amaotonovel Chapter 1357 Venerable Jin Guang, just accept this blood feud!
Chapter 1357 Venerable Jin Guang, just accept this blood feud!
Chapter 1357 Venerable Jin Guang, just accept this blood feud!
As the sun rises, its rays, like scattered gold, spill onto the bluestone path of Shenshou Valley. Morning dew clings to the tips of the herbs in the medicinal garden, reflecting a crystalline light.
Qin Hao stretched and pushed open the door. He saw Han Li squatting in the herb garden, holding a wooden bucket and watering the roots of a yellow dragon grass.
The water in the wooden bucket had a faint turquoise hue, and it was obvious that it was the diluted spiritual liquid from the small green bottle—Han Li was using the spiritual liquid to accelerate the growth of herbs, but he was being extremely careful.
"Brother Zhang, good morning, you're up?" Han Li heard footsteps, turned around and smiled, but his movements slowed down subconsciously, and he moved the wooden bucket behind him a little further.
Qin Hao walked over, leaned against the bamboo fence of the herb garden, and nodded with a smile: "Junior Brother Han is taking care of the herb garden so early, it must be hard work - this yellow dragon grass was only planted not long ago, but judging from its growth, it will probably be ready for medicinal use soon."
Upon hearing this, Han Li's expression changed slightly, and he paused for a moment. He quickly sped up, haphazardly pouring the remaining spiritual liquid in the wooden bucket onto the roots of several bitter lotus plants. Then he put down the bucket, scratched his head, and smiled somewhat awkwardly, "I'm just used to it. Anyway, I can't sleep when I'm awake, so I come over to loosen the soil and water them. It's like stretching my muscles."
Qin Hao chuckled inwardly—Han Laomo's caution was truly ingrained in his bones; even though he was a good brother who had shared life and death with him, he kept the secret of the little green bottle extremely well hidden.
Seeing that Qin Hao didn't seem to have noticed anything amiss, Han Li breathed a sigh of relief. Then, his tone shifted, and a hint of worry appeared on his face: "By the way, Brother Zhang, Elder Mo... Mo Juren is dead. After all, he was an elder of the Seven Mysteries Sect. What should we do if the Seven Mysteries Sect investigates?"
Qin Hao chuckled and patted Han Li on the shoulder: "Junior Brother Han, have you forgotten that you're no longer an ordinary disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect—you're a cultivator. Even if they knew, how dare they investigate?"
Reminded by these words, Han Li's eyes lit up, and he scratched his head and grinned foolishly: "That's right! I'm a cultivator now!" But as he laughed, his face fell: "But Brother Zhang, I can only be considered a half cultivator now. Apart from being stronger and having more acute senses, I haven't even learned a single spell yet."
Qin Hao understood perfectly – that old man Mo Juren was indeed cautious to the core, only passing on cultivation techniques and nothing else.
"Then you should hurry up and study magic. Once you've mastered magic and become a true cultivator, even if the Seven Mysteries Sect finds out that we killed Mo Juren, they'll have no choice but to accept it."
Han Li nodded emphatically and turned to walk towards his room, seemingly eager to study the "Longevity Scripture," but Qin Hao stopped him.
"Junior Brother Han, wait a minute. Do you still have the Seven Poisons Water you improved before?"
Han Li was taken aback and stopped in his tracks: "I do have some, I still have about half a bottle left. What do you need this for, Brother Zhang? This stuff is too toxic, even a little bit will cause trouble."
Qin Hao had already prepared an excuse, deliberately showing a look of gritted teeth on his face: "I have an enemy in the secular world, a martial arts master, but that guy's martial arts are indeed powerful, and I'm not entirely confident—your Seven Poisons Water can even injure the soul of a cultivator, so dealing with a mortal martial arts master should be more than enough."
Upon hearing this, Han Li hesitated, "Brother Zhang, how come I've never heard of you having enemies in the secular world before?"
“Before, I wasn’t confident I could get revenge, and talking about it would have been useless, only adding to my troubles.” Qin Hao lowered his eyes, pretending to recall the past, his tone heavy: “That man and I have a blood feud. If I hadn’t been lucky back then, I would have died at his hands long ago. Now that I have some strength, I can’t sleep at night until I avenge this!”
"A common man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure. Venerable Jin Guang, you should accept this deep-seated hatred!"
Seeing Qin Hao's resolute expression, which didn't seem like he was lying, Han Li didn't ask any more questions. He took out a palm-sized porcelain bottle from his pocket and handed it to Qin Hao: "Brother Zhang, take this Seven Poisons Water. By the way, I also have some hidden weapons and poisons that I prepared to deal with Mo Juren. Take those too, for extra protection."
As he spoke, he pulled out a cloth bag from his pocket, opened it, and found three poisoned short needles, a packet of "Soul-Severing Powder," and two small boomerangs. Han Li pointed to these items and explained them one by one: "The short needles are launched through a blowpipe and are coated with 'Bone-Corroding Poison,' which kills instantly upon contact with blood; the Soul-Severing Powder, if scattered on the ground, will cause weakness if inhaled in even a small amount; the boomerangs are suitable for long-range ambushes, and their blades are also coated with poison."
"And this is the antidote I prepared; it can cure most poisons."
Qin Hao took the porcelain bottle and cloth bag, feeling a warmth in his heart—Han Li, though cautious, was truly loyal to his own people.
He clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, Junior Brother Han. These things come in handy. Don't worry, I'll be right back."
Han Li nodded, then added, "Brother Zhang, revenge is important, but you absolutely must come back alive! If you really can't beat him, come back first. Once I've mastered my magic and subdued him, then you can personally kill your enemy."
"Understood," Qin Hao replied, then turned and strode out of Divine Hand Valley.
The sunlight stretched his shadow long. Han Li stood at the entrance of the herb garden, looking at that tall figure, and sighed softly. He always felt that Brother Zhang seemed to have something on his mind about taking revenge this time, but since Brother Zhang was unwilling to say more, he didn't want to ask too much.
Seven days later, in Ling'an City, Jingzhou. Ling'an City is a large city in Jingzhou, with city walls three zhang high. The streets are bustling with people, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and horses' hooves can be heard incessantly.
The Wild Wolf Gang's headquarters was located in the western district of Ling'an City, in a sprawling mansion. A black flag bearing the name "Wild Wolf Gang" hung at the entrance, and gang members stood guard with long knives, looking menacing.
Qin Hao, dressed in ordinary coarse cloth clothes, mingled in the crowd, leaning against a pillar of a teahouse on the street corner, his eyes fixed on the gate of the Wild Wolf Gang.
He had been keeping watch here for three days—Qin Hao had originally thought that the Golden Light Temple, where the Golden Light Master resided, would be easy to find, but after asking around, no one had ever heard of it. Helpless, he could only secretly follow Jia Tianlong, the leader of the Wild Wolf Gang.
Before long, a richly decorated carriage drove out of the Wild Wolf Gang's gate. The carriage was painted black with gold trim, and its wheels were covered with iron, so it made almost no noise when it moved.
The driver was a burly man with a curved knife at his waist; he was clearly one of Jia Tianlong's trusted men.
Qin Hao's heart skipped a beat. He got up, walked into the teahouse, and called out to the waiter, "Shopkeeper, the bill!"
He tossed down a few copper coins and followed the carriage discreetly.
The carriage traveled slowly, heading towards the desolate mountains outside Ling'an City after leaving the west gate.
Qin Hao maintained a distance of more than ten feet, his steps light and quick—Zhang Tie's body was indeed robust. After being refined into a human puppet, his physical endurance far exceeded that of ordinary people. He followed the carriage all the way without feeling tired at all, and his breathing was not even disordered.
After traveling for about half an hour, the carriage suddenly stopped by a deserted roadside. The driver jumped down, opened the door, and said a few words to the driver.
Then, Jia Tianlong got off the carriage. He was wearing a brocade robe and carrying an exquisite wooden box in his arms. He waved to the driver and said, "Wait here. I'll be right back."
The driver bowed in agreement, and Jia Tianlong, carrying the wooden box, quickly walked towards the barren mountain beside him.
Qin Hao's heart tightened—had he been discovered? He stopped and hid behind a large tree, observing carefully for a moment. Seeing that Jia Tianlong was entering the mountain alone and showed no intention of looking back, he felt relieved and quietly followed him.
The foot of the barren mountain was overgrown with weeds, and there wasn't even a decent path. But Jia Tianlong seemed to know the way well, and he walked up a hidden path.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a misty fog suddenly appeared ahead, with pale green mist swirling around, obscuring the view inside.
Qin Hao followed behind, using the trees for cover as he entered the miasma. As soon as he entered, he smelled a pungent odor and immediately held his breath—the miasma was likely poisonous. Fortunately, his Elephant Armor Technique was highly effective, giving him a strong immune system. He quickly took the antidote powder prepared by Han Li and recovered.
After passing through the miasma, the mountaintop suddenly opened up—a dilapidated Taoist temple appeared before us. Half of the temple gate had collapsed, the paint on the three characters "Yuxu Temple" on the gate was peeling off, and the courtyard was overgrown with waist-high weeds, indicating that it had been abandoned for a long time.
Jia Tianlong walked to the entrance of the Taoist temple, straightened his brocade robe, and, holding the wooden box, cautiously called out, "Is Master Zhang here? This junior, Jia Tianlong, has come to pay my respects."
Before long, the wooden door of the Taoist temple creaked open, and a dwarf about three feet tall walked out.
This dwarf was as thin as a stick, wearing an ill-fitting red robe with gold thread, the collar and cuffs worn out, several gold rings on his fingers, and a thick gold chain around his neck. He exuded the vulgarity of a nouveau riche—it was none other than the Venerable Golden Light!
"Master Jin Guang, it really is you, Treasure-Giving Boy!" Qin Hao hid behind a big tree outside the Taoist temple, secretly delighted—he had finally found this old man.
Master Jin Guang glanced at Jia Tianlong, his tone tinged with impatience: "Why are you here again? Didn't I tell you I don't accept disciples? You have no affinity for immortality, even if you become my disciple, you won't be able to cultivate immortality."
Despite saying that, his gaze involuntarily drifted to the wooden box in Jia Tianlong's arms, his eyes shining.
With a fawning smile on his face, Jia Tianlong didn't bother to explain and directly opened the wooden box—inside was a pure gold Buddha statue, about the size of a palm, gleaming brightly in the sunlight, clearly very valuable.
The Golden Light Master's eyes widened instantly, his Adam's apple bobbed, but he still tried to maintain his air of a reclusive sage: "What are you doing? I've already said, if you don't have the destiny to become an immortal, you just don't have the destiny to become an immortal. Even if you give me a golden Buddha, it won't help."
Inwardly, Jia Tianlong cursed: What kind of reclusive master is he? He's even more greedy than me! On the surface, however, he pretended to be sincere: "Master Zhang, please don't misunderstand. I've come here not to become your disciple, but simply to pay my respects. It's only right that I, a junior, offer a small gift to you in your secluded cultivation in this desolate mountain."
"Oh? Just a token of respect?" The impatience on Jin Guang Shangren's face lessened a bit, but he still stubbornly insisted, "In that case, please come inside—the Taoist temple is simple, please don't mind, Chief Jia."
Qin Hao watched the two figures disappear behind the Taoist temple gate, but did not immediately follow them in. No matter how weak Jin Guang Shangren was, he was still a cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining, and his divine sense was much more acute than that of ordinary people. If he were to notice them, it would be troublesome to alert them.
He crouched behind the tree, waiting patiently, while mentally calculating: how to make a move that would be foolproof.
An hour later, the gate of the Taoist temple opened again, and Jia Tianlong and Master Jinguang walked out one after the other.
Both of them had drunk quite a bit of alcohol; their steps were unsteady and their faces were flushed.
Jia Tianlong leaned against the wall and laughed, "Master Zhang is so powerful, yet this Taoist temple is so dilapidated. I will send someone to rebuild the temple for you another day, and also send some fine silks, satins, and delicacies. I guarantee that you will live comfortably."
The Golden Light Master's eyes lit up, and he patted Jia Tianlong's hand: "In that case, I'll have to trouble Chief Jia! We've hit it off today, so I'll grant you a promise—if you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to me, and I'll help you out once."
He paused, then rubbed his fingers together. "However, this immortal master can't help without doing anything for free... you know what I mean."
Jia Tianlong cursed the "Pixiu" in his heart, but on his face he pretended to be extremely grateful: "Immortal Master, rest assured! After the matter is accomplished, I, Jia, will definitely reward you handsomely and will never let you suffer any loss!"
After seeing Jia Tianlong off, Master Jinguang staggered back to the Taoist temple, urinated against the corner of the wall while humming an off-key tune, and then staggered into the side room.
Qin Hao peeked out from behind the tree and, by the moonlight, saw the silhouette of the Golden Light Immortal reflected on the window paper of the side room—he was holding the golden Buddha, fell onto the bed, and soon began to snore.
Qin Hao crept over quietly, peering through the crack in the window of the side room—the Golden Light Master was fast asleep, drool still dribbling from the corner of his mouth, tightly clutching a golden Buddha in his arms. Half a yellow talisman peeked out from his sleeve, its surface adorned with strange patterns—it was a Vajra talisman!
Qin Hao's heart skipped a beat, and he abandoned the idea of directly rushing in to make a move—the Vajra Talisman's defensive power was considerable, and ordinary swords and blades couldn't break through it at all. If he failed to kill Golden Light Venerable in one strike, and the Venerable reacted and released flying swords or used other spells, it would only cause trouble.
"I've got it!" His eyes lit up, and he turned around to the main hall of the Taoist temple—there was an offering table in the main hall, and on the offering table was a ceramic teapot.
Qin Hao took out a porcelain bottle containing the Seven Poisons Water from his pocket, uncorked it, poured half of the water into the teapot, then put the bottle away and quietly retreated behind a large tree outside the Taoist temple.
As dawn approached, the sky began to lighten with the pale glow of a fish's belly.
Suddenly, a noise came from the side room. Venerable Jinguang yawned, opened the door in a daze, and walked to the main hall with his short legs—he must have been thirsty.
He picked up the teapot, aimed it directly at the spout, and gulped it down, drinking more than half of it in one go. Then, with a hint of lingering satisfaction, he smacked his lips, flopped onto the futon on the ground, and continued to snore.
However, in no time, Jin Guang Shangren suddenly let out a scream, sprang up from the futon, and spat out a mouthful of black blood. His internal organs felt as if they were being cut by knives, causing him unbearable pain.
Almost simultaneously, a burst of golden light emanated from Jin Guang Shangren's body—the Vajra Talisman had been activated, forming a golden protective shield that enveloped his entire body.
At the same time, a small gray sword flew out from the bun on his head, hovering above his head and emitting a "humming" sound.
"Jia Tianlong, how dare you plot against this immortal master!" Jin Guang Shangren clutched his chest, his face pale, yet he still forced a furious roar.
Little did they know, Qin Hao had already retreated to the woods outside the Taoist temple, using the trees as cover to coldly observe the commotion inside.
Another quarter of an hour passed, and the golden light inside the Taoist temple dissipated, and there was no more sound.
After much thought, I've decided not to add any special abilities to the protagonist. It feels like raising his cultivation level and defeating enemies across realms would be as easy as drinking water, making him seem less like a "mortal." Of course, the protagonist will definitely not be weak. I hope you guys can be a little more patient with me. Thank you again for your support!