Chapter 48: Poisonous Water
Chapter 48: Poisonous Water
"Kill!"
Qin Bei raised his patrol saber, letting out a cold command.
Taking a step forward, he bravely confronted the wave of gray-furred rats surging towards him.
As a master of Muscle Cultivation with minor success, his blade technique was flawless. He had no fear of these mere rats, even if they were abnormally large due to their mutations. With a flash of his saber, blood splattered everywhere.
At the same time, Xiao He also took action. Wielding a soft sword similar to Xu Hongyu's, she gracefully twirled and flicked it, creating a rain of light that shattered the skulls of the gray-furred rats with precise and fierce strikes.
Chen Mu, on the other hand, seemed rather ordinary in comparison. Unlike Xiao He and Qin Bei, who charged into the swarm of rats, he held his ground, unleashing the Gale Blade Technique. Every gray-furred rat that dared to approach was sliced to pieces.
At a glance, Xiao He stood out in the chaotic prison. Her sword flickered like raindrops, and with each swing, a large area was cleared of rats as their heads exploded. Within a three-meter radius, not a single rat dared to approach.
"That must be the Raindrop Sword Technique, and she's probably reached perfection in Muscle Mastery with Body Tempering. She's indeed no less skilled than Min Baoyi. If I don't employ multiple blade techniques, defeating someone like her won't be easy."
Chen Mu silently observed Xiao He's movements, assessing his own strength. His understanding of his current abilities was largely based on his previous encounter with Min Baoyi in the alley. In reality, he had limited knowledge about masters of Muscle Mastery with perfect Muscle Mastery and well-formed techniques.
Watching Xiao He's swordplay, he estimated that her strength and agility were on par with his own. However, her body, tempered like bronze steel, was far more resilient than ordinary flesh. If it came to a life-or-death struggle, using only one technique, the final victor would likely be Chen Mu.
But if he were to employ two techniques... It would be an absolute suppression, if not a complete domination! Chen Mu had a clear understanding of his current level. In terms of strength and agility, he was on par with the average master of Muscle Mastery. However, he possessed mastery over two techniques, and it was highly unlikely for anyone at the Muscle Training level to surpass him.
The changes brought about by his three Skin Grinding Techniques, resulting in a bronze steel-like body and abundant energy, truly set him apart. Even at the Muscle Training level, his power was comparable to masters like Xiao He and Min Baoyi, who had achieved perfection in Muscle Mastery.
Although the number of gray-furred rats was overwhelming, they couldn't withstand the combined assault of Xiao He, Qin Bei, and Chen Mu. The patrol officers who followed were of average skill, mostly knowing only basic slashing and hacking techniques. However, with their patrol sabers in hand, they had no trouble dealing with the rats.
Just as the swarm of gray-furred rats began to thin out...
About a dozen figures clad in Black Crow Sect hooded robes appeared, each holding a metal and wooden contraption. They approached from behind the rats, closing in on Xiao He and the others while aiming their devices at them.
"Trouble!"
Qin Bei's expression turned grim at the sight.
In an open area, these poison-spraying devices wouldn't pose much difficulty. Their range was limited to about three meters, making them easy to evade and less threatening than bows and crossbows. But now, with the passage behind them blocked, and the enemy advancing in a straight line within the confines of the prison, there was little room for maneuver. This made the devices even more dangerous than ranged weapons.
Earlier, in the passage, Xu Hongyu's exceptional skill with her soft sword had created an almost impenetrable barrier, blocking even the tiniest drop of water. Her prowess was not just due to her Raindrop Sword Technique but also her Sinew Transformation Realm physique, which allowed her to wield her sword with such mastery.
But Xu Hongyu wasn't here.
Chen Mu's expertise lay in the heavy Mountain Splitting Blade Technique, which was not suited for countering the poison water. Xiao He, a fellow disciple of Xu Hongyu, had also shown that she couldn't directly confront the poison water head-on.
A dozen or so Black Crow Sect disciples gradually closed in, while Xiao He and Qin Bei retreated with stern faces, soon finding themselves in a straight line with Chen Mu. Behind them were several dozen City Guard patrol officers.
There were no suitable places to take cover nearby, and Qin Bei's expression changed rapidly as he began to consider using the patrol officers behind him as human shields. If all else failed, they could use the officers' bodies to block some of the poisonous water, allowing them to charge forward and scatter their opponents.
"Qin Bei, Chen Mu, attack!"
With no room for retreat, Xiao He suddenly spoke up and charged forward again.
Her swordsmanship wasn't as skilled as Xu Hongyu's, and she couldn't block the poisonous water sprayed by the dozen or so disciples. However, if Chen Mu and Qin Bei could restrain some of them from the sides, she might be able to take a risk and charge forward. As long as she could break through, they could launch a pincer attack and create a melee, immediately dispersing the enemy's formation and leaving them vulnerable to attack.
Qin Bei hesitated for a moment before charging forward from the left, drawing the poisonous water from several disciples. Chen Mu also charged forward from the right, drawing some of the fire. Xiao He then swung her sword, creating a curtain of blades as she charged forward from the middle.
Qin Bei was the first to retreat.
He had symbolically swung his knife a few times before quickly retreating to avoid the poisonous water. Although he couldn't face it head-on, his actions had attracted some of the enemy's fire, reducing the amount of poisonous water aimed at Xiao He. The black and red poisonous water was blocked by her sword curtain, as if pouring down on an umbrella.
With a loud splashing sound, the poisonous water was dispersed by Xiao He's sword curtain, and she managed to charge into the enemy's formation. Her sword flashed, and the two closest disciples were immediately beheaded.
At the same time, Xiao He felt a numbness in her waist, followed by a burning pain. Although she had achieved Perfect Muscle Mastery in the Body Tempering realm, she couldn't completely block the poisonous water.
What surprised Xiao He was that, as she swung her sword, she caught a glimpse of Chen Mu on her right side, who had also charged into the enemy's formation, his knife slicing through the disciples, leaving several bodies on the ground.
"I was careless..." Xiao He thought to herself.
Even she couldn't block all the poisonous water and had been splashed, and Chen Mu's situation was likely to be worse. With her Perfect Muscle Mastery realm, she could withstand a small amount of poison, but Chen Mu had only been practicing Body Tempering for half a year and might not have achieved Perfect Skin Refinement yet. If he was splashed with poisonous water, the consequences could be severe.
Even with timely treatment, it would likely hinder his progress in cultivating the Skin Transformation Technique, making his future prospects bleak.
Xiao He's sword flashed as she killed her way through the enemy formation. In close combat, the poisonous water was no longer a threat, and she quickly killed seven or eight disciples. The remaining ones were killed by Chen Mu's knife.
After annihilating the Black Crow Sect's poisonous water team, Xiao He immediately tore off the cloth stained with poisonous water from her waist and quickly treated the affected area. Seeing that her skin only had a small, red patch, she breathed a sigh of relief. The damage wasn't severe, and she wouldn't need to undergo special treatment to detoxify.
Next, she rushed to Chen Mu's side and was taken aback by what she saw.
There were only two small patches of black and red poisonous water on Chen Mu's body, one on his upper thigh and one on his lower abdomen, much better than she had expected.
As she felt a mix of relief and concern, she didn't wait for Chen Mu to react and immediately reached out to tear off the clothes covering the affected areas.
"Wait..." Chen Mu said, his mouth twitching as he dodged Xiao He's grab for his thigh. However, the cloth covering his lower abdomen was torn, revealing the skin underneath.
The exposed abdominal muscles were a healthy, wheat-like color, almost indistinguishable from the surrounding skin. Only upon close inspection could a faint, shallow red outline be seen.
Xiao He was left standing there, stunned.
(End of Chapter)
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