Chapter 36: Purple-Winged Scorpion
Chapter 36: Purple-Winged Scorpion
"Brother Wan, why are you doing this?" The visitor was no spring chicken, and to Fang Xing's surprise, he recognized him as Chen Yi, the leader of the Noble Five of Cangshan.
Chen Yi's curiosity grew as he witnessed the alchemist's unusual expression.
The alchemist, surnamed Wan, harrumphed in response, "Today, you saw that boy searching for Peaceful Spirit Pills throughout the market. Inform me when you see him, and I will send him an invitation. However, not only did he completely ignore my invitation, but he also caused me great embarrassment. Tell me, how should he make amends?"
Chen Yi was left speechless, but he was well aware that this Wan Fenglin was stingy and always looking to take advantage of others.
The crucial point was... he couldn't afford to offend an alchemist. With a wry smile, Chen Yi cupped his hands in apology, "Consider it my fault. I will surely make it up to Brother Wan..."
"No need for apologies, but the distribution of spirit herbs for this operation will have to be adjusted..." Wan Fenglin revealed his true intentions.
"This..." Chen Yi hesitated, "I will have to discuss this with my four sworn brothers."
"Hmph, I still don't understand why you want to associate yourself with a mere mortal martial artist. He doesn't seem to be any sort of genius in the path of cultivation..." Wan Fenglin's curiosity piqued.
"Sigh... This person's origins are shrouded in mystery. I originally had no intention of provoking him, but he recently moved in next to my fourth brother and fifth sister. I had no choice but to test him out. Brother Wan, do not underestimate this man. He possesses at least one Blood Forged Magical Artifact!" Chen Yi sighed, "It is precisely because of this that I believe he could be of great use in our upcoming endeavor, but I never expected... that he would seem so indifferent towards the Peaceful Spirit Pills..."
"A Blood Forged Magical Artifact?" A glint of greed flashed in Wan Fenglin's eyes, but he quickly composed himself. "That's indeed a pity. He would have been a great help in dealing with the Purple-Winged Scorpions."
Whether he intended to befriend Fang Xing or kill him and take his possessions was anyone's guess.
In fact, Wan Fenglin believed that Chen Yi shared the same thoughts as him.
To survive as a loose cultivator, one had to be shrewd.
If this boy truly had a powerful background, they would cater to him and curry favor, hoping to gain some benefits from him.
But if he seemed to have no backing and found himself in peril while hunting magical beasts, they wouldn't hesitate to kick him while he was down!
"It seems Brother Wan is preparing to make a move soon?" Chen Yi's eyes lit up at this revelation.
"Of course," Wan Fenglin replied. "Even if we put aside the 'Mirage Heart Orchids' whose blooming season is almost over, the 'Purple-Winged Scorpions' alone produce excellent scorpion venom for alchemy. How could I possibly pass up such an opportunity?"
Wan Fenglin gave Chen Yi a deep look, "I've long heard of the fame of the Noble Five of Cangshan. This time, I'm counting on you."
"Don't mention it..." Chen Yi agreed and turned to leave.
Wan Fenglin watched him go and slowly sat down to savor his spirit tea.
The beetle remained motionless, like a lifeless object.
Since Fang Xing didn't mind the loss, he had directly ordered it to remain hidden.
Half an hour later, another figure pushed open the door and entered, "Master Wan..."
A smile crossed Wan Fenglin's face as he recognized the visitor.
...
"These cultivators, six of them but seven minds..."
In the shack, in the basement.
Fang Xing stared at the surveillance screens, his expression turning speechless.
Aside from the alchemist Wan Fenglin plotting, Chen Yi had also rushed to another location after leaving Wan Fenglin's residence and was conspiring with other cultivators!
Although Fang Xing was cautious and had ordered the hummingbird drones not to get too close for fear of being discovered, he could still guess what they were plotting.
"It's a good thing I didn't agree to go. Otherwise, dealing with a group of old foxes like them, I might not have come out on top!"
"As for now? Let them all blow their gold coins!"
Fang Xing prided himself on his cautious nature and his self-awareness.
In the marketplace, there was still some order. With his ability to shuttle between the two worlds and his golden finger, he could bide his time and eventually make a name for himself!
It would be foolish to risk leaving the marketplace for a mere bottle of pills.
The son of a wealthy family does not sit idly under the eaves.
White dragon dressing up as a carp is just asking for trouble!
Hence, he remained unmoved.
For Fang Xing, the worst-case scenario was not obtaining the pills and being unable to learn the Ghost God Knife technique.
In that case, he would simply slow down his plans and wait for the next semester to start. He could then learn the 'Crazy Eighteen Strikes' from Teacher Xia Long, which was still an A-rank martial art!
At most, he would delay his cultivation a little, but he would still be able to get into a good university in the future, and that was enough!
The real loss would be if he encountered danger or even death during this outing.
"This alchemist, the Noble Five of Cangshan, and the people backing them... they're truly interesting. For some magical beast materials and a few Mirage Heart Orchids, they're willing to scheme to this extent. The cultivators in this world truly have it tough..."
Fang Xing sighed and prepared to watch the show unfold.
Even though he himself wouldn't leave the marketplace, he had the courage to secretly follow them with a few drones.
...
The next day.
Fang Xing stood in the courtyard surrounded by a bamboo fence and silently practiced the twelfth form of the Military Body Fist.
At some point, a little boy with a radish-like head peeked over from the neighbor's yard, his eyes shining with curiosity, "Uncle... are you practicing martial arts?"
"Azun, how dare you be so rude?" Meng Yi pulled his son aside. This little guy had been timid at first, but ever since he tasted their neighbor's grilled meat, he had wanted to run over to their house every day. It was truly exhausting!
Fang Xing watched him, offering an apologetic smile.
But Fang Xing paid no heed, his qi and blood coursing through his body as each move he executed seemed to carry an immense power.
He circulated his qi and blood throughout his body, gradually reaching his muscles and bones.
After completing the set, he finally glanced at his attribute panel:
【Military Body Fist, Twelfth Form: 61/100 (Proficiency)】
'My proficiency has increased again. Good...'
Ever since he had hit a roadblock with the Ghost God Knife technique, Fang Xing had been focusing most of his energy on the Military Body Fist.
And now, his progress in this martial art could be described as astonishing.
This was probably due to his advancement to the second level of the Martial Way. Many of the previously incomprehensible aspects of the Military Body Fist now seemed crystal clear.
The higher one's realm, the easier it was to cultivate martial arts.
As for being seen by others? Aside from the fact that martial artists in this world undervalued martial arts, if one could master a Blue Star Federation martial art just by watching it being performed a few times, then teachers like Xia Long would have been out of a job long ago...
"Brother Meng!"
Fang Xing greeted Meng Yi as he saw him, "Are you about to head out?"
"No, just setting up a stall..."
Meng Yi waved his hand dismissively, "My wife took Azure with her, so I, as the head of the household, have to go out and earn some spirit sand..."
"I see. Good luck with your business then."
Fang Xing sincerely wished him well, but in his heart, he scoffed at Meng Yi's attempt to deceive him!
According to the surveillance outside his house, Shen Yuxi had sneaked out in the middle of the night.
It was clear that the Noble Five of Cangshan and that alchemist were preparing to set out together to pluck the 'Mirage Heart Orchids'! And here Meng Yi was, putting on an act to deceive him, obviously not trusting this neighbor of theirs!
'But it's understandable. In this world where everyone's scheming, if you're not careful, you'll end up dead and buried without a trace...'
Fang Xing expressed his understanding and saw Meng Yi off.
Meng Zijin, on the other hand, returned home and closed the doors and windows, behaving unusually obediently.
'So pitiful, acting so mature...'
Fang Xing sighed inwardly and returned to his basement, gazing at the surveillance screens.
In the wilderness, beetle, lizard, and hummingbird-shaped drones were poised and ready.
'Even though I'm not going, I'll be watching the whole thing and cheering you on from here...'
...
Deep in the untamed wilderness.
Several hummingbird drones were weaving their way through the jungle.
Through their tiny eyes, a vague image could be seen of a group of cultivators moving ahead.
Fang Xing watched the screens, silently nodding, "They're all a bunch of noobs. They can't even detect my hummingbird drones... But I can't blame them; it's a reconnaissance method beyond their understanding!"
People couldn't earn money beyond their cognitive abilities, and naturally, they couldn't detect enemies beyond their cognition either! Based on his experiences in the Xiuxian Marketplace, Fang Xing now had a better understanding of cultivators.
Most cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm did not possess 'divine sense' and were unable to project their senses to detect enemies.
What they had was 'spirit sense', which could only be used to look inward at their bodies and to read jade slips.
Although this 'spirit sense' ability made Fang Xing, a struggling martial artist, turn green with envy, it was still incredibly useful.
Being able to look inward at one's body with absolute control was a sign of a genius martial artist!
Even so, without the ability to project their senses outward, it was difficult for them to detect small, distant enemies.
Not to mention, in the cultivators' understanding, even the tiniest puppet should be controlled by spiritual power and emit spiritual fluctuations.
But the imitation machines from the interstellar age obviously wouldn't have any spiritual fluctuations, nor would they have any aura, making it easy for cultivators to overlook them.
"Their destination..."
Fang Xing ordered an eagle-shaped drone to soar high into the sky, and he spotted a valley about ten miles ahead.
The valley was surrounded by steep cliffs, and the black stones on the sheer cliff faces emitted a metallic sheen, as if they had been chiseled by knives and axes. Only a rugged path led into the valley.
It was called a 'path', but in reality, it was just a gap in the canyon, full of dangers.
"This should be the place..."
An eagle falcon descended, and in the valley, it saw mist shrouding the area.
As it drew closer, it suddenly heard a rustling sound.
Then...
A purple shadow flashed, and the eagle falcon-shaped drone fell from the sky.
Zzzz!
The remains of the drone fell to the ground, immediately emitting a sizzling sound as it was corroded.
The imitation bird feathers fell off, and even the mechanical skeleton began to dissolve, emitting tiny sparks of electricity.
The last image transmitted by the drone was a purple scorpion's shadow!
"Purple-Winged Scorpion? That's some powerful poison!"
Fang Xing mobilized the computer's computing power to enhance the blurry image and saw a purple scorpion the size of a face basin.
Its back was adorned with a pair of wings, and its entire body seemed to be encased in a layer of purple armor as it flew with incredible speed.
"Purple-Winged Scorpion, a mid-grade first-tier demon beast. An adult can rival a Qi Refining cultivator in the middle stages. It possesses deadly poison and prefers to live in groups. Even a Qi Refining cultivator in the late stages would not dare to provoke them lightly..."
Fang Xing silently recited the basic information about the Purple-Winged Scorpion, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes, "Alchemy Master Wan, Noble Five of Cangshan... break a leg."
(End of Chapter)
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