Chapter 144: Enemy Attack (I)

In the morning, the sun was bright and the breeze was gentle. Summer was drawing near, so the weather had begun to grow hot. Lin Zheyu sat by the edge of Zeyi Lake, beside the elderly Chen Peijun.

The old man smiled pleasantly as he held his fishing rod, leisurely angling for fish. Meanwhile, Lin Zheyu flipped through the Toxicology Codex, asking questions about some difficulties he had encountered in his recent studies.

It had been half a year since he first began studying the Toxicology Codex, and he had gained some understanding of the Poison Path. Unfortunately, his cultivation had advanced too quickly, so he had only used poison techniques a few times in the beginning before setting them aside.

Even so, he had not given up on understanding the Poison Path. The Poison Path was vast and profound, with countless methods and venoms, even some capable of harming innate martial artists.

Those who stayed hidden within city walls had little to fear from poison. But once one stepped into the Martial World, caution was necessary. Strong martial artists could defend themselves from physical attacks, but poison was another matter entirely. You could never know what kind of deadly poison your opponent might carry. By learning more about toxins and antidotes, Lin Zheyu could ensure he would not fall to the poisons of those weaker than himself through mere carelessness.

After clearing up the questions that had been troubling him, Lin Zheyu asked with a solemn tone, "Elder, are you truly not coming with us?"

He wanted to invite the old man to leave Songyi City and go to Bafang City with them. According to the information he had received, the rebel army was preparing to attack Guanning City. Once they captured it, their next target would be Songyi City. At the rebels' current pace, Guanning City would likely fall within 2 months.

"I won't go. At my age, I'm already half-buried in the ground. Why would I bother enduring hardship to rush all the way to Bafang City?" said the old man as he shook his head.

Lin Zheyu rolled his eyes, struggling to hold back his retort.

Half-buried, and yet he still visits the Hundred Flowers Pavilion every night for music and wine? This old man is far more vigorous than most young men.

"Very well, then. Please take care. Your revenge will be left to me. When I grow stronger, I will go and kill Zhao Guanbin for you and avenge you," said Lin Zheyu solemnly.

He had been secretly tracking Zhao Guanbin's movements lately and had already uncovered some leads. He only needed the right moment to act.

"You should focus on your cultivation and wait until you become stronger. I will entrust the Toxicology Codex to you. Remember to pass it on. When you are strong, using the poison techniques within it and founding your own faction will be quite easy," said Chen Peijun slowly.

The Toxicology Codex was extremely valuable. In this era, knowledge was power and wealth. With the poison knowledge in the Toxicology Codex and Lin Zheyu's abilities, creating a faction comparable to the Zhao Family would be easy. The poisons detailed in the codex could bring a steady stream of wealth to such a faction.

The thought occasionally crossed Lin Zheyu's mind, but the complications made him ponder briefly and then abandon the idea. Founding his own faction would have to wait until a more suitable time. For now, his main task was to focus on martial cultivation and increase his strength.

"Rest assured, Senior. I will certainly pass on the Toxicology Codex," said Lin Zheyu solemnly. After a moment of thought, he continued. "Senior, the rebel army is about to attack Songyi City, and it may fall into their hands. So... I would like to ask about Master Liang Song. Could you tell me where he might be?"

Liang Song had been gone for nearly half a year and had not returned. When he left, his manner suggested he might not return, so Lin Zheyu was somewhat worried for his safety.

"That is fine, I can tell you. Since you are heading to Bafang City anyway, you can inquire there. With luck, you might even run into him. Liang Song is only an alias, you see. I do not know his real name, and he has many enemies. Over the past decade, he's likely eliminated foes in several nearby cities, leaving only the strongest one in Bafang City."

"I do not know exactly who it is. I only know that he faces a powerful enemy in Bafang City. If you go to Bafang City and look around, he may be dead, or he may still be in hiding. But from what I know of him, he is like a tortoise: very patient—even more so than me. He probably still has not acted," said Chen Peijun calmly.

"Thank you, Senior."

Lin Zheyu cupped his hands and bowed slightly to Chen Peijun. He had not expected Master Liang Song to have gone to Bafang City, which explained his long absence.

Bafang City was far from Songyi City, separated by mountains and several towns. At the speed of a normal caravan, it would take over a month, nearly 2 months, to reach. Lin Zheyu planned to search for Master Liang Song once he reached Bafang City. He was a man who repaid kindness. If possible, he would also avenge Master Liang to repay him for teaching him martial techniques.

Lin Zheyu left Zeyi Lake and went to the Jade Pill Teahouse. Jia Yanyong and the others were no longer present, but they too would be leaving on this trip. For the next stretch of time, they would have to eat and sleep in the open, so for now, they were indulging themselves in pleasure at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.

"Manager Wu, are you truly not planning to leave?" asked Lin Zheyu one last time.

"I think not. My family and roots are all in Songyi City. If I leave, I'd have to start over from nothing. Besides, I've heard the rebel army calls itself a righteous force that doesn't slaughter civilians. I have no wealth for them to plunder anyway," said Wu Yinghe with a bitter and helpless expression.

If the decision were his alone, he would have gone with them. Backed by the Feihong Gang, life in Bafang City might not be as prosperous as in Songyi City, but it would certainly be far more comfortable than staying in Songyi City. Unfortunately, his parents, wife, and in-laws all refused to leave, and neither his grandfather nor his uncles wished to go. Helpless, Wu Yinghe could only give up the idea.

"Then take care of yourself," said Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu spent some time at the Jade Pill Teahouse, listening to storytellers before leaving. Back at his small courtyard, he changed into his training clothes and departed from Songyi City. Although he would officially depart the day after tomorrow, he still devoted much of his time each day to martial training as usual.

Lin Zheyu entered the forested mountains. With a swift motion, he channeled his blood qi into his legs, employing the blood qi burst technique while activating the Golden Goose Technique. His entire figure shot forward with astonishing speed.

After cultivating the Mountain Shattering Leg to Perfection, his legs could fully withstand the explosive surge of blood qi without fear of damaging his muscles, tendons, skin, or bones. However, at present, he could only use it for traveling in straight lines, and even then, his control was still somewhat unrefined. If an obstacle appeared ahead, he often couldn't stop himself from crashing into it.

Boom!

A thunderous crash resounded as a large tree blocking his path was smashed to pieces by his punch. He had nearly run straight into it again just moments earlier.

Rustling sounds echoed softly. Outside Lion Valley, thick fog hung over the land. Lin Zheyu had come to stake out the area once more. For more than twenty days, he had often kept watch at Lion Valley's entrance, but to no avail.

The bandits within Lion Valley, as well as the Xing Family, knew this entrance had been exposed and had begun using other routes instead. A dozen days ago, Lin Zheyu had tailed some Lion Valley bandits and discovered another hidden entrance.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

After several days of staking out, he managed to rob another batch of goods worth over 200 taels of silver, but soon, that entrance saw little traffic as well. These people were extremely slippery. With so many entrances to Lion Valley and Lin Zheyu working alone, waiting in ambush made it difficult to catch any big prey.

By sheer coincidence, last time, he had encountered the Xing Family right after their deal with the Nine Nether Sect and obtained several thousand taels of silver. That had been an unbelievable stroke of luck for Lin Zheyu. But that single windfall seemed to have used up all his luck; he hadn't come across any major catch since.

"What if I just sneak inside? There must be valuable items within that shrine," muttered Lin Zheyu thoughtfully.

He currently had 3,186 taels saved, plus thirteen sets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction powder. It looked like a sizable sum, but it would not last long once he began spending. Once he reached Bafang City, he would still need to find a way to purchase a powerful cultivation technique.

Even ordinary Blood Qi Realm techniques could cost 700 or 800 taels of silver, while those that could cultivate to the Dragon Transformation of blood qi required several thousand. In fact, whether such techniques could even be bought was uncertain.

No, I can't take that risk. The Nine Nether Sect is far too strange. They might have unpredictable means.

Lin Zheyu shook his head and dismissed the idea. With his golden finger, there was no need to risk his life like this.