Free Web NovelChapter 49: Chapter 44: What Are They Looking For?
Shen Lang did not tell his father that he had slain a group of Demon Corpses. He was afraid of worrying him.
He also didn’t tell his father that he had already pieced together most of the puzzle...
For the sake of his family, Shen Haotian was unwilling to speak of the matter, even after being severely injured and tormented by the corpse poison for several years.
On the surface, his reasoning was sound.
But in reality, there was a glaring flaw—one that couldn’t withstand the slightest scrutiny.
Especially not when confronted by a monster of intellect like Shen Lang.
The flaw was this: Celestial Phoenix City was within the sphere of influence of the Profound Iron Level power, Evil Wind Valley. The City Lord, Ye Xiao Zheng, was a Late-Stage Spirit Martial Realm expert, and his mansion was filled with masters. To the west of the city was Tayun Academy, and to the east, Celestial God Academy. The city itself was less than five hundred li from Evil Wind Valley. What kind of Demon Martial Artists would dare to cause trouble in a place like this?
And to do so in Black Wind Ridge, a mere fifty li outside Celestial Phoenix City!
It wasn’t just murder, either. A few days ago, hundreds of Demon Corpses had brazenly been sucking human blood on a major road before ambushing Shui Qingwu and her party!
This meant the Demon Martial Artists who refined the Demon Corpses had been hiding near Celestial Phoenix City for over three years, without ever leaving!
His father claimed he was worried about being targeted by Demon Dao masters, which could bring disaster upon Shen Lang and the family. But even if those Demon Martial Artists had formidable cultivations, how could they possibly have the nerve to attack someone inside Celestial Phoenix City?
After all, the Celestial Phoenix City Lord’s Mansion was filled with experts, and City Lord Ye Xiao Zheng himself was a Late-Stage Spirit Martial Realm powerhouse!
Even if the City Lord’s Mansion couldn’t handle them, all they would need to do is send a signal. The old masters from Tayun Academy and Celestial God Academy would emerge, and no matter how powerful the Demon Dao expert, they would be hopelessly outnumbered.
Taking it a step further, even if the experts from both academies were no match for these Demonic Cultivators, wasn’t there still the Profound Iron Level power, Evil Wind Valley?
Upon receiving a signal, the experts from Evil Wind Valley could be there in less than two hours!
For Demonic Cultivators to cause trouble in a place like this was tantamount to a death wish.
So why was his father still so afraid?
Even if he was afraid, his fear should have been directed at the Demon Martial Artists. Why was he so terrified that he didn’t even dare seek medical treatment for the poison, instead hiding at home and trying to heal himself by cultivating?
He hadn’t told Shen Lang everything he knew and suspected... because he didn’t dare.
For Shen Lang, however, this information was more than enough.
Back when Hong Yu had suddenly attacked him just to tell him about the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, it had only taken him an instant to deduce her identity... and he had previously believed she’d been dead for ten years.
So, after hearing his father’s story, Shen Lang simply connected the dots and figured out what his father was truly afraid of.
His father wasn’t afraid of some Demon Martial Artists!
He was afraid of the City Lord’s Mansion!
First, Demon Martial Artists are reviled by all, like rats in the street. Celestial Phoenix City is extremely close to the Imperial Capital of the Purple Chu Country and less than five hundred li from Evil Wind Valley. For them to not only appear but also hide here for three years, it was obvious some local power was helping them. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to go undiscovered for so long.
Second, Xu Jing sent a message to the Shen Family about discovering their murdered clansmen. This implied she knew something about the Demon Martial Artists. Or perhaps she didn’t, but was acting on the orders of a person or a faction—the Xu Family was far too weak to have the standing to help Demon Martial Artists of that caliber hide.
As one of the Four Great Families of Celestial Phoenix City, their name was well-known. But to put it bluntly, they were just a family that ran a slightly larger business in the city. They might be considered a local power in Celestial Phoenix City, but they were nothing on the grander stage.
They had neither the standing nor the ability to collude with such powerful Demon Dao masters. This meant they could only have been acting on someone’s orders!
Someone told them to do it!
As for why, Shen Lang didn’t know yet.
Among the Four Great Families of Celestial Phoenix City, the Xu Family was the closest to the City Lord’s Mansion. The only power that could command them was, it seemed, the City Lord’s Mansion.
As for Tayun Academy and Celestial God Academy, that was out of the question. Both academies were affiliated with the Imperial Capital Jialan Academy.
And the power of Jialan Academy was beyond what an ordinary person could imagine. It was established under the authority of the Purple Chu Empire’s three great Spirit Copper Level influences: the Imperial Dragon Sect, the Li Hen Sect, and the Flower Sect. Even the imperial family of the Purple Chu Empire wouldn’t dare to criticize it, as it was a place dedicated to cultivating the nation’s guardian experts.
In summary, the only power in Celestial Phoenix City that could have provided cover for the Demon Martial Artists was the City Lord’s Mansion...
’Celestial Phoenix City isn’t large, but its location is very strategic. For that Demon Dao master to remain here with so many Demon Corpses is an enormous risk. A stay of a few days would be one thing, but they’ve been here for over three years...’
’To have remained undiscovered for over three years, right under the noses of those old-timers from Tayun Academy and Celestial God Academy, they must have kept a low profile and hidden themselves exceptionally well.’
’They injured my father at Black Wind Ridge... They also slaughtered common hunters and ambushed Shui Qingwu and her group near Black Wind Ridge. Yet, Black Wind Ridge is no place to hide. If they truly wanted to lay low, they should have gone deep into the Phoenix Mountain Range.’
’That means these people, in collusion with the City Lord’s Mansion, must be looking for something in Black Wind Ridge... What could possibly be worth such an enormous risk and such relentless effort?’
The Lord of Celestial Phoenix City, Ye Xiao Zheng, had always believed his actions were flawless. Even after the hundreds of Demon Corpses were discovered and slaughtered, he still thought he was in a perfectly safe position.
Neither he nor the man in the black cloak ever imagined that after so many years of planning, just as their scheme was about to succeed and the Nine Immortals Lingzhi was nearly in their grasp, a boy like this would suddenly appear!
This boy had not only wiped out all the Demon Corpses overnight...
But based on just a few clues, he had already zeroed in on the City Lord’s Mansion!
"Hmph!"
Shen Lang averted his gaze from the City Lord’s Mansion, let out a cold snort, and walked away.
His deductions were always methodical, unraveling the truth layer by layer like peeling a cocoon. He was rarely wrong.
Therefore, now that he had deduced the collusion between the City Lord’s Mansion and the Demon Martial Artists, all he had to do was tell the old masters at Tayun Academy, and Celestial Phoenix City would be thrown into turmoil.
Even with the rumors of Ye Xiao Zheng’s connections to the Imperial Dragon Sect, colluding with Demon Martial Artists and harming innocent civilians was a crime so severe that once exposed, neither he nor his City Lord’s Mansion would be able to escape the consequences!
However, Shen Lang had no intention of doing that.
They had injured his father, forced him to endure an inhuman existence for over three years, made him suffer pain beyond what any ordinary person could bear, and caused him to be humiliated and scorned... This was a debt that had to be settled slowly.
He would return all the suffering inflicted upon his father to them—doubled!
’Not a single one of them will be spared!’
Shen Lang left the house, went to a nearby physician to buy a box of golden needles, and returned. He immediately began the treatment on his father.
The corpse poison had been in his father’s body for over three years. Even for a polymath master like him, he dared not delay any longer.
He had originally sent Lin Feng and Su Hen to gather various types of Spirit Medicine, mainly for refining elixirs to advance his cultivation and for Body Forging. He needed to use some Secret Techniques he knew to stimulate his bloodline as soon as possible and awaken his Celestial Vein Sacred Body.
But now, it seemed that would have to wait.
The most pressing matter was to first expel all the corpse poison from his father’s body.
After that, he wanted to refine some Elixir Pills for his parents for the Purification of Essence and Marrow and to extend their lives. He also wanted to craft a few powerful Magical Treasures for them to use for self-defense.
"HISS!"
When Shen Lang pulled the final golden needle from the acupoint, a thick layer of pitch-black sludge had already collected in the wooden basin before him. A nauseating stench rose from it, so foul it made one dizzy, and it filled the entire room.
Shen Haotian stared at the poison drawn from his body, clicking his tongue in amazement. He was utterly shocked by Shen Lang’s medical prowess.
"WHOOSH!"
Shen Lang pointed two fingers like a sword at the center of the basin. A jet of flame erupted, and the pitch-black sludge instantly burst into a roaring, intense fire.
Moreover, faint, wretched screams bizarrely echoed from within the flames, making Shen Haotian’s hair stand on end as he watched.
"Dad, most of the corpse poison is gone. You won’t be in any more pain at Midnight. I’ll give you this treatment once a day. After seven days, you should be mostly fine, but..."
"But what? Is there another problem? Lang’Er, don’t worry. I’ve endured this for so many years; there’s nothing I can’t handle."
Shen Lang smiled and shook his head. "It’s not a major issue. To completely purge the corpse poison, we need a special Spiritual Liquid. It’s just that one of the herbs needed to concoct it, called ’Seven-Star Begonia,’ might be difficult to find. I’m not sure if I can get it quickly. I’ll go to the Treasure Pavilion tomorrow morning to ask."
"Seven-Star Begonia?" Shen Haotian was stunned.
It was no wonder he was shocked. The Seven-Star Begonia was one of those things that had little practical value but was notoriously difficult to find.
The Seven-Star Begonia has no relation to the common begonia; their leaves are just somewhat similar. It grows in poisonous, mist-shrouded swamps and is the companion Spirit Grass to the Seven-Star Poison Flood Dragon.
Other than being beneficial to the Seven-Star Poison Flood Dragon that eats it, it has almost no value to any other human or beast.
Precisely because it was the dragon’s companion Spirit Grass, by the time the grass matured, the Seven-Star Poison Flood Dragon would typically be an adult as well...
Who would venture into a poison-filled swamp for a Spirit Grass that was practically useless? freewebnøvel.coɱ
And risk being devoured by an adult Seven-Star Poison Flood Dragon?
Therefore, obtaining such an item was incredibly difficult.
Even with a fortune to spend, the chances of buying one were extremely low.
What’s more, ever since Shen Haotian was poisoned, the family’s situation had deteriorated daily. Their clansmen had plundered all their resources. Even if a Seven-Star Begonia were available, what could they possibly use to buy it?
At this thought, Shen Haotian’s expression soured.
He wasn’t worried that Shen Lang wouldn’t be able to find a Seven-Star Begonia; he was worried that Shen Lang would risk his life for one...
"Lang’Er, I’ve been poisoned for years and have endured all kinds of pain. I’m already overjoyed that you can remove most of the corpse poison... It’s fine if a little bit can’t be completely purged. You absolutely must not do anything foolish for this Seven-Star Begonia!"
