Chapter 226: The Lady is at a loss, the Four Heroes rob and kill
turn out to be……
Ma Zhongguang was a Gu master from the southern border, extremely skilled in using Gu. He rarely spoke, not because he was cold-hearted, but because he nurtured Gu worms in his throat and could not speak.
When he spoke, his throat was already too weak to produce sound. He needed to use his internal energy to activate the Gu worm, causing it to flap its wings and utter something resembling human speech.
Even during the dragon boat ride, he secretly plotted to follow her later. After the dragon banquet ended, Ma Zhongguang began searching for Wen Caishang's whereabouts.
Wen Caishang has been traveling along the road lately, her whereabouts undetected. Ma Zhongguang will find her soon. During their conversation just now, Wen Caishang was on guard, and Ma Zhongguang indeed had nowhere to cast his spell.
Unexpectedly, Wen Caishang struck first, ruthless and decisive, her methods unpredictable and beyond his expectations. Caught off guard, his life was over.
But Ma Zhongguang, a seasoned veteran of the martial arts world, also possessed unique skills. He pieced together a recipe and comprehended the "Art of Curse," and he also carried a rare Gu, the Food Qi Gu.
In desperation, she risked her life to cast a curse, desperately using poison. Wen Caishang, though knowledgeable, was also cautious. But how could one guard against every possible danger in this world?
If she hadn't killed him, but instead driven Ma Zhongguang away, she wouldn't have been poisoned by the rare Gu poison. However, Ma Zhongguang's final counterattack was extremely powerful.
Wen Caishang's face turned pale, and she lost all composure, desperately trying to drive away the Gu worms. But this was no easy task; the more effort she put into driving them away, the more firmly the Gu worms clung to her, consuming more of her internal energy.
Li Xian asked, "Madam, what's wrong?"
Wen Caishang stopped the flow of her internal energy, forcing herself to remain calm. She thought to herself, "That old bastard tricked me with his life before he died, he is truly hateful. If I weren't worried about his Gu technique, how could I have let him die so easily! In my current state, if my internal energy is completely depleted, wouldn't I be in a very passive position? Although Li Xian was loyal before, people are fickle. If he knows that my internal energy is completely depleted, he will be afraid of the enemy's strength and flee from me. What will I do then?"
He couldn't help but become wary again, and glanced at Li Xian without leaving a trace.
She laughed and said, "This old man is not skilled enough, what can he do to me? Little fairy, help me into the carriage."
Li Xian said, "Alright." He helped Wen Caishang to her feet and slowly got into the carriage. He felt that Wen Caishang's figure seemed to lack its usual lightness and grace. She had the air of a fairy descending to earth.
Li Xian closed the curtains and prepared to get out of the car. Wen Caishang frowned and asked, "Where are you going?!"
Li Xian said, "I'll go take care of the corpse and fetch some water."
Wen Caishang realized she had lost her composure and her expression softened slightly: "That old thing is covered in Gu poison. First, send the carriage away. Use an arrow to start a fire and burn him."
Li Xian did as instructed. He fired arrows from a distance, keeping them aloft to avoid being affected by the Gu worms. The carriage traveled along the official road. Inside, Wen Caishang's beautiful eyes were lowered. "This is a rare Gu, the Qi-Eating Gu. It attaches itself to a Qi lake and drinks a person's internal Qi. Legend has it that it will drink all of a person's internal Qi within seven days, then attach itself to the lake. As soon as the internal Qi begins to grow, it will immediately drink it all up!"
"That old bastard... he really let it die too easily!"
Despite her tireless efforts, it was all in vain. A chill ran through Wen Caishang; goosebumps rose, and her face turned deathly pale. Disturbed and confused, she pulled back the carriage curtain, watching the mountain scenery flash by on either side, but felt a chill in the spring breeze…
Though she remained calm, a flicker of emotion crossed her eyes. She knew that something sinister was at play, and this journey was fraught with peril. She was no longer certain whether she would return safely.
She had extensive experience and broad knowledge in the world, but this was the first time she had encountered such a perilous situation.
...
...
On the other side.
An inn in the city. Superior rooms, accommodating about ten people.
The Sword-Slaying Alliance. The Taixin Sect, Jianyu Tower, and Huangsha Sect gathered to negotiate and discuss.
Jianyulou Xi Kairen said, "The Four Heroes of Taixin, I know you are heroes, but some time ago you said you had seriously injured the demoness. Now, whether the demoness is seriously injured or not, we don't know, but she has become even more arrogant. What's going on?"
The four heroes of Taixin looked embarrassed. Tiger said with a forced smile, "That demoness is all bark and no bite."
The elder attending the meeting, named Zhao Zhiyuan, had a narrow face, a pointed mouth, thin eyebrows, and small eyes. He chuckled and said, "Whether he's all bark and no bite, or just someone who's spouting empty boasts, it's hard to say."
The dog-eater angrily retorted, "What do you mean?!"
Zhao Zhiyuan said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. Please don't take offense, young lady."
The dog-like figure suddenly attacked. Zhao Zhiyuan dodged, and the dog-like figure, its eyes bloodshot, was about to deliver a fatal blow. The deer-like figure flicked its shoulder, and its empty sleeve flew out, entangling the dog-like figure.
The dog, whose manhood had been severed by Wen Caishang, hated being called "girl" or "eunuch" by others. Zhao Zhiyuan had offended him, so he was furious.
Despite their physical disabilities, the four heroes of Taixin were united in their hatred of the enemy and said, "Brother Zhao, if you think we are not up to par, please speak frankly. Let us have a match. Why be so sarcastic and annoying?"
Zhao Zhiyuan laughed and said, "It was just a casual remark, and I meant no disrespect. Why get angry?"
The four reluctantly gave up, glancing coldly at Zhao Zhiyuan. Su Qiuwu of Jianyu Tower said, "Gentlemen, please don't get angry. The most urgent task is to find a way to deal with that vixen."
Everyone fell silent. Zhao Zhiyuan said, "Although I'm reluctant to admit it, that vixen's strategies and martial arts are superior to ours. How should we deal with her? If we don't have a good plan, she'll escape again this time."
They all felt a sense of unease.
Su Qiuwu said, "I have a brilliant plan." He looked at the Four Heroes of Taixin and said, "The Four Heroes of Taixin are the cream of the crop. They have mastered a martial art that combines human and beast, which is extremely powerful. If they can injure Wen Caishang once, they can probably injure her a second time."
The four heroes of Taixin all changed their expressions. Lu Zhe said, "That may be true, but this is not a glorious thing. It took the four of us brothers working together to barely injure her. To win by attacking one of them together is unbecoming of a man of chivalry."
“You can’t say that,” Zhao Zhiyuan said. “That vixen is ruthless. When she’s seeking revenge, she doesn’t care about the number of people, the code of the martial world, or whether it’s honorable or not.”
Su Qiuwu said, "I admit my inferiority. I admire you, I admire you."
The tiger, python, and dog nodded slightly, clearly pleased. Su Qiuwu continued, "Since the four of you were able to injure it once, it would be only natural that you could injure it a second time."
The true intentions are revealed when the map is unrolled.
The four heroes paled. The Deer-Man hurriedly said, "Brother Su, you overestimate us. Although we severely injured the demoness, we were also badly wounded and haven't recovered yet. Cough cough..."
All four heroes feigned coughing, and to make it more realistic, they even secretly trembled their internal energy, coughing up blood.
Su Qiuwu sneered inwardly, thinking, "The rumor that Wen Caishang was injured was spread by me. With her swordsmanship, it's wishful thinking for you four crippled beasts to think you can hurt her. Fine, fine, you're just spouting nonsense, I'll go with the flow and make you risk your life."
He said, "I see. The four of you were injured, which is why you stopped trying to kill the witch."
The four heroes of Taixin took the opportunity to back down, saying, "Of course, if we are fully recovered, the four of us will naturally strike again and capture that thieving woman alive."
"The Four Heroes are renowned, and they are indeed no mere figureheads!" Zhao Zhiyuan praised.
The four glared at each other, their anger rising at the sound of Zhao Zhiyuan's voice. Su Qiuwu said, "Since you four brothers are so righteous, it would be utterly unreasonable for me, Su, to be stingy!"
Jianyulou took out a treasure box from his sword, gently opened it, and a fragrant aroma wafted out. Inside were four ginseng roots.
Su Qiuwu said, "My Jianyu Tower makes a living by forging swords and selling ginseng. I have four 'King of Men Ginseng' plants, which are treasures for healing internal injuries."
"Although it belongs to the category of common miscellaneous items, its value is beyond description. Please take it, four of you, to heal your internal injuries and then severely injure that vixen!"
"This..." The four heroes of Taixin were in a dilemma.
Zhao Zhiyuan laughed, "Could it be that I'm right, and the four of you are just boasting? If that's the case, then it's understandable. After all, people in the martial arts world value face the most. And the more they lack face, the more likely they are to..."
The Four Heroes of Taixin were furious. They thought to themselves, "We four are physically disabled. Not only in the martial world, but even within our sect, we are often talked about behind our backs and ridiculed. If it turns out that we were just bragging, wouldn't our reputations be ruined? At that time, who would remember that we were the Four Heroes of Taixin? Who would mention our past glory?"
"I'm afraid the name of 'four beasts' will follow me for life. Rather than that, I might as well bite the bullet and accept it. If I risk my life and hit Wen Caishang with a palm and a leg, even if I die, it won't be too ugly."
Upon reading this, the Four Heroes said, "Good! We'll take this King Cane. Let's see how the four of us capture this thieving woman alive!"
He accepted the King of Ginseng. Su Qiuwu said, "Rest assured, you four heroes, my Sword Rain Pavilion will provide full assistance. We will definitely help you on that day!"
Zhao Zhiyuan said, "I, Huang Shamen, am the same."
"Alright!" said the Four Heroes of Taixin. "Farewell!"
After everyone separated, Xi Kairen, Su Qiuwu, and Qian Jingpeng from Jianyu Tower exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
Xi Kairen said, "Brother Su, this plan is excellent. Tell Taixin and his four beasts to take good care of Wen Caishang."
Qian Jingpeng said, "Wait until they fight to the death and are exhausted before we make our move to capture and kill them!"
Su Qiuwu laughed and said, "Wrong, wrong. We're not going to help!"
Xi Kairen and Qian Jingpeng asked curiously, "Why? Wouldn't it be excellent to surround and kill that wicked woman in one fell swoop?"
Su Qiuwu said, "Are you two out of your minds? Don't we know whether that thieving woman is injured or not? She's so powerful, do you think we can take her down if we attack together? What if we lose our lives?"
Xi Kairen said, "Then..."
Su Qiuwu stroked his beard and said, "First, let the Four Heroes of Taixin fight to the death. Whether they die or are wounded, we will deal with them slowly while sending more people and mobilizing sect resources. Most importantly, we must not let other sects benefit from this."
Xi Kairen and Qian Jingpeng found this to be reasonable and stopped arguing.
Huang Shamen Zhao Zhiyuan had a similar idea.
"Go and help? Forget about it. We'll just find an excuse to say Shanshan is late. Whether they're dead or injured is none of my business. Besides, we already know Wen Caishang's whereabouts, so we'll deal with her slowly."
"I won't do something as foolish as asking my Huangsha Sect to sweat and bleed, only to have other sects reap the benefits. Besides, there are still some sects that haven't even made a move yet!"
Although the five major sects of the Sword-Slaying Alliance were determined to capture and kill Wen Caishang, they inevitably engaged in mutual scheming and petty calculations.
The four members of Taixin have been disabled for over ten years, are highly sensitive, and extremely concerned with their reputation. Bound by their honor, they have no time for anything else. Lu Zhe is the most intelligent of the four, vaguely sensing something amiss, but is powerless to do anything about it.
They had no choice but to digest the medicinal herbs and fight for their lives.
...
...
In the mountains and wild roads.
There was a fork in the road ahead; one side led into the mountains, while the other led into the city.
Li Xian asked, "Madam, which way should we go?"
Wen Caishang remained silent for a long time, offering no response. This moment was crucial; the decision she made was of paramount importance.
"If I enter the city, I'll surely be surrounded and killed. My internal energy is dissipating, and it won't be long before it's depleted. Fighting against them will only hasten my depletion. If I hide in the mountains... I might be able to avoid the ambush for a while, but they will never give up..."
(End of this chapter)
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