Chapter 90: Even A Lion Uses Its Full Strength To Hunt A Rabbit (I)

Traces of a living corpse's movements?

Lin Zheyu pondered for a moment and walked toward the spot Ma Wangcheng had pointed out.

With his strength, even if he could not defeat a living corpse, he could still escape unharmed. He wanted to examine the remnants of the Baleful Yin poison left behind in that area and see if he could collect some for research.

The Toxicology Codex Chen Peijun had given him mentioned that the Baleful Yin poison produced by a living corpse was also a form of toxin. This poison was unlike ordinary toxins, seeming almost alive.

Living corpses of different cultivation stages produced Baleful Yin poison of varying potency. But even the weakest form of Baleful Yin poison was terrifyingly lethal. The description in the Toxicology Codex was brief: 'Baleful Yin poison, born from a living corpse, appears to be living, and its toxicity is unpredictable.'

A poison that is alive... what exactly does that look like? Could it be that once infected, a creature transforms into something like a zombie?

thought Lin Zheyu, his curiosity burning ever stronger.

Before long, he arrived at the area Ma Wangcheng had described. He did not rush in recklessly. Instead, he captured a few wild animals and released them from a distance, letting them scatter nearby. Only after confirming there was no danger did he approach slowly.

Some of the grass and trees around the area were indeed charred black, just as Ma Wangcheng had said, and a strong stench filled the air. Pieces of flesh from some unknown beast were scattered on the ground, purple-black in color, with some parts also charred.

Lin Zheyu watched his surroundings with utmost caution, ready to flee at the slightest movement. Holding his breath, he slowly approached the scattered flesh and took a leather pouch meant for storing toxic powders from his pack. Without touching the flesh directly, he used a branch to move it into the pouch.

The flesh was scattered all over the ground. After collecting most of it, his pouch could no longer hold any more. These leather pouches were originally meant to store poisonous flowers, herbs, and insects found in the wilderness, so their capacity was not large.

Someone's here!

As Lin Zheyu stowed the pouch away, his expression changed. He sensed someone approaching from the surroundings, making no attempt to conceal their presence as they walked straight toward him. Unwilling to start a fight in this place, he slowly retreated.

Whoosh.

Suddenly, an arrow shot out from the distance, aimed directly at the center of his brow. The arrow's speed was incredibly fast, so the crossbow that fired it was clearly extraordinary.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

More arrows whistled through the air, four or five in rapid succession, cutting off all his escape routes.

An expert archer!

Lin Zheyu frowned slightly.

The speed of the arrows was astonishing, and their power overwhelming. Combined with such precise marksmanship, an ordinary martial artist would find it nearly impossible to dodge.

Clang, clang, clang.

Lin Zheyu did not unleash the full strength of the Blood Qi Realm. He only did so deep within the desolate Beast Roar Mountain. On the mountain's outskirts, unless he was certain he could eliminate all witnesses, he preferred to remain at the Bone Forging Realm to avoid unnecessary trouble.

He suddenly exerted force through his legs, using the Golden Goose Technique to dodge two arrows. The long blade in his hand swept out, shattering the remaining three arrows flying toward him. The moment the arrows snapped, white powder spilled out from them and dispersed into the air.

Lin Zheyu tapped his toes lightly and retreated swiftly. With his limited knowledge of toxicology, he could not identify the poison, but avoiding it was certainly the right choice.

"Impressive movement techniques!"

A young man's voice echoed from the forest as three figures slowly approached Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu fixed his gaze on them and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you, and why are you trying to kill me?"

The young man who spoke was not strong, merely at the initial stage of the Organ Forging Realm. He held a massive bow in his hands, carved with a roaring dragon, and a quiver hung on his back. It was clear he had been the one shooting the arrows.

Behind him stood two others, one middle-aged and one elderly. Their auras were well concealed. The middle-aged man had reached the peak of the Organ Forging Realm, while the old man possessed the power of the Blood Qi Realm.

"Your footwork is profound and your strength precise. It's quite an impressive leg technique to give you such movement, even at the Bone Forging Realm. Leave behind the technique and that pouch, and I might spare your life."

The young man ignored Lin Zheyu's question and spoke casually instead, his tone dripping with disdain as if he were speaking to an insect.

But he had reason to be confident. The middle-aged man, though only at the peak of the Organ Forging Realm, exuded a faint medicinal fragrance. Lin Zheyu could already identify three distinct herbs from the scent alone. All of those herbs could be used to concoct poisons, suggesting that the man was likely skilled in the art of poison.

The elderly man appeared ordinary, yet he was quite adept at concealing his aura. However, with Lin Zheyu's keen senses, he still detected the blood qi fluctuations within the man's body. Those fluctuations were close to the blood qi gauze stage. The old man had likely reached that level in his youth, but his power had diminished significantly with age. Even Lin Zheyu found such a combination troublesome to deal with.

"What's wrong? Still thinking of running?" Seeing Lin Zheyu remain silent, the young man sneered, saying, "With your abilities, it's already impressive you dodged those earlier arrows. But if I let you escape now, I, Zhao Ziyan, might as well stop showing my face in Songyi City."

With that, he raised his bow, nocked three arrows, and aimed them at Lin Zheyu. A mocking smile spread across his face, as if he were toying with prey.

Zhao Ziyan... a member of the Zhao Family?

Lin Zheyu's heart sank. The people he least wanted to encounter in Songyi City were those from the Zhao Family.

The Zhao Family specialized in poisons and was notoriously troublesome. Fighting them meant remaining constantly vigilant against hidden poisons, and that old man might well be a poison master too. Unlike the Xing Family, the Zhao Family was extremely low-key. Lin Zheyu rarely had any dealings with them and never expected to run into one here.

"Fine!" said Lin Zheyu in a low voice, his face showing reluctant resignation. He unfastened his pouch, crouched slowly, and placed it on the ground.

"And the technique too. Hand it over," said the young man, chuckling.

"Sorry, I don't have the technique on me. Could you allow me to go back and retrieve it?" asked Lin Zheyu.

"

Heh

, do you take me for a fool? If you don't have it on you, then come with me and write it out from memory," said Zhao Ziyan, snorting coldly.

He pulled a pill from his robe and said, "Put your hands on your head, crawl over here on your knees, and swallow this pill."

No sooner had he spoken than his eyes sharpened, and he drew and loosed an arrow.

Whoosh.

The arrow shot forth, aimed straight at Lin Zheyu's waist pouch. Moments earlier, he had noticed Lin Zheyu subtly reaching toward the pouch, a pitiful attempt at trickery in his eyes.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

As soon as the first arrow was released, the young man fired six more in rapid succession, sealing off Lin Zheyu's escape routes.

Lin Zheyu rolled across the ground and flung a throwing knife. Though not fast, it flew straight for the young man's eyes, forcing him to evade. Seizing the chance, Lin Zheyu lunged forward and dashed into the forest. With a few quick movements, he vanished among the trees, hidden from the young man's sight.

"What a slippery brat. His movement techniques are truly remarkable. Uncle Hai, bring that boy back. A lightness technique like that would be considered top-tier even among the Zhao clan's martial arts," said Zhao Ziyan coldly.

The fact that someone in the Bone Forging Realm had escaped from his hands put him in a foul mood.

"Yes, young master!" The middle-aged man called Uncle Hai responded and darted into the forest.

Zhao Ziyan turned to the old man and asked, "Grandfather, do you recognize the technique that boy used?"

He was familiar with the techniques of all the major families in Songyi City, and that young man did not seem to be from any of them. Most likely, he was a wanderer from another city.

"I don't recognize it, but I once saw it used by a Blood Qi Realm expert. This person is very likely that man's disciple," said the old man with a look of surprise appearing on his face.

"Was that man powerful? Should we call Uncle Hai back then?"

Zhao Ziyan frowned. If the boy had a Blood Qi Realm master behind him, things could become troublesome.

"No need. Although that man had cultivated to the third transformation of blood qi and excelled in leg techniques, his right leg is crippled. He can't exert even half of his strength, so he's nothing to fear. Just make sure the matter is handled cleanly. A crippled third transformation Blood Qi Realm martial artist is nothing worth our Zhao Family's concern," said the old man lightly, his tone brimming with confidence.

"Then I'm relieved," said Zhao Ziyan.

He walked over and picked up the pouch on the ground, retrieving the pieces of flesh Lin Zheyu had collected, which were tainted with Baleful Yin poison. It had only been a short while since Lin Zheyu had placed the flesh into the leather pouch, yet the Baleful Yin poison had already begun seeping through it. The outside of the pouch had turned slightly black.

"How foolish, handling corpse poison so carelessly. A single careless touch, and even a Blood Qi Realm martial artist would find it troublesome," muttered Zhao Ziyan, sneering at the sight.

He took a jade bottle from the pack on his back and carefully scraped off the blackened portions with a spoon-like iron tool, placing them into the bottle before discarding the flesh. After dealing with the flesh in the pouch, he ignored the rest and went over to scrape the blackened patches from the nearby trees.