landbeastnovel Chapter 72 Return
Chapter 72 Return
The 22nd day of the first lunar month, at night.
Liang Cheng abandoned the firewood cart deep in the alley, changed into a servant's gray clothes, wiped the charcoal ash off his face with wet mud, and then grabbed a handful of grass ash from the corner of the wall and rubbed it into his hair, instantly transforming into a slovenly servant disciple.
They encountered two groups of martial arts academy enforcement teams along the way, but they just passed by without giving the servants a second glance. However, the closer they got to the back mountain of the martial arts academy, the tighter the security became.
Outside the small courtyard of bluestone where the alchemy room was located, there were four disciples on night watch, with lanterns hanging high. Liang Cheng was hiding in the shadows of the trees twenty feet away, observing.
We cannot force our way in.
Just as I was thinking, the courtyard gate suddenly opened.
Old Huang, wearing an oil-stained robe and carrying a chamber pot, came out cursing, "A bunch of idiots! The lights are so bright, can't a person get up at night?!"
He casually tossed the chamber pot into the corner of the wall, and a few drops of the murky liquid splashed onto the boots of the nearest disciple. The disciple's face stiffened, but he dared not retaliate and could only lower his head and take a half step back.
Old Huang turned and went back to the courtyard. The gate creaked open, leaving a two-finger-wide gap. Liang Cheng's eyes flickered.
Ten breaths later, the sound of shattering porcelain came from Old Master Huang's room, followed by his furious roar: "Who broke my Cold Jade Cup?! Get in here!"
The four disciples looked at each other in bewilderment, and finally two of them pushed open the door and entered.
In that instant, Liang Cheng unleashed the full power of his Dragon Step, his toes touching the ground silently as he slid sideways through the crack in the door and hid in the shadow of the woodpile in the courtyard.
The two disciples who entered the courtyard were scolded by Master Huang for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and they left in a huff, closing the courtyard gate again.
Behind the woodpile, Liang Cheng held his breath and waited patiently.
Only when the cursing in the room gradually subsided and the lights dimmed did he quietly move to the window, tap the windowpane with his knuckles, and then Huang Lao's hushed voice came from the room.
"Come in through the back window."
Liang Cheng went around to the back of the house. The back window was already ajar. He rolled inside, and when he landed, it aggravated the wound on his back, causing him to groan.
A lamp was lit in the room. Old Huang sat on a tattered rattan chair, his small eyes narrowed into slits in the dim light as he looked him up and down.
"In this state of injury, you still managed to get close to me," he sneered. "How did you find the Xuan Yin Sword Qi of the River-Turning Dragon?"
"Thank you very much, Mr. Huang, for your help."
Liang Cheng bowed respectfully. He knew that Elder Huang had done it on purpose, otherwise how could it be such a coincidence?
Old Huang scoffed, "Stop being so fussy. Let me see how the wound is."
Liang Cheng removed his outer garment, revealing his back. The bluish-black sword wound had scabbed over, and the external injury was no longer a problem.
Old Huang leaned closer to examine it, then took its pulse: "Your hard skills are remarkable. An ordinary person would probably be dead and gone by now. However, your external injuries are fine, but the sword energy has already invaded your lungs and internal organs. If this drags on for another two days, your foundation will probably be damaged."
"Please, Elder Huang, save my life!"
"I can save you." Old Huang sat back in his chair, rubbing his fingers together. "But I won't work for free. Two conditions: First, the consultation fee is 10,000 contribution points, credit is fine too. Second—"
He paused, a glint of fervor flashing in his eyes: "You have to let this old man try a new medicine."
Liang Cheng's pupils contracted: "What medicine?"
"A modified version of the Breakthrough Pill," Elder Huang said in a low voice, "After Wang Teng failed to break through to the True Qi Realm, I have been pondering this. The ordinary Breakthrough Pill is indeed powerful, but its medicinal properties are too strong. If one's meridians are slightly weak, one cannot withstand it. I have changed a few auxiliary ingredients to make the medicinal properties milder, but it requires a person with a strong physique to test the medicine."
He looked at Liang Cheng and said, "Your hard skills are excellent, your physique is strong enough, and the Xuan Yin sword energy has invaded your body. It would take at least half a month to expel it using ordinary methods, and it may even damage your foundation."
However, if you use the medicinal power of the Breakthrough Technique to counteract the attack, you can dissolve the sword energy within three days, and it might even help you advance your cultivation level further.
"What about the risks?"
"There's no risk," Old Huang said bluntly. "How could there be any risk in the medicine I've carefully prepared? You don't trust me, kid? Then you can leave!"
Liang Cheng remained silent for a moment, then heard the footsteps of patrolling disciples outside the window.
"Okay," he finally nodded, "but no contribution points, just drug testing, how about that?"
Old Huang raised an eyebrow: "Kid, you've learned to bargain now? Fine, as long as the drug trial is successful, I don't need the contribution points!"
The deal was thus completed.
Old Huang immediately stood up and, without any hesitation, took out a small red jade bottle from the depths of the medicine cabinet and poured out a pill the size of a longan, which was pure white.
As the aroma of the medicine wafted through the air, the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.
"Take the medicine, sit cross-legged and circulate your energy. When the medicine takes effect, it will feel like a cold wave washing over your body. Hold on to the first wave, and then guide the medicine to attack the acupoints where the sword energy is located."
Liang Cheng took the pill and swallowed it in one gulp.
The pill initially felt cool upon entering the throat, but after three breaths, an extremely cold energy suddenly exploded out, like thousands of ice needles rushing through the meridians to the limbs and bones!
He groaned, and white frost instantly formed on his skin. Even his breath exhaled cold mist. Old Huang took three steps back and stared intently at him.
As the cold wave passed, the Xuan Yin Sword Qi that had been entrenched in Liang Cheng's lungs and meridians was stirred up. The two streams of cold energy collided like glaciers, fighting and surging within Liang Cheng's body!
I'm in excruciating pain all over my body!
Liang Cheng gritted his teeth, his gums bleeding but he didn't utter a sound. He sat cross-legged, focusing his mind and using the Broken Wave Technique to guide the medicinal power, like a tide, to impact the major acupoints where the sword energy was concentrated.
The first point, the Tanzhong acupoint, is broken!
The dark blue sword energy, infused with the medicinal power, was forced out by three-tenths of its original strength.
The second point, the Qihai acupoint, is broken again!
Before the cold sweat could even seep out, it froze into ice crystals. Liang Cheng trembled all over, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter. He felt that under the clash of these two extremely cold forces, the meridians in his body were undergoing a brutal tempering.
Like forging cold iron, removing the dross and retaining the essence.
The last one is the Mingmen acupoint!
"puff!"
He spat out a mouthful of black blood, mixed with tiny ice shards. His internal energy flowed smoothly instantly, and the speed of his Broken Wave Technique increased by three points.
The medicinal power and sword energy clashed and eventually transformed into a cool, warm current that spread throughout Liang Cheng's body. The white frost on his skin gradually melted, and his breathing returned to normal.
Old Huang's eyes lit up: "It's done!"
When Liang Cheng opened his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flickered in them.
[Severing Waves Technique, Level 1: Mastery (21/6000)]
[Stone Armor Skill (Bronze Armor): Beginner (320/500)]
【Dragon Step: Mastery (280/3000)】
Even those at the Bronze Armor Realm who had never cultivated without medicinal resources experienced significant improvements; the effects of the pills were terrifying!
When Old Huang saw him open his eyes, he quickly asked, "How are you feeling?"
Liang Cheng stretched his shoulders and moved freely. The cold and stagnant feeling in his body had disappeared, and his blood and qi were now flowing smoothly.
"I've fully recovered, and even improved," he said, looking at Mr. Huang with gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Huang."
Old Huang waved his hand: "Don't thank me too soon. The effects of the Breakthrough Formula will last for three days. During this period, your blood and qi will be exceptionally active, which is the golden period for cultivation."
"Old Master Huang, could I hide here with you for a while?"
"You're quite clever, kid. The martial arts academy is looking for you everywhere. Chen Bainian's three warehouses were burned down last night, like pirates retaliating. You've managed to stay calm."
Liang Cheng's eyes turned cold: "What about Master Chen?"
"Dead. With Fan Jiangjiao making a move, who else could have survived besides you?" Old Huang sneered. "Your master, Yang Wei, received the news and immediately led his martial arts school disciples to the martial arts academy. He's protecting Chen Bainian's family now. He's not a bad person."
Liang Cheng remained silent, his fingers clenched so tightly they turned white. Chen Bainian was a close friend, but even if he wanted to settle scores, he needed to strengthen his forces and wait for the right opportunity.
I'm currently in the shadows, so I can't rush things.
……
On the same night, in a secret room in the Xu residence.
Xu Zhang looked at the secret report he had just received, his face grim.
"Thirty miles north of Sanwankou, traces of human habitation were found. There were bloodstains in the rocky cave, and this too."
The scout handed over a strip of torn cloth, its edges stained with bluish-black ointment. Xu Zhang took the cloth and examined it closely under the lamplight.
"He is still alive."
Xu Zhi stood to the side and asked, "Father, should we send more men to search for them?"
"Search? How?" Xu Zhang sneered. "The Martial Academy has a 10,000-point bounty on our head, the whole city is watching. Are we making such a big fuss now because we think suspicion isn't high enough?"
He threw the strip of cloth into the brazier: "Tell Fanjiangjiao that his sword didn't kill anyone, deduct half of the final payment, and also tell him to send a few skilled men to keep an eye on all the pharmacies and clinics near the martial arts academy. He was seriously injured and needs treatment."
"Yes."