Chapter 018
Chapter 18: A Pack Mule Is More Useful Than a Person
Hearing those words, Meng Shan was momentarily stunned. He quickly turned to look at the Bloodbath Alliance disciples holding torches in the valley below. Not far away, someone started coughing lightly. The man even grumbled a few complaints, blaming the chilly mountain night and their hurried departure for not having worn thicker clothes.
Very soon, others nearby began to cough intermittently as well. At first, no one paid it much attention, thinking it was merely a minor cold. But suddenly, someone spat out blood, their skin unbearably itchy, soon rotting and oozing with pus. Only then did everyone realize how grave the situation had become.
“Not good! The valley is poisoned with miasma! Retreat quickly!” shouted the middle-aged man in black robes. Immediately, he held his breath and summoned his Qi, forming palm imprints in an attempt to disperse the poisonous mist.
However, it was already too late. Many disciples around him were deeply poisoned. Even if they heard his call and tried to flee, their bodies refused to obey. The uncontrollable itching and unbearable pain of decaying flesh took priority, making escape impossible.
Desperately, they clawed at their own bodies, tearing off skin and flesh. Even when bloody chunks fell from their faces and bodies, exposing raw flesh, they remained oblivious.
For a moment, the valley echoed with shrill cries and miserable screams. Everywhere, disciples writhed upon the blood-soaked ground, transforming the valley into a living hell.
The black-robed man watched in anguish. He exchanged a glance with the two elderly men beside him, and the three quickly retreated out of the valley.
At that instant, the masked woman stood up from the bluestone. She gazed at the suffering below, eyes glittering openly with delight.
“You think escaping the valley will help? Within three miles, I’ve scattered my invisible, scentless ‘Falling Goose Devouring Poison Powder.’ Even wild geese flying overhead fall dead, poisoned. You think you can escape?”
She raised her hand, gathering the faint bluish-black mist swirling within three feet around the four of them. Threads of mist flowed toward her palm like rivers converging to the sea. In mere breaths, the poison was absorbed entirely into her Qi, disappearing into her body.
Meng Shan and the other two standing beside the woman remained silent. They didn’t dare utter a single word or even glance toward the horrific fate of the Bloodbath Alliance disciples below. It seemed they feared speaking the wrong word might offend this mysterious woman, dooming them silently to suffer the same fate.
“You three stay here. Those three poisoned men won’t get far. I’ll deal with them myself!”
With a meaningful glance, the masked woman immediately chased after the retreating black-robed man. Her eyes were icy with murderous intent.
“If I kill those three Martial Grandmasters, my Blood Aspect Poison Claw Technique will advance even further.”
…
Meanwhile, outside the valley, Yu Chang Lu, hiding behind a large rock, had also been struck by the Falling Goose Devouring Poison Powder.
Earlier, he had been secretly observing the valley along with Cang Yin Yue, trying to find a chance to ask the Bloodbath Alliance for help. Unexpectedly, he witnessed their tragic poisoning. Horrified but relieved that he hadn’t acted too soon, he then realized to his terror that he was also poisoned, facing the same fate.
Now Yu Chang Lu clawed desperately at his own face, horribly mutilating himself. The bone-deep itch and pain had him writhing uncontrollably on the ground.
“Help… help me!”
Suddenly, seeing Li Mu Sheng unharmed, Yu Chang Lu stretched out his hand, desperate like a drowning man clutching at straw.
“Sorry, poison really isn’t my specialty,” Li Mu Sheng shrugged helplessly.
Beside him, Cang Yin Yue calmly took out a porcelain bottle, swallowing an antidote pill. She studied Li Mu Sheng seriously for a moment but didn’t offer him the antidote, promptly returning the bottle to her pocket. As for Yu Chang Lu, she didn’t spare him even a glance, clearly showing no intention to help.
Then, Cang Yin Yue sat cross-legged on the ground, channeling Qi through her body, using the antidote’s power to purge the poison.
“Why aren’t you poisoned?” she suddenly asked, eyes fixed forward.
“I have a self-created martial skill called Immortal Golden Body. Though I know nothing about poisons, mastering this art makes me immune,” Li Mu Sheng casually explained, crouching down to inspect the two pack mules nearby, which had collapsed onto the ground, frothing at the mouth.
Hearing this, Cang Yin Yue merely glanced briefly at him without further questions.
Li Mu Sheng stared at the poisoned pack mule for a moment, shaking his head.
“This mule can’t die. There’s still a long way to go. I definitely don’t want to walk all the way to Shang Yang City on my two legs.”
He reached out, gently patting the mule’s back. Instantly, the mule—which moments ago had been foaming and shivering violently—shuddered and sprang back to life as if nothing had happened.
Then, Li Mu Sheng repeated his method on Cang Yin Yue’s mule, swiftly restoring it to health.
Yu Chang Lu, still in agonizing torment, saw this clearly, eyes widening in disbelief. Just now, he’d begged Li Mu Sheng for help, but Li Mu Sheng claimed helplessness. Yu Chang Lu had accepted his fate, resigned to death. Yet now, seeing Li Mu Sheng instantly save a mere pack mule, his heart filled with disbelief and bitterness. A mule’s life, worth little money, mattered more to Li Mu Sheng than his own.
“Save… save me!” Yu Chang Lu struggled toward Li Mu Sheng, crawling despite unbearable pain. He assumed saving a human would be even simpler if Li Mu Sheng could rescue an animal.
At the same time, Cang Yin Yue’s phoenix eyes widened in shock. She stared at Li Mu Sheng, astonished by what she’d just witnessed.
She had no idea how he’d done it, but she clearly understood that quickly saving a pack mule without antidotes could only be done by using extremely potent Qi to cleanse its body. Yet, just moments ago, she felt no Qi fluctuations from Li Mu Sheng at all.
[How exactly did he do that?]
She couldn’t figure it out and doubted his claim about self-created martial arts. She was certain he was hiding a great secret—one linked to a remarkable encounter or hidden fortune.
When Li Mu Sheng started walking toward Yu Chang Lu, Cang Yin Yue quickly suppressed her confusion and said:
“You don’t have to save him. This man has committed countless evils with the Bloodbath Alliance. He deserves death.”