Chapter 154: Poison Gas
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Pei Zi Yun and Shen Zhen arrived at Snail Village on horseback.
"Who are you, this is Snail Village, you are not allowed to barged in here on horseback without first revealing your identity!" The guard posted outside the village shouted.
"It’s me!"
"Master Top Scorer is back, hurry open the gates!" The soldiers hastily opened the large gates to the village.
"I have something urgent to attend to. Send a message to Peach Flower Origins Monastery, tell them that Ye Su’er is in trouble. Hurry." Pei Zi Yun shouted loudly before dashing through the gates, leaving the two guards in the wake of dust.
"Yes!" The guards acknowledged.
The roads of the village had just been repairs and upgraded when Pei Zi Yun renovated his mansion. Hence, the entire path into the village was extremely smooth, and without much obstacles. However, he managed to scare away some of the fowl that was strolling peacefully along the roads.
Pei Zi Yun exhaled as he pulled his horse to a stop. Just in front was Pei Mansion. He stopped before the entrance to the mansion and looked in, his face was ashen.
The gates to Pei Mansion were broken open, and a large trail of blood could be seen leading further in. Several guards which had been stationed at the gates had been murdered, and were lying in a pool of their own blood.
"Damn it!" Pei Zi Yun stretched out his hand to reveal the bracelet on his wrist. The core of the bracelet was emitting a faint light, and the rest of the bracelet seemed to have lost its powers.
"Brother Pei, this bracelet is Twin Hearts Bracelet. Once you activate it, the other party wearing it would be able to feel it instantly, regardless of how far the both of us might be from each other, you would be able to know where the other person’s location was."
"It’s also able to protect you once for a fatal attack, my master had put in a great deal of effort and energy to create something like this."
"And if you still can’t get over how much you miss me, you can ask that old man over there to pronounce us as married!" Ye Su’er whispered gently as she put on the bracelet over Pei Zi Yun’s wrists.
Seeing such a dire circumstance, Pei Zi Yun pressed a finger down onto the core of his bracelet and it heated up immediately. A strong ray of light shone inside his mansion from the bracelet.
"It worked. My guess was right, they’re here in Pei Mansion."
Pei Zi Yun and Shen Zhen jumped off their horses with great agility, before dashing straight into the mansion. Once they crossed the gates, they noticed that the entire roads were covered with blood. Servants and guards had all fallen to Song Zhi, their dead bodies sprawled on the ground, lifelessly.
"Song Zhi, you are truly dead." Pei Zi Yun ran straight as far as his legs could carry him in the direction of the leading light. He then crossed the inner yard where he could hear the sounds of fighting from within. He knew then that Ye Su’er was still alive, and heaved a sigh of relief.
"You can’t escape, so why not just be good and surrender willingly to me?" Song Zhi eyed the two gorgeous ladies before him, his eyes were glowing with intense lust, as he glared at them with burning desire. His gaze was so piercing, that it almost seemed as though he was trying to undress them just by staring.
"As long as I make it out of here alive, I shall tell my master about everything, and seek justice from Free Cloud Sect. Your Free Cloud Sect Elders managed to raise such unruly disciples, and to think I have to still address you as fellow brother due to the relationship of our sects. Who would think that a member of Free Cloud Sect could be this barbaric?" Ye Su’er’s cheeks were flushed red. If it weren’t for He Qing Qing who came to her aid in time, she might have been taken down by Song Zhi. Just the thought of what could’ve been gave her the chills.
Hearing Ye Su’er’s words, Song Zhi continued shifting his glances up and down the pair of ladies standing before him. He then laughed coldly, "I supposed you’ve managed to stall me for long enough to get your rest. Actually, why should you struggle? As long as you submit to me, I won’t hurt you. Do you really think I don’t dare to kill you?"
He Qing Qing had a fierce look on her face, as she glared at Song Zhi, "To think you’re supposed to be Daoist walking along the path of righteousness. Instead, you’re just a dirty, small minded piece of trash."
Ye Su’er had been attacked by Song Zhi, and had been protected from the blow by the bracelet on her wrist. The one and only defense mechanism of the bracelet had been used up.
If it weren’t for He Qing Qing who heard the commotion and dashed out to defend her, things could’ve been much worse. He Qing Qing was unaware of what happened although he saw a man of the tenth level of cultivation attacking someone weaker than himself, and a lady at that. Seeing such a scene unfold, her rage prompted her to act.
Song Zhi was still smiling until he heard the insults thrown at him by He Qing Qing, and his face turned cold. He Qing Qing was getting angrier by the second, until she finally let out a loud cry and charged towards him with her blade raised.
Seeing that the Miao woman who had defended Ye Su’er earlier charge towards Song Zhi, Ye Su’er didn’t utter a word. Her face was still pale, as she too charged at Song Zhi.
Song Zhi was supposed to be the fellow brother of brother Pei. Ye Su’er wondered why he wanted to attack her so badly. Unless it was that he had a dispute with brother Pei?
"To hell with you." He Qing Qing stabbed her blade in his direction. Her blade techniques had been developed from the Free Cloud Sect sword techniques, and yet bore her own semblance of a mountain warrior. It was instead a devastating thrust.
"Hm!" Song Zhi cleared his throat before countering the first blow effortlessly, his sword swinging wildly before he slashed in the direction of He Qing Qing.
Dao arts would clearly be victorious against any form of sword techniques. Song Zhi was after all of the tenth level of cultivation. If it weren’t for the fact that he wanted to capture both these ladies alive, he would’ve killed them both effortlessly in a heartbeat.
"No!" Ye Su’er screeched as she stepped forward to parry the killing blow, which might’ve taken He Qing Qing’s life. She raised her sword and block his stroke, causing her to retreat several steps from the ferocity of his strike.
"Ssss ssss!" Several snakes started slithering towards Song Zhi, wanting to infect him with their venomous poisons. These snakes had been bred and trained by Pei Zi Yun to defend the mountainous troops in Pei Mansion. He had imparted the skill of controlling them to He Qing Qing who summoned them at this point.
"Ah!" Song Zhi waved his sword nimbly, severing the heads of the snakes easily. So what if there were ten snakes? Killing them by decapitation was only too easy for him. If there were more, it might’ve been a bigger problem. But the meager numbers wasn’t enough to inflict sufficient damage.
Although it was extremely easy for him to kill of the few snakes, Song Zhi was still shocked at He Qing Qing’s ability to control the snakes. 'Where did Pei Zi Yun find these girl from? She’s so cunning and sly, to conjure the venomous snakes and bugs to attack me. No, I’m running out of time.'
'My target is Ye Su’er, and not the other girl. Since she’s being so stubborn and unrelenting, I guess I have to kill her.' Song Zhi thought to himself before his sword moves took a more vicious turn. In just several swings, he managed to completely neutralize the threat of the snakes. Following that, he swung his sword over his head, arcing from his left shoulder to his right, before dashing towards He Qing Qing. He Qing Qing saw his oncoming strike and closed her eyes and whispered to herself, "Young chieftain, I cannot watch out for you anymore."
"Pa!" Of of a sudden, a rock flew rapidly across as it hit Song Zhi’s sword, where it deflected the blow. Song Zhi groaned and took several steps back. When he looked up, he saw that Pei Zi Yun and Shen Zhen had already arrived at the entrance and rushed in.
"Die!" Pei Zi Yun had always been a man of few words. The minute he entered the room, he charged towards Song Zhi.
He had only wanted to compete for the Honorary Disciple spot, and Song Zhi wanted to kill him for that. It’s no wonder he would sell out the original owner. He did that not for the benefit of Free Cloud Sect, but because he was afraid that the original owner would manage to obtain Immortal Weapons and become stronger than him. Hence Song Zhi decided to trample all over the original owner. The hatred from the original owner and from Pei Zi Yun’s present self welled up within his heart.
With the flash of a sword, and movement as quick as lightning, Song Zhi saw a blur before Pei Zi Yun appeared before him, poised to strike. He then knew he must not hesitate, his sword had already been drawn, ready to meet Pei Zi Yun.
He Qing Qing and Ye Su’er hurriedly moved away from the pair of them, as wild swords were extremely dangerous. Just a slip, and either of them could die from a missed stroke. Blades and swords had no eyes on them.
"Zhng zhng zhng!" In just a fraction of a second, they had traded three successive blows. Song Zhi could not help but was pushed back several steps.
"What sword techniques are these?" Song Zhi shouted through gritted teeth. He knew that his own sword techniques were extremely strong, and yet Pei Zi Yun’s seemed to be stronger than his. At first, he recognized the techniques wielded by Pei Zi Yun, soon after it seemed to take on a strange and foreign stance.
"The technique which would kill you!" Pei Zi Yun said grimly. As his sword moves struck unrelentingly at Song Zhi.
Song Zhi dashed away from Pei Zi Yun with extreme speed before deciding he needed to change his tactics. His expression changed as his sword started glowing brightly. He then swung a slash at Pei Zi Yun’s head, which was dodged successfully. They then traded another flurry of blows. Before long, Pei Zi Yun’s face was ashen, "What sword techniques are those?"
"Hm, these are the techniques handed over to me by the Sect Leader, not something you can or will ever learn."
"So what if the Sect Leader handed the highly secretive techniques over to you?" Pei Zi Yun replied, still in clear shock.
"Zhng zhng zhng!" Song Zhi’s sword techniques clearly showed a high level of proficiency and control over his movements. Even the Dao arts which had been embedded into the sword was extremely mysterious and powerful. Pei Zi Yun had executed more than ten of his sword moves, and was about to deliver the finishing blow to this particular moves when there was a shout.
"Pu" Song Zhi shouted out as his robe was split open right at his chest. Although Pei Zi Yun’s blade had not contacted his skin, it had ripped open Song Zhi’s robes, missing extremely narrowly.
Song Zhi then exclaimed, "The tenth level of cultivation? How’s that possible?"
At this point Song Zhi’s heart was dealing with a torrential wave of emotions. He was in utter disbelief. Pei Zi Yun had only started cultivating a short while ago, and yet he’s already at this stage? Thankfully he heeded Shi Mu Zhong’s advise to kill Pei Zi Yun. If not, he would surely break through the gates of heaven within days. When that happens, the Honorary Disciple position would surely be usurped by him.
Thinking this way, Song Zhi retreated several steps. He then placed a finger into his mouth and whistled hard.
"Whoosh" In all four directions, a group of warriors sprang out and surrounded him. "You’re relying on them to help you?" Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly. "Shen Zhen, combine forces with me and we shall kill him off."
Although all these took sometime to describe, it happened within a matter of seconds. Shen Zhen then positioned the two ladies away from the thick of the battle. He then raised his dagger, which bore a cold and threatening aura before laughing. "Whatever Young Master says, I shall obey."
"As for my Shen Family’s Thirty Seven Techniques, I’ve recently reached the ninth level. My new prowess is thirsty for some blood. I shall go on a rampage and bathe my blade with their blood."
"Clap clap!" At this point the sound of somewhat slow clapping could be heard. Shi Mu Zhong strolled in through the door, smiling. He gazed upon the face of Pei Zi Yun, "Top Scorer Pei, we meet once again. After our last encounter, I’ve especially missed you."
Shi Mu Zhong was extremely free spirited. He then pointed to Shen Zhen and looked at Pei Zi Yun "You are really deserving of the change in heaven’s will. Who would’ve thought that in such a short period of time, you managed to rope in a strong fighter, who’s a good match for us."
"This was entirely beyond my expectations."
He spoke in an extremely proud and arrogant manner, free of any worries, as if he had everything under control. Shen Zhen inched towards Pei Zi Yun and whispered, "Young master Pei, this person belongs to Xie Cheng Dong?"
"That’s right, he belongs to Xie Cheng Dong. He’s extremely capable and strong. I’ve fought him once before, and we were on par with each other. Do not show any mercy. If you can kill him quickly, you should." Pei Zi Yun glanced at Shi Mu Zhong and said fiercely.
"Brother Shi, what are you rambling about? Today we shall kill Pei Zi Yun. After our recent exchange, I discovered that he’s ascended to the tenth level of cultivation. He’s been progressing at such frightening speeds. How long has it been since he embarked on the Dao, to make such progress." Song Zhi hardened his heart as he spoke out without a care for anything.
"When old acquaintances meet, they always have to stop and have a chat, right? Why should we always rush to fight, when we will get to that eventually?" Shi Mu Zhong glanced around at his warriors as he spoke.
"There’s something wrong about this scent, I seem to have lost my strength." Ye Su’er’s face fell as her sword dropped to the ground with a loud clang, and she screamed out in panic.
Pei Zi Yun was taken aback as well. He could feel a certain weakness envelop his body, almost as if all his muscles were about to go numb before long. He swept a glance at his surroundings and noticed that in all the corners there were burners, emitting thick smoke. He hurriedly covered his mouth and nose with the sleeves of robes, trying to breathe in as little of the poison. "You’ve poisoned the air."
"That’s right, even when a lion chases a rabbit, it has to use all its energy to catch its victim. Although the three of us can overcome you, your martial arts are indeed formidable, and you have such good fortunes. I had to poison the air to gain the upper hand."
"Also, Ye Su’er and the other girl had been chased over to the great hall. This was all part of our plan. If not, how could we ever get your cornered here like this?"
"Thankfully I planned ahead well in advance. If not, we would not be able to kill after you brought such a skilled fighter along."
"In light of all the events that have transpired leading to up to this point, I wonder how you’re going to break past this obstacle. It looks like you have to be good and offer your head to us. Then maybe we might spare the life of your beloved Ye Su’er." Shi Mu Zhong smiled as he spoke.
Pei Zi Yun’s heart sank. His mind was a whirl, thinking of ways to escape. Shen Zhen then said plainly, "Young Master, we cannot stay here for any longer. Take the two ladies and kill your way out. I shall guard you from the back."
Pei Zi Yun’s chest turned hot with intense heat. He knew that he had to repay the kindness of these people with him. He then smiled, "You’re only half right. We have to kill our way out, but not like that."
Even before he could complete his sentence, Shi Mu Zhong laughed and waved his hands, "Engage them! You do not have to kill them, just expand their energy, make them breathe in all the poisonous gas."
Following Shi Mu Zhong’s orders, the warriors started charging towards them.
Shi Mu Zhong sneered coldly, "I could not conceal the presence of poisonous gas around. I was only afraid of my plans failing. And yet I realized you do not have the experience of thugs, which was why you fell right into my trap. The harder you fight, the more air you breathe in, the worse off you’ll be. You’re dead."