nucmednet Chapter 17 Sudden Rain and Gale, the Evil Taoist Descends the Mountain
Chapter 17 Sudden Rain and Gale, the Evil Taoist Descends the Mountain
Beside a small pond outside the village.
A figure, under the scorching sun, held a long sword and made one move after another on the sand. At first glance, it seemed a bit clumsy, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to have some skill involved.
"I can't take it anymore, I'm too tired, I can't go on."
Ding Yi stopped what he was doing, panting, and sat down under the shade of a tree. He picked up a gourd, uncorked it, and started gulping down the contents.
Since obtaining the sword technique a few days ago, Ding Yi has been practicing by this small pool every day during the day, rain or shine, all in order to make a breakthrough as soon as possible.
The long sword in his hand was a finely crafted sword made from a piece of iron sheet, which took him three months of his lifespan to make.
At first, Ding Yigang was also very interested in swordsmanship and practiced for three or four hours every day, that is, three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon.
But after a few days, he was sore all over, and now he can't even keep up for an hour of training. He is so tired that he is panting and sweating profusely.
"That's bullshit! Those characters in novels who train for a whole day straight is pure nonsense!"
Ding Yi leaned against the tree trunk, put down the gourd, and complained while panting heavily.
"This is troublesome. Although practicing this sword technique feels quite smooth, I don't know how effective it is. I have no concept of its level at all."
Ding Yi tugged at the grass on the ground, feeling somewhat agitated.
But compared to these, there was something else that troubled Ding Yi even more.
In the past few nights, he could clearly feel that the number of the ghostly claws that had flooded into his room had decreased significantly. Even though he had prepared a bowl of beast blood, he could not attract more ghostly claws, which meant that his source of lifespan growth was limited.
"Did I kill them all?"
Ding Yi became increasingly panicked, because once this security device was gone, he really didn't know where he would get the lifespan to support his enhancement.
"Never mind, let's observe for a while longer."
Ding Yi sighed helplessly, then stood up, twisted his sore wrist, and picked up the knife to continue practicing.
On the other side, Baiyun Temple.
Inside the main hall in the center of the temple, Baiyunzi sat cross-legged on a futon, his hands forming a mudra on his knees, his eyes slightly closed, and he was chanting incantations.
Suddenly, it seemed to realize something, and slowly opened its eyes to look towards the door.
"Did you need me, senior brother?"
A voice entered the hall, and then Qingyunzi walked in from outside the door.
"There seems to be a problem with the statue at the foot of the mountain. Its blood energy has not increased recently, and it has even shown signs of weakening. I would like to trouble you, junior brother, to go and take a look."
Bai Yunzi spoke slowly.
"Oh? Is this happening?"
Qingyunzi frowned and spoke slowly.
The blood-red statue buried underground in Xiaotan Village was brought by Baiyunzi from his own mind. It was connected to his mind, and even though they were dozens of miles apart, Baiyunzi could still have a faint sense of the statue.
"Don't worry, senior brother, I'll go down the mountain right away."
Qingyunzi bowed to Baiyunzi, who was sitting there, and then turned and walked out of the hall. Before long, his figure disappeared outside the door.
Upon seeing this, Baiyunzi in the hall slowly closed his eyes and continued meditating and circulating his energy. The blood he had absorbed from the stone statue this month needed to be refined as soon as possible, otherwise impurities would be generated over time, which would be detrimental to his cultivation. This was also why he sent Qingyunzi down the mountain instead of going himself.
...
Boom! !
A thunderclap suddenly resounded through the sky, and the next moment, large raindrops poured down like pearls, making a crackling sound as they landed on the dry, yellow earth.
The gray sky stretched as far as the eye could see, creating a sense of oppression.
"This is the first time I've ever seen such heavy rain."
Ding Yi stood inside the house, looking at the hazy scene outside the door, and said with some emotion.
"I always have a feeling of unease in my heart."
Ding Yi rubbed his temples, wondering if he had been practicing his sword too diligently lately and was hurting his body.
"Today is not a good day to go out, so I'll just practice the Evergreen Kung Fu indoors."
Ding Yi shook his head, then turned around and sat down at the table in the hall.
"My lifespan has returned to around seven years now, but the rate of increase has slowed down, and the wild beasts in the vicinity are... um??!!!"
Ding Yi, who was unfolding the quicksand map to examine it, was suddenly startled. He stood up abruptly, staring intently at the map in his hand, his breathing becoming heavy.
In the Taoist temple that was originally marked with a red cross, a smaller red cross slowly separated and moved towards him.
"That sorcerer has arrived?!"
A thought instantly popped into Ding Yi's mind.
"Who are they after? The people from Xiaotan Village? Did I attract their attention, or is it someone else?"
A jumble of thoughts flooded Ding Yi's mind like cotton wool, and for a moment, a huge sense of panic descended upon him, making Ding Yi's breathing become heavy.
"Too fast! Too fast! I've only been practicing swordsmanship for seven days at most, and I can only be considered to have become somewhat proficient in the thirteen sword techniques. I can already visualize the trunk of the giant tree in my mind, but I'm far from being able to show it off!"
Holding the quicksand map, Ding Yi paced rapidly around the room.
"And who exactly is this person? Is it the two-faced demon infant, Qingyunzi, or Baiyunzi?"
Ding Yi never imagined that the accident would happen so quickly, just like the torrential rain outside, violent and urgent.
"No matter what, be prepared."
After pondering for a long time, Ding Yi finally made a decision. He then picked up the raincoat hanging on the wall, took the flesh and blood he had just killed the day before, and prepared to go out to exchange it for the last batch of pills.
To prepare for the worst, even though the sorcerer in the Taoist temple might not necessarily be coming for him, Ding Yi had already made the worst-case scenario plan.
...
The rain grew heavier and heavier, and the only sound in the world was the rapid patter of raindrops hitting the ground. All the wild animals hid in the forest or caves, waiting for the downpour to stop.
"Pat-pat..."
But in the heavy rain, a Taoist priest dressed in a blue robe was walking slowly on the muddy path, holding a blue oil-paper umbrella in his hand, his figure graceful and elegant.
"Could it be that the people from the Yin-Yang Palace discovered it?"
Qingyunzi walked to a hillside and stood on the high ground, gazing in the direction of Xiaotan Village in the distance, as if trying to see something.
But the misty fog in front of him disappointed Qingyunzi.
I hate rain.
Qingyunzi shook his head, then leaped down the hillside and continued walking towards Xiaotan Village.
The heavy rain finally subsided as evening approached.
Xiaotan Village remained quiet at this moment, and people did not go out for fresh air even though the rain had stopped.
Outside the village, Qingyunzi put away his umbrella, looked at the lifeless little mountain village in front of him, and then wrinkled his nose.
"I didn't smell any foul odor from those people from the Yin Yang Palace. Let's wait and see tonight."
Without hesitation, Qingyunzi walked directly into the village and knocked on the door of the house closest to the village entrance.
"Bang bang bang."
The slow but forceful knocking immediately alerted the villagers inside.
"Who is it? Ah, it's an immortal graced us with their presence!!"
The villagers opened the wooden door, and the moment they saw Qingyunzi, a blush rose on their sallow faces, and they exclaimed in surprise.
"Old man, may I come in and have a seat?"
Qingyunzi looked at the old man in front of him, then glanced at the old woman inside who also had a look of surprise on her face, and asked softly.