Chapter 104: A Standoff, The Old Bastard’s Scheme

Who is this young man with a sword on his back? Is he here to find that corpse-raiser?

Chen Yushu’s mind raced with these thoughts as he calmly employed the "Qi-Gazing Technique." Immediately, he perceived the incredibly dense blood energy within the youth, along with a level of Taoist cultivation that reached the threshold of "Three Incense Sticks."

Dual cultivation of Taoism and Martial Arts!

This man was actually a dual practitioner—both a martial artist and a powerful Taoist cultivator with formal training. The "Three Incense Sticks" level was equivalent to that of Daoist Master Ma of the Qingsong Temple and the geomancer Lu Yizhi. Furthermore, judging by the density of the blood energy radiating from him, he was only slightly weaker than his own master, Shopkeeper Su. This meant he was also a true martial artist at the Internal Force Realm.

The stranger seemed highly alert. Almost the instant Chen Yushu used his Qi-Gazing Technique, the youth seemed to sense it and turned his head. Chen Yushu quickly withdrew the technique but did not avert his gaze, knowing that such experts were extremely sensitive to the scrutiny of others. He himself, ever since he had elevated his throwing skills to perfection and pushed his eyesight to its limit, had become countless times more sensitive to the gazes of others. Whenever someone looked at him, he could feel it.

He estimated that while this person might not be as sensitive as he was, the man was certainly vigilant. That was why he withdrew the technique but kept his eyes fixed, and as the stranger turned toward him, Chen Yushu quickly asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"My senior brother, Zhao Yufeng. He is the owner of this house. You must be a neighbor, right? Are you heading out?" The man gave a hearty laugh and asked in return.

"That’s right. Brother Zhao is your senior brother?" Chen Yushu nodded first, then asked in confusion.

"Yes, my name is Qi Jichuan. I’m a wanderer," the sword-bearing youth replied.

"So you are Brother Zhao’s junior brother," Chen Yushu said, feigning realization. He thought to himself that it was no surprise they were brothers, as both claimed to be wanderers. He quickly added, "My name is Chen Yushu, an apprentice at a pharmacy."

After saying this, he dared not linger and headed straight toward the pharmacy. Internally, he felt a surge of alarm. The corpse-raiser was already troublesome enough; the corpse he kept was fierce enough to cause his house-protecting talisman to react just by passing by. Now, with the addition of this mysterious swordsman—a Taoist at the Three Incense Sticks level who was also an Internal Force martial artist—Chen Yushu had a bad feeling that something major was about to happen.

"I just hope none of this spills over onto me," Chen Yushu muttered to himself, once again considering moving house.

When he reached the pharmacy, many apprentices had already arrived. Chen Yushu ran into Wang Kui immediately. However, Wang Kui was much more reserved now; perhaps knowing that Chen Yushu’s status had changed, he no longer displayed his previous arrogance. Although Chen Yushu still harbored a slight grudge, he did not go out of his way to target him. Most importantly, he had no talismans on him. Having been in a rush yesterday, he had prioritized drawing talismans he might actually need, and the "Luck-Borrowing Talisman" was not among them.

After passing each other, Chen Yushu went straight to the second floor. His master, Su Ming, was not there, which Chen Yushu was accustomed to. His master had his own residence in Jianghuan Town and often didn't come by if he was delayed by other matters. The only reason he had been around more lately was because Chen Yushu had just become his apprentice, and the town had been crowded with mixed crowds recently.

With his master absent, Chen Yushu didn't mind. He started practicing his martial arts in the open space: the "Eight-Step Cicada-Chasing" and the "Eighteen Continuous Blades." These were the only two martial arts he currently mastered. Without other skills to train, he could only focus on these. Of course, when tired, he would practice his dark arts: the "Subduing Yin Manual," the "Seven-Star Steps," the "Demonic Cleansing Art," and the "Qi-Gazing Technique." Among these, the Subduing Yin Manual was at the Great Success stage, the Qi-Gazing Technique at Small Success, and the Seven-Star Steps and Demonic Cleansing Art were at the Proficiency level. Having experienced the power of the Great Success-level Subduing Yin Manual, he was highly motivated to practice the others whenever he had time.

Time slipped away as he trained.

"Did you hear? Someone died in Qian Family Village."

As soon as Chen Yushu sat down to eat, a discussion reached his ears.

"What happened? We have quite a few people from Qian Family Village at this pharmacy." The person speaking was the apprentice Lu Liang, and the one who had spoken first was Xue Ming; Chen Yushu knew them both from his time in the communal dormitory. As Lu Liang spoke, he glanced quickly at a table not far away. That table was occupied mostly by people from Qian Family Village. Of course, not everyone in the village was surnamed Qian, but the herbalist apprentice Lu Yuan and the physician apprentice Xu Lihao were also from there. They were discussing the matter as well.

"It’s not clear yet. Only heard it was a hunter. When the body was found, there were two holes in his neck, and his blood had been almost completely drained." One of them said, a look of horror on his face.

"Could it be..."

"A 'Jiangshi' (zombie) infestation?" someone tentatively asked.

The room fell into silence. This was a distinct possibility. Chen Yushu felt a sudden jolt, inexplicably thinking of the small mound inside the Ghost Grievance Cave. Could the thing inside have escaped? And it was a hunter who died—there weren't many hunters in Qian Family Village.

Chen Yushu felt uneasy. He heard someone at the Qian Family Village table ask, "Who died?"

"Not sure yet." One shook his head, and several people exhaled in relief. Not knowing was a good thing; if it had been their own family, they would have been notified. Since they hadn't, it must not be their kin. Still, they remained unsettled. After all, if it truly was a "zombie," the next victims might not be limited to just one person.

After lunch, Chen Yushu practiced his "Medicine King Stance" in the backyard. Simultaneously, he circulated his "Medicine King Force-Locking Art." After two rounds, he felt some sweat and impurities expelled from his body. He rinsed off by the well.

Just then, Qian Qian walked over, slightly excited. "Yushu, guess how much I sold those two medicinal treasures for?"

"Oh? Sounds like you got a great price?" Chen Yushu smiled.

"Exactly. I found a buyer for the Black Leaf Grass and sold it for fifty taels of silver—a fair price. But for the Dragon Vine, I went specifically to Master Wang in the west of town and sold it for a whopping one hundred and thirty taels. That makes one hundred and eighty taels total, so ninety taels for each of us."

Qian Qian handed over a small black bag. Chen Yushu took it, feeling the weight, and opened it to find twelve silver ingots. Each was a full ten-tael piece, totaling one hundred and twenty taels.

"Master Qian, what is this?" Chen Yushu frowned.

"The reason we got so much was mainly due to the Dragon Vine you picked. It's only right you get a bigger share. Sixty taels is plenty for me," Qian Qian insisted.

"We agreed on the split. If you had dug up the treasure, I wouldn't have been polite either." Chen Yushu took three ingots and handed them back. "Didn't you say you’d teach me blade techniques? I won't be polite about that—I want to learn now."

"Alright!" Qian Qian didn't refuse the money anymore.

"By the way, Master Qian, have you heard about the death in Qian Family Village?" Chen Yushu asked, unable to shake his suspicions about the Ghost Grievance Cave.

"I heard. It was one of the two men who led us into the mountains—the hunter Qian Hu. Some say it's a zombie, but I think it's just an accident. There are blood-sucking bats on Tianyuan Mountain that target necks. Once they bite, they drain the blood frantically. I suspect Qian Hu was targeted by one of those."

"Really?" Chen Yushu frowned, instinctively feeling that something was wrong. Why, out of everyone, was it Qian Hu, the one who had gone up the mountain with them? He knew that in the Ghost Grievance Cave, besides the Ghost Lady, there lay an even more terrifying existence. If that thing had "awakened," it would be disastrous.

He couldn't tell others about this, so he let it go. Qian Qian led him to an open space in the backyard to teach him the blade techniques.

"My 'Berserk Blade' technique prioritizes speed. Once the speed is fast enough, the power of the blade naturally increases." Qian Qian demonstrated. A standard strike against a piece of hardwood only broke the surface. But when he doubled his speed, he cleaved the entire piece of wood in two. The difference was startling.

He then performed the technique: a flurry of slashes, swift as a storm. Then, he slowed down, teaching Chen Yushu move by move. "Alright, you try the moves. Once you have them down, I'll teach you the internal force application."

Chen Yushu had been mimicking the motions with his hand while watching, memorizing everything. Having practiced the second demonstration, he picked up a long blade and performed the sequence perfectly. Except for a lack of power and the missing internal force technique, he had replicated it exactly.

Qian Qian stood there, stunned. He had expected to spend the whole afternoon just teaching the moves, as the technique had twenty-seven styles and over three hundred variations. Yet, after watching twice, the boy had mastered the entire set.

"Have you learned this blade technique before?" Qian Qian asked after a long pause.

"No," Chen Yushu shook his head. "Is there a problem?"

"No... no problem." There was a massive problem. But he couldn't say it. He felt wounded that it had taken him a month to learn what this kid learned in two glances. Yet he knew for a fact Chen Yushu had no prior martial arts training.

"Let me teach you the internal force application." Qian Qian pulled himself together. Talent was heaven-sent. Being able to teach a genius wasn't a bad thing.

After Chen Yushu learned the force application, he practiced again. "This 'Berserk Blade' technique truly lives up to its name. Combined with the force application, it significantly increases my speed. While it lacks the stacked power of the 'Eighteen Continuous Blades,' the constant increase in speed creates a compounding effect on its lethality. And in a crowd, this is far superior."

Chen Yushu had analyzed the difference. The "Eighteen Continuous Blades" had more raw power, but the "Berserk Blade" was like a storm, perfect for both solo duels and group fights. Speed, after all, was the ultimate weapon in martial arts.

By the time he finished, he had mastered the entry level of the Berserk Blade. Qian Qian, feeling somewhat numb, taught him a few more times before leaving. He needed time to adjust to the fact that his student was a monster of talent.

...

"Senior brother, are you sure the old beast is in this town?" In a dim room, a youth sat on a coffin lid, while a taller figure stood nearby. These were Qi Jichuan and the corpse-raiser Zhao Yufeng.

"I’ve been tracking him for twenty years. A year ago, I discovered he had been in this area. You know the old beast—he never makes a move without a plan. He wouldn't show himself easily unless he had a scheme. That’s why I moved here. Only recently, when word of the Grandmaster's tomb spread, did I find new clues."

"A Grandmaster's tomb? Connected to him?" Qi Jichuan’s expression changed. "Twenty years ago, he was severely injured and his lifespan was running out. He said he was looking for a burial place..."

"He left traces. It’s not his tomb, but he transformed the site into a place of concentrated evil and Yin energy. That’s why no one dares to enter. And do you think he’d just die without taking revenge on Yin Jiuquan?"

"He’s always been spiteful. He traded for a 'Corpse Scripture' back then..." Qi Jichuan’s eyes widened. "He wants a second life? In another form?"

"I suspect so. To cultivate an Immortal Corpse, he needs a place of extreme Yin, or a place of Yin with hidden Yang. The tomb is the latter. He is definitely nearby."

"So you called me here?"

"My sister’s revenge must be taken."

"Twenty years, and you still haven't let go," Qi Jichuan sighed.

"I can't. I will never let go." Zhao Yufeng looked at him. "Junior brother, I need your help. We must break his formation. Once his Yin land is shattered, he will have nowhere to hide."

...

When Chen Yushu arrived at the Ningjing Academy, it was already 3:00 PM. Martial arts practice had delayed him, but he knew the importance of reading. His ability to learn the blade technique so quickly was entirely due to his "Clear Heart" state of mind, which he had gained through reading.

He checked his status panel:
*Berserk Blade: Proficient (3/200)*

Not a waste of time. He entered the Wenchang Pavilion and began reading. He soon finished several books and was about to switch to others when his gaze suddenly froze. A man had entered the pavilion, carrying someone on his back—a "person" with pale blue skin, yet emitting a faint, ominous red glow.