long cylindrical package wrapped in a cloth and said, "This is for you. It may come in useful!" He stuffed the cloth-wrapped bundle into Wen Xiaoyi's hands and rapidly retreated back into his home.

Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi unwrapped the bundle and opened the package with anticipation. Inside was a rusty blunderbuss with a flared muzzle. There were a few small leather pouches tied to its barrel and each contained iron pellets, gunpowder, flint, and rock. The firearm was extremely antiquated and one could trace its time of production back to the late Qing Dynasty. This meant that it was difficult to operate and had a very short range. This ancient weapon would come in handy if one were frustrated after being defeated in a ping pong match but if it were a tennis match then this firearm would be of no use unless the opponent preferred to play near the net.

Wen Xiaoyi was smart and it did not take long before she figured out how to use the blunderbuss. She first loaded a few iron pellets and gunpowder into the muzzle before removing the paper from the barrel. She then hit the flint on the rock several times to ignite a spark, after which she pointed the muzzle of the blunderbuss towards the sky while muttering: "I am not sure if this is…" Boom! With a bang, a clump of black smoke erupted from the muzzle and Xiaoyi was so petrified that she spun in circles.

One can say that older things were made with better quality as this antique blunderbuss was still usable despite how ancient it was.

The Spirit Guiding Light glimmered with a brilliant green light and stood out from the dark sea of the night sky. In a short period of time, it had already floated all the way to the sky above the Red Leaves Forest.

Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi faced the direction of the Spirit Guiding Light. He then turned and instructed Wen Xiaoyi in a hushed tone, "Please help me load the blunderbuss!" They can now see that The Spirit Guiding Light was a green colored lantern as it floated serenely about 20 meters above them.

Wen Xiaoyi easily reloaded the iron pellets, filled up the gunpowder and extracted the paper with dexterous and agile movements. She then handed the loaded weapon to Wen Leyang saying, "The light is too high, I'm afraid you may not be able to hit it."

"I shall at least give it a try!" said Wen Leyang as he carefully aimed the blunderbuss. While doing so he noticed that the blunderbuss did not have a sight bead. He thought that he had indeed never seen a gun with a flared muzzle that came with a sight bead.

A loud bang was heard, followed by a veil of thick black smoke in the air. All of a sudden a pained and shrill howl came from mid-air a shadowy human figure slammed heavily into the ground. Wen Leyang shoved Wen Xiaoyi behind him as he shuffled backwards. He tossed the firearm aside and hooked both of his index fingers slightly into his sleeves, picking up a smear of poison. The rattling sound of the distinctive Wen family's finger snapping was heard, which to common people sounded as loud as the roaring laughter of the grim reaper.

Yuan the beast boy crouched on the ground piteously while covering his buttocks which were riddled with a thousand gaping wounds. He glared bitterly at the two then ran away limping.

Wen Leyang sighed apologetically as he looked towards the sight of Yuan limping and hobbling away. He exclaimed, "That blunderbuss, once fired it covers a wide range…" The Spirit Guiding Light was unharmed and remained suspended in mid-air, the green flame appearing to burn more enchantingly over time.

The stuffy air now carried a putrid smell. An indistinct dull noise could be heard reverberating from the foot of the mountain where the Red Leaves Forest is located.

Wen Xiaoyi ran back and picked up the blunderbuss. Compared to Wen Leyang, she seemed to have more confidence in handling the big-muzzled weapon and declared, "The evil corpses shall not enter the forest. It seems that Grandpa's prohibition spell is effective not only towards the living."

Though the three families of Wen, Miao, and Luo did not have any direct conflict in their two thousand years of existence, they had always thought of one another as the enemy. Therefore the prohibition spell set up by Fourth Elder Wen at the border of the forest also dealt with the undead.

Wave upon wave of putrid wind blew through the mountains and the rank stench flowed thickly through the Red Leaves Forest. From afar, a thick strand of a black-colored thread-like object could suddenly be seen weaving through the lush forest beneath the mountain. A row of trees shuddered and no more than ten minutes later a black giant serpent slithered from the foot of the mountain towards the Forest. The body of the snake was bigger than the biggest millstone and as it glided along, shrubs and slender trees would be crushed into splinters by its gigantic body.

Thousands of violet arcs swept across the dark clouds and soon after the whole sky was lacerated by lightning akin to the pattern of a leaf vein. The dull growl of thunder followed and combined with the crashing sound of the giant serpent moving through the forest, it caused a huge explosion of sound in the once-still forest.

A storm was about to strike!

Wen Leyang had never before seen a serpent this massive in his life. It could be estimated that if a person were to walk upright into the snake's stomach they would have passed its throat with ease without causing the snake to choke. Wen Xiaoyi uttered, "Good gracious!" Panic-stricken, she unintentionally aimed the blunderbuss at Wen Leyang's head while asking "How did the Luo family learn to summon a giant snake?"

Wen Leyang hastily jumped aside, for even if the blunderbuss had limited range, it would still be able to damage him if it had misfired from this distance.

The thing that they found most surprising was that such a gigantic serpent was hiding in their backyard, as any regular meat processing factory could only generate enough food to feed it for no more than three days.

As the huge serpent glided into the Red Leaves Forest, the surrounding trees abruptly shivered as a multitude of red leaves started dropping from their branches. In the blink of an eye, thousands upon thousands of red leaves rained towards the ground until it enveloped the air, blocked the sight and suffocated the breath.

Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi were stunned by the unexpected beauty of the scene.

Both beauty and devastation were separated only by a leaf.

A red leaf spun in mid-air, as if it was trying to turn over and gaze at the branch it had previously been growing on, before falling and converging into a scarlet curtain a few hundred miles long. Every single leaf seemed to know where to fall, and they enveloped the body of the giant snake in a red tide. Each time a red leaf touched its body, the giant serpent would shudder in agony and screech valiantly. It was obviously struggling with all its might.

Before long, the tens of meters long giant serpent was entirely covered in a layer of red leaves, leaving only its head and eyes visible. A thick black fluid began gushing out of the serpent's body, dribbling between the gaps in the leaves as wisps of gray smoke rose continuously from the serpent.

A powerful corrosive poison was stored within these red leaves; not only was this form of assault effective against a giant snake, even a Transformer who entered the forest would be melted into a metal lump.

Wen Leyang goggled with excitement at this protective measure. These trees were only a species of a red camphor tree. Even if Fourth Elder Wen were to have nothing to do, it would be impossible for him to paint the poison onto each individual leaf. As the leaves would wilt every winter, this task would have been insurmountable. Therefore he concluded that the poison must have been infused through the root of the tree.

Wen Xiaoyi too was beaming with joy as she explained to him proudly, "Grandfather told me that this particular poison prescription is known as the –Ten Yards of Prosperous Cities ."

The name of the poison signified that Fourth Elder Wen was an avid reader of classical romanticism literature and that his taste in conjuring ideas was much more delicate than the wrinkles on his face.

The huge serpent continued to struggle futilely and each time it shuddered, big chunks of gray-white flesh would peel off its body. It whipped about and made a hair-raising screeching sound.

The Ten Yards of Prosperous Cities was extremely poisonous towards living and dead beings. It will take only an instant for the poison within the Red Leaves Forest to corrode a trespasser into a pool of black fluid. However, Fourth Elder Wen had obviously not expected the intruder to be of such a gigantic size. Despite being corroded with hundreds upon thousands of gaping holes all over its body, the giant serpent was still moving.

The giant serpent, in its agony, completely disregarded both Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi as it raised its head towards the Spirit Guiding Light. It seemed to realize that it was on the verge of deteriorating beyond its limits and it leaped up abruptly! With its body covered by millions of red leaves, it looked like a wrathful red dragon.

However, the giant serpent's body had been thoroughly corroded and it turned rigid halfway through its jump, causing it to drop heavily from the air. Underneath the scarlet covering of red leaves, the serpent's body was full of holes, with some as big as a wash basin. Even if it were a train it would have been dead by now.

Lightning intertwined in the sky, illuminating the scene for a split second.

The giant serpent's body crashed onto the ground and broke apart into a million pieces. Fragments of scale and chunks of flesh were splattered all over the Red Leaves Forest.

Wen Leyang released a long relieved sigh and muttered, "Ten Yards of Prosperous Cities!" He grabbed a carrot from his chest pocket, snapping it in two and passing half of it to Wen Xiaoyi. Despite the release of the red leaf rain, numerous red leaves could still be seen on the tree branches. There were more than enough to still take on a few giant serpents.

Wen Xiaoyi swung the big-muzzled weapon over her shoulder and grabbed the carrot but Wen Leyang would not let go of his hold. He was looking intensely at the giant serpent's head, something about it seemed to have completely captivated him…

The giant serpent had made a grand entrance with a powerful presence, followed immediately by the rain of red leaves that had sent it tossing and tumbling. The storm that had split the night sky with lightning and thunder also seemed to have calmed down after the serpent was killed and it was now absolutely silent. Wen Leyang finally realized that something was not right with the giant serpent.

It had no eyes…

Within the eye sockets as big as teacups there were no eyeballs, only a pair of deep black caves where its eyes should be while terrified maggots wriggled their plump bodies, trying with all their might to crawl out of the giant serpent's eye sockets.

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Chapter 12: The Yin Chi

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wen Xiaoyi's eyesight was much weaker than Wen Leyang's as he enhanced his eyesight by rinsing his carrot snack in mildly poisoned medicinal wine. She squinted her huge eyes for a long time before she could comprehend that those creatures resembling white flowers were actually maggots! She cried out fearfully and without needing to think twice, she raised the blunderbuss and fired at the snake's head.

A blast of iron pellets hit the head and turned it into a pulp.

An astounded Wen Leyang exclaimed hoarsely, "How is this possible?" The blunderbuss had limited destructive power, as evidenced by the shot fired on Yuan's buttocks earlier which only left him with minor wounds. Yet the formerly rock-solid giant snake's head in front of his eyes looked like a piece of bean curd that had been shot from afar into a mushy splatter.

The Spirit Guiding Light still hung in the night sky while the maggots in the empty eye sockets and the snake's head had decayed beyond recognition.

Wen Leyang took a bite of the carrot and laughed in a sudden revelation, "The snake was already dead! The Spirit Guiding Light of Crow Ridge was even capable of enchanting a giant snake's corpse, Wen Xiao…eh?" He turned his head around but he could not see Wen Xiaoyi.

The little girl lay flat on the ground with her eyes and mouth askew as she held the big-muzzled weapon horizontally across her body. The weapon may have a limited range of fire but its recoil was still significant enough to knock her off her feet.

Wen Leyang quickly helped her up. Wen Xiaoyi's face was ashen as she held her chest with her little hands and shakily said, "This blunderbuss, there is a lot of difference between shooting it straight and shooting from another angle." She had fallen hard and the back of her head had suffered a direct hit on the ground.

Wen Leyang pointed the half-eaten carrot in his hands at the Spirit Guiding Light, then towards the shattered giant serpent's corpse on the ground and exclaimed, "The people from the outside are using the Spirit Guiding Light to draw this giant serpent's corpse into the forest. Fortunately, Fourth Elder Wen's Ten Yards of Prosperous Cities poison was able to counter it. However…"

Wen Xiaoyi had studied almost all of the books at the Life Trademark and therefore had a stronger theoretical foundation compared to Wen Leyang. She was able to understand the situation more profoundly and shook her head before saying, "The people from Crow Ridge are not evil spirits. They practice spirit guiding with a unique approach; they can only control and manipulate corpses under specific conditions and this only works for human corpses. If they could control any corpses including both humans and animals, the entire earth's population would have soon adopted the family name of 'Luo'." She had only learned the word and concept of 'earth' after meeting Wen Leyang.

Wen Leyang's eyes appeared unusually bright in contrast to the pitch-black night sky as he said, "You know, it would be impossible for such a gigantic corpse to crawl all the way from Crow Ridge to Nine Peaks Mountain without anyone noticing. It would have made the top news for today's episode of 'Good Morning America' for sure. This means that the Luo did not resurrect the corpse at Crow Ridge and lead it here using the Spirit Guiding Light, instead the snake must have been…dead at Nine Peaks Mountain since the beginning." A snake that could grow this gigantic, regardless of what species it was, would surely be blessed with great wisdom and perceptiveness. It would not be unusual for a dying snake to seek out an untouched cave filled with terrestrial Yin forces when approaching its death.

Wen Leyang may not be as astute in Chinese Martial Arts as the naturally talented seniors of his village but that does not mean he was of low intelligence. In comparison, he was much smarter in his own way. As the saying goes, a person who was lacking in intention could never accomplish anything remarkable, yet with the exceptional incident that had just occurred, one can discover many ways of overcoming it through careful and attentive consideration.

Lost in thought, Wen Leyang munched on his crunchy carrot and muttered, "If the Luo cannot control dead snakes, then how would this giant serpent that has died god-knows-how-many-years ago end up here?"

"It crawled its way from over there." Xiaoyi had yet to realize how uninformative her answer was.

Wen Leyang shook his head in all seriousness and asked, "Well if the Spirit Guiding Light was not used for guiding the snake, what was it used for then?"

Half of Wen Xiaoyi's brain cells were responsible for the memorization of those ancient books she had read. The half was responsible for the caretaking of Fourth Elder Wen and a few other people's daily lives. Now a few of those cells had been redistributed to study about the earth, rockets, and carrots, so she had no interest in deriving a logical explanation for the situation at hand. This was clearly shown by her impatient expression and voice as she said, "Perhaps the Luo of Crow Ridge had figured out a method to draw out dead snakes, we should just wait for grandfather's return to inquire him about it. It looks like it will rain soon, we should get inside the house quickly! As long as grandfather'sTen Yards of Prosperous Cities is here, I bet nobody will dare to enter the forest!"

Wen Leyang could not figure out a logical explanation either and he could only nod his head in agreement, "I will have to cover up the snake's head to prevent it from getting wet and await Fourth Elder Wen's return…hey!" His speech was left hanging as he stared at the giant snake's skull that was the size of a minivan on the ground.

A little snake with pure black scales and white pupils, roughly the length of a foot, was slowly slithering out of the giant serpent's mouth. On the little snake's back grew two hideous symmetrical tumors that at first glance looked like a pair of deformed wings.

Dark clouds filled the sky as the stuffy air weighed down heavily upon the Red Leaves Forest. Finally, the breaking point came and an ear-piercing crack followed an exploding arc of lightning akin to a sharp-edged razor that split the sky and the heavens opened up into a torrential downpour!

During the flash of the lightning, We Leyang was astounded to see clearly that the little black snake also had no eyes. The place where its eyes should be was solely dotted by two milky white scales.

The little snake extended its body under the heavy rain. It stretched itself lazily before it perked its body upright and swayed its little head in all four directions as if it was searching for something.

The Spirit Guiding Light which had been floating in midair was extinguished by the heavy rain. As the light died, a bloodcurdling shriek was heard from outside the forest and Wen Leyang muttered in his heart, "Serves you right for flying a kite on a rainy day!"

Throughout all this, not a sound came from Wen Xiaoyi who had been so anxious to return to the house before the rain. Wen Leyang, puzzled, turned to face her and saw that her face was pale with fright as she stared with unprecedented dread at the little black snake. Whether this was due to the cold from the rain or fear, the little girl's neat pearly-white teeth were chattering slightly as she warned Wen Leyang in a hushed tone, "Do not move at all!"

Wen Leyang did not move but the Red Leaves Forest moved instead.

The entire forest contracted aggressively and trembled in suppression for a short while before exploding with a boom louder than divine thunder as every single red leaf fell from its branch in the blink of an eye!

The leaves did not glide or flutter down. Instead, each leaf howled shrilly and spiraled towards the little black snake from every direction! The spinning red leaves left millions of scarlet impressions in the cascading downpour and dazzled Wen Leyang's eyes with its unearthly glow.

All the remaining red camphor leaves of the Red Leaves Forest had simultaneously erupted in an earth-shattering momentum filled with murderous force as it attacked the eyeless black snake. It was no longer the Ten Yards of Prosperous Cities poison, this effect was derived from the poison calledFeast for the Eyes of Fawn Lily's Purgatory !

Unknown to Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi, deep within the Wen clan's place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death, the Red Leaves Forest had been cultivated through the painstaking effort of their ancestors. Though the Red Leaves Forest was made up of innumerable species of plants, it had been imbued with a murderous force of unknown origin and is a standing prohibition spell guarding the place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death against external forces.

Fourth Elder Wen, according to his own preference, had selected a single type of poison to add to the leaves.

One can say that The Red Leaves Forest was akin to a dish of fish with the previous elders of the village as the chefs. Based on each chef's customs and temperament, they added different types of ingredients in the process of cooking the fish, however regardless of how it was cooked in the end, it would still be a fish, and not cooked into a carrot.

The extremely cruel and merciless elders of the place would add corrosive poison to the trees with no regard to its effects. An intoxicated person who wandered into the forest could only watch helplessly as he was turned into a puddle of rotten flesh and die an agonized death. The more virtuous and sincere elders would add some form of strong anesthesia, such that it would numb the body of the invader thoroughly, before being surrendered to the people of the Death Trademark to be decapitated.

As the Red Leaves Forest commenced its thunderous attack, Wen Xiaoyi pulled Wen Leyang along as she held tightly to the big-muzzled blunderbuss on her other hand. There was no time to think and they ran quickly to the nearest house.

We Leyang was not a fool and he noticed that the attack from the Red Leaves Forest was far more intense than the one before. He shielded their backs as they ran, alert for any other signs of danger. They finally reached the house and pushed open the wooden door.

The moment they stepped inside, a stream of frigid air blew upon their faces, forming a layer of white frost on their drenched clothes and hair immediately. 'You've Got Me' had been curled up in Wen Leyang's chest and as it was a bug of the celestial Yang force, it disliked the bitter cold thoroughly and wriggled its plump body with discontent. Wen Leyang patted his chest a few times to pacify the bug before suddenly muttering, "Oh dear!" as he realized where he was. He immediately knelt to the ground facing the dark corner of the room and kowtowed repeatedly while saying, "I am sorry for disturbing your rest, my ancestor!"

The house faced towards the South where the Life Trademark was. Situated within was a row of rooms each displaying a Wen family ancestor's preserved corpse. This particular ancestor appeared to be an old man of serene expression and he laid quietly on the bed. It looked almost as if he was asleep and other than the slight dryness of his skin, he appeared no different than any other living man.

This was the Life Trademark and Fourth Elder Wen had instructed Wen Leyang that he was forbidden to enter it. Yet amidst the fear and confusion he ended up following Wen Xiaoyi into the house and by now it was too late for them to leave.

The four corners of the room were piled high with clumps of light grey-colored vegetation and Wen Leyang recognized that these were a type of algae procured from within the great depths of the Qinghai Lake. It was known as the Iced Core Algae and as it bloomed it releases a piercing cold draught at any time of the day. The caretakers of the Life Trademark would replace the algae intermittently into the rooms containing corpses to keep them fresh, while during the warmest days in the summer Wen Xiaoyi too had snuck a few algae pieces and placed them into Wen Leyang's room.

Wen Xiaoyi followed suit as she knelt on the ground and gave a few clumsy kowtows. Only after paying their respects to the dead did the two of them stand up and peered cautiously at the situation outside through the crack in the door.

The red leaves had continued to surge and shoot through the forest, shattering through the dense rainwater.

However, the little snake did not seem alarmed and was slowly slithering through the path of razor-sharp icy-cold red leaves as if nothing had occurred. It undulated lazily as it moved yet managed to avoid the speedy cut of the red leaves.

Regardless of the direction of its movement, the two white scales on its forehead were fixated on the mansion in which Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi were hiding.

The red leaves were fast, akin to an arrowhead being fired from a bow; the little snake was slow, akin to a snail moving house (Author's note – Please forgive my analogies).

The contrast between the quickness of the leaves and the slow-moving snake was obvious and split the entire space into two halves. It was as if the rain of red leaves and the little snake was in their own space and could not influence each other's movements and existence.

The red leaves dashed about and embedded themselves deeply into the soil while the little snake remained untouched as it slithered slowly along, paying no attention to anything else.

Wen Leyang looked at Wen Xiaoyi in astonishment, "What is going on over here?"

"Have you ever heard of the Yin Chi?"

Wen Leyang shook his head as he sweated from embarrassment for his poor understanding of the theoretical foundation.

Wen Xiaoyi realized that she had asked a silly question. She shivered and held her arms tight around her body as the room was freezing cold. Wen Leyang extended his arms and cradled the little girl against his chest. This young lad's chest may not be the broadest, yet it was warm enough…and also because there was a mini furnace known as 'You've Got Me' on it.

Wen Xiaoyi settled down into a comfortable position while peering at the ongoing situation outside the door crack. She then explained, "A bed of green pines it pinned, as dark as ink it sinned. A crime waiting to be cleansed, an eternity of life as the undead. Eyes without sight, with wings without flight. For being the dragon untamed, the Yin Chi it was named."

After a moment's silence, Wen Leyang said only these words, "That's such a profound philosophy."

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Chapter 13: The Ancestor

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wen Xiaoyi chuckled slyly as she turned and looked at Wen Leyang and proudly explained, "It was said that this creature slaughtered every living being and perpetrated every conceivable evil in the world; the sins it committed turned the sea as black as ink. The Gods then descended from heavens and decreed that instead of killing it, its punishment would be as such: to be given eyes but be blind as a mole, to be given wings that are so deformed that it could not fly. It had been a ferocious dragon but it abused its time on the earth so in the end, it was reduced to the form of a little black snake called the Yin Chi.

Wen Xiaoyi paused for a moment and looked outside to where the Yin Chi was still intertwining amongst the red leaves. As it seemed preoccupied and did not appear to be a threat at the moment she continued her explanation, "It was said that the Yin Chi was God's punishment towards the maniacal dragons. It was supposed to be a legend as grandfather once said there were no dragons in the world, yet the record said that…"

Wen Leyang quickly reminded her, "That was groundless talk!"

Wen Xiaoyi continued her explanation, "This creature is cunning in temperament; its favorite hiding ground is within a corpse where it could exercise control over the corpse. It was said that the smaller the size of the creature the more formidable it was. I read in the book that the smallest living Yin Chi ever recorded was at least a foot and a half long. The one here looked so small it surely must be even more dreadful."

Wen Leyang forced a smile on his face as he thought that creature must be dreadful indeed if it was capable of initiating the complete prohibition spell of the Red Leaves Forest.

Wen Xiaoyi grabbed both of Wen Leyang's arms and cocooned herself in his embrace. She stared out of the crack in the door with wide, unblinking eyes and chuckled, "The Yin Chi is dying!"

The prohibition spell was nearing the end of its operation. The Red Leaves Forest gave a deep howl while the red leaves covering the sky as well as the ground surged and shot towards the Yin Chi. It had lost its earlier calm as its body continued to be struck ceaselessly by the leaves. The red leaves that managed to hit the creature immediately turned black and wilted but the Yin Chi appeared to require more and more effort to keep moving. However the pair of white scales where its eyes should be remained fixed on the house where Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi were hiding.

Wen Xiaoyi leaped up, grabbed the blunderbuss and started loading gunpowder into the muzzle while saying, "Wait for it to come over then I will help to shoot it, I will be damned if it does not die then!"

Wen Leyang smiled wryly while he shook his head, "The blunderbuss had just been rained on, it probably would not fire… watch out!"

Wen Leyang suddenly cried out in alarm and flailed his limbs around, resembling a weird-looking bird as he clumsily threw his body over Wen Xiaoyi!

The Wen Ancestor's body had quietly stood up from the plank bed and was now tottering towards Wen Xiaoyi's back!

Wen Xiaoyi had landed on the ground with a muffled 'ouch!' and it was only when she looked up that she noticed the eerie situation behind her. Horrified to the brink of death she screamed: "Is that… a zombie?!" Unable to comprehend the horrifying scene she ducked her head into Wen Leyang's chest and called out to You've Got Me . Noticing that its territory was being invaded by a terrified and delicate small living thing, the bug came out of its resting place and curiously approached the girl.

The Wen Ancestor paid no heed to the two teenagers that had curled up on the floor at the door. Instead, it walked slowly and rigidly towards the doorway, pulled open the squeaky door and stepped outside.

Wen Leyang hurriedly pulled Wen Xiaoyi up and quickly followed the ancestor's corpse out the door.

The prohibition spell raged on as before with red leaves piled in scarlet drifts upon the ground while the bare branches of the trees were silhouetted against the night sky, turning the once lush forest into a desolate land that depressed and suffocated the mind of those who saw it.

The Yin Chi lay flat on the ground and seemed to have lost all its energy. But it gaped its mouth as it looked at the Wen Ancestor who was walking unsteadily towards it. Wen Leyang's hairs on his skin lifted up into goosebumps as he witnessed the snake draw back the corners of its mouth like a grin.

Could a snake smile? Wen Leyang wondered.

While Wen Leyang cautiously followed behind the ancestor's corpse he shouted as loudly as he could to Wen Shulin, the old man who was in charge of the Life Trademark.

It was absolute chaos in the Forest yet within the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death no one other than Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi had come out to peek at the situation. One could not tell if the other caretakers were hiding under their beds or sleeping soundly.

Wen Shulin draped himself with a raincoat and trembled with fear as he flashed his torch outside his door while taking a peek. All of a sudden he shrieked, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed onto the floor.

Wen Leyang leaped to the old man's side and scattered Refreshing Heart Powder which was comprised of ethyl xanthogenate disulfide into Wen Shulin's nostrils. The old man sneezed hard, opened his eyes and said, "Your eighth generation ancestor…"

"Why are you insulting me?" Asked Wen Leyang.

Wen Shulin looked at Wen Leyang helplessly and said, "That was the grandfather of Fourth Elder Wen's grandfather's grandfather who's been turned into a zombie. That is impossible…" Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes rolled backwards as he fainted again.

Wen Leyang did the calculations in his head a few times and sure enough, that was his eighth generation ancestor.

Thump!

A soft clatter was heard.

Wen Xiaoyi swung the blunderbuss, cocked the gun and gave the trigger a squeeze but nothing happened. She yelled, "It's too wet to fire!"

Wen Leyang was so shocked that he almost fainted on top of with the old man. He pushed Wen Shulin off his lap and ran towards the little girl and yelled, "You shall not fire at the eighth generation ancestor!"

Wen Xiaoyi was anxious and infuriated as well; she pointed the blunderbuss at the Yin Chi and protested, "Don't you dare chastise me! I was aiming at the Yin Chi, that thing is turning into a spirit, such that it can control and manipulate your ancestor's corpse now!"

The Yin Chi raised its head with a great effort and hissed in a low sibilant tone. The Eighth Generation Ancestor's corpse closed its eyes and listened to it with its head cocked sideways. He then walked step-by-step hesitantly towards the direction of the sound made by the little snake.

Wen Xiaoyi held the blunderbuss in reverse and readied herself to jump towards it, exclaiming, "Do not let the both of them touch, quick, use this to pound it to death…"

Wen Leyang reached out his arm and grabbed the blunderbuss away from Wen Xiaoyi's hands, then yelled with all his might as he used all his strength to pound the stock of the blunderbuss onto the Yin Chi. Then, abiding by the order of seniority, he rescued the Eighth Generation Ancestor's body away from the snake followed by Wen Shulin. He also acted according to the order of seniority as he would not allow Wen Xiaoyi to attack the snake as he was the older one.

The Yin Chi looked upon the huge stock of the blunderbuss that was being used to bludgeon it relentlessly. It tried to dodge the strikes but there wasn't an ounce of strength left in its body.

"Thud!" Came the sound of a muffled blow.

The stock of the blunderbuss broke into a million pieces and scattered in all directions as the impact of the pounding strike drove the little black snake deep into the soil; only its tiny black head could be seen above the ground, writhing in agony.

Meanwhile, black smoke rose and filled the air. Wen Leyang lay in a pool of his blood, the right side of his body was embedded with countless iron pellets and gushes of fresh red blood poured out, which was immediately washed away by the cold rain. The blunderbuss had misfired.

"Don't ever aim the muzzle at yourself." Wen Leyang had forgotten from where he had heard this well-known saying, it was probably said by some handsome man in a movie. Unfortunately, this clichéd prophecy had its moment of truth.

Wen Xiaoyi bawled like a child and dropped to her knees on the ground, She hesitated a moment, restrained her sobs and stretched out her arm to touch him. Wen Leyang jerked unexpectedly and said through gritted teeth as he shook his head, "Don't touch… my entire body is covered in… poison."

Wen Xiaoyi let out a loud wail and bawled all over again, clenching her teeth and speaking incoherently as she shook her head frantically, "Please don't die on me… I'm not scared… no, I am scared…"

Until the end, nobody really knew how formidable the Yin Chi was, but if one was not meticulously prepped, it was feared that even the four elders of the Wen Bucao clan could not have dealt with it. While it managed to bring the entire Red Leaves Forest's prohibition spell, it was now akin to an arrow at the end of its flight – a strong force that has been exhausted. The final strike from Wen Leyang had been the last straw that broke the camel's back. The little snake put up a last-ditched struggle before it quietened down.

The Eighth Generation Ancestor's body seemed stupefied for a moment then fell to the ground with a thud, never to move again.

Wen Leyang was shivering from head to toe. He first put away all the poison that he usually carried back into the medicine pouch. Then, with the help of Wen Xiaoyi's support, he clenched his teeth and stood up. Fortunately, he was not fatally injured as the ancient blunderbuss's limited power, coupled with the deviated angle of the misfire and Wen Leyang's own physique which has been toughened by his training with the Faulty Punch and further refined by a poisoned medicinal potion. Most of the shot had impacted into his right arm and thigh, with a few pellets shallowly embedded into his chest area.

Wen Xiaoyi exerted all her strength to support him and while the both of them stumbled along hurriedly she said, "You wouldn't die now, would you?"

Wen Leyang endured the pain through gritted teeth and though he was aware of the extent of his injuries, the pain may be unbearable but his vital organs were not seriously affected. He had managed to survive for the time being and said, "I will only need some period of rest to recover… don't worry, I won't die…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Wen Leyang suddenly let out an agonized scream!

Although the Yin Chi appeared to be dead, when the two of them passed by its side it jerked its mangled body in a sudden and violent motion and sank its fangs into Wen Leyang's left thigh. Wen Leyang felt as if there were numerous gigantic serrated steel blades that were stabbing his body from multiple directions.

Wen Leyang pushed Wen Xiaoyi away instinctively, afraid that the Yin Chi could still be harmful towards others. He bent over and with lightning speed ripped the little snake from his thigh.

Pop !

The snake's body was ripped into two, with the head still securely pinned on his thigh while the rest of the body dangled from Wen Leyang's hand.

As he attempted to straighten his back, his wound felt as though it was exploding, the pain was so severe he gave a muffled groan and almost collapsed.

The bite of the Yin Chi alternated between the sensation of extreme cold and sharp pain as if pieces of sharp ice were eroding his body bit by bit. At the same time, he felt his entire body's 36,000 pores open and close vigorously, releasing a puff of foul stench unbearable even to himself – it was the stench of rotting corpses!

Half of Wen Leyang's body was embedded with iron pellets and any minor movements caused heart-wrenching pain, so it was utterly impossible to use the Faulty Punch to overcome the poison.

An Inner Disciple with Wen Leyang's background in practicing the Faulty Punch would soon be immune towards common poisons. However the Yin Chi was not just any common poison, and even if it was Wen Tunhai or Grand Elder Wen, they would be slumped motionless on the ground and severely injured too.

Wen Leyang swiftly tore through his pants, gripped hard on the snake's head that was still biting his thigh and pulled apart its fangs. Soon after he let out a shrill cry as his whole body convulsed in pain. One could see with the naked eye that the bite mark had grown into a fine gray line which was moving along his blood vessel slowly upwards, inch by inch with each moment's passing.

Wen Xiaoyi grabbed onto his thigh and puckered her lips in preparation to suck out the poison from the wound but Wen Leyang shouted at her harshly for her to go away. He used his other leg to push her away and the little girl was tossed into a mud puddle.

Wen Leyang forcefully fed himself the Wonder Cleansing Pill but it did not seem to produce much effect. The Yin Chi's poison was too strong, it was far from sufficient to try detoxifying oneself with just the pill.

Wen Xiaoyi was still sobbing uncontrollably and she hoarsely screamed with all her might with that delicate voice of hers, asking any bystanders to help.

Wen Leyang's wounds continued to bleed profusely, but the blood was immediately washed off by the heavy rain.

The square remained as still as death, no one poked their head out to take a look, regardless of the little girl's now hoarse crying, which was soon drowned out by the sound of the ice cold rain.

The storm that had been raging in between the mountains came fast passed on fast as well. The unbridled shower of rain stopped all of a sudden but the gloomy set of rain clouds remained, as if it was brooding for the next towering rage.

As soon as the storm has passed, the Buddha's Light Bug immediately made an odd croak, leaped out with lightning speed from Wen Leyang's chest. It wandered up and down his body as its mouth continuously ululated, producing an anxious and depressing buzz, as if it was trying to cry for Wen Xiaoyi's attention to save his master.

The Buddha's Light Bug was a poisonous bug of celestial Yang force born to walk under the sun and fire, its natural instincts feared the rain, thus it would not come out in the storm but now that the rain had stopped it came out of its hiding place immediately.

Wen Leyang forcefully smiled towards Wen Xiaoyi, just as he was opening his mouth to mutter a few consoling words, an ear-piercing flute music was heard abruptly. It echoed from the borders of the forest and sounded like the wailing of ghosts cast into hell, or the long howls of mandrills before they were put to death by body dismemberment.

Soon after a loud and clear sound of a metal whistle could be heard from all four directions, resonating from the bottom of the mountain as it chimed in time with the sound of the flute.

The prohibition spell of the Red Leaves Forest had been lifted, alongside with the deaths of the giant serpent and the Yin Chi, which has dissolved and vanished entirely.

The few hundred people that lived in the village, other than the Old Wolf and Yuan, there was no other being who could defend all of them from the power of the enemy.

Wen Leyang did not know how he regained his strength, but as soon as he heard the flute's song, he sat upright abruptly and spoke with effort through his clenched teeth, "Help me up, we shall return to the house."

Wen Xiaoyi frantically agreed and supported Wen Leyang to stand. As the two teenagers stumbled into the house, the little girl raised her head as she felt a sting followed by numbness all of a sudden. She looked towards Wen Leyang who was standing by her side as he administered a silver needle to her arm. A mournful expression swept over her face and he slowly lowered her unconscious body onto the floor.

Wen Leyang stood with no discernible expression on his face. The skin of his face was twitching and writhing in agony from the poison. He struggled to reach for something with the good half of his body, then crawled out of the wooden house.

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Chapter 14: The Flying Sword

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

There was a vague trail of bloodstains extending all the way from the doorway of the wooden house to the border of the Red Leaves Forest. Wen Leyang e exhaled a long sigh and leaned his body on a tree.

He caught a whiff of an unusually sweet scent blowing in the wind.

There was a sound of approaching footsteps and he hears a rather surprised "Hey?" from a person with a young and skittish voice.

Wen Leyang forced his heavy eyelids to open and saw several human-figured shadows clad in black fabric. He could only see pairs of shimmering eyes and they exuded a sense of ghastly vigilance as they stepped into the Red Leaves Forest. The leader of the pack carried a flute in his hand and wore a headscarf looped over his head covering his long hair. He was dressed in a long robe, with the handle of a long sword visible on his back. His facial features were not concealed, yet it was difficult to distinguish his features in the dark.

Wen Leyang started giggling and he asked in between his fits of laughter, "What kind of style are you modeling?"

The other party gave a short laugh and said, "Your style is even more exaggerated! What happened here and where is the Wen family's prohibition spell?" He held out his flute and pointed it towards the bald trees and the scattered, storm-raged red leaves that were now turning into red mud on the ground.

The black-shirt people started gathering around one after another.

The accent of these people was similar to the ones who had released the Spirit Guiding Light and the Yin Chi. Wen Leyang's mind was slightly distracted and as he felt his eyelid start to twitch he thought that the effort to try to make an expression would be more difficult than licking his own elbow. He struggled to compose himself and asked, "Who are all of you?"

The leader did not show any aversion to the foul odor emitting from Wen Leyang and smiled amiably as he squatted down next to him. He did not answer Wen Leyang's question and instead asked, "Were you poisoned? Could it be you who triggered the prohibition spell?" He waved his arm in a directive as he spoke and the other black-shirt people spread out immediately around the Red Leaves Forest.

The dark cloud in the middle of the sky too dispersed quickly and a ray of moonlight shone through the crevasse amongst the mist. Wen Leyang could see the enemy in front of him clearly now and was surprised by his unusual appearance. Though the person had an adult's stature, his face looked like that of a porcelain doll. His complexion was ever so delicate it that it looked like would break with a flick of a finger, while red lips with pearly-white teeth and thick brows accentuated bright eyes. It was a face with a radiant angelic smile and the corners of his eyes and the tips of his brows hung a sense of awe-inspiring righteousness.

The Baby Faced Man continued to smile and with a voice sounded of unparalleled sincerity he said, "My apologies, our arrival was delayed for a short while. Otherwise, you would not have broken the prohibition spell earlier and be tormented by the poison." While saying that, he shook his head sympathetically and said, "But who could you be?"

The Corpse Poison felt like cold needles of ice which rampaged and charged about in his body and had progressed above his waist level. Wen Leyang felt as if both his legs and lower abdomen were being collectively stung by the most vicious wasps. He groaned in agony and squeezed the words out between his clenched teeth, "The whole of Red Leaves Forest? By depending on just these few people?"

The Baby Faced Man laughed out loud. He spoke with a cheerful yet sincere manner, nevertheless in his tone there was a faint yet imminent arrogance, "Just these few people? No, just myself. The rest of them are normal people."

The rest of the 'normal people' walked with footsteps that were lighter than a raccoon's and their movements were swifter and more agile than a monkey. They could take one leap up to a tree of several meters' height and should they scamper off all at once, it was estimated that even a pack of dogs could not chase after them. Wen Leyang adjusted his posture with great effort and said, "If they are normal people, then who would you be?"

Suddenly a muffled hum sounded. One of the black-shirt people climbed up a huge tree and meticulously scoured the situation around the area before leaping down from the tree top. The moment his legs came in contact with the ground, he stumbled and went down with a thump. His whole body quivered unnaturally and curled up into a ball while a croaking noise could be heard coming from his throat.

Seeing this two of his companions bent over, their body posture akin to two hunting black cats, and moved across to reinforce the situation. Yet they only took two steps before they too tumbled down on the ground without a sound or a sign!

Wen Leyang could not help but laugh enigmatically and said, "It seems like the Red Leaves Forest's prohibition spell still stands." He wanted to laugh again but his laughter turned into a low cough with an agonized hoarse sound.

The Baby Faced Man's expression had shifted dramatically. He gave a quiet order and the gang of black-shirt people began to come back to their previous formation. As they were doing so one of them cried out in alarm, then another, and they started to tumble down one by one until someone exclaimed in low voice, "There's something on the ground!"

A loud rustling noise could be heard and the wilted red leaves in the muddy water rustled and shook as if something was gathering and crawling underneath the leaves. The rustling sound grew like an incoming tide and surrounded the black-shirt people.

The Baby Faced Man's gaze became as sharp as a dagger and with a loud cry, he rose lightly into the air. He grabbed a yellow paper talisman from somewhere around his chest and used both his hands to gesticulate some eerie hand gestures before swiftly shouting, "Suffer!"

The yellow paper talisman ignited in a plume of green smoke. In the blink of an eye, it spontaneously combusted into three inches of flying ashes, soon after out of thin air a huge gust of wind appeared without a sign!

The strong winds blew violently and lifted the scattered red leaves explosively into the sky. When seen afar it appeared almost like a magnificent display of fireworks, as if the red blazing flames reflected red every persons' eyes!

Wen Leyang was so astonished that he forgot all about his pain and opened his eyes wide to take in the inconceivable spectacle that was happening in front of his eyes. No one had seemed surprised that the Baby Faced Man could burn a paper talisman and summon gusts of strong wind. By this point, Wen Leyang had begun to comprehend a little what the Baby Faced Man meant by the word 'normal'.

He meant that he was not the normal person.

As the strong winds continued to blow it revealed that under the cover of red leaves were multi-colored spiders, blue colored little snakes, rusty-bronze colored scorpions, red-striped centipedes, huge patches of green-headed ants and densely-dotted poisonous creatures of strange appearances. All these creatures bowed their heads and huddled their bodies tightly to stay fixed to the ground, resisting the strong blowing wind. The black-shirt people who were scattered all around the grounds of the Red Leaves Forest were shocked to realize that they were trapped amongst thousands of venomous insects, vermin, snakes, and scorpions.

A moment later, the strong wind died down and the red leaves that were blown into the sky slowly drifted down. The venomous creatures on the ground bared their fangs and brandished their poisonous stingers threateningly, no longer trying to conceal themselves beneath the leaves. The silence was broken by waves of loud rustlings as the collective creatures attacked the black-shirt people!

Tragic cries filled the air, echoing continuously through the Red Leaves Forest. The black-shirt people, though agile, had no resistance to the powerful poison from these creatures. Similar to a rooster crowing in the morning only to find its neck abruptly broken, one of them would cry out before suffocating for half a breath's moment before never moving again.

Countless multicolored armies of venomous creatures raged and flowed in turbulence out of Life Trademark's wooden shed and spread across to the borders of the Red Leaves Forest. They surged ahead of the black-shirt people, cutting off their escape before poisoning them to death.

The Baby Faced Man's face was dreadfully pale. The sincerity, justice and slight arrogance he displayed earlier were replaced by a desperate expression. The vision from his slender eyes wavered and his floating body slowly began to descend. It seemed that he could not stay floating in midair indefinitely and he will eventually land amongst the venomous creatures.

Wen Leyang forced himself to look at him. In front of his body countless creatures were approaching and the poison in his body had passed his abdomen and gathered in his chest area. Despite this, his gaze still held a trace of a faint smile.

The rainy night had begun with the intrusion of a gigantic snake's corpse, followed by the threat of the Yin Chi. He recalled how he had been rushing from one thing to another alongside with Wen Xiaoyi but in actuality, their actions were mostly in vain. The giant snake corpse and the Yin Chi would have been annihilated by the Red Leaves Forest's prohibition spell. The only worthy action of his was the final hit of the blunderbuss which crushed the Yin Chi but at the expense of sustaining injuries from the misfire and subsequently being bitten by the still-living Yin Chi. He would have been better off had he stayed hidden in the house and snacked on his never-ending supply of carrots instead.

Deep in his heart, Wen Leyang was aware of how deeply the poison had penetrated into his body; even with the arrival of the four Grand Elders combined with the resurrection of his Eighth Generation's ancestor, they could not have stopped the spreading poison within his body. All he could do was await the advance of the poison into his brain but he made a last-ditch effort to push himself back onto his two feet so that he could die with pride.

Though he felt like he was on the brink of death, Wen Leyang believe that he should at least stop this gang of mysterious enemies from going further into the Red Leaves Forest. Around thirty years ago, his father had once said that one must do significant and meaningful things in life.

The Baby Faced Man realized that he would soon reach the ground and snapped himself back to full alert. His vision brightened as he stared with understanding at Wen Leyang and shouted sharply, "It was you!" A loud whine was heard as the long sword on his back flew out and, guided by both his hands, spun about in midair before stabbing into a particular spot on the ground. As the Baby Faced Man pulled the sword out the buried Black Jade Incense Tripod was also pulled out of the soil. He then guided the flying sword which swayed the Black Jade Incense Tripod on its blade and ferociously smashed it against Wen Leyang who had been leaning against the tree!

After he had been injured and poisoned by the Yin Chi, the last thing that Wen Leyang did was to burn the medicinal herbs in the Black Jade Incense Tripod before burying it shallowly in the soil. He then concealed the opening of the vessel clumsily with the red leaves.

When he first entered the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness and Death, he was strictly forbidden by Fourth Elder Wen to use light the Black Jade Incense Tripod in the Forest, as there were countless venomous creatures being kept within the Sickness Trademark. In order not to affect the effectiveness of their poison the prohibition spell of the Red Leaves Forest did not include a prescription to harm them. Instead the Wen clan relied on the inherited experience of over two thousand years to concoct an herb mixture that emitted a foul odor which repelled these creatures. Once this mixture had been lit in the Forest, the venomous creatures would immediately try to flee the prohibited area desperately.

The creatures that were worthy of being bred at the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness and Death were poisonous vermin with aggressive temperaments and the black-shirt people were being ruthlessly attacked by these creatures.

However, it was all a waste as when the red leaves were blown away, the Baby Faced Man would unexpectedly discover the buried incense tripod.

What was even more unexpected to Wen Leyang was that the other party was even capable of using a flying sword to dig up the incense tripod.

Wen Leyang was so weakened that even blinking his eyes felt too strenuous for him, and he could only watch as the Black Jade Incense Tripod slowly flew towards him and smashed against his chest with a sharp crack. The vessel shattered and one of the fragments cut Wen Leyang's cheek as it tumbled across his body.

The approaching tide of poisonous creatures was confused for a moment before they adjusted and turned their bodies one by one and rushed towards the fragrant ash-covered Wen Leyang. The Buddha's Light Bug noticed the situation and prepared to defend its master against the mass of threatening vermin.

Wen Leyang vigorously bent over, exerted all the strength he had left to grasp onto 'You've Got Me' tightly in his palm. He refused to let it retaliate against the other venomous creatures.

Upon realizing that its master intended to stop it from attacking, 'You've Got Me' slumped its body and gave a low, distressed moan. It stretched out its body in Wen Leyang's grip and snuggled up against his skin while its head rubbed against his palms.

Wen Leyang did not notice when a small clear dew drop emerged from the Buddha's Light Bug's flaming red eyes as it wept!

The Corpse Poison from the Yin Chi continued to flow along his blood vessels and left an obvious gray line along his neck. It would not be long now before the poison reaches his brain.

In the meantime the swarm of venomous creatures had crawled upon his body and mercilessly bit and tore at him. In the snap of a finger Wen Leyang had been bitten and stung over a thousand times!

Wen Leyang could finally comprehend the meaning of how poison could be both benevolent yet destructive at the same time. Each time a creature bit or stung him, the potent poison entering his body would erupt into an agonizing pain akin to the extraction of bone marrow, then immediately dispersed without a trace on its own. The less potent poisons, however, would enter the bloodstream and combine with other poisons and cause the sensation of a burning knife slicing apart his blood vessels!

Today's lesson seemed slightly livid and overrated. Wen Leyang sighed, "What a shame, there's one more left. " Immediately after that he closed his eyes and awaited his death.

He waited for half a day, yet he didn't die.

Little did he know, as he was bitten and injected with thousands of different kinds of poisons, the gray mark which was left by the Corpse Poison suddenly behaved like an infuriated snake. The gray line radically expanded before shrinking dramatically, shriveling away from his neck by a few inches.

The poisonous creatures had originally been attracted to the odd scent which emanated from the shattered incense tripod which had scattered upon Wen Leyang's body. The smell dispersed a moment later and the creatures lost their target. After the initial storm of attacks the poisonous vermin lost interest and gradually returned to the Red Leaves Forest.

The pain was excruciating but Wen Leyang had escaped death for now.

Wen Leyang felt that he must be of good moral standing as the poisonous vermin had swarmed his body but left his face untouched. Otherwise his entire face would have been blackened and swollen until he would have been mistaken for a big-faced African man

The Baby Faced Man guided his flying sword back to its sheath and cautiously avoided the retreating vermin as he dropped back onto the ground. He was surprised to discover that Wen Leyang was still breathing, so he smiled as he approached the side of Wen Leyang's body and asked, "You're not dead yet?"

Wen Leyang exerted himself strenuously but only managed to open his eyes into a slit before replying, "YOU are not dead yet." The Baby Faced Man was caught off guard by this hostility as a trickle of red blood flowed out from Wen Leyang's eye.

The Baby Faced Man flushed and said with an innocent expression, "I could see that you were carrying some form of treasure capable of overcoming poison, you should gift it to me." His gaze then seemed to be filled with sincerity as he continued, "You must be in so much pain now and though I can't save you I can end your suffering. There you would find your relief, so please give me with your treasure."

Wen Leyang tried to smile, but he was unsure whether he still had the ability to force it as he said, "Why didn't you come and take it yourself, since I don't have the ability to move anymore."

The Baby Faced Man shook his head, "People like you who practiced the Art of Poison are contaminated in their intentions. I would not dare to touch you…"

"F*ck it!" Wen Leyang was unsure from where he gathered his strength, yet he abruptly broke out into curses, "Yours truly was resting in the Forest at my own house, it was you mother*ckers who sent murderers through my door, and yet you still have the guts to accuse me of my contaminated intentions, yours truly could only wish that the poisonous creatures would bite you to death! Who do you think you are?"

The Baby Faced Man blinked innocently once again, then his gentle gaze abruptly turned arrogant and filled with vengeance as he said, "This was the first time I came down from the mountain to run some errands. It was your fault that all the people entrusted to me by my master were killed, even if I were to burn this forest before I return, I would not be able to avoid being punished for my mistake."

"I would burn your whole family." Wen Leyang muttered these six words while shivering. He then used all his might to open his eyes fully and stared straight into Baby Faced Man without blinking. He would not make even the slightest concession!

The Baby Faced Man again started to smile, causing his eyes to narrow and curve with the smile as if hiding the relentless viciousness within him.

Wen Leyang sighed all of a sudden, opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment and with a trembling voice said, "You've got me."

You've! Got! Me!

The Baby Faced Man felt surprised at Wen Leyang's surrender and wanted to say something when suddenly a ray of violet arcs split across the night sky as a cold wind blew and a dark storm cloud started gathering above them.

A peal of thunder obliterated whatever the Baby Faced Man was trying to say.

Under the loud crashing of thunder, a flash of deep red lighting struck intensely and before the Baby Faced Man could react he was struck violently in the right eye by the raging Buddha's Light Bug. He was completely caught off guard and didn't have time to even close his eyes.

The bug released a clump of poisonous stings that were sharper than the tip of steel needles and smashed away the smile from his face.

With a deadly shout, the flying sword emerged from the back of the Baby Faced Man and shot forward!

However it only took one breath for the Buddha's Light Bug's Poison of Fire to blaze into the Baby Faced Man's brain, burning it up into charred bean curd. Before he could even give the sword in his hands a squeeze, his arms dropped to his sides lifelessly.

The flying sword, having lost its master's guidance began to fly aimlessly everywhere before a bolt of lightning abruptly split diagonally from the sky and violently struck the flying sword, producing a magnificent firework of sparks which in the blink of an eye vanished into the dark.

Wen Leyang watched the situation unfold as a bright smile appeared in his eyes. He muttered in his heart over and over again, "Why, you were really not a normal person."

The Buddha's Light Bug shook off the remaining poisonous fluid that was glued to its hard bristles and clumsily crawled onto Wen Leyang's face. It then snuggled and rubbed against his face affectionately.

At the same time, the sounds of shouting akin to a broken drum could be heard from outside the Red Leaves Forest saying, "Little Taiyang, come quick! The sixth elder is dying!"

Another weaker voice then chimed in from time to time with the sound of the storm as it said, "Little Taiyang… I… am dying."

It was the two silly uncles, Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen!

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Chapter 15: Family

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The Corpse Poison was different from the Five Elements of poison in that it would not kill you when it reached the heart. However, once it reaches the brain not even fairies would be able to help. Of course, if fairies were to appear at this point they would not be able to extract the Corpse Poison which had spread completely into his bones and blood. Wen Leyang was wondering that his bones could have possibly turned into gray-black color by now.

Within Wen Leyang's body, the multitude of different poisons from the venomous creatures merged into one another, creating a new stream of poison that surged rapidly along the blood vessels instead of invading his heart. This new poison collided with the Corpse Poison and began stripping parts of the gray mark away while tangling itself with the other poisons in his body. Wen Leyang's body alternated between freezing cold sensations as if he was being drilled by ice needles and hot raging heat that made him feel like he was being burnt alive inside. He felt this deep into his marrow. If it were not for his foolish uncles calling him from outside the Red Leaves Forest, Wen Leyang would have fainted dead away.

The inhabitants of the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death had kept a low profile during the vicious attacks. It was only when the venomous creatures were escaping in every direction did the other caretakers emerge. They blew on their bamboo whistles and held long, curved tree branches which they used to herd the venomous creatures back to where they belonged.

Wen Xiaoyi also stumbled out of the wooden house. Afraid of hurting her, Wen Leyang had given her only a small dose of anesthetic through the silver needle and she has finally recovered from its effects. The little girl looked high and low until she finally discovered Wen Leyang and threw herself towards him while crying piteously.

A few of the caretakers seemed to be moved by conscience and followed Wen Xiaoyi to help hold up Wen Leyang as compassion showed in their eyes.

Wen Leyang resisted the need to faint with great effort and pointed towards the outskirts of the Red Leaves Forest, "Go… to the two uncles…"

Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen's voices have been silent for almost half a day, it was uncertain whether something bad had happened to them.

The countless types of poison fought and tore through his body unceasingly, but his spirit was still vigorous. Wen Leyang sighed to himself and thought that perhaps this was his last radiance of the setting sun, like a sudden spurt of energy prior to dying.

The Power of Poison could be used in a benevolent or malevolent way. Traditional Chinese medicine had a particular saying that goes: 'one should counteract one poison with another'. However, the poisons that had invaded his body was a total tyrant, akin to trapping more than one cricket in a flower pot as they would fight each other. Wen Leyang's body was the flower pot now.

Lightning flashed and thunder cracked, the storm had arrived once again.

Icy cold rainwater splashed against the body of the Buddha's Lighting Bug which was shivering all over. Being of the element of fire, it was most afraid of rainwater yet it refused to leave its master's face.

Wen Leyang turned to the people who were holding him up and urged them to help him out of the Red Leaves Forest.

One of the old men shook his head, "When the owner of the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death is not around, nobody is allowed to even take one step out of the Red Leaves Forest."

Wen Leyang burned with a frenzy of rage and said, "If Fourth Elder Wen is not around, then I am the appointed owner! Carry me out now!" He had great respect towards the elders but he's also the youth of a modern society and in between the choice of abiding with the family's training and caring for the safety of his uncles, he chose the latter one without a doubt.

The old men only shook their heads gentle and did not speak. All of a sudden a small figure rushed to Wen Leyang's side and strongly pushed aside the others to help him walk towards the outskirts of the Forest.

Wen Leyang felt a great warmth in his heart when he saw that it was Wen Xiaoyi who was using all her strength with great effort to prop him up. She looked like she would fall with every step yet moved forward with great determination.

A few of these old men watched disapprovingly as the two of them left the Red Leaves Forest. Turning around and resuming their walking-corpse like expressions as they went about their business of tidying the place, the old men muttered, "Hmph."

Wen Leyang smiled wryly in his mind as he reflected on all the time he had spent in the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death, and how there doesn't seem to be one ounce of sensibility amongst the other caretakers of the place.

"Ninth Uncle and Thirteenth Uncle… what happened to you?" Wen Leyang's voice was quivering both from agonizing pain as well as from fear. He knew that these two uncles were of pure intentions and had no scheming motives at all. Though they may have said some inappropriate jokes in the cutest and silliest way their joking never went overboard.

Ninth Uncle looked up at him and leaped up abruptly while howling in laughter, "The little Taiyang has been fooled!"

Thirteenth Uncle too turned over and sat right up. The look on his face was a combination of a foolish smirk and pride from successfully tricking them.

Ninth Uncle patted hard on Thirteenth Uncle's shoulder and urged him persistently, "Take it out quick, take it out!"

The Thirteenth Uncle nodded and placed his mud-filled palm into his chest pocket and pulled with great effort. The two foolish uncles were so busy pulling their stunt that they failed to notice Wen Leyang's severely injured state.

A loud rustling sound was heard as Thirteenth Uncle pulled a torn plastic bag from his chest pocket. In the meantime, Ninth Uncle was trying ineffectively to shield him from the rainwater.

Inside the torn plastic bag was a foil-wrapped package. Thirteenth Uncle handed the package cautiously to Wen Leyang and said, "Little Taiyang, we have expended great effort to save this for you, taste this, quick!" As he said this Thirteenth Uncle swallowed hard on a mouthful of saliva.

Ninth Uncle too gulped hard and nodded profusely, an expression of great anticipation filled his face as he stared at Wen Leyang, looking like a child who had given away the most valuable treasure of his family.

Wen Leyang, who was still suffering from the unbearable pain all over his body felt the strong urge to curse at them when he realized their trickery. But once he saw their sincere and innocent faces, his chest tightened abruptly and he held back the tide of curses.

The foil-wrapped package bore a logo which was very familiar to Wen Leyang as was studying in the county town. He unwrapped the package expecting to see half a bar of chocolate but its shape had been deformed beyond recognition by being carried next to his uncle's body in the scorching hot weather. It was not known how many times the chocolate had melted.

The two brothers' facial expression appeared anxious as they repeatedly urged him to quickly taste it.

Only when Wen Leyang placed the chocolate bar into his mouth and made an appreciative expression did the two uncles exhale a long sigh of relief as if they had just done an earth-shattering good deed. Deeply satisfied, they began to dance together in joy.

Though the agonizing pain of the ravaging poison continued to tear through his body, Wen Leyang felt a sea of warm and fuzzy feeling sweep across his heart. He turned his head around to look at Wen Xiaoyi, forced himself to grimace at her saying, "Little girl, guess what?"

Wen Xiaoyi's tears were mixing with the rainwater; she shook her head while crying fitfully.

Wen Leyang smiled until his eyes were completely squinted shut and said, "By now, my Meridians have snapped and the countless types of poison are fighting a war in my body. The poison from all the poisonous creatures from the Sickness Trademark have grouped together as a gang and they are now fighting hard against the Yin Chi's Corpse Poison. If only you see it! It is an epic battle scene for sure. Who do you think will win? Haha, I am sure the poison from the Sickness Trademark is much crueler…"

His practice in the Art of Poison was at its limit and he could no longer feel the existence of his Meridian vessels altogether. He could still feel the Yin Chi's poison resisting against the rest of the poisons in his body and as the poisons interacted he began to feel strangely weak.

Wen Leyang pondered on a strategy and understood that his Meridian vessels were being crushed gradually by the collision of all the poisons, releasing and leaking the toxicity that he had accumulated while training and soaking in the medicinal potion.

As the countless types of poison twisted fought against one another, it created a situation that was similar to a master propelling internal forces within his body until his Meridians could no longer withstand the formidable energy which ultimately resulted in the complete collapse of his internal systems.

Wen Leyang looked deeply at Wen Xiaoyi's entire appearance as if he was trying to remember her appearance in his heart as much as he could. He said with slight remorse, "It's a pity, if only I could practice the Faulty Punch, I might even be able to fulfill ancestor Wen Lazi's dying wish." He was reminded of something and tried to lift his hand to his chest but he could not move his unwounded arm even after exerting all his effort.

Wen Xiaoyi saw his difficulty and guessed there was something in his chest pocket. She reached over and retrieved a tiny red jade box, it was the item that was passed on by Fourth Elder Wen for Wen Leyang to safeguard before he left the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death.

Wen Leyang laughed softly as he touched the box in Wen Xiaoyi's hand and said, "Within three months, if the Fourth Elder Wen doesn't return…No, no, don't wait for him to return as there's no longer a prohibition spell in the Red Leaves Forest. You should let these two uncles guide you to the Wen Village and bring this box to the eldest grandfather, and if the eldest grandfather is not around, you can pass it to the other two grandfathers or the eldest uncle."

Wen Leyang gasped for breath as he finished his sentence, then looked at his two foolish uncles and said, "The chocolate is so rich and sweet, I loved eating it!"

Immediately upon finishing his sentence, Wen Leyang's body slumped heavily and he fell to the ground dragging down Wen Xiaoyi who had been holding him up.

Ninth Uncle and Thirteenth Uncle were speechless in astonishment, they looked towards each other, then swung their arms and legs over to his side to carry him. It was only at this point that Ninth Uncle pinched his nose and screamed in horror, "Why are you so stinky!"

Thirteenth Uncle grinned foolishly, "That chocolate was so yummy he pooped his pants."

"Even if he were to poop his pants he should not have fainted right? You too have pooped your pants; I don't remember seeing you faint then!"

"Mine was not as stinky as his, he must have smelled so bad that he passed out!"

Wen Xiaoyi was trying to wake Wen Leyang to no avail. To listen to the nonsensical conversation between those two foolish men was the last straw and she jumped up, shrieked and grabbed hold of their garments intending to give them a piece of her mind but before she could curse in rage, her anger turned into a bitter wail.

The rainstorm was still howling furiously and seemed to echo the little maiden's wail, "Save him, save him, please! He is dying!"

Click-clack; a cracking noise was heard.

The red jade box that had been kept in Wen Leyang's chest pocket was hit by the Black Jade Incense Tripod earlier. The impact had produced countless fissures on its surface and as Wen Xiaoyi clenched her hand in agitation around it, the box abruptly shattered and nine round luminous green peas rolled onto her palm.

The little girl stopped crying all of a sudden as she gazed in awe at these green peas which were glowing faintly in her hand. Suddenly she cheered loudly, crying and laughing at the same time as she asked the unconscious Wen Leyang, "How could you not tell me that, you are carrying the fruit of the Return-To-Before Herb with you all along?"

There was no way Wen Leyang could have answered the question even if he was conscious – he had not dared to take a peek into the box and would probably not have known what these nine green peas were for.

The Return-To-Before Herb was a plant with nine individual branches which bloomed in turn when the plant matured. The flower of each branch would take a month to bloom and when the flowers of all nine branches had bloomed, each branch would bear a fruit. These nine fruits would look, smell and taste exactly the same. However, eight out of the nine fruits would contain a poison that was so toxic even a practitioner of the Wen family's Art of Poison would die kicking soon after if they ate it. The one edible fruit would contain a counteractive Yin attribute that was very much sought-after by those who dealt in refining poison, medicinal prescription and medicinal pills in the world.

Due to the utterly indistinguishable appearance between these nine fruits, if one were to use it to refine medicinal prescriptions, eight out of nine of the prescriptions would contain a poison so strong it was incapable of being nullified. It was possible if one were to take all the fruits to refine into poison entirely but would waste the only precious fruit that contained counteractive Yin properties.

Aside from that, the Return-To-Before Herb has another extraordinary effect. If one were to use these nine fruits to seal the seven orifices of the human face, anus, and navel, it has the ability hold a person in suspended animation for a hundred days. It would not matter if the person had a steel spike through his brain, or if poison had invaded his heart, as long as he still had breath in him the person would not die for a hundred days.

Wen Xiaoyi dared not wait any longer. She ordered the two foolish uncles to pry open Wen Leyang's mouth and strip off his clothing while she stuffed the nine luminous fruits into his navel, anus, nose, ears, and mouth. Finally, she lifted Wen Leyang's eyelids gently and placed the remaining two fruits under them. Ninth Uncle and Thirteenth Uncle watched closely as they nibbled on some sunflower seeds.

As soon as all nine Return-To-Before Herb fruits were inserted, a puff of bright smoke appeared at Wen Leyang's seven orifices and his navel as all nine fruits shriveled up and oozed a drop of milky white fluid which was immediately absorbed into his body.

The thick foul stench that had enshrouded Wen Leyang's body immediately dispersed and in place a sweet-smelling fragrance that gave a sense of well-being and delight was released.

The Buddha's Light Bug was trembling all over as it slumped and fell off Wen Leyang's face. Its little body was struggling with great effort in the mud as if to dodge the onslaught of the rainstorm or perhaps it wanted to crawl back into its owner's body.

Wen Xiaoyi grasped the bug gently in her palm as she heaved a long sigh as if relieved, though the grief-stricken expression on her face still remained. She knew that the Return-To-Before Herb could prolong his life yet it could not save his life, for a hundred days later it would be Wen Leyang's day of awakening but also his day of death. The little girl was not skilled in the Art of Poison, yet she has read more books than the villagers of the whole Wen family combined. Based on the fact that the Corpse Poison from the Yin Chi along with the poison from the hundreds of venomous vermin still raged within his body, by now his bone marrow would be full of poison. Even if the ancestor Wen Lazi were resurrected, he would only shake his head and sigh in helplessness.

The little girl wrinkled her graceful brows and in spite of the freezing cold rain pouring around her, she tried to recall those ancient books and records that she had read before, desperately trying to think of a way to save Wen Leyang.

The two foolish uncles squatted next to her and watched for a moment before they lost their interest. Ninth Uncle looked through the plastic bag that had held the chocolate and said with a grim face, "That young boy there finished all the chocolate, he did not even leave some for us."

On the other hand, tossed and turned Wen Leyang's pants and exclaimed, "It does not seem like he has pooped his pants."

Wen Xiaoyi exhausted all her abilities yet she could not think of anything of value. It was as though her memories had tangled up and all sorts of ancient prescriptions appeared before her eyes but they were completely out of order. She kept this up to a point until she could no longer endure the effort and made a low sound before falling over onto the muddy ground.

The two foolish uncles heard the noise and turned over to see that both teenagers were on the ground. They ran over and picked up the two unconscious bodies and said to the other, "They are dying! Quick, let us go and look for the Old Fairy." With that, they scampered off.

A few steps later, Ninth Uncle halted his footsteps and asked his foolish brother dully, "Where is the Old Fairy?"

Thirteenth Uncle appeared to be in mental agony as he scratched his head, "I saw him leaving the mountain a few days ago. He left in a car, it was a Honda."

Ninth Uncle shook his head sternly and denied, "It was a Hyundai."

Thirteenth Uncle gaped his mouth stupidly then cocked his head to the side, aligned his ear towards Wen Xiaoyi on his back and asked, "What say you, little girl?"

Wen Xiaoyi was only a normal person, upon experiencing all these hectic incidents tonight she was already utterly exhausted. Yet within her was a tiny bit of conscience; her last intention was to save Wen Leyang's life and despite being in a state of unconsciousness her spirit was so preoccupied with fulfilling this sole intention that her mouth moved of its own accord, "Please let him practice The Faulty Punch, The Faulty Punch…" She gave a few more mutters before appearing to lose all signs of consciousness entirely.

Thirteenth Uncle carefully placed Wen Xiaoyi onto the ground and with his palms held together at chest level, he prayed for a few cycles. He then shuffled next to Ninth Uncle with a stern expression on his face he said, "I think the little girl is dead."

Thirteenth Uncle opened his mouth and continued, "There are three forms of unfilial conduct, of which the worst is to have no descendants."

Ninth Uncle was stunned for a moment before giving Thirteenth Uncle a thumbs up as he complimented, "That was some good philosophy!"

Thirteenth Uncle nodded shyly as he acknowledged his brother's praise and gave a few pats to Wen Leyang who was being carried on Ninth Uncle's back and said, "The little girl is dead, and her last dying wish was to see you, little Taiyang, practice The Faulty Punch, is your practice of the Faulty Punch better than ours?"

"The little girl does not know about Martial Arts, she prefers to watch the inferior practice of the Faulty Punch. If it were our elder master who was dying, he will certainly say this – ask Wen Eleven to show me his practice of the Faulty Punch!" While Ninth Uncle was saying that, he turned and placed Wen Leyang carefully on the ground then held out his arms to guide Wen Leyang's arms and legs into making some jittery movements in an imitation of The Faulty Punch.

Thirteenth Uncle tried to help out too and guided Wen Leyang into making a convoluted gesticulation while asking his brother with a troubled expression, "Which of us is Wen Eleven?"

"I knew it!" Ninth Uncle abruptly threw aside Wen Leyang's elbow in his arms and with a delighted expression he went to his foolish brother and whispered in a low voice. As he was whispering he squinted furtively at Wen Leyang's unconscious body.

Moments later, the two foolish uncles roared with laughter and pranced in glee away from the two teenagers in the storm.

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Chapter 16: The Puppet

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wen Xiaoyi forced herself to open her eyes with all her might, yet her mind was still as confused as before. The scene before her eyes flashed with a shaky jumble of human figures; her ears could hear the sound of the huffing wind and the ha-ha sound of laughter. It took the little girl a moment before she recalled the situation before she fainted and it made her leap up quickly.

The sky was already light and Wen Leyang was standing in front of her, dancing with joy and making rattling sounds with his feet and fists.

Wen Xiaoyi could not believe her eyes, she goggled in surprise for almost half a day before she cried out loud. Only then did she sit up from the ground with her legs crossed in front of her. Wen Leyang's eyes were tightly shut and he had an odd smile on his face.

"Oh dear!" Two voices cried out in unison. It was from Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen who were hugging each other so tightly that they resembled two koalas. Both of them turned their face towards her with a panic-stricken gaze and said, "She has turned into a zombie!"

Wen Leyang's body slumped and he crashed limply onto the ground. It was only then that Wen Xiaoyi noticed that every joint on his body was covered and bound in dense Red Vines. This species of Red Vine was one of the special local product from the Nine Peaks Mountain. They are roughly as thick as a ballpoint pen's cartridge, yet they are extremely tough and even the strength of two strong lads could not break one of these vines.

Wen Thirteen looked as pale as a ghost and he held his brother and asked under his breath, "What… what to do, do we use a black dog's blood or do we burn spirit money?"

Wen Nine was as astonished as his brother as he said, "There are no black dogs in this mountain, black… do you think a black bear would suffice?"

Wen Xiaoyi ignored them and ran towards Wen Leyang. She first checked if he was still breathing and once this was confirmed, only then did she allow herself to relax. She then stared at the two foolish uncles and asked, "What is happening here?"

The two fools shrieked in terror. They knelt on the ground with a mournful expression as they confessed, "This is the practice of The Faulty Punch so will you please forgive us?"

Wen Xiaoyi was amazed at their reaction and she hastily knelt down as well and asked, "Please don't… what were the two of you doing?"

The two foolish uncles put on a long face and tried to move a few steps backwards by shuffling with their knees together. As they backed away from where Wen Xiaoyi was kneeling they said, "It was Your Ladyship's dying wish to see Wen Leyang practice The Faulty Punch, we were not fooling around, and yet you still will not rest in peace after we made him practice the Faulty Punch."

The little girl could not have received a more solemn respect from these two elders. In return, she tried to adjust her kneeling direction by scuffling her knees forward in great haste and said, "Wen Leyang knows how to practice The Faulty Punch? You are certain that this is the genuine practice of The Faulty Punch?"

"This is the genuine practice of The Faulty Punch, the two of us have been researching it for the past two days!"

The three of them pursued one another in a kneeling position for a few rounds. The little girl felt overwhelmed with dizziness and her whole body felt lethargic. She had not realized that she had passed out for almost three days. In the end, she could no longer sustain her energy and with an 'ouch' she fell down to the ground. Still puzzled with disbelief she asked, "Was that really it?"

The two foolish uncles expressed disappointment when the little girl tumbled, as they found the process of moving around while kneeling amusing. Wen Nine was the first to leap up and said, "We will now show it to you… for Your Ladyship to watch! Eighth Brother, let's go!" While saying that he ran behind a tree, pulled on the long vines that were wrapped around Wen Leyang's body and hooked the vines in between the fork of a thick branch all the way around the tree. When Wen Nine dragged and pulled along the long vines with great strength, Wen Leyang was hauled upright into a skewed position.

Wen Thirteen answered to his brother's summons as he too leaped up. He stood side by side next to Wen Leyang with their shoulders aligned as he chanted, "One, two, three, go!" Immediately he threw a punch with the sound of a 'huff'.

Wen Nine was quick at started getting busy on his own, his actions were similar to a huge monkey, where he jumped across and in between the countless long vines. In one hand he held on tightly to a few crucial vines, while with his other hand he reached in between the other vines and pulled on them rapidly, so rapid it was nearly impossible to see his gestures clearly.

Wen Leyang immediately started moving by himself, his hands were shaking and his feet were stamping, making a shuffling sound as he moved around practicing the act of boxing, shadowing the action in accordance to Wen Thirteen beside him. Once in a while, their actions would deviate ever so slightly and when it happened each time Wen Thirteen would yell, "Hey! Take note on this quick, this part here is not correct!"

Wen Nine would answer him with a great commotion, "Don't point out even if it's wrong, she cannot tell the difference."

Wen Thirteen followed along with the practice of The Faulty Punch for a while until he got bored with it. He then took a leap behind the tree and said, "The two of us should do it together, I want to play along for a while." The two brothers tittered with joy as they tugged on the vines and Wen Leyang's actions became much faster all of a sudden.

The little girl goggled so hard her eyeballs almost detached from their sockets as she asked, "How are the both of you doing it?"

Wen Nine realized that his extraordinary skill was capable of stunning a ghost. He forgot his fear for a moment and stuffed the vines he had been holding into the other foolish brother's hands, before jumping forward to Wen Xiaoyi and beaming with pride as he told her, "You do not know this, but we brothers have been playing this game since a long time ago!" While saying that he tore off his upper garment in one pull.

Wen Xiaoyi was greatly astonished. There were deep and shallow scars all over Wen Nine's body.

Wen Thirteen was busy minding his task but he stuck out his head and laughed merrily, "I have it too, in the past there was nothing to play in the big mountain during winter, so we started playing puppetry, sometimes he was the puppet, sometimes I was the puppet."

The two foolish uncles were not knowledgeable in life, and the intentions from their minds were of a naïve and innocent nature. However, they were exceptionally talented in the practice of martial arts. It was worrisome as their skills were not much different when compared to even Wen Lazi from the past. Unfortunately, they were born into the Wen family that treated skills in martial arts as secondary to the unique Art of Poison. They lacked the intellect to refine their own unique poison and thus faced difficulty in creating a breakthrough in their powers. If they had been born into a family that had emphasized martial arts, they would possibly have become unparalleled martial arts practitioners.

The two of them had been running around in the mountain for ten to twenty years. When they were bored they would play their favorite game of manipulating puppets. It was unknown which one of the two had got the idea to use a human body as a puppet but the two brothers had researched for the longest time. They carried out trials on their own bodies over just to figure out the crucial points in controlling the movements of the whole body. As a result, the two brothers had sustained numerous scarring during their time of experimenting with the making of a human puppet.

Only the fools could have endured the pain that came while researching this shocking game.

Not even eldest uncle Wen Tunhai knew about the two brother's unusual skill.

Wen Xiaoyi walked in front of Wen Leyang on shaky legs. Upon meticulous inspection she discovered that some of the long vines were only binding the joints, while other vines had penetrated its thin tendrils into Wen Leyang's body, leaving coagulated blood stains on certain spots.

The two foolish uncles had removed most of the iron pellets that were embedded into Wen Leyang's body but there still some pellets that remained lodged in the wounds near to the joints.

Wen Nine went over and carefully explained, "Those wounds are too close to the joints, if we were to extract the iron pellets through a surgery, then there is no way we can string the vines through anymore."

Albeit it was uncertain whether Wen Lazi's legacy of the suicidal-styled training drill could eventually save Wen Leyang's life, it was the last ray of hope for Wen Xiaoyi. Overwhelmed with emotion, the little girl could not stop her eyelashes from trembling and after letting out a cry of 'oh', she swooped over and held on to Wen Nine while sobbing uncontrollably.

Wen Nine dared not move an inch, he gingerly lowered his head to peek at the sobbing Wen Xiaoyi and said with a shudder, "You can eat me if you like, but please forgive my brother."

Wen Thirteen too ran ahead while weeping loudly, "Please eat me instead and forgive my brother!"

Wen Leyang, having lost his puppeteers, spun around in a half circle before falling back onto the ground with a thud…

Wen Xiaoyi then went on to clarify to the two foolish uncles that she was not a ghost and finally convinced them after an exhaustive explanation. It took her another two days for her to recuperate and recover her spirit. Initially, she was hoping to bring along all three companions into the Red Leaves Forest but when they arrived at the border, all the branches were covered in the poisonous red leaves once more. As Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen did not originate from that place, if they were to enter the Red Leaves Forest it was feared that they might trigger another prohibition spell. So they forgot that idea and build a few shabby-looking shacks in the forest next to the Red Leaves Forest.

Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen mustered up their spirits every day to manipulate Wen Leyang into practicing with life-like vigorousness. Wen Xiaoyi returned to the Red Leaves Forest occasionally to make sure everything is alright. Otherwise, she would spend her day guarding these people and she was responsible in preparing meals for them. The two foolish uncles enjoyed the meals so much that they beamed from ear-to-ear every day.

At one point the two brothers had a sudden inspiration – they wanted to string some vines through Wen Leyang's face so he could sit and join all of them during meal times. If Wen Xiaoyi did not put up a desperate fight, Wen Leyang would have been disfigured.

After more than 10 days had passed, the remaining iron pellets in Wen Leyang's body were miraculously slowly being squeezed out from his flesh and skin. The large and small wounds all over his body had slowly healed while the strip of gray-white poison mark also gradually lightened. It was akin to the imprint of a snowy path slowly melting away. Wen Xiaoyi could see that Wen Lazi's method was unexpectedly effective, sometimes she would even wake herself up from laughing in her dreams. Throughout all this, the Buddha's Light Bug had been following by Wen Xiaoyi's side. Every time Wen Xiaoyi laughed aloud while dreaming in the middle of the night, it would crawl up next to her and look curiously while wagging its head.

As Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen had played the human marionette for a long period of time, they started feeling bored. If it were not for Wen Xiaoyi's attempt to lure them with scrumptious food, the two brothers would have run back into the mountain. Of course, they were not always unoccupied and soon they came up with a new game where one person would control the human puppet while the other person would challenge the puppet. It was still acceptable in the beginning but after a month, the person who was tasked to fight the human puppet would surrender croaking and contorting his face in pain whining, "The young boy's body is too tough now, it hurts too much to hit him."

The long vines began to wear out faster and faster. In the beginning, it took more than ten days before it was necessary to replace the vines, gradually they had to replace the worn vines every three to four days, especially for those long vines that needed to be strung into the body. Eventually, even with the use of steel needle, it became extremely difficult to poke through Wen Leyang's toughened skin.

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed. The mountain passed from late summer to early winter but Fourth Elder Wen has still not returned to the Red Leaves Forest. None of the practitioners from the Death Trademark have returned as well. Wen Xiaoyi was weighed down with worry, yet the rest of the people living in that place continued their lives with their living dead expressions.

The Return-To-Before fruits' expiration date of a hundred days was approaching soon. The poison mark from Wen Leyang's body had vanished and the wounds from the poisonous vermin and iron pellets had healed without leaving a scar behind. But the spot on his cheek where the Black Jade Incense Tripod fragment had slashed him now left behind a red scar that extended all the way from his cheek bone diagonally towards the corner of his brow.

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Chapter 17: The Sealed Mountain Pass

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wen Xiaoyi looked dispirited as Wen Nine idled away the time by aimlessly pulling at the red vines. Wen Thirteen stood in front of the human marionette and frowned, "Why are you still not awake?"

Wen Nine popped his head out and said to Wen Xiaoyi, "Little girl, did you remember the wrong date? Based on my calculations, only twenty days have passed."

Wen Thirteen shook his head and answered without waiting for Wen Xiaoyi's reply, "It is impossible, winter will be upon us soon. I'd say at least half a year had passed. If you don't believe me, I'll work it out for you! On the first day little Taiyang fell into a deep sleep; on the second day we plucked some vines and made the human marionette; on the third day… Argh!" Wen Thirteen abruptly let out a fearful scream as his heavyset body tumbled stiffly onto the ground. He pointed at Wen Leyang and exclaimed, "His eyes… He opened his eyes!"

Wen Leyang had indeed opened his eyes and he was trying hard to focus on the blurry image in front of him.

The little girl immediately darted to Wen Leyang's side. She refused to blink her round eyes and her lips moved as if she wanted to say something but she was speechless.

Suddenly, the sound of two loud slaps echoed through the forest.

Wen Leyang stretched out his hands and rubbed his cheeks and asked through a torrent of curses, "Who slapped me?"

Wen Nine dropped the vines in his hands and laughed merrily. He jumped towards his brother and pulled his Wen Thirteen upright while cheering, "Little Taiyang is awake! He's finally awake!"

Wen Leyang felt his body go limp as the vines lost their hold on him. His legs buckled and he almost fell flat on his face but he managed to stabilize himself by exerting his core strength. He then shook his head with all his might and once his vision cleared, he saw Wen Xiaoyi standing before him. His mouth widened in a grin as he said, "Little girl… Oh!" He suddenly clamped his legs together and covered his crotch before hiding behind a huge tree.

The two foolish uncles roared with laughter as they followed him around the tree. With their agile movements, they skillfully removed the vines on Wen Leyang's body effortlessly.

Wen Xiaoyi stared at Wen Leyang as her huge eyes gradually turned red and tears began shimmering, threatening to spill over. She asked, "How did you… Not wake up earlier?"

Wen Leyang did not understand that she referred to the number of days he had been unconscious. He muttered with a frown, "A few days ago I came to my senses but my mind was so confused that I continued to sleep."

Contrary to Wen Nine's usual behavior, he smiled benevolently and chastised sternly, "You should thank the little girl! Over the past twenty days…"

Wen Thirteen interrupted, "It was at least six months!"

"… The little girl has been scrubbing you clean every day, and she even massaged your stiff muscles!"

Wen Xiaoyi burst out crying. She ran behind the tree and held out her little arms before clinging tightly onto Wen Leyang. The Buddha's Light Bug crawled from her arms onto Wen Leyang's shoulder and stretched out its tiny body with effort. It then rolled all over him, as if it would only be satisfied if it were to stick every inch of its skin onto Wen Leyang's body.

Wen Leyang was beginning to recall the events before he had lost consciousness, albeit he was still uncertain what had happened afterwards. He could only imagine how many hardships the little girl must have been through over this period of time and he immediately raised his arms and hugged Wen Xiaoyi. He comforted her and asked with a soft voice, "Look, can you pass me a shirt? Before the both of us continue crying."

Wen Xiaoyi could not refrain from smiling through her tears and sniggered, "You think you look great? Those two black patches on your buttocks are hideous!" As she was saying that she let go of him, picked up the garments she had brought from the Red Leaves Forest, and tossed them over to Wen Leyang.

"Well, I got that from riding a bicycle in the county town…" Wen Leyang answered passively as he pulled his pants in a swift motion. While he was trying to tighten the belt he overexerted his strength and the leather belt, which was of a good quality, broke unexpectedly into over 10 pieces with a loud crack.

Wen Xiaoyi giggled happily, "Well it seems like your strength has weakened slightly. How about your body, do you feel anything odd or out of place?"

Wen Leyang stretched actively and moved his head around with a strange expression on his face. He did not say a thing but he could feel that his body was much heavier than it was before. It's not like he had gained weight, but more like the earth's gravitational pull towards him had grown stronger.

After some warm-up exercises, Wen Leyang began to jog. Wen Xiaoyi who was by his side yelled at him and he felt a black shadow flashed by his eyes. Before anyone could understand what was happening Wen Leyang had crashed into the mountainside with a grunt and was now sitting in a pile of rubble.

It was indeed a strange sensation, his gestures appeared clumsy and heavy. All his movements felt like he was going against a strong force of inertia. Swinging his arms was akin to wearing boxing gloves weighing a few tons, the act of jogging felt like he was carrying a huge millstone on his back, but he was fully in control of his newfound strength.

"Wen Xiaoyi, will you please tell me what happened to me?" He asked while aiming a punch at a nearby tree which was as thick as a drum. Prior to his injuries, if he were to throw a punch with all his might, this tree would have been snapped into two or be shaken into sawdust. If he were to make the hit with The Faulty Punch and the Art of Poison a tree of this thickness would most probably have wilted and died in a short time.

A dull thud was heard and his punch was a complete failure, the tree didn't even move or drop a leaf. Suddenly, Wen Leyang jumped up as he stared at his fists in joy and surprise. His gaze glimmered and he looked at the vines on the ground then towards Wen Xiaoyi and said, "The ancestor Wen Lazi… didn't he try to refine poison directly into his body?" His intonation was strange and sounded like a combination of hesitation and astonishment in the tone of his voice.

Wen Xiaoyi nodded and gazed towards the tree with slight hesitation as she wondered at Wen Leyang's excited reaction. To her, it had been a completely ineffective punch and the tree had hardly moved at all.

Wen Leyang laughed loudly and pointed towards the tree, "Wen Xiaoyi, listen to me, why don't you go ahead and give the tree a punch?"

Wen Xiaoyi did not question his intent but gave her agreement with a curt nod. She then clenched her tiny fist, pulled back and punched the tree with all her strength.

Pow!

Smoke and dust rose in all direction.

Wen Xiaoyi's fist had barely touched the tree when it abruptly burst into powder. The tree, which was in prime condition, was pulverized into a fine dust that rose upwards and filled the sky.

The four of them coughed had a coughing fit while breathing in the dust cloud.

After catching her breath, Wen Xiaoyi shrieked loudly and grabbed Wen Leyang's hands tightly while asking, "Wen Leyang, how did you perform this magic trick?!"

Wen Leyang felt lighthearted and his serene laugh echoed through the forest as far away in another mountain a wolf howled in response.

The Faulty Punch imbues a person's attacking power with an outburst of poisonous force from the toxins which have accumulated in the body. However, there is a clear distinction between pure physical strength and poisonous force. Yet with his one casually executed punch, the power of poison from his body and the strength of his fist had merged into one, with the strong poison converted into immense strength, pulverizing the thriving tree into dust.

Wen Xiaoyi smiled happily as she passed him a carrot, and filled him in on what had transpired since he lost consciousness on that stormy night. She chuckled happily from time to time, while at other times her tears fell profusely like a loose string of pearls. The two foolish uncles took out their wooden marionettes and acted out Wen Xiaoyi's storytelling with actions of their own, which Wen Leyang found to be both funny and annoying.

At last, the broad outline of the story was explained completely and the two foolish uncles heaved a long sigh of exhaustion. The act of manipulating the puppets with skill and dexterity took a lot of energy and it would be utterly impossible for one to do so without a certain level of expertise.

"In the past, our ancestor Wen Lazi could not solve this problem and yet… It is now solved by us. Even if he were to have found some Return-To-Before fruits to retain his life, he would have fallen into a deep sleep of a hundred days and be unable to move a muscle. He lacked two heroes who were expert puppeteers and were highly proficient in the practice of The Faulty Punch!" said Wen Xiaoyi. She had witnessed Wen Leyang not only survive the ordeal without permanent damage but had also managed to turn the misfortune into a blessing. She also had a newfound respect for the two uncles. Within her tiny heart, the only person in the world who was as kind to her as her grandfather is Wen Leyang and she felt a deep gratitude to these two arbitrary saviors if she had known of the word savior .

The two heroes danced around in unbridled happiness. They felt extremely proud of themselves but all of a sudden Wen Nine stopped and frowned, then asked his foolish brother, "Now that little Taiyang has refined the poison into his body, does this mean that he has now turned into a poisonous Taiyang?"

Without uttering another word, Wen Thirteen grabbed Wen Leyang's palm and gave it a lick. He savored the taste carefully before exclaiming, "It's salty, so it's not poisonous!"

Wen Nine pressed his lips close to Wen Thirteen's ears and whispered, "We shall break our meridian vessels too, afterwards…"

A sign of reluctance appeared on Wen Thirteen's expression as he asked, "Where are the meridian vessels?"

Wen Xiaoyi immediately interrupted the two foolish uncle's imagination and said, "Please don't! The Return-To-Before fruit is a holy plant, it is rarer than a thousand-year-old ginseng or Lingzhi fungus. Without the Return-To-Before fruit, one who had cut his meridian vessels would only find death in the end."

The Wen brothers were not dissuaded by her words at all.

Wen Leyang chuckled, "It's no good if you were to learn this skill, one punch to a wild animal would pulverize it to dust and you won't be able to eat the meat anymore."

The two fools were suddenly enlightened, they looked at each other and cried out in unison, "What a narrow escape for us!"

Wen Leyang laughed along for a little while. He then focused his senses on his three million and six thousand pores which were gradually contracting and relaxing, sequentially exhaling and inhaling the air from the surrounding area.

Every time his pores constricted he could feel a slightly heavy sensation all over his body. He felt it especially when he was exerting himself, he could sense his skin tightening intensely all of a sudden and turning every inch of his body rock-solid and heavy.

When his pores relaxed and opened up, his entire body became light as a feather. He could see his surroundings in a much brighter and clearer manner. He could also see far ahead to where the red leaves were billowing in the wind, and even the little insects sleeping underneath the rock next to him. Everything was within his perception, yet everything was unrelated to him. He felt that he was having an out of the world experience; that nature was nature itself, and he was still himself, nature was just right by his side, yet it felt like they were of two individuals existing on separate realities from one another.

All the martial art practices under the heaven, regardless of its selling price and whether it is authentic or bogus, is focused on training one's Qi as the base of practice. This practice often derives force from an internal source to the external environment. A successful practitioner would be able to become one with nature and their surroundings, fulfilling the concept of the universe-and-self-as-one.

However, in Wen Leyang's current situation, he felt as though his force was exerted externally to his internal core. If he were to devote all his senses, he would feel that not only was he not one with nature, he was removed from his surroundings entirely. He had no way to tell if he had successfully mastered the practice that was inherited from Wen Lazi, nor did he know how he should continue this practice upon a successful attempt. Wen Leyang felt as though he was standing on a path that no one has ever crossed before. It seemed that a bright future was in sight but in reality, he felt that he was still trapped in the dark.

Upon hearing of the present situation from Wen Xiaoyi, Wen Leyang put these concerns aside and immediately returned to the Red Leaves Forest with Wen Xiaoyi. The Forest appeared exactly the same as before, with the exception of the completely deserted Death Trademark. The caretakers from the rest of the trademarks were still as cold and emotionless as before and seemed neither surprised nor pleased at his return. Only the two who were raised by beasts bounded happily towards them and received Wen Leyang with a warm welcome.

According to his calculations, Fourth Elder Wen had left the Red Leaves Forest for almost three and a half months. Before he left, he had instructed Wen Leyang to bring the red jade box to the Elders at the Wen family's village if he had not returned by now.

However, the red jade box had been shattered during the confrontation and the magical seeds had been used up by him. Nevertheless, Wen Leyang gathered the medicinal poisons that he was familiar with and immediately left the mountain to return to the village. Wen Xiaoyi was hesitant to follow him at first, but she was convinced to leave the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death after she heard that Fourth Elder Wen could be at the village.

As they were making preparations for the trip, Wen Shulin hobbled towards them and passed a long cylindrical bundle to Wen Xiaoyi. The little girl cheered jubilantly upon seeing the item in the package – the old man had repaired the big-muzzled blunderbuss during the past few months.

The two foolish uncles bustled around and pestered about returning home to visit their eldest brother, as they followed the same path as Wen Leyang.

After two days, the company of four including Wen Leyang are well-prepared to endure the hardships of the long journey. They each held a carrot between their lips and with high-spirits they left the Red Leaves Forest on a small winding road in the Nine Peaks Mountain.

Wen Leyang had only walked a few steps before he furrowed his brows and stopped. He could sense that since he had regained his consciousness, he was much more sensitive towards his surroundings as compared to before.

Two young lads of impressive presence slowly walked out of the side of the road and gave a friendly smile as they stood in the way of Wen Leyang's path. Their eyes shimmered profoundly, their complexion was rosy and healthy, and their skin was as delicate and fair as a newborn infant. However, they were not the Baby Faced Man and did not wear long swords on their backs. If one were to judge based on their overall appearance, they closely resembled the young man who had been poisoned to death by You've Got Me after he attacked the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death on that rainy night.

The two young lads blocked their path and smiled as they asked in a sincere voice, "Your Excellency, may I inquire if your surname is Wen?"

Wen Thirteen took a puzzled look at his foolish brother and asked, "Are they here to rob us?"

Wen Leyang raised his eyebrows and asked the question while laughing, "What happened? Are we not allowed to cross this path over here?" The lads could see that the person talking had a sturdy and muscular physique. He was bright-eyed, plain looking, and appeared to be a normal youth of the mountain village. But the deep gash of a dark red scar on his face tempered his innocent façade and gave him a roguish character.

Within the gaze of the two young lads, a shade of contemptuous arrogance flashed in their eyes. It was the shade of arrogance that was all too familiar to Wen Leyang.

In their observation, it would seem that out of the group of four two were dim-witted, one is a little girl, and the only one with a sturdy physique looked as if he was clumsy and foolish as well.

The young man on the left was still smiling as sweetly as before he declared, "The place beyond this path belongs to the Wen's household, and only those with the Wen surname are allowed to pass."

Wen Leyang kept a tight grip on his foolish uncles and his voice was longer courteous as he said, "Since when do the Wen family employ outsiders to guard their borders! Who do you think you are?"

The two young lads glanced quickly at each other and lit up with a smile. They leaned sideways and opened the way on the path, the one who had first spoken earlier told them, "For the past few days there were at least two others who speak like you. It is for certain that you too from the Wen family. You should get home quickly and not be like the rest of them, they were only allowed to continue on the path after being badly battered."

His manner of speaking was gentle and awfully sincere, yet that shade of arrogance was undeniably present.

Wen Leyang knew that something must have happened up on the mountain but he refused to be caught in the two men's business. He voiced a 'humph' and walked past them with big strides but as he did so the two foolish uncles unexpectedly burst out shouting, "Attack!"

The two foolish uncles broke out of Wen Leyang's grip and dash towards the two lads in a flash. Before the smiles on the two young lad's face could be wiped away, they were already surrounded by Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen's dark shadows!

Pow!

Pow!

Pow!

Pow!

The blunt dull sound made by fists striking against flesh was almost like that of rapidly fired bullets. In the blink of an eye, the two foolish uncles wielded the Wen Family's Faulty Punch to the utmost pinnacle of performance. A flurry of punches landed on the elbows, shoulders, arms, head, feet, knees, legs, and even on the backs and buttocks of the two lads. The speed of this attack was akin to spilled quicksilver on the ground, it only took a brief moment of effort to send these two young lads screaming and tumbling as far as seven to eight meters away. Red blood gushed out of their mouths as each of them spat out a few teeth, their formerly exquisite appearance all of a sudden looked ridiculous with the loss of their front teeth.

Wen Nine spat at them, "Do not ever try to rob us!" He dragged his brother along and they hiked up the mountain path with their chins up and chests out. It was unknown how he had arrived at this supposition.

Wen Leyang was at a loss on whether he should laugh or cry. If they were to be ranked based on their expertise with The Faulty Punch, the first place would go to Fourth Elder Wen, followed by the eldest uncle Wen Tunhai, the third place would be held by his two foolish uncles.

He had experienced the power of their punches when he first entered the mountain. It was during the incident with the barbequed meat and he was sorely beaten by these two elders. If he were to reflect on his attainments then, the beating would be one of them.

The two young lads were ordered to seal the mountain pass and they had only chanced upon a few minor characters of the Wen family for the past few days. Now they had encountered the formidable Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen. There was no chance of defending or resisting the attack and they were tossed far away with their mouths and eyes askew. Yet they were still alive after receiving so many blows, so they must have decent abilities.

The two young lads tumbled onto the ground and croaked in anger. They struggled and failed to get up, so they simply lay on the ground and cursed loudly, "You scoundrelth 1 !" They clasped their hands and wrists together with their index and middle finger firmly joined they made the gesture for summoning their secret swords!

An eerie howl was heard as two gleaming short swords flew out from their waists!

Wen Leyang immediately roared with rage as his rushed forward with his fully restored power. His skin tightened swiftly, accumulating all the force within his body and firmly engaging his muscles, tendons, and bones. His resulting dense body rippled a strong force of inertia and his whole being resembled a raging tornado!

The recently unsheathed flying swords staggered in the air and dropped onto the ground as the bodies of the two young lads twisted in agony on the ground. Their visions blurred and they were only aware that a storm of vicious momentum had swept over them, followed by the grip of a pair of hands as strong as a metal vice which clamped on their sword-summoning fingers.

The deep gash of the dark-red scar on Wen Leyang's cheekbone shone with a captivating light under the bright sunlight.

The two foolish uncles scampered out of the way while cheering. They picked up the motionless flying sword and returned. As they scrutinized the sword under the sun, Wen Leyang asked, "You said that the swords can fly?"

Wen Thirteen shook his head and rolled his eyes at him.

Wen Nine roared with laughter, "I suspect there is something hidden within the sword, we should break it open to take a look!" He bent over and picked up a rock, Wen Thirteen too followed suit, as he picked up an even larger rock.

When the two young lads heard this, the rage within their eyes was almost spitting fire. However, regardless of what they tried, they could not break free from the metal vice-like grip of those hands.

Wen Leyang felt a twitch of sympathy in his heart as he saw their expressions.

The flying swords may be razor sharp and are strong enough to split through gold and crack through stones, but no matter how good its quality is, it would not be able to withstand direct hits. As the two uncles pounded on the swords with the rocks, fine cracks began to appear on the blades. The swords began to rattle, as if they knew of the imminent threat to its life. As the two foolish uncles saw this reaction, they became even more motivated and pounded the rocks harder. In another moment the gleaming flying swords had shattered into thousands of fragments.

The two uncles' disappointed yet curious expressions were reflected on the multitude of fragments, almost like a mosaic.

Within the practice of the Art of the Flying Sword, a sword would be emphatically connected to its master. If the sword was destroyed, the master too would be severely injured and suffer a major decline of his power, as compared to physical injuries such as fractured fingers, this incident was far more critical.

The two young lads' complexions dulled rapidly, their bodies were shivering with fear as Wen Leyang released his grip and muttered, "Hmph!" His opponents' fingers were twisted at unusual angles, it was unknown how many shards of bones had the fingers shattered into.

These two young lads were similar to the Baby Faced Man who had attacked the Red Leaves Forest earlier. They could control flying swords and while they also practiced some form of dark arts, their physical ability was not much different from that of a normal person. Cast aside their flying swords, they were not much stronger than an average martial art practitioner. Even Eldest Uncle Wen Tunhai would have been able to dodge the Buddha's Light Bug's attack which had killed the Baby Faced Man.

Wen Leyang casually went through the young lad's pockets and found a cellphone. He dialed a familiar number and waited.

There was no cell phone reception in the depths of the mountain, nor were there any charging points. Wen Leyang had not brought his cellphone along during his trip up the mountain.

There was a buzz as the call went through, and Eldest Uncle's slightly fuzzy voice came through. Upon hearing Wen Leyang's voice, he immediately said, "Be a good man and wait for me at the Red Leaves Forest!" He then hung up the call. What was surprising was that Wen Tunhai did not even ask Wen Leyang about how he obtained a cell phone and how he was able to make the call in a place without cell phone reception.

Wen Leyang had an ashen expression as he stretched out his arms and carried Wen Xiaoyi on his back. He then hiked up the mountain in rapid strides.

Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen followed closely behind him. They still held the rocks in their hands as they cast furtive glances at the pocket where Wen Leyang had kept the cellphone. They seemed inflamed with the desire to crack the phone open to have a look inside.

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Chapter 18: Revenge

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

A gut-wrenching scream split the air and sliced through the silence within the mountain village like a razor sharp knife. Wen Lewu lay in a pool of blood as a gleaming flying sword flew into the air. It seemed to show off its powers by spinning in midair before being called back by a young priest

Wen Tunhai grew ashen and waved his hand for two youngsters of the Wen village to lift up the severely wounded Wen Lewu.

Wen Lewu was one of the eldest amongst Wen family's third generation of disciples. He was like an older brother to Wen Leyang. Although he had not passed the Major Examination of the Decade, he was considered one of the outstanding practitioner of the Art of Poison within the Wen village's hall of fame.

Wen Lewu gazed towards his eldest uncle with eyes full of despair. Wen Tunhai heaved a long sigh and with skillful fingers, he rapidly compressed the sides of the gaping wounds. The blood which had been spurting out like a bubbling spring immediately slowed its flow.

In four days, they had already lost thirteen battles. With the exception of himself, almost all the elite masters within the Wen village had been defeated, with seven deaths and the remaining six were gravely injured.

The leader of the attackers was a middle-aged priest of fair complexion with a long, black beard. He looked with a smile towards Wen Tunhai and said, "Why don't you hand yourself over? Even though Wen Bucao is a renowned legacy, yet you are mortal human beings. There is still time to surrender, or would you rather fight to the death?" He spoke with a genuine and sincere tone and smiled benevolently.

Wen Tunhai grunted in reply as he took a few steps forward and stood in the middle of the stone panel. He then declared in an offhand manner, "To which practitioner were you preaching to with such generosity?"

Several hundred villagers of the Wen family, both young and old, erupted in a loud cheer. Their once bleak expressions had been reignited with hope – First Uncle Wen Tunhai was finally entering the battle!

The priest with the long, black beard roared with laughter as he shook his head in derision. He turned around and picked out a young priest whom he gently instructed, "Keep him alive, I still have some questions for him. "

Wen Tunhai laughed proudly as he called upon his reserves of calmness and patience to return his mind to a serene state. These priests were of average competency when it comes to physical martial arts. The battles had always begun with the Wen family's disciples leading the fight. However, every time the Wen family was on the verge of a victory, the opponent would abruptly release their flying sword or perform some dark arts and inflict heavy losses on them. The Wen Bucao disciples were unable to fight back against this tactic.

The priests may be of average skills with martial arts, but they were definitely not average when it comes to using underhanded ways to win their fights. Most of the tricks up their sleeves had only been heard of in legends.

The three Elders of the Wen village had left Nine Peaks Mountain a few months ago so in their absence Wen Tunhai was the elected master of the village. However, he was confronted with a crisis that was unprecedented in the history of over two thousand years since the village was first founded in the mountain.

The young priest walked into the battle arena and gave a kowtow in salutation, "I am Yu Jizi from the Sun Dynasty Palace. I respectfully request your guidance." He then struck a pose by pushing out both of his hands. As he stood in front of the gateway, the young man's face shone with a full gloss so that under the sun's illumination, he appeared to be filled with awe-inspiring righteousness.

Wen Tunhai almost doubled over with laughter, "For someone who had used the trick of a hidden arrow to stab someone from behind, why do you even need to strike a pose? You might as well release those flying swords immediately!" Once he finished his sentence, a loud shout was heard and the First Elder took a step forward into the arena.

The two opponents were separated by the distance of seven to eight meters, yet it only took Wen Tunhai one stride to stand before Yu Jizi. There was a whooshing sound and he had punched Yu Jizi into the door in one strike.

Yu Jizi turned pale with fright. They had been winning all the battles ever since they attacked the village; even though the defenders from the Wen family were strong, yet their level of expertise was roughly equal as a whole. He had not expected that Wen Tunhai's strength would be on a whole different level and that his fist would be so swift that it could only be seen through the opening of a funnel.

Panicking, Yu Jizi reached out his hand to grab Wen Tunhai's fist. The moment his palm came in contact with Wen Tunhai a spike of heart-wrenching pain radiated from his palm all of a sudden.

Wen Tunhai's fist passed through Yu Jizi's palm without much resistance and continued until it struck forcefully against the young priest's shoulder.

Yu Jizi was sent flying back from the impact. He howled in anger and pain as his fingers began to form the sword-controlling gesture in preparation to launch his flying sword. He could feel the sword slowly begin to tremble at his waist when his ankles were abruptly grabbed and Wen Tunhai held the young priest towards his chest.

The young priest could only make a surprised 'oh' sound as a stream of fresh blood suddenly spewed from his mouth!

Within the death hold, every joint in Wen Tunhai's body surged in an attack like a tide – a total of seventy-three deep blows was emitted from head to toe, repeatedly striking the young priest's body!

The flying sword had just begun to fly but it abruptly floundered in midair and began to descend in a jerky manner. Yu Jizi was beaten to a pulp and slumped towards the ground. He struggled weakly for a few moments before becoming still.

Wen Tunhai laughed long and loud. He then pointed towards the black-bearded priest whose expression had soured. But Wen Tunhai knew very well in his heart that though the battle may have seemed easy, he had achieved this victory because his opponent had underestimated him and was caught off guard before he could release the flying sword. His opponent will be more cautious in the next battle and to gain a victory would no longer be such an easy task.

The Wen family cheered loudly at their first victory!

As the cheering went on it was suddenly disrupted by two gleaming flying swords which shot skywards from a group of priests. The swords howled with an ear-piercing shriek and raced towards Wen Tunhai!

Wen Tunhai was not expecting such a swift retaliation for just one victory but recovered himself in time. He gave a loud shout and accompanied by loud thuds he threw five punches to the ground. The momentum of the punches propelled him into the air and he began to use the highly agile Faulty Punch to evade the swords. He danced with his hands and feet like one who has lost their mind, managing to duck and avoid being stabbed by the attacking swords by a hair's breadth each time. There were a few occasions when a sword came close enough to slice through his lapels and if he were any slower at dodging the swords, he would have been sliced into ribbons by now.

The glimmer of the swords danced all over the sky as Wen Tunhai's figure shuffled back and forth nonstop. As he dodged the attacks, he gradually shifted towards the direction of the group of priests.

The black-bearded priest shook his head regretfully. Wen Tunhai had almost forced his way to his side when the priest suddenly shouted, "Suffer!" A streak of red blinding light immediately shot down from the sky!

Though Wen Tunhai may have appeared to be completely caught up with the action of avoiding the two swords, he was constantly looking out for the opponent's underhanded tricks as well. Yet he would never have thought that the black-bearded priest's flying sword had been hidden in the sky all along. He was completely caught off guard and only barely managed to avoid serious injury to a vital part of his body. He cursed in rage and his well-built figure dropped down from the air.

The red, dragonfly-shaped sword had stabbed itself deep into Wen Tunhai's shoulder blade. The two other swords buzzed and hummed as they chased after Wen Tunhai like a shadow chasing a person!

The entire Wen family shouted and cursed in unison and each individual prepared themselves to leap out and put up a desperate fight. Wen Tunhai could see that the situation was futile and sighed deeply in his heart.

All of a sudden a dark shadow appeared before his eyes and next to his ear he heard a voice call out, "First Uncle!"

A familiar silhouette shot forward like an arrow and leaped upwards through the piercing cold wind, engaging the two flying swords!

Wen Leyang had just entered the village when he witnessed Wen Tunhai on the verge of being stabbed to death. He yelled in rage and soared high into the air. After regaining consciousness he found that The Faulty Punch had fused together the Corpse Poison from the Yin Chi, the Fire Poison from the Buddha's Light Bug, the poison from the hundreds of vermin from the Sickness Trademark, and the poison from the medicinal potion in his meridian vessels, which were all then tempered and refined into his body. As he gathered his power he could feel his body becoming denser than before, his movements rippled with a force of inertia so strong it was inconceivable. Even his speed has increased by many folds and as he jumped he left behind a streak of gray human-shaped shadow in midair. He extended his arms and grabbed on to the two flying swords.

A muffled sound was heard.

Wen Leyang fell heavily back onto the ground!

This was followed by two light ringing sounds.

A pair of gleaming silver swords were grasped securely by Wen Leyang's hands and the swords struggled resentfully like two poisonous snakes!

The old priest's expression changed suddenly as his hands formed the sword-controlling gesture. Wen Tunhai gave a loud yell of pain as his body, which had been lying on the ground, was lifted up as the Flying Red Sword brutally pulled out of his shoulder and flew back to its master's hand.

Behind the old priest, two younger priests with ashen faces also formed the sword-controlling gesture, hoping to call their flying swords back into their hands.

Wen Leyang's hands felt like they were holding on to two pieces of red-hot soldering iron as waves of stabbing pain flowed from his palms into his body. The skin on his arms began to tighten and after a moment, the two swords were overcome by a sudden eruption of strength which emanated from Wen Leyang's body.

The foolish uncles roared with laughter as they ran towards the defeated swords while swinging the rocks in their hands.

The two young priests quivered with fear and protested helplessly, "Please, don't!"

There was a vivid sound of clanking metal and an instant later the ground was scattered with sword fragments like a mirrored mosaic.

Wen Leyang could not care less about his defeated opponents and went over immediately to where his First Uncle was. He carefully lifted his injured uncle up while still carrying Wen Xiaoyi on his back.

At present one side of Wen Tunhai's body could not move at all due to the stabbing and tearing damage from the Flying Red Sword. Countless lines of scalding Qi from the sword was racing all over his body and he was in agony, but all of a sudden the pain faded away. Wen Tunhai opened his eyes wide, looked at Wen Leyang as if he had seen a monster and asked, "You… What the f*ck? Is that really you?"

Wen Leyang giggled slyly and nodded his head as he quickly reassured his uncle, "Yes, it's me, it's me."

With the sound of a multitude of footsteps, the young and old of the Wen village gathered around to help stop Wen Tunhai's bleeding and dress his wounds. Meanwhile, the black-bearded priest raised his voice and asked, "From where did the other respected arrival come from? Yu Lingzi of the Sun Dynasty Palace pas his respect. May Your Excellency be blessed with longevity and… Prosperity!"

From Yu Lingzi's observation, the person who had caught the flying swords with his bare hands had a very ordinary appearance and the act itself was not much different from catching a flying dart with one's hand. However, most disciples knew that each flying sword would contain a powerful charge of Qi when commanded by the sword-controlling gesture. Needless to say, it would have been impossible for an ordinary person to grab a hold of a flying sword. The Sun Dynasty Palace's followers had thoroughly investigated the Wen village before attacking, and from their understanding, the Wen family were of the reclusive but strong type. The final analysis had shown that they were normal people, yet as soon as Wen Leyang appeared he was able to hold on to two of his apprentices' flying swords. Therefore the black-bearded priest naturally accorded him as one of the Wen family's disciple.

As the sound of the final word prosperity faded away, a loud thunderous explosion boomed across the mountain, scaring the birds which flew away in droves while squawking with fear.

Wen Leyang eyes flashed like lightning as he stared ferociously at his opponents!

The black-bearded priest met in eyes and cried out in pain an instant later. He jumped abruptly and stumbled a few steps back.

The group of priests behind him began to scream in pain as well.

Wen Leyang cheered proudly in his heart and thought that he had used thePoison Eye technique without being aware of it.

First Uncle roared with laughter though it was cut short by a fit of coughing. Clearing his throat, he croaked, "Don't be so smug young fellow, I had placed poisonous moss on the ground earlier!"

Upon careful inspection, it could be observed that at the location where Wen Tunhai had thrown five punches earlier, a layer of black-colored substance had crept its way under the priest's feet. This poisonous substance then slowly crawled up onto the priest's feet while they were distracted by the critical battle in the air.

Wen Leyang laughed mockingly and said, "I can say that I'm not cruel at all, the real merciless one here is you, First Uncle!" He then expressed his admiration by giving Wen Tunhai a thumbs up.

Wen Tunhai spat and cursed, "These priests are not normal beings! If it were not for their flying swords and tricks, they would have been dead three times over! Young fellow, get into the battle, quick!"

The group of priests finally understood Wen Tunhai's approach, at this point their bodies were already covered in green-red rashes. A few of the younger priests began to scratch frantically at their bodies while moaning in fear like pigs at a slaughterhouse.

Wen Leyang hesitated for a moment before shaking his head slowly and said, "Don't you worry, First Uncle, they won't be going anywhere!"

As the leader of the opposing party, the black-bearded priest made a lightning-fast opening strike. He released his Flying Red Sword and set it to guard the group of priests against any sneak attacks by the Wen family. He then quickly took out numerous paper talismans and muttered the spell in his mouth. He withstood the extreme discomfort from the poisonous moss and ran quickly amongst his fellow priests, placing a paper talisman on each person's body. He then shouted, "Body cleansing divine charm, clear the effects of this poison, quickly!"

A coil of black smoke immediately rose from each person's body and the rashes that grew on their skin wilted and disappeared.

A quick-witted and eloquent disciple of the Wen family ran to Wen Leyang and quickly explained to him about the background of this group of enemies.

Four days ago, this group of self-proclaimed priests of the Sun Dynasty Palace suddenly appeared outside the village. They declared that one of their apprentices had died at the hands of a disciple of Wen Bucao a hundred days ago on the mountain and they were here to find the murderer.

However, these old priests had an eccentric way of handling the situation, instead of fighting directly, they used various ways to subdue those who opposed them and would only stop when the Wen family handed over the murderer.

Wen Leyang looked with great astonishment at the group of priests standing at the opposite side.

Wen Tunhai laughed scornfully, "Which apprentice of theirs was murdered? I have never seen such a method of getting justice! The priests are behaving peculiarly, I am sure that they are plotting a scheme!"

Wen Leyang scratched the back of his head sheepishly and confessed to Wen Tunhai in a low tone, "A hundred days ago I did kill a young fellow at the Red Leaves Forest. He was leading a pack of enemies and they were trying to attach the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death. Just like these people, he also commanded a flying sword."

Wen Tunhai looked towards his nephew in utter surprise. He then deliberated for a short while before instructing quietly, "The old and young of the Wen family, listen and obey!"

"Escort the Inner Disciple Wen Leyang down the mountain…" Before Wen Tunhai could complete his directive, Wen Leyang put a hand on his mouth and said, "First Uncle! Please give me a chance!"

Wen Tunhai insistently pushed away Wen Leyang's hand and said, "Stop fooling around! You have already missed the perfect opportunity to attack the enemy, you are not their worthy opponent…" Before he had even finished his sentence, he was greeted by Wen Leyang's confident smile.

"First Uncle, did you know that there was an ancestor in our family named Wen Lazi? He had left behind his legacy of breaking the meridian vessels and refining the poison directly into the body. By chance, I've managed to learn it!"

Wen Tunhai's mouth gaped so widely one could stuff an electric iron into it, "Why would you say something so absurd in broad daylight?"

Wen Leyang laughed and let Wen Xiaoyi off his back. He patted her head reassuringly before walking slowly into the battle arena.

The black-bearded old priest held out his hand and retrieved his flying sword. He asked with a stern expression, "And who may Your Excellency be?"

Wen Leyang looked towards the group of priests who had regained their solemn and sanctimonious looks. He then chuckled loudly, "Are you done with cleansing your bodies?"

The black-bearded old priest Yu Lingzi smiled benevolently, as though he had not a single care in the world for this earthly joke and answered courteously, "Your Excellency must be joking, Wen Bucao had murdered our people first and afflicted great suffering upon the world. The Sun Dynasty Palace will implement the punishment accordingly, and we've brought along three hundred apprentices to take to observe the divine judgment!"

Wen Leyang did not reply but only raised his eyebrows, and motioned for Yu Lingzi to continue speaking.

Yu Lingzi calmly continued his explanation. His tone was polite with a slight arrogance as he said, "A hundred days ago, my apprentice was traveling through the Nine Peaks Mountain when he was murdered by someone from the Wen family. Luckily the apprentice had some spiritual ability and a wisp of his spirit escaped back to the Sun Dynasty Palace. Only then did our respectful elders command us to leave our mountain."

Wen Leyang asked lightly, "What does your apprentice look like?

Yu Lingzi waved his hand and a photograph slowly spun in the air towards Wen Leyang. He caught the photograph as it arrived while in his heart he was envious of the old priest's ability to use the Gambler King's trick to summon the photograph out of thin air.

In the photograph, the Baby Faced Man who had died in the Red Leaves Forest was smiling with red lips and pearly white teeth. His faint smile implied a hint of shyness, his gaze appeared bright and clear.

The black-bearded old priest's tone of speaking had not changed at all, "Has Your Excellency met my apprentice before?"

Before Wen Leyang could reply, the Baby Faced Man's expression in the photograph suddenly turned fierce, the faint smile on his face was filled with hate and hostility. His portrait struggled in the photograph as if trying to free itself from the confines of the paper and devour Wen Leyang. A blaze of green flame ignited on the photograph before it disappeared in a cloud of green smoke!

The black-bearded Yu Lingzi howled in anger, "It's you! You are the murderer!" Immediately there was a humming sound as the red dragonfly sword swopped out of the air and flew towards Wen Leyang's chest!

Wen Leyang was stunned, it's not easy to deceive those who are engaged in self-cultivation.

Under the same theory, those who are engaged in self-cultivation are really good at deceiving others.

It was obvious that the black-bearded old priest had sheathed his flying sword, yet it was unknown when the sword had been sneakily released again. Wen Leyang barely had time to react before the Flying Red Sword was before his eyes. He instinctively used The Faulty Punch to dodge the sword by leaning diagonally, while the fingers on his right hand spun like wheels and reached towards the sword's blade.

To the eyes of the other Wen family members, they could only see a ray of bright light appearing in the middle of the sky. It took great effort to even see the shadow of the Flying Red Sword. Wen Leyang however, was able to see the little sword's motions and direction clearly due to him having tempered the Corpse Poison and hundreds of other kinds of poisons into his body.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

The sharp sound of metal being struck echoed through the village. Wen Leyang had knocked lightly with each fingertip of his right hand onto the Flying Red Sword, as what one would do when one was bored and drumming their five fingers on the table.

After a few taps, Wen Leyang looked as if he was struck by thunder and gave a fearful cry before slamming onto the ground. His face flushed scarlet and the scar on his cheekbone appeared almost alive, glowing with a sullen glare. The black-bearded Yu Lingzi sneered scornfully. His flying sword was no mere item from the mortal world. It was named Firetail and even his respected elders were in awe of the sword. For someone like Wen Leyang who attacked the sword with their own flesh and blood, it was akin to them putting their hands into a guillotine.

However, his triumph was short-lived as the little sword, after being hit repeatedly by Wen Leyang, began weaving about in a crooked manner in the sky. Yu Lingzi tried to command the sword using the sword-controlling gesture yet the Flying Red Sword would not obey and continued to weave drunkenly through the air. It flew past the priests and elicited some fearful screams, then it flew above the people of the Wen family who cursed at it.

Yu Lingzi was completely mystified and all the color drained from his face. He ran onto the battleground in a great hurry and repeatedly switched his hand gestures as he followed the Flying Red Sword and tried to regain control over his previous weapon.

Wen Nine watched with great excitement. He turned to face his foolish brother and said, "That flying sword seems like it no longer wants to be ordered around."

Wen Thirteen giggled foolishly in reply.

The awfully busy Yu Lingzi overheard the foolish man's comment and a murderous look flashed upon his face. Out of nowhere, a strange noise rang out from beside his ear. Yu Lingzi was astonished and asked, "What is happening?" He turned and saw Wen Leyang who had stood up from the ground and was laughing triumphantly. He raised his supposedly crippled right arm and pointed towards the drunken sword weaving about in midair.

Similar as before, when the external force entered his body, Wen Leyang's pores constricted and shut suddenly, causing his skin to tighten and wrap around his body as waves of resilient strength from all directions annihilated the force within his body.

Wen Leyang had gradually got used to the sensation and now, the tightening of his pores brought upon a feeling of joy filled with strength.

Yu Lingzi stopped trying to control his wayward sword and without uttering a word he raised his fist and rushed towards his enemy. Before his fist could arrive, Wen Leyang's clothes were already whistling in the wind.

Wen Leyang raised his fist in anticipation!

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Chapter 19: The Exquisite Rarity

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The thunderous sound of these two powerful punches flying towards each other came to an abrupt stop the moment they met.

A stony-faced Wen Leyang confronted a stock-still Yu Lingzi. The whole scene looked almost like a freeze-framed moment in a movie with the only exception of the little red sword which was still flying around drunkenly. The suspense was intense and the spectators could not help but hold their breath.

It was completely silent for a moment…

Just when they felt they couldn't hold their breaths any longer, a series of dull thuds suddenly burst upon the air and echoes all the way to the endless mountains.

Yu Lingzi let out a terrifying scream and twisted in midair before falling to the ground. He began to roll around on the ground in pain and the bloody mud from the previous fights was all over his body. His once composed expression that was filled with awe-inspiring righteousness was now distorted by a horrifying grimace. It was truly a horrible sight.

His right arm which had met Wen Leyang's fist was shrinking visibly before the naked eye. The arm was radiating alternatively with a grayish-white and dark light, the whole arm was being corroded from the flesh to the bones!

Moments later, the unconscious Yu Lingzi had collapsed and his entire arm had turned into pieces of charred black bones.

The Flying Red Sword swayed erratically in midair before letting a wail and dropped to the ground.

You've Got Me , which was squeezed in Wen Leyang's chest all this while, cheered loudly and came out from its hiding place. It immediately pounced on the Flying Red Sword and rolled its plump body all over the blade greedily. The sword moved and looked like it wanted to fly back up into the sky but failed and fell back to the ground again.

The group of priests were terrified – they had always worshipped and respected their Senior Martial Brother, Yu Lingzi. Out of all of them, his cultivation level was the highest. No one could have imagined that the infamous Firetail Flying Red Sword would inexplicably become the drunken sword and that their Senior Martial Brother would turn into a one-armed warrior. The mountain village's youngster, whom they considered as a fool earlier on, made them shudder right now!

Suddenly, with a loud howl, more than a dozen flying swords flew up into the sky!

The priests began making the sword-controlling gesture simultaneously. They were desperately trying to overcome their enemies and save their Senior Martial Brother. In a blink of an eye, the village youngster, who had been standing in the middle of the arena staring foolishly at the insect rolling itself around on the flying sword, had suddenly turned into a blurry shadow and appeared at their side like a ghost!

Cries of pain were heard one after another and minutes later, all the flying swords began falling from the sky.

All of the priests were hunched over, holding onto their arms while sweat dripped off their faces. Wen Leyang had broken their fingers which had been performing the sword-controlling gesture!

Everyone in the Wen family, from the youngest to the oldest, were completely shocked at what had just happened. Despite being in pain, Wen Tunhai broke into a fit of laughter and only stopped when he started cramping up. He then turned his head and shouted, "Come out Wen Yiban! We'll leave these priests to you!"

The cheering came to an abrupt stop as fear replaced the jubilant expressions on the Wen family's faces. The crowd parted to form a clear path and eventually, a bald man who had only a few scraggly strands of long hair on his head made his way through the crowd. He was thin with a severely hunched back that made him appear half the height of a fully-grown adult, hence his name of Wen Yiban (one-half).

Wen Yiban had a hideous grin on his face and Wen Leyang shot a sympathetic look at the huddled priests.

Wen Yiban was diagnosed with a mysterious illness since he was small and only half of his body grew normally. All the nutrients were consumed by the healthy half, leaving the other half wilted and hanging loosely on his body. If it were not for the Wen's Medicinal Stone Technique that kept him alive, he would have had no chance of growing up.

Wen Yiban specializes in criminal law and nothing can escape his special interrogation technique. Even the Wen family hesitate to talk about him and would use his name to threaten disobedient children.

More than a dozen strong men came over and quickly stripped the clothes off the group of priests as a precaution against any other hidden talismans or magic tools. Under Wen Xiaoyi's instruction, someone brought over a big pail of pig's blood and they soaked all the confiscated flying swords, talismans and magical apparatus in it.

You've Got Me finally finished venting out its 'insect's desire', and crawled contentedly from the Firetail Flying Red Sword back into Wen Leyang's chest. It then fell asleep. In the meantime, one could see that the original flaming lines which were on the Flying Red Sword had disappeared entirely.

Not understanding what had just happened, Wen Tunhai jokingly scolded the Buddha's Light Bug, "Little bug, you even know how to return Qi!"

Stunned, Wen Leyang asked, "First Uncle, what is catching your breath 1 ?"

Wen Tunhai sleazily laughed with a lewd expression and said slowly, "When you've just finished 'that' activity, and you take a short nap by lying quietly and focusing on the breathing. You'll then wake up with your body full of Qi!"

Wen Leyang immediately giggled with an abashed manner.

Wen Xiaoyi totally did not get the meaning behind Wen Tunhai's joke and shook her head saying, "I think the bug was eating!"

Leaving the topic on the about Buddha's Light Bug, Wen Tunhai looked at Wen Xiaoyi and asked with a smile, "Who're you, little girl?"

Wen Leyang quickly proceeded to introduce her. Little Ya Tou had heard of First Uncle a long time ago. She obediently knelt down on the ground and kowtowed, "It's my pleasure meeting you, First Uncle!"

Wen Tunhai accepted her greeting and glanced at the wrapped package on her back. He asked, "Is that the big-muzzled blunderbuss from the Wen Forest? Can that thing even fire?"

Wen Xiaoyi nodded her head in excitement, "Yes, of course! But the recoil is too powerful!"

Laughing out loud, Wen Tunhai said, "Good girl! I have a small gift for you later. You've been with your Fourth Grandpa for so many years and would've seen some amazing things, so long as you don't laugh at me for being a country bumpkin." He then turned to Wen Leyang and nimbly wriggled his fingers around, which mimicked Wen Leyang's movements when he attacked the Flying Red Sword earlier. Wen Tunhai asked, "How'd you turn that flying sword into… A drunken sword?"

Wen Leyang shook his head with a wry smile, "Well, as you know that's the move from The Faulty Punch. I didn't know it would affect the flying sword either."

Pondering on that for a while, Wen Tunhai nodded thoughtfully, "I'll also give it a try the next time." Though he was not able to clearly see the Flying Red Sword's movements, he had no problems with the ordinary flying swords. If this approach can really overcome the menace of the flying swords, he will not be caught off guard again when faced with the same attack in the future.

Wen Leyang quickly added, "The Qi of the flying swords seems to be able to counter-charge, so you've got to be careful."

Not expressing an opinion, Wen Tunhai waved it off, "Lift me up, we'll talk when we get home!" Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen happily helped their Big Brother to his feet.

As they were heading to First Uncle's house, Wen Leyang briefly explained his encounter at the Red Leaves Forest.

Wen Xiaoyi then continued the story from the point when Wen Leyang had lost consciousness, and told them about the Return-to-Before Herb's fruits and how she used them to keep him alive for a hundred days. While she was narrating the two foolish uncles were proudly manipulating their marionettes to support the story.

First Uncle's mouth hung wide open and his expressions were changing all along with the narration. Many a time, Wen Nine would look into First Uncle's mouth while manipulating the marionette and even pointed a finger and showed his other foolish brother, "Look, the palatine uvula."

Wen Tunhai let out a long sigh and nodded solemnly to Wen Xiaoyi, "Little Ya Tou, you have my gratitude for saving my nephew's life."

Xiaoyi's pretty face blushed instantly and shook her head shyly, "If he didn't have the Return-to-Before fruits with him, and also if the two uncles weren't experts at manipulating a human puppet, there was… I didn't do anything, actually."

Extending his hand, Wen Leyang gently touched the fringe of little Ya Tou's hair. He had lived with the little girl for over half a year, the gratitude he feels for her could no longer be expressed with words. In his mind, little Ya Tou has become an important member of his closest family. He then said, "First Uncle, Fourth Grandpa asked me to pass you the box containing the Return-to-Before fruits…"

Wen Tunhai interrupted while waving his hand, "It's an ancestral directive. The people from the square unintentionally discovered a strain of the Return-to-Before Herb in the mountain. Ever since that day, Fourth Grandpa had placed some people from the Death Trademark to guard that area. For us, the Wen family, who had made our name through poisons and to have this precious herb appearing in our backyard, you have to secure it no matter the costs! However, when the fruits were almost fully ripe, something happened and it attracted the attention of a few other experts and master cultivators. A precious rare herb like this is bound to be coveted by many.

Wen Leyang nodded, "Yes, indeed. The people from the Death Trademark were attacked by The Green Head Widow spell, and there was the Spirit Guiding Light that appeared at the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death."

Wen Tunhai looked at him with surprise and said, "Not bad at all, boy. I was caught by surprise when you appeared just now and didn't have time to pay attention to it. You've really learned some things from your stay at the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death."

Wen Leyang immediately shook his head and clarified, "Not me, it's Xiaoyi who told me all of this, including the Return-to-Before Herb's fruit. She's been studying at the square for more than ten years and her knowledge and theoretical understanding is remarkable!"

Wen Tunhai looked at little Ya Tou in surprise, apart from kindness, there was also a sense of importance and value in his eyes. He asked her, "What's the other name for the Corpse Poison from the Yin Chi?"

Without thinking, Xiaoyi immediately answered, "It's also called the Death Poison. Poisons can be differentiated into Life and Death categories, the Life Poisons consists of the Five Elements of Poison, which is the type of poison that Wen Bucao is cultivating. Whereas, all the toxins that are derived from corpses are categorized as Death Poisons, which differs from what the Wen Bucao cultivate."

Upon answering that little Ya Tou was stunned for a while, then her face lit up suddenly as she smiled, "Thank you, First Uncle for your advice!" She then bowed her head with utmost respect, "I read all those books just to pass time without much consideration and I merely just memorized them without really understanding them…"

Wen Thirteen stared in confusion, "What advice did Big Brother give you?"

Wen Nine looked at First Uncle instead and asked, "Big Brother, please give me some advice as well,"

Xiaoyi looked at Wen Leyang and giggled, "First, you were bitten by the Yin Chi and the Corpse Poison in your body was beyond rescue. Not long after, you were stung countless times by the hundreds of poisonous vermin from the Sickness Trademark. The poisons from the Five Elements entered your body through those bites and stings. These extreme poisons reacted in your body in an antagonistic way which somehow spared your life. The Return-to-Before Herb's fruits helped sustain your life for another hundred days which eventually allowed The Faulty Punch to refine the poisons into your body."

In fact, Wen Leyang had benefited far more through this. The process of having inimical poisons reacting in one's body which were then cultivated into the body had a far greater impact than only refining a single poison from the Five Elements. Wen Leyang had unknowingly and fortuitously gained an excellent foundation for his body.

If he had been bitten by an extremely poisonous bug like the Buddha's Light Fly, followed by his extraordinary encounters on that day, the best result they could have hoped for was that the poison would be compatible with his physique. If he then successfully cultivated the poison into his body using The Faulty Punch, it would have transformed his body into a physique that was more inclined towards one of poison from the Five Elements. Therefore, following this process would have limited his room for progress in the future

The entanglement of the Life Poisons and Death Poison in his body and the subsequent cultivation of the combined poisons into his flesh and bones with The Faulty Punch has completely eliminated the attributes of the Five Elements from his body. It can be concluded that the nature of Wen Leyang's body is now a completely new combination with unlimited potential for future progress.

Having said that, his method of cultivation would be a problem for him in the future. Being the pioneer of this technique, it was akin to being the first person to have tasted a crab and would have to put in more effort to figure out the location of the meat and the edible parts.

"What about future? What should I do?" This was Wen Leyang's biggest concern at the moment.

Wen Tunhai hesitated for a moment and shook his head solemnly, "No one's ever done anything like this before. Even if Wen Lazi was resuscitated, I'm afraid he also wouldn't know what to do next. It'll be better if you stop cultivating poisons into your body for the time being until the return of the four Elders. Then, we'll discuss this further."

At this moment, there was a knock on the wooden door and Wen Yiban limped in and whispered, "I'm done with the interrogation." His raspy voice was like the horrible cry of an owl that had been thrown into boiling oil in its sleep. There was a quality of hoarseness and sharpness which sent anyone shivering upon hearing it.

Surprised, Wen Xiaoyi asked, "That was fast! What did you ask them?"

Wen Yiban opened his mouth halfway and sent a horrible smile towards Xiaoyi, "I asked them about everything."

Wen Xiaoyi gave a soft cry of shock and fell on her butt onto the ground, her face was pale and drained.

Feeling stubborn, Wen Thirteen jumped up and ran to the front of Wen Yiban, "Then tell me this: for the priest who was carrying two pieces of glass with him, what was his mother's name and his father's job?"

Wen Yiban answered unhurriedly, "His mother's surname is Zhao and his father worked as a bus driver who died in a road accident seventeen years ago."

Wen Nine jumped onto the ground with a thud and ran outside, "I'll go ask and see if it's true!"

Ignoring his two foolish brothers, Wen Tunhai asked Wen Yiban, "What can you tell me about them?"

Wen Yiban was starting to look as though he was getting tired of standing and took a sit on a chair without asking, "The Sun Dynasty Palace is a cultivation sect with three hundred members. The head of the sect is Master Huoyang along with nine other martial brothers. Those who had attacked the Wen family are their disciples who were led by a senior, Yu Lingzi. They were telling the truth about a junior apprentice who was killed on the Nine Peaks Mountain. These people all have a strange ability which allows them to send a spirit message back to the sect before they die. After receiving such a message, Master Huoyang ordered the priests to investigate the Nine Peaks Mountain."

Frowning, Wen Leyang wanted to interrupt and ask something but was stopped by Wen Tunhai who said, "Don't interrupt him."

Indeed, Wen Yiban cast a look of disdain at Wen Leyang before continuing, "Master Huoyang had instructed them to buy some time by destroying the Wen village slowly. Yu Lingzi did not know the exact reason behind this order, but it seemed to be aimed at luring someone out. That's all we know for now; I will continue to interrogate them until you capture the leaders of the Sun Dynasty Palace."

"As for the disciple who was killed on the mountain," Wen Yiban indeed was a professional who laid out every single main point without being asked. He continued, "A few months ago, he had received an order from the Master to bring a group of men and enter the Nine Peaks Mountain. Yu Lingzi does not know the purpose of sending the apprentice there, but he said that this particular disciple was an intelligent guy and had their Master's favor.

After Wen Yiban had completed his report, he went into his thought with his eyes closed as if to recall anything that he had missed out, "Oh, Yu Lingzi also mentioned that the cultivators nowadays, regardless of being benevolent or evil, are categorized into two types. One of them is referred to as the Mountain Sect, these cultivate deep in the mountains and rarely appear in the outside world. The other one is referred to as the World Sect, and these cultivators hide amongst the normal people and practice their arts secretly. The Sun Dynasty Palace belong to the Mountain Sect."

Wen Nine ran back at this moment and shouted out aloud with a shocked expression, "He got it all correct! The mother's surname of that guy is indeed Zhao!"

Wen Yiban stood up slowly and asked everyone with a sly smirk, "Is there anything else you'd want to know?"

Nodding his head, Wen Leyang asked, "Yes. How'd you make them confess so fast?"

With a weird smile, Wen Yiban replied, "If you somehow end up in my hands someday, you'll know it eventually." With that, he turned around and limped off.

All of Wen Leyang's hair stood up immediately. Shuddering, he took out a carrot and started munching to calm himself down.

Frowning, Wen Tunhai proceeded to ask about the details on that fateful stormy night. These include asking about the color of the Spirit Guiding Light, the degree of decomposition of the giant serpent's corpse, amongst other details.

Wen Leyang answered honestly to every question and finally shook his head and said, "I feel that the Baby Faced Man and the Spirit Guiding Light of the Luo are not from the same party."

Wen Tunhai looked at him and said, "Who told you the Spirit Guiding Light is from the Luo?"

Surprised, Wen Leyang went, "Isn't the Spirit Guiding Light the unique secret skill from the Luo at Crow Ridge…"

Wen Tunhai grunted, "Which of the Luo will be stupid enough to let out the Spirit Guiding Light during a thunderstorm?"

Wen Leyang was completely confused and stammered, "You… you're saying, other than the Luo, there's still…"

First Uncle to cut his nephew off while shaking his head, "The Spirit Guiding Light, the Yin Chi and the Baby Faced Man from the Sun Dynasty Palace; all these things have become tangled up in a mess…"

Wen Leyang interrupted his uncle's thoughts, "And the people from the Death Trademark were hit with The Green Head Widow spell, which is dark magic from the Miao." Wen Tunhai stopped him there and said, "Firstly, regarding The Green Head Widow spell, Fourth Elder Wen will handle it on his own so don't you worry about it. Secondly, the idiot who had set off the Spirit Guiding Light in a thunderstorm is also nothing to be worried about, we will find them soon enough. Lastly, it's the priests from the Sun Dynasty Palace that worries me…"

A cultivation clan from a Mountain Sect who had sent two groups of people all the way to the Nine Peaks Mountain. One of them claimed to be here for revenge, but instead of a clear-cut attack, they came up with plans akin to courting a spouse instead. The Baby Faced Man who had been ordered by his Master to infiltrate the Red Leaves Forest must be part of a bigger plot.

With a solemn look, Wen Leyang said, "First Uncle, I'd like to go check out the Sun Dynasty Palace."

If these words were heard by cultivators who had no knowledge about the sect, they will be laughing out loud thinking that Wen Leyang wants to go look at the palatine uvula.

Whether it is the cultivators of the Mountain Sect who hides in the mountains or those in the World Sect that mixes around with normal people, they all have a vastly superior view of themselves when compared to ordinary people. In their lofty ideals, even the Wen Bucao, which has a heritage of passing down unique skills for more than a thousand years, was no better than a tribe of monkeys compared to the cultivators who were of the human realm.

Right now, the monkey realm had been disturbed by a human and a monkey has decided to go into the human realm to seek information and capture a few other humans along the way. But what the humans did not know was that Wen Leyang, who had volunteered to enter the human realm, was one hell of an exquisite rarity in the monkey realm.

Wen Tunhai disagreed, "There is a more urgent thing than the Sun Dynasty Palace that you will need to handle first."

Stunned for a while, Wen Leyang recalled with horror in his eyes, "You mean the four Grandpas?"

Wen Tunhai nodded his head slowly and his bantering look was replaced by a worried and heavily concerned expression, "It has been more than four months since the three Grandpas from the village and Fourth Elder Wen left the mountain together with the people from Death Trademark. By right, they should be back by now."

Wen Leyang's body twitched as if he wanted to set off immediately but he steadied himself, "Where did the four Grandpas go? And what did they need to do?"

"There'd been a continuous downpour at the Mount Emei in early spring and it caused a landslide on Zhanyan Peak. A group of stranded tourists accidentally discovered a cave at the summit." Taking a deep breath, Wen Tunhai slowly began the story.

Due to the landslide, an ancient cave hidden at the summit of Zhanyan Peak was exposed. There was evidence of human activity in the cave with some blurred and distinctive murals on both sides of the wall. Several bold tourists decided to go deeper into the cave. However, upon emerging from the cave, they could not stop tears from rolling continuously down from their faces and these tears gradually turned into red tears, then purple tears and finally became black tears.

Wen Leyang looked with horror at Wen Xiaoyi who was beside him, "That… that's like the effect of the Plague Ointment of the Wen!" The Plague Ointment was not originally invented by the Wen but was inherited from Ancestor Tuoxie. Several key ingredients needed for the prescription of this poison can no longer be found. Other than the Wen, there was no one else in the whole world that could neither refine nor release this poison that should no longer exist in this world!

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Chapter 20: Mount Emei

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The mysterious cave in Mount Emei quickly became a media sensation due to the death of a person, and the media exposure was how the Wen family learned of this matter. Afterwards, a specialist went and inspected the cave and announced that the air of this cave contained large quantities of arsenide. The cave has since been sealed off and the mainstream media advised the citizens not to deliberately burrow into every hole…

Wen Tunhai nodded with slight fatigue and said, "These poisoned sightseers will all die soon; their symptoms are very similar to the effects of the Plague Ointment, which is a rare Wen ancestor's legacy poison. Wen Leyang, take a look at this. Our apprentice spent a great price to obtain this, it's a photograph of the wall mural in the cave, taken by a sightseer before they died.

Wen Leyang only needed one look before he leaped up and declared, "This is The Faulty Punch in its primary style!"

As this was a crucial matter, the four grandfathers of the Wen family met up and descended the Nine Peaks Mountain before rushing off towards Mount Emei's Zhanyan Peak. According to a few family leaders' analysis, the cave was of antique origin and it could very possibly be related to the Great Grand Master Tuoxie. Mount Emei is a place of divine sanctity, with hidden dragons and crouching tigers (used to describe persons with incredible talents who remain in concealment). In order to be prepared for any contingency, they brought along all the master practitioners from the Death Trademark who are the strongest fighters.

Wen Tunhai's spirit was gradually depleting. After all, he had suffered severe injuries. He said with great effort, "It would not take more than two days by car to reach Mount Emei from the Nine Peaks Mountain, yet the four grandfathers had been gone for almost four months now. Their phones could not be reached, and as I was burdened with guarding the village I can't leave to go look for them. So I sent out a few groups of apprentices one after the other to search for them, but so far there hasn't been the slightest news of the elders."

Wen Leyang had already stood up and said, "I will go to the Mount Emei's Zhanyan Peak now. But… how about the issue of the Sun Dynasty Palace? Now that you'll be all alone in the village…"

First Uncle laughed boldly, "Did you think that there's only a prohibition spell in the Red Leaves Forest? Because of our Wen family's growth and gradual connection to the outside world, Grand Elder Wen was worried that the prohibition spell around the village might accidentally harm an innocent visitor so he disabled the spell. But we will no longer tolerate the few riff-raff who have made their way up the mountain to flaunt their prowess! There's no need for you to worry, once you've left the mountain I will enforce the prohibition spell!"

Wen Xiaoyi followed closely behind Wen Leyang and grabbed his hand tightly while her big eyes were filled with anticipation.

Wen Leyang shook his head hastily, "You do not practice the Art of Poison…" But before he could finish his sentence, Wen Xiaoyi took the big-muzzled blunderbuss from the bundle on her back and loaded the weapon with quick agile movements. It took only a short moment for her to do so and she exclaimed proudly, "Do no fear, for I have this!" The little girl's expression was determined as she held on to the old-fashioned blunderbuss that is almost as large as her, the look of it was ludicrous.

Wen Tunhai supported her by saying, "Wen Xiaoyi knows of many things, she will be of great assistance if you brought her along, as Mount Emei has many hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Her vast knowledge and experience will come in useful if you were to encounter any trouble." His main motive for encouraging Wen Leyang to bring Wen Xiaoyi along was an entirely selfish one. He had watched Wen Leyang grow from a child and had been training with him for two years before Leyang went to the Red Leaves Forest. Wen Tunhai felt a responsibility towards guarding the Wen family's only Inner Disciple and as long as anyone can be of assistance to his nephew, he would certainly encourage Wen Leyang to bring them along.

If Fourth Elder Wen had been here, he would have given Wen Tunhai a sound beating.

Wen Leyang hesitated for while more before he gave a curt nod. He made a firm decision in his heart that whatever threats they may face, he would risk his petty life to ensure that Wen Xiaoyi remained unharmed.

If Wen Tunhai knew that Wen Leyang would willingly risk his life in this way, he would have certainly asked Xiaoyi to stay behind in the village.

The little girl burst out with loud cheers, while the two foolish uncles each took a stride forward and squeezed Wen Leyang tightly between them. Their faces bore a determined expression.

Wen Tunhai slammed his fist on the bed plank and cursed, "This time Wen Leyang is leaving to handle some proper business!"

The two foolish uncles immediately started to make a scene and Wen Leyang quickly tried to manage the dispute. He told them that the four grandfathers had disappeared, and now First Uncle had suffered severe injuries to his body. He was also worried that there were not enough capable fighters left to defend the village. After persuading them for half a day, Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen finally and unwillingly stayed behind in the village to help guard their injured brother.

Wen Tunhai gave Wen Leyang some instructions and they agreed that he would make the journey to Mount Emei early the next day. After making arrangements for his travel Wen Leyang went to visit his parents, elders and his siblings. Since defeating the group of priests who had assaulted the village earlier, his popularity has soared sky-high and anywhere he went he was greeted with kind, smiling faces and respectful looks. His parents, especially, smiled so broadly that it was almost impossible for them to keep their mouths closed. To the Wen family, becoming an Inner Disciple of the Tuo Xie Sect was more prestigious than their son becoming a battalion chief in the city.

Early next morning, amidst his father's paternal advice and his mother's gentle tears, Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi left the village and descended the Nine Peaks Mountain. The little girl was carefree and picked a bunch of winter herbs during the trip down. It was spring when Wen Leyang first entered the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death. He studied for half a year and was then unconscious for another four months. By now it was already mid-winter and all the plants on the mountain had wilted, leaving only the hardy winter herb which still bloomed persistently with red flowers.

Not long after, they arrived without incident at the base of the mountain and boarded the long distance bus towards Mount Emei.

Mount Emei has a reputation as one of the most exceptional mountains in the whole wide world. It has a majestic quality and its lofty peak stood tall above thousands of miles. The long-distance bus arrived right at the base of Mount Emei. Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi immediately started making their way to Zhanyan Peak aided by the detailed map provided by First Uncle. They slowly deviated their path away from the main road into the mountain. One can clearly see Wen Leyang's growth in both his spirit and his physical abilities compared to how he was before he lost consciousness, as he was able to trek the rugged mountain paths with ease.

He also carried Wen Xiaoyi on his back ever since they entered the mountain.

Wen Leyang kept thinking of the four grandfathers. He had a firm and sturdy physique with the eyes of a hawk and needed very little rest even during nighttime. They were making good progress up the mountain at a steady speed. The impressive winter scenery of the mountain filled their eyes, all the foliage had wilted and when seen from afar, the bare trees added a tinge of desolate beauty to the profound vastness of the mountain.

Wen Leyang was full of energy but it was Wen Xiaoyi who felt overwhelmed first and called for a break. The two of them built a campfire on a piece of flat ground on the mountainside and rested for a moment.

It was Wen Xiaoyi's first time traveling such a long distance. Though her body was fatigued her enthusiasm for remained high. While living at the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death, her favorite books from the Birth Trademark had been those which contained summaries and records from travelers. She has a huge trove of knowledge of many things and her mouth has been talking non-stop, recounting tales about Mount Emei that ranged from real-world facts to fantastic stories about insubstantial flying swordsmen.

Wen Leyang's mood was slightly somber but he was not willing to disrupt the little girl's excitement, so he let her lead the way while talking and laughing. Once in a while, he would add his opinions to the conversation.

Suddenly, the cracking sound of dry branches came from not too far away. Wen Leyang immediately felt his heart tighten though his facial expression remained neutral. He adjusted the direction of his body slightly to face the source of the sound while at the same time shielding Wen Xiaoyi with his back.

The sound of a Buddhist chant cut through Wen Xiaoyi's brisk laughter. Quick footsteps sounded next to them and moments later, a sloppy fat monk waddled towards them with big strides.

Thinking they had bumped into a robber, Wen Xiaoyi muttered, "Oh dear." She immediately stretched out her arm to remove the big-muzzled weapon slung on her back.

The monk looked to be about over forty years of age and wore a string of Buddhist prayer beads the size of quail's eggs around his neck. The prayer beads were jet black and it was impossible to guess the material that they were made of. He was at least one head taller than Wen Leyang but almost twice as wide. His Buddhist robes were stretched around fat belly rolls that bulged against the cloth. However, contrary to his fat midsection, he had a pair of slender arms and legs. The effect was as if a pencil compass had been stuffed into an apple. His facial features too were akin to being pinched into a bunch by his father at birth, with a face as large as a wash basin but the nose, eyes, and mouth were all grouped closely in the middle of it. Despite his looks, he could still wear a serious expression. He must have found a way to transcend his limitations.

The fat monk was momentarily stunned upon seeing Wen Leyang but recovered himself immediately. His eyes glowed valiantly and he seemed like a huge mountain as he walked towards Wen Leyang with huge strides. He circled around them for two rounds before suddenly bursting into a loud cheerful yell. He then started roaring with laughter, with the fat rolls on his belly jiggling and quivering with an alarming movement. Wen Leyang had perfect hearing now and he could hear the sound of mighty waves beating against the shore as the monk laughed.

Wen Xiaoyi hid behind Wen Leyang and softly said, "Look at the monk's shoes!" The fabric shoes on the monk's feet had been completely worn out for heaven knows how long. It was full of a thousand holes and had deteriorated into such a state that half of his ten toes were completely exposed to the outside.

The huge monk laughed for a little while, then extended his arm and gave a few strong smacks on Wen Leyang's shoulder as he said, "Little benefactor, fate has brought us together!"

Wen Leyang was trying to suppress the poison's desire with all his might, for the shoulder of a Wen Bucao practitioner could not simply be patted by anyone. He controlled himself and laughed along with slight puzzlement as he asked, "Great master, what kind of fate is that?"

"The little benefactor has a fine and clean bone structure, it glows with a divine light from the outside, yet your divine essence is contained from within. This has nothing to do with fate, quick give me a kowtow and formally acknowledge me as your Master!" While saying all that, the monk was extracting something from his chest pocket and he unexpectedly pulled out a thick stack of hundred dollar bills. He touted as he stuffed the bills into Wen Leyang's hands. "This is a welcoming gift from your Master!"

Wen Leyang numbly accepted the stack of dollar bills not knowing if he should laugh or cry. He's a pioneer in his area of expertise, and therefore could not formally acknowledge another Master as his teacher. And even if he were to be an ordinary apprentice, he would not acknowledge a random vagrant as his Master either. Before he could come up with an appropriate response, the sound of clothes flapping in the wind could be heard from a distance and a moment, an old monk as large as the huge monk ran towards them.

The fat monk seemed to recognize this old monk and reacted with fury. He stood in front and blocked Wen Leyang with his back as he cursed in a low, muffled voice, "Useless fellow! No matter where I go the ghost of you inexorably hangs on. Dare you try to rob this old monk of his apprentice?"

Wen Leyang suddenly recalled a funny joke about stealing apprentices.

The old monk had not seen Wen Leyang at first but after hearing what the other monk said, he paid closer attention and started to examine Leyang in detail. His expression then shifted into one of joy and he roared with laughter as he approached Wen Leyang and said, "Hey there little brother, don't you be fooled by this monk's trick! You should acknowledge me as your Master instead! As your Master, I will teach you how to live forever and never grow old as well as to turn stone into gold!" As soon as he said that he jumped up high into the air and looped his arms around the other monk's bald head with great effort and said, "Bald donkey, do not block the Great Master!"

The huge monk was speechless with fury and angrily raised his small hands to grab the other monk's head and followed that with a punch. The two of them then scuffled and threw punches at one another but it was soon over as there was not much of difference between the level of their skills.

The big monk had a red-hot palm print on the top of his bald head while the old monk had a bruised black circle on his left eye.

The old monk looked to be about the same age as the first monk, but his appearance was much flashier than the other guy. His face was the color mauve jade, his waist was like a bee's and his back was like an ape's. A purple jade crown sat on top of his head while a turquoise jade pin was fixed to his long hair. He wore a jade-green colored monk's robe and by the way the fabric rippled in the light breeze, one can tell that it was of high quality.

Wen Xiaoyi again spoke up behind Wen Leyang, "Look at the old monk's shoes."

Despite his ostentatious appearance, the old monk also had on a pair of torn shoes. However, his shoes were not as deteriorated as the other monk's and only his great toes protruded from the holes in his shoes.

The old monk flushed red with shame as he heard Xiaoyi's observation, he tried to pull his great toes back into his shoes with great effort. Shortly, his sage-like behavior like that of the immortals was blown away with the breeze, and what remained was a ground full of exclamation marks.

The old monk had ultimately arrived one step behind the other monk. He felt slightly anxious in his heart as he looked at the fat stack of dollar bills in Wen Leyang's hand and feared that this goodly young man would leave with the other monk. Without wasting a moment, he drew out a square jade pendant as red as a blazing flame from his chest pocket and shoved it into Wen Leyang's hand while saying, "Little brother, this is a treasure beyond the what can be found in this world. It is far more superior and can't be compared to any earthly gold and silver!"

Wen Leyang had just received the pendant in his hand when Wen Xiaoyi made an astonished exclamation and grabbed it from his hand. She narrowed her large, lively eyes and scrutinized the jade pendant closely under the sunlight.

Wen Leyang hastily pulled Wen Xiaoyi to his side as there are many hidden dragons and crouching tigers especially in a place of divine sanctity like Mount Emei. Though based on their fight the monks did not show an exceptional level of skill, it was still obvious that they have a firm underlying foundation of martial arts.

Wen Xiaoyi studied the pendant for a short while before she placed it between her palms and started to rub hard. The old monk became flustered and jabbered while he tried to stop her, "You… What are you doing! Stop that or you'll destroy a precious divine treasure!" Whether it was out of respect for their gender difference, the old monk spun around in anxious circles but did not lift a finger against Wen Xiaoyi at all.

To Wen Leyang, the old monk gained a higher level of respect deep inside his heart.

Wen Xiaoyi gave the jade pendant a few good rubs then lifted her hands and said to Wen Leyang, "It's fake!" Her delicate and fair palms were smudged with patches of red dye!

Wen Leyang's heart skipped a beat and he hastily looked at the stack of dollar bills in his hand… they were all printed with the same serial number!

These two monks that they had encountered, one carried around forged bills and the other carried around forged jade but neither of the items was forged with the even the slightest amount of professional care. For this round, both monks held equal footing.

Wen Xiaoyi, at a loss of whether to laugh or cry, stared at the two of them and berated, "Welcoming gift? A precious divine treasure? Shame on the both of you!"

The fat monk stared into the distance and said, "These are but mere worldly possessions. How can you cultivate yourself to become immortal if you are chained down by earthly desires?"

The old monk was obviously more intelligent than the fat one as he was capable of not making a fool out of himself at this crucial moment. He firmly clenched his teeth and pulled out another small square tablet from his chest once again. He stuffed it into Wen Leyang's hand and said, "This is for you, it is a genuine precious treasure!"

Wen Leyang felt a burst of cold dread when the square tablet touched his palm. At the same time, he heard an indistinct gust of shrill and sad cries in his ear. He looked down at the old monk's gift, it was a piece of stone-like or jade-like square tablet about the size of a cellphone battery. A strange pattern was carved on it and in the middle was a curvy and twisty Gu Zhuan (a type of chirography used in ancient Chinese seals).

Wen Xiaoyi squeezed Wen Leyang's hand in hers as she stood on tiptoes and whispered in his ear, "This is a Necromancy Seal from Crow Ridge! This old monk…Is he one of the Luo family from Crow Ridge?"

Wen Leyang shook his head as he gently weighed the Necromancy Seal in his hand. Though he did not know what the purpose of this object was, he is certain that it was not made by the Luo family to be a commercial gift. If the old monk was really from Crow Ridge, it would be unlikely that he would bring this item around with him and simply gift it to a stranger.

There was still a difference between the Necromancy Seal and carrots.

Without caring for his composure, the fat monk gathered around to poke his little round head at the Necromancy Seal as he made a sound, "Hmm." An instant later, he came to a revelation and he started fumbling around his chest for another gift and seemed to regret his tardy response as he slapped his thigh hard.

Wen Leyang kept his head lowered and did not say a word. The old monk watched him with bright eyes and said proudly, "This is a welcoming gift from your Master and you would do well to keep it safe! Don't ever let others catch sight of it as this item here…"

Wen Leyang lifted his head and addressed the old monk in a tone which was far more polite than before, "How do I address you, Master?"

The old monk was ecstatic and he forced a steady look on his face, smiled lightly and nodded at Wen Leyang, "I, your teacher, was given the Taoist monastic name of Ji Fei. My practice of Buddhist magic arts is beyond the prediction of the divine and evil, my three feet long double-edged sword named the Serene Spear defends traditional moral principles and vanquishes the devil, my six spirit coins divines the secrets of the Universe, my nine pieces of celestial talismans…"

The fat monk could not procure any treasure of value and could only watch as the precious apprentice (whom he had discovered first!) is now following another person. He was dejected and despondent but upon hearing the old monk's bragging, he raised his fist and punched a little tree next to him in rage, splitting the tree into two.

Wen Xiaoyi almost swallowed her tongue in shock, "And how may I address you, Master?"

The monk's demeanor had brightened upon hearing this and he took a closer look at the little girl, but an instant later his face dimmed again. He shook his head as he muttered, "Little girl, you are gifted with quite decent natural endowments, with lively eyes and a clear gaze. But what a waste to Old Na, who has already attained a high level of spiritual practice, and prefers to have male apprentices over female ones; little girl, you are not born under a lucky star!"

Though the two monks appeared to be on opposing sides, Wen Leyang was convinced that they must have learned to brag from the same teacher.

Wen Xiaoyi chuckled and shook her head, "I am not asking you to be my Master, I'm only asking what your name is!"

"I am referred to as Old Na, or Shui Jing Chan Master." The monk may have a coarse appearance, with a body full of fat rolls, yet his name was unexpectedly elegant.

Wen Leyang cautiously held the Necromancy Seal with both hands and asked the old monk, Ji Fei, "Master Monk, do you know what this is?"

"This is…" The old monk's hand that had been stroking his beard stopped and his gaze glistened as he answered, "This… This is the Thunderstorm Summoning Stone! It can summon the wind and call for rain as well as control thunder! It is our own… our party's most valuable treasure and you should take good care of it. Once you have succeeded in practicing the Buddhist magic arts in the future, this tablet will naturally become useful to you."

All of a sudden the fat monk erupted in a stream of deafening, ear-splitting laughter.

The old monk's expression changed abruptly as he leaped up high into the air, brandishing his fists towards the fat monk like a hurricane as he cursed loudly, "Bald donkey, leave immediately! If you were to spoil the elder Taoist's good thing here, this elder Taoist will strip off your dog's skin!"

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Chapter 21: The Necromancy Seal

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The monk, whose name was Shui Jing, was on his guard and used his overweight figure and surprisingly agile movements to swiftly dodge the old monk's punches. Yet, he refused to retaliate against the old monk and he laughed as he said to Wen Leyang, "Little benefactor, don't be fooled by him! This item here was acquired through his bluffing, it's not really the Thunderstorm Summoning Stone…"

The old monk burned with a frenzy of rage, "Bald donkey f*cker! You have already lost your chance and now you want to cause me more trouble! It's always like this…"

Shui Jing shouted loudly all of a sudden. He no longer tried to dodge the attacks but started to return the punches and raised his leg to battle the old monk. Their punches and kicks flew by as fast as a tornado and as they fought dead branches and debris whirled around them, the forest shook repetitively with the dull sounds of things being hit.

The little girl asked in puzzlement, "Are these two of the same party, or are they enemies?" The two monks had been trying to undermine each other and now, combined with their punches and kicks, it appeared as if they were sworn enemies who can't even stand to live under the same sky. Yet if one were to pay attention to their conversations so far, it sounded as if they used to work together in the past to do some evil deeds.

The battle did not last long and after exchange blows for a while, both of them stopped fighting and stumbled backwards. It appeared that there really wasn't much difference in their ability and level of power at all, neither could triumph over the other. Shui Jing cursed relentlessly, "Obviously I discovered this fine young benefactor here first. That ox's nose of yours then meddled into this and tried to rob me of my apprentice!"

The old monk was dissatisfied as well, "The act of taking an apprentice is based on each teacher's abilities; if you came with two empty hands and could not procure any decent items, you have only yourself to blame! There were two items in the very beginning and we each took one. A sharp person would have known that the lantern is no ordinary thing yet you did not take it out!"

Shui Jing scolded ferociously, "B*llshit! The lantern was already spoiled by none other than you! If it wasn't for you… though the elder Taoist master was not keen on penalizing you, sooner or later we will know your true power and strength!" He was so indignant that he could no longer articulate his rage and straight away, he pulled up his long sleeves and went into a battle-stance.

The old monk too was not willing to give any impression of weakness, "I was the one who spoiled the lantern? If it wasn't for me saving you, you would have been swept by the great storm into a pile of mud!"

A chill crept into Wen Leyang's heart and he was filled with questions as he stared into Wen Xiaoyi's eyes, he mouthed two words to her: the lantern.

Wen Xiaoyi moved her head forward and the bangs on her forehead tickled Wen Leyang's cheek, "Those who become Inner Disciples after passing the Major Examination of the Decade at Crow Ridge will always bring along three items with them: the Spirit Guiding Light, the Necromancy Seal, and the Spirit Needle."

Wen Leyang's eyes flashed fiercely, Wen Tunhai had once told him that the Spirit Guiding Light released into the Red Leaves Forest during that great stormy night did not come from the Luo family. Back then, there were more important matters to take care of so he had let go of the investigation temporarily but now comes a new opportunity to do continue the inquiry, since he'd just been presented with some new clues

The fat monk and old monk would not succumb to each as they tried to stare each other down. Both of them went into their battle-stance and prepared for the fight.

Shui Jing nimbly removed a small inverted bell which glowed with a bright golden light from his chest pocket. He stretched out his fingers that appeared thinner and more slender than a woman's and gently sighed.

Ding.

A crisp melodious chime sounded from the instrument and immediately an ethereal golden light shone from within the inverted bell and began enveloping the huge monk in layers of glowing light. The sloppy and ridiculous-looking monk from before was transformed into a solemn and dignified appearance from the golden light, it was impossible to look straight at him!

An anxious expression appeared on Ji Fei, the old monk's, face, "It is still the same old trick! My good apprentice, please take a look at how your Master will expel the evil spirit and vanquish the devil!" As he said that he clasped his palms together then spun around in a half a circle with great effort. A little silver sword flew up like the wind, it appeared like a little snake in mid-air as it twisted around, releasing an icy-cold wind at the same time.

Wen Leyang was truly astonished, in his heart he had thought that these two people were merely con men, but their practice of martial arts can be considered decent. He did not expect that these two could really practice the magic arts and he quickly hid Wen Xiaoyi behind his back.

The fat monk grunted and said to Wen Leyang, "Do not fear, this poor monk will use his head as a guarantee that the two of you will not be harmed."

Ji Fei too chimed along, "Do not worry my apprentice, though the bald donkey may have limited capabilities, his moral quality is considerably high and he will not harm the innocent, so you can watch the show in peace!" After saying that, he pondered for a while and said to the other monk in a regretful tone, "Bald donkey, this mountainside is beautifully covered with graceful plants. Our magic weapons have massive destructive powers, if we fight with those we might destroy Mount Emei's beautiful scenery! Why don't we put away our magic weapons and fight this battle with our arms and legs?"

The other monk hesitated for a long moment, then he nodded once and said with a low, muffled voice, "On your mark!" Immediately, he flipped once and put the small inverted bell back into his chest pocket.

The old monk's expression turned gleeful and he shouted while roaring with laughter, "The bald donkey has been fooled, take this!"

Swoosh!

The little sword that had been spinning in the air swooped down with a and aimed straight at Shui Jing's bald head!

The surprised monk made a strange croaking sound but his two empty hands could not block the flying sword. He used his big sleeves instead to cover his head and scampered around the forest as the fat rolls on his body wobbled and trembled all over. He dashed around all over the place trying to dodge the flying sword but he never once approached to where Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi were standing, for fear of accidentally causing them harm.

The old monk too did not have much murderous intent with his attacks, he was only playing his tricks. He would repeatedly guide the flying sword close to Shui Jing's side without causing any actual harm. Otherwise, the fat monk would have already been sliced into ribbons by now.

Before long, Shui Jing's dirty monk's robe soon became a strip of ragged cloth, revealing a huge red-colored bib below it. It was a waste that his was so agile and moved around too quickly for the eyes to see whether the embroidery on the bib was about. 'two mandarin ducks tumbling merrily in the water' or 'many happy returns of the day'.

Wen Xiaoyi giggled in amusement and began to cheer and yell loudly.

Whether it was the ability to command a flying sword, or the ability to perform Buddhist magic art, Wen Leyang can't figure out how to distinguish whether their abilities were good or bad. The only thing he can be sure of is that Ji Fei's flying sword, when compared to the group of priests from the Sun Dynasty Palace, was a lot agiler and maneuverable. Its momentum was so awe-inspiring that he did not know what to make of it anymore.

As the two monks continued to cause a ruckus, the sound of footsteps was heard from not too far away. Wen Leyang smiled tensely as he turned and looked at Wen Xiaoyi. The nearby areas consisted of only rolling hills in the middle of winter and they were well off the proper path. It was a place where very few people would tread, yet somehow they had encountered others in the wilderness. It is unlikely for this new encounter to be a tourist or a pilgrim.

Wen Xiaoyi paid no attention to him as her clear eyes shimmered excitement, she watched the old monk commanding his sword at the other monk with high spirits. Though her hearing and sight was not as sharp as Wen Leyang's, so she had not heard the sound of the light footsteps approaching them.

Soon after, the silhouette of a human figure can be seen as it swayed and stumbled towards them. Though he was mentally prepared for the encounter, Wen Leyang could not help but feel when he saw the figure.

Wen Xiaoyi cried out a 'hey' in alarm. Her eyes glowed as she shook Wen Leyang's arm and said, "He is too cute!"

The person who was ascending the mountain was a plump little boy who looks to be about two to three years of age. He wore a padded jacket with Chinese-styled embroidery designs on it and on top of his round head he wore a felt cap. In addition, a pair of round sunglasses was propped on his nose. He doesn't seem to be able to walk properly and there were a few occasions where he almost fell and hit his head. He would stumble for a few steps before he managed to regain his balance and continued to walk towards them.

They could hear a girl's voice saying, "Ah Dan (little egg), Ah Dan, you should be careful not to trip." The voice was filled with loving concern yet one could discern an undercurrent of derision in it, as if the girl was trying to show dominance to someone.

Ah Dan walked towards them and looked to the left, then to the right, and when he saw the 'Thunderstorm Summoning Stone' in Wen Leyang's hand his chubby body stopped moving abruptly.

The two monks had fought many times with one another for their entire lives, but today was the first time they felt satisfied showing off their abilities to a willing audience. However, when they heard the girl's laugh, they immediately stopped and looked downwards, like someone with a guilty conscience.

A flash of red akin to a bright flame was seen leaping about below them. In the blink of an eye, the girl whose voice they had heard appeared before them. Wen Leyang immediately felt that the whole forest was covered in red flames!

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Chapter 22: The Comrade

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The red-colored outfit wrapped around the girl's body perfectly. It outlined the contours of her well-proportioned figure to its best and there was only one word that was sufficient to describe her: voluptuous.

She had voluptuous breasts, a voluptuous bottom, a voluptuous chin, and even the corners of her eyes were voluptuous.

The girl was young and looked to be around eighteen or nineteen years of age. Her complexion was fair and soft, complimenting her delicate and charming red lips which curved attractively at the corners. Her round eyes sparkled as if they were burning with a hot flame, the overall effect was that she was like a little red chili pepper in human form. One's eyes felt like they were burning even with just one look at her, but one would be unable to look away. Almost like a moth drawn to a flame knowing full well that it will be burned, one could not resist the deadly desire of looking at her which emanated straight from the bone marrow.

The voluptuous Little Chili Pepper approached them, she did not look at Wen Leyang or the others but her burning-hot gaze was firmly fixed on the two monks. She laughed sharply and said, "The two grand masters, we have met again!" Her beautiful laugh gradually curdled into a ghastly cackle.

The old monk Ji Fei, immediately recalled his flying sword as he looked towards the red-clothed girl with a strained and uneasy look. His mouth chuckled mockingly, yet he was quietly trying to shift his stance into a more defensive position.

The other monk who had been ceaseless dodging the attacks from the flying sword until he was all confused and dizzy, suddenly lost his momentum as the attacks stopped. His body spun around twice before falling with a thud onto the ground. He gasped for air in huge breaths and his face was densely covered in sweat drops as he turned to look at the visitor who had interrupted the fight. As he saw the red-clothed girl he leaped up immediately and stumbled to the old monk's side and said, "It's over, she has found us!"

The panic-stricken look on Ji Fei's face was lifted as he seemed to have thought of an idea. He laughed at his revelation and said, "It's okay, let me have a try." He turned to face Little Chili Pepper with the voluptuous yet ghastly eyes, gently shook his head as he shouted once abruptly, "It was all that monk's idea!" He immediately turned tail and ran, seeming not to care anymore about his new 'apprentice' or the Thunderstorm Summoning Stone .

The huge monk was stunned and smacked himself firmly on his bald head as he berated, "How could I never learn from my mistakes!" He then covered his face with the huge sleeves of his robe and also ran away.

Little Chili Pepper stomped her feet firmly, "Don't run away! Go, Ah Dan!" She flipped over with her bare hands and held up two needles about half a foot in length and flung them towards the old monk. The small plump boy known as Ah Dan babbled as he answered her call, discarded the clumsy look he had when he was ascending the mountain, and scurried with great speed towards the fleeing monk like a raging young leopard.

Wen Xiaoyi cried out in alarm and said in a low voice, "Those are Spirit Needles! Her powers also appear to be similar to the Corpse Dance of the Luo family, this is clearly a person from Crow Ridge!" Immediately she explained to Wen Leyang, "Similar to the Wen family's Faulty Punch, the Corpse Dance could only be attained by passing the Major Examination of the Decade, one would only be allowed to learn it after becoming an Inner Disciple of Crow Ridge."

Little Chili Pepper gesticulated with her hands and feet and the pair of long needles attacked in a strange yet forceful manner. However, her movement appeared somewhat strange and uncoordinated. Wen Leyang watched for a while before he was enlightened; while she was attacking, most of her body's joints remained rigid, the strength and movements of her entire body depended upon the shifting of her muscles, and it really looked like a corpse was dancing.

The plump Ah Dan's movements too was pretty similar to how Little Chili Pepper was moving. Well, at least their styles were the same.

Wen Leyang nodded his head in agreement, "the Necromancy Seal should be hers, but I am unsure of how the two monks had stolen it from her hands." Little Chili Pepper's capabilities appeared to be slightly stronger than how he was more than four months ago.

However, from Wen Leyang's observation, when compared to the two monks' ostentatious fighting style and momentum in their Buddhist magic arts, Little Chili Pepper's strangely forceful and bizarre approach showed that she was at a lower level of power. Wen Leyang had a virtuous and sincere intention, he was afraid that the girl would lose the fight so he took two steps forward silently and gathered the strength of his entire body to prepare to force his way into the fight anytime.

The huge monk and the old monk were all tangled up as they tried to run, anxiously yelling out strange squawks, yet neither were willing to raise a hand to harm anyone. Instead, they ran like two thieves who were trying to escape their guilty conscience.

After a while, even Wen Xiaoyi could see that the little baby Ah Dan was in contrast more skilled, for the red-clothed young girl could not deal with the old monk Ji Fei on her own. Her long needles may be full of murderous intent and flew with great ease, yet they could barely touch the old monk's body at all. If the old monk were to fight back wholeheartedly, Little Chili Pepper would sustain heavy injuries immediately.

The group of four was divided into two pairs of people persistently pulling and twisting at each other. The little plump boy jumped up and down, the rigorous movement caused the round sunglasses on his face to slip and fall to the ground with a clatter. Wen Xiaoyi grabbed Wen Leyang's arms and her palms were sweaty, "The child… is a corpse, it's… it's a child's corpse!"

Wen Leyang held out his arm and gave a few pats on the little girl's forehead, he had noticed it since the beginning. Ah Dan's actions were like the wind yet did not make a sound, and this was essentially not something a two to three years old child would be able to do. Also, he would stick out his tongue and lick his lips once in a while, and though his movements were swift, this detail did not escape Wen Leyang's sharp eyes.

That little tongue was pitch-black in color.

Under the sunglasses, the rim around Ah Dan's eyes was covered in a layer of dark bruises which stood out starkly against his ghastly pale face. His eyes were also tightly shut, as if he had never opened them all this while.

The old monk Ji Fei continued to try to dash away for a few times yet every time he was blocked by the red-clothed girl. Suddenly his rolled his eyes and growled at Wen Leyang, "My precious apprentice, take that tablet with you and leave. I, your Master, will follow along real soon!"

Before he could finish that sentence, Little Chili Pepper saw the tablet in Wen Leyang's hands through her split vision. All of a sudden she abandoned her pursuit of the old monk, her graceful body oscillated in a breathtaking curvature as she grasped the Spirit Needles and pounced towards Wen Leyang and shouted at him with a spoiled voice, "Give it to me!"

Ji Fei was extremely happy that his ruse had worked and started to run away with his sleeves trailing behind him. As he was picking up his pace, a human figure darted swiftly in front of him with a pure and honest smile blooming on his face. The old monk's body, which had just been getting ready to escape a moment ago, jumped away from the figure instinctively. Although he had been fighting continuously earlier, neither the fat monk nor Little Chili Pepper could touch his frail old life. However, it was different, the enemy had abruptly appeared before him without warning. If it had been a sneak attack he would be at a great disadvantage.

Wen Leyang blocked the old monk's path and said while smiling happily, "Kind Master, please do not leave yet, I still have some matters that required your guidance."

Little Chili Pepper, who had been dashing forward like electricity, had pounced on Wen Leyang when unexpectedly there was a blur in her vision. The village youth which had seemed simple-minded disappeared and in the blink of an eye was standing in front of the old monk.

Wen Leyang waved his hand and tossed over Necromancy Seal to the red-clothed girl, "Miss… maiden… fellow comrade, please cease the fighting." As he was saying that he pointed towards the aggressive-looking undead toddler who seemed determined in putting up a desperate fight.

The red-clothed girl appeared slightly dazed as she held out her hand and caught the seal. She hesitated for a moment before knocking lightly on the bone needles a few times, making a dull, hollow noise, "Ah Dan, don't fight anymore!" The corpse toddler immediately obeyed as he babbled and nodded his head. He then ignored the monk and with a stiff upright posture, he leaped back to his master's side. He rummaged with his plump hands and lifted out another pair of sunglasses from his chest pocket to put on his face.

The fat monk and the old monk were filled with puzzlement and gazed towards each other. They had seen Wen Leyang's speed and the ease with which he had blocked the old monk showed them that they had misjudged him. The ability of this young fellow from the village was far more impressive than he had appeared.

In the process of cultivating Qi to nourish the spirit, a competent person who was engaged in self-cultivation could readily gauge the capacity of the other party. A fellow Qi-practitioner would have a particular gleam or glow in the eyes derived from the foundation of this practice, and there was no way to hide this. Yet the power in Wen Leyang's body seemed to be contrary to every other major practice in this world, most of which is focused on building from the internal to the external. One was supposed to build from the foundation of their practice, then invigorate their Qi to nourish the spirit. Wen Leyang's practice, on the other hand, was from external to internal. His body appeared sleek and well-rounded but one could not see even a speck of a practitioner's characteristic in him. This was the reason why the two monks had believed this young fellow was of prestigious roots and fought each other to take him as an apprentice.

Amongst the practitioners, it was fairly common to not being able to gauge each other's exact limits. However, it was almost impossible to completely mistake a practitioner as a regular person or vice versa.

Wen Leyang did not respond to the two monk's questioning gaze as he was unsure how he should respond, "These two great masters stole… took her belongings?"

The fat monk blushed as scarlet as the old monk and gave a furtive glance, "It was neither stolen nor taken, it was picked up, accidentally picked up."

Wen Xiaoyi giggled and said, "Just like how you accidentally picked up a precious apprentice."

The fat monk had a twinkle in his eyes as he nodded his head vigorously, "You are right, it's all fated!"

"Fated, my *ss…" Little Chili Pepper was flushed with rage. She pointed the Spirit Needles at the old monk, "Give me back my lantern!"

The old monk gazed towards the fat monk with a heated gaze, "You, monk! Under these circumstances, you should just return the lantern to the little girl."

The fat monk opened his small eyes wide, his mouth gaped opened and stuttered but no words came out.

Little Chili Pepper inhaled once deeply, then fully exhaled with her full breasts. Her scorching hot gaze looked towards Wen Leyang and asked, "How did this tablet end up in your hands?" She waved the Necromancy Seal around as she was saying that.

Before Wen Leyang could say anything, Wen Xiaoyi rushed before him and answered on his behalf, "The old monk explicitly wanted to take him as his apprentice, we had yet to agree with that request when the old monk shoved this tablet into his hands and considered it as a welcoming gift. You arrived soon after that."

Little Chili Pepper nodded her head and the intense expression on her face relaxed. Wen Xiaoyi was as clean as ice and pure as jade, her guileless nature immediately gave one the impression that she could be trusted, and therefore the words that she spoke would be completely believable.

Little Chili Pepper was no fool either; if it were only up to herself and the undead toddler, they would not have been able to take down those two thieves. Fortunately, this simple young village fellow who appeared to possess unique skills and also seemed to be on her side, had stepped in and changed the tide of the fight. She quickly recognized that he was not of the same party as the monks and immediately sought his help, "Young man… fellow comrade, these two old thieves are con men and they stole my belongings!" The little chili pepper was also unsure of how to address Wen Leyang, she had thought in a straightforward manner like he did, that they were all comrades

Within the four seas, all men are fellow comrades.

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Chapter 23: The Old Thieves

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Approximately half a year ago, Little Chili Pepper was preparing to lure a corpse when she encountered the old monk, Ji Fei and the fat monk, Shui Jing.

The Spirit Guiding Light, Necromancy Seal and the two Spirit Needles each had its own purpose, while concurrently they were important instruments in the Luo family's mystic technique of the Corpse Raising Formation.

At the time the fat monk and the old monk had each exhibited their abilities. Together they brought Little Chili Pepper into submission. She thought that she had come across people of erudite learning but as the other monk was pinning her down, the old monk seized the opportunity to steal the Spirit Guiding Light and the Necromancy Seal. By the time she noticed, the two old thieves had already escaped to an unknown location.

The people of Crow Ridge were from a strong clan that had lived in seclusion for over two thousand years and no Inner Disciple had ever suffered such a severe loss. Little Chili Pepper had not been doing anything else for the past half a year except to look for the thieves. A few days ago, she heard the news that Ji Fei and Shui Jing were spotted at Mount Emei so she rushed over immediately. She had circled the mountain for some time before she could finally catch up to them.

Little Chili Pepper was quick of wit and eloquent, her speech carried a light Southern Chuan accent which was crisp yet somehow still had a burning hot sensation. It was pleasant to the ears beyond explanation. Ji Fei and Shui Jing stood aside unrepentantly, every once in a while they would try to use lame arguments and flawed logic to defend themselves.

Once she had finished speaking, Little Chili Pepper looked towards Wen Leyang and implored, "Help me."

Wen Leyang fished out a carrot, in one bite he bit off the thin, sharp end and said, "Earlier, the old monk said that the lantern was taken away by the Chan Master, Shui Jing?"

The old monk Ji Fei chimed in hastily, "Yes, there were two precious treasures, we each took one so it's fair and square." He glared gleefully at the fat monk, seeming to take delight in his misfortune.

Shui Jing's huge face turned scarlet and he stuttered for almost half a day. Suddenly, he smacked his thigh and said, "Damn it, I can't endure this hardship any longer!"

Wen Leyang was astonished in his heart as he thought that the monk would try to escape. Unexpectedly, Shui Jing straightened his back and walked in big strides until he was in front of Little Chili Pepper, "I can't stand this Ox Nose's flowery words and cunning statements anymore, I was the one who damaged the lantern! Now that it is gone, how can I compensate you? Please instruct me as you please, even if you wanted the respected Laozi's trousers, this monk would steal for you… bring it on!"

Without waiting for the red-clothed girl's reply, Wen Leyang interrupted and asked, "How did this fine lantern get damaged?"

The fat monk pointed at the old monk and resentfully lamented, "It was none other than his lousy idea! He damaged a fine item without a cause and it almost killed me!"

The old monk awkwardly rubbed his palms as he smiled mockingly, "We came across a rainstorm in the Nine Peaks Mountain! Though the Art of Corpse Luring appeared to be a dishonest practice, we as Taoist practitioners do not always keep the stereotype of only holding on to our family's practice. Instead, we should corroborate from a wide range of sources and collect every strong point from a million types of practices. To us, knowledge has no limits… Hey, young fellow, what has all these got to do with you?" Halfway through his conversation, the old monk Ji Fei noticed Wen Leyang's expression and immediately switched the topic. Ji Fei had a 'none of your business' look on his face as he glared askance at Wen Leyang.

Bang!

A loud noise was heard and black smoke veiled the air, Wen Xiaoyi waved the big-muzzled weapon around and moved forward, "I will shoot the two of you mother*ckers to death!"

As the sooty black smoke dissipated, two African-looking monks leaped about and screamed in pain, "Why is there a gun!"

The two monks were not ordinary beings, their vision and reflexes were unbelievably swift and once they heard the loud bang, their years of self-cultivation practice immediately kicked into gear. They condensed the power from their entire bodies onto their face while at the same time they walked backwards at full speed.

The impacting force of the iron pellets and the firmness of their face contested for a while.

The iron pellets lost.

However, the black smoke that had exploded from the gunpowder was not wasted for it was now plastered all over the two monks' faces.

Wen Xiaoyi was quickly and dexterously refilling the big-muzzled weapon with gunpowder and pellets.

The old monk stretched out his finger and pointed towards Wen Xiaoyi, "You… why are you shooting at us!" He had a face full of black ash like the other monk and they jumped around in pain. But because Wen Xiaoyi is a little maiden, both of them were too embarrassed to raise a hand to her.

Wen Leyang hastily stepped forward to protect the little girl, "Who are the two of you, really?"

"This poor monk's Taoist monastic name is Ji Fei, my practice of the Buddhist magic arts is beyond the prediction of the divine and evil, my three feet of double-edged sword…"

Wen Xiaoyi finished refilling the gunpowder in just a moment, she raised the big-muzzled weapon and ran forwards while shouting at Wen Leyang, "Move aside, Wen Leyang!"

Wen Leyang grabbed her before she could run forward and felt, for the first time, that the nice little girl has turned out to be a violent and hot-tempered person.

Little Chili Pepper has a head full of question marks as well, "You… is your surname… Wen? From the Nine Peaks Mountain?" As she was saying that, she unwittingly shifted her pose to a defensive one. The undead toddler Ah Dan too immediately stood protectively in front of its master.

Wen Xiaoyi cursed ferociously, "These two f*ckers released the Spirit Guiding Light outside the Red Leaves Forest and it almost killed my dear brother!"

Ji Fei and Shui Jing looked at each other when they heard Wen Leyang's name. They both had an odd expression on their faces, followed by an expression of sudden revelation. A considerable amount of black soot fell off their shocked faces and the fat monk appeared to be even more embarrassed, "You… you were in the Red Leaves Forest at that time?"

The old monk too, hastily forced a smile, "Misunderstanding, what a misunderstanding!"

Wen Leyang laughed out loud and asked with interest, "How is it a misunderstanding?"

The fat monk and the old monk were two people who were engaged in self-cultivation. Usually, they battled one another like two shadows, and matters of the real world rarely mean anything to them. However, they possessed one redeeming feature, that is if they were caught performing an evil deed, they would try to escape if they could or they would deny it if they could, they would never bully their way through and hit another person. They would not even use their powers to cause trouble for ordinary people.

The secret Corpse Raising Art of the Luo family had initially no connection to the two monk's cultivation practice at all. But when they came across Little Chili Pepper who was behaving mysteriously, they felt it was exciting and so stole the Spirit Guiding Light and the Necromancy Seal. Not long after they stole the two precious treasures, they were able to figure out their usage and set about looking for an old corpse with the intention of trying out these precious objects. There were some excellent corpses in Mount Mogan, but the two of them dared not set foot back there for fear that they will encounter Little Chili Pepper once again.

Afterwards, the two of them wandered all the way to the Nine Peaks Mountain. While they were there they unintentionally discovered that there was a corpse's smell around the Red Leaves Forest. The two monks were overjoyed as if they had discovered a precious treasure and under the old monk's instigation, the fat monk tempered a drop of blood and essence into the lantern and released it into the air.

They only had a superficial knowledge and did not know that if the lantern was not released according to the correct ancient time units or did not conform to proper practice methods, essentially it would not lure out the ancient corpse. Furthermore, the Wen family had its own method of corpse suppression so even if it was done personally by a master necromancer from Crow Ridge, he may not have necessarily succeeded as well. They did not know that one should not release the Spirit Guiding Light in a rainstorm. But the most unexpected thing to them was the giant serpent's corpse that had lain dead for a countless number of years near the Red Leaves Forest.

Once the lantern had been released, a fully-dead giant serpent was forced out of its tomb and even triggered the Red Leaves Forest's brutal Prohibition Spell. The heavy rain then extinguished the Spirit Guiding Light and the fat monk was severely wounded due to the repercussion. The old monk carried him and ran away as far as he could.

The old monk and the fat monk recounted their tale together and as they completed their narrative, Ji Fei suddenly turned around and punched the fat monk as he cursed, "Motherf*cker, are you collecting a new apprentice or a plaintiff!"

Wen Xiaoyi was holding the big-muzzled weapon as she said ferociously, "Wen Leyang, you can't just let the both of them go so easily!"

Wen Leyang, however, had an indifferent attitude towards the two. To him, it was adequate as long as they had been speaking the truth. In the first place, he did not have the impression that these two monks were truly evil. They had decent abilities yet their refusal to bully the weak deserves admiration. In the second place, he was virtuous and sincere, albeit the two monks had shameful means of handling matters, they did not have truly evil intentions. So, even though he had almost been killed because of them, the misfortune had become a blessing in disguise as under an enormous coincidence he had managed to accomplish Wen Lazi's legacy cultivation method. One could say that this serendipitous achievement was granted by the actions of these two monks.

The red-clothed girl could see that there was an eagerness in Wen Leyang's gaze as she asked, "The Red Leaves Forest? Isn't that Wen Bucao's place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death? In that case, you are the Inner Disciple who had passed the Major Examination three years ago?"

The three families, despite these years of having little to no correspondence or conflict with one another, had a sense of pride at their shared legacy of being the descendants of the ancestor Tuoxie and would feel a burst of delight at meeting a fellow descendant.

The old monk rolled his eyes around furtively and saw that there was a tinge of competitive pride in the red-clothed girl's being. He chuckled and attempted to stir her u by saying, "It would seem like the girl and the young fellow here are old family friends. However, if this old monk was to speak the truth, the young girl's abilities are far more lacking when compared to the little brother's."

Little Chili Pepper flicked her eyes towards the old monk but refused to be drawn into his trap, "Wen Leyang, these two old thieves are full of lies, you ought to not trust them so easily!"

Wen Leyang tossed the remaining half of the carrot into his mouth. After chewing for a while he grinned cheerfully, showing a row of neat, pearly white teeth which shone cleanly from his face. When the entire Prohibition Spell of the Red Leaves Forest had been triggered by the Yin Chi during that dark, stormy night, the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death was like an undefended city. If the two monks had intentionally schemed on bringing down the Wen family, they would have attacked the place in the beginning. They would also not have let Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi slip away so easily from the Forest when they were tricked by the two foolish uncles.

Wen Xiaoyi angrily spoke to the two monks, "There was a foot-long Yin Chi hidden in the dead giant serpent and it bit Wen Leyang once. He almost died!"

The fat monk's expression was obviously shocked, followed by him nodding his head repeatedly as he muttered to himself, "That's impossible! If you were bitten by the Yin Chi you would have certainly died by now!"

Wen Leyang looked at him askance and said in an ill-mannered way, "Why don't you help to perform a Buddhist ritual for me to release my soul from purgatory?"

The old monk Ji Fei felt guilty and as he dared not offend the poor victim any longer, he immediately tried to divert the topic of the conversation. With a dry laugh, he said to Little Chili Pepper, "Your precious treasure was extremely cruel, it can even lure out a dead giant serpent…"

Wen Xiaoyi shook her head with great determination, "It's not possible, the Spirit Guiding Light does not have the ability to manipulate the Yin Chi!"

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Chapter 24: The Surprise Attack

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The red-clothed girl looked at Wen Xiaoyi with surprise, she hesitated for a moment then explained to Wen Leyang, "The Yin Chi is the most incisive type of corpse vermin, it lives by hiding within a corpse on most days and it is capable of manipulating corpses. However, if it were controlling a dead serpent of that enormous size, it ought to not be a being of this mortal world anymore." By her reckoning, since Wen Leyang had returned the Necromancy Seal to her without her asking for it, they were now considered as comrades.

Wen Leyang nodded his head, "The one that bit me was only a foot long. Its entire body was pitch black but where its eyes should be there were only two white scales."

Little Chili Pepper nodded her head as well, "It sounds like that Yin Chi was already evolving into a spirit. During the process, it will look for a more fearsome corpse to seek shelter in and continue to cultivate its energy until its entire body has been covered with white scales. By then, it would have evolved into an immortal snake spirit." She smiled gently as she was saying that, "These are all but legends. The Luo family had been manipulating corpses for generations so we may know about these things in detail more than others. My estimation is that the Yin Chi was living in an ancient corpse, only then would it be able to manipulate the corpse, yet it would not be possible to lure the corpse on its own accord."

Wen Leyang said in his heart that his Eighth Generation Ancestor had become a reanimated corpse because of it.

Little Chili Pepper saw the disbelief in Wen Leyang's eyes and frowned as she asked, "What happened? Was another corpse reanimated at that time?" Her focused expression melted from a scorching-hot charm into a different kind of alluring beauty.

Both Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi nodded their heads together.

Little Chili Pepper shook her head in confusion, "That should be impossible, unless… unless there was something else that had triggered the corpse's instincts, something like… items with celestial Yang (masculine) force…"

The old monk Ji Fei roared with laughter and he patted Wen Leyang's shoulder with a snide look, "You are still a virgin, boy… ouch!" As he was halfway through his speech, he uttered a heart-wrenching cry and held up his trembling hand, his entire palm had swelled up bigger than his head in an instant.

Little Chili Pepper laughed heartily, feeling tremendously relieved from her vented hatred, "How dare you simply touch the shoulder of Wen Bucao's descendant!"

Wen Leyang nodded to Little Chili Pepper while laughing, "I have now understood the matter." Immediately he extended a finger and swiped once past the old monk's inner palm. Ji Fei felt a jet of refreshing sensation that penetrated straight into his bone marrow as the unbearable agonizing pain from earlier vanished in the blink of an eye.

Wen Leyang recalled that 'You've Got Me' is a poisonous bug of celestial Yang force. After making a scene for more than half a day it turned out that his Eighth Generation Ancestor had been aroused by Wen Leyang himself. Fourth Grandfather had known that he was carrying a Buddha's Light Bug with him when he entered the Red Leaves Forest, hence he had warned Wen Leyang to not enter the Life Trademark.

Little Chili Pepper, however, does not know that he is carrying a Buddha's Light Bug on his body. She shook her head immediately and said, "That's still impossible. Even if you are a male virgin that is not considered celestial Yang force…" She realized what she had been saying and her pretty face blushed scarlet in a moment. Her appearance may have been courageous and forceful but in reality, she was a little maiden who had seldom descended from the mountain. She had always just practiced martial arts in Crow Ridge and even her studies were personally guided by the elders at home. However, the standard of living at Crow Ridge is much higher than at the Wen family village as they've even installed Broadband lines at the houses there.

Little Chili Pepper dared not bother Wen Leyang anymore so she turned back to the two monks and diverged the topic of the conversation, "Tell me quick, how are you going to compensate me for my precious treasures? As for the respected Laozi's trousers… I don't want that!"

The fat monk's face looked gloomy as he replied with a melancholic voice, "Nevertheless you should decide on another form of compensation as the both of us don't have any money."

Little Chili Pepper gave a 'humph' and said, "Who cares about money anyways! You should compensate me with your very own magic weapons! Give me the things that you had showed off so flashily before! I want the old monk's silver flying sword and your golden small inverted bell!" She thought that she had finally seen through the two monks; although they were dreadfully skilled, they still possessed a gentleman's manner of conceding to their defeat. They also had not made another attempt at escaping ever since Wen Leyang blocked their way, so she took the chance to demand her compensation at an exorbitant price.

Little Chili Pepper's had expected some amount of grumbling and protest, but she did not expect the two monks to procure these treasures from their pockets almost immediately. Though they both had a sour and unwilling expression as they toyed with the items in their hands and asked, "These items… do you really want this?"

"Absolutely!" Little Chili Pepper answered with surprise but she was firm with her decision.

"Take it then!"

The two monks abruptly shouted at once and simultaneously tossed their magic weapons into the air. Their earlier boisterous manner had been swept away, in the blink of an eye, they turned savage and ferocious!

The little silver sword swept forward as fast as electricity while the small inverted bell rang ceaselessly, in a split second, a dark murderous intent and the solemn glow of divine light entangled and soared towards the sky!

The red-clothed girl had never thought that the two monks would so violently lay down their killing hands all of a sudden and she was completely unprepared to dodge the attack. She could only watch as the flying sword swooped downwards in a murderous arc and the small inverted bell grew as big as a house in just a moment. There was a weapon above and below her and the two smashed towards her.

Little Chili Pepper did not even have the opportunity to curse at them, she helplessly watched as her death approached when, all of a sudden, a blurred shadow flashed before her eyes and a not-so strong-built but sturdy enough body was shielding her from the attacks.

There was a loud bang that echoed through the mountain; Wen Xiaoyi had fired another shot.

Wen Leyang shouted as he threw a punch, the strength from his entire body was concentrated onto his fist. The sensation of the power generated from the poison tempered into his body appeared once again as the skin on his arm and fist wound itself up tightly and released a heavy blow of strength. Wen Leyang felt that within the grasp of his hands were a pair of iron fists!

The two magic weapons that appeared to be greeting the double fists abruptly changed their course. They cut through an unbelievable trajectory and shot angrily towards the empty space on the ground on the both sides of the two companies.

Boom!

Wen Leyang's fist missed the target and as if the air could not bear the strength exerted by the powerful punch, with a rush the atmosphere rippled with gray and white light as it erupted with a loud bang!

Little Chili Pepper did not see the one punch that Wen Leyang had thrown that seemed to have shattered the air, but from the awe-struck gazes of the fat monk and the old monk, she could read the taste of terror in them.

The two magic weapons crashed into a distant stretch of mountain forest not exceeding tens of meters away from the fight. The sound of a screech that was more unpleasant to the ears than a gray owl's wail soared up towards the sky as the outline of a sand-colored human figure appeared from the soil which had been plowed into furrows by the magic weapons. The figure wriggled and wrenched itself free like to a mud catfish.

Neither Wen Leyang nor Little Chili Pepper were aware that someone had been hiding not too far away from where they were. Though the fight had nothing to do with this new person, somehow they were the recipient of Ji Fei and Shui Jing's attacks.

Both the shoulders of the yellow-shirt person had been badly mutilated, fresh blood gushed out in streams and both of its arms had completely disappeared. It had reacted to the sudden surprise attack and used both its arms to block the magic weapons. Its body, however, did not stop for even a moment and kept twisting about. After each twist, it would disappear into the air, and almost concurrently it would reappear again ten feet away. It swiftly escaped down the mountain in this bizarre manner.

The two monks roared loudly and as they could not stand to have their old faces blackened again by the big-muzzled blunderbuss, they took the opportunity and chased after the disappearing figure.

Everything happened in such a short moment that by the time Little Chili Pepper had finally recovered her senses, the three persons had already vanished down the mountainside without a trace.

Wen Leyang stuck his tongue out towards sheepishly and said to Wen Xiaoyi, with his heart still throbbing with adrenalin, "Luckily I did not manage to catch it!" The formidable force released from the two monk's magic weapons cannot be compared to the magic weapons from the Sun Dynasty Palace. Not too far from where the two weapons had met the earth, the trees had all been charred into charcoal and a deep pit the size of a house had been dug into the mountainside.

The two monks had appeared in a rather baffling manner and then they had disappeared without a sign. They left behind a trio of people all standing at the same spot, staring speechlessly at one another.

Little Chili Pepper cracked a smile at Wen Leyang and her passionate smile immediately melted the air, "Are you really a descendant of the Wen Bucao?"

Wen Leyang roared in laughter as he nodded his head.

Little Chili Pepper hesitated for a moment and finally gave in to the 'try or die' sentiment in her, "Many thanks to Wen… comrade Wen for your helping hand earlier."

Wen Leyang's cheeks felt like they were burning as he waved his hands around in a flustered manner. He wanted to say something conversational in return but ended up stuttered for almost half a day before he could finally blurt out, "It's fine, you can just call me Wen Leyang."

Wen Xiaoyi chuckled as she chimed in, "He has a nickname called Little Taiyang."

Little Chili Pepper giggled charmingly, "That nickname really suits you!"

Wen Xiaoyi continued to pester her, "How about you? What's your name?"

"My name is Luo…" Little Chili Pepper suddenly blushed scarlet and she skipped her own name and said, "I am the Inner Disciple of Crow Ridge and my siblings call me by the nickname 'Mumu'!"

Wen Leyang was stunned; he found her nickname very pleasant to the ears and it was not as peppery as he expected. However, he did not know that the nickname had originated from the word 'tigress', implying a character of fierceness and ferocity, and it had gradually evolved into Mumu.

The undead toddler seemed to have become bored and his plump body hobbled and walked away. Wen Xiaoyi was full of curiosity and cautiously followed behind the baby corpse. Wen Leyang looked towards Wen Xiaoyi out of concern.

Little Chili Pepper, or Mumu, laughed and said, "Don't worry, Ah Dan will not harm others in normal times. Little Taiyang, the reason you are here at Mount Emei, is it for…" She then lowered her voice and asked conspiratorially, "The ancient cave at Zhanyan Peak?"

Wen Leyang raised his eyebrows slightly and nodded his head in confirmation.

"So the Wen family had also heard about the incident that happened at Zhanyan Peak four months ago?"

Wen Leyang did not answer the question but he asked a question in reply, "Did you come to Mount Emei because of the incident at Zhanyan Peak too?"

Little Chili Pepper shook her head and an anxious expression melted into her scorching gaze and burning-hot red lips, turning her worry into seduction.

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Chapter 25: Buried Remains

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The ancient cave on Zhanyan Peak that had remained hidden for an unknown number of years was suddenly thrust back into the mortal world a few months ago. The mural that depicted the primary style of The Faulty Punch and the Wen family's secret recipe of strong poison attracted the Wen Bucao's attention and also alarmed the Luo family at Crow Ridge. The Wen, Miao and Luo family were originally descended from the same ancestor and each of the three party was acquainted with one another. This was especially true for the few master practitioners who were the heads of the family and it was not difficult to recognize each other's unique skills.

The three families had their own inherited ancestral teachings with the ultimate goal of finding the original ancestor Grand Master Tuo Xie who had vanished under mysterious circumstances over two thousand years ago. With the reappearance of the cave new clues relating to the ancestor had resurfaced, and regardless of whether it was Wen Bucao of Nine Peaks Mountain or Si Buliao 1 of Crow Ridge, both treated this matter with all seriousness and brought their own contingent of people to investigate at Mount Emei.

Similar to what had happened to the Wen family, around three months ago the two heads of the family at Crow Ridge brought along a group of skilled practitioners from the clan and guided their refined corpses to Mount Emei. After that, they disappeared with no further news of their whereabouts or situation. The master practitioners that remained in the Luo family had prohibited Little Chili Pepper to go look for the missing heads of the family so she used the excuse of pursuing the two thieves to come to Mount Emei. Though it was important for her to recover her stolen items, her primary goal had been to reach Zhanyan Peak all along.

Little Chili Pepper, nicknamed Mumu, was plainspoken and straightforward. She told the full truth according to the incidents that she was aware of. She had also just entered the mountain around the same time as Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi.

Wen Leyang listened attentively her until she had finished telling her side of the story. He then told her of how the heads of the Wen family had also rushed to Zhanyan Peak more than four months ago.

Mumu learned that the few heads of the Wen family too entered the mountain around the same time and had also brought along a group of master practitioners. Suddenly, her eyes widened involuntarily as she thought of a terrifying possibility.

The undead toddler had walked several meters away from the group and was squatting on the ground, moving its head back and forth as it examined the ground in detail.

Wen Xiaoyi, who had been following Ah Dan, tilted her head sideways with a puzzled expression and tried to see what the baby corpse was looking at on the ground.

Wen Leyang understood what Little Chili Pepper was thinking about and he shook his head hurriedly as he asked her, "If you can please tell the truth, the affair of seeking for Grand Master Tuo Xie's whereabouts, how important is it for your family?"

Little Chili Pepper looked at him in puzzlement for a moment then suddenly burst out laughing with her white teeth and red lips forming a striking contrast. That testament which was left by the Grand Master more than two thousand years ago had been passed down through so many generations that it has now become a vague and insubstantial mission.

Now that new clues had appeared, regardless of which family it was, they would still continue the investigation. It was highly unlikely that both families would fight to the death over this mission. Also, based on Grand Elder Wen's experience and cunning, if he had encountered the people from the Luo family, he would most likely have cheerfully cooperated with them to explore the cave together.

Those who had been able to pass the Major Examination of the Decade can't be that shortsighted as well. If they were to examine the situation carefully, it did not matter which head of family it was, they would not simply muddle through and heedlessly throw away their lives and the lives of their subordinates in a meaningless fight.

As Wen Leyang and Mumu were discussing the situation, Ah Dan suddenly turned around and babbled at them from not too far away. Its body swayed clumsily and without warning, it sprang up three meters into the air! It put all its weight into its little bottom and rammed with full force into the ground. Wen Xiaoyi exclaimed once in shocked horror reached her hands out to hold it when she remembered that the little plump boy was actually a reanimated corpse and immediately retracted her little hands.

Ah Dan moaned and groaned continuously as it picked itself up, and bowed his head to look at the soil underneath its body. He then sprang up at a different location and slammed his little bottom hard against the ground again.

Mumu's expression was astonished at first but it quickly turned grave. Her graceful posture shook once as she grabbed Wen Xiaoyi to pull her away. She then faced them and said, "Ah Dan has made some discoveries, try not to disturb him."

The undead toddler stumbled around and changed its location constantly. In just a few moments it had already rammed the ground with its bottom countless times. Sometimes it would jump a few feet high before its bottom hit the ground and at other times it would jump a few meters up into the air.

"Ah Dan is a reanimated child's corpse and he can sense the spirits of those who have died wrongfully. Buried under the ground here are those who have been tragically killed! The higher he jumps, the deeper these bodies are buried under the ground." Little Chili Pepper explained to Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi in a low voice, as her expression became more and more alarmed. The technique of using a child's corpse to look for buried remains is a secret technique passed down from within the Luo family. Specifically, the more frequently the child's corpse hit the ground, the higher the number of dead bodies buried in the area. Ah Dan had been performing jump after jump and the surface he had been covering is growing bigger and bigger. Although this flat area of the mountain is not that big, the entire place is almost fully covered by its marks.

Finally, Ah Dan stopped. The felt cap on his head and the sunglasses on his face had unknowingly fallen off earlier and its body was covered with a thick layer of dirt. The surface of the ground was full of pockmarks and Mumu frowned as she walked over and pointed to the shallowest mark, "We should start digging here!"

Though they did not have any conventional tools with them, Wen Leyang's hands were like a pair of steel talons and he immediately started digging into the ground. The moment his hands came into contact with the soil, even for a Wen Bucao like him who had no experience with corpse guiding techniques, he could sense that something was not right. The mountain ground is supposed to be frozen hard during the winter yet the soil over here felt loose and soft to the touch. One could not tell just by looking at it, but it was as if the whole ground had been recently overturned.

A few moments later, Wen Xiaoyi suddenly screamed in fear and hid behind Wen Leyang.

The slightly decayed crown of a head slowly emerged from the ground!

Wen Leyang and Mumu looked at each other as he switched directions – he no longer dug horizontally but began to dig vertically into the ground next to the corpses' side.

The body had been buried in the soil in an upright position, like a carrot. The expression of the deceased appeared ferocious, the eyes and mouth were opened in rage and the inside of its mouth looked to be stuffed full of soil. Its ten fingers were twisted unnaturally around its thighs. Wen Leyang's expression turned ashen as he suppressed the burning rage within his heart, he gritted his teeth and growled in a low voice, "It's… the Fourth Elder Brother!"

Even though the dead body had started to decay, his facial features were still recognizable as the Wen family's disciple who was ranked the fourth elder in seniority amongst Wen Leyang's group of fellow disciples. Wen Leyang and the other disciples were on friendly terms and though the Fourth Elder Brother's Art of Poison was not extraordinary, he was vigilant and dealt with things in a sophisticated manner. He was usually sent to run errands for the village and spent most of his time outside.

Wen Leyang gently lifted Fourth Elder Brother's little finger, there was a smear of faint Blue Poison swept across the digit. Wen Four, upon encountering the enemy, had a pinch of poison in his hand but had not managed to use it against the enemy before he was overcome.

Mumu's facial expression was not pleasant either. She chose another indentation left by Ah Dan and began to dig without a care for her delicate fingers. Wen Leyang placed the body of Fourth Elder Brother gently on the ground and went over to help her. Not long afterward, Wen Leyang exhaled once again in sorrow, they had found another Wen disciple's body. It had been buried upright, just like Wen Four's body, and the manner of his death was exceptionally ruthless.

The three of them looked at each other silently. They suppressed the terror in their hearts as they spread out without saying a single word and started digging at the marks left behind by Ah Dan. Soon, more and more remains were uncovered and laid out on the ground. They dug from mid-afternoon until the moon had risen to the middle of the night sky, only then did they finish uncovering all the remains from the area.

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Chapter 26: The Commotion

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

There were seventeen bodies in total. Most of them were already badly decayed, but they could still be identified as disciples from the Wen family based on their personal belongings and the fact that most of them were Wen Leyang's brothers and uncles. All of them had a frightful expression on their faces and their seven orifices and fingernails were stuffed with soil before being buried vertically in the ground. It looked as if they were walking when they were hit with a spell that had caused them to sink into the earth and be buried alive.

Fortunately, none of the people from the Death Trademark or the four Grandfathers were amongst the bodies that were found. These people were very likely the disciples sent by First Uncle to Mount Emei to look for the four Grandfathers. After resting for a while, Wen Leyang began digging another hole to bury the bodies. He made a vow to the Wen families to bring the bodies back to the ancestral tomb once the issue had been settled and prayed for the deceased to protect the four Elders.

When the bodies have all been buried, Wen Leyang raised his fist and punched hard onto the ground. The solid ground looked like snow that had encountered hot, burning coals and the top layer of soil rose up like steam, with Wen Leyang's right arm buried into the ground.

The Wen's village at Nine Peaks Mountain is situated at the West of Chuan Region and just like Wen Leyang, the deceased had entered Mount Emei from the west side. The place where they were buried was a flat ground on a small hill that every one of them would have had to pass through in order to reach Zhanyan Peak. Ever since they lost communications with the four Elders and the people from the Death Trademark, Wen Tunhai had sent out groups of disciples to hunt for information and most of them had ended up being buried alive at this place.

Little Chili Pepper was relieved to note that there were no persons from the Luo family among the deceased. Yet she still felt that something was not right. "It's like… someone waited here to ambush the Wen's disciples as they passed through here…" she said as she saluted the row of new graves according to her family's custom and comforted the spirits of the dead.

Having laid the dead to rest, Wen Leyang closed his eyes for a short respite. Once a glimmer of light showed in the morning sky, he woke up, carried Wen Xiaoyi on his back and continued to head towards Zhanyan Peak.

Mumu was left with bloodshot eyes and the undead toddler followed behind her dejectedly…

A day had passed before the little group found themselves standing at an unknown and perilously tall peak, looking upon a vista of vast mountain ranges emerging from the mist. Wen Xiaoyi consulted the map and pointed to a steep peak in the far distance which looked as if it had been hewn by a celestial ax and said, "That's Zhanyan Peak!"

From afar, Zhanyan Peak was surrounded by rolling hills which were shrouded in mist. The sharp and imposing peak stood out from the serene hills like a wolf in a flock of sheep.

The landscape after the unknown peak gradually changed to a flat terrain. Although the land was still full of rocks and winter forests, the elevation was no longer as steep compared to when they first started up the mountain. The biggest surprise, however, was when the bleak winter landscape was gradually replaced by a rather lively scene.

From time to time, groups of people who had gathered here from all directions were crossing the valleys and the hills, heading towards Zhanyan Peak. These people were dressed in all sorts of outfits and were both young and old, male and female. An old lady with white powder and a red flower in her hair and a hunched-over old man with his chin almost touching the ground, contrasted with a few young people wearing Adidas and Nike branded clothes as well as a middle-aged man who was complaining as he looked for a signal on his cellphone. Some walked at a brisk pace while others took it slow and easy.

Nonetheless, all of their eyes sparkled with excitement without exception. Whenever they met each other, they would either greet each other in a friendly manner or stare each other down ferociously.

These groups of people had a bizarre appearance and a defiant temperament. If they were to appear at Wangfujing (a popular shopping area in Beijing), they would most likely have made the next day's headlines in the newspapers as 'Aliens Shopping in Beijing?' with the sub-heading of 'Beijing Welcomes You!'

The fact that this crowd had appeared in such an isolated mountain region was even more mind-boggling. It did not take long before a commotion broke out in the crowd. A man who appeared to be a reporter with a camera was confronted by a big, fat man with a low-cut shirt that revealed his chest hair. The fat man had walked over to the reporter and scolded him in a low voice, "Did you just take a photo of me? You've violated my privacy rights!" With that, he swept his huge hands out and knocked the camera from the reporter's hands.

The reporter growled and threw a three-inch long knife into the air, which grew into a formidable blade against the wind and sliced towards the fat man's head. The fat man made a strange shout and pulled a Wolf's Fang Club out from thin air!

The surrounding people quickly came over to mediate between the two. The reporter saw that there was no chance of a fight and spat, "We have the right to interview and take photograph as a reporter!"

Mumu's color came and went as she saw these people while Wen Xiaoyi simply hid behind Wen Leyang's back.

Compared to these diverse group of outlandish people, Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen looked more qualified to the regarded as Earthlings instead.

The worrying part was that these people all seemed to the headed in the same direction as Wen Leyang's group. Just as he was pondering whether they should avoid the crowd, he was interrupted from his thoughts. An old man who looked to be around sixty years of age with a goatish beard approached them and asked with a heavy Tianjin accent, "What are you doing here?"

The back of the old man was as straight as an arrow, his hair and beard were meticulously combed, giving him a sharp and severe aura. Wen Leyang felt as if it was not a person who stood in front of him but a sharp knife.

Standing at the top of a mountain ridge, Shui Jing was scanning around him with an ominous glint in his eyes. His golden inverted bell was suspended in the air and made a loud ringing sound. With every clang, the air seemed to vibrate and ripple in the sky. After searching for a while, the fat monk yelled to the old monk impatiently, "Where did he go?"

The old monk was picking his finger nails with a small flying sword as he answered, "Ran away, most probably."

The fat monk stomped his feet in frustration and made to pull the prayer beads off his neck with the old monk, Ji Fei, yelled in shock and quickly stopped him, "Are you out of your mind?!"

Shui Jing's anger was so fiery that the black ash on his face started to fall off continuously, "That depraved son of a b*tch! He dared to use the Mountain Coffin Spell! If I had not discovered it in time, the both of us, including those few kids as well would have been buried alive for sure! Get out of my way, I'll flush him out with these magic beads…"

The old priest held on to his hand tightly, "Do you know what place this is? This is Mount Emei! Even if you turned the mountain around with those eighteen beads of yours, you might not be able to find that son of a b*tch! Instead, you'll find yourself with tons of old fairies!" It was a pity that Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen were not around as they would have happily asked if they knew the Old Fairy as well!

Shui Jing was stunned by this revelation and let go of the prayer beads unwillingly and asked, "Then what should we do? Just let that son of a b*tch go?"

"The inside of that bald head of yours is all full of hair, is it? Why would that son of a b*tch ambush others in Mount Emei?"

Shui Jing waved his finger and commanded the inverted bell back to him and said, "You mean… it's related to Zhanyan Peak?"

The old monk nodded his head slowly then grinned cunningly before saying, "Even if it's the ghostly Old Wicked Phantom…"

The fat monk rolled his small eyes and said, "How could you say that?"

Not taking it to heart, a glimmer of slyness flickered in Ji Fei's eyes, "Cut the crap and let's get going. We'll miss the show if we run late!"

A smile like a fox that had just cornered an old hen widened on the fat monk's huge basin-like face.

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Chapter 27: The Rogue Cultivators

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wen Leyang hesitated for a while before he answered the razor-sharp old man, "I dedicate my presence today under the lives of my respected teachers, for I have come to Mount Emei to manage some affairs."

The old one scrutinized the few people in Wen Leyang's party from head to toe. He made a disdainful 'humph' sound and said, "An ordinary mortal such as you, are you even worthy to travel in the same space as me?" This old man's prestige was considerably higher than the other peculiar people in the crowd. Earlier, when he first arrived, everyone had given way to him and once he started giving instructions, someone would always be there to fulfill them. From the crowd, a few short-tempered persons had already started walking towards them while rolling up their sleeves as if intending to take care of the disturbance to the venerable old man.

An old lady with a powdery white face and painted rouge started walking towards them. She wore a huge, red, Chinese-style jacket and the amount of white powder caked on her face looked almost like it had been glued on. She saw that the situation was about to turn ugly and barred the way of the strange people who were going to confront Wen Leyang and said, "Let me ask a few questions before you do anything else!" She smiled cheerfully at Wen Leyang and asked, "Son, who's your Master?"

There was a clattering sound as a small object was tossed out from behind Wen Leyang's back. Wen Xiaoyi shyly poked her head out from behind his back and looked at the old woman with pitiful eyes.

The old woman caught the object and took a look. A beaming smile immediately spread from the corners of her eyes to her entire face as she passed the object in her hands to the razor-sharp old man, "They are Ji Fei's apprentice. Haha! That old mongrel has a rather good eye for things, these three little darlings all look decently capable. But it would seem that they each have their own unique talents, one has even brought along a reanimated toddler's corpse. I heard that there are people who are still refining corpses in the Shanxi province, Xiangxi province, and the Southern Chuan region…"

The object that Wen Xiaoyi had tossed over was the piece of fake jade that had been given by the old monk Ji Fei earlier.

"However there is no harm in this as well, for these are all playthings that are still practiced by the mortals. It's only natural when a mortal human encounters people like us who are rogue cultivators akin to immortals, to hastily acknowledge us as their Master…" The old woman seemed to enjoy the sound of her own voice, no one had asked her opinion on anything yet she humored herself by chattering continuously.

Wen Leyang gave a forced smile and kept quiet as he did not know how to respond to this. He was unsure of the background and true intentions of these people and ever since that stormy night, he had continuously encountered people who had referred to themselves as cultivators. By now he was no longer amused by the novelty and only felt puzzled at the sudden emergence of so many 'cultivators' like toads after a rain when in the past such encounters were extremely rare.

In the name of the seven Gods in heaven, is the art of cultivation no longer worth anything now?

The razor-sharp old man's expression calmed down upon seeing the piece of counterfeit jade and it seemed like he was on friendly terms with the old monk Ji Fei as he brushed them off with a phrase, "That Ox's Nose is a conman, he made this object here to trick these kids!" He turned around walked away for a few steps before adding, "The other monk is a questionable character too!"

Everybody laughed for they all knew of the old monk Ji Fei's tricks. They no longer threatened Wen Leyang's group and allowed them to join the crowd of people as they rushed along towards Zhanyan Peak at a steady speed.

In a manner similar to the priests from the Sun Dynasty Palace, this group of so-called rogue cultivators also owned excellent magic weapons. However, their physiques were not much stronger than the Wen family who is proficient in martial arts and enhanced by soaking in medicinal potion from young. The same goes for the Luo as well and Wen Leyang's group was able to keep pace with the rest of the cultivators.

The old woman also seemed to have quite a respectable level of prestige in her group. Moreover, she seemed to really adore the three new additions of Wen Leyang, Wen Xiaoyi, and Mumu. She did not leave even after returning the fake jade piece to Xiaoyi and continued to chat endlessly with them. She first pointed to the razor-sharp old man and introduced him to them, "This is Lord Gongye from Mount Pan in the Tianjin Municipality…"

Wen Xiaoyi was feeling more at ease now and added, "The Gongye family at Mount Pan were expert sword makers. However, there hasn't been any news of the family which seemed to have vanished a few hundred years ago."

The old man Gongye had walked far ahead but he unexpectedly could still overhear what the little girl had said. He turned around and showed her a smile as he said, "This little girl is quite knowledgeable!"

The old woman too, gazed at Wen Xiaoyi in astonishment, "My darling little girl, your knowledge is not too shabby! Three hundred years ago, the forefathers of the Gongye family discovered a wonderful thing in their sword-casting machine and ever since then they could understand and learn all the nature's secrets and mysteries. They stopped making swords for the mortal world which was why there were no more records about the family for the past few hundred years." After saying that she turned her attention to the other two and commented, "The little boy has an exceptional physique and bone structure, he is by far the best material for cultivation. The red-clothed little girl too has a basic practitioner's foundation, and even this little girl here who looks to be so weak that she is unable to withstand a gust of wind has a vast knowledge of many things. Hey, the old monk Ji Fei has finally hit the jackpot, I wonder where he found these three precious darlings."

Wen Leyang had tempered the poison into his body. A normal cultivator would essentially be unable to tell that he had developed a new style of practice with unsurpassed power and would think that he was an ordinary person with exceptional natural talents.

Mumu's looked around and asked, "How may we address you, grandmother?"

The old woman appeared slightly displeased as she frowned, the white powdery substance between her eyebrows started to fall in drifts, "So Ji Fei and Shui Jing never mentioned about me to any of you?"

A troubled expression appeared on Mumu's face as she said, "We had only encountered them yesterday and we were given no chance to speak before they pressed the piece of jade on us. After that, they had some matters of their own to take care of so they asked us to head to Zhanyan Peak first and we will meet up there. They said that if anything were to happen we can just declare the names of Ji Fei and Shui Jing."

Mumu had a light Southern Chuan accent, while Wen Leyang and Wen Xiaoyi spoke with a mouthful of Northern Chuan dialect. Luckily, this group of peculiar people were from all corners of the world and did not pick up on the slight difference between the accents. They thought that they all originated from the same location.

The old woman harrumphed once, "They asked you to declare their names as if Ji Fei and Shui Jing are extraordinary people." However, her expression was no longer displeased and she even tried to console them, "These two people usually act like lunatics most of the time, constantly running off after saying two sentences. Their behavior and abilities are not too bad, but the fact that all of you had formally acknowledged them as your Masters is indeed an enormous cosmic event."

The big fat man who had struck the reporter earlier chimed in with a laugh, "Red Grandaunt, those two funny clowns have yet to understand their lives and you are already doing the bragging for them. Be careful or you might mislead these three little darlings."

Red Grandaunt widened her mouth and chuckled once as the white powder continued to fall from her face. It had been falling for so long yet there was still a plentiful amount left, this can truly be considered as a miraculous matter. She commented, "f the old mongrel and the bald donkey can't properly guide their apprentices, I, the old woman, will teach them on their behalf!" She looked at Wen Leyang and pointed to the big fat man's chest which erupted with a handful of black hair and said, "His name is Giant Bull and he is a cultivator from the Fallen Horse Channel in Huainan."

Wen Leyang interrupted her and asked, "Are you from the Mountain Sect or the World Sect?" He had learned of these two different types of cultivators from the priests of the Sun Dynasty Palace. The cultivators who practiced in seclusion in the mountains are regarded as part of the Mountain Sect while those who practiced in secret amongst the ordinary people of society are regarded to be part of the World Sect.

Giant Bull chuckled once, "We are from the Forefather Sect!"

Red Grandaunt spat into his face and laughed out loud as she warned, "Don't be impolite to your elders, please be more courteous when speaking in front of the little darlings!" The old woman really adored these children and is extremely protective towards Wen Leyang and the rest of his party.

If one were to use the words of the monk, Shui Jing it would be: It is fated!

"We are scattered all over the world. On regular days, we engage in our own method of rogue cultivation. We do not pay particular attention to whether we are of the Mountain Sect or the World Sect. There is no clear-cut difference between the two for us – we enter the mountain when we feel like it and we enter into society when we want to do so. Those who define themselves as belonging to either the Mountain Sect or the World Sect are usually from official associations of cultivators, such as those at the Kunlun Mountains or Mount Shu's great cultivator factions. These official parties have forcibly occupied the divine mountains since ancient times and their practice foundation is so rooted that they refused to go into society. So they proclaimed themselves as belonging to the Mountain Sect but to be frank, in recent years many of their disciples have since entered into society. On the other hand, there are those who had led wicked practices and have lowered themselves to the extent that they could no longer raise their heads up. With their practice foundations destroyed, they had no alternative but to sneak into society and hide. They can only practice in secret and so the highborn big parties considered them as the World Sect." Red Grandaunt's speech as indistinct at times due to air leaking from the corners of her mouth. It was extremely strenuous for her to speak for long and even though she is a person who is engaged in cultivation, she still carries in her bones that outstanding cultural tradition of China's rural women, which is the ability to talk endlessly.

Only now did Wen Leyang comprehend that the Mountain Sect and the World Sect were all divided by the established institutions of cultivators. Those of the Mountain Sect tended to have immortal-like behavior while those of the World Sect were made up of those who harbored evil practices.

Giant Bull said in a low, muffled voice, "We are all rogue cultivators and we belong to no party. We enjoy our freedom and leisure, even if one were to f*cking let me be the head priest of Mount Shu's faction…" Before he could finish his sentence, Red Grandaunt suddenly shouted angrily, "Shut your mouth, you ought to take a look at where you are now!"

Giant Bull pursed his lips, "There are so many of us, why should we be afraid of them! Even if it was only me alone, damn it, I will never fear them!" Though his way of speaking sounded tough, he no longer continued talking about this topic.

Wen Xiaoyi was only an ordinary person and her footsteps were slow so she jumped onto Wen Leyang's back. Even so, she still managed to draw profuse praise from Red Grandaunt, who felt that a respectful older brother should dote on his younger sister in this manner. Red Grandaunt then went into small matters when Wen Xiaoyi suddenly chimed in and asked, "Grandaunt, why are we all going to Zhanyan Peak?"

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Chapter 28: The Monk

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The question that Wen Xiaoyi had asked was what Wen Leyang and Mumu were most concerned about. They had been constantly considering and weighing on how to begin to ask the question. They were afraid of saying the wrong thing and give themselves away by accident. They did not want to alarm this group of peculiar people who seemed like they could consume human flesh and pick their teeth with the bones. Somehow, Wen Xiaoyi was able to ask the question directly and in such a guileless manner so that there would be no suspicion put on their intentions of being there.

Red Grandaunt did not have the slightest amount of mistrust as she replied reproachfully, "That old mongrel, why did he not tell his apprentices of such an important matter!" She then lowered her voice suddenly and her tone of speaking became mysterious, "Little darlings, listen clearly. An ancient cave has emerged on Zhanyan Peak not too long ago. Soon afterward the dead trees grew leaves, wilted plants bloomed with flowers, old fountains began flowing, old trees confused crows….err, ignore the last four words. Anyhow they are all auspicious signs of the birth of an extraordinary treasure! This information has traveled far and wide and our party of rogue cultivators met up and decided to ascend the mountain to try our luck. For even if we were unable to acquire the treasure, the experience can still widen our knowledge!

However, Giant Bull shook his huge head, "Of course we are here for the treasure! If I were to discover the treasure, regardless of whether the opposers are from the Kunlun Mountains or Mount Shu, I will never give it away to anyone!"

Wen Leyang was taken by surprise, "Real…really? What kind of extraordinary treasure is that?" He pointed towards the distant Zhanyan Peak and commented, "It doesn't look that special to me!"

Red Grandaunt chuckled, "Even I do not know what kind of extraordinary treasure will be revealed at Zhanyan Peak. The auspicious signs too have their limits. I'm satisfied as long as the treasure is still there, haha."

Wen Xiaoyi frowned slightly, she had loved to read the novelty treasure-hunting records in the books at the Birth Trademark. Formerly, she had assumed that those were only myths but she is now unexpectedly in one such treasure-seeking scenario now. "These kinds of auspicious signs can only be seen by someone who has the ability to recognize yet. Yet that person would not share that information so easily, right?"

Wen Leyang gazed at the little girl with approval as he immediately made a detailed inquiry to Red Grandaunt, "Who was the one who shared this information?"

Red Grandaunt had a know-it-all expression and did not find that query to be unusual in any way at all, "Little darlings, are you not aware of what kind of place Mount Emei is? Even if an outsider were to discover the auspicious signs, there's no way they can attain that treasure based on their own efforts alone. And the person who shared the information with everyone is naturally someone who is trustworthy. Otherwise, we will not have rushed here so anxiously."

Wen Xiaoyi found this explanation extravagantly baseless and it only made her more puzzled, but she was unsure of what to ask in order to clarify the situation. Her confusion emphasized her adorable face and made her seem even more attractive and loveable.

Red Grandaunt had been a rogue cultivator for her entire life. Whether it was on both sides of the Changjiang River or anywhere else she had been before, she has never seen such a cute and lovely young girl. The old woman's gaze overflowed with kindness as she gently explained, "There is a large faction entrenched on Mount Emei. If there is really an extraordinary treasure, they would not have allowed any outsiders to gather…"

Wen Xiaoyi scornfully huffed, "What kind of large faction are they, do you mean they are bandits? Is Mount Emei their home? How could they not let others have a chance at finding the treasure? Unless that treasure is inscribed with their house number!" However, the little girl had forgotten that the same thing had happened at the Nine Peaks Mountain after the Return-to-Before Herb has appeared there. The people from the Wen family's Death Trademark regarded the mountain as their exclusive domain and forbade anyone from collecting the herbs.

The group of peculiar people felt vindicated by the little girl's words and they cheered loudly. Giant Bull raised his voice above the noise and said, "Well said little maiden! It sounds to me that the little girl's wisdom is much more impressive than that group of baldies!"

Red Grandaunt proudly smiled, "We will take a stroll on Zhanyan Peak as it's in no violation of heaven's law."

The crowd of peculiar people were noisy, their footsteps were steady with a lax demeanor. These people inherently feared nothing while alone, and now that they had formed a group they became even more boisterous and reckless. It almost feels like there was nowhere under the sky that they dared not go together

Mumu gradually got closer to Red Grandaunt. As their conversations became more relaxed, she told the old woman the story of how they had found the sunken remains on their path, though she did not elaborate the identities of the deceased.

Re Grandaunt frowned and said, "From the way the corpses were found, that sounds like it was the Mountain Coffin Spell! How is it possible that this spell has appeared in Mount Emei?"

Giant Bull too felt that this was inconceivable, "It's impossible that the people who live on Mount Emei know how to cast this kind of evil spell!" As soon as he'd said that, he slapped his thigh in revelation, "It must be the treasure! It's attracting old, evil monsters! We should move quickly and not let them beat us to it!"

Wen Leyang bowed his head in silence and contemplated the words of the old woman. He tried hard to put the clues into order, for the moment they know that: an ancient cave that contained traces of Grand Master Tuoxie's teachings was recently discovered on Zhanyan Peak; the Wen family's elites that had vanished after going to investigate this cave; the disciples of Wen who were massacred by a diabolical spell on the mountain; and now a group of rogue cultivators going treasure-hunting in the cave at Zhanyan Peak.

Wen Xiaoyi looked towards Wen Leyang whose brows were wrinkled while deep in thought. She put her little mouth next to his ear and told him in a quiet voice, "Wen Leyang, I think that we should leave this group. I heard from them that there is a great power on Mount Emei. Think about it, if these people had invaded the Nine Peaks Mountain instead, our people from the Death Trademark would have already retaliated long ago…"

Wen Leyang chuckled as he covered his ear and stomped his feet, "That tickles!" His actions almost threw the little girl off his back.

Once the tickling sensation subsided, Wen Leyang straightened himself and softly replied Wen Xiaoyi, "It's already too late to leave. This large crowd has definitely been looking for trouble since the beginning. There is no taboo against fighting one another in this place, so they would have been targeted long ago. I estimate that if we were to break away from the group now, we will immediately be carried off by the people who are targeting this group."

The little girl made a helpless expression before raising her voice and shouted towards Giant Bull, "Hey fat uncle, who is the great power in Mount Emei?"

Giant Bull was stunned for a moment. He stretched out his finger as thick as a small wooden club and pointed to his bulbous nose, "Are you calling me 'fat uncle'?" He then broke into laughter at the little girl, amused that 'fat uncle' was a pleasant form of address. Once his laughter had cleared, he replied, "There is a huge Great Mercy Temple located in Mount Emei, it is considered rather famous."

Red Grandaunt, who was walking on the side, gave a forced smile as she shook her head, "It is far more than just rather famous, it is the holy land for those who practice Buddhism around the world. Whatever the old abbot decrees, every Buddhist practitioner under the sky will never refuse to obey."

Wen Leyang interrupted her and asked, "Is it bigger than the Great Mercy Temple at the Sun Dynasty Palace?"

Giant Bull was slightly awed, "How can a young fellow like you know of the Sun Dynasty Palace?" He shook his head with a face full of disdain as he said, "It is beyond comparison, the sous chef of the Great Mercy Temple here can become the founder of a Buddhist sect if he ever goes to the Sun Dynasty Palace."

Wen Leyang's small group merged with the treasure-hunting rogue cultivator's procession. They marched forward with great strength and swiftness as they headed towards Zhanyan Peak. Red Grandaunt really adored the three children very much and took good care of them along the way. She also answered all of their questions so Wen Leyang took the opportunity to try to understand more about the rogue cultivators. However, he did not have the slightest foundation in cultivation and therefore did not learn any useful information despite asking countless questions.

As they moved along, more and more peculiar looking persons with suspicious backgrounds joined the procession in groups of twos and threes. Before joining the crowd, the newcomers would go pay their respects to the old man Gongye, Giant Bull and Red Grandaunt. By the time the sun has set, the procession had already expanded to more than three hundred people. Wen Leyang, Wen Xiaoyi, and Mumu looked at one another in astonishment and felt that they had become the extra cast in a Journey to the West television series.

If the police were to enter the mountain now, they would issue a third-class warning just on the looks of this group of people alone.

They took a short rest at night and continued to push on in the morning. They were in high spirits and did not seem to be even slightly exhausted. Mumu and Wen Xiaoyi, on the other hand, were almost totally exhausted. They arrived at the bottom of Zhanyan Peak soon after. As they looked up towards at the peak from below, it almost looked like a Sky Sword had stabbed into the ground hilt first. There was not a strand or grass or a tree on the peak at all, it was an entirely black gigantic cliff. If they were ordinary people, it would have been impossible to climb it without mountaineering tools.

The procession that had been noisy earlier suddenly quieted down as the crowd looked at the imposing manner of the peak. A few of the more timid ones even appeared nervous.

"Ouch! Ah…Amitabha!"

Suddenly a childish voice cried out in alarm from behind a huge rock.

The old man Gongye who had been at the head of the crowd waved his arm and everyone stopped in their place. Giant Bull made a 'humph' sound as he pushed his way forward with his huge upper arms until he was beside Gongye.

Red Grandaunt had a half smile on her face as she turned to Wen Leyang and said, "Do not worry, we had known from the beginning that the Great Mercy Temple will send someone to block our path."

With bright eyes and graceful eyebrows, a young acolyte who looked to be around seven or eight years of age walked out in front of them. He was dressed shabbily and had a drowsy look on his face. It was obvious that he had been lazing on the job and had fallen asleep earlier. He held a wooden fish, a type of percussion instrument found in a Chinese temple, and had run out in a great bustle. His lips were stuttering as if he wanted to speak but dared not.

The little monk did not even dare to look at the group of people in front of him, instead, his eyes were firmly fixed upon the tips of his toes. He sighed for a long while before he finally gathered enough courage to say, "Y-y-you… the Master said, to let me…n-n-not to let you…ascend the peak. Please r-r-return to w-where you came from."

While he was saying that, his hand trembled anxiously and he knocked on the wooden fish continuously.

Giant Bull stared with his eyes as huge as brass bells, as he asked in a low, muffled voice, "Who is your Master?"

Wah~

The little monk suddenly opened his mouth wide and bawled loudly. He held tightly to the wooden fish as he turned around and ran away.

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Chapter 29: The Buddhist Hymn

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The group of rogue cultivators who had come from all corners of the world looked at each other before erupting in laughter. They had been fully prepared to endure a huge battle with Mount Emei's great power ever since they entered the mountain to hunt for treasure. None of them were expecting to be confronted by a little baby monk as the first person to block their way ahead.

They were still laughing uproariously when the little monk stopped running and turned around with a reproachful face, "W-w-with all due respect, all of you…can't…c-c-can't go up the peak!"

The old man Gongye squinted his eyes and asked the little monk, "Who is your Master?"

The little monk saw that the old man was dressed in a clean attire and appeared less peculiar than the rest of them, though there was still a sense of sternness in his demeanor. The little monk seemed less fearful than before and used the wooden fish to scratch the back of his head as he replied with a puzzled tone, "M-m-my Master's name is… I forgot."

A shifty-eyed middle-aged skinny man squawked in laughter, "This little monk has delicate skin and tender flesh, you just need to add some carrots to his stew and it will surely smell savory!"

The little monk's two legs began quivering, his lips turned pale and the baby fat that had yet to fade from his chubby cheeks started quaking wildly. He didn't dare to say another word but continued to block the way while resolutely shaking his head.

Wen Xiaoyi whispered into Wen Leyang's ear and laughed, "That person's taste in food is not so different from yours."

Wen Leyang shook his head in a solemn manner, "I only eat the raw ones!" After a while, he hastily explained, "I meant the carrots."

Red Grandaunt's heart once again overflowed with love as she saw the little monk's graceful brows and bright eyes. She did not appear to step forward but all of a sudden she had already floated to the head of the crowd. She turned around and scolded the skinny man, "You only talk nonsense to scare little children! Do you not fear that your name, Fourth Laoqiu, is already unpleasant enough?" She then gently consoled the little monk, "Dear child, do not fear. Return to the temple and search for your Master quickly, let us continue on the path."

The little monk stared at the old woman with a face filled with appreciation, but he shook his head and said, "M-M-M-M-Master allow…"

Aside for the white powder, Red Grandaunt's face was full of pity as she said, "Good child, don't be afraid, speak slowly! Look what you've done, you selfish people, you've intimidated a perfectly good child."

"N-n-not…intimidate, intimated, I've…s-s-stuttered…since…s-since birth!"

There were a few hundred rogue cultivators in the crowd, each one was a master of arrogance and most days they feared nothing and no one. Since they were not considered to be deviant practitioners of evil dark arts, the other cultivators who belonged to an official group would also just let them be. This time the rogue cultivators had united and ascended the mountain noisily and the destination is within their sights yet they are being barred from the way forward by a little child. These people had been refraining from taking action on the child, as no one was willing to bully a little monk in front of the rest of the crowd. However, it has now come to the point where some could no longer hold themselves back. The first to lose his restraint is a dark, fat man with a crushing presence. He jumped out of the procession and cursed loudly, "Red Grandaunt, do not waste your words on him! You little fellow, you better scram quickly, or else…" As he said that he turned his palms upwards to face the sky, and he roared a verse of strange and bizarre words.

The tranquil sky abruptly swayed as a stone tablet the size of a minivan dropped down from it. It made a loud screeching sound from the friction in the air before falling heavily towards a little patch of forest not far from where they were.

Some in the group cheered merrily while some had scornful expressions on their faces.

The little monk that had seemed petrified through the encounter screamed once in fear and leaped up into the air! As he jumped, his plump body turned into a robust young dragon and speedily circled around the huge falling tablet. He held the wooden fish's mallet in his hand and knocked it on the stone's edge continuously.

Just as the huge stone was about to crash into the forest, a dull noise was heard abruptly and the huge stone tablet exploded into fine dust all at once. The dust rained with a rustling sound into the forest until not a trace of it was left.

In a blink, the little monk had returned to Red Grandaunt's side. His timid appearance was struck with terror as he said, "Trees…d-d-don't grow…easily…on Mount Emei and each grass…each grass…e-e-each grass…" His stuttering made him sound like a scratched CD.

The hundreds of rogue cultivators were akin to a group of suddenly decapitated ducks, there was a complete silence such that even the crows and sparrows seemed to have stopped their sounds in the blink of an eye. They looked at the little monk in front of them with their mouths and eyes agape. Though most of them will be able to manage the force of that huge stone, some of them might even be able to crush it. But to pulverize it in a flash, that required a whole other level of skill and power entirely.

Red Grandaunt swiftly took a few steps backward. There was nothing of the initial pleasant smile left on her face and in its place was an icy-cold, solemn expression, "It seems like this old woman has misjudged you. I was foolish for trying to act as a good person, thank you, kind master, for not using the mallet on me earlier."

The little monk did not seem to be able to comprehend why the old woman would suddenly turn hostile towards him. He tried to explain himself but as a result of being too anxious, he could not even utter a word.

Red Grandaunt sneered at him as she said, "This overconfident Red Grandaunt is from the Little Red Stream in the Hebei province. I respectfully seek your guidance, so please grant us your name, young Master. If you can't remember the name of your Master, surely you would not forget even your own name, right?"

A rustling sound was heard from behind the little stuttering monk.

Nine young and bald monks walked out from behind the huge stone that the little monk had been resting on earlier. It almost looked like they were conjured out of thin air. One by one, they walked in front of the little monk and put their palms together as they saluted serenely, "Good morning, Senior Master."

The little monk let out a long sigh and extended his plump hand towards Red Grandaunt as he stuttered, "L-l-let Mystic…Swallow…come out and…e-e-explain!"

A monk, who looked to be over thirty years of age, stepped forward with a happy and gay demeanor as he put his palms together to salute the crowd. He sang out with a clear voice, "I am Mystic Swallow from the Great Thunderclap Temple, and I'm pleased to respectfully meet your acquaintance." His tone of speaking was neither humble nor pushy, it carried a hint of a smile as if there was not a single concern in his heart towards the situation in front of his eyes.

There are specific honorifics for the recent five generations of monks at the Great Mercy Temple. These were: Kindness (Shan), Hope (Xi), Mystic (Xuan), Zen (Chan), and Perish (Mie). At the present moment, there were only a few old monks of the 'Kindness' name generation left at the temple. Their age was so advanced that they no longer cared about the mortal world and are instead fully focused on their Buddhist practice. Most of the current abbots and elders are from the 'Hope' name generation. However, the monk in front of them was known as Mystic Swallow and he had greeted the little stuttering monk as 'Senior Master'. Though the little monk looked to be around the age of seven or eight years old, it would seem that he was unexpectedly of the 'Hope' name generation.

The crowd of rogue practitioners each had an odd expression on their faces as they began to whisper confidentially to each other. Red Grandaunt looked at the little stuttering monk and asked hesitantly, "Are you a monk from the 'Hope' name generation?"

The little stuttering monk put his hands together and said, "H-h-hailing from the Great Mercy Temple, I am Hope…Hope Voice (Xi Sheng).

Wen Xiaoyi covered her mouth as she laughed gently, "Did he say his name was Sacrifice (Xi Sheng, which has the same pronunciation in Mandarin)? That name does not sound too auspicious."

Wen Leyang shook his head and did not utter a word, for he did not know the established customs of the hierarchy at the Great Thunderclap Temple. He also did not understand the significance of the monk with the 'Hope' name generation who came from Mount Emei to the rogue practitioners. However, he could at least comprehend how that huge stone tablet could be pulverized into dust by the wooden fish's mallet.

Red Grandaunt appeared to want to say something but Giant Bull jumped forward first with an impatient expression. The huge Wolf's Fang Club in his hand swayed twice, "You monks better stay away! There are hundreds of us rogue cultivators who have teamed up to ascend the mountain. We have no quarrel with the Great Mercy Temple, we are only interested in the treasure at Zhanyan Peak. The information of this incident has already traveled the world, you can't cover up the truth even if you want to…" He was a rough and uncouth fellow who said whatever he was thinking directly, but everyone got his meaning anyway.

Mystic Swallow shook his head helplessly, "With all due respect, all of you must understand that the birth of the extraordinary treasure based on the auspicious signs is all a baseless rumor. The ancient cave that was revealed at Zhanyan Peak is real, however, there was never any treasure in that cave. On the contrary, it's an extremely ominous place. A few of the heads from the temple are now investigating the origin and developments of the incident at Zhanyan Peak. There are also several senior fellow apprentices who are occupied in conjuring a protection circle on the peak. Respectfully, if all of you were to ascend the mountain without careful consideration, I am afraid that you may come into danger. This is the humble opinion of a modest monk, so with great respect, I'd like to invite all of you to follow me to the guesthouse to take a rest and refresh yourselves with some vegetarian meals. Once the elders and the apprentices descent the mountain, we can then guide all of you up the mountain for a visit."

The reporter whose camera had been shattered by the Giant Bull earlier spoke up all of a sudden in a refined manner tinged with a hint of jealousy, "So the monks have sealed Zhanyan Peak and they are telling us that there is no treasure on the mountain?"

The crowd immediately broke into an uproar. In an instant, the hesitant expressions of the rogue cultivators had all turned ferocious and savage.

"The monks harbor evil intentions! They want to keep the treasure for themselves!"

"You better quickly get the f*ck out of the way, monks! If you piss us off, we don't care which temple you are from!"

The rogue cultivators pointed at the monks and let loose a torrent of verbal abuse; their dialects were a mixture of Northern and Southern accents and when spoken together all at once, it created a huge mess. The little stuttering monk had a panic-stricken expression and stomped his feet anxiously. The other monks from the 'Mystic' name generation, however, were not angered at all. In fact, a slight smile can still be seen on their lips

The rogue cultivator's verbal assault became messier, the cursing of the monks devolved until it became the lame neighbor of the nun's house. Giant Bull stood at the head of the crowd and cursed with the most enthusiasm. Red Grandaunt and old man Gongye attempted to calm the crowds down to no avail. This went on for a while before Mystic Swallow suddenly took a step forward and chanted a long verse of a Buddhist hymn with a smile on his face, "A~mi~ta~bha~"

In the midst of the loud curses and abuses, the sound of the Buddhist hymn was like a refreshing breeze that flowed swiftly from every person's eardrums all the way into their minds.

The chant echoed all the around the mountain, circling and returning from all directions. The remaining eight monks each took a step forward and chanted the Buddhist hymn in sequence, verse after verse, until it overlapped the echo from the mountain valley. Once the ninth monk had completed the hymn, Mystic Sparrow started to chant again. In a short moment, the heart-calming Buddhist hymn had grown into a great Heavenly Chant, turning into an ear-splitting sound like the ringing of a large bell. The sound slammed heavily into every listener's heart and mind and affected the rogue cultivators who were of lesser abilities first. They could feel the flow of blood in their body speeding up. It seemed that no matter how much effort their hearts were exerting and pumping, it could never catch up to the speed of the blood flow. One by one, they grabbed their chests and their faces turned pale before they collapsed onto the ground.

On the contrary, Wen Leyang, Wen Xiaoyi, and Mumu could only sense that the sound was sharp and irritating. They felt unwell because their ears were filled with booming sound but they did not feel any further discomforts. The Heavenly Chant by the Great Mercy Temple, which has inspired awe all around the world, was based on the foundation of Yang spiritual energy. Therefore the Heavenly Chant directly attacked the enemies' hard-cultivated Qi essence. If a cultivator was to be exposed to the chant for a long period of time he will exhaust the accumulation of his lifetime's Qi vitality.

Wen Leyang's party, however, has neither spiritual energy nor Qi vitality, so they were not affected by the attack.

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Chapter 30: Sacred Words

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Giant Bull and Red Grandaunt were caught by surprise as they had not expected the smiling monks to make the first strike without warning. They cursed fiercely as they hastily revealed their magic weapons.

Long Saber, Holy Sword, Flying Bowl, Mountain Talisman, Flame Scale Grimoire, Heaven Detonation Seal, Holy Mud Cultivation Pill…

The rogue cultivators usually practiced alone with their eccentric magical weapons. Some of the precious weapons emitted beautiful light whilst some exuded killer intent. The various weapons and magical objects circled above their masters' heads, waiting for the command to attack.

Giant Bull's Wolf's Fang Club was raging violently, raising a repulsive and smelly gust of wind as the surrounding air seemed to be filled with a wolf's howl which intertwined with the sacred chant. The mellow and calming dawn of a winter landscape on the mountain was abruptly turned into an eerie and weird place, the contrast was like the difference between paradise and a graveyard. A pure white wolf the size of an elephant was flickering against the sunlight and cast a massive shadow on the ground.

Red Grandaunt's hands were busy turning as one by one, large blooms of red flowers emerged and floated in front of her.

The Buddha's Light Bug emerged from Wen Leyang's chest and wanted to jump onto the flowers but a surprised Wen Leyang managed to hastily grab onto the unlucky bug before it could complete the jump. Fortunately, the group of rogue cultivators were focused on the monks and did not notice the incident.

The unsatisfied 'You've Got Me' wriggled its plump body in Wen Le Yang's palm.

"Monk, if you still refuse to step aside, you'll die without a burial ground!" Red Grandaunt was reluctant to start the conflict.

Mystic Swallow's smiling face remained unchanged as if the magical weapons and objects that were flying around were all paper airplanes. He ignored Red Grandaunt's warning totally as he continued on chanting the sacred words wholeheartedly.

Giant Bull looked eager to start fighting and shouted to Red Grandaunt, "No point talking to them, just do it!"

Red Grandaunt let out a shout. The red flowers around her flew forward. But instead of flying towards the monks, they instead flew into the ground and made a tinkling sound akin to glass breaking. In the blink of an eye, the hard red pieces of the flowers vanished into thin air!

Giant Bull, on the other hand, laughed out loud and shouted, "Good!" He then wielded his Wolf's Fang Club and the snow wolf that had been hiding in the air showed itself and pounced on the monk with a shrieking howl.

The rest of the rogue cultivators were flaunting their weapons and treating the battle as an exhibition contest.

As the wolf pounced towards the monk, the sky was split apart in an instant as the rogue cultivators directed their magic weapons into an attack! All sorts of talismans and seals were summoned, all sorts of multicolored flying swords showed their might and followed behind the giant wolf to give the monk a big strike.

Just when the giant wolf was about to hit the monk, a fiery red light exploded at the feet of the monks all of a sudden. Blazing flames that were hot enough to melt steel beams erupted like a fountain and danced around, blooming with an unstoppable violence.

The kind and loving expression on Red Grandaunt's face has long disappeared, replaced by a cold hearted smile. The sudden attack of the fire from the ground was induced by the shattered red flowers and is Red Grandaunt's forte. In contrast, other than the Thousand-year Wolf Spirit which was summoned by Giant Bull, the rest of the magical weapons' abilities paled in comparison.

The lustrous colorful glowing lights were reflected in the large eyes of Wen Xiaoyi and Mumu, making them even more beautiful.

Old man Gongye had not made a move. He was instead standing on the side with a straight back and his eyes slightly squinted with a sharp, pointed look as he stared at the monks who were dealing with the stormy wrath of the attacks.

Countless magical weapons came pouring down above the monks and lit up a row of bald heads while below their feet the raging fire was burning the soles of their shoes black. Mystic Swallow, who had initially seemed so calm that not even the collapse of Mount Taishan could surprise him, stopped chanting the Buddhist hymn all of a sudden and yelled, "Run!"

All the monks howled and turned around to retreat, dragging their pale and stuttering Senior Master along with them. They started running and disappeared from sight like lightning in front of the crowd! When they could be seen again, they were dozens of feet away and trying to put out the flames on their bottoms with their big sleeves.

Bang! A thunderous crashing sound sent the ground trembling and even the distant mountains groaned. Tons of magical weapons smashed onto the spot where the monks had been moments ago. The shockwave toppled a few people onto the ground and blasted the hard mountain rock into smithereens. A chasm the size of a public square appeared at the foot of Zhanyan Peak.

The towering and imposing Zhanyan Peak seemed somewhat shaken to its foundations.

However, the monks had already fled the area.

The rogue cultivators had not expected these monks to be such pitiful wretches who had refused to give way when they were asked politely to do so and only fled when their butts were on fire. The crowd was momentarily stunned by the turn of events before erupting into laughter. They bragged as they recovered their magical weapons and apparatus, all the while belittling the supposed might of the awe-inspiring Great Mercy Temple.

The stones that had been sent flying by the huge explosion earlier now began to tumble down the mountainside and the rogue cultivators quickly shielded themselves with their magical weapons. Red Grandaunt immediately created two large red flowers to protect the heads of Wen Leyang and the rest of his group.

When it was over, the crowd continued marching proudly up the mountain. They had only walked a few steps forward before Mumu's sight was abruptly covered by something.

A piece of yellow cloth had fallen gently from the sky and landed on top of her head. Wen Leyang scrambled to remove the cloth and exclaimed," There are words written on it!" Several rogue cultivators who were near them gathered around to read it. The letters on the yellow cloth were crooked and contained many misspelled words, it was obviously written by a child.

"Bang-yan Peek is dagger-ous (Zhanyan Peak is dangerous), the ant-cient cape is even more teacher-ous (the ancient cave is even more treacherous). This little monk is totaling you (This little monk is telling the truth), so will the immortals please go back f*ck (home), Xisheng restfully bags.

Giant Bull was able to gauge what the first part of the message meant, but he was stumped by the last two words. He muttered out loud to himself, "What does 'restfully bags' mean? Oh, he meant 'respectfully begs'! Hahaha, the little monk is so funny, it's so ironic that he can't even write properly!"

We Xiaoyi explained with a smile, "He was probably writing based on the simple words that he knew, such as 'ant', 'dagger', 'teacher', or 'bag'.

Wen Leyang, however, was on alert as no one had actually seen the little monk throw out this piece of yellow cloth. Though it was absolutely necessary for them to go to the ancient cave on Zhanyan Peak, they kept getting delayed by strange happenings beyond his understanding along the way. Coupled with the discovery of the bodies from his clan, he could not help but feel heavy in his heart.

Mumu's expression also turned grave.

Both old man Gongye and Red Grandaunt did not comment further as they led the group towards the peak. However, they kept looking back as if anticipating another attack from behind. Though they had disparaged the Great Mercy Temple, they also understood that they should not underestimate their opponents as the monks had managed to escape the combined attacks of the magical weapons.

The Great Mercy Temple is regarded as the holy ground for Buddhist cultivators and its fame had been established with magical treasures and divine spiritual energy for perpetuity. Although the group of monks had given way, the climb up the peak is not bound to be easy.

Indeed, merely an hour into the climb, a golden light was spotted shining from Zhanyan Peak. The golden light quickly spread out and devoured the surrounding darkness like a tidal wave, swallowing up the sharp edges of the mountain cliffs. In a mere moment, it had enveloped the entire mountain in a golden glow.

Wen Leyang and the rest of the group were bathed in the golden Buddha's light, even the hairy-chested Giant Bull was shining in a dignified manner.

A golden butterfly flew out from nowhere, flapping its wings lightly as it danced around the group.

A Buddhist hymn filled with compassion was like soulful chant blowing in the wind, as it lightly echoed in the ears of Wen Leyang.

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Chapter 31: The Nobleman

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The ray of golden light slowly engulfed the twilight as the rogue cultivators hastily released their magic weapons to protect themselves. Other than the few mortal beings like Wen Leyang, every cultivator had their own magic weapon for self-protection. After a while, they realized that the golden light appeared to be harmless. Only then did the crowd heave a sigh of relief, but they still do not know what the monks of the Great Mercy Temple were up to.

Earlier, while at the foot of Zhanyan Peak, Wen Leyang was starting to comprehend that self-cultivation seemed to differ from self-defense cultivation. For example, it would be very difficult for a trained boxing coach to win a fight against ten regular boxing coaches; but for a self-cultivator, it was still possible to win a fight against a group of lesser-skilled practitioners even though they had greater numbers. The nine monks had only chanted a few verses of the Buddhist hymn and more than half of the rogue cultivators had already fallen without a chance to strike a blow at all.

The golden light felt sunny and warm, but there's no knowing when it will suddenly transform into a sharp steel knife. Though Wen Leyang has an innocent and sincere character, even he knew that the monks would not release a golden light that shrouded the entire mountain just for the purpose of making things look pleasant. If this was a spotlight, one would wonder just how big of a light bulb it needed in order to keep it illuminated.

Red Grandaunt, with her extensive experience, and said to Wen Leyang in a low voice, "This is the Buddha's Golden Light that originates from Mount Emei's Great Mercy Temple." She smiled as she noticed that a few of them had a blank look on their faces and continued the explanation, "Each practitioner of Buddhism has their own method of cultivation and magical power. They also have individual levels of suppressing or boosting the five elements. For example, the power of a method of cultivation based on the fire element will be greatly diminished if it used underwater. However, if one were to practice in a place filled with celestial Yang force it will be enhanced to a higher level of power. The golden light which is being released by the monks is equivalent to a place filled with celestial Yang force."

Wen Leyang nodded his head in understanding. Under the glow of the Buddha's Golden Light, the monk's power and magic arts will be greatly amplified compared to their normal levels.

Suddenly, a long and powerful howling sound was heard as it rushed skywards from the foot of the peak. The sound vibrated with a metallic hum as it drowned out the soulful chanting of the Buddhist hymn. A few shadowy figures sped up from afar like comets, rushing towards the peak at a great speed!

The rogue cultivators beamed with delight and erupted into loud cheers. Before the sound of their cheering has died down, a person of short stature followed by a few others appeared in front of their faces. The old monk Ji Fei and Shui Jing were standing behind the short person, who immediately approached Wen Leyang and Mumu with a smiling face.

There were three others persons behind Ji Fei and Shui Jing. They were tall and muscular men dressed in skin-tight black shirts which showed off the bulging muscles on their bodies. The exposed parts of their chest and neck showed an array of colorful tattoos. If these fellows had walked down the main street they would be immediately recognized as thugs who made a living out of using their fists.

The short man appeared to be around thirty years of age and had a pimply face, small eyes, and a bulbous nose. He was dressed in all black with a thick gold chain hanging from his neck. He held a small pouch under his armpit and his appearance is on par with a socialite's style of attire.

Red Grandaunt, Giant Bull and old man Gongye immediately moved together and walked to the front of the short man, "It's our pleasure to meet you, Lord Leyang (Happy Goat)."

The rogue cultivators of higher seniority gave the short man a respectful nod while those of a lower seniority kowtowed and paid their respects. They saluted the short man one after the other and their smiling faces were filled with warm sincerity.

The short man, Lord Leyang, had an unlovely appearance. However, on second glance, his forehead naturally exudes a stately temperament and the smile on his pimply face was genuine and sincere. He laughed and greeted them with a voice full of Beijing accent:

"Grandpa Gongye, your old body is still so hale and healthy!"

"Red Grandaunt, your youngest grandchild should be enrolling in high school now, right? You ought to pick a good school, it'll be best if you can send him to study in Beijing! I have a few acquaintances in the Ministry of Education and I gave them a call before coming here, it should only take half a day for them to give me a reply!"

"Haha, Sir Bull, how are you not feeling cold with your chest exposed in the middle of winter!"

"You are…Fourth Laoqiu from Buluan Valley. Tsk tsk, it has only been a few years since we parted and you've cultivated yourself into an immortal! Is your father well? After I am no longer preoccupied for the next few days, I am thinking of meeting up with the great old man for two drinks."

"Eh, Monkey Liu, your sun-covering gold sand is getting more and more dazzling! If I ever become broke, I may need to borrow a hundred grams of your gold sand to buy some cigarettes."

Lord Leyang greeted the crowd in an easygoing manner. He was soon well acquainted with the rogue cultivators, and every person who was addressed by him proudly answered his greetings with respect. They were in high spirits as if they had been granted a great honor.

Wen Leyang missed the cue and he quietly asked Red Grandaunt, "Grandaunt, who is this Lord Leyang person?"

Red Grandaunt, whose grandchild had just been offered a place in a Beijing high school by the short man, was beaming like a flower as she said, "Silly child, there are noble cultivators with profound foundations and there are wicked cultivators with evil practices. If the rogue cultivators do not gather as a group, we will soon be destroyed by those with evil intentions. This is why normally we will collude with one another so that those who are being bullied for no reason can still seek their friend's help to fight back against the bully. The Leyang family from Painting Town have always supported us. Even after so many generations, they are still considered the nobility of the rogue cultivators."

Wen Leyang pondered for a moment, "Is the Leyang family the leader of the rogue cultivators?"

Red Grandaunt giggled uproariously, "Well they are not really considered as our leader per se. After all, we are rogue cultivators and our organization is usually not particularly strict with hierarchal structures. However, Painting Town has a prestige of over a few thousand years and Lord Leyang is an earnest character. In the hearts of our people, he does indeed hold a high position."

Wen Leyang nodded his head, "I understand now, so the information of the birth of a treasure on Zhanyan Peak was also relayed by Lord Leyang to the rogue cultivators, right?"

Giant Bull shot a puzzled look at Wen Leyang from the side before laughing as he said, "So, the foolish child was not that foolish after all!"

Wen Leyang pulled out a carrot. He bit off the carrot's pointy end as he smiled and answered, "Other than Lord Leyang, I don't think any other person can rally up so many supporters to come here." As soon as he said that, he unintentionally raised his head and met the gaze of the short man.

The short man's gaze was shining as he looked at the few members of Wen Leyang's group. He smiled as he spoke to the old monk and the fat monk behind him, "Is this young fellow here the apprentice that the both of you took notice of? He's got good insight, what a waste that you two fellows have already accepted him under your wing. Otherwise, I would surely bring him home with me and beg my father to allow me to take a junior apprentice! Oh, I made a mistake, I won't need to beg as my own father will be fighting to take him as an apprentice!"

Judging by the meaning behind the short man's speech, Ji Fei and Shui Jing had told the lie that Wen Leyang had formally acknowledged the two old thieves as his Masters.

Lord Leyang looked towards Wen Leyang once again and his small eyes were full of good cheer as he asked, "How may I address you, little brother?"

"My name is Wen Leyang."

An angry curse broke out suddenly as the three muscular men who had been following closely behind the short man simultaneously went into a rage. They reached with their big arms to grab Wen Leyang as they swore, "Little mother*cker, how dare you insult Lord Leyang!"

There was the sound of a click as Wen Xiaoyi raised her eyebrows and asked, "Who dares to come forward?!" She had unstrapped the big-muzzled blunderbuss and had deftly reloaded the weapon. Upon seeing the gun, old monk Ji Fei and Shui Jing immediately tucked their heads in out of reflex.

The short man's face showed a puzzled and odd smile as he waved his hand and ordered the three thugs to stand down, "Is your name really Wen Leyang? Hehe, my name is Leyang Wen."

Wen Leyang was stunned for a moment, then he too laughed strangely as he thought of the two little goblins from the 'Journey to the West' story, one was called Benbao Erba while the other was called Baobo Erben.

Lord Leyang was going to say something more when the soulful chanting of the Buddhist hymn once again echoed from the Buddha's Golden Light in the sky. A voice said, "It is the greatest honor for the members of the Great Mercy Temple to welcome the arrival of Lord Leyang from Painting Town! Amitabha, Hope Phase from the seat of honor at the Great Mercy Temple's Triple Illuminated Monastery is pleased to greet the Lord."

Before the sound of the first voice had faded away, another softer voice which sounded like the last breath of a dying person was heard, "Hope Guard from the seat of honor at the Great Mercy Temple's Six Passes Monastery pays his respects."

A third voice, which sounded even more peculiar as if each member of a group was relaying the message word by word, spoke from the air, "Hope Cause from the seat of honor at the Great Mercy Temple's Eight Samsara Monastery kowtows the visitor."

The fourth voice, on the other hand, was like the cracking of the thunder in spring, those who heard it experienced an unexplainable sense of joy, "From the seat of honor at the Great Mercy Temple's Ten Modes Monastery, Hope Aware!"

The rogue cultivators looked all over the place as they tried to locate the speaking monks. But each voice echoed from all directions and they could not find the speakers no matter how hard they looked.

Prince Leyang no longer cared to make small talk with Wen Leyang as he laughed once and answered with a loud voice, "Triple Illuminated and Six Passes, Eight Samsara and Ten Modes, four out of the five supreme monasteries of the Great Mercy Temple have arrived. It is I, Leyang Wen's utmost honor to have attracted the inquiry of these four divine monks with only my virtue and abilities."

The old monk Ji Fei fawned smugly from behind Leyang Wen and added, "It is not considered complete as we are still lacking one more supreme monastery. It's only satisfactory if all five of them are present."

Leyang Wen turned around and gave the old monk a hard stare for his smugness was a divisive wedge between the two parties.

Then, a fifth voice was finally heard, stuttering and stammering as it relayed its message with extreme effort, "Great M-M-Mercy Temple…One Prime Deed Mona…Monastery, H-H-Hope Voice puts his palms together…in s-s-salute…"

The crowd of rogue cultivators collectively made a low sound of exclamation when they heard the fifth voice speak. It was a sincere and earnest voice, and it belonged to the little monk who had blocked them from ascending the peak earlier!

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Chapter 32: The Golden Light

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

There were five supreme monasteries at the Great Mercy Temple: One Prime Deed, Triple Illuminated, Six Passes, Eight Samsara, and Ten Modes. The One Prime Deed Monastery is ranked as the first place but no one could have expected that the most important position of great power within the Buddhist cultivators would be lead and managed by a little boy.

Leyang Wen's face held a gleam of surprise, "Wasn't the seat of honor for the One Prime Deed Monastery lead by the divine monk Hope Sense?"

The little monk stuttered as he answered, "That…s-s-senior fellow apprentice…has other im-im-important matters, f-f-few months ago he allowed me t-to take the seat of honor."

The short man, Leyang Wen, nodded his head while deep in thought. He then laughed out loud, "Congratulations, little divine monk! A congratulatory gift will be delivered to you from Painting Town in three days' time to celebrate the little divine monk's success in leading the One Prime Deed Monastery."

The fat monk, Water Mirror, followed behind him and prompted him anxiously, "Why are you wasting your precious words on them, we should go up, quick!"

Most of the rogue cultivators had the same intention and they nodded in agreement with one after another. The holders of the five supreme monasteries' seats of honors were all present here and needless to say, they surely rushed out to Zhanyan Peak for the hidden treasure as well. If the rogue cultivators were tardy with their actions, the treasure would certainly have fallen into another's hands.

The one who had spoken first earlier, Hope Phase from the seat of honor at the Triple Illuminated Monastery, had a voice which sounded aged and solemn. The tone of his voice was filled with benevolence and compassion to all as he once again started speaking slowly, "The Le Yang family of Painting Town has a considerable reputation, they are as slippery as an eel and conduct themselves loftily. This aged monk has great respect for them but there is one incident that we do not understand, so will Lord Le Yang please give us your guidance."

One of the tattooed muscular thugs behind Leyang Wen's body spoke up suddenly, "Hey monk, stop your hypocritical nonsense! As soon as the young master of our family arrived in Mount Emei each and every one of you started hiding. We can only hear your voice but we cannot see you, is this how the Great Mercy Temple receives its guests?" The voice of the muscular man was loud and forceful like the cross strike of two sharp blades. It pierced directly towards the sky and hummed in Wen Leyang's ears while it trembled and echoed continuously in the air.

Leyang Wen smiled as he waved his arm, trying to subdue his underling, "This subordinate of my family was uncourteous and he had made a fool out of himself in front of the divine monk. Please forgive this transgression and please do not hesitate to ask anything from us."

"The Great Mercy Temple at Mount Emei has no connections to the Le Yang family of Painting Town and there are definitely no old grudges. So this aged monk does not understand why Lord Le Yang would lead this group of rogue cultivators and force their way into this mountain in a threatening manner?"

Leyang Wen was still grinning from ear to ear but he had changed his mouthful of fluent Beijing dialect into a polished and civilized accent, "Divine monk, what you have said is rather weighty and I am afraid that I can't agree with it. If the old and young masters of the Great Mercy Temple were to arrive at our one acre and three-point land, even if the Le Yang family was in poverty, we will still respectfully receive all of you warmly…" Halfway through his speech, the short man abruptly shut his mouth. If he had continued speaking he would have criticized that the opposing party was not hospitable towards their guests.

It felt like half a day had passed before the divine monk Hope Phase's heavy sigh echoed from the middle of the sky.

This was followed by the little stuttering monk who stammered as he tried to persuade them to leave, "L-l-lord…Le Yang, quick…go d-down the mountain…eh…all of us h-have some important matters…it's o-our discourtesy so d-d-don't mind…"

Hope Aware from the seat of honor at the Ten Modes Monastery was not as patient and had the most explosive temperament out of the other monks. He interrupted the stuttering monk's speech roughly and threatened, "Leyang Wen, you have been guiding a group of demons and ghouls to intrude on the restricted grounds of the Great Mercy Temple! Do you really think that, as monks, we only know how to read scriptures and know nothing about the art of self-defense?"

The muscular thug guffawed loudly, "What a joke! Since when did Zhanyan Peak become your restricted ground? The monks of Mount Emei are as arrogant as expected, whichever place they fancy they can call it a restricted ground. If you really are of exceptional abilities, every person in the world will soon shave their heads and become monks!"

Hope Aware was extremely angered but he only laughed in return. The sound of his laughter surged in waves within the clouds. The short man did not respond but turned and gave the rogue cultivators a wink. He extended his arm and pointed upwards as he cried out once, "Everybody ascend the mountain, start running!"

The rogue cultivators roared in agreement. All of them fixed their focus on the goal of ascending the mountain as they stretched their legs and started running forward at full speed. The crowd was in an uproar and the procession was split into many smaller groups. When seen from afar they resembled a bunch of toads jumping and leaping with agile movements on a huge rock.

Wen Leyang too hastily carried Wen Xiaoyi on his back and climbed towards the direction of the ancient cave on Zhanyan Peak with great effort.

Hope Aware's laughter stopped abruptly as he yelled savagely out of rage, "The Buddha has no concrete form and therefore all living creatures also have no concrete form! I cast the spell of Heaven's Omniscient Eye!"

The fast chanting of a Buddhist hymn resounded in the sky as the dense and warm golden light suddenly blazed fiercely by a thousand million times. The mountain below the crowd's feet started shaking vigorously.

The golden light had turned into a solid glow, it did not block the physical body but it completely obstructed one's vision. The rogue cultivators who were running up the mountain cried out in alarm as they became blinded one by one.

Wen Leyang too let out a bitter cry as the vision in front of his eyes became a stretch of sweeping gold color. He could not see anything in front of him at all. However, after a short moment, he could see things as vividly and clearly as before. The pores on his entire body were swiftly constricting and relaxing, relaying everything that was happening around him straight to his heart. It was as if he was being pulled out of his current surroundings; nature belonged to nature, while he was on a separate plane of existence altogether.

Wen Leyang felt that he was having an out of body experience as he surveyed and observed the surroundings from a third person's viewpoint, like a spectator watching a movie in a panoramic three-dimensional movie theater. What he saw was this:

The fat monk, Water Mirror, ran incessantly in the golden light. He soon bumped into a mountain rock that was taller than two people.

The old monk Ji Fei's one leg reached over the edge of a cliff and oops…the old fellow had fallen off the cliff.

Mumu's black, shiny eyes were open wide as her arms extended straight in front of her, trying to feel her way up the mountain. Her delicate and lovely face was filled with worry but Ah Dan, the undead toddler, calmly followed step by step behind its master.

Giant Bull sat on the ground in a slump as he angrily blinked his eyes to clear them. Every once in a while, some scampering rogue cultivator would utter an 'ouch' and trip over him.

The three muscular thugs formed a triangular battle formation around their boss as rays upon rays of dense golden light surrounded them like syrup.

On the other hand, Lord Leyang, who was under the strict protection of his underlings, was bent over as he drew something on a large sheet of Chinese rice paper…

Wen Leyang entered the self-cultivation process using poison. He had tempered poison directly into his body and his power differed vastly from the other cultivators throughout the ages. His power can forcefully pull his awareness out from this world, whereas the other cultivators would use their hearts to sense the world and would fear any disturbances to their state of mind. Wen Leyang, on the other hand, was using every part of his body to experience the world, as long as his physical body existed, he will be able to detect every change in his surroundings.

Mumu was burning with anxiety for the golden light was like a sheet of opaque yellow cloth glued onto her eyes. After a while, she could no longer tell whether the glow was too bright or if she had already lost her sight as she could not see her hands even if she held them in front of her own face. Suddenly, she felt something and her left hand was gripped by a powerful and large hand.

Mumu yelled out as her other hand reached for the pair of Spirit Needles and blindly stabbed them towards the direction of the person next to her. Soon after another strong hand gripped her wrist as a familiar voice sounded next to her ear, "It's me, Wen Leyang. Wen Xiaoyi, please aim the blunderbuss higher or you'd hit my face!"

The two young girls simultaneously heaved a sigh of relief as they both asked with curiosity, "You can see?"

Thud!

A dull crash sounded from nearby and the two young girls were taken back by the noise. Wen Leyang consoled them as he laughed in a low voice, "Don't be alarmed, Water Mirror monk has just bumped into a rock."

The divine monk Hope Aware's loud laughter once again sounded from the sky, "The disciples of Ten Modes Monastery, release the demon-slayer defense!"

The deafening sound of yelling shook the heavens as a swarm of monks pounced on the rogue cultivators like a group of raging leopards. The monk's hands were held in the gesture of a Buddhist mudra and they started striking at the blinded rogue cultivators. They chanted 'Amitabha' each time they landed a blow and recited the word twice if they struck two blows.

However, even though the mudra contained great power within the monk's hands, they appeared to show mercy by striking away from the vital parts of their enemies' bodies, hitting the tops of their feet instead.

The group of rogue cultivators, on the other hand, were extremely unfortunate. They had a taste of Hope Aware's rage as he brilliantly displayed his magical power through the Heaven's Omniscient Eye spell. He devised this spell from the twenty-eight sets of scriptures from the God Emperor's All-Seeing Eye and used the golden light to seal the vision of the rogue cultivators, blinding them for the time being. This showed the clear difference in strength between the different types of cultivators as with just one strike, the monk's attack has already affected everyone. Those who had poor abilities would never be able to get rid of the spiritual shackles he had placed on them.

The shrill cries of rogue cultivators were rising and falling from all directions, the attacking monks were the disciples and disciple's disciples of the divine monk Hope Aware from the seat of honor at Ten Modes Monastery. Despite being in the golden light and under the Heaven's Omniscient Eye spell, the monk's vision and telegnosis abilities were not affected at all.

Out of the three sins of the world: hitting the blind, cursing the deaf, and chasing the lame, hitting the blind was considered the vilest sin to commit out of the three. The Great Mercy temples monks, holy practitioners of Buddha's sacred principles, were committing the sin with great delight.

Wen Leyang carried Wen Xiaoyi on his back as he pulled Mumu along. He led them to safety and they cautiously hid behind a gigantic rock.

The short man had finally completed his painting and he stretched out his hand to toss the painted scroll into the air as he laughed loudly, "The Ten Modes Monastery is nothing compared to this!"

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