strictlysupreme Chapter 105: Misty Rain in Jiangnan!
Chapter 105: Misty Rain in Jiangnan!
Xiao Bieli didn't pay much attention to anything outside the home.
At this time, he had already arrived in the territory of Jiangnan Prefecture, the ancient Yu County.
A small town in Jiangnan, shrouded in mist and rain.
Winter is approaching, so it's not the best time to appreciate the scenery of Jiangnan. Most of the willows along the roadside have only drooping branches left; the swaying willows of yesteryear are no longer visible!
It was drizzling.
The rain came suddenly, and the pedestrians in the small town hurried home to avoid the rain.
The restaurant where Xiao Bieli was staying couldn't even be called a restaurant; it was just a small tavern with only one floor and a dozen or so tables. It didn't have any good wine or food; it was just a place for passing travelers and merchants to rest.
Xiao Bieli sat by the window.
It only took him ten days to travel from Yanzhou to Guyu County.
Because the rain came suddenly, the small tavern was almost full, with only two empty tables occupied by traveling merchants and wandering travelers.
They sat together in twos and threes, engaging in lively discussions.
"Recently, a ruthless person has emerged in the martial arts world of our ancient Yu County!"
"They killed more than a dozen top members of the Giant Spirit Gang in just three days!"
"Even two sixth-rank experts have died!"
Hearing the words of the martial arts enthusiasts at the next table, Xiao Bieli was slightly stunned.
As one of the nine factions and six gangs, the Giant Spirit Gang had already sided with the Sixth Prince early on.
When the Sixth Prince wanted to take action against the Blood-Clad Tower, the Giant Spirit Gang also contributed greatly.
However, Blood-Clad Tower turned around and killed Cui Hao, the vice leader of the Giant Spirit Gang.
"You mean Ye Yunqing, right?"
"That kid is ruthless. The Xuan Yin Sword Technique was passed down from a palace eunuch. Only eunuchs can practice it. He's ruthless too. Now he's the only son in the Ye family. This will completely cut off the family line!"
"What can he do if he doesn't practice? Without that sword technique, he won't even be able to escape the Giant Spirit Gang's pursuers."
"However, that Xuan Yin Sword Technique is truly powerful. In just a few months, it allowed Ye Qingyun to advance from the seventh rank to the point where he could kill a late-stage sixth rank expert."
"The Giant Spirit Gang is really unlucky. First, their deputy leader died, and now this has happened."
"..."
Other diners at other tables also joined the discussion.
"Who are the ruthless people Ye Yuncheng is?"
"Haven't you heard of Xiao Bieli?"
"That's a truly ruthless person... In Yanzhou, he not only killed Ximen Chi, who was ranked second on the Dragon and Tiger List, but also Zhuo Qingyun, the number one disciple of the Cangyuan Sword Sect. I heard that two Grandmasters also died!"
A wandering swordsman wearing a felt hat and carrying a long knife on the table disdainfully uttered a word.
Jiangnan Prefecture is too far from Yan Prefecture.
Only ten days have passed since the incident occurred. Apart from some major powers receiving the news, ordinary martial arts practitioners have only heard a few rumors.
Xiao Bieli drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp and placed it on the table.
Sure enough, even though I don't live in Jiangnan Prefecture, Jiangnan Prefecture is still my legend.
"real or fake?"
"I heard that the feud between Cangyuan Sword Sect and Xiao Bieli is because of the ambiguous relationship between Zhuo Qingyun and Xiao Bieli's fiancée!"
"If you ask me, it's Zhuo Qingyun who's being unreasonable. She already has a fiancé; isn't this just asking for trouble?"
"You know nothing! I heard that Zhuo Qingyun and Lin Qingyuan are in love and want to break off their engagement, but Xiao Bieli disagrees..."
"In my opinion, the three of them could actually make a good life together!"
As the conversation deepened, the atmosphere in the tavern became increasingly lively.
Just at this time,
Five young swordsmen, three men and two women, walked out in the light rain.
They all looked to be in their early twenties, but the strongest among them was already at the peak of the seventh rank.
They were all dressed in the same style, yellow brocade robes, with the same pattern embroidered on the chest, clearly indicating that they were disciples of the same sect.
"They're from the Lingxu Sword Sect!"
Someone muttered softly.
Although Lingxu Sword Sect was not among the Nine Sects and Six Gangs, it was quite famous in Jiangnan Prefecture. Its leader, Ding Yuanshan, was a Grandmaster of the Third Rank, whose swordsmanship was superb and he was a well-known expert in Jiangnan Prefecture.
Although these people from the Lingxu Sword Sect were all young juniors, they didn't want to offend them.
After the people from Lingxu Sword Sect entered, the voices of the people speaking became much quieter.
"Why did this rain have to come now of all times? It couldn't have come earlier or later!"
"The doctors in this town can't figure out what kind of poison Junior Brother Zhong has been poisoned with. It will take more than an hour to get to Guyu County. By then, the poison will have invaded his internal organs, which will be troublesome!"
The older woman looked at her junior brother Zhong sitting next to her, her brows furrowed, her eyes filled with worry.
Junior Brother Zhong laughed and said:
"Senior Sister Huang, apart from feeling a little cold, I don't feel anything else."
"Nothing should happen!"
The younger, more delicate-looking Ding Mian whispered:
"I clearly stabbed that thief with my sword just now, how come he's completely unharmed?"
Junior Brother Zhong also said:
"Yes!"
"Just now, I saw my junior sister get stabbed and wanted to finish off that thief, but I was grabbed by him instead. He even poisoned his hands. Isn't he afraid of poisoning himself?"
Senior Sister Huang shook her head:
"It might not be poisoning; perhaps it's the cultivation of some kind of poison technique."
"Could that thief be wearing inner armor?"
At this moment, the bearded wandering swordsman who had first mentioned Xiao Bieli in the tavern spoke up:
"Did you just go to Huangliu Village?"
"Six or seven people have died in Huangliu Village during this period. My friend Chen Jiu was a member of the Zhenwu Hall. He was ordered to go to Huangliu Village to investigate, but he was ambushed and scratched by a claw. He died before he could return to Guyu County!"
Senior Sister Huang nodded:
“We were indeed attacked on the official road three miles outside Huangliu Village. We saw someone kill a passerby and tried to capture him, but we were injured instead.”
Upon hearing this, Junior Brother Zhong's expression changed slightly. He quickly tore open his sleeve, revealing a claw wound on it. The area around the wound had begun to rot, and his entire arm was tinged with a bluish-black color.
hiss!
The martial arts practitioners around gasped in shock when they saw the wound.
The bearded man sighed:
"It really is the same wound!"
"The Zhenwu Hall speculates that the one who made the move was from the Corpse Refining Sect!"
"When the martial world descends into chaos, all sorts of demons and monsters come out!"
Corpse Refining Sect?
Xiao Bieli narrowed his eyes slightly. He was no longer the novice in the martial arts world. During his time at the Blood Robe Tower, he could freely browse through the information in the branch.
He had heard of the Corpse Refining Sect before. The Corpse Refining Sect and the Corpse Driving Sect, one of the Eight Demonic Sects, shared the same origin. However, more than three hundred years ago, several masters of the Corpse Driving Sect had different philosophies from the current Corpse Driving Sect and left to create the Corpse Refining Sect.
The Corpse-Driving Cult likes to refine the corpses of masters, especially those skilled in external martial arts, into weapons and control them with secret techniques. They also like to dig up ancestral graves, especially those of masters, which has made them a target of much criticism. They have now moved far away from the twenty-four states of the Great Qian Dynasty and hidden in the wilderness.
The Corpse Refining Sect is different. They believe that the reason why people die is that their physical bodies cannot last. They use the secret methods of the Corpse Driving Sect to temper their bodies in order to live forever!
However, problems can easily arise as you practice.
Once they begin cultivating, they become bloodthirsty. At first, they can use the blood of livestock to control their desires, but they will eventually turn into monsters that rely on human blood, especially the blood of martial artists, to sustain their lives.
Only a few can succeed, transforming into living dead with powerful physical bodies but weaker primordial spirits.
Therefore, 170 years ago, the Corpse Refining Sect was besieged and almost completely wiped out.
I never expected to run into you in Jiangnan Prefecture.
Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. There should still be some experts in the Corpse Refining Sect. He lacks experience now, so he doesn't feel guilty about attacking such a sect!
Senior Sister Huang's expression changed drastically. She stood up and said:
"go!"
"Hurry back to Guyu County!"
"Wait a moment!" Xiao Bieli stood up, walked to Junior Brother Zhong's side, and placed a finger on Junior Brother Zhong's injured arm.
Stab it!
With a gentle tear, a piece of flesh was ripped off by Xiao Bieli.
"Corpse poison!"
"He's already like this. By the time you take him to Guyu County, his body will be stiff!"
After saying that, Xiao Bieli placed two fingers on Junior Brother Zhong's arm, circulated his true energy, and black blood was forced out from the wound as Xiao Bieli's fingers moved.
"Shopkeeper, may I borrow some paper and pen?"
Upon seeing this, the shopkeeper quickly brought over paper and pen.
Xiao Bieli wrote down a series of medicine names on a piece of paper, handed it to Senior Sister Huang, and said:
"These are all common medicines that can be bought in town."
"Give him the medicine first, then cut off the rotten flesh and apply it externally!"