Chapter 91: Feeding the Sinister, Dwelling in Flesh
Chapter 91: Feeding the Sinister, Dwelling in Flesh
The next day, Lu Chen rose early, feeling refreshed. After sneaking away with a Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom in the middle of the night, he resumed his slacking during the day.
Although he had learned how to distinguish normal Dragon Whiskers and knew that the mutated strands would exhibit relatively noticeable changes when stimulated by alternating ice and fire techniques, he couldn't let on about this knowledge. Plus, Lu Chen didn't want to draw attention to himself, so he mingled with the crowd, appearing busy and hardworking on the surface as he moved about, but in reality, he was searching for more Ghost-Faced Stone Mushrooms.
In the end, including the one he took the night before, he found a total of five Ghost-Faced Stone Mushrooms.
Such an unexpected windfall made his slacking even more enjoyable.
Amid a pile of Dragon Whiskers, he squatted, holding a dark red tendril in his hand, his eyes fixed on it as he inspected various parts of the plant. However, his thoughts had already wandered elsewhere.
Suddenly, a dark red tendril shot out from the dense mass of Dragon Whisker tendrils, like tentacles, and lunged at Lu Chen.
Lu Chen was prepared. In his palm appeared a first-grade Sword Qi talisman.
Spiritual power was swiftly channeled, causing the patterns on the talisman to change instantly. A sharp, icy sword qi shot out, slicing the attacking mutated Dragon Whisker in two.
"The strength of these mutated Dragon Whiskers is comparable to first or second-layer Qi Refinement cultivators. They aren't much of a threat, but the problem is that they strike without warning, so I can't let my guard down."
Lu Chen thought to himself. As there were numerous Dragon Whiskers, and it was unclear which ones were mutated, he had to stay vigilant at all times, or he risked injury.
Just as he was about to continue inspecting the Dragon Whiskers in front of him, six or seven dark red tendrils suddenly shot out from the pile, like venomous snakes, speeding towards Lu Chen.
Lu Chen remained calm in the face of danger. Three first-grade Sword Qi talismans appeared in his hands, and he activated them simultaneously. Three sword qi beams formed a triangular pattern as they shot out, cutting the tendrils into fragments.
"Friend Lu, you have quite a collection of sword qi talismans, I see!"
The commotion of destroying several mutated Dragon Whiskers drew the attention of a nearby spiritual herbologist, who exclaimed in admiration.
Lu Chen smiled.
"I have no choice. I'm not skilled in combat, and I've heard that unexpected dangers often arise in secret realms. So, before departing, I specially prepared a lot of talismans just in case."
As an ordinary spiritual herbologist, it was reasonable to be afraid of encountering dangers and to prepare extra talismans, he thought to himself.
Lu Chen's spiritual sense reached into his storage bag, where a pile of talismans lay. He sighed softly, grateful for his foresight.
The minor incident of the mutated Dragon Whisker attacks occurred from time to time, but Lu Chen was well-prepared and thus unaffected.
A day passed, and the fifteen spiritual herbologists employed various methods to sift through the Dragon Whiskers, selecting several dozen promising specimens.
In the camp, Li Jianfeng sat on a large stone, eyes closed, utterly still like a statue.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and Wang Ruhai's figure appeared before him, agile and graceful.
"How's it going today?" Li Jianfeng asked, pointing to a small pile of Dragon Whiskers on the ground.
"The spiritual herbologists have been using their cultivation techniques to try and nurture the plants. In the end, they managed to harvest these Dragon Whiskers, but I can't guarantee that they are all normal specimens, nor can I be sure that none of the mutated ones are mixed in," Wang Ruhai replied.
"A bunch of overrated, fame-seeking charlatans!" Wang Ruhai thought irritably, a flash of impatience crossing his eyes.
He had expected that inviting the most renowned spiritual herbologists from the market would ensure a smooth handling of the Dragon Whiskers, bringing great profits to the Wang family and benefits to himself.
But things hadn't gone as he'd envisioned. While the identification, separation, and harvesting of normal Dragon Whiskers were slightly faster than before, the amount of spiritual stones expended made the endeavor seem rather unprofitable.
"It would be better to just spend more time in the secret realm hunting for demonic beasts," the elegant scholar thought to himself.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Lu Chen didn't discover any new Ghost-Faced Stone Mushrooms, but he took advantage of the Invisible Cloak's stealth capability to sneak out again in the middle of the night and take away a Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom that was in a dormant state.
As for the Dragon Whisker harvesting, he performed unremarkably, doing nothing to stand out.
Each day, he provided two or three Dragon Whiskers, mostly normal specimens, with the occasional mutated one mixed in.
That evening, after a busy day, he returned to the camp.
As he drew closer to the camp, Lu Chen suddenly felt a chill on his chest.
The chill intensified, and when he was just three meters away from the camp, the icy sensation had seeped into his bones.
Lu Chen's expression turned solemn. Hanging from his chest was a transparent jade talisman—the third-grade Pure Jade talisman he had obtained from the perfect-grade Red Cloud Pine cones.
He paused in his steps, feigning casualness as he turned a corner, moving away from the campsite.
As he distanced himself from the camp, the icy sensation at his chest gradually lessened, leaving only a slight coolness.
"There's probably a sinister presence in the camp, but I can't tell how it got in or how strong it is," Lu Chen mused.
Within Lu Chen's dantian, the Xundlei Sword Pill's sword qi fluctuated, expanding and contracting unpredictably.
With daily nurturing by spiritual power, which transformed into sword qi, the pill now housed howling black winds and dancing electric arcs, resulting in even sharper and more exuberant sword qi.
This gave Lu Chen peace of mind. With this Xundlei Sword Pill, honed for slaughter, along with his Grandmaster-level Metal-style sword technique, numerous second-grade talismans, the third-grade Invisible Cloak, the second-grade Red Line Needles, the Scarlet Scale Armor, and the Blood-Burning Arrow secret art, he was confident he could preserve his life even against a Guile-level sinister creature.
Lingering outside the camp wasn't a viable long-term solution, so Lu Chen lingered briefly before slowly following a spiritual herbologist who was also returning late from work back into the camp.
He maintained his usual routine, eating dinner as normal, and even paid visits to a few spiritual herbologists' homes for casual chats and to seek guidance on spiritual herbs.
"It's almost certain that it's within the group from the Wang family, but I can't tell if it's hiding in their dwelling or if it has already invaded a cultivator's body," Lu Chen thought to himself as he returned to his own dwelling.
His earlier wandering had been intentional. By constantly adjusting his position based on the intensity of the chill emanating from the Immaculate Jade, he had managed to narrow down the location of the sinister presence to somewhere within the vicinity of the Wang family members.
"I must find the sinister presence as soon as possible, while everything still appears normal," Lu Chen pondered.
After a moment's hesitation, he took out the Cloud-Stepping Lynx from his bag of holding.
The lynx landed on the ground, its tufts of grayish-white fur on its ear tips quivering as it let out a soft call.
"Meow~"
"Wait here. I'm going to a place where a sinister creature is hiding. Try to see if you can find it. If you do, meow softly and lower your ears when you're in front of it. Understand?"
The Cloud-Stepping Lynx nodded gently to indicate its understanding.
It leaped onto Lu Chen's shoulder, and he carried it into the dwelling where the Wang family members were staying.
"Meow~"
The Cloud-Stepping Lynx's emerald eyes scanned the area, letting out a soft meow, and Lu Chen instantly knew that it had sensed the presence of the sinister creature.
He walked over and greeted the Wang family cultivators with a smile.
Suddenly, his gaze shifted to the side, and he noticed the lynx's ear tufts drooping.
Looking up, he saw Wang Ruhai smiling at him, with Li Jianfeng standing silently behind him.
The Cloud-Stepping Lynx whimpered softly, its fur standing on end, its body arching, and its emerald eyes fixed on the smiling Wang Ruhai.
"Is this your tamed spirit beast, Fellow Daoist Lu?" Wang Ruhai asked.
"Yes, it's still in its juvenile stage, and I couldn't bear to leave it behind, so I brought it along in my spirit beast bag," Lu Chen replied.
Within Lu Chen's dantian, the Xundlei Sword Pill spun, emanating a vigorous sword intent, while his face wore a gentle smile.
"This lynx has been kept indoors since it was young, so it's a bit skittish around strangers. I apologize if it's being too aggressive towards Fellow Daoists Wang and Li," Lu Chen explained.
"Here, I have some spirit fruits with a sweet and fragrant taste. Please, have a try."
Lu Chen took out over ten thumb-sized green spirit fruits and offered them to the two men.
"Thank you," Wang Ruhai said, accepting the fruits with a smile and passing a few to Li Jianfeng, who stood behind him.
Lu Chen couldn't shake the feeling that Wang Ruhai's smile was more of a polite facade than a genuine expression of happiness.
It was as if his facial muscles were moving independently of his true emotions.
He watched as they consumed the spirit fruits, a sense of anticipation building within him.
Earlier, after planting the Dragon Whiskers he had collected from the wild, he had been able to sense the detailed condition of the plants.
So, he wondered, would the same principle apply to taming beasts or even sinister creatures?
As the two men swallowed the fruits, Lu Chen focused his mental energy.
There was nothing unusual about Li Jianfeng.
However, when he turned his attention to Wang Ruhai, a thought suddenly entered his mind.
Sinister Creature, 'Skin of Malice', an unusual-grade sinister creature. Its true form is a sinister skin that invades and corrupts cultivators, taking control of their bodies while retaining most of its original instincts, including a penchant for collecting cultivators' skins.
(End of Chapter)
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