Chapter 50: Different Purposes for the Ten Days
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
“That was a lot faster than I thought, you are lucky!” Junior Leopard brought the three kinds of herbs into the valley at noon on the third day. This surprised Xue Wuya a little, but it was still within his expectations, “What’s wrong with your hand?!”
“Oh, an accident. When I picked the wandering flower, I met a monster that can spit fire. That’s what happened!” Junior Leopard understated, not afraid to be exposed. There were countless unusual animals in Misty Mountain, including those that could spit fire. He had already seen several such animals in the last couple of days. Xue Wuya had no reason to doubt his words and so, unconcerned by his interpretation of events, he took out a white porcelain from his body and handed it to Junior Leopard, “This is a superior Jinchuang Medicine. You can paint it in your hand and it will recover in less than two days. Also, there are about 10 days left… You should practice the sword skill and body movement diligently which I have taught you in the last 10 days. After the 10 days, it will be the full-moon night when you should help me conquer the Evil Toad!”
Junior Leopard’s heart jumped.
In 10 days, the full-moon night, it will be the time to conquer the Evil Toad.
“What? Is there a problem?!” Xue Wuya asked, as if he sensed the dissidence in Junior Leopard’s heart.
“Oh, nothing, just some…”
“Some fear?!” Xue Wuya looked straight towards Junior Leopard’s heart, laughing wildly and he said, “Do not be afraid, boy! There is nothing to fear. That monster has already been hurt by me. Now it’s hiding in the cave to heal the wound and will not come out! But as long as I use the Tihu Incense, in conjunction with the power of the full-moon, it absolutely can’t resist the temptation. You don’t have to worry, all you’ll need to do is assist me with the array.”
“Yes. Many thanks, teacher!” Junior Leopard did not dare to say more and left the valley.
“Enticing the Evil Toad out using the Tihu Incense combined with the power of the full moon. This is a good opportunity, ah!”
Junior Leopard sat cross-legged at the edge of the cave, and his hands were covered with Jinchuang Medicine. Eyes flashing, he was thinking about what Xue Wuya had said. There were 13 bottles of the Drowsy Drug left, the effect of which he was very clear about, “If I put the Drowsy Drug in the living animals that I deliver to Xue Wuya, then the drug would attack him when he fights with the Evil Toad. It’ll be good for me, won’t it?”
Since all the living animals for Xue Wuya were all provided by him, in addition, the property of the Drowsy Drug was so weird that it would melt immediately upon contact with water, he could melt some Drowsy Drugs into an animal and let Xue Wuya drink the blood down…
This idea was wonderful, except…
“Can his words be totally believed? Can the power of the moon and Tihu Incense really entice the Evil Toad to come out? If Xue Wuya were to miscalculate, and I had already melted the anesthetic pill, wouldn’t that be a great misfortune for me?!” Thinking of the possibility of failure, Junior Leopard was shaken. He was a cautious person that cherished his own life. It might be fine if it was anything else. But since it involved his life, he dared not to be careless. Although Xue Wuya said that he could entice the Evil Toad out, what if there was an accident?
If Junior Leopard had taken arbitrary actions, but the Evil Toad did not come out, he could not imagine what the result would be.
“As the saying goes, fearing wolves ahead and tigers behind, it reflects my situation exactly!” Junior Leopard laughed at himself, “If this Jinchuang Medicine can cure my hand within three days, in 10 days I’ll be able to wield a sword properly!” Thinking of the movement of sword skill Xue Wuya taught to him, Junior Leopard smiled more wryly.
“Is this the movement for a normal person?!” Thinking of the crazy requirements for the control of Internal Qi and the strength required in the whole body when practicing, Junior Leopard described the sword skill using only one word, and that was ‘psycho’!
Of course, Xue Wuya did not expect Junior Leopard to be able to learn the movement within such a short time, since this sword skill movement was very sharp and sophisticated. He thought that Junior Leopard who had never learned a sword skill before, would find it incredibly difficult. Although Xue Wuya had explained the sword skill movement to Junior Leopard in detail in the last few days, the sword technique was so broad and profound that Junior Leopard would not understand it from a single explanation. If he could, he would not be Junior Leopard, but the god of the sword.
Besides, after these two days, since he was not a smart person, he had already forgotten most of the things that Xue Wuya taught him.
It was extremely hard for Junior Leopard to practice the movements of the sword skill at that time. After trying twice, he decided to give up the meaningless behavior.
It was impossible for Junior Leopard to master this movement within 10 days.
“As a knowledgeable and observant man, Xue Wuya should know that it’s impossible for me to master this movement. But why does he still insist on teaching me?” With slight confusion, Junior Leopard put down his sword and sat down cross-legged, “But it seemed so weird when he taught me. I can barely master these aspects he taught as key points. As to that point, I need to build up strength for one hour and operate all of the Internal Qi in my body so that I can make it. Is the mystery this point?” Junior Leopard made an abstruse gesture with his dagger in front of himself. However, after a moment, when he transported his own Internal Qi in according to the mental cultivation methods of sword technique that Xue Wuya had taught to him, a kind of sharp momentum formed gradually on his body to his surprise. The dagger in his hand also sent out a layer of hazy light. Since he was not far from the valley where Xue Wuya stayed, he knew that he had better not use his strange eyes. However, after calming down and focusing his attention, he could clearly feel the movement of the Qi in his tendons and vessels. It was apparent that the Qi of Blaze Technique of the Heavenly Nine Dragon which he obtained after a little practicing was following this mental cultivation methods of sword technique and flowing and moving within his body, producing a slow and gradual change.
The Internal Qi of Nine Dragons Heavenly Fire was a kind of fire attribute. At that time, Junior Leopard could display the power of Internal Qi. However, after being moved by the mental cultivation methods of the sword technique, the fire attribute Internal Qi condensed into a current of air, it condensed more and more tightly, until, at last, it became Sword Qi, as sharp as a needle…
Sword Qi finally formed!
Junior Leopard’s body involuntarily moved with the Sword Qi. His left hand holding the dagger moved in a weird arc, his body jumped up swiftly as if there was a spring under his bottom. As the dagger jutted out, he floated down to the ground like in a flow-like state. He rocked twice and took two steps backward so that he could stand firm.
With the sound of “Peng!”, there was a big noise in the air. It was produced by himself when he hit the air with his dagger.
“What a sharp movement!” The light of the dagger glowed and formed a few faint stars in the air, although they only existed for a flash, he surprisingly slashed nine times. He had impaled the air and made a flower with the dagger. That was the reason for the big noise.
However, since he was still in a child’s body, his strength was limited. Those nine times had not only used his Internal Qi up, but also all his strength. It was similar to the person who ran 3000 meters when his ability was just 1000 meters. As a result, he nearly collapsed.
He was barely able to take a breath He felt weak. Suddenly, he vomited a mouthful of blood, before the wounded tendons and meridians spasmed again.
All of his strength was used up, his tendons and vessels were also affected. After applying one movement, he realized gradually its meaning, “The focus of the sword skill movement is the mental cultivation method. Once the mental cultivation method is applied, it will make the body involuntarily display the movement. But the power of the movement is up to the Internal Qi and strength.”
“No!” Junior Leopard thought with his eyes squinted, “Even if the strength and Internal Qi were enough and both of the mental cultivation method and movement are known, it’s impossible to display the maximum power of the movement. As to the fine part of the movement, it still needs more understanding. I have never learned sword skill before. But, I still can partly display its power with my Internal Qi and strength. The price is all the essence of my blood.”
Thinking of the sword flower he had created, he furrowed his eyebrows, “If so, that should be Xue Wuya’s plan. My power is so weak that I can’t do him any favors when he fights with the Evil Toad. But if I hit the Evil Toad once at the critical moment, there may be some unexpected result. It shall be the last draw for the camel. Is that what Xue Wuya is thinking?!”
Junior Leopard once again sat down cross-legged. Then he looked at the more than one-foot long dagger in his hand. He touched the delicate blade gently with his right hand, feeling its fine lines and said, “I’m afraid that it won’t be easy for the person if he is stabbed by the dagger, regardless of Internal force, martial arts or the movement. As soon as I’m stabbed, I simply wouldn’t have the power to resist and all of my tendons and vessels will be damaged. Then I will absolutely die if the Evil Toad fights back. This way, Xue Wuya would not even have to kill me personally. After all, as a Level Eight, if he kills me, a Level One rookie, that would be really shameful ah?!” Junior Leopard’s eyes flashed a few times as he gradually saw through Xue Wuya’s plan.
“That means my value will end 10 days later. Even if I did not die at the hands of the Evil Toad, I would also die at Xue Wuya’s hands. Oh, it seems that I have to fight!” Junior Leopard looked at the bottom of the hole, where he buried the Drowsy Drug and he made up his mind, clenching his fists.
Junior Leopard had also thought of escaping from here, but even if he could escape from the Misty Mountain, out of the control of Xue Wuya, the village where he had lived for more than 10 years would face some consequences.
Since Xue Wuya had given so many advantages to Junior Leopard, he would not let him off.
Xue Wuya caught Junior Leopard at the Qingyang Market. It wasn’t difficult for Xue Wuya to check out his identity. Otherwise, the result would be terrible.
So all that Junior Leopard could do was to fight!
“The key point is whether and when the Evil Toad will come out. But since Xue Wuya has prepared for this, he should be very sure. Otherwise, it means he loses face in front of me. Xue Wuya absolutely won’t do this kind of thing, it’s not in his character. So the Tihu Incense should definitely be effective!”
Junior Leopard comforted himself in his mind. At this time, it seemed that there were no better methods. Even if Xue Wuya had not planned to kill him, he still had to take some measures. He had no time to delay, if he delayed any longer, Xue Wuya would have cured his wound and his chance to kill Xue Wuya would have become slimmer.
However, Xue Wuya was a Level-Eight master after all, he wasn’t sure about whether he could succeed when he fought with Xue Wuya.
Although the property of the Anesthetic Pill was serious, it was actually good and without side effects in his previous life. Considering Xue Wuya’s cultivation, even though he might be influenced by the anesthetic pill, he absolutely would not fall down to sleep like ordinary people or wild beasts. As soon as Xue Wuya tried to stay awake, it would be very easy for him to kill Junior Leopard.
Under these circumstances, Junior Leopard had no more time to think.
Although Junior Leopard did not want to think further, another problem appeared in his mind. That was whether the pill should be put in one living animal or all the animals. If he put all the pills into all the animals, the danger would be multiplied. Regardless of the possibility of being found and the dispersion of the efficacy, the efficacy of the pill was also not sure to perform its function.
“If so, the efficacy should absolutely not disperse and all of the Drowsy Drug should be put into only one wild beast so that its efficacy can be fully exerted. I need to guarantee that Xue Wuya takes it all at once— Wait!” A safer idea suddenly came to Junior Leopard.
“I can’t guarantee whether and when the Evil Toad will show up. But if I plan well, I could set Xue Wuya’s feeding time. Although Xue Wuya can defeat the Evil Toad every time, he also needs to pay big price of exhausting his strength. He needs living animals to recover his strength. If I try to let him eat the animal with Drowsy Drug, don’t my chances improve?”
Thinking of Xue Wuya’s pale appearance after fighting with the Evil Toad on that day, Junior Leopard was sure that this was indeed a more guaranteed idea. At least, he did not need to worry about so many uncontrolled actors, including whether and when the Evil Toad appeared, whether the Tihu Incense could work effectively and so on. All these risks could be avoided. However, similarly, without the Evil Toad constraining Xue Wuya, it was still easy for Xue Wuya to defeat him. Therefore, it seemed that he had better start the Tihu Incense in the animal in advance. Thus when Xue Wuya fought against the Evil Toad, he would be held back by the pill, which might result in both sides’ suffering a great loss. So the probability of success would be the most.
Thinking of this, Junior Leopard began to have a headache. He felt disappointed because his life depended upon an unknown fortune in the end.
It was all because of power. In front of Xue Wuya, all the plans seemed functionless. Even if Xue Wuya fought with the strong Evil Toad with a bad wound in his body which resulted in both sides suffering a great loss and he was also fed with 13 bottles of the Drowsy Drugs, all the above could not make Junior Leopard feel at ease, for he was still at a disadvantage.
Even though there was only one minor mistake, the result would definitely be dead.
Junior Leopard sighed helplessly. He was very clear that if Xue Wuya conquered the Evil Toad 10 days later, that would result in a great risk for him. In that condition, Junior Leopard’s value would greatly be reduced and he might be replaced by the Evil Toad to collect living animals for Xue Wuya. That probably meant he would die soon.
After contacting Xue Wuya these few days, Junior Leopard found that Xue his heart pulse was injured by the White Blademaster Lu Shaoyou’s one Sword Qi, and he couldn’t recover in short time. It was because he was hurt too seriously that he was not able to run to further places. He decided to hide in Misty Mountain for his recovery. Even though Lu Shaoyou was very strong, it was impossible for him to search the whole mountain. In addition, if he encountered Lu Shaoyou occasionally, would not Lu Shaoyou choose to contend with him?
The answer was no.
Although Xue Wuya’s wound was not cured yet, his pneuma had mostly recovered after these few days of healing. The color on his face had returned after consuming the living animals. Junior Leopard was not sure whether Xue Wuya would be exhausted and need to be fed with many living animals like the first time after fighting with the Evil Toad. All the above was unknown. The last plan seemed guaranteed, but there were also many uncertain factors hiding behind it.
“There is no choice but to check it out before making a decision!”
…
…
“Teacher, what is the subtlety of the Tihu Incense? It will entice the cowardly turtle out?”
Although there was still some fear in Junior Leopard’s heart when facing Xue Wuya, he was not so constrained like the beginning. So the attitude of Xue Wuya towards him was not that stiff.
However, the relaxed attitude made Junior Leopard feel more uneasy, the reason which, might be a psychological function or other reasons not known to him. Every time he saw Xue Wuya, he could feel the ambition to kill him hidden in his own body. That made the sense of urgency in his heart stronger.
If Xue Wuya continued recovering, then Junior Leopard wouldn’t have any chance.
That was the most authentic feeling of Junior Leopard at that time.
“This is the Tihu Incense.” Xue Wuya said with his palm opening. Junior Leopard saw a pile of grey-yellow powder floating above Xue Wuya’s hand.
Junior Leopard sniffed, and he smelled a bitter taste. This bitter taste contained a wisp of an eccentric fragrance.
“The Tihu Incense is specialized for catching monsters. It has a kind of fatal attraction to monsters that have begun to improve mentally and it can confuse their mind. Although this monster has already improved its mental and power, yet if I burn this Tihu Incense at the night of the full-moon, in conjunction with the moon’s power, the Evil Toad won’t be able to resist the attraction!” Xue Wuya said with a cruel smile, “Once it comes out, it definitely won’t escape from me.”
Junior Leopard nodded with a stiff smile on his face.
“What? You don’t believe in me?”
Xue Wuya was so experienced that he soon realized Junior Leopard’s abnormal behavior.
“No, I had just been shocked by the monster last time. So now, I still somehow feel horrible when thinking of it.”
“Aha… you coward! The monster merely has a huge and ugly appearance, actually, it doesn’t have any other power except the severe toxicity on its whole body. But since it has practiced at least hundreds of years, its Inner Elixir might be useful. So I want to kill him and get the Inner Elixir!”
“I see!” Junoir Leopard answered with his head lowered. His mind was slowly becoming peaceful after seeing Xue Wuya’s confidence. Since Xue Wuya had said it, maybe he indeed had a high success rate. Otherwise, it would be a great shame if the monster didn’t show up after he burned the Tihu Incense on the night of the full-moon.
“How is your hand?” Xue Wuya suddenly asked when Junior Leopard was lost in his thoughts.
“It’s fine!” Junior Leopard answered quickly, stretching out his recovered hand, “Teacher’s Jinchuang Medicine is indeed great. It just took a few days to heal my hand. But the Jinchuang Medicine…”
“It’s just a bottle of Jinchuang Medicine. Never mind!” Xue Wuya said, “How is the sword skill movement? Have you been practicing well?”
“I’m a fool!” as Xue Wuya spoke of the movement, Junior Leopard bowed soon, “The movement teacher passed on me is too complicated. I have practiced it for few days, but there isn’t any progress. Please, teacher, punish me!”
Hearing of this, Xue Wuya’s eyes blinked and he asked, “You have no idea? Well, it’s not your fault. Although I have simplified the sword technique as far as possible, since you have never learned sword technique before, it’s indeed too hard for you to practice it successfully. However, this is in connection with my plan, so you have to practice it as well as you can!”
“But, I…”
“Fine, I have no business in the following days. Tell me about the problems you encountered during your practicing. I will tell you the answers one by one. But you have to meet my request before the full-moon night.”
“Yes!”
Since then, Junior Leopard followed Xue Wuya to practice the movement every day. It was within his expectations that Xue Wuya concentrated on how to display the movement most when he was teaching. However, as for the consequences of the movement, Xue Wuya just mentioned it slightly. Xue Wuya also told Junior Leopard that he would help to cure his wound if Junior Leopard was hurt during the fighting.
So Junior Leopard was clever. Every time he sent the living animals to the valley, he always kept one or two in coma among those animals. At first, Xue Wuya felt it a little weird, but he didn’t say anything because these animals didn’t die and they were still useful to him. Xue Wuya thought that Junior Leopard knocked the animals out to avoid troubles.
In the last few days, almost half of the living animals Junior Leopard sent to the valley were in the coma. Therefore, when he sent the wild beasts who had fainted due to his anesthetic pill in the valley, Xue Wuya wouldn’t have any doubts about this.
The days passed by and soon came the 10th day, the full-moon night.